《A Cursed Life.》


 1 - Obsidian Jewel

    Deep within the Isle of Endless Whispers, the soft crying of a newborn child resounds within the hollow walls of a magma chamber.


    "As was prophesied. A boy will be born during the solar eclipse, and he shall herald the dawn of a new age in this world." An old crone with a crooked nose waved her staff around while speaking ominously.


    The lava gurgles as it rushes down one of the sides of the chamber. Undeterred, the crone holds the baby in her arms as she whispers an odd chant.


    "When the time comes, the boy will embrace the darkness inside himself, and all will kneel in front of him." The old woman gently wraps the baby before handing him to his Father.


    "How can we keep him safe? The humans have no home, our kind have been hunted for thousands of years. The magical beings will not hesitate to kill him when they find out about the prophecy." The young father looked at his small wonder with a wry smile.


    "Go north, to the Mountain against the Sea. A human calling himself The One True King leads his kind against the Magical Beings. No one can know of your true identity." The old crone explained where he was destined to go. "Take your wife and child, I will hold them off as long as I can."


    "Grandmother, I am so sorry for not trusting you sooner. Maybe things would be different if I had..." The young man shed a single tear as he recalled how rude he had been to his benefactor.


    "I serve the fallen gods, and they have already revealed to me how I will die. How could I mind what I have already seen? Foolish Grandson of mine... It is time for you to go." The old crone gently let out a tear of her own before turning her back on her Grandson.


    The young robust man carried his wife on his shoulder while cradling his newborn with his left arm. A deep knock on the door to the chamber shook the whole room, making the young man lose his footing for a moment.


    "Go, boy! Now!" The old crone yells as she begins to cast a spell.


    The knock on the door resounds louder and louder, as if it were a hammer striking an anvil.


    The young man fixes his footing as he leaves through a hidden exit, forcing a rock slide behind him to cover his escape.


    The mountain shakes as a large spell engulfs the magma chamber of the volcano. The entire room becomes covered with ice as the lava solidifies and becomes igneous rock.


    In the middle of the magma chamber, an old woman is covered in an orb of pure ice with eyes wide open. Forever watching as the hammering on the door becomes louder and louder.


    When the door finally gives, a man dressed in flowing white robes with a golden seam appears within her sight. Unbeknownst to him, the old woman covered in ice crystals was still alive and could understand everything he was saying.


    "Find the princess, they could not have gotten far. Excavate this old whore, see if she at least has the Obsidian Jewel on her corpse." The man gave his orders.


    As the guards received their orders, vines of ice began to creep around their legs. Before they could escape the spell range, their legs began to turn to ice and crack.


    The high level spell did not just stop at completely covering the inner magma chamber, but continued to expand as long as it fed off the magical energy of the old crone. Given enough time, it would have cracked and broken the door even without the help of the robed man.


    The ice quickly rushed through the door, engulfing the guards and the robed man alike, completely converting them into ice sculptures. It surged forward, through the passage and out the side of the mountain.


    Continuing to spread, it reached the peak of the volcano and the base at almost the same time.


    As the young man turned around at his successful escape, he saw the volcano be completely engulfed in ice.


    After shedding a single tear, he headed north to the Mountain against the Sea in the north as he was told to do.


    The day after his escape from the volcano, his wife finally came to.


    The woman, even while being covered in dirt and soot, was as beautiful as a blooming flower garden in spring. With sharp blue eyes and ruby red lips, she appeared fierce and cute at the same time.


    "My love, you have finally awoken." The young man was so happy that his wife regained consciousness.


    "The baby? What happened to our baby?" The young woman panicked as she recalled passing out from the pain of childbirth.


    "He is fine, healthy and quite happy. I feared he was sick when he did not scream or cry, but he appears fine." The young man answered hastily before handing his child over to his wife.


    As the mother accepted her child into her arms, she openly wept upon seeing his face. As if on queue, the small baby boy began to cry at the exact same time.


    "We are not safe here, the King will know something is wrong soon. At most, we only have a few days before they figure out that something has gone wrong." The young man reminded his wife.


    "Grandmother must have stayed behind to protect us. I am still too weak, your must carry me Atlas..." The wife coddled her child and began to feed him as her husband lifted her in his arms.


    The baby cooed as it felt the soft texture of it''s mother''s bosom.


    Foraging, hiding, and walking. These were the three things the Bloodwell family did as they journeyed to the Mountain against the Sea.


    "Veronica, there is a town up ahead, and the only way is through. What should we do?" Atlas was at a loss for ideas.


    "Knock out a few villagers, and take their clothes. Leave them some money for their troubles." Veronica answered as she brushed the hair of her child.


    Atlas did as his wife said and found a male and female villager near the outskirts of the town.


    With no time to hesitate, Atlas rushed toward the young couple, incapacitating them and stealing their clothes. He left two silver coins as compensation for their trouble.


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    After hiding the bodies of the male and female, he returned to Veronica''s side and gave her the clothes of the female.


    The clothes were tight when she donned them, showing off her gentle curves and slim figure. Even Atlas could not help but take a moment to enjoy the woman in front of him, whom he loved deeply.


    Veronica''s face turned a light shade of red when she felt the gaze of her husband on her body. Though they had consummated their forbidden marriage many times, whenever she was looked upon, it was as if a wolf looking upon a lamb soon to be devoured.


    The baby was swaddled tightly in a brown linen cloth to look similar to a peasant''s child. Though this gave Veronica no end of displeasure to treat her child this way, she knew it was necessary if she wished to sneak them all past the town guard.


    As they began their trek to the bridge in order to cross the mountains, they were greeted by many farmers and gatherers on the outskirts of the farming village. In order to not raise suspicion, they greeted each in turn and spoke to them as familiarly as they could until excusing themselves from the conversation for ''urgent business''.


    The closer they got to the wooden bridge, the less people they saw, until it was only two town guards and a lone woman on the side of the road selling salts.


    Atlas went up to the old woman and paid her a couple coppers for a small bag of salt. The lone woman happily obliged and filled a small bag with different types of salts for the young man.


    Veronica and the baby began crossing the bridge, with Atlas following closely behind her. The town guards did not stop them, but watched them both as they crossed to the other side.


    On the other side of the bridge, the town guards blocked the path to the mountain. Veronica, noticing something was amiss, tightly held her baby as the guards patiently waited her approach.


    When she was within twenty feet of the bridge end, the guards held their pikes in a defensive position.


    Looking back, Veronica saw that the other guards had taken a defensive posture as well.


    "What is happening?" Veronica innocently asked.


    "Princess, please return with us to the Capital." A guard implored.


    "How did you find out?" Atlas knew there was no room for conversation anymore, and readied a hidden dagger within his sleeve.


    "The villagers knew the people you stole those clothes from, and even we have been told what the princess looks like. Surrender yourself, betrayer, and we will give you a merciful and quick death." The other guard spoke out.


    Veronica stepped back and placed herself behind her husband. Atlas unsheathed the dagger and brandished it in front of the guards.


    The bridge shook as the guards from the other side came charging forward.


    Atlas lunged forward and threw the small bag of salt into the face of one of the soldiers while deflecting a forward thrust and slicing into his neck deeply. Using one of the guards to pivot, Atlas kicked the other off the bridge into the seemingly bottomless crevice below.


    The scream of the falling guard could be heard for many moments as the fight continued. The guard dropped his pike and attempted to cover the gaping wound in his neck to stop the excessive bleeding. Veronica escaped away from the bridge as Atlas stopped the other two guards from pressing forward.


    What followed was a brilliant display of martial prowess as Atlas and the guard engaged in melee combat. Many attacks flowed from both fighters, like the brush strokes of a painter to a canvas. The ground was slowly covered in streaks of blood as the guards began losing ground.


    Unable to continue the fight, the guards begged for mercy from the ''betrayer''.


    Atlas was more than happy to oblige as he kicked them down and began to run toward his wife. Soon he was able to catch up and they continued to run further into the forest beyond the mountain together.


    The guards got up from their prone position and continued to follow, remembering the order that was given to them.


    "Do not return until you catch the princess and behead the human betrayer."


    Beyond the forest that the family had entered was the human settlement. Being so close to their destination spurred them to continue, despite having traveled day and night to get there.


    In a moment of weakness, both Veronica and Atlas decided to rest within the burrow of a nearby oak tree.


    "At least I was able to spend a little bit of time with my son." Atlas removed a beautifully engraved jeweled necklace from around his neck and placed it gently within the folds of the baby blanket.


    "The ancestral Obsidian Jewel is not from this world little one. It will protect you in place of us." Veronica shed a small tear before refolding the baby blanket.


    The beasts that commonly roamed the part of the forest seemed to actively avoid the area that the family was in, as if it was warded against entry.


    Unfortunately, the guards were able to pick up on the beasts wariness to go within a certain distance and used that fact to track down the princess. As they closed in, Atlas was startled awake by the sounds of branches crunching beneath the feet of the horses.


    "Veronica, they are here. From the sounds of the hooves, there must be at least ten of them. I will hold them off, you must seek the protection of the humans." Atlas could only think of one solution to their predicament.


    "You will win, and you will return to me." Veronica kissed Atlas passionately and deeply before hastily retreating to the north.


    Atlas removed himself from the burrow of the oak tree and walked toward the footsteps of the guards, a cracked dagger in hand.

 2 - Connection

    The guards that were previously defeated lead the group to Atlas'' location. He knew there would be no point in trying to sneak up on the princess and the betrayer, as they were both incredibly gifted individuals who could ''whisper with the wind''.


    The ten guards whom sat upon horses circled Atlas and drew their cutlasses from their sides. In one final struggle, Atlas brandished his dagger and charged toward the closest mounted guard. The guard cursed as he became the direct opponent of the ''betrayer''. The guard attempted to dismount his horse, but was too slow as Atlas slipped past the side of the horse and sunk the dagger into the guard''s sternum.


    A scream rang out from the depths of the woods, followed by the sounds of combat. Veronica did not look back, and instead ran as hard as she could toward the Mountain.


    Atlas did his best to defend himself, but he was unsuccessful in protecting himself from the many strikes coming from all angles. Eventually, the dagger that he faithfully carried everywhere with him broke under the duress. With his dagger broken beyond fixing, Atlas knew he was defeated and kneeled before the guard that he had left alive.


    "Please, at least let my wife and child live." Atlas pleaded.


    "The princess will live, but the bastard child will die. No bastard will sit on the Throne of the High King." The guard brandished his cutlass and swung with as much force as he could muster, beheading the betrayer.


    Even though Veronica did not know how, she knew that Atlas had finally perished. Her movements became sluggish and disorderly as she continued to carry her child further to the edge of the forest.


    It was there that she encountered a young human woman.


    Before calling out to the young woman, she saw in front of the her vast city within the Mountain. Even the high outer wall could not fully hide the splendor of the city from her perspective.


    The grandeur of large spires with floating crystals reminded her vaguely of the capital of the Magical Beings in which she had recently resided, and she could hear from within the noise of a bustling city.


    Veronica returned her gaze to the young woman who was counting plants.


    The young woman that Veronica met at the edge of the forest was very young, but gave off a very motherly feeling. She was plucking plants on the edge of the forest while marking something down on parchment when Veronica stumbled out from beneath the foliage.


    "Please help, Magical Beings are attacking!" Veronica called out to the young woman.


    Alarmed, the young woman began to run towards the outer gate with haste.


    "Wait, please, take my baby!" Veronica pleaded with the woman.


    After hesitating for a moment, the young woman nodded her head as she saw the Magical Beings emerge from the forest. The noise of a trumpet resounded from behind the outer wall of the city as archers began to line up to defend their home.


    The young woman took the baby and began running toward the outer wall.


    "After her!" The guard at the front commanded, pointing to the young woman and child.


    Four guards ran after the woman holding the now crying child, while four surrounded the princess.


    The four guards that were chasing after the young woman had to continually defend against a barrage of arrows. The young woman did not fear being struck, only focusing on getting to the portcullis to enter the city.


    When the woman was safely behind the portcullis, the archers rained down a fiery hell on the four soldiers that had attempted to harm the young human woman. The bodies of the soldiers were riddled with arrows as they finally fell to the ground, having failed their mission.


    The other four mounted guards circled around the princess and took a defensive position.


    "Please come peacefully princess, let us escort you home." A guard pleaded.


    "You killed my home. HE WAS MY HOME!" The princess erupted in anger as the ground began to shake beneath her feet. The princess'' eyes burned fiery red as she began to cast a powerful spell from her bloodline.


    The trees began to wilt and bend to her will as the earth began to vaguely resemble a hand.


    "Knock her out, stop her from finishing the spell!" A guard yelled as soon as he began to feel a sense of danger.


    An earthen hand grasped the horses that the guards sat upon and split them in half. The intestines of the horses spewed out of their bodies as they fell over squealing in pain.


    The guards, fearing for their lives, abandoned all hope of capturing her and attempted to flee but were grabbed by the fingers of the earthen hand. One by one their bodies were crushed beneath the force of the earth.


    Crumpling to the ground, the guards had all lost their lives within mere moments. This strength was only made possible because of the princess'' loss.


    Anger, within the Bloodwell family, manifested into great power.


    Now that the guards were dead, the princess was empty. Her child was safe in the arms of the humans, but she would never be free from the grasp of the King.


    With the love of her life gone, it was now time for her to go as well.


    The princess of the Magical Beings, Veronica Bloodwell, removed a vial of wolfs-bane and drank directly from it, her last act of defiance against the crown.


    As she laid on the soft earth, dying, she saw the high walls of the city within the Mountain. Though she did not know the name of the city, it gave her a certain sense of peace that her son would not grow up with the Magical Beings that used her since she was a child.


    Her eyes closed gently as her body succumbed to the poison.


    After a short time, when the battle had been concluded, the soldiers stationed at the outer walls opened the portcullis to check the dead bodies and then burned them to ensure they would not come back to life. This, of course, included the princess'' body as well.


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    The oak tree that Atlas died beside was nourished by his life force as the roots consumed his body and the bodies of the soldiers he had killed in order to grow stronger. It became the largest oak tree within the forest outside the Mountain, and was a sort of beacon that called out to the inhabitants of the forest.


    A report was sent to the One True King about the presence of Magical Beings being so close to the city, enough to warrant his personal attention to the situation. For a time, no one was allowed to leave the walls of the Bastion of Hope until it was considered safe.


    Inside the city, the young woman awkwardly coddled the small child in her arms while it screamed and cried. As a young woman of the Horvell family, she did not know how to explain about the child to her Mother and Father.


    She had just recently been on a mission from the One True King to document the plant life in the forest outside the Bastion of Hope, and had not seen her family in almost a year. To return with a child was inconceivable in her situation.


    Even more so, she had recently been courted by a young man of the Saye family, whom she intended to accept a marriage proposal from. How could she convince him to still court her when she now had to take care of a child?


    With no choice but to face the consequences of the situation, Sarah Horvell returned to the Horvell family mansion with child in arm. At first there was a huge uproar about the event, but it soon died down when she explained how it came to be. The Horvell family was adamant in taking care of their own problems, and would not even think of putting the baby in an orphanage.


    Both her Mother and Father were skeptical of her claims until the outer wall soldiers confirmed the situation with the One True King through a report. Sarah was given a a reward for her ''efforts'' in the plant documentation and was given a stipend until the baby was old enough that she no longer needed to care for it, at which time she would return to work for the King.


    The offer was more than generous, and Sarah accepted without hesitation. Eventually she even explained the situation to Alexander Saye, the young man that was courting her. Alexander accepted both the young woman and the child, and he entered the Army in order to care for the new family. Once things had settled down, Sarah and Alexander married and bought a house together to raise the young child, whom they named Willem.


    They resided at the edge of the inner city, near the gates of the outer wall. This was the cheapest place they could afford that was still within the inner city that the King protected. The One True King was an absolute existence that had lived for more than a thousand years and had mastered the six elements of magic. The inner city was the closest one could get to the Royal Palace, and therefore the King''s protection.


    For a time, the Saye Family was incredibly happy. Their child grew up in a loving family, though he was a little introverted and unsociable while never feeling like he belonged. In the end he still found friends while playing with the local kids and began to open up to his parents about his adventures. He understood the danger of speaking to strangers and going to the outer wall where the guards could not protect him.


    Sarah, having raised him, treated him like her own child but could never come up with the correct timing in telling him that he was adopted, or who his real mother was. The beautiful pendant that hung around his neck remained an unanswered question in the household every time it was brought up. Eventually a lie was told that it was a family heirloom from Alexander, Willem''s surrogate father. This weighed heavily on Sarah''s heart for a while, until she saw that her depressed attitude was taking a toll on Willem''s mental well being.


    Willem was very sensitive to the feelings of others, whether it was greed, lust, fear or even happiness. He could sense what people intended to do, even before they acted. Many times he used this uncanny ability to protect his friends from the unforeseeable threats of the inner city like the thieves guild and the slavers market. His friends were grateful of his protection, even when he was such an unsociable person. They allowed his little quirks to manifest, even if they did not understand how it worked.


    Time seemed to flow irrevocably fast for the Saye family.


    When Willem turned eight years old, Sarah returned to her work as a record-keeper for the King, to which Willem was surprised. He never knew his Mother was in the employment of the King as no one talked about it near him, and everyone who worked within the Royal Palace was quite famous. Willem even received offers for tea from various lesser noble families in order to garner his favor. Though he could not dismiss the invitations out in the open, he declined them all the same. He never quite liked having all the attention on himself.


    None of the lesser families felt bitter about the situation, as they all understood his antisocial personality. They found other ways to suck up to the Saye family, either with food or money. Some even sent over prospects of marriage for Willem, to which he was largely unfazed.


    For the next two years, Willem would tend to the family''s fields in the morning to strengthen his body, then read and write when his Mother returned home in order to sharpen his mind. He much preferred the latter, not because he despised hard work, but because he enjoyed reading about the wondrous things that existed beyond the outer wall.

 3 - War

    When he turned ten, his schedule changed as his Father began to teach him hand to hand combat. In the mornings he would temper his body, in the evening he expanded his mind, and at night he would spar with his Father. This was his everyday schedule for another two years, until he was almost of age to enroll in the Knight''s apprenticeship of the Army.


    He learned from his Father not just martial combat, but what it meant to be a warrior in times of peace. What it meant to have the strength to defend his family from the looming threats beyond the wall, and when to fight or retreat.


    "If you are anything like me, you will lead your own Squad and you will be responsible for their lives as well as your own." Alexander would often be caught saying these words to Willem before and after spars, hammering in the values his own Father taught him.


    Life, however, is seemingly as fickle as the weather in the Bastion of Hope. One fateful storming night, Willem''s life changed forever.


    As the Bastion of Hope was engulfed in the strongest lightning storm it had seen in months, Sarah and Willem Saye waited for Alexander to return from the subjugation of a Dryad that had been withering the crops of the farmers beyond the outer ring.


    Twenty trained soldiers went out to deal with the Dryad, whom was a creature classified as a level two beast, with Alexander leading the forces.


    The classification for levels was based on how many soldiers it took to kill it. In this manner, a level one magical beast could be killed by ten level one soldiers.


    When the storm finally broke, and the first light of the sun encroached the edge of the Mountain top, an alarming rumor filled the minor houses of the inner city. Twenty soldiers of tier two training went to deal with a Dryad, but only one returned after successfully fleeing. The others all died after encountering a level three red-winged wyvern.


    Alexander was known to be the leader of the tier two soldiers, and both Sarah and Willem waited to hear from him with anxiety written all over their faces. Many sleepless nights and long days passed before Sarah and Willem finally got the information they desired. Though Willem and his Mother had stayed resolute in their belief that Alexander would return, time was against them.


    Suddenly, one day a small box was brought to the Saye family doorstep, and the fighters whom had delivered it gave their condolences. By this point, Willem had barely eaten and his Mother was growing thin and despondent. The news came as too much of a shock and they both cried for days.


    Many people came to console them, only to be refused at the door by Willem. If anything, Willem knew that his Mother was in no shape to see guests. He conveyed his thanks to the respective families and stayed with his Mother in mourning.


    The King had sent many letters to the family household asking for Sarah''s presence at the Royal Palace, but she burned every letter that came, unable to even look at the seal of the King.


    After a week had passed since they had officially heard news of his death, the Saye family had finally run out of food. Willem took to the markets, knowing that his Mother could not do it in her present condition. He took what money he could find around the house and went to the market not too far away.


    Though sickly and hunched over, Willem eventually hobbled to the local market and bought some fresh food, hoping against all hope that it would revitalize his Mother''s spirit.


    In his absence, Sarah found the strength to locate hemp rope and tied a noose to hang herself with. When Willem returned, he found his Mother''s corpse dangling from the support beams of the small home.


    Fumbling and in a panic, he carefully ran to the kitchen and grabbed a stool so that he could lift her down. He lifted her pale and light corpse down and laid her on the nearby bed. He closed her bloodshot eyes and for once in the past two weeks she seemed to be at peace.


    In her hand was a letter stained with blood and wine explaining to her eleven year old son that she would be joining her husband in the afterlife.


    - To my dearest Son,


    Forgive me my big, beautiful son, I know you see me as the strong Mother that raised you, disciplined you and protected you, but truthfully I am weak.


    If it were not for the love of Alexander, I would not be where I am today, nor could I have protected you. In truth, you are not born of my blood and sweat, but from another woman.


    It seems like such a long time ago that I first held you in my arms as I ran for my life from the Magical Beings that hunted you. I am sorry I could not tell you, but I feared you would never forgive me.


    I am going to be with my Husband now, and even though I can never forgive myself for leaving you, I know I have raised a strong, caring boy. Please find it in your heart to forgive me for being such a coward.


    Your Mother, Always.


    Sarah Saye. -


    Willem was unsure of what to do for a long time.


    For the first time in his life, he was without anyone to guide him. Not knowing what to do, and fearing for the future, Willem went to everyone he knew to seek advice.


    Soon, one of the families that he had turned to for advice notified the palace that the family was deceased. With no income to speak of, his family home that he had grown up in for twelve whole years was taken away.


    The twelve year old boy was given a small sum of money and was forced to leave his home forever.


    His Mother was buried a kilometer outside the Bastion of Hope in an unmarked grave, despite being the record-keeper of the King. Suicide was known as a cowards way out, and the crown could not claim to have in their employment someone who chose that way to die without there being some bad reputation being attached to their name.


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    Willem ducked around the alleys, living in boxes of straw outside merchant shops and spending what little money he had left on almost spoiled food while waiting for the apprenticeship Knight tests to begin.


    Within one of the abandoned shacks in the outer ring, Willem hid his most valuable treasures. The small box that was given to the Saye Family after Alexander''s death, the handwritten letters from his Mother, they were all precious memories to Willem.


    The one thing Willem kept on him and kept him moving forward no matter where he went or what he did was the pendant given to him by his Father.


    As Willem sat in the hovel of the broken down shack he called home, he reminded himself of his Mother''s teachings.


    Long before he was born there existed a wandering tribe of humans, whom were led by the One True King.


    The Human Tribe was what they called themselves and although they were primitive sounding, they remained a quickly growing power that had consolidated its strength in order to challenge the oppression of the Magical Beings whom had enslaved them.


    Before they were free, humans were treated as slaves only useful for manual labor. Once they had become useless, either by malnourishment or poor living conditions, they would be quickly put to death in order to maintain food stocks. Contrarily, beautiful human women were treated with a little more respect as those whom had become concubines for strong magical creatures were even allowed to bathe and eat full meals.


    Due to the malicious treatment of lesser humans, resistance fighters would gradually form to do their best and fight against their oppressors. Eventually, a strong descendant of mankind came and united these freedom fighters, forming the first Human Tribe with the sole intent of freeing humanity from the constant threats of death and suffering.


    The man whom had gathered the desperate humans and forged for them a new destiny became known as "The One True King".


    In a word, he was a brilliant genius that came along once in a thousand years, and through diligent study of magical beasts he learned the art of magical manipulation, eventually learning how to control the six fundamental elements of power.


    Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Darkness and Light.


    He shared his discoveries with all the other humans who followed him. Eventually it was recognized as common fact that human women were more adept at magic then men, as there was roughly fifty percent chance for women to be capable of some form of magic, while men were only at a staggering twenty percent.


    The One True King came up with a devilish plan to take revenge on the Magical Beings, and men in his company became willing slaves in name, presenting themselves to be weak, only to one night ambush and kill the magical tribes who enslaved them with the very magic that had previously been used to force them to submit.


    Once the leader of the magical races learned of this trickery, any humans whom were in the magical lands were put to death after being tortured. Nonetheless hundreds of thousands of tribes were slaughtered before they had been caught, and for a time it had appeared that humans had gained the freedom they had truly wished for.


    After The One True King forced the magical tribes of the Mountain against the Sea in the northern continent out of their homes, he took as many humans as he could find and built a fortress in the Northern Mountain. With their backs against the sea, it became a stronghold not easily retaken by the magical race, even after hundreds of years of war and countless skirmishes.


    By use of Earthen Magic and Fire Magic, walls were erected and strengthened to the point that not even the mighty giants of the Magical Beings could smash them down.


    As humans began to understand more and more about magic, they realized that their knowledge on the subject was small compared to the truth. They found that by manipulating the forces of nature one could alter dimensional space. It came to be known as spatial magic. By writing scriptures of intention, and imbuing magic, one could make scrolls with will. This gave birth to magic scrolls, and in turn gave birth to summoning magic.


    As the humans gained more territory, they made settlements around the Mountain and began to grow in vast numbers.


    Generations of humans were born with the knowledge that they were not inherently weak, and could forge for themselves their own path.


    Willem himself had once tried his hand at manipulating magic, to see if he had any talent for it. When his Mother had him tested, he could not produce a single ounce of magical intent.


    Even more so, the magic that others casted while around him seemed to lose their strength compared to normal. Willem was like a dampener that sucked the magical energy of those around him. While it was peculiar, since he had no magical talent, he was not invited to the Magic Academy.


    With nowhere else to turn and no one willing to take him in, Willem decided on what he would do. Now that he was twelve years old, he could join the Knight''s apprenticeship. The actual test itself was only a few days away, and he had enough copper coins to survive until then.


    He told his closest friends, and all but one cheered him on as they understood his position and hoped he would pass.


    Eleanor was the only one that did not seem pleased with Willem''s decision. Reaching only up to his Willem''s shoulder in height, the young girl was the very definition of youthful exuberance. She wore a yellow sunflower dress and leather sandals, with a gentle opal necklace dangling from her slender neck.

 4 - First Fight

    Eleanor was quite infatuated with Willem, and had tried multiple times, unsuccessfully, to convince her parents to take him in to their household. Knowing there was nothing she could do for him despite his hardships made her feel quite useless.


    Willem said his heartfelt farewells to his friends to whom he had so intimately shared in many adventures with before heading to the Knights apprenticeship.


    Within the Bastion of Hope, young boys had to decide whether they would take up the sword or the wand. Those who had aptitude for the wand would often choose it, though some with magical capability would still go with the sword in order to join the Army and protect their families on the front line.


    Three days later, as Willem registered his name and stood in line, an instructor came and spoke to the boys who signed up. He looked over the crowd and saw Willem. With black hair and green eyes, Willem did not stand out compared to any of the other children. His features were unrefined but gave out a kind of scholarly elegance, and within his eyes shimmered a small light of hope.


    Though his stature was only a few inches above four feet, he was almost all skin and bones. Due to not having enough food he suffered from severe malnourishment, which plagued him every night. He appeared as all but a few children did, sickly and weak. The only difference between them and Willem was that years of willing labor gave Willem a decent amount of muscle definition.


    "Listen up, this is not a game. Those who choose the martial path may not even make it past these walls. For anyone having second thoughts, leave now and we will not hold it against you. To those who stay, pray for the good luck to see you through the training." The instructor seemed to be on the verge of yelling at the young boys in the group.


    All applicants were accepted for the apprenticeship as long as you were of a certain age. Willem had just turned twelve recently and was accepted after they had confirmed his bone density through nature magic. He walked forward, confirming his identity with the instructor as an apprentice in training, as did all the other apprentices.


    For six grueling months, Willem was put under hellish training with boys similar to his own age. Mediocre meals were served, and incredible pressure weighed down on the minds of the children everyday. Blood and sweat poured from the youth as they ran a marathon of ten kilometers everyday, carrying weights that would even make adults struggle and writhe.


    This was not just a test of their body but a test of their mind as well, the conviction to see something through to the end was important to the army who fought life and death battles at any time.


    The children under apprenticeship were provided with barracks and began to truly appreciate the companionship they had together, since in this hellish landscape they only had their brothers to rely on until the end. If one brother fell, two would be at his side to pick him up and carry him to the end of the line.


    In one instance, Willem himself fell over from heat exhaustion and fatigue. Two brothers whom were standing nearby helped him up, and they became fast friends that would do everything together.


    Willem would often seek out those two children that helped him that day, whom he had become well acquainted with in this small frame of time.


    Eli was the older brother and boasted about it quite often. With a head full of disheveled brown hair and intense brown eyes as well as a well defined body from constantly beating his younger brother. Mark also had brown hair and brown eyes, but was much gentler and more refined in his actions, as if years of being beat up made him realize how much more he wanted to protect instead of inflict harm.


    The brothers Eli and Mark had taken a liking to this small young boy whom had no defining features and was quite underwhelming, which made them stand out even more.


    Willem understood that the only reason they kept him company was due to this fact, but it did not bother him. Having someone to pick you up when you fell down to exhaustion was more important than standing out for him.


    Through thick and thin, these three stayed together and trained together, each improving while sparring among themselves. On occasion Knights would appear to see if they could find some outstanding talent to mentor, and Eli would take the lead and suppress Mark and Willem to show his superiority to the Knights.


    Sometimes Mark would be bothered about his brother showing off, but Willem did not mind much at all. As long as he remained an apprentice, he was given free food, even if it was second grade slop that even the dogs winced at. Anything to eat was better than the spoiled and rotten food scraps Willem was forced to buy.


    Often, the conversations that the boys would have revolved around why they chose the martial path. Eli and Mark chose this path because their Mother was tired of hearing them fight all the time, and threatened to disown the both of them if they chose not to follow in their Father''s footsteps. Unbeknownst to Willem they were from a moderately known noble house.


    Willem could never muster up the courage needed to answer them when they asked why he chose to become an Knight apprentice. Often he would divert the topic to speak about his friends in the inner city. Eli and Mark loved to hear about his adventures, as they had always been confined to their home in the inner city.


    The stories Willem told kept them entertained through the marches, spars and late at night when their bodies ached and they could not sleep. Willem seemed to be the center of attention quite often, due to his Father''s teachings of the martial path and his approachable atmosphere. He made no effort to stand out or bully the other apprentices which earned him the friendship of most in the Training Grounds, and if he was ever bullied those very same apprentices would stand by his side and chase off the offender.


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    At the end of the six months of intensive training, the final test was set to begin. The rules were simple, two children would face off in combat and only one could leave the ring willingly. Maiming was allowed but you could not take the life of another. This was the simplest form of weeding out the weak and the strong. Sometimes in combat, you need luck as well, which is why if you were given weak opponents that was also considered a strength.


    After hundreds of separate fights between the young children; few were one sided victories, many were close fought matches and only one was a draw, to which both apprentices were disqualified. Both Eli and Mark had won their battles, with Eli using his superior reach to knock the opponents weapon away and Mark using tactics to force the opponent out of the ring. That hammered down even more to Willem that he needed a quick and precise victory so that none could doubt his martial prowess.


    As his name was drawn and he entered the stage to fight, it was announced openly that his opponent was the undisputed number one for the apprenticeship among those present. His pupils shrunk and he cursed his luck as the boy stepped up and approached Willem on stage.


    Willem quickly realized just how much of a difference in size there was between himself and the reputed number one. Standing nearly half a foot taller and much bulkier than Willem, this boy was almost the same size as some adults.


    Willem reached out his hand as a show of good sportsmanship, hoping to be spared at least a little dignity after his inevitable defeat. The large youth swiped Willem''s hand away and readied his weapon just above his waistline.


    Willem took a defensive stance, something he picked up from watching Eli spar with his brother. Both Mark and Eli had become very proficient swordsmen by watching their Father. Eli had shown remarkable skill in the defensive stance, being able to take all sorts of attack and waiting patiently for the time to strike.


    "My name is Willem Saye, please do not hold back." Willem was barely able to mutter the words out under the vicious gaze of his opponent.


    "Edwin Forrest." The boy took an offensive stance that seemed at any moment he would pounce and devour his prey.


    The officiator lifted his hand to the sky, and thrust it down to the ground with enough force to send wind in all directions. A clear symbol that the fight was to begin.


    Edwin sprinted forward faster that Willem could comprehend, sending the wooden practice sword directly for Willem''s unguarded left. To Edwin''s dismay, the left was unguarded as a feint. Willem twisted his body and sent the whole of his generated force into a horizontal swipe at Edwin''s left kidney. Almost unnaturally quickly, Edwin deflected the attack and bashed Willem in the chest, cracking three of Willem''s ribs.


    Whispers filled the crowd of onlookers, to them it seemed like Willem had taken the initiative, but it was painfully obvious that Edwin used some kind of body strengthening magic. Normally that would mean he should have been a part of the magic academy, but body strengthening magic was actually trained in combat and therefore he chose to be a part of the Knight''s apprenticeship training.


    Willem''s organs twisted in agony as he coughed up a mouthful of blood. He could only curse his bad luck in getting such a strong opponent. A cold light came from his eyes as he took a knee to recover. Edwin stepped forward two paces in order to deal the finishing blow. Seeing this, Willem forcefully stood up coughing another mouthful of blood. Healers were stationed as an emergency nearby, so the boys understood they could go all out without fear of death.


    Edwin swung down with a chop, as if he were breaking wood, with enough force to break bone. Willem did his best to dodge the attack and rolled away to mitigate the force of the blow. Anyone could see that if it was just a straight forward duel, Willem was far more dexterous than Edwin, which in combat was everything. What was the point of strength when you could not even hit your opponent? Unfortunately for Willem, Edwin''s body strengthening expertly made up for the fact that he was slower by augmenting his speed.


    Willem again cursed his bad luck as he wretched up another mouthful of blood. The stage now looked considerably worse than it did before with small pools of blood in various spots.


    Willem could tell that this was not a battle he could win, and his only hope now was to show so much tenacity and willpower that a Knight would make him a squire.


    Though fundamentally different, squires and apprentices had the same standing. Squires were direct subordinates of Knights and therefore had better training and resources. Apprentices would take lessons and learn in general, but would have to work much harder to get the equivalent of what squires got.


    Eli and Mark looked on at the unfolding battle with a scowl on their face, ruining their childish delicate features. To them, Willem was now a brother and they could only hope that some Knight picks him up as a squire. With that he will be spared the life of a beggar or vagabond.


    After a brief moment, Edwin regained his composure and again flung himself towards the injured Willem. Striking furiously with a flurry of blows, he aimed for the vitals of the young boy, hoping to hit him and make him surrender. Willem deftly maneuvered around the attack but had no way of counter attacking.


    After five minutes of this back and forth, Willem had finally lost all stamina he had. His exhaustive training up until this moment had only prepared him until here. No longer able to bolster any defense or even lift up his arms, Willem slipped on some of the coughed up blood and fell prone. Eyes half closed, Willem waited for what seemed like an eternity for the final blow to knock him out.

 5 - Recovery

    Edwin sneered, a hint of true malice in his eyes, as if he had finally snared a rabbit he had been hunting. Everyone had assumed that he would be able to beat this simpleton quickly, but the battle had lasted longer than any other. To them, Willem seemed to almost be of equal ability to Edwin when it came to strategy and movement. The crowd was genuinely surprised at how long the boy fought.


    The not-so-silent judging of the crowd weighed down on Edwin heavily, forcing his true abusive nature out. Edwin took a running start and kicked Willem in the gut, forcing him to puke up another mouthful of blood. Before the officiator could call that the match was over, Edwin was already pinning Willem''s spine beneath his knee as he broke both of Willem''s arms. Knowing full well that even with recovery magic, it would take three to four months to fully heal such a disastrous injury.


    The officiator raised his hand and shouted that the winner was Edwin, before quickly running up to the downed boy in order to carry him to the emergency tent. He understood immediately that this boy''s fate was sealed, even if he was considered gifted, now that his arms had been broken. He will be forced into a long recovery and no Knight will take him. At most he would only be able to display half of his previous ability after his recovery.


    Before he left the healing tent, the officiator took one last long glance at the young boy and saw within his half dead eyes a will that could not be broken. With a slight shiver, the officiator went back toward the stage to announce the winners and finish his duties.


    Willem knew the extent of his injuries better than anyone else. He understood that because of this, no Knight would take him as a squire and he would be forced to be a beggar on the streets. To some, it was basically a death sentence and they knew it. Willem again cursed his rotten luck as his eyelids became heavy and the darkness of sleep consumed him.


    A petition was raised later on, after all the fights were finished, against the unfair treatment of the brilliant apprentice named Willem Saye. The concern was about the viciousness displayed during the fight even after it was obvious he could not fight back. Hundreds of apprentices voiced their concerns against the youth named Edwin Forrest.


    The voices unfortunately fell on deaf ears, no matter how many times it was talked about. From the viewpoint of the higher ups, why bring down another genius because of a broken one?


    Eli and Mark went to the barracks where Willem was moved after his emergency treatment was performed. Their fourth attempt at a petition against Edwin was a failure, and at this point they truly understood nothing would be done about this grave injustice. What''s more, Edwin was given a squire position under Sir Gehrig, one of the top one hundred Knights in the army. His future achievements were deemed to be more important than the viciousness he displayed during the bout.


    Willem had both arms bandaged from shoulder to wrist and around his torso where his ribs had been cracked, leaving only his fingers to move. With maximum effort, he moved his fingers into the form of a handshake in response to the brothers that visited him. He knew about what they had been doing, and although he appreciated their efforts, he knew nothing would be done. In this world, strength is everything and he understood that better than anyone.


    Willem greeted both his brothers with a smile and nodded his head. Even this small movement proved painful as his torso was heavily bandaged. Eli and Mark quickly got him into his original resting spot, as they described to him the exercises that they now had to do as official apprentices.


    They joked about how lucky he was that he didn''t have to do any of the exercises, regaling about how some mutual acquaintances had puked and passed out from the exhaustive work. They had done their best to keep Willem distracted from his pain, not realizing that Willem would give anything to be enduring those exercises with his brothers instead of being worthless in his bed.


    Eventually Mark and Eli realized that Willem was in so much pain that he again had passed out during their conversation. With a heavy sigh, they both tightened the cloth around him and nestled him into the covers. They quietly left and resumed their apprentice duties.


    Only when he was sure they were both gone, Willem opened his eyes and soft tears slid down his face.


    He truly felt like a worm beneath the feet of this world. He had to rely on his friends, his tormentor had taken from him his future and he could do nothing about it, and his prospects for the army was dismal.


    He relaxed all of his muscles as he once again began to slip into unconsciousness. At that time, the officiator came into the barracks to look upon the young boy.


    In the short amount of time since the fight, he had come once or twice a day to look upon the child. There was something about the boy that felt off, but he could not understand what it was. He constantly thought about the look in the boys eyes that day. He did his best to convince his superiors to let the boy rest in the barracks.


    Normally those who were injured were left to their respective families. He argued that since the boy had no one, the least they could do was to offer him food and shelter until he recovers. The higher ups agreed, but his safety remained in the hands of the officiator, and no one else, since it was his late reaction that put the boy in the tent.


    He gently woke Willem, and joking said "your gruel has arrived" with a rather mischievous grin on his face.


    Willem awoke, and with a placid smile opened his mouth as if he was a young bird about to be fed.


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    "It has been a few days, and your recovery is going well. Sooner or later you will have regained your strength. If we were to let go of such an outstanding talent such as yourself, the army would lose out big time. I have petitioned my bosses to allow you a scouting position so that you can continue to be a part of the army." The officiator did his best to give the young boy hope.


    A small glint appeared in Willem''s eyes, he understood quickly that the officiator felt it was his fault for his injuries, for not being quick enough to call the match. However, no matter how much he thought it to be true, the real fact is that Willem was too weak. If he had been stronger he would not be in the position he is in now. He quickly took a bite of the food, and a wave of shivers washed over his body.


    The food, if it could be called that, had been very plainly under cooked and was disgusting, but it was food nonetheless. This was the only thing they would give to a worthless leech like him.


    Willem nodded his head but said nothing, and after a few spoonfuls of food, he again rested his head back against the pillow.


    The officiator smiled bitterly and said his goodbye before leaving the barracks.


    This trend happened again for a month, then two and three. Eli and Mark would tell him all about their training, Eli had managed to get noticed by a Knight and was taken under his wing. Mark was still doing the normal training but due to his brother''s luck, he was occasionally given elixirs and recovery medicines which further increased his training capabilities.


    Before Willem was released from the confines of his casts, the officiator whom he now affectionately called "his tormentor" for bringing him the gruel they called food had visited him.


    His visit was not surprising, but the expression he bore was. It was an expression of extreme regret, as if he had witnessed a family member hung. He approached the bed and helped Willem to sit up.


    Before Willem spoke, The officiator raised his hand to silence him. He looked apathetic as he described the events that had unfolded when he went to speak with the higher ups about the scouting position.


    After months of pleading for a council to decide Willem''s fate within the army, he was finally granted an audience and had prepared his case. He pleaded with them to give Willem a temporary position as a scout to show the prowess of the youth and his natural abilities. The motion was quickly rejected and he was sent away with nothing to show for his efforts.


    Willem already understood that was the case, who would want someone who was wasted? As soon as he saw the man''s expression, he knew that his time in the army was now much shorter than he had hoped.


    Though it was true that he could see his friends, it would be considerably less than it was now. Their duties brought them farther and farther away from the capital for training, where as he could only regrettably stay out of the way of the army from this point onward.


    Three months after the devastating news, the day of Willem''s release had finally arrived as he was almost fully recovered. His casts had been removed and he was no longer in any capacity part of the army. His friends had all seen him off as he was sent away, and the guards stood close by in case something unruly happened.


    He gave all of his friends a quick handshake, with noticeably less strength compared to when they had first met. He saluted the officiator that had given him such hope, and turned his back. A single tear slipped down his face and was quickly wiped away as he headed through the gates back into the capital.


    His return heralded a multitude of cheers from his old friends that he used to hang out with before his parents died.


    They were all close to him even after he had told them he intended to become an apprentice and train. They knew that the only reason for the decision was because he had no one to support him, and so they encouraged him wholeheartedly.


    Eleanor still had her eyes on Willem, and she was one of the few who understood a little of what he went through because she too had lost her Mother. Her Father was never home as he was a Drill Instructor for the apprentices and was always busy on excursions. She had even attempted to put a good word in for Willem when she was told about his injuries, but it did not have any affect. To men like her Father, strength is the only reason for a change of heart. Connections meant nothing in the face of true oppressive strength.


    "Welcome home." Eleanor quietly said as she approached Willem with a gift in hand.


    "Thanks." Willem was quite aware of her feelings for him, but he felt that she was too young to truly understand what love was. He quickly took the gift presented to him and opened it, revealing new leather bracers. With a warm smile he donned them and showed them off to the group. They laughed and threw a couple fake punches at him to test them.


    "Your girlfriend has been waiting this entire time you know!" Craig laughed as he slapped Willem''s back.


    "I-I.. Not his-... Wuuu...." Eleanor''s voice began to trail off as she buried her face in her hands.


    "Well, enough messing around. We have all pooled our money together to throw you a nice party for your return. We''ll have you tell us everything that happened while you were gone. Especially if there was any women there!" Arin, one of his other friends, rubbed his hands together excitedly at the prospects. Eleanor rolled her eyes as Arin spoke out loud to Willem.

 6 - Return

    The group slowly made their way to an inn owned by the local powerhouse, the Lions Family. As they arrived they saw brilliant lanterns glowing brightly as if beckoning for a master of arts to join them. The signboard above the inn depicted the head of a lion breaking a greatsword in half between its jaw. The atmosphere inside the inn was boisterous, alcohol was flowing wildly and mercenaries were engaging in conversations about the local magical beasts they had killed.


    The children walked in awkwardly and asked for a table to fit seven. They were escorted upstairs to a quieter area and were given a large table against the wall. After giving the waitress their order, they all looked expectantly at Willem.


    Nervously, Willem chuckled. "It is still quite embarrassing to be looked at this way." He fumbled his words as the gazes became more focused and heated.


    "Forget that! Tell us everything, get to the good stuff!"


    "Did you miss us? Did you make new friends?"


    "W-w... Were there any girls there..."


    Arin seemed particularly interested in Eleanor''s last question as he sat right beside Willem, inching closer while waiting to hear about any women at the training grounds.


    "Fine, I get it. I will tell you what happened."


    As he began to tell them what had happened, their smiles changed to wide eyes and slowly shifted to frowns. Willem did not mince words or hide what happened to him in any way. As he finished speaking, he explained that he had made friends with some other apprentices whom had taken care of him during his recovery. The conversation became stale as they all contemplated the difficulties he had just gone through.


    "Well in that case we are glad to have you back!" Craig shouted to restore the mood and wrapped his arms around Willem as they jovially expressed their approval of his strength. He clearly did everything he could during his training and they truly believed that he should have no regrets.


    Willem wryly smiled as he downed his drink. Due to the fact that they were underage, they were not served alcohol but instead shaved ice with milk, with the ice being created from water magic. The shop owners daughter was renowned for her capabilities as a powerful young mage whom had received special treatment, though her spell list was still beginner tier.


    Halfway during their meal, they were interrupted by the sounds of violent fighting downstairs. The boys poked their heads below, and they saw a group of thugs threatening the barkeeper. The mercenaries that had just been drinking heavily had all been defeated and were on the ground, some with life threatening injuries. With a quick glance, the leader saw the children above the stairs peeking their heads out and grinned.


    He ordered for two of his men to go upstairs, with a motion that could only mean to kill anyone they find. Quickly the children ran to the window at the end of the hall in order to escape from the inn. Willem was the last one out and had almost made it but was caught at the last moment by one of the thugs.


    As he was pulled back into the inn, Willem kicked and screamed while the thugs held onto him by his ragged shirt. They punched him and kicked him until all that was left from him were low groans. Just when he thought it was over, he felt the distinct feeling of cold steel pierce his stomach.


    He let out a sharp pain that contained everything he had ever been through, and as his voice died down he felt hollow. As if there was nothing left, he curled into a ball and waited for death while cursing the heavens. Willem''s blood flowed freely from the open wound on his stomach and left him feeling incredibly cold.


    As the thugs started to leave, they stopped when they noticed a glint from the boy. It was the pendant that belonged to his Father. It had somehow fallen off his neck and rolled along the floor. While the thug bent over to grab it, he saw the boy also reaching for it with blood stained hands. The thug gave Willem another kick and pocketed the pendant for himself.


    Willem did his best to remember exactly what the thug who took the pendant looked like.


    After the thugs finished their business extorting the barkeeper, they left hurriedly before the guards arrived. Before long, the guards arrived and assessed the situation, giving priority to the severely injured.


    By the time they had gotten to the small boy upstairs, they could barely feel a pulse. After a quick glance around, one guard kept watch as the other guard picked Willem''s pockets as he was passed out. They noticed the scars on his arms that could only point to them being previously broken, and unanimously decided to give priority to the other injured when they were done with him.


    After all, strength means everything.


    The cold quickly enveloped Willem''s body as he began to twitch from the lack of blood.


    The guards focused on accommodating the richer, paying patrons whom required bandages and sterile cloth.


    Seeing the unsightly boy dying in front of them, the rich patrons asked the guards to move his body somewhere else where they would not be perturbed. The guards were all too happy to oblige, and removed a barely conscious Willem from the room.


    The guards tossed Willem''s slowly dying body onto a broken cot in a nearby room and walked away as he continued to bleed out.


    Fortunately for Willem, the young water mage happened to walk in to that very same room and saw that Willem had yet to be treated at all. Finding cheap gauze, she wrapped his stab wound and begins to chant an elementary water recovery spell. Though the spell method was crude, the release of gut-wrenching pressure from the stab wound caused Willem to wake up and cry out in joy.


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    Like having water splashed onto his face, the healing spell forced Willem wide awake. Willem frantically asked about his friends, but the water mage explained that she had not seen them. After having done her job of stimulating his life force with healing magic, the water mage took her leave in order to treat the other patrons, at the behest of the perturbed guards.


    Willem remained completely still as a piece of the broken cot slowly pushed into his back. Even the slightest readjustment from Willem brought about a huge wave of pain. Willem was forced to internalize his pain, remembering back to how he dealt with his pain during his apprenticeship training. Willem did his best to breath in, hold his breath for a few seconds, and exhale again. He continued this method for a few minutes until the pain dulled.


    His mouth began to pool with black blood that he was forced to spit out into a nearby wooden bucket, being careful not to reopen his stomach wound. A guard approached Willem in order to get his statement on what had occurred, and showed no interest when Willem asked about the welfare of his friends. In return, Willem told him nothing but the bare minimum to make him leave.


    Willem sensed an ominous feeling welling up inside him, fear and panic flowing through his whole body. Unfortunately for him, he could not summon enough strength to even slightly move. He convinced himself that it was for the best that he not move since his life was still in danger. If the wound reopened, it was highly unlikely that someone would come to his aid again.


    The feeling of fear and panic slowly died out and gave way to a huge surge of adrenaline. With nothing to do, Willem felt his heart beat like crazy while he struggled to not get up.


    During the rest on the broken cot, an attendant came to speak with Willem saying that he can stay the night and that he would not have to worry about paying the fee. Feeling slightly relieved, Willem again asked about his friends. The attendant explains that she has not seen or heard news about the six children and quietly takes her leave.


    The night passes with difficulty and the dawn of the morning comes sooner than everyone had hoped. Those with minor wounds are already around and moving, helping out the inn in any way they can to make up for their lack of strength the night before.


    The richer patrons dropped a few silver coins on the table and leave without looking back.


    Willem was finally awake but laid completely still, the attendant wiping his brow of the sweat that formed just from his body attempting to recover. Now that the majority of wealthy patrons were okay, they could spare a few attendants to take care of the meaningless non paying patrons of the inn, since it would be bad for business if any of them died while remaining in the inn.


    The young water mage finally returns to Willem''s side after visiting everyone else and gives him a small elixir, with a slightly blue tinge to it.


    "What is this?" Willem ask immediately as it is forced into his hand.


    He put it quickly into his breast pocket where the locket used to be as she looks at him with a pained expression.


    "Your injuries were the most severe, some people had breaks and fractures but you were left to die. Truly I do not understand how you yet live and breathe after losing so much blood. This is just a small recovery potion, the first one of a batch I have successfully made. It is the least I can do for not being strong enough to help you and almost letting you die. As a water mage, there is no greater dishonor than having a patient die under your protection." The young water mage looked both ashamed and angry at herself.


    She hung her head dejectedly as if saving Willem''s life was not enough to make up for the events of last night. Nothing he could say would comfort her, and he especially knew that. Praise will not replace the gut feeling that you could have done something more.


    Suddenly the look on her face is replaced by a steely determination, a small light of hope appears in her eyes and her fists tighten to the point that her veins became visible. It was as if she had resolved within herself that day to become a Grand Mage and challenge the evils of this world herself.


    Willem could not help but smile upon seeing it, a young woman no older than fifteen with such strength of will.


    "Hold still for me." The young water mage places her hand on Willem''s sternum.


    She begins to chant a long and complex sounding spell, and all of a sudden Willem''s insides feel as if they are being twisted inside a warm whirlpool. It was an indescribable feeling, as if at any moment his organs would split, but also that the water rushing over them was sealing any cracks they had sustained.


    Once the spell ended, the pleasant warm feeling retracts and his organs feel as if they had been completely invigorated. The look on her face had yet to change, and beads of sweat poured off her head.


    "Some day soon, I will repay this favor you have given me." Willem says to her.


    "Good luck finding me, I plan to devote myself entirely to the Magical Academy so I can learn stronger magic." She retorted, with gasps of breath every few seconds.


    Willem wiped her brow of the sweat with a nearby cloth and took all the strength in his body, commanding himself to leave the broken cot.


    For a moment the young mage looked as if she intended to stop Willem, but after seeing the struggle in his eyes she decided not to. Willem made his way down the stairs and into the street, determined to see if his friends are okay.

 7 - Black Blood

    Inside the Lions Inn


    The young Water Mage looks on as the young boy walks out. She shivers a little after looking into his eyes, as if she had seen the devil himself. She is suddenly curious as to what the boy had been through at such a young age to give himself such an oppressive atmosphere. Even if she had wanted to call out to him to tell him to stay, it was as if the words in her throat were stuck.


    Suddenly the pail that had been used to mop up the blood from the floor falls over, the blood again spilling out. The black blood she recognizes was from the young boy slowly crawls towards the direction he left from as if it had a life of it''s own. After three seconds the blood seems to no longer move, but instead gurgles as if it was being boiled.


    The young girls mouth is completely agape as the gurgling blood changes from black to dark red and mixes with the rest of the blood currently sprawling out.


    She quickly rushes out of the room to tell her Father of the events that unfolded.


    Willem staggered through the bustling city streets, hand grasping onto the nearby buildings to keep himself propped up.


    Inside him it felt as if his blood was on fire, a deep raging inferno that was only made stronger by the water recovery magic that had been performed earlier.


    The more he thought about the stabbing, and the theft of his pendant, the angrier he became. As if being renewed over and over by a baptism of rage, Willem continually found the strength to step through the inner city.


    He himself did not understand anything about magic and only thought that this was a side effect of the treatment.


    Slowly making his way along the side streets, he eventually ended up at the house of one of his friends. The house belonged to the Wyvern family, and their son was the boy named Craig that he was with the night before. He knocked upon the door with as much force as he could muster. After a short while, a middle aged woman opened the door and greeted the boy. Upon seeing his pained expression, she immediately helped him inside. This middle aged woman was the Matriarch of the Wyvern family.


    She recognized Willem as one of her son''s friends since they had played together alot as children, being nearly the same age. He told her the events of the night before, including the fact that he had just finished recovering and had not heard anything about the others.


    Fearing the worst, he rushed over here to see if Craig had returned after the events that unfolded. She solemnly said that he had not returned and went to go speak with her husband. After a short while, the husband entered the room where Willem was resting and asked the child to retell him everything, including all the minute details.


    Willem was given some food by the Matriarch as the husband left the house hurriedly. As one of the representatives of the Wyvern family, he had a small amount of pull and was going to launch a formal investigation into the whereabouts of the children.


    "Get some rest, you have been through alot."


    Matriarch Wyvern placed thick blankets around the boy, patting his head and letting him drift off into peaceful slumber. As he began to sleep, she bit her thumb until it bled. Her worry about her son was completely justified, he was the only male child of the younger generation and was considered to be the successor of the family. If anything happened to him, she would lose her current position within the family.


    The Golden Dragon Family


    Six children were tied together in what could only be described as a damp and disgusting cold storage cellar. As they began to awaken, they remembered the events of last night.


    After jumping out the window, they all saw Willem about to jump away but instead get caught by the thugs. As they ran away to get guards, they heard Willem''s ear piercing scream. Not knowing what happened to him, they ran as fast as possible to the nearby guards. Once they had found a group of five guards they quickly told them about the situation at the Lions Family Inn.


    To their dismay, the guards had a malicious grin on their faces as they knocked out the children. Arin, whom had been the one to lead the children in search of guardsman began sobbing uncontrollably.


    "It''s all my fault. I lead us right to those evil guards and I don''t even know if Willem is alive."


    The sobbing of the youth had triggered within the children the undeniable truth, they had been taken prisoner and were not sure what would happen to them. They all began to cry as they sat in the damp and dark cellar. After what seemed like hours passed, they were all hollowed out. Only sniffling was left as they began to ask what will happen to them next. No one had an answer, and the growing fear in their hearts gave rise to a completely despondent helplessness.


    A few more hours passed and suddenly they saw a crack of light above them. The blinding light quickly took the shape of a square door as it illuminated the surroundings. They were indeed in a cellar, chains adorning the walls and small tools could be seen lying across a small wooden bench.


    Fresh blood dripped from the tools, and they all understood immediately that the tools had been used for torture. A gruff looking man with a multitude of scars across his face and arms was carrying two young children, one on each shoulder. He placed them down and tied them to the group of six, causing confusion to spread into the minds of the kids. As he began to leave, the kids cried out to be untied and taken home. Knowing full well that it was a pipe dream, they yelled and screamed for reprieve.


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    The man smirked as he looked at the children, his eyes focused on Eleanor. "Do you want to go home little girl?" His half question sent a chill down the spines of the children. He laughed almost maniacally as he closed the door behind him.


    Eleanor could not even mutter out a whimper, her fear of the man was that great. She quietly sat back and focused inward, hoping that somehow Willem was alive and would come save her.


    The Wyvern Home


    Once Willem closed his eyes, it was as if he was plunged into a warm pool of darkness.


    He quickly fell asleep and from within his mind, he saw a seemingly endless field of darkness. Sprouts of white flowers showed just how far reaching the scene before him really was. As he bent over to pick a flower, his arm was suddenly engulfed in flames. Though he was initially surprised, he somehow knew that he would feel no pain from the burning. The flame extended from his arm to his torso, down his legs and eventually fully engulfed him. It had a very calming sensation, as he viewed his arm he could see cracks forming along his previous injury. Where his arms had been broken the fire turned from red to pale blue, then black.


    Willem breathed deeply as he sat among the white flowers. As he did, the earth below him began to churn and burn brightly. Cracks formed in the ground and blood spurted out from the earth. At this moment he thought that even if he died, it would not be a terrible way to go. At least he was able to see this beautiful view before he was gone. As he closed his eyes he felt his heartbeat slow, eventually almost stopping completely. At the last moment his eyes opened and revealed a deep black flame. How could he die here? He still has to take revenge on those bastards that took his Father''s pendant. Only when he has the pendant again can he truly be at peace.


    As his breathing calmed, so did the blood pouring from the earth. The blood circled him as it began to form patterns and runes unknown to him. He had never seen such complex and beautiful symbols in his life, nor could he understand how personal they felt to him.


    The blood finished circling around him and began to faintly glow.


    The blood glowed brightly, turning from bright red to pale blue and finally black with a white outline.


    Smoke covered Willems arms as the black flames extinguished themselves. As he glanced at the runes, they converged on his body and seared themselves into his skin. The array became permanently imprinted onto his body. As he ran his fingers along the patterns, he saw a vision of a man that was not his Father but still felt personal.


    Willem was prodded awake by Matriarch Wyvern.


    "Willem, dear, you have been sleeping for five hours. You had a low pulse so I woke you up to make sure you were okay."


    She took a step back as she looked into his eyes. For a brief moment it was as if a black flame danced around his iris.


    Willem opened his eyes half way, and then fully. His body felt extremely hot, as if it any moment he would burst into flames.


    He tore off the cloth that he had been covered with, quickly bowed to the Matriarch and left the house without saying a word. He walked down the street and as he looked at his arms he saw that the scars where his arms had been broken were gone. What was more concerning is that he felt an intense strength in his marrow attempting to burst forth. There was no marks on his body, in fact it was as if he had been completely reborn. No scratches or scars could be seen at all.


    As he recalled the dream he had, he checked his body for the mysterious array that had converged upon him. Though there was no physical sign that he had changed, he could feel the array just beneath his skin.


    "Excuse me son, is something the matter?"


    An older gentleman clad in robes approached Willem, presumably haphazardly. The robes that the man had were green in color and inlaid with gold, making it abundantly clear he was an Earth Mage. From his deep gaze and prideful stance one could immediately tell he was someone important and not to be disturbed. Lines covered his face, though he looked to be of old age there was no hint to it other than his complexion.


    "You could sense my magic? That is why you came here."


    Willem looked him up and down before saying what he had. He knew that the old man calling out to him was no coincidence, not after the bizarre dream he had just been through.


    The creases in the old man showed even deeper as he furrowed his brows. After a time he finally released his gaze and cracked a smile.


    "Such perception, really is quite astounding. Boy, you are correct. I could sense within you deep power, and when I found out you were not within the Academy I could only assume you had just awakened. If you come with me, I can train you in the ways of being a strong Mage."


    With a flowing motion, the old man pulled out a papyrus filled with twisting glyphs.


    "This is a summons from the Academy with the signature of all current Grand Mages. We request you to come learn and hone your skills in the Academy at your earliest convenience."


    The papyrus gently floated into the hands of Willem as he stared at the old man. As the old man slowly turned to walk away, Willem called out to him.

 8 - Encounter

    "I have a condition. If you wish for me to join the Academy, you must first help me find my friends." Willem would not let this chance encounter go to waste.


    "Ho Ho, child. The strength of a Grand Mage is not something to be bargained with. As a Grand Mage of Earth I can sunder mountains and erect walls unlike anything you have ever witnessed. Do you sincerely wish to trade with me here?"


    The Grand Mage stopped walking away but did not turn around. A grin formed on his as he felt the young boy''s heart palpitate.


    "I have no choice, I fear my friends have been kidnapped and I do not have the power to save them. Even if I must sell my soul, I will do so to ensure their safety. Also, the bastards that probably did it have something that belongs to me, and I must get it back, even if I must cross the underworld to retrieve it."


    Willem stared at the back of the old man''s head as if he were looking directly into his eyes. The old man could feel killing intent welling up inside the boy with every word he spoke, like a red hot fire that sought to consume him.


    He slowly turned around to the boy, lifted his hand and clasped the boys right shoulder as he calmly spoke "do not resist."


    As the old man began to chant, the space around them began to twist and distort. Willems face flushed red as he felt like he was being pulled in multiple different directions. After a few seconds, the feeling subsided and was replaced with a gut retching sickness.


    The food Willem had eaten earlier quickly made its way up and out, narrowly missing the robes of the Grand Mage. For a few brief moments, Willem could not see or hear, and fumbled around desperately to cling to something.


    His vision returned and as he looked around he realized they were no longer in the streets, but instead were in a twenty foot by twenty foot room. The room was adorned with the skeletons of magical beasts, the floor was hardwood and a green rug lined from the door to a magnificently crafted table.


    On the table sat multitudes of papyrus, with weird inscriptions and words. There was also flasks and a medicinal pot on top of the table, dangerously close to the edge. Behind the table was a wooden chair and a glowing orb situated on a pedestal.


    "Where are we?" Willem was sure they had just been standing in the streets.


    "Of course, boy, we are in my Private Sanctum. Do you know nothing of Teleportation Magic?" The Grand Mage coughed a little as the boy quizzically looked around the room, then motioned for him to go towards the orb. As he slowly walked toward the orb, the puke dissipated as if it had never existed in the first place. The orb glowed stronger as Willem approached it, turning a tinge of black. The Grand Mage quickly hid a surprised expression and lifted the orb off the pedestal.


    "Before you use this orb, know one thing. By allowing you to use this, you now owe me a personal favor and you cannot deny me this. On your life as a future Mage, you must swear by an oath that you will uphold this promise."


    The Grand Mage stroked his beard slowly, waiting for the response of the boy.


    "I swear on my life as a future Mage, I will uphold this personal favor and will not deny you when the time comes."


    Willem looked at the old man expectantly.


    "Then it is agreed, now let me show you how to use this orb."


    The Grand Mage finished stroking his beard and placed the orb into the boys hands.


    "Time to begin. Grab the orb with both your hands, and focus. Focus on everything you remember about your friends, how you feel when you''re with them. Let it be a string that connects you to them all. Now follow that string, watch as it twists and turns but always heads toward them. When you see them, tie the string around them all."


    The old Mage grinned, as it had been the first time he had ever seen such natural talent. Whatever he told the young boy to do, it would immediately be done perfectly.


    When the string finally found his friends, Willem sighed in relief. After confirming their safety for himself, the fire that ignited his soul seemed to dim a little bit.


    "Next, we must ascertain their location, since you have the string connecting you to them, eventually you will find them naturally. Unfortunately that would take far too long, so for now expand your vision as if you are looking into a wide open ocean. Let the ocean be the distance between you and your friends, and follow closely as they make their journey to this current destination."


    As he explains how to use the orb, Willem quickly adjusts according to what he is being told. His fervor in finding his friends is largely why the orb had been working so perfectly. As the string followed the children, it showed them jumping out the window. Finding the guards and being knocked out, and brought to the Northwest of the town. In a large Inn called the "Golden Dragon" he can see the string leading to a cellar.


    After an excessive amount of sweating and a large headache beginning to form, Willem finally releases the orb from his hands.


    "Why could I not see more?" Willem looked at the Grand Mage pleadingly.


    "Boy, this is Clairvoyance Magic. To do what you just did would take someone at least two years of study. It took me three months just to learn how to connect the strings, let alone find their location. If I am a genius for being a Grand Mage, you are no less than a Celestial Being!" The Grand Mage snorted at Willem''s lack of knowledge.


    Willem now had a grasp on where his friends were and thanked the old Mage. As he turned to leave, the old Mage let out a loud sigh. Quizzically, Willem looked at the Mage and asked what was wrong.


    "You truly do not know anything about Mages, do you child. First Teleportation Magic and now you are heading for the door. If you truly wish to be lost in the void forever then by all means open that door. I will not be the one to stop you."


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    A grin formed on the old Mages face as he saw Willem''s growing expression of horror.


    "Once a Grand Mage has reached a sufficient level of power, he can create his own private sanctum within the void of the world. This Private Sanctum can only be accessed by him and those he allows in and is maintained by his own magic. Firstly, I will show you a simple form of Magic control that will benefit you greatly, then I will teleport you back out. Rescuing your friends, that will solely be done by you."


    As the crafty old Mage snapped his fingers, two pillows flopped onto the ground. As a grandiose gesture, the Mage sits down first and awaits Willem to sit down with him.


    Willem was not sure whether to laugh or cry, he had almost forfeited his own life because of his lack of knowledge. This world he had entered was truly dangerous, if this old man was to be believed. If he is to survive here, he must learn to control and enhance this Magic he has been gifted.


    "Meditation is key to establishing a connection to your magical power. The more comfortable you become with this connection, the more power you can use. You can be considered a genius if you access even one percent of your potential upon your first connection. Now, open up your mind to the possibilities. See the aura around you focusing deep in your mind, as if a colored smoke is entering your body. What color is the smoke?"


    The Grand Mage focused solely on the expressions Willem was making while he explained how to first establish a connection.


    "The smoke is black, with a white outline?" Willem was unsure of what this meant, but understood that it must be odd. After all, how can someone get such explosive strength without constant training.


    The Mage clasped his hands together in front of him. Surprise and happiness was written all over his face. He quickly recovered before Willem could feel something was amiss and explained what the aura meant.


    "Black smoke means that you are most capable in darkness magic. You are the second among all the Mages in our academy to possess this ability. The first of course being The One True King."


    He attempted to hide his excitement as he further explained that having a white outline meant he was capable of minor usage in all forms of Magic including Fire, Water, Earth, Air and Light.


    "Not much is known about Darkness Magic and your studies will give us great insight into this new type of magic. The One True King does not use Darkness magic much and cares not to explain why. Now, once all the smoke has entered your body, picture threads grabbing onto the smoke and holding it in place. The more threads you have, the stronger the initial connection."


    Willem did his best to picture strings wrapping themselves around the smoke, and after a hundred small strings had connected to the smoke he began to entwine them together to establish his first connection. The more the strings connected together, the stronger he could feel the smoke condensing and forcing their way through the strings.


    After half an hour had passed, he had successfully connected to his true magical power for the first time. As the Grand Mage examined his progress, he was dumbfounded by what he saw. Not only did Willem have one hundred strings combining, but his first connection had already fused with two percent of his overall magical power. This was considered a peerless genius among Mages.


    The Grand Mage considered everything he had seen so far and understood quickly that he must align himself with this young boy. To be so young and talented, his future achievements were limitless.


    "Now that your power has been connected, have the magical power flow through your body. Your arms, your legs, your veins, and mind. Watch as it passes and encompasses every movement you do, enhancing your abilities in every aspect." The crafty old Mage nodded his head approvingly.


    Willem circulated his new magical energy as if coursed through his veins like wildfire, spreading to every inch of his body. Compared to the previous non-magically imbued version of himself, this newfound power was like heaven and earth.


    As Willem did exactly as he was told, the first thing he noticed was how much more vision he had. Even after his awakening at the Wyvern household, he did not see much change in his visual perception. However, now he could see even the most minute of details as if everything in the world had just become clearer.


    He focused on his hands, and attempted to shape the magic pouring out from his fingers. First a sword took form, then a mace, and lastly a dagger that ran along his middle finger. He finally understood why the old man insisted on teaching him about this skill, even he could tell how much more his strength had improved just by meditating for a couple of minutes.


    "Brat, who told you to begin forming magic outside your body!" The old Mage grinned happily as he witnessed Willem experimenting with his new powers.


    "Sorry..." After some effort, Willem retracted his magical power back into his body.


    "To be able to manifest your magical power outside your body within mere hours of achieving a connection. Maybe you really are heaven sent." The Grand Mage sighed enviously.


    "Please send me back. I have to save my friends, no matter the cost." Willem remained determined as he abased himself in front of the Grand Mage.


    "A promise is a promise." The Grand Mage laughed as he placed the orb he had been holding back on the pedestal.

 9 - Strings

    With help from the Grand Mage, Willem had officially established his connection to his magical power and could finally utilize a portion of it. Now it was time to test his new powers on the bastards that dared kidnap his friends and also whoever stole his most precious keepsake.


    The Grand Mage shook his head quietly thinking about how such a talented young boy only had revenge in his heart. More so he felt bad for the fools of this "Golden Dragon" family for incurring the wrath of a Mage.


    "Now then, I shall teleport you to a nearby alley close to this Golden Dragon Inn. The rest will be up to you."


    As he began to chant, he clasped Willem''s right shoulder with his hand. The space again distorted around them and a few seconds later they were in a small alleyway and the Dragon Family Inn was only fifteen feet away.


    After recovering from the distortion sickness and temporary blindness and deafness, Willem focused his senses and nodded his head to the Earth Mage.


    "Normally, we do not interfere with the regular humans and their affairs, as was decreed by the One True King. However, there is no such rule for someone who has yet to swear an oath in front of the council." The old Mage rubbed his nose.


    "Of course, you need not worry about me turning my back on you, especially for everything you have done." Willem bowed to the Grand Mage.


    "Once you are done with your extermination of these rodents, come to the Magic Academy. I will arrange everything for you personally. Don''t forget this favor you owe me!" The Grand Mage nodded approvingly and teleported away.


    Willem turned to face the Golden Dragon Inn; feeling the string attached to his friends, a black flame danced around his iris.


    Faced with his first true life or death situation, Willem hesitated to step forward for just a moment. If that had happened on the battlefield, the slight hesitation would have been the death of him.


    He knew he was the only one who could help his friends, and when he was a mere human the Golden Dragon family was untouchable. However even they knew they were nothing compared to the might of even a single Elementary level Mage.


    Thanks to the decree of the One True King, Mages who joined the Magic Academy could not leave of their own volition unless under certain circumstances such as graduating or becoming a Grand Mage. This supported the nobles of the Bastion of Hope who could run rampant and do as they please without concern of retaliation.


    For the most part, individual noble families would not even interfere with each other for fear of future repercussions. Even if one generation had no one capable in magic, that was not to say their third or fourth generation would not. Whenever disputes broke out among the lower classes it would always be a full clan dispute that would end the lineage of the other, for fear of a strong Mage being born and taking revenge.


    Furthermore once one became an Elementary Mage, they had to renounce their birth name and be given a new one more befitting their elemental alignment. Though it was only in name, this change represented that they were giving up their previous life in pursuit of the truth of Magic. The only exception to the rule was if one was directly taken in by someone with the rank of a senior Mage or higher. In that regards, one would be able to learn from their master while still retaining their previous life. Such occurrences were an exception to the rule of course. The Water Mage girl of the Lions Family was one such existence.


    As Willem looked around, he found a clothing store selling a large black robe. He quickly called an attendant over and purchased the robe with pocket change that the Grand Mage had given him, donning it and wrapping it tightly around himself. He lifted the hood to cover his face so that he could not easily be seen, and headed toward the Inn entrance. The signboard above the door depicted a golden dragon crushing a jewel beneath its feet.


    Willem pushed open the doors and the stench of open liquor hit his sensitive nose quite fiercely. As he looked around the room for a place to sit, everyone stared at him. Some scoffed and others went back to drinking their liquor, as if they were afraid someone would come and steal it from them.


    Two burly men stood at the entrance to the Inn in order to keep the riffraff out. Before they got a chance to mock the boy whom had just entered, he had already deftly maneuvered around them and took a seat at the bar. A young mistress came across the bar swiftly for fear of offending the mysterious boy and introduced herself.


    "Hello esteemed young master, I will be your attendant today. M-My name is Kinsey Dragon and I am the Daughter of the o-owner of this establishment. May I please know the name and f-family of this esteemed guest to which I have the pleasure to s-serve?" Cold sweat was visibly dripping down her face as she barely managed to sputter out the three sentences. To anyone around them, she only seemed to be flustered. However to her, just matching eye contact with the youth felt like a mountain had suddenly settled onto her back, making it hard for her to even move.


    "I have come to collect a debt that the Golden Dragon family owes me." From within the hood of his black robe, a deep grin full of malice could be seen. The atmosphere turned sinister and the young mistress took two steps back.


    Even though the voice sounded like a child of only twelve or thirteen, it had the oppressive air of an elder of her family. Unsure of what to do next, she motioned for the two guards at the door to come speak with him while she went to go fetch her Father.


    The atmosphere around the bar got unbelievably tense as the two guards sat on the stool to the left and the right of the boy. Once they had sat down, it was as if there was no more strength in their legs. Even their gaze stayed trained on the ground, fearing to look at the black-robed youth.


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    Willem rhythmically tapped on the bar stand with his index finger, and the scalps of the nearby patrons went numb with fear. Once the tapping stopped, not a single person dared to make a sound for fear of offending the young master who had barged in callously.


    Willem focused on the magical ability he had recently been gifted and sent a small, thin wave of magical force throughout the entire building. This wave gave him a type of sixth sense as whatever the magic hit resounded back in his mind, painting a black and white picture of the surroundings. Once his magical sense had reached the cellar, he could plainly see eight children locked up in a circle. He also felt that the owner and his daughter were coming from the second floor, with roughly thirty guards in tow.


    More than just their presence, he could also sense the fear and anxiety around him. Each person had a different color that indicated what they were feeling. A deep yellow aura could be felt among the patrons, as they were the closest to Willem and understood they could be killed at any moment. The children within the cellar had a slightly tinged yellow, produced because they knew that at any moment that could be tortured or sold as slaves.


    Willem suddenly and quickly stood from his stool, causing the two guards beside him to get up and fumble a few steps backwards with their hands on their hilt. Willem slowly turned around and clasped his hands toward the second floor balcony as the owner appeared.


    The owner of the Golden Dragon family was no fool, he kept a very strict ledger and knew of all the dealings his family had, whether legally or illegally. From this he knew that he had no debts with a child of thirteen, nor would those he owe send a thirteen year old to collect the debt.


    "Who are you to walk around my establishment so mightily? In fact, I do not know why my daughter has even brought you to my attention. Apparently she needs her eyes checked, she feared you were someone of importance. Begone from my sight quickly and I will take no action against whatever family you belon-."


    Willem unclasped his hands and spoke softly, but his voice resounded within the Inn so that every person could plainly hear it. "Any person not of the Golden Dragon family, take your leave now. Or else your life is forfeit. This debt that the Golden Dragon family owes, can only be paid in blood."


    As he finished speaking, he stretched his hand towards one of the guards. A wisp of magical energy leapt from Willem''s fingertip and struck forward at the guard he pointed at. Suddenly a black spear protruded from within his robe and struck through the guards armor, piercing his chest.


    Though the guard had his hand on his hilt he could not move at all, as if an invisible force had complete control of his body. Suddenly the black spear broke off from the black-robed Mage and fully entered the guards wound like a parasite infecting a host.


    The guards eyes immediately went white as he retched in horror.


    After twisting and turning for a few seconds, he stopped and stood up suddenly, as if nothing was wrong. Taking out his sword from the sheath, the infected guard charged toward the other guard. As he lifted his head, everyone could clearly see that his eyes were completely white and he was crying blood. The sword quickly slashed the throat of the other guard who was completely aghast, frozen in fear.


    The entire process only took five or six seconds to unfold, but caused a deep terror inside everyone that bore witness to the events. They all understood that the Golden Dragon family was dead as of this moment.


    Willem again slowly spoke. "This is your last chance, anyone not to do with the Golden Dragon family will leave now or their lives are forfeit."


    Willem well and truly did not know what he was capable of until he attacked the guard. When the black spear had pierced the guards armor and drew blood, it permeated through the guards body at a moments thought from Willem. Willem could feel the magic flowing and constricting the guards body, despite the connection being severed.


    Naturally Willem was curious as to what he could and could not do. He wrapped the magic around the guards spine to stop him from moving, then broke off the spell to see if he could still control the magic even though it was no longer a part of him. Fascinatingly, he still maintained absolute control of the black magic, and he quickly forced the magic into the brain of the guard.


    Though he still maintained consciousness, Willem could tell that the guard was suffering quite a lot. From the whites of his eyes poured blood as he twisted and turned doing his best to fight the darkness invading him. After a few seconds of struggling, it appeared as though the black magic had won out.


    Willem now controlled the body as if he was a puppeteer pulling the string of a marionette. He made the guard draw his sword and approach the other uncontrolled guard. In order to ensure complete control of the situation, he forced the darkness magic inside him through his feet and had it crawl into the shadow of the uncontrolled guard.


    From there, his shadow merged with the guard and he made his magic crawl along the guard''s body, stopping him from moving even a muscle. As the puppet guard approached, the eyes of the now frozen guard grew wide in panic. A quick slash was all it took for blood to begin gushing from the frozen guard''s throat.

 10 - Golden Dragon

    The scene was incredibly brutal for everyone who watched on. Absolute horror showed on the face of the owner and his daughter. The guards behind them took two steps back, their scalps growing numb. They were nothing more than hired mercenaries, but if they continued to associate with the Golden Dragon, whom had incurred the wrath of this Mage, they would definitely not be spared.


    All but one of the guards threw down their swords and helmets and begged to be spared their lives. Willem grinned and made the puppet guard gesture toward the exit. The crowd of drinkers ran out hurriedly, grabbing whatever booze they could before spilling out into the street. The guards pushed their way past the drunks and ran for their lives, thankful to be spared by such a magnanimous Mage.


    Once he was done with his brutish display of power, he released the magical hold on the guards. The one guard with his throat cut was unequivocally dead, and although the other was still breathing, it was clear he was brain-dead. His eyes maintained a white color as he slumped over lifelessly.


    In the end, all that was left was about ten or so Golden Dragon family members, the elder guardsmen as well as the owner of the Inn and his daughter.


    "I do not know what my family has done to offend you young master, please tell me if there is a way I can repay you in exchange for you sparing my family." The leader understood more than anyone in the room how frivolous and conniving Mages were.


    Having had dealings with the One True King personally, the Dragon Family head understood that a Mage could not interfere in normal human affairs as part of the law. This was a clear violation of said law, and if the Mage allowed him to live, he intended to bring this matter directly to the King.


    Choking back sounds of severe anxiety, the Golden Dragon leader spoke. However no matter how much he tried, he dared not raise his head to look upon the young Mage.


    "Do you truly not know what I came here for? Then I will ask this of you, pray tell what resides within your cellar? If there is even a sliver of untruth in your words, you will meet the same fate as your guards."


    Normally Willem was not so long-winded. He preferred to slink into the crowd and become an innocent bystander, he never appreciated the attention nor desired to stand out. However, this was all an act meant to show the true character of the owner of the Golden Dragon family. The longer he maintained this pressure, the sweeter his revenge will be. Once he is done torturing this elder with words, he intended to deliver on his promises.


    The leader of the Golden Dragon family looked back and forth at his attendants with an expression of extreme anger. He truly did not know that something was being held in his cellar. As he looked at the elder guardsman, he could quite plainly see a scowl on the man''s face. Despite being partially hidden by the full helmet he wore, his expression showed more than words could ever say.


    "It would appear the culprit has been found. Your elder guardsman and those on his payroll have taken something very precious to me, and it would appear as though he did not deem you worthy enough to be part of this venture. Leader of the Golden Dragon Family, offer me his head and I will consider this matter settled."


    Willem tapped his foot and motioned for all the Golden Dragon family members to descend the stairs. Those who were already on the first floor had prostrated themselves before the Mage in the hope that showing such reverence would save them from the same fate as the guards.


    All the Golden Dragon family members quickly descended from the second floor to the first, including the elder guardsman and the young daughter of the family leader.


    The guardsman knew there was no escape for him, but he truly believed that if he was quick enough he would be able to sever the head of the Mage before the latter had time to react.


    The leader quickly placed himself behind the guardsman as his family members prostrated themselves to the Mage. Included within this group was his daughter, and for a brief moment he saw the young Mage glance in her direction.


    A cold smile grew on his face as he rubbed his hands together.


    The first floor was a peculiar sight, with eleven people all huddled together prostrating themselves in front of a young child.


    "Young master is truly benevolent, of course we will do anything you ask of us. There is no one among us who would dare defy your will. Forgive me for asking, young master, but perchance are you currently engaged to anyone? I ask because my daughter when previously we spoke had expressed an interest in you. Truly she must have felt that you were magnanimous and without equal in this world."


    The Golden Dragon family leader was used to using such words without meaning. A lifetime of taking what he needed and avoiding troubles caused his tongue to turn silver.


    However, it was quite clear to Willem what the leader had intended. In order to ingratiate himself with the boy and no longer incur his wrath he offered up his daughter. The face of the young mistress twisted into a slight frown before going back to a smile. If it was anyone else, they would not have noticed such a small detail. However the person in front of them was a Mage, who had already enhanced his vision with magic.


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    More than anything that had happened, Willem Saye was a boy who kept his promises. When he promised the leader that even a sliver of a lie would result in his death, he was quite serious.


    "I do remember telling you, Golden Dragon leader, that even a sliver of a lie and you would be met with the same fate as your guardsmen. For you to make me a liar and court death in one small sentence, even I do not possess such skill and bravery."


    Willem was quite finished with this verbal torture, and the second act was to begin. He could tell that his words and actions easily shaved ten years of life off of these Golden Dragon members, and his last words were the proverbial final nail in the coffin.


    "I-I-I did not mean to, I mean I didn''t, I would never... P-please, please spare my life. Take my d-daughter, my f-f-f-f-family but please spare my life. It was h-him, he was the one who took away your p-precious i-item. Please kill him and spare me."


    The family leader was beyond tears, loud sobbing could be heard as he dropped to his knees. He raised his hands in prayer as he begged for his life, like a dog begging for food.


    "Family leader is very astute, I do intend to take your daughter. If she is willing to serve me loyally, then I will spare her life. As for everyone else in this room, your fate was sealed from birth and for that I can only offer my condolences."


    Black tendrils raised from the floor as if a monster had suddenly invaded the hardwood beneath their feet. To their horror a death sentence had already been passed before they could even fight back. Light sobbing could be heard before gushes of blood filled the room.


    Black spikes flew from the sleeves of Willems robe and pierced the throat of the family leader and the elder guardsmen. From the spike a thin black disk spread out, cleanly severing their heads from their body. The bodies of the two slowly fell down, as if time had slowed, and their heads rolled to the feet of Willem.


    After a few moments had passed, only one person remained alive. Kinsey checked her body over and over, waiting for a sharp pain to suddenly echo out from somewhere on her body. Instead, she quickly realized that she was the only person to be spared from the Mage''s wrath. His words were true, and if she gave her life completely to him she was assured she would not be killed.


    She changed from prostrating to kneeling and dared not look up at her new master. Before she knew it, the clothes she was wearing that had been dyed blood-red from the blood of her family had again taken a beautiful yellow color. The blood congealed in front of her and was quickly moved back into the bodies of the recently deceased.


    With his magical abilities, Willem forced the blood that had spilled from the families wounds back into their bodies, before controlling them and forcing them to stand. Blank expressions filled their face, they were clearly dead but they walked as if they were among the living. He made the elder guardsman and family leader pick up their heads and go upstairs. The family followed behind them, and once they had reached their respective rooms he released his magic from them.


    Their bodies fell lifeless to the floor and once again began to spill blood. Soon enough, the blood would be dripping from the second floor causing a very disturbing scene. He was hoping to avoid this by having his friends leave quickly.


    "Go fetch what is mine from the cellar, I will come back downstairs once I have finished my business." Before accepting the bow from his new attendant, he made his way to the second floor.


    Kinsey quickly walked to the cellar and opened the doors, and what she saw caused her face to fall. Completely unknown to her, eight children were tied together and sleeping. She quickly made her way down and woke the children from their slumber. Upon seeing this young girl attempting to undo the bonds that held them, a look of concentration appeared on their face.


    Solemnly, Arin spoke. "Young miss, you should leave this place quickly. Forget about us, these monsters that have taken us hostage do not care about human life. You should escape yourself and find help from the guards."


    Her heart fell, if these children knew she was a part of the family that had kidnapped them... What would they think of her? Of course she had no knowledge that these things were happening, but even if she did so what? She was weak, and could do nothing but obey her Father''s orders. In her eyes, she had just traded one tyrant for another.


    She quickly undid the restraints and assured the children that everything is okay, the bad men had been defeated. They can escape without fear of being attacked or injured.


    Eleanor looked anxious. "We quickly have to go and make sure Willem is not hurt."


    Kinsey had a peculiar look on her face, but held her tongue. She dared not do anything without first consulting her new master. After she undid the bonds, she led them upstairs to the main entrance.


    As she did, Willem descended the stairs with his face hidden. Carrying a sack and backpack beside him, he placed the sack into the hands of Arin.


    Arin opened the sack and found fifty pieces of gold inside, and his heart raced.

 11 - The Truth Revealed

    During the rescue of the children.


    Willem looked around and quickly found a black iron safe in the family leaders room. With an idea, he took the head of the family leader into his hands and focused intently on the brain of the leader. He pictured himself pulling out the memories of the leader, and soon was flooded with visions of the Golden Dragon family leaders life. He lived a life of poverty, scavenging for food in a wasteland of death. One day, a mysterious man passed through with a handful of people, heading North through the wasteland.


    The boy followed him, hoping to pick up scraps from his food. Soon young and old joined them and after a while they were a force of a ten thousand strong. They quickly charged in and assaulted the Magical Beings living in the mountains. He watched intently as walls were made and business formed.


    Houses were built and families formed around him. He found a wife and settled down, made a business as an Inn and became a prominent member of the upper class.


    Sifting through his memories, Willem found the location of the key to open the black iron safe under the table. He opened the safe and quickly looted everything, taking the gold bars and papers into a backpack. In a small sack he separated fifty gold coins and once he was satisfied he had not forgotten anything, he left.


    Downstairs at the main entrance.


    The sack shook gently as Arin once again peered into it. One should know that fifty pieces of gold was equivalent to a years worth of food for a small family. After confirming how much was in the sack, Arin reluctantly handed it back to the robed man before bowing deeply. How could he dare take money from the benefactor that had saved his life. The other children including the two not part of the group bowed deeply as well.


    Again, Willem thrust the coins into Arins hands, and as he did he turned and walked away.


    Before they could even ask the name of their savior, he had already left the building and walked through a back alley, his young attendant following close by.


    Dumbfounded, the children hurriedly ran from the Inn. They took one last side long glance toward the back alley where the mysterious person had disappeared and then returned to their respective families. Once they had all been confirmed alive and well, they gave the accounts of what had happened and the Golden Dragon Inn was investigated.


    The official report said that the member of the Golden Dragon family had fled, to hide the awful truth. When the guards arrived at the Inn, they saw the walls dripping with blood. When they went up to the second floor, they saw that all the members of the Golden Dragon had their stomachs pierced. The only two whom were different were the elder guardsman and the leader, whos heads had rolled a bit of a distance from their corpses. They also clearly noticed that the black iron safe had been raided and there was nothing left.


    The subsequent clean up and demolition of the Inn took part roughly two months after the events unfolded. Without bothering to inspect the property, a rich noble bought the deeds of the land and ordered for the complete destruction of the Inn. He had been eyeing this particular piece of land for a while and now that it was available, he had big plans.


    Once the children returned to their families, Craig excitedly told them that he received a letter from Willem.


    - To my dear friends,


    I was scared that something awful had happened to you, and did everything I could to find you.


    I searched for many hours but found no hope, except for a young Mage willing to offer his services.


    In exchange for me being indebted to him, he said he would find and save you all.


    Of course I immediately agreed, and he kept his end of the deal.


    Now it is my turn to uphold my end of the bargain.


    I will not be able to play with you guys any longer. Stay safe until we can finally meet again in the future.


    Willem Saye -


    The children now understood why the mysterious robed figure had come and saved them. Solemnly they all thanked Willem in their hearts and strived to become stronger so that they could show him how far they had come when next they meet.


    Willem used the gold bars and deeds of land in order to by back the Saye family household before it got bought by another citizen. With the remaining money he hired housekeepers for a year to watch over the place while he would be unable to live in it.


    That night, Willem and Kinsey slept under the same roof for the first time, though they were in separate rooms. Earlier in the day, Willem used a special runic symbol given to him by the Grand Mage to contact him with. While in contact, he arranged the caravan to leave towards the Magic Academy in a few days and ensured that Kinsey would be able to go with him as an attendant.


    The old Mage explained that Kinsey would have to be branded with a mark on the back of her left hand to show proof that she is an attendant of a Mage, and sent over the glyphs and chant for Willem to use.


    Willem gave an in depth explanation to Kinsey, even after she said yes to being branded. Willem felt it was only proper to explain that the branding was important but was also going to hurt her, and this would be the only time he would willingly cause her pain.


    Kinsey had left behind the notion that she had traded a tyrant Father for a tyrant Master when she saw how gently he treated his normal human friends. No Mage with that amount of concern for the well being of normal humans could be considered an evil person in her eyes.


    In fact, to her, Willem had saved her from the boring life she was trapped in. She already understood during the last encounter with her Father that he only treated her as a pawn in his own schemes. What was a little pain in order to see a brand new world?


    When she was ready, Willem began to chant rhythmically while cutting at her flesh with a small iron dagger. The dagger had been sharpened to a keen blade that did not pull at her skin as it sliced. Fresh blood dripped down her hand as she quivered slightly in pain, biting her lower lip in order to endure.


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    When the process was almost completed, Willem jabbed his own hand to finish the seal, just as the Grand Mage said to do. Willem''s blood flowed freely from his palm and dripped, congealing on top of the runic symbols carved into Kinsey''s hand before combining with her own flesh and disappearing.


    Even though she knew what she was getting into, Kinsey was not properly prepared for the constant pain of the glyph that was seared into her hand. For a woman who had gone through many "cycles" Kinsey was not unaccustomed to sudden severe pains.


    When the next day broke, the pain finally subsided and the pact had been successful. To celebrate, Willem went to the market himself early in the morning and prepared Kinsey a breakfast feast.


    When Kinsey was done eating, Willem dragged her along to see all the things in the inner city of the Bastion of Hope. For Kinsey, who was not allowed out of the Golden Dragon Inn, she was already experiencing wonders she had never seen before.


    For Willem, he had already seen all of the things that the inner city had to offer, but now he saw them with a completely different set of eyes. The light shined brighter, the music sounded louder and the taste spread across Willem''s tongue like wildfire, igniting all his senses and fusing them together.


    The stimulus Willem felt was incredibly strong and incomparable to anything he had felt before.


    Two days quickly passed by in the blink of an eye, and the time finally came where he and Kinsey had to leave for the Magic Academy.


    When it was finally time to leave, Willem and Kinsey bid farewell to both the Saye family home and the housekeepers who would ensure that nothing would happen to it.


    Willem and Kinsey walked toward the Northeast exit of the Bastion of Hope, where caravans had been prepared to head toward the mountains of the Magic Academy. Willem quickly showed the papyrus that had the insignia''s of the Grand Mages to the attendant.


    Once he had confirmed the runic symbols, the attendant bowed deeply to Willem. Kinsey revealed the back of her hand where a magic symbol had been seared into her flesh, a clear mark of a Mage''s attendant. They both were allowed to pass and sat inside the caravan waiting to depart.


    Soon the caravan filled up with fresh faced children, mostly female. Willem remembered that he had read fifty percent of women were likely to be potent magic casters while only twenty percent of men showed the same abilities. All the women in the caravan looked at Willem curiously before shyly looking down at their feet.


    The caravan, once full began to slowly head up the hill toward the magic academy.


    On the bumpy winding road leading to the Magic Academy, the boys and girls began to gossip about anything and everything.


    Only Kinsey and Willem remained vigilant and composed.


    "Only two boys in the caravan, hmm?" After four hours of driving, the caravan driver peered back into carriage for a moment while his horses rested.


    Since the journey would take roughly two days by horse, they needed constant breaks in order to maintain the pace required to go up a mountain side.


    "That is right, Sir! Can you tell us what the Magic Academy is like?" The other boy beside Willem piped up as he looked around nervously.


    The carriage driver drank some alcoholic swill from his gourd and looked Kinsey up and down before grinning like a fool.


    "Of course! However information does not come cheap, and in the Magic Academy, knowledge is everything." The carriage driver purposefully attempted to sit in between Willem and Kinsey.


    Before he even understood what had happened, he was flat on his back and his gourd was completely smashed.


    [Was I so drunk that I fell over?] The driver could not help but think as he attempted to sit up from his prone position.


    "Uuurgh..."


    Willem watched with a slight grin as the driver could not even gather enough strength to lift himself up. Even the other students felt bad for the drunk and attempted to lift him up. However since he could not gather any strength, he would just fall down over again and again.


    "Master, did you do something to the drunk?" Kinsey whispered to Willem while gently holding his shirt sleeve.


    "You are my attendant, Kinsey Dragon. For as long as I live, if someone wants to harm you, I will see to them. You just focus on keeping me happy." Willem whispered in reply.


    Kinsey''s face turned a deep shade of red as she watched the driver flail around uselessly.


    After ten minutes of wrestling with himself and being helped up by the students, the drunk finally fell over for the last time and stopped fighting it.


    "I think the stars are nice tonight." Were the last words spoken by the carriage driver before he blacked out.


    The boy in the carriage tilted the driver''s head to the left.


    "In case he vomits, that way he does not choke." The boy said triumphantly, having been useful.


    The girls of the carriage however paid the young boy no attention, as they all had their eyes dead set on Willem.


    Willem had noticed that ever since he had circulated his magical energy throughout his body, more men and women seemed to not be able to keep their eyes off him.


    Even when Willem and Kinsey walked through the market, many men and women focused on them instead of where they were going and caused many accidents, like knocking over fruit carts or bumping into each other.


    Willem only had a vague idea that magic was somehow to blame for his sudden popularity.

 12 - Arrival

    Willem ignored the heated gazes of the young women in the carriage and closed his eyes. Despite his eyes being shut completely, he could see more clearly then he every could before, as if having vision was just interfering with his true senses.


    The other young man tried and failed several times to start a conversation with the young women in the carriage, and when the sun finally disappeared from sight everyone in the caravan began falling asleep.


    A large cloth was hung from the top of the carriage in order to differentiate the sleeping areas of the two sexes. Since there was only three males, they got less room compared to the five females.


    Willem, who had officially connected to his magical power, did not necessarily require sleep like the others and therefore only kept his eyes closed for the sake of appearance.


    After a few hours had passed since the females fell asleep, the young man that was pretending to be asleep beside Willem ''woke up'' and began to move around. Thankfully, due to the lack of light, Willem could not be seen doing what he was about to do.


    Willem clearly saw through the youth''s intention to do something to the girls while they were sleeping, and knocked the boy out cold by grabbing onto his head and hitting it off the wall of the carriage. In order to make sure no one was awoken by the sound, Willem used minor wind magic to suppress the noise while maintaining the force of the strike.


    With the boy out cold, Willem could now relax a little easier after healing the wound with minor water magic.


    Willem quickly found out that when he circulated the magic in his body and mind, the capabilities of his higher brain functionality also increased. With a mere thought, Willem was now able to recall obscure information from his childhood or conversations he had only heard in passing while he was walking the streets.


    The young Water Mage that helped him out at the Lions inn had casted a water healing spell, and Willem could recite it word from word. Though it was a rudimentary understanding of the concept of healing, it rejuvenated most minor wounds just as he saw and felt himself on that day.


    Though he had kindly asked for assistance in locating his Father''s pendant from the Grand Mage of Earth, there was some sort of disruption that made it impossible to locate. Instead of disappointing his new resident genius, the Grand Mage used his network of informants to physically locate and retrieve the pendant.


    Now, everything seemed to be properly falling into place for the young Mage on his way to the Magic Academy. At least in regards to his own path. AS he was taught, anyone who did not act with morals would not earn his amnesty, especially when it came to those close to him.


    [When the life of someone else is under your care, you do everything you can to ensure they get home alive.] The words that his Father spoke constantly rang in his head as a reminder of his duties.


    The strong protect the weak, and the weak seek to become strong.


    However, this mindset that had been drilled into Willem was slowly being twisted. From the loss of his parents, to the theft of his pendant and the attempt of selling his friends into slavery, Willem began to feel that the Bastion of Hope was beyond saving.


    At any corner, you could meet a con artist or someone from the thieves guild waiting to pick the pocket of an unsuspecting farmer who was just trying to feed his family.


    In the homes of a noble, women were bought and traded like cattle to fulfill hedonistic desires. Men were worked to death for the mere mention of a gold coin, whereas the nobles of high houses would trade hundreds of gold coins for the pleasure of a high class whore.


    If Willem had his way, he would only save the families that deserved to be saved, and burn the city to the ground with those that did not still inside.


    Of course he could never reveal his intention to anyone, including Kinsey, as those in power understood that a genius with his potential may yet have the ability to do as he wanted. The people in power were unscrupulous in their actions and had no qualms with capturing and torturing just to ensure there was no thoughts of treason.


    After a long dark night of mysterious sounds from Magical Beasts, the sun finally arose and the caravan was off after a quick early morning meal. The young boy that attempted to assault the girls in the night woke up dazed and confused, and assumed that he tripped on something and knocked himself out.


    The girls in the caravan kept an eye on Willem''s demeanor throughout the rest of the journey while waiting for an opening to approach him, but they found no such timing.


    After another full day of journeying, the caravan finally reached the entrance to the Magic Academy as the sun was still only slightly visible, slipping behind the Mountain peak.


    Despite being in one of the deepest parts of the Mountains against the Sea, the Magic Academy was lush with green hills, and the higher you climbed, the closer you cam to actually reaching snow or lava depending on the direction you chose.


    The Magic Academy was in a perfect placement for nurturing rare herbs as it had a varied climate depending on the direction and path one would take.


    As for the aesthetics of the Magic Academy itself, it could be said to surpass even that of the Royal Palace in decorum. Statues of old Mages and founders long since passed stood mightily at the gates to the Academy, and even the students were all dressed in the finest cloth, that was how much Magic was valued in the Bastion of Hope.


    It had three separate but similar buildings which made up the property. On the left was a large L shaped building where all classes took place. In the middle was ''The Grand Library'' where most students tended to go if they needed to brush up on a certain subject. Lastly, on the right was a reverse L shape building where the research societies did their work.


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    Some of the societies studied ancient glyphs while others worked on alchemy or summoning Magic. Each society had their own function and philosophy but held equal importance in the eyes of the faculty.


    Upon Willem''s arrival at the gates of the Magic Academy, there was already a group of people ready to greet him.


    Willem was unsure of the customs of this new area and assumed this was just another thing that was done. However this was not a group formed to greet Willem but instead to test him.


    Rumors abounded within the Magic Academy of the Grand Mage of Earth taking a new Mage under his tutelage, which caused a certain amount of turmoil among the students. When pressed for further information, the Grand Mage only stated that the student was not yet part of the Magic Academy.


    How they narrowed it down to Willem was just a matter of calculated guesses based on what little information they had, which could be considered somewhat a specialty of those with higher brain functions.


    "Is that him?"


    "I cannot see, move fatty!"


    "Someone stepped on my toe..."


    "..."


    "Young master, such actions are really beneath someone of your-"


    "Silence."


    The majority of the crowd was silently waiting for the new arrivals, but a few distinct conversations could be heard among the still gathering crowd.


    "Hey, which one of you is the Grand Mage''s new student?" A rotund kid with gnarled teeth called out from the front of the group to the students emerging from the caravan.


    The girls of the group looked at each other nervously, unsure of exactly what was going on. Willem and the other young boy looked at each other for a brief moment, despite Willem knowing exactly what the group was talking about.


    "Is this some sort of hazing ritual?" A peppy girl in twin pigtails who was on the caravan barked at the gathering crowd.


    "Who are you to speak to me like that? If you are not the student of the Grand Mage of Earth, then scram!" The gnarled toothed boy spat everywhere as he spoke.


    "Who are you? I do not understand what is going on so this just seems like a big joke to me." The peppy girl retorted.


    "I am the son of Ottolus Bisrach, and my Great Grandfather was one of the founders of the Bastion of Hope!" The gnarled toothed boy seemed beyond perturbed, spitting and waving his arms in a fluster.


    "Does that mean anything here? Only strong Magic is recognized in the Academy. Those with power do what they want..." Another boy cut in specifically to interrupt the fat boy.


    The young man that pushed through the crowd was drastically different from the fat gnarl toothed boy. With a slender build, red hair and blue eyes, as well as a small fox sitting on his shoulders, the young man was the textbook definition of someone with good looks.


    Though he had much better looks, his tone was neither condescending nor argumentative. As if he was merely informing the gathering instead of directly confronting the fat boy.


    "Says the nobody whose Grandfather was banished for disobeying the King. If even a worm like you gets in here, then the Magic Academy is worse for it." The gnarl toothed boy looked around at the crowd in order to gauge their reaction.


    The crowd had no interest in the quarrel between the two students.


    "Tch..." The fat boy bit the tip of his finger and stomped away after being ignored.


    "New students, you may call me Drand, I am the head of the Magic Nullification Society. Come find me if you have the time." As soon as the red haired boy was done speaking to his audience, he flourished his shawl and walked away elegantly.


    "Who is it?"


    "We still do not know..."


    A mischievous grin appeared on Willem''s face for the first time in a long time.


    "Did you not mention you were apprenticed to a Grand Mage?" Willem feigned innocence as he looked at the boy beside him.


    "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat-" The boy was completely taken aback as he could not find the words to deny the claim.


    Willem placed his hand on the boy''s shoulder.


    "Try not to have indecent thoughts about women until you are ready for the consequences." Willem whispered as he laughed and turned around to walk away, Kinsey obediently in tow.


    No one stopped the young man from leaving, and Kinsey followed closely behind him while safekeeping the small box of his mementos close to her breast.


    As a commotion began to erupt from the group, Willem first made his way to the Grand Library, where he promised to meet the Grand Mage when he finally arrived.


    A set of large mahogany doors stopped Willem from progressing further. The doors were made of the densest material available to the Bastion of Hope, Black Iron. The mahogany texture was just an effect of nature manipulation to give it more of an elegant feeling.


    Willem attempted to open the door to the Grand Library but it would not budge.


    Unsure of what to do, Willem looked around for guidance.


    "Do you need help with the door?" A young bookworm type girl with thick horn-rimmed glasses appeared in front of Willem and Kinsey.


    "Yes, how does one enter the Grand Library?" Kinsey asked gently.


    "The Black Iron door is to keep out any normal humans. Just circulate your magical power and the door will easily open for you." The bookworm girl curtsied and continued on her way.


    Willem took the opportunity to confirm the information by circulating the quickly gathering magical power into his hands, which he used to forcefully open the door.


    To his surprise, the door easily opened and almost sent him flying backwards due to the amount of force he put into pulling.


    Some of the wiser students at the Magic Academy saw the events and giggled to themselves.

 13 - We Meet Again

    Willem walked into the Grand Library unabashed, ignoring the snickers and jeers of his peers.


    The inside of the Grand Library was filled with rows upon rows of bookcases for as far as the eye could see. Study tables were situated in each section for use by the students and a few old women stood at the front of the Grand Library, taking payments and distributing material.


    Curiously to Willem, the old lady was not dealing in coppers or silvers or even gold coins, but instead using an item called the ''burnt wood tile''. Just as the name suggested, it was a small piece roughly three by two inches made of a glowing burnt wood.


    Before he was caught lingering, Willem moved on from the front entrance and headed to the restricted section of Grand Library, as was detailed by the Grand Mage of Earth.


    Upon arrival, the guard that protected the restricted section stopped Willem and asked to see some identification. Willem, having no such identification yet, was at a loss as to what to do.


    A gentle knock resounded from the opposite side of the closed door to the restricted room, and the guard tensed up before allowing Willem to pass. Kinsey stayed behind Willem as closely as possible.


    "Greetings to my Master." Willem bowed as he entered the restricted section of the Grand Library with Kinsey and saw the old man once again.


    "Now that your business with the normal folk is over, I can now properly teach you about Magic." The Grand Mage nodded his head approvingly before handing Willem a large tome.


    The large leather bound tome was heavy, even while Willem was circulating his magical power. It was the first time since he became a Mage that he had ever struggled to carry or move something.


    "You can put it over there." The old Mage pointed at a nearby table and Willem did as he was told.


    "Why did you ask me to come here? Orientation begins tomorrow morning and it is already dusk." Despite Willem''s questioning, he did not stop his duties of carrying the old Mage''s books to the table.


    "Orientation? Is that what the carriage driver said? I have half a mind to find him and put him six feet under." The old man grumbled as he swiftly opened and closed various books looking for very specific information.


    "So he was lying?" Willem was a bit confused.


    "No, but you are special, orientation is basically a way for the strong to oppress the weak who just enter the school." The old Mage finally found the book he was looking for and tossed it to Willem.


    Willem caught the book and brought it to the desk while mulling over what the Grand Mage said.


    At this point, Kinsey had sat down at the table and placed down the box that Willem gave to her, while she gently touched the books that the Grand Mage was gathering together. Her curiosity had finally gotten the better of her, since she was experiencing so many new things all at once.


    "Mister, Grand Mage, Sir... What are all these books for?" Kinsey asked gently.


    "They are the history of Magic as we humans know it. This is the first thing you will learn, Willem." The old man flipped through a few more books before tossing Willem another one to add to the pile.


    When Willem placed the book on the table and turned around, all five of his senses screamed at him that something dangerous was about to happen.


    Willem reacted by springing backward with all the magical force he could circulate into his legs, narrowly avoiding a spike of earth that came from the floor.


    "What!" Willem could not help but let out a question at the sudden attack as he saw the Grand Mage with a placid look on his face.


    "You do not know, so I will teach you this once. Unless you on equal standing with the Mage you are talking to, your attendant may not speak in his presence. Failure to do so is a great offense to the Mage." The Grand Mage seemed to calm down after explaining the offense he had taken.


    "I meant no offense Grand Mage." Willem bowed as he cupped his hands in front of his body. "I truly did not know."


    "Now you do, be sure to keep your attendant in line until you at least grow a little stronger." The old man went back to sifting through the books.


    Willem looked at Kinsey but she could not match his gaze. To have offended a Grand Mage and not lost a limb is already considered a miracle. Kinsey remembered back to when her Mother would tell her stories of Grand Mages. They had a fierce temperament that equaled their abilities to use Magic. An enraged Grand Mage was like a natural disaster that could not be easily controlled.


    "I will engrave these words in my heart." Willem placated the old man by offering a few appeasing words.


    The Grand Mage seemed to happily accept the words as his demeanor changed and his footsteps became a little lighter.


    When the Grand Mage was done sorting, there was a total of thirty books sitting on top of the table. The Grand Mage organized them in a certain order so that Willem would have an easier time grasping exactly what the concept of Magic was.


    "You will have all these read by tomorrow morning. You no longer need to pretend that you need sleep, now that you are here." The Grand Mage chuckled and handed Willem his first book.


    Willem sighed and took the first book to begin reading, but as soon as he opened it a strong magical force attempted to attack him.


    The magical force directed itself toward Willem''s eyes as it poured from the very book itself. Willem circulated his magical power to his hands and arms and crudely pushed the opposing magical force back into the book before closing it.


    "What was that..." Willem looked at the Grand Mage questioningly.


    "Of course, that is the will of the book itself. A normal human would die if they had been attacked by that level of power. To anyone who is not worthy to read the book, they cannot view the content. You, Willem, are clearly worthy. Suppress the power it possesses and read about the past of our people." The Grand Mage nodded again in approval and began to cast a spell.


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    When the spell was completed, the Grand Mage''s body began to twist and distort like he was being absorbed by an unknown force. Willem understood since he had heard it once before, the Grand Mage was casting his teleportation spell.


    Warily, Willem picked up the first book once more and began reading out loud to Kinsey while forcefully suppressing the magical power of the book.


    After an hour had passed, Willem finally ran out of magical power and could no longer suppress the book''s strength. With the last of his magical power he forced the book closed and bound it with the magical iron lock that it came with.


    Breathing heavily, Willem smiled at Kinsey who was still unable to look him in the eyes.


    "Kinsey." Willem whispered as he inched closer to the beautiful young woman.


    "Yes, Master?" Kinsey stared at her shoes as she whispered back.


    Willem straightened his fingers and delivered a gentle chop to Kinsey''s forehead.


    "You need to stop worrying and just embrace this new world. If I am going to survive then I need your help." Willem spoke what he was feeling in his heart.


    Kinsey held her forehead where she had been gently hit and tears rolled down her face, not from pain but from pleasure. This was the first time she had ever been told that she was needed by someone.


    "I will do my best." Kinsey affirmed to herself and to Willem.


    Kinsey and Willem slowly inched closer to each other, and were just about to confirm their feelings, when the space around a nearby bookshelf began to twist and distort.


    In mere moments, the Grand Mage appeared in front of Willem and Kinsey once again.


    "I see you exhausted your magical power. Now the real learning can begin." The Grand Mage had a mischievous look on his face as he offered his hand to Willem.


    Willem joined hands with Kinsey as the Grand Mage gathered all the books on the table together and casted a spell.


    The spell the Grand Mage casted created a vacuum that sucked the books into his body.


    "This is a spacial spell that you would normally learn in the third year of your studies." The Grand Mage laughed as he grabbed Willem''s hand.


    As he locked hands with Willem, the space again began to distort and before he knew it, Willem and Kinsey were overcome with temporary blindness and deafness.


    "Master! Master!" Kinsey cried out loud as she held tightly onto Willem''s body.


    She still felt the subtle callouses from his hands when Willem ploughed the fields his family owned, as well as the gentle strength his arms possessed and the warmth of his body.


    After a few minutes, the blindness and deafness faded away for Willem. For Kinsey, it took several more minutes to come back to her senses.


    "We have the recovery from our magical power, normal humans have no such fortune." The Grand Mage explained as Willem looked after Kinsey, waiting for her to return to her senses.


    "Is there a way to impart some of my power to her? So that she will not have to suffer every time?" Willem held Kinsey who was crying softly from the shock to her body.


    "Of course, you will learn this method in time. It also happens to be an excellent way to keep an attendant in line." The Grand Mage snapped his fingers, and rows of attendants began to enter the room that the three were in.


    "Are we back in your Private Sanctum?" Willem recognized the orb on the pedestal as well as the decor of the room from the last time he was here.


    "We are, for a time this shall be your home until you can make your own Private Sanctum." The Grand Mage snapped his fingers again and a small female attendant brought two cups of tea for the Grand Mage and Willem to take.


    "You will study with me at night and assist in my experiments, and go to school during the day. Your attendant will remain here with me, and will learn from my attendants what she should and should not do." The old man finished speaking and sipped at his tea.


    The soothing tea leaves drifted around the rim of the golden cup as Willem and the Grand Mage drank from it.


    Willem looked apprehensively at Kinsey who was still suffering a bit from the Teleportation Magic.


    Understanding that Willem had slight affections for the young woman who was just a few years older than him, the Grand Mage made a decree for his attendants.


    "On my name as The Grand Mage of Earth, Archus. I hereby proclaim that no harm shall come to this young girl as she is now under our protection."


    The attendants prostrated themselves before the Grand Mage as his words carried throughout the entire Private Sanctum.


    "Thank you, Master." Willem nodded his head in acceptance at the terms the Grand Mage set just as Kinsey''s senses returned to her fully.


    "Kinsey, you will learn from the attendants here while I go to school. We will be together when school is done okay?" Willem placed both his hands on the side of Kinsey''s face and looked into her eyes as they sat side by side.


    "I understand." Kinsey said wholeheartedly as she began to blush. No man had ever been so close to her or so nice to her since she was born.


    Despite being of marrying age, she had always been used as a pawn in her Father''s schemes and therefore had to remain pure until she could be used. The only practice she got speaking with men was when she attended the meetings of her Father, where she would learn how to talk passively or aggressively depending on what the mood allowed.


    "Willem, come with me." The Grand Mage stood up after finishing his tea and began walking toward the door.


    "Yes, Master." Willem stood up and let go of Kinsey''s face before following closely behind the Grand Mage.

 14 - Letting Go

    "I did a little research into your situation, Willem. As I understand it, your Mother and Father both passed away." The Grand Mage and Willem were finally alone as they walked through the corridor of the Private Sanctum.


    The corridor they walked down was filled with moving paintings of roaming beasts and humans, which Willem had never seen before.


    "Yes, that is correct." Willem looked down at the ground while he spoke.


    "Trauma is sometimes of a rare gift for a Mage. The trauma of losing someone can often be the impetus for becoming stronger. More often than not though, it is a detriment, weighing on the mind of a young Mage bound for glory." The old man continued to walk around a corner to face a door with a large lock on it.


    "..." Willem was unsure of what to say, or if he should say anything at all.


    "We are here. Step inside and find yourself." The Grand Mage unlocked the door and opened it slowly.


    A large gust of wind burst forth from the opened door, and a low hanging haze began to form around Willem''s feet.


    "A word of caution, Willem. Nothing you see in here is real. You must remember that." The Grand Mage gave Willem a warning with a stern gaze.


    "I understand, Master." Willem bowed and briskly walked into the room.


    Upon entering, Willem noticed the distinct lack of elegance. All four walls of the room were a deep purple, with a black throw pillow exactly in the middle of the room. Willem could not tell where the haze was coming from, but it had now reached up to his knees.


    There was essentially nothing in the room besides the throw pillow. With nothing to lose, Willem sat on the throw pillow and assumed a meditative state.


    Willem crossed his legs and placed his hands on his knees before attempting to connect with his magical power through the strings he had previously established.


    When he successfully established the connection, he saw that he was no longer in the room but instead was back at his house in the Bastion of Hope.


    Looking at his hands, Willem had significantly less callouses and they were much smaller than before.


    Unsure of what to do, Willem began to run inside his house while calling out.


    "Housekeeper. Housekeeper!" Willem yelled as he opened the door to his home.


    "Willem, stop yelling. I am not your housekeeper!" A familiar voice reached Willem''s ears, a voice he thought he would never hear again.


    "Mother?" Willem saw his Mother standing at the end of the hall in a beautiful red dress.


    "Willem, what are you still doing in those tattered rags. We are invited to the Royal Palace, go wash up immediately. Your Father will be home soon." Sarah brushed some dirt off of Willem''s face and smacked him on the butt to get him moving.


    "Right, Grand Mage said this was not real." Willem remembered as he ran toward the bathhouse in order to clean himself. In a stained mirror, Willem saw his body, as he had reverted back to that of his thirteen year old self, right before his Mother''s suicide. "So why am I here?"


    Before he had even realized it, the magic of the room had already slowly trapped Willem.


    Once Willem was done washing up, he donned some finely tailored clothes that his Mother picked out for him.


    "Thanks, Mother." Willem said as Sarah pecked her son on the cheek.


    "Wife? I am home." A gruff but pleasing voice could be heard from the front entrance of the Saye family home.


    "Father! You are back!" Willem could not help but be overwhelmed with joy as he saw the figure of his tall and muscular Father through the frame of the door.


    "Do not touch him Willem!" Sarah began to hiss at Willem as if she was a demon, her hair whipping about forcefully.


    Willem was taken completely off guard by his Mother''s actions.


    "We do not want to get your clothes dirty." She explained as she quickly returned back to the way Willem remembered her to be.


    Willem was hesitant to look at both his Mother and his Father until his Father returned from the bathhouse.


    The tight fitting clothes that Sarah picked out for her Husband made him very uncomfortable. After working in the fields of his home or at the Army Training Grounds, Alexander had become accustomed to being able to get his hands dirty wherever he went.


    "This really is not like me." Alexander pulled at the neck of his shirt that was tightly wrapped around his muscular body.


    "It suits you just fine." Sarah grabbed his hands in hers and gave him a deep, passionate kiss.


    Even Willem got embarrassed when seeing his Mother and Father acting this way, and headed out to the carriage waiting at the front door for the family.


    "Well look at that. Is that the young master of the Saye family!" The carriage driver had a crooked nose and boils all over his face and neck, but he had a large genuine smile.


    "Hello, Mister. Thank you for your hard work. I will be in your care." Willem shook the carriage driver''s hand in greeting.


    Sarah and Alexander joined Willem in the carriage and they were quickly off to the Royal Palace.


    "Now remember to be on your best behavior. If you embarrass me, you will regret it." Sarah gave a gentle warning.


    "Yes, Mother." Willem smiled.


    The fog in the room continued to increase, and was now at Willem''s navel.


    At the Royal Palace.


    The carriage finally arrived in front of a red carpet leading up the steps into the Royal Palace.


    Since this was Willem''s second time at this place, he took in all the wondrous sights in front of him.


    Rows upon rows of attendants, chefs, and maids lined up in front of the guests of honor. Willem looked at each other their faces, but only a few of them could be made out. Even after Willem rubbed his eyes and looked again, the faces still could not be seen.


    Willem ignored the attendants and instead looked at his smiling Mother and Father.


    "Willem, are you actually smiling? How long has it been since you smiled!" Alexander joked at Willem who was the happiest he had ever been.


    After climbing the twenty steps, the family was lead inside by the head butler and was shown around the Royal Palace as if on tour. Willem gasped at the moving paintings and the golden tapestry of a Black Dragon burning down a village.


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    "Saye family! Welcome to the Royal Palace!" The One True King appeared in front of the family.


    Though Willem knew it was The One True King, his face was also blurred out, like his attendants. His clothes were vibrant and full of color, lending to the atmosphere of an otherworldly King above all his people, but his face looked as if it was covered in a grey haze.


    Willem could only choose to ignore this little discrepancy and offered his greetings as his Mother nudged him from behind.


    A deep laugh bellowed throughout the Royal Palace, and it came from The One True King, despite him having no mouth.


    "That is a very good greeting." The One True King knelt down in front of Willem, where he was now inches away from touching the boy''s face.


    Willem could not understand but felt an undeniable pressure coming from the King as he stared into the haze.


    As if the moment had come and passed, the King retracted his gaze from Willem and motioned for the family to go to the Dining hall.


    Upon reaching the Dining hall, a full course of meals was displayed for the family. From one end of the table to the other was a complete array of beautifully crafted dishes.


    Alexander stood on the side of the table, salivating but holding back in front of the King.


    "Please sit, dig in. We are ALL family here." The King said as he took his seat at the head of the table.


    Three other people joined the King and the Saye family at the table. The Queen, looking majestic and gentle, the Prince with a fiery red attire and the Princess with an icy blue dress. Not one member of the royal family had faces, as they were all covered in haze.


    When the dinner was finished, the King called upon Sarah.


    "Sarah, we have some matters to discuss privately, would you please excuse us for a moment." The King bowed to Willem and Alexander before the two left the Dining Hall.


    Alexander and Willem continued to speak with the royal family, but even after ten minutes had passed the King and Sarah had yet to return.


    Willem asked to be excused to go to the restroom, and his Father looked completely busy talking to the royal family about his work at the Army Training Grounds. Taking it as a yes, Willem hopped off the chair and began to roam through the chambers of the Royal Palace.


    The attendants were nowhere in sight, nor were there any guards or maids walking around doing work.


    Eventually Willem found the bathroom and used it quickly before heading back to the Dining hall. Unfortunately, Willem got lost on the way back and ended up in front of the King''s private chambers.


    When Willem pressed his ear to the door, he could hear his Mother''s voice and the voice of the One True King.


    Willem grabbed onto the handle of the door and pulled with all the strength he could muster to open it up.


    When he walked inside, he saw clothes strewn all across the floor, clothes he recognized to be his Mother''s.


    On top of the bed of the King''s bed chambers, Willem witnessed his Mother being taken by The One True King from behind, her face buried in a pillow while the King had one hand on her voluptuous hips and a full fist of her hair.


    Riding her from the back, the King glanced over and saw that Willem had entered the room.


    "Why do you think your Mother worked in the Royal Palace. Of course she is my concubine." The King said as he aggressively began to thrust harder into Willem''s Mother.


    Willem was in complete shock and tripped over his Mother''s clothes while trying to leave.


    The sounds of his Mother moaning like a whore bounced around his head as he lifted himself from the ground and ran out of the room.


    Running down the hallway and back to the Dining hall, Willem screamed for his Father. However when he arrived at the Dining hall, the only thing that awaited him was his Father''s corpse, gored by a red-winged wyvern. The wyvern screeched as it fed on the flesh of Willem''s Father.


    The royal family looked on at the scene from a balcony overlooking the Dining hall.


    Willem screamed for his Father, and finally the red-winged wyvern turned to the little boy.


    Willem did not hesitate for a moment and turned from the Dining hall to run for his life toward the entrance of the Royal Palace, crying and screaming for help.


    Once again, he was the helpless little boy that had everything he loved taken from him.


    The fog in the room was now at Willem''s eye level. The Grand Mage sat quietly outside the door, listening to the screams of a boy tormented by his own delusions.


    As the red-winged wyvern crashed into the pillars of the Royal Palace, Willem attempted to elude it by ducking out of it''s vision.


    Willem held his head in his hands and prayed for someone to come save him from the vicious beast.


    A young woman appeared before Willem, a beauty with a black dress and sharp eyes like a cat.


    "I can save you, but I need something from you." The beautiful woman said.


    "Anything, I will do anything." Willem cried as he embraced the woman.


    "Give me all your magical power, and I can use it to save you." The woman patted Willem''s head.


    "Okay." Willem nodded his head as he noticed the red-winged wyvern had turned around and finally noticed Willem and the woman.


    "Give me a kiss." The woman knelt down to Willem''s eye level as she puckered her lips. Her face slightly distorted as if it was partially covered by haze, as she closed her eyes.


    Willem closed his eyes and puckered his lips as well, just as he saw his Mother and Father do before they left for the Royal Palace.


    "Willem!" A faint, almost imperceptible voice that sounded like his Mother came from the back of Willem''s mind.


    When he opened his eyes in shock, the woman''s visage had twisted from a beautiful and gentle face to a hideous beast with multiples rows of teeth and tendrils for eyes.

 15 - Rakshalas

    Willem immediately recoiled and pushed the woman away from himself before stepping back to gain some distance.


    "Rakshalas..." From the rows of teeth a sharp pointed tongue whispered the name of the fallen god the woman worshiped.


    The woman''s form began to distort and bloat, like a puffer fish being blown larger to defend itself. From the woman''s body, a yellow puss began to spill from her open pores.


    "So you have finally shown your true form." Willem proclaimed as he saw that the red-winged wyvern was no longer anywhere to be seen.


    The bloated puss spewing woman began to grow fleshy spikes all over her body as she rolled towards Willem.


    As Willem looked at his own hands, he saw that they were the hands he remembered them to be. No longer trapped in his thirteen year old body, Willem manipulated his magical power to cast the Darkness Magic he learned when assaulting the Golden Dragon Inn.


    Willem casted a Darkness spell that released a multitude of spikes toward the hideous beast, lodging into her skin and puncturing her as she rolled over them. From inside, Willem commanded the spikes to invade her body, stopping her joints from moving, and severing her spine.


    Unable to move forward, the bloated woman cried out in anguish.


    "You cannot kill me, I have no corporeal body." The woman cried out as the black spikes cut and sliced her body from the inside out.


    She attempted to slip through the haze that protected her from physical harm but the blades of Darkness stopped her from turning invulnerable.


    Willem continued to slice apart the woman from the inside.


    "Wait, please. Wait. I can help you, I can rid you of these terrible memories." The monster seemed to be suffering from having her insides torn apart, and was prepared to bargain for her life.


    "You will do nothing to me." Willem believed that he held all the cards in this exchange, and continued to pierce through her body with the spikes that he had previously inserted.


    "You leave me no choice, if I am to die, I will take you down with me!" In the last moments of the nightmarish creatures life, she grappled Willem by the head and used the suction of her fingers to remove something from his mind.


    As Willem awoke from the nightmare, the fog had completely dissipated, and a naked woman''s dead body laid in front of him.


    Willem stood up and knocked at the door to the room to indicate that he was done.


    The Grand Mage opened the door and to his surprise, he saw the dead woman on the floor.


    "Is that?" The Grand Mage began.


    "Yes, it is the creature of the nightmare." Willem exclaimed.


    "How did you kill it, it has no corporeal body!" The old man was ecstatic as he grasped the dead woman''s body, looking it over.


    "I barely defeated it. It took something from me." Willem admitted.


    "What! Boy, what did it take from you." The Grand Mage was no longer concerned about the body and rushed over to Willem''s side, grabbing his shoulders roughly.


    "She took my strongest emotion, anger." Willem let a small tear slip down his face as he remembered his Mother''s voice calling out to him.


    In the few moments that he heard his Mother''s voice, an unquenchable anger welled up from inside him, snapping him out of the illusion and allowing him to take on the hideous creature. That was the anger that was stolen from him in the last moments before the nightmare ended.


    "Is this not good? Anger is a wasted emotion for us Mages." The Grand Mage looked at Willem who seemed to be suffering more than ever.


    "It is the worst thing that could ever be taken from me." Willem bowed to the old man before leaving the room.


    The Grand Mage bit the tip of his thumb as he looked back at the woman on the floor, every orifice on her body flowing excessive amounts of blood. He closed the door and locked it behind himself before casting a spell to seal it away completely.


    On the eve of Willem''s eighteenth birthday.


    Four years have passed since Willem had willingly joined the Magic Academy and was under the tutelage of the Grand Mage, Archus.


    During this time, many changes had occurred both within the Bastion of Hope and in the realm of Magic Beings.


    The Bastion of Hope had seen many small but significant changes due to the incident involving a prominent upper class family whom had incurred the wrath of an unregistered Mage. Though the regular populace was told that they had fled and had a hand in some illegal dealings, the nobles and upper class knew the truth about the situation.


    In less than a few hours, an entire family was wiped out by an unknown Mage wielding Darkness Magic. Not long after, a young boy also came forward who revealed capabilities in Darkness Magic. Though they could assume that these two people had some sort of connection, no matter how much they probed nothing came to light.


    To ensure that nothing happened to Willem, "Grand Mage of the Earth" Archus had set in motion some stop gaps and publicly announced that Willem would become his apprentice. This small gesture would most assuredly be enough to stop anyone from threatening and questioning him ''unlawfully'', for fear of dire repercussions.


    During the past four years, Willem was bitterly training and improving his skills. His innate talent and natural curiosity gave birth to a host of new information on Darkness Magic that was previously unknown. Archus had taken almost the entirety of the four years teaching Willem about the basics of all Magic. Giving Willem a baseline of knowledge allowed him to easily figure out the power spectrum of each individual type of Magic.


    Furthermore, due to his capabilities of being able to use minor Magic of each type he attended classes during the day to learn more about what he could do. Hours of each day were spent learning from the teachers, then reading in the grand library and finally doing experiments with Archus. Only when he began to truly begin studying with the "Grand Mage of Earth" did he realize what a powerful existence Archus truly was.


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    Some small time had passed before news was given about the situation outside regarding the coming invasion of Magical Beings. The army was on high alert and everyone at the Magic Academy was told they would be participating in the back line formation of the fight.


    Soon after, news quickly spread that Magical Beings were gathering an offensive to forcefully take back the Mountains of the Northern Continent. Scouts of the human army confirmed these reports and also confirmed that some of the more barbaric Magical Beings had begun to march together towards the Mountain.


    In roughly four months time, unhindered, they would be at the castle walls. The current marching force of the Magical Beings was five hundred warriors and five hundred Mages, compared to the tens of thousands of warriors and Mages of the Bastion it seemed they would be able to hold the defense.


    Unfortunately, the more reports came in, the larger the magical forces became. Five hundred changed to one thousand, then two thousand and four thousand.


    By the time the reports had returned about the true size of the force coming to crash down the walls, the One True King had been holding meetings and summons to try to figure out what could be done. He had no doubts that because of the different innate abilities of Magical Beings, this would be a war until the bitter end.


    Once things began to again settle down, Willem was sent a summons from the council of Grand Mages. They had taken a keen interest in the research Archus had been providing, and wanted to see for themselves this miraculous youth. What none of the Grand Mages had known though was that even The One True King would be a part of this council. He had been reading over the notes and wanted to question Willem on a few things that seemed to be missing out.


    The council chambers had begun to form in a distorted space within the void specifically made for such events. The walls were barren, save for a few hanging rugs. The room itself was thirty feet by thirty feet with fifteen wooden seats in a circular pattern around a circular table.


    Twelve of the Mages had already appeared, including Archus and Willem. Multiple pieces of papyrus littered the table and the Grand Mages were having a lively discussion about their apprentices. It had become common practice to have friendly bouts among apprentices to show who was the superior Grand Mage in name.


    The only one who did not participate in these bouts was Willem. Despite being asked, he was too focused on improving himself and he felt no desire to stand out by suppressing others. This gave a false impression from other apprentices that he was meek and spineless, and when they would pass by him in the academy they would openly mock him.


    Willem was not bothered by such things, he never intended to stand out and would much rather improve himself. Though he fought when necessary, it was spars during class that were a test of knowledge. He would not even show a tenth of his strength to pass those tests. The only thing he was truly missing was real combat experience, and soon that will change. Archus had promised to take him on an expedition after this council meeting deeper into the mountains to fight some Magical Beasts.


    After twenty minutes or so had passed, the final Grand Mages arrived and took their seats. One Grand Mage hid his face, and once the council was called to order, he removed his hood to reveal himself. Around the table were gasps of surprise and then looks of veneration.


    "Gentleman, I welcome you to this council meeting. I was the one who called this meeting to order, to highlight the capabilities of Darkness Magic. As you know, there are currently only two people within our entire kingdom who can manipulate Darkness Magic. That young boy standing over there, and myself."


    The One True King spoke softly, but every word resounded with purpose. No one in this room could ever try to replicate this feeling of strength that the King emanated.


    From this statement, Willem quickly understood who was at the head of the table. Though the man was middle-aged, his proud gaze and otherworldly air was a step above the others. His grey hair was mixed with patches of Black, but was very well kept. His face had no facial hair, making him more distinct than the others.


    Most older men prided themselves on their beards, it was very rare for anyone to actually willingly remove it. Furthermore, his robes were a simple grey. It had none of the usual gaudy jewelry and there was no gold inlay that usually accompanied a Grand Mages robe.


    "There is a very good reason as to why I never talk about Darkness Magic, and that is because Darkness Magic is fueled by rage, anger and fear. The stronger these feelings, the stronger your magic ability is to wield. Even an elementary Darkness Mage could kill a senior Mage with enough rage as fuel. When I was first learning Darkness Magic, I was learning from the black chimera. I stalked it and watched as it hunted, and was truly surprised when it came upon its first prey. The first Magical Beast I saw it fight was a fledgling Red Dragon. Though I knew it was not strong enough to kill a Red Dragon, it still went in and fought tooth and nail fueled by rage. The more they fought, the more injuries the black chimera would incur. The worst part was that by fueling its rage, it''s injuries quickly healed, it''s scales regenerated and it''s claws became sharper. After three hours of constant fighting, the black chimera came out victorious. This was not the worst part, the worst part was that the black chimera didn''t stop to eat the Red Dragon, it continued to hack and slash until there was nothing left. It expended too much energy fighting a larger prey, and there was nothing left to consume. It ended up starving and dying a few feet from the Red Dragon."

 16 - Hell Hound

    Once he had finished talking, he looked around the room. Everyone except Willem had their eyes wide open, cold sweat dripping down their face. If what the King said was the truth, then even a middle rank Darkness Mage was strong enough to kill someone from this council of Grand Mages.


    They all looked at Willem, and saw a glint of cold light in his eyes. Just a day before, Willem was tested and confirmed to have the strength of a middle rank Mage.


    The Grand Mages looked down in shame, this eighteen year old man was capable of killing them, who have lived for hundreds of years. As they looked down, they saw the papyrus on the table. On the papyrus was a list of all the current capabilities of the middle ranked Darkness Mage.


    "Black smoke, with white outline. Capabilities in all forms of Magic. Darkness is a terrible gift to be given, especially to a young man."


    The One True King, in all his glory. Eyes as dark as the hollows of a tree and an almost imperceptible spark of fire hidden underneath. Power. True power. The strength that comes from reigning over hundreds of thousands of humans, deciding their fate.


    "My eyes were green when I was a child as a testament to my innocence. When I was of marrying age, they turned blue with peace. When I was considered an adult, they turned red and filled with passion. Finally, when I took my first life it turned black as a night without stars. My first kill was fueled by rage, twisting my mind until my enemy was a mound of flesh. I gave in to my Darkness and my best General paid the price. I will speak no more of this. Your eyes are black as well, but you have not lost your soul. I can only assume you have gone through a similar personal trial and lost something precious as well."


    The cold eyes of Willem met with the King. "You are truly perceptive my King, everything is as you say."


    "Then we will speak no more on this subject, please, do show us what you have learned." The King took quick steps toward the young boy. An oppressive atmosphere burst forth, as if the King had intended to take his life. This of course was a test of his abilities, a middle rank Mage would be capable of standing against this oppression for at most a minute before passing out.


    Willem did not know this was a test, and did not treat it as such. Under the oppressive force, he focused inwardly and began to manipulate the Magic inside. Black tendrils shot out from his body, forming hundreds of different weapons. Willem had done much studying for this council meeting, and especially wanted to show off to the Grand Mages. The more he stood out, the more freedom he would have to do what he must to get stronger. In the coming days, one must do everything they can to strengthen themselves before the war. The resources of a Grand Mage far outweigh those of a mere middle rank. It was time to show the true worth of Darkness Magic.


    "The first of the Darkness Magic I will show has been named ''True Death'' by my Master and is as such."


    Archus looked surprised at Willem, to show ''True Death'' right off the bat, he knew he was trying to impress. Archus has long since known that Willem has attained the strength of a Grand Mage. What took Archus a hundred years has taken Willem only four. Truly a gift from god, that was the only way to justify his advancement.


    While still under the field of oppression from the King, Willem manipulated the hundreds of weapons of black from his Magic and made severe cuts all over his body. He severed his tendons, sliced off his tongue, pierced his navel and ripped at his arms and legs. By the end of the demonstration, his head had been completely severed and his limbs had been torn until they looked like tossed meat. The Grand Mages looked on quietly, but inside their hearts were pumping furiously. This kid was clearly suicidal, to have damaged his body beyond repair. The first Darkness Mage besides the King has killed himself.


    As if they did not understand the meaning of the words ''True Death'' they solemnly offered their prayers. A large grin placed itself upon Archus and he laughed heartily. This sudden laugh confused the Grand Mages, as they had thought Archus had gone mad. This of course was all a play to show the Grand Mages that Willem had nothing to fear, even death.


    As they looked on, they became even more confused. There was no blood pooling from the boy''s corpse, nor was there any distinct smell of death. After a few moments, his body began to amalgamate. Black tendrils came forth from the deepest pits of his soul. They grabbed the head, arms and legs and re-attached them quickly. After a mere ten seconds had passed, Willem again stood among them with not even a scratch on him. Only his clothes were disheveled and filled with deep cuts. Even the field of oppression permeating from the King seemed to not affect him in the slightest.


    "I believe everyone understands the practicality of this ability. My master and I have yet to test the limitations of this power. Obviously." He snickered a little bit, showing no signs of being pressured in front of anyone in the room.


    "Now, if I may direct your attention to the second article. Meteor of the Beast. This is a personal  Summoning spell that I made to test the limits of my creation abilities. Please erect your defensive spells." Willem cupped his hands and took three steps back. Although the other Grand Mages hesitated, Archus and the King immediately placed several magical barriers around themselves. Archus made a shield of Earth, and the King crafted a sphere of iridescent colors. Seeing the lack of hesitation of the King, the rest of the Grand Mages created their defensive spells as best as they could.


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    Willem drew three complex arrays beneath his feet to enhance the Darkness within himself. He sat down cross-legged and began to mouth a long and complex chant, almost like a song. After fifteen seconds had passed, a huge aura of Darkness ascended as if from the depths of hell. A hell hound appeared with cracked skin, lava spewing forth from his mouth. Fueled by the black tendrils connected to the Mage of Darkness, the hell hound let out deep guttural growl. Just his growl was enough to break the defenses of the Grand Mages. Even Archus could not stand against the growl of the hell hound. The King''s sphere twisted and warped but remained intact.


    Black flames spread from the back of the hell hound and scorched the nearby hardwood. The black flames heated the room to an uncomfortable temperature and parched the throats of the Grand Mages. The Grand Mage of water, Sveld, casted a large scale water sphere in order to alleviate some of the scorching heat. The shield lasted for a mere three seconds before evaporating.


    Willem released the spell and the hell hound returned to the Summoning spell where it came. The heat had dissipated to a tolerable degree, but the scorch marks remained. This was enough proof that what Willem had summoned was not just a shadow of a creature, but a flesh and blood monster. Just as well, it was a monster that could suppress the Grand Mages in the council. This was more than enough to convince the council unanimously that Willem was indeed among the ranks of a Grand Mage.


    "This was a creature I have summoned from the depths of my soul, it requires something equivalent to three flasks of my blood. Should I continue, my King?"


    At this point, even the King was surprised at the progress that Willem had made. He believed that just this display of skill was enough, however, he was sill curious about a few details.


    "I wish for you to show me a few things before we end this council. Do you have any large scale attack Magic? And what about support Magic or Alchemy?"


    The more the King asked, the more excited he became at the prospects. Even he did not dare dabble too much into the Darkness Magic for fear of it consuming him. However this boy had no such fear, he acted as if he was the one whom controlled the element itself and that there was not even a small chance of it consuming him.


    This caused a flurry of emotions to well up from inside the King. If only he could have shown restraint at the right moment, his most trusted adviser and best friend would not have died so many years ago.


    "I have many large scale attack Magic, a copy of the other individual element spells but with the Magic of Darkness, which is to say on a much larger scale than the minor Magic I can cast of the other four. For support, I have the direct ability to control not just the living, but also the dead. Even if an ally falls in battle, I can take their corpse and imbue it with a portion of my will. All that can be penetrated by my Magic cannot resist longer than ten seconds. Friend and foe alike. As for alchemy..."


    Willem activated the Spatial Magic that he learned during his classes. From the explanation the teachers had given, a rudimentary Spatial Magic spell could hold ten square feet of anything placed within it. Far more than any one backpack could hold. From within his Spatial Spell, five flasks came to rest upon the table.


    "From left to right; a disease with no known cure except my own, a flask to frenzy the blood, a potion to explode the body, a remedy for any known poison, and my best creation to date, a canister that seizes the mind. Each of these potions are fueled by my blood, and have an added benefit. All except the poison remover are airborne and are fueled by blood. With even an ounce of blood it can explode out infecting tens of thousands. If I had a Magical Being to test on, I could create a poison without equal, but as I do not know what resistances or tolerances they have this is all I can offer to you for now."


    The Grand Mages could not help but show shock, these supremely made toxins, if they were indeed what they claimed to be could change the course of the upcoming battle. Even if they were of low quality they would be extremely potent in large scale war. As the King moved to take a potion, Archus shook his head. If even one of these potions were to be opened, they would surely all die. All except for their creator.


    Willem again cupped his hands and asked the King if there was anything more he needed to know.


    "There is just one more thing I am curious to see. Please show me the Magic you used to wipe out the Golden Dragon family."


    The King had returned to his seat after dismissing his iridescent shield. Willem looked to Archus, and The Grand Mage of Earth nodded his head in acknowledgement.


    "Very well, I will do as my King asks." Willem manipulated his Magic force to send out a small black spike from his robe. "This was one of the first things I learned to do, I had decided to name it ''hate spike''."


    Once the black spike embedded itself into the table, he retracted his magical force from it. After a few moments had passed, without re-attaching his Magic to the ''hate spike'' he manipulated it to form a thin spherical blade that spun until it cut itself through the table.

 17 - Grandia

    The gathering looked on in astonishment and even the King was taken aback. It was one thing to manipulate Magic while it was still attached to you, but these Grand Mages were carefully watching the entire event. They could easily tell that the Magic between the ''hate spike'' and Willem had been severed. There was no connection, visible or invisible that they could see. Yet clearly there was, because they had just witnessed him manipulate it to cut through the table.


    "Splendid, truly splendid. With this much potential we should have a fighting chance against the coming Magical Beings. Pray tell, is there anything you need to further your studies?" The King showed no face and excitedly praised the young man. Even the Grand Mages acknowledged that he was one of them, and they finally understood why he did not fight their apprentices. He was simply too monstrous to bother with them.


    "My Master and I have set a list, which can also be found among the papyrus on the table. It details everything I require. What is not included that I wish to put there is that if a scout that is a Magical Being is found, I wish to have him for studying purposes. Of course I will keep him alive and also provide any information he willingly or unwillingly gives."


    Sveld was the closest to the papyrus and took the liberty of reading it out. "Official Seal of the Grand Mage. Full access to the Grand Library including the Grand Mage Sanctum. Unrestricted access to the Herbal Composition Room and Advanced Alchemy laboratory. Access to the Senior Inscription Base and ten senior inscriptionists. Three Fire, three Water, two Wind and two Earth. A seal from the King giving unrestricted access to the Army''s hunting and training ground to obtain Magic cores. The last one is that when the fight begins, command of a squadron of fifty Mages and fifty fighters on the front lines, hand picked."


    The official seal of the Grand Mage meant he would now be considered the first Grand Mage of Darkness and could now participate in war meetings, as well his opinion would carry far more weight.


    Full access to the Grand Library and Sanctum meant he no longer had to go through Archus to get a certain piece of obscure knowledge to further his study.


    Access to the herbal composition room and advanced alchemy lab meant no more signing up and waiting for ingredients, he would now have first pick and full access. Even senior Mages had to respect if a Grand Mage wanted to use a lab, even if they did not sign up for it.


    The senior inscriptions base was located in a small bunker underneath the Magic Academy. Access was given only when one was deemed a Master calligrapher. Without at least this, imbuing an inscription and failing meant losing an arm. Furthermore, with ten senior inscriptionists, he can maximize the efficiency of his spell imbuement.


    Magic cores were provided by the army to supplement all forms of Magic within the academy. The army sold Magic cores to the Magic Academy and bought Magic weapons or armor with the credit. Magic weapons and armors were the life blood of the Army, because with them it became possible for a normal fighter to deal damage and take down a Magical Beast. Each rank of Magical Beast required a certain amount of fighters for subjugation and reaped more benefits.


    Magic cores made up the majority of ingredients, they could be smelted and put into the handle of a weapon for a specified attribute like flames or water balls. They could be consumed by Mages for a temporary increase in strength, or crushed and turned into a fine powder to be mixed into various concoctions. Even Willem''s potions have at least twelve different Magic cores inside them mixed with hundreds of herbs of various strength and quality.


    Except for the last request, none of the Grand Mages thought this list to be excessive in any way. However, for the last one, to willingly put such a prodigy on the front lines would be like condemning him to death. They all attributed this to his young fervor, until Archus spoke up.


    "I can see the look of despondency on your faces. You should know that it was both Willem and I that decided on the last request after brainstorming together for hours. If you can find it in yourself to trust in our judgement, we believe we can minimize the amount of deaths during this war. I will be right beside him leading the offensive when the time comes."


    Though what he spoke could only be considered a reassurance, Archus eyes showed no hints of wavering. This solidified his point that if the request was accepted, they truly could minimize the deaths of the human side. If this was true, there should be no reason to deny the request.


    The King got up from his chair, took the papyrus and looked it over once more. With a moment of thought, he reaffirmed in his mind and nodded to Willem and Archus. "All those pertinent have been notified. Our wills be unified, we welcome the Grand Mage of Darkness. Willem Saye, henceforth your magical name shall be... Grandia. You are the first of your generation to succeed in becoming a Grand Mage, and everyone will look to you for guidance. Grand Mages, greet your Brother In Arms."


    The Grand Mages stood up from their chairs, clasped their hands and bowed deeply to the young man. He reciprocated and clasped his hands, bowing deeply to each and every one of them. From this point on, he was a Grand Mage of the King''s Army, and though his path was paved with thorns, it is his path to tread. Until the day comes that he finds the pendant of his Father, he will not falter and he will not fall to his enemies no matter how numerous.


    "A grand banquet will be set for the welcoming of our latest Grand Mage, Grandia, tonight at sundown. Bring your best attire, and prepare your best Magic as we will show the people of The Bastion of Hope that there is truly nothing we fear." The King bowed slightly and teleported away leaving a scattering wind as he left.


    The Grand Mages crowded around Willem, chatting excitedly until after a while he politely excused himself to get ready for the banquet. Truthfully, Willem hated this kind of attention. Of course he knew people would talk, and they would do everything they can to carry favor with him to ensure themselves a powerful ally in case something happened.


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Willem cared not for such trivial social interactions, which is why he preferred the company of Archus. Archus'' temperament was a perfect match for Willem. They both enjoyed each others company but did not require it, which allowed for enjoyable conversations and enjoyable isolation.


    Willem manipulated his Darkness Magic, enveloping himself within it and sliding into the shadow of the hanging light from the council room. The Grand Mages looked on in envy, including Archus. When they teleported, there would always be some kind of spatial guidance interference, as they were bending time and space to change from one place to another. Willem''s Darkness Magic did no such thing, it was smooth and quiet like the flow of water. From the shadow he reappeared within his own Private Sanctum, where Kinsey was busy burning a flask of blue liquid. Upon returning, Kinsey siphoned the fire from the burner and manipulated it into her hand long enough for her to bow to Willem and offer her greetings before going back to burning the flask.


    Once Kinsey was done, she set the flask among the others on the side table and walked over to Willem''s side. She looked rather anxious compared to usual, as she knew he had been at the Grand Mages council and had a different expression compared to when he left.


    In the four years they had been together, she could never tell what he was thinking. When she failed, he did not strike her as her Father would. When she performed her duties successfully, she would be praised and rewarded. On cold nights, he would allow her to accompany him to bed but did not make her attend to his needs. At first she was offended as he seemed uninterested in her body, but he quickly told her that was not the truth. He knew her body was without equal, flawless skin and an hourglass figure that had been tempered with time. Compared to the females they had originally traveled with in the caravan, Kinsey was on a different level.


    However he bluntly told her that he did not have time to entertain such ideas, not until he was strong enough to find the bastard that stole his pendant. Therefore he set for himself a self-imposed celibacy until he at least achieved the level of Grand Mage. She understood that power meant everything to Willem once he explained the events leading up to their meeting. Though her heart still palpitated furiously when she shared the same bed with her Master, she still felt safe. On particularly cold nights, he would wrap his arms around her as she cuddled into him for warmth.


    Thinking back on his promise to her, Kinsey''s face quickly turned red in embarrassment. She looked down at the floor and dared not look Willem in the eyes in case he saw her flushed look. Kinsey did not know how strong Willem had become, nor did she care. After all this time, in her heart she knew that if Willem asked to embrace her she would not deny him. Willem placed himself in his chair and pulled some pieces of papyrus out from his desk. After ten seconds had passed, she had calmed herself back down and casually asked "how did the meeting go, Master?"


    Willem grinned mischievously. "Everything went as planned, and I have achieved everything I had hoped to get from the meeting. Though there was some unexpected interference, in the end it did not matter too much."


    The interference Willem spoke of was of course the One True King. In none of Willem''s predictions of the event would he ever assume the King would personally show himself.


    "You are now standing before the Grand Mage of Darkness, Grandia." Willem placed the golden talisman with his name and position inscribed upon it face up on the desk in front of Kinsey knowing full well what her reaction would be.


    "This is what Master was after?" Kinsey''s face turned bright red again and her heart beat fiercely. "If this is what he wanted to get, then that means..." She thought to herself. Thinking more and more on the subject, she became a crumpled mess of emotions, even though she steeled herself years ago to give everything to her new benevolent Master. However when it came down to the actual act itself, she had no knowledge of bedroom matters.


    Willem noticed the fluctuations of Kinsey''s emotions in her heart and he could not help but tease her more. "Of course it is, with the talisman of a Grand Mage I now have unrestricted access to all the resources in the Magic Academy." He tried hard not to grin too much, and changed to a small smile instead to feign ignorance.


    "Before I forget, Kinsey, there will be a banquet held at the King''s Royal castle in my honor and I need to look my best. Please go to town and get everything one would need to attend such an event. You will of course be the one escorting me, so do pick yourself up some gaudy jewelry or something."


    Kinsey pouted, but dared not say anything. Just being with Willem was a blessing she dared not ever ask for in her previous life, how could she say anything on the matter. Secretly she had wish he would not have forgotten the promise, but it appeared as though he had.


    She took the money that he had previously prepared for her expenditures and began to walk towards the teleportation array on the floor. Before she activated the array, she took one last glance at her Master.


    "Before you go, again something slipped my mind that I had meant to tell you. Tonight we will be performing a new experiment that we have never done before of which you are paramount in obtaining positive results. I will require you to join me in my bed tonight at midnight, so do please prepare whatever you need for a successful experiment."


    Kinsey''s mind blanked. Clearly he meant for her to prepare herself to attend to him. Before Kinsey could say anything, Willem activated the teleportation array and sent her into town. She arrived at the other end of the teleportation array and quickly went into the market, face flushed red.

 18 - Reminisce

    After Kinsey was forcefully teleported away, Willem sifted through the papyrus on his desk. Previously he had taken out the papyrus to make it look as though he was going to do some inscriptions. Instead, he reached into the shelf and unlocked a secret compartment.


    Inside the compartment were small pieces of papyrus, ripped and torn almost beyond use. Some had ink stains, others have wine spills and others yet were burnt. Willem had done his best to preserve them as they had a lot of significance to him. They were all written by his Mother and Father.


    Looking around his Private Sanctum, he began to reminisce. He thought of how it had been a few years since he had seen his friends, both from the Bastion of Hope and the Apprentice training grounds. Not only was he not allowed to speak with anyone outside the Magic Academy, but the control of information within the Army was so tight he did not even know if they were still alive.


    However all that had changed now that he had permission from the King to go anywhere the Army had control over. The guise of going to the Army for Magic cores worked perfectly, and he had no one else to thank but the King. In a few days, unless miraculously a scout for the Magical Beings was found, he would "go out and personally hunt for a Magical core that had been eluding him for quite some time".


    He began to think deeply about the last few years. He pictured the last time he saw his Father alive, so full of vigor. He was a tall man with a burly stature and was in incredible shape. He had blue eyes like sapphires and thick facial hair that his Wife always yelled at him for. Though he was not particularly kempt, he still had the air of importance. To his son, he was an imposing figure and someone to be looked up to with respect.


    His Mother on the other hand was a picture of noble intent. She stood proudly when she was with her husband, as if his achievements were her own. She had beautiful emerald eyes, and long red-brown hair that almost reached her waist which she would regularly tie into a ponytail. She was the closest thing the family had to a true noblewoman.


    His Mother was always an elusive figure for Willem after returning to work. Every time he saw her, the only thing she would remind him to do was study. The more knowledge one could accumulate, the better off one would be.


    She herself boasted a repertoire of three working languages besides human. She claimed that she spoke Giant, Dark Elf and "The Language of the Dead." Whether or not she was telling the truth was irrelevant, she could make any claims she wanted and no one would dare go against her.


    Whenever she would return home, she would be the one to teach Willem about the complexities of the human language. To her the ultimate way to insult someone is with big words they would never understand.


    Now, every time he thought of her, he was reminded of the nightmare that twisted his vision of his beautiful Mother into a high class whore. No matter how much he knew that she was never like that and would never cheat on her Husband, the thoughts of a smug King mounting his Mother filled his mind.


    Even worse, no matter how much he thought about it, he could never feel angry. That part of his mind was taken away by the nightmarish creature, presumably forever. The secret of his brutal strength when he needed it was now forever out of his grasp. The connection he felt from his parents was now severed beyond repair. Until he got the pendant back, the thoughts of his parents would have to hide deep in his psyche for as long as they could.


    Letters written from his friends as a parting present, grocery lists from his Mother and Father. The blood stained note, they were all precious memories he could never replace in this lifetime. Now the only thing missing was the pendant left to him by his Father.


    Even after four years, not one solid piece of evidence was heard from Archus'' network of spies. Many spies came forward with a trinket or bauble, hoping to fool the youth into thinking it was the right one. Willem knew, and remembered the exact texture and feel of the pendant his Father gave him. For all the petty tricks the spies did, they were repaid threefold in torture.


    Eventually, Willem gave up on looking for the pendant in lieu of getting strong enough to create magical items. If he could craft for himself a magical item capable of breaching a Tracking Distortion Spell, he may yet be able to find his Father''s pendant. This was his sole thought when he learned how to create magical swords, armor and potions. If he could somehow combine the knowledge that he learned from these individual procedures and incorporate them into what he wanted to do, the chances were much higher in finding his missing item.


    Willem breathed deeply, soaking everything in, consolidating his experiences in the past four years, as he closed his eyes and focused. He recalled the events of the training he had, the so-called genius whom had broken his arms. Revenge. The officiator who rehabilitated him. Repay. His friends who treated him well. Repay. The Golden Dragon Family. Repaid in blood. The bastard who has his amulet. Revenge.


    Now he was one of the most prominent members of the Magic Academy, the pinnacle of human achievement. There were only a handful of people in the Bastion of Hope whom had the power to stop him, and fewer still who had the inclination to. Wealth, power, and most of all connections.


    Willem had climbed with maximum effort to have everything he could need to take revenge. Once this upcoming war had been dealt with, he would tirelessly craft a Magic that can track down items and find his Father''s pendant, no matter where it took him or what the cost would be.


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    Before he had realized it, three hours had passed and Kinsey had yet to return. When he checked the string that connected him to her, he began to transmit his consciousness into her body.


    This was the Magic that Archus had said was important for keeping attendants in line. Many years ago, when Willem was concerned about Kinsey going blind and deaf temporarily and feeling an incredible amount of pain from teleportation, this was the remedy. By connecting the magical string from his own magical source to the magical seal on her left hand, she gained a portion of his power.


    For Willem though, it was a direct connection to her mind and body, allowing him to see and hear and feel as she does. The first time he connected to her, he felt a rush of emotions he had never felt or understood before. These emotions could very well have been normal for humans, but to Willem they were like a foreign entity invading his mind, making him do things he never thought he would.


    Seeing through her eyes, he could tell she was still fervently rushing to place orders and get high-class clothes setup for her Master. Though he could tell she was getting tired, nothing stopped her from getting the best of the best when it came to Willem.


    If it was going to take this long, Willem thought he might as well take some time to meditate. Magically, he took from his Spatial Spell a beautifully crafted bed and placed it in the corner of the Sanctum. He dimmed the lights to a small glow and undressed himself.


    He laid upon the bed stark naked and relaxed his body and mind. Soon, the Darkness engulfed him and his consciousness slipped into the growing blackness. In this state, every piece of darkness in the world was connected to him, and he to them. If he willed it, he could teleport from his Private Sanctum to the chambers of the so called "King of Magical Beings" in mere minutes.


    From within the shadows, "Grandia" appeared before the King of Magical Beings. The guards brandished their weapons and attacked him, striking nothing but smoke and shadow. He gave a traditional human bow to the King who sat upon his throne of skulls and bone, and then dissipated his Magic to once again search the world.


    Of course, this type of magical potency had its drawbacks. While he was one with the Darkness and the void, anyone else who would be one with the Darkness could sense him as well. In this way, they could easily come knocking at his door and invite themselves in to his Private Sanctum.


    However he was unafraid, there were few who were connected to the Darkness as intricately as he was. Even more so he had probed their strength long ago and found them lacking compared to his current capabilities. Perhaps in a thousand years, they would grow to be as strong as he is at this very moment.


    A couple more hours passed in this way, and finally Kinsey returned via the teleportation array. After waiting a couple of minutes by his bedside, she sat down beside him and gently caressed his face. To her, his looks had become a bit too shaggy for her liking.


    She preferred it when he was more well-kept, and had already resolved to convince him to fix up his appearance in anticipation of the banquet tonight. Before she even realized what she was doing, she had begun running her fingers through his hair and was staring off in the distance complacently.


    Willem''s mind returned to his body and he awoke to a good sight. In front of him, two voluptuous breasts were mere inches from his face, peeking out of a small golden shawl. Above his eye-line was a small and slender chin, and he could feel fingers being ran through his hair. He coughed once, to tell her he was awake and then coughed a second time before she snapped out of her confusion. She quickly retreated, nearly pulling at his hair along the way. She stood up, face flushed and kneeled down on the floor.


    Paying no mind to her actions, Willem took from his Spatial Spell a basin for washing and casted simple Water Magic to fill it. He then used a bit of Fire Magic to warm up the water and told Kinsey to come wash him. She bowed deeply and began to scrub his body.


    "Master, forgive my indiscretion earlier. However I would like to suggest that for tonight''s banquet, if you wish it, I can assist you in cleaning up your appearance. N-not that there is anything wrong with your appearance, j-just that nobles have slight prejudices against those who are not well-kept."


    She had come this far, and already made a fool of herself. Therefore, in her mind she had nothing left to lose. If that is the case, before tonight she was going to have him at least looking presentable!


    "If you continue to scrub that hard, there will be nothing left but bone, Kinsey." Willem had seen how distracted she got when she attended to him in this way and reveled in teasing her about it each time. "However, there is merit in your thought process. Though I had no need for social relationships up until this point, I am now charting unknown waters. I will leave it up to you for how I will present myself."


    Inwardly, Kinsey was doing back flips. Now that she had gotten his express approval, she was going to make him look his best. Then, when the night came, he was going to... He was... He will...

 19 - The Efreet Clan

    Three thousand years before the human uprising.


    R?el Efreet was a being of few words. He looked about thirty-five or forty years old, but in fact had lived for three thousand years. Red eyes and red hair to match, three horns adorned his scaled head like a broken crown. Cursed with longevity, he had lived a life with many regrets.


    R?el was a coward at heart, and no one knew it as much as he himself. Though he was not one to shy from battle, he kept his distance from all other magical beings that called the Kingdom of Re''lih home. R?el learned early on that the average life span of these magical beings were far outclassed by his own, and he began to watch as his friends and family died while he showed no signs of aging. For the first few hundred years of his life, he did his best to find a cure for his ailing clansmen, who had begun to die out quickly from the red fog. However after he lost his lover, Calista, he began to slowly take himself away from the seemingly mortal world.


    He left his home and began devoting all his time to coaching the younger generations in the far-flung reaches of Re''lih, while maintaining his cover of just being an average person. He taught men how to fight and women how to endure. He believed that through him, the magical beings would learn how to rule the land and live in peace instead of the constant cycle of life and death he was now so used to. During one lifetime, he was a royal adviser who gently guided the king and protected his predecessors. In another, he was a soldier who would inspire his allies to great heights while slashing away at his enemies. However no matter how much he was stabbed or beheaded or burned, he would always reappear within the roiling red fog of his homelands. The original clan he was born into had long since passed away, unable to adapt to the red fog that permeated his birth place.


    Every time he died he would go and visit Calista''s grave. The grave marker had long since began to wither and warp, but after visiting so many times he could never get lost. Once he arrived, he would gather the nearby dread lily and place them on her grave. He had always remembered how dread lily were her favorite. After he had cleaned her grave, he would go back into the mortal world. This trek through hundreds of mountains had been done by him over a thousand times, but every time he arrived there would be a new town with no familiar faces.


    He would settle in, making a name for himself as a healer or a fighter while protecting the weak and feeble. He used inscriptions and concoctions known only to him to heal the blind and the scarred, as the process for their use had died with the knowledge of the previous generation. However R?el would always do his best to spread the knowledge of these practices around, as if keeping it alive would miraculously bring his dead kin back to life.


    Three thousand years slowly dredged on, and his latest reincarnation brought him to a small island at the heart of the kingdom. There was only one way to get to the island, and it was by constructing a boat from dead tree trunks and dead moss. The water around the island was seething with acid, making it extremely deadly to those who could not navigate, but it also did nothing to something that was already dead. Luckily thousands of years worth of experience was trapped in the mind of R?el whom at a moments notice could recall the information he sought as he headed toward the island.


    He navigated expertly through the acid that attempted to jump at his skin, which would almost fall upon him before being deftly maneuvered around. Once he arrived to the island, he docked the boat and looked around. The island was covered with a silverish haze, not thick like the red fog, but one could not see more than ten feet ahead of oneself. As R?el moved through the fog, vague shapes came of huts and buildings came into view. There was actually a community that lived on the island!


    The dwellers on the island were known as the Thousand Eyes Clan. They had inhabited the island for a thousand years, protecting the secrets beneath the waters. They had many seers, who had already predicted the arrival of a man who would bring them great change. Whether the change was good or bad had yet to be divined. They sent a representative, who casted wind magic to disperse the fog, revealing the entire village.


    The representative was a beauty known as Rin. Rin had just turned two hundred when the strange visitor arrived. She wore a veil that covered a beautiful symmetrical face. She had pursed red lips and slender brows, but few had truly seen how she looked. A long white silk dress draped around her as if it was made especially for her. The moonlight basked in her presence, giving her an almost ethereal glow.


    "Greeting Young Master, I have come on behalf of my clan to escort you." This was the first time in hundreds of year that they had a visitor. She knew the circumstances outside the island better than anyone, because when she was younger she tried to escape and was burned horrendously on her arms and legs.


    "Greetings, please lead the way." R?el was not unaccustomed to being escorted, he was a stranger in a new land and had to act appropriately.


    Rin lead R?el through the village as onlookers gawked and pointed towards the man. He was quickly lead through a winding path to what appeared to be the center of the island. There stood a large twisting tower that seemed to warp and bend as if it would fall at any moment. Rin quickly ushered him inside and closed the doors behind him.


    From the dim light, vague figures could be made out of the seers. They sat in a large circle around the room chanting harmoniously as if in a trance. Rin asked R?el to step into the middle of the circle and meditate. She then took her place in the circle and began to chant in sync with the others.


    R?el did as he was asked, and began to meditate. Instantly he was connected to the minds of the seers, who used his longevity as a lifeline to guide them through his past lives. All was revealed before their eyes, including the countless deaths he saw and suffered. They saw the death of his wife and son, the death of kings of old and comrades whos name will never be written in stone.


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    Once they were done, R?el returned to the waking world and sat quietly while they gathered to pray. Who they were praying to remained a mystery to R?el, but as long as they did not need a sacrifice it really did not bother him.


    After a few days passed, the seers emerged from their chambers and saw R?el quietly meditating. The visions the seers were granted confirmed that R?el was crafted to lead the magical beings into endless peace. However, there was one who threatened this peace. A young human boy was envisioned as the downfall of R?el, wielding darkness magic that raged wildly in his heart.


    "R?el, of the Efreet clan. One of the lost primal clans who directly made a pact with the god of fire, only to betray the pact and unleash the roiling red sea on this earth. We have seen your fate, as the gods have granted us permission to do so. We see your past, present and future. All your lives, your deaths, and who will bring you your eternal slumber."


    A seer stepped forward and pressed her palm into the heart of R?el, as the latter looked on incredulously. This was the first time he had ever met seers that were not faking their abilities. How else would they know he had lived for thousands of years. No previous ''seer'' had ever guessed correctly.


    "Gods grant us the minds eye to show him the visions you have given us." The seer chanted some incantation R?el had never heard and suddenly his mind went blank.


    R?el saw the body of a young beautiful woman, clutching her stomach. She had been stabbed and left for dead, bleeding against the ruins of a building in a dense forest. R?el saw the vision of himself, running quickly to the side of the woman, holding her tight.


    She spoke quietly, gasping for breath. "R?el, I am truly sorry I could not protect our child. Please, don''t let others suffer as we have suffered. Our time was short, but it was the best thing that could ever have happened to me. I will be waiting for you in eternal slumber my love."


    R?el clutched his heart as the visions unfolded in his mind. He thought he had already resolved himself to never love again, but that was not his destiny. His destiny time and time again was to lose the women and children he loves.


    Rin looked on solemnly toward R?el, her heart beating rapidly. She had saw the visions, and understood it was her that was lying there, bleeding against the ruins. She understood what needed to come to pass, in order for the magical beings to live in endless peace she needed to be sacrificed.


    R?el retired to a guest room provided to him after the visions subsided. However, in the night, Rin approached him and claimed that she had a way for the visions not to pass. In order for it to work, he must take her off this island and into a small forest in the North Continent.


    He did as she asked, and prepared the boat off the island. He navigated expertly as she looked on lovingly, her face still covered by the veil. The two silently fled into the night. Once dawn had arrived, they had reached back onto the mainland and immediately fled to the Northern Forest.


    Once they entered the Northern Forest, they set up a small straw building and provisioned some food. They built a large sustained bonfire and talked through the night. R?el regaled her with stories of his previous lives, and even though she had already seen them because of the visions, she listened intently.


    After some time had passed, night came and it was time to begin the ritual. She explained the process she was about to undertake, and told him that there was something he needed to do. She told him that in order for the ritual to begin, she needed to lose her chastity, and the resulting blood would be used in the array that needed to be placed on a large stone pillar.


    Though he did not understand anything about this ritual, if it saved his future wife and child from death he did not intend to hesitate. He began to mate with the young woman which he had only known for a night, and deep inside for reasons unknown to him, his heart ached.


    Once the mating ritual was done, she gathered the blood and placed it inside a vial. She thanked the man and returned to the house, and slept in the straw bed. The whole ritual did not sit well with R?el, but he did as he was told and ejaculated inside her as she had asked. The pleasure he felt was incomparable to his previous lives, which he decided was most likely because he had not made love for thousands of years.


    The next day, while he was hunting, he came upon a natural waterfall. The water was cold to the touch, but was completely clear, as if it had never been tainted by the hands of mortals.


    Unknowingly, he had also stumbled upon the young woman as she was bathing. He saw her enticing figure, and quickly jumped in to greet her. She hid her face but greeted the man nonetheless.


    R?el was not impressed at her hiding her face all the time, and forcefully moved her hands away from her face. She was powerless to resist, and instead pouted as his eyes came to rest upon her. He immediately recognized her as the woman in the visions, and realized he had been tricked.


    Though he had been tricked, he could not be angry at her in his heart. It was too good to be true that there was a way to change the fate the gods had bestowed upon him. He embraced Rin under the waterfall and that night they furiously made love, until the morning had come and they finally lost the strength to continue.

 20 - Royal Palace

    During the next eight months, R?el and Rin continued to live in the forest. R?el tried to convince her everyday to leave, but Rin said that if they wanted to change the fate that the seers had divined, they had to fight and survive here and live. They lived happily during these eight months, fighting against monsters and the natural environment. They did not know much about the forest, only that it had a mind of its own. Sometimes, if they stood absolutely still and peered from the corner of their eyes they could see the trees moving.


    The monsters that appeared in the forest were nothing compared to R?el, thousands of years as a warrior honed his natural abilities to an almost godlike understanding. After just a few exchanges, he could determine where the major organs of the different magical beasts were and dismantled them with keen efficiency.


    Magical beasts soon realized they were no match for this small humanoid monster and would actively try and avoid him by any means possible. It became increasingly hard for R?el to find meat to cook and had to resort to the fruits and vegetables deeper in the dense forest. While he was gone, Rin took care of cooking the food and salting the extra meat to preserve for later.


    During the early morning, R?el and Rin had awoken to the sounds of a beast ravaging their food stocks. R?el moved quickly to the dry storage, and saw within it was a horned storm tiger. The storm tiger was one of the few magical beasts in the forest that R?el actively avoided. The horn was the exact size of the stab wound in the visions given by the seer and storm tigers were incredibly ferocious in the face of single opponents.


    This storm tiger seemed to still be a bit young, maybe a hundred years old. The stripe color variance was similar to the white tigers of the Northern Mountains in the Northern Continent. The true difference, however, was the viciousness of the storm tiger. It was as if they were born in thunder and lightning and their blood was fueled by the taste of war.


    There was only one other instance where R?el had seen the fierceness of the storm tiger. Two thousand years ago, on an unnamed battlefield in the Eastern continent, four separate tribes were vying for control of the entire region. One tribe made a pact with the king of the storm tigers and led them into battle. R?el participated against the storm tigers and was ripped limb from limb within a matter of seconds. The king of the storm tigers easily reached a length of fifteen feet and its paws were the size of R?el''s torso. For an entire year after his resurrection, he had nightmares of the storm tigers ripping out his throat.


    Now one was in front of him, baring its fangs once again. Though this one was just a young pup, and he was much stronger than he was during that fight, he couldn''t force himself to move. His legs felt as if they were frozen in place, until the storm tiger let loose a vicious bloodcurdling roar. As it pounced, R?el willed himself to move and jumped backwards to avoid the claws of the tiger. The tiger quickly darted towards R?el and it was as if he was being chased by lightning. He had resolved to lead it away from the camp and his beloved, so he forced all his strength into his legs and sprinted deeper into the forest. After a few hours had passed, the tiger seemed to have lost patience with trying to catch him and turned off to another direction. The tiger was no fool, he was not gaining any distance and was wasting alot of energy for one meal. The storm tiger gave one final growl and skulked off to find more food and a place to rest.


    R?el did his best to return to Rin''s side, but the forest had played a very cruel trick on him. He did not know which direction he had fled, nor did he know how to return to her side. The only thing he could do was mark the trees he had already passed, in hopes that it would shed some insight into if he was in fact going in circles. Once he started to recognize the marks he had been placing on the trees, he knew he was being manipulated.


    He sat down among the base of a large oak and began to meditate. Inside his mind, he connected to the earth and the big oak appeared in front of him. A young women emerges from the oak to offer R?el a deal. R?el would get to be with his beloved for her last moments, but she would have to be buried under the roots of the oak. Knowing things were progressing just as the visions predicted, he made the bargain and the woods slowly twisted to form a path.


    Once R?el had chased off the storm tiger, Rin began to prepare for the ritual. She followed along a path to a large stone pillar, and inscribed a magical array on its face. Rin could feel the baby kicking as she carefully carved the symbols into the pillar with as much precision as she could muster. After a few hours had passed, the array was created and showed signs of a faint glow. She began to chant as if she was possessed, swaying back and forth against the large rock. Once the chanting ended, both Mother and Child were deathly quiet. From within a small bag, Rin took out the horn of a storm tiger cub and stabbed it in to her gut. With the spilling blood, she traced the magical array and it began to glow with an intense golden light. She quickly shattered the storm tiger cubs horn with high intensity flame magic and prepared herself for the afterlife. After coming to peace with what she had done, she slumped against the pillar and waited for her love.


    R?el followed the path to find Rin sitting against a large pillar, blood spilling from her stomach. She looked up at him lovingly as he held her in his hands. She spoke quietly, gasping for breath just as the visions showed. "R?el, I am truly sorry I could not protect our child. Please, don''t let others suffer as we have suffered. Our time was short, but it was the best thing that could ever have happened to me. I will be waiting for you in eternal slumber my love."


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    As he drew her closer, he could hear faint sounds of sobbing. He tightened his grip around her as she struggled to say something. He placed his ears close to her mouth and her last words slipped away before she drew her last breath. "It was humans that killed me."


    As she drew her last breath, tears fell from her face like a beautiful river. She truly was happy to have met R?el, even if they did not have long together. What more could she ask for than to be with the man she loved before it was her time to say goodbye.


    R?el lifted her close to his body and carried her to the large oak tree in the forest. He took a shovel from his spatial spell, the first time he used magic in decades, and began to dig. He dug deep into the earth, until the roots of the oak became visible. He placed Rin''s body securely inside and buried her beside a bushel of blood thorns, her favorite flower. Once he finished packing in the dirt, he noticed little green sprouts coming out from her grave. A small tear slipped down his face as he saw blood thorns growing around her grave, their growth fueled by the blood of Rin.


    For the first time in hundreds of years, he had a clear goal. Every single human must be sacrificed so that no more magical beings will have to go through what he had gone through. They were a plague on this world, and must be eradicated. If the gods see fit, once the humans have died he will willingly end his life to be with his wives and child.


    Steeling his heart, he headed toward the King''s palace in the Southern Domain.


    The current king led a life filled with luxury and over-indulgence. He had the title passed down from him, although he dare not claim that he qualified to be in the position. The unfortunate truth was, he ruled under a time of prosperity where acumen and battle strategy were not necessary. No one bothered taking his position because it was unimportant. As long as he kept his head low and did not offend anyone, he could live his life out as he wished without worrying about being killed.


    R?el had different plans for the current king. If he was unwilling to listen to R?el''s council, then he could consider his life forfeit. R?el swiftly walked through the side streets of the capital in the magical kingdom before finally entering the holy grounds of the king''s palace.


    Outside the palace, the guards lazily sparred with each other, not noticing that a man had just casually walked in. It was not until he was half-way to the palace doors that someone noticed he had unlawfully entered. The guard bell rang, and thirty armed fighters appeared both inside and outside the courtyard. R?el bowed slightly and then took from his spatial ring a peculiar weapon. It appeared to be a rapier made from the spine of a red tailed spider monkey. As he withdrew the rapier from its sheath, it emitted a shockingly powerful glow. The power emanating from the weapon was at least of a rank three beast. At best, the sixty guards total could barely amount to a rank two squadron. They also had no magical weapons or magical armors, making them incredibly susceptible to magical attack.


    "Please, esteemed young master, do not make this hard on us poor guards. We can direct you to the main entrance where you can register to speak with the king." A young but burly guard walked toward R?el speaking pure intention but harboring a heavy greed for the weapon in front of him. If the guard was able to get a hold of the rapier, he may given a position within the king''s guard.


    R?el quickly cut the guards throat and continued to slash at the guards blocking his way into the palace. Once he had arrived inside, he nimbly moved through the halls of the palace, already forgetting about the guards bleeding to death in the courtyard. He quickly recalled the quickest way to the throne room from his previous time as a royal adviser and made his way into the inner sanctum.


    The king''s throne room was exactly as he remembered it in his previous life. He looked at everything with bitter memories, recalling that he died because the kings nephew plotted against him in order to attain the position of adviser.


    He deftly made his way around the magnificent marble statues, across the small ponds and stone planters that aligned with the walls. The structure of the support pillars had not changed, nor would it likely change in the next ten thousand years. R?el made his way through a secret door that was hidden along the western wall and quietly moved into the private room. This room was highly decorated and always smelled of blue lilacs and daisymays. It was unofficially the royal bedchamber, as often the King would spend the night here with his royal concubines, and would always be close by the throne room in case their was an emergency meeting.


    However it was clear to R?el that this had been officially made into the royal bedroom. He crept up to the sleeping King and withdrew from a sheath a small obsidian knife. He put it to the throat of the King and woke him up with a splash of water ball.


    The king was startled awake but did not dare to move. He could feel some type of cold, sharp instrument at his throat, and he could plainly see the stranger in his bed chamber had a gaze of infinite sadness and frustration. He dared not speak first, only moving his head slightly to signify that he was awake and willing to listen. R?el slowly withdrew the knife from the king''s throat and spoke plainly.


    "Seers have granted me a vision, and the vision was that if the humans were not eradicated then all magical beings will be doomed."

 21 - Pressure

    "Surely, young master, you jest? Humans are weak and they do not possess any defining traits other than to be used for manual labor." The current king looked into R?el''s eyes to see if they revealed anything but could not determine why he had actually come. "You have threatened royalty, and you must know that means nothing less than death."


    Again the obsidian knife is put up to the kings throat, and a little slit of blood flowed freely. The kings scalp grew numb, but he knew if he backed down now he would be killed without question for not showing any backbone. The king pressed forward slightly and drew more blood, but locked gazes with R?el. In their eyes, mutually they saw that they were not as weak as others assumed they were.


    "I am completely serious, I have spoken with the Thousand Eyes Clan, even you should know who they are. Considering they are a part of the same clan as your royal advisers. Perhaps you should confer with them before the humans get the upper hand and begin killing off our brethren. In seven days time, I will return here to consult you on what to do. Should you choose to take that time and squander more resources, I will kill you indiscriminately and take your place. I believe you know I am quite capable of doing it."


    R?el put the obsidian blade back into the sheath and noiselessly walked through the hidden door. After the king had healed and looked for R?el, he could not find a single trace of his identity or presence within the capital. It was as if he had never existed in the first place. After confirming that R?el could not be found, the king spoke with his royal advisers.


    "I have been told that humans will soon begin to cast off their shackles and rebel against us. Can you confirm or deny such rumors?"


    "We cannot confirm nor deny such rumors my king. We must communicate with the elders of our Thousand Eyes Clan for a divination of such magnitude. It will take approximately three days. Once that had been done, we can absolutely tell you." The royal adviser spoke matter-o-factly but still hid embarrassment at being stared at by the king.


    "Whatever resources you need, get it done. This is a priority mission from the king himself." The king breathed deeply and yawned, the previous events have racked his brain and made him tired. Without thinking, he called for his human concubines to join him in the royal chambers.


    As they joined him in the large and soft bed, they gratuitously pleasured him until he felt like he was transcending to heaven. Just as he was about to climax, one of the concubines pulled a glowing red dagger from her skirt and stabbed it into his side. To the kings dismay, the dagger had been coated in a poison that cause the heart to rend and the mind to seize temporarily. Within a few seconds, the other concubines pulled out more daggers and began hacking and slashing at him fiercely.


    Through a combination of the poison and fatal stab wounds, the king died without even muttering a sound of discomfort. His eyes rolled back into his head, blood pooling in his mouth and gushing from his sides. His major organs had ruptured from the multiple stab wounds and stained the beautiful linens on the bed.


    Once the human concubines achieved their mission, they hurriedly left. As they opened the door to leave, their eyes went wide and blood began to flow freely from their throats. R?el appeared before them and peered through the door only to see the old kings cut up body. He placed the concubines back onto the bed, cleaned up the blood by the door and put a dagger in the hand of all but one concubine. The last dagger was placed into the hands of the king to make it look like he had put up a fight in the end.


    R?el then walked out of the room and closed the door quietly. He muttered under his breath about the boys folly and went to find a guard to speak with. He explained to the guard that he was summoned by the king to speak about the Thousand Eyes clan. The guard quickly showed him to the throne room and went to go speak with the king, but as soon as he entered the hidden room he began to yell for backup. The nearby guards and seers all joined in the room and looked on in horror at the dead king and his concubines. From the stabs and cuts made to both parties, the only logical conclusion that could be made was that the humans had got the jump on him and he fought back killing all of them but not surviving his fatal wounds.


    R?el feigned sincerity and gave his condolences to the seers with which he pretended to be acquainted with. He spoke with them about his lover, Rin, and the visions that The Thousand Eyes Clan showed to him. He connected his life force to theirs and showed them the visions he had been granted. With no choice but to accept the truth, the seers decreed that all humans within the magical kingdoms must be killed. That night, and the next day, a great culling happened and hundreds of thousands of magical beings were killed by their human slaves and lovers. Within a week, all the humans who remained within their masters homes were unceremoniously killed and their bodies dumped onto the roads to be swept away.


    On the third night, the seers received a vision from their gods of the man who would lead the magical beings to a truly peaceful existence. R?el accepted the position as king, and received seven challenges within the first day. He accepted the challenges and ordered the guards to send the acceptance letter to the individual clans. The challenge was to take place at the training ground within the capital city on the same day at the same time.


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    Seven different clans all sat equidistant to each other within the training ground. The event had sent the city into an uproar, as a match like this had never been seen before. The king openly admitted that he would fight the seven strongest clans at the same time. To any other person, this was suicidal, but to the seers this would be a good display of the skills the king possessed. With this much, there should be no dissent among the tribes once they saw the strength of their king.


    R?el was the first to enter the training ground, and all the onlookers pointed and whispered. He used sound amplification magic to announce that he would indeed be fighting the seven major clans at the same time, and that they may all step forward now. The elders of the seven clans gave a displeased look before motioning for their strongest clansmen to get into the training ground.


    The first to enter the ring was the clan master of the Burning Viper clan. The clan master had sharp eyes, as if they were a serpent watching their prey. They practiced an ancient magic that allowed them to take the form of a fifty foot tall king cobra to reign terror upon their enemies. The next up was the Blue Dragon clan, who sent the elder''s son to fight. His hair was short and slightly tossed, but gave off a very regal aura.


    The third to enter was known as the banshee queen, and she was almost completely transparent. She had a very old and proud gaze, as if she had already foretold the way this battle would end. The fourth to make it to the training ground was a small boy with a cloth over his eyes. Though his stature was small, the aura he gave off was more powerful than any others yet. He was the son of the Blood Gaze clan. He took off the cloth around his eyes to reveal empty sockets and unfurled his hands to show that his eyes had been implanted into them. His eyes looked around warily, as if they intended to absorb the souls of the watchers.


    The fifth was a young master of the Green Tree clan, who had ancient legacies claiming to be from the tree of life itself. The sixth and seventh entered at the same time, hand in hand. Respectively, they were from the Treasured Third Eye and Whipping Tail clans. They had entered into a tryst and were caught, so the punishment was that they could not separate their hands and must remain that way for forty years. Though others saw this as a disadvantage, by no means would anyone who understood the capabilities of the third eye clan think it was. They had the unique capabilities of clairvoyance during intense battle, making them indispensable tools during war times.


    As the last two members entered the stage, the clans began to activate their abilities. To all the current tribes, the current king was a nobody who managed to convince the royal advisers to give him the temporary title. The seven clans made a deal with each other, they would quickly out this fool and then fight among themselves to find the true strongest clan. That clan would be the one to take the seat of king and rule the magical beings.


    Before the battle began, the king again used his booming voice to promise the seven clans that he would hold back and not kill any of the important people who came to challenge him. This further whipped the crowd into a frenzy, and a few hoped he could truly do as he promised. If he was able to show that kind of restraint and still win, then the magical beings had nothing to fear when it came to being lead against any threat.


    The Burning Viper clan master made the first move, and quickly transformed into a fifty foot tall king cobra to bare his poisonous fangs. The poison seeped from him and hit the ground before being absorbed by the earth quickly. As the poison seeped into the ground, it gave off a putrid smell and turned the dirt black. He twisted and writhed while hurriedly rushing to the location of the king, and his body began to burn from the friction of the speed. This was truly a frightening sight, and was the reason they took the name of Burning Viper clan.


    The king took from his spatial spell the rapier he had originally showed during his first visit to the royal palace and imbued a little magic into it. A terrifyingly oppressive brute force emanated from the rapier as if it intended to swallow everyone whole. He casted a quick wind magic chant and began to float in the air. He raised his body to the height of the clan master and flicked his sword, sending a terrifying amount of wind pressure toward the King Cobra. The flames on the body of the King Cobra dissipated with reluctance, and the King Cobra was sent back twenty feet without even being struck. As if he was up being slammed against a wall, he could not budge against the monstrous force and had to retreat willingly. Just the force alone was enough to push his gigantic body back, and even more so he claimed to not attack seriously. If he was telling the truth and did not attack with conviction, yet generated this much power... That alone was proof he was at least a formidable opponent worthy of the title of king.


    This caused the other members of the fight to take the king a little more seriously. No longer did they mockingly judge him, as they all prepared their legacy spells.


    Before they all had a chance to finish casting their spells, the King pushed forward with a demonic killing intent.

 22 - Life And Death

    Deep within the magical forest of the Northern Continent, the ground beneath the large oak began to stir. The blood thorns above the grave had wilted as if their life force had been drawn from them. The pillar with the magical array inscribed in blood began to glow a golden color, and the stone crumbled, dispersing into the earth. A hand reached out from the grave, covered in dirt and blood. Cracks could be seen running deep along the slender arm, and an unearthly darkness forced itself out from the very bones of the body.


    The woman known as Rin was no more, but her memories and body still remained. She dug herself out of the grave and looked around hungrily. A nearby stone lion had just caught a rabbit and was distracted while eating it. The woman blasted a long spear of black into the neck of the stone lion, and dragged the body over to her. She drank the blood of the stone lion, and her body looked remarkably better. The cracks in her arms had healed considerably, and her complexion looked more human than undead.


    Rin had not lied to R?el about transcending the fate of the visions. Though the visions had come to pass as the seers had seen, Rin was never supposed to come back to life. The magical array on the stone pillar, drawn from the blood of her unborn child was unknown to the seers but was essentially a resurrection spell. Although she was resurrected, her soul had already been taken and another wandering soul had instead entered her body. This fate was completely outside of Rin''s control as she had no idea how the spell worked. She was only gifted the spell from a mysterious masked man one night and was told of its power. She never believed him, until she saw the visions of the seers.


    The body of Rin drank the rest of the blood from the stone lion, then consumed the flesh and bones of it and began to chant a spell. The body slipped into the darkness of the night and shifted her into the looming shadow of the royal palace. The spell itself took alot of energy out of the half dead body, but this did not bother the user. The body quickly walked down a side road and consumed a little orphan girl. She snapped the girl''s neck and drank her blood as if it was from a chalice. When she was done, she ate the flesh and bones and made her way toward the congregation of people at the training ground. The sounds of fresh swishing blood within all of them compelled her to go in that direction and seek out her next meal.


    The body of Rin had almost completely returned to its original beauty. Her complexion, though dirty, was almost completely healed and also showed signs of life. The soul however was unsated, more blood was needed in order to return to its former glory. She marched into the training ground and looked at the people currently fighting inside the ring.


    They had the strongest blood compared to the nobodies surrounding the training ground. Especially the one with the bone rapier, his blood looked especially delicious. It flowed with unending vitality, as if no matter how much was drunk it would never end. The soul searched Rin''s memories and found a connection to this man. It was her previous lover and the blood connection to the child of the resurrection spell.


    The soul knew it could use this connection to draw blood from the man and attempted to walk into the arena. As the body walked forward, guards attempted to halt its advance. It used darkness magic to engulf their body and drained their life force, further fueling its power.


    Inside the arena.


    R?el burst forth from the point he seemingly had been fixed to. He sped toward the couple holding hands and sent a gust of wind generated by a swing of his blade. The couple was easily blow off the arena floor and incapacitated before even being able to show their skills.


    The elder son of the clan of the Blue Dragon finished transforming into a fifty foot tall dragon before blasting the training ground with a long line of electricity. R?el deftly avoided the lightning but is caught off guard by the young boy of the Blood Gaze clan.


    The young boy placed his hands directly on R?el''s body, shocking his mind and forcing him to relive the nightmares of his past. R?el was caught in a nightmarish attack, where his memories of not being able to save his wife Calista bombarded him with feelings of guilt. His deepest darkest fears of not being strong enough or smart enough or quick enough hit upon the very core of his soul, thrashing at him until he was almost completely hollowed out.


    He was able to snap back to his senses and shrug off the young boy with a wave of magical force, but the effect had taken its toll. The banshee wailed and a magical force split the ground as if an earthquake had hit it. R?el rushed toward the banshee and using just physical strength elbowed her in the diaphragm, forcing the air out of her lungs and the banshee''s wail to stop. She crumpled to the floor and began to foam at the mouth. Such a brutally oppressive attack would most likely mean she would take a few months to recover.


    The only three left to fight were the Burning Viper clan, the Blue Dragon Clan, and the Green Tree clan. The young master of the Green Tree clan was still casting his spell, as if he was nurturing a small sapling into a great willow. The clan master of the Burning Viper clan lunged toward the The King, poison dripping, and from the other side the Blue Dragon swiped its huge claw.


    R?el dropped to one knee and began to form hand signs. He looked haggard, but continued to undo seals from deep within his body, as if unlocking something. The magical force inside his body burst out of every pore in his body, condensing into a red sphere. The sphere expanded to twenty feet, then thirty and finally forty. As the attacks came crashing onto the sphere, it warped but did not break. From the sphere, a red arm grew and grabbed onto the head of the Dragon. Another red arm grew from the other side and grabbed onto the viper. Instantaneously it threw both huge creatures to the ground, slamming their heads into the earth with enough force to kick up a dust storm. From the dust, only two figures could be seen still standing.


    The Green Tree young master had finally finished his incantation, and his body began to transform. First, his arms turned into branches, and his torso formed the trunk of a tree. He began to change and grow, forming a great willow tree. Soon his form was big enough to cover the sun, and the earth shook in his presence. The young masters body could be seen vaguely at the base of the tree, though it had been stretched and warped. He began to chant and a green barrier formed around the main body. He performed hand signs and sprouts grew from the earth before forming brown tendrils of wood to assault the King. The King had exhausted almost all of his magical force unleashing the blood sphere, and did not have much to defend with. Before he could muster up the strength to attack, he saw from the corner of his eyes someone enter the stage.


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    The young master of the green tree clan stopped his final attack before looking over at the beautiful young woman approaching the King. He bellowed forth from the depths of the roots. "This is not a place for your to trespass, return to the crowd if you fear death."


    Still the woman approached the King. She gave a slight smile, as if she was meant to be there. The King finally recognized who she was, and he began to cry while holding his arms out to embrace her. She accepted the embrace and the crowd became deathly quiet. Suddenly the roots again began to move and went to attack the couple.


    "If you seek death so much, you can join each other in the afterlife!" The young master took this chance to end the match.


    Though the crowd was ashamed of how the young master fought, they said nothing. To distract oneself in battle was a death sentence itself, and even more so, no one in the crowd had the power to stop him. The great seven clans did not make a move, and watched as the roots drew closer to its intended victims.


    Suddenly, black flames began to form around the King and the beautiful woman. The King looked on shocked, but dared not release his grip. He had used up almost all of his strength, and the only thing he wished in the end was to hold his beloved one more time. She, however, had different plans altogether. The black flames danced around them in a circle and as soon as the roots reached the flame they burned to ash instantly, unable to pass even a little bit.


    The young master looked on in horror as the roots burned with a beautiful incandescence. Blood spilled from the depths of the burning roots, and the young master coughed up a mouthful of blood. The roots were a part of his body, just as the tree was. Normally nothing could hurt the tree, and thus nothing could hurt him. However the black flames that the woman emitted directly bypassed the protective shield and struck at his roots.


    Then, as if to add fuel to the fire, she began to chant a spell. A huge flame burst forth, that looked a lot like a beginner spell of fireball. However the fireball was easily four times the size of the beginner spell, and had a small aura of black around it. It flew forth from her palm, and hit the shield of the great tree. With little resistance it pushed forward and set the tree ablaze, much to the chagrin of the young master. His body burning, he relinquished the spell and quickly reverted back to his original body. Though he had done this in an effort to dispel the black flame, it still clung to him. It burned a hole into his chest, right to the bone. He called out to the young woman to stop the spell, but it was too late. The fire made its way through his veins, igniting his blood and sending him to his death. After ten seconds of horrific sounding pleas for relief, the young master finally died. His body burned to ash and then seemingly drifted along with the wind.


    The King looked at the beautiful woman as if it was all in his mind. Due to the psychic attack from the Blood Gaze clan and the exhausting of his magical force, he though he had passed out and this was all but a dream. She gently placed her thumb in between the brows of the King and emitted a penetrating force of pure black into his mind.


    She began to warp his memories to depict them being together this entire time. She erased the memory of her death, and replaced it with the spell actually working. She however did keep the idea that humans needed to be killed, but altered it so that they must be brought to the palace for the royal adviser''s experimentation. She then began to alter his memories further, making herself the Royal Adviser and the seers her attendants. She continued, altering the fight to depict them fighting together, and winning the match hand in hand. After she was done, she infused some magical force into him and whispered into his ear.


    "My love, it is time to announce our victory. Then we will retire to the palace so I can continue my experiments." She kissed him softly on the cheek.


    The King used the magical force provided by the soul and announced their victory. The crowd cheered and the seven clans stood there in shock, as they could not protest. They sent their strongest fighters and he took out six of them. The Green Tree clan looked angrily upon the stage where their young masters body was, but said nothing. The elders lead the clans away cursing the King.


    Days passed and new decrees were sent from the King daily. Humans were no longer killed on sight, they were to be brought to the capital for experimentation.


    Also, the Royal adviser was now the woman from the challenges, and was to be treated the same as the King.


    Mysteriously, some men and women who came to greet the Royal adviser and offer their services did not return to their families. They were only left with a message from their lovers that the Royal adviser had sent them on a mission and they would not return for a while.


    Finally, the King announced that an offensive would be launched against the humans that have taken residence in the Mountains of the Northern Continent. All who participate will be rewarded with whatever they wish for as long as they are victorious.


    This is officially the last chapter about the king of the magical beings for at least a little while. I know alot of you guys don''t like him, but I felt it necessary to show exactly why he was doing what he did. Also, to those who don''t already understand, the King is not making decrees, but is controlled by the Soul in Rin''s body. To that end, he was and most likely always will be a puppet and a blood bag for the love of his life. Also the soul taking over Rin''s body has access to all of Rin''s magical ability (Primary Fire and Secondary Earth) and now has the power of Darkness magic because of the resurrection (and the soul living in afterlife so long he naturally absorbed darkness magic). Hopefully the depiction of the strong (but mentally weak) King did not deter everyone from the story.

 23 - Warmth

    Willem waited patiently while Kinsey cleaned up his appearance. First she cut his hair until it was only shoulder length, and then she trimmed the facial hair that had been growing for the last three months. Though her movements were stiff and a little awkward, she was extremely determined to have him look his best for the banquet. Once she was done, she lifted a mirror to Willem for his approval.


    "It looks good, you have done well Kinsey. Lay the clothes onto the bed and make sure the carriage is ready to go, since we cannot teleport into the royal palace." The fact that Willem could not teleport into the palace was a lie, but he never bothered to explain why to Kinsey. He knew the guards and royalty would mind if an eighteen year old came and went as he pleased. Though he did not care much about what they thought, having to deal with the One True King seemed like a hassle. Willem grabbed a towel and began to pat himself dry. Kinsey stared at his toned body for a few seconds before nodding and laying the clothes on the bed. After she was done she went to the teleportation array and activated it.


    Willem walked around the private sanctum for a bit before clothing himself. He studied the itinerary and memorized the order of events. First was a meet and greet with all the nobles. Second a formal speech from the King. Third a speech from the guest of honor. Fourth was the beginning of the feast. Fifth was dancing and sixth was a display of power from the Grand Mages, lastly ending in a closing statement by the King. All in all it was going to be an orderly and boring affair. Willem looked longingly at the alchemy set sitting on his desk, gave a sigh, and began to dress.


    Kinsey had picked out for him a white robe to contrast his black hair, with a green inlay and green emerald bracers to accentuate his eyes. The boots and cowl were made from black panther hide, which gave him a peculiar feeling. He looked like a noble, but gave the air of a refined scholar. Awkwardly, he gathered whatever necessities he required before activating the teleportation array. When he arrived, Kinsey was waiting on the other side giving orders to ten staff members when all of them stopped and stared. What appeared before them was a young man of eighteen, giving off a royal aura. He shifted his gaze over the staff who had stopped to gawk, and they looked down in embarrassment. A black rug had been rolled out, leading to the caravan.


    Willem took Kinsey''s arm as the staff lined up awaiting orders. Kinsey waved them away, saying that they could take the night off. She then motioned a maid to open the door to the carriage and Willem entered in behind Kinsey. Once they took their seats, the carriage began to move to its destination. The driver of the carriage elegantly guided the horses toward the palace entrance. Willem took out a wooden box, which he passed to Kinsey. She took the box and opened it, revealing a beautiful red dress.


    Before she could inquire, Willem spoke. "You cannot wear what you''ve been attending with to a royal banquet unless you wish to offend those there. Put on the dress quickly before we arrive at our destination."


    Her gaze did not shift from the beautiful red silk dress. She quietly and slowly undressed under the watchful eye of her Master. Though she was now well beyond marrying age, and her body had developed quite well, she was yet untouched by a man and retained an air of chastity. Though she would not be staying that way for much longer.


    She quickly disrobed and unfolded the silk dress. She slipped into the dress and buttoned up, blushing the entire time. Her beautiful crimson hair matched the dress perfectly, and her red complexion only made it more fitting. She once again sat down and Willem pulled out a small wooden box from his spatial spell. She again opened the wood box and found inside a bracelet made of jade and a ruby ring. Each piece of jewelry would cost anywhere from two hundred to three hundred gold. Just one of these could feed a family for many years if they rationed properly.


    Kinsey placed the ring on her finger and the jade bracelet on her slender wrist. Her heart beat uncontrollably, both at the thought of the jewelry and because she was heading to the royal palace with the guest of honor. Never in her life had she pictured herself in such a fanciful encounter, she dared not dream of such a thing in her previous life. Once she had told her Father of a dream where she was taken away by a beautiful prince, and he quickly reminded her that she would never amount to anything. Now his head did not even properly fit on his body as they shifted in his unmarked grave.


    Soon they arrived at the Royal Palace and the door to the carriage opened. Crowds were lined up behind the gate, peering in at the individuals arriving. Kinsey stepped forward from the carriage and lifted her hand guidingly for her Master. Willem took her small hand and made his way out of the carriage into the full view of the crowd. Many of the onlookers gasped and some fainted, causing them to be stepped on as others pushed forward to see who had arrived. Willem paid them no attention, and instead locked arms with Kinsey, before heading down the long red carpet into the palace. Kinsey waved off the carriage, and both the maid and driver left hurriedly. Willem looked at the other arriving guests, and they looked back at him quizzically. They did not know he was the guest of honor, and so they assumed he was a small noble trying to sneak into the event. They gave him no face and instead scoffed as they walked by.


    A grin formed on Willem''s face, as he lined up by the entrance. Behind him a few nobles were snickering to themselves while waiting for the moment when Willem would be caught by the guards and sent away. The moment never came, for as soon as he said his name the guards stiffened and welcomed the guest of honor. After confirming his identity with the golden talisman, three guards led him in personally and announced his presence to the nobles whom had come in so far. The noble that earlier scoffed at him looked at the ground embarrassingly and dared not approach him now. However, even with his head down, Willem knew exactly who he was and instead went to him directly. He offered his greetings to the noble and asked him what was so funny earlier that he could not even offer greetings to the young boy. Though Willem pretended to look genuinely interested, the longer the pause of the noble the more he seemed to lose interest.


    The noble began to stutter and Willem, not one to miss an opportunity looked at him angrily. "If you do not wish to tell me, then that is fine, but do not waste my time."


    The noble offered his apologies and walked away with his head down. Other nobles walked to Willem and offered their greetings. Some housewives came by to talk about marriage proposal, others were curious as to why he was the guest of honor. His only response to both of these questions was "we shall see." This caused the housewives nose to crinkle in dissatisfaction, and they walked away with their heads held high. Though Kinsey did her best to steer the conversation, Willem had no interest in these boring social interactions and began to eye the food hungrily. Soon, all the nobles had arrived and had been mingling for a while. The King finally arrived, and with a grand wave the room fell quiet.


    "Esteemed guests and fellow nobles, we have gathered tonight in this banquet for a celebration. This celebration is for a young man of eighteen, who has transcended the limits of his body and has become the first Grand Mage of his generation. Though his temperament is... unrefined, his abilities and skill are equal to my own. Without further ado, please give warm applause to our guest of honor, Grandia."


    As the speech ended, Willem slipped through the darkness of his shadow seamlessly and appeared beside the King. The fluidity of his actions caused the nobles to gasp and clap even harder than when they heard the news of a eighteen year old Grand Mage. He raised his hand slowly, and the applause died down.


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    "Thank you all for the warm welcome. In my studies, I have come to know that humans in fact have a long history in this world. Longer than I could have ever imagined, many of our lineages have lived for hundreds of thousand of years. Fighting and Surviving is in our blood and bones, and I speak the truth when I say it had been ingrained in us to fight our oppressors. My power may be vast, but it is as the King says, unrefined. This state we are living in now is short compared to those of our enemies. Yet we cannot hold back for fear of retaliation. The age of Humans has just begun!"


    Willem bowed slightly, cupped his hands and slipped again into the shadows, effortlessly revealing himself beside Kinsey. She affectionately held his arm, pressing her breasts up against him.


    The King and all the nobles clapped excitedly, seemingly roused by the words of the young boy. The King again raised his hand and spoke.


    "Let the feast begin!"


    The nobles walked to the next room over and took their seats where they had asked to be placed. The King sat at the head of the table in the middle, and Willem and Kinsey sat to his right. On the king''s left, sat his wife and two children. His wife was beautiful, if a little pale, and gave off a slight air of sickness. Her lips quivered slightly, and her hands shook but she did her best to maintain her appearance. Willem''s guess was that she only had another year before this sickness took her.


    The children excitedly stared at Willem and Kinsey. The older brother was sixteen, and could not help but glance at Kinsey every chance he got. Though there was a disparity in age, that did not seem to deter him in the slightest. His disheveled hair and childish face made him look younger than he actually was, which bothered him greatly. The younger daughter was the exact opposite, her prim posture and borderline excessive makeup made her look to be around fifteen or sixteen when in fact she was only twelve. She openly stared at Willem longingly, until her Mother pointed out how rude she was being to the guest of honor. She quickly straightened up and began to cut her food, only picking at the fat of the prepared ham and daintily eating.


    Once the feast had entered its fourth course, the nobles began to decline their meals. Willem was not a regular at such lavish parties, and ate every meal until it was gone, not knowing that he was only meant to take a bite or two before moving onto the next meal. Kinsey silently smacked her hand to her head, completely forgetting that Willem had no knowledge when it came to these events. This kind of blunder was unforgivable, Master had entrusted her to not make him look a fool and yet she forgot such an important fact. She quietly slipped her fingers along his arm to get his attention and whispered something into his ear. Willem placed the fork he had previously been using onto the table and motioned for the food to be taken away.


    The entire event did not go unnoticed by the King, who thought that everything that was happening with Willem was incredibly funny. Though he dressed as a noble, he did not act like one. In fact he had no problems putting some of the other stuffy nobles in their place. This was essential to the King, as he noticed the nobles were getting incredibly selfish and overbearing. Though he could directly suppress them with his own strength, Willem had stepped in and taught them how to act.


    Once the feast had reached its ninth plate, the nobles waited patiently for the King to announce for everyone to go to the ball room. It was not long before the King stood up from his chair and gestured for the gathering to make their way to the next room over, where a quartet had already begun playing. Immediately, both Kinsey, and Willem were asked by multiple different people to be dancing partners. Willem hesitated, then watched as other nobles danced. He took all the information in, and danced with some of the women while imitating the moves he had just learned.


    Though Kinsey was dancing with the Prince, her eyes focused solely on Willem. She watched as he studied the feet of the other nobles, and after a few seconds began to mingle with the crowd. She lost sight of him, but upon searching inside herself she found the string that connected her soul to his, and she sighed gently. Though the Prince danced well, he could not make Kinsey turn her head from Willem. In his heart, he sighed deeply, such a beautiful woman should be by his side.


    "Madam Kinsey, will you not join with me instead of Willem? Though I realize he is a Grand Mage, my own magical studies have progressed quite far, soon I will reach the level of Grand Mage as well. Furthermore, I believe as a Prince I have no shortcomings in deserving your hand." Each word spoke was bolstered by self confidence, as if he was sure there was no reason for him to be rejected.


    Kinsey did not even answer him, nor pay any attention to his words. They might as well have been spoken to a deaf person, for all the good they did. She stared where she last saw Willem, and as if deciding something in her heart, let go of the Prince''s hands. She rushed toward the gathering of people in search of Willem, to the dismay of the Prince. He was soon crowded by women, and although he enjoyed their company, in his heart he could only think of the bitter feeling he felt toward Willem. As a Prince, there had never been a time where he wanted something and could not attain it, which made him slightly sour when Kinsey openly ignored him.


    Kinsey rushed toward the crowd, doing her best not to shove anyone while heading toward where she believed Willem to be. After a few minutes of wading through nobles, she eventually found him performing the waltz with the young Princess. She waited until the dance finished, and as the Princess bowed, Willem bowed in return. Willem saw Kinsey off to the side, her face red with jealousy. Though he enjoyed teasing her, he decided that tonight in order for there to be no problems with his experimentation, he would forgo teasing her. He beckoned her over, and joined her hand in hand while they danced together. He stepped closer to her and pulled her body against his. Her breasts pressed against his chest, and a warm fuzzy feeling washed over Kinsey''s body as they danced.


    If she had no feelings of intimacy toward Willem, she would have suspected that he had cast a warmth spell on her, because as her body moved against his she felt herself getting hotter and hotter. She thought about it for a while, but nothing came of it. Knowing how she felt about him, she came to an understanding that her body craved Willem now and there was little she could do about it. She lovingly rested her head against his neck and continued to dance.


    Little did she know he actually did cast a warmth spell, with her as his intended target.


    Willem had recently studied the population controlling methods within the kingdom, specifically that some animals were denied mates while they were in ''heat''. He thought the heat that animals went through was the same as the heat generated by warmth, and tested it on Kinsey.


    Though fundamentally wrong, the experiment did still work out in his favor.


    His understanding of the minor spells was already at the point where he did not have to chant to cast them. Though major spells were fundamentally different, and he knew he could not cast major spells, he still had the capabilities to master minor spells.


    As they danced through the night, time had passed quickly under the tight embrace and it was time for the Grand Mages to begin displaying their skills.

 24 - A World Of Red

    The first to show his skills was Sveld, the Grand Mage of Water. From a single drop of water expanded a snarling aquatic dragon. Then, in a flash, it became a brilliant block of ice, frozen and twisting around the crowd.


    The second was the Grand Mage of Fire, Avendus. From the mouth of the water dragon frozen in ice, a spark turned into a breath of flame that wrapped around the crowd. From the flame a circular torrent burned high into the sky. The crowd applauded as they watched the fire reach above to castle walls and disappear.


    The third Grand Mage was Re''ard, and as he moved, a windstorm kicked up. Hand seals and magical power combined and the resulting force carried the nobles into the air. For a brief lucid moment everyone present could fly. Though what they all were really doing was gliding gently carried by the force of someone else''s powers, they all felt an overwhelming joy as they were carried around in the winds.


    Three more Grand Mages of wind joined in, and they all nodded to each other knowingly. Two Grand Mages created an updraft of warm air, and the other two created a smaller cold air in the upper atmosphere causing convection. From the forceful manipulation, sounds begin to cascade down and three other Grand Mages create a protective shield around the nobles. As the warm air undulated, the mages stir it into a more violent motion.


    From the energies being manipulated, lightning clouds begin to form and come crashing down on the protective shield. The nobles gasp at first sight of the lightning, but then begin their ovation. The lightning continued to clash against the shield for another five minutes, before the clouds dissipated and the mages ended the shield. The nobles clapped excitedly, looking on to see what was next to happen.


    Archus and three other Grand Mages begin to chant methodically, as the earth began to resonate. They performed hand signs in synchronization, and the ground shook with tremendous force. From the dirt beneath their feet, a platform began to raise while carrying all the nobles along with it. It started off slow but as the mages chanted it grew faster and faster. The platform lifted from ten feet to twenty, then thirty and finally forty feet. The platform towered over the castle walls by ten feet and the whole city could be seen beneath them. Below, thousands of humans could be seen running around frantically but they only appeared to be the size of ants.


    Cold shivers ran down the body of the nobles as they looked over the edges. They noticed how far up they were but their brains could not register the danger. Some of the children danced along the edge while their parents looked on in horror. However their legs could not move as they were too afraid of falling. One of the children stepped too far to the edge and the earth crumbled beneath her step. Her giggles turned to squeals as she fell away from the edge, and before anyone had a chance to cast magic she plummeted towards the ground.


    Willem stepped away from Kinsey and held out his hands as if he was carrying a sack of potatoes. Suddenly darkness engulfed the falling girl and she disappeared as she fell. She fell through the shroud of night and into the arms of Willem. Shyly, she nodded her head in thanks and he set her down, to which she ran to her Father''s side. He bowed deeply and gratefully held his daughter in his hands. She wept gently, and he hugged her to reassure her that everything was going to be okay.


    Solemnly the earth Grand Mages lowered the platform until the dust settled back into the earth. They bowed slightly, cupping their hands and apologizing to the crowd.


    Four Grand Mages of each element joined hands in a circle and began to chant. Each one chanted different spells, but they sounded oddly harmonic. Fire, wind, earth and air. A spark of life from each spell transformed.


    The earth Grand Mage made a ball of dirt in the middle of the formation and began to compact it until it was incredibly dense. The Water Mage splashed water on to the ball, twisting it along the earth ball and channeling his magical force to hold it in place.


    The ball took its shape quickly and began to resemble what the humans understood to be of the world they currently lived in. The Wind Grand Mage created a small cloud that engulfed the ball of the world. The Grand Mage of Fire created volcanoes and cracks along the world representing the scars when the gods fell. The crowd of nobles gaped in awe of the beautiful world that was being created before their very eyes.


    As the final act, Willem engulfed the entire world in darkness. From his hand, a miasma of black mist poured over the ball and covered it entirely in black. After the mist dispersed, there was nothing left but absolute silence.


    Willem looked at the crowd and spoke softly, but the magic had reached his throat and seemed to explode out with force. "This world is engulfed by a darkness, these magical beings threaten our existence for no other reason than because they think us weak. For our survival, we need to fight."


    Willem again released his darkness magic, forcing it up into the sky and the miniature world again exploded out from the darkness. However the world this time was not the size it was before, it was easily three or four times its previous size. Its mass had grown so big it felt as if it had its own gravitational pull. The weaker willed nobles could not help but want to walk forward and place their hands on the world, seizing it for themselves.


    Quietly the world pushed further away and disappeared in the blackness of the night. The crowd gazed up at the stars, and quietly awaited the words of the King to round off this amazing night.


    The king stepped forward, waving his hands to quiet the mass of people who had gathered to look upon him. His queen and children stood by his side.


    "There are beings in this world that have tried for a long time to keep us silent. They have stripped us of our will, our dignity, and they have kept us chained. Now, from our latest intelligence, the King of these demons himself wants our blood for experimentation. We cannot save all the humans that still exist in the magical kingdom, but those who are here, we can protect them. We can fight, and we can win. With our Grand Mages, our army and our intelligence, we stand a chance of beating them. All nobles have bared witness to the strength of our mages, and we can only hope you will continue to support us in our endeavors."


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    The king ended his speech and began shaking hands with the nobles who walked up to him. Willem took this time to shake hands with the nobles who stepped forward to greet him. Once the nobles had gone, Willem shook hands with the Royal Family, took Kinsey hand in hand and disappeared into the darkness.


    Inside Willem''s Private Sanctum.


    Willem finished the darkness transference spell and they both appeared within his Sanctum. Kinsey briskly walked over to the table and began to prepare some tea for her Master. Breathing deeply her hands shook a little knowing what was about to begin. She silently poured the hot tea into a cup, and placed the tea on the bed side table. Willem waited quietly before Kinsey understood that she was supposed to be undressing him. In the thousands of times she thought about how she would lose her virginity, this was not one of the scenarios.


    Kinsey slowly approached Willem and began kissing his neck affectionately. All night, she had thought about what she would do to him once she got back. Willem silently let Kinsey do what she wanted to do, and she began to unbutton his robe. She twisted off his bracers, and removed his under cloth. He casually walked to the side of the bed and lifted the covers, slipping underneath. Kinsey dimmed the lights, and began undressing herself. She placed the jade bracelet and ruby ring on the side table and placed her naked body up against his own.


    She had no time to clean up her body when she learned of what she would be doing that night, and therefore did not take care to shave or wash herself. Though the thought itself disgusted her, it did not even register in the mind of Willem.


    He began by fondling her breasts, taking care to measure the temperature, weight, and size in proportion to his hand. It was just slightly bigger than what could fit at the tips of his fingers, and he could not help but take a mental note about their buoyancy. He gently caressed her nipples, watching as they began to peak. He felt her gentle skin, and it was incomparably soft. He would need to feel other textures in order to make an accurate comparison. He measured her reactions and the effects his roaming hands had on her body. She did not bother to resist in any way, and even began to pant and moan lightly.


    Willem took this moment to move her hands along his body. This was the first time she had felt his body directly instead of through a linen cloth. The world began to slow as she reached ever so gently down from his pectorals to his abs, his flat stomach and then his phallus. She gently touched, stroked and fondled her way until she had a good grasp on what he seemed to enjoy or not enjoy.


    Willem took note of the stimulus that his body reacted to more, and voiced to Kinsey what he enjoyed. She began to focus on those things, and eventually made her way beneath the covers drawing her lips towards his penis. She licked the tip, which became an odd yet enjoyable sensation to Willem. He had a severe lack of knowledge in this regards, he would need to do much more studying if he was to become proficient. She wrapped her lips around the tip, and as she motioned her head forward she felt a bit of resistance. Unknowingly, she had accidentally bit the tip of his penis from not opening her mouth big enough. The resulting pain made Willem flinch, and Kinsey apologized profusely.


    Willem lifted her towards him, and instead replaced her position by burrowing beneath the covers. he inspected her ''lips'' and touched them quizzically. He noted the fleshy texture, and ran his lips up and down to taste them. They had a distinct salty taste to them, which could only be contributed to the sweat she had accumulated from the events of the day. He did not particularly mind, and continued to pleasure her, noting what she seemed to like and what she did not. He casted an instantaneous warmth spell centered on her pelvic area and she began to moan excessively.


    In that moment, Kinsey''s mind went into overdrive. She needed Willem to be inside her, and she reached for his head. She positioned Willem in the only position she knew, the missionary position, and placed his penis gently inside her.


    There was some resistance, and a lot of pain, but she endured it as best as she could when Willem thrusted inside. Her grip and raised heartbeat denoted to Willem that she was intense physical pain, and he gave her a mild sedative from a vial he had unintentionally made to ease the ache of losing her virginity. Her body relaxed, and after some time had passed she told him it was okay to move.


    Noting that her heart had began to beat regularly again, he started thrusting against her. She made no attempts to resist, and from her quickening heartbeat Willem could tell she was beginning to enjoy it. He tested out various positions, tried going slow and deep and fast but shallow, and gathered a lot of data. For his first time having intercourse he could tell he had gained a lot of experience already. He did his best until his legs gave out, and then Kinsey got on top and began to ride him like a wild animal. After a few hours had passed, they had both climaxed twice and had no strength to continue.


    Kinsey attempted to get up but could find no strength in her legs. Willem pulled her back into bed and she rested her head against his neck. They fell asleep in each others arms. Willem noted that this was her preferred way to rest after coitus.

 25 - Advanced Fire Composition

    Dusk quickly turned to dawn and a beautiful red glow came from the east, the sun coming in full view to signify a new day. The events of the night before left Willem with a feeling of inquisitiveness. He would need more samples and experience if he was going to master sexual arts. Though for now it remained a secondary point of interest, much like a hobby.


    Kinsey had woken up an hour before Willem usually did and washed herself, as the sweat from yesterdays activities and last nights intercourse had given birth to a layer of sticky filth that needed to be cleansed. Once she was done bathing she cleaned Willem''s clothes in a separate basin and laid them on the bedside table to be put on when her Master awoke. Her legs still felt a distinct lack of strength but she knew that soon enough it would return.


    There was still another thirty minutes before her Master awoke, so she took the time to deconstruct the ''pain suppression'' elixir Willem had given her last night. It had proven extremely effective during their time last night and she thought about the possible uses it had in terms of fighting. If soldiers could continue to fight even with mortal wounds because of the elixir then they had a much higher chance of repelling the magical beings.


    Her understanding of pills and elixirs had become the subject of many conversations between herself and her Master. Willem noticed how she diligently watched and took mental notes when he first began his experimentation. Even though she had no idea what he was making, after some time she was able to make informed guesses that were fairly accurate. After a month of watching Willem fusing materials into elixirs, she began to create some herself carefully. Anything to do with magical force, she asked Willem''s permission to use the string that bonded her to him.


    The string was the very same kind that connected his magical force to his body, and gave Kinsey access to minor darkness magic as long as she got enough power. It was incredibly rudimentary, and Willem stressed the dangers of overuse of darkness magic, so she never used more than the minimum amount for her experiments. She always told Willem without fail if she intended to use the magic, so that if something went wrong he could sever the magic to her and she would be in no immediate danger. After the first few unsuccessful attempts, she began to better understand the flow of magic and was able to use it as adhesive for fusing medicinal herbs.


    in the exact same way, even without magic she was able to diffuse medicinal herbs to their crass form and take notes on what amount had what effect. The papyrus she had used became increasingly cluttered the more she studied. When she approached Willem asking for more paper for studying alchemy, he did not understand what she had meant. He realized quickly that his own incredulous memory came from the manipulation of magic to increase his brain activity, the way it did with his eyesight and reflexes. From that he understood that a normal human would never have the ability to do things the same way a mage could.


    Although he knew the way to remedy her problem, when he tried to put more magic into her body and rotate it to her brain there were adverse reactions. She openly admitted to having negative emotions the more magic was inside her. Even when he tried to connect more than one string to her she showed signs of incredible resistance and the string would snap. He took note of what happened to her and got her more papyrus from the alchemy labs.


    From then on, whenever she had the chance, she began to study. Constructing and deconstructing to see how each ingredient mixed with others. Most experiments she deconstructed were the ones Willem had succeeded in but did not need to keep. She became proficient in her studies once her Master gave her permission to use the beginner alchemy labs in the magic academy.


    The skills she had shown made others envious and she was even invited by the senior alchemy masters to become a pupil. She politely declined, as she did not do anything without the permission of her Master.


    Once the senior alchemy masters found out who her Master was, they became disdainful. Even though Kinsey was incredibly good at splicing and deconstruction of pre-existing elixirs, she could not compare to the young master who came out of nowhere and began to create elixirs with fervor.


    Willem had become both a huge pride and eyesore for the members of the alchemist part of the magic academy. On one hand they had not seen such peerless talent in a hundred years, but on the other he showed no face to his teachers or the older students and had even gone above their heads without issue in the name of rare ingredients. He had already surpassed the level of even the advanced alchemists that had been studying for twenty years. Even more so, the Grand Mages who dabbled in Alchemy all treated him respectfully and would bow slightly when he greeted them. This in itself was a huge form of respect, as they are the ultimate strength in the magic academy.


    Willem''s abilities in herbal composition and alchemy stemmed from both a flexible mind that craved knowledge and a talent for gauging and calculating without needing a direct test. When he was not in class or with Grand Mage Archus, he could be found in the alchemy labs or the grand library with Kinsey, pouring through obscure books that others could not even decipher. Of course when he was with Archus, this gave Kinsey some alone time to do her own studying. She did not attend the classes for magical study that Willem did, as she was just a mages attendant. So in the morning she seemed to always find herself picking herbs in the gardens or going to the nearby mountains that were being well guarded against monsters. She would sometimes find herbs she did not recognize, and carefully collect them to be studied later or given to Master.


    Now she had a very good understanding towards decomposition, and had thoroughly studied the break down of the ''pain suppression'' elixir. From what she could see, it was three parts crane grass, one part elder moss bark and two parts zoysia filament. The crane grass and elder moss bark were not easy or hard to come by, at most they could be considered intermediate ingredients. However the zoysia filament was the most shocking, because it was an extremely common grass and had no practical uses. Among all the books she had read, and all the deconstruction she had done, she never came across zoysia filament being used to create an elixir or medicinal pill. If the alchemists knew how it was being used, how shocked would they be?


    She understood how important this could potentially be and would wait to confirm what her Master wanted to do with the information. She now understood why they allowed him full access to the herbal composition room and advanced alchemy labs, her Master was clearly head and shoulders above every other alchemist in the academy.


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    Almost half an hour had passed and he should be waking up soon.


    Willem was currently engulfed in a pool of darkness. His eyes were closed, and he was just inside his mind swimming. The slow methodical pace and sounds of rippling darkness soothed Willem''s mind as he consolidated the information he had gotten so far. Every night when he ''went to sleep'' he would instead go into this meditative state and focus everything on deciphering all the information he had gathered. Sometimes he would luck out and connect one thing he had previously not noticed with another, other times his efforts would bear no fruit. This night, he did not come to any solid conclusions about anything. This did not perturb him, he had many successes recently and that alone off set the other days.


    Willem rejoined the world of the living quietly and watched as Kinsey frantically paced back and forth. Normally she was shy and quiet, and would already have tea prepared for him when he woke up. He saw the tea had not been made, the basin was not filled with water and her notes had been scattered around with ink spilling over them. He sent magic along the thread and saw her heart thumping faster than normal, but did not know why.


    He sat up and Kinsey immediately saw him preparing to go to the basin, she had been in such a stupor about the zoysia filament that she had forgotten to draw a bath for him. She cursed herself inside and greeted Willem with a smile.


    "Good morning Master, please forgive me as I have not properly prepared everything for you today. I was distracted deconstructing the pain suppression elixir you gave to me last night. I beg your forgiveness for having failed you."


    Willem waved his hand noncommittally, and casted waterball into the empty basin. He then used a small spark of fire to heat up the bath and placed himself into it. Kinsey walked beside him, grabbed a linen, got on her knees and began scrubbing his body. She continued to apologize to the point where Willem felt his ears were going to fall off.


    "What has you so distracted that you did not prepare anything this morning Kinsey? Are you unwell?" Willem could tell her body was fine, but he could not feel for the stresses of the mind. He placed his wet hand on her head as if to feel her temperature. If she did not have a fever before, she might now considering the special attention she was getting from him this morning.


    "I am fine, I was just thinking about the zoysia filament you used in the pain suppression elixir. If we were able to mass produce the elixir, soldiers could fight even with serious wounds. I wanted to know Master''s opinion on this thought." She had no intention on hiding the matter from Willem as she washed his arms.


    "To be honest, this elixir was just a by-product of another elixir''s fusion I was testing. The residual elixir had some dulling properties, and I have a few more so I thought I would put it to use. Since I have no interest in it, you can treat it as your own formula and do with it what you will. If you want to give it to the senior alchemists or the Grand Mages to reproduce and think you need my permission, then you may."


    Willem had no intention of even keeping this pain suppression elixir. He knew that there was an adverse effect of the elixir, and it was that those who over consume it become addicted to it like a drug. He was just going to have Kinsey splice them and return the parts to the herbal composition room anyway.


    Willem explained the adverse effect of the elixir to Kinsey and made sure she understood the consequences of revealing the process. When he saw that she still wanted to tell them, he no longer stopped her. She finished cleaning every part of his body and dressed him in his scholar robes.


    Hand in hand they both entered the teleportation array and reappeared at the magic academy entrance. From there, Willem went toward the academy classrooms and Kinsey went off the beaten path into the mountains for herb collection.


    Word had gotten around that Willem had become a Grand Mage of Darkness, the first of the kind, and also the first of the generation to receive the title. An assembly was called by the Grand Mages as they informed the teachers and other staff of the magic academy that Willem was officially a Grand Mage and was to be treated as someone of that position. Though many expressed doubts, they kept it to themselves for fear of incurring the wrath of the other Grand Mages.


    Willem''s first class was advanced fire composition, and the previous days had been spent studying the delicate relationship with the wind element. The teacher was an Advanced Fire Mage with a minor in wind magic. His magic and aptitude were well suited for teaching, and with some guidance from the Grand Mages of Fire he was able to hone his skill to cast chantless fire. This was not an easy feat, and was only made possible by the mages ability to understand the basics of fire.


    During the previous three months that Willem attended this particular course, he was able to understand after a while the secret behind chantless magic. Thanks to the Advanced Fire Mage''s explanation, the idea to understanding it was simple. The actual element of fire was a by-product, in much the same way combining herbs made an elixir. By combining certain parts of unseen primary ingredients, one could fuse them and provide a minimal amount of magic as fuel for intermixture.


    The unseen primary ingredients were incredibly hard to understand, but as long as someone understood that there was an unknown ingredient that cannot be seen, but still had such obvious effects, it seemed less necessary to understand it entirely.


    One did not need to know every little detail about the unseen ingredients, as long as one knew the necessary steps to gather them, one could make chantless fire, water, earth and wind.


    Once Willem unlocked the ability to use chantless magic, the fire mage showed a keen interest and would often ask Willem to stay behind in class multiple times in order to confer further about chantless magic.


    The fire mage was sure chantless magic was just a gateway to further abilities, such as instantaneous element or array creation. While Willem entertained the idea, the topic had become stale and they were not making any progress among themselves.


    Many in the class looked to Willem with either disdain and reverence. Many believed that even if Willem was talented, he was still too young and did not have the capabilities to speak with the teacher on such a personal level. There must have been extenuating circumstances or the teacher would not even put this simpleton within his sights.


    Once the first class had ended, Willem got up from his seat only to quickly be surrounded by the others attending the lecture. Some had sneers filled with reckless abandon, and others shyly followed behind them.

 26 - Manzanita Fruit

    Willem knew that sooner or later the news that he was a Grand Mage would become common knowledge, however he had a brief moment to fix the attitude of those who thought they could bully others. This did not come as a charity to the less fortunate, or out of some misplaced notion of heroism. Many people have looked down on him since he''s entered the magic academy, and without fail he has remembered the names and faces of every one of them.


    The mages in the academy had a specific pecking order when it came to strength. Those who excelled in their studies and showed capabilities would get the teachers approval and advance to the next level. The first level, as you arrive to the magic academy, is the initiate class. When you are tested for your primary and secondary aptitudes, you are placed in accordance with how strong your magical force is. After initiate is beginner, then intermediate and advanced. From advanced it goes to expert and finally Grand Mage.


    Willem jumped directly from initiate to intermediate due to his natural talent in the connection of strings to his magical force during his test.


    Each level would have progressively less people. In fact, in the entire magic academy there was thousands of beginners but only sixteen Grand Mages including Willem. By comparison, there is roughly forty expert class mages who have yet to jump over the gap into a Grand Mage.


    Charles Almo, a fifteen year old primary fire intermediate mage was the first to officially welcome Willem to the intermediate wind class. He did so by spitting on Willem''s robe and knocking the tomes he had off the table. The second was his lackey, Fredi Overa, who was a wind intermediate mage. He guffawed whenever Willem would pass, but was quick to anger once he realized that Willem did not even pay attention him. When Willem turned his back, he would make a passing remark about having Kinsey ''attend'' to him at night once Willem died. He would never say it to Willem''s face. No, every time he came across Willem, it took every ounce of willpower in Fredi to suppress the weird feeling of wanting to look down and run far away, though he was too stupid to understand why.


    One day, Charles was feeling especially daring, and while travelling with his pack of delinquents forcefully knocked over Willem''s tomes that he had borrowed from the library. He poured oil over the tomes and chanted a flare spell intending to set the tomes on fire. Willem grabbed the hand of fire and shoved it into Charles'' mouth, but before the flare spell could be dissolved by the saliva Willem channeled his magical power and forced the fire down Charles'' throat, burning his esophagus and searing his lungs shut. Luckily an expert water mage was nearby and had watched the whole thing. He quickly healed the lungs and esophagus of the young man until the medical care unit arrived. If he had hesitated for even a moment Charles would have assuredly suffocated to death.


    Willem looked at Charles, then Fredi and the other delinquents. He gestured toward the books on the floor, soaked in oil. Fredi picked them up with fervor and placed them neatly onto a nearby table before being ushered away by the guards nearby. When the investigation had been concluded, Willem was found to be acting in self defense and Charles had been charged with attempted destruction of magic academy property. If his parents had not been rich nobles who donated money to the magic academy, he would have been penalized even greater and forced out of the academy. Now, every time he passed Willem he would cough dryly before scuttling along.


    Willem did not see himself as a loose cannon who fired upon anyone that glanced at him, but the previous indiscretions of the intermediate mages left a bad taste in his mouth. The nobles with magical aptitude thought they were the best thing to exist since loaf bread. Anyone that did not give them the proper amount of respect would have both their lives in the magic academy and their families lives outside suppressed exponentially. Willem could not rewrite every injustice, but that did not mean he would roll over and expose his stomach for any of the so called nobles.


    The same thing happened when he first started calligraphy and alchemy classes. Though the strength these students showed was much lower than the intermediate fire mage. They thought they were more cunning in their treatment, replacing his inking pens that he got from Archus with lower quality versions. Willem knew immediately what they did, and confronted them. When asked for proof, he would get physical until they released what weak magical force they had.


    When they released their magical force he would absorb it until not even a little bit was left. This forced their spatial spell to end and everything in it to explode out from the void. After that, no one dared to even speak to Willem for fear of having their magical force taken away. Though it was a temporary punishment, having ones magical force so viciously taken away was more psychologically damaging than physically.


    Afterwards, Willem''s reputation as mysterious and interesting was replaced with vicious and cruel. Many students actively avoided him, and only the teachers seemed to show any interest in his behavior. He was never reprimanded, as even the teachers knew Archus was mentoring him personally.


    Unfortunately now he was in a new area in the advanced classes of the school. The rooms in the advanced sector were more prestigious and isolated as to not interrupt studying. Even though it had been a month since he joined the class, he did not go out of his way to cause trouble or friction with anyone. He diligently studied and exchanged ideas, sticking to his daily routine.


    The age of these kids was a bit higher than the others, as ones power was somewhat related to age. The more experience and diligence during practice, the closer one comes to using one hundred percent of their magical ability. These children had accessed roughly ten percent of their powers and could be considered top tier in terms of the hierarchy of the school. Suddenly seeing someone around eighteen with the same strength as them seemed like a farce.


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    It was not until they realized they could not understand what Willem and the teachers talked about did they realize what a large gap their was between them. Early today, they even saw the teacher give a slight bow to Willem when he entered the class. They could only assume it was a figment of their imagination if it had just happened once, but every time Willem raised a question the teacher would again bow slightly before answering what he knew. This caused heavy grievances in their heart, and since they were still young they settled the grievances the only way they knew how, fighting.


    At the end of the class, once the teacher had bowed slightly to Willem and left, they grouped up and approached Willem''s desk menacingly. Willem could feel their anger and fear, it was yellow with a tinge of red. It gave off the distinct look of a swirled lollipop. Willem could not help but think about how he did not have his tea this morning, and was now fancying himself a cup.


    When they arrived at his desk, he had already packed up everything into his spatial spell and was preparing to leave. One of the eldest boys slammed his hand on the desk, sending a crack through the middle of it. Each desk was assigned to one person, so this act itself was declaring his intention to fight.


    Willem looked down at the broken desk, and placed one finger on it. From his finger, dirt and wood sprouted forth and encased the boys hand inside it. The wood reached up to his forearm, then elbow and finally his upper arm before resting on his shoulder. From the wood came sprouts of red fruits the size of a blueberry. Willem plucked the red fruit while the other students looked on in horror at the trapped elder boy.


    "It''s called Manzanita fruit. Would you like one?" Willem motioned for one of the students nearby to eat it.


    The boy dared not decline, but he had no idea what the fruit was or if it was poisonous. He took his chances and ate into it. It had a sticky texture and a sour taste, with a hard seed in the middle but otherwise it was not bad at all.


    Seeing that the boy did not die, many of the younger followers breathed a sign of relief. Suddenly they felt a cold gaze run along them and their knees buckled. The class was split half men and half women, but the women were younger and did not dare to go against the words of their upperclassmen. So when the boys sauntered over to Willem''s desk, the young girls hid behind them sheepishly. Now they had wished they put up a little resistance, as they felt a gaze of killing intent that they could only equal to a magical beast outside the safe area of the capital.


    They did not know much about magical beasts, but the parents of the children often told them horror stories of magical beasts coming in the night and kidnapping naughty children who did not go to sleep when they were told. Only a handful of children in the academy had actually encountered a magical beast, and they would often regale others with stories.


    However, in front of Willem, it was as if they were stripped down to the very core of their person, and in their hearts all that was left was fear. Some of the younger girls could not hold on any longer and began to piss in their robes. Others fell to the floor weeping for their parents, the boys nearby were shaking but dared not move in case Willem did the same to them what he did to their upperclassman.


    Willem looked around lazily, then said something no one in the room expected.


    "Bring me a cup of black tea, now."


    He sat back down at the desk and looked at a young girl with thick brown hair covering her face. Her brain seemed to melt at the implausible situation, and could only stutter out "w-w-w-w-w-what?..."


    "Black tea, I fancy a cup. Bring it to me quickly, and your upperclassman will be spared. His life is now in your hands. Though, he was the one to pick the fight mind you." He was getting progressively better with his conversations and hoped Kinsey would provide more insight into its usefulness in the future.


    As if her body had just been shocked by a thousand snail eels, her body would not move no matter how much she tried. She looked around in horror as all the boys, the upperclassman whos arm was trapped and the girls whom had wet themselves were looking at her. She had always done her best to fall in with the right crowd to avoid bullying unlike the previous classes she was in, so having this much pressure on her was too much all at once. She immediately fell over unconscious.


    The scalp of the upperclassman went numb in shock. Willem continued to wait quietly, and no one was making a move. All of a sudden, the wood and packed dirt around his arm tightened, constricting his blood flow. He felt several pricks in his arm, and immediately felt a little light headed. He dared not scream out in pain, but visibly his expression went from slight discomfort to pure terror.


    "Black tea, now." Willem quietly whispered. Though he had used an extremely quiet voice, the tense atmosphere and lack of movement made it abundantly clear what he said.


    One of the boys carried over some black tea and heated it up, but before he could begin to pour it, his nerves got the better of him and he accidentally spilled the scalding tea on Willem''s robes.

 27 - Punishment

    The young boy who spilled the tea over Willem begged for his life with incredible fervor. Even more so then any other person whom had incurred Willem''s wrath. He dropped to his knees and slammed his head into the ground with enough force to break skin. Watching a small line of blood pool into the dent, Willem looked on complacently.


    Seeing this scene, all the other students aside from the upperclassman got on their knees and their heads hit the floor with force. The violent thuds reverberated to the outside of the classroom, and as passerby''s peered in, they came across a peculiar view. Four young girls had visibly pissed themselves, one was passed out on the floor, and the other two were on their knees sobbing uncontrollably.


    The boys were in no better shape, all but one were on their knees begging for their lives, and the one eldest looking boy had his hand encased in tree bark and dirt with a look of sheer panic. The most peculiar, however, was Willem. He quietly sat with an empty teacup in his hand, looking as if he had pissed himself as well.


    To those in the room who had understood how the course of events occurred, they were terrified beyond reason. To those who looked on, they could not make heads or tails of what was happening. It was as if the students were worshiping a god whom had pissed himself.


    Willem used darkness magic to close the doors from prying eyes, and used magic to force the stains of tea out of his robes. Though the smell lingered, it was definitely an improvement to what the other students had seen.


    "This act, though I know it to be an accident, cannot go unpunished." He looked at the boys who had their heads against the ground and frowned deeply. Slowly Willem released the cast of bark and dirt, and the upperclassman dropped to his knees in thankfulness. "The boys will strip themselves down to their underwear, and go to the guards office turning themselves in for bullying. In the future, do not make me regret being lenient."


    The boys listened intently, and when they heard what the punishment was they could not help but feel wronged. However none of the boys dared to say anything for fear of a more severe punishment. They began to strip down to their under cloth, and the door slammed open as they ran as fast as they could to the guard''s room. From outside could be heard a storm of laughter from the students who saw a bunch of boys running down the hall almost nude.


    The girls looked on horrified, unsure of what Willem would deem their punishment to be.


    "Wake up your friend. Listen to every word I say. If you continue to live as sheep, hiding behind other because it''s easy, do not expect to make it far. Your punishment is two hundred herbs, taken from the mountains around the magic academy. You have until the start of next week to get it done. If I find out anyone has used other resources besides their bare hands, it will be four hundred." Willem looked around and the girls nodded fervently, the young girl who passed out from shock finally came to and was explained what was required of them.


    "You all may now leave." Willem waited patiently as they scurried out the door. He poured himself some tea and waited for a couple of minutes until rumbling sounds could be heard coming to the door.


    The door slammed open and four guards burst into the room, hands at their hilts. They eyed the boy who was sitting at his desk drinking tea nonchalantly, then became wide eyed when they saw who it was. The boys who previously had received their punishment rushed into the room fully clothed and with a sneer on their faces. Now that they had the guards on their side it was time for this nobody to get his punishment.


    "Guards, that is the person who did it! He bullied us and made us strip off our clothes! He even threatened some of the girls in the class!" The eldest boy spoke out against Willem with half truths.


    Willem stood up and eyed the guards warily as he placed the cup beside him onto the desk. He stepped forward, a few feet away from them.


    The guards cupped their hands in salute. "Our sincere greetings to Grandia, Grand Mage of Darkness."


    Willem bowed slightly to acknowledge their salute, then glanced over at the boys whom had returned. Only four of the seven came back with guards, the others scuttled off once they received their punishment. The faces of the boys turned extremely repugnant and their hearts trembled. Not only did they choose to bully a Grand Mage, but he also let them off leniently and they sought to retaliate. They looked at each other and attempted to run away as fast as possible.


    Seeing the course of events, the guards realized who was truly at fault. Once the boys tried to run, each of the guards were able to successfully capture them and return them to the room. The guards asked what the Grand Mage wanted to do with them.


    "Ten lashes, foxfire whip. No more and no less, in the magic academy entrance tomorrow morning. Explain before and after what they had done. Then we will consider this indiscretion paid in full." Willem imparted his memories of the event into the guard''s heads, folded his arms into his robe and left in the darkness.


    Willem quietly appeared before Kinsey who had been picking herbs in the mountain. Kinsey had just stood up from collecting elf root when she saw Willem holding his hands out as if for an embrace. She fell into his arms waiting to be teleported away, but the teleport never came.


    A few seconds pass and Willem released Kinsey from the hug. He then slipped back into the Darkness and reformed in his next class.


    The entire event left Kinsey thoroughly confused, and a little warm blooded than usual on that humid morning. She continued collecting herbs, but her mind seemed to be wandering all over the place.


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    Willem arrived at his second class, advanced herbology study, and looked around the class. He still had a few minutes before anyone would arrive, so he took this time to again pour himself some tea and drink it while thinking about the content of the previous class.


    The class began and ended quietly, the only difference was the treatment of the teacher toward Willem. Again whenever Willem asked a question, the teacher would bow before answering. This came as a heavy shock to the class, as the herbology teacher was known for being strict and rude to those he considered not worthy to speak to him.


    The other two classes of ''the study of ancient runes'' and ''advanced water theorems'' came and passed without issue compared to the first class, other than the sidelong glances from the other students toward the newly respected Willem.


    Though he knew that it would be like this for the next week or so, it was still tough to get through the classes without issue. Every time he opened his mouth, the class held their breath. When he stood up, even the teacher stood up and bowed slightly.


    Now that classes were over, Willem intended to find Archus and spend his time studying without worrying about being bothered too much. He teleported to Archus'' Private Sanctum, but it was deathly quiet. Willem looked around but could not find Archus anywhere within the Sanctum. Willem connected a thin magic thread to the orb besides Archus'' desk and found him outside the Bastion of Hope, in the ruins of a small town ravaged by magical beasts.


    Though he could visibly see Archus'' he could not teleport directly to him. There was a magical barrier around the Bastion of Hope that could still hold him in for now. In order to leave the Bastion of Hope, one had to physically go past the barrier. Logically this meant Archus was on a mission and would return soon. This happened quite often before, and Willem had gotten quite used to it.


    Willem returned to his Private Sanctum and continued his studies. In the night, Kinsey would attend to him and he would reciprocate. This caused Willem to have much more data on the subject and he was able to make her climax three times that night. She diligently went down on him, and this time did not accidentally bite him. To both of them, this was phenomenal progress compared to their awkward first night. Willem and Kinsey stayed connected for almost the entire night until they both collapsed in bed from exhaustion.


    The next morning Willem and Kinsey arrived at the magic academy entrance to see four boys tied up at a square pillory. Their hands and legs were tied, forcing them to stand and showing fully exposed backs. A guard began to speak loudly to the group that had formed.


    "These four boys, for the insolence of bullying and attempting to misuse the guards of the magic academy, shall be forced to withstand ten whips from the foxfire whip."


    The foxfire whip twisted and flexed with incredible durability, and as the guard practiced his whip formation, the end of the whip quickly ignited with a pale blue flame before subsiding a moment later. The boys heard the sounds of whipping and cried out indignantly. They begged and pleaded, claiming great injustice had been imposed on them by their oppressors. Once the whip cracked out again, the voices quiet down to a dull cry. Kinsey held onto Willem, wanting to leave, but Willem would not budge. Even more surprising, he stared fixated at the boys in the square pillory.


    The four guards from the day before took their position behind the boys roughly ten feet away. They unfurled the whips and steadied their hands. They had all previously seen Willem in the crowd, and were focused on making sure there was no mistake in the process. A guard stood on the post and counted down from five.


    Five, four, three, two, one...


    The whips all hurried forth as if with a mind of their own, aiming for the backs of the boys. The first whip struck, and the boys cried out in pain. At the moment of impact, the foxfire ends burst aflame for a moment and seared the flesh of the whip cut, closing it shut due to the heat.


    Five, four, three, two, one...


    The second whip sound came, and the boys cried had turned to wails of pain. The students looked on both in fear and with a curious expression. What could have been done to possibly deserve this punishment? What they did not know is the foxfire whip is actually one of the least damaging whips. It seared the flesh before any infection could spread, and the pain subsided as long as ice or water was placed on it for half a day. This was much less of a punishment compared to a normal whip.


    The third whip, then fourth and fifth quickly occurred. They were given a brief reprieve of thirty seconds to focus on the insolence they displayed, and then the last five whips came in succession.


    In the end, the wails of torture had changed to sobs of compliance. The boys were taken from the pillory, and given cold ice to place upon their backs. The ice first burned, but then the pain turned into a dull pleasure that wrapped around their back.


    The guard at the podium again spoke. "The insolence of bullying and attempting to use the guards has been punished. Let this serve as a warning to you all."


    The guards turned to a certain person in the crowd and bowed slightly before dismantling the pillory. The students who had gathered in the entrance looked around to figure out who the guards bowed to, but no one stood out.


    Willem and Kinsey left quietly after the event occurred, Willem going to classes and Kinsey again traveled to the mountains in search of various herbs.

 28 - Pain Suppression

    As Willem headed inside towards the class rooms, Kinsey headed to the mountains. She had been deliberating to herself whether to reveal the pain suppression elixir to the alchemy seniors whom she had befriended. She still believed it to be a huge boon to the fighting forces of the Army, but the after effects were quite devastating in the long run.


    She traveled deeper into the mountains, towards the top of a naturally flowing river that winded down the mountain. Certain herbs that needed alot of water for sustenance grew here, like ivy poppy and yellow hibiscus. They could be found in abundance in the area making it a difficult but worthwhile journey to anyone who needed the herbs.


    Once she reached the embankment she turned around to see behind her was eight other girls, who seemed to be having particular difficulties properly removing the plants from the earth while trying to keep pace. Kinsey greeted the group of women and showed them how to properly remove the plants. She asked why they had come so deep into the mountains when they did not have the proper experience and they shyly told her the truth.


    "We received this task as a punishment by someone we dare not refuse. We followed you because you looked like you knew what you were doing but we hoped we would not interrupt you." The girl with bangs plucked up enough courage to explain the situation before sheepishly hiding behind the other girls.


    "I see. I am collecting plants that absorb water to see if it has any added effect on water based fusions in elixirs. You are welcome to join me, but make sure to do as I do to not ruin the plant." Kinsey bent down and her supple hands plucked a waterlily from its leaves. The girls sensed a minute amount of magic leave her fingertips and slice the roots of the waterlily before she plucked it. The girls did their best to replicate the process, with varying success.


    Those with fire and earth magic failed miserably, while those with wind and water magic excelled in the removal of the roots. The fire mages accidentally burned the roots, causing them to become useless. Kinsey watched there actions carefully, then directed the non water mages to other parts of the mountain.


    The fire mages were sent to the blazing gardens deep in the mountain side where their fire magic would not burn the plant but instead bolster it. The earth mages were sent to the base of the mountain to pick earth root by sensing where underground they were and pulling them out. The wind mage was sent to the halfway point of the mountain nearby, where daze flowers bloomed. These were the most perilous to get, as only a wind mage had enough strength to fight against the high air pressure. The rock formation forced the winds along a narrow path that would knock lesser mages down the hill easily.


    After a brisk morning of removing plants and replanting seeds in the mountains, the nine girls returned to the base. There, they saw Willem standing around waiting nonchalantly. The girls looked on in horror, until Kinsey ran ahead of them and went to hug Willem who had his arms open wide for her. She greeted him as Master and they walked off briskly while ignoring the other eight girls who stood behind dumbfounded.


    After a few minutes they dared to move again and walked toward the school grounds while looking around warily. Each of the girls managed to pick sixty herbs thanks to Kinsey''s instructions. If they kept this pace they would probably be able to gather the two hundred herbs in two and a half days. They had a total of five days until the next week started so this should be plenty of time.


    Inside the Grand Library


    Willem noticed a muddled expression on Kinsey''s face and grabbed for her hands. He held her hands in his for a minute before she realized that she had been blankly daydreaming the entire time.


    "You are still thinking about the pain suppression elixir, are you not?" Willem knew exactly what she was thinking about, but was giving her a chance to voice her concerns.


    Kinsey nodded her head but said nothing. She held onto her Master''s hands for a moment longer, and as if confirming something in her mind, asked his permission to go speak with a senior alchemist.


    Willem nodded after giving it a moment of thought, and watched as Kinsey got up, bowed, and then left.


    While she was gone, Willem went towards the restricted section of the Grand Library while showing his golden talisman. Though the guards expressed some doubt, they could do nothing once he used darkness magic to slip past them and into the restricted area. They held their tongues in embarrassment and then bowed as he walked forward without looking back.


    As Willem looked around the shelves, he noticed a handful of tomes that were incomparably dusty and brittle compared to the others. He quietly placed himself at a nearby desk and poured through some of the books that caught his attention. Most of the books detailed the journeys of the human ancestors, and he was not sure why they were in the restricted section. However the more he read, the more he began to realize the words were coalescing in his mind to form an array. This was no ordinary array, and by the time he had gotten to the parts about how humans sacrificed other humans for demon summoning, the array had almost finished and had a faint glow in his mind.


    The more he tried to read, the harder it became to concentrate on the words. His head became sweaty, and it seemed as if the sweat from his brow had glazed his eyes to the point that he could almost not see the writing. The more he read, the harder it became to continue but he felt that if he stopped, he would never be able to read the words again. Once he got to the last word, something felt like it unlocked in his mind. The words in the books could no longer be read, but it felt as if he had completed his objective.


    The magic array that formed in his mind was the same array that was being shown on the dusty pages of the book. As he meditated on the array formation in his mind, he felt his blood was rushing faster through his veins. A faint burning feeling could be felt in his heart as his veins expanded. He sent his perception inward to his body and looked at the veins as they grew bigger, and just as they looked like they were going to tear apart from the sudden increase in size, they stopped growing. He sent some magical force through his veins and saw that it could actually hold more than before. He continued to supply magical force and noticed that his strength was bursting out alot more than it had before.


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    This was not just a slight difference, it was incomparable to his previous strength. Willem drew his perception back outside from within his body and studied the books on the desk. The edges of the books had begun to deteriorate even more compared to before. The only thing Willem could think is that it was a magical book with a certain amount of activation times to learn this secret skill. He thanked his good luck and put the books he finished away into the shelves. Just as he was going to leave, he saw a red book covered in dust sitting among other books as if to hide itself.


    At the same time in the Alchemy lab.


    Kinsey had made her way through the school after departing with her Master. She had decided that the benefits outweigh the consequences, and would go forward with giving the pain suppression elixir to the senior alchemists she was in contact with. She briskly walked through the hall and eventually ended up at the beginner alchemists laboratory. She asked a student to find a certain senior alchemist, and waited patiently outside the room. After a few minutes passed, the senior alchemist appeared and instantly recognized Kinsey. Kinsey bowed toward the senior alchemist and asked to speak with him in private.


    The senior alchemist pointed to an unused room and closed the door behind Kinsey once she had entered. She sat down and took out three pieces of crane grass, one piece of elder moss and two pieces of zoysia filament. The senior alchemist inquired as to what she intended to do.


    "This was an elixir my Master showed me. He said I could take the credit for it but I dare not to. Therefore, I will show you what this can do and you will present it to your colleagues claiming it as your own." Kinsey set down a medicinal kiln and explained the process she used to refine the ingredients. She asked the senior alchemist to imbue a certain amount of magic into the kiln, and began to delicately refine the ingredients. Soon, a blueish green liquid had formed and she quickly poured it into two vials.


    The senior alchemist looked on excitedly, watching as the zoysia filament added the cohesive structure to bind the elder moss and crane grass. Without the zoysia filament, the ingredients would not fuse and the mixture would be considered a failure. Furthermore, this was the first time he had ever heard of zoysia filament being useful for anything.


    Once he saw it for himself, he was quick to take out his own ingredients, kiln and borrow some zoysia plants from Kinsey. He began to mix the ingredients, being careful to use the exact magical force he used previously, and soon the finished product appeared. Inquisitively, he asked Kinsey what the intended use of the substance was.


    "It is a pain suppression elixir. When one imbibes, it dulls the pain of any wound until there is virtually nothing left. This does not heal the wound, it just tricks the mind into thinking you are unharmed. I have tested this elixir myself and naturally understand its effects. There is a large downside, however..." Kinsey was about to continue but saw that the alchemist was looking at the elixirs wide eyed.


    She sent an open palm in his direction to stir him from his daydream and continued. "Anyone who imbibes in this elixir does so at a cost. If they consume it too often, they become addicted to it as if it was all they lived for. They can become dependent on its effects but their bodies will become naturally tolerant of it. Thereafter, its effects will hold no value to them and they will lose their mind."


    Kinsey looked at the senior alchemist who now showed a horrified expression.


    "Despite that, I still believe it is necessary for the Army to get their hands on this elixir for the sake of the upcoming war. Use your connections to make it happen, and explain to them the downside as well." Kinsey stood up from the table they had been conversing at, passed the senior alchemist the two vials and placed her kiln in her bag. She walked out the door without looking back.


    After a few hours passed, the herbal composition room issued a command for all zoysia plants to be uprooted and replanted, and that their worth would go from one copper coin to five. Only a few understood why the price had spiked, but many turned in what zoysia plants they had before the buyers changed their minds.


    Soon after, a representative platoon from the Army arrived at the magic academy and followed an advanced mage through the school. Many students looked on with inspiration as the platoon walked all the way from the entrance to the advanced alchemist laboratory. Inside, they found thirty students swiftly concocting elixirs and completely ignoring the arriving platoon. Though the leader was displeased, the advanced mage explained the situation of the discovery to him. He was given an elixir and was told of its effects and detriments.


    The Army platoon was given a nearby room with which to test the elixir. After a few minutes had passed, the leader returned to the side of the advanced mage and placed an official order on behalf of the Army. He explained that they would be sending over an official request form and at that time the price could be decided.


    He also spoke with the ''founder'' of the elixir and stated his intent to give a medal in his honor. The senior alchemist bowed his head deeply and accepted the medal from the leader before returning to his mixture.


    The leader spoke excitedly with the advanced mage before departing with his platoon. In the middle of the platoon could be seen a soldier with a grievous wound on his arm, smiling bigger than any other member.


    This sent a shiver down the spine of the advanced mage but he kept his mouth shut for fear of insulting the Army platoon.

 29 - The Red Book

    Though the ingredients to make the pain suppression elixir were not hard to come by, the price had been set rather high in order to deter its use. This was agreed upon by both the Army and the magic academy for when individual sale was to be allowed.


    The senior alchemist who had ''created'' the elixir was promoted to elixir master at the behest of the platoon leader and several Grand Mages, not knowing it was not his formula. He accepted the position with reluctance, and was asked to teach the beginner classes in order to acquaint himself with the duties. This suited him just fine in the end, as his current skills allowed him to teach beginner classes without issue.


    Kinsey heard the news and was glad she did not come forward as the maker of the elixir. If she had, she would be swarmed with requests for assistance and would have no time to fulfill her duties to her Master or study. This would the ultimate insult to the Master who so painstakingly looked after her while she was still a novice.


    Kinsey left the magic academy grounds once her business had been concluded and went into the Bastion of Hope via the public teleportation array. No students were allowed to leave the magic academy while they were studying at the school, but Kinsey was neither a student nor an ordinary person. Being the assistant of a Grand Mage gave her access to all but a few rooms and teleportation arrays. She was allowed to come and go as she pleased, only needing to show the runic symbols on the back of her hand.


    She waded through the crowd of commoners in order to get to the main square, where the food was. She had intended to prepare a fish fillet, considering the fish market of the town was rather dense. Being so close to the open ocean gave fishermen a good export on the product, and the Bastion of Hope had fish in abundance. Kinsey looked for the freshest ingredients, spending the money her Master gave her for food. Once she was done, she activated the teleportation array back to the magic academy and waited patiently for Willem.


    Still inside the Restricted zone of the Grand Library.


    Willem knew it was time for him to return and escort Kinsey home, but he felt as if the book on the floor called to him. It looked worse for wear but still maintained its shape as best as it could considering the conditions it had been in. Willem hesitated, then picked up the red book and thumbed through it as quickly as possible.


    Inside the book was depictions of gods that had claimed to have fallen from the sky and entered the world. Sketches showed severe scarring of the world, and Willem had known this scar to be true. Once, while using his magic to travel through the darkness, he reached an unbearably hot point to which he could tread no further. Deep in the magical lands was a long scar along the earth, it cracked and shifted, spewing out magical beasts from its red maw. When Willem realized where he had sent his shadow, he retracted it and there was luckily no repercussions. He felt, however, that if he remained there any longer he would have been in danger.


    The book did not just have depictions of gods and sundering, it also had a vast amount of information in regards to runebinding. Runebinding was the act of carving runic symbols into a weapon or armor that imbues them with magic. He was currently enrolled in a class ''the study of ancient runes'' that studied runebinding but had never seen symbols so intricate before. This was an advanced class, but the content of the class covered only a third of what was in the book. He placed the book within his spatial spell and teleported out into the main entrance. He met with Kinsey and they disappeared into the Private Sanctum.


    A few seconds later they were in the private sanctum, where Kinsey had begun to prepare tea for Willem. He made his way to his study and began to peruse the contents of the book over and over again. He etched the runic symbols from the book into iron daggers as best as he could, and the daggers began to glow a silverish color. This color denoted that it was magical, but it was of low quality. The more intense a color was, the higher quality it would be.


    Willem continued with fervor once he realized how potent the runes were. One should know that when runebinding, if there was even a bit of failure, the binding would break and the weapon would be destroyed. However with these runes, even a failure did not break and still created a low quality magical weapon. Willem wondered why the other Grand Mages did not use such a good book, but he was determined not to squander it. Last time he checked on Archus, he was still in the ruins. While the old man was gone, he would do his best to master this new runebinding and present it to Archus as a present.


    Still, tomorrow was the promised day where he would go and seek out his brethren in the army under the guise of hunting magical beasts. He explained to Kinsey when she brought the hot cup of tea that he would not be accompanying her tomorrow as he had business with the army. He then took a magical stone from his pocket and gave it to her.


    "This is a special magical object I have deemed to call a hearth stone. Throw it to the ground when you wish to return here, and it will teleport you back. It has only one use." Willem tucked the hearth stone into Kinsey''s pocket and she scurried along to do her experiments in the other room as to not disturb him. It was an unwritten rule that when one was in the study room of a Private Sanctum, the creator was not to be disturbed.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.Willem went back to studying the book, and quickly understood why it was in the restricted section.


    The first few chapters had to do with the multiple different gods, the sundering, where magical beasts came from and what magical beings truly were. This would have caused a sensation among the populous when they found out that gods truly existed and walked this world at one time. Some gods looked like large canines the size of mountains, others looked like man and woman but the size of a butterfly, with wings as black as night or as bright as the sun. All in all there were thirty depictions, and the bloodlines of the magical beings were also shown in the book. It showed the names and looks of the tribes who had drunk the blood of the fallen gods.


    There was multiple sets of data on humans with magical beast body parts sewed on. They all had limited functionality but could perform the magical abilities of that beast for a short time before dying.


    An entire chapter was devoted to carving runes on the human body to make them completely subservient but retain their mind. Willem''s binding on Kinsey was a rudimentary form of this rune. It explained that when the rune is placed on a human with no magical ability, it can manifest the latent magical ability inside them. The downside to the servant is that they must be under absolute control of the creator of the rune, unable to resist in any way. The following pages had all the relevant experiment data including the multiple deaths by exploding limbs, heart and vein destruction, and mind convulsion from failed runebinding.


    The final chapter was the completed version of the ''study of ancient runes'' to which Willem was currently in the midst of learning. It had complex diagrams broken down to its simplest forms. The difficulties progress slowly as to get the user accustomed to the flow of the runes.


    Willem studied over the book multiple times, taking mental note of how the flow of the runes was, what experiments were performed with the most success, and the names of the gods that had fallen to the world.


    After his fourth reiteration, Kinsey came in quietly, sporting black lingerie that she had recently bought at a clothes shop in The Bastion of Hope. Willem knew she had come in, but was too involved in trying to consolidate the information in the book that he could not even pretend to look up. Feeling Kinsey''s almost bare breasts on his back, he rose from his seat and lifted her up over his shoulder. He carried the book in one hand and her in the other over to the bed. When he arrived at the bed, he undressed and laid down on the bed, thumbing through the book. He motioned for Kinsey to join him and she pouted before removing the lingerie.


    "You will be doing all the work tonight, since you interrupted my studying earlier." Willem could feel wet lips wrap around his penis, and a weird but pleasant sensation washed over him. Kinsey had become proficient with orally stimulating Willem and took pleasure in seeing him twitch slightly from her doing a good job of it. While she mounted him, Willem looked through the book once more before putting it down on the bed side table.


    "You did not eat the dinner I painstakingly prepared for you either-" Kinsey pouted and was about to continue when she felt a pain from her neck.


    Willem bit her neck in order to shut her up while he was about to climax. He did not bite hard enough to draw blood, but did bite hard enough to shock her and make her tighten her legs causing a tighter sensation between them. This made Willem climax but he was having too much fun teasing her to stop. Her flushed face after the teasing bite looked like she was enjoying herself a bit too much.


    Seeing that Kinsey did not mind him being a little rough, he took position behind her and pulled her hair while thrusting from behind. Her beautiful red hair wrapped eloquently around his fists, and each thrust he made had her moaning in pleasure. After ten minutes of the rough pleasure she climaxed as well and fell asleep from the aftershock of the event. Willem coddled her in his arms before falling asleep as well.


    During Willem''s ''sleep'' he meditated on the book he had just found, and all the information contained inside. He had already done this four or five times since he got the book, but inside his mind there was nothing but a still lake with which to swim in. As he began swimming, he noticed a small light glimmering nearby. As he approached the light, he saw an old ferryman making his way through the dark water on a small wooden boat for two. The ferryman stopped and lent Willem a hand into the boat, and continued to row without saying a word. An almost imperceptible glow came from his body, and the only reason Willem could see it was because of his power as a mage. This meant that the ferryman might be an illusion or hallucination, but that in itself was a danger. This was inside Willem''s soul, and anything that can cause psychological damage was all the more hazardous.


    Once Willem had steeled himself to the consequences, he asked. "Ferryman, where are you taking me?"


    The ferryman did not answer in words but instead pointed to a direction. In that direction was a beach filled with nothing but sand. After the beach was pure darkness.


    Willem once again prepared for the worst and stepped off the boat and onto the sand. The sand was rough but sank between his toes giving him a peculiar feeling of sinking but not falling.


    He walked forward closer to the darkness...

 30 - Army Training Grounds

    As Willem walked forward onto the beach, he looked back for a moment and realized the ferryman had gone. Now he was all alone, on a beach that was not made by his mind. It all felt like a distant foreign memory in his head.


    Willem made his way to the middle of the sandy beach and began to notice an array had been placed there. It was the same array that he had gotten from the book that had given him larger veins. The sands around the array turned to shards of glass as the heat emanating from the array scorched like hell fire.


    Willem put up a defensive barrier between himself and the heat. Though he was quickly learning about fluctuations in magical barriers that offer added protection, he had always practiced offensive attacks more and was not as proficient in defense. Sweat dripped from his brow as he made his way closer to the middle of the array.


    When he first entered the array, a small wisp of red floated around him as if it was to protect him from harm. As he reached the middle, the heat had become almost unbearable. His feet stung like they were stabbed by killer blood wasps and when he sat down to meditate it felt as if he laid on a volcano.


    He quickly began to meditate on the array, thinking about the veins growing larger and the books he had recently read. Then it dawned on him, the veins growing larger was not a gift meant for him. The books had enhanced his veins in order to prepare the vassal for a demonic entity.


    The books described an event where humans were sacrificed in order to bring about a demon strong enough to slay the magical beings who had oppressed them. In the end, even the demonic lord was not strong enough to kill the leader of the magical beings. What was peculiar about the demon however was that he openly admitted he was not the strongest demon from where he came. That meant that the stronger the magical force used for sacrifice, the stronger a demon could be summoned to fight against the demons.


    Willem thought about how the books called to him when he first entered the Grand Library, and now he understood why. His explosive growth made him the ideal candidate as a host for a strong demonic body. He continued pouring through the information he could remember from the book. In a small paragraph was written the awful truth, it read: "Those taken over by a demonic host essentially die. Two souls cannot be a part of one body without severe consequences. The power of one is absorbed by the other, and the one that loses is gone forever."


    In the beginning he praised finding these amazing books and could not fathom why they were locked away in a restricted section. Now he cursed his bad luck, as there was previously no human described in the books that did not eventually succumb to the demons inside them. The longest human to last was a warlord who survived three days before he gave in.


    Willem also knew about his own strength. If his body is a vassal for a demon, that means the demon will be equivalent to his own power once he had reached one hundred percent of his magical force. Willem had just connected to twenty five percent of his magical force not too long ago. Even he did not know what one hundred percent would look like. As his mind raced at all the information he had been thinking of, the area around the array became ice cold.


    When Willem opened his eyes, he saw blood and ice pooling in front of him, and a slender figure take form. The figure from the ice and blood came together quickly, and revealed the body of a beautiful woman clad in a black and blue gown. She had a set of horns on the top of her head, her black hair ran down to her waist, and her eyes were a hollowed out black as well. Inside her eyes was a sharp blue colored iris and pronounced blue lips. She looked at the young boy with a domineering sneer, and opened up her mouth as if to devour him, revealing three rows of sharp teeth.


    Before she could even move however, tendrils of black came from the body of Willem and forced her into submission on the ground. Though she did her best to struggle and break free, she could not.


    Willem surmised that the demon was at best only ten percent of his total strength, which made it seem like she was sent here to test his magical force. Maybe in times past ten percent strength was all that was needed to take over a human body, but for Willem that was not the case. Her strength would be equivalent to a early intermediate stage mage.


    Before she could open her mouth, he sent a line of black magic along her lips to cover them up. Whatever she had to say, she could wait for a little while as he did not intend to listen. He thought about it for a moment and determined not to kill her immediately. Though there are adverse affects to having a demonic soul inside him, if she disappears and another stronger one reappears, he might not be strong enough to face them.


    Willem bound her head to toe in black string, the same as he did with his magical force. In his mind he created a tomb around the magical array, and the demoness was placed in a burial casket in the middle of it. He then sealed the door of the magical tomb in darkness magic and left the beach with fervor. As he looked back he saw the red wisp waiting for him at the edge of the array, floating all alone.


    When he awoke, it was already morning and Kinsey had already prepared breakfast with tea.


    Willem showed a visibly pale complexion, and this was the first time Kinsey had seen him unwell. Most mages did not show any symptoms of being sick, as magical force permeated their body including the immune system. This made the immune system strong enough to fight normal illnesses with ease.


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    Kinsey rushed over to Willem''s side as he could not stand up properly. The events of the ''dream'' had begun to infect his body and it would not go away so easily. He directed her to take him to the dining table, where they quietly sat and ate breakfast. As he ate, his complexion did not worsen but instead stayed the way it was.


    Since Willem''s illness was ''magical'' in nature, his immune system could not fight it off as a normal illness would be. Instead, Willem took from his spatial spell a magical recovery elixir and drank it along with his tea. It tasted bitter, but the effects were noticeable immediately. His face showed increasing signs of life and his magical power had begun to circulate properly again.


    He rose from his chair after eating and said his farewells to Kinsey. She bowed deeply and wished her Master a safe journey. Willem slipped into the darkness and headed toward the Army training grounds first to see if he could find his brothers-in-arms.


    At the entrance to the Training Grounds


    Eli and Mark had been busy since they became official apprentices at the Army training ground. Eli was still under the tutelage of a knight while learning tactics and maneuvers, and Mark was given the position of squire under Sir Rowan, who had been the officiator for his matches during his apprenticeship training. Sir Rowan achieved the position of knight through hard work and dedication, but deep in his heart he still felt bad for not doing everything he could for the young boy who was like a brother to his squire. Some times he would go into town to see if he could find Willem whom he had taken care of during his injuries, but he never saw a trace of him.


    On this particular day, Eli and Mark had been ordered after basic training to go around to all the training dummy''s and patch them up for use later by the knights. Though it was menial work, it kept both of them occupied until lunchtime so they did not mind as much. It was also much better than lugging a basket of rocks up and down a mountain everyday for basic training.


    As they finished up their patchwork on the training dummy, there was a lot of commotion happening around the entrance. Not ones to miss something big going on, the brothers quickly walked over to see a hooded mage being guided to the guard''s office by the Knight Captain himself, Sir Gehrig. In just half a year Sir Gehrig went from being in the top one hundred knights to the Knight Captain himself, a position equal to a Grand Mage. Though their respective strengths were worlds apart, as a knight could do nothing against a Mage.


    The brothers watched on hoping to catch a glimpse of the Grand Mage before he walked into the office, but to their surprise the Grand Mage was looking around for someone as well. When the Grand Mage''s eyes locked on with theirs, a gleam of red light appeared to them sending a shiver down their spines. The Grand Mage continued walking and the brothers put their heads down. The two brothers had fought magical beasts before and they never felt fear like they did looking at the Grand Mage.


    The Knight Captain lead the esteemed guest into the guard''s quarters and had an attendant get them some tea.


    Before the Knight Captain could speak, he was interrupted by a brash young man in full platemail who had swung the doors open and bellowed out. "I could really go for some mead right now! Hahahaha!"


    The Knight Captain gave his squire a death stare, and finally the boy realized that he was in the presence of a Mage. He did not often get to see Mages in the training ground, leading him to believe they were not all that strong. Especially since he himself had speed augmenting magic, he decided not to give any face to the Mage in the guard''s quarters.


    "Hey Master, how come all Mages hide their faces? Are they that ashamed to be known for casting magic?" He scoffed at the Mage, and before the Knight Captain could shut the boy up, Willem waved him off not to interrupt.


    "Well at least there is one Mage who knows his place. When I talk you listen, that is how it should be. In the upcoming war, I will be with my Master Sir Gehrig leading the fight against the magical beings while you cower in the back lines praying to dead gods."


    At this point, Sir Gehrig''s face had turned purple from anger. He had seen the seal that was given directly by the King and dared not protest anything this Grand Mage would say. If the Grand Mage asked him to chop off his fingers he would do so without hesitation, that is how much the seal of the King means to the Army.


    Now his squire was bad mouthing not just this Grand Mage but all mages in general and he could do nothing to stop the boy. If he could, he would have reached over and chopped the boys tongue off himself for saying such blasphemous things. Sir Gehrig lamented how he had spoiled the boy because of his gift in fighting. If he had taken the time to teach the boy some proper manners he would not be in the position he''s in now.


    The young boy took everyone''s silence as an answer to continue and begun bad mouthing the Grand Mage again. "If it was not for us fighters, you mages would not even be alive right now. You should count your blessings that we even put up with you lot. Yet here you stand, treading where you do not belong, smelling of your mother''s tit."


    Just as he was going to continue ranting, he found that he could not speak a word.


    "Knight Captain, does this boy speak on behalf of the Army?" From within the dark robes resounded a threat no one dared answer.

 31 - Swift Vengeance

    Surprise was the first thing that all the guard''s felt. The robed figure only sounded about eighteen at most. However no matter the age, the fact that he had the seal of the King was undeniable proof of his identity.


    After a few minutes had passed, the Knight Captain gathered enough courage to speak.


    "Of course not, esteemed guest. These are just the ramblings of a boy and should be treated as such. If I knew he would have said such things I would sliced his tongue off myself."


    Willem released his magical grip on the boys tongue as the squire looked on in bewilderment at his Master.


    Willem looked at the boy and recognized him right away. He knew that once he saw Sir Gehrig he would be seeing his prot¨¦g¨¦. Even during his apprenticeship, the fact that the number one fighter was under the protection of Sir Gehrig was common knowledge. Now the respective position of Willem and this boy named Edwin Forrest were reversed.


    "Your squire raises a good point, if fighters are just here to protect mages then why are we here? I want all of your fighters, even your higher ranking knights to see a fight between your squire and I. Prepare us a stage, and I will demonstrate our worth against your squire. Naturally I will not be using any magical spells so as to make it a fair fight."


    Sir Gehrig dared not object and ordered a squadron of apprentices to prepare a suitable arena. He gathered everyone within the training grounds to bear witness. Everyone was told exactly what was happening, especially the truth that the squire had openly insulted all the mages in the kingdom without knowing the identity of the guest.


    The arena was quickly packed with onlookers, and the young prot¨¦g¨¦ entered the ring first. He had been told he could use his speed augmenting magic and a weapon without restraint and he intended to, now that he already spoke he could not take his words back.


    The mage entered the ring and the surrounding onlookers stopped talking. The aura that the mage exuded was one of malice and killing intent and it forced the weaker apprentices to look down for fear of death. Edwin took a defensive stance just as Willem had in their first fight.


    "Do you remember your apprenticeship test, boy? Do you remember breaking the arms of a young talented boy out of misplaced anger?" Willem looked beyond his robes into the eyes of the youth and let out a cold killing intent.


    "Yes, Sir, I do." Edwin gulped back a response before the cold sweat down his back made his voice waver. He brandished his iron sword before nodding his head in acknowledgement.


    "Good... Good. He remembers it too. He thinks about it everyday. Though he will not be thinking about it much longer." Willem removes the heavy robes covering his face. Underneath the robes was a fresh faced eighteen year old boy with sharp eyes, a frown, and an unfathomable amount of power behind him.


    Edwin recognized the boy immediately as the one who he broke the arms of during the apprenticeship test, though his arms were much bigger than they were before and showed no signs of being broken. Sir Rowan who was standing with Eli and Mark also recognize the boy standing in the middle of the ring. Some of the other apprentices noticed who he was but said nothing. Four years ago he was a waste and now he was a Grand Mage of the magic academy, if anything could see said about it, it would be ''miracle''.


    Willem decided to wear a simple combat robe with hex-leather leggings this time around, so as not to constrain his movements when he went out to hunt magical cores. He wore black iron arm guards with a flame pattern running along the sides of them. His leather boots had some simple patterns of clouds on them and his two rings each had a symbol of a large bear''s claw.


    A Knight came forward and waved at both competitors to come to the middle of the ring.


    "This will be a simple one versus one, first to completely subdue the other wins. No forfeiting or running out of the ring." He specifically looked at Edwin as he spoke the last words as if he was looking into the boy''s heart.


    The two boys nodded and took their respective corners.


    Edwin circulated his magical force around his body, infusing his arms and legs with it. Though it was only a temporary buff, he thought it would not be inferior in any way to what a mage could do.


    Willem stood in an offensive stance, as Edwin took a defensive pose. The scene looked exactly the same as it did four years ago, except the fighters were in the opposite positions.


    The officiator for the match raised his hand and quickly slammed it towards the ground, forcing a gust of wind to slice through the arena. This was still the signal to fight.


    Willem launched forward faster than Edwin could react to even with his augmented body and placed himself behind the boy. He launched a swift leg kick toward the back of Edwin''s left knee and as it struck, a loud snapping could be heard from within the arena.


    Before Edwin had time to react to the pain, Willem sent another kick to the right knee and another painfully loud snap rang out from the boy''s body.


    Before the officiator could call the match, Willem flung his knee into the back of Edwin and as the boy fell he spewed out blood from deep within his body. The crowd looked on in horror at the massacre that had not even lasted a second.


    As his final act of vengeance, Willem threw his arms forward, crashing into Edwin''s arms crushing the bones and tearing the muscle fiber.


    The officiator held a dazed view for a few seconds too late and when he came to, the match had already ended. He immediately ran to separate the two boys but found that Willem had already moved to the opposite side of the other. A medical team was sent in to retrieve the squire. Though he was not dead, he would definitely be held up in recovery for the next half a year at best.


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    In the last moments of clarity before he passed out, Edwin cried softly while apologizing. The apology fell on deaf ears, as Willem had already left the stage to return to the guard''s office to speak again with the Knight Captain, uninterrupted.


    When the Knight Captain arrived back at the guard''s office, he had already heard the story of the feud between the two from Sir Rowan. He now understood why the Grand Mage did things the way he did, and although he was unhappy with the results he could say nothing about it.


    This interaction between Sir Rowan and Sir Gehrig did not go unnoticed by Willem, as he was sitting quietly in the guard''s office he could hear a multitude of rumors floating around the training grounds outside. Mostly idle chatter, some people were correct in their assumptions and just did not know it. There were a few who felt pity for the squire, but it was only the knights who had minimal contact with the boy and did not know his true nature.


    Willem felt the energy in the training ground, and noticed that they all had a familiar color. Even with predominantly red, green or blue colors, everything single one of them at their core showed the color yellow. The color of fear. They feared the power of a mage who could destroy the number one squire within a second without using any magical abilities. Even the knights had a tinge of yellow in their core, and with reason.


    Sir Gehrig apologized profusely for the rude behavior of his squire, but the Grand Mage showed no signs of even remembering he had a feud with the boy. As if the entire event just now with the squire did not exist at all, Willem never mentioned it or bothered about it again. He merely repaid a debt that he owed, and that was that.


    Willem got down to the point at last, he wanted two Knights and two apprentices to take into the nearby hunting ground for a level four white tiger core.


    The Knight Captain considered the matter for a long time before asking the Grand Mage if he had any knights in mind for the subjugation. Normally a level four subjugation would require forty level four Knights, but he dared not object to anything the Grand Mage said.


    Willem, not missing a beat, produced two knights names: Sir Rowan and Sir Kris. Their squires will be the apprentices that will be taken for this subjugation. The Knight Captain quickly caught on that he intended to speak with the brothers together, as Sir Kris was the one who Eli was the squire of.


    Sir Gehrig quickly called the two knights with their apprentices and told them of the subjugation request they were to undertake. The only one who looked fearfully at the Grand Mage and the request was Sir Kris who was a level three Knight, as the others including Sir Rowan looked at Willem in wonderment. The boys looked at Willem sheepishly until they noticed he had a huge grin on his face, just like he had when they helped each other out during the training. As soon as he smiled, all of their fatigue and restlessness fell away and all that was left was happiness. Not only did their brother-in-arms not become a waste or a thief, but he was now a Grand Mage of the Magic Academy. They could not wait to ask him all about what happened.


    Everyone who was a part of the subjugation left the guard''s office quickly. The two Knights saluted their captain who had begun to walk away and told the apprentices to pack the provisions for the journey. Willem interrupted the knights and said that it was not necessary as they would not be gone longer than a day. The Knights involuntarily saluted Willem as if out of habit and looked at each other confused. All five of them left toward the hunting grounds with just the basic provisions and their weapons.


    After ten minutes of walking and talking among the boys, Willem told them it was time for the fun part. He quickly drew an array for honing his magical force and began chanting to empower the array.


    Before they were about to leave, Sir Kris suggested they set up a formation to ensure no one gets hurt. Sir Rowan nodded and they all looked at Willem at the same time. He sighed and took out three potions for each of them.


    Quizzically, they took the elixirs and asked him what they were. Willem looked around, a large grin on his face and said "this is our formation." He pointed at the potions jokingly and said nothing more. A cold sweat broke out over everyone''s foreheads but they did not dare say anything else about it. They all stepped into the magical array and Willem focused his magic. They all slipped into the darkness and landed outside a cave near the slope of a small hill far into the hunting grounds.


    A massive roar sounded out and Willem did the motion for everyone to drink their potions. With nothing to lose, they swallowed down the elixirs and felt their bodies brimming with magical energy. This boost was not like anything they had ever felt before. Not only did their vision increase, but every fiber of their being felt like it could unleash its maximum capabilities. The affects were nothing compared to the level two elixirs they had incrementally gotten during their time as Knights.


    With their new strength, the knights and squires climbed down into the cave of the White Tiger with Willem following behind.

 32 - White Tiger Matriarch

    The entrance to the cave was littered with deceased magical beasts, with nothing left of them but the bones.


    The five man squad quietly walked past the bones, making sure not to step on them so there was no excess noise. This effort was made tremendously easier thanks to the magical elixir the Grand Mage provided.


    Sir Kris took the lead, magical longsword and iron buckler in hand. Sir Rowan was behind him, and he was holding two identical magical daggers. The two apprentices pulled out their weapons, Eli with a battleaxe and Mark with a mace and shield.


    As they descended further into the cave, the magical ability of one of the elixirs kicked in, allowing them to see in the darkness without need of torchlight. This made it much easier to sneak in as they did not have to worry about being noticed quickly. One hundred feet below the cave entrance through a winding path, they eventually entered the home of the White Tiger''s.


    Six white tiger cubs lazily slept around an altar in the middle of the room, while two older white tigers circled around the level ensuring the protection of the cubs. The owner of the loud roar that sounded out earlier was nowhere to be seen. The Knights knew white tigers preferred to hunt by ambush, so they looked along the top of the cave entrance for a perch with which a tiger could pounce from.


    They found a White Tiger Matriarch imposingly looking over her cubs from a perch in the cave. Her horn was approximately eighteen inches long, and was capable of impaling anything under a level four magical beast with ease. Though the Matriarch herself was only considered a level four, she was not far off from the top of the food chart for other level four magical beasts. The only magical beasts above her was the Multi-Colored Wyvern and the Red Oak Ent.


    Her sense of smell was the most fearsome thing about her, in the few moments that humans had entered her cave, she climbed up to her perch and waited for them to show themselves. She knew they were somewhere in the cave but did not know exactly where.


    This was due largely in part to one of the three elixirs that the fighters were given, as it had the effect of confusing the senses of the White Tigers. In fact it could confuse the senses of all magical beasts, but had no effect on mages or humans.


    Willem tapped Sir Kris and Sir Rowan on the shoulder and told them to go lure down the White Tiger Matriarch. He motioned to Eli and Mark and told them that there mission was to hold back the other White Tigers for as long as they could.


    Once the signal had been given from the Grand Mage, the Knights immediately went into action and showed their presence. They clanged their weapons together, making as much noise as possible to lure the Matriarch down. From the perspective of the Matriarch, fifteen humans had entered her cave when she previously only smelled five. Many made the same movements at the same time, but the Matriarch was not a creature of critical thinking and instead jumped down to fight the intruders.


    The brothers threw themselves forward to fight the white tigers who were heading toward the Knights. The cubs awoke from the noise but did not show any notion of joining the battle. They mewled out for the Matriarch as soon as the noises of battle could be heard.


    Once the Matriarch realized the humans did not intend to go for the cubs, she fought more ferociously. Such was the inherent danger of fighting a Mother. She would die to protect her young, but if she knew her babies were not in danger she could move around freely attacking anyone who threatened them.


    She first went toward the humans with the two daggers, as previous experience told her that the magical glow from the two weapons could pierce her hide. Instead she was blocked by Sir Kris, who taunted the magical beast and bashed the face of the White Tiger with the iron buckler. The Matriarch did her best to impale the Knight but he deftly moved around her as if she was moving in slow motion. The reason she looked as if she was in slow motion was precisely because of the potions they had been given. When the potion messed with the Matriarch''s senses, she saw double of the original humans and could not accurately distinguish between them. When she struck out, it was often toward the illusory images and not the real Knights.


    To normal humans and fighters such speed as they were showing would be impossible, however the last potion that was given to them to enhance their physical capabilities was not a regular elixir. It was an elixir infused with Willem''s own magic, and the potency of the spell was equal to a level five elixir. Not just the potency, the duration was much longer as well. A normal level one or two potion would last at most a few minutes, whereas a level five potion lasted for as long as an hour or two.


    The Knights did not know the duration, and fought as if it had the length of a level two potion. Sir Rowan flanked with Sir Kris and they began slicing through the Matriarch''s legs with deadly precision. The apprentices used their abilities to fight back the two white tigers that were attempting to aid their Matriarch.


    Willem watched on as the battle continued fiercely, and at some point the Knights noticed that the Grand Mage was not taking action but did not say anything about it as they were fighting for their life. Just as the fight seemed as if it was going to end in the favor of the humans, the Matriarch let out a fierce howl that made the white tigers go into a frenzy. Even the mewl of the cubs stopped as their eyes covered in a red haze.


    The two white tigers began to attack the apprentices with renewed vigor and an almost obsessed need to protect their Matriarch. Their attack became more ferocious and the apprentices could no longer hold them back. At this time, Willem stepped out to ensure their safety. Tendrils of black dug from the earth of the cave and completely wrapped the two white tigers from head to toe in darkness.


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    The two boys wiped their brow of sweat and watched the fight between the Matriarch and their Masters. ingraining in their minds the movements and formation their Masters employed. Though the Matriarch was putting up a tough fight, the magical potions and the formation the knights used made them untouchable against their opponent. Finally feeling that it was time, Sir Rowan jumped toward the neck of the Matriarch and delivered the killing blow, severing her head from body.


    Sir Kris jumped after the head to make sure the horn of the Matriarch did not break, and then looked around satisfied. He understood that this whole excursion was just a chance for the Grand Mage to test his elixirs and give the apprentices first hand experiences in fighting magical beasts. To have such a benefactor was no bad thing, and he humbly presented the head of the Matriarch to the Grand Mage.


    Willem looked at the mewling cubs, then at the head of the Matriarch. He dug the horn out of her head, and wrapped magical energy around the magical core in her body. With little effort, he fished out the core and put it away into his spatial spell.


    He then wrapped magical energy around one of the cubs who looked underfed compared to the others, and carried it in his arms as he climbed outside the cave. The Knights and apprentices were left to carry the immensely heavy body and head outside. Just like before, Willem drew a honing array similar to his previous one and everyone stepped into the array while calmly focusing on not dropping the body or head.


    Willem activated the array and they all teleported to the previously set array ten minutes outside the hunting ground entrance. The effects of the magical potion still did not wear off, luckily for the Knights and apprentices. If it had, they would not be able to carry back their spoils of war. With cub in arm, Willem headed back to the training grounds and everyone followed behind.


    After fifteen minutes, they had reached the entrance and were immediately noticed by everyone who was currently training. Sir Gehrig came forward from the guard''s office, greeting the Grand Mage and marveling at the Matriarch they had hunted. Before he could ask about the events that transpired, the Grand Mage advised him that the squad would be going to subjugate a level five hellboar and to have the reward for the Matriarch ready for the two Knights upon their return.


    Sir Gehrig nodded and commanded a platoon of thirty apprentices to carry the Matriarch body away from the entrance. The thirty apprentices lifted the body, but could only take five steps before their strength gave out and the body again fell to the ground. Sir Rowan and Sir Kris looked at each other, and then hoisted the body of the Matriarch to their shoulders before carrying it to the trading post. The head was taken by twenty apprentices while the other ten who had been called could only stand and gawk at the two Knights doing what thirty apprentices could not.


    Of course they had no idea that the Knights had been strengthened by potions, but no one was going to tell them that. Once the Knights returned to the entrance, they bade farewell to the Knight Captain and again headed out into the forest. When they heard they would be hunting a level five hellboar, they were naturally very curious. Hellboars were nomadic by nature, and never stayed in one place for too long. This cause a problem for those who wished to hunt them, as they were incredibly hard to track. Even if the pelts and tusks sold for alot of gold.


    If there truly was a hellboar in the hunting grounds, it would be in a pack of five or six, and that alone would take all the knights to subjugate one. Never in the Knights history did they dare attack a group of hellboars.


    Soft mewling could be heard from the White Tiger Cub as he was being held like a satchel by Willem. Due to the confusion of the White Tiger Matriarch, he had completely forgotten about the little creature tucked in his arm. He told the group to hold on for five minutes as he teleported back to his Private Sanctum.


    When he returned to his Sanctum, he came upon a peculiar sight. Kinsey had apparently used the hearth stone early, as she was currently stark naked in his bed drinking a glass of red wine. When she saw him enter the room she spat out the red wine in embarrassment but could find no clothes to cover herself up with. Before she had time to spit out an excuse about fatigue or finding a good wine Willem gently tossed the mewling Tiger Cub onto the bed beside her. The ball of fluff bounced on the bed a couple times before landing right by her left thigh, and gave out a little disgruntled cry.


    "I found you a pet. Do take care of it well. They can get rather aggressive if not fed often." Willem smirked and then placed a small jug of milk on the bedside table from his spatial spell.


    Before Kinsey had the time to process what had happened, Willem had disappeared in the darkness of the bed frame and had already gone completely.


    Kinsey pouted and looked at the White Tiger Cub, seeing it scared she began to pet it gently. "At least someone will appreciate my cooking..."


    Willem reappeared near where the Knights had decided to take a little break. His quiet teleportation allowed him to sneak up on Mark and grab him from behind without anyone noticing.


    Mark jumped and swiped behind him with the full force of his mace before confirming whether it was friend or foe. he was still excited from the events of the White Tiger subjugation and could not help but react before thinking.


    The mace smashed into Willem''s face and caved his skull in thanks to the strength of the magic potion they had drunk earlier. Like a heavy boulder, Willem''s head and body fell to the ground with a thud.

 33 - Truth

    While Willem''s body fell to the ground, Mark looked around astonished at his strength. Before he realized he had struck an ally, a moment of elation washed over him, quickly followed by dread when he found out who his unlucky opponent was.


    Willem''s head hit the ground with a dull thud, as if to show there was no resistance from him at all. While he regenerated, he thought about what had just happened. The attack from Mark came toward Willem as if it was in slow motion, but Willem decided subconsciously not to dodge the attack. The only reason he could think of for not acting in time is that he secretly wanted his brothers to know how strong he has become.


    The right hemisphere of Willem''s brain had bones protruding from it, and the blood protecting his brain from impact had begun to leak into his skull. His entire body spasmed uncontrollably and it became apparent to the Knights that he would soon be dead. Just as they went to hear the boys last words, they heard an indistinct popping noise coming from his skull.


    Four pops rang out before Willem opened his eyes again. He looked at Mark with a big grin on his face as if he had not learned his lesson, but all Mark showed on his face was horror. Willem looked exactly like the monsters in the horror stories that their mother would often read to them, that feasted on the flesh of humans because they could never be whole themselves. Not even the Knights could hold back their look of disgust even though they tried not to show it to their apprentices.


    They could not help but look at Willem as his head inflated like a medicine ball. His bones recuperated quickly and his head no longer had a huge dent in it. His body stopped spasming, and was instead replaced with a slight tremble. Willem kept a huge grin on his face as if the entire thing was a joke perpetrated by Mark and himself. Just as the bones finished self-healing, the blood stopped flowing into his skull and instead retreated back where it belonged as if charging backward through the flow of time.


    Willem had completely healed and looked around at everyone, then back at himself. Though he had gone through the process multiple times in the past, he never felt an ounce of pain and for a while considered if he could still be counted as a human. He looked at the expressions everyone wore and saw it was a mix of fear and veneration. He waved his hands non-aggressively and spoke. "Okay, I get it, it was a bad joke. I am sorry."


    He quietly stood up and sat down beside Eli, while the latter had fallen backward off the log he was resting on. Willem looked around and saw that everyone had become completely still as if it was a life and death situation.


    "I can only do it because I am a Grand Mage of Darkness, not all mages can do this as far as I know." Willem knew what they felt in their heart was fear as if they looked at a monster but he had already decided that they deserved to know. He grabbed for some skewered meat and began chewing on it relentlessly.


    He regaled the group with the story of how he convinced the council and became a Grand Mage by slicing up his body, severing his limbs and then reconstructing his body with Darkness Magic. When they looked on with disbelief, he thought about everything he had been through and decided to tell them about what had happened to him once he left.


    He began by explaining about the Inn that was ransacked, how he was stabbed and left for dead, and about his friends being kidnapped by the Golden Dragon Family. About how he awakened and a Grand Mage sensed his power and helped him get his revenge and save his friends. His studying during the academy, his excellence in potion brewing and inscription and how he intended to be in the front lines of the war that was to happen soon.


    He told them what the view was like as he stood at the top of the mountain that the Bastion of Hope was nestled in, looking out over the ocean and seeing an endless field of blue. He told them about the scarring of the world and how incredible it looked, even though it was dangerous and spewed out magical beasts. He told them about how he had gone into the kingdom of Magical Beings, right to their palace and looked upon the King himself.


    However he specifically neglected to mention about the Demon trapped in his mind, as he did not want them to worry about his present capabilities.


    Once he was done talking, two hours had passed and the effects of the potions were waning. A wave of fatigue fell over the Knights and apprentices, who by now had looks of reverence toward Willem as he finished telling his story. Though they had no way of telling if it was the truth, deep in their hearts they knew he did not lie when he spoke about what he had gone through. Maybe it was the look in his eyes as he recalled his friends, or the joys of learning and experimenting and the way he described the sights he had seen that made it abundantly clear he was telling the truth.


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    The Knights stretched lazily before looking again at the Grand Mage. Suddenly Sir Rowan piped up. "How about we hunt down this hellboar before the elixirs run out."


    Willem nodded and everyone began packing up the camp together. By this time the sun was high in the sky and blazing down on the squad, making them feel excessively hot as they headed toward the teleportation array. It only took a couple minutes to reach their destination, and again Willem began to hone his senses with the array before revealing a surprised expression.


    "We are in luck friends, I can sense that a pack of five hellboars are fighting against a level six magical beast." Willem continued to feel the vibrations of his prey through the honing array.


    The Knights looked at each other horrified, and an ominous feeling came over them. If this was lucky, then they would rather be cursed. Their blood ran cold as they thought about the strength of a level six magical beast. The strongest of the training grounds, Sir Gehrig, after consuming elixirs could barely be considered a level six Knight. This magical beast could take on sixty humans of that level and yet still could be victorious.


    "You do not have to look like you are courting death friends, you have a Grand Mage on your side! If we kill both the hellboars and the monster it fights, I will personally make you a full set of level five armor from the hellboars. The power of this armor will be like nothing you have ever felt before." Willem intended to use the inscriptions of the red book to make powerful armor for his platoon during the war. This would be a good initial test even if it ended up a failure in the end.


    The two Knights looked at each other, then the apprentices and decided upon it unanimously. They would rather die as fighters than live as cowards. They readied their weapons and Sir Kris said a quick prayer to his gods. Willem watched him with a peculiar look, and then handed everyone a small blackish-grey potion. They drank it down without hesitation and found that their strength from the previous elixirs returned.


    "Time to have some fun. Watch out for the acid, okay?" Willem grinned as he circulated his magical force and teleported them deep into the woods of the hunting grounds.


    The group of fighters looked at Willem full of terror as the present surroundings of light foliage and beautiful autumn colors turned into a wave of cold black scenery.


    Cobwebs littered the trees and covered each branch in thick webbing. There was no entrance or exit as far as the eye could see, except for a hole that looked as if it had been ripped open from a tusk.


    There was no sun, as the thick leafage had completely blocked it out save for a few spots of light. This made it incredibly hard to see the webbing, and if not for the dark-vision elixir, they would have taken two steps before being caught in the cobwebs.


    The Knights focused on the deepest part of the labyrinth of darkness, where five hellboars could be seen huddled together attempting to fight back a huge magical beast. Easily twice the size of the hellboars, which were large in their own right.


    While an average human height was six feet tall, the hellboar was often eight feet tall. The monster hovering over the hellboars could only be estimated at fifteen to sixteen feet tall.


    The hellboars barely dodged around the pools of acid being spit out but could do nothing to stop its encroachment. The level six beast stepped closer and closer with each passing breath, until it was mere meters away from it''s prey.


    Finally the Knights recognized what the monster was. Standing sixteen feet tall, with eight legs and impressively large fangs, stood an Astral Spider.


    Highly territorial magical beasts, Astral Spiders could be considered very high up on the food chain anywhere you were unlucky enough to find them. Top grade magical items could not break the exoskeleton, and on top of that the Astral Spider spit out a poison that melted flesh and bone indiscriminately. The fangs could pierce anything except an equally hard exoskeleton, and the gossamer from Astral Spiders are weaved with so much precision that if they were to be made into a net it would be almost indestructible.


    The reason they are called Astral Spiders is because of their special ability when threatened. If the Astral Spider ever feels like it will not be able to win a fight, it can immediately send itself into an ethereal form. From this position it can weave in and out of two different planes at will, making it exceptionally hard to kill. One would need a similar ability to even keep up with it, let alone slay it during this form.


    The Knights looked on in horror, and the squires looked on with doubt as they watched the hellboars narrowly dodging the poison.


    Willem gave a huge grin as he began chanting some magic spells.

 34 - Chains

    Willem chanted earth magic and created an earth shield around himself. The dirt from the ground lifted up and began floating around him, creating a solid barrier with which he could cast without worry. The earth shield that Willem created had the capability to withstand five strikes from a level four magical beast before dissipating but it remained untested against a level five or six monster.


    He then chanted a fire magic spell imbued with darkness magic in order to bypass the tough carapace of the Astral Spider. The imbuement was placed on each of the weapons that the fighters were using, but the non magical mace and battleaxe would be irreparably damaged once the magical effect had ended.


    Willem then casted wind magic to mask their presence to the monsters, forcing their scent and voices to not carry in the air. Finally, with darkness magic, he concealed himself within the accompanying shade and became invisible to the group. The only noise that could be heard was his footsteps on the soft ground as he walked toward the magical beasts.


    This also became the signal for the fighters to advance and join the fight. As they approached the deepest corner of the hollow, weaving through the cobwebs, the hellboars were the first to notice them and began to roar frantically. This action was completely noticed by the Astral Spider, shifting it''s perspective to see both enemies but not changing it''s primary focus. It maintained a look of complete dominance toward the hellboars and spit acid toward the already injured hellboar in the back.


    Unable to dodge, the hellboar could only cry out as the acid burned through its hide and bone. The fighters quickly went into action when they saw that the hellboar hide was damaged, and attempted to gain the attention of the Astral Spider. Sir Kris banged his longsword against his shield, creating ample noise to distract the large Spider while the other three got in position to strike it. This change of position did not go unnoticed by the hellboars, and the four that could still move attempted to run toward the only exit that was available.


    Before the hellboars could reach the exit, they were viciously cut down by an invisible force. Only one hellboar had enough time to thrust a tusk toward the invisible force attacking its kin. The tusk struck out and hit a floating piece of dirt before the hellboar was indiscriminately sliced apart. The earth shield that Willem casted fell apart from the strike indicating it could only handle one attack from a level five monster before ending. Small incisions and blood spatter appeared on the legs of the hellboars. Before long, each hellboar had a wound no larger than a dagger through their skulls that oozed blood and brain matter.


    Willem had stayed near the exit knowing that given the chance, the hellboars would attempt to escape. He prepared by taking out two punching daggers and imbuing them with darkness magic chantlessly. Though slightly weaker than chanted magic, it still had enough raw power to cut through the hide of a level five hellboar hide. He prepared himself to use his magical force to propel his legs, giving him enough speed to swiftly end the lives of the hellboars. First he aimed for the hamstrings in their legs and once they had been immobilized he struck the daggers through their skulls. The result was an efficient kill that could only be described as extremely calculated. Everything from the intended escape, to the path and the means necessary to end them was all within Willem''s mind. It was as if the hellboars were marionettes and Willem was the person pulling the strings.


    Seeing this scene, the fighters could now fully focus on the Astral Spider and not worry about an ambush from behind by the hellboars. This allowed them to fully concentrate and hone their senses to the enemy in front of them. The Astral Spider saw that the hellboars were felled before they could escape and gave out a clicking clatter before spitting acid toward Sir Kris. Sir Kris deftly dodged the acid before flourishing his longsword and striking out at the closest leg of the Astral Spider. While the attention was on Sir Kris, Sir Rowan attacked from behind, avoiding the stinger that was secreting a deadly poison. He sent the two daggers into the joint of the spider leg, and found that with a enough strength behind it, his daggers could pierce through the tough exoskeleton of the Astral Spider leg. The spider shifted it''s legs before Sir Rowan could break through the chitin completely and only managed to leave two dagger sized holes in the leg.


    This puncture was enough to make the spider bleed, and a bluish green liquid slipped down it''s leg. If not for the dark-vision elixir, Sir Rowan would almost not have noticed the liquid seeping down slowly as it blended in remarkably well with the leg color. The piece of the leg connecting to the joint seemed to barely be working, and was only pressed upon lightly compared to the others. The Astral Spider struck his stinger toward Sir Rowan with force, allowing an opening for the two apprentices to get an attack in toward two other legs. While Sir Rowan deflected the attack with his daggers, Mark and Eli attacked with all their might. Using both force and momentum, they struck at the legs of the huge Spider, severing the legs at the joint. The debilitating force left the Astral Spider unable to completely stand, and it''s body tilted toward the two apprentices while it still remained focused on Sir Kris.


    As it fell down, the Astral Spider attempted to slipstream through the world into another plane. When Willem saw that the Astral Spider was trying to phase through to another plane he took out a magical inscription from his spatial spell and forced magic into it. The inscription sent forth a blast of magical force, wrapping chains around the legs and body of the spider. As the fighters watched this incredible magic being cast, they held their breath until it looked like the Astral Spider was completely subdued by the chains. Though they were dismayed when they saw that the Astral Spider was shifting before they could deliver the finishing blow, they saw that the magic Willem employed forced it''s body to stay in this plane. The Spider attempted to send out one more spit of acid toward Sir Kris while he looked distracted and before it was completely restrained, but Sir Kris moved away from it without too much effort. The effects of the elixir was still powerful and allowed him to sense the impending danger of the acid. He shifted his position and his legs carried him twenty feet from where he was within a single breath of time.


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    The magic from the spell chained the legs of the spider out and to the ground so that it was unable to move. The chain wrapped the body to the ground and it''s stinger was lodged into the Earth. Defeated, the Astral Spider clacked it''s fangs together aggressively before it''s head was forced into the ground by magical chains. Sir Rowan and Sir Kris severed the spider''s head from it''s body, and cut the legs and stinger from it''s body just in case.


    Before the blood could spill, Willem placed the body of the Astral Spider into his spatial spell. When the fighters looked back toward the hellboars they saw that those bodies were gone as well, most likely to the same place as the Spider. The last hellboar that had slowly been eaten away by acid was too damaged to be used for materials, but was good as proof of the hunt. Willem told the group to keep quiet about hunting the level six magical beasts and the five hellboars. They nodded to each other, even if they did say something no one would believe that only two Knights and two apprentices defeated an Astral Spider, even with the help of a Grand Mage and good elixirs.


    The darkness infused fire spell that had been casted on the fighter''s weapons slowly waned and then disappeared as if sated by the blood of the Astral Spider they had fought. The battleaxe and Mace had melted away and were no longer usable, so the only thing they could do was discard the small amount of remains around a tree in a nearby grove.


    Before Willem created a teleportation honing array, he collected twenty wooden spools of gossamer from the spider''s hollow. When the fighters went to pick up the hellboar body, a rancid smell came from the burning flesh and hide. Doing their best to not breathe in the horrid smell, they brought it to the teleportation array and everyone returned to the spot ten minutes away from the training grounds entrance. They trekked to the training grounds entrance, where they were greeted by the guard''s protecting the door. The Knight Captain came to greet them when word came that they returned, and saw that they were carrying a hellboar. Though it gave off a horrendous smell and most of it was damaged, it could still sell for a decent price as the tusks were mostly intact.


    The Knight Captain greeted the Grand Mage while carrying two begs of coin for the two Knights. Normally he would not do this personally, and instead have someone deliver it for him but in this case since the Grand Mage asked him to do it he would comply.


    "The Magical Core is still within the body, as my gift for your time Sir Gehrig. I may yet come again before the battle, as I intend to provide these four with armors as a thank you for their assistance." Willem gave a slight bow and waited for the Knight Captain''s response.


    "Truly, we thank you for your visit. Though this gift is not necessary, the training grounds thanks you for everything you have done today. I personally thank you for bringing humility to my squire when I had failed him." The Knight Captain bowed his head deeply, and then ordered a nearby squadron to help carry the hellboar to the trading post.


    "The effects of the elixirs will last for another thirty minutes, please do take care if you intend to spar." Willem gave a light chuckle before disappearing into the shadow of a nearby building.


    Sir Gehrig blinked a few times awestruck before inquiring to the Knights about the elixirs they had taken. He had never had anything higher than a level three elixir which lasted no longer than five minutes. They told him they had been given a special elixir for hunting the hellboar but were asked by the Grand Mage not to reveal the details. Bitterly, Sir Gehrig nodded his head and went back to guard''s office to continue his work.


    The fighters all gathered around the two Knights waiting for them to describe the hunting of the hellboar. In the history of the training grounds, no one had dared mess with a hellboar pack. The Knights made up an excuse that the hellboar had been separated from its pack due to a previous fight and was much weaker than it should have been. Though not entirely true, it was close enough to what happened and the other Knights accepted it. The apprentices gathered around Eli and Mark and mocked them for losing their weapons. Eli and Mark looked embarrassed but did not say anything.


    Willem reappeared in his Private Sanctum to a fully sober Kinsey feeding the White Tiger cub. He thought about the sight before and chuckled to himself before she noticed his arrival.


    "Kinsey, I have returned." Willem looked at her inquisitively but she could not meet his gaze when he announced himself.


    "Welcome home Master, I apologize for the sight you saw before. Thank you for the gift you have given me. I will cherish her forever." Kinsey would not dare raise her head.


    "Ah, so it is a female, how nice for you to find some female companionship. I have some experiments, but I would like some tea." Finally Kinsey looked up at Willem and he saw that she was beet red. He sighed gently, and placed his hands on her waist before she could leave. She leaned into his embrace, and could feel his warm hands caressing her body.


    "You know, I quite enjoyed the sight you showed me before. Perhaps I will see it again soon?" He held her in his arms but did not look at her directly. Even if he did look at her, he had a feeling she would just lower her head and mumble something incoherent even to his magical hearing.


    "Yes, Master." Kinsey unfurrowed her tense brows and calmly embraced the warm that was washing over her. She felt her body getting hotter just by touching her Master. What kind of attendant would be so lucky as to have such a forgiving and understanding Master to serve?


    What she did not know was that as soon as Willem embraced her, he chantlessly casted a warmth spell on her.


    For a while, they stood in the Private Sanctum embracing each other, before Kinsey pulled away hesitantly. She remembered he had asked for tea and intended to go prepare some for him.


    Feeling that the tender moment was over, Willem headed to the study room and began to re-read the functions of the runic symbols as Kinsey served him tea.


    Soft mewling could be heard from the Tiger Cub as she had somehow gotten stuck in a small barrel and did not have the strength to get out on her own.

 35 - Binding

    Willem began experimenting on the tough hide of the hellboars, first by draining the bodies of blood and then stripping the flesh from the hide. The tusks were removed from the flayed skulls and the meat was given to the White Tiger Cub. Kinsey regulated how much she was given to eat so that she did not make the mistake of choking on her food or overeating. Once that was done, in order to ensure there was no mistake with the quality, he put away the hide and bones of the hellboars and instead took out a set of weapons he had recently purchased.


    First Willem splayed fifty different weapons of different quality materials out on his study desk, and began to carve runic symbols into the lowest quality dagger he had. When he went to the blacksmith shop, he specifically asked for a low quality weapon to be made. The smithy he chose was recommended by Kinsey as it was the one most often used by the Golden Dragon Family. Even though he obliterated the Golden Dragon Family, he had no intention of killing everyone who associated with them. If he had, half the Bastion of Hope would be dead, that is how prominent a figure the family was.


    He studied the book intensely as he sculpted out the first of the complex runic symbols. The general shape took form, and he began to define the symbols with more intricate carving. After thirty minutes of time, the runic symbol had been completed. During the process, Willem stoked the runes with fire magic so that when magic was poured into it, the dagger would catch aflame. Once he finished the carving, Willem focused his magical sense and the dagger had a silverish-red aura around it. Though it was to be expected, even a few tiny faults in the runic pattern caused the result to be of the lowest quality. He forced his magic through his hand and into the dagger, and it caught aflame with ease. The flame that coated the weapon was not especially hot, and was taking a lot more magic than it should for the ability. The consumption of magic was also a large factor when dealing with high quality magical weapons, especially to those who could manipulate magic the way mages did.


    Willem retracted his magic and began experimenting on the next weapon, focusing on every minute detail he could. This time he fed water magic into the runes while they were being created, and once the process was finished thirty minutes later he had successfully carved another magical weapon. The magical sense he emanated told him it was of a bluish-white quality, which was better than the previous dagger by a substantial amount. The magic consumption was still high just like the fire dagger, but the key difference was that the water magic coalesced and shot out of the sword like a waterbolt. The force was equivalent to a beginner rank waterbolt spell, but the materials in the sword adapted well with the magical runes and eased the consumption of magic. Willem took a mental note that the materials may in fact have something to do with the consumption of magic, and began his third runic carving while saturating the runes with wind magic.


    A full twenty-four hours passed before Willem came out from his study room.


    The night that Willem began experimenting, Kinsey had slept alone in the bed for the first time in a while. The White Tiger Cub was nice enough to keep her warm and company, and had flopped it''s fluffy butt up against her body. Soft purring could be heard in the noiseless night and Kinsey had a hard time falling asleep which was not usual for her. When she awoke, she began her new daily routine of first feeding the White Tiger Cub, then preparing food for her and her Master if he was hungry. The door still did not budge, so instead she continued her experiments while she waited for her Master to come out.


    Archus had returned from his mission and went to check on Willem but found that the study room in Willem''s Private Sanctum was in use. As such, he did not intend to interrupt and left abruptly after greeting Kinsey. He gave her a letter and a nice emerald necklace he found in the ruins he was sent to investigate. Kinsey thanked him and set the letter on Willem''s desk for when he removed himself from his studies. When he finally did come out, his eyes looked slightly unfocused but still had a hint of triumph, as if he had found a breakthrough in his studies. It was again nearing night when he left his study room, and he felt incredibly tired after the string of runic bindings. He ate the food that Kinsey prepared for him quickly, and had her draw him a bath. Kinsey drew the bath and brought him a letter with the wax seal of a Grand Mage. Willem confirmed it was written by Archus and began to read.


    The letter detailed certain findings of demonic possession in the humans who had been living in the ruins before the small town was destroyed. Archus had found many runes and symbols he did not understand, and would petition for Willem to join him in exploring the ruins as a sort of translator. There were few who would even dare compete with Willem when it came to scriptures, considering how often he poured through old books like it was easy reading material. In closing, Archus asked him to come visit the Private Sanctum after he was done with his classes. Willem sunk into the bath and began to think about what he would tell Archus.


    Willem''s experiments had produced favorable results in the end. The higher grade of the material used in the creation of the weapon, the less stress will be put on the user who is sending magic into it. As if the materials streamline the process, the magic loss is significantly reduced and the runic symbols merge much more smoothly with the magic. The final result was an orichalcum dagger crafted with darkness magic, and an adamantine dagger with earth magic. The third and least powerful of the three was a dagger made of mithril that had fire magic fused with it. The other forty-seven weapons will be sold to the Magic Academy or exchanged for more materials to continue his research. As Willem thought about all the information he had just obtained, Kinsey cleaned off his body slowly and methodically. She delicately scrubbed his arms and legs while making sure he was not in any pain. When last Willem was bathed this way, he made a point to remind her that when she absent-mindedly washed him, she would often scrub so hard his skin turned red.


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    After a while, Willem refocused and left the bath, desiring Kinsey''s body. It had been a while since he had taken her, and his hobby still needed some more information in order to further his knowledge.


    "Kinsey, remove your clothes." Willem was straight and to the point when he spoke, as if he did not have time to debate anything with her.


    "Yes, Master..." Kinsey slowly disrobed, being careful to not accidentally step on the White Tiger Cub who she would often find by her feet.


    When she made her way on top of Willem, the cub jumped on the bed thinking it was time to sleep. Willem pushed the cub to the side of the bed and glared at it until it understood to stay over there until it was called. Kinsey began to fellate Willem once she got in bed, and he softly voiced his pleasure.


    Once he deemed himself sufficiently excited, he grabbed Kinsey''s arms and forced her to lay face down on the bed. From behind, he began to thrust inside her while she moaned in pleasure. She laid completely still, her legs spread slightly apart but fully extended. Her breasts hugged the soft silk sheets of the bed, and her hair overflowed off the pillow. Willem thrusted faster and harder until beads of sweat fell from his forehead, dripping down his face and onto Kinsey''s lower back. The sensation was too much for both of them to handle, and they climaxed together under the declaration of their own heavy irregular breathing.


    Willem collapsed beside the red-faced Kinsey, who was in a moral conundrum. She dared not do anything against her Master''s wishes, but he clearly did all the work during this particular endeavor and she even had the gall to climax with him. Her breath was ragged but synchronized with his, and when he fell down beside her she could not help but shyly look down. Willem moved her hair from her face and hugged her close to his chest, and Kinsey called the cub to come cuddle with them. The cub sauntered over while warily looking at Willem who had previously pushed it away.


    Willem closed his eyes as he embraced Kinsey and drifted inward.


    Within his mind he found himself again swimming, heading toward the tomb with the bound demoness. He unsealed the tomb and walked toward the burial casket. He lifted the cover and saw that the demoness was still within him, attempted to squirm free of the black magic that bound her.


    Willem removed the small strip of black line that covered her mouth, and from within he could see an evil grin. As she opened her mouth, Willem prepared a chantless earth shield just in case.


    "You are different from the other humans. Can you even be considered human anymore? Such strength does not befit the human race." When the demoness finally spoke, it was as if the air in the room turned cold from her voice.


    "I am not here to discuss about myself, I am here to make a deal with you. First though, I need to know what you want, and what you have to offer." Willem removed the binding magic from her face so they could look at each other.


    The demoness eyed her prey warily. He clearly had more power than her, but did not immediately purify his body of her, so she must have something he wants.


    "I have lived for a hundred thousand years in the plains of the eternally damned. If it is knowledge that you seek, I can give it to you for a price." Her eyes showed hints of avarice.


    "What is this price you speak of, quickly tell me or I will leave this place and you eternally bound to it." Willem did not intend to play mind games with a demoness.


    "Let me become one with your soul, from that anything I know will be yours and we will be able to share your body. This is quite a profitable trade for you as I will no longer tax your body with my presence." She spoke matter-of-factly but could not hide her greed.


    Willem knew that at the moment he held all the cards, he thought about her proposition and accidentally let out a sinister grin. From this action the demoness knew a deal could not be struck, and began to spit insults at the young boy. He wrapped her head in black magic again before sealing the casket and tomb once more.


    He remained in his mind blending the information about the runic symbols with the life binding technique he read about in the red book. If what the red book said was true, this could be his answer to what he could do with the demoness in his body.


    Morning quickly arrived and Willem did not intend to miss another day of Magic Academy classes. Kinsey was already up, had fed the White Tiger cub and prepared tea with breakfast. They both quietly ate and prepared for the journey to the Academy. The cub sat at the teleportation array longingly as she watched Willem and Kinsey disappear. Unsure of what to do with herself, she found a spool of yarn nearby and pawed at it excitedly.


    Kinsey headed toward the mountains, having run out of herbs, and Willem headed toward the Academy. There was a large group of students standing outside the entrance, and he had to deftly move through the crowd in an attempt to see what the commotion was. When he finally reached the cause of the trouble, he saw a young boy and girl being beaten by two older students. While the young children employed beginner magic, they were no match for the older teenagers, even if the latter did not employ magical spells.


    Finally the young boy shouted out. "Who are you to say we owe you a tax just for arriving here today! This is not right!"


    He was promptly kicked in the face and landed ten feet away, nose bleeding profusely.


    "You dare doubt the words of a Grand Mage! I may have just gotten promoted recently, but around here I am the law!" He laughed deeply as if he was in control of everything around him, and the woman whom he had been fighting beside gave him a deep kiss.


    Willem knew the teenager was not a Grand Mage. From the oscillation of his magical force, and from the fact that if there was another Grand Mage test he would have been invited to give his opinion.


    From that it was clear the boy was attempting to impersonate him.

 36 - Subservience

    Willem could not help but feel bad for the teenager, clearly he was a simpleton. If he had wanted to take advantage of the initiates, he should have done so in a private place with fewer people around. Gathering a crowd this size was just asking for trouble, especially if there was someone stronger than the bully there. As it just so happens, there was; Willem stepped closer to the inner ring in order to see how things would turn out.


    The initiates looked around at the students who showed both awe and fear at the older teenager. From that, they inferred that what he was saying was the truth. Even they had heard rumors about a Grand Mage that was roughly the same age as them. Seeing this for themselves, and knowing that if the students surrounding them would not help, they reluctantly took out their coin purses filled with ten level one demonic cores and were about to hand them over to the teenager and his girlfriend. A fierce magical glow clouded their eyes as they carved this injustice into their hearts.


    For a moment, Willem contemplated whether to step in or not. Seeing the fierce look in their eyes, he knew that this group would be great candidates for the Magic Academy. After suffering through this, they would focus solely on getting stronger, and in time would eventually surpass the teenager who had stolen from them. Though the thought crossed his mind, it was quickly abandoned. Those who would attempt to extort while using his name and slandering the title of a Grand Mage needed to be punished.


    Before the initiates had passed over their coin purses, a lone mage stepped out from the inner circle of students surrounding them. His face was covered and the robe was a heavy black color, making him appear rather sinister. This of course, was Willem whom had decided to step in.


    The teenager glanced in his direction and scoffed before sending out his magical sense. What he came back with was nothing, it was as if the mage had no magical power. From the teenagers studies, he knew that if a mage wanted to, he could hide his powers from weaker opponents. This alone was a testament to how strong the mage standing before him was.


    The female to his side did the exact same thing, but did not know about mages being able to hide their magical power. Though she did think it odd that she could not sense his magical power, she did not fear anything since she had a Grand Mage by her side. She scoffed at the black-robed figure until she realized that the teenager beside her did not take action against him.


    It almost appeared to her as if he was in a state of shock. The teenager remained absolutely still, thinking about the position he was in. For the last two days, since he heard about the rumors of a young Grand Mage, he has been pretending to be the Grand Mage in order to get everything he now has. He has conned many out of magical cores, inscriptions, and magical weapons as they all wanted to carry favor with him. This little fact bolstered the idea in his head that the actual Grand Mage did not care about him pretending to be someone he was not. Since it has come to this, he intended to fight the black-robed figure, collect his tax and then withdraw to seclusion with everything he has won, including the woman by his side.


    The teenager stepped forward, hands raised in a fighting pose. "Do you really wish to fight against a Grand Mage, boy?" From the stature of his opponent he could surmise that it was a boy of equal age. He himself had just turned eighteen, which was at the peak of a growth period in his magical ability.


    "Let us exchange some pointers." The voice sounded raspy, as if it came from the earth itself. This was Willem''s way of attempting to hide his voice, and he used chantless earth magic to change his vocal pattern. Willem''s magic power burst forth from his body, encompassing both the teenagers, the initiates, and the inner as well as the outer crowd. Everyone felt a chill of killing intent coming from the black-robed figure and could barely continue to stand.


    Coming this far, it was too late for the teenager to stop now. He circulated his magical force through his body, willing it to move against this daunting foe. The chilling killing intent lingered in the back of his mind as he chanted a fire magic incantation. A whirlpool of magma appeared at the feet of the black-robed mage, looking as if it was going to swallow him whole. This was a high level fire magic spell, and had incredible destructive abilities. Willem used wind magic to lift himself up away from the whirlpool to the surprise of the onlookers. Now the onlookers understand what kind of duel this was going to be, a Fire Grand Mage versus an unknown wind mage. They watched intently as it was very rare to see Grand Mages fight, and treated it as a lesson.


    The fire mage sent a swirling vortex of fire from the magma whirlpool to engulf the robed mage. All of a sudden, the rocks from the magma flew from the spell and became a shield for the wind mage. That was when the onlookers realized he was a dual caster. Dual casters were rare in that they possessed the magical ability to harness two magical elements while the primary mages could only handle one. Though collectively weaker, as they cannot specialize in one element, they had a lot more diversity in their tactics.


    The fire mage looked on hesitantly, and attempted to bombard the earth shield with the leftover fire from the vortex. The rocks took the brunt of three hits before it collapsed. The fire mage gave a sigh of relief and was about to send the final strike to his opponent when he realized that the mage was no longer within his earth shield. During the exchange, Willem took a moment to cast a water image spell, reflecting a mirror image of him within the earth shield. He simultaneously casted the darkness spell camouflage he had previously used in the Astral Spider fight. While the fire mage fought with his mirror image, he quietly snuck behind his opponent and chantlessly casted a fire magic spell.


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    By the time the mirror image had disappeared, it was already too late for the fire mage. Sensing some killing intent behind him, the fire mage spun around with force as a billow of flame came from his cape. The fire lashed out from his magical cape in an attempt to consume the black-robed mage. Instead, when the black-robed man raised his hand, the flame stopped its charge toward him and fell to the ground in obedience. The fire mage looked on incredulously, and heaved a sigh of defeat. Seeing his opponent was a multi caster, he knew he was doomed to fail since the start. Multi casters had the innate ability to control three or four elements, and one of the most famous multi casters was the One True King. In the history of humans casting magic, there has only been an instance of ten multi casters. This was even less than the number of Grand Mages in the Magic Academy. They were an incredibly rare and mysterious existence, which explained why he had no idea there was one here.


    "I have been defeated. You hold the power to defeat a Grand Mage, so you should not hide your face. Show us who you are." The fire mage still maintained his lie even though he was beaten. If the students came to know he had lied to them he would be better off dead.


    "I am the Grand Mage of Darkness, Grandia."


    Willem did not use his earth magic enhanced voice. He spoke with his normal unexpressive tone. The voice he let out burned through the hearts of the onlookers as if their veins had been set on fire.


    The rumors that had been flying about the recently anointed Grand Mage came from the apprentices of Grand Mages themselves. The rumor doubled as a warning to those who crossed his path to not anger him in any way. Now it had been confirmed by the Grand Mage himself.


    The power that came from his voice was infinitely more oppressive than the fire mages. Before the teenager had time to react, Willem burst forth and struck out for his opponents vitals. The fire mage was stirred into action and sent out his magical force as a defense to stop the attack. Just as he erected the barrier, he felt his magical power forcefully taken from him. His mind reeled as the entirety of his magical power was sucked from his body as if entering a void. To the crowd it looked as if the fire mage did not get his barrier up in time, but in truth he had no magical power left to even circulate. His spatial spell poured out all sorts of good materials and he fell unconscious. His last memories before he was knocked out was that of gleaming green eyes with a hint of cold blue light.


    Willem collected the spoils of his victory before looking around at the crowd. The initiates clasped their hands and bowed in fear of the god that stood before them. The woman who had stood by the fire mages side had attempted to flee but was caged in like a desperate animal by the students in the crowd.


    Willed coughed lightly and everyone became completely quiet. No one dared to talk or even breath after his gaze fell on the crowd. He looked at the initiates, then at the girl and lastly the crowd before finally speaking.


    "This boy before you is no Grand Mage. If you doubt my words, then I will show you otherwise." He took from his spatial spell the seal of the Grand Mage. While he did that, he lowered the hood of his robes to show himself. Though his face was still young and slightly childish, he emanated an aura of unbreakable willpower.


    The crowd of onlookers gasped in excitement, for most of them it was the first time they had seen the seal. For most of the students, it was the Grand Mages that they looked up to in veneration. The Grand Mages were an existence that were deserving of praise and admiration, and no one dared to go against their will. If you had qualms with a Grand Mage, you had qualms with all of them. This reason alone was enough for no one to ever dare willingly insult a Grand Mage.


    "Now that you understand, heed my words. Initiates, you must realize that this was caused by your lack of strength. Engulf yourself in studies, and you will never suffer this humiliation again." Willem looked at the initiates with both a compassionate look and an oppressive glare.


    "To those whom have gathered, bare witness to his crimes of attempting to pass himself off as a Grand Mage." Willem circulated his darkness magic into a black tendril and hung the fire mage up by his feet. He used some gossamer from the Astral Spider to tie the boy upside down above the Magic Academy entrance. He then took some ink and wrote in large letters above the hanging boy, "I am not a Grand Mage."


    Willem''s gaze finally rested on the young woman who had joined the fire mage in extorting the initiates.


    "I can see that you like to be subservient, girl, so this is will be your punishment. You will escort the initiates, and anything they ask of you, you will do. If I hear anything about you not obeying this order, I will personally visit you. Relay this order to anyone who questions you."


    Willem waited for her to nod in acknowledgement, and once he received it, he left.


    To Willem, this whole event was a waste of good study time. His punishment on the fire mage may have seemed light, but in the coming days he will be a lot worse off than he was today. Not only did he steal from other students, but he also now could not return what he had stolen from them.


    For the fire mage, this was a fate worse than death.

 37 - Broken Cross

    The confirmation of the Grand Mages identity spread like wildfire among the students. By the time Willem had reached his first class, there was already a group waiting to catch a glimpse of him. Though they did nothing to hinder his path to the classroom, the crowd watched him with jealousy, veneration and fear.


    Willem sent out his magical sense and saw that most of their hearts were filled with anxiety and fear. He looked them right in the eyes until they could no longer keep their heads held high. He made his way into the classroom without saying anything to the crowd. The classroom was quiet as he was the first to arrive.


    Shortly thereafter, the teacher arrived and saw that it was only the two of them, he offered his greetings to Willem. "My greetings to the Grand Mage."


    They engaged in small talk for a little while longer, and Willem told him that he openly admitted to being the Grand Mage so it may be noisy for a while. The talk continued until the class began to pour in with students. A few days had passed and the teenage boys had fully recovered from their punishment. The females had also for the most part finished their punishment as well. So for the first time in a few days, they had a full class arrive to attend the lecture.


    The students of the class already knew exactly who Willem was, but had kept their mouths shut for fear of repercussions. The females of the group had almost finished their punishment, and after one more day would be able to complete it. The males of the group could only keep their head down and hope never to incur the wrath of the Grand Mage again. To their surprise, he neither paid them any heed nor fully ignored them. It was as if the events that transpired between them never existed in the first place.


    The class went on as normal, and no one besides the teacher dared leave the room before Willem stood up and left himself after the lecture had completed. His second and third classes were no different from the first, with people gathered just to watch him and see what he was going to do. By the fourth class, the teachers could no longer tolerate the growing crowds and forcibly dispersed them. Willem sighed in relief when he saw that the door to his last class was devoid of humans to get in his way. He could feel everyone''s eyes watching him, but that did not bother him as much as them actually physically being a nuisance.


    The final class came and went quickly, allowing Willem the chance to finally go and speak with Archus. Once the teacher left, Willem slipped into the shadow of the desk he was sitting at and entered into Archus'' Private Sanctum.


    Archus was busy sifting through papyrus that had slowly accumulated on his desk over the days he was gone. Once Willem had entered the Sanctum, Archus knew immediately and waited for him to come. Willem greeted Archus'' attendants and then briskly walked to the main study room. Seeing that the door was open, he walked in and greeted Archus.


    "Greetings to Master." Willem bowed after sending his magical power over Archus to make sure he was in good health.


    "Ho... I see you got my letter." Archus brows furrowed thinking about the ancient carvings on the walls of the ruins.


    "I came as soon as my classes ended, please pray tell what did you find there that even you did not fully comprehend." Willem summoned two pillow cushions from his spatial spell onto the floor while they conversed.


    Archus stood from his seat and moved to the available cushion. He took out ten pieces of papyrus and handed them to Willem. Each papyrus had complex but convoluted runic symbols. Hidden deep within the convoluted prominent symbols was the complex runic symbols of both the life binding technique and demon summoning technique that was in the red book. Though the designs showing on the papyrus seem to be an amalgamation rather than two separate arrays. They were also of a much lesser quality than those of the ones in the red book.


    Willem sent out his magical sense to scan the area and ensure no one was spying on them, and upon confirming that there was no one he closed the door and sealed the room with magic. Archus knew that for Willem to go to such lengths, this array must be important.


    Willem told Archus about the array and its purpose. He also told his Master about the demon he had sealed in his head once they tried to invade his mind. Archus brows tightened when he heard that a demon had invaded Willem''s soul. To his knowledge, there was no way one could fight against a demon once it entered the mind. To have lasted this long, Willem was already in a league of his own. The only other human known to fight this long was a warlord whom had magical attendants fusing their will with his to fight off the demon. In the end, they had all died and the warlord''s body was taken over. The demon then went on a rampage, killing all the humans in his private army before the demon returned to its realm.


    Willem began to deconstruct the fused array in his mind. Once he had a solid understanding of the formation of the array, he saw a hidden element that was not a part of either array originally. Thus, this could be understood as the array that allowed for both to be fused together. The fusing array seemed very simple, like two dragons dancing around each other. In the middle of the dragon markings was a small broken cross. This was the first time Willem had ever seen the broken cross used in an array, and tried to figure out its meaning. However without more information or a point of reference it held no significance outside this array.


    Archus watched on as Willem seemed to be focusing on his thoughts and doing what he does best, solving puzzles. He calmly waited while sipping on some tea presented to him by an attendant. Once Willem reopened his eyes, Archus patiently waited for his response on the matter.


    "The two arrays are being mixed by a simple fusing array that I have never seen before." Willem took out parchment and steadily drew the fusing array while Archus watched on. The array slowly came into focus, but Archus had never seen the symbols used in the array before. Even the broken cross eluded him as to its meaning.


    At a loss as to what to do, Archus explained further about his journey through the ruins. Due to how close the ruins were to the Bastion of Hope, The One True King asked him specifically to go and survey the area with an emphasis on exploration and not confronting. Once he got there, however, there was no humans or magical beings there at all. Instead only bones and rotting meat permeated the area as if there had been a great untold war. Following the trail of blood and gore led him to the basement of one of the noteworthy buildings within the small town. The basement had long since been destroyed, but after sending his magical sense below the ground, he could tell that there were multiple collapsed tunnels leading further down.


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    He recalls shifting the broken earth and following the tunnels deep within the basement. The tunnels had been hastily dug, there was a severe lack of support structures, which most likely was the reason why they had collapsed. Three hundred feet below the surface, was where he found a room with an altar and multiple pedestals. In the middle of the room was a slab of granite roughly the size of an adult male. The bones that could be found on the granite, however, indicated that it was a female. There was no traces of flesh or blood on the body and all that was left were bones with severe cracks and fractures. The altar had a small basin filled with black blood that continued to gurgle as if it was dancing.


    After that, he hastily writ the designs of the arrays on the walls and left the ruins. Though he said hastily, the entire process of inscribing had taken roughly two or three days time combined with the journey back.


    Willem vividly pictured the story as it unfolded, and was surprised by the old man''s valor. Not many would willing follow a trail or blood and guts just because someone said so. Even Willem would hesitate until he knew what he was up against.


    Willem nodded to Archus and said he would consult with the demon trapped inside him. Before Archus could protest, Willem had already begun his meditation and made his way to the catacombs within his mind.


    He slowly opened the casket and unbound the head of the demon. Rows of teeth could be seen as the demoness hissed and snarled at the boy.


    "Tell me what I want to know, or I will inflict upon you a fate worse than death. Eternal servitude." Willem traced the fusing array in the sand and watched as the demoness'' eyes light up. "Where does this come from."


    She quieted down quickly and instead of snarling, she smiled a toothy grin. "I am so hungry, just a few drops of blood and I probably will not stop talking..."


    "Again, tell me what I want to know and I will consider giving you a reward." Willem could not help but negotiate considering he did not know what the fusing array was with certainty.


    The demoness sighed and told him what she knew about the fusing array. The design was simple because it was ''written by a simple god'' and its purpose was to fuse different arrays together to combine the effects. The broken cross was the symbol of a certain clan of magical beings.


    "The story goes that this clan had a Master who gained strength comparable to the gods, and rewrote the laws governing the world. This caused the other gods to be incredibly angry and a large war broken out among them. For a hundred years, the skies clashed and seethed with anger, thunderbolts would descend from the sky without a rain cloud in sight. The earth would tremor and the seas would boil without any reason. This war was supposedly the cause of the gods falling from the heavens and crashing to this world. The gods that fell to your world were the ones who had lost the battles and were unceremoniously killed. Whether it is true or not is unknown, but the broken cross is the symbol of the Heavenly Dragons clan. The clan is made up of thousands of powerful magical beings who have lived for thousands of years. Stories say that they have a way to pass down their power to their predecessor, adding more power onto their own. This was supposedly how one of the their Masters obtained the strength of a god. The clan is hard to find, and even harder to speak to. Often those who seek the assistance of that clan never return. The stories about that clan permeated the demonic realm for years before it finally died down. Of course this had nothing to do with the demonic realm, so we cared very little to look into it." Finally she finished speaking and tilted her head back with her mouth open, waiting for blood.


    Willem felt that she was holding back some information, but the amount she had provided to this point was enough to start off with. He turned around for a moment and used his spatial spell. From the spell, he poured the Astral Spiders blood into a small wine glass and pretended to slit his wrist. The wound was shallow and not enough to draw blood, but he manipulated it in a way that made it look as if it was real. Since the Astral Spider blood was clear, he used light reflecting magic from a water spell to make it appear red.


    He approached the bound demoness and poured the Astral Spider blood into her mouth. The blood gurgled in her mouth before she swallowed it. Though she had a look of confusion on her face, the blood was enough to sate her thirst for now. She thanked Willem and asked again if he wanted to make a pact.


    This was Willem''s cue to leave, so he re-bound the demoness and left the confines of his mind after resealing the tomb.


    Willem awoke once again and saw that Archus was sitting beside him patiently drinking tea. When he saw that Willem had awoken, he looked worried and anxious.


    "Everything went fine, Master." Willem explained the events that occurred within his mind and further went into detail about the fusing array.


    "Do you think the demoness can be trusted?" Archus was unsure what role she provided for Willem but knew in his heart that demons in general can never be trusted.


    "Not at all, but I scanned her with magical sense to see if her heart fluctuated. I felt nothing, but I would never dare assume that demon''s anatomy and humans are the same. Either way, this is definitely a fusing array. Whether there is something else about it I cannot tell. I would very much like to go to these ruins for myself though." Willem let out a sigh and a gentle smile towards his mentor.


    "Then it shall be done." Archus withdrew two wine cups and filled them with crushed redberry wine. The taste was simple and delicate, which was perfect for Willem''s underdeveloped palate.


    "A toast, to good magic and a long life." Willem and Archus raised their glass before drinking.

 38 - Crafting

    After finishing off the glass of redberry wine with Archus, Willem left his Master''s Private Sanctum and diffused the alcohol in his blood with magic. He said his goodbyes to Archus'' attendants and slipped into the shadow of the wine glass he had set on the desk to be cleaned. When the attendants first met Willem, they had never seen magic like this and were naturally curious, but after seeing it so long they were now quite used to it.


    While gliding through the darkness and heading toward the school, he sent a shadow to watch the initiates and see how they were doing. The subservient woman was performing her duties amicably for fear of defying the Grand Mages orders. Whenever the initiates told her to do something, she immediately did it without hesitation. The initiates were also careful not to ask anything dangerous or risky of the attendant to ensure there was no future problems from the woman who was still stronger than them in her own right.


    In Willem''s eyes this was a mutually beneficial punishment, the initiates received guidance from the attendant who was not bad in her studies and she learned some humility. Whether she learns her lesson from this punishment or not was the real question after this was over. Once he confirmed everything was in order, he sent another shadow to seek out the fire mage that he had exposed as a fake. Eventually he found him after passing through a carefully constructed magical barrier that was set in place by four advanced mages. The four mages had been torturing and beating the fire mage once they heard the truth about his identity. They had broken multiple bones and had even gone so far as to tear out his finger nails and toe nails. The scene was quite horrific, considering the students in the Magic Academy were between the ages of twelve and twenty.


    It seemed as though one of the advanced mages was the leader of this little band of torturers, as he was the one covered in the fire mages blood. He displayed knowledge of the intricacies of water magic as he used a dagger to slice off pieces of skin from the fire mage and then used water magic to heal the wounds. The fire mage yelped in pain until his voice was hoarse, and when he could take no more punishment all that could be heard was soft crying. Presumably they had been torturing him like this for hours about what had been taken from them. At this point, the other advanced mages no longer had any interest in trying to get information out of him about their missing magical items. Once they realized he had passed out from the pain, they bound his hands and feet and tied him up to a metal pole within the magical barrier to deal with for another time.


    When they had left, Willem quickly sent his mind into the fire mage''s memories while he was defenseless, and checked to see what he had revealed under the torture. What he saw inside was quite a surprise, not only did the fire mage do his best to endure the pain for hours but he also did not reveal what had happened to the magical items. Though there were many students who saw what happened and watched Willem take the magical items, no one would willingly come forth and tell the advanced mage about it for fear of repercussions from the Grand Mage. The fact that everyone acted so tight-lipped about the situation was a great deterrence to the advanced mages whom had been stolen from, until they happened upon the fire mage who was attempting to go into seclusion. They determined that while he was weak it would be easy to capture him and torture him for information on the events that transpired. Willem had predicted that all of this would happen except for the fact that the fire mage kept his mouth shut.


    Willem thought for a while and decided to help the fool out. He had already gone through his punishment that the Grand Mage had given him, and there was no longer any bad blood between them. Willem took his unconscious body into the darkness and sent him deep into the mountains for seclusion. Willem carved out a hole in the mountain with earth magic, large enough for a young adult to enter and leave. He provided a cheap cot, a small bundle of firewood and some cheap anti-infection cream for the weak mage''s open wounds. As for surviving, that would be up to the fire mage''s luck and willpower. Even this could be considered a gracious gift considering the past events between them. Once Willem had done this for the fire mage, he purged his mind of all things to do with the young man and returned to the Academy.


    Willem met up with Kinsey and told her about what had happened in the morning when they parted ways. Though she was genuinely surprised, she said nothing about it when he revealed that he helped out the fire mage. Kinsey knew that Willem was not often one to help someone who once bared their fangs at him. Perhaps the fire mage had done something that caught the attention of her Master. While she thought about what that might have possibly been, Willem teleported both of them back to the Private Sanctum.


    Kinsey immediately went and prepared some tea for her Master when they had arrived at their destination.


    Willem went to his study room and took out the body parts of the hellboars that he had previously stripped apart. The hides had finished tanning and curing within his spatial spell and were now pliable. He pictured the measurements of Eli and Mark from when he last saw them, and began to fashion leather armor befitting their size. Due to the immense size of the hellboars, he was able to make not just a leather chestpiece, but also legguards and armguards with boots and gloves. On the armor, Willem sketched the complex runic symbols from the red book while sending earth magic into the individual pieces. As he sent the earth magic into the runic symbols the hide began to toughen and constrict as if it was becoming heavier. By the time the runes were inscribed, the leather was as heavy as mithril armor but had much more maneuverability. He etched on each piece of armor a large ''G'' for Grandia, and began working on the next hellboar hide. The first set of hellboar armor had taken four hours to make, which was an hour more than it would normally take for each runic symbol. This was due to Willem taking his time to focus on the crafting of the runes, making as little mistakes as possible.


    Sixteen hours after he had begun, he was finally finished with the hellboar armors. The first two armors were made for Sir Kris and Mark. Knowing that both favored heavy armor and defense, Willem had it in his mind to make them the strongest earth magic armor he possibly could. This earthen based hellboar armor had pieces of thick stubby rocks sticking out from them like barbed armor. For the other two armors which would be given to Sir Rowan and Eli, Willem fused wind magic into the runes. This made the leather armor lightweight while maintaining its ease of use.


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    The way Willem created the armor, it needed certain criteria instead of material to activate. For the earthen armor, as long as one planted both their feet on the ground they would have the strength of a mountain complimenting their defense. For the wind armor, as long as there was even a little wind resistance from movement, it would activate and augment the user with the force of a small hurricane. For the wearers of both armors, it would be as if you were an unstoppable force or an immovable object.


    Once he had finished crafting the armor, he took out the bones of the hellboar. The bones had been stripped clean of ligaments, muscle and meat. The bones themselves were thick and just applying normal magical power to augment his strength, he was only able to leave a small crack in one. They were the ideal material for weapon crafting, but only a master weaponcrafter would be able to make full use of them. For now, they would have to stay in his spatial spell until he can find a master weaponcrafter that he knows is trustworthy.


    Willem then took from his spatial spell a mithril longsword, two mithril daggers, a mithril battleaxe, a mithril mace and two dark iron shields. Though mithril was rather expensive, the fact that he was a Grand Mage played a large part in his ability to acquisition rarer materials. He set them on the table and began to think about what magic he wanted to imbue in them. For him, these weapons and armor were going to be paramount in his plan for dealing with the war with minimal casualties. He thought about how his Father may not have lost his life if he had better equipment that day when he went to fight the magical beast, and focused everything on the crafting of the weapons.


    Roughly four hours later, the weapons sat on his desk, each one with complex runic symbols gently glowing.


    When he had begun to think about how he wanted to magically imbue the weaponry, he had an interesting idea. If he could somehow imbue the runic symbols with magical potions, he would not need to constantly expend his magic power into the weapons. This allowed him to focus more on crafting the runes, as well as being able to try different potions with different effects in weapons. For a sample test, he took out a dark iron dagger and began to carve out the runic symbol. During the carving, he poured a magical potion into it that allowed one to temporarily grow in size to a giant.


    Once the carving had been complete, he saw that the dark iron dagger runes glowed a faint grey color, the same as the color of the potion. No matter how he tried to suppress the glow, it still shined magically as if someone was activating the effects. He used his magical perception and saw that it had a hazy grey color faintly glowing from it. He picked up the weapon and sent magical force into it. The effect of the potion activated and Willem''s body began to grow in size. He now stood ten feet tall, which was rather small for a giant. It could be understood that some of the magical ability was lost in the fusion of the runes and the magical potion. This would generally mean that the effects of the potion were greater when consumed, but the weapon was sustainable and possibly permanent.


    Willem thought about it for a moment, then quickly attempted to do the same thing with the runes he had been learning in his class at the Magic Academy. He used his weakest level one health potion and attempted to fuse it with the most basic runic symbol into an iron sword. The liquid of the health potion dropped onto the runes, but did not attempt to fuse with the symbols. Instead it dripped down the sword and onto the floor wastefully.


    From this, Willem conjectured that the basic runic symbols did not have the capability to fuse anything but the basic elements. This would also explain why neither the Grand Mages, Knight Captain, or Advanced Guard had any weapons of advanced specialization from potion fusion. What he could not understand, is that this was in a red book accessible to those who could enter the restricted section of the Grand Library. How come no Grand Mages had attempted this before? No matter how much Willem thought about it, he could not come to any solid conclusion. When next he saw Archus he intended to ask, since they would be seeing each other soon.


    Once his experimentation with the potion had proven successful, he used level four potions to fuse with the complex runic symbols of the weapons.


    Willem actually took out papyrus and squid ink, which he had not done in quite a long time. He carefully wrote down his findings onto the papyrus before retiring to bed. Kinsey had already fallen asleep some time ago, and only when Willem had entered the bed did she begin to slowly open her eyes.


    From the corners of her eyes, small drips of tears appeared as strong arms wrapped around her slim figure. The tears did not come from pain, or fear, but from longing. The warmth she was used to had finally returned, and she fell asleep very quickly.


    Willem watched as Kinsey''s emotion changed from anxious to comfortable, and finally complacent. He scanned his surroundings once more with magical sense, then closed his eyes to meditate.


    The contents of the Papyrus:


    Magical Longsword (White Glow) - Piercing - Ability to deal debilitating blows with higher accuracy based on the knowledge of the user. (Activation - Held at top grip)


    Magical Dagger (Red Glow) - Frenzy - Each consecutive attack deals accumulative damage to the target up to twenty times. (Activation - Spoken Word - Frenzy)


    Magical Dagger (Blue Glow) - Vigor - Depletion of stamina and strength from overuse is halved. (Activation - Spoken Word - Vigor)


    Magical Battleaxe (Black Glow) - Destruction - Successful hit against perceived enemy causes conflagration and grievous wounds. (Activation - Two hands on weapon)


    Magical Mace (Green Glow) - Renewal - Increased healing factor based on previous damage taken. Detached limbs regrown over a long length of time. (Activation - Hand at base)


    Magical Shield (Silver Glow) - Armory - Multiple smaller shield brace the large shield from initial impact for dispersion. (Activation - Spoken Word - Armor)


    Magical Shield (Brown Glow) - Reflect - If perceived enemy inflicts damage on user, they take damage equivalent to fifty percent. (Activation - Spoken Word - Thorns)

 39 - Amalgamation

    The meditation proved useful, as he was able to make a breakthrough in terms of the use of the fusing array. Hopefully through a series of tests, Willem could use the fusing rune with the complex runic symbols for magical weapon enhancement and the potions and create a magical weapon with one hundred percent efficacy.


    When he finished his meditation, he awoke to the smell of bacon and cockatrice eggs. Normally for mages food was not necessary and was viewed as a delicacy due to the fact that magic could permeate their body so that they never starve. In this regards, mages ate because they could, not because they had to. If there was ever an instance where they had no food or water available, their magic power would keep them fed and hydrated.


    Willem consumed his breakfast slowly and methodically, picking apart his favorite pieces of bacon and slowly eating them while watching Kinsey. Whatever had happened after he had fallen asleep, Kinsey was not the same this morning as she was last night. Attempting to deal with her change of emotions was very tiring indeed. Willem drew and took a quick bath while Kinsey finished up some of her apothecary experiments.


    What he did not know was that when Kinsey had awoken, she found herself on top of Willem with her hand firmly grasping his penis. Still half asleep, she fumbled out of bed after letting him go and quickly took a bath. However no matter how much she tried not to think about it, the event would slowly creep back into her mind.


    While he was in the bath, Archus had arrived at his Private Sanctum to speak with him. Archus quietly waited for him to remove himself from the bath while Kinsey made him some tea. Though it was not to the meticulous standards of his attendants, the tea was still not bad at all. Willem had felt the presence of Archus with magical sense and finished washing up. When he emerged, his hair was only slightly wet but all in all he looked ready to go.


    Willem bowed first and offered his greetings. "Good morning Master."


    "Good morning. Your request last night is pending approval by the One True King. Before he sends you out to investigate, he wants to know all of your magic to ensure there is no danger. I came to consult with you first since we both have a copy of all your abilities that we have tested. If you are okay with him knowing, we can give it to him and he can approve the expedition." Archus spoke quickly and to the point so as to not bother Willem''s daily routine.


    "Of course, Master. The sooner I get to investigate those chambers, the better." Willem drank the tea that Kinsey had prepared for him once he left the bath.


    "Then I will take my leave and get the request approved. I will send someone to let you know when you are good to go." Archus finished his tea, cupped his hands and chanted a teleportation spell. The gravity around Archus intensified as his form began to warp, and he blinked away leaving a temporary spatial distortion. After five seconds, the spatial distortion crackled and finally unfolded, returning to its original unaltered form.


    Willem thought about the implications of telling the One True King about his abilities. He does not owe his allegiance to the King, despite living in the Bastion of Hope and being a mage of the Magic Academy. Though he felt this way, he would never openly say such a thing as it would be considered blasphemous. The last thing he needs while studying is to be abducted as someone attempting to conspire against the King.


    Willem went about his normal routine, teleporting to the entrance and going the separate way from Kinsey. No one dared hinder Kinsey while she was in the mountains as they saw she was the attendant of a Grand Mage and was quite brilliant in her own right.


    Classes came and ended quickly, and Willem had yet to hear back from Archus. He went to the library and entered the restricted section to acquire more books.


    At the Royal Palace.


    Archus had just arrived at the Royal Palace and entered the royal chambers. The King had been waiting for his arrival and offered his greetings. When they began to talk, Archus had neglected to tell the King about Willem housing a demon within his body, but other than that elaborated about what he had found in the ruins. He explained about the fusing array and said "Willem would need to be sent down to further understand the runes. This is the information you had asked for."


    Archus opened a tome that had multiple types of writing in it. Some parts were in the common tongue, others were in magical scripture and the most important parts detailing the abilities were written with a cipher only Archus and Willem knew. This was the best way for the information about his abilities not to get out in case of an accident.


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    Archus deciphered the code for The One True King and left him to his reading. He cupped his hands, gave a deep bow, and closed the doors behind himself.


    The first of all the information was the experimental data. The experiments only ever had one subject, and the experiments done on this subject were borderline treasonous. Extensive torture, slicing and mutilation of body parts, drawing blood to mutate and re-injection into the body. Whomever the subject of the tests were, they had an ungodly ability to survive. Whatever monster could survive all this... Was not human. The King had asked for information on Grandia, and could not believe that this book was the correct one. A young boy of barely thirteen could not endure the torture that this book described in meticulous detail.


    He continued to read. When his wife appeared to speak with him, he did not set down the tome. He kept it at his side while he delegated tasks, solved the problems only he could solve, and when he was done he went right back to reading. His children came and went, seemingly displeased with his lack of attention given to them, but he simply did not have the time to deal with their whims. Especially the young prince who had been asking nonstop about the identity of Grandia and his ''attendant''.


    The King struggled with himself as he continued to read. He saw that the experiments were beginning to get incredibly more bizarre, replacing limbs with monsters body parts and blood transfusions of magical beasts. No matter what the subject went through, the results would always be the same, the host would adapt to the change and there would be no negative effect. The host perfectly accepts the foreign cells, body parts and treats them as their own. From his basic understanding of magical beings, there is only one creature that had this ability, and it was a changeling.


    Changelings were strange creatures, small and tricky with the ability to morph into anything they see fit. Though they could not copy the abilities of anything they changed to, their size and mass could be altered to a certain point. They were a small part of the ''fairy'' tribe of old legends. This was the first and only being the King had brought to mind when thinking about the data that was in the books. The King did not know how Archus and Willem had gotten a hold of a changeling, nor why he had only heard about it just now.


    He continued to read, with the thought of the changeling being the test subject. The subject had the ability to not only fuse with the limbs of monsters, but also consume and absorb their abilities to use at a later time. Once the subject had absorbed a basilisk fang, it became immune to the magical beasts deadly venom and stone gaze. Upon consuming the flesh of a Red Bellied Wyvern, the subject became flame resistant and developed scales along its body that increased its hardness. The King did not know that changelings had this ability, and continued to read. The more he read, the more scary the subject became.


    Broken fang of a vampire bat with the ability to drain full adults of their blood. Kelpie fur, with their ability to swim underwater, morph their bodies and resistance to water based magic. This ability to morph their bodies in particular was a strange one to document, as changelings already had the ability to alter their form. If the subject was not a changeling, then what was it?


    Gossamer of the arachne, said to be among the sturdiest of spider threads. A drop of griffin blood, which gave talons and a wingspan. Cockatrice beak, ability to turn flesh to stone. Thunderbird feather with the power to call lightning. From the kitsune came the ability to charm and confound foes with eye contact.


    A clump of dirt from the body of an earth golem, allowing mastery of earth spells and resistance to earth based attacks. The eye of a cyclops gave the subject foresight of up to ten seconds and the ability to manipulate metals. The cloth of an exorcised wraith, granting the ability to touch ethereal creatures.


    The King had read enough, he put down the book and rubbed the bridge of his nose as if some great difficulty had befallen him. Whatever this thing was, it could be considered the greatest threat to the humans. Each of these monsters could be considered difficult in their own right to the army, excluding the Grand Mages of the Magic Academy and himself. Now he has learned that an amalgamation of the worst horrors known to humankind has been in the Bastion of Hope under his nose for a while.


    The King called for his retainers and sent a missive to be given to the Grand Mage Archus to be summoned to the Royal Palace at once.

 40 - Phantasm

    When Archus arrived, the tome he had given to the King was thrown in his face aggressively.


    "I read about the experiments you did to this subject. What did you think these tests would gain? You have risked the safety of the Bastion of Hope. Hopefully you came to your senses and killed the monster... " The King had his hands out as if pleading for the Grand Mage to offer him solace.


    The Grand Mage did not speak, but rather placed the tome back on The King''s desk and opened the page to the next section after the experimentation.


    The next section of the book detailed the progress of the subject in regards to magic. Thanks to the Kelpie Fur, Red Bellied Wyvern flesh, dirt of the earth golem, and the drop of griffin blood, it gave the subject increased control over the four elements. The training in these four elements did not last long before mastery.


    Fire magic was the quickest to learn. Minor spells like firebolt, fireblast, wall of flames, flame sphere as well as spell fusions with earth, like magma whirlpool and eruption were learned within five days. The next to learn was earth magic. Minor spells were mudball, wave of earth, pit trap, and earth shield as well as the aforementioned fusion spells.


    The King''s brows furrowed. Not only was the subject a magical being that could absorb the abilities of rare monsters, it also had the ability of a dual caster... He continued to read, and his gaze soon could not even leave the page to look at Archus.


    Week three was water magic. Healing, wave of water, whirlpool, waterbolt and globe as well as fused magic with wind to create rainfield and mist. Week four was wind magic. Windbolt, wind wall, windspear and tornado. Within a month, subject had mastery over the four basic elements with insights into the nature of all four elements.


    The way the writing was done made the King see the subject not as someone who was tortured, but as someone who was like a family member. Archus whom had been his loyal subject for quite some time, would never go against his wishes in raising a monster to send against the Bastion of Hope.


    Once the King had finally understood who the subject was, he gave a wry smile and put his head down in shame.


    Archus spoke gently. "I did say I was giving you the information about Willem."


    "I did not put two and two together. I even went so far as to surmise you had raised a monster against me. You have my apology, Archus." The contents of the experiments were so horrific, the King dared not think that Archus had the ability to torture his own apprentice this way.


    "Do not think bad of me, my King. This torture was self induced, Willem did it all himself. I merely recorded the information based on what he told me about how he felt. When he found out he could absorb the abilities of monsters, even he was surprised. I had never heard anything like it in my life." Archus looked both pragmatic and sorrowful. "That boy is a gift from the gods sent to the Bastion of Hope, and all we have given him is regrets. This is the one thing I wish I could change in my lifetime."


    The King patiently listened as Archus explained what Willem had gone through. From his Father and Mother''s death, to his apprenticeship in the army and the breaking of his arms. His release from the army and attack and kidnapping of his friends, to the rescue of his friend and the destruction of the Golden Dragon Family. Lastly he spoke about the missing locket given to him by his Father, where he explained that any attempts to see where the locket had been taken was obstructed even when using the scrying orb.


    The King leaned back in his chair, thinking about everything he had just heard. If he was in the shoes of the boy, he might have left the Bastion of Hope to its fate and gone into isolated training. He thumbed through the tome into the next section. This was when the cipher kicked in and the words slowly unlocked.


    Darkness Magic:


    String of Fate - Anything the darkness magic invades, it can control. Considered mind magic and control magic. Subject can attack the mind and body through any wound, where they can take control of the defender and do what they want. The stronger the entity, the longer the control magic will take to fully assimilate. Once control is established, user can do whatever they want with the body and mind, including manipulate memories and move according to the users thoughts.


    Darkspear - Spears come from any source of darkness, and can pierce through incredibly tough armor. Tested and confirmed to pierce through level eight magical beast hide (Khepri). Spears do not have a minimum or maximum amount of summons.


    Command over undead - Not only can the subject control the living, they can also raise corpses from the grave and control the recently deceased. Can give partial sentience to the undead though they are not actually living (primary use is to take orders).


    Plague Field - Fifty feet in all directions from subject. Field is created that combines darkness with multiple deadly poisons, rotting the ground and enhancing the abilities of the undead. Field can be placed wherever subject wishes, at a moments notice.


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    Black tendrils - Tendrils are formed from black magic, that wrap around as per the subject''s wish. Primarily control type, can also be summoned from any form of shadows. Presumably unlimited use.


    Slipstream - Instant teleportation through anything that casts a shadow, into anything (ignores most barriers) and has a seemingly unlimited range. According to subject, they have been as far as the scar of the world by the fallen gods.


    Enshroud - Manipulates darkness to hide form. Subject becomes completely invisible, except their footsteps can still be seen pressing into the ground. Sounds and smells disappear without a trace.


    Umbral blade - Darkness magic can be directly manipulated and used as a weapon, primarily in the form of a dagger extending from the sleeve of the subject.


    Dark Cloud - Ability to manipulate darkness magic to create a sphere of darkness that is roughly five hundred feet wide. Thick enough to block out the sun''s light.


    Meteor of the Beast - Summoning Magic capable of calling forth a hell hound from the demonic realm. Subject expends most magic not during the incantation but attempting to maintain the presence of the hell hound.


    True Death - Tear apart the limbs, eviscerate the body, destroy the veins and the mind. As long as the soul remains intact, everything can be regenerated or regrown.


    Aura of Darkness - Subject steals from nearby shadows and wraps them around himself. Those within its area of effect become lethargic and are subject to attacks of the mind. Subjects darkness magic becomes stronger.


    Darkness Healing - Heal most types of injuries, but utilizes alot less magic than true death.


    The One True King had a cold sweat running down his back. If what this journal is saying could be taken as fact, even he might not be a match for the young boy at this point. He personally has witnessed Meteor of the Beast and True Death, so the others would most likely be true. He sighed heavily and approved the request for Grandia to go visit the ruins. At this point in time, Grandia was no longer a Grand Mage... He had the same standing as the King himself.


    The King gave the missive to Archus and sent him on his way. When Archus left he began to re-read the tome from the start.


    Inside the Grand Library.


    Willem had patiently waited for Archus while reading over the books in the restricted section. Most of the books had to do with summoning while using human sacrifices. Some had to do with lost magic capable of destroying large cities the size of the Bastion of Hope. He read through whatever peaked his interest, and when he got bored he would leave the restricted section and just sit in the Grand Library, watching the other students.


    He often saw a girl reading here, and from what he could surmise she was also around eighteen. She had brown hair but a face full of freckles, and she was incredibly clumsy. Whenever she got up to leave, she would often trip over herself, causing a spectacle. Today she was nowhere to be found, and he was quite curious where she was. He began to meditate, and sent a shadow to go search for her. Following the magical sense he felt from her, he saw that she was in an intermediate study room, surrounded by other students. The students seem to be attacking her by pulling at her hair and throwing her around the room. The majority of the students doing the bullying are girls, but the males in the back looked like hungry wolves eyeing their prey.


    Her face had been struck multiple times by the girls and welts were beginning to form on her face. She was softly whimpering while crying but did not dare to look her attacker in the eyes. She kept her head down as they began to kick her and spit on her. Once the girls were done, the boys moved in and lifted her body off the ground. With their hands around her throat, they tossed her across the room onto the teacher''s desk, where they began to rip her clothes. She put up a resistance and did her best to fight back against the men, to which one punched her in the stomach to stop her from struggling against them.


    She could no longer summon the strength to struggle as tears rolled down her face. They tore off her robes, revealing soft supple skin beneath and began to remove their robes as well.


    From the corner of her eye, she saw a shadow watching over her in the corner of the room. It looked like a phantasm, with piercing white eyes as if it understood the truth of the world from watching what was happening to the girl. She was the only one to notice the phantasm, and she mouthed a simple sentence before passing out.


    "I offer my soul, please save me."

 41 - Approval

    "Offering your soul? How could it possibly be so simple..." Willem watched as the boys removed their robes and started having their way with her body. The girls watched, captivated, but did not do anything to interfere with the events. The teenagers roughly tossed her limbs out of the way, using her body like a rag doll to feed their selfish sexual desires. Willem tied a black string to each body of the people in the study room without them knowing, and the phantasm disappeared into the shadow it came from.


    The simple truth of this young girl''s life is that this was not the first time. She came from a simple family, with two younger brothers and one younger sister. Her father was a smith and her mother tended to the neighbors farmstead, and she was the only one in the family to show magical aptitude. The whole family put everything on her becoming a mage, not knowing the rules of the Magic Academy. Once you became a member of the Magic Academy you were no longer a part of your old family. There was a few ways around this, but none of those methods were available to the young girl. She had no latent genius talent when it came to being a mage, and did not carry the favor of any Grand Mage. Her clumsiness made it impossible for her to be a calligrapher or botanist. These truths were not lost to her, and she did her best to carve out her own part in the Magic Academy. She would often be found in the Grand Library, reading about mind magic, which fascinated her the most.


    One day, while studying in the Grand Library, a certain advanced earth mage took an interest in her. His interest was purely sexual, and he looked at her with the eyes of a beast in heat. He talked to her and explained that he was making a study group devoted to learning mind magic. Seeing that she was so interested, he invited her to join him and other like-minded students. Though the look he gave her creeped her out immensely, this was a rare occasion for her whom had made no friends and only studied all the time. She hesitantly packed up her books and headed with him to an intermediate study room. Inside, what awaited her was not a warm and welcome group but a bunch of delinquent looking older students. Before she realized what was happening the door had been blocked and she was being beaten by the older female students. The students forced her to drink mind numbing alcohol, which was fairly easy to concoct for potioneering majors. While she was under the effects of the mind numbing alcohol, her body acted as if it was not her own. She lost control of her limbs and bladder, pissing herself all over the floor.


    The males of the group watched and laughed, kicking her and spitting on her. To them, she was just a stress reliever from having to study so hard in the Magic Academy. The earth mage did not just randomly pick someone from the Grand Library. He had been stalking her for a week, making sure she had no affiliations with any powerful figures or was the attendant of any wealthy nobles. When he was certain she was a nobody, he made his move. When the females finished beating her, they ripped her clothes off for the males. This became the first time her body had ever been looked at by people other than her family. The earth mage took the initiative, removing his robes and plunging himself into her soft body. Her first experience would have been a traumatizing one, if she had not drunk the mind numbing alcohol. To the young girl whom had drunk the mind numbing alcohol, this was just a fuzzy dream which she was sure she would wake up from soon. Without her knowledge, her virginity had been taken and her body was an outlet for the repressed sexual frustrations of the males in the room.


    One by one they took their time using her orifices, until they had finally had enough of her. She was then forced to drink more mind numbing alcohol, until eventually she passed out from the effects. While she was passed out, she began to seize violently. The students watched her amusingly, and began to mock her as the seizure continued. Once they were done playing with her, they left her stripped body on one of the desks and left the study room with the door wide open. The students passing by the room noticed the smell of urination and looked in only to find a passed out eighteen year old girl fully unclothed. The more daring of the boys used her body before quickly leaving, while the other ones watched on.


    After a few hours, the girl finally woke up. When she did, she found that she was completely alone, in the intermediate study room. When she attempted to sit up, she found herself racked with pain. She had never felt pain like this before in her life and she quickly tried to recall how she had gotten to this point. When she sat up, a squelching sound could be heard from underneath her. She finally noticed after sitting up that she was not wearing any clothes, and that they were crumpled on the ground with multiple torn pieces of fabric. She gently moved her fingers to her lower body, and saw a white liquid dripping from her. She began to gently weep once she came to the realization of what had happened. She quietly cleaned up her body with water magic, and tried to put on her robes. She saw that on the robes, the fasteners no longer worked and would have to be sewn back on properly. This meant without her physically holding onto the clothes, half her body would be exposed.


    She rushed out of the intermediate study room and raced to the dorms, where she openly wept while fixing her clothes. In the morning, she went to the guards room and explained the situation. Unfortunately for her, she was not of a noble family and events like this were not uncommon for people without connections. She had no one in the guard-room who was a confidant, or would personally look into her issue. All she could do was file a report like other victims, and wait to hear back from the guards. Once she was done filling out the report, she tried her best to get through the day as if it was just as normal as any other. However there was a lingering feeling within her that something was wrong her with body. Within her body was an increasing sense of dread, and finally her body locked up and began to seize. In the middle of class, she fell from her desk and began to violently shake on the floor. The teacher ordered a student to take her to the infirmary, where water mages monitored her life force.


    When she finally awoke again, she was not where she used to be. The sun was beginning to set, even though she had just been in class in the morning. The water mages told her what had happened, and left her to the terrifying truth. Her body would never be the same again, all because of this one diagnosis. She cried gently as she tried to move herself from the bed, an increasing sense of betrayal building up inside her. Once she was all done crying, and her body had felt completely numb, she lifted herself from the bed out of the room and back to her dorm.


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    Since that day she could no longer look anyone in the eyes, and instead went to the Grand Library and hid herself within the books. She would have multiple small seizures during the day, but they were for the most part manageable. She no longer went to her classes, and did not talk to anyone. Due to her clumsiness, combined with her new seizures, she would often fall over and re-injure her body from attempting just to stand up and leave. Day after day her body was racked with pain even though it was magically being healed.


    Then, one day, the advanced earth mage appeared in front of her again. Fearing for her life, she did as she was told and followed him obediently to the intermediate study room. She was beaten and taken advantage of multiple times within the first few months. Any signs of struggle were met with broken bones, and even more malicious attacks ensued when word got out that there was a formal investigation started by the girl. She was quickly taught to obediently go to the intermediate study room every three days or they would find her and beat her mercilessly. She tried to leave the school multiple times but could not leave because of her active status as a mage. She tried to hide herself away in the mountains but was found by one of her attacker''s tracking magic.


    Though she always fought back and attempted to struggle a little bit, inside she was resigned to her fate. Until the day that she saw the phantasm that no one else seemed to notice. She thought it was the goddess of death finally coming to reap her soul. There were many stories of abused women who would offer their souls to the goddess of death, and they would be granted immeasurable power to kill their attackers before dying themselves. She finally thought that her torture was over, however the phantasm just stared at her without moving or offering solace. Finally her body could no longer endure, and began to seize as she blacked out.


    Inside the Grand Library.


    Willem had just released his phantasm, and his mind thought about the girl for a long while. Though he was reading the words of the open book in front of him, he could not stop thinking about her. He was not the arbiter of justice, of that he can be sure, but he wanted to help the girl. Something told him in the back of his head that she could actually be useful. Willem decided that when next he saw her, he would drop a subtle hint that he was a Grand Mage, and when she begged for his help, he would use the life binding technique to enslave her. From that point on, her life would be tied to his and he could grant her enough power to take her revenge. This was the proverbial killing two birds with one stone, as he had been waiting for a long time to try the life binding technique on someone and he was looking for a new attendant anyways, so it might as well be someone he is at least somewhat familiar with.


    Once he had decided on his course of action, he continued to read the book in front of him until Archus finally returned with the missive in hand. Archus told Willem about the events that unfolded within the royal palace, and he could do nothing but laugh. He never would have thought that his power would be so openly feared by the One True King whom had united the humans of the world. Still, the request was approved and he now had permission to leave the grounds to check out the ruins. The day after tomorrow, he intended to leave and go study the runes in the abandoned town. He conversed with Archus after leaving the restricted section until a swarm of advanced mages came over to request an audience with the two. Being very private people, both of them only offered superficial words before excusing themselves from the students.


    Though Willem had originally intended to leave for the ruins immediately, he was not one hundred percent certain about his current abilities to fight off a stronger demon if he came across one. He knew very little about their physical state, or their abilities besides what the demoness in his mind had shown for skills. Therefore, he would take a bit more time to prepare himself.


    Willem quickly left the Grand Library and waited for Kinsey at the entrance to the Magic Academy. Arm in arm they teleported to the Private Sanctum, where Kinsey was told about the plan he had for the young freckled girl. Though Kinsey was not pleased with sharing her Master, she said nothing because it was not her place. Besides, she had been a bit lonely recently and would not mind a little sister to help out with experiments and feeding the tiger cub. She listened to the plan and when she understood his intentions she nodded her head.


    Kinsey went and prepared food for Willem, herself and the White Tiger Cub. By this time, the cub had grown twice its original size thanks to feeding on the hell boars meat, which for it could be considered a rare delicacy. It''s height now reached up to Kinsey''s calf, and it''s body was the size of an overfed dog often found in the houses of nobles within the Bastion of Hope.


    Willem ate quietly, and began to practice etching the life binding technique on scraps of papyrus. He kept at it for hours, until he was sure it was of impeccable quality. When he was finally finished with the runes, they looked almost identical to the ones found in the red book. Satisfied with his work, he headed to bed and patiently waited for Kinsey to finish the potions she was working on.


    When she was done, she joined Willem in bed. She took off the gently used robes she had worn that day, and her beautiful skin brushed up against Willem. This may be the last time she gets him all to herself, so she intended to go all out tonight.


    She began to gently caress his testicles, and she licked the tip of his penis. His flaccid organ quickly became erect from the pleasure and teasing, and he made her wrap her legs around his head. He began to gently play with her lower body, sticking his tongue out and teasing her with cunnilingus. Willem casted a warmth spell on her lower body just as she was about to climax, which made her orgasm uncontrollably. She did her best to hold on and not stop pleasing her Master, but she could not do anything against the intense waves of pleasure her body was experiencing.


    During the course of the night, they tried many new positions with varying effect. Some of the positions felt much better than others, and Willem made a mental note of the ones that felt good. In the end, the only sound in the Sanctum was the ragged breathing of the two and the soft purring of the White Tiger Cub who was sleeping beside the bed.

 42 - Anna

    "There is still so much to do..." The morning after a long passionate night with Kinsey, Willem reminds himself of all the things that have yet to fall into place.


    He has yet to meet his inscriptionists, which can only mean that the Academy is having a hard time finding qualified students who meet the criteria. Now that Willem is considered a Grand Mage, of course they would only seek the best students for him to order. In this regards, it may be best for him to go and choose the inscriptionists for himself.


    Also he has yet to find a scout of the magical beings that he can dissect to see what makes them different from humans. If this continues, the humans may be at a disadvantage when it comes to the first wave of attacks from the enemies. The only reason Willem has stuck around the Magic Academy to this point is because there is still a wealth of knowledge he has not gone through. To that end he will fight in this war and survive so he can absorb all the information the Magic Academy has to offer.


    "Now we can go get me a little sister..." Kinsey absentmindedly said after she had just finished shining Willem''s shoes. They both made their way to the teleportation array and shifted to the entrance of the Magic Academy. The normal hustle of the students died down considerably when the Grand Mage appeared before them. Ever since the incident with the fake Grand Mage, and the first hand reports coming from the students who saw Archus and Willem together speaking in the library, the student body now understood who the Grand Mage was. This revelation came as quite a shock to all those whom had assumed the person was from the older generation of students, and also to those whom had crossed paths with Willem before. Many students would offer gifts of magical cores and herbs to Willem for favor with the Grand Mage. Though he had no interest in accepting bribes, Kinsey graciously took them all for use in her potion brewing.


    Willem and Kinsey headed to the Grand Library in preparation for the events that were about to unfold. The crowd that had gathered around Willem slowly dissipated when they noticed an aura of malice due to the lack of quiet in the Library. The crowd dispersed quickly and only a few of the gathered students stayed behind to actually read. Willem quietly placed himself close to the young freckled girl whom had already been in the Grand Library since the beginning. Without saying a word, he opened a book and poured over it while Kinsey stood by his side. After five minutes, he had finished the book he was reading and snapped his fingers. Kinsey went and fetched another book from the shelf, handing it to him without saying a word. Instead of saying anything, she wore an expression of confusion and regret, like she had something to say that would get her in quite a bit of trouble.


    Kinsey spoke evenly but carried a hint of regret in her tone. "Master... Would it not be better to attend your lectures? I know you are a Grand Mage, but there are still more personal experiences to learn that you will not find in the Grand Library." She quietly finished her sentence, but all eyes were now focused on Willem. Included in those gazes was the young freckled girl whom had previously had her nose in a book. The book was quietly placed down, and she stared intently at the young boy who looked to be the same age as her. Despite the well known fact that he was a Grand Mage, she did not know of the rumors since she secluded herself in the Grand Library and had no friends to gossip with. She tried to measure the depths of his magical power with her own magical sense, but instead of power it was more like looking into a deep void. She retracted her magical sense and watched as events unfolded. The other students fully expected a show of force from the Grand Mage toward the attendant who clearly did not know her place. Instead, Willem nodded and closed the book he had been handed.


    "Perhaps you are right." Willem stood from his seat and headed for the door. The other students looked on in awe at both Willem and Kinsey. This was the first time they had seen someone so powerful with such humility, and the first time they had seen an attendant with such a brave disposition. They looked on as the figures of the two slowly disappeared toward the classrooms.


    The young freckled girl ducked away from her seat quickly and followed the Grand Mage. If she could somehow convince him to take revenge for her, perhaps things will go back to the way they were before. Before she could reach out to call to the Grand Mage, her heart began to beat rapidly, as if it was pulling all her veins towards the center of her body. Sweat dropped from her brow and her teeth clenched as if she was going to rip off a piece of tough meat. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as her body fell to the floor and began to shake uncontrollably.


    When she awoke, she was lying on a small cot with minimal blankets covering her. There were two shadows to her left, one standing and one sitting. The one that was sitting had a wet cloth that was currently being placed on the girls forehead while the other watched on. Before she was completely coherent, the standing shadow began to remove her clothes. She resisted to the best of her ability, but the lingering effects of the seizure left her weak and tired. Thinking she was going to be raped again, she began to cry softly while begging to be left alone.


    When she was finally awake, and understood what the unknown figure was doing, she stopped fighting. The figure placed its soft fingers along the abdomen of the girl, tracing along the bruises on her flat stomach. It continued to trace along the bruise until the flesh became warm from being rubbed. The flesh became cold, then warm, and back to cold as the capillaries that had ruptured began to reform. The escaped blood returned to the capillaries and the bruise slowly dissipated from beneath the grip of the soft fingers. The young girl watched as the bruise and pain left her body as if it had never been there in the first place. One by one, the figure within the shadow mended bone and healed the wounds on the young girl''s body. The pain that accompanied the injured body parts were quickly replaced with a warm tingling feeling.


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    Once the final injury had been healed, the figure pushed the cloth covering the window of the infirmary. The sun shined brightly as the figures were revealed. It was of course, the two people whom she had rushed after when she saw them this morning. Willem and Kinsey took a seat on opposite sides of the naked girl as she laid on the cot softly crying. She immediately recognized the two people whom had helped her, and wiped the tears away from her eyes to get a better look. She did not dare put her clothes back on, even though she was completely naked in front of a young boy the same age as her. The Grand Mage had personally removed her clothes to fix her wounds, putting them back on might accidentally be an insult to him.


    Instead, when her teeth had slowly begun to unclench, she spent the first ten minutes profusely thanking the Grand Mage for personally helping her. Willem made several attempts to stop her from thanking him so much but there seemed to be no end in sight. Once it began to get annoying, he sent out a wave of darkness magic to stun her, shutting her up.


    Her body slightly convulsed as her lungs seemed to deflate. In the back of her mind, a complete sense of dread washed over her as she found it hard to breathe. Looking into the Grand Mage''s eyes was like watching a twisting nether of black. Soon, Willem''s pleasant demeanor returned and Kinsey gently explained that excessive praise is not needed in this situation.


    Willem raised his hand to silence Kinsey, and stood from the chair he had previously been sitting on. "What is the one thing in this world you desire the most, girl?"


    The young girl slowly sat up on the cot but did not say a thing. Her head stared down at her naked body, which was now devoid of injuries. Her hands gently pressed upon where her bruises used to be, and she understood that the injury was completely healed. Even her magical power had slowed down in response to not having to circulate all the time to fix her body. She thought about everything she had recently been through, and how she was going to continue to suffer even when her rapists were gone.


    An imperceptible anger washed over her body, quickly replaced with thoughts of revenge which she quickly tried to hide. No matter how much she fought against her own thoughts, the anger bubbled to the top and thoughts of murdering her rapists forced themselves into her mind. What she did not know was that Willem was constantly forcing her true feelings to come forth and reveal themselves. He watched as she struggled with trying to sort out her own dark feelings. When she finally accepted what she truly wanted, she looked Willem in the eyes.


    "Enough strength to take revenge against my enemies."


    Willem nodded to her and to Kinsey, and passed her clothes back to her. While she put them on, Kinsey talked to her. The deal was that if she willingly served ''Grandia'' he would give her enough strength to take her revenge. She thought about it for a long time before finally agreeing. There were many rumors about Grand Mages, not the least of which was how hard Grand Mages were to indentured attendants. Before they all left, Willem asked her what her mage name was.


    "Atla, M-Master...." She was still unfamiliar with the terminology, as she had never needed to say it before.


    "What was your name before you entered the Magic Academy?" Willem asked.


    "Hmmm... It has been a while since I have been called by my real name. It was... Anna. Anna Atlee." Anna pondered for a moment before suddenly remembering something. A memory of running through fields of potatoes, with her Mother yelling for her to return home and wash up.


    Willem stared into Anna''s eyes until she could no longer look at him. He took both his hands and placed them on the sides of her small face, forcing her to look at him as he talked. "Anna Atlee. Your life is now in my hands. Your enemies are my enemies. My will is your will. In exchange, you receive power the likes of which you have never felt before. I will give you the instruments to take your revenge upon those who have harmed you."


    Anna gulped and nodded when Willem removed his hands from her face. Kinsey stayed three steps behind Willem as he went to collect the herbs from the girls of his class. By now, they should have collected the herbs he had requested. He apologized to the mentor for being unable to attend the class, received the herbs and left without too much inconvenience.


    Anna watched as the mentor bowed to Willem even after he had barged in and interrupted the session. She watched as the boys of the class kept their heads down, while the girls took from their spatial spells the herbs they had collected. Willem nodded and left the class quietly after bowing to the teacher.


    Closing the door behind him, Willem held out both his hands. Kinsey naturally grabbed one, while Anna hesitantly grabbed the other. Before she understood what was happening, she had been teleported to a Private Sanctum.

 43 - Bound For Life

    The first aroma to hit Anna''s nose was the smell of phosphorus. Previously, Kinsey had been experimenting with buds from the igneous flower. The smell had yet to dissipate due to the lack of air flow within the Sanctum. The air only flowed because Willem used wind magic to keep it filtered.


    A quick swipe from Willem''s hand and the smell was gone. Kinsey immediately went to prepare some tea, while Willem and Anna went to the study room. Willem pulled the Red Book from his desk and opened up the pages. Anna looked on quizzically but said nothing until Willem finally noticed that she was making a weird face.


    "Speak your mind, Anna." Willem quietly spoke as he thumbed through the pages of the book.


    "Master, the... The pages of the book are blank? I cannot see them." Anna stuttered but eventually said what was on her mind.


    This came as a shock to Willem, but he had never thought of this possibility. He quickly called for Kinsey who was busy preparing the tea.


    "Kinsey, can you read the contents of the book?" He opened to a page detailing the fall of one of the gods.


    "As my Master wishes... On the eve of the twenty seventh day, month of the jackalope, one hundred and second year, a star descended from the sky. This star was the goddess of hunger, Khali, whom had a thousand mouths all along her body... Shall I continue, Master? Kinsey looked at him questioningly.


    "No, that is enough. You can continue your duties." Willem took the book back and thumbed through it again.


    The fact that both Willem and Kinsey can read the book but Anna could not means that it may be tailor made to darkness magic. If that is the case, the only other person capable of reading this is The One True King. This was the conclusion Willem came to after careful deliberation.


    "Anna, I am going to use a strong technique called life-binding. It is a highly advanced version of the binding I currently have on Kinsey. This technique allows you to fully access my powers and vice versa, but ultimately I will have control of everything you do. You will see everything I see, and obey my commands without me even having to speak them." Willem told her the truth, since for her there was no turning back and he knew it.


    She slowly unraveled the sleeve of her robe to uncover her wrist, where the binding technique was usually placed. Willem could not help but chuckle at the thought. The binding technique on Kinsey fit her delicate wrist perfectly but the life binding technique he was about to employ was the size of a normal human torso. As such, it would naturally have to be placed on the chest or back.


    "I am afraid not, Anna. Chest, or back. You can decide for yourself." Willem pondered about her choice.


    "I will choose my back, Master." Anna spoke with her head to the ground. Her face was devoid of all emotion,


    "Very well."


    Willem waited while Anna slowly disrobed. Her figure was small, with slightly developed breasts and a good hip to waist ratio considering her size. She seemed to be slightly malnourished, and her ribs could be seen quite easily. Typically this would not be the case, as those with magical power would never be lacking in nutrients. The only reason for her look would be a bad sense of magical power. Not being able to fully utilize ones ability can cause shortcomings such as this.


    Anna laid down on the floor as Willem drew a large array with complicated structures. The floor absorbed the mix of herbal paste and magical power as if it was readying itself for a large scale attack, leaving behind only the faint resonating symbols. Willem used magical power to force the study room doors closed, and locked them tightly with a magical seal.


    Willem stood over Anna with an empty chalice, and bit the inside of his cheek. Blood freely flowed from his mouth into the chalice, and from his spatial spell an inking pen placed itself within his hands. He used darkness magic to bind Anna to the floor so she would not be able to move. The tendrils wrapped around everywhere but her delicate back. A quick flash of fear appeared on Anna''s face, replaced by determination a moment later. She bit down on the dark tendril and readied herself for what was to come next.


    Willem dipped the inking pen in the chalice, and began to pierce her back in the form of the array. Each prick of the pen burned through her skin like a wildfire, breaking down the nerves of her body.


    After a thousand pricks of the inking pen, the array was almost finished. Anna''s body was on the verge of collapse, her blood ran freely down her back and onto the floor. The bones inside her body cracked and severed as if she was being mercilessly attacked by a magical beast. Her major and minor internal organs ruptured and blood flowed freely from her eyes. They were nearing the final piercing point of the array, and Willem was also looking worse for wear. The life-binding technique had exhausted almost all of his magical power, but he knew it would have no lasting effects on his abilities.


    When the final piercing point had absorbed the blood from Willem''s inking pen, Anna''s body took on a dark afterglow. Her entire body slumped over and began to melt into the floor. Her consciousness floated as if her body had left the world, and only Willem could see what was going on. As Anna breathed in, the pooled blood from her body boiled. When she breathed out, her skin began to reform. Breathe in, breathe out. Five breaths, then ten and twenty.


    After twenty breaths, her body had reformed. Though the proportions were still the same, her old damaged skin looked brand new, as if it had been replaced with Jade. Her once cold gaze was replaced with a radiant burst of energy. The blood and organs that had previously been on the floor were now in her body, but had been completely healed as if they had never been touched. Much to her own surprise, when she felt her mind returning to her body she could feel that something was restored that had been taken from her.


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    She gently placed her hand on her lower body, and tears rolled down her delicate face. Her beautiful hair regrew to the size it was before the ritual, and her freckles slowly appeared again on her face, one by one.


    Willem watched as all of this happened. Though he looked calm, he could not possibly contain the excitement he felt as he saw her reform her body as if it was brand new. Now that their minds were connected, he could feel every overwhelming emotion pouring out of her body like a spring.


    Anna''s magical power returned to her, but it felt more robust and flexible. The magic flowed through her mind unhindered, and her arms and legs absorbed the magic as if they had been personally made to accept that power. As Anna looked inward, she saw that she no longer had a blue haze, but a solid blue sphere with a black outline. As she reconnected the strings to her magical force, she could finally feel the boundless energy coming from her Master. What was previously a void from her magical sense now seemed like a deep chasm she could safely climb down without fear of being consumed.


    Willem quietly waited for her transfiguration to complete itself. He had exhausted most of his power, save for his base amount to keep him in good health. In his mind he saw memories of Anna before she came to the Magic Academy, of a simple life as a smith and farmhand''s daughter. Frolicking through the potato fields, fighting with the younger siblings and sitting down for big family meals.


    Anna had finished attaching strings to her new magical force, and she could tell immediately that it was at least ten times more powerful than it was before. Before the ritual, she could only be considered a medium to high class beginner in magical aptitude. Now she had enough magical force to be considered a middle class advanced mage. This combined with the new darkness magic she was capable of made her a very fearsome opponent to any who opposed her.


    The last of the blood on the ground congealed and turned black, but neither Willem nor Anna knew why. The black blood crawled up Anna''s body and traced along the life-binding technique to reinforce the symbols. Once the ritual was complete, the symbols on the ground disappeared and the Private Sanctum absorbed the excess magical energies, filtering it and returning it to Willem''s body.


    "How do you feel now?" Willem focused on his thoughts.


    "Good, thank you Master." Anna attempted to do the same as Willem.


    Not a single word was spoken, but they both nodded knowingly.


    "There will be alot of things we have to test, considering this is the first time I have ever attempted the technique. I am sure you have alot of questions." Willem spoke aloud.


    "Only one, right now. What are all these multi colored strings?" Anna questioned.


    Both Willem and Anna focused inward, concentrating on the different colored strings. Willem plucked one of the black strings, and it led him to outside the study room. From there, he could see Kinsey diligently practicing her potioneering. Anna watched on as Willem placed his hand on Kinsey''s back, and her thoughts began to flood the darkness of the world they inhabited.


    Thoughts of having a new younger sister to play with when Master studies, and someone to help feed the White Tiger Cub. Thoughts of how blissful her life is with Willem, and how she would have never thought she could be a part of this life she is living now.


    Willem retracted his hand from her back, and placed the string back where he found it. He then plucked a blue string, and followed it all the way to the Army Training Ground. In the barracks, two brothers sat down as they regaled the other apprentices about how they heroically fought a hell boar. Some of the older boys scoffed at the brothers, while the younger ones listened intently.


    A gentle smile rested itself on Willem''s face unknowingly. Seeing the two brothers being well and staying safe made him happy. Though a person cannot grow strong while being sheltered, of that he knows all too well.


    He placed the blue string back, and finally, plucked the red string. His demeanor changed to that of pure malice and hatred. Anna was also affected by the strength of Willem''s feelings, and her own feelings of wanting to maim and kill bubbled up inside her. Her face contorted into rage as she saw that the red string brought the both of them to the women''s dorm of the Magic Academy. Inside was the woman who had forced Anna to drink the mind numbing alcohol until she passed out, inadvertently causing Anna to suffer from seizures.


    The older woman was quietly sleeping in her dorm, and Willem forced his hand onto her head. Suddenly, cold sweat dripped from her brow as her body twisted and writhed. Willem forced his way into her mind and broke her dream, turning it into a nightmare, wherein she was continually being torn apart by horrific amalgamations of man and beast. After a few minutes, she woke up screaming in horror. Anna watched the entire thing with a sadistic pleasure and was about to go do the same thing, when suddenly she felt a little sick. She looked back at her Master, and saw that he as well was not looking good.


    They both returned to their bodies and Willem explained.


    "We are connected for eternity, Anna. Your sins are mine. Your grievances are mine. Our power and knowledge are shared." I used alot of magical force for the ritual. I need to enter meditation immediately."


    Willem unlocked the seal and opened the doors of the study room.


    "Tonight, we rest. Tomorrow, we hunt."

 44 - Outer Ring

    Kinsey was working on a convergence potion when Willem and Anna emerged from the study room. The first noticeable thing was that Anna came out of the study room completely nude, but it did not seem to bother her at all. The next noticeable thing about the two was the same expression they wore on their faces, and the similar walking pace as they left the room. The assimilation of Willem and Anna left them of one mind, meaning that even subconsciously the latter would begin to portray the former. Kinsey bowed to Willem while manipulating the fire of the burner, and then finished crafting the potion. Once it was completed, she went and made some tea for everyone. The time was nearing supper, and Kinsey was about to go start preparing food when Willem stopped her.


    "We are going to the Bastion of Hope. Make the necessary arrangements." Willem said while grabbing a stack of papyrus from his desk.


    "Yes, Master." Kinsey and Anna said in unison.


    Kinsey went to prepare the clothes Willem usually wore, while Anna went with her to find some clothes to wear. When they emerged from the dressing hall, Kinsey was wearing her usual alluring red dress, and Anna donned a black gown. The gown was borrowed from Kinsey''s wardrobe and was in dire need of adjustment, especially when it came to her upper body. The chest of the dress flowed openly instead of being compressed by mounds of flesh as it should have been. Anna used a strand of black tendril from her new darkness magic, binding it to the clothing to tighten around her body. The black tendril hid exceptionally well against the black of the dress, and it looked like nothing was amiss to the average eye.


    Willem removed his clothes and wore the outfit Kinsey had prepared for him. Though the material itself was of high quality fiber, the earthly tones gave an air of humility and serenity. This little fact helped to keep his presence hidden compared to the two beautiful women by his side.


    "May I ask where we are going, Master?" Kinsey had just finished putting on her boots and was preparing her satchel.


    "There is a smithy in the outer ring we will be going to." Willem answered back.


    "A smithy? Does my previous suggestion displease you?" Kinsey was a bit dismayed, usually Willem was open about his disapproval of something.


    "Not in the slightest, I am paying my respects to someone dear to me." Willem was still stoic and straight forward with his answer, same as he had always been before.


    This was a relief to Kinsey, as she thought she had angered him in some way. Seeing that he did not change after whatever occurred in the study room gave her a renewed vigor, and she went through the teleportation array prematurely to prepare the carriage after bowing to her Master.


    As soon as Kinsey left, Anna spoke within her mind. "Master, we are of one mind, how can I not see where we are going... You do not need to go see them."


    "You know why we must, I do not need distractions in the back of my mind when the time comes." Willem retorted.


    Anna knew all too well what Willem had meant. Everyday she thought about her family and how they were doing since she left, and now that concern lingered in Willem''s mind as well.


    Willem went ahead of Anna who was still preparing, and teleported to the house in the Bastion of Hope. Behind him a few moments later appeared Anna carrying a small satchel. The satchel jingled slightly as her hips swayed, making the servants look her way momentarily instead of rushing to do their job.


    One of the horse groomers tripped over a pail of water, spilling it into the street. The other older horse groomer smacked him on the head with a brush and did his best to clean up the mess. The horses had been briefly startled by the noise but calmed down with some coaxing by the time Willem approached.


    Kinsey entered the carriage, followed by Willem then Anna. The door closed and the driver drove the reins, leading the horse into the bustle of the streets. The trip took a little time, as Kinsey was prone to sightseeing out the small window instead of properly leading the coachman. After she had her fill, Willem gave the directions according to Anna''s memories.


    A short time passed and the carriage finally ended up on the outer ring of the town, in an area often regarded as the slums.


    The entire reason the outer ring was regarded to as the slums was purely because of the One True King. The further one was from his protection, the more likely one would be to die. The One True King was publicly recognized as the strongest of the human beings, and the closer one was to the King''s palace the safer they would be. The outer ring of the Bastion of Hope was still within city limits, but there were many hidden dangers. Brigands often hung around the outer area, stealing from those too poor to be stolen from. The guard force did not bother with the outer ring, instead leaving the occupants to suffer.


    Many of the workers had gathered around the carriage to see exactly why a fancy nobleman would come out so far from the inner area. The driver opened the door of the stagecoach and Kinsey was the first to leave the vessel. When she emerged, she offered her hand and a slight bow, and a long slender arm took hers. Anna removed herself from the vessel, taking care not to dirty her sequin dress. Many of the locals recognized Anna as the girl whom had become a mage and left the poverty of the outer ring, as she had become a local inspiration. Though to see her now, she was infinitely more beautiful than she was when she left for the Magic Academy not that long ago.


    Finally, Willem took Kinsey''s hand and left the stagecoach. He looked around at the locals, then up at the sun. The locals felt uplifted viewing the young noble who wore such earthly garb. Though young, just his presence inspired the workers to do better while he was around. He quietly walked forward, and knocked on the door with minimal force. Each knock was gentle, but had echoed out, leaving the locals perplexed.


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    Anna stood beside Kinsey, three steps behind Willem, both with their heads down in respect. After a few seconds had passed, the door opened and an older woman answered out while holding back three miscreants.


    "Yes? How can I- ... Awa-wa-wa..." The first thing she saw was a young man of eighteen, and the stagecoach in the background behind him. She attempted to stutter out more words, but found herself at a loss as to what to say. From her line of sight, she could only see Willem and Kinsey, but not Anna.


    "Mom, who is it!"


    "I wanna see, I wanna see!"


    "Mom...Hungry!"


    The chirping of young children could be heard from behind as she jostled to keep the door open. Suddenly a ruckus could be heard, as if something had fallen over another, and the door slammed tight in the face of Willem.


    A stunned silence fell over the gathered crowd as they had no idea how this noble would react to having the door slammed in his face. They all held their breath, not daring to utter a single word for fear of repercussion. Three swats could be heard from the other side of the door, followed by beseeched moaning of reprieve.


    A few seconds later, the older woman again opened the door, a wooden ladle firmly grasped in her hand. She smiled politely with her mouth, but her eyes radiated an imploring of understanding.


    "We have business here, may we enter." Willem remained unfazed from the events, and politely asked while slightly bowing.


    "Of course, esteemed guests will always be welcome." The older woman smiled widely while opening the door, and the three went inside.


    The house was rather small for the area it was in, roughly a quarter the size of a normal house within the inner city. The house was much different in the fact that it was not crammed closely to another, but was surrounded by large plots of land being used for agriculture.


    The inside of the house was a mess, to say the least. The living area was covered in packed dirt, with just enough room for four wooden chairs and a small wooden table. A small coal-burning fireplace adorned the middle of the right wall of the house, which kept the place warm in the winter. The house had all the necessities, such as pots and pans, a stove and a dry storage. There was no cutlery to speak of, nor plates without cracks. The walls were covered in pelts of slain beasts, most likely payment to the smith for shoddily crafted weapons. The second floor had four cots, lined up side by side. The linen covering the bed was rough and scratched, but it was the most they could afford without more means. This was how the Atlee family survived day by day.


    Three children quietly sat on their hands on the ground, with a single tear slowly falling down their face. Welts could be seen blossoming from their small arms as a punishment for their behavior.


    Their faces were sullen, but nothing could hide the spark in their eyes when they saw the noble before them. After all, it was what they all aspired to be. Someone who could live beyond their means, with no fear of running out of food or being stolen from. Previously, all the nobles they perchance looked upon were fat, gluttonous men and women who gorged themselves on food while others watched. This noble at their door was different, to the point where they doubted if he was a noble at all. If not for their mother saying he was, they would have never believed him to be. His small stomach, straight stature and dressed down clothes made him look like every other worker from the inner city.


    The older woman rushed to the kitchen and began to shakily prepare tea for her guests. She realized she had no tea leaves left, and looked on horrified at the empty satchel as if she had just been stabbed in the chest. She kept her head down when she emerged from the kitchen.


    Without saying a word, Willem snapped his fingers and Kinsey produced a bag of tea leaves from her satchel. Kinsey handed the satchel to Willem, who then handed it to the woman. She graciously accepted the satchel and began to prepare the tea. While she was on the other side of the wall, she finally attempted to speak about what had been on her mind.


    "Pray tell, what business do you have with my family? Anything you ask of us, we will do to the best of our ability. If you are in need of weapons, my husband is the finest craftsman in the outer ring, of that I can assure you. Though I am but a humble farm hand, if you wish for me to work upon your farms, I would be forever grateful for the opportunity. Even our children have become very good at different practices like sewing and hemming or garden work-..." The nervous older woman was beginning to ramble, and she finally emerged with a tray holding four cups of tea. She abruptly stopped when she saw what awaited her in the living room.


    Willem moved to the side, and Anna became visible to everyone in the small house. It was as if time had stopped for the small family, as the gentle older sister had finally returned to see her family after going to the Magic Academy. The older woman gently cried as she went to embrace her daughter. The small tray carrying four cracked glasses of tea fell to the floor. The children all got up off the ground and hugged their sister with dirty hands. The black dress was suddenly covered in small brown hand-prints.


    "I have come home..."

 45 - Family Dinner

    "What are you doing here? Not that we want you to go. We missed you so much. When you disappeared, and we did not hear from you, we were so worried. Your father will be so happy to see you." Anna''s mother continued to fire off small sentences while catching her breath in between. The tears of her kin freely flowed upon the realization that she was safe.


    Willem said nothing, instead he stood there and watched the events unfold. He could feel the overwhelming amount of happiness from Anna, even when she tried to hide it. Willem slowly suppressed the array connecting his mind to Anna''s and noticed that he no longer felt strongly about her family. While the family continued to hug, he took a few bear skin rugs from his spatial spell and placed them on the dirt floor.


    Kinsey took four simple cups from her satchel and went to prepare the tea for her Master. Soon the crying was replaced by sniffling, and the chairs were moved from the table in the kitchen to the living room. The mother and children sat down on the chairs and anxiously waited to hear about what she had been doing at the Magic Academy. Anna sat down on one of the bear skin rugs and told them all about the things she had done in the Magic Academy, while leaving out the horrendous things she had suffered.


    She also found time to explain that normal mages have to give up their old life when they enter the Magic Academy. She explained that there were only a few ways around it, and she was lucky enough to find a Master willing to take her in and teach her. She followed up by explaining that during a students time in the Magic Academy, one is given a mage name, and hers was Atla.


    The children listened enraptured about the events that transpired within the Magic Academy. They did their best to envision what it was like, based off how she described the scenery.


    The mother quickly realized that Willem was not just a nobleman. Considering how subservient Anna and the other girl was, she conjectured that he was in fact the Master Anna spoke of. That means he was the one who gave Anna the ability to come back to her family. In her heart she decided that whatever Willem asked, she would comply.


    "I am afraid we do not have accommodations befitting such an esteemed guest." Anna''s mother prostrated herself before Willem. The children began to prostrate themselves as well in response to their mother''s actions.


    Willem remained silent, and only after thirty seconds passed did Kinsey come from the Kitchen and ask them to stand. Kinsey passed the cup of steeping hot tea to Willem, then Anna and her mother, and finally took one for herself. She also handed out three cups of warm milk for the children, who graciously accepted them.


    Anna looked at her mother and quietly asked, "is it okay for us to stay for dinner?"


    "Of course, you are all welcome to stay for food. We would be delighted. Feel free to give suggestions as to what you want to eat." Anna''s mother gave a quick reply.


    "Kinsey." One word from Willem was all it took for her to understand.


    "Yes, Master. I will go with you to purchase ingredients and help you cook." Kinsey looked at Anna''s mother and nodded her head in affirmation.


    "Okay, then we shall go immediately." Anna''s mother grabbed her quilted scarf and gulped down her warm tea in one go.


    Willem watched as Kinsey left the house quickly with Anna''s mother. He sat back and began to coalesce the magic within his body. Now that Anna was connected to him, his own magical force had fused with hers and increased. Thanks to the life binding technique, he was now capable of using advanced level water spells that Anna had learned, when his limit before had been elementary spells.


    Anna quietly distracted the children who wanted to play with their older sister after not being able to play for so long. Willem closed off his senses from the outside world, and compressed the haze of magical force. The dark haze that floated around his body began to thicken and coagulate to a sphere shape. At the same time, Willem connected more strings to the magical force while it merged together in his body. The kelpie fur he previously absorbed allowed him some mastery over the water magic he was now getting used to within his body. His own understanding of the components of water combined with the knowledge Anna had accumulated from her studies made him capable of quickly manipulating the water magic within his body.


    The water magic circled around the new black sphere within his body and merged within the constantly fusing darkness magic. The dark sphere showed slight signs of resistance, but eventually gave in and allowed the water magic to join it. The sphere solidified and placed itself gently against Willem''s heart. The palpitations of his heart pulsed in synchronization with the sphere as if it was a second heart beating.


    Willem rotated his magical force along his body. He was now capable of manipulating sixty percent of his total power. The magic washed over his body like a tidal wave, pushing magical force to every part of his body. His muscles tensed, visibly slightly larger than they previously were.


    After some time, Willem breathed out deeply and opened his eyes. Roughly an hour had passed since he began and Kinsey had returned with Anna''s mother, but did not dare disturb him. The husband had yet to return, most likely because he was busy with commissions. Despite less than stellar forging, the father was the cheapest smith in the outer ring and was always working. Unfortunately he was also a prime target for thieves who had been forced out of the inner city for fear of being caught.


    "Your excursion was successful?" Willem asked Kinsey.


    "Yes Master, I elected to take a little longer for the special occasion." Kinsey replied.


    "Very well." Willem gave an affectionate stare toward Kinsey.


    In the outside world, they were Master and attendant.


    Half an hour passed and the food had been prepared. Everyone gathered around the living room and talked about anything they could think of. Even Willem joined in the conversation, in much the same way he did as a child. Though the difference this time was that when he spoke, everyone listened. This was a peculiar feeling within Willem, but he could do nothing but disregard their obvious stiffness.


    The roast that Kinsey had prepared turned out wonderfully considering they had to improvise with the tools being used. The side dishes turned out well, and everyone ate their fill for the first time in a long time. When the meal was finished and the extras were put away, they all sat around the fireplace and the adults drank wine while the children drank buttermilk.


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    Eventually sun down came and the children were tired enough to warrant being tucked into bed. The rough linen that covered the children''s beds were replaced by some nicer fabrics Anna brought in her bag. The children softly asked if Anna would be here when they woke up.


    Solemnly, Anna told them that she had to return to the Magic Academy. If they worked hard and stayed safe, she would see them really soon. They quietly closed their heavy eyes and drifted off to sleep, but not before complaining about how the Magic Academy was a type of feces.


    Anna attempted to telepathically tell her Master that the children were asleep, but she found that she could not hear his voice. When she sent magical force to him, she saw that he was there, but she could not tell what he was thinking. She quietly walked out of the upstairs bedroom and walked back into the living room. Willem was sipping on some red wine while Kinsey regaled a story about her first time hunting with her cousins.


    Anna sat beside Willem and whispered to him that there was something wrong with the connection between them. Willem nodded but did not say anything. After a moment, a flood of information entered Anna''s mind once more. During her elation with the family, she did not notice the discreet desertion of her mind. Willem used their telepathic connection to explain that if her feelings ever got the best of her, he would suppress the connection, but he would still be able to command her. Anna thought about the consequences of having ones feelings go out of control, but she could not control them half as well as Willem could. She asked some questions about what he can and cannot do, now that he had someone with the life binding technique.


    Willem did his best to explain what he knew about the technique, but at this point it was all conjecture. More study would need to be done in order to understand the ritual and its effects.


    After some time had passed, the door of the small house opened once more. A large burly man entered the house hold, where he saw two beautiful women and a strange boy sitting on his floor drinking wine. On his way in, he had to walk past the carriage, so he knew that nobles had come to visit his home. From his perspective, however, the two women were the nobles and the boy was most likely a personal attendant.


    The man cupped his hands and offered a greeting to the exalted guests. While gesturing towards the two women, he gave them another closer look. At a moments notice he saw that the younger girl was his daughter. Dropping all pretenses, he immediately ran and bear hugged the girl within his large arms.


    "You are home? How, I mean... I am glad you are safe, little one. Come, tell me all about it." He said while hugging his little girl.


    "Husband, we have guests, her Master has come himself with business." The wife tried to hint at her husband in order to not make him look a fool.


    The husband eyed the young boy again, and a profound sense of dread came over him. The boy was young, yes, but the feeling he gave was that if he wanted to, he could snatch the old man''s life at a moments notice.


    Willem took from his spatial spell a stack of papyrus. On each piece of papyrus depicted a unique item that the old man had never seen before.


    "These are?" The old man could not understand what they were.


    "Items I need made. I will prepare for you three high quality apprentices, and you will watch over them. I will provide you with security, so that your business and home does not suffer. Lastly, I will give you the materials you need to make these creations. If you are successful, you will receive compensation." Willem casually passed over the papyrus.


    As if the papyrus was his lifeline, the old man quickly looked through the designs, engraving them in his mind, and put the papers in his work desk. He took from his neck a necklace with a key and locked the desk drawer before donning the necklace again.


    "I will not pretend to know what these designs are, but as long as you deliver on what you say you will, of course I will do everything in my power to get it done." The old man cupped his hands toward the youth.


    "You have at most, two weeks to get those designs finished, augmenting them must come with documentation on the changes made." Willem nodded back.


    "Mom, Master has said previously that he will purchase the lands around the house for you to cultivate. He will also send workers here so that you will not have to work on someone else''s farm anymore." Anna held her mother''s calloused hands in her own.


    The older woman quietly sniffled as she nodded her head in understanding.


    "We must take our leave, you can expect your workers within the next two days." Willem spoke, then lifted his body from the bear skin rug. Kinsey and Anna lifted up from the rugs and the bear skin quietly disappeared into Willem''s spatial spell. All three cupped their hands and bowed, and quickly walked out of the house.


    The sun had already set, and the moon was already high in the night sky as they took the carriage back to the teleportation array. This was the first time Anna had seen the house they were going into.


    Anna tried probing her Master''s mind for information about the house, but found that she was blocked out. "Master?"


    "This house used to belong to my father and mother before they passed. Think twice before remarking upon its shoddiness again." No word was said between the two, but Willem could tell what she was thinking.


    "Forgive me, Master. I did not know." Anna looked like she had seen a ghost. There was a brief trace of anger in Willem''s voice and this was the first time she had ever heard it.


    "Kinsey, in the morning, I want you to get those things I promised prepared for the Atlee family. You will be the one to decide if the people are of a high enough quality or not. Hire assistants if it is too much work for you."


    Willem and Anna stepped into the teleportation array and Kinsey remained behind to pay the staff for the night. The stagecoach remained within the estate while the driver went home with a pocket full of silver and copper coins. Once the pay was distributed, Kinsey stepped through the array and the night finally quieted.

 46 - Armament

    The night was filled with rain and the Bastion of Hope awoke to an early morning of flowers covered in dew. The scenery was unique and very hospitable to the souls of all who gazed upon it.


    Kinsey had woken up earlier than usual, and decided to wake up Anna. This was Anna''s first day as an attendant to Willem and Kinsey thought it best to wake her up early to teach her the things she would need to know.


    The night before, a cot had been placed from Willem''s spatial spell for Anna. Kinsey and the White Tiger Cub slept in the same bad as Willem.


    Kinsey woke up Anna and got her to wash up while picking out some clothes for her.


    The clothes were adjusted by Kinsey, and once Anna was done washing up she slowly donned the clothes. Kinsey went through her usual routine of bathing the Tiger Cub and feeding it, preparing breakfast and starting a couple experiments while carefully showing Anna exactly where everything could be found.


    Anna watched on, but she had no interest in alchemical concoctions and instead found her eyes wandering to the large collection of books in Willem''s study room. One of the books on the shelf gave a peculiar magical shimmer compared to the others in the collection.


    Quietly Anna snuck away from Kinsey who had began to melt the base ingredients and slipped into the study room. She took the book from the shelf and began to read from the beginning page. The book itself was a weird texture, it was bound in leather clippings and the papers inside looked singed. The text on the paper was written in some sort of enigmatic language that she was having difficulties decrypting.


    Kinsey finished her potion only to turn and see that her new friend had snuck off and went to the study room. Frowning, she walked to Anna''s side and looked at the book she was holding.


    "Master sometimes looks at that book, he always has a frown on his face. The words and numbers make no sense, even when you pour magic into them." Anna looked at the book and did her best to explain it''s origins.


    The book itself had been found deep in the Grand Library. Willem had convinced the librarian to allow him to have it, since there was no one would could figure out what it contained. Eventually the book was bought from the Grand Library for thirty silver, which was an exorbitant amount considering it had inaccessible information. Willem still paid for the book and kept it in his collection just in case he found the time to crack the code.


    Anna looked at it harder. Letters and numbers swirled around in her mind cryptically, doing their best to match with every known cipher she had ever read about. Based on her knowledge in mind magic, this particular pattern was made by the great Mind Mage Hallard, whom had died not even ten years ago.


    The pattern however was infinitely more complex than the usual code that Hallard employed, and Anna was having a hard time figuring out what it all meant. She spent the entirety of the early morning attempting to crack the code to the book, until Willem finally woke up.


    When Willem woke up, he was met with slobbery kisses from the White Tiger Cub. Willem tossed it across the bed into a mound of pillows, and the Cub pretended to play dead after being thrown.


    Kinsey came to greet her Master when she heard the creeks of the bed, but was too late in stopping the White Tiger Cub. She arrived at the bed just in time to see Willem''s disheveled hair covered in slobber.


    Willem looked remarkably well, considering the state he was in after the ritual yesterday. However, now that he knew the ritual worked, the information it would reveal is quite large. Now was the time for phase two of his plan.


    Willem licked Kinsey''s face in revenge when he saw her reaction to his current hairstyle, and went to go take a bath. Kinsey shyly warmed the water and began to wash his naked body while the White Tiger Cub playfully licked Willem''s toes. Anna saw what Kinsey was doing, and after a time gathered the courage to go and assist her in cleaning the Master. The cleaning of Master''s private area was left to Kinsey, and Anna washed his back thoroughly. Anna traced the lines of Willem''s muscles from his magical force, and thought about what had led to this moment.


    Anna went inside her mind and focused on the red lines that led to those whom had harmed her. A indescribable fury overcame her and she had to take a moment from washing Willem''s back to calm down. Willem watched her but did nothing to quell her anger. When she seemed to calm down, he leaned over to her.


    "Soon." This one word from her Master reassured her.


    The bathing was finished and Willem donned his normal brown robes before heading to the table. The three of them ate breakfast in silence while the White Tiger Cub played with a ball of string that was conveniently placed nearby.


    "It is time." Willem announced.


    Kinsey and Anna gathered everything they would need for the day and waited patiently for Willem. Willem donned a black cloak to cover himself, as he was one to do.


    Willem took both girls in each hand and teleported to the entrance of the Magic Academy. By this time, a crowd had gathered to see the Grand Mage. The crowd did nothing to hinder his path as he walked Kinsey to the mountainside, nor did it stop him when he went towards the intermediary classes with Anna.


    The room Willem and Anna went to was the room she had not gone to since the first time she was raped. For her, it was a place she could no longer return to until things went back to normal.


    Willem entered the room and looked for the lecturer. The lecturer for the intermediate class was an Advanced Water Mage, and being a part of the teaching staff knew exactly who Willem was.


    "Greetings." Willem bowed slightly while cupping his hands.


    "Greetings to the Grand Mage, Grandia." The Advanced Water Mage bowed deeply.


    "I have kept a student from your studies for my own selfish gain, for that I apologize. Is teacher still willing to allow her into this class?" Willem''s tone held no snark or contempt.


    "Of course, Grand Mage. Student, feel free to take your seat. We will be beginning shortly." The Water Mage bowed again before heading to her desk.


    Before Willem left, the Water Mage took a long look at Willem''s ''assets'' before the door closed behind him.


    In his mind, he focused on the connection with Anna. "Anna, I give you permission to use fifty percent of our power to enact your revenge. It is sad how many accidents can happen even in this school, is it not."


    This was Willem''s nonchalant way of saying to make the killings look like an accident to those who would be investigating the deaths.


    Anna knew what he had meant and began plotting her revenge while listening to the lecture.


    Willem left the room and sent a shadow to his class while he headed for the Army Training Grounds. He slipped into the shadow of a nearby student and traversed through the darkness to the Training Grounds.


    Once there, he spoke with the Knight Captain about the payment that the Grand Mage owed to the Knights. The Knight Captain dared not refute, and called for Sir Kris and Sir Rowan.


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    Once they had arrived, Willem gave them both a greeting. They bowed deeply to the Grand Mage and asked if he required assistance in a subjugation quest. Willem shook his head to indicate he did not, and led them out of the tent. Willem politely asked the two Knights to find their apprentices and went for a walk with the Knight Captain.


    Willem did a once over of the facilities and training regiment of the Army Training Ground by the time the Knights had found their apprentices and returned to him. The Knight Captain watched as the Grand Mage pulled pieces of leather armor from his spatial spell.


    Each leather piece was unique and had strange etchings marked onto them. For two sets, pieces of rock jutted out like crags against a plain. Once the other two appeared, a strong gust kicked up where they stood. The Knight Captain as well as the other Knights lost their footing against the wind. The apprentices did more than lose their footing, their back sides hit the ground with a rather large thud.


    Willem laughed a bit before handing the first earth armor set to Sir Kris and the second earth armor set to Mark. They both stared wide eyed as they began to don the armor. Though it was hard for Mark to move, when both of his feet were on the ground it felt like he was a mountain. Whenever he lifted one of his feet, the effect disappeared. Sir Kris noticed the difference immediately as well, and could not help but compare the new armor he got to the drudge he had been previously wearing.


    Sir Rowan and Eli quickly donned the wind armor sets. Sir Rowan stood in place but felt no different. Puzzled, he asked Willem about the wind armor. Before he could finish his sentence, Eli had stepped forward and a strong gust of wind kicked up from his feet. He flew along the path he was facing fifty feet before slowing down and tumbling on the ground.


    Everyone besides Willem watched as Eli used his new armor set. Willem nodded to Sir Rowan, and Sir Rowan kicked his feet with purpose. He flew forward a hundred feet before sliding into the ground and kicking his feet again. In a mere few seconds, he had cleared four hundred feet and had gone full circle to return to the group. Eli tried his best to control the burst of speed he obtained from the armor, but he still ended up tumbling into Mark. Mark did not budge even a meter, since both of his feet were planted into the ground. Instead, Eli felt like he had accidentally hit himself upon the side of a small mountain.


    "These armors were modeled after the idea of an immovable object and an unstoppable force. Your bodies will break down before they do." Willem nodded to each of them. "Now for your weaponry. I could not use the hell boar bones as it was too difficult so I used other rare materials."


    Willem removed five weapons and two shield from his spatial spell. "First, Sir Rowan. These are yours, and as such, you should be the one to name them. To activate their special ability, the words are ''Frenzy'' and ''Vigor''." He handed the two magical daggers to Sir Rowan.


    Sir Rowan spoke the words and the weapons gave off a red and blue aura. Sir Rowan breathed in and targeted a nearby training dummy. The wind armor combined with the magic of the daggers and Sir Rowan''s own prowess with daggers to completely decimate the training dummy. After a single stab, there was nothing left of the dummy. A gale picked up around the dummy, blowing away the scattered remains.


    Streaks of red and blue returned back to the group as Sir Rowan sheathed his new weapons. He gave a deep bow to Willem and looked knowingly at the Knight Captain. By this time, those whom had watched the unfolding scene were beginning to gossip.


    "Sir Kris, yours is a little different. For the activation of your longsword, you must hold it at the top of the grip, not at the bottom. Your shield activates by saying ''Armor''." Willem passed the items to Sir Kris.


    Sir Kris acknowledged what the Grand Mage said, and gripped the longsword at the top of the grip. The longsword glowed white and his mind raced. When he looked at the humans in front of him, he could tell their weak points and how much force was needed to debilitate them. For some reason, however, when he looked at Willem he did not see any kind of weakness. He spoke the activation word and his shield began to be absorbed in smaller ethereal shields.


    Willem pulled a non magical short spear from his spatial spell and flung it gently at the shield. The smaller shields converged and dispersed the momentum of the short spear. With Sir Kris'' feet planted firmly on the ground, the short spear hit the shield with a small amount of force and fell to the ground with little issue.


    "Mark and Eli, these are for you. The battleaxe must always be wielded with two hands for maximum effect. The mace needs to be held at the base, just like how you prefer it. The shield activates with the word ''thorns''. Just like the thorns of the forest." Willem passed out the rest of the weapons.


    Eli gripped both his hands on his battleaxe and it gave a black glow. He looked on quizzically as he swung the battleaxe with force. Besides the sound of a heavy weapon swinging, nothing else happened. Mark held the mace at the base and spoke the word of his shield. The mace glowed green and the shield glowed brown. Thorns grew along Eli''s body and shield, but they did not hurt or hinder him.


    "Eli, your weapon only works against things you know are your enemy. It will burn them and cause them to bleed more than a normal wound should. Mark, if anyone attacks you, the shield will make them take damage, and the mace will heal you after a short time. Even bad wounds will heal as long as you hold the mace."


    Willem nodded to everyone in his presence. With his purpose fulfilled, he intended to return to the Magic Academy.


    Before leaving, he said these final words. "These weapons and armor are only to be used by you, I have bound them to you by blood. If anyone else tries to wear it, it will just be normal leather armor and weapons. When the time comes, you will be with me on the front lines, you must quickly get used to your new strength." Willem bowed one last time before slipping into the shadows of a training dummy.


    The five of them stayed quiet for a while, until the Knight Captain spoke up. "You heard the Grand Mage, start practicing. Sir Kris, you will lead the defensive training of the Knights. Sir Rowan, you will lead the offensive training. If you need more resources, let me know." The Knight Captain swished his cape and stomped off, not receiving anything but a perceived warning.


    Willem snickered as he saw everything the Knight Captain had just done. If he wanted to be in the Grand Mages good graces, treating his allies well was not necessarily a bad idea. Willem left one of the higher grade magical wind weapons on the Knight Captain''s desk.


    Inscribed on the hilt were crude markings of a large wolf eating a small man.

 47 - Wolves

    The Knight Captain made his way back to the tent to conduct his business. The staff were busy serving papers and organizing the armory, but when he entered, a Knight announced his appearance before resuming his duties. The Knight Captain continued forward into his private office and saw that a large weapon was partially spilling over his desk. The Knight Captain looked over the weapon very carefully. It was similar to a voulge, but the metal was longer and covered roughly a quarter of the pole.


    The metal itself gave off a blue glow and was consistent with what the Knight Captain knew of mithril weaponry. He lifted the halberd and found that it was quite light for its size, and looked at the etching on the pommel of the weapon. The markings were an array of sorts, but the Knight Captain had no understanding of the array and therefore had no use for comprehending it. The etching of the wolf eating the man twisted along the wood that made the pole, and it looked particularly ferocious. When the Knight Captain held the pole in both hands the wolf gave off a red glow. The weapon in the hands of the Knight Captain looked particularly fearsome, the guards found it hard to look at the man when he wielded the pole cleaver.


    "I need eight volunteers for guard duty. Line up in ten seconds for extra pay." The Knight Captain called out from his private office. Eight Knights quickly lined up and saluted. Two by two, the four teams were dispatched to guard Sir Rowan, Sir Kris, Mark and Eli. The best method of protecting them involved twenty four hour guard duty, so the Knights were commanded to swift shifts at twelve hour intervals until told to stop. The Knights saluted again and the Knight Captain passed out eight separate bags of advanced pay for the guard mission.


    Willem had dropped off the items as part of phase two, and now that it was done he could continue with his creations. He returned to his Private Sanctum after moving his shadow into the next class. The place was devoid of all noise except for the gentle pitter patter of claws striking floor. Apparently Willem had interrupted the White Tiger Cub while she was voraciously attacking a pillow from the bed. Seeing that her Master had returned, she proudly marched over with the torn apart pillow showing off her kill. Willem patted her head and thought about how she had yet to properly kill. If he found the time, he would teach her how to hunt properly.


    Willem moved to the study room and the White Tiger Cub mewled from the entrance of the room. She had learned very quickly not to enter the study room or she would be punished severely. Willem tossed out from his spatial spell the broken pieces of the Astral Spider. It was time to drain it and craft his own armor. The Astral Spider was an ideal set for Willem, as it was thin enough to be hidden under robes but tough enough to not be broken by many monsters under level six. Willem hung the carapace on a line and placed a pot below to catch the draining blood. He then drug the fleshy meat from the body and threw it into another nearby pot. Finally he took the spider legs and ripped the tender meat inside before draining the blood out of them.


    Though thoroughly messy, his efforts bore fruit quickly. The blood drained and the pieces were finally clean enough to start crafting with. First, Willem took out some of his strongest potions that he had for materials in the creation of magical armor. The potions came at a relatively high cost, even considering his position. The acquisition of the herbs cost alot of lives of both Knights and Mages.


    Willem concentrated on cutting the large carapace to fit his body, finely contouring it using the sharp edge of a mithril dagger. After crafting it according to his size, he found that in order to properly fit it, he needed some kind of brace to combine it. He took from his spatial spell a spool of spider gossamer and intertwined the back and front of the Astral Spider armor. For the pauldrons, he broke apart the extra spider pieces and layered them closely together. The end result was interwoven shoulder armor that used alot of extra material but created much more protection.


    Willem set up a ward against the study room so that no one would bother him while he worked. The White Tiger Cub quietly sat against the door frame, fixated on the spider meat currently in one of the pots.


    Willem took the sharp mithril dagger and began to inscribe the runic symbols while pouring the high level potion into the body armor. The runes gave off an intense glow of white, the same color of the potion, like the armor was breathing and pulsing with life. The potion bottle shook gently as if it did not wish to part with whatever elixir was inside it.


    After some time had passed, Willem was finished with his newly crafted Astral Spider armor. The gossamer was just barely showing from beneath the folds of the armor, but it gave the outer edges of the armor a pale white glow. The glow matched well with the pure black color of the armor, making it appear as if it had been forged by the fallen gods themselves. The pieces hid perfectly beneath his robes, and only those he allowed to know would actually be aware that he wore armor.


    The time had come, and Willem was sure that Anna had accomplished what she had set out to do. Before he left, he took down the ward in the study room and fed the Cub some of the spider''s meat. The Cub had a hard time chewing through it but indulged itself off the rich taste of the meat.


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    Willem disappeared into the darkness of his desk and returned to the Magic Academy.


    During Willem''s excursion.


    Anna had thought about how she would seek revenge against those who did her wrong. First, she would target the men who had physically abused her. Once her first class was finished, she followed the red strings that converged on their own. Four boys had gotten together after the first classes ended, as they often did, and she was now no more than twenty feet away from them with her head down and face obscured. The four boys had gathered together and headed towards their second class together. On the way, they harassed other students whom had accidentally stepped into their path. Anna followed them twenty paces, then used darkness magic to invade their minds.


    The force of the mind magic made their brains go numb, and the four male students stood in the hall with a blank look on their face. During that time, Anna pervaded their mind to find out what dirty secrets they held. She found the perfect target in one of the boys, as she saw that he was brought up without a Mother. His Father was a drunk hunter whom would often beat him mercilessly after coming home to an unsuccessful outing. The boys days were often filled with foraging for food on the outskirts of town by slipping through a small crack in the wall of the Bastion of Hope. One day he found out that he could cast magic while he was out foraging for food. He had come under siege against a large wolf and hid himself in the small barrow of an old oak tree. The tree could not withstand the constant scrapings of the wolf claws, and in his moment of need a single word shouted out in his mind. "Fire!" The boy yelled while pointing his hands at the wolf.


    The wolf caught aflame as a torrent of fire burst forth from the boys hand. The howls of the crazed wolf only stemmed the nightmare that would permeate the mind of the young boy, even after the threat had long been gone. The wolf screamed and howled with a crazed fury, but eventually burned away before reaching his meal. When the boy returned to the Bastion of Hope, he immediately applied to the Magic Academy to escape his previous life. He rose quickly in the rankings until he got to Advanced Fire Mage two year later, but stagnated and could progress no further. In his anger, he began to lash out at anyone who crossed him, the way his Father did to him. It became an endless cycle of him abusing those around him as an outlet for his own inability to advance. To Anna, this was a perfect candidate to begin her revenge.


    She began by manipulating his fury, forcing it to bubble to the top. Next, she implanted in his mind that he was in back in the woods outside the Bastion of Hope, where he was surrounded by wolves and was trapped in the small barrow once more. She let go of the mind magic, while removing all traces that she was ever there and watched as events unfolded.


    Out of nowhere, the male student exploded in fury, targeting the nearest person to him. The male student grappled the boy to his right and set him on fire, burning his clothes and body in a brilliant wave of flame. The male student then swung his fist backward into the face of the boy behind him. Before anyone could react, he grabbed the boy and began burning his face off. Finally, he turned to the last boy who had tried to run away in horror. The male student jumped forward and grabbed onto the back of the running boy, his hands turning into a penetrating flame that melted the skin off the kids back. He tore the boys spine out of his body and threw it across the hallway. The students screamed out in horror as they watched the events unfold.


    In a mere few seconds, a quiet normal day had turned into a picture of the demonic realm itself. Three boys were being burned alive while the perpetrator cried out in lament as if he had his soul taken from him.


    The male student continued on his rampage, destroying objects around him and attempting to maim the students in his clouded vision. In his mind he was no longer the kid stuck in the barrow fending for his life, but he was still surrounded by wolves. In his mind, he was finally taking his revenge on the monsters that had filled his nightmares for years. A few of the Advanced Mages nearby did their best to restrain him, but the controlled state of the Advanced Mages could not compare to the unbridled fury of the Advanced Fire Mage. In his mind the wolves had clamped their fangs onto his body and he felt his life slipping away. In his anger, he burned away the wolves and in response, his body burned and the Advanced Mages caught aflame with him until they could no longer suppress him.


    The state of the boy raged on for five minutes until a Grand Mage answered the summon to suppress the student. No amount of talking the Grand Mage did calmed the boy, and in the end the Grand Mage of Water, Sveld, was forced to put the boy down for his own good.


    Now that the boy was broken, the Grand Mage could approach him and heal his mind. Before the boy passed away, his mind was cleansed of fury by the healing magic of the Water Mage.


    His last words were a cry of demons pretending to be wolves.

 48 - High Level

    Once the boys were dead, the red strings in Anna''s mind snapped as if under an amazing amount of stress. The red strings disappeared in smoke and the magic power returned to the orb.


    Sveld held the body of the boy in his hands, and looked around at the crowd. When the chaos had begun, Anna did not feel the need to watch the scene play out and quickly left as soon as she was sure she had cleaned up after herself.


    Try as he might, Sveld could not find any reason for the distress. According to the nearby students, the boy had flipped out and started killing those around him. Sveld was left with no other option than to assume the boy went insane due to a sudden influx of magic. Sadly this was not uncommon with Advanced Mages trying to make that large step into being a Grand Mage.


    As such, the case was deemed a terrible accident and the corridor where it took place was sealed off. Anna went to her second class as if nothing ever happened, but soon enough she began hearing the rumors of an Advanced Mage going insane. She pretended to care about the news, asking probing questions as if she did not already know the answer. Once enough people brushed her off, second class had begun and the teacher had begun their lesson.


    In another part of the Magic Academy.


    Willem had made his way to the magical training grounds. The training ground was a peculiar place, it was a large extra dimensional space that took the form of a massive lush jungle filled with tall trees and its own sun. The difference of this world was that it had three moons, and the days were much shorter compared to the nights. As such, nocturnal creatures were the primary hunters in the ecosystem.


    As a training ground, the areas were split up into four sections. The first zone held level one magical beasts, second was level two, third was level three and finally fourth was level four. This was to ensure the safety of the students who were practicing new spells or testing new potions.


    Willem sent out his magical sense to ensure there were no others nearby in the zone before removing his robe. Once he removed his robe, the jet black armor could be seen in all its glory with the white backdrop of the gossamer. Willem looked for a nearby enemy to test out his new armor on. Before long, he spotted a Grey Cougar viciously tearing apart a small rabbit. The Cougar stretched roughly eight feet long and was reveling in a successful hunt when Willem first came upon it. Instead of immediately eating the rabbit, it prolonged the suffering of the creature, batting it around and tearing at the rabbit''s hind legs.


    Willem stepped forward, making plenty of noise to notify the Cougar that he was here. The Cougar eyed the new threat warily, and made no attempts to strike first. Often, Cougars preferred to ambush their prey and would not deal a killing blow if the hunted creature sees them in time. Willem jumped toward the Grey Cougar with the intent to kill. He focused his magical force into his arm braces and whispered the word "petrification". The Cougar lunged toward Willem, it''s claws catching his arm braces while it''s teeth attempted to latch onto his throat. Before the Cougar could react, it''s front legs had turned to stone and half of it''s body was now completely unable to move.


    Like an infection, the petrification spread through the Grey Cougar''s body quickly, turning all it''s organs to stone. The blood stopped pumping and hardened while the pelt turned a darker grey color. The last thing the Grey Cougar saw was the cold gaze of Willem before it''s eyes glazed over. The disemboweled Horned Rabbit tried to crawl away from the scene but found itself unable to move very far. As a courtesy to the Suffering Rabbit, Willem placed it against his chest piece and whispered two words. "White Death." The body of the Horned Rabbit began to disintegrate into a white ash as it twitched for the last time.


    The tests were definitely successful, as the rate of infection for petrification was much faster than anticipated.


    The real trophy was the White Death potion. The ingredients for the White Death potion were not just rare, but also guarded by strong magical beasts. As such, every ingredient came with a high casualty count. Pure white in color, it could be considered a force of nature to the right user. Considered a class five poison, it had the capacity to kill up to a level eight magical beast after enough exposure. Due to Willem''s unique use of the potion, though it is of less quality, he can now use it over and over.


    Whether it will be useful on magical beings was yet to be tested, but right now he still had two other armor pieces to test before he would worry about that. His leg guards and leather shoes had their own high level potions to try out now.


    He again sent out his magical sense and found an Orchid Mantis in the second zone. The Orchid Mantis stood knee high with an incredibly strong bite and beautiful vibrant colors all over it''s body. The colors served as camouflage against the large orchid flower it hid itself within, waiting for unsuspecting prey to come. Unfortunately natural camouflage did not mean much in front of magical sense.


    According to Willem''s research, the Orchid Mantis was a rare species of Mantis, and as such he was reluctant to kill it. Instead, he took from his spatial spell a small level two potion and waived it around the area. The potion was more gas than liquid, and began to permeate the area around Willem. After a moment, the Orchid Mantis removed itself from the Orchid flower and headed toward Willem as if in a daze.


    The potion Willem used was one of the first level two potions he made, called the "friendly beast" potion. It was extremely useful for travelers, as any magical or non magical beast was susceptible to the effects. All it did was trick the beast into thinking anything alive near it was a creature of the same species. Though simple in nature, it required a decent amount of medium level ingredients and was therefore not preferred over offensive or defensive potions.


    Once he was sure the Orchid Mantis was enraptured, Willem headed for the third zone.


    In the new zone, he found a young Red Iris Aardwolf eating termites off a tree. The Red Iris Aardwolf was the lowest of the third zone inhabitants, but was cunning and deceptive. From the way the Aardwolf acted, it could be assumed it is a solitary hunter. However, that is not the case, as the Aardwolf often hunt in pairs. Willem sent his magical sense out and confirmed that another Red Iris Aardwolf laid in wait nearby to ambush. This became Willem''s perfect opportunity to test the rest of his armor.


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    Willem headed toward the Aardwolf and began to call to it. The Aardwolf let out a few grunts to attempt to scare off the intruder of it''s territory. When the intruder did not immediately leave, the Aardwolf perked up it''s mane and attempted to appear more threatening.


    Willem lunged forward and kicked the Aardwolf square in the face. As the bottom of the boot connected to the Aardwolf''s face, Willem spoke the activation word.


    "Touch of Midas."


    The Aardwolf howled in fear as it''s face began to take on a golden color. The body of the Aardwolf convulsed as it''s pelt turned into gold. The insides twisted and churned as everything inside it turned absolutely golden in color. When everything was said and done, the Aardwolf had become a gold statue.


    Willem looked over his new gold statue and placed it inside his spatial spell. Perhaps a wealthy noble would want it, but it was a bit drab for his taste.


    The other Aardwolf released a black ink from it''s anal gland in an attempt to mark it''s territory before running off. Willem rushed to the Aardwolf and purposely kicked it with his shin in order to activate his leg guards.


    "Enervation."


    As soon as the Aardwolf connected with the leg guard, it began to age as if it''s life force was being drained away. The Aardwolf''s lifespan flowed through Willem and was slowly absorbed into his body. After a moment, a husk of bone and the smell of death was all that was left of the Red Iris Aardwolf.


    Willem took a mental note of what had just happened. According to his last attack, if the enemy is particularly weak, the enervation potion will drain away it''s life quicker. Against a strong opponent it would act more like a poison slowing draining away their life force unless dispelled.


    Now that his business was concluded, Willem donned his homely robes once more and returned through the portal and back to the Magic Academy.


    Meanwhile at the mountain side.


    Kinsey had only done a preliminary count of the herbs found in the beginning area. Recently there was a high influx of students entering the mountains and plucking the herbs without care for the balance of nature. As such, Kinsey took it upon herself to police those she saw harming the environment and teaching them the proper way to handle the herbs with care. Her efforts were paying off, as the fields were beginning to return to their former glory.


    While the balance of the mountain herbs was being fixed, Kinsey took the time to write down all the different breeds of herbs and the locations they could be found in. She intended to share this information with the beginner herbalists, along with an accurate diagram of how to remove the herbs without ruining the plants. This way those who had intentions could do it without hurting the environment.


    Once her initial count was done, she returned to the Magic Academy entrance and took the teleportation array into the Bastion of Hope. With Willem''s permission, she was now going to get work out to the outer walls for Anna''s family.


    For starters, she called for the carriage and her five attendants to go with her to the Guild office. Once they concluded their business at the Guild offices, they would go to the Warrior enclave to find suitable guards.


    The driver drove to the Guild offices and Kinsey removed herself from the carriage in a beautiful green and blue dress. Many citizens turned their heads to see which noble had decided to come to the guild hall this day. They did not recognize the noblewoman, but that did not deter them from offering her flowers in hopes of garnering favor.


    Kinsey''s attendants accepted the flowers on her behalf, but did not stop moving as all six headed toward the Guild office. The attendants opened the door for Kinsey as she made her way inside the hall. Inside, everyone held their breaths while they looked at the beautiful young woman.


    Kinsey headed toward an elderly woman sitting behind the counter and offered her greetings.


    "Hello young one..." The old lady shook Kinsey''s hand before sitting back down on her chair. "What are you after today I wonder?"


    "My Master wishes to employ some smiths and guards for work in the outer area. I would like your suggestion." Kinsey wrote down on papyrus the price she was willing to pay for their services.


    "For this price, you wish to hire them for a year?" The old lady misunderstood Kinsey''s intentions.


    "No ma''am, two weeks. I need your best." Kinsey corrected.


    "Two weeks?" The old woman''s eyes glittered. Even if it was a year, the amount of money offered was still considered good. Whomever her Master was had to be a very important figure. "Let me see what I can find. Ah, I have just the people you are looking for. Deposit is ten percent of earnable wages."


    After a few minutes of shuffling through paperwork, the old woman dug from the bottom a list of six candidates for the smith position. The candidates were between the ages of sixteen and twenty, with varied specialties.


    Kinsey looked over the papers and placed three of the six in a different pile. She told the old woman to get a messenger to call them. She dropped several gold coins on the counter and asked the old woman to have them gathered quickly.


    The old woman gathered the gold coins and called for a messenger to deliver the message of employment to the three smiths posthaste.


    Kinsey sat on a nearby bench with her attendants and drank some tea while she waited. She told one of the attendants to tell the driver to move the carriage somewhere nearby in wait.

 49 - Three Apprentices

    Twenty minutes passed and the smithing apprentices had been gathered for Kinsey to judge. They were each told the payment should their services be accepted and came as soon as they could peel themselves away from their work.


    The first to arrive was a red headed eighteen year old man named Clay. Though his job title was indeed smith, his specialization is considered to be organic material manipulation. This entailed the construction and deconstruction of various woods, plastics and glass using magical means. The fact that he showed any measure of magical ability meant he was once recruited by the Magic Academy, and Kinsey surmised that he must not have shown enough aptitude to continue.


    The second and third smiths were twin sisters; Jenevieve and Maryanne. Both were nineteen years old, and both had short black hair tied back in a bun. In their file it was known that their Father was a royal blacksmith and they learned their technique from him, though they were not allowed to inherit their Father''s title due to their gender. Instead they were given ownership of his previous workshop within the inner city walls to provide swords and armor to adventurers.


    Their creations were unparalleled and the synchronization they displayed while working was like a dazzling performance. The older generation would complain about the sisters making a mockery of the job; while the newest generation would watch on, inspired by the beauty and grace of the twins.


    Clay, being the first to arrive, immediately stepped up to the old woman and showed his guild membership card. After a moment of processing, the old woman pointed out his potential employer sitting on a bench nearby.


    A young woman no older than himself sat with five other attendants while sipping some tea. The steam from the tea and the vigilant attendants gave Kinsey a very intimidating aura. One of the attendants noticed the transaction between the guild worker and Clay, so she notified Kinsey.


    Kinsey stood up from the bench and approached the young man, her curves swinging wildly as if it were her own establishment. The man was enraptured, both at the prospects of the money he was told and the amazing beauty that approached him.


    "Your name is Clay, and you are the man I seek?" Kinsey sent out a thin layer of magical force to probe his abilities. Fire was his only element and he had a weak affinity for it, this low level kind of ability would only be useful for stoking a fire. That would explain why he became a smith in name.


    "I believe I am, there are not many magic smiths in the Bastion Of Hope. They cannot alter organic materials as I do." Clay gave a common inner city salute while pleading his case.


    "You will be shown unique designs and tasked primarily with the creation of said items, your time limit is two weeks. You will be working alongside a certified master smith and two other apprentices. If the work is not exactly as it is detailed in the design, documentation of modification must be explained in written form. This work takes place within the outer ring, and you will be protected by paid guards at all times. If you have any problem with this, speak now." Kinsey stared into the eyes of the man.


    Clay gulped down as he thought about everything she had just said. Considering how much money he was being paid and how much protection was being given to him, as well as it taking place away from the inner city, it could be said to be dangerous work. However without looking at the design he would not even know for sure whether he can complete it or not. However in this work, risk went hand in hand with reward, and those who hesitated died a dog''s death.


    "I accept." Clay matched Kinsey''s line of sight and opened his palm for a firm handshake.


    Kinsey misunderstood and removed a small satchel of gold from her pouch before placing it in his hand.


    "An advancement on your pay. Work begins tomorrow at dawn, you will co-ordinate with the hired guards for protection. You may leave now." Kinsey went back to sit on the bench.


    After a brief pause due to confusion, Clay hurriedly put the satchel away and excused himself to prepare whatever he may need. He spoke with the old woman and officially accepted the request. As he finished up, he ran quickly out of the guild hall, passing by the two twins on his way out.


    Jenevieve and Maryanne had just finished on their latest variation of the full body armor and rushed to the guild hall as fast as they could when they got the information. Though the workshop was doing well, any gold in their pocket made their lives a little easier. They often took requests from the guild for special types of weapons or armors.


    The twins headed to the older woman whom had personally sent them the request and handed over their guild identification cards. After a moment of verification, the old woman pointed to Kinsey as the potential employer.


    Jenevieve and Maryanne matched footsteps as they headed toward the beautiful young woman. Comparatively, Kinsey''s complexion was much better than their own. Not to mention the beautiful flowing dress, or the better measurements. The most noticeable difference between them was the rippling muscles that protruded from the twins. Having been smiths all their lives, their bodies had been well toned from the stressing work.


    Kinsey recognized the two girls, as the daughters of the smith the Golden Dragon family used. Though he was the royal smith, he would often take special orders from nobles and the like. Seeing the two girls reminded Kinsey of a time when she did not have to worry about the burden of being a Golden Dragon family member.


    Letting out a small smile, Kinsey once again stood up from the bench and took the initiative to meet the twins halfway. Jenevieve and Maryanne gave a curtsy befitting noble women, and it was returned by Kinsey.


    "You are-" Spoke Maryanne.


    "Kinsey Dragon?" - Finished Jenevieve.


    "Yes, and I see you have not changed since we were little. Still finishing each others sentences. Well, enough with the social, let us get down to business." Kinsey sighed gently.


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    "My Master has asked me to find three worthy smiths to work with a certified master smith and create for him items based off his own unique designs. You will be given any tools you need to accomplish this job within two weeks, and your compensation will be high. The job itself will be conducted in the outer ring, and you will have personal guards to protect you at all times. Cash will be handed over once confirmation of the items has been approved. Will you accept?" Kinsey juggled a small bag of coins in front of them as incentive.


    "Who is..."


    "The third?" The twins asked.


    "A young man named Clay. He is a magical smith known mostly for his manipulation of organic material." Kinsey spoke matter-of-factly.


    "We accept." They said together. Jenevieve''s face turned a slight shade of red, and Kinsey sent out magical force to monitor her vitals. Her cheeks were flushed and her heart beat faster when Clay was mentioned.


    "Very well, you can speak with the guards I am about to hire and co-ordinate with them to ensure your safety." Kinsey handed over the small bag of gold coins to Maryanne.


    The two young women took their leave after speaking with the old lady and officially accepting the request. After they had left, Kinsey went back to the old lady while carrying a large sack of gold coins.


    "Payment will only be given upon confirmation of the job done with the seal of Atlee Smithing. The timeline they have been given to complete this task is two weeks. Please accept these gold coins." Kinsey lifted the bag of gold coins and waited for the old lady.


    The guild worker slowly counted out the gold coins, and upon confirming the amount stamped the request form and sealed it, to only be opened with confirmation of the seal of Atlee Smithing. The old woman whispered something while sealing the parchment with a green magical energy, and once she was done she placed it in a bin with the gold coins.


    Kinsey left the guild and headed toward the warrior enclave to seek guards for her new apprentices. Since it was only a few minutes walk between the guild and the warrior enclave, the carriage driver was given some more time for lunch while the attendants walked with Kinsey. Along the way Kinsey was gifted with chocolates, flowers and even fish from the market employees.


    One of the employees in the market handed to Kinsey''s attendant a thread of fine silk, and proceeded to get pummeled by his wife with a wooden spindle.


    Kinsey covered her mouth and laughed at the older man being beat by his wife, and it was as if a spark had been lit around her. The males erupted into a frenzy over her smile, and many women as well could not help but get a little red in the face.


    After a little time had passed, Kinsey finally arrived in front of the warrior enclave. It had taken her longer than expected as she had to stop multiple times to accept daisies from the children whom were offering them to her.


    Two large metal doors stood against a jutting wall of stone and hard wood, giving off a feeling of oppression and unbalance. Kinsey snapped her fingers and the servants immediately did everything they could to open the doors. Though it was difficult, after giving it their all they finally opened the metal doors.


    Kinsey strolled in nonchalantly and looked around until she found a worker sitting behind a desk. Though the worker seemed meek and unimpressive, Kinsey could tell from the unique aura that surrounded his body that he had killed before.


    "What is your business here in the warrior enclave?" The worker did not even look up to greet Kinsey.


    Undeterred, Kinsey spoke without faltering. "I seek warriors to protect my employees while they work in the outer ring. Twenty five gold pieces each for five workers, for only two weeks of work."


    "You understand what you are saying, do you not? Twenty five gold is equal to living wages for half a year." The worker finally looked up after hearing the amount of money involved.


    "I assure you I do, and I must ask you to give me your best. I require at least one paladin and one shield bearer. They will protect three smiths while they do their work in the outer ring as well as protect the master smith and his family. I will pay half now, and half when the job is done." Kinsey handed over sixty two gold pieces and five silver pieces in a medium sized satchel, along with the information on the three smiths to be guarded.


    The worker nodded and confirmed the down payment of the coins. Once he was finished counting, he called for another worker and immediately told them the details. They rushed into the back, and the worker approached Kinsey.


    "Please forgive my rudeness, we often get asked to protect people whom have no intention to pay. Your down payment has been received, and we will be more than happy to oblige you. Do you wish to interview the guards we choose?" The worker lowered his head in apology.


    "The mission is to protect the Atlee Family and the apprentices. Send their information to the head of the Atlee family, if he has any issues he will notify you directly." Kinsey nodded and began to leave.


    The worker gave an inner city salute and attempted to return to his business, but he could not help and watch as Kinsey left the building.


    This time, as the group approached the door, Kinsey circulated her magical force into her arm and opened the door with force.


    CLANG!


    The door forcefully swung open and smashed into the jutting wood and rock.


    Kinsey''s servants shuddered from the loud noise as curious onlookers stopped in the streets to watch the spectacle. Kinsey stepped out into the street and made sure her servants were out of the way before closing the door.


    BOOM~


    The thud of the door released a backlash of air that sent dust and debris flying all over the entrance. Kinsey''s hair whipped in the stirred wind, making her look slightly devilish as she made her way down the street with servants in tow.

 50 - Eight Acres

    Clay, Jenevieve and Maryanne returned to their respective shops and gave news of a lucrative partnership they had been graced with receiving. They made the necessary arrangements for the shops to function without them present, and rested well for the early morning trip to the outer ring.


    Kinsey gave word to her attendants that at least twenty extra servants must be added to the roster for the two weeks of work, and two carriages must be purchased. She gave the head servant, Mildred, the necessary amount of coins for the expenditure. Once she had confirmed that everything was falling into place in regards to the apprentices and guards, she made her way to the palace in order to purchase the land around the Atlee household for cultivation.


    She once again entered the carriage and gave the driver the directions he needed to reach the public entrance of the palace. Though the royal palace was where the One True King stayed and was off limits, the palace itself encompassed a larger area and was a bustling place, filled with noblemen and women, merchants and the like.


    It took ten minutes on carriage to reach the public entrance to the palace due to the amount of people present, and Kinsey dismounted the carriage with an entourage of three servants after waiting a few moments. Many merchants stopped their haggling and many more nobles stopped their gossip long enough to see who had just arrived.


    Kinsey paid them no attention, where she would normally go and greet the nobles she recognized. This time however was different, as she was not at her leisure. This was an official order from her Master, and to commit to this effort in a half assed manner was unthinkable. Kinsey quickly made her way through the murmuring crowds and entered the foyer of the palace, where the noble in charge of buying and selling land resided.


    "Greetings, nobleman Qan." Kinsey curtsied to an older gentleman sporting a large beard and overly curled mustache, donned in purple robes inlaid with gold beads.


    "Little one, I have not heard from you in quite a long time. I heard what happened to your family and I can only offer my condolences." Qan stood from his seat and gave a nobles salute before gesturing for Kinsey to be seated. "What brings you here this day? Surely it is not to see this old man."


    "I am purchasing land for my Master, in accordance with his wishes..." Kinsey gave a beautiful but empty smile.


    "I cannot say I have had the pleasure to meet this Master of yours. Why does he not make the trip himself?" Qan could not help but speak with contempt. Even a man with his influence could not help but only dream of having such a lovely assistant at his disposal.


    "Master is often busy in his pursuit of higher learning. However he has tasked me with overseeing the purchase of land in the outer ring, around the Atlee family household. Is this land for sale immediately?" Kinsey was straight and to the point, a way of speaking that Qan was unaccustomed to.


    A normal talk between upper class nobles often had off topic remarks and transparent lies in order to conceal what should not be said and heard. Even when there is nothing to say of consequence, it was now thought of as proper manner to speak in such a way from noble to noble.


    For Kinsey to disregard this manner of speaking meant that she went and indebted herself to a lower class citizen, or she belonged to a noble who cared not for the social ebb and flow of the society in which they lived. Since she already admitted that her Master pursued higher learning, this meant that he was a high class noble that cared not for social pleasantries, which made him someone not to be trifled with.


    Qan analyzed everything that Kinsey had said, and read the situation as such.


    "I will look for available deeds without delay, please stay and have some tea with me while I have my workers do some digging for you." Qan rubbed his hands together before calling for a few nearby workers.


    "I will do so, thank you for your consideration." Kinsey snapped her fingers and an attendant brought forth a tea set for both Kinsey and the nobleman.


    Though it was inelegant, Kinsey poured the tea both for herself and for Qan. No words were exchanged while they both sipped on the steeped herbal tea in front of them.


    Qan did his best in the short time that Kinsey presented herself to piece together what had happened to her and her family. In his particular line of work, information was a golden ticket to easy money. Of course there were many rumors about the Golden Dragon family, about drug smuggling and forced slavery, but all of the stories had a single truth. They all stated that the Golden Dragon family had caught the attention of a mage in a bad way and it ultimately led to their downfall.


    Qan eyed the blue and green dress closely, noticing the hem was expertly done and the dress hugged Kinsey''s curves closely. It could only be a custom creation, possibly from the high end retail section of the inner city. He could tell that her Master treated her very well just from the fabric.


    Then he noticed the callouses on her hands, and for a time he could think only of her working in the field to have gotten them. The contradictions of her flesh and her wardrobe caused quite the confusion in Qan.


    Kinsey had been doing some deductions of her own. She saw the bits of dirt on the cuff of his sleeves, and the bloodshot eyes he failed to hide behind thick glasses. His fingernails were long and had traces of blood under them, as well he attempted to hide bruises on his sternum that would have gone unnoticed were it not for her magical perception. What complimented her theory was his racing heartbeat, as if someone was shocking him with electricity.


    Without a doubt, he was a user of some very potent drugs.


    Drugs were a common find within the inner city. After etching out their own existence in the Northern Continent, many humans suffered casualties from skirmishes with the local magical beings. The preferred method of pain nullification from lost limbs and horrid nightmares was a multitude of drugs. The properties of some raw herbs caused hallucination and pain relief, but the after effects were devastating. Prolonged use of some types of drugs caused bone degradation, destruction of cells, and ultimately a very painful death from every part of your body failing.


    Just as well, you will never feel the same high you felt when you tried it for the first time. Your choices stripped away from you, the only thing you could do was chase that feeling even when you knew it was impossible.


    Qan himself indulged in the festering whomp root found in the swamps deep in the mountains of The Bastion Of Hope. A peculiar herb, by drying the stalk and crushing into a stew or broth, one could release the toxin inside and hallucinate for one to three days depending on its potency. It also acted as a mild sedative for those unintelligent enough to use it as such.


    Prolonged use of the festering whomp root causes certain effects in stages. The first stage causes cotton mouth, followed by blood draining from fingers and toes and problems with the libido. The second stage causes bruises, welts and sores to appear in random places on the body and bloodshot eyes, worsening the more you partake. Third stage was the most vicious, causing heart and liver failure. If one was lucky to survive to the fourth stage, the body is flooded with adrenaline until the heart could no longer keep up. All muscles were prone to seize and tense up, and the user would slip into a coma by nightfall. The worst part about the festering whomp root is that it effected everyone, mages included.


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    Though the effects on mages were generally less destructive due to the magic circulating, constantly protecting and filtering useless things in the body. That just meant that the high did not last as long, and more drugs were required to feel just as good as a non magic user.


    In this regards normal humans had it a lot easier than the mages did.


    Minutes continued to pass before word had finally come about purchasable lands around the Atlee house. There was a total of eight plots, an acre each, for sale by the Kingdom.


    Due to the fact that the land was in the outer ring and was close to barren, the purchasing price was only a gold a piece for each plot of land.


    Kinsey haggled down to eight silver coins per plot, and nobleman Qan obliged on the pretext of a discount for nobility. Kinsey withdrew from her coin purse six gold coins and four silver coins, and handed them over to Qan. She used magical perception to ensure that he did not attempt to pocket any of the money.


    The coins were slipped into an envelope sized cloth and placed into a locked safe.


    Now that the deeds had been purchased, all that was left was to have the Atlee family sign their names to it and they would officially own that land. What they decide to do with it was entirely up to them.


    Kinsey excused herself from the foyer of the palace and headed straight to the outer ring by carriage. Roughly half an hour had passed when she finally arrived outside the entrance to the Atlee household.


    Again villagers nearby made their way down to the Atlee house to look at the commotion, as they had first done when Willem arrived. Kinsey paid them little mind, as she left the carriage with her three attendants and knocked on the door of the little household.


    This time, Anna''s mother was ready for her awaited guests. She had heard news of a noble''s carriage heading toward the outer ring, and had prepared accordingly.


    "Greetings, young noble woman." Anna''s mother bowed.


    "Greetings, erm... Forgive me but I do not believe I have actually heard your name." Kinsey bowed in reply.


    "Oh dear me, it is Meriam. Meriam Atlee. My husband''s name is Clive. My goodness I cannot believe I forgot to introduce myself..." Meriam motioned for Kinsey to come inside.


    "Pleasure to see you again, Meriam. I have the deeds my Master wished for you to receive. They have been paid and are ready for your signature." Kinsey made her way inside with her servants and they all sat down together.


    The three children quietly looked on as Kinsey made her way into the house.


    Kinsey looked their way and asked them a question. "What are your names?" Her tone was very even, not overly fond and not rude.


    "Atticus." Spouted the eldest boy.


    "June." Spoke the middle child.


    "..." The youngest one, remained quiet.


    "The last little sprout is Merlin." Meriam spoke from the other room while preparing tea.


    Kinsey took from her satchel three pieces of candy and handed them out to the children.


    The children quietly sat and chewed on the stringy candy. The servants, having nothing to do, asked for orders from Kinsey.


    "You may begin cleaning the house." Kinsey did not need them just to speak with the mother.


    "I cannot thank you or your Master enough for everything you have done for us." Meriam yelled from the other room. By the time the tea had been finished and Meriam was returning to the living room, it had already been thoroughly cleaned by Kinsey''s servants.


    As Kinsey paid no mind to the servants, Meriam decided it best not to draw attention to them as well. They both sat down and enjoyed their warm tea while speaking few sentences about the new state of affairs.


    Once the tea had been done, Kinsey ordered the servants to play with the children while herself and Meriam went to check on the state of the purchased lands. They left the house and the crowd had yet to disperse until Meriam called out to them, telling them to leave. Since the driver was not going to be necessary for a few hours, he asked for a bucket of water and brush to clean his horse.


    Meriam provided the bucket and brush, and they both made their way to the first plot of land.


    The first plot had a burned down house, a burned down barn, and a lot of scorched crops that covered at least half the land. The rest of the field had been picked clean of all vegetation. Meriam explained that the family that used to own this plot ended up borrowing money from some ''bad people'', to pay for the Magic Academy for their children. When they could no longer keep up on the ever increasing payments, the ''bad people'' decided to make them an example.


    The second plot was no better. The house was poorly build and rotting, the fields were barren and there were many wild dogs roaming around.


    The third through seventh plots of land were normal, except for a lack of housing or even a shed for tools. There was, at least, no signs of degradation or mishaps.


    The final plot of land had a well kept house sitting in the middle of the property. From Kinsey''s magical perception, there was at least twelve humans living in the small building. By stretching her magical energy thin, she found a tunnel in the house leading toward the inner city.


    Two humans near the windows of the building had elevated heart rates, while the other ten had a normal heart rate. This was the limit of what Kinsey herself could feel from the current distance.


    With Meriam present, she would not dare to challenge them. She did not know if they were bandits or just homeless people. Even if she was sure she could win against them, she did not have the confidence that Meriam would not get hurt in the crossfire if something was to happen.


    "Meriam, there may be bandits in that house. Pretend you are surveying the land, then we will leave." Kinsey whispered.


    Meriam stiffened up for a moment, but seeing Kinsey act nonchalant made it easier for her to pretend to survey the fields. When she was done, they made their way back to the Atlee house while Kinsey confirmed they were not being followed.


    "What should we do?" Before they went inside, Meriam asked Kinsey the question that had been weighing on her mind.


    "Leave this matter to me, and do not go there until you have heard from myself, Anna or our Master." Kinsey nodded to her concerned question. "One more thing, the apprentices and guards will be coming here starting tomorrow at dawn. Can I leave you this information to give to your husband?"


    "Of course, I will tell him when he arrives." Meriam nodded.


    "Lovely, keep those deeds locked away as well so they are not stolen." Kinsey opened the door to the Atlee household.


    The servants had made a game of cleaning the house, pretending to have so much fun that even the children wished to join them. The upstairs bedroom and kitchen had been cleaned thoroughly, and everything looked as if it had just recently been bought.


    Meriam gave a smirk before urging the children to clean themselves up for supper. She offered Kinsey and the servants to stay for supper but Kinsey declined.


    A few minutes later, the talk had finished and Kinsey said her goodbye to Meriam. It was a still five or six hours until dusk and there was a couple more things for her to do.

 51 - Untold Power

    Willem felt the chaos and overflowing negative energy in the blocked off corridor as soon as had entered the Magic Academy again. His finely tuned magical sensitivity guided him to the scene, through the connecting shadows.


    Willem watched from the shadow as the bodies of four boys were removed from the corridor and it was wiped clean of the blood and gore that permeated the area. No matter how much the cleaning servants scrubbed the walls, they still had a slight smell of blood.


    Willem removed himself from the shadow and approached Sveld to ask what had happened. Sveld quietly whispered about the incident, and explained that after probing their minds he had found no evidence of foul play. Therefore the only reasonable explanation was an influx of magic corrupting the oldest boys mind.


    Of course Willem instantly recognized the deceased as the boys whom had previously been marked with the string. After a brief conversation, Willem consoled Sveld and left the scene. He then opened the connection to monitor Anna while she continued her revenge.


    After Anna Was Finished Class.


    Anna had finally attended class after quite a long period of absence. Now that the class had ended, the second stage of her revenge was about to begin. She quietly stalked one of the girls in her class, whom she could quite clearly see connected by the string. This obviously meant she was a part of the female students who mercilessly beat her.


    The young woman Anna stalked met up with the others involved in her torture and they all headed towards the intermediate study room. It was the third day and they went there with the intent to abuse Anna. They had heard the rumor of an Advanced Mage flipping out and attacking his friends, but they did not know who it was or where it took place. Besides, the more commotion someone else made, the less likely they would be to get caught.


    Anna waited until the advanced earth mage that originally took her virginity entered the room, gave it a few moments, and then entered herself with her robe covering her head. Anna stepped inside the study room, and locked the door behind herself.


    "Good girl, she even learned to lock the door by herself. Looks like you really are learning something in this Academy." The advanced earth mage snickered to himself.


    "Yes, I have. Connections are everything." Anna twisted her right arm one hundred and eighty degrees, and the bones in her arm forcefully broke from the immense pressure. Without showing any concern for her broken arm, she then forcefully bent the elbow until the cracked bones sliced open her skin and protruded from her body as if she had been in some horrible accident.


    "What the f-..." The advanced mage did not have enough time to finish what he was saying, as the broken bones shot out of Anna''s arm, pinning him to the wall with tremendous force.


    "Tell me, girls, do you remember the tales of the women who made a pact with the goddess of death?" Anna''s arm twisted back into its proper form, and the punctured skin healed as if there was no injury in the first place. One of the abilities she had learned from her Master, Darkness Healing, was working overtime to replace the torn flesh and bone she had just used. Within a few seconds, not even a scar remained. After five seconds, the bone in her arm had returned and connected itself once more to the other bones.


    "I remember the first time I heard it. In fact, I think about it often. It helps to remind me of how truly broken this world really is. If there was no rape or torture or war or death in this world, then the goddess of death would not have so many customers." Anna smiled and the girls could not help but stumble backwards.


    The only woman that did not falter was the advanced mage who led the group of girls. The woman was a potioneering major, and had recently broken through the gap from intermediate to advanced.


    "Farah Majol incantus..." The woman began to chant an advanced level wind magic toward Anna before she inexplicably found herself unable to speak.


    Anna rubbed her middle finger and thumb together, in a downward slicing motion. The woman''s vocal chords were cut in one swift attack that not even the advanced mage could have defended against.


    What the woman did not know is that Anna had preemptively placed a small thread of darkness in the girls mouth when she had followed them for just such an occasion.


    The more seasoned advanced earth mage recovered from his initial shock and began to chant. "Solum majore incantus..." A wave of earth rose from out of thin air and spiraled toward Anna''s stomach.


    Before the spiral lance hit Anna, she pulled the woman toward her with the dark tendrils and used her as a shield for the attack. The spiral lance hit the woman square in the stomach, piercing her and lodging itself deep inside her body.


    The advanced wind mage coughed up a mouthful of black blood and fell over, defeated. However, this was only the beginning of her torture, so Anna made sure she did not bleed out.


    The advanced earth mage had calmed down considerably, and had begun to cast his second spell almost immediately. "Consul verita incantus..." Pieces of dirt and rock covered his body like a moving golem.


    Anna raised her arm, and whispered her command. "Darkspear." Suddenly, fifty spears of pitch black came from every piece of darkness in the room. They all hovered in air, pointed toward the golem.


    "Do you think your petty tricks are strong enough to beat my earth golem? Earth golem is the strongest defensive spell we earth mages have-" before he could finished speaking, he was skewered by fifty spears as dark as the night sky.


    No blood seeped from his wounds, instead it was all being absorbed by the spears. The earth golem crumbled after a few moments while Anna looked over at the three other girls whom were frozen in fear.


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    "Now, what shall I do to you. You had your fun beating me, shall I have my fun doing the same to you?" Anna began to prepare darkspear once more, when Willem arrived from the darkness of one of the spears.


    "Your actions have been noticed. You have a few minutes to finish this event." Willem watched as the girls in the room cried out for saving.


    "Yes, Master." With just two words, the hopes of the girls had been destroyed.


    "Might I suggest something for these three?" Willem pointed toward the three girls. A cold sweat ran down their backs as they huddled together crying.


    "Of course, though they are not worth of being concubines in my personal opinion." Anna said out loud to give them a hint of how she wanted them to act.


    The three girls hurriedly removed their clothes with the intent of convincing their new Master. Before the last one could finish undressing, Willem casually walked over to one of them and punched his hand through her chest.


    The girl screamed, but no one came to her rescue. There was no hole in her chest, but instead there was a fist sized black hole reaching into her body. Willem had a grin on his face as he absorbed the hazy magical force from inside the girl.


    Once he had completely absorbed every bit of magical energy inside her, he removed his hand and the hole closed. The girl slumped over, and immediately went unconscious. She was in a critical condition, but even Anna could tell that she was not dead.


    He then sent both his fists through the other two, absorbing their magical energy within roughly a few seconds of each other. Both their bodies fell over unconscious and Anna piled them together with their clothes.


    "Guards will be here soon, let us finish this in the Private Sanctum. Kinsey will be busy all day so we will not be intruded upon." Willem took the bodies with Anna and slipped into the darkness of the room.


    Inside The Private Sanctum


    The torturing of the one male student and four female students had begun. Flesh would be torn off forcibly with a whip, and blood would drip into a nice wooden bowl to be fed to the White Tiger Cub. On the brink of death, Willem would expertly produce a intermediate healing potion to cure the inflicted wounds.


    The three female students whom no longer had magical energy were the weakest ones, and were kind of thankful that they were now normal humans. Their bodies were no longer as robust as before, and Anna made sure to go a little easier on them so they did not break, compared to the two toys that still had magical energy flowing in their veins.


    Willem understood why it was necessary to get revenge but saw very little point in torturing them. In his own eyes, he had already taken from the three girls their entire world. Their magical abilities were now his, even though their aptitude was low. Since Anna and himself were of one mind, he decided it was time she knew the truth. A truth he did not even tell Grand Mage Archus.


    "Anna, what do you think is our purpose here in this world?" Willem closed off his mind.


    "I am not sure Master, please enlighten me." Sensing the lost connection, Anna turned to her Master.


    "I would not be so bold as to say I know the answer. I have been given a rather strange gift. Only you and I know of it. You are the first to see me use it. Shall we see how far we can reach together?" Willem approached the female wind mage.


    "Yes, Master..." Anna placed the whip on the table and placed a healing salve on the wounds of the advanced wind mage.


    The pained expression on the girls face was replaced with a warm smile. In a barely awakened state, the warmth washing over her from the healing salve was like a guiding light leading her away from the torturous darkness. Before she had time to understand what was going on, and her eyes were just beginning to open once more, she saw on her chest a black hole the size of a fist. She barely had time to scream before passing out from the excruciating pain of having the magical energy ripped from her body.


    Willem threw the girls body off the meat hook she had been placed on and tossed her aside like a rag doll. He re-opened the connection to Anna in his mind and gave her orders to make sure the girl lived.


    With the new magical energy he absorbed, his own magical energy surged and swirled even more unusually, pulsing in synchronization with his own rapid heartbeat.


    Willem made his way over to the advanced earth mage. Slowly and deliberately, he opened a black hole much larger than the previous attacks. This caused immense pain to well up from the earth mage who had previously passed out from the pain of torture.


    "Please, I... I will do a-anything..." The ragged breathing of the advanced earth mage could barely be heard.


    Willem plunged his fist into the earth mages chest and began absorbing the magical energy in the body without delay. Not even a single droplet remained once Willem was through with him. After closing the black hole, Willem threw the now human males body off the meat hook and onto the floor.


    Anna began rubbing the healing salve on the male''s body, but Willem made her stop for a moment.


    "His torture is not done yet. There is something we must do to this man." Willem withdrew a mithril dagger.


    Telepathically Willem explained what he wanted Anna to do. She bowed to Willem and took the mithril dagger from his hands.


    Anna began to slowly and surgically cut off the man''s genitalia.

 52 - Bodies

    The process of the removal of the man''s genitalia took minutes, but for the male it felt like hours of torture. He had passed out twice during the whole ordeal, first from the initial cut and second was after the work had finished. For good measure, Anna also cut off his testicles and crushed them beneath her feet.


    Willem had long since grown tired of the whole event and now more than ever wished to dump their bodies somewhere in the kingdom. Anna pressed a healing salve to where the man''s penis used to be, and the healing began. The skin reformed, but not enough to heal completely. The man was left with half of a torn penis and no testicles. Anna dressed the bodies in normal kingdom clothing and moved them together for Willem to transport.


    Willem shifted through the darkness, with five bodies in tow. The male was dropped off in the outer ring by the eunuch''s circle, on one of the abandoned plots of land. The four women were dropped in front of the brothel, still passed out. Considering what they had done to Anna, Willem was showing a fair bit of kindness by not outright killing them and using their bodies for experimentation.


    Willem returned to his Private Sanctum and saw that a bath had already been drawn for him. His clothes shone a deep red, the blood and smell from the torture still lingering on his body. He removed his clothes and entered the bath with Anna at his side to wash his body.


    Anna cleaned Willem thoroughly, in order to remove the smell of blood from his body. Willem did nothing to resist, nor did he raise a hand to touch her. Anna''s new body had yet to be embraced by any man, Master or not. Once the cleaning was done, Willem laid in the bed naked while Anna removed her magical robes.


    Both Willem and Anna knew that Anna made up her mind to give her body to her Master. Especially after everything he had done for her before and after her reincarnation.


    Anna quietly moved to the bed and performed sexual acts just as Willem commanded her to in his mind. When she believed herself ready, she inserted his penis into her for the first time. Her first time began with an incredible amount of pain, so much so that she could not move her hips for roughly five minutes. Since her body was completely renewed, it had not been abused by the other men from the previous incidents.


    She carefully and unskillfully attempted to pleasure her Master until the pain subsided. She would slowly rock her hips with minimal movement while Willem fondled her breasts. In reality, he was measuring them to compare to Kinsey''s later on. The experimental data on his sexual encounters so far had progressed rather well considering the lack of subjects.


    Once Anna was able to begin moving, she tried to take her Master deeper inside. Willem closed off his mind save for a small connection in order to not hinder him from gathering data. Anna felt double the pleasure as it rebounded from Willem''s mind back into hers. Within minutes, they had both climaxed together and Willem had drifted off to sleep.


    Anna watched as the White Tiger Cub ate the humans flesh and lapped up their blood from the wooden bowl.


    Inside The Trade Market.


    Kinsey had returned from the outer ring and made her way to inspect the hired help whom would be working the farms with Anna''s mother. The servant in charge of finding help did quite well, finding twenty farmers and fifteen gatherers who were willing to work immediately as well as two carriages that could accommodate twenty workers each.


    Kinsey explained the details of their job to them, their pay and what they would be farming as well as who they would be working for. When all was done, Kinsey told them to meet Meriam at dusk in front of her house for orders. The farmers and gatherers bowed and left to go tell their kin the good news.


    Kinsey dismissed the servants and driver for the day and went to a small shop on the outskirts of the trade district. The shop had a sign with a bull head on it, beside a fork and knife. Kinsey would often go here when she was still a part of the Golden Dragon family. The bull head pub was well known for catering to nobles and adventurers alike.


    The doors swung open with little force as Kinsey surveyed the pub. All but two seats in the corner had been taken by someone else, though she knew she need only ask for a seat for someone to give it up. Many eyes turned to look upon the beautiful woman as she initially entered the pub, but they quickly turned away when her eyes met theirs.


    Kinsey was only looking for an excuse to hang around until dusk before dealing with the homeless men on Meriam''s new plot of land. If it turned out to be bandits, that could work out in her favor even more. Her Master had told her recently that he needed live humans to experiment on and would only take the bad ones. If she delivered twelve experimental subjects, she may even be praised.


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    The thought alone of being praised by Willem brought a smile to her face, which in turn brought a smile to the faces of everyone in the pub. The attendant led Kinsey to the available seat in the corner and took her order. A couple minutes passed and she was offered a free glass of wine on the house. After confirming with magical perception it had not been poisoned or otherwise tampered with, she slowly tasted the wine.


    It had a hint of redberry, and was quite sour to Kinsey''s soft palette. This did not deter her from drinking the wine, as it was quickly absorbed and diffused thanks to her magical body. Though her abilities were not nearly as potent as her Master, it was enough for such a small amount of alcohol.


    Kinsey struck up a conversation with nobles and adventurer''s alike, guards and hunters, spinning tales of grand fights with magical beasts. Kinsey kept talking with different people, declining to change location to a more private venue more than a few times.


    Once the crowd had thinned and enough time had passed, Kinsey left the pub. It was almost the exact same pub as how she remembered it from before, save for the magical perception that made everything a bit more vibrant. The colors fought for her attention, the ale frothed and the popping of old joints and clanks of drinking glasses all sung harmoniously.


    Kinsey slipped into the darkness where the street lights could not cover and donned a black face mask. Her new attire consisted of all black, and when she was done changing she quickly scaled the walls of the shops in the inner city.


    After an hour of running, dodging, and sometimes crawling to avoid detection, Kinsey finally arrived outside the well taken care of farm house. She paid extra care to not be noticed by those inside, and now had ample time to read their condition now that she was much closer.


    She pressed her hand to the fiber of the wood and spread her magical perception out as if to grasp the world. The magical energies washed over the humans inside, though it had no effect on them and they were none the wiser.


    Twelve separate heartbeats, three weaker than the others. One was missing and eye, another missing a middle finger, and one missing an arm. Deep within their hearts was resentment and anger, with a twinge of fear. Kinsey gave them the benefit of the doubt, and chose to believe they were homeless people whom had lost everything.


    None of her feelings mattered, however, when she broke open the front door and began to attack the humans. With her muscles laced with magical energy, Kinsey moved like the wind, while the enemies moved as if under the duress of a time displacement spell.


    By the time they had drawn their weapons, half their party had been knocked out. By the time they swung at the intruder dressed in black, only two were left. By the time their weapons made contact and bounced off the enemy, all had been knocked out. Kinsey blew through them with a flurry of blows meant to knock them out without sustaining any serious injuries. It was a cold and efficient hunt for Kinsey, whom had done research on human physiology in order to better understand how certain herbs affected certain body parts.


    Kinsey looked over the twelve bodies and could see nothing but bandits. Even their clothing screamed bad intentions, but Kinsey dared not assess whether they were worthy or not to be experimental subjects for Willem.


    After she had finished rounding up their bodies, she quietly whisper his name.


    "Willem."


    Willem woke up from his sleep and quickly put on some nearby clothes. The connection to his mind was still closed, and Anna laid on the bed snoring quietly. Willem melded into the shadow of an oil lamp and emerged within the shadow of one of the possible bandits.


    Kinsey bowed to Willem and explained what her day had entailed. After hearing about how everything had gone according to plan, except for this incident, Willem was quite pleased with Kinsey''s work and complimented her on a job well done. Willem searched the minds of the twelve men, and all he saw was struggling and death. Pain and hunger, fear and betrayal. In the eyes of the kingdom, these twelve people were the scum of the earth. More importantly for Willem, however, was that they all did not have anyone whom would try to find them should they go missing.


    He teleported the twelve bodies and Kinsey back to the Private Sanctum, where he placed the twelve bodies on meat hooks to be used later.


    Willem and Kinsey stayed up for another half hour while Willem talked about what he had done all day, drinking some hot tea one last time before bed. Once they were ready to sleep, Willem curled in first, pressing his body up against Anna''s, while Kinsey cuddled into his right side.


    The White Tiger Cub yawned lazily at the foot of the bed.

 53 - Dream

    < This is from Willem''s point of view. >


    For the first time in a very long time, I had a dream.


    I dreamt that the king sat on his golden throne, sipping on some of the best wine the Bastion of Hope had to offer him.


    His wife sat beside him, looking as ghastly as ever. Their children were nowhere to be seen.


    There were no others.


    No line up from wall to wall of soldiers, no bishops or holy men whispering false messages of fallen gods into the King''s ears.


    There was no need.


    The hall leading to the throne was decorated in the blood of fallen magical beings and humans alike. Pieces of fey, elf and giant could be seen strewn across the floor.


    A solitary human soldier, decorated in war emblems, hung from the ceiling of the throne room, almost perfectly sliced in half.


    "One day we would meet, as one King to another." The One True King bowed to me, a bow only the King was allowed to perform.


    "As one King to another, your men have fallen. Your city burns, and you sit upon your throne drinking your diluted wine. Have you prayed to a god yet? There is still time." This voice was not mine, but it seemed very familiar to me. "I am a merciful vessel of the gods, I can at least afford you this."


    "Vessel of the gods..." The One True King rotated his magical energy, and the alcohol within his body evaporated. "Once, when I was a boy, I was granted a vision by a seer. The seer showed me this very moment, where we would stand toe to toe. He showed me the results of this battle. I am destined to die here." The One True King chantlessly spit fire from his mouth toward his wife.


    Under the immense pressure of the fire, her body quickly charred and any remnants of her life were extinguished in cleansing flame. Her scream lasted from the moment the fire touched her body until her vocal chords melted from the high heat. Before she died, she let out a small smile toward her husband. I watched on, half impressed, but I do nothing to stop it. I would not have shown her such a merciful ending.


    Suddenly, I am no longer looking at the King. I instead am looking at a red headed man with red eyes, writhing under the weight of his own broken mind. Watching the queen die triggered something within the King of Demons. I see memories of his lover, Rin, dying; as if they had broken free from being bound in shackles in the back of his mind. The memories struggle to be seen, as if fighting against an invisible foe for his attention. They directly conflict with the mind magic the wraith using Rin''s body had put on his mind.


    What is a wraith? The King knows what a wraith is. It is a soul without a body, a wisp that seeks vengeance and cannot ascend to be with the gods until it gets revenge.


    Why do I see through the eyes of the King?


    "My purpose here is not to live, but to free you from the shackles that were placed on you. The fey that gave me the vision also took something dear to me. He took from me the ability to dream. Since I met him, I have only ever had nightmares of the most horrifying nature. Such was my burden to bear." The One True King bowed his head, thinking of the many restless nights he had suffered through.


    R?el''s mind reeled from the fight between the memories he thought to be real and those that had struggled to break free from his chained mind. Blood ran from his eyes as his mind tore apart under the weight of the cursed mind magic.


    Then all went quiet.


    I no longer see from the point of view of the One True King or the King of Demons. It is as if I am just a watcher on the wall. Their minds are an open book for me to read.


    The so called King of Demons once more regained his composure, and stared at the One True King. I could tell just from looking at him, that the mind magic that he had been cursed with no longer has a hold on him. His strength has returned, and he seemed no longer an autonomous tool of the wraith.


    "What was the name of the fey creature who granted this vision to you?" His breath is haggard, but his eyes shine like an ever-burning flame.


    "He had no name, as far as I can tell." The One True King is nearing his end, I can sense the death surrounding him. "The other slaves only called him "The Dream Eater".


    The King of Demons hoists his heavy hand, ready to deliver the final blow to the human King.


    I smell the scent of death coming off the King of Demons as well. Suddenly a thought had occurred to him. Perhaps the fey were the ones who made the roiling fog of red death.


    These thoughts are not my own but I see them as such. They belong to the King of Demons, but I cannot control them.


    I see his contract with the magical fey. The sneer of disdain as the fey warriors conscript to his army. I see the fey leader, dressed in tribal clothing, with vibrant wings of pink and purple.


    What is the roiling red mist? I scour his mind and I see the roiling red mist is the core of his being. In his mind, the roiling red mist has made him what he is. An immortal King with no purpose. When he dies, it brings him back to life, back to where the mist churns, unendingly. Back to the grave of his first lover, Calista.


    As the King of Demons hesitates, the One True King has time to cast a hastened version of his strongest magical ability. Not holding back, the One True King unleashes all of his magical power as an amalgamation of the five elements, colliding against each other to form a colossal amount of force.


    The King of Demons struggles but he cannot contain the force. His magical power works perfectly with his physical prowess, as he attempts to shield his body from harm.


    The smell of death becomes stronger.


    The One True King falls to his own spell as his magical power has become completely exhausted. The backlash of the spell breaks everything in his body and shatters his mind. His breathing is heavy, and then all of a sudden it stops. A grey wisp gently glides out of his mouth and disappears from my sight.


    Was that perhaps the One True King''s soul?


    The smell of death has reached its peek.


    The Fey leader has finally arrived on the scene. The so called King of Demons is breathing heavily, with unstable magical energy.


    Once more, a sneer forms on the face of the Fey leader.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.Before the King of Demons can fight back, the Fey leader snaps his fingers and whips of vine appear from beneath the tiles of the throne room. The vines attach themselves to the arms and legs of the Demon King, and he can do nothing but attempt to resist.


    The Fey leader does not bother explaining his master plan. He rips out the still beating heart of the King of Demons and devours it hungrily.


    When he is finished eating, he spits out a shining red orb the size of a human palm. It looks as if the roiling red mist has been sealed inside.


    The stench of death is heavy from the slowly dying King of Demons. I almost feel sorry for him. He has finally put it together, he was just a carrier of a unique disease. So long as that thing was inside him, incubating, he had immortality.


    He should have known. Fey are notorious for playing mean tricks on those they do not approve of. The meanest trick of them all would of course be immortality.


    If he could go back, he could save them all. His village, his elders, his first lover, Calista, and his last, Rin. He could have saved his child. However there is no time altering magic, not on the scale he hoped for.


    His last breath approaches, he can feel it getting caught in his throat. He coughs it up, the last one, and his soul leaves his body. He knows, this time, there is no reincarnation for him.


    The Fey leader pockets the red orb and walks away as if the death of the King has nothing to do with him.


    I awake from the dream. There is a taste in my mouth that brings to mind the smell of sulfur and blood.


    It is now morning and I am still hugging the body of Anna, whom I had joined with the day before. Now we are of both mind and body.


    The dream from the night before sticks to my mind, even as I got about my normal actions.


    Grand Mage Archus finds me in the morning, and I can tell he is impatient to tell me something. I make him wait, because I know how he is. If he lets go of a secret too quickly, he ends up getting angry at himself every time.


    After an hour of making him wait, when he seems like he can no longer keep it in, I ask him what is on his mind.


    Finally he blurts out that the Kingdom has encountered and successfully captured the first of the magical beings sent to scout our forces.


    It is an elven male calling himself Beyrut Swiftfoot. A bit on the nose if you ask me.


    Grand Mage Archus lets slip that once they are done with the interrogation, the elf will be sent to me for my experiments.


    How fortuitous, now I have something to test with.


    From my understanding of magical beings based on what I have read, not many require words to cast spells as humans do. Most magical beings have stories of inheriting the blood of fallen gods, transforming their bodies to allow them to survive in the harsh world. This has left them with natural gifts, as opposed to learned abilities. Where they need only master their gifts from birth, humans may or may not even carry within them the seed of magic.


    The Grand Mage has noticed that I am rather deep in thought and has chosen to leave. Forgive me, elder, but this sudden news of a test subject requires all of my focus.


    I must return to the lab, I tell Anna to guard the door to my private room and tell Kinsey to go on to the school without me. I connect to her mind through the string and send her more of my magical energy, enough to teleport her to school without issue.


    Her face turns red when I send my magic coursing through her body. To her, it would be like a thousand fingers gently sliding across her skin. I do so enjoy her reaction when I do this to her.


    Now back to the task at hand, I have a throng of potions I intended to use but they all seem inadequate now that I have an actual test subject.


    Time to begin. Two parts radamans nail, three parts daze flower, one part queens tear. Each part costs me fifty gold coins besides the daze flower, but it was easily worth it. If this works, it will serve as a good potion to begin with.


    I take out my medicinal kiln and place the ingredients inside. Focus, this is important. The five steps to a good potion.


    One, Control. Control the flame, bring it from a single point to a slow simmer. Let it breathe and break down the ingredients to their original form.


    Two, Destroy. The ingredients are fully melted beneath the pale blue flame. Now, before it has congealed, I pour my magical energy into the kiln.


    Three, Separate. The magical ability is absorbed by the handles of the kiln and fed into the medicinal pot. The magical energy keeps the melted ingredients separate while I maintain control of it.


    Four, Create. Once the fire dies out, I slowly remove my magical force from the kiln and it slowly mixes the separate ingredients together. This allows me to control the reaction.


    Five, Finish. I add the final ingredient to the kiln, the petal of the blood rose. The ingredients have combined completely and are now fusing with the blood rose petal. It breaks down slowly from the already heated combination of ingredients and gets absorbed without issue.


    I have done well if I do say so myself. The entire process, from start to finish, has taken roughly seven hours of refining. Even if I am a Grand Mage, such taxing work can only be washed away.


    I open the connection to Anna''s mind and catch her playing with the White Tiger Cub instead of guarding. Well, I do not know what I was expecting for seven hours of guard duty.


    Kinsey is busy deconstructing one of the potions I made, the Beast Call potion. I will never understand why she does not just ask me what the ingredients are. Knowing the answer is always the best part.


    I tell her to fetch Kinsey and run me a bath. Today I will partake of both their bodies, so I can finally compare them for the purpose of gathering data.


    Oh right, I need to think of a name for the potion I just brewed. Something unique, and befitting the qualities it will have when consumed by the magical being.


    Daze flower to confuse the imbiber, radamans nail for the psychic hallucination, queens tear to dominate the mind. Then the blood rose petal to combine them all into one concentrated attack.


    Ah-... I got it.


    The Mind Flaying Potion.

 54 - Royal Summons

    The day ended quickly, with no time for Kinsey or Anna. Willem had drowned himself in his own thoughts, while also chiding the demoness in his body to give up more information about what he saw in his dreams.


    The demoness was largely unhelpful in this regards.


    The morning came quickly and mail was left for Willem at the Magic Academy.


    Willem was the first to receive an invitation from The One True King. Secondly it was the Grand Mage Archus and lastly it was the commander of the king''s army, Iniro Recor.


    Iniro, at a very young age, was promoted for acts of valor in defending the outer walls from multiple attacks. His platoon of twenty men held the outer wall from centaur arrows and elven magic for two hours while not being able to cast magic themselves.


    Under normal circumstances, a non-magical human would be dead within the blink of an eye against a mage, but the elements were on their side. A massive storm brewed, and while it did provide cover for the magical beings, it gave the humans a wall of wind to block ranged attacks.


    This forced the magical beings into melee combat, and Iniro used guerrilla tactics to delay and confuse the enemy while stalling for magical reinforcements. He used the natural terrain he knew the best to ambush small scouts trying to find a way in, and after too many casualties the magical beings were forced to back off until the storm had passed.


    After the successful defense, Iniro was given command of a hundred men and ordered to gather ingredients from the monsters of the region. With nothing but the basic of magical weapons, he led a campaign that would scale from the Romungan Desert to the Sea of Trials. The journey took a full year, and when he returned, the armor and weaponry they obtained was unparalleled compared to what they started out with.


    Iniro returned with only fifty six men, but they were all wise beyond their years and battle hardened. Every single fighter under him could fight ten against one and win.


    Iniro was given command of the royal army at the tender age of twenty five, as the previous commander was removed disgracefully from his position. From then on, the Bastion of Hope had a fresh new face to rely on for their protection.


    Iniro boasted an incredible record of ninety six wins against magical beasts and the like, and only one loss. Under his command, a group of thirty rank three soldiers attempted to fight a level four magical beast and they all died horribly.


    The leader of the group that died was Willem''s father.


    Now Archus, Iniro and Willem stood waiting on the summons from the King. Iniro was dressed in decorated plate mail, polished and giving off an aura of frost. The two Grand Mages were dressed in black robes with their hoods over their face, obscuring them from view.


    Iniro knew not who the two waiting with him were, but every instinct in his body was telling him to run. Just being in their presence was terrifying enough, without them even looking at him or talking to him.


    While his blood ran cold, he locked his legs firmly in place so as to not fall over from the pressure.


    Archus and Willem eyed each other, nodded, but said nothing.


    Twenty minutes passed and The One True King emerged from the throne room, decorated in royal robes with gaudy jewelry.


    Iniro saluted the King with a strange amount of grace for a man of his stature, and both the Grand Mages bowed to the King slightly. Iniro frowned at the lack of respect for the King but said nothing as all three entered the throne room together.


    "I presume you know why I have called you here, Grand Mage Grandia." The King sat down on his throne, beside his sick wife.


    "I have heard the rumors you captured a spy." Willem bowed to the Queen and spoke softly.


    Iniro looked at the cloaked black figure quizzically. The voice that spoke sounded no older than eighteen years of age. For such a young man to have such power is preposterous.


    Willem sensed the faint hostility from Iniro and removed his hood for all to see. Grand Mage Archus did the same.


    "You are correct, commander Iniro had captured an elven spy just outside our outer wall." The King looked at Iniro fondly, as if he was complimenting his own son.


    "You are too kind, my King. I was only doing as instructed." Iniro bowed excessively, as he was accustomed to.


    A scowl quickly crossed the faces of the two Grand Mages but disappeared quickly. The King noticed but said nothing.


    "Then, as per our agreement, once you have finished with him, I can run my tests?" Willem attempted to steer the conversation back on track.


    "Of course. Grand Mage Archus will supervise and report to me on all findings, just to ensure there are no conflicts of interest." The King stood from his seat and took his wife''s hand in his.


    Willem cleared his throat a couple times. When he had gotten the attention of the King once more, he produced a vial of black liquid from his spatial spell.


    "What is this?" The King looked at the peculiar vial.


    "I had noticed your wife''s health is failing, so I concocted a potion that may restore her to her youthful vigor." Willem quickly handed the funny looking vial over to the King.


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    His eyes sparkled as if he was staring at diamond the size of his head. He quickly uncorked the vial and, after sniffing it, urged his wife to drink it.


    The Queen slowly grasped the vial and drank from it. To her it tasted of blueberries and quisnic leaves, not unlike the pies that were made in the Bastion of Hope during summertime events.


    Willem had garnished the concoction with blueberry juice and quisnic leaves to hide the rancid flavor of the liquid.


    The Queen''s face began to soften, her deep wrinkles disappearing and her frail arms regaining elasticity. Her eyes shined brightly once again as her body creaked from the metamorphosis.


    Whatever had ailed her these long years had seemingly dissipated, along with her lackluster attitude and royal demeanor. She sprung from her chair with youthful exuberance, and danced along the stairs leading to the thrones.


    The One True King looked at Willem gratefully, but his gaze was not shared. Willem was watching the Queen, his new test subject. The potion given to her had the intended effect, but he could not surmise how long that effect would last, nor what it''s side effects could be.


    Willem told the King as such, and the King sobered up from his elation. The four men watched as the Queen danced up and down the throne room until her heart beat so fast she could no longer stand it.


    Her slippers had finally shown signs of use after ten years.


    The One True King asked if Willem could brew more for her just in case. Willem obliged.


    At the moment in time the One True King announced a celebration dinner in two days time for all nobles to attend. This of course meant the Grand Mages as well as the Commander and his equals.


    Archus, Iniro and Willem bowed before leaving the King and Queen to their passionate embrace.


    Archus and Willem returned to Archus'' Private Sanctum, while Iniro went to speak with the other leaders of the Army about a curious young boy who will be the torturer of the spy.


    Meanwhile, during the Summons.


    Kinsey and Anna had at least a few hours off to themselves, and were contemplating what to do.


    The day before, Kinsey had spent the whole day at school doing various activities, even going so far as to prepare a lecture for the beginning potions class.


    Thanks to her connection to the teacher, whom she gave the pain suppression elixir formula to, she was allowed to teach the students the proper way to extract the usable parts of a flower or plant. This was ideal as there was a large influx of potions students who did not understand the proper way to take apart plants.


    Initially her audience was only meant to be twenty students in a small lecture room in the beginners area. By the time word got out about who was performing the lecture and what her affiliations were, the class had blossomed to three hundred students and had to be moved to the auditorium. Even a couple Grand Mages attended the lecture, just to talk with Kinsey afterward about various things.


    Naturally that meant talking about her Master and what he was up to, which Kinsey decided not to divulge too much about. Kinsey was all too familiar with the nobles talk of speaking without saying what they meant, so she could easily skirt the boundaries of the conversation without revealing too much.


    Now, the day after, Kinsey found herself doing quite a bit of research into a disruption potion. According to her research, the disruption potion had enough potency to break any barrier spell up to a certain level simply by being tossed against it. This could prove useful if a barrier was erected during the fight with the magical beings.


    There was only a few ingredients rare enough to be considered troublesome to retrieve, but mostly it was just a matter of the difficult process of refining them. Her previous connections afforded her a certain amount of leeway when it came to finding and acquiring precious herbs, but she had been leaning on them for a while now and the line was getting tenuous.


    Both Kinsey and Anna asked Willem''s permission to host a soir¨¦e in his Private Sanctum. They explained how it would go very far in the acquisition of various rare herbs. By showing a modicum of himself to the party he would be very desirable to acquaint with.


    Willem thought on it for a while and wrote down a missive to be sent to The One True King, Grand Mage Archus, and Iniro Recor. If the King would allow it, the celebration dinner will be hosted by Willem himself. To him it was like killing two birds with one stone.


    One; he would be able to gauge the Queen''s health when she arrives.


    Two, he would be able to mingle with the high society and possibly make connections he can use later on.


    The King happily obliged in Willem''s request to host the party, and it was only one more day from the celebration dinner where a rumor held that the Queen''s health had taken a turn. No one knew whether it was for the best or the worst.


    Thus, it was decided. Kinsey and Anna began to decorate the Private Sanctum while Willem changed the structure of the Sanctum just as Kinsey recommended. After a couple hours of work, the Private Sanctum looked exquisitely like a proper place of celebration.

 Bonus Chapter - Kinsey Dragons Big Day Off

    < Told from Kinsey''s point of view. >


    I was the first to greet Grand Mage Archus when he arrived in Master''s Private Sanctum, and we discussed some of his favorite topics while I made him tea. I know he is not overly fond of the type of tea I make, so I have contemplated asking one of his assistants to show me how she makes them to make his visits more enjoyable.


    The Grand Mage is fidgeting, and holding back about something. Every time we go near a topic like magical beings, he abruptly stops. I of course do not pursue these avenues further, as it is not my place. If he feels it necessary to tell me, then I will listen.


    Master should be waking up soon, so I ask the Grand Mage to go to the parlor. A bath has been prepared for Master by Anna and it would appear as if he has gone to be washed.


    The Grand Mage and I talk about many things, including the state of the nobles and how my potions studies have progressed. He commends me on my devotion to learning different types of potions, and recommends to me an interesting article called the disruption potion. He says it can be found in the east wing of the Grand Library.


    If the Grand Mage thinks it interesting, I suppose I will have to go look for it.


    Master has finally finished with his bath, and has come to greet the Grand Mage. Of course I have prepared for Master a warm cup of grandberry Tea, just the way he likes it. At least I think he likes it, he has never said no to it. Maybe he does not like it and just drinks it for me...


    While I am deep in thought about the matter, looking into my memories trying to find evidence that he has ever scowled after drinking it, Master snaps his fingers in front of my face.


    I apologize deeply, and ask him what he requests of me. The Grand Mage is chuckling to himself while sipping on his tea. Master wishes for me to leave the room so he can talk in private with the Grand Mage.


    OH!


    I have made such a blunder, I immediately remove myself from the room while bowing excessively. It is the least I could do for making Master repeat himself.


    While Master and the Grand Mage talk, I preoccupy myself with the creation of a King''s Crown potion.


    Usually when they are discussing something, it takes hours, so I have time to create a level one or two potion without issue.


    I gather the ingredients from my spatial spell by weaving magic from my hands as if I am about to take something out of my pocket. I think about the ingredients for the potion in my mind, and a small vacuum of space opens up below my hand. I reach in with my hand covered in magic and take out the ingredients I need.


    Two parts yellow hibiscus, one earth root and three ivy poppy. I take out the kiln that Master affectionately gave me as a present and begin to dissect the flowers for the pieces I need.


    Just as I had done a hundred times before, I create a single spark of flame and slowly raise the temperature to the appropriate degree.


    I then place the ingredients in one by one, making sure they melt at the right time and do not mix together until I want them to. I send my magical force into to keep them separated and focus my mind to use the minimal amount of magic needed to do so.


    While I am in this state, time feels like it slows to almost a complete stop. I can hear Master''s voice, and the Grand Mage, but I cannot hear the conversation because I do not wish to. I focus more on the kiln, as if I and it are the only two things in existence. I remove the flame when the ingredients melt, and slowly take my magical force away, making the ingredients mix together with each other.


    Small bubbles begin to form in the liquid from the sudden mixture, which I pop with a prick of darkness magic to ensure there is no air getting trapped in my potion.


    Finally, the ingredients have finished mixing and I slowly pour the liquid into the nearby vials I have prepared. The liquid is enough to make three potions, so I separate them equally and seal them quickly.


    Thus, the three King''s Crown potions have been made. With good timing as well, as roughly an hour has passed and Master and Grand Mage Archus have finished their talk. At least I assume so, as Master is meditating while the Grand Mage is taking his leave.


    I bid the Grand Mage farewell and when he is gone both myself and Anna go to him to see what he wishes for us to do. He tells Anna to guard the door while he makes a potion, which is very unusual. As for me, he tells me to go about my day as normal and not to return until the sun has gone down.


    I bow to Master and prepare myself for the day ahead. I fill my spatial spell with an appropriate amount of food for the day and head toward the teleportation array.


    Once I have stepped onto the teleportation array, a wave of magical force washes over my body. It feels very ticklish, like the acupuncture making my body go numb when I was a part of the Dragon household.


    I relax myself and my vision begins to blur. Before I know it, I have arrived at the Magic Academy and can begin my day.


    Right off the bat, an upperclassmen comes to greet me. If I am not mistaken, it is the advanced mage that I gave the secret of the pain suppression potion to. He greets me as one would an equal, and explains what he has been up to until now.


    For him to come all this way, he obviously has a request of me. I ask him what he needs, and he says he wants me to do a small lecture for his students. I remember hearing something about him getting a promotion, but whether it was the truth or not was irrelevant as it had nothing to do with me.


    I tell him I am willing to perform a lecture for him, on the grounds that it be of a subject of my choosing. He agrees immediately and ushers me to the beginners potions class he teaches.


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    While we walk, he explains to me the state of affairs of the military in regards to the potion. Just as he was told to do, he warned them of the after effects of the potion and how it corrupts the mind. They took this under consideration and agreed to set the price at three gold per vial, even though the ingredients were rather easy to come by. As the ''inventor'' of the potion, he has been given twenty percent of all profits made from the selling of it.


    Now he proclaims he has made more money than any one man knows to do with. I can see in his eyes he thinks that will impress me, so I casually let slip that my Master has more money and we have no need of his.


    I see from his eyes that he sobers up from his illusions and thanks me for allowing him the rights to the potion. I tell him I do not care for the potion and that no matter who asks, it will always be him that made it.


    The rest of the walk goes on without conversation, to my preference. His shoulders now slump over as if the wind has been knocked out of him, which I find quite funny.


    When we arrive, word has already spread that I will be the one giving the lecture, and the class has filled to the point where we can no longer enter. In fact we cannot even get close to the doors, as there is roughly three hundred students blocking the path, all trying to cram into one place.


    The advanced mage suggests we change the venue to somewhere larger, and suggests the auditorium. I agree, and we make our way there with three hundred students following behind loudly.


    As the students take their seats, I see a couple Grand Mages slip in the back, cloaked in black robes. Master has taught me to read the oscillation of magical force to determine who my enemy is, so I understand who they are when they entered.


    Before I begin, I ask Master if it is alright with him that I use magical force to create illusory images of the plants I intend to explain. After a couple minutes, I receive no response and assume it is a no. Instead I make the advanced mage, who has now become my aide, create illusory images for me.


    I begin by explaining as in depth as possible the different parts of various herbs and what to look for in terms of maturity. I then explain how to properly remove herbs without damaging the root, by making an incision into the base of the flower with magical force. I show an example, using water based magical force to remove a waterlily from it''s root.


    I then use fire magic to remove an igneous flower from it''s root as well, and the class seems to understand what I mean from these examples. There is alot of whispering so I can only assume as much.


    I go on further and say that the elemental type should determine what type of flower they should be aiming for. Elemental affinity is very important when properly removing ingredients. I see many students nodding there head, which is my queue to move onto the next subject.


    Before I had even noticed, a few hours had passed during the lecture and I had exhausted all the topics I could think of. About half way through the lecture I had piqued the interests of the Grand Mages as well, which I found to be particularly interesting.


    Curiously, the advanced mage is nowhere to be seen. He must have taken off some time when I had no more use of him.


    My stomach begins to growl, which means that it is lunch time. I finish up my lecture by giving a small warning not to abuse the ecosystem of the mountain and not to take it for granted.


    When the lecture is completed I go and greet the Grand Mages. Well, I intended to, but they have come to greet me instead. While I am on stage, they make their appearance in front of all the students and shake my hand about the presentation. They look genuinely enthusiastic, so I thank them for attending my lecture.


    We go and drink some tea created from one of their assistants and I talk to them about some random subjects they ask my opinion on.


    After a while, their true intentions come to light, and they ask about my Master. They do so without actually speaking his name, in a similar style to how nobles speak.


    I courteously tell them what they want to hear without giving them any real details about the situation. If they were to be so inclined, they can go speak to him themselves.


    Understanding that I will not give them any details of substance, they take their leave bitterly.


    I leave the Magic Academy and head toward the teleportation array that will take me to the Bastion of Hope. I do not feel the wave of pleasure when I take this teleportation array, but I do get a mild headache from using it.


    I decide to treat myself to some cr¨ºpes in the Bastion of Hope and invite my attendants. Even though they insist that it is improper for them to eat with me, I insist harder that they do.


    I understand more than anyone that it is unacceptable to eat with the help, but Master does not believe in such rituals and neither shall I anymore.


    The day was spent shopping, eating and greeting the various noble families. Being who I am and who I used to be, I was well received by all who I went to visit even though it was unexpected.


    Sundown finally came around and I returned to the Private Sanctum as per Master''s wishes. I make some tea for Anna, who is playing with the Tiger Cub instead of guarding. That must mean that Master is done with whatever he was doing.


    I pour some tea for Master, and give the Tiger Cub a bath. The White Tiger Cub is now up to my waist in height and as long as my body in length.


    It is hard to believe I could have all this within a few years. Not even four years ago I faced death from my Master because of my family''s business. Now I have a family, a pet and a home to myself.


    I would not give this up for anything.

 55 - Black Mist

    In the day between the changing of the Private Sanctum and the party, Willem, Kinsey and Anna spent all day doing whatever they liked.


    Willem created magical weapons and armor, in preparation for the upcoming fight. He also made another of the potions intended for the Queen, in case the other one had waned by now.


    Kinsey attempted and failed twice to make the disruption potion. Her third attempt could be considered a success, but its potency was in question. This was because she had to use alternative herbs in place of the rare ingredients for now.


    Anna played with the White Tiger Cub all day, until they were both so tired that they fell asleep on the bed. After taking a quick nap, they resumed their play until they got tuckered out again.


    All in all, it was a very uneventful day for everyone.


    In the morning, Willem told Kinsey and Anna the plan. The prisoner would be teleported to the cells of the Private Sanctum today, at the request of the One True King.


    While he was handling that, Kinsey was in charge of rounding up her staff and having them be ready to serve the nobles for the event. Anna would be in charge of ensuring everyone has a favorable impression of Willem by the end of the night.


    By any means necessary.


    The shadows danced as they absorbed Willem and he reappeared in front of the King''s palace. He made his way inside to retrieve the prisoner when he was physically blocked by a group of thirty noblemen.


    Before the King''s guard could do anything, the thirty noblemen had pushed their way through to the throne room and began to chide the King.


    The One True King sat eerily calm on his throne while the thirty nobles yelled at him and at each other about entrusting the fate of their prisoner to a boy.


    This interested the King as he had only ever told four people. Archus, Grandia, the Queen and Iniro. Even if someone from the capturing party had drunkenly admitted to capturing a magical being, how did they know that it was to be tortured by a boy.


    The King raised his hand, and the nobles quieted down to a small grumble.


    "I recognize all of you as my fellow kin when we first traveled to this land. When we took this mountain for ourselves, you were alongside me and helped to establish the laws that helped us survive. These several hundred years, we have existed peacefully while working together to protect the human race. For this, I will forgive that you barge into my home."


    The King eyed downed each noble until they all lowered their heads.


    "What I cannot forgive is that you dare question your King. Perhaps I have been too lenient on you, that you would show no concern for my authority."


    The nobles did not dare look up as the King stood from his throne.


    "One night in the stocks, your next of kin shall attend my event in your stead. First to tell me how you came upon the information shall be pardoned."


    The King walked away as all the nobles were taken and thrown in the stockades.


    The first to talk was a squeamish noble who looked disturbingly like a plump overfed rat. He spilled that Commander Iniro had gotten drunk and told everyone about the torturer. On the pretext of concern that the job would not be done right, the nobles decided to gather and have their say.


    Visibly displeased, the One True King kept his word and released the rat-like noble.


    When the palace had quieted down, the King went and met with Willem.


    Willem had quietly slipped away during the disturbance with the nobles, and was sipping tea in the parlor when an attendant finally noticed him. The attendant notified the guards and they kept him busy with conversation while the King dealt with the nobles.


    Instead of meeting the King in the throne room, The King went and caught up with Willem in the parlor. This confused the guards who had never once in their life seen the King fetch someone personally. Let alone someone with the stature of an eighteen year old man.


    Willem kept his poise and greeted the King with the gesture he learned from the Grand Mage Archus. The King greeted back and they both headed to a secret room in the palace while talking about various subjects. Once there, Willem got his first glimpse of the elven race, and his new prisoner.


    The elf looked very similar to a human, except for clearly distinguishable long pointed ears. Delicate features, long blonde hair tied to the back of his head, a small loincloth covering his genitalia and strange designs all along his body. They looked similar to arrays, but were far less complex and more varying. Willem wondered if this had something to do with their power or was some sort of tradition of their people.


    The elf had been bound by hands and feet with thick mithril chain. The King told Willem that he tried to escape multiple times but was unsuccessful in breaking the bonds.


    To Willem, it looked like some forms of torture had already begun, as there were many wounds along the stomach and back of the elf. Some were older and had healed, but others were fresh and still bleeding.


    The King ordered his guards to unchain the prisoner from the large stone wall that he had been stuck to since his arrival. The mithril chains stayed bound to him as they prepared him for removal.


    Willem watched the guards beat the elf until he could no longer get up, just to ensure there was no resistance. When he had finally collapsed, they took the chains off the wall and offered them to Willem.


    Grand Mage Archus finally arrived and apologized for being late. He had been preoccupied fulfilling a request for a mutual friend. Willem nodded in his presence as Archus provided a greeting to the King. Once preparations were done, Willem used his darkness magic to take everyone relevant along to his Private Sanctum.


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    As this was the first time he took conscious people through the darkness, he warned them of the possible nightmares they would see as they went through. Creatures that inhabited the underdark of the world they lived in are boundless in form and ruthless in ideals. Willem admits to actively avoiding them even if it means a longer journey.


    Archus and the One True King nod and ready themselves for the move. The King commanded two of his guards to accompany him, as per the law. Two guards salute and ready themselves for teleportation.


    Willem nodded and sent the group through the shadow of the remaining guards, and he guided their ethereal bodies through the darkness of the world. As this was their first time travelling this way, both the King and Archus attempted to take in as much information as possible.


    All of a sudden a horrifying scream rang out, as one of the guards was caught by his left foot by a eight fingered black arm. The malformed arm twisted viciously, and Willem did his best to wrest the guard from it''s grip.


    The group was only a few seconds away from the Private Sanctum, having successfully traveled through the underdark into the void where his Private Sanctum was.


    Willem pushed for his Private Sanctum, and the guard broke free from the grip of the dark hand as they all landed inside the main hall. Kinsey and Anna immediately ran to see not just Willem and Archus, but also the King, two guards and a chained magical being all breathing heavily and in pain.


    Kinsey distributed healing potions, but before she could give one to the guard who got caught he began convulsing and screaming in pain.


    A black mist sprayed from a wound on his left foot as if attempting to engulf his entire body. Archus and Willem used magic to suppress the black mist to the wound, but it was only a preemptive measure to a dire situation.


    Willem nodded to the King and Archus, said a quick prayer, and drew a dagger from his spatial spell. He sunk the dagger into the guards neck as Archus kept him held down by magic. The guard squirmed for a few seconds until Willem twisted the dagger sideways, killing him mercifully.


    The black mist, having no life to attach itself to, slowly dissipated from the Private Sanctum as if it was being filtered out.


    "What the hell was that?" The One True King seemed furious as he drank his healing potion. "I never knew there was such a creature living in this world."


    Willem drank his healing potion. "To call it a creature gives it purpose. It is the black mist, an amalgamation of lost souls attempting to take over a body in order to get revenge for a grievance."


    The King contemplated what Willem had to say before speaking. "This is the path you choose to travel everyday?" To the King it sounded incredulous, to risk your life in such a manner for no reason.


    "The path I take is always safe, but the path the black mist travels is random to say the least. A twisting horror that exists only to reap from the living, it was just the guard''s misfortune to come upon it." Willem continued, "Many of the creatures that live in the underdark only wish to be left alone. Just looking at them could be cause for you to lose your life."


    Archus began to regret not closing his eyes, but how could he have known. In the dark, there is no warning of the impending death, there is only a cold embrace.


    Now the King knew the nature of the dark.


    The prisoner was forced to drink a healing potion, enough to wake him up from the previous beating. When he awoke, he saw the dead body of the guard and laughed maniacally. Willem took the chains and dragged the elf into the basement of the Private Sanctum. Once inside, he chained the elf to the wall and activated ten arrays before closing the door behind himself.


    The King, unsure of the arrays that were put down, asked if he could test the durability of the spell. Willem gestured for him to try his best, and the King utilized much of his magical force attempting to break down the door. Every attempt he made was unsuccessful, even going so far as to rebound and knock him off his feet.


    The King, slightly flustered, took his leave after saying he looked forward to the soir¨¦e tonight. Willem bowed as the King left, and shared a hearty laugh with Archus. Never in Archus'' long life had he ever seen the King knocked off his feet in such a way.


    This became the running joke for the day between the two. Anything that was funny, they would say "I was knocked off my feet."


    A few hours before sundown, guests began to arrive at the Private Sanctum through the Bastion Of Hope''s teleportation, just as Kinsey had planned. As the coordinator for the event, this was the most effective way of getting everyone to the Private Sanctum in the shortest amount of time. It was also a luxury for nobles to use magical arrays this way.


    Everything was progressing just as intended. Willem was the main conversation of the nobles, as they were still deciding whether they liked the Private Sanctum or not. The consensus right now was that they approved, but if one were to ask, they would never commit to an answer.


    Anna wore a long black dress inlaid with gold at the seams. She weaved through conversations with no apparent disruption, and made herself known as the assistant of Grandia. When she was not participating in a conversation, she was using subtle mind magic to create a favorable impression of Grandia to the nobles.

 56 - Begging For Death

    Willem mingled among the nobles as one who belonged with his people. Though his speech was not at the level that Kinsey was able to display, he felt comfortable enough speaking without words to warrant the correct responses from his guests.


    With the help of Anna''s mind magic, he had essentially become a part of the family for all nobles. In their eyes, he was an equal, a close friend, or a lover; depending on what the opposite party lacked in their life. Willem used this new identity to get the materials he wanted. Many nobles promised to reach out to their retainers and get the items asked of them.


    When the One True King finally revealed himself, with his beautiful wife in high spirits, and his remarkable children greeting guests, the party went into full swing.


    This of course meant an end for Anna''s mind magic, but she had played her part perfectly. Now it was time for Willem to take a backseat and see how things played out while playing his part.


    The King came to address his people, and, as if on queue, when the music died down momentarily the King amplified his voice with magic and greeted the nobles.


    "Ladies and Gentlemen, my kin. Today is a glorious day for the Bastion of Hope, as we have made steady advances towards a brighter tomorrow. Through magic, my wife has regained her youthful vigor and is now capable of doing the things she had once resigned herself to no longer pursue." The King looked around the room with a large grin on his face as he introduced his wife to the party. The congregation clapped excitedly when the Queen first appeared, and many expressed shock at her appearance.


    An older woman presented herself before the crowd, wearing an exquisite blue dress and adorned in large jewelry. Her smile lit up the whole room, as if a shroud of darkness had been scattered away before her presence.


    There were no words exchanged, nothing passed her lips but a curt smile. Instead she grabbed a glass of wine from one of the waiting staff, drank it and rushed down the stairs to dance with the other nobles. The music started up again and she had become the center of attention, dancing to her hearts content.


    Willem watched the Queen as if she were a test subject, noting the blue under her finger nails and the bruises forming on her neck. Though the bruises were covered up with makeup, they could not be concealed by true vision granted through magic. Willem had no doubt in his mind they were side effects of the compound he created.


    There was also an unnatural flow of magic going through her body. Like a snake coiling around her heart, it seemed to squeeze at her life force while she smiled and danced. If anything, it appeared as if the Queen was entranced by the spirit of dancing.


    Willem was unsure if this was caused by his potion or another influence. Knowing personally that there were existences like demons that invaded the soul, it was entirely possible for something to invade her in much the same way.


    Speaking of demons, it was soon time to deal with the one inside himself. He had harbored her for a while now, and even the strengthening potions and recovery potions were wearing thin. If she had been of use, maybe his opinion would differ, but as of recent she had been defiant and uncooperative.


    The party continued on until the early morning. At roughly two in the morning, the nobles finally began to head home with heavy feet and corrupted minds. The last to leave was the One True King, the Queen and their two children. The prince had attempted to call on Kinsey all night, hoping for a sliver of a chance to be with her until the morning and was unsuccessful. The princess had been neglected by Willem and decided to stuff her face until the event was over.


    Once they had left, it was time to do what needed to be done. Willem headed to the basement where the elf had been placed and unlocked the wards protecting the room. When he entered, he noticed the elf staring him down directly, not attempting to avert his gaze in any way.


    "I was told your name is Beyrut Swiftfoot. I will be your new torturer." Willem took from his spatial spell a few potion bottles.


    "Do what you will, you cannot break me. You humans are too weak, inferior, and inbred to do anything of lasting consequence." Beyrut spit toward Willem.


    Willem moved his body easily out of the line of fire and took from his spatial spell a mithril dagger adorned with rubies.


    "First we will test your resilience." Willem splashed the elf with a corrosive acid and watched as it melted his skin.


    The elf, despite being in a tremendous amount of pain, showed no signs of discomfort on his face. The acid began to slowly burn and fade, while the burnt flesh fell off the elf''s body and new tissue began to regenerate. After about seven minutes, the previous wounds were all but gone, with only minor scars to tell the tale.


    Willem found this fascinating, it was just the same as if magic flowed through his body. However no matter how much he searched, he could not find an ounce of magic surrounding the elf.


    This must be the bloodline the stories and books talked about. Willem cut the elf open and the green blood that flowed was placed into a vial for later use.


    "Next test." Willem splashed the elf with the disruption potion Kinsey had made. It seemed to have quite an effect, as the elf looked visibly weakened. He howled in pain at the deep gash down the middle of his chest, showing the bones comprising his rib cage.


    The elf screamed in agony as he wrestled with the bonds that held him. Just as he was on the verge of passing out, Willem force fed him the mind flaying potion and forcefully close his mouth. With no other choice, the elf swallowed the potion and immediately began to seize.


    In the elf''s mind, he watched everything he ever loved burned in a pillar of flame. The potion pervaded his mind, twisting his fear into an amalgamation of horror that trapped him. He cried and screamed in terror, begging for reprieve.


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    Willem siphoned some of his own magical power and tap on the elf''s forehead. The magic temporarily cleared his mind long enough for him to beg for the sweet release of death.


    Willem could not oblige.


    The elf spilled everything, the torment too great for him to continue suffering. The invasion plan and the standing force of their soldiers, as well as the clans that were part of the first wave. Willem memorized it all, so that he could recall it at a later time for the King.


    When Willem felt like he had gotten enough information, he removed his magic from the elf and let the potion permeate his mind once more. After it had, and the screaming continued, Willem set the wards and left the room again for some well deserved rest.


    On his way back up, Kinsey and Anna were waiting at the top of the stairs, their ears pressed against the floor. Willem spotted both of them before they had even seen him coming, and he held his breath to sneak up on them. Using darkness magic, he snuck behind them and screamed from the top of his lungs.


    The force of the yell scared Kinsey and Anna out of the daze they had been in while trying to listen to Willem''s conversation and almost made them tumble down the stairs. Willem laughed at both of them and headed toward the bedroom. They both followed him sheepishly, thoroughly embarrassed about getting caught in the act.


    The white tiger cub was busy chewing on one of Willem''s favorite leather boots.


    Willem reminded himself about the demoness and told Kinsey and Anna to go to bed ahead of him.


    Willem headed toward his study and locked the door, setting the ward to ensure no one saw what he was about to do.


    He carefully took out the Astral Spider body, which had previously been hollowed out of all blood and meat. There was minimal damage caused from the hunt itself, and it would serve its purpose quite well.


    Willem took his time carving out the life binding technique and infusing it with his magic on the carapace of the spider. In the final moments of the binding technique, he coaxed the demoness to try and take his soul.


    The demoness, having been trapped this entire time, jumped at the chance to take over the host body.


    To the outside world, Willem appeared to be inscribing onto the carapace, but inside he was waging a war on the demon. He tore through her body with darkspear, while all damage inflicted against him by the demoness was healed with darkness healing.


    The battle felt like it was taking hours, though only a few minutes had actually passed. Due to the fact that this battle was internal, the flow of time was controlled by Willem and in theory was much different to anything that could be described.


    The demoness knew that she was losing, but could no longer stand being confined within his body. She struggled with everything she had until she was completely exhausted and on the verge of death.


    That was when Willem chose to strike. He forced the demoness out of his body and into the carcass of the dead Astral Spider as he finished the life binding technique. Quickly he poured the rest of the Astral Spider''s blood over it''s body.


    The life binding technique had taken hold and began to transform the carapace, restoring it to life. However the soul of the Astral Spider was no longer there, and the life binding technique instead branded the demoness to the body as if it was the soul.


    The demoness howled in anger as she had been tricked, as the life binding technique reconnected the broken limbs, missing meat and blood from thin air. After twenty seconds, the technique had finished and the Astral Spider sprung to life once more.


    However it was different, as the demoness now had complete control of the body, and Willem had complete control of the demoness.


    His command of her abilities was the same as Anna, and no matter how the demoness tried to leave the body, she was stuck and could do nothing. She felt completely helpless, and Willem could feel her fear. So palpable, he could almost feed off it.


    The sixteen foot tall Astral Spider towered over Willem, but dared not move without her new Master''s permission.


    Willem weaved magic over the Astral Spider body and transformed it into the spitting image of the demoness, except more human looking. No horns, or tail, and no brimstone as she walked. The demoness was stunningly beautiful, with an ethereal glow making her appear as if she were a dream come true.


    Willem spoke in his mind his demands of the demoness, and information poured into his mind, as if a natural spring had been unearthed. Any questions he asked were answered to the best of her ability, because she no longer had any control over her own thoughts.


    When he was done, Willem commanded the demoness to go to the bedroom and sleep until he woke up and gave her orders. She growled but said nothing, and did as she was told, having no other choice.


    Willem thought deeply about what he had just done. Though the process itself seemed quite simple, in truth it was incredibly dangerous. If the demoness had been a little stronger, she may have resisted long enough to attach herself to something other than the Astral Spider. Not only did he put Kinsey and Anna in danger, as well as that tiger cub, but if any part of the life binding technique failed or did not accept the demoness as a replacement soul it would have rebounded and potentially killed him.


    The only solace for Willem was the fact that if he had not done it now, the demoness would have slowly eroded his soul anyway.


    At least now he has a fount of knowledge and full access.

 57 - Book Of Fallen Gods

    Willem had accomplished what he had set out to do, and finally his busy day had come to an end.


    Though there was a small void in Willem''s soul that the demoness had previously occupied, her absence gave Willem great pleasure. As long as he filled the void with magic it would eventually heal, and should another demon find its way to him, it would be indescribably hard to invade him once more.


    Willem headed toward the bedroom in the Private Sanctum, and found Kinsey, Anna, and now the demoness lying in the bed together. Willem could feel the magic power of the demoness coalescing and then expanding, as if going through a cycle. The power stretched and pulled, revealing surprising elasticity, and then hardened to an incredible amount of resilience.


    The White Tiger Cub yawned lazily but still came to greet the Grand Mage, licking Willem''s toes in obedience.


    Willem picked the tiger cub by the scruff of her neck and placed her at the foot of the bed. He continued watching the demoness until his eyes eventually got very heavy.


    He permitted himself, for the first time in a very long time, to sleep without vigilance.


    In the Royal Castle.


    Just an hour ago, the King and Queen had been dancing the night away. Now, the Queen greeted her Husband coquettishly, ruffling her frilled white dress to show some skin. The One True King had not seen such behavior from her since she fell sick all those years ago, and was beginning to remember the woman she used to be.


    Unfortunately for him, much of it was a facade. When the Queen had originally taken the vitality potion, the magic inside the vial drew from the life force of the imbiber, emboldening her body at the cost of her soul.


    The potion had its intended effects to be sure, granting her strength that she had not felt in a long time. After the initial effects of the potion waned, however, her soul became sickly and vulnerable.


    A lost soul that had attached to the One True King when he traveled through the void was seeking a host body and came across the sickly Queen, to then take root in her splintered soul.


    While she was under the effects of the potion, she was herself before the sickness.


    When the potion wanes, the soul takes over, corroding the Queen from the inside out.


    The only one to notice this change was Willem, as he was the only one who looked at the Queen not as a human but as a test subject.


    The potions effects typically lasted for eight to ten hours, but the backlash would affect the Queen for many more. The only reprieve was to take the potion once more. Thus it became the Queen''s addiction to feel whole by using the vitality potion.


    The One True King knew there was something wrong, but seeing his wife the way she used to be silenced all the questions.


    Now the One True King embraced his Wife again, which he had not done in what seemed like a long time. Though to his woefully long life, coitus was not a high priority. Naturally, he had fathered many children during his long lifespan as the alpha male of the mages.


    The Queen laughed in pleasure as the King dived into the soft flesh of his wife.


    Willem''s Private Sanctum.


    Due to the fact that Willem did not return to bed until near sunrise, Kinsey deemed it unnecessary to wake him. Especially because he finally looked at peace while he slept.


    Both Kinsey and Anna saw the strangely beautiful woman sharing their bed, and as Anna probed she felt the connection of the life-binding technique that they shared.


    While being slightly jealous, Kinsey went on to prepare a bath, wash the tiger cub and begin some experiments.


    Anna began to read out loud the "Book of Fallen Gods".


    "The World Tree gave birth to the sun and the stars, and shaped the earth and sea how it wished. After shaping the earth, it saw how barren the lands and sea were and wished for inhabitants to admire what it had created. Thus it created the first magical beings, the Solum, born from the dirt and earth. The Solum worshiped the World Tree as the creator of all things, and would make offerings and effigies in its name."


    Anna was interrupted by the faint sound of hellish screams from the tortured elf.


    "The Solum had a deep connection to the earth, and would create vast and complex structures underground, each with a shrine to the World Tree. Their progeny worshiped the World Tree as their forefathers had, and the World Tree gave them many gifts. The World Tree made many different races, but her favorite would always be the Solum. Due to this known fact, the other races became jealous of the Solum and tried many ways to sever the connection the Solum had to the World Tree."


    Kinsey interrupted Anna to bring her some early morning tea. Anna thanked Kinsey and continued to read out loud.


    "The Solum was not just the favorite of the World Tree, they were also the most powerful. Capable of summoning great storms to cover the world, they suppressed the other races for trying to break the connection to the World Tree. The World Tree saw what the Solum were fully capable of and created a sanctuary for them to live, far away from the earth it had created. A sanctuary was built among the stars for the Solum to live, and the other races living on earth were left to their own devices. The World Tree  was saddened by the events of the Solum, and erected a barrier to seclude itself from everything, including severing the connection to the earth it created, as penance for its mistake."


    The White Tiger Cub came over and nestled itself on Anna''s lap. Unfortunately it was far too big now and it''s head covered most of her chest.


    "Missing their connection to the earth, the Solum began to quickly change; becoming more aggressive and combative. The World Tree could not sense the change as it had already sealed itself away, and the Solum blamed the other races for their exile. The council of Solum that had previously been in charge of creating the most breathtaking architecture were now in charge of finding a way back to earth to kill the other races."


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    The White Tiger Cub looked up from Anna''s lap when he noticed a tear forming on her cheek. For some reason, the story struck a chord within Anna, and she involuntarily began to cry softly.


    "The bodies of the Solum began to fundamentally change according to their desire. The power they manifested combined with the lost connection warped their minds, turning them savage and war-like. Before the council could even find a way back to earth, they began to fight among themselves. Thus, an all out war broke out among the strongest of the Solum."


    Anna looked up from the book to see Willem standing over her, looking at her questioningly. He could feel the strong emotions from her but since she did not know where it was coming from, he did not either. Willem sat beside her and she began to read again.


    "Among the Solum were three who stood above the rest. Karesh, the god of death; Vitra, the goddess of wisdom and Khali, the goddess of beauty. These three high Solum were considered gods among their kin for their absolute power. Karesh and Vitra saw Khali changed by the missing connection of the earth and decided that for the sake of their race, she could not become the leader. Their decision became the impetus for the first war that could be felt throughout all the known worlds."


    Anna stopped in confusion for a moment until Willem urged her to continue.


    "Khali, now the self proclaimed goddess of hunger, led her bloodthirsty kin against Karesh, the god of death and his soldiers. The war lasted hundreds of years, with neither side gaining an advantage. Where the army of Karesh was organized and disciplined, Khali''s men would devour and fight on even after being critically wounded. Vitra, who owned no army or followers save for twelve disciples, joined the fray in her own unique way. Vitra used her power of foresight to lead the armies of Karesh into victories that she knew to already be won, thus minimizing the deaths of Karesh''s army."


    Anna looked thoughtful for a moment, then turned to Willem.


    "Master, are there more worlds than this one?"


    Willem looked at the book, then back at Anna.


    "It would be rather small-minded of us to believe we are the only world, would it not? I do not know for a fact if it is true, but I would like to find out. Perhaps one day we will all go travelling together."


    Anna returned to the book, a small smile forming on her face.


    "Khali, increasingly maddened by both the betrayal of her fellow high Solum and the losses she incurred, used a forbidden magic to sunder the sanctuary, splintering it into thousands of adrift lands. Khali did not know, however, that the forbidden magic came at the price of her own life. Her body fell from the sanctuary and drifted through the void, where the souls of the damned she had devoured were finally released from their captivity. Her body fell through the void onto the earth, where the lesser races consumed her flesh and drank her blood to unlock the powers within. Through her memories, the lesser races found out what truly happened to the Solum and now endeavor to not share the same fate. Through her blood they found power they had never felt before, and they used that power to establish the laws of this world."


    Willem studied for a brief moment the small claw marks on the book, the spine of the book barely holding the pages together. Dirt and mud hanging from one of the corners. It was painfully obvious that the book suffered a lot of misfortunes, but the leather used and the binding technique of the book was something Willem had never seen nor heard of. If the book was forged a long time ago, to document the consuming of blood of an old god, then Willem might unlock some good secrets while it is in his possession.


    "An excerpt from a philosopher''s diary on the day of Khali''s descent. - On the eve of the twenty seventh day, month of the jackalope, one hundred and second year, a star descended from the sky. This star was the goddess of hunger, Khali, whom had a thousand mouths all along her body. I know this because I have drunk from her blood, as have my kin and others who happened upon her first. We feast on her flesh, and our mind feasts on her memories. Such fear, and pain, would surely be enough to drive simpler creatures mad. She is Solum, a word I have not heard spoken in a long time. Her body is covered in mouths and scars, making her seem almost demon-born. We see her life as she saw herself, a savior of the people and a martyr for a just cause. We do not feel the contempt for the weak as she does, but her blood is intoxicating. I, whom has lived for a thousand years, have regressed in age as if I was a teenager on the cusp of adulthood. Those who arrive late are envious, but do not dare strike out in fear of the power we have obtained. Even I shudder to think what powers are now locked inside my body to be found. - The philosopher''s diary was found beside a desiccated husk inside a cave on the northern continent in the year five hundred twelve. How long it had been there, no one could know for sure."


    For Willem, reading time was over. The howls from the elf had been a constant annoyance since he awoke, and his preparations for the fight ahead were almost complete. He commanded the demoness to go torture the elf while he attended to some business.


    The demoness clicked her tongue in a spider-like manner and made her way down the stairs, albeit unwillingly.


    Willem dropped Kinsey and Anna off at the Magic Academy and headed for the Royal Palace to give the One True King the information he was waiting for.

 58 - Change

    The One True King had enjoyed a passionate night with the Queen, but in the morning she became despondent and distant.


    When the last of the vitality potion had been used up, she became inconsolable. Crying and screaming could be heard throughout the castle, the Queen claiming that her body was on fire despite having no physical ailments. After an hour had passed, her screams turned to a dull whimper while sweat poured down her half naked body.


    The One True King could not bear the pained expressions of his love, and produced from his spatial spell another vitality potion that Willem had prepared beforehand. The One True King had been holding onto the potion in hopes that the Queen would overcome her need for it, but gave in after seeing her gasping for reprieve and tearing at her own soft flesh.


    The Queen took one look at what was in the King''s hands before knocking him down and grabbing the potion, moving at a speed even he was surprised by. She uncorked the drink and downed it like it was the most succulent of expensive wines. The One True King watched, slightly horrified; as the Queen began to brim with excitement once more and the color of her face returned. The sulky, brooding Queen was no more, her space filled by a Queen with a spark of life in her eyes and a smile that could captivate a nation.


    Just as she drank the potion, a guard of the royal palace appeared with a well dressed young man in black. The boy was none other than Willem, and was only especially allowed in because he openly said he got information about the invasion force.


    Willem gave an upper nobleman''s bow and reiterated to the King his purpose in coming to the royal palace.


    "My greetings to the One True King, I have new information that has come to light about the invading army."


    The King looked at Willem, but did not speak. Instead he motioned for the conversation to continue in his private chamber, away from all others.


    The Queen took the hand of the flustered guard that walked Willem in and pranced out of the throne room as the King huffed out a long sigh.


    Sensing something was amiss, Willem relayed the information about the army in a concise manner when they entered the room. While the King paced in his chambers back and forth, Willem laid out a map of the mountains and surrounding forest.


    "Their intention is to cut off our supply lines from the forest where we have been hunting the magical beasts. This does not pose as much of a problem to us as they think it would, as we have enough magical cores to last us through the war. I have taken the liberty of preparing the outer ring for farming purposes, so we have no concerns of food shortage as long as that area has more protection."


    The One True King finally sat down beside Willem and stared at the map.


    "You got all this information in a single night?" The King had his torturer try and pry information from the Elf first before handing him over to Willem, but to no avail.


    "Yes, my attendant came up with a potion that nullifies the magical components in the Elf blood based on research she had gathered from the library. The properties of the disruption potion left the Elf open to a potion I had been working on personally for a bit."


    Willem removed from his spatial spell the mind flaying potion. Though most of it had already been used, what was left was perfectly acceptable for proof. Willem let the King examine the potion before explaining the intended effect.


    "The potion tears at the mind of imbiber by forcing it to relive the most traumatic experience of their life. It then subjects them to their worst horrors over and over until they die. The only way to stop it is to spread your magic over the right side of their brain that controls creativity, suppressing the effect of the potion."


    The King pondered for a bit, then returned the potion to Willem.


    "Is the Elf dead?" The King asked.


    "No, he is quite alive, I have an attendant extracting more information as we speak." Willem announced.


    "Then, please continue." The King once more watched as Willem marked certain areas of the map.


    "According to the Elf, they have certain magical beings capable of stealth and subterfuge that look identical to humans, and have already infiltrated the Bastion of Hope. While you increase your protection of the outer ring, I myself will go and deal with these invaders. With your permission, I will torture them as well to verify the information I am getting from the Elf." Willem looked at the King while waiting for a response.


    "I will allow it, just make sure it is done without the knowledge of the people." The King nodded his head in agreement.


    "We should bring the fight to them. If you speak with your council I believe they will agree. Keeping the war away from the Bastion of Hope is the most important part of this counter plan." Willem quickly wrote on parchment how many forces the magical beings had and the abilities of their commanders.


    "I am inclined to agree with you, but it is as you say. I will speak with the council, and when we have a decision I will speak with you again. In the meantime, I will give you a squadron of one hundred soldiers to prepare, fifty mages and fifty soldiers from our army, just as you had asked. You may do as you wish with them, just be ready when it comes time for war." The King folded his arms.


    "By your will, my King." Willem stood and bowed before preparing to leave.


    "I remember you asked for ten senior inscriptionists when we first met, but we could not find ten of the types you specified that were worthy of your company. If you still require them, feel free to hand pick them yourself as you wish. Of course the same goes for your squadron, they can be hand picked by you at your convenience." The King stood with Willem and accepted his bow.


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    As Willem began to leave for the door, The One True King coughed lightly.


    "I have been pondering the best way to probe this, but I require more of the vitality potion. If possible, could you provide me with either more of the potion or the recipe?" The King stretched out his hand as if waiting for a positive response.


    "I am afraid I cannot oblige, my King. The potion has no recipe, as it was made by accident when I was testing the mind flaying potion. One of my attendants knocked over a couple of vials with a mix of ingredients inside. When I tested the effects of the mix, it became the vitality potion. Unfortunately there is nothing left, the vial I had provided to you is the last I had. I would need much more resources in order to recreate it as all the ingredients I was testing are rare and expensive."


    The King looked down at the ground with a bitter expression.


    "If that is what it takes then so be it. Come, follow me." The King headed for the door with Willem following closely behind, arms folded.


    Of course the fact that Willem could not reproduce the vitality potion was a lie. Unfortunately for The One True King, the Queen was far too dependent on the potion and Willem knew it. Even if the King knew the young Grand Mage was lying, Willem still had him under his thumb.


    The One True King led Willem to the storehouse of the royal palace. After confirming with his personal guards, Willem now had full access not only to the royal palace, but also the King''s personal treasury and storehouse. After looking over the rare and precious herbs and gems, Willem affirmed that he should be able to create a vitality potion once the outside threat had been dealt with, and left the King to do what he needed to do.


    The One True King sent a decree not only to his palace guards but also to the warrior enclave and the Guild. The outer ring was now to be protected and would see an increase in guard presence. Anyone in the outer ring caught doing anything illegal would be exiled outside of the Bastion of Hope, which was tantamount to a death sentence during war time.


    For anyone involved with the warrior enclave, they would be paid for their manual labor if they chose to work in the fields of the outer ring. To the Guild, anyone with knowledge of preservation of foods or farming would have an elevated position and monetary gain in equivalence to their knowledge.


    Meriam Atlee was one of the first farmers to apply to the Guild when the announcement came out, explaining how she owned nine plots of land and that they could all be used for farming if she was provided workers and enough seeds. The Guild gave her everything she needed, including a hefty bag of gold coins and two personal bodyguards to ensure she was safe.


    The outer ring was now in full swing, with thousands of people building houses, storage facilities, barns and guard outposts as well as preparing the land for crops. The royal palace paid not only for the building materials, but the cost of labor as well. Meriam was at the forefront of the expansion, explaining to the Guild how things needed to be done to ensure that it was finished satisfactorily.


    Though the guards had no idea why the outer ring was so important, they would not dare go against their King. They began to clean up the outer ring of vagabonds by putting them to work in exchange for a warm meal and a night at the local Inn.


    The Inn business was booming with many customers, and the economy of the Bastion of Hope was stimulated thanks to the efforts of the royal palace.


    During the unfolding events in the outer ring, a great change was also sweeping the inner city. The great change was Willem, as he brought death upon the magical beings that invaded the Bastion of Hope.


    He started first in the royal palace, confirming the identity of the King''s chef. Willem drew his hood over his head to ensure that no one saw who he was.


    "Excuse me, are you the royal chef. Lazard Royo?" Willem changed his voice to sound older than he was, and stood in front of the chef to stop him from duties.


    "Yes I am, young man, and you are hindering me-" Before the chef could finish his sentence, his stomach had been sliced open by a sharp dagger and his intestines began to spill from his body.


    Green blood spilled from the chef''s open wound but he did not have enough time to react before his head was severed from his body. Muffled screams could be heard from the female apprentices in the kitchen whom had just caught onto the dangerous situation. The body disappeared into Willem''s spatial spell along with the head as he ran away with haste. When no one was looking, he slipped through the darkness to his next target, a nobleman working under the King.


    Willem slipped out of the shadows into the back alley of a street by the royal palace. Guards were hurriedly running around the royal palace screaming of an assassination of the royal chef. Willem took off his cloak and removed the blood from his clothes and hands. He could not afford to stir the masses into a rebellion by assassinating more people, he would need to find another way to kill or kidnap the invaders without causing alarm.


    Willem donned a partial cover and walked into the public entrance of the royal palace, weaving through the crowd of people whom had frantically been running away. He entered into the foyer of the palace and looked for an older gentleman wearing purple robes inlaid with gold, and an overly curled mustache. The man he sought was preparing to leave the royal palace foyer.


    "I offer my greetings to nobleman Qan." Willem said as he parted his lips into a smile.

 59 - Knowing

    "Please excuse me, young one, but there was an emergency at the royal palace and everyone is to be checked. I have already delayed myself, I must be going to the guards now." Nobleman Qan could not hide the fatigue and worry in his voice.


    He was recently coming down from the high of his magical drug use, and was near crashing.


    "I am not good at subterfuge, unlike yourself. Again I offer my greetings to nobleman Qan. I am Willem Reinhardt, master of Kinsey Dragon." Willem removed his hood to show his boyish smile.


    "Subterfuge, whatever could you mean?!" Nobleman Qan had stopped gathering his work and was now on the defensive.


    "The King has asked me to look over the financials for the sale of plots of land in the outer area, as a portion of money has gone missing. He believes it may be related to a much larger issue and has chosen for me to investigate it. I need you to come with me until I can finish my investigation. Any attempt to gather your work further will be equivalent to a confession." Willem pretended to reach into his pocket as he used his spatial spell and pulled out the seal of the King.


    Willem was quite pleased with himself for becoming better at lying and using long winded speeches.


    "Kinsey did say you were to the point, and I would not dare question the King. Even under this duress, I will comply." Nobleman Qan felt Willem''s strong presence and an indescribable pressure, and readily stepped away from his desk. Having been strong armed into compliance, Qan did his best to hide the slight tremor in his hands.


    "You have chosen correctly." Willem gathered the documents from Qan and placed them inside a nearby satchel. "Please follow me."


    Willem and Qan went to the guard post, where Willem showed the seal of the King to the guards and the satchel with the documents. After a quick explanation of their previous whereabouts, they were on their way to the inner city of the Bastion of Hope. Qan looked around anxiously, but it was as if he was invisible while travelling beside Willem.


    Willem had silently used his darkness magic to mask their presence, not enough to distort their bodies but enough to make the residents of the inner city unknowingly look away.


    Qan could do nothing but obediently follow Willem.


    "We have almost arrived at our destination." Willem announced.


    Though to Willem it was only roughly ten minutes of walking, to Qan it was a near eternity of anxiousness and despair, his skin feeling like it was crawling with bugs waiting to bust out.


    "I recognize this place. Nobleman Saye used to live here with her husband and son before their untimely death." Nobleman Qan had previously spent time with the head of the family as they both were under the employment of the King. "You own this residence now?"


    "Correct, please enter. Do not concern yourself with removing your boots." Willem stated matter-of-factly. "You will be under the care of Kinsey while I look over your work for inconsistencies."


    Willem used his mental connection to Kinsey and informed her to be ready to be teleported immediately. Upon her confirmation, he gathered his magical force and sent her to the Private Sanctum to prepare for his arrival.


    "I understand, please let me know if there is anything I can do." Nobleman Qan rubbed his shaking hands together and bowed his head.


    Willem stood above the chalk outlines and motioned for Qan to come toward him. When Qan entered the teleportation array, his vision suddenly blurred and when he opened his eyes he could not recognize where he was.


    When his eyes began to re-adjust to his new surroundings, Qan noticed immediately that he was no longer in the Saye family''s old home. In front of him was a large desk filled with alchemy supplies, accompanied by two fully clad knight statues standing on each side. The rug on the wall was of fine quality silk and depicted a red dragon coiled in an almost perfect circle. Multiple tapestries of war and famine encircled the otherwise plain room. To those in the know, this was how a high noble would decorate their room, as is the custom.


    Qan sighed in relief and stood up from a kneeling position, having gathered his wits. The first to greet him was the beautiful red haired girl that he had seen not that long ago.


    "Greetings to Master and Nobleman Qan." Kinsey bowed.


    "Kinsey, Nobleman Qan will be staying with our other guest while I look over his work for the King." Willem hinted.


    "As you wish, I will prepare for him what is needed." Kinsey''s eyes sharpened but her gaze did not attract the attention of Nobleman Qan.


    Having caught on immediately, Kinsey led Qan toward the basement where the elf was being tortured. After being led to the torture chambers, Qan assumed the door led to his guest room and opened it only to find a beautiful woman standing over a tied up human-like male. Before he could utter a word, a sharp stab in his back forced out of him a guttural cry of pain.


    With almost surgical precision, Kinsey coated her fingers in a thin membrane of vibrating magical force and sliced open Qan''s back barehanded, grasping his spine.


    Green blood slowly oozed out of his open wound while Kinsey continued to apply pressure directly to his spine. Qan felt a numbing pain in his arms and legs as if he was slowly losing control of his body, and he could not struggle nor fight back. Kinsey asked for Willem''s new slave to help her tie Qan up, and she did so without hesitation.


    The spider demoness had found great pleasure in torturing the already helpless elf, being mostly helpless herself made the domination of another being that much more meaningful. When a new subject of torture arrived, she jumped at the opportunity.


    "This is another one to be tortured, am I correct?" She looked to Kinsey for an answer.


    "Yes, I believe that is exactly what Master has in mind." Kinsey nodded and removed her hand from Qan''s spine.


    "Looks like I can no longer hide who I am. I am curious how your Master knew, considering how brain dead you humans can act." Qan spit fresh green blood towards Kinsey.


    "I told him." Kinsey deftly evaded the green blood and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.


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    Qan watched Kinsey depart, licking his lips and preparing himself for the torture that awaited him. The elf beside him finally woke up and immediately began begging for death, not even paying attention to his surroundings. Qan watched as the woman, beautiful beyond mere words, began hacking into the elf''s legs with a savage grin, drinking his green blood and clacking her teeth like a spider.


    A cold sweat ran down Qan''s back for the first time in a long time.


    Inside the Royal Palace.


    The One True King had immediately been notified by the leader of his internal guards when the royal chef had been killed, and was also told that the chef was a magical being that bled green blood.


    The King was in shock after finding out that one of his personal staff had been a magical being. He was led to the body and carefully examined the chef while the guards issued the maids and other staff away from the area. He carefully gathered his magical force to his eyes and examined the body but found no trace of magical power emanating from it.


    "No one must know that the royal chef was a magical being, anyone who has witnessed this will receive an increase in pay as compensation for their silence. Anyone found disclosing this information will be dealt with as if they had betrayed me." The King announced to the present guards.


    "Yes sire!" The guards saluted and removed the body from the scene.


    In order to feign ignorance, he announced a man hunt for the murderer while ensuring no one announced who was murdered.


    The Queen acknowledged her King as he entered the throne room, but did not stop dancing. She beckoned him to come forth and join her, but he could not bring himself to. She pleaded with her sweet voice, but her eyes were closed as if she did not believe in the words she spoke.


    Inside the Magic Academy.


    Anna had been doing continued research into the late Mind Mage Hallard''s leather tome. Lacking a key to decrypt the cipher, she was forced to manually try and figure it out. However the more she looked into it, the more befuddled she became.


    After a short while, her Master''s voice resounded in her mind.


    "Anna, since you are at the Magic Academy, bring to me ten senior inscriptionists of superior quality. Make sure their talents and primary magic are not all the same." Willem spoke his command and suppressed the connection to Anna.


    Anna quietly closed the tome and stuffed it into her spatial spell. Gathering her things, she left the grand library and headed to the senior inscriptionists classroom where a lecture was currently underway.


    After a quick jaunt to the classroom, she knocked on the door and awaited an answer.


    A older gentleman with a refined aura opened the door and looked over the girl standing outside. He measured her ability with magical perception and found her power exemplary. Unfortunately that was not enough to join the class, and he attempted to turn her away.


    "I am afraid we cannot accept anyone who is not commended by the intermediate inscription class. Please do your best and hopefully I will see you soon." The older gentleman sighed and began to close the door.


    "I am here on behalf of the Grand Mage of Darkness, Grandia." Anna spoke loud enough for not only the older man but the entire class to hear her. "I come seeking ten of your best for assistance with his experiments. Compensation will be given, and potentially more depending on their value."


    Whispers could be heard from inside the classroom, but they quickly died down as the class waited in anticipation.


    "Please forgive my impudence, come in, come in. May I ask for proof of your identity as the attendant of the Grand Mage? I mean no offense but I must be sure, as their have been incidents in the past of false claims." The older gentleman began to sweat as he closed the door behind her.


    Anna produced from her hand a pure black flame. The older gentleman, in order to prove her authenticity, manipulated his magical force and produced an intermediate level ''water ball'' to engulf the flame. Lo, the flame did not extinguish, and he took it as proof of her relationship with Grandia.


    "May I ask why this esteemed guest has visited this humble class again?" The older gentleman was now much more open and alert, compared to his lackadaisical attitude previously.


    "As I have previously mentioned, I require ten of your best inscriptionists in order to perform high level inscriptioning my Master needs. A simple test will be performed for those who wish to join me, and the top ten will be chosen and will come with me. Now, who wishes to be a part of this elite group?" Anna took over the gentleman''s desk at the front of the class and waited as every person in the class raised their hand.


    The class was almost evenly split, with forty percent males and sixty percent females with one hundred and twelve students total in the class. Considering the lack of male mages across the Academy, this could be considered a feat among itself.


    "Good, the test will be to create to the best of your ability the strongest magical scroll you can. You will not be judged on the level of the spell, but on the quality of the work. Therefore if you use a fireball to defeat a pyroclasm, that will be perfectly acceptable. Ready your quills." Anna had completely taken over the class, and the older gentleman did not mind even a little bit. He was readying his quill as well in preparation.


    "I am afraid I cannot accept your participation, you are far too important to stop teaching your class. To take away such a person would be against the will of my Master." Anna told the dejected man.


    Anna went around to each student and gave them a small vial to use. The vial contained a concoction of king bat blood, white tiger hair and astral spider venom. This was the material used for high level inscriptions.


    The students prepared themselves by sending their magical force through their quills to the best of their ability.


    "You may begin." Anna announced.

 60 - Gathering

    Ink began to flow heavily as the class collectively began to scribe their strongest spells onto scrolls. Many chose their highest level spells, while few chose to do intermediate and even fewer chose elementary spells. Anna watched over them closely to see their progression, activating the collective knowledge of Willem and the spider demoness, in accordance with what Willem allowed her to know.


    Half of an hour passed and many of the students began finishing their scrolls. Over the course of the next fifteen minutes, the slow writers properly finished as well. When the last of the quills dried, Anna spoke once more.


    "Very well done, all of you. As expected of the senior inscriptionists of the Magic Academy. Please, let us go to the training grounds so that you may show off the true power of your spells." Anna motioned for the class to head towards the training grounds.


    Signing on behalf of the Grand Mage of Darkness and confirmed with the teacher of the class, Anna led the class into the grounds in order to begin the competition.


    "Line up, and begin when you have mentally prepared yourself." Anna spoke loudly.


    The class lined up as commanded and the first to step forth was a young girl of fourteen. After a quick prayer to the god of magic, she circulated her magical power within her body, channeling it through the scroll and unleashing the power of her earthen magic scroll.


    Impressed, Anna made a mental note of the girl''s power and continued through the line. After one hundred and eleven more students, she chose her ten senior inscriptionist apprentices.


    Of the ten, three wind mages, three earth mages, two water and two fire mage were chosen. Among the earth mages was the same fourteen year old girl who started first in the competition.


    Slightly bitter, the other hundred and two students left the training grounds and were escorted back to the class with the teacher. The ten students remained behind, talking giddily while awaiting orders from Anna.


    "My Master will be personally receiving you and telling you about your new assignments tomorrow morning, you are to meet him at the gates of the Magic Academy entrance with the rise of the sun. Until then, pack your things in your dormitory as you will be given new lodgings during your time with us." Anna gave them a nod and left the training grounds.


    The students began to chat among themselves in elation while Anna headed for the inner city. After confirming her next command with Willem, she arrived at the inner city via teleportation and donned a black mask with hooded mantle.


    Anna, as commanded, entered the home of a lower noble, knocking out her sentry and kidnapping the woman without hesitation. For confirmation, she took out a dagger and left a small incision on the woman''s wrist after knocking her out cold. Green blood pooled from the wound and healed exponentially more quickly than a typical human wound would have.


    Anna teleported back to the Private Sanctum with the lower noble and handed her over to the spider demoness. When she was done tying up the new prisoner, she teleported once more to the inner city looking for the next magical being according to Willem''s information.


    All in all, in the course of two hours, forty magical beings were captured and imprisoned at Willem''s Private Sanctum.


    Due to the amount of magical beings gathered, Willem had to warp the torture chamber by increasing the size to fit his new guests.


    Willem gave Kinsey a letter to give to the King and sent her through the teleportation array. Once she was safely on the other side, he allowed Anna to return to the Magic Academy to study the Mind Mage''s tome.


    Finally, with a moment to himself, he gathered some cooked seasoned wolf meat and teleported to the Army Training Grounds.


    Inside the Army Training Ground.


    During the time since Willem left the magical armors and weapons in the Knight''s possession, they had trained day and night with their apprentices to hone their abilities. When they were not training the defense and offense division of the army, Sir Rowan and Sir Kris were often found sparring together or sparring with their apprentices.


    Though the power they received thanks to the equipment was immense, the tempering of their ability was the most important part for them to properly wield their new strength. Even the Knight Captain was often found training with his new wind two-handed sword, which he named ''Storm''.


    When Willem arrived at the Training Grounds, the magical weapons began vibrating as if they had a will of their own. Sir Gehrig, Sir Kris, Sir Rowan as well as Eli and Mark all headed in the direction of Willem, as if they were compelled. They all converged on his location at roughly the same time, and placed their weapons in the hilts before greeting the Grand Mage.


    "We humbly receive the Grand Mage." Sir Gehrig was the first to speak, and presented Willem with a slight bow to show his position. Sir Kris and Sir Rowan gave a kneeling bow with Eli and Mark in unison with Sir Gehrig''s.


    "I have come to share some stories, if you all are willing to listen." Willem quietly spoke.


    They all nodded their heads in unison and Sir Gehrig motioned for them all to enter his private quarters.


    With the door closed, Willem told them all about what he had been doing since they last met. He spoke of the capture of a magical being, the movements and plan of the enemy and his part to play in the war. He also explained that fifty soldiers from the army and fifty mages from the Magic Academy would be under his direct control. The Knight Captain nodded his head in agreement while Willem talked, not daring to interrupt him.


    "Sir Gehrig, the weapon I have gifted you is one of a kind, comparable only to the weapons I have given to you four. You must know by now that even though it is of impeccable quality, it does not have any trigger to activate its ability. There is no command word, or particular way of holding it. That is because it was designed with your particular position in mind." Willem spoke a lot on the subject, but did not offer any insight. "You will know how to use it when the time comes."


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    The Knight Captain had unknowingly been holding his breath and finally let it out. To know that it was custom-made for him made him that much more grateful of his ''gift''.


    "The King has given me free reign to choose my fifty soldiers, and I have always intended to bring you four with me when we begin the assault. What I wish for you to do is choose the other forty-six comrades to join you. Unfortunately, Sir Gehrig, if you were not the Knight Captain I would have chosen you too. Your position is much too important, however, to abandon to anyone of a lesser quality." Willem was not used to such exaggerated speaking but felt practice was necessary.


    Sir Gehrig nodded at the sentiment. However he was not a man to dwell on the past, nor his mistakes, but instead seek to rectify them in the future.


    Willem continued to speak about the plan to make the outer ring the main source of food for when the forests eventually became under siege by enemies, and how important it was that the area be protected when the time comes. He also explained that there were already many spies for magical beings within the Bastion of Hope, and that he had captured them in haste with the permission of the King.


    The five soldiers were completely shocked when they found out that magical beings had not just snuck in, but had apparently been there for many years. Sir Gehrig asked if there was anything they needed to do about the situation.


    "No, but I can assure you that this will cause an uproar and will spawn alot of missing person posters. You will most likely be summoned to a meeting with the other Generals and Captains, and you must make sure not to get the Army involved. Do not make it unnatural, but the King will agree with you when that time comes." Willem further explained the position he wished Sir Gehrig to take.


    "I will do as you command." Sir Gehrig nodded his head in agreement.


    Willem used his spatial spell, and began to take out many different types of magical weapons and armors. The five soldiers watched as Willem continued to place full sets of magical armor on the tables around the Knight Captain''s private quarters.


    "These magical armors and weapons are much weaker in comparison to your own, but they are much stronger than the ones you have been receiving from the Magic Academy. To the forty-six of your chosen allies, they will be given these magical arms to protect their home. They must train as hard as you have to master them before the fight begins." Willem watched to ensure Sir Gehrig and the other Knights understood the responsibility he was entrusting to them.


    Willem also produced from his spatial spell the seasoned and cooked wolf meat that Kinsey had prepared for the day, and everyone ate it with zest. Far from the usual slop of Army meals, the sumptuous taste of the wolf meat made it quick to disappear. Willem sat and listened to Sir Gehrig give a report about the readiness of the Army for the war. Sir Rowan and Sir Kris spoke of their individual divisions and of their own spars. Eli and Mark also chimed in when Willem asked them what they had been doing to prepare themselves.


    Finally, before preparing to leave, Willem once again opened his spatial spell and withdrew a special set of full plate. The armor was blue in color, with lines of silver and gold in special patterns all around the pieces. Though similar looking to the sets of armor of the other Knights, this full plate gave off an intimidating aura.


    Eli and Mark shirked backwards, unable to look at it for too long.


    "This was especially crafted for you, Sir Gehrig. The leader of the Army should not be without protection." Willem passed the pieces of the armor toward Sir Gehrig. "As with the others, this is bound to you by blood and cannot be wielded by others with full effect. Save for your next generation if the time comes." Willem laughed like an old man at his own joke while Sir Gehrig stared into the reflection of himself on the visor of the helmet.


    "May I ask why I feel so intimidated just by a piece of armor?" Sir Gehrig suppressed the lump slowly growing in his throat and asked the question that was on everyone else''s mind.


    "Your armor was not made with wind or earth magic, like the others. It was crafted and infused with mind magic for one sole purpose. Anyone too weak to resist must bend to your will and obey your command. If you find your men in disarray in a losing battle, the armor will call them to arms forcefully. They will do exactly as you tell them to the best of their ability, even if it is to retreat. When you go up against an opponent too strong to be affected, it will still intimidate them enough that they cannot use their full potential. Of course I do not need to tell you what would happen if you misused this power I have given you." Willem watched Sir Gehrig''s reaction.


    Noticing Willem''s stare, Sir Gehrig nodded in agreement before donning the helmet. The helmet fit perfectly to his head, as if it was the most natural and fitting armor he had ever worn. Even with the visor of the helmet down, he could see his comrades in front of him as if he was not wearing the helmet at all. When he took the helmet off, everything was exactly as he had seen it.


    Willem nodded his head but did not speak a word about it.


    "I must be off, I will return soon to speak to the soldiers you have chosen. Good luck and may the gods watch over you." Willem said his farewells and disappeared into the darkness of the table.


    Sir Gehrig stood from his seat, looked at Sir Rowan and Sir Kris, and spoke. "Let us find you some companions for the coming war."


    Sir Gehrig donned his full plate armor and as they turned to leave, he heard a voice in his head.


    "Storm is a very apt name for your weapon, Sir Gehrig." The voice could only be owned by one person, but what it implied made Sir Gehrig break into a cold sweat.


    He had never announced the name of his weapon out loud.

 61 - Stars

    At his leisure, when Willem was done at the Army Training Grounds he made his way back to his Private Sanctum to see how the torture was going.


    The spider demoness had plenty of subjects with which to relieve herself of the burden from being outfoxed by a human boy. As magical beings, her new toys had robust bodies and made exquisite sounds when they were tortured. This gave great pleasure to the spider demoness, so much so that she briefly thought it may have been her purpose in life.


    Just as the spider demoness was about to move onto her next victim, Willem walked in to monitor her progress. The magical beings reacted to his presence with both awe and fear. The spider demoness clicked her tongue and kneeled before her master.


    Within his mind, he had seen the progress she was making with the torture. Though it was mostly just her devouring her toys while they regenerated, they were giving up bits of information as a reprieve from her tactics.


    "Now that you are mine, I should give you a name. Both Kinsey and Anna are curious about you, yet I have given them nothing." Willem mused over the subject.


    After a moment, he had thought of an apt name.


    "Arise, Arania." Willem commanded.


    Arania stood from her kneeling position and her deep black eyes watched Willem carefully.


    Willem quietly thumbed through some documents where Arania had written everything that the prisoners had spoke. Though he had all the information in his head, he found visual stimulation to be particularly helpful in finding connections and solutions. After drawing no obvious conclusions from this method, he looked out at the magical beings.


    "I have forcefully taken you from your homes, and it is within my power to slay you as I did with the royal chef. I have not done so because you may yet prove useful." Willem placed a mithril dagger from his spatial spell onto the desk where the documents lay.


    Seeing the dagger, a few of the more easily frightened magical beings began to squirm in panic. Willem took note of the ones who did so and continued.


    "I am prepared you bring you back to your lives, so long as you agree to these stipulations. One, you give up any information you have about the approaching enemies. Two, you remain here in private seclusion until the end of the war. Three, you allow yourselves to be constantly surveilled to ensure that no harm comes to the Bastion of Hope or it''s denizens." Willem picked up the mithril dagger from the desk.


    He walked over to one of the prisoners who had previously been wriggling and cut the strap covering her mouth.


    "What say you, Emily Marentil." Willem sent his magical force through her body to monitor her heart rate when she spoke.


    After careful deliberation, the young woman spoke up.


    "At first, I was sent here two hundred years ago to infiltrate and find the weakness of the Bastion of Hope. Though I traveled all around the Kingdom, I fell in love with the Bastion of Hope. In particular, I fell in love with a young man named Francis Bellford. In all my years of travel, I never felt at home like I did when I was in his arms. It was love at first sight for both of us, and we started an incredible life together. It was with great difficulty that I left him after bearing his child, as he had begun aging considerably while I did not. One day, I learned that he was on his deathbed. After nearly forty years of not seeing him, I decided to return to his side one last time. Though his mind was nearly gone, he recognized me instantly, and he asked me why I left him and why I looked the same as I did when I left. I told him the truth of my heritage and he grasped both of my hands tightly. ''Love knows no bounds, Emily" he said. ''If I had known you would leave me, I would have held you tighter.'' That night he passed away in my arms peacefully. This is my home just as much now as it always has been, so I agree to your terms." Emily stared at Willem and awaited his response, while some tears began to well up in her eyes thinking about Francis.


    Willem measured her response with her heart rate and found her not to be lying. Even more so, he himself felt that everything she said was the truth.


    "Very well, you will be given your own room and are welcome to any facility while you remain in my Private Sanctum. When this war is over, I will return you to your home." Willem unfastened Emily''s restraints and motioned for her to stand aside. "Who among you will join your sister."


    A few more magical beings began to nod their head in agreement, including Emily''s daughter.


    "Swear to me that you accept the terms with which I have presented you." Willem spoke loudly while spreading his magical force through each magical being.


    "We solemnly swear." Six magical beings spoke in unison.


    One of the heartbeats was unlike the others. It skipped a beat.


    Willem unfastened the restraints for five magical beings while he stared at the sixth person. Cold sweat began to pour down the man''s face while he attempted to resist the bindings.


    "I was beginning to think that my method of inquiry was faulty." Willem grinned to himself. Now he has some form of proof that he was correct in his methods of determining a truth from a lie. "You six can follow me, Arania, torture this one next." As Willem pointed to the liar, he left the torture chamber.


    The six magical beings followed Willem obediently.


    "These stipulations were something that both The One True King and I have come up with together, so you need not fear betrayal from us. We do not condemn the magical beings, but because they threaten us, we must ensure that nothing happens from the inside." Willem spoke openly to the magical beings as the walls of the Private Sanctum warped, and six new rooms began to form.


    During the discussion Willem had with the King, the treatment of magical beings that called the Bastion of Hope home had come up. Despite The One True King''s past with magical beings, he believed that peace was still possible as they still had much to learn from them. Willem was in agreeance, wasting such a good opportunity would definitely be a detriment if they wished to continue surviving. Thus the rules were made for any of the magical beings who still wished to remain in the Bastion of Hope.


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    The magical beings looked on, bewildered, as they each chose a room and opened the doors. Inside each room was a large bed with soft quilts, desk, armoire and bathing facilities. In all the time that they had been in the Bastion of Hope, they had never stayed in a place so fancy.


    "While you are here, you will be treated as my guests. Breakfast is served at sunrise, and subsequent meals you can cook for yourself. There are various equipment to occupy your time, such as spinning wheels and wood carving tools. We also have instruments, if any of you practice such things. Also, we have a White Tiger Cub as a pet, but she is still young and playful. The only place off limits to you all is my personal study room." Willem nodded his head in conclusion and slipped into the darkness of a nearby candelabra.


    The magical beings stood still in shock at the complete difference in treatment from their previous position. They would have thought they were dreaming if it were not for them being interrupted by horrid screams of their kind from the torture chamber. Each of the six quietly closed their doors and for the first time in their lives, rested in a large comfy bed.


    At the Royal Palace.


    Kinsey had presented the letter to the guard of the Royal Palace, specifically showing the seal of Willem Reinhardt. The guards saluted and were about to send the letter along, but Kinsey stopped them.


    "I have been asked by Master to personally deliver this letter. I dare not disobey his command. As I understand it, there has been a commotion so I will wait for as long as is necessary." Kinsey took the letter back and awaited a response.


    The guard''s looked at each other hesitantly, but nodded their head and escorted her personally to the King''s throne room. How could they not know who Willem Reinhardt was, and what he meant to the Royal Palace. If he says it must be hand delivered then that is that.


    The large double doors were slowly opened to the throne room, and Kinsey entered the room with the two guards.


    "My King, an envoy has been sent on behalf of Willem Reinhardt, with a letter addressed to you." The guards kneeled before their King. "We have guaranteed it''s authenticity."


    Kinsey likewise bowed before the King.


    "Arise, and present me the letter." The King spoke. In the throne room, his voice echoed out as large as a lion''s roar.


    As Kinsey stepped forward to present the letter, the Queen stopped hiding from behind a pillar and grasped Kinsey''s arms.


    "Please, dance with me!" The Queen hysterically said.


    Before Kinsey could refuse, she found that she was having difficulty breaking the grip of the Queen.


    "My Queen?" Kinsey could not present the letter as had been asked, and she did not understand what was happening.


    As Kinsey''s grip loosened, the letter fell from hand onto the floor. One of the guards immediately ran, picked it up, and presented it to the King as the Queen danced with Kinsey.


    Though she was unsure what was happening, Kinsey did not dismiss the Queen and danced with her while she awaited a response from the King.


    The King read over the letter detailing the killing of the royal chef to distract the populace from the forty magical beings taken against their will. As was agreed in their talks, anyone who treats the Bastion of Hope as their home would be treated with as much luxury as could be afforded as long as they spoke the truth and gave up any information.


    He further explained that the ten senior inscriptionists had been chosen and that he was about to speak to Sir Gehrig about the fifty soldiers.


    The King stood up from his throne, and forcefully broke the grip of his Queen from Kinsey. The Queen cried as she continued to dance, and the King asked Kinsey to follow him to his royal chambers.


    "Forgive me asking, is the Queen sick?" Kinsey genuinely did not know, but did not wish to be rude.


    "Ever since your Master gave her a potion to remove her sickness, all she wants to do is dance. At first it was refreshing, having my Queen back, but now I fear something has happened to her." The King scribbled down a letter of response for Kinsey to return with.


    After accepting the letter from the King, Kinsey said she would see what she could find in helping aid the Queen to a recovery.


    "Master, I have the King''s response." Kinsey spoke as such inside her mind, and her vision distorted as she was teleported through darkness magic to Willem''s location.


    The King watched Kinsey be teleported away, as he somberly wrote another letter for his children.


    Atop the mountain against the sea.


    At the summit of the mountains against the sea where the Bastion of Hope was located, Willem and Kinsey watched the sun setting for the night. This was the first time in what seemed like a long time that they were both alone, and they both took their time watching the sun set. Kinsey passed the letter from the King to her Master, and brushed up against his arm with her body. Gently resting her head on his shoulder, she told him about how the Queen had forcibly grabbed her and begged her to dance.


    "Is she sick?" Kinsey did not know the best way to approach the subject.


    "Yes, though I do not know what ails her. The potion I gave her leaves her vulnerable after it''s effect wanes." Willem looked perturbed hearing about Kinsey being mishandled.


    Kinsey nodded but chose not to speak as the sun disappeared from the sky. The illumination of red over the horizon made her feel that any difficulties could be postponed for a little bit.


    "Can we stay like this a little while longer?" Kinsey asked.


    "Yes." Willem wrapped a quilt around Kinsey and himself and watched as the red faded from the sky, turning it completely black.


    The stars shined particularly bright that night.

 62 - Rules

    "Can we do this again soon, Master?" Kinsey could feel herself drifting off to sleep.


    "Of course..." Willem took one last look at the night sky before teleporting himself and Kinsey back to the Private Sanctum.


    When they returned home, what awaited them was a drooling Anna, sleeping sloppily on the bed. Cuddled beside her was Arania, with her long black hair neatly tied on top of her head. Despite the neat appearance of her hair, her body exuded defenselessness as her legs spread openly across the bed. If Willem felt inclined to, he would have already partaken of her body for studying purposes. However the timing was not right, as his first priority was to consolidate his strength.


    "Kinsey, wake me ten minutes before sunrise." Willem carried Kinsey into bed with himself.


    Anna shifted in her sleep and ended up wrapping her legs around Willem''s waist.


    "Yes, Master." Kinsey affectionately whispered as she brushed Willem''s hair away from his face.


    Willem stared at Kinsey before fatigue finally set in and he closed his eyes. Though he did not require sleep, the meditation he normally employed revitalized his mind for the next day and also gave him time to analyze the information he had gathered that day.


    Thus ''sleeping'' for the night was still required as far as Willem was concerned.


    The next morning.


    Just as Kinsey was commanded, she woke Willem up ten minutes before sun up. Instead of the normal bath, Willem stood over the wooden tub and casted a whirlpool on himself to vigorously wash away the impurities on his body.


    Willem then donned some casual looking earthen clothes and a black robe before slipping into the darkness towards the Magic Academy entrance.


    Willem did not arrive at the Magic Academy immediately, instead he spent several minutes clearing a path through the void of some nuisances before going forward.


    Just as he had expected, the ten senior inscriptionists were waiting for him at the entrance. Many of them had bags under their eyes, a testament to how excited they were about their new work.


    The senior inscriptionists watched as Willem appeared before them from the shadow of a nearby tree. They all kneeled before him, and offered their greetings.


    "Good morning to Grand Mage Grandia." They said in unison.


    "First of all, congratulations to you ten. You have been chosen because you are the ten best in the senior inscription class. I expect great things from you. For now, grab your rucksacks and join hands with the person beside you." Willem gave a short speech before preparing them for the journey.


    The ten inscriptionists grabbed their gear and linked hands just as they were commanded. Willem walked to the middle of the group and offered his hands.


    "Close your eyes." Willem said loud enough for the people on the end to hear.


    They did as they were told and before they knew it they had arrived at Willem''s Private Sanctum foyer.


    "This will be your new home until the war against the magical beings is over. While you are here, you will be protected from most anything that attacks. If there is anything missing that you require, my attendants will notify me and I will get it for you." Willem began to walk through the foyer and down a long hallway, with the students following obediently behind.


    Ten large wooden doors magically appeared at the snap of Willem''s fingers. Though the act of snapping his fingers did nothing, it still felt more dramatic than things just magically appearing for no reason.


    Willem gestured for the students to go to the doors and open them. As they opened the doors, they saw beautiful rooms decorated in fine silk tapestries, beds made with the finest of fabrics and desks of solid oak. Stacked neatly on the desks were mounds of scroll paper, horned quills of varying size and many sets of quality inks.


    The students gasped as they entered the rooms and set down their rucksacks. Even the nobles of the Bastion of Hope would be hard pressed to find such exquisite items of such high quality. To be able to experience such fine utilities, the students felt quite lucky. It was as if their hard work had finally bore fruit.


    Willem snapped his fingers once again and ten small handbells appeared on the bedside tables in the rooms.


    "When you have unpacked, feel free to ring the bells and you can join me for breakfast. I will explain further what I intend to have you do once you are settled in." The footsteps of Willem walking away resounded through the long hall.


    One after another, the doors to the room slowly closed. After fifteen minutes had passed, all ten students had unpacked and rung their handbell. Willem teleported them to the dining hall and Kinsey presented them with a delicious breakfast.


    The breakfast consisted of wyvern eggs, hickory nuts, wolf meat and bacon. There was also a side serving of potatoes and vegetables. Of course this was all garnished with blended spices to bring out the best of the flavor. Fruits and nuts were placed on both ends of the table.


    The table in the dining room had twenty chairs, and the ten students decidedly sat at the end of the table as a sign of respect, furthest from Willem. Willem sat at the front of the table and quietly ate his food. After a few minutes, six others joined the group eating breakfast and quietly placed themselves in their seats. Kinsey greeted them and served them breakfast as well.


    Willem greeted his six guests and explained the situation to the students.


    "These six guests are magical beings who call the Bastion of Hope home. While they remain here, they are under the protection of myself and the One True King." Willem finished talking and took a small mouthful of bacon off his plate to chew quickly.


    Though Willem had said it nonchalantly, the ten students still gasped. They had never been so close to magical beings before, especially ones that looked so human-like. To be expected, there was some gossip and slightly excessive staring.


    "Now, I will further explain what your job will be while you are here. During the war, my job will be to fight on the front lines with fifty soldiers and fifty mages. Your job will be to create both offensive, defensive, and support spells for the unit to use during the attack. I intend to lead an assault that breaks the will of our enemies, therefore I need your help in doing this." Willem looked down beside his feet and saw the White Tiger Cub begging for scraps.


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    Willem scratched the head of the White Tiger Cub and gave it a small piece of wolf meat. Triumphant, the White Tiger Cub sat in the corner and chewed on the wolf meat while looking around the room.


    "There are some necessary rules I ask you to follow. My private study room is restricted to my access only, as well there is a torture room for enemy spies that you will most likely want to avoid. These places should be considered off limits at all times. Breakfast is always at sunrise, and any subsequent meals can be made yourselves." Willem looked around to gauge the reaction of the students.


    Most of the students were nodding along seriously, while the rest stared down at their breakfast and said nothing.


    "Each of you will be expected to present ten scrolls every week while the war takes place. Once the war is over, you will be compensated based on your performance. The compensation may also include titles, lands or whatever is deemed worthy of your work. Your downtime may be spent as you wish, and we have many facilities you can use to alleviate any stresses from the work." Willem sipped from a silver chalice, looking much like a young lord.


    The students each had a different vision of what relaxation meant to them. To some it was meditation in grassy knolls, for others it was swimming in a small warm sea or painting pictures on a large canvas. Willem snapped his fingers and the visions of relaxation they had were already formed and awaiting their arrival. Sounds of a deep roiling sea could be heard even from the dining room.


    "May I ask for something?" The young girl that Anna seemed to be fond of spoke up.


    "Speak your desires." Willem nodded.


    "May I have a herb garden?" The young girl abashedly asked.


    "Of course, what a lovely idea. It is done." Willem snapped his fingers and a new room was created, perfect for tending a garden in.


    "Many thanks to you, Grand Mage." The young girl stared down at her half emptied plate in embarrassment.


    "Your task officially starts tomorrow. Take your time today and rest, relax and get yourself prepared. Cooperation may be necessary and is definitely encouraged. You will be together for quite a while, so I suggest you get to know each other." Willem stood from his chair and nodded his head to the students.


    Awkwardly, the other students stood up and saluted Willem while he disappeared into the shadow of the chair.


    "You need not fear showing formality with the Master. Admittedly, it was hard for me to change from talking like a noble to talking like a normal person. However it is what the Master prefers. Please do not hesitate to tell me if there is anything you need, I will notify Master immediately." Kinsey gathered the dishes and began cleaning. Despite this being her job, some of the students joined her in cleaning the dishes. Kinsey did not rebuke them, and instead had a pleasant conversation while they cleaned.


    Inside the Royal Palace.


    The Queen was in hysterics, throwing vases and cracking tiles in the King''s private chambers. Despite the noise, the guards were ordered not to enter no matter what they heard. The One True King had no control over his Queen, and could only watch as she was slowly suffering.


    The King could not help but think ''is this the price of wanting my Queen back?''.


    Suddenly, there was a knock on the chamber doors.


    "I told you I wish to be undisturbed!" The King snorted in anger.


    "I have come to see about the Queen''s state." The voice from the other side was soft and childish.


    Immediately, the King ran to the door and swung it open. On the other side stood Willem, looking coldly at the smashed room and the Queen who was currently attempting to pull out her hair.


    "Forgive my impudence, my King. Kinsey alerted me to the direness of the issue that plagues your wife." Willem walked into the room without invitation and opened up his spatial spell.


    After a couple seconds, Willem pulled out a small locket with weird symbols drawn all around it. While the Queen was distracted, Willem placed the locket around her neck and opened it. After a moment passed, the Queen stopped moving, as if she was frozen in time.


    In truth, her stasis was attributed to a support spell meant to subdue a rampaging opponent. This high level spell ''froze'' the opponent but did not stop it from feeling pain. Only an equally powerful ''movement'' spell could break the Queen out of this stasis.


    Now that Willem did not fear her hurting herself more, he could do what he came for and see what was plaguing the Queen.


    Slowly, Willem circulated his magical force and sent it to his thumbs. Once he had mentally prepared himself, he placed his thumbs on both sides of the Queen''s head. His thumbs touched the temple on both sides of her head and he slowly placed his forehead against hers.


    Though the King had no idea what Willem was doing, he kept a silent watch and for the first time in a long time, prayed to the old Gods.


    Willem sent his mind directly into the Queen''s body to see what was going on inside. What he saw could only be described as a hellscape. The Queen was a prisoner in her own mind, having been trapped by a murderous wraith and tortured since she first drank from the vitality potion. Only the vitality potion gave her enough strength to resist the wraith while she was conscious.


    This was not the intended effect of the potion, and Willem would hate it if anyone would misunderstand his potions as being faulty.


    When Willem entered into the Queen''s mind, he roused the concern of the murderous wraith.


    "Time for you to leave." Willem cracked a wicked smile as his eyes glowed like black lightning.

 63 - Burdens

    The wraith stared down Willem as if it was meeting a mortal enemy for a final duel. It''s horribly misshapen body lent incredible pressure to it''s terrifying presence, and the Queen trapped within her own mind looked to be on the verge of insanity.


    Willem circulated the magical force within his body and created a barrier around himself to protect from the wraith. For the amount of times he has had to clear a path to the void, this has been a proven effective method in dealing with wandering wraiths.


    The steps to dealing with a wraith were quite simple, but the wraiths he normally had to fight had not fed on a mortal body like this one did. To assume the wraith inside the Queen was on the same level as those dilapidated wraiths from the void would be foolish.


    Willem was unsure just how strong the wraith had become, so he decided to use some extra defensive measures to guarantee his safety. He casted an earthen shield to slowly float around his body, and then casted a molten shield on top of the earthen shield. Willem was in a much better position than he would be in the void. If one was to haphazardly cast magic while within the void, it was like inviting predators to your location.


    The wraith did not move in to attack, but warily watched Willem, unsure of what he intended to do. Though the wraith understood the impending danger that Willem posed, it had missed the opportunity to strike and now was preparing itself to flee and find a new host.


    Finally, after casting his defensive spells, he was fully prepared for the battle. Normally in order to defeat a wraith, he would fill the wraith with magical energy and have other denizens of the void rip it apart. However this was not possible here, so it required the other method.


    Willem needed to bait in the soul devouring attack that wraiths perform, and overwhelm him with pure mental strength.


    With a solid plan in mind, Willem charged before the wraith and grappled him away from the Queen. The claws of the wraith could not break through the molten shield without injuring itself, but just being in contact with the magical force seemed to embolden it. Therefore the damage it was taking from the molten shield was negated by the strengthening of it''s ethereal body.


    Willem pushed through the boundaries of the Queen''s mind and started forcing his way through her memories with the wraith bound tightly within his grasp. Though the Queen was still trapped, she was at least out of harms way while Willem dealt with the wraith.


    The wraith fed off the magical force of the molten shield but was being burned, therefore it was not becoming stronger. The grip the young boy had on it made it feel powerless to resist.


    "Hunger..." The wraith called to the young boy.


    "I give you reprieve from life." Willem threw the wraith away from his molten shield and created a thousand black spears from his magical force.


    The black spears skewered the ethereal body of the wraith, covering it head to toe in rending spears.


    The ethereal body of the wraith absorbed the magical force of Willem and began to approach the young boy once more.


    Willem now had an understanding on how strong the wraith was, and feigned fear as the ethereal body absorbed the spears.


    "Devour..." The wraith grabbed onto Willem''s molten shield and began the soul devouring attack.


    Willem''s face became distorted as a vortex of thin magic began to pull at his soul. As the vortex grew stronger, Willem appeared to be growing weaker.


    Though Willem was growing weaker, he held onto his memories of Kinsey, his friends Eli and Mark, and his family. These memories kept him strong while his soul was being forcefully taken from his body.


    When the vortex was near it''s peak strength, it became tangible and Willem could finally grab it with his magic.


    Willem worked his magical force and created four black tendrils to grip the vortex of the soul devouring attack. Willem had the black tendrils pull his soul back into his body as well as the vortex with it, consuming the vortex and the wraith at the same time.


    Thus, the wraith was defeated and Willem''s soul had become stronger for it, as if it was a muscle that had just been overused. After his soul recovers, it will be much stronger than it was previously.


    The strength the wraith showed was incomparable to the weakened states in the void, but was still within Willem''s calculations.


    Willem stayed for a moment in the Queen''s memories, looking over her childhood and ascension to the throne before returning to the main part of her mind.


    The Queen recognized the young boy invading her mind and sighed in relief, the wraith that had previously been torturing her was nowhere to be seen. The black cloth binding her mouth shut disappeared, and the torture rack she was stuck to melted away.


    "You are safe now, my Queen." Willem smiled.


    "I am still trapped within my own body, you have defeated the monster but I am still poisoned." The Queen solemnly looked down at her shoes.


    "What do you mean poisoned? Is this about your illness?" Willem was curious.


    "Yes, I will divulge to you, my savior, but please do not reveal what I am about to say to my King." The Queen waited for confirmation before continuing.


    Willem nodded his head in agreement.


    "Well, long before I met my King, I was a child of the Bastion of Hope, and I was hopelessly in love with my best friend. We went everywhere together, grew up together, and even planned to grow old together. I never knew what sadness was until he was forced to join the military and I could not see him again for a long time." The Queen sat down as Willem conjured a beautiful wooden chair and some warm tea for her to drink.


    The warm tea soothed her, and the shaking she previously could not control had been quelled for a moment.


    "Before he left for the military, we pledged to stay unwed until we could be reunited once more. However, five years had passed and it was on the verge of my eighteenth birthday that the King found me. Like a prize at the fair, he picked me out of the crowd and proclaimed me his Queen. I dared not disobey my King for fear of being killed, but my heart never truly belonged to him." The Queen took another sip of the tea.


    Though it was in her mind, even she could not control things as well as Willem could. A peculiar feeling came over her, like she could no longer control herself and she felt compelled to spill her darkest secret.


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    "When I left for the Royal Palace, it turned out one of the guards who protected the King was none other than my best friend and lover. He was forced to watch helplessly as I was betrothed to the King, and soon the marriage had taken place in front of the whole Bastion of Hope. I wept when I said my vows, not happily but for the loss of my love. Distraught, I sought out my lover and we decided to do the unthinkable, poison the King and elope as far away from the Bastion of Hope as we could get. Our plan however was not perfect, as I did not know which drink contained the poisoned wine. I offered to my King the first glass, and then took the other and toasted together. I reasoned in my mind that if he was poisoned, it would all be well. If I was poisoned, at least I would not have to suffer a love that was not meant to be." The Queen cried softly.


    Willem could already see the end of the story, but chose to listen instead of interrupt. Something like curing a deeply rooted poison was not impossible given enough time.


    "However it was my drink that had been poisoned, and my plan had failed miserably. For attempting regicide, my divine punishment was no less than the complete loss of my body. My body was kept alive by the healing of water mages until the poison had diluted itself into my blood. I thought it could not get any worse, but I was wrong. They found the guard that poisoned the drink, my love, and had him hanged in the Royal Palace gardens. I was forced to watch, while my King proclaimed justice to be done. In his last moments he looked into my dead eyes and all I could do was stare." The Queen began to cry excessively, thinking about the loss of her love.


    Willem listened quietly but soon came to his own conclusion. If the Queen or her lover had more strength, enough to stand against the King, they would not have suffered so. In this world as any other, strength is everything. The strength to protect yourself and the ones you love.


    "Your heart must hurt very deeply my Queen. Trapped within your own mind, reliving those events over and over. I can ease your burden. I can lock away those memories so that you no longer feel that pain." Willem looked into the eyes of the Queen.


    The Queen continued to stare at her feet but said nothing. Though she was in pain everyday, it was still her reminder that she was alive.


    "No, I do not wish to be relieved of these memories." The Queen resolutely spoke.


    Willem continued to stare at the Queen, pondering to himself.


    "For my plan to work, you must love your King unconditionally. So much so that you will give your life. Pardon my intrusion." Willem began to work his magical force once more, erasing the memories of the Queen''s lover.


    The Queen screamed in agony as her memories of her lover disappeared from her mind. The modifications to her memory left significant gaps, and her mind did its best not to break under the extreme pressure of remolding her blank memories. The Queen was already mentally weak from the torture, she could not resist Willem''s removal of the specific memories.


    "Please, no..." The Queen whispered in between screams.


    Outside, the One True King saw his Queen''s face twist and contort in pain, however he could do nothing but continue to pray that Willem was almost done helping her.


    After thirty minutes had passed, her mind had finally recovered. Though her heart hurt, she did not know the reason why. Willem spoke to the Queen once more.


    "I will develop for you a potion that dispels the poison, but it will take some time to completely remove it. You must be careful not to overexert yourself too much." Willem checked to see if her mind was still intact.


    "I understand, and I thank you for everything you have done for myself and my King." The Queen nodded her head and prepared to finally have her body back.


    The Queen could not help but feel a little excited as she would finally be able to be with the love of her life, The One True King, once more.


    Willem removed himself from her mind, back into his own body. He removed his forehead from hers, and his hands from the sides of her face.


    "It is done, I will now craft for you a specialized potion to remove the poison from her body." Willem stood and bowed to the King. "i will be using your alchemy facilities."


    "Please, by all means." The One True King was unsure what Willem did, but there was a noticeable change with his Queen. He was unsure what had occurred or what magic Willem had used, but if it relieved the Queen of her pain it would be fine.


    Willem took the pendant from around the Queen''s neck and put it back into his spatial spell. The ''freeze'' magic was dispelled from the Queen''s body and Willem caught her before she fell over. He laid her body on her bed and then removed himself from the room.


    "Make sure nothing comes in or out of the room until I return." Willem said as he was leaving.


    The King nodded his head and closed the door behind Willem.


    Willem compounded a cure based on the poison in the Queen''s old memories and wrote down the recipe for the King. When it was completed, he returned to the King''s chambers and handed him the antidote.


    "She must take this one hour before her meals, at a dose of two spoons full. After a single dose you should begin to see an immediate effect and in one to two months she should be cured. Absolutely do not let her roam around as she did before, she must recover completely from the poison before she attempts to strengthen her body. I have written down the ingredients and process for you on this." Willem handed the King the recipe and awaited confirmation.


    The King was unsure whether or not to accept the antidote, as the previous potion had gotten her into this whole hysterical mess. The antidote recipe was plainly written out, and from the King''s knowledge of treatments it seemed completely viable. The King hesitantly accepted it, and placed the recipe within his own spatial spell for safe keeping.


    "What was she afflicted by? What did you see when you entered her body?" The One True King finally asked.


    "A malevolent spirit. I consumed it, so there is nothing more to fear. Her mind and body as well as her soul will recover in time." Willem nodded his head and slipped into the darkness of the bed without waiting for leave from the King.


    The One True King bit his lips in frustration as he coddled his Queen.

 64 - Company

    Willem, though externally not showing any damage, had previously exhausted some of his strength in dealing with the wraith while ensuring the Queen''s safety. The day, however, was far from over and there was still some things to be done.


    Willem displaced himself away from the Royal Palace and into the Army Training Grounds. When he arrived, he could tell the atmosphere was tense and the fear of an imminent war was on the horizon. Naturally this meant that the soldiers who would normally be sitting and drinking were now always prepared and training. Willem glided his way over to Sir Gehrig''s Private Quarters and with a little effort, he sat himself down at the table and awaited the resonance of the weapons he had gifted the Army.


    Before long, each of the fifty one weapons that Willem had given began to vibrate at the exact same time. As it was the first time that many of the chosen soldiers experienced this phenomenon, they each had their own misunderstanding of what it meant. Sir Gehrig, as well as the other four understood that it meant Grandia had arrived and so gathered the fifty soldiers to greet him.


    As the fifty soldiers marched in full magical armor towards the entrance to Sir Gehrig''s Private Quarters, Willem could not help but remark at how uniformly they marched despite them only being a squad created a couple days ago. Though the teaching of the Army was based around execution of offensive and defensive formations, it would not be a far stretch to say that during an official bout, soldiers would break formation and do what they want.


    "Sir Gehrig must had pressed upon them the urgency of keeping a good structure in front of me." Willem was impressed.


    In accordance with what Willem had planned, a well organized group of fifty would make things much easier for himself. Therefore this marching order and command led by Sir Kris and Sir Rowan was very pleasing. Eli and Mark marched behind them, clearly separated from the other forty six soldiers but still maintaining decorum.


    "Company, halt!" Sir Gehrig called from the front.


    Willem had already said he would return within a couple days to see which soldiers had been chosen. Now he was here to look over the soldiers and see their aptitude in combat.


    The wind whipped a little as Willem raised his voice over the crowd of murmurs.


    "To all soldiers gathered, congratulations. I have no doubts that you have already been told about the circumstances of this mission. You represent humanity in your strides, and will be on the front lines with me when we deal with the threat of magical beings."


    The soldiers looked around at each other but had already heard as much.


    "I have come today to see your prowess in using the magical arms and armors that I have provided. Meet me in the training arena for one on one spars in twenty minutes." Willem headed back inside the Private Quarters.


    "You have your orders, arena in twenty minutes! Dismissed!" Sir Gehrig called out.


    The soldiers walked away, but murmurs could be heard from the group. Most talk was about how young the Grand Mage was, others about how could he have possibly made all this high quality armor and weapons.


    Sir Gehrig, with Sir Rowan, Sir Kris, Eli and Mark all went into Sir Gehrig''s Private Quarters behind Willem.


    Willem took the head seat, and no one spoke out or in any way thought it improper.


    Eli and Mark were the first to speak.


    "Are you sick?" They both spoke at the same time. They had spent the most amount of time with Willem, how could they not tell at least this much.


    "I had to deal with a malicious spirit that had fed off the Queen. It was many times stronger than I was expecting." Willem did not hide anything from the group.


    The scalps of the Knights tingled. If even a Grand Mage found dealing with this spirit difficult, how would they have fared?


    "You need not concern yourselves, the Queen is recovering now that the spirit was expelled." Willem motioned for some tea.


    Sir Gehrig called for a steward to pour some tea for their esteemed guest. The steward instantly recognized Willem, as he had been to the grounds many times.


    Tea was given to Willem and the other four Knights, and the steward was dismissed.


    "On this subject, I assume the events yesterday transpired just as I had mentioned they would, Sir Gehrig?" Willem sipped at his tea slowly.


    "Yes, Grand Mage. A council was summoned from some of the highest forms of military and nobles. Though the King did not appear, the nobles asked for our help but I was able to stop the training grounds involvement as you had asked." Sir Gehrig nodded along knowingly.


    "The King not being there was a mistake on my part. I did not expect the Queen''s health to take such a drastic turn." Willem finished his tea and stood from the chair.


    The other four finished their tea quickly and stood as well, moving to the side so that Willem could pass. Willem headed out of the Private Quarters and toward the arena.


    "How is their progress?" Willem spoke as he walked briskly.


    "Most of them have become adept given the short time they have to practice. We first gave importance on stressing that we were directly fighting the magical beings first, while they were at their strongest. There were some who declined, and wished to be a part of the main army instead." Sir Kris spoke.


    "Those that chose to be a part of the group understood that they have a lower chance of survival but would be instrumental in achieving a victory." Sir Rowan spoke out.


    "The time that we have until the magical beings attack our walls has lessened considerably. I have no doubts the magical beings received information of us finding their spies. I need you fifty to be ready to mobilize in three days. Can it be done?" Willem continued to walk at a fast pace while looking forward.


    "They will be ready, but they will not be at their best." Sir Gehrig chimed in.


    "I only need them to fend the enemies scattered offense while I deal with the enemies leaders." Willem interjected.


    All five Knights nodded their heads in agreement. They should at least be capable of doing that much.


    Before any of the Knights realized it, twenty minutes had passed since their initial conversation in the Private Quarters and they had arrived at the arena precisely on time.


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    The forty six soldiers stood around restlessly.


    "Fall in!" Sir Gehrig commanded.


    The soldiers fell in line perfectly, as was practiced.


    "Pick a sparring partner, someone of equal power to yourself." Sir Gehrig stared down the soldiers as they struggled to split themselves into pairs.


    At one point Sir Kris had to physically lift up a soldier and throw him to another to pair them up.


    Eli and Mark jovially laughed at the scene, and Willem could not help but crack a smile as well.


    "Give yourselves ten feet of movement. Begin when you are ready." Sir Gehrig called out.


    The soldiers split themselves apart from the others and began to spar ferociously. Willem circled around them, watching their movements and patterns. Many he was able to see through their next moves quickly, but others seemed to just flail around unpredictably. This was all to be taken into account during their first fight.


    Twenty five soldiers focused on defense, while the other twenty one soldiers focused on offense.


    A decent harmony had already placed itself upon the soldiers. Now Willem did not need to concern himself with having to provide extra soldiers to defend the mages in the battalion.


    The spars lasted for ten minutes, but eventually the magical ability of the weapons and armor ran out. The soldiers were dismissed to provide maintenance on their equipment.


    "You have done well, all five of you. I must now see to my mage squad. Have the soldiers ready to move on the third day at high noon." Willem nodded his head at Sir Gehrig before leaving.


    "Yes, sir!" Sir Gehrig saluted with the other four knights and began the preparations as Willem disappeared into the darkness of a nearby log.


    Willem''s complexion had eased, as he had a moment to rest during the spar.


    It seemed to have been a long time since he entered the Magic Academy, with all the travelling around he had to do these last couple weeks.


    He had not even had time to drop in and speak with Grand Mage Archus, because of all the things he had to set in motion.


    He was not worried, as Grand Mage Archus was not so small minded as to slight his apprentice just for not showing his face for a week.


    The air around the Magic Academy was completely different from that of the Training Grounds. Many of the students traveled around with their friends, bustling to their next class. Those with low magical ability kept their heads down and scurried to the next class before they accidentally bumped into a bully. However the amount of bullying that was taking place in the school had lessened quite a lot.


    Ever since the incident with the guards whipping the young bullies and the mysterious deaths of senior fire mages, the school had seen a qualitative change in it''s students behavior. Many who had previously acted out, even if they had capital to do so, no longer fought with those perceived weaker than them.


    The general feeling in the school was of being tentatively harmonious. Of course the students had heard of magical beings getting ready to invade, so they understood that fighting among themselves would only lead to them being weaker when war came knocking on their doorstep.


    Willem donned his favorite black robe and shawl and made his way to the guard''s room. He had been here once previously, when he had commanded his bullies to be publicly whipped and needed to sign some paperwork to that effect.


    Now he came for an entirely different reason.


    As Willem stepped into the room, the guard''s looked him up and down before figuring out who he was. When they did, however, they immediately stood at attention. Those who did not know who he was did not run the risk of offending him, and stood at attention with the others.


    Willem gestured for them to be at ease.


    "I have a message that needs to be sent to all senior mages. I require fifty senior mages to join in my private squadron, as tasked by the King. Those who join me will be given a reward, as well their families will be protected within my own Private Sanctum until the war is over. Those who wish to join shall meet me in the auditorium in an hour time." Willem took from his spatial spell the seal of the king and handed it to the head guard.


    The head guard knew Willem''s identity, but played it out for the others. Looking over the seal, he nodded at its authenticity.


    "As the Grand Mage, Grandia, commands!" The head guard saluted and issued the command.


    All but five guards left the room to deliver the notification to all senior mage classes.


    Willem left the guard room and headed for the large auditorium. A small class had booked it for the next half hour, so Willem sat behind the class and waited patiently for the lesson to finish.


    The teacher noticed Willem''s presence but said nothing. The class being taught was an intermediate divination class. Though the teacher wholly believed in her divination capabilities, the students only took the class as a prerequisite for arcane history.


    Arcane history was a much sought after class as it allowed mages to leave the Magic Academy and the confines of the Bastion of Hope in search of treasures.


    The teacher of the class finally locked onto Willem''s magical ability, and noticed it was much more potent than her own.


    "May I ask who this esteemed guest is that joins us for this class?" The small teacher barely squeaked out a sentence before falling prey to Willem''s aura. The students, being magically untrained to notice such power, turned to watch the boy clad in black.


    "Please ignore me and continue your lesson, you have me intrigued." Willem waved his hand but did not bother to answer her truthfully. If they found out his identity, he would be swarmed in minutes. If he cannot control the situation. he would rather just leave and try another time.


    "As you wish young master, now... With toad spit we can derive the meaning of..." The teacher continued until her class was interrupted by a loud clamoring outside the auditorium.

 65 - A Joyous Occasion

    As soon as the senior mages of the Magic Academy heard about the new Grand Mage recruiting, they immediately clamored out of the classroom. The fact that it was guards that delivered the news gave even more credence to the rumor that it was on behalf of the King''s order. Even the teachers of the senior classes were not indignant because of the summons.


    When a Grand Mage decides to recruit, it is a joyous occasion for the whole school.


    If a teacher can get the notice of a Grand Mage, they would receive endless benefits in regards to gathering their own strengths. In fact most of the Grand Mages alive today had walked along this route, showing promise and borrowing the power of their predecessors to become Grand Mages themselves.


    This was the preferred method to cultivating Grand Mages, and was largely why magical power was monitored both within the Magic Academy and in the Bastion of Hope. If this was not the case, Willem would never have even met Grand Mage Archus, let alone survived his encounter with the Golden Dragon family.


    Even though the summons would only begin in an hour, many had never even seen a Grand Mage before, as they often would stay within their own Private Sanctums. To them, such an existence was the pinnacle of strength and was like an old god touching down on the world.


    So naturally they all had to rush to the auditorium just to catch a glimpse of the new Grand Mage of Darkness.


    "There seems to be something going on outside, please give me a moment to see what is going on." The teacher halted her lecture and placed the vial she was holding back in its place.


    Willem decided not to say anything and watched as it played out.


    As she walked toward the auditorium doors, her hips swung wildly from left to right. For a woman of such small stature, she knew how to throw her weight around effectively. The closer she got to the door, the louder the noises became, until it was almost unbearable.


    To ensure there was no issue, she casted an advanced sound dampening support type spell with a range of roughly twenty feet around her body. She believed this would be enough to combat the excess sounds outside the room.


    Outside, hundreds of senior mages were bustling around exchanging rumors and whispers about the situation. Some spoke of the Grand Mage gathering a harem for himself, and others spoke about it being a King''s summons for a combat unit. Of course no one knew for sure exactly what it was about, which made them incredibly nervous.


    The teacher firmly grasped the handle of the door and began to turn it slowly. A hushed silence fell over the outside crowd as the door slowly opened. A small woman no taller than 4 feet appeared in front of hundreds of mages.


    "What is going on out here?" The teacher sullenly questioned.


    "Does teacher Su not know? The new Grand Mage is recruiting and this is where we are to meet him in forty five minutes." A student near the entrance to the auditorium spoke out.


    "A Grand Mage is recruiting?" She quickly looked at the auditorium schedule and indeed saw the Grand Mage''s signature written below her own. Her heart palpitated quickly, as she peered inside the room once more.


    The noise had previously caught the attention of the students, and they eagerly watched as the teacher had opened the door. The crowd outside was enormous, even from the narrow viewpoint of the students within.


    Teacher Su watched the figure of the boy who had initially entered her class late. She knew her own strength could not measure up to his, but was it really on the level of a Grand Mage? Since she could not tell, she did not put it in her heart. Yet now she was given proof of his identity on the contrary, and was unsure of herself.


    "Students, I am currently teaching a class inside, if you can sit quietly and not talk then you can watch. Otherwise, remain outside and do not disrupt the current class until it is done." Teacher Su arrogantly tried to corral the students.


    The students nodded hurriedly and flowed into the auditorium as if under a death sentence. Not a single person spoke out or even whispered as they entered the room. Though the auditorium was large, it could not accommodate all the students and many of them had to stand in the paths leading out the other doors.


    Teacher Su began teaching once more, though her gaze would often wander over to Willem as she did. She attempted multiple times with magical perception to gauge his strength, but each time she tried she found herself being pulled into his power.


    Like watching a deep and terrible void slowly swallowing you.


    Though Willem valued his privacy and space, the students had no choice but to get close to him just to have enough room for all of them to fit in the auditorium. To their benefit, they did not interrupt the lecture and obediently sat to listen. They had no way of knowing that they sat beside one of the strongest existences in the Bastion of Hope.


    When the class had ended, all students waited with bated breath as Teacher Su packed up her divination set to leave. As she was preparing to go, a small crow holding a letter glided down from the darkness of the ceiling and perched on her shoulder. It dropped the letter into the teacher''s hand and disappeared in a puff of black smoke.


    The contents of the letter read:


    Teacher Su, if you wish it, I grant you permission to introduce me to the senior mages gathered in the auditorium.


    My Regards,


    Grand Mage of Darkness, Grandia


    Teacher Su held her breath as she read the astoundingly well written words. It was as if they flew off the paper and directly into her mind, and she could not help but feel incredibly proud of herself at this moment.


    "To all the students gathered, you have waited patiently and I commend you for it. The Grand Mage of Darkness, Grandia, will now grace us with his presence." Teacher Su gave an overly excessive bow, bending forward so much that she almost fell on her face.


    A roiling black mist churned from the middle of the stage as it gathered to a height of roughly five feet. Nothing inside could be seen, save for two small coin sized emissions of light from deep within the darkness.


    The teacher who had previously been bowing, slowly backed away from the black mist in submission. To assure herself, she peered once more into the crowd and saw that the boy she had been probing at for the last hour no longer was there.


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    The black mist reached its maximum potential density and exploded outward in a brilliant blast of black and white. The seat that Willem previously occupied in the crowd was empty as he appeared on stage. The outward blast did no physical harm, and instead refreshed everyone who gazed upon it, like a silent charm.


    Though typically such parlor tricks were beneath him, a strong show of magical ability that was not dangerous could inspire those with second thoughts of his mission into joining him. Though Willem did not fear finding fifty mages who wished to participate in combat, he still made his entrance flashy so they understood a modicum of his power.


    This particular method of recruitment was taught to him by Archus himself, when he originally came for Willem. A strong show of force will lead to many flocking under your banner.


    Many of the students, upon seeing this magnificent scene, began clapping fervently.


    "Thank you all for joining me this day." Willem removed his black shawl and showed his young face to the crowd.


    While the clapping died down, many whispers and sounds of swooning from the crowd distracted Willem momentarily before he continued speaking.


    "I have come on behalf of the King, to build a combat unit to repel the magical beings. I require fifty volunteers to aid me in removing this threat that lingers at our front door. Whoever joins me must understand, there is a chance you may not return from this war. However for all those who join me, your family will be moved to my Private Sanctum until the war is over." Willem spoke quietly, but his voice reverberated against the walls of the auditorium through sound amplification magic.


    Everyone collectively held their breath upon hearing what he was actually here for. Those who spoke rumors of him gathering a harem felt stupid, while those among them whom were spreading rumors about building a combat unit were elated in being correct.


    "I only require fifty of the best among you to join me. If you wish to be a part of something bigger than yourself, stand on this stage by my side and tell me your family name." Willem moved away from the middle of the stage and stepped forward to receive his allies.


    One by one, students began to stand up and head toward the stage. Each one was known as a genius among their peers, but they paled in comparison to Willem. However their individual talents could not easily be dismissed by anyone else in the room. When they arrived on the stage, they spoke their names to Willem and stood to the side in wait.


    Among the fifty that approached the stage, seven of them held a position akin to the top ten ranking within the Magic Academy. The only ones missing were the famed top three senior mages within the school.


    This did not bother Willem in any way. He had his fifty volunteers, and they clearly understood what was required of them. More over, they had been warned of possible death, and they still felt obliged to do their duty, whether for their family or their home was irrelevant.


    "I have my fifty volunteers, the rest of you are dismissed and may return to your classes. To the teachers of these fifty students, they will be under my care for now." Willem whipped his black cloak around and whispered among the students on stage.


    The students nodded and held hands with the person next to them. Before anyone had enough time to blink twice, the fifty students and the Grand Mage disappeared into the darkness of the stage.


    Bitterly, the students had no choice but to return to their mundane lives of practice and studying. If they had a little bit more power, or courage, or luck, they may have been able to justify standing on that stage.


    For some, this was an eye opener and they would begin to try harder to consolidate their own magical power.


    To others, it was a debilitating blow to their psyche and they would slowly withdraw from the world.


    Willem brought the class through the void, warning them to close their eyes and keep them closed until they arrived at their destination. When they reached the Private Sanctum, Willem notified them.


    "You may open your eyes now, we have arrived." Willem nodded his head.


    When the students opened their eyes, they saw a large foyer decorated in tapestries and semi rare gems of varying kinds.


    To those who studied as a senior mage and had the potential to become a Grand Mage, they understood just how amazing this Private Sanctum was. Though the Private Sanctum could be warped and changed as the creator desired, all the materials must be present to create what was desired. Therefore if he did not already own these exquisite gems and tapestries, he could not decorate them within his Sanctum.


    To create something from nothing was only a fairy tale told to children.


    "We are only making a stop in here for lunch, this is not our destination. Also I must clear a path through the void before we leave, so feel free to look around. When I am done, I will return and we will eat." Willem spoke aloud to the group and disappeared into the shadow of a rug.


    The students looked around, bewildered, and could not help but touch some of the statues and suits of armor that adorned the halls. The armor sets were complete and flawless, as well they emitted a strong magical power. Something beyond the quality of the senior inscriptionists within the Magic Academy appeared before them, and caused their hearts to stir unreasonably.


    Willem drifted through the void, avoiding the large twisting horrors and clearing the path of the small wraiths and feral spirits.


    A wild purple apparition the size of several wagons drifted close to Willem, and forced him to retract his magical power deep within his body to avoid it''s detection. Soon after he retracted his magical essence, the apparition drifted away and swallowed a smaller mindless entity that it came into contact with. Willem breathed a sigh of relief and began to clear the path to the Army Training Grounds once more.


    Compared to the fed wraith within the Queen, these wraiths within the void did not even need to be mentioned.


    After finishing, Willem headed back to the Private Sanctum and ushered the students to the dining hall for lunch.

 66 - Flora And Fauna

    The dining hall was now filled with fifty Magic Academy students, previous prisoners of war turned to the human side and the senior inscriptionists.


    Considering the fact that they were in a Grand Mage''s Private Sanctum, many of the students were elated with themselves. The culmination of their abilities had all been to garner a response from a Grand Mage and curry his favor.


    Willem sat at the head of the table as Kinsey, Anna and Arania all prepared to serve the food to the guests. Kinsey and Anna had received a large red belly pig to roast from Willem, and Kinsey decided to make a brisket for Willem especially. The rest of the pig was for the others, and Anna made a pork sirloin broth from the main body of the pig.


    The extra parts that did not go into the broth were eaten by the growing White Tiger Cub.


    In order to even out the all meat broth, a side of potatoes and green vegetables were placed together.


    Some of the students, while waiting, recognized Anna as the young girl who would often spend a lot of time in the library. Other students were focused on the natural beauty of Kinsey and Arania, with the notion of look but do not touch.


    When the food arrived in front of Willem and all his guests, everyone present waited for Willem to take the first bite.


    Willem gently bit into the roasted pork brisket, and a small trickle of oil and fat slipped down his lips. The students turned away when they saw the sight, and began to eat the broth in front of them.


    Anna placed a small silk cloth at Willem''s side for him to wipe his face with, which he did after properly chewing his food. The difference in taste compared to usual had left him absent-minded, while in his mind he was comparing the past meals.


    After an hour, the food was taken away by Willem''s servants and everyone but the fifty Magic Academy students left their seats and returned to their rooms.


    "Soon it will be time for us to leave, so you should be mentally prepared. From now on, there will be no extravagant meals or protection from monsters. I will be transporting you to the Army Training Grounds, where you will be watching my other fifty soldiers formation and participating in combat drills."


    The students stared down at the table, seemingly unable to raise their heads. Each of them had the idea that this was their last meal of sorts.


    "Some of you will be supporting my soldiers, and you will understand why soon enough. Those of you that practice offensive magic will be a part of the offensive squad. When you join this squad, you will understand exactly what you are expected to do." After practicing what he would say, he finally delivered his talk unerringly and gathered the students together.


    As the students held hands, Willem moved them through the shadows of the world. Remembering what they had been told on the way, each student closed their eyes as they were relocated.


    Only Willem, remaining steadfast and defensive, moved elegantly through the void while avoiding the creatures inside it. Luckily, the removal of the weaker wraiths proved useful as there were no casualties despite the roundabout method of arrival.


    When they arrived at the Army Training Grounds, the students let out a sigh of relief. As they were drifting through the void, they could not open their eyes for fear of the consequences, but being naturally curious mages made them want to open their eyes despite guessing what would happen. The ambiguous noises and weird smells made it that much harder to resist their natural curiosity, any longer and they would have definitely opened their eyes.


    Again, for the third time, the weapons that Willem bestowed upon his soldiers began to resonate in synchronization. Excitedly, the soldiers broke formation and ran as fast as they could towards Willem, as if they were compelled to.


    Fifty one soldiers arrived at nearly the same time, with only five soldiers arriving ahead of everyone else by a few seconds. These five were obviously Sir Gehrig, Sir Kris, Sir Rowan, and the apprentice Knights Eli and Mark.


    The students stood amazed at the quick gathering speed of the soldiers. The velocity that they moved in their armor was remarkably similar to the movement one would accomplish when weaving magic into their leg muscles.


    With everyone gathered, Sir Gehrig snapped his fingers and the offensive and defensive formations were set before Willem. Again the students expressed their admiration for how quickly the formations were achieved.


    "Soldiers, rejoice, I have brought your comrades. Those with support magic will go with the defensive team, and those with attack magic will go with the offensive team." Willem clapped his hands once while the students quickly rushed into their expected positions.


    When choosing who would join the magic division of his squad in the auditorium, Willem paid heed to how many classified themselves as offensive or support magic for the express purpose of separating them for the upcoming battles.


    Now, the two teams had the exact same amount of people for each team, split fifty and fifty. Sir Kris stood with Mark at the front of the defensive formation, while Sir Rowan and Eli stood at the front of the offensive.


    "I am telling you now, before the magical beings have a chance to deal with the traitors or change their plans, we will launch an offensive to destroy them. This is a surprise attack, so our formation has to be perfect to ensure they cannot recover. You only have two days to acquaint yourself with the formation. However I have complete faith in you." Willem nodded his head in satisfaction.


    The steeled faces of the soldiers and students gave them an aura of being ready to take the fight to the enemy at any time.


    "Sir Gehrig, compile a list of their families name and addresses for me, I will return later to retrieve it." Willem whispered to Sir Gehrig while patting him on the shoulder.


    "As you command, Sir!" Sir Gehrig saluted as Willem melded into the shade of a nearby tree.


    "To the new magical soldiers, line up in order, one at a time, and approach me!" Sir Gehrig ordered. The shine of his armor glowed magically as an oppressive gaze washed over the soldiers.


    One by one, the students sheepishly walked up to the Knight Captain, wrote something on a piece of parchment and hustled back to formation. Many of the other soldiers were curious as to what was going on, but dared not speak out of line.


    After the last student wrote down his family name and address, the parchment was dried and folded into the pocket of the Knight Captain''s gambeson.


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    "Now, you may go practice your formations with your new brethren! Dismissed!" Sir Gehrig saluted Sir Kris and Sir Rowan before heading to his Private Quarters.


    When Sir Gehrig left, the tension of the soldiers naturally eased up. Besides the natural difference between the Knight Captain of an army and a Magic Academy student, the aura from his armor made it hard for him to even be looked at. Compared to the active effects of the weapons and armor of the other soldiers, Sir Gehrig''s intimidating aura was passive and had no activation words. This allowed him to focus solely on commanding his troops or fighting his enemies without fearing distractions.


    Sir Rowan led the offensive combat unit to the training dummies, and the students quickly learned that in order to keep up with the other soldiers, they needed to spread their magical force through their bodies to match their allies just in speed. The students watched as the soldiers dived between each other while striking out in a confusing and sporadic manner, like many dancing bees in concert. The more they watched, the harder it became to differentiate one from another. The strikes, while seeming sporadic and disorganized, always struck the training dummies with glaring accuracy and maximum force to deal a lethal blow. If the training dummies were not reinforced with magic, they would have wilted from the first set of blows. The magic soldiers, when they understood what was happening, joined the formation and began to weave spells with the melee attacks of their allies.


    Meanwhile, the defensive formation led by Sir Kris and Mark were practicing the shifting defensive tactics that they were now well known for. In all the practice skirmishes with the offensive formation, the defensive team had never been beaten or their formation broken. They had never won either though, as their distinct problem was being unable to deal a decisive blow to the opponent. However that was not their job, and they displayed their capabilities to the new magic soldiers. As the magic soldiers joined the formation, it expanded and retracted like a large heavily breathing beast. The formation shifted from a phalanx formation into a tortoise formation, protecting the overhead from ranged attack. The mages weaved their own defensive spells, increasing the movement of the soldiers while strengthening the small blind spots of the formation change. With the involvement of the mages, the formation had become near impenetrable. Foreseeably, the only way the enemy could break this shifting formation would be if they had superior firepower to break it apart, or they had a means to exhaust the new magical soldiers of their magical power.


    Deep in the woods outside the Army Training Grounds.


    In anticipation of the newly arriving guests for his Private Sanctum, Willem decided to hunt large game to provide an ample amount of meat to Kinsey and Anna.


    As he moved through the forest, he would come across some beasts, but they were not worthy of his attention. Some were even smart enough to retract their threatening gaze and scamper away when they felt how powerful he was.


    After doing some travelling deep into the forest, he came across a silver back Caribou pack. This offshoot of the typical Caribou gained magical perception from feeding off magically infused lichen within the forest during their winter migration, changing their manes to reflect their new abilities. Though the strength of a silver back Caribou does not change much from it''s predecessor, the enhanced magical perception alerts it to enemy movement far beyond the capabilities of others of the same species.


    From Willem''s point of view, the silver back Caribou was worthy of at least a tenth of his strength.


    Before deciding what he wanted to do, a silver back Caribou fledgling had wandered away from the pack and into the direction of Willem. Alerted to Willem''s presence, the Caribou infant called out to warn it''s pack of impending danger.


    The large elders of the pack called out loudly and the pack scattered in many different directions. Willem decided to go for the large elders, as they would have the most meat to contribute to his cause.


    "Thank you for giving your life to sustain my kind." Willem said a quick prayer to the elder Caribou he had cornered as he blocked off it''s only means of escape. With nowhere to turn, the Caribou readied itself to charge at Willem in hopes of overrunning him. Willem baited the charge and pulled a large blue sword out of his spatial spell. The sword glowed magically as it sliced deeply into the throat of the Caribou trying to charge through Willem. The Caribou made it a few extra feet before it''s legs gave way from the excessive loss of blood. Willem stood beside it and, sensing the Caribou in pain, quickly ended the creatures suffering.


    As the light faded from the Caribou''s eyes, Willem placed the body into his spatial spell and readied himself to hunt another.


    Before he could go, however, the young Caribou that initially warned the others to his presence had appeared behind him and charged Willem with the intention to headbutt him. Willem received the gentle headbutt with no perceivable damage to himself, and the young Caribou called out as it laid down beside the blood stains of the elder Caribou while sniffing around. Willem watched it with a measure of sincerity and confusion. In the moments before it charged, he did not even notice it sneak up on him.


    How curious...


    With the information Willem had about Caribou habits from the book of -Migration and Habits of Large Game-, he knew that this was most likely the mother of the child. If the mother is dead, the Caribou will not be ''adopted'' by another, and will eventually die.


    Give and take, that is the way of this land.


    Willem covered his hands in the blood of the mother and approached the Caribou. Though the Caribou was young, it was not naive, and scraped at the ground with it''s hooves, wanting to be left in peace. Willem grabbed some nearby moss and again approached the Caribou to feed it. The familiar scent of it''s mother made the Caribou reluctantly grab the moss and chew.


    After Willem thought it was calm enough, he teleported with it back to the Private Sanctum, and made a room filled with the flora of the forest it had just inhabited. The Caribou was surprised with the amount of food that surrounded it, but was also very wary of this new forest it was in.


    Willem left it alone and returned to his hunting grounds.

 67 - Unlikely Meeting

    As Willem returned to the forest outside the Army Training Grounds, a peculiar scent wafted over his magical perception. From a distance of two hundred yards was the smell of a creature that Willem had yet to encounter in his life. This unique creature stood on two legs, thick like tree trunks, but the knuckles of it''s hands dragged across the ground gently.


    "Some sort of large Ape creature? How did I not see it in the compendium for magical beasts within the forest? Perhaps no one has gotten close enough to identify it yet..." Willem could feel the strength of the beast from even this distance away and was confident that perhaps not even a level seven or eight magical beast could defeat it.


    This creature was worlds apart in strength compared to the Hellboars or the Astral Spider. More peculiarly to Willem however was that the Ape was within the shallow part of the forest where level four magical beasts could be found. This led Willem to think of three possible reasons for this: one was that it came out here to feed, two was that it was chased out of it''s territory and three was that it possibly sensed Willem''s strength and came to see for itself.


    Whatever it''s reason for being here, if it continued on it''s path it would be heading to the Army Training Grounds. While the Army now has strong magical armor and weapons to deal with advanced threats, it still might not be considered enough to fight against this particular beast.


    As the Ape wandered around aimlessly, it seemed to sense Willem''s presence and rushed over to find him as quickly as possible. As it''s powerful hind legs thundered and crashed against the soft earth, it''s arms beat wildly against it''s chest.


    When it came into view, Willem finally saw what his magical perception had previously vaguely shown him. The Ape squatted at a height of eight meters from the ground, with coarse brown hair across it''s body and a small stripe of yellow from it''s nose to the back of it''s head.


    As the Ape drew closer to Willem, it''s speed slowed from a full blown charge to an awkward stagger as Willem stared it down, ready to confront it.


    The Ape, as it closed the distance, began to walk on all fours and trudge along the soft ground with it''s eye line matching Willem''s. When it was within twenty feet of Willem, something miraculous happened.


    "Strong... Human?" The Ape spoke!


    "You are sentient? How is such a thing possible!" Willem retorted in shock.


    In all his information of magical beasts from the Great Library, he had not once heard of a sentient magical beast. Fundamentally, the difference between a magical beast and a magical being is the presence of conscious thought. The magical beasts possessed no noticeable intelligence and seemed to rely purely on instinct when dealing with anything.


    "I alone... Always fight, always kill." The Ape pressed it''s thick arms against it''s chest as if to mimic defending itself.


    "Why are you so far from your territory? You come from deep in the forest, do you not? Willem could not believe he was having a conversation with a magical beast.


    "Evil Dragon... Burn my home, killed my babies." The Ape mimed a tear flowing down it''s face.


    Though Dragons used to be classified as level ten or higher magical beasts, they became part of the magical beings when the Magical Beings came into power so long ago. Some ripped ancient parchment had sparse details of a deal between Dragons and Magical Beings as the former were worshiped as the closest thing to The Fallen Gods.


    "I run many moon, every beast run away. No home, no babies. I sad." The large Ape lowered it''s head in front of Willem.


    Willem cautiously approached it, though he had already quietly casted several shields in order to deflect an attack if this was a trap. The Ape did not seek to oppress him, but still approached him. This meant that the creature understood exactly who was more powerful during this exchange of words.


    Willem considered something before he made a promise to the Ape.


    "Tell me where your home is, and I will gift you vengeance."


    If he is correct in his thinking, deeper in the forest is where the magical beings should be setting up their forward position in order to siege against The Bastion of Hope. Since he intended to kill them anyway, no harm in garnering favor with an intelligent beast in the process.


    He considered this promise the price for the information he received from the Ape.


    "Vengeance? This, means?" The Ape looked up confused.


    "I will kill the Evil Dragon for you." Willem smiled at the Ape.


    The innocent smile of Willem was a silent promise between the two of them. In that moment, above what any words could say, they had an agreement that would not be broken.


    To have the strength of a possible level nine magical beast at his side and only require doing something he already intended to do, was the best possible deal he could make.


    Of course he could make that kind of a promise easily.


    The Ape emulated Willem''s smile, though it looked incredibly stiff and awkward. It began to punch the ground in excitement, causing the nearby trees to fall over and the ground to shake heavily. Swarms of birds began flying away from the scene.


    Willem stood at the center of the quake and laughed gently. In terms of intelligence, the Ape would only be around four or five years old. Though it had incredible strength, it was not bright or overly perceptive.


    Potentially it could be another trump card in the upcoming war.


    "Come with me, I will show you something amazing. Do you have a name?" Willem gestured for the Ape to follow him.


    "No..." The large Ape slowly followed behind Willem.


    "Then, I shall call you... Zira? How does that sound?" Willem walked beside the Ape as she continued to look down at the ground.


    "Zira..." She pondered as she obediently walked with Willem. "I, Zira."


    "Good, then I will introduce you as such." Willem lead Zira, the large Ape, back to the Army Training Grounds.


    When Willem and Zira came into sight of the guards protecting the perimeter, many alarms were sounded to defend the gates. Willem was too far away for the guards to properly see who it was, but they could clearly see the large Ape''s figure behind a boy.


    A team of fifty soldiers in beautifully decorated armor came out with weapons drawn, ready for the battle of their lives, five minutes later. From the advanced warning, they knew they would be fighting a large Ape and did not know how strong it was. This was the first time they had even seen an Ape come out of the forest.


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    "Hold together!" Sir Kris led the march with his defensive Squad standing closely behind him. " Quarter-moon Form!"


    The Squad slowly shifted from a five by five square formation into the shape of a quarter moon. The twenty five soldiers that did not enter the same formation stood ready to charge in at any moment. They were led by Sir Rowan, dual wielding daggers with a distinct red and blue aura.


    As Willem drew closer to the gates, the archers on top of the wall loaded their crossbows and fired upon him with a volley of sharp bolts. As they reached within five feet of Willem, he used his tendrils of darkness to hold them in air. As if a large shield of black surrounded him, the bolts floated, stuck in place.


    "Archers, withdraw!" Fearing the bolts would be sent back with equal force, Sir Kris ordered a retreat from the wall. The soldiers listened and withdrew from the top of the wall in a scramble.


    Not knowing what the enemy was capable of, Sir Kris made the best call he could at the time, neither advancing his Squad nor giving any space for them to enter. The quarter moon formation perfectly protected the only entrance to the Army Training Grounds.


    "See Zira, this is interesting, right?" Willem smiled while looking at the Ape.


    "Yes?" Zira was unsure how to respond. If she was in his position, she would charge at them all and smash their heads into the ground.


    "These humans are the ones who will help me kill the Evil Dragon. Please be nice to them." Willem responded to her question.


    "..." While she said nothing, Zira placed her massive knuckles on the ground silently.


    "Let us go talk to our companions." Willem began slowly walking as the black tendrils continued to float around him. Zira matched his pace as they continued on. The closer he drew, the more he could tell the soldiers blocking the door were sweating in fear.


    Being afraid was fine, as long as they did not lose their cool and continued to act as part of the formation.


    The bolts in the black tendril shield slowly disappeared as he placed them into his Spatial spell. He dissipated the black tendril shield and continue walking forward towards the Training Grounds.


    Finally, he was within view and Sir Kris could properly identify who he was.


    "Company, attention! The Grand Mage has presented himself!" Sir Kris called out to his allies.


    Many of the soldiers let out a sigh of relief and saluted as Willem approached.


    When Willem arrived, standing behind him was a large and completely docile Ape.


    The soldiers looked at the Ape quizzically but dared not speak out. However this was still an unprecedented moment as no magical beast had ever entered the Training Grounds alive since it was created.


    "Zira, greet your new companions." Willem nodded at the Ape.


    "Greet, humans." Zira spoke out while patting her chests gently with her fists.


    The soldiers stood in shock as the Ape spoke. In complete bewilderment, a soldier accidentally spoke out.


    "Whaaaat...-" The soldier understood the error of speaking as he held his breath, hoping no one had heard him.


    The entire Squad turned to look at the soldier with his mouth agape.


    "- An amazing magical beast. Haha... Ha..." The soldier barely strung his words together before letting out a small laugh and shutting up completely.


    "I am different." Zira acknowledged as her knuckles pressed upon the soft dirt.


    "You are special. Zira has given us intelligence on the position of our enemies. Get ready to move tomorrow at dawn, while I go report this." Willem had to move the timetable for the assault up again once her learned of how close the magical beings actually were.


    Previously they had been proceeding based off the intelligence that the magical beings were almost at the edge of the other end of the forest, as they had received this intelligence from the torture of some magical beings. However it seemed to be inaccurate and based on old information.


    "Also spread the word, Zira is a part of my personal Squad and will be respected as such." Willem spoke to Sir Kris and Sir Rowan while the Squad watched on anxiously.


    "By your command!" The Knights that were present saluted and sent scouts to inform the compound.


    Willem removed the bolts from his Spatial spell and returned them to the archers. Though they felt stupid, no one spoke or apologized. Willem would not expect them to either, for defending their home from a previously unknown threat.


    After returning the bolts, Willem traveled to the Private Quarters of Sir Gehrig alone, and was met halfway by an attendant whom was also heading in that direction.


    Zira chose to stay with Sir Kris and Sir Rowan, whom had given her various foods to eat while they conversed with her. While she felt a little overwhelmed by the amount of humans briefly, she still felt it was very interesting.


    When Willem arrived, the attendant entered first to announce Willem''s presence to Sir Gehrig.


    Sir Gehrig ran outside and greeted Willem.


    "My apologies, Grand Mage, for not greeting you sooner." Sir Gehrig saluted.


    "I have new important information, let us speak inside." Willem gestured for Sir Gehrig to enter the Private Quarters, where Willem filled him in on the information.


    "So... Not only must we fight with the magical beings, but have confirmed they have at least one of the Dragon Race, whom is stronger than a level nine magical beast. Will we really be okay like this?" Sir Gehrig was hesitant in asking but felt it necessary.


    "I will deal with the strong enemies, I only need the Squad to deal with the large amount of magical beings. Even if all they can do is stall for me while I fight the stronger ones, that will be enough. It is important we maintain an upper hand in certain fights if we want to win this war." Willem answered.


    Sir Gehrig nodded along while he wrote down the information Willem provided. When he was done, he sealed the missive and placed it into his pocket. At the same time, he removed the list of family names that he was told to gather earlier.


    "This is the information you asked for." Sir Gehrig passed the information to Willem.


    "Well done, I will take my leave now, but I will return at dawn tomorrow for the assault. Make sure the Squad is ready by then, alright?" Willem nodded as he accepted the information.


    "By your will, Grand Mage." Sir Gehrig stood up and saluted.

 68 - Safety In Numbers

    Now that Willem had his list of families, he traveled back to the inner city of the Bastion of Hope to relocate them using the teleportation array setup in his old homestead. His first visit was to the Smith family home who''s children were the fifth and sixth position in the top ten ranked Mages within the Magic Academy that decided to join Willem.


    At first, the Smith family was skeptical of Willem''s identity, until he removed from his spatial spell the Seal of the King. Just being able to produce a spatial spell was proof of his identity as a member of the Magic Academy, and the Seal was icing on top of the cake. After being invited in for tea, Willem explained the situation and successfully convinced the family of one hundred, including maids and other servants, to relocate to his Private Sanctum.


    When he was done with the Smiths, he went to the other forty four homes and explained the situation to them as well. The Lovejoys, the Wardens, the Wights, all families understood quickly that this would guarantee their safety more so than just remaining in the Bastion of Hope. With Willem''s insistence, the families stores of provisions were brought with them. Willem was much more assured as the quantity of their food stocks far exceeded his own.


    Whether they were the higher ups or lower nobles within the Bastion of Hope, all the families were equal in the Private Sanctum of Willem. They were all told of their children''s potential fates, and that their children had already decided to do their duties.


    As the families joined, the Private Sanctum was expanded to multiple tiers, with an expansive staircase leading up and down to other levels. The bottom level was where the torture chamber, horticulture room, small forest for the Caribou and food storage was.


    The middle level was for the various families, guests and their recreational facilities while remaining in the Private Sanctum. Lastly was the top level, which was the original Private Sanctum before the expansion. The kitchen, study room and bedroom of Willem was here. The kitchen was expanded vastly in order to facilitate the thousands of new guests.


    Even the higher up nobles remarked at the quality of the Private Sanctum. Not only was it filled with amazing tapestries, artworks and rare materials, but no matter where you roamed you would always be energized. This was because Willem''s magical power flowed through the Private Sanctum much more densely than before thanks to the expansion. Those who could channel magical energy found that their meditation was much more successful, and those that had no control of such energies still felt relaxed and bolstered.


    When Willem was done with transporting all the people associated with his fifty magical soldiers, he held a grand audience within his kitchen while food was served. The room had exuberant conversations between different houses, curious about the events leading up to this move. While some of the higher nobles snubbed the lesser nobles in the beginning, eventually they too got involved with the conversation to sate their curiosity.


    Willem sat at the head of the middle table, with the family heads around him. The layout allowed for Willem to look over the various families with nothing obstructing his view. When he was ready to speak, the room quieted quickly.


    "Hello and thank you to all the guests who have chosen to join me in my Private Sanctum. I am Willem Reinhardt, formerly Willem Saye. I am sure at some point the Saye family name had meant something to some of you, but that can be discussed at a later time. First, a toast, and after that we can speak at length about what will happen in the future."


    Willem used his magical energy to separate the high quality wine from its jugs and into the glasses in front of his guests. Those too young to drink wine were given freshly squeezed orange juice or milk. The guests clapped quickly before raising their glasses with Willem.


    "To the future of the Bastion of Hope." Willem drank from the beautiful jewel encrusted goblet and sat back down on his seat at the head of the table. The other families all drank in unison with Willem and took their seats. Willem circulated his magical power and teleported the prepared plates of food in front of everyone sitting at the table, himself included. The meal consisted of tender boar meat, grilled fish, and buttered potatoes with peas and carrots on the side.


    As the meal began, the heads of the various families began to converse with Willem, asking about how their children were doing and the state of the upcoming war. When Willem began to speak again, the happy sounds of munching and slurping quieted.


    "We have just received information recently about how the magical beings are already at our doorstep. My Squad will be the first to exchange blows with the enemy, and from that we will know the nature of this war. Each of your children are among the strongest fifty students in the Magic Academy, which is why they were chosen for this mission." Willem let out a rather long winded speech before continuing to eat.


    The family heads pondered for a moment, elated hearing about their children but also worried, and continued to eat. Even though they had always considered themselves well informed, they certainly had no idea that the enemy was so close already.


    As they ate, tears slipped from their faces due to the quality of the food. The spices used had blended incredibly well with the different flavors and textures of food, creating a strong balance of tastes. So much so that they could not help but cry from the amazing taste. Kinsey stood beside Willem, watching approvingly as the family heads ate like gluttons.


    "How long do you think we will be at war?" The family head of the Wardens spoke up as he wiped the small tears from his face with the sleeve of his robe.


    "I wish I could give you a time frame, but honestly it depends on the enemy. If this was the only force they send, it could be done in a single day. More likely though, is that this war may continue for a few years with small skirmishes determining who will win." Willem said matter-of-factly.


    The Warden family head nodded satisfactorily and continued to eat.


    "Do we know how many forces they have?" The family head of the Wights was next to speak.


    "We do not know how many forces they have, but they are least strong enough to force a level nine beast from it''s home." Willem responded.


    A hushed silence fell over the families as they heard that. Many of the families understood the balance of power within the forest close to the Bastion of Hope. A level ten beast was the old classification for lesser Dragons whom could wipe out towns with a single cone of blazing fire.


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    "With that kind of power do we have any chance of beating them?" The Lovejoy family head cried out in frustration.


    "I will be dealing with the strongest among the enemies, your children will be repelling the main forces to ensure they do not march on the Bastion of Hope." Willem explained.


    The Lovejoy family head looked down in embarrassment, but Willem paid no mind to it. How could he judge a person that fears for their children.


    "Does the One True King know about all this? Why has he not acted?" The family head of the Smiths spoke.


    "The Queen has recently endured a traumatic event, and the King is taking care of her as only he can. I have taken control of the Army to train and ready themselves for the war ahead." Willem responded.


    The gathered families silently stared at Willem as he answered the question. He openly admitted that it was he himself that controlled the Army and would be leading the attack against the magical beings. Would that not mean he had usurped the King''s command of the Army for himself? No one dared speak out against him though, for fear of punishment from their kin. If they got removed from the safety of a Private Sanctum because one person could not keep their mouth shut, it might mean the end of that family.


    When the families had finished eating their food, all but the heads of the families excused themselves and returned to their respective rooms in the Private Sanctum.


    "It would appear as though we all owe you a great debt, Willem Reinhardt."


    "Of that, everyone is in agreeance. My boy was always wasting his talents, and now he is a part of something greater than himself."


    "When I sent my daughter off to the Magic Academy, I assumed I would never hear from her again. Knowing she is protecting the Bastion of Hope gives me great pride."


    "I worried about sending off my only heir, but now that I know he is doing well, I do not regret my decision."


    "My son always had his nose in a book, but I guess he had enough talent to succeed. It''s been about six years since I saw him."


    "Will we ever get to see our children again? Maybe when the war is over?"


    The head of the families could not help but hold their heads high as they spoke about their children. Willem recognized some of them merely by the contours of their face. It was clear some of the children looked incredibly similar to their fathers or mothers.


    "When the war is over, I will discuss with the King about the method the Magic Academy uses to isolate children from their homes. Perhaps returning for one month every year or two would be sufficient." Willem stated as he watched the smiles of the family heads grow wide.


    "Now, there is something important that you must tell your families. The upper level is only for the kitchen, as my study room and bedroom are off limits for the protection of you all. I have setup defensive spells in order to ensure the experiments I have inside will not escape and cause unnecessary death."


    It was a bold and outright lie, but the family heads nodded with stern expressions and a serious demeanor. This made Willem feel at ease about his possessions not being tampered with.


    "On the bottom level there is a door marked with a red circle, this indicates that it is the torture room. We are currently torturing magical beings that have been spying on us for a while. Please do your best to not enter that room." Willem continued to speak. "Finally if there is anything you need, including instruments for leisurely activities or a larger bath, whatever it is just speak with one of my attendants and either they or I will get it for you." Willem finished speaking.


    Willem found that recently he was capable of long winded speeches without faltering compared to his usual awkward silence. Kinsey had taught him the merit of such activities, and now his efforts bore fruit.


    "Of course, we will engrave these words into our families and they will understand the importance of such things." The general consensus of the families was this statement.


    Willem gave them permission to leave and when the last family leader left the kitchen, he briskly walked down the stairs to the bottom level and into the room where the small forest had been made.


    Inside the small man made forest, the young silver back Caribou had plenty to eat and drink, but there was also strange noises that forced it to roam around. Willem had set up a magical device that emitted an audio signature which would trigger the Caribou''s magical perception, forcing it to roam somewhere else. This kept it lean and in shape despite all the food surrounding it.


    Willem walked through the forest, reshaping it based on the thoughts in his mind. As the room warped and the terrain changed, Willem prepared himself for his next meeting with the Caribou. Willem created a hollow beneath a large rock formation, and made it the only domain large enough to hide in to escape natural weather.


    When everything was ready, Willem began chanting a water spell to create rain. As the winds whipped and the leaves of the tree danced, the sky turned grey and rain began to gently fall. Quickly seeking shelter from the rain, the Caribou ran to the enclave Willem was in.


    Willem masked his scent and disappeared from even the Caribou''s magical perception. He only left a faint trace of himself for the Caribou to get accustomed to be near. Since the forest was filled with dense magical energy from himself, he did not need to fear the Caribou attempting to harm him again.


    As the time passed, Willem slowly eased out of his magical darkness when he noticed that the Caribou had already fallen asleep. Watching the Caribou resting peacefully gave Willem some peace of mind.


    Willem meditated inside himself, swimming in a lake of darkness. The sands of the beach within his mind were gone, as was the tomb that housed the demoness for a time. The ferryman was no where to be found. His soul that had previously been cracked by the presence of the demoness had finally healed, and Willem had finally returned to his strengthened state.


    When his meditation finished, the Caribou was already gone and the rain spell had ended.


    Willem stood up and left the room before teleporting to the Army Training Grounds. It was already dawn, and the Squad of one hundred soldiers were dressed and ready for the surprise attack. Sir Kris and Sir Rowan were at the front of their respective groups, speaking commands when Willem arrived.


    "Grand Mage Willem, your Squad is ready to go Sir!" The Knights shouted in unison.


    "Very well, let us begin." Willem answered.

 69 - Advanced Scouting Party

    A teleportation circle was placed in the middle of the Army Training Grounds, where Willem focused his energy to distort the physical world. This was not his usual method of teleportation, as normally he would choose to travel through the darkness and consequently the Void, to get to his destination. Since there would be fifty people teleported with him and Zira, spatial distortion was a much safer route that traded temporary blindness and deafness for the possible threat of creatures of the Void.


    Willem drank a small potion to negate the effects of the blindness and deafness before teleporting the fifty soldiers to the landing point just outside the deep part of the forest where the Magical Beings were rumored to be staying.


    "Zira, which way is your home?" Willem questioned.


    Zira could not provide an immediate answer, as she was waiting on the blindness and deafness to subside. Her condition eased up much faster than the soldiers however, as she had magically infused blood repairing her vision and hearing. Once her vision and hearing returned, she gathered dirt from beneath her feet before pointing in the south-eastern direction.


    "Are you ready to get your revenge?" Willem nodded his head in acknowledgement of receiving the direction.


    Zira did not speak, but breathed heavily and nodded her head.


    When the soldiers got their sight and hearing back, they finally understood where they were. They had never seen some of the trees and bushes that inhabited this part of the forest. However it was all taken in stride, since they had never even thought of fighting beside a sentient Magical Beast before either. They just counted their blessings in being able to be the first to experience all these new things.


    Willem coated the soldiers sollerets with the medium level wind magic ''wind walk'' chantlessly so that they did not need to touch the ground in order to move forward. This was the only method Willem thought up for dealing with possibly being heard early from the overly sensitive ears of elves.


    Willem motioned for the soldiers to move in their practiced formation while he acted independently, his figure disappearing into a low gathering fog that seemed to center around him.


    By the time Zira and the soldiers found the camp they were meant to ambush, the fog had reached it''s peak density and no one could see more than a few feet in front of them. Relying on the positioning of the soldier in front of them, they cautiously readied themselves in order to ambush the enemy when the signal was given.


    Willem did not tell them what the signal was, only that they would know it when it happened. This left many anxious, unsure if they were actually prepared for this attack. This anxiety combined with their fear of death, leading to a moment of hesitation in their hearts.


    After what seemed like an exorbitant amount of time had passed, the fog suddenly began to roil in the center of the camp and continued to rise well above the treeline.


    When the fog reached a height of a hundred feet, lightning descended from the dark clouds of the night sky as if from nowhere, striking at the middle of the dense fog.


    Guttural cries rang out as the fog dissipated and the lightning was shown to have struck several Magical Beings. As more Magical Beings rushed to deliver emergency treatment on their kin, three more lightning bolts crashed down on them.


    All too late, the Magical Beings realized that the fog was unnatural and that it was not a freak accident, but a deliberate magical attack. More cries rang out as the lightning bolts arced out from the first Magical Being struck, traced along a path on the ground and struck some of the Magical Beings in their tents.


    A deep gravelly sounding voice called out from the darkness of the night.


    "KILL!"


    The soldiers understood that it was their time to attack. The offensive Squad took a five pointed star formation as they swept through the encampment. The offensive mages danced in the middle of the formation weaving enhancement spells with fluidity.


    Zira smashed through the defenses of the rallying Magical Beings who realized too late that they could not scramble an offense fast enough. Her thick fists pulverized the mediocre shields of the fighters with a terrible amount of force.


    As the Magical Beings began to be slaughtered in their tents and campfires, a ranger was able to light and nock an arrow to send as a warning flare to their comrades. As the fire-lit arrow flew to just above the treeline, the fire was snuffed out as if there was no oxygen left to fuel it.


    In despair, the ranger attempted to nock another arrow but was quickly sliced in half by a couple members of the offensive Squad.


    The Magical Beings were in full panic, not expecting at all to be ambushed in this environment. With the efforts of the offensive and defensive Squads, they were easily dispatched before retaliating. If this had been a test to them, the Squad would have considered this a resounding success.


    Many of the Magical Beings attempted to flee, but were quickly taken down by the ranged and mage part of the offensive combat Squad.


    "Not much of a challenge at all!" Mark spoke out as the battle ended.


    Willem appeared from the darkness and told the Squad that he commanded the truth.


    "This is only an advanced scouting unit sent to probe our defenses. This can only be considered a warm up. If that arrow had been seen, we would have lost our element of surprise." Willem rebuked.


    Mark looked at his feet, ashamed for thinking it would have been that easy. Willem could not help but feel a sour taste in his mouth as he patted Mark''s pauldron.


    "When we reach their main fighting force, get ready for a real fight. For now, gather anything that we can use for resources back home and put it near the campfire. You have five minutes." Willem ordered.


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    Sir Kris and Sir Rowan elaborated further on what was expected to be gathered, such as rations and weapons, to which the soldiers went and gathered what they could.


    After the five minutes had passed, a total of forty weapons including ten bows had been recovered, and seventy rations of food were piled near the campfire with the other resources.


    Willem nodded his head in approval and quickly stored them into his spatial spell. As if under the effects of a vacuum, the suction of the spatial spell pulled everything that Willem pointed to into his personal void space.


    When everything had been gathered, Willem passed around fifty small potions and ordered his soldiers to drink them. Without hesitation, all fifty soldiers drank the small potion in their hands and their eyes began to sting a little. As the potion took effect, the eyes of the soldiers sharpened to a vertical slant, much like a nocturnal hunter.


    Willem snuffed the campfire out and looked at the fifty soldiers, and to their amazement, they could see in the dark just as much as they could in the light. The only flaw to the potion was that they could not look directly at the full moon that splayed itself in the night sky, gently illuminating the surroundings.


    Willem snapped his fingers and both the offensive and defensive Squad gathered into formation.


    Zira drew on the ground with her finger a very crude map that showed her home being roughly two kilometers from their current position, continuing south-east.


    Willem re-casted his ''wind walk'' spell on himself and the soldiers, and the Squad quietly and deftly maneuvered through the forest guided by Willem.


    After thirty minutes had passed, they arrived at the outskirts of the Magical Beings encampment, just outside the range of the patrolling guards enhanced perception.


    The guards that patrolled the outer area seemed to be some type of humanoid cat with various body parts slightly different from a regular human. There seemed to be no outwardly female fighters, all those within the camp seemed to be either male or androgynous.


    Willem again slipped into the darkness of the night, using the wind walk and his natural affinity with the dark to completely mask his presence. Before the enhanced perception of the male humanoid like guard had sensed something was amiss, it''s throat had been slit as the dagger appeared in front of it and then disappeared almost immediately.


    The cat fighter fell to it''s knees while it grasped it''s throat, attempting to call out for help despite it''s vocal box being sliced open. Understanding that the camp was under attack but unable to speak out, it attempted to flee toward the light of the campfire in the middle.


    Willem, of course, could not allow such a thing to occur and quickly hamstrung his opponent by slicing the tendons in it''s large slender legs.


    The soldiers whom were watching on at Willem toying with his opponent, felt their scalps tingle. They were now completely convinced that if they ever offended Willem, they would not even know how they died if he was feeling generous.


    Willem was done playing with his prey, and quickly sliced the guard from stomach to collarbone. With the regeneration of the Magical Beings, it likely was not enough to completely kill him. According to the information he had gathered from his torture victims, ''demi-humans'' had a higher level of regeneration despite being classified as worthless like humans.


    Willem inhaled deeply as his entire figure vanished into the Void. He had sensed something stirring from within the Void for quite some time the closer he got to the camp, and it appeared to move as part of the Magical Being''s forces.


    Willem reappeared in front of his soldiers to deliver the news.


    "Sir Kris and Sir Rowan will take the lead in this fight, so minimize casualties. I will not be directing you or aiding you for a time, as they have some king of nightmarish being in the Void that may easily wipe out all of you." Willem did not blink or look away.


    He needed them to understand that they did not have his support until this threat was dealt with.


    "As you command. We will lead the humans to victory this day, of that I promise you. We are the sword and shield of Grandia." Sir Kris whispered as he lifted his sword into the air.


    The entire fifty soldiers replicated his action and lifted their swords into the air. In the dead of night, an aura of strength and resoluteness washed over the soldiers, emboldening their spirits.


    Willem could not help but smirk as he handed out fifty flasks to the soldiers. While they had accepted the flask they awaited orders.


    "Drink, and live..." Willem nodded his head in approval.


    The fifty soldiers drank from the flasks unhesitatingly and felt their muscles tense with newfound strength. Unlike when they first donned their equipment, they felt that they had complete control of the strength they just received. This was the difference between a temporary and permanent effect.


    Willem then handed Sir Kris, Sir Rowan, Mark and Eli a potion each to hold onto.


    "This one is if you cannot hold your own, and you lose this fight. It will not revive you, but it will immolate you using your own blood as fuel. The explosion will subsequently ignite the other three bottles, and nothing within ten kilometers will survive the blast." Willem warned.


    Sir Kris and Sir Rowan gulped down a mouthful of saliva before carefully pocketing the potion. Mark and Eli did the same, but they just nodded at Willem. Ever since they met Willem, they treated him as a precious brother, and secretly they knew that he would not just leave them to die.

 70 - A Gift From A Friend

    Willem slipped into the Void once more and masked his presence by shrinking the magical energies in his body. Though the denizens of the Void drifted past him without purpose, the closer he got to the nightmarish creature, the more pressure he felt gathering.


    When Willem had gotten within one hundred feet of the creature, a large eye on the top of it''s head opened, staring directly at him.


    The head of the creature was grotesquely misshaped, and it wriggled in the Void like a worm in water. Thirty sharp ended legs circled around it''s body like a protective layer against attackers.


    The monsters that were unlucky enough to drift within the path of the nightmare creature were skewered by the legs before having their life force absorbed violently.


    "Truly a nightmarish creature." Willem could not help but think to himself.


    If he got struck by one of those legs without proper defenses, who knows how quickly he would die. However, he was in the void, so how could he prepare a magical defense without the creatures gathering to attack him?


    Willem had no time to contemplate, as the large worm like creature began to approach him while staring unblinkingly.


    "What, are you?" The creature had no mouth to speak of, but still it spoke and Willem understood.


    "My name is Willem, I am a Grand Mage!" Willem replied in his mind.


    He was unable to speak verbally within the Void unless he created a magical bubble to protect himself from invasion.


    "No. Boy, what ARE you?" The creature retorted.


    The creature still continued to approach Willem, albeit slowly.


    "I do not understand the question. I am a human." Willem responded in desperation.


    "Do not lie to me BOY, YOU are no HUMAN!" The worm-like creature shocked Willem with a single sentence.


    Willem hesitated as he watched the creature. Though he could not just openly believe what the monster was saying, he felt like somehow it was not lying to him. This perplexed Willem, since every document he found spoke of how only humans can learn Magic. If he was not human then what was he?


    The creature stopped approaching Willem after getting within ten feet of each other. Under the amazing pressure of the creature, Willem found it hard to breathe.


    "I... I will ask you the s-same question. W-what.... are you?" Willem could barely stutter out a sentence, it was as if his mind was under incredible pressure.


    "Haha, you got some backbone BOY. I am the Great Wyrm that strangles the world, J?rmungandr. I have lived far longer than any of these pathetic other creatures within the Void. Your presence here intrigues me, and I have been so bored as of late. Will you come with me and entertain me?"  The Great Wyrm announced with a child-like exuberance.


    As if he had finally found a cure for his boredom, his voice was adamant but could not easily hide the excitement of finally finding someone to capture his interest.


    "Are you not with the Magical Beings? We are fighting a war so that the humans are not wiped out. I am afraid I have no time to entertain you." Willem was completely confused by the situation. "Also, if you can ''strangle'' the world why are you so small?"


    "Boy, do you really not know? This body before you is just a projection of my soul. You swim inside my body, as I am one with the Void. I only followed these Magical Beings because I thought something interesting would happen. So far all they do is eat, sleep and fuck each other. Especially those elves, they mate with each other alot." The Great Wyrm sounded depressed as he spoke.


    Willem was completely caught off guard, and could not even come up with a proper retort. Everything this Great Wyrm spoke did not seem to be a lie, and even more so it was giving away information about the Magical Beings without hesitation.


    "Hmm... I will make you a deal, J?rmungandr. If you tell me where all the Magical Beings currently are, I will come visit you when I have dealt with them. If you have waited so long for interesting company, surely you can wait a little longer." Willem felt the pressure he had received from the Great Wyrm lessen considerably now that he no longer considered him a threat.


    "Haha, you really are interesting. Alright, approach my body, I shall bestow upon you a gift." The Great Wyrm agreed after a few moments of silence.


    Hesitantly, Willem slowly swam through the Void as he approached the Great Wyrm''s soul projection.


    One of the legs of the Great Wyrm gently touched Willem''s forehead as information began to flood Willem''s brain. Willem felt like his mind was splitting in half as a flood of information began to flow through his brain.


    "Agh!... Ugh..." Willem could not help but cry out in pain.


    After the pain subsided, Willem stared blankly at the Great Wyrm, as if his brain was trying to process the information he had been given.


    "What did you just give me?" Willem tried to recall what J?rmungandr had given him, but every time he tried he would get a headache, like his mind was splitting in half.


    "I gave you some of my knowledge, but to unlock it you must first form your soul. That magical energy that is inside you, when it has reached one hundred percent completion, will be your soul. As far as I can tell, you are close to reaching one hundred percent. Know that your journey has just begun, boy." J?rmungandr reminded Willem.


    "My name is Willem, not boy. What will you do now, J?rmungandr?" Willem had received all the information he had asked for from the Great Wyrm, so he was preparing to leave.


    This question was to ensure himself and his Squad would not be attacked. If the Great Wyrm was who he said he was, even Willem would not be a challenge for him.


    "I will continue to watch over you, to make sure you return. I will advise you to not make me wait too long, hahaha... Oh I can hardly wait!" J?rmungandr laughed to himself nonchalantly.


    What a weird beast, Willem could not help but think. Though try as he might, he could not hide his thoughts from the Great Wyrm.


    "Maybe I should teach you how to hide your thoughts. Hahaha..." The Great Wyrm reprimanded Willem as he saw him preparing to go.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    As Willem jumped through the Void back into the physical world, the projection of J?rmungandr''s soul disappeared as well.


    During the conversation of Willem and J?rmungandr.


    Sir Kris and Sir Rowan lead their soldiers into glorious battle. Before the guards had enough time to blow the horn to warn their allies, the offensive Squad had already begun cutting through the tents of the various Magical Beings.


    The defensive Squad took up their practiced quarter moon formation, slowly entrapping ten soldiers before systematically cutting them down with magic imbued weaponry. As the weapons cut into the flesh of the Magical Beings, a small black fire remained behind, corroding their skin and subsequently burning them alive.


    The Magical Beings in the camp were a much larger company than the advanced scouting party, and was able to effectively respond to the attacks. The Magical Beings that were originally sleeping, when they heard the distress of the blowing horns, quickly donned their armor and weapons.


    Small skirmishes began to break out all over the camp, as the offensive took a thirteen by twelve double line, sweeping across any enemies that stood against them.


    "Cyclops!" A soldier yelled out as the offensive line retreated to a secure position with their defensive teammates.


    Ten cyclops were sprinting from the other resting spot toward the chaos of battle, thirsty for good food and a better fight.


    The cyclops had a single large eye in the middle of their heads, and they stood at least fifteen feet in height. The tip of their genitalia swung from the bottom of their loincloth as they smashed friend and foe alike, sweeping across the battle with lust and fervor.


    A few members of the defensive Squad were incorrectly positioned and took a severe smash from one of the cyclop''s attack.


    Despite clearly dented armor and broken arms, the soldiers stood up as if they felt no pain at all, swinging back at the cyclops in a frenzy. As they aimed for the knees, they were able to get the cyclops to fall over, where they viciously stabbed at it''s weak spot, it''s eye.


    As the swords and spears were lodged in the eye of the downed cyclops, killing it, another cyclops nearby went into a frenzy and began smashing it''s companions. Anything that the cyclops could get it''s hands on, it would mercilessly smash against the ground before biting off the head and consuming it. As if consumed by their bloodlust, the cyclops attempted to tear through the quarter moon formation of the defensive Squad.


    The defensive formation held strong as it weaved in and out with the offensive formation. The defensive formation protected the Squad from an assault of arrows from above as well as the brutal assault of the nine still living cyclopes.


    The offensive formation danced through their allies just as they had practiced against the training dummies, only taking guaranteed opportunities to strike out without being hurt. The few defensive Squad members that had been struck stayed behind the defensive line, away from the battle in order to be healed by a water mage.


    From the dented armor that had clearly broken a few ribs, to the broken arms that still tightly gripped their weapons, the water mage could not comprehend how the soldiers could withstand so much pain.


    "We feel nothing!" The soldiers exclaimed with glee, despite their terribly disfigured bodies.


    Holding back from vomiting, the water mage did his best to heal the wounds of his comrades while keeping up with the defensive formations active spell conjuring.


    As the offensive and defensive Squad continued to fight against the Magical Beings, it was obvious that soon they would be completely surrounded. Even if they were able to escape from their enemies, they had no idea which way they had to run to in order to reach the Bastion of Hope.


    The Magical Beings surrounded the forty seven soldiers, forcing them to change from a quarter moon formation to the full moon formation they had practiced specifically for this circumstance.


    The three injured members stayed in the center as the defensive and offensive Squad got as tightly knit as possible.


    Having practiced this formation along with the quarter moon, they were able to duck, weave, and parry with uncanny accuracy while slowly cutting down their foes.


    Despite the overwhelming size of the cyclopes, their brute strength could not break the several magical defensive shields that protected the Squad. Even the keen sight and precision of the elves arrows could not break through the defense of the Squad.


    "Move." A single command was issued from the depths of the darkness beyond the campfire.


    An oppressive aura appeared as a large figure approached the campfire in the middle of the camp. As the campfire illuminated his face, a humanoid looking man stepped forward. As he continued to walk, he stepped through the campfire but remained unburnt. The clothes on his body seemed to be made of flame retardant materials as they did not burn away.


    As he stepped over the campfire, his full figure was finally illuminated. The man''s face was delicately handsome, with no sign of freckles or blemishes. The few things that distinguished him apart from a human was that he had two large red horns that sat atop his forehead and he was clearly a few feet taller than the average human.


    Other than the horns on the man''s head, his limbs were elongated and instead of hands, he had incredibly sharp claws. Along his arms ran deep crimson scales from his wrist to his shoulders. He wore the scales like a badge of honor, choosing not to cover them in anything but the light of the moon.


    The Magical Beings immediately stopped their assault on the Squad, before stepping back and maintaining a circular area that the Squad could not escape from. Even the battle crazed cyclopes stopped attacking and backed away obediently.


    A sense of dread washed over the Squad as the figure before them steadily approached.

 71 - Crimson Scales Of The Red Reef

    "You have done well to have injured this many of us... We were under the impression that your weapons and armor were of much lower quality. When we sack your city, we will torture the Magical Beings that failed to communicate how strong you were. This should give you sufficient pride when you reach the Great Beyond." The man''s voice was deep but arrogant.


    "Who, pray tell, are you? Could you perhaps be commanding this army of Magical Beings?" Sir Kris spoke up as he maintained his defensive positioning.


    Sir Rowan carefully eyed the man in front of him, though he did not speak out of turn. He attempted to discern the strength of the enemy, but he could not see through the shroud of mystery that surrounded the red man.


    "You are correct! I am the son of the Baron of the Red Reef. The wreathe of undying flames, Raj Vatra. You have the honor of basking in my flames, since my Army is too weak to deal with you." The red man slowly unbuttoned his shirt, removing his clothes to be stark naked in front of his enemies.


    The Magical Beings watched in wonder as the red man''s body began to explode in size. In mere moments, the man whom had only been ten feet tall had already surpassed the cyclops in height. With the change in size, it''s body took a more mottled and scaled appearance.


    The lizard-like demi-humans among the Magical Beings laid down their arms and began to kneel and worship the Red Dragon as it continued to transform to it''s original form.


    Sir Kris and Sir Rowan both removed the potions that Willem had given them, ready to drink if they lost the fight.


    As the Red Dragon returned to his original form, his oppressive aura doubled compared to his human form. It became incredibly hard for the Squad to even breathe, let alone cast the spells needed to maintain the defensive formation.


    "Please do put up a little resistance, or else my transformation would be for nothing." The dragon bared his fangs at the small Squad that it now towered over.


    Just in height, the Dragon was well over thirty feet and had not even reached full maturity yet. Compared to Elder Dragons that spanned hundreds of feet, he was still a fledgling. However this fledgling Dragon could still lead his own small Army to deal with the humans and retake the Bastion of Hope.


    The massive, crimson scaled Dragon lifted his head as he stood on his hind legs, prepared to deal the final blow to the small humans before him.


    The methane that the Dragon stored within his body flowed through a small fleshy pipe leading to his mouth, where he ignited the gas and began to spew burning flames at the humans.


    Under the threat of death, both the offensive teams mages combined forces with the defensive teams mages and managed to set up a last ditch weave of defensive spells to deflect the formidable flame.


    As the flame hit the magical defense, the shields immediately began to melt from the sheer force of the flame. Those closest to the flame felt their faces slightly melt, though they felt no pain despite losing vision from having the flesh of their foreheads melt over their eyes.


    The cyclopes, demi-humans and other Magical Beings watched in awe as the enemies they had such a hard time fighting were being destroyed with a single breathe from their leader.


    The magical spell that defended the Squad slowly melted and broke away as the heat of the flame burned through everything it touched.


    Sir Kris, Sir Rowan, Mark and Eli all nodded as they prepared to ingest the potion that Willem had given them.


    However, as soon as the potion bottle touched their lips, they found that they could not move. Even more confusingly, the flames from the Red Dragon were being suppressed despite the defensive shields previously not holding up.


    "What is this!" As the Red Dragon stopped spewing fire, he voiced his displeasure of the interference from the third party.


    "I cannot have my Squad dying on our first real mission now can I." Willem retorted in response to the Red Dragon.


    Though it was the first time he had ever seen a Dragon, Willem was strangely calm. He could only surmise that it had something to do with that nonsensical Great Wyrm that imparted knowledge to him. Weirdly enough to Willem, just being in the Great Wyrm''s presence had been a rather insightful experience, allowing him to gain some small insight into the nature of Magic in the world. This insight strengthened the defensive magic he had just cast just a little bit, just to the point that even the Red Dragon''s breathe could not completely melt it.


    Willem saw the state of his soldiers as he looked at the scene of the battle. The scene was definitely strange to Willem, who saw his Squad in a full moon formation, in front of a Dragon, while the enemies stood and watched, and some others actually prayed to the Dragon.


    The soldiers that had their faces almost completely melted off took no movements, but did not seem to be in any pain. The three soldiers that had been smashed by the cyclops had been restored in that they were no longer in life-threatening danger but their bodies were still mangled.


    Finally, Sir Kris, Sir Rowan, Mark and Eli stared at Willem, though they could not move their bodies or their heads at all.


    Willem released the black tendrils around his allies, and they quickly put away the potions that they so desperately tried to swallow moments before since they saw that Willem had returned.


    "So you are the leader of these humans? You do seem different. Truth be told I could not even sense you until you appeared in my sight. You might be interesting enough to-"


    Before the Red Dragon could finish speaking, Willem launched himself past his Squad and struck at the Red Dragon with the full power of his revolving magical force. The punch was quick, powerful and most importantly unexpected. The velocity with which Willem traveled even caught the Red Dragon off guard, which was the reason the strike succeeded so well.


    As the Red Dragon flew backwards to negate some of the damage, he mowed down fifty trees while attempting to gain leverage.


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    Before the Red Dragon could gain back his balance, Willem sent an axe kick onto the head of the Dragon, breaking his left red horn and sending his head deep into the dirt. Five feet of soft earth gave way as Willem ruthlessly followed through the axe kick with another punch to crush the mouth of the Dragon.


    A large fist sized indent appeared on the crushed snout of the Red Dragon, whom had finally gained his balance thanks to being punched into the ground. Unfortunately for the Red Dragon, his fighting experience was rather low since he was of some nobility and felt himself too important to fight with the lesser creatures of his homeland. The flurry of blows from Willem kept him well off his normal balance, which led to further frustration and the feeling of not being able to do anything. Shards of Dragon scales flew off in every direction while he continued to be beaten down.


    Being mercilessly thrashed, the Red Dragon attempted to spew fire everywhere, with the intention of setting the whole forest aflame.


    No gas came out of his mouth as he found that the pipe that allowed him to transport the natural methane in his body had been crushed when he was struck on the snout. Incapable of breathing fire and being mercilessly beaten, the Red Dragon could only attempt to defend itself against the onslaught of attacks from Willem.


    From Willem''s perspective, this was no more than bullying a child. Having experienced his fair share of fights, he understood exactly how one sided this bout really was. However he knew that he did not have the luxury of leaving the Red Dragon alive, especially if it was allowed to grow to the point that it might eventually be a challenge for him one day.


    The more attacks the Red Dragon took, the more sloppy his guard became which lead to even more devastating abusive strikes. Even the  cyclopes and Magical Beings could clearly see how outmatched the opponent of the Red Dragon was comparatively.


    Willem elegantly danced in the sky as he repeatedly struck into the dense scales of the Red Dragon.


    Some of the Magical Beings, seeing this scene, began to wonder if it was too late to ask for clemency.


    After a minute straight of mercilessly beating the Red Dragon, Willem stopped punching and kicking the poor beast.


    The rejuvenation of the Red Dragon was the only reason it was not dead at this very moment, but it''s rejuvenation was barely working compared to when the fight began. Having been pushed so far to his limit, the Red Dragon slumped against the ground in submission and did not dare look at Willem.


    "Please, I beg you. I will give you whatever you desire." The Red Dragon pleaded for his life.


    "Would you have let me live if I had begged for my life?" Willem rebuked.


    The Red Dragon closed his eyes and awaited the gentle embrace of the Great Beyond.


    Willem walked over to the Red Dragon and plucked a scale from his body. The Red Dragon whom had been clearly surprised yelped out in pain.


    "You can do that after you kill me, bastard!" The Red Dragon was pissed.


    This human did not even have the decency to mercy kill him before using his body. The thought of being useful to the human left a sour taste in the Red Dragon''s mouth, as it mixed with the sweet taste of his blood.


    "Do your scale regenerate as well if they break?" Willem innocently asked.


    The complete change of attitude from Willem caused the Red Dragon to become guarded as he carefully considered his answer.


    The Red Dragon ultimately decided to tell him the truth and beg for mercy.


    "Yes, they regenerate after a twenty five year cycle of molting and regrowing until a Dragon matures. I have told you what you want to know, please let me and my Army retreat. I swear by my ancestors of the Red Reef that I will not set foot on the mainlands again." The Red Dragon used the last of his magical energy to return to his human form.


    Willem looked over the human form of the Red Dragon, with his broken horn, and smiled innocently before a servant went to the Red Dragon''s side to give him his clothes back. Willem watched and did not stop the servant, which made for a very peculiar scene for everyone watching.


    "At least you have the decency to allow me to clothe myself before I am killed. For that you have my thanks, if that means anything to you." The Red Dragon donned his clothes slowly as he savored the sweet fragrance of the burning food wafting in the air, the burning wood from the campfire and the musk of wet earth around the area due to a rainstorm earlier in the week.


    "What is your name." Willem asked innocently.


    "You have the honor of killing the son of the Baron of the Red Reef. The wreathe of undying flames, Raj Vatra." Raj gave up on leaving this forest alive as he spoke the only line he really ever needed to get what he wanted.


    As Willem approached Raj, the Red Dragon began to reminisce about all the things he had regretted in his life, including passing up sparring in lieu of chasing the females of his kind. A wave of emotions came over Raj as Willem placed his hand on Raj''s shoulder.


    Raj looked Willem in the eyes as Willem plunged his hand through the Red Dragon''s chest. However Raj did not feel any immediate pain as he closed and opened his eyes in disbelief. An uneasy feeling came over him as he looked down at the gaping black hole where his chest should have been.


    "What... Ugh... WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Raj alarmingly screamed as a pain worse than the beating he received earlier blasted him from the inside outward.


    Willem began to consume what was lying dormant inside the Dragon. Though he had only ever done this to a human, he now understood what he was actually doing to them.


    He was not taking away their magical force, he was absorbing their potential.


    What could possibly have more potential than a yet to mature Red Dragon.

 72 - Nine Kings

    Willem was engulfed in a warm whirlpool of magical energy while absorbing the Red dragon''s potential. The more he tried to absorb, the more Willem felt like he was just a small drop in a vast ocean that sought to devour him completely.


    Outside, Willem''s hand was completely inside the black hole of Raj''s chest. Inside, however, Willem was having a very difficult time absorbing the massive quantity of energies flowing into his body. Small cracks began to appear on Willem''s skin, revealing black steam pouring out from the wounds.


    The cracks on Willem''s skin were happening both inside and out in the real world. For a few brief moments, it almost appeared as if the Red Dragon had an advantage over Willem.


    Zira pounded the ground in grief and anger as she watched a sneer appear on the Red Dragon''s face.


    Though the pain Raj felt was like being torn from the inside out, he saw that Willem was suffering just as much as he was while attempting to absorb his life energy. Coming from a long lineage with vast knowledge, Raj knew that if Willem was unable to completely absorb the life energy, it would resurge and kill Willem.


    Since Willem was just a human with a few tricks, how could he possibly consume a Red Dragon''s vitality?


    The cracks on Willem''s skin began to worsen, and his usually immaculate face looked broken and fake, like a destroyed mask hiding dense black mist underneath.


    The mist thickened and churned as it poured out of Willem''s body, rapid healing him as much as it could.


    This mist was a combination of both the Aura of Darkness and Darkness Healing. The mist came from the Aura of Darkness, stealing the shadows from the other creatures and increasing the potency of his Magic, and the Darkness Healing was repairing his body at an incredible rate.


    Despite the magical energies flooding Willem''s body and drowning him, the rate at which he was healing made up for the danger he faced.


    The Squad that Willem commanded and the enemies they faced did not dare to move, and barely even breathed, for fear of inadvertently turning the tide in their enemies favor.


    Even the trolls understood that if they moved, their life might be forfeit.


    Soon, the balance of power shifted from the Red Dragon back to Willem as it became clear that he did not have the same limitations as the human race. The seemingly unending magical energies that should have overwhelmed his body only made him stronger as the condensed magical energy in his body would break and reform constantly.


    The pain of the magical energies breaking and reforming was like a limb being torn off multiple times only to miraculously heal and be ripped off again.


    Despite the pain, Willem understood more than anyone that he was reaching previously unseen heights as he absorbed the magical potential of the Red Dragon.


    The vortex of life energy was coming to a close, and it was at this time that Willem had to face his toughest challenge yet.


    "In the name of the Nine Kings, I demand to know who dares to harm my spawn!" A deep, malicious voice spewed out from the the darkest depths of the Red Dragon''s soul.


    "Who are you to demand something from me?" Willem retorted, with neither a pretentious nor oppressive voice. Despite the great anger he heard from the malicious voice he remained steadfast and unperturbed.


    "I am the King of the Red Dragon''s, Baron of the Red Reef and the wreathe of undying flames, Sharl Vatra the Third." The malicious voice now gained a measure of composure when speaking his titles.


    "Well Sharl Vatra the Third, you should have at least taught your spawn how to fight. I am the man that broke his army of magical beings and devoured his life energy. You can call me the Dragonslayer." Willem provoked the voice in the dark.


    "Presumptuous! I will devour you whole for what you have done to my spawn!" The voice returned to being malicious, angered by the lack of manners of his spawns assailant.


    "You need not worry about finding me. I will be coming to you. The Red Reef will be where I enslave your people and establish a brothel in your honor." Willem could tell that the personality behind the voice was prone to anger.


    "You will not get the chance! My spawn, detonate yourself for your clan''s honor!" The malicious voice gave it''s order before an eerie silence befell the black world Willem was in.


    Quickly, Willem removed his hand from the black hole where Raj''s chest was. A deep fiery light filled Raj''s eyes as all his regrets and misgivings shed from his mind.


    "IGNITE!" Raj shouted as his body began to overflow like lava from the inside out, erupting into a pool of flames.


    The methane that Raj produced in his Dragon body spewed out of his pores as it met with the intense heat, igniting the atmosphere.


    A wave of heat and flame brushed over the tops of the trees within the forest. Only Willem and his Squad was protected, as Willem had placed a shroud of Darkness over those he wished not to be harmed. Even if he had wanted to protect the other magical beings, he simply could not.


    The Elves, Trolls and other species melted down to the bone as the blast radius continued to grow.


    Even Willem was unable to halt the progression of the blast, especially due to the exhaustion of absorbing the Dragon''s life energy.


    Willem was already pushing the limit of his weakened power by splitting the front of the blast.


    When the destruction finally subsided, only Willem, Zira and the Squad of soldiers remained in tact. Everything within two hundred meters was completely destroyed, upended from the roots and charred beyond recognition.


    When Willem knew it was finally safe, he lowered the protective field of Darkness and sat on the charred ground.


    All the moisture of the earth had been evaporated, leaving dry dirt and even drier air. On the edges of the blast radius, several hundreds of trees had caught fire and threatened to continue burning down the rest of the forest.


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    "All water mages are to be escorted to the edge of the blast to quell the fire. We lose geographical advantage if we lose this forest, so go get it done." Willem commanded.


    Despite the soldiers being beaten up and tired, no one dared say anything in protest. The water mages stood from their seated positions and began to gather everything they would need to go fight the fires.


    Sir Kris and Sir Rowan split the water mages and their envoys before pointing in a direction so that the water mages did not overlap.


    In mere minutes, the water mages and their envoys were running through the forest to go fight the raging fires.


    The smell of burnt flesh and charred bones hit Willem for the first time since the fight ended. Willem was not even sure if he could eat food after the lingering stench of death and decay flooded his senses.


    Willem, while sitting on the charred ground, began to consolidate his magical energy. After the constant tearing and regenerating of his magical power, his magical soul had many cracks that needed to be healed.


    From the massive magical energy Willem took from the Red Dragon, the cracks in his soul quickly healed and his soul continued to grow. The strings that attached to his soul began to reform and expand through his inner organs, bones and muscle fiber.


    Willem knew that the magical energies he absorbed pushed him close to the completion of his magical soul. Some of the magical energy that was not used to form his soul leaked out of his body, making it''s way deep into the earth like a seed that had been planted.


    Willem knew that he would not need the excess magical energy, and allowed the extra energy to leak from his body willingly.


    The magical energy reached deep into the earth before expanding and healing the charred ground. Before long, signs of life began to sprout from the earth once more.


    A few buds broke through the charred earth, nourished by the magical energy, and began to cover the ground floor of the burned forest. Though it would take some time, the magical energy Willem willingly gave helped heal the scar that he could not stop from happening. This was his way of asking forgiveness from nature for not protecting the forest.


    The winds kicked up for a moment around Willem''s encampment as he continued to condense his magical soul. From the feeling of his body and the expansion of his mind, he felt that he was very close to the epitome of his perfect magical soul.


    Though his body was still slender and his face still young and without wrinkles, the aura Willem exuded was unlike anything a human could possibly show. Even the soldiers that he commanded could no longer look him in the eyes, even when he ordered them to.


    Unknowingly, some of his soldiers began to cry or scratch at their arms deeply in protest.


    Willem found this bizarre behavior incomprehensible, and did not test the soldiers further.


    When the fires around the blast radius had been doused, and the soldiers had returned to Willem, he stood from his sitting position and gathered everyone together.


    Some of the soldiers still had broken arms, corrosive burns and horribly disfigured bodies despite being in a fantastic mood.


    The pain suppression elixir was in full effect, and would continue to be for quite some time.


    Willem, however, wanted to heal them of their wounds for helping secure a victory in this first fight. When the soldiers had gathered together, Willem enshrouded them all in Darkness and began to heal them with his own condensed magical energy.


    The entire process only spanned a few minutes, and even the worst of the injured was completely healed.


    Sir Kris and Sir Rowan expressed their gratitude in healing their comrades, and politely asked what the Grand Mage had planned next.


    "We will return victorious, and will gather anyone who wishes to go on the offensive. This war will not be quick, and we need more resources." Willem explained his line of thinking before issuing his next command. "Gather and link hands, we are returning."


    Willem linked hands with Zira, whom linked hands with the other soldiers as Willem warped space to shift them back to the Army Training Grounds teleportation formation.


    Understanding that they would be temporarily blinded and deaf, the army waited patiently even when other soldiers not a part of the Squad began to crowd around them.


    When their eyesight and hearing returned, they quickly spread the news of their victory not just to the Army Training Grounds, but to the Bastion of Hope and it''s denizens.


    Many celebrated as if the war was over, despite it only being the first victory.


    Feasts were held in every tavern from the outer ring to the inner city and even the thieves guilds. The night was filled with joyous celebration, ruckus lovemaking and more than a few drunken brawls in the street.


    While the Bastion of Hope celebrated, Willem sat atop the tallest bell tower of the Royal Palace, quietly sipping on wine while looking over the city.


    The events of the battle, especially the Great Wyrm, weighed heavily on his mind. In the heat of the moment, he had to push his thoughts to the side in order to thoroughly beat down the Red Dragon, but now he had time to properly think about what actually happened.


    "J?rmungandr..." Willem kept repeating out loud to himself. No matter how much he repeated the name, nothing suddenly popped into his mind. When he tried to access the information that the Great Wyrm planted, he was instead beset upon by an incredible pain.


    No one came to speak to Willem, despite several maids climbing the bell tower in order to pour him wine.


    Willem just continued to watch as one by one, the lights in the city flickered before being snuffed out.

 73 - A Caged Bird

    Word quickly spread about the demise of Raj Vatra, straight from the golden palace of the Baron of the Red Reef himself. It served both as a warning and a call to arms against the potential strength of the enemy.


    The Baron of the Red Reef and one of the Nine Kings, Sharl Vatra the Third, commanded his vast Red Dragon army to march to the Northern Mountains to do battle against the human race.


    The Red Reef itself was a series of islands interconnected by old runic circles for teleportation. The only connection to the mainland from the Red Reef was old ruins that housed powerful nightmarish creatures.


    Undeterred, Sharl Vatra the Third marched his army through the old ruins, destroying everything in his path as he personally lead the charge to the Northern Mountains.


    Back in the Bastion of Hope.


    "Dragonslayer!"


    "Thank you!"


    "Kill the magical beings!"


    Many calls rang out from the late night into early morning celebrations. It had been quite a long time since the Bastion of Hope had anything to celebrate over, so their spirits soared as they drank and fought.


    The One True King had organized a parade for Willem in the morning, where Willem was to sit atop his horse followed by thousands of soldiers in festive clothing. As the parade marched through the streets, merchants and housewives all offered whatever they could to gain his favor.


    Kinsey, Anna and Arania sat in the carriage directly behind Willem, keeping an eye on the crowd to ensure there would be no issues. Any ruffians or thugs were quickly disposed of by the guards that corralled the crowds.


    An older man with the gut the size of a keg approached the carriage behind Willem, where he promptly placed a large keg of cider before bowing and leaving.


    During the parade march, a person clad in black laid themselves on the roof of a nearby building, surveying. Seeing all the gifts Willem was receiving, they knew that this was a high risk, high reward type of theft.


    Willem of course saw through the motive and the identity of the person, and chose to do nothing but see how events played out.


    Down the rooftop, along the side road, jump over some crates and launch forward. This was how the person in black attempted to steal from the most well known person alive in the Bastion of Hope.


    Four guards caught on to the sudden movement along the road and positioned themselves to intercept, pikes forward.


    The thief in black vaulted over two guards while deflecting the thrust from the other two, knocking them over. It was at this time that the other guards noticed the commotion and began to gather to protect Willem and the carriage.


    The thief parried two more strikes in the time it took for the guards to gather. When the guards were all together, a wave of ice began flowing from the thief''s hands.


    "Magic!" A guard called out as the ice began to flow and surround the legs of the guards.


    The ice crept up the legs of the guards and completely immobilized them.


    "Ahahaha!" The voice was neither male nor female as the thief jumped over the partially frozen guards and headed for the driver of the carriage.


    Kicking the driver out of the seat, the thief hauled on the reins and charged past Willem on his horse. The carriage careened onto a side street and continued to thunder through the desolate streets of the inner city.


    Willem snickered as the carriage drove past him, the guards still partially frozen and trying to break out. To help the guards along, Willem partially melted the ice without damaging the armor of the soldiers.


    When the ice broke, the guards immediately began running toward the thief with the carriage. Willem''s horse continued to trot along as the passerbys looked on in confusion. The citizens that did not see the thief get away cheered for Willem as he continued closer to the Royal Palace.


    Kinsey, Anna and Arania looked around, bewildered, as the carriage crashed through barrels and crates while rushing down the side streets.


    When the carriage finally stopped a safe distance away from the parade, the thief leapt up from the driver''s seat and drew back the linen cloth to see what they had managed to steal.


    "..." Anna was the first to strike as she chantlessly blasted the thief with a concussive force made of wind.


    The concussive force knocked the thief back thirty feet before they could balance themself out. The cloth that covered the face of the thief was partially destroyed by the blast.


    Kinsey stared thoughtfully at the partially revealed face as the three servants of Willem exited the carriage filled with goods.


    "What happens to thieves who steal from our Master?" Arania asked innocently.


    "I am not sure, has it ever happened before?" Anna looked at Kinsey.


    "No one has ever stolen from Master and lived..." Kinsey grinned at the thief.


    A cold sweat dripped from the back of the thief as they began to run for their life.


    Arania took to the roof with incredible dexterity, climbing the side of the building and matching the speed of the escaping thief.


    Anna went to the opposite side and did exactly the same thing, manipulating the earth to glide over the buildings and homes.


    Kinsey briskly stepped forward after the thief, her shoes clicking against the cobblestone.


    Despite the thief''s attempt to evade the three, it seemed impossible. A quick turn around the corner, hiding behind a crate, ducking through a building. No matter which direction the thief turned, the three were there waiting like a cat nonchalantly chasing a rat.


    The chase had gone on for at least a quarter of an hour and was now coming to an end. The three attendants of Willem trapped the thief and chased them right to the gate of the Royal Palace.


    Willem''s horse had finally reached the gate of the Royal Palace just as the thief had inadvertently been lead right back to him.


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    "Tsk..." The voice of the thief whispered a tinge of regret as they found themself at the front of the Royal Palace.


    "So, who is the thief I wonder?" Willem dismounted from his horse casually and quietly stepped toward the thief.


    The thief gathered magical power and fired a volley of ice arrows at Willem to distract him.


    The ice arrows did not even come close to five feet of Willem before melting completely, disappearing from everyone''s view.


    "Oh, is this a play?" A nobleman in flowing red robes scoffed at the thief and Willem.


    "Is that what it is, how petty..." A noblewoman heavily clad in finery jingled as her fat swayed back and forth, her multiple chins shaking just from talking.


    "Hey, that is the thief that hijacked the Dragonslayer''s carriage!" A merchant yelled from further down the street.


    "That thief wrecked our shop! Take them down!" A dismayed young merchant yelled as loud as she could for justice to be done.


    Spikes of earth protruded from the cobblestone of the street and encircled the thief, preventing escape from being possible.


    The spikes began to grow and elongate like a bird''s cage around the thief.


    The thief''s mouth moved and quietly casted another ice spell, but the spell was not strong enough to break through the earthen cage and rebounded, encasing them further.


    "Uuuu...." The thief was completely caught and defeated, and suddenly began to cry. "You bully!"


    The voice was now a pleasant and gentle female voice, making Willem feel a little bad about the way he treated her.


    As the thief removed her mask, all the noblemen and women gathered gasped.


    "Princess?!" A guard stared at the thief in disbelief.


    "Why would you steal from the Dragonslayer?" Another guard interjected.


    As the Princess was about to shamefully answer, the large gold doors to the Royal Palace opened and the One True King emerged with his now healthy Queen.


    "What is the meaning of this! Release my daughter at once!" The King commanded Willem.


    "My King, the Princess attempted to steal from the Dragonslayer during the parade march." A guard explained the situation to the King.


    After a moment, the King whom had been in quiet contemplation nodded his head and elegantly flowed down the steps with his Queen.


    "What do you have to say for this, Princess Asura?" The One True King looked down toward the cage his daughter was trapped in.


    "I only wanted Willem to notice me! No one takes me seriously, even though I took out all those guards!" The Princess rebutted.


    The surrounding guards looked at the ground full of shame.


    The One True King nodded his head and casted a spell to break the cage of earth that Willem created. Despite his attempt, however, the cage remained strong and unyielding.


    Inwardly, the King cursed at Willem as he casted an even longer and larger spell.


    The King''s power was completely on display as the spell broke the ground underneath and around the cage, but did not even seem to budge the cage in any way.


    The crowd watched restlessly at the scene before them. In the blink of an eye, the apparent strength of Willem had already completely overshadowed The One True King.


    As the spell failed to break the Princess out of her cage, the King was forced to ask Willem for assistance.


    "Dragonslayer, might I ask for leniency in this regards. I understand that there must be punishment for this indiscretion and only ask that you allow me to mete it out." The King was doing his best to show noble stature while asking Willem.


    "She will remain here while you confer my new title." Willem stared at the King while waiting for a response.


    "Of course, of course. Please come this way." The King understood that this situation would not be resolved with brute force and instead turned around to head back up the steps.


    "Father? Father please do not leave me in here! Please..." The Princess began to cry as she was completely trapped in the cage.


    Kinsey, Anna and Arania quietly walked past the cage before following directly behind Willem on the stone steps of the Royal Palace stairwell.


    Inside the minds of the four, they held a conversation as they walked through the doors of the Royal Palace.


    Willem first asked how Anna''s studies were progressing, before receiving confirmation that she had had a breakthrough in her favorite mind magic.


    Arania had been having fun torturing the magical beings for information, which Willem was already aware of.


    Finally, Kinsey had lead the restoration of the herbs in the mountain side and was asked to be a herbology teacher for the Magic Academy.


    Willem understood that each of them were trying their best in order to be useful to Willem in some way, despite having previously been enemies or victims.


    "Father, what is going on! My SISTER is stuck in a cage outside our Royal Palace!" The Prince finally made an appearance as Willem and his entourage made their way to the throne room.


    "I will explain it to you at a later time. Please forgive my son for his foolishness." The King even went so far as to bow to Willem to ask for forgiveness.


    The Princess was arrogant and a constant annoyance, but the Prince was his heir. If something happened to the King, the Prince would naturally be the one to take the throne.


    "Father, please! We are the Royal family and we do not need to bow to these people." The Prince was angered beyond belief.


    The way the King was acting was almost like he feared Willem, whom had just recently become a Grand Mage.


    "Hush boy, do you dare disrespect your Father like this. This man is a guest in our house!" The King continued to bow politely, even after Willem continued to walk past him and into the throne room.


    The three attendants followed Willem and walked past the King and Queen as well.


    Bitterly, the King and Queen raised their heads and elegantly sauntered down the red rug.

 74 - Pale Blue Flame

    "Father, please!" The Prince implored his Father to help release the Princess.


    Even The One True King had a gnawing feeling in the back of his mind that something was amiss.


    "My love, if something happens, take the Prince and run as far away as you can." The King whispered to his Queen.


    The Queen nodded but said nothing, afraid of what was about to happen.


    After entering the throne room, instead of stopping where one normally would to be addressed by the King, Willem continued forward right up to the King''s throne. Looking back, the King and Queen were whispering among themselves. However, this close to Willem, nothing could be hidden. He heard their conversation, and could not help but chuckle.


    "Are you ready to confer my title?" Willem asked The One True King.


    The King tried to swallow some saliva but his mouth was completely dry and he found it very hard to talk.


    "Y....Yes." The King approached his throne but when he got to the stairwell he found that he could not continue walking forward.


    "What is the meaning of this!"


    "You need not approach any further to confer my title." Willem explained as he sat down on the King''s throne.


    Kinsey sat on the Queen''s throne, with Anna and Arania taking the Prince and Princess thrones respectively.


    The guards in the room took a defensive position in response to Willem sitting on the throne, but the King understood that even if they wanted to, they could not approach.


    "You realize this is treason... Why are you doing this?" The King stridently spoke out.


    "Kinsey." Willem spoke only one word.


    "Yes, Master. To put it bluntly, you are no longer fit to rule the Bastion of Hope." Kinsey stared down at the King and Queen with contempt.


    "On what grounds do you say I am unfit to rule!" The King was engulfed in anger, unable to reason with himself any longer.


    "While Master was out fighting against the magical beings, you were here hiding under the guise of taking care of your sick Queen." Kinsey articulated spectacularly.


    "Blasphemy! I was the one who gave him soldiers with which to fight." The King was attempting to convince Willem to end this. "Also, who are you to speak to me like this? Grandia, this is not like you. I can forgive you if you stop this farce and remove yourself from the throne."


    Willem looked at the guards lined up from the throne to the doors and snapped his fingers. One by one, the soldiers bent the knee as the One True King watched scornfully.


    "You should watch how you talk to your Queen. She holds your fate in her hands." Willem gently pulled on the embroidery of the cloth on the King''s throne.


    The Prince had found it in himself to hold his tongue, especially after seeing Willem''s boldness at the throne and his Father''s willingness to forgive him. The Queen held the hand of her son, ready to run at the first sign of trouble.


    "We need a strong, proper King to lead us against the magical beings. Confer upon my Master the title of King, and he may choose to spare you and your kin." Kinsey stated matter-of-factly.


    "Pathetic... I was truly naive to not have killed you when I saw the experiments you and Archus had done. I will die before I confer you the title of One True King." The One True King spat on the red rug of the stairwell, steps away from Willem.


    "So be it." Willem waved his hand gently and the doors to the throne room slammed shut with a tremendous amount of force.


    The Queen and the Prince both held their breath as their only option of escape became inaccessible. They stood against the door, making sure to get as far away from the inevitable fight as they could.


    "I remember when we first met, in the meeting room of the Grand Mages. I believed you were the future of the Bastion of Hope." The King bitterly spoke as he began to cast one of the strongest spells at his disposal.


    "I am the future." Willem kicked his feet up and waited for the King to finish casting his spell.


    In the King''s palm, a pale blue flame appeared that was no larger than a coin. The pale blue flame flickered as if at any moment it would be extinguished.


    "Burst." The King commanded the pale blue flame, where it shot forward like an arrow shot from a bow.


    The blue flame hit the barrier that Willem created and began to melt it away. After just a few seconds, the barrier seemed to be partially destroyed as multiple cracks appeared on the non-melted parts of the spell.


    Willem watched every single action that the old King took when casting the spell and memorized it, processing the movement as closely as he could. From the timing of the spell cast to the movement and gestures of the hands and body, Willem committed it to memory.


    When he was done memorizing everything. Willem stood up from the throne and copied the spell exactly as he saw the old King cast it.


    "Burst." Compared to the King, Willem''s voice was even and non-temperamental.


    The pale blue flame was the size of a bucket compared to the coin sized flame of the old King. Upon commanding the flame, it shot forward just like an arrow that had been let loose. The flame hit the King straight on, breaking through his defenses and burning a hole through his chest. As the flame burned through the old King, it continued forward like a homing arrow and set the Queen behind him aflame.


    "Shame to have gone through the trouble of curing her..." Willem said as he contemplated his next move.


    The old King was helpless and could not protect his Queen as the bucket sized hole in his chest began to slowly heal.


    "Darkness Healing?" Willem was quite surprised by the old King''s actions. This was a unique skill he had learned after injuring himself excessively, constantly pushing the limits of his understanding on the subject.


    "Seeing your abilities gave me the inspiration." The old King openly admitted as he crawled toward his burning Queen.


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    A black and blue mist churned around the hole in the old King''s chest, renewing the partially collapsed heart and broken bones. When the heart and broken bones healed, the cartilage and muscle began to cover the wound.


    This process was taking quite a lot longer than Willem''s own version of Darkness Healing.


    "Did I ever tell you the story of me using Darkness Magic for the first and last time?" The old King attempted to buy time for himself by placating Willem.


    "No, I do not believe you have." Willem stated.


    "Master, he is clearly buying time-" Anna was just beginning to speak when she saw Willem raise his hand for her to be silent.


    "Thousands of years ago, I was born a slave to magical beings. It feels like so long ago now that I can barely remember the finer details. At this time, humans were worse than garbage, and if it was a particularly rough winter we were to be used as a food source by the magical beings that owned us. I grew up understanding that I was nothing more than free labor and a meal if things got too tough." The King looked at his healing wounds bitterly. "When I was a little younger than you, around ten or so, I had my first encounter with a magical beast. It was a Horned Earth Rabbit, and it''s ability to bend the earth around it gave me inspiration to try it for myself. When I defeated the Horned Earth Rabbit, I continued hunting well into the night. The next few days, I would go into the woods behind the breeding pen to see if I could move the earth. Amazingly, I could push the earth according to the movements of my hands and how I envisioned it, copying the movement of the Rabbit."


    Willem remained expressionless as he listened to the story.


    The old King continued unperturbed. "When I learned about magic, I immediately brought the information to the humans that were a part of my village. They told me to keep quiet about my abilities and to teach them how to do the same thing. Often times, a pack of us would go into the woods to learn about the movements of various magical beasts. Soon enough we were strong enough to infiltrate the houses of the magical beings to assassinate them. This prompted the King of the magical beings to command his citizens to kill us wherever we were. We escaped and fled North, picking up as many humans as we could along the way."


    According to Willem''s method of telling truth from lie, everything the old King said so far had been the truth.


    "Continue." Willem spoke.


    At this point, the wound of the old King had almost completely healed.


    "When we took over these Northern Mountains, I ordered my closest friend and the General of my Army to erect a wall impregnable to even the strongest magical beings. He took with him five Earth Mages and together they built the walls that protect the Bastion of Hope. It was after the walls were created that we realized an Army of Magical Beings had gathered to retake the Mountain." The old King looked lost in thought for a moment before snapping back to reality. "I lead my Army against the Magical Beings, but we were outnumbered five to one. My closest friend cut a path for me to escape back to the safety of the Bastion of Hope, and like a coward, I took it. I felt the overwhelming suffocation of Darkness Magic for the first time as I saw him valiantly fighting to defend me. The Darkness Magic pierced through me, and I had no control over my emotions as I doubled back and fought with a strength I could never have imagined. My mind was slowly being corroded as I slaughtered friend and foe, lashing out at anyone that got close enough."


    Willem sat quietly and listened, since the story involved Darkness Magic.


    "When I finally awoke from my stupor, my closest friend and arguably the most important person to me stood in front of me, skewered by my own hands. We had won the fight, at the cost of many of our soldiers. However, none of those soldiers meant anything to me if I could have brought back my friend. Sometimes, I can still picture his face in my dreams, where I can properly apologize for what I had done." The old King looked hollowed out and broken.


    Willem took the story into consideration before snapping his fingers once more, extinguishing the pale blue flame currently burning the Queen alive. Considering the Queen''s body was melting, not even an utterance of a scream could be heard escaping her lips. Willem understood that only one elixir made this impossible situation possible.


    "This little demonstration should be enough. You are no longer the King, but for now, you still have use. Sit upon your broken throne and live your life thanks to my benevolence. If I have orders for you, you will do your best to fulfill them." Willem looked around at his three attendants before nodding his head.


    Kinsey, Anna and Arania stood from their respective thrones and left the throne room quietly to return to their individual works.


    Willem stepped down from the throne and removed the barrier that he had previously placed.


    "If you try to flee, know there is no place you can escape to that I cannot find." Willem warned before passing a potion to the Queen on the way out of the throne room.


    The head of the King gently touched the ground in complete submission where he had previously been standing. The old King understood better than anyone how weak he truly was compared to Grandia.


    The Queen and the Prince looked at their King bowing his head and regret filled their hearts.


    "One more thing." Willem snapped his fingers and the guards in the room removed their helmets one by one. Underneath the helmets, decaying flesh and the smell of decomposing bodies filled the area around them.


    "Undead? When? ..." The old King looked around the room horrified.


    "Since the moment I walked in this room." Willem said as a serene look crossed his face.


    Upon leaving the Royal Palace, the gathered crowd cheered for Willem whom they assumed had his new title conferred.


    "Dragonslayer!" The crowd cheered.

 75 - Formulation

    Willem stood in front of the Royal Palace like he owned the place, and at the snap of his fingers the earthen cage holding the Princess peeled away so that she was finally free.


    The Princess, softly crying, crawled out of the cage and ran past Willem without even looking in his direction. Instead, Willem waved at the still gathered crowd cheering his name.


    "Grandia!"


    "Grand Mage please look this way!"


    "You saved my son!"


    The crowd seemed overwhelmingly infatuated with Willem and everything he did. Since he appeared out of nowhere and lead them to a victory against their enemies, how could he not garner so much attention.


    The caravan filled with gifts for Willem had been recovered by the guards and was now sitting at the gates to the Royal Palace, awaiting orders from Willem to move along.


    As Willem descended the stairs, he gave a long glance at the Royal Palace doors where the King had appeared, overlooking the gathered crowd with a reluctant frown.


    Kinsey, Anna and Arania had all gone about their business, so Willem did not have to wait for them to return. Instead, he glided gently to his caravan and entered inside while the driver prepared to take off.


    The two white stallions bucked gently at the response of the reins and trotted down the street toward the old Saye family household. Upon arriving, two maids waited on Willem hand and foot while the rest of the butlers and maids unloaded the caravan of goods.


    Those who were chosen to unload the goods placed them on the teleportation circle while Willem sat down on a chair and was served some honey mead that was made locally.


    By the time Willem was done with his drink, the goods were ready to be transported. Willem stood in the teleportation circle and began casting an elaborate spell to move the items and the staff.


    After just a few moments, Willem and the goods he had been gifted arrived at his Private Sanctum along with all the maids and butlers whom had been working for him.


    Kinsey was on the other side of the teleportation circle, a cup of tea in hand and ready to give orders to the workers. After the tea was handed to him, Willem left the teleportation circle and headed to his study room.


    "Listen up, anyone who wishes to remain in employment with the Grand Mage, the duties up until now have been a precursor to what will be expected of you." Kinsey spoke to the maids and butlers. "We have many new guests in the Private Sanctum, and the majority of the work will now take place here instead of the inner city."


    The maids and butlers nodded their heads but did not interrupt.


    "Since the majority of work is here, no one will be leaving the Private Sanctum until the war is over. If this is acceptable, you may give me your house name and we can bring your family here to be protected, where the magical beings cannot get to us. If you wish to no longer be in employment of the Grand Mage, I will teleport you back and give you three months pay for services rendered." Kinsey exclaimed.


    The maids and butlers looked around restlessly, unsure of what the best option would be. To not be able to leave the Private Sanctum was a big deal, considering it could be years until the war ended. However guaranteed safety for themselves and their family was a tantalizing offer.


    "You have until sunrise to decide. Until then, you may continue with your duties and unpack these goods, when I need you I will call upon you. Until you are called upon, feel free to look around." Kinsey wrapped up her speech before turning around and leaving the kitchen.


    The maids and butlers talked among themselves while they worked diligently, unsure of the best course of action.


    In the study room, Willem and the White Tiger Cub were playfully sparring, now that the White Tiger Cub was large enough to fight without getting too badly hurt.


    Having constantly fed on beasts stronger than itself and despite still being a Cub, the White Tiger was now a little larger than the Matriarch that Willem had defeated a while ago. Measuring up to Willem''s shoulder in height and now the length of the bed, the White Tiger Cub was much more ferocious looking compared to when it was first brought to the Private Sanctum.


    Though her attacks could not pierce or dent the armor underneath Willem''s clothes, she still clawed and chomped with the intention of killing the prey in front of her.


    After a quarter of an hour, the White Tiger Cub was finally tired out from constantly trying to kill Willem and fell to the ground exhausted.


    Willem tossed the Cub a piece of silver back Caribou meat with a bowl of water to wash it down. The Cub was suddenly filled with vigor as it chewed at the Caribou meat.


    After he had his fill of watching the Cub, Willem looked around for a book containing anything with the terms J?rmungandr or Great Wyrm. Despite his vast knowledge and ability to quickly recall information, he could not think of any book in his collection that had information on those two subjects.


    Shrugging his shoulders, Willem left the study room and checked up on how his guests were doing.


    "Thank you for speaking with me, Grand Mage." The Warden family was the first ones Willem greeted. "We were actually just about to seek you out."


    "Pray tell what can I do for you?" Willem spoke elegantly.


    "Our family has always had a strong military presence, so much so that over half of our family members are in the Army. If we are going to be here for years, may we ask for training grounds to teach the children?" The head of the Warden family asked his question before bowing.


    "Of course, this is a simple matter. You can find it on the bottom level, with a sword and shield on the door. Furthermore, if anyone from the other families wishes to join you, I ask that you give them equal attention in their training." Willem snapped his fingers when he was done speaking.


    "It would be my honor, Grand Mage." The head of the Warden family bowed again before turning to his family to explain the situation.


    Willem took his leave of the Warden family and headed directly to the Wight family.


    The head of the Wight family was sitting on a beautifully made bed, teaching some of the children of his family basic arithmetic.


    "Head of the Wight family, how are you finding your stay? Is there anything you wish for?" Willem greeted the head.


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    "Besides the war to be over, we have everything we could ask for. Although..." The Wight family head trailed off halfway during his sentence in contemplation.


    "Ask and I shall make it so." Willem said.


    "Would it be too much to ask for a classroom so I can teach the children how to read and write? Our family has always been the caretakers of the next generation of scholars." The head of the family bowed his head imploringly.


    "Of course, this would be a great boon to the harmony of the Private Sanctum. If I may ask this of you, if there are other students beside your family that wish to learn, please teach them as if they were your own." Willem smiled as he snapped his fingers.


    "It would be a great honor for our family to undertake this responsibility." The head of the family bowed his head once more.


    "Look for a symbol of a quill over parchment on a door at the bottom level. This is my gift to you." Willem said before taking his leave.


    As he was continuing to the next family, Willem waved and greeted the children passing by in the hallway as well as the magical beings whom had just left the hot springs Willem had created for relaxation.


    "Head of the Lovejoy family, I have come to ask you, how are you finding your stay?" Willem gently intruded on the family head while she was speaking with the elders of the family.


    "Ah, Grand Mage, please come have some tea with us, we were just speaking about what the future will bring. Your opinion would be greatly appreciated." The head of the Lovejoy family smiled gently as she gestured for Willem to sit beside her.


    "I will graciously accept." Willem said as he sat on the soft cushion beside the family head.


    "Elder Fawl, I believe you were talking about our current possession of the mines near the Bastion of Hope." The leader took a puff from her long stemmed pipe as she knocked on the table in the direction of one of the elders.


    "Yes, our mines have been abandoned for at least a few months due to the magical beasts killing our defenseless men. The King sent a decree that the mine will remain empty until the magical beings were dealt with. Our source of income has been temporarily halted because of this." The elder bowed his head before and after speaking.


    "Forgive my interruption, but you can forego the formalities while within my presence. As for this particular issue, of course I will speak with the King about opening the mine. The metals inside are important for the war effort, so I will setup a teleportation circle inside the mine after sending soldiers to clear it out and order a patrol of the grounds for possible threats." Willem nodded his head in approval.


    "This of course will solve a majority of our difficulties." The elder spoke once more.


    "Do we have anyone here that can process the ores? If not, I have a blacksmith that I have entrusted with work and can bring him and his family here to work with you." Willem asked the leader.


    "The Smith family is who we usually do business with, they have held the position of Royal Palace blacksmith the longest for their unique techniques." The leader responded as she puffed from her pipe again.


    "Then explain the situation to them, I will create multiple forges worthy of their prowess on the bottom level, marked by the symbol of an anvil on the door." Willem snapped his fingers once.


    "Now that that is settled, what is next?" The leader looked around at the seven elders around the table.


    "With respect to Grand Mage, there is a rumor going around that you have the intention of marching soldiers against the magical beings. If this is the case, should we expand our family by sending representatives to the conquered areas?" The elder squeamishly spoke.


    "Elder is well informed, though I am unsure where the rumors started from... Nonetheless, I do have every intention to turn our soldiers loose upon the enemies. First we need to conquer the area surrounding the Bastion of Hope, from the Grey Wasteland to the East, to the Blood City in the west and The Deep Crag just south of the forest." Willem rubbed his chin while he explained the plan he had been formulating since he spoke with the Great Wyrm.


    "Is it really okay to strike these places? Retaliation will be severe if we fail so close to our home." The elder looked puzzled at the sudden information he had received.


    In fact most of the elders sitting at the table looked quizzically at Willem and their leader.


    "I have heard from my spies, the presence of strong magical beings in these three zones are the weakest, thus retaliation will need not be considered." Willem stopped rubbing his chin and said matter-of-factly.


    Of course this information had been provided to Willem by the Great Wyrm, not by any spies.


    "Has this discussion been held with anyone else? It is the first time I have heard it." The elder shook his head in confusion.


    "No, this is the first time I have spoken about my plans. Naturally this does not leave the room, except by my tongue alone. I assume this will not be a problem." Willem looked at the elders of the table.


    "Of course, anyone who reveals this information, I will personally cut their tongue out and feed it to my dogs." The leader said as she threw her head back and laughed.


    The elders all laughed nervously as they either took a drink from their tea or looked down at their feet.


    "Good, then we shall continue the conversation. The Blood City has a population of thirty thousand, with ninety five percent being magical beings. The rest are beasts or human slaves that were kidnapped from the Bastion of Hope. We will be striking at them first." Willem gave a cold grin as he drank his tea.


    <hr />


    After almost a month of hard work, I have finally finished revising my first chapters and adjusting until I am happy with my work.


    To all those reading these chapters and saying "Hey, I already read this!", please start from the beginning of the story as that is where all my efforts have gone.


    There will be a new chapter soon I promise.


    All chapters now have roughly 1800 - 2000 Words with a revision on the story and the timeline to help better understand the progress.

 76 - Common Knowledge

    "Blood City!" The elder nearly fainted at the mere utterance of the words.


    Common knowledge among nobles was that since Blood City was the closest in territory to the Bastion of Hope, many skirmishes would take place against the enemy to the west.


    However, in the many years that these two had been fighting against one another, the Bastion of Hope had never once come out on top. In many cases, the Blood City military would ravage their crops, destroy their homes and run away before a proper defense could be rallied. These sabotage and destroy missions weighed heavily on the minds of the citizens of the Bastion of Hope.


    Not much is known about the Blood City from the perspective of the Bastion of Hope, save for a few core facts.


    Blood City has a population of roughly thirty thousand citizens, five thousand of which belonged to the military. Five hundred of that military were a part of a special Corps called the Red Assassins.


    The Red Assassins were elites among the magical beings whom were capable of kidnapping, killing and escaping without leaving any traces.


    Most importantly, Blood City was not a stationary target, as it was a community created inside a great Magical Beast called the Stinging Blood Tortoise.


    This Stinging Blood Tortoise had lived during the epoch of the Fallen Gods, millions of years before the first humans even existed. The great shell of the Stinging Blood Tortoise was completely impregnable against the weapons of the Bastion of Hope.


    With this knowledge, anyone who heard those two words spoken together would often recoil in pure fear.


    "Is such an attack wise, after successfully mounting a defense against the Magical Beings?" The leader of the Lovejoys spoke to Willem.


    "I believe it is, as it is most likely that information has already spread about the Red Dragon being defeated by our hands. They most likely see us licking our wounds for a few months, where they can continue to march on us and we can only defend." Willem explained thoughtfully.


    "Is that not what we are going to do?" An elder spoke out.


    "No, we will immediately be going on the offensive, especially while they do not expect it." Willem stated.


    The elders nodded hesitantly, with more than a few of them giving quizzical looks at their family head.


    "If you intend to march on them, you must have some sort of plan, considering how little information we have about them." The leader spoke out in response to the looks of the elders.


    "Of course, going in blind would be foolish. No one can get inside the Stinging Blood Tortoise without permission from it." Willem nodded his head.


    "Is there something you need from us, to reveal this information?" The leader seemed to comprehend something before asking.


    Willem grinned widely as he took a sip from the warm tea.


    "As a matter of fact, there is something only you can do. One of your elders, who is not present, is on the war council for the Army. I ask you to convince him to endorse this attack." Willem explained.


    "This can be accomplished, as a thanks for your protection." The leader smirked as she took a puff from her pipe.


    "Then I will no longer take up your time. Speak with the Smith family, I will go clear out the mines and get everything setup for you. All the metals you mine can be made into varying weapons and armors by the Smith family, and I will imbue them myself." Willem finished speaking and stood up to walk out of the room.


    "You will imbue them yourself... By your will, Grand Mage." The leader stood up and bowed to Willem as he left.


    As the door slowly closed, the elders sitting around the table began to talk among themselves and the family head.


    Everything was well within Willem''s expectations, right down to the conversation that he just held with the Lovejoy family. They would not dare disobey a request from him, especially if they wished to keep their position in his Private Sanctum. Posing it as a question made it appear as if they had equal standing, despite Willem being in complete control.


    All the pieces were falling in place and the bigger picture was beginning to reveal itself.


    Since the Lovejoys would speak with the Smiths, Willem decided he did not need to speak with them directly. Instead, he went to the other minor families to talk with them, and they would often praise him excessively until he could no longer stand it and left quietly.


    With the families desires sated, Willem left the Private Sanctum and headed for the Magic Academy.


    Instead of greeting Kinsey, Willem headed directly to the Grand Library''s restricted section with the intention of looking for any information on the Great Wyrm.


    After several hours and several dozens of books, Willem finally found a small tidbit of information about the Great Wyrm in the form of an old poem written by a scholar thousands of years ago.


    "And of that dream I dream,


    A great beast swirls and coils.


    Wrapping me in rough grey skin,


    A deep gaze that melds the mind.


    The Great Wyrm of Calcaros,


    Whom feeds on the life of damned.


    Lost in the deep void of my soul,


    I wander for eternity unworthy."


    The scribbling of the poem indicated that the scholar was clearly on the edge of madness, but there was no doubt that the Great Wyrm of Calcaros and J?rmungandr at least had some connection.


    Several hours passed, but there was no more information on the Great Wyrm of Calcaros or J?rmungandr. With a heavy mind, Willem left the restricted section of the Grand Library and headed over to the Army Training Grounds to meet Sir Gehrig.


    Upon arriving at the Army Training Grounds, Willem accidentally interrupted a lively celebration among the fifty soldiers and their friends. His personal Squad had returned after the fight against the magical beings, and since no one needed immediate medical attention they all went straight to a victory party. The party had been going for two days and two nights straight, and still seemed to have no end in sight.


    Willem did not interrupt the celebrations, nor did he participate. Instead, he quietly headed to Sir Gehrig''s Private Quarters.


    "Sir Gehrig?" Willem called out.


    A military attendant opened the door to the Private Quarters and bowed before allowing Willem entry.


    "Allow me to announce the presence of Dragonslayer Grandia, first of his name." The attendant announced to Sir Gehrig before leaving to make tea.


    "Grand Mage, Sir, thank you for your service." Sir Gehrig bowed before offering a seat to Willem.


    "I will not be here long. I have decided the next course of action for the Army. We will be attacking the Blood City, and I will once again be leading. You will take care of the defense of the Bastion of Hope while I am gone." Willem stated without hesitation.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "Sir, only the King is allowed to make such a decision without the agreeance of the council." Sir Gehrig seemed flustered at Willem''s declaration.


    Willem quickly drafted a letter and sealed it with his own stamp.


    "Have this sent to the Royal Palace, and you must deliver it to the King yourself. We move in a weeks'' time, so have five thousand soldiers gathered in four days for distribution of weapons and armor."


    "By your command, sir." Sir Gehrig looked thoughtfully at the letter before stuffing it gently into his pocket and saluting Willem.


    "Then, I will now take my leave." Willem bid Sir Gehrig farewell before leaving the tent and slipping into the void.


    While shifting through the void, Willem avoided the giant grotesque monsters that seemed to be hunting for prey. Upon arriving at his destination, Willem moved from the void back into the physical world.


    Willem adjusted his gentle flowing robes and knocked on the small wooden door of the small house.


    "Just a minute!" A clearly distinguished female voice called out.


    "Hello- Ohhhh hello sir!" Anna''s mother, Meriam, answered the door.


    "Good evening, hopefully I am not interrupting anything?" Willem responded with a gentle smile.


    "Of course not, I was just going through the documents for the farms. Most of my work is now sitting behind a desk instead of pulling a shovel around, not that I mind at all. I was actually waiting for you to show up again so I could thank you for everything you have done for me and my family. That reminds me, I made some strawberry and green groal pie as a present-" Meriam fired words out like they burned her mouth as Willem continued to smile at her.


    "Meriam, I came with a proposition." Willem cut off her speech and handed her a letter.


    "The seal of the King? Is this for my husband?" Meriam accepted the letter and hesitated to open it.


    "Open it if you wish, it involves your entire family. Discuss it with your husband and decide what you wish to do. I will return tomorrow and hopefully you will have an answer for me." Willem spoke slowly as Meriam appeared slightly delirious.


    "Seal of the king..." Meriam kept repeating the same words until she finally snapped out of her daydream. "I will talk with my husband."


    "Then I will bid you a good night." Willem bowed gently before turning to leave.


    "Oh, you cannot stay for tea? Oh wait, the pie!" Meriam ran from the front door to the kitchen as quick as she could before grabbing the pie and running back to the front door. "Here you go!"


    "Her favorite?" Willem asked.


    "That is right, please tell her to visit soon." Meriam waved Willem goodbye as he put the pie in his spatial spell and walked away.


    The sun was just beginning to set, and Willem was now heading to Clive''s shop. Upon arrival, Willem saw two bulky warriors defending the front entrance of the blacksmith shop and felt the presence of another warrior at the back entrance.


    "What business do you have here." One of the warriors spoke out as Willem approached.


    "I am the benefactor of this blacksmith business. I have come to confirm my products have been created." Willem stated as he continued to approach the door.


    The two warriors felt a drop of cold sweat run down their back as Willem spoke. Every cell in their body screamed at them to run in the opposite direction of the person in front of them.


    "O-of course. Please allow me." The warrior stuttered before opening the door to the shop.


    "S-sir, you have a g-guest." The warrior bowed while announcing Willem to Clive.


    Clive was finishing up one of the prototype designs Willem had given him when the warrior called out to him.


    "Ah, young master! How good to see you again, and you certainly have an eye for talent, the three apprentices you sent are truly miracle workers." Clive cupped his hands in greeting.


    "How have you been faring in the designs? Specifically, I wish to see the organic orb." Willem nodded at Clive before asking about the progress.


    "Yes, this design was the easiest to make, and Clay is incredible at sensing the perfect timing to work the material." Clive brought out the prototype while Clay rubbed his nose shyly.


    The orb was only the size of Willem''s palm, but it had four individual compartments. A latch on the top of each compartment allowed for some liquid or gas to be placed inside.


    "It is made of completely organic material?" Willem asked Clay.


    "Yes sir, just as the design specified. The only difference is that the latch had to be fitted with a spring in order to keep it from falling inside, as opposed to the original locking design. Master Clive has the paperwork I wrote up explaining the difference." Clay explained before going back to work.


    Willem nodded his head in approval at the young man''s work.


    "How many are made?" Willem asked Clive.


    "Fifty have been made so far, but we had to halt production of them because we hit a snag on the design of the Katar. The latch to reveal the hidden blades requires pulling from the opposite hand." Clive explained his conundrum before showing the semi-finished product.


    "Then it shall be so, just document it. I will take the fifty orbs now." Willem removed from his spatial spell twenty gold pieces and handed it to Clive.


    "Of course, thank you young master!" Clive was elated as he accepted the gold pieces.


    "Clive, the paperwork..." Willem pointed at the parchment detailing the changed made to the orb.


    "Oh right, of course, one moment please. No... No... Ah ha!" Clive sifted through several sheets of paper before finding the correct one and handing it to Willem.


    "Then, I shall take my leave." Willem nodded to Clive, then to Clay and the twin sisters before leaving the shop.


    "Now, to clear out the mine..." Willem whispered to himself as he shifted from the physical world into the void.


    <hr />


    After almost a month of hard work, I have finally finished revising my first chapters and adjusting until I am happy with my work.


    To all those reading these chapters and saying "Hey, I already read this!", please start from the beginning of the story as that is where all my efforts have gone.


    There will be a new chapter soon I promise.


    All chapters now have roughly 1800 - 2000 Words with a revision on the story and the timeline to help better understand the progress.

 77 - Spirit Wolves

    Since Willem required more beast parts to make weapons and armor, clearing out the mines served multiple purposes. Depending on the quality of the hunt, good weapons could be made from the fangs of wild Magical Beasts or leather armor could be made from the hide.


    Most rumors about the mine stated that there were hobgoblins and spirit wolves ransacking and eating any humans who wandered in that direction.


    Despite being classified as Magical Beings, Hobgoblins were nasty, manipulative half beasts with green skin and large tusks that jutted from their elongated jaw. Their defining features were proliferation and a penchant for settings things on fire.


    Willem slipped through a pack of hobgoblins using Scent Suppression Magic after switching back to the material world from the void. The smell of burnt flesh and snapping jaws allowed Willem to understand why normal humans would fear these unique creatures.


    A small female child was caged in the middle of the hobgoblin camp, forced to watch her Father be eaten after having been murdered in front of her.


    "Uwuu..." The small child tried to hold back her tears to not give the hobgoblins a reason to take notice of her.


    "Gabu. Gleck." The leader of the hobgoblins pointed at a patch of dirt, which happened to be where Willem was standing moments before.


    This was a peculiar circumstance for Willem, since he very rarely got noticed while using Darkness Magic to hide himself.


    Based on the available information from the Grand Library on hobgoblins, the origin of their species was that a group of humans drank demon blood and devolved into their current form.


    This would explain why hobgoblins could procreate with human females and also why they could sense the use of Darkness Magic. Demons were monsters born from Darkness and brimstone, and hobgoblins now possessed that power.


    The other hobgoblins besides the leader all walked to the patch of dirt and began smacking at it, as they had been ordered to do. After a few seconds, the hobgoblins returned to the campfire and to eating the cooked flesh of the man they had killed.


    Willem heard the soft whimpering of the girl in the cage. Since he had time to spare, he restrained the hobgoblins with Nature Magic by kindly asking the trees to lend their roots, binding the feet of the hobgoblins to the ground.


    With the hobgoblins bound, Willem had time to break the cage open by melting the lock with high temperature Fire Magic.


    "GABU! GABU! BLACO!" The leader screamed as it tried to resist the restraints that bound it to the ground.


    "Little one, do you want to come with me?" Willem had a charming smile on his face that calmed the little girl down considerably.


    "You are not a bad man? Papa said... Papa said..." The child, though calmed by Willem''s gentle face, could not find the strength to lift herself up after thinking about what happened to her Father.


    "Papa told me to come get you and bring you to safety." Willem held out his hands as a gesture for the little girl to join him.


    "Okay." Just like that, the little girl was assured that her new friend would not harm her and got up from the dirt floor of the cage.


    Willem took the little girl in his arms and carried her like a Princess away from the hobgoblin camp. Perhaps from the duress of seeing her Father eaten, or from the constant threat of death, when the little girl knew she was safe she quietly passed out from enduring for so long.


    "Rest well, little one." Willem said as he began to chant a spell.


    The spell finished casting and a large earthen golem appeared in front of the hobgoblin camp, awaiting orders from it''s Master.


    "Crush the hobgoblins, then you may return to the earth." Willem commanded as he continued to walk away toward the mine entrance.


    The earth golem recognized that it''s Master had given an order and walked over to the camp. In the distance, several large thumps could be heard as the earthen golem created a club made of solid rock and smashed the hobgoblins into the ground like a nail through wood.


    When the order had been completed, the earth spirit returned to the trees and the earthen golem melted into the ground as if it had never even been there.


    Willem finally reached the entrance to the mine, and noticed that the closer he got, the less hobgoblins there would be. Of course every hobgoblin he came across was killed unceremoniously, since they were fused with demon blood.


    Peering into the darkness of the cave, a small grin appeared on Willem''s face.


    "Just my luck." Willem whispered as he walked into the complete dark.


    Though he could not see anything, just closing his eyes allowed him to perceive his surroundings more than vision ever could. This was the very same maneuver he had learned when he first had Spatial Distortion sickness with the Grand Mage Archus'' Teleportation Spell.


    Much like the echolocation Willem had read about while studying the carolis blood-bat, he could see all the structures in the mine. The stalagmites and stalactites appeared to him as if he had complete vision of them, and further into the mine a pack of spirit wolves who claimed this mine as their own could sense someone had entered their territory.


    An alpha female spirit wolf was the first to go in search of the invader, with the male staying behind to protect the litter. This was directly opposite of the behavior of the White Tiger Matriarch, which protected her babies while forcing her mates to scout.


    As the spirit wolf approached Willem''s position, it howled back to the males to signal that an intruder had entered. Willem did not know how the spirit wolf knew, and decided to study it a bit more instead of outright killing it.


    Not wanting to damage the specimen, Willem created a cage made of earth and wrapped it around the spirit wolf before it could fight back. The spirit wolf gnawed at the earthen bars holding it against it''s will but could not do anything to even remotely damage the cage. Instead of fighting against it, the spirit wolf howled for the others of it''s pack to be wary of traps.


    The spirit wolf was an intelligent beast that had evolved from the original wolves of the Northern Continent, whom had been domesticated into pets thousands of years ago by Magical Beings. As a Magical Beast, spirit wolves had an uncanny connection to Wing Magic, allowing their tracks to be hidden and their scent to be masked. This made spirit wolves undisputed apex predators within the area of level three Magical Beasts.


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    The most dangerous thing about spirit wolves was that they always traveled in packs. A lone wolf was only very rarely seen if it was an alpha female that lost a challenge from another younger female.


    As Willem continued traveling deeper into the mine, through the natural twists and turns of the structure, he continued to cage any spirit wolves he came across.


    When all the adult spirit wolves had been captured, Willem approached the litter of spirit wolf pups and picked up the runt of the litter by the scruff of it''s neck.


    "Yap!" The spirit wolf yelped as it attempted to wriggle out of being carried.


    Since it was still a newborn pup, it''s eyes had yet to open and therefore it did not know what was going on. Willem gently gathered the litter of spirit wolves into a linen bag and teleported his new prizes to his Private Sanctum.


    Since he could not put the apex predator spirit wolves in the same enclosure as the silver back Caribou, Willem created a new room identical to the mine that he had just been in. He released the spirit wolves from their cages, but did not return the litter to the den. Instead, he took the spirit wolf pups and delivered them to the four major families that resided in his Private Sanctum.


    All the leaders were apprehensive about accepting such an amazing gift, but Willem insisted as a gesture of good will.


    The final pup from the litter was left for the little girl whom was now under Willem''s protection.


    "Kinsey." Willem snapped his fingers while in his study room and Kinsey immediately returned to attend to her Master''s needs.


    "What can I do Master-" Kinsey was frozen in shock as she saw a small sleeping child in Willem''s arms.


    "Kinsey, she has lost her parents, I will need you and Anna to take care of her and show her how to be an attendant. I am leaving this spirit wolf for her to train as well, so you will instruct her and guide her." Willem handed over the small child and the spirit wolf pup to Kinsey.


    "To be honest, Master, while it is commendable to help those less fortunate, if you save all the orphans and weak and poor, they will just depend on you instead of learning to depend on themselves." Kinsey used a small amount of magical power to create a soft bed for the girl and pup to lie on.


    "Perhaps you are right, but this is not the time to speak of it. There are many things that must be done. I will show you some affection soon, I promise." Willem gave Kinsey a peck on the cheek before shifting back through the void to the mine once more.


    "A man always keeps his promises." Kinsey said as Willem departed, now unsure of what to do with herself.


    When Willem arrived once again at the mine, he took the time to lay down an elaborate and self sustaining runic teleportation circle. When it was completed, he shifted back to the Private Sanctum and made the exact copy of the runic circle in the center of the middle level where all the families were located.


    "Family heads, your presence is requested at the center of the second level." Willem spoke as his voice traveled through the Private Sanctum.


    Forty four family heads quickly gathered at the center where Willem had been standing patiently, with the four main families in the front.


    As they appeared one by one, they gasped at the marvelous runic binding that Willem had created. The runic circle was easily seven or eight times larger than any array they had ever seen before.


    "Greetings to the Grand Mage." All the family heads spoke in unison, as if they had prepared for it beforehand.


    "Greetings, I have spoken extensively with the Lovejoy family about the state of their mines. They have agreed to allow us mining rights, so I have setup a teleportation circle that does not require magic on behalf of the user. At any time, you may come and go to the mines as you see fit. I invited the family head of the Lovejoys and Smiths to explain further." Willem stood among his people and explained the situation of the glowing runes beneath his feet.


    "As the Grand Mage says, the King had closed our mines but they are now open once more. All materials will be going to the Grand Mage, but he has already graciously paid us all in advance in terms of weapons, armor, food, and safety. All families are welcome to use the mine, as long as they are willing to listen to my family in terms of where and how much to mine so that it does not collapse." The big breasted family head of the Lovejoys seemed to have caught the attention of most of the male family heads.


    The leader of the Smiths stepped forward.


    "Though we are but humble smiths, we take pride in our work and the work of those under our care. Anyone who wishes to apprentice and learn the way of the forge is welcome to, as the Grand Mage has graciously crafted for us master tier smithing tools and forges." When he was done speaking, the family head returned to his original position.


    "The Warden family has always had a strong military presence, and we will be defending the mines against Magical Beast and Magical Being attacks. Any among the families who wishes to learn the martial way are welcome to join us." The Warden family head stepped forward, delivered his lines and stepped back as if an automated doll with a prepared speech.


    "As the head of the Wight family, I would be remiss if I did not offer my knowledge to you all. Anyone who wishes to pursue higher learning, from calligraphy to arithmetic, may join my class and learn what I have to teach." The Wight family head bowed to the family heads present.


    Finally, one last representative stepped forward.


    "I am the family head of the Curo family. We have always been the personal bank of the crown, for as long as we have lived. Seeing how the crown has treated us compared to how generous the Grand Mage is has forced us to question who is really in charge. This may be treasonous, but if the Grand Mage ever laid claim to the city, he would have our full support." The female family head stopped speaking and returned to mingle among the other heads.


    Many whispers passed from the lips of the family heads, but the consensus seemed to be in favor of the Grand Mage taking the crown.


    Willem remained as tranquil and serene as he was before.

 78 - A Father

    "I understand and share your concerns, family leaders." Willem said calmly. "However, talk of treason may undermine my authority to lead the war efforts, so hold these words close to your heart instead of at the tip of your tongue."


    The family heads nodded along when they understood the implications Willem hinted toward.


    Now that the runic teleportation circle had been established, mining could be resumed and the resources gathered would be a great addition to the upcoming siege against the Blood City.


    The Lovejoy family took the lead for the mining expedition by organizing multiple parties and designating areas to be excavated. The Warden family secured the surrounding area thanks to the weapons and armor provided by the Grand Mage.


    "Daddy!" The little girl that Willem rescued only a short while ago called to him after he returned from setting the teleportation circle.


    "I-I..." For the first time in a long time, Willem was unsure what to do.


    The shock of losing her Father at such a tender young age had fundamentally warped the young child''s mind, and in order to cope with the loss, she convinced herself that Willem whom had rescued her was her Father.


    When Willem left to set the teleportation circle, Kinsey was unsure what to do with the child and eventually decided to bathe and feed her. Since she had most likely not eaten alot recently, the young child could only eat a small amount of porridge with water to wash it down.


    While Kinsey was bathing the child, she saw many large scratch marks and bruises from being dragged around forcefully. Though what Kinsey said to Willem earlier was fundamentally correct, knowing that he had saved a small girl from the evil that had done this still made her feel warm inside.


    Now that the caked on dirt was scrubbed off the little girl, she looked much more like a normal human child.


    "Come play with me and Mommy!" The little girl said as she pointed at Kinsey and held up a small doll with a gently used red dress.


    Kinsey could only look at Willem with a difficult face, an expression of regret and sympathy.


    "Little one, I am not your Father. What is your name?" Willem spoke evenly, showing almost no emotion.


    "I like when you are funny Daddy. Lia is Lia, Daddy is Daddy!" The little girl fiddled with the dress on the doll without looking Willem in the eyes.


    Kinsey shook her head and picked up the little girl before carrying her to a bed that had been prepared for her previously.


    "Time to go to bed, Lia." Kinsey spoke gently.


    "Okay, you will be here in the morning right, Mommy?" Lia said with small tears forming in her eyes.


    "Yes, I will wake you up when breakfast is ready." Kinsey nodded her head and made sure Lia had fallen asleep before closing the door to the room.


    Willem, who had moved to his Private Quarters, was looking over the information he had obtained about Blood City. According to the information that he had gathered, the Red Assassins had at least one trick up their sleeve that humans had yet to survive from.


    "Could it be poison?..." Willem muttered to himself.


    "Master, the child is asleep." Kinsey closed the door to the Private Quarters behind herself.


    Willem acknowledged Kinsey''s statement but did not rise from his seat at his desk.


    "Do you know what ails her?" Willem blatantly asked.


    "I can only guess that the trauma of watching her Father be eaten was too much, and her mind snapped." Kinsey surmised.


    "This caused her to view me as a Father replacement." Willem spoke solemnly. "Now I am a Father at eighteen."


    Willem closed the book of information on Blood City and beckoned for Kinsey to come sit on his lap.


    As Kinsey curled up on his lap, she gave him a deep and passionate kiss while wrapping her arms around his neck.


    "I did not think I would be a Mother either." Kinsey joked. "We cannot just give her to an orphanage, can we, Master?"


    "If my Mother gave me away to an orphanage instead of caring for me, I might not even be here today. Therefore an orphanage is out of the question for now." Willem nodded as he hugged Kinsey''s waist.


    "Enough with these difficult questions, a promise is a promise." Kinsey nuzzled her face into Willem''s neck.


    Now that Kinsey had finally gotten some time alone with Willem, she intended to get as much contact in as possible. Willem of course had no reservations in the matter.


    Willem conjured from his spatial spell a beautiful feather bed and placed it in the corner of his Private Quarters near his bookcases. After Kinsey had finished washing up, she removed Willem''s clothes and made him get in the bath as well.


    All the gently placed dirt and grime from the day of traveling was washed away from Willem''s body as if it had never existed. The gentleness of Kinsey reminded Willem of when they first arrived and it was just the two of them alone in the Private Sanctum.


    While Kinsey''s beautiful red hair hung over her left shoulder, Willem reached his hands to her head and guided her mouth to his. Kinsey abruptly stopped moving her hands as their tongues swirled around inside of each other''s mouths.


    "Mmm..." Kinsey moaned as Willem ran his fingers through her hair.


    "Shall we?" Willem parted his lips from Kinsey for a moment before proposing to move to the bed.


    Since it had been a while since they had intercourse, Willem was the first to initiate by going down on Kinsey. According to a book he had recently read on the subject of sexual intercourse, providing sufficient stimulus to the area allowed for better sex.


    By stimulating her breasts with his hands, casting a warmth spell on her body, and giving her cunnilingus, Willem was able to make Kinsey reach orgasm without even entering her body. The sensation Kinsey was given was so sudden and powerful that her whole body convulsed as if she had been struck by lightning. Her clitoris had become engorged and firm as her sexual arousal reached its peak.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Kinsey shook violently and could no longer control her arms completely as they grabbed onto Willem''s hair. Willem''s head was firmly locked in place while he continued kissing and licking her labia.


    "Stop, Willem." Kinsey commanded as she gently let go of Willem''s hair.


    Willem peered up from between her legs with a smile as her whole body shuddered from the extreme pleasure she was feeling.


    Willem did as he was told and did not make any further attempts to stimulate her body.


    "My turn." Kinsey turned Willem onto his back and ran her hands down his body, from his pectorals to his loins.


    She took his erect phallus and began to lick from the base to the tip while she held it in her hand. She fondled his testicles with her other hand, using a moderate amount of force to ensure the correct response from her partner.


    Willem made sure to acknowledge when Kinsey did something he liked, which in his mind allowed him to maintain a little bit of control in bed.


    When Willem was close to orgasm, Kinsey stopped pleasuring him and immediately placed his penis inside her. Compared to the hand she was just using, her vaginal walls were much tighter despite being incredibly wet.


    Willem still could not get over the amazing feeling of being inside of Kinsey, despite having had sexual intercourse with her many times since becoming a Grand Mage. The stimulation was overwhelming as Willem achieved his first orgasm of the night, releasing all that he had saved up since a week ago inside of her.


    Willem continued to lie on his back as Kinsey rode him like one would a horse, jumping up and down on his penis voraciously. A hint of hunger appeared in Kinsey''s eyes as she kissed Willem''s neck while shaking her hips. When her legs could no longer hold her up, Willem moved behind her and began thrusting while his hands were gently placed on her shoulders.


    "Kiss me, Willem..." In between moans of pleasure, Kinsey made her second request of the night.


    As Willem continued to thrust, he grabbed Kinsey by the neck and guided her lips to his, thrusting his hips to match the rhythm of their locking lips.


    After a few hours of trying new positions according to the book he had read, both Willem and Kinsey had reached multiple orgasms and eventually collapsed in each other''s embrace.


    Kinsey traced her index finger along Willem''s chest while her legs coiled around his.


    "I worry about you sometimes." Kinsey admitted during a moment of weakness.


    "What do you worry about?" Willem matched his line of sight to hers.


    "Very rarely, you seem so distant. Like eventually you will have to leave me and this place behind." Kinsey placed her hand in Willem''s.


    "I cannot say for certain it will never happen. I cannot tell the future. I will do everything I can to make sure you come with me, wherever I go. So long as it is safe." Willem did not want to think about a future he did not know, nor did he want to think about life without Kinsey.


    "It would be nice if we could stay like this forever." Kinsey placed her head on the pillow for just a moment, and slipped deep into sleep.


    Willem removed Kinsey''s hands from his own, and slid his legs away from hers. He arose from the bed, stretched, and curled the blankets tightly around Kinsey''s neck. After kissing her gently on the forehead, Willem left his Private Quarters, locking the door behind him.


    Inside the Royal Palace.


    After Sir Gehrig had accepted his orders from Willem, he immediately left the Army Training Grounds, temporarily pushing his responsibilities onto Sir Kris and Sir Rowan.


    When he had confirmed his identity to the front guards, he left the Training Grounds and headed for the Royal Palace as he had been commanded to.


    Upon arriving at the Royal Palace, Sir Gehrig showed the guards at the reception his credentials and the letter he was to deliver.


    "I was told to give this to the King personally." Sir Gehrig explained as they confirmed the Seal.


    "Yes, we are aware of how the Grand Mage operates. Standby for a moment while we confirm it is real." A guard clasped Sir Gehrig''s cloak jovially.


    "Very well." Sir Gehrig waited patiently until his identity and the Seal was confirmed. After the formal procedures were done, Sir Gehrig was lead to the throne room by an escort of eight guards.


    As he was lead through the Royal Palace for the first time, Sir Gehrig could not help but revel at all the beautiful sculptures and tapestries that nobles were known to have. Such a lavish life was only a pipe dream for someone like him, despite being in a higher position within the Army.


    When the throne room doors were opened, Sir Gehrig stood before The One True King and the Queen.


    "My King, my Queen." Sir Gehrig knelt before the royal family as he gripped the letter in his hands.


    "To be sent personally, you must be someone of great value to the Grand Mage." The One True King clicked his tongue sourly as he motioned for a guard to get the letter for him.


    The guards lined along the walls of the throne room did not move an inch as one of the eight guards that escorted Sir Gehrig took the letter.


    The guard took the letter from Sir Gehrig and carried it all the way to the throne, handing it to the King himself.


    The One True King snapped the Seal of the letter and read the contents quickly.


    A frown appeared on his face as he handed the letter to his Queen.


    <hr />


    It''s been a while since I so vividly depicted sexual acts from Willem and Kinsey, so it took me longer than I thought it would to write this one. I hope everyone is having a good time reading and enjoying it. :)

 79 - Respect For Nature

    - To the King,


    Congratulations, the time for you to prove your usefulness has arrived already.


    I had originally intended to kill you quietly, but having you around might yet prove useful.


    I am going to take Blood City, and you are going to use your power to endorse the attack.


    Call a summons of the war council where you will hand over command of five thousand soldiers and however many Mages I require.


    Failure to perform this simple task and I cannot guarantee the life of your Queen or children.


    The General from the Lovejoy family will endorse this decision, do not make me come to you personally.


    Grand Mage of Darkness,


    Grandia. -


    Inwardly, The One True King was furious as he came to the understanding that Willem had successfully usurped the throne and controlled the fate of the Bastion of Hope that he had built from scratch so long ago.


    Outwardly, however, he had to maintain a face of indifference and nobility. The more he thought about what Grandia asked of him, the better he thought his own appearance would become from his involvement.


    If he was to campaign for the assault on Blood City and it went well, would the dissenters not lose their position against him? Even more so, he may regain the heart of his poorer citizens by providing them comfort from the Blood City soldiers and their guerrilla tactics.


    The Queen looked at the letter contemptuously but eventually decided to nod her head in approval.


    The King nodded back and motioned for Sir Gehrig to come closer to the throne.


    "My King." Sir Gehrig stepped forward until he was six feet from the King before bending the knee once more.


    "What is your relationship with the Grand Mage." The King looked over the generally unremarkable soldier.


    "Compared to your greatness, I am but a humble servant of your will. I am the Knight Captain of the Army and am in command of the defensive movements for the Bastion of Hope." Sir Gehrig responded accordingly.


    "Yes, I have seen you before, you sit on the war council. Come with me to my private chamber, I will give you a letter to hand to the Grand Mage." The King beckoned for Sir Gehrig to follow him as he stood from the throne.


    Sir Gehrig stood up from his kneeling position and followed the King''s coattails closely.


    Upon arriving at the King''s private chamber, Sir Gehrig waited at the door while the King hastily wrote a missive to be given to Willem. When the letter was finished, it was handed to Sir Gehrig and he was quickly on his way back to the Army Training Grounds.


    When The One True King confirmed that Sir Gehrig had left, he commanded his guards to seek out the Grand Mage Archus.


    The eight guards saluted and left quickly to fulfill the new mission they had been given.


    At the mines outside the Bastion of Hope.


    The mining of the ores beneath the Mountains was now in full swing, with the self contained teleportation array making it incredibly easy to transport full carts of unprocessed material to be refined by the Master Smiths.


    The leader of the Lovejoy family now had her hands full leading the mining operation when she had an unexpected visit from a sudden guest.


    "Arissa Lovejoy, what have I told you about that smoking that damned pipe all day." An old, gruff voiced called out from the other side of the room that the Lovejoy family head was in.


    Slightly surprised, the Lovejoy family head bit her lip as the pipe dropped into her lap.


    "Ack!" She quickly smothered the ashes that had stained her clothes. "Hello, Grand Elder."


    The Grand Elder of the Lovejoy family was an old man with many deep wrinkles, but maintained a muscular and well defined figure despite his age. Even an inexperienced novice could tell that the old man held many secrets in his mind and body. His grey eyes shifted from one side of the room to the other before finally locking onto his Daughter.


    "Ooooh, my little baby!" The Grand Elder ran like a spry child and lifted the Lovejoy family head into his arms. "Why is it that when you call upon me it is always business!"


    Unfortunately for the Lovejoy family head, she was used to such actions now. With minimal effort, she slipped through his grasp and distanced herself a few feet away.


    The Grand Elder began to pout.


    "Always so foolish, why do you think I never call on you!" The Lovejoy family head pouted a bit, but inside she was secretly happy to see her Father again after so long. With the current state of the Bastion of Hope, and his position on the war council, the Grand Elder was incredibly busy with reports and scouting and could not be more than a figure in name in his own Daughter''s life.


    This pained him deeply, especially when his Wife passed and his duties pulled him further and further away from his Daughter.


    "So this is another call to use your Father''s position is it?" The Grand Elder playfully spoke as he inched closer to his Daughter.


    "I am afraid so, our family''s benefactor needs your assistance." The mood suddenly dulled and the Lovejoy family head''s expression changed.


    "Okay, tell me what is going on." The Grand Elder nodded before taking a seat beside his Daughter.


    "I will explain as best as I can."


    The Lovejoy family head explained everything that Willem had done for their family, and all the other families within his Private Sanctum. She explained about the comprehensive array that had been placed within the mines and how the materials were going to Willem in order for him to craft better gear for the upcoming war.


    The Grand Elder rubbed his beard as he listened to everything the family head had to say, sometimes getting distracted with a sudden influx of emotions.


    "What is your honest impression of him, Arissa?" The Grand Elder was suddenly very stern, which caught the family head off guard.


    "Hmph... He is strong. I have no idea why he is going so far for certain families and not others. I also have no idea what his intentions are and that concerns me." Arissa was completely blunt with her Father, as if their ranks had suddenly disappeared.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    "Then, what is the best course of action for our family?" The Grand Elder nodded to her summary of Willem.


    "We either prosper at the hands of the Grand Mage, or we face extinction from an idle King who does not leave his palace." The family head spoke some words that were borderline treasonous.


    "Our family is not as long lived as others, we started from the bottom of the Bastion of Hope. You are the leader and have the final say in affairs of our family." The Grand Elder looked proudly at his stalwart Daughter.


    "If the Grand Mage says to jump, we jump. If he says to dig, we dig. The Grand Mage wants to assault the Blood City, and he needs you to go to the war council and agree to this decision." Arissa stared into the eyes of her Father with determination.


    "Very well, I concede. Looks like my Daughter has finally met her match and may yet bear some children. Hahahaha!" A boisterous laugh came from the Grand Elder, before he was promptly kicked out of the room by his Daughter.


    The Lovejoy family head tapped on her pipe, her face a little red from the previous remarks.


    Far beyond the reach of the Bastion of Hope.


    The King of the Magical Beings had just received word of the failure of the scouting party in capturing the human scourge in the Mountains Against the Sea.


    Overcome with emotion, he brutally beat his handmaiden while the other servants were forced to watch. Only after the handmaiden collapsed from the severe thrashing did R?el relent and wipe his hands of her blood. Her body was quietly dragged away to the healing clinic in the Royal Palace.


    "Does anyone else have bad news for me." R?el wiped his face of sweat and looked at his guards and servants. Not a single person in the room could bring themselves forward to speak.


    "Now, now. My King is a merciful King." The wraith inhabiting Rin''s body appeared seemingly from out of nowhere and whispered into the King''s ear.


    "Ah, my love. Who else could bring me such joy in this world?" The King''s temperament turned around completely, as if he had never received any bad news in the first place.


    "I heard the news, the time for scouting has ended, it is time for our true Army to march. We must join with the Dragon Clan to ensure victory." The wraith hung off the King like a cloak as she weaved mind magic into her speech.


    "Yes, I would have words with the Nine Kings. If they agree to join forces, only then will we have absolute victory." The King seemed to mindlessly speak as he looked over the glass panels of his throne room below to the commoners in his city.


    While the King was speaking with Sir Gehrig.


    Willem had quietly begun preparing the tools he needed for magical weapon and armor creation. Just to make a weapon magical, it required the fresh blood of a magical beast. The longer the blood remained unused, the more stagnant the magical energy became until there was nothing left to use.


    While hunting for magical beasts in the woods and making offerings in exchange for their lives, Willem found a set of peculiar but somehow familiar tracks. Following the tracks using his augmented vision, he began to walk deeper and deeper into the woods, until he reached the area designated for beasts as strong as level eight.


    In a small burrow under a thistle tree laid two small chimpanzees, barely breathing and severely malnourished. The location they rested in was hastily made and did not protect them from the elements of nature in any way.


    As Willem approached, the older chimpanzee awoke and attempted to defend itself and it''s kin by holding up a thick stick the size of it''s arm. Willem swatted the stick away gently and casted a elementary water spell to give the chimpanzee something to drink.


    A small globe of water floated in Willem''s hand, continually flowing as if it was dancing. The chimpanzee was enraptured as it placed a finger into the water globe. To it''s surprise, the globe twisted around his little fingers, giving off a cool and gentle sensation that the young chimpanzee had never felt before.


    The water surrounded the young chimpanzees arm, revitalizing it like a cool breeze. When the chimpanzee understood that Willem was not here to harm them, he pointed at his little sister and begged for help.


    Jumping up and down while holding Willem''s sleeve, the young chimpanzee pointed at the water globe and then to his sister.


    Willem pushed the water globe gently from his hand onto the malnourished chimpanzee as it washed over her small body, reinvigorating her. The sudden splash of water woke the young chimpanzee up as she saw her older brother standing over her while holding onto a human.


    Unsure of what to do, the young chimpanzee began screeching until her brother held her in his arms.


    Willem patiently sat on the ground until the younger sister calmed down.


    When the sister finally calmed down, the curious chimpanzees approached Willem and began to rifle through his clothes. Willem became extremely amused as the chimpanzees found nothing to steal from his clothing.


    [This must have been how they survived, stealing from the farmers at the edge of the forest.] Willem surmised as he began to cast his spatial spell.


    The chimpanzees became excited as they saw his right hand disappear seemingly out of nowhere, and suddenly reappear with fresh fruits and nuts.


    Willem only pulled out a minimal amount of food, so that the chimpanzees would not get sick from overeating. Willem understood better than anyone what it means to go from eating very little to eating alot during his time in the apprenticeship, the discomfort and pain alone was enough to make sure he never forgot.


    As compensation for the lack of food, Willem provided an abundance of water to nurture the recovery of the small chimpanzees.


    When he believed they were properly fed, he motioned for them to hold his hands.


    Hesitantly, the chimpanzees held hands with each other, and with Willem, as he teleported them to the Army Training Grounds.

 80 - The Cowardly Lion

    When the chimpanzees arrived at the Army Training Ground, they held tightly onto Willem''s legs in fear. Their eyesight and hearing had been robbed momentarily, but they had no idea what happened beyond seeing their world blurred away. They began to holler in fear of having some of their senses taken away, only slightly unburdened by the fact that they could still feel each other and feel Willem.


    Willem rubbed the elder brother chimpanzee''s eyes with magic and his sight returned faster than a normal beast''s recovery would. When Willem was done with the elder brother, he helped the younger sister as well by rubbing her eyes with his soft hands. The magic flowed gently from his fingers into the iris of the chimpanzees, like a ripple against the water.


    "Better?..." Willem held the younger sister''s tiny face in his gentle hands while she looked at him wondrously.


    The prickly hair on the younger sister''s face was filled with small bugs and mud, but her big brown eyes shone with excitement.


    She immediately grabbed the hands that healed her eyes and played with them, pulling them apart and studying them as if trying to understand why Willem could perform such miracles.


    The elder brother was less impressed at how the affection of his little sister had been taken over by a human, even if he had performed miracles for them.


    "Zira!" Willem called out normally, but the imbuement of magic carried his voice across the vast fields of the Training Grounds.


    Thump! Thump! Thump!


    Zira charged toward Willem, whom she had not seen since their triumphal return to the Training Grounds. Her powerful hind legs dug deep into the ground, displacing it as she jumped forward toward her only friend.


    As she drew closer to Willem, her run dulled into a jog, then further into a trot as she arrived a mere few feet from his face.


    Willem smiled as he saw the Lightning Ape.


    "Zira, are they treating you well here?" Willem patted the large hairy shoulders of the female Ape.


    "Miss, you..." Zira pointed from herself to Willem to indicate how much she had missed his presence by her side.


    "I found little babies." Willem attempted to transition as best as possible to the chimpanzees he had found earlier.


    "My, babies?" Zira''s somber attitude quickly changed as she was now overflowing with energy, cracking the ground with her ridiculous strength. "Where my babies?"


    From behind Willem, the elder brother and younger sister chimpanzees revealed themselves to the Lightning Ape, thanks to an inescapable wind pressure Willem caused.


    Zira looked at the little chimpanzees and the light that filled her eyes quickly faded, replaced by a subtle darkness.


    "What is wrong, Zira?" Willem held his hands to her face and looked into her eyes.


    "Not MY babies." Zira pretended to wipe away a tear as she walked away from Willem slowly while sulking.


    The chimpanzees, unsure of what to do, screeched and threw dirt while clinging tightly to Willem''s robes.


    Willem patted the two chimpanzees on the head and coated them from head to toe in his magic. This small act did nothing but mask their scent from any predator until the magic wore off.


    The elder brother and younger sister eventually let go of Willem''s pants and began roaming the grounds looking for something to steal. Willem laughed as he watched them take a ladle from the Army cook and smack him on the head with it. Even the cook could not help but laugh as a small red lump began to form on the top of his head.


    As Willem prepared to head out, he noticed that a familiar magical armor had entered his range of perception.


    "A quick response." Willem whispered as the darkness magic enveloped his body, thrusting him from the mortal plane into the void.


    Carrying himself forward, Willem twisted through the void toward the familiar aura of the magical armor, like an anchor to his home world.


    As Willem emerged from the darkness, he appeared as if he was a demon spawning from a pool of black. The black mist that originally gathered around his arms fell back into the portal that he crawled out of.


    Willem stood up from the dark pool and stared down the man in front of him.


    "Grand Mage, S-s-sir..." The Knight Captain had returned from his excursion to the Royal Palace, and Willem had come to greet him personally.


    The sight of Willem cloaked in a black mist reaching out from a black pool unnerved Sir Gehrig, to the point that he forgot his own rank and poise.


    Willem also seemed to possess a more raw and majestic energy since he came back from fighting in the forest, and Sir Gehrig could sense that he had gotten even stronger than before.


    "What was the King''s response?" Willem dispensed with the trivialities, to comfort the Knight Captain.


    "I have it here." The Knight Captain reached into his pocket and pulled out a missive with the Seal of the King.


    Willem showed no hesitation as he grabbed it from the Knight Captain''s hands and cracked the Seal. Thumbing over the letter, a small and unnoticeable smile appeared on Willem''s face for a brief moment.


    - To the Grand Mage, Grandia.


    Thank you for your lenience in previous matters. This task you have bestowed will of course


    be handled by myself personally, to ensure that things are done properly. I understand that


    you have intentions against Blood City, so anything you require shall be yours. If you need


    any more letters sent, I have allowed Sir Gehrig full clearance to the Royal Grounds. I have


    placed my children in seclusion for training, just to make sure they do not bother you again.


    The One True King. -


    Willem shook his head at the foolishness of the King. To still sign his useless title knowing that the only person to read this would be Willem could only be considered a slap in the face.


    Mentioning that his children were now safe and away from the Bastion of Hope, hiding in seclusion, made his intentions abundantly clear.


    The One True King intended to go all out to keep the title of King away from Willem.


    "So, we have the full support to march against Blood City. Tell the soldiers to get ready for another fight soon." Willem burned the letter with a beautiful black flame before disappearing into the thick black mist that obscured Sir Gehrig''s vision.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Sir Gehrig hastily ran to make the announcement about the next campaign.


    Inside the Royal Palace.


    Some time had passed since Sir Gehrig spoke of the campaign details, and tension was running high among the soldiers.


    The war council had been summoned, by the One True King''s orders.


    Among the twenty council members that took their seats was the Grand Mage Archus, the Lovejoy Grand Elder, Sir Gehrig, and his mentor, Sir Kriev.


    Sir Kriev had an air of certainty, and a sharp aura to him. Just the sweep of his gaze was enough to cause a mild shock across the other chair holders.


    Many of the men who held positions at the council were old and frail, with wrinkles covering their faces, but their experiences were invaluable to keeping the interests of the Bastion of Hope.


    "The council convenes, The One True King speaks." Grand Mage Archus announced both the presence and the opening of discussion for the King.


    With a slight hint of disdain, the King tapped on the long square table lightly to indicate that what he was going to say was of paramount importance. Everyone leaned in closer to hear what he was about to speak.


    "With much thought, I have decided to send the Grand Mage Grandia and five thousand soldiers to take the Blood City." The King sat back in his chair and opened the floor to discussion.


    At first there was mild panic, and the elders seemed to be divided on the topic as they talked among themselves.


    Those who knew the One True King personally would understand that this was not his decision but the decision of someone else. The One True King would never willingly send his soldiers out, nor did he ever think of retaliating when a skirmish broke out.


    Some among the council called him "The Cowardly Lion".


    Without further hesitation, Sir Gehrig tapped on the table to share his position.


    "I support this decision. If we take Blood City we will have another stronghold in the worst case scenario. The resources of the Stinging Blood Tortoise would be incredibly important for the upcoming fights." Sir Gehrig finished his prepared speech and sat back down.


    A few elders stood, gave their position, and rejected the idea of going to war with Blood City.


    With just these votes, it seemed predestined that the decision would fail.


    Sir Kriev slowly stood up, supporting himself by placing his hand on the table. With his sharp gaze he stared down the other council members, as if he was looking into their souls through their eyes.


    "Cowards, in my day we would have gut you. Gehrig lacks elegance but his brain is not just for decoration and he would know better than anyone here. I support the fight."


    With one swift motion, the tone of the conversation changed from a yes or no to being a coward or supporting the Bastion of Hope. The other elders refused to be seen as cowards with the three who spoke before and all readily gave their consent.


    The acceptance by the Lovejoy Grand Elder and Grand Mage Archus was just icing on the cake for the decision. Thus, almost unanimously, the decision to march against Blood City passed.


    As the war council ended, The One True King and Grand Mage Archus remained behind to speak.


    "My King, how may I be of service to you." Grand Mage Archus bowed his head as the room finally cleared.


    "Do you truly not know what your pupil has done?" The One True King spoke furiously as his temper worsened.


    Red and blue magical aura poured out of The One True King''s body, and the Grand Mage was forced to cast defensive spells to stop from being injured.


    "My King!" Archus called out in plea as he was bombarded with an oppressive magical power.


    "Your pupil has attempted to usurp the throne, has threatened my Queen and children, and now strong arms me into endorsing an attack on Blood City. You will get your pupil in check or I will remove your head from your body in front of the Bastion of Hope for all to see!" The One True King''s magical aura boiled over and smashed apart the defensive shields of the Grand Mage.


    "Yes, yes. Please make it stop..." The Grand Mage feigned being severely injured in order to stop the One True King from hurting him further.


    After a brief moment, The One True King retracted his magical power and left the room.


    Immediately, the Grand Mage spat out a mouthful of blood and teleported to Willem''s Private Sanctum.


    At the Army Training Grounds.


    The sun had finally gone down and the moon was beautifully clear for anyone who was still awake.


    Though there was some small movement, the Training Grounds were quiet, everyone fast asleep and fighting demons in their dreams.


    A barn had been prepared for Zira to remain in the Training Grounds, since no other accommodation was large enough for the Lightning Ape.


    Zira was quietly rustling some hay, preparing to sleep, when she heard a small creak from the barn door.


    The chimpanzees were soaked from head to toe in grime and dirty water, and the cold night air hurt their bodies as it whipped past them.


    Having been kicked out of every other place in the Army Training Grounds, the two siblings finally came upon the barn.


    With her magically infused hearing, Zira had no problems understanding what was going on.


    After debating internally with herself, she finally went to the barn door and swung it open.


    The chimpanzees on the other side were shocked and attempted to run away in fear.


    Zira gently placed her hands on each of them, stopping their movement but not hurting them in any way.


    "Not, your fault." Zira picked up the chimpanzees and laid them against her bare chest, providing them with a source of warmth.


    The chimpanzees stopped fighting against the female Ape and hugged her to escape the biting cold.

 81 - Right And Wrong

    The chimpanzee siblings were coddled by Zira throughout the night, finally knowing a warmth they had not felt since their own Mother had held them so long ago.


    Zira felt the soft and damp fur of the chimpanzee siblings and remembered her own children, killed by the monstrous Red Dragon. She thought about how Willem had killed the Red Dragon whom had burned down her home and killed her children and she finally found solace within herself.


    Despite being in a new area filled with the humans she had been taught to fear, she slept peacefully and defenselessly with two small offspring in her arms.


    When dawn finally broke, Zira and the two chimpanzees awoke together and spent all their time together. Zira would wander the Training Grounds, greeting the various soldiers and military leaders. When breakfast came around, she lead the two chimpanzees to the mess hall where the soldiers had gathered to eat and talk among themselves.


    Zira gathered food for herself and the two siblings, and showed them how to properly eat without stealing from the soldiers around them.


    In the afternoon, she attempted to teach them how to speak, not through their voice, but by various gestures of the hands.


    This continued on for a couple of weeks until it was time for Zira and the soldiers to gather at the gate to march against the Blood City.


    Within Willem''s Private Sanctum.


    As Willem crafted weapons and armor for the upcoming fight against Blood City, Kinsey entered his study room without first knocking. Her face was filled with distress as she beckoned for Willem.


    "Willem, it is dire! The King attacked Archus!" Kinsey motioned for Willem to follow her.


    Willem stopped infusing the sword he was holding and sent his magical perception out of the study room to where Archus was, as a precaution.


    The old King knew Willem was fond of Archus beyond just being Master and pupil. With such similarities, under different circumstances they could be considered Father and Son.


    From his magical perception, Willem more or less understood what had happened to Archus.


    Willem followed Kinsey from the study room into the bedroom where Archus was getting his wounds dressed.


    As their eyes met, Willem noticed an almost imperceptible glint of happiness from the old man who had taught him magic. No words needed to be spoken between them, as Willem and Archus had a mutual understanding.


    As Anna finished bandaging Archus'' broken arm and hand, he stood from the bed and clasped his uninjured hand on Willem''s shoulder.


    Willem stood firmly, waiting for his Master to speak.


    "You have done well, Willem!" Archus'' throat was gritty and his face was full of emotion, something that Willem had not often seen from him before.


    "My one regret is not having told you, Master." Willem smiled as he accepted Archus'' praise.


    "If you had, I would have joined you and landed a few good hits on him. So you were not able to succeed in ousting him from the throne?" Archus'' face showed a complicated expression.


    "I could have killed him, but he still has use in my plans, that is the only reason he is yet alive. If I had known he would retaliate against you I would have put him down like the dog he is." Willem explained.


    "So you kept him alive, and now he seeks to keep you from the throne. He said if I did not put you in check he would cut off my head in front of the Bastion of Hope." Archus laughed as he removed his hand from Willem''s shoulder.


    "He has already moved his children into seclusion, thinking that I would use them against him. I cannot tell if he is underestimating me or overestimating himself." Willem admitted to Archus.


    Though Kinsey and Anna were in the room, they had already understood that nothing would happen to their Master, and felt a bit awkward about being a part of the conversation. As Willem and Archus conversed, they quietly backed out of the room and closed the door behind them.


    "The meeting has been held, everyone is in favor of fighting Blood City. This was your decision?" Archus asked.


    "That is right." Willem nodded his head.


    "Then, I will ask something of you right now, and I wish you not to judge me when I explain myself." Archus took a pillow from the bed and placed it on the ground, sitting on the pillow while crossing his legs.


    "I would not think to, please tell me what I can do." Willem did exactly as his Master and sat cross legged on the pillow.


    "Have you ever wondered why I have given you such special attention, when I have taken no other pupil? Surely you know that most Grand Mages have anywhere from three to five pupils that they train at any one time." Archus questioned Willem.


    "I have been curious, but since you have never mentioned it, I decided to keep it to myself." Willem answered openly.


    "Truthfully, I had never had any intentions of taking a pupil. When I first saw you, surviving as best as you could and just beginning to awaken to your magical power, you reminded me of my Son." Archus tilted his head so that Willem could no longer see his face while he stifled his tears.


    "You have a Son?" Willem approached the topic as cautiously as possible.


    "I had a Son." Archus was on the verge of tears as he recalled a young boy''s visage. "In every way he was like you, and he was even similar in age."


    "What happened?" Willem hesitated for a moment, before asking carefully.


    "He had just awakened to his magical power, an Earth Mage just like me. In my excitement, I immediately enrolled him in the Academy, eager to see him push the limits of his new found power." Archus slowly spoke like he was reading from a book. "When I offered to take him as my pupil, he insisted on going alone and earning things of his own merit."


    "Admirable..." Willem whispered.


    "Yes, admirable. But he was adamant about right and wrong, something I had taught him. From the very beginning of his new journey he was self righteous and brave. So when he saw an older student bullying a younger one, he stepped in to defend the younger student." Archus wiped away his tears. "The older student got angry and used a magic he was not able to completely control and ended up burning my Son alive."


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Willem covered his mouth with his hand after a gasp had accidentally escaped.


    "Magical duels at the time were not frowned upon, as long as it was for teaching or competition. When I felt his magical string break, I knew something was wrong and teleported to where I last felt his power. I was a few seconds too late to save him and could only watch his last moments as he looked me in the eyes." Archus tightened his hand into a fist. "The students who had watched and did nothing tried to explain to me what happened, but in my grief all I could think of was revenge."


    "Against the other Mage?" Willem was perplexed.


    "No, against the Mage''s Master. The Mage who killed my Son was the pupil of another Grand Mage belonging to the Academy, known as "Pacharus the Undying"." Archus furrowed his brows as a wave of anger washed over him.


    "Did you find him?" Willem waited patiently while Archus continued to work through his anger.


    "I did not find him. When he heard about what happened, he fled the Bastion of Hope in the night. In an effort to absolve himself of any wrongdoings, The One True King claimed to have exiled him, knowing I could not disobey a royal decree." Archus released his fist and breathed deeply. "Pacharus took all his research and was accepted into the Blood City as an equal thanks to his knowledge."


    "As an equal?" Willem was surprised.


    "Despite all the humans they capture being used as slaves, Pacharus is known to be living a lavish life. For you though, that just makes him easier to find. He would be the only human who does not look like a slave." Archus looked to Willem knowingly. "If you find him in Blood City, I only ask you to bring me his head."


    "This is a request that I gladly accept, Master." Willem bowed to Archus as he spoke.


    "In many ways, you have already exceeded me. To be called Master by someone who I consider my equal is already embarrassing for me." Archus scratched his head and stretched his back. "When you leave, it will be as a pupil seeking revenge for his Master. However, when you return, it will be as a hero who is in every way better than me."


    "Master." Willem nodded his head in acknowledgement and placed his right hand over his chest. "As you command."


    "Good, good. Now, what shall be done about the King?" Archus was curious about how Willem intended to retaliate against the old King.


    "I have not killed him yet, for a few reasons. Not long ago, I had a dream that felt completely real, almost like a vision of the future. I am convinced that I have already seen his end, and unfortunately it means that the Bastion of Hope will fall to the Magical Beings. However by that time, we will already have expanded our forces and taken half of the territories they own." Willem conjured some tea that Kinsey had been preparing in the kitchen for Archus and himself to drink. "While he lives, anything I write to him he must do for fear of death. Even if he struggles a bit, his fate has already been sealed the moment he stood against me."


    "You saw visions of the future in your dreams?" Archus seemed to have not even heard the latter half of Willem''s explanation as he focused on those words.


    "Is something the matter, Master?" Willem passed the tea cup to Archus so that he could drink it.


    "I remember reading old documents about something called ''dream seers''. They have the ability to see the past and future in their dreams. As I recall, it was a special ability that one Magical Being family was known for. If only I could recall what their name was." Archus scratched his head as he sipped at his sweet tea.


    As Archus searched through his memory for more information, Willem uncrossed his legs, standing up and stretching. It had been a while since Willem could just stop and enjoy a conversation without ulterior motives, which was refreshing for him.


    "Ah!" Archus stopped scratching his head as he snapped his fingers, remembering the name of the family.


    "It was The Thousand Eyes Clan of Magical Beings that had a special ability to see the past and future through dreams or meditation. They could also enter and eat other people''s dreams, turning them into nightmares." Archus recalled what he had read from a musty old tome in the restricted section of the Grand Library.


    [Is this what J?rmungandr meant when he said I was not a human?] Willem thought to himself while he listened to Archus'' explanation.


    "Do you think I have some connection to The Thousand Eyes Clan?" Willem looked at Archus with confusion.


    "Only those with the bloodline can use this power, but according to some recent research, even the most diluted blood can use a bloodline ability to some extent. Your parents may have been human, but if you trace your lineage long enough you may find a Magical Being''s presence." Archus nodded his head.


    Willem sighed heavily.


    "I think it is my turn to tell you a story, Master." Willem sat back down on the pillow and crossed his legs.


    "Very well. Enlighten me." Grand Mage Archus stroked his beard as he quietly listened to Willem.


    Willem removed from his breast pocket a small wine stained letter and handed it to the Grand Mage.


    The Grand Mage looked over the letter somewhat incredulously, questions written all over his wrinkled face.


    <hr />


    It''s been about 10 days since the last update. I would like to explain to you all that I have just started a new full time job and the updates might come more slowly until I am able to sort out time for work and my personal life as I do not wish for one to interfere with another. The chapters will continue to flow, albeit a little more slowly. Thank you all for your understanding, and with a new full time job I no longer have to worry about securing funds! Still, any donation is appreciated.

 82 - A Matter Of Time

    "The contents of this letter, are they true?" Grand Mage Archus placed his finger on his lips as he re-read the letter over and over again.


    "Yes, Master. I would not dare deceive you." Willem bowed his head, but he could not hide his shaking hands.


    This was the first time he had revealed the letter to anyone, but Willem trusted the Grand Mage almost blindly ever since he had a hand in helping save his friends.


    "Good, I knew there was something different about you ever since that fateful day I began to teach you. My family has always believed that Humans and Magical Beings could co-exist one day, perhaps you will be the bridge that connects the two worlds." Archus carefully closed the letter and returned it to Willem.


    "You do not think I am a monster?" Willem said as he accepted the letter back from Archus.


    "Of course not, you are like a son to me, no matter what... Race, you may be." Archus placed his wrinkled hand on Willem''s shoulder.


    A vibrant warmth circulated through the Grand Mage''s palm as Willem continued to hold on tightly to the letter.


    "I should go, Willem. I cannot oppose the One True King like you can. I can only mislead him for so long." The Grand Mage removed his hand from Willem''s shoulder and began to cast his teleportation spell.


    Before long, the teleportation spell went off and Archus had disappeared, leaving behind a few sparks of mana that dwindled into nothing.


    Willem went back to creating weapons and armor for the upcoming fight in his study.


    As Willem spoke with Archus.


    Kinsey was in the kitchen making tea for Willem and Archus when she felt a strong pain in her stomach, seemingly out of nowhere.


    The tea was teleported away by Willem with impeccable timing, just as Kinsey fell to the ground clutching her stomach in distress.


    Anna, whom was nearby, immediately ran to Kinsey''s side upon seeing her in distress.


    "Take me to the bed, please." Kinsey pleaded.


    With some Spatial Manipulation Magic, Anna lifted Kinsey from the ground without touching her and gently carried her to the bed.


    Kinsey gripped the hem of the skirt she was wearing as she tossed and turned in the bed. The food that she had eaten earlier was quickly thrown up into the wooden bucket kept at the side of the bed.


    Anna grew increasingly concerned as Kinsey''s condition worsened.


    "What do I do?" Anna tore a piece of cloth and dipped it into a basin of cold water before placing it on Kinsey''s forehead to combat the fever.


    "When Willem is finished his work, then you can tell him. Do not disturb him until then." Kinsey held the cloth on her forehead in one hand while clutching her stomach with the other.


    Anna, still unsure of what to do, watched over Kinsey with much concern.


    Willem felt Anna''s concern through the connection that he had with her, and looked over Kinsey''s condition.


    He understood immediately what ailed her, and also understood that there was not much he could do to ease her pain.


    Kinsey Dragon was suffering from morning sickness.


    Willem could not help but feel a mixture of pride and concern as he watched Kinsey toss and turn in pain. He had always felt that the mental fortitude of Kinsey was nothing to scoff at, even early on in their relationship.


    Of course, her pregnancy was not unexpected in any way. Ever since they had begun mating, Willem and Kinsey had failed to use any sort of protection or method of prevention. Unless one of them was sterile, it was only a matter of time before she was with child.


    Yet, Willem could not bring himself to look over her directly. In his mind, Kinsey was no longer a simple servant who just obeyed orders and attended to his needs.


    However, she had always been contracted to him through the magical branding, and he did not know if her feelings were true because of it.


    This line of thinking distracted him even while he worked on the magical enchantments to the weapons, causing them to be of lesser quality than usual.


    Despite being of lesser quality, they would still be considered a force of nature compared to the abysmal weapons the Magic Academy created and gave to the Army before.


    After a few rounds of sighing and pacing back and forth, Willem finally steeled his resolve and left his study room to go to Kinsey''s side.


    Upon arriving in the room, Willem silently moved to Kinsey''s side. When Anna saw Willem, she immediately stood and bowed before leaving the room, closing the door behind herself.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Willem held his breath as he brushed the hair away from Kinsey''s face.


    "Am I dying?" Kinsey asked as she tightened her grip on the cloth, a small tear flowing from her face onto the bed sheets.


    "Of course not, put the very idea out of your mind." Willem placed his cold hands on Kinsey''s face to cool her down.


    "What is wrong with me?" Kinsey felt a little light-headed and had an increasingly hard time keeping her eyes open.


    "You are with child, Kinsey." Willem placed his hand over Kinsey''s stomach as he delivered the news to her.


    With wide eyes, Kinsey placed her hand on top of Willem''s and smiled for the first time in what seemed like a long time.


    Willem took out a potion from his spatial spell and placed it at Kinsey''s lips, urging her to drink it. Kinsey began to drink the weird-looking liquid without hesitation.


    An immediate relief washed over Kinsey as soon as she finished drinking from the potion.


    "The pain suppression elixir?" Kinsey looked at Willem with a face of relief.


    "An extremely diluted mixture, meant for small wounds." Willem nodded and kissed Kinsey on the neck.


    The warmth of the kiss contradicted the previous cold from his hands to create a unique feeling on Kinsey''s body.


    "You should rest, Anna will take over your duties." Willem placed the basin of water to within Kinsey''s reach and replaced the wet cloth on her forehead.


    "I can still move, I can still work..." Kinsey spoke feverishly, but she was adamant that she could still be of use to Willem.


    "You can work on delivering a healthy baby. Anything you need, just tell me." Willem heated a separate wet cloth for Kinsey to use at her leisure. "Now get some rest, please."


    "Okay, Master." Kinsey closed her weary eyes but continued to hold his hand in hers. A subtle warmth permeated from her hand to his, and he could feel her heart gently beating.


    When Kinsey had finally fallen asleep, Willem gently removed his hand from hers and silently left the room.


    Willem reached out to two maids from among the staff that Kinsey had hired and left them in charge of Kinsey''s well-being during the pregnancy.


    When the maids heard that Kinsey was with child, they laughed giddily to each other while preparing a proper resting area for Kinsey, fulling knowing her personality of wanting to work even when she should not.


    News spread quickly thanks to the two maids, and every family within the Private Sanctum felt the need to bring some sort of gift as a representation of the auspicious occasion.


    In order to not interrupt Kinsey''s rest, a celebration party was planned for tomorrow night instead and the families worked together with Willem to create a Grand Hall in the Private Sanctum that would be worthy of the event.


    The impending event whipped up a frenzy of buying and trading in the Bastion of Hope as various servants teleported back to town, though no one within the city knew what was happening. Seeing the servants of major families rushing around in haste to buy various goods and foreign foods caused much speculation to flow from the lips of merchants around the city.


    The One True King send out spies to see what information they could gather, but the servants had kept tight lipped about the whole event for fear of revealing information they should not have. The lack of information prompted the spies to return swiftly and explain the details to the King, much to their chagrin.


    As quickly as the servants flooded the markets, buying only the finest materials, they quickly vanished and no trace of their presence remained. This was incredibly unsettling to the various thieves and spies in the Bastion of Hope, whom were hoping to gain something from the influx of spending by robbing the servants before they could return to their masters.


    All in all, the major families gathered a small fortune in gifts in order to shower Kinsey with the blessings and good fortune that one could hope for during childbirth.


    Even Willem walked around with an unusually exuberant step, causing others around him to do the same.


    Arania, whom was busy torturing the Magical Beings, was the last to receive the news of Kinsey''s pregnancy.


    Having been around Willem and the other servants for so long, even she was beginning to understand her role in the small matters Willem entrusted to her. All the things Willem could not do as an upstanding citizen of the Bastion of Hope, naturally fell upon Arania to accomplish.


    She also understood that Willem was overly generous to those who helped him succeed, and utterly destroyed anyone who opposed him. As long as she kept her head down and assisted Willem as he saw fit, she was sure he would release her from her mortal coil in time.


    Though Demons were not known for their patience, Arania was no fool, and the magical binding that both trapped her soul and inhibited her strength revealed everything to Willem as if an open book. For Arania, there was no point in hiding her true feelings, even if it was her deepest desire to do so.


    When she finally heard about the pregnancy, her first thought as a Demon was to feast upon the child. However that was just her natural impulse, which was easily tempered by her current situation and willpower.


    With the ability to shift into an Astral Spider at any time, Arania began interweaving thirty separate strands together from her own spinnerets to create an incredibly durable yet light spider web. She intended to use the silk aspect of her thread, but ended up using the sticky thread, as she was still not use to her new form.


    It took multiple tries before she could correctly control the silk thread that she intended to craft with, and even more attempts to successfully bind multiple strands together. This caused alot of failures and half spun webs that she would later consume to re-use.


    After hours of honing this particular skill, Arania was able to successfully create a strong and durable spider silk sheet or pure white to give to the new Young Master upon his arrival. She quietly tucked away her present at the bottom of a chest in the torture room and left the room, prepared to greet her Master.


    In the newly built Grand Hall.


    Willem was arranging the Grand Hall just as the various family head''s envisioned, creating seated balconies above the main dining area for the major family elders and councilors. Since it was not Willem''s forte, he would just nod to the instructions given to him by the big-breasted Lovejoy family head.


    As Willem placed the finishing touches on the murals and various paintings, Arania arrived at the new Grand Hall. Willem could sense urgency emanating from her body and excused himself for a moment from the presence of the families.


    "What is the matter?" Willem led Arania away from the families and into his study room nearby.


    "I was able to extract some more information from the Magical Beings about Blood City, just as you asked." Arania looked at Willem triumphantly, awaiting praise.


    Willem nodded his head and loosened the immense restrictions on the magical binding. He did not need to do this in order to get information from Arania, but praising good work went hand in hand with achieving good results.


    "I think you will find this quite interesting, Master..." Arania''s teeth clacked together as a malicious smile appeared on her face.

 83 - If It Bleeds...

    Willem motioned for Arania to sit down and tell him the good news.


    Arania did exactly what was expected of her at took a seat in the chair that Willem materialized.


    "Speak now." Willem stared into the demon''s eyes as if reaching into the depths of her soul.


    Arania lowered her head submissively and stuttered out the secrets she uncovered.


    "The majority of citizens in Blood City are dark elves according to one of the slaves. The Magical Beings made a deal with the Stinging Blood Tortoise thousands of years ago for protection within it''s territory." Arania sputtered out a couple of sentences before the ominous feelings took over her.


    "Continue." Willem read her heart palpitations for proof of a lie, while strengthening the magical connection to monitor her thoughts.


    "The promise made between the Magical Beings and the Tortoise is known among all citizens. In exchange for protection inside the Stinging Blood Tortoise, they promised to slay his mortal enemy and attain it''s Primordial Soul." Arania focused as hard as possible to recall the exact words the tortured victim used.


    Arania''s voice overlapped with her thoughts inside Willem''s mind, word for word.


    "Primordial Soul..." Willem attempted to recall anything on the topic, but this term was never mentioned in any books he had read.


    "Master, there is more." Arania continued to hang her head.


    A brief pause and no dismissal from Willem gave Arania the consent she needed to keep speaking.


    "The dark elves worship the Moon Goddess, so they volunteered to raise a city with the Tortoise''s permission. Inside the Tortoise there is no Sun, only darkness with a tinge of red from the tendrils of the Tortoise, which is the ideal for dark elves who are used to living underground or in mountains." Arania licked her chapped lips multiple times while reciting word for word what she was told.


    Willem released his strengthened grip on the connection to Arania and stopped reading her heart. The release was akin to a wave of pleasure washing over the demon. Cold shivers washed down the humanoid body as Arania removed herself from the chair and knelt before Willem.


    "Keep on it, even if it kills them. If they die, keep their bodies strapped in as a warning to the others." Willem issued his orders and left the study room first.


    On his way down the stairs toward the Grand Hall, an intriguing thought occurred to him while he stared at the runic teleportation circle.


    Willem removed a gem from his spatial spell and stenciled onto it the teleportation spell in front of him, connecting a magic tether from the gem to the self-sustaining runic circle.


    Upon completion, the beautifully cut gem radiated the same yellow color as the runic circle. Willem wrapped the gem with leather and made it into a necklace.


    Without testing it, he created six more identical gems with an identical connection to the runic circle.


    "This will do nicely." Willem spoke out loud as he finished the final necklace and looked around.


    A few of the family members from the major families had been waiting patiently to offer a snack to Willem who had been absorbed in thought.


    Willem graciously accepted the snacks and went back to the Grand Hall, finishing up the decorations with the help of the families.


    The little girl that Willem rescued, Lia, sat down at one of the tables while watching her "daddy" manipulate magical energies to accomplish what he wanted.


    Her large blue eyes shone brilliantly as she mimicked Willem''s actions. However, she was far too young to manifest any sort of magical powers. She only copied Willem out of affection.


    Willem smiled while watching her and doing his work. The small spirit wolf pup that Lia was to take care sat on the table, lapping up milk but being unable to stand for any length of time.


    In the Royal Palace.


    Grand Mage Archus patiently waited outside the throne room while the guards stayed by his side. After a few moments, the doors opened to the throne room and a royal attendant ushered the Grand Mage inside.


    The guards took their leave and the Grand Mage walked inside. Upon arriving at the steps to the throne, Archus kneeled and offered his greetings.


    "Oh my, Grand Mage Archus. Pray tell what warrants your visit this day?" The Queen hid a malicious smile behind a pink fan covering her face.


    "Forgive my impudence, my Queen. Today I have business with The One True King." Archus flicked his cloak to reveal his hand rolled into a fist and placed above his heart.


    "Anything you have to say, can be said to the both of us, here, now." The One True King smiled, but his eyes remained expressionless.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    "As you wish, I have done as you asked after the meeting and begged my pupil to come back to the fold. As you know, his power is far greater than mine, so I appealed to him as his mentor." Archus remained kneeling as he delivered his report.


    "Very good, time will tell if this little story has some truth to it. Remain in your Private Sanctum, and do not step a hair out of line or your life and the life of anyone under you is forfeit." The One True King continued to smile as he uttered his threat.


    "As you command, my King." Archus stood up from his kneeling position and distorted the space around him, teleporting from the Royal Palace to his Private Sanctum.


    The King sat quietly on his throne and spat at the ground in front of him as Archus left. The royal attendant immediately found a rag to clean up the spit.


    As the royal attendant kneeled in front of the King to clean up the spit, the King kicked him down the stairs.


    The royal attendant crashed at the bottom of the stairs, whimpered, and immediately stood up. He hobbled up the stairs and continue to clean.


    The Queen had a scowl on her face as she looked at the royal attendant. The King just sat upon his throne and continued to laugh.


    "Forgive me for my clumsiness, my King." The royal attendant begged.


    The King watched as the royal attendant scrubbed the floor in front of him clean.


    "Leave us, I wish to be alone with my Queen." The King stared at the royal attendant as he scampered away in fear.


    When the doors closed behind the royal attendant, the King stood from his throne and grabbed his Queen by the arm. He forced her to stand up and he ripped at her garments until nothing remained.


    With the Queen''s memories altered completely, the only thing she knew was that she loved the King unconditionally. Therefore in her mind the King could do no wrong.


    The King however understood that the Queen he had now was not the same Queen he had married when she was younger. The younger Queen had a fiery personality, was short-tempered and never did as she was told. This Queen was level-headed, or more so just a broken doll, and all she could do was express her love for her King and her scorn for all others.


    Even if the King was a little rough, his Queen never got mad or sad, but instead took the assault as if it was in her very nature.


    The One True King understood that this was not his Queen, nor were there any signs of him ever getting her back. However he had found a new use for his Queen as a catharsis for his nightmares.


    He bent his broken Queen over the arms of her throne and began to sexually assault her from behind. His massive hands grabbed flesh with no thought to holding his strength back, thrusting in and out of her orifice with reckless abandon.


    Though the Queen loved the King very much, her body still had the reactions of a normal human. So while her face contorted and revealed ecstasy from the unfolding event, she began to bleed between the legs from a lack of lubrication prior to intercourse.


    The King did not stop his violence as he continued to roughly abuse her body, tossing her to the ground and shoving himself inside her.


    Nor did the Queen even squirm or speak, but instead just lay down and maintain eye contact with the only man she had ever loved in the entirety of her life while he used her body.


    When the King was finished with his catharsis, he covered his Queen''s body in a white sheet and carried her to the bed. The vaginal tear had dyed the bed covers red, and showed no signs of stopping.


    The King sighed as his Queen looked at his quizzically. With a little focus, he activated Darkness Healing to heal the wound and stop the bleeding.


    "Stay here, I will be back in the morning." The King commanded as he slipped on a black cloak and left the bedchambers.


    The Queen laid in the bed and thought about how much she loved her King.


    Outside a brothel in the inner city of the Bastion of Hope, a cloaked figure entered and asked for a couple of women to attend to him.


    The proprietor asked if there were any specific requirements or if any two women would suffice.


    "I want one that looks like the Queen." The cloaked figure dropped a few gold coins and headed to one of the rooms.


    The proprietor swiped his brow of sweat and picked up the gold before finding a woman who looked close enough to the Queen.


    After fifteen minutes, two women entered the room that the black cloaked figure was in.


    "Are you the man who was looking for a Queen?" A young, beautifully curvy woman with blonde hair and green eyes innocently asked.


    The woman standing behind her was a little older, with wrinkles creasing her face. The woman could easily be mistaken as the Queen''s body double, if the King had gotten to her first. That was how eerily similar the woman was to looking like the Queen. If it were not for the less than mediocre clothing they wore, the cloaked figure would have been sure it was in fact the Queen.


    "You can go." The cloaked figure ordered the young blonde girl to leave.


    The older woman closed the door behind her and got on both knees in front of the cloaked figure. Without removing his black cloak, she expertly removed his flaccid penis from under his robes and began to fellate him with vigor.


    The cloaked figure reached out and grabbed the back of her head, forcing her further down until she began to choke on his hardening penis.


    The woman attempted to resist with all of her strength but she could not break from his iron grasp, and she was beginning to feel short of breath.


    The cloaked figure released the woman''s mouth from his genitalia in a moment of hesitation.


    The woman choked for air and wrestled away from his grip.


    "What did I ever do to you, you pig!" She screamed as she attempted to get away from the cloaked figure.


    The cloaked man reached deep into his pocket and pulled out a handful of gold, enough money for her to stop being a prostitute and live a life of luxury twice over.


    After some slight hesitation, she eventually sat back up and placed his hand on the back of her head.


    "Do whatever gets you off." There was a particularly savage tone to her voice, but she nonetheless opened her dripping mouth willingly to be ravaged by his still erect penis.


    The cloaked figure did not force himself upon her anymore, but instead ran his fingers through her hair gently. She took this as the queue to continue her work.


    The cloaked figure caressed the back of her head as she continued to perform fellatio on him. After ten minutes had passed, he lifted her up off the ground and laid her on the filthy bed in the damp room.


    With one quick motion, he hiked up her unexceptional brown dress and removed the underlying cloth protecting her place of business.


    The prostitute was already moist by the time he entered her, and the heaving mass under the cloak gently began moving himself inside her. The intercourse was so gentle and serene that if one was to walk in, they might be convinced the two were lovers.


    After the cloaked figure was finished, he left the room with the woman in a daze and placed the gold from his hand onto the reception desk.


    "Was it that enjoyable, esteemed guest?" The proprietor rubbed his hands together greedily eyeing the coins.


    "She is now my property." The cloaked figure waited for a reply.


    The proprietor counted out the gold coins before depositing them safely in his pocket.


    "Of course, where shall I send her things?" The proprietor bowed to the figure.


    "Burn them. Tell no one I was even here." The cloaked figure no longer hesitated as he returned to the room, grabbed the woman and teleported to the Royal Palace bedchambers.

 84 - A Cruel Mistress

    As the final touches of magic were cast and ribbons placed upon the walls of the Grand Hall, Willem and Lia sat back and enjoyed the view.


    The hard work of the major families had come to fruition and created a Grand Hall worthy of a King, in Willem''s honor. The balcony overlooking the entire area was specially placed for Willem to deliver a speech from.


    Even Willem had no problem admitting that if he had done it alone, such a beautiful design would not have been possible. There were some things he just was not good at, and aesthetics was one of them.


    Lia sat on Willem''s lap and held her spirit wolf pup gently in her arms, and for a moment it seemed as if she was about to doze off. The young pup had already fallen fast asleep after drinking all the milk in his bowl. The tranquility of the room and the magical power emitting from Willem could be felt by all whom were present, giving off a sense of calm that was seldom felt in the outside world.


    With the final touches to the Grand Hall completed, Willem went to Kinsey''s new resting area and woke her up gently.


    "Mmmm..." Kinsey''s face slightly shook as she was nudged awake.


    "Kinsey... Awaken, I have something for you." Willem showed no emotion as he prodded her awake.


    Kinsey''s eyes slowly fluttered open as she gazed lovingly at Willem.


    "Good morning, Master." Kinsey moved as she had done so many times before, but found her strength to be alot weaker than it used to be.


    Willem caught her in his arms as she struggled with maintaining an upright posture.


    "I have you, we can go slowly." Willem partially held her on one side as one of the attendants held her on the other.


    "Go? Where to, Master?" Kinsey had been sleeping all night and most of the day, and was therefore not privy to the hustling and quieted hushes that typically had filled the halls of the Private Sanctum.


    "It is a surprise, just trust me. Lia is already asleep in her bed." Willem had entrusted Lia to the Lovejoy family head, and given her his magical signature to allow her passage to the upper level.


    As Willem gently guided Kinsey toward the Grand Hall, the major and minor families all kneeled down on one knee as if in worship.


    Having never been idolized to this degree, Kinsey was unsure of how to react and held onto Willem a little bit harder.


    After a short walk, Willem and Kinsey arrived to the doors of the Grand Hall.


    "I have never seen this room before?" Kinsey could not help but remark as she searched her memory briefly.


    "You are right, my darling. Come inside." Willem traced the magical signature on the door and they slowly opened to near deafening applause.


    Major and minor families alike applauded Kinsey as she made her way inside, forcing herself to walk alone as if a testament to her own strength. Willem hung around in the backdrop, making sure he would be ready and able to catch her if she faltered.


    However, such an event never occurred, as she greeted each family head personally and gave her thanks for the celebrations. The families parted as she made her way to the balcony overlooking the Grand Hall and gave a short speech to honor those in attendance.


    "Esteemed guests, allow me to give my profound thanks for making this event. Truly this is a night to celebrate, and celebrate we shall. I will never forget this honor you have bestowed upon me." Kinsey gave a curtsy and an eloquent chair befitting a Queen was placed behind her to sit on.


    Kinsey sat down gently as the Major families one by one presented the gifts to her. Since the Lovejoy family head was preoccupied, the Grand Elder instead placed the gift of the Lovejoy family, the finest silks the Bastion of Hope had to offer.


    The Smith family was next and presented a uniquely ornamented dagger encrusted with jewels and gold lining. The Warden family brought forth some of the finest delicacies the Bastion of Hope had to offer, including exotic foods that could only be purchased with promises instead of gold.


    The Wight family brought forth what they deemed most important, knowledge. Hundreds of books, personally written by the family head himself or his best scribes.


    Finally, the Curo family head brought forth a small, ornate wooden box.


    Curious, Kinsey accepted the gift and slowly opened it to find a small ring that perfectly fit Kinsey''s fourth finger. The ring boasted a rather sizable red diamond, one of the rarest gems that could be found in the Bastion of Hope.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    The minor families also gave their offerings of food, clothing, baby clothes, toys and services in the name of the unborn child.


    Once all the gifts had been conferred, Willem stood at the front of the balcony and cleared his throat. The jovial talk immediately died down and all attention was now on him.


    "Thank you once again for the gifts you have bestowed on this day. Soon the time will come when your families will thrive above all others, and on that day I hope you do not forget who you are at your core. For a truly prosperous world, we must all work together. Soon, I shall lead an assault on Blood City with the intention of wiping out the dark elves that have plagued us. When we have expelled the Magical Beasts, I wish for each family here to send a branch of their family to take residence in this new place. Take what you need in order to survive." Willem finished his speech nicely and bowed slightly in acknowledgment.


    The families began to discuss the implications of this offensive to themselves as the major families began preparing writ missives.


    The Grand Elder of the Lovejoy family sought out Willem''s council, waiting until the other guests had finished greeting him and then requesting a private audience.


    "Grand Mage, might I have a moment of your time in private. It is to do with the assault on Blood City." The Grand Elder kept his voice as low as possible as to not concern any of those near them.


    "Of course, by all means please follow me." Willem nodded as he looked back to Kinsey. "Just a bit of business to take care of, I will return. Do not forget this is all for you."


    Kinsey smiled and waved him away casually, displaying a beautiful but daring grin.


    Willem and the Grand Elder left the Grand Hall and made their way to his study room. The door, curiously, was open and unlocked. Willem was sure he had properly closed it when he left, but attributed it to the family head of the Lovejoy family getting lost on the upper level when delivering Lia to her bed.


    "We can talk without fear of being overheard in here." Willem motioned for the Grand Elder to sit in the chair across his desk, as he quietly closed the door behind them.


    "As you very well already know, I sat on the war council during the discussion of the attack on Blood City. Most of the men there understood that it was not the will of The One True King to go to war, but only a few know who truly wishes for it." The Grand Elder sat upright in his chair at full attention.


    Willem sat at his desk and looked through the papyrus that had been splayed out. Five thousand soldiers, ready to give their lives for the Bastion of Hope. Hundreds of Mages, eager to serve the Grand Mage. Formations, attack patterns, the roaming path of the Stinging Blood Tortoise.


    "As you may already be aware, The One True King has hidden his children away. If you were to ask me how I know of this... It is because I was the one to hide them at his behest." A crooked grin appeared on the Grand Elder''s face. "If you request it of me, I will gladly give you their location."


    Willem thumbed through his notes, but his expression did not change.


    "What would you have me do with two nobody''s who cannot change their own fate." Willem did not lift his gaze from the papers in front of him.


    "Clearly the Prince and Princess are the weak spot of The One True King. If we use them we can strike him down." The Grand Elder had lost his grin, but his speech remained vicious and cold.


    "So long as this knowledge remains in this room alone, I will allow you to understand something." Willem finally looked up from his paper, staring the Grand Elder dead in the eyes.


    "Of course, Grand Mage." The Grand Elder had never felt such pressure in his life, even from The One True King.


    "Very well... Regardless of what movements we make against his kin, The One True King is destined to die, and the Bastion of Hope burns with him. All you need to do is make sure you do not stand beside him when it happens." Willem released the pressure of his gaze and magically pulled a book from his small library.


    "The Bastion of Hope... Burns?... I... I see this has already been well handled, I shall bother you no further." The Grand Elder hurriedly stood up and made ready to leave.


    "Hold on a moment, I wish to impart with you something from my own collection. This book contains the families I have documented as not being particularly loyal to the crown. If you go to them as my envoy, and lead them to this Private Sanctum, with their understanding of my intention to take Blood City and expand, then you shall be the leader of Blood City when the dark elves have fallen." Willem gently floated the book into the hands of the Grand Elder.


    "I solemnly swear to the best of my ability to carry out this duty given to me, Grand Mage." The Grand Elder bowed and scurried along, slightly concerned that the Grand Mage may yet change his mind.


    As the door closed behind him, Willem looked down at the drawer to his side. The lock had been tampered with and the paper inside was not in the same order he had put them in.


    "I guess it was only a matter of time before something like this would happen." Willem traced the distinct smell with his magic and followed it back to the Lovejoy family head.


    As the Lovejoy family head was in the upper level.


    To do as the Grand Mage asked was considered a great honor among any major family, so when Willem went to the Lovejoy family head and asked her to deliver the small child he carried in his arms to her bed on the upper level, she had no intention of saying no.


    With that notion, the Grand Mage traced something along the Lovejoy family head''s shoulder that allowed her safe passage to the upper level, which had a magical barrier deterring anyone not allowed entry.


    More than a few times, the family head had gotten lost as she had only been to the upper level once, when the families first arrived. Before the kitchen was placed on the middle level, it had been an off-shoot of the study room and sleeping quarters. When she finally found the child''s bedroom, she gently placed the sleeping girl and her spirit wolf pup on the small quilted bed and wrapped the blankets around them.


    For a brief moment, the family head recalled something that had been in the back of her mind for a long time. Once, in what seemed like a long time ago, she too was with child and it had been the most important time of her life. However, complications arised and she had lost the baby in childbirth. If she had given birth to the healthy baby, it would be about the same age as this little girl in front of her. Perhaps in another life her child would have grown up together with this little girl as friends, or lovers, and she would have grandchildren to play with and spoil.


    However, fate was well and truly a cruel mistress.

 85 - Six Warm Ale

    The memories that flowed through her mind seemed a lifetime ago, and the Lovejoy family head slowly dismissed them. There were times to distract oneself from their present endeavors, and now was not one of those times.


    As she made herself ready to leave, she noticed the magical signature on her shoulder that had previously been showing a particularly strong blue hue was now fading to grey. The Lovejoy family head took this as the Grand Mage no longer tracking her specific movements now that she had fulfilled his request.


    Closing the door behind her, the Lovejoy family head attempted to and ultimately failed in properly navigating back to the middle level, getting lost multiple times to dead end hallways. With slight resignation, she held her breath and opened a previously locked door in order to try and understand where she was.


    The room she entered was filled with bookshelves holding different types of books, scattered papers and semi-valuable resources. In the middle was a beautifully made desk with two chairs on either side. Curiosity overcame the family head as she closed the door behind her and approached the desk.


    On the wonderfully crafted wooden desk sat multiple papers with archaic symbols and patterns that she had no knowledge of, but had appeared to be vaguely familiar to her. They had the same intonations and stress patterns in their markings as the teleportation runic circle within the Private Sanctum''s middle layer.


    When the family head approached the desk, the candle-holder magically lit itself as if in response to her presence. The family head jolted back in surprise, accidentally knocking into one of the bookcases. Hastily cleaning up after herself, she began to make her way back to the door to leave when a small glint caught her attention. Hesitating for a brief moment, the family head let go of her breath and slowly made her way to the object that she had barely noticed.


    On the ground beside the desk, quite inconspicuously, was a small marble sized piece of pure silver. As if it had just fallen off the desk, it perfectly placed itself in a spot to only be noticed from a very specific angle. Unless someone was to specifically be looking for it, it most likely would have been lost in this small nook forever.


    The Lovejoy family head picked up the pure silver marble and held it gently in between her thumb and index finger. The grooves of the silver were impossibly smooth, as if they had never seen human error during it''s production.


    As if responding to the family head''s curiosity, the marble began to slowly melt and wrap around her index finger, taking the form of a ring. Try as she might, the ring would not budge from the position it had taken on her finger.


    Not knowing if this was a test from the Grand Mage or just pure coincidence, or whether it could be considered a good or bad omen, the family head again resigned to her fate. The family head hastily looked around for something to pry the ring off with. She had found engraving tools on the desk and attempted to remove the ring with them, but to her dismay it would not budge even a little bit.


    Not being one to quit, the family head got behind the desk and tried to open the drawer, which she quickly understood as being locked. Using the engraving tools as makeshift lock picks, she recalled the skills she had learned in her youth and pried the lock open gently.


    Inside the drawer were more random papers and some inkwells organized perfectly, compared to the disorganized mess on the top of the desk.


    Digging through the papers, unsure of what she was looking for, she came across a blood and wine-stained letter.


    Though gently used, the letter showed it''s age with every tear and slowly dissolving ink blot. Unable to hold back her curious nature, she slowly opened the folded letter and began to read it''s content. Despite the aged feeling and barely visible lettering, the paper did not give way to pressure as if it had preserved with magic.


    - To my dea*est *on,


    Forgive m- my big, beau***ul son, I know you --- --- -- the strong Mother tha* *aised you, disciplined you and protect** you, but truthfully I am weak.


    If it were not for the love of Alexander, I would not be where I am today, nor could I have protected you. In truth, you are not born of my blood and sweat, but from another woman.


    It seems like such a long time ago that I first held you in my arms as I ran for my life from the Magical Beings that hunted you. I am sorry I could not tell you, but I feared you would never forgive me.


    I am going to be with my Husband now, and even though I can never forgive myself for leaving you, I know I have raised a strong, caring boy. Please find it in your heart to forgive me for being such a coward.


    Your Mother, Always.


    Sarah Saye. -


    The smudges at the top of the letter had finally taken it''s toll and warped some of the words beyond recognition, but the rest of the letter remained somewhat intact.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Upon realizing what she was reading, the family head immediately folded the letter and put it back in the drawer exactly as she had remembered retrieving it. She closed the drawer but realized too late that she had no way of locking it again.


    "What was I thinking!" She quietly muttered as she ran to the door, closing it behind her and racing off down the hallway as fast as she could.


    The family head thought deeply and began to regret the luxurious life she had lived, one that lacked strong consequences. If she had perhaps been more strongly disciplined she might have learned to curb her natural curiosity and would not be in this position.


    With everything to lose, she quickly attempted to make it back to the Grand Mage to tell him the truth and hope for leniency in this matter.


    As if to mock her own ineptitude, she again got lost attempting to make it down to the middle level. Before she had even realized it, her shoulder began to again take on a strong and piercing blue hue, engulfing everything it reflected with a blue touch.


    The markings on her shoulder urged her in a particular direction, and she did not dare resist. The markings guided her around corners, back to the origin of her worries. On her way over, she passed by the Grand Elder of her clan, but he did not seem to notice her as he thumbed through a book filled with names and locations.


    In the study room.


    Willem beckoned the Lovejoy family head to his location using the connection he had previously established. If she truly wanted to resist she could, but that would most certainly have shown some feelings of guilt.


    Waiting patiently, Willem ran his fingers over the wine-stained letter gently, as if it was a precious jewel to be admired. How many times had he sat for hours, holding the same letter in his hands, feeling the same sense of profound loss.


    As the door slowly creaked open, the Lovejoy family head entered the room and closed the door behind her. No sooner had the door shut that she was on her hands and knees, kneeling and begging for forgiveness. Her large breasts were clearly visible from the cut of her dress as she looked at the Grand Mage with pleading eyes.


    Willem looked into the Lovejoy family head and read her emotions. Fear, anxiety, loss. No sense of greed or malice.


    "Stand, Arissa Lovejoy." Willem''s tone was even but commanding.


    "Yes, Grand Mage." The family head arose but dared not move forward without permission first.


    "Come, sit down." Willem again ordered.


    With little hesitation, Arissa quietly took a seat opposite the Grand Mage, bewilderment written all over her face.


    "Just a moment ago, the elder of your family sat in this very seat. I have given him a task, which he may require your resources to finish in time. I suggest you aid him as best as you can, while fulfilling your duties here." Willem held no air of superiority, and spoke merely from one person to another as equals.


    "As you command, Grand Mage." Sighing gently, Arissa bowed her head.


    "Arissa, that is a nice ring. How come I have never seen it before?" Willem saw the silver ring on her index finger and pointed to it.


    "Grand Mage, please do not tease me. In this Private Sanctum, is there anything you do not see? I actually came back to beg your forgiveness for my transgressions." The Lovejoy family head was no fool, as she had shown with all her previous dealings.


    "I jest, of course. The ring has chosen you, which means you have a strong curiosity, a trait I will require in due time. It is only my luck that we already have a working relationship. Though in the future, it would be best to hold a bit more resistance to your tendencies." Willem smirked like he noticed something of interest.


    A cold sweat ran down Arissa''s back.


    "Anything you require, I will oblige." The family head again bowed, this time more in exasperation than usual.


    "Very well, you may leave." Willem nodded and picked up the loose papers on his desk to peruse.


    Arissa nodded and quickly stepped to the door, bowing slightly and retreating as quick as possible. The blue mark on her shoulder lead her back to the middle level before dissipating.


    "Another piece falls into place. Things are progressing rather well. Though it did take multiple people failing before I found someone to pass the test." Willem muttered as he set a piece of paper above the others in his hand.


    On the paper was a depiction of a marble sized ball of silver with strange markings and magic writing. The word "Discovery" was written in an archaic language.


    "Discovery magic, the only method I could think to find an untrackable pendant." Willem traced his fingers along his clavicle where the pendant once hung. "Even if I leave her to it, her urges will take her where she needs to go."


    Within the inner city.


    Six cloaked figures approached from multiple different streets, and with no words spoken, entered the same building together. The building had a signboard above the door depicting a lion breaking a greatsword in half between it''s jaw. As the six figures entered the building, the noise of many conversations quieted down and the free flowing of alcohol slowed. When the six figures moved upstairs to the second level, whispers and pointed fingers turned back into boisterous laughter and clanks of glasses.


    The six individuals sat at the table together and lowered their cowls one by one. Four and a half years had passed since the incident that cemented their own path in this world. From being weak children that had been kidnapped after their friend returned from failing the Knight''s Apprenticeship training, each person now sitting at the table could be considered influential in their own field.


    "We do this every year, do you know how hard it is to sneak out of the Magic Academy?" The first to speak was Ashley, whom had always faithfully followed her dearest friend.


    "Traditions have to be followed. No one here would blame you for not showing up though." The other woman of the group, Eleanor, spoke out.


    "This is both an apology and a thank you to our friend. It has been almost five years, and no one has ever seen him." Craig, looking a little more mature and well built, spoke up as well.


    "Sorry, I was wrong." Ashley sheepishly recoiled.


    The last three people removed their hoods as well.


    "Red, Veeta and I had to sneak into the inner city, imagine how hard that was..." Arin cleaned the specks of dried animal blood off his shirt.


    Red and Veeta nodded their heads in agreement.


    "Enough... Barkeep! Six ales." Craig passed the barkeeper a silver coin and told her to keep the change.


    As the six ales were placed on the table, each person grabbed theirs and clanked the glasses together.


    "To Willem." They spoke together as they downed their warm ales with force.

 86 - Mysterious Connections

    Kinsey enjoyed the festivities in her name for a few hours before feigning fatigue, so that she could return to her room and look after some things that had been bothering her. Despite the important guest of the event leaving and the Grand Mage being nowhere in sight, the major and minor families kept drinking and talking well into the morning. By the time the party ended, all but the hardiest of drinkers had retired to their respective areas.


    Time seemed to pass by irrevocably fast, as more and more minor families joined Willem''s Private Sanctum, effectively cutting ties with the Bastion Of Hope. Those who had aligned themselves with the Grand Mage found life abundantly easier, whether it was work, food or pleasure. To anyone who struggled with any of the three, steps were taken by the community to make them useful in their own way.


    Botanists, Hunters, Gatherers, Miners, there was no shortage of positions needing to be filled as they slowly and methodically planned and excavated the mines near the Bastion of Hope. Willem took every precaution to make sure the local wildlife stayed away from the mines in order to control population size within the forest.


    Every day, for at least an hour, Willem would disappear without telling anyone where he was going. No one would dare question the Grand Mage on his movements, but the more curious folk were starting to notice his absence.


    Willem was, quite naturally, scouting and tracking the progress of everything that he had put into play. Besides checking on Zira and her two adopted chimpanzees, he was constantly moving between observing The One True King and checking the advancement of the Magical Beings across the southern hemisphere. The only variable he could see negatively affecting his plan was the Stinging Blood Tortoise.


    The One True King was perfectly distracted by the doll Willem had made in the image of the Queen. Implanting the Queen with the attitude the previous Queen had, without the memories to match had proven quite difficult, only due to the mind magic required to successfully implant that level of manipulation into a non-living entity being incredibly complicated.


    However the results were undeniable, though Willem could not have predicted that The One True King would discard the real Queen as if she was the doll while he made love to a doll specifically made to placate him. The real Queen just happily sat and stared as The One True King satisfied himself with the fake doll Queen, day after day.


    Willem also kept track of the marching army of Magical Beings that would at least take a few more months to reach the marked equator.


    With a successful campaign, Willem could see a decisive victory within a year or two as a strong possibility.


    With each passing day, the nerves of the soldiers continued to increase as they made their final preparations to march forward against Blood City. The fear of the previous campaign against the Red Dragon and how close they had come to dying still clinging to the back of their minds. Their only solace was the howls of laughter and affection from Zira and her two chimpanzees.


    Many citizens felt there was a great change about to befall the Bastion Of Hope, whether it was good or bad remained to be seen.


    One day before the planned march against Blood City, Willem left early in the morning to speak with the Stinging Blood Tortoise. His body crawled into the dark of a nearby lamp and quickly drifted through The Void as he tracked the movements of the Great Magical Beast.


    The lands that the Stinging Blood Tortoise walked was impossible for any normal human to move through, as the area was covered in a dense poisonous fog that kept even Magical Beasts from entering.


    Since Willem was not in the material world, the fog did not affect him.


    As Willem got closer to the Stinging Blood Tortoise, a mental connection was formed with the Great Magical Beast.


    "Reveal... Yourself!" The Stinging Blood Tortoise had noticed Willem despite him being within the Void. A blast of mind energy invaded Willem as if to engulf him in agony. After a few seconds had passed, the mind energy retracted swiftly.


    "Great Stinging Blood Tortoise, I am Willem Saye, a Grand Mage of the Bastion Of Hope. I have come to offer you something in exchange for your assistance." Willem spoke with an even tone, not overly harsh or demanding.


    "Hmph, what have you to give me..." For the first time in a thousand years, the Tortoise halted his movement. The ground quaked as the full weight of the Beast rested upon loose dirt.


    "What is it you seek? If you ask it of me, I will do my best to obtain it. All I ask is that you ally yourself with me in this upcoming war between humans and Magical Beings." Willem had just now reached the head of the Stinging Blood Tortoise as he was still floating through the Void.


    "Why should I care about a war I have nothing to do with? I have a near immortal life span, compared to the short existence of you small ones." The Tortoise spoke slowly, but each word was filled with ageless wisdom.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    "If you do not care, why grant your protection to the Magical Beings inside you?" Willem retorted wittily.


    "Hmph... I have made a pact with the Magical Beings. They will assist me in seeking revenge against my greatest foe." The knees of the Tortoise began to quiver slightly.


    "Please, tell me your story, so that I may understand." Willem knew better than anyone that holding a grudge for that long, the only thing you can do is talk about it.


    "Very well, child. This will take some time. My knees are weak, let me lie down." The Tortoise splayed his legs to the side and rested his head upon the ground, where the poisonous fog reached to his chin.


    "Are you comfortable?" Willem waited patiently while the Tortoise laid down.


    "Child, I have not been comfortable since this poisonous fog appeared a hundred years ago. I know not how it got here, nor why it harms me when nothing else can. That is not why you came, though." The Stinging Blood Tortoise heaved a massive sigh, and the resulting gust of wind knocked the dust and dirt around within a 30 feet cone in front of him. "Come, touch your hand upon my head, and see my life. See what I have suffered."


    Willem prepared himself for the immense amount of pain that sharing memories with an almost immortal being would give him. No matter how long he waited, though, he was only gifted with warmth and a mysteriously beautiful connection.


    "Relax, child. I could sense the touch of the Void on you. If not for that, I would have killed you without hesitation." The Stinging Blood Tortoise snorted once more, kicking up more dust in front of him.


    "Such a mastery of mind magic, I have never seen this strength before..." Willem unabashedly admitted.


    "You are still young, but I have existed since the world was still forming. Still, I do not possess the same level of power my allies of the same time do. Especially... The Gate Keeper." The Tortoise shuddered and the ground moved beneath him.


    "The Gate Keeper?" Willem questioned. This was the first mention of such an existence.


    "One thing at a time, Child." The Tortoise blinked slowly. "First, the memories you came here for."


    Swirls of circular images began to fill Willem''s view, just slightly out of reach.


    "Please, go ahead and touch one." The Tortoise was no longer a Monstrously Large Magical Beast, and instead showed himself in a vaguely human form. Save for a large shell on his back, one would easily take him for an elderly human.


    "As you wish." Willem reached out his hand and touched the memory that the Stinging Blood Tortoise had summoned.


    "Ah, good choice, Child. My first and only love. The reason for my existence." The end of his sentence was twinged with regret.


    The memory overtook Willem and the human formed Tortoise as the sky was dyed red and the fields shades of green. No longer west of the Bastion Of Hope, but in a new area that Willem did not know.


    "Where have we gone?" Willem questioned.


    "This is the birth of the world you were born into, Child. A mere thousand years after the Old Gods molded it for us who could not touch divinity directly. We were sent here to cultivate our strength and make another attempt at reaching ascension when we felt we were ready." The Stinging Blood Tortoise snapped his fingers and suddenly in front of Willem was an entire group of baby Tortoises, the Mother and Father watching over them proudly.


    The baby tortoises snapped at each other playfully while the Mother looked on satisfied. However the face of the Mother was slightly distorted, like a blur.


    "My poor little children..." The old man was hunched over, trying to touch the memory, only to have his hands slip through the mirage. The small Tortoises each went there own way. East, West, South, North, far from the vision of the memory. The Mother and Father Stinging Blood Tortoise cuddled against each other, tails entwined.


    "What happened?" Willem squatted down and held the shoulder of the old man.


    The old man spat on the ground and swiped his memory away, leaving only darkness. "The phoenix descended."


    Within the Bastion Of Hope, the inner city.


    "Are you sure we should be doing this?" Ashley was looking around warily to ensure they were not spotted.


    Six cloaked figures quietly hid among the trash as they watched a man visit certain houses, talked to whomever answered, and then immediately left in the dead of night.


    "According to my sources, this is definitely the guy working for the Grand Mage, Grandia." Eleanor renewed the stealth magic that she had learned at the Magic Academy.


    "This seems wrong, Aren''t Grand Mages supposed to be an unbeatable existence? What if this angers them?" Veeta spoke his apprehensions about what they were doing.


    "Go home if you are scared, otherwise, keep quiet." Eleanor readied the spell to hide them while they moved forward.


    Making slight finger movements, the spell warped and hid them in a one hundred eighty degree arc.


    "Hurry, before we get spotted." Craig motioned for them all to move to the next hiding location.


    As they moved forward, Red accidentally kicked a small container over. The resulting noise got the attention of the emissary.


    "Idiot!" Eleanor made more gestures with her spell and wrapped the group in a shroud of camouflage. Beads of sweat dripped from her forehead.


    The emissary excused himself from the people he was speaking with and made his way closer to the noise. Slowly and deliberately, he drew his sword before stepping into the dark alley.


    "Show yourselves lest you be harmed. Do not blame me for being impolite." The emissary took a readied attack stance.


    If the encounter had been thirty seconds less, Eleanor would have been able to successfully hold the camouflage magic. However her magic was exhausted, and the magic ended abruptly.


    Six figures in cloaks appeared in front of the sword-drawn man.


    "Speak your names and ranks." The emissary kept his sword at the ready.


    "Eleanor Shard, Pre-Mage." Eleanor spoke first.


    "Craig Wyvern, Laborer."


    "Arin Gevild, Hunter."


    "Ashley Trell, Pre-Mage."


    Red Lavenge, Laborer."


    Veeta Unskal, Seller."


    Following Eleanor who did not lie about who she was, the rest of the group spoke truthfully.


    "Pre-Mages, out of the Magic Academy? Interesting..." The emissary thumbed through the list given to him by the Grand Mage while having his sword still drawn. The magical tool that the Grand Mage gave to the emissary that notifies him of any deceit did not once go off.


    On the page labelled Important Guests, all six names were listed with elegant penmanship.


    "Forgive my impudence, you six are on the list of important guests to the Grand Mage of Darkness, Grandia." The emissary hastily retracted his sword and sheathed it, bowing slightly to the group. "Will you speak with me as an ambassador to the will of the Grand Mage?"


    Eleanor quizzically stepped forward and nodded.

 87 - Teleportation Necklaces

    "A phoenix?" Willem had heard about this particular Magical Beast before, within the partially damaged books in the Grand Library. Thanks to Archus, who made him memorize the contents of such books during his time as an apprentice, he knew that the phoenix was also considered an immortal Magical Beast.


    "The phoenix... Only one of his species... Brighter than the Sun and equal in size to our own species." The old man stroked his beard slowly.


    (The phoenix is said to be able to reincarnate after dying or expending it''s life force. The details of the actual method was skewed within the books.) Willem thought as he waited for the old man to speak again.


    "The Old Gods had gifted me with a mate whom would keep me company until we could ascend together. She was born from half of my own lifespan to be by my side. However, the phoenix was alone, as he had always been. He was proud and arrogant, and he coveted what he could never have, someone to be with." The old man placed another memory within view for Willem to reach.


    Willem reached out to the memory and the world again altered from the blackness, changing to red skies and bounds of trees with every shade of green.


    Small creatures such as wolves and foxes, bears, and other forest life seemed to stand in vigil over the body of the female Stinging Blood Tortoise. Deep gashes and scorch marks marred the body as if a terrible fight had occurred. The blood of the Tortoise flowed into the ground, permanently discoloring the dirt red.


    Despite the massive mounds of fresh flesh and blood, none of the predators within the area touched the Great Magical Beast''s body. Instead, as if in solace, the beasts kept a quiet watch over the body to make sure it was undisturbed, day and night.


    The view of the memory was from the position of the male Stinging Blood Tortoise, but slightly distorted in the fact that the female Tortoise''s face could still not be seen.


    "When a being attempts to ascend, they must do so in quiet seclusion. For this reason, I bore a hole in some mountain the Old Gods had left for us and focused on cultivating my ascension. I was gone for a hundred or so years before a feeling of devastation hit me suddenly." The frail old man shed a tear as he recalled the events leading up to the memory. "I was a fool to think the phoenix would not harm her while I was gone, young and naive... So young, she was so young."


    Willem held up his hand in order to touch the female Tortoise''s leg, which was splintered and cracking. His hand moved through the vivid depiction and he recoiled quickly.


    "Such pain and fear I had never known, and I understood quickly that she was being attacked. We were of one body and one soul, how could I not know when she was in pain? I destroyed the mountain I resided in and crashed through the forests to get to her. Alas, even after traveling many days and nights, I was still two days too late. By the time the pain and fear was gone, her life had been extinguished. The path I took tore and sundered the earth, but I cared not. When she passed, I listlessly arrived to see the beasts watching over her body. Both predator and prey dared not shed blood in her presence. She detested violence, and was more than happy enough just being by my side. The beasts explained that the phoenix had come in the night while she slept and tore at her for days." The old man wiped the memory away as the beasts standing vigil left the corpse and went back into the forest, as if they had fulfilled their duty.


    Willem stared into the black and pondered.


    "Was there more to that memory?" Willem asked quietly.


    "Yes, but who would want to see a Tortoise cry so much that he made a lake." The old man half-smiled and picked a new memory for Willem to watch.


    "Try this one." The old man waved his hand nonchalantly.


    The memory that the frail old man chose for Willem was just slightly after the events of the previous one. The Tortoise rose from the lake that he had created and tracked down the phoenix using every method he could. Willem memorized how he used the absence or abundance of heat to track down the beast, only to eventually find the phoenix devouring one of his spawn.


    With pure anger as motivation, the Stinging Blood Tortoise used every ounce of magic within him to try and burn out the phoenix using Water Magic. Thousands of jets of water fired at the phoenix who had previously been occupied with eating the Tortoise spawn.


    Caught slightly unaware, the phoenix had no way of casting protection magic in time and it''s body of fire was quickly extinguished. With it''s fire gone, the phoenix slowly withered to nothing while the Tortoise stood over it.


    "Why, why would you take her from me? Answer me before you die." The Tortoise in the memory spoke.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    "The strong kill the weak, all your children are dead. You were too slow." The phoenix answered.


    The Tortoise watched as the enemy whom had stolen everything from him faded to nothing.


    "As I watched the final ashes fall to the ground, a blazing light twice as bright as the sun exploded out and I was temporarily blinded." The old man explained as the memory turned completely white. "This was before I understood that the phoenix could reincarnate."


    Willem nodded along with the explanation, waiting for the blinding light to disappear.


    The light slowly dissipated, and the Tortoise saw the phoenix in all it''s glory, seemingly completely unharmed. Unsure of what happened or what to do, and with nothing left to live for, the Tortoise gave it''s life.


    "Kill me. You have stolen everything from me." The tortoise in the memory quietly said.


    "No, you will remain here with your failure, forever knowing you could have saved her... Saved them." The phoenix cried out and the trees and earth burned to black.


    Before the phoenix flew away, it glanced back at the Tortoise and winked it''s eye.


    "The phoenix destroyed my memory of her, so that I could no longer remember what she looked like. I told you there were many from my time that were much better at mind magic. I did not even know of such an ability, let alone concoct a defense for it. I tried many times to find the phoenix again, only to be too late to it''s destruction. Whole forests burned, lakes dried, earth was scorched wherever he landed, and dormant volcanoes became active in his presence." The old man once again wiped the memory away to black. "I can only guess that the Old Gods saw what they reaped upon the world, since one day any trace of the phoenix was gone. No fluctuations in heat, no trails of flames, only ashes from reincarnating and phoenix feathers from molting."


    Willem remained in quiet contemplation while he did his best to remember every detail he was shown.


    "The Old Gods looked upon me with pity and gifted me with the ability to command lesser Magical Beasts, and they filled this world with them, even going so far as to make a one way bridge from their world to ours. You have once gone to this place, though to the you now it was probably too dangerous to go further." The old man flashed a memory that was not his own, where Willem traveled through the Void and came across a deep cut in the earth that had sent shivers down his spine. "We call it The Red Maw, and it spews out the creations of the Old Gods that are not deemed worthy to remain in the other world."


    "How do you know so much about this place?" Willem asked.


    "Easy, I hold dominion over it. Even if my physical body is here, the gift the Old Gods gave me have no limitation." The old man smirked to himself.


    Willem thought it over a moment, but decided to remain quiet. If he needed an explanation for everything he was told, the war would be over by the time he was done.


    "I believe I understand, and I think I can help you get revenge for what the phoenix has done to you." Willem looked the old man in the eyes with conviction.


    "I believe you, but I still will not take a side in this little game of war. Either way, I will get the Primordial Soul of that bastard." The frail old man matched Willem''s eye line.


    "Just allowing us access to the Blood City will be enough, whoever wins bears no consequence for you." Willem did his best to negotiate for assistance.


    "Just grant entrance to the city? This can be done." The old man scratched at the turtle shell on his back.


    "Fantastic, my soldiers will be moving tomorrow morning, but I will keep the battle short and quick so that we can continue our conversation." Willem bowed to the old man.


    "Hah, you are confident and determined. I think you would do quite well if you do manage to ascend. I will wait for the end of the battle to contact you." The Stinging Blood Tortoise ended the mental connection and closed his eyes to sleep.


    During the conversation with the Tortoise the day had gone and passed quite quickly. The night was dark and filled with stars, complete with a full moon overhead.


    Willem drifted quickly back to the Bastion of Hope while avoiding the large denizens of the Void.


    When he finally arrived back to his Private Sanctum, he closed his eyes and "rested" until the time to march.


    Within the Bastion Of Hope, the inner city.


    Despite not knowing why the swordsman would want to speak with them, or why he retracted his sword, Eleanor stood her ground and waited to see what he had to say.


    "As I have previously explained, I am an emissary of the Grand Mage, Grandia. All six of you are on the list of important guests welcome to come to his Private Sanctum. Unfortunately, I can see the confusion on your faces and I cannot provide to you an explanation, it may be in your best interest to speak with the Grand Mage yourself." The emissary pulled out six necklaces with runic symbols carved into every one of them from his pocket.


    They glowed a faint yellow, pulsing and receding like a firefly. The emissary waited for each person in the group to take one.


    "What is this?" Eleanor studied the runic symbols but could not understand what it meant.


    "From what I understand, these were especially made for you by the Grand Mage, they are connected to the teleportation array of the Private Sanctum. They do not require any magical ability to use, therefore your non-magical companions can use them. Just speak the word ''home'' while holding it in your hand and you will be transported." The emissary closed the book he held and nodded his head in affirmation.


    Eleanor stood with a blank expression on her face, but held the necklace tight.


    The emissary bowed and left first, well aware that the task entrusted to him could take quite some time.


    "Eleanor, what should we do?" Craig was the first to speak up, after the shocking turn of events.


    "To ignore a Grand Mage''s summons, even I am not that brave." Eleanor clasped the necklace around her neck.


    The other five in the group mimicked Eleanor and wore their necklaces.


    "Ready?" Eleanor nodded her head to the group.


    "As I will ever be." Veeta took a deep breath.


    "Home." They spoke in unison while grasping the pendants.


    Magic encircled the six as the world warped and distorted in front of them, and after a brief moment they were within the Private Sanctum.


    "Welcome!" The minor families who frequented the teleportation array greeted the new guests.

 88 - Just One Night

    Eleanor and Ashley came to their senses faster than the other four, so their disorientation only lasted a few seconds. When their vision returned, they were greeted by many people going in and out of the teleportation array.


    Seemingly all the minor families had gathered at the teleportation array, as hundreds of people with several different carts happily gave out necessary items for day to day activities.


    Some carts contained pickaxes for mining, shovels, and goggles with light stones for the excavation assignments. Others had fresh food, gathered thanks to the combined efforts of hunters and gatherers.


    Eleanor watched the minor family members scurry around, each person with a sense of purpose, the whole environment like a self-sustaining ecosystem.


    A large signboard filled with requests and missions stood against one of the walls.


    "Anyone who needs their axes sharpened come over here!"


    "Food will be ready soon, come get a hot bowl."


    "Need more hunters for non-magical fox trapping, Grand Mage approved." A hunter held a parchment with the imprint of the Grand Mage''s insignia.


    "The fifth division Knights are going out to suppress a toxic pus Giant Toad, wish us luck!" A Knight held a similar parchment with a similar imprint before the Gathered company teleported away.


    "Good luck, stay safe!"


    Many conversation could be heard, but they all seemed unbelievable to the newly arrived guests. No one was bartering or haggling, they gladly accepted more work at no cost. Food was distributed fairly on a first come first served basis. No one was fighting, and children were even playing a game of memorizing the runes within the teleportation array with card cutouts.


    "Onerous!"


    "Merge?"


    "I found chervil."


    "Isn''t that a herb? Haha!"


    "I meant Fehu!"


    Children slammed the cards down on the teleportation array where the cards would overlap the runes carved into the ground.


    Despite dozens of children playing the game, they did not even cover one tenth of the overall size for the array; which was even smaller compared to the few thousand square feet of the floor.


    Thanks to the array capabilities, anyone that used it will inherently be pushed away from another in case someone stands on the other side, to ensure the safety of everyone. The six guests still stood within the teleportation array without disrupting the flow of those coming and going.


    "Children, come get some food!" An elderly Matron called out to the children playing on the array.


    One by one, the children lined up quietly and took a clean bowl of stew with a couple pieces of bread. Each one of the children sat at the table where they were designated by another family member and quickly ate their meal, so that they could have more time to play.


    "I have never seen anything like this, even in the Inner City..." Craig was astonished.


    "Excuse me, where do new arrivals go?" Veeta approached a cart and bowed slightly as he asked his question.


    "Oh, what a pleasant young man, but there is no need to bow, everyone here is equal in the eyes of the Grand Mage. What family do you belong to? Have they already arrived?" The older gentleman pulled out a small parchment with a list of last names. Each cart was equipped with the same paper, updated every day with new entries. The ink of the last few names had barely dried, such was the large influx of guests.


    "There are quite a few of you, why don''t you all have a seat while we sort this out." The Matron who had previously been serving soup had relinquished her duties to her daughter in order to help the old man.


    "Thank you, my sight is not as good as it used to be." The old man handed the list over to the Matron.


    "Trell, Wyvern, Shard. You''re families can be found on the left, you can look for your family sigil on the door. Lavenge, Unskal and Gevild, same on your right. Your families should be able to better explain the situation. Now, without using the teleportation array you can tell the time of day by going into the forest room just behind us, down the stairs, which is exactly the same as the outside time. Food is served pretty much any time of day, since we have many people coming and going at nights." The Matron gave an impassioned speech.


    "Where is the Grand Mage? We were apparently placed on a list as important guests, according to an emissary."


    "Ah, in that case, if you wish to speak with him, you can walk up those steps there." The Matron pointed at the stairs leading up to the next level. "If you get lost, you can look for one of his three attendants or the various staff he just hired, they are marked with a rune on the back of their hand." The elderly Matron showed the mark on the back of her hand. A simple seal, easily erasable and not branded into her flesh.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    "You cannot guide us?" Eleanor looked over the rune.


    The rune itself looked simple, but actually had multiple layers with certain effects.


    (Truth compulsion, Guidance, Minor Luck, Stamina). Of the twelve runes, Eleanor recognized only four of them.


    "I cannot, only certain staff and guests are allowed to enter the top floor, I am meant to serve at the teleportation array. It is a job I take very seriously." The Matron smiled, and the creases of her forehead deepened.


    "What kind of person is the Grand Mage?" Eleanor looked into the eyes of the gentle Matron.


    "I can only tell you what I have seen for myself. He cares for his people, and protects them fiercely. To be in his employment means you no longer fear where your next meal comes from. My children had moved on and abandoned me, he gave me a renewed purpose. It may sound trivial, but I owe him my life." The Matron stood at the top of the stairs and motioned another staff member over. "These people are important guests of the Grand Mage, will you see to them?"


    The staff member parted her hair to one side and waited for them to pass through the barrier.


    The Matron moved out of the way, allowing the six to pass through.


    Eleanor walked through first, completely unaware that she had even passed through the barrier until it touched her own magical body.


    "Eh?" Eleanor looked back but saw nothing.


    Craig followed, and the other four joined. Ashley made an equally startled sound, but was unsure why.


    "Thank you! Please follow me, I will see if the Grand Mage is available." The woman walked briskly through the labyrinth of hallways until she finally arrived at a regular looking door.


    Before she could knock, she heard a deep but gentle voice.


    "Enter."


    The staff member grasped the doorknob, opened the door slightly and spoke quietly. "Your guests have arrived, Grand Mage."


    "Well done, please, feel free to take a walk wherever you wish, I will be speaking with them alone for a while." Willem thanked the staff as she ushered the guests inside, nodded, and closed the door behind her.


    As the door closed, Eleanor and Ashley stepped forward and put one knee to the ground.


    "We greet thee, Grand Mage of Darkness, Grandia."


    The two women placed their Pre-Mage badges on the ground as a show of allegiance.


    "Please, stand. I know it has been a while, but that is not how I remember us greeting each other." Willem lowered his hood and smiled at the six.


    "Willem?" Each person gasped as their friend finally revealed himself. For years they had sought out any little information they could about him, but came back empty each time.


    Despite a much older looking face compared to what they remember, they recognized him immediately.


    "Four years..." Craig wiped away a tear. "We had feared the worst, when you traded our safety and became a slave to a Mage."


    "Why... How?" Eleanor was speechless. All the years of fighting to earn a spot as a Pre-Mage, hoping to understand what happened to Willem, whom had indebted himself to a Mage all those years ago. Now she was reduced to a few words in front of him.


    "A lot has happened... I could not tell you the truth, to protect you from my enemies. I have made many strong Mages angry, and only recently have been able to create this safe haven for those who align with me." Willem looked beyond his friends, scanning over his Private Sanctum, seeing the smiles of the denizens.


    "How are you a Grand Mage? Even after four years I have only become a Pre-Mage. Does it have to do with the Darkness Magic you share with the One True King?" Ashley was in a stupor, and began to spew out questions quickly.


    "My progress has as much to do with the element as it has to do with my Master, the Grand Mage of Earth, Archus. Without him, I would not be able to have saved you. If you happen across him, I would suggest extending a thank you." Willem was done looking over the Private Sanctum, and created six chairs for his friends to sit on.


    Each one took a seat, still slightly unsure if this was real or not.


    Willem passed each one of his friends a glass filled with red wine, one of the favorites of Archus''. He then poured himself a glass and sipped from it.


    "I''m sure you all have questions, now would be the time." Willem smiled a deep, grateful smile.


    After an hour, the group had seemingly ran out of questions, and they had been filled in about everything.


    "So you go to war at dawn? Here we are, asking questions like you aren''t about to go fight against the Magical Beings in a few hours." Veeta finished off his wine.


    "All I want you guys to do is enjoy everything I have created here, let me worry about such trivial things." Willem sipped his wine.


    "You''ve changed so much, and you''ve become so dependable." For the last hour, Eleanor had reverted back to herself from four years ago, completely infatuated with Willem and naive to the truth.


    "There is one last thing I have not told any of you. My attendant, Kinsey, she is pregnant with my child." Willem looked at Veeta''s empty wine glass and refilled it.


    "Congratulations!" The young men in the group seemed to be in consensus. Even Ashley had a huge grin on her face.


    The only one who did not respond was Eleanor.


    After an eerily long silence, Eleanor was the first to speak.


    "P...Pregnant..." The Glass she had been holding broken beneath her death grip.


    "It''s getting late, we should rest for now and continue this at a later time..." Craig understood the mood immediately, grabbed Red and Arin whom were almost passed out and staggered out the door.


    Ashley tried to grab onto Red who was helping her up, giggling the entire time. Eventually they left and the only two people in the room were Eleanor and Willem.


    "Eleanor..." Willem was unsure what to say. He could read emotions since he was a child, but blind obsession never ended well.


    "Make... mmm..." Eleanor mumbled something incoherently.


    "Eleanor, speak up. I cannot hear you." Willem lifted Eleanor''s face with his index finger and thumb.


    "Make me pregnant too, you jerk!" Eleanor grabbed onto Willem and wouldn''t let go.


    Willem could not hold back and laughed loudly, despite being in front of an incredibly flustered Eleanor. He could feel the heat of her passion beneath her shirt, the rapidly beating heart and her face becoming more red.


    "I waited four years, you owe me this..." Eleanor tried to reason with him.


    "Holding onto a candle for four years, you may be burned. Are you sure this is what you want?" Willem used his Magic to remove the alcohol from her body, to ensure she was sober.


    "Yes, I have never been so sure of anything in my life." Eleanor could not wait for Willem to lead her to bed. She grabbed her cloth shirt from the hem and pulled it over her head.


    Eleanor had grown into a splendid young woman, her figure was well toned and her blonde hair dropped below her shoulders, partially covering her bare breasts. The freckles of her face seemed to be ignited by the blushing, covering her pale face in hundreds of red dots.


    "I''m ready." Eleanor stared deep into Willem''s eyes.

 89 - Soul-Forming

    "Things are not the way they used to be. Everything was much simpler back before I gained this power. There are things you should know." Willem gently grabbed the side of her neck as she seductively moved her hips on top of his crotch, moving his face closer to hers.


    "If you are worried about me giving birth to a Magical Being, you should have thought about that when you impregnated your attendant." Eleanor left no room for rebuttal.


    "That is not it... Even if you do get pregnant, I cannot guarantee I will be there to protect you and the baby. I have a promise I made to Archus, and I have a promise I made to myself. I must find the pendant that was stolen from me, no matter how far away it takes me." Willem ran his fingers through Eleanor''s blonde hair, grabbing a fistful as she continued grinding on top of him.


    "Can you just... Forget, about everything, just for a moment. Focus on me." Eleanor attempted to hike up her skirt and remove her cloth panties with one hand, while unfastening Willem''s trousers with the other.


    To Willem''s surprise, she failed spectacularly at both, managing to both knee Willem in the crotch and hit her head off the desk behind him. Willem could not help but laugh loudly again, before removing his cloth trousers hastily.


    Eleanor stared at Willem''s semi-erect penis, her face now close enough to breath on it. Willem reacted by magically forcing blood into his penis, making it as erect as it could possibly get. Eleanor moved her head back in surprise as the size increased before her eyes.


    Hesitantly, she grabbed his penis with her left hand as she tucked her feet under her tight buttocks.


    "So, this is Willem''s... Thing." Eleanor gulped as she slowly began to move her hand up and down. "I have only really read about them in the books that the girls in my dormitory pass around."


    "Then, let me educate you." Willem advised her of what felt good to him, and while she practiced working those spots, he shifted his body in order to reciprocate.


    Placing his head between her legs and his back to the floor, Willem performed cunnilingus while channeling warmth magic to the tip of his tongue.


    "Eh? Wait, this is... It is... Too much..." Eleanor was unaccustomed to the pleasure, having devoted herself from a young age completely to Willem even before she knew what that meant, thus having no actual sexual experience.


    Willem did not stop, and continued to trace gently along her labia as if performing calligraphy, every stroke from his tongue deliberate and focused.


    "I cannot, something... Something is coming..." Eleanor''s legs gave way as she experienced an orgasm for the first time, landing directly on Willem''s face.


    Her legs began to shake uncontrollably and her focus blurred as she closed her eyes. Instead of stopping, Willem continued to move his tongue to prolong the orgasm for as long as possible.


    After thirty seconds had passed, Willem lifted a hand from his waist and smacked Eleanor on her rear with a little force.


    Eleanor jolted forward from the sudden shock, her buttock slowly showing a shade of red. Willem breathed in deeply to show why he had did that.


    "I am so sorry, Willem. It was just the first time I had ever felt like that..." Eleanor looked down shamefully, her hands covering her face.


    "I am not mad, do you want to continue? Where did all that confidence go?" Willem smirked slyly as he pointed to his still erect penis. "If you want to continue, you will have to use your saliva. Lick from bottom to top, and focus on the tip."


    Eleanor moved her hands away from her face and placed them on the floor, as she used them to stabilize herself. Her legs still shook violently from aftershock as she lowered her mouth over Willem''s penis.


    "Just like that, good job." Willem parted Eleanor''s hair and grabbed the back of her head to control the pace at which she sucked.


    After another few minutes had passed, both Willem and Eleanor were ready to continue. Willem laid Eleanor on her back and placed a few pillows beneath her, slightly elevating her pelvis for an easier insertion.


    "Ready?" Willem looked into Eleanor''s big, beautiful eyes.


    "I have always been ready, for this." Eleanor placed one hand on the back of Willem''s head and the other on his back as he slowly lowered his hips.


    The initial insertion hurt just like she had always been told it would, but it was quickly masked by an overwhelmingly warm sensation.


    Soon enough, Willem was thrusting in and out of Eleanor as she moaned loudly. Eleanor held onto Willem as tight as she could while he rode her roughly.


    "Finally, we are one." Eleanor let a single tear slip down her face before wiping it away with her hand.


    Willem looked into her heart, as her emotions engulfed his spirit. In an almost trance like state, Willem continued to thrust roughly until he eventually orgasmed inside her. Upon completion, his head fell onto Eleanor''s supple breasts.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    "Willem? WILLEM?" Eleanor lifted Willem''s head from her bosom, but his focus was gone and his irises were glazed over.


    Deep within Willem''s mind.


    "Is this what you do then? Is your desire to procreate so strong it clouds your judgment, you nearly got taken over by a simple woman?" A deep booming voice seemingly came from nowhere, chastising Willem.


    "Is this what you do, J?rmungandr? Have you nothing better to do than watch others procreate?" Willem yelled at the top of his lungs into the black.


    "I came to see what my favorite Magical Being had been up to since the last time I had seen him, and it turns out he''s mating with a pathetic Human." J?rmungandr scoffed at Willem''s remark. "I projected my soul into your body, and it turns out you have not even formed your first soul yet. Was I mistaken in believing you had potential?"


    "I have been focused on my war efforts, and I spoke with the Stinging Blood Tortoise, to which he told me I may have the potential to ascend. Is that enough potential for you?" Willem was tired of the derision coming from J?rmungandr.


    "The Stinging Blood Tortoise, if not for me granting him a portion of my own strength, would he even still be alive now? He is even too foolish to understand the elves he allows to live inside him are slowly poisoning him with that fog." J?rmungandr appeared, but not as his previous form.


    In his current soul form, he was a human with sharp snake-like eyes and long brown hair, a black robe draped around his slender body.


    "Why did you not tell him the elves are poisoning him? He suffers greatly because of that fog!" Willem felt something deep within him, but he could not bring himself to be angry. His emotions were quickly suppressed in the presence of the serpent-man.


    "He deserves to suffer! His quest for ascension made him abandon his mate, his children. The Gods gave him a gift and he squandered it, he must atone for his own weakness through suffering. I am but a conduit for that punishment." J?rmungandr proudly displayed a row or razor sharp teeth, forming a broken smile.


    "His punishment is almost over then. I will wipe out anyone who opposes me, and from their ashes I will make his domain prosper. Perhaps because you have never had a mate, you do not understand how he has been suffering since the moment she was gone." Willem was reminded of the Stinging Blood Tortoise''s words about how the Phoenix was alone and jealous, and presumed the Serpent was the same.


    J?rmungandr laughed deeply, with a hint of malice.


    "See, this is why I like you. You at least have the ability to entertain me, if nothing else. I have seized your body, in case you are wondering. To the outside world your body is in stasis. I will not give you control back until you form your first soul." J?rmungandr closed his serpent eyes and disappeared into the black once more.


    Willem, no longer face to face with the serpent, laid down on his back and spread his arms and legs as far as he could. From the tips of his fingers to his toes, he attempted to gather as much magical energy as he could in order to begin soul-forming.


    However, no matter how much he focused, only a small thread of magical energy found it''s way into his body, and slowly dissipated before he could store it. His senses screamed that there was something dangerous surrounding him when gathering the magical energy, but he could not perceive it.


    "What have you done!" Willem was met with only silence as he posed his question.


    Frustrated, Willem sat up and crossed his legs, his hands gently resting against his chest in a runic pattern.


    "Gather." Willem whispered as his fingers began to glow. Several small threads of magical energy gathered to his fingers, and he successfully stored them within his fake body.


    Despite his initial success, he realized that he had no concept of how long this endeavor was taking, or even if it will succeed if he gathered the excessive magical energy it took to form a soul.


    Willem changed his fingers into another runic pattern.


    "Precision." Willem whispered again as his fingers glowed, pulling a singular long thread that was several times larger than the previous ones.


    After some time, the magical energy Willem had gathered was equal to five percent of what he roughly understood was needed for soul-forming.


    "What am I doing wrong..." Willem did his best to recall the runic patterns he could do with his fingers.


    "Is this what your knowledge amounts to?" J?rmungandr once again appeared in front of Willem, with the same appearance as earlier.


    "What do you want from me?" Willem looked down at the magical energy he had managed to gather and felt inept.


    "I want you to succeed, Willem. The Stinging Blood Tortoise sees it. I see it. You do not." J?rmungandr flicked his tongue as a serpent would, slurring his words ever so slightly.


    "Then show me." Willem sat up and stared into J?rmungandr''s eyes.


    J?rmungandr sighed gently and sat before Willem. With a single hand, he broke and distorted his finger joints, bending them unnaturally to form a unique runic pattern.


    "What runic pattern is that?" Willem had never seen such a pattern before.


    "This is an advanced version of Gather. It is called ''Hoard''." Willem did as J?rmungandr had, breaking his fingers and copying the runic pattern. The process was extremely painful.


    "Now, the second runic pattern." J?rmungandr again broke his fingers and created another runic pattern with them. "This is the advanced form of Precision. It is called ''Awareness''."


    Willem broke his fingers and copied the runic pattern, engraving them into his mind.


    "Precision is the beginning, Awareness is next, and there is a final stage after that. It is too early for you to learn of these other highly advanced techniques. Your body could not handle the magical energy, you would most likely explode." J?rmungandr snickered to himself. "Now, feel the flow of magical energy, deep from within your own self. An infinite whirlpool of energy that cannot be quelled."


    Willem''s senses heightened drastically with ''Awareness'', showing him the flow of magical energy surging through his subconscious mind. ''Hoard'' forced the magical energy to bend to his will and crash through him, filling his body with more energy than necessary to soul-form. Willem understood that this wave of magical energy was what he sensed earlier.


    J?rmungandr nodded his head in approval as Willem quickly understood the power of the runic patterns he had just learned.


    A quick look of fear raced over Willem''s face until he could properly control the ''Hoard'' pattern.


    "Remember, Precision is the antithesis of Gather. Gather is good in the outside world, where magical energy is abundant, but Precision is the only way you can truly rely on your own strength." J?rmungandr clicked his tongue, while looking at Willem.


    Willem had already begun soul-forming when he had gathered the necessary magical energy. The magical energy from his own body was much thicker and richer than the abundant magical energy outside. With little effort, the soul began to take the form of a woman.


    Willem furrowed his brows as the soul began to fill out, taking a more distinguished form. The woman had beautiful blue pupils but black irises and shimmering blue lips. Her figure was lean and without any fat, her rib cage poking out of a slender black and blue gown.


    "Arania..." Willem''s soul had taken the form of the demoness that had once been inside him.

 90 - The First Step

    "Very interesting". J?rmungandr watched as Willem formed his first soul. "The first soul took the form of a demoness, and I can feel the faint connection to her in the outside world. She is your... Butcher? She reeks of blood."


    "She invaded me once, I forced her into the body of a Magical Beast that I had previously killed. It was difficult, but after I removed her I quickly patched up the crack in my soul." Willem focused on finishing his soul-form as the small details of Arania came into focus.


    "You clearly did not expunge her completely, considering your first soul has taken her form. Unfortunately, since it is your first soul, I cannot break it for you in order to mold anew. Now you must live with the fact that your soul is entwined with the demoness until your death, or hers. Tell me when you are ready to leave." J?rmungandr''s body disappeared into the darkness once more.


    Willem focused on refining the magical energy within his own body, siphoning the power from the young red dragon he had previously killed and combining it into his soul-form. The black and blue gown of Arania was granted a red hue from the red dragon''s energy. Arania''s claw tips turned red as if dipped in blood, and a red shimmer wrapped around the soul.


    After all the previous imperfections were removed, the soul had filled out and solidified. The soul-form was very much like a perfect mix of fire and ice, red and blue mixing together while remaining separate entities.


    With the creation of his first soul, the criteria for unlocking all new knowledge was achieved, flooding his mind quickly. J?rmungandr peered through the darkness with a toothy grin as Willem clutched his head in agony, a rush of information flowing through his mind while leaving no room for anything else.


    "The first step on your journey is complete." J?rmungandr stated.


    Swirling within Willem''s mind was previously lost knowledge, thought to be scattered throughout time. Sword styles, the secrets to astral projection, manipulating the soul-form, new spells and ancient magic, all of it was now readily available to Willem.


    Yet it was not enough.


    Willem regained his focus quickly after the pain subsided.


    "What is the next step." Willem whispered to the darkness.


    "Eat the heart of the Fey Leader." J?rmungandr hissed.


    Willem contemplated what he had just been told to do. He had had a dream of this ''Fey Leader'' a while ago, so it may very well be the same one. The one with the unique disease that granted the demon king his immortality.


    Willem finished dissolving and combining the last of the red dragon''s magical energy and potential with his own, giving his previous aura a layer of ferocity it did not have.


    Though Willem could not feel his own aura in the same way that a normal human looking at him could, he knew that something had changed and it would be harder to not be intimidating if he let his guard down.


    "I am finished." Willem stated to the darkness.


    No parting words were spared between the two.


    Within a few moments, Willem found himself waking up to Eleanor holding his head to her chest.


    "Willem?" Eleanor saw that the previously glazed over look Willem had disappeared and his eyes were darting around the room.


    "I am fine, just tired." Willem exhaled sharply and lifted himself from Eleanor''s grasp.


    "I would be inclined to believe you, except you have been out for hours with your eyes wide open. I shook you and called your name so many times and you did not respond. I could only think it was some malicious magic." Eleanor held out the hands that Willem rose from, her heart filled with concern. "I went to get help but no matter where I ran to, every hall leads to this room."


    (That must have been J?rmungandr helping me out.)


    Willem took a few moments to compose himself. What only felt like half an hour inside his own body turned out to be much longer.


    "It is a type of stasis magic I have been testing, but I did not realize it would begin so late after the spell had been cast." Willem spoke only a half truth to not cause Eleanor undue stress. "In truth, my strength has increased exponentially compared to before, thanks to this magic."


    "True, your aura is much sharper than before. It is hard to even look at you without feeling some fear." Eleanor averted her gaze and stood up, her breasts swaying slightly. "I am just glad you are okay. I just got you back, I could not bear to lose you again..."The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Willem pulled a sheet of fine silk out of nowhere with spatial magic for Eleanor to cover herself with.


    "Thanks." Eleanor covered herself with the beautiful silk, one hand grasping the edges to emphasize her natural curves. "Sorry about getting jealous earlier... Just, I always thought I would be your companion. I dreamed of us going on amazing adventures together, beyond the forest. Now I realize you were already going on those adventures, I was just too weak to keep up."


    "Eleanor, every moment, I was increasing my strength in order to protect you, and Craig, and everyone else. That and to get my pendant back from the bastard who took it from me." Willem balled his hand into a fist as he walked towards the door.


    "Where are you going?" Eleanor eased against Willem''s desk, the light of a nearby lamp illuminating her worried face.


    "I am bringing the war to our enemies, I cannot be late." Willem opened the door, stepped through the threshold and broke the seal J?rmungandr had previously placed on it.


    Despite wanting to, Willem did not look back at Eleanor as he disappeared into the Void, heading towards the Army Training Grounds.


    In the Army Training Grounds.


    Many of the soldiers within the five-thousand strong force whom would march against Blood City were already up before dawn, practicing their swordplay or stretching without armor on. This had become a daily occurrence for those among them who could not get a full night of sleep.


    When Willem arrived at the front gates inside the Army Training Grounds, the first of the soldiers to notice his presence snapped to attention no matter what they were doing. Despite being cloaked in a black mist, Willem was unmistakable to the soldiers that had seen him even once before. Willem found the group of fifty soldiers that had been previously trained, and each of them greeted him warmly.


    The fifty, now amalgamated into the five-thousand strong soldiers were part of the original force that repelled the invasion of the Red Dragon and his camp. Being the first to encounter Magical Beings and walk away unscathed, they were given an elevated position and made to show the other soldiers the combat methods they had learned from the Grand Mage.


    The fifty Mages that were also a part of that original team did not return to school, and instead continued their residence within the Private Sanctum of Willem, learning how to imbue weapons and armor with remarkable efficiency.


    The Quarter Moon formation, the Five Pointed star, and many more offensive and defensive formations were trained on thanks to the ample resources the Army was given. Considering this was the Grand Mage''s campaign, no expense was spared in order to get the soldiers ready for combat.


    Considering it was to be the first time many of them had even seen or fought a Magical Being, the preparations made could be considered a miracle in itself.


    "Grand Mage! To see you in good health, my heart is filled with joy!" One of the soldiers whom had previously been on death''s door while fighting the Red Dragon''s encampment was now lively singing praises to Willem.


    "You flatter me, I was only doing what any good Commander would, protecting his men." Willem nodded his head.


    "If not for your divine intervention, my wife would be a widow, and my son without a Father. I will sing praises until my tongue is cut from my head." The soldier dropped to his knees and pressed his head to the ground.


    "Arise, please. We have work to do." As the Grand Mage, the time for niceties was over.


    "Of course, Grand Mage." The soldier lifted his head, dusted off his knees and unholstered his dagger. The magic of the dagger resonated in response to Willem''s presence.


    Willem took the dagger from the soldier, and with his newfound knowledge, granted it an additional boon without even needing to re-write the runes.


    "Speak the word. Vanish." The Grand Mage handed the dagger back to the Soldier.


    "As the Grand Mage commands. Vaneesh." The soldier spoke at once while the dagger was firmly in his grasp. Despite mispronouncing the word, and before anyone could react, all traces of the soldier disappeared as if he had never existed.


    To the soldier, the outside world appeared as if slightly blurred and grey. The only one that did not react like everyone else was the Grand Mage, who''s eyes followed the now hidden soldier no matter where he moved.


    The Grand Mage granted this same boon to the other forty-nine soldier''s weaponry.


    "From this day forward, you are my assassination squad." The Grand Mage pronounced as the forty-nine soldiers spoke the word ''vanish'' and disappeared at the same time.


    After they exhausted the energy within the weapons by continually casting the spell and dismissing it, the vanish effect wore off and they had all been revealed once more. The effect could not be sustained for more than an hour, the soldiers surmised.


    The fifty soldiers stood at attention as Willem readied himself to greet the troops.


    Dawn broke and soldiers began flooding the gates of the Army Training Grounds, taking their intended formation in rows of fifty by one-hundred. Each row stood at attention, eyes gleaming with the eagerness of battle and the uneasiness of war.


    For the first time in what felt to Willem like a long time, he was feeling inspired enough to make a speech.


    "To you, the five-thousand here, I say, welcome to the first battle to determine the fate of human kind. It is no small stretch to imagine that victory or defeat here means victory of defeat for the Bastion of Hope as a whole. Do not fight for yourself, fight for your loved ones at home. Fight for your allies who stand beside you. There is an ancient word for what you are." Willem cleared his throat and spoke loudly. "You. Are. Legion."


    The soldiers seemed bolstered by the word spoken by the Grand Mage as a wave of strength washed over them.


    "LEGION!" The soldiers cried out in unison.


    The more they spoke the word, the more the uneasiness washed away.


    "LEGION!" The word itself gave them newfound power that shook to their very core.


    "LEGION!" The soldiers were now in a frenzy, a hint of fanaticism in their eyes.


    With the soldiers properly prepared, the Grand Mage distributed a magic potion to each soldier and told them to drink.


    "Drink, to Victory!" The Grand Mage''s yell was cacophonous.


    The soldiers downed the magic potions contents and smashed the glass on the ground with fervor. Their strength had reached a fever pitch.


    Willem began to cast his mass teleportation spell, a new spell he had learned thanks to J?rmungandr''s enlightenment.


    The spell was an advanced technique that allowed him to transfer up to ten-thousand others, with little to no side effects, provided the caster was strong enough.


    Right now, Willem was stronger than he had ever been.

 91 - Incursion (1)

    The mass teleportation spell finished casting and everyone within the vicinity of the spell''s effect were transported from the Army Training Grounds to just in front of the head of the Stinging Blood Tortoise.


    The soldiers were humbled, not just from the display of power shown by the Grand Mage in that moment, but by the sights from their first time beyond the walls of the Bastion of Hope. The teleportation had blinded them for just a few seconds, but the amazing view that awaited them was worth their sight altogether in repentance. The simple views provided by the Bastion could not hold a candle to the scenery of the poisonous fog embroiling the monstrous Tortoise, it''s head and body nestled against the dirt of the earth through a thin veil.


    "To see such a thing, even if I die today, I live with no regrets." Such was the consensus of the soldiers as one of them spoke aloud. To be given the honor of greeting an immortal being even once in their lifetime, they would gladly have given their lives.


    To Willem, this was just another trial.


    Connecting to the mind of the Stinging Blood Tortoise, the Grand Mage offered words of arrival before the battle was to begin.


    "To old friends and new alliances... Thank you for receiving me, um..." Willem could not remember asking the Stinging Blood Tortoise what his name was. "Forgive me, I must have taken leave of my senses, I never asked your name."


    "To be caught... Upon such a thing, you mortals are so funny... My name is Ashkatar, little one." The Tortoise responded gently. "I have forewarned the magical beings inside me of your coming, as is my right..."


    "Ashkatar, a name truly worthy of an immortal existence. Whether they know or not has no bearing on my plan. I hope for your co-operation in the years to come." The Grand Mage bowed politely and awaited entrance to Blood City.


    "Yes, I sense great pride in you. I hope all that you seek, you find." The Tortoise winked slowly at Willem.


    Ashkatar opened his mouth wide, revealing jutting protrusions of grey and green on the outer layers but a fleshy vibrant pink inside the mouth. A small patch of darker pink rested on the roof of the Tortoise''s mouth.


    "You lot smell better than the dark elves when they first arrived, all caked in shit and dust." The Stinging Blood Tortoise remarked as Willem and his Legion stood on the tongue of the great beast.


    The Stinging Blood Tortoise closed it''s mouth completely as Willem patiently waited, but did not respond to the kind words given by the beast.


    "Time to begin." The old Tortoise appeared in front of Willem as a vision, wielding a small cane as a crutch and pointing upward with his free hand toward the soft patch of off-color pink.


    A small beam of blue energy flowed from the patch toward the feet of the Army, creating a runic circle that twisted and unlocked as multiple layers of spells congealed together.


    Before long, the Army found themselves at the entrance of Blood City.


    Though to call it Blood City seemed to be the folly of the dark elves. Such a term could not possibly describe the essence of this beautifully sculpted landscape.


    Veins of red flowed like shallow rivers along the ground where the soldiers stepped, pumping the blood that made the Stinging Blood Tortoise immortal. Houses were built around the major organs of the Stinging Blood Tortoise, shifting and creaking with each breath from the monstrous beast.


    "Paradiso Rosso." Willem, who had been learning an old language crafted by a race called the Asphodai thousands of years ago, named what was reflected in his eyes.


    Red Paradise.


    To be the first City conquered by the Grand Mage, truly the Gods were granting him a gift for his hard work and efforts. Now all that was left was to purge the City of any dark elf that tried to stop him and secure a stronghold away from the Bastion of Hope.


    The soldiers took their formation after being lost in wonderment for longer than any of them actually cared to admit.


    "Your orders, Grand Mage?" Sir Gehrig approached from the front of the formation, removing his helmet to speak.


    "Any who resist, kill them without mercy and pile their bodies in heaps. If they surrender, bind them, we will be taking prisoners of war. If any of our men are mortally wounded or dead, try to keep their bodies intact." The Grand Mage spoke his final words before stepping forward to greet his opponents.


    Sir Gehrig relayed the orders to the Army just as the Grand Mage had said and donned his helmet once more. A menacing aura took hold as Gehrig removed his sword, ''Storm'' from it''s scabbard and held it gently in his hands.


    The span of time for the Army to re-adjust to the new area and fix their formation was enough for the enemies to descend upon them. If not for the potions they had drank earlier improving their eyesight, they would have not even been able to see the enemies they would be fighting. A full force of five-thousand, with five hundred leading the pack carrying a pretentious swagger and intricately decorated armors.


    A slim but muscular woman stepped forward, the engraved ornate pommel of her blade held over her head victoriously. The curves of her jaw made her face look especially elongated, her ears pointed and pulled back as if they had been stretched for purposes unknown. Her tanned skin resonated beautifully with the red of the City, making her appear vicious and bloodthirsty.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    "Vishkai grant us the strength to slay the enemies before us. Hallow these grounds as we defen-" A sudden gust stopped the Commander in the middle of her speech.


    As quickly as she appeared to rally her troops, her head fell from her shoulders, leaving a distinct thud upon the ground. As her body slumped over from the force, the blood pooled out and was absorbed into the veins of the Stinging Blood Tortoise.


    "Never let your guard down." Willem re-appeared behind the fallen body of the dead Commander, his twisted sword remaining by his side, clean as if it had just been released from its scabbard.


    "No honor!" One of the elves screamed as she watched the body fall to the floor.


    "Monster! He''s a monster!"


    "Vishkai, save us!"


    "Issala... Issala?" A young man from within the group of five hundred front soldiers broke formation and rushed to the dead body, ignoring Willem completely.


    "Issala! Issala..." The young man held the body tightly within his arms as he kept screaming the same word over and over.


    Willem searched his memory, trying to interpret the word that kept being repeated over and over. From his rudimentary knowledge of dark elven language, he understood after hearing it enough.


    Issala meant Sister.


    Without even meaning to, Willem froze on the spot and could not move. Despite the enemy standing in front of him, poised and ready to attack, Willem could not take his eyes of the dark elf young man. For some reason, Willem could not help but feel bad for the boy who had just lost his family member, crumpled and defeated, reminding him of when he found out his Mother had taken her own life.


    For all his perceived ideas of right and wrong, his emotions were discordant with his thoughts. He did not put much thought into killing the enemies when they sent the Red Dragon scouting party, since he was busy defending his homeland. However this time was different, this time he was the invader who was taking away the homes of people whom had lived here their entire lives.


    He could no longer muster the strength to swing his sword. He knew that this was war, and that every war had casualties, but seeing the face of the boy whom had just lost his kin forced Willem to confront his own fears. Fears he thought he had locked away when he became a Mage under the guidance of Grand Mage Archus.


    "That''s right, Archus..." Willem remembered the promise he had made to his Master.


    Forming a mental connection to Gehrig, Willem reminded him of the plan and told him to lead the fight, there was a promise made between Grand Mage''s that Willem had to uphold.


    That, and he could no longer stomach looking at the young man holding his decapitated sister...


    Sir Gehrig, who was previously shell shocked from the death of the enemy Commander, snapped back to reality and lead the charge against the Red Assassins leading the enemy.


    The young dark elf man took the body and head of his sister and retreated to the back line, far away from the fight as possible.


    A fierce battle began as both sides crashed against each other in a swarm of swords and spears, multi-color hues exploding out as magical energies activated and swept across the small skirmishes.


    Soldiers called out the name of the weapons, imbuing them with the strength to rival their enemies innate power.


    Sir Rowan and Eli tore through the battlefield with their fully activated wind armor, like bolts of lightning tearing their enemies asunder.


    "More monsters! We cannot continue like this!" The elves yelled to the Commanders as they began to lose hope.


    Some time had passed since the fighting began, but the bodies of dead elves began to pile up more and more compared to their foe. Killing blows to the chest, neck and head made quick work of the dark elves whom were unaccustomed to such an enclosed style of combat. Their combat style was in fact quite the opposite, focusing on using stealth and ambush combined with guerrilla tactics to sever the enemies supply chains and break their will.


    "Push forward, mongrels. You are fighting for your families!" The leaders of the enemy Army attempted to break the siege by pushing forward and splitting the invading enemy apart.


    The idea was good for being on the spot and under immense pressure, but the human Legion had a contingency plan for just such an action.


    Sir Kris and Mark stood their ground and activated their earthen armor, becoming immovable objects in their fixed positions. To their side, shields were hoisted and a makeshift barrier was created on the spot, forcing the elven Army to back down and become surrounded by the more quick-stepping humans whom had flanked them.


    Amid heavy pressure from all sides, the offensive of the elves crumbled and cries of lament resounded from the mortally wounded dark elves as they cried for reprieve.


    "Please, we are just common folk, we surrender." Despite the leaders of the enemy Army showing no intention to back down, the bulk of their Army had been soundly defeated. The Red Assassins, having always been a plague to the Bastion of Hope by destroying their livelihoods and kidnapping anyone they could to force into slavery, were out of their element and killed without mercy.


    The leaders of the dark elves were too proud to surrender their ancestral homeland, and fought to the bitter end. Some even went so far as to request one on one combat with enemy Commanders. The expression of resignation and sadness at the remaining dark elves weighed on the minds of Sir Gehrig.


    "What would the Grand Mage do?"


    Most of the dark elves who willingly surrendered were now bound in chains, given low potency salves to cleanse their wounds and taken to the entrance where the human Legion had entered the Stinging Blood Tortoise. This was the best the Army could do under such short notice and not really having an area to put prisoners of war.


    Sir Gehrig allowed the enemy Commanders to challenge him alone, which became a contest of three versus one.


    Storm, his blood-tipped lance, stabbed at the first of the dark elf Commanders, digging deep into his shoulder as the runes etched upon it began to glow. The depiction of a wolf eating a small man grew larger as the wolf began to bend and stretch, slowly wrapping itself around the armor of Sir Gehrig. The Commander whom had been stabbed was brought to his knees, as if the lifeforce had been sucked out of him.


    Another Commander unsuccessfully tried to ambush Sir Gehrig from behind, and was met with a small dagger in his stomach from a riposte. His guts spilled on the ground as Gehrig dragged his dagger clean through from one side of the elf''s body to the other. The man tried his best to shove his intestines back in, his body quickly becoming numb to the pain as his life ended.


    The final confrontation was just as quick, the final Commander knowing he was very clearly outmatched. With no one else to aid him, and no way out, the Dark Elf took his own dagger and sliced his throat, a final show of defiance to the enemy.


    His body was taken away and thrown on top of the pile with the others.


    In terms of time, the battle had lasted a little over two hours, with many casualties from both sides. Just as the Grand Mage had ordered, the bodies of the dark elves were piled together, and anyone who willingly became a prisoner of war was not killed.

 92 - Incursion (2)

    "DO NOT RUSH ME." An old man''s yell echoed out from the deepest part of a heavy lead chamber.


    "Pacharus... Sir, the enemy is advancing through the side streets as we speak, the longer we stay in seclusion the faster he discovers you." A heavily armed guard spoke as he reached his hand out to grab the frail old man''s shoulder.


    "I am almost done..." Despite being grabbed by the shoulder, Pacharus would not budge. He grabbed two vials, a green and blue concoction and slowly added them together into an empty vial.


    The vial slowly filled with a grey liquid, and gave off a smell similar to formaldehyde.


    "Sir, we must go now!" The guard cried out as he motioned for his men to leave the bunker and secure the surrounding area.


    "It is completed..." Pacharus stared at the vial before corking it tightly, removing his gloves and starting a fire with the scattered paper on his desk. "No one can know what I accomplished this day."


    The heavily armed guard lead the way as Pacharus placed the vial in the pocket close to his heart.


    In the streets of Blood City.


    Willem had already found Pacharus rather quickly thanks to his abilities and connection to the void, but the rising sense of fear within the old man kept Willem from attacking. Archus had tasked Willem with bringing back Pacharus'' head, but that did not seem fitting enough for the coward.


    First, Willem would toy with him, making sure he suffered first before his inevitable demise.


    While Pacharus ran around covering himself in horse shit and stripping down to his loincloth in order to look like a commoner, Willem slowly walked through the slums of the Blood City.


    The feelings he had been forced to deal with at the beginning of the fight was weighing heavily on his mind. He could easily form a mental connection with Sir Gehrig to see how the battle was progressing, but if he did it at a crucial moment and got Gehrig killed, that could turn the tide of battle. Instead, he mulled over the state of Blood City.


    To not be discovered, Willem sent two shadows that looked identical to himself toward the main streets, gaining the attention of the scouts stationed within the City.


    Willem could see a split vision of his own shadow''s sight, allowing for both reconnaissance and a deeper understanding of the dark elf hierarchy.


    The structures of the dark elf City were very similar to the depictions of elven cities in the books that Willem read. However instead of houses and buildings being woven in trees, they were woven around the body parts of the Stinging Blood Tortoise.


    Spires of gold and silver twisted around the heart and lungs of the Stinging Blood Tortoise, visible by all within Blood City, a testament to good fortune and unscrupulous methods. The walls separating the inner parts of Blood City to the outer area were purely for decoration, but were created nonetheless for the high society dark elves to keep away from the beggars.


    In the slums of Blood City, the buildings were damaged and falling apart, to the point that at any moment one would think they would crumble to dust. The dark elves that called these buildings home were caked in a layer of dirt, their hands bleeding from working too much just to survive.


    Despite having a naturally strong magical body thanks to being born infused with mana, the malnutrition had taken a toll on the young, old and weak. These members of the Blood City were also the ones toiling in the fields for eighteen hours a day, working for enough food to take care of themselves and their siblings.


    The scene was very similar to the outer ring of the Bastion of Hope in terms of quality of life. Willem could see the frustration, fear and anxiety of the common people. As Willem learned early on, the way the common folk were treated often told alot about the state of any Kingdom.


    Willem used mind magic to alter his form to the dark elves in the slums, as he approached a house with a broken door he appeared to the occupant as a small human child.


    "Please..." Willem cupped his hands as the small child form he had taken begged for food from the dark elf.


    The dark elf looked at the young child for a moment.


    "Here." The dark elf, with barely enough food to even feed himself, split the moldy bread he had in half and gave it to Willem.


    "Thank you!" Willem showed a big toothy smile as he ate the moldy bread, sitting beside the dark elf on his front steps.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    "What is a small child like you doing outside the fields? Brave little one aren''t you..." The dark elf man laughed a bit as he waited for a response from Willem.


    "I followed a small cat that wandered away from the fields!" Willem kept up the pretenses.


    "Eat the bread and return quickly, you do not want to get whipped." The dark elf showed Willem an open wound that he nursed with his right hand, eating with his left.


    "Did you steal the bread? Is that why you got whipped?" Willem looked around playfully for guards.


    "You are a smart one, but not that smart. I get whipped once a day for not being able to pay my Mother''s debt." The dark elf looked out at the street sadly.


    Suddenly Willem could see the hundreds of previous scars on the Dark Elf''s body, as if he could not see them before. Most had healed over, some showed signs of being infected, others were almost completely hidden due to the sheer amount.


    "That is sad... How many days has it been." Willem looked down at the moldy bread.


    "Too many to count." The dark elf finished his bread and wiped the crumbs off his torn hempen shorts.


    The rats that were scurrying around the feet of the dark elf ate the crumbs quickly and ran away.


    "Get to the fields quickly, before they find you." The dark elf ruffled Willem''s hair and opened the broken door, closing it behind him.


    The streets were filled with desperate people, men and women and children alike begging for food and scraps and anything to sell.


    Dark elf children played a game of catching the many rats running around, skewering them with a stick and roasting them over small bonfires to share with their friends.


    Willem got up and wandered toward the fields, following the direction where the scent of humans was the strongest. Eventually he reached the fields the dark elf man was talking about.


    Rows upon rows of food crops appeared within Willem''s sight, filled with various types of grains, vegetables and cotton. The humans working in the fields ranged anywhere from ten to fifty years in age. Unsurprisingly, there were no female workers.


    "You, boy! Where were you?" One of the dark elf guards stationed at the wheat field saw Willem enter the premises from under a fence used to indicate the length of the fields.


    "I followed a cat?" Willem tilted his head to the side as he said that, and pretended to shuffle over to the wheat field to work.


    "Boy, take off your shirt, one whipping for leaving the field!" The guard yelled as he reached for his holstered whip.


    "Please, sir, he looks to be no older than five or six, allow me to take his place." One of the elderly humans spoke up for Willem and begged on his knees to be whipped instead.


    "Fine, you will take five whips for his one." The guard rolled out his whip and prepared to strike the old man.


    Willem could tell that the dark elf guard was not holding back his strength despite the fact that the strike could very well kill the elderly man. The old man removed his shirt and dropped to his knees, closing his eyes and bracing himself for the pain. The guard gripped the end of the whip with brutal strength as he reeled back and snapped the entwined leather with force.


    Willem had held back long enough.


    Before the whip reached the body of the elderly man, Willem rushed to where the old man knelt and grabbed the whip in mid-air. The sound of the cracked whip hit Willem''s palm with a painful thud.


    The old man winced but quickly noticed that he did not feel any pain.


    Willem removed his child form and showed his real face to the guard before dashing forward and severing his head from his body with the twisted dagger.


    Another guard whom had been watching the entire scene raised an alarm before grabbing his sword from his waist. One guard called to another whom called to another, and suddenly a large iron bell was ringing in the distance.


    The iron bell was situated on top of the bell tower overlooking the inner structures of the Blood City. In that regards, it would be unreachable to Willem whom was at one of the farthest points away from the bell.


    The guard still rushed at Willem, despite seeing how quickly his fellow guardsman had been decapitated. Willem did not even look at the guard as he raised his voice to the humans working in the field.


    "You are hear as slaves for the Dark Elf Clan, stolen from your true home. I am from the same place as you, the Bastion of Hope. I am here to set you free." Willem threw his twisted dagger blindly behind him, piercing the throat of the guard.


    As the guard fell to his knees he grasped the dagger that pierced his throat, gurgling fresh blood. Willem quickly walked over to the guard and slowly pulled the dagger out. The blood began to gush from the open wound as the guard twitched in place, cupping his hands over his throat to stem the excessive flow of blood.


    However, after a few seconds, the guard seemed to understand it was a mortal wound and instead chose to stare down Willem, as if engraving Willem''s face into his mind.


    Willem did not return the favor.


    Instead, Willem protected the humans whom were running toward him from the rain of arrows that the guards were shooting. Willem intended to lead them to the slums where he knew he could guide them outside the Stinging Blood Tortoise. However he knew that he had to find the female humans as well, and inquired as to where they were.


    As Willem asked the field workers, he was met with many faces of despair.


    The rain of arrows ceased as Willem weaved darkness magic to pierce and kill the guards at range.


    They all spoke of a single place, which the dark elves apparently affectionately referred to as "the breeding house".


    Willem understood the somber looks of the workers, most likely many of them had sisters or lovers or wives taken away only to be used for breeding or pleasure.


    Willem used his magic to hide the presence of the humans whom had gathered toward him. In order to get everyone out alive, first he would need to rescue the women.


    The men nodded their heads and told the younger children whom did not understand what was happening to remain quiet. Willem casted the stealth magic in an area of effect covering a quarter of the field.


    To anyone on the outside looking at the field, it looked just as if the fields were empty, but the crops and ground were not hidden. The stealth area also had the added benefit of mind magic that made anyone who got near it instead want to go in a different direction and look away.


    Willem moved quickly in the direction that the men pointed, looking for the house that they had described. He knew he would find it quickly, as the sign was very distinct.


    The signboard on the house was of a woman''s legs spread open.

 93 - Incursion (3)

    "This must be it..." Willem looked around the corner while remaining hidden from the dark elves hastily running back and forth from the farms to the inner walls.


    An unmistakable stench of piss and feces permeated the area, much worse then the slums that Willem had originally walked through. The closer one got to the building marked with a signboard of a woman''s legs spread, the worse the smell became, until it was almost unbearable.


    Willem used a subtle hint of magic to expel the smell from his nostrils and snuck inside the building through the back entrance. When he first laid eyes upon the room, he understood why it was called the breeding house.


    Instead of a typical brothel with separate rooms, communal showers or even attendants, this was much more akin to a barn where rows upon rows of human females had been shackled to wooden walls, their legs spread apart and a wooden beam across their stomach to keep them from falling down.


    Most of the women in the brothel ranged from twelve years old to late twenties, but there was no sign of women older than that. Many of the women had bruised faces, lashes on their hands and feet and festering wounds all over their bodies. There was almost no sign of life, their eyes were glazed over and a few of them mumbled, begging to be killed.


    A couple of the women seemed to be pregnant, their shackles had been loosened so they could lay down in the hay prepared by a farmer.


    Four of the dark elf guards stood at the entrance of the building, weapons at the ready. One peered through a slit in the door, scouting for the enemy the bell tolled for.


    "Why are we even here protecting these dumb breeding sows?" The youngest of the dark elf guards asked his companion.


    "Apparently it''s only one human, he already freed the males, and ''she'' saw him coming this way." The elf beside him answered before flexing his wrist a bit.


    "So he most likely came to free the females." The young elf guard nodded his head, before resuming his defensive posture. "Huh?"


    Before the dark elf had time to react, blood ran down from his forehead and leaked into his eyes, blinding him. He then dropped to his knees, unable to control his own body.


    The other three guards looked at the sudden disturbance only to see the youngest of the guards had his scalp completely torn off, his brains viewable by everyone.


    Despite being ready, the guards were too flustered to properly mount a defense against Willem who was already slicing down the second and third guard.


    Willem grasped the dagger in his left hand deftly as he stabbed forward. The second guard took a knife to the stomach, which was then forced up into his sternum before he was kicked back to block the swing of the fourth guard.


    The third guard ate an elbow to the jaw, which by all standards should not have incapacitated him. However the strike was infused with Willem''s magic and was therefore several times more powerful than anything the dark elves could manage to block. Despite the strike, the attack itself was not life threatening, until Willem tossed the dagger from his left hand to his right and sunk it into the third guard''s neck in one fluid motion.


    The fourth guard threw the body of his deceased ally to the side and grabbed for his own dagger in order to defend himself.


    "What kind of monster are you?" The dark elf attempted to buy time knowing how much noise the fight had already made, hoping to draw more guards over.


    Willem remained silent as he used his darkness magic to bind the guard, stopping his movements completely. Though he had a method to extract information from a dead person, it was a bit convoluted and there was no one to protect him while he searched through the memories.


    "How did you know I was coming this way, I used magic you should not be able to see through." Willem used mind magic to compel the fourth guard to talk.


    "No- Stop... Please... W- We have a seer, she is blind but she can see so much more than any one man." The fourth guard tried to hold back from telling the truth, which only made the pain worse until he could no longer resist.


    "Where do I find this seer?" Willem looked into the guard''s eyes.


    The guard shuddered as he begged. "Please, I... I do not know for sure. Augh- ... Ugh- They say she resides in the main palace. I am just a lowly guard." The elf was crying from the pain of the compulsion magic.


    Willem took his hand and placed it on the guard''s head, crushing his skull completely just by squeezing.


    As he turned around, a few of the women had seen what Willem did and raised their heads. The rest kept their head down instinctively out of fear.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    "Please, Ello, God of the Plants and Harvest, I have worshiped you all my life, please grant my wish. Let this man strike me down so that I may join you." A weak, fifteen year old girl covered in deep scars with trembling hands prayed to her god.


    "I can cut you down here and now, and send you to meet your God. Or you can live, and maybe get revenge for what they have done to you." Willem pressed his index finger against the young girl''s head.


    "You can guarantee I will get my revenge?" The young girl held her hands together still in prayer.


    "It will not be an easy journey for you, but yes. You will." Willem nodded his head.


    The young girl cried in relief as her hands dropped down to her tiny waist, as if all the strength had left her body.


    Willem produced an undiluted pain suppression elixir and gently made her drink a small amount, careful that she did not overdose. As she drank, she found the pain from the wounds she suffered, the hunger she felt and the reminder of the women she could not help all drifted away quietly.


    "Focus girl. Focus on the people you want to kill." Willem saw that the girl was drifting between conscious and unconscious and slapped her gently.


    "The guards must die, the nobles must die, the Butcher must die." The girl incoherently spoke.


    "Who is the Butcher, and what of the common folk?" Willem looked into her hazy eyes.


    "The Butcher is the one that took those who were to old and chopped them up, then made us eat them." The girl seemed to focus better. "And the commoners snuck in to give us food and water, they are good people."


    The woman wrapped her arms around Willem''s neck while he hoisted her to her feet.


    "One must die, many will live." Willem nodded his head.


    For the first time since she before she was captured, she let out a small smile. The other girls clamored to get a small taste of the elixir, knowing Willem to now at least be a merciful existence.


    Willem quickly shared the drink before breaking the shackles holding the captured women.


    "Is everyone here ready to leave?" Willem confirmed that everyone had been helped.


    The young girl who had wished for death was the first to lead the other girls by hand out the back door into a small courtyard.


    "Join hands with each other, I will cast magic so we do not get caught." Willem softly spoke.


    The girls joined hands, and as Willem held out his hand to be grabbed, the young girl winced before taking it. Willem chose to say nothing as he slipped into the Void, guiding the women to the farm.


    Since he was inside the Stinging Blood Tortoise, the Void creatures were nowhere to be found. However the veins of blood within the Great Tortoise were much easier to see while within the Void.


    Once the group had reached the farm, Willem guided them into the stealth magic he had originally laid down for the men.


    When Willem appeared, cries of joy and sorrow both rang out for the men and women. Some men joined hands with their missing lovers, some with their families, while the rest desperately searched for people whom were no longer alive.


    The women were given clothes to use from the farmers and Willem looked around for an appropriate place to bring them while he finished off Pacharus and the Butcher.


    "Do any of you have a hiding place with enough room for everyone here?" Willem asked the group.


    "There are some civilians who will take us in." The men and women nodded their heads.


    With Willem reconstructing the stealth magic to cover the group, they moved through the streets of the slums until they arrived at a place Willem was familiar with.


    The broken down house with the young man Willem spoke to earlier was now speaking with one of the farmer''s before assenting and opening the door behind him.


    The men and women funnel into the partially broken house and Willem fixes the magic back in place, to the point that even the Dark Elf did not want to re-enter his own home. Since he knew there was mind magic placed in the area, he could somewhat resist, but it was still very powerful magic that made him sweat for no apparent reason.


    "I will return." Willem nodded his head to the group and left the broken down house.


    "Wait, what is your name?" The young girl who held Willem''s hand called out after him.


    "Grandia." Willem whispered, nodded his head again and slipped through the side streets with ease while passing guards and civilians alike.


    The young girl repeated his name in her head hundreds of times so that she would never forget.


    Willem still had a line on Pacharus, who was now forcefully taking whippings without infusing his body with magic from the guards to look more like the other humans in the farms, unaware that they had already escaped.


    The disarray of the elven inner guards showed more than anything that they had never felt a real crisis in a very long time and gotten complacent.


    After infusing magic into his nose, Willem tracked down the heavy stench of blood that he had been sensing for a while.


    Finding the Butcher was easy, and the description given from the women matched the behemoth of an elf that was currently sitting on a chair made partially of human bones.


    The massive, muscular elf drank wine from a cracked skull while eating raw flesh, presumably from one of his many kills.


    "Who gives a rat fuck about this stupid human, I will give him the privilege of being my new wine cup. Hahahaha!" The monstrous Butcher spoke with a deep raspy voice while spitting out small chunks of flesh.


    Willem wanted to torture the Butcher, but without knowing his strength, going easy on him would be a mistake.


    (Quick and painful, quick and painful...) Willem thought to himself what the best course of action would be.


    "Of course..." Willem could not help but whisper out loud as he took a small vial from his spacial spell.


    Using the stealth magic, Willem slipped a small dosage of highly neurotoxic magical venom harvested from the green mamba snake within the forest into the cup of the Butcher.


    Without skipping a beat, the Butcher took a swig of the drink and gagged on the horrible taste. Before being able to spit out the venom, Willem locked the Butcher''s jaw, forcing him to swallow the wine.


    "For the breeding house." Willem whisper into the Butcher''s ear as he stepped back.


    The Butcher''s eyes went wide as the neurotoxic venom took hold of his respiratory system and paralyzed his body completely.


    If this was any other elf, perhaps the effects would not have been so dire or quick-acting, however his massive frame made it much faster and more lethal.


    Willem watched as the Butcher began seizing, the guards rushing to try and help him, unsure of what actually ailed him.


    In the end they did more harm than good, and the Butcher died in the arms of the guards sent to protect him.

 94 - Incursion (4)

    Still hidden, Willem walked away from the scene while the inner guards did their best to pry open the butcher''s mouth, hoping against all odds that he would begin to breathe again. Some even attempted to resuscitate him by pounding on his chest, to no avail.


    It was of course a fool''s mission, but having someone die while under your watch was among the greatest of dishonors for a guard. Especially a silent and ruthless kill that could not even be defended against like the one that had just occurred. Truthfully, even if they knew exactly who did it, were they even capable of revenge?


    Many of the elven guards present had thought of abandoning their duties and hiding within the slums in order to avoid execution for not being able to accomplish what was supposed to be a simple job.


    Luckily their knowledge of the battle between the human and elven forces were superficial at best, so they had no inclination to back up the Army unless specifically ordered to. To be more precise, the one to issue the order was already headless.


    Therefore they were not burdened by the idea of gaining merit by helping the Army.


    Willem traced the connection to Pacharus, whom was already making his way to the farms to hide himself among the other humans.


    Upon arriving, Pacharus finally realized that he had been a fool and wasted all that time being whipped and caked in dirt and feces for nothing. More than anger, the fear that he exuded was almost physically tangible. His carefully planned escape was swept from under his feet with no regard for his own arrangements.


    Willem understood that particular taste of fear all too well, when he had been stabbed back in the inn so long ago.


    The fear that you would lose everything just from one small thing going wrong.


    Having decided to stop playing with his prey, Willem confronted Pacharus as he tried to leave the farm.


    "Pacharus the Undying, your time has come. The blood you have spilled has come to extinguish you." Willem whom was wrapped in a jet-black cloak, issued the old man''s destiny.


    "Do you not understand what Undying means? They sent a retard to do a God''s work. Someone of your ability intends to kill me? Hmph. What a joke." Pacharus snorted.


    Though he spoke harshly, the undeniable truth was that he could not truly grasp Willem''s power, every time he tried to peer into the depths, it was like a vortex was snatching away at his life. He had read about spells to hide your general strength from an enemy, but nothing so openly ferocious and berserk in power. The tyrannical feeling could not be repressed.


    "The conversation ends here, I kept you alive until now so I could tell you face to face who sent me to kill you. I am sure you are familiar with this name... My Master and the Grand Mage of Earth, Archus." Willem unsheathed the twisted dagger that still had a small amount of dried blood from his previous kills.


    Pacharus could sense the aura releasing from the twisted dagger was not simple, in fact he could tell that there were multiple spells bound together somehow. Thinking for a moment, if he could unlock the ability to combine spells then his research might make another miraculous breakthrough.


    "Archus? I guess he could not bother to pay me a visit personally? It is a shame he is not here, I would have sent him along the path to the afterlife to join his son. Anyways, where did you get that dagger? If you give it to me I will give you a quick death. Deny me, and I will show you the full extent of my previous works!" Pacharus looked like a ragged dog, his sagging cheeks tossing spittle around as he emphasized every word.


    "..." Willem had said what he wanted to say, and no longer felt like keeping the old man company.


    Clasping the handle of the dagger between his hands, he closed his eyes for a brief moment. Upon opening them, the dagger became clad in lightning, a pulse of electricity constantly reverberating through the metal.


    Upon seeing this, Pacharus reacted as fast as he could and began to chant.


    "Incantus Exponentia Deit. Sticks to stones, water to mist to bones to dust." Pacharus sliced open his palm and drenched himself in his own crimson blood as he finished his incantation quickly.


    Willem allowed Pacharus to finish his incantation in order to see what effect the spell produced. The first thing he noticed was that Incantus was spoken first.


    In all 4 base elements, Incantus was the third phrase meant for when the ability manifested and took a physical form. Solum Majore Incantus and Farah Majol Incantus were some of the most widely recognized spell-casts.


    Envision, Gather, Manifest. The three stages of spell creation.


    "Reverse the fate of flowing blood." Pacharus chanted as his body began to emanate a black glow.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    The large open cut on his palm had already begun to heal, the blood flowing in reverse from his face into his body once more. The skin stitched together as if time flowed in reverse, and after the incantation was completed he looked exactly as he did before.


    Willem flicked his wrist and the twisted dagger flew toward the old man, piercing his stomach without any hint of hesitation. The blade sunk deep, enough for it to be considered a mortal wound even amongst Magical Beings and Mages with enhanced bodies.


    Pacharus plucked the dagger from his stomach as if it was just a small inconvenience, and the blood that had spilled from the open wound slowly went back into his body like a reversing waterfall.


    Slightly perturbed, Willem called out to his Servant. Someone who may know why the spell had a black aura and used Incantus first.


    (Arania, have you heard of a spell with the casting phrase "Incantus Exponentia Deit".)


    (Reporting to Master, it is a Demonic Technique called "Reversing Blood Magic", at the cost of an exorbitant amount of magical energy, any mortal wound is healed. Any one can use it, but if you exhaust your magic the blood swirls inside your body and you will slowly bleed out from the ears, eyes and mouth. The activation method is to let your blood flow from an open wound. The more damage you sustain, the faster you will run out of magical energy.)


    Everything Arania had said was exactly as Pacharus had done, except it did not explain why he had such an ability, especially when it was a Demonic Technique and he seemed to already have it when he was in the Bastion of Hope.


    (How many demons would know of this technique?)


    (Master, any and all demons would know this Technique, it is an basic spell that protects precious blood in exchange for magical energy, which demons have a massive amount of, it is one of the first spells we are required to master.)


    To Willem, the investigation of the Demonic Technique took a temporary higher priority over the subjugation of the elves. Given enough time, the elf royalty would eventually die by the hands of the humans anyway, without even speaking of a revolt or in-fighting.


    Pacharus did not just stand around while Willem stayed his ground. He was carefully studying the blade in front of him, seeing for himself what made the enchantments connect in such a way that it could combine effects. Despite his best efforts, he was not skilled enough to determine what was a part of the spell structure and what was not. The analyzation of the dagger would take time, possibly a few months, but it was well worth the investment.


    (Is there a way to dispel the effect or restrict it?)


    (Yes Master, the Demonic Technique is called Blood Branding Magic. The chant is "Incantus Solis Ignatio" and you must be in physical contact with the blood to ignite it. The cost is that you must give the same amount of blood as you wish to ignite. The good news is that it does not have to be your blood.)


    Simple. Too simple.


    "What spell is this that makes your blood flow in reverse? And that black aura that emanates, are you a demon?" Willem feigned ignorance and shock, lowering his head in a mock show of defeat.


    "A question for a question, an answer for an answer. My question to you is, where did you get this dagger? My answer, this is a special spell I found after meticulous research in the restricted section of the Grand Library. I am quite sure you know of the place I speak." Pacharus licked his lips greedily. Now that this young black clothed man showed humility, getting information from him should be simple. The rewards for this were too big to pass up.


    Willem thought for a moment and decided to play along, since Pacharus would be dead soon anyway it is not bad to divulge a bit of information.


    "I made the dagger myself, after learning from a book in the restricted section of the Grand Library. My question, what experiments were you performing while with the elves." Willem quickly caught the pace of the questions in order to control the conversation.


    "The elves have a naturally long life, but the royalty are greedy, they saw my age and how I am still alive and they beg for that power. I told them in order to give them results I first need to experiment on both elves and humans. They willingly gave up their own kind. Of course I had no intention of giving them my immortality. My question, do you still have the book.? Pacharus spun the dagger between his fingers nimbly.


    "Of course. The details of spell-combining is intricate, one mistake and you waste alot of resources. I always have the book on me to ensure everything is done correctly." Willem nodded and took out a fake book from his Spatial Spell.


    "You indeed have some tact, give me the book and I can let you walk away." Pacharus sneered as Willem tossed him the fake book.


    Pacharus had long since stopped being wary of Willem as an opponent. With his misunderstanding of Willem''s power from his mention of being Archus'' disciple, and the Reversing Blood Technique, Pacharus felt untouchable. The only incomprehensible thing to Pacharus was why the elves were so worked up about the humans who came. Most of them were not even Mages. If there was any more races within the vicinity of the Bastion of Hope, Pacharus would not have willingly come to the elves, he would much rather stay with any other Magical Being race.


    Willem straightened his fingers to a single point, as if his hand was a sword meant to pierce the most dense of metals. Leaning forward slightly, he worked his left hand to grab a bucket of beast blood from his Spatial Spell. Every ounce of his magical energy went to his right leg as he catapulted forward, easily closing the gap and piercing the weak defenses of the old man.


    The old man just stood with a grin on his face, the book still open in his hand.


    Dipping his left hand in the beast blood, Willem shouted. "Incantus Solis Ignatio!"


    "Wha- What the hell did you just-" Before Pacharus could finish his sentence, all the blood in his body ignited and burned him alive inside out. "Why, this is impossible!"


    Even in his death throes, Pacharus refused to believe he was not invulnerable to harm.


    The results of the battle were obvious, and Willem quickly retrieved both the dagger and the burning book.


    Putting out the green flames that charred the edges of the book, Willem took one last glance around the vicinity before liberating Pacharus'' head from his shoulders.


    When the head was removed, it was immediately placed in the Spatial Spell.


    As the contents of Pacharus own Spatial Spell spilled out, Willem also took note of a peculiar vial Pacharus seemed to be grabbing at during his death.


    "Interesting..." Willem picked up the vial from Pacharus'' pocket and put it in his Spatial Spell with all the other loot he gathered, including the extensive notes Pacharus had on his person.


    Willem took one last glance at the headless Grand Mage before slipping into the Void, heading back to the entrance where the battle should be in it''s final stages.

 95 - Incursion (Final)

    One of the first clashes of Willem and his legion against the magical beings was also the fastest military skirmishes recorded in recent human history, thanks to the training of the humans and the magical beings not being prepared fully for an invasion.


    The battle and subsequent occupation of humans in the Stinging Blood Tortoise took an estimated four hours, two for the battle and its aftermath; two to exterminate the nobles and current ruler of the newly named "Paradiso Rosso".


    When the battle ended and the human''s victory was guaranteed, some dark elf nobles decided to take their own lives instead of suffer at the hands of their kin whom they had used.


    Despite being in a disadvantageous position where their full power could not be utilized, the dark elf army still inflicted heavy casualties on Willem''s legion by use of poisons and special dark elf abilities.


    Willem had assumed there would be some casualties, considering this would be most of the legion''s first fight against enemies with a slightly different anatomical structure and unseen abilities. All in all, to Willem they were acceptable losses, and the legion had followed his instructions very carefully, which made recuperating those potential losses easier.


    Anyone with lost limbs or other wounds were taken to the back of the battle, healed with the magic of the water Mages and the wounds were dressed with clean cloth and disinfectant made from one of the plants Willem had gathered. With this ''safe and controlled'' mentality, the amount of humans that would have most likely died from their wounds during the battle dropped drastically.


    After the battle, since the Mages had expended most of their magical energy, Willem healed anyone who still suffered with Darkness Healing. Though it was called Darkness Healing, it was more akin to a high speed regeneration to anyone that had the chance to look at it themselves. As Willem dispersed his magic among the injured, he used their cells to speed up the rate of recovery. Wounds that would normally takes months or even years to heal were repaired in a matter of minutes, with no scars to even show they were ever there.


    The death toll was counted, and the legion had suffered two hundred casualties in total. Many of the soldiers in the legion understood that they may not be coming back from this battle, but to only lose two hundred soldiers compared to the thousands of dead dark elves showed just how effective the training and formations were.


    If anyone whom had seriously doubted Willem saw what he had done, would they not hang their heads in shame?


    Willem took from his Spatial Spell bags of food and water and clothing that had been prepared before they left the Bastion of Hope and handed them out to the soldiers with strict orders.


    "Give these to the commoners, and make sure they do not eat too quickly." Willem gave the order. "Tell all the dark elves to gather at the spire, and anyone who is sickly or cannot walk is to be carried."


    As the legion marched up and down the streets lead by Sir Gehrig and Willem, the dark elf commoners kneeled in veneration. To the common-folk of the Stinging Blood Tortoise, Willem destroyed the nobles whom had caused them so much suffering. The least they could do was show there appreciation, despite not knowing what Willem would do to them.


    Willem''s words were repeated thousands of times to the dark elves, whom could somehow understand human language.


    As Willem continued walking closer to the tallest spire in the Stinging Blood Tortoise, the human soldiers handed out bags of food and water to the poor as well as healing salves and clothes, warning them not to consume the goods too quickly. This was Willem''s plan to win over the hearts of the people and ensure that they did not rise up against him.


    The humans that were rescued from the farms were given priority escorts with Willem to the spire, and the captured soldiers that had laid down their weapons and been shackled took up the rear with their own escorts.


    The twisting path could have been considered an arduous journey for the weak or sick, but whoever followed in Willem''s footsteps as he lead seemed to be carried by an inhuman vigor.


    This was Willem''s Darkness Aura, yet it had been modified from it''s original purpose. Normally anyone who was inside the Darkness Aura would feel lethargic and have their minds attacked by malefic visions. With this Darkness Aura, the opposite effects happened, everyone had what felt like an unending amount of stamina and they could not help but feel like things would work out in their favor.


    To Willem this was just another use of his abilities. His Darkness was originally meant to harm and ultimately destroy, but he had found that the true power of Darkness Magic was it''s ability to become whatever he needed at the time. It was highly adaptable, and the only real limitation was the consumption of his magical energy.


    Another unfortunate circumstance for Willem is that because his power was so dominating, he had not had any difficulties or struggles after it awakened. He knew his senses were dulling, compared to when he was a lost child in the Army Training Ground.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Since he knew that his senses were dulling, he had sought out many challenges, but none of them were strong enough to even be considered an experience worth remembering.


    The buildings around the spire were made immaculately, a testament to the understanding that comes with learning a profession for hundreds of years. To any kind of elf, finding something worth doing for a few hundred years could be considered very lucky.


    The architect was one of the nobles whom had decided not to take his life and instead ask to be spared. He was a kind soul whom had not harmed his fellow dark elf brethren. Many of the commoners vouched that workers in his house would go to the slums and deliver foods and scraps.


    Willem accepted this information from the commoners, and relied on them to tell him who could be considered influential or helpful.


    When the group had finally reached the spire, Willem took the throne while he waited for everyone to gather. Despite the entire population of the newly named ''Paradiso Rosso'' being in the throne room, there was still enough room for everyone to move around comfortably. Such was the difference between the wealthy nobles who hoarded their resources and the poor people. Willem understood all too well the discrepancy between the rich and poor thanks to the similar situation in the Bastion of Hope.


    Dark elves and humans alike walked into the throne room, the soldiers standing off to the side with their weapons holstered and a look of reverence on their faces. Willem had lead them to a complete and utter victory against the magical beings that had always been like a plague upon the Bastion of Hope and it''s people. Sir Gehrig lead the battle, to be sure, but Willem provided the equipment, training and resources that allowed them to survive.


    Everyone had finished gathering, and Willem could finally see everyone staring at him, hope and fear and confusion all amalgamated into one expression.


    "To everyone who is here, I commend you both for your bravery and your strength. You whom have survived under the tyranny of people who treated you like nothing more than ants to experiment on and cheap labor. People who would rather you die in the street instead of give you their scraps."


    Willem stood from the throne and the soldiers kneeled in unison. The dark elves and humans followed suit and kneeled.


    "From the moment I first laid eyes on this place, I could think of it as nothing but a paradise. Ultimately what this place becomes is up to you people here today, for future generations. If we work together, we can create a utopia that is safe for humans and magical beings, where everyone is equal. I firmly believe that." Willem''s eyes had no look of hesitation, only conviction to see his mission through.


    If he succeeds here and expands the influence of the humans, he will be able to find the pendant that much sooner.


    This clear and concise belief bolstered the trust between Willem and the dark elves.


    "Today, we mourn our lost and dead, and we celebrate their lives and who they were. In the next few days, I will bring in people I trust to make your lives here easier. Among the dark elves, you all will select a representative to speak of the problems you face everyday. This person will directly report to me. Now, architect Jura." Willem motioned for the architect to approach him.


    Jura stood up quickly but his legs could not hide the fear he felt from Willem. They shook a small bit while he approached the throne. When he was within five feet of Willem, he again kneeled.


    "For the work you have done until now, I commend you. For the people you have protected, even while under the scrutiny of your peers, I commend you. You will lead the construction of housing and buildings throughout ''Paradiso Rosso''. Anything you need in order to ensure the safety of these people, it will be yours." Willem nodded toward Jura and waited for his response.


    "I thank you, Master Grandia. We are eternally grateful for you protecting our people and for your leniency in the battle to minimize the casualties. I will do my best in order to create your vision." Jura bowed his head deeply, sweat dripping from his brow. For such a tall, slender man, his frame while kneeling was diminutive.


    "You all may leave, and I do not mean just this spire. None of you will be detained against your will. If you choose to further distance yourself from the Stinging Blood Tortoise, I personally guarantee none of my men will stop you." Willem motioned for the human soldiers to remove the shackles from the magical beings whom had fought in the battle.


    With their freedom guaranteed and the looming threat of death gone, the fear had disappeared from the eyes of the dark elves. The younger elves did not really understand what was going on, but the older elves whom had fought before understood the intention of Willem and accepted it gratefully.


    "If any of you have special circumstances when to comes to death, we will do our best to accommodate you. In two days, we will begin fixing the houses and buildings and co-ordinate with your chosen representative. Any immediate concerns can be directed toward my soldiers and we will do our best to help." Willem raised his hand to show that he had finished speaking and the crowd of elves dispersed, to begin preparations for funeral services.


    The humans who had been in the farms all this time looked to Willem as if he was a God''s messenger, sent to free them from their torment. After all the suffering they had gone through, they had finally been saved from the monsters that stole them from their homes.


    "If any of you choose to stay here, I will do my best to make it a comfortable stay, but considering what you all have been through, I can understand wanting to return to the Bastion of Hope. There is, however, a third option available to you all if you so choose. You are all invited to my Private Sanctum, beyond the reach of man, where you will be welcome with open arms. Within my Private Sanctum, you will be given food, clothes and a bed as well as work depending on what you want to do. The only families left in the Bastion of Hope that I have not already contacted can be considered the reason the Bastion of Hope is doomed to fail. I will support any decision you make." Willem told them the blunt and honest truth, now that he knew that he possessed the ability of the "Thousand Eyes Clan" to perceive past and future events in dreams and meditation.


    The Bastion of Hope was doomed to fall, according to his dream.


    "I will stay."


    "I, I want to go to your Sanctum."


    "I just want to see my brother again."


    The majority of people chose to go with Willem to the Private Sanctum, with only a dozen choosing to stay and fewer still choosing to go back to the Bastion of Hope.

 96 - Paradiso Rosso

    "Very well, to those returning to the Bastion of Hope, and those coming to my Sanctum, you shall stay here. Everyone else, you are free to take residence with the soldiers while we determine the population size and available buildings." Willem had already began thinking about how he was going to reconstruct Paradiso Rosso to suit his needs.


    As the soldiers and humans left, Willem began laying down the teleportation array. The room for this particular array was more condensed and also had to be drawn with beast blood, to match the flow of blood and magic in the Stinging Blood Tortoise.


    "Ashkatar, I am creating a teleportation array within you that connects directly to my Sanctum. You of course are welcome to create a small corporeal body and use it at any time you wish." Willem connected his mind to the Stinging Blood Tortoise while also drawing the array.


    "So you have come out victorious in your battle and seek to make some changes. Very well, I will take you up on that offer, little one. My Tortoise body is still too weak to move right now, but to be able to travel in a smaller body is indeed within my capabilities. You come up with such funny ideas, so you are at least a little more interesting than the previous - ... What did you call them? Magical Beings?" Ashkatar responded.


    "How long will it take you to make the body?" Willem asked, slight taken aback.


    The corporeal body magic was just Willem throwing out an idea, but he was not sure if it was true. It was mentioned in one of the fables tucked away deep in the Library''s ''Fables and Other Tellings'' section.


    "No more than a day." Ashkatar severed the mental connection and began to focus his own magical power.


    If anyone currently standing with Willem in the spire had heard the conversation between him and Ashkatar, they would have nothing but questions or a look of awe.


    The teleportation array was beginning to take shape, and the connection with the array in the Sanctum was becoming more stable.


    "Focus..." Willem muttered.


    Establishing the connection from here to the Sanctum proved to be alot more difficult than when he was just putting them on a few stones. The strength and stability of the current array had to be maintained without any fluctuation while it took form.


    After an hour, the array had finally taken form. Compared to the significantly less amount of time needed for the first array, this was developmentally on a whole different level. The complexity of the structure gave credibility to it''s potential usage.


    "First I will test the array, and then I will return and guide you all." Willem walked into the newly created array, still smelling of fresh beast blood.


    The array began to glow as the magic coalesced and brought forth a brilliant shine. Willem disappeared from Paradiso Rosso and re-appeared in his own Sanctum.


    The men and women standing around the array all recognized him immediately and began kneeling with joy.


    "Young Master, to see you in such good health. Truly a miracle." An old man raised his head and spoke praises to Willem.


    Willem accompanied the speech of the old man with a smile.


    Everyone excitedly began chattering back and forth, seeing Willem alive and well after the announcement that they were going to fight in a war with the Dark Elves.


    Though... The smell of beast blood was a bit overpowering to the ones closest to him.


    "I have suppressed the Dark Elves and have taken control of the living space they once occupied. Those who opposed me are dead, those who bowed to me are alive. Call for our best workers, builders, and craftsmen. Have them ready to move in two days with necessary materials for reconstruction, further information will follow. Also, clear the array for thirty seconds while I bring back those who were kidnapped by the Dark Elves." As fast as Willem had appeared, he quickly disappeared.


    Some of the humans could only stare blankly at Willem. Taken control of the Dark Elves home? In a matter of hours? Was such a thing even possible?


    Yet it was undeniable that Willem was now standing in front of them, with no physical injuries, looking every bit triumphant and regal.


    Many people began to run away from the array to carry out the Grand Mage''s orders.


    Willem went back to Paradiso Rosso and gathered the rest of the humans into the teleportation array.


    "I thought we would be travelling back by foot. To think, there was even magic for going between great distances." An older man spoke aloud.


    "How much magical energy is necessary to power such a big array?" A teenage boy asked quizzically.


    Ignoring the questions posed by the confused humans, Willem focused.


    "Here we go..." Willem began to operate the array and teleported everyone into the Sanctum.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    What greeted Willem on the other side of the Sanctum was a round of applause and cheering from the current denizens of the Sanctum.


    "That''s our Young Master!"


    "Bring the good food."


    "Smells like beast blood, hahaha."


    Many people were talking excitedly.


    "Daddy, who is that man?"


    "He''s the guy who saved us."


    "Oh. I want to grow up to be like him."


    A father and son talked back and forth while smiling happily.


    Seeing the atmosphere and camaraderie between the young and old, some of the rescued humans changed their minds about returning to the Bastion of Hope and instead opted to remain in the Sanctum.


    "Young Master, here is the most delicious apple I could find." The old lady who usually greeted new arrivals presented Willem with a beautiful red apple.


    "Thank you." Willem accepted the apple and took a bite.


    The apple juices dripped down the side of his mouth as he slowly chewed, savoring the taste. With magical power flowing through his body, all senses were enhanced, including taste.


    "Delicious." Willem smiled as he spoke.


    Everyone erupted into praise and happiness, genuine smiles on an otherwise normal day within the Sanctum.


    "Young Master, the reports for the generic materials." A young woman in tight clothes and wavy blonde hair passed a piece of parchment to Willem.


    "This should be sufficient to start, well done." Willem glanced over the material list and confirmed the amount.


    In mere hours, thousands of pounds of clay, cut blocks of compressed earth, wood and various other materials were at the array, ready to go at a moments notice.


    Willem focused on the array and brought the rest of the humans to his old home, in the Bastion of Hope. Understanding that the Bastion of Hope was already destined to die, Willem gave each of the humans who returned three gold coins to spend as they wished.


    Receiving the three gold, the humans bowed gratefully and left towards the homes and possible family that they had left behind when abducted.


    Willem watched them go, before returning to Paradiso Rosso and overseeing the events.


    Two days pass.


    The first two days pass without incident.


    Paradiso Rosso''s first day had a funeral for their fallen soldiers, those who protected their families and friends from an unknown threat. Then they had a celebration that lasted another day, where they drank and fucked and fought until they were exhausted. The burden on the hearts of the people eased as they realized that their new leader was quite magnanimous, and also true to his word. He promised to do his best to accommodate the people and he came through quite brilliantly. Handing out food, accepting burial rites, and solving any problem with an efficient chain of command and proper management of available resources.


    On the third day, the real trial of rebuilding the city in his image began. After some open deliberation, Jura the Architect became the chosen representative of the Dark Elves. He quickly established a chain of command that allowed anyone with special circumstances or concerns to be heard. There were also daily and weekly planned meetings that would allow anyone to express their concerns or for events to be brought up.


    Willem had confirmed the materials with his own two eyes to ensure there was no faults, and craftsmen were working at full capacity to ensure that the buildings could actually be restored to their former glory. In the case of shoddily crafted buildings, they would be torn down and rebuilt anew.


    There was a brief re-adjustment period where the interactions between the humans (whom had never had interactions with Magical Beings) and Dark Elves (whom had previously treated humans as slaves) awkwardly communicated and the pace of a few projects slowed down.


    The Stinging Blood Tortoise had created a homunculus in order to communicate with the denizens inside as well as try out the teleportation array that Willem created. When the body was created, Willem prepared some clothes and introduced him to the people inside him.


    The body that the Stinging Blood Tortoise created was of a middle aged man, and if Willem was to guess the age he would most likely have said forty or forty-five. The body had a long white beard, with a few twinges of black hair strewn around for flavor. His eyes were dark red, the same deep color as the blood pulsing in his body. His build was tall but scrawny, as if he had only ever needed to do the bare minimum to survive. All in all the best word to describe how he now looked could be summed up as ''Sagely''.


    Only a few Dark Elf Royalty had actually been able to speak with the Stinging Blood Tortoise before the war, so having him in front of them now was a great shock to the citizens. Willem did his best to ensure public order was maintained, but many of the Dark Elves would constantly bring gifts and try to carry favor with the Tortoise''s homunculus.


    A chamber was designated for the homunculus to reside in, and he became an unofficial ''adviser'' to Willem, so that he could oversee some of the interesting projects that were being created. Most of the projects that held his interest were clay-fired creations of creatures that he would describe and artists would do their best to depict. The closest one to create the creature he described would get the honor or presenting their pottery creation, and the others would still get to take home their bowls or cups.


    Willem quickly learned that the Dark Elves had a certain affinity for handicrafts involving wood, capable of creating beautiful works of art simply with few tools.


    The wood and clay that Willem had brought was rough and not well processed, so most of the time in the beginning was spent treating the wood and de-airing the clay.


    Luckily Jura was able to make up for the slight downtime by planning out the overall architecture of the various building and getting approval from Willem about where and what to build.


    The teleportation array allowed for the Dark Elves whom had some free time to also visit the Private Sanctum of Willem and interact with it''s inhabitants, which Willem was more than happy to allow. The first step toward making Paradiso Rosso a neutral zone was to make sure there was no animosity between humans and Magical Beings. Dark Elves would go to the Private Sanctum in the morning, exchange their handiwork with the people inside, and then eat until they were full and leave. The people of the Sanctum would then take the teleportation array to the Bastion of Hope and sell the handiwork to other buyers for a little bit more money, making sure to make a profit. All the money that was made was put in the treasury managed by the Curo family, formerly the bank of the crown. Any money that was taken out was documented, signed and tracked to ensure that the expenses did not get out of hand.


    The female head of the Curo family personally reported the total expenditures as well as any gains or losses to Willem in a private room, which made others begin to speculate if they only had a ''working arrangement'' or if there was something more. The colorful rumor was that beneath the cold exterior of the Curo family head was a woman bursting with passion. The rumor was never confirmed to be true or false, and the question seemed to die just as quickly as it had spawned.


    Willem would constantly travel between Paradiso Rosso and the Private Sanctum, speaking to and leading his people. To anyone that approached him, be it a small child or a frail old man, a pregnant woman or his closest friends, Willem would always spare a few words.

 97 - Side Chapter (1)

    A new day had dawned in the Bastion of Hope, but the markets and food stalls were surprisingly devoid of life. Many of the hunters who would normally risk life and limb to bring in fresh meat and pelts were nowhere to be found, and even the housewives who normally woke up early to secure the best foods for their families were scarce. To some of the citizens, the lack of people meant less competition for food, but for the others it served as an ill omen of sorts.


    Among the most popular of current rumors from the remaining families was Magical Beings coming in the night and stealing whole entire families out of their homes to be used as food. However, many investigations were carried out and there was no signs of breaking and entering at all.


    Truthfully, the families that remained in the Bastion of Hope could be said to be the reason why the city was doomed to fail. Greed and malice, abuse and gluttony were openly displayed to show how much power they had over others.


    The families had sided with The One True King and abused their power to keep the other smaller families down, instead of enriching the lives of those they could directly or indirectly affect.


    Unfortunately their fortunes meant nothing since they did not have anyone to procure for them the basic necessities. The majority of foodstuffs in their pantry were known to waste away quickly, and they had no way of sustaining the current inventory.


    The major families sent out everyone they could to find out the truth behind the disappearances. Ultimately, their efforts bore no fruit and they were left to languish about the lack of sustainability that had suddenly happened over the course of a few days. Their extravagant lifestyle up until now could no longer be sustained and many families thought about fleeing the Bastion of Hope in search of a new sanctuary.


    Questions arose such as ''where would we go?'' and ''can we even survive in the wilderness beyond the walls?''.


    Most agreed though, even slavery was better than dying of starvation sitting at a golden table.


    Within a large castle.


    "Eliza!" A rotund man yelled out loudly for his servant, a young girl no older than sixteen.


    "Yes, Master?" The sheepish girl carrying a small tray approached the man, bending down to one knee at his side. Her ribs poked out of her servant garb, and her scrawny arms held the tray close to her chest.


    The large man smashed his wine cup down onto the gold-trimmed table. "Where is my food!" He was almost frothing at the mouth as he cried out.


    "My a-apologies Master, there seems to be a shortage of food all throughout the city. Anything at the food stalls were bought up by the bigger families... I was unable to procure fresh meat for you. Your wives and children have gone to get food from other families. I have sent anyone we have contact with letters asking for their assistance. In the meantime, our cooks are still preparing your food with everything they could find in the storage." The small girl winced as she spoke.


    No sooner has she finished speaking, a large palm slapped her across the face, sending her crashing against the stacked chairs in the otherwise empty dining room.


    "Worthless... What have I done to deserve such worthless servants." The big man stood up from his gold-trimmed chair and walked over to the young girl, grabbing her by the hair. "Maybe I will just eat you alive." He licked his lips as drool ran down one side of his mouth. His spit flew off in different directions as he spoke.


    "*Hic*... Please, Master. Spare me. *Hic*". The girl began to cry and gasp as the large man began kicking her repeatedly.


    "Useless. Trash. How dare you show your face in front of me." The fat man continued kicking until he became winded shortly after. "Leave me."


    The young girl staggered to her feet, a look of fear on her face as she slowly hobbled out of the dining room.


    "Don''t come back without my food!" The fat man yelled as she closed the door behind herself.


    The girl returned to the servant quarters, a determined and fierce look in her eyes. She filled a rucksack with anything she could fit into it and quietly left the building.


    When she reached the courtyard, she noticed the guards whom would normally be patrolling were gone, and the streets in front of the castle were empty.


    With a sullen face and a bruised body, she hobbled out into the streets and did not look back. The smells that normally filled the Bastion of Hope were missing, as if they had never existed.


    A few servants of major families were running around frantically, completely ignoring her, looking to buy up all they could until they heard further word about the situation.


    "Is it this place?" The young girl wandered up and down the streets, looking for a certain little house with a small lawn. An otherwise inconspicuous house that any other person would normally walk past stood immovably in front of her.


    The biggest rumor was about Magical Beings right now, but another less talked about rumor that was talked about in the servant quarters was that were was a small house within the inner area, and there were some people who would enter it but never leave.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Anywhere is better than here." The young girl clutched at her bruised sternum as she climbed the few steps.


    The door to the house was unlocked, and despite there being no one in the home, it was immaculately kept, as if dust was being repelled from it magically.


    The girl stumbled through the house clumsily as she walked through the halls. Though she searched thoroughly, she found no signs of a trap door or secret exit.


    Dejectedly, she began heading for the entrance until a sudden thought entered her head. As if acting on that single thought, her body carried her over to the rug in the living room.


    The rug was thick, and embroidered on it were two lions baring fangs and claws at each other. She lifted the rug and a teleportation array could be seen beneath it.


    "Is this it?" The girl wondered as she placed her hands on the array. "Please, take me away from here." She pleaded, not sure if she was talking to the weird runes or the Gods who never seemed to answer her prayers.


    All of a sudden, her fingers began to glow beautifully and her body disappeared.


    In the Private Sanctum.


    There had been an incredible amount of hustle and bustle around the teleportation array.


    It was early in the morning and everyone was ready to begin their day, the hunters had begun learning archery from the dark elves and the dark elves had learned of various things from the occupants of the Private Sanctum.


    The amount of people coming in and out of the teleportation array was well within the calculations of the old woman who took care of the middle floor.


    Her presence was considered fundamental for the general flow of work, and she seemed to revel in her job as she finished various tasks with ease. A wooden board with a piece of paper hung at her side, with departure times and estimated arrival times for various hunters and workers.


    Suddenly, there was a fluctuation at the teleportation array that could not be accounted for. The array brightened up as a small girl appeared, completely bewildered.


    From her point of view, the scenery was too much of a difference compared to the desolate Bastion of Hope. The new area had weird long-eared dark-skin creatures whom were casually talking with humans, the smell of food and people happily talking back and forth.


    The information was too much to process, and the young girl passed out.


    "Get a healing mage!" the old woman yelled as she ran to clear the girl away from the teleportation array. The last thing they needed was an incident of her getting trampled by accident.


    As she scooped the frail girl in her arms, she gave an order to the closest table to clear their food out of the way. She carried the girl over to the table and administered basic first aid to the best of her abilities.


    Her first aid training was in part a necessity considering her position as the middle floor manager, where the teleportation array would bring in injured hunters with severed limbs and starving citizens from the Bastion of Hope.


    Willem was currently occupied with the restoration of Paradiso Rosso, and entrusted her with receiving anyone who managed to find the teleportation array.


    "From the moment they arrive in this Private Sanctum, their destiny has changed. They chose to live." Willem had said to her previously.


    She knew better than most what that meant.


    "Three cracked ribs, breathing is shallow, blood in the mouth. We need an intermediate water mage for the internal bleeding!" The old woman gently pressed the bruises on the young girl''s side.


    After a few minutes had passed, a young water mage appeared and began immediate treatment of the bruises. She could not stop the internal bleeding but she was able to slow it down by quite a lot just by pressing deeply on the wound.


    A more sterile environment was prepared for when the intermediate mage would arrive, so after the bleeding had been stemmed, the girl was moved to an enclosed room. The girl''s top clothing around the wound had been removed while the intermediate mage entered the room.


    With respect to the young girl, a female water mage was chosen over her male counterpart to do the healing. In terms of skill alone, the female mage was just as capable with regenerating any internal damage as the curriculum for healing such wounds was the same.


    The mage used the prepared basin and washed her hands before carefully handling the knife that had been set for the healing. The unfortunate downside of healing magic was that unless you were on the level of a Grand Mage, most healing required direct physical contact with the damaged body part.


    "I am beginning." The water mage pressed the knife into the girl''s supple flesh, leaving a long incision mark around the bruised area. The blood had already begun to coalesce and pool, a clear sign that something had been ruptured. "One of the broken ribs has split open the left lung. I will now begin by healing the lung, followed by a trace of magic to ensure there are no other punctures."


    The intermediate mage pressed her index finger into the open wound, forcing the pooling blood out, while tracing along the open wound on the lung. The water magic created a protective film along the open wound, pushing out the blood that had gone in and once that was completed, began pushing the two sides together and fusing them back into one.


    The beginner water mage watched as the intermediate mage moved with surgical precision, making no unnecessary movements. Not only was this a great learning experience for her, but she was still stemming the bleeding by using water magic to keep most of the blood within the ruptured vessels, making the operation alot easier to perform.


    Once the intermediate mage was finished healing the large puncture and tracing magic to ensure there were no more damaged areas, she began repairing the broken ribs one by one.


    After the completion of the surgery, the mage gave her a once-over to ensure there would be no complications, then advised the helpers to tell her to rest for three weeks minimum when she awakens.


    "The traces of magic inside her will dissipate in one week, but it would be best for her to not move around." She wrote the recommendation on a piece of paper and signed it, along with detailing the steps taken to fix the injury. "Please excuse me."


    The intermediate mage passed the paper to the middle floor manager, whom had been supervising the entire events, then bowed politely. The beginner followed suit and then closely followed behind the other mage like a fledgling duck, taking in all the information around her and committing it to memory.


    "Thank you for your time." The middle floor manager nodded her head in thankfulness.


    When the mages had left, the middle floor manager pointed to two of the helpers.


    "You two stay here and look after her, if you need anything let me know. Someone will arrive to relieve you in six hours." She ordered.


    "Yes!" The two helpers bowed, and everyone else cleared the room.


    The middle floor manager resumed her post and began directing traffic around the teleportation array without skipping a beat, a smile growing on her face.

 98 - Side Chapter (2)

    "Augh..." A young red-haired boy around thirteen or fourteen twisted and turned in his sleep, his open wounds becoming slightly agitated by the rough cloth of the cot.


    "Where am I!" The boy woke up suddenly and felt a sharp pain all across his body. Most of his wounds had healed, and his eyes slowly adjusted to the light of the morning sun.


    His location was unknown, and his magical power was not recovering. He suddenly remembered exactly what had happened up until this point. Previously, he had been caught by an advanced water mage that he had stolen from and was being tortured. After he had blacked out from the pain, he remembered feeling someone searching through his memories. He was too weak to fend off the mind attack, and allowed the wanderer to see whatever he wanted. Then all of a sudden he was here.


    "Was it, the Grand Mage?" The boy looked around to see some firewood against the wall, and some kind of cream on the ground.


    The boy took the cream and rubbed it against his open wounds, and the cream hardened against the wounds to essentially act as a scab. Once his open wounds had been covered, he staggered around to the cave entrance. Upon looking out, he clearly saw the mountain range of the Northern Mountains, but journeying back to the Bastion of Hope was a pipe dream considering his condition.


    There was a narrow path leading down to the ground level, but his feet were shaky and his legs would barely respond despite him wanting to go forward. His stomach growled and he suddenly realized how hungry and thirsty he was.


    "No choice." The red-haired boy crawled on his hands and knees onto the narrow ledge and did his best to make his way down. The ground gave way a few times, knocking dust and dirt down below to the ground, and it was a rather long way down.


    "If only I had some magical power right now." To the boy, this would have been a simple matter if he could circulate his magical power. However, no matter much he tried, he could not stimulate his magic. It was as if it had all been drained from him, leaving an empty void behind.


    Then he remembered what got him here in the first place, hubris and conceitedness.


    (If I survive this...) He thought as he slowly crawled forward.


    Suddenly, roughly halfway down the slope, the path gave way and the boy began to fall toward the ground.


    "No no no!" The boy screamed as he looked down toward the ground. He still had a little over fifty feet before hitting the ground. Without magical power, the odds of him dying suddenly got a lot higher.


    "Please! Someone help me!" The boy cried out as he desperately grabbed toward the mountain, his fingers scratching against its hard surface. He was able to slow his descent, but it still was not enough to guarantee his life. Unfortunately for him, the cost of slowing his descending speed was his fingers. As rocks jutted out they caught his fingers and tore them open, exposing the raw flesh and bone inside.


    "Kuh!" The boy no longer had time to think about the pain as he attempted to catch the rocks with his feet, possible slowing himself down. His left leg caught between two rocks and snapped his leg backward, leaving him dangling upside down while rocks pummeled him from above.


    After a blow to the head, he again passed out.


    A few hours later.


    The boy came to and saw he was now at the bottom of the mountain, laying on the ground. His leg was clearly broken, twisted in the wrong direction, and he could no longer feel his hands. Even moving his head became particularly difficult, as he was half covered in dirt and rocks.


    "If only I was not so greedy." The boy did not try to blame the Grand Mage, or the water mage that had tortured him. Ultimately, he believed he was in charge of his own destiny, and had blindly thought that he was better than other people. This path lead him to where he is now, which was dying in a rock slide with no clear escape.


    His body groaned under the pressure of the rocks settling around his stomach and waist. The pain was almost unbearable, but he knew that if he passed out right now he would most likely not wake up again.


    Gathering every ounce of strength within himself, he took his one good leg and began shoveling the dirt away from his body, shifting his weight to his side to move the rocks.


    When he had finally gotten far enough away from the rocks, he focused on the sounds around him. The sound of birds and insects could be heard from everywhere, but he focused harder. Nearby a stream of water could be heard trickling its way through the forest, and some beasts could be heard roaming around.


    The boy began crawling toward the water source, leaving a trail of blood and dirt behind him. The open wounds on his chest and legs re-opened as he dragged himself closer and closer to the sound.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Upon reaching the river, he began spooning mouthfuls of water into his mouth, not even stopping to look around and see if he was in immediate danger. The sweet taste of the water swam from his mouth to his stomach, nourishing every cell in his body. He could feel that despite not having magical power to circulate, his body was slowly being pieced back together.


    "Who treads within my domain." An unknown voice assaulted the red-haired boy, sending shivers down his spine.


    "I apologize for my intrusion, I did not know this was your territory." The boy could not even lift his head to see who he was speaking to. "I am injured, I only ask you to allow me some water until I can move. I will then leave."


    "Hmph. I can smell your fear, I can guess that you were quite close to perishing. The stench of the death lingers on you, and there is something else there. Something I cannot see through." The unknown voice seemed to trail off at the end. "Only those who are close to death can enter this mystical realm, hidden within the folds of your world and Calcaros."


    The boy was unsure what to say, but he did not get permission to drink more water so he did not dare move his hand.


    "Now that you have drank this water of mine, you will forever be thirsty for it. It will eventually drive you mad." The unknown voice sounded remorseful.


    From being on the verge of death, to now being told he would slowly be driven mad. The red-haired boy cursed his terrible luck as he attempted to look up at who he was talking to.


    Sitting on a large rock in the middle of the river was a majestic albino Elk. It''s antlers were several times larger than it''s body, and they were adorned with moss and vines which dangled carelessly in front of it''s face.


    "Yes, boy, I am the master of this realm, you can call me Elik. This was the name entrusted to me by the Lord of The Hunt." The Elk nodded it''s head toward the boy who finally matched eyes with it.


    "Greetings to you, Elik. My name is Gya. I come from the Bastion of Hope, a city of humans settled within the Northern Mountains." Gya placed his forehead gently on the ground, a signal that he had no ill intentions.


    "Bastion of Hope. I have not heard about this place, but that is not uncommmon. The affairs of the other worlds have no bearing on this realm." Elik looked to his left as he spoke. "We have another guest."


    Gya watched as a red star lion appeared as if out of thin air and crawled toward the river, it''s body covered in bloody scars as it bled out slowly.


    Just before the lion could reach the water, it collapsed and passed away.


    "Perhaps this fate is better than if it had drank the water." The Elk look sorrowfully at the lion.


    As the lion took it''s last breath, a white light appeared around it''s body and disappeared quickly. The lion had a peaceful face, like it had finally reached the end of a long journey.


    (If I had died, would I look as peaceful as this beast?) Gya thought to himself as he crawled toward the lion.


    "What are you doing?" Elik glanced toward Gya whom was crawling toward the lion.


    "Should I not bury it, give it''s strength back to the Earth-Mother? This was what I was taught at the Bastion of Hope. We do not take more than we need, and we offer our prayers for their sacrifice." Gya remembered all the times he had selfishly killed magical beasts without a second thought, never offering a prayer for their safe passage to the great beyond. Now he was in the territory of a great beast, of course he would show his duties.


    "You have been taught well, however this realm has little connection to the Earth-Mother. The strength of that lion has already been passed on to me. Normally, I would just absorb it''s body, but I have communicated your intentions to it. It said it would be grateful if you consumed it to restore your strength." Elik created a spirit image of the red star lion that had just passed away.


    The spirit image was ethereal, the distinguishing marks and scars gone from it''s body. The spirit image gently nudged Gya''s body, pulling him closer to the corpse.


    "Thank you." Gya said as he placed his hand on the spirit image. The lion did not move as the boy touched the tufts of fur around the lion''s neck.


    "There is no fire in this realm. You must consume it''s flesh raw. Leave only the bones behind. Anything more and you will have insulted the lion." The albino Elk rested his head against the rock, as if he was tired of talking.


    Gya had no more words, as he slowly began eating the raw flesh of the lion. The spirit image looked on, proud and watchful, like a guardian spirit protecting Gya.


    When there was nothing left but the bones and demonic core of the red star lion, the Elk again raised it''s head.


    "Why do you hesitate." Elik watched as the red-haired boy held the demonic core in his hand.


    "There was an old story, in the Bastion of Hope. One of the first mages to wield magic, was among the first to find out that magical beasts had cores. The essence of their power was held within each core. As they killed and consumed, gathered power, the color would turn from a simple grey to blue and then green and red, purple to black. The size would also increase, telling you how powerful of a beast it was. He tried consuming the core, to take the power into his own, but a human body is not compatible with a magical beast. The core dispersed all of it''s primal energy and ripped the mage from the inside out. It was a cautionary tale for mages, a warning..." Gya looked at the red core.


    "Why not find out for yourself." The Elk snorted and offered little help in influencing the boy''s decision.


    "What would happen if I consume this demonic core?" Gya pleaded with the Elk, as the red lion looked at the boy gently.


    "Eat the core, and I shall allow you to become one with this realm. You will be a protector of the veil between life and death. A sentinel to defend my physical body. That is my offer." The Elk looked at the bones of the red star lion as they slowly disappeared into nothing.


    "If I do not?" Gya looked at the red star lion spirit image, scratching at the tuft of hair behind it''s ear.


    "Then the desire to drink from my water will consume you until you go mad. Become my defender, and I will forcefully suppress your desire for the Waters of Life." The Elk was no longer laying on the rock, but stood up from it''s original position. It was several times larger than a typical Elk, towering over the lake like an ancient God.


    Gya looked at the red star lion, looking for an answer. The lion spirit image pushed it''s nose against Gya''s hand, pushing it closer to his mouth.


    "Okay, I trust you." Gya answered as he consumed the core.


    All of a sudden, his vision went white.

 99 - Schedule

    In Paradiso Rosso.


    Construction was underway as soon as everything was confirmed with Willem. Jura had taken it upon himself to inspect every usable site and perform every kind of test he could think of to ensure there would be no future difficulties.


    Willem was overseeing the expensive reconstruction of the dark elf homes, guiding the workers and explaining the general plan and unique structures. On the hand-drawn map there was much more open space compared to before the fight, where decrepit buildings were marked and torn down.


    The wall between the spires of the main area and the ''slums'' as they had previously been called was torn down unceremoniously. Many civilians joined in the effort, breaking down the wall with pickaxes made in the Private Sanctum. Children would carry baskets filled with small rocks to another area, clearing the way for the adults to continue their work. The civilians happily sang a song while they worked, their clothes slowly becoming caked in dust and debris.


    Willem confirmed with the Stinging Blood Tortoise that this process of removing the wall did not hurt him. The tortoise''s homunculus was playing with the children in one of the courtyards when Willem found him.


    "Ashkatar, would tearing down that wall cause you any pain?" Willem pointed to the wall in the distance.


    "No, in fact I am sure I will be feeling better with it torn down. Those nobles I had talked to before begged to put up a wall but would not tell me why, I was against it but they said it had to be done, so I relented." Ashkatar nodded his head to show his agreement for tearing it down.


    "That is good news indeed, our paradise will look that much better without walls." Willem patted one of the children on the head while conversing.


    "I know you''re in the beginning stages of war, little one. There always comes a point in war where you can choose to forgive your enemies or annihilate them. I hope you choose the right path." There was a flicker of light in Ashkatar''s eyes, something Willem had never seen.


    Willem was unsure why Ashkatar had said that, but he was probably seeing something Willem did not. Willem chose to gratefully accept the information.


    "When that time comes, I hope you will guide me properly." Willem bowed before leaving.


    Ashkatar looked on, a smile growing on his face. The little children grabbed at his sleeves wanting to continue playing.


    "Yes, yes. Come along." Ashkatar picked up a ball and threw it to one of the children as they resumed playtime. Despite looking like an old man, he could jump around quite spryly.


    At the heart of the city.


    Construction of the homes and stores had resumed at the same pace as the wall coming down.


    "Can we add flecks of gold and silver without affecting the performance of the pillars?" Willem casually asked Jura.


    "We can, although it would probably be easier just to make a gold trim as opposed to mixing it with the materials." Jura replied while exaggeratingly moving his hands.


    "It is not for show, it is to improve the conductivity for magic. Gold and silver transfer magical power easier than any other metal I have tested." Willem corrected Jura.


    "Ah, yes, I see. I have also noticed this, as most magical weapons are made with bits of silver or gold, but we simply did not have enough materials to conduct further tests. All gold was bought by nobles and used to make gaudy trinkets and trim their furniture. I will do as you ask... May I ask a question?" Jura motioned for a few of his workers to come closer while he responded.


    "Of course." Willem nodded his head.


    "Why are we laying out the buildings in a circular pattern? It seems a bit wasteful..." Jura pointed at the map, the Stinging Blood Tortoise''s body was indeed circular, but the total space had less buildings than before the takeover.


    "Ultimately this is to improve the flow of magical energy since I have already laid down the necessary runes. As long as the buildings follow these specifications the quality of life for anyone here will improve. I have made it so you get less tired, feel less hungry and your five senses improve." Willem traced a magical line just above the map to show what the array would look like when completed. "The magic energy used for this array is taken from the excess magical power the Stinging Blood Tortoise gives off when he moves."


    "Brilliant, simply brilliant..." Jura could not make out a lot of the runes that Willem drew, but the map showed the array to be perfect in alignment. If it had not been pointed out to him, he probably would never have noticed it. Considering the accomplishments Willem had, Jura had no reason not to believe what he was saying, despite not understanding how it worked. However now that he was shown, how could he have not noticed the rune pattern to be so obvious?Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    The workers that Jura called over received the order to add gold and silver flecks into the materials as evenly as possible. Due to the density of gold, it had a habit of sinking to the bottom of the mixture and therefore needed to be stirred several times before settling. However the extra work was well worth it, as the workers now understood what it is they were doing it all for.


    "The Dark Elves were wise to choose you as their representative." Willem nodded to Jura before leaving.


    "Thank you, Master Grandia." Jura bowed before going back to the map, issuing orders with more fervor than before.


    Seeing the reconstruction and smiling faces of children and adults, any fleeting thoughts of dissent from the surviving soldiers were summarily dismissed. Blood City had died the moment Willem stepped foot inside it, and what was left in his wake was a paradise for humans and magical beings.?


    There was much work to be done inside Paradiso Rosso to be sure, but Willem would never neglect the families inside the Private Sanctum. Willem was the pillar of support for many families who had to quickly uproot their entire lives from the Bastion of Hope.


    In the morning he would dedicate most of his time to creating and executing a training plan that suited the soldiers, hunters and gatherers. Formations were drilled into the soldiers, who were in charge of guarding and protecting the gatherers while the hunters explored and mapped the edges of the forest. The information that the Bastion of Hope had on anything besides the city and it''s immediate surroundings was dismal. Hunters would gather fresh meat for the day but practice restraint by not killing the young or females and focusing on killing the wounded and elderly, keeping with Willem''s practice of living harmoniously with the wildlife. They did not go so far as praying for the life of their prey, as they would have to let their guard down to do it.


    By noon he would greet and guide his apprentice alchemists and the Mages who willingly followed him, showing them techniques that could help with increasing their power and explaining things that were too difficult for the average Mage. Once training was done he would sit down and eat lunch in bed with Kinsey, allowing no one else to be in the room besides the two of them. Kinsey relished every moment she had alone with Willem, as it seemed that the more people came to the Private Sanctum the less time he had for her. Near the end of their rendezvous there was always someone interrupting them, saying there was some emergency or another.


    Once the daily crisis was resolved, whether it was reports about the movements of Magical Beings or a magical beast getting out into the common area, Willem would teleport to Paradiso Rosso and walk around with Jura to help expedite the rebuilding process. When the day was done and the sun had fallen beyond the horizon, Willem would return and eat supper in the food hall with all the other families.


    With Willem''s input and keen perception, magic flow in Paradiso Rosso went from an estimated ten percent increase to well over 30 percent, allowing for much more of a conversion of energy. Once the Stinging Blood Tortoise started moving again, the mix of overflowing physical and magical energy could easily allow for a more productive life from the inhabitants. An unforeseen benefit that would not be known for a few hundred years was that the energy conversion also allowed for a much higher chance of pregnancy and less risk of fetal death, which created a large population growth.


    Two weeks later.


    The construction of the new buildings and homes was completed, with only the furnishing and finishing touches requiring a bit more time. Willem no longer directly oversaw the work, as he was busy with a new problem.


    Word got out to most of the Mages residing in the Bastion of Hope that the city was doomed and one of the Grand Mages was taking in families, despite the Royal Family and nobles suppressing the rumors as best as they could. Mages of the Academy were packing up and leaving in large numbers, taking anything from books to medicinal ingredients in an attempt to buy their way into the Private Sanctum.


    Willem had expected before long to take on the Mages of the Academy, but he had no idea how many Mages were in the Academy and could only guess at how many would come. A batch of five hundred students were guided from the mines at the side of the mountain by the nearby miners and gained access to the Private Sanctum.


    Before Willem could react to the new presence within his Sanctum, his magical energy swelled and tightened and the Private Sanctum grew further in order to welcome the new guests. Sweat dripped from his brow as the magical energy in his body coursed throughout the Sanctum, pushing the boundaries deeper and deeper into the Void.


    In order to compensate for the wider surface area, the magical energy expunged from Willem''s body went through a refining process and became denser and purer than before. Most of the denizens of the Private Sanctum instantly felt refreshed and wide awake, and any pain they had was now gone. Small injuries that had been sustained from hunters and soldiers fighting in the forest became remarkably healed and larger injuries could visibly be seen to be healing faster.


    Willem rotated the magical energy in his body from his hands and feet to his heart, then to his head and back. The power seemed to well up as a floodgate of energy was released from every pore, creating a shimmering magical barrier floating around Willem''s body.


    The multi-colored barrier swirled like a storm as Willem did his best to control the energy, using the refining techniques provided by J?rmungandr. His brain swelled from the forceful expulsion of magical energy, and if it had been anyone else that was going through this they would already be in a catatonic state.


    Willem had the resources and only really lacked the experience, so this was valuable time for him to understand the intrinsic mechanism behind the connection between the Private Sanctum and his new soul. The energy that flowed from the soul was dense and purified to an astonishing degree. It was warm and open, just like Willem had intended the Private Sanctum to be perceived.


    After hours of refining and sending out magical energy from his body, the Private Sanctum stopped swelling up and settled to the size necessary to fit alot more occupants.


    Willem felt a pain in his chest as he coughed up a mouthful of blood before opening his spatial spell, retrieving some cloth and wiping the blood away. The taste of iron was strong in his throat, but all he could do was bitterly smile. If he was not in the middle of a war, and had time to actually train beyond his first soul, he could harness and refine the magical energy better.

 100 - Due Reward

    The refining period was over and some insight was definitely gained, but overall it wasn''t enough to conclude a breakthrough in his soul energy.


    Of course, the other Mages could only dream of having their first soul creation. They did not even know that the culmination of their strings was a soul, for them training just enhanced their magical power. Comparing themselves to Willem was like comparing a mouse to an elephant.


    Soul creation was not a term used by anyone besides J?rmungandr, Ashkatar and Willem anyways. Even if the Mages knew what they were working towards, it did not change the fact that bitter training only allowed for dismal results. To the Mages, time would be better spent fighting to develop new techniques or creating potions or enjoying hobbies. The thought was that one needed talent and luck in order to succeed in cultivation, not just training.


    However the Private Sanctum that they currently resided in flipped that thought process around. Dense magical energy could be felt no matter what area the Mages went to, and just being inside the Sanctum allowed their soul strings to attach without focusing too hard. Training was now actually viable and became a valuable resource. Other Grand Mages had already folded their Private Sanctums and moved in to Grandia''s, with his permission, in order to reap the benefits of his wisdom and soul energy.


    Willem was not stingy with his techniques or cultivation either, imparting wisdom to the Mages who were eager to learn.


    "Power can be harnessed from within the body and mind and from the outer world. The path through your body is a gateway to unlocking the power in your mind." Willem was talking to the Mages inside the Private Sanctum.


    He showed the group in front of him a breathing technique that allowed the Mages to forcefully revolve their magical energy, refining it within their bodies and bolstering their soul strings.


    Most of the talented Mages from the Bastion of hope were given a choice, secretly, to join the other Grand Mages and learn from Willem personally, helping to fulfill his mission, or remain in the Bastion of Hope, where their future would be bleak.


    Many made the wise choice of leaving the Bastion of Hope and pursuing their unknown future behind the strongest banner they could find.


    The books that the Grand Library had collected were all taken out by the Grand Mages, including the ones in the restricted section, and were given to Willem who placed them in his own newly created library.


    With Willem''s ever-growing power, his Private Sanctum expanded from three floors to five to seven and finally nine, each with their own designation and purpose.


    The library itself was open to all who would go to it, there was no longer a restricted section.


    "Knowledge is not inherently good or evil, it''s how you choose to use your powers that determines what kind of person you are." Willem often said.


    With Willem''s personal guidance, Mages who had been stuck in their cultivation gained many insights that they previously could never have imagined.


    Within the Private Sanctum, their magical power circulated much better than in the outside world, and just by focusing a little they could feel the dense magical energy around them. It was truly a Mage''s paradise.


    Due to the need to get stronger, many of the Mages in the Sanctum kept their mouths shut when asked of their opinions on borrowing the power of a Grand Mage to achieve their current strength. There were dissenters, who hated Magical Beings or spread gossip that hurt the image of Willem. They were found and forced out by the denizens of the Private Sanctum, not out of fear for Willem''s wrath but because they could not stand someone harming the name of their Young Master.


    Now that Mages had joined the Private Sanctum, they could assist the soldiers and hunters in missions to explore the forest and beyond, using earth magic to survey the land, wind magic to tell if enemies were approaching, water for healing and fire for hunting. The risk of death no longer weighed upon the minds of hunters who were pushing into deeper unmarked territory.


    The war to come was not going to be won by Willem alone, so most of his focus was on preparing the army at his disposal. If he could get them equipped and ready to challenge the Magical Beings, his focus could be on gaining new ground in regards to magical energy. Thus leading to an overall strengthening of the Mages and himself.


    For two straight weeks, Willem taught some of the more creative Mages how to imbue magic into weapons with the runebinding technique he had found from the Red Book. Those with fire and earth magic had made weapons with immediate effects, like casting bolts of fire or causing earthen tremors. The wind and water Mages focused on having the weapons and armor help with hastening movement, dismissing wind resistance and boosting healing arts.


    The hunters and gatherers went with the soldiers and Mages, securing raw goods to be processed by the smith family, various leather workers and seamstresses. Everything from raw goods to potions were tagged and processed through the Kuro family to be documented for Willem. This allowed Willem and the Kuro family to keep track of things that the Private Sanctum may be running low on. If Willem needed a specific ingredient or potion for an experiment, it was provided or tracked down and secured.


    The Kuro family became indispensable in ensuring that the Private Sanctum ran smoothly, yet they understood that this was specifically due to Willem giving them the task. They did not abuse their power, as they could clearly tell Willem had the capability to wipe their family out without a second thought. They did not pretend to be in a higher position compared to the other major families, and would always use polite speech no matter who they dealt with. They were not prideful and the citizens of the Private Sanctum appreciated this, since most of them had been treated like dirt their entire lives.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    The Private Sanctum acted like a well-oiled production line, creating average to high quality weapons, armor and potions to the army. Compared to the low quality gear the army used before, the equipment they had now was much more powerful. The potions that were created ranged from healing potions to utility potions like water walking or low grade flight. This allowed the army to do much better reconnaissance and mapping, and the scouts could warn Willem of the Magical Being''s movement without worrying if they would be found.


    "Ah, I almost forgot." Willem reminded himself of something he had been intending to do since the invasion a month ago. "Arania, make your way to my room."


    Arania had previously been busy carving into the skull of a rank seven magical beast, the Bone-Reaver, when she got the call from Willem.


    "As you wish, Master." Arania set down her magic imbued chisel and hammer and walked away from the massive winged creature.


    Before she made her way to Willem, she took a quick bath, scrubbing the dirt and blood off her body. She had been working on dismantling the vulture looking bird for three days as per the request of the soldiers and Mages whom had hunted it. She carefully clothed herself in her best self-spun attire, a red and black robe akin to a fashionable dress often found in the Bastion of Hope. The dress wrapped from front to back, tightly wound around her body to show her immaculate curves.


    Due to the body she was rune-bound to, her human form had larger than average hips and breasts, and her gait made them sway side to side erotically. She was a good head or two taller than the men and women in the Sanctum, towering over them like a giantess. She found the body quite cumbersome herself, but she quickly understood that the qualities she hated were actually adored by the men in the Private Sanctum. The lustful glares were second only to the fear they betrayed in their eyes when she would come out of her room covered head to toe in thick blood. Each time she saw the men looking at her, her teeth would sub-consciously clack, rows of sharp fangs snapping together to show her hunger.


    "Master, I am entering." Arania whispered as the door in front of her unlocked and opened by itself.


    As Arania entered the room, the door closed behind her quietly. She could feel no magical manipulation from Willem, and could only surmise that either the door was a magical tool or he had gotten to the point in controlling his magic that she can no longer feel it like before.


    "It has been a month since the invasion of Blood City, but I forgot that you provided information that proved indispensable in solving the crisis quickly. Therefore, if you have something you want, I will grant it to you." Willem looked at Arania as if he could see through her. He did not force her to talk like when she was in charge of torturing the Magical Beings, since this was meant to be her reward for helping him.


    "Simply being in your service is reward enough." Arania could not immediately think of anything she wanted. Truthfully the relationship she has with Willem was still quite in her favor. She could feed on magical beast blood whenever she was hungry, and occasionally she had someone to torture. Asking for more in her current position was not wise.


    "That was a good answer, but to not reward you for your work is not something I could stand for, and I think you knew that already." Willem sat behind the desk, speaking neither with haste or impatience.


    Arania thought deeply about what she wanted, but still could not figure it out.


    "I request to tap into the various desires of Kinsey and Anna, to better understand what it is I should want." Arania thought of something that could help her figure out what she wanted.


    "Acceptable." Willem shared the feelings of Kinsey and Anna, making a one-way neural path from them to Arania.


    A flood of emotions poured into the mind of Arania, whom had never felt such feelings before in her life. Besides the obvious feeling of elation when she tore into the flesh of someone weaker than her, or to sate the hunger she felt, she now had access to many different emotions to choose from. The emotions in her mind were overwhelming, so she chose to focus on one particular emotion at random.


    From Anna she chose carnal desire, and from Kinsey she mixed that emotion with maternal-bonding, creating a strong desire to procreate and protect her young.


    Willem looked at Arania dumbfoundedly, not sure if she chose the emotion accidentally or on purpose. He could clearly see everything that was happening in the neural pathways, so he could see her choosing randomly. However the course of events was just too surreal.


    "Master, I have chosen. I wish to bear a child with you, as a reward for my actions." Arania clacked her teeth together, not with typical hunger, but instead excitement.


    Willem held his palm to his face, his fingers stretched over his eyes. He sighed gently, then materialized a bed with red sheets and a thin layer of cloth as a border.


    "Master, please." Arania could not control her new emotion, and began to undress as her face flushed red.


    Willem removed his clothes silently, and laid down on the bed as Arania approached him. He pushed magical energy to his groin, making the blood flow faster.


    Arania was about to reach the bed, but her desire overtook her and she began to place a finger inside herself gently. She could no longer restrain herself as she began to fondle her breasts at the side of the bed.


    Willem rolled his eyes and reached out, grabbing a fist full of her black hair and dragging her onto the bed. She lustfully began to lick Willem''s penis like it was going to suddenly disappear from in front of her. When she could no longer stand it, she positioned herself over Willem, towering above him, and guided him into her.


    Her teeth clacked excitedly as she bounced up and down, her large breasts swinging wildly. Willem gripped her thighs tight to ensure there were no "accidents" from the vigorous love-making.


    Arania could not suppress the feelings of having Willem inside her, and she began to hit her peak as her vaginal walls tightened. The already tight intercourse had suddenly doubled in pressure, like she intended to wring Willem of all of his semen. He could hold on no longer and released inside her, spilling his seed as deep as he could.


    Arania collapsed beside him on the bed, but her newfound emotions were still bubbling, so she continued fingering herself while Willem re-dressed and went back to his desk.


    "You have received your reward, you are dismissed." Willem looked over at Arania as he recalled the bed into his spatial spell. The bed disappeared below her and she fell to the floor with a thud.


    Still love drunk, Arania put her clothes back on and left the room, an erotic expression on her face.

 101 - Astral Body Creation

    (This is not going to end well.) Willem thought to himself as Arania left the room, buckling at the knees.


    Willem had intended to stay behind and get some work done, but no matter how much he tried to concentrate, his mind would constantly wander.


    At first he thought nothing of what had happened, but upon closer inspection he realized that almost every female associated with him requested intimacy at one time or another.


    Some were more forthcoming than others.


    Willem understood the biological imperative to procreate and pass his genetic line on, and it was not like he was restricted from any other emotion besides anger so to some degree he did understand the desire to have children... But he also understood that it was much harder for female humans to get pregnant with non-human babies. The studies and subsequent data was well documented in the library records, as long as one was able to decipher the code it was written in.


    Kinsey was the first person Willem had been candid with about his biology, including showing her the letter written by his Mother. She had remain unfazed, which left Willem in a confused state that time as well. Her pregnancy was unexpected, but not completely unforeseen. Considering how often they had sexual intercourse, her becoming pregnant was only a matter of time. Despite the low rate of conception for their coupling, Willem found himself feeling truly fortunate to receive an heir so quickly.


    Despite not wanting to waste time, it was well into the night when Willem finished his new spell-work.


    He had found a way to combine the rune words Entropy and Cyclone, creating Devour.


    Devour as a spell unleashed a massive wave of wind that destroyed most objects it could reach. The finer point of the spell was that whatever was destroyed got absorbed, giving more energy to a secondary wave. The strength of the second wave was proportionate to what was destroyed the first time. This continued until there was nothing left to destroy.


    Though Willem had been working on a purely destructive spell instead of his typical utility spell, it''s destructive power easily engulfed anything Willem could initially picture. Willem put the spell structure and creation method into two separate books with separate ciphers, hoping that if anyone besides him came across it, they would be intelligent enough not to use is wantonly.


    Closing his eyes and breathing out heavily, Willem stood from his work desk and opened the door to the Private Sanctum, heading to the teleportation array. After saying hello to the Matron and her aides, Willem teleported to the mining area.


    Without him noticing, night had gone and the sun had already begun to arise over the hills in the distance.


    Near the dining area in the Private Sanctum.


    "Lia, breakfast is ready! We have your favorite bacon and eggs!" A call came out from the old man in the dining hall in charge of cooking the food.


    Small feet scampered along the cold stone ground as a little girl ran from the other room into the dining hall, her hair a mess and a large toothy grin on her face. Her dress was by no means tattered, but they looked a few sizes too big to fit her small body.


    "Where''s your attendant?" The old man served up a large plate to the girl, placing the eating utensils at the side of the plate.


    "She wasn''t quick enough, I got away!" Lia licked her lips as she used just her fork to grab at the bacon, chomping delightedly while kicking her feet back and forth.


    "Well, don''t cause too much trouble." The old cook placed a hand gently on his back as he slowly walked away, his feet barely lifting off the ground.


    Even in the Private Sanctum, with it''s many boons, the old man knew his time was coming soon. To have lived to his age could be considered a miracle in itself. When he first came to the Private Sanctum, his grand-daughter had to carry him in her arms. Now she was a Captain of a special stealth squad in the Grand Mage''s army, and he couldn''t be prouder. Instead of leaning on her position, he chose to continue working to support his worth in the Sanctum.


    After a few minutes, an attendant finally burst into the room with a look of panic across her face. Seeing Lia sitting at the table eating happily, a wry smile took over.


    "Lia..." She whispered as she slowly approached the little girl.


    Lia had a wide smile as she ate another piece of bacon, her feet still furiously kicking.


    "What will the Grand Mage think if you don''t behave." The attendant put both her hands on the table as she exasperatingly sat down.


    "Daddy loves me, I can do what I want." Lia puffed out her cheeks as her face gradually turned a deep red. She folded her arms across each other while still holding the fork, stopping dangerously close to stabbing herself in the ribs.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    "I''m sorry, i''m sorry." The attendant panicked and quickly apologized, waving her hands to show she had given up.


    "What are we doing today?" Lia accepted the apology and continued eating her breakfast.


    "Madam Vallen is going to teach you shapes and animals, and also letters and numbers. Once it reaches noon you can play with the others kids." The attendant pulled out a scroll with writing in black ink.


    "I don''t want to play with the other kids, they don''t like me. I want to see Daddy." Lia began picking at her food while thinking about the last time she got to be beside Willem.


    "The Grand Mage is busy protecting us from the evil monsters and bad guys." The attendant looked quite somber as she touched Lia''s shoulder gently. "When he is not so busy, he''ll come play."


    "Promise?" Lia looked up at the attendant with eyes welled up in tears.


    "I promise." The attendant looked away and made a false promise she could not keep.


    The little girl might only be six years old, but she was by no means an idiot. She knew the attendant was lying, which is partially why she was acting out in the first place.


    In Paradiso Rosso''s palace.


    Willem overheard the conversation in the dining hall as it was taking place. He wanted to see Lia and explain to her the reason why he could not always be with her, but there was simply not enough time.


    Paradiso Rosso was still at a crucial point in it''s development, stabilizing the economy and securing the military power needed to protect the people.


    Despite not wanting to focus on it, Willem could not help but see his own reflection as a lost child in Lia. Having lost her Father, and her Mother still not coming forward, Willem had to assume the worst of the situation.


    Unsure of how to proceed, Willem brought up his predicament to the Stinging Blood Tortoise while they were quietly eating breakfast.


    "Ashkatar, I have something I want to run by you..." Willem waited until Ashkatar had finished eating the handful of blueberries he had picked up from the table.


    "With such a serious expression, do tell." Ashkatar grinned impishly as he tapped his finger on the table.


    "I am unsure how to proceed, in regards to a small child I had saved earlier." Willem was not entirely sure how to explain the situation.


    Starting from the beginning, Willem told Ashkatar everything that had happened with Lia, including the conversation he overheard this morning.


    "I guess it was too much to ask for a leader who is omnipotent. Haha..." Ashkatar laughed a little while chewing on a peach in his hand.


    "What would you suggest I do?" Willem figured there would be no harm in asking.


    "I guess, there are three solutions that come to mind. First and foremost, you can do as I did, and create a homunculus to impart your mind into. I still think and react with my original body, but the homunculus only has magic power I have imparted into it. If it exceeds that magic capacity, it ceases to exist."


    If Willem chose that route, he would indeed be able to interact with Lia more often, but if the homunculus uses too much magic and dies, Lia''s mind might snap after witnessing his ''death''. Willem thought for a moment but chose not to interrupt the flow of the conversation.


    "Secondly, you can make a phantasm that has no physical body, which makes magical power allocation alot easier. The phantasm has no physical body but is similar to the homunculus in almost every other way."


    Between the first and second option, the second was the better of the two, allowing Willem to not be concerned of exhausting the physical body and causing Lia to have a mental break. However having to explain the phantasm to Lia would definitely not be easy.


    "And the third option?" Willem waited patiently, weighing each option carefully.


    "Earnestly commit to being her Father, and command the Army from your Private Sanctum." The light in Ashkatar''s eyes dimmed as his head stared down at his feet.


    "Are you thinking about your children?" Willem couldn''t help but ask.


    "Even after all this time... You may think of me as a fool, but it still hurts, even to this day. Having lived as long as I, all you really have left is your memories. If I had not gone into seclusion, my love and my children may yet have roamed this world. I cherish every memory I have with them, and I think you would do the same." Ashkatar looked Willem in the eyes, meaning every word he had said.


    "I trust you, whom has lived a life longer than almost anyone in this world. Your knowledge is incomparable. Perhaps you are right, however... My work is not done. I am carving a world in which that girl can see and be who she wants to be. Along with all the other people under my banner." Willem clenched his fist, thinking of the magical beings whom had used the humans as slaves before killing them.


    "Does this future you foresee include sacrificing the happiness of one little girl?" Ashkatar knew Willem had already decided, and was just playing coy.


    How could the happiness of a little girl compare to the future of an entire species.


    Yet Willem took every word spoken seriously.


    Ashkatar half-smiled, but it was as if he had already foresaw the answer Willem was going to give.


    "In time, truth will reveal itself before you. Whether you made the right or wrong choice, it is still your choice to make." Ashkatar waved his hand noncommittally and grabbed another handful of blueberries, popping one after another into his mouth.


    His words held weight upon Willem''s mind, but Willem knew that what he said to Ashkatar was what he meant.


    "How does one make a phantasm?" Willem looked at the sage-looking old man throwing blueberries into his open mouth.


    "Simple enough... A phantasm is an imagined form, reinforced by the magical power rotating within the confines of it''s taken shape. If you need a reference, you often see them floating around inside J?rmungandr. Magical power formed without a consciousness, remnants of previous strong existences since this world''s creation." Ashkatar had his eyes closed, as he began to recite from memory how he came to learn about phantasms.


    "So those are phantasms..." Willem understood immediately as he had come and gone through the Void so often.


    "To make it into a tangible creation, you need to imprint your own mind inside the phantasm as it is created. If you happen to fail on the first try, there is no harm done, the phantasm will disappear and you will have to rest a week to recover. If you succeed, your mind will automatically be linked to the phantasm. It will feel as if you are two distinct people, yet are of one mind. I have yet to find proper words to convey how it truly feels." Ashkatar took out a runic symbol written on an old parchment. "The rune word."


    (Astral body creation.) Willem read the three combined runes.


    "Okay, what do i need to do?" Willem nodded his head in affirmation.

 102 - Crystalline

    "Begin by imaging the desired form, picture what you see in the mirror when your attendant cleans you up, to the smallest details you can remember. Once you have a clear vision of yourself, begin circulating the magic power inside your body, forcing it from your palms and combining it to appear human-like." Ashkatar closed his eyes and spoke as he envisioned himself creating his own astral body.


    "I''m starting..." Willem nodded his head, closed his eyes and followed Ashkatar''s words as closely as possible.


    "The flow of mana you''re releasing is a bit dense, you''re getting closer to the mana needed for a homunculus. You are a sculptor, creating a masterpiece, so the details matter." Ashkatar''s brows furrowed as he did his best to instruct Willem. Though he was giving instructions, Willem did not seem to be complying with the magic regulation necessary for the astral body.


    "Something is telling me to use this amount of magical power. Forgive me, Ashkatar." Willem felt something in his mind. Perhaps it was an intervention of J?rmungandr, as the inclination to subtly change the magical output and mix up the rune word came from deep within himself.


    Willem knew that J?rmungandr had implanted in his mind some rune words, spells and many different knowledges, so it was to be expected that some of that knowledge became accessible whenever Willem attempted to do something.


    "Are you sure this is wise? Meddling with the flow of magic and rune word while channeling can cause disastrous results." Ashkatar quickly became worried at the thought of something happening to Willem.


    If one was to only look at the brief friendship between Willem and Ashkatar, they would see a rather shallow relationship. Despite not knowing each other for long, Ashkatar had so few friends in the world, thus Willem was considered one of them. Willem had stopped the poisonous fog that had been gathering around the Stinging Blood Tortoise, and enough time had passed that the old beast could recover and move around again.


    The sway from one massive leg to another was something the humans would still need to get used to, even though the dark elves had long since been accustomed to the movement.


    Therefore, Ashkatar absolutely had to mention the risk of tampering with the flow of magic while channeling and recreating rune structures. The possible blowback would not only kill Willem, but also half of Paradiso Rosso. The dark elf and human children that played by the fountains, the hard-working elves rebuilding their homes, they would all get caught up in the blast.


    "Please re-think this!" Ashkatar vehemently protested to Willem.


    "Quiet, dear friend. Now is the time to focus." Willem had an unshakable feeling that what he was doing was right, and there was minimal risk involved. If there had been any more reason not to do it, Willem would have recalled his magical power back into his body and taken the brunt of the recoil himself.


    Ashkatar nodded his head solemnly, as the magical power began to swell and take form. It was far beyond the point of return where there would be no damage for cancelling the spell. Instead of speaking, Ashkatar used his own hastened spell to seal the door so that Willem would not to be interrupted.


    Willem continued to form the astral body, shaping the nose, mouth and other various body parts into a perfect likeness of himself. He copied the flow of magic that he felt within his own body and simulated that movement in the magic he was creating.


    The magical body that was being created took on a dazzling shine, like a rare jewel that had been shaped and cut brilliantly.


    (Crystal Body Creation.)


    Willem focused his mind as the rune word formed in his head. Slowly the rune word moved from his mind into the magical body that was being created, taking the place of the brain.


    The magical body was suspended in mid-air, slowly beginning to awaken. This was the crucial point where Willem''s thoughts and desires and ideas flowed through to the rune word inside. When the magic was completed, Willem had to quickly break all points of magical contact with the body in one quick motion, severing his mind before it got completely absorbed by the ''Crystal Body''.


    Willem severed the connection and breathed deeply as the Crystal Body that was previously floating in the air slumped to the ground.


    "What is that?" Ashkatar was in a daze as he asked his question, his voice faltering and full of confusion. "It is similar to the Astral Body Creation, and somehow the Homunculus? Is such a thing even possible?"


    "I cannot say for sure, all I know is that when I was creating it, there was no doubt in my mind it would work. However now when I try to access that same information, I get a painful headache. I can only assume it is another ''gift'' from J?rmungandr." Willem scratched his head as he breathed a sigh of relief, now that the magic had finally been completed.


    "That old monster sure is full of surprises... Always acting as he pleases." Ashkatar shuddered as he thought of J?rmungandr, before folding his arms across his chest. "Well, everything worked out in the end, even if I don''t get to learn how this thing gets created."Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    "My mind is clearly connected." Willem lifted his right hand out to touch the body, and stopped halfway. The Crystal Body mimicked the behavior, lifting it''s left hand up until it almost touched Willem''s.


    Willem gently touched the hand of the Crystal Body, before returning his arm back to his side. The Crystal Body stood up, nodded to Willem and Ashkatar, and headed toward the palace.


    Ashkatar blinked incredulously as the Crystal Body stepped up to the door, dispelled the magic seal he had placed, and walked out nonchalantly.


    "I don''t know what to think. Why bother with this when I could just play with the children." Ashkatar had been racking his brain, unsure of how to respond to what had happened. It if was anyone else, they would have been completely destroyed by magical recoil. No matter what Willem decided to do, it seemed he was destined to succeed.


    Ashkatar left the room quietly when he saw that Willem was busy meditating. Considering what he had just done, it was not far fetched to believe Willem just needed to replenish his magical power.


    As Ashkatar left, Willem probed deeper within his own mind, embracing the trance-like state that allowed him to create his first soul-form many weeks ago.


    Inside his own mind, Willem broke his fingers to create the rune words ''Hoard'' and ''Awareness'' as he did when first creating his soul-form.


    His first soul-form hovered around him as an ethereal wisp, as if to guard him from anything with malicious intent.


    Now that Willem had his first soul, the abundant magical energy within himself was no longer something to be feared. The infinite whirlpool of energy had been slightly suppressed and was now crashing against his body gently, soothing him like a soft blanket.


    The energy quickly replenished his magical power, by funneling through his mind and into his body, replacing the magical energy used to create the Crystal Body.


    Willem noticed that the magical energy seemed to focus on seven specific points in his body, where they would gather in abundance and create a pool reaching from the top of his head to his pelvis.


    Willem allowed the energy to freely flow from his mind to his body, completely filling the seven points where they wished to gather. Willem did not try to guide the energy, as it seemed to have a mind of it''s own.


    As the seventh and final energy point began to pool, Willem''s body took on a gentle yellow glow, surrounding him in a shimmering light that felt warm to the touch. Willem could tell as he had focused on circulating magical energy to his eyes, the energy of the seven points was acting as some sort of barrier. What it could defend against, Willem was unsure.


    Willem did not have to continually pour magical energy into the barrier to maintain it, and it showed a similar effect to when he obtained his first soul-form and the magical energy surrounded him. It was a peculiar feeling, like being touched gently all over his body.


    As for his second soul-form, according to the knowledge gifted by J?rmungandr, the magical energy needed to create it is more than double what it took for the first one. Considering that the magical energy for the first soul-form was taken from a Young Red Dragon, Willem could only imagine what he would have to fight next to get enough.


    Instead of attempting to create a second soul-form, Willem focused on refining the first one that gently floated around him.


    As the soul-form traced it''s way around Willem''s mind, a small afterglow followed behind it. Willem focused all the magical energy he could find and gathered it in order to encircle the soul and protect it. The soul-form gladly accepted the magical energy, allowing it to flow freely from Willem''s mind through the soul and back out. The magical energy that came out of the soul was more refined and potent compared to the lingering magical energy, which was already quite dense compared to the outside world.


    After four layers of magical energy gathered around the soul-form, Willem removed himself from within his mind and stood up from his seated position. He yawned and stretch his hands towards the sky, gently cracking his back. Unknowingly, he had been meditating for quite some time. When he originally consulted Ashkatar, it had been morning, now it was clearly dusk.


    "Let''s see what the Crystal Body is doing." Willem muttered as he closed his eyes momentarily and looked for the magical connection to the Body he had made.


    While Willem was meditating.


    The Crystal Body had just left Ashkatar''s room, and headed towards the teleportation array with intent. As it had the memories and purpose instilled by Willem, it would of course fulfill it''s duties without hesitation. All of those duties took place in the Private Sanctum, so the Body felt no need to wander along slowly in Paradiso Rosso.


    Elves and humans alike greeted the Crystal Body as if it was Willem, despite knowing that something felt a little off about what they were looking at. It did not stop them from offering him fresh oranges to eat or a nice word about the weather. The Crystal Body accepted anyone who came up to it to talk, without showing impatience.


    When everyone was done greeting the Crystal Body, it took the teleportation array to the Private Sanctum.


    "You are not the Grand Mage."


    The first thing the Crystal Body heard was from the Matron of the middle area, guide and protector of the array.


    The Matron grabbed her cane, which she then pulled apart into two separate pieces. The hilt of the cane became a sharp rapier, as she discarded the hollow wooden sheath.


    Despite her ''advanced'' age, the Private Sanctum held such a deep and refined magical energy that permeated through the entire area, allowing her to feel the vigor of her youth once more.


    "Reveal your intentions." The Matron held the edge of the rapier in the direction of the Crystal Body, her left hand held behind her back and her body turned to the side. This made for an extremely hard target to attack, as there was virtually no area to strike at without going through the rapier first.


    "I am a Creation that Willem has made so that he may raise Lia, as well as command his forces from the Private Sanctum as he does more advanced scouting." The voice sounded quite similar to Willem, giving the nearby inhabitants a slight pause.


    The Matron could not tell if the Crystal Body was lying, but there was no harm in letting it live and monitoring it temporarily, until she can get confirmation from the Grand Mage himself.


    As if knowing that it was being doubted, the Crystal Body raised it''s hand gently, and the magical tattoo on the Matron''s shoulder began to gently glow, not enough to cause discomfort, but enough to bolster the runes it was made from.


    "Will this suffice." The Crystal Body smiled.


    "Yes, I apologize for any offense I have caused, Grand Mage." The Matron kneeled down on one knee and sheathed her rapier quietly.


    "Carry on, Matron." The Crystal Body placed it''s hand gently on her shoulder, a re-assuring sign, and walked to Willem''s study room.

 103 - Twelve Weapons

    "Check the fourth weapon cabinet for that particular magical long-spear, and get the time he''s taking it out!" The Master Smith yelled to the apprentice with an overzealous voice, his morning just starting.


    "Yes, Master Smith!" The attendant bowed before running off to the store room. In the time it took the first attendant to run to the store room and back to the check-in counter, two more attendants came to ask about certain weapon locations.


    Within the store room, rows upon rows of cabinets holding every type of weapon one could think of lined the walls. In the main area, forges were placed in a circular pattern in the middle of the room, a cemented brick vent placed in between all eight in order to get rid of the smoke from forging.


    As the Master Smith placed the work-piece into the forge, he noticed out of the corner of his eye a figure dressed entirely in black. Recognizing it as someone from the Curo family, the man closed off the forge quickly, removed his thick gloves and nodded his head in the man''s direction.


    "Greetings, Master Smith." The man nodded back and unfolded several pieces of paper from his breast pocket.


    "Greetings, what are those?" The Master Smith took the papers, looked them over carefully and splayed them out on a desk when he was finished.


    "Request designs from the Grand Mage himself. Ideally he requested them to be completed in a week, but we are confident you can deliver in four days with the right resources." The man in black repeated word for word the message sent from the head of the Curo family.


    "I will have my three apprentices take a look and choose the ones they can do, and I personally will complete the rest. If you could tell the Grand Mage I have been working on a special weapon just for him as well, that would be appreciated." The Master Smith motioned for three attendants who were sitting around playing a game to come approach him. "Go get my three apprentices!"


    "Yes, sir!" All three attendants bowed quickly before rushing off, eager to finally have something to do.


    "I will relay the message to the family head. If there is nothing else, I shall take my leave." The man in black slipped back into the shadows he had appeared from.


    If one was to look on at the event that transpired, they would assume it had been perfectly rehearsed dozens of times. The fluidity of the actions between the Curo and Smith family showed just how deep their relationship truly was. There was no hesitation between command and action, which beautifully showcased the functionality of the Private Sanctum.


    The three apprentices were awoken from their individual rooms ahead of their normal schedule, which caused them to be a little absent-minded when they arrived at the forging room.


    "Listen up you idiots! We got a direct order from the Grand Mage himself. We''ve already seen some of his creations put into action, so we know they need to be top quality. There is a total of twelve different weapons here, and we need to complete them in three days!" The Master Smith began yelling at the apprentices when all three of them had finally gathered.


    As soon as the words ''Grand Mage'' were uttered, the lazy and droopy demeanor of the three were quickly replaced with fervor and excitement. All the skilled workers understood that making something for the Grand Mage directly was the ultimate test of your abilities. With the apprentices now at full attention, the Master Smith showed them the twelve designs and had them each pick out three. When they had finished choosing, they were allocated all the resources necessary to make the weapons with haste and efficiency. Polishers were on stand-by at all times, ready to finalize the work of the apprentices so that they could move on without hesitation. If any of the apprentices needed a break for food or recovery, a temporary replacement was given direct and exact orders so that production did not stop.


    With the apprentices beginning their work, the Master Smith started his as well. He went back to his forge, took the heated metal out and began re-shaping it into the image he pictured in his mind. The mallet swung from above his head, striking the heated metal perfectly and rhythmically. The familiar sounds of metal striking metal continued for hours at a time, until a long curved sword gradually took shape. Though the metal appeared thin, one could tell at a quick glance that it was immaculately made and could withstand the rigors of combat quite easily. The Master Smith handed the worked metal to his personal polisher, a man he had known for his whole life and was also his best friend.


    "Ho ho... Quite a beautiful scimitar you made." The polisher held the blade with both hands before readying the wood to make the handle.


    "This is going to be presented to the Grand Mage. It has to be perfect." The Master Smith wiped the sweat from his brow before clasping his massive hand on his old friend''s shoulder. "What do you think we can do for it?"


    "If I had the exact hand measurement for the Grand Mage I could make a handle that perfectly suited him, but since he is still growing it would be best to make a handle made for a young adult. The pommel should be something like inlayed diamond or ruby. The wood shall be made from the ever-growing oak." The polisher pushed away the wood he had previously taken out when he assumed it was a regular weapon.


    In a small container, 4 pieces of oak thick enough to be fashioned into handles were taken out and carefully inspected for flaws.


    "This one will do nicely, I believe." The polisher handed the ever-growing oak piece to the Smith for confirmation, before taking it back and beginning his work.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Satisfied with the work the polisher was doing, the Master Smith ordered one of his personal smithing apprentices to go get the ruby from the jewelcrafters and began working on the Grand Mage''s designs.


    In another part of the Private Sanctum.


    The morning work of the jewelcrafting ''guild'' was already in full swing by the time the apprentice arrived. Besides making ornate jewelry for trading with Paradiso Rosso and the Bastion of Hope, the jewelcrafting guild also took private commissions and accepted all requests on behalf of the Private Sanctum. Despite dealing with expensive gems and ''priceless'' equipment, no crafter was richer or poorer compared to another. They all did similar work, with only small differences due to experience.


    At the counter, a thirteen year old girl sat on a stool while thumbing through a book on different gem cuts. Though she was trying her best to memorize the different types, each design was intricate and the patterns each had their own description. Every once in a while a jewelcrafting apprentice would come by and show their particular cut to the girl, and she would find it in the book to compare.


    When the Smith apprentice arrived, the counter girl finally had something to do. She waved at the apprentice and opened the book for gem retrievals. Finding nothing in the notebook, she smirked and closed the book again by the time the apprentice arrived.


    "Hello, I need to speak with the head of the jewelcrafting guild!" The apprentice placed the sigil of the Smith on the counter.


    "This alone is not enough to speak with the head jewelcrafter. You need a letter of reference at least." The counter girl feigned ignorance as she slid the sigil back toward the apprentice.


    "Master Smith has tasked me specifically with retrieving a ruby for the pommel of the Grand Mage''s weapon. Get the head jewelcrafter." The apprentice did not dare to mess around, considering the importance of the request.


    The counter girl looked visibly frightened as she jumped off the stool and ran to the head jewelcrafter''s room. Despite having no recommendation letter, if she was to refuse and it turned out to be true, the consequences would befall her and her family.


    She banged on the door to the jewelcrafting room before entering hastily. Sitting at the end of the room with her own specialized desk was the head of the jewelcrafter guild.


    "Amila, what do you want. It better be important." The middle aged woman was precisely carving the gem in accordance with a request placed by a member of Paradiso Rosso.


    "Master, please advise me." The counter girl explained the exact situation, and spoke the exact wording of the apprentice.


    When she was finished, the jewelcrafters all stopped their work to listen to the response of the head jewelcrafter.


    "Crubraum, take this letter and confirm with the Curo family. We are going on the assumption that this is in fact true. Amila, bring the apprentice in here." The head quickly drafted a letter to be presented to the Curo family requesting confirmation of a specific cut for the Grand Mage.


    Amila raced back to the counter and told the apprentice to follow her. She lead the way to the room where the jewelcrafters did their work. When they arrived, the apprentice quickly bowed to the head of the jewelcrafters and presented his Smith sigil.


    The head jewelcrafter accepted the sigil and requested more information from the apprentice.


    "The Master Smith requested a ruby to be inlayed into the pommel of the Grand Mage''s scimitar. The size can be no larger than 4 kalacs (centimeters). Any cut is acceptable in accordance with what you believe is best." The apprentice did his best to convey the urgency and thoughts of the Master Smith, since the Master was too busy making weapons to stop.


    "Why have you not got a recommendation letter?" A small vein appeared in the head jewelcrafter''s forehead as she swept through the available rubies.


    "The Master Smith has received a direct order to make twelve weapons for the Grand Mage, delivered by the Curo family. If he falls behind he will not make the deadline set in place." The apprentice quickly explained the situation over at the forging room. "Everyone is working non-stop to get these weapons made for the Grand Mage with the highest quality, including the Master."


    "I understand the situation now. Does it have to be a ruby or can it be another gem?" As she perused the many drawers, she could not find a suitable ruby to cut.


    "The other recommendation was diamond." The apprentice thought back to the conversation between the Master Smith and his polisher.


    "I have a very rare gem taken from the deepest part of the mines, I think now would be the perfect time to cut it and have the Grand Mage use it." The head jewelcrafter went back to her desk, and opened up a jewel encrusted box to reveal a beautiful black and red gem.


    When the gem was removed from the box, the jewelcrafters all gulped down fresh saliva as they looked at the beautiful swirls of red mixed with black and a tinge of purple.


    "What is it?" The apprentice could tell that the gem was unique, and a weird aura was slowly taking over the room.


    "Not sure yet, but if anyone can figure it out, it would be the Grand Mage. This design will be my masterpiece." The head jewelcrafter pointed to the two jewelcrafters at her side. "We are going with a magna design, Castion and Blane will be assisting me. Everyone else get back to work, only notify me when Crubraum returns with information."


    "Yes, Master!" The jewelcrafters went back to work with a revived sense of accomplishment and expectations.


    "You, follow me." The head jewelcrafter pointed to the Smith apprentice as all four of them went into a back room specifically made for designing special gems.


    Closing the door behind her, the head jewelcrafter got into position and mounted the gem on a metal plate.


    The Smith apprentice looked on quizzically.


    "Castion will lead, Blane will assist." The head gave precise orders as she withdrew a small wand from her pocket and began to chant.


    "Yes, Master." They spoke in unison as they too withdrew small wands.


    "Spellweaver word. Wind cutter." Castion chanted first as he slowly began sending out waves of slicing winds.


    Slightly behind the first cast.


    "Spellweaver word. Protection of the Wind God." Blane chanted second as he placed a barrier between the wind cutter spell and the four people in the room.


    Lastly.


    "Spellweaver word. Control." The head jewelcrafter took control of the wind cutter spell path, allowing her to begin cutting into the gem with precision while not needing to maintain the actual spell itself.


    This particular three man setup was created by Willem in order to create a more perfected military strategy. While observing the Mages in the Army, Willem quickly understood that the Mage spells would often veer from target as they were cast. To combat this, One Mage would cast the spell, and the other would guide it to the enemies. A third Mage was introduced to ensure that their would be no backlash and injury to the Mages by creating a barrier between the spell caster and the spell cast.


    This method was quickly adopted by the Mages even outside the Army, as it allowed them to work in unison to accomplish many things.


    "Amazing..." The Smith apprentice was unsure of how to describe it, but the practiced and perfect synergy of the three jewelcrafters was on a level he rarely had a chance to see.

 104 - Gem of Souls

    Half an hour later.


    Crubraum returned with information for the head jewelcrafter.


    "Take ten minutes." As she noticed Crubraum enter into the room, she advised the other two crafters to take a break.


    They cancelled their spells and went outside the room to recover a bit.


    "So, what is going on?" The head took a dry towel from a rack and began to wipe the sweat away from her face.


    "Yes, Master. This is the response as was given by the Curo family." Crubraum handed the letter over to her gently.


    The seal of the Curo family held the letter closed tight. Removing the seal, the head chose to read out loud for the other people in the room.


    - To Mrs. Wing.


    Thank you for complying with the request to create a gem for the Grand Mage despite having no recommendation letter.


    This letter is to serve as confirmation that a request has been made by the Master Smith: Jererbal, to retrieve a


    gem of appropriate size to be placed into the pommel of a special weapon made specifically for the Grand Mage. Any


    resources needed to make this gem shall be allocated as per your request. This letter may be carried by the Smith


    apprentice and treated as a recommendation letter.


    The Curo Family -


    With confirmation, Wing now had a little more fire in her belly as she called Castion and Blane back from their break.


    She handed the letter to the Smith apprentice and they resumed the gem cutting procedure.


    Another half hour passed, followed by a ten minute break, then another half hour before completion of the gem crafting.


    "Well done everyone, I believe this will be my crowning achievement." Mrs. Wing polished the gem gently and checked for any scratches.


    After confirming that the gem itself was crafted as close to perfection as possible, she gently wrapped it in non-abrasive cloth and placed it back into the jewel encrusted box.


    "Crubraum and the boy will lead the way, Castion and Blane follow from the back." Mrs. Wing gave the order as they all walked out of the room and headed out of the jewelcrafting guild area toward the forging room.


    Of course an entourage was not necessary just to bring a singular gem to the Smith, but Mrs. Wing had already confirmed that this was for the Grand Mage. If anything went wrong because of the lack of personnel, such as an accident, she would not forgive herself.


    Upon arriving at the forging area, the Smith apprentice introduced the head of the jewelcrafting guild to the Master Smith''s personal polisher.


    "I know who she is ya dummy. That is me wife." The middle aged man went and kissed the cheek of his wife before taking the box from her hands.


    "Husband... I am going to present this to the Master Smith myself!" The vein re-appeared in her forehead as she strong-armed the box away from the polisher.


    "Honey... I have to inlay the gem. At least let me see the size." The husband tried his best to convince his wife to show the gem.


    After some hesitation and coaxing from her fellow jewelcrafters, she gently opened the box and showed the gem.


    "Haunting..."


    The light reflected against the facets of the gem, but the polisher was only looking deep into the swirled gem.


    Perturbed, the head jewelcrafter closed the box.


    As the box clasped shut, the entranced polisher was left in a slight daze, mumbling to himself.


    "What to do... What to do..." The polisher was pacing back and forth, talking to himself.


    "What happened. Jare, tell me what happened." Mrs. Wing was incredibly concerned for her husband as she placed the box inside her purse.


    "I saw it. I see it. The gem. It cannot exist. It has to be destroyed." Jare was scratching at his arms until they bled.


    "Stop, what are you doing!" Mrs. Wing held his arms against his side until the Smith apprentices who heard the events could come to help her.


    "I saw it. My love. I saw your death. It showed me. It showed me everything. I have to die, if I die you live. It promised." Jare was now resisting against the many hands that held him down, yelling to his wife.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    "It is not real. Please, stop. Let these people help you." Mrs. Wing let go and backed away from her husband while gently holding her purse.


    "Catherine. Please. For me, destroy it." Jare had begun convulsing, repeating his wife''s name over and over.


    "What is happening!" Catherine kept screaming while clutching her purse tight.


    "Head of jewelcrafting. Hand me the box." The Master Smith, bothered by the commotion outside, witnessed the events after the box had been closed and stored away.


    Unlike the Master Smith who was looking at the face of Mrs. Wing, everyone in the room was looking at the purse. Even the Smith apprentices and attendants who held down Jare were staring at the purse with a voracious grin.


    "I... No. I cannot. I made it for the Grand Mage. Yeah! Only he can have it, none of you can have it. I have to protect it for him." Catherine knew what she was saying made little sense but she felt a motherly instinct to protect the gem at the cost of her own life if necessary.


    "I am the only one who has not seen the gem. Please let me help you." The Master Smith spoke calmly, but his heart was beating rapidly.


    In the current situation, even he could tell that something was going on that he could not understand. Before anyone got hurt, he had to at least try and get the gem away from everyone in the room.


    "You are lying. You just want it for yourself. No. I have to protect it. I was the first one to find it in the mines. It chose me. I must protect it no matter what." Catherine took out her wand and began to chant. "Sprint!"


    As she casted the spell, the attendants and apprentices began to dive at her with a hungry look in their eyes. None of their hands reached the purse, as her wind spell allowed her to exceed the limits of human speed to dash to a safer location.


    "Stay back!" Catherine took a defensive stance as she pointed her wand toward the people heading in her direction. Castion, Blane and Crubraum each took out their wands and began chanting their own offensive spells in the direction of their Master.


    "ENOUGH!" The Master Smith grabbed the pendant around his neck and pressed his thumb into it until it bled all over the gem.


    A flash of light emitted from the pendant, which bathed the room in blinding radiance. As the brilliant light slowly waned, a figure could be seen in the middle of the room.


    "Grand Mage, I beseech you, the gem held by that person may be a cursed object." The Master Smith''s head touched the floor as he kowtowed toward the figure in front of him.


    Willem''s Crystal Body looked toward where the Master Smith was pointing. A middle aged woman, roughly five and a half feet, with gentle wrinkles on her face, set herself to a defensive posture. Her skirt and blouse wrapped tightly around her figure, as her legs were slightly bent in a lunging position.


    Being devoid of most emotions, he could clearly tell that they were all about to attack this woman.


    "Kneel." Willem''s Crystal Body issued a single command to all the people in the room, forcing them to one knee, unable to move in the slightest. "Master Smith, please explain the situation."


    "By your command. A special weapon aside from the twelve you had instructed was being forged for your personal use as a gift, the gem held by that woman was meant to be placed in the pommel of the weapon. When I came out to see the commotion, I ascertained that everyone had been affected by some kind of curse as they were all attacking her who held the gem." The Master Smith did his best to explain the situation as he understood it.


    "You were right to signal me. Well done." Willem''s Crystal Body walked over to the woman and took the purse from her. Her eyes pleaded with him to return the gem, but she could not protest as he would not allow her or anyone else beside the Master Smith to speak.


    Before Willem opened the ornate jewel box, he looked at the Master Smith.


    "In order to ascertain what they are affected by, I will need to see what happens for myself. Would you be willing to allow yourself be taken?" Willem looked the Master Smith eye to eye.


    Without hesitation, the Master Smith obliged. "I am at the will of the Grand Mage."


    "Very well." Willem''s Crystal Body opened the jewel box and took the gem in his hand. The gem had no affect on him, whether it was because of his overwhelming magical power or lack of specific emotions remained to be seen. "Tell me what you feel."


    "I feel... Nothing. I am eternal. I am one with the soulless." The Master Smith''s eyes were as glass, completely glossed over.


    Willem now understood this ''cursed'' item, as he had now seen it in action. Of course it had no affect on the Crystal Body, as it was essentially powerful mind magic.


    The Crystal Body''s pseudo mind was pure magical power, not an actual brain with an amygdala. Therefore the emotions he ''felt'' was a thoroughly processed action to a series of specified events and not a reaction to external stimuli. This was precisely why it had taken Willem all day to create the Crystal Body, he was programming the pseudo brain on how to respond to events.


    For the gem to be able to cast magic like this, it must have a will of it''s own. Whether the soul was using the gem as a vessel or souls were sacrificed to make the gem, one thing was certain, it could cast mind magic.


    "Release me from my mortal coil. Let me be with my brethren in the gem of souls." The Master Smith begged in no small words to be killed and placed inside the gem.


    "That is enough." Willem''s Crystal Body revolved the magical power within itself and channeled it through his palm into the gem, expunging the currently active mind magic from the gem by overpowering and dispersing it.


    As the mind magic was expunged, everyone began to wake up, yet they were still bound to kneel by the Crystal Body and could not yet react.


    "Master Smith, how do you feel." Willem''s Crystal Body confirmed the situation before releasing everyone.


    "I am okay now, but I remember exactly how I felt and what I said. Just being entranced for that those seconds makes me feel awful. I cannot imagine how the head of jewelcrafting is going to feel." The Master Smith gave his honest opinion.


    "Release." Willem''s Crystal Body released the command to kneel.


    As soon as he did, Catherine Wing began screaming at the top of her lungs. Both her hands were placed upon her head as she begged to die over and over.


    The Crystal Body was not omnipotent, and he could not ease the pain that Catherine was feeling. Unsure of what to do, he sent an emergency request to Willem through the connection they shared.


    In Paradiso Rosso.


    Willem had received the emergency request from his Crystal Body while he had been helping teach some children new runes to play with.


    The shared connection was not always active, since Willem was essentially living his own life apart from the Crystal Body. The connection however, was always passively there, and could be connected by either Willem or his Crystal Body.


    "I will be back later." Willem nodded to the children and to Ashkatar whom had joined him for some fun.


    "Very well." Ashkatar continued doting on the children who kept playing their favorite games together.


    Slipping through the Void, Willem quickly arrived at the Private Sanctum, utilizing his potent magical energy to surpass the speeds of the denizens of the Void and essentially attracting but outrunning them.


    Arriving at the Smith shop, Willem could clearly see the situation for himself, as the Crystal Body shared almost instantaneously everything that had happened in the last few minutes.

 105 - Atlas Bloodwell

    Willem approached Catherine and just as he had done with the previous Queen, placed a locket with a "Freeze" spell around her neck and activated it. This immediately stopped her from flailing around and hurting herself or anyone else that tried to help her. Second, Willem circulated his magical power to his thumbs and placed them on each of side of her head, right where her temples were. Finally, he placed his forehead on top of hers in order to connect their minds.


    Willem''s mind transported into Catherine''s and he looked around for the memories that were made since she first found the gem of souls. It had been a couple weeks, but it was much less than the previous Queen''s memories that he had erased before. Since it was quite alot less, this would be a simple fix. Unfortunately considering Willem''s vast knowledge, there was no better solution than to erase the memories themselves. Given enough time, he may have found a cure, but he was pressed for time. The human mind can only survive so much trauma before snapping.


    While he was in her mind, he searched for the reason why she had chose to reveal the gem in the first place instead of continuing to hide it. According to her memories, her exact line of reasoning was that if Willem was shown the gem of souls, it could take over his mind. She had no choice in the matter, and she was revealed when she went back on her word to show the Master Smith.


    Willem quickly erased the events of the last two weeks in their entirety, so that Catherine would no longer suffer. When he had finished his work, he removed himself from her mind back into his own body and removed the locket from around her neck.


    Catherine laid motionless on the floor, and after several seconds began ''waking up''.


    "Where am I. Ah-? Grand Mage? Awa - Wa..." Catherine seemed to have returned to her previous self, as she was completely flustered in front of the Grand Mage. The Crystal Body told everyone to take some time to compose themselves, and politely asked them to leave for a bit.


    The apprentices, attendants and the jewelcrafters held their heads as they left the forging room.


    "Two Grand Mages?" The Master Smith was slightly confused as he looked at Willem and the Crystal Body.


    Willem ignored the Master Smith and spoke with Catherine.


    "Catherine, you were under a mind magic spell that controlled you for the past two weeks. I unfortunately had no choice but to erase those memories before your mind snapped. You are safe now." Willem did not mince words as he explained the situation to her.


    "I... I do not understand, but it sounds like you saved me, and for that I am forever grateful." Catherine was unsure how to react but showed humility as she kneeled in front of Willem.


    "Your Husband can take the time and explain the situation to you. Please join me for a small vacation in Paradiso Rosso." Willem put on his best smile as he held her hand gently.


    Confused, Catherine gratefully accepted the request from Willem.


    "Fantastic, I will meet you and your Husband at the teleportation array in half an hour time. That will give you time to find a temporary replacement for your position and get packed." Willem patted her shoulder before standing up and walking over to the Crystal Body. "You may leave now."


    The Crystal Body remained wordless as it teleported away, leaving a trace of magical energy where it had been before.


    "Master Smith, while the gem is under my control, may I ask you to finish creating the weapon?" Willem had every intention of allowing the gem to be placed into the new weapon, wielded only by him so that he could continue to suppress it''s aura.


    "I hear and obey, Grand Mage." Though he was quite tired from everything that had happened, he was given a direct order from the Grand Mage himself. Therefore, he must do his job quickly and precisely.


    "Very good, I will stay here until it is completed to ensure there are no further difficulties. Do not mind my presence." Willem handed over the gem to the Master Smith, whom had called over a new polisher to finish the handle and pommel attachments.


    When the work was completed, Willem gratefully accepted the weapon. In terms of weaponry, it was as beautiful as it was deadly and sharp. The balance was terribly light, since Willem was continuously spreading magical power throughout his body and empowering his muscle fiber.


    As soon as Willem held the scimitar in his hands, a wave of emotions flooded his mind. They were not negative emotions, they were a feeling of yearning and family. Willem sent his magical power into the scimitar which was embedded with the gem of souls.


    "Son..." A disembodied voice called out to Willem.


    The voice seemed near yet incredibly distant, as if at any point it would appear in front of him, yet a second later it would disappear forever.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    "Who calls to me." Willem gripped the scimitar''s handle tightly as he called out to the voice.


    "My name is Atlas Bloodwell. I need you to understand something. I am your real Father. I stole the obsidian jewel from the Bloodwell family treasury and made it into a necklace for you. Your Mother and I, we loved you. We loved you so very, very much." The voice, neither distant nor near, weeped as it spoke.


    "How is this possible? There was no information in the letter my adopted Mother gave me about my real birth parents. How can you reach out to me now?" Willem was still within his own mind when he attempted to speak with Atlas.


    "My body was absorbed by a large oak tree in the outside forest beyond the Bastion of Hope, along with the bodies of the soldiers I killed in order to protect your Mother and you. I am using this ''gem of souls'' as a conduit for my soul so that I may speak with you directly through mind magic." Atlas did his best to explain why he could talk to Willem now.


    "If what you say is true, then I am so sorry. I was weak, and I had the obsidian necklace stolen from me. I was almost killed, and that was the catalyst for me to gain power through darkness magic." Willem could feel something moving his outside body, but he was not sure if he would lose the mental connection with his birth Father if he went back to his body.


    "Then the prophecy has already begun. Your Grandmother was a Seer, a gift from the Bloodwell bloodline that allowed her the ability to see glimpses of the future. Your gift of darkness magic was foretold, and all will kneel before you in time. Your birth was the herald of a new age in this world." Atlas quietly spoke with Willem through the gem. "You are being beckoned in the outside world, return to me when you are alone. I will be here."


    "Another time, Fa-... Father." Willem cleared his throat and removed his mind from the gem of souls.


    The Master Smith was shaking Willem''s shoulder, calling out to him.


    "What happened." Willem looked up at the Smith.


    "You grasped the scimitar and all of sudden you passed out standing. I was worried you might have gotten taken over by the gem of souls." The Master Smith breathed a sigh of relief after he realized the Grand Mage was fine.


    "I will be fine. Please continue crafting the twelve weapons my Crystal Body creation has ordered, then take a well deserved break." Willem commanded the Smith before leaving for his study room.


    The Crystal Body was pacing back and forth in the study room. When Willem had revealed himself in the forging room, the Body was on standby until he received a direct order.


    "Everything is resolved. You can go back to what you were doing before I came." Willem spoke to the Crystal Body.


    "Understood, Master." The Crystal Body sat down at the desk and began re-organizing and signing papers laid out on the desk. Between resolving conflicts within the Private Sanctum, playing with Lia and spending time with his servants, the Crystal Body was quite busy.


    "Is there anything you require of me." Willem could sense there was something off about the Crystal Body.


    "Requesting confirmation. What I did. Was it... Right?" The Crystal Body''s hand stopped moving, a freshly dipped quill dripping onto paper.


    "Yes, you performed exquisitely." Willem confirmed the actions of the Crystal Body before walking out of the study room.


    The Crystal Body continued to process the statement Willem made for five minutes, before returning to work.


    At the teleportation array.


    Jare and Catherine were all ready to go, their bags packed and their previous positions temporarily filled while they are away.


    "I think you both will have a marvelous time. After all, this is a sight you both have taken the time to help create." Willem held on to their shoulders as he activated the teleportation array, saying goodbye to the Matron as he left.


    "Safe travels." The Matron waved as Willem disappeared.


    All three arrived safely at the other end of the teleportation array, in Paradiso Rosso.


    Catherine and Jare marveled at the beautiful architecture of the buildings, the handcrafts of the dark elves and the exotic looking food all around them. The array had become a host to a unique blend of different cultures fusing together. Human children played with dark elf children, workers carried heavy pieces of lumber, and housewives traded their favorite recipes. It was very much like an open market, despite being in the middle of a large room.


    "Grand Mage!"


    "Good morning."


    "Such a lovely day."


    Many humans and dark elves called out to Willem, hoping to catch a glimpse of the man that made their lives safer and free of pain or guilt.


    "I had heard the dark elves were repressed before we liberated them. I would have never expect this." Jare accepted a sweet peach that a small dark elf child had handed to him. He rubbed the hair on the child''s head before taking a large bite out of the peach. "Agh-... Sour!"


    The dark elf child and the other children watching squealed with delight as Jare made funny faces after eating the peach.


    "How wondrous." Catherine took a sip of wine being offered by one of the housewives for new arrivals and placed the cup against her chest. "This is the kind of world our Grand Mage is building."


    "Grand Mage, may we explore the town?" Jare was in a flurry, running back and forth while looking at everything in wonderment.


    "Please, take your time, enjoy yourself. When you are ready to return, you know how." Willem smiled and bid the two farewell before leaving the room with the teleportation array. "Jare, do not forget to explain the situation."


    "Of course, Grand Mage." Jare responded.


    Before he left, he gave his greetings to everyone who stopped their own conversation just to say hello to him.


    "I apologize, I am short on time today." Willem excused himself from the long line-up of people waiting to talk and teleported to his own room in Paradiso Rosso.


    Upon arriving in his room, he unsheathed the scimitar he had received and connected his magical power to the weapon.


    "You are alone, my Son?" Atlas could be heard once more.


    Willem breathed a sigh of relief.


    "Father, how do I know that all you are saying is true. I cannot sense even a shred of false information. Is such a connection even possible?" For the first time in a while, Willem was filled with questions.


    "I will do my best to explain everything that happened, and everything that was foretold. I only hope you can forgive me for not being there in your time of need. As a Father, it is a great sin to not be able to protect your newborn son." Atlas started his story from the beginning.

 106 - Atlas Memories

    The scimitar had been hoisted to Willem''s chest level by both hands, but his arms were infused with magical energy which meant Willem would show no signs of difficulty for at least a few days.


    Willem had his legs crossed, one underneath the other; the natural position for his previous meditations. Since this was his preferred state, his focus on the connection to the ''gem of souls'' was increased.


    Willem was floating in a world of black but felt no pain or fear, just a gentle love.


    "Your Mother''s name was Veronica Bloodwell. The official title bestowed by her Father, the King of Magical Beings was "Princess of the Bloodwell dynasty and Warden of the Northern Gate." Atlas had both a sweet but sad tone in his voice as he spoke. "I was a human who had been abandoned by my slave mother and taken in by a woman of the Thousand Eyes Clan."


    Willem reacted slightly when he heard about the Thousand Eyes Clan, whom he had previously heard about from his Mentor, Archus.


    "By the way you reacted just now it looks like you have at least heard about the Thousand Eyes Clan... It was both my home and my school for the better part of my life, and it also served as a place of worship for those in my clan who could divine the future." Atlas continued to talk, as roots from the oak tree began to create a circle around Willem. "I came across your Mother for the first time when I was sent to the Royal Castle as a worker for the Clan. I was carrying bags from the back of a stagecoach when I saw her pruning some flowers in the garden. It was love at first sight for me, though your Mother had readily admitted that it was not the same for her. Haha..."


    The voice trailed off, and the pause had been long enough that Willem feared the connection had broken. A large sigh could be heard from far away after some time had passed.


    "It was not until much later on that I discovered that she was the Princess of the Royal Castle, and someone I had no hope of getting near without special circumstances. Luckily she was the youngest of three daughters, and she was not as heavily watched as the others. She also had quite a habit of sneaking out into town to play with the other kids. That was how we officially met for the first time." There was a tinge of longing in Atlas'' voice.


    "When did things change?" Willem did not want to rush the conversation, especially since he could learn about his real Mother and Father, but he had so many questions to ask.


    "Things began to change when your Mother turned fourteen. The presence of guards became heavier, she could no longer sneak out to play and began to act out against everyone. She was betrothed to a thirty year old nobleman from another influential clan." The longing voice turned to bitterness. "The nobleman would come every full moon to see her, until she would officially become his wife when she turned eighteen. On her eighteenth birthday, at the party to celebrate her wedding, she pretended to be docile to lull her new husband into a false security. When the nobleman went to consummate the marriage she castrated him with the knife used to cut the traditional meal." The voice began to chuckle gently.


    "She castrated him? Wow..." Willem held his breath as the story continued.


    "Embarrassed, the nobleman annulled the wedding without reason, which caused massive backlash from his family and the community. However the embarrassment of being tricked by a woman was heavier than the embarrassment of the annulment. Gossip spread like wildfire, that the Princess was a monster who could not be married off despite her looks. Obviously it could not be farther from the truth, but it helped keep suitors away, so she did nothing to stop the slander against her."


    The oak roots slowly wrapped around Willem, like a cocoon with small openings. Despite the encroaching roots, Willem felt no malice from the oak tree.


    "Having given up, the King sent her to the North Gate that protected the Royal Castle and surrounding town, making her the Warden and leader of the guards. She no longer had to stay inside the Royal Castle, and would often be gone for months at a time. As for me, I was still a porter for the Thousand Eyes Clan and would only seen her once every few months. By this time we had already begun seeing each other romantically, and it was only a matter of time before people began to guess where we both had been disappearing to. At the same time that you were conceived, the Grandmother of the Clan was granted a vision from the Gods about you, and immediately found me. She told me about the prophecy and about how important you were, but your Mother had not even showed signs of being pregnant, so I thought it was not true. I held the secret of the prophecy close to my heart but did nothing to inform your Mother until she began to show clear signs of distress." Atlas heaved a massive sigh and the oak roots pushed closer and closer to Willem.


    "Everything happened so fast after that... Knowing that they would never accept the pregnancy, we decided to run. By the time we gathered everything we would need to hide ourselves for a while, Grandmother had found us and showed us the way to get outside the city. Before we left, Veronica snuck into the treasury and stole the Obsidian Gem. We followed Grandmother, unsure if she was on our side or working for the King she had followed since long ago. She lead us to a place called the Isle of Endless Whispers, a small island covered in active volcanoes that was also hidden by a dense smoke and ash fog. It was known for being uninhabitable, but Grandmother had already made many trips by herself, carving the rocks and creating a small habitable zone for us. When I asked her why she brought us here she would just keep saying ''all because of the visions''."Stolen story; please report.


    An oak root slowly crept up Willem''s back before stopping at the Brain Stem, poised to strike.


    "We had nine months together, plenty of time to learn all we could about each other. The magic of the Bloodwell clan that turned anger into pure magical energy, the Thousand Eyes Clan and it''s ability to see past, present, and future. The ability to create or destroy dreams with enough proficiency. As it turns out, I was born to a Thousand Eyes Clan member who was turned into a slave for stealing, which means there is a chance you could get the gift as well. However since I was born without any magical ability, I was labelled a human failure and abandoned. In the eyes of Magical Beings, humans are disposable workers, barely worth the cost of feeding... Willem." The voice stopped just as Willem was about to receive some of the answers to his questions.


    "Yes, Father?" Willem tried not to sound exasperated as he felt the oak root hovering around the back of his neck.


    "You are being called to the outside world once more, so I will make this quick. I will inject my memories directly into your mind. This will be painful."


    The oak root pierced Willem''s neck, and instead of putting up any resistance, Willem let it happen.


    A vast amount of memories flowed into Willem''s mind, but the magical energy previously flowing through Willem''s brain offset the pain he should have felt.


    The memories of Atlas filled his mind, but there was too much content and detail to sift through, if he had a week it would be enough time to get through everything.


    The oak root detached itself from Willem''s neck and left a small open wound.


    "Father, I must leave you for now. I will return when I have the time." Willem stood up, the cocoon moving to adjust to Willem''s form.


    "I love you son." Atlas bid his farewell as Willem''s form disappeared and the mental connection was severed.


    Willem placed the scimitar in it''s sheath and placed it by his side, tightly against his thigh.


    In the forest outside the Bastion of Hope, the large oak tree seemed to take on a faint golden glow.


    In Paradiso Rosso.


    The dark elves had been working hard with the human soldiers and hunters to establish a defensive zone within the poisonous fog and surroundings. Since the fog had yet to dissipate, Willem had come up with a countermeasure that allowed for someone to safely travel in it for no more than three hours. Not only had Willem created the potion, he also granted anyone with alchemical skill the formula and necessary ingredients. For the first time in their lives, the dark elves witnessed the real moon that they worshiped.


    In packs of six, the groups established safe zones and temporary relief stations in order to push further into the surrounding forests. They decided to only set up traps and place the assassins in the southern forest as that was the most likely area they were to encounter Magical Beings. The assassins were under strict orders not to attack the Magical Beings, just relay that they had appeared, and in what quantity.


    That time had finally come.


    The first line of assassins sent out a signal only detectable by other Dark Elves, a magical scent that could be discovered within a certain distance. The stronger the smell, the more Magical Beings had appeared. The smell that the back line caught was pungent and overwhelming to their sensitive noses, which could only mean one thing. The main army, or something similar in size, was heading toward Paradiso Rosso.


    The assassins in the back line immediately sprinted back into the thick fog and into the mouth of the Stinging Blood Tortoise. As they all converged, lightly sweating, Ashkatar appeared before them.


    "Something has happened?" Ashkatar understood their jobs and what they had been sent out to do.


    "A large army approaches. They cannot pass through the fog, but it looks like they intend to possibly meet with you if you get to the edge. There would be no other reason for them to approach this area." The assassin crossed his left hand over his chest in salute while speaking.


    "Perhaps this is something we should discuss with Master Grandia." Ashkatar seemed to be pondering over something as he motioned for the assassins to follow him.


    Ashkatar and the four assassins moved through the streets as nimbly as possible, avoiding the playing children and workers in the road. Most of the denizens moved out of the way when they saw the five moving quickly.


    As Ashkatar and the four assassins reached the main entrance to the castle, Ashkatar rose his hands outward and declared his intent. "Maris, ring the bell. Garcif, summon Master Grandia."


    A young dark elf girl nodded her head seriously and climbed the stairs she had previously been sitting on.


    After a few seconds, the ringing of a large copper bell could be heard all throughout Paradiso Rosso.


    The ringing of the bell meant one thing, enemies have appeared.


    A slightly older dark elf boy ran toward the bedchambers of Master Grandia. He had recently been appointed as the Grand Mage''s personal assistant since there were many things Willem would request.


    After breathing deeply a few times, Garcif gently knocked three times on the door.


    One knock for an audience, two knocks for a request, three knocks for an emergency.


    After an eerily long time waiting, the door opened and the Grand Mage appeared.


    "Three knocks, something has happened?" The Grand Mage ruffled the hair of the dark elf boy.


    "I believe so, Master Grandia. Ashkatar told Maris to ring the bell." The boy answered while wrinkling his nose.


    "If I am not mistaken, it should be time for the mounted infantry of Magical Beings to appear at our border, since the advanced unit was destroyed. What were they called again?" Willem placed a finger on his chin, waiting for Garcif to answer.


    "Dragoons, Master." Garcif replied.

 107 - First Stage

    "The war council will convene in five minutes." Willem had arrived inside the main area of the flee market where the usual hustle and bustle of trade had been quieted by the sound of the massive ringing bell.


    To everyone who was gathered, Willem¡¯s presence was both a soothing sight and a confirmation that something big was going on.


    "Prepare the war room! Bring the huntress and everyone we need!" Ashkatar was giving orders with seasoned efficiency, a benefit given from his long lifespan.


    Willem had already left the main area through the teleportation array and arrived in his Private Sanctum with ease. When his presence was known, all whom had gathered at the teleportation array stopped their work and kneeled before him.


    "Magical Beings have made it to the outskirts of the poison fog. The war council will convene in five minutes. Summon Sir Rowan, Sir Kris, the Knight Captain, and the family heads. They can bring one trusted adviser each to the meeting.¡±


    Upon hearing the command, the posted soldiers quickly divvied up the tasks and set forth without hesitation.


    Five short minutes later, the family heads and their advisers had arrived in sync with the Knight Captain, Sir Gehrig. Sir Rowan and Sir Kris also presented themselves, fully armored and looking anxiously at the family heads.


    "Come, join me." Willem beckoned everyone to enter the teleportation array. As they stepped inside, Willem activated the runic circle and everyone traveled safely to Paradiso Rosso.


    For most of the family heads and their advisers, this was their first time in Paradiso Rosso. The Knight Captain, Sir Kris and Sir Rowan had also never gone beyond the forest outside the Bastion of Hope and so they all stood experiencing the natural beauty and splendor of the city.


    The looks of amazement and disbelief were quickly curtailed as Willem got their attention.


    "The war room is just past these doors." Willem placed his arm out and motioned towards intricately designed double doors.


    The door itself looked to be made of wrought iron, with flowing vine patterns from the top of the frame to the base. The two door handles were made of copper but had been artificially colored with black pigment to match the doors.


    The first to reach out and grab the handle was the Knight Captain, who had incorrectly assumed he would have to use a little strength in order to force the door open. To his surprise, it slid open easily, throwing him a little off balance.


    Re-positioning himself quickly, he stood and held the open door for the other council members as they slowly piled in. Willem was the last to enter, and quiet conversations could be heard throughout the room. Sir Gehrig closed the door and Willem addressed the room.


    "Thank you to everyone for coming to this, the first convening of the war council. As I am not accustomed to such matters, I invite both Ashkatar, whom has received the initial report, and the Grand Elder of the Lovejoy family, who previously sat at the war council in the Bastion of Hope, to direct this meeting." Willem smiled as he motioned for both parties to take a seat by him at the head of the table. Ashkatar and the Grand Elder both stood and moved to sit beside Willem. As if in a practiced movement, all the other council members fluidly moved out of the way.


    The other council members could not help but smile as they saw their magnanimous leader readily admit his own shortcomings, choosing to delegate to the most qualified leaders available.


    For such a young leader, the future was looking quite bright for the Grand Mage''s faction.


    Ashkatar started talking first, explaining the situation as he was told by the assassins. The four assassins in question were standing by the door in silence, waiting to be called upon should they be needed.


    "It would appear that roughly ten-thousand Dragoons have broken off from the main army, and the assumption is that they are trying to reach out and contact me. Most likely, they intend to flank the Bastion of Hope through the mountains on the east and west to while the main army charges the south to ensure no one survives. It seems they have set up camp in the woods outside the poisonous fog and are waiting for me to come near the edge." Ashkatar glanced at the papers in front of him that contained the assassins¡¯s accounting of events.


    "They intend to reach out to you even though they know you are unlikely to leave this area. Have they attempted to contact you before?" One of the advisers spoke out and a few others nodded their heads.


    "I would allow wandering merchants to sometimes enter, they were usually greeted as treasured guests by nobles who would buy up all their wares before they left. Since the dark elves have been isolated for so long, they are not considered part of the army of Magical Beings anyway. No, more likely they believe I will bless their journey, which is pure superstition on their part." Ashkatar replied.


    The four assassins turned towards each other looking confused for a brief moment before putting their heads down again.


    This did not escape Willem''s attention.


    "You. Tell me why this confounds you." Willem pointed to one of the assassins. The assassin stepped forward and crossed his hand in front of his heart as he spoke.


    "Master Grandia, all denizens of Paradiso Rosso have acted under the assumption that Ashkatar granted us the blessing of the moon, to ensure our safety. This is a fundamental belief taught since childhood." Once he finished speaking, he stepped back into place.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "Well, I do not intend to interrupt the belief system of the Dark Elves. It is not hurting anyone. This matter will not be revealed to anyone outside this room." Willem motioned for Ashkatar to continue.


    "Very well. Typically, when the army was on excursions or military exercises around this area they would send fifty to one hundred men to greet me. This could also be considered appropriate behavior on their behalf." Ashkatar ran his fingers through his lengthy beard.


    "The timing is not coincidental, either. According to my sources, the mounted infantry will typically take this long in order to march here. That means that the clans¡¯ foot soldiers will take another two weeks, and any specialized divisions will meet up with them at that time. Since we have secured a secondary position, it is of no concern to us that the Bastion of Hope falls." Willem placed the carved miniature horse head pieces on the map to represent the movements of the Dragoons.


    "We made sure not to over-hunt in the area as you commanded, since a reduced presence of natural predators would surely have been reported to the Dragoon Generals if it was noticed." The leader of the hunter group advised the council.


    "Well done. The less wary they are that anything is amiss, the more likely an ambush is to succeed if we decide to go that route." Willem tapped his index finger to his chin. "In this regard, I welcome all opinions on a course of action."


    "In front of everyone is a piece of paper. Once all the ideas have been presented, we will have an anonymous vote. That way no one can take sides or be attacked for their opinion." The Grand Elder explained.


    The Lovejoy Grand Elder was sitting proudly beside Willem. He attempted to join the conversation a few times, but his own musings on the subject had already been expertly covered by others. If he had not personally been called by Willem to partake in the discussion, he would probably have just sat and observed. However, since Willem had been outspoken with respect to him leading the meeting, he had to show some worth.


    "Eloquently put, Grand Elder." Willem placed his hand on the Elder''s shoulder, as a sign of good will. "Since we are unsure of exactly what they are after, I will have the assassin squadron infiltrate and gather as much intelligence as possible without rousing suspicion. Since we have a couple of weeks at most before the foot soldiers arrive, the plan may change depending on the actions of the enemy. Therefore, the main plan is to be established now, but the details of the missions will wait until after."


    "Do we have an accurate estimation of the number of trained combatants in the Private Sanctum and Paradiso Rosso? Knowing our own strength better will make the decision easier." The Smith family adviser spoke out.


    "From the original fifteen thousand soldiers of the Bastion of Hope, we have twelve thousand, not including a mix of Hunters and Mages. The other three thousand soldiers decided to stay behind in the Bastion of Hope with their families. On top of that, there are three thousand hunters and warriors in the Dark Elf army left after the recent attack." Willem quickly did the calculations for the type of army they could expect to fight with.


    "I mean no offense to anyone here, but will the Dark Elves really fight alongside the people who killed their kin?" An adviser spoke out.


    It was by no means a bad assumption, as under ordinary circumstances there would typically be a lot of unrest for years until the capabilities of the ruler could be established. However, in this regards it was a non-issue as many Dark Elves citizens were expecting to be enslaved after their army lost the war. Willem did not enslave his enemies, nor had he killed more than necessary to end the war quickly. He was also transparent in his thoughts and treated everyone as equals, which moved the hearts of the Dark Elves.


    "We need not consider this matter, I speak on behalf of the Dark Elves when I say we shall fight to protect this newly developed Utopia." The leader of the hunters spoke with authority.


    Many of those in the meeting that hailed from the Dark Elf side nodded their heads in agreement.


    "Furthermore, The huntress continued, "To die in battle is considered a great honor for our people. The afterlife is but another transition in our journey through the worlds."


    The family heads and their advisers remained silent, despite their own belief that death was the end of their journey. To embrace death was something only a warrior could consider when all else failed.


    Willem had wanted to inquire about the meaning of ''through the worlds'' but this was not the time nor the place. Therefore, he put it in the back of his mind and reminded himself to bring it up later.


    "Now that we roughly know the numbers of our own army, what do we know about the strength of our enemy?" Willem had his own information from J?rmungandr whom had given him the rough estimate, but he needed to rely on confirmation from the Dark Elves.


    "Each major clan has a standing army and a reserve army. The standing army has on average ten thousand soldiers each, with an additional reserve of two thousand soldiers to protect the clan members." The huntress flit through prepared papers to confirm the details. "Since there are nine major clans, that means roughly ninety thousand soldiers. This would not include any specialized units like clansmen with preternatural abilities."


    "Like the Thousand Eyes Clan..." Willem whispered.


    Since the huntress had already finished talking, most of the people near Willem heard him.


    "What is the Thousand Eyes Clan?" The Grand Elder looked at Willem in bewilderment.


    "I can answer that. We have documents that the Thousand Eyes Clan has the ability to see into the future, enter dreams and create nightmares; each of these abilities has limitations. They are the direct advisers of the Southern King." The huntress continued looking through other parchments as she spoke. "If I may ask, how did Master Grandia become aware of them?"


    Before Willem could answer the question, the room exploded into derisive comments.


    "How can we fight an enemy that can see into the future?¡±


    "Why have the Gods forsaken us?"


    "Damn, we cannot catch a break."


    "ENOUGH!" Ashkatar yelled as he slammed his fist on the beautifully made wooden table.


    Had the doors not been magically treated to block sound from going out, he might have been heard well into the main area.


    "My apologies, I did not realize that not everyone would know.¡± The huntress bowed toward Willem. "The rules of the Thousand Eyes Clan forbid them from participating in any fight. Any who disobey are stripped of their ability and punished by forced slavery for thirty years or until released by their Master."


    "Which is why you believed it to be of no consequence." Ashkatar nodded thoughtfully. "We must all strive to keep a level head at this point and time."


    The advisers who had previously been scared out of their wits regained their composure and bowed silently. Normally for de-railing the conversation they would have been made to leave, but Willem waved the offense off noncommittally.


    "As far as the document on the army divisions, there should be thirty thousand Dragoons and sixty thousand foot-soldiers. These numbers do not include any advanced scouts or non-combat personnel like slaves or cooks." The huntress finished reading the document. "This was the only reliable intelligence we could gather from the previous nobles¡¯ homes."


    "I will assume that most of the documents have been burned?" Willem nodded to the huntress.


    "Yes, Master Grandia." The huntress replied.


    "Then it is our good fortune to have secured this much information." Willem rubbed his chin.

 108 - Countermeasures

    "We have a few viable plans, I assume." Willem nodded toward Ashkatar.


    "Always. You don''t live as long as I do and not come up with countermeasures for many scenarios." Ashkatar smirked. "The plans I have in mind all boil down to three basic ideas; Run, hide, or fight."


    The rest of the council remained silent as Ashkatar spoke. Though some were unfamiliar with his identity, he stood beside Willem and that was enough for them to know his importance.


    "The safest method is to remain here inside me and hide until you''ve made enough magical gear to fight evenly with stronger enemies." Ashkatar paced the floor back and forth. "Even if the Bastion of Hope falls, you can still take the resources from the surrounding areas."


    "The Magical Beings may try to inhabit the Bastion of Hope, since they had previously occupied it before being forced out by humans." The Grand Elder spoke out.


    "Good point; if we do fight, we have to make sure not to leave anyone alive. A rout could cause information to get back to the main army. At that point they would know the Stinging Blood Tortoise is harboring their enemy. Even if we are protected temporarily, they would eventually find a way to force us out. Perhaps by summoning the other Great Beasts." The Huntress rubbed her forehead as her brows furrowed.


    "A double envelopment will allow us to ensure that no one survives the encounter. However that also means we have to fight in an open field, making it a disadvantageous area. If we fought in the forest, it would be alot harder for a pincer attack to work and to keep track of the enemy, but we could make use of dark elf training." The Knight Captain put forth his opinion on the matter. "As you are aware, Master Grandia, most of the armor that has been made is similar to chainmail or cuirasses that make excess movement difficult."


    "True, most of our knights and apprentices have metal armor, while the hunters and assassins are using variations on boiled leather. How many soldiers are missing a full set of magical equipment?" Willem motioned for Sir Rowan to speak.


    "According to our latest information, all knights and apprentices have at least three pieces of magical equipment. To fully equip them may take a couple months at the least, six months at most at our current pace." Sir Rowan unstuck the papers he had accidentally sweat on.


    "How are the scroll and potion developments coming? I haven''t seen any unique results or breakthroughs when last I checked." Willem nodded toward Sir Kris next.


    "Besides your own breakthroughs, the aptitude for scrolls is low in the Mages that came over from the Bastion of Hope. To begin with, it is a vocation most likely to cause physical harm should something go wrong." Sir Kris kneaded his eyebrows as he earnestly told Willem the results.


    "Bring all the documents and results to the dark elf representative, and have him give everyone a place to work in Paradiso Rosso. Anyone with inherent magical abilities in the dark elf population will work closely with the humans to see if they can make viable potions." Willem decreed.


    A few of the advisers showed a sour face for a moment, as they had not fully accepted the dark elves in their hearts. However since the Grand Mage had already said so, they could not refute the announcement.


    "By your will, it shall be done." The Knight Captain bowed his head and combined all the documents he had on hand.


    "Sir Gehrig, you will work closely with Jura, an expert architect and the dark elves representative. Bring me good results." Willem pointed to Jura, whom had taken a seat near the back of the conference room.


    "I look forward to working with you." Jura smiled but his heart could not stop beating quickly.


    The possibility of not showing good enough results weighed heavily in the back of his mind. Considering everything he had gone through with the Grand Mage, one could not imagine a harsh sentence or demotion just because of failing to show results in something they are not an expert in. However things became different during war time, excuses became liabilities on the battlefield.


    "Likewise." Sir Gehrig was considerably less worried, as he knew that if Willem said to work with Jura, there would be a good reason for it.


    Either way, everything seemed to be as Willem predicted.


    Even when it came to the plan against the Magical Beings, Willem showed nothing on his face. It was as if he had already considered every answer and the best possible outcome to the enveloping situation.


    In fact, Willem was not omnipotent, and required the assistance of a war council in order to speak out and possibly provide him with something he may have overlooked or missed entirely. Though the conversation this time was close to what Willem had already considered, that wasn''t to say future councils will be the same.


    The naked truth was that right now, the Magical Beings were giving Willem and his army the best possible chance to make a risky plan with the highest chance of success. By splitting themselves into three groups to stop anyone from the Bastion of Hope from fleeing, they also are opening themselves up to an attack from behind with Willem''s army. At the very least, if they could inflict large casualties on the enemy army, there would not be enough Magical Beings to defend from a forceful takeover of their territory.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    As they slowly advance forward, they would gain considerable resources to put toward a successful war campaign. Each new territory gave them a distinct advantage over the Magical Beings, and it all hinged on the enemy army taking an otherwise unrecoverable hit.


    "Until the assassins come back with more information, we will work under the assumption of launching an unexpected attack from the backs of the enemy. To that end, we require our front-line soldiers to have the most fortified equipment, while our back-line will be mainly Mages firing mass area spells. The dark elves will be hidden in the forest, and the Knights job will be to lure them in by sounding a fake retreat." Willem stroked his chin slowly. "I believe this to be the most suitable plan considering our individual strength, but if anyone has a better plan then please go ahead and write it down."


    The family heads and their advisers began discussing quietly what the best course of action would be. The Grand Elder joined his daughter and spoke softly about the other things typically discussed on a war council, like war rations and military installations. He surmised that if his daughter provided this information to Willem it would win some affection. She took the advice gratefully, albeit with a blushing face.


    After fifteen minutes, everyone seemed to be done deliberating and folded the papers that held their written answers. The answers were placed in a small magical box with a slit in the top that had been created by Willem''s own magical power. After shaking the box, Willem produced the answers one by one, placing them on a table in front of him.


    "Nine votes for hiding up to six months until all armaments have been made, or some variation of that. Six votes to take all resources and run, presumably further west into the Romungan Desert. Lastly, eighteen votes to fight, with most being similar to my plan. Since the majority wins, we shall begin to implement this attack plan as soon as we leave. We will reconvene when we get more information from the assassins. Everyone, give it your all." Willem allowed everyone to confirm the results of the papers and then burned them when they were done.


    If he had so chosen, he could easily have used mind magic to convince everyone to fight, but that would be a shallow idea since he was not altering memories or personality directly.


    Willem stood from his seat, bowed slightly, and walked out the door with a powerful gaze of determination. The other council members stayed behind and talked further, some admiring the beauty of Paradiso Rosso, while others made introductions. Jura and the huntress were among the busiest in the room, having to introduce themselves to all the family leaders.


    --------------------------------------------------------


    In the Magical Being''s camp, the assassins had successfully infiltrated the army and were beginning their information extraction. Some of the assassins pretended to be cooks, while others just mended clothes or gathered firewood.


    One of the assassins, named Jerbalt, was the leader of the assassin infiltration team.


    "Thank you, Sir!" Jerbalt was pretending to be a simple armor polisher, which gave him access to the armory.


    Many of the Magical Beings like beastmen, elves, lizardfolk and orcs made up the core of the Dragoons. The less tame goblins and fairies who could not control their impulses were nowhere to be seen.


    "Got another one for you." An orc soldier threw his blood-stained leather armor at Jerbalt, hitting him in the back with force. "Gahaha- Pay attention!"


    Jerbalt had already gotten used to the abuse, as it was all part of the assignment. In order to get access to the armory, he had to pretend to be servile and weak.


    "Sorry, Sir!" Jerbalt nodded his head excessively as an apology.


    "Tch, if there is even a scratch on that armor, it''ll be ten lashes at daybreak." The hefty orc waddled out of the armory.


    Thank you, Sir!" Jerbalt got back to work and kept his head down.


    The more servile he appeared, the less he would be expected as a spy. Unfortunately for the person who had originally had the position of armor polisher, he had slept in late for his duties thanks to a certain sleeping drug concocted by Willem.


    It was only his second day on duty, and he had already gotten a small amount of information worth reporting. The only problem was that even at night, the army camp area was well lit and well guarded. This made slipping out to deliver information near impossible.


    The only thing Jerbalt could do was bide his time and wait for a chance to appear with which to get out quickly and quietly.


    At night, Jerbalt would memorize the movements and timing of the guards in order to get a feel for their weaknesses. Their formation was not perfect, but Jerbalt had a feeling that the openings he saw were bait for deserters.


    One day, two days, three days. By the last day of the first week, he had already made friends with some of the soldiers in the army.


    Considering themselves friends, they talked openly in front of Jerbalt while he polished their armor.


    "How''d you get so damn good at fixing armor, boy?" A friendly dragonewt patted Jerbalt on the back while watching his hands deftly sew a leather patch onto split armor.


    "Lots of practice, Calim. If you could avoid beast claws, I wouldn''t have so much to work on." Jerbalt gave a small toothy grin to the dragonewt.


    "Hahaha. Soon enough even you can become a dragoon squire, an exalted position compared to the other jobs in this shit place." Calim said while smiling back.


    "Afraid not, buddy. I''m a mutt, they don''t take my kind." Jerbalt looked at the ground while his hands continued to move.


    "Ah, sorry. I didn''t realize, but now that I look at ya, you have a different look don''t ya. What are ya mixed with?" Calim took a closer look at Jerbalt.


    "Half dark elf, half dryad is what my mom told me. Said she barely escaped with her life when she was seduced by him, apparently they suck the life out of you. Mom gave birth to me, but she was sick for a long time. When she left, I joined up." Jerbalt pretended to wipe a tear away from his cheek as he stopped talking.


    "Jesus, ya got a hell of a tale boy. So you joined up to do some good for Magical Beings, ah?" Calim rustled Jerbalt''s hair a bit.


    "I wanted to get stronger, to kill my Father." Jerbalt had a look of burning hatred in his eyes.


    "Hmmm... Lemme talk to the boss, see if I can get you in as a squire, that way you can see what it''s like on the inside. You can''t see our strategy or nothin'', but you can train with other squires and listen to Gabin''s general meeting." Calim walked out of the armory with his chest puffed out.


    "I''ll leave it to you then. Thanks Calim. You''re a good friend." Jerbalt smiled once more.


    "See, a smile suits you more than anything." Calim walked away.

 109 - Ley Lines

    Near the end of the next day.


    The Dragonewt headed for the armor polishing area, his large prehensile tail swinging left to right wildly.


    "Boy!" Calim looked around until he locked eyes with the dark elf who was quietly polishing some patchwork leather armor.


    "Forget about this nonsense, I talked with the boss and he said okee. You can come to the meetings, and you can do active drills with the other squires!" Despite his scaly visage, his eyes clearly gave away that he wanted to be praised for his efforts.


    "Truly? You are not lying to me are you?" Jerbalt faked his excitement over the matter and stood up from his seat, dropping the sewing needle on the ground. "I will go get my stuff right now!"


    "Hold on, hold on. We have to find a replacement for ya first. Is there anyone else ya bunk with that can patch up armor as well as ya can? Well, maybe not as good as, but decent?" Calim''s tail swung back and forth against the cloth of the hut as he spoke.


    Calim had a glint in his eye as he placed the armor he had been patching up on the table.


    "I will go find someone right now, wait here I will be right back!" Jerbalt rushed out of the hut and scurried out of sight.


    Calim nodded his head as he watched Jerbalt run away as fast as his legs could carry him. Considering how small Jerbalt''s legs were compared to Calim, he was surprised at the speed with which Jerbalt ran.


    Jerbalt sent word to another worker to take over his position as he hastily ran back to Calim. The situation had aligned itself perfectly for him to infiltrate and gain the most information possible for the Grand Mage to use against the Army. Considering he was in the middle of the enemy encampment where any number of things could go wrong, he was all smiles as he met back up with the Dragonewt.


    "I found someone who was willing to take over once they found out I was becoming a squire." Jerbalt coughed like he was out of breath, while trying to explain to Calim.


    "Good, good. Follow me ya? I will take you to the barracks made for the squire." Calim could not help the elation in his voice as he lifted his heavy body from the squatting position he had originally been in and stalked through the camp.


    Calim''s leather armor glistened with fresh blood against the glare of the sun as his three pronged feet stamped into the forest floor. Jerbalt followed noiselessly behind him and left barely an imprint of where he stepped.


    Calim had taken Jerbalt so far away from the original encampment that for a brief moment, Jerbalt had considered it was a trap to lure him away from the others so they could kill him. The thought receded when he could finally make out a small set of barracks hidden among the dense trees and hills.


    "This be it... This is where ya future begins." Calim clapped Jerbalt on the back with his massive hand and laughed.


    "Once ya got some meat on ya bones, ya can come look for a fight with me, okee?" Calim laughed and stalked away, his tail kicking up dust as he headed toward the Dragoon mounts.


    Jerbalt eyed the compound warily before entering inside, looking around for someone to guide him.


    "Who are you?" A young clerical looking elf held a cutlass to the back of Jerbalt.


    Ah- I... I am Jerbalt, a new squire." Jerbalt pretended to answer sheepishly, in order to elicit a feeling of sympathy from the elf.


    "Where''s your guide?" The elf glanced as a document but did not put the cutlass down.


    "His name is Calim, he went toward the Dragoon Mounts." Jerbalt answered with a firm explanation, that implied there was no need for a discussion of authenticity.


    The shock of switching from a pitiable to firm voice made the elf falter.


    "Ah, ahem- I see now, please carry on." The elf meekly lowered her cutlass and sheathed it.


    "No one told me the details, I just got dropped off here." Jerbalt scratched the back of his head as he turned toward the elf.


    "Ah... Um, you are with... Company number four, which can be found here." The elf pointed at a detailed map of the compound.


    "May I ask, what is it you do here?" Jerbalt lowered his hands to his waist.


    "I organize the information we receive from the Capital." The elf now brimmed with confidence as she sat back at her desk.


    "Then, I will not bother you any longer, please excuse me." Jerbalt dropped the sleeping salts under the desk where she did her work and left the room.


    Twenty minutes later, the assassins had all grouped up and entered the room after confirming the elf had fallen asleep. They wrote down as much information as they could about whatever seemed important, made sure someone was available to cover their work so that the enemy would not be suspicious, and covered their tracks as they snuck out of the camp.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Now they were ready to return to the Stinging Blood Tortoise.


    In a newly built house in Paradiso Rosso.


    "Your movement has to be smoother when you pour in the crushed red salt." A Mage teacher watched over the new group of dark elves who were attempting to create potions and scrolls.


    According to the will of the Grand Mage, three dozen dark elves with the ability to actively control their innate magical power were attempting to synthesize potions.


    Sir Gehrig was looking on with a pleasant smile on his face, talking with anyone who requested his guidance.


    Compared to the constant drills and headaches of the military ground, the calm atmosphere of the potion room was like a vacation.


    Jura was comparatively less relaxed, as he had only come under the protection of the Grand Mage recently and wanted to show results befitting such a status.


    Considering he was betraying the Magical Beings of which he was the same race, an imaginary knot in his stomach began to twist. The constant worry of making the wrong decision hung around his head like a noose.


    Most of the dark elves had the same feelings of guilt, but for most it was a simple matter of survival. If they had not aligned themselves with the Grand Mage, the Human Army would see no reason to keep them alive.


    Bearing that in mind, the conditions that the losers of the battle had to go through this time was nothing compared to what their predecessors had suffered from.


    Most history books taught to young dark elf children depicted the dark elf race as strong warriors who wielded the nature of the world to their advantage, trading malicious words against them for blood and racism for seclusion.


    The past cannot be altered, but it can be learned from. When the dark elves had been suppressed and enslaved before, they kept their sanity by writing the conditions of their enslavement for future generations to learn from. Under the presence of the Moon Goddess, the downtrodden and broken would find solace in the afterglow of the moon piercing the ground through foliage.


    Some wrote in pigment, clay, and others in their own blood. Despite being worn down day after day, they still did not lose hope that one day they would be freed. The perseverance of the dark elves became their defining trait throughout the generations to come.


    The dark elf nobles that had once dictated their way of life were now gone, and now all dark elves were free to choose their professions and they no longer had to beg for food just to get by. If this was really enslavement, they wouldn''t mind being slaves under the Grand Mage.


    The human and dark elf children happily sang and skipped down the streets of the Stinging Blood Tortoise. The houses where they laid their heads were beautifully crafted and there was no requirement to pay a certain fee to keep their homes.


    All in all, coming under the wing of the Grand Mage had been a great boon to the dark elves.


    The protection of the Grand Mage did come at a small cost, but it was strictly volunteer and no one was forced to do work. The dark elves were eager to show the Grand Mage results, and the potion creation was just the beginning.


    The assassins were sent to gather intelligence from the camp of the Magical Beings, and a week had passed since they had been sent away.


    No information had gotten back to the Stinging Blood Tortoise in that time, and Willem was about to issue a command to send a new party of assassins out, but he was stopped by the leader of the hunters.


    "Trust them." Was all she said on the matter.


    Willem decided that he would accept her counsel on the matter, and he would wait a few more days to hear back. Sure enough, after another day had passed, the assassins had all returned with all the information they had gathered over the week.


    "Have the huntress and Sir Gehrig look over the reports, tell them it is the highest priority. I must make a short trip." Willem gave his orders to Garcif, the Grand Mage''s personal assistant.


    Garcif nodded and ran out the door, shutting it behind himself. Before Willem could leave, he was interrupted by a mental link created by Ashkatar.


    "Ashkatar, I have not seen you since the meeting." Willem was the first to speak.


    "I have been quite busy surveying the magical ley lines beneath the earth. I felt something was off when we first heard about the enemy Army and I was right." Ashkatar responded politely.


    "What do you mean? Something is off about their movement? And what are these ley lines?" Willem was filled with more questions than before.


    "Yes, the ley lines in the earth carry magical power all around the world, and it is the physical body of J?rmungandr. J?rmungandr was cursed by a God to never leave this world, and his power was stripped away as penance... Did he not tell you?" Ashkatar spoke like he was reading a children''s story.


    "What does the enemy movement have to do with this?" Willem hesitated about answering the other question, and instead inquired about the enemy.


    "We thought they were splitting up to go east and west in order to ensure no humans escape, but that is not the case. If they were to somehow divert the magical energy from the ley lines in those mountains toward the Bastion of Hope, the entire area would be swallowed up and converted to pure magical energy." Ashkatar did not need to breath, so he continued talking until he was finished explaining what he thought was going on. "They are the perfect enemy for the Magical Beings to experiment on."


    "If the Bastion of Hope gets converted to pure magical energy, what does that mean for us?" Willem was now a bit fearful of the situation.


    "It means whoever is closest to the pure energy could potentially absorb it and ascend to Godhood without needing to do the ritual, if it does not kill them first." Ashkatar made a noise like his frustration had reached it''s peak.


    "What race has the ability to divert ley lines like that?" Willem was now fully focused on getting as much information as he could.


    "The Dragons and the Fey, as well as the four divine beasts have the ability to manipulate it to a certain degree." Ashkatar responded. "Though the Dragons should know better, considering one of their own has ascended before through the ritual. Only the Fey would be foolish enough to tempt fate by using the ley lines."


    "This is not the first time I have seen the Fey, I had a dream... Mayhaps a vision of the Fey leader, who wore tribal clothing and had vibrant wings of pink and purple. He struck his hand through the heart of the ''King of Demons'' to obtain a red orb." Willem was reminded of a dream he had a while ago, so vivid and colorful. "I watched it all happen, and I saw the end of the Bastion of Hope, it''s false King dead from exhaustion of magical energy."


    "Did you see an explosion? It would have covered your vision if you had seen such a thing." Ashkatar was now the one asking questions.


    "No, that was where my dream ended, with the Fey leader pocketing a red orb and walking away from the dying ''King of Demons''." Willem breathed out deeply as he recounted what he could remember.


    "This, combined with what I felt from the ley lines, there should be no mistake. It appears as though the Fey Leader intends to become a God." Ashkatar irately spoke.

 110 - Tricksters and Deviants

    "Becoming a God." Willem rubbed his chin while contemplating what to do.


    He originally had every intention to go find the large oak tree where his Father''s spirit was tethered to the world, but present circumstances forced his attention away. His mind raced and he was barely able to come to a decision.


    "Set up another meeting, we must tell everyone the truth." Willem''s mental link to Ashkatar was about to be disconnected but Ashkatar kept it open forcefully.


    "Are you sure it is wise to speak of the mission of the Fey? I would not have even mentioned it to you if I did not have a firm grasp of your own personality. We are talking about becoming a God..." Ashkatar seemed to have heavy doubts about his new comrades.


    "Leaving information out serves us no purpose in the coming battle. We will tell them everything they need to know in order to make sure they understand the consequences of this battle." Willem forced the mental link to close when he was finished speaking.


    Willem opened up the door to his room and the first thing he saw were the bright smiles of the people living in Paradiso Rosso.


    "Grand Mage!" Many called out to him, glasses of wine in their hands.


    Willem took a glass of wine that had been offered to him and slowly drank as the others bowed their head politely.


    "Thank you." Willem spoke uncharacteristically gently.


    The alcoholic drink did nothing to inebriate him, instead showing him the sobering reality that these people depended on him for protection. The closer the Magical Beings marched, the more of a reality it became.


    Willem began to think about the arduous task ahead of him.


    Even he cannot fight a God.


    Not yet, anyway.


    As he cordially greeted those who approached him, a whisper of the meeting time slowly made it''s way through each group of civilians.


    By the time he finished the glass of wine he was entertaining, everyone knew another war council meeting would soon be taking place. Instead of continuing to greet the Grand Mage, the citizens moved in order to form a straight path to the room that had previously been used.


    "Thank you, everyone." Willem handed the wine glass back to the person who offered it to him and gave his thanks. As he walked over to the room, opened the wrought iron doors and closed it gently behind him, murmurs of conversation could be heard behind his back.


    With a moment to himself, Willem breathed deeply and gracefully pulled the chair out, placing himself at the head of the table.


    Within minutes, Ashkatar, Jura and Sir Gehrig entered the room.


    "Sorry for being late." Sir Gehrig and Jura bowed their heads politely.


    "The meeting was called hastily, pay it no mind." Willem waved them off passively and motioned for them to sit in their respective seats.


    Ashkatar had a pensive look on his face, his serious look cast against the highly expressive emotions of Jura and Gehrig.


    Jura excitedly told Willem about the preliminary results of the Dark Elf Synthesizing test. Gehrig listened to the conversation with a grin, nodding his head to everything Jura was saying.


    "Master Grandia, the results of the potion and scroll creation have been wonderful." Jura was practically jumping out of his seat, he was fidgeting so much.


    After bottling his self defeating emotions up during the testing phase, he could finally speak proudly about positive results worthy of his position.


    "We were able to make ground-breaking new potions and scrolls with the combination of Dark Elf and Human Magic. A more formal report is currently being written by the lead Mages on the project." Jura looked to almost be foaming at the mouth in excitement.


    Sir Gehrig remained calm and just smiled along, as he already knew this was probably closely calculated by the Grand Mage. To say nothing of what happened in the past, Sir Gehrig could not picture the Grand Mage being in a compromised position when it mattered.


    More people began piling into the room one by one while Jura extolled the virtues of the Synthesizing program. Just like a merchant who was attempting to sell his wares, he continued to ramble about the versatility of the results and their potential meaning.


    "Jura." Sir Gehrig caught the attention of the Dark Elf representative and motioned for him to stop talking.


    Jura swallowed a mouthful of saliva and shrank back into his seat when he saw the Grand Mage''s expression had turned from expressionless to serious.


    The previous participants of the war council had all arrived, taken their seat, and were ready to hear what Willem had to say.


    "The reports."This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Willem spoke two words, and a pile of papers were distributed to each representative sitting at the table.


    "Our spies have successfully infiltrated the camp of the Magical Beings and were able to copy the information sent from their Capital to the leaders of their Army. Jerbalt, step forward." Willem motioned for the leader of the assassin team to come stand near him and report.


    "Reporting. The Magical Beings should have no reason to suspect there were spies amongst their number, as we have successfully removed ourselves from our original positions and found replacements to do our jobs. In front of you, you will find the missives written from the Capital clearly explaining the marching order and plan of attack. This was most likely written clearly due to there being a large amount of Magical Beings who could be considered simple creatures, barely showing intelligence." Jerbalt took a moment and waited on Willem.


    "Continue." The Grand Mage put his elbows on the table and let his fingers fold together, placing himself in a contemplative position.


    "Yes, Sir. The marching positions leverage the innate abilities of some Magical Beings, such as centaurs, who will be charging the front line as mobile infantry with the Dragoons. The size of the Army is within our calculations, being a little over one-hundred thousand with the inclusion of clan members with magical abilities." Jerbalt stopped talking once he had mentioned the size of the Army.


    "If this information is correct, and we have no reason to believe it is not... Then even with the inclusion of the Bastion of Hope''s soldiers into our own calculation, it is still roughly five to one. How would we even begin to make up the difference in size?" Ashkatar rubbed his temples as he paced back and forth.


    "Ashkatar, tell them the real problem." Willem glanced to his right side, where Ashkatar had been pacing, and requested for him to explain what they had previously discussed.


    After a few moments of struggle and scratching his head, Ashkatar seemed to resign himself.


    "What I am about to tell you, I say with absolute certainty as a divine beast. The fey, a malicious race of tricksters and deviants, intend to warp the ley lines flowing through the mountains of the Bastion of Hope. Through manipulation, they can convert the Bastion of Hope and all lives therein into pure magical energy. Anyone with a strong enough body can absorb that magical energy, and become a new God capable of re-shaping the world as they like." Ashkatar''s brow furrowed deeply as he looked around the table.


    Every individual person besides Willem looked at him with wide eyes, unsure of how the conversation had changed so quickly.


    "It should come as no surprise to anyone here that, considering the magical energy needed for such a feat of strength, no one here could possibly absorb that amount of pure magical energy without dying outright." Willem swiftly culled expectations that were beginning to show on the faces of some of the council members.


    "Not even yourself, Grand Mage?" One of the Family Leaders spoke out.


    "I believe it would be in everyone''s best interest to not even entertain the thought. Therefore, we must take the next step, and figure out a way to stop the Fey Leader from reaching that magical energy. We must assume he has some way of being able to handle the backlash from the amount of energy he would need to take in." Willem spoke out in a very serious tone, so that even the lackadaisical members of the council understood the seriousness of the situation.


    The Lovejoy family head knocked her smoking pipe on the table to get everyone''s attention before speaking. "If we launched the previously approved offensive, would that not be enough to ward off the advancement of the enemy toward the Bastion of Hope?"


    Willem stood up from his seat at the front of the table and walked around the room. "Unfortunately, the Army of Magical Beings are unaware of the Fey''s intentions, which means they will stop at nothing to see us defeated. The only thing going for us right now is that they have no idea we exist, which means we retain the element of surprise until we launch our attack. Throwing them into confusion and killing their leaders will make the battle chaotic but ultimately more favorable towards us. This lapse in their leadership should allow us to thwart the intentions of the Fey."


    Willem stopped in front of the Lovejoy family head and placed his hand on her shoulder.


    "It was a good suggestion." Willem nodded his head in appreciation towards her.


    Willem sighed gently before continuing on. "Now that we know of their intentions, we have two choices. We can attempt to repel them from the Bastion of Hope and surrounding mountains before they are able to divert the ley lines, but if we are unsuccessful then anyone caught in the blast will be converted to pure energy. This is essentially throwing away the lives of our soldiers on the hope that we can directly repel an enemy five times greater in size to us."


    "What is the second choice?" Jura worked up the courage to speak.


    "We take full advantage of the event by forcing the Magical Beings into the vicinity of the Bastion of Hope, and with some luck the majority of the enemy Army will be wiped out by the blast. Anyone still alive will do all they can to stop the Fey Leader from reaching the core before he can assimilate with it." Willem reached his chair after he finished speaking and breathed out deeply.


    No one expressed their concern for the well-being of the Grand Mage. It was not the right time, nor could they afford to acknowledge the weight that rested upon his back.


    "Thirty three people here, in total. Just like last time, each of you gets a vote to decide what we shall do." Willem sat back into his seat as papers were distributed amongst those in the room.


    Ashkatar and Willem wrote down their decision and placed them into the magical box Willem created. One by one, each person wrote down their decision and placed it into the box.


    "Lovejoy Grand Elder, if you would please." Willem floated the magical box toward the position of the Grand Elder and had him tally the results.


    The Grand Elder gulped down a mouthful of saliva as his chest heaved up and down. His daughter sat at his side, poking him in the ribs with her smoking pipe, urging him to go faster. She could not feel the fear he had felt as the chosen representative to reveal the results. Of the two plans, the Grand Elder knew which he had chosen, and it was what he considered the lesser of two evils.


    He took one more look towards Willem, before reaching his hand into the box and pulling out single pieces of paper, reading them out loud to the group.


    Once the reading of the decisions had been completed, the results were piled and sorted.


    "Sixteen... Ahem- Votes to defend from the side of the Bastion of Hope. Seventeen votes to push the Magical Beings into the Bastion of Hope." The Grand Elder let out a deep sigh as he announced the final results.


    The room quickly turned divisive and hostile, slurs and cursed words were being thrown around almost immediately.


    "Silence." Willem sent a wave of dark energy that forced the air out of the lungs of everyone present.


    Since Ashkatar did not need to breathe, he felt only the pressure of Willem''s single word.


    "We have chosen a plan, now we will execute the plan. This is for the future of the Humans and Dark Elves. make sure to properly convey that when you hand down your orders." Willem released the dark energy that had stolen the very oxygen from the room and walked out by himself.


    Even Ashkatar did not follow him.


    When the door had closed behind Willem, Ashkatar looked over the gathering and spoke calmly.


    "The Grand Mage''s mind has been compromised."

 111 - Festering Emotions

    "Considering his current behavior, I am forced to agree with you." Sir Gehrig stood from his seat and coughed a speckle of blood into his hand. "To think that he could be manipulated, with his level of power. It is a very scary thought."


    "W-What do we do?" Jura stammered.


    Sweat dripped down Jura''s face as he began to truly understand what Ashkatar meant.


    "The first question we should ask is how is it even possible for him to be possessed." Sir Gehrig rubbed his head with both hands.


    "Well, actually..." One of the family head''s cleared his throat and told everyone about the rumor that was still circulating about the Grand Mage.


    "The rumor goes as such, the Grand Mage requested for twelve weapons to be made, but a thirteenth was created as a personal weapon to be presented to the Grand Mage upon completion. During the creation process, a rare gem was going to be put into the pommel, but the gem was cursed. The Grand Mage came and personally took care of the cursed gem, before anyone was harmed." The family head did his best to recall everything he had heard about the rumor.


    "I see..." Ashkatar nodded his head.


    If it really was a cursed object, then it could potentially take over the Grand Mage''s mind. The gem itself would have to be extremely powerful, since the Grand Mage''s power was unique even compared to his own.


    "Luckily the Grand Mage has maintained his own soul, or else I am afraid this meeting would have turned out quite differently." Ashkatar chuckled disparagingly while everyone else gulped down a mouthful of saliva.


    "Again, what do we do." Jura looked the most panicked out of everyone in the room.


    Considering his position as the representative of the dark elves, his fear that the possessed Grand Mage would harm his own people was a valid concern.


    Ashkatar combed his lengthy beard with his long fingers and thought deeply. Throughout his entire existence in this world, he had seen many body possessions and soul attacks. Without more information on what exactly has taken over the Grand Mage, the method used to expel the invader could harm or outright kill him. For now, the only thing they could do was bide their time and look for an opportunity while gathering more information.


    "You shall lead the investigation into the cursed gem, along with Jerbalt. Uncover everything you possibly can, as it is a matter of life and death." Ashkatar commanded the family head that originally spoke of the rumor, as well as the leader of the red assassins.


    "Yes, I understand." The family head took the matter very seriously, and bowed his head.


    Jerbalt said nothing, but knelt toward Ashkatar as a sign of compliance.


    "Everyone else will execute the orders as per the Grand Mage''s instructions. He must be given no reason to think that something is wrong." Ashkatar finished speaking and left the room.


    The rest of the members from the meeting left in short order after confirming what they were going to do.


    Ashkatar spoke with the people outside the war council room and asked where the Grand Mage had gone.


    "He was here for a moment, but when I turned my back he was gone." A young woman wearing a red dress sighed gently as she placed the apple in her hand back into the cart. "Something must have happened."


    "I am sure it was nothing too serious. May I have an apple?" Ashkatar did not need to eat, but seeing her smile fade away was almost too sad.


    Sure enough, when Ashkatar asked for the apple, a large smile blossomed on her face.


    "Of course! I picked it myself!" The young woman shined the apple on her sleeve and handed it over.


    "Lovely." Ashkatar took the apple and bit into it, letting the juice flow down the side of his mouth. "I will be off then."


    The young woman waved goodbye to Ashkatar as he left, and continued to pass out apples to anyone who looked hungry.


    On one of the mountain tops in the Bastion of Hope.


    "Kinsey, why did you want me to bring you here?" Willem had felt quite tired after the meeting and intended to meditate, but Kinsey had activated her pendant to call upon him.


    Kinsey stared out over the mountain, the winds of the summit pushing against her back. The biting cold was temporarily abated when Willem casted a barrier to block the wind.


    "So many things have happened in the last few months. We went from carving out our place in the world, to fighting in a war we never asked for. Do you remember all those years ago, when you first met me? You said that if I served you loyally you would spare my life. I was wearing my favorite yellow dress that day. The only thing my life consisted of in that place was working and waiting to be married off." Kinsey look out at the sun slowly rising above the mountains.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Willem sat beside Kinsey but did not embrace her. There seemed to be an imperceptible space between their bodies.


    "I know I am being selfish, and I know that there will be war, and bloodshed. Which is why these moments we have together are that much more important. I wanted to remind you of what you are fighting for." Kinsey turned to Willem, and placed her lips against his.


    The heat of her lips was a stark contrast to the cool morning air passing through the mountains. When she had finished, they both looked out over the mountains while the sun climbed higher into the sky.


    "Kinsey... Do you think I am a good leader? What if I lead our people down the wrong path." Willem finally voiced his worry with Kinsey, the only person he knew would give him an honest answer.


    "I do not know about the right or wrong path. What I do know is, you are giving these people purpose. Before you came along, the only people who smiled were the nobles who took advantage of others. To see the children laughing and smiling while playing with the dark elf children, I never thought I would see that in my lifetime." Kinsey placed her head against Willem''s shoulder. "You have already done so much, and yet everyone expects you to give more. That is what it means to be a leader, I guess."


    "I think... I think I needed this. A moment to myself, to breathe, and focus on what I need to do." Willem stammered through his sentence as the scimitar at his side glowed gently.


    "Are you okay? I have never seen you so... Vulnerable." Kinsey looked worriedly at Willem.


    The gem on the scimitar began to glow a little brighter.


    As Willem closed and opened his eyes, attempting to focus his vision, Kinsey began to change in front of his eyes. Her clothes shifted from her previous regal appearance to a more basic tribal look and her face distorts as pink and purple wings sprouted from her back. Her face now looked like the Fey Leader that Willem had previously seen in his visions.


    "What have you done with Kinsey!" Willem screams as he grabs the Fey Leader by the throat.


    The gem on the scimitar glows brighter.


    "She is mine now, and you are next. Then I will take that gem at your side and steal the soul of every human in this pathetic world." The Fey Leader grinned, but his body fell backward and began to shake.


    Willem knew immediately that something was wrong. Since he knew the Fey Leader intended to turn the humans into pure magical energy, taking their souls made no sense.


    As Willem looked to his side, he saw the gem of souls glowing brightly.


    "Kill your connections to this world, and take your rightful place as a God." The Fey Leader now changed his attitude as his body shook violently.


    Suddenly a blast of white energy dyed Willem''s vision, as the body he had previous been choking expunged a wave of magical force. The energy was potent enough to knock Willem on his ass, and drop the barrier that he had placed to stop the wind.


    As Willem opened his eyes, he saw Kinsey''s limp body laying on the ground, bathed in a shimmer of white light from head to toe.


    "Kinsey! KINSEY!" Willem ran to her side to check her pulse, but the shimmering white light burned him and repelled wherever he touched.


    Luckily since they were high atop a mountain, the cold air showed that Kinsey was still barely breathing.


    Willem summoned the two attendants who normally looked after Kinsey and got them to check her pulse. Fortunately they could still touch her body despite it still shimmering in white.


    "Will she be okay?" Willem felt a great deal of remorse as he watched over Kinsey.


    He had tried to move them all back to his room in the Private Sanctum but the white light reacted to the dark magic teleportation and stopped the ability. In the end, Willem had to use his elemental magic for teleportation, which had the blindness and deafness side effects he did not experience with dark magic movement.


    Once the side effects wore off on the attendants, they got the necessary items to check her condition.


    Willem tried to stay out of their way, but there was so many people being called upon that he ended up hindering their movements.


    "Grand Mage, with all due respect... If you are just going to stand around then please leave." One of the attendants had had enough with him breathing down her neck and bluntly asked him to go.


    Willem knew he could not stay in the room, not so much because he was useless as much as he still needed to figure out what the hell happened with the gem.


    The only person that would know about the gem and what it is trying to do would be his Father''s soul, which is currently tethered to the large oak tree.


    "Ashkatar." Willem opened a mental connection to the divine beast.


    "Grand Mage. What can I do for you?" Ashkatar sounded calm and neutral, trying to hide his emotions.


    "There is something wrong with me. I leave the command of the dark elves and humans in your hands. I must leave before something happens again..." Willem could not hide his emotions.


    His fear was beginning to boil to the surface, and with it the other unpleasant emotions he had been suppressing.


    "Something already happened?" Ashkatar picked up on the wording Willem used almost immediately.


    "I have to go." Willem forcefully closed the mental connection and shifted through the darkness.


    In Paradiso Rosso.


    Ashkatar absentmindedly played with the children while he conversed with Willem. When the mental connection was broken, he hurriedly sent magical energy throughout his entire body.


    "He''s not here anymore." Ashkatar whispered to himself as he sat down on a nearby bench.


    "Mister. Are you okay?" A small girl in a cheap brown dress with a rope belt looked up at Ashkatar and smiled.


    "I will be, and how are you doing?" Ashkatar nodded his head and smiled back.


    Seeing the children smiling and playing always put Ashkatar in a good mood. Watching them play games made him remember fondly how his own children played with each other before they were taken away from him.


    Of course those happy feelings were quickly taken over by grief and anger, but he could not show this gentle little dark elf girl that ugly side of himself.


    "I am great! I made a new friend today... She is super nice, and can count all the way to ten!" The little girl twirled her hair with her finger, giggling all the while.


    "All the way to ten, why even I do not think I can do that!" Ashkatar laughed and played with his beard while he talked with the girl. "Tell me, what is your name?"


    "Brun."


    "Brun, that is a good name." Ashkatar replied.


    "You want to know my friend''s name, don''t you?" The little girl climbed onto the bench where Ashkatar was sitting.


    "Of course." Ashkatar laughed.


    "Lia!" The little girl stood up on the bench, her hands folded on her hips. A large infectious smile took over her face.

 112 - Side Chapter (3)

    "Will this suffice?" An old merchant handed two pieces of circular copper coins to the dark elf who was selling apples in the Private Sanctum.


    The dark elf man seemed a bit bothered by the coins, since typically the dark elf people traded goods with other goods.


    The old merchant took the dark elf''s hesitation as a sign that it was not enough payment and offered another copper coin.


    "It''s not the cost... I just do not know the use of this object." The dark elf bowed his head apologetically.


    "Oh! It must be your first time in the Private Sanctum!" The merchant had a big toothy grin yet his teeth showed signs of rotting at the base. "Please, follow me."


    The dark elf followed the merchant further into the Sanctum, since his stall was basically beside the teleportation circle.


    An old woman with a sharp gaze watched closely over the interaction between the dark elf and the merchant. She was the guardian and manager of this floor, and she was personally appointed by the Grand Mage.


    Not only was it her job to look after the teleportation circle and anyone who enters and exits, but to make sure that everyone who enters the Private Sanctum was treated fairly and equally.


    In the beginning, some merchants were still under the notion that they should focus on profits, and abused their position to hoard resources. This matter was found out and settled swiftly by the guardians of the floors, before the rumors had time to reach the Grand Mage.


    A sign hung on the walls of the room that housed the teleportation circle, roughly twenty feet away from the edge of the runes. It was parchment, written in both the common tongue and the dark elf script. The parchment contained details on the conversion of copper, silver and gold coins. Common items were displayed beside amounts, for an easy interpretation of currency values.


    Five apples cost ten copper coins, one sheet of silk for three silver coins. The dark elf looked wide eyed as he looked over his carts stock. In total, he could sell his fifty apples for one hundred copper coins, which can be converted to one silver coin. The convenience of this parchment was evident even to the dark elf who was by no means an established merchant. He could see that whoever made such an easy to understand conversion chart had made an undeniable contribution to the Private Sanctum.


    The makers of the conversion chart were actually the guardians of the individual floors. Through communication tools, they understood that one of the few reasons the merchants had gotten away with abusing the system for so long was because guardians could not leave their designated areas. They were also unable to retain specific details from everyone, as there was too many people to keep track of. The Curo family was in track of finances, but they were not so tightly controlled and resources slipped through the cracks. This became a black mark upon the Curo name, as they personally reported their work to the Grand Mage. Thus the impetus for a conversion chart so that all buyers and sellers understood the value of their product compared to the currency they used. Since dark elves were not used to using currency, they were the majority victims of the early crimes.


    The dark elf happily accepted the two copper coins from the merchant, and placed them into a small pouch that hung on his waist.


    The merchant laughed heartily while biting into one of the apples he had just purchased. He slapped the back of the dark elf jovially and scampered away with his new snacks tucked in his arm.


    The old woman looked away from the dark elf and old merchant, a small smile forming on her face. Her job was sometimes hectic, sometimes quiet, but she would give the position to no one unless the Grand Mage ordered it.


    According to the magical device on the wall, it was nearing five in the morning. The device marked a specific number on the wall thanks to a tethered line through the teleportation magic with the outside world. The position of the sun changed the number on the wall, so that even while inside the sunless Private Sanctum everyone knew what time they would be coming and going. Before the use of the magical device, they used to have to travel to the floor below and check the forest room to see what time it was, which was inconvenient when the Private Sanctum was expanded to accept the growing population size. The device also allowed them to track how long they had been gone for, which also allowed them to preemptively track how much rations to take for some missions.


    Most missions took less than fourteen hours to complete, or one full rotation of the sun across the sky. If the mission extended beyond that, extra compensation would be paid in equivalence to the length of time required. Of course everything was monitored closely to ensure that no one took advantage of the extra payments by playing around outside. In the first place, the last thing a group of adventurers would want to do is play around at night outside a safe zone. Certain strong creatures only came out during the night, and specialized hunters and fighters were required to subdue them.


    The missions varied in difficulty, from copper to gold rank. Copper missions were given to new fighters, still in training, and were often escort quests for helping merchants gather materials near safe zones. As the mission rank increased, the amount of individuals or parties available to take the request decreased as well. Even Mages had their own ranks that were separate but similar to the fighters and hunters. They were further sorted by their magic type and general ability.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    The old woman was in charge of this system, which had been implemented to help control the flow of requests and resources after the conversion chart was made. The Grand Mage had made it quite clear to everyone that nature required balance, and that taking too many resources was not viable for the long term survival of his people. Safeguards were in place so that dwindling resources were replenished, and flourishing resources were culled so as to not overtake the predator and prey ratio.


    The Grand Mage had already intended to create such a system, but having dependable area guardians do it for him allowed him to focus on the war efforts instead of worrying about the state of the Private Sanctum and the balance of the forest.


    While there was a similar system in place in Paradiso Rosso thanks to the Grand Mage''s work, it was not as extensive or as well planned out as the one in the Private Sanctum. This was just because the foundations were still being set, and in time the system would flourish just as well as it already had in the Private Sanctum.


    "Morning, Ma." A fighter fully clad in iron armor with a buckler on his right arm nodded toward the old woman.


    "Morning." The old woman replied with a head nod.


    "Morning, Ma!" A small child ran past her with a piece of bread in her mouth.


    "Careful now." The old woman responded as she watched the small child almost trip.


    Now that the sun had risen, many men and women were heading out to do their missions. Since they were walking past the area guardian, they all greeted her.


    This was the busiest time of day for the Matron, since everyone had already eaten and were heading out at the same time.


    When the first group stepped up to be teleported, the Matron stomped her cane into the ground to get their attention.


    "Be vigilant. Stay safe!" The Matron gave an impassioned response to the parties who were teleporting.


    "Yes!" The humans and dark elves yelled in return before departing.


    Everyone near the teleportation array showed their own resolve and stepped forward with purpose. The Matrons words gave them a renewed sense of power.


    This was in part thanks to her personal connection and also thanks to one of the runes bound to her.


    Gebu, the runic name for ''gift''. Gift was a bound magic that allowed her to focus the resolve of those who hear her voice. This was widely regarded by the Mage community as a mental support spell, since it dispelled weak mind and fear attacks. It also had the added side effect of dispelling useless thoughts during combat, allowing for an increase in perception.


    The magic used to cast such a wide area spell was provided by the Private Sanctum, but the Matron was still being used as a conduit for that power. The spell cast tired her out to the point that she sat down near the teleportation array and drank some water.


    One of the warriors was late to group with his teammates, and took a moment before running up to his party. He looked over at the Matron sitting in the chair while sweating and shook his head. He had only been in the Private Sanctum for two weeks, but every morning when he reached the teleportation array he saw her sitting there.


    "Why give an important position to someone so laz-." The warrior gestured toward the Matron.


    "Shut up!" The dark elf ranger covered his mouth before he could finish his sentence.


    "If she heard you, you would be dead right now." The healing Mage whispered to the warrior.


    The warrior looked over at the Matron in disbelief, yet she did not move. One hand was placed on the top of her cane, and the other was somewhere near the middle.


    The ranger took her hand off the warrior''s mouth and shook her head in disappointment.


    The healing Mage and ranger both bowed toward the Matron before heading toward the array. The warrior took a sidelong glance at the Matron, placed his hand on the back of his head shyly and followed his party obediently.


    When the teleportation began casting, the warrior happened to be looking at the Matron as she mouthed ''do not die''.


    No one else besides him seemed to notice.


    When the array finished teleporting the party, a cold sweat dripped down the warrior''s neck.


    "Are you sick?" The ranger checked the temperature of the warrior by placing the back of her hand on his forehead.


    The warrior''s complexion was pale, and the sweat was noticeable even from a few feet away.


    "I am okay, can we go?" The warrior took a piece of cloth, wiped away the sweat and placed it back in his pack. He checked to make sure his equipment was still secure and headed off in the North direction.


    "Alyard, wrong way." The healing Mage rubbed his eyes with his fingers as he pulled out the parchment with the mission request.


    "Sorry, sorry." The warrior rubbed his head and walked back toward the group.


    "What request did you pick." The ranger motioned to be handed the piece of paper.


    "Well, with our newly established copper four rank, we qualify to take on high orcs now. The request is to kill five high orcs and bring proof with five sets of ears. Apparently they were sighted close to the entrance of the forest and have been bothering our weaker fighters." The healing Mage passed the request parchment around.


    "Why would a high orc be at the entrance to the forest?" The warrior scratched his head.


    "Who knows, maybe something is forcing them out of their usual hunting territory. The high orcs are not really smart, but they can fight well." The ranger looked over the additional details of the parchment. "According to this, they have already harmed five civilians and eight copper one workers."


    Workers is the colloquial term for those who worked for the adventurer system, since most people would not understand if they were called anything else. They started off calling people fighters, but that term got narrowed down to only physical attacker types.


    Warriors were only physical attackers whereas fighters had training in melee and ranged.


    "It was either this or a red-scaled salamander." The healing Mage took the parchment back and placed it in one of his many pockets.


    "Oh, then good call." The warrior nodded his head.


    The red-scaled salamander was roughly half the size of a typical human, from their head to the end of their tail. They were not particularly strong but they had a poison that if one was to be afflicted, caused them to feel like their blood was burning. They also tended to gather in groups of ten to twenty, making it hard to target in small groups of three like this particular party.


    Now that the warrior knew they were heading toward the entrance to the forest, they began walking in the right direction.


    The scent of manure and blood was beginning to thicken in the direction they were headed. Since the area had been temporarily abandoned until the high orc trouble could be dealt with, no one was there to clean up the mess that was caused originally.

 113 - Surgical Precision

    "Her condition has stabilized." One of the medical doctors working on Kinsey''s care breathed a sigh of relief as he cleared out the private room.


    Dozens of professionals had come when the maids called for an emergency procedure. Based on the little information they had, and the spotty recollection of the Grand Mage, they were able to surmise that Willem had choked Kinsey long enough to deprive her brain of oxygen. Coupled with the already low oxygen from being on a high altitude platform, cerebral hypoxia was the first thing they initially considered.


    They also had to consider intracerebral hemorrhaging from the force of the expulsion of magical energy that protected her.


    Kinsey was still glowing a soft white protective film around her body, which seemed to be doing self-repairing on its own. Any attempt by the doctors to relieve cranial pressure with a shunt was blocked by the white light. Her bruised throat was showing signs of rapid healing and her shallow breathing began to regulate to a certain degree.


    The gathered doctors were confident that she would make a full recovery, but a Water Mage was called to monitor the situation closely and ensure nothing happened to her.


    The majority of the doctors left to continue their work, and only one doctor remained behind. This was the personal physician that the attendants regularly called upon to check on Kinsey during the course of her pregnancy.


    All in all, only the doctor, the Water Mage and the two attendants remained in the private room with the patient. Sometimes Anna and Arania would visit the private room, but for the most part they had their own work given by the Grand Mage and would be held up for days at a time.


    The Water Mage watched Kinsey closely, because her expertise in the field of healing was second to none. The rate at which Kinsey was healing herself was so far beyond any human she had ever met in the Bastion of Hope, that she could not help but be curious.


    "Wait a second..." The Water Mage had previously taken a lecture provided in the Private Sanctum on detecting the latent magical energy around the body as a form of self-defense.


    The Water Mage focused her magical energy into her eyes, and after a few unsuccessful attempts, finally activated the conditions to see magical energy. She saw her own magical power travelling through the veins in her body and the circuit that comprised her magical strength.


    The air was also filled with a thin film of magical energy, which dyed her vision in grey. Finally, she gazed upon Kinsey and gasped as a small tear escaped down the side of her cheek.


    "Such pure energy." Her vision was completely focused on Kinsey''s body.


    Kinsey had no inherent magical ability, latent or not, but the unborn child that resided in her was filled to the brim with a strong White magical energy. The magical energy could be seen repairing the spine, the trachea and the swelled brain of Kinsey.


    As far as the Water Mage understood, this would be the first recorded case of White Magic. As such she carefully documented everything that went on within Kinsey''s body, including the innate healing properties of the White Magic and how taxing the process was.


    She drew quick comparisons between this newly discovered White Magic and her own Water Magic. Where Water Magic focused on fixing the intended area and then speeding up the body''s natural healing ability, White Magic seemed to focus more on creating a magical barrier around the injured area and reversing the damage caused.


    The more she watched the White Magic work, the more she could not help but admire what it could do. It seemed to effortlessly create strong barriers in anticipation of any strenuous event, without the person even knowing what is happening. This was all conjecture until the baby was born, but the discovery of White Magic itself was still a boon.


    Before she openly submits the study she has done, she first has to get the Grand Mage''s and Kinsey''s approval. Considering the situation, she understood that it would be a while and sat while recording what went on in Kinsey''s body.


    Early the next morning.


    "Doctor." The Water Mage nodded her head and passed the physician the chart of recorded vitals.


    "Kara." The doctor accepted the chart and looked it over. "Higher than normal blood pressure, respiratory difficulties, skin tone flush."


    "Her heart rate spiked and she seized in the middle of the night but calmed down after an hour. I administered healing magic until she stopped seizing, which took roughly twenty minutes." Kara advised the doctor.


    Kara was well aware of the reason why Kinsey had seized in the middle of the night. The White Magic that the unborn baby used was at it''s weakest at midnight. During that time, Kara was forced to suppress the compression of Kinsey''s brain against her skull.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Half an hour before midnight, and half an hour after, the White Magic was at it''s weakest and could not continue healing Kinsey''s body. Kara''s own healing abilities could be considered the top of her field, but such precise work while not seeing what she was doing was not something she could consistently do without her support team. Luckily the White Magic that had waned before came back just before her magical power was fully exhausted. Augmenting her healing magic with the White magic allowed Kinsey''s body to continue regular functions before the worst could happen.


    "For such a thing to happen while I was sleeping, I am ashamed." The doctor bowed his head to both Kara and the comatose Kinsey.


    "There was no way to know such an event would occur, but having me here as a precaution was a great foresight on behalf of the attendants." Kara waved off the doctor and placed her hand to her cheek.


    The entire night, before the seizure, she debated whether to tell the doctor what she found out. To withhold information from the doctor was not wise by any means, but it was also not her decision. Unfortunately anyone with the authority to decide was not available to tell her what course to take. This weighed on her heart quite heavily, but she made her determination in the early morning.


    "Doctor, I must tell you something." Kara sat up at attention from the chair she had previously been slouching on.


    "Pray tell." The doctor replied.


    "Kinsey herself has no magical power, but the unborn child does. The child is healing Kinsey which is why when you tried to operate, you could not break her skin." Kara rubbed her eyes while she told the doctor everything.


    "Truly?'' The doctor looked to Kinsey''s comatose body.


    "The only way you could know is if you had magical abilities, then you could see the magical energy her unborn baby is circulating." Kara advised.


    "So what do we do?" The doctor looked back to Kara.


    "We must wait for half an hour until midnight and start the operation. Her brain is still being compressed against her skull and the pressure needs to be relieved." Kara nodded her head toward the doctor.


    "Then I will get everything ready for the operation." The doctor was in complete agreement with Kara''s assessment.


    Even if the doctor disagreed with the assessment, he could not account for the inability to break her skin with a sharp scalpel despite her being a regular human.


    The assessment by Kara was accurate based on the circumstances and would not have been implemented without a large amount of thought beforehand.


    Kara was also the chief attending physician, as she had the most medical knowledge and practical experience when it came to healing magic. Thus in the Private Sanctum, when it came to healing, her word was law. Despite being in her early thirties, she was widely considered by the humans and the dark elves to be the most skilled and practical Mage even compared to the Grand Mages.


    To deprive the other residents of her expertise could be considered egregious, if not for the fact that she was personally attending the mother of the Grand Mage''s child.


    That same night.


    The tools and materials needed had all been thoroughly washed and cleaned, a common practice among royalty and nobles who hated to see even a speck of filth.


    Thirty minutes before midnight, the doctors who would be a part of the procedure entered the room in full surgery garb and checked the utensils one last time.


    The doctors were on one side of the table while Kara and her support team were on the other. Instead of speaking, Kara and the head surgeon nodded their heads and the surgeon was handed a scalpel.


    The doctor slowly placed the scalpel against Kinsey''s forehead, where a patch of her fiery red hair had been cut away in order to not obstruct the surgery.


    When the doctor applied a bit of strength into the scalpel, the skin stretched taut and would not give. The magic had not fully waned yet, and the only thing the doctor could do was continue applying ample pressure until the magic was gone.


    When the magic finally dispersed, the doctor made an incision on Kinsey''s scalp and began to remove a chunk of her skull to relieve the pressure on her brain. The Wind and Water support Mages on Kara''s team guided the spinal fluid and blood into the metal tray on the side of the operating table.


    The surgery continued for almost an hour, until Kara advised the doctor to clean up and sew the wound shut. The White Magic had begun to flow again and was quickly heading through the host body. Once it reached the head, the wound could no longer be properly sewn up and may lead to an infection.


    The doctor quickly placed the cut out skull piece back and sewed the wound shut. When the White Magic took over, it forced the sewing thread out of Kinsey''s skull forcefully.


    The wound closed up in the same fashion as the original cut, and Kara breathed a sigh of relief. It it had forcefully closed the wound there may have been a way for an infection to get through.


    "Well done, everyone." The head surgeon removed his gloves and ushered everyone non-essential out of the room.


    This was just the first night, but the procedure would most likely need to be repeated several times before Kinsey could be considered safe from the side effects.


    Kara and the doctor transferred Kinsey from the operating table back into the bed with the help of the two attendants, whom were previously outside the room while the surgery took place.


    "Was the surgery a success?" One of the attendants held Kinsey''s motionless hand and asked Kara.


    "Yes, but we will most likely have to do it again a few more times until the seizures stop." Kara replied weakly.


    Despite it only being an hour of work, everyone involved was thoroughly exhausted. Between the doctors with their precision work and Kara''s support team, everyone was ready to get a good night of rest.


    "Go ahead and get some rest, we''ll call for you both if anything changes." The other attendant patted the doctor and Kara on the back and showed them out politely.


    As they left the room, and watched the door slowly close behind them, the doctor looked to Kara.


    "Need a drink?" He placed his shaking hand in his pocket.


    "Kara contemplated for a moment, then nodded her head.


    "Sure." She placed her hand on his shoulder and they headed to the food carts near the teleportation array.


    When they arrived, they asked for a couple mugs of ale from the local brewer.


    "This one is on the shop." A burly woman with biceps the size of the doctor''s head laughed and passed them their two mugs.


    "To the Grand Mage." They both toasted.

 114 - Faint Light

    Lightning struck from the clouds above Willem''s head, splitting a large oak tree in half and creating a cacophonous sound within the depths of the forest.


    The smell of fresh blood floated in the air with impunity, overpowering the scent of dew from an early morning rain. A large humanoid figure with a lizard-like face was slumped against a nearby tree, it''s slimy eyes spilling green blood.


    The same blood dripped from Willem''s weapon to the ground, splashing against the pool that had begun to form at his feet.


    A single slice ran from the skull cap of the lizardfolk to it''s left foot. The actual attack looked more like something being ripped in half as opposed to being cleanly cut.


    Willem claimed no mastery over the sword, but his deep magical power enhanced his thunderous blows against any foe that tried to stand against him.


    More then a dozen lizardfolk bodies were splayed against the forest floor, staining the grass and dirt in a deeper shade of green.


    Willem felt nothing.


    During his time as a Grand Mage, Willem delicately protected the balance of power in the forest outside the Bastion of Hope. However the interlopers who entered the forest were desecrating the local wildlife and destroying trees to create ballistae and other siege equipment.


    Since they were not a part of the original balance, their deaths were not considered to have any effect or meaning in Willem''s eyes.


    The glowing gem on the hilt of the scimitar was faint, but it''s influence over Willem could be seen in the deadened emotions while killing his enemies.


    Most of the enemies Willem had faced before this were animals or Magical Beasts, and when he went up against the Dark Elves for the first time he found it difficult to join the fight. Knowing that he was directly contributing to the orphaning of the Dark Elf children still weighed heavily on his soul.


    It was only when he met the Dark Elf called ''The Butcher'' that he could finally steel his nerves and take the life of someone who looked like him.


    Now he could wade through their corpses like he was swimming in a pristine lake.


    Willem only had a passable knowledge of the lizardfolk as a species, based on folklore and stories told in old books. According to these old stories, evil sorcerers would combine the flesh of Humans with the scales of lizards or frogs to create ugly deformed creatures.


    Though the lizardfolk do have vocal folds and a voice box, they have created a completely separate language to that of Humans or Magical Beings and do not classify themselves as either. They are unique in that they cannot breed outside of their species, and their affinity with earth and water magic makes them powerful foes to a certain degree.


    Of course, this means nothing to a Grand Mage of Darkness that can destroy and recreate his own mortal body at will. Willem''s powerful Darkness magic makes him unmatched in the Northern Hemisphere of the world, and his enemies had made the mistake of allowing a race they felt was beneath them to flourish.


    If they had broken the defenses of the Bastion of Hope and killed the Humans, they may not have lost the scouts they had sent.


    It was a small loss to be sure, but it was a statement. To have been defeated by mere Humans was a blight on the military records of the Generals in the Army of Magical Beings. A blight that cannot be hidden or overlooked, but instead paid for in full with blood and bone.


    Willem knew that Humans as a race were looked down upon, which is why the sacking of the Dark Elf city had gone so smoothly. If they had been up against an opponent who took them seriously, they would have had a lot more casualties.


    "Come on." Willem spoke in the Human language but no one in the vicinity understood it.


    Three lizardfolk, two beastmen and an orc commander remained alive after Willem''s ambush of the platoon.


    "Forward!" The orc commander screamed as he raised his battleaxe high into the air.


    With a large arcing slash, the orc sundered the ground that his own allies stood on just to get a chance at Willem.


    Instead of waiting for his mobility to become impaired, Willem used his magic to create a dark cloud in the sky to block out the morning sun. The cloud spread like an all-consuming nebula, covering the battlefield and everyone inside it in pitch black.


    The orc and beastmen scoffed, while the lizardfolk took a defensive posture.


    The orc waited for his eyes to adjust to the black, a trait that only certain races could claim to have.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    However this wasn''t the darkness that came from the absence of light, but by magic, and was therefore not something that could be seen through so easily.


    It was too late for the orc to realize this, before his neck was cleanly sliced off his body.


    Even the sound of the head dropping to the ground could not be heard by anyone in the fog except for Willem.


    Without a second thought, Willem cut down the remaining beastmen and lizardfolk.


    His absolute control over the dark cloud combined with the umbral blade attack magic and black tendrils meant that his foes stood no chance. If they had found a way to disperse the dark cloud then they may have had a few seconds longer to live.


    Unfortunately, their reality was still bleak. The orcs and beastmen, and to a lesser extent the lizardfolk knew it best.


    "The strong take from the weak." Willem whispered the orc dogma while cleaning his scimitar of their blood.


    Instead of taking the time to remove a piece of cloth from his storage, he just wiped the blood off with the clothes one of the beastmen wore.


    There was a beast-man and beast-woman in the platoon that he had just taken down, which made him think they might have been a couple. In an old military record he remembered that relationships were encouraged in military installations as a form of morale boost and emotional bonding. Not just male and female bonding, but male on male bonding as well as female on female bonding was encouraged.


    Willem continued further into the forest, looking for the large oak tree.


    In the Private Sanctum.


    The doctor and healing mage had toasted to the Grand Mage sarcastically this time, but Kara often toasted to the Grand Mage for ''saving'' her from the previous school.


    Before she had been helped by the Grand Mage, she was considered a second rate healing Mage who constantly had nightmares of villages on fire and children being killed in the streets.


    These were repressed memories of her childhood before she even became a Mage, when they were still being attacked by the dark elves.


    Of course since it was just a small village outside the Bastion of Hope being attacked, the army would not expend any large force to retaliate. Therefore the farmers were preyed upon more often than they harvested their grains.


    When the Grand Mage met Kara for the first time and heard about her condition, it gave him the perfect opportunity to test out an experimental potion he had been working on.


    The potion stopped her from dreaming completely, which included the nightmares she would constantly have. With no more nightmares, she could now sleep properly and study without worry.


    The ingredients to make the potion were given to her, and once a week she would climb the side of the mountain to collect them. This gave her a reason to step outside the classroom and interact with others as well, increasing her social network.


    Soon enough her name was on the lips of everyone in the school as the next healing prodigy. She was recruited by the Water Grand Mage and the scepter she used was specially crafted by the Magical Item Creation team.


    Of course as the Grand Mage of Darkness who still attended classes while being tutored, Willem was typically the first to find out about talented individuals and would make recommendations to the other Grand Mages.


    With Willem''s endorsement, Sveld invited Kara to learn from him directly, which allowed her to show off the skills she possessed.


    Everything turned around for her the moment the Grand Mage entered her life.


    "So what''s your name?" The head surgeon was already a few drinks in.


    "Kara, yours?" She responded.


    "Adrien." He burped as he answered.


    Kara looked away from the doctor and continued drinking, her eyes darting around the other stalls in the middle area. She had already looked over the teleportation array a dozen times, and she still had no idea how such a thing could function.


    When asked how the teleportation array was made, the Grand Mage would often deflect the question or answer "divine inspiration".


    Such an answer was good enough for Kara, since she was sure that even if he did explain, she wouldn''t be able to replicate it.


    The other stalls had everything one could imagine. Full meals were prepared for those just getting back from a subjugation, light snacks like apples or skewered meats were in abundance, and the smell of seasoned vegetables wafted through the air lovingly.


    Kara loved coming down to the middle area and checking up on everyone, especially the children who came to play. Of course she never neglected to do her rounds, which typically began with Kinsey and then each of the Leaders and Elders of the major families.


    Once those checkups were done, she would go to the emergency clinic and check to see if there was anything she could do. Most of the entries were things like broken bones from taking a blow from a magical beast.


    There were many who used the emergency clinic, since there was no cost to using it. Anyone who was admitted to the emergency clinic needed it badly, and everyone else was turned away. Those with bumps and bruises just used the money they made from requests to buy minor healing potions.


    "So we shall do the same thing tomorrow?" Adrien''s hands had stopped shaking but the ale was beginning to go to his head.


    "Yes, and for the next few days until the swelling recedes." Kara nodded her head and finished her own drink.


    Kara had accepted to go for a drink out of professional courtesy, but Adrien''s eyes hadn''t left her chest since they arrived. Though his skill was undeniable as a doctor, his personality left something to be desired.


    The conversation had started and died several times already, but Adrien kept trying to get her to open up. His intentions were very obvious, and Kara could no longer enjoy her alcohol peacefully.


    "I''m going to go." Kara stood up from the stool she sat at and grabbed her white coat.


    Adrien stood from his seat as well and offered to walk her back to her private room. Kara gave no response to Adrien''s advances and tried to walk away slovenly.


    The bartender watched Kara stumble away from where she sat and reached out to hold her up. Her massive arms were like an immovable gentle hug and Kara leaned into her.


    "Thank you." Kara looked up at the scarred-face bartender and attempted to steady herself.


    "Will you be alright?" The bartender looked menacing but her voice was soft and sweet.


    "I might need some help getting into bed." Kara winked at the bartender and didn''t make any attempts to leave her grasp.


    The bartender became flustered as Kara refused to leave her embrace, and after thinking for a bit she decided to close the stall down for the night to walk Kara back. The few patrons who were drinking were disappointed that the bar was closing early, but they said nothing in part due to her appearance.


    Adrien left after he finally figured out why Kara was being so nice to the bartender compared to him.


    Kara made no attempt to hide her sexual preference as she slowly drooled on the bar while watching the bartender close down the stall.