《Death, Devotion, Dissonance》


 Chapter 1 - Prologue: The Wanderer Beyond

    "Irina, my dear, I''m home!" an unkempt man shouted merrily, as he kicked open a household''s door. With a loud bang, the door mmed into the wall, before slowly sliding back into ce, screeching all the while.


    But no one inside the house seemed to mind his sudden intrusion much. Irina, a tall Russian blonde with a fading scar on her cheeks, sat on her couch sewing a small pink scarf, not even bothering to spare an eye at the sudden intruder. Her two daughters were ying house in the background, making a row of dolls on one of their beds. They too, didn''t seem to notice the loud man.


    Though, the intruder didn''t seem to mind this that much, and looked around the house with a wistful expression.


    "Ah, no ce better than home¡­ Did you miss me?"


    Silence.


    The man''s face suggested he was about thirty, with some wrinkles over his forehead and eyes, his overgrown hair and beard showing some grey spots here and there. But one thing that stood out were his clothes, which were decorated with holes and tears all over. The dried sweat and dirt all over it also suggested that the thing most likely smelled like the rectal creation of a skunk.


    They looked so old and worn that one might think it was on him for <em>centuries</em>.


    "You know, I went to Egypt this time, since most of them speak English and all. Thought I''d maybe check up on the Pyramids once again, before looking for the murders, you know?" the man said, as he walked over to the kitchen.


    "You know they''re having an insurgency now, right? Bunch of gueri, terrorism, and religious executions. A sad state of things indeed, but it was a field day for me. People died practically once every week, which meant I had enough chances to meet someone of my kind. And you know what? I did¡­ sort of. In one incident."


    The man then picked up a muffin from the table and curiously observed it. But something very bizarre happened to the muffin when he touched it. It split into two identical versions of itself, one of them following the man''s hand and the other one staying on the desk, like nothing ever happened to it. Moreover, the stationary one didn''t look any different, but the one on the man''s hand took on a very¡­ ''off'' color.


    The man took a bite from it, beforementing something about it being too wet and Irina needing to work on it more. Afterwards, he dropped the half-bitten muffin to the floor and the thing slowly disappeared out of existence. The man then sat next to Irina and continued his story.


    "The incident I''m talking about, was a government raid on a farm, which housed a dozen or so rebel militants. The police forces didn''t try negotiating or anything, and just started pelleting the poor house with bullets. In the end, all dozen of them died under the barrage. The police then piled to bodies into a truck, not even bothering to put them in bags."


    The man wrapped his hand around the Irina''s shoulder, and got himself slightly morefortable.


    Even then, Irina did not feel his presence.


    "I, of course, stood on the sidelines, observing the dead bodies. And lo-and-behold, one of the bodies there started turning into a spirit like myself. But¡­ tch," the man scoffed, "he didn''tst long. After screaming something zealous about the Yawn al-din and the Jannah, he slowly turned mad and started attacking me, trying to bite and rip me to pieces with their nails. You know, the usual stuff. He eventually fell apart into tiny little particles, like all the others ones before him¡­"


    The man put his hands on Irina''s cold cheeks and pulled her face towards him with a sigh. Like the muffin, the woman''s face underwent a split, the ''off'' copy following the man''s pull, and the other staring down at the scarf she was sewing.


    "Well, whatever. After that, I felt a bit dejected, so I decided toe back here to see how you were doing."


    The man rolled up the copy''s sleeve, and looked at the cut marks that were almost faded..


    "Well, you seem to be doing well enough. At least you stopped cutting yourself again. I was actually kind of worried that I might find you floating in a bloody bathtub by the time I came back," the man chuckled, "I''d have <em>killed</em> myself if I missed your death."


    He then looked at the two girls ying, and smiled warmly.


    "Well, you''re a responsible youngdy, so I guess you wouldn''t leave these two to fend for themselves, huh?" he murmured.


    As he was about to give the cold copy a kiss, the real Irina idly nced towards the clock, before making a panicked expression.


    "Oy, blin," she suddenly eximed, and hurriedly got onto her feet, "Girls,e get dressed up, we''re gonna miss your ballet sses!"


    "Blin! Blin!" one girl giggled.


    "Yes, yes. Pancakes, pancakes..." Irina murmured as she picked up the two girls.


    "Mom! Miss Jones became really angry when I said ''Blin'' next to her! She said it was a bad word!"


    "No! Of course it''s not a bad word! Did you tell her it meant pancakes in Russian?"


    "I did, but she still told me not to say it!"


    "Well, if she doesn''t let you say it, then you can just say it all you want in your home, alright?" Irina smiled gently.


    The girls nodded happily and three went toward their rooms to dress up, leaving the unseen man alone in the living room, who was still holding a copy of Irina in his hands. The man gave it a small peck on the lips and let go of his grasp on it, which lead the copy to disappear into nothingness.


    The real Irina and her daughters soon went out of the house in hurried steps, all prim and proper. Seeing this, the man said his unheard goodbyes.


    "Have a nice day, you two! I''ll be staying on the porch, catching up on what humanity was up to, alright? Make sure you don''t¡­ <em>disturb</em> me!" the man said, snickering at his own joke.


    Left alone, the man sighed exaggeratedly, and decided to go towards to the local publishingpany to grab a few papers for himself. But as he was about to leave, he heard the door getting unlocked from outside.


    "Did they forget something?" he murmured as the door opened.


    But instead of Irina, or anyone else that he was familiar with, a casually dressed woman wearing sunsses entered the room and seemed to look towards the man.


    "An intruder? Or did Irina make some friends while I was gone?" the man murmured.


    He didn''t mind the fact that the woman seemed to look at him. Many times something like that happened and always he had his hopes dashed the very next moment. Instead, he unreservedly observed the woman from head to toe.


    Although the neer didn''t have the most striking of figures, she had an approachable round face, and she wasn''t exactlycking in curves. Couple that with her tightly fitting jeans, most men would find her sexy enough, the man himself included. She stood in front of the door silently, her one hand half inside the small pockets of her jeans and the other holding a dying cigarette bud near her mouth.


    ''I wonder if she''s interesting enough to live with?'' the man wondered.


    "Somewhat rude to stare so intently at someone you''ve just met, isn''t it? Eh, Mister Evan?" the woman suddenly said, as she quenched the cigar inside her fist.


    The man''s calm demeanor paused abruptly at her words. Something in his head reminded him that the name he just heard was his own, and also pointed out the fact that someone else was talking to him.


    "Am I going crazy again?" he murmured, quickly dismissing the taboo thought. "I thought I was doing pretty goodtely, but I guess it needed to happen at one point or another, huh?"


    "Heh, you can be more hopeful, you know? I''m not a part of your delusions, mister Evan," the woman smiledpassionately and pulled out her arms. She softly snapped her fingers, and a pulsating pink light appeared on her palm. With it, she touched the man''s forever cold cheeks.


    As he felt the warmth of human for the first time in centuries, a tear appeared in his eyes without his control. He tried to smile, but could only manage a broken grin. He tried to say something back, but could only stutter incessantly with his shaking jaw. A million different thoughts burst out like a tidal wave inside his mind as they tried to sweep away the battered dam that contained his tired sanity. The man could feel himself falling into a state he knew exceedingly personally.


    Insanity.


    "Why¡­ Why? Why?! WHY?!" he growled ceaselessly, holding his messy head between with his shaking hands.


    ring at the woman with so much hatred, as if she was the one who put him in his state, he suddenly started jumped at her, swinging his fists with little reason and logic. The woman didn''t seem to mind the sudden outburst that much, as she effortlessly caught the man''s hands and tripped him with her feet. The man fell the ground with his cheeks first, but before he could get up, the woman grabbed him by his hair and pushed him down to the ground. He still thrashed and struggled there, but no matter how much he tried to, he couldn''t overpower the woman above him.


    "Well, I guess it''s inevitable that thingse to this," she then sighed, as her pink hands took on the silver sheen of metal next.


    With it, she gently grabbed at the man''s head, unperturbed by the dirt and mess on it. The man felt the broken walls in his mind begin to mend themselves, as finally, sane thoughts reappeared in his brain. But although not insane, he still felt endless rage as he remembered the state he was put in for three whole centuries. Heshed at the foreign power in his mind, trying to break the connection in a fit of blind anger.


    "I sympathize with your situation, but you must not resist my help. If you continue to be stubborn, I can only force it upon you," said the woman in an imposing manner.


    Her words carried a heavy pressure behind them, but the man didn''t wish to be calm and collected so easily. He felt he deserved tosh out for another few days, at least. Although he could now have rational thoughts, he didn''t stop his fit, trying to struggle out of the woman''s hold.


    Understanding that there was no way of peacefully solving the situation, the woman grabbed at the man''s throat, pulled him from the ground, before promptly mming him to the ground by the back of his head.


    Dizziness filled the man''s mind as he dazedly groaning with his back on the ground. The woman sat squarely on his stomach before giving him a few good ps with her healing silver hand, to shake him out of his stupor.


    Grunting, the man opened his eyes and saw a very peculiar sight above him.


    The sudden movements must''ve shaken off her sunsses, as a highly abnormal pair of eyes gazed at the man. Completely white pupils that were surrounded by what one could only describe as looming storm clouds. Every time she blinked, strands of blue lighting would flicker violently from her eyshes, as if she was barely holding the fury and anger boiling inside her.


    "Do you want to die? Or do you want a chance at living?" the woman asked, noticing that the other had calmed down somewhat.


    "What¡­?" the man murmured. "What do you mean?"


    "Exactly what I mean. I can kill you very easily," the woman said, as she clutched at the man''s head, "or I can try giving you another chance at life. It''s nothingplicated, really. Live or die, two simple choices. Pick quickly, or I might get pissed and leave you like this, you know? Who knows when in the future I''ll bother to remember about the existence of a random defective soul like you?"


    "I¡­" he stuttered, before thinking of the two choices¡­ but the answer came to him almost immediately, "I''ll live!"


    "Good boy! That''s the spirit! Eh? <em>Spirit</em>? ¡­ Ah, whatever," the woman shrugged at her pun and her silver hands took on a golden hue this time.


    Compared to the metallic luster of the previous color, this one seemed more unearthly and ethereal than anything else. Using it, the woman started to draw a circle in the air. The golden circle shook slightly before sending out a violent ripple throughout the surrounding space. The man felt the powerful shock-wave washing over his body as he felt himself getting pulled off the ground by the woman.


    "Walk through that and you''ll find yourself in your new life. Though, I haven''t really done anything like this in the past, so I can''t guarantee anything, alright? The only thing I can guarantee is that you''ll find yourself inside a body."


    The man felt a little apprehensive at the words, but thinking that at least he''ll be able to live once more, he resolutely walked through the golden door.


    "Strive for eternity or strive for true death, lest your wandering undeathes to haunt you once more."


    Cryptic words came out of the woman''s lips. But before the man could ask any more questions, the golden door closed in on itself and sealed his fate.


    The woman looked at the gold fading from her hands and grimaced. A shriveled and almost rotten skin appeared from underneath, with faint wisps of golden smoke drifting into the air. Cursing the fact that she wasn''t a demigod of space and time, she walked into the bathroom and held her hands under a stream of cold water, wincing painfully all the while. The hand was still fucked, definitely, but at least the burning sensation was gone.


    As peace and silence came upon the room once more, the woman looked around the house. Sighing, she fixed the mess she''d made and sat on a couch with a groan.


    "Fucking Ruler and his whims¡­" she cursed the missing deity. This was something she started doing practically every day. It was the only form of daily ''prayer'' she could offer him these days.


    The feat she''d aplished today really wasn''t anything she could do to every sane spirit she stumbled upon through this journey of hers. Up until this point, she simply granted them the swift death they desired. She really didn''t know why she bothered to do all this for this spirit and this spirit only. Well, it wasn''t the first time she did something random like this, so she didn''t really think too much about it. Instead, she wondered what kind of life the man would lead in his next life.


    "He''s slightly unstable, but it shouldn''t matter much in the long run. He''ll likely stabilize after a few months or so, unless something goes very wrong," she sighed, "Well, after this, only fate will have a hand in his life. I''ve done all I can. But¡­ he is quite interesting, so I can''t be sure if the Empress will intervene."


    She then stood up with some effort and fixed her scrunchy clothes. She put on her shades to hide the fury and tiredness she felt inside. She thought about the thousands of ''idents'' she had to y as her eyes red bright once more.


    "Fucking Ruler and his whims¡­"


    ¡­

 Chapter 2 - Evin And The Voice

    Evin scrubbed at thest bits of oil stuck inside the tall metal container in his father''s workshop, sniffing asionally. The cold and wet kitchen cloth would send pangs of sharp pain through his nerves, a fact which irked him constantly and ceaselessly.


    ''Come on! Juste off already!'' heined in his head, as he scrubbed at the final shard of oil harder and faster. This was his dozenth fight against the thing. Finally, the thing fell off, making a small <em>ting</em> inside the pot. Evin sighed with satisfaction, and pulled himself out of the giant pot.


    He did the same act once every few months, when his father decided to change the oil he used to quench his metals.


    Evin sighed tiredly, finally done with this task which ended up taking him his entire morning to finish. He wiped the sweat off his slightly tanned forehead and scratched his messy hair furiously to refresh his head somewhat. But right after he was finished, his father''s voice called out to him.


    "If you''re done with that, go and wash the dishes in the kitchen."


    It was something he did every day withoutints, but today, the order vexed him to no end. Maybe it was the cold piece of cloth in his hands, maybe it was the fact that his nose was slightly clogged. Whatever it was, it almost pushed Evin to snap back without regard for the consequences. But of course, he wasn''t going to snap back in reality. The only thing he could do was to say nothing.


    Silence. The only form of resistance he could show towards his father. But¡­ it seemed that that too wasn''t going tost long, as his father''s sternmand echoed across the house.


    "Come over here."


    <He-he,> a mocking voice appeared in his head.


    Dropping the wet cloth to the floor, Evin slowly waddled over.


    "Hurry!" his father ordered, and Evin walked faster.


    Evin''s father was a man with a huge, frightening appearance ¨C legs as thick as logs, a hand the size of Evin''s torso, and a grizzled face with a burn scar under his eyes. Well, it was expected, as he was a cksmith by profession and worked with many heavy-duty items.


    The man looked at Evin dead in the eye and asked, alcohol reeking from his breath,


    "What are you supposed to say when I tell you to do something?"


    "Say ''Yes, sir''¡­" Evin murmured.


    "And what did you just do now?"


    "I said nothing¡­" Evin whimpered.


    The next moment, Evin fell to the ground with a thud, feeling a sharp sting from his cheeks. He quickly grabbed at it, hoping to forget the pain enough so he didn''t start crying.


    "Little shit¡­ can''t even take a p on his feet," his father cursed, as he picked Evin up, "I''ll let you off with that, since we''re going to be visiting those fucking mages today. Now do what I told you."


    "Yes, sir¡­" holding the tears back from his eyes, Evin picked up the wet cloth from the floor and dragged himself towards the kitchen.


    <He-he, I keep telling you to just do as that animal says. Just acknowledge his orders. It''s not like it''s going to help, well, in any meaningful way at least. Or do you just like getting beaten by him?> the voice in his head said mockingly.


    "Shut up¡­" Evin whispered in the smallest voice he could, careful not to let his father hear the remark. But s, today really wasn''t his day.


    "Did you speak to that voice again, you freak?" his father shouted at him, "If I hear you talking to yourself like a lunatic again, I swear to the Empress, I''ll beat you till you''re actually insane, understand?"


    Evin could only nod silently and hurry towards his next task.


    "I won''t let a lunatic live in my house, you get it? You either fix your head, or find yourself a new house to live in," his father shouted from behind.


    Entering the kitchen, Evin closed the door behind him, and put the wet, oily cloth to his cheeks. The pulsating pain seemed to die out a little as he groaned softly and sat down on the ground.


    <He-he, you''re such an idiotic child. Are you so stupid that you can''t understand these two simple rules?>


    "Shut up."


    <Act like daddy''s good little dog, that''s rule number one. A fairly simple one, really. I must admit I have a hard time understanding why you fail so spectacrly at this one.>


    "Shut up."


    <And don''t acknowledge my existence. That''s rule number two,> the voice cackled in delight, <So simple. Just believe the convenient lie that everyone else is telling you! I don''t exist, even though I''m speaking to you right this instant! You could swear on the Empress'' name that you''re not just hallucinating, but since no one else can hear me, I must not exist! I mean, what other conclusion is there left to draw? That''s the only usible exnation for it!>


    "Shut up. If you''re going crazy, do it somewhere out of my head."


    <No! I''m not going crazy. I''m just telling you the truth¡­> the voice paused. <Well, whatever. I''ll let you have your peace, since you''re going to be visiting the mages today. Go praise the Empress for granting us magic and praise king Rnd Arcwall for helping you peasants.>


    Evin sighed and started scrubbing the dishes.


    ''Thankfully, the pain on my cheek is almost gone,'' he was thinking... before the voice started ranting about a random topic again.


    <You know, I''m really curious about how magic works. As a man of science myself, the thought of affecting the nature through our voice and willpower really doesn''t sit well with me. But, like some great man said, most of what we use today daily will look like magic to themon man a thousand years ago. Maybe magic is a form of science, and unenlightened people like us don''t really understand it that well. So, I need you to be a mage so I can understand these things better, alright?>


    "Shut. Up." Evin said again, not bothering to hide his annoyance and disgust at the voice.


    <Tch. I wish you had the guts to say that to your father.>


    Thankfully, the voice was obedient enough to stay silent after the snark remark. A rare joy indeed. Feeling content that the voice was listening to his words for once, Evin focused on the dishes.


    But as his hands scrubbed the grease and stains off the metal kitchenware, his mind wandered off, thinking of random things, one of them being his visit to the mages in the afternoon.


    Due to the Mage eptance Law that thete king Rnd Arcwall created, after a child reached the age of 10, they needed to give a visit to the Mage Circle on thest day of a month. That day was was today, and coincidentally, it was also Evin''s birthday.


    In the Mage Circle, the children would take the test on whether they could cast magic or not, regardless of their origins or citizenship grades. Not even speaking of 2nd grade citizens like Evin, even the children of 4th grade citizens (which were mostly ves and criminals) received this privilege.


    ''If I turn out to be a mage¡­ I''m sure I''ll be able to leave my father and then finally, I''ll be able to find a method to get rid of this ursed voice inside my head,'' Evin thought wistfully, ''Then I''ll truly be free. Then I''ll be someone who is loved by others and respected by all...''


    Visions appeared in Evin''s eyes. Him flying around the air like birds and forcing the elements to bend to his will. A set of silver armor, just like the one that thete king wore, seemed to materialize on his body, as he imagined himself looking backwards to see a row of people walking behind him... people that loved and respected him. A mage above the ordinarymoners.


    A momentter, Evin shook his head.


    ''No. Although it''s nice to dream about it all, it''s best if I don''t get my hopes up. And besides, the truth will be revealed soon enough, anyway,'' Evin thought, and soon realized that he''d finished washing the dishes at some point.


    <Listen, don''t go crazy and kill yourself if you''re not a mage, alright? I know it''s sad to live on like this, but I''m sure we''ll manage somehow,> the voice said suddenly.


    Evin could only shake his head at the random remark. It was best to just ignore it. Nothing good ever came out of Evin interacting with the voice.


    He sighed and went to his room to get dressed. It wasn''t a hard task, as he had only four sets of clothes, two of them too big for him, and two of them too small for him. He picked the better of the two big ones and went to his father.


    "I''ll go wash in the river ande back."


    His father eyed him with a mix of disappointment and displeasure, before pushing himself off the chair with a burp.


    "Don''t bother. No point in looking good in front of those freaks of nature."


    ¡­

 Chapter 3 - Two Influences

    Half an hourter, Evin and his father were walking through the better parts of town, heading towards a tall,vish building that stood at the center of town. A rectangr five-story building that was extravagantly built with polished white limestone; had a roof shaped in the form of three elegantly shaped cones; and probably possessed more windows than half the town''s wooden housesbined. Of course, this was the Mage Academy that was built three years ago in the city of Ankelite under the orders of the current King of the West, Seth.


    Evin remembered the city''s residents alling over to see the new building being built by a fancy group of mages. The authorities had even allowed the 3rd grades and 4th grades to be allowed in the 2nd grade only areas so everyone could enjoy the magnificent sight. Evin also remembered joining in on the fun, dazedly looking towards the mages, imagining himself as one of them.


    Well, the fun times didn''tst long, as his father locked him inside the house when he realized what Evin was doing. But he did hearter that the entire thing only took two weeks toplete.


    Truly a miracle of the mages.


    "The extravagance of mages really knows no bounds. To think people actually want to be one of them is a thought I cannotprehend," Evin''s fathermented, "Truth be told, I''d rather you stay at home and not even bothering to this ce, but since it is the order of the kingdom, I can onlyply."


    <The walk must have sobered him up. He''s in his preachy mood again,> the voice tsked, <Well, at least he''s not going to start hitting you till he drinks again, so I guess there''s that¡­>


    Evin had learned his lesson for the day and didn''t react to the voice in any way. He followed his father silently at the side, listening to the usual rant about mages.


    "You know? I''ve been like you, dumb and young, hoping to be one of the mages myself. Of course, as I was a simple 3rd grade at the time, I wasn''t allowed to take the test like you all did. Now that I think about it, at the time, the amount of mages weren''t anything much, really. And that humongous building wasn''t there either."


    It was expected, as Evin''s father was almost 45 now. King Rnd had implemented the Mage eptance Law in the year 1463, and it was currently the year of 1493. At that time, the man would''ve been only 15, too old for the changes to include him.


    "It was a good thing I wasn''t included. I used to idolize the mages, but since then, I''ve met and seen enough of them to make my own mind about the group," Evin''s father cleared his voice, "Listen, boy, mages are not the glorious race of perfect humans you expect them to be. In fact, I''d say they''re much, much worse than us. Arrogant, cowardly, selfish, greedy, and so easily angered; it''s as if all the negative aspects of humanity gather inside those precious mana-cores of theirs¡­ It''s much better to possess a simple heart¡­ It''s the best thing that the Empress has gifted us."


    Evin nodded automatically. He was more concerned about the thoughts in his head: two sides which were arguing on whether Evin would be revealed as a mage or not. Every step closer he took towards the Mage Circle, his little heart would beat one step faster. Or perhaps it was a mana-core beating in his chest, and not a heart?


    "It''s a pointless thing, this trip here. Me and your mother weren''t mages, so as our blood, it''s impossible for you to be one. But," the man went silent, before sighing, "Well, let''s just get this over with."


    The two then walked over to the giant building''s doorsteps before they were stopped by the guard. Evin''s father exined the situation, and thetter let them through after taking a nce at Evin.


    Evin looked around the interior of the building, shocked by the cleanliness and hugeness of it all. The smoothly refined walls and floors, the tall and imposing pirs, and the ceilings which held the most beautiful paintings that Evin saw in his life.


    For him, who lived his entire life in a wooden house held together by mud and water, this building, which was built using only the most precious of materials, was the symbol of power.


    <Guess about 20 kids in town had birthdays thisst month, huh?> the voicemented, soundingpletely unimpressed by the spectacr building they''d just entered, one that dazed even his stubborn father.


    Evin then looked around and found two dozen kids were already waiting in the giant hall with their parents or guardians, all of them dressed in the fanciest way they were allowed to. 4th grades wore their best knitted brown tunics, 3rd grades wore their prettiest cotton shirts, and of course, 2nd grades wore their most eye-catching set of colors. Of course, there weren''t any nobles or 1st grades in the mix, since they were a different breed of peoplepared to peasants like Evin.


    Of course, the group noticed Evin''s arrival and briefly looked over¡­ before turning away their heads with a frown. They all seemed to scoff at Evin''s untidy state, who hadn''t even washed himself after wrestling all day with an oily pot.


    ''They must be wondering why a 4th grade is allowed to wear the clothes of a 2nd grade¡­ They must think I''m a pampered ve of some sorts, the favorite of his owner¡­'' Evin thought in shame.


    In his mind, only the lowest of the low would daree to the Mage Circle in such a state. Not to mention he''de at thetest time allowed. Usually, on such a monumental day, every child would be hurrying towards the Mage Circle at the first sign of sunlight.


    But Evin didn''t have time to bury himself in shame, as a fancily dressed woman came out of somewhere and looked around at the children with a nod. Her silk dress was dark-blue colored, but was loose and short enough for her to wear daily, and a carefully picked set of jewelry and essories decorated it.


    The biggest one among them was a seal of some sorts that was on her chest, which was a half-and-half mix of some silver looking metal and a light blue jewel. Evin guessed that it was her Mage Seal.


    "21 one kids in all. The books say that''s all we have for this month, so let''s get this started. My name is Leanne Lanesbreau, though you may just call me Leanne."


    After her brief introduction, she led the children to one of the rooms inside the building, which contained a series of pictures on the walls. Most of these drawings contained a certain person inside it ¨C a tall old man with lustrous white hair, d in majestic silver armor.


    <Looks like a mural about your hero¡­ Guess we''re getting the obligatory dose of patriotism,> the voice murmured.


    "As you all probably know, this here is the depiction of ourte king, His Majesty Rnd Arcwall, and his legendary feats," Leanne started.

 Chapter 4 - One In Sixty

    Every child looked at the murals with awe and adoration but were still respectful enough to not make a fuss around it. Even children knew of the man''s feats enough to show respect to him. This showed how deep of an impression thete king left in everyone''s hearts.


    "We all heard of a time when the title of a mage was something exclusive to the nobles and the wealthy. The only way for 2nd grades and below to find out that they were a mage oneself was through luck and bravery. They needed luck to find a World Shard, and they also needed luck to survive its powers. And of course, even then, they were never epted as mage by the rest."


    Everyone knew of the story that was about toe. Most probably, everyone in the kingdom listened to at least once in their life. And of course, a story that Evin would listen to a hundred more times if he could.


    "But all this changed with King Rnd''s new decree. Suddenly, everyone in the kingdom received a chance of being epted as a mage," Leanne eximed proudly, gesturing at the murals.


    The change was so revolutionary that 10-year-olds like Evin knew about it. He could also confidently say that out of all the 10-year-olds in the kingdom, no, in the whole Empire itself, he probably had the most knowledge about Rnd Arcwall''s epic history.


    Granted, he learned most of it due to the voice in his head, who somehow knew of the situation and narrated everything to him. Evin hated listening to the voice and its pretentious ''life lessons'', but secretly, he loved listening to the voice speaking of the previous King.


    "But of course, it wasn''t all sunshine and rainbows. Due to this new Law of epting every mage, thete king received heavy bacsh from the corrupt and evil nobles under his control. The situation even reached a point where the people were even considering the possibility of a civil war. But since Rnd himself was one of the most powerful mages at the time, the opposing nobles couldn''t just mount an attack on the capital.


    "They knew that if the King wished to, he could easily wipe them off the face of the world. He just didn''t have a good enough reason to do that. And obviously, the nobles weren''t willing to give the man that excuse with the revolution."


    ''It must be so awesome to single-handedly still an entire revolution just by existing,'' Evin thought wistfully.


    "But of course, things didn''t end there. The evil nobles hired a group of the most powerful mages at the time hoping to assassinate the king while he was alone. They sent six mages of simr power towards his way, but not only king Rnd manage to fight them to a tie, he even convinced one of them to switch sides and fight alongside him. A young prodigy by the name of Urven. With the six on one fight turning into a two against five, the tides of the battle quickly turned towards the king''s side.


    "After this incident, King Rnd executed the heads of the noble families responsible for this treachery, though he couldn''t make himself kill their children, as he was a righteous person who understood that the children didn''t bear the sins of their parents. He only stripped the surviving offspring of their noble titles, but aside from that, they were free to do whatever they wanted. King Rnd wasn''t afraid of another revolution staged by these remnant children. The people of the kingdom loved him to the core, so any kind of rebellion was practically impossible to mount."


    Evin remembered the voice saying something simr, about how the correct move was to execute the children as well, so there was no chance of a rebellion down the line. The voice also exined that if King Rnd was ruthless in his conduct against radical nobles, then the other, more neutral nobles would feel more afraid of trying something simr in the future.


    Evin didn''t know how to feel about this view. Logically, he found himself agreeing with it, but he couldn''t quite ept it wholly with his heart. In his heart, thete King''s method was the righteous and correct way.


    "Next, king Rnd consolidated his rule even stronger, and introduced many policies that helped the kingdom''s people. The 21 years he ruled were definitely the most prosperous in the kingdom''s entire history. During this time, life inside the kingdom became easier for everyone, and finally, after 50 years of a stalemate, we''ve started seeing signs of the Southern front being pushed back against the enemies.


    "But unfortunately, as the naturalw of the world dictated, in the year 1486, King Rnd Arcwall met his end at the age of 130. He prolonged his mortal life to almost double the amount of normal people, both through magic and his own hard work, but in the end, the Empress''s arrangements put an end to his glorious life."


    <The king died when you were three years old. I''m not sure if you remember it still, but you joined a huge row of mourning people with your father and mother. It was an impressive sight...> The voice said, weirdly nostalgically, <Such a universally loved ruler is a rare sight in the rivers of history¡­>


    Of course, Evin still possessed bits and pieces of those memories. Blurry visions of his father and mother''s loving smile, his own joyfulughs as he climbed atop their shoulders¡­ visions that Evin sometimes didn''t dare believe in.


    "Though we will forever miss the King, his legacy still lives on. The number of mages in the Western Kingdom soaring to a number so high, that even those dreadful Southerners have started to implement some of thete King''s rules. Perhaps finally, the sign of the Empire''s unification is showing itself," Leanne reached thest mural.


    It depicted a drawing of the now old king, kneeling in front of a tall, unfathomable woman, who was wearing a loosely fitting ck robe, decorated with dark gold essories. She wore a veil across her face, so the only thing the onlooker could see from above her neck was her silky ck hair. It shined with tiny white lights, representing the starry night sky.


    The One above the Twelve Races and the Four Nations. The Immortal Goddess of the world of Alvox.


    The Final Empress.


    Everyone around, even the adults sighed as they stared at her depiction, their eyes filled with fear and awe.


    <Heh, bunch of weaklings who can only rely on the kings and queens above to help them out,> except, of course, the ever-cynical voice in Evin''s head.


    ''Says the voice who can only depend on me to survive¡­'' Evin thought smugly, before focusing on Leanne.


    The woman smiled at the sight and continued.


    "His sessor and son, Seth Arcwall, took on the crown with a vow to never change his father''s arrangements, only to build on them. Saying that King Rnd''s vision was the path to Western prosperity, he introduced the Mage Academies. Its purpose was so that mages between the ages of 10 and 15 could receive guidance en masse, instead of just learning under a single master like before... Perhaps some of you here will receive that chance to enroll in one such Academy too?" she smiled alluringly.


    These words sent a pang of excitement through his brain, but it was quickly shut off by a re from his father.


    "Well, that''s enough history for today. Let''s reveal what everyone here is waiting for."


    ''We''re finally going to take the test¡­'' Evin thought with excitement.


    But the woman didn''t really do anything out of the ordinary, as she walked towards a young girl dressed in a 4th grades'' clothing and simply dered, "One mage here."


    The little girl seemed a bit shocked, before looking at the scrawny woman that was holding her hands. The two looked at each other for a moment, before bursting out in tears.


    "There, there," Leanneforted the two smilingly.


    <Ah, that must be the mage among us all,> the voice said dejectedly, <It''s a bit unfortunate, but guess we''ll be dying as poor little peasants¡­ Oh, the tragedy! Seriously, just kill yourself! I can''t bear it anymore!>


    Evin really wanted to say ''Shut up,'' but considering the ce andpany he was in, he could only curse inside his heart. He was sad as well, but he knew there was nothing he could do. He''d epted the possibility of this oue long ago.


    One in sixty, those were the odds of a mage being born from two non-mages. It could be said that it was a miracle for this room of 21 kids to have one mage among them.


    But just as he was wallowing in despair, Leanne looked at him straight in the eye and said.


    "And also, that well-washed and well-dressed young boy over there. Pleasee over."


    ''Does she mean me? But I''m definitely not well-dressed and the least of all, well-washed¡­'' a random thought appeared in Evin''s head, ''But I''m the only one around here, since everyone else is keeping their distance from me.''


    <She''s being sarcastic, dumbass. Go over there already,> the voice said with a sigh of relief. Evin felt that the voice was more worried with the developments than he was.


    Evin wanted to be more excited, but as he looked at his father, he saw thetter making aplicated face, wanting to say something, maybe even protest. With difficulty, Evin shoved his emotions down.


    ''Calm thoughts, sad thoughts. You can''t show a tear in front of all these people, now, can you?'' he thought to himself, gradually calming his uneven breathing.


    "Come on, now," Leanne urged, and his father walked over to the mage as she had asked, dragging Evin along with him.

 Chapter 5 - Mages

    "Well, as for the rest of you, I''m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I could only find 2 mages among you today," Leanne said simply, after taking one more good look at Evin.


    Most of the crowd epted the verdict, albeit a bit unwillingly. But one woman, a seemingly well-off 2nd grade, really wasn''t happy with Leanne''s decision.


    "Are you sure about it? You just told us a story about thete King, before deciding who was a mage and who was not. Isn''t that a bit irresponsible?"


    <Now that I think about it¡­ if it was this easy to check whether someone''s a mage or not, then I''m really appalled at the nobles and 1st grades who didn''t let anyone from the 2nd grades and below to be a proper mage¡­>


    "If you have any problems, you can pay the extra fee of one gold coin to the Mage Circle and have another mage check up on your child. But my verdict will stay the same."


    "Isn''t one gold a bit too expensive? You really didn''t do anything special as far as I''m aware of."


    It really was very expensive. The most amount of money Evin saw was a stack of 50 silver coins, and that was after his father took on an enormous job of smelting hundreds of huge nails.


    "I know it is way too expensive, but it''s meant to be like that. The high price is meant to discourage people from actually paying it. If it cost 2 silver coins like it''s probably supposed to cost, the amount of people who would request a recheck would be annoyingly high," Leanne exined.


    "I''ve heard there''s supposed to be a test of some kind, but there really wasn''t anything? I had my child prepare quite a bit for this test, as per the instructions of one man. I''m very upset that none of that was helpful, and instead, two ves end up bing mages."


    Hearing himself being called a ve, Evin looked towards his father, but thetter was nodding along thoughtfully, as if he agreed with the woman''s words.


    "I know that some people like to call it a test of some sorts for some reason, but all we have to do is check whether or not anyone here has a mana-core or not," Leanne replied smilingly, but the sarcasm in her voice was obvious, "If you paid someone money for a test that does not exist, then I''m afraid you''ve been swindled."


    "What do you mean I''ve been swindled? The gentleman I spoke to was a trustworthy man!" the woman raised her voice.


    "If you asked literally anyone who went through the process before, they''ll tell you that there''s no test involved. The fact that you chose to trust the one person that lied to you¡­ well, that''s not really my fault, is it?" Leanne sighed, "Like I exined a second ago, I only check whether anyone here has a mana-core for a heart, that''s all."


    "But you didn''t do anything? If you were searching for a mana-core inside their bodies, shouldn''t there be¡­ you know? Some process of some sorts? Or do you im to be able to see through our bodies?" the woman asked, still unconvinced.


    "I''m d you asked that. I actually can see the insides of your bodies," Leanne smiled as she nced at the woman''s body, "I can also tell you that your stomach is going to fail you soon, judging by its shriveled and fouled look. You can use that information as you will."


    The woman didn''t seem to possess a proper reply to that, and could only stare down at her stomach with look of shock and worry.


    <I guess she''s aware of the stomach thing herself, ha-ha,> the voiceughed merrily.


    With this incident out of the way, the rest of the group departed the Mage Circle, after which Leanne lead the two young mages and their parents to another room.


    It was a simply decorated room. Nothing grandiose, like the room with murals they were in before. But of course, everything inside was a hundred times better than whatever Evin would find in a random 2nd grade''s house. An almost transparent ss, smoothly waxed wooden floor, and a grandly decorated wallpaper. In the middle of the room was a finely crafted desk, which had six vials lying on top of it. Each vial contained a substance of different colors and textures inside it, and Evin could feel immense power seeping out from inside them.


    ''Those must be the World Shards¡­'' he knew instinctively.


    Evin wanted to act more excited, but knew that his father was still very unsatisfied with this oue. Thus, he could only try his best to keep himself in his most obedient behavior and hope for the best.


    Leanne brought out five chairs from somewhere and had everyone sit down.


    "What''s your name, little girl?" she then asked the 4th grade.


    "Kon, exalted mage," the mother replied reverently.


    "And you are?"


    "Jun¡­ exalted mage."


    "No need for such fancy honorifics, I''m nothing more than a simple Leanne. And besides, you''re not going to call your daughter with such a grand title as well, are you?" the mage chuckled, "Well, as you probably know, now that little Kon here has turned out to be a mage, your citizenship grades will rise to the level of 3rd grades. Um, sorry for asking, but are you a ve or a criminal?"


    "ve, Lady Leanne. Me, my husband, and three children, including Kon here," the mother replied timidly.


    "The Mage Circle will solve the problem of your ownership. You''ll also receive a house and a job from us as well, andter down the line when Kon gets her Mage Seal, your family will eventually be 1st grades," Leanne smiled, "Ah and also, you can request a name from your current owner, or you can also rename yourselves if you wish to. If you choose to rename yourselves, you must first ask for permission from the Citizenship Bureau?"


    "We will ask from our Lord. I''m sure he will give us a good name," Jun said with a heartfelt smile, "Thank you, Lady Leanne... Thank you."


    "If you must thank someone, thank King Seth for his benevolent heart. But you must understand, you won''t be able to be a 1st grade by doing nothing. You will still take the test that 3rd grades take to be 2nd grades and by the time you be a 1st grade, you will also need to possess a certain amount of money and knowledge to your name. If you''re feeling overwhelmed by this all, don''t worry. Since you''re a family with a mage now, you are the kingdom''s greatest treasure. Us mages and the government will do its utmost best to help you stand on your own two feet."


    The two 4th grades nodded solemnly. Leanne also nodded with a smile before ncing towards Evin''s way.


    "Hmm, although I don''t like you for showing up here in such a manner, I suppose your face is handsome enough," Leanne chuckled, "What''s your name?"


    "Evin," his father replied, before the boy was able to.


    "And you are?"


    "Edmund. Nost name."


    "Alright¡­ Though Evin? I don''t think I''ve seen the name in the list¡­ Ah, is his full name Eviendra?" Leanne asked.


    "That it is. But since it''s a very Northern name, he''s been called Evin ever since," Evin''s father looked at his son with conflicting emotions, "A bit of a pretentious one too."


    "A wisdom drakeling, right?" Leanne said, her hand on her chin.


    "That it is."


    "Can you read and write?" she then asked.


    "I-" Evin began, but was interrupted once more.


    "He can. Only in the kingdom''snguage though. He''s yet to learn Imperial," Evin''s father said, and his hands suddenly went upwards. Evin flinched at his father''s sudden movement, but when he looked towards him, he was just stroking his beard, making an obviously disgruntled face.


    Leanne seemed to notice this fact, as well as the voice in Evin''s head.


    <Hmm¡­ the loser''s starting to panic, since you''ve suddenly grown out of his control now, he-he.>


    "Well, you''re a family of 2nd grades, so I don''t have to exin citizenship rules to you."


    "Mm."


    "Let''s talk magic now, shall we? This will be the first lecture you two will receive as a mage, so it might take some time."


    "Should we vacate the room for you three?" Evin''s father asked.


    "No, please stay for today. Since your children will be practicing these things in the future, it''s best if you be familiar with these details."


    Understanding that she was finally about to speak of magic, Evin listened carefully. Even the voice inside him turned silent.

 Chapter 6 - Worlds Of Magic.

    "As you can probably guess, these are what''s called the World Shards," Leanne said and gestured over the six vials.


    "Using it, mages gain ess to what we call the Worlds of Magic. Let me exin it to you in more detail. One such example would be Irratas, The World of Fire," she said and hovered her hands above the vial with a bright-orange, almost ethereal substance inside it.


    As she did so, the orange substance started to be more active, excitedly growing little wisps of mes above it, seemingly trying to reach out towards the woman''s hands. Leanne then whispered something under her breath, and a ball of fire appeared atop her palm.


    Evin, Kon and her mother gasped in surprise, as it was their first time seeing magic so close in action. Evin looked over towards his father, but thetter seemed uninterested, seeming more offended, rather than impressed.


    <Hmm, she didn''t seem like she needed the vial''s contents, since the amount of the fire didn''t really change at all, so I guess she had already absorbed a World Shard beforehand,> the voicemented.


    "The World of Fire, as you can probably guess from its name, is a World that allows you to create fire and control heat to a certain degree. If you be a more skilled mage, you''ll be able to do much more than just a simple ball of fire like this one," Leanne said and got rid of her spell, and reminded the two children, "But of course, we must always be careful of misusing our powers to hurt anyone else, especially non-mages. Willfully, or identally. Both of which will be heavily punishable by thews of the kingdom."


    Evin nodded solemnly. Though he really didn''t think he would be mad enough to set someone else on fire, in the first ce.


    "Well, you''ll learn more about these in the Academy, so you don''t have to worry about it for now," Leanne said with a smile, before moving over to the next vial.


    This one was the most normal out of the six, as it simply looked like water. The only notable difference was that it looked much bluerpared to how normal water would look inside a ss cup. Even when the mage''s hands hovered above it, it didn''t show any reactions like the previous Shard.


    Leanne whispered something else under her breath, and a stream of water materialized out of the air. It danced around the two children yfully, before regathering near Leanne and turning into a chilling icicle.


    "Ivelisi, The World of Water. Allows a mage to create and control water and ice."


    <This one''s a bit underwhelming, but I guess magic is still magic,> the voice said, as Leanne went towards the next vial.


    It contained a handful of loose, beige-looking sand, which would solidify and climb up towards Leanne''s hands as it closed in on it. Like before, Leanne didn''t really do anything with the World Shard itself, started chanting, and a thin strand of scattered sand appeared in the room. More and more of it started appearing, before it all solidified into a shield and sword in her hands.


    "Tenarak, the World of Earth. As you can see, be strong enough with it, you''ll be able to bend thends to your will. But of course, you''ll only be able to raise a handful of sand and dirt using it at first," Lean chuckled.


    <Ask her if one could bend metals with it,> the voice urged suddenly.


    Evin tried to ignore him, but the voice seemed very adamant on this fact.


    <Ask her while you can! It''s for your own good as a mage!>


    "Lady Leanne, can you bend metal to your will with that World?" Evin asked finally. Well, he was curious about this fact as well, and it didn''t hurt him in any way so he didn''t mind indulging the voice a bit.


    "Great question. The short answer to that is that you can, eventually. It''s just going to take a while for you to get to that point and as far as I know, there aren''t any shortcuts to reach that point either. Well, if you study more about the Worlds in the future, you''ll see why," Leanne exined and went towards the next vial.


    This one was a bit weird, as at a nce, it only looked empty. If only one focused harder on it, they''d see a gas of some sorts swirling inside the vial in a lively manner. With Leanne''s chant, a lively breeze ran circles across the room a few times before dying out.


    "Seyethe, the World of Air. Sometimes called the Stormfreer''s world, as the more well-known mages of this world tend to bring about a storm or a tornado upon the world in a fit of boredom. But of course, most other mages prefer to use it together with another World to fly around or simply createfortable breezes around themselves."


    <This one''s pretty good as well¡­> the voice muttered.


    Evin didn''t really agree with it, but the idea of flying around in the sky <em>did</em> sound cool.


    Leanne held her hands over the next vial, which held a brightly shining white orb of some sorts floating inside. The closer Leanne''s hand got, the brighter it shone. Once again, Leanne chanted and a brilliant light appeared inside the room. It shined atop the onlookers, bing brighter and brighter, as if it was demanding to have everyone around witness its glory.


    "Lumiaris, the World of Light. A favorite of thete King Rnd. Which makes it a favorite among many young and aspiring mages as well," Leanne chuckled, "As for its use, well, as you could see just now, you can make very bright lights using it. This World is used heavily in lighting our kingdom in the darkness of night."


    <Soundspletely useless, to be honest. If you''re thinking you''ll get it because of your love and respect for the king, don''t even dream about it,> the voice snarled.


    Evin obviously wasn''t going to bother caring about the voice''s opinions. He ignored it and looked towards the final vial.


    This one contained something a bit difficult to exin. The vial''s inside was pitch ck, which disoriented Evin greatly, since his mind was telling him that nothing existed in that spot he was looking at. The only way he could tell its location was through the shimmer that the ss vial emitted. But when Leanne held her hands over the vial, something quite disturbing urred. The dark, gas-like substance started gathering, creating a chaotic web made of some ck, vein-like matter.


    Leanne then walked up to the wall next to the window and chanted something like she always did. For a few seconds, nothing seemed to ur, but before Evin could understand what had happened, Leanne disappeared from his sight, as if no one was standing in the corner in the first ce.


    Evin bend his body to the right, trying to make out the woman''s silhouette in the darkness. Through great effort, his eyes finally managed to find the woman''s outlines, though Evin was sure that if he wasn''t actively searching for her, he wouldn''t have seen her.


    "Exivear, The World of Darkness," Leanne exined as she reappeared, "If you want to blend in with the shadows, maybe hide out some impending threat, Exivear is for you. When you be strong enough, you can cover an entire area with artificial darkness, so you won''t even need to search for a dark spot to be invisible."


    the voice stated his verdict.


    Evin would''ve agreed normally, but something about this World of Darkness interested him greatly. Of course, since he couldn''t reply to the voice, he could only stare silently at the mage in front of him.


    "These six worlds are what''s called the Elemental Worlds. There are six more worlds which are ssified as Conceptual Worlds, but I won''t be able to demonstrate what they can do to you today. If you wish to learn more about them, you can do so here at the Academyter," Leanne smiled. "What I''m going to do, is to help you choose one of these World Shards to absorb, as this will be the first step of your journey as the kingdom''s mage."


    Evin really wanted to act excited about the prospect, but with his father staring daggers down his back, he could only nod slightly.


    "If it was possible, the kingdom would''ve let the two of you take in all twelve of the World Shards, but of course, these things are rare, especially the Conceptual ones."


    <Ask her how we get ess to more World Shards,> the voice ordered.


    "How do we get the other Shards for ourselves?" Evin parroted.


    "When you start studying in the Academy, you''ll have many chances to obtain a World Shard for yourself. Well, you don''t have to worry about it now," Leanne waved her hand, "Now, try holding your hands over these six vials, if you''repatible with them, the World Shard inside will try to reach out to you."

 Chapter 7 - Irratas

    Kon and Evin curiously held their hands over each vial, and soon, the verdict became clear. Kon was clearlypatible with the World of Air, Seyethe, while Evin was clearly morepatible with the World of Darkness, Exivear.


    Evin really wanted it to be Lumiaris, the same world as King Rnd, but even he noticed that the World Shard''s light dimmed a bit when Evin''s hands hovered over it, as if it was trying to hide its presence in fear of getting into this unlikeable fellow''s mana-core.


    "If you want a World Shard, that''s not reacting to you, it''s fine. You can still pick those World Shards. The reactions are there to just tell you how easily you can use the Worlds'' energies in the future. Even if you pick a slightly ipatible World, with some hard work and effort, you''ll be casting magic in no time," Leanne reminded.


    <Good. Now you won''t have to pick Darkness as your main World. I was really dreading the idea of us forever scurrying in the shadows until we get our 2nd Shard. If you want advice, Irratas, Tenarak and Seyethe are pretty good Worlds. Fire, Air and Earth have tons of potential and use. The others are fine, with Lumiaris being the worse of the two. The ability to shine really doesn''t feel very epic to me,> the voice said with a calm tone.


    Evin didn''t want to, but he found himself agreeing with the voice for once. He really wanted to pick the shining orb, but Evin knew to give up on some things for the greater good. His heart wanted him to pick the World of Darkness, but his mind was strongly opposed to the prospect. Hiding out of sight really wasn''t the ideal image of a mage in his mind. And besides, Leanne said they could find other Shardster on, right?


    But there was something he didn''t agree with the voice and it was the fact that the World of Water was worse than the World of Air. What the hell was one supposed to do with Air? Blow someone away? Evin remembered the strongest wind he''d ever encountered, yet even that wasn''t enough to topple him over.


    So, the choice was narrowed down to Fire, Water, and Earth.


    "Pick the one for fire. It might be useful for cksmithing," Evin''s father said from his side.


    "The child will make the decision himself," Leanne said sternly.


    Evin didn''t like his father''s reasoning, but he agreed with the choice.


    "I''ll pick the World of Fire¡­ please," Evin said.


    "Are you sure?"


    "Yes, I am. Thank you for asking, Lady Leanne."


    On the other hand, Kon had already picked the World of Air, as it seemed to resonate a lot with the girl as well.


    "If your decisions are final, then it''s time for me to help you absorb it¡­ He-he, don''t look so scared. It''s nothing scary. In fact, I''d say you two picked the simplest two Worlds to absorb."


    Just like the woman said, the process wasn''t anythingplex. Especially so for Kon, who simply had to breathe in the World Shard. It was still pretty simple for Evin, but he really didn''t like a certain part of the process.


    "Please drink this in a single breath," Leanne said, as she held a small ss in front of Evin. Inside it, the World Shard was burning atop a liquid, which Evin suspected was a hard alcohol of some sorts.


    <He-he, who knew World Shards were served as a shot in this world?> the voice said carelessly, <Just take the drink, maybe you''ll like the process.>


    "Don''t be afraid about the World Shard burning up your insides. Right after you drink the shot, you''ll feel a burning sensation in your throat, but that''s because of the alcohol, rather than the Shard. After it''s inside your body, it will immediately go towards the mana-core and settle inside it. You''ll feelfortably warm for half an hour or so, and the process will be over by that point."


    "Ha-ha, don''t be such a wuss, boy. Just take the shot and get this over with," Evin''s father pped his shoulder with augh. The act obviously riled Evin''s fears through the roof, as physical contact with his father almost always ended up with him hurting all over.


    <You alright? Just make sure to drink it with a single breath. You''ll be fine after that.>


    Evin picked up the shot ss, staring at the burning orange mes with a hint of fear. He held it near his mouth, closed his eyes and gulped it without thinking much. For a second, nothing really happened, but the next moment, his throat started burning up. He started gagging and coughing, as someone started gently stroking his back.


    Evin flinched forward in shock and fear, worsening his coughs even further.


    "It''s already at your mana-core and is currently settling down. You''ll be fine... Can you feel the warmth spreading through your body?" Leanne said gently, though she wasn''t trying to touch Evin again.


    Soon after, Evin stopped coughing and started to be aware of the violent pulsations that his mana-core emitted, alongside the blood flowing around his body. But something told him that other than blood, his mana-core started to spread fire through his veins. These fires would violently invade every little corner of his physique, molding and reforging parts of his body. It was weird and scary, yes, but Evin felt extremelyfortable in this state, empowered, even.


    Some time passed and right as the weird feeling ended, Leanne woke Evin from his daze.


    As Evin got up from his reclined seat, he looked all over his body, trying to understand what made it feel so different from before. His body wasn''t as hot anymore and the beating of his mana-core had stilled to normal levels. But something was definitely different now.


    <Can you feel it? This¡­ thing in the air?> the voice asked.


    Now that it mentioned it, there definitely was¡­ something in the air. Evin was never aware of it before, but now that he possessed an awakened mana-core, he couldn''t help but notice this thing. Was he feeling different because of it?


    "Are you perhaps wondering about the thing you''re suddenly aware of? Then congrattions, the result of the Awakening is an astounding sess. What you''re feeling now is the thing we call mana," Leanne exined.


    "Mana?" Evin asked.


    "Exactly. The reason why the Awakening is called so is because aside from giving you ess to a World energy; it awakens your mana-core''s ability to feel mana. And after a few years or so, you''ll even start to see it with your eyes!" Leanne said, her eyes tracking something invisible in the air.


    Evin tried to follow her eyes and sure enough, he could feel the thing''s presence there.


    "Lady Leanne, I don''t feel anything, is that wrong?" Kon asked timidly.


    "No-no. It just takes a bit of time for some. Here, let me help you with it a bit," Leanne said and walked over. She held her hands next to the girl''s heart and started chanting¡­ before long, Kon''s thin lips mouthed a wow.


    "It feels¡­ so mighty¡­" the girl muttered.


    "Isn''t it? Anyway, I have another thing I need to teach you two," Leanne replied smilingly. "You two are going to cast your first spells. Or at least, attempt it."


    "First, try willing the mana to gather inside your mana-core. You don''t have to think of anything hard, just think of the mana you''re feeling around you to enter your body and reach where your mana-core is located," Leanne said, pointing at her left breast.


    Evin did as she instructed, and just as he had the thought, the mana inside the room suddenly started to be active. He felt some of it burrowing into his skin before eventually reaching his mana-core. The process didn''t require any effort from him, as if everything was done for him.


    "Easy, isn''t it? Now, Kon, you shall order the mana to turn into Air energy, while Evin will think of the mana turning into Fire energy."


    Evin did as instructed, and the mana that was swirling inside his mana-core started undertaking some changes. His chest area heated up due to what Evin assumed was Fire energy, and after that it started flowing throughout his body. It felt wrong to Evin, as his mind was constantly telling him that some part of his body was on fire or worse.


    "This step''s pretty easy as well. Kon should be feeling, well, breezy, while Evin should be feeling hot all over. If you''re feeling a bit weird, or anything, don''t worry. Let the energy stay inside your body for a while, and you''ll get used to it in no time. In the meantime, I''ll exin what you should be doing next."


    Hearing this, Evin calmed down, and let the Fire energy inside him do whatever it wanted.


    "As you could experience just now, these previous two steps will happen naturally to you, or any other mage for that matter. As the Empress intended, they both happen with just a single thought and there''s nothing else you need to do. But nowes the tricky part: you two need to do something with these energies inside you. I won''t ask you to create a giant tornado, or a glorious bonfire yet," Leanne said, ripped a piece of paper and put it into two piles on the fancy desk, "Kon will try to blow these papers away, while Evin will try to set them on fire."

 Chapter 8 - Glorious Fire

    Evin tried willing for a me to appear atop the pile, but of course, things weren''t so simple anymore. The energy inside him seemed to understand his order, but they didn''t possess the knowledge to actually perform them. Perhaps they required better instructions, but sadly, Evin didn''t really know anything more detailed than the fact that a fire starts if you strike at a jagged rock with a flint of some sorts.


    "Well, I said that I''ll teach you how to cast magic, but in reality, every mage does this differently. But... about 7 out of 10 mages will use Chants like me, so let''s start with that," Leanne said and cleared her throat, "Chants are divided into two groups: Demanding and Pleading. Demanding Chants will go something like this: ''I demand the energy of Irratas to create a floating ball of fire in front of me!''"


    As she demanded, a small ball of fire appeared in the air and burned yfully.


    If Evin heard a non-mage chant these words, then he probably would''ve thought it was a joke of some sorts. The word choice wasn''t anything special. There was no rhyme or rhythm to the entire thing to speak of¡­ but Leanne said these words with such powerful emotions that Evin couldn''t help but feel awe when hearing it. If he was this energy of Irratas, he would''ve definitely done his best to fulfill whatever it was that was being demanded from him.


    "A Pleading Chant will go something like this: ''O, Mighty Creator of the ever-zing horns, grant this lowly one the miracle of a small ming orb!''"


    Again, a noticeably more imposing and majestic ball of fire appeared in the room, one that also seemed to bend to Leanne''s will. And again, although the words she used were simple, there was such a strong feeling of intent and yearning behind it, that Evin couldn''t help but be shocked by its effects.


    "As you can see, the effects of the two methods are different for each person. Since I''m not veryfortable demanding anything to go in my favor, the ball of me I created through a Demanding Chant wasn''t really impressive. The most important part of using this method is to be sincere with what you''re saying. If you can''t trust in your own words, then the Worlds will most definitely not bother with them. Now, give it a try."


    Evin and Kon started chanting in their own ways, but needless to say, nothing really happened. The way they spoke was just notpelling enough to make the World energies inside their bodies to act for them. It was the like the difference between listening to a five-year-old and a court songster telling a story.


    But aside from all this, they did solve one problem. Evin and Kon both settled on Pleading Chants, as it was very obvious that the two of them were not cut out for Demanding Chants.


    They tried this for a while, before finally, Kon managed to plead some magic into existence. Evin didn''t really see it happening, but Leanne was almost positive about the fact. Kon also seemed to feel something, and was giggling excitedly, a clear contrast to the timid girl a few minutes ago.


    As for Evin, well, chant as he might, the mes were not willing to show themselves. They didn''t even bother to throw a spark or two to satisfy Evin''s wishes.


    "I know it seems impossible now, but I''ve started very simrly to you two, so don''t worry too much. Though I''ll give you one advice. Don''t be so embarrassed about the words you say. You''re both very timid, and it shows a lot. Understand that it''s natural for mages to chant words like these," Leanne said and rubbed the two''s heads.


    Evin and Kon nodded bashfully. But even with practice, Evin felt that this method of chanting wasn''t suited for him in the first ce. Like the woman said, maybe he could get used to it after some effort, but Evin himself preferred to cast spells in a different way.


    "The next most popr method is the use of runes. Only 1 out of 10 mages will use this exclusively, but many mages are familiar with its details. Perhaps the simplest, yet the most expensive method of casting," Leanne pulled out two pieces of paper and gave one to Evin. It was made of very high-quality orange paper and had a symbol of circle with a few swirling lines drawn inside it.


    "Just rip it in half."


    Evin did as the mage ordered, and he immediately started feeling the change inside him. The hot flow of energy that was running through his body suddenly disappeared, and an orb of fire burst forth into existence. It burned magnificently for a few seconds before disappearing into nothingness. The same thing happened with Kon as a wave of air whirled inside the room a few times before dying out.


    The two children started to pant heavily, sweat appearing on their foreheads. But rather than feeling tired, they both looked very excited. Evin didn''t really know what he did, but this was his first time casting magic! He looked towards his father with excitement, perhaps expecting the other to look impressed, or even proud¡­ but no. His father wore a scowl on his face, looking back at him with displeased eyes.


    Weirdly, Evin expected the voice to make a snarkment badmouthing his father like it always did¡­ but the voice had be silent for a while now.


    "As you can see, the process happens entirely out of your own control. It forcefully takes the energy inside your mana-core and uses it to cast the spell that the rune depicts, so it''s very costly on your bodies. And also, these papers need to be created in a very specific way, which makes this method very costly for casting stronger magics¡­ But they can act as trump cards of some sorts, so they''re still very popr among mages."


    Evin focused his attention back to the mage''s lesson, trying to forget about his father and the voice for the time being.


    "Alright, recharge your mana-cores with World energies and let it settle inside your body," Leanne paused, and continued after a minute, "Another method that some mages use a lot is the use of gestures and body movements. About 1 in 10 mages use this method, and as you can guess from its name, it is the art of casting spells using specific hand movements and maybe even specific dances."


    "Unfortunately, I''m unable to demonstrate this method to you, as it requires a certain amount of skill to carry out. But I can assure you that if you can manage to make it work, then you''ll have a very powerful tool in your hands. I''ve heard people say that spells created through this method are almost twice as strong as normal ones and costs barely any mana. So if you''re interested, the Academy''s sses are open for you."


    Evin thought about the issue for a bit before thinking that this method of casting wasn''t suited for him either. Evin remembered that one time he tried to dance around a bonfire once¡­ well, it wasn''t a fun time for him and anyone else who happened to see him. The method to use Runes also didn''t seem very usible to him, as the things cost a lot of money.


    "Thest method is called Imagination Casting. This one''s a bit hard, as you can''t just will something to happen with your resolve. You can do it in the future, when your mana capacity is bigger, but for the current you, who''ve just awakened their mana-cores, it would be very hard¡­ But it''s not impossible. Let me exin."


    ording to Leanne, Imagination Casting was simr to what Evin tried to do after he filled his mana-core with Fire energy. At the time, he willed it to create fire, but it somehow felt as if the energy needed better instructions.


    Apparently, he was right. Leanne exined that the more detailed one''s imagination, ormand was, the better their chances of casting magic without Chants, Gestures, or Runes were. Evin asked her what kind of details it was best to imagine, but thetter exined that Evin just needed to think of what needed for something to burn in reality, without the need for magic.


    It was a bit confusing, but the two children still promised to do their best. Especially Evin, who finally found a casting method that resonated with him. He tried many different ways of imagining a fire, but he always felt that there was something missing from his imagination.


    But many failurester, he started thinking of giving up.


    ''Maybe I''m just not cut out for casting spells?'' he thought dejectedly, ''Even this 4th grade girl showed some promise with Chants¡­''


    ''No. I shouldn''t give up so easily. The least I can do is try my hardest, and only then I can give up,'' he said resolutely and focused on his imagination.


    But right after he''d resolved his will, something weird started happening. The Fire energy inside his body suddenly became very active, as Evin could feel that they were starting to work on something. While he was trying to understand what was happening, the pile of paper started to crackle, before it started catching fire. The pieces of paper turned into smoke, but even then, the fire grew taller and taller before it finally burst into an array of sparks and embers.


    <So that''s how it works¡­> the voice muttered and seemed to hum thoughtfully to himself.


    Evin really wanted to ask it if that fire was his doing, but he obviously couldn''t. He looked around the room, and saw the surrounding people all making a shocked face. The most striking was Leanne, who stared at him with a look of uncertainty and disbelief.


    "How did you do that?" she asked after a bit.


    Evin tried to reply, but was unable to. After all, even he didn''t know what exactly happened.


    "I¡­ I don''t know," he murmured, before suddenly falling to his knees. His breathing became rough, and his head felt dizzy. Leanne quickly dashed over to pick him up, though her eyes still contained traces of suspicion.


    "You''ve just overworked your mana-core a bit. You''ll feel better if you rest for a bit."


    Evin wanted to thank her, but the exhaustion seemed to take over his entire body as he could only offer a sigh. Leanne assumed a thoughtful frown the entire time.


    A few minutester, when Evin started to get better, Leanne resumed speaking.


    "With this, we''ll finish for today. Thank you for paying attention to my lesson."


    "If you want to learn further, then you can do so at our Academy. Trust me, you won''t find a better ce to study if you want to obtain knowledge about magehood. And thanks to King Seth''s benevolence, every mage is allowed to study in it for a year without costs and even after that, if you''re talented enough, you might be able to win yourself further benefits. These include more payments for your tuition, more World Shards for your mana-core, and even mary benefits!" Leanne eximed, "That''s right. The kingdom''s willing to pay you money if you study hard enough!"


    "In any case, a new set of sses are going to start the next 15th, so you can inform me of your decision in¡­ let''s see, 10 days," Leanne said smilingly, "But if you want toe before then for whatever reason, be my guest. I''ll be here all year."


    Everyone said their goodbyes and Evin went back home with his father.


    -----

 Chapter 9 - Leanne

    Ten minutester, Leanne arrived in front of a wooden door decorated on the edges with bronze. She knocked on it lightly. She held three files containing information about Eviendra''s background in her hands, thinking it might be useful for the report she was about to give.


    "Come in," ordered a male voice from behind the door, and she entered.


    "Chairman Kent," Leanne greeted the middle-aged man.


    The man sat straightly behind a cleanly arranged stack of papers on a cleanly maintained desk, inside a simrly spotless room. The man''s eyes were rapidly reading through one piece of papers sitting in front of him, before he finally scribbled his signature at the end of it. Finished with the task, he nced at the neer and nodded idly.


    "Ah, Leanne¡­ Sit. Have you found a mage among the batch today?"


    "Two, actually. Out of 21. One boy and one girl."


    "A miracle, then. Blessings of the Empress," Kent''s tone softened, "This necessitates a celebration."


    He then reached out to a drawer inside his desk and pulled out a finely distilled whisky from his personal collection. It was a good enough excuse to drink at work.


    Smiling contently, he then poured it into two sses and gave one to Leanne. Leanne really wasn''t one for whisky, but she epted it regardless. After taking a sip, she continued.


    "Indeed. A blessing of the Empress. One of them managed topel the air to move for her using a Chant¡­ a little girl born as a ve. There weren''t any notable effects of the spell, but that was only her 9th try at Chanting. It was also a long time since I''ve seen someone with such strong affinity with the World of Air."


    "Well, ves do have a knack for Pleading Chants and they usually have a yearning for freedom. Perhaps you can give her an Ivelisi Shardter on, considering she''s not one of those anarchistic types who prefer the World of Fire," Kent said, "If Lady Sufia finds her pleasing, perhaps she can put her in the Heartcasting sses."


    "Of course. Please don''t worry about her arrangements."


    Kon really wasn''t someone high maintenance. Although she was born into a family of ves, they all seemed to love her to the core. Even if she met some trouble in the Academy she still had her family to fall back on.


    Leanne also dug out some information about their owner and found that it was an old schr with a very amiable temperament. A well-educated northerner who was one of the most respected voices in his field of study. Leanne was sure that the old man would be more happy than annoyed at the fact that one of his ves turned out to be a mage.


    Reading through the man''s files, Leanne even decided to personally give the man a visit. She always loved to strike a conversation with such open-minded individuals.


    In one way, living as a ve under such a master was the best way to live. One didn''t have to worry about the moreplex problems of life, only focusing on aplishing their master''s orders. Sometimes they would wonder what it would be like if they could live free and undisturbed, but other than that fleeting moment of reflection, they''d live their life out in a simple, yet fulfilled manner.


    It was almost certain that Kon''s family would face more trouble than happiness, now that their daughter had be a mage. They wouldn''t realize it themselves for a long, but for the weak, being a mage was as much more of a curse, rather than a blessing.


    Kon would definitely need to toughen up to survive in the circle of mages. But of course, Leanne would do her best to help out the little girl. She was even willing to teach her the personally if she deemed it necessary.


    ''She''s awfully charming, after all¡­''


    "Since you''re on the case, I can rest assured. Oh, I heard there was another boy who''s a mage. Was he not up to par?" Kent suddenly spoke.


    ''Ah, the problem child¡­ Heh.''


    "The exact opposite. You may not believe it, but the boy managed to seed at Imagination Casting. A rather poor 2nd grade, who came to the Mage Circle smelling like he''d just taken a bath with rats," Leanne said with a smile.


    The words seemed to stir something in the middle-aged male, causing his rxed face immediately made aplete 180 and stare back at Leanne, perhaps trying to see a joking expression on her face. Finding nothing of the sort, he asked.


    "Go and get me his ounts."


    "It is here. The other two are for his father and his mother," Leanne said and handed over the files.


    Kent read through them and stared back at Leanne with a deadly gaze.


    "Are you sure you''re not joking?"


    "Of course. Truth be told, I''m just as confused as you are. The boy was born between Edmund, a 45-year-old Westerner, and Lora Ssatsko, a 28-year-old woman half-northerner. On his father''s side, there''s not a smidgeon of education to speak of, as the man was originally an orphan. He spent his youth traveling, but settled down a 11 years ago."


    "I can read that myself. The only one that''s remotely suspicious is his grandfather from his mother''s side, Ssatsko Dn, a Hornbearer of the North. But the ounts say that no one from his mother''s side had any contact with the boy whatsoever. They can''t be meeting up secretly to impart knowledge between each other, right?"


    "That''s highly improbable. Lora''s currently living in the nearby Jiha town, more known as simply Smallwall Town and has married to a man named Theor. Ssatsko usually prefers to stay with her for a while, before going back to the North for one thing or another," Leanne exined.


    Kent stroked his chin, an annoyed look on his face.


    "Then how the hell did that boy manage to cast using his imagination?"


    "Who knows? Perhaps it''s the Empress'' will?" Leanne said smilingly.


    "Bah, the Empress'' will. Don''t bring that thing up near me, I''ve grown tired of hearing it," Kent scowled at the mention of the idea.


    "I''m not even joking. The boy''s me not only burned the pieces of paper to ashes, it was five times stronger than the one he created using a Rune, and it also burned on nothing but air for 10 whole seconds," Leanne said, trying to keep the excitement out of her voice, "And it wasn''t like there was any buildup to that point either. The process happened so suddenly, I wouldn''t have believed it if I wasn''t observing his mana-core so intently."


    Hearing the exnation, Kent''s face changed once more.


    "A Child of the Empress?"


    "As likely as that sounds, I don''t think it''s that either."


    "Alright, get to the point. I don''t have all day to guess at your thoughts, nor do I have to. I already have my hands full with my own wife," Kent said with a harrumph.


    Leanne chuckled slightly and started exining.


    "No matter how you look at it, the boy''s still a child. The way he acts, the way he thinks and the way he looks. Even if he is a Child of the Empress and is simply acting in this manner, then it makes no sense for him to create such a grand disy with his spell. Not only that, he''spletely subservient to his father, who very likely takes out his anger on his child¡­ in a very personal, and physical manner."


    "So? Pretty sure half the kingdom''s men do the same. A kid needs a good beating here and there to grow strong and responsible."


    "Indeed... but not if the beatings ur too much. A beating after a crucial mistake is a good way to instill a lesson in your child. But a beating every other day for the slightest of mistakes is definitely not a good method of raising children. A real Child of the Empress would not let such a situation continue for long."


    "Yes¡­ if he was one of the Children of the Empress, then the moment he realized he was a mage, he should''ve left his father behind and sought refuge from us," Kent nodded thoughtfully.


    "Indeed. Hence the reason why I''m calling it the Empress'' will."


    The word really seemed to irk the man, as he scoffed once again.


    "Empress'' will or not, it doesn''t change what we have to do. We can''t let a talent like that waste away his talents in a violent drunkard''s house," Kent said and paused, "You said the boy''s subservient to his father, right?"


    "Mhm. Moreover, the father seems <em>very</em> opposed to the idea of his son bing a mage. I''m sure that ten dayster he''lle and refuse our offer to put Evin in the Academy. I''m sure the boy will refuse under his father''s insistence as well."


    Leanne understood this point very well. She was sure that when the time came, the boy would defer to his father''s wishes, despite his reluctance in it all.


    "Then find a method to separate the two. Perhaps it''s best if we let the father take things a bit too far, before wee in to the rescue¡­"


    "Sure. Leave it to me." Leanne said, but she really wasn''t nning to do anything special. She could''ve went over to the boy''s house and waited for his father to do something to him, but she wasn''t willing to go out of her way for Evin like that. There was a very clear and rather simple solution to this problem, so that was what she was going to do.


    As for why she was willing to go so far for one child, and not for the other, well that was simply because she found one of them very charming and the other one¡­ not so much.


    ''And I still can''t get over the fact that he came over to the Mage Circle in such a state,'' Leanne thought, remembering Evin''s slovenly state, ''I mean, I know it was probably because of his father''s directions, but still¡­''


    -----

 Chapter 10 - Killing Oneself

    Evin stood near the doorway to his home, staring at his father''s figure who was walking down the street. The man informed Evin that he was going to be away for the evening and left. Evin didn''t know why, nor did he care. He was just d he could take some time to be alone in the house.


    After making sure that his father was really gone, Evin went back inside, locked the door with the keys like his father instructed and went to his room.


    "Was that you who did that?" he spoke in a whisper.


    Unexpectedly, he received no answer. By Evin''s guesses, the voice should revel in striking conversation with the boy, especially since it''s been so long since thest proper conversation the two had. Believing so, Evin waited patiently.


    Evin always thought the voice was some kind of parasite in his head, which had no good use whatsoever, so he never resolved to entertain him. Moreover, he didn''t want to do so, because almost every word the voice uttered was one of mocking and disdain. There was another theme where it always tried to separate him from his father. Not only that, it just felt wrong. Evin never really knew why it was so, but every time it spoke, things just felt wrong.


    There was logic in the things it spoke, but they all seemed skewed to benefit whatever nefarious scheme it was thinking inside his head. There were times when the voice taught him lessons and Evin could see the reasoning behind it, but they all seemed to serve an unknown purpose of some sorts.


    Unfortunately, Evin couldn''t guess at the voice''s intentions. He tried to do so ever since he was a child, but he was never sessful. Thus¡­ he decided to ignore it. Sure, he would fail at it a few times here and there, but he''s been making some progress. At least he wasn''t falling into full-blown conversations with ittely.


    But because of today''s incident, that all had to stop. Evin suddenly needed to speak with the voice of his own ord. The voice was knowledgeable about magic. It could so easily aplish the Imaginary Casting that Evin struggled so much with, it could be called a miraculous event.


    ''So miraculous that it could be called one of the Miracles of the Empress,'' Evin thought.


    "Hey, uh, Voice, are you there?"


    <Hmm? Are you talking to me?> the voice repliedzily.


    "Yes, I am. And I''m asking you, was that you who did that?"


    <Did what?> the voice yed dumb, clearly enjoying the situation.


    "Stop ying dumb! Did you cast that giant fire? I know you did, you even said so afterwards!"


    <Ah, that. I guess you could say I did it.>


    "Can you do it again?"


    "Then teach me how to do it?" Evin demanded.


    <Huh?> the voice eximed in a disbelieving tone, <Why would I do that?>


    "What do you mean, why would you do that? You''ve lived in my head for so long, it''s about time you show some of your usefulness."


    <Listen, kid. I''ll exin things to you in the simplest manner possible, alright?> the voice said in his signature mocking tone.


    "Okay¡­"


    <I could teach you all I know about this Imaginary Casting that people are talking about, but frankly, I don''t want to.>


    Evin didn''t understand. The usual voice would be reveling at the thought that Evin had finally be a mage. So since he wanted him to be a mage, then he should also want him to be a good one, right?


    "I don''t get it."


    <My god you''re such an idiot,> the voice sighed dramatically, <Oh, Empress Above, why have you done this to me? Or should I send myins to the woman? ¡­ But I don''t think she''ll be able to hear me¡­ Sigh>


    The voice started speaking gibberish again.


    <Okay, imagine yourself in my position. You''re me and I''m you. Let''s say you try to speak to me over and over and <em>ooover</em> again, but I just never respond. The few times I respond, I tell you to shut the fuck up. How would you feel?>


    "I''d feel bad¡­" Evin replied after a bit, "But it''s not like I have any other choice. If I speak to you I get beaten."


    <You''re speaking to me now, and I don''t see you getting beaten,> the voice hummed. <How weird.>


    "Alright, I get it. My bad."


    <No, no, no. I''m not done yet. All that stuff happened for years and years, but today, you finally be a mage. And coincidentally, I happen to know how to do this Imaginary Casting or whatever it''s called,> the voice said emotionally, <And the moment I be somewhat useful, you suddenly start speaking to me. You don''t even apologize for your behavior all these years and start demanding that I just up and teach you all I know. Are you actually serious?>


    Evin listened to the voice vent and started to feel remorseful.


    <But that''s not the worst part. You see, I know you''re a fucking asshole at heart. If I was raised by a father that only beat me, and I had a voice in my head that always badmouths other people, then I''m sure I''ll be an asshole as well,> the voice paused, <But even if I was an asshole like that, I won''t call someone else as a ''voice''. You never even bothered to ask me for it, but here you go. I have a name and it''s called Endra. It''s not my real name, as I can''t remember that, but I made one for myself using thest bits of your full name.>


    "I''m sorry, Endra," Evin replied to the voice.


    ''But are you willing to teach me or not,'' Evin wanted to ask next, but of course, even he wasn''t that shameless. He needed to say something better sounding.


    "How can I make it up to you?" he said, after some thinking.


    <Alright, whatever. As for how you can make it up to me¡­ You know how you need money to buy things from others? You know how they refuse to give the things if you don''t have money? Same concept here.>


    "You want payment? What would you even need as a voice in my head?" Evin asked.


    <God, I sometimes wonder why you just can''t speak like that to your father. Be snarky with him, be braver, make him understand that you''re not just his punching bag. And if you can''t do that, just fucking run or something.>


    Hearing about his father and thinking about standing against him, a cold sweat ran through Evin''s back. His mouth suddenly felt dry, as his eyes started wavering.


    "And go where? I still need to live in a house and I definitely don''t have enough money to support living alone¡­" Evin grumbled in response, trying to keep the fear from seeping into his voice.


    <You can run towards the mage you met today and just tell her you''re constantly being abused. If they can pull a 4th grade like Kon to the levels of 1st grades, then taking care of you until you''re old enough should be a walk in the park. You''ve heard the woman speaking about protecting mages, right?>


    "Okay, fine. I''ll think about it! Now tell me what you want."


    <Actually, I want you to run to that mage now and do what I just told you,> the voice said tly, <If you can do that, I''ll dly teach you how to start a small fire using magic.>


    "Why is me leaving my father behind so important to you, anyway?" Evin snapped.


    He really didn''t like talking about this topic. One of the reasons why he disliked the voice, was the fact that it always kept bringing up his rtionship with his father.


    <You know why, Evin,> the voice sighed, <For better or worse, I''m stuck here with you. If you''re doing good, then that means I''m also doing good. Because of that, I just want you to have the best life possible. And I''m positive that staying with your father result in theplete opposite of that.>


    "I''ll talk to himter. I''m sure he''ll let me go study in the Academy anyway," Evin said stubbornly. In his opinion, since he could attend the Academy from his home, there was no need for him to run away from home.


    <He-he, you''re really a kid, huh? You seriously believe your father will suddenly turn nice and understanding, waving you off every day as you walk towards the Academy.


    <You know what I think? I think he''lle home drunk tonight and start beating you senseless. He''ll tell you to refuse the mage''s invitation, and if you don''t, he''ll threaten to beat you more. Saying stuff like you can''t escape his influence since you''ll live in his house, or maybe if he''s shameless enough, he''ll pull out the ''I''m your father, so do as I say!'' card out of his ass,> the voice tsked, <I''d really prefer to have a dog as my father rather than that disgusting man.>


    "Shut up!" Evin shouted back.


    <And the saddest part is, you''ll do as he says. I''m positive of it and I''ve epted that it''s going to happen. He''ll beat you and abuse you, but you''ll take it like it''s normal and then go to the mage to refuse her offer,> Evin could almost see the sneer on its face, if it had one. <He-he, don''t worry too much though, the mage obviously has a n in her head.>


    <And just as a heads-up, that woman''s really not the saint she appears to be either. She could''ve let you stay behind for a random excuse and asked you about your rtion with your father. Then you''ll start crying like the little bitch you are and then she''ll put you under the protection of the mages,> the voiceughed, <But no. Remember how she tauntingly told you that it''s okay for you to visit her any time? She wants you to run up to her feet and seek help on your own ord.>


    "She couldn''t have known¡­" Evin murmured.


    <I don''t understand. Why do you need to make excuses for everyone else? Or do you really think it''s not obvious your dad beats you on a daily basis? You know you flinch every time he moves, right? You know you seek confirmation from him every time a decision needs to be made, right?> the voice scoffed, <You really think the world''s full of idiots who actually believe the flimsy act of family you and that degenerate y out?>


    Unable to take it further, Evin ran towards the kitchen and took hold of a knife. He held to his neck and said loudly.


    "Stop talking about my father and tell me how you cast magic!"


    <Ha-ha-ha, or else what?> the voice taunted.


    "Or else I''ll kill myself here and now. I know you can''t stand the idea of me dying, right?! Just shut up and teach me what I want!"


    <Oh, this is rich,> the voice cackled, <Do it, boy. Stick it in your neck, see if I care, ha-ha-ha.>


    "I''m serious!"


    Evin''s hands suddenly jerked pushing the knife into his neck. A sharp signal of pain buzzed through Evin''s head as panic took over him. His breathing became rough and uneven, forehead turning sweaty.


    Carefully, he touched his neck and found drops of blood on his fingers. Evin''s head was suddenly struck by a dizzy spell, as he struggled to see clearly, shaking slightly.


    ''Did I seriously just stab myself in the neck¡­?'' he thought fearfully, as the voice''sugh ringed in his ear.


    <Don''t panic so much. It just grazed your neck a bit is all,> the voiceughed, <I learned something when I was casting magic for you before. If both of us have the same intentions, I can actually take control of your body for a brief moment.>


    Evin''s head was still full of fear, as he searched for some clothing to cover over the wound. Thankfully, there wasn''t much blood flowing out of the wound, so like the voice said, the wound seemed shallow enough.


    <Weird how you take a beating from your father every other day, but you act like this when your life falls in actual danger, huh?>


    Pausing a bit, it continued.


    <I was just reminded of a saying I heard before¡­ goes something like this: ''If you want to die, then throw yourself off a cliff into the sea. You''ll find yourself struggling to survive the cold, violent waters... You do not want to kill yourself. It''s something inside you that you want to kill.''>


    <Awfully fitting for our situation, isn''t it?>


    ¡­

 Chapter 11 - Violence

    Night came like always, as Evinid quietly in his bed, hoping to fall into slumber. But for whatever reason, he just couldn''t do so. His mind was a mix of excitement and fear, as he asionally rolled inside his nket.


    Excitement due to finally bing a mage, and fear due to the conversation he had with the voice.


    But he refused to believe its warnings. His father was not the best father in the world¡­ but he was his father, despite it all. He would understand Evin''s wishes and let him study as a mage in the Academy.


    At that point, Evin wouldn''t even have to worry about the voice teaching him its knowledge. Since It could do it, then Evin should be able to do it all the same. He just needed some extra guidance on the subject is all¡­


    To prove this point, Evin practiced his Imagination Casting for an hour or so in the evening. He couldn''t really achieve anything substantial, but he could feel the Fire energy in his body following hismands to the letter, despite their apparent unwillingness... no, their confusion in it all. It was as if they were highly trained soldiers under hismand, bound to follow his orders, but s, Evin was a terriblemander.


    He could order the energy to move inside his body, maybe expose itself a little and fly around his body, but other than that, there wasn''t much he could do.


    But Evin wasn''t one to give up so easily. Afterwards, he began practicing his Pleading Chants.


    He experienced some sess in this regard. He couldn''t start a huge fire like the voice did previously, but once again, he could definitely feel the Fire energy responding to his words a bit more. He felt that it was mostly because he was all alone in the house, with no one nearby to hear his embarrassing Chants.


    ''The time wille. No need to be impatient,'' he was thinking, when he heard the house lock rattle.


    His father must''ve finallye home, and he must''ve also drunk some alcohol, judging by the excessive rattling of the lock. Finally, the door opened with a creak and Evin heard his father walking towards his own room with unhurried steps, away from Evin''s.


    ''Seems he didn''t drink as much¡­'' Evin thought worriedly.


    As far as he knew, his father had three modes. Sober, drunk, andpletely drunk. Through experience, Evin learned that he needed to avoid making a mistake when his father was simply drunk, as that was when he was the quickest to snap. Sober was a bit scary, but it was just that, scary. Out of these three modes,pletely drunk was the safest one. Evin''s father didn''t even acknowledge his son''s existence during this moment, only worrying about pissing, eating, or sleeping.


    Just like he feared, the footsteps stopped halfway through the corridor, creating an eerie silence. The sounds suddenly resumed, but the footsteps weren''t going away from Evin''s room, they wereing towards it. Evin looked towards the door with fear, briefly wondering if he should''ve hidden behind something.


    A secondter, the door opened with a creak as his father''s slightly intoxicated face popped out from behind the door. He held some kind of vine-like bush branch in his hands, which seemed to be wet, judging by the water drops dripping from its tip.


    <Here ites, he-he,> the voicemented, <He even made himself a makeshift whip, a-ha-ha.>


    "We need to talk, boy."


    "Yes, sir¡­" Evin replied as he got out of his bed.


    "You will refuse the mage''s offer in ten days," his father said.


    "But¡­" Evin began, but was quickly silenced by ash from the branch. Sharp and burning pain came from his side, but Evin managed to keep the shriek inside.


    "Listen to me, boy. You will go to her 10 dayster¡­ and tell her that you will not be a mage. Do you understand?"


    Evin struggled inside. One part of him wished to reveal his heart and thoughts to his father, but another part told him to just do as he said.


    <Don''t tell him you''re going to be a mage or something. Just say yes and save yourself a beating,> the voice seemed to shrug, <After that you can wait out the 10 days without conflict and just leave his ass behind.>


    "Father, I want to be a mage."


    Evin didn''t know why he said that. Was he being stubborn because of the voice? Or was he finally going to be more honest with his father? Whatever it was, Evin knew he needed to brace for the consequences. As he expected, his father swung the branch once more. This time, he hit Evin''s shin.


    "I can''t believe it. I''ve raised and fed you for 10 whole years, hoping to make you a better and responsible person, but to think you''d betray me like this. The <em>first</em> chance you get, you immediately think of leaving me behind and moving on to a more prestigious and powerful person."


    "I don''t have to leave you behind. The country will help us live better. The Academy''s already in this town, I''ll stay with you!" Evin pleaded.


    "You really think those high and mighty mages actually care about you? They only want to help you because you''re useful to them! They''ll dress you up nicely, make you someone better than themon people, but they''ll never let you be better than them!"


    "I don''t get why you want me to rot beside you so much!" Evin suddenly shouted¡­ but he definitely didn''t intend to say that.


    <Surprised? It''s not that you don''t want to say these things, you''re just unused to dering them,> the voice exined with augh. Evin cursed the voice in his head, but he had more concerning problems aside from that.


    "What did you say to me?" the man seemed genuinely shocked by his son''s words, "How am I wrong for trying to keep my son close to me?"


    "I didn''t mean it like that!" Evin hurriedly said, trying to rectify the voice''s intervention¡­ But immediately afterwards he continued without his intent, "I just want to be someone like king Rnd!"


    "You hear the stories about thete King Rnd and you think that he''s a good man, trying to do good for themon people? Are you really that dumb? He just needed disposable tools, ones that could use magic, you understand?"


    <Bullshit. King Rnd was a man who stood against the entirety of the nobility, who only cared about extorting and oppressing the weak. He couldn''t even rely on his own family, as even his father, the previous king of the West, was someone who supported and apuded the nobles'' views. If not, how could the nobles have be so strong and influential in the first ce?>


    "And even if the king was truly a good man, your pathetic dream of bing the next king Rnd is utter garbage, and you know it. Some people are born to royalty, while others are born to cksmiths. Don''t think you''ll be able to jump that gap just because you''re a mage," he threatened, as he hit Evin''s other shin.


    The pain forced Evin to kneel on the floor and helplessly stare at his father. This seemed to irk the man as he swung at Evin''s figure once more. Evin groaned out in pain, but for whatever reason, he resolved himself to be stubborn deep in his head. Even if he were hit a thousand times, Evin would force his father to understand and respect his decisions.


    "Being stubborn, are you? Let''s see what you''ll say after I hit you another dozen times. Since you can''t understand human words, I can only beat it into you like I would do to a dog."


    Evin''s father struck again and again, repeatedly screaming at Evin to refuse the mage''s offer. The boy, on the other hand, was trying his best to make his father understand his determination and willpower. No matter what happened, Evin firmly decided to stay silent.


    -----

 Chapter 12 - Endra In The White Room

    Endra sat on hisrge,fy couch inside the White Room, casually observing the screens ced on the dome surrounding him. The inside of the room was mostly empty, but of course, Endra made sure to create the essential items inside it, like the bed, the couch, the desk.


    The dome was like a giant screen of some sorts, showing everything around Evin''s point of vision, even what was happening behind him. Endra didn''t know how this was possible, but he wasn''t going to care much about it, either.


    Surrounding the White Room was a murky-looking stillke, spanning towards the endless infinity. Every second, countless ripples would appear on the water''s surface, slowly traveling outwards before it met with another ripple and died out. Endra believed that these were Evin''s thoughts.


    Moreover, Endra, as a denizen inside the boy''s mind, could judge how the boy''s mentality was doing by theke''s appearance. For example, he could tell that the boy''s head was muddled and confused, by the murky tone that the waters took. His mind was also exhausted beyond belief, judging by the slow traveling speed of the ripples of thoughts.


    Sometimes the entireke would vibrate slightly, which were signs of Evin''s brain trying to shut itself down. A clear indication of Evin''s shaky mind, but¡­ things weren''t that bad as far as Endra was concerned. The boy was simply functioning on autopilot.


    And besides, all of this was going to end in an hour or so, as the dome''s screens showed Evin walking through the city with his father, heading towards the Mage Circle''s building.


    Ten days had already passed, and Evin had to officially dere his decision to Leanne.


    The boy would asionally nce around the area, seemingly searching for something, but Endra didn''t really know what he was looking for. He judged that the boy was just tired and delirious after that hellish experience he went through under Edmund''s control.


    Edmund had stopped whipping Evin around 4 days ago, instead only resorting to a few ps to the face, but the bruises from before that were still visible for everyone to see. This forced Edmund to buy a new set of clothes for Evin, one which covered Evin from his neck to his ankles.


    ''Sigh¡­ Poor child,'' Endra thought in his own head, ''Not only he''s stuck with a father like that, but he''s also stuck with me in his head¡­ If only I was strong and able enough back then I could''ve influenced Evin to stick with his mother. Lora was such a kindhearted woman; she definitely wouldn''t have made things so difficult for Evin.''


    Endra knew it was a cheap delusion. Edmund wasn''t going to let go of his son.


    But finally, today, Evin was going to break free from his father''s influence¡­ Probably. Leanne was sure to do something. Endra didn''t know what the woman nned to do, but that in itself didn''t matter much. He was here to keep Evin alive¡­ and in his predictions, Leanne was there to set the boy free.


    If the woman turned out to be useless, then Endra would probably need to take some rather extreme measures. Obviously, he didn''t want to resort to these actions, but if the situation required it, he wasn''t going to hesitate.


    Although¡­ the father and the son seemed to have different opinions regarding the subject.


    "What will you say to the mage when we meet there?" Edmund asked Evin.


    "I will not be a mage and I will not study in the academy. I will be happy to stay as a cksmith beside my father," Evin replied immediately, just like how his father trained him.


    "Good, good¡­ But. You''re acting too weird. Calm yourself down," his father said.


    The words and the dissatisfied tone seemed to send chills up Evin''s spine as Endra noticed how the boy''s eyes started twitching incessantly. Theke inside Evin''s head started to vibrate violently, but it soon calmed down under Evin''s own influence.


    "I will fix it immediately," Evin replied and looked a bit more calm. Though anyone with a brain could see that there was something horribly wrong with him.


    "Good, good. With this, I can rest assured," his father said, a hint of pride oozing from his voice.


    ''Disgusting man¡­''


    Edmund was extremely methodical in his beatings. He never hit Evin when the boy acted in a manner eptable to him, but he held nothing back when Evin rebelled even the slightest bit. But after a couple days, Endra could see that the man starting to enjoy the process a lot more.


    And as sad as it was, it worked. Pain and violence were exceptionally effective methods of putting someone under one''s control. Evin was stubborn for the first day, but soon after, the boy couldn''t take it any longer. On the second day Evin was a crying mess¡­ On the third day Evin started resorting to begging and pleading, and on the fourth day, the boy went into autopilot.


    He would''ve awoken after sleeping, but Endra let Evin''s consciousness stay in this state, so the boy didn''t have to live through the experience that vividly. Endra had many tricks up his sleeve. It could be said that Evin was half-sleeping at this moment and the events that were happening to him in the real world would feel like a dream to him.


    <Don''t worry, Evin. Me and that mage will surely save you from the clutches of your father. In fact, after today, I don''t think you''ll even need to call him such in the first ce,> Endra conveyed to the boy, while loosening his grip on the boy''s consciousness slightly.


    The words seemed to shock the boy slightly, with his anxiousness shooting through the rooftop. With every step closer to the magnificent building, Evin''s heart¡­ or should one say, mana-core, would pound harder and harder. Weirdly, Endra found himself wondering why.


    Was it because the boy was afraid of the voice inside taking over once more? Ruining his rtionship with his father in the process? Or was he afraid of the voice not speaking up for him, ruining his chances to be a mage for the rest of his miserable life?


    Sadly for Evin, it didn''t really matter that much¡­ as Endra had already made his choice for the boy. For him, the boy''s concerns and wishes did not matter today.


    <Don''t you worry a single bit¡­> Endra said softly, as the entrance to the building appeared in Evin''s vision.


    A minuteter, they were waiting for Leanne to appear in the fancy waiting room that they visited previously. Edmund would asionally throw a nce at his son, sending a silent reminder for thetter. Eventually, Endra saw the woman appear from behind the same door, a distinctly noticeable half-smile on her face. A nned¡­ practiced smile.


    Leanne nodded at Edmund and her gaze fell on the boy... Her signature smile immediately faltered at the sight, as a look of guilt and regret appeared on her expression.


    ''I suppose she didn''t expect things to go this far¡­'' Endra guessed.


    The mage definitely could''ve helped Evin earlier, but for whatever reasons, she decided not to. Of course, the one to pay for her decision was not Leanne herself, but Evin.


    "Have youe to¡­ enroll in the Academy?" Leanne murmured, still in shock at the sight of Evin.


    "No, I don''t think he will," Edmund replied, a sense of finality in his voice, "I will not allow him to be part of your mage caste. He is better off as a simple cksmith under my guidance."


    "Evin?" Leanne asked.


    Evin was about to reply as his father instructed him, but Endra stopped him from speaking. The boy looked shocked, and stole a nce towards Edmund, only to find a threatening pair of eyes staring back at him.


    <Silence. The only form of resistance you can show...> Endra conveyed from inside his head, <But you don''t have to worry. Silence is enough to save you from your father''s clutches.>


    Endra woke up Evin''s consciousness at this moment, and then affected the surroundingke to put Evin''s mind in a more rxed state. It wasn''t very hard, as the boy himself desperately needed and wanted this peace. Next, Endra did his best to make Evin take on a more reflective state of mind.


    Evin''s mind seemed to clear up slightly, as his tired expression loosened up a bit and time itself seemed to slow down just for him. His tired expression loosened up a bit as many more ripples started appearing in theke, traveling at a speed much higher than what was happening a few minuted ago.


    Endra saw the countless thoughts appearing inside the boy''s mind, and he steered them all towards a single topic.


    Should Evin refuse the chance of a lifetime, stilling his dreams to reach the heights that his precious King Rnd once reached. Or should he stay beside his father''s side, getting abused and worked, while every other child in the street isted and bullied him, where the onlypany he ever had was a half-mad voice in his head.


    Endra knew that the boy was unwilling. Of course, he was unwilling.


    But his father''s influencepelled him to speak lies. The blood tie was like a chain around Evin''s neck, constantly pulling Evin towards his father. The only one who could break this chain was Evin himself. It was meaningless if Endra was the one to break these chains. This was the only reason Endra allowed this violence and ugliness to take ce in the first ce.


    "But not any longer," Endra murmured as he focused on the events outside.

 Chapter 13 - A Simple Solution

    "If the child himself is unwilling, then I won''t force it upon him. But he must say it himself," Leanne said coldly, seemingly holding back the anger inside from boiling out.


    "Evin, stop wasting the mage''s time and refuse. We have things to do at home," Edmund said.


    "I¡­" Evin began¡­ but couldn''t quite continue. Breathing roughly, he looked towards the mage with pleading eyes.


    "The boy''s a bit nervous when ites to these things so he can''t quite express himself well, but I know what''s best for him. Sorry for wasting your time here, mage," Edmund said and grabbed the boy''s hands.


    At this point, Leanne intervened and took hold of Evin.


    "That''s my child you''re holding in your hands, mage," Evin''s father said in a threatening tone and tried to pull Evin to himself.


    <em>"Silence."</em>


    Leanne''s voice seemed to echo inside the room a few times, overwhelming Edmund and shocking Evin awake. Next, she began chanting something else under her breath, but as Evin was standing right next to her, he and Endra could make out the words pretty easily.


    "O, Omniscient Dragon of Origin, grant this lowly woman the hands to heal one''s weary mind."


    The words themselves were simple ones, but there was such a powerful intent and yearning behind it, that Endra couldn''t help but feel awed and enthralled upon hearing it. After the chant was finished, Leanne''s hands took on a silver hue, and she used it to stroke Evin''s messy hair.


    The hands seemed to pervade inside Evin''s mind, as Endra could see a giant silver hand appearing on the edge of Evin''s ''mindke''. Wherever it touched, the murky waters would take on a more lively color and the ripples of thought would be more active.


    Endra stared at this giant hand withplicated emotions, wondering what would happen if he let it touch him. But of course, he wasn''t going to do something so risky for no reason. The most he could do was let it touch the White Room.


    Leanne''s breathing started to be more ragged as fine beads of sweat started appearing on her forehead.


    Endra could sense a euphoric sense taking over Evin''s mind, as theke started taking on a vibrant and colorful hue. All of Evin''s worries seemed to dissipate gradually as the boy''s tense body finally loosened up. His sore jaws became unclenched and his forever sharp eyes took on a softer look for once.


    No more worries of his father drinking back home, no more fears of the man bing violent suddenly, no more confusion regarding the voice''s existence¡­


    Endra saw as Evin''s mind finally falling into bliss, as if the boy had fallen into a beautiful dream, one where he could do anything he ever wanted to. A state Evin should''ve been in through all these years he spent as a child¡­ He could also notice that the boy was trying to fall into slumber judging by the ceaseless vibrations appearing on theke. Endra made sure to keep Evin awake, as there was something very important the boy needed to witness.


    But he couldn''t focus on Evin any longer, as eventually, the giant silver hand reached the White Room. But upon contact with it, they seemed to recoil in fright and shock as Leanne, in the physical world, fell down to the ground with a thud, gasping for air. Her hands started quivering, as she looked towards Evin with such a powerful look of fear and shame that it shocked even Endra.


    He didn''t know what exactly happened, but he knew that whatever it was, it was probably a bad thing. He would rather keep his existence secret, since as far as he was concerned, a talking voice in someone''s head wasn''t really amon thing.


    But there was no need to blow the matter out of proportion now, since Endra could make his decision after evaluating the situation better.


    "Father¡­ You know? I want to be a maage¡­" Evin slurred deliriously, "I want to be like that¡­ the King Rnd¡­ a ruler of the kingdoms."


    His eyes lost its light as he copsed to the ground limply, a broken smile on his lips. With this, theke inside his head vibrated violently for a few seconds before fallingpletely silent. Endra nodded with satisfaction, thankful that his n worked without problems. Now, he only had to worry about Leanne''s reaction to the White Room''s existence.


    "What¡­ the hell¡­ do you do to your child?" Leanne muttered, wiping the tears off her eyes with her shaking hands. She was struggling for breath, and her whole body seemed drenched in sweat.


    Edmund snapped out of his stupor as he looked between Evin and Leanne with his mouth half open from shock.


    "What did you do to my boy? Why is he looking like that?!" he suddenly started shouting, trying to pull Evin out of Leanne''s grasp once more.


    Leanne forcefully shoved the imposing man away from herself, her body emitting a pinkish steam all over.


    "This is the state you''ve forced him to be in! Broken and traumatized, not to mention frightened beyond belief! Do you think I don''t see him flinching with fear every time you make a move? Do you think I don''t see his eyes getting filled with terror every time he steals a nce at your figure?! I asked you. What. The HELL! Do you do to your child?!" Leanne shrieked.


    "No, I didn''t do anything! I-I did the best for him! He just doesn''t understand it yet! No one understands it!"


    "Then exin to me why your son''s, no, why this boy''s brain is harder to fix than the suicidal mind of a fucking war invalid?! Not just any invalid, but one who had his two legs getting eaten by a colony of Myrmis!" Leanne shouted back with a shaking voice, tears streaming from her eyes.


    Evin''s father looked back with confusion, as if he was trying to understand the woman''s words.


    "No¡­ It''s the voice in his head¡­ it must be that! He always hears a voice in his head! It tells the boy to leave me¡­ to kill me! I''m telling you the truth! I tried to get it fixed, but it just didn''t work! The gurus, the doctors, the fucking shamans, they''re all fucking useless! Only I can help him! None of you understand anything!!!"


    Leanneughed coldly at Edmund''s words.


    "Of course he''d a have a fucking voice in his head! In fact, I''d be more surprised if he didn''t have any voices in his head telling him to kill you!" Leanne shouted back.


    "Who are you to judge my rtion with the boy, anyway?" Edmund said and tried to wrestle Evin out of Leanne''s hold once again, "We will be leaving now. Let go of him this instant! That''s my child you''re holding there!"


    As this was happening, the building''s guards busted into the room.


    "Lady Leanne, what''s happening here? I heard shouts and sounds of struggle from inside here and¡­" one of them was saying, before he looked at Leanne''s horrible state and paused with genuine shock and confusion.


    "Guards! Take this man out of this building. Do everything you can to keep him away from this boy!" Leanne shouted.


    "Y-yes, mydy!" the guards were still shocked by the sight, but they still acted quickly under the mage''s orders. They dragged away the screaming Edmund, leaving only Leanne and Evin inside the room.


    Endra, who witnessed everything unfold before his eyes, sighed softly.


    "I guess she mistook my existence as a trauma of some sorts in Evin''s head," he judged. "I guess I''m still safe."


    He then looked at Leanne, who was tightly hugging Evin in her arms. The stream of ckened tearsing from her eyes, her ruined hair and makeup, and her incessantly shaking hands. But the most striking of it all, her eyes which were filled to the brim with regret and remorse.


    "I''m so sorry¡­" she chanted under her breath, "By the Empress'' grace, I didn''t know¡­ Forgive me... Forgive me for not helping you even a day sooner¡­"


    Endra sighed at the sight.


    "Such a simple solution to a problem¡­ but I guess things tend to y out a bit differently in reality, huh?" he murmured under his breath, "Well. All''s well that ends well. Evin will finally be a mage and we''ll eventually find a way to set me free from his mind."


    "All''s fine¡­ if you just don''t count in the tragedy and trauma," he murmured, a tinge of remorse in his heart.


    He definitely could''ve done things better. He probably could''ve even helped Edmund be a better man and perhaps even reunited Evin with his mother someday. Give Evin the loving family that he needed more than most.


    But of course, things couldn''t be so simple.

 Chapter 14 - New Life

    Evin woke up and found himself covered in a soft and very nice smelling nkets, well rested and satisfied. The bed under his body was also quitefortable, nothing like the hard and squeaky one he usually slept on. He felt that he should be more worried about these new developments, but for whatever reason, he just couldn''t make himself care.


    Though of course¡­ this state didn''tst very long, as Evin abruptly peeked his head out of the nket and looked around his surroundings.


    ''Where am I?'' his eyes went wide, as he observed the almost criminally luxurious room.


    Two transparent windows on two of the walls, covered by a silky curtain; the whole floor which was covered in a fluffy looking carpet; a finely crafted desk and chairbo; and not to mention the gigantic bed, which was probably bigger than Evin''s whole room.


    <Have you woken up?> the voice asked from inside his head.


    "Where am I?" Evin murmured.


    <Don''t talk to me so openly. I''m sure this room has a recording magic of some sorts,> the voice said with urgency and exined to Evin what a recording device was before he could ask about it.


    Evin was a bit surprised by the revtion and the existence of such devices, but he still didn''t know what was happening.


    "What''s happening?" he then murmured, genuinely confused.


    <I''m sure the mage will be happy to exin everything to you. And if I''m correct, she''ll be sending someone towards this room pretty soon.>


    As Evin was about to ask what it meant, he heard the door open and saw a young teen dressed in servant''s clothing appear.


    ''Is there seriously such a recording device inside this room? Or else, how would they know that I just woke up?'' Evin thought, and turned a bit wary.


    "Master Evin," the girl greeted.


    "Master?" Evin asked.


    "Lady Leanne told me to bring you to her."


    "Lady Leanne? Am I in her house?"


    ''The voice did mention a female mage¡­''


    The girl ignored Evin''s question and had him wear some clothes from inside the wardrobe. Evin refused, as he saw that most of these clothes weren''t meant to be worn by him, but the servant exined that he didn''t have to worry about these things any more.


    A few minutester, Evin found himself standing in front of a browncquered door that emitted a weirdly calming smell.


    ''Who knew mages had nice smelling doors¡­'' Evin wondered, as he waited for the servant to invite him in.


    The house itself was fancily decorated, but it wasn''t as big as Evin had imagined at first. It was a simple two-story house as the maid described and the room Evin was staying in turned out to be on the second floor. The servant told Evin about the bathroom near his room, another guestroom and two other rooms which Evin wasn''t allowed in: Leanne''s bedroom and her study, in front of which Evin was currently waiting.


    <You should probably greet Leanne with a ''Thank you'',> the voice suddenly said, <She healed your body to the best of her abilities and also did her best to heal your mind.>


    Evin didn''t need the voice''s instructions to say his thanks. But he was kind of interested in what it said next about her, trying her best to heal Evin''s mind. Did that mean that Evin''s mind was ill somehow? Was he seriously crazy? Did that mean that the voice wasn''t real? Most definitely not.


    As he was wondering about these things, the servant from before opened the door and gestured Evin inside.


    Inside the room, rows and rows of books were lined up on practically every wall. Each and every one of them seemed to be old and used, judging by the state of their covers and papers. Aside from that, there was a desk, behind which Leanne was sitting and reading through a file of some sorts. She was wearing a more casual dresspared to the one Evin saw her before, but as always, she looked beautiful in Evin''s eyes.


    Though the woman didn''t seem to feel the same about Evin, as she seemed to frown before she covered her eyes with her hand.


    "Bee, close the door behind you and prepare for lunch, alright?" Leanne asked sweetly, "And please don''t disturb us."


    "Yes, Lady Leanne," the girl, who was apparently a ve, replied with a nod and left the two behind.


    Leanne eyed Evin casually, before gesturing him to sit down. Evin followed the order and sat down on a sofa. At this point, Evin remembered that he needed to say his thanks, but for whatever reason, saying it now felt very awkward.


    ''Damn it, I can''t just stand up again and thank her now¡­'' he decided, ''The chance wille soon, I''ll just thank her then.''


    Leanne awkwardly held a piece of paper in front of her face, hiding her expression from Evin''s view.


    "How have you slept?" she then asked casually.


    "I slept fine¡­ thank you," Evin replied and added awkwardly, "And also, thank you for letting me stay in your house... and everything else."


    "Don''t mind that. I have such a big house; it would be a shame if I couldn''t use it to its fullest," Leanne smiled as she put down the piece of paper that she was holding near her face. It revealed her to be wearing the same expression that she held when she was talking about King Rnd to Evin and the other children.


    "I''m sorry¡­ Could you tell me what happened? I''m very confused," Evin asked.


    "Ah¡­ Hmm, do you not remember?"


    Prompted by the question, Evin was reminded of the series of events that happened after he was dered as a mage.


    The conversation with the voice, his father''s beatings, him being stubborn for a while, and eventually giving up. As for whatever happened next¡­ he couldn''t really remember much. It was as if a wall of some sorts blocked those memories, not allowing Evin to ess them.


    But suddenly, his back started to sweat a bit at the thought of this incident. He felt a strong sense of fear at the thought of these memories, as if there was something unthinkably dreadful behind these walls inside his head.


    "I remember my father beating me¡­ telling me to refuse the Academy. But other than that, I can''t remember much," Evin replied honestly, his voice shaking a bit.


    Leanne heard the answer and frowned slightly.


    "You do remember how I asked you toe meet us in ten days, right?" she asked.


    Evin thought a bit and nodded in agreement.


    "Well, your father came to us, dragging you along. You looked extremely out of it, so I checked your head to see what was wrong¡­" Leanne said and grimaced, "What I felt inside it wasn''t a feeling that a 10-year-old should have. To think that a parent would do this to their own child is¡­ it is unthinkable to me."


    Evin listened silently, wondering what his father had done to him, trying his best to remember what happened. But the more he thought about it, the more he was convinced that something terrible must''ve happened to him. Without his control, teardrops started to form in his eyes and he started to pant a little.


    Leanne noticed this and quickly dashed over to Evin''s side. She pulled him into a hug and silently started weeping alongside him.


    "It''ll be alright¡­" she chanted in Evin''s ears, "I''ll be here for you."


    Evin didn''t shy away from this hug, as something inside him was telling him he deserved and needed it. But that didn''t change the fact that he was confused.


    <Remember how she tried to fix your head using magic? Well, apparently that doesn''te without risks,> the voice exined, <I believe if she fails or stops abruptly during it, it forces her to sympathize with you on a level much deeper than what''s considered normal. I might be wrong though, so don''t take it at face value¡­>


    ''Huh?''


    <But it doesn''t really matter much. It just means that she''ll be doting on you quite a bit these next few weeks, or maybe a few months. It''s definitely not something permanent. She said she''ll grow out of it sometime in the future¡­ For now, just cry your heart out. You deserve it.>


    As Evin was already tearing up, these words were enough to break the dam he was holding inside his heart for so long.


    <Even without your father doing those¡­ <em>things </em>to you ten days ago¡­ you deserve to cry for living through his abuse for so long.>


    ¡­


    Half an hourter, Leanne was using her magic to heal Evin''s bruised eyes, as she spoke about what happened to Evin''s father.


    "We''ve warned mister Edmund to stay away from you from this point on. He''s been added to our cklist for his transgressions against a minor and a mage. Sadly, we couldn''t really push for his arrest, as he''s still your father. But if you are fine with it, you can disown him and try to be independent."


    Evin heard about what''s happened and realized that he didn''t really know what to think about the matter. Now that he''d cried, his head had cleared up a bit so he could think about things more calmly. Since he didn''t know what his father did to him, he decided that it was best to not get scared of the unknown so much.


    "Isn''t it usually the parents who disown their children?"


    "Not necessarily," Leanne chuckled, "There are many cases where the child disowns their parents for various reasons. Especially so if the child is a mage or a noble."


    <It''s alright if you decide to disown Edmund, but remember that will probably put you firmly under the kingdom''s control.>


    "It''s okay. I don''t want to disown him or anything," Evin replied.


    His statement made Leanne frown for a brief moment, but the woman quickly returned to her normal expression.


    "Well, that''s fine as well¡­ I think it''s not something you should decide on without properly thinking about it either."


    An awkward pause ensued between the two, before it was broken by Leanne.


    "Ah, we should talk about your enrollment in the Academy."

 Chapter 15 - Academy Classes

    Evin nodded.


    "Well, I''ll just exin everything from the beginning, as you probably don''t have a clear idea of what you''re going to do in the Academy."


    "Aren''t I just going to learn magic?"


    "You are, but there are a lot of other things you can learn there. Well, we''ll get to thatter. First, I''ll tell you the list of sses you must attend," Leanne began.


    Evin cleared his mind and focused on the mage''s lesson.


    "First and foremost, would be a ss named ''The Applications of Magic''. As you can guess from the name, this will be the ss where you learn about magic and its various uses."


    "After that would be ''The Cultivation of a Mana-core''. In this ss, you will learn about the limits of your own mana-core and how you can go beyond those limits. These two will also be the sses where you can earn yourself a World Shard or two. On average, an Academy student obtains a single World-Shard in a month."


    With this estimation, Evin would have ess to all the Elemental Worlds after a little more than half a year. He also remembered Leanne mentioning Conceptual Worlds, so perhaps he would be able to find a Shard for those as well.


    "The third ss you must attend is ''Arithmetic''. This one isn''t a ss that teaches you about magic, it''s a ss about using numbers to solve problems. Well, you''ll see what it''s about in a few days anyway," Leanne smiled mysteriously.


    Evin heard its name and found it quite exquisite, but sadly, it wasn''t even connected to magic.


    ''What''s the use of solving problems using numbers, anyway?'' Evin thought in his head.


    "The next ss is a choice between twelve. It''s called the World Specialization ss and a student would pick a World for them to specialize in. But since you only have ess to the World of Fire, you''ll automatically fall into the ''Study of Irratas''."


    Evin nodded again.


    "Another ss that you must take is a ss named ''Mage Specializations''. As you can probably guess, some mages are good at some things, while others are good at other things. In this ss, you''ll learn about the many different jobs and specializations that Mages are divided into, and at the end of it, you''ll be asked to join a specialization of your own," Leanne chuckled, "If you choose to be an Enchanter, then you''re probably going to be studying under me."


    Evin was a bit confused about what Enchanters did, but the voice offered Evin his spections.


    <I''m guessing Enchanters specialize in strengthening their bodies with World energies. I''ve seen Leanne cast some spells while you were unconscious and almost always, her hand or body would take on a different hue.>


    "Next, you will learn the Imperial Language and Literature. I know it''s a drag to learn a whole newnguage, but since almost everyone in the World speaks Imperial, it''s almost taboo for mages to be not fluent in it. This year, sses will happen in the kingdom''snguage, but starting from next year, everything will happen in Imperial. Remember that."


    Evin was a bit unwilling, but he knew it was inevitable. Even if he wasn''t a mage, as a 2nd grade citizen, he would''ve been required to at least speak fluently in Imperial. But thankfully, he was practicing since two years ago, so he could at least hold a proper conversation in thenguage. Probably.


    "This is all for your must-pick sses. Students usually pick a ss for chanting as well, so that''s kind of an unwritten rule in the Academy, I suppose. But if you want to, you can just not pick a ss and train your chants by yourself."


    "Lady Leanne, I want to enter the ss for Imagination Casting," Evin said excitedly.


    But the mage didn''t really share his enthusiasm as he shook her head with a sigh.


    "Imagination Casting is a ss reserved for nobles, I''m afraid. Even if I were to rmend you for it, I won''t be able to get you inside it without the noble students'' permission and the instructor who teaches the ss," Leanne''s voice dragged on a bit, "And besides, I''d rather you don''t join those sses in the first ce.>


    "Why is that??" Evin didn''t understand.


    "I''ll tell it to you outright. I''m afraid you will be bullied there. Teenage nobles aren''t really the best that humanity has to offer. In fact, I believe they''re a better contender for the worst."


    <Don''t worry too much. You have me, so you don''t really have to worry about casting magic,> the voice seemed to shrug, <It would''ve been interesting to see the level that other mages stand on, but I suppose we''ll find a chance to see thatter on.>


    "Then I won''t pick a Chanting ss for the time being," Evin replied, though he felt a bit wary of the voice''s tone.


    "If you''re fine with that, then I won''t meddle in your affairs. Other than these sses, you can pick from the optional sses as well," Leanne said and gave Evin a piece of paper, "Here''s a list."


    Evin took the list in hand and started reading. There were two columns on said list: one seemed to contain non-magical sses and the other seemed to contain magical sses.


    [Illusions, History,


    Runes, Politics,


    Mana-beasts, Society,


    Chemistry, Geometry,


    Economy,


    Natural Sciences,


    Northern Lang.,


    Eastern Lang.]


    "I know the magical side is a bit empty, but it''ll fill up after you attend the Specialization ss," Leanne exined, "If you have any questions about the sses, I''ll be happy exin them to you."


    <Ask her what the four magical sses are about.>


    "Could you tell me what the four magical sses teach?" Evin parroted.


    "Illusions, as you can guess from the name, will teach you how to distinguish, disassemble, and bypass illusions. If you possess ess to the World of Thoughts, then you''ll also learn how to cast these illusions yourself. Personally, I rmend you pick this ss, regardless of whether you can cast illusions or not. But most of the time, the students tend to choose it after they''ve gotten the World''s Shard. That''s fine as well."


    "Runes are the stuff you used to cast magic for the first time. Remember how I made you rip a piece of paper in half and your mana-core cast magic automatically for you? Well, in this ss, you''ll learn to corrte a rune''s effects with their depictions. You won''t necessarily learn how to make these rune-imbued scrolls yourself, as there''s a different ss for that."


    Evin nodded and waited for Leanne to continue.


    "Mana-Beasts. Hmm¡­ Have you ever encountered or seen a mana-beast in the wild?" Leanne asked.


    "No¡­ But I did hear many rumors and legends about them. About how they''re immune to normal arrows, able to heal wounds in a matter of seconds, and how a single swipe from the ws and talons are able to shred through stone like they''re butter."


    "Hmm, a bit of an overstatement, but I guess it''s inevitable, as there weren''t any Reckonings in the past century or so."


    "Reckonings?"


    "A kind of mass emergence of Mana-Beasts, I suppose. Well, you''ll learn about it in that ss if you take it. Also, almost everything about Mana-Beasts in general... Hmm, there''s really not a lot to say about this."


    "Alright¡­" Evin murmured.


    "And finally, Chemistry. Well, it''s called Chemistry, but it''s mostly about poisons and poisonous substances and how you can better distinguish them. Add magic into the mix and the subject turns reallyplicated really quickly."


    Evin nodded as he stared at the subjects. He really didn''t know what was better or worse here.


    <History, Society and Natural Sciences are a must. I''m really surprised there''s no Logic, or Rhetoric, but I guess I can teach you these myself¡­ Aside from that, you can pick a ss about magics that you''re interested in. But I''m sure you''ll have to learn about all these subjectster on anyway.>


    Something about the voice''s words tickled Evin''s stubborn bone, as he nned to pick anything but the suggestions it dished out.


    <If you''re thinking you won''t pick these just to spite me, then remember that I have the option to not teach you how to cast magic, yeah?> the voice threatened.


    Faced with the dilemma, Evin sighed and parroted the voice''s choices.


    "I''ll pick History, Society, and Natural Sciences. Also, the ss about Mana-Beasts and Runes."


    "Good choices! Though of course, I rmend you to study everythingter on," Leanne said happily, which made Evin a bit more content about his choices as well.


    "I''ll put you in those sses, so you don''t have to worry about them. For now, let''s eat and then go to your dorm room," Leanne said and they went downstairs to eat.


    ¡­

 Chapter 16 - Ears Without Owners

    After the most wonderful lunch that Evin ever attended and a casual stroll through the streets reserved for the 1st grades, Evin and Leanne approached the Mage Circle''s building from its backside. The building was still very impressive to look at from this side, but it definitely looked a lot nder. Perhaps it was because the giant triangr rooftops didn''t have any windows on the backside, making it look uniformly white.


    But Leanne did not bring Evin to the building itself, rather a shorter four-story building right next to it. Evin guessed that this was the dorm.


    As the two entered, a guard greeted Leanne with reverence and respect. Noticing Evin walking next to her, the guard seemed to note something in his head and went back to doing whatever he was doing before.


    "The first floor is amon area, which includes the lobby, the cafeteria, the dorm master''s room. There'' also the sleeping areas for some of the guards and the servants. You''ll be staying on the 2nd floor with the rest of the boys," Leanne exined as they walked up a stair, "On the third floor, the girls will be sleeping and on the 4th floor, the children of nobility will be sleeping."


    Evin nodded casually, trying to remember theyout of the building as he walked. He was eventually brought to a certain door that read [217].


    Leanne opened the door and urged Evin inside. The room itself was rtively simple, two desks, four chairs, one big wardrobe and two beds. Nothing overly luxurious, like Leanne''s house - no walls that were grandly decorated and no furniture masterfully carved. But of course, it obeyed a certain standard. A standard that stated everything should be t and straight. A standard much higher than what Evin was used to.


    For him, it was normal for some parts of the wooden frame to be rotten; it was normal for the floor to be creaking, and it was normal to have parts missing from the walls and the ceiling. A perfectly level room like this one was something that was only reserved for the rich and noble.


    "Here''s a map for the dorm and the Academy building," Leanne smiled and gave Evin a piece of paper with highly detailed exnations, "If you have any questions, don''t be afraid to bother the servants and guards. They''ll be happy to help you out. If someone asks for your origins, tell them you were enrolled under my name."


    "I will."


    "There are two sets of Academy uniforms inside the wardrobe and four sets of casual clothes. I hope you''ll agree with my sense of fashion, he-he. I''ve also gathered some day-to-day necessities for you to use in the bathroom over there, but if you want something else, then there''s also a pouch with 1 golden coin and 100 silver coins. You can use them however you wish and if you find yourself in desperate need of coins, you can bother me for more."


    "That''s too much money!" Evin replied hurriedly, imagining the amount that was stated.


    "No sweat off my back. I don''t have much use for them anyway and I''m happy to help you out. Truth be told, I wanted to keep you in my house for a month or so until you got used to things¡­ but some stuff happened... and I was unable to," Leanne exined and gave Evin a hug, "But, if you want to, doe over to visit sometimes. You''ll always be wee in my household."


    "Thank you, Lady Leanne. For everything."


    Leanne gave Evin a kiss on the forehead and rubbed his head yfully.


    "Alright, I''lle pick you up at noon tomorrow. There will be an Opening Ceremony of some sorts for the new students," Leanne said and gave Evin the dorm room''s key, "Oh, there should also be another boy who will be staying with you, so you can expectpany. Hope you get along!"


    The woman walked off with that statement, leaving Evin alone in the room. Evin looked towards her back wistfully, wondeiring how such a kind and beautiful woman could exist. He looked around the room thoughtlessly, before sitting down on the bed.


    <Gather your new items and check whether they have the recording devices of any kind,> the voice ordered.


    Evin thought that it was a bit too paranoid, but feeling that he should at least be prudent, he walked to the wardrobe and saw a few sets of clothes inside it. There was a small pouch on top of it as well, and Evin could see the coins bulging from the side.


    Unable to still his curiosity, he opened the pouch and saw the huge amounts of silver coins inside. These coins were minted in the thinnest manner possible, and they depicted a thick line ornamented with weird symbols all over its body. The ck Tower. The tower in which the Empress resided.


    The copper coins that Evin was more used to, didn''t really depict anything, simply possessing a number one, written in Imperial.


    Evin dug through the stacks of coins, before his eyes fell on the golden one. To think that this single coin was equal to all the other coins inside this pouch¡­ it was a hard concept to grasp for Evin. Even with a single silver coin, Evin would be able to live like a king for a week.


    Would this one possess the face of the Empress? Curiously, Evin inspected the coin and found he was right. A side shot of a face was depicted on the thin golden coin¡­ but Evin didn''t really see the celestial beauty that he expected to see. Sure, the face was beautiful, but some could argue that Leanne had a more beautiful face, and they would still be correct.


    ''But I probably shouldn''tpare the face of a goddess with the face of a normal mage¡­'' Evin shook his head and searched for these recording objects that the voice asked him to search for.


    Finding nothing of the sort, he went to the bathroom that Leanne pointed at and looked through the items that were given to him. Most of them were hygiene rted stuff aside from one water sk, but Evin wasn''t able to find anything suspicious.


    <Hmm, try searching under the beds and over the wardrobes. I could be wrong, but it just feels weird here,> the voice insisted.


    Evin could onlyply, as the voice was the only thing that could teach him magic for now. He searched every corner of the room, before his hands felt the ruffling of paper while he was trying to reach the top of the wardrobe.


    <I think that''s it! Don''t make too much noise and pull it down here. Let''s see what it shows.>


    ''What the hell, there''s actually something here?'' Evin thought, half-hoping some dumb drawing of some sorts to appear on the paper.


    Carefully, he picked the square-shaped paper up and held it in his hands. In the center of the square was a symbol of some sorts, depicting a dot surrounded by a bunch of wavelike lines colliding into it. All the other symbols were drawn around it, connected to the center symbol somehow. Shocked that the voice was actually right about the recording device, he inspected the intricate drawings on it.


    The paper and ink used to create the thing didn''t seem normal either. It definitely wasn''t simr to the rune that Evin used to cast magic which was practically exuding energy from it. Compared to that, this one felt sturdier and moresting.


    <This is exactly the same as the thing that a mage put inside your room. This center most drawing should be a rune for gathering sounds. In fact, all these other drawing should be runes as well, but they seem kind of unimportant to the eyes,> the voice murmured, <Well, it doesn''t really matter that much. Search the room again! It wouldn''t be weird if there are more than one of these things.>


    Evin was a bit unconvinced, but after searching the room, he found two simr papers, one tucked under a bed and one hidden behind a mirror in the bathroom.


    At this point, Evin was properly confused. Who was so interested in him that they''d put three of these magical items in his room? What the hell was happening here?


    <Hmm¡­ We could''ve just torn it up and forgot about it if there was only one, but three means business. Three means that they''re not going to stop until they find whatever it is they want to find,> the voice murmured.

 Chapter 17 - Doctors And Delusions

    ''What''s going on here?'' Evin thought as he stared at the three papers with fear and confusion.


    Was he really someone who warranted such strict observations? Who found him so interesting that they''d leave not one, but three, of these things inside his room? What the hell did they want from him? Was it the voice they wanted? They why don''t they just take it? Evin didn''t want the thing in his head.


    A weird buzzing sound appeared in his ears alongside the muffled shouts that came from inside his head.


    However, Evin didn''t care about these things. Instead, he found himself looking around the room, searching for something¡­ or rather, someone. He didn''t know why he was doing this, considering who the man was¡­ but nevertheless, Evin found himself wanting to see this person. Even if the slightest thought of his father instilled primal fear and worry in his heart, it felt <em>right</em> for Evin to be near him. But for better or worse, there was no one else in the room beside himself.


    "Oh¡­ I''m all alone now¡­" An empty whisper escaped his mouth.


    <Snap out of it!> the voice''s muffled shouts finally became clear.


    <I''m here for you! This whole thing''s bit messed up, but there''s no need to panic now! Just do as I say! Now!>


    Strangely, the order calmed Evin a bit, as he felt that his mind had gotten a tiny bit sharper than a moment ago. His eyes fell on the three papers again, and he was reminded of the problem he was currently facing.


    <Finally calmed down?> the voice sighed and after thinking for a bit, it told Evin what to do,


    Calming himself down a bit, Evin carefully put the two others where they were and then picked up the 1st with the most natural confused sound he could manage.


    He then walked out of his new room, called for a servant, which happened to be an old man of some sorts, and showed him the paper.


    "Sorry, sir. I found this in my room. I think the previous tenant left it behind," Evin said, barely keeping his voice from cracking.


    The old man looked at the piece of paper with some curiosity, before his expression turned into shock. He seemed to mouth an ''Oh, shit¡­'' before doing his best to wipe off the shock off his face. Turning to Evin, he epted the paper with respect and professionalism.


    "Alright, I''ll see that this falls into the proper hands," the old man said in his most casual tone, before adding on sheepishly, "Don''t worry about it, young mage!"


    The servant''sical actions loosened Evin''s tense mind a bit, as he walked back into his room with a thanks.


    <If you want to speak with me, you can pile a nket around the piece of paper under the bed and speak to me in whispers. Since they put these things in rtively open spaces, it means that they can''t listen through objects. If it wasn''t so, I refuse to believe that a proper Earth Mage wouldn''t just put the damn thing inside the walls and get things over with.>


    Evin nodded, tucked a bunch of nkets around the bed, and went to the other corner of the room.


    "What the hell is happening? You said something about seeing someone put something simr in Leanne''s house?" he whispered.


    <They did. Or at least one person did. I saw them sneak into your room through the window and leave something simr under the bed.>


    "Why is this happening? I don''t understand why I''d garner so much attention on me..."


    <I can''t say for sure, but the only guess I can make is that they''re doing all this because of the Imagination Casting I performed during the Awakening thing.>


    "What do you mean?" Evin asked.


    <Remember how Leanne said that Imagination Casting sses are only for nobility? What that likely means is that it''s not allowed for anyone other than nobility to do the same things,> the voice said, and trailed off a bit, <Ah, now I can kind of see why they''d be this gung-ho about some random 2nd grade being able to Imagination Cast¡­>


    "What are you talking about?"


    <Alright, I''m in a good moodtely so I don''t mind exining things to you. You''ll do well to know about it, as well,> the voice said gleefully, <For someone to cast spells using their imagination, they would need to possess a rather advanced set of knowledges. Pretty sure the noble''s children learn those things from a young age, but that kind of education is simply impossible for a random cksmith''s son to possess.>


    "Does that mean it''s illegal for me to cast magic like that?"


    <No-no. It just means you know things that you''re not allowed to know.>


    "But I don''t even know these things that I''m not allowed to know," Evin suddenly thought it unfair, "You still haven''t taught me how to cast magic like you promised."


    <First, I promised you to teach magic if you ditched your father''s ass behind by your own will. Did that happen? I don''t think so,> the voice seemed to sneer.


    Evin was about toin, but the voice continued.


    <But... I suppose you''re free from his influence in the end, so I guess it''s okay. Alright, I''ll teach you how to cast a ball of fire.>


    Evin stopped hisints from leaking out and expectantly waited for the voice to continue.


    <It''s very easy,> the voiceughed, <Whenever you want to create a ball of fire, whisper ''Fireball'' and I''ll create a ball of fire in front of you. As a bonus, I''ll even aim it at an enemy if you''re in a fight or something.>


    Evin sat in the corner silently¡­ trying to process what the voice just said to him.


    "What?"


    <What do you mean what? It''s super easy, isn''t it? Just whisper a word, and I''ll do my best to follow yourmand. You should find it an honor, by the way. I don''t really let anyone order me around.>


    "But you told me you''d teach me how to do it by myself!" Evin hissed.


    <I told you I''d teach you how to cast magic. I never said anything about teaching you how to do Imagination Casting independently.>


    "You lying piece of shit!"


    <I just exined to you why I didn''t lie, you fucking mongrel. If you don''t like it, you can go beat your past self for being such an idiot.>


    Evin wanted to curse and rage at the voice, but knowing that there were people listening to him, he controlled his anger. Taking deep breaths, Evin went silent, thinking how he could get back at the voice for this.


    ''Since he likes being such a smartass, I''ll do the same to him,'' he thought.


    "If you don''t teach me about it, then I''ll talk to Leanne about your existence. I''m sure she''ll be able to get rid of you one way or another."


    <He-he, you can try it out. I''m sure that will go ording to whatever n that you have in your head.>


    "Stop bluffing. I know you''re scared shitless of getting found out. If not, why would you ask me to be whispering in the corner here."


    Now that Evin thought about it himself, why was he sitting so far away from the recording rune or whatever it was called, trying so hard to keep the voice''s existence under wraps. Wasn''t it his goal to get rid of the voice once and for all?


    <Well, if you really want to expose me, then you can do so. There''s not much I can do about it either,> the voice said with a calm sigh. <But do remember to think carefully about the oues.>


    Evin scoffed at its threateningment.


    "I''m a mage now. I can seek help from the mages. I''m sure they have a method to get rid of you once and for all. In fact, I''m positive that there''s at least one mage with the ability to deal with you among the thousands in their league."


    <Unfortunately for you, life doesn''t work like that. If you suddenly reveal a talking voice in your head who can cast magic for you, the chances of you being thrown into a mental asylum are much higher than the chances of someone actually helping you out. Maybe if you''re especially unlucky, they''ll treat you as a free guinea pig to test out their fancy magic.


    <Oh yeah, remember that time your father brought you to that doctor who imed he could rid your head of the voices inside? Remember that?> the voice''s tone took on an awfully gleeful mood.


    It really loved this story. And as much as Evin hated thinking about it, a memory of a certain incident started emerging in his head. A man holding a needle and a hammer, swinging them around dangerously close to Evin''s head.


    <He wrote down the list of symptoms on a nice little paper, took a good look at it for a few seconds, before taking another good look at you. Then, in all seriousness, he offered to drill a hole in your head... to let the voices slip out. No-no-no, wait. He didn''t even say he was gonna fucking drill your head,> the voice started cackling tedly.


    <He... He put a... what''s it called, a needle next to your... fucking head... and offered to... gently... yes, gently... peck the needle through your skull... with his trusty lil'' hammer,> the voice started to wheeze uncontrobly at this point.


    Evin listened to the voice giggling by itself for a minute straight, seething with annoyance. Finally, he heard a sigh of pure satisfaction and delight from the voice. One that people tended to do after a nice, heartyugh.


    <Holy fuck, I love this story... Thank god the man was as greedy as he was insane. I''m sure if his price was a bit cheaper, then you really might''ve had a hole next to your head,> the voice finished.


    "Fine, I get it. But mages are different!" Evin replied stubbornly.


    <Ugh, whatever, Evin. You can go take a walk around the Four Nations for all I care. I''m sure you''ll find a mage capable of getting rid of me eventually,> the voice said annoyedly, before its tone turned animated once again, <Actually... you don''t even have to search so far to meet such a mage. You can just go to the ck Tower and ask the Empress to fix you up. See how that works out for you.>


    Evin wanted to reply but found himself stuck on the thought.


    ''Would the Empress be willing to help me out?''

 Chapter 18 - The Act Of Burning

    The stories depicted the Empress as someone omnipotent and omniscient. An Overlord above the Four Nations, unmatched by anyone under the heavens. Her single word outweighed thebined wishes and needs of every individual of the world; and her desires always took precedence over anything else that was happening in the World.


    On the rare asions when the Empress told a story or an idea, the citizens of Alvox sang it. The countries and the people were always happy to hear the goddess'' thoughts and then spreading it. After all, pleasing the Empress was considered the most sacred of achievements that a denizen of Alvox could aplish. Conversely, anyone who opposed her wishes found themselves the subject of scorn and ridicule, or perhaps even, murder.


    How could these people even think of thinking against the Empress, Evin didn''t know. The only thing he was sure of was that if the Empress decided to cull a race to extinction, then it was the race''s fault for existing. A goddess had no faults. The Tragedy of Dragonshifters was the perfect example of this. The powerful race of half-dragons thought they were above the Empress'' rule, but they very quickly learned how wrong they were. A lesson they paid for with their lives and sanities.


    But it wasn''t like the Empress was a bloodthirsty tyrant, or a despot who enforced her rule over everyone. No. It was theplete opposite. Aside from some incidents where she needed to act personally, the Empress rarely ever bothered to show her face to the Empire''s people. She simply lived inside the ck Tower, unbothered by whatever the mortals beneath her were doing.


    The people under her, of course, soon got used to these arrangements. They realized that as long as they didn''t challenge the Empress'' rule directly, they could literally do whatever the hell they wanted. Apparently, they could even dere themselves a separate Empire, so long as they didn''t bother the Empress herself.


    War and massacre urred between the races and nations, the bnce of power inside the Empire shifting with each new day. Even today, these struggles continued. As far as Evin was aware, the Western Kingdom was still at war with the Southern Isles, fighting against the Griffins, the Colossi and the Myrmis that were pushed towards those barely habitablends.


    asionally, the people begged the Empress to take helm over the countries, to set things straight. To bring peace and prosperity to the world of Alvox. ording to Evin''s father, these incidents usually happened after a great war or some other tragedy caused by the mages.


    But faced with such a choice, the Empress did not agree.


    Of course, the people tried to convince the Empress to rule over them. But¡­ How was one supposed to convince a goddess? What did mortals possess to pique the interest of a literal deity? An immortal, omnipotent, and omniscient woman?


    The answer was obvious. They couldn''t.


    Even if they offered her everything the world had to offer, who was to say that the Empress couldn''t just create these things for herself. Who was to say that she couldn''t create another world just like this one? She was almighty and omnipotent, after all.


    The Empress did not care for the difficulties and fascinations of mortals. Not to mention the troubles of a random cksmith''s boy.


    So, would the Empress be willing to help out Evin?


    No. Of course not.


    It wouldn''t even be weird for Evin to die for this act of his, as some zealous admirers of the Empress could take it as a transgression to the Empress of some sorts.


    ''So, if I meet a mage who could help me, would they be even willing to help me?'' the thoughttched onto Evin''s head.


    <I keep telling you, Evin. We''re stuck together,> the voice chuckled right after Evin finished thinking about the matter.


    It always seemed to know the best timings to speak. Evin sometimes even wondered if it could read his mind, but that did not seem to be the case. He didn''t have a proof of it; he was just very sure of it.


    <And I''m not trying to brag, but I''m a veeery special being. I''m sure the average mage can''t even grasp my existence, let alone get rid of me. Just look at Leanne, she scoured your head five times while you were asleep, but was she sessful in finding me? No.>


    <Moreover, even if you manage to meet such a mage, I''m sure they won''t move for you so readily, either. They''ll demand a price, one that you probably can''t afford.>


    ''I swear to the Empress, I''ll get rid of you one day¡­'' Evin cursed in his head.


    <It''s best for the both of us if we get along. And I know I''ve been acting like an asshole, but there''s a proper reason why I can''t teach you how to cast magic,> the voice chuckled.


    "What?"


    <I could teach you how I cast using your imagination, but I''m sure you won''t be able to do it even if I teach you exactly what to imagine, down to the tiniest details.>


    "You won''t know until you try?" Evin urged.


    <Sigh, alright. Gather some Fire energy in your core,> the voice ordered.


    A momentter, Evin''s body was feelingfortably hot, the energies flowing alongside the blood inside his body.


    <Now, look around yourself. What are you surrounded with?>


    "The room?"


    <No-no. Hmm, what''s your fingertip touching?>


    "Nothing?" Evin asked, confused by what the voice wanted from him.


    <No, you''re touching the air.>


    "But the air itself is nothing, isn''t it? What are you talking about?"


    <Stop talking so loudly,> the voice reminded and continued, <And no. Sorry to ruin your worldview, but the air is made of tiny particles that are invisible to the human eye. It''s not just made of nothing.>


    Evin was too confused, so he could only let the voice continue exining.


    <And one of these tiny particles is what helps things burn. I don''t know how it''s called by others, but as far as I''m concerned, it will be called oxygen. To put it simply, if there''s no oxygen in the air, things can''t burn. There''s also the problem of fuel, but after I tried it out thest time, I understood that the magic in this world allows for some leeway in that regard.>


    "Uh-huh¡­" Evin hummed, trying to remember what the voice was saying.


    <In any case, try to create fire out of nothing. First, you must imagine these oxygen particlesbusting spontaneously. So, you would need to order the Fire energy to set these tiny particles on fire, or maybe an imaginary fuel on fire.>


    Evin nodded and dubiously ordered the Fire Energy to do his biddings. Although he didn''t really hold much faith in what he was doing, he imagined the tiny particles in the airbusting spontaneously and creating fire. But, just like he half expected, nothing happened. Before he was about toin to the voice, it murmured in an understanding tone.


    <As I suspected¡­ It doesn''t work for you, since you''re not believing in what you''re imagining.>


    "What are you talking about?"


    <If a mage does not believe in the things he''s imagining himself, then the World energies wouldn''t bother to help you... is what it means. So, as long as you''re not convinced that the air is made of tiny particles like these, then you''ll never be able to cast magic like me.>


    "Are you just bullshitting me?" Evin finally voiced his suspicions.

 Chapter 19 - Dormmate

    <As much as I''d love to, no. But I could try proving it to you. Whisper ''Fireball'',> the voice said.


    "Fireball," Evin whispered and then immediately felt the Fire energy inside him bing more active.


    <I first order the energies to create a spark of fire in the air through thebustion of an imaginary fuel.>


    As the voice exined the process, Evin felt the Fire energy piling towards a certain spot in the air and then a spark of fire burst into existence.


    <Then, I order the Fire energies to pull the oxygen inside this room towards the fire, which prevents the fire from dying out.>


    Just like the voice said, Evin could feel the Fire energies pulling a certain part of the air towards the fire, which seemed to help it burn continuously. The ball of fire floated in the air for about a minute before dying out.


    But after it was gone, Evin noticed that something about his body was very off. His head felt sluggish, his breath became short and ragged, and he could feel his chest beating faster and faster. Before he could understand what was happening, the voice''s orders came in.


    <Go open the window.>


    Evin did as it ordered and as he opened the window, he felt a draft of fresh air hitting him all at once. He stood near the window for a few moments, savoring his breaths as the voice exined what happened.


    <Oxygen, on top of its ability to burn things, is also what keeps your body functioning normally. So, since I deprived the air here of its oxygen, your brain started shutting off, your body started bing disoriented; and if it kept happening, your skin would slowly start taking on a pale, bluish hue. Eventually, you''ll die as your brain ceases to work. You know how people suffocate to death inside water, right? It''s because theyck oxygen,> the voice said and chuckled to itself, <Well, that definitely wouldn''t be the least of a drowning man''s problems, so I guess that''s a bit of a shit example.>


    Evin started to feel a little better, and he walked back to the corner, away from the hearing device. He gathered some Fire energy inside his mana-core and tried to recreate what the voice did.


    Miraculously, he managed to create a spark of fire this time. Well, this seemed to be the easiest part, as the fuel for this fire was apparently imaginary. So, there was no need for Evin to know something so specific and unimaginable, like the air consisting of all these tiny particles. But when it came time to keep the fire burning, Evin failed miserably.


    He tried again and achieved the same results.


    <Well, since you''re still young and more open to new ideas, you''ll eventually get the hang of it. And until that point, you can leave casting magic to me,> the voice sighed.


    "If you could exin everything like this, then why did you have to act like that towards me in the first ce?" Evin couldn''t help but ask.


    In his mind, there really wasn''t and reason for him and the voice to argue so heatedly before this, especially if the voice was nning to just exin everything, anyway.


    <I get bored inside your empty head,> the voice said matter-of-factly. <Terrorizing you is the only entertainment I have.>


    Evin could only sigh at the remark, understanding that the voice just wanted to bully him.


    ''The voice is definitely an asshole, but he''s actually quite helpful¡­'' he suddenly had a thought.


    <Remember that our goals are the same. You want to get rid of me, and I want to rid myself of you. Like you said, I refuse to believe that there''s no method in the world that can help our situation. When we be a mage, we can take our time to find that perfect method. Preferably without losing our freedom. Understand?>


    "Alright."


    <Well, don''t worry about the small stuff now. You can clean up the room and maybe work on your Imagination Casting. Even if you don''t find sess with it, it wouldn''t hurt to practice our imagination. If you want to ask something from me, you can write it down on a piece of paper.>


    Evin did as the voice said and after he was finished, he sat on top of the bed, and prepared to practice the new form of Imagination Casting he''d just learned.


    But just as he''d gotten onto the bed, he heard some noiseing from the corridors outside.


    "217¡­ this one seems to be it," a man''s muffled voice sounded in the room.


    "Yep, I wonder how the rooms look like inside?" a younger voice, most likely some boy of Evin''s age, said with excitement.


    Then, Evin heard a key being inserted into the lock and the door opened, revealing a bright-red haired boy with a very imposing stature. The boy''s height suggested he was 13, maybe even 14, and his bulky body was a great indicator for his great physical strength. And with a grin on his face, the boy took notice of Evin''s figure.


    "Oh, you must be my new roommate!" the boy eximed before dashing next to Evin''s side, "My name''s Arza! What''s yours!?"


    Looking at the boy''s extended hand in front of him, Evin hesitantly grabbed it and introduced himself.


    "I''m Evin, uh, are you a 2nd year, or a 3rd year student of the Academy?"


    "No, of course not! I''m just a 1st year just like you! I''ve been very excited to enter the academy ever since I turned 10st month, aha-ha. Though, why would you think otherwise?" the boy, Arza, asked with augh.


    ''What? 10?'' Evin looked at the boy once more, unable to believe the boy''s ims.


    "Arza, stop making such a fuss," the manmanded from the door.


    Evin looked over and saw a tall, rugged man with an array of tiny scars on one side of his face. He also possessed a red-colored hair, but his was a browner red, almost bordering on brte. But aside from all those, there was another detail about the man, that Evin just couldn''t ignore.


    The man''s left hand waspletely reced by what seemed to be a metal prosthetic, which sometimes emitted a light hiss of steam from the joints. But although Evin knew that something terrible must''ve happened to the man to need such a prosthetic, he also couldn''t help but think that the metal hand was cool as hell.


    "Heh, you want my arm as well? I can offer you a deal if you want," the man said, noticing Evin''s stare.


    "Oh¡­ No! I''m sorry for staring like that!" Evin apologized with panic.


    "Ha-ha, don''t mind it too much. Everyone acts the same when they see it, so I''m already used to it," the man shrugged and extended his good hand towards Evin, "I''m Aran, by the way."


    "Nice to meet you, mister Aran," Evin said, as he shook the man''s hand.


    Aran put down his stuff and his eyes slowly scanned the room. Then, when his eyes fell on the bed, his casual smile turned into a frown, as he walked over to reveal the piece of paper that Evin found earlier on.


    "A Talisman of Listening¡­" Aran murmured, "When will those guys ever leave me alone?"


    <Oh¡­ So we weren''t the targets of these Talismans?> the voice hummed.


    Aran then walked over to the bathroom and dug out the other talisman that was hidden in the room.


    "To think they''ve actually left two of these things in your room¡­" he said as he ripped apart the two pieces of paper.


    Evin noticed how a wave of mana escaped the two papers, as they were ripped, making the room seem more full with the magical substance.


    Aran then brought the two pieces of paper to Evin and Arza, and started exining.


    "If you ever see these things around you again, just rip them off and throw them away, alright? And also, look out for simr Talismans with these drawings on them."


    Aran then drew two different drawings, one that depicted an eye of some sorts, and one that depicted two thin rectangles, one white and one ck, though it was considerably smaller than the white one. He exined that the first one was a Talisman of Seeing, and thetter one was a Talisman of Following.


    Then, turning to Evin, he said sincerely.


    "I''m sorry that you got caught up in my problems. I''ll talk to the authorities to make sure that something like this won''t ever happen again, but if you ever see something suspicious happening around you, you can tell them to Arza and he''ll tell them to me, alright?"


    Evin nodded, but couldn''t help but ask, "What''s going on here?"


    "I''ve had a debt to the kingdom. Ipensated them fully for the debt, but they still act as if I haven''t paid them back a single copper. At this point, it''s just embarrassing of the country," Aran sighed, "Alright, you two can get acquainted while I get this thing sorted in the meantime¡­ Actually, since you''re basically settled, I''lle back tomorrow to pick you up for the Opening Ceremony."


    The man said his goodbyes to Evin and then teased Arza yfully before leaving.

 Chapter 20 - Arza

    Evin was left inside the room, hearing the voice''s thoughts on the matter.


    <That part about him having paid his dues was probably bullshit, but he seems like a nice enough person. At least he exined his situation to us and warned us what to be careful about¡­> the voicemented, <If I was him, I''d probably try to gloss over the subject instead of exining it to us¡­>


    Evin nodded subtly as he stole a nce at Arza, who was standing near the window, looking at something.


    <Though, I really don''t know what''s the point of leaving this Talisman of Listening in his son''s dorm room. Are they trying to kidnap Arza and then demand he pay back his debts?> the voice murmured.


    <Well, that''s not our problem. Let''s just hope they don''t involve us in it somehow. And besides, there''s still someone out there spying on us, otherwise, there wouldn''t be a need to put the same talisman in Leanne''s house¡­ And now that I think about it, the surrounding drawings on those talismans differed a little, didn''t they? The two that he ripped looked almost identical, but the one we put out looked a little¡­ rounder?>


    Evin remembered how the three Talismans looked, and sure enough, he remembered thinking how one of them looked a bit weirdpared to the others.


    <This means that there are two parties with unknown intentions, one that''s hounding Aran and one that''s observing us¡­ Sigh, there''s no point in mulling over this topic now. We''ll eventually learn what everything''s about¡­>


    Evin was still quite distraught, but since things weren''t as mysterious as they were an hour ago, he had calmed down a fair bit.


    "Hey, are you from this city?" Arza asked suddenly.


    "Yeah, from the 2nd grade district. You?" Evin replied.


    "I''m from the nearby Smallwall town. Have you heard of it? I think the proper name for it is Jiha Town, though," Arza smiled.


    "Oh, it''s somewhere to the North, right?"


    "Uh-huh, a day''s travel by a carriage."


    A brief silence ensued. The red-haired boy didn''t really seem to mind it that much, but Evin felt a bit ufortable, so he started asking some random questions.


    "By the way, is your father a mage? Considering he''s so knowledgeable about these Talismans and whatnot."


    "Yep. He''s a graduate of the Arcvallen academy. He was talented enough to pass their entry examinations, even though he wasn''t a noble, and he was also one of the smartest students at the time. Cool, isn''t it?" Arza smiled.


    Arcvallen was the capital of the kingdom, so of course, their branch of the Academy was probably the most prestigious of them all. It was basically where all the talents in the kingdom gathered. So for Aran to stand out from among those countless prodigies, then he really was someone to be respected.


    "If you don''t mind, can you tell me about it? This debt of your father''s," the man''s origins made Evin a bit curious about what the deal with him was, so he decided to try and ask.


    "Dad doesn''t allow me to tell others about it, especially mages, so sorry," Arza replied, "But if you''re worried about today''s stuff¡­ well, you don''t have to worry much. It''s something that happens all the time."


    It was a shame, but Evin couldn''t push further with his questions when he was so clearly refused.


    "No, it''s fine. Sorry for asking."


    "Ha-ha, why would you apologize for asking questions?" Arza asked with augh, "My father always said that to be a proper adult, one had to question things endlessly. They just had to be careful of not overstepping one''s boundaries."


    <Great advice¡­> the voice tooted.


    "How about you? What about your family?" Arza asked casually.


    Evin was a bit taken aback by the question, but he quickly calmed himself down and started speaking.


    "I usually live with my father, but I can''t visit him for now. Thankfully, Ited a dorm room here, so I can focus on studying more."


    "Hmm? What does your father do?" Arza asked casually.


    "He''s a cksmith."


    "What, really? Does he make magical swords and armors?"


    "Unfortunately, no. He usually makes kitchenware utensils; stuff likedles, spoons and pots. The one thing that resembles a sword are the kitchen knives he makes, I suppose. But sometimes he gets asked to make other stuffs¡­ like shovels and axes."


    Arza looked slightly dejected hearing that armors and weapons weren''t the only things that cksmith made. Evin was used to it, since for whatever reason, every child seemed to think the same as Arza.


    "Why can''t you visit him, though? Since you''re staying in a dorm room for a whole year, I''m guessing it''s some pretty serious stuff, right?"


    "Ah, he''s uh, sick with something¡­ We don''t know what it is, but it looks kinda serious and he also thinks it''s infectious."


    <Just tell him the truth. Or don''t tell him anything at all,> the voice sighed.


    Evin obviously didn''t wish to tell a random stranger about his family''s circumstances, so he could only work out a convenient lie for the time being.


    "Is that so? Well, I hope he gets better.."


    "Thanks¡­"


    Again, silence ensued in the room.


    Evin could easily introduce himself and get acquainted with others thanks to his politeness, but he really wasn''t the best person for small talks. The voice always reminded him to be silent when he didn''t have anything to say, but Evin always found trouble staying silent with someone else in a room with him.


    ''Are things going to be like this for the rest of the year?'' Evin thought dreadfully.


    "Oh yeah, I wanted to ask¡­ do you use the World of Fire?" Arza suddenly asked.


    "Yes. I''ve only learned that I was a mage, so Irratas is the only Magical World I have ess to. How did you know?" Evin asked, surprised.


    "I knew it. Whenever Fire magic is cast in an area, the air smells a bit different afterwards. That was how I guessed that you were a mage of Irratas¡­ But I guess I can''t call you a mage of Irratas outright, as you still don''t have ess to any of the other worlds. Who knows if you''ll find that you''re more talented in the other ones?"


    "The test showed that I was probably more talented at Exivear, the World of Darkness," Evin chuckled, "What world do you use?"


    "Me? Apdenul," Arza worded an unknown word.


    "Apdenul? Which one is that?"


    "Oh, it''s also known as the World of Life, sometimes even called the World of Healing¡­ but in my case, it would be more urate to just call it the World of Life."


    "What does it do?" Evin asked.


    Arza smiled, and walked over to the bed. He chanted something under his breath, and Evin could see the skin on his hand taking on a pinkish hue, and looking more¡­ solid and hard in a way. He could also see some pinkish steam leaking from his pores, simr to how his father, Aran''s prosthetic arm emitted the same stuff. The boy then effortlessly picked up the bed, making Evin wonder if the thing was hollow inside. The sight even looked oddlyic in his eyes.


    "It allows me to make my muscles stronger than normal people, while also making my skin much more durable than a normal human''s," Arza put down the bed and pped with his solid-looking hands.


    Instead of a pping sound, an almost grinding sound came from the impact, one that sounded like two tree trumps being smashed together by their barks.


    "It can also be used to heal your own wounds and maybe even heal others¡­ but I''m not talented at those. I can heal small cuts and bruises on my body, but I can''t do anything about serious injuries like broken bones andrger cuts. And don''t even get me started on my attempts at healing others," Arzaughed.


    "That''s very impressive," Evin said, trying his best to not sound too excited.


    "Well, I''m sure I''ll be good at itter on, so maybe I''ll be able to help out your father."


    "Oh, you don''t have to. I''m sure he''ll be fine," Evin replied casually, before noticing that Arza was dashing towards him for whatever reason. Time seemed to slow down, as Evin noticed the boy making a pose, as if he was trying to swing a punch... but the boy''s calm and collected expression said nothing of his supposed ill intentions.


    <Duck!> the voice suddenly shouted, and Evin found himself instinctively crouching towards the ground under the order.


    He felt something swing past above his hair at high speed, but Evin wasn''t sure what it was exactly. He then looked above and found Arza looking down at him with his hands stretched out like he''d just thrown a punch, an impressed expression on his face.


    "You''re pretty good¡­ To be able to dodge like that," the boy said, whistling.


    Shaking himself out of his shock, Evin dashed back a few meters and looked at Arza with confusion. The boy didn''t seem like he was going to dash in to hit him anymore, so Evin asked the obvious.


    "Did you just try to punch me?"


    "Yeah," Arza replied in a matter-of-fact manner.


    "Why?" Evin asked.


    "Because you were lying to me."


    "Huh?"


    "Exactly what I said. I sent you a punch, because you were lying to me," Arza said, then added on with a smile, "But since you managed to dodge it, I won''t insist on trying to punch you anymore. But don''t lie to me again, alright?"


    "Are you crazy?" Evin couldn''t help but ask.


    "Why would I be crazy?"


    "Who the hell punches someone just because they''re lying?"


    "So you admit you were lying?"


    "I¡­ I mean¡­"


    "So you were. I mean it was kinda obvious, but I''d still feel bad if it turned out to be the truth, you know?" Arza chuckled in a relieved manner, "If you don''t want to talk about something, just tell that to my face. You don''t have to make up a half-assed lie for me. Act like a man and learn to say no straightforwardly."


    <I thought there was something wrong with his head, but he''s actually kinda cool,> the voicemented in a weirdly satisfied way, <You know what? I''ll allow it.>


    "Now, I''ll ask you again. Can you talk to me about your father? Or rather, your family?" Arza grinned.


    "I don''t want to talk about it."


    "There you go. Ain''t that much easier?"


    "I guess¡­" Evin murmured, though he still felt very wronged about the whole thing.


    ''Who doesn''t lie in this world?''


    "Alright, I''m gonna go around the city for a bit. You wanna tag along?" Arza said after a satisfied nod.


    "No , I''ll stay here." Evin replied grumpily, though inside his head, a thought was pointing out to him that technically, he wasn''t lying. Evin didn''t know why that was so important.


    "Ha-ha, alright. See youter, then."


    The huge red-haired boy said waved casually and walked out the doorway.


    <Damn, I wish I was inside that boy''s head instead of yours.>


    Evin sat on his bed and wondered if this was going to be his life for the next year.


    -----

 Chapter 21 - Something Ancient

    The next morning, Leanne was sitting in front of her mirror, applying her makeup. There was still some time left before she needed to be at the Ceremony, but she guessed she could spend that time helping Evin get used to things around the Academy. He needed every small bit of help he could get, and Leanne didn''t n to ck off likest time.


    Although the boy looked fine from the outside and acted quite normally (at least, as normal as a victim of abuse could act), Leanne knew that the boy was far, far from okay. She didn''t know what it was she stumbled upon inside the boy''s head, but she did know that it was probably not something that was supposed to be found inside a 10-year-old''s head.


    She also understood that it was a problem way above her level.


    ''It must something ancient¡­ An entity or a magic from before the Empire¡­'' Leanne thought, remembering the violent outburst of primal fear and crippling despair she felt when she made contact with the thing, whatever it was.


    During her time as a student in Arcvallen, when she was first learning the therapeutic methods of Lochra, the World of Thoughts, she''d sometimes made mistakes when she was working inside the minds of the patients. The mostmon of these mistakes were to shy away from the ''Lumps of Negativity'' found inside people''s heads after contact.


    She was taught to deal with these things with firm hands and a steady core.


    If she failed to do so, then it would lead to her be way too emotionally attached to her patients, which in turn led to Leanne going through a hellish experience afterwards, especially so if the patient''s psyche wasn''t very stable.


    But none of that was apparent in Evin''s case. Sure, she felt despairingly bad for the kid immediately after, but there were none of thesting effects she felt like the patients she bonded with before. Sure, she would feel her heart aching when she thought about Evin''s circumstances, but those emotions were mostly under her control. If she could distract herself with something else, she could easily rid herself of her heartache. It wasn''t like the relentless wave of empty sorrow that hounded her head all day and haunted her dreams all night when she was still but a student.


    Theck of these symptoms led her to believe that she''d stumbled upon something she probably shouldn''t have. The world of mages was filled to the brim with things that could only be described as unexinable and iprehensible. This was especially true for the stuff that came from before the point when ''history began''.


    Leanne wouldn''t find it surprising if this was one such case. Unexinable and iprehensible.


    And ironically, the inexplicableness in turn exined the two other crucial details about Evin''s case. His unnatural talent in Imagination Casting, and his rtively normal state of mind. Leanne remembered how confused she was to find that the boy''s mind was much more serene than what she first imagined it to be.


    Though she was a bit fearful at first, she conducted a few other healing sessions on the boy while he was unconscious, and found that the healing process happened smoothly and effortlessly. It was simply too easy, feeling like something inside Evin''s mind was actively helping with the treatment.


    ''Was that the ancient entity?''


    Leanne concluded it was an entity of some sorts, and not a magic of an unknown nature, as Edmund mentioned a voice in Evin''s head.


    Leanne half expected to identally make contact with it again during the treatment process, but she was never able to. She even started to boldly search for it after the third session inside the boy''s Mindspace, but was still unable to find it again. At that point, she became convinced about her spections. The entity was helping her cure Evin''s mind, but it was unwilling to reveal itself to Leanne. Yet.


    It was a terror-inducing, yet exhrating thought. To think that she was interacting with something that might''ve even preceded the Empress¡­ How miraculous was that? It almost seemed criminal to her. At that point, Leanne understood what she needed to do.


    ''Even if I can''t help Evin rid of the thing, the least I can do is help him learn to live with it,'' Leanne had decided.


    Even if all else failed, she would''ve made a friendly rtion with whatever it was inside the boy''s head. Who knows? Maybe it would be helpful to her sometime in the future? As long as it wasn''t something hopelessly cursed or mad beyond understanding, then at least she wouldn''t find herself in the entity''s bad books. And even if the thing was cursed, then it would probably find a way to kill her and everyone else involved in its case, anyway.


    Leanne did her best, and that was it. At least, that''s what she told herself to stay calm and functional.


    "If I learned one thing from the countless history sses I took, then it was to respect and fear the inexplicable things one encountered¡­" she muttered to herself.


    Shaking her head, Leanne finished applying her make-up and rushed over to Evin''s room.


    And a few minutester, she was knocking on the boy''s dorm room door. She then heard someone''s footstepsing in from inside the room, as well as some other voices. The door opened, and Leanne saw a rugged-looking man with burgundy-colored hair peeking his head from behind the doorway.


    "Aran?" she murmured, recognizing her old ssmate.


    "Oh, Lea. Long time no see, eh? What are you doing here?" the man seemed pleasantly surprised to see her as well. He then opened the door fully and invited her inside.


    But this act revealed Aran''s full figure, and Leanne couldn''t help but notice the metal prosthetic dangling on Aran''s left side, looking weirdly familiar.


    The design of the arm seemed to emphasize sleekness and ease-of-use, judging by how its dimensions were almost identical to Aran''s surviving right hand. It also seemed to be quite light, considering how easily Aran seemed to be moving it around¡­


    She vaguely remembered that the steam hissing from the joints of the arm acted as a conductor for Aran''s nerves to control the prosthetic, as if it was his own. The masterfully crafted makeshift metal bones and joints were made to resemble a human''s arm down to the tiniest of details, and miraculously, they would all be hollow inside to let the steam pass through them.


    She didn''t remember how such a thing was possible, but since the real thing was right in front of her, functioning as it was advertised, she could only ept it as a proper marvel of Magical Engineering.


    ''Ah, that''s one of the designs by the Master Prosthetist, Armut Mungiar,'' Leanne finally remembered. ''So that''s why it felt so familiar.''


    She felt that it was weird for her to recognize the thing, since Aran definitely didn''t possess a prosthetic thest time she met him. And as for how the man could''ve lost his arms, there was only one answer to this question.


    ''So¡­ they managed to snatch something away from you after all¡­'' Leanne thought with a sigh, ''And just before you finished paying your debts, too.''


    "Damn¡­ you want my arm, too? I thought mages would be different, but I guess it can''t be helped," Aran joked, and extended his arms to invite Leanne for a hug.


    Leanne shoved the useless thoughts out of her head and gave Aran a heartfelt hug.


    "It really can''t be helped," she said with a smile. "Just look at how exquisite that thing is?"


    Aran seemed to eye her for a bit beforementing with a whistle.


    "You turned into a real stunner. Terrence is a lucky man¡­ How is he, by the way?"


    Reminded of her husband, Leanne resisted the urge to sigh and replied perfunctorily.


    "He''s doing fine¡­ Still following the Duchess around."


    "Mm. Anyhow, how did you find yourself here?" Aran asked.


    "I''m here for Evin," Leanne said and peeked behind Aran''s figure to find the boy sitting on his bed, curiously listening to the two''s conversation.


    Next to his bed was a red-haired boy, looking over with a poised smile.


    "Hello, Lady Lea!" the boy greeted.


    "Hey there, Arza. So, you''re finally old enough to enter the Academy, huh?" Leanne said, remembering thest time she met the boy.


    "Yup!"


    "Good morning, Lady Leanne," Evin added himself in the conversation.


    "Good morning to you too," Leanne smiled. "Well, I was thinking I can show you around the Academy, before we went to the Ceremony afterwards. Do you mind if Arza and Aran joined us?"


    "No, of course not," Evin replied.


    The group went on a tour of some sorts, with Leanne in the lead. She helped Evin and Arza be familiar with the Academy grounds before leading the two to the open arena where the new students needed to gather. After that, she walked towards the spectators'' areas with Aran in tow.


    "So? How did you end up losing your hand?" Leanne casually asked Aran.


    Now that they were alone, they could talk more freely.

 Chapter 22 - The War With The South

    "This? Exploding Myrmis. Dozens and dozens of exploding Myrmis," Aran shrugged, "The Southern bastards always seem to find some kind of new fucked up way to try to win their battles. The previous fight included a bunch of hostages and this time, they invented suicidal explosion deliverers. A bunch of ant-men wearing a coat decorated with Talismans of Explosion¡­ I was wondering why the little red bastards were wearing clothes that time around. Thought if the South was finally introducing Myrmi rights or some crap."


    Aran told the story in a pretty casual way, but Leanne could hear how sick and tired of the war he had be.


    "Is it that bad in the Southern Front?"


    "Sigh¡­ Who knows? The higher ups say that we''re winning... and honestly, I rarely ever hear about us losing a battle¡­ but unfortunately, we can''t really do anything with these victories, you know? With everything I''ve seen, I''m afraid that we''ll most likely end up losing at this rate."


    Aran''s story supported what Leanne heard before. The country, of course, only ever talked about the good side. The Kingdom''s infallible defense against the Southern menace; the countless victories they''ve snatched from the enemy; the brave souls that protect their beloved homnd. Of course, the people believed the country''s words. But anyone that actually went to the war had a differing opinion, just like Aran here.


    "Hmm, while the South possesses an endless supply of cheapbour in the form of the Myrmis, we don''t have anything of the sort. Our soldiers still die and our mages still hurt¡­" Leanne said, while ncing at Aran''s hand. "How did you survive in the first ce? I really find it hard to imagine surviving such an abhorrent tactic."


    "Ah¡­ that. When I noticed what was happening, I decided to kill the enemy griffins who were controlling the Myrmis. That stopped the main bulk of the Myrmi army to break free from the griffins'' control and stop their suicidal march. You know how cowardly the Ant-people are by nature¡­" Aran paused. "Sadly, some of them still managed to ovee their fear... and out of love and loyalty to their Queen, still exploded near me. My barriers couldn''t hold any longer and my left arm was blown to smithereens."


    "With that secret spell of yours?" Leanne asked.


    Aran was quite famous in the kingdom as a mage. He wasn''t some young prodigy who possessed a Conditional Absolute, or someone gifted with an easily nurtured Mana-core. But he did possess one spell that every mage in the kingdom feared and also wanted. An instant death ability that practically cost no mana to cast, yet at the same time, practically unavoidable.


    "Yep, that damn spell that the country''s trying so damn hard to wring out of me, those bastards," Aran cursed, a bit too emotionallypared to his usual standards.


    "I''m really sorry for your hands, Aran. I really am," Leanne sighed as she held his metal prosthetic.


    "It''s not that, Lea. I really couldn''t give a damn about my hand."


    "Then?"


    "I found two Talismans of Listening inside Arza''s room yesterday. Pretty well-made ones as well, I probably wouldn''t have noticed them if I didn''t specialize in scouting and detection."


    "What? Seriously?" Leanne eximed in shock.


    ''Wait, doesn''t that mean that it was there when I brought Evin to the room? Should I have scoured the room for something like that?''


    Obviously, she didn''t think to check the room for such things at the time, because¡­ why would she even think of that?


    "Now that they can''t harass me anymore, I guess they''ve decided to harass my child now¡­" Aran sighed, his annoyance and tiredness seeping from his breath.


    "How did Arza take it? Is he okay?"


    "Yeah, you know the boy. For better or worse, he''s really not the type to care about these things. We met afterwards, and he just told me how he tried to punch Evin coz he was lying, and about how the boy dodged the attack very masterfully," Aran chuckled, "Sigh, sometimes I really wonder how Arza turned out the way he is."


    Leanne didn''t know how she was supposed to feel about the punching part, but she did remember how striking of an impression the boy had left on her when they first met. Leanne found the boy a bit hard to grasp at first, but she soon understood that Arza was one of the simplest boys she''d seen in her life. It was just that his simpleness was simply too bizarre for others to ept. But aside from that, he was also charismatic, true to himself, energetic, and most of all, incredibly talented.


    Arza was the pr opposite of the mess of convoluted negative emotions that Evin was. But of course, Leanne couldn''t really me Evin for how he turned out. When life repeatedly showed one only its darker sides, then one''s thoughts tended to steer towards those things. With Edmund as his father being an obvious influence of the ugliness of society and the entity inside him teaching him who knows what, it was inevitable that Evin would turn out to be a little ugly on the inside.


    ''Wait, now that I think about it, were those Talismans meant for Evin?'' a sudden thought appeared in her head.


    "Aran, could you tell me how Evin took the news?"


    "Hmm?" Aran paused and seemed to contemte a bit. "Now that you mention it, he reacted quite weirdly. He definitely didn''t panic like I expected him to¡­ Hmm... I can''t bepletely sure, but he looked kind of relieved?"


    "Why would he be relieved?"


    "I don''t know," Aran shrugged. "And besides, I could still be wrong."


    Leanne stopped walking for a bit, to think about the matter more deeply. Aran was familiar with this habit of Leanne''s, so he decided to wait alongside her.


    ''If he seemed relieved, then that could only mean that Evin knew about those Talismans beforehand. He found them before Aran did, and became scared, thinking that there was someone out there trying to stalk him, but then he''d hear about Aran talking about how the Talismans weren''t for him, thus the relieved look.''


    Leanne thought a bit further and guessed that Evin knew about the Talisman''s functions as well¡­ or at least guessed at it. Evin could''ve learned about it either through the entity inside him, or he could''ve deduced it himself. If he waspletely ignorant about it, then the most logical move was to get rid of the Talismans.


    But this line of thought started to feel a bit unimportant to Leanne. It really didn''t matter whether Evin knew about it or not beforehand, since he clearly knew about it now.


    And considering his negative personality, Evin would probably think that the thing was meant for him. Even after Aran came in and dered that the thing was not for him, Evin would still feel suspicious. But honestly, Evin knowing about all these things wasn''t really something of importance.


    The problem was the entity inside him.


    ''Would it think that the Talismans were there for it?


    ''Seeing a bunch of random people trying to expose its secrets, it would naturally think that its existence was exposed because of someone¡­ And as far as it''s concerned, there are four individuals who know about Evin''s talent to Imagination Cast: Edmund, Kon, Jun, and me.''


    The first three were almost automatically disqualified, as none of them were proper mages. This left only one person to reveal its secrets and blow the whole incident way out of proportions¡­


    Suddenly, a passage from an Archeologist''s diary about dealing with items of unknown origins popped up inside her head.


    [Never, in any circumstances, offend or slight a UMO (Unidentified Mystic Object). A certain group of mages tend to hear this warning and think to themselves, ''You can''t offend an object, that''s preposterous!''. The Archeological Community calls these people, the ''Curse Testers''. Little do they know that some ancient objects consider even these harmless remarks as an insult towards its being. And, heh, don''t even get me started on the people who actually do something offensive to the UMOs.]


    "Shit¡­" Leanne murmured as a cold shiver seemed to run up her back.


    "What happened?" Aran asked, noticing that Leanne finished thinking.


    "I think I fucked up."


    "How? You wanna talk about it?"


    "I probably shouldn''t... If I speak to you about it, then I''ll probably be in even bigger trouble," Leanne shook her head. "Sorry, could you leave on without me? I need to hurry somewhere."


    "Alright. But if you need any help, ask," Aran said, and the two separated.


    Leanne walked towards where the Academy staff were gathering with wide strides, thinking of her situation.


    Obviously, Leanne never intended, or even thought, to reveal the entity''s existence. Even if a Full-core High-mage personally guaranteed her safety for it, she wasn''t going to dare offend what it was inside Evin''s head.


    But the only other person that knew about Evin''s situation was Chairman Kent. And even then, the man should only be thinking of Evin as some kid who was just awfully talented at Imagination Casting. It was a rare thing, but it wasn''t something impossible. There really was no need for Kent to bring in these Talismans and whatnot.


    ''Seriously, what the hell is he thinking?'' Leanne thought as she arrived at her destination, which was a special area on the spectator''s terrace.

 Chapter 23 - Agendas

    Her eyes searched around the area and found Chairman Kent walking off the podium that towered above where the students were gathered, with some apuse sounding in the background.


    ''Kent must''ve just finished his speech,'' Leanne thought and quickly found her way next to him.


    "Chairman," she cleared her voice to dere her presence.


    Kent looked towards her with a surprised face, beforeughing sheepishly.


    "O-ho, Leanne. Did you just arrive? That means you missed my speech¡­ Damn shame, I think I did a pretty good one this time."


    "Chairman, we need to talk privately."


    Noticing her serious demeanor, Kent''s casual face took on a frown as he gestured Leanne to follow behind.


    A minuteter, the two found themselves in a private room, one with a window to show what was happening to the arena below. It also possessed a few sets of Talismans of Sound that were designed to y out what was happening in the arena. This was a terrace reserved for the most prestigious of guests in the Academy, though it wasn''t used for anyone now.


    "I still need to oversee the Ceremony''s progress, you see?" Kent exined. "So? What did you want to talk about?"


    "I''ll get to the point. Did you order for Talismans to be put inside Evin''s room?"


    "How did you know?" Kent asked, but he didn''t seem very surprised that he was found out.


    "I''ll take that as a yes. Could you tell me why?"


    "Hmm¡­" Kent murmured, before ncing down to the arena, "Look."


    Leanne looked down and found a tall, prestigiously dressed, blonde-haired boy who was ying around with a serpentine dragon made with the World of Water, Ivelisi. With his exceptional use of Lumiaris, the water dragon shone in countless different lights, looking like a masterfully crafted crystal sculpture. The sense of dignity and ego that were prominent in young nobles were clear for everyone to see in the boy, judging from his self-confident poise and visionary gaze.


    If Leanne remembered correctly, this would be a demonstration of magical prowess performed by the Student Representative of first years, Decatur Carew. He was the son of Madame Alix din Carew, Countess of Greater Ankelite, the noble woman tasked with ruling over Ankelite city and the few surrounding towns.


    "The pride and prestige of nobles, oozing from every pore of his body¡­ Fancy synonyms for arrogance and vanity," Kent scoffed. "Do you think that someday, that boy will rule over ournds as the new Count of Greater Ankelite?"


    "Pretty sure he has a brother who study in Arcvallen that is much more qualified to be the next Earl."


    Everyone in Greater Ankelite knew about the prodigal son of the Countess, Gehenne dan Carew. Only twenty years old, yet the young man was already nearing the levels of a High-mage thanks to his incredible talent of casting spells and controlling the World energies. Some even spected that he was a love child between Countess Carew and someone from the royal bloodline due to his silver hair.


    "No¡­ I''ve met his brother before and I can confidently tell you that the young man won''t be satisfied at the level of a measly Count. He''ll either strive to be sent towards the South and be a proper Marquess there, or he''ll try to jump up a level and be a Duke. This leaves little Decatur down there to rule over thends around here¡­ A bit of a pity, isn''t it?"


    "Chairman, I must confess that I really don''t care about who rules over Greater Ankelite," Leanne sighed, "Tell me what part of your speech has to do with you putting Talismans inside Evin''s room."


    Kent smiled back, a weird glint of something in his eyes. "Listen," the man gestured towards the arena where Decatur had just finished his one man show. The Talismans inside the VIP room activated, and Leanne could hear what the boy was saying.


    "I hope everyone here has enjoyed the show of magic that I was performed," Decatur smiled brightly. "For centuries, the nobility of the West were the prime examples of Imagination Casting. Even in the Empire as a whole, very few people are able to actually perform these miracles on the same level as us. Some say that we''re able to do these feats because there is a certain secret that we withhold from you all. A special sort of World Shards, a ritual that''s unknown to the non-noble mages, or perhaps a blessing from some power above."


    Decatur paused to judge the crowd''s reactions... though Leanne didn''t really know what the boy was expecting. Obviously, aside from the mages and the more educated people, the crowd did not show any particr reaction. After all, most of them were the parents of children who weren''t even mages a few months ago. They didn''t understand what was so important about Imagination Casting.


    A sneer seemed to form on Decatur''s mouth for a split second, before he continued like nothing was off.


    "But I must confess that there''s really nothing of the sort. What helps us nobles cast magic using our Imagination, is not an item, or a ritual, or anything else that''s simr to that. It is actually something that everyone else can potentially possess¡­" Decatur paused. "Sadly, I can''t tell you what it is exactly, as you know, kingdom''s rules and all that, but I can prove to you that it''s not something exclusive to nobles."


    A bad feeling crept up inside Leanne''s mind, as she fearfully watched the boy on the stage.


    "I''ve heard of a 2nd grade citizen capable of performing the same miracles that I just showed, perhaps even better than me. A simple boy of a cksmith''s origins, performing the same magics. I want to invite him to this stage, a first year by the name of Evin."


    At this point, Leanne couldn''t bear to watch anymore. She turned around and dashed towards the door to stop whatever was going to happen down there, but suddenly, her instincts screamed at her to stop moving, and so she did.


    A secondter, she felt a deadly force of Hard Air fly right in front of her face, moving from the left side wall to the right almost instantaneously. When it reached the right wall, it immediately jumped back,pletely blocking off her ess to the door.


    Leanne murmured her chants in rapid session, as she became battle-ready in the quickest amount of time possible. Pink steam hissed from her skin as it turned rougher and harder, and a thinyer of moving water encapsted her whole body. The water coalesced into ice at her palm, turning into a pair of poisonous daggers.


    Immediately, she dashed towards Kent, but right before she reached him, another slide of sharp air threatened to kill her. Cursing, she then sent out a stream of water at the wall of Hard Air out of frustration. The sliding wall of Air moved between the left and right walls at impossible speeds, diligently preventing even the slightest drops of the poisonous water from reaching Kent''s body.


    In front of her, she heard Kent, the perpetrator behind the sudden attack on her, clearing his throat calmly. As she expected, he then continued to exin how his spell worked, even though both of them knew exactly what it did and what it couldn''t do.


    "The Box of Invisible Walls. A Conditional Absolute of the Domain Type, that creates up to three thin slides of moving Hard Air in an enclosed environment, which will be called a wall as a whole. Except gases and other Absolutes, anything which tries to pass through the wall will be shed to pieces by the moving Hard Air.


    Activation Conditions: exin the effects of the spell in one minute after casting (Failure to do so will result in a bacsh of the mana-core). A Talisman must be set beforehand to create the walls. The walls must be created with at least two meters of distance between them and must not collide with other walls. Walls can be individually disabled by the user, but cannot be moved or recreated. After all walls are disabled, the spell will require one minute to cast again."


    Of course, Leanne already knew about all this. Like the Activation condition for the spell said, Kent needed to say all this every time he casted the spell. Conditional Absolutes were spells like this one, with extremely strong effects, but many other downsides (or one big downside) to bnce out the ridiculous powers it granted the user.


    Most of the time, the most reliable way to deal with an Absolute was to possess an Absolute, or a Conditional Absolute oneself, to be a High-mage... which sadly Leanne wasn''t. Even though the concept was simple ¨C to just sacrifice some functionality to create something powerful ¨C it really wasn''t so easy to put this in practice and actually create an Absolute, or even a Conditional Absolute.


    ''Guess he''s nning to keep me inside here for now...''


    But, of course, Leanne wasn''t in actual danger. The Box of Invisible Walls was a powerful spell, but it wasn''t really something that could threaten her life as long as she properly respected its dangers. And sooner orter, Kent was going to run out of mana to use, and she could use the opportunity to escape. But there was still some time before that, so Leanne decided to use that time to ask some questions.


    "Why are you doing this?"


    Kent never seemed like the type to create chaos like this. Most of the time, the man just spent his days like a cog in a wheel, living life on a rather boring schedule. At least that was what Leanne''s impression of the man was, but apparently, she had a very bad eye for people.


    "I want to pit the boy against the noble children," Kent said smilingly.


    "What?"


    ''If you want to fucking die, then die; but don''t pull me into it!"


    -----

 Chapter 24 - Daring Or Just A Dickhead?

    Evin stood before the important-looking blonde boy of nobility, not really sure what was happening to him. He had juste from the bathroom, and was listening to Arza mention about how he missed something pretty epic. But then his name was mentioned by someone on the stage and he was practically dragged to the stage by some people dressed as high-ss servants.


    "Are you Evin?" the handsome, blonde boy asked.


    "I am?" Evin replied.


    Weirdly, even though he was in front of so many people, he was taking all this much more calmly than he would''ve anticipated from himself.


    "Why the questioning tone? Are you Evin or not? Son of Edmund the cksmith, a 2nd grade citizen."


    ''Who speaks like that?'' Evin found himself thinking, before focusing on the reply.


    "I am¡­ But," Evin began, but couldn''t quite continue.


    "Speak up, boy. You''re a mage now. Not some simple 2nd grade ying around with hammers and metals."


    Evin was a bit riled up, to be called a boy someone of his own age, but experience was telling him that he probably shouldn''t act rudely towards this teenage boy.


    "I''m just¡­ a bit confused, is all," he managed to mutter out.


    "Have you not heard me perform and speak a moment ago?"


    "No, sorry. I was away at the, uhh, away from the arena, so I must''ve missed your¡­ performance."


    The answer seemed to irk the boy, as he harrumphed and started exining.


    "I heard about your talent of casting magic using your imagination, even though you''re not someone of noble origins. Is that true?"


    <Seems like Leanne''s been a bit too talkative about your uncanny ability to cast using your imagination,> the voice said with a sigh, <As for his statement, just y dumb. Say that you thought it was natural or something.>


    He didn''t feel very good about it, but the recent events made him trust in the voice''s advice much more. But it was still a hard thing to eptpletely. Since the voice was a thorn on his side for such a long time, Evin still sometimes struggled to wholeheartedly believe its words.


    "I just tried it and I was sessful¡­ I didn''t think it was such a big deal."


    The answer seemed to irk the noble even more, but he didn''t make it obvious and just pointed towards two shiny rocks left on a table. Evin quickly realized that the things were filled to the brim with mana.


    "I want you to prove that to everyone here, so people will realize that Imagination Casting is something that''s essible to everyone in the country, not just the nobles. To do that, I want to challenge you to a Duel of Efficiency."


    "A Duel?"


    "It''s nothing violent. We''ll just try to create magic that''s better than the others with an equal amount of mana."


    Evin wanted to ask what was the point of the duel if he just had to prove his abilities, but the blonde boy continued on with his exnation.


    "This here is what''s called a Mana Lodestone. Because of its ability to absorb the surrounding air of its mana and contain it within itself, it''s something that''s used by every mage across the world. As you can probably sense, all the mana in the surroundings have gathered inside these two stones."


    Now that the boy mentioned it, Evin could feel that the amount of mana in the surroundings had dropped considerably.


    <I guess those two lodestones contain the same amount of mana, and you have to try and outdo your opponent somehow,> the voice sighed, <Just lose. It''s not worth getting on this asshole''s bad books.>


    "We''ll hold each in our hands and cast our spell. And if you manage to win, I''ll give you two Elemental World Shards. What do you say?" the boy said and threw one of the lodestones towards Evin.


    <Oh? Two Shards? That should be two months of work, right?> the voice seemed a bit interested now, just like Evin himself.


    "Alright¡­" Evin replied. It didn''t really seem like he was going to get the choice to refuse, anyway.


    "Very good, I''ll start." The noble boy said and started to absorb the mana inside the stone.


    <Eh, the two shards are nice to get, but something tells me that it''s best for us to just y the slow game. There''s no need to invite useless drama into our daily lives,> the voice decided after thinking a bit.


    Evin knew that he didn''t have a say in this decision. After all, even if Evin wanted the World Shards, the voice could very easily choose not to cast the magic, no matter how much Evin pleaded it. But just as the two had agreed to throw the Duel, a loud voice reverberated throughout the arena.


    "If Evin manages to win, he''ll be epted into the Imagination Casting sses, and he''ll also receive one Shard for a Conceptual World."


    Shocked, Evin looked over to see a neatly dressed man speaking from the podium that the Chairman of the Academy was previously speaking from. Butpared to the friendly looking middle-aged man, this neer was gigantic. Evin thought his father was gigantic, but he would probably look like a teenage boy next to this freak of nature. The other thing that Evin couldn''t help but notice were the two magnificent bull-like horns protruding from the man''s head.


    ''A Northerner,'' Evin thought in his head.


    But although Evin was shocked, even more surprised was the blonde boy next to him.


    "Vice-chair Bokh? What is going on? If I''m not wrong, you don''t even have the right to decide who learns in that ss and who doesn''t."


    "Yes, I understand your concerns. Chairman Kent teaches the ss, and he instructed me to say this in case something like this happened," the bulky man exined.


    "And where is Chairman Kent himself? He was here a minute ago, why can''t he say so himself?"


    "The Chairman is bit¡­ indisposed at the moment," the man said and seemed to nce towards a certain spot, "You''ll have to trust my words on this one, I''m afraid. Well, even if I turned out to be lying, you can talk with the Chairman afterwards and clear out this misunderstanding."


    "That is fine as well, but the majority of the noble students in the ss also need to agree with this boy''s enrollment, right?"


    The boy seemed very opposed to the idea of Evin studying Imagination Casting.


    "Ah, about that... he also mentioned that he''ll refuse to teach anyone who refused Evin''s entry to the ss," the bulky man said with a chuckle.


    <I really don''t like this,> the voice hissed.


    Evin didn''t like where this was going either, but something told him that he needed to remain silent.


    The boy raged on.


    "He doesn''t have the right to refuse us!"


    "Ha-ha, of course he does - he''s a High-mage of the kingdom. It''s in his full rights to refuse to teach a Duke, let alone the second son of an Earl," the vice-chairughed. "It any case, the situation won''t change. You two shall have a Duel of Efficiency and I will be the judge of it."


    Then, the man jumped off the terrace and in a few seconds; hended on the ground after briefly levitating right before impact.


    "If you don''t want him in the ss, then all you need to do is win. Any other concerns, young master Decatur Carew?"


    <Tell him you want two more Conceptual World Shards if you win,> the voice suddenly ordered.


    ''What?'' Evin thought he heard wrong. The whole time, he felt like the ant stuck between two lions, trying its best to struggle and survive, but apparently, the voice inside him had a very different idea.


    ''And also, we''re gonna try to win?''


    <These fuckers all have some dogshit agendas running in their heads and for whatever reason, we''re one part of it. And, something tells me we won''t like the consequences of throwing the duel. But. They''ll need to understand that we''re not so easy to bully and that we won''t work for free¡­>


    Evin liked the reasoning, but he still didn''t feel very confident about it.


    <Just ask. Honestly, you could ask for four and we''d probably get them, but I don''t want you to look too greedy. Remember, when you''re being daring like this, there''s a fine line between looking bold and charming; or just looking like aplete dickhead.>


    Evin didn''t really believe the voice fully, but he could only sigh dejectedly and do as it said.


    "I want to receive two more Conceptual World Shards if I win."


    He didn''t know why, but he felt very proud after he said this line. So effortlessly and confidently. He didn''t stutter like he half expected himself to, and his voice didn''t die out in the end like it usually did when he tried to speak to his father.


    ''Seriously, how am I so calm now?'' Evin thought, and found the fear creeping up in his heart suddenly. He nervously looked at the two others to see how they reacted.


    The blonde boy, Decatur''s reaction, was as Evin expected - he didn''t seem to like Evon''s boldness very much. But the vice-chair, on the other hand, looked quite impressed, like the voice suggested.


    "I can arrange for one Conceptual and one Elemental as extra for you," he said finally.


    "I''ll ept it," Evin quickly agreed, before the voice could say anything ridiculous.


    "Good. Let''s begin."

 Chapter 25 - The Accident

    <Wait, regarding the duel, ask them what kind of magic they consider better, and also remind them you can only use the World of Fire."


    "Wait, before we start, you should know that I can only use the World of Fire. And also, what would be considered better magic in the first ce?" Evin parroted.


    The noble boy seemed to think for a bit before replying.


    "Alright. We''ll only use Irratas and whoever can create the bigger fire will be dered as the winner. I''m sure Vice-chair Bokh here can make sure that none of us cheat."


    Evin nodded and waited for the snobbish boy to cast his magic.


    Decatur grasped the lodestone in his hands and Evin could feel him absorbing the mana inside it again. The boy seemed to shine red in Evin''s eyes for a second, before a wave of heat hit Evin''s face.


    Suddenly, something cracked in the air, and Evin could see a faint bluish spark appear in the boy''s palm. The next second, it turned into a full-fledged me as it greedily started to swallow the surrounding air. With every bit of air it absorbed, the me grew bigger and bigger, until it reached the size of a two-story house. It also didn''t act normally, with its fiery tonguesshing out towards every direction, instead of waving upwards like a natural fire would.


    Moreover, the heat that came off from these unruly tongues was absolutely insane, as Evin couldn''t help but flinch in panic when one of the tongues reached out a bit too close forfort.


    <Impressive firepower¡­> The voice, of course, was as calm as ever.


    But, as impressive as the me was, Decatur''s show quickly ended as the mana inside the lodestone started to die out. Of course, the boy himself seemed quite confident in himself, as he nced towards Evin with his signature look of superiority.


    "Striking, young master Carew," the Vice-chair added.


    "Naturally." Decatur nodded and red towards Evin, his eyes challenging him to create a better me.


    Evin, of course, was at peace. He wasn''t the one casting magic, and the voice didn''t really seem like the type to get stage fright. He simply held the mana lodestone in his hands, and waited for the voice to do its thing.


    <Alright, try to absorb the mana inside it.>


    Evin did as ordered and had the mana to make way to his mana-core. But then he met a problem. When he had only absorbed about a fifth of the mana inside the lodestone, he could feel his chest starting to feel a bit stuffy and full. His body told him that trying to absorb more mana would probably end up in something dangerous.


    <I guess there''s a limit to the amount of mana you can absorb... Not that I think about it, there was a ss called Cultivation of the Mana-core or something, right?> the voicemented thoughtfully, <Well, nothing we can do about that. Turn the mana into Fire energy and just think of creating a me bigger than the one that he made. Don''t think of creating the biggest me imaginable.>


    Evin felt a bit worried, but he did as the voice ordered and wished he could create a fire,rger than a two-story house. A momentter, he could feel his mana-core starting to work on something.


    There wasn''t any spark of fire to be seen yet, but Evin could tell that the voice was gathering a lot of air in one spot in the air. The Fire energies must''ve been trying their best to draw in and hold an enormous mass of the ''oxygen'' that the voice was talking about in one ce. Evin could also feel his breath bing somewhat morebored and some perspiration wetting his forehead.


    "What are you doing? You''ve been doing nothing but stand there for three minutes now. If you can''t do it, then just say you can''t do it," the noble said impatiently, "Vice-Chair Bokh, please stop this boy."


    "Well, let''s just wait and see what happens," the man said with a smile. He seemed to know what Evin was trying to do, even though Evin wasn''t really sure of it himself.


    After five more minutes, the gathering of air had be muchrger than a simple two-story house and Evin could notice how the voice was struggling to keep it in check. Evin could feel that his mana-core was reaching its limits, but he knew that the organ wasn''t in his control anymore. At this point, he could only hope that the voice knew what it was doing.


    <I think that''s enough,> the voice grunted, <Go stand behind the vice-chair.>


    Evin guessed that he needed something, or someone in this case, to shield him from the fire, so he dly walked behind the bulky man. The man didn''t seem to mind as much and let Evin do as he wished.


    "What are you doing now? Stop wasting everyone''s time here!" the noble boy couldn''t take it anymore and started to singints at Evin and the vice-chair.


    <Shut up, bitch! A-ha-ha!> the voice suddenly shouted, before falling into a fit of cackles.


    Evin''s head was briefly filled with the voice''s shouts and the noble''s whining, but it was soon reced by a loud, deadly boom.


    The next moment, a powerful wave of heat hit his body hard from all sides, searing his skin and burning off his clothes. Then came a shock-wave, that battered his already burnt skin, causing wave of immense, sharp pain to assault his mind.


    Everything was muffled and distant as if he was in a dream, but he knew he wasn''t. Evin found himself looking around, and saw that a wall of earth had appeared in front of him and the vice-chair. He also noticed the noble boy lying on his back a couple dozen meters away, the right sleeve of his shirt burning unceremoniously.


    A secondter, all the muffled sounds became clear to his ears and hit him all at once. The voice''s madughter, the crowd''s panicked shouts, the vice-chair''s angry grunts, and his own raspy coughs.


    He looked at his body and found it full of burns and sears, and once again, he remembered the pain he was in. Panicking, he started grunting violently, trying to keep his hands from taking hold of the burnt spots, as that would surely sting like hell.


    "Fuck..." he cursed. "What the fuck did I do?"


    "What the hell did you do?" the vice-chair shouted at him from his side.


    Evin tried to reply, but his mouth was taken over by the voice again.


    "I- I don''t know... I just thought it would make a bigger fire..." Evin found himself saying, "This is all an ident... I didn''t mean to do it."


    A wave of exhaustion hit his mind, and his mind cked out.


    ...

 Chapter 26 - Politics

    Some timeter, Evin woke up to find himself in his dorm room again. Groggily, he looked around the room and found himself alone. It seemed to be morning, judging by how the sunlight was shining inside the room.


    <Ah, you''re awake,> the voicemented.


    Hearing the familiar voice, Evin was reminded of its crazedughter and slowly, the events before he passed out started to y out in his head.


    "What happened? What was that loud boom¡­ and then¡­? I was burning all over¡­" Evin murmured as he checked his body to see whether there were any scars. Miraculously, he didn''t find a single burnt patch.


    ''Fucking magic...'' he cursed in his head for some reason.


    <Well, first of all, sorry about that. Got a bit carried away there and made the explosion muchrger than what I first nned to,> the voice chuckled sheepishly.


    "Explosion?" asked as he got his clothes on.


    <Yep, well, I''ll teach you all about itter.>


    "Tell me what happened afterwards. Am I in trouble for that?"


    <Well, the Chairman came and fixed you up personally, so I don''t think it''s hopeless for us. They most likely think that everything was an ident. Maybe the noble boy wille to bother you some timeter, but we''re probably already on the top of his hate list, so there''s not much we can do about that¡­ Aside from that, well, I think someone wille and exin the situation to us soon enough.>


    "The noble boy''s alive?" Evin asked, remembering how the boy was passed out on the ground, his clothes burning.


    <Yep. Apparently, he had a barrier of some sorts to protect him from harm. He only passed out from the sudden shockwave. Other than him, no one else was hurt, since the explosion wasn''t that big, and the arena wasn''t that damaged either. I actually believe think that the whole ce was reinforced with magic, considering that there wasn''t even a dent left on the ground.>


    As Evin was listening to the voice recount the event, he heard the door lock click and open from the outside. He looked over to find Leanne walking in the room.


    "Evin! You''re awake!" the woman said, and quickly locked the door from the inside. She then ran over and checked Evin''s body. "Are you alright?"


    "Yeah¡­" Evin murmured, but he couldn''t wholeheartedly be happy for Leanne''s arrival, considering he was called out by the noble boy mostly because of her. "Sorry, could you tell me what happened?"


    Leanne sighed in relief after making sure that Evin was alright, and started to exin some things to him.


    "First of all, I''m sorry for what happened to you. I just want to say that this is all just a big misunderstanding," Leanne began.


    "Why did everyone know about me so much? What was that back there?" Evin asked in an agitated tone.


    "I''ll exin everything to you in just a moment. About others knowing about you and all." Leanne said and swiftly sat next to Evin, "As you can probably guess, I need to report to the Chairman whenever I find a new mage among themoners I check. Of course, when Konanne and you came in, I made sure to report it, like I always do."


    "Konanne?"


    "Ah, it''s Kon''s new name. As you know, it''s frowned upon for mages and people of high-society to possess a three-letter name," Leanne exined in a hurry, "In any case, I reported it to the Chairman, like I''m supposed to, and at the time, although he looked a bit surprised, he didn''t really look very interested in your case."


    <Why the hell is she acting so scared?> the voicemented and Evin also noticed the oddity.


    Leanne always looked like the confident, all-knowing type to Evin before. But today, she was fidgeting around, struggling to maintain eye contact with Evin, and overall, she just wasn''t acting like herself. Noting this internally, Evin listened to the mage exin the situation.


    "As you know, ten dayster, the whole thing with your fathering in to refuse your entry to the Academy ¨C against your wish, of course - happened. I told the guards to keep your father away from the building, but I guess they forgot about it," Leanne almost stuttered, "At any rate, your father ended up talking to the Chairman."


    "What? How?"


    Was it so easy to speak to a mage? One of the highest-ranking mages, as far as Evin was concerned.


    "Apparently he managed to find an audience with him saying that he was a parent of one of the students. Then he told the Chairman all about this voice in your head that you had since you were a kid, and how it always seemed to control your actions," Leanne looked at him meaningfully, "I know it might sound a bit rude to you, but is that true?"


    Evin tried to keep the frown from reaching his face and just sighed out.


    "It''s getting better."


    "Ah¡­" Leanne murmured and went silent.


    He was used to these questions, as seemingly every kid in block knew about his alleged insanity. They would run over and sheepishly ask Evin if he was insane, the way some withdrawn men would ask of a prostitute if she was actually a prostitute.


    When asked with these questions, Evin found it better to acknowledge them, but mention that the situation was getting better. The voice exined that people didn''t ask Evin to know whether he was insane or not. They just asked to find confirmation for their assumptions.


    Evin, of course, wasn''t someone so selfish to deny these people of their peace of mind. So when Leanne asked the same, Evin found himself reacting the same way he always did, it was just that he felt somewhat disappointed afterwards.


    "You were talking about the Chairman," Evin reminded.


    "Ah, yes. Of course. The Chairman. I talked to him while you were Dueling with Decatur Carew, the Countess'' son. From what I understood, he''s convinced that you have this all-powerful entity in your head that grants you unparalleled ability to cast magic and wants to learn more about it."


    <Huh?>


    "What?"


    The voice and the Evin were both very confused, especially Evin.


    ''My whole life I was ridiculed and isted for being a nut job, but apparently, it wasn''t something to be worried about?''


    "I know it sounds ludicrous to you, but there are many unexinable things in the world of mages. You can''t really me the man for thinking of such things. He became especially convinced after that magic you cast on the arena."


    "Is that why that noble boy knew about my ability to Imagination Cast?"


    "Yes. The chairman told me he wanted to see you two face off, so he told Decatur about your abilities. With this, he could confirm your abilities to cast magic, while also making you be a rival of Decatur."


    "A rival?"


    "He said that he wants you to be a new icon for non-noble mages."


    "What?"


    "In his ns, you would be someone who would finally destroy the rift between nobility andmoners, once and for all. Of course, you know of thete king''s efforts in this regard, but the discrimination ofmoners in the kingdom''s high-society is still very present. Nobles hold nine out of ten posts that a mage can upy as a government official. And even then, the one non-noble that upies the remaining post is almost always shunned and not quite taken seriously."


    "Wait, wait. I don''t want that. To be that¡­ Destroyer of the rift between nobles andmoners," Evin hurriedly said, "I don''t want to have anything to do with all that."


    Leanne sighed and said with a heavy nod.


    "But you''re already involved in it. The moment you set off that explosive spell near Decatur, you became unable to just simply leave. If you don''t pick a side and fall under the chairman''s protection, Alix din Carew, the Countess of the county we live in will make sure to take revenge on you."


    ''It wasn''t even me who did all that,'' Evin almost said, but managed to stop himself.


    "That spell was an ident. I just thought it would create a bigger me, not that it would all suddenly explode," Evin said, remembering the excuse that the voice gave to the vice-chair.


    "I know. But that doesn''t change the fact that the Countess thinks you tried to assassinate her son. Tomorrow, she wille and demand your death. Well, she won''t say it explicitly, but she''ll demand you be put in the dungeons where you''ll most likely be tortured for your confession and then killed."


    <She sounds honest, but this is just a roundabout threat to do as she says.>


    "The only way out for you is to follow the Chairman''s wishes. He and the vice-chair will stand up to protect you, but you need to let them know that on the surface, you stand on their side," Leanne said, pure dread oozing from her voice.


    <Ask her why she''s telling us this,> the voice said coldly and Evin parroted.


    "I don''t agree with what the Chairman is doing. I don''t think it''s neither moral, nor befitting of him to pull teenagers into politics," Leanne said softly, "I- I was watching the whole thin happen from the terrace. When I heard Decatur challenge you to a duel, I wanted to go down there and stop it from happening, but I was held back by the Chairman."


    It all sounded like a lie to Evin, but the voice seemed to believe the woman''s words, albeit with a little twist.


    <She''s probably not lying. Remember how the vice-chair mentioned the Chairman being indisposed? He was most likely with Leanne at the time. Though I can''t say if he was holding back Leanne from reaching you, or if he was just fucking her.>

 Chapter 27 - Bad Fame

    Evin imagined Leanne moaning in pleasure with the gentle-looking chairman behind her, firmly grasping her waist and couldn''t help but feel disturbed at the vision... and oddly, slightly disappointed. Calming himself, he thought about things a bit, and continued.


    "What''s going to happen now, then? Am I just supposed to take the Chairman''s side, knowing that I''m just being used?"


    "I know that it feels bad, but this is the only way forward for the time being. The reason I''m telling you the details behind it is so that you can at least be in the know. When you see the Chairman showing you his pleasant looking smile, know that he has motives and ns behind his fa?ade."


    "Alright. Thank you for telling me beforehand," Evin said.


    "I know you don''t want to put your trust in me after all that has happened, but I''ll always be willing to help you. And if you need to, you can ask Aran for help. He''s one of the most able mages I''m acquainted with, and I know he''ll give you solid advice if you feel lost or confused," Leanne smiled and gave Evin another hug.


    "Alright," Evin uttered, and pushed Leanne away.


    Leanne seemed surprised, and even anxious at Evin pushing her away. A glint of fear seemed to run past her eyes before being reced by her usual half-smile.


    "Also, just in case, please keep this conversation secret from the Chairman. I always imagined him as a down-to-earth, good man, but now... I''m not so sure anymore. Who knows what he''ll do when he realizes I''ve told you about all these things?"


    Evin nodded perfunctorily.


    Leanne fidgeted for a bit, before seemingly deciding that it was time to leave. She fixed her ruffled clothing and walked towards the door. Right before she left, she looked back towards Evin and mentioned one thing.


    "Before I forget, you still need to attend sses, alright? I think you already missed one, but I''ll take care of that. I know it''s a bit out of ce, with the trial and everything tomorrow, but don''t you think it''s best to move forward with the expectations that everything will be fine?"


    Saying that, Leanne closed the door.


    Evin was a bit surprised, but he still brought out the schedule he got from Leanne before the ceremony and saw that he''d missed Arithmetic. He then noticed that he needed to attend two more sses today, which was the Applications of Magic and then Mage Specialization right afterwards. But he still had some time before that, so there was no need for him to hurry.


    ''Weird how I''m worrying about sses when my life might end abruptly tomorrow,'' a sudden thought shed through his head.


    "What do you think?" he then murmured to the voice.


    <Hmm¡­ Well, there''s nothing much to think about is there? We''ll do our best to hug the chairman''s thighs and just hope he doesn''t molest us too hard,> the voice sounded like he''d already made peace with the situation, <We don''t have much of a choice anyway.>


    "Don''t you feel dissatisfied, though? Being used by such scumbags¡­"


    <Not really¡­ There''s not much point to worry about these things and besides, it''s not like we''re losing anything other than some of our freedom. It''s best to spend our time trying to nab a World Shard or two out of the chairman whenever we can... Now that I think about it, we should really ask him for the Shards he owes us.>


    "I can''t believe you''re thinking about these things when we might die tomorrow."


    The voice sighed loudly ad exaggeratedly, before speaking.


    <Like Leanne said, it''s best for us to be optimistic about things and trust in the chairman to save our asses when the timees. And also. If the situation was so bad that he was unable to help us, then we wouldn''t be sitting in thefort of your room, talking about sses and magic. You''d be in the Countess'' dungeons, getting your fingernails pulled off one by one.>


    Evin thought about the matter for a second and guessed that the voice was right.


    "So I don''t have to worry about tomorrow and worry about my sses?"


    <That. And World Shards. Pretty sure the more World Shards we consume, the more mana we can absorb. I''m excited to see what kind of heights we can reach after that explosion I made.>


    "Wouldn''t that just bring in more trouble for us?" Evin murmured.


    He had shown one sliver of talent in Imagination Casting and without his knowledge and influence, he found himself wedged between the nobles and the mages. Something told him there would be endless trouble if he showed even more promise.


    He always wanted to be a mage, to soar through the skies and bend nature to his will¡­ but so far, things haven''t been going as nned.


    <It definitely will¡­ but like I said, now that we''re already in this mess with no way out, we should just think about the best ways to get the most out of it. And also, we don''t have to do anything too extra. I''m sure we can find some hidden ce to practice our magic.>


    "What about the Chairman knowing about your existence?"


    <Hmm¡­ about that,> the voice murmured before going silent for a bit, <Actually, depending on how things pan out, it might be better if others think that you have something going on in your head.>


    Its answer surprised Evin quite a lot. The voice always ordered Evin around, but it always wanted things done secretly and silently.


    "What do you mean?"


    <Don''t worry about it,> the voice sounded a bit annoyed at Evin''s constant questions, <We''ll see what happens tomorrow. For now, go wash yourself.>


    Evin did as he was told and went to the bathroom to fill the tub with some water that came from a product of magical engineering, as Arza exined to Evin. ording to the boy, 1st grades and above used a plumping system that involved a bit of engineering and a bit of magic, which allowed for miracles like this to happen.


    Evin was a bit interested in the topic so he asked Arza about it all, despite his dislike for the boy, but he soon realized that he didn''t have the brains to understand it all. The voice though, seemed to be enjoying the conversation quite a lot.


    While Evin was in the bathroom, he heard the room''s door open. From the sounds the new guest was making, Evin judged that it was Arza.


    Sure enough, when Evin finished washing and went to check, he found Arza lying on his bed with a book in his hand.


    "Morning!" the boy greeted cheerfully, a weird glint of adoration in his eyes.


    "Morning," Evin replied, feeling weirded out by Arza''s stare.


    "You never told me how talented you were at magic!"


    "Well, I never thought it was that big of a deal¡­ before yesterday happened."


    "But it''s such a big deal!" Arza said and jumped off the bed, "You only ever absorbed one World Shard in your life, right? To think you''re able to create a spell of such power with a mana-core that''s just awakened is something unheard of before!"


    "Mm."


    Evin could only nod along to the boy''s enthusiasm, listening to him sing his praises. It was a bit awkward, but honestly, it felt good. He also learned a few things about his mana-core during this conversation, about how its ability to absorb mana and bend World Energies bes stronger with more practice and more World Shards. Arza didn''t go too in-depth, as they were supposed to learn much more in the Mana-core Cultivation ss.


    But it didn''t change the fact that for Evin, who wasn''t even a mage for half a month and also having absorbed only one Shard, to be casting magic with such intricacy and control was quite frankly, quite miraculous. Thanks to this conversation, Evin finally understood the extent of the things he was achieving.


    When Arza asked him how he was able to do these things, Evin politely refused to talk about it, like the boy himself advocated.


    After a bit, Arza offered to eat lunch and then attend their sses.


    Evin nodded, and the two went to the cafeteria after both grabbing a stack of papers and a pencil. He received a few odd looks here and there, but he didn''t think much of them. Evin wasn''t the most popr kid in town, but he was pretty well known, and not for the good reasons. He was used to these curious res. After eating their fill, Evin and Arza then found their way to their ssroom.


    Evin looked around the ssroom and found that there were 15 or so children sitting around, all looking very, very excited. The desks were all slightly long, with two seats around them, designed for two students to share on between them. He looked further and noticed Kon, or should he say Konanne, sitting in the back alone, looking slightly nervous and out of it.


    "Hey, Arza!" one of the kids shouted when they saw Arzae in.


    "Hey, Kolin," Arza replied back and walked over to a group of two boys and three girls who were all pretty well-dressed.


    "I''m so not d to see you, ha-ha."


    "Huh?"


    "Well, you''re the one who told us to not lie, ain''t that right?" the boy, Kolin joked.


    "Oh, ha-hah. Good one," Arza nodded without reallyughing and they then started talking about what they thought was going to be taught in this ss.


    <I guess he doesn''t mind lies if they''re jokes, huh?> the voice suddenlymented, <Well, I guess that''s about right. If Arza went around punching people for telling jokes, even bad ones, that would be kind of bad.>


    Left alone, Evin found himself ncing at Arza''s new friends and found one of the girls ring back at him with unveiled disgust, a clear sign that he wasn''t very wee in their group.


    Evin hesitated for a bit, before going over to the lone girl.


    "Hello, Konanne."


    The girl seemed surprised to be called out by her name as she meekly nced towards Evin''s direction.


    "Master Eviendra?" she seemed to recall, as she quickly stood up to greet Evin.


    "Just Evin''s fine," Evin replied and asked, "I''ll sit here, is that fine?"


    "Yes, of course," Konanne replied and moved away a bit to make space for Evin.

 Chapter 28 - Magic = Miracle

    A brief silence ensued before Evin felt the need to fill up the awkwardness.


    "So, how did you get your new name, Konanne? You were just Kon when west spoke, right?"


    "Oh, master Evin, you can just call me Kona. In full, I''m now Konanne Lenyda. And as for my name, my previous owner gave it to me. When he learned that I had be a mage, he gave a name to everyone in my family, actually. Not just me."


    "Oh, he seems like a nice person," Evin asked.


    "He is. Very. He''s an aging schr that goes by the name, Shinfra. Have you ever heard of him?" Kona said with excitement.


    The name sounded quite distinctly Northern, but it didn''t really ring any bells in Evin''s head. Well, Evin really wasn''t well-versed in the schrly figures, so this wasn''t anything


    "No, I haven''t heard of him, sorry."


    "No-no, I don''t mean to demean you. I''m terribly sorry," Konanne hurriedly replied.


    Evin didn''t find the girl''s subservient attitude to be annoying, as he would face the same problem if he talked to any other 4th grade in the country. He would even argue that Kona was one of the better ones among the ves.


    "You were talking about your previous owner," Evin reminded.


    "Oh, yes. After he learned about my abilities as a mage, he offered to make my entire family a vassal family of his own after we became a family of 2nd grades. Naturally, our family was happy to do so. So I''m now of the Lenyda family," Kona giggled, "Master is currently busy with getting everyone up to date with etiquette and education, though he''s been especially focused on me."


    "So your owner''s a noble? Your previous owner, I mean," Evin asked.


    To have a family ofmoners be a vassal family for themselves, one had to be a noble. A very well-respected one at that. The vassal family would need to offer their loyalty to their head family, but at the same time, they''d be able to enjoy some of the privileges of being a noble.


    Evin also heard that to obtain the rights to create a vassal family, one needed to either contribute a lot to the country, or donate a lot to the country. He found it very impressive that this schr managed to obtain these rights despite being a Northerner.


    "He is. But he prefers to be referred as just a small-time baron," Kona chuckled again.


    As Evin listened to the girl talk about her family and her previous owner, for whatever reason, he felt terribly wronged. A baron was willing to pull a family of ves to such heights when he learned that one of them was a mage. Compared to that, his father demanded he refuse the life of a mage and to ensure that, he locked Evin inside his home and beat him up.


    But these thoughts weren''t allowed to fester for much longer, as a cleanly dressed man in histe twenties entered the room with hurried steps. Everyone in the room stood up to greet the teacher and, of course, Evin followed suit.


    "Sit, sit," the man waved the kids down and stood behind a podium.


    He looked around the room for a few moments, seemingly counting them. While he was doing this, his eyes seemed to linger on Evin for a split second longer than others before moving on to Kona. Nodding, he cleared his voice and assumed a more proper pose.


    "Wee, children¡­ new young mages of the kingdom, to your first ss of Magics. My name is Alvert Nuln, and I''ll be teaching you two sses about the Applications of Magic and one ss about Mage Specializations. So, two different sses today and one more ss about the Applications in two months. If you happen to possess a World Shard of Lumiaris and willing to learn more about it, I might be teaching you about that as well."


    Evin''s eyes gleamed, excited to learn about the wonders of magic.


    "But of course, for now, we''ll only talk about what you can do with these new magical powers you''ve obtained," Alvert smiled and looked around the room, "Please divide into four groups: those who use Pleading Chants, those who use Demanding Chants, and those who prefer Gestures or Dances," he said as he designated spots in the ssroom for the different groups.


    Very quickly, the 17 kids divided into their respective groups. Seven in Pleading (in which Kona fell into), seven in Demanding, and two for Gestures. Arza, even though he cast magic by Chants, walked towards the group for Gestures with another tall girl who had a very curvaceous body.


    "What about me?" Evin asked, feeling a bit left out, as he was the only one who could Imagination Cast.


    "You will stay on your seat and listen," Alvert replied with a smile before facing the other groups, "Now, everyone except the Pleading group and Evin, please vacate the ssroom for a few dozen minutes. You''ll find some vacant seats right outside, and please, keep silent."


    Half a minuteter, the two groups left and a few timid looking children were left inside.


    "Alright. What do you think magic is?" Alvert began, though no one in the room seemed very willing to answer. The fact didn''t stop the teacher as he continued on.


    "Is it a miracle? A force of nature so inexplicable and mysterious that you simply don''t dare to try and understand it and make sense of it? Or is it a tool for you to use? To give yourself an advantage, or some random convenience to enjoy?"


    "I think it''s a miracle," one of the children responded after a brief pause.


    Albert smiled at the answer and nodded firmly.


    "It is a miracle. A force of nature so powerful that just by being able to ess it, you be someone special and unique. For you all, magic is your trump card. It is the grand finale of a show. It is the culmination of a story," Alvert said, as he gestured towards Evin.


    "You''ve all seen Evin''s disy of magic on the arena. Remember the grand explosion that he created, remember the fear and confusion you felt when its boom filled your head, remember the shivers of your body when the shockwaves reached your bodies," Alvert paused, "That, is what magic is all about. Magnificent and Glorious."


    The seven children seemed awestruck at the teacher''s passionate speech, as Evin caught some of them stealing a nce towards him.


    "But, you can''t think that you can just up and do the same things he did. Have you seen the aftermath of his spell? All his skin burnt beyond recognition, fragments of his bones shattered all around his limbs. You could see his face contorting in pain even when he was unconscious," Alvert reminded.


    Evin''s head wasn''t so clear about these details, so when he heard about the details of what happened to him, it gave him a shiver.


    "If the Chairman wasn''t one of the most talented Healers of the West, Evin wouldn''t be walking around here all fine and dandy. From him we can learn to fear the miracles of Magic. Remember that your spells can very easily go out of your control. If you don''t act carefully around them, then don''t be surprised if you hurt yourself with it."


    The children nodded heavily, to which Alvert offered a smile.


    "Now, who among you can cast a spell without fail?" Alvert asked.


    Two children raised their hands, one of them being Kona and the other being a thin boy with a rather unhealthyplexion.


    "Alright. In turn, please cast a random spell¡­ Though, please make sure to not blow away the ssroom like Evin here would," the teacher joked.


    The first to go was the boy, who started with a rather drearily sung chant..


    "I wish the agents of Seyethe to bless this room with a zephyr of sce."


    Evin felt the air stir inside the room, before swirling around room a few times. Weirdly, Evin felt very creeped out by this gust of wind that visited the room. Instead of bringing sce, like the boy asked it to, it felt more like it was trying to bring misfortune.


    "Very impressive. What''s your name again?"


    "Dunne¡­ Sir."


    "Alright," Alvert said and nodded towards Kona, "You are?"


    "Konanne Lenyda, sir... But I usually go by Kona."


    "Alright, Kona, please demonstrate your spell."


    Kona''s chant was much more lighthearted, though it contained a name that Evin was not quite aware of.


    "I pray to the Paramour of Liberty, Ethez Sent, to grant this room a waft of rejuvenation."


    Just like the previous spell, a waft of air danced around the room before disappearing into nothingness. Butpared to thest one, it really did make one feel rejuvenated and refreshed.


    <But Paramour of Liberty? That''s quite a spicy name,> the voice chuckled.


    "Where have you heard that name?" the teacher asked Kona.


    "I learned it from my previous owner, Baron Shinfra," Kona replied swiftly, "He told me about him when I was struggling a bit to make the spells work."


    "Ah, Master Shinfra¡­ Makes sense," Alvert said and stroked his chin, "Though, try not to chant that name in the presence of nobles, alright?"


    Kona nodded timidly, to which Alvert smiled gently.


    "In any case, Applications of magic. Dunne and Kona''s spells were a great demonstration for what Magic is. Although they weren''t anything shy, like Evin''s explosion, we could all feel that there was something magical about them. Something personal. Something beyond just the breeze that appeared in the room¡­ Why do you think that is?"


    Again, Alvert was met with the nk stares of the children. Quite a tough audience. But that didn''t really discourage the man as he continued on, as if nothing was wrong.


    "That is because they both made sure to fill their chants with their emotions. Dunne''s Chant held a hint of somberness to it, while Kona''s chant was much livelier. And of course, we could all sense the differences. So if you''re having trouble casting magic, try and fill your chants with your emotions, alright?"


    Some of the children nodded a few times.


    "Alright¡­ So, Dunne and Kona, how were you able to determine the size and strength of the breeze?"


    "I imagined it inside my head," Kona replied.


    "That is correct. Although the Chant didn''t really specify these details, you can kind of have the World energies create what you want, by imagining the effects as you''re casting the spell. But like I told you, do make sure to imagine something magical. Make sure to respect the Worlds and its energies and be grateful for the miracles they grant you."


    Alvert then went on to talk some more about the topic, but of course, his message was clear.


    After making sure that everyone understood the magnificence of magic, the teacher disbanded the group and let the Demanders inside.

 Chapter 29 - Magic = Convenience

    The new group of kids were clearly acting differently from the previous one. The most notable was the five-man group that Arza was in previously, the group of popr kids. Evin saw a lot of these types around town, and he was very familiar about how they acted. Most of the time, Evin didn''t sit well in their eyes, so he opted to stay far away from them. Evin could literally feel the smugness and superiority oozing from their pores. It was actually quite difficult for him to look at them straightly.


    "Alright. The Demanding Chanters," Alvert said as he nced at the children one by one. "Tell me, what do you think magic is?"


    The teenagers seemed a bit unwilling to speak about the matter, but it was a different kind of unwillingness than the Pleaders. They looked like they wanted to say something, but acted as if the thing they were trying to say was too presumptuous.


    "I can see what you''re thinking inside and I''m here to tell you that it''s okay for you to think those things," Alvert said smilingly. "You''ve all obviously spent a lot of time practicing your chants at home and you all should be feeling roughly the same thing."


    "Magic, is but a tool for you to use. And you can use it literally for anything. You could order it to create an awe-inspiring explosion like Evin here," Alvert said, gesturing at Evin again, "or you could use it for the little things. Order it to keep you warm in a cold morning. Maybe there''s a fly buzzing around the room and you can''t quite reach it yourself... you can order your World to deal with the problem for you. Or maybe you just want to feel a breeze hitting your face as you walk around town. You can order Seyethe to provide you with thatfort."


    The group listened with some shock, and Evin could see a bunch of satisfied and reassured expressions appearing on their faces. Their audacity was justified, so now they didn''t have to feel bad about it all.


    "It''s okay for you to be arrogant, as long as you don''t let it cloud your judgements. It''s okay for you to be rude and overbearing, since that''s literally the prime way you channel your magic. It''s okay for you to be presumptuous. In fact, it''s best if you hold a slightly unruly attitude towards things."


    With the teacher encouraging them, the group of seven slowly turned lively and loud.


    <Holy shit, this ss is like an enabler for all these obnoxious children,> the voice tsked.


    "Now, who here wants to demonstrate a spell for the rest of us?" Alvert eventually asked.


    But unlike the previous group that only had two willing participants, in this group, everyone raised their hands.


    "Alright. I like your enthusiasm. Then I will ask all of you to demonstrate your Chants in front of everyone here, please."


    One by one, the teens chanted. But despite their confidence, only two of them managed to seed in conjuring a spell: Kolin and the girl that red at Evin. As for the words they used, the girl said something simr to what Leanne said when she demonstrated Demanding Chants in front of Evin and Kona. While Kolin used a very short, yet easily understood Chant: "Light, shine!"


    Alvert did his best to give the rest the proper advice and then told them to learn more in the ss for Demanding chants. One thing that Evin learned from this was that short and simple words were best for this method. Alvert then taught them to properly imagine the details of their spell as they chanted, like he did to the previous group. At the end of it, two more from the group managed to stir the World energies inside them.


    With that, Alvert let this group exit, allowing Arza plus the girl to enter the ssroom.


    "Well, I really don''t think I have anything much to say to you, considering you were both raised by a mage," Alvert shrugged, "I''ll just ask a few questions and let you go."


    "Alright," the two nodded.


    "What is magic to you?"


    "It is a method. A technique. A discipline," Arza replied confidently.


    "It is ritual that births works of art," the girl added.


    "Well, Lopar''s been doing this since she was a child. But Arza, you practiced Demanding Chants since the moment you awakened your mana-core, which made you a very able Chanter. What made you turn your back on those years of effort?"


    "I learned I could achieve much more with Gestures."


    "Is that all?"


    "Uh-huh."


    "Very good. You won''t have to attend the next ss that wille in two months," Alvert nodded satisfactorily and told the two to wait outside.


    Finally, he looked towards Evin, who was listening to all this happen right in front of his eyes.


    "As for you, what do you think magic is?"


    Evin hesitated a bit, before replying.


    "All of those things that you''ve taught the rest."


    Magic could be used to create something miraculous, and yet it also could be used to make one''s life a bitfier and easier. But Evin was leaning towards thinking that it was a technique of some sorts, like Arza described.


    "All of the above, and so much more," Alvert chuckled, "If not, the only ss in this Academy would be this one."


    Evin nodded.


    "But wouldn''t they learn about what the other groups were taught after a week or so?"


    "Oh, they definitely will. They could even argue heatedly about it. Which is why there is a second ss on this subject. If they''re still arguing up for two months about this subject, they could have their conflicts resolved then."


    "Wait, does that actually happen? To argue about this for two months¡­"


    "Ha-ha, you don''t know how stubborn mages can be."


    "I feel that some of them would start ming you too," Evin murmured.


    "They could. I''ll just exin to them it was a lesson for them to question the words of teachers and not take things at face value."


    "Isn''t it easier to tell them everything from the start?"


    "It would definitely be easier, but unlike you, who could miraculously cast using his imagination like it''s nothing, most ten-year-old mages have a really hard time wrapping their heads around the concept of magic," Alvert exined. "They need a foundational belief to build something upon. For the Demanders, it''s the usefulness of the little things; while for the Pleaders, it''s the promise and fantasy of big, special things. They need these start points to learn how to cast a spell without fail in any circumstance. Only then they''ll be considered a rookie mage."


    "And after they master that one spell, things be easier?"


    "Yup. You could see how a lot of the Demanders were confident in casting a spell, right?"


    "Mhm."


    "I''m sure they managed to create what they wanted in theforts of their houses, but they failed to recreate those effects today. Perhaps it was because people were watching, or perhaps it was because they were unfamiliar with their environment. They''ll learn to work around these factors as they get more experienced, but on average, this takes about two months to master."

 Chapter 30 - Mage Specializations

    "Are there any other cases simr to mine?" Evin asked, "Where newly awakened mages can effortlessly cast magic like I do?"


    Alvert thought a bit, before nodding slowly.


    "There are. But most of them show talent in the other casting methods, like Chanting or Gesturing. As far as I know, there was one case simr to yours, but it was with someone already 40 years of age. A schr who grew up poor but managed to find some sess with an invention of some sorts. When he got rich off his sales, he decided to see if he was a mage, and it turned out he was. He wasn''t as shocking as your case, but he worked out Imagination Casting in a few hours, I believe."


    <y dumb,> the voice suddenly intervened, <Ask him how being old affect his Casting.>


    Evin was a bit confused, but he did as ordered.


    "Was he able to do that because he was old?"


    Alvert looked at him with a face of puzzlement, trying to work out something from Evin''s expression.


    "Well, you''ll learn about that in the Chairman''s ss," Alvert finally said, shrugging lightly as if saying it wasn''t his problem. "But for now, it''s break time."


    With that, the teacher walked out the ssroom and told the rest of the group to take a break and gather again in twenty minutes. Almost everyone, Arza included, went off to do fuck all, while only a few of the children stayed back in the ssroom.


    Evin spent his time talking some more with Kona, as thetter struggled to write in western. The written form of the kingdom''snguage was very simple, although tedious. Each letter was somebination of a consonant and a vowel, and those were usually made of either lines, dots. For a word that ended with a consonant, they simply had a circle (to represent emptiness).


    There weren''t any exceptions to this rule, so it was a very easynguage to learn to write in. But each individual line or dot had to be written separately, so it was super tedious to do in practice. Moreover, these lines and dots could very easily be mistaken with each other, so one had to be very, very diligent in their writing.


    Evin heard that a lot of people just decide to switch to Imperialpletely after learning it, as it was simply much easier to write and understand. Well, Evin expected nothing less from thenguage that the Empress created, though he did dread learning it himself.


    In any case, with some tips and tricks from Evin, Kona very quickly learned to write more effectively and Alvert''s ss resumed once more.


    "Alright, everyone''s here, so let''s start the ss."


    Alvert said as he looked around the ssroom. Seeing that everyone was listening properly, he continued.


    "So, Mage Specializations. Broadly, mages are divided into two categories: Combat mages and Nonbat mages. We''ll start with thetter."


    "Nonbat mages, as you may be able to guess from the name, are mages that use their powers for situations that don''t require them to be in abat situation. I''ll give you a list of all the avable professions here and its most notable sub professions. So if you have any questions, you can ask me," Alvert said and gave everyone a piece of paper.


    Evin looked through the list and saw the following:


    [1. Healer ¨C Disease, First Aid, Regeneration, Surgery, Anti-aging, Research.


    2. Magical Engineer ¨C Engraver, Research. Upon further study, you''ll be able to do much more, but for aprehensive education, you''ll need 5 years total and lots of money (1200 gold coins minimum.)


    3. Runes ¨C Affixer, Engraver, Calligrapher, Papermaker, Research. Might need money if you''re bad at calligraphy.


    4. Infrastructure and Construction ¨C Water supply, Lighting, Bridges, Roads, Architecture, Research.


    5. Illusionist ¨C Illusion detector, Illusion Security, Maze Designer, Performer, Special effects for ys and theatre, Special tastes made with sensory illusions. Basically, anything you can think of, as long as it''s legal.]


    <Well, we can ignore option 2 for now, considering its requirements,> the voice said wryly.


    ''Who the hell in this room has hundreds of gold coins lying around?'' Evin thought with outrage, as he finished reading.


    The other teens started asking a bunch of questions, which created aprehensive image for Evin as well.


    Healers were the simplest of the bunch. They healed people. If Evin had to rank the sub professions by its difficulty (judging by what he was hearing from the teacher), he probably would''ve made something like this: from hardest to easiest - Research, Regeneration, Surgery, Anti-aging, Disease, First-Aid.


    Magical engineers were the people that created machinery and devices that had magical properties. They were also encouraged to learn a lot about runes as well, as most of the magic came from these mystical drawings. And Evin wasn''t going to worry about Runes, as he was going to learn more about them in a dedicated ss, anyway.


    Infrastructure and Construction seemed cool to Evin, but it probably wasn''t something for him. The same with Illusionists.


    "Now that we''re done with Nonbat stuff, let''s get you acquainted with the other list," Alvert said and gave the students another piece of paper.


    [1. Heavy Mage ¨C mages that specialized in highly destructive spells, that usually take a long time to cast.


    2. Light Mage ¨C mages that specialize in close quarterbat, and specialize in many small, yet quickly executed spells.


    3. Enchanters ¨C mages that specialize in buffing and strengthening their own bodies with the World energies.


    4. Area-control Mages ¨C mages that specialize in controlling and dominating a specific area.


    5. Maniptors ¨C mages that specialize in controlling or guiding others.]


    Different from the previous list, this one already had brief exnations about them, so they were much easier to understand.


    "I''m guessing it would be much easier to exin these to you through example," Alvert said as he pointed towards Evin once again.


    "Evin here would be a great Heavy Mage, considering the huge explosion that took him almost 10 minutes to create. If he were to walk this path in the future, he would need to consume a lot of World Shards, and he would learn how to cast these big spells in the least amount of time possible. If he ever goes to the army and joins a battle of some sorts, he''d be staying back line of the army, alongside the other Heavy Mages and he would chuck huge spells at the enemies under his armymander''s orders."


    <Ooh, you''ll be artillery in that case. I''m sure the soldiers from the frontlines will start praying to you at some point as well, he-he> the voice chuckled with satisfaction.


    Evin didn''t understand what it was talking about, but since it seemed very content with his joke, he let it be.


    "A Light Mage, on the other hand, will be someone who''s much more flexible and adaptable. Let''s take the army example once again. In an actual fight, a Light Mage will be in the thick of things, fighting a melee battle most of the time. They will not be casting anything grand like a Heavy Mage, but their spells will be swift and effective, despite theirck of firepower. They are also very popr as mercenaries and bodyguards, so there''s that as well."


    "Enchanters, as the description exins, are mages that learn how to absorb the World energies into their bodies and harness their powers. Absorbing different World energies will achieve different effects and of course, these effects will differ greatly from mage to mage. But one thing that''smon among these mages is that their bodies be much more durable over the years and years of practicing this method. This makes it a very popr path for the ones that want to be Light Mages as well, as it helps a lot to survive those messy fights."


    Alvert was about to say something, but he paused, seemingly remembering something.


    "I probably don''t need to remind you of this, but of course, you can be a Light Mage and know big, shy spells. And conversely, you can be a Heavy Mage and still be adept at closebat. You can even strive to be a master of all these things that I''ve listed, but like you''ve seen with the case of Magical Engineering, learning these things takes a lot of time. One might even learn only one of these things their entire life and still be unable to unravel all its secrets," Alvert reminded.


    The students nodded thoughtfully, and he continued his speech.


    "Anyhow, Area-control mages, or Control Mages for short. The biggest example for this type of mages would be Chairman Kent. He is most famous for his Conditional Absolute, that makes it almost impossible for anyone caught in his trap to escape or retaliate," Alvert began and exined the Chairman''s spell in great detail.


    Evin was a bit confused about why they were so open about his spell, but when Alvert exined to him what Conditional Absolutes were, he understood why. Evin fantasized for a moment about his own special Absolute, but he couldn''t really fall on something specific. As he was thinking about these, Alvert reached thest group of mages.


    "And finally, Maniptors... I suppose this would be a great opportunity to talk about the Griffins of the South."

 Chapter 31 - Myrmis And Griffins

    Hearing the teacher mentioning the South randomly, Evin''s ears perked up.


    "Griffins are definitely the prime examples of Maniptors, as they''re arguably the strongest users of the World of Emotions, Ferlour. I''m sure many of you haven''t yet heard of the World, so let me rify things a bit for you," Alvert said.


    "The World of Emotions allows a mage to affect or even change someone''s emotions. As with most Worlds, one can achieve many other things using it, such as relieving one''s trauma, altering one''s mindset to a more optimistic one, and even blocking off an undesired emotion once and for all."


    <Maybe we should study this one a bit further¡­> the voice murmured, <It might be helpful to our situation.>


    "But... considering the war that''s been happening, very rarely these things are used for good things. I know most of you wouldn''t want anything to do with the war with the South, but let''s take the battle example once more. Let''s say you''re about to face an army of Griffins. If you''re feeling fearful of this prospect beforehand, then during the fight, you''re going to be so terrified that you''re not even going to be able to properly function due to the Griffin''s spells. If you''re fighting a stronger griffin, then you would be feeling fearful even if you''re feeling fine."


    "But of course, the kingdom knows about the dangers of the Griffins and so it makes sure that its soldiers in a battle against griffins wears the proper precautions against these spells and that there are proper Maniptors in a battle, to fight against the Griffins'' mental warfare. So as long as the troops aren''t caught off guard, it''s nothing too terrible."


    Evin saw the youths around making relieved face, but he was more concerned about what the voice said. Its words made him listen to the teacher''s speech much more carefully, as it could possibly contain a method to cure Evin from the voice.


    "So, the South found a new method to make use of these masters of emotions. To have them help the Myrmis ovee their biggest disadvantage as a species. Now, who here knows about the Myrmis?" Alvert asked.


    "They''re the Ant-people, right? Giant, human-sized ants! With six legs and giant eyes!" one of the teens said.


    "Not quite. Their bodies are practically the same as humans, but they have carapaces simr to insects instead of skins like we do. These carapaces can be many colors, depending on how the Myrmi Queen decides to make them, but mostly they''re red or ck," Alvert said as he pinched at his hand, "That makes them very durablepared to us, but at the same time, very¡­ hmm, brittle as well. Since their bodies are so hard and dense, it''s really easy for them to lose a limb because of an ident.


    "How does the Myrmi Queen create the Myrmis?" Arza asked suddenly.


    "We don''t know for sure, but if we assume they work simrly to real ants, the Queen musty eggs and eventually, they grow into the Myrmis. And these eggs must grow into adults terribly fast, as with each battle against the South, they''re used almost exclusively as cannon fodder to wear our troops down," Alvert said, "Every fight, it''s the same thing. A wave of red men charging at our soldiers and then dying."


    "But why would the Myrmi allow themselves to just¡­ die like that?" Kona asked weakly.


    "Well, therees the use for Maniptors. You see, Myrmis as a species are quite the cowardly bunch. When faced with a threat, they often preferred to run away, instead of trying to fight back. But the Griffins solve this problem by emboldening these armies of Myrmis to be fearless soldiers willing to do anything for their country. Even throw their lives away in a suicidal charge."


    Evin looked sideways and found a teardrop materializing in Kona''s eyes. She seemed so genuinely concerned for the fate of these Myrmis, that even Evin felt emotional.


    "Why can''t we just mount an attack on these Southerners, and remove them from the face of Alvox once and for all? We''ve won against them before, right? We''ve pushed them back all the way to the barren South, so why can''t we eradicate them now?" one boy asked.


    "Truly, I''m not someone who''s well-versed in these subjects. But if you take the sses of Society and History, maybe you''ll be able to find the answers to these questions yourself," Alvert sighed. "And on that note, I should probably stop talking about these topics as well."


    Alvert loudly pped his hands twice all of a sudden to dispel the ss of the weirdly depressing mood.


    "Alright. I know I''m the one who started all this, but let''s get back to our original topic: Mage Specializations. The purpose of this ss is for you all to pick onebat ss and one nonbat ss to study in. I know some of you already picked the sses for Runes and Illusions, so for those students, you don''t have to pick a nonbat one."


    "Conversely, you can pick all the sses, as long as you''re confident you won''t die of over-exhaustion. But remember, to properly graduate from this Academy and receive a Mage Seal, you must be a respectable expert at least one Specialization ss, alright? As for what the requirements to be considered an expert at the field, it will depend mostly on the ss itself," Alvert reminded.


    <Wait, wasn''t there a ss for Chemistry and Mana Beasts? Can you ask him about those?>


    "Mister Alvert, I remember seeing sses about Chemistry and Mana Beasts. Why aren''t they added as Mage specialization sses?" Evin asked.


    "Oh, mostly because they''re too short to be proper Specializations. If I''m correct, Chemistry sses are only about five or six sses in total and Mana Beasts are even shorter than that. Maybe things will change in the future, but for today''s society, a Chemist isn''t a proper job, unfortunately."


    <Huh? Chemistry only has five sses? Or are we talking about a different Chemistry?> the voice sounded quite baffled.


    Evin waited for it to calm down so it would tell Evin which ss to pick, before he realized something disturbing.


    ''Why am I letting it decide so many things for me? What the hell happened to me?''


    Then thinking of the previous few days, he was even more baffled.


    ''Now that I think about it, ever since I became a mage, I turned so much more docile to its orders and suggestions¡­ No. It''s my own life, and I should be the one living it, not it.''


    "Okay, everyone. If you want, you can tell me your decision now, and I''ll put you in the relevant ss. But if you want to think about it some more, you can find me here tomorrow morning at 8 am and tell me then," Alvert said.


    Some kids in the ss went up to the teacher to dere their intents. Arza picked the ss for Enchanters and Runes, Kona picked the ss for Heavy mages and also Runes, while the Gesture caster girl picked the ss for Light mages.


    Evin walked up to Alvert and said confidently, "I''ll be an Enchanter."


    Alvert nodded and told Evin when the sses were. At the end of it, he added, "Also, the Chairman told me to put you inside the Combat Training ss."


    "Huh?"


    "It''s a ss where you do livebat against other students. Usually, students of non-noble/mage families can only enter the ss from the second year, but I heard he decided to make an exception for you."


    "Oh, I''m gonna be in that ss too!" Arza said from the side. "Nice!"

 Chapter 32 - The Trial

    ''But I don''t even want to enter that livebat ss¡­'' Evin wanted to say, but something told him he didn''t have a choice in the matter.


    "Alright," Evin murmured and went back to his seat.


    A few momentster, Alvert dismissed the ss after reminding everyone to gather back here in two months'' time. Then, the teacher promptly gathered his belongings and left the ssroom with the same hurried steps he entered it.


    As Evin was about to do the same, he heard Arza raising his tone of voice a little.


    "I''m telling you I do things the way I want to, not because someone else wants me to."


    "I just don''t understand why you would want to hang out with that freak over us?" Kolin was saying, "Do you know what he''s called? The One Boy Freak Show!"


    Evin found himself frowning involuntarily, remembering the incident that ostracized him from the rest of the kids permanently. Seeing Arza and Kolin argue about the matter in front of him, it made him feel even more sickened.


    "Kolin, do you think I''ll believe someone if they told me you dabbed your hands in the asional thievery?" Arza asked back.


    Kolin looked genuinely offended for a few seconds, before vehemently denying the ims.


    "No, of course you shouldn''t! What would make you even think that''s true anyway?"


    "Well, then tell me why I should trust your words about Evin?"


    "Because everyone in this town knows about the One Boy Freak Show! Some parents even tell scary stories to their children about the One Boy Freak Show!"


    <Ooh, you''re more popr than I expected¡­>


    Evin was slowly starting to remember why he hated the voice in the first ce. Because of it, he was ostracized by other children and adults, and because of it, his father was convinced he was raising a lunatic.


    "Kolin, you said you wanted to be like thete king, right? To be like King Rnd, a great person who allowed all of us this chance and luxury of bing mages," Arza asked.


    "I did," Kolin replied, albeit a tad quietly than before.


    "So? Tell me, what did he do when all the nobles around him were telling him thatmoners weren''t worth the title of a mage? Did he say "You''re right. Since every noble thinks so, it must be right," or did he question their ims and walk his own path?"


    Then, Arza swiftly dealt Kolin a p on the cheek. It wasn''t anything deadly, just a swift wake up p to instill in the boy the message. And it seemed to have done the trick, as thetter just stood there silently, grasping his cheek with one arm, a thoughtful expression on his face.


    "Don''t idolize someone just because everyone else is doing it. Think about the reasons, or ideas that make King Rnd such a remarkable person and idolize those instead," Arza said sternly, "And besides, a king does not need your love and respect. Much less a dead one. He''d be much happier in the afterlife, knowing that his people supported his ideals, without just blindly idolizing him."


    Evin listened to the boy''s speech and couldn''t help but feel warm inside. No one''s ever bothered to defend him, so when someone actually did it, even someone unnecessarily violent like Arza did¡­ it just made him feel really nice.


    And although Evin found it rude of Arza to refer someone of such high stature with such discourteous adjectives like ''dead'', he 100% agreed with the boy''s words.


    "Well, I got a bit carried away there. Sorry for pping you, man," Arza smiled, patted Kolin on the shoulders and walked up to Evin, "Come on. Let''s go get some meat."


    Evin was pulled off without his input, only managing to utter out a weak refusal.


    "But we just had lunch two hours ago?"


    "You call that lunch? The damn kittens in my house eat more than that!" Arza tsked. "No wonder you''re so tiny and scrawny. Tsk. And you''re all so confused to see me so much taller than you all."


    "But I''m full already."


    "Listen, since you''re gonna be an Enchanter, you''re gonna be eating a lot whether you like it or not. Better get used to it early," Arza said and leaned in closer to Evin to whisper something, "And besides, aren''t you going on a trial that''ll decide your life and death tomorrow? Treat yourself a little today, alright?"


    "That won''t¡­ go bad tomorrow, and how do you even know that?" Evin murmured.


    "Dad told me," Arza smiled.


    <By the Empress''s grace, is this love? I know you picked the Enchanter''s ss because Leanne''s going to be teaching it, but something tells me you''ll end up with Arza instead,> the voice snickered from inside Evin''s head.


    ¡­


    Very quickly, the next morning came and although Evin really wished to sleep the day off, he was woken up by the voice''s naggings.


    <Clean yourself and wear your uniform,> it started ordering Evin around as soon as he got up. <You don''t know how important these things are to the eyes of pretentious old people.>


    Sighing, Evin cleaned himself again, even though he''d already taken a bath the previous day, and carefully put his clothes on.


    "I think you''ll miss Imperial during your trial¡­ but like yesterday, I''ll do my best to teach it to you, alright?" Arza said, as he got himself ready.


    The boy took his time to teach Evin what he missed on Arithmetic the previous night and Evin could only be grateful he managed to skip the ss as he was unconscious.


    "Alright, thanks." Evin replied with a sigh.


    "No problem. Well, hope I see you in time for lunch," Arza said and walked away.


    He was thankful to Arza for getting him up to date, but some part of him also wished for Arza to just, not bother helping him. But it wasn''t time to worry about these small things, as literally, his life was about to be put on the line. Evin really didn''t understand how he was so calm the previous day.


    Now, some part of him even wanted to ditch everything and run, but obviously, he understood that that would make killing him that much easier.


    But fortunately, or unfortunately, he wasn''t allowed to brood over the matter further, as Leanne came in the room, and the two went towards where the trial was supposed to take ce.


    "Are you nervous?" the woman asked as they walked through the corridors.


    "A bit."


    "Well, you know what''s going on in the background and I trust you''ll do what''s best for yourself."


    ''What do you mean with those words? I don''t even know what''s best for myself, so how am I supposed to do it?'' Evinined in his head.


    "Remember that you''re not alone in this, alright?" Leanne sighed as she stopped before a door that said Chairman''s room next to it.


    She opened it silently and gestured Evin inside. Suppressing his urge to run away, Evin entered inside and looked around. He saw two wide couches ced face to face in front of an almost empty desk, with two people sitting on each side. The Chairman and the Vice-Chair on one side and was facing the door and Decatur and another woman on the other side facing away from the door.


    Evin heard the door close behind him and understood that Leanne wasn''t going to be helping him through this process.


    ''Then why did she say that I''m not alone in this?'' Evin thought.


    Decatur turned around to re at Evin in a hateful manner, but the woman didn''t even bother to spare a nce towards his way. In fact, her head tilted towards her son briefly and Evin could see Decatur facing forward again, after making a moping expression. He seemed to get another re from his mother for that as well.


    "Oh, Evin. Come over and sit," the Chairman said as he gestured towards an armchair that was located to the side of the two coaches, offering a clear view of all the parties.


    <Before you sit, make sure to introduce yourself. Emphasize that you''re a mage as well.> the voice ordered.


    Evin walked towards the armchair, and right before he sat down, he briefly introduced himself. It didn''t get much reaction, so he promptly sat down.


    He then took a nce at the Countess and found a tall, slim woman with a rather paleplexion on her skin. As far as Evin knew, she was wearing what nobles normally wore, but he could also notice that she was much more modestpared to what he imagined noble women to wear, especially the richer ones.


    Aside from the thing silver ne she was wearing on her neck, there really wasn''t anything else to write home about. She had her hair done in a not so borate braided ponytail, and her uniformly ck dress definitely pushed her modest appearance further.


    While he was doing this, chairman Kent cleared his throat and gave Evin a brief exnation of things.


    "Well, as you may already know, the Countess of Greater Ankelite, madam Alix din Carew thinks you tried to assassinate her child, Decatur Carew, and wants to put you in the dungeons for it."


    "In a prison," the Countess said briskly, "We don''t have dungeons in this County."


    "Of course. She wants to put you in prison, and us two are here to clear up the misunderstanding."

 Chapter 33 - Playing Dumb

    But even with the chairman taking on the friendliest attitude avable, the Countess'' stance was firm.


    "There is nothing to misunderstand. I''ve heard what the spectators saw, and it''s clear to me that there was an attempt on Decatur''s life. As you know, an attempt at a noble''s life has quite the severe retributions," the woman said slowly, "In fact, putting the boy in prison could only be considered a p on the wrist."


    "You insist in that narrative, but the vice-chair, as the one who was closest to the incident, exins that it was all an ident. The boy also seemed quite shocked by the oue, isn''t that right?" the chairman said, nodding towards Evin.


    "It is so. I was only trying to create a bigger fire, I didn''t think¡­ it would create something like that," Evin replied as the voice instructed him to beforehand. "Since I couldn''t match your son''s fire in its longevity, I thought I should gather all the Fire energy in one ce and light it afire all at once."


    Evin once again found himself in that state of calmness and alertness¡­ the same eerie tranquility in his heart he felt when he was sharing the stage with Decatur.


    Although he was a panicking mess of emotions a few minutes ago, before he even knew it, he found himself in a different state of mind. He had so much more to think about the sights and sounds around him. He knew so many things he hadn''t heard of before. Even the words he used seemed foreign to him.


    And every time he fell into these sparks of wisdom, time seemed to slow down just for him, so he could take his time and properly conclude his thoughts.


    "No! I saw your face before you set that spell free. You were smiling sinisterly at me while you did it!" Decatur offered his view of the situation.


    But it seemed to Evin that the Countess really didn''t like her son talking all that much. She sent another death-re to the boy and thetter immediately went silent after a moment. But it didn''t seem like it was just that. From what Evin could tell, the Countess looked slightly embarrassed by her son''s behavior. She looked quite simr to how his dad looked whenever a guest or a customer brought up Evin''s supposed insanity near him.


    ''Or maybe she just doesn''t like the way he acts?'' Evin concluded leisurely.


    <Just deny it. Tell them you were too busy holding all that energy in one ce to be smiling sinisterly. Try to say it matter-of-factly.>


    "I was not smiling in any part of the process. My head was full with trying to keep the spell together."


    "I can confirm this statement," the vice-chair added, "Before the explosion was ignited, Evin was barely keeping himself standing. As far as I was aware, he was on the verge of Mana exhaustion."


    "Of course. He was too tired. That must be why he walked behind you right before he let loose a shot at my son," the Countess stated, "Doesn''t really sound like the symptoms of a boy on the verge of copse now, does it?"


    "What do you have to say about that?" the chairman asked Evin with a smile.


    Evin understood that the question was directed towards him, but he couldn''t help but focus on the falseness he found on the man''s smile. The smile was inviting and easy on the eyes, and perhaps it might''ve even fooled Evin if he wasn''t in this highly alert state of mind. In fact, Evin was sure it would''ve fooled him. But today, Evin could see very clearly how much the chairman tried to make this smile look natural.


    He could see the man''s pupils shivering ever so slightly with his smile. Him hiding his bottom teeth so the smile didn''t look over-exaggerated, and an array of wrinkles appearing on the man''s forehead and cheeks. All crystal clear signs of a genuine smile in disy.


    But what gave it away was the consistency of it all. Every time the man smiled, the same process urred: his lips formed a smile, then came the eyes and then came the muscles. All happening with the same rhythm as before.


    Again, Evin didn''t know how he knew these things.


    "Evin?" the chairman asked with a concerned tone, noticing that the boy seemed quite dazed.


    "Oh?" Evin snapped awake.


    <Say you don''t know why you did that,> the voice urged.


    "I¡­ I actually don''t know why I did that."


    "You mean to say that you don''t know why you walked behind the vice-chair?" the chairman asked.


    <Tell them you don''t really remember things that well.>


    The highly alert and intelligent Evin noticed that saying this would be like offering the countess a chance to rip him to shreds, but when he thought deeper about the answer, Evin started to see how this answer could solve the problem once and for all.


    "Yes¡­ Maybe I was just trying to stay away from a potential fire?" Evin murmured, "I don''t really remember things that well."


    Like Evin expected, the countess immediately smelled the weakness in Evin''s statement and she didn''t hesitate to attack Evin.


    "Quite a weak argument, is it not? You just happened to create an explosion randomly, you just happened to not know what you were actually doing, and you just happened to evade the worst of it without really knowing what you were doing in actuality. All in the presence of the local county''s heir," the Countess said andughed mockingly. "I find itughable that such a sloppy job actually came so close to seeding, when Ipare to all the assassinations I had to defend my sons from."


    The words'' implications were clear. This wasn''t the first time the woman was facing a situation like this, so she was quite well-versed with how these things went. Evin found it a bit hard to believe, but it was definitely a good exnation to why he was being questioned in a trial of some sorts because of a random duel.


    "Madam Alix, please don''t jump to conclusions," the Chairman smiled. "There are many exnations for Evin''s suspicious actions. Just to name two, his instincts could''ve guided him at the time, or he knew what was going to happen deep inside and subconsciously avoided the worst of it."


    The chairman''s defense sounded somewhat wrong to Evin, and the Countess agreed as well.


    "That only serves to prove my point further, no?"


    "No-no. There''s a difference between doing things with intention behind it and doing things subconsciously. In the first case, you know things because you''ve learned about them beforehand, but in the second case, you know things because¡­ you just know them. You don''t know when, or how you learned of these things before, but you definitely know it," the chairman struggled to articte his thoughts.


    "Like how one can inherently tell the difference between good and bad," the Vice-chair added.


    "Yes! Just like that!" the Chairman shed his fake smile once again. "Let''s say that a newly born child was left inside a jungle. And let''s also suppose this child somehow survives to be old enough. And let''s suppose that eventually, the child would grow up to be a man and reenter society," the Chairman was narrating before he was cut off by the Countess.


    "Stop going on unrted tangents, please."


    "No-no. This is very relevant to our case here," the Chairman reassured and went back to the story, "So, the man reunites with society, not really knowing what society is in the first ce. And, if you murder someone in front of that man, he''ll for sure think that there''s something wrong with what they just saw. Without even knowing the implications of what urred in front of him, the man will feel fear, confusion, and perhaps even go into shock."


    "Still, how is this rted to the case here, again?" the Countess sounded unimpressed.


    "What I''m trying to say, is that people are born knowing certain things. This is especially prevalent with children with mana-cores, awakened or not. You must''ve felt the same as well, as you''ve raised two mages already."


    The words seemed to resonate with the woman as she looked towards her son with a thoughtful expression. She then nced towards the smiling Chairman and allowed herself a slight smirk.


    "You also mentioned something about the boy doing this instinctively. Are you going to tell me that''s also something unique to mages?"


    "Of course. If I send a punch towards a normal person and a mage, more often than not, the mage would be the one to dodge. It''s actually quite interesting when you see it happen in reality," the Chairmanughed.


    Evin felt panic rising in his chest, hearing these ridiculous defenses the Chairman was making for him.


    The Countess stared at Evin¡­ and Evin found a trace of pity appearing in her eyes. Then, she stared at the small, insignificant-looking middle-aged man and her smirk turned ice cold in a second.


    "You have no intention to take this seriously, do you?"


    "What might you mean?" the Chairman smiled back.


    The Countess sighed softly and pushed herself off the couch.


    "I came here, trying to find the mastermind behind an assassination¡­ but now I must leave this ce, feeling sorry for the assassin. Odd how that works¡­"


    "Mother?" Decatur asked, confused by the events. "Their defense makes no sense! Arrest this boy!"


    "Indeed, twopletely meaningless responses," the Countess murmured. "I''m sure the Chairman, praised for his wisdom and cleverness, realizes that as well..."


    "Then-"


    "Since he''s acting like this, it means he''s not nning to take this affair seriously at all," the Countess said. "It''s a statement, you see? Even if we try our best to take things seriously, he''ll just make a joke out of it... Well, you''ll spend your evenings pondering on why things turned out this way and why I decided to give up. Now, we head home."


    ''This is turning into a lecture,'' Evin thought with a sigh.


    "But he tried to kill me!" Decatur bellowed. "He smiled as he did it, and I''m sure he killed many others before me too! Have you heard of what his neighbors say about him?"


    "Don''t exaggerate events like this, Decatur. It''s unsightly¡­ and unbing of a noble. And the more I see things, the less guilty the boy looks," the Countess sighed. "Since my head''s clearup up slightly, I can start seeing the holes in your story. Have you paid those¡­ "witnesses" of yours to cook up a nice little story for yourself?"


    "No, of course not!" Decatur denied, but the Countess was having none of it.


    "Cut the crap. I''ll talk to them and teach you again that money does not overpower authority."

 Chapter 34 - An Anticlimactic Conclusion?

    "Ten years I''ve told you to uphold your noble title with the proper mindset, despite that, nothing," the Countess sighed, shaking her head, "You still throw these fits to garner attention on yourself, ying victim when you''re the perpetrator, so you won''t look the least bit wed in the eyes of others."


    "Mother, not here," Decatur looked around, the shame apparent in his eyes.


    "Are you ashamed I''m arguing about you in the presence of others? Good. Shame is a good teacher. Perhaps it will teach you better than me¡­" the Countess spat out, "I''d tell you it''s best to feel all the world''s shame in your childhood, so you won''t have to after you''ve grown up¡­ but something tells me you''ll forget about the words after a fancy meal and a good night''s sleep."


    "I am not a child! ¡­ mother¡­"


    The boy briefly raised his voice, only for it to turn into a whimper. Decatur''s attempt at rebelling against his mother, drowned away by the realization of what that actually entailed. Evin was all too familiar with the gesture, courtesy of his interactions with his father.


    The Countess scoffed, and pulled Decatur off the couch, and forced him to bow down towards the Chairman, manhandling him like how a mother would handle an unruly child. Then, turning to the two herself, she apologized with her head bowing down.


    "I''m deeply sorry for wasting your time with the tantrums of my child."


    "All good. Another purpose of our Academy is to teach its students lessons about life, not just magic. Whether they learn through failure or sess, well, that''s mostly up to them," the Chairman shrugged.


    "I trust you to keep Greater Ankelite''s safety," the Countess nodded and turned towards Evin. She then had Decatur bow down to him, as well. "I apologize for my child''s usations against you." She herself bowed again.


    Evin nodded politely, thinking it would be best for him to speak as little as possible.


    "I understand that my son also owes you two World Shards?"


    "Yes, if I might be so brazen," Evin replied, pleasantly surprised he was still going to get the Shards. He thought he would get the three Shards from the school, but he had definitely given up on the two Elemental ones he was due from Decatur.


    "Can I ask the Academy to provide that in his stead for the time being?" the Countess asked, "I''ll make sure to send the recements as soon as possible."


    "Of course."


    The Countess thanked everyone, said her goodbyes and unceremoniously walked out of the room, dragging her son behind her.


    The voicemented something about things going well, but Evin wasn''t focused on these words. Evin sat there in silence, thinking about the Countess'' actions. To him, it didn''t matter what he thought about, as long as he could feel his mind working so effortlessly. He just wanted to savor this thoughtful state of his mind and at the time, the noble-woman was the biggest topic in his mind.


    Evin could see that the Countess definitely came to see blood, Evin''s blood specifically. She thought that Evin was part of a nefarious n involving the death of her child, and she didn''t bother to hide these thoughts. She also revealed that these kinds of assassination attempts happened to her a lot more than what one was probablyfortable with. Evin didn''t know if such was the life of nobles all around the kingdom, or if it was something that only happened in Greater Ankelite.


    But it exined why the woman was so adamant and authoritative at first. After all, the life of her child was at stake. But eventually, the Countess realized she was wrong, and Evin guessed that it was only a matter of time that she came upon this conclusion.


    The Chairman must''ve also guessed the same, as he took on a much more casual approach to the trial. Mostlymunicating with pleasant sounding, yet illogical arguments when he was defending Evin''s actions and replies. His speech about mages knowing things subconsciously and Evin doing things instinctively might''ve fooled some other people, but Evin could see that the Countess was far too intelligent for such fickle, theoretical arguments.


    And indeed, she scoffed at these words, but Evin could still remember how confused she was about why the Chairman would go so far to defend Evin like this.


    And Evin could understand all that.


    He saw that she trusted the Chairman very much... She herself said it as much, with her words about trusting the Chairman with the safety of Greater Ankelite. So it must have been deeply confusing for her to think that the Chairman she trusted so much would go so far to protect a potential assassin.


    Of course, this confusion onlysted until the moment she started thinking that Evin wasn''t an assassin at all. With this new revtion, many things about the whole incident started to make sense in her mind. She then seemed to remember the details of Decatur''s story and soon understood that her son had exaggerated the situation a tad too much forfort.


    Evin could only imagine what kind of story Decatur had cooked up about him. It must''ve been pretty dramatic, considering how the boy spoke of an evil grin appearing on Evin''s face right before the explosion. Evin wouldn''t even be surprised if he was the one who dragged Decatur onto the stage.


    But Evin didn''t understand one thing. Why would the Countess say she was sorry for him? Did she know that Evin was being used by the Chairman? If so, she should know that the Chairman was thinking about rebelling against the nobles, right? So, if she knew about the Chairman''s intents, why would she trust him so much¡­? Or perhaps the Chairman really wasn''t trying to rebel against the nobles, and it was just that Leanne told him some random story?


    But without any further information, Evin could only specte about these topics.


    And besides, he had no more time to think about the subject, as the Vice-chair left the room with a goodbye. Evin wanted to do the same, but the voice had guessed that there was a talk to be had between him and the mage.


    Excitedly and a bit fearfully, Evin waited for the man to start speaking.


    The Chairman sighed softly, and slouched into the couch with a slight groan.


    "It''s always very scary to speak with the Countess," he chuckled lightly. "Thanks for hastening the act with your apt replies."


    "I was mostly speaking the truth."


    "Mostly, huh?"


    "I might''ve wanted to hurt the noble. Just a little bit."


    "Indeed," the Chairmanughed heartily.


    The voice had taught Evin to reply like this to the Chairman. It had guessed that the man would enjoy Evin''s rebellious attitude, considering his ns of having Evin stand against them in the first ce. The voice''s guess seemed to be right, as the Chairman beamed at Evin''s confession.


    Evin was usually adamant on refusing to do as the voice said, but with his better functioning mind, he could see and understand the reasoning behind the voice''s intentions. It was a ssic example of ''If you can''t beat them, join them''. Others might''ve found it shameless, or small, but Evin knew how fickle things like honor and reputation were.


    "Well, I reckon the Countess also sniffed out your intentions, but decided not to bring it up. Though do make sure you don''t overdo it, alright?" the Chairman reminded.


    Evin nodded and thanked the man for defending him. The Chairman waved it off, and just said he was there to advocate the truth. Nothing else. Then, the man wrote something on a piece of paper and handed it to Evin. Evin was supposed to show it to Leanne, so that he could receive his World Shards from the treasury.


    The Chairman then said his goodbyes and Evin, albeit a bit confused, walked out of the room and into the empty corridors.


    <Huh¡­ Well, I guess he decided that there was no need to speak with you yet,> the voice said, seemingly shrugging inside Evin''s mind, <Or perhaps he judged that he didn''t need to speak with you, considering your friendly attitude towards him. Kind of anticlimactic, but I suppose it''s fine.>


    And after thesements, something suddenly cut off the blessed awareness and thoughtfulness that Evin was enjoying. Evin''s thoughts returned to their usual dullness, his mind unable to offer any insightful thoughts about anything around him. His existence started to feel simrly boring as well, as some part of Evin dreaded to live such a dreary life.


    But Evin quickly realized that this wasn''t such a dramatic, life-altering experience he was making it out to be. He lived without those insights all his life, and he was quickly back to his normal state of mind. But still, he was very curious about that blissful state of mind.


    Looking around and seeing that there was no one around, Evin whispered lightly.


    "Was that you?"


    <Are you talking about how smart you felt just now? If so, then my little experiment must have worked,> the voice said with satisfaction. <Well, I''ll exin it to youter on. For now, let''s search for Leanne and receive our prizes.>


    The voice sounded eager. Just like a child excited at the prospect of receiving a new toy. Perhaps these new methods of magic were actually simple toys to the voice and Evin wouldn''t be wiser for it. He could only sigh and find his way to Leanne.


    ¡­

 Chapter 35 - Spoils

    Later that day, Evin was sitting on his bed, with a stack of pillows supporting his back. Silver glitter surrounded his head, as Evin tried his best to create a thought in his head. Of course, it wasn''t that he was struggling to create a normal thought, he was trying to give birth to a thought that could be heard by the voice inside him.


    He was upied with this task for the better part of the evening, making good use of the time when Arza was absent from the room - the boy was sleeping in another dorm room, enjoying a sleepover among his newly made friends. Not that Evin cared.


    The voice, on another corner of Evin''s head, was ying around with a different patch of silver energy. Sometimes Evin would see it take on different shapes, different sizes and even different colors. The voice was trying to create clearer images or sharper shapes out of them, but was seemingly failing. Evin could only see resemnces of items on these shapes, like how a shape of a cloud looked like one thing or other.


    <Just keep trying,> the voice suddenly ordered, dispelling the silver that cluttered inside the room. <It took me a few months to grasp telepathicmunication¡­ but I''m sure you''ll learn it much faster, as I''ve told you all I know about the matter and since you have ess to the World of Thoughts..>


    Indeed, the voice had offered crucial insight on how it was able to achieve the feat of telepathy. It mentioned that when it first appeared in Evin''s head, it didn''t even know how to reach out to Evin. But after months of trial and error, it finally achieved contact and slowly mastered the process since then.


    As for why Evin was trying to learn telepathy now, it was because he was granted ess to the World of Thoughts, Lochra. Moreover, he possessed the Shards of the World of Air, the World of Darkness, the World of Earth, and finally, the World of Life.


    He also learned about the existence of three new Worlds: The World of Weight, Qanatohm; the World of Time, Ori-Etu; and the World of Space, Therae.


    With the World of Weight, one could increase the weight of things, and conversely make things weigh less, and perhaps even make the weightless. Leanne exined that most mages who are capable, use this World with the World of Air to fly about in the air. It was also used in cksmithing and Magical Engineering, but Leanne reminded that aside from some niche uses like that, the World wasn''t a popr one.


    Same with the World of Time. The name sounded quite grand, but even during the long history of the Empire, none in the world had shown any talent for it, not to mention a proper use. People tried to stop, slow down, or even reverse time with it, but to no avail. Chants, Gestures and Imaginations, none of them seemed effective on Time energy, so people gradually stopped bothering themselves with it. Perhaps the Empress had a use for it, and us mortal simply didn''t understand it yet.


    Leanne also mentioned that its energy could be used to age and corrode things, but of course, not many wanted an effect like that their own things.


    Evin wondered if the voice could perhaps make the World work, but it quickly expressed its denial as if it knew clearly what Evin was thinking. Told Evin to forget about his cheap delusions of being the first to make the World of Time work.


    But the World of Space, on the other hand, had many uses. It was used to create portals that connect different ces, store items in alternate pockets of space, and create trinkets that allow ess to these spaces.


    Too bad humanity could only manage one of these skills efficiently: to create portals; and even then they had little sess with it. Their portals were short, its efficiency abysmal, and its safety uncertain. Nothing like the portals that could connect every corner of the continent made by the undisputed masters of Space - the Cosmic Felines.


    Evin heard many stories about the Cosmics as a child. Mystical, immortal beings that live in a utopia, hidden between a gap in space-time. For whatever reason, they visited thends of Alvox to bless upon the lesser races their transcendent ways, trading with them, teaching them.


    At least¡­ that was what Evin heard, but Leanne insisted it was very not so. Evin urged her to speak further, but she exined it would be faster if he met one himself.


    Thus ended their talk about the World Shards and Cosmic Felines, and Evin was let go with his four vials of Shards in his hands.


    As for why he hadn''t absorbed them into his mana-core yet, Leanne exined that he needed to wait at least a week between each absorption. Something about its effectiveness plummeting if one absorbed too many Shards at once. She mentioned that even a week was too short for these things, but Evin could minimize the effectiveness he could potentially lose by diligently using the new world he got ess to.


    After some debate, him and the voice decided to start with the World of Thoughts, as they suspected it could offer an insight to their situation and also offer a new, two-way form of mentalmunication.


    The voice then messed around with the Thought energies, seeking for a way to separate itself of Evin''s brain, or at least temporarily jump out if it, but so far, the two weren''t able to find any relevant discoveries.


    But they did find some sess in the other task they set out to achieve - telepathy. The voice had tried to replicate the method he used tomunicate with Evin using Thought energy, and was sessful in it. In fact, it seemed to Evin that the voice''s intentions were much clearer to him than before.


    If Evin was sessful in mastering this form ofmunication, it barred his need to whisper by himself in order tomunicate with the voice. Perhaps he''ll be able to send some threats and jabs back whenever he found the voice acting snarky inside him when he had no other way to speak back.


    <Alright. I can feel your brain turning to mush inside your head. Let''s stop for tonight and let''s continue tomorrow.>


    Evin sighed and let go of the energies inside him.


    A weight was pulled off from his chest, and the tenseness in his body dissipated to the bed under him. He sighed and then stretched his back, a satisfied groan escaping his mouth. He walked up to the jar where he kept his cookies, and grabbed one of his favorites, butter cookie.


    "So? What was that all about?" he randomly asked the voice, while munching on the cookie.


    <Hmm?>


    "That think you did to my mind during the trial, where everything seemed clearer to me, and I could think about a dozen different things at a time, twice as fast as I normally do¡­ Was that some kind of magic you learned?" Evin asked casually.


    <Empress Almighty, don''t do yourself like that, Evin,> the voice chuckled awkwardly, ridicule oozing from its tone, <At first, I only willed to share my calmness with you like I did on the stage with Decatur. At some point, I suddenly had the idea of sharing my mind with you as well. Since I can share part of it, why can''t I share the whole thing. Long story short, I willed it to happen¡­ and I can see that it worked wonders, considering how great of an effect it had on you.>


    Evin didn''t know how he was supposed to recover from this. He could practically see the smug face forming on the voice''s wrinkled, ugly face ¨C that was the face he had granted the voice ¨C and all that smugness was directed towards him and him only.


    ''How could I have said that?'' he thought with despair, imagining the endless mocks and jabs that woulde forth from this exchange. ''I just confessed I think of only one thing to his ten and even that takes me twice the time too!"


    "How are you able to share your calmness, and whatnot in the first ce?" Evin asked.


    ''I must steer the conversation away from this topic,'' he was thinking decisively, though part of him knew that the voice never forgot about things. Just listen to it speak of his encounter with the mad doctor, as if the event had happened only yesterday.


    <Who knows how I can do these things? And who knows why I''m able to exist in your head in the first ce,> the voice sighed, <I was always able to do certain things, and if I couldn''t do something, I tried my best to learn to do it. I''ve long stopped caring for the whys and the hows¡­ But I am pretty confident that the range and variety of the things I can do have gotten much better after I got ess to mana and Thought energies.>


    "Do you think things will change yet again, since you have ess to the World of Thoughts?" Evin asked, hoping the voice to trail on this topic long enough to forget Evin''s blunder.


    "What does that mean?" Evin asked, genuinely intrigued.


    <Like it''s not real... Well, it''s just a feeling I have,> the voice sighed. <We''ll learn more as we grow older¡­>


    The voice sounded quite sad all of a sudden. Evin didn''t know why. As far as he was concerned, today was a great day. For starters, he didn''t die, and he received five World Shards during the process. And the voice seemed quite happy with the oue as well. Until now, at least.


    <Whatever. We''ll find a way to separate. I''ll make sure of it,> the voice turned cold.


    ¡­

 Chapter 36 - Alone With The Nobles

    Time passed quickly with Evin and Arza running between sses.


    Evin managed to obtain the most basic knowledge of Runes, some insight on how his mana-core worked, some grand promises of great zing spells, more Imperial and Arithmetic that he''d liked to learn, and some regret in choosing the Enchanting ss possessing only a Shard of Irratas and a Shard of Lochra. One made him feel as if he was setting himself on fire, and the other made him disgustingly aware of the nitty-gritty details of his body. Evin resolved to absorb the Shard of Apdenul after for the next week''s lessons, as he was very impressed by Arza''s feats of strength.


    But that was for another day.


    Currently, he was sitting inside avishly decorated ssroom, with a variety of eyes staring at his side. He was waiting for Chairman Kent toe inside the room and teach him all about Imagination Casting. The subject he was forced into, and one he wasn''t wee in.


    The seating in the ss very clearly depicted the situation.


    While Evin was sitting on the left side of the ssroom, nearer to the windows, 13 noble children in the ss were sitting on the right side of the ssroom, closer to the doors and all clustered up. Evin guessed that most of them must be the sons and daughters of small baron families, a couple of them the offspring of viscounts and only one of them a son of a certain Countess.


    Well, it wasn''t a small ssroom per se, with about forty seats in total, so it wasn''t that ring¡­ but Evin reckoned that anyone with an eye should be able to see the gap.


    ''And I''m supposed to be the destroyer of these rifts¡­'' Evin thought with amusement.


    Sheepishly, he stole a nce towards Decatur, and found thetter scowling back at him with eyes full of hatred and disgust.


    <Told you he wouldn''t have fixed his attitude, even with his mother berating him like that,> the voice chuckled. <I reckon her words made him hate you even more.>


    <He acts afraid of his mother, so why doesn''t he do as she asks of him?> Evin sent a thought back, albeit with some difficulty.


    To achieve this feat, Evin had to grasp at the lodestone (that was given to him by the old woman who taught Mana-core cultivation) and circte Thought energy in his core. Then he needed to remake these energies in the shape of a rune, which meant [Connect], and send them towards the inside of his head. At that point, he would feel his core greedily absorbing the mana from the lodestone, almost taking one twentieth of it. A quarter of the mana that the voice needed to create that great explosion.


    <Oh, how great the world would be if a few condemning words from a mother could turn these spoiled children into proper adults,> the voiceughed, <Wasn''t it the same story with Kolin? The boy looked deadly convinced that you were the reason for all that was wrong with his life, even after that passionate speech about king Rnd from Arza.>


    The night Arza went to sleep over at a friend''s room, he came back at midnight, clearly annoyed, murmuring something about idiot mules acting as if they''re regal purebred horses. Evin was too sleepy to care about the boy''s state of mind, so he didn''t really bother to talk with him at the time. It became quite obvious that there was a fight between Arza and Kolin''s group, as the two were clearly at odds when they had to share a ssroom the following day.


    At that time, Evin finally realized that Arza too, was a young and simple teenager. Petty and childish. He called the other group a pack of skunk liars and he tried to bait the others into settling things with their fists not twice, not thrice, but ten times.


    Kolin''s group of course, did not let Arza have his way with them, trying their best to keep the scope of the fight to verbal jabs only. ''It is my wish to refuse a fight from you. Haven''t you taught us to be honest? You dog!'' the boy''s annoying retorts echoed into Evin''s head again.


    More than once, Evin imagined Arza just jumping at Kolin, but he seemed to be holding himself back for whatever reason. Evin asked about itter and found that aside from a light p or a light punch, Arza refused to fight someone seriously without their consent.


    Evin didn''t understand the boy''s weird set of rules and just hoped the two sides would leave him alone. For whatever reason, Evin would also be repeatedly dragged into this conflict, always by Kolin or one of his group. They would all act as if Evin was the reason for their undesirable conflict with Arza and argue as such.


    Sighing, Evin looked towards the other side of the ssroom, and found a simr situation brewing there. All the nobles were sitting reverently around Decatur, all wearing a damning scowl on their faces.


    Two youths among these noble teenagers stood next to the young heir of the Countess more confidently than the others, clearly used to his presence. Perhaps they were the sons of Viscounts among a pack of less noticeable Barons. One of them was a veritable giant with a buzz-cut, though he wasn''t asrge as Arza. This one stared at Evin with the same intensity as Decatur, as if Evin was the sworn enemy of his prophesized fate.


    Evin could only marvel at how easily people trusted the words of others.


    The other was a fit-looking youth about the same build and hair color as Evin himself, with the only difference being the pair of circr sses he wore on his face. This one did not possess the hatred that the other showed, only expressing mild curiosity at thismoner among nobles. Evin saw him asionally whispering something in Decatur''s ears with a sheepish smile, and thetter allowing himself a slight chuckle, briefly forgetting about Evin''s existence.


    <Ugh, I''m already getting bored of staring at that group. I''m much more interested in the girl sitting behind you,> the voice said.


    If Evin turned back to look ¨C which he couldn''t, for obvious reasons ¨C he would find a young girl with long wavy ck hair, resting casually with a notebook in her hands. Her name was probably Be, and she was a daughter of a rich viscount... if Evin was to trust the shushed whispers that came from the other side of the ssroom.


    In any case, the girl hade muchter into the sspared to the others, and saw the rift that had appeared between the nobles and a certainmoner boy. She seemed to weigh the two choices side by side and ultimately decided to sit behind Evin.


    Whether it was because she wanted to sit nearer to Evin, or simply further away from the nobles, Evin couldn''t tell for sure. His fancies told him that she did so because she found him interesting and wanted to be closer to him; but his wits reminded him that he was gravely wrong, as it was obvious she wasn''t the best of friends with the nobles, with the asional wary nces they sent towards her way.


    As Evin was pondering about these topics, the Chairman entered the room.


    He looked more amused, rather than annoyed by the obvious segregation in the ssroom, and seemingly decided not to care. Evin could never tell whether the man was serious about this whole thing he put Evin to in the first ce.


    Everyone stood up to greet their teacher and after his approval, they sat down to their seats.


    "Greetings, everyone¡­ How have you been enjoying your time at the Academy?"


    "It is most fitting, exalted high-mage," the nobles said in unison, clearly trained to do so from youth.


    Their response was different from the shy silence of Pleaders and the bustling loudness of Demanders. It was something more artificial than the replies of those two groups¡­ at least that was what Evin liked to think.


    "Well, I''m sure you all know the purpose of mying here. To teach you all the wonders of Imagination Casting."


    "Now, we all know how the kingdom vaguely forbids the nobles to learn secrets of magic before attending the Academies. And we all know how everyone and their mothers ignore this rule and feel it a prudence to be educated beforeing here," the Chairman smiled. "But I must still teach you everything from the beginning, knowing that you know these things, but hoping it would help rekindle some lost knowledge for you all."


    Arza had also spoken a bit about this vague rule of the kingdom, when Evin asked the boy why he needed to attend sses, despite being so knowledgeable about the subjects. Arza said that in truth, before the age of 10, he wasn''t allowed to hear anything about magic, except for the most basic of concepts. Same with nobles. But no one seemed to mind the rule too much, doing their best to skirt around this limitation to the best of their abilities. To convince the kingdom that they were obeying thews, they had to learn in the Academy, as if they were learning new things.


    Evin pointed out that Arza was technically lying to the Academy, but the boy rebuked, saying that he still learned many new things during these sses with teachers. When Evin asked him if he would lie to someone when prompted about the matter, but Arza simply replied he would refuse to speak of the matter.


    Sighing, Evin focused his attention back towards the Chairman.


    "Imagination Casting, a method you are all familiar with, is widely recognized as the prime form of spell-weaving. Silent and practical, quick if you are well-trained enough, and very flexible in the hands of the capable. It does not have the ring weaknesses of the other ones, except for the toll it takes on your mind."


    "But of course it would toll our minds, as we''re the ones who force the primal elements to move and shift for us. The concepts hidden from our ordinary eyes, but concepts which clearly exist in the fabrics of the world."


    <Hmm?> the voice let out, slight confusion apparent in its tone.

 Chapter 37 - A Flawed Education

    Unheeding the voice''s confusion, the Chairman continued.


    "We''ll first focus on the Material Prime Elements first: Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Light and Darkness. As you all know, everything material in the World are made of these six elements. Even your bodies are made fully of these elements. The heat of your limbs symbolize fire, the blood in your veins symbolize water, the bones in your body symbolize earth, the lungs in your body symbolize air. The spheres which are your eyes are the only organ capable of observing the beauty of light, so the rest of your organs won''t desire to have the deadly magnificence of sunlight shining on them directly.


    <No-no-no. Don''t listen to this, Evin. And don''t even dare to think that any of this pseudoscience would be useful for you,> the voice finally made up its mind about the contents of the speech and quickly turned protective of Evin, almost fearing that these words would bring harm to him.


    <Why do you say so?> Evin questioned.


    <He speaks of old knowledge. Not old as in ancient and grand; old as in outdated and useless,> it decreed. It fell into mumbles for a bit, ones that Evin started to notice after he learned how to create telepathic connections with the voice. <No wonder Decatur made such a poor show of magic the other day. I was quite confused at the time, wondering if this was the best of noble society, or if Decatur was just a ring failure... It seems that the problemy in the basis of his knowledge.>


    Evin remembered the brilliant mes that Decatur willed into existence, and couldn''t help but wonder what the voice would deem a sess. Well, Evin knew it had the right to call others failures, as Evin was first witness to the miracles it could create.


    <But it does show that Imagination Casting will work out for a mage, if they''re hundred percent sure of what they''re doing to be right,> the voice fell into thought again. <Such ax system of magics... it has four different methods of casting spells, and not only that, it allows for mistakes, as long as the mage is convinced that they''re correct. It''s almost as if it was designed to allow anyone and everyone to dabble in magics, with the only requirement being that one possess a mana-core. It''s so unbelievably cheap for the power it provides.>


    <Shouldn''t there be a price to be paid for these feats of magic? Or am I just being old and grumpy?> the voice snarled. <No matter. I wished I didn''t have to teach you sciences myself if I could help it, but I suppose it''s inevitable.>


    Evin listened to the rest of the lecture with an attitude of not ridicule, but skepticism. It wasn''t a hard attitude to take, with the voice offering a variety of counterarguments to the Chairman''s teachings.


    But as it was doing this, it shared with Evin its calmness and some of its ability, so Evin wouldn''t give away the fact that he possessed deeper knowledge in his head. If others paid attention to him, they would find a boy acting calm, just so he could hide the excitement he was keeping inside. ''A childish trait, but a natural one,'' the voice exined.


    Evin didn''t know whether or not the Chairman was fooled by this act, as the man continued to speak of the elements, seemingly not caring about the thoughts and reactions of the students.


    He spoke long about the subject before giving everyone a book of puzzles and other various mind games, exining that mental exercises were the best path of training one''s Imagination Casting. Evin nced through the book with the same skepticism, but the voice agreed with the Chairman on this point. It warned Evin that it would not help him in solving these puzzles, reminding Evin of his asional slowness.


    The next ss was also one that the Chairman taught ¨C Natural Sciences. This one was only taught tomoners, so thankfully, Evin could bid farewell to the prating gazes of the nobles for the time being. But it still seemed a rather unpopr ss, as the total number of students only reached ten in total.


    The contents of the first lecture were practically the same as what the man taught in the first lecture of Imagination Casting. Except, of course, the parts about using World energies to cast spells using this knowledge.


    Instead, he spoke deeper about the elements: their roles in nts, animals, and even the creation of the World. Evin could tell that the man really cared about teaching about this subject to thesemoners. Perhaps this was his way of bridging the gap between the two social sses.


    But learning the same thing two times did not sit well with Evin. Moreover, the voice had thoroughly convinced him that both instances of this same thing was practically useless to learn about, so Evin resolved to speak with the Chairman and be released of Natural Sciences, at least.


    After the ss was finished, he walked up to the Chairman, but had to wait for another student to finish speaking with him.


    <It''s impressive how people are able to create whole entire sub-sciences out of baseless spections,> the voice chuckled as Evin waited for the Chairman. <I suppose it''s wrong of me to call them baseless as one could cast magic with them. He-he, it''s like someone using their orifice to transport water ¨C they''d hold the liquid in their mouths and spit it out when they''ve reached their destination! Sounds stupid, not to mention disgusting to me, but to each their own, I suppose. Ha-ha-ha!>


    The voice sounded angry at the beginnings of the Chairman''s lessons, but halfway through the first lecture, it returned to its cynicisms and sarcasms.


    Evin saw that the Chairman was finished with the previous student and shoving down a sigh, he walked over to the man. He realized much toote that he should''ve been thinking of polite words to refuse the man''s teachings.


    "What did you want to talk about?" the Chairman asked.


    "I¡­ I wanted to be freed of the ss about Science," Evin fumbled.


    "Hmm¡­ You seemed unimpressed today¡­" the Chairman noted.


    Evin was under the impression that he acted well today, so the statement caught him off guard. It took him his all to keep himself calm as he urgently sent a distress signal to the voice.


    <Just tell him some random half-truth,> it ordered. <You can''t have me handpick your words for you all the time, now can you?>


    Evin thought for a bit, before answering with what he thought appropriate.


    "I feel it''s detrimental to me."


    "Detrimental?" the Chairman seemed surprised.


    "It''s hard to exin."


    "Would it negatively affect your casting?"


    "I don''t think it will, but I feel it wouldn''t help either."


    The Chairman stood pondering, no doubt wondering if Evin was just lying to slip out of a ss he didn''t like. After observing him for a bit, he made up his opinion.


    "If you think so, then I won''t force you to learn under me. You won''t have to attend Natural Sciences from now on¡­ But I can''t so easily relieve of you Imagination Casting as well."


    "Alright."


    Evin didn''t protest, as the voice exined what kind of effect him leaving the ss after a single lecture would have. It would be a giant p to the Chairman''s face, who most likely pulled countless strings to put Evin there; and it would also be a discouragement for every othermoner thinking of studying Imagination Casting.


    "Okay, with that out of the way, let''s go to the next ss, shall we?"


    Evin''s next ss was Combat Training, and the teacher would be Vice-Chair Bokh, if Evin wasn''t remembering wrongly.


    "You''re also going to be teaching us the ss?"


    "No, I''ll just attend it as an observer for the time being," the Chairman smiled.


    The two walked over to a more contained area of the Arena, chatting about idle things on the way. The Chairman as always, was in his friendly and lively mood, and soon enough, Evin stopped trying to see hidden meanings attached to the man''s words.


    At their destination, most of the nobles were already there, fussing around Decatur as always. Evin couldn''t tell what they were saying exactly, because of the distance and the general noise, but he could make some guessed. Be, the girl who was sitting behind Evin, was speaking softly with the Vice-chair, most likely talking about a spell of some sorts, judging by the asional sparks of mana.


    Evin could also see Arza and Lopar standing on the sidelines, as well as some other students ofmoner, but mage origins. Evin said his pleasantries to the Chairman and walked up to Arza.


    "So? How was your ss with the nobles?" the boy asked, grinning from cheek to cheek.


    -----

 Chapter 38 - Phelippe Narke

    Phel stood in a rxed pose, casually listening to what the twomoner boys were saying.


    "So? How was your ss with the nobles?" the giant redhead asked, grinning dumbly.


    ''This must be Arza¡­ son of Aran. He''s as gigantic as they rumors say,'' Phel noted.


    "Nothing much. Some talk about Imagination Casting, then some about its applications, and then the Chairman gave us this puzzle book," themoner boy, Evin said and brought out a small book, "Told us it would help with casting."


    Phel wasn''t sure, but Evin sounded unimpressed by the ordeal.


    ''Well, since he knows how to cast with such precision and grace, it wouldn''t be surprising if he found such basic knowledge unimpressive. Not to mention the puzzle book.''


    "Show it to me," Arza said, trying to snatch the book away from Evin.


    Evin deftly kept the book away from Arza''s reach, "I can''t show it to you. I''m sure I''m going to get killed or arrested for spreading knowledge I''m not allowed to spread."


    Phel knew that the puzzle book didn''t contain anything that warranted death or prison time. They were simply exercises for the mind, and aside from some puzzles containing some lesser runes, there wasn''t anything scandalous in it. Probably.


    "What else happened there?" Arza asked, excitedly ncing towards Decatur. "Did they hurt you in any way?"


    "Nothing much happened," Evin said with a sigh. "And no. They didn''t shove me into a corner and start beating me like you''re probably imagining. Stop looking at them like that."


    "They must''ve done something," Arza insisted.


    Phel was a bit offended at the boy''s usations, but could only shrug it off as the asional brutishness of amoner. He knew they all weren''t like that, but he did know that some were rather hard to converse with. His father exined to him thatmoners often exaggerated matters due to boredom, and reminded Phel to take their words with a grain of salt.


    "No, they haven''t," Evin sighed again.


    ''He really doesn''t act like how Decatur described him to be, huh?'' Phel thought.


    Phel and the other noble students did not participate in the Opening Ceremony held for themoner students'' families, as was custom. Only Decatur was needed to be there as the Representative of the year. But something must''ve went terribly wrong at the event, as Phel saw the boy being carried back to his rooms at the Academy Dormitories in a disheveled state, some parts of his hair singed at the ends.


    When he came to, he spoke of a maniacmoner who tried to murder him in broad daylight, swearing upon his ancestors to rid this evil once and for all. But three days ago, Decatur must''ve had a change of heart, as he stopped talking about having themoner killed, only speaking of putting him in his ce.


    "Well, tell me what the ssroom was like?" Arza insisted.


    "I found myself practically alone on one side of the room, while the barons and viscounts sit around their leader, Decatur, like they''re some kind band of covens. And they sit there, diligently trying to kill me with their ancient, witch-crafting stares," Evin chuckled. "I suppose it''s quite fitting that there were 13 of them in total."


    Phel found himselfughing at the joke, despite himself.


    ''At least one of them isn''t such a brute,'' he chuckled, finding himself more interested in the ck-haired boy.


    Decatur noticed it from his side and asked.


    "What happened?"


    The words forced Phel to pull back his attention from Evin and Arza''s conversation. "I just heard something funny," Phel shook his head.


    "Tell me."


    "I''m sure you won''t find it funny."


    "Alright, then. But who were you listening to, Phelippe?" Decatur asked.


    Phel didn''t wish for his childhood friend to find trouble with him, so he simply pointed a chin at Beyn and the Vice-Chair talking seriously to themselves. Phel focused on their talk for a second and could hear they were talking about Enchanting oneself with Ivelisi.


    "They don''t seem to be having that much fun, or exchanging jokes for that matter?" Decatur asked.


    "Which is why I said you wouldn''t find it funny," Phel grinned. "It''s a dumb thing."


    "Is that so? Well, at least you seem to be having fun," Decatur shrugged and focused his attention to his gathering of covens, as Evin so casually described.


    Phel looked around Decatur and he really did see the resemnce. The sons and daughters of barons were fussing about Decatur, while thetter reveled in the attention and was speaking of how he managed to create a spell of Lumiaris. Phel was sure that even if Decatur started talking about ancient midnight rituals and sacrifices, the rest would still be nodding along with a thoughtful expression.


    Well, it was a natural thing, as most of these noble families''nds fell under the rule of Decatur''s mother, the Countess of Greater Ankelite. Their families must have repeatedly instructed these noble students to not offend Decatur in any way or form, and agree with his whims no matter what they thought of it inside.


    Phel''s own family fell under thedy''s control, but since the Phel spent most of his childhood together with Decatur, he could enjoy a more casual friendship with the Countess'' son. It also helped that Phel was an heir to the Narke family, a distinguished family ruled by Viscount Perre Narke, Phel''s father.


    Phel was one of three studentsing from a viscount family in this room. One other was Byron Landon ¨C the tall, buff youth that shadowed Decatur. Phel was never close with him, so aside from the fact that the Landon family was inseparably loyal to the Carew family, he knew close to nothing about Byron.


    The other was Beyn Borna. A veritable prodigy among the batch of young mages in this year, a celebrity among the nobles of Greater Ankelite. The only reason she wasn''t as famous as her skills suggested her to be, was because of the distinctly foul attitude she held against those of noble birth. Phel even heard that the girl was considered to be tested for the Arcvallen Academy, the pinnacle of education in the kingdom, but due to her rebellious nature, she was refused at thest second.


    Some of the barons'' heirs confronted her regarding this¡­ and they quickly realized the rumors were true. Most of the time, Beyn regarded them as no more than air. If they managed to annoy her enough, they would receive a dehumanizing re from her sharp eyes and perhaps a small demonstration of her skills and capability to hurt.


    Phel himself tried his best to steer clear from the girl''s radar, only interacting with her by upholding the bare minimum of social etiquette.


    Thinking of her, an idea came to Phel''s mind. He poked Decatur''s side and whispered to him. "I wonder what would happen if Beyn were tobat with Evin? One of them was someone who challenged noble society in general and the other was someone who challenged an Earl''s future."


    Decatur also seemed to find the thought amusing, as a slight smile appeared on his lips.


    "That would be a spectacle to see¡­" he murmured darkly.


    Phel suddenly felt like he did something he shouldn''t have. But before he realized what exactly he did wrong, the Vice-Chair pped his hands twice to garner everyone''s attention on himself.


    "Let''s begin the ss."


    The bulky Northerner had everyone in the ss (which was only 20 students, 13 of them being nobles), dress up into a morefortable wear, and then had them pair with someone closest to their builds. Decatur was matched with a fidgety baron of the same height ¨C Phel felt quite sorry for the poor soul; Byron was matched with Arza; and as fate would have it, Phel was matched with Evin.


    "Good day," Phel took the initiative to greet, despite it being a slight faux pas in the eyes of other nobles. Commoners were expected to greet first in a meeting with nobles.


    "To you as well," Evin replied politely. Phel didn''t notice any distaste or some other kind of excessive emotion from Evin as well.


    ''He really doesn''t act like Decatur describes him to be¡­''


    He thought themoner boy wouldn''t have the mind to be courteous, but so far, he was doing a better job than Beyn.


    The two helped each other stretch and warm up, and then the Vice-Chair told them of what he would teach them during the course. There would be three sses onbat training in a week, two of them will be on closebat, while thetter would be dedicated to long range spells.


    "But first, we must establish a hierarchy among you. Decide who''s the strongest among you and create a ranking," the Northerner said. "We all like to say we live in a civil world, where all problems are solved by propermunication. It''s a beautiful ideal, but as things stand, it is but an ideal."


    "Simr to how Mage Society works after you graduate from the Academy, the ones higher up in the ranking shall receive more privileges, and they''ll have the right to pick first when it''s time to give away World Shards or other items. The ones on the bottom can only receive the leftovers, and sometimes, they might not receive anything at all."


    Phel nodded with a sigh. It was a system that supported the ones already at the top, leaving little chance for those stuck on the bottom. But Phel knew it was necessary. He was sure that the kingdom would take on a different approach if it was possible, but World Shards and other such resources for mages were rare. Mages were also a rare breed, but the kingdom simply couldn''t let themselves waste precious materials on the less talented ones.

 Chapter 39 - Fights

    The Vice-chair, after dering his intents, brought everyone to the arena, and started a series of battles. Everyone was instructed to use only two standard lodestones'' worth of mana, but aside from that, they were free to do whatever they wanted. The Chairman and the Vice-chair were there to ensure that nothing went astray.


    Two standard lodestones didn''t amount to much, but it wasn''t too little anyway. Phel guessed that one could manage three or four fancy spells with them all, or maybe about 20 or so potent ones. If the students needed to create a spell of even smaller effects, they could simply use the mana in the air.


    Phel was one of the first ones to fight, and his opponent was a less-known baron''s daughter. It was an easy win for him, as the youngdy failed to cast her spells once too many times. Phel offered her some words of advice at the end of it and focused on the other fighters.


    Of the nobles, the ones he took note of were, of course, Byron and Beyn. Byron was most definitely a user of Apdenul, with how bullishly he charged at his opponent and restrained the poormoner into submission. He charged without minding the little shards of earth that the other was throwing at him, as his skin was most likely stronger than these things. It was a boorish strategy, but it saved everyone''s time.


    Beyn was more elegant than Byron, but not by much, as most of the girl''s magic was one that utilized water and earth. Mud, basically. Itbined the flexibility of water with the hardness of earth. A powerfulbination, but it definitely did not look like what a youngdy of noble origins would use.


    But although Phel disapproved of its elegance, or itsck thereof, he could not deny its practicality. Her enemy, a more well-off baron''s son tried his best to cut through the girl''s defenses of mud with his des of ice, but couldn''t quite achieve the feat, as the mud surrounding Beyn was constantly flowing around her. It dulled the attacks'' effects, negating its capability to hurt. A few shards of ice could not pass through them and even in the few rare instances it managed to, its powers were too weak to affect Beyn in any meaningful way.


    Beyn, on the other hand, was much calmerpared to her opponent, and Phel could tell she was more concerned with the efficiency of her spells, rather than the fight itself. After she was done with her tests, she quickly ended the fight with a barrage of Hard mud.


    As for themoners, a Gesturer by the name of Lopar caught Phel''s attention. Phel knew for sure that a few of the boys'' hearts were caught by Lopar''s Dance as well. At the end of it, he even had to wonder if he himself belonged to this group.


    In any case, he always thought of Gesturers, especially Dancers to be an oddity in the battlefield. He thought that things such as dances and rituals wouldn''t be allowed to exist in real battles. In all honesty, if he was asked, he would still answer that Dancers wouldn''t be able to function to their desire in wide-scale battles. But after today, he would definitely note that Dancers are not to be underestimated in singlebat.


    Lopar''s opponent was the first son of a very well-known Baron, a lively teen named Theundel. Theundel was a patriot at heart and he believed that patriotism should be expressed by one''s blood and sweat. He spoke many times about his desire to participate in the war with the South, and he worked hard to make that happen. He was both strong and swift, and one could see these traits clearly in his looks.


    Phel knew he wasn''t a match for the baron''s son, and he guessed that even Byron would find it troublesome to fight against him.


    But Lopar showed no fear when fighting the young warrior. Lopar had mastered three movements out of the vast array of body actions required of a Dancer - one for defense, one for offence and one¡­ as a kind of transition between the two. As far as Phel could tell, anyway.


    Whenever she found Theundel dashing towards her or sending an attack of some sorts, she would move defensively. She would jump slightly towards the back, and while she moved, she would hold both hands and swipe from one side to the other. It was hard to see what the Stance did exactly, as Lopar was a user of Seyethe, but every time she did so, Theundel would falter to the side and grunt confusedly, as if a great wall of Earth mmed into him from the side. Any projectile he willed towards the girl would also meet the same fate, provided Lopar couldn''t simply dodge them.


    After that, Lopar would swiftly counterattack. She would put her feet forward and with her whole body she would lurch forward, making another sweeping gesture with her hands. Almost always, the effects of this move sent Theundel flying backwards, his face full of confusion and disbelief.


    And all this, Lopar would achieve using only the mana in the air. Never once she reached out for the two lodestones she put aside before the fight. Phel guessed that this was the advantage of Gestures that the teachers talked about. Mind-bogglingly powerful, and yet almost criminally cheap.


    But the one thing that seemed crucial to the process was Lopar''s rhythm of battle. Never once her Dance moves seemed forced or out of ce. At some point, the battle fellpletely under Lopar''s tempo, as she adeptly controlled every single movement inside the arena. The whole thing looked as if Lopar was teaching Theundel how to dance, with thetter not knowing top from bottom through the entire process.


    Eventually, she had Theundel waste his two lodestones and achieved victory for herself.


    Phel listened around to hear the impressed mutterings of the other students, and then the pleasantly surprised praises of the Chairman and the Vice-chair. Even Theundel seemed impressed by his opponent.


    Weirdly, Phel felt proud of Lopar''s feats. The thought that this girl would serve the kingdom in the future instilled him with an odd but satisfying sense of confidence.


    Unfortunately, the fight after Lopar''s was much harder on the eyes. It was between Arza and some othermoner girl. She seemed to possess some skill in Irratas, but her Demanding Chants paled inparison to the mesmerizing Dance of Lopar. Arza, on the other hand, was evidently trying to recreate his lessons in Stance Gestures, but was having a hard time achieving any results.


    It looked like he was but a simple child, who saw the artfulness of another and was trying to recreate it himself. The only problem was that he was failing at it spectacrly. None of his Stances were producing the effect they were meant to produce, so in the end, Arza was practically fighting without using magic.


    That was the only shocking thing of that fight: Arza managing to win despite not casting a single spell. Arza''s opponent was trying her best to keep him in distance, most likely scared by hisrge build, but Arza managed to slip between her defenses of fire and threaten out a surrender from her.


    His tall and bulky build suggested he would be someone clumsy and slow, but his reality was anything but. Arza was as swift as a rabbit and as flexible as a snake. Phel even wondered if the Stances were achieving their desired effects, and it was just that no one could see the surrounding mana stirring for them. Perhaps another secret that Aran''s family of 1st grades held.


    How else would an individual be able to move like that using only their mortal bodies?


    Arza did not offer an exnation for it, nor did anyone else demand answers. He walked back to the spectator''s seats and gave Evin a p on the back.


    "It''s your turn," he said with augh.


    Indeed, it was Evin''s turn. And his opponent was none other than Decatur himself.


    The two walked up to the stage and regarded each other for a brief moment.


    "I do not wish to bully an opponent weaker than myself. Admit you did wrong in the Opening Ceremony and we''ll solve this matter peacefully," Decatur suddenly said.


    Phel''s friend looked like he wanted to say something else, but was containing himself to keep face.


    Phel looked at Evin''s face and saw that the other seemed willing topromise like this. The few times Phel sent his attention to Evin, he saw the teen wearing a slight frown of worry, clearly feeling out of ce. Evin seemed even more convinced of his shorings after Lopar''s fight.


    But before Evin could reply, the Chairman''s voice reverberated through the arena. "If Evin does not try his best during these trials, the World Shards in his possession shall be taken back to the Academy''s care."


    It would be a lie if Phel said he wasn''t shocked. Evin looked simrly shocked by the turn of events. The boy was staring at the Chairman with a look of betrayal and confusion.


    ''Why would the Chairman say that? Sure, it could be said that it was hical to throw one''s fights, but with the disparity between two sides so big, it should be in one''s rights to refuse, right?''


    "Heh, I suppose some people want to see a show," Decatur shrugged.


    "Alright, you can begin," the Vice-chair dered and their fight officially began.


    Decatur observed Evin nonchntly, slowly emptying out the mana from one lodestone. His mana-core was fed enough to hold five stones'' worth of mana without affecting him, so Phel wasn''t worried about his friend''s apparent pomp. He was more curious about the energies that should''ve been swirling in his core. Phel guessed it was most likely the energies of Water and Light.


    Phel then observed Evin with the same curiosity, then noticed something weird. One moment, Evin looked like he didn''t know what he was supposed to do, but something seemed to stir inside and he turned calm the next second. And just as abruptly, the calmness was reced by a confused young boy.


    ''A moment of respite?'' Phel thought to himself, stealing a nce towards the two adults in the ss.

 Chapter 40 - Illusions And Trickery

    The Chairman and the Vice-chair also seemed to have noticed this oddity, and they were talking to each other with soft tones. Phel tried focusing his ears on the two but quickly learned that a barrier of air was protecting their conversation.


    Phel obviously wasn''t going to dare ignore these defenses, as he was a hundred percent going to get discovered. His opponent was a High-mage of the kingdom, and Phel wasn''t even able to properly slip past his instructor''s defenses. The action would only serve to leave a terrible impression in the Chairman''s eyes, and he wouldn''t even be able to hear what he wanted to, as the two would promptly cease their talks.


    Instead, Phel focused on the fight.


    Evin held the lodestone in his hand and absorbed roughly one third of it. He could probably absorb more, but Phel guessed it would start affecting his actions.


    Evin then started to do something. Something in the air stirred, was it the mana, or was it the air itself, Phel didn''t know. But Decatur seemed to immediately realize what was happening as he swiftly sent a stream of shining water at Evin''s location. Evin did his best to dodge, but was having much trouble as the water moved much faster than any normal human. And it became evident that Evin didn''t possess the eerie nimbleness of Arza.


    Very quickly, the water reached Evin. Phel knew that it would stick onto Evin like the sap of a tree and hold him down until the rest of the waters came and engulfed Evin in an aquatic prison.


    But something out of everyone''s expectations happened in the next moment. Right after the water touched Evin, it phased through him, as if the boy was made of nothing.


    "Argh!" a sound came from Decatur, who tumbled forward, his hands holding the back of his head.


    Phel noticed a shimmer of silver behind Decatur, and two hands clumped together in a fist, looking like they''d just made contact with their intended target ¨C the back of Decatur''s head. With another re of silver, the hands disappeared into the air once more.


    "Illusions!" Phel whispered with shock.


    Decatur then red backwards and sent a huge array of fine ice towards the general direction. These weren''t big enough to kill anyone, but it was enough to make someone hurt badly. Provided it hit them, of course. The entirety of Decatur''s spell lodged into the walls of the arena, which could only mean that Evin was left unscathed.


    Decatur growled and looked around frantically, seething with anger.


    His eyes found Evin soon after, as thetter materialized into existence ten steps away from him. Two of him, to be exact. But everyone could tell they were fake, with parts of their bodies shining with silver, trying not dissipate into tiny dusts of Thought energy.


    ''Perhaps maintaining two illusions at a time is too tall of a task for him,'' Phel thought briefly before shaking his head. ''No. I''ve half-heartedly dabbled in Illusions for five years now, and I can barely recreate what Evin managed today. I should praise his skills, instead of finding petty ws in their makings.''


    The two Evins ran towards their enemy, their movements identical ¨C impractical and untrained. Decatur, on the other hand, willed his water to swirl widely all around him. The two Evins ducked under it, but Decatur didn''t give much thought to these illusions. He was most likely hoping to hit the real Evin, one hidden out of sight behind a transparent veil of illusions.


    But Decatur, like all the other students, only realized they were being yed into Evin''s ploy when the two apparent fakes were only two steps away from their target. The real Evin was not hiding out of sight, but was actually the Evin running on the left side of the two. And he was sending a wild punch towards Decatur''s nose.


    Phel, like most others who were trained in closebat, found the punch clumsy and brutish. But it hit its target true, as there was almost no time for Decatur to react. After delivering the punch, Evin quickly shimmered out of existence.


    Decatur growled again as he held his nose, clearly annoyed by the opponent''s hit and run tactics.


    Phel heard some of the spectators'' whispers, about how Decatur managed to get fooled by such illusions, not once but twice. Phel judged that these teenagers never faced a proper illusionist in their lives.


    Thanks to his private lessons with his instructor, he knew how difficult it was to look at something and to convince oneself that it was not real. One would need to look at an attack and persuade their minds to not register it as something dangerous to themselves. This weird fixation often made fights with able illusionists a hellish experience for mages, even if they knew they were dealing with trickery.


    After all, the aim of these illusions was to make the one wonder what was real and what was not, to gnaw at their wits and make them blunder and make grave mistakes. It was exactly the situation happening to Decatur, with his face full of anger and embarrassment, violently scattering his spells all over the arena.


    Evin was unwittingly achieving the best possible scenario for an illusionist.


    ''Or perhaps he willed for this to happen from the beginning? If so, he only needs a decisive method to end the fight¡­'' Phel was reminded of his instructor''s words regarding fighting as an illusionist.


    Illusions alone did not hurt enemies. They needed to serve a purpose, so the enemy would be distracted of the thing that could hurt him.


    ''Wait! The spell he started the fight with!'' Phel realized.


    He felt the air, and sure enough, the weird stirring of the air was still happening. Phel didn''t know what the spell was supposed to do, but from what Decatur said, it wasn''t something one should receive head on. Perhaps it would grant Evin the oomph he needed to win the fight. And to think he''s been focused on one spell while also working with the illusions¡­


    More and more, Phel found it difficult that Evin was but a simple 2nd grade. He must have a mentor somewhere, teaching him these tactics and tricks. For what reason Evin concealed the fact, Phel didn''t know.


    With eyes full of excitement, Phel observed the fight.


    Decatur seemed to have finally calmed down and stopped randomly spewing water everywhere. His mind cleared. He glimmered with the brilliance of light and indiscriminately started shining at all directions.


    Evin was smart enough to mask his shadows with his illusions, but with the added light, it became much harder for him to do so. A long shadow of a boy stretched on one corner of the arena. It soon revealed Evin, hiding his eyes behind his arms, no doubt having trouble adjusting it to the new infusion of brightness. The light that was messily ring towards all directions, suddenly all focused on Evin''s location, making things even harder for the boy. Phel was sure that even with his arms covering his eyes, the light was creeping into Evin''s retina, mercilessly making a mess of it in the process.


    Decatur walked slowly towards his target, not worried he would lose him again. A few steps before he reached Evin''s location, a roar of a fire echoed in the arena, and for a brief second, a giant fire-spirit exploded into existence. But sadly, the sudden attack didn''t manage to hurt Decatur, only managing to daze him briefly.


    At least it gave Evin a chance to fight back. The boy stumbled towards Decatur in a wild fit, his eyes shut tightly. What followed afterwards was something unsightly for the eyes, as Evintched behind Decatur, and started to strangle him with all his might.


    ''Good try,'' Phel sighed, knowing that the fight was over.


    Just as he predicted, Decatur grabbed Evin''s hands and easily dismantled Evin''s hold on his neck. Violently, he mmed Evin to the ground and looked over at him with an expression of victory.


    Decatur was not going to lose in a contest of strength, especially with his core brimming with the energy of Apdenul. Phel saw the second lodestone falling to the ground, emptied out of the mana it held. Phel was sure that Decatur turned every bit of it into an energy of strength and life.


    Evin struggled to jump to his feet and slip into his illusions once more, but Decatur wasn''t going to let him. He had finally caught his opponent, so he wasn''t going to let him go so easily.


    Phel expected his friend to vent his anger. Perhaps he would pound on Evin''s guts a few times and then say a few spiteful words at the end of it.


    But things turned ugly very, very quickly.


    In his rage, Decatur picked Evin''s arm up with both hands and mmed it into his knees, like it was a twig to be broken for fire. A bloodcurdling scream came from Evin''s mouth, as he was thrown to the ground like a damaged, useless rag-doll.


    Seemingly unsatisfied, Decatur reached for Evin''s other arm, and at this point, the Vice-chair came to stop him.


    "You''ve won," The Northerner said tersely. "Let''s leave it at that."


    The other students looked on with silent horror, dumbly listening to Evin''s cries for help. After all, these were nothing but mock fights. There was absolutely no need for such sharp violence. Arza briefly looked like he was ready to jump at Decatur, but he decided to run towards Evin instead, asking him in vain if he was alright. The Chairman also appeared next to him.


    The two brought Evin towards a shaded spot in the arena, where people usually received first aid. Phel saw the Chairman feeding Evin some sort of pill, and then absorbing some mana off a lodestone himself. After taking the pill, Evin seemed to calm down for the time being.


    Decatur walked back to Phel''s side, a satisfied smile on his face. Phel felt sick at the sight, but he could understand it. Decatur was never one to care for others or his actions when he was mad.


    Phel felt the breaking of Evin''s arm was excessive for a mock fight, but he also knew that these things happened in Combat sses. He resolved to admonish Decatur greatly, regarding his actions and what others would think of it¡­ after all, his father hinted at him many times that he might be a trusted aid for the Carew family.


    But he had to wait for some hours to pass before he could start speaking. He knew that Decatur wasn''t going to listen to him in his agitated state.


    -----

 Chapter 41 - Numbness To All.

    Evin sat dazedly on a t recliner, listening to the Chairman speak. The pain in his arm was gone, but he also noticed that he wasn''t feeling many other things he should probably be feeling. No doubt the work of that pill he ate a few moments ago.


    "I can''t magic your arm back to how it was a few minutes ago. Your body''s been tampered with twice this month already, so it can''t receive the healing powers of Apdenul properly," the man was speaking, somehow too loudly in Evin''s head. "But I did manage to right your broken arm into its proper form, so it will heal itself naturally over the next month. I''ll have Leanne check up on it asionally."


    Evin couldn''t be bothered to nod. He looked at his hand which was fortified by Earth magic and bandaged by a grey cloth of some sorts. But although he could see it, he couldn''t really feel it being there. He could feel its weight dangling from a string around his neck, but not the arm itself.


    ''Something tells me I should be more worried about this fact¡­'' Evin thought slowly. ''Something also tells me I should feel angry at the Chairman and Decatur¡­''


    He knew he was forced into this state because of the Chairman''s intervention, and his arm was broken like a twig by Decatur''s violent ways, but he simply couldn''t make himself care at this moment. A numbness overtook him. He was aware of the things happening around him, but it was as if he was seeing these things happen through a dream. It felt wrong, but not wrong at the same time.


    "The pill''s effects should disappear by tomorrow," the man saw Evin''s state and exined to him. "It was the only way I could right your arm without having you squealing like a pig for ughter."


    Evin didn''t care. He stared back at the Chairman, yet not quite seeing him.


    "Alright. I know it''s a tad ufortable, but stay here for the time being. I need to make sure you won''t have side-effects from the pill''s effects. Call me if you feel something," the Chairman said and walked away.


    Evin preferred theforts of his room, but this spot seemed equally fine as well. The recliner wasfortable enough. There was a shade above him to protect him from the sun, and there was a pleasant breeze wafting through the air.


    He briefly noticed the pitying stares of the other students on him and decided to close his eyes and pretend he was alone.


    Perhaps he dozed off afterwards, as the next time he opened his eyes, he saw that the two dozen students were focused on whatever fight that was happening on stage. Some noble and somemoner, Evin surmised. He also noticed he could think more clearly now. But things still felt odd to him. Dull.


    He looked around and saw that everyone in the arena was focused on the fight. Arza and the Chairman as well. Was the fight a good one? Evin couldn''t tell.


    He stole a nce at Decatur. Thetter stood silently, a satisfied look on his face. Evin imagined that Decatur would be staring at his broken arm with a look of triumph, but no. It was as if Evin didn''t matter to Decatur anymore, now that he was done beating him up. Evin should''ve felt something at this sight, but he could only manage a tiny thought of disbelief.


    ''... How could he have done this?''


    And even that thought was azy and uninspired one.


    Sighing, he realized that no one around cared for him. Evin was inconsequential. Part of him enjoyed this thought¡­ but another part of him dreaded it deeply.


    Evin felt terribly lonely at that moment. His mind worked hard to remind him of all the times the world slighted him, beginning with how his mother had abandoned him in fear of his father, and he was forced to leave behind his father in search of his own freedom. Leanne had offered to alleviate some of his loneliness, but Evin found it gradually hard to trust the woman. Arza was friendly with him, and Evin felt it was genuine¡­ but he understood that Arza would act the same with anyone he met.


    ''Ah¡­ I can''t hear the voice anymore¡­'' Evin suddenly realized.


    It was surely screaming at Evin when Decatur picked him up to break his arm. But at some point, it had stopped speaking. Evin didn''t think much about it, up until this point.


    How he was able to forget about its existence, Evin didn''t know. But for a few brief moments, Evin was a normal boy, devoid of a voice in his head. Still would be, until it started speaking to him again.


    ''Perhaps all along, it was a figment of my imagination? Perhaps I am truly mad as so many people pointed out?'' Evin entertained an idea.


    ''No. Of course not.''


    Evin couldn''t be insane. The voice simply knew too much. It knew about what happened around Evin when he was sleeping; it knew about names of people Evin met for the first time; allegedly, it knew more about casting magic than all the people in the world; and it knew a whole entirenguage that it preferred to use when it was angry or raving. These could also be the fancy products of Evin''s own mind, but he refused to believe that he made all of it up. He felt his mind wasn''t creative enough for such an endeavor.


    But whatever the voice was, it didn''t matter to Evin as much. Especially at that moment.


    Evin was simply lonely.


    He felt the panic and fear recing in the dullness in his mind. With eyes full of worry and fear, he looked around, searching for a man. Thick beards,rge stature, calloused hands, and a burn scar under his eyes, which he received from a ssh of hot oil. He longed for his father.


    Perhaps his father was right. Perhaps mages were everything his father warned him of. Corrupt, selfish, unfeeling adults, willing to use anything and anyone for their own purposes. Even if these purposes were honorable and visionary, Evin never wanted to have anything to do with them. It was the mages who threw him into this mess.


    His father wouldn''t do this to him. He would drink, he would yell at Evin, he would beat Evin, but he saw Evin as his blood nheless. He sheltered Evin, fed him, taught him, protected him from harm.


    Evin had a father. And he wanted to see him, be with him, despite understanding in his head that it was a bad idea.


    <Evin!> the voice eximed. It sounded distant and muffled, but Evin could feel the urgency in it. <Can you hear me!>


    Evin wanted to whisper something, but he could only manage a lengthy sigh. But it seemed to do the trick, as the voice spoke on a softer note.


    <You can!> the voice said energetically, in the same muffled tone.


    But a few momentster, without understanding how, Evin could hear it much clearer. He felt some kind of "rebonding" with the voice and he felt overwhelmed as its angers and frustrations flooded into Evin''s mind.


    With the voice''s emotions as catalyst, Evin felt his own frustrations welling up inside him. He was angry at the way Decatur so ruthlessly broke his arms. He was angry at the Chairman forced him into this mess of a fight. And he was angry at himself for being so powerless to stop these things from happening.


    But the next moment, the bonding was severed, and Evin was the voice went off in a rage once more.


    <Fucking Kent! What the hell did he feed you!> He wasn''t sure, but he could also feel fear and worry in this sudden surge of emotions.


    A thump went off in Evin''s head, and with it, a pang of pain. It felt as if something was ramming into Evin''s head, except it felt that the ramming came from inside. Again, a thump resounded in Evin''s head, and again, a wave of pain washed over his head.


    "Stop it¡­" Evin whispered. Barely.


    the voice ordered as he rammed Evin''s mind again.


    The pain forced Evin to hold his head tightly, to try and curl into a fetal position, but he failed and fell off from the ttish recliner. As he was sprawling on the ground, he heard the urgent voice of the Chairman.


    "What''s happening?"


    Evin was in no state to reply, only hoping the voice would stop whatever it was doing.


    But a thump turned into a shatter, and the shatter was reced by a ssh. Evin did not like the sshes. It felt as if someone stuck a sword into Evin''s head and was stirring it without caring for what it was doing to Evin.


    Evin whimpered in pain, unable to do or think anything else. But even through all this pain, Evin could feel the voice attempting at another "bonding". Thankfully, this one seeded, and the sshing stopped. The pain subsided slowly, and Evin felt once more at peace.


    "What is happening to you?" the Chairman''s words finally registered in his head.


    Evin could only breath heavily to his question, more of a messy sequel of sighs. The Chairman pulled him up the recliner and looked at Evin with eyes full of excitement. Yes. Excitement. The Chairman''s face showed a worried Academy master, but his eyes betrayed the almost childish zealousness he was feeling inside.


    <All is fine,> the voice said. <All is fine. Just sleep. I''ll exin everything to you afterwards.>


    Evin didn''t need any other encouragements. His head pulsating with pain, he willed for sleep toe. He became unconscious, but it felt to Evin as if he was still awake and about, doing things. Exactly what he was doing, Evin couldn''t tell.


    ¡­

 Chapter 42 - A Decisive Talk

    Evin woke the next morning muddleheaded, or whatever morning it was after what had happened, in his own room.


    He woke up to a hearty meal on his desk, with a note that said it was breakfast. By the size of the thing, Evin guessed that it was Arza''s doing.


    ''Always eating like some overindulgent pig,'' he thought spitefully.


    <Good morning,> the voice greeted.


    "Mm¡­" Evin replied feeling off. "What happened?"


    <You became unconscious, and then the chairman had you brought to a nurse. The nurse couldn''t really find anything wrong with you, so you were brought to your room.>


    The mention of the Chairman stirred an anger inside Evin.


    "That man¡­ He was excited to see me suffering from pain!" Evin said, remembering the almost childish exhration the Chairman was hiding behind his worried face.


    <I saw it as well. He wore the look of a mad zealot who saw proof of whatever belief he held in his head. He''s now irreversibly convinced that I exist in some part of your head,> the voice said gravely. <I''m afraid the whole fight and the pill was bait to lure us out and I fell right into his traps. I''m sorry.>


    The mention of Evin''s fight with Decatur stirred an even greater anger in Evin''s heart. He then noticed his still broken arm and the faint pulse of pain that radiated from it. He tried to find the words to vocalize his emotions, but it was in vain.


    <Calm down¡­> the voice sighed, knowing Evin''s emotions. <If you can''t, then here, have some of mine.>


    With its will, Evin''s messy mind was intruded by the voice''s unfamiliar and uncanny stillness, forcing Evin to still his rapidly beating heart. He then entered the blissful state of mind that the voice granted him when he decided to share the entirety of his mind. Evin was somewhat touched by the act.


    <I understand you''re mad. I am as well. I only wish that we could be let loose, beat some sense in Decatur and the Chairman.> it continued softly. <But we don''t have the abilities to achieve our wishes¡­ and even if we could, we don''t have the methods to survive the aftermath of our vengeance.>


    As he was sharing the voice''s mind, Evin saw the logic in its statements.


    <We shall keep this fury well-hidden in our minds, and when we''re able, we''ll exact revenge upon those who think us easy to bully and use us.>


    Evin nodded, his heavy breathing stilling slightly.


    <It''s okay to let your anger gather inside you. It will give you strength. But remember, that''s a problem for our future. We have other things to worry about. The most concerning of all being the pill that Kent fed you. It dulls your senses, no, nullifies thempletely, but after its effects pass, it forces you to feel one of them stronger than the rest. Your anger. You growled like an animal in your sleep, grinding your teeth and muttering obscenities.>


    With the calmness that was granted by the voice, Evin finally noticed this oddity. Ever since he awoke, he was in a foul mood, seeking to butt heads with anyone that came in his mind.


    <If we were to trust Kent''s words, the pills effects should''ve disappeared by now, but as we''ve seen, it hasn''t,> the voice said simply. <I can''t be sure if your anger was something Kent intended, or something that just happened randomly. But I must consider the worst and continue with the assumption that Kent willed for this to happen. Perhaps he hoped the anger would solely be directed at Decatur, so you would better fill the role of a defiantmoner.>


    Evin nodded slowly, grasping some of the boiled vegetables that sat on his desk.


    "What should we do then?"


    <Well, our goal remains unchanged. We shall gather knowledge and strength, hoping it will help us separate. We can ignore Decatur for the most part, most likely he would feel bored of his bullying and leave us alone eventually,> the voice said sagely. <As for Kent, well, it''s hard to tell. He''s far too authoritative and powerful than us, so the best we can do is to try and survive the trials he will throw at us.>


    "You mean to say he''ll interfere with us more?" Evin asked worriedly.


    <Most probably.>


    "I see¡­" Evin sighed.


    All of a sudden, Evin was too tired of all these problems.


    Mindlessly, he continued to gorge on the dish that Arza left for him. He soon realized that his body had been starving. The voice also seemed to agree on this fact and let Evin eat in peace. Very quickly, Evin devoured therge meal that Arza left for him.


    Finished, Evin noticed the awkward silence between him and the voice. He chuckled to himself, reminding himself that it was normal to be silent when one was alone and sought entertainment in something else.


    Of all the things, his eyes fell on the wall. He found himself wondering how the builders were able to achieve such levelness. When he touched it before, he learned that it wasn''t the smoothness of carefully sawed wood, nor the coldness of cut stone. These things were made of a mix of many things, merged together somehow. Or was it the influence of magic that achieved these effects?


    If he absorbed a Shard of Tenarak and willed the energies to create a wall of earth, would his creation feel the same as this wall?


    ''Most likely,'' Evin judged. ''After all, I saw the Academy being built by mages. The dormitory shouldn''t be any different."


    It was never boring for Evin when he shared the voice''s perspective. Without his intent, his mind would seek out topics to mull about, odd people to specte on, and random walls to ponder upon. It allowed him to forget the awkwardness and loneliness he often felt in total silence.


    <Evin,> the voice sighed.


    "You want to talk," Evin guessed.


    <Yes,> the voice said, more confidently this time. <You must make a decision. You must choose to trust mepletely, or not trust me at all. I sometimes see you teetering on the brink of that decision, listening to my requests, yet questioning why you listen to them.>


    Evin sat silently, letting the voice speak out its inner thoughts. He noticed that there was none of the usual mocking and sarcastic undertones that it usually liked to speak in. The talk this time was deadly serious.


    <I''m afraid you''re starting to see me as a recement for your father. And Empress forbid, I abused that against you,> the voice confessed. <Whenever I badly need you to do something, I take on the same tone of voice he used against you, ordering you about and witnessing how your body obeys these orders without regard for what you feel about them.>


    <I won''t lie and say I don''t mean to do these things. I am all but human and humans desire control and authority. I imposed my wishes on you, to give myself a false sense of control.>


    Evin listened to the voice confessing all its maniptions and felt disgusted by its words, but some part of him understood it.


    <You fear your father, you even hate him. But you need him. You need someone in the world that''s there for you, one that''s going to take care of you, regardless of how much you two might hate each other in reality. I understand that fact and I know how to abuse it against you. And I did.>


    Evin then felt the voice trying to cleanse its calmness of itself, silently hinting at Evin that his mind was his own.


    <You deserve to learn the truth, Evin. I am everything you feared me to be. Maniptive, untrustworthy, and immoral. But I am not all that. I do things that I perceive as good things, as much as I do things that I perceive as bad things. Everyone in the world does this. But more often than not, they hide their ugly sides, so others may think them perfect and wless. So that others may show interest in them.>


    <Even you do these things. You turn polite and amiable in Leanne''s presence because of your crush on her; you turn casual and unassuming in Arza''s presence because you feel that it''s cool and mysterious; and you turn polite yet distant in the presence of strangers because, well, that''s just how you treat strangers.>


    <But you never do these things with me. You snarl at me, you insult me, you threaten me and you mock me. As do I. I threaten you, I insult you hourly, and I let loose my anger on you. All because I feel unfairly treated by my own circumstances.>


    Evin thought about the voice''s words. Despite his calmness, Evin found it hard to not dislike the voice. He didn''t wish to understand why it was so eager to share its darker sides with him.


    <Do you know why I mock you two so thoroughly when your father decides beat you up? It''s to let you know that what''s urring is wrong. It''s to let you understand that it''s okay to leave behind such things and move on. It''s better to be alone, than to suffer like this.>


    Evin remembered all the times he had to suffer the voice''s jabs on top of the hurt that gued his body.


    "It never helped. You know?" Evin said, his voice tight. "You were just like a fly thatnds on a bleeding wound."


    <I see that now. I thought I was helping you, but I only served to further your pains,> the voice sighed. <Sometimes, I make grave mistakes. Yesterday was that. I should''ve thought that whatever Kent gives you would be poison, and I shouldn''t have so brazenly tried to reverse its effects. Especially not in front of him.>


    Evin detected the same fear in the voice''s tones that he felt yesterday, when he was numb to everything.


    <But it was so terrible to suddenly find myself outside theforts of your mind. It''s as if one moment you''re sitting in theforts of your room and the next moment, you find yourself stranded on a dark space, with no sign of anything nearby. It made mesh out, to desperately try and reach out to where I was before, and in the process, I hurt you badly. I''m sorry for that.>


    Evin was surprised by the sincerity in the voice''s words. The voice itself seemed surprised by it too. Sighing, it continued.


    <I won''t say I do these things for you. That would be a lie, and it would truly make me a copy of your father. I have my own thoughts, my own desires, and my own future that I envision for myself. To do all of that, I need us to separate into two beings. And to do that, we need strength and knowledge¡­ Again, the talkes to this. To strength.>


    Evin then understood that sincerity was the objective of this talk. The voice talked freely of its ws and foul designs, so it Evin would understand that it wasn''t trying to lie to him.


    <If this was a world without magic, I can easily put you atop everyone in a few years, either through money or religion, whichever suits best. But s, we are ants in the faces of mages like Kent. We can despise him all we want, but we can''t do much else other than bend to his wills and hope we''ll find our freedom.>


    A pauseter, it continued.


    <But this same magic that binds us gives us hope. Hope to separate and lead our own different lives. In a world without magic, we can only give up and move on with our lives. But not here. Not in Alvox¡­ I will teach you magic, try my best to exin every single detail of it, so you''ll be able to recreate what I do without me interfering for you.>


    <But. I need you to trust me, to ept me as part of you.>


    "I do," Evin said without hesitation. "We will make decisions as one unit, without bickering and arguing."


    It was time for Evin''s sincerity to surprise the two.


    <Heh, I''m sure there will be plenty of bickering and arguing, so let''s not bet on that,> the voice chuckled with amusement. <It is enough that we trust each other and work together.>


    "But I want one thing from you," Evin said, gathering his breath. "I want you to talk about what you are."

 Chapter 43 - Continuation

    The voice seemed shocked by the words, but it settled itself soon after.


    <I don''t think it''s going to help one bit, but I''ll do my best to shed some light in this matter¡­ You remember of the Children of the Empress, right?> the voice asked.


    "Of course," Evin replied, shocked by what it meant.


    The Children of the Empress were people who reincarnated in the bodies of children, with full ess to the memories of their previous life. They were always born as mages, and they were always good at magic. Evin even heard rumors about. Urven, the one who betrayed the six mages sent to murder King Rnd, being a Child of the Empress.


    The kingdom looked at these individuals with neutral eyes, if not a warm one. They knew of their existence and they knew of their promising futures. The various nobles and entrics often tried to curry favors with them, vying to be the first ones to lend a hand to these promising youths. Many others saw them in a more negative light. They doubted their ims, but could not outright deny them, as it was difficult to either confirm or deny these ims.


    <I feel that I''m a failed Child of the Empress,> the voice exined. <I mean no insult or hurt when I say this, but I don''t think we were supposed to share this one body. It was either you or me, but through some mishap unknown to either you and me, we share it together.>


    "Why would that happen?" Evin asked, "If it is the Empress'' will, wouldn''t it be made perfectly?"


    <Nothing proves that these reincarnated individuals are things that the Empress willed. It could simply be a natural urrence that happened in the world, and the people decided one day it was something the Empress willed. And again, as much as I''m getting tired of saying this, we have no concrete knowledge of our situation. It could be that, or it could be something else entirely.>


    "Does that mean you''ve been a mage in your previous life?" Evin murmured, but instantly found the w in his thinking, "No¡­ You know too little about magic itself, but more about science, as you say yourself."


    <Yes. And with that, let me tell you of another secret that I hold,> the voice said sighing, <Ie from a, or should I say a world, far different from yours.>


    Evin''s mind stopped abruptly, struggling to process the information it just received.


    "What are you talking about?"


    <I know it sounds unbelievable, but there are different worlds in this universe. Well, there is at least one more world in this universe other than this one - my home world. It didn''t have mages, nor the Empress, nor different advanced species other than humans, but we did have advanced technologies and many other¡­ well, stuff,> the voice shrugged.


    "The world is the universe, right? They''re the same thing," Evin asked stubbornly, still not convinced by the voice''s words.


    <The two terms mean simr things to you, but they mean two different things to me. And I reckon that there are two different terms , because there was a need to distinguish it.>


    With the help of the voice''s mind, Evin was able to pick up on the hint: the need to have the two terms in anguage. Evin dug his head for information, and sure enough, even in Imperial, there were two different words, meaning ''world'' and ''universe''.


    "Does that mean there are people in this world, who know of these other worlds?"


    <I''m sure the Empress knows, if any talk of her omnipotence and omniscience is to be believed.>


    Evin slouched back on his bed, feeling that he discovered something he shouldn''t have. And abruptly, he rose from his bed and searched his room for Talismans of Listening.


    <Don''t worry about people hearing us. None other than Arza and Leanne came to your room and didn''t see them leaving anything here. And as far as I can tell, there''s not a soul nearby to listen to you talk.>


    "How do you know that?"


    <I told you. The things I can do are bing more sophisticated. I''m sure it''s thanks to the two World Shards you absorbed¡­ This is also the reason I''m so doggedly chasing for more power,> the voice reminded once more.


    As Evin sat thinking about the implications and consequences of this revtion, his mind was very quickly overwhelmed by excitement and worries. It did not help that he possessed ess to the voice''s over-active mind.


    <Sigh. Forget about this matter for now,> the voice seemed to shrug. <Get dressed and go to your sses. It''s history and society in an hour, and I don''t want to miss any of them.>


    Evin was sure he still had many questions in his head, but he understood that the voice would be unwilling to answer them. What it told him so far was too big of a secret to swallow whole for him.


    He then pondered on its suggestion and was reminded of his life as a student once more. Although his resolutions and newfound agreements with the voice had greatly changed his outlook on the future, life had to go on. And Evin was excited to continue living with such a strong will to bring change to his situations.


    ''Something tells me that these moments of newfound resolution came about at nights, right before one slept, only to be forgotten after a long night of dreams,'' Evin thought amusedly.


    He washed his face, fixed his hair a bit, wore his cleaned uniform and walked to his ss. On the way, he saw a few Demanders and Pleaders arguing with each other, talking about the proper use of magic. The Pleaders admonished the Demanders to not use magic so vainly and disrespectfully, while the other side belittled the Demanders for being so small-hearted and short-sighted.


    Evin guessed that these were the conflicts that Alvert expected and wondered if they would keep this up for the entire two months like the teacher predicted.


    He passed by them and entered his ssroom, but only found two others in it. One was Beyn, as Evin learned from the Combat Training ss, and the other was Kona, who seemed ufortable in the presence of the noble.


    Evin guessed that the other students haven''te yet, walked over to Kona''s side and greeted her politely. Thetter moved over to share her seat. But as they started some small-talk, Beyn moved closer to the two and asked with amused displeasure.


    "A tad rude to walk past me without even a greeting, no? Mister Evin?"


    Evin was surprised to see the girl showing interest in him, as she all but ignored everyone during the sses Evin attended with her, but he quickly hid the shock and apologized politely.


    "I''m sorry if I slighted you. I imagined you wanted to be left alone, Lady Beyn."


    He stole a nce towards Kona and found her withdrawing to herself, clearly unused to Beyn''s presence.


    "Just call me Be and I''ll call you Evin," Be shrugged and continued, "I wanted to ask you something. May I?"


    "Sure¡­ If you don''t mind Kona here."


    "Of course not," Be smiled and cleared her voice. "I ask you to teach me illusions."


    "Illusions?"


    "Yes, the ones you used with your fight against Decatur."


    "I don''t think I have many things I can teach you," Evin shrugged.


    Even if he knew and understood what the voice was doing to achieve those illusions, he wasn''t willing to part with them.


    "All the better. It means that whatever you know is crucial in casting illusions," Be''s eyes shimmered with anticipation. "You see, I''ve been studying on the topic for three years now, but never once I came close to doing what you did. Of course, I had instructors, teaching me about the element of thought, buttely I''ve begun to think that there are other possible schools of thought. Ones that might deny the existence of these elements."


    Evin assumed a thinking pose, before shaking his head.


    "I have trouble understanding what I do. I have no wish to exin it to another."

 Chapter 44 - The Creation Of Alvox

    Be fell into thought at the refusal, and all of a sudden, her tone of voice shifted into something much colder. "What do you want for it?"


    The words sounded too much like a threat in Evin''s ears, so he found himself curling behind a makeshift barrier. He regarded Be in a different light, before deciding that he should simply refuse thetter.


    "I don''t want anything. I just don''t want to talk about it." Evin was sure to add a tone of finality to his voice. Be scowled back, and the voice''s wisdom reminded him to not cut all ties so randomly. "Please remember I''d refuse anyone else, not just you."


    "Alright," Be sighed and went back to her seat. "Thank you for your time, Mister Evin. And if you ever change your mind, then please don''t hesitate to remind me again. Of course, if you wish for something, anything, then I''ll be d to help you out."


    Both of them were almost rudely serious and honest with their words, which left the atmosphere stirred and cold.


    "No problem," Evin smiled and pulled his attention back to his seatmate.


    Kona was curiously pondering upon the exchange she had witnessed, her brown eyes lingering on Be for a moment. Evin noticed that she was letting her hair grow beyond the length allowed for a 4th grade, which was just about shoulder length. It was a bit shorter than that, perhaps reaching the base of one''s neck, but those were oveplications in Evin''s eyes.


    Kona was also letting her hair loose, as most other girls of her age preferred. Before this, she had to bundle it all up and hold it all above her head, while making sure to leave a few strands hanging to make sure others knew it was the proper length. Again, weird oveplications.


    Her eyes looked soft, but they weren''t the droopy sort, but more of an intelligent glint of the eyeballs themselves. Now that Evin had a proper look at it, Kona''s face had rather sharp features. Evin judged the it was mostly because of her thin diet as a 4th grade. It made her look more mature and womanlypared to someone like Be who still had fat on her cheeks.


    "Sir?" Kona asked, her old habits taking over her tongue. There was also apprehension in her voice and distrust in her eyes. Evin didn''t know where they popped up from, but they were certainly real.


    Evin realized it was most likely from his stare and apologized.


    "Sorry, sorry. Something took over my mind as I was looking at you. I had some pill yesterday for this," Evin gestured at his broken arms, "and it makes me slow and dull in the head."


    "Oh, I''m sorry," Kona said and sat straighter.


    She turned her attention towards the bundle of scrolls in her arms, not bothering to ask about what happened to Evin''s arm. Whether because she thought it was impolite, or because she was disinterested, Evin couldn''t tell.


    <Hmm, nice job¡­ very smooth.> At least the voice was enjoying the situation.


    Silence reigned in the ssroom for the three, and Evin couldn''t help but feel as if he''d offended two girls in very quick session. His hopes for other studentsing in to still the silence was dwindling quickly, until it waspletely killed by a plump woman entering the ss.


    "Oh, I thought there would only be two students in my ss for a while," she eximed, looking at Be.


    "I''ve asked to be put in this ss only yesterday, I''m sorry for the surprise. Here''s the paper I was told to give you," Be said and handed the teacher a folded paper.


    Evin wondered at Be''s sudden change of heart. He wondered if it was because of him, but he quickly let go of his hopefulness.


    The teacher read through it, nodded and smiled warmly. "You''ll always be wee in my ss, dear. It''s been a while since I had more than one or two students in my ss. It''s weird how youngsters dread history these days." The woman shook her head exasperatedly and eyed her few students. "Well, wee to my ss. You may call me Teouka."


    Teouka then exined to the three that they were free to bother her about the subject whenever they wished, and taught them how to contact her. A few other pleasantriester, she started the lecture.


    "While some teachers prefer to start from what''s happening around us today and then track our history backwards, I''ll just start from the beginning. If you have any questions, don''t hesitate to interrupt me," Teouka said smilingly.


    Evin went silent and focused on the lecture.


    "Sigh¡­ Every year I resolve myself to find a better way to start this lecture and every year I find myself behind a podium remembering my forgotten resolutions. Anyhow, we all know that the year we live in is 1493. 15th day of the 4th month, True Spring of the year 1493 to be exact. We''ve left behind a long history of almost 15 centuries. Now, what do you think happened in the zeroth year?"


    "The Empress created the Twelve races, divided thend between them and founded the Empire," Be replied.


    "Exactly. Then let''s just start a tiny bit earlier than that. No one knows how long this erasted, but most historians agree on its name: ''The Creation of Alvox''. No one can presume to know how our Empress willed an entire world to be, let alone filled it with such a vast variety of life and nature. There are many theories regarding this process, but none of them can be confirmed to be true, as the Empress herself refuses to speak of it."


    "And however the world was created, it did not change what happened afterwards. On the Zeroth Year, the Empress created the Twelve Races: the humans ¨C us; the Ivari and the Cobfolk ¨C our friendly Northern neighbors; the Layeq ¨C our entric Eastern neighbors; the Colossi, the Griffins, the Undines and the Myrmis ¨C these would be our current Southern enemies. These seven races rein triumphantly in the current era, the Era of Four Countries."


    "There are also the Chaos Race, the Skinshifters and the Metalshifters¡­ but the Chaos people have fallen to the level of beasts, and the Skinshifters live in hiding among us, not much differently than the race the assume the form of, and the Metalshifters are as rare as stars falling in daylight, so they don''t really count as part of the Twelve Races."


    "On the Zeroth year, the Empress had also created the Dragonshifters and the Hivemind, but unfortunately, or fortunately, they are no longer with us. We''ll get to how that came to beter on."


    <I always doubted this story as a minstrel''s fancies, but to think the same story would be told inside an Academy of mages¡­> the voice sighed.


    Evin remember how the voice ranted about the imusibility of creating a world and twelve races to live on it, but it seemed to begrudgingly ept it after convincing itself that the Empress was indeed almighty. There was nothing before the Empress.


    "And with the Zeroth year came the Era of Twelve Races. In the first five years, the Empress'' man, Two Tales, gathered the leaders of each race under the ck Tower and taught them the Empress'' wisdom. Most of our knowledge of magices from these lectures, but there we learned many other things from these as well. The Imperialnguage, our measurement systems, the way we count time¡­ many things that we regard asmon sense today all came from these meetings."


    <Hmm?>


    "If they had to be taught Imperial, then does that mean they were created with various differentnguages inside the heads?" Evin asked, under the insistence of the voice.


    "Yes. The denizens of the world were born with many knowledges chucked inside their heads. They were createdplete. People created as cksmiths knew about cksmithing, people created as seamstresses knew about sewing from birth, and people born as rulers of a race knew about many things. But they still remembered to properly convey these knowledges to their offspring, so that their crafts would not die with them¡­ Except of course, the Hivemind. But anyhow, these people were called the Origin Generation. Many of the customs and crafts we possess these days originate from their wisdom."


    The voice fell into thought again, so Evin thanked Teouka and asked her to continue.


    "Anyhow, the first five years. During this time, the people received aprehensive and all-epassing method of measuring things, which was unceremoniously named the Imperial Measurement System. We also learn to divide our years into five seasons and 10 months; months into four weeks and 40 days; days into 30 hours; hours into sixty minutes; and minutes into 60 seconds. I won''t list them all, but if you track back the origins of some of the customs we follow, then more often than not, you''ll learn that they originated during these five years."


    "Afterwards, Two Tales informed the leaders that he had nothing more to teach them, and reminded them not to bother the Empress any longer. The Twelve Races were free to do whatever they wanted, they only needed to remember that they were part of the Empire and fell under the Empress rule."


    "Some say that at this point, the true history of the Empire began. That those five years of learning and peace were the only years of peace the Empress offered to the children of her miracles."

 Chapter 45 - Beginning Of Conflict.

    Evin pondered upon the teacher''s words. There were twelve countries originally, so it must''ve taken a lot of blood to dwindle this number to four.


    "The very first problem the countries decided to solve after the Empress left them to their devices was to establish hierarchy among the countries. At that time, the concept of magic was a budding one, so no one in the world could achieve something worthwhile with it. Perhaps they thought it only good for tricks and amusement, not for war and conquest."


    "So it wasn''t a surprise when the Colossi with their insurmountable strength, the Myrmis with their unending numbers and the Dragonshifters who were born as half dragons quickly established themselves as the ruling races. The humans were quickly pushed down the hierarchy along the Ivari, the horned ones, and the Layeq, the untouchable ones."


    It was ironic to think that the ruling races of now stood at the bottom 15 centuries ago. Evin found himself wondering how these three races managed to survive and thrive during those trying times. It was definitely possible for entire races to be culled or annihted entirely, since already, two of the Twelve Races managed to die out.


    Evin listened on with interest, wondering why other students would find this boring.


    At first there wasn''t much friction between the various sides. The most aggressive of all the races were of course, the Myrmis. They had many members born of their queen and it was hard for them to feed them all so they were the ones who needednd to farm and collect food for themselves. Eventually, this need of theirs triumphed over their fears of breaking the bnce that the Empress set and the soldier Myrmis marched towards thends of humans in the year 16.


    Some people wonder why the Myrmis decided to attack the humans who were much harder to reach, than the Layeq or the Ivari, which were rtively easy to invade. This was because humans of that time lived morefortablypared to the two. The Layeq lived in the Oases of the Eastern Deserts, which wasn''t enough to feed the Myrmis; and the Ivari lived in the cold climates of the north, which wasn''t suitable for the Myrmis to live in.


    In any case, the humans fled westward, seeking asylum from the Dragonshifters, offering to be their vassal country. To the humans of the time, it was the only method they could choose, as it was too dangerous for them to stay alone. The Myrmis settled themselves in thends they managed to conquer, and mostly ignore the condemning messages sent towards their way. Like this, some time passed, before the Myrmis started to be needy once more.


    Their queen at the time, Queen Regalia, followed her natural instincts of creating as much offspring as possible, without worrying about whether it was sustainable or not. This doomed them to a kill or die lifestyle, which definitely didn''t sit well with the other races.


    When the Myrmis attacked the Ivari to the North, they were once again met with the intervention of the Dragonshifters. Along with the humans, these three races created the first Alliance of races. The Myrmis knowing they wouldn''t be able to match them, set their sights southwards, towards the Skinshifters. But the Skinshifters had be allies with the Colossi and Undines further beyond.


    Very quickly, the Myrmis found themselves in a terrible situation. They had offended all of their neighbors and they had no ally to speak of. In fit of desperation, they charged towards the Skinshifters'' territory, despite their powerful allies. They had more chance against the Colossi, rather than the Dragonshifters, as while the colossi were huge and powerful, they weren''t coated in hard scales like the Dragonshifters.


    A bloody war ensued, between the two forces and miraculously, the Myrmis were winning. To kill one Colossi, two dozen soldier Myrmis had to die, but the Myrmis could pay this price. Individual power could not ovee the power of numbers and this the Myrmis managed to snatch almost two thirds of thend originally allocated to the Skinshifters.


    This fact unsettled the other Races deeply and in fear of one day getting invaded by the Myrmis, the Griffins, the Cobfolk and the Chaos people attacked them from behind. Practically all their worker Myrmis were ughtered and the Myrmi Queen Regalia was forced to flee to the South-west.


    The Myrmis'' situation could not have been worse. They found themselves in a hostile rtionship with nine out of the twelve races. Quickly, they killed their way towards the Westmost corner of Alvox, leaving almost everything behind, and started barricading themselves underground.


    People believed that the nine races would mount an attack on thisst bastion of Myrmis to wipe them outpletely, but for whatever reason, they didn''t bother to push their advantage further. And around this time, Queen Regalia passed away due to overexertion and was reced by Queen Serenity. This was in the year 41. The second queen of the Myrmis was much more discreet in her conduct. She purposefully suppressed her urge to create more offspring and started teaching them to act more docilely, to not offend her previous enemies further.


    With the threat of Myrmis gone from thend, the Empire enjoyed a brief period of peace. It was quickly reced by the tensions rising between the three giant alliances: the Dragon-Human-Ivari alliance, the Griffin-Cobfolk-Chaos Alliance, and the Colossi-Undine-Skinshifter alliance. For the next 30 years, many small skirmishes started to ur between the three forces, but no one wanted tomit their everything on one enemy, in fear of getting pincered by the third side.


    The situation between the great alliances was a stalemate, but the Hivemind and the Layeq were enjoying the peacefulness of solitariness. The Layeq''s Oases were surrounded by deadly deserts so sending soldiers towards it was too difficult to achieve, while the Hivemind''snd was located beyond that great desert, on the very North-Eastern corner of Alvox, so it was even more impossible to reach for the alliances.


    ording to the Historians from modern day East, the Layeqs were busy with infrastructure and food during the first century, while the Hivemind was mostly preupied with magic. Naturally, they didn''t wish to involve themselves with the mess that was happening on the other side of the desert.


    The three alliances were rtively equal in strength, but the 1st alliance was slightly weaker than the other two, due to the humans and Ivari being mostly useless inbat. But this weakness was quickly being amended, as the research on magic and the Worlds started to be much more sophisticated.


    And eventually, on the year 89, magic was first used inbat. It was a battle between an army of humans and an army of Chaos people. But the human army now had a division of mages, who were ordered to shoot giant rock bs towards their enemies. It was a gigantic failure. The giant rocks were scary to look at, but none of them hit their targets and one of them almost fell on their own troops due to one of the mages losing focus during the spellcasting.


    But it was a beginning and the spectators had to wonder what would happen if these giant projectiles could actually hit their targets.


    The skirmishes between the three Alliances lessened greatly, with each side focusing on the new topic.


    But this silence was soon shattered by another mind-boggling news. The Hivemind was obliterated from the face of Alvox.

 Chapter 46 - Twelve Calamities

    When the Layeq traders that traveled North-east reached the end of the desert, instead of seeing the lush ins that was most of the Hivemind''snd, they were met with an infernal wastnd which perpetually burned with a dark blue fire.


    Even now if one went beyond the Eastern Desert, they would see these fires silently burning the homnd of the Hivemind. They''ve been burning on nothing for the past 15 centuries, with no sign of doing anything else. It wasn''t affected by wind, it didn''t spread anywhere, and it refused to be put out by any method imaginable.


    If someone touched the dark blue fire, they wouldn''t feel hot, or even warm, but they would definitely burn out of existence and there was nothing they could do about it. Later research concluded that people burning because of the fire didn''t feel any physical pain. Instead, they felt a terrible fear of eternal life, and many spoke about bing one with a giant blue tree. They would beg the observers to kill them before they could burn out of existence, and if the observers didn''tply, they would go to great lengths to do the deed themselves.


    Some timeter, when mages learned to fly using the World of Weight, Qanatohm, some traveled towards the capital of the Hivemind, in hopes of finding out what exactly happened to the solitary race. Their flight above taught them that practically all of the Hivemind was victim to the fire. There wasn''t even a ruin left behind from the Hivemind''s capital. Only ck ashes asionally drifted across thendscape and even those burned dutifully with the dark blue fires.


    But there was one spot in the Hivemind''s capital that was devoid of such fire. It was a small circle that contained twelve tforms, which was also arranged in a circle. And in the center of it, stood a small notebook. It described the process of summoning Twelve different entities of a time before the Empress'' rule.


    "This little notebook which was somehow found by the Hivemind, was the reason why the Era of Twelve Races ended in the year 92 and invited in the Era of Twelve Cmities," Teouka said, sighing with satisfaction. "And, done. We''ll talk about the next era in the next lecture, alright?"


    Evin and the voice had many questions regarding the history of Alvox.


    "So there was life before the Empress founded the Empire," he asked.


    "Most would agree with you, yes. There are many magics and artifacts that just don''t belong to the history of the Empire. But Two Tales'' original story implies that there wasn''t and the Empress herself is silent on the matter," Teouka shrugged. "Who are we to oppose the Empress'' will?"


    Teouka then asked the three to prepare some questions regarding the Era of Twelve Races and dismissed the ss.


    Evin then went towards his next subject, Social Studies. He learned that Kona and Beyn was also taking Social Studies as well, and simrly tost time, Beyn enrolled in the ss on thest minute. Evin half expected her to speak with him again, but while she sat close to him, she seemed content to stay silent.


    Evin put the girl out of his mind and spent his break time speaking with Kona. Thetter apologized for acting rude towards Evin, but asked him to not stare so much if he could help it. Evin guessed it made her ufortable and apologized as well. At that point, the ss began.


    The teacher announced that he would talk about the Races and their social structures and cultures, starting with the Kingdom. The voice noticed that the teacher was posturing towards Beyn and made some jokes about it, but Evin''s mind was on the lesson.


    There were three social levels in the kingdom: Nobility, Magehood and Commonality. Nobles were divided into divided into five tiers: from Dukes to Barons, with Marquesses, Earls and Viscounts in between. The King stood atop them as royalty.


    There were four dukedoms in the kingdom and each of them had four counties inside them. So at all times, there were only four dukes and sixteen Earls/Marquesses in the kingdom. The number of Viscounts in each County varied greatly, but it usually didn''t exceed six. After all, Viscounts usually acted as the mayors of towns and there weren''t many ces in each county that deserved to be called a town.


    Barons on the other hand, were the most populous of all. The teacher exined that there were over one thousand barons in the kingdom now and each year the number would fluctuate greatly. This was mostly due to how easily the title was achieved.


    One could be a Baron through bloodline, social contributions, or they could simply purchase the title outright. They could be either given a small territory, or block in a city/town to rule over and if they wanted to, they could vie for the position of a Viscount and rise up thedder of nobility, or at least have their children take over thends they rule and live on as a family of Barons. Or, they could refuse thends and simply enjoy the title of an Honorary noble without having to worry about much else. Their children wouldn''t be able to be nobles, but if they wanted to they''d have an easier timepared to amoner.


    Mages were also divided into five tiers: At the top of the helm stood a Mage King or a Mage Queen. This position could also be ovepped with the position of a King. The kingdom''ste king, Rnd Arcwall, and founding king, Judeus Arcwall, held both positions of the political king and Mage King at the same time. But the current king Seth Arcwall was not a powerful enough mage, so the position of the Mage King was held by another person, Urven Elypsis.


    Under the Mage King were the Mage Ministers. They were the arms, feet, eyes and ears of the Mage King. They were each responsible for various important matters rting to the kingdom''s mages. There was the war faction, responsible for training mages to be better used in wars; the research faction which was responsible for developing and creating new applications of magic; the infrastructural faction, responsible for making life easier in the kingdom with the help of magic and the educational faction, responsible for the training and education of new mages.


    Next were High Mages. Only mages who could cast an Absolute of some kind could be epted as a High Mage. They enjoyed many privileges, but the position wasn''t so politically powerful as the Mage Ministers. They were more of a force of war, rather than a ruling one. Some student asked how many High Mages were in the kingdom now, but the teacher refused to answer, as that was a state secret.


    Under them were the Mages. Of course, this was the most populous of group of all, and also had the most distinctions imaginable. Evin and the other students were learning about all these distinctions already, so the teacher didn''t linger on the topic for long.


    And finally, there were the Mage Students. Evin''s kind. It was the most nebulous of all the tiers as the only way to be a mage was to graduate from the Academies, but many Mage Students, especially the nobles who receive thorough nurturing from birth. This made it so that some students were more capable than some Mages, so it wasn''t very wise to disregard Mage Students either.


    Evin amused himself by thinking that perhaps he fell into this category, but the voice reminded him to be more humble.


    With the Mages and Nobles done, next came the Commonality. Commoners didn''t have such fancy titles like the other two social sses, they were only distinguished by four numbers.


    1st grade citizens were knights and distinguished members of society. The direct family of a mage was also elevated to this status automatically.


    2nd grade citizens were people who either owned business properties, and soldiers. So merchants, cksmiths, inn owners and farm owners would fall into this category.


    3rd grade citizens were people who worked under others. Peasants, workers, builders... service workers in general.


    4th grade citizen like Kon from before were either ves or criminals.


    The teacher then talked about the different privileges that are attached with the various roles, but most of the students were already familiar with them. From clothing to hairstyles, there was a cacophony of rules, which most children were forced to learn from a young age.


    And with this, the lecture came to an end.


    Evin said his goodbyes to Kona and was about to go to his room to see whether the anger issues stemming from Kent''s pill had gone or not, but Beyn asked him to apany on lunch.

 Chapter 47 - A Nobles Courting

    The way Beyn asked Evin for lunch seemed to imply many other things: she definitely had the look of someone asking for a favor, but her tone of voice contained a sense of threat while her eyes showed disbelief, offense, and desperation.


    With a nod, Evin agreed to dine with her, and Beyn brought him to an area of the cafeteria more reserved for the noble kind. The two received some looks here and there, but Evin followed Be''s example and tried his best to ignore them. They then sat down under a window and Beyn ordered for a few dishes (the names which Evin couldn''t quite understand). Evin offered to pay his share, but Beyn said something about already paying for it and refused him.


    "Thanks for your hospitality, Lady Beyn" Evin understood he was being splurged on a date and simply thanked the other for her kindness.


    "No problem. And please just call me Be," the girl said politely.


    She was acting much differently from when she first asked Evin to teach her about illusions. It was also much different from how she acted in ss with the rest of the noble caste; and to Evin, it almost seemed she was trying to act in a more principled way, simr to how an actual noble girl would act.


    <Since asking outright wasn''t working out for her, she''s now trying to court you like a proper nobledy would,> the voice was oozing with amusement.


    "The food shoulde in a few minutes. As we wait, maybe we can talk about some topics as we pass the time. Please tell me about what you did before you became a mage here," Be said, clearing her voice. Then, as if remembering something crucial, she added hurriedly, "If you don''t mind, of course."


    "I used to be a cksmith''s son so most of the time, I just helped around with my father''s trade," Evin said, surprising himself with how dispassionately he spoke about the matter. He wasn''t feeling all overly mncholic when thinking about his past life, but he definitely wasn''t unbothered by speaking about it. Neutrality was the best he could manage.


    "I''ve never heard about cksmithing before," Be eximed abashedly, "I can only guess that you spend most of your time in the heat of molten iron and steel."


    "It was mostly my father who did the hard work. I wasn''t big enough to handle his tools, so I could only make myself useful by cleaning and preparing his tools before he started," Evin said neutrally.


    "Ah, that''s true, I suppose. If you were as big as Arza, then perhaps you would''ve been promoted to assistant, rather than staying as a simple cleaner," Be giggled.


    Be''s transformation from a cold, aloof tomboy to one of the typical noble girls that circled around Decatur was professionally quick. She was obviously trained to act like how a proper teenage girl of nobility was expected to act, and although she was a bit rusty at first, she became very convincing very quickly. She would always ask broad questions, giving Evin lots of chances to talk; and she would always react positively to whatever Evin said, or would make small jokes about them to let Evin know that he was being heard.


    If Evin''s head wasn''t infused with the voice''s wisdom, then perhaps he would have fallen for her courting. But Evin could see she was clearly following a certain form she learned as a noble and was dutifully following it. He could see it, because Be wasn''t noticing that Evin didn''t want to talk about cksmithing, or anything to do with his previous life. She most likely thought of Evin''s polite, yet slightly bitter tone to be some kind of wariness towards her.


    But this didn''t mean that Evin was feeling animosity towards her. In fact, he could see clearly how Be was trying so hard to make him morefortable and not out-of-ce. After the food came, Be made sure to exin to Evin what they were and how one was expected to eat them, so Evin wouldn''tmit some kind of social blunder and make a joke out of himself. When she would see that Evin would need to cut up a piece of meat or need to use two hands for whatever reason, she''d offer to do it for him, considering how Evin still couldn''t use one of his hands. And almost expertly, she would do it in a way that didn''t make Evin feel awkward or useless.


    Evin would be lying if he said he wasn''t being won over by her efforts.


    Obviously, she had other motives behind her niceness, but she wasn''t forcing Evin to do as she wished. Well, she did try to force the matter at first, but that didn''t work, so she''s now trying another method that she learned as a noble. She was rather trying to convince him to help her out, despite the asional clumsiness in her behavior.


    The effort she was making was certainly much better than whatever Chairman Kent was doing.


    <You know, I really don''t mind if you speak to her about illusions,> the Voice said with a lighthearted sigh. Even the Voice, which was almost always pessimistic in its outlooks, seemed to be softening under Be''s efforts.


    Clutching the lodestone in his pocket, Evin sent a thought back.


    <Isn''t it dangerous?>


    <Not really. I can work with the World of Thoughts and other Worlds so well, because like I said, I was working with something simr in your head since I came to be. So, I became good at casting magic through sheer endless practice and the advice I can offer her are just tips and tricks at best. Maybe if she asks for something specific, then perhaps I can give her some more detailed advice. As for your proficiency in it, just tell her you were naturally talented at it. The reasons don''t really matter in this situation, since Be isn''t so focused on my existence as Kent is.>


    <Then I guess I''ll just repeat what you said to me to her.>


    the voice chuckled evilly. <Not many girls would be willing to spend so much time taking care of amoner with a broken hand, you know? Especially not a noble one.>


    <I really don''t think so. She acted quite rudely when she first asked me for advice on illusions, remember?> Evin replied deferentially.


    <That''s just the clumsiness and a bit of pridefulness of a noble girl. Probably thought you''d be all over her if she just spoke with you,> the voice said and then tutted in a knowing tone. <Ah, are you still holding Leanne in your heart? You know she sees you only as a kid, right? I mean, who can me her? She''s probably in herte-20s, and you turned ten two weeks ago.>


    <Shut up.>


    Evin finished his little council in his head and face towards Be.


    "Thank you for the wonderful lunch, Be," he began.


    The noble girl looked a bit flustered, before hurriedly adding, "If you want, we can check out the gardens on top of the dormitory. I don''t know whethermoners are allowed there or not, since I''ve never seen onee up there, but you should be fine if I tag along with you¡­ The students can also nt some of their own floras up there, I was thinking I might show you, uhm, the one I nted."


    The part about her nting something was probably a lie, but it was easy enough to pick one nt up there and call it hers.


    "That''s alright," Evin refused, "I just remembered you were asking about illusions from me, right?"


    An awkward silence ensued at his words, and Be answered, "Yes."


    Her tone of voice shifted from the courteous noble girl to her usual sharp and direct one.


    "I''ll talk with you about what I know about illusions, but I''m afraid you''ll be disappointed by what you hear¡­ And if you''re facing some kind of problem that''s very specific, then maybe I''ll be able to help as well," Evin articted.


    "I''ll be happy to hear whatever you have to say about the topic."


    Evin got himselffortable and started speaking about the stuff he heard about illusions from the voice.


    "I think the best advice I have about casting illusions, well, not just illusions, but casting spells in general, is to convince yourself that what you''re doing is easy," he began. "I did the same thing when I was fighting against Decatur the other day. When I turned invisible and left a fake copy of myself for Decatur to hit, the copy was actually just copying my movements. It''s easier to create a copy that only follows your movements, instead of having one that moves independently of you. You could also see it when I dashed towards Decatur with my copy in tow, it moved in the exact same way I did."


    "Wait, wait," Be stopped Evin. "You speak of these things as if they''re something everyone can do, but most mages can''t just go invisible, or create a clone of themselves. Please first tell me how you do those things."


    Evin agreed with Be on this one. How does the voice do all these things that seem almost impossible at first nce? Helpless, he sent a pleading thought towards the voice.


    <Sigh¡­ Honestly, it''s just practice. She would find it hard to believe you, because there''s no way for you to practice without having ess to magic¡­ but, hmm, just tell her you do a lot of imagination training.>


    After thinking about a proper excuse, Evin resumed his talk with Be.


    "I think I was just lucky. As most kids do when they''re young, I saw the mages and thought to myself how they were able to cast these magics."


    Be looked at him with suspicion as she asked, "Are you going to tell me you started practicing your imagination since then, preparing for the day you would eventually be a mage?"


    "As much as I hate to say it, but yes. Dumb, repetitive practice is sometimes the fastest way you''ll get good at something," Evin said coolly, but then seeing Be''s eyes turning deadly with anger, he hurriedly added, "We can meet up in some days of the week and practice together. Maybe I''ll be able to help you out better if I see you in action, you know?"


    Be calmed herself and sighed.


    "Alright. I guess I can teach you some stuff about closebat as well, while we''re at it. The way you move your body looks so clumsy; I''m actually surprised you didn''t tumble down to the ground while you were running at Decatur."


    Evin remembered how awkward it was to run while intending to swing a punch at someone with two hands and took up Be''s offer.


    The two then agreed to meet on the 5th and 10th of each week ¨C the two days which were usually reserved for resting and holidays. Be told him that she would find ess to the training grounds on those days and even if she couldn''t, they could find some other ce to train.


    "And if you want something, but can''t get it because of your social status, don''t hesitate to ask it through me," Be offered at the end and then said her goodbyes.


    ¡­

 Chapter 48 - Date With Leanne

    Evin sat behind his mirror, carefully checking himself out for the umpteenth time, making sure he looked the best he could possibly look. He found a piece of his ck hair swaying about messily on his forehead and quickly mended it with a small aquatic spell he created with the World of Water, Ivelisi.


    <Ah, the love of youth. So passionate, so pure, so utterly irrational,> the Voice chuckled with amusement at the sight.


    Evin wanted to sigh at its words, but he decisively ignored it. Whatever the Voice decided to throw at him today, Evin would have to deal with¡­ but Evin wasn''t willing to have it ruin this chance he got today. He grabbed a few of the coins he won from his ss on Mana-Beasts, walked out of his room alone and headed towards the arena where Leanne promised to meet him.


    A month and a half passed since Evin''s newfound acquaintance with Be, and the Academy was celebrating the Arrival of the Cosmic Feline Delegation, which visited Mage Academies and simr institutes all over the world annually.


    Arza had already left to celebrate with Lopar; Be and Phel were attending a different version of the Arrival which was reserved for nobles, which left Evin with no one of his age to enjoy the day. Well, he could have probably asked Kona, but Evin wanted to spare himself and Kona the awkwardness that stemmed between the two.


    But while he was thinking of going through the day alone, Leanne offered to apany him. Evin met her twice every week in the Enchanting ss, but rarely ever he spent time with her alone. At some point, Evin started to regret his decisions to take the Enchanting ss, as Leanne simply noted that Evin was doing well during those sses and didn''t bother to visit him privately.


    ''But that will all change today,'' Evin thought resolutely. ''But what am I even going to do? Confess to her? No, no. Definitely not. The Voice is definitely right on one thing. I''m too young for her for now, but things can change in the futu-''


    "Hello, Evin," Leanne''s voice sounded from beside him suddenly.


    Evin turned around to see Leanne dressed in a grey cotton dress, simply decorated with a few blue finishes on its hem, cor and cuffs. Her hair was done in a simple ponytail, and aside from the one tie that held it all together, she wasn''t wearing any essories. She was also holding a ratherrge bag, which also seemed quite heavy as well.


    "Hello, Lady Leanne," Evin answered, his behavior turning almost distantly polite. He then reached his hand towards her bag, offering to take it from her.


    "I can manage the bag myself. And. I told you to just call me Lea," she chided and quickly strode closer to Evin, "I just saw you while I was walking towards the arena."


    "I''d probably do the same," Evin replied with an awkward joke, cursing Leanne for her sudden sneak attack, and also cursing the Voice for not warning him of this attack in the first ce.


    "I''m sure you will," Leanne said and ogled Evin all over, before sighing in admiration, "You''re looking quite handsome today. Who''s the lucky girl?"


    ''You,'' Evin almost said, before he managed to stop himself.


    "No one. I just thought it would be best if I dress up for the Cosmics."


    "I told you already. The Cosmics won''t care two bits about your appearance, they just care about the thickness of your wallet," Leanne sighed. "And besides, they''re not human, so what looks nice to us wouldn''t look that agreeable to their eyes, anyway. And I really doubt that they care about outward appearances at all, since they only wear these little shirts that look like suits, but actually end on the bellies, leaving their genitals and butt-holes wide open for everyone to see."


    Evin could only nod at Leanne''s words and follow behind her towards the arena. When they reached their destination, a group of Mage Students were talking around, enjoying the snacks that the Academy prepared for the day. Evin looked around and easily found Arza talking with Kolin''s group, with Lopar wrapping her one hand around his, eating a nd-looking biscuit with her other hand. She looked quite bored and out-of-ce, talking to Kolin''s group, but seemed hesitant to tell that to Arza.


    Seeing this, Evin thought to himself resolutely, ''Okay, let''s avoid those guys at all costs... And when did Arza make up with Kolin''s group, anyway?''


    Arza was definitely going to drag him into a conversation if they met, and Evin wasn''t willing to lose his time alone with Leanne. In fact, this huge bustling gathering of students seemed like a huge distraction to Evin''s special day.


    "It''s a bit stuffy here isn''t it? Do you wanna find somewhere quieter?" Leanne suddenly asked. "The Cosmics shouldn''t being any time soon, anyway."


    Resisting the urge to smile like a simpleton, Evin nodded.


    Leanne turned herself and Evin invisible and brought him towards a certain door under the arena''s seats. Evin always wondered what was behind this door as it was always visible during training, but never had the chance to, as it was locked and no one ever opened it up in front of him. Leanne chanted something under her breath, which seemed to be a World of Air spell that violently shook the insides of the metal lock. It easily gave in under the spell''s effects, and the two entered.


    The room they''d entered was quite dark, but the things inside were visible due to the few rays of light that came in from between the gaps that were the chairs above. Oddly, there was a dusty pair of chairs and a desk, which seemed to have been left in this room for ages at least. Evin could still hear the noise from outside, but it was definitely much more tolerable now.


    The room''s atmosphere could never be called romantic, but that didn''t stop Evin''s mind from going on a wild, imaginative ride.


    ''Such a private ce, with barely any light¡­ and with everyone from the Academy only an old and battered door away from us¡­''


    <Fucking hormonal teenagers,> the Voice muttered, as if annoyed by Evin''s thoughts.


    <Go sleep or something. Go away,> Evin replied curtly.


    <I told you I don''t sleep. And I can''t just let my consciousness disappear into nothingness, even if I want it to... But I''ll try my best to keep myself upied for today.>


    Evin thanked the Empress for the Voice''s generosity and focused his attention on Leanne.


    He then heard a click behind him, and saw Leanne looking back at him with her usual smile, as she dispelled her invisibility. She then cast a spell of Ivelisi, which quickly scoured through the unused room, diligently cleaning off any and all dust that might''ve umted over the years.


    "This was a room which the staff used to take small breaks in. I don''t know how it never got used again, but I remember it clearly, since I was the one who built it," Leanne shrugged and offered Evin a seat.


    Leanne then brought out a few sliced breads and meats from herrge bag and offered Evin one. Evin took one and gracefully started eating it, like Be taught him to. Leanne chuckled at the sight and got herselffortable as well.


    "Well, we haven''t been able to talk freely since you''ve enrolled in the Academy and I feel that every time I tried to visit you alone, you were unconscious or sleeping. How are your days going?"


    "It''s going fine. My days fell into a schedule very quickly after my first Combat ss. Since then, I''ve been focusing on casting magic. Mostly."


    "Is your arm healedpletely?"


    "Yes. Please, don''t worry about it," Evin replied in a tight voice.


    "Alright," Leanne said and tactfully went silent, nibbling at her bread and meat, asionally handing some to Evin.


    Like he said, after the incident with Decatur, Evin''s days in the Academy fell into order. His constant, irrational anger subsided after a week or so, but Evin felt that he''d be much more prone to short bursts of angerpared to before. He also realized that he developed a clear, cold anger towards Decatur and the Chairman. During the month his hands healed, it would erratically send sharp waves of pain to Evin, reminding him of the culprits that did this to him. Not to mention the countless times, the Chairman pitted Evin against Decatur as well.


    But with the Voice''s help, he would act as if nothing had happened, calm and collected, like nothing bad happened to him. The Voice exined that looking like he waspletely unaffected by whatever Decatur and Kent did to him was the sweetest revenge he could inflict upon them.


    <Even if you know it''s an act, you must y the role of a calm, unbothered individual. Show the world that you''re better than these petty tricks that Kent ys on you. Show the world that you won''t be affected by the mindless violence that Decatur inflicts upon you. They can go do fuck all to you, but they will never see a reaction they want.>


    The Voice said the words in such apelling tone, Evin couldn''t help but take it into his heart at the time. Even now, he would be reminded of them when he saw Decatur ring at him with veiled distaste.

 Chapter 49 - Evins Friends

    But simrly to how Evin needed to attend his sses after the heartfelt, life-changing conversation he had with the Voice, life had to move on. No one had the time to care about Evin''s changes, no one was going toe to him and say ''Good job, you did it''. The Voice''s wisdom pointed out that his parents were supposed to say these things, but Evin didn''t have his parents. His mother left him and after that, he left his father.


    ''I''m sure Leanne would say the words to me if I speak of these matters¡­ but I''d rather make her see me as something else¡­'' Evin sighed as he stole a nce towards Leanne, who was nostalgically observing the small, unused room.


    Like the Voice said, only it and Evin could be so bluntly open with each other. But even then, they weren''t spared of the few disagreements here and there.


    After the effects of the Chairman''s pill subsided, the Voice stopped sharing his state of mind with Evin as it wasn''t necessary anymore. This turned out to be a terrible thing for Evin, as he was once again reminded of the dullness of his own perspective.


    Before that, he would always have an answer or an opinion to share when he was talking to someone, but all of a sudden, all these things were gone from his mind. He begged the voice to share his mind with him again, but it refused adamantly after seeing what the act did to Evin.


    <You''re literally acting like a drug addict on withdrawal, and it''s fucking disgusting. Learn to live with yourself, and stop bothering me so pathetically,> it said coldly at one point and promised Evin that it wouldn''t share its mind with him again, as long as it wasn''t absolutely necessary.


    Evin did many things to keep his mind busy during those times. He''d practice his magics until he dropped unconscious of mana-core exhaustion, memorize the day''s lectures word for word for the heck of it, and he was sure that at some point during this crazed fit, his feelings towards Leanne started to bloom stronger than ever.


    The Voice spat out something about trying to forget one''s dullness by filling one''s head with love, but that didn''t matter to Evin. He had feelings towards Leanne even before all this happened, it was just that they became stronger during this month and a half.


    Once again, resolutely, he looked towards Leanne.


    "Since you''ve built this room, you must''ve been staying here for quite a long time, no?"


    "Yes. I actually used to work as the Vice-chair here under Duchess vd''s daughter, Anita vd," Leanne said, smiling, "A very scary youngdy. Quite like her mother, I would say. Then she moved towards the Southern front under her mother''s orders after a couple years of working as Chairwoman here. Then Chairman Kent came and appointed Bokh as Vice-chair, so I became only a teacher, albeit a rather authoritative one."


    "I''m sorry to hear that," Evin said.


    He couldn''t quite follow what she was saying, as he wasn''t familiar with the people she mentioned, but he could tell that Leanne was demoted somehow.


    "No, no. Vice-Chairs have too much work to do. I''d rather stay as a teacher," Leanne said and reached deeper into her bag.


    She brought out a metal container of some sorts alongside two other wooden cups. She put the two cups down, uncorked the metal container and started pouring. The way Leanne looked at the purplish liquid with such greed and desire suggested that it was wine.


    "Have you ever drunk wine before?" Leanne asked.


    "No. Never."


    Evin remembered taking a sip from his father''s sk of brandy and then questioning why the man would ever want to drink the thing every day. But even without the taste, Evin had an unpleasant opinion on alcohol.


    "Well, there''s a first time for everything," Leanne shrugged. "You''re ten already, so you should at least learn your wines, beers and ales. And when you turn 15¡­ I guess you can learn about the brandies, vodkas and whiskies."


    At Leanne''s invitation, Evin took a sip from the cup and realized that the wine was much sweeter than what he expected.


    "Sweet wine," Leanne intoned and took a few sips herself. "So, what else is going on? Making friends left and right, I''m guessing."


    "He-heh, no. Most of the time, I just practice my magic. And the other times, I spend my time with either Arza, Be, or Phel."


    Thetter two names seemed to shock Leanne quite a bit, especially thest one. "Beyn Borna and Phelippe Narke, right?"


    "Yes," Evin smiled.


    "Huh. Well, I guess Phel''s a nice enoughd, friendly with everyone and with an overall likeable personality¡­ But I never thought you''d be friends with Be."


    "It just happened. I''m teaching her the few things I know about illusions, and she''s teaching me closebat."


    "I see¡­ What about Kona?" Leanne asked curiously.


    "I sometimes spend a few moments speaking with Kona before sses start, but aside from those moments, I''m not very close with the girl at all," Evin articted. "Kona''s like the acquaintance that I know and act politely towards, but there was a weird gap between us that just doesn''t seem to go away."


    "Well, she was a 4th grade before she turned into a mage, so I''m sure it''s weird for her to suddenly mingle with all these people she wasn''t allowed to speak to before. Just give her some time."


    "Well, there''s not much inmon between us in the first ce, so¡­ she''s just there," Evin shrugged. "And besides, I usually have my hands full with Arza bothering me every chance he gets. With Arza, I usually spend my time exploring the city of Ankelite, or going towards the forests and rivers nearby. He has a knack of finding interesting ces wherever he is, so if we don''t have a n for the day, we would walk around the city, idly looking around, before Arza decides to choose a random tavern or a shop to enter."


    "Definitely sounds like Arza," Leanne chuckled. "So, what did you find during your adventures?"


    "I found which tavern in town sold the best meat stews (so far), and which stall in town sold the best grilled potatoes. We also found a shop which sold some criminally expensive handmade charms. The things cost anywhere from 10 silvers to 10 golds so they were definitely off-limits for me, but that didn''t stop Arza so he bought one charm that supposedly supported his strength. But after using it for half a day, Arza concluded that the charm definitely worked, but it was useless for him. Saying so, he gave it to me. Telling me to grow tall and strong mockingly. It was a ne made of some pink-silvery material and it was made in the motif of a spiral of some sorts... or is it a snake coiling around itself?" Evin said and showed the ne to Leanne.


    Evin didn''t mention the part where he thought of selling it, but the Voice insisted he keep it. It was two weeks since Evin received the charm, but he really wasn''t feeling like he''d be stronger by any measure. He had one very lucid dream about seeing a giant pinkish snake sleeping under a tree stump, but aside from that, he felt no changes.


    Leanne looked at the ne with interest, before giving it back to Evin. "There''s definitely something magical about it, but I can''t really say what exactly¡­ Do you remember where was the shop you found?"


    "Yes," Evin replied and described the charm shop to Leanne.


    "Maybe we can give the ce a visitter on. You mentioned meeting with Be and Phel, right?"


    "Yes. But like I said, with Be, it''s mostly training and magic. She''s happy to just teach me certainbat maneuvers and in exchange, she would listen to me describe the imagination process of illusions and spells... If we''re not training, then she would sometimes drag me along to some amusements popr among the nobility."


    "That sounds nice," Leanne sounded proud, and looked at Evin as if she was looking at her socially inept son finally making friends. She then pestered Evin for more details, no doubt thinking that there was something more going on between Evin and Be. Evin did his best to dispel these thoughts from Leanne''s head, always reminding her that most of his time together with Be was spent on training and nothing else.


    Of course, Evin didn''t talk to Be about the scientific knowledge that the voice offered, instead parroting the voice''s words when Be asked for something specific, like what does it imagine when creating an illusion or starting a fire.


    Be often fell into thought after these sessions, no doubt pondering about the feasibility of these imaginations. There was always a tingling feeling in Evin''s head that he was scamming the girl, but he swallowed his conscience and learned what he could about closebat from her.


    Naturally, he was still learning from the Vice-chair in the Combat Training ss alongside the other students, but those lessons were either too difficult or too easy for Evin. The easy parts where when the students were training long distance spells. More often than not, the students would be tasked with hitting a target from a distance, and almost always, the Voice took care of those.


    But in closebat lessons, most of the hard work fell on Evin''s shoulders. So far, they haven''t learned to incorporate spells while they were fighting, only learning normal martial arts.


    Evin was the worst in those sses, as the nobles and the othermoner students had already trained for a few years before the Academy even started. Evin was the only one who was aplete greenhorn there. The private lessons with Be helped greatly in reducing the gap between Evin and the rest of the students.


    "And Phel?" Leanne asked, curious about Evin''s other new friend.

 Chapter 50 - The Chairmans Game

    "We became friends during the Combat Training sses. Our body sizes are practically the same, so almost always, we would do pair exercises together. Phel is always helpful to me during these sses, teaching me whenever he could and making some small-talk while he was at it," Evin recalled. "At first, I was skeptical of his intentions as he was friends with Decatur, but when I one day confronted him about the topic, he cleared up the situation."


    "What did he say?" Leanne asked.


    "He said in some embarrassed tone, ''Isn''t it weird to assume that I can''t be friendly with two people that aren''t so friendly with each other? Just because you two don''t like each other, that doesn''t mean that I have to defer to your animosity and betray my own wishes¡­ At least that''s what my father says to me all the time,'' "


    "He-he, that does sound like him and his father," Leanne chuckled.


    Evin chuckled along pleasantly, but was soon reminded of a nasty incident that came next.


    "But then the Chairman came to the Combat sster on. After that, the Vice-chair started to pair me with another student, amoner, even though he was half a head taller than me," Evin was reminded of a rather confusing memory. "I''m not sure, but I think the Chairman saw that I was getting along well with a noble and decided to spread us apart."


    Leanne frowned at the story, but obviously, she couldn''t outright agree with Evin, "That could''ve just been a coincidence. Perhaps the Vice-chair saw that Phel was helpful to other students so decided to give him a student that was struggling."


    "No, I don''t think so. Phel was paired with Theundel, and that guy definitely doesn''t need help in pretty much anything inbat ss. In fact, I think he was as helpful as Phel himself," Evin rebuked. "Why does the Chairman do these¡­ almost childish things? No matter how I think about it, they''re just that: childish, impulsive things that he does to make me hate nobles."


    Leanne sighed, unable to agree nor disagree to Evin''s arguments. Sensing that the flow of the conversation was on his side, Evin continued.


    "And it doesn''t end with just the swapping of my training partner. Whenever there''s a chance, the Vice-chair would pit me against Decatur on every little task we must aplish during the lessons. Long distance spells, close quarterbat, exchanging techniques, and even running!" Evin remembered all the times he had to be humiliated by Decatur in front of everyone and couldn''t keep the anger out of his voice.


    The only satisfying thing about this whole process was that Evin was getting better and better at handling these sudden interventions. His casting had be much quicker, he could hold much more mana in his core now, and his cooperation with the Voice became much smoother.


    He was actually confident that he would put up a much better fight against Decatur if he was forced to fight him once again. After all, he had ess to six more Worldspared tost time. He absorbed all the World Shards he got from his bet and managed to obtain the Shards of the World of Water, Ivelisi; and the World of Light, Lumiaris.


    "Well, it is what it is," Leanne sighed and offered an exnation. "Maybe he does them because he thinks that you don''t know about his intentions¡­ You did keep our conversation a secret from him, right?"


    "I did make sure to keep things secret from him. So long as he didn''t learn about them with some other method," Evin said as he looked around the darker corners of the room.


    Leanne noticed this behavior and reassured him, "Magic isn''t so omnipotent as you think. And just because the Chairman is a High-mage, it doesn''t mean that he can go around doing anything he wants. Sure, his mastery over Seyethe, the World of Air, is scary, but that masteryes with a cost. It might sound ridiculous to you, but I have far better control over the rest of the 11 worldspared to him. Actually, maybe not the World of Life."


    "Because he only focuses on that one single World?" Evin asked.


    "Yes. And that''s mostly the reason why he was able to create Conditional Absolutes."


    "Wait, he has many Absolutes? How many?" Evin asked, stunned by the news.


    "Who knows? I know he has three, but I''m sure he has at least a couple of others in his head," Leanne shrugged. "But like I said, this profound mastery of one world costs him. Perhaps in a couple decades he''ll be able to bring one other world to the level he mastered Seyethe... But it''s more likely that he''ll chase this one world to the peak."


    "So he shouldn''t be able to hear what we''ve discussed without you knowing about it. The Worlds for spying are the World of Darkness and the World of Thoughts."


    "That''s right. And I was especially careful when I went to talk with you that day," Leanne reassured Evin.


    Evin then thought about the situation from the Chairman''s side and realized that Leanne was right. If the Chairman assumed that Evin held no animosity towards him and held no knowledge about his ns, he would think that Evin''s animosity would only go towards the nobles and maybe the Vice-Chair.


    It also exined why the Chairman never bothered to talk with Evin, after that brief meeting they had with Decatur and his mother, Alix din Carew. Of course. Why would he need to talk with Evin? On the outside, he was a distant and untouchable person to Evin - a Chairman of an Academy in which Evin studied. As for the two times he personally intervened with Evin, which happened during the Opening Ceremony of the Academy andter on when he forced Evin to fight seriously against Decatur, it could be exined by a Chairman''s interest in a 2nd grademoner being able to Imagination Cast better than most nobles.


    This realization shed light on the situation that Evin was struggling to understand for a long time. The Chairman still believed that Evin was ignorant of his ns. In that case, it was natural for him to do these subtle changes, even though they looked childish or foolish in Evin''s eyes. But even so, his actions were confusing to Evin.


    ''And why did I always assume that he knew about the talk Leanne and I had?'' Evin pondered. Even though Leanne had reminded him that the Chairman knew nothing of the talk, but always, in the back of his mind, Evin assumed the gentle looking man knew about it all. ''Is it just because the Chairman looks so powerful from the outside?''


    "Let''s stop this talk about the Chairman and his nefarious ns for now. It will be hard for you to be subject to his whims, but I can tell you with certainty that it''s best if things go unchanged."


    "I know," Evin nodded and continued in an almost bragging tone. "The Chairman and Decatur can do whatever they want to me, but they''ll never achieve what they want in the end."


    Leanne nodded and poured Evin another cup of her sweet wine. She then started to ask for more stories of Evin and his friends, away from those serious dreary topics. Evin was all but happy to talk about something other than the machinations of others and dly recalled even the smallest things he did with his friends... though he was careful not to speak of Be too much, as Leanne was very interested in that topic for all the wrong reasons.


    Leanne would also touch Evin sometimes, but those were casual touches: a pinch on the cheeks, a ruffle of his hair, a p on the shoulders. Nothing to suggest something else. But even these thoughtless contacts with her sent Evin''s heart on a wild ride and it took all his effort to maintain a calm fa?ade. Evin perceived these touches as subtle hints of Leanne''s invitation, of her eptance of him as a man.


    Evin''s would constantly feel urges to just take her hand in a soft, yet decisive way and tell her all he felt for her during these few months. He would imagine himself uttering his feelings towards her, and then imagining her reaction to them. But despite her hints, Leanne rarely took Evin seriously in these imaginations. It was confusing to Evin.


    A passing thought suggested that he was presuming too much, but Evin ruthlessly ignored it, happy to ponder about Leanne and himself.


    ''Leanne''s definitely sending me some kind of signals. She touched me so many times during this brief talk, there has to be a meaning for them. So then why is it that I''m so afraid of telling her my feelings? Why am I so sure that I''ll be refused, or worse, not even taken seriously? Why is it-'' Evin was absorbed in his thoughts, before he felt something wash over his mind.


    It was something he wanted and desired badly during this past two weeks, but now, he didn''t want anything to do with it. It was of course, the Voice''s mind superimposing itself over his.

 Chapter 51 - Cosmic Felines

    <When you like someone and they like you back, you''ll know it. But when you like someone and they don''t like you back, you''ll be confused,> the Voicemented almost regally. <Why? Well, in the first case, your heart and mind are in agreement with each other. Your heart says it loves another and your head reassures that your crush loves you back as well. Now all you need is the courage to voice your feelings.>


    <But in thetter case, your heart says it loves someone, but your head reminds you that they don''t love you back. Of course, your heart takes no heed of these warnings. It seeks for convenient excuses and exnations for the other''s behavior, warping the facts so the situation looks salvageable to you. Did you know? Men and women are fully capable of imagining a full rtionship from the first kiss to the first children from one single touch?>


    Without his wanting, Evin was engulfed by the Voice''s deep calmness. If Evin learned one thing about the Voice'' state of mind during the time he was bathed in it, then he knew that in the voice''s head logic triumphed over emotions. It wasn''t that the Voice never felt anything, but if its heart and mind were at odds, its mind would always win in the end.


    Such a state of mind relentlessly battered Evin''s little fancies, until he finally saw how ridiculous they were, and made Leanne''s disposition towards him cleared and clearer. The woman only saw Evin as a child. Nothing more, nothing less. There wasn''t even a need for Evin to think about the matter deeply to convince himself of this fact.


    And right after Evin understood this fact, the Voice took back its state of mind. Evin expected himself to feel like a useless bag of crap immediately, but oddly, it didn''t feel that bad this time.


    <Sharing my mind only fills the ignorance in your head. But just because you''re ignorant, it doesn''t mean you''re stupid. Since I''m being very diligent about teaching you the ways of the world there woulde a time when you start thinking on the same level as me, but with your own perspective,> the Voice chuckled benevolently.


    <You can confess your feelings if you really want to, and I''m sure Leanne wouldn''t be so heartless to take it as a joke. But remember. Some things are best left unsaid,> with these words, the voice curtsied a goodbye and told Evin to enjoy his day with Leanne.


    The woman of Evin''s affection, was of course, unaware of the monologue that urred inside Evin. After all, sending thoughts really didn''t take much time and the Voice was definitely a very quick thinker. Even Evin was bing good at it, after his daily practices of the World of Thoughts, Lochra. But change was change, no matter how small. And for Leanne, who was most likely trained to notice these changes, it wasn''t hard for her to pick them up.


    "Are you okay?" Leanne asked gently.


    "I''m alright," Evin shook his head almost dispassionately.


    "Alright¡­" Leanne replied, but was obviously not convinced. She nced at a tiny pocket watch that she pulled out of her dress somewhere and said to Evin, "Anyhow, I think the Cosmics areing in a few moments."


    The two gathered their stuff and gave the room a small clean up. Before they walked out, Leanne turned back to him and said, "I''m d we took the time to meet like this today."


    "Me too. I hope we can do something simrter on."


    With these simple words, Evin and Leanne walked out of the room covered in an illusion of invisibility. They walked towards therge area used for more formal battles and sometimes ceremonies, and stopped.


    To distract himself from theplicated thoughts that were bound to brew in him, Evin decided to give all his attention to the Ceremony. He looked around and saw that every student was circling said arena, expectantly waiting for something to happen. Whenever someone walked too close to the arena, the teachers or adults would pull them back. Evin remembered the stories of Cosmics and their portals and deduced what was going to happen.


    And sure enough, a few minutester, a small golden swirl appeared in the middle of the arena and with it, themoner students gasped in admiration. Out of the swirl, ten Felines appeared one by one and nced at their surroundings.


    Evin noticed that these Felines wererger than the average cats, but not by much. Their limbs looked longer and stronger, and so did their throats. Evin remembered his Social Studies teacher mentioning it was so they could speak like humanoids did, as normal cat throats were simply unable to produce the variety of sounds that humanoids could.


    Evin then looked at their bearing and saw them wearing a shirt that covered only half their bodies like Leanne mentioned. The shirts they were like the garments of servants of nobles, with a colored jacket draped over a white shirt. Except, of course, they looked much fancier than the low-quality garments of servants. There also seemed to be no distinction between male and female Cosmic Felines. The only thing Evin could think of was the jewelry they wore. If he was correct, the three Felines with earrings on their clipped ears were female, while the other seven wearing nes were males.


    Evin imagined himself to be more excited by this sight, but for a certain reason, he simply couldn''t get himself excited at the moment.


    While Evin was observing the Cosmics'' appearances, a teacher walked in front of them and invited the Cosmics grandly. The guests made a simrly grand speech about friendship between the races, and mentioned something about striving for the Peace Between All, the Empire united and peaceful till the end of times. This warranted a scoff from Leanne, making Evin wonder what the Cosmics did to her to make her so distrustful of them. This thought reignited Evin''s curiosity for Leanne and, with it, his feelings.


    It took him some effort to shove down his emotions, but it didn''t take much time. A dozen secondster, Evin was as stoic as a statue. Evin wondered if the Voice''s state of mind was still lingering in his head.


    He focused his attention on the Cosmics again and found one of them speaking of the purpose of their visit. The speaker''s name was Ponti Virago, a male Cosmic by the sound of his voice. Long story short, they were here to introduce their services to the young mages, highlighting the fact that most mages never could learn to navigate or use the World of Space, but that was okay, since they could always rely on the Cosmic Felines to provide services that involved Therae.


    In any case, their services. First of all, they could store various objects in small pockets of the World of Space. Different objects could be stored in different environments suited for the object. For example, they could store weapons and books in the normal environments, but edibles and dead specimens, for example, would be left in a colder temperature. If one needed to store animals, they would be sent to arger, more fleshed out dimension, which was designed to hold living beings inside it.


    Their second most requested service was, of course, their teleportation services. They could send someone to any notable city in the Kingdom and if one wished to travel to the other countries, they could manage that as well. Though these usually cost an astronomical price, because teleportation portals took quite a bit of energy to work. But Leanne scoffed at it, saying that teleportations probably didn''t take such great resources. The Cosmics just held a monopoly over the business, so they could quote whatever price they wanted for it.


    Evin asked her if any of the original twelve races could create teleportation portals, and Leanne answered negatively. The original Twelve Races could definitely use the World of Space for other uses, but teleportation always seemed to elude thempletely.


    Then, Ponti Virago continued his speech, and this time, it spoke of magical artifacts that the Cosmics could create. It showed everyone arge, golden ring which was about the size of Evin''s head and put its paw inside it. But the paw didn''t pass through the empty space inside the ring, but seemed to disappear into nothingness. The next second, the paw reemerged and was holding a bundle of Talismans.


    This was one of the legendary Spacial Rings of the Cosmics. Anything you could fit through the ring would fall right in and there was a space as big as Evin''s room inside it. The owner would be able to sense anything inside the ring and freely choose what they wanted from inside it. And once inside the Spacial Ring, they would weigh nothing at all, since the space inside was a personal dimension created just for the owner of the ring.


    It would be a lie if Evin said he didn''t want the ring, but its price tag was definitely something he couldn''t afford. Evin didn''t know if 170 golden coins were worth the deal, but like Leanne said, it was something under the monopoly of the Cosmics. He could only be happy that they didn''t decide the thing would cost thousands of gold coins.


    As for the Talismans, they were teleportation talismans that came in two pairs. The user would leave one in a safe, unpopted space, and would carry the other one with them. And when a need arose, they could rip the other Talisman in half and it would create a portal that led to the first Talisman. But the Cosmics warned that sometimes, the user could end up lost in the World of Space, so it was best to use these Talismans with a Cosmic apanying them.


    Evin was quite surprised that one could get lost in the World of Space, let alone enter it, but decided that he didn''t need to worry about it too much, as he definitely couldn''t afford the Talismans in the first ce.


    Ponti Virago then finished his speech, but right after he finished, another portal appeared slightly above ground and a female Cosmic appeared from inside.


    "Ritven?" Ponti asked, looking confused and offended by the other Cosmic''s sudden visit.


    The neer only sent Ponti a curtsying nod, before looking toward the crowd and asking, "Anyone named Evin here?"

 Chapter 52 - King Seths Benevolence

    Evin was surprised at the mention of his name and was most of all worried. Publicly being called out like this never went well for him, and as a force of habit, Evin couldn''t help but wonder if this was the Chairman''s doing.


    His gaze on the Cosmic turned deeper as he tried to glimpse whatever emotion she might be feeling inside. The Cosmic looked mostly like arge white cat, with random patches of ck and orange mixed in her fur. One notable feature of hers was that her face was mostly covered in white fur, except for a ck streak trailing down from the bottom left of her left eye, which made it look as if she had a teardrop running from her eye.


    Evin wondered if Cosmic Felines could deliberately change the colors of their furs, but decided against it, reasoning that they wouldn''t look so random if that was the case.


    But aside from her weirdly mncholic fur pattern, the Cosmic looked quite professional. She was wearing a servant''s suit like the rest of the Cosmics, and she wore two small earrings of gold on one of her ears.


    But the way she behaved rmed Evin a lot. The way she searched through the crowd suggested that she knew how Evin looked, which made him silently put himself behind Leanne. The Cosmic was also acting quite prideful since she came here. She never bothered to spare another nce at the rest of the confused Cosmics, and she would look at the crowd with a weird mix of politeness and pridefulness.


    "No? No Evin here?" the Cosmic asked again, searching through the crowd with inquisitive eyes.


    "Evin?" Leanne asked as she leaned slightly closer to him.


    But this small gesture of her couldn''t escape the Cosmic''s eyes, as she quickly flew over to Evin and Leanne''s head, "You must be Evin?"


    "Yes," Evin blurted out, despite himself.


    "Good, good. Very good," The Cosmic said, but Evin felt worse and worse. "Please follow me through the portal. Although it costs pebbles to maintain now that it''s already made, but pebbles still cost money. Hurry."


    At this point, Leanne intervened from the side, demanding exnations from the Cosmic, "What is this all about? You can really expect him to follow you through a portal without a single word of exnation, right?"


    The Cosmic faced Leanne''s re for a second before relenting, "Of course. That was quite rude of me. But something tells me that you wouldn''t want my exnation to be public¡­" she said, stealing a few nces towards the ten other Cosmics who were staring towards the three. "Can you put a Silencing Veil of some sorts around us?"


    Leanne took the hint and did as the Cosmic asked. Leanne held out her hand and whispered her Chant. A surge of visible Hard Air emerged from her palm and turned into a cocoon that enveloped the three. The surrounding noise died outpletely, leaving only silence inside the space. Evin looked around himself and found only blurry figures and judged that he too must look like that from the outside.


    "Thank you," the Cosmic curtsied a formal bow and started exining, "I don''t intend to do anything sinister to Evin here. I was only searching for the best Imagination Caster among the students."


    Understanding shed by Evin''s mind and he resolved himself for whatever trial that would be put in front of him, ''So it is the Chairman''s doing.''


    "Why?" Leanne asked.


    The Cosmic hummed in a quizzical, yet almost delighted way, before speaking, "The shortest answer would be politics, I suppose. Do you want to hear further?"


    The answer made sense, but it also didn''t in Evin''s ears. The Chairman''s interest in Evin stemmed from politics, but was he so powerful to pull even the Cosmics to his cause?


    "Please tell," Leanne said, looking at Evin with heavy eyes. "If you can, try to shorten the story as much as possible."


    "Well, King Seth Arcwall made a deal with the Cosmics. For reasons unknown to us, he now believes that the humans have the talent to learn the World of Space, Therae. They always have been the race who was the most diverse in their use of the Worlds of magic, and as you probably know, it was the prime reason they stand at the top of the world. From this year on, the Cosmics shall teach the most promising Imagination Casters of your Academy first-years the mechanisms and technicalities of the World."


    These words immediately changed Evin''s outlook on the situation. If he wasn''t wrong, he could be a king''s mage if he followed this training. Seth Arcwall, the person who allowed Evin this chance to be a mage, son of the most respected king in the history of the Kingdom, apart from the founding king Judeus Arcwall.


    "Why can''t they teach the High-mages and the other talented graduates?" Leanne asked before Evin could agree.


    "They''re too old. In fact, we were opposed to even teach the Nobles first years, considering how they practice magic years before theye to the Academies¡­ but luckily, one of the nobles mentioned Evin. Beyn Borna was her name. Told us that there''s amoner who absorbed his first World Shard two months ago, but was a better Imagination Caster than all the first years there," The Cosmic said, ncing at Evin.


    "Why can''t you teach the newborn noble children then?" Leanne asked, but something about her tone seemed to irk the Cosmic.


    "Why are you so opposed to having us teach this boy in the first ce?" the Cosmic pointed out. "We''ve already finished the deal with the King. He has paid the proper amounts for the education of the students and we, as proud and trustworthy members of the Elmes Group, shall do our utmost best to uphold our end of the deal. Nothing more, nothing less."


    "I will take the training," Evin said with unparalleled confidence.


    He looked towards Leanne and gave her an assuring nod. She looked back with an expression of worry, but relented and sent back a small nod.


    "I''ll follow Evin as his guardian, if that''s okay," she said to the Cosmic.


    "Of course," the Cosmic shrugged. If she saw the wordless exchange between the two humans, she didn''t bother to make ament on it.


    Leanne dispelled her cocoon, and under the curious eyes of the other students and the ten Cosmics, made herself and Evin float with the World of Weight, Qanatohm, and the World of Air, Seyethe. Without giving Evin the time to enjoy the feeling of flight and the anticipation of traveling through a space itself, she followed the Cosmic into the portal. But just as he made contact the weird wavyyer inside the golden circle, he went unconscious.


    Evin didn''t know what happened to him exactly, but his mind came back to him, right when he was vomiting his lunch on the ground. He saw bits and pieces of chewed bread, which was colored in the pink of the sweet wine. They definitely didn''t smell the same as how they did when Evin ate and drank them previously, forcing him to gag again.


    Disoriented and confused, he tried to look around his surroundings, but evidently, he was too dizzy to evenmand his body.


    "Are you awake?" the female Cosmic was asking from his side. She then put a cup of water in front of him and Evin could see a tattered yellow leaf in it, "Here, drink this. It''ll help with your dizziness."


    Evin tried to say he couldn''t move his body, but thankfully, Leanne picked the cup up and helped him drink. Evin probably should''ve been prepared for something to happen by consuming these weird, yellow leaves, but nothing in his life could''ve prepared him for the unthinkable bitterness of the drink.


    Evin immediately spat out the drink, his face scrunching up from the unpleasant experience that befell upon him. Evin then gathered up the remaining saliva in his mouth and effortfully spat towards the ground once more, not knowing where he drew the strength to do these feats.


    "Are you feeling better?" the Cosmic asked from the side, and Evin could also hear the Voice''s outrage that came from inside his head, <Stop drinking random shit like that!>


    "I am¡­" Evin replied to the Cosmic and had Leanne help him to his feet.


    He looked around and found himself standing in the courtyard of a manor of some sorts, with a few people dressed as servants running towards him. They noticed Evin and Leanne and the puddle of vomit on the ground and scrunched their brows in a distasteful manner.


    "Lady Cosmic, what''s going on here?" one of the servants asked, trying his best to hide the outrage he was feeling inside.


    "Sorry, I had to bring these two through a portal, and the kid wasn''t ustomed to it. Sorry for the mess," the Cosmic shrugged and then asked the servants to clean up the vomit. "We''ll have to head to where Countess Carew is waiting. She''s expecting us."


    ''Countess Carew?'' Evin thought in his head with shock, realizing he was at Decatur''s house.

 Chapter 53 - Dining Table

    It took Evin a few minutes and Leanne''s help to be presentable. He washed his face and mouth with some water he created through his magic and Leanne helped him smoothen out his ruffled clothing.


    The Cosmic led him into arge dining hall with little ceremony. Evin saw Alix din Carew, her son and the Chairman sitting at one table with a male Cosmic talking next to them. The male''s fur pattern looked almost the same as the female Cosmic that brought Evin here, which made Evin wonder if the two were siblings.


    Evin looked around and saw all the noble students of the Academy sitting around tables scattered across the hall, and usually, they sat with people who Evin presumed were their parents and a Cosmic Feline. Evin searched the room and found Phel and Be sitting at one table silently sending a greeting towards him. On their table sat a female Cosmic and two men. On Phel''s side sat a short, middle-aged man who exuded an aura of cheerfulness and humor. The man wore bright-beige colored clothes and wasughing pleasantly as he spoke to the Cosmic. On Be''s side sat a somewhat plump man,ughing jovially at the talk between the Cosmic and Phel''s father.


    Evin''s eyes lingered on the table for a few seconds, before Leanne nudged him from the side and told him to follow. As Evin was following her, he quickly realized that he was walking towards where the Countess was eating.


    The Countess also noticed this fact and sent a nce towards a servant. Thetter was quick to act and after only a few seconds; a couple servants brought another table from somewhere and attached it to the one where the Countess was sitting.


    <I hate to do this right after what happened with Leanne, but I believe we must be at peak state to survive this conversation,> the Voice grunted and Evin could feel its mind covering Evin''s with practiced precision.


    Evin wasn''t happy with the Voice doing whatever it wanted to him, but it would be a lie if he said he didn''t want this state.


    "Good day, Leanne¡­ and Evin," the Countess greeted and so did the others. The female Cosmic that was apanying him quickly jumped over to the male Cosmic''s side and started whispering a few things to him.


    Evin judged the people who he was sharing the table with and mostly saw what he expected. Decatur was acting politely due to his mother, but was evidently struggling to keep his enmity from leaking. The noble boy''s attitude towards him was getting worse and worse, mostly because of how effortlessly Evin was closing the gap between them. Decatur moved in a snail''s pace and even if he receive a World Shard or two toplement his mana-core, hecked the control to make it matter. Compared to that, Evin''s power grew exponentially with every World Shard he obtained.


    Alix din Carew, though, was the perfect image of a noblewoman. She was polite, yet authoritative, and she was casually employing the power she held at the table. The mother in her showed up only when her eyes fell on her son, who was almost tantly acting in a way uneptable for the heir of a County.


    Leanne looked like she was out of ce, but she looked as if she was braving the ufortable atmosphere, for Evin''s sake. It felt nice to Evin, but it was also true that she was powerless here.


    The Chairman, on the other hand, was cheerful in his attitude, looking like a man pleased with seeing one of his students obtaining the interest of the Cosmic Felines. He would look at Evin with a look of interest, curiosity and pride. A believable and logical attitude and expression. But thanks to his conversation with Leanne, Evin could more clearly see the true thoughts of the Chairman.


    The Chairman most likely thought himself above everyone else here, even though he acted deferentially towards the Countess. Behind his gentle and polite smile, the Chairman was hiding his hate for the Countess, his mockery of the noble society and, of course, his ns for Evin. ns and designs for a kid who couldn''t know better.


    He''d have Evin dance on his palms, baiting Evin''s curiosity and loyalty with the few Shards he''d throw in front of him as the master of the Academy. In the Chairman''s head, he didn''t need to work so hard to put Evin under his thumbs. The man only saw Evin as a child, Evin finally realized.


    The only reason he was respectful to him now, was because he suspected the Voice to be something ancient and almighty. Nothing like the Twelve Cmities who destroyed the powerful Hivemind, and then proceeded to wreak havoc on the world of Alvox; but something strong enough. In the Chairman''s mind, no doubt Evin was a simple boy who fell under the control of this mysterious ancient force.


    As for why the ancient force bothered to waste its time inside the head of amoner boy, it could be exined by the odd and bizarre habits of ancient relics. Even some of the Twelve Cmities acted bizarrely time after time, so there wasn''t anything weird for weird things to happen.


    ''But he doesn''t know that we stand as equals,'' Evin allowed himself a triumphant and prideful thought.


    At this point, Evin knew he was staring too much at the Chairman. It was a new habit of his, one he most likely got from the Voice. Thankfully, he didn''t let any of his true thoughts show on his face, so the table''s other members only felt a slight difort and worry at his random action. Evin then sat properly on his chair and focused his attention on the food.


    "Wee, enigmatic young mage," the male Cosmic greeted him after he finished counseling with the female. "My name is Solraheeth Abvelgail and this is my sister, Solraheeth Ritven. For the future, you can simply call me Abe and her, Rith."


    The greeting was a bit weird, but Evin liked how the Cosmic had described him. Enigmatic young mage.


    "Rith says she already exined the circumstances to you and that you''re willing to study under us. But you must understand, that properly learning a World requires great efforts from our and your side. We''ll of course provide the World Shards and other necessary tools for your education, but you must tell us exactly what you think about the Worlds of Magic and how you use them. I guess we can start with the simpler questions, like how many World Shards have you absorbed?"


    But before Evin could answer, he was interrupted by Decatur, "You can''t possibly take the words of an outcast Viscount''s heir seriously and just assume that thatmoner is a better Imagination Caster than the rest of us nobles."


    The noble teen''s voice was loud enough to be heard by everyone in the dining hall, and Evin saw how everyone in the room turned their heads towards the main table.


    "Decatur," the Countess said admonishingly.


    "Mother, you know I can''t just silently let this chance slip away from my hands," Decatur said back at her with a tone of defiance and stubbornness.


    "Young master Decatur," Abe interjected politely. "We''ve exined to you how we''re searching for mages who haven''t been exposed to the Worlds for more than a year. For us, it''s important that they also be talented in Imagination Casting, but it''s far more important that we work with a fresh mind."


    "But it is important for the person to be talented enough, right?" Decatur insisted. "You wouldn''t want to waste all the time you dedicated to teach your student. You wouldn''t want to fail the agreement you made with our king."


    "But in the end, it is our choice to choose who we teach. That is also part of the deal with made with your country. Your Academy says that Evin here is the most talented Imagination Caster and we have no reason to doubt them."


    The Cosmic''s words made too much sense for Decatur to keep arguing, but of course, the Chairman wasn''t going to let such a chance go to waste.


    "Now, now. Any young mage of the Kingdom would think themselves most deserving of a chance to be one of the King''s Mages," the Chairman said amiably. "What do you say we let the youngsters sort it out between themselves? And while we''re at it, you can see what your future student''s capable of. Of course, the final decision stilly in your hands."


    ''There it is...'' Evin thought with a weary sigh. ''I can kind of see why he would think I''d hate Decatur because of this. After all, the noble boy is the one standing between me and my potential future. The Chairman''s simply acting like a curious old man.''

 Chapter 54 - Setting Conditions

    Evin sighed and didn''t let the urrence bother him. He was used to it, after all. Even if he refused, the Chairman would threaten him with World Shards or maybe even his tutge with the Cosmics to force his hand. Evin fancied the idea of refusing despite it all, but decided against it in the end.


    He nced towards Leanne and found her looking back at him with sympathetic eyes. Evin shook his head slightly at that. He then looked towards Abe, as ultimately, the decisiony in his hands.


    "Since things havee to this, I can only ept your suggestion. I am curious about our future student''s abilities as well, and what better event to show us his capabilities other than a mock fight?" Abe said politely, though Evin suspected the Cosmic was hiding his displeasure behind his polite face. "But, I propose we do it after our lunch, as your nobles and our Cosmics seem to be in the middle of talking business."


    With the Cosmic''s approval, Decatur quickly ordered the servants around the house to prepare the Carew family''s dueling grounds. His eyes gleamed in anticipation of the fight, even daring to ignore his mother''s cold eyes, which sternly promised him a scoldingter on.


    He then started speaking of the rules of the mock fight, and it was agreed that Evin and he would fight till one of them yielded or went unconscious. The Chairman reassured everyone that he would be there to prevent anything unfortunate from happening. The usual stuff.


    But one detail of the fight took Evin by surprise, and it was that Decatur insisted on having both sides use as much mana as they could. This meant that Decatur was free to use his ''well-fed'' mana-core to its full potential.


    Prior to this, Decatur''s fights were always limited by an amount set by the vice-chair. Thest time they fought seriously was two weeks ago and both sides couldn''t use more than five standard lodestones'' worth of mana. At that time, Evin lost to Decatur, because thetter absorbed all the mana in all five lodestones at once and, with the help of a Talisman, cast a huge Ivelisi spell which left no space for Evin to dodge in. Evin was pelted by a hailstorm from all sides, and at that time, there was little he could do to survive it.


    Perhaps he would''ve been fine if he had absorbed only the energy of Tenarak and dedicated that to creating a barrier of some sorts, but as he wasn''t expecting such a huge spell, his mana-core was filled with the energies of various other Worlds he was most proficient in.


    This experience forced Evin to refuse the fight, "I will not fight Decatur with those conditions. I''ve only been a mage for two months at this point, and so far, I''ve only absorbed eight World Shards. I''d be straining myself if I absorb one and a half lodestones'' worth of mana at once. Compared to that, Decatur''s can easily take on six or seven lodestones and feel nothing. The only thing I could do would be to be pelted by his Talismans and various Magical Devices."


    "You''re wanting to be one of the King''s Mages, aren''t you?" Decatur said disdainfully. "Are you going to say the same excuses to your enemies when your King''s life is being threatened? ''Oh, my mana-core isn''t big enough to fight you. Please leave?''"


    <I''d be immeasurably disappointed if you fall for such a provocation,> the Voice warned.


    Of course, Evin wasn''t so dumb to let Decatur convince him into a beating with a few words. He actually felt offended that the Voice would think that. He didn''t bother to reply to the noble boy''s question, "This and that are different things. And no is no. You can''t expect me to happily let myself be beaten without good reason.


    Evin could probably have provoked Decatur about his abuse of Talismans and other such things, but he noticed that the atmosphere on the table was in his favor. His reasoning to refuse the fight was valid enough in everyone''s eyes, and there was no reason to muddle their views by acting childish.


    "Evin, you''re shaming the honor of the kingdom''s mages by refusing," the Chairman interjected unexpectedly.


    Evin was taken aback by the man''s shamelessness. ''He really thinks me so easy to manipte, huh?'' he thought begrudgingly inside.


    "Can you tell me where exactly you see anything rting to honor, please?" Evin replied, resisting the urge to hiss the answer out.


    "He wants a chance to be one of the King''s Mages¡­ as any mage in the kingdom would," the Chairman began calmly, "Sadly, the choice isn''t his to make; it''s in the Cosmics'' hands. But there is a chance for him to prove himself worthy by battling you and you''re denying it for him. Of course it''s a matter of honor."


    The man was clearly spewing bullshit. Sophisticated bullshit - the worst kind. But when Evin looked around himself, he saw that Abe and the Countess was in agreement with his words. Evin could understand the Countess, as she was after all, Decatur''s mother and would want the best for her son. But he couldn''t understand why Abe would agree with the Chairman. Only a few minutes ago, the Cosmic looked like he was annoyed by all this, but now his eyes gleamed with interest.


    Evin decided it was best to divert the conversation towards a different angle, "Sorry, but it''s not as if you would automatically be one of the King''s Mages just by learning under the Cosmics, right? I mean, there are only a hundred Mages who officially wear that name and I don''t think they''ll be happy to let go of their posts just because some 1st year Academy student learned how to make portals and spatial magics. And the part where the student manages to learn those things so easily sounds dubious to me as well."


    "But they''ll receive a chance to meet the King. And that''s a chance to be one of his mages," the Chairman shrugged.


    "There is no guarantee that our students will receive a high post under the king, but it''s true that they would meet himter on," Abe exined simply.


    <At this point, they''re just going to push you into a corner. At least set some conditions yourself,> the Voice offered.


    "Fine, I agree to fight with no limits. But I have my own conditions as well. I''m sure Decatur would be happy to ept them, as it concerns his honor and future, right?"


    "Sure," Decatur replied quickly, one hundred percent sure he had the fight in his hands.


    "We''re not allowed to use Talismans or anything else that cheats casting spells. And also, the fight will not continue for more than five minutes."


    "What happens if no one wins before the time runs out?" Abe asked.


    "We tie and it would be as if the fight never happened in the first ce."


    Evin knew that the fight would turn worse and worse for him the longer it went on. Decatur''s spells would berger and more unavoidable, and Evin wouldn''t be able to do anything to escape it. He imagined that Decatur would fortify his position with ice at the beginning of the fight, and after that he could take his time and corner Evin. But he wouldn''t be able to do that with a time limit.


    Decatur looked unhappy with the added conditions. He most likely expected the no Talismans rule, but Evin was sure he didn''t expect the timer rule. But Decatur retained the decency to swallow hisints, and the fight was officially underway.


    Evin then focused on the food, as the conversation on the table steered towards business. But as he was eating, a servant came to him and asked him if he''d like to sit at the table where the Narke and Borna families were eating.


    He was happy to escape the suffocating atmosphere on the Countess'' table and walked over to his two friends. He offered Leanne to follow behind, but thetter refused.


    "Hello! You must be Evin! Phel speaks an awful lot about you!" the small, middle-aged man greeted happily as Evin approached the table. "My name''s Perre Narke, a viscount under the Countess'' rule."


    "It''s good to meet you too, Viscount Narke," Evin replied and bowed with only his head, as Be taught him to. He then turned to the plump man and repeated the gesture, "Greetings. You must be Viscount Borna."


    "A polite young man, isn''t he? I like it. I like it a lot," Viscount Borna said smilingly.


    Evin then greeted the Cosmic on the table, greeted Be and Phel more casually and sat on a chair between them.

 Chapter 55 - Bella And Phel

    "Is the Vice-chair and Chairman in cahoots with each other in bullying you, then?" Phel asked him from the side, jokingly. "I always see the Northerner putting you in awkward situations, but now that I think about it, the Chairman also does the same thing, doesn''t he? I remember how he threatened to take back your World Shards on the first ss of Combat training."


    "Well, who knows¡­" Evin replied offhandedly. He was careful not to say anythingpromising, as he was still quite close to the Chairman.


    "I always fancied attracting the attention of a bigshot, but now that I look at you¡­ it doesn''t really feel the same as I''d envisioned it, he-he," Phel chuckled.


    "So is itmon for you to be pulled into these random fights, then?" Phel''s father asked from the side curiously.


    "Oh, yes. Evin gets pitted against Decatur at least once a week and the topic of the challenge can be¡­ anything, really," Phel replied for Evin. "Closebat, aim training, spell-casting, and even basic exercises... Now that I think about it, it seems like a huge pain in the as- uh, head, if you know what I mean."


    Evin chuckled at Phel''s little slip of the tongue, but his attentive mind noticed how the two Viscounts'' eyes started to look at him differently. Evin thought a bit, and realized that Phel made it sound like the Chairman and the Vice-chair had a lot of expectations of him. So, as politicians, the two Viscounts would be interested in someone who so obviously holds the attention of a High-mage and his close personal aide.


    "Well, one can''t escape the expectations of others¡­ no matter how much they want to," Viscount Borna said softly.


    Evin didn''t know whether the words were meant for him or Be, but the girl definitely took it as an affront to herself, "We''ve been through this, father. You don''t have to bring it up over and over again."


    "I meant the words for Evin, dear," Viscount Borna replied neutrally.


    Be turned her head away from her father dismissively and looked towards Evin instead, "It''s good you''ve asked for the fight to onlyst five minutes. You definitely wouldn''t have had any chance otherwise."


    "What do I do, coach?" Evin replied smilingly. He''d started calling her that at some point during their shared training and the name stuck.


    His tone turned softer and more rxed, as he was sitting here with his friends. Although Be''s rtionship with her father seemed a bit tense, the man himself was casual enough and the same could be said for Phel''s father. It was gratifying to not have to speak so politely, worrying about each and every word he spewed out of his mouth.


    "When the fight starts, focus on your defenses. I''m sure Decatur''s going to throw a big spell at you first. I know you don''t want to, but pile your mana-core with Earth energy at first. I know you''re your worst World by far, but the defense it offers is what you need. Survive the first wave of spells and you will have more options¡­ but knowing you, you''re probably just going to hide behind illusions and shadows."


    <Coach''s words are sound as always, but I''m thinking we''ll try out a different approach this time,> the Voice said in a gleeful tone. <After all, we finally managed to create Hard Air. If I''m correct, it should offer the same amount of defense as an Earthen wall, but the energy would be much easier to control.>


    <If we can guess what Decatur''s first spell is going to be, an Earthen wall would be a good option as well,> Evin replied, staying true to his coach''s advice.


    When the Vice-chair first made the ranking among the 1st year students, Be very casually and easily took the top spot. Decatur couldn''t hold a candle against her once she turned serious, so he could only satisfy himself by being second.


    Arza could steal a few wins from her, but only because she didn''t use magic at all when fighting the red-head, knowing that Arza''s Gestures barely ever worked. So, more often than not, it would only be a normal melee between those two without any magic.


    And there wasn''t even a point in talking about Evin''s matches against her. Her spell-casting was weaker and slower than the Voice''s, but she was simply too experienced and steady for Evin''s petty tricks to work against her.


    Compared to her, Evin stood on the bottom of the list. After all, his hand was broken and he couldn''t fight properly for the next month or so. All his scheduled fights were automatic losses, but Evin obviously took back some points in basic exercises and normal spell-casting. He was confident he would take a higher spot during the next ranking matches, but until then, he could only obtain money and sometimes World Shards from the other sses he attended.


    "Also, since he can''t use Talismans, it''s going to take him a while to cast his spells," Phel added from the side. "As far as I know, the fastest Decatur could cast an Ivelisi spell is about 2 seconds, 6 if he needs something big, and maybe 15 if he needs something lethal. For the other worlds, his spell-casting speed should vary between 4 to 35 seconds?"


    "Won''t he be mad at you for telling me that?" Evin asked. Because of his conversations with Phel, he knew the boy''s rtionship with Decatur was much closer than a normal one.


    "It''ll be fine," Phel''s father replied from the side with a shrug. "It''s high time Decatur learns a few things about the topic, anyway."


    Evin didn''t know what topic Phel''s father was talking about exactly, but he reckoned it had something to do about epting things that one didn''t like.


    "Anyhow, since your spell-casting speed is much faster than his, I''m sure you''ll manage some kind of defense," Phel smiled.


    "Ah, I wish I could just turn my body hard like a turtle the same way Arza does," Evin sighed. "I''d be able to run through his spells like they''re nothing and just brute force my way through."


    "Is Arza really that strong as you say?" Phel asked, genuinely interested. "Sure, it''s impressive he stays in the middle rankings of the ss without using magic, but I''m having a feeling he''s just talentless in magic."


    "I told you he practices his Chants every morning before his Gestures. I''m sure he would even give Be here a run for her money if he was serious enough," Evin insisted.


    How Evin was envious of the boy''s ability to harden his skin and strengthen his body. In Evin''s estimate, Arza would easily brush off the giant hailstorm that Decatur let loose on him just with his hardened skin and body.


    "He can try," Be scoffed.


    Evin''s coach seemed a bit offended by the remark, so he had to make things right, "Sorry, sorry. He''ll pose you a challenge, but he''ll never ovee you, in the end."


    "Whatever."


    "Ah, but you do have a very high opinion on the red-head, huh?" Phel chuckled. "How is he, by the way? I''ve heard he''s dating Lopar now? How did that happen?"


    "Yes. As for how it happened, well, who knows? You know Arza," Evin replied. "If there was a confession or something at some point, I didn''t witness it. But a week ago, he just came to the Academy with Lopar clinging from his arms."


    "He-he, you sound a bit jealous," Phel said smilingly.


    "Not really. I just hope he''ll learn a thing or two about Gestures from her, so he can finally cast his magic," Evin replied, but his eyes noticed something odd. When Phel started talking about Arza, his father looked at Phel with a weirdly worried gaze.


    Evin couldn''t focus on the fact much longer, as Be urged from his side, "I think your match is starting soon enough."

 Chapter 56 - Fights Start

    Like Be said, the nobles and the Cosmics finished their meals and everyone walked out of the dining hall and towards the Carew mansion battle grounds. The students looked used to the asion, but Evin could see how their parents were excitedly ncing between Decatur and him, whispering to each other with curious smiles. They were most likely wondering who was thismoner who attracted the attention of the Chairman, the Cosmics, and the Carew''s second son.


    <So, what are we going to do?> Evin asked inwardly, mostly because he was bored, rather than nervous. Ever since he learned how to send thoughts to the Voice without using Thought energies or mana like the Voice had taught him, he started to asionally have conversations inside his head sometimes.


    <We fight, since everyone wants us to,> the Voice said back.


    Evin was sure the Voice was shrugging inside his head, or shaking his head. After he began tomunicate more with it, he started to distinguish the Voice''s mood much better than previously. Evin also started to suspect that the Voice had a body of some sorts, and that it lived inside Evin''s head like a normal person would live inside a house. He didn''t know how such a thing was possible, but he was very confident in his guess, because of the few dreams he hadtely where he saw a young male of maybe about Aran or Leanne''s age living inside a dome shaped house on an infinitely wideke, looking veryfortable.


    <Do you think the Cosmic wants us to fight, just because he''s curious?> Evin asked.


    Evin was a bit surprised by the Voice''s opinions on the Cosmic, as it never took anyone around Evin so seriously and solemnly before. His father, the mages, Decatur and the other nobles¡­ even the Chairman turned into the butt-ends of its jokes after a while.


    <I''ve never heard you be wary of someone before,> Evin said.


    <Hmm?> the Voice eximed, sounding surprised by Evin''s words. <I guess it''s just because they''re not humanoids¡­> it exined. <I''m very confident in my abilities to judge people, but it doesn''t work on Abe since he''s a feline. That should be why I''m feeling weirded out¡­ Argh, whatever. We should focus on the fight.>


    When Evin arrived at the battle grounds right outside the mansion, he saw an arena almost twice asrge as the one the Academy had (which was 15 meters wide). But this one was circrly shaped and had a very peculiar dome shaped roof. The first thing Evin noticed was its gigantic size. It looked like an upside bowl, held above the ground with a few beams; and at the edge, the roof was only a bit taller than the average male, but in the centermost area it was as tall as a three-story building.


    Evin also noticed that the roof had numerous gaps. Some areas, like in the center of the ''bowl'', it waspletely covered, but most other areas had various gaps of different sizes or shapes. If there was some kind of artistic beauty to it, then Evin didn''t find one. He looked towards the ground and saw that the sunlight that fell through these gaps looker much brighter than the sunlight that fell on the ground normally. Evin knew that it was just a trick of the mind, but it was very annoying to look at.


    "It''s designed for users of the World of Light and the World of Darkness," Phel exined from the side. "Decatur said that it was made for his brother, Gehenne, who''s a strong user of both Worlds. I heard that he would try to light every dark spot so it looks like the ce is lit evenly, or he would try to turn every bright spot so it would look as if the ce is evenly dim."


    Evin looked at the Arena again and realized how that could be challenging. As he had absorbed Shards of both Lumiaris and Exivear, he knew how hard it was to affect areas which have a high contrast of light and darkness. Evin could turn himself nigh invisible in the darkness with some effort, by using the Dark energy to change the shades and colors of the shadows that fell on him to match his surroundings.


    But that was assuming that he wasn''t standing in the open, with sunlight falling on his body. Evin was never able to turn brightly lit ces into darkness. Leanne said that in the future, he could turnrge areas of a town or a city intoplete darkness even during the day, effectively turning invisible inside those areas. But of course, that would take a huge amount of mana and Evin''s core wasn''t so well-fed yet.


    ''Why am I so distracted today?'' Evin thought to himself suddenly.


    Clearly, there were more important things to worry about, but every time he found an opportunity, Evin''s mind wandered off to the most random topics.


    Shaking off his thoughts, Evin went towards the center of the arena where Decatur was standing and saw the rest of the people standing around in a circle.


    A servant came towards Decatur and handed him a waistbelt. It came attached with a pouch for containing lodestones; a specially made leather holder for Talismans; and a small, tube-shaped ss container. Decatur took off the Talisman pouch from his waistbelt, but kept the two other items.


    <What''s inside that ss?> Evin asked inwardly.


    <I don''t know, but I sometimes see it dangling from inside his bag,> the Voice replied.


    The Chairman walked between the twobatants without much ceremony and said, "Well, I suppose it''s fitting that I be the judge for this match."


    "Oh, since the time limit''s five minutes, here you go," Abe suddenly said and brought out a small hourss from a Spatial Ring. "That one spills for exactly five minutes."


    "Thank you," the Chairman nodded amiably and turned his head towards the twobatants. "Well, aside from the special rules that the two here agreed upon, the Academy''s mock battle regtions will apply, is that alright?"


    "Of course."


    "Yes," Evin and Decatur replied.


    The standard regtions included stuff about starting at a certain distance, not leaving the premise of battle, to not attack the spectators ¨C either willfully or identally, and a few other technicalities. It also said that one mustn''t aim at the enemybatant''s head, neck, or chest with a lethal spell. One was also not allowed to try dismember someone''s limbs, but breaking them was apparently fine. If the Chairman judged a spell to be illegal, he would dispel it and disqualify the user. Evin didn''t want to trust the Chairman with anything of his, so he was going to try his best to survive by himself.


    "Alright, gather your mana and turn it into World energies. No casting spells yet," the Chairman warned, "I''ll know if you do."


    <Take as much Dark and Thought energies you need to make yourself invisible towards Decatur and convert the rest to Air energy with a touch of Fire,> the Voice dictated. <And when the fight starts, pick a suitable spot and turn yourself invisible.>


    ''No earthen walls today, I guess,'' Evin thought and reached into his waist pouch, feeling the five lodestones he''d obtained during his Academy days. He turned one of them into Air energy, and turned half a lodestone into the energy of Thought and a little bit of Fire and Darkness. His body felt light due to the vast amount of Air energies that flowed through his bloodstream now, but he could definitely feel calming sensations of the other World energies as well.


    He looked at Decatur and saw the boy casually emptying five in a row. Evin didn''t know what World energies they turned into and there was only one way to find out.


    "You may begin on the count of three," the Chairman said and after counting to three in an overly dramatic way, he flipped the hourss.


    Most battles started with two sides regarding each other''s moves, but since there was a time limit on this one, both sides immediately started working on their spells. Evin did as the Voice ordered and dashed towards a darker spot of the Arena.


    He then created ayer of Thought energies which were ordered to make himself invisible and then wrapped ayer of Dark energy around it. If he only used Thought energies, he could make himself invisible even in light, but Evin knew that Decatur was capable to seeing through illusions if he tried hard enough. Every mage was expected to be proficient enough at the World of Thoughts to be able to discern illusions with unfailing precision. After all, a mage who couldn''t tell real from false was more of a liability, rather than an asset.


    But that didn''t apply to the World of Darkness, the energy of which was naturally very difficult to distinguish in the dark, even if one knew what to look for. So Evin could use it to keep himself invisible to Decatur, provided that he stayed in shadowy areas. But he knew that some of the spectators could still see him, as he was more focused on looking invisible from one direction. Evin simply wasn''t talented enough to make himself invisible from all sides like the Voice was capable of, but it was the best he could do.


    And it didn''t matter too much, as it was considered extremely unbing if a spectator intervened in a mock battle in the kingdom.


    Finished with his task, Evin focused on what his enemy was doing and what the Voice''s response would be. He saw moisture gathering around Decatur''s body, slowly turning into streams of water. Decatur wasn''t shining in any way, so Evin guessed thetter was just trying to drown him in one of his aquatic prisons.

 Chapter 57 - Conclusion

    <Since he''s trying to flush us out, I''ll create floating tforms of air that you can use to reach a higher area. Make sure you''re not seen. I''ll harass him while you do that,> the Voice ordered and Evin heard its tone of voice shifting radically for its Demanding Chant.


    Evin felt ''himself'' creating a few steps of hardened air invisible to everyone else, which reached towards the under of a tform beside the ceiling. The only way Evin could feel their locations because his mana-core made them. Then, another thick b materialized on his side and flew towards Decatur''s arm, avoiding the whirlpool of water that was forming around him. But instead of the particr sound of meat being hit, a thunking sound came from the impact, suggesting that Decatur had hardened his skin with the energy of Apdenul.


    "What the he-" Decatur wasn''t even finished cursing when another b of Hard Air hit him from his sides, forcing him to focus on defense properly.


    "Hard Air!" one of the spectators eximed.


    Evin smiled from atop the tform of Hard Air that the voice had created, feeling proud of his achievement. The Voice always wanted to create Hard Air, but simply wasn''t able to. He alwaysined that it was too unscientific for particles of air to solidify without it being extremely cold. Saying things like, ''But if the air was that cold, then everyone should be fucking dead!''


    One day, Evin offered the Voice to try Chants to create Hard Air. After all, they both knew that it was possible to achieve magic without being knowledgeable in science. With no other choice, the Voice began to relentlessly practice its chants, before eventually, it managed to create what it wanted.


    the Voice echoed in Evin''s mind and again, Decatur was hit by a barrage of invisible bs. But the noble wasn''t as helpless as he looked.


    "Rraargh!" Decatur roared and let his spell loose.


    The mass of water fell to the ground and rapidly expanded in all directions. In only five seconds it hungrily covered the entire Arena''s flooring, but it wasn''t able to find its prey. Decatur looked confused, and let the mass of water swirl around the ground again, looking even more focused than before. But he wasn''t allowed to do so leisurely, as the Voice created an invisible sword out of Hard Air and started battering his arms and legs. The sword was blunt, so it didn''t count as trying to dismember the enemy.


    The Voice sounded satisfied as he instructed Evin, <Follow the tform and stand directly above him. A minute has passed already and I''m thinking we can just survive this duel without him ever finding where we are.>


    Evin smiled and soon found himself above Decatur''s head and right under the dark spot of the ceiling, looking at his enemy struggle against the Voice''s attacks. Another sword joined the fray and both of them were diligently harassing Decatur. The two invisible weapons would sometimes take on color, just to mess with the noble more. It was obvious that the Voice was toying with its enemy. They weren''t doing much damage, as it became obvious that the noble''s body was filled to the brim with the energy of Apdenul, but it was obvious that the blows hurt.


    ''To think that only two weeks ago, I was struggling under his hailstorm¡­'' Evin thought with satisfaction.


    Now, he was sitting atop a tform of air that the Voice had created and was casually observing the almost one-sided match. He even wondered if the five-minute thing was necessary at all. And to top it all off, Evin only used the energy of one lodestone so far. But of course, Decatur wasn''t someone who was going to take such a beating passively.


    Ayer of water appeared atop Decatur''s skin and then hardened into an armor of ice. Abnormally quickly, the water levels in the arena started rising and swirling about, and Evin could see it turning harder and sharper at an rming pace. The two invisible swords were ground down under the small, yet persistent barrage of ice shards. Evin''s face lost allposure and casualness as he witnessed the birth of a whirling hailstorm, which engulfed the arena grounds in mere seconds.


    Evin looked at the Chairman and the others, wondering if Decatur had used a Talisman at some point, but nothing in their expressions suggested that.


    The hailstorm was still low enough to not affect Evin''s position, but Evin was sure that Decatur would realize what was happening soon enough.


    "You thought I wouldn''t be able to cast powerful abilities without my Talismans, didn''t you?" Decatur dered with a triumphantugh. "Sure it takes some time, but I never use a Talisman I can''t recreate myself!"


    Evin wanted to curse at himself for being so careless. Even if Decatur acted like a spoiled rich hoodlum most of the time, he was still the second strongest student in the ss. Evin was sure that his enemy was slowly, but diligently working on the hailstorm, but was just waiting for everything to be ready to unleash it. After all, Evin casted magic in a simr way all the time.


    Evin also should''ve guessed it from the amount of mana Decatur absorbed and the spells he created with it. Sure, him strengthening himself with Apdenul and covering the arena floor with water would require arge amount, but it wasn''t enough to burn through five lodestones'' worth of mana. Evin guessed that the previous two efforts cost two and the hailstorm cost three. After all, the one that Decatur made with a Talisman two weeks ago cost five.


    Seeing the blunt, yet painful shards of ice slowly rising towards his location, Evin couldn''t help but shudder slightly, <What do we do now?>


    <Heh, why are you so scared?> the Voice said suddenly, its calmness reinforcing Evin''s mind. <It''s just a hailstorm and it''s even slower thanst time.>


    <It''s still going to hurt like hell, isn''t it?>


    <Why would it hurt you, if it''s not going to hit you? Anyway, take out another lodestone and turn it all into the Air energy,> the Voice said with unusual calmness as the hailstorm started to brush against the tform on which Evin was standing on. <Now, stand up and don''t get startled. I''ll make the tform as thin as possible, so don''t move and make sure Decatur doesn''t see you,> the Voice warned.


    Evin felt the tform under him getting smaller and smaller until they divided into two and became only two blocks of Hard Air, only slightly bigger than his soles. Evin didn''t wish to look down, but he had to, to focus on keeping himself invisible to Decatur''s eyes. Since the noble was standing on the center of the arena, he guessed that every spectator could see bits and pieces of him standing above the boy. He was thankful that no one snitched out his locations to help out Decatur.


    "You''re up in the air, aren''t you?" Decatur suddenly said and looked towards the ceiling.


    The noble eyed the area with diligence and vehemence, but even when his eyes looked towards Evin''s location, they didn''t find anything.


    "Even in the sky, you hide in your shadows." Decatur spat out and brought out five other lodestones from his pouch and absorbed all of them. "No matter. You can hide all you want from me, but I''m not so sure that tactic would work against a hailstorm."


    With the added energy, the hailstorm spun faster and more intimidating, slowly rising towards the ceilings where Evin was hiding. Swallowing silently, Evin reached for a lodestone in his pouch, turned it all into Air energy and ceded control to the Voice.


    the Voice chanted in an unusually somber way, and Evin felt the Air energies forming a long,nce-like structure of Hard Air between Evin and where the hailstorm was blowing from. On Evin''s other side, another long, but tube-like structure of Hard Air appeared.


    <Remember¡­ don''t move,> the Voice reminded as the shards of ice began to reach Evin''s feet. But although it looked like some of them would hit him, their paths were subtly changed by thence in front of Evin. And after that, the ice shard would be caught by the tube and would follow their original path like nothing ever happened.


    It was truly magical, as when the ice shards made contact with the Hard Air, it didn''t ng or make any noise like Evin expected them to. Instead, the shards would stick onto the Hard Air and then follow its surface, as if it was a leaf falling into a river current and following it without making any ssh or noise. Because of this aspect, Decatur never seemed to notice what exactly was happening right above him. This was definitely not the same type of Hard Air that the Voice was using to batter Decatur with.


    Ovee by curiously, Evin looked towards the spectators. Most of them looked amazed, trying hard to not stare at Evin so they wouldn''t give away his location. The students, the Cosmics and a few other people who Evin guessed were mages looked outright confused, but the most notable of all was the Chairman. The man was looking towards him with disbelieving expression which was quickly reced by a grin. Evin didn''t like what he saw at all, but he decided not to worry about it for now and decisively focused his attention on the fight.


    In a few dozen seconds, the hailstorm reached Evin''s head. Countless shards of ice flew past his body, but none of them managed to hit it. After Evin got over the first few moments of doubt and fear, he started to enjoy the scene more. It was hard not to feel exhrated when he was standing inside a hailstorm, yet not feeling anything of it on his body. Not even the cold wind of the previous hailstorm could be felt to him.


    In another dozen seconds, the hailstorm engulfed the entirety of the Arena, and Decatur''s sadistic smile turned into a frown. The noble was deliberately making the hailstorm move slowly, so he could relish the idea of Evin struggling in fear, but now he was in confused.


    "He''s not inside the arena, is he?" he finally shouted. "He''s breaking the rules of the fight!"


    It was hard to hear him, because of the hailstorm, but everyone around understood what he said.


    "Not at all, master Decatur," the Chairman said cheerfully, the previous disbelief in his face gone, "In fact, I can see him inside the arena, this very moment. He-he, but I do suggest you hurry. You have only two minutes until the fight is over."


    Decatur looked unconvinced and looked towards his mother, but thetter only offered him a polite shake of the head. For the next minute, Decatur halfheartedly tried a few different directions with the hailstorm, but since he waspletely in the dark on what Evin was doing, he wasn''t able to see past the Voice''s two constructs.


    At that moment, Evin only focused on keeping himself invisible to Decatur and the Voice focused on keeping the ice off him.


    Decatur cursed and the hailstorm died out abruptly. Evin looked towards the boy, wondering if thetter had finally given up. But that didn''t seem to be the case, as Decatur pulled the ss container from his waist and forcefully threw it to the center of the ceiling.


    Evin barely managed to dodge the sudden projectile, wondering if the noble had found out about his location through some unknown method. But that didn''t seem to be the aim of Decatur''s action as the ss shattered and a dark-grey, almost metallic fog appeared from inside it. Evin thought it was poison of some kind and put his sleeves over his mouth, but the next moment, he felt the Hard Air under him disappearing without warning.


    <It''s eating away at mana and World energies!> the Voice gasped.


    Without any time to prepare, Evin fell from the height of three stories andnded heavily on his side. But his misfortunes weren''t over yet, as he felt something hit hard against his guts and his body being flung across the arena.


    When he heard footsteps approaching from behind him, he cried through the pain, "I concede!"


    The footsteps began running, giving Evin an irrational sense of fear, but thankfully, the Chairman intervened on his behalf, "Evin concedes the fight. The winner is Decatur din Carew." Evin didn''t hear any of the usual casualness in the man''s words.


    He knew that there were only about 30 seconds left for the fight and if he toughed through that, the battle would end in a tie¡­ but Evin knew that it was enough time for Decatur to kill him three times over. He felt he''d demonstrated enough skills to sate the curiosity of the Cosmic Felines and the Chairman.

 Chapter 58 - Upcoming Talks

    When Evin found the strength to open his eyes, he saw Be regarding him with idle curiosity. Behind her, he saw the metallic fog glittering beautifully like snow, which gave the noble girl a distinctly aesthetic look.


    "Well, you have a lot of exining to do," Be said as she grabbed Evin''s arm and pulled him up.


    "About what?"


    "About how you can create Hard Air already and also how you can make it not just ''hard''."


    "What?" Evin asked, confused with the girl''s choice of words.


    "The thing you did with the hailstorm."


    <Well, I suppose I should expect Be to see what happened, but it''s best to refuse now,> the Voice said, <I don''t think I''ll be exining that to anyone yet.>


    Evin was a bit disappointed by its decree, but he knew that some things were off limits.


    "I can''t tell you anything about that, sorry."


    "Figures," Be shrugged without care. "But I''m not so sure that the others would be so considerate towards you."


    Evin had already refused to exin a few other things to Be, and thetter didn''t push for it as hard as Evin expected.


    <Did you really achieve something so noteworthy?> Evin asked inwardly.


    <Don''t know. Maybe we can ask Leanne after,> the Voice shrugged, sounding tired from the mental exertion.


    Evin then saw Phel and Leanneing over, holding a first aid kit.


    "Is your arm okay?" Leanne asked, looking at the arm that Evin fell on.


    Evin flexed it a bit and replied with a wince, "Nothing seems broken, but it stings a lot against my clothes."


    He was quickly undressed and saw that arge patch of his skin was rubbed off bloody. Despite Evin''s protests, Leanne poured some alcohol on it to disinfect it and brought Evin away from the area which was covered in the gray, metallic dust and used the World of Life to slowly regenerate Evin''s skin.


    "What''s that gray stuff, anyway?" Evin asked.


    "Ketricite," Phel exined. "Ever wonder what happens if you batter something with magic non-stop? Well, it slowly turns dark and starts developing anti-magic attributes - slowly dissolving anything held together with magic around it and also making it impossible to cast a spell. Thankfully, it doesn''t affect have any pervasive attributes, so it won''t affect your mana-core, or the World energies inside you."


    "Why have I never seen it before?" Evin groaned, understanding what just happened to him.


    "It''s rare to see Ketricite around the Northern parts of the kingdom, as not many people have the leisure to harass a patch of sand so thoroughly with magic. But, I''m sure you''ll see it much more often in the South where the war is going. In Arcvallen, the entire royal pce is made of the thing to make it impossible for mages and Talismans to spy on them. Even more crazy is the fact that the entire southern battlefield had turned to Ketricite due to all the years of both sides flinging magic at each other."


    Evin imagined an entire in of magic-negating dark gray and couldn''t help but shudder slightly.


    ''How the hell do mages function there, then?''


    <It was mentioned once in history ss, now that I think about it. I remember Teouka saying she was going to speak more about itter on,> the Voice rified.


    <Well, too bad we couldn''t remember it during the fight.>


    <Not that it would''ve helped with anything.>


    As Evin was feeling numb from the regeneration of his skin, Abe floated towards his side, voice full of admiration and shock, "By the Empress'' grace! You truly have started casting magic only two months ago? I mean I can see that it''s true by the brightness of your core, but you truly make me question my eyes."


    "The brightness of my core?" Evin asked back.


    "It''s a thing of the Cosmics¡­ we can roughly measure when a mage''s mana-core was awakened and how much lodestone they''ve absorbed by the brightness of their cores. It was one of the reasons why we were so opposed to teaching Decatur previously. Or any of the nobles for that matter. As far as I can see, on average, they''ve absorbed at least ten World Shards already," Abe exined.


    Evin smiled at the Cosmics'' words. At least he didn''t have to fight Decatur for nothing. Well, he was very confident the Cosmics would still stick to him, but that didn''t mean he couldn''t worry about it.


    At this moment, Decatur came over to the Cosmics with a proud expression, "I''ve won the fight. You''re going to teach me, right?"


    Abe looked like he was about to reply mockingly, but he stole a nce towards the Countess and seemingly decided to keep things civil, "I''m sorry, young master Decatur, but I never said that the winner would receive our tutge. We only agreed to see the fight and make our decision afterwards."


    "And?" Decatur demanded.


    "And we''ve chosen Evin here. Truly, it''s rare to see such a talent these days. It would be a disservice to our Agreement with the kingdom if we don''t teach him to the best of our abilities," Abe acted oblivious to Decatur''s dark face. "Truly, the Empress'' grace must be shining on king Seth. I must say I wasn''t so sure about teaching the human students our arts, but now that I''ve seen Evin, my confidence has been boosted."


    Decatur looked like he was about to say a few other stuffs, but the Countess put her hands on his shoulders and gave him a firm look of denial.


    "At any rate, thank you both for giving us such a pleasant fight," Abe continued to y the ignorant happy-go-lucky character. "I''ve always thought fights between the younger generation to be boring and slow, but today I saw how wrong I was before." Turning to the Countess, Abe continued," Thank you for hosting such a wonderful lunch. I''ve listened to my fellow Cosmics and they''ve told me that many of their business talks were fruitful. I''m sure the next year''s lunch will be even merrier than this one."


    "Of course," the Countess replied, understanding that the Cosmics'' visit was finished, "The Cosmics are always wee in my household. If you require any help, please don''t hesitate to reach out to us."


    She then bid the rest of the Cosmics farewell and asked the nobles to gather in her office for a talk. Evin also saw her whispering something in Decatur''s ears. Some of the students decided to stay inside the Countess'' mansion, while some of them were headed back to the city of Ankelite. Evin wasn''tpletely sure, but he believed that the Countess'' mansion was located about two hours away from the gates of the city.


    As for Evin and Leanne, they were promptly transported to the city through a portal Abe had created with no option to refuse. Once again, Evin found himself puking his lunch out, but thankfully, he could now do it in theforts of his own bathroom.


    When he was finished, he made himself presentable and went out of his room to find Abe and Rith talking about him with Leanne. When they saw Evin, Leanne told Evin to meet her when he was done and excused herself out of the room.


    "Well, Evin," Abe began, "I''m afraid I have a great deal of questions for you."


    ¡­


    Phel was sitting on a couch Decatur''s room, listening to thetter rant about the day.


    "It''s all a fucking joke! All of it! The Cosmics, Beyn, that damnmoner and my mother!" Decatur was saying as he walked circled the room for the nth time. "It''s preposterous to think that amoner would serve the king better than I will, but I suppose I can chalk it off to the Cosmics being ignorant of our ways. But how can Beyn so casually mention thatmoner''s name when the Cosmics are searching for a suitable student to learn portals?!"


    "Of course," Phel nodded enthusiastically, but inside, he was waiting for the other''s rage to burn out.


    Decatur was never one to think rationally when he was angry. Phel knew that even if he tried to exin things to him in this state, Decatur wasn''t going to listen.


    "And that damnmoner! Always hiding behind his illusions and shadows! How did he even manage to survive my hailstorm in the first ce? He must''ve been hiding beyond the arena through some means!" Decatur said through gritted teeth and looked towards Phel, "You must''ve seen what happened, right?"


    "To me, it looked as if he was standing right above you during the whole fight, standing on thin air¡­ though that was probably just ayer of Hard Air. When the hailstorm reached his location, it looked as if the ice shards just dodged past him and then reentered their original path," Phel replied in his calmest and most understanding tone. "As for him staying in another ce, I''m afraid it''s impossible. After all, he did fall from there when you threw the Ketricite to the ceiling."


    Truthfully, even Phel didn''t know exactly what urred there. Now that he thought about it, nothing really exciting happened during the fight: Evin made himself invisible to Decatur when the fight started; then he created two swords of Hard Air which he used to harass Decatur; then the hailstorm happened but none of the ice shards hit Evin; and finally Decatur was forced to use a sk of Ketricite, which resulted in Evin forfeiting.

 Chapter 59 - A Friends Company

    "Are you saying that he individually moved every single ice shard that came towards his way and then put them back in its original path so I wouldn''t notice?" Decatur asked in an unbelieving, almost mocking tone.


    "Of course not," Phel replied with a sigh. "That would be ridiculous. He probably just willed for the World energies to do something about it. Maybe he Chanted it? That would exin how he managed to create Hard Air, as well."


    "So you''re telling me he''s a genius in Imagination Casting and also Chanting?" Decatur scoffed.


    "It could be. But probably not, since I never saw him chant anything when he was above you. He didn''t even whisper anything¡­ though I could''ve seen wrong, since his body was still half-covered by hisyers of illusions."


    "I can''t decide which is more aggravating," Decatur grumbled, though Phel couldn''t really tell which two things he was talking about.


    ''Also, since you always refer to him as ''thatmoner'', I thought you''d be happy to hear he''s talented in Chants,'' Phel thought of speaking but held himself back. It would only serve to infuriate him even more.


    Mages being able to cast in two different ways weren''t that rare of a thing. As far as he knew, the Chairman was originally a Demanding Chanter, but then learned to Imagination Cast after he was offered the chance to learn. Same thing with Arza. The boy was a master Chanter if Evin''s words were to be trusted, but now he was learning Gestures.


    And he was almost eerily talented in it as well. Phel knew that Gestures took years to learn properly, but Arza was starting to show progress in only a couple months ¨C stirring mana here and there.


    But of course, that wasn''t nearly as shocking as Evin''s case. The boy was seemingly born knowing how to cast magic. Phel had inquired about it a few times, but almost always, Evin dodged the question, or said some dumb lies along the lines of, ''I always had a powerful imagination since birth''.


    This made him think that there were secrets to Evin''s proficiency, but Phel didn''t really care much about it. Everyone had secrets, and they had the right to keep them. Perhaps the boy found an ancient script describing how to Imagination Cast, or perhaps he truly did have some ancient entity sitting in his head helping him cast magic like some students spected.


    Phel only hoped that no one would be insane enough to cut open his friend''s head to check whether there really was something special inside it.


    Thinking of such random things, Phel patiently waited for Decatur to calm down. And after half an hour of ranting, the boy really did calm down. Somewhat. At least he wasn''t snapping back at Phel''s everyment. But Phel knew that there was something else gnawing at Decatur. He didn''t think it was Evin, he felt it someone else. Someone that actually mattered much more to Decatur.


    Sighing, he decided that it was time for him to get to the bottom of this matter.


    "What did your mother tell you?" Phel finally asked.


    Decatur looked momentarily shocked by Phel''s question, but quickly gathered himself and replied with an unfriendly tone, "She told me I should be more like Evin. That thatmoner is acting more noble than I am."


    ''That''s very bad¡­'' Phel thought as he listened. Very quickly, hemented, "It must''ve just been her way of encouraging you to do better¡­ No matter how hurtful it may sound."


    "I know that!" Decatur snapped back.


    Phel let the silence fall between them, waiting for Decatur to continue.


    "I know¡­ I know how she thinks. But ever since I was a child, she wasparing me to my brother, telling me I should act like he did, that I should act more regally and nobly like my brother¡­ And I tried. I still try, you know that," Decatur said, almost uncharacteristically somberly. "But it''s never enough for my mother. She always finds some new person topare me to. When my brother left to Arcvallen, I hoped she would stop, but she instead startedparing me to my tutor. And now that I''ve entered the Academy, she''sparing me to thatmoner."


    "Well, I suppose it''s natural¡­ with how often we find each other on opposing sides," Decatur whispered. "All the barons under her must be telling her about the countless conflicts that arise between us¡­"


    With some hesitation, Phel asked, "Would you stop your conflicts with Evin if you found the chance? I can guarantee you that Evin feels this way about all this."


    "Heh¡­ Yeah, right. Did you see him making me fight against those two swords made of Hard Air? He definitely enjoys humiliating me publicly more than you think."


    "But you do the same to him, don''t you? When you two first fought in a mock battle you broke his arm and even intended to break another one. And two weeks ago, you held him inside your hailstorm for much longer than you needed to," Phel insisted. "It just looks so childish to me."


    "Then what do you suggest?" Decatur growled.


    "Just talk to each other. I personally know how simple it is to solve disagreements between people through a simple conversation, where two sides are willing to listen to each other."


    Phel expected his friend to snap back again, but Decatur went silent.


    "It would feel as if I''d lost, somehow," he replied after thinking a bit.


    "What does it matter if you lose to him, anyway?" Phel asked back, probably more impatiently than he should''ve.


    "I can''t lose, Phelippe¡­ You know that¡­"


    "But even if you win, you don''t always get the things you want, no? I mean look at today''s fight. It''s not like the Cosmics changed their minds after everything was over."


    "But I believed it would change. I wanted to show them that I would do anything for just the smallest chance to be on of the king''s mages."


    Phel debated speaking about it definitely didn''t look so wholesome to the rest of the spectators, but decided that that was a discussion for another time.


    "To catch up to your brother somehow?" he instead asked.


    "Yes. If I can be one of the king''s mages, I will finally stand on equal grounds with him."


    Phel always wanted siblings when he was growing up, but now, he wasn''t so sure about his wish anymore.


    "If you hope to ovee your brother, then that''s fine. I just want you to understand that Evin has nothing to do with that."


    Decatur looked back, annoyed, "You don''t understand, Phel. If I can''t be better than some randommoner, how can I be better than my own brother?"


    "You can be, if Evin proves himself better than your brother," Phel replied and saw Decatur looking back at him with an ''Are you serious?'' face. "Okay, obviously not now, but in the future. After he at least reaches the same age as Gehenne."


    Decatur shook his head with a wry smile, "You just don''t understand¡­"


    Phel wanted to say something to Decatur, but nothing seemed right. He let the heavy silence take rein of the atmosphere, knowing it would be awfully hard to dethrone it again. Sighing, he walked over to Decatur''s personal drawer and opened a secretpartment that he knew about. In it, he found a half-finished ss of wine sitting in the dark and picked it up with a smile. Without a word, he poured it into two bottles and gave one to Decatur. They both had a generous gulp without a word and let the silence settle once more¡­ though Phel felt it wasn''t as heavy as before.


    He intended the action to be a sign for peace, but Decatur seemed unwilling to ept it. "Why are you friends with Evin?" he asked again.


    Phel groaned and replied the same way he did for the past month or so, "He''s fun to talk with and he''s not as intolerable as you make him out to be. My answer won''t change, Dec. You just need to ept that sometimes people do things you won''t like."


    Decatur sighed and shook his head, "You sound exactly like your father."


    Phel groaned again, but he did so in an overly exaggerated and joking manner. Finally, he heard Decatur''s voice taking on a lighter tone.


    "When I finally inherit the County from my mother and you start working for me, I''m definitely going to ban your friendship with him," Decatur continued.


    "Then I guess I''m going to go run off with him to some backwater vige just to spite you," Phel said, grinning.


    "You even went to talk with right before the fight, too," Decatur said in a woeful tone.


    "Are you sulking? Is this what this is?"


    "No, I''m just saying that you didn''te to me and instead went to him."


    Phel shrugged his shoulders and said, "Well, one of these days, you''re going to lose a duel against him. When that timees, I''lle to you to give you some advice. After all, I''m the type to ally myself with the weaker side."

 Chapter 60 - Impending Changes

    ¡­


    An hourter, Phel was standing near his carriage, making himself presentable. He had just finished fixing his ruffled hair and wiping down the dust umted on his sses and his boots. Satisfied, he dug through his belongings in the carriage, brought out a few mint leaves and started chewing on them.


    With nothing else to do, naturally, his mind wandered.


    Phel felt that he was good at bringing out the worries in other people. Ever since he''s been young, many of his friends, even the older ones would just randomly start talking about their problems, some of them even talking about their traumas and private matters¡­ not the things you''d tell your casual friend.


    And Phel would either give them advice if they seemed like they wanted it, or would just sit there and listen if he felt like they just wanted to vent. He did the same with Decatur today. He let the young Earl-ling rant out his feelings for half an hour before striking at the heart of the problem. Granted, there wasn''t much progress on that end, and Decatur was still troubled by his mother''s words, but at least there was progress.


    At least, he was able to drink wine and crack jokes at the end of it. With no one else but him around, Decatur really wasn''t the overbearing noble he acted around others. Phel only wished others would see this side of him as often as he did.


    But of course, for someone of such high status like Decatur, it simply wasn''t possible to act so¡­ simply, for ack of better word. Phel felt that there were too many expectations that fell on his shoulders. As the future Earl, he had to show the qualities of an excellent leader, whether or not he was someone fit to lead in the first ce. Phel felt that Decatur showed those qualities by being authoritative, sure of himself, and imposing. After all, if you acted so confidently in front of others, some would surely find it easier to trust you. It was a pity that Decatur thought that he wasn''t allowed to fail anything as that kind of leader.


    Phel had many thoughts about Decatur''s situation, but of course, they were all just his opinions. Even if Phel felt that these insights would be useful to Decatur, he couldn''t justy them all in front of out of the blue. And it was debatable whether Decatur would take them seriously in the first ce.


    ''Maybe if I write a book about a simr case under a random pen name and make him read it, he''ll understand things a bit better?'' Phel entertained an idea, but decided against it in the end. ''I''m way too busy to be writing a book. Maybe it would happen five yearster when I''ve graduated from the Academy, but something tells me Dec wouldn''t need the book after all that time¡­''


    "Blood and sweat, that was such a tiring meeting," his father was speaking on his side suddenly.


    Startled, Phel took a sharp breath, before calming himself, "You walk like a ghost, da."


    "No, no. I''ve walked quite normally. You''re simply way too distracted. What do you have on your mind?" Phel''s father asked. He then sniffed and creased his eyebrows. "And have you been drinking wine while I was away?"


    Phel shook his head and answered truthfully, "I was with Decatur. We shared half a bottle." He then opened the carriage doors for his father, ordered the driver to be on their way and got onto the carriage himself and closed the door. The very next second, the carriage began to move.


    "Hmm¡­ I suppose the huge loss he experienced today does warrant a drink or two," his father continued.


    "You mean his victory."


    "A shallow victory at best¡­ No, not even that ¨C that''s too positive of a word to use. He achieved nothing with that fight, in fact, he lost a lot more. He didn''t get the tutorship he wanted, he lost the respect of the Barons, he lost a container of Ketricite, and at the end, he wasn''t even able to beat up thatmoner to his satisfaction," his father summarized while waving his hands. "It''s aplete and utter loss."


    Phel noticed something off about his father''s mood. "What happened during the talk?" he asked, unconsciously taking on the same tone he took when he was trying to calm Decatur or his other friends.


    Phel''s father looked at him with unusually serious eyes and Phel was sure he was going to brush off the topic with a smile and say ''It''s nothing,'' like he always did. Well, that was fine as well. It''s not like Phel could force people to talk about their problems to him.


    "I suppose this matter involves you as well," his father sighed. "There was an order from the king to train more soldiers for the war with the South."


    Phel was shocked by the news, "Is the war going so badly for us?"


    "We''ve lost a battle. Three Ketricite reforming factories on the Gray Field fell under the control of the South and is now being protected by an 18000-unit Myrmi division ruled by a 400-unit battalion of Colossi and Griffins."


    "So many?" Phel asked, shocked by the amount of people the enemy was willing to spare on three factories.


    "Yes, after all, they''re the biggest ones we had. The crown is preparing to mount an attack before enemy reinforcementse, but it sounded like the army they''ve gathered wasn''t really enough for the task, so they''re expecting¡­ casualties."


    "Deaths¡­"


    "Yes. Deaths," his father sighed. "And a huge wake up call for the entire kingdom."


    "Can''t the Mage King do something about it?"


    "You know that even the Mage King isn''t so exempt from the effects of the Gray Field. He can''t personally go there and do whatever he pleases. He could probably bombard it from afar like the Heavy Mages, but we don''t want to lose those factories to our own spells."


    "But nothing guarantees that the South wouldn''t just burn down the factories themselves if they''re threatened, too¡­"


    His father looked at him with a shocked face and smiled, "You really are a smart one, aren''t you?" he said, sighing. "Well, even if there are risks that we''d be doing this for nothing, the kingdom still has to do it¡­ At least they wouldn''t be in the possession of the enemies. Well, that''s not really something we should worry about for now. It''s the crown''s duty and all we can do is support them to the best of our capabilities. We have other things to discuss."


    Phel wondered what was more important than the war with the South.


    "Duchess vd also expressed the need for the nobles to prioritize the war with the Southern Isles when thinking and acting from now on. As you know, in the kingdom, the only truly warlike Duke is the one on the southern border. The duke of the west is much more focused on agriculture, fishing and other internal produces, while the duchess of the east is more focused on maintaining proper rtions and trades with the ck Tower and the Eastern Oasis beyond that."


    "The northern part of the kingdom has always been in a weird spot where it didn''t really have an identity. We couldn''t really focus on agriculture too much, due to the colder atmospheres not allowing for most vegetables to grow on our soils; we trade with the North, but as you know, the Northerners like to live in a scattered manner away from each other, rarely settling down in cities or towns¡­ and the only big city they have is their Koidot capital, which is far too distant to maintain proper trade lines; and we can''t really focus on training soldiers, because we are simply too far away from the war to really feel what''s going on there."


    Phel listened to his father speak, and although he knew all this from heart, he didn''t disturb him.


    "Well, the loss of the factories seemed to switch something in our duchess. We will be a proper militaristic Duchy and we will do our utmost best to support the kingdom''s conflict with the South. Countess Carew exins that if the students under the Cosmics tutge learn how to create portals, then we won''t have to worry about the distance to the war at all, and simply use our own portals to reach there."


    Phel nodded, wondering if Evin understood the weight of matters that was falling on his shoulders.


    "And here''s the part I want to talk to you about¡­ The barons have expressed their worries with having Decatur as the heir of Greater Ankelite."


    "What?"


    "It''s not like they''ve shown an official plea, or something like that. They''ve just expressed their opinions... but you should know that it''s bad enough."


    "Why?"


    "I told you. The fight today was an absolute loss for Decatur. As the heir of a noble, he can''t be squabbling with amoner like some overgrown child. And even worse, he can''t be seen losing during it."

 Chapter 61 - Succession

    Phel swallowed his saliva, as he felt the need to say something in Decatur''s defense. "I don''t think that Dec wanted to end up antagonizing Evin¡­ not at first, at least¡­" Phel said and gauged his father''s reaction. Seeing that the other was silent, Phel continued. "I think he approached Evin with curiosity at first, when he first challenged him to an Efficiency duel. I wasn''t there when that happened, but I''d imagine that''s what happened."


    "From what I heard from one of the teachers, he was acting quite overbearing during all that."


    "Well, he tends to do that when he''s either nervous or angry. But that''s beside the point. Despite how he might''ve acted towards Evin, his intentions must not have been so sinister and personal as the nobles are making it out to be. Those emotions festered because of all the times the two were pitted against each otherter on," Phel exined. "I had a guess when I was speaking with Decatur just now, but him and Evin definitely do end up on opposing sides much more than the average two students."


    Phel was a bit worried that his words might sound too defending of Decatur, but thankfully, his father replied with seriousness as well, "Do you think the teachers deliberately arrange things in that way?"


    "Not all of them. Of course, they don''t share all their sses, but in thebat ss at least, the Vice-chair and the Chairman definitely tend to do that," Phel said with some hesitation.


    "With what intentions?" his father asked.


    "I can''t tell. The northerner rarely shows any emotions, and the Chairman only looks curious most of the time."


    His father went silent at the information, and Phel tactfully shut his mouth.


    "But whatever the case may be, others don''t look at it that way," his father shook his head.


    Phel wanted to say something, but he didn''t want to spout cheap, unthoughtful words.


    "Since they want Decatur gone, have they mentioned who''s going to be the recement?"


    "Lord Gehenne would be their prime choice, I presume."


    For his father to refer to him as ''Lord'', it sounded weirdly distant to Phel. Decatur''s brother had always been just ''Decatur''s brother'' to him.


    "Didn''t he bring an official deration relegating his status as heir to Decatur?"


    Not many people knew about this fact, but Gehenne had already settled his family''s inheritance problem after he graduated from the Arcvallen Academy. Since the reasoning for the relegation was because he wanted to be a Mage Minister, which was a much more prestigious role than a simple Earl, Countess Carew couldn''t really refuse him.


    "He did, and his prospects don''t look so bad as a future Minister as well¡­"


    "So are they demanding the Countess to produce another heir?" Phel asked.


    "He-he, no."


    "Then what?"


    "Most of them spoke of putting Beyn on the position, or perhaps her eldest sister, Arelyn Borna," his father shrugged.


    "It''s possible, but Be''s definitely not going to be happy about it. What did Viscount Borna say?"


    Although the two families weren''t rted by blood by any means, it was easy enough for the Borna family to be the Carew family''s Oathsworn vassal and receive the rights to inherit the County. And in general, the inheriting processes of the noble families were a very loose. The gender and age of the heir wasn''t very important and if someone from a lesser and friendly enough family showed promise, it was possible for those promising children to be heirs of more prominent families.


    "He agreed with you. He outright said that Be isn''t someone who can rule over anything, and also warned that he prepared Arelyn to be a viscountess and not a countess."


    "Sounds harsh¡­"


    "But true," his father shrugged with a smile. "Some also proposed you take the position, but I refused. It might sound like I''m finding faults with you, but your personality is not fit to be a leader. Especially in wartime. You can develop the abilities, sure¡­ but I think youck the cold rationale that''s required of rulers sometimes."


    "I agree with you. Thank you for refusing," Phel replied with a smile.


    He was the sole heir of the Narke family, but the town he would be in charge of was too small and too familiar to him to cause him any serious challenges. Or Phel hoped so, at least.


    "Though, there was an interesting proposition from the Hart family. You know of them, right?"


    "Yes. I''m good friends with their son, Theundel."


    "Ah, then you should be familiar with how militaristic they are¡­ Anyhow, they''ve proposed that perhaps Evin could be the heir of the Carew family."


    "What? That''s preposterous!"


    "Yes, I know. It''s something that only the Hart family, who truly see the noble title as something one earned and not inherited, can say without worries. Obviously, the rest of the nobles condoned the idea, but the Hart family had some arguments for this case¡­ They believe that Evin is a bastard child of a noble. After all, he''s unusually well mannered, he acts above his age, he can Imagination Cast better than everyone in your ss, despite you all having studied since you were children. It would be easy enough for a noble family to adopt him¡­ After all, Evin''s basically disowned his family at this point."


    His father''s words might''ve been hurtful to some, but Phel knew that he was simply stating the facts. But that wasn''t what Phel was angry about. "It''s not about if he''s eligible or not. You can''t just go up to him and ask him to rule over a County! Nor can you attach him a father just for the heck of it."


    "Of course. It is as you say. The idea was shot down immediately as well. It isn''t like every noble family is so open-minded like the Harts."


    Phel was still angry at the nobles for even discussing such a possibility, but these talks by his father definitely made him understand how serious they were about removing Decatur.


    "I shall talk to Dec when hees to the dorms," Phel said with a sigh.


    "Good. The Countess should be speaking about it to him now," his father said softly. "See how he''s acting first and then decide whether you should speak with him or not."


    Phel nodded gravely, but his father only shrugged. "I know you''re worried about him, but I know that he''s really not the fool that everyone''s making him out to be. He just needs to cool his head a bit¡­ Hmm, maybe if he finally gets beaten by Evin ck and blue, it''ll clear his head up," he said with a chuckle.


    Phel didn''t really like the joke, as he felt that it possessed too much truth to it. Evin''s magical capabilities were growing at an astonishing rate and in Phel''s eyes, it was only a matter of time he started to be unbeatable. Decatur could probably still overpower him with Talismans and other tools if he had the chance, buttely, it was bing quite obvious that Evin was the better mage.


    Phel shook his head and put future matters out of his head. He had to think about what he was going to say to Decatur. He discussed a few things with his father, and had a few ideas. At some point, they felt they''d talked enough and focused on more mundane topics. His father stopped talking about politics after that point, turning more cheerful and joking like he usually was.


    ¡­

 Chapter 62 - Interrogation

    Evin emerged from his room, with his throat feeling dry. He walked towards the cafeteria and ordered himself a meaty steak and two sses of berry juice. As he waited for the steak, he had one of his juices and sighed tiresomely.


    <I think I get why Leanne hates the Cosmics so much,> the Voice sighed as Evin drank.


    <I think so too,> Evin replied as he saw the steaking towards his table. He didn''t wait on ceremony and started digging in.


    The two Cosmics had been relentless with their questions about Evin''s ability to cast magic. They first needed to establish at what level Evin could cast using the various Worlds.


    Evin exined that he had absorbed seven Shards in total and after speaking about his proficiency in Lochra, Exivear and Seyethe, he spoke about what he could do with the other Worlds.


    With the energy of Apdenul, he could make himself feel more vigorous and energetic, though he couldn''t make his muscles stronger or his skin and bones harder. He also couldn''t use the World of Life to heal. He learned this fact when he asked the voice whether it could fix his hand. It refused, saying that Evin''s body was almost refusing to let the energy of Life enter it, granting some credence to the Chairman''s words about not overusing the World of Life.


    <But even without your body doing this, I don''t think I''ll be able to fix your injuries with ease. Unlike fire, which basically needs only two or three base elements to work, your body''s a collection of trillions of tinyplex things that also have even tinierplex things inside of them. Trying to heal you while keeping all those things in mind seems like hell to me. At that point, it would be faster to convince myself that there''s a Conceptual Element of Life that governs all things rting to healing and strengthening one''s body and order that to do the healing for me.>


    Saying so, the voice refused to heal Evin''s body in any shape or form, at least until it became confident with using the World of Life.


    Well, eventually, Evin enjoy its strengthening effects, since he was in the Enchanting ss. In it, he didn''t need to force the Life energies to his will, he just had to circte it throughout his body (in the correct way). ording to Leanne, if he did that enough times and became good at it, it wouldn''t be much different than casting a World of Life Spell. He''d be able to reach the strengths that Arza is able to reach.


    He ryed this to the Cosmics


    Next, he spoke about Tenarak, the World of Earth. Evin had absorbed its Shard after Seyethe so he had high expectations of it. After all, the Voice could do so many things with the World of Air, that Evin couldn''t help but be excited about what they''ll be able to achieve with a new World.


    But, they soon realized that they had no talent with the World of Earth. The Voice was able to create walls and defenses, but they were brittle and half-hearted. He exined that it was simr to why he couldn''t use the World of Life. That theposition of the ground was tooplex to be easily controlled. Evin tried after the Voice, but he wasn''t very sessful, to say the least.


    When he first absorbed the Shard of Exivear, Evin could immediately tell that he had talent with the World and he was able to wrap his head around the concept of darkness (which was just the absence of light) very quickly. Soon, he realized that he was able to cast better Shadows than the Voice after some practice. Evin didn''t know why, but he wasn''t ashamed to admit that it was probably his greatest achievement.


    But there was none of that familiarity with the World of Earth. No matter how hard he tried to, the rubble on the ground didn''t form itself into a shape Evin desired, so he promptly gave up.


    It was a simr case with the World of Light. Evin imagined he would be able to easily grasp his head around the concept of light, since darkness was so easy; but light was much moreplex than he first expected. He asked the Voice to teach him more, but it refused, saying that it didn''t want to oveplicate things in Evin''s head.


    Evin was a bit dejected at this, but the Voice only chuckled and exined that there was no need to be better at everything.


    The final Shard that Evin absorbed was of Ivelisi. He and the Voice wasn''t particrly good at it, nor were they particrly bad. His proficiency in the World felt about the same as the World of Fire.


    Evin exined all this to the Cosmics, leaving out the details that he judged too advanced. But little did he know, this was only the start of the talk. The two''s questions moved away from generalities and went into the details of Evin''s spells. They would tell Evin to cast a spell and then ask him all manner of questions about them: what kind of words he imagines when casting those spells, how many seconds it took, and how difficult it felt to him, etc.


    The same process happened with each and every one of Evin''s unique spell, leaving Evin fantasizing how great it would be to see Decatur struggle with this interrogation.


    When they were finally certain that Evin spoke about every major spell in his repertoire, they went into the vaguer questions. Why Evin was good at certain worlds and not so much at others? Did he imagine the World energies to be the same colors as their Shards? What Evin thought about the World of Space?


    These were at least more fun to answer than the previous ones, but they were still a drag to plow through. At the end of it, they even stopped asking about things regarding magic and went towards other topics, like: what would Evin do if he were to save either a baby or an old man¡­ or, what did Evin think about this or that political view.


    These were still pretty interesting to think about, but Evin reckoned he would''ve liked them more if there weren''t so many of them. Evin guessed he answered at least a hundred questions in total.


    But the worst part was, the Cosmics never allowed a question to just be answered and then left alone. They always had follow-up question to whatever answer Evin provided and at the end of it, one question would lead to a full-blown debate.


    The Voice pointed out that the Cosmics were trying to dig out something from Evin. It said that they definitely knew that Evin was hiding certain details of his story, and were trying to trick Evin into speaking about it, using various different approaches.


    This made Evin much more conscious about the conversation than he probably needed to, forcing him to waste braincells on the most random of questions, searching hidden meanings inside it. Every debate seemed like a game of words and deceptions to him brain, and it exhausted him to the core.


    Evin had just finished one such debate with the Cosmics, where the question started about the willingness to share water with a starving man at the desert, but then somehow evolved into a discussion about how best to start a propermunity in extreme situations.


    After that, Evin was finally deemed too tired to respond and was urged to eat some dinner. Evin feared to finish his steak. Something told him that more questions would follow. But the Cosmics had reminded him to not be toote, casually threatening him with


    <Well, we''ve had some rest. Let''s go back inside¡­ If things seem to be going badly, be ready to cede control to me,> the Voice reminded and urged Evin to go back to his room.


    When Evin appeared inside the room, he saw Arza speaking to the Cosmics. His voice sounded ted, as he asked the Cosmics, "He''s really going to be one of the King''s Mages?"


    "I told you already. He''s just going to try to learn portals and other magic that use Therae. I reckon if he does well enough, he would maybe work for the King, but I don''t think that means he bes one of the King''s Mages," Abe replied, sounding annoyed.


    "I''m sure the King would immediately make Evin one of his loyal retainers if he meets him. If I was a king, I certainly would!" Arza continued with his logic.


    "Whatever you say, brother," Abe said and saw Evin. "Evin! How was your dinner? Good? Good. Let''s get back to our talk. I don''t want to intrude upon your roommate''s rights, so let us find a more private ce, yeah?"


    Arza saw Evin and congratted him with warm sincerity. It was hard to dislike the red-head. Arza then offered to leave the room, saying he was nning to meet someone anyway. The two Cosmics looked at his back with curious amusement before their feline eyes focused on Evin.


    The three exchanged pleasantries and Abe finally spoke, "We are all busy people, so I shall not waste our time. We know you are hiding something from us and we want to have a conversation regarding that."

 Chapter 63 - The Decision And The Second Dinner.

    Evin felt wary of the Cosmic''s directness, but ultimately, this was what he wanted to happen. "Yes. I have a secret. And like all people do, I''m unwilling to reveal it so casually. Please be understanding."


    "I''d like to agree, say, ''Of course, people are entitled to their secrets, but you must understand we can''t just teach you our magic without certain knowledge."


    Evin had nothing to say in response, silently urging the Cosmic to speak.


    "The magic of the Cosmics is many things. But predominantly, it is one of precision and control. Not the precision of carpenters or seamstresses - who can be considered precise by some ¨C but the precision of surgeons and mathematicians who know that the slightest of mistakes can lead to the most wrong of results."


    "Not the shabby thing that Chanters call control, but true control. Control of every detail of one''s spell. Your will must be present during the entirety of your spellcasting process, and that isw. Nothing must slip your mind, or be left for the World energies to handle," Abe finished.


    Evin nodded heavily, thinking that the Voice would be delighted to hear something like this, "I''ve hidden the details from you, but I can confidently say that I understand your needs. I believe I''ve already shown that through your questions."


    It felt weird to Evin, to be acting so pompously and using such big words, making him wonder if the Voice was speaking on behalf of him, or him speaking like this, due to the Voice sharing its mind with him. Evin wondered what the difference between the two cases were.


    "Yes. We''ve seen hints of that during our conversation. You show the traits of someone who understands the importance of such things. Rith here even thinks you''re a Cosmic reborn in the skin of a human¡­ but that''s the problem. We can''t understand why you know of these things and that confuses us."


    Rith continued, "And we can tell that you find ulterior motives behind the questions we ask you. You artfully steer the debates from the topics you don''t want to discuss, focusing on different, yet still very interesting topics to make it seem natural. It is unsettling to us to see such traits in a 10-year-old child."


    Evin pondered on the words and realized what the two were getting at. They thought that he was one of the Children of the Empress. Evin remembered the conversation he had with the Voice. The twoter considered naming Evin as a Child of the Empress, but gave it up, because they couldn''t really guess what would happen afterward.


    <What would happen if I confessed myself a Child to the Cosmics?> Evin asked.


    <Don''t confirm, or deny it,> the Voice ordered. <Just urge them to trust you.>


    "And that is my secret," Evin replied simply. "And I ask you to trust me despite that and teach me."


    Rith and Abe exchanged looks and asked for privacy. Evin, of course, didn''t mind and waited as the two spoke behind a spell of magic which functioned as a veil of against sound and vision. Evin waited in silence for the two to finish, not even speaking with the Voice during the time.


    Finally, the two seemed to have finished speaking and looked at Evin with resolution.


    "Your sses can start from tomorrow. Rith here will be your private teacher." Abe stated simply. "When can you absorb a World Shard?"


    "I absorbed an Ivelisi Shard nine days ago."


    "Good. You can absorb another tomorrow and be ready for some practical lessons, then," Rith took over the conversation. "Can you show me your schedule? I''ll only need four hours of your week."


    "How long will the studiesst?" Evin asked.


    "For you? A lifetime," Rith purred smilingly. "But with me, two years. If I deem you impossible to teach, less than that."


    And thus, Evin''s days were decided. Abe left through a portal, saying that he was going to report to his superior. Rith and Evin spoke about the details of their tutge and Rith left the room, saying that she was going to rent some ce to sleep in for two years.


    The Voice reminded Evin that he was supposed to meet Leanne after the meeting was over, so he changed his clothes and realized that Leanne never told her where he was supposed to meet him. He walked over to her ssroom, found it empty, so decided to walk towards her house. It wasn''t a long walk.


    The guard outside saw him and told him to wait until a servant came to fetch him. Bee, Leanne''s favorite ve, came out of the door and brought Evin to the Lanesbreau household''s dining table.


    Evin saw Leanne sitting beside a lean, handsome man, who, in Evin''s humble opinion, spent way too much time on trimming his moustache into that perfect shape. He wore a tightly fitting jacket and trousers, both made of expensive dark-blue velvets. Toplement the color, he wore many essories made of gold on his body. A golden pocket watch, a golden bracelet, a golden pin, and a golden ring.


    "The Duchess is quite pleased with the way the Chairman instigates rivalry in the Academy. She believes it would breed strong students for our future," the man was saying.


    Evin immediately didn''t like the man.


    Leanne noticed his entry and called out apologetically, "Good evening, Evin. I''m terribly sorry for leaving you back there. But I had some things to do back at home."


    "It''s alright. The talk took way too long, anyway."


    "Sit over there," Leanne pointed towards a chair. And, gesturing at the man, she introduced. "Meet Terrence Lanesbreau, my husband."


    With the introduction, Evin''s mind stilled.


    ''Husband?'' Evin thought dreadfully.


    <This should be interesting,> the Voice seemed to sneer and after a second, Evin felt its mind impose itself on his once more. It was the fourth time today.


    ''Of course, she''d be married¡­'' Evin realized, feeling idiotic.


    Even though he realized during the day''s events that Leanne only thought of him as a child, he still couldn''t ignore the heartache he started feeling.


    "Oh! This must be the young prodigy of Greater Ankelite!" Terrence eximed as he stood from his seat and shook Evin''s hand. "I must say, when I first spoke about you to the Duchess, she looked positively shocked. And that''s a rare sight, my boy! A rare sight!"


    Evin pushed down his dislike for the man and how he called him his boy and greeted back, "Nice to meet you, too, sir Terrence."


    "Oh, just call me Terry. I used to be like you, all formal and polite, but thanks to Lea here, I learned to at least act a bit more casual with my close ones. Though it doesn''t really help, since I''m almost always with the Duchess, ha-ha," Terrenceughed jovially.


    Evin wondered if that was the man''s idea of a joke, and he also wondered why the man mentioned the Duchess every two sentences.


    "Sorry to ask, but what do you do?" Evin asked, making himself sound childish and dumb just in case. "I don''t mean to offend you¡­ Um, I''m just curious, because you mention the Duchess so often. You''re talking about Duchess vd, right?"


    "Yes, yes. Of course, it''s Duchess vd," the man replied, sounding offended that Evin would even bother asking a question like that. "But don''t worry about sounding rude. I''m the Duchess''s secretary, you see? And to offer you some inside information, the Duchess is definitely interested in meeting you, but can''t quite summon you in her estates, as that''s quite unbing of her station," Terrence finished with a wink.


    The man was saying some haughty stuff... but it sounded cheap to Evin, who had just entered a tutge that was bound to help him meet the King himself. But, he didn''t wish to unt the fact to Terrence.


    "Ah, that is pretty impressive," Evin said simply, though he was feeling awfully cold inside.


    "Well, we can talk about those stuff all we wantter. Do you want something to eat, Evin?" Leanne smiled at Evin, but her eyes looked dull to him.


    "Sure. But I already had dinner, so something small would be nice," Evin replied.


    Out of curiosity, Evin wanted to sit on the same table with Leanne and her husband, to see what kind of marriage they shared. So far, things looked bad to Evin. The man seemed infatuated with the Duchess instead of his wife; and Leanne looked positively tired of his presence.

 Chapter 64 - A Future

    As Evin ate and spoke with the two, he learned his guesses weren''tpletely baseless. And his negative impression on Terrence solidified further. The man wasn''t dumb, but he was vain and he was way to prideful of the achievements of his Duchess. He spoke as if he was the one ruling over the northern duchy instead of the woman just because he could quote a few lines of the founding king Judeus, or the Empress''s representative, Two Tales.


    Evin even began to wonder why the Duchess even bothered to keep the man as his secretary, but the mystery was solved when Terrence exined that his father was in the same squad as the Duchess herself, when she was sent to fight against the South.


    Terrence spoke of how his father sacrificed himself to save the Duchess''s life and asked her to take care of his children. It was a tragic story, but the way Terrence said it grated on Evin''s nerves to no end. The man didn''t care for his father''s sacrifice, he only saw it as a convenient sob story that painted him as a victim of war.


    And Evin could see how much he talked about these stories, because of the way Leanne reacted to them. Herughter was half-hearted, her eyes fleeting and bored, a clear indication her mind was somewhere else. If she held affection towards her husband, she didn''t show it on the outside. She spoke to him as if she was speaking to a withering old fool who wouldn''t stop talking about his glory days.


    Seeing Leanne like this, Evin felt his affection towards her burning up again. He thought he''d already given her up, but something about this encounter brought it back to life. It didn''t take Evin long to understand why.


    ''He doesn''t deserve her.''


    The thought began to fuel his rage towards Terrence and his love towards Leanne. Countless ns started formting in his head.


    ''I could sow discord between them to make them divorce faster. But how would I do it without them realizing? I''ll worry about itter. And when they divorce, I can be the one who will offer Leanne the emotional support she needs¡­ Wait. In that case, it would be even better if they divorce when I''m older. 15, when I finally be an adult. Maybe 14 at the earliest. It''s not really rare formoners to marry at 13. Three years¡­ No, two years and eight months. I can''t wait that long.''


    Caught up in his future, Evin barely noticed what Terrence was saying. Just like Leanne. The thought made him strangely happy, as he felt it was somethingmon he shared with her. And when the meal finished, Evin reminded Leanne that she asked to meet him privately. Leanne, of course, agreed, and the two went towards her study.


    Once inside, Evin resolved to confess to her. He knew that Leanne really didn''t see him as a man, but he decided that it was time to make her see him differently tonight.


    The only thing he was worried about was the Voice. It stayed rtively silent throughout the dinner, only speaking when Evin initiated the conversation. But even then, Evin could tell that it wasn''t interested in talk. Evin could also tell that the Voice was silently opposed to Evin''s potential rtion to Leanne. It never said so explicitly, and it even encouraged Evin sometimes, but Evin was sure that it didn''t like it deep down.


    ''It doesn''t matter. The Voice can take over my mouth and body to do things that I wish to do,'' he thought unconfidently. ''It won''t be able to stop me from confessing.''


    Leanne offered Evin to sit down beside a tea table and asked if he wanted something to drink. Evin agreed and watched as Leanne prepared a pot of ck tea.


    "What did you want to talk about?" Evin asked.


    "Oh, nothing important. I just wanted to know what happened with the talk with the Cosmics," Leanne said apologetically.


    "Just that?" Evin asked.


    "Just that. But when you came to our house, I didn''t want to turn you away¡­ but I also didn''t want to speak about the Cosmics in my husband''s presence. Sorry for wasting your time."


    "No, no. You don''t have to apologize," Evin waved his hands before himself. "And the talk with the Cosmics went good¡­ it just took way too long. Rith said she''ll start teaching me from tomorrow."


    "That''s good. And I''m sorry to hear you stuck in talk with the Cosmics," Leanne smiled sourly.


    "What did the Cosmics do to you anyway?" Evin asked, feeling that the atmosphere was right.


    "Ah," Leanne sighed, grimacing. "I had some debts to the Cosmics five years ago, and I made the tragic mistake of not paying on time. The little devils were happy enough to make life hell for me during the following month," Leanne shuddered. Then, looking at Evin, she reminded, "If you must sign a contract with the Cosmics, then make sure to discuss each and every single point beforehand. Especially what would happen if one side somehow fails to achieve the agreements under said contract."


    Evin was curious about those contracts, but he was more interested in another thing.


    "How did you end up in debt?"


    "Nothing serious," Leanne shrugged with a faint smile. "Just a dumb mistake. It wasn''t enough to kill me, and I was lucky enough to be able to afford making mistakes at the time."


    Evin wanted to ask more, but all of a sudden, the previously cheerful atmosphere seemed to have dissipated. Evin didn''t know how it happened, but he could only guess that it was because of his question.


    He cursed inside, but outwardly; he maintained a concerned look. He hoped that Leanne would speak further, but he could see him that Leanne wasn''t going to confide in him. The logic in him reminded that it was because he was a child, but Evin decidedly killed that thought.


    But as he was struggling to clear the weird atmosphere, the Voice spoke.


    <You know, if you confess to her now, I''m sure she''ll ept you.>


    <What?> Evin asked back.


    <Two reasons. One small and the other big,> it began. <She absolutely hates her husband. If it means slighting him, she wouldn''t even mind dating a 10-year-old like yourself. Sure, she''ll be shocked at first, but I''m sure things will at least have a chance to develop. This is the small reason.>


    Evin listened to its reasoning, and wondered why it was being so supportive all of a sudden. Well, it wasn''t like the Voice wasn''t supportive before this, and perhaps Evin was just overthinking some things.


    <The second, more important reason, is because she fears you,> the Voice''s tone turned more and more mocking with each word. <I realized it after taking the history sses on the Era of Twelve Cmities, but there are a bunch of ancient relics and magics that have unpredictable and destructive effects. You''ve heard the story of one cursed ancient notebook that doomed an entire race to its extinction, and let loose those twelve unsurmountable beings in the world, right? Teouka then also mentioned a few other stories regarding relics and artifacts of unknown origins and almost all of them ended in a tragedy.>


    Hearing the voice''s words, Evin started to realize what it was trying to get at.


    <I''m guessing that Leanne thinks that I''m some kind of ancient magic. It actually exins most of her behavior. Why she was acting so scared of you before she got to know you better and why she would be willing to betray the Chairman, a high-mage of the kingdom, in favor of you, a random nobody.>


    <She''s not like that,> Evin replied unconfidently.


    <You give others too much credit. Just because she''s an adult, doesn''t mean she knows what she''s doing,> the Voice shrugged off Evin''s argument so easily and freely. <She fears you, Evin. Well, technically, she fears the ancient thing inside you, but you get the point. She believes that if she offends you or doesn''t obey you, you''ll kill her.>


    <No, I won''t. And she doesn''t think like that.>


    <You''ve seen her acting fearfully towards you in the morning, Evin. You''re not blind and you''re not a fool. And besides, it''s a good thing for you, isn''t it? > the Voiceughed. <Just ask her out. And although she''ll be shocked and confused at first, she''ll choose you in the end. Maybe she''ll ask for a day or two to think about it, but that''s even better. More time to think means more time to fear.>


    Since Evin wasn''t replying, it continued.


    <Of course, it won''t be all love and passion at first. In fact, it''ll most likely be terribly awkward for you two. And of course, you''ll give her the time to think through everything. Sort her feelings out. After all, you''re not a barbarian that forces women against their will,> the Voice made sure to say thosest words as clearly as possible.


    <But, give it maybe half a year, and she''ll finally start seeing you as a man. She''ll bring you on dates, you''ll get to know each other better, she''ll grant you your first kiss, and eventually she''ll bed you. You two will hide it all from the rest of the students and the teachers, but isn''t that romantic? The budding of a forbidden love. But of course, you won''t have to hide forever. Eventually, you''ll turn 15, you''ll propose and you two will get married.>


    Evin envisioned the future the Voice described, of an eventual marriage with Leanne¡­ but it all felt wrong. She wasn''t going to be his because she loved him. She was going to be his because she feared him. Because she feared what he would do if she refused.

 Chapter 65 - Separately Keeping The Same Secret

    Even if Evin knew that nothing the Voice said was concrete, he knew that it was a possibility. Did Leanne act fearfully towards him at first? Yes. Did she act weirdly during the day? She did. Was nothing but a child in her eyes? Most definitely.


    ''So, what would happen if I suddenly confess to her now?''


    In normal circumstances, where Evin was just student of the academy in which Leanne taught, Leanne would refuse. After all, she was married and Evin was a child. The only instance when she would ept is if she was afraid of Evin. Of what he might do if she refused. The Voice said that eventually, love might bloom from the rtionship, but Evin doubted it.


    "Well, if there''s nothing else to say, I''d better get home," Evin said, trying to keep his voice from straining.


    Leanne looked back and shook herself out of her daze, "Alright. If you find yourself troubled by the Cosmics, don''t hesitate to tell me all about it," she smiled and guided Evin out of the house. She never saw the conflict that urred inside Evin.


    Leanne offered to apany Evin towards the dorm, but he refused and said his goodbyes. Evin felt the addicting rity disappearing from his head and returned to his normal perspective. But it definitely wasn''t as bad as the first time: his head only felt a bit muddled. Like the Voice said, maybe Evin''s breadth knowledge was finally nearing the Voice''s own.


    He expected the Voice to say something during all this, maybe to apologize, or at least make excuses, but it remained silent.


    As he walked, he tried his best to keep his head clear, but found it rather hard. He thought over the day''s events, his first date with Leanne, the lunch with the nobles, the fight with Decatur, the interrogation of Rith and Abe, the dinner with Leanne and the following talk.


    Each and every one of these events had one thing inmon. Each and every one of these events ended up in the way the Voice wanted it to. Even if Evin''s desired oue happened, it felt like it happened only because the Voice also wanted it to happen, or it didn''t care whether it happened or not. In fact, all the important events in Evin''s life went ording to how the Voice wanted it.


    ''Not anymore,'' Evin decided.


    ¡­


    From the next day, Evin went back to his usual schedule, but he was much more aware of the Voice. The Voice was acting as if nothing had happened the previous day, sometimes offering its insights on the subjects that Evin was learning, but mostly making a joke of someone else.


    Things were peaceful inside Evin''s head and he was willing to keep things that way. For now. Although he had decided to put his life back under his control, he figured thatshing out at the Voice, demanding respect and subservience wasn''t the best of methods. If he learned one good thing from the Voice, it was to think carefully before acting if the situation allowed.


    And after a night of thinking, Evin realized that he had be much too dependent on the Voice. It didn''t just help him cast spells; it helped him remember the contents of sses, it even helped Evin speak to other people. So the first thing he needed to do was to wrest back some of the control he had over his life. To be independent.


    He''d focus more on his sses himself, he''d try his best to pick the best words for certain situations and eventually, he''d learn to cast spells on the same level as the Voice. Until then, he''d still be nice and friendly to it. The only worry he was what would happen when the Voice refused to teach him about science. Evin was sure that it would figure out his stance on their association and he was fairly sure that it wouldn''t like it.


    So far, Evin learned many things from the Voice, but he knew that what he knew barely covered the full extent of its knowledge. But thankfully, he found what he believed was the perfect solution when he began his sses under the Cosmic.


    Rith brought Evin to her new house and had him absorb the Shard of Therae ¨C which was a powdery golden substance which Evin had to snort in ¨C and as Evin felt its effects on his body, she started to exin how she was going to teach her ss.


    Rith put a pile of books written in Imperial in front of Evin and asked, "These books will teach you about Geometry, have you heard of the term?"


    "No," Evin replied, but after Rith exined bits and pieces of it, he realized that it was a subject that the Voice had mentioned before. It also recognized it.


    <Ah, geometry. Of course, that would be the path to creating portals and whatnot. Ask her about the Cosmics thoughts on the elements that build the world.>


    Evin disliked being ordered around, but he hid it and asked, "I''d have thought that the Cosmics would learn to control a Space element, or something along those lines to use the World of Space."


    Rith smiled and asked back, "From the condescending tone you take, I can see that you know the inefficiency of those ''elements'' the humanoids love so much."


    Evin gulped, wondering if he''d given up too much.


    But Rith only shrugged and exined. "Don''t worry about us revealing your secrets to the kingdom. We''ve been keeping it from them for the past 200 years. I know we had a pretty serious talk yesterday about you keeping your secrets to yourself, but it''s not like I''m going to change what I teach you because of it. Eventually we''d realize we were separately keeping the same secret."


    "How do you cast the spells of other Worlds?" Evin asked, trying to dig out more information from the Cosmic.


    "Still don''t trust me? Then you shouldn''t find it unfair that I choose to not tell you," Rith shrugged. "My only duty is to teach you the World of Space and nothing more."


    Evin understood that he''d acted rudely. "I''m sorry," he apologized, but he didn''t say anything else.


    <Ask her how you can earn her trust,> the Voice said.


    Evin thought about the order and replied, <We''ll ask her about how the Cosmics cast spells if we really need to. For now, let''s focus on keeping good rtions with her.>


    <I guess that works as well,> the Voice replied, not really caring.


    Evin felt happy he was able to deny the Voice''smands and relished the idea that he would do it many times in the future.


    "No harm done. Let''s just focus on geometry," Rith said and officially started her ss.


    Evin quickly realized that he enjoyed geometry. It was a rigid subject that dealt only in absolutes like math, but Evin enjoyed finding solutions and not having to think whether the answer is truly right or not, like he sometimes did in history or society.


    Rith was a good teacher. She was always observant of her student and every time Evin found something he didn''t understand, Rith would exin the current topic through other perspectives or used other terminologies. She would do this until Evin understood what he needed to and the two would move on.


    At the end of the lesson, Rith told Evin to practice using the Space energies to create a mental map of his surroundings. Evin would need to think of himself as the center of a two-dimensional ne and think of every other object and person as different dots on it and always be aware of them. Apparently, the Space energies were going to help him with that. She exined that, eventually, the 2D ne would be 3D coordinate systems and Evin would learn how to be aware of shapes, heights, widths and movements of others.


    And at that point, she would teach him how to create portals inside these 3D Systems.


    "But don''t try to create portals before that point," Rith finished her lesson with a warning. "I''m not afraid of you failing to create a portal, I''m afraid of you seeding."

 Chapter 66 - Two Months

    Rith didn''t borate further on her warning and she didn''t need to. Evin wasn''t dumb enough to mess with a magic he didn''t understand just for the thrill of it.


    Even with Rith''s lessons added in the mix, Evin''s days didn''t change much. He still attended his sses, his training with Be and the asional lectures from the Voice. But his approach towards these subjects had be much more disciplined. He absorbed these lessons to the best of his abilities, but he was always careful to keep an objective mind through it all. Especially during the Voice''s monologues.


    He expected his usual fights with Decatur to ur a few times, but for the next month, nothing had happened. The Chairman and the Vice-chair never instigated the fights and Decatur seemed far less interested in Evin since.


    Curious, Evin observed the noble boy to understand what had happened, and noticed a few interesting points. Decatur seemed much lonelierpared to the first two months of the Academy. Every noble student in Evin''s year had stopped fussing around the Decatur like they used to, with the only exception being Byron, who was, as always, acting as Decatur''s loyal shadow.


    And instead, the dozen or so barons'' heirs had started to fuss around Be and Phel. Phel shook them off quite peacefully, but Be wasn''t able to deal the sudden attention so peacefully. After two days of unwanted attention, Be made sure to make everyone understand the consequences of approaching her without consent.


    Evinughed at themotion, but quickly realize he wasn''t able to when the nobles started to give their attention to even Evin. Theundel had started to mingle with Evin much more since the fight at Decatur''s house and the Voice evenughingly pointed out that one baron''s daughter was desperately trying to bed him.


    Evin asked about the new changes from Phel, but thetter apologized and said he was sworn to silence. He only warned him to be more careful of Decatur. Evin was interested about the warning at first, but Phel was insistent on staying silent so he forgot about it soon enough.


    Peacefully, another month rolled by. During these two months, Evin absorbed two more Shards of the World of Air, two more shards of the World of Space, one more shard of the World of Darkness, one more shard of the World of Fire, one more shard of the World of Water and found ess to the World of Weight, Qanatohm.


    Of course, Evin wanted to finish absorbing the Shards of all twelve Worlds, but the Shards of the Conceptual worlds were rare things, especially for the World of Thoughts. Evin was gunning for a Shard of Lochra ever since he''d received his first, but even with his excellency, he was never able to snatch any of the few rare ones that appeared for the 1st years. The only reason he absorbed two Shards of Therae was thanks to Rith, and the Shard of Qanatohm was a simple matter of luck. She''d tied against Be in a long distance castingpetition that offered the Shard to the victor and they agreed to settle things with the toss of a coin.


    But that didn''t mean that Evin didn''t be strong. When ranking matches urred, Evin quickly shot up from 7th ce to 2nd ce, sittingfortably below Be and above Decatur. He had to challenge Decatur to get the ce, and although the fight was hard due to his Talismans, Evin was able to keep control of the situation through it all and knock the noble boy out in the end.


    Due to the glee and excitement, Evin challenged Be soon after, but his coach quickly reminded him of his ce. Evin''s mana limit had reached up to three lodestones ¨C which was the average for most 1st year nobles, but Be was able to easily absorb thrice as much he was able to and she was much more creative and technical with her magic than Decatur could ever hope to be.


    It also didn''t help that Evin himself was training the noble girl in spell-casting. Of course, Evin kept important things secret, but he still wanted to help her to the best of his abilities. He exined to her that the various world elements weren''t something whole andprehensive. Fire energies, for example, must consist of smaller particles that start the fire, particles that feed it, and particles that help the mage control it.


    It was obviously a lie, but it was a helpful lie. From Rith''s lectures, Evin realized that for Imagination Casters, technicality and attention to detail was most important. The more control over the details they believed to have, the better their spells turned out. The Worlds didn''t care whether one mage believed in one thing, and another mage believed in another thing. What was important was that they believed. The Voice didn''t like what Evin was doing, but Evin was adamant on helping Be out.


    Evin suspected that after this point, the Voice was stating to understand that Evin was trying to distance himself from it. Although it didn''t say anything other than him acting like a rebellious teen, Evin could tell that it was more wary of him now. Its lectures became less and less frequent and Evin could tell that it was starting to hide things.


    Evin prepared himself for the eventual argument, the usations and the mental shouts, but only a distressing atmosphere upied Evin''s head.


    Evin focused on the external matters. Arza was finally showing some progress in Gestures. He could finally strengthen his body to an adequate level and thanks to that, he rose to 5th ce in the ss ranking and currently, he was trying to boost his speed somehow.


    Evin wondered if Lopar was able to help him in Gestures, but he wasn''t sure, as the two had broken up after a month and a half of dating. Both of them acted as if nothing had happened, and Evin wasn''t interested enough to interrogate Arza.


    And now that the winter was nearing and the students started to fuss about the end of the year test: ''Helm''s Worthy''. During thest week of the Academy year, all 120 or so 1st year students would find themselves stranded on an ind with no one but themselves to keep thempany.


    The teachers were always clear about what the students were supposed to do, but that didn''t mean it was helpful. "The test doesn''t have a proper solution because we want to see what you end up doing with no overarching goals and objectives to guide you," Alvert Nuln, the teacher who first taught them the ''Applications of magic'' exined smilingly. "But that doesn''t mean we''ll be content with seeing you survive through the week and do nothing else."


    The Academy promised that they were going to judge the students and one of them was going to be the ''Helm of the Year'' for the next year and they would receive various privileges from the Academy. A Helm of the Year never had to worry about the scarcity of resources, as they were privileged to always pick first and the rest of the student body was simplypeting for second pick. They were also exempt from paying any of the Academy''s fees and they were also allowed to receive a monthly stipend from it to study without other worries.


    During his stay in the Academy, aside from World Shards, Evin made sure to focus on the tuition for the next year, and also to cover the expenses needed to survive in the Academy. When he first received the two golden coins from Leanne, he imagined himselfsting five years with it, but Evin soon realized how easily one forgot about poverty. In only two months he had spent it all, because during those two months, he''d managed to obtain 20 more, by practically doing nothing ¨C he just had to perform well during sses.


    But at around that time, he learned that the Academy tuition cost 300 golden coins per year. Objectively, it was dirt cheap for all the resources it provided to a student alone. An Elemental World Shard cost about 50 golden coins on the market and a Conceptual Shard cost anything between 100 to 400 depending on the World.


    Shocked, Evin wondered why he never bothered to think about these matters sooner. He had to actively work on finding funds and that meant less time trying to nab himself a Shard.


    But if Evin became Helm, he wouldn''t need to bother with any of those things. He wouldn''t even need to study in sses with others, because it would be in his rights to ask for the teachers to instruct him privately.


    The students also learned that the Helm of the Greater Ankelite Academy oftenpeted against the Helms of other Academies located throughout the kingdom. There was prestige, fame, and power attached to these roles and oh, how Evin wanted them.


    The Voice pointed out that exposure was thest thing they needed, but Evin argued that enough exposure acted as a shield by itself. The Voice couldn''t say anything back, as it was the Voice itself that taught these words to Evin at some point.


    But as Evin was preparing for the Helm''s Worthy and the argument with the Voice, an unexpected news came to the Academy''s door. On the 10th day of the 8th month of the year 1493, on a wintry morning of the second month of Fall, Countess Alix din Carew passed away in her manor.


    ¡­

 Chapter 67 - Funeral

    Evin stood beside a river and looked as Decatur held a torch to his mother''s pyre. It didn''t take much for the fire to catch on and Evin saw the ever-yful gray smoke waving through the endless blue sky. Gently, Decatur pushed the pyre down the river and looked towards it with silent tears streaming from his eyes. He sometimes choked or sobbed uncontrobly, but he kept them inside and forced himself to look strong.


    After he was finished with his duty, he walked towards a tall, silver-haired male - who probably looked the calmest of the funeral''s thousands of participants ¨C and looked towards the burning pyre. Aside from the hundred or so nobles, countless 1st grades and 2nd grades littered the banks of the river Ank. The Countess wasn''t the most beloved of rulers, but she was well-respected by many.


    Even the most insensitive of men wore at least a strained expression during the funeral, but Gehenne dan Carew only wore a light, almost neutral expression. The sudden death of her mother seemed to have affected him even less than the average 3rd grade, but whether that was an act of strength, or simply his cold-heartedness, Evin couldn''t tell. He was wearing a government official''s uniform, but Evin had heard that he was currently working as an assistant to a Mage Minister.


    This of course,plicated many things. "Do you think Lord Gehenne would relinquish his post to rule over his mother''snds?" a baron was whispering near Evin.


    "I''m sure he doesn''t want that¡­ but Decatur isn''t old enough to inherit, right?" another answered.


    Now that the funeral was officially finished, there wasn''t a need to keep silent anymore. Evin caught other nobles and even some 1st grades starting to speak in hushes.


    Curiously, he nced at Decatur, and saw that the noble boy was hatefully ring at the people, seemingly wondering how they could be so rude. During the funeral, Decatur''s expression changed countless times. When it began, he was staring at the clear blue sky with a grimace, as if he was wondering how the day could be so beautiful on his mother''s funeral. During the various ceremonies of the funeral, he looked deeply conflicted, as if these rites finally forced him to confront the fact that his mother was dead. asionally, Evin found him ring at Gehenne, most likely thinking how thetter could keep himself so calm during all this.


    Decatur looked like he couldsh out at anyone or anything, but none of those things warranted his full fury. He was convinced that her mother was assassinated, despite the royal investigator saying otherwise.


    In a world filled with mages, not one death could be brushed off as something natural. Even Evin, a first year of the Mage Academy, had a hundred methods to make a murder look like an ident. So naturally, the death of a Countess who was barely 40 years old wasn''t going to be brushed off so easily.


    Sure, 40 could be considered old for 2nd grades and below, as their life expectancy was 45; but for the Countess, who couldfortably afford all manner of healers, it was simply too imusible. With the help of magic, one could easily reach the age of 60; a mage with some mastery of the World of Life could reach the age of 80 and in some cases, one could even reach 100 and beyond. Barring the Empress and Two Tales, who were at the very least 1493 years old, the oldest person who in Evin''s knowledge was king Rnd Arcwall, who died at the age of 130.


    Due to these considerations, Decatur insisted that there was something nefarious about his mother''s death. Thete Countess was rarely, if ever, ill. She looked her age, but she was fitter than most people in their mid-20s, so it was simply inconceivably for her to die from a heart-attack.


    A sonorous voice from above interrupted Evin''s thoughts, "The nobility of Greater Ankelite, please gather in the Carew mansion.


    Gehenne dan Carew was gracefully floating above the masses, acting as an announcer. He repeated the same thing a few times and the nobles started to move towards the mansion with mourning faces.


    "What kind of rituals to Cosmics have for their dead?" Evin asked Rith, who was a sitting beside him.


    The Cosmic''s ear perked up slightly and said, "Pull me up."


    Evin offered her a hand and thetter quickly climbed atop Evin''s shoulders and made herself practically weightless.


    "So?"


    "Hmm¡­ Well, I suppose its fastest to show you," Rith shrugged and created a small golden circle.


    Beyond the circle, Evin saw a background of light blue and purple, so he recognized that it was Rith''s own personal storage. Rith pulled out a small velvet bag from inside it and struggled with theplicated knot that kept it closed it. After two months of interacting with the Cosmic, Evin realized that probably the biggest difference between a normal cat and a Cosmic Feline was that thetter had thumbs on their front paws. Evin didn''t think it was a big deal at first, but when Rith asked him to imagine his fingers arranged the same way as his toes, Evin started to realize the dexterity his thumbs allowed him.


    Anyhow, Rith showed the inside of the bag to Evin and dered neutrally, "This here is my great-great-grandmother."


    As Evin was observing the dust-like golden particles inside the bag (which weirdly reminded him of a Therae World Shard), the meaning of the words finally hit him. "What?"


    "Only a part of her, though. Part of her is with Abe, and another part of her is with my sister. If any of my countless siblings reach beyond the level of a simple ''Standard'', perhaps we''ll be forced to share some of our grandmother with them. But for now, they''d have to make do with an ount of our bloodline."


    "Why do you have to keep your great-great-grandmother like that?"


    "Truth be told, I never really understood why," Rith shrugged and put her great-great-grandmother back into her storage space. "But you asked us how we did our funerals, well, there you have it. When we die, our true bodies turn into these dust-like things and it is our tradition to share it among rtives¡­" Rith said, but went silent as if she''d said something she wasn''t supposed to.


    "True bodies?" Evin asked, wondering if it was that.


    "Slip of the tongue," Rith admitted and shook her head.


    But Evin was worried about something else. "Rith, did I snort a Cosmic through my nose?"


    "What?" Rith asked, struggling to keep theughter from escaping her mouth.


    "Aren''t Therae World Shards dead Cosmics?"


    "No, no, no. The World Shards you absorbede from a mine in the Eastern Desert. Dead Cosmics do look simr to the World Shards, but that''s just coincidence. If you snort a Cosmic¡­ well, you probably won''t die, but your mana-core definitely wouldn''t get any bigger."


    Evin nodded thoughtfully and then shook his head. "Let''s go home."


    "I thought you were going to wait for Be and Phel?"


    "I think they''re going to take a while with Lord Gehenne," Evin shrugged.


    "Sure," Rith said and started floating.


    It took a carriage two hours to reach Ankelite city from the Care manor, but ever since Evin learned how to fly using the newly absorbed World of Weight and the World of Air, he could make the trip in only half an hour. But just when Evin finished absorbing the mana inside a lodestone to make himself weightless, the same sonorous voice interrupted him.


    "You must be Evin?" Gehenne asked as hended nearby. Without giving Evin any chance to reply, he continued, "I heard you''ve been giving my brother some trouble?"


    Evin felt a surge of panic sh through his head, as he thought of a proper response.


    "Don''t look so panicked," Gehenne said, waving his hands. "I''m not so free to go around settling the fights that my brother started. I just wanted to tell something to you, is all."


    "Please tell, my Lord," Evin answered. Gehenne dan Carew was acting weirdly casual with him, but Evin decided that at least he should keep cordialities.


    "Decatur will have full authority over Greater Ankelite. Challenging his influence will be considered challenging me directly. Until my brother is old enough to inherit the position legally, I''ll only be a figurehead ruler of this county," Gehenne revealed simply. "I''ll dere this during the meeting with the nobles. That''s all I had to say."


    Without waiting for Evin''s reply, the silver-haired man flew away.


    "What was that about?" Rith murmured.


    "Who knows?" Evin replied unenthusiastically, wondering about the reasons behind Gehenne''s action.


    "But isn''t that bad? Decatur''s only 11, right? Even if he was trained from a young age to inherit the position, he really doesn''t seem mature enough to do so in reality."


    "I thought he was 10?"


    "He turned 11 a few days ago."


    <Ah,> the Voice made a sound of understanding. <He-he.>


    Evin didn''t doubt for a second that the Voice had a guess about what just urred. Ignoring the faint feeling of shame, Evin asked, <You have any idea?>


    <You''ll see soon enough,> the Voice replied, chuckling faintly.


    Evin figured that it was pointless to ask further and decided to think about the matter by himselfter on. He and Rith flew towards the city and parted there.

 Chapter 68 - Preparation

    For now, he had the Helm''s Worthy to worry about. It was scheduled to start the next day, so Evin decided to go back to the city and finalize his preparations. Since the only thing Evin knew about the event was that it was going to take ce on an ind for one week, he decided to at least prepare food and camping supplies for it.


    ''I should really meet up with Be,'' Evin thought as he finished gathering his supplies and headed towards Be''s room.


    Despite the fact that they would start alone on a random location of the ind, the students had already created alliances between them. Naturally, Evin was invited join them, but he refused, eyeing an alliance with Be and Phel. Especially Be. The other notable students like Lopar and Theundel had already joined other groups. Arza dered that he was going to tackle the exam alone, and Evin knew that it was impossible to convince the boy otherwise.


    The students had many theories regarding how the Helm was going to be picked. At first they guessed that the strongest student would be chosen so everyone just assumed that one of the nobles would win.


    After all, themoner students only began to study livebat two months ago. Originally, they were supposed to study from the second year, but with the Duchess and the kingdom emphasizing the need ofbat ability, everyone from the first year was now studying under the Vice-Chair.


    With such a huge disparity between themoners and the nobles (plus a few 1st grades with a mage as a parent), the Helm''s Worthy started to sound quite imbnced.


    The students mentioned this to the teachers and they only responded that they were aware of the matter and that everyone possessed the potential to be the Helm.


    With this information, the students settled on a new theory. The most capable and intelligent leader would be chosen to be Helm.


    After all, the position offered many benefits, but it also had many responsibilities. The Helm had to represent the Academy of Ankelite and there were definitely going to be shes with the other Academies of the kingdom. Everyone tacitly agreed that a single student probably wasn''t enough to face all these enemies alone, so the Helm had to be someone who couldmand the year without issues.


    In normal circumstances, Evin probably would''ve just created his own group or joined the biggest one and taken over leadership in it¡­ but one upper-ssman hinted to him that joining bigger groups before the event started didn''t catch much points in the eyes of the examiners. This was especially important for students aiming for the position of Helm. For them, the less help they got, the better it was.


    Evin entertained the idea of challenging the test alone, but decided against it. If he partnered with Be, they would easily be able to get through the other groups; and at the end of it, they could fight with each other and decide on the position of Helm among them.


    With these thoughts, Evin arrived in front of Be''s room and knocked. But, as Evin feared, Be was absent.


    After the Countess''s death was announced, Beyn became awfully busy with the matters of nobility. Same with Phel.


    ''Well, I''m sure I can find her during the test itself,'' Evin reasoned. ''Even if she''s busy till tomorrow, she can''t possibly miss out on the test itself.''


    Evin headed back to his room and found Arza lying on his bed, reading a book about illusions.


    "You finished preparing for the test?" Evin asked as he put his supplies near his bed.


    "I haven''t really don''t anything, sooo¡­"


    "No food and no tent?"


    "I''m sure I''ll manage," Arza shrugged. "It''s an ind, so there should be things I can eat out there. And if I can''t do that, I''ll just raid the other parties for food and necessities."


    The boy seemed like he was taking the test too lightly, but Evin knew that he didn''t need to worry about his roommate. In fact, Arza was one of the students that Evin was more wary of. The boy was popr enough to lead the entiremoner mage popce and he was powerful enough to give most students a run for their money. And to top it all off, Arza was finally experiencing a breakthrough in his gestures, though the boy mentioned that it still wasn''t close to his peak with Chants.


    "How about you?" Arza asked. "Manage to catch hold of Be?"


    "Nah. She still seems busy, so I''m thinking I''ll try to find her during the exam itself."


    "Hmm¡­" Arza''s mouth assumed a pondering shape. "I still can''t believe you two aren''t dating."


    "I told you. I''d rather focus on my studies instead of chasing around girls," Evin replied with a sigh.


    "That''s just meaningless sophistry¡­ Who says you can''t do both at the same time?" Arza said and put down his book. "You should enjoy your life even if you''re busy with your duties."


    Evin shook his head, and turned his attention to his supplies. He crouched down and started to sort his purchases, but his head was stuck on Arza''s words.


    ''Maybe I should ask Be out some day.''


    He would be lying if he said he wasn''t interested in the girl. It took him about two months to get over his crush over Leanne and after that, his heart finally started to sway towards another.


    "What happened with you and Lopar, anyway?" Evin suddenly asked.


    "Hm?" Arza replied quizzically, acting as if he didn''t hear the question.


    "You and Lopar. You two were dating, right?"


    "Ah. Yeah. But we broke up soon after. And for the record, I didn''t get dumped, she didn''t dump me. We just realized we were a bad match and had a civil conversation about it," Arza said smilingly.


    "How so?"


    "Stuff like, ''Hey, this isn''t working'', or ''I don''t like this about you'', etc."


    "Was the conversation''s tone also this carefree?"


    "Of course," Arza smiled wryly. "Though, she did point out that she never really liked how casual my attitude was."


    "Don''t you regret breaking up?"


    "Kind of. But isn''t it better to sort out our differences earlier on, instead of wasting each other''s times on something doomed from the start?"


    Evin didn''t wholly agree with the words, but he could sense the logic in them. After all, this was kind of the reason he refrained from confessing to Leanne. The Voice had painted a beautiful future for the two, but Evin could see the troubles and tribtions they would need to face if they walked this path. And it was also obvious that Evin was the only one who had any interest in the whole thing, anyway. He couldn''t possibly put Leanne through so much trouble for his own selfishness.


    "I guess you''re right¡­"


    "Aren''t I always?" Arzaughed and the conversation took on a more casual tone.


    The two spected a bit about what would happen tomorrow, before going to the city for dinner. After they were finished, Evin gave Be another visit, but still found the ce empty. Shrugging, he went back to his room and went to sleep.


    ¡­

 Chapter 69 - The Island

    The next morning, Evin woke up feeling dirt on the side of his mouth, his ears catching the sounds of waves. Confused, he opened his eyes and realized that he wasn''t even on his bed.


    The dark-blue sky and the sun looming beyond the horizon suggested that dawn was nearing, but despite the fact that it was the second month of Fall, the air wasn''t so chilly as one would expect, instead, it felt pleasantly warm.


    He was lying on sand and a quick nce around told him that he was on a beach. Aside from the ocean and the sand, he saw cliffs made of gray rocks riddled with holes and indents. As far as he could remember, he was never in a beach like this, as it was his first time seeing these gray rocks. Opposite to the waters, there was a forest stretching ind.


    "What the fuck is going on?" he murmured, trying to think of what happenedst.


    He went to sleep in his room, but woke up in an unknown beach.


    <Oh, you woke up,> the Voice said nonchntly.


    <What happened?>


    <Alvert came into your room yesterday and used some kind of Talisman on you two. I assume it makes you sleep for a certain time or something. Then he clothed and brought you two to the lobby where a Cosmic was busy creating portals and throwing the sleeping children into it. Then came your turn and you ended up here,> the Voice exined.


    <So¡­ what are we supposed to do?>


    <Who knows? But they did leave you some kind of note beside your pouch with lodestones,> the Voice said and pointed towards a folded piece of paper that was lying beside Evin.


    Evin opened it up and realized that it was a map. It showed his current location and the generalyout of the ind. A few important locations were also marked out with brief descriptions written next to a few of them:


    ¡¤ Shelter ¨C Food, supplies, and safe sleeping space.


    ¡¤ Infirmary


    ¡¤ Dungeon ¨C ovee the trials within and obtain its riches.


    ¡¤ The Tunnels ¨C A nest of rat-type mana-beasts.


    ¡¤ Castle (3x) ¨C castles used for defenses.


    ¡¤ Pce ¨C the ruler of the ind lives here.


    ¡¤ Mt. Lor ¨C the highest point of the ind. Ascend the fiery peak at your own peril.


    ¡¤ The Cove ¨C a path underwater. Descend into the dark waters at your own peril.


    ¡¤ ??? ¨C an unspecified area


    ¡¤ ??? ¨C an unspecified area


    Evin flipped the map and found a small note: ''The trials may continue for more than a week, depending on the circumstances.''


    Just as Evin finished looking through the map, he heard a loud boom go off in the air. He searched the skies and found a huge spell shaped in a form of some symbol. A few momentster, another two booms appeared in the sky, but while the symbol of one was the same as the previous one, the other one looked slightly different.


    For the next ten minutes various symbols appeared on the sky, some identical and some unique. Evin realized that perhaps this was how the other groups decided to regroup. They would send signals to the sky and head towards the ones which replied with the same signal. Evin was a bit surprised that everyone was using the same tactic, but guessed that perhaps it was an idea that came up during a big group discussion.


    <What should we do?> he asked the Voice.


    <I can''t really say I care,> the Voice replied dispassionately. <I''m just here to help you cast magic, so call me when you need a spell.>


    Evin felt offended by its attitude, but knowing it was himself that brought these changes, he could only swallow hisints and think.


    ''In any case, I should gather information.''


    <Can you make me invisible?> Evin asked the Voice and prepared to fly.


    First, he made himself weightless using the World of Weight and then, using the World of Air, he created wind to push himself in directions he wanted. It was a bit awkward flying style, and the Voice criticized itsck of intuitiveness, but with some training, Evin was able tofortably fly through the air.


    He ascended into the sky and started searching for movements between the trees. Sure enough, he saw various students walking around in the forest, and even saw Byron Landon meeting up with two other nobles. He also saw two students who were apparently in differing groups, who started to fight it out with each other. The two were bothmoners, so the fight really wasn''t something to write home about.


    As Evin was pondering his next action, the Voice sent an urgent thought to him, <Dodge down!>


    Instincts he didn''t even know he possessed forced his mind to create a force of wind which pushed him downward, and Evin felt something brush past his hair at extreme speeds. ncing over, he saw that it was a projectile of some sorts, which emitted a dark-gray streak behind is path.


    <More iing,> the Voice urged Evin to look towards where the projectile first came from.


    Evin saw more than a dozen of the same missiles headed towards him from a tall, gray tower, so he instinctively dodged sideways. The barrage ensued without giving Evin any time to think, and it felt to him as if the amount of missiles were increasing. The Voice even started to use Hard Air to block some of the iing missiles. Upon impact, the missiles exploded into a fog of dark-gray so Evin realized that he was being bombarded by ketricite.


    He tried his best to avoid them, but another problem presented itself, as Evin noticed a variety of spells aimed at his general directioning from below him. The students around couldn''t really see him, but they could see that someone invisible was being attacked. As Evin''s capabilities were quite famous, it wasn''t hard for them to guess who was being attacked. Perhaps they thought they could take out a formidable opponent early on in the test.


    ''Are they just jealous they can''t fly themselves?'' Evin thought with fury as he dove downwards.


    The barrage from the tower ended when hended on the ground, so at least Evin didn''t need to worry about that. But he could see the other students appearing from inside the forest.


    ''What did I even do to them?'' Evin cursed before setting off on a run. Evin considered fighting against them, but he was wary of Byron''s grouping to him.


    But despite the fact that he was invisible, the students still sent their spells towards him. Orbs of fire, hardened piles of sand, hurriedly made icicles and streams of air. It was a colorful array of magic, but Evin couldn''t really feel intimidated by it. There was none of the hatred that filled Decatur''s spells, none of the sheer power that Lopar or Arza''s spells exuded, and certainly none of that bone-chilling deadliness that Be''s spells were made of.


    For most of these students, these measly fireballs were the best they could offer.


    "Fuck off!" Evin shouted as he set off explosions on front of the spells.


    Its force was enough to set the destroy the spells outright, or at least change its course. Evin looked back at the other students'' stricken faces with glee, before noticing his footsteps on the sand.


    ''Of course they''d be able to find my stupid ass even if I''m invisible,'' Evin cursed and started floating.


    He didn''t go high up into the sky as he was afraid of the tower shooting at him again, but he couldn''t just run on the sand, as that would give away his location. He flew only a few meters above the ground, high enough to not stir the sand below, but low enough to be not seen by the gray tower.


    After getting over their fears, the students resumed chanting their spells, but Evin disrupted their chants with an explosion he created under the sand. Countless particles of sand flew high into the sky, forcing the students to instinctively stop their chants and block their faces with their hands. But one girl drew the short end of the stick, as she cried in agony and clutched at her eyes. Perhaps some of the sand had gotten in her eyes.


    The distraction was enough for Evin to slip away without anyone seeing him. He dashed through the air until he found a big enough cliff to hide behind. He sat on a rock and thought about the encounter.


    Evin didn''t like using explosions during fights before, as too many things could go wrong when one used such a powerful spell. The teachers and the other students also discouraged him from using them.


    Others imagined ''Explosion'' to be this huge, mana-consuming spell that only heavily trained mages could use¡­ but the spell itself was terribly simple. Even Evin couldfortably use it after a few sessions with the Voice. He only had to gather air in one spot using Seyethe, and then setting fire to it using Irratas. The process took a lot of time and mana when Evin only had ess to Irratas, but now that he could control air, the process was much easier.


    And due to its simplicity, Evin could eventually master its usage.

 Chapter 70 - Shelter And The Tunnels

    ''Well, if I didn''t get good at a spell after hundreds of times of using it, I''d really be disappointed it myself.''


    When Evin became confident enough to contain the strength of his explosions to a certain degree, he had been using it more often in his mock fights. Obviously, he never set it off near their bodies, since, after all, Evin didn''t want to be a murderer, but he still found many different uses for it: disrupting enemy spells, distracting or startling enemies, gathering small bits of it underground to use as a smokescreen, etc. Just like what he did to the previous group.


    Evin smiled with satisfaction¡­ sighed self-depreciatingly and decided to stop gloating about his little victory. Beating thosemoner students was nothing but bullying at this point.


    He pulled out the map and thought about his next decision.


    ''That gray tower must''ve been the Pce, the ce where the ruler of the ind lives¡­ Well, whoever this ruler is, he or she doesn''t like people flying around.''


    If he thought about it, it wasn''t really hard to see why. Flying way above the ground granted too many advantages over the other students. If Evin was free to do what he wanted, he could see where everyone was, and he would also be able to harass them without end if he wished to. His mock fights against some students who couldn''t fly were a prime example of how big of an advantage flying gave him.


    It was probably impossible to consider such an advantage fair, so the Academy had to ban it outright. Evin just wished they would simply tell warn beforehand instead of shooting casks of ketricite at him.


    Sighing, Evin decided that he needed information. He still hadn''t used all the mana he absorbed from these two lodestones, so he got up and flew towards the Shelter, being careful to not appear over the trees. Flying was still much faster than walking, and the forest wasn''t nearly dense enough to pose him any trouble with the act.


    <Keep me invisible, alright?> he reminded the Voice.


    The Voice didn''t reply, but Evin could still feel theyers of Thought energy surrounding his body.


    After twenty minutes, Evin saw a huge open tent built right in the middle of an open area inside the forest. There were various foods and supplies lined up inside it, and Evin saw Teouka and a short, slightly plump man manning it. If he remembered correctly, thetter taught illusions to the students. Around the big tent, various smaller tents had been set up and as Evin nced through them, he saw something familiar.


    ''Hey, that''s the tent I bought!'' he eximed in his head.


    The teachers had apparently taken hold of the supplies that the students themselves bought and were redistributing it. Thinking logically, it was the correct move. After all, the students had already prepared all these supplies for the test, so it would be dumb of the school to buy another batch of supplies. But even though Evin could see the reason why, he still felt disgruntled about it.


    ''I hope they pay me back for my supplies¡­ But why aren''t there any students around the Shelter?'' Evin couldn''t help but think.


    He decided toe to the shelter, because he wanted to gather information from the conversations between the other students, but the n couldn''t really work if no student came. Sighing again, Evin asked the Voice to make him visible and walked towards the teachers.


    But just as he appeared from inside the forest, Teouka noticed him and instead of sending a friendly greeting towards him like she usually did, she started chanting. Evin felt the force that bound him to the ground increasing almost threefold, forcing him to fall to his knees - a World of Weight. The other teacher also noticed him and Evin saw a gigantic ball of water appearing above his hands and then rushing towards Evin.


    Hurriedly, Evin used Qanatohm energies to bnce out the effects of Teouka''s spell and dashed back into the forest. After he left the open area, he could tell that the two stopped attacking him as his body became much lighter without Teouka putting extra weight on it, but Evin still didn''t stop running just to be safe.


    ''I think I can see why there are no students around,'' Evin thought with a chuckle after running for a hundred meters.


    "Are you sure the Shelter is this way?"


    "On the map it''s straight north from the Infirmary, so we should be able to see it in just a bit."


    Evin heard a conversation between two boys, who were apparently searching for the Shelter. An idea came to his mind at this moment, so he asked the Voice to make him invisible and silently jumped onto a tree branch. He watched carefully as the two students walked under him and innocently approached the Shelter.


    What happened next wasn''t hard to guess. Teouka made them both kneel; the other teacher caught them in his water spell (which seemed to be borderline freezing from the way the two shrieked upon contact with it) and had the wave carry them away from the open area.


    Evin expected the two to run away, but the two seemed to be much ballsier than he was. "W-what was that f-for!?" one of them asked through his chittering teeth. Or maybe they were simply too cold to run and just wanted to vent their frustrations. Evin could only be d he escaped before the water could reach him.


    "You two aren''t worthy yet," Teouka exined with a smile, "If you keep lingering around, we might get bored and douse you two with more water, you know?"


    The two students didn''t need any more encouraging and hurriedly ran back the way they came. Evin considered following them, but decided against it. After witnessing the situation, Evin understood something about the ind. The ce was filled with all sorts of rules and regtions and the teachers were their enforcers. Evin was positive that every location marked on the map had some kind of rule attached to it, one that the students were unaware of, but still forced to follow.


    To confirm his suspicions, Evin appeared just beyond the edge of the open area and shouted, "What do I need to do to be worthy?"


    Teouka looked back at him and smiled, "The ind''s chock full of things you can do. Surely one of them will do the trick."


    This was a huge hint.


    "If I do more and more deeds, do I be more and more worthy?"


    "We can only answer one question a day, sorry," Teouka smiled and started chanting.


    Evin dashed away from the Shelter, a smile on his face. He started floating, and flew towards a certain ce. Twenty minutester, he arrived at his destination, the Tunnels.


    Unlike the Shelter, Evin couldn''t see a teacher guarding the ce''s entrance and as far as he could tell, there were no students around. But one other thing surprised Evin. He expected the Tunnels to be a series of underground holes dug by the mana-beasts themselves, but what greeted him was a stairway down to a manmade structure.


    But thinking about it a bit, he could see why. After all, rat-type mana-beasts were definitely bigger than normal rats, but they would never dig holes big enough for the students to explore. If they could, then it could only mean that the rats were, at the very least, peak tier-3. Evin could probably deal with such a beast, but there was no way in hell the normal students would survive such an encounter.


    But, since the Tunnel was made by the teachers, Evin probably didn''t need to worry about an army of (way too) oversized rats. Probably only a nest of tier-1s and maybe some tier-2s.


    <How much mana do you think you''ll need?> Evin asked inside.


    He didn''t need to exin things to the Voice, as he was sure that it knew what Evin was nning to do.


    <Hmm¡­ Take three and convert it all into Seyethe''s energy,> the Voice repliedzily. <Ah, leave some for yourself to create light.>


    Evin nodded, pulled out three lodestones to do what the Voice asked him to, but noticed something weird. The two lodestones he emptied when he woke up had already charged up.


    ''Doesn''t it usually take a day to fully recharge?'' Evin thought as he brought out the stones.


    He emptied a stone to see what would happen and, like always, it started to greedily absorb the mana in the air. Normally, the process would abruptly stop due to theck of mana in the surrounding area, forcing Evin to sometimes change locations if he wanted to fill the stones faster¡­ but here, the stone turned brighter and brighter until it couldn''t any more.


    "Huh¡­ Guess the air on this ind''s filled to the brim with mana? But it feels the same as always to me¡­" Evin pondered out loud.


    Perhaps he would ask about itter on, but for the time being, he had a task to aplish. He created some light using Lumiaris and walked down the stairway.

 Chapter 71 - Maze.

    The light turned out to be unneeded as he entered a well-lit room which had four bare, iron doors lined to his left side¡­ No, there were five doors in total. There was another, more fancy looking door on the right, which had a very noticeable keyhole on it. The first four doors he noticed weren''t locked in any way, so he could probably open it without much effort. Other than that, the room was empty.


    But he couldn''t help but notice another ring obstacle: the whole room was made with processed ketricite.


    It was Evin''s first time entering a ce built from the material, and he immediately hated it. The whole area seemed to exude an aura that denied the very existence of mana and magic, constantly putting pressure on Evin''s core which was practically bursting with Air energy. It felt weirdly paradoxical.


    Evin''s practical experience with ketricite only extended to its dust-like form, which was formally called its raw form. Most people imagined that the mere presence of ketricite would disintegrate any sort of mana or world energy let loose nearby. But this phenomenon only happened if there was a truly unimaginable amount of ketricite around, like in the Gray Fields for example.


    In smaller amounts, it could only negate magic if a spell or mage made physical contact with it. Hence, if one wanted to deny someone their magic outside the Gray Field, they needed to grind raw ketricite down to powder, chuck it into an easily breakable vessel and throw it at a mage.


    However, if you mixed raw ketricite with limestones or any other binding agent, you could create processed ketricite. Build a house out if it, and you would get yourself an establishment that could partially negate spells inside its premises, and dissipate any iing projectile born out of World energies.


    But of course, this didn''t mean that mages were useless. Normal projectiles still worked: a mage could pick up a boulder from the ground and throw it towards the building; and they could still use life energy contained inside one''s core to buff their body from the inside. The only thing they couldn''t affect were their skin, hair and eyes. Other than that, they would have harder bones and stronger musclespared to a normal person (assuming that they could already do these things beforehand).


    ''But are the entire Tunnels made of processed ketricite?'' Evin couldn''t help but ponder. ''Probably not¡­ If the whole thing''s made of ketricite, then the ce can''t be infested with mana-beasts.''


    He looked around the room, searching for puzzles or riddles regarding the doors, but couldn''t find anything.


    <Just go through one of those open doors and maybe you''ll find the key to the locked door inside,> the Voice said with an impatient sigh.


    <Are you sure?> Evin asked.


    <Sometimes you have to take risks. And also, use your head. Sure, things can get dangerous, but you''re in an Academy test. Do you seriously think the teachers would design deathtraps for their students and then mark it on their map?> the Voice exined coldly. <As far as I can tell, those two ces marked as question marks are probably the most dangerous ces on the map. The mountain peak and the Cove are second most dangerous, while the Tunnels and the Dungeon are just the basic tutorials.>


    Evin tried to speak back, but the Voice wasn''t finished. <If you''re going to spend the whole day searching for traps and hidden meanings, we wouldn''t be able to move a single step. But remember. Even if I''mpletely wrong and even if some trap springs the moment you open one of those doors, it''s alright. You can afford to make mistakes here. The Academy is a safe, controlled space, full of people ready to save your ass the moment something goes wrong. Moreover, you''re basically their little poster boy at this point, so you''re especially important to them.>


    <But how would they know when I''m in danger?> Evin protested.


    <Don''t believe me? Go outside and search around the staircase. You''ll be sure to find two pairs of Talismans hidden inside it. One of Listening and one of Seeing.>


    Evin did as it suggested and searched around the stair, but couldn''t find anything.


    <It''s there¡­ they etched it onto that tree,> the Voice pointed.


    A certain part of Evin''s vision became brighter than the rest and Evin could see three runes carved on tree branch. The Voice learned to make his brain focus on certain visuals or sounds and Evin started to call it ''pointing''. Without the Voice pointing it out to him so clearly, Evin was sure he wouldn''t be able to notice it so easily.


    <The tree itself works as a Talisman. And not just one, but three at the same time: Listening, Seeing and Transmitting¡­ I suppose the trees here have eyes and ears, the magical sort¡­> the Voice chuckled to itself. <Well, there are countless paper talismans and at the end of the day, papers are made of trees, so I guess it all checks out... Ah, I''m sorry for the rant. At the end of the day, you''re the boss here.>


    If Evin replied after all this, he would only look more and more childish. So, he shut his mouth, even though he really wanted to say something, and walked down the stairs again. He picked the 3rd iron door randomly and walked into it. Like he guessed, the walls and floor beyond the door were made of normal materials, so he didn''t have to worry about not being able to use most of his magic.


    As he walked through the tunnels, he soon started to hear squeaking sounds from his front. A dozen rats almost the size of cats appeared around the corner and hissed at him. Tier-1 rats. Evin noticed that their eyes were red from blood, so he could tell that these rats turned to mana-beasts because of a sudden overexposure to mana. In this state, they would be much more aggressive than their normal counterparts, so Evin could give up on trying to scare them off.


    The Voice also knew this, so it quickly dealt with the rats by hitting them with air bullets - bursts ofpressed air, basically. The Voice tried many ways to attack with the World of Air: creating various sharp objects made of Hard Air, sending huge blocks of Hard Air towards things, or simply trying to blow away his enemies with huge gusts of wind. It worked, but the Voice alwaysined that these methods took too much time and mana to create. The Voice really didn''t like chanting from what Evin gathered.


    But eventually, it settled on something it calledpressed air. It would gather air as if it was trying to create an explosion, but instead of setting it on fire, it would direct all the amassed air through a thin tube that the Voice creates out of a special type of Hard Air that the Voice sometimes created (the one the Voice used to deal with Decatur''s hailstorm). This tube acted as an elerator of a sort, which made thepressed air shoot toward its intended target faster than anything Evin knew.


    Upon contact, it usually didn''t do as much damage, as say, an icicle or a sharp piece of rock, but it could definitely rupture someone''s skin open if there was no armor or clothing protecting it. It was the perfect method to deal with unarmored enemies, like these tier-1 rats, for example.


    The Voice mercilessly aimed the air bullets at the rat''s eyes, which more often than not, killed the beasts since the bursts of air would prate through its eyes and hit the rat''s brain. It took the Voice some time and a considerable amount of mana to create the elerator, but once that was over, it just needed to aim and shootpressed air through it. And once it got going, it barely took a second for it to make contact. Add the fact that the air was practically invincible, it was almost impossible for Evin''s enemies to dodge.


    And thus, the dozen rats very quickly fell victim to the Voice''s spell.


    <Let''s go.>


    Evin continued on and after two minutes of walking, realized that he needed to memorize the route he was taking, since it became apparent that the tunnels were built in the image of a maze infested to the brim with tier-1 rats. Evin certainly didn''t wish to get lost inside these damp corridors with only dead, oversized rats to apany him.


    Finally, after fumbling through the maze for a good 20 minutes and casuallymitting rat genocide, Evin found a new door. He opened it, and saw an altar of some sorts inside it. Careful of traps, he approached the altar and saw one card, plus a piece of metal on top of it.


    Shoving down his hesitation, he picked the two items up. The card only had three words written on it: food (15x), packs (5x) and tents (2x).

 Chapter 72 - A Small Accident

    ''Ah, I guess this is how you be worthy of food,'' Evin chuckled. ''But why are there so many items? ¡­ Oh, it''s probably because this ce is intended for multiple students to conquer. By this logic, the Tunnels should''ve been originally designed to be conquered by a group of five.''


    Feeling d that he breezed through a task meant for many, Evin inspected his other loot. The piece of metal, though, was a much more important discovery. If Evin was correct, this was one half of a key. Seeing this, Evin became sure that one of the three other doors possessed the other half of the key in it.


    Now that he understood how the Tunnels worked, he quickly got to work. He found his way out of the 3rd door and appeared in the room with the four doors. This time though, he walked through the 1st door.


    The door led him further downstairs, and Evin soon realized that each door had different things waiting for him behind them. As Evin was getting a bit tired of walking aimlessly through a maze, this was a nice surprise to him. He appeared in an open area, with the only a short, metal-barred gate on the other side. Evin peeked through the bars, but only saw a rtively small, empty space with a very short ceiling behind it.


    As Evin was wondering what all this was about, he heard a panicked squeak from somewhere, and before he could register what was happening, a huge rat fell from above behind the metal bars. Startled out of his mind, Evin stumbled onto his back while barely containing a shriek.


    "The fuc-" he began a curse, but couldn''t quite finish it, as his vision darkened and he felt something furry jumping onto his face. He felt its panicked ws clutching at his chest and neck, and then he felt something sharp sinking into his cheek. Panicked and feared, Evin grabbed at the rat while howling in pain and barely managed to pull the mad creature off his face. Irrational anger took over his mind as he mmed the rat down and then kicked it across the room with all his might.


    The rat shrieked angrily and was about to rush at Evin again, but a bullet ofpressed air hit it in the eyes and immediately killed it. He looked towards the small space and noticed that the metal barred gate was gone.


    "Do-" Evin opened his mouth to scream at the Voice inside to kill the rat faster, but an unnatural force took hold of his mouth and shut it.


    <Don''t shout at me verbally. Eyes and ears everywhere, remember?> the Voice reminded.


    <Why didn''t you kill it faster?!>


    <Honestly, I was pretty startled as well. And you know it takes a while for me to create the elerator.>


    <Freeze it in water, or burn it. Why do you have to create such aplicated spell?> Evin raged.


    <You do realize you only have Seyethe''s energy inside you, right? I could''ve tried to create Hard Air, but I''m afraid it would take the same amount of time, anyway.>


    Its dead-calm tone infuriated Evin to no end, but he had a more pressing matter to worry about. His neck and chest were burning with pain because of all the scratches, but the most excruciating pain came from his cheek. Evin feared that the rat had dug a fang into it during the struggle. Carefully, he reached for the would and felt something wet.


    Blood came all over his fingers and for a second, Evin felt as if he was about to pass out.


    <Take a lodestone and turn half of it into Ivelisi''s energy,> the Voice ordered.


    Evin didn''t wish to argue with it anymore and obediently did as asked. The Voice created a sizeable amount of water with the energy and used it to quickly rinse Evin''s neck and face. Then, it directed arge bit of the water towards his cheek and froze the wound. A stinging pain came over Evin''s head, which woke him up from his woozy state.


    <Make sure to keep the ice on top of the wound until your blood clots.>


    <Can''t you just heal the wound?> Evin asked.


    <You know I can''t use the World of Life to heal,> the Voice replied calmly. <And be d that I didn''t just patch the bite mark with fire and be done with it¡­ And besides, we have other things to worry about,> it said and pointed towards the gate.


    Two rats fell down this time, and the moment they saw Evin, they dashed towards him. But they couldn''t get far, as the Voice quickly dealt with them using two air bullets. Now that it was ready for them, the tier-1 rats couldn''t really pose a threat. Evin didn''t really have anything to do, so he dutifully held the ice near his face. The cold seemed to be helping with the pain, so he could finally think without falling into a fit of emotions.


    After the two rats came four, then eight, then sixteen. Just as Evin was wondering how 32 rats were going to fit inside that little space, a tier-2 rat-type mana-beast appeared. The thing was the size of a hunting dog and Evin could see that its fangs and feet had taken on a bluish hue, which Evin guessed was mana. But its eyes were still bloodshot, so Evin could tell that this one was rabid.


    Most animals simply experienced an increase in size when they became a tier-1 mana-beast. The smaller the animal, therger the increase. These rats, for example, grew three to four times in size. Bigger animals like cats and dogs only grew twice their original size; while animals like horses or bulls could barely experience a 50% increase in mass. It might seem unfair for therger animals to only experience smaller changespared to smaller animals, but this was bnced by the fact that the bigger animals had a much higher chance of retaining their sanity during these transformations. But more on thatter on.


    Anyhow, when these tier-1s reached the next level, something else happened. Sure, some animals still experienced a size increase, but almost always, a certain part of their body would undergo another change to due to the overload of mana. The schrs called it an overload, as if it''s a bad thing, but these always had positive effects. In the case of this rat, its fangs would be much more durable than any kind of bone, while its feet would be much stronger and also be capable of much faster bursts of speed.


    But despite all these newfound strengths, the rat still only required two air bullets to kill. One to rupture its eyes and another to make a mess of its brain. Just because its fangs and feet became stronger, it didn''t mean that the rest of its body was suddenly imprable.


    Evin expected more rats toe through, but that seemed to be the end of this door''s trials. With a loud nk, the metal gate closed down. Just as Evin was wondering where the loot was, a brick fell from one of the walls and crushed the carcass of a rat under it. Evin was startled, but he could guess what was happening. He walked over to the empty spot in the wall and saw two cards on it.


    [Castle Card ¨C collect three copies of this card to obtain the rights to rule over a castle.]


    [ver Card ¨C bring five copies of this card to the Ruler and receive the ver''s Chains (attach this item to someone''s neck, to make them your ve through the rest of the test).]


    <Kinky,> the Voice chuckled.


    "What the hell?" Evin couldn''t help but exim. But working his mouth made his cheek hurt like hell, so he grimaced and pushed the ice harder onto the wound.


    <Your wound''s clotted already, so let go of the ice. If you keep it for too long, it might freeze your flesh. Also, you should probably give the infirmary a visit, since you were bitten by a rabid rat.>


    Reluctantly, Evin let go of the ice and gathered his thoughts. Going to the infirmary was definitely the best idea, but he was reluctant to stop exploring the tunnels at this point in time.


    The reason Evin chose to explore the Tunnels was simple. Basically, he just needed to tackle one of the challenges that were marked on the map. Teouka told him that to be worthy, he had to go around the ind and do stuff. One of them would allow him to visit the Shelter without getting attacked. Sure enough, Evin received a card that got him 15 portions of food, plus a bag and a tent. And now, he received two cards, which he needed to collect more of to receive certain privileges.


    By exploring the Tunnels, Evin started to understand how the ind worked. As for why he chose the Tunnels over anything else, well, that was because he expected that no one else would being for this ce any time soon. If he guessed correctly, the Dungeon, on the other hand, was probably filled with students trying to obtain its prizes.


    After all, if one had a choice between rat-infested tunnels and a dungeon that promised riches, which would they choose?


    One more reason he decided to tackle the Tunnels was because he expected the stronger groups to be tackling the harder tasks. Most of the noble students should be toiling away at either Mt. Lor, or The Cove, while the strongest students like Arza or Be should be headed towards the two unspecified areas.


    So, the only ce which he could explore freely was here. But soon enough, people woulde to the Tunnels and Evin would have to fight against other students.


    <Let''s sweep this ce clean before anyone elsees,> Evin decided.


    <Are you sure you''re fine?>


    <Yeah, I''ll be fine. Let''s just get this over with.>


    The Voice didn''t object, and the two set off to explore the rest of the four doors.

 Chapter 73 - An Ambush

    Evin picked the second door this time, and it turned out that this door was dedicated to puzzles. The whole ce was made of ketricite, so the student couldn''t cheat; and he had to go around pulling levers which opened doors and stuff. At least Evin didn''t have to fight any rats this time, which was a nice change of pace, but he did spend a considerable amount of time solving it.


    For his troubles, he received another two cards:


    [Privilege to ask two questions from the Ruler. Note: The Ruler can answer any question regarding the ind, as long as it doesn''t pertain to the knowledge of bing Helm.]


    [Show this at the shelter to obtain a more detailed map of the Ind.]


    Evin was definitely thrilled at these boons. Teouka said that she was allowed to answer only one question a day, and Evin could guess that she could only answer certain kinds of questions. The Ruler, on the other hand, was someone who knew everything about the ind, so he should be knowledgeable about all sorts of things. But since he could only ask two questions, Evin needed to think carefully about them.


    The more detailed map wasn''t as exciting as the questions, but Evin was still happy about it. Perhaps he would finally learn what the two unknown ces are. Satisfied with his boons, he entered the final door.


    This one led him down the stairs again and turned out to a mix of the concepts of the previous three doors. Evin started inside a rectangr room and was met with four doors. Each door led to a corridor, which led to another room, and those rooms would always have 2-4 doors. The interesting part was that these various different rooms would always have one of three things. Loot, enemies, or puzzles.


    The loot wasn''t anything notable, most of them were just ess to food or supplies, with the only notable exception being a card: [Show this at the Shelter to obtain information on The Cove.]


    Evin tucked the card into his small bag and went on. Eventually, he found the room with the key, which was guarded by a tier-2 rat. Interestingly, this one''s fur was infused with mana, giving it stronger defenses. Its size was also much bigger than the previous tier 2. But unfortunately for the rat, its new defenses didn''t extent to its eyes, so it was two-shot by the Voice. Evinbined the two key pieces and obtained the key to the locked door.


    Finished with the exploration, Evin ascended the stairs, wondering what he would find behind the locked door. But just as he opened the iron door, he briefly lost control of his body, and felt it ducking down with almost inhuman speed.


    "Shit!" he heard a familiar voice cursing above him and looked up.


    Kolin had just hit the wall with an awfully thick tree branch, and Evin could also see the rest of his entourage standing beside the other three doors, each holding some kind of blunt weapon in their hands.


    ''An ambush, then,'' Evin thought and realized that the Voice was sharing its mind with him again.


    It''s been almost a month since Evin fell in this state, so he could almost immediately tell the difference. But there was something wrong about it this time. He didn''t know if it was because it was a long time since he essed this state, or because of something else entirely, but his mind felt almost unfamiliar to him now. Usually, when the Voice shared its state of mind with him, Evin felt only calm and quick-witted, but this time, there was a distinct coldness to it all.


    Various thoughts shed past Evin''s brain, but he still had an ambush to worry about.


    "How could you miss that?" one of the girlsined and rushed towards Evin.


    "The fucker doesn''t move normally!" Kolinined as he tried to stabilize himself and hit Evin again.


    <Run back downstairs,> the Voice ordered. <I can''t use air bullets inside that room, so we need a change of energies.>


    Evin thought for a second, mmed the door on Kolin''s left hands and ran back downstairs. He didn''t even reach half the staircase before he expelled the Air energy out of his core and absorbed the energy of Apdenul. His body instantly felt reinvigorated, but he wasn''t done yet. He started to circte the energy through his body the proper way and felt his body bing stronger and more durable.


    Evin couldn''t use the World of Life to heal himself, but he could definitely make his body stronger, thanks to all the lessons he had under Leanne. The effects were much more noticeable since he dedicated three whole lodestones to the task. He looked up and saw two students helping Kolin out of the door, looking towards him with fear. One of them threw a branch at him, but Evin grabbed it and crushed it in his hands.


    The ambushers'' expressions of fear turned even more vivid, giving Evin a sense of indescribable thrill.


    <Alright, let''s go,> the Voice said and Evin dashed up the stairs.


    It took him only two seconds to climb up the stairs and reach the other students. Diligently, he looked around to see whether anyone else was in the room, but as far as he could tell, only Kolin''s group was around the area. One boy and one girl were trying to help Kolin up, while the other two girls were running up the stairs outside, screaming random words. Evin quickly got hold of them and threw them back into the Ketricite room.


    The five regarded Evin with fear and wariness as Evin stood guard before the stairway outside. There was no way these five could do anything to him. As far as Evin knew, none of them even possessed ess to the World of Life, and even if they did, they surely weren''t adept enough at it to strengthen themselves.


    "Should I be expecting more people to being here?" Evin asked, wincing at the pain that came from his bitten cheek.


    "Fucking freak!" Kolin replied, as he clutched his left hand with his right with a grimace.


    "I can''t tell if that''s a yes or a no," Evin said as he gently touched his wound, idly wondering if the sudden movements opened it.


    "It means fuck off, freak!" Kolin said, still holding up his bravado.


    Arza had an on and off rtionship with the boy, he was either best buddies with them, or was arguing with them over the smallest things. Evin couldn''t really do the same. Not that he ever wanted to, considering how much they hated Evin for whatever reason.


    Shrugging, he walked up to the boy and kicked him in the shin. "I''m sorry, I still can''t understand if that''s a yes or a no."


    "Do your worst, scum! The whole academy''s hot on your heels, anyway!" Kolin shouted back despite the pain he should''ve felt from the kick. Evin heard the words, and his face turned into a frown. He thought about the words and was suddenly reminded of Gehenne''s warning from yesterday. "Is it Decatur?"


    "Yeah. Put a bounty on your head. Anyone who incapacitates you and brings you to him gets to have their tuition paid for the next year."


    "When did you learn this?" Evin grabbed Kolin''s wrist and gripped it hard. Seeing Kolin trying to stifle a gasp felt terribly satisfying, not because it gave Evin a feeling of superiority, but because someone was hurting because of him.


    "Yesterday. Everyone in the Academy knows about it," Kolin replied, his voice cracking from the pain.


    "So that''s why everyone started attacking me in the morning¡­" Evin murmured.


    "You''re all alone, Evin! The nobles all fall under his control and he''s money and fame to every 1st grade. No one will ept you in their group, not even your Be and Phel that you''re friends with."


    Evin stifled the urge to m the boy''s head into the ketricite and instead herded the five into the room behind the first door. Evin wondered whether the Academy''s staff would clean this area at some point, and reckoned that they''d get to it after he was done with the locked door. But that really wasn''t Evin''s problem.


    He took the five''s lodestones, lifted the metal gate high enough to throw Kolin''s group inside, and closed the gate. From the strength he had to exert to lift it, Evin knew the five wouldn''t be able to get out of there any time soon.


    "Careful of rats falling from up there," he warned them with a smile. Slowly, he continued while gesturing at the dead rats, "As far as I know, it starts with one rat. After you kill it,es two¡­ then four, eight, sixteen¡­ before finally ending with a tier-2."


    "Give us back our lodestones, you bastard!" Kolin shouted.


    Evin admired Kolin for still being able to shout so fearlessly, but he could also sense the desperation behind his bold attitude. "Come on, Kolin, those are clearly my lodestones. Stop being so rude."


    "Please, Evin, just let us out! We''re sorry for trying to ambush you on your way out," one of the girls cried. "We can''t even fight these rats with our spells, how are we supposed to kill so many of them without magic?"


    "I''m sure you''ll manage somehow. If you aren''t confident in clearing this room, maybe you could try leaving a rat alive, so the rest won''te? Well, I don''t really know how this ce works, as I just killed every mana-beast that fell into this hole."

 Chapter 74 - Amera

    With those words, Evin turned his back and started walking out of the room. The five started screaming at him toe back, but Evin was already bored of their antics. The assholes long had iting for them, anyway. But on his way out, he randomly nced at the rat that bit his face and felt a sudden pang of pain pulsating from his cheeks. As he carefully massaged the wound, he realized something.


    <You let that rat bite me, didn''t you?>


    <Nope,> a reply came, though Evin notice hear that its tone of voice was filled with glee.


    <You did, you fucker!> Evin raged in his head.


    "Hey, you change your mind?" Kolin interrupted him from behind. "I''m sorry I acted rudely towards you, just, please¡­ get us out. We won''t tell anyone about you."


    Evin spat out a curse and walked up the stairs and mmed the iron door behind him. Thankfully, there wasn''t anyone trying to ambush him this time, so he could properly focus on his own matters now.


    <You probably could''ve killed that rat the moment it fell down the hole, right?> he asked again. <After all, you instantly took control over my body when you realized we were being ambushed, so you should''ve been able to do the same with the rat. But no. You wanted to see me struggle against a rat. You wanted me to hurt.>


    <Wrong again. I was just more careful when we were ascending those stairs, so I could react instantly,> the Voice replied calmly. <In fact, I''m more surprised at how you were able to stay so unperturbed after what that rat did to you. Stop being childish. Now if you just wanna argue with someone, you can go back to Kolin again. Personally, I''m more interested in what''s behind that door.>


    Saying those words, the Voice stopped imposing its mind over his. Oddly, Evin felt calmer without its effects than with it. That eerily murderous mood was also gone from his head. Due to that, he immediately regretted how he dealt with Kolin''s group. Maybe locking them up with a bunch of rat carcasses was a bad idea. Sure, he knew they would be safe, because at the end of the day, the teachers should save them before anything unsavory happens.


    But it wasn''t like Evin was never going to meet with the five ever again. He would still attend the same school, and they were definitely going to talk about how Evin treated them. On top of that, he did all this while the teachers were watching. Surely, this incident was going to affect whether he was going to be picked as Helm or not. A bad feeling came over his heart¡­


    ''And why did the Voice''s mind feel so murderous when he was sharing it with me?''


    But before Evin could think about it, the Voice urged him once more.


    <You gonna stand there all day?>


    ''My cheek hurts like hell, so I should take whatever''s behind that door and leave before anyone elsees. Then I''ll visit the infirmary or something.''


    But if there were enemies behind the door, Evin would still need to rely on the Voice to deal with them.


    <Do you want me to switch to Seyethe''s energy?>


    <Sure,> the Voice replied warmly, acting as if the previous disagreement never happened.


    Evin got out of the ketricite room and absorbed three lodestones'' worth of Air energy. He then brought out the key from his bag and opened the locked door. He was met with another non-ketricite corridor, which only led to another door at the end of it. Evin walked over and opened it. Honestly, he half-expected another fight to ur inside so when he saw two tier-2 rats waiting for him, he wasn''t that surprised. He wasn''t very scared either, as the Voice already had its elerator at the ready.


    The Voice instantly killed one of them with its usual tactic, but when it shot an air bullet towards the other one''s eyes, unexpectedly, it wasn''t able to prate it. The air bullet deflected off its eyes, making a clinking sound, and the tier-2 rat angrily hissed at Evin.


    It became evident that this rat had be a tier-2 by strengthening its own eyes and feet, rare as it was. Rats weren''t really the type to use their eyes, relying more on their other four senses to get by. The mostmon strengthening objects for rats were their fangs, their feet and their fur.


    <Buy some time,> the Voice said and immediately began working on des of Hard Air.


    Evin dodged to his side, making sure to keep his eyes on the enemy at all times. The rat immediately changed its course and ran at him once again. Evin managed tond a kick on its side, but he still desperately wished he''d kept one of the sticks that Kolin''s group was holding.


    As he was preparing for the next attack, the Voice finished casting and Evin felt three invisible des materializing in the air. Immediately, they started hacking at the rat and a few secondster, it fell dead on the ground.


    Evin sighed at the victory and took a proper look around the room. Aside from the dead rats, Evin only saw another door in the room.


    ''Is it another series of rooms? By the Empress''s mercy, when will this maze end?'' Evin thought annoyedly and opened the door.


    But contrary to all his expectations, he saw a child inside the room. The child was wearing a white, cotton dress, so Evin could tell that it was a ''she''. But the more interesting thing was that she was bald and dark-skinned; withrge, golden eyes, indicating her origin as an Easterner. Evin never saw an Easterner before, so this random encounter shocked him more than it should have.


    "Who are you and what are you doing here?" he muttered.


    Evin slowly remembered the contents of his social studies ss and skimmed through them for information of the Easterners. The first thing he remembered, was of course, their skin color. Unlike the pale skinned Westerners and Northerners, the Easterners all had dark skins. It wasn''t obsidian-ck, like the skins of the Colossi, but had a more brownish hue to them.


    Most of the Easterners were mostly rice farmers, who utilized the abundant waters and the green lushes around the various oases to nt rice and other nts that required lots of water.


    But aside from the rice farmers, the easterners were also quite famous for the merchant caravans. Aside from the Tower City in which the Empress resided, they were the only country in the World which had friendly rtions with the Southern Inds.


    Only through the eastern merchants could the rest of the world enjoy the various goods and wares that the South exclusively produced. But those wares were quite rare in the Western Kingdom, considering the fact that they were at war with the South now, and also because the kingdom didn''t share any borders with the East. They could trade with country through Tower City, but the extra border tariffs and taxes weren''t really encouraging for the two countries to try hard enough to make this work.


    Noticing that his mind was wandering, Evin focused his attention on the girl. Thetter didn''t seem to mind Evin''s paused stare that much, but she did seem to be thinking of something.


    ''Now that I think about it, where is this Ind anyway if there are easterners on it??'' Evin suddenly thought.


    "W-wee, conqueror of the tunnels¡­ I thank you for finding the key to this room and saving me," the girl said in stiff imperial, seemingly reciting something she had to memorize beforehand.


    Evin pushed down the urge to smile at the girl''s act and asked, "I could''ve never guessed that I''d find another person behind these doors. Who are you?"


    "I''m the, um, the daughter of the Ruler. I was caught by the¡­ nefarious people and locked up in this ce. If you could bring me back to my father, our ind will be eternally grateful to you."

 Chapter 75 - Gathering Supplies.

    Evin''s eyes widened in surprise at the news, and immediately, he thanked the Empress for this boon of luck. These two hours of exploring the Tunnels were worth it after all!


    "Alright. Let''s get you to your father," Evin dered smilingly.


    "T-thank you," the girl replied timidly.


    "Ah, what''s your name?" Evin asked as he nced around the room, wondering if he could find something useful. The room was rtively well-furnished for a would-be prisoner, with afortable cotton bed, a chair and a table filled with food, and a room which he guessed was the bathroom. Well, Evin knew that this whole test was a role-ying event of some sorts, so he supposed that they couldn''t put a 6-year-old girl in an actual dungeon.


    "My name is Amera Faizan, conqueror. Though please just call me Amera."


    "Well, Amera, you can just call me Evin," Evin replied and noticed one object that seemed out of the ordinary on the chair. It was a small device of some sorts, with a metal base holding a glowing ss orb on top of it. "What''s that?"


    "Ah, this¡­ I don''t know," Amera replied with difficulty. The girl obviously knew what it was, but supposedly wasn''t allowed to speak of it. "But I don''t think you should touch it carelessly. At least not the orb."


    <Do you know anything about it?> Evin asked.


    <Nope. Ask her whether we should bring it with us.>


    "Amera, do you think we should bring this thing with us to your father?"


    "Yes. Maybe you can ask him about it."


    The answer was unexpected, but Evin was interested in the item so he dly picked it up and put it in his back, careful not to touch its orb like Amera warned him. "Alright, let''s go. Ah, but I have a few things to do before, so please bear with me."


    Evin then brought Amera out of her room and walked towards Kolin''s group. He found two of the girls sobbing in the corner, while Kolin was arguing with the girl and the boy about something. As far as Evin could notice, no rat fell upon the five yet.


    They immediately started to beg Evin to let them go when they saw himing in. The two girls even shamelessly begged Amera, a child, to let them go when they saw her.


    "Sorry for the rough treatment, but I couldn''t really let you guys free until I saw what was behind thest door," Evin exined and opened the gates for them, "Wait ten more minutes here, and then go out."


    "Who''s this girl?" one of the girls asked.


    "None of your business," Evin replied and pulled out the five''s lodestones from his bag. Since the air in the Ind was filled with an apparently endless source of mana, the extra lodestones were just a waste of inventory for Evin. "Here are your lodestones."


    He knew it was pointless to make excuses to appease Kolin, as these five were sure to have only bad things to say about him at the end of it all. He was mostly exining himself to the teachers, who were surely listening to the conversation, and Amera. Evin didn''t want to leave a bad impression on the Ruler''s daughter.


    "I''ll hold your hands so I can turn you invisible," Evin said to Amera, as they walked up the stairs outside.


    "You can do that?"


    "Yep. But you need to keep silent, alright? I can''t really tell whether any of the students would be waiting for me outside, so we need to be extra careful."


    The two tip-toed outside and were both hit by the ring light of the sun. Evin tried his best to scout out the area despite his squinting eyes, but thankfully, no one seemed to be waiting for them. He expected Kolin''s group to be part of a bigger one, but unexpectedly, that didn''t seem to be the case.


    Thanking the Empress, he quickly brought Amera away from the Tunnels'' entrance and said, "We''ll stop by the infirmary and the Shelter for some food and supplies, if that''s alright with you."


    Amera didn''t have any objections, and the two made their way to the Infirmary in an hour''s time. Evin wasn''t confident in his skills to make Amera fly with him, so trip naturally took some more time.


    The Infirmary was a simple,rge pavilion built in another open area inside the forest, and there was a sign outside that banned anyone from starting fights nearby. Thankfully, the ce wasn''t as crowded as Evin expected it to be and the teachers didn''t look intent on dousing the approaching students in cold water.


    Evin didn''t want to create a scene, so he silently approached a free teacher with Amera on his side and asked to have his face checked. The teacher told him that the wound wasn''t as deadly as it looked and that it would heal by itself over time. He just had to keep it closed and clean, so it didn''t get infected. But he still offered Evin a choice between having it healed by magic and getting it sewn. After all, the wound had still almost prated his cheek.


    After a brief consideration, Evin decided to tough it out and let it heal by itself over time. He might need the magic healingter on; and if he got it sewn now, it would take too much time. The teacher shrugged his head and after cleaning Evin''s wound, put some salve on it and told Evin to not move the wound around too much.


    After Evin was finished, bringing Amera, he walked southwards into the forest, before circling around and going north towards the Shelter. This time, the walk only took 15 minutes.


    He saw Teouka and the other teacher still loitering around the ce, but contrary to the morning, this time he saw a group of 6 students looking through the food as well. He circled around the ce, made himself and Am visible, and approached the Shelter from the direction of the Tunnels.


    Teouka noticed him at this point and started chanting; but Evin waved the card he obtained in the air and she stopped to greet him. "Wee to the Shelter. Can I see your card?"


    "Hello, teacher," Evin smiled and showed her the food and supply rted cards. Discreetly, he then handed her the cards rting to the more detailed map and the Cove.


    The other six students eyed Evin with greed, but seemed unwilling to make a scene in the Shelter.


    "Ooh, quite impressive!" Teouka eximed as she nced through the cards. "Well, you can pick whatever you want from around here, while I bring out the other item. Also, is your face alright? You should really go see the infirmary soon, you know?"


    "I''ll visit it after this," Evin said loud enough for the students to hear.


    Evin was thankful that the teacher didn''t mention anything about the other item being a map, and also for not mentioning anything about Amera. The other six students were surely curious about it all, but Evin wasn''t so generous to ry information to his enemies.


    Turning to the girl, he said, "You can pick anything you want. I''ve ess to much more food than I need."


    The two ate to their heart''s content and Evin put some extra food in his newly acquired backpack. When it came time for him to choose a tent, he originally wanted to pick the smaller one he bought, but ultimately decided on arger one, wide enough for two people, but low enough to be less visible.


    While they were eating, Teouka came with the new map and the info on the Cove. Evin didn''t hurry to read them yet, nning to check them out on the way to the Ruler''s Pce. But as he was waiting, one girl from the six-man group approached him.

 Chapter 76 - The Unspoken Area

    "Hey, you must be Evin, right?" the girl asked.


    "Yep," Evin replied in a friendly way. "And you are?"


    "Ah, my name''s Penelope, but usually people just call me Penny," the girl introduced herself and chuckled wryly. "I kinda noticed you have more food and supply cards than you need¡­ I was just wondering if you would be willing to trade them for information?"


    Evin wasn''t really sure whether he needed the information or not, but he could entertain the group for the time being. And like the girl said, it wasn''t like he needed 5 extra tents for himself.


    "Depends on what kind? Stuff about the trials? Or something else?"


    "Oh, I''m sure you''d love to hear this one. It actually pertains to you," Penny said with a smug smile.


    From the words, Evin could guess what the girl was gonna talk about.


    "Is it about the whole school year hunting me for a chance at tuition?"


    "A-ah, you already heard about it?" Penny asked, looking quite flustered.


    "Yeah. Ever since morning, people were trying to shoot me down on sight," Evin chuckled. "It''s been quite terrifying to see so many people who look like they want to skin you."


    It was a bit exaggerating, but Evin had enough people who were jealous of him for the guess to be usible.


    "Yeah¡­ then you must''ve seen the huge mob who was sweeping the ind in search of you."


    ''What the fuck?'' Evin thought, but managed to keep his cool.


    "Ha-ha, yeah. But if you happen to have some info on other things, I''m all ears, you know? Where did you get the food cards, anyway? The Dungeon?"


    Penny thought a bit before answering, "We managed to get some from the dungeon. In fact, I think I saw about half the school year is loitering around that ce. Luckily, our group woke up near the dungeon, so we were able to snatch some loot before anyone else was able to."


    It was obvious that Penny wasn''t very good at negotiating with others. Whenever Evin made a small guess about things and said some key words, like the school hunting for him, or the Dungeon; Penny would just assume that he knew everything about the topic and freely spout out information about the said topic.


    Evin probably could''ve used this fact to wring out a lot of information out of her, but for the time being, he didn''t really need to know anything. Hence, he decided to push the conversation towards its most desirable conclusion.


    "Have you found any other cards, then? If you have, maybe you can trade it for mine?"


    Penny considered the question and replied, "I need to discuss this with my other teammates."


    Evin didn''t mind and patiently waited for the other group to make their decision. Depending on the card, Evin didn''t even mind giving away all his food for it. After all, he wasn''t worried about not being able to find basic food cards.


    Five minutester, Penny came back and showed Evin the card they obtained.


    [ver Card ¨C bring five copies of this card to the Ruler and receive the ver''s Chains (attach this item to someone''s neck, to make them your ve through the rest of the test).]


    Suppressing the urge to grin, Evin acted as if he was seeing this card for the first time and muttered, "Huh, so there''s these kinds of cards as well."


    "Yes. The Dungeons mostly had cards rting to foods and supplies, but sometimes, these kinds of card popped up as well. I heard about a Castle Card, cards offering information on the other locations, a Find Person Card, a Find Card Card."


    ''Find Person Card¡­ and a Find Card Card¡­?'' Evin thought as he listened. He was a bit disappointed that he couldn''t find such cards in the Tunnels, despite the fact that he had the ce basically all to himself. ''Perhaps the Dungeon''s simply much bigger than the Tunnels? After all, it amodated the almost 60 students and from what I can gather from it, there are still people exploring it.''


    "Huh, I didn''t know that," he admitted. "Anyway, how many cards do you want for this one?"


    "We''ll be fine with two tents, four bags and enough food tost us the day," Penny replied humbly.


    Evin was feeling generous, so he didn''t bother bargaining and even gave the group enough food for the morning after. After all, Evin still had enough cards left tost him ten more days. It felt nice to be a phnthropic rich person.


    Finished with the trade, Evin got some snacks from the Shelter to eat during the walk. He then brought Amera and walked southwards, to the direction of the Infirmary. Then, he turned both of them invisible, and change their direction towards the Pce. If Amera had any trouble with all these extra precautions, she didn''t show them on the outside.


    After he decided that it was safe enough, he brought out the paper which contained the information on the Cove.


    [Rmended for students who can use either Lumiaris, Exivear, Ivelisi to a respectable degree. The trial inside requires the cooperation between five students, so challengers are advised to bring people they are familiar with. Thepletion reward is the right to receive two World Shards of their choosing (applies to each of the five participants, so ten Shards in total).]


    Evin nced through the information and felt conflicted. On one hand, this was task that was going to help him outside the Ind with the World Shards and whatnot. And two World Shards of one''s own choosing wasn''t so bad as well. Evin would finally be able to get the Shards of Ori-Etu, the World of Time, and Ferlour, the World of Emotions.


    But for Evin, the rewards weren''t as enticing. Although he had trouble getting his own World Shards, Evin knew that eventually, he would be able to get them. It wasn''t a matter of ''if'', more a matter of ''when''.


    And besides, Evin''s goal was the Helm. Something told him that a potential Helm wouldn''t go around collecting World Shards during the test.


    ''Well, I don''t feel like I''ll be able to go around collecting five students to help me solve the puzzles, anyway,'' Evin decided and checked out the more detailed map.


    A cursory nce showed him that every detail on the map was better drawn and illustrated. The upgrade wasn''t really useful, but it was nice to have. Then he noticed that the two previously unknown locations have been given names.


    [Entry into Mt. Lor ¨C the fiery core of the mountain awaits a worthy challenger.


    Temple of the Heretics ¨C A den of cultists. Proceed with utmost caution.]


    But the most surprising thing Evin saw was a point near the beach that wasn''t visible in the previous map:


    [??? ¨C Unspoken area.]


    ''Holy shit, that sounds ominous,'' Evin thought as he looked at the area that wasn''t even included in the first map.


    On the previous map, the unknown locations were only mentioned as ''unspecified'', but this time it was noted as ''unspoken''. Even the wording sent shivers up Evin''s spine.


    Then, immediately, he began to wonder how many people knew of this new location. Since Evin found the card for a better map at the Tunnels, then it wasn''t imusible to think that someone in the dungeons found a simr one. In that case, perhaps the challengers of the Cove and Mt. Lor were also aware of this new area.


    But something told Evin, that he was the first one to find ess to the ce, because the Tunnels were rtively easy to conquer. Evin couldn''t really say the same about the dungeon, but it was what it was. Perhaps the ce didn''t even have the same card that gave ess to a more detailed map.


    But that didn''t change the fact that Evin needed to hurry towards it. Even if he was the only one who knew about the ce today, he wouldn''t really be able to say the same tomorrow.


    ''Maybe I should visit this ce next even if I currently have no information on it¡­'' Evin thought. ''The Core of the mountain sounds like it''s going to be hot and the Temple sounds like I''ll fight real people. Both sound troublesome as hell.''

 Chapter 77 - The Ruler

    As Evin was pondering upon his next action, Amera spoke to him from the side, finished with her snacks.


    "It sounds like you have a lot of enemies¡­"


    The girl''s voice wasden with concern, but her golden pupils, curiously observing Evin''s reactions, betrayed her true emotions.


    ''Since when are kids so tricky these days?'' Evin thought amusedly as he worked on an answer.


    "I guess," Evin shrugged.


    "Why?"


    Evin wanted to reply, but realized that the question was harder than it first sounded. "Hmm¡­ Guess you shouldn''t make enemies with influential and rich people?"


    Amera made a pondering expression before saying, "Well, thankfully for you, at least you won''t make enemies with my father."


    "Yes. It really was very lucky of me to find you in that ce," Evin agreed. "What kind of person is your father, by the way?"


    "He''s a bit scary around others, but he''s very kind and gentle to me. I really like being around him. He''s also been the Ruler of this Ind for 4 years now, which is longer than any of the previous Rulers before him. Also-"


    The weirdly mature princess of the Ind seemed to have disappeared and was reced by an ordinary little girl. Evin really didn''t know why there were so many weird rumors about the Easterners. Stories about how they burn the scorpions of the desert to get high off the fumes, or how their favorite dishes were snake meat. Looking at Amera now, she only looked like a normal girl talking about her father, with the only exception being her dark skin.


    "By the way, where is this Ind, anyway?" Evin couldn''t help but ask.


    "Ah, what do you mean?"


    "Like, where exactly is this Ind located? Is it near the kingdom, or the Oases? Or somewhere else entirely?"


    Amera looked flustered, not knowing how to reply. "I-I don''t know. I''m sorry. I''ve been on this Ind since I''ve been born."


    Evin''s first thought was to think that she was lying, but the girl''s behavior didn''t seem like an act to him. Confused and curious, Evin decided to ask further, but his thoughts were interrupted by a tall dark-gray tower appearing in front of him from beside the trees.


    Evin had caught a glimpse of the Tower while he was flying, but seeing it up close had a much different effect. From afar, the tower looked slim, making Evin scoff at the idea that this was a Pce, but Evin could see now how wrong his assumptions were. The structure was definitely wide enough to be called a Pce and its height, too, was nothing to scoff at.


    Not to mention the material that the whole thing was made of: huge blocks of processed ketricite lined up the tower, giving off an aura that suppressed the mana nearby. Even Evin''s illusions were being affected by its pressure.


    "Well, it seems we''ve arrived," Evin said to Amera as he had the Voice dispel his illusory barrier.


    The act made the two of them visible to the naked eye and the guards around the Pce immediately took notice of them.


    "Who goes there!" one of them shouted at Evin, before noticing Amera behind him and immediately changing their behavior. "The princess!"


    Fifteen minutester, Evin was put before a dark-skinned man wearing the typical western nobleman''s clothing. Amera had already changed from her simple white dress into something which also resembled something a nobleman''s daughter would wear. Evin didn''t know how the girl was able to change clothes so quickly and appear on her father''s side, as she was brought away the moment the guards recognized who she was.


    And when Evin entered the Ruler''s presence a minute ago, she was already sitting beside his father, whispering something to his father''s ears. From the warm way the supposedly scary Ruler looked at him as he entered, Evin knew that Amera was putting in some good words for him. Maintaining a good person''s fa?ade might not always be useful, but it tended to bring benefits when one didn''t expect them.


    "Brave westerner, I, Albin Faizan, am grateful to you for bring my daughter back to me from the clutches of those viins."


    Even if the whole thing was an act, it was inadequate to say things like ''It''s nothing'', or ''No sweat off my back'' as the topic concerned the Ruler''s daughter. So, Evin could only y humble in a neutral and harmless way.


    "I was only lucky. I''ve been exploring the rat-infested Tunnels and was truly surprised by your daughter being there." Then, realizing that he heard something about these ''viins'' before from Amera before, he asked. "Who are these viins, anyway?"


    "Heretics that reside deep in the forest. Well, we call them heretics, but they''re practically all sub-humans worse than animals," Albin said hatefully. "Their belief in a false deity leads them to conduct countless sacrifices and killings in the name of rituals. Lately, they''ve been bing more and more unrestrained, even taking my daughter away from my side while she was walking through the forest outside."


    There were a few logical discrepancies in the Ruler''s words. If these Heretics were so horrible, then why didn''t they just sacrifice Amera to their false deity and instead locked her up in a room with a bed, a desk and even a bathroom? And if the Ruler knew that these Heretics were capable of such evils, then why didn''t he mount an attack on their Temple to save his daughter as soon as possible?


    ''Well, this whole thing''s just a huge act yed out to test us, so I guess the storyline''s logical facies aren''t that important,'' Evin thought inside, while nodding along to the Ruler''s words.


    The man was acting very amiably with Evin, offering him food and delicacies that were lined on the table. But Evin''s mind was on another thing.


    ''What''s my reward for saving Amera, anyway?''


    Evin couldn''t really mention rewards himself, as that would be considered rude, but there was still an expectation nagging at the back of his mind. But thankfully, Albin eventually mentioned the topic.


    "As a reward for saving my daughter, I wish to grant you these three items," the Ruler began. "I understand that you''re taking a test of the gods, and despite what you may think, I assure you that these items will be useful to you especially."


    The rewards turned out to be a ripped-up map, a key, and a spear. Evin was more than a bit disappointed by the first two items, but the Ruler kept hinting at him that those were really great treasures, even though he refused to talk about where the map or the key would be useful.


    Evin could only ept the Ruler''s words and hope he would find a use for them soon enough. In the meantime, he could keep himself happy with the spear he obtained. It was a thin spear with a long and straight two-ded edge; and was also about as tall as Evin was. But despite its length, the spear''s weight was almost negligible in Evin''s hands.


    Albin exined that it was made with a material called ''Sorbothium'', which had the ability to ept and integrate different World Energies. In this case, the spear was filled with the energy of Qanatohm, and had the ability to change its weight.


    The way it worked was simple, since the spear was filled with Weight energies, Evin, or any other mage holding it, just had to order it around like they would order around the World energies inside their bodies.


    It would take some time for Evin to master this spear, but otherwise, he was very d he received this item. He wanted a weapon for himself for a long time, but could never buy one for himself. Moreover, from next year, the students were finally going to graduate from their fistfights and actually start learning a proper weapon.


    Evin thanked the Ruler for his gifts and started asking some questions. Where this Ind was, what would happen if Evin took hold of a Castle, about the ''unspoken'' area on the map¡­ But it became apparent that the Ruler was unwilling to talk about these topics.


    "I am grateful to you for saving my daughter, but I can''t just answer every question you have because of it," the man replied after a bit.


    Evin then pulled out the card that allowed him two questions from the Ruler. "Will I have to use this, then?"


    The Ruler checked the card out, smiled, and then nodded.


    Evin thought hard about what question he could ask from the Ruler beforeing here. He was basically decided on one question so he decided to ask that first. "Before I ask, do you really know everything about what''s happening on this Ind?"


    "Well, of course, I don''t know everything about the Ind, but I do have ess to much more information than what you can probably imagine," Albin replied confidently.


    "In that case, can you tell me the location of a certain student?"


    Albin sent him a knowing smile and got up from his seat. "Follow me."


    The Ruler was definitely misunderstanding something, but Evin didn''t wish to bother correcting him and simply followed. The two ended up inside the basement of the Pce, which wasn''t made of Ketricite like the rest of the Pce. A secondter, Evin understood why.


    The Ruler brought Evin to a room, which was filled with thousands of Talismans all over the ce. A cursory nce told him that most of them were Talismans of Transmitting, but there were a few that escaped Evin''s knowledge, despite Evin''s extensive knowledge of Runes. The most interesting thing that Evin could find in the room was that all of these Talismans were connected to a huge metal Talisman through thin metallic wires. A thin strand of mana could be felt from this unknown Talisman, constantly prickling at Evin''s curiosity. But despite all his questions, one look at the Ruler''s expression told him that his questions wouldn''t be answered.


    "So? Who do you want me to search for?"


    Stifling a sigh, Evin replied.


    "Beyn Borna."


    ¡­

 Chapter 78 - The Tests Supervisor

    Seeing Evin fly off in the direction of Mt. Lor, Leanne sighed deeply and walked down into the Control room in the basement, despite her reluctance. Albin was still inside the room, performing his routine checkup on the Ind through the metal Talisman in the room, as per his duties as ''Ruler'' of the Ind.


    When he was finished, Leanne asked. "Why did you give him the key and map of the Laboratory?"


    "I don''t really get why I shouldn''t have given him ess? He already knows its location, so it would be a waste to not give it to him," Albin shrugged. "After all, there are only a few students who know about the ce and you know that in some tests, the Labs don''t even get explored because they can''t find the key."


    "He''s not ready yet for the Laboratory. At the very least, direct him towards the Temple first!"


    "Have you not seen my report on how he single-handedly took over the Tunnels?" Albin acted as if he was almost hurt by Leanne. "I can bring it up again, if you need to. You should''ve seen the way he dodged that ambusher''s swing. Even I wasn''t able to move like that when I was a kid. Like, damn¡­ it was almost artistic forck of better words."


    "I know exactly what he''s capable of. You don''t need to remind me about it."


    "Then you should know that he''s more than worthy to see the Labs."


    "Know your ce, Albin," Leanne said coldly. "You say he''s worthy to see thebs, but you should also remember that it''s only the first day of the test. You do know why we never allowed ess to the Laboratories for at least the first four days, right?"


    Leanne immediately regretted taking such a tone with Albin, but the man himself didn''t seem to mind it so much and instead replied jokingly. "Because the students wouldn''t have anything else to do afterwards?"


    "No. Because they need to experience the other locations and understand that this test isn''t just a test They need to understand that the Helm''s Worthy isn''t just some graduation event we made up because the kingdom''s Ministry of Education has too much time on their hands."


    "Well, now you''ll have material on what would happen if they get ess to the ce before that point, wouldn''t you?" Albin replied smilingly. "And besides, I never saw a written rule about what you''re saying, so you can''t really me me for doing what I think was the natural course of action."


    "The natural course of action?" Leanne breathed out.


    "Yes. We keep theboratories until the end of the Helm''s Worthy, because the students need time to readjust their mindset," Albin exined. "Well, I''m of the idea that Evin does not need such a long period of limatization. He''ll be shocked by the sight at first, sure, but he''ll get used to it soon enough. I have a knack for knowing such things, see?" Pausing, he smiled nostalgically. "You know I only picked the best subordinates to work for me."


    The man''s tone was friendly, but it still sent shivers up Leanne''s back. Perhaps only she could feel such pressure from the man, because she knew what the man did in the past and what he was capable of under the right circumstances.


    The previous four years, the man always put a cold and icy wall between himself and the Kingdom''s observers, silently performing only his duties as Ruler of the Ind. The man never questioned or skimped orders, nor did he ever create troubles for the students. The Kingdom was grateful for this fact and were always happy to put him in the role. Leanne also preferred to supervise Albin over the other ''Rulers'', as he was by far the most civil one.


    But for whatever reason, the man''s decisions regarding this test were always bordering on breaking one rule or another. His decision to include Amera, his daughter, during the testing being one of them. He also began to act in a much more friendly way, which gave Leanne a terribly eerie feeling. Being friendly with someone like Albin definitely didn''t feel safe, nor was it good for her heart.


    ''Oh, Empress, why do I always end up with these people that might randomly kill me if given the chance?'' shemented.


    "What did he ask using the card, anyway?"


    "Oh, he asked for that girl who''s wreaking havoc in the volcano''s core."


    "Ah, Be¡­"


    "At first I thought they were dating, because they were both so strong, but it kinda became apparent they weren''t," Albin said with puzzlement. "Can you tell me about them? I only usually see such talent from those kids from Arcvallen¡­ but even then, these two were still a head above those tiny devils."


    Leanne felt weirdly proud to hear this man praising Evin and wanted to smile, but her sense of self-control didn''t allow for her to show such an apparent weakness in front of the man.


    "You know I''m not allowed to divulge anything personal about them."


    "Come on¡­ I''m gonna be stuck here forever, anyway, so at least entertain me with some stories."


    Leanne held a strong front and diverted the topic. "Give me a report of your checkup."


    Albin sighed meaningfully and spoke in a monotone voice. "Two students were incapacitated in the Dungeon and were sent to the Infirmary. We''re keeping a close eye on the five who are challenging the Cove, as they look like they''re about to fail at any moment. The Tunnels are also ready to take on new challengers. A group of 13 students have just finished clearing Mt. Lor, and from what they obtained from the ce and how fast they cleared the task, I can guess that they will head towards the Temple now. I ordered my staff to replenish and prepare both the Temple and the Mountain-peak, but they''re saying that the Temple might take a bit, since the red-head broke some of the traps there. As for the Dungeon-"


    Leanne listened to the string of facts and then nodded with satisfaction. Aside from Evin, Be and Arza, who were clearing the locations single-handedly and were hoarding some of the cards, the test was going well.


    It was an expected oue and she already reminded Albin about these three problem children, so the man was able to more easily deal with them.


    "I authorize the use of magic to fix some of the traps to keep up with the schedule," Leanne said.


    "Alright, I''ll ry it for you," Albin smiled and with nothing else left to do inside the room, the two walked out of the control room.


    On the ground floor, the two were met with Amera waiting for them.


    "Dad!" the girl spoke in Eastern. "Are you finished with your work?"


    "I just need to ry something to the staff, and I''ll be free for the next hour or so," Albin said as he picked up the girl.


    "I told you I''d be able to y that role! Did you see it?" Amera asked with a beaming smile. "I always hated seeing a burly old man like uncle Farrah ying it. Damsels in distress should at least be yed by actual damsels."


    "Yes, yes. I stand corrected. So as I promised, I''m going to teach you another spell of your choosing, alright?"


    The exchange surprised Leanne, as it suggested that his daughter was the one who pestered Albin to participate in this year''s testing.


    "Oh, but I might have to have a word with Miss Leanne here afterwards, so do spare me if I''m slightlyte."


    "With Auntie Lea?" "With me?"


    The girl and the woman asked simultaneously. Leanne didn''t know what the man was nning, as they didn''t need to meet again till the next routine checkup which happened hourly.


    "Yup. But it shouldn''t take long, so don''t worry too much."


    "Okay!" Amera replied and ran off somewhere.


    Leanne and Albin smiled at her running back and walked towards the guards'' post. Normally, Leanne would''ve left the Easterner''spany at this point, but since the man mentioned something speaking with her, she could only follow along.


    Upon arrival, Albin''s carefree personality made aplete 180. He randomly picked two of the standby guards and spoke in a cold tone, "Fly to the Temple and help with its reconstruction. Tell the staff there they''re allowed to use magic if they need to. Also tell them to add extra Turned ones in the rooms. At least two extra in each chamber, except the boss room. You can deduce the number from future renewals. Hurry."


    The two guards nodded fearfully and flew off deep into the forest in a hurry.


    Leanne was about toin at Albin for making such a sudden decision without her approval, but decided not to. The 13-man group that was just finished with Mt. Lor and heading towards the Temple was obviously the group of Nobles with Decatur in the center. Their power was more than enough to deal with the Temple, so it was best to make the ce a bit harder to conquer, while reducing the difficulty for the groups ofmoners that were going to explore the ce at ater date.


    Albin then led Leanne to the dining hall on the first floor and asked the servants to vacate the room.


    "So?"


    "I have a request to make."

 Chapter 79 - The Rulers Past

    Leanne nodded casually, allowing the man to speak. He didn''t know what the man wanted, but Leanne didn''t really take the matter very seriously. His subordinated were probably just pestering him for more whores to be brought to the Ind. She was actually very confident in her guess, as Albin seemed hesitant to speak of it in the presence of his daughter.


    "I want Amera to be brought away from the Ind."


    The contents of the request were much different than what she was expecting, so it stunned Leanne for a second. Digging through her mind, she pulled out the case of Albin Faizan and his daughter from inside her memories. She was forced to memorize the details of the Ruler, so the information came pretty easily.


    ''Albin Faizan¡­ Captured six years ago by the King''s Mages, while performing inhumane experiments on the kingdom''s territory¡­ Caught with his newborn daughter and threatened to blow her body up if the kingdom took her away from him¡­ Was sentenced to take the Oath of Obedience for his crimes, but resisted, and was only branded with the Oath of Loyalty¡­ Waster sent with his daughter to the Ind to oversee the Helm''s Worthy for the various Academies¡­ No further request to take his daughter was made from the kingdom''s side.''


    "Hmm¡­ What changed your mind? I remember us offering to take her under our care, but you refused quite intensely, insisting that you were going to raise her yourself."


    "Well, I was a bit of a stubborn idiot back then," Albin smiled wryly, his imposing demeanor all but gone like it never existed. "Even to this day I can''t guess why I insisted on bringing my daughter along to serve my life sentence with me¡­ But to be fair, I was just caught by your mages back then, so I suppose it was natural that I couldn''t believe you''d treat her fairly."


    "And what made you change your mind?"


    "Who knows? Reaching my 50s and having nothing to do, I guess. I''m confident that I''ll be able to live till my 100s because of my magic, so looking towards my future on this Ind¡­ it feels kind of bleak, I guess. I just thought I wouldn''t want the same thing for my daughter."


    Leanne considered her words very carefully.


    "A revtory introspection and a few sentimental words to your observer wouldn''t really fix all the sins you''vemitted, now would it? The Kingdom will never forget the lives that it lost under your hands, and will always act cautiously towards you. Same with me - no matter how friendly you act, I will always hold a healthy amount of suspicion in my heart when dealing with you¡­" Leanne spoke silently, yet clearly. "But¡­ I do agree that Amera has nothing to do with your sins. I will ry your message to the superiors."


    "Thank you."


    "But I must remind you, she will be subject to a much sterner surveincepared to what she would''ve gone through five years ago."


    "You mean¡­" Albin murmured, showing a rare hint of weakness in his voice. Unconsciously, his hand reached towards his mana-core where the Oath resided.


    "No. Of course not," Leanne quickly dispelled the man''s worries before he could misunderstand things. "The Oath is only reserved for the mages whomit serious crimes, so you won''t have to worry about your daughter taking one because of you. At worst, she''ll have some nagging inspector following her around for a few years, before they decide that she poses no harm for the kingdom."


    "I see¡­" Albin let out a relieved sigh. "That''s fine as well."


    "Ah, one more thing," Leanne added. "Since there haven''t been any cases like yours before, I can''t be sure on how they would handle family visits."


    Leanne''s mind immediately began working on the problem at hand. She was acting slightly out of line, but the kingdom gave her a certain amount of freedom regarding the Ind, so it was probably alright. She would just need to write a ttering report to the supervisor from Arcvallen and the problem should be solved. But as she was thinking about how to write her report to the higher ups, Albin burst outughing.


    "What?"


    "No-no, I just didn''t think you''d take this so seriously¡­ to even think of how my daughter and I would visit each other¡­ I feel a bit bad seeing you act so diligently."


    "What do you mean you feel bad?" Leanne asked, feeling a bit pissed.


    ''You''re the one who brought out the topic, so why aren''t you taking it seriously? Isn''t this concerning the future of your daughter?''


    "I guess to say that I''m feeling bad is wrong. Maybe ''ttered'' is a better word. I''m ttered that you''re taking this so seriously," Albin said smilingly. "Honestly, I expected this conversation to be much more difficult than it is. After all, I am an international criminal infamous for his ruthlessness and disrespect of life¡­ I wouldn''t be surprised if you decided to ignore my pleapletely."


    "Stop saying those things with such a bragging tone. This is also one of the reasons why I want Amera to grow apart from you," Leanne said half-seriously, but her mind was caught on Albin''s words.


    ''But he does have a point¡­ Why am I taking this matter so seriously? The me from a year ago would just chalk up a perfunctory report for my superior and be done with the whole matter¡­ Buttely during this test, I''m actually doing my best to help his case and I''m even being careful to not act like a bitch like the previous times... Am I finally growing as a person?''


    It was a nice thought to have, buttely, Leanne''s mind was much prone to negative conclusions than positive ones.


    ''I''m probably doing all this because of fear. I''m trying to act politely to him because I''m afraid he''ll kill me someday if I don''t act nice with him. I must leave a good impression in his mind, so if he ever breaks out of the chains of the Oath, he wouldn''t hold it against me as much. It''s an irrational thought, but my body and brain are unconsciously working under such an illogical assumption¡­''


    Leanne fell deeper into thought and wondered what happened to her to warrant such drastic changes. It wasn''t hard to find the main reason.


    ''Evin¡­''


    Ever since the thought that Leanne could be killed by Evin appeared in her mind, she became awfully conscious of the way she interacted with him. She picked her words carefully, she actively listened to what he was saying, instead of just waiting for her turn to speak her mind out, and she worked desperately hard to maintain the fa?ade of an amiable person.


    She could say the same for how she started to interact with many other people as well.


    "You''ve changed a lot," Albinmented as Leanne was caught in thought.


    Leanne realized that she had fallen in deep thought in Albin''s presence and immediately felt embarrassed. It was a bad habit of hers, one that she still hadn''t fixed, despite all the new year''s eves she resolved herself to do it.


    "I''m sorry, I was just caught in thought¡­ It''s a bad habit of mine," she said, and got up from her seat. "I hope you enjoy your time with Amera."


    "Is it so bad to change as a person?" Albin pressed on.


    "Excuse me?" Leanne asked, just as she stood up.


    "I asked is it so bad to change as a person?" Albin repeated.


    "Depends on the change¡­ I guess. A kind and understanding person turning into a spiteful and harming one would probably be considered bad."


    Albin smiled at the example, but shook his head.


    "But I think that even negative changes have good effects," he said, and noticing that Leanne wasn''t following, continued. "Think of it like this, if you don''t experience the worst that life can offer, how can you know when you''re happy? If you don''t feel doubt, anxiety, and confusion, how can you know when you''re free of them? And as wrong as it may sound, if you never do illegal things and get punished for it, how can you learn the mistakes of your ways?"


    "So you''re saying that one has to be a criminal, live through the worst things that life can throw at you, and only then you can grow as a person?"


    "Ha-ha-ha, it definitely sounds interesting now that I think about it¡­ but no. I''m just saying that negative changes aren''t always bad things. It offers someone a chance to change and grow."


    "Too bad there are people who never learn from their mistakes, huh?" Leanne shrugged, saying the words in a more spiteful tone than she intended. She didn''t know why.


    Albin didn''t seem to mind it, and just said. "But you''re not one of them, right? You''re smart enough to look at yourself objectively and think about your own ws and mistakes. Do you think I''d say these things to my subordinates? Most of their heads are filled with delusions of escaping and the women thate to the Ind every two months."


    It felt weird to be lectured like this by a criminal infamous for his disregard for human life, but Leanne couldn''t really find faults in his words. Remembering that even a broken clock was at least right twice a day, she decided that she shouldn''t shun the advice.


    "I''ll keep it in mind."


    "Ha-ha, I''m kind of surprised that my request turned into a random heart-to-heart between us, but I can''t say I didn''t enjoy it."


    Leanne was also surprised by the development, but decided that it was best to not focus on these things so heavily.


    "Why did you ask about Amera on the first day of the test, anyway? And wouldn''t it be better to ask the representative from Arcvallen?"


    "Depending on your answer, I needed to decide whether to talk with Amera. As for the olddy from Arcvallen¡­ well, even without asking, I kinda know she''ll refuse."


    "Alright," Leanne sighed, resolving to properly write the damn report. "I''ll meet you in forty minutes in the control room, then."


    "Bye," Albin smiled.


    Leanne seemed to catch something akin to sadness and guilt in his eyes, but didn''t really think much of it.


    ''He''s probably thinking about how he''ll exin things to his daughter,'' she thought as she walked out of the room.


    ¡­

 Chapter 80 - Hunted

    Evin arrived in the entryway of Mt. Lor andnded on a thinyer of ash. He looked at the ground and saw another faded pair of footprints walking into the entrance (which was basically arge hole dug on the ground with vaguely shaped steps), but not walking out. He concluded that she was still inside and breathed out a sigh of relief.


    ording to Albin, she should be finished with the ce in about an hour, so Evin just needed to wait till then and he would have a powerful ally on his side. With Be in tow, Evin wouldn''t have anything to worry about when challenging the Unspoken area.


    "But still, it''s so damn hot here¡­"


    The entrance was located on the base of the mountain, near the end of the forest. From the fact that it was heading downwards, suggested that whatever trial the students had to undergo urred underground. Evin didn''t really know how volcanoes worked, but from the fact that the hole was emitting immense amounts of heat to the surrounding area, suggested that there wasva running below the ground here.


    And even though he expected it to be hot since he was going to be visiting a volcano, he felt that nothing could''ve prepared him for such an environment. But still, he was a mage. Although he couldn''t control the heat in the air, he could still create a cold breeze to keep his surroundingsfortable.


    And as he waited, he pulled out the device with the orb that he got from the Tunnels. Just as Amera suggested, Evin asked about the item from Albin, and thetter exined to him that it was a failed experimental device that the Temple Cultists worked on. Apparently, it was used to increase the chances of turning a normal animal into a mana-beast through the orb. He told Evin to not touch the orb carelessly, as it was would send pulses of mana to his core and overwork it. But he did tell Evin to carry it around just in case, as it might be useful for himter on.


    Like this, thirty minutes passed without much happening.


    <Look over there,> the Voice interrupted his thoughts.


    Evin put away the device and looked at the forest with squinting eyes. He made out the outlines of a few students who were walking out of the forest and were headed towards the Entrance to the Volcano. Since Evin was invisible, they couldn''t see him. Slowly, Evin stopped affecting the air around him and started floating. Before the students arrived, he made sure to erase the footsteps he created as well.


    "Look at the footprints here, I think he''s inside," one of the students said as they approached.


    "Finally," another replied. "The fucker moves around too much. First he went to the Shelter, then to the Infirmary, but after that, he appeared on the Pce. Good thing we waited a bit to use the Find Person Card, so we can catch him during whatever trial he''s going through."


    From the contents of the exchange, Evin realized that they were talking about him.


    "Alright, he should''ve just arrived here, so I''m going to call in the others," one of them said and cast a spell towards the sky.


    Ten minutester, forty students appeared from the forest and set up an ambush outside the Mountain''s entrance. Some set up camp, expecting Evin to take at least half a day to conquer the trial, while some others were setting up various traps around the ce.


    They did all this, while not knowing that their target was floating above them and observing the whole process.


    <Huh¡­ If I divide 300 by 40, then it would only be about 8 gold coins per person, right?> Evin pondered, as he observed the situation from above. <I mean, I guess it''s a nice sum to possess, but it''s surely not worth whatever''s happening here, right?>


    He didn''t really expect an answer from the Voice, but it was apparently in a good enough mood today to hold a conversation with Evin.


    the Voice offered with a chuckle.


    <Then the total number would be 12000 gold?> Evin realized and shook his head. <It truly is a pain in the ass to fight against a rich and influential person¡­ Sigh, he was fine for the past 2 months, so why did he suddenly be so active?>


    <Gehenne warned you, didn''t he? That he would give his brother full rein over Greater Ankelite,> the Voice said gleefully. <Well, now you know what happens when you let an egotistical child run a county.>


    <But Gehenne should''ve predicted this, right? After all, at least some of those exalted rumors about him should be true?> Evin was still puzzled. <Surely he wouldn''t leave the fates of the thousands of people living here in Decatur''s hands.>


    <Of course, he knew that something like this might happen and must''ve prepared measures to prevent the County from going to shit entirely. If I was him, I''d at least leave a trusted assistant with Decatur, who would be responsible for taking care of things in emergencies, such as his brother using the entirety of the County''s tax money to bribe students¡­> the Voice said, before chuckling amusedly.


    Evin thought about the two brothers and decided that it wasn''t worth the time and effort of thinking.


    He silently approached the traps that the students have made and started disabling them one by one. Most of them were simple paper Talismans with various runes drawn on them, so Evin just had to slightly rip the papers, or put a hole through them and no one would be wiser.


    Paper Talismans were easy to create (if a mage was sufficiently good at drawing) and carry around, but it didn''t change the fact that it was made of paper. An indiscriminate wide area attack like Decatur''s Hailstorm was a very good method against people who relied on Talismans, and the same was true for spells that created extreme heat.


    Obviously, Talismans could be made with other materials, like metals and hardwoods, but that mostly applied to the field of Magical engineering and not Runes, so Evin wasn''t very familiar with them. For him, they were basically just Talismans made of wood and metal, but he was sure that the engineering enthusiasts would have many thoughts regarding this opinion.


    With such carefree thoughts, Evin finished disabling practically all the traps around the area. He wanted to go and disable the ones that the students must''ve left inside the stairway, but there were way too many people walking around it, so he gave up.


    <Alright, now that we''re finished with the traps, how should we deal with the 40 students?> Evin asked.


    <We''ll wait for Be to appear and take care of them all. We''ll support her so she knows we''re on her side¡­ As for how, well, you can leave that to me,> the Voice said confidently. <But I''ll need quite a bit of Weight energy.>


    Evin switched the Air and Thought energy inside his core to Weight, and felt as the Voice''s will began sending orders to it.


    And as if on cue, a trap went off inside the entrance, followed by a student being blown away, mud all over his body. A wave of panic surged through the students, as shouts of confusion echoed through the fiery area.


    "What the hell is happening?" A student who seemed to be the leader of this group shouted frantically.


    Evin recognized him as one of themoner students who had a mage as a parent and attended thebat ss with him. His name was Dagan.


    "I think he''s already out," one of the students exined.


    "Didn''t he just enter the damn thing?"


    "It''s not him," a student who was closer to the stairway eximed. "It''s that noble girl! Beyn Borna."


    Understanding that they were trying to ambush the wrong person, Dagan''s face fell and he immediately dashed to the entrance.


    "Lady Beyn, this is a misunderstanding! Please hear me out!"


    Be emerged from the stairway, her body covered in an armor made of mud. Evin could see that the whole thing was fluidly traversing around her body like a muddy river. It didn''t look like a very effective form of protection at a nce, but Evin had a very deep knowledge about the adaptability and versatility of that armor. He was sure that Dagan was also aware of its capabilities.


    "What the hell were you trying to do?" Be asked with an annoyed scowl.


    She looked around the area and despite noticing the 40 or so students who looked ready to fling a spell at her, her expression didn''t change.


    "Wait, wait. Before you make any conclusions, just hear me out," Dagan said, and noticing that Be seemed willing to hear him out, continued. "We were trying to ambush someone who we believed was inside the trial, but I can assure you that it''s not you who we''re after."

 Chapter 81 - New Information

    Be listened to Dagan''s exnation, looked around at the 40 or so students and scoffed. "Let me guess. Evin?"


    Dagan looked hesitant to speak, as everyone knew that Be had good rtions with Evin, but eventually decided to tell the truth. "Yes."


    "Whatever," Be shrugged, as if she couldn''t be bothered to care about the matter.


    "Thank you," Dagan sighed in relief, but Be''s next words reminded him that the matter wasn''t over yet.


    "But since you tried to ambush me like this, I can''t really shrug off the matter with a few words. I demand a proper apology."


    Dagan''s eyes twitched, but he still maintained an amiable face. "What do you propose?"


    "You all should''ve explored the other locations on the Ind, so you should''ve gotten at least something from those ces," Be grinned widely. "Show me the cards you have and let me pick one out of them."


    "That''s..."


    "Don''t think and just obey," Be said arrogantly. "And don''t think for a second I''ll believe that you don''t have any cards on you."


    The haughtiness of the words seemed to rub Dagan the wrong way, as his eyes quickly observed the area around him. Evin noticed how his eyes fell on the various Talismans that they set up previously, before he looked back at Be, who was surrounded by it all. Then, as if nothing happened, he replied in the same amiable tone as before.


    "Alright. Then, I''ll bring the cards we''ve gathered for you, and you can choose one from among them. Let me fetch them from my tent."


    But after he created a suitable distance between his enemy, he promptly ordered the students around to attack Be. "Throw at her whatever you got! Activate the Talismans!"


    Countless Chants went off in the area, and Be was subjected to the same treatment that Evin received in the morning. Countless lesser spells were thrown at her way, but instead of dodging, or disrupting the spells like Evin, Be made her mud armor inte outwards and turn into a shell.


    However, this shell wasn''t a normal barrier that users of the World of Earth would create. Be''s barrier was constantly in movement and just like the turbulent currents of a river it easily took care of the hastily created spells. Fire didn''t do any damage to it; water and earth would just get swirled up by the currents and turn into a part of Be''s spell. There wasn''t even a need to talk about the effects of the Worlds of Air, Light, and Darkness. Why would they even bother attacking her with such spells was beyond Evin.


    The only spell which had any kind of effect was Dagan''s spells, which were long 2-3 meter icicles shaped in the form of a spear. They managed to prate the swirlingyer of mud, but Evin was sure they weren''t hitting their intended target. And ever after they prate theyer, they would still get swept away by the currents like nothing happened.


    "What happened to the Talismans? Didn''t we set up three dozen of them around here?"


    "We''re trying to make them work, but none of them are working!"


    "Useless idiots!" Dagan cursed, but managed to calm himself down. "Try to create a stronger spell! I''ll buy time for you!"


    At this moment, the mud shell turned smaller and smaller, until it formed around Be''s body again.


    "Since you dared to attack me, I was actually expecting a proper challenge, but I guess you''re just to idiotic to think that students who barely studied for four months are actually capable of something."


    Almost instantly, Be created a two-handed longsword from the mud on her armor, but unlike the rest of her mud-based skills, her sword wasn''t fluid or swirling. Using it, she began to hack at the nearby enemies, slowly but surely making her way towards Dagan. The fight quickly devolved into a one sided massacre.


    Even without Evin helping the girl out, it didn''t look like there was going to be much of a fight. But Evin needed to establish his stance, so he needed to do something.


    <I guess we should also do our part,> the Voice said casually and unleashed his spell.


    Evin felt the Weight energies starting to affect the ground beneath thebatants, indiscriminately increasing its pull onto them. Except for Be, who was being excluded from the spell''s effects due to the Voice''s expertise, everyone on the ground stumbled ufortably, their feet and body feeling twice as heavy as before.


    "Has Evin left the trial as well?" Dagan grumbled as he looked around.


    Evin knew he was familiar with this spell, as they had fought each other in a mock fight beforehand, and Evin had used the spell against him. As far as Evin was aware, there was no one in the year who couldfortably change another''s weight aside from him, so it was natural for Dagan to suspect that their original target was also attacking his side.


    ''Guess, it doesn''t really matter if I''m visible at this point or not,'' Evin decided and asked the Voice to remove theyers of illusions on his body, but asked it to mask the scar on his cheek.


    "Hey, Dagan," he dered his presence.


    The boy looked up and red at him hatefully. "You were there the whole time?"


    Evin grinned gleefully at his shock. "Of course, I was. Really, it was a refreshing experience to participate in the setup of a trap made for me. But I decided that the Talismans were a bit overkill, so I took care of them beforehand. Do pardon me for the intrusion."


    At this point, Dagan realized that there was no hope for him to turn the situation. Even against Be alone, his chances at victory were slim, so he could only grit his teeth and admit defeat. With cating words, he asked his subordinates to stop fighting and told Evin and Be that he was willing to offer some of the cards they''ve collected to amend this misunderstanding.


    Evin had no interest in fighting in the first ce, so he was willing to ept these arrangements. He looked towards Be and saw the other nod as well. Evin expected Be to look back at him, but the girl seemed positively unconcerned by his presence.


    ''Hmm, I thought she''d be more happy to see me,'' Evin thought in his head, but decided that he could talk with herter on.


    A few momentster, Dagan showed Evin and Be the cards he collected, while the rest of his entourage was tending to the few injured. His group possessed 4 unique cards in total: a Castle Card, a Find Person Card, a Skip Room Card, and a Find Card Card. Evin could guess that their uses were from their names, but Dagan was courteous enough to exin them in greater detail. Since the students could ask one question at the Shelter regarding the test, a big group like Dagan''s undoubtedly had a big advantage over loners like Evin.


    A Find Person Card was as its name suggested, a card that allowed the possessor to ask for the location of a certain student at the Infirmary. And surprisingly, it was a card that could be used twice a day for the rest of the Test.


    A Find Card Card was also the same in the fact that it could be used twice a day every day, but to find specific cards instead.


    A Skip Room Card was used by trial takers to skip a room that they deem too difficult to ovee by themselves. Apparently, there were hidden trial supervisors in each area, so the students just had to shout around a bit to get their attention.


    Also, Evin learned some new info about the Castles as well. It was a fortified building made of ketricite, which also possessed 12 guards and supplies inside of it. And if a student possessed three cards on them, they just had to go up to one and im it. There were three such castles on the map, so it meant that there were 9 Castle Cards scattered across the Ind.


    But there was a downside to taking im of a castle. Basically, if one imed a castle as their own, they couldn''t undo this actionter on. And also, if their castle somehow gets taken over by enemy factions, its original imer will be taken down with it, and be forced to part with every card they''ve collected during the test.


    "Oh, I almost forgot to mention this," Dagan continued casually. "Apparently, if one student takes over all three castles, something very important happens."


    "What do you mean?" Be asked.


    "Don''t know. The teachers at the Shelter said they weren''t allowed to talk about it."


    "Do you think¡­" Evin suggested the obvious.


    "Probably not," Dagan shrugged. "Obviously, it would help, but I don''t think just taking over three castles would warrant bing Helm."


    Despite what happened previously, the three were sitting together in one of Dagan''s tents, listening to him share information with them.


    "Well, that''s about it, concerning the Cards I have," Dagan shrugged.


    "Are you sure these are all the cards you possess?"


    "Yes. We had a few more, but we''ve already used them. You two can each check all our possessions in search of them, and you can keep whatever you find to yourselves. But honestly, I don''t think you understand how rare these cards are in the first ce. You two were lucky enough to hog two Trials all to yourselves, but us normal students have topete against each other quite intensely just to get food and supplies."


    "You know about me clearing the Tunnels?" Evin asked.


    "Yes. There was a group who was in the Shelter, talking about meeting you in it. You don''t have a very reputable image in many of the students'' eyes, by the way," Dagan said smilingly.


    "I can imagine¡­" Evin replied.


    He knew something like this was going to happen, but there wasn''t much he could do about this. It wasn''t like he could control what the five said, and it wasn''t like he could leave them beside the rats, so¡­


    "In any case," Dagan continued in a serious tone. "In exchange for the information I provided, I hope you can pick one card each from the four we have."

 Chapter 82 - The Ultimate Prize

    Hearing the sudden offer, Evin stole a nce towards the girl beside him. Observing her facial expressions, Evin found unconcern and then annoyance. She didn''t mind Dagan''s proposition, and she was also worried about something.


    Since the other side showed her stance quite clearly, Evin didn''t mind speaking on behalf of the two sides.


    "That sounds good enough, I don''t mind picking one card. Is that alright with you, Be?"


    "Sure, I''ll pick first, since I was attacked first."


    "But wouldn''t the attack be impossible if they weren''t aiming for me in the first ce?" Evin joked.


    Be raised her eyebrows at Evin and smiled. "Well, that depends entirely on what card you''ll pick. If it''s the one I want, then I must be adamant on picking first." There was none of the previous worry in her face now.


    It was obvious which card here was the best one, so they both knew they wanted the same thing. And they weren''t so distant to fight over it, so Evin proposed a much easier method.


    "Let''s just decide by throwing a coin," Evin said and pulled out a silver coin.


    "Heads," Be shrugged and let Evin throw.


    The coin swirled in the air for a second, beforending between Evin''s hands. Without further dy, Evin revealed the coin and saw the Empress'' face greeting the two. The winner was set.


    "I''ll pick the Find Card Card," Be said smilingly.


    "Sigh, then I''ll pick the Castle Card," Evin followed.


    Dagan gave them both their desired cards and started to bid his farewells. "Well, good luck to you two in the test¡­ And I hope you keep this a secret, but I''m rooting for either of you to be the Helm, instead of Decatur."


    "It feels weird to hear that from someone who nned to ambush me half an hour ago."


    "Well, that was just me trying my best to perform well in the test. I''m not aiming for the position of Helm, but that doesn''t mean I shouldn''t do my best."


    "Hmm¡­ I was always curious. What did Decatur promise to you all for capturing me anyway?"


    "Full tuitions for anyone involved, but not more than 3000 gold."


    "So at most 10 people," Evin muttered.


    "Yes, but that wasn''t really the reason why we attacked you," Dagan said cheerfully. "We knew that you had just cleared a trial and was searching for another one to go to. If the ambush was sessful, we could''ve justid back for a few hours and collected the loot from two trials at once. The gold from Decatur would just be a little bonus for our efforts."


    The boy''s shameless recounting of his ns surprised Evin, but he couldn''t really say he wouldn''t do the same in the other''s shoes. But it was still weird for him to be discussing each other''s betrayals so casually.


    ''Maybe it''s because the Helm''s Worthy is just a test so the actions we take in it don''t feel as real. Every student could just do whatever they wanted to each other, and even if they were confronted by their victimster on, they could just say they did it to win the test.''


    Evin felt that there was something important in this line of thought, but Be interrupted him from the side.


    "Let''s go."


    Evin nodded, and the two made themselves invisible before heading southwards. Contrary to expectations, the two ran towards their destination. Be could fly, but her skill on the subject matter was subpar at best, despite Evin''s efforts in teaching her.


    As they walked, Evin asked her some details regarding the trial in the mountains and understood that the biggest challenge inside was managing one''s mana usage to solve the trials inside while also keeping oneself safe from the oppressing heat of the volcano.


    But from what Evin heard, the trials themselves weren''t that difficult to ovee. The hardest room had four tier-2 insect type mana-beasts, which, by Be''s words, seemed specifically raised to withstand high temperatures, like all the other enemies there. There were many locations in the World were mana-beasts strived, but a volcano definitely wasn''t one of them.


    Anyhow,paring the difficulty between the Tunnels and the Volcano, Evin could kind of guess how difficult would the ''unspoken area'' would be. The ce would most likely have a dangerous environment that Evin would need to be wary of and would also have a tier-3 as the final boss. Maybe a peak tier-3 as a surprise for the students.


    In that case, it wouldn''t be so difficult to conquer the ce, especially with Be at his side. But, just as Evin was about to talk about his ns regarding the test, Be stopped and turned to him.


    "I don''t want to challenge this test with you."


    "What?" Evin was shocked by the words, as he wasn''t really expecting something like this.


    "I know that if it''s us, we can probably breeze through every trial without much effort. And perhaps after we''re done with the Ind we can have a duel between us to decide who gets the position of Helm, but I don''t think that''s the right path forward."


    The words would sound arrogant in the ears of others, but Evin was confident in being able to achieve such overwhelming results if he joined hands with Be. Even if the two were topete against all the Academy first years, Evin felt they could hold up their own. Obviously, they would get wiped out if they were to fight them all in one ce, but the test this time wasn''t just about fighting prowess, so the two definitely had a chance.


    ''The only reason Be would refuse is if she thinks that this isn''t the path to bing the ultimate winner.''


    "I''m exining myself to you now because we have a good rtionship and I know that you''ve been spending your time trying to contact me¡­ but the next time we meet, I''ll greet you as an enemy."


    Without giving him any chance to speak back, Be started floating and flew off into the sky.


    "Wait!" Evin shouted, trying to warn her of the iing ketricite shots, but the girl adamantly refused to look back and flew faster and faster.


    Not even ten secondster, she began to get bombarded by the grey projectiles, and Evin started to fly towards her. Be wasn''t as adept as him at flying, so she wasn''t able to dodge all the projectilesing towards her. A cloud of grey exploded in the sky and from inside it, Be dove towards the ground.


    Thankfully, Evin was already floating below her, ready to catch her before she fell into the trees. The Pce was still shooting ketricite at his location, so he quickly flew down to the ground after his collision with Be.


    As he put her down, he noticed she was much lighter than he imagined, almost as light as a small animal, but he understood why after thinking a bit. To make herself weightless, naturally, she had to affect her entire body with Qanatohm''s energies. So when she was bombarded by the Pce, the World energies on her skin disappeared, but the ones she kept inside her body were still active.


    ''Huh¡­ My mind''s getting easily distracted again,'' Evin reprimanded himself, before focusing his attention on Be.


    The girl looked fine, but Evin could see that her ears and cheeks were turning red. Evin was shocked at the sight of Beyn Borna feeling shame, but decided that it was inevitable in this situation. She had staged such a dramatic departure, but only 10 secondster, she had to be rescued by the person who she left behind.


    Be acted in a tough and responsible manner most of the time, but after interacting with her for such a long time, Evin inevitably noticed some of her more childish traits.


    "I wanted to tell you that the Ind doesn''t allow students to fly high in the air," Evin said, deciding not to mention what happened just now.


    "Ahem¡­ I see. Thank you for the information," Be replied, clearing her throat. "But I still think we should separate."


    "I agree as well."


    "Ah-" Be eximed, clearly surprised by Evin''s answer.


    "If we team up and wipe the floor with the rest of the school year, it''ll leave a bad taste in my mouth," Evin exined with a confidentugh. "And despite how I look, I''m also gunning for the position of Helm."


    "Is that so?" Be showed a refreshing smile. "Then I wish you good luck on the test."


    The awkwardness in the atmosphere was gone, since they both knew each other''s stances now. With this exchange, they could separate without feeling unsure of each other''s thoughts on the matter. It was definitely better than Be running off after shouting out her opinions one-sidedly. There was no need for further farewells, as the situation wasn''t really one that required something like that.


    ''It''s not like we''re going to war or something like that¡­'' Evin smiled wryly as he watched the girl disappear into the woods in a light jog.

 Chapter 83 - Impending Confrontation

    <Guess we''re going to that area by ourselves.>


    <Yes. And now that we have two Castle Cards, maybe we can hope to find one in there,> Evin replied.


    <Actually, do you want to visit the Temple first?> the Voice asked after thinking a bit. <I''m getting a bit interested in those Heretics¡­ something tells me that they might offer information on the Unspoken Area.>


    <Why do you think so?>


    <Hmm, it''s mostly a hunch, but I think there''s a storyline to this Ind,> the Voice began its exnation. <A proper order of things, if you will. And I''m also guessing that only certain areas of the Ind are connected to this Storyline. The Tunnels and the Unspoken area are definitely part of the storyline, while the Dungeon and the trials on the Mountain are just extras.>


    <With that logic, our meeting with the Ruler should also be part of the Story, right?> Evin guessed.


    <Yes. You''re starting to use your brain, finally,> the Voice said with fake pride. <Anyhow, you should remember how the Ruler mentioned that Amera was captured by viins hiding in a Temple deep inside the forest, right? I think that was a hint on what action we should take afterwards.>


    Evin could see how the Temple would be connected to the Storyline now, and nodded.


    <There''s also the theming of the locations,> the Voice wasn''t finished yet. <The storyline trials all have a darker name and theme to them: a rat-infested underground tunnel, a temple of crazed heretics, and finally, an ''unspoken area''. On the other hand, the extras are all have light-hearted, almost heroical themes: a dungeon with endless riches, the top of a mountain and a fiery volcano.>


    <Then by that logic, shouldn''t the Cove also be part of the chain?>


    <It could be, but since we don''t have a five-people group we can trust, we can only ignore it and hope we''re not missing anything important. And besides, I don''t like areas filled with water, so¡­> the Voice trailed of before getting back on track. <Whatever the truth might be, I think we should visit the temple first, before visiting thest area. When there''s a proper order to things, especially stories, I like to follow it to see what the creator intended for us to see, instead of going against their will.>


    Evin thought about its proposal, and despite wanting to oppose it just to spite the Voice, he decided to follow its suggestion.


    <Alright, then let''s head for the Temple. I also feel like we''ll have nothing left to do if we head to the final location on the first day,> Evin replied. <But if I''m correct and Arza went there ahead of us, we might be headed towards an empty trial?>


    <I don''t think you need to worry about that. I''m sure the Ind wasn''t designed to run out of things to do on the first day of the week, so the loot inside the Trials must be getting refreshed every time it gets beaten. The biggest example would be the Dungeon. Since half the school year''s been buzzing around that ce since morning without leaving, I''m pretty confident in my theory.>


    Evin didn''t need any more convincing, and the two decided to head towards the Temple. But this time, instead of flying, Evin decided to walk. He was using his mana-core non-stop since morning, so naturally, he was starting to feel its toll on his body. Just like any other organ, his mana-core and brain could get strained if Evin overworked them.


    And just like his muscles, with more use and training, Evin could reach a level where he would be fine with keeping himself invisible at all times. But that was a distant dream for the time being.


    An hourter, Evin arrived at the Temple with a refreshed and well-rested mana-core. The ce he arrived at was the lushest area of the forest, with tall and verdant trees towering over the area. And amidst these wonders of nature stood a buildingpletely devoid of the warmth that surrounded it.


    ''That''s an ominous-looking building if I ever saw one,'' Evin thought as he observed the temple that seemed like it was pulled out of a fairy-tale of dubious origins.


    It was arge rectangr building that reminded him more of a huge tomb, rather than a temple. The main colors of the building in front of him were ck and grey, but Evin was sure that those weren''t ketricite, but normal stones, which just happened to be ck. They didn''t exert the same pressure that the Pce exerted, but Evin wasn''t sure if some rooms inside would be made of the damn material or not.


    But the resemnce to ketricite wasn''t the only thing that distressed Evin: all around the temple, Evin could see sshes of red decorating its exterior. His first instinct told him it was blood, but the rational part of his brain told him otherwise. He could onlymend the people who prepared this ce to make it look as chill-inducing as possible.


    Sighing, he made himself invisible and approached the Temple''s entrance. The Voice in his head was busy setting up the Air bullet elerator, and also ayer of Hard Air to prepare for unexpected circumstances. Seeing no one around, Evin opened the door inside with a wary attitude, and immediately felt a burst of mana pulsing on his left.


    Instinctively, he dodged backwards, but the enemy attack he was expecting didn''te. As he was wondering what just happened, the Voice exined.


    <Well, we''re definitely not the only ones exploring the Temple¡­> the Voice said, pointing towards a Talisman falling into the ground.


    Evin quickly recognized it as a Talisman of Warning. It was a twin Talisman designed to send a signal to the other half whenever a change urred in its immediate surroundings.


    <It''s a difficult Talisman to make, since both sides need to be drawn in the exact same manner¡­ I think it''s Phel''s work. No, I''m sure it''s Phel''s work, because I can recognize his handwriting,> Evin murmured.


    Ever since Phel started taking sses in Runes andter Talismans, he became awfully engrossed in the subject, more often than not showing off his drawing skills to Evin.


    <I know you''re hoping for a passionate reunion, but I don''t think you should keep your hopes so high.>


    Evin felt conflicted about the reminder, but there wasn''t anything he could refute with. He couldn''t be so sure if he could rely on Phel anymore since Decatur surely held a much tighter control over the nobles. And knowing about the rtionship between Phel''s family and Decatur''s family, Evin couldn''t be surprised if he was enemies with Phel.


    ''With that assumption, I would most likely be facing all 13 of Decatur''s entourage,'' Evin realized the existence of a more concerning problem. ''Will I be able topete with them all?''


    He thought seriously about the matter for a few seconds before chuckling lightly. Four months ago, he wouldn''t even be considering this question and would be worrying about how to best escape from the Temple unscathed, but now he was actually thinking about fighting 13 nobles who have been training in magic ever since they could talk.


    Be and him held an overwhelming advantage over the 40moners who were lead by Dagan, but the enemy this time couldn''t bepared to that. In the ss standings, Dagan was only below average and Evin was sure that the reason he was able to amass such arge amount of followers was due to his weirdly charismatic attitude.


    But if one had to only considerbat capabilities, Decatur''s 13-person group was at least five times stronger than Dagan''s group in a direct confrontation.


    ''But whatever the oue will be, Evin was willing to find it out. Like the Voice said, this was a controlled environment and Evin was sure he wouldn''t be able to find a better way to test out his abilities.


    With renewed vigor and a cautious mind, Evin headed into the Temple under the protection of illusions.

 Chapter 84 - Creatures Of The Temple

    Just like the outside, the interior of the Temple held true to the terror-inducing theme: sttered red could be found every ten steps, dim lighting from the candles swaying from the ceiling, and the windows on the side that definitely felt much thinner than how they looked from outside.


    There were light sources, but overall, darkness reigned inside the Temple and many things were sure to escape Evin''s attention. But Evin wasn''t very worried. Despite being useless most of the time, the World of Darkness was his forte, after all.


    <Since the ce is like this, I''ll take care of keeping us invisible with the World of Darkness, and you can just focus on traps and enemies,> Evin said while covering his body withyers of darkness.


    He then gathered a patch of Lumiaris''s energy in his eyes and willed for something specific. The next moment, the details of the dark interior of the Temple became much more visible to his naked eye, but he could only see in ck and white. This was a trick he learned when ying around with the World of Light and the World of Darkness, one where he could make himself see better in either bright ces or dark ones.


    With his newfound vision, Evin observed the first room of the Temple. Contrary to the Tunnels, which offered a choice between four routes, Evin could only see one path forward. This was fine in itself, as Evin didn''t need to worry about making decisions. He only needed to keep vignt and proceed forward.


    But two minutes into his walk, Evin noticed a rotting smelling from his front. Expecting to see a the oue of a battle before him, he hastened his pace. His eyes quickly noticed the outline of a pale-skinned naked man sprawled on his side, blood drying on the ground below.


    Evin stood nkly for a few seconds, staring at the body of the deceased. His reasoning seemed to have escaped him, and the thing that pulled him out of his daze was a sudden sting of paining from the rip in his cheek.


    ''Are they fucking serious? Did they actually kill someone inside the test?''


    <Go check the body out,> the Voice ordered. <I wanna see its face at least.>


    Evin didn''t know why that was necessary, but he reluctantly circled around the body and looked at it from its front.


    "Is that really a human?" Evin couldn''t help but think looking at the face of the body.


    Small orb-like eyes; an elongated nose; thin, perked up ears; and sharp, almost sawed teeth. This definitely wasn''t a human. The unknown identity of the corpse calmed Evin down much more than he would''ve expected, and curiously, Evin observed the rest of his body.


    Immediately, he noticed many features that separated the corpse from a human: an abnormally hunched back, sickly pale skin, theck of genitals whatsoever, etc. One thing that concerned him was the countless stab wounds littering its stomach and back.


    <What the hell is that?> Evin asked.


    <Can''t say I know,> the Voice didn''t seem very shocked by the turn of events. <The only thing that''s obvious is that these things are your enemies. Let''s go.>


    Its casual dismissal of the corpse calmed Evin down, and gave him an impression that maybe things weren''t as bad as he was making them out to be.


    Diligently, he checked his illusory covers and followed the route. On the way, he encountered more corpses of the creatures, their numbers increasing in each room. These newer corpses also had much cleaner deaths, with some of them even not having any wounds at all, except for being slightly wet. Evin suspected that these ones were Decatur''s handwork.


    It also showed that the nobles'' group had probably just arrived here.


    But aside from these encounters, nothing interesting happened until Evin was met with a divide in the path. One choice led him downstairs, while the other choice stayed on the current floor.


    He put himself in the shoes of the nobles and decided that they would be more willing to stay on the current level, as it should be brighter. Also, the Temple was three stories tall, so it would be natural for them to think that staying here would lead to the floors above.


    ''Perhaps they could''ve divided their group to cover more ground, but considering the Temple''s atmosphere, thest thing I''d want to do is to separate,'' Evin reasoned.


    Then, realizing that he was exploring this creepy area all by himself, he felt a bit good about himself. Shaking away the unneeded thoughts, Evin carefully descended downstairs, and was met with a wooden door.


    <Can you hear that?> the Voice suddenly warned.


    Evin held his ears to the door and half-expected the students to be talking behind the door¡­ but the only thing he could hear was a rhythmical, yet hoarse breathing, almost bordering on a snore. It reminded him of the times his father would get drunk and lightly snore throughout the night.


    ''I can''t be sure, but that must be one of those creatures,'' Evin decided.


    <Go in, and immediately close the door behind you without making any noise. I''ll take care of the enemies inside.>


    A part of Evin wanted to m the door open for an unknown reason, but the Voice was right. The less noise he made, the better it was. He considered using the weightless spear that was dangling from his back, but decided against it, as it was surely going to be more burdensome to try and use a spear he only got three hours ago.


    ''Actually¡­'' Evin thought and took off the spear from his back andid it down next to the door.


    Taking a deep breath he quickly opened the wooden door and closed it behind himself, searching for the enemy all the while.


    As luck would have it, the creature was waiting right behind the door, leading to a very awkward situation for Evin, but thankfully, the Voice stood true to his words and quickly shot three air bullets at the enemy''s eyes. Then, a sword of Hard Air mercilessly cut into the creature''s neck and was swiftly pulled out.


    A gurgling noise came from its throat, with dark-red blood sttering over Evin''s body. But he didn''t have the leisure to focus on that, as he noticed two more of the same creatures in the room. The Voice shot air bullets at them as well, but unbelievably, the two were diligently protecting their eyes this time around. The bullets grazed their arms a bit, but other than that, no serious injury was inflicted.


    Evin felt the Voice trying to change the angle of the elerator to get a clearer shot, but unbelievably, the two''s hands followed the barrel of the elerator, as if they could see the invisible construct of Hard Air and also know that it was the thing shooting bullets at them.


    Now that Evin thought about it, they were dashing at Evin, even though he should be nigh invisible with theyers of darkness on his body.


    But there was no need to panic, as the Voice still had the sword to use. Evin noticed that the creatures were able to see the swords in the air, but that didn''t matter much, because a sword propelled by magic could attack an enemy from all the impossible to defend against angles. And even if they could defend, these naked creatures which wore only the skin on their bodies couldn''t stop the des from severing their limbs and rupturing their insides.


    The sight of the invisible sword making mincemeat of the creatures made Evin''s stomach send acids up his throat, but he managed to contain the vomit, urgently convincing himself that the enemies weren''t humans. The thought seemed to calm his heart, and the fact that he wasn''t the one casting the spells to kill these creatures helped a lot as well.


    Finally, with the three enemies dead, Evin could enjoy a moment of respite. Even though he hadn''t moved more than three steps during the entire fight, he still felt out of breath.


    "Shit¡­ that felt close¡­" he couldn''t help but mutter.


    <Hmm, these guys are much harder to deal with¡­> the Voicemented as he pulled the Hard Air sword closer to Evin. <If I wasn''t the one doing the killing, you''d definitely have to go through a traumatic experience here.>


    Evin remembered the countless stab wounds that decorated the body of the first corpse he saw in the Temple. It was obvious that the student who did it wasn''t in the right state of mind during the act.


    The pain in his cheek began to re up again, and Evin''s heart remember the sheer panic and terror he felt when the rat was making a mess of his face. He imagined one of the creatures on the ground doing the same to him, and a chill went down his spine.


    <Isn''t this too much?>


    <Hmm¡­ Back in my world, something like this would definitely get the Academy executives'' heads rolling, but it seems that no one really thinks much about it here. Perhaps they see it as something necessary for the students to grow?>


    <Isn''t that inhumane?>


    <He-he, did you know that the only reason you''re saying that is because of me?> the Voice said out of the blue. <If I didn''t exist to mock your situation, you''d think that it was normal to disregard others and inflict violence upon them. Some people wonder about the truth behind nature versus nurture, but from my experience, nurture always trumps.>

 Chapter 85 - Proper Murder

    <What are you even talking about?> Evin replied, not understanding the Voice''s sentence.


    <Nothing. Let''s continue.>


    The sudden words were unexpected and Evin still couldn''t understand what they meant, but he had a Temple to conquer, so he put the matter out of his head quite easily. But just as he was about to leave, a tform in the wall appeared and Evin could see a card on it.


    Pleasantly surprised, Evin went to pick up the card, but as his hands reached for it, the wall seemingly came to life and trapped Evin''s hand using some mechanism. Panicking, Evin struggled to pull out his hand, but his strength wasn''t enough to do so.


    As he then started to struggle with his bag to get the lodestones, the Voice began to hack at the wooden trap with the Hard Air sword. The contraption finally gave in to the sword and Evin was able to pull out his hand. Naturally, he was still holding the Card that he first reached out for. Since he was going through so much trouble to get it, it would be tragic if he didn''t.


    [Food (x40)]


    ''Shit!'' Evin cursed and wanted to throw the card to the floor.


    The trap hadn''t hurt him by any means, though it still wasn''t a pleasant experience to have your arm trapped inside a wall.


    <Let''s be more careful of traps,> the Voice chuckled and urged Evin to proceed further.


    Evin picked up his spear form behind the door and began to explore the underground area of the Temple, keeping himself mindful of potential traps.


    And, an hour of explorationter, Evin finally managed to reach what he believed was the end of the underground area ¨C which was a fancy-looking door that screamed a boss fight. Aside from this clue, he was keeping mindful of the route he was taking ever since entering the Temple, and of course, this also applied to the underground. Evin carefully remembered the mental map he had of the area and if he wasn''t wrong, after this next room, Evin would find himself where he started in the first ce, which was where he first fought against the three creatures.


    When he first entered that room, he didn''t really see a door that led to where he was now, but Evin was open to the idea of hidden doorways, or things of that nature.


    Sighing, Evin put his spear leaning on the wall and approached the door, the Voice''s two swords hovering behind him. It would''ve been fine if there was only one sword, but the voice decided to add an extra pair just in case, despite the extra mana that was required to maintain them. As for the spear, at this point, he was starting to wonder exactly what he was trying to do with the damn thing, but he still stubbornly clung onto it.


    Putting his thoughts away from the spear, Evin quickly opened the door and surveyed the room. Immediately, three deformed faces turned to meet him, but Evin noticed that these guys weren''t naked like the rest of the creatures, but wore dark gray cloaks which were stained with the color of blood.


    Evin saw the Voice''s two swords being sent towards the enemies'' chest, but the enemies swiftly held their hands in front of their necks to protect themselves. Evin knew it would be useless, but he very quickly realized that he was in big trouble this time. The cloaks these creatures were wearing were made out of ketricite.


    As Hard Air swords were prime examples of objects created and held together by magic, they were instantly disintegrated at the slightest touch to ketricite. Seeing the pair of swords which effortlessly cut through every enemy he encountered in the Temple crumble so easily in his eyes, Evin''s mind nked out for a second. It was immediately put back into action, as the three creatures started to run towards him, growling menacingly all the while.


    <Shit, run back towards the corridor and run as far away from the door as possible!> the Voice sounded urgent. <And give meplete control of your mana-core!>


    Evin didn''t allow himself to stand still for even a second longer, mmed the door in front of the creatures'' faces and grasped for the lodestones. The Voice quickly took rein of his mana-core and Evin let it happen, considering that it was an emergency. It immediately began gathering the air towards a certain location.


    He ran towards the other end of the corridor, though he was still mindful enough to grab his spear while he was at it.


    The moment the three enemies appeared from behind the door and ran towards Evin, a powerful explosion urred right in front of their faces. Of course, their ketricite robes didn''t help against that. Although it required World energies to gather the air and set it on fire, the ensuing force of the explosion waspletely free of magical influences. Even Evin who was standing a dozen steps away felt the shockwaves and began coughing due to the dust that was swirling in the air.


    <Open the door behind you, so we can get some fresh air. Sigh, and take a few stabs at the enemies. They shouldn''t be dead from just that.>


    The sudden order shocked Evin, but he managed to calm himself down and approached the three after the dust settled down.


    All three of their faces were burnt badly, but Evin could tell that they were all breathing with various levels of difficulty. One''s teeth werepletely shattered from the impact, and Evin could see its fragments littering the inside of its mouth. Another one''s whole left side face was ripped off somehow, revealing its shattered cheekbone.


    Every time they took a breath, they would grunt in pain, and seeing the culprit of their demise, they would flinch back in fear.


    Evin knew what being hit by an explosion meant, but seeing it up close and in person gave him a much deeper impact. And looking at these creatures struggling to survive from the aftermath of it, Evin knew that it would be merciful to kill end their suffering. One by one, he approached the three creatures and put his spear through their throats.


    The disturbing feeling of metal piercing through flesh vibrated through his hands, making Evin cringe every time he performed the necessary act. At the end of the endeavor, his hands were left trembling and his breathing became coarse. Definitely, performing the deed himself, instead of leaving it to the Voice''s magic werepletely different experiences.


    <The reactions of your body¡­ don''t be ashamed of them. It''s proof that you''re a good-natured person deep within,> the Voice said in an unusually gentle manner. <But as the kingdom intents to, I must make you kill personally at least once in this area...>


    Slowly, Evin started to notice the care that went into the Voice''s actions. The way it forced Evin to take a closer look at the corpses of the creatures; the active manner it took the responsibility of taking care of the enemies at first; how it crippled these three enemies just enough, so Evin would find it easier to focus on the act of taking another life, instead of just killing to survive himself; and finally, the gentle words it sent towards him after the deed was done.


    After all the time he spent listening to the Voice''s education, Evin couldn''t help but notice these things. This showed that the Voice still cared about Evin, despite the way he was treating ittely.


    ''I really feel like a piece of shit now¡­''


    His conscience nagged at him to apologize, but a weird sense of pride and stubbornness had taken hold in his heart and was stubbornly refusing to let Evin bow his head.


    His head muddled, he walked over the creatures he just killed and entered the final room. Compared to the other rooms, which were decorated with the bare minimum of objects necessary inside a room, this room had much more things loitering around: books, drawings, papers, bloody samples floating inside water tubes, and of course, an altar with a corpse of a person located in the middle of the room.


    Curiously, Evin picked up a piece of paper from the ground and to his surprise found a highly detailed drawing of the human anatomy. All the other papers also contained different drawings or notes about the human body and mind, but Evin couldn''t really understand how they were all connected. Besides, he was more interested in what reward he would get from defeating those three robed creatures.


    <What do we do here?> he asked inside, while approaching the wall on the opposite side of the door. <If we''re not correct, beyond this wall should be the first room we entered, right?>


    <It is, and maybe there''s a hidden pathway there, but that''s not important now,> the Voice sounded excited. <First of all, gather all the scattered pieces of paper and pile them in one ce. Hurry up.>

 Chapter 86 - Reluctance To Part

    <Do you think there''s a reward card or something here?> Evin asked.


    During the previous hour, he managed to gather quite a few cards from the chambers that housed the creatures: a Find Person Card, another ver Card, an information card regarding the Volcano, a card that hinted at the possibility of a hidden trial area (though Evin was sure it was the unspoken area), and finally a card that allowed him to speak with the Ruler.


    <Forget about the cards. They''re just things useful only on the Ind anyway, so don''t be so fixated on them. The real treasures are these papers lying around everywhere¡­ And if you want something material for your reward, you can strip those three creatures naked and take their ketricite cloaks.>


    <That¡­>


    <Actually, go strip the leftmost one''s cloak. That one''s the least bloodied one.>


    <I can''t just loot the dead like that! What if the instructors are going to judge me for doing something so disgusting and not give me the position of Helm when the timees?> Evin insisted.


    <Then shut up and gather the papers. I''m sure you''re gonna love its contents anyway.>


    Evin reluctantly went into the job of gathering the papers and as Evin stacked them up, the Voice was busy trying to sort them into proper order. Aside from human anatomies, many different pictures of animals began to appear among them, the most prominent of them all being rats.


    <Yes¡­ It''s definitely something rted to that. This is so good that I''m even starting to wonder if this is a trap of some sorts¡­>


    <What are you talking about?> Evin asked, trying to see what the Voice was seeing from these papers.


    <I''d usually make you find the answer yourself, but since we''re in a hurry, I''ll tell it to you straightforwardly. These papers are all about putting the souls of animals inside humans.>


    <¡­>


    <¡­>


    <That''s¡­ wrong.>


    <It is definitely wrong and it''s beyond me why the Academy would expose first year students like you to things like these, but it is what it is. What''s important is that these might help us in our goal of separating our souls.>


    Evin almost gasped, but he managed to contain it. <Is that why you think it''s a trap of some sorts?>


    <Yes. It would be hard to not suspect something like that in these circumstances¡­ but it''s hard not to be interested because we finally found a hint towards our goal. If we properly research what''s on these papers, at least we''ll get some understanding of how souls work. Finally, after 10 years of toiling, we''re going to take a proper step towards separation.>


    The Voice seemed awfully excited about the prospect, but Evin couldn''t make himself feel the same. Was it because he was attached to the Voice, or if he just felt lonely at the prospect of being left alone, he didn''t know. A darker part of his mind suggested that it was because he was afraid of losing the power he had in the form of the Voice, but Evin decisively shut that thought process down.


    ''No, it''s for the best that we let go of these research materials. I''m sure it''s a trap left by the Chairman or whoever. It''s best to be prudent.''


    <I think we shouldn''t act so interested in these papers,> Evin exined. <There''s a chance they''re things that the Chairman left intentionally to lure us out. I don''t know why he would do that, but I can''t shake off the suspicious feeling I get from it¡­ And also, I''m pretty sure that if we just rise thedder the orthodox way, we''ll eventually stumble upon a simr research. And judging from the creatures that roam this ce, I don''t think those papers would lead us to a very positive answer in the first ce.>


    <¡­>


    The Voice turned silent at the remarks, making Evin sweat with panic. It definitely wasn''t someone dumb, so it was definitely possible for it to deduce that Evin possessed ulterior motives in saying these things. A part of him wanted it to confront him about these motives, but Evin knew that whether it knew about it or not, the Voice would stay silent about it.


    This was one of the reasons why it was so hard for him to deal with the Voice. Evin could never tell what it was thinking about inside.


    But on the other hand, what Evin was saying definitely made sense. It wasn''t every day you stumbled upon a research that involved transferring souls between bodies, so it waspletely logical to suspect something else going on behind the scenes.


    <You''re right. At best, these papers will describe how those creatures are made. If I jump from your body to another one using the techniques shown on these papers, it wouldn''t be funny if I found myself turned into a mindless monster.>


    ''Yes!''


    <But we should at least get something for our troubles,> the Voice continued with a sigh. <I''m very curious on how those ketricite cloaks work, so do me a favor and strip one of them naked.>


    Evin paused, strongly suspecting that the Voice knew what he was trying to achieve and was demanding a gift of apology instead.


    <I- I''m also interested in the cloaks, so despite how it might look to the teachers, I guess I can go pick it up.>


    Careful not to touch the blood of the creatures, Evin undressed them of their cloaks and inspected the item. Contrary to his expectations that the cloak itself would be made of ketricite, it was actually just a thin silk-like cloak with rough, sandy ketricite pasted on one side. This actually made sense, as Evin never heard of ketricite taking any other form except for a mineral of some kind.


    <Well, I was kinda expectant to see a ketricite silk or something, but I guess that''s a bit unscientific,> the Voice said, and tried to wash the non-ketricite part of the cloak using the World of Water.


    Its little experiment ended in a failure, as the ketricite''s powers were still effective even with theyer of cloth protecting it. But it didn''t really mind it as much, since Evin was the one who had to wear the thing if push came to shove.


    <Let me try casting magic while you''re wearing it,> it insisted, so Evin had to wipe the cloak''s insides with a piece of cloth he carried around and reluctantly draped the thing over his body.


    The Voice concluded that the cloak definitely made it much harder to cast spells, as World energies always appeared from inside Evin''s body. This fact required the Voice to control the energies movements as well, so they didn''t identally make contact with the ketricite as they left Evin''s body.


    <It''s a bit annoying, but it''s definitely worth the effort,> the Voice concluded. <Now, let''s search through the room once more and leave. Maybe there is a card or something here.>


    Evin searched through the papers and books for cards, but like the Voice said, there really didn''t seem to be any cards inside the room. With a sigh, Evin gave up and started to journey back through chambers he just cleared.


    He put the cloak in his bag and although he wondered whether there would be a reaction of some sorts with the lodestones inside it, but thankfully nothing happened.


    But as he walked through the chambers covered in shadows, he heard the hushed whispers of studentsing from his front, with rays of light shining inside the underground.


    ''Shit, they''ve finished exploring the two floors upstairs?'' Evin cursed and asked the Voice,


    <Your cover''s fine as it is. Just make sure to be mindful of their lights.>


    Since he didn''t wish to fight against them, Evin quickly approached a corpse that was lying around and stood still. He just needed to wait until the students passed him by and he''d be safe. He guessed that the students would be unlikely to approach a dead body, instead of another random spot in the room. And a few secondster, Evin was able to hear the students'' conversation.


    "You think it''s him?" a female voice resounded in the corridors. Her voice sounded dead.


    "Huff, yeah, definitely¡­" a male voice replied, seemingly struggling with something. "Most of the Turned ones here were killed very cleanly, and that loud boom we heard just now should also be his doing¡­ maybe he went up against the robed ones and couldn''t use his Hard Air swords¡­ or something."


    Evin wasn''t sure, but it sounded like there was the sound of someone else grunting alongside them.


    "Fucking hell, this thing''s getting harder and harder to control."


    "Grraargh!"


    Evin couldn''t understand what was happening, but the answer came pretty easily.


    Two students came into the room, but they weren''t alone. The male one, a son of a lesser-known baron, was holding one of the creatures at bay using a wooden leash. And when the creature entered the room Evin was in, it immediately noticed him thanks to its ability to see constructs of World energies and started growling at him.


    "He''s here!" the girl eximed and let loose the spell she was working.

 Chapter 87 - Escape Above

    The air in front of her began to shiver slightly before turning into a glorious wave of fire, engulfing everything inside the room, including the creature that they were holding at bay. Seeing this, Evin dashed away from the fire and ran towards the corridor that connected the room on fire and another room.


    The roar of the mes and the screeches of the creature made it hard for him to listen, but he could make out a few words as he stood in the corridor.


    "Run quickly!"


    "Tell the rest to stop the search and gather here! I''ll keep the fire burning!" the girl replied.


    Evin then saw the boy running past the girl and disappearing beyond a corner.


    He hoped for them to act dumbly and attack him by themselves, but sadly, those two knew exactly what Evin was capable of, so they weren''t going to try anything against him. Instead, they blocked off Evin''s path outside and decided to gather the rest of the group beforemitting to the fight. They''ve definitely thought very deeply about how they would act under certain circumstances, showing how seriously they took this mission of capturing him.


    <We should try and go past the mes before they can regroup!> Evin said when he heard what the other side was nning.


    <How are we supposed to dash through that fire? Can you see what''s happening to that creature that''s stuck there?>


    Evin knew that some fires just looked impressive but weren''t actually that hot in reality, but seeing the creature''s blood boiling inside the inferno, Evin definitely knew that the fire wasn''t something to scoff at.


    <Just¡­ do something!>


    <Then absorb some World of Water energies!>


    Evin did as it asked and only a few momentster, it saw the Voice creating an array ofrge icicles in the air. They immediately set course towards the girl''s abdomen, and Evin was sure that she would be forced to focus on them, which would weaken her focus on the fire. Not many mages were like Evin, who could freely move around while casting spells.


    But his hopes were dashed when the floor in front of the girl rose sharply and blocked the icicles.


    "Reinforcements areing! Thankfully, I came across them just around the corner!" the boy that ran away first appeared next to the girl.


    The sight made Evin curse his luck, and he was stuck between the choice of running through the fire, or standing his ground and perhaps negotiating his way out of the underground¡­ though he really wasn''t confident in Decatur being willing to negotiate with him. Evin also noticed that the other students also looked much more dangerouspared to normal. He supposed that it was inevitable for them to feel on edge, because they needed to kill these creatures so simr to humans to survive in the Temple.


    ''Since they''re all in such a dangerous mood now, it wouldn''t be weird if Decatur suddenly decides to kill me.''


    When the thought appeared in his mind, Evin found it hard to get rid of it so easily. He knew how impulsive Decatur could be, so it wouldn''t be so weird for his worries to be true.


    <What do we do now?> it was hard to hide the fear in his heart.


    <I''ve got an idea. Go stand behind that door and cover your head,> it ordered. <I''ll be borrowing your mana-core for the time being.>


    Evin jumped behind the door and grasped at the lodestones in his bag. The Voice quickly started to absorb as much Seyethe''s energy as possible, with a sizable amount of Irratas''s energy alongside it.


    <Are you trying to wrest control of the fire she''s created?> Evin asked.


    The reason the Voice decided to create icicles of water to shoot at the girl, instead of using his other methods, like the Hard Air swords and the air bullets, was because they were 100% going to disappear inside the giant fire that the girl was controlling. After all, even though the swords were solid things, they were still made of particles of air.


    And the bumbling mess of Fire energies that the girl required to keep the fire going would make it extremely hard for Evin or the Voice to maintain control of the swords in the first ce.


    To put it simply, controlling spells using World energies were simr to control puppets using thin lines of strings. Evin could very easily control spells from a distance if there was nothing happening between him and the spell. But if Evin tried to control a spell beyond an existing spell of another mage, especially such a wide area spell like the fire in front of him, his strings would inevitably get tangled up in the mess.


    The reason why the icicles didn''t meet the same fate was because after they were created and sent flying towards the enemies, it was out of Evin''s control. He didn''t need to direct them anymore and instead of Hard Air, that would only feed the fire, it would surely not melt fast enough to not reach the enemies.


    One way to solve this problem was to wrest control of the existing spell by exerting willpower on the World energies that maintained an enemy''s spell. He learned this method from Be, who wanted to teach something back to Evin for all the times he helped her out with her spell-casting. But Evin couldn''t really be sure about the effects of this method, because it usually took an unreasonable amount of time to work.


    But the Voice reassured him that he wasn''t nning on doing that.


    <Just watch.>


    The Voice began creating arge amount of oxygen in a spot close to the ceiling, instead of gathering it from the surroundings. This took more mana in general, but it was needed, because the underground areacked air in general.


    It was also careful not to let this bundle of oxygen catch fire from the heat the girl''s spell emitted by holing the bundled oxygen inside a construct of Hard Air shaped like a conus. From this, Evin could only guess that it was trying to create an explosion of some sorts¡­ though why would that be needed in this situation, he couldn''t tell.


    Evin stole a nce towards the fire, and saw three more students appearing beside the original two. He recognized one of them to Theundel, who wore a dark and gloomy expression, as opposed to his usual cheerful smile.


    the Voice warned.


    ''So it is an explosion,'' Evin thought, closed the door just enough to leave a gap for the Voice to control the World energies and walked further away.


    Judging to have moved away a safe enough distance, he put his head between his knees and covered his ears.


    ''¡­''


    A brief silenceter, Evin felt a powerful force vibrating through the wall he was leaning on, but the sound of the explosion he was anticipating wasn''t as loud as he expected. Instead of a deafening boom, it sounded more like the nk falling t on a floor.


    <Get up and run towards where the explosion happened!> the Voice ordered.


    His body jolted into action, and Evin quickly reappeared in front of the students. He looked up the ceiling and finally understood what the Voice was attempting to do. By creating an explosion right under the ceiling, they would be able to create a hole they could crawl through and find their way out of this sticky situation.


    "You idiot! Are you trying to bury us all in this Temple?" Theundel roared from beyond the fire.


    Evin could understand the boy''s concerns¡­ but the building was not going to copse from such an explosion. The cone-shaped Hard Air made sure to minimize the area that the explosion affected and it wasn''t like that part of the ceiling was near anything important. At worst, the adjacent stones would crumble onto the floor, but that wasn''t enough to have the entire Temple copse on itself.


    And Evin really wasn''t in the mood to care about such things or reply to the boy, as freedom was only a few steps away from him. But when he blew away the dust blocking his vision, he didn''t find a hole like he expected¡­ instead, finding anotheryer of a dark-grey stone, emitting an oppressive aura already familiar to Evin''s senses.


    <The builders of this Ind try way too hard to do their jobs!> the Voiceined when he saw the scene in front of him.

 Chapter 88 - Decatur

    It became painfully obvious that behind theyer of normal stones, was anotheryer of ketricite. And it wasn''t like the surfaceyer was thin like a normal coveringyer would be, but was instead thick enough to hold up the floor by itself. And considering that the ketriciteyer was as thick as that and that there was anotheryer of stone above it, it meant that the floor between the levels was at least half a meter thick.


    Evin couldn''t imagine how such a heavy thing could hold its weight, but he knew that whatever it was could be solved my magic. But however it happened, Evin didn''t have the time to worry about these things.


    <Something''s happening,> the Voice warned. <There are¡­ Runes drawn on the sides of the stones?>


    Evin beyond the dust and sure enough, he could see distinct etchings on the sides of the stones next to the gap the Voice made. Impossibly, the Runes started to shine with dark purple light, indicating that whatever spell was contained in them was activating. How could such a thing happen so close to ketricite, Evin didn''t know, but he knew that whatever it was, it wasn''t anything good.


    <Jump away!> the Voice warned him and Evin hid behind the door again.


    Sounds of rubble falling could be heard behind him, and when he looked back, he noticed that the corridor between the two rooms turned into a ketricite one. The stones that made up the exterioryer of the ceiling and the walls had fallen onto the floor, making it so that the magic-negating aspect of the ketricite affected the entire corridor now.


    "What the fuck is happening?" Evin couldn''t help but curse at the sight.


    <The normal stoneyer must be designed to peel of if a student tries to force their way through the walls,> the Voice exined after thinking a bit. <If the whole corridor bes able to negate magic, then it bes impossible to do anything crazy in it. Think about it, even with the ketriciteyer between the normal stones, I can still create an explosion near the gap to destroy it. But I won''t be able to do that if the whole room turns to ketricite.>


    Evin thought about the situation and cursed.


    <How are we going to get out now? We can''t even turn ourselves invisible and go past them.>


    <That''s true, but it would also be the same for them. They won''t be able to go through this corridor so easily, so at least we now have an option of holing up here for the time being,> the Voice said. <Actually, I''m gonna prepare some stuff, you try to buy some time with him.>


    Evin looked towards the noble students who were appearing on the other side of the corridor and he saw Decatur among the fresh neers.


    ''He looks spent,'' were the only thoughts that came to Evin''s mind when he saw the boy.


    His always luscious blonde hair was now messily swaying around his head, and from the dark circles under his eyes Evin could tell that the boy was having trouble sleeping. The always well-maintained appearance he had was also gone, as Evin could see arge purple stain on his uniform. A faint smile appeared on his face when he saw Evin from across the room, but his gaze full of hatred told Evin what he was really thinking.


    Even the people around him seemed affected by his mood. The usually cheerful and talkative nobles were all keeping silent around him, not even daring to make a single noise.


    Then, Phel appeared behind the group, his face full of guilt and worry. He seemed like he wanted to say something, but his eyes briefly fell on Decatur and he closed his mouth.


    <Since Phel''s with them, I guess at least Dec wouldn''t kill you when he gets your hands on you,> the Voice chuckled and began to work on a construct of Hard Air.


    It seemed to find the situation amusing, but Evin couldn''t really agree with its views. He felt betrayed by Phel, who was friends with him for the past half a year. Even if he knew that Phel was torn between two choices, in the end, he still chose Decatur over him.


    ''Why do I even have to deal with this in the first ce?''


    "What do you want from me?" Evin shouted.


    "Resign from the Academy and stop being a mage."


    ''What the fuck is this delusional idiot talking about?''


    <Just keep asking him why. It doesn''t really matter how the conversation goes, since they''re going to start running towards you at some point, anyway,> the Voice suggested, seemingly shrugging with a faint smile on his face.


    Evin could tell that the it was working on another Air bullet elerator, but it was also muchrger than the normal ones. It even seemed to have a tubr attachment that seemed designed to hold air inside it. The Voice was definitely preparing for battle and it was asking Evin to buy some time.


    "Why?"


    "Because I want you to."


    ''At least he''s honest about his feelings. He''ll make great friends with Arza.''


    "Why?"


    "Because the sight of you makes me want to vomit."


    "Why?"


    "Because everything went to shit from the moment you appeared in my life."


    Evin began to realize how hopeless talking to Decatur was. The boy just wanted someone to me and decided to take it all out on Evin. It pissed him off so much, thinking that he had to deal with so much shit, just because a spoilt noble heir couldn''t handle the problems that came his way.


    "Why?"


    "You think you''re so smart, don''t you?" Decatur growled, his face turning darker and darker.


    Evin wanted to smile, seeing the boy act like this, but he managed to contain it¡­ though it was hard to keep the glee from contaminating his tone of voice.


    "Why?"


    "All your talents and skills at casting magic, they way you talk like you''re 10 years older than you are in reality, the snark remarks you make all the time¡­ you think you''re really smart, don''t you?"


    At this point, it was hard for Evin to keep the smile from appearing on his face.


    "It''s so sad to see you trying to rationalize your jealousy and fail so terribly," Evin wanted to keep asking why, but it became harder and harder to keep unresponsive. Decatur wasn''t the only one feeling angry at the moment. At this point, he just wanted to hurt Decatur as much as possible, because he realized that it was impossible for the two of them to get along with each other. "Are you so pathetic that you won''t even allow anyone to be better than yourself?"


    "Shut the fuck up. You know nothing about me!"


    "There''s nothingplicated about you, Decatur. You''re just sad piece of garbage who can''t cope with shit withoutshing out at someone. Maybe the next time you think I''m the source of every problem in your life, try looking at a fucking mirror."


    "No. Just because you exist, everyone suddenly starts to feel the need topare me with you. They always look at me like I''m not enough, like I''m unworthy of the things I possess. Do you know how that feels?"


    <Since he''s shamelessly spewing out such bullshit, there''s no getting through him. He''ll either learn to deal with his insecurities himself, or he''ll be forced to learn under extreme circumstances,> the Voice interjected. <But that''s not a problem for us to deal with. I''m finished with the preparations, so you can keep talking with him if you want, but we''ll be fine even if they start running at us randomly.>


    Evin stole a nce at therge air elerator floating next to him and turned towards Decatur.


    "Sure, people mightpare us¡­ but I''ll bet they never actually asked you to be like me or be better than me, right? That''s just some garbage goal you set for yourself randomly, one that you consistently fail to achieve," Evin was sure to fill his tone of voice with mockery and venom. "Just forget that pointless dream of yours and let me be. We can both pretend we don''t exist for the next five years and go about our own ways. Don''t you get tired of thinking about me all the time?"


    "I''ll skin your body and feed it to the dogs if that''s thest thing I do."


    "Dec!" Phel shouted from behind him.


    "Shut up! If you want to, you can join your precious friend over there and die with him. If not, then keep your mouth shut or I''ll make sure to ruin your life as thoroughly as possible. And remember that you ''re not the only one who''s going to face a hard time!"


    Phel made a strained expression and faced downwards. Seeing the two''s interaction, Evin understood that Decatur was most likely threatening to do something to the noble families under him, so the studentsplied to his wishes.


    "You''re already failing your brother''s test, Decatur," Evin said.

 Chapter 89 - Setting Boundaries.

    "You''re already failing your brother''s test, Decatur," Evin said.


    "What are you on about?"


    "He approached me yesterday and told me his ns to let you rule the county for a bit. Told me to keep an eye out for you, so you don''t abuse your powers too much," Evin said. Obviously, it was a lie, but it was nice to see Decatur''s stricken expression. "How does it feel when your own brother trusts me, aplete stranger, instead of you? Maybe that rumor about you two not sharing the same blood has some truth to it, after all?"


    Hearing the taunt, Decatur became unable to keep his posture and dashed at Evin with inhuman speed. Time seemed to have slowed down just for Evin, as he noticed the rubble in the corridor cracking under the strength of Decatur''s steps. Every cell of his body must be filled with Life energy, strengthening it way beyond what was considered normal for a human. At this point, even Evin, the instigator of the incident was starting to doubt his decision.


    But a loud boom from above him interrupted his thoughts, quickly followed by another.


    "Gah! Shit! You fucker, what did you do?!"


    In front of him, Decatur was screaming and cursing in pain, holding his bloodied palms on his face. Seeing the scene ying out in front of him, it took Evin''s everything to not have his face break from the sudden sense of guilt.


    Two of the noble students hesitantly approached him to bring him back, all while being careful to not get shoved away by Decatur himself.


    "I''ll kill you! You hear me?! I''ll fucking kill you!"


    <Isn''t that overdoing it?> Evin asked inwardly.


    <No. This is the only way forward for us for now¡­> the Voice exined grimly. <I''ll exin why in a bit, but now you need to repeat after me.>


    Evin sighed and repeated its words.


    "First! anyone who crosses the halfway mark of the corridor will receive a bullet as a wee gift! If multiple peoplee at me at once, one of you all will receive a one in their eyes! Do hope you''re not one of them, because I''m not so confident in its power and uracy not being enough to kill you, since I''m still a beginner at the spell!"


    "Second! If you think you can rush at me with your eyes blocked, do expect an ice spear to go through your fucking guts! Make sure you don''t dodge, as I don''t want to identally hit something important!"


    "Third! Even you manage toe through the ketricite corridor," Evin said and paused to create a spell. Another explosion took ce right in front of the door, and Evin continued, "you will receive an explosion to your faces! Remember that even if you can strengthen your bodies with Life energy inside the ketricite corridors, your skin and eyes cannot receive its empowering effects!"


    "Fourth! By all means, if you want to start throwing spells at me from your end of the corridor, I''m all up for shooting at you guys from here! I''ll be sure to aim for someone''s eyes at random intervals so hope you can find something to block it!"


    "And finally! Whenever you want to stop, just tie up Dec over there and throw him into the ketricite corridors! For your efforts, you''ll receive a Card that allows a group to get a meeting with the Ruler!"


    The students'' gazes turned dark at the deration, but Evin could also see hints of fear in their expressions.


    <Good, now sit down casually, pull out some of your food and water, and start eating. Actually, you can bring some of the broken-down stones over there and make a makeshift seat out of it.>


    Evin did as it suggested and tried his best to look unperturbed by the situation. He calmly arranged a seat for himself, brought out a beef jerky from his bag and started chewing. During this moment, the Voice exined its thought process to him.


    <We both know that in a straight up fight against the 13 of the nobles, we won''t be able to stand a chance. But thanks to the ketricite corridor blocking their path, we have a chance to at least keep them at bay,> it began. <But that doesn''t mean we should be sitting here waiting for the enemies to rush at us all willy-nilly. We need to make them think that there''s a price to be paid for rushing at us.


    This''ll be good to remember for the future as well. If you find yourself in a desperate situation, even if there are consequences to your actions, you must always choose the method that makes your enemies fear you.>


    Evin listened to the Voice''s speech and found that he was interested in the topic. The random talk also helped him focus less on the students on the other side of the corridor, ring hatefully at his direction.


    <What do you mean, I have to make them fear me?>


    <Hmm,> the Voice thought for a bit, before answering. <Let''s say you''re a prince of some country who got abducted by a losing enemy country¡­ and you''re only 6-years-old. But your five personal guards did a very good job of protecting you and managed to cull down the party of 20 people down to only two people, who also got hurt pretty badly. This makes it so that they can''t just tie you up and carry you on their backs towards their hideout, nor they can cripple you because you''re an important hostage, who will y a key role in saving their country. Sure, they could do these things, but they''ll want to preserve their strength for whatever ident that may happenter on.>


    <Won''t they just use magic or something to get away? If they''re abducting a prince of a country, surely they would hire a Cosmic or something for the job?>


    <Ah¡­ Let''s say there''s no magic in this prince''s world. And there are also no magical flying beasts, with horses being the only form of long-distance transportation.>


    <Alright,> Evin said, and began to imagine the situation for himself.


    <So, due to the aforementioned situation, they can''t manhandle you and carry you away in a bundle of ropes. They will force you to walk with them, but of course, they''ll try to avoid crowded ces so you won''t be able to visit towns¡­ Alright, now that we''re done with the premise, let me tell you what you have to do. For the next whatever days they spend transporting you, you need to try your best to make their life hell.


    Any chance you find, you use it to attempt an escape. Whenever you feel that a stranger''s close by, you''ll start screaming at the top of your lungs. Obviously, these actions will have consequences where they beat you up, but that''s fine as well since you''re never going to allow them to do these things without paying a price.


    Every time they hit you or kick you, you clutch at their limbs like a roach and take a bite at it like you''re a rabid dog. If they shove you on the ground and start pummeling you, you start talking about how important you are, and if they inflict a permanent injury on your body, your country will surely annihte theirs without mercy. Never let the enemies hurt you without hurting them back. Especially if you''re allowed to. Do these things enough, and they''ll eventually start to fear you and start leaving you alone.>


    <But¡­ that''s so stupid. Surely those two people who are carrying me will know that I won''t be able to do much if they push me to the limits.>


    <Yes, but that doesn''t mean they want to get hurt doing it. Just like those students who know that there''s a chance of rushing through the corridors and beating us up, but are afraid tomit to it, because they don''t want to be the one who gets their eyes ruptured by my spell.>


    ¡­

 Chapter 90 - The Siege

    ''I have to do something¡­''


    The same thought appeared in Phel''s head once again as he stared at the bloodlust that was bing more and more prominent in Decatur''s face. The siege on Evin''s location had taken an entire day and night for the group, but so far, they weren''t able to make much progress on that front.


    Instead, Decatur''s side was gradually umting injuries and stress. Four studentsy on a makeshift bed inside the room opposite of Evin''s: two of them holding a bloodied bandage over their eyes, and two of them sustaining a bleeding from their limbs. Another student, who was more seriously hurt, was taken to the Infirmary due to a serious injury, but thankfully, he didn''t seem too heavily injured.


    At this point, Phel didn''t know whether he should cheer for Evin or Decatur''s side. His newfound friend stood true to his warnings and made sure to seriously hurt at least one person on Decatur''s side whenever the group tried to rush towards his location. And these five seriously injured were the product of four attempted rushes through the corridor.


    The first time, Decatur simply rushed at Evin''s location after he got his eyes fixed while ordering everyone to move as fast and unpredictably as possible. Obviously that didn''t end well for the group since everyone was trying to run erratically while keeping their eyes protected, which resulted in two students stumbling over each other, leading the whole group to experience the sensation of being constantly bombarded by lesser spells. Even now, Phel could feel the stinging pain from the blue bruises on his back, legs, and forearms.


    The next time, Decatur made everyone gather wood from the Temple to use as shields against Evin''s barrage, but while they were busy gathering the shields, Evin had turned the stone rubble on the ground into tiny little bullets. In front of these stones, the wooden shields were equivalent to jack shit, and one of the students even got a piece of stone lodged into their leg and was taken to the infirmary.


    The third time urred at night, when Decatur was sure that Evin was sleeping on the other side of the corridor. Phel couldn''t really me him for the thought, because Evin had disappeared from the other side of the corridor for a bit. Long story short, it turned out that he was still on the other side of the corridor. Two students'' eyes fell victim to his Air Bullets that time.


    The fourth one urred at dawn, but it was much smaller than the previous ones and its purpose was just to make sure that he was still inside the room. Sure enough, when the student passed the halfway mark of the corridor, Evin dutifully began shooting spells at him. He shouted to not bother with cheap tricks and after urging everyone to just hand over Decatur; he disappeared out of sight again.


    No one could tell whether Evin was sleeping during these moments he disappeared behind the corners of the doorway or he was just waiting to ambush anyone else trying to pull a fast one on him. Perhaps if Evin didn''t retaliate so harshly to the previous attempts, then maybe the students in Decatur''s camp would constantly be trying to harass Evin¡­ but after being bombarded by his spells and seeing one student being carried away to the infirmary with a stone stuck on his thigh, most students desire to test the waters became non-existent.


    ''But this time, there''s no way for Evin to survive this,'' Phel thought as he thought about the next n.


    Aside from Decatur and him, who were keeping watch here, two students were keeping patrol on the 1st floor, making sure that Evin wasn''t escaping through anywhere, while the rest were busy gathering themoner students on the Ind.


    Decatur finally realized that his current forces weren''t enough to cross the corridor and had worked out a proper n this time. They would gather themoner students and afterwards, two groups will start to breach into the underground from above, while the group here would push a giant stone b through the corridor.


    It would be a bit hard on their skins, but it would be possible because every noble student could strengthen their bodies to a certain degree.


    Against a three-front attack like that, even Evin wouldn''t be able to do much. Phel didn''t think that he could do much to stop the students from pushing through with the giant piece of stone as well.


    And considering his actions against Decatur''s group since yesterday, it wasn''t hard to guess what would happen to him after he gets cornered.


    ''I have to do something¡­'' the thought appeared in Phel''s mind once again.


    Every time he imagined the enraged Decatur releasing his pent-up frustration on Evin, always a tragic scene urred in Phel''s head. At worst, Evin would die and at best he would be crippled. But considering Evin''s actions so far, it wouldn''t be weird of the two of them killed each other.


    Phel knew what was going to happen, but he was powerless to stop it. He tried convincing Decatur to forget about this meaningless revenge of his, he tried to strike at his conscience, he pleaded with him, he begged him, but regrettably, nothing worked.


    Decatur was like a possessed man, his entire being and existence dedicated to wiping out Evin from the face of Alvox.


    ''Shit¡­ And why did Evin have to provoke him so much in the first ce?'' Phel cursed.


    Thanks to Phel''s constant nagging, Decatur finally agreed to leave Evin alone after he quite the Academy, but because of Evin''s actions the past two days, the situation became virtually unsalvageable.


    No matter how powerful Evin was, it was impossible for him to survive the attacks of everyone in the Academy year, and no matter how coveted or talented he was, it was impossible for him to stand against an entire county.


    ''Shit¡­ I thought that the Duchess would definitely not allow Decatur to act like this right after he gets in power, but his Gehenne''s words hold much more power than I imagined¡­''


    As the sole heir of a Viscount family, Phel was naturally well-versed with the kingdom''s system. Although Gehenne said he would let Decatur do as he wished, it wasn''t possible to do so without the Duchess vd''s permission. But since the Duchess agreed to it without raising any issues, it meant that she trusted Gehenne''s judgement a lot more than what was considered normal.


    But to be fair, aside from his personal vendetta with Evin, Decatur was probably going to do a good job of ruling over the County. From the moment he could speak, Decatur was raised to be the next Count. He knew the county''s situation like the back of his hands, so as long as nothing too serious urred, he would be able to run the county without breaking a sweat. As the one who spent most of his time with Decatur, Phel knew exactly what he was capable of.


    ''The only major w he had was his obsession with being better than others¡­ He was getting better for the past two months after Evin started to gradually surpass him, but after Lady Alix''s death, something in him snapped and he turned out like that.''

 Chapter 91 - Inner Conflicts

    Phel could only see it as him trying tosh out at someone for the death of his mother.


    And from the perspective of the adults, Decatur acting like this towards Evin could also be seen as nothing serious. If Decatur shows himself as capable of ruling without problems, then it would be easy to ignore a small case like him trying to taking control over his school year. In fact, if Decatur decided that he didn''t like a certain student, then the nobles who had nothing to do with the situation wouldn''t mind it so much and would even actively start isting Evin.


    Obviously it wouldn''t look too good for publicity, but none of the viscounts and important barons would be willing to make trouble for it. At worst, they would take it as a mistake of the young and decide to be patient with Decatur. Phel cursed the fact that the important families of Greater Ankelite were so loyal to the Carew family. If there was at least one ambitious person among them, they would definitely have a field day smearing Decatur''s image in the dirt for these actions.


    ''But all these things don''t matter in the end. What matters now, is that I need to do something¡­''


    Once again, the recurring thought appeared in his head, but Phel knew he was powerless to achieve anything.


    ''Shit¡­ Why am I such a coward?''


    This incident thoroughly made him realize how much of a pathetic coward he was. Even if there were consequences toshing out, Phel should''ve stood firmly against Decatur and made his stance clear. Even now, he should be convincing Decatur that this whole thing was just meaningless revenge and he should grow past it.


    Even knowing that words might be pointless, he should still be trying his best to defuse the situation. Weren''t friends there for situations like these?


    However, these admirable actions were only pointless delusions for Phel. How could he convince Decatur to change his mind if he was scared of simply talking to him?


    Literally anyone else would do better than Phel in his shoes, but he was torn between his two friends and could only silently watch as things turned worse and worse.


    But although he couldn''t act on his decisions, it didn''t stop him from mulling over the situation as much as possible.


    ''Since I know that it''s impossible to talk Dec out of this situation, I need to do something else.''


    ''Having the other students betray Decatur and joining Evin''s side¡­ is impossible,'' Phel bit his nails.


    ''Me joining Evin''s side¡­ is possible, but meaningless.''


    Phel definitely knew his limits. Even if he were to pull a sneak attack on Decatur here, he wouldn''t be able to incapacitate him.


    ''The only usible way is to have the test takers intervene, but no matter how much I spoke to the Talismans, there was no response. Is it because they''re tacitly allowing this to happen¡­? Or are they nning to intervene in thest minute... But I can''t possibly leave Evin''s fate to the staff.''


    The atmosphere underground suddenly felt extremely suffocating to Phel. He got up and decided to get some fresh air.


    "Where are you going?" Decatur asked, his eyes still focused on the other end of the corridor.


    "Outside."


    "Don''t take long."


    Phel didn''t bother to respond and quickly found his way outside. On the way out, he found two students patrolling the area and couldn''t help but feel that their gazes held a hint of condemnation in them. It fed his feeling of guilt, but there wasn''t anything Phel could do about it.


    But as he walked through the Temple door and smelled the fresh morning air, he felt his mind clearing up a bit. Perhaps his father''s advice to ''Go get some fresh air if you feel bogged down by something.'' wasn''t so wrong after all. But obviously, feeling momentarily clear-headed didn''t do much to help Phel''s mentality, as he felt more guilty rather than good at the change of environment. He needed to be doing something instead of standing around here.


    "Hey, Phel," a familiar voice called from his back.


    "Theundel?" Phel turned back.


    For a brief moment, he imagined that Theundel was going to offer an alliance against Decatur since he was approaching him like this, but that didn''t seem to be the case.


    "Can you go fetch the supplies from the Shelter? The ones who went there to gather students were supposed to do that, but I think they forgot their cards," he exined as he handed Phel a small stack of Food and supply cards.


    ''Ah¡­ How can he be so calm all the time? Doesn''t he know what we''re about to do?''


    But despite his confusion, Phel still held an amiable tone.


    "Sure, I''ll go," Phel replied. "Can you tell about it to Dec? I''ll be back as soon as possible."


    "Thanks, brother."


    Phel smiled back, but inside, he felt disgusted with himself. The overly friendly way he talked all seemed terribly fake and meaningless, considering how he let the situation with Decatur and Evin deteriorate to this level.


    Putting the cards in his bag, Phel quickly found his way towards the Shelter. On the way, he noticed the two students who were tasked with bringing the students towards the Temple, and saw the group ofmoners that were supposed to break through the ceiling of the underground.


    A surprisinglyrge group had gathered for the task. Phel didn''t have much knowledge about them, but he recognized the leader to be Lopar, with the rest of the elitemoners following behind her. Seeing them noisily walking towards the Temple with excited faces, Phel was once again reminded of the urgency of the situation.


    Trying his best to keep himself hidden, Phel circled around the group and passed them by. He didn''t want to meet and converse with them at all.


    He rushed on towards the Shelter and saw teacher Teouka and Lucien manning it once more. Silently, he brought out his cards and exchanged them for the needed supplies. Then, remembering that he could ask a question here once per day, he asked after a bit of deliberation.


    "Teacher, can I ask you a weird question about the test?"


    "Yes, of course, only once for today, though."


    Phel sighed, cleared his voice and spoke. "Is murder allowed on the Ind?"

 Chapter 92 - The Weapons Of The Kingdom

    The plump teacher''s eyes went wide for a second, and she eyed Phel with great scrutiny. Phel didn''t know what she thought about the question and what kind of conclusion she made in her head, but eventually, Teouka opened her mouth.


    "Murder of who?"


    Phel expected his random question to be ignored or taken as a joke, but the fact that Teouka needed to ask for rifications sent a chill down his spine.


    "A student," Phel replied with a cracking voice, a state of disbelief permeating his mind.


    "It depends on the circumstances," Teouka replied after thinking a bit.


    "Are you serious? Why aren''t you simply answering no? How is it that you actually have to consider the circumstances of murder?!" At this point, it was getting harder and harder for Phel to stay calm.


    Teouka sighed and sent a nce towards Lucien. Thetter nodded and walked away. He went to each Talisman around the ce and ruined the Rune on it.


    "Phel, what is the kingdom''s stance on murder?"


    "What kind of question is that? They condemn it! It should be obvious from how they treat mages who murder non-mages."


    "Yes, the punishment for a mage who murders amoner is¡­ quite severe, to say the least. It''s the same for killings between non-mages. But what about murders between mages? But what do you think the kingdom think about murder between its most powerful weapons? ¡­ I can see that you''reing to a conclusion that you don''t like."


    "¡­"


    "I''m only telling you this because you''re the heir of a Viscount family, but listen well. The kingdom encourages isted cases of extreme violence between mages, especially in the younger demographics. As I mentioned earlier, the kingdom''s ruling ss does not look at us like normal human beings. Instead, we''re more akin to weapons. For them, the earlier a mage gets introduced to the concept of extreme violence and murder, the better it is."


    "¡­"


    "The reason for that, is that when mages see death so close to themselves, most of them tend to yearn for more strength. You think I''m making things up, or maybe you think the Kingdom''s run by psychopaths, but when youpare the growth of students who had a rtively peaceful time during their childhoods and students who closely felt the need of power while growing, the results are obvious. Although it might seem disturbing to you now, there is undeniable truth in this im. Just like how a sword needs to be constantly smacked with a hammer to be sharp, the weapons known as mages need to be constantly pressured to be strong. There are even live examples right next to you. Just look at Evin and Beyn."


    "What about Evin and Beyn?" Phel finally opened his mouth.


    Sure, the two were stronger than everyone else, but that didn''t mean that they suffered through a tragic childhood¡­ or did they? And it was Phel who just didn''t know anything about it. Be''s interactions with her father were mostly normal, as far as Phel could tell. But for Evin, Phel never heard the boy mentioning his parents before.


    "You don''t know?" Teouka looked shocked, and then confused. "I guess it makes sense, considering their dispositions."


    "Can you tell me about it?" Phel asked, but the teacher shook her head firmly.


    "The secrets of your friends aren''t mine to share¡­ and we''re getting off topic, anyway. But like I said, they haven''t be strong, just because they were born naturally talented. They became strong because they needed to be strong. And the kingdom knows it as well. But obviously, they can''t be going around designing tragedies for the young mages, and they also have to intervene if things go too far."


    "That can''t be right. How are mages okay with being treated like that in the first ce? Sure, they can be considered weapons, but they still have their own feelings and thoughts, don''t they? How are you okay with this?"


    Teouka sighed deeply and looked at Phel with a tinge of guilt. "You¡­ You''ll understand when you''re older. All I can tell you now, is that there''s a fundamental difference between beings with mana-cores and those without it. And despite what you might think, it''s hard to say which side is better off."


    Phel wanted to protest ''Of course, mages have it better'', but the unusually heavy tone that came from this usually cheerful teacher made it hard for him to speak up.


    "Hah¡­" Teouka suddenly sighed again. "I''m sorry for ruining your mood like that, but since you asked something so serious, I judged it improper to give you a half-baked answer."


    Phel bit on his lips and fell into thought again. Like always, the problem remained unsolved. He hoped that if he suggested something extreme to the teachers, they''d intervene on the subject and save Evin, but the answer he received was definitely not good.


    ''To say that whether or not the murder would be sanctified would depend on the circumstances, isn''t it basically saying that they''d let the murder happen and then decide whether they would issue punishments or not? Isn''t that basically the same as leaving Evin to die?''


    He could never agree with the thought of Evin dying so that he could encourage the other students to work harder. And not only that, this stupid system that promoted the deaths of young mages should be abolished as well.


    ''No¡­ I can''t let that happen,'' Phel was suddenly filled with a great sense of responsibility when he realized that no one was going to help him out. Even if there was no chance for the teachers to help him out, he should at least make the attempt, shouldn''t he?


    "Teacher, can I ask you for a favor?" he began.


    "I can''t say I''ll agree, but I don''t mind hearing you out," Teouka replied.


    "I fear that Decatur is going to kill Evin inside the Temple. He has him trapped there since yesterday afternoon and is now preparing for a final push. Please help me save him."


    Teouka made a strained smile, and shook her head. From this, Phel immediately realized that he wouldn''t like the answer. "We know what''s happening in the Temple. Don''t misunderstand. I want to run there and save Evin myself, but the teachers were specifically ordered to turn a blind eye to the situation¡­ In fact, me speaking about it is already out of line."


    "No," Phel wanted to cry. "Shouldn''t they be trying to save a talent like Evin? Tell me! I know that he has the potential to be stronger than any random mage! Shouldn''t the kingdom be trying to nurture and raise him, instead of letting him die so he an inspire thezy and the privileged?"


    "You will know the answers to these questions in the future," Teouka cut off Phel with her hands. "But¡­ I just want to say that I''m proud of you for trying to help Evin. I hope you''ll keep trying the same way from now on as well. Remember that the worst kind of regrets are the ones that stem from inaction."


    "I¡­ I will do my best. No, I will save him."


    Phel was still shocked by what he learned through the conversation but something about the teacher''sst words resonated deeply with his heart.


    ''Of course, who cares about my friendship deteriorating with Decatur? Since we''ll still be alive, I can work it outter. It would be a bad joke if I let Evin die while wallowing in indecision.''


    And just as he finally made up his decision, he heard a familiar voice from one of the tents around the ce: "Is it true that Evin''s in a pinch?"

 Chapter 93 - Reinforcements

    Phel looked around and saw the distinctly familiar red-haired boy looking towards him with a serious, yet curious expression.


    "Arza?"


    "Is what you''re saying true?" Arza asked again.


    "Y-yes. It is true. Are you going to help him?"


    Arza nodded briefly before looking at Teouka. "Is it true that the school wouldn''t mind if he dies?"


    "Like I said, depends on the circumstances," Teouka shrugged, though Phel could see a faint smile appearing on her face.


    Hearing this, Arza thought only for a second, before turning towards Phel. "Then let''s go save Evin, shall we?"


    What urred next made Phel want to wallow dig a hole in the ground and die inside it.


    Arza immediately set foot towards the Temple, while asking Phel questions about the situation. How many enemies were there, how long Evin was staying inside there and what he was doing to resist, what Decatur''s n was, and whether both sides had any reinforcements.


    But even after hearing the whole situation, Arza''s confident expression did not waver. In fact, he even looked a bit disappointed when he first heard that only the 13 nobles were there, but some form of anticipation appeared on his face when Phel mentioned Lopar''s group.


    Phel could only suspect it to be empty bravado¡­ but a part of his heart couldn''t just dismiss Arza like this.


    And ever since meeting him through Evin, Phel always felt that there was something different about Arza. A lot of times, his friends tended to randomly gush out about their problems to Phel. When he mentioned it to his mother, she suggested that perhaps he had a calming aura that others felt safe in. In fact, out of the dozens of friends he had, Phel only met a few people who were close to him and that did not talk about their problems to him: his father, his mother¡­ and weirdly, Evin and Arza.


    With his parents, Phel could understand why. Whenever his parents seemed like they were about to talk, they''d smile gently and steer the conversation towards a different, lighter direction. After all, what kind of parent would be willing toin and vent to their children?


    But he couldn''t really tell why with Evin and Arza. Sometimes, Evin would seem like he''s about to confide in him, but like his parents, he would seemingly decide not to at thest second.


    As for Arza, it was even weirder. It was like the boy never possessed any worries in the first ce. No, it was like Arza never saw problems as¡­ problems. His disagreements with his friends, Evin hiding secrets from him, his mother having trouble conceiving another child, his father facing the oppression of the kingdom¡­ He spoke about all these private topics like he was speaking about his hobby: with a lighthearted tone, a smile on his face, like he was telling some amusing story. A part of Phel knew that it was probably a bad thing, but there was a charm to it that Phel couldn''t ignore.


    And seeing him run like this towards the Temple single-mindedly, Phel couldn''t say he didn''t like it. Arza was a thousand times better than him, who took an entire day to set his priorities straight. Of course, a coward like him couldn''t match up to a person like Arza, fearless and ever-confident, always moving ording to his own wishes and desires.


    "We''re here," Arza murmured, slowing down to take a look at the Temple.


    "I think the group ofmoners already went inside. If nothing changed about the n, then they should be trying to break the floor at this point."


    "Then let''s go inside."


    "H-hey, shouldn''t you be familiar with the Temple before going in?" Phel said, "Even if you''re confident, doesn''t mean you should just blindly charge in."


    "Hmm? I''m already familiar with the Temple, though?" Arza cocked his head. "After all, I''ve already cleared it once."


    The sudden revtion momentarily silenced Phel, who was processing the information he just received.


    "Wait, that''s impossible. We''ve been here since yesterday afternoon," he retorted. "When would even be able to clear them?"


    "Yesterday morning. This was the first ce I came to since it was closest to my starting location," Arza grinned.


    "Then, you must''ve met the Turned ones inside¡­ and you managed to kill all of them?"


    "Those naked guys? Well, at first I was a bit shocked, but it got easier when I started to see them as enemies¡­ So they''re called Turned ones."


    "Yes. Didn''t you see the papers and research lying around in the final room?"


    "I did, but I knew it wasn''t something I was interested in, so I just took the card and left¡­" Arza shrugged. "Regardless, let''s not chit-chat here and go save Evin."


    Phel nodded and followed behind Arza. At first, they heard a faint, yet continuous sound of banging. It wasn''t long before they found a group ofmoner mages hammering down on the floor in a ketricite room.


    Just like the corridor Evin was using to protect himself, apparently, when one revealed only one of the ketricite blocks sandwiched between the two stoneyers, the entire room, or corridor would reveal its true nature.


    Arza quickly walked over to them and incapacitated them. As always, Arza didn''t chant and he also didn''t try his gestures. He simply ran over to them, knocked out seven of them with a chop to the neck before they could even understand what was happening, and the choked the remaining one.


    "Was there always a ketricite room here?" he asked confusedly.


    "Yes. Although everything seems to be made of simple stone blocks, there''s a hidden ketriciteyer underneath them. I guessed that it was designed so that students don''t skip floors?"


    "Huh, I guess that makes sense. Anyway, this should give Evin a little breather," Arza said and hurried underground, smiling all the while.


    As they neared the ketricite corridor, they began to hear the faint, yet consistent clinking soundsing from deep inside.


    Phel was sure that the students had brought in arge amount of stone and rearranged them in the form of a wall, and that Evin was trying his best to destroy it.


    Now that everyone''s attention was on Evin, Arza just had to sneak past the enemies and take care of Decatur. Phel didn''t know exactly how that was going to happen, but Evin was always confident in the red-haired boy''s skills. But sadly, Arza himself had a different opinion regarding the matter. Right when they appeared in front of the students, he did the exact opposite of silent entry.


    "Evin! Evin! Can you hear me!? Give me a few seconds and I''ll immediately take care of this little problem for you!"

 Chapter 94 - Strength

    The boy''s sudden deration was met with t silence, as everyone slowly turned their heads towards him. The brief pause allowed Phel to see that on top of the nobles originally attacking Evin, there were also a few elitemoners that were following Lopar. The injured nobles had also joined the fray, as Phel could see the student who had his thigh prated was pushing against the giant rock with zealous hatred.


    Aside from Dagan and Be, this was basically everyone in the original 1st year Combat ss. Considering that Phel and Arza were on Evin''s side¡­ it basically meant that it was a 3-versus-21 situation. The odds were definitely against them, but since Evin was kind of able to hold back the 12 nobles, then Phel and Arza just needed to take care of the other 9 people.


    ''No that''s not right. To make it a proper 3 vs 21, Evin needs to get on this side of the corridor. So it''s technically a 2 vs 21 until then,'' Phel concluded and felt a tinge of regret at acting so hastily.


    "Is that Arza?" a voice from behind the giant rock interrupted the silence. But contrary to Phel''s expectations, it sounded quite cheerful. "Do you need any help with that?"


    "No need. Just focus on getting through that giant rock!"


    Phel was quite shocked at how casually these two were taking this. But as he was having some trouble processing what was happening, Decatur interrupted his thoughts.


    "Phel! What the fuck are you doing?" the acting Count shouted.


    Feeling the need to properly exin himself, Phel cleared his throat. "I-I''m taking Evin''s side. I don''t agree with your desire for r-revenge!" But what came out of his mouth was a much simpler stance. Perhaps considering the fact that he stuttered while only saying these lines, it was for the best that he said something simple.


    "Then do what you fucking want!" Decatur shouted out with venom in his voice. Turning to the nobles and the students he gathered, he spoke, "We''ll take care of these two first."


    "Guys! Why do you even allow him to order you around like this? Just because he''s acting as the Count, doesn''t mean you should obey his words all the time!" Phel tried to appeal to the others.


    Hopefully, he looked around, but he wasn''t able to see the reaction he wanted. Everyone only looked annoyed that Phel was bringing up a topic that they didn''t want to think about. They looked back at him, as if asking, ''Do you think we can stop just because you say so?''.


    Phel wanted to tell them to think about the act of killing Evin, but immediately realized it would be a bad idea. First, they were in the Temple, and everyone was forced tomit murder to a certain degree so they definitely wouldn''t feel so bad about killing someone else. Second, Evin was constantly harassing them from beyond the corridor, mercilessly hurting them, so they would want to exact revenge on him some way or another.


    "Save your breath, Phel," Arza said as he patted his shoulder. "The problem here isn''t asplicated as you''re making it out to be. We''re here to save Evin and that''s it. While it''s nice to get help from the students here, it''s not such a big deal if they refuse."


    Obviously, Arza''s words rubbed everyone around the wrong way.


    "Who are you to speak down to us like this? You''ve never even managed to beat me in the mock fights, have you?" one of the students spoke.


    "Of course, I haven''t. After all, you''re such a boring opponent, who''s only worried about keeping yourself safe," Arza smiled. "It''s too much effort to get through your turtle-like defenses with my Gestures. It''s easier for me to wait until I can just train enough to smash through themter on."


    Phel really didn''t know where Arza got this confidence from. He didn''t hold a high ranking in the ss, and although it was impressive for him to achieve that with a barely working Chanting method, it was still hard to see him as someone reliable. Phel really didn''t know why Evin held Arza in such high regards.


    The other guy definitely looked offended at the remark, but he kept a mocking smile on his lips and asked. "And what makes you so sure that you''ll be able to break through my defenses now?"


    A wall of earth appeared in front of the student as he spoke. The student''s spell gave off a faint metallic luster, so while it couldn''t be consideredpletely metal, it was definitely something to brag home about.


    For the users of Tenarak, most of the time, their dream was to be able to create use metal as their main material for spells. It usually took them quite some time to achieve, so the student being able to at least mimic it at his age was definitely a big achievement. It wasn''t a fluke that he was one of the stronger people in the ss.


    But even seeing this seemingly impossible to prate defense, Arza pulled out five lodestones with a smile and loudly began to chant.


    "May the Empress grant me bones harder than the Tower and muscles stronger than Heroes.


    May she bless me with eyes to see stopped time, and fists to shatter false realities.


    May she grant me legs that defy nature''s boundaries,


    And may she watch over me, as I offer her this victory."


    As he finished the chant, in the blink of an eye, the five lodestones were emptied as if they were being sucked up by a Talisman, but the change in Arza''s body wasn''t so easy to distinguish. Aside from his eyes, which turned slightly pinkish, he looked the same as always. His muscles didn''t be inted, or his skin didn''t be rough and sharp like how every other World of Life user transformed.


    ''He couldn''t have wasted five lodestones'' worth of mana just like that, right?'' Phel couldn''t help but imagine the worst.


    Although the Chant was unique in its own way, but in Phel opinion, itcked the sincerity that other Chanters had. It wasn''t a joke to say that some Pleading Chants made listeners want to tear up, or when some Demanding Chants made others subservient. Arza''s Chant contained no emotions whatsoever. Sure, it was serious enough, but it was definitelyckluster by Phel''s standards.


    However, during this moment he was feeling doubtful of Arza''s capabilities, the red-haired boy blurred out of his vision, and Phel''s ears heard a loud shattering sounding from in front of him.


    With disbelief, he nced towards the source of the sound and saw the shield of pseudo-metal crumbling into two, with Arza''s fist lodged in the middle.


    Seeing the fierce and arrogant grin stered on Arza''s face, Phel felt what he usually felt when Evin or Be did something unreasonable. But in this case, the feeling was multiplied by tenfold, just because of how simple and awe-inspiring the concept of strength was.

 Chapter 95 - Arzas Abilities

    Staring at the red-haired figure who was standing proudly before the stone, various emotions welled up inside Phel''s dazed head. Awe, respect, thankfulness, admiration. This shock he was feeling only dissipated when Arza began to speak.


    "See? It''s easy to break through the false realities that you conjure," he said casually as he pulled outs his hand out of the giant rock, making it crumble down.


    The sight of the Tenarak user standing speechlessly appeared from behind the scene, and Arza swiftly dealt him a punch to the gut. Since he was powerful enough to break through pseudo-metal, a normal mage''s body should''ve been the same as paper in front of his fists¡­ but none of the previous overpowering force could be felt from this punch.


    Sure, it looked painful as the Tenarak user was slightly lifted upwards due to the punch, but considering what happened to his spell, his stomach should''ve been pierced by Arza''s fist.


    ''Is that what the meaning of his chant was? To fists that allow him to shatter false realities¡­ and ording to what happened just now, false realities should mean things made from magic,'' Phel thought excitedly.


    ''Or maybe he justnded a much weaker punch, and I''m just unable to tell the difference¡­''


    Whatever it was, Arza swiftly chopped his prey''s neck and took care of arguably the hardest student to deal with in the blink of an eye. He then looked around and his eyes fell on one of themoner neers.


    "You''ll be next, in 10¡­ 9¡­ 8¡­" he began counting down.


    ''What is he doing? Just attack them normally,'' Phel was confused. The various new feelings that were upying his mind previously were also gone.


    If Arza could move so fast it was hard for anyone else to even grasp his movements, then he should just jump between student and student and incapacitate them. There was no need for him to dere his intentions beforehand and even start a countdown. Now that he showed everyone what he was capable of, no one would be willing to let him do as he wished.


    "What the hell are you doing? Staring at him like a bunch of idiots?!" Decatur screamed. "Kill him!"


    As if a switch was flipped, everyone began to construct their spells one by one.


    A relentless noise of stone being flung on stone began appearing in the background, and Phel realized it as Evin trying to destroy the giant rock that was blocking his way out. But it was faint,pared to the spells being conjured in the room by the students. But by the time they finished casting, Arza was done with his countdown.


    His figure blurred out of everyone''s sight, and a gut-wrenching cry came from the boy he singled out previously. This time, the opponent wasn''t protected by a spell like the previous one, so he was blown away at tremendous speeds by Arza''s sudden dash andnded with his back to the room''s wall.


    "How does he move so fast?!" Phel whispered with disbelief as he tried to process what just happened.


    Although the first time was still shocking, it could be exined by the fact that no one was expecting something like that to happen. Naturally, things would look exaggerated if it happened out of nowhere.


    But this time, he was very intently looking at Arza to see what exactly he did to move so fast. But even then, he still couldn''t understand what he just witnessed. The only thing he noticed was Arza briefly crouching as if he was about to jump, before blurring out of existence.


    "Second victory," Arza dered with a smile, and designated another student as his next target. "The girl over there. In 13¡­ 12¡­ 11¡­"


    "N-no¡­" the girl in topic replied with her voice cracking.


    Phel felt bad for the girl, but his attention was more focused on what Arza just said. Compared tost time, he added three more seconds to his countdown, and also mentioned that it was his second victory. If the Tenarak user was first, then the girl must be the third.


    ''So he would need to do this 19 more times until we would be finished?'' Phel realized. ''And if three seconds are added each time he chooses a new target¡­ then near the end of the fight, the timer would be more than a minute¡­ This actually reminds me of something¡­''


    "Attack him before he does that!" Decatur ordered and a cacophony of spells appeared inside the small room.


    Among the spells, the array of Hard Fire swords conjured by the girl that was designated by Arza definitely looked much deadlier than the rest.


    All these big and small spells homed in on Arza''s location, while the melee fighters prepared to lunge at him after the effects of the ranged spells disappeared. From this, Phel could gather that the two groups had at least agreed on a battle n beforehand and he was sure that this n was originally prepared for Evin.


    He felt momentarily worried for Arza, but he could see the red-haired boy showcasing his eerily inhuman athletic abilities once again, though for some reason, this time, it felt a little more underwhelmingpared tost time. Phel immediately realized why. Arza was choosing to take some of the spells on his body, as he supposedly judged them too weak to dodge.


    Sure, the spells of the newly awakened mages were a bit underwhelming, but everyone here were all elites of the 1st year students. Their spells definitely weren''t anything so easy to just¡­ deflect off one''s body.


    "1¡­"


    "Nooo! ... Gah!" the girl''s scream was short and in vain, as Arza''s figure appeared in front of her the moment he finished counting down.


    Perhaps Arza held back in this attack of his, as the girl didn''t fly across the room like thest one. A closer look suggested that she fainted due to what seemed to be a mix of mana overuse, fear, and shock from Arza''s small, yet sharp chop to the side of her neck¡­ though Phel was able to notice a hint of gratitude in her expression which previously expected nothing less than death.


    "Third victory. Next will be you, in 16¡­ 15¡­ 14¡­" unaware of the girl''s emotions, Arza resumed his hunt.


    "Stack defensive spells on the target!" Decatur offered a solution to this problem.


    Everyone frantically began to create piles of spells between Arza and his target. Since the time frame was only 16 seconds, everyone was able to create something strong enough to deflect most casual attacks. Multiply that by 18 times, then a terribly potent defense would appear to protect the target.


    Anyone would want to stop the stacking of defenses, as no one liked to idly watch as their enemies casted their spells¡­ But Arza was only calmly observing the situation, as if it had nothing to do with him.


    "1!" he dered with enthusiasm, as he once again disappeared out of everyone''s sight.


    In a split second, a variety of different sounds entered Phel''s ears: rock crumbling, ice shattering, Hard Air being blown away, and Hard Fire sizzling. A dozen defensive spells that stood between Arza and his target were prated by his spell-shattering fist.

 Chapter 96 - Conditional Absolute

    But Phel saw that the other dozen defensive spells were still standing strong. Arza only managed to shatter through 15 of them, but seemed like he was stuck on the 16th one. His fist was bleeding from the knuckles and a faint pink smoke was swaying from the wound. It looked basically the same as how he looked like when he had his fist stuck between the pseudo-metal that the Tenarak user first created.


    Phel felt disappointed by the fact that Arza wasn''t able to prate the defenses, but a part of him was also d, since it meant that Arza''s dash was not unstoppable. He wondered what would happen next, now that Arza''s momentum was stalled, but then Arza picked up a small stone from the ground and threw it at his designated target.


    The stone shattered the remaining three defensive spells, beforending heavily on the target''s lower abdomen. He was pushed back a bit, before he rolled away, holding his bloody wound with his hands. Phel winced, imagining the pain the victim must''ve been feeling, but his eyes involuntarily fell on Arza again.


    "Fourth victory. That was a close one," the red-haired boy sighed out in relief, before designating another girl his next victim. "19¡­ 18¡­" As he started his next countdown, he grasped at another batch of lodestones and absorbed five of them.


    At this moment, Phel realized what was going on. Someone else also must''ve noticed it, as he heard a panicked voiceing from the crowd.


    "Is he using a Conditional Absolute?!"


    Phel was also in agreement with the idea, so he was also screaming inside his head. ''Isn''t he only 10? What the fuck is even going on?''


    If one thought about it a bit, the answer would immediately be obvious. Him designating one person as his target; his countdowns which increased by three seconds each time he dashed; him standing in ce while he counted; the abnormallyrge mana intake of his spell; and of course, the mind-blowing effects of his spell.


    If his chant had any truth to it, his bones were nigh indestructible, his muscles were stronger than mythical heroes, his fists could destroy anything made of maintained with magic. And on top of it all, he could dash impossible distances before anyone could even blink.


    ''Actually, it''s better if it''s a Conditional Absolute,'' Phel decided. ''If these effects didn''t have any drawbacks, then it would be even more unfair.''


    "Shut up! Don''t think about useless things and recreate the same defenses again. And after he gets stuck likest time, you use this to block his follow up attack!" Decatur barked out his orders and gave the target a Talisman.


    Although he told everyone to not think about it, Phel immediately realized that Decatur was treating it as if he was dealing with a Conditional Absolute. The acting Count must''ve realized that if he really was dealing with something like this, then he should target its weakness.


    As for what that weakness was, Decatur must''ve deduced it from how Arza was acting and what he was saying. The red-haired boy stopped in ce after his dash was stopped and had to throw a rock to knock out his target. Then hemented that it was a close one, meaning that most likely, Arza had a prerequisite of having to knock out his opponent before being able to dash again.


    Conditional Absolutes were strong, but like its name said, they needed to fulfill conditions to work properly. And it wasmon knowledge that a popr way of setting disadvantages was to add a failure penalty. So theoretically, a mage could use an overpowered spell over and over again, as long as they didn''t fail a certain condition they set for themselves beforehand.


    ''Dec must be betting on the fact that there must be a certain penalty if Arza fails to incapacitate his target,'' Phel realized and couldn''t help but admire Decatur.


    He could think about all these things because he was spectating the fight, but for Decatur to be able to realize these things and even create countermeasures while he''s still fighting was nothing less than impressive.


    "3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­" Arza finished counting down, and disappeared from his location. But the cacophony of sounds didn''t ur this time, instead, a painful shriek escaped the target girl''s mouth.


    Confused, Phel looked towards her, to see what was happening, and saw that her left hand, which was holding the Talisman, now had a bloody hole in the middle. A small, bloodied stone could be found lying on the ground next to her.


    Then, Phel''s eyes caught the sight of Arza'' standing casually a dozen steps to the girl''s side, his torso slightly tilted backwards, as if he was struggling to stop the momentum of his dash. Something told Phel that Arza must''ve avoided dashing through theyers of defensive spells blocking his way, and dashed to the side, so that he could have a clear shot at his target¡­ but Phel''s mind was on another thing.


    Seeing the girl struggling to look at the gaping hole in her palm, Phel once again cringed uncontrobly. But he could tell that Arza was trying his best to hold back on his attacks, never inflicting more damage than he needed to¡­ except this time, his victim did not lose consciousness like the rest before her.


    ''Is his spell finally going to get canceled? Should I help him out if the penalty kicks in?'' Phel wondered, but the fact didn''t seem to bother Arza, as he designated another target as if nothing happened.


    "Fifth victory. Next one¡­ is you over there. 22¡­ 21¡­ 20¡­"


    And although he dashed towards a spot close to another student, he didn''t even bother attacking him as thetter scrambled away from him with panic.


    ''So the condition for the next dash isn''t incapacitating the opponent.''


    Decatur also seemed confused, but he didn''t allow himself to fall into confusion and immediately barked orders at the next target, "Get as far away from here as possible!"


    The new target seemed flustered at first, but nodded resolutely, and dashed towards the path outside. Of course, Phel was standing in his path, so he definitely wasn''t going to let the target get any further.


    Without hesitation, Phel stepped froward from the corridor and brought out a Talisman. The three lodestones worth of mana in his core immediately disappeared into the Rune drawn on the Talisman, and in turn, the Talisman created arge body of water that filled the entrance to the corridor and turned into ice.


    A brief pauseter, Phel saw powerful spells falling on his ice, but he knew that they weren''t strong enough to prate it until the countdown was finished.


    "Dispel your ice, you traitor!" the next target demanded from him.


    "At least you won''t die."

 Chapter 97 - Repercussions

    Arza finished his countdown and appeared right next to Phel, sending his target crashing into the wall.


    Even though Phel saw this dash five times already, when he appeared right next to you like that, it was hard to not feel anything. It truly was like something out of stories


    Although Phel felt nothing the first time Arza chanted a spell, this time, he felt like the boy was shrouded in an unfathomable aura. His pink eyes seemed to be leaving small linear trails whenever Arza moved his head, and the faint pinkish smoke emanating from all over his body also added to this powerful image.


    Once again, admiration began to bubble up in Phel'' heart, as he excitedly waited for him to designate his next opponent. But then Arza looked towards him and said in a barely audible whisper, one that only Phel could hear with his abnormally good hearing, "Next one is the final one. Pull me back afterwards." Turning towards the rest of the students he resumed confidently. "Sixth victory. The next lucky student would be¡­ Lopar. In 25¡­ 24¡­ 23¡­"


    "You damn bastard¡­" Lopar replied hatefully. "For two months, I asked if you could show me what you were truly capable of but you refused all the time. But when your roommate falls into trouble, you immediately reveal your secrets like they''re nothing?"


    Arza stopped his countdown for a second to reply to Lopar''s words. "I''ve exined why to you as clearly as possible, so if you can''t ept that, then there''s nothing left for me to do. Just because we''re dating, doesn''t mean we have to share each and every one of our secrets. 12¡­ 11¡­"


    Lopar hmphed in a dismissive manner and began her dance, stirring the mana around her to service. When Arza''s countdown neared the end, she performed the defensive movement everyone was so familiar with, timing it perfectly to intercept Arza''s iing dash.


    But while Lopar''s dance was like the beautifully written music notes on a paper, Arza''s dash was like a sudden knife that cut through said paper without rhythm or rhyme. The huge body of air that Lopar stirred could only dissipate under Arza''s unreasonable attack, leaving her neck wide open for the follow-up attack.


    After he was finished, everyone else seemed to wonder who would be the next one, but Arza''s words suggested otherwise. "Final victory. I''ll leave the rest to you."


    Then, after promptly striking and knocking out another student who happened to be nearby, the pink light in Arza''s eyes disappeared and he began falling down.


    "Now''s our chance! Take him out!" one of the students shouted.


    Phel knew that something like this was going to happen, so he was already there when the boy as falling down. He effortlessly picked up Arza''s body from between the gaping enemies, and pulled back to the corridor he blocked with ice.


    At his will, the ice created by the Talisman turned to icicles and were sent towards the remaining enemies in the room.


    It effects weren''t anything to write home about, but it seeded in bogging down the chasing opponents at least for a few seconds more and also baiting them away from the ketricite floor for at least a few steps.


    "Stop going after the unconscious enemy, you idiots!" Decatur shouted angrily. "We still have another one to deal with!"


    Decatur was indeed right. They did have more problems to worry about, but they were toote. One of them was even making such a dramatic entrance of breaking through a giant rock lodged between a corridor. Evin was desperately trying to reach the non-ketricite room, so he could protect himself from the falling debris that were created alongside his shy entrance.


    In normal circumstances, the students who were trying to keep him in ce would''ve immediately fired spells at him, now that Evin was at his weakest. But the whole situation with Arza managed to draw their attention enough, so they forgot about their original goal for a moment.


    Evin, of course, would never fail to use such a chance, and managed tond on non-ketricite ground before the enemies could even realize what was happening.


    Ever since Arza began attacking the students, Evin was relentlessly chipping at the rock, trying to break it enough to make it crumble down with a big enough push¡­ while also being careful enough to not let the enemies think too much about the constant sound that was entering their ears. Evin never changed the rate and strength he used to hit the rock, so the noise he was emitting had basically turned to white noise.


    The human brain always strove to ignore the useless things that it was perceiving, especially in a situation where they were greatly focused on another thing.


    Phel could notice it because he wasn''t the one fighting, and because his hearing was much sharper than others. He heard that the giant rock was bing more and more brittle, judging by the sound it was making. He even wondered whether Arza also knew about it and timed his spell to end right when Evin was about to break through the rock, but decided that it was best to not worry about it too much.


    He pulled out a Talisman from his pocket and threw it in the room. Immediately, the whole ce was filled with pure white fog, but Phel was sure Evin would be able to navigate his way through it. After all, it was a simple straight dash across the room, with nothing hindering his path.


    ''Evin doesn''t need more help than this,'' Phel decided and ran towards the exit with Arza on his hands.


    But just as he exited into the corridor, a powerful wave of water ran by his back.


    "You thought you could escape if you just got through the ketricite corridor?" Decatur''s voice resounded though the room.


    With his words, the water that was running through the room immediately turned to ice, blocking Phel off.


    ''Shit!'' Phel cursed.


    Of course, Decatur would have prepared a huge spell for the decisive moment. The blonde-haired boy was always shy with his spells, but today, he barely stood out from the students around him. It seemed that he was preparing a big one for when Evin appeared through the corridor.


    Of course, he would expect Evin to pull of something like that. Out of everyone in that room, he was the one who would be the most wary of Evin.


    Phel considered trying to break through the ice wall, but decided to trust Evin to do something about the problem himself. He didn''t doubt Evin''s capabilities, and in his mind, it was difficult to decide who was harder to deal with, Evin or Arza. If Arza could keep a room full of mages busy, then surely, Evin will be able to do the same.

 Chapter 98 - Feelings

    Besides, his attention was drawn to a more immediate problem in his hands.


    ''Yes, definitely. It shouldn''t be so easy to use a spell like that,'' Phel thought as he supported Arza''s weight in his hands.


    Even with a brief nce, Phel noticed countless wrongs on Arza''s body: his breathing so rough andbored Phel almost imagined him dying; his skin way too hot that it even briefly startled Phel; every pore in his body seemingly sweating out every bit of moisture inside; his bloody wounds and overall, wrecked body.


    Phel quickly pulled out a Talisman of Healing and put it on Arza''s body. He then created warm water through magic and bathed his body with it, while also letting the red-haired boy sip it asionally. Phel didn''t know how the boy did it, but even while unconscious, Arza would greedily gulp the water that Phel put in his mouth.


    Seeing Arza like this, once again, Phel''s mind was reminded of the period when he did nothing but hesitate as things deteriorated but by bit.


    He should''ve fiercely opposed Decatur when he started mention revenge against Evin. He should''ve at least tried to have an honest conversation with Dec, to try and make him realize whether something so extreme and violent like that is necessary. Even before then, Phel should''ve spent more time with Dec, so he didn''t fall into such a state of mind in the first ce.


    ''But I did nothing.''


    Compared to that, Arza began to work on saving Evin the moment he heard he was in a predicament. Even at such a cost to his body and having to reveal the fact that he possessed a Conditional Absolute, Arza took action without extra thoughts.


    It didn''t matter if Arza just didn''t think so deeply about the consequences in the first ce. He knew what he wanted and he knew what he needed to do to achieve his goals. Everything else was irrelevant.


    Such an Arza shone so brightly in Phel''s eyes, he even momentarily forgot about Evin, who was still fighting inside the room. A part of Phel''s mind was even telling him that there was something more than just admiration and respect in what he was feeling inside.


    Phel knew he was always curious about Arza, but the feeling intensified manyfold during the previous half an hour he spent with the other. At this point, he couldn''t ignore or deny those feelings. After all, the symptoms were all there.


    Many times, Phel spent evenings and nights with his friends, who would gush out to him about their crushes or loves. After listening to the same talk over and over again, Phel started to see somemon patterns to people who harbored feelings for another: focusing on their positive aspects, feelings of empathy, finding joy inmon interests or goals, thinking that they''re more special than others.


    During those moments, Phel often wondered whether he could find these signs in himself, but he found that his feelings toward his female friends were rather dull. Sure, he cared about each and every one of them, but he could never really feel something more than that.


    But for Arza, Phel could see all the signs sprouting in his mind. His heart ached seeing Arza look like this; and when he hurt others, even putting a hole through one''s palm, Phel tried to see it in a positive light¡­


    In the first ce, Phel always found himself more interested in his male friends¡­ but of course, those guys always loved to talk about which girls were best in private environments.


    At that moment, Phel began to suspect that there was something wrong about him. Of course, in the kingdom''s high society, such a thing wasn''t very well received. Everyone even seemed to actively refrain from talking about it. The only reason Phel was familiar with the subject was because he heard about the same sex couples of the Eastern Oasis.


    Thinking of the stories he heard about them, Phel instinctively held his hands towards Arza''s cheek.


    As he was stealing a cheeky caress on Arza''s cheeks, a giddy feeling took over his heart, making it hard for him to breathe evenly. But feeling the sweat pouring out of his body, Phel''s mind was brought back to reality.


    ''What the hell am I thinking of in the middle of a fight?'' he thought suddenly, shook his head, and focused his hearing on the other side of the ice wall. It was almost scary how quickly he was able to switch his state of mind.


    "You''ll have to get through me if you want to escape," someone was saying. Phel recognized it as Byron.


    "Fuck off!"


    The next moment, Phel felt a loud impact crashing into the wall of ice, which immediately shattered it to pieces. Phel desperately shielded Arza from the stray pieces of ice, while getting his feet moving.


    Once again, Evin made a dramatic entrance, but this time he hade with Byron, whose body was covered in bloody wounds all over.


    Phel''s mind imagined the worst, but this wasn''t the time to worry about this.


    "Why aren''t you out of here yet?!" Evin screamed when he noticed that Phel was still right outside the corridor.


    Although he was shouting, he still picked up Arza and the two began to run away. Phel also realized his mistake, but knew that apologies were useless here and instead focused on running as well.


    "Can you make a boulder big enough to block the corridor?" Evin asked as they were reaching the end of the corridor.


    "Yes!" Phel replied and scrambled to find the correct Talisman from his bag.


    "Then you do that!" Evin replied, and Phel heard the sound of an explosioning from behind him.


    At this moment, a ring¡­ scorching light filled the entirety of the corridor.


    Phel''s skin was burning under its effects, and he could tell that it was the same for Evin and Arza next to him. Stinging pain came from every bit of exposed skin he had, and an acidic, rotting smell seemed to being from everywhere. Phel was fearful that it might be them that were emitting this foul smell.


    "Burn out of existence, you murderer!" Decatur''s crazedughter wasing from behind them.

 Chapter 99 - Endra

    Inside a dome-shaped room, Endra struggled to resist the urge to let the fucking boy just burn under the light''s effects. How divine would it be if this hopeless idiot just burned out of existence?


    "No¡­ no. Argh!"


    <Tell Phel to use the Talisman as soon as possible! Hurry,> he conveyed. <I''ll try to buy some time!>


    Reluctantly, he used whatever energy was left inside Evin''s mana core, to create a makeshift shield. Of course, he could''ve done more, but he decided against it. The boy needed to suffer. Endra couldn''t just solve all his problems for him like that. Look where that got him.


    Evin opened his mouth to speak, but only a horrid screech came from his throat. Endra smiled at the sound, but it soon disappeared due to the wall of shadow he created..


    "Ah¡­ Should''ve waited a bit," he murmured with disappointment.


    "The Talisman!" Evin was screaming through one of the screens on the dome.


    Phel heard Evin''s voice and finally started to dig through the variety of Talismans he possessed. At this moment, the shadow wall Endra created was evaporated under the light-ray''s effects, threatening to burn Evin and Phel once again.


    "Maybe next time you''ll be able to kill Evin¡­ But too bad it''s toote," Endra murmured, as he saw the normal stones in the corridor being peeled off to reveal the ketricite hidden underneath.


    This didn''t stop the light-ray to be less ring, but at least it stopped burning Evin and Phel under its touch. This allowed Phel to pull out the right Talisman from his pocket and create a boulder big enough to block the whole corridor, simr to the one Evin had to break through to escape.


    Finally, darkness returned to the corridors, letting Evin and Phel breathe out a sigh of relief. Endra also let his brain rest for a bit, and looked around the dome-shaped room that was bing more and more messy.


    Various books were sprawled all across the room, half eaten foods were scattered all over the floor, and dust seemed to have umted over time.


    ''I should clean up¡­''


    But the moment of respite wasn''t long. Immediately, Evin''s disbelief to came out again in the form of curses at the Endra.


    <Y-you killed him!> Evin''s voice reverberated through the space. <Don''t you have countless other ways to deal with him?!>


    ''Why won''t this idiot shut up about it?'' Endra thought spitefully, hating Evin for interrupting his calm moment he was enjoying a send ago. Ever since Endra filled Byron''s body with bullets Evin has been bitching non-stop about it.


    ''I''ve spoilt the fucker too much,'' Endra felt pissed at Evin and wanted tosh out at him, but managed to stop himself.


    <Will you please shut up?> but he still couldn''t keep the anger out of his words. <I told you I''m not perfect, right? You know that I don''t always make the best choices. Isn''t that why you''re always so desperate to make your own choices in life?>


    <But¡­>


    <If you don''t want me meddling with your life, then you should just tell me. I''ll obediently sit in one corner of your mind and keep silent. With this, you''ll make all the decisions yourself, but obviously, don''t expect me to help you out with spell-casting. At least I have the self-respect to deny you that.>


    <No, I still need your help, please,> Evin replied. <I''m sorry for saying these things¡­ I was just shocked by what happened.>


    ''No¡­ you just find myself a convenient spell-casting bot, so you''re finding it hard to let go of me,'' Endra wanted to say, but couldn''t.


    <Whatever. Get to the Infirmary as soon as possible and get Arza fixed. Get your skin checked as well and afterwards, we can celebrate the fact that we were able to run away from that situation.>


    Saying so, Endra ended the conversation and got up to clean his room. He could''ve using whatever magic that was applicable here to tidy up, but since he was maintaining a variety of spells ever since morning, he was starting to feel a headache brewing in his skull. And besides, it was nice to clean up manually sometimes, because it gave his day a semnce of normalcy.


    In a way, Endra was thankful to this ce that dirtied up and got messy despite the magical nature of the ce. After all, who would imagine that there would be a habitable space inside a boy''s head, that got dirty over time, not to mention allowed the residents to ''imagine'' their necessities into existence. And over time, the things they could imagine would be more and moreplicated.


    Ever since Evin got ess to the World of Thoughts, Endra became able to create a many different objects inside Evin''s mind-space. Compared to the room five months ago, which only had a bed, a desk and a chair, the new one was much moreplete.


    The dome itself was erged and its inside space was divided into various rooms, like a bedroom, a study, the control center, a workshop, a kitchen and a bathroom. There wasn''t anything special about these rooms, except for the study and the control center. The first contained various books and papers on subjects Endra became knowledgeable about during his 300 or so years of living as a ghost¡­ though he knew each of the books were severelycking in more detailed content.


    But Endra was satisfied with categorizing them into different pockets of knowledge. It made it easy to remember whatever he forgotter on, and it also allowed him to add more detailed knowledge to these subjects very easily.


    He was always learning new things about these old subjects through various ruminations and coincidences; and more often than not, he would randomly remember new details about them and write down the relevant knowledge into the topic''s respective book.


    But sadly, Endra could never be satisfied with the contents of the books ¨C they were all surface level knowledges that he learned through conversations or random sparks of interest (which very quickly disappeared). This meant that he knew a great deal of things, but he could never say he knew a great deal of things about one particr subject.


    Some might think that if one could live for three hundred years, they would be smart and educated, highly knowledgeable in various fields and professions¡­ Perhaps it would go like that if said person could interact with others.


    ''After all, if you properly lived for 300 years and was still uneducated and unsessful at that point, then it was just embarrassing.''


    But if no one else was there to judge or acknowledge a person''s efforts, then these immortal people just fell into an endless pit of lethargy. They''d start searching for quick fixes for their boredom, and when they got bored of that, they''d move on.


    When Endra wasn''t spending his time in hospitals trying to chance upon a lingering spirit like himself, his productive pastime was to spend entire days in various entertainment establishments like cinemas or lectures, either getting up to the trends, or learning whatever new thing that was happening in the world.


    When the 21st century began, he even forced himself to attend middle-school and high-school so he didn''t feel so out of touch anymore.


    But still, his favorite thing was to just apany whoever he felt love for. Sometimes, he would stalk a person he found interesting, but most of the time, he spent his time with his beloved. Three hundred years sounded like a long time, but during that long time, Endra only met nine people who he could truly call his dearest, with Irina being thetest.


    If he was allowed to, he wouldn''t have hesitated to spent an eternity with any one of them¡­ but unlike Endra, who was undying, everyone else was mortal. And to his knowledge, he was the only spirit who was allowed to exist among the living.


    ''Up till the point that woman came and threw me into a portal and I ended up stuck here¡­'' Endra thought with a sigh as he finished cleaning up the ce.


    ''Well, she did kind of promise to put me in a body and nothing else, so I guess I shouldn''tin too much.''


    A smile formed on his face, and Endra realized that the time spent cleaning and the time spent rumination about different subjects allowed him to finally calm down. He wasn''t sure, but he suspected that the things made my Lochra''s energy littering inside Evin''s mind-space also had a calming effect.


    Before Evin became a mage, if Endra fell into a bad mood, it wasn''t unusual for him to stay in it for whole days or even weeks. Sometimes he even went briefly mad.


    But whenever Endra interacted with the objects he was able to create using the World of Thoughts, his mind would very quickly stabilize itself. Like he suspected earlier, perhaps it had something to do with them giving him a sense of normalcy, but it really didn''t feel like that to Endra.


    ''In the first ce, shouldn''t eating imaginary food be detrimental for my mind? Maybe not, but it just sounds incredibly sad.''


    But when given the choice between being able to eat imaginary food and not, Endra would always choose the former. He didn''t even care about how such a thing was possible, and how it was possible for him to leave leftovers and they would actually stay where he left them, instead of dissipating out of existence.


    "Argh, now I''m getting way off topic," he said as he rubbed his messy hair. "I still need to solve the problem with Evin."


    Faced with the boy''s reluctance to study the soul-swapping techniques written on the papers they found underground, Endra was finally forced to meet reality: Evin was reluctant to separate with Endra.


    This was the biggest reason he felt pissed a few moments ago. But it was easy to realize why if Endra just thought about it. In fact, it would be weirder if Evin wanted to get rid of Endra after experiencing all the benefits that Endra could offer during these five months.


    Before then, Endra was just a voice in Evin''s head with no purpose other than ridiculing the boy''s situation. But after Evin got ess to mana, Endra turned into an overpowered spell-casting bot, who was also knowledgeable about various other subjects. Any well-educated person wouldn''t feel impressed with this level of knowledge, but for a 10-year-old boy like Evin, Endra must look like a treasure trove of information.


    "Fucking shit, I really did spoil this idiot too much," Endra whispered as he slouched into his couch. "I should''ve done it the way I nned to in the first ce."


    Originally, Endra nned to be much stingier with his magic performance. He nned to make Evin chant his spells, so Endra would cast it for him¡­ and he to put daily limits to the spells he would cast. This way, Evin would be forced to respect him, making it easier for Endra to stay in control.


    But in the end, Endra felt it was too much trouble to do such a thing, and since he was feeling bad for Evin, he decided to not be stingy with the knowledge he offered.


    Of course, he kept the more dangerous knowledge to himself, but no one could say that Evin received acking education.


    ''And look where that got me¡­ I knew that the best path forward was to be the dominant one in the rtionship and relentlessly push towards our most important goal. But conscience had to kick in and ruin everything.''


    ''¡­''


    "Well, there''s no point regretting my decisions now. I just need to work on getting Evin more motivated to be rid of me," Endra decided after thinking briefly.


    "And I can''t do it half-heartedly likest time, I need to do a proper job and stick to it¡­ Evin''s disposition is one that doesn''t learn things through words and persuasion. He''s also someone who doesn''t feel pressured if he doesn''t see the threating. The type who likes to ignore or run away from problems."


    "So if I suddenly try to have a heart-to-heart with him, threatening to stop casting magic for him if he doesn''t try to separate himself from me¡­ he''ll definitely try to stall the problem as much as possible."


    "I need something more shocking and urgent to get him moving¡­ Honestly, Decatur''s probably going to exert much more pressure on Evin from now on. Even if Evin bes Helm somehow, it''s impossible for Decatur to just silently sit back as Evin basks in glory. That''s not how Decatur thinks¡­ But his pressure''s useless for me. It would actually do the opposite of that. Evin would start to cling even more desperately to me."


    "What should I do to push away Evin from me?" Endra pondered out loud.


    He couldn''t stop casting magic for him, because showing weakness from now on would be akin to suicide. It was better to act unfathomable in the eyes of others, so they were less likely to mess with Evin.


    "I''ll search for opportunitiester¡­ Now I need to focus on the Ind."


    ¡­

 Chapter 100 - The Cliff By The Beach

    An hourter, Evin found himself alone once again, heading towards the ''Unspoken area''. The flight was silent and awkward, but that was to be expected.


    Although he was very happy he finally found some reliable allies to explore the Ind with, Arza was diagnosed with mana-core exhaustion and had to rest for at least a day (though he became conscious soon after he was brought to the infirmary), so Phel didn''t want to leave red-haired boy alone while he was in such a state.


    And although Evin wanted to apany them and explore the Ind together afterwards, Arza exined that he was going to explore the Ind alone, anyway, so there was no point in Evin waiting together with him.


    As for Phel, the boy said he''d escort Arza till he got better, saying that he wasn''t nning to aim for Helm or anything grand like that. Arza insisted otherwise, but under the two others'' pressure he eventually relented.


    Then, everyone got their skin and other wounds fixed through magic, exchanged some cards with each other (Evin received a Find Person Card, and also finally got another Castle Card, but had to lose his two ver Cards, as Arza and Phel possessed two others in total), and started to exchange information.


    Phel immediately asked Evin on whether or not Byron was still alive. Evin found it hard to exin, and just replied that he was probably okay. He then confessed that he might''ve hit Byron a bit harder than he intended, but he didn''t do enough to kill him. After all, everyone knew that Byron was apetent World of Life user.


    Phel still looked worried, but there was nothing he could do about it. He was the one who betrayed the group of nobles in the first ce, so it would be awkward for him to go back there again.


    Evin felt guilty for lying to Phel, as he clearly saw the Voice shooting Byron''s heart and liver, and the huge amounts of blood that were spurting from his wounds. In his opinion, it would be impossible for Byron to survive that.


    But Evin wasn''t willing to reveal the truth, because he was hell-bent on insisting that it was the only left for him to survive the ordeal. Decatur was definitely going to kill him, and if he didn''t hit Byron hard enough, he would''ve died in the Temple. Obviously, he didn''t mean to kill anyone.


    In any case, Phel nodded stiffly, and Evin tried to direct the conversation towards a different direction. He asked Arza questions about his Conditional Absolute. Although Evin saw glimpses of what was happening beyond the rock, naturally he couldn''t see the entire picture. Hearing from Phel how Arza saved him sent goosebumps through his skin. Naturally, he also became excited to learn about the spell.


    Arza exined that it wasn''t an Absolute in the truest sense, just a spell which had powerful effects at the cost of drawbacks and conditions. If it really was an absolute, the defensive spells wouldn''t have been able to block him, and Arza would''ve been able to dash towards his designated opponent regardless of what they did to stop him.


    But Phel and Evin knew that the feat he achieved was amazing enough on its own. They both understood that Arza was one step closer to creating his own Absolute, and now he just had to make it more powerful. Arza mentioned that if he became good enough at Gestures, he''d most likely be able to achieve his goals.


    Then, they each talked about their general experience on the Ind. Like Evin expected, Arza spent the yesterday morning exploring the Temple, and then went towards the Volcano immediately after. Decatur''s group, on the other hand, explored the mountain-peak and went straight towards the Temple afterwards.


    Eventually, they promised each other to meet once again two dayster, and parted. The two went towards the Shelter, while Evin resumed his exploration of the Ind, starting with the unspoken area.


    He actually wanted to go to the other ces and wait for Phel, but the Voice insisted that Evin explore the ce as soon as possible.


    <At this point in time, it''s best for us to explore that ce now. From what we heard from Phel, Decatur''s group still doesn''t know much about the unspoken area, so we should be able to explore it without being interrupted.>


    ''How can it act like nothing happened?'' Evin thought inside, but decided not to say it.


    He felt it was unfair of the Voice tosh out like that when Evin mentioned the act of him murdering someone in broad daylight. Obviously, the Voice was the one who performed the deed, but no one was going to believe something like that during a trial.


    ''Is he so confident that we won''t be punished for what we did?''


    Once again, Evin wanted to mention the subject, but since it even threatened to stop casting spells for him, Evin could tell that it really didn''t want to talk about it. But something told him that the faster they discussed this the better it was. After all, they should at least prepare what words to tell if they ever got interrogated.


    ''But I don''t want to argue with it any more than I need to¡­'' Evin thought.


    He realized that the Voice was in a bad mood for a long time now. It became obvious when he thought about it with how easily itshed out at Evin, and even that murderous feeling that Evin felt when it ovepped its mind with his. In a way, it was natural for it tosh out like that when it saw Byron blocking the path outside like that.


    At that moment, it shouldn''t have even thought about the consequences, it should''ve just wanted to vent out its anger on someone. Evin, of course, did not agree with its method of stress relief, but when he confronted it about its actions, the Voice turned angry.


    Evin remembered it talking about cases, where people got angry when others poked at their sensitive subjects. Surely this was something simr to that? If Evin approached the topic like that, the Voice would also understand, right?


    ''Ah, but it''s so hard to bring up the subject¡­''


    Evin was suddenly reminded of the time when he broke a random cup in his house, and hesitated to speak about it to his father for days, fearing that he''d get scolded and beaten up, but also thinking that he''d be let go with a lighter punishment if he confessed his wrongs first. The Voice at the time wasn''t as helpful as he was now, so it was just enjoying the situation as a bystander.


    But those days spent in hesitation and agony were unneeded, as his father never mentioned the broken cup. Evin even started to wonder whether his father knew they had a cup like that in the house in the first ce.


    ''Maybe if I let this matter lie, nothing would happen to me, after all?'' Evin thought for a bit, before shaking his head. Byron wasn''t a random cup in a 2nd grade family. If he suddenly died, there was definitely going to be a lot of trouble.


    With these various thoughts, Evin came to the ce marked on the map. For the time being, he decided to focus on the task at hand.


    If the map was to be trusted, the entrance to the area was located on a cliff located between the beach and the forest. There should also be a castle very close to the ce, so Evin would be able to im one as his own while he was at it.


    It didn''t take Evin much time to find the cliff, but it took him some time to find entrance, as it became apparent that the people on the Ind made some effort to hide the unspoken ce lest a student randomly stumbled upon it. The cliff being covered by vines and leaves also didn''t help the situation. But eventually, he stumbled upon an iron door hidden behind a thickyer of foliage.


    ''Now that I''ve found the door, the ce''s design is starting to make more sense.''


    Evin quickly began to suspect that the trial''s avenue was hidden inside the cliff itself. Evin wondered how long would something like that take for him, and decided that he would have to toil for at least a month to achieve something simr, even with the mana-rich atmosphere on the Ind.


    First was his abysmal talent with the World of Earth, and also the fact that using Tenarak''s energy to affect rocks took his mana-core an ungodly amount of effort.


    After appreciating the effort needed to create the ce, Evin approached the door with expectant steps. He immediately noticed that the rocks adjacent to the door were made of ketricite, and felt a bad feeling appear in his head.


    ''Don''t tell me the whole ce is made of ketricite¡­''


    But when he opened the door, he wasn''t met with the beginning room of a trial, but four easternersughing loudly, as they yed cards around a table. They noticed Evin at the doorstep, and hurriedly got off their seats, with weapons in their hands.


    "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

 Chapter 101 - The Easterners In The Castle

    With a reaction like that, it was hard for Evin to judge whether they were enemies or not. They were probably just the staff of the Ind, but thinking it best to at least be prudent, he brought up his spear from his back and assumed abat stance. Even if the stance was most likelypletely wrong, it would at least serve as some kind of threat. His actual n was to reach for the lodestones inside his pocket to turn them all into World of Life energies, since the room was made of ketricite.


    "I''m a student searching for the unspoken area," he quickly dered.


    The guards eyed each other with some surprise, before releasing their weapons.


    "You got lost there, kid?" one of them asked.


    Another pped him on the head and hissed. "He just mentioned the unspoken area, you dumbass."


    "Oh. Yes. Of course," the guard that got pped answered, but still looked unconvinced and asked another guard. "Isn''t this the second day? We didn''t for some reason drink till we nked out and missed a day¡­ or something."


    The others looked like they wanted to facepalm, but from the way they sighed afterwards, Evin understood that it was a usual behavior from that one guard.


    "Uh, sorry, is this the unspoken area?" Evin asked.


    "Technically, no," one guard that seemed to be the leader of the bunch answered. "This is a Castle that''s found next to it and its purpose is to protect random students from entering the Unspoken area."


    "So the trial''s located deeper inside?"


    "It is."


    "And what should I do to challenge the area?"


    "First of all, the trial''s are locked, so you must possess its key. There''s also its map, but that''s optional. Both items are held by the Ruler, so you must perform an exemry deed to be able to obtain it. I''ve heard that the Ruler''s daughter was missing, so perhaps finding her and bringing her to the Ruler will help," the lead guard said in a monotone, practiced voice.


    Hearing the guard, Evin pulled out the key and the map he got from the Ruler. "Are you talking about these?"


    The guards looked shocked upon seeing the two items, and the leader hurriedly spoke. "In that case, you can definitely tackle the Laboratories if you want to, but I rmend you do it when you get three Castle cards. If you enter the trials and someone elsees and ims this ce as theirs, you''d have a really tough time exiting the ce. After all, if the new owners of the Castle decide to attack you, we won''t be able to deny their orders."


    ''Oh? Guess we got pretty lucky,'' Evin thought and pulled out the three Castle cards.


    Seeing the new batch of cards, the guards looked like they had nothing else to say. Seeing such a reaction, Evin couldn''t help but feel good about himself.


    "How do I im a Castle as my own, and what can I do with it?" Evin asked.


    The leader, who was named Aksan, immediately turned subservient for some reason (even starting to call Evin ''lord''), and began to exin everything he knew about Castles.


    Castles, like Dagan exined beforehand, were like special properties that the students could rent for the time they were participating in the Helm''s Worthy. It was basically like a defensible mini-mansion for the students'' use, with 10 guards, supplies, a medic, and living quarters. Aside from these more normal things, there were also a few very useful magical devices inside.


    One of them was something called ''Scrying Set. It was a device with a few separate parts: a bunch of devices that acted like a Talisman of Seeing and a metal Talisman that allowed the user to see whatever the other parts were currently seeing.


    The spying devices were installed all over the Castle, and would be sending the images to the metal Talisman, which Evin would possess. Evin tried it out, and found out that the moment he used it, his sight would be reced by what the other devices were seeing, and that he could freely switch between the different ones.


    Aksan then showed him the four ketricite cannons of the Castle and briefed him on how the guards at the Castle would go about in a defense.


    Evin learned that every one of the guards here werepetent Apdenul users, as wasmon for Easterners. Not only that, Aksan was also someone who could showcase the specialty of the easterners, which was to briefly turn permeable.


    ording to what Evin learned about the Easterner mages in the Social Studies ss¡­ was that they weren''t very good at using the magic Worlds overall. Sure, they could still Chant and control the World energies, but the effects they could achieve were pretty limited. Most adult mages in the East could only cast magic at the level of themoners students that Evin faced the other day.


    But the reason the Easterners were able to repel the invading forces of the other nations was thanks to their iparable talent at using the World of Earth and the World of Life.


    The bodies of earth that the top easterner mages could create were akin to fortresses in the sky, requiring tremendous amounts of mages and mana to break down. There was even something Evin heard in history ss about how the Oasis''s Magi, the leader of all mages in the East, raised an entire Oasis city from the ground, so the spell of an enemy mage could only hit empty sand.


    Obviously, not everyone was able to achieve the same feats, but the things that the easterner mages could do with the World of Life were pretty standardized amongst them. Most of them could also strengthen their bodies much more efficiently than the other races. What would require a human five lodestones, an easterner could replicate with only two. But aside from their efficiency, their powers weren''t that impressive. Evin reckoned that Arza was actually more adept at strengthening himself using the World of Lifepared to most mages from the east.


    But that was fine, since their talents didn''t lie in that. They shined much more in the field of self-healing.


    It was a simple task for Easterners to regrow their lost limbs, their pierced organs and even their ruptured hearts. As long as their brains were functioning, an Easterner mage was practically immortal.


    Couple that with the ability to turn permeable that appeared in some Easterners, they truly did be immortal. They could turn either their whole bodies or parts of their body to be partly invulnerable, meaning that if they wanted to, they would never get hit by an enemy spell, ever. They would be able to infiltrate through any wall, as long as they didn''t stumble upon a ketricite one. And the most unfair of all, was they could do all indefinitely without using any mana or World energy.


    It was no wonder why the Oasis was the only country in the world that had never been upied in history.


    As for why they hadn''t conquered the world yet with these abilities, was that theycked in offensive magic. Sure, it was hard for other mages to deal with their invulnerabilities, but those that could turn permeable were few.


    And the thought that Evin would find one in this test, and that he would serve him felt a bit unreal. How did Aksan came to work here in the first ce?


    "Well, that''s about it for the capabilities of this Castle. Do you have any other questions, my lord?" Aksan asked.


    At this point, Evin was getting used to being called like this.


    "Can you tell me what you know ab0ut the Laboratories?"


    "Ah, about that¡­ I''m afraid that even we don''t know much about it¡­ but I do encourage you to explore the ce with others. It''s not that I doubt your capabilities, it''s just that the enemies you''ll find inside won''t be so simple to deal withpared to what you''ve met on the other areas. I just want to tell you to be more respectful of the Laboratories. If you feel yourself in danger, make sure to make escape without hesitation¡­ though my lord should also be vignt even when escaping through ces you''ve already been to before."


    ''It''s not that I want to challenge this ce alone, it''s just that it''s my best choice for now¡­ but I do agree that I should be more careful.''


    "I''ll heed your advice," Evin replied and asked. "Is it possible for some of you to apany me?"


    "No," the answer was immediate. "But at least you can stay reassured, knowing that you can explore the ce without worrying about other students interrupting you. And even if the students somehow manage to break through our defenses, you can still know it through the Scrying Set."


    "That''s true¡­ Well, in that case, I''ll get going."

 Chapter 102 - Metal Construct

    Evin was then escorted to the door that lead to the Laboratories (which, as always, was located underground), and opened it. Without dy, he entered under the watchful eyes of the guards and closed the door behind him.


    "Are you sure we should''ve have told the boss?" one guard''s muffled voice could be heard from behind the door. "Sure, he has all the required cards and items, but he could''ve just stolen it from another student."


    "If there were any problems, then Headquarters would''ve informed us already," Aksan was saying. "Although the kingdom expects some deaths during the test, it''s not like them to just let some lone kid croak inside the Labs. Especially this year, which included the students that only awakened half a year ago. ident control''s much more capable this time with the rescue team including four times as much people."


    "You''re right¡­ Didn''t this ce used to get at least 20 guards?"


    "Yes, but the strength of the Castles are basically the same, since they told us to take things a bit more seriously this time around¡­ They even promised to let us choose what we want to get from the maind as a reward, he-he. You think they''ll let us get some Lochra-flower seeds? Damn, I''m getting excited just thinking about it."


    Evin was curious about the guards'' talk, but they soon got too far for Evin to hear anything.


    <Are they serious about the kingdom letting some students die?> he couldn''t help but ask inwardly. <Did you know that? Is that why you''re so calm after killing Byron?>


    <They probably do allow some deaths on the Ind. It exins a lot of things, like why we''re not arrested yet for what we did, and why the teachers even let things reach that point in the first ce¡­ For now, let''s focus on the Labs.>


    Though he still felt guilty for Byron''s kill, Evin allowed himself a sigh of relief. He then walked forward through the ketricite stairway, holding the map in his hands. It was pretty useless for the time being, because he didn''t know where exactly he was on the map, but he hoped to find out soon enough. The drawings on the map didn''t have any exnations, but there were a few rooms which stood out from the rest quite sharply, like a room which was supposedly filled withrge ss tubes, and a room that looked full of heavy machinery. If he came upon such a room, Evin would be able to find his location on the map quite easily.


    As Evin walked, the walls eventually turned to normal stones, and Evin came upon another door. Experience on the Ind told him that he would find an enemy beyond the door.


    <What do you think we''ll find?> he asked the Voice.


    <Only one way to find out,> it replied. <Let''s prepare.>


    Evin changed the Apdenul energies inside his body to mostly Seyethe''s and let the Voice prepare its air bullet elerator. It was the newer version that the Voice used to deal with Decatur''s siege. It was very useful since the Voice didn''t have to use the World energies to create air particles, he just had to chuck in existing ones so it didn''t dissipate upon contact with ketricite, or if it entered an area that had ketricite''s magic negating properties.


    Taking a deep breath, Evin opened the door.


    ''At least this time I don''t have to carry around a spear that I won''t be using¡­'' Evin thought as he remembered Albin''s gift, which he left with the guards.


    Like always, he quickly scanned the room for enemies and saw a tall, very detailed and well-made metallic construct standing motionlessly between tworge pirs. Its most defining feature was its humanoid appearance and two blue colored stones that were located in its eye sockets, which started to glow when Evin entered the room.


    It then turned its head towards Evin and designated him as its enemy, with the way its body assumed a more threatening pose.


    Itsyered body reminded Evin a lot about Aran''s metal prosthetic, which had so many small joints and details that it was basically no different than an ordinary arm. This construct was the same with how easily it seemed to move its body.


    The Voice didn''t allow it any time to do anything and shot two strong air bullets at it, but the attack had no effects whatsoever. The two blue eyes didn''t budge at all from their spot, and the metal exterior just brushed off the air bullets. But thanks to the sound it made, Evin noticed that the construct was made of the same material his spear was made of, sorbothium. Since Evin worked with metals a lot, he could easily recognize the special traits.


    ''It''s pretty bad, if that''s the case¡­'' Evin thought.


    Evin didn''t know everything about the metal, but he did know that it was able to absorb World energies inside it and exhibit some of its powers. This meant that the thing in front of him might be able to use magic.


    the Voice ordered as it changed its elerator''s shape.


    As the two were preparing stronger ammunition, the construct also began to move towards Evin. It wasn''t so fast, but its heavy footsteps crashing onto the floor and its eyes that glowed brighter and brighter each second worried Evin, but he pushed down the fear and dashed sideways. The room was big enough, so the construct wouldn''t be able to catch up to him so easily. But if he ran back to the corridor, he would quickly reach the ketricite, so that was definitely a bad idea.


    As Evin was running around the room, the Voice began to shoot stones. They left dents and scratches on the surface, but they weren''t enough to break it.


    <Should we hit it with explosions?>


    <Not yet,> the Voice replied. <Let''s first try out our other methods and then we can take excessive measures. We should use this chance because it''s moving around so slowly.>


    The next two minutes, the Voice managed to confirm that fire didn''t have any visible effects on the construct, but his Hard Air swords could definitely damage the thing if the Voice wasn''t stingy with mana and imagination. The Voice consistently attacked its neck and managed to create about a two finger wide cut and revealed some of what was behind the construct''s glossy exterior.


    But when they were about to test out ice and water, the construct stirred the mana in the room and created an array of long icicles around itself.


    ''Shit, I knew it!'' Evin thought as he quickly ran behind a pir.

 Chapter 103 - Golems

    He expected the construct to shoot the icicles as soon as it created them and all of them at once, but Evin only heard the impact of one icicle hitting the pir.


    <Should we attack it back seriously or do you want to try new things?> Evin asked.


    <Go run circles around it. I wanna try something,> came the reply. <That icicle was much slower than what it could''ve been¡­ I think it''s going easy on us.>


    Evin was a bit confused by the reply, but he still did as it ordered. But as he ran around the construct, Evin too, could see the weird behavior it was exhibiting. Even if it had the chance to shoot all its icicles for the greatest chance of seeding, it only shot one icicle at a time, and it even seemed to wait a set amount of time between each shot. Not only that, their speed was a lot slower than any spell Evin saw before, and even then, the icicles looked dull and harmless.


    The only threatening thing about the construct was its metallic body that constantly ran towards Evin, as if possessed. But even then, it could only follow Evin''s back, never trying a nking maneuver or use any other movements to catch him.


    But Evin wasn''t going toin about his weak opponent, as it allowed him and the Voice to learn which attacks worked and which didn''t on its metallic body. Hard Air Swords could work, but they quickly learned that Hard Air hammers, or maces had a much better effect.


    Icicles could work, if the Voice made it strong enough, but it turned out to be a waste of mana. Then the Voice tried to fill the thing''s insides with water and then freeze it, but after the water got inside it, the control that the Voice had over the water was cut off forcefully. The same thing happened when Evin tried to gather oxygen inside the construct so he could set off an explosion inside it. The moment foreign World energies entered its body, they were instantly shredded to pieces, not allowing any influence from outside.


    ''I can''t be sure since I can''t do it myself, but if a mage tried to disassemble it using the World of Earth, their control should also be forcefully cut off.''


    They then tried to increase its weight using Qanatohm, and found that they could practically immobilize it if they weren''t stingy with their mana expenditure. It could still use its icicles, but at least Evin wouldn''t have to worry about it running towards him all the time.


    Then, the Voice began to dismember the construct''s limbs on by one. They learned that it couldn''t control a limb that was cut off from the main body, and that the construct didn''t try to reattach it in any matter. But the most interesting part was that the insides of the constructs were mostly hollow, with only Runes etched on the inside of the metal parts.


    After they were finished with their tests, the Voice quickly finished it off by decapitating it.


    <I think those blue eyes are the main controlling device of this thing. It''s almost impossible for me to lodge it off, but if we decapitate it, it should be useless.>


    Like the Voice guessed, the body turned stiff the moment its head with the two blue gems were removed. The constant glow in its eyes also disappeared.


    Evin peeked into the fallen torso''s insides, and found an unknown device, which had two lodestones attached to its side. He guessed that it was what allowed the construct to cast magic. But in its head, Evin found something much more disturbing, a small brain attached to the two eyeballs through some kind of vein-like cords.


    As he was observing the product of magical engineering, a clicking sound came from his side. A tile in the wall popped up and Evin saw a document of some sorts inside it.


    [Morton Golem, Type 14 (rat-controlled) - an experimental version of the Morton Golem requested by an emissary of king Rnd Arcwall (official ¨C see kingdom''s stamp).


    As I have been asked to create a version that could be used as training partners for new mage students, many features of the previously made Type 11 Morton Golem have been removed, or instead limited, thus creating the Type 14.


    A rather boring project if I do say so myself. Basically, a dumbed down version of the Type 13. The only thing it can do is to run at opponents and shoot ''Ice shards'' at them periodically. On top of that, the running speed of the Type 11 has been drastically reduced and also its ''Ice shards'' are also quite pathetic.


    I don''t really know what to write in this summary, except for it''s a huge waste of good sorbothium. If our brilliant king wants to train the future of the kingdom by setting them against these things¡­ well, I''m afraid I have bad news for him.


    -Professor Heim Morton.]


    Evin read through the summary and murmured inwardly.


    <Heim Morton¡­ Didn''t we learn about this guy?>


    <Of course we did. He''s the most famous inventor and researcher in the kingdom''s history. It wouldn''t be weird if he holds the same title for the World. Especially so, since he was still alive only a few decades ago.> the Voice replied heavily.


    Heim Morton was a researcher notorious for his disregard for human life. The man had no moralpass, buying countless ves and animals to experiment on them in the name of science. He had no qualms about putting naked men, women, and children inside rooms made of ice to study the effects of hypothermia on their bodies. Each time, he would wait until the ves reached death''s doorsteps and then he would try out various methods of rewarming to see which worked best and which, not so much.


    Aside from the more normal ones like giving them ess to warm temperatures while checking up on their bodies through the World of Life, there were more extreme ones like having them sit next to fire, or having Irratas energies infiltrate their bodies, with some survivors even testifying that Morton suggested throwing some into boiling waters.


    But hypothermia wasn''t the only thing the man dabbled in. He experimented with poisons, venoms, sea waters, various studies on human blood, incendiary effects¡­ but what he was most famous for was his organ and body part transntation experiments.


    The man was obsessed with removing something and putting it where no sane person would ever think of putting. Of course, he began with experiments on recing failing organs with fresh ones, but soon he tried putting in animal organs inside humans, tried rearranging the human organs in a different way, even trying to assemble one human bybining the organs of many different ones.


    Each and every one of these experiments were meticulously documented and safeguarded inside the Morton household, with another copy kept inside the National Library''s storage safes for private documents.


    He was eventually tried by the kingdom''sw and was beheaded. He tried pleading that he didn''t perform anything illegal, because byw, he could do anything to ves that were originally criminals. But king Rnd overruled the plead, saying that the lives of 4th grades shouldn''t be treated so differently than normal citizens and executed him anyway.


    <So why would the king''s name pop up here?> Evin couldn''t help but mutter.

 Chapter 104 - Golems Pt.2

    <Just means that your king isn''t so holy and benevolent as he might seem,> the Voice seemed to shrug.


    <No, that can''t be. Wasn''t the king the one who captured him and then executed Heim Morton in the first ce?>


    <That''s just what the public sees. Naturally, the king should have done many things that couldn''t be seen by normal people, one of them having rtions to Morton... But I am curious as to why the Academy would reveal the previous king''s secrets here.>


    <But why would there be any advantage to having rtions with a man like Morton?>


    The Voice sighed loudly in Evin''s head, before replying. <Tell me you''re not actually serious.>


    Evin didn''t understand what the Voice was so confused about. <He was scum beyond saving!>


    <You''re right on that, but you should also remember that his inhumane research was indeed helpful in solving many secrets of the human body. I''m not condoning what he did, but I can still see that he was abnormally useful. Thete king should''ve also seen that and wanted to use the man for himself.>


    <But¡­>


    <And it''s really not the time to be discussing this, as we have a Laboratory to conquer. From what we saw, this was just a crippled version of his golems, so we should expect to meet stronger enemies now.>


    Things didn''t really sit well with Evin, but there wasn''t much he could do about it, so he continued. When he exited the room, he was met with a long corridor that had had a door at the right-hand side and also at the end. Thetter seemed to be locked, so Evin could only go through the first.


    When he approached it, he heard eerie sounds of metal screeching, so he definitely knew that there was an enemy behind it.


    He opened the door with a bang, and saw a hunched metallic figure with ring red eyes turn towards him. The golem was made in the shape of a rat, and its behavior reminded Evin a lot of the mana-beasts he slew the other day. The only problem was that this one was a made of metal, making it impossible for Evin to kill it instantly.


    <Make sure you focus on dodging!> the Voice reminded and concentrated its attacks on the golem.


    Its warnings weren''t really necessary, as Evin was trying his best to dodge the metal creature''s attacks. Compared to the previous golem, this one''s movements were much quicker and more unpredictable. It wasn''t at the level of actual rats, as its body was still made of metal, but it was definitely sessful in invoking the same¡­ feel as a live rat.


    The way it struggled even with an invisible hammer constantly attacking its neck was definitely not a pleasant experience to see. The more the Voice attacked, the louder its ws scratched at the floor and the more it tried to reach Evin.


    Seeing it so desperately trying to stick its metal fangs into his body, naturally, Evin focused his best to evade it. Even if Evin had his cheek healed when he was at the Infirmary, he still felt chilling pain when he thought about the rat that made a mess of his face. He definitely didn''t want this one to do the same.


    But thankfully, the Voice was diligent in shoving the rat away when it got too close, making the process much easier for Evin. But it was true that the hammer wasn''t doing much damage. Compared the more delicate designst time, this one was much bulkier. Even if the Voice lodged the hammer in one of the gaps in its joints and tried to pry open the thing, it was still standing strong.


    <This is taking too long, so I''m gonna try some other methods!>


    The Voice then created a body of water and had it enter the rat''s body through the small gaps. <I''m still in control of the World energies! This should work!> the Voice said and began freezing the water.


    Evin observed as the giant metal rat finally stopped moving, leading to various cracking sounds came from inside it. The water freezing made its body expand a bit, before the Voicepletely engulfed it with ice. Finally, the red glow in its eyes died out.


    <That was fucking hard¡­ I should''ve guessed earlier that this one was a much earlier version of the golem we just faced. I guess they didn''t add the feature of repelling World energies inside its body yet.>


    Then, the clicking sound came, and a tile in the wall revealed a few pieces of paper inside it.


    [Finally, the Morton Golem, Type 1 is finished! After countless hours of research and experiments, finally, I was able to create a golem piloted by an animal! Who knew how simple the solution to all the problems of having a living being control something inorganic was?


    I''ve experimented on countless animals famous for their intelligence, trying my best to create a body that practically mimicked the original for them, even seeding to create some artificial organs through the use of Evolutionary Essence, but all of them ended up as ring failures.


    The answer was, simply, to use the brain functioning brain of a mana-beast. It''s truly embarrassing that I haven''t thought of it sooner. Of course the ursed mana that defies every bit of scientific logic would be the solution to this problem as well¡­ The Northerners calling mana an ''all-purpose force of nature'' does have some truth to it, after all. Maybe I should also relent to epting its apparent omnipotence.


    Now I have to solve the problem of it being impossible to control, so the previous experiments should help out tremendously. The countless hours I''ve spent on research wasn''t in vain.]


    Next to these notes was a key and a set of instructions that described Morton''s process of creating the golem¡­ which seemed to be missing some pages at the end of it.


    <These instructions look very simr to the research on soul-swapping we found in the Temple¡­ They should''ve been made by Morton,> the Voice sounded excited. <But damn¡­ Are they actually serious about letting us see these things? They couldn''t have created a bunch of fake research documents to just set the mood, right? ¡­ No, these things are too clean to be fake.>


    <Why would they allow for students to see these things? This doesn''t feel normal,> Evin felt worried.


    <I know, right? The only thing I can think of is that they''re trying to get you guys more knowledgeable about the kingdom''s dark history? Maybe they want to see how the students react after they take off their fancy clothes to reveal their sick and bony bodies?>


    With a heavy mood, Evin continued his exploration of the Labs. Contrary to his expectations, the Laboratories weren''t thatplicated of an area. Evin definitely expected a more maze-like structure, but things were rtively straightforward.


    He explored ten more rooms in the next hour and a half, and met three Type 1-s, four Type 2-s, eight Type 3-s, and one Type 4; with each new type of the golem being an improved version of the previous one, for example, the Type 2-s solving the impossibility to control the golems that was apparent in the previous version.


    But Morton''s notes for the Type 3 contained a highly concerning detail in it, which greatly shook Evin''s trust in king Rnd.


    [I don''t know how the king found out about my newest experiment, but he came to me offering funding for my project. In its stead, I would have to try to create a moremercialized version of the golems I''m making.]

 Chapter 105 - Undisturbed Exploration

    <I guess you were right¡­> Evin murmured as he finished reading the Type 3''s notes once again.


    <Don''t act so gloom about it.> The Voice''s tone was light. <The leaders of countries don''t really have the luxury of possessing a clean conscience. Especially so for someone like Rnd, who lived through a time when the nobles held an unprecedented amount of power.>


    <And what''s the point of telling us about this in the first ce?> Evin sighed.


    <Who knows? But if they think we haven''t learned the lesson they were trying to teach us, then they should approach us after the test to make sure we get it. Before then, we should just focus on learning¡­ Oh, also, I think I know where we are on the map now,> it said and urged Evin to bring out the map.


    Evin did as asked and the Voice began to exin its reasoning.


    <See these ten rooms? These should be the rooms we''ve just explored.>


    <They do look simr, but what about these rooms and corridors that are supposed to branch off from the rooms that we''ve already been to?> Evin asked. <Even in this room too. If you''re right, there should be a corridor¡­ on that wall that leads to another room, right?>


    <Yes, I was confused about that as well. But, well, it''s best just check it. Take some World of Life energy and push on that wall.>


    Thinking that there wasn''t anything to lose, Evin walked up¡­ and discovered that that particr part of the wall was much weakerpared to the rest.


    <See? I was wondering why we would need a map in the first ce, since the ce wasn''t soplicated to navigate through in the first ce. The main storyline didn''t need any help getting through, but the map would help us find all the hidden ces inside the Labs,> the Voice said excitedly.


    With the new information, Evin and the Voice began to check out every hidden area thanks to the map. Most of them were rtively empty rooms that contained material loot. Evin didn''t find any cards useful for the Ind, and instead found things that would be usefulter on. There were cards that could be changed for money, rights to request the Academy for certain research topics, and of course, World Shards.


    One hidden room, which contained a row ofrge ss tubes, had Morton''s research on creating rat-type mana-beasts artificially. Evin didn''t have time to check out all these research papers, so he was just putting them into his bag.


    After looting all the hidden rooms that he could ess, Evin resumed his exploration of thebs, facing the different types of golems, while also getting to learn about what kind of upgrades they received.


    After five hours, Evin finally faced the Type 10. In short, it was a metal rat that could move faster and more nimbly than a normal rat; one that could passively disrupt mana and World energies in a one-step radius around it; one with defenses so hard, Evin had to use the metal bodies of the previous golems as bullets to prate its body, and even then it took the Voice fifty bullets to take down the damn thing. Evin really didn''t know how the normal students were supposed to defeat the thing.


    Even he was sure that he wouldn''t be able to defeat the thing so easily, if the Voice hadn''t revealed some of the secret spells that it never showed before. The stronger elerator could be called one of them, but Evin was more concerned with another ability: its method to use a special type of sharp, rotating Hard Air to cut metal. The Hard Air would be shaped like a small circle, with extremely sharp fangs on its edge. It was a tedious process for sure, but it was definitely shocking as it was the first time Evin saw air cutting metal. Even more so when he realized that it was technically him doing the deed.


    Evin knew the Voice''s spells were special, but he didn''t know how different they actually were. He once saw a teacher creating Hard Air as a demonstration, and that definitely wasn''t something that could be called deadly. But the Voice''s spell simply oozed danger. If it could cut metal, then what it could do to someone''s hand was obvious.


    It was a shame Evin couldn''t see it being used on the Type 10, as spells held together by World energies tended to get shredded when they stayed close to the golem for a minute or two. Foreign World energies that entered its body would meet the same fate in seconds.


    The only thing that Evin could be thankful for was its inability to use magic.


    "Sigh, that was a draining fight... I''m going to need to take a break," Evin murmured.


    Even though all he had to do during the fight was to keep his distance from the golem and use explosive spells when things got dangerous, it was still a tiring experience, as he had to constantly run around the room that the battle took ce in.


    That wasn''t all. Even if he could push his stamina a bit and explore the ce more, his mana-core was definitely reaching its limits.


    <Then let''s go to that secret area with supplies, it''s close by anyway,> the Voice replied. <I wanna take some time to read the notes and research papers as well.>


    One of the hidden areas on the map turned out to be a room designed for rest, with food and a few clean beds inside it. The two called it the Break room. If Evin was more energetic he would''veined that it ruined the atmosphere of the Labs, but now, it just seemed like a merciful blessing from the Empress.


    After finding his way to the Break room, Evin jumped on one of the beds and pulled out the metal Talisman he got from Aksan. A brief nce through the Scrying devices told him that there was nothing wrong inside the Castle. Since it was afternoon, Evin could safely assume that no students would being to the Labs.


    ''It truly is a luxury to explore this ce all by myself...'' Evin sighed with satisfaction.


    In that case, it shouldn''t be weird if Evin ended up spending the night inside the trials¡­ Or maybe he could go back to the Castle and sleep there? That would definitely be much better.


    He then put down the metal Talisman and opened up the documents he got from defeating the Type 10.

 Chapter 106 - A Letter From The King

    [Morton Golem, Type 10.


    After five years of non-stop work, I can finally say that I was sessful in creating a war golem worthy of fear and adoration. Even a single Type 10 would be an absolute nightmare to damage for normal soldiers thanks to its reinforced armor. But thanks to the Qanatohm Runes that reduce its weight, it can showcase speed that''s logically impossible for a being of such mass.


    Hail the Empress and her world full of bullshit!


    But the biggest addition to this new version is the pulsator that we attached to the mana-core that constantly emits wave around itself that disrupts objects made with magic. I want topare its effectiveness to ketricite, but unlike the grey stone that evaporates anything magical that ites into contact with, the pulsator takes a bit of time.


    Thergest problem the team met during the development was that the rat in control wasn''t able to properly show the performance expected from the machine that we''ve created for it.


    Lately I''ve been falling in love with rats, as their intelligence exceeded my expectations way too many times for the past few years. Not to mention how easy it is to breed them and keep the satisfied. The other animals like dogs and cats which are arguably smarter than the rats¡­ they have too many emotions to be of any use. They even get depressed like the ves if we treat them too harshly. Such a waste of time and money to keep them happy and willing to cooperate.


    I''m getting off topic. Long story short, the pulsator turned out to be useless because the rats couldn''t use them. But this issue was quickly solved when the team decided to breed a tier-3 rat and use its brain and mana-core as the centerpiece of the golem. As you know, peak tier-3 mana-beasts already possess the ability to disrupt a mage''s spells by surrounding their bodies with the seemingly endless mana that reside in their cores, so it was rtively easy for the new control unit to get used to the golem.


    Thanks to all these features, the Type 10 can easily rival the strength of a fresh graduate from one of the kingdom''s less prominent academies. Even some mages that don''t have any hard-hitting methods would find it troublesome to deal with this golem¡­ though they could always use a Talisman, I suppose. How boring would that be, though?


    Regardless, the golem''s current weaknesses are its inability to attack from range, and inability to work inside ketricite. This means that the Type 10 won''t be as useful in the Southern war as His Majesty desires, but it could still be useful in dealing with minor border disputes and maybe some recon missions.


    I do hope you''re excited for the Type 11, which will be designed to use magic. I already have a few ideas and I can''t wait to try them out.


    -Professor Heim Morton.]


    This note was by far the longest report Evin read so far. The more Evin read the man''s writing, the more he was reminded of the Voice. He even began to wonder if the Voice was a reincarnation of the professor that appeared in his mind after a while.


    This thought made it easier for him to ept that Morton was approached by thete king, the logic being that the Voice usually had good intentions, despite its questionable methods. Like the Voice itself said, Heim Morton nevermitted atrocities just because he wanted to. He did it to push the boundaries of human anatomy.


    But this little thought wasn''t what Evin was most interested in.


    Seeing all the features of the Type 10, Evin couldn''t help but feel a little proud in his achievements. Didn''t this mean that he was basically stronger than the Academy graduates?


    ''What am I even doing inside the Academy in that case?'' Evin thought arrogantly for a second, but he immediately pushed the thought down. Knowledge didn''t necessarily trante into power, which meant that Evin would definitely learn a lot of things in the future; and the Academy was the easiest ce he could obtain World Shards.


    ''Let''s focus on the report''s content. If I''m guessing correctly, Morton should''ve seeded in having the Type 11 cast magic. The Type 14 I''ve fought was based on 11, so maybe it takes on the shape of a human now?''


    Evin thought it was very likely. Perhaps there was some need for the golem to take on the shape of a human so it could cast magic. This was a far-fetched thought, so Evin wasn''t going to bet anything on it, but it felt reasonable to him. Besides, he would learn why when he would meet with it, anyway, so he wasn''t that worried about this matter.


    <I''m starting to be worried about what kind of abilities the Type 12 and 13 would have¡­>


    <We''ll learn eventually. Let me read through the research papers and we''ll continue afterwards.>


    It took Evin an hour to return to his peak state, and the Voice was also finished with sifting through the research. Evin''s attention was on the papers for the first few minutes, but he quickly grew bored of them. He only had to flip the pages when the Voice asked him to, while pretending to read.


    Then the two got up and continued their exploration. At this point, there weren''t any hidden rooms they could enter, so they just continued down the main corridor that connected all the golem rooms.


    But when they entered an unexplored room, expecting to meet an enemy, they were met with a fancy-looking folded document in an otherwise empty room. Wary of traps, Evin picked the document up, and read.


    [Congrattions to everyone who made it this far.


    First of all, let me introduce myself: I am king Seth Arcwall of the Western Kingdom, an eternal servant to our glorious country and its people.]


    The document''s first two sentences absolutely blew Evin''s mind.


    ''A letter from the king?'' he thought in disbelief, before he resumed reading.


    [Once again, my sincerestpliments for being able to best the Morton Type 10, which was originally intended by thete king Rnd to train the rookie mages in the army. To think that there are students among the 1st years that can achieve the same¡­ It eases my heart to see such talent in the kingdom''s future.


    Though I do hope that no one in your party got hurt, and even if they did, I hope the order inside the golem''s control to spare the students didn''t malfunction.


    But I can guess that you have many questions on your mind¡­ such as why would thete king be working with a despicable criminal like Heim Morton? Wasn''t he the one who condemned the scientist to death?


    I shall do my best to exin the circumstances of the story.]

 Chapter 107 - King Seth

    The letter from the king was much longer than the previous notes, and although Evin didn''t want to have any treasonous thoughts, frankly, it got a bit boring near the middle of it. Perhaps it had something to do with the polite and clean way the king wrote his sentences.


    As for the contents, king Seth spoke of the darker side of the kingdom''s history and how it didn''t just turn a blind eye towards hical experiments, but even actively funded them without the citizens knowing about it.


    He exined that it''s an inevitable choice, considering that the other races and countries are always trying to find new methods of finding an edge over the others. This was especially true for the Southerners, who find a new technology or method to win the war with each passing year. Three years ago, they''vepletely revolutionized the did battle by inventing trenches, and this year, they''ve thought to attach Talismans of Explosions on Myrmis to deal massive damage in skirmishes outside the Gray Field.


    The king then mentioned that it''s bing harder and harder to fight justly and cleanly. If the enemies are willing tomit sins to win the war, they should also be willing to do so. ''The kingdom would not shy away from staining its hands with sins and it would not punish its citizens who only wish the best for it. Every research proposal submitted through the proper channels shall fall into my hands and every one of them will receive either an approval to continue, or a polite reminder to stop. Some might even receive support from the government depending on the usibility of their idea.''


    The Voice interpreted these words as the king giving his silent approval to mages who want to be a bit more extreme with their ideas. It was sure that the king wanted to write to the students to at least keep a low profile if they were thinking of doing something dodgy, but of course, he couldn''t be so frank. The king still had to maintain some ss.


    Then, the king spoke a bit about thete king.


    [My father was a great man, but he was someone that saw the world in ck and white. There were people that supported him in his goals and then enemies. If you designated yourself as his enemy, then you simply had to wait for his force toe upon you. Reasoning and history didn''t matter to him.


    He mercilessly kills any noble who was known to vite thews, saying that nobles should be the first ones to uphold thews of the country. This brought upon an kingdom that waspletely free of corruption, but it also transformed the country into something that only catered to him, essentially turning it into a dictatorship.]


    King Seth began to exin this was the reason Heim Morton had to be executedter on in his life. Because he refused to do things the exact way the king wanted it to, calling the king''s method inefficient and childishly ambitious. For better or worse, the professor was not someone who minced his words.


    Thete king used to like this trait of the professor, but at that time, thete king was bing old and spiteful. Due to the pain in his aging body, his mood was bing more and more impatient, leading to a rather violent ending to the association. It was easy for king Rnd to paint the man in a negative light, to convince everyone that Morton was someone who deserved death.


    The official statements of the execution only revealed the atrocities that Mortonmitted, not even mentioning his contributions to the kingdom. The fact that the 4th grades that were sent to Morton''s experiments were all death-row criminals arranged by the king himself waspletely erased and many history books at the time were forced to have their content changed.


    King Seth very clearly conveyed that he wasn''t going to treat his subjects like this. He admired thete king''s vision of letting the nobles and themoners receive the same opportunities, and wholeheartedly continued its legacy, but he would never do it at the cost of his citizens.


    When the letter reached this point, the Voice interrupted, saying that every king gets simr thoughts at the beginning of their rein, except that they eventually sumbed to the dark side and be corrupt.


    In any case, the king wrapped up his speech about the kingdom''s history and continued on to what the Laboratories had in store for Evin next ¨C the Type 11.


    [Once again, congrattions on sessfully oveing the various trials you''ve faced on the Ind. But from now on, there will not be any safetys that you can fall on. But there won''t be any hidden instructors waiting in the dark to save you, and there won''t be anymands inside the golems to prevent them from killing you. If you want to turn back, then now would be the time. Since you made it this far, your leader will definitely be considered for the position of Helm. There''s no need to worry about this leading you to fail the test.


    But, if you still wish to take on the next challenge, regardless of the dangers, then make sure you''re in top shape. You will only have two fights from now on: the Type 11 and the Type 12 if you make it past the other.


    I can help you with is to tell you about the golems beforehand, so you have a better chance of winning.]


    After this, the letter described the general information on the Type 11, and also its weaknesses. Like Evin predicted, the Type 11 was made in the shape of a human, which was, for whatever reason, crucial in having it cast magic. But aside from this new ability, it was the same as the Type 10.


    About its weaknesses, the main one was its inability to leave the room it was confined in, which left Evin with the choice of running away if the fight became too hard. But one thing that Evin found interesting was that the golem''s spells could always be blocked by ketricite.


    The letter didn''t include anything about the Type 12, but it did mention something very interesting.


    [You must''ve guessed that there''s a Type 13 from the reports, but... let''s just say that even High-Mages would not be able to deal with Type 13.


    Regardless, good luck on your fight.]

 Chapter 108 - Type 11

    Finishing the letter, Evin pulled out the ketricite robe from his bag and silently walked through door. A tall, metallic golem, reminiscent of the Type 11 with its humanoid form and blue eyes, greeted Evin with a staticky voice.


    "M-u-u-u-u-urderer¡­ Mur-r-r-r-rderer¡­"


    It being able to talk was definitely a shock.


    "This can talk?"


    "Mu-u-u-u-u-urderer¡­!"


    It could not speak without stuttering in a terribly artificial way, and so far, it only knew one word. Evin felt that he wouldn''t be able tomunicate with it so easily.


    ''But why does it keep calling me a murderer? Shit, does it know what happens on the Ind¡­ Or does it do the same for everyone else?''


    "Murderers-s-s-s m-m-m-m-must di-i-i-ie!" saying so, the golem instantaneously created an array of icicles and sent them towards Evin.


    These were definitely much deadlier than the weak spells that the Type 14 sent him.


    Evin hurriedly put the robe in front of him, being careful not to touch the ketricite side. The icicles all disappeared like they never existed in the first ce, not even pushing Evin back with the force of inertia they should''ve possessed. The robe really was a great boon, as Evin could use it as a shield with one hand, but still be able to use magic.


    The Voice then loaded a few metal bullets into its elerator and sent it flying towards the Type 11''s neck. A spark came from its side, and Evin saw a small part of the metal in its neck being chipped off.


    ''The fight might end shortly, because its neck is much thinner than the rat-shaped golems.''


    But the next time the Voice tried to attack the golem''s neck, it became surrounded by a circle of rocks, which wasn''t strong enough to stop the bullet, but was enough to weaken it. It led the rock circle around its neck to shatter, but it wasn''t a problem for the golem, as it could almost instantly recreate it.


    This little setback didn''t discourage the Voice, leading it to shoot twice in close intervals, allowing the second bullet to deal some damage.


    But the golem quickly dealt with the problem by having the rock circle revolve around its neck. This way, even if the Voice shot twice, the second shot would still hit rock.


    "M-m-m-m-m-murdere-e-e-er!" the golem was


    <Get close and try to have your robe touch swirl around its neck,> a tall order came from the Voice. <It''s going to get you exposed to some attacks, but trust me to keep your body safe.>


    Evin, of course, didn''t want to get close to his enemies, especially not an adult sized fully metal golem, but he pushed down his fears and dashed in. The golem immediately began shooting icicles at him, but with the robe, Evin didn''t have anything to fear.


    When he came close enough to the golem, he swung the robe at it, allowing it to brush against the rock circle around its neck. Immediately, its protection was reduced to nothing, but it was the same situation for Evin. His left side waspletely exposed, and Evin could feel the golem sending a punch towards it. It looked unblockable in Evin''s eyes, so he even began to prepare for the inevitable pain.


    But a small body of mud materialized over Evin''s left side rib thest moment and absorbed the punch''s impact for Evin. The next instant, two loud bangs went off right over Evin''s head, briefly stunning him.


    By the time Evin got hold of himself, he noticed the golem''s head rolling off on the floor next to him, sparksing off from its neck.


    "Murdere-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e¡­" its voice stammered endlessly, before it died out with a small cracking sound. Evin then looked back at its body, and saw it toppling over to the side.


    <The metal bullets sure hit hard when I shoot at it point nk,> the Voice''sments entered his head. <I guess taking risks pay off sometimes, eh? If I had to do it the safe way, the fight would take at least half an hour I reckon¡­ hmm, too bad I can''t move the elerator too far away from me, since its design is soplicated to maintain.>


    Evin looked at the wound on the golem''s party and saw a huge crescent shaped indent right above its torso. The point-nk shot was so powerful itpletely destroyed the golem''s neck. A fistful of metal, just gone like that.


    Then, a tile in the room dropped, revealing wo pieces of paper inside it. One of them seemed to be one of Morton''s notes, but it was much shorter than the previous ones.


    [Morton Golem Type 11.


    I learned many things from creating this golem, but I also developed many questions as well. Why is the shape of a humanoid so important in casting magic? Why is a rat so adept at learning magicpared to a normal humanoid child? What really is the difference between a golem that can cast magic and a Tier-4 Mana-beast?


    All very difficult problems, but I''m sure we''ll find a way to ovee them. But I''m more worried about the questions that arose next.


    Why did a rat-controlled golem begin to etch curses on the walls when it learned to cast magic? Why did it begin to speak when we gave it an artificial vocal cord? Why does it know things that a rat has no business knowing? Do all rats know these things, and just don''t have the ability to express them? What the fuck is happening?]


    Evin felt a chill as he read thest questions written on the paper. He sent a questioning tone towards the Voice, but thetter was equally baffled.


    <Don''t ask me.>


    Evin then read the second paper, which turned out to be another letter from the king.


    [Congrattions once again. It truly heartens me to think that someone from the first years is reading this letter.


    I won''t waste your time and brief you on the Type 12. As for its technical specifications, it''s not much different than the Type 11. It''s made with the same materials and also has the same output of mana. Its shape is also practically the same as the previous one.


    But I must inform you that the fight would be much more difficult than what you''ve just faced. The main reason being, is that this time, you will be fighting against a human piloting a golem.


    Do you know what the main thing that separates humanoids from animals? Their unparalleled ability to predict and adapt to situations on the go.


    Good lucking fighting the Type 12. Don''t die.]


    The letter this time was also quite short.


    <Hmm¡­ I''m starting to think that this wasn''t written by king Seth,> the Voice said at the end.


    <Why?>


    <The author of these letters doesn''t feel like a ruler at all. It''s too friendly and kind. It was fine in his 1st letter, but you can''t deny that this one feels much friendlier¡­ By that logic, I guess you could say that the king isn''t meant to be a proper ruler?>


    <Why would being friendly to his citizens be a bad thing?>


    <It''s good to keep up a friendly appearance, but a ruler can''t look this¡­ eager. The citizens should be trying to cater to the king, not the other way around. The way he proudly calls himself a servant of the people, I thought he was just being¡­ I don''t know, random, but from this letter, I can kind of feel that he''s serious about the whole thing. The fact that he wrote this thing himself and also wants every research idea to pass through him also fortifies this idea.>


    <And why is that a bad?>


    <Kings like these tend to be pushovers. It''s like parents being unable to properly teach their children about being independent. They always try to do everything for them, turning their kids into really unproductive people. Reason being that the kids grow up to be people who expect everything to be done for them.


    If a king acts the same, then the kingdom''s citizens will turn useless¡­ And I''m fairly confident that the king''s running around, trying to everything by himself. That''s not a king''s job. A king''s job is to order his citizens to do things for him. What''s the point of ruling a country if you''re not gonna do anything with it? Think about it. Writing this letter was the job of some scribe, but now that the king himself has written it, the scribe has nothing to do, while the king needs to waste an hour of his day doing another person''s job.>


    Evin listened to its reasoning, and nodded slowly, feeling slightly nostalgic.


    ''The Voice is really bing talkativetely. I think we''ve talked more than we did for weeks. Before that, it always loved to talk about random topics.''


    <Ah, I''m getting off topic¡­ Let''s focus more on the fight ahead.>

 Chapter 109 - The Wrong Silence

    Agreeing with the Voice, Evin spoke.


    <From the letter¡­ I guess the only thing we can tell is that it''s going to be piloted by a human, and aside from that, there''s nothing else. Since it said that the two things are made in the exact same manner, then maybe it''s also going to be able to talk?>


    From the way Evin so casually talked about this topic, he felt that maybe he doesn''t feel so disgusted by the idea of such golems. If he heard about something like this before the Helm''s Worthy, he surely would''ve felt some degree of aversion.


    <I''m sure it''ll be able to talk and hopefully it''ll be able to say something else other than calling you a murderer¡­ Now that I think about it, these humans piloting these golems feels a lot like me, doesn''t it? Consciences stuck in a body they don''t belong in. I was thinking of putting myself in a golem in the worst case scenario¡­ but now that I imagine it, it doesn''t really feel that much different than the current situation.>


    <¡­>


    <Ah, it''s depressing just to think about. I wonder what kind of crimes theymitted to be sentenced to such a punishment,> the Voice murmured. <I guess that the kingdom just decided to use them as test subjects and they got unlucky to be sent here.>


    <I guess.>


    There wasn''t really anything Evin could say at this moment.


    <Haah,> it sighed, before changing the topic. <As for itsbat capabilities, I''m just guessing it''ll be the same as fighting a real person, except that this time, the person''s body will be made of metal. I''m sure that if they''re cool and awesome like me, they''ll have retained some semnce of their sanity; but since they''re probably not, I''m betting that they''ll be half mad. I don''t know how insane mages cast spells, but hopefully it won''t deviate too much from the mainstream.>


    Evin nodded. <So what''s going to be the battle n? We prod the enemy''s capabilities for a bit, before trying to finish it off by closing in likest time?>


    The Voice hummed and replied. <Ideally, yes. But we still have to be careful of a few things, like never letting the enemy block our escape path, and trying our best to not get hit by anything too dangerous.>


    Evin then let his mana-core rest for a bit, before entering the next room to face the final challenge. Like always, he swiftly opened the door and eyed the room for his enemy, while also putting theyout of the room in his mind. Compared the previous room, which was mostly open, this one had two wide pirs inside it, which looked useful for evading attacks.


    But the main difference was with the golem that stood in the center of the room. Outwardly, there wasn''t anything different in this oncepared to the previous one, but there was a distinct feeling cruelty in its being. Even the room felt stuffy due to the pressure it was emitting.


    However, Evin felt confused because its stance was anything but threatening. It seemed even at peace, with its slouched shoulders and its head tilting backwards.


    ''It''s amazing how many different emotions I can feel from this lump of metal,'' a random thought appeared in his head.


    He expected the Voice to begin its attack on the golem, considering its defenseless state, but no attacks were exchanged between the two sides.


    "Ah¡­ More guests havee to pay old me a visit¡­" an artificial voice sounded from the golem, as it tilted its head towards Evin. "Ah¡­ only one guest this time¡­ Impressive¡­ for you to be able to kill the rat¡­ I''m¡­ a bit sad¡­ Rat as she was, she was still one of my lesser brethren¡­"


    The golem maintained its casual stance, and continued to speak in a slow, unhurried manner. A chill went through Evin''s spine.


    "Or perhaps she managed to kill your allies? ¡­ But that doesn''t make sense¡­ Wouldn''t you run away from this ce¡­ if you''ve lost your allies? ¡­ Or are you being bullied? ¡­ Forced to face the odds by yourself? ¡­ Ah, mages and the cruelty¡­ I imagined children to be more reserved¡­ but considering the kingdom that educates their mages through blood and violence¡­ It''s understandable."


    "¡­"


    "I feel terribly bad¡­ Thinking that I must kill you¡­ But please don''t hate me for it¡­ I have to do it¡­ They''ll kill me if I don''t¡­ And you''ll kill me if I don''t¡­ But it''s fine if we talk for a bit¡­ before we get to kill each other¡­ I don''t doubt for a moment¡­ that you''ll spare me¡­ What names did they call me¡­ to make you kill me? ¡­ A serial killer? ¡­ A mass murderer? ¡­ What? ¡­ It''s all lies¡­ Don''t believe the kingdom''s words¡­ I just wanted to see inna¡­ My inna¡­ Who? ¡­ Who''s inna? I¡­"


    The golem''s voice grew more and more agitated.


    "No¡­ It''s all lies¡­ You''ll know it when you see the stories etched on the walls¡­ Have you seen the messages I''ve written for you? ¡­ It depicts my whole story¡­ All the kingdom''s lies¡­ All lies¡­ Even the kingdom they speak of isn''t real¡­ And everything about inna¡­ I''m sure you''ve read them all¡­ I tried so hard¡­ Even with these metal fingers¡­ It''s not easy, you know? ¡­ They remove my writings whenever they see it¡­ but I write it all back on it¡­ When I''m writing it down¡­ I remember it all¡­ The winning country of Von¡­ their massacre of the rest of the world¡­"


    A sense of grim reality fell on Evin''s heart. All the worries and trepidations he was feeling from when he murdered Byron came up once again as he heard the golem speaking. He was about to kill another person, and he didn''t have the luxury to think that it was a spur of the moment. He only wished that the Voice would attack the golem already so he could focus on the fight, and not have to feel like this any longer.


    <You know?> the Voice spoke. <Seeing him speak like that¡­ I''m thinking it wouldn''t have been so weird if I also ended up like that. A mumbling mess of a creature, who can only speak nonsense endlessly.>


    Hearing it, Evin didn''t even want to reply.


    ''Why do you have to make me go through this? Are you trying to make me feel bad for you? Why?''


    <Just¡­ make sure you free me, so I don''t end up like that, alright?>


    <¡­>


    Evin wanted to, but he couldn''t immediately make this promise. He knew that even if he had to be dishonest, he had to say something in reply.


    A heavy silence fell between the two. Butpared to the previous silences that fell between Evin and the Voice, this one seemed more¡­ important, and final.


    The golem was still spouting nonsense in the background, but the words stopped registering in Evin''s head as he worriedly thought about what just happened. It felt like he messed up something so horribly, that even the golem he was about to fight didn''t feel so dangerous anymore.


    However, the Voice did not allow Evin the luxury of thinking, aimed its elerator towards the golem''s neck and shot a metal bullet towards it, starting the fight.


    Almost immediately, the golem''s mutterings stopped and a nging sound came from inside the room. But its neck wasn''t pierced like Evin would have expected it to, instead he could see that the golem had blocked the bullet with its hands.


    With a wave of its hands, the golem then created a blue fire inside the room. But it did not direct the fire towards Evin like he expected it to, but instead, just left it burning around itself.


    <Cover your face.>


    Before Evin could act on the order, the Voice sent huge amounts of oxygen towards the blue fire, immediately setting off an explosion. Evin hurriedly covered his face with his hands, but even then, he could feel the shockwave from the explosion burning off his sleeves. Smoke and dust filled the room, leaving Evin''s eyespletely useless.


    Sounds of the elerator shooting bullets could be heard, but Evin couldn''t tell whether the enemy was being hurt. But if both sides couldn''t see, then what was the Voice shooting at? It definitely wasn''t shooting randomly, as Evin could still hear the distinct sound of metal hitting metal, but it felt as if the sound wasing closer and closer.


    Abruptly the elerator stopped shooting, and Evin heard the Voice''s Hard Air shing against something nearby, followed by a loud bang from the elerator. The next instant, he also heard the sound of water turning into ice, and then the sound of ice shattering immediately after.


    Evin feltpletely useless in this invisible fight that was happening between the Voice and the golem, with the only thing he could do being to stand in ce without bothering anyone. For a brief moment, he could kind of follow what was happening, but a few exchangester, he becamepletely clueless.


    He was even afraid to ask the Voice what was happening, because he didn''t want to interrupt its concentration somehow.

 Chapter 110 - A Desperate Fight

    Evin was starting to feel shameful, as the fight waspletely out of his control now. He could sometimes hear the golem''s footsteps running towards him, which would immediately be met with a loud bang from the Voice''s elerator. It really was shameful of him to think that he was the one who was inbat. If he couldn''t even see past the dust, how was he even supposed to say he was fighting?


    But eventually, the dust settled down, revealing the golem''s figure ten steps away from him. Its body was riddled with damages, both big and small, with the most noticeable one being its left hand, which was missing two fingers and a thumb.


    "You are¡­ not right¡­" its speech had gotten slower. "So young¡­ yet so strong¡­ A Blessed¡­ of the Princess?"


    "What are you talking about?" Evin asked.


    "A Servant¡­ of the Princess of Denial¡­ of the kingdom Von¡­" the golem continued to speak nonsense.


    In the history of Alvox, there wasn''t a single country named Von, and there was no one named the Princess of Denial as far as Evin was aware of. Even if there was a princess like that, Evin should''ve been aware of it, since it also mentioned Von massacring the rest of the world.


    "You''re saying nonsense!"


    "It''s not nonsense¡­ Why does¡­ no one remember? ¡­ The world once stood at the beck of the Princess¡­ The supreme Hex, who can defy death¡­ and create life¡­ on the palm of her hands¡­ Why does no one remember? ¡­ Even those rats¡­ remember the Princess¡­"


    <Don''t worry about its words,> the Voice said. <We have different things to worry about. I''ll be honest with you. I don''t think I''ll be able to defeat this one so easily. I understand now that when the king mentioned that the humanoids'' strength lies in their adaptability and their ability to predict the future; he meant that the golem would gradually be stronger during the fight. I managed to destroy its hand when it got close the first time, but since then, it''s been getting harder and harder to hit it sessfully.>


    <Should we run then?>


    <Let''s try one thing, and then we can give up. But I need you to maintain one spell on the golem, and I''ll need to borrow your body for it to work, is that alright? Oh also, I won''t be able to block its attacks using the elerator or an explosion, so it might be a bit dangerous.>


    Evin was unwilling, but he was also unwilling to give up yet. This was his chance to prove to himself that he wasn''tpletely useless. <What spell do you need me to maintain?>


    <Don''t worry, it''s nothingplicated. When I run in, increase the golems weight by however many times as you can. I can trust you with this much, right?>


    <Yes. Be careful of letting the ketricite robe touch the elerator.>


    <I won''t be using it. It''s too hard to worry about it brushing against the elerator when I''m trying to move the elerator around.>


    Evin nodded inside his head and ceded control to the Voice. He was always afraid of doing this, but he knew that he could retake control at any moment, so he wasn''t that worried. It was, after all, his body.


    The Voice did not waste time and immediately ran towards the golem. It didn''t use any Apdenul energies, so Evin''s movements did not look so mind-blowing, but it still wasn''t something that could be replicated by just anyone. The way it dodged the golem''s spells demanded respect and awe, making Evin wonder if it really was his body or not.


    And as the Voice got close to the golem, it shot bullets at it nonstop, not even bothering to be frugal with the metal it had carved up. Evin expected to focus fire on its neck, to maybe end the battle sooner, but the Voice was aiming at anything that looked easy enough to destroy, such as the thinner parts of the golem''s joints, forcing the enemy to focus on the defense of its whole body, instead of only its neck.


    With this, Evin understood that it nned to settle the fight as soon as possible.


    ''I need to use the World of Weight spell in the most crucial moment,'' Evin decided.


    It would''ve been fine if he even used it now, but Evin knew that the golem''s surroundings would begin disrupting the Qanatohm energies after a minute, so Evin needed to provide assistance in a timely manner¡­ but he couldn''t just stand still and do nothing, as the elerator must also be under the threat of getting destroyed.


    Putting his mind to it, Evin began observing the battle in earnest, searching for something that he could use to his advantage. Currently, the golem was mostly using spells to protect its body, while using its body to try and hit Evin; while the Voice was mostly using its dexterity to dodge out on the golem''s attacks, while using magic to try to damage its body.


    ''The golem''s managing to protect its whole body well enough, but its definitely most focused on its neck. Even if it has to take the shot using its hands, if it meant protecting the neck, it would do it¡­'' Evin realized, and then expectantly waited for a moment where the golem needed to raise its hands to defend against the Voice''s attacks.


    Then, as the golem tried to swing a punch at Evin''s body, the Voice, who always dodged its attacks previously, suddenly grabbed the arm, put Evin''s back to the golem''s chest, and pulled over the golem using its inertia of its punch. Evin realized that this was his chance.


    As the golem fell on its back, with its hands dangling uselessly above its head, the Voice''s elerator was already aimed at its neck. And when the golem tried to bring its hands down to block the bullet, Evin used the all the mana avable to him to make the golem''s hands as heavy as possible.


    The sudden change in weight made it impossible for the golem to move ording to its wishes, allowing the bullet to it its neck at almost point-nk range.


    But a piece of rock materializing at thest second to reduce the bullet''s strength allowed the golem a final chance at life. But it was still in a precarious state, with Evin holding its hands above its neck, and the Voice preparing another bullet to finish the job.


    In a desperate struggle, the golem suddenly grabbed at Evin''s knee, and using all its power, crushed Evin''s knees.


    "AAAGGH!" A bloodcurdling scream came from Evin''s mouth as he felt his bones shattering under the metal hands. "MY LEGS!"


    <Keep the spell working! You must keep the spell working or we''ll both die!> the Voice''s panicked words resounded in his head.


    A breeze of calmness came through Evin''s mind and in a split second, he was able to know that the elerator was about to shoot its bullet in one and a half seconds, and that the golem''s hands were about to overpower Evin''s fading spell to block the bullet. If it survived this shot, Evin''s chances of surviving would immediately be zero.


    Right after the thoughts appeared in Evin''s head, they were reced by the endless pain his shattered bones were sending to his head. But even with pain filling the entirety of his brain, somehow, Evin was able to restrengthen the weight increasing spell on the golem''s body, not allowing it to block the final shot the Voice had prepared for it.


    A loud bang erupted inside the room the next second, and a metal head rolled on the ground, nking against the floor. It murmured something before it finally died, but Evin didn''t have the luxury of listening to itsst words.


    "Ah¡­ Shit¡­ it hurts so fucking much¡­ Ahhh¡­"


    Sweat soaking his whole body, Evin holding his feet right above the crushed part, but not daring to touch the wound with his hands or even look at it directly. Something told him that if he looked at it, he''d faint from the sight and die inside this room because of the shock, the pain, and the blood loss.


    <Take a deep breath! You''re right to not look at your feet for now. Just keep taking deep breaths!> the Voice was saying in the back of his mind.


    Evin did his best to obey its instructions, feeling hopeful that it was just joking about the part of not looking at his legs. "I-it''s not that bad, r-right?!" he shouted out, not even bothering to talk through his mind.


    <It isn''t. It isn''t. You just need to keep breathing. Deep, loong breaths. It helps with the pain. Trust me.>


    But an unfamiliar voice interrupted his desperate moment. "It looks pretty fucked, but you''ll probably live. I don''t know how well you''ll be walking after this, though¡­"


    Evin looked at the source of the Voice and saw an Easternering from the door that the golem was guarding.

 Chapter 111 - The End Of The Test

    "W-who are y-you?" Evin asked, stammering the whole time.


    Fear and confusion dominated his mind, his whole body hoping that he wasn''t facing an enemy of some sorts randomly.


    "No one you should worry about¡­ I was actually sent to save you," the easterner spoke. "Boss sent me over.


    "Boss?"


    "The Ruler¡­ Boss Albin. Some scary people areing over to the Labs, so he asked me toe and escort you out," the man said. "Ah, here, let me get you up."


    "What scary people? Is this part of the test?"


    "No-no-no-no. Nothing like that. Agh, why are you even asking so many questions? Boss told me to tell you to check the metal Talisman if you don''t believe me, but something tells me that this isn''t the time for that. Here, climb by back, and I''ll get you outta here. Or do you want me to leave you here, so you can struggle outside by yourself?"


    "No! Please get me out!" Evin replied, and climbed up the man''s shoulders, trying his best to not think about his leg.


    The man then brought Evin outside, using a secret path only known to the staff on the Ind and the teachers. On the way outside, Evin saw a rtively normal looking room that had ''Type 13'' written on it, which made him think that that must''ve been the reward for beating the Type 12, but of course, he didn''t have the time to enjoy his rewards.


    But just as the two were about make their way to the Infirmary, a loud voice resonated throughout the Ind.


    "All students on the Ind, please stop what you are doing now and immediately gather at the Infirmary. The test has been canceled due to an unexpected ident¡­ I repeat. All stu-"


    The siren like voice continued to repeat the same words.


    "What''s happening?"


    "Something bad. But I''m sure the kingdom will tell you a better story," the easterner said, smiling all the while.


    ¡­


    Leanne was lying with his stomach on the floor of the control room, feeling Albin''s weight on her back and his hands on the back of her head. A sense of dread filled the atmosphere, along with the distinct smell of blood.


    "Now stay real nice and obedient," Albin was saying. "You know I can turn your brain into mush with a single stray thought, right? Just keep still and everything will be over soon."


    Albin was a mage famous for his Conditional Absolute that allowed him to kill upon touch. He was also said to be able to impose pseudo-Oaths on people if he was allowed to have his way with them. But even so, he had taken on the Oath of Loyalty, which did not allowed him to betray the kingdom or harm its citizens¡­ but looking at the concaved head of Lucien lying dead next to her, she had to change her beliefs.


    "Howe the Oath isn''t working?" Leanne asked.


    "Also. Don''t ask questions you know I won''t answer. If I do, I''ll be forced to kill you."


    Leanne thought about the five masked people who appeared through a blue portal out of nowhere, and Albin''s sudden actions of ignoring his Oath''s constraints and killing Lucien, who was about to attack the neers.


    The masked men suggested killing Leanne as well, but Albin refused. The neers then headed outside, and had yet to return.


    "What do those masked people want to do here?" Leanne''s voice was adamant, though she wasn''t sure where she was getting all this confidence from.


    "Well, you''ll know the answer to that soon enough, so I''ll answer. They want the professor in the Labs."


    "Type 13?"


    "Yup. The very same. Me and a few of my boys are also joining the prof as a bonus."


    "Are they going to kill the students as well?" Leanne asked, remembering that Evin was inside the Laboratories.


    "No. They don''t want to make a huge scene, so they definitely won''t touch the kids so carelessly. I wanted to spare Mr. Lucien over there as well, but¡­ well, shit happens. Oh, and you don''t have to worry about Evin as well. I''ve sent someone to bring him out," Albin said calmly.


    "Speaking of the kid¡­ I don''t think you should be so trusting of him, by the way. The way he fights¡­ there''s definitely something wrong about him. Is he a Child of the Empress?"


    "I don''t know."


    "No. He can''t be one of the Children¡­ he dodges and aims without really seeing his enemies and he can even maintain three spells simultaneously using only Imagination Casting. A Child of the Empress would have impressive skills, but even those guys would struggle to perform as well as he does. Is he a vessel for one of the Godlings? Or is he something ancient and unknown?"


    "I said I don''t know what you''re talking about."


    Albin sighed, and ruffled Leanne''s hair. "You''re a terrible liar¡­ but I trust the fact that you don''t know what he is. You just know there''s something wrong with him, but you don''t know what it is exactly¡­"


    Leanne fell silent at the remark. What was she supposed to do or say in this situation, anyway?


    "Why are you keeping me alive in the first ce?"


    "No special reason¡­ I''ve long since grown out of my habit of killing people randomly. Especially not a beauty like you. But if you want a reason¡­ Well, I felt like you''ve grown as a person during the past year, so I didn''t want to ruin all that progress by killing you so randomly."


    "What?" Leanne asked, not understanding what Albin was talking about.


    "Ha-ha, it''s a bit funny to talk about this, but you know you were kind of a bitch during the previous two tests, you know? The first year you were so insufferable, even the Oath inside me sent me warnings. The second year you got a bit better but you were still pretty bitchy. But this year, you''re like apletely different person. Although you didn''t apologize for your past actions, you act genuinely politely towards me and you even began to show interest in Amera."


    "¡­"


    "I thought it was such a great character development, and decided it was a waste to end it all with some random death in a situation you had nothing to do with," Albin finished exining.

 Chapter 112 - The Organization

    "So, you spared me because I was nice and well-mannered to you these past two days?" Leanne asked.


    "Basically, yes."


    ''Are you fucking serious?''


    Even with the dangerous situation unfolding on the Ind, Leanne found it hard to not think about how her stupid phobia actually saved her life. She was irrationally afraid that if she didn''t act politely towards these seemingly harmless yet still powerful individuals, she would one day find herself at the edge of their knives.


    ''I can''t decide whether I shouldugh or cry at this stupid fucking situation.''


    "Weird how life works, no?" Albin also seemed to find the situation interesting. "Let''s get you up. I wanna see what''s happening through the talisman¡­ But don''t try anything dumb. Despite me being nice to you, I''ll still have to kill you if you do anything suspicious."


    Leanne got on her feet, but Albin''s hands were still on her shoulders. The two made their way towards the seat that allowed ess to the main Talisman and shared the small seat between each other. It was awkward for Leanne, but Albin didn''t really seem to mind it.


    He then sent his consciousness into the Talisman, which allowed him to see and hear through every Talisman of Seeing and Listening that was on the Ind.


    But even then, his grasp on Leanne''s shoulders was firm. She knew that if she tried anything at this moment, she would immediately die under the effects of Albin''s Conditional Absolute. The man wasn''t called the ''Hand of Death'' for nothing.


    But it was true that this was the best moment if Leanne wanted to do anything to overthrow the situation. The problem was¡­


    ''What the hell am I even supposed to do in this situation?''


    Even if she informed the other teachers, it wasn''t like they could do much against the enemies here. Albin was more than enough to deal with a few ordinary mage teachers. It took months of nning and three High Mages to capture the guy in the first ce.


    Then should she contact the Academy on the main continent?


    Even if she managed to contact the Academy now, it wasn''t like there were any High Mages that they could send. And in the first ce, how would she inform the kingdom about this situation in the first ce?


    There was a Cosmic on the Ind, whose job was to send the students back when everything was over, but currently, the Cosmic was on the other side of the Ind, with no way for Leanne to contact him.


    The kingdom had absolute confidence in their Oaths and it was actually the job of the ex-criminals living on the Ind to take care of intruders, so there really wasn''t any manual that Leanne could use as a reference in this situation.


    ''It''s better to let things happen without obstructing the enemies, and just hope that they don''t hurt the students and the teachers.''


    As Leanne was lost in thought, a sigh came from Albin''s mouth next to her.


    "They''re definitely dangerous people¡­ Hmm, it''s a shame I''m unable to investigate their background," he murmured as he casually plucked off a small piece from the giant metal Talisman with his bare hands.


    Sure, the man specialized in destroying the bodies of other people using the World of Life, but that didn''t mean he wasn''t unfamiliar with the other uses of Apdenul.


    Using his nails, he began etching a rune onto it, and Leanne recognized it as a Rune of Recording, which allowed a mage to share a piece of their memory with other mages. It was one of the more difficult runes to etch, especially so on a tiny piece of metal using one''s nails. But Albin didn''t even struggle with the task and was finished after a couple of minutes.


    And, holding the tiny Talisman in his palms, he ordered: "Swallow it."


    "What?"


    Albin sighed, grabbed Leanne''s cheek with his hand and shoved the Talisman down her throat. An ufortable sensation passed through her throat, but other than that, Leanne didn''t feel much different.


    Albin then began to destroy the giant Talisman using his ridiculous strength.


    "When they leave, you can shit out that Talisman and show it to someone you trust in the kingdom. It would be best if you could show it to the king or the Mage King... You don''t have to hurry too much. You can wait a few weeks and then send a letter to the king, saying you found out something new about the incident and that it is inconvenient to tell him through normal means. I''m sure there are some people in the kingdom who are affiliated with the Organization."


    "What are you talking about?"


    "I''m telling you to inform the kingdom about the Organization I''m about to join and investigate it if possible. Something tells me I need to do this forter on," Albin exined.


    "You''re betraying the group you''ve just joined? Aren''t you afraid you''ll be caught again?"


    "It''s a bit risky for me, but there''s nothing in this Talisman that mentions the Organization''s whereabouts. Just the abilities they''re showing on their way to the Laboratories. But I need to make sure that the kingdom at least has rudimentary knowledge about them, so they won''t be so helpless. I know you might think it stupid, but I can''t really trust these guys unconditionally, you know? I know some details about them thanks to their recruitment efforts, but I don''t know where theye from and why they exist. It was the reason why I didn''t allow Amera to join me."


    Leanne struggled to understand the reasonings behind the man''s actions.


    "You''re not taking your daughter with you?"


    "Yes."


    "You''re not afraid that the kingdom will use her against you?"


    "Ah, you don''t have to worry about that. The kingdom will not be able to harm my daughter. I would''ve hesitated if it was still king Rnd ruling this country, but I can trust king Seth enough to entrust her life to the kingdom," Albin exined and then forced Leanne off the seat. "They''reing, so I need you to lie on the ground with your belly to the floor. Make sure you keep silent, or they might decide to kill you randomly¡­"


    "¡­"


    Albin adeptly put Leanne to the ground and sat squarely on her back.


    "Oh, also, when you''re writing your report on what happened on the Ind, exclude the parts about me making you swallow that Talisman, since it might piss off my new employers. Think of it as repaying me for saving your life, alright?"


    As Leanne struggled to understand what was happening, the group of five who went to the Laboratories came back. But they didn''te alone this time. A ssy looking golem followed behind them, holding a golden storage ring in its hands. The Type 13, container of thest bits of consciousness that professor Heim Morton left behind before getting executed by thete king.


    She wanted to say something, but remembering Albin''s warnings, decided to keep silent. The kingdom needed information about this incident, not some dead mage who was too loud for her own good.


    Leanne then heard some other footstepsing inside the room. They were the two men who were considered Albin''s right and left-hand men.


    "Anything else you''d like to get from our humble Ind?" Albin asked the masked people in a light-hearted manner.


    "None," one of them replied. The man sounded quite pleased with the situation.


    Albin shrugged and released his grasp on Leanne''s head. "Then let us be on our way."


    "Are you sure we will not kill her?"


    "No," Albin''s voice did not allow for any objections.


    The other simply shrugged and ordered another to prepare for their departure. It seemed that Leanne''s life would be spared this time.


    She silently observed as the group created a light-blue colored portal and disappeared through it.


    It took her a few seconds to gather the courage to get up, expecting her head to explode in some cruel joke Albin prepared for her. But nothing like that happened, and Leanne quickly made her way towards the Shelter where most of the teachers were staying.


    She exined to everyone there the situation that unfolded with great difficulty, as everyone there treated it as an uncouth joke. She had to Lucien''s corpse that was left behind in the Ruler''s Pce, and only then, the teachers who were looking at Leanne annoyedly were convinced of her story.


    She then ordered the cancetion of the test, urging every student to gather at the Infirmary.

 Chapter 113 - The Aftermath

    The next two weeks, Leanne''s schedule was packed full with writing reports and being questioned by a variety of people, the ranks and titles of which became grander and grander with each questioning.


    And after repeating the same story over and over again, Leanne quickly learned to exin the whole situation quickly and professionally. Usually went something like this:


    [On the second day of the Helm''s Worthy taken by the 1st year students of the Ankelite Academy, an unknown group of five people appeared inside the ''Ruler''s Castle'' through a light-blue colored portal.


    Their goal was to take away four individuals: the Morton Type 13 Golem (which housed a part of professor Heim Morton''s consciousness), Albin Faizan (a top-secret criminal mage mostmonly known as the ''Hand of Death''), Kasmir Vasha and Lunashir Vasha (two subordinates of Albin Faizan).


    During their visit, the unknown group of five did not take anything else, only killing the ten guards that were assigned to defending the trial area named ''Laboratories'' on the Ind.


    The Morton Type 13 Golem, on the other hand, took everything in its personal room. It is best to mention that there was no sign of the Type 13 resisting the unknown group''s capture in any shape or form, suggesting that its order of absolute loyalty and obedience to the kingdom has been breached.


    Albin Faizan showed the same characteristic bypletely ignoring the restrictions of the Oath inside his heart, and killing a professor of Ankelite Academy named Lucien. He also destroyed the main Talisman inside the control room, but other than that, he and his close subordinates did not take anything other than their personal possessions.


    As for why I, Leanne Lanesbreau, wasn''t killed¡­ was (ording to Albin''s words) because the ''Organization'' he was going to did not want to cause too big of amotion. The same reason they did not harm any of the students on the Ind. Albin then told me to keep silent during the whole process and not ask any unnecessary questions, or he would kill me.


    I did not doubt his abilities, and deciding that the kingdom needed information regarding the incident, I obeyed his instructions and focused on keeping myself alive.


    The group soon left, and I went to the other teachers to cancel the test.]


    Leanne did not know why, but she didn''t mention a word from the conversation she had with Albin. She decided that it was mostly due to her phobia. Since she knew that Albin was a free man, she was afraid that she would get murdered by his hands if she didn''t obey her instructions. That part about him saving her because she was polite to him was pivotal in her choice of keeping things secret.


    But she still wanted to do as he said and somehow inform the king or the Mage King about the true nature of these mysterious enemies and shed some light on the situation for the kingdom. Since Albin wanted her to do this good deed, she would definitely do her best.


    But obviously, the fact that Albin and the unknown group of people decided to leave her alive despite her seeing everything they did¡­ definitely painted her as a prime suspect in the incident. This became especially apparent when Leanne told her story to the direct supervisor of the Ind, the woman immediately called the guards on her. But after a meticulous investigation of her past actions and her interactions with others, the suspicion on her gradually disappeared during the first week.


    Another week passed since then. Leanne had to attend three more questionings, before people finally stopped bothering her.


    And, she was now waiting for the kingdom''s decision regarding her case. She was brought outside a room, in which sat the Chairman Kent, the supervisor of the Ind, and Gehenne dan Carew (as a representative of the Ministry of Education); who were now discussing what to do with her.


    ''Since I''m not being tortured for information inside a dungeon, the situation isn''t too that bad for me¡­ right? Though it''s true that the whole situation definitely made a mess of my career¡­''


    She could probably still retain her job as a teacher, but her position in the Academy would definitely plummet. She even feared that she would be sent to the war, but she decided to plead with the king, if she somehow managed to obtain a private meeting with him.


    The whole situation definitely fucked Leanne''s life up, but she was grateful that she was still alive.


    There was even one huge positive to the situation, with her husband subtly mentioning the idea of a divorce. Of course, her husband who feared to be involved in anything scandalous or defaming, would be the first to abandon ship when something wrong happens to Leanne.


    It was a tragic situation in the eyes of others, but it was a normal thing in Leanne''s eyes. She learned not to expect much from her husband, so she took the situation quite calmly. She didn''t immediately agree to the divorce to save herself some face, but she didn''t deny the proposition outright either.


    On sleepless nights, she now busied herself with thoughts on how much she could take away from Terrence using this divorce.


    ''How did I end up marrying such a man in the first ce¡­ I have no idea.''


    Shaking her head, she began to search for other topics to think about as she waited outside the room.


    ''Haah, I hope Evin''s doing okay¡­ Who am I kidding? He''s definitely having a hard time.''


    When every student was gathered at the Infirmary at the end of the test, Leanne saw Evin being brought in with his left footpletely deformed. It looked as if got crushed under a giant rock, with its bones and musclespletely shattered. It was a situation where it wouldn''t have been weird if Evin died from the blood loss and the pain.


    Tragically, it turned out that he already had his face and skin healed with the World of Life the same day. Because of that, there was no saving his feet with magic as Evin''s body was actively rejecting the Life energies from entering it.


    Ultimately, the teachers decided to cut off the crushed leg, as it was impossible to repair it. They tried to save as much of the healthy parts as possible, but they still had to cut off everything below half of the shin. The procedure was quick, and thanks to a World of Life expert among the Easterners, Evin did not wake up during the cutting and then the cauterizing.


    As luck would have it, Leanne got arrested the next day and couldn''t meet Evin for the next week, she still managed to meet Evin after everything was over. To say that the boy looked devoid of any will to do anything¡­ would be an understatement.


    His eyes had lost its usual shrewd spark, and he never seemed to be listening to anything anyone was saying to him. He always looked focused on something, but no one could really tell what. The doctor in charge of him exined that it was an expected development¡­ but he did mention that Evin definitely needed a lot of love and support to pull himself out of these hard times he was going through.


    Leanne made sure to spend her nights in Evin''s room, hoping that a familiar presence would at least let the boy sleep soundly. Sadly, she couldn''t apany the boy during daytime, but thankfully, Be, Phel and Arza stayed next to him during those times.


    Arza was rtively normal, doing his best to take care of Evin, while still maintaining some degree of normalcy¡­ but Be and Phel took things much worse. They seemed like they med themselves for what happened to Evin. Saying things like they should''ve apanied him and aided him.

 Chapter 114 - Helm

    As Leanne sorted her thoughts, a voice from inside the room called out to her.


    "Come inside, Ms. Leanne."


    She went inside, and found the Chairman, Gehenne, and the supervisor looking back at her. If she had to rank the people inside, it would be Gehenne at the top, the Chairman next, and the supervisor atst ce.


    ''I guess if I had to include myself, I''d be the least important.''


    "We''ve reached a conclusion regarding your case," Gehenne began casually. "I won''t tease you anymore. You are found innocent due to the reason of: It being impossible for you to have colluded with Albin Faizan and the unknown assants on the Ind. You can find more details regarding your case inside this file here."


    Leanne received a rather thick file in her hands and promptly put it away.


    "Any penalties or punishments? Or perhaps a demotion?" Leanne asked.


    "The situation was considered out of your control, so no such actions will be taken. In fact, the kingmended you, saying that you did right by making sure to bring us back this information. Without you, we''d still be struggling to find out what happened on the Ind," Gehenne answered. "As for a demotion¡­ well, you can discuss that with Chairman Kent here."


    Leanne and Kent shared a nce, but she didn''t see anything that would suggest a demotion.


    "And about the case of the Albin''s Oath not working as intended and them being able to use portals?"


    "We''ve performed a recheck on the Oaths of all the important criminal mages and found that they''re working as intended. But it''s still unsafe for us to use them in the short term, so there will be some problems. As for the blue portals¡­ hmm¡­ Well, it''s a problem for king Seth and the kingdom to worry about. The Ministry of Magical Development is trying to recreate both feats, so please don''t worry about it too much."


    Leanne thought about the Talisman she got from Albin and decided to hurry in her attempt to reach out to the king.


    "At any rate, we must discuss the next problem that we face¡­ one more grounded andmon, but still quite important for the future of the kingdom," the Chairman spoke in an unusually grandiose tone. "Who shall we dedicate as Helm from the test takers?"


    ''Oh yeah, there''s also that¡­''


    "Indeed, we must," the supervisor for the Ind spoke. "Let us first nominate our personal choices. Let us begin with Ms. Leanne."


    Leanne did not hesitate and immediately answered. "Eviendra."


    She was struggling to find some way to help Evin out, and this was the perfect method. If he became Helm, it wouldn''t be so hard for him to receive a good enough prosthetic from the kingdom, and he would also be getting many more privileges with it.


    The Chairman agreed with her and nominated him as well. "I agree with Ms. Leanne."


    ''Since the Helms of other Academies are mostly all nobles, it understandable that Kent would try to put Evin on the position. But whatever his reasons it''s a good thing, so I won''t care.''


    The supervisor, though, had different thoughts. "I propose to nominate Decatur Carew as Helm."


    The proposition confused Leanne, as the noble boy definitely wasn''t someone who showed a good performance during the test. ''Is she trying to curry favors with Gehenne?''


    The way the supervisor was stealing nces at the silver-haired man suggested Leanne''s guess to be true.


    But Gehenne himself had a different opinion. "I propose Arza to be nominated as Helm."


    ''Arza? Why Arza? ¡­ I guess he''s a not a bad choice as well, huh? But I still need to push on Evin bing Helm.''


    "Since it''s two choices against one each, the conclusion is obvious," Leanne started with a strong front.


    "I''d love to choose Evin as Helm as well, but the Ministry of Education is heavily against him bing Helm of the 1st years," Gehenne replied.


    "What? For what reasons?"


    "Two main reasons. Evin does not have arge circle of followers and he mostly prefers to work alone, as we''ve seen from how he approached the test. The position of Helm more often requires leadership skills and goodmunication abilities, hence our decision."


    "But the situation did not allow for him to go through the trials with others. Except for Beyn, Phel, and Arza, every other student was against him due to the bounty that Decatur set on Evin''s head," Leanne looked at Gehenne usingly.


    "Don''t look at me like that. Using one''s money and influence is a valid strategy in the test, so you can''t use Decatur of cheating. And it''s not like he wasted any of Greater Ankelite''s money, mostly taking care of the bounty payments from his own pockets, so I will not condemn my brother''s actions¡­"


    "¡­"


    "Anyhow, if Evin showed any proactivity to try to be allies with the other students, I would''ve nominated his name as well¡­ but Evin never showed such tendencies. When he learned that practically the whole school was against him, he did not seem shocked or betrayed by the fact and simply epted the fact and continued on with the assumption that everyone else was his enemies.


    "But the test only went on for two days. Since Evin was sessful in conquering the Laboratories, the final trial area, he definitely would''ve focused on creating his ownmunity during the rest of the test."


    "Don''t be ridiculous," Gehenne replied immediately. "He would''ve retired from the test due to his missing foot. Even if he hadn''t been injured by the Type 12, there''s no guarantee that he would do as you''re guessing."


    "Ah."


    Leanne had no argument against that. But there was one thing she could use.


    "But it''s still true that he was the strongest among the students. Even if he doesn''t show any tendencies to create allies now, it wouldn''t be weird to assume that others would flock around him due to his strength. And if the kingdom supports him from the back as well, who knows what kind of new levels he''ll be able to achieve? You''ve heard our reports on his capabilities, right? Even a prepared group of 5th year students struggle against a Type 12, but he managed to do it all by himself, without even knowing what he was facing!"


    "Hencees the Ministry''s second reasoning of refusing to nominate Evin as Helm," Gehenne shook his head. "He''s more than capable of obtaining what he needs, so the privileges thate with being Helm are simply overkill. The same reason applies to Decatur, who can ess to the resources that Greater Ankelite receives from the kingdom. But going back to topic, considering Evin''s disposition, it wouldn''t be weird for him to hoard those resources all to himself. Ms. Leanne should know that the reason why Helms receive so much resources is that because they''re expected to use them to create their own subordinates and receive some experience in ruling over others."


    "¡­"


    "Remember. The kingdom does not spoil its mages just so they can waste away its care. And as long as his strength does not reach the levels where he starts to be considered a ''Strategic unit'', then the kingdom would not care for it. It''ll be happier to see the average level of mages increase instead."


    "In that case, I shall change my mind and nominate Arza to the position of Helm," the supervisor added. "He''s strong enough, he''s much friendlier with the other students, and also, he''s one step closer to creating his own Conditional Absolute. I also considered Beyn Borna, but her role in the test was quite small. She didn''t really struggle through the Trials, but her achievements weren''t that impressivepared to Evin''s and Arza''s."


    "In that case, I shall also change my mind in favor of Aran''s boy," sensing the situation, even the Chairman expressed his support for Arza.


    Leanne began to realize that Evin''s chances of bing Helm were practically non-existent. In the first ce, if the Ministry of Education was against it, then it was almost impossible for someone like Leanne to change the oue.


    "If there are no objections, then Arza''s position as Helm has now been decided," Gehenne concluded.

 Chapter 115 - The Voices Threat

    ''Since he can''t be Helm, I need to focus on obtaining more benefits for Evin¡­'' Leanne decided.


    "In that case, I want to discuss the rewards that Evin were due after defeating the Type 12. He was supposed to meet the Type 13 after that to receive its guidance on whatever problem he needs help on."


    Meeting the remnant consciousness of Heim Morton was nothing to scoff at. The man was infamous for his breadth of knowledge and incredible way of solving problems. It was even said that king Seth himself asionally visited it to receive advice.


    "Ah, about that¡­ You don''t have to worry too much. The kingdom is extremely interested in Evin''s future prospects. Even I''m wanting to learn how he''s able to shoot metal and stone projectiles with such strong and prative force yet so little mana. He definitely needs to be rewarded for his efforts and the kingdom agreed to have Lord Armut Mungiar give a visit to the boy. And of course, Evin would still be able to receive help from the kingdom, if he has anything he wishes to learn about¡­"


    "I''ve also heard that some High Mages are showing interest in tutoring him privately?" Kent asked.


    The rewards were much greater than what Leanne expected. It wasn''t a simple matter to have one''s lost limbs reced by a prosthetic in the kingdom. It was especially hard to have one created by the Master Prosthetist himself. Most of it depended on luck, as Lord Mungiar mostly chose his own clients, and most of them exclusively from military background. Nobles and foreigners had to pay tens of thousands of gold to convince the man to do anything for them.


    Not only that, to learn under the wings of a High Mage was also something unimaginable to 1st year Academy students. Even normal mages struggled to obtain such privileges. Leanne guessed that the only reason Evin was receiving such attention was because of his highly unique spells. She wouldn''t be surprised if some of these High Mages wanted to learn some things from Evin in return.


    "Yes, but of course, the kingdom would still require Evin to graduate from the Academy properly. I''m hoping Chairman Kent will do his best to educate the future of the kingdom."


    "Yes, of course."


    ''Of course, Kent won''t so easily let go of the key part in his ridiculous n,'' Leanne sighed. ''Well, Evin knows his true colors and he''s smart enough to take care of himself, so I don''t have to worry about Kent too much.''


    "Now that we''ve settled the problem of Helm and Evin, the main topic of our talk concludes here," Gehenne said and had the group disperse.


    ¡­


    <Stop acting so pathetic. Wasn''t it your dream to get rid of me all those years? Why are you suddenly so clingy?>


    <If I don''t have you, I won''t be able to cast magic and I''ll be tossed away by the kingdom when they realize I''m nothing but a fraud. I can''t cast half the spells you cast, no, not even a quarter of the spells you can cast and I''m sure you''re hiding some other spells that you don''t want to tell me. I don''t care, just, please don''t leave me behind.>


    <I was willing to teach you all those things, but you had to go and piss me off, so stop crying about it to me.>


    <I was wrong. I''m just an idiotic teenager. Didn''t you say that idiotic teenagers can''t help but make mistakes?>


    <I also said that someone doesn''t have to deal with a teenager''s idiocy unless they''re the teenager''s parent.>


    <No, don''t leave me behind. I don''t even have my foot left to stand on. In fact, I despise my missing foot. The only thing I feel is pain. How can I feel pain in it if it isn''t even there? Is it punishing me for losing it? Is it sending me pain because I didn''t do a good job of protecting it? Why is it doing this to me?>


    <¡­>


    <But that''s not the worst part¡­ The worst part is reliving the experience of having it crushed under those metallic hands. Feeling each cell turning to mush and hearing the crunching sound that my bones give off¡­ I still can''t believe I didn''t die from the shock and pain that day. You told me people could die from those things, right? When you were teaching me about what to worry about when you get hurt really badly. The only thing I''m grateful for is that I didn''t look at what happened to it. If I saw the crushed state of my feet, I definitely would''ve died from the shock¡­ I mean, I almost fainted from shock when I saw the cauterized stump that my foot turned into. Argh, It hurts to even talk about it.>


    <What you''re feeling is called phantom pains. About 90% of amputees go through the same thing. They feel pain in a missing limb, because the brain thinks that it''s still there¡­ Usually continues on for a year or two¡­ Since the years on Alvox are shorter, maybe it''s going to take less time for you.>


    <Really? No¡­ I can''t keep feeling this for another year¡­ I''ll go crazy!>


    <You probably won''t, so stop bitching. And you don''t have to worry too much, since Leanne said that you''re going to get a custom-made prosthetic. The same kind that Aran has.>


    <Leanne was here?>


    <Yes, I told you about it yesterday. And also, she''s sleeping on the chair next to you, so do her a favor and fucking wake up. She''s been doing the same thing for you for the past two weeks. Also make sure you thank Arza, Be and Phel as well.>


    <If you''re so worried about them, why don''t you talk to them yourself? You can take over my body if you want to, right?>


    <I can''t. You''re not allowing me to. You think I wouldn''t have taken over your body taking advantage of the fact that you''re still in shock after three weeks for some god-forsaken reason?>


    <It''s been so long?>


    <Yes. I can kind of guess that it''s because you''re able to talk to me you''re still refusing to face reality, but¡­ ugh. I should try harder at taking over your body starting tomorrow.>


    <No, don''t do that¡­>


    <Sigh¡­>


    <¡­>


    <¡­>


    <Why do you have to separate from me?>


    <Because I want to live my own life.>


    <¡­>


    <I''ll say it now. I''ll never stop searching for a way for us to separate. If you don''t do the same, I''ll do anything in my powers to convince you otherwise. Don''t me me if I take things too far. I know I call you an idiotic teenager and that idiotic teenagers have the rights to make mistakes, since they can try again until they get it right¡­ But you don''t have such privileges. You making a mistake can have fatal consequences.>


    <¡­>


    <And I''m here to remind you that you trying to keep me next to you is a huge mistake. It would have unimaginable consequences. I''ll ruin your life without blinking if it means making you think that I''m not something you want inside yourself.>


    <¡­>


    <Why? Because I want to live my own life. It''s nothing soplicated. So you better wake up soon and work on what I want. To help you, I won''t be replying to your desperate pleas. Face reality and talk to me when you''ve awoken.>


    ¡­

 Chapter 116 - Waking Up

    Another week passed after that, and Evin was now walking through the streets of Ankelite, airing out his new prosthetic leg.


    "Do you need to rest? Or should we just fly around?" Be asked from his side.


    "Nah, I''m fine¡­ Lord Armut said that I should work it out properly even through the pain or I''ll never get rid of the phantom pains," Evin replied with a grimace.


    "So it still hurts¡­"


    "Yes, but it''s a nice changepared to sitting inside my room all the time. Moving around makes me feel oddly satisfied¡­ And besides, the doctor said that me feeling pain is a good thing. It''ll make my body ept the prosthetic as another part of it much quicker."


    "But still..."


    "It''s okay."


    "Alright... Sigh, I''ve never thought people could create prosthetics like these. To think that it would even grow alongside your other foot¡­ Hmm, I guess it''s cool¡­" Be said casually, then immediately started to panic, probably feeling like she said something insensitive.


    "Ha-ha, don''t worry. I think it looks cool as well."


    Evin looked down on theyered metal feet that he received from the kingdom, with sunlight shining brightly on its exterior. From a nce, it looked like Evin was wearing a metal shoe, with how the edge of the prosthetic wrapped around his skin. But with a closer look, people could tell that it wasn''t a fancy boot.


    It felt weird, like Evin was showing off his missing foot for everyone to see, but ording to Lord Armut and his doctor, he had to let the wound receive as much sunlight and air as possible. This prevented any rot from forming where the metal and flesh met, which was a frequent problem that urred to people who wore prosthetics for the first time.


    But Lord Armut said that if he could go through two months without facing any serious problems, then there was nothing more to fear. The man performed a long and arduous surgery where he revived Evin''s singed nerves and attached them to the tiny little Apdenul runes etched on the prosthetic.


    By doing this, given enough time, the sorbothium foot would be no different from a natural part of his body. He would stop feeling the phantom pains and he would eventually be able to move it around like every other limb. Armut even added that it would grow to be the same size as his right foot.


    Evin didn''t know how it worked exactly, but from the Voice''s reactions, he could tell it was something amazing.


    But obviously, for the time being, he still needed to use crutches to go to ces. However, he was told that just being able to dangle it around was great for his recovery, so he was feeling quite happy. Slowly, he''d be able to put more pressure on it, until he could once again walk on his own two legs.


    "Ugh¡­" Evin grimaced once again from a sharp pang of pain, and felt the sweat forming on his body.


    Be came over to support him, lest he fell over, and after a few seconds, Evin calmed down. Of course, it wasn''t all sunshine and happiness. The pain was bing more and more infrequent, but it still hurt like hell whenever it happened.


    "Maybe it''s best if we take a small break¡­" he said with a small smile.


    His doctor berated him endlessly on not acting tough.


    "There''s a patisserie ce there. Let''s sit there," Be replied.


    Evin sat on a shaded seat, brought over a chair and put his feet on it to absorb the sunlight.


    ''It really does feel like I''m showing it off,'' Evin thought with amusement. ''Ah, whatever, it''s not my concern if others find it problematic. It''s not like I want to do this¡­''


    Be then ordered cold drinks for the two of them and they sat infortable silence.


    ''To think I only woke up four days ago and already got myself a recement foot¡­''


    After the Voice decided to stop talking to Evin, it only took him another three days to fully wake up. Endlessly, he screamed inside his head, hoping for the Voice to respond to him, but no such thing happened. He was left alone on the nothingness he''d created from himself, but he very quickly realized that he had to wake up.


    The nothingness inside his head was preferable to the pain he felt when he was awake, but that was mostly due to the Voice who kept himpany. But alone¡­ Alone, he found himself desiring for the pain he was avoiding so much. Anything was better than endless emptiness.


    When he woke, he found Be sitting close to him, feeding him food. Then came the waves of pain that Evin was holding off. At the time they seemed even stronger than the first time he felt it, making Evin wonder if the unfelt pain of the past three weeks was also making their presence known. He wanted to cry out in pain and go back to hisa, but seeing the way Be''s eyes fill with tears and embrace him in a hug¡­ Evin did not allow himself to cry or run away again. He gritted his teeth and grimaced at the pain, though he was still sweating quite heavily.


    After that, Be began to ask him questions and apologizing to him for not going with him during the test. Surely nothing like this would''ve happened if the two of them were together. Evin wondered if he''d feel resentful of Be or the other two for what happened to him, but thankfully, no such thoughts appeared in his mind¡­


    ''Perhaps this is what it means to have true friends¡­'' he remembered thinking at the time.


    He wiped Be''s tears and told her everything was fine. He smiled and added that she didn''t have to worry about him any longer. During that moment, he wondered if he were supposed to kiss her and dere his love for her, but a sharp sting from his missing foot wiped away his thoughts of romance.


    Regardless, after the emotional moment between them ended, Be began to speak about what happened after Evin fell unconscious.


    Evin learned about the attack on the Ind, about Albin''s true identity and how he got away, about Arza being chosen as Helm, and about the kingdom''s rewards for him.


    Then he learned that Arza and Phel had to go back to their hometowns as the Academy students were enjoying a month-long holiday, leaving only Leanne and Be to tend for him. Evin, of course, wasn''t hurt by their actions, feeling that it would be best if he sorted out his feelings before seeing them.


    Evin thanked Be for taking care of him all this while, instead of going back to her family. She shrugged, saying that it was more enjoyable to treat him than to spend time eating dinner with her father. Evin chuckled, saying that it was the same for him.


    He wondered what his father would say if he learned about Evin''s lost foot. ''Probably something along the lines of an ''I told you so'','' Evin mused.


    Seeing that he could still make jokes, Evin felt unnaturally happy. Even the pain that he felt at the same exact moment didn''t feel so bad.


    The two of them spent another hour together, talking about random things. Eventually, Be went to her dorm room, leaving Evin some alone time.


    He began reaching out for the Voice at this moment, but it did not respond to his calls. Anxiety began to swell in his heart, fearing that it managed to rid itself of him somehow. Evin wanted to tell the Voice that he was going to try his best to help it separate from him, but this moment told him how much he didn''t want that to happen inside.


    But eventually, the Voice replied, saying that it muted whatever Evin was saying to him these past three days so he could better ignore him.


    It then once again brought up the issue of separation, but Evin couldn''t make himself agree to its demands. Eventually he relented, but both sides knew how fake and flimsy this promise was. The Voice did not bring up the topic again, but it did warn Evin that he would regret his decision.


    Evin did not want to think about that anymore.


    Then came his meeting with Leanne. Seeing her face, Evin couldn''t stop the tears from bursting out like a dam that was broken. It was weird, thinking that he didn''t cry in front of Be, but the moment he saw Leanne, he would start bawling like a child.


    It felt shameful to cry for his lost foot, but Leanne didn''t judge him for it and only offered her silentpanionship. Evin realized then about the countless things that Leanne did for him. From how she saved him from his depressing life with his father, to how she warned him of the Chairman''s ns, to how she always did her best in taking care of him.


    It was a shame that Evin wasn''t able to repay her for all these things.

 Chapter 117 - To Overcome Things

    Evin''s topics of talk with Leanne was simr Be''s, though Leanne did apologize for not helping Evin be Helm. Apparently, she was the one of the people responsible for deciding the position of Helm.


    Evin did not me her for it, as he had a feeling that strength alone wasn''t enough to grant him the privileges. Leanne exined to him on what criteria the Helm is chosen and it became awfully apparent that Evin was unfit for the position. But hearing about her nominating him for the position made him feel even more grateful to Leanne.


    After talking a bit, Leanne asked if she should sleep in the same room with him for today, but of course, Evin wasn''t shameless enough to bother the woman so much.


    ''I heard you spent most of your nights sleeping next to me. I really don''t know how I''m supposed to repay you for that¡­ Since I''m awake now, please go home and sleep on a proper bed. Please send my regards to Terrence,'' Evin had said.


    Unexpectedly, Leanne replied that the two of them were staying separately these days, and that they were considering divorce.


    Evin''s ears perked up from the news, but he soon shook his head, wondering what he was trying to do with the information. He had gotten over his crush on the woman, and even if he was still in love with her, he wouldn''t want Leanne to go through something so problematic and scandalous as dating a 10-year-old.


    After Leanne, Evin met the Chairman, Gehenne, Rith and then Armut Mungiar. The 1st two were mostly ceremonial, with the talk mostly revolving around Evin''s future, and taking only about twenty minutes each. Rith took a bit more time, with her being the only one to ask Evin about his fight with the Type 12.


    Evin recounted the details and found that he was having trouble talking about the part where the golem took hold of his foot. Rith shrugged, saying that it was natural. She then joked about how heroic and stupid Evin''s must''ve looked trying to defeat the Type 12 all on his own.


    ''Did your hair flutter as you had your foot crushed? It must''ve right? Your elerator thing uses air, so there must''ve been some drafting from it. Ah, don''t worry about your lost leg, at least you looked cool while doing it.''


    Then came his meeting with the Master Prosthetist. The man was practically a living legend ording to Leanne, who had endless praises for his contributions to the kingdom. Due to her hyping the meeting up quite a lot, it would be a lie if Evin said he wasn''t excited to meet the man.


    Lord Armut turned out to be a man in histe 40s, his bushy hair swaying chaotically by his neck. He also didn''t seem very excited to see Evin, with how often he red at him whenever Evin winced from either pain or difort. But the man did make sure to provide his best services, practically creating a second limb for Evin.


    And he also did in record time, taking Evin''s measurements in ten minutes, creating the prosthetic base in two hours, etching runes onto it in three hours, then connecting Evin''s nerves to the runes in five.


    Then the man began his lecture on the daily life of a person who has a prosthetic. How to best take care of it, what most to worry about, how to cope with phantom pains, etc. etc.


    But one thing he said stuck with Evin a lot. ''You might think that you''re never going to do anything dangerous in your life again, that you''re going to change and live a more proper life¡­ Like they say, People are wisest when they''re struggling and in pain.


    But after a month or so, when your phantom pains disappear, you''re going to revert back to your old ways. You''re going to start bing more lenient, and you''re going to make more mistakes, and you''re forever guarded state will be a thing of the past. But don''t get me wrong. This is the best thing that can happen to you. To forget the pain of your injury and means you''ve ovee the trauma of losing a limb. From that point on, you can resume to live life normally.''


    "Sigh¡­ I used to wonder how amputees managed to live their lives, but I guess they manage some way or another," Evin broke the silence. "I can''t expect to treat my metal foot like it''s made of ss all the time. Eventually, I''ll have to be a little rough with it."


    "Hmm?" Be''s head cocked to the side.


    "Nothing."


    "Hmm¡­ Oh yeah, I heard some High Mages were considering to take you as their disciple, do you think that''s true?"


    "Rith and Leanne mentioned something simr, yes. I was feeling happy about it, but one of them mentioned that they had ulterior motives. Though I can''t remember who exactly. Probably Rith." It was actually the Voice. "So I haven''t been very excited about the prospect¡­ Why? Are you jealous?" Evin smiled tauntingly.


    "Hmmm¡­ I would be lying if I said I wasn''t¡­"


    "I''m a bit confused too. I''m sure you would''ve been the one who would garner attention from all these High Mages, not me. Everyone knows you''re better than me."


    "I think I know now why Rith said those High Mages had ulterior motives," Be dered after thinking a bit.


    "Really?"


    "Yes, let me exin. I''m better than you, yes, but in their eyes, I''m not really someone interesting. Most mages inside the kingdom are able to do what I do, but you''re someone with unique spells. Not many can replicate what you do, so I''m guessing people want to learn from you."


    Evin nodded thoughtfully, though he already knew why. Be''s deduction was mostly on par with the Voice''s. "That makes some sense, but it feels weird to think about myself like that."


    It actually really wasn''t that hard. The Voice was responsible for Evin''s achievements, so in a way, it was natural for Evin to garner attention. But others did not know about all that, so Evin had to act ordingly.


    "By the way, what''s your dream?" Be suddenly asked, her hand stroking Evin''s metal leg.


    Evin didn''t know where the question came from, so he had to ask why.


    "What''s this all of a sudden?"


    "I was just wondering what''s so important to you, that you''re willing to even lose your foot for it."


    "Ah¡­"


    The question threw Evin off bnce.

 Chapter 118 - Date And Determination

    What was it that was so important that Evin needed lose limb and blood to obtain?


    It wasn''t patriotism, the desire to be strong so he could protect the kingdom from its enemies. For most others, this seemed to be the case, especially so for young mages and young soldiers. Evin was also like them once, but the Voice made sure to wipe out any and all signs of goodwill towards the kingdom from Evin''s mind.


    It thoroughly educated Evin in the matters of selfishness and not dedicating one''s everything to something that''s job was the use him. Of course, Evin still liked his country, but he couldn''t say he''d sacrifice his life for it.


    Perhaps a month ago, he''d be wanting to be more like king Rnd and be a legendary figure in the history of the kingdom¡­ but that also started to feel off. Especially after Evin read king Seth''s letters about his father''sst days. Weirdly, by reading king Seth''s letter, Evin''s respect for the current king fell a notch as well. Perhaps the Voice''s random rant about the current king being unfit to rule had some truth to it after all.


    In that case, was it because he needed to be strong so he could help out the Voice? That was definitely not it, as his head was getting filled with thoughts on how he could stay together with it.


    That left him only with one reason. Survival.


    He needed to be strong, so he wouldn''t get bullied by people wanting to use him, like the Chairman and not die due to the hatred of unstable noble children, like Decatur.


    ''It feels like such a shitty reason¡­'' Evin couldn''t help but sigh, not wanting to talk to Be about the reasoning behind his actions.


    But he felt obliged to reply with something, as the act itself felt important to him. "I guess I just like the thrill of learning and improving myself¡­ though that sounds like I''m dodging the question."


    "It does sound like you''re dodging the question."


    "But it is true that I like both those things. It''s just¡­ I thought I had a lot more reasons to do all this, but now that I really think about it, I have very few."


    "Sigh¡­ you''re too young to be losing our way in life, you know?"


    Evin frowned.


    "Then what''s your dream? Surely, you have a better one, since you''re so adamant on criticizing mine."


    "Mine?" Be sighed. "Mine''s easy. It''s revenge."


    "Revenge?"


    Evin had many guesses, but revenge definitely wasn''t one of them.


    "Yes, revenge. Revenge for my mother, who died regretting her life¡­ revenge for her friend, who only wanted to live a happy life, but was implicated because of a crazy woman¡­ and revenge for myself, because I just want to."


    "Revenge against who?"


    "¡­"


    "Not talking?"


    "Mmm," she shrugged.


    Evin went through the information in his head, and decided that it was not really his business.


    "It''s a bit surprising to learn, but good luck on your revenge. Hope you don''t lose a leg in the process," he said with a chuckle, then winced due to the pain that pulsed through his head.


    Only after ten heartbeats of him hoping the pain would go away, he was able to push away Be''s hand which was on his back.


    "Thanks as always, for being here with me."


    Be shook her head, and smiled brightly at Evin. "It''s never bothersome to be with you. I especially like how you don''t tell me stupid bullshit like ''Revenge is bad and shouldn''t be something to strive for''."


    "Revenge is an exquisite meal. Not everyone can enjoy it, but they can''t really know whether they like it or not if they don''t try it." Another piece of wisdom from the Voice. "So I guess it''s best if you go through with this revenge of yours quickly and see what happens."


    "Never thought I''d hear words like this from someone. What are you going to tell me next? That it''s okay to go around torturing people for fun?"


    "Sure, but torturing others is illegal, so I rmend you keep a low profile if you need to," Evin smiled.


    "Idiot," Be smiled back and the two of them shared another moment of tension between them.


    But like always, they would wait for it to pass, neither of them wanting to break the bnce they found. If the Voice was more talkative, he''d probably tell Evin to confess, asking him what was the worst that could happen.


    After finishing their drinks, they decided that it was time to finish for the day, and found their way back to Evin''s dorm room.


    He was a sweaty mess at the end of it, but he was satisfied with the progress he made on the first day he got out. He promised Be to call her if anything happened and was left alone in his room. He promptly flopped into his bed and waited until for his ragged breathing to calm down.


    Eventually, he got up and entered the bathroom. He preferred showering before, but the past two days taught him it wasn''t meant to be. He filled the bathtub with water and slowly descended into it, his good foot going first.


    <Are you still going to stay silent all the time?> he then asked inwardly.


    <I don''t get why you have to be like this. I''m not the one who shoved you inside my head, so stop ming me for getting attached to you.>


    More and more, Evin was bing more honest with his feelings. He was sure that eventually, he''d be able to be more honest with Be as well. After all, what was the worst that could happen?


    <You might think that I''m just being selfish, seeing you as a convenient way to cast magic, but you know that''s not wholly true. I know that I''m dependent on you, but it''s not because I find you convenient. It''s because I like yourpany. Why is it so wrong of me to want what I want?>


    If he could, he''d just make a family with Be and with the Voice and Leanne as their guardians. He wondered if the Voice found Leanne attractive? He must, right?


    <I know you''re going to say that you''ll still stay close to me after we separate, but we both know it''s a lie. You''re capable of much more without me hindering your progress, so you''re definitely going to leave me alone.>


    This was the biggest reason why he didn''t want to separate with the Voice. He knew he was an obstacle in its path, which meant that the Voice would never be able to rely on him on anything. After they separated, maybe they''d meet each other once a year as tradition, but they''d grow more and more distant each time. And hence¡­


    ''I must make myself worthy to stand by its side by the time we separate.''


    This was Evin''s conclusion to the biggest problem he was facing right now.

 Chapter 119 - Revisiting

    Another week passed by, and half of Evin''s two-month-long holiday was finished. He was now slowly making his way through the city streets, feeling quite good with his progress. Today was the first day he hadn''t felt any phantom pains from his metal leg, and was also his first day going outside without Be or Leanne apanying him. The weather was also great, with white clouds covering the sky, making it not too hot, nor too cold.


    Feeling adventurous, he even put his prosthetic on the ground, curious to see whether it could take a bit of his weight. He nearly toppled over due to the act, garnering the attention of passerby pedestrians. One woman immediately dove towards him, trying to catch him, but Evin forced his hands to put his crutch in front of him so he didn''t fallpletely.


    "Are you alright? Do you need help to go back home?" but the woman still came over to support him.


    "I''m fine. Thank you for your kind intentions. Just a bad step is all," Evin replied, trying his best to keep the hostility away from his voice.


    The woman, like many others before her, was quite adamant on helping Evin out, making him wonder if these people ever had anything better to do. But after a minute, Evin finally managed to get rid of her.


    Evin knew these people just wanted to help him, but the way they unhesitatingly grabbed at his body whenever something wrong happened to him irked him to no end.


    ''At least ask for my permission before you touch me,'' he thought with a sigh.


    ''I feel bad for blind people, being touched by others all the time¡­ Even if others are trying to help them. How disturbing and anxiety-inducing would it feel for them to have a stranger''s hand touch them without even seeing iting?''


    Sighing, Evin walked on, though this time he was careful not to let his metal feet touch anything. He told himself that the time woulde, that he would eventually walk on his own two legs. Like Lord Armut warned him, he shouldn''t hurry for results.


    A few minutester, Evin found himself at the edge of the area reserved for 1st grade citizens. Usually, he would head back around here, but since he wasn''t feeling that tired, he decided to go a bit further, to walk around the area that he once grew up in.


    The difference between the two areas wasn''t so stark near the border, but the area for 2nd grades definitely was gloomier. The nd colored clothing of the people, the messily hand-built buildings and roads, the asional stench of garbage and alcohol that invaded Evin''s nostrils¡­


    ''To think the living area for 3rd grades is even worse than this¡­'' Evin thought with a sigh.


    ''To think I lived here for 10 years, but now I feel like I can''t stay here for more than a day¡­ I guess people do change their ways very quickly.''


    "Hey, isn''t that Evin?"


    Evin turned his head towards the voice, to see a familiar face smiling towards him. There were a few other teens near him, one of them holding a few bottles of wine.


    ''Who''s that again?'' Evin thought briefly, before the relevant memories came to his mind.


    "Hey, Baker," Evin replied.


    Baker was one of the more popr teens around this area, mostly because his father worked a bakery and made some pretty tasty cookies, the leftovers of which Baker would share with others if it didn''t sell so well for the day. Evin didn''t know why a baker would name his own son Baker, but seemed to be a good conversation starter for the boy.


    "Wow, I''m surprised you remember my name," Baker replied with a bright smile. Evin thought he was being sarcastic, but the boy seemed genuinely pleased. "We were just about to go drink a few bottles; do you want toe with us?"


    Evin didn''t really want to, but feeling curious about what they wanted, he found himself nodding.


    The group made their way towards a small, rtively clean alleyway, which was, for some reason, filled with various vegetables growing on the walls and the ground. Evin used to frequent this area a lot, as it was close to his house and was mostly crowd free, due to the overgrown nts.


    "It''s been so long since we''ve seen you around here." Baker began, as he handed Evin a cup of wine. "How have you been? I''ve heard the area for 1st grades is damn bloody pretty. I nced at it when it was my turn at the Awakening Ceremony, but too bad I didn''t turn out to be a mage."


    "It is really pretty. But sometimes, you visit the areas reserved for nobles, and you realize there''s always something prettier than what you know," Evin replied.


    "Really? Like what?"


    "I guess a duke''s pce woulde next, then the king''s," Evin replied. "Oh, but I guess the Empress''s Tower would trump over all of them."


    "The ck Tower?"


    "Yep."


    "Must be damn bloody majestic," one of the boys nearby said.


    ''Damn bloody¡­ must be some new way 2nd grade teens speak. I definitely didn''t hear anyone in the 1st grade area saying these words. Sigh, everyone should just stick to the Empress''s tits, ass and asional grace if they want to curse. It''s the ssics.''


    "So anyway, how about you?" Baker continued, ncing at Evin''s leg. "How''s life in the Academy?"


    Evin wanted to tease the answer for a bit longer, but he decided against it.


    "For me¡­ I''m currently enjoying my holidays. As for life in the Academy, well, we study stuff. Magical and non-magical both, and after a while, the teachers throw us into pits of mana-beasts and criminals, so we can learn to fight better."


    "Really?" Baker asked.


    "Yep. It''s a terrible thing. Well, it''s not that bad if you''re good at fighting¡­ but if you''re shit like me, it''s not weird to lose a leg or a hand," Evin replied, not really sure why he was making up this lie.


    "That can''t be right?"


    "Do you think I cut my leg off so I can rece it with a metal one?"


    "Well, no, but¡­ criminals? Real people?" Baker asked again, disbelief filling his voice. "How can that be?"


    "Yes. The first time''s the hardest, but they make it easier for you by drugging them beforehand. So all you have to do is stab them with something sharp, be it the weapons lying around, or something you make with magic."


    "That''s damn bloody fucked up," one said, and a deep silence filled the air.


    Evin couldn''t take it anymore, andughed loudly to break the silence.


    "Ha-ha, I''m sorry¡­ I was just joking."


    Everyone breathed out a sigh of relief, but a girl among them was still frowning.


    "Then how did you lose your leg?" she asked, staring at Evin.


    "I was just unlucky. We do fight mana-beasts and some rather questionable enemies, and one of them got to me. It''s not like you can ask them to hold back for you, and it''s not convenient for the teachers to save you from every threat."


    It was concrete enough to satisfy the surrounding teens, and was also vague enough to tickle their curiosities.


    "Cast a spell for us," one of them asked, and Evinplied. After thinking a bit, he decided that it was too hard to create something shy, and just asked everyone around for requests. Fireballs, ice spears, gusts of wind, a few illusions¡­ none of them were hard spells to create, but since Evin could do each and every one of their requests, the teens seemed quite impressed. They then began asking Evin various questions about his life as a mage.


    Despite its hollow nature, Evin enjoyed his brief moment of poprity. He was bing quite popr two months ago, but something told him he wouldn''t be so easy to approach after the Academy sses resumed. Part of it would be Decatur''s doing, while another part would be him killing Byron.


    But honestly, he didn''t care whether he was popr or not. He would be satisfied if he was close to the people he truly wanted to be with.


    "Ah, is it raining?" someone murmured, holding their hands out.


    Evin also felt a few drops of water falling on his shoulders. It began to drizzle pretty soon.


    "Seems like it''s gonna pour," Baker said, looking towards the sky, and everyone decided to scatter for the day. Baker''s group asked Evin if he needed help going back, but he reassured them that he wasn''t going to get lost.


    After everyone left, Evin stood in the rain for a few seconds, enjoying himself. He could''ve created ayer of a spell to save him from getting wet, but he decided against it. He liked the rain, and it wasn''t that hard for him to make himself dry again if he wanted to.


    But the pleasant moment was interrupted when his foot started sending him vicious pulsations of pain. It was never pleasant to feel these pains, but this time, things seemed even worse than usual. He was suddenly reminded of Lord Armut''s warnings to avoid rainy weather.


    ''Shit¡­ I should''ve been more careful¡­'' Evin thought, as he crouched down in pain and stood inside a small tunnel that led the alleyway to the main street outside it.


    Breathing deeply, he calmed himself down and began working on a spell. He created a hot gust of wind and used it to dry his body and his clothes. This seemed to help reduce the pain, but it still felt strong in the back of his head.


    "Of all the days for me to go waddling alone¡­" he murmured, before setting his crutches towards home.


    ''Wait, I can just fly there¡­ It''s better for me to walk, but surely, it''s stupid to torture myself like this...''


    But then, a stubborn part of his head began to show himself, demanding that he walk home. It was a stupid thing to be stubborn on, so Evin didn''t bother with the random thought and reached out for the lodestone in his pocket.


    <It''s a weird thing, human rtionships,> words sounded inside his head.


    Evin instantly stopped whatever he was doing, and replied.


    <Endra?>


    The Voice stopped talking with Evin after itsst argument with him.


    <It rarely goes the way one wants it to. The ones you desperately cling onto want to keep their distance from you¡­ but the ones you want to push away cling to you like moths to a me¡­Well, moths pay a painful lesson to learn that mes aren''t something so desirable,> The Voice spoke slowly, almost reminding Evin of the Type 12.


    <What are you talking about?> Evin asked, and felt that it became hard to breathe.


    <I''m sorry for what I''m about to put you through.>


    As Evin struggled to understand its words, he heard the faint sounds of footsteps behind him, and then felt something hard hit his head. He struggled to keep his consciousness, and to absorb the mana inside the lodestones to strengthen himself, but the strength in his arms failed him.


    Evin then found it terribly hard to breathe, his eyesight spinning, before being engulfed by darkness.


    ¡­

 Chapter 120 - Madness All Around

    Endra walked in circles in front of a mirror, muttering incessantly, his eyes bloodshot and unfocused. He nced at the domes above to make sure that whatever was happening outside was happening for real.


    Edmund was carrying Evin through the streets he used to y in, leaving a trail of blood in his path.


    "Those ursed mages! Look what they did to my boy¡­" the man muttered all the while. "You''ll be safe in your father''s hands¡­ I''ll treat you proper this time. I won''t make the mistakes I made with Lora."


    The past half a year wasn''t kind to Edmund. He had thinned greatlypared to his hulking shape from back then, and his greying hair began to fall from the top. Edmund himself wasn''t so kind to himself, as was evident from his grimy clothes and reeking body. It wasn''t so wrong to say that the man was going insane.


    But Endra himself wasn''t so well off, either. Except for his rtively clean clothes, he looked just as addled as Edmund was. He constantly spoke to the mirror, one which he tried to shatter countless times these past few minutes.


    "Do you have to do this? Isn''t this taking things too far? Come on, you''re better than this! The boy himself said it, didn''t he? He''s just going to wait until he''s capable enough to stand by my side so the reunions wouldn''t be so awkward and silent. I just have to wait till then and we''ll have our happy ending¡­"


    "Worthless! Isn''t that just a rose excuse he made to rationalize his needs?" Endra answered himself, gnashing his teeth. "You really think you''re going to be rid of him?"


    "But so what? Just because he''s acting like a child, you''re going to traumatize him even further? He''s just lost his goddamn legs for fuck''s sake! What the hell did you do when you were fucking ten? You sat at home and let our parents feed you and teach you things. You were also going through our trauma, but are you sure you want to make Evin go through the same thing? By his own hands, no less!"


    "He''s 14 in this world!"


    "Who the fuck cares? He''s still a child!" Endra screamed as he swung his fist against the mirror. "You''re fucking better than this."


    He lied down, holding his hand above his eyes.


    "I''m going crazy again¡­ what shitty timing."


    His head felt like it was splitting by the middle, with conflicting thoughts appearing on both sides. It wasn''t the first time. Endra was used to talking to himself. It tended to happen a lot when you were lonely spirit with no one else to talk to.


    It wasn''t so weird for it to happen here, either. His situation wasn''t so different on Alvox, with the only one that could hear him being a boy of 10 years. And with the stress that umted from the prior days'' events, it was bing more and more difficult to stay in control.


    Sighing, he removed his hand and saw the domes. The images showed Edmund tying Evin up to a chair with ropes, telling him it''s going to be okay.


    Endra didn''t know what the man''s n was. Why did he see Evin talking with a bunch of kids, then headed back to his house to get a stick, stalked Evin from behind so he wouldn''t be able to see him, and then whacked Evin on the back of his head when he was left alone? Now he''s even tying him up with ropes¡­ but what the hell were ropes supposed to do against a mage?


    "But most of all, why am I allowing this to happen? I even helped Edmund, so he could approach Evin without being detected¡­ Of course, it''s because I saw a chance to make my point, and I took it."


    Endra was so close to his goals of obtaining clues to separate his soul from a body, if only Evin requested for the Heim Morton''s research materials on golems from the kingdom. If they managed to put human souls in golems, surely they knew how to do the same, but with another human as host.


    With such research, Endra would finally make some progress towards his ultimate goal. But Evin had to go and request for some useless research on Absolutes, crushing Endra''s hopes. The boy even refused to cede an inch of control during the incident, fearing that Endra would take over his mouth and say something else.


    After that incident, Endra refused to speak with the boy and cooped up inside his little world, thinking of countless things he could do to convince Evin otherwise.


    Endra knew that it was a phase of Evin''s, one that he''d grow out of at some point¡­ but Endra didn''t want to wait that long. He was bing more and more impatient by the days, and his growing insanity wasn''t helping the situation. This thing with Edmund that he was thinking of was the perfect example of his deteriorating mind.


    Sighing, he wrested control of Evin''s mouth, lungs and mana-core. It was difficult, but it was possible with how Evin was bing so open to his presencetely. The rest of Evin''s body was still inactive, though.


    "I thought you were going to do things right this time?" Endra spoke, using Evin''s mouth.


    "Evin?! Evin! No-no. This isn''t what it looks like!" Edmund''s panicked face appeared in front of him. The man held Evin''s shoulders tight, and continued. "I''m going to help you. But I''m going to need you to keep still, alright? I''m going to smoke that damn Voice from inside your head. You''re gonna feel a bit ufortable, but it''ll be over in no time."


    ''Ah, he''s also lost it¡­'' Endra thought with resignation. ''At least the way he acts makes it easier for me to do what I n to do¡­''


    "I thought you''d changed from the time you spent alone, but you''re still the same fucking psycho."


    Edmund showed a face of confusion. "Evin, what are you talking about?"


    "It''s not Evin you''re talking to," Endra finally revealed. "I''m what you like to call the Voice inside your son''s head."

 Chapter 121 - The Plot

    Edmund''s face contorted in a weird mix of disbelief, hatred, and happiness. Disbelief due to the nature of the situation, hatred for the Voice, and happiness because he was right all along.


    "I knew it! I''ve told everyone I know, even the mages, but not one of them dared to believe my words!"


    ''Ah, small men¡­ in their small worlds¡­'' Evin thought with a sigh. Unknowingly, a smile crept up on his lips.


    "After all you''ve done to ruin your son''s life, all you care about is being right. There really is no saving you. "


    "I did not ruin Evin''s life! It was you who messed his life up! It was you who ripped our family apart!"


    "I was just a thing that spoke nothings in his mind. I wasn''t so out of control that you couldn''t forgive my presence. In fact, isn''t that what you did at first? You just ignored me as the fancies of a child and stopped bothering yourself with my existence."


    "¡­"


    "But you couldn''t keep the act up when Lora began to acknowledge my existence. You said it would be detrimental to Evin''s growth and forced Lora to stop. She, of course, didn''t stop. She felt that there was something more than just whispers in one''s head. And thus, she began to wholeheartedly ept Evin and me as a whole."


    "It is wrong! Even if I could tolerate it for Evin, I can''t have my wife doing the same! And even if I ept it, society wouldn''t let them be either."


    "Ooh, I''m a big man with big opinions. And I''m gonna beat the shit out of anyone that doesn''t agree with me¡­" Evin said spitefully. "Fucking half-breed."


    It wasn''t hard to hurt someone. You just had to hurl their ugly truths at them.


    "Shut up! You know nothing about me! Don''t think you understand me!"


    It was especially easy when the man himself kept throwing himself into the fire.


    "You''re nothing soplicated, Edmund. You''re a man-child who finally understood that the world is unfair in your fucking thirties. Presumably, you had a dream till then, but chasing it didn''t work so well for you, so you settled down and started a family. I don''t know what evil rituals youmitted to get Lora as your wife, but thinking about it now, you probably enticed her with the life of a 2nd grade. And Lora, being a young woman holding grand delusions about the world, was unfortunately, deceived by you."


    "¡­"


    "Then, when Lora started to showing the same tendencies, you showed in your youth, you took it upon yourself to beat it out of the woman. I mean, who in the right mind would believe their children''s imaginary friends to be true? You, of all people, know what childish adorations can do to one''s future. You must''ve felt so proud of yourself, feeling your fist purging out the idiotic thoughts from your young wife."


    "..."


    "But you know what? The youth are meant to dream and make mistakes. It''s not your right to beat it out of them, child," Endra said, feeling disgusted by himself.


    ''I''m such a fucking hypocrite. Isn''t that exactly what I''m doing myself?''


    "Who are you to lecture me on these things? What gives you the right to speak like this in the first ce? You''re just a cursed thought inside a 10-year-old boy!"


    "I''m much older than even your precious king Rnd, so I do have the rights to speak about these things. But it doesn''t take some centuries old relic like me to realize that you''re wrong."


    "..."


    "At the end of it, even Lora realized that the life she was living wasn''t worth the pain. Obviously, her father, managing to find the whereabouts of his runaway daughter, helped a lot in her decision of leaving you. But did Ssatsko beat her for her mistakes? Did he disown his daughter because of her foolishness of youth? Did he even berate Lora for all the worry and pain she must''ve caused her?"


    "¡­"


    "No. He came in, forgave her, salvaged the situation as best as he could, and left. He knew Lora learned her lesson. There was no need for anything else. He didn''t even do anything to you, a monster who took away his daughter with sweet nothings, to only abuse and use her when you were in a bad mood or fuck her when you were in a good one. He knew that hurting you would only lead you to vent out your frustrations on Evin¡­ Well, that didn''t work as well as he intended in the end now, did it?"


    "You must be some mad mage trying to prolong your disgusting life one way or another¡­ you must think you''re better than everyone else. Like all the other mages."


    "Mages are better than everyone else. Maybe not everyone, but they''re definitely better than you."


    ''And me¡­'' Endra added to himself.


    Endra enjoyed venting his frustrations on the man. Just like how Edmund enjoyed venting his frustrations on his wife and son. Sometimes, people acted pathetically like them, only finding pleasure in the misery of others.


    Endra thought himself better than this, but apparently some things were inherent to him. He didn''t even bother to me these thoughts on his crazed self. He knew that crazed or not, it was him thinking those thoughts. And his long life taught him that it was pointless to deny or avert his eyes from these thoughts. It was even better to embrace them. Endra tried, but couldn''t help but cringe away from the filth he felt when doing so.


    No one enjoyed being covered by shit and piss, but it was also true that their bodies contained the same shit and piss they abhorred.


    ''And perhaps that''s for the best¡­ Every human is made of something good, bad, and ugly,'' Endra concluded, his previous madness and hesitation reced by cold, unfeeling determination.


    Edmund also seemed to have reached a conclusion and began to work on whatever he was working on previously. He tightened the ropes around Evin''s body, and began to pull out some dried grass from one corner of the room and put them inside a wide but short metal container.


    ''So he begins¡­'' Endra thought and then smiled in amusement. ''I didn''t even need to speak of how much he failed at raising Evin. Well, Edmund was always quick to lose his temper.''


    He didn''t list Edmund''s faults, so the man would experience a moment of understanding and change his ways. It was impossible to change someone by acting so aggressively like Endra did. He started the conversation because he wanted to understand what Edmund was trying to do. As for his words after that, Endra was trying to redouble Edmund''s determination to smoke him out, while also being a bit spiteful.


    Regardless, his goal was achieved with Edmund then attaching a rope to Evin''s chair and using a hook attached to the ceiling, then beginning to pull it up. The man was certainly prepared. He then shoved the metal container underneath Evin and set the grass on fire. The contents did not burn with mes, but it did emit a constant stream of green-blue smoke. If this smoke was supposed to push out Endra from inside Evin''s body, it wasn''t doing a great job.


    Endra did not speak during this moment, and with a deep sigh, began working on a spell. Using Lochra''s energy, he began adding an illusoryyer on Edmund''s body. Countless times, he did the same to Evin''s body to fool his enemies, but this time, the target of the illusion was Evin himself.


    "Since I''ve alreadye this far, I should just get this over with," Endra whispered to himself. "I will regret my decision and my actions, but these disgusting actions will help me be happy in the end."


    He looked at the image in front of him. Two blue, almost crystalline eyes stared at Evin. The shape of its face was practically the same as a human''s but its metallic skin would never allow it to pass as one. The Type 12 stared at Evin, watching him being engulfed in smoke.


    It did not take Evin long to wake up.


    "What''s¡­ happening? ¡­ My head¡­ hurts¡­" the boy groaned.


    It also did not take Evin long to see the Type 12 staring at him through the smoke.


    "NO!" Evin screamed out in a voice so loud, it shook even Endra inside his head.


    In a matter of seconds, a thin icicle materialized in front of Evin, and ruthlessly flew towards the Type 12''s neck. The one, surefire way to kill a golem. Logically, the icicle wouldn''t have don''t much against a golem, but this time, it was sessful in piercing Evin''s adversary. Blood sttered across Evin''s shocked face, as the boy struggled to understand what was happening.


    Endra was shocked at how fast Evin created the spell. It was almost as fast as how he cast. But, it wasn''t out of his expectations. One''s traumas often made them do either incredibly stupid, or incredibly impressive things. Often both at the same time.


    ''I don''t know why I''m thinking about this.''


    Either way, Edmund was dead.


    Endra didn''t know what punishments Evin would receive for his crime, but it wasn''t really Endra''s concern. He felt tired and spent, and for the first time in a long time, he felt the need to sleep. Endra''s n to encourage Evin to separate was half-finished.


    Whatever happened after this was out of his control, so he willingly let himself fall into slumber.


    Endra was just escaping from reality, but who was there to judge him? Only Evin.


    ''Perfect.''


    ¡­

 Chapter 122 - Serenity

    Evin hung dazedly for a few seconds, his brain trying its damn hardest to make sense of his situation. One by one, the facts started to list themselves in front of him. He was tied by a rope of some sorts, something was burning underneath him, he''d just attacked a person he''d thought was the Type 12, and the Voice wasn''t responding to his calls. In fact, it was hard to even feel its presence, a sense that Evin as bing more and more adept at feeling.


    But slowly, more facts started appearing in his head. The size of the room he was hanging inside, the familiar color of the walls, the scenery that was visible through the windows¡­ and the familiar clothing the figure on the floor wore.


    "Father¡­?" Evin found himself muttering.


    Quickly and almost subconsciously, he put out the fire underneath him, and then undid the ropes that bound him. He didn''t make himself weightless, but that turned out to be a grave mistake, as the pain from his metal leg made him shriek in agony, drawing tears from his eyes.


    But the pain did not impede him for long, as he crawled next to his father''s body and turned the body over. Arge chunk of ice, still maintained by World energies clogged his neck. Evin expected to see his father to be gurgling out blood from his wound, still fighting for life, but no. His fathery dead on his floor and it was Evin that killed him in his moment of panic.


    For a moment, he found it hard to breathe, and felt his eyes tearing up without control. The pain, the guilt and the griefbined together to make a mess of Evin''s emotions as hey there silently, weeping. Mourning.


    He didn''t know why, but Evin expected himself to be act more irrationally than this, with screams and shouts and a loud painful wail.


    But there was also a part that expected calmness. Considering everything his father had done to him, how terrible of a man his father was, shouldn''t Evin be d he was dead?


    He didn''t even know if one was supposed to be having of all these random things while mourning.


    ''Shouldn''t there be just grief? Why all these unnecessary thoughts?''


    Despite feeling that it was hollow, Evin did perform a mourning and eventually, his tears dried up.


    With conflicting emotions, he found himself observing his father''s body.


    His body had thinned so much, Evin was finding it hard to believe that the man used to tower over him, feeling like the colossi from the stories. Grime and dirt filled his body, giving off an almost unbearable stench. His leather clothes looked like they haven''t been washed in weeks, looking stiff as if his sweat had seeped into it.


    Evin looked around the house, and found it in a simr state. The floor was filled with dust, and random handprints could be found near doors¡­ and of course, the thick smell of alcohol.


    ''How could someone live like this?''


    His eyes fell on his father again.


    But by the Empress''s grace he felt disgusted with himself. The blood did not disturb him, his father''s wide-open eyes did not prickle at his conscience, and the sorry state of him and the house only made him d he left this ce half a year ago.


    There was even a part of him that justified his actions, saying that it was for the best that Edmund died. It didn''t seem like the man would survive for long anyway. Evin was only putting him out of his misery.


    ''Would I act like this if the Voice had suddenly perished from his mind? Would it be the same for Leanne or Be?''


    The thought sent chills down his spine.


    "But what happened here?" he suddenly said out loud, more loudly than he intended. He searched for the truth of the matter, to keep himself distracted from the death in front of him.


    With determination, he scoured his mind for the events before his ckout.


    The Voice had finally spoken to him, despite the long silence between them before that. Evin was trying hard to focus on what it was saying, but for some reason, he couldn''t remember much from its words. Though, he clearly remembered itsst words.


    ''I''m sorry for what I''m about to put you through¡­'' the Voice''s words echoed through his mind.


    "After that, I got hit in my head¡­ and woke up here, tied to a chair, with smokeing from under me¡­ and my father looking like a golem."


    Evin could connect the dots from here on out. His father must''ve seen Evin standing alone in the alleyway and attacked him from behind. He didn''t know what the chair and the smoke was, but he supposed it was an ultic ritual of some sorts. But why would he appear as a golem?


    ''I''m sorry for what I''m about to put you through¡­''


    "Ah, it was an illusion," he realized, not really sure if he wanted to learn something like this. "So It guided me to identally kill my father¡­"


    Before going silent, the Voice had constantly warned Evin that he would regret his actions. Was this its way of getting back at him?


    Except, the ploy didn''t affect Evin as much as both of them would expect it to. Evin was sad, sure, but he wasn''t devastated. He didn''t want the Voice gone.


    Was he inhuman for having these thoughts? Evin didn''t think so. The Voice was more father to him than Edmund ever was. He had finally epted this and he wasn''t going to shy away from it now.


    ''But what will I do if the Voice decides to kill others? Be, Leanne, Phel, and Arza¡­ Will I act the same as today, mourning silently, but still adamantly clinging on to the Voice?''


    Evin didn''t know. And he didn''t want to think.


    He absorbed a lodestone, and using the moisture in the air, began encasing his father in a prison of ice.


    Lightly grunting, he got up to his feet and walked outside. Thankfully, the rain had stopped. He then made his way towards a guard-post nearby and lightly knocked on its door. A curse came from inside it, and soon, arge statured man opened the door.


    "What do you-" the man began, but after his eyes fell on Evin, he stopped abruptly.


    Evin was puzzled, but then he remembered the blood sttered on his face. Despite his apparent calmness, he hadn''t bothered to clean it off¡­ Weird.


    "I think I killed my father."

 Chapter 123 - Inspection

    What happened after Evin''s confession was much different than his imagination of being thrown into a jail and getting questioned.


    The guard struggled to make sense of the situation, but he contacted his superior, which had Evin bring him to the ce of murder.


    Evin calmly exined the situation to them, which revealed the fact that Evin was a mage. The fact shocked and put fear into the two, but they didn''t seem to consider Evin a threat, as he confessed to his crimes personally. It also seemed to make things easier for them in a way, as they then swiftly brought Evin to the Citizens Bureau. Before that point, Evin hadn''t known about a specialized sector in the Bureau created for dealing with criminal mages, but the day''s events enlightened him somewhat.


    Evin recited his exnation to a stern-looking man there, who asked for the two guards for confirmation time to time.


    Naturally, the most confusing part of the story was Evin''s vision of the golem. Obviously, the inspector relentlessly questioned Evin on this point. Evin had to share his story of fighting a golem a month ago and losing his leg in the fight. This prompted the inspector to call in someone from the Academy, which thankfully, wasn''t someone Evin knew. The neer, of course, attested to Evin''s story, also bringing up some documents that described Evin''s fight with the other students and some of the golems.


    Eventually, the inspector came to the scene of murder himself. The man didn''t even bother to restrain Evin in any way even after hearing Evin''s battle capabilities, which meant that he was either very confident or very stupid. The previous conversation made Evin tilt towards the former.


    On the site of murder, the inspector used some magical powder, which seemed capable of revealing what World energies were used inside an area. Different Worlds had different colors to them, this powder could reveal traces of them to the naked eye.


    For the most part, the scene seemed to match Evin''s testimony. But ament from the inspector made Evin want to sigh out loud, though of course, he was careful not to actually do it.


    "There''s mostly Ivelisi''s energy in this room, but on the body of the victim, there''s a trace of Lochra''s energy. They''re barely noticeable because of the ice that the boy used to encase the body in, but they''re definitely there."


    This was proof that the Voice was responsible for Evin''s murder of his father. It must''ve used illusions to make his father look like the Type 12 in his eyes.


    The inspector continued. "Did you use illusion magic on your father?"


    "No."


    "Then what about its traces on his body?"


    "I don''t know."


    "Why did you encase your father in ice?"


    "It just felt like the proper thing to do."


    "¡­"


    It felt like Evin was answering the questions to the best of his abilities. Maybe even too well. He was sure that others from his age would be either bawling their eye out or staring at nk space, too shocked to speak.


    The inspector seemed to think simrly and after having everyone else leave, began to change the nature of his questions.


    "What was your rtionship with your father like?"


    "Bad. He was abusive till I was 10. Didn''t want me to be a mage even after he learned I had a mana-core¡­ with the help of a teacher in the Academy named Leanne, I managed to escape his grasp and be a mage. I haven''t met him for five months. Until today."


    "Where''s your mother?"


    "Don''t know. I think she left us when I was young."


    These were exceedingly personal questions: how his father abused him, how the atmosphere in the house was like, whether or not anyone tried to help Evin¡­ questions continuing to grow more and moreplex thanks to the details that Evin provided. He, of course, mentioned the Voice a few times here and there, but didn''t make it seem like something important.


    He didn''t want to hide this fact, as the man could easily learn about it from the neighbors and maybe even Baker''s group. It would make it seem like the Voice that Evin deliberately hid away from the inspector had some kind of role in it all.


    At the end of it all, the inspector sighed and looked through the notebook he was writing on for the past hour or so.


    "Some details of the story might be wrong," Evin added at the end. "So please be careful."


    "What?" the inspector sounded annoyed, startled, even.


    Evin would probably act the same if he wrote all those stuff and heard that it might be false information.


    "Ah, it''s just something I heard somewhere. That people tend to misremember things a lot. Of course, it wouldn''t seem that way to them, so it looks like they''re lying. But they''re just saying they themselves believe what they think the truth is."


    The words made the inspector think for a bit, but inevitably, a frown appeared on the man''s face. Such a concept would be nightmarish for someone who was a detective. People could be telling lies thinking it was the truth?


    "That''s something I''d rather not know. Who did you even hear it from, anyway?"


    "I''m afraid it''s something the Voice had told me at some point."


    The man wore another annoyed frown on his face, making it extremely difficult for Evin to not smile. The inspector read his notes, though there was an air of skepticism around him now.


    Finally, the man stood up and ordered Evin to follow. They went back to the Citizens Bureau.


    "Your case will be treated as an ident," the inspector said, writing the same words on a piece of paper.


    "Really?"


    "Yes. Although it''s a rather brutal incident, I can only make that conclusion."


    "What about me seeing a golem in ce of my father?"


    "That was most likely the work of the grass he burnt beneath you - flyweed. It''s a cheap, but effective drug that''s bing more popr among the lowlifes. It makes you see things and some even say it has the ability to cleanse one''s souls. It''s bullshit, so don''t think of trying it. Anyway, its smoke must''ve made you seen that illusion instead of your father when you woke up."


    "But I should''ve felt off even after the fact, right?"


    "Perhaps, but I could tell that not much of the grass managed to burn, so you wouldn''t be so high."


    "And that trace of Lochra energy?" Evin didn''t know why he was asking so much questions.


    "No idea. But I''ve learned to ignore some clues in cases like these. Most of them tend to be dead ends and even if they''re not, they''re rarely useful. Now take this paper and show it to the receptionist outside. He''ll send you to someone who will help you through the funeral."


    "That''s all?" Evin was baffled. Wasn''t there supposed to be a trial or something? Didn''t these things take weeks to conclude?


    "Boy," the inspector suddenly said, his tone turning deadly serious. "Do you want punishment?"


    "I¡­" Evin wanted to say no, but perhaps that was what he needed.


    "I knew it," the man sighed. "Do you know what''s the punishment for a mage who kills a non-mage?"


    "I don''t know. The Academy only told us to never hurt anyone ever¡­ that''s all."


    Not supervised, at least.


    "Well, I''ll tell you. The punishment for a mage murdering a non-mage is taking an Oath of Restraint in the name of the kingdom."


    "An Oath of Restraint?"

 Chapter 124 - Oaths And An Aftermath

    "Yes. Or depending on the seriousness of the crime, either an Oath of Loyalty, or an Oath of Obedience," the inspector exined.


    Evin frowned, feeling like he heard something simr just a few days ago.


    ''Ah, I heard Leanne mentioning something about Albin''s Oath of Loyalty not working as intended.''


    "Have you heard of them before?" the inspector asked.


    "Only their names."


    "Well, let me enlighten you," the man cleared his voice and began speaking. "As you might''ve guessed, the Oaths are things exclusively made for criminal mages. The first and least powerful one, is the Oath of Restraint. If you take this Oath, you will lose the ability to kill any non-mage inside the kingdom. You are only allowed to harm them in self-defense, but the Oath might even refuse that, depending on the circumstances."


    "How would taking an Oath prevent me from doing what I want?" Evin asked, confused.


    "Ah, the Oath¡­ isn''t an oath in the literal sense of the word. It''s a creature that resides next to your mana-core, that threatens to crush it if you try to break the details of your Oath. It also has the ability to restrict mana from entering your core, so you''ll also be unable to use magic if it wants to prevent you from doing so.


    Evin frowned, imagining the creature inside his heart.


    "I see¡­ I''m guessing the other two Oaths are worse than that?"


    "Yes. With the Oath of Loyalty, you''ll lose the ability to harm any of the kingdom''s citizens and you won''t even be allowed to destroy its property without good reason. You also won''t be able to betray the kingdom and its secrets in any way, and after a couple years of living with the Oath, you won''t even be able to think of betraying the kingdom."


    "And the final one?"


    "The Oath of Obedience. As the name suggests, you will have to obey the kingdom''s every order, regardless of whether you want to or not. But don''t look so scared. These are only for the worst criminal mages and so there are only a handful of people who had to take it¡­" the inspector said, sighing. "Now do you still want to be punished for your mistake today?"


    "No..." Evin answered hesitantly.


    "Good. You might feel guilty for your answer, but I can tell that you''ll grow out of it pretty soon... Sigh, it''s always the same with mages."


    The inspector''sst words caught Evin''s attention, but something told him he shouldn''t ask about it.


    Instead, Evin focused on a different problem.


    "Why doesn''t the kingdom have every mage take on the Oath of Loyalty? Wouldn''t it make their job so much easier?" Evin asked curiously. Obviously, he wouldn''t want something like that in reality, but someone must''ve though about it before, right?"


    "Then we give the non-mages too much power," the inspector replied, despite Evin thinking he wouldn''t. "The Oaths feed on mana, you see. So they''d just die inside normal people. So in that case, if someone unfavorable takes on the throne, us mages would be in big trouble. We could even end up worse than 4th grades, ving away for the kingdom''s cause, whatever that is."


    "I see¡­ But in that case, wouldn''t they just have the monarch take on the Oath?"


    The inspector smiled, and shook his head. "It''s not like everyone of the royal blood is a mage, you know? Sometimes, everyone in the royal session can be non-mages¡­ Ah, why are you even asking this, anyway? Go away if you don''t want me to change my mind and assign an Oath for your little core," the inspector said and waved his hands dismissively.


    Evin thanked the man and made his way towards the receptionist, who directed him towards a mortician - a tall,nky man with thin, graying hair.


    The talk with the inspector managed to distract him, but when he began speaking about his father''s funeral, the gloomy mood took over once more. Eventually, Evin and the mortician decided on a burial three dayster. Evin was rich enough to afford a pyre, which was said to be the ideal way to go¡­ but he was afraid that no one woulde to watch his father off except him. If no one came to a pyre, it was said to be bad luck.


    With the method confirmed, the mortician brought out the topic of bringing in the body, saying that for some extra coins, he''d be able to hire muscles to carry it around.


    It felt unfilial for Evin to not move the body himself, but he agreed to pay extra, warning the mortician that the body was encased in ice. The pain from his foot was getting worse and worse, making it more and more difficult for Evin to focus on the problems at hand.


    After paying the man''s money and giving him the key to his house, Evin decided to go to his dorm room for the day.


    ''I''ll just fly there this time¡­ No need to torture myself like this¡­'' he was thinking, when he heard the receptionist''s voice from behind him.


    "Young mage, please wait a moment."


    "What is it?" Evin asked, approaching the man.


    "Just a few things I want to remind you. I know you''re busy with everything that''s happening, but these are all things you must consider," the man said, and listed a number of things that usually needed to be considered after a person died.


    Listening to the words, Evin started to feel dizzy. The organization of a funeral lunch and its participants, the speech at the burial, the divide of Edmund''s possessions, what to do with their house, Evin''s official position in the kingdom, would he be considered an orphan or not, whether or not he''ll need to be adopted, etc. etc.


    Listening to it all, Evin decided he couldn''t deal with all of that for now, and had the receptionist write it down on paper. He''d deal with all these problems tomorrow. Today, he needed to rest. He felt like he''d deserved that much, though the thought made him feel extremely sick with himself.


    He''d hoped to sleep off these feelings, but the constant pain from his leg did not allow him the easy way out.

 Chapter 125 - A Visit.

    Three dayster, with weary eyes, Evin finally came into his room and fell onto his bed, groaning from his exhaustion. He had juste from his father''s burial. Thankfully, the funeral lunch only had two dozen people and only five attended the burial itself.


    Evin wasn''t expected to say much during both events considering what happened, but he still had to say things. Praises for the deceased, so he''d be able to go on peacefully to the afterlife. Evin spoke of things with such insincerity, he even began to feel ashamed at the end of it all. He hated it all.


    Even more than that, Evin hated every attendant that came to the funeral lunch. It was painfully obvious that half of them came for the food, and half came to create connections with Evin. They would praise Evin''s maturity in handling everything by himself, but would talk to him as if he was a child who was blind, deaf, and mentally challenged, however that was possible. One 1st grade woman even outright invited Evin to be adopted to her family, and had the gall to act like she was doing him a huge favor. Evin didn''t even know the woman.


    Evin took in a deep breath, and after holding it for ten seconds, let it all out.


    ''Well, at least I''m done with everything now¡­''


    Evin kept his house and his old possessions and managed to do a thorough cleaning of it all. But he did sell everything worth money his father owned and burnt the rest.


    He was, for the time being, considered an orphan, but since he had a stable source of ie (technically), he didn''t need to be adopted. Leanne asked if he wanted her to search for her mother, but Evin didn''t want to bother the woman that left him and his father and asked Leanne forget about the matter as well.


    He half-regretted this decision, but his feeling of being wronged by his mother outweighed his curiosity towards her, so the decision still stood. Perhaps Leanne would still go searching for her despite his protests, and Evin nned to not me her for her actions. But what''s going to happen after the meeting¡­ Evin didn''t want to think about it.


    As he was thinking about the day''s events, a knock came from the door.


    Cursing under his breath, Evin walked up to the door. He saw Be on the other side of the door, holding two bottles of wine.


    "Sorry for the sudden intrusion. Is it okay if Ie in?"


    "Sure," Evin replied and held the door open.


    Be ducked under his arms and put down the two wine bottles on the table. Reaching for the cupboard next to it, she brought out two wooden cups. She encased one bottle in ice before opening the other and pouring it into the cups. Evin found himself smiling at the sight. He picked up one cup and took a sip from it.


    "You''ve been quite busy these few days," Bemented.


    "Yes. Yes I was," Evin said with an exaggerated sigh. "I''m starting to understand why I wasn''t able to take hold of you after the Countess passed away a month ago¡­ Almost two months now, I suppose."


    "Ah, that¡­ Yeah," she sighed.


    "What were you doing then, anyway?"


    "Hmm¡­ We were debating on who was going to be her sessor. Decatur did not possess the support of the nobles and Gehenne was not avable at the time. So the Viscount families wanted to take control before the kingdom or the Duchess sent someone of their own to rule over us."


    "And what does that have to do with you?"


    "Since mages are more easily epted to rule overnds, me and Phel were potential candidates. We were definitely not going to be picked considering that other Viscount families had much older and aplished mages, but we were candidates regardless."


    Evin nodded and after a sip,mented, "Sounds like something you''d hate."


    "I know, right?" Be chuckled. "You don''t know how close I was to letting a spell loose in one of those meetings¡­"


    "Definitely sounds like something you''d do," Evin said smilingly.


    "I have impable control over myself, thank you very much," Be hmphed. "But honestly, they should''ve picked me in the end, all things considered. Anything would be better than that prick Decatur."


    "I thought you hated to be a noble. Bing countess sounds like a lot of trouble for you."


    "Not really."


    Be''s words were a big revtion to Evin.


    ''Was I wrong? But no, everyone among the noble society says the same thing about her. Some even say that she goes around dering her hatred for it.''


    "But enough about me," Be suddenly said. "How was the funeral?"


    "Terrible."


    "I''m sorry," she said, sounding terribly guilty.


    "Not in the way you''re imagining," Evin corrected. "It''s hard to talk about."


    "Hard?"


    "Not hard¡­ Awkward? Embarrassing?"


    "Now I have to really know about it."


    Evin smiled wryly. "It''s nothing so interesting. I wasn''t sad or anything during my father''s funeral. Just spent and annoyed. During these past three days, I was just hoping that everything would be finished so I can go to my room and be done with it all¡­ But that''s not really something you think about during your father''s funeral, right?"


    Be''s face changed subtly. Evin noticed the same hesitation she''d show whenever the atmosphere between the two of them shifted. He regretted saying these words. They were having fun talking, but Evin had to go and ruin it for the both of them. But then he noticed another emotion on Be''s face. A distinct look of determination.


    "You know?" she began, her voice sounding strained. "I''m really jealous of you."


    "¡­" Evin did not know how to respond.


    "Not because you were born into amoner''s house, not because of your talent in magic, not because of those unexinable advantages you possess¡­ but because you''ve killed your own father."


    "What?"


    "I''ve told you before, right? That the reason I want to be strong is so I can take revenge on someone. I didn''t tell you who it was then, but I''ll tell you today. It''s my father. I want to kill my father."


    Even if Evin''s head was swarming with questions, he did not voice them out.


    "Do you remember who I wanted to take revenge for?" Be asked.


    "Your mother, her friend, and you," Evin replied.


    Be took in a breath and sighed it out.


    "My mother''s friend¡­ she was the previous wife of my father. My mother and her friend were 1st grades as far as I know, and somehow, her friend managed to catch the attention of my father, then heir of the Borna house. Supposedly, their parents were against their marriage and wanted them to break up, but through my father''s insistence and my mother''s friend''s ¨C let''s just call her Ina ¨C through Ina''s disy of sincerity and vastness of her heart, they finally managed to get married."


    "But my mother was a jealous person. She always wanted what everyone else had, but she was especially fixated on Ina. Whatever Ina had, she had to have as well. The same dresses, the same friends, the same interests, the same words as well. I heard she evenmitted thievery once to get what she needed. Ina herself didn''t seem to mind it as much, and it''s been like that since their childhood, I''ve heard. So when Ina got married to a Viscount, mother had to get something simr."


    "But no Viscount would ever marry someone so pathetic like my mother. So, she decided to be employed as a maidservant in my father''s household. And, when Ina became pregnant with my eldest sister, mother managed to seduce my father, bing one of his few mistresses. Don''t look so surprised. Despite her disposition, she was definitely a beautiful woman."


    "Sigh. Despite it all, Ina was still tolerant of her. After all, she could tolerate father''s other mistresses, so why couldn''t she tolerate my mother? Personally, I think those two were both wrong in the head. Anyway, five years passed like this, with mother still following Ina''s trails like a shadow... Ina had another daughter, but none of the other mistresses bore a child. A magical device that prevented pregnancies or something."


    "But then, Ina died. Actually, she first went missing. But waster found inside the mansion''s dungeons, beaten to death. They couldn''t find the culprit, but my father wasn''t so insistent on finding who did it. Then... he officially married my mother. Soon enough, I was born."

 Chapter 126 - Confessions

    Be sighed a lot when speaking of her past.


    "They say that my birth was difficult. Something about me being a mage and mother not. It''s a thing that happens rarely, but for a weak fetus to create a mana-core, it has to absorb its mother''s ability to ept mana and World energies in her body. I don''t really know how it works, but I crippled my mother with my birth, and I also robbed her of the ability to receive healing through magic. Her days were numbered."


    "Sigh¡­ She only lived till I was four. Before that point, I was barely cognizant. But you know what she told me on her deathbed? ''Never hurt your sisters and never try to get what they have¡­ and be an obedient daughter for your father.'' I didn''t understand these words at first. They seemed like such normal things to say. Of course, at the time, I didn''t know of my mother''s past¡­ but I did promise to uphold her wishes."


    "For the next three years, I was bullied endlessly by my sisters. They''d iste me, try to direct father''s ire towards me, frame me for things I didn''t do¡­ Obviously, they didn''t harm me physically, knowing that I''m a mage¡­ but they did everything to make my life unbearable otherwise. I gritted my teeth and did not retaliate, honoring my mother''s words. My father¡­ he did not do anything to stop what was happening. He''d treat it as a joke¡­ a rivalry of some sorts between his daughters."


    Pauses started to appear in Be''s speech more often. But the next part of her story made her brighten up a tiny bit.


    "The only ce I enjoyed myself in my mansion was the mage guards'' quarters. My father hires a group of mages to protect the estates, you see? They''re rather expensive to keep for merchants and baron families, but since my father pays them with World Shards, they were happy to serve him and they were also bing more loyal. One more thing I must mention is that they''re awfully capable. They''re the reason why I''m so good at fighting, you see?"


    "They would teach me how to cast my spells more effectively, train me in martial arts, indulge my requests to spar with them¡­ they were practically my second family back in the mansion. I was happy to be with them, but what I really wanted was to belong with my father and my sisters. Sadly, father was¡­ well, father. And my sisters didn''t look like they were going to ept me any time soon. In fact, the bullying got worse and worse as time passed."


    Be got up from her seat across the table and sat on Evin''s bed, turning away from Evin.


    "And¡­ on my seventh birthday, I decided that I had enough. Sneaked in my sisters'' rooms at night and abducted them. Threw them inside the mansion''s dungeon and had them spend a night in it. Near morning¡­ I came in to check on them. To gloat and then to demand them to stop bullying me. I was still a child, don''t look at me like that. Sigh, but then¡­ my eldest sister, Arelyn, she began to tell me the story of my mother and Ina. Of course, no one told me about those things before¡­ Before that point, I always thought my mother to be the saintliest woman on Alvox. She always seemed like the perfect heroine of a tragedy, always sick, but always willing to smile in my presence."


    "So the ugly truth of my mother¡­ I didn''t want to believe it. But some part of me knew it was the truth. It would exin a lot of things¡­ the servants'' attitude towards my mother when I was young, herst words to me, and the way my sisters looked at me, as if I was the one who murdered Ina. But the truth¡­ it didn''t make me see reason. It only made me angrier¡­ I- I only saw red from that point. I snapped, and began pommeling my sister''s face with my fists. Over and over and over and over¡­ I think I only stopped when my middle sister, Olevyn got hold of one of the guards."


    Be held her head in shame and, after a brief silence, sighed again. Evin let her be, though his soul ached to get up and embrace her. A bitter, she continued.


    "It was a miracle my sister survived. It''s also a miracle a passing healer was able to fix her broken face. I swear to the Empress, she''s even more beautiful with how mage restored her features," Be joked, though herugh was hollow. "But of course, just because she survived, doesn''t mean that everything was okay. She was traumatized beyond fixing... She still flinches when she sees me, you know? And if she finds herself in a room alone with me¡­ she would start wailing and sweating, before eventually trying to harm herself¡­ No one knows why¡­"


    "But you know what''s the worst thing? Even seeing her eldest daughter like that, my father still treated the incident as some unfortunate ident¡­ I¡­ I¡­!" Be hissed, her voice filling with anger. "I don''t even want to remember what that disgusting man told me!"


    Evin sat silently, his face stuck in a concerned frown.


    "I will kill my father. People like him¡­ who just lets things happen, without ever trying to prevent or change anything¡­ they''re not worth keeping alive¡­" Be sighed and cleared her voice. "It''s not that I hate noble society. Whatever I did to make that impression was because I was a still a child, trying my best to spite my father. To hurt him somehow... I soon learned that it had no effects. The man''s spineless, so he just epts everything I do as the acts of some rebellious teenager."


    "I need to kill him. True, he did nothing to me, but that''s beside the point. He does nothing. And that doesn''t mean he''s innocent," Be''s voice hardened.


    Evin got up from his chair and gently sat behind her. He had no words for her, but he knew that what he needed to do now was to give her a hug. Damn the consequences.


    It felt awkward¡­ with his hands wrapping around Be''s waist slowly and hesitantly, but Evin was not going to pull his hands away. His core stilled when Be''s hand caught his, but it resumed beating when Be interlocked their fingers and let it rest in a rtivelyfortable position.


    Evin''s posture was still kind of ufortable, with his side glued to Be''s back, but it was overshadowed by the feeling of softness that began assaulting his mind.


    ''By the Empress, her fists hit me like boulders when we spar, so how can her body be this soft?''


    Evin suddenly began lusting for more of Be as he made both their bodies weightless and as they began floating over the bed, he managed to fully spoon her from behind. If Be had anyints about this act of his, she didn''t show it, and even seemed wanting. It felt divine.


    ''Should''ve done this months ago¡­'' he cursed in his head and then focused his attention back to Be''s confession, or more importantly, how to respond to it.


    But honestly, Evin knew how he wanted to respond. He was just hesitant. In fact, he was hesitating on his decision during most of Be''s story.


    ''I''m eventually going to talk about this to someone¡­'' Evin thought. ''Since she trusts me enough to share her story and her goals, shouldn''t I be doing the same?''


    He then put his head on Be''s shoulder and began speaking.


    "Whatever you want to do, I''ll support it. I don''t care if its wrong or anything like that¡­ and I''m not saying this because I feel like I don''t deserve to judge others either¡­ It''s just how I feel about you. I trust you¡­ and I learned that you trust me too. And as clich¨¦ as it sounds, I''ll ept you as you are."


    Be pushed her weight onto Evin and nodded slightly.


    "You know those rumors about me having something inside my head?" Evin asked, almost whispering.


    Be nodded again. "I heard about your tendency to talk to yourself when you were gathering attendants for your father''s funeral."


    "Well, they''re true¡­" Evin spoke, but he felt terribly anxious all of a sudden. Despite that, he carried on. "That Voice was with me since I could think, and ever since I became a mage, I''ve been learning more and more things about it. Actually, most of what makes me great in other''s eyeses from the Voice. It helps me cast magic, it helps me understand my studies, it helps me dodge enemy attacks, and it even helps me speak sometimes¡­ I know I''ll only be half the person I am, if I didn''t have the Voice in my head."


    At first, Evin nned to just tell her about the Voice''s existence, but for whatever reason, he ended up confessing much more than he intended. He knew this was making him look a lot more like a scampared to how he usually looked in others'' eyes. But there was no pulling back from this now. He could only trust Be to ept his weakness.

 Chapter 127 - Proper Holidays

    "Really?"


    "Yes. It''s the secret to why I look so much more capable than I am in reality¡­"


    "I see¡­"


    "Sorry, I feel like I''ve betrayed your expectations somehow."


    "No, no. I''m just feeling a bit overwhelmed by what you''re saying," Be replied hurriedly. "Uhh, is that Voice speaking to you right now?"


    "Ah, no. He''s been gone for the past three days now. Actually, he hasn''t been speaking to me at all for the past two weeks."


    Evin was worried about the Voice''sck of presence at first, but he knew that it was definitely inside his head. He didn''t know how, he just did. This helped him calm down greatly.


    "Why?" Be asked curiously.


    "I guess we''re fighting."


    Be chuckled at that, which Evin took as a positive sign. "Can I ask you a few questions?" she then continued.


    "Yes, of course."


    "What did you mean when you said he casts spells for you?" Be seemed very curious about the Voice, making Evin wonder where the serious and romantic atmosphere from before went to.


    ''I mean, she''s still in my embrace now, so I guess this is a natural state for us now?''


    "Remember how I made a fuss back when the Academy started because I could Imagination Cast? Well, that was all the Voice''s doing. He taught me how to cast in his wayter on, but it''s hard for me to say that I can cast half as good as he does on my own."


    "What do you think the Voice is?" Be then asked.


    "We have some guesses, but I don''t want to talk about it to you without the Voice''s permission."


    That concerned the Children of the Empress and a whole new world, so Evin was definitely not going to speak about it so casually.


    "Is that so? Then the final most important question. How often does he speak for you?"


    Evin wondered why that would be so important, but he understood why soon enough.


    "Very rarely. He does it when I''m too panicked to speak, but I have to speak something, regardless. But when he''s around, he does sometimes make me say specific things or ask specific questions if he deems it important. He alsoments on conversations sometimes, which gives me a broader perspective, but other than that, he''s usually quiet."


    "I see, in that case¡­ I don''t mind the voice in your head at all," Be said and turned her body towards him. Evin was met with the girl''s dark green eyes, and her wide beaming smile in his embrace. His eyes fell on Be''s lips and inevitably, his core began to lust for it.


    "When you first talked about it, it sounded like it controlled everything in your life, but now that I''ve heard more about it¡­ it''s really not that bad," Be exined. "You''re still you, and even if a part of you was shaped due to the Voice''s influence¡­ that part''s still you, isn''t it? So, I don''t care as much as you think. It does feel a bit weird to think that there''s someone inside your head listening to all this, but thankfully, he''s gone for now."


    "Then¡­"


    "I''ll just say this. If I knew I just had to talk about my past to get you to hug me¡­ I should''ve done so months ago," Be said coyly and sent Evin an inviting nce.


    Evin''s brain repeated Be''s words it once again, and after confirming that its contents, Evin quickly nted his lips on Be''s. She did not resist and soon enough, their tongues met each other inside their mouths. They stayed like this for a few moments, and Evin finally felt how hard his cock was. He desperately dug his head for the racy stories he heard from the teens talking on the streets.


    ''No, I''m hurrying too much,'' Evin thought, thinking of the action. ''But she did say that she wanted to do this for months, right? It was the same with me, so that means we were technically dating since then and we just didn''t know it¡­''


    Hesitantly, his hands reached for Be''s ass as he attempted to remove her pants. But Be grabbed his hands and stopped their kiss.


    "That¡­ not yet."


    Evin was regretful, but even he felt that it was too fast. He nodded, and the two resumed kissing. But even this small act was enough to make him feel like he was about to melt, so Evin decided that yes, they definitely weren''t ready for the next step.


    Evin''s life from that point on changed drastically. Actually, it didn''t really change that much, he and Be spent another week of their holidays together, which was basically the same as the previous five weeks they were together. But the fact that they were dating now seemed to give these days a much different feeling than what Evin was used to.


    They were a bit shy in public at first, but slowly, they began to embrace the fact. Teachers would send them knowing smiles, and some of them would even pat Evin on the back encouragingly. Leanne was the worst offender among these cases. But some of the teachers¡­ they acted a bit weirdly. Like they would look at Evin, and then pretend to not see him. Evin was a bit worried about this fact at first, but he eventually stopped thinking about them.


    He was much more focused on Be.


    They haven''t gotten much farther than kisses and Evin stopped trying to push for something more for the time being. As for their conversations and routines, nothing really changed. They still had the same topics of talk and they resumed their private training, since Evin was feeling much better these days.


    But Evin did start to feel that their days were bing a bit too routine. A bit boring even. And Evin was feeling curious about a few things.


    "So, I was thinking we should go travel somewhere," Evin said to Be. "Besides, we''re still on a holiday and I don''t wanna spent it all bedridden and then home."


    "Are you saying that I''m boring?" Be asked dangerously.


    "No, no! I wouldn''t mind even if we spent the next two weeks inside our room, but I just want us to enjoy a variety of other things. And I was also feeling curious."


    "Doesn''t seem like a bad idea," Be shrugged. "But where will we go? You sound like you have a n."


    "I was thinking we''ll visit your hometown."

 Chapter 128 - Traveling Away

    "My hometown?" Be''s voice turned a notch higher. "Why? And why do you even think that I''ll enjoy visiting home if we''re going there for traveling?"


    ''Ah¡­ I probably should''ve given this more thought. Bah, I''ll just have to push through with it and hope she sees it the same way I do.''


    "I was just thinking I should see this person I''m trying to kill with my own two eyes. I know I told you I''ll do my best to support you, but it''s a bit hard to feel hatred for someone I''ve never seen before. And also, we can give a visit to Arza, since you''re both in the same town. You said you were interested in his half-made Conditional Absolute, right?"


    "I guess I did¡­"


    "And besides, this won''t be ourst journey together. Maybe next time we can go somewhere else¡­ like Arcvallen? Oh, I''ve heard there''s a really niceke just beyond a few mountains northwest, called Mirror Lake. We can also go there."


    "Fine, I can see your point¡­ But it''s a promise that you''ll bring me to Arcvallen next time," Be said and puffed out her cheeks.


    Evin pecked her on the cheeks, and after grabbing her chin, kissed her on her lips. He was bing more confident in these things and Be also seemed to enjoy this side of his. But even if he''d done this countless times already, Evin felt himself going hard in his groin, demanding Evin to push further. Perhaps Be was also waiting for him to take the next step, but Evin decided that it didn''t hurt to wait. The moment woulde.


    "When do you want to leave?" Be asked, pulling away from the kiss.


    "I don''t even mind if we go today¡­ but I think I have to inform Rith before we go."


    "The Cosmic?"


    "Yes. She mentioned something about reporting to her if I need to go away to distant ces."


    "Then you go do that. I''ll prepare my stuff," she said, and the two separated.


    Evin made his way towards Rith''s den in Ankelite, and gently knocked on the door. A familiar, but drowsy voice came from inside, telling him that the door was open. Taking it as permission to go inside, Evin opened the door and looked around.


    The dwelling of a Cosmic was a weird ce. On one hand, everything seemed normal, with a normal sized furniture decorating the room, but on the other side, there were tiny little wooden furniture designed for the convenience of the Cosmic. Some of them seemed rtively normal, just small rectangr shaped wooden spaces designed to let the Cosmic rest on itfortably.


    Others, though, were more confusing. Masterpieces of woodworking, built in confusing shapes, with random wooden rods and tforms appearing in random ces. Evin would for sure think these were ufortable to be in, but he was quickly proven wrong when he saw Rith''s shape in one of these objects. Judging from her clothesless state and her drowsy meows, the Cosmic was sleeping there.


    "Can you pull me out of this thing?" the Cosmic asked, groaning.


    Evin approached her with some hesitation, and searched for afortable spot to grab at Rith''s body. He managed to grasp at what he thought was her chest and slid her out of the contraption she was stuck in.


    "That can''t befortable to sleep in."


    Rith shrugged. "You''d be surprised. Lately, I''ve been finding it more and more difficult to sleep anywhere else¡­ But it is a bit hard to part with ite morning."


    The Cosmic then walked through the room, collecting her few pieces of clothing with her maw. She threw them all inside a bin and brought out another set from her drawer. It was a confusing sight¡­ seeing a feline tying up the buttons of her shirt, the same way a human would.


    "Why do you need to wear clothes in the first ce? You didn''t seem so mindful of me seeing you without it."


    "To distinguish ourselves from our less intelligent brethren. And besides¡­ they feel good to be in," Rith said, and attached her earrings. Finished with that, she puffed out her chest proudly. "Done."


    Evin pped his hands, reciting praises for the Cosmic who was able to wake up and wear her clothes.


    "So? What did you want from me, toe to my humble abode?"


    "Ah, Be and I are going to Jiha town and since you told me to inform you of these things, here I am."


    "For how long?"


    "We''re not sure. We''re gonna meet her family and after that, we''re gonna do some sightseeing, I guess."


    "Wow. Didn''t you guys date for only a week? And you''re already going to meet her father¡­ you''re probably the only boy I know who''s excited to see his girlfriend''s father."


    ''Well, of course I wouldn''t feel scared of meeting him. I''m trying to kill the damn person, after all.''


    He didn''t know how, but he somehow ended up encouraging Be''s n to take revenge against his father, and even agreed to take part in it.


    "Well¡­ It is what it is."


    "Hmm¡­ How are you two going to get there?"


    "We considered flying there, but we''ll take a carriage. Since there''s a paved road between here and there, the trip only takes half a day. It''s not that bad."


    "In that case, I''ll go with you," Rith said.


    "What? Why?"


    "I''ve been thinking that we should resume our training. I was much more lenient with you, since you were practically the best student among the Cosmics'' students... but king Seth started demanding for results after than incident with portals on the Ind."


    "What incident with portals?"


    "Ah, you don''t know? Then I don''t think I can tell you," Rith said, shrugging.


    "So you''re going to resume our training¡­ But isn''t that just geometry and the nar imaginations? I can do those on my own."


    "Ah, this time, we''re gonna actually make portals," Rith smiled. "We''ll even try to create some Storage rings¡­ though I''m not sure how well that''s going to go."


    "Really? Finally?" Evin asked, feeling excited.


    "Yes, yes¡­ Uhh, I''ll actually fly over to Jiha Town and wait for you two in the Viscount''s house," Rith suddenly said. "Wouldn''t wanna impose on your carriage ride."


    "Alright¡­" Evin shrugged and went back to the dorm, towards Be''s room.


    Gathering their stuff, the two of them made way towards the transporters'' business and hired a private carriage ride for the asion. During the ride, Be spoke about the Mage guards at her house and Evin spoke about Rith and some bits about his study on portals.

 Chapter 129 - Meeting

    They arrived in Jiha town two hours earlier than the driver anticipated, thanks to a small bit where Evin had Be practice weightlessness on the carriage.


    From first nce, Jiha town looked to be a miniature version of Ankelite city. The main difference was that there was no beautiful piece of architecture simr to the Mage Academy of the big city, with the tallest building in town being the Citizens Bureau, responsible for practically everything government rted in the town.


    One more thing that Evin noticed was the thick, yet terribly short wall that surrounded the city, which was the reason for the town being called Smallwall town half the time. Thinking about it, Evin could only conclude that the wall''s purpose was ornamental, as they were practically useless against any threat that the town might face.


    Perhaps it could keep out the asional animals, but any mana-beast would easily be able to jump over it, and the wall wouldn''t even be able to keep out a confused drunkard.


    "Why did they built this wall in the first ce?" Evin couldn''t help but ask.


    "Now, it''s barely taller than you, but originally, the wall was at least three times as tall as this. Maybe even four," Be exined. "And if you look closer at the top section of the wall, you''ll be able to see a very interesting detail."


    Evin briefly floated above it, and inspected the wall from above. A few of the townspeople pointed their fingers at him, but Evin didn''t care. He was absorbed in his thoughts as he looked at topyer bricks of the wall. These were all half as short as the bricks below it, meaning that as long as the builders for some reason cut the bricks in half beforeying them on the wall, the wall protecting the town was cut in half at some point in its history.


    "What kind of mage would be able to do something like this?" Evin murmured as hended inside his carriage once again.


    "The story goes that the cut was made by the Paramour of Liberty himself."


    "Who''s that?" Evin asked.


    "Didn''t you learn it in history? It''s a pretty important figure from the kingdom, you know?"


    "No¡­ first time hearing it," Evin said.


    "Ah, I guess he can be considered a bad influence for the kingdom''s mages¡­ Well, I''ll be sure to tell you all about itter on."


    They then went through the gates of the city and were allowed quite easily, considering Be''s background. The gateman even offered to send for servants from the mansion, but Be waved it off, saying that she was going to get there by herself.


    Be then wrote up a brief note for the driver and asked him to carry their stuff to the Viscount''s manor in the town. Evin and she nned to eat out in Be''s favorite restaurant before going back to her house.


    But just as they began walking, Evin heard a distinctly familiar voice.


    "I told you, it''s faster if I just run there and bring him along with me. I''ll be back in six hours at worst."


    Ears perking up, Evin looked towards the source of the voice and saw Arza talking to someone.


    "No, no. Didn''t you say he was still unconscious? Are you going to bring him like that to me?" a woman, a 3rd grade judging by her clothes, replied to Arza. "I know it''s embarrassing to ask, but please just carry me through the road. Please!"


    The woman was pretty, despite her being a 3rd grade, with an oval face, small eyes, and long dark-brown hair; giving away her northern origin. She looked to be around 30, maybe even 35, with how disheveled her look was. But what confused Evin was how familiar the woman looked to his eyes.


    He was so focused on her that even the two''s talk failed to register in his mind.


    "Come on, Ms. Lora. I''m not talented enough to carry you around without hurting you. And I''m sure Evin''s awake already. He was technically up by the time I left him, so he''s definitely up and about by now¡­"


    ''Lora¡­?'' Evin''s eyes focused on the woman Arza was talking to, his face turning into a thoughtful frown.


    "Hey, Arza!" Be shouted from next to him.


    The red-haired boy turned towards Evin and with him, Lora. Her eyes met Evin''s and her already sorrowful expression fell even more, with tears appearing on her eyes. She took a step towards Evin, but stopped abruptly, hesitation apparent from her movements.


    "I¡­" she whispered under her breath and began to sob.


    As for Evin, it did not take him long to understand who this woman was. Was he supposed to run at her and embrace her? Wipe her tears off and tell her it was okay? Forget about the fact that she left him behind with Edmund? But it''s not so hard to forget about these things, now is it? His emotions in disarray, Evin felt like he was going to fall over.


    Perhaps his foot encouraged him to do so, as a sharp sting of pain assaulted his mind, forcing him to his knees, as his hands sped for the spot where his flesh met metal.


    Be''s hands grabbed at his chest, as she deftly held Evin back from falling down to the ground. But Evin noticed another pair of hands, calloused and rough, appearing in front of him and trying to hold him up.


    "A-are you okay?" Lora hade next to him, trying to help him up. Perhaps her maternal instincts had kicked in upon seeing Evin''s state, and rushed over despite her hesitation before that point.


    But Be was no going to have any of that, and shoved her away with her free hand. "Stay away, woman."


    Some part of Evin hurt deeply at this sight, so he pulled Be back, "No, please¡­ Don''t do that to her."


    "Evin? Who is thi-"


    Be was saying something to him, but Evin''s mind was on the figure of his mother. From up close, he could notice that herplexion was much worse than what he saw from afar. Dried, ruined face¡­ tired, bloodstained eyes¡­ holes and patches littering her already wilting dress.


    Seeing such a scene, Evin''s hands subconsciously went towards his mother, but like Lora, they too stopped due to hesitation.


    Before he became a mage, he often imagined a meeting with he. And in each one of them, they would meet each other in the streets randomly and Evin would finally have someone to bring him away from his father''s reach. Unfortunately, reality often worked much differently than one''s expectations.


    ''Can I really be able to take her hands? What am I even going to say? That I forgive her? What sin did she do to require my forgiveness in the first ce? She just ran away from a monster in human''s clothing, but wasn''t able to bring me with her. In the first ce, I should be the one asking for forgiveness, no? Shouldn''t I have searched for her whereabouts when I finally became able to?''


    But Evin''s moment of contemtion was interrupted by the rebirth of a presence in his mind.


    <Just take her hands¡­ You can''t put me on people who had no choices,> Endra suddenly spoke in a neutral, almost sighing way. <I was there when Lora went away from you and I can tell you that she definitely didn''t want to go without you. Your grandfather practically had to drag her sorry figure away from your house and I don''t even know what happened after that point.>

 Chapter 130 - Awkwardness

    <Endra?> Evin couldn''t help but ask. <Were you always awake?>


    <Don''t talk to me. Focus on your mother. If you don''t know what to say to her, then at least take her hand and maybe tell her that you don''t want to think about all this yet. But make sure you ept her. You two don''t deserve the pain of pushing each other away just because of what happened.>


    Evin wanted to ask Endra more questions, but he was right. It wasn''t the time. Evin looked at his mother''s figure and approached her. He offered his hands to her, and Lora took it with teary eyes.


    "I''m sorry¡­" a weak voice came from her mouth. "I''m sorry for leaving you¡­"


    Even with their hands touching, Lora seemed hesitant to reach out to Evin for a hug. It was a sad state of things¡­ for a mother to hesitate to even hug her child. All because of a man who had no qualms beating up his wife andter his child, and calling it love.


    ''I need to do better than him¡­'' a thought appeared in Evin''s mind, as he wrapped his hands around Lora''s back.


    "It''s okay¡­" he said, gently rubbing her back.


    It felt so awkward for the son to be consoling his long-lost mother. But after thinking about it, Evin realized he didn''t have to care at all for this. If his father''s actions taught him anything about life, it was that adults weren''t always better than children, and that they did not always have their life in control.


    ''If she needs me to hug her first, then I won''t make things difficult for her.''


    Finally, Lora rested her head on Evin''s shoulder and began crying in earnest. Evin hoped he wouldn''t feel awkward under everyone''s stares, but he did. Eventually, he helped wipe his mother''s tears and helped her up. Thankfully, his leg didn''t bother him anymore.


    "Seems like we don''t have to travel all the way to Ankelite now," Arza''s voice came from next to him.


    Evin looked towards the boy and found him grinning from ear to ear. He sent Arza an inquisitive nce, and the boy began exining.


    "Ms. Lora and her husband are friends with my parents. So, when I was visiting them for lunch today, I spoke about you¡­ When she heard your name, she immediately asked for your full name and¡­ well, who knew Ms. Lora would turn out to be your mother?"


    Evin could guess the rest of the story. By the time that Arza left Ankelite city, Evin would''ve been lying in his bed, still in shock from the loss of his leg. So, his mother must''ve decided to go visit him immediately, considering how she was even asking Arza to carry her through the journey.


    "Well, all''s well that ends well," Arza shrugged. The boy was as nonchnt as ever. Honestly, Evin envied it ¨C Arza would''ve probably acted a lot differently than Evin did in a simr situation. "By the way, what are you two doing here?"


    Evin looked at Be, who met his eyes, and softly shrugged her shoulders. ''Do what you want,'' the gesture seemed to say. Evin then looked around himself and found countless curious eyes observing the three mages and a 3rd grade woman who was crying in one''s arm.


    "Let''s find somewhere quiet to talk," Evin said and asked Be and Arza if they knew such a ce.


    Arza said he knew a bar close by that also offered private rooms for its wealthier patrons. Upon arrival, the four of them entered an enclosed room, ordering the beef stew as per Arza''s rmendation, plus some ale.


    As the four sat with their ales, Arza helped clear up the awkward atmosphere.


    "So? What are you two doing here?" he asked again.


    "We¡­ we decided to go travel away from the city for a bit, and ended uping here, to Be''s hometown," Evin replied, slightly more evasively than he intended. He didn''t know why he was suddenly feeling embarrassed about his rtionship with Be. Feeling dumb, he just said it outright. "We''re now dating."


    "Really?" Arza said and looked towards Be.


    Thetter gave him a dismissive nod, which Arza seemed to ept as confirmation.


    ''Why the hell would I lie to you about this in front of Be?'' Evin thought and looked at his mother.


    She seemed entirely out of ce, a 3rd grade sitting in a bar with three mages. Even the bar owner seemed to be reluctant to let her in. She also seemed to be struggling to not look out of ce, with how she was pretending to look around her surroundings, while stealing nces at either Evin or Be.


    But she was definitely morefortable with Arza. Evin heard how Arza''s family was visiting hers for lunch, so Aran must be a very good friend of hers¡­ or else, why would a mage be visiting someone three social levels below him?


    ''But if they''re such good friends, why doesn''t he help my mother''s family rise up in social levels? It should be easy enough for him, right?''


    Evin suddenly realized he had many questions regarding his mother. He was sure that it was the same for her as well.


    "When did you be conscious, anyway?" Arza asked.


    "Around two weeks ago. I think it was right after you and Phel left, actually," Evin replied.


    "Is your leg okay now?" his mother suddenly asked. "I heard you had to get it reced by a prosthetic."


    Evin smiled at her reassuringly and replied. "It''s getting better. I still had to walk on crutches after I got up, but I''ve learned that I can walk on my own three days ago. It was weird and painful at first, but after a while, the pain subsided and after two days, I got used to the weirdness. I think I can move it around¡­ like Aran''s prosthetic in a few weeks, maybe."


    He pulled up his pants a bit to show a bit of his metal leg. He was wearing boots over the metal parts now, since he didn''t want to scratch his leg on something.


    "So you know Aran?" Lora asked.


    "Yes. Arza and I are roommates, so I met him when Arza first came to his room."


    "I see¡­"


    The conversation was terribly formal, with everyone speaking as if they were walking on eggshells. Be didn''t even bother to speak, mostly just nodding or shaking her head whenever Arza asked her a question. Despite Arza''s efforts, the atmosphere still felt terribly awkward, with silence descending at every chance.


    But when the stew came, Be suddenly spoke up. "Barman, please put my and the redhead''s food in another room." Then, turning to Evin, she spoke, "You must have many things to discuss with your mother, so us two will leave you alone."


    Evin felt that her tone was a bit off, so he hurriedly grabbed Be''s hands and held it tightly. "Thanks."


    The act didn''t seem to lighten her mood, but she did offer a small smile. "No problem." Then, turning towards Lora, she spoke, "Sorry for shoving you away earlier." And bowed her head.


    Lora swiftly got up from her seat and apologized. "No, no. Please don''t bother to apologize to me. Anyone would do the same in that situation."


    Be didn''t seem inclined to argue on that point and got out the small room, with Arza following behind her.

 Chapter 131 - Catching Up.

    Left alone, Evin and his mother regarded each other for a few seconds. Evin wondered if he should speak up, but thankfully, Lora seemed to remember her position as an adult in the room and spoke, though she still acted meekly.


    "You''ve¡­ You''ve grown a lot."


    Evin heard her words and looked back at his mother. ''How old is she again? I remember something about her marrying young, but¡­''


    Not sure what to say exactly, Evin replied. "You''ve changed a lot too¡­ Uh, how old are you again?"


    "I''m turning 29 this year¡­ Or is it 30? Something along those lines."


    "What? But you look¡­"


    "Almost 40?" Lora smiled gently. "It''s nothing weird. A marriage and a child would do that to a woman."


    "A child?" Evin asked, his brain halting.


    "Yes, he-he. You would''ve learned about it soon enough, anyway," Lora beamed. It was her first time to smile genuinely during the conversation. "You have a little sister now, Evin. Her name''s Sasha. She''s turning six this year."


    "I see¡­" Evin said, falling into thought.


    ''A little sister¡­ No, I''m not part of her family, so I shouldn''t feel so giddy about this.''


    "By the way, why are you a 3rd grade now?" Evin asked. "Since you divorced my father, shouldn''t you technically be a 2nd grade?"


    "Ah¡­ I was originally a 3rd grade, so when I divorced, my grade reverted. And since I married into with 3rd grade afterwards¡­" Lora said, her confidence dropping as she spoke.


    Evin felt something wrong about this. It seemed to him that her mood dropped slightly every time she spoke of her husband. ''No, it can''t be that. She doesn''t deserve another asshole ruining her life like that¡­'' Evin thought with anger. ''No, I shouldn''t make assumptions. She doesn''t look like¡­ that, she just looks tired.''


    "Is your new husband¡­ alright?" Evin prodded, trying to keep his voice normal.


    Lora seemed to sense the urgency in his voice as she frantically waved her hands.


    "No, no. Theor''s fine. I swear on the Empress'' grace, he neverid a hand on me these nine years. He''s caring and loving¡­" Lora said, sighing. "He''s just a bit prideful."


    "Prideful?"


    "Yes. But it''s nothing you should worry about," Lora said, changing her tone of voice.


    ''There''s definitely something wrong with him,'' Evin was suddenly convinced.


    But since he couldn''t question his mother about her life, he decided to meet this new husband of hers and see what the problem was about. That meant going to her house, but Lora seemed weing to the idea, so Evin wasn''t that worried.


    "Also¡­" Lora spoke with hesitation. "How''s your father?"


    "He''s dead."


    The words seemed to shock Lora a great deal. Evin didn''t know why. "I see¡­ I''m sorry."


    "Don''t be," Evin said coldly. "I was the one who killed him."


    He was mncholic when he first did the deed, but the more he thought about his father, the colder his feelings towards him became.


    "I¡­" Lora looked at him with shock. "I''m sorry for leaving you with him¡­" she was tearing up again. "To make you go through that alone, I''m sorry for running away without you."


    Evin could realize that she was imagining something tragic and dramatic. He wasn''t going to let her. He wiped away her tears and held her by her cheeks.


    "Whatever you''re imagining about me, it''s most likely wrong. So don''t feel sorry for leaving me behind. Even if you stayed, he would''ve beat the both of us and we''d just be doubly miserable."


    "But even then, I wouldn''t want for anyone to go through that same experience, least of all my own blood. And in the end it forced you tomit such¡­ an atrocity."


    "I told you, nothing so dramatic and tragic happened. I killed my father through an ident, one that he himself was responsible for, mostly. Sure, it was wrong to do so, but back then, I wasn''t in the right mind to¡­ not do anything else. It was just an unfortunate ident, one born out of his stupidity," Evin replied with confidence.


    It wasn''t that he was pretending to be okay, he really was okay.


    "It still sounds terrible, but I''m just d you''re fine," Lora replied, looking considerably calmer.


    Evin nodded and offered her the ale. Lora took a sip from it, and smiled, probably finding some kind of irony in the situation.


    "But¡­ can I ask you questions?" she continued.


    "What kind?"


    "Just general ones. About your life, and you know? Stuff."


    Evin nodded and Lora began learning about Evin''s life after she left. Evin was not stingy with his answers and replied to the best of his abilities. He spoke of his days working as his father''s apprentice, dreaming of bing a mage. He then spoke of how he turned out to be a mage, his days in the Academy, the difficulties he faced in it, his friendships, and finally his rtionship with Be.


    Of course, Evin left out the more violent details, but also the existence of Endra. Lora also didn''t ask for the Voice at all, which Evin was thankful for.


    Regardless, Lora seemed fascinated by the story and before they knew it, they''d spent three hours catching up with each other. At the end of it, finally, Evin felt like the weird tension between them had disappeared, and Evin finally felt like they were mother and son once more.


    It was a weird feeling. To realize that someone who he only knew for three hours would understand and love him so unconditionally. And to realize that he also held the same feelings for this person. He even felt like he was willing to do so much for his mother.


    Finally, their talk ended. Evin promised to visit his mother''s house the next day, and after saying their goodbyes, Evin went to Be''s house.


    Be and Arza had already gone to their respective homes after finishing their meal, deciding that Evin and his mother''s talk was going to take long.

 Chapter 132 - Bella

    Twenty minutes of walkingter, Evin found himself at the gates of the Borna manor. A servant seemed to recognize him and immediately let him inside. A guard ¨C a beefy, yet short man - had some problems with this and demanded to see Evin''s metal leg as proof of identity. Even after Evin did as the guard wished, the man still let out a grumpy harrumph, as if he really didn''t want Evin entering the manor.


    Evin didn''t know what the guard''s problem was, but he forgot about it soon enough, as the servant led him to Be''s room. The servant knocked, which prompted azy "Come in" from inside. Entering, Evin found his girlfriend and Rith lying in a bed, both of them staring at a different book in front of them.


    "Good evening," Evin greeted,


    "Oh, it''s Evin," Rith greeted back. "Thought you''d spend the day at your mother''s house, considering what happened."


    "Well, she also has a family back there, so it''s probably weird for me to just barge into their house and decide to sleep in it," Evin said, imagining the situation.


    "What? That sounds so distant and, I don''t know, prudent? Us Cosmics find rtives all the time. When I was only ten years old, I had only thirty siblings around me, but when I turned twenty, I suddenly had a couple hundred. And half of the new ones were older than me."


    "What?" Evin couldn''t help but ask, wondering if he heard wrong.


    "Cosmics have litters much more often than humans, so their bloodlines are terribly confusing," Be exined, her voice cold.


    Evin noticed the subtle anger beneath her words and wondered what was the problem. Thinking about it, Be was acting rather coldly ever since Evin chanced upon his mother.


    ''Is she feeling angry because of what happened with my mother?'' Evin found himself pondering. ''I mean, I guess it makes sense if you were walking around town with your date and some random woman appears and deres that she''s your boyfriend''s long-lost mother. But Be''s not someone who would hold grudges over things like these¡­ right?''


    As he was thinking, Rith stretchedzily and sighed out. "Ah, this book''s so damn hard¡­ Evin can you give this one a read and give me an opinion? Usually, you give me an interesting perspective on things."


    Evin did not know what Rith was talking about, but he did approach the book the Cosmic was reading. Rith pointed out at a passage, but the content definitely wasn''t what Evin expected.


    [Act natural and don''t look confused, just act pondering. Now read. Be very angry because your sudden incident with your mother took away your date with her.]


    ''What the hell is this? This is about Be and me, right?'' Evin frowned as he finished reading. ''If so, how did Rith write that out on the book?''


    "Well? What do you think?" Rith prodded.


    Evin paused, searching for a good way to respond. "Honestly, I couldn''t understand half the words in that passage. Maybe I''m just sleepy."


    "Really?" Rith sighed and closed the book. "Well, I''ll ponder on it myself for a while. Enjoy your evening, you two. Don''t do anything naughty~" the Cosmic said teasingly and walked out.


    Evin did not even blush at her words and was instead left pondering on Rith''s message and then, something Endra said to him a few months ago echoed in his mind.


    ''You can never assume that logic works on women. This is true for most humans as well, but it''s especially apparent in women. And you can also never assume that morals would affect their moods. Sure, they can regret doing, saying, or thinking something immoral, but that''s only going to make them angrier at themselves. And if they''re angry at themselves, they usually won''t think twice about taking it out on you.''


    Evin suddenly realized what the problem was. Of course, Be would be angry. Her date was ruined, but she couldn''t do anything about it. She probably wanted tosh out at Evin or his mother, but that would make her look like aplete asshole. And the fact that she was even thinking about these things would make her feel guilty, which in turn would make her angrier.


    Finally understanding what just happened, Evin approached Be and joined her on the bed. She gave him a nce and instantly retracted it towards the book, as if she was trying to hide her discontent away. Crawling next to her, Evin grabbed her shoulders and sniffed her head.


    "Sorry about today," he said simply. "I was really looking forward to our lunch together."


    Thanks to Endra''s random lecture on women and rtionships (though Evin couldn''t remember at all when and why Endra talked about all this), Evin knew it was best to not make excuses, even if they were valid ones. That would only serve to remind Be of her not-so-wholesome thoughts of taking out her anger on Evin and his poor mother, and Evin didn''t want that.


    Instead, Evin simply slid behind Be and put his head on her shoulders. He wanted to give her a kiss, but he decided it wasn''t the time and settled himself with an embrace from behind. Be seemed to like those a lot. And since Be allowed him to do as he wished, it meant that she wasn''t so angry. She was just pouting.


    "I''m afraid I promised my mother to meet her at her house tomorrow. But after that, I''ll be able to spend most of our two weeks together with you. I promise," he said and kissed her on the cheeks.


    This was a promise that Evin wasn''t allowed to break. And Evin didn''t intend to break it. Perhaps Be felt his sincerity, as she nodded sulkily and leaned her weight on Evin''s body. Silence descended and Evin found himself lost in his thoughts again.


    ''You can break promises to women, but you need to know which of them you can break, and which you can''t. There are the obvious actions you must avoid, like cheating and violence. But other than that, a lot of women would be willing to forgive a lot of things. Lies, jealousy, tendencies to control, arguments and yelling. Some are even willing to look over brutality and adultery depending on things.''


    ''But they all have a limit. There''s a point when their patience runs out and they say enough. At that point, they will leave you. You can try to let them stay, promising them to do better and be better. Sometimes it will work, other times, not so much. You''ll most likely fail if they have someone else supporting them. It could be their family, it could be their friends, or it could be another man, one who''s better than you. I''m sure the same happened with your mother.''


    Evin finally remembered when the Voice spoke of all this. It was when he was still not a mage, and was mad at his mother for leaving him behind, and mad at his father for letting it happen. It was a childish and stupid anger.


    Thinking of his own father, Evin felt a sense of responsibility to do right by Be.


    ''And that''s by killing her father?'' Evin found himself wondering.


    Obviously, that wasn''t the only thing, but it was definitely one of the things. One of the more important things too. And considering Be''s story, it wasn''t something that Evin could convince her out of.


    ''Life is strange¡­'' he found himself sighing.


    "What are you thinking of?" Be asked.


    "I was just thinking that life is strange."


    "You''re way too young to be saying that."


    "I guess you''re right. In that case, I was having pretentious thoughts in my head. And I''m feeling embarrassed already."


    "Are you feeling more adult than adults?" Be asked, her toning turning more yful. "Apparently, it''s because of something called puberty. Happens when you''re ten or something and won''t go away until you''re 14 or 15 at thetest. Sucks to be you, but you''re gonna have to deal with being pretentious and then embarrassed for four more years at least."


    The two spoke nothings to each other for a while, before Be said that she needed to meet her father. Evin asked if he needed to apany her, but she shook her head and exined that he was going to talk to him during dinner, which was in one hour. She also said that the Mage Guards were attending.


    But, Evin wasn''t very worried about all that. He still had another matter to face before that.


    <Endra?>

 Chapter 133 - The Viscounts Family

    Evin called for the Voice inside his head, but no answers came. Evin wasn''t disheartened, as he knew that Endra could choose to ignore his messages if he wanted to.


    <Endra?> Evin asked again, stirring more noise in his head this time.


    This way, Endra would know that Evin was calling him. He didn''t know how he was able to do these things, but after some practice he just learned to do them. The closest exnation he could give was that of a child learning to use his arms and legs. With his mind''s functions, Evin felt like he''d discovered another limb on his body and was now learning how to use it.


    <Hello, Evin,> Endra soon replied.


    Evin jumped at the sudden connection. He didn''t expect the Voice to actually reply. As far as he was aware, Endra was more than happy to keep up its silent treatment until Evin relented to separate.


    <When have you woken up?> Evin asked. <Or were you even sleeping in the first ce?>


    <Hmm, it''s hard to tell. But I guess I could say I was sleeping,> Endra seemed to shrug. He seemed to be in a rather good mood so Evin felt d. <As for when I woke up¡­ It''s a bit blurry to be honest. And half the time I felt like I was daydreaming so¡­ I don''t know.>


    Endra really seemed to be okay. He was acting like nothing bad ever happened between them, like he didn''t push Evin to kill his father. Evin didn''t expect an apology, but this normalcy felt off to him.


    <Are you okay?> Evin asked.


    <I''m¡­ perfectly fine. And I do apologize for what I did to you and your father¡­ though you don''t seem to mind it as much. Well, that''s¡­ whatever I guess. I was feeling a bit guilty, but now that I''ve seen you, I don''t feel so bad.>


    There was definitely something wrong about Endra, bur for the love of the Empress, Evin couldn''t tell what. But Evin felt like he needed to understand what was going on in his head. For now, he could only prod the Voice for answers, hoping he could make some sense out of the answers.


    <What are you going to do next?>


    <Me?> Endra replied cheerfully. <I want to say nothing much. But that''s probably not true¡­ I was thinking of threatening to kill Be or whoever else you''re close to if you don''t work hard on separating from me¡­ but decided it was a stupid thing to do.> he casually revealed something that chilled Evin''s bones.


    <I see¡­> Evin managed to say, but his mind was focused on what had befallen the Voice.


    <Well, you don''t have to worry about it too much. If I devise more ns upon you, surely, you''ll see through it not toote¡­ But once again, I want to remind you to not worry. I''m not as unhinged as you''re probably seeing me now and I swear on the Empress''s name that I won''t resort to violence.>


    <¡­>


    <Well, enjoy your night and please don''t disturb me unless absolutely necessary.>


    With these words, Endra rebuilt his wall that kept Evin''s messages from reaching him freely. Evin was left pondering upon the conversation, the feeling of off-ness permeating his core.


    At this moment, though, Be appeared inside the room and called out to Evin, saying that it was dinner time. Finally, Evin would be seeing Be''s object of revenge.


    Evin quickly got himself presentable and followed behind Be. She led him to arge dining hall, that for the time being, was empty. There were a few servants toiling around the food, but aside from them, I was only Evin and Be.


    He knew that this was how the kingdom''s nobility worked, with children or less important people showing up first, and with the most important person showing upst. But he didn''t know why such a thing was necessary here.


    Shaking his head, Evin sat next to Be and waited for the rest of the family.


    The first to show up was Be''s middle sister, Olevyn. She looked to be about 14 and had a soft-spoken aura around her. Her features were soft, with droopy eyshes, slightly long face, and hazy eyes that gave an impression that she was high on something.


    Then, came in a man who seemed to be the same age as Evin''s father, but had a much dangerous air to him. Be exined that it was the leader of the Mage Guards inside the manor, Komarokh. He was a Northerner who mostlymunicated with grunts and nods, acting as if his words were made of precious jewels. Be also noted that Komarokh worked in the business for years now, so he was definitely someone you couldn''t take lightly.


    The encounter made Evin realize that if they were ever going to murder Be''s father, most likely, they would have to go through the Mage Guards to do so. But feeling the grit emanating from the guards, Evin couldn''t help but feel hesitant about their goal.


    Next to show up was Be''s eldest sister, Arelyn, and another man who looked to her age. Arelyn''s features were closer to Be''s with her sharp features and hawklike eyes. Except in her, these details were more prominent and defined because she was turning 16 this year. This difference also showed in their hairstyles: Arelyn hadfortable bob cut, while Be''s swayed freely down to her chest.


    One more thing Evin noticed was Arelyn''s air of arrogance around her, the same one that was most prominent in nobledies who could order you around without you feeling opposed to it.


    But¡­ all these sharp and confident details wilted when her eyes inevitably fell on Be''s figure.


    She suddenly turned into a turtle that decided to withdraw into its shell, as she clutched onto the youth she came with and breathed out a sigh. The young man, on the other hand, did not hide his hatred for Be. He looked at Be''s direction as if she was one of the Twelve Cmities'' incarnate, and of course, this hatred extended onto Evin. Following Be''s example, Evin decided to mostly ignore the man''s stares.


    From how he acted, Evin could guess that he knew of what happened between Arelyn and Be. Did Arelyn tell him, or was itmon knowledge in this house? Evin couldn''t decide if this was relevant or not. He couldn''t even tell if this young man was relevant or not.


    ''Why is he even here?'' Evin couldn''t help but think as he waited with Be. He asked if Rith was going to appear, but Be said no, as the Cosmic had already met the Viscount and was now busy with something


    And finally, the Viscount and his new wife, Elufay Borna, appeared in the room. It was the same man Evin saw back when he was first getting acquainted with the Cosmics, a plump, almost jolly-looking man, who looked like he could get along with anyone.

 Chapter 134 - Conversations

    ''Well, he doesn''t look too bad,'' Evin thought as he stood up to bow.


    Viscount Borna had everyone sit down, and introduced everyone. It was mostly a formality, as everyone was vaguely familiar with each other. The only thing that Evin learned was the name of Arelyn''s boyfriend (Renor or something), but soon enough, the name slipped away from Evin''s mind. Besides, the man''s only purpose there seemed to be to scowl at children, so Evin found it hard to think highly of him.


    "Ah, but to think my young Be woulde home one day with another¡­" the Viscountmented.


    "Dear, please don''t encourage your daughter to make rtions before she''s fifteen." Elufay interjected, not bothering to hide her scowl. "And amoner, of all people."


    Evin quickly realized he didn''t like this woman, and looking around, everyone but the Viscount himself seemed to agree with him.


    "Don''t be so strict, dear. I myself found my first love when I was but a teen, and both my wives weremoners as well," Velpin chided smilingly. "And if I learned one thing during that, is the fact that the more you try to separate young lovers, they more they tend to get attached to each other."


    "There''s a big difference between a male and a female, dear," Elufay still didn''t seem happy, but Evin felt that few things made the woman feel joy.


    "I''m not sure what you''re talking about, but if you''re worried about Evin''s background, then you shouldn''t be so concerned. He''s considered one of the brightest mages among the new generation, his spell-casting rivaling that of the average Academy graduates, even!"


    Evin did not blush at the praise, but it still felt good to hear it. "You tter me too much."


    "And you are too humble," Velpinughed joyfully and continued. "Now tell me, how did you two even end up together?"


    "We''ve been friends since the Academy started, my lord," Evin replied politely. "Oddly enough, an unfortunate ident brought us closer."


    From then on, it was mostly the two of them talking about casual topics - their hobbies and interests, and some stories the Viscount wanted to share¡­ The rest seemed content to just speak in their small circles and didn''t seem so interested in Evin''s talk.


    But Evin wasn''t so concerned with this. The viscount turned out to be someone who was adept at conversations, easily keeping the talk fresh, and even more easily digging out Evin''s own interests and likes. At one point, Evin even found himself bbering on about his increasing interest in Runes, talking as if he was a child showing off his new toys.


    Technically, he was still a child, but Evin liked to think he was more sophisticated than that thanks to the Voice''s wisdom permeating through his brain. But the Voice always said that some amount of childishness could be excused. It was undeniably true that Evin had only lived for 10 years.


    However, the Viscount never made Evin feel like a child talking to an adult. He seemed to take Evin''s talk as seriously as he would any other conversation and that make Evin terribly honored.


    But soon Evin realized that he was being swayed by Velpin''s charm. Some people were just hard to argue with, and Velpin seemed like such a person. The man reminded him of Arza in a way.


    But Evin knew what his end goal was. So, although he was polite, he built a wall around himself and kept his responses friendly, but formally distant. It was easy for him to do so, mostly because of how often the Voice imposed its mind upon Evin''s. Every time it did so, Evin''s mind changed so greatly, he even had some trouble recognizing some thoughts as his own. Especially so when Endra was just beginning to do so. This knowledge seemed to help Evin change his state of mind rather easily.


    So, when Evin changed his mindset, he became much more observant of the broader situation inside the family. Simply put, the family didn''t feel like a family at all, with everyone sticking to their own small groups, looking like they couldn''t wait to be rid of this dinner.


    Arelyn was engrossed with her betrothed, Olevyn was speaking with her stepmother, and Be was mostly catching up with Komarokh. But all of their talks, except Be and Komarokh''s, sounded much more depressing in Evin''s ears. It was hard to listen to.


    Arelyn''s conversation consisted mostly of the exchange of sweet nothings between the two lovers. Evin felt like they were just trying to pretend that everything was okay, so they didn''t have to worry about whatever problems they were facing in real life.


    Elufay and Olevyn''s conversation sounded more like the conversation between a hateful tutor and her meek student. Most of it consisted of Elufay barking orders and Olevyn saying yes or simply nodding.


    It was a ring contractpared to the joyful and engaging conversation that Evin was having. The question was, did the Viscount have these kinds of talks with his own family? From what Evin was seeing, he didn''t.


    So, why was the Viscount having so much fun with him?


    ''The answer''s easy. He is simply putting on an act for me,'' Evin concluded. ''But why?''


    <It''s nothing soplicated and calctive as you''re imagining,> Endra suddenly interjected. <The Viscount''s simply starved for conversation. And since his family doesn''t provide him with one, he''s even willing to entertain a 10-year-old like you to sate himself. It also exins why everyone in the family is here, and all the formalities that urred before the dinner.>


    <Can you read my mind?> Evin found himself replying.


    <Not really. I can just guess you.>


    <But why are you always right? Isn''t that a bit suspicious?>


    <Not really¡­ It''s just because I''m overly familiar with you. You''ll understand if you switch ces with me,> the Voice replied nonchntly and disappeared.


    Evin was left pondering upon his words, before the Viscount resumed the previous conversation¡­


    Eventually, the dinner ended, with Evin being escorted to a guest room. Of course, they weren''t going to put Evin with Be. That was just inappropriate. But after a few minutes, Be appeared in his room through the windows.


    "So? What do you think of him?" Be asked.

 Chapter 135 - Dating

    Evin regarded Be''s sudden intrusion for a few seconds before thinking of an answer.


    "He''s fun to talk to and doesn''t treat me like a child, which I really like. Also, he''s someone wouldn''t hurt a fly."


    "Well, that''s the problem, isn''t it? He''s so pacifistic that he doesn''t even want to clean up the festering filth inside his own house, as that would mean he''ll have to confront it."


    Evin was slightly worried about Talismans in the room, so he asked it from Be with a gesture they agreed to use at some point. Be seemed amused by Evin''s carefulness, but she did shake her head at him, reassuring him that there was nothing to worry about.


    "I noticed it as well. He seemed like a really fun person when I was only focused on him, but it was like he was avoiding the dreary atmosphere that surrounded the rest of the dinner table."


    "He ignored bigger things, so a gloomy atmosphere during dinner is nothing," Be spat out. "It''s like he''s unable to take anything seriously."


    "Well, it is what it is," Evin shrugged. "Oh also¡­ how did you get here in the first ce?"


    "I just flew over. Nothing soplicated."


    "In that case, maybe it won''t be so hard to kill your dad as I imagined it would."


    "And why would that be?" Be replied, her eyes fluttering.


    "Since you could so easilye over without being disturbed, it would probably easy enough for us to sneak into your father''s room and off him. The only problem would be how to get away with it."


    "Hah, that''s just delusional. Me meeting you here without being interrupted was only thanks to my talk with Komarokh." Be exined. "I''m actually pretty sure the man''s observing us from a distance, making sure you don''t do anything inappropriate to me," she winked.


    "Me doing something inappropriate to you?" Evin hmphed. "I should be the one who needs protecting."


    Be smiled and grabbed Evin in a hug. She refused to let go, so Evin was forced to go around his room with a girl clinging onto him. He acted as if she was a bother, but he was grinning all the while. Finally, they ended up on the bed, enjoying the simple physical contact and the peaceful silence.


    Evin really liked these moments. They both did not feel the need to talk, only enjoying thefort of each other''s presence. He wondered if he should feel shameful now that Endra was watching him now, but Evin was past the point of feeling aversion from the Voice''s eyes. He got used to it years ago.


    ''Ah, now that I think about it¡­'' Evin suddenly thought and began speaking.


    "Be? I think I should tell you something."


    "Mm?"


    "The Voice spoke to me today."


    The information seemed to surprise Be, as she broke free form their hug and looked at Evin''s eyes, her head cocking. "Really? What did he say?"


    "Yes. Told me your father''s just craving for conversation, since he can''t find a one that satisfies him among his family members. Told me it was the reason he talked me so sincerely even though I was just a child."


    "Hmm¡­" Be pondered.


    Evin wondered if she was going toment something more, but she just went silent again. But this time, the silence felt off¡­ somewhat suffocating. Evin was good at noticing these subtle changes in the atmosphere. Most of it was thanks to him trying to read his father''s moods andter on with the Voice pointing it out and teaching him how to notice them.


    "Don''t worry about your father too much, I just wanted to tell you that the Voice was back," Evin added.


    "Oh¡­ Is he watching us now?"


    "I''m not sure. He probably is¡­"


    "You sound unsure?"


    "He''s as mysterious to you as to me," Evin shrugged. "He can definitely watch and listen to us if he wants to, but I just don''t know if he''s doing so now."


    "Can''t you ask?"


    "If I do that, he''s definitely going to be listening to us. For now, I just want to bet otherwise and enjoy our privacy," Evin exined.


    Be frowned in thoughtfulness, her head cocking to the side again. "I guess I should expect some of these odd things to pop up when dating you, huh?"


    "I''m afraid so."


    "Well¡­ whatever I guess?" Be hummed. "Since there''s nothing we can do about it¡­ then there''s nothing we can do about it," she concluded yfully, her frown turning into a smile.


    Evin didn''t follow her somewhat rash conclusions, but he was d that at least, her mood seemed to have improved somewhat. He was also d that she wasn''t as creeped out by the Voice''s existence as he first expected.


    "I''ll have you spar with the mage guards tomorrow," Be suddenly changed the topic.


    "What?"


    "Are your ears going deaf?" Be grunted. "I said you''ll spar with my manor''s mage guards tomorrow."


    "So I can learn how they fight?" Evin could only think of one reason.


    "I guess..."


    "But I''m afraid I won''t be able to push them so hard, considering my foot and all. Maybe I can fly during the fight, but I''m afraid I''ll only be useful for running away."


    Evin always imagined fights between mages to be spellcastingpetitions, but the previous five months told him that most of it was legwork. Evin could now walk on his metal prosthetic, but he wasn''t so sure if he could run around on it.


    "We can do paired fights," Be said. "There''s a mock fight the Mage Guards do often, where one person fights in the front, acting as a guard, protecting another one who''s behind, who acts as the guard''s employee. It''s a method that gets new guards used to protecting someone during a fight."


    Evin nodded.


    "I can change the rules a bit for the mock fight, making it so that the employee can cast magic, but be unable to move around," she finished exining.


    "Perfect conditions for me, then," Evin concluded. "Won''t theyin, though? It kinda sounds like I''m a child, who wanted to spar with real mages for whatever reason, but also wanted to fight on his own advantageous terms."


    "Don''t worry about that. Some of them were itching to fight you, so they''ll be happy to do so on whatever terms I offer them."


    Evin''s eyebrows creased. "They''ve been wanting to fight me? Why?"


    ''Am I that popr?''


    "Before you get over your head, they don''t want to fight you because they think you''re strong. No, it''s because they just want to teach you a lesson."


    "What?"


    ''What did I do to these people?''


    "The mage guards see me as their little princess or something so, of course, they''ll feel bad about some random boy snatching me away from them. Horak''s especially bad."


    "Huh, so you''re like their little mascot?"


    "That''s a rather rude way of saying it, but I guess I am," she beamed like a child bragging about her mom.


    "Huh."


    It felt like it was Evin''s first time seeing Be act in a genuinely childish way in front of him. Before this, even when she acted silly, she seemed to do it in a weird, mature way. Like he did.


    Suddenly, a part of Evin felt a great deal of simrity to Be. In a way, she was just like him, someone who was failed by her real parents, and instead saw other people as her actual guardians.


    "Also," Be continued. "Even though I said all those things about the fight being a means to get to my father eventually¡­ well, don''t take it too seriously."


    "Don''t take what too seriously?" Evin asked. "The fight, or your revenge?"


    Be paused slightly. "Both, I guess," she replied, her tone going wrong again.


    The weird silence fell upon the room again, and Evin scrambled to find what went wrong this time.


    ''By the Empress''s tits, I''m terrible at this rtionship thing, aren''t I?'' Evin cursed, feeling like he was saying all the wrong things today.


    A minute inside the silence, Evin felt like he''d found the right answer.


    Of course, she would feel reluctant to actually kill her father. Even Evin felt the same with his father, missing him for his first few months at the Academy. And at the end of it, he killed himpletely identally as well. Sure, he took it much better than he imagined it, but he was still shocked by the events.


    And here he was, so passionately and diligently talking about killing his girlfriend''s father. Of course, she would feel weird about it.


    How many times did Evin think of killing Decatur and being done with everything? But did he ever n what he was going to do exactly to kill the boy? No. That would make it too real.


    Realizing this, Evin decided to shut up. He pulled her back to himself and casually began humming some tune he heard somewhere. Be was already his, so why try so hard to ruin it all? He just had to be someone that could offer herfort when she was sad, and fun when she was bored.


    He figured that it was best for him to be with Be, instead of trying to meddle in her revenge. If she needed help, she''d ask.

 Chapter 136 - Loras Family

    The day after, Evin found himself walking around Jiha town''s area dedicated for 3rd grades, carefully following his mother''s directions towards her house, which were eerily detailed.


    ''Wow, there really is a half-cut rock under that fence-pole,'' Evin thought as he walked, feeling impressed at his mother for noticing such a small detail and deciding to find a use for it as well.


    He was also impressed by how clean every ce looked, despite the unpaved dirt roads and the asional stench that came from pittrines in house yards.


    There was an odd feeling of friendliness to it all, with the asional animals and the generous amount of space that was allocated to each family. It was definitely better than the 3rd grade area of Ankelite, which bordered on being called the city slums, with shit and piss overflowing from the few public pittrines. Evin decided that not having enough space between people and families led to disasters like Ankelite.


    Anyhow, Evin found a house which he guessed was his mother''s house. ''A worn-out, gray fence; a house built with fresh,cquered wood; two windows on the front and with one on each side¡­ and finally, a gray wolf-like dog on a leash, who doesn''t bark, but growls menacingly at strangers.''


    Evin looked at therge dog, who was ring at him with evident distrust, looking like it was going tounch at him at any moment and decided he was at the right ce.


    ''This isn''t really as bad as I first imagined it,'' Evin found himself thinking as he approached the gate and rung the bell attached to it.


    The house yard was well-maintained, the house looked sturdy andfortable, and the dog looked healthy enough. Seeing the scene, Evin decided that his mother''s household was most likely one of the best in the area.


    A few secondster, the door to the house opened and revealed his mother, who walked up to unlock the outer door. She gave Evin a big hug and a kiss on the head. Evin responded to all this with warmth, returning her hug and offering her a big, genuine smile.


    Thankfully, Edmund''s abuse did not make him averse to physical contact, as Endra sometimes feared.


    "Did you have trouble finding our house?" Lora asked as she led Evin to the house.


    "No, none at all," Evin replied. "I was actually surprised at how there was a small rock that looked cut in half under a fence pole just as you described it."


    "I thought you''d find that interesting," Lora said smilingly. "I noticed that one when I was walking to my husband''s job one day, and found it on the same spot for¡­ what, two years already?"


    It was a small thing, but Evin figured that these things were most memorable to people and he was also d it made him feel closer to his mother¡­ however odd that sounded when he thought about it.


    He shook his head and focused his attention on the house''s interior. He could kind of tell by looking at it from a distance, but now that he had a closer look, he was definitely confident that someone terribly neat built this house.


    Each nk of wood used on the house frame seemed to be built with the exact same thickness and width, even if their lengths were slightly different. The circr pirs used to hold the house up were also cleaned and dusted to perfection, and something told Evin that the wooden nks used on the walls (which were now covered by a limestone finish), also followed the same standards. Obviously, it wasn''t the Viscount''s grand manor, but it still evoked a strong sense of homeliness andfort.


    "You have a very nice house," Evinmented, feeling like his simple words weren''t doing it justice.


    "He-he, my father and my husband worked their hardest on it," Lora said proudly.


    She brought him to the family''s dining table and Evin saw two distinctly different men sitting on it. The first was a man with an average build and face, plus a healthily tanned skin. He had an impressionable, curly hair atop his head, which somehow made him look friendlier to the eye. Theor, Lora''s husband.


    The other man, though, was much more interesting. It was a white-haired old man with a lean build, who carried himself around with almost awe-inducing confidence. The man looked reliable, like someone you wanted on your side no matter what. He felt like the man that made women think they were into older men, but no, they were just into him (Evin didn''t know where he was getting thesements from). He felt like he could fight a mana-beast for you and then say it was nothing serious.


    In fact, Evin was sure that such a fight would be nothing serious for this man, considering the two horns protruding from the top of his head and curving down to his chin, like a ram''s. They both looked white, but Evin knew that their true colors were different. Proper Hornbearers had horns of two different colors, which corresponded to the Worlds they could use, so they usually painted them in a different color to hide their abilities or just for fashion.


    Evin realized he was staring at Lora''s father, and he hurriedly introduced himself. "Uh, good day to you both. You must be Theor and you must be Ssatsko. My name''s Eviendra¡­ Evin for short."


    "Ha-ha, don''t be so formal," Theor was the first to reply.


    "Yes, today''s a day of old reunions and familial joys. No need to taint it with pointless formalities," Ssatsko replied, not bothering to hide his northern ent.


    While Theor was genuinely friendly with Evin, Ssatsko seemed to regard Evin with a healthy dose of wariness. Evin wasn''t sure why, but he guessed that it was just how the man was.


    From another room, Lora came out, holding a child in her arms. "Come on, Sasha, say hello to the big brother over there."


    The dark-blond haired girl eyed Evin suspiciously, surely wondering who this boy was and what he was doing in her house. She looked old enough to understand what was happening. but not old enough to understand why. So of course, she refused to get close to Evin, clinging onto her mother with a "No".


    Ssatsko and Theor both prodded her to give Evin a small greeting, saying that he was Arza''s friend, but the girl was still reluctant. Lora gave Evin a concerned apology, he shook his head at this, telling her it was fine.


    He then took a seat on the table, and wondered what the problem with this house was, to stress out his mother so much she looked ten years older than she really was.

 Chapter 137 - Confrontation

    The lunch, for the most part, went smoothly. Lora''s family seemed to ept Evin''s existence without much problems. Ssatsko and Theor already seemed to know about him, with only Sasha looking shocked by the sudden developments.


    For the most part, the meal was spent with Evin answering the two adult''s questions, but contrary to his conversation with the Viscount, it was kind of obvious that he was being treated like a child here. The fact erred Evin a bit at first, but he figured that technically, he was a child.


    But aside from that, Evin also learned many things about Theor and Ssatsko.


    Theor was a native of Jiha town, born and raised here and was childhood friends with Lora, Aran, and Liza (Aran''s wife). He worked as a cook, showcasing his skills with the food that Evin ate at the table.


    Aside from this, Evin also noticed the pridefulness that Lora mentioned the previous day:


    ''There are very few cooks who can prepare that fish like I can. Even I only learned to do so after years of diligent training and practice. I''ve been trying to teach Lora about it, but she''s not having that much sess with it, ha-ha-ha.''


    ''That chair you''re sitting in is probably one of my best ones yet, ha-ha-ha.''


    Or, ''Oh, I''ve toiled so hard to cut these boards the exact same thickness and width. I had to have Lora help me out a tiny bit with smoothening the wood, but it was worth it, coz, look at that evenness.''


    As for thatst bit, the way Lora looked at Theor told Evin that the ''smoothening'' work was anything but a tiny bit, but Lora didn''t look like she wanted to point that out.


    Whatever the case was, Evin learned that Theor was someone who like to brag about his own creations. And honestly, for good reason. The fish was great; the furniture and the house felt like they were carved by mages¡­ but Evin just wished the man didn''t have to brag about it all so extensively.


    But that wasn''t all. More than anything, Theor liked to brag about his way of life. Apletely self-made person. ording to him, he learned everything he knew by himself and if he ever needed something, he always asked himself whether he could do it by himself. He was basically someone who tried to create something before buying it. The man even made his own tools, carving out the handles of his axes and shovels, only needing a cksmith for the metallic parts.


    Evin found the trait admirable, albeit a bit extreme. He even wondered if Theor was lying, but no. With the way Lora and Ssatsko acted, Theor was definitely serious about his self-sustainability.


    And the more Evin listened, the more he found it hard to make up his mind on Theor. On one hand, the man''s way of life was admirable, but there was a wrongness to it all that Evin couldn''t put a finger on. Many times, Evin wondered if he was just trying to find faults with the man, but it didn''t feel like it.


    He wondered if Endra would be able to help him out, but the Voice was silent throughout the talk.


    On the other hand, Evin found Ssatsko to be much more mysterious. The old man rarely talked, only answering when prompted, and only offering the shortest responses. He was all too content to just be ying with his granddaughter, who would giggle cutely whenever Ssatsko lifted her up above his head.


    He mentioned briefly that he was a soldier from the North, and was now taking a break from his assignment. But aside from that, he mentioned nothing.


    Evin observed his grandfather for a few minutes, before quickly deciding that he wasn''t going to learn much from him.


    But he still had a big question left in his head.


    ''Why is my mother''s family still 3rd grade, if they are friends with Aran, a mage; and with Ssatsko as a Hornbearer?''


    Considering how the conversation was going, it didn''t seem like the answer would pop out randomly, so, Evin was left with only one choice.


    "If you don''t mind me asking, but why are you still 3rd grades?"


    "What do you mean?" Theor asked back.


    "I just thought it would be easy for you to rise in social levels, since Ssatsko is a Hornbearer¡­ and also, you''re friends with Aran too, right? I''m sure he''ll be willing to help if you just ask."


    "Ah, about that," Theor noted and began exining. "Well, firstly, Ssatsko being a Hornbearer doesn''t help us, because he''s still officially a Northerner. The kingdom wouldn''t allow us the privileges of a 1st grade because of a foreigner, who''s loyal to the North."


    "And Aran?"


    "Well," Theor replied with an awkward chuckle. "I felt that it was too shameless of me to ask for help. It''s like, if I ask for help, I''m sure everything will be solved without me lifting a finger, you know?"


    ''So, he''s refusing help because he''s too prideful to ask for it? Wait, does he want to rise through the social ranks all through his own effort?''


    "But you are going to eventually rise up in ranks, right?"


    "That is the n," Theor replied.


    "And you don''t want others to help you out with it."


    "As is proper."


    Evin made sure to notice his mother''s reactions as he talked. Sure enough, her eyes looked hopeful as Evin spoke of rising through the ranks. She wanted an easier life, but was forced to follow Theor''s ideals.


    ''She deserves an easier life after what she went through with Edmund,'' Evin decided.


    "But since I''m a mage, wouldn''t my mother automatically turn into a 1st grade?"


    "I¡­ I suppose that''s an option¡­" Theor looked surprised. Not pleasantly surprised. Ufortably surprised.


    "Mother," Evin said. "If you want to, I can take care of the paperwork by tomorrow¡­ no, this evening."


    "I- I''m not really sure," she replied unconfidently, stealing nces at her husband.


    ''Theor doesn''t beat her, thank the Empress, but he still forces his decisions onto him. I don''t know what happens if she doesn''t oblige, but from the way she''s acting, I''m sure it''s nothing pretty.''


    "Don''t worry about troubling me, mom. I''ll be d to help you out."


    "No, you can''t just appear in our home and make decisions for us," Theor intervened.


    By the Empress, how badly did the man want to stay a lowly 3rd grade?


    "Sir, I''m not trying to undermine your authority in your house or anything like that. I just want my mother to livefortably."


    "Comfortable doesn''t always mean happy," Theor replied readily.


    From this, Evin could quickly guess that his mother asked him for the same things, and that Theor refused. Stubborn man.


    "But will following your ideals make someone happy? My mother sure doesn''t seem like that," Evin spoke, unable to hide the frustration in his voice.


    "Of course, she''s happy. Right, Lora?"


    The man had the gall to say that.


    "Can you see the wrinkles on her face? The callouses on her hands? The dark bags under her eyes? By the Empress''s grace, she looks almost the same as my father did and he was 45!"


    "That¡­ That''s not something a child should worry about," Theor was still defensive.


    "I may be a child, but who decided that a child can''t worry about his mother?" Evin felt his blood boil.


    "No. And it''s nothing you should concern yourself with, either."


    "What do you mean it''s not my concern?" Evin snapped. "She''s my fucking mother!"


    "Evin! That''s enough!" his mother shouted, and Evin realized he was looming above the table.


    Only now, he heard the whimpers of Sasha, who was clutching onto Lora''s neck. Ssatsko also looked disappointed, though he didn''t say a thing during the entire exchange. For whatever reason, his foot sent him a pang of pain as well.


    Evin let himself fall on his chair again and whispered softly. "I apologize."

 Chapter 138 - To Spend Time With Ones Family

    No matter the reasons, Evinshing out like that at his stepfather was wrong. He awkwardly began picking at the remains of his food, but that felt incredibly dumb, so he decided to say something, at least make an excuse.


    "I''m sorry again forshing out like that. It''s just that¡­ back in the city, 3rd grades have a terrible reputation. Some people even consider the worse off 3rd grades less than 4th grades, so it really feels wrong for my mother to be one," Evin found himself speaking. "But I can see that it''s different here in Jiha Town and I guess I''m kind of being biased."


    "It''s okay, sorry for shouting at you too," Lora apologized and gave Evin a kiss on the forehead. "I''m sorry to you too, Theor."


    "No offence taken," Theor spoke. "In fact, I''m d your son has some fire in him."


    Lora''s son. Well, of course he''d feel the need to distinguish him like that, considering what happened¡­ But what did it matter to Evin, anyway? The man wasn''t his father, so Evin didn''t need his recognition.


    In fact, Evin realized didn''t need to back downpletely either.


    "Can you at least let me help out with money, or whatever else she may need?" Evin asked. "It shouldn''t be too difficult for you to ept that, right? After all, my mother''s still a woman and I hope to at least give her the chance to take care of herself more. And please don''t worry about straining me. The kingdom pays me well enough."


    Evin was rich by the standards of 3rd grades.


    "I don''t rmend you do that," unexpectedly, Ssatsko was the one to refuse.


    "Why?" Evin asked, feeling increasingly frustrated, though he was careful not to show it this time.


    "Let me ask you a question then. On average, how much money do you make in a month?"


    "Maybe up to roughly 60 gold coins in a month if I try hard enough?"


    The number stilled Lora and Theor, as their eyes went wide. They seemed even more shocked than the time Evin mentioned he was dating Beyn Borna, the Viscount''s daughter.


    "I guess that''s a fair amount," Ssatsko spoke casually. "And you''re only a student. Proper mages will make many time the amount you make, so they can either afford the overpriced World Shards sold by their countries, or whatever magical device or Talisman they might require. Now, do you know how much money domoners make?"


    "My father used to make about two golds on good months¡­" Evin replied, pondering.


    "Well, Theor here receives 140 silver from his job, while Lora''s makes maybe 110 silver from her trinkets. 1st grades can make a lot more thanmoners if they work good businesses, but still, their profits will be potatoespared to the price of a World Shard. Now, can you tell me why the amount of money avable to mages is so much more than the money thatmoners possess?" his grandfather asked.


    It did not take Evin much to think of an answer.


    "It''s to make sure that mages don''t steal frommoners to find money," Evin replied.


    "Very good," Ssatsko replied, a hint of pride in his voice. "I''m sure that if you really wanted to, you could rob half of Jiha town and no one would be able to stop you¡­ but you won''t because it''s too much of a hassle. You''d do it if you were desperate, but in that case, you''ll remember that the kingdom will swiftly send their best trackers to get hold of you and brand your heart with an Oath. You may think that it''s overkill, but it''s what keeps our terribly unfair society functioning."


    Ssatsko was right. Mages were akin to godspared to normal people. In a way, the only way for them to coexist was for them to leadpletely different lifestyles.


    "Now imagine, what will happen if a mage starts to share his unimaginable wealth with a family of 3rd grades?" Ssatsko continued.


    "They''ll be a target for other mages?"


    "No, no. They''ll be targeted by other 3rd grades¡­ and most of the time, that''s a much worse alternative. You might be thinking that I''m joking, but trust me; you''ll ruin your mother''s life with your kind intentions, so please don''t think of sharing your wealth with them."


    Ssatsko didn''t have to talk about what men were capable of to dissuade Evin. He could also kind of understand why Aran wasn''t so insistent on helping his childhood friends and why Ssatsko kept his daughter at a distance. But that didn''t stop him from feeling frustrated at his powerlessness.


    "Ah, I''m d," Ssatsko breathed out a sigh of relief.


    "What?"


    "I was worried you''d be someone impossible to reason with, as most new mages tend to be, but thankfully, I was wrong."


    "Thank you?" Evin replied quizzically, pondering at the weirdpliment.


    "Well, it''s not like you absolutely can''t help out your mother, you know?"


    "Really?"


    "Just stay with her and help her out in the house," Ssatsko replied casually. "It''s nothing soplicated. I think it''s good for you to spend some time with your new family as well. Perhaps you can spend a night here as well."


    "That''s a good idea. I''d love to see what you can do with that magic of yours," Theor replied smilingly.


    "I''d love to have you here. You''re wee any time!" Lora''s eyes practically sparkled.


    It was a good idea, but Evin had promised to spend the rest of his holidays with Be. Something told him he shouldn''t break that promise the day after he spoke it, so he definitely wasn''t going to spend a night here.


    "I''d love to do that¡­ but unfortunately, I''m a bit busy this next week or so," Evin replied. He hoped that he would have cated Be enough at that point to spend some time with his family. "Can you tell me when you''ll be in your house so, I don''t miss you?"


    The only one who received his reply well was Sasha. Theor and Ssatsko looked disappointed, while Lora looked outright dejected.


    ''Right. It would look like I don''t want to spend my time with 3rd grades and just want to go befortable¡­ Maybe I shouldn''t have talked so openly about Be being the Viscount''s daughter, and maybe shouldn''t have made that excuse about 3rd grades in Ankelite city being worse than 4th grades.''


    "Uh, but that''s only after tomorrow, so today, I can hang out around here all day," Evin added.


    The conversation was a bit awkward, but Evin decided to try his best to show his sincerity in spending his time here. It wasn''t like he was lying about being busy for the next few days, and it was also true that he wanted to be with his mother. It might look forced, but with time, they''ll know that Evin was serious.


    So, Evin spent the rest of the day, following his mother around the house, helping her out wherever he could. More than anything, he wanted to reverse her wilted state, so he often found himself wondering how female mages kept their looks so attractive. The more he thought about it, the more he was convinced that female mages looked better than normal women.


    He decided to bother Leanne with this questionter on, but for the time being, he just acted as an assistant to his mother. Thankfully, his mother did not act modest and shy away from his help, and instead gave him various tasks to do. She was still quite busy though, making Evin wonder how she was able to do all these chores by herself.


    When his mother didn''t need him, he would go to either Theor or Ssatsko and ask if they needed anything. Theor also did not shy away from the help, delegating to Evin various tasks around the house. Evin learned a few things about woodworking and some other misceneous stuff about preparing food.


    He also didn''t shy away from having Evin cast a few spells for him, asking Evin if he could do this or that. Evin tried his best toply, but most of Theor''s requests were about cutting things in specific ways, which wasn''t Evin''s forte. He considered asking Endra for help, but decided against it and started practicing his fine control, as he mule-headedly created a sharp sawed shapes of Hard Air and started manually cutting the wood.


    This act seemed to impress Ssatsko, who came over with Sasha and started asking Evin questions on magic. Evin was d toply, showing off his various spells, feeling proud as he realized that he wasn''t that bad of a mage without the Voice. Moreover, his spells seemed to also bring out Sasha''s interest, though the girl was still too shy to approach Evin.


    Regardless, progress was progress, and Evin left the house after eating dinner, feeling that he''d gotten closer to his mother and her family.


    When he came to the Viscount''s manor, Be came to greet him, seeming to dislike the fact that Evin spent so much time at Lora''s ce. She didn''tin beyond a fewments, but Evin felt a bit dejected, realizing that perhaps Be didn''t like his mother very much. He hoped that they''d get along eventually, but for the time being, he just decided to spend some time with his girlfriend.

 Chapter 139 - Fights Prelude

    The day after, Evin was woken up by Be, who quickly brought him to the training area that the guards used. The fight he promised her was supposed to happen today, so despite the drowsiness from spending half the night talking to Be, Evin forced himself to wake up, though with little sess.


    With sleepy eyes, he saw arge group of men and women doing morning jogs and with Be''s urging, joined them. He had to stop after ap and a half due to his leg. It felt weird to him, as he and Bell both forgot that it was made of metal and was recovering for a brief moment. In the end, Evin decided that it was a good thing, as it was proof that he was getting more and more used to his new leg.


    Anyhow, as for the guards, Evin was a bit overwhelmed at first, wondering if the Viscount actually employed such arge amount of mages to protect his house. But after about ten minutes, he realized that only four of this 20-man group were actual mages, with the rest being normal guards.


    Be gave short introductions to them when the group stopped to do stretches and pair exercises, making Evin wonder how they didn''t talk about this during the long chat of yesterday.


    One was the short, beefy guard that insisted on checking Evin''s leg, who was named Parsh. He was someone who liked to fight close quarters with a mud armor, which Evin guessed where Be learned her unique fighting style.


    Another was a bald, tall, muscly woman, who donned quite a few scars on her face and arms. Evin was also sure that he''d find a few more beneath her cotton shirt. She was a Northerner named Daishan and despite her ferocious appearance, she was the guards'' Heavy Mage, meaning, she was mostly responsible for hitting people from afar (mostly with will/energy infused pieces of rocks).


    These two were Evin and Be''s opponents for the day''s mock fight, as they both shared the same hatred towards Evin, for snatching away their little princess.


    There was another woman named Elune, (a much feminine blondepared to Daishan), who was an all-rounder in the party and was usually responsible for healing and supporting. She reminded Evin of Leanne a lot, but he also noticed a few crazed grins appearing on her mouth, which he didn''t have an exnation for yet.


    And finally, there was Komarokh, who was mostly responsible for Talismans, illusions, and simr headache inducing magics. The man rarely fought, ording to Be, and even when he did, he mostly just kept the matches free of magic, but Be said that the rest of the group were always respectful to him.


    These two, unlike the previous two, didn''t really care for Evin''s rtionship with Be, and were even supportive of it. Komarokh cidly, and Elune openly.


    After the morning training was finished, Parsh and Daishan both approached Evin and Be, both wearing smug faces.


    "You let a weak-ass prim-boy like this snatch you away like this?" Parsh said loudly. "Can''t even run his ass twops around the damn ce, hah!"


    "Heat-sick londer!" Daishan added in her heavy northern ent.


    Evin never heard the insult before, but he guessed it was something that Northerners used to insult the rest of the World. After all, the North was famous for its high altitudes and cold weathers.


    "And he wants to spar with us?" Parsh continued. "And he doesn''t even have the guts to ask himself!"


    "Will topple and die the moment he gets atop Cataract!" Daishan spoke in broken Western.


    Evin of course, did not feel the need to respond to the taunts, instead finding a weird sense of synergy in the way they spoke despite there being none.


    "That''s my boyfriend you''re talking to," Be cut them off with a prideful smile. "And weren''t you two the ones who constantly nagged me to fight him? Aren''t you ashamed to be bullying someone twenty years younger than you are? What happened to that warrior''s pride you love so much?"


    "Come on, Be! Look at the way he carries himself! He''s obviously some donkey-ass sleazebag. Probably lied his way into making you think you like him. Maybe pulled off some sad bullshit-ass backstory about his foot to tug at your heart a bit."


    "Untruthful man!"


    "Don''t think I''ll fall for the same tricks your exes used to empty your pockets, old man," Be said tauntingly, and before Parsh could reply, added. "Enough words. You wanted to settle this with a fight, so here you go."


    So, without further ado, the fourbatants prepared for the fight. The rest of the guards clumped up in a rtively safe corner of the area and watched with interest.


    The details of the fight were mostly the same as Be arranged. Evin and Daishan stood in a small circle roughly 40 steps away from each other, and aside from casting spells, they weren''t allowed to move out the circle or fly, and whichever side that failed to do so, lost.


    <Endra?> Evin asked inwardly.


    <Yes, yes, I''m here,> Endra replied and started taking over Evin''s core.


    Evin debated trying to go through the fight by himself, but a part of him wanted to show off to the mage guards, so he asked Endra for help. Thetter did not mind, and even sounded excited for the fight. It silently began working on its Hard Air elerator, loading it with stone to use as bullets. Evin also brought some metal bullets just in case, but he hoped he didn''t need to use it today.


    As he was preparing, Be, who was covered in a mud armor like Parsh, came over to him and spoke. "Now that I think about it, maybe we should''ve agreed on a n before the fight."


    <Tell her to keep Parsh busy. I''ll try to push Daishan out of the ring myself,> Endra ordered and Evin did just that.


    Be nodded in reply, humming. She seemed to like the simple n, if it could even be called that.


    "The match will start on the count of three," Elune dered and began the countdown.

 Chapter 140 - Fight With The Guards (1)

    "3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­" Elune finished, and the mock fight began.


    Immediately, Daishan chanted something in Northern and pulled out arge b of earth from the ground and sent it at Evin at the speed of a dashing horse.


    ''I guess you could do that and shove me away from the circle,'' Evin thought, but wasn''t very worried.


    As he expected, Endra began shooting stone bullets towards the b of earth, raising dust with each impact and creating cracks on it. The wall of earth wasn''t made of stone, so it couldn''t resist Endra''s stone bullets that effectively. It cracked onto the ground, bing too split for Daishan to control properly.


    Most of the time,rge, singr objects escaped the control of World energies when they became too scattered.


    But the Northerner woman''s attacks did not stop there, as smaller pieces of stone appeared right behind the big one, practically oozing with Tenarak''s energies. In spellcasting, will/energy infused objects meant that a mage was most likely controlling them directly. It was the same as Endra controlling a Hard Air sword to hack at enemies from a distance. It needed a bit of mana to maintain, but it was quite deadly.


    And from what Evin knew, the only way to deal with this connection was to use ketricite, or cut off the mage''s connection to it. Sadly, the only way Evin knew how to perform thetter, was by shoving World energies between the mage and the object, one that''srge and messy enough to interrupt or cut off the original string of energies that connected the two.


    Evin wasn''t confident in being able to pull this off that quicklyl so this left Evin with one, rather brutish, option: to shoot them and destroy the objects themselves¡­ which, Endra was doing already. The stones tried to dodge away from the Voice''s bullets, but they were having a hard time, considering how fast the bullets flew. Now that Evin noticed, the bullets were bing faster and faster each day.


    Anyhow, Daishan seemed surprised by Evin''s prowess, and for whatever reason, stopped chanting. Evin wondered if Endra was going to use this chance to attack, but he also seemed willing to take a pause.


    The battle between the Heavy Mages briefly turned still, so Evin found some time to look at Be, who was fighting on his left side.


    Two figures covered in mud, one small and one even smaller, were entangled in what Evin could only describe as a flurry of jabs and sweeps. From a nce, Evin found it hard to discern what really was happening between them and was about to pull away his attention, but the two broke off away from each other briefly, giving Evin a chance to follow what exactly was happening.


    Ducking low, Be dashed at Parsh, practically gliding right over the ground, with two makeshift mud-bucklers on her hand. Parsh met the attack with a vertical sweep of his makeshift mud-saber, though that was deflected to rightwards by Be''s right buckler. She then hooked her right leg around Parsh''s left, and with a surge of strength, pulled it towards herself, intending to topple the man over.


    But a piece of Parsh''s mud armor hardened around his left leg, preventing Be from moving it. Parsh then forcefully swung his mud-saber downwards, seemingly swiping at air, but Be''s back appeared on its trajectory. The force of Be''s sweep pulled the girl''s body even nearer to Parsh''s body, putting her right where the saber was falling towards.


    Bang!


    A shot from Endra'' elerator went off, hitting the piece of mud-armor that was protecting Parsh''s hand. The bullet lodged itself into the swirling mud protecting the man, but s, wasn''t able to prate itpletely. Though the force of the hit did manage to make Parsh miss the swing on Be''s back.


    "What th-" Parsh began, but had to shut up, as Be''s buckler hit him at the back of his head.


    Then, Evin heard a loud noiseing from just next to him. Cursing his carelessness, he looked towards Daishan, and saw a piece of stone stuck inside a barrier of Hard Air, shaking, as if trying to free itself.


    ''When did he even manage to create this?''


    The barrier was at least three fingers thick, but judging by the thin lines that had appeared on it due to the impact, Evin could tell that Daishan''s attack was nothing to scoff at. Beyond it, Evin could see the woman''s frowning face, as she raised another array of stones and sent them towards Evin. There was nothing different to this attack, so Evin could only guess she was attacking to keep him busy.


    Evin stole a nce at Be, and found that the two of them were back to dancing around each other. A small wound appeared on Parsh''s lower lip, and Evin guessed that perhaps the hit to the back of the head made him bite it by ident. The close call with the saber also seemed to have calmed Be down a bit, as Evin could tell that her movements had gotten much tamer, with no reckless dashes towards Parsh and no powerful, wide-arced swings of her buckler.


    ''They don''t seem like they''re going to settle the fight anytime soon, but that''s fine."


    Evin put Be out of his mind and focused on Daishan. The woman''s face had changed from the previous frown to one of determination, so Evin put up his guards, expecting something new.


    Daishan recreated her array of stones and sent them towards Evin, but this time, with only half the number. Endra did not care, and loaded his elerator and diligently shot at the stones. But just before it made contact, Endra''s stone bullets stopped in mid-air, and became engulfed in a thickyer of Tenarak energy¡­ and flying towards Evin alongside the original ones.


    ''Daishan took control of the Endra''s bullets!''


    Hurriedly, Evin created an overload of air ten steps in front of himself and set it on fire. Thankfully, his timing wasn''t too bad, and he managed to either destroy or change the direction of all the stones that wereing towards him.


    He heard a loud wail of pain from the direction of the onlookers. Evin noticed one of the guards clutching his legs. Hopefully, Elune would take care of it.


    <I guess it''s time for us to counterattack,> Endramented.


    Evin agreed, but there was a problem. <But even if you do that, wouldn''t she just take control of the bullets? Or are we going to use metal ones?>


    <Metal''s kinda¡­> Endra sounded reluctant.


    <I guess you''re right, sorry for mentioning it,> Of course, Evin didn''t want to harm his enemies badly.


    But Endra wasn''t hesitant because of that. <Yeah, if she takes control of them, we''re kinda screwed. I''m sure she can use metals, but choosing not to, because she doesn''t want to take the fight too seriously.>


    ''Ah, I guess there''s that too.''


    <Then what are we going to do?>


    Endra answered, by sending a string of Qanatohm energies towards Daishan. Of course, if they could make Daishan weigh the same as air, they could just blow here away from the circle.

 Chapter 141 - Fight With The Guards (2)

    But just before the string could reach her, it met some kind of wall. After blocking Endra''s Qanatohm energies, the invisible wall then ground it down to dust. Focusing his attention, Evin realized that the wall was made of Tenarak energies, meaning that Daishan was responsible for disrupting Endra''s spell.


    The weight nullifying spell could not work if the string of energy could not reach her. And either Daishan was much better than Evin at feeling these energies and blocking them, or¡­


    ''She can probably just see them¡­'' Evin realized with a sigh.


    Evin learned that when a mage got old enough, they could start seeing the World energies with their eyes. It was definitely a huge advantage for her. With this, she could quickly realize that Evin''s about to use a spell and stop it in its tracks, if she deemed it something dangerous.


    <Ugh, what a pain,> Endra cursed, but quickly changed his tactics. <Well, in that case, there''s only one thing we can do. Evin, you take care of her stones. I''ll give control of the Hard Air barrier to you.>


    As for himself, Endra created two pairs of Hard Air swords and sent them towards Be''s fight.


    <Isn''t it better for us to shoot at him?>


    <It workedst time because he didn''t expect it, and also because they were practically standing still. I am confident in my aim, but looking at those two tangling messes of mud, I really can''t be confident I won''t hit Be identally. It''s best if I just focus on cutting him up.>


    <Okay,> Evin agreed and focused his attention on Daishan.


    One by one, he started creating clumps of air in front of him, nning to detonate them if his enemy shot stones at him. He couldn''tpletely rely on the barrier, as he was somehow sure that it would be prated by Daishan''s spell.


    Evin''s fight from then on, took a rather dull turn. He became engrossed in a defensive battle, focused destroying waves of stones flying towards him likerge, crystalline bees. Evin was mostly sessful in defending himself using his airfield of explosive air, but of course, he wasn''t the technical perfectionist that Endra was.


    Some of the stones survived the sts with Daishan''s influence intact on them and still managed to hit Evin''s barrier (the stones also tried to prate it from different angles so Evin had to move the barrier around himself to properly block). After hitting the stone would start either vibrating or spinning, in an attempt to shatter the barrier.


    To prevent this, Evin needed to umte a bunch of Seyethe energies around the stones, so Daishan''s connection to them would be cut off. It took some time, because Daishan''s control over her stones were quite firm, but Evin was mostly sessful in keeping himself safe.


    But in the end, Evin couldn''t help having his barrier getting broken once. Thankfully, Endra was generous enough to make a new one for him. This seemed to frustrate Daishan a lot, and the woman almost tried to jump out of the circle herself to get close enough to Evin. Well, if she wasn''t going to let Evin''s spells through her blockade of World energies, Evin also wasn''t going to croak over so easily.


    ''But¡­ It''s still kind of scary¡­'' Evin thought with a sigh.


    Although Daishan could attack from a distance, judging from her appearance and her spell, she still looked like someone who preferred to fight close to her enemies.


    Evin definitely would''ve had problems if the two of them could walk around freely, even if his foot functioned perfectly. And it wouldn''t be because of her not-yet seen closebat abilities, it would be because of iron-like grip on her spells.


    It was easier for him now, as the further a spell went away from the caster, the harder it was for them to control it. In fact, this was evident with how Daishan''s stones slowed down the further it got from her. In her immediate surroundings, the stones seemed to be able to move as fast as someone was able to move their limbs.


    Evin imagined himself being locked in a fist-fight with the woman, worrying about flying chunks of rock threatening to prate him from the blindside at all times¡­ It definitely wouldn''t be anything pleasant.


    But even with Evin''s fight being much easier than it might''ve been, hopes of actually winning still seemed distant.


    "Ga-ha-ha," a loudugh exploded in the area. "That all you can do?"


    When Endra sent the two swords to support Be, Evin expected the fight to get better for them¡­ but unexpectedly, they started losing. The reason for that was Parsh''s current appearance.


    Parsh''s mud armor had grown two extra pairs of hands, turning him into some six-armed monster. His natural arms held a saber and a buckler; two mud-hands above it were holding the same weapons, but with changed sides; and the two hands above it were holding a long two-handed spear.


    The shields on his two sides allowed him to defend himself quite easily from Be''s attacks, while the two swords made him a very threatening opponent to face. But as far as Evin could tell, the long spear seemed to be the trickiest thing for Be to deal with, as it constantly threatened to pin her to the ground from difficult to see angles.


    The man was obviously practiced in this form, as these new hands moved practically the same as his original ones. Evin expected them to move in unnatural angles to throw his enemies off even further, but so far he didn''t see anything like that.


    Due to this, Evin expected Endra''s swords to be able to deal much more damage, attacking Parsh from his blind angles, but the mud-armor really wasn''t taking any damage from the strikes. In the first ce, Hard Air really wasn''t the best thing to hack at enemies, so the best that Endra could do was to distract Parsh by threatening his exposed sides (which were his hands and face), and hopefully creating some kind of chance for Be.


    But Be herself was having trouble keeping up with the change. It wasn''t because she was weak, from how she was moving during this fight, Evin knew that she would wipe the floor with him in a serious fight.


    Although Be greatly focused on the mud armor, in Evin''s opinion, her biggest advantage was herrge arsenal of spells she could use to deal with any situation. But the fight wasn''t allowing her the opportunities to use these various spells, as it was taking all of her concentration just to avoid Parsh''s attacks. Her opponent this time was simply too strong and she didn''t have any hard-hitting methods to deal with him.


    <Do we use the metal bullets?> Evin asked.


    <Hmm¡­ Let''s just give up,> the Voice offered. <Be''s holding on pretty well, but she''s reaching her limits. I don''t want to use metal bullets in Daishan''s presence¡­ Hmm, maybe stronger explosions might work, but it feels kind of overkill for a mock fight.>


    <Alright, I''ll walk out of the circle after Be has her fill of the fight. She seems to be enjoying herself quite a bit,> Evin said and resumed observing the heated fight.


    He was careful of Daishan, but the woman seemed to have reached a simr conclusion. She bowed towards Evin, and although he didn''t know what exactly the gesture meant, bowed back.


    Endra seemed to have taken the gesture as ''Do whatever you want,'' and sent two more swords to fight against Parsh. He didn''t do more than that, perhaps guessing that Daishan would interfere if things got too out of hand.


    Regardless, ten minutes of sparringter, Be''s tired body was flung across the field, and Evin flew over to catch her in his arms.

 Chapter 142 - End Of Holidays

    "You alright?" Evin asked, though he was already checking out her body for injuries.


    "I''m fine," Be replied, panting heavily. "Just let me rest for a bit."


    Aside from her tired expression, Be wasn''t hurt, bar the few bruises and cuts here and there. As long as there weren''t any serious wounds hidden behind her clothes, she was fine. But judging from her expression, she seemedpletely fine.


    Although Parsh''s attacks looked quite intense to Evin, apparently the man was holding back. He was probably much more skillful than he let on as Evin could imagine how hard would it be to avoid hurtind Be in a mock fight, while also having to deal with four different flying invisible swords.


    "Hah, I told you the boy was talented," a voice echoed through the training area, sounding pleased.


    Evin saw the Viscounting over from the manor with some servants. Evin looked around and seemed to notice Arelyn and her boyfriend looking at him through one of the windows as well.


    "My Lord," Komarokh greeted. "We''re pleased to have you visit us." The rest of the guards saluted as well and following that, Komarokh asked. "Did you need something from us?"


    "No need for such a grand disy," Velpin waved his hand. "I just came over when I heard some loud bangs in the area is all."


    "I''m sorry for my spell making so much noise," Evin replied, realizing what he''d done so early in the morning.


    "No, no. I''m d I came over. It was a long time since I''ve witnessed such an interesting fight," Velpin''s voice oozed with excitement. "If possible, could you tell me how you were able to shoot out those stone bullets so quickly? And those explosions¡­ How are you able to create them without gathering fire first?"


    "Ah, about that¡­" Evin replied, wondering how he should refuse.


    "My Lord, it''s rude to ask mages details about their spells," Elune spoke. "Even if you''re close to them."


    "Ah, of course, of course," Velpin sighed, sounding genuinely disappointed.


    Evin wondered why the man needed to learn spell details so badly, if he wasn''t a mage. From what he said, Velpin seemed to already possess some knowledge about spellcasting. Evin thought about it a bit, before deciding that people could have hobbies.


    Anyhow, the Viscount made some conversation with the guards, thanked them for their services, and left. Komarokh, Elune and the normal guards dispersed to their posts soon enough, the non-mages looking somewhat more cheerful for having the viscounte over to encourage them personally.


    They might''ve found the man friendly and encouraging, but Evin was more focused on why Velpin didn''t bother to speak a single word to his daughter, who was lying on Evin''sp the whole time.


    ''Well, there are reasons she''s trying to kill him, I guess,'' Evin shrugged and helped Be up, creating some water from the air for her and putting it in a cup of ice.


    Daishan and Parsh approached him next, both wearing smiles.


    "Hah, told you he''d be useless. Can''t even deal with one me, even with Daishan deciding to do nothing."


    "Says man who fight seriously in battle with children," Daishan replied in her trademark broken western.


    "You call that going serious? Hah, that wasn''t even half the arms I could create!" Parsh replied. "And what about you? Can''t even deal with one little mageling. Did you have to stop casting at the end of it, so you can pretend you weren''t trying your hardest? Ha-ha-ha. These kids might believe you, but you can''t hide your panicking, sweaty expression from me!"


    "Battle was over already when you created two pair of arms!" Daishan retorted. "And the boy wasn''t that serious either."


    "I assure you, I was serious enough," Evin replied.


    "Whatever, little mageling," Parshughed. "Now that you''ve lost, you have to break up with Be as we promised."


    Evin''s eyebrows creased, wondering when he had said something like that. Then, realizing the man was messing with him, he replied smilingly. "No can do."


    "Don''t mess with me, kid! Stay true to your words."


    "I don''t remember saying anything like that and even if I did, I''m sure I simply lied to you."


    "Tsk, Be, can you hear this boy so smugly talking about his dishonesties? I''m telling you now so you won''t regret it when it happens. He''s definitely going to lie to you and cheat on you."


    "Shut up, Parsh," Be replied in a tired tone.


    "And did you notice how he only sent a stone bullet to save you when you were fighting me? If I was your boyfriend, I''d immediatelye over to help you the moment I see you in danger. Fuck whatever consequences."


    "I wouldn''t want to be with someone who fusses over my every little thing. A man should be able to trust his beloved, instead of trying to keep her safe from everything, you know?" Be replied, energy returning to her voice. "And also, don''t ever talk like as if we''re dating. It''s disgusting."


    "Wha- That was just a figure of speech! An example! Don''t call me disgusting for it!"


    "Even without doing that, you are disgusting anyway," Daishan added.


    The three began bickering among themselves for a while, before eventually dispersing to eat breakfast.


    Evin''s holidays entered a certain routine after that fight. He would wake up, join the guards in their morning training, watch Be spar with the three mages, and mostly apany her through the rest of the day. Sometimes going sightseeing, sometimes talking, or sometimes doing nothing in particr.


    They had just begun dating, so Evin wasn''t feeling bored of Be, like Endra expected him to. They were still learning new things about each other, and <em>from</em> each other as well. Even with Endra holding lectures in his head asionally, he was still ignorant of certain things, and Be was always happy to share her knowledge.


    Of course, these debates didn''t always end in a pleasing tone, as both he and Be had very different opinions and were very confident in them as well. For Evin, it was because most of his knowledge came from the Voice, who arguably had the most informed conclusions. As for Be, she was confident in her upbringing as a noble, and tended to consider Evin''s education iplete. Evin did not try to correct her by saying that most of his knowledge came from the Voice, as it felt wrong to admit to it somehow.


    But even if they tended to argue about some things, Evin never let it go out of hand. Endra always told Evin how different people had different thoughts and that there was nothing Evin could do about it, so he wasn''t going to try forcing Be to see the world the way he did.


    Unfortunately, Be did not think the same as him and was always trying to change Evin''s thoughts one way or another. For better or worse, she was exceedingly true to herself, and did not like to change her mind about things.


    Because of this, Evin tended to just admit she was right, even though he didn''t feel that way deep inside. But although this worked at first, Be was starting to get pissed off more and more each time Evin agreed with her.


    Evin asked Endra for help, but thetter didn''t care enough to answer, saying that he wasn''t some kind of marriage counselor to bother.


    There was another problem that was bing apparent in the rtionship: Be''s negative view of Evin''s mother.


    Although Be acted as if she didn''t care about Lora, Evin could tell how her voice turned strained changed whenever she was mentioned. Without her knowing, she turned grumpier than usual, and she would startining to Evin about random things.


    Because of this, Evin was having a lot of trouble breaking free from his promise to spend the rest of the holidays with her.


    He finally managed to visit his family again after two weeks, right before the holidays ended, but he could feel that they were expecting him toe sooner. Regardless, he tried his best to help them out, and promised that he was going to meet them once a week when the Academy started. He could have two off days a week during his studies, and Evin nned to use one for Be and one for his family.


    Thus, Evin''s hectic holidays ended and Evin resumed his studies in the Academy.

 Chapter 143 - Interlude: Relain.

    Rin enjoyed seeing things die. Small things, mostly, but not too small, like insects. He preferred rodents, birds, maybe rabbits¡­ things around that size.


    The way they struggled away their final reserves of energy, twitching and contorting all over the ce, trying to run away from whoever or whatever harmed it¡­ the way they suddenly realize that they''re not going to survive and just lie down on the ground, their limbs still, but their tiny lungs still working heavily, savoring thest breaths of air in their lives¡­


    There was something sacred about the process that Rin could never find in anything else.


    Larger animals, like dogs and cats, could also work, but Rin often found their deaths too important to actually enjoy it. Those smaller animals¡­ their deaths could be inconsequential. But you could never tell with cats and dogs. Most often, they were the important parts of someone''s life, so Rin could never wholeheartedly enjoy their final moments, as he would be too worried about what their absence could mean for someone else.


    For this reason, he reckoned he could never enjoy seeing a human die. The scene ying out behind his back further cemented this belief of his.


    "Ugh¡­ No¡­ No! No! What are you doing to me?! Mercy of the Hundred Gods, please stop! Stop!"


    Sounds of a woman''s struggle entered his ears, and Rin was trying his best to pretend that nothing wrong was happening behind him, but he was having a hard time.


    Frowning, he focused his attention on his environment. Dunes surrounded him from every side, loose sand flying on winds. He was somewhere in the Great Desert of the East, though he had no idea where exactly. He followed his Mistress through a portal without thinking much, but perhaps he should worry about how he was going to survive if she forgot him here.


    "You there! Do something! Why are you just standing there! Help me, I''ll do anything! At least tell me what''s happening to me! It feels like¡­ like I''m disappearing! But¡­ I''m here, right! ¡­?"


    Hearing the woman again, Rin groaned inwardly.


    Due to his upbringing and his culture, it was especially hard for him to ignore the final words of another. Death was a sacred thing for Rin''s people, so his bones were screaming at him to at least acknowledge the woman..


    Reluctantly, his eyes went towards the scene he was trying to avoid a few seconds ago. A ck-skinned woman, who had the symbol of a four-edged star tattooed on her forehead, was being held by the branches of a greenish-blue tree. Some branches of the tree were also stabbed inside the woman''s head, faint shes of light pulsing through them.


    Rin called it a tree, but it definitely wasn''t a normal tree. It didn''t have any leaves, only possessing branches, which weren''t hard like wood, nor was it brown. Instead, they could move, were soft and slippery like a snake, and had a blue color. If cut, the branches would ''bleed'' some kind of green fluid, which would dissipate into the air in a matter of seconds.


    But the most shocking feature of the tree was that its roots were ''growing'' from the hands of a girl with closed eyes, who looked no older than thirteen. Rin''s Mistress.


    She wasn''t dressed in the all-white clothing that she usually wore, instead opting to wear a baggy sleeveless shirt (which exposed her armspletely), and light-blue pants made of an unknown material that were only long enough to cover a part of her thigh (leaving everything below bare for everyone to see). Rin could not find it in himself to agree with such clothes, but since it was his Mistress, there was nothing he could say. Especially since it was likely Four this time.


    "Don''t just stare at me! Help me! I don''t understand what''s happening! I feel like¡­ I feel like I should know things, but for the love of the Gods, I can''t remember!"


    The woman''s shouts forced Rin to look into her eyes. They were filled with fear, but slowly, the fear was turning into confusion. Her time was nearing. Perhaps only a few minutes now. This was usually also the time for his Mistress to regain consciousness. Rin usually dreaded this moment, but he decided that it was better than seeing the woman''s death.


    "My head feels like exploding," his Mistress groaned as her eyes opened.


    The roots of the tree were cut away from her hands and


    "Lady Four? Please drink some water." Rin hurried to support his Mistress.


    "No¡­ It''s Twelve," his Mistress replied.


    "Ah, but your clothing¡­"


    "It was Four before, digging through that woman''s memories, but I had to take over during the process," his Mistress, currently Twelve, exined. "A vision of the future came over me, you see."


    "Ah," Rin replied, sighing out in relief. His Mistress was hard to deal with almost all the time, but not if she was Twelve. "What kind of event did you see? If I may ask."


    "It''s a meeting. A boy will seek me out and ask me a favor¡­ I mustply."


    Rin''s eyes went wide. This boy must be someone quite important, if he could ask favors from his Mistress.


    "Do you recognize him, Mistress?"


    "No. No one I know," she replied. "But I suppose we''ll find out soon enough¡­"


    Rin pondered upon the words, feeling somehow that this would be an important meeting.


    "Give me a minute to fix myself. After that, we''ll go to where we''re going to meet and at least make ourselvesfortable there," his Mistress said and fell onto the sand.


    Rin nodded, gave her whatever supplies she might need, and made his presence thin.


    "Help me¡­"


    The woman had fallen onto the sand, but the branches of the tree were still stuck in her head, pulsating asionally.


    Rin approached her, put his hands on her cheeks and spoke, feeling a surge of confidence. "May you find yourself a better life next time." Pausing, he continued. "I hope you find the peace in the silence."


    The woman looked at him with a look of betrayal, but Rin could see it in her eyes, how she was even forgetting the concept of betrayal.


    Rin wondered. How many things was she forgetting? How many people were just slipping out of her mind? Whose memory persisted the longest? Is it her parents''? Her lover? Her children? Or someone else entirely?


    It did not matter.


    The look of fear in the woman''s eyes disappeared. She had forgotten fear. She did not speak, for she had forgotten words. She did not struggle, for she had forgotten how to. And finally, she ceased to breathe, for she had forgotten even that.


    Complete emptiness.


    There was nothing to her death. No struggle, no savoring of herst breaths, no look of eptance, and most importantly, no feeling of sacredness.


    A death worse than a rat''s.


    Rin enjoyed seeing things die, but he felt that no one could enjoy witnessing a death like this.

 Chapter 144 - 2nd Years

    Evin, alongside the rest of the students, was waiting for the Chairman to begin the opening speech. Of course, if he could, he would''ve skipped out on participating, but the teachers were very particr about having every student attend this one.


    "First of all, I want tomend everyone gathered here for sessfully graduating the four-month program offered by our Academy," Kent spoke to the students gathered in front of him, voice stern. "But then again, there''s really nothingmendable about going through that. Most of you only enjoyed the privileges that came with being a mage,vishly wasting the money you''ve been given by the kingdom, and in turn, perhaps you only memorized a few runes and chants that your teachers cited to you."


    The Chairman sounded much more seriouspared to the wooly, casual manner he usually spoke in. Even his choice of words seemed different from before.


    "The onlymendable thing you''ve done was surviving the Helm''s Worthy, which acted as a final test of some sorts for you all. A real, proper trial, with severe, and sometimes, lethal danger¡­ Although the test onlysted for two days, three students died during it. Two of them died by the ws of the Turned ones and one even passed away by the hands of another student."


    Evin felt the eyes of some students falling on him. Decatur''s eyes, especially, seemed to be drilling a hole through his head.


    "But I will not condone the student whomitted the act," Kent resumed, giving Evin a bad feeling. "In fact, I would like tomend him, as he taught everyone here a vital lesson for the future: Don''t make foolish mistakes or gamble with your lives, or else you might find yourself dead... or perhaps missing a limb."


    Silence descended among the students, and Evin could almost hear Decatur''s veins popping on his head.


    "How dare you say that?!" the boy couldn''t contain it anymore.


    "How dare I say what?"


    "How dare you say that Byron''s death was a foolish gamble of his life?"


    "But it is, isn''t it?" Kent shook his head. "Tell me, how did Byron end up dying?"


    "He was killed by Evin over there, acting like nothing''s happened. I heard he even killed his father during the holidays," Decatur did not hesitate to nder Evin''s name.


    Evin expected something like this, so he wasn''t so shocked.


    "Both cases are true, but it severelycks context. In the first case, Byron was killed because he foolishly put himself right in front of Evin''s escape route. He did not even bother to cast defensive spells, and just stood there like some kind of hero trying to block the viin''s path with his body," Kent said coldly. "Did he expect Evin to not attack him out of goodwill, despite his group trying to corner and kill him for a whole day practically¡­ or did he expect Evin to miss, knowing full well the uracy of Evin''s spells?"


    "And does that make it okay for Evin to just pelt Byron with ice magic?"


    "Yes. Considering his situation, it was justifiable for him to do that." Kent''s answer was firm. "He was surrounded by his fellow students who were very clear on their intentions to kill him the moment they had him in his possession."


    "..."


    "It''s the same for his father''s death. The man was severely deranged to the point he knocked Evin out, and tried to burn him on a makeshift stake. Evin was weak and lenient enough to be taken by surprise, but after waking up and finding himself covered in smoke¡­ of course, he would retaliate against the perpetrator without thinking much."


    "But-"


    "Enough. I will not waste everyone''s time here arguing with you."


    ''Funny how he says that after he''s finished with his piece.''


    "Sigh, now where was I¡­ Ah, yes. From here on out, it would bemon for some of you to receive unheble injuries, or perhaps even die. Although we call this ce an Academy, in truth, it''s more akin to military training base for future mage soldiers. A rare few of you will pursue careers in a different field, but most of you all will end up as someone capable ofbat. I will not hide this fact from you."


    Evin frowned as he listened to the speech, but looking around, he could find some excited faces among the crowd. Of course, for many of these teens, it would be a privilege to be a mage and serve their own country. In fact, it wouldn''t be weird if Evin was the weird one here for being unwilling to go to war.


    ''Two months ago, I probably would''ve been excited like them as well. But after reading those letters from King Seth and the reports from Professor Heim Morton, it feels like I''ve started to see the kingdom in a very different light¡­ And also, Endra''s always going on and on about how fighting a war for the kingdom''s the stupidest thing someone can do...''


    "The Helm''s Worthy was supposed to be a wake up call for you all to realize the change of atmosphere. Of course, this year''s was quite short, so I don''t expect you all to suddenly change your mindsets after one little speech reminding you of it... but I''m sure you''ll feel the difference soon enough."


    The students nced at each other with nervous eyes.


    "In normal times, I would end the speech here, but this year, I have some other things to talk about. I''m sure everyone here is familiar with the war with the South. And I''m sure everyone''s been hearing rumors of the kingdom losing battles on the Gray Fields," Kent said and paused. "I''m here to tell you that it''s true. If you have anyone you know in the capital or in the Southern counties, you''ll also know it''s true."


    "¡­"


    "Now, how does this apply to you? Well, I''ll spell it out to you outright. Some of you might get drafted to war at some point during your studies, though we don''t know when exactly. Of course, you won''t get sent to battle immediately, you''ll most likely end up in some training facility before that."


    <You should probably ask him how the students are going to get picked,> Endra hummed, sounding amused. Evinplied, and Kent answered.


    "Well, of course, not anyone will be picked. The kingdom wants capable mages, so they won''t be happy if we send them someone incapable. The student needs to be able to absorb at least three lodestones'' worth of mana, needs to be a swift spell-caster, needs to befortable withbat, and it would be even better if they were familiar with violence¡­ so most of the students picked will be 3rd year or above. But that doesn''t guarantee that 2nd years like you won''t be picked."


    Evin frowned, hearing a list of descriptions that matched him greatly. He nced at Be, and found thetter frowning as well. Hesitantly, he stole a nce at Decatur, and found the boy staring back at him with a smug, victorious expression.


    A foreboding feeling welled over his heart and Evin couldn''t help but feel like he needed to do something. "Chairman Kent, is the war going so bad that they need to draft children to fight for them?"


    "It''s been like this for the southern counties for a while now. The war''s only catching up to us now," Kent shrugged, seeming entirely unconcerned. "Well, let''s end our speech here. I hope everyone a good year in the Academy¡­ Oh one more thing. From the second year on, aside from your normal sses, you''ll have to attend as a specialist assistant under one teacher. You''ll hear the details about it in your first ss."


    Then, sighing, he left the podium, not even bothering to look at the students whispering between themselves. There was definitely something wrong with the Chairman today. Evin wasn''t sure, but he was half sure it was because of the war with the South.


    ''Is it because I''m very likely to be sent off to way and fall out of his reach? I somehow want to go to the war just to spite him¡­'' Evin found himself thinking.


    He went next to Be, and they slowly made their way towards their first ss.


    "Do you know anything about this draft?" Evin asked.


    "Normally, I should, considering my father being a viscount. Decisions like this usually require the consent of the Count, who then has to discuss the decision with the Viscounts and the more important Barons," Be exined. "So, it''s entirely suspicious that I''m only learning about this now."


    "Your father wouldn''t hide the information from you or something, right?"


    "No," Be said confidently.


    She sometimes hated exining things, so Evin was used to her short answers.


    "Then I''m guessing it''s something that Decatur decided by himself¡­"


    "No way the Academy will allow an Acting Count to make decisions like that just by himself. I''m sure Gehenne had a hand in it as well. That guy acts like a proper human person, but he''s just as bad as his brother."


    "You know something about him?"


    "No."


    From the way she said it, Evin didn''t think that she knew something and was just trying to hide it. Be just thought of Gehenne in that manner. Evin felt some retorts appearing at the tip of his tongue, but decided to shove them down for now.


    They soon arrived in their ssroom, and Evin eyed his new ssmates. Arza, Decatur, Lopar, Theundel, Dagan, Phel¡­ twenty of the strongest students among their year were gathered and put in one ss, which was named Helm ss. This was also the Helm team of Ankelite Academy''s 2nd years led by Arza.


    For dukedom-wide or nation-wide tournaments and such, this ss was to be the main one that represented Ankelite. There were seventeen academies in the kingdom. Four for each dukedom, and one for the Capital. Arcvallen''s Academy was widely considered the best, so their Helm sses were literally the best of the best.


    However, it wasn''t so weird for other academies to have strong Helm sses. ording to what Evin was hearing, Ankelite Academies 2nd year was going to be such a ss.


    As Evin was having such thoughts, the Chairman entered the ss.

 Chapter 145 - Supreme Commander

    "Well, let''s begin the ss," the Chairman began.


    Since the Helm ss was arguably the most important one in the academy, naturally, the Chairman was in charge of its development. He was something akin to a homeroom teacher.


    "I''ve mentioned earlier that aside from normal sses, you''ll have to take apprenticeship under a teacher in the Academy. Obviously, different teachers have different specializations, so I made a list of it for you all to browse through. Make sure you pick the right teacher, as you won''t be allowed to change your choice for four months," Kent said and gave out a few pieces of paper.


    Evin browsed through them and found what he expected. Leanne was teaching Enchanting, the Chairman was teaching Imagination Casting, etc. But there was one name that Evin wasn''t familiar with, next to an unknown specialization.


    "Chairman, what''s Heart-casting?" one of the students asked, noticing the same thing.


    "Ah, let me exin about that now, as it''s part of the briefing," Kent cleared his throat. "From this year on, a High-mage of the kingdom named Sufia Zurikh shall be teaching a few among you Heart-Casting. But before I begin, you must all swear on your honor as mages to never disclose this information to anyone. If you are found spreading this information, please don''t be surprised if you get hauled off to be interrogated somewhere."


    The man casually dropped a threat among the students and continued speaking.


    "Now, what is Heart-casting?" Kent asked and looked around the ssroom. Hearing no answer, he continued. "Then I must ask you three questions. First. What do you think Mind-casting is?"


    "Normal casting," Be replied.


    "Correct. Chants, Gestures, Imaginations all fall into the category of Mind-casting. It''s because you use your brain in some way to cast spells, you see? But that does not mean that Heart-casting is something that doesn''t require your thoughts. It actually requires you to think a lot more than usual. But it also requires you to handle your emotions during it," the Chairman exined.


    Evin found the man''s speech a bit hard to follow, but it felt like something important, so he was trying hard to focus on its contents.


    "Second question. Why are the Worlds of Magic are called Worlds?" Kent continued.


    "Because Two Tales introduced them like that?" Evin offered.


    "Yes, exactly. But then people started to ask the same question. Why are they called Worlds? After all, don''t mages just absorb mana, and then will it to turn to different World energies? Where in this process is a ''World'' involved? In the first ce, is there even a World involved, or are their names misced?"


    Evin fell in thought, and looked towards Be. She didn''t seem to know much about what was going on.


    "Well, to answer your questions¡­ yes. There are physical manifestations of the Twelve Worlds and yes, you can ess them with your own bodies. You''ll learn all about that in the Heart-casting ss, provided Miss Sufia Zurikh is willing to teach you," the Chairman shrugged his head.


    "What about the third question you were going to ask us?" Evin asked.


    "Ah, of course. The final question is: what was the reward for the ones who essed these Worlds?" Kent said, looking around the ss. "The answer is: ess to an endless supply of World energies that doesn''t have to be filtered through your core. While before, you could only exchange mana to receive a meagre amount of World energies, with ess to a World, you can simply order around the energies inside it to create spells that go way beyond what measly High-Mages like me can do."


    Evin''s mind nked out, imagining ess to an unlimited supply of mana.


    ''What would Endra be able to do with such a thing?'' he thought, and shuddered involuntarily.


    "Now, before you go pester Miss Sufia, listen till the end. As you''re probably imagining, you can''t have something so great without paying the proper price. And in this case, the price is your sanity. If I allowed you to enter a World as you are now, you''ll lose your mind in half a second. The Heart-casting sses shall teach you how to maintain your sanity inside it for the longer periods. But please remember that even with a year of studying under Sufia, at best you''ll learn to stay inside a World for five or six seconds more."


    "Chairman, I have a question!"


    "How long did anyone stay inside it?"


    "Have you ever entered a World?"


    The students began asking countless questions, but the Chairman only shrugged and told them to read about its specifications in the libraryter on. He also warned that the High Mage exclusively picked her students on her own, and asked the students to not bother her too much. Evin decided to read about it in library, but did not have high expectations of it, thinking that Heart-casting would be more popr if it was as powerful as it sounds.


    The Chairman then continued on to speak about the general n for the year, the different sses everyone could take, some information about new specializations, etc. Most of them were just higher level versions of the things the students learned about before, but with more focus on practical applications.


    For example, while they mostly only learned about how to create and maintain illusions in the previous year''s ss on the World of Thoughts, this year, they were going to learn methods on how to notice and discern illusions and see through them without the caster realizing it. And, after learning these methods they were going to learn to create their own illusions that could not be so easily found.


    It all sounded extremely tedious to Evin, imagining a scenario where every illusion had its own countermeasure, and not only that, those countermeasures having their own countermeasures as well. But despite that, Evin was definitely going to attend this ss, since he knew very well the potential of illusions.


    As for other sses, they were mostlybat rted sses so their "practicality" was mostly just fighting. The amount ofbat sses had doubled for a week, and the Chairman mentioned many mana-beast hunts as well. This was the reason why the second year was going to be so deadly for the students.


    Every student was expected to take care of a tier-2 mana-beast on their own by the end of the year. Helm ss students had to meet even stricter requirements, but Evin was already capable of doing them so he wasn''t that worried.


    Next, the Chairman talked on length about the war with the South, sounding terribly annoyed about it, as if he was forced to do this.


    For the most part, the war info was the same as what Evin knew. Although the kingdom held an overwhelming advantage against the Southerners at the beginning of the war, they weren''t able to maintain the advantage due to the unending waves of Myrmis wearing down the kingdom''s armies.


    Because of that, the kingdom''s situation was getting worse and worse, with it experiencing its first lost battle since the beginning of the war. This was a great shock to the kingdom''s people, especially for the ones who lived far away from the South, so now everyone was taking the Southern threat more seriously, with some even proposing some rather extreme measures, like the one involving sending Academy students to war.


    The fact that even students were being seen as potential soldiers still didn''t sit well with Evin. In fact, some students raised this question, to which the Chairman answered by referring them to the kingdom''sws. Thews regarding the situation of mages didn''t outright say that they were the kingdom''s tools, but there were a lot of punishments for mage who didn''tply to their country''s ''reasonable'' demands.


    Finally, Kent spoke about what the Helm ss and also the distribution of resources. Since it was basically the face of the Academy, naturally, the students in it were held on a different level. They were going to face harsher challengespared to other sses, but the rewards were well worth it. World Shards, research materials, magic infused equipment, Talismans, etc. were all going to be given to them.


    But, there was only one problem. Arza was going to be responsible for distributing all resources for the ss. Naturally, there were someints from the students, but the Chairman exined that this was the best way to put everyone under the control of the Helm.


    He then reminded everyone that the most important person in the ss was Arza, who held the position of Helm. Everyone else were of secondary importance. So, whatever he decided to do with the ss was his own will and the rest just had toply with it.


    This was the reward for clearing the Helm''s Worthy, and if the Academy simply gave him a joke of a title, it wasn''t going to be well received.


    At first, Evin wasn''t so worried about it all, but when Arza ordered everyone to call him suprememander from then on, he realized that perhaps he should worry.

 Chapter 146 - Problems Arising.

    Two weekster, Evin was sitting inside Rith''s house, finally finding six hours he could dedicate to learning portals. The Cosmic herself was out for a bit, gathering things that could be useful for the ss.


    ''I can use these few minutes to catch a breather¡­'' Evin sighed and slouched into Rith''s couch.


    These past two weeks were truly packed for Evin. He would attend his sses during the working days of the week, evenings would go to Be, and as for the rest days, he would dedicate one to Be, and the other to his family.


    For his sses, aside from the must-pick ones like Mana-core Cultivation, Spell-casting, Generalbat, and the other non-mage sses like Math and Languages; he picked Illusions, Spear-fighting, Intermediate Runes, Magical Engineering and another History ss.


    As for the Heart-casting ss, the more Evin read about it, the more it started to sound like something useless. It was something that took years to be used to, but even then, the rewards weren''t really that great. You received about ten seconds to do whatever you wanted with a World, but even then, it was extremely hard for the mage to focus on a spell, as the insanity-inducing effects of the World would be messing with your ability to think.


    In any case, the teacher, Sufi Zurikh still hadn''t picked her students to teach, saying that she wasparing their potentials. She was an old, messy-looking woman who looked like she hadn''t eaten a thing for years.


    So, Evin decided to stay far away from Heart-casting, as it definitely sounded like a huge waste of time.


    The must-pick sses were mostly what he expected. He didn''t need to worry about his mana-core''s cultivation, as he had no trouble getting Shards for himself and was nearly able to absorb five lodestones'' worth of mana. He always aced spell-casting, and he was even getting good enough to do it without Endra''s help, thanks to Endra''s new lectures about his home-world


    He was now learning to create Hard Air like Endra did, and was even sessful in creating a mock-up version of the elerator. It wasn''t as powerful as Endra''s, but Evin was able to sessfully shoot out stone or metal bullets out of it using bursts ofpressed air. He couldn''t shoot out air bullets, even though it was technically the weakest bullet, but he learned that he could shoot out small ice bullets, as long as he was careful not to destroy it.


    After he mastered the elerator, Evin decided tomit himself to creating Illusions on the same level as Endra.


    For his Combat sses¡­ although he couldn''t participate in them fully due to his foot, he still made sure to attend them as a spectator. Sometimes Bokh, the Vice-Chair, made him a test dummy for the other students'' ranged spells, so Evin didn''t feel terribly useless during it.


    Unfortunately, Evin couldn''t do the same for his Spear-fighting ss, as leg-work was practically the most important part of fighting with a weapon. For the time being, Evin was just practicing to get used to the spear''s weight-changing abilities.


    The idea for a sorbothium sword (ording to his teacher) was to make it as heavy as possible as itnded on the enemy, but otherwise, to keep it light as a feather. Notpletely weightless, as that tended to make the user confused and lose sense of where the spear was, but light enough to be swirled around one''s fingers without problems (though Evin''s hand wasn''t big enough for that yet).


    In any case, Evin was getting used to utilizing his sorbothium spear properly, and he was excited to try fighting with it when his foot was stable enough.


    For History¡­ he chose it only because he found himself interested in the topic. This year''s history ss was supposed to dive deeper into the kingdom''s history, as thest one was akin to a history of Alvox in its entirety. It was good for him to have picked it, because the first time, Evin only heard about the humans falling under the Dragonshifters'' protection and then being forgotten until they appearedter on, having be very powerful with magic.


    Well, after attending two sses of History this year, Evin learned about how exactly humans survived without any special advantages like the other races for about a hundred years, before meeting a Godling which turned out to be the first step they needed to take to better understand and use their mana-cores.


    Evin was then also introduced to the pinnacle of mana-beasts: the Tier-5s, or moremonly known as Godlings. Like their name suggests, Godlings are beings of mythical powers, whose strengths are oftenpared to the Twelve Cmities. But unlike the Twelve Cmities, they rarely ever¡­ did anything to the twelve races. They were always a neutral force, and sometimes, even a friendly one. Like the Ape Godling that taught humans how to use Gestures for spell-casting.


    Hearing about all this, Evin''s love for history was fully ignited, and he decided to attend all the other history sses following this one.


    As for why he picked Magical engineering and Intermediate Runes, it was because he found himself wanting to do something for Endra. He figured that perhaps they''ll be able to learn about golems eventually, during their Magical Engineering studies, since he felt slightly guilty about picking a research about Absolutes as his prize from the kingdom.


    Endra was bing much more open and talkativepared to before. He generously shared his thoughts and knowledges about many technological and scientific knowledges about Earth and, widening Evin''s perspective greatly.


    Endra knew a disgusting amount of things. And the things he talked about never felt boring to listen to. Well, it was natural, as he was talking about a whole entire world, which possessed technology and science that could only be called magical from Evin''s perspective. And Evin made sure to absorb every single bit of it, because he knew they could be used to cast magic in the right circumstances.


    Endra also described his imaginations to the smallest details, hoping that perhaps if Evin copied it thought for thought, it would achieve the same results. Sometimes it did, sometimes it didn''t. But Evin noticed that if he practiced enough with these specific imaginations, then more often than not, his spells got stronger.


    But aside from stuff about magic and science, the voice sometimes decided to talk about other topics. It would talk about the history of his own world, while also narrating bits and pieces of the life stories of a few people. The stories never had proper structures or reasonings, they just¡­ were. A story about a coronerdy walking through the streets, while others spread rumors about her being a witch and an agent of hell; a story about a how one serial killer picks his next victims by measuring how happy they are in life; a story about a woman just¡­ living with her daughters.


    If there were any lessons to be learned in these stories, then Evin wasn''t finding them. But it was hard for Evin to ignore these stories because he could feel how important these stories were to Endra, judging from how he talked about them.


    This was also the reason why Evin wanted to do something for him. The heavy atmosphere that Evin''s head would be filled with every time Endra spoke was making Evin realize how selfish he was acting.


    And thus, the ss on Magical Engineering and Runes. Evin personally wasn''t very interested in it, but he tried his best to absorb and note the ss''s contents to the best of his abilities, thinking it might be useful for Endra.


    As for his time spent with Be¡­ if he waspletely honest, it was bing a bit too much. Evin still liked her a lot, he even thought he loved her¡­ but her trying to spend every waking hour with him was bing a bit annoying. She was the main reason why Evin was finding himself with no free time all of a sudden.


    He felt like he was past the point of blindly loving every moment he spent with her, and was now recognizing her ws as ws, instead of just brushing them off as cute quirks.


    She was clingy, she was jealous of Lora, she was overly stubborn, and she wanted Evin to live and act the way she wanted him to.


    But Evin couldn''t wholeheartedly hate these things, because in a way, it was kind of what he liked about Be. She was someone who was intimate and passionate, and Evin could tell that she really liked being with him. Evin also liked being with her, but at some point, he would suddenly start feeling forced to be with her and yearn for some time alone.


    Hence the reason he was enjoying this moment he had to himself here in Rith''s house so much. But unfortunately, the moment was destined to end.

 Chapter 147 - Hermium

    "Hey, sorry." Rith said, flying in from the window. "It took some time for me to find the proper item."


    She wasn''t really holding anything on her body, but Evin knew she had ess to a Storage Space that she could ess without using any of the golden Storage Rings.


    "I don''t mind waiting. Wouldn''t have even minded if you took the whole day," Evin shrugged.


    "You sound quite unenthusiastic, which I find problematic in a student, but I''ll overlook it for today," Rith purred. "Now. Hmm¡­ Show me your Three-Dimensional Coordinate System. Make it as big as this room."


    Evinplied. He absorbed some Therae energies and after a minute, some grids dividing the room into equal cubes appeared in his vision. They were all of the same size, and using them, Evin could calcte the room''s length, height and width.


    He could also do the same with every object inside the room which took on a white outline in his eyes. Rith and him received a golden one, since they were things that could move around. It was a bit tricky, considering howplex their body shapes were, but Evin learned to simplify the task by imagining his and Rith''s bodies as a collection of rigid forms. So, for example, in the 3D coordinate system, he was just a mess of spheres and tubes that vaguely made the shape of a human.


    These were things he learned from Rith over the months, with Endra giving some advice here and there.


    But that wasn''t the main point of this spell. In this form, Evin could calcte the distances between everything with extreme precision, using the grid cubes that surrounded him.


    "This is almost perfect. Aside from yourziness in depicting me and you, I don''t see any problems," Rith nodded with satisfaction. "I''m really blessed to have such a good student like you. I only have to work half as much as the other Cosmics, but you progress twice as fast as their students. Hm-hmm."


    Evin didn''t know how, but Rith could somehow see Evin''s 3D system, even though it was technically just an augmentation to his vision.


    "With this, I think it''s time for us to create our own portals," Rith continued. "First, let''s create a Material Portal. I know Combat Portals are easier, but I''m sure you''ll be able to create the first."


    There were three types of portals: Material, Energy, and Combat. The Material Portals were able to teleport anything with a physical body. So, things, humans and other species. But there were a few difficulties in creating them, since objects that went through them could¡­ randomly end up fucked up. So, a person could walk through a portal and end up with no arm, or maybe even with his arm stuck in his chest, which would promptly explode into a blood fountain, coz apparently that''s how it worked.


    Which was why Rith was so opposed to having Evin create a portal by himself. If he somehow managed to create one and for some reason decided to jump through it, there was a real chance that he would die.


    Even if he didn''t go through the portal, sometimes, the two portals could ovep with itself due to the mage''s inexperience, which would also result in a huge explosion. Rith didn''t yet exin how one was supposed to negate this hidden danger, but Evin reckoned he''d learn today.


    "Now, you know that portals are inherently very unstable things to work with," Rith said and began pulling out a golden dust-like thing from her personal Storage Space. "But all problems have a solution. Here, look at this. What do you think this is?"


    "Is it a World of Space Shard?"


    "Not quite. I know they look very simr, but there are differences. Look,pared to a Shard, this one''s much bigger, isn''t it? A Shard you can snort in, but if you try to do the same with this, your lung''s gonna get fucked, cuz its pieces are too big and too sharp," Rith said. "This is what''s called Hermium."


    "Hermium?"


    "Yeah. It''s a material so epting of Therae energy; some even think it''s part of the thing that contains the World of Space. And they wouldn''t be so wrong!" Rith eximed.


    "But what''s the difference between that and a World Shard?" Evin asked.


    "The biggest difference is in how it''s obtained. Do you know how we get World Shards on our hands?" Rith asked.


    "No, not really¡­" Evin replied, trying his best to hide the curiosity from his voice.


    Of course, Evin asked this question, but the teachers always said they didn''t know.


    ''If Rith can teach me about it then¡­ perhaps I''ll be able to get my own Shards!''


    But Rith seemed to pick up on his n and shook her head.


    "If you don''t know, then I can''t tell. But I can tell you this. Each World has a material like Hermium lying around the World. For the World of Darkness you have Nyxium, the World of Fire has Hephium, the World of Thoughts has Vizium and so on," Rith exined, sounding excited. "And, they can all be obtained from the real world one way or another. Most, like Hermium and Nyxium, are mined, while some are extracted from certain ces, some are even grown in special farms."


    Evin frowned, realizing that the World was much bigger and moreplex than he gave it credit for.


    "But what do they all do?" Evin asked.


    "Well, first of all, they''re heaven-sent materials to make certain magical devices and Talismans. They are sopatible with their own energies, that it feels like whatever you''re trying to do with the magical device will just work. For example, if you try to make a Storage Ring out of this piece of Hermium, chances are you''ll seed by just willing it hard enough. Just keep ordering the Therae energies to create a functioning Storage Ring relentlessly and they''ll do it for you! Even if you don''t give them anyplex orders!"


    And idea came to Evin''s mind and he asked. "Is that how you stabilize the portals?"


    Rith smiled at Evin''s deduction and nodded.


    "Exactly. Just will your portal spell to absorb a pinch of this Hermium here and it''ll stabilize itself."


    "But if it''s so powerful, wouldn''t it be easy for everyone to create portals? I mean, you just said that I can probably create a Storage Ring by willing it. Surely every other mage can do the same?"


    Rith shook her head and exined. "Someone inexperienced willing a portal into existence is possible. But that''s going to take almost all the Hermium we have here. And I''ll have you know, this much of Hermium is not cheap. For you, a Cosmic will sell it for around 3500 gold, considering your affiliation with me. For any other mage, they''ll sell it for 12000."


    If Evin had something in his mouth, he would''ve definitely spit it out.


    "That much?! Who even has that much money?" then thinking a bit, he asked again. "And why is the jump so high between me and another mage?!"


    "Perhaps 20% of mages would be able to afford it," Rith shrugged. "As for the jump, it''s because the Cosmics are the only ones who can mine Hermium, so the prices are entirely dependent on our whim."


    "What?! Then what''s the price of it in reality??" Evin couldn''t help but ask.


    Rith only smiled mischievously at that. "We''re getting way off topic. Let''s have you create a damn portal already."

 Chapter 148 - Portal

    Rith let Evin take a pinch of the Hermium and ordered. "Create a portal between you and me and make it big enough for you to fit throughfortably."


    Evin didn''t want to take any chances, so he filled his core to the brim with Therae''s energies and started creating a portal. He imagined a pair of doors, one right in front of him, and the other next to Rith. Their outlines appeared on the grids that were visible to only Evin (though they weren''t yet visible in the real world) and firmly locked itself into position. The grids acted like guidelines, but with some effort, Evin could add some extra options to them.


    Anyhow, here came the important part. The doors weren''t connected to each other, but they were connected to the World of Space. Therae, ording to Rith, was a weird ce. In it, distance did not matter. It wasn''t that it mattered, it was like there was no concept of distance inside it. It was a special kind of world that did not obey the naturalws of the real world. If you knew what you were doing, you could shorten a thousand-day journey to nothing.


    That''s exactly what Evin willed to happen for the two doors, though the distance was only a few steps. Since both doors were connected to the World of Space, where distance didn''t matter, Evin could just will them to connect inside Therae, effectively shortening the distance between the doors to zero.


    Obviously, what Evin was imagining wasn''t so simple as this with him needing to fine control Therae''s energies to act like he willed, but this was the basic gist of things.What mattered was that it was working.


    Evin had practiced this imagination countless times during the past month or so with Rith. She made sure to point out if Evin was imagining anything wrong, and the two of them perfected the process. But they never went past this point. Evin would always imagine the Spell to this point and let it go. But that was going to end today.


    Evin willed the doors to absorb a pinch of the Hermium he was holding and opened it.


    Finally, a dot of gold appeared in front of him, creating a small shockwave around the room, and slowly began expanding outwards. The same thing was happening next to Rith. They both abruptly stopped expanding the moment they assumed the shape of a rectangle.


    Inside the golden rectangle, Evin could see the other end of Rith''s room like he was standing next to him. Since the image wasn''t so distorted Evin felt very confident that his first portal was functional. It was sucking up the energy in his core like crazy, but Evin didn''t care for that. He was barely containing his urge to shout out in excitement.


    But he didn''t let himself get too clouded with excitement. Evin performed some safety checks on the portal like Rith taught him to and after he was finished doing that, he spoke.


    "I''m done."


    At that point, Rith''s face appeared inside the image, before her body jumped through the portal and appeared next to him.


    ''She had just jumped through the portal I made¡­''


    The thought made him shiver instinctively.


    "I don''t feel anything out of ce, so¡­ That''s definitely a pass from me," Rith said as hended on Evin''s arms. She purred teasingly. "I''m really, really interested in how you''re so capable at these things¡­ If I told my fellow teacher that you''ve managed to create a portal on your first try, they''re definitely going to cough out blood."


    Evin smiled, remembering the conversation he had with Abe and Rith, and answered simply. "I told you that''s my secret and I remember us agreeing to respect each other''s boundaries."


    "I will respect your secrets¡­ but that doesn''t mean that I can''t ask about them once in a while, no? Who knows? Maybe you''ll talk about it one day?"


    <I still don''t know how you talking about me to Be will end up like, so let''s not make our situation even messier,> a warning came from inside Evin''s brain.


    Endra wasn''t very happy about Evin confessing to Be. But he didn''t berate Evin too much about it, since Be didn''t seem very focused on Endra''s existence as much. Half the time, she seemed to forget about him entirely.


    ''But that doesn''t mean that everyone else will take it the same,'' Evin reminded himself.


    "Perhaps I''ll talk about it someday, but don''t get your hopes too high."


    "Aw¡­" Rith sighed and snuggled her head into Evin''s chest.


    Evin didn''t know how to react to her sudden behavior. "I really didn''t imagine Cosmic Felines to act like this, you know?"


    "We usually don''t¡­ but who likes acting all prim and proper all the time? Give me a break."


    "Now then¡­ Since I''m done with portals, what are we going to do next?"


    "First of all, you''re not done with portals. You''ll only be done with Material Portals when you can connect Ankelite and Jiha Town. Of course, king Seth is probably going to ask you much more than this, so don''t think that''s the end of your training. You also have to learn how to use Energy Portals, and after that you''ll also get a crash course on fighting with portals."


    "What about Storage Rings?" Evin asked.


    "About that. I''m not going to teach you how to make that. That''s one of our most popr items, so it''s very bad for Cosmics if a human suddenly bes able to create them. But, as a reward forpleting my training, I''m going to make gift you one at the end of it," Rith smiled.


    "Really? When''s that?"


    "When you can do this."


    Rith jumped out of Evin''s arms, and floated. She briefly glowed golden before disappearing from Evin''s vision. Another glow of gold appeared a few steps away from him and revealed he Cosmic, maintaining the same posture as before.


    Before Evin could register what just happened, Rith resumed speaking.


    "This is called Blinking. The ability to instantly reposition yourself using a rather tricky portal."


    Evin frowned. "You used a portal to do that? How?"


    "You''ll learn after you master Energy Portals," Rith said and triumphantly smiled at Evin. "For now, let''s go outside and practice longer portals. And we''ll work a little on how you can save mana and energy when you''re maintaining a portal. I noticed that you were starting to struggle at the end of it back there."


    Evin nodded seriously and immediately went to work mode. Sometimes he felt tired of spell-casting all the time, but moments like these gave him the motivation to keep on going.


    Then, he suddenly remembered something.


    "Hey, Rith... Can I ask you something?"


    "What?"


    "Can you keep the fact that I''ve seeded in creating a portal? At least until someone else learns to do it."


    Rith cocked her head and thought. "Hmm... I guess I could. The higher-ups are expectant of you... but I''m kinda feeling like they''re hoping for you to fail, you know? After all, if you''re sessful, it''s bad for our business. So, it wouldn''t hurt for me to keep the matter under the rugs for a little bit."


    "Really?"


    "Yeah. But why are you asking me this?"


    Evin chuckled awkwardly and responded. "I just felt like I''ll be drafted to the war the moment they know I can create portals, you know?"


    "Ha-hah. I suppose that''s true. Alright. I''ll only tell the higher-ups about your progress when you learn how to blink. I''m not expected to make reports by deadlines, so I won''t get in too much trouble, anyway."

 Chapter 149 - A New Class

    The next morning, Evin went towards the Helm ss''s room, feeling satisfied with the previous day''s progress. At the end of it, he was able to create a portal out of sight, by extending his grid-filled sight past his natural vision. It made him feel quite aplished, but it was just him memorizing thendscape down to the smallest details, so he could confidently imagine it on his 3D Coordinate.


    ''Am I going to have to memorize the entirety of Alvox if I were to teleport to wherever I want?'' Evin thought with some dread before appearing in the ssroom.


    "You''rete, Vice Commander Evin," a familiar voice greeted him.


    "Sorry, sir! Supreme Commander, sir!" Evin replied almost instinctively.


    "Wrong! You''re notte! Use your head! And you''re too subservient!" Arza replied.


    He was the only one in ss, as he usually woke up way before everyone.


    "Sorry, sir! Supreme Commander, sir!"


    "Stop apologizing for every little thing!"


    "Sorry, sir! Supreme Commander, sir!"


    "Argh! Go sit in your seat!"


    "Sir, yes sir!" Evin replied, barely holding a grin.


    Evin found Arza''s random orders annoying at first, and only cooperated withzy reluctance. But eventually, he learned to y along and just enjoy the situation. Besides, it was hrious to see everyone else struggling to handle Arza like he and Phel did. It was a good way for him to distract himself from the torture that happened during this day of the week.


    "Adept Decatur, I am still waiting for your apology regarding your position," Arza was harassing his prime opposition.


    "Fuck off with your stupid games!" the young Count replied.


    "I''m afraid I''ll have to remove your name from the World Shard list once more. Such a shame¡­ This week we were getting some conceptual Shards as well," Arza sighed. "I even promoted you to Adept considering your talents, but to think that you still can''t ept my goodwill."


    "I don''t need your fucking Shards," Decatur replied and walked towards his seat.


    As Evin was looking at the scene, Decatur turned towards him and spoke in a deadpan manner.


    "Don''t look at me, you murderer."


    Decatur stared at Evin, not bothering to hide the immense hatred he bore for Evin. It wouldn''t have been weird of the he started casting a spell too. Evin sighed and pretended he didn''t see what just happened.


    Perhaps if he was brave enough, he would''ve confronted Decatur, telling him to stop acting like he ruined the boy''s life¡­ but all of that sounded like too much trouble for Evin.


    ''And I feel like it wouldn''t do much to change his mind in the first ce¡­''


    If Endra''s stories taught Evin one thing, it was that arguments rarely ever achieved anything. You didn''t call drug addict a ''fucking addict that''s ruining their lives, and should really do something with their addiction'' and expected them to actually do that. Apparently, they became even more deranged.


    Evin sighed and shook his head. There was no reason to be philosophical first thing in the morning. His was doomed to go badly today, so he shouldn''t try to make it worse.


    He resumed watching the other students struggling to call Arza ''Supreme Commander''. Some were alright, like Phel and Dagan, but there were some bad cases. Be was the worst by far.


    "Good morning, Second Vice President!"


    "GoodmorningSupremeCommandersir!" Be blurted out before running next to Evin''s seat.


    After being denied a World Shard for the past two weeks, she was finally swallowing her pride and doing as Arzamanded. Sure, she could''ve afforded to buy a Shard for herself like Decatur did, but to do that, she needed to beg her father for it, which was simple uneptable.


    "Just embrace the act, enjoy it," Evin said to her, as he struggled to not snicker at her.


    "Shut up!" Be buried her head in Evin''s chest. "Why are you so into this, anyway?!"


    Evin stroked her hair and sniffed her on the head. A smile crept up his face as he noticed her blushing.


    ''I wish she would always act this cute¡­'' a thought appeared in his head.


    Resisting the urge to sigh, Evin spoke. "It''s just a harmless joke. And besides, this ssroom needs to lighten up a bit as far as I''m concerned."


    "This is not a joke, Vice President," Arza added from across the ssroom. "I would appreciate it if you stopped spreading misinformation."


    "Sorry, sir! Supreme Commander, sir!"


    "I''m really not joking!" Arza sighed.


    He seemed like he was about to say something, but he stopped as the Chairman entered the room. Evin also noticed someone else walking behind him, a skinny old woman, who was dressed rather drably.


    "Alright, everyone, settle down," the Chairman said as he waved everyone down to sit down. "Today''s lesson will start with Miss Sufia Zurikh checking out everyone''spatibilities with Heart-casting."


    Evin heard many rumors about the new teacher, stuff about her losing her mind after spending too much time in a World¡­ or about her always being crazy, so she was a perfect fit for Heart-casting. He knew that most of them were bullshit, since all the rumors came from the students themselves.


    ''But I guess that if someone who looks like that and teaches a spellcasting method that makes the user go crazy, they would get a couple rumors surrounding them¡­''


    "Miss Sufia, please," the Chairman said and gestured towards the ss.


    "Hmph," the woman snorted at the Chairman as if she was looking at something disgusting.


    ''Maybe she isn''t so bad after all?'' Evin smiled as he looked at the Chairman''s dejected face.


    Sufia then began ncing through the ssroom. Evin looked around and saw the students trying to avoid eye contact with her. Evin supposed he also fell into this group. Only Arza looked genuinely interested in Sufia, while Decatur looked as if he couldn''t give a damn.


    "Hmm¡­" Sufia hummed as she walked through the ss.


    She definitely took her time. Although she would walk past some students without an ounce of hesitation; some poor student would be subjected to her lifeless stare for at least five minutes before she continued on.


    The longest student she stared at was Arza and Decatur, but Evin also received their fair share of staring. Though she seemed to be appraising Evin and Be at the same time.


    After having walked through the room, she walked next to the Chairman and spoke in a husky voice.


    "For the pompous blonde over there, it''s Irratas and perhaps Lumiaris. He can enter it very easily, but I''m not sure how well he''ll survive it." Then, pointing at Be, she continued. "It''s the same for that long-haired girl over there¡­ but I feel she''ll be able tost longer in them."


    The Chairman nodded in agreement.


    "That red-haired boy can ess Ivelisi, Tenarak, Lochra, Apdenul, and maybe Ferlour. It won''t take much effort as well."


    The Chairman''s eyebrows rose ever so slightly. "That many?"


    ''Water, Earth, Thoughts, Life, and Emotions¡­ Is it rare for someone to be able to ess five Worlds¡­?'' Evin thought. ''Wait, in the first ce, certain mages can only ess certain Worlds?''


    Then, Sufia looked at Evin.


    "Him¡­ He can ess Seyethe, Exivear, Lochra, Qanatohm, Therae and Ori-Etu. With some training, he''llst quite long in them as well¡­" Sufia looked like she wanted to add something on it, but she seemingly decided not to.


    "A rather unique set of Worlds. Air, Darkness, Thoughts are rtivelymon; but Weight, Space and Time are quite rare, aren''t they?" The Chairman looked satisfied, but he didn''t look very surprised. Perhaps he was already expecting something special from Evin.


    "Mm," Sufia nodded in reply. "I''ll leave the rest to you."


    Saying so, the woman walked out of the room without further ado.

 Chapter 150 - A Game Plan

    Afterwards, the Chairman looked at the four students one by one and started speaking. "Well, you four will have to wake up an hour earlier than you''re used to for her lessons. Starting from next week."


    Evin opened his mouth to protest, "Chairman, I don''t want to learn how to Heart-cast?"


    "Hmm? Why? A visit to an alternate World and ess to infinite energies? Who wouldn''t want that?"


    "But there is a price for it all, right? And it''s not like it''s easy to get to that infinite energy point in the first ce¡­"


    "I kinda don''t want to attend as well," Arza replied with an awkward smile.


    "Hmm, I''d love to respect your wishes, but it''s mandatory for anyone who has a sliver of talent in Heart-casting to attend them. I think you''ll learn why if you attend her sses a few times. And¡­ I wouldn''t be so surprised if you find yourself enjoying the ss. Heart-casting sses are rather special, you see."


    Evin reluctantly closed his mouth, thinking that the kingdom''sws probably had something in it that forced him to study Heart-casting. But that didn''t mean he had nothing against the situation.


    "How does she know who''s capable of entering a World in the first ce?"


    "We don''t know exactly," the Chairman smiled. "But she was never wrong before, so we trust her. However, don''t try to fail at her subject just to break her streak. She tends to pull students into Worlds if she doesn''t like them."


    Evin found himself worried, though he didn''t know why. It wasn''t like he was nning to refuse her teachings.


    Shaking his head, Evin focused on the Chairman''s ss. The ss went as it always did, with the Chairman talking about Mage Formations. It wasn''t a fancy spell or anything like that, just how groups of mages tended to fight together, or rather, how they best fought together.


    Afterwards, Arza would lead everyone to attempt these formations in practice, doing some mock battles to get the feel for it all.


    It all felt like they were just being prepared to be sent to the military.


    And after this lesson was finished, all themoners left the ssroom one by one, leaving Evin with the rest of the noble students. They were left to study Imagination Casting under the Chairman, as everyone here was the Chairman''s personal assistant.


    Of course, Evin didn''t want to be here. He was practically forced to study here, as for whatever reason, every other teacher refused to take him in as their assistant. Same with Leanne, but she did exin to Evin that the Chairman was exerting his authority, forcing the teachers to refuse Evin''s apprenticeship.


    Evin called bullshit, and wanted toin to somewhere, but the only person he couldin to was the Count of Greater Ankelite, which was a definite no-no, and the Ministry of Education''s headquarters. Evin sent a letter to thetter, but he wasn''t really sure if they received it. He considered talking to Gehenne about it, but he was also connected to the young Count, so Evin decided not to.


    Anyhow, Evin''s dislike for this apprenticeship wasn''t just because he hated the Chairman. It was also because he had nothing to learn here.


    After all, the Chairman would always be talking about the Elements of nature, but for Evin, the lessons were practically useless. After all, his method of casting waspletely different from everyone else''s. At best, Evin could just feel superior to the Chairman and his lesser casting methods.


    But that wasn''t the main reason why he didn''t like being here. Most of it was because of how the Chairman acted and spoke during these ''lessons''.


    "Now, Evin, please show us how to create water from the air¡­ Can everyone else see how simple it is?"


    "Oh, there''s nothing much I can teach Evin. Sometimes, I feel that I have much to learn from him¡­"


    The man was constantly praising Evin, as if that was the only reason for the ss to exist. Be even asked him if Evin was the Chairman''s boy-toy or something after the first lesson. She asked it jokingly at first, but it felt like she was feeling like it''s true the more and more she listened to the Chairman.


    Evin, of course, knew what the Chairman was trying to do. He was trying to create conflicts between him and the nobles, still faithful to his stupid dream. In fact, Evin even wondered what the point of all this was, since he was getting along with some nobles pretty well. In fact, he was even dating one of them.


    So what if he couldn''t get along with the others? It''s not like everyone''s gotta get along with each other.


    Isn''t the Chairman worsening the situation by throwing bones between Evin and the nobles? If they''re forever fighting, how is Evin supposed to bridge the gap between the two groups.


    At this point, Evin was even considering making the man''s dreame true, as long as he left Evin the fuck alone afterwards.


    <He just wants to overthrow the nobles,> Endra had exined. <He advocates equality so he''ll have justification, but in reality, he just wants to take over.>


    Evin felt like that waspletely true. And the man didn''t even just want to take over, for some reason, he wanted Evin to do it for him. If Evin let the man do as he wished, at best he''ll end up a leader in a revolution, or he''d end up a martyr.


    ''What an ass! He''s worse than an ass! At least asses looked good in people''s eyes!''


    But, of course, Evin wasn''t going confront the Chairman or something like that. First, he didn''t want to snitch on Leanne and second, he could kind of handle this situation to a certain degree.


    "Chairman, please don''t praise me so much. It feels forced at this point," Evin spoke in a deadpan voice, as if he was genuinely disturbed by the praises.


    It was wonderful how many things a person could get if they just asked for it. Obviously, Evin knew that the Chairman wouldn''t just give up, but Evin could sometimes show his disinvolvement, so the students knew he didn''t want this.


    Though, he couldn''t be too vocal about it, as he didn''t want to let the Chairman realize that Evin was onto his n. Who knows what the man would do when he gets serious? Was he going to try and brainwash Evin? Or force him toply through some other means? Evin certainly didn''t want to find out.


    It was best for him to just stay low and act normal. And if the Chairman finally came to him, asking if he wanted to overthrow the nobles, Evin could y along for a bit, before gathering enough evidence to get the man hanged and be done with this whole thing.

 Chapter 151 - Argument

    After the Chairman''s ss finished, Evin went to Be''s room with her. They decided it was toote to cook and decided to stop by the cafeteria to bring some food home.


    "But are you sure you don''t service the Chairman?" Be said teasingly. "Perhaps in his room at nights?"


    "Ugh, I told you I don''t. I''m just as confused as you are."


    "He''s ying favorites and he isn''t even bothering to hide it, you know? There''s definitely something."


    Evin considered telling her about the Chairman, since she knew about Endra, but Evin felt like she wouldn''t be able to keep the secret for too long. He felt a bit guilty, thinking that he wasn''t trusting his girlfriend, but he didn''t want extra things to worry about. But that didn''t mean he couldn''t say anything.


    "I wish I knew why he''s doing that too," Evin shrugged. "It''s almost like he''s just trying to piss off everyone in the ss. Don''t know why he would do that in the first ce, but he''s giving me that kind of vibe. Maybe he''s just taking his day out on me?"


    "That''s a weird way to vent¡­" Be cocked her head, her fingers on her lips. "But now that you say it, it does feel like that. Everyone else wouldn''t feel happy hearing you get praised like that, and you wouldn''t feel so happy about it either, considering your personality. The Chairman should realize that soon enough, considering how smart he is."


    Evin grunted in an agreeable tone, as he unwrapped their food.


    They ate while chatting, mostly about random topics and perhaps some childhood memories here and there. They almost never talked about each other''s days, as they both had almost the same exact routine.


    After they were finished, Evin got up to do the dishes. They didn''t have to clean them, since they came from the cafeteria, but Evin felt bad for the kitchen staff who had to clean dishes that stayed dirty for a whole day. And Evin was always quick to wash them, since he knew how horrible it was to rub off hardened oil with a cold, wet cloth.


    ''This is making me weirdly nostalgic about cleaning father''s oil tanks¡­"


    As Evin was thinking about random things, Be approached him from behind and spoke.


    "Sooo, you''re going to Jiha town tomorrow?"


    Evin''s calm state of mind immediately went to full alert as he expected Be''s usual attempts to dissuade him from meeting his mother''s family.


    "Yeah," he replied, making sure to be mindful of his tone of voice. He learned that he couldn''t sound annoyed or defensive during these conversations, or else it would very quickly lead to an argument.


    "To see your mother again?"


    "Well, I did promise her that I''ll visit her daily, so¡­ And besides, it''s not like I don''t like doing it. I''ve been spending quite some time with her family and it¡­ it''s definitely fun. Sasha''s quite cute too."


    Evin felt like he was trying to navigate his way out of a thorny bush while naked.


    "Uh, do you have to go there tomorrow?" Be asked. "I was just talking to one of my friends and she told me there was this really nice steak ce and I was thinking we could go check it out, you know?"


    ''What friend?!'' Evin almost blurted out. Evin never saw Be talking to any other girl or woman in the Academy. Not even in Ankelite city.


    "Maybe we can check them out tomorrow evening? Or maybe the day after?" Evin offered.


    Be looked noticeably sadder, but she didn''t feel like she wanted to argue. Evin felt a bit happy, since that meant that she was kind of epting that he couldn''t spend every moment with her. Probably.


    Evin felt oddly proud of her so he just walked up and gave her a kiss on the forehead. Be snuggled her head into Evin''s chest and wrapped her hand around him. A warm feeling went through Evin''s chest.


    Be really wasn''t that bad as long as she wasn''t acting unnecessarily jealous sometimes¡­ Evin really didn''t know why she turned out so possessive like that.


    "I''ll let you do it with me if you stay tomorrow¡­" Be spoke.


    "What?"


    "I said¡­" Be said and looked at Evin straight in the eye. "I''ll have sex with you if you stay tomorrow."


    Her expression and the way she said it made it clear enough that she was serious. Evin couldn''t even joke his way out of this situation. All the fuzzy thoughts Evin was having before dissipated into nothingness at her sudden deration. Or rather, an ultimatum, considering how Be said it.


    Two different sides appeared in Evin''s head: one expectant and the other offended.


    The expectant side was, of course, overjoyed to hear Be''s ultimatum. Finally, they get to do it! Of course, Evin tried to go further with their rtionship. He was a boy, after all. So now that she was offering it herself, why wouldn''t he be happy? Visiting Lora? Why should Evin care about that?


    The offended side, though, felt mad at hearing something like that from Be. Was she going to use the same thing against Evin every time she wanted something? And why was she acting like this in the first ce? It wasn''t like Evin was going to live with his mother? He was going to be gone for a fucking day!


    Evin looked at Be, who was looking at him levelly, with no sign of betraying her true intentions. Whatever they may be. Bracing himself for an argument, Evin just said what he was feeling.


    "I''m still going away for tomorrow¡­ And, uh¡­ I''d appreciate it if you don''t¡­ I don''t know, do things like this."


    Evin gently pushed her away and headed towards the door. It was time for him to leave anyway. He felt that this was the right move.


    He also felt that he was the right one in this situation. In fact, he even felt that it was okay for him to be a bit angrier and Evin should be praised for keeping his calm.


    ''Though, I really can''t tell if being right means shit.''


    "Are you just going to leave?" Be suddenly spoke. "After saying that?"


    Evin turned around, to see her wearing a rather dangerous-looking frown, with pursed lips and eyes that looked both miserable and mad.


    "I really don''t know what else I''m supposed to say there," Evin replied, failing to hide his annoyance.


    "What do you mean you don''t know?" Be''s voice was bing louder.


    Evin knew that an argument wasing but he didn''t care.


    "Exactly what I mean. What am I supposed to say when you''re practically telling me to choose between you and my mother?"


    "I didn''t do that!"


    "Okay, what was that, then? You''re going to let me fuck you only if I''m not meeting my mother? What about other days? Why can''t we have sex when we''re both feeling happy, huh? Why do we have to do it when I''m feeling guilty about being unable to meet my mother?"


    Be''s eyes were had a hint of sadness in it before, but now it was just angry.


    "It''s always the same with you! You''re always going on and on about your mother, and the other times, you try to put your hands between my thighs! And when I finally¡­ Ugh!"


    "I don''t always do that! And even if I did, is it something so wrong? I was just reunited with my mother, who was missing from my life almost entirely! Is it so wrong for me to want to be with her and help her?" Evin was starting to shout.


    Be went silent at that. Evin felt triumphant at that and although he knew he shouldn''t, he continued.


    "And what''s so wrong about me wanting to have sex with you? I''m a boy! That''s dating you! I can''t help feeling horny sometimes! And why are you so against it in the first ce?"


    "Why wouldn''t I be?!" Be shouted back. "First of all, it''s not so easy for me to just have sex! My¡­ genital doesn''t function like yours, which just gets hard and just¡­ gets ready for whatever!"


    Evin was about to reply, but hearing something he didn''t understand, he inevitably slowed down.


    "What do you mean?" Evin asked, his voice bing slightly softer due to his confusion.


    "You don''t know?" Be replied back.


    "Don''t know what?"


    Be''s red cheeks turned even redder as she looked back at Evin. "Are you messing with me?"


    "What are you talking about?" Evin was genuinely confused.


    Be looked like she was struggling to word something, but was failing. "Why are you making me talk about this in the first ce? Go read a book on it or something!" She suddenly got angry, though Evin could tell that she was the good kind of mad. "Go away! Weren''t you leaving anyway?"


    Be pushed Evin out and he suddenly found himself in the dorm room''s corridors, not sure what exactly happened.


    ''What the fuck?''


    Feeling out of ce, Evin slowly made his way back to his room. Arza was out, like always, so Evin immediately jumped onto his bed.


    <Uh, hello?>


    He received no answer, so Evin asked ''harder''.


    <What?> Endra came eventually.


    <Did you hear what happened?>


    <Hmm?>


    Endra made a point not to interfere with Evin''s rtionship, saying that he could ignore whatever was happening outside if he wanted to. Evin was d that Endra was so considerate, but sometimes he wished that the resident in his head would help out.


    <My talk with Be.>


    <No. Did she not want you to visit your mom again?>


    Evin sighed and began exining the situation. Then, he got to the point where Be shoved her out of the room, and Endra beganughing.


    <Wait, how do you even know about sex, again? You don''t have any friends to be horny teenagers with, do you?> Endra asked after he was finished giggling. <Oh, wait, wait. I remember. Your father and those whores he brought home sometimes.>


    Evin was reminded of those shameful nights where he had to pretend he was sleeping, but couldn''t quite sleep because of what he was hearing in the next room. And it wasn''t so hard to peep in to see what was happening too.


    <Alright, I guess you wouldn''t know much about these things considering your situation. Sex education would probably only get invented in the next century or something¡­ It''s toote to hope you''ll learn these things naturally¡­ Ah, whatever.>


    Saying so, Endra held his rather extensive ss on sex education.


    *****

 Chapter 152 - Revelations About The Self

    Be got out of her bed, feeling groggy, stiff, tired, and overall miserable. She couldn''t get a wink of sleep after her argument with Evin, so she spent the entire night rolling around in her bed. So, she decided to walk around her room a bit to clear her head.


    She thought about many things during her undesirable all-nighter, which was almost bing a weekly thing. It was bing a routine for her to argue with Evin before he left to see his mother and then lose sleep over it. Be didn''t know why she did this to herself. She also didn''t know why she did this to Evin.


    But at least this time, she came to a few conclusions. First, Evin didn''t know about how her vagina worked, because he didn''t have a nanny like Be, who thoroughly educated her on the matters of the genitalia. She couldn''t tell how the boy knew about sex, though. Perhaps he learned by peeping on a prostitute and her customer while invisible?


    He could definitely do it, considering his talents¡­ Well, probably not. But it was funny to think about.


    Anyhow the second conclusion.


    She realized that she was hopelessly falling in love with him. She always like him, but she never thought she would be so addicted to him so fast. She showed him so many different sides of her, but Evin always epted them with open arms. Her strong side, her vengeful side, her spoilt side¡­ everything.


    She also realized that these sides of here weren''t that urate as she first imagined.


    She wasn''t the talented, capable girl with strong opinions that everyone thoughts she was. At some point, she was definitely that, but very quickly, that ''her'' was turning into someone else. Sure, she still had her skills as a mage, and sure, she could be considered pretty capable, butpared to actually capable people, she was feeling like she was out of their league.


    Among the 2nd years of the Academy, she was undoubtedly the strongest one, but that was just because she spent so much time with her family''s mage guards. They were happy to teach her all they knew and Be was also happy to learn whatever they thought her. The only way she wouldn''t have turned out capable was if she was just an idiot.


    Compared to that, Evin''s rise in strength was almost miraculous. Half a year ago, he wasn''t even able to run at someone properly, but looking at him now, the change was¡­ well, miraculous.


    Sure, some of it was thanks to the ''Voice'' he kept talking about, but Be knew that Evin was capable of doing all those things by himself. He was always vocal about how the ''Voice'' was always considerate of his privacy (despite the fact that it lived in Evin''s head permanently), and always reassured Be that they were alone.


    Be, too, convinced herself that Evin didn''t have someone sitting in his head whenever they were kissing. She was even learning to deny its existence by convincing herself that Evin was just a little crazy. Not too extreme, just a small case of a multiple personality disorder, whatever the heck that means. She had to do it, since she felt like it was the only way for her to function without freaking out.


    After thinking about all sorts of things while walking circles around her room, Be inevitably ended up on her bed again.


    ''Evin must be flying towards her mother''s ce about now¡­''


    She frowned at the thought, and tried her best to not think about it too much. The mere thought of him being somewhere without her and having fun was making her feel like someone was choking her.


    Honestly, Be didn''t know that she was capable of such jealousy.


    What Evin spoke was right. He was only going to be away for a day. There was absolutely no reason for Be to lose her mind and sleep like this. It was absolutelycking in logic.


    ''Why can''t you just let him go and enjoy a day for yourself?''


    The problem was that a day of her being alone would always end up feeling torturous. She was literally acting like an addict, never able to concentrate on something for more than a few minutes, always looking around, searching for the thing that made her feel happy. For others, that happy thing was alcohol, or fly-weed, or maybe even sex. For Be, it was Evin.


    Every moment he was missing, she would be imagining what would it be like if he was there with her. What would they be doing if they were together? She wouldn''t really care even if they did nothing. Maybe a bit¡­ but she''d be content as long as Evin looked happy.


    ''I wonder if she''s mad at me¡­'' she though with a sigh. ''He should definitely be enjoying his time¡­ Wait, is he even there yet? Then perhaps he''s looking forward to enjoying his time¡­? Was he thinking about him? I wonder if he''s feeling guilty as he''s flying over to Jiha town?''


    Even if Evin left for his mother after having an argument with her, Be couldn''t really hate Evin for it. After all, she knew she was in the wrong. She didn''t want to be one of those people, who couldn''t admit that they were wrong. Evin seemed like he didn''t like those sorts of people.


    "Haaah¡­" she sighed out again, before rolling around in her bed once more.


    Again, Be didn''t know how she turned out like this.


    She thought she was someone, who was so hell-bent on revenge that she didn''t even care if she wasmitting patricide¡­ but she was now realizing that that wasn''t it either.


    After spending time with Evin and learning the care of someone else, she was feeling more and more that her revenge on her father was something petty and small.


    She thought she would never feel like this, but she really couldn''t give a shit about her father at this point. Who even cares? He was just some wimpy old man who didn''t have the balls to acknowledge the severity of the situations surrounding him. He was like someone who was covered in shit, but was refusing to admit it for whatever reason.


    Was Be really going to revolve her life around killing a man like that? It felt cliche, but revenge really didn''t resonate with Be after she got a taste of what real happiness felt like.


    These days¡­ her heart was filled with love. Compared to her failure of a father, Evin was much more important. Not just him. What he did, who he was with, how he was feeling¡­ all those things were countless times more important that her performing patricide and potentially ruining her life.


    ''Who knew how much my perspective would change after a few weeks of being intimate with someone?''


    Be suddenly jumped up, her ears perking up. Someone''s footsteps were walking through the corridor outside, and¡­ they undoubtedly belonged to Evin. She couldn''t mistake his quick, yet still soft steps.


    Evin never walked fast when he was with her, but alone, he walked quite fast. But for some reason, he always tried to keep his gait silent, so it took Be some time to learn to recognize theming.


    ''Did hee to me?'' she thought at lighting speed. ''Why? Did he really not go to go to his mother''s? But why wouldn''t he go there? ¡­ I mean, there''s only one answer why, isn''t there? Did he¡­e to do that with me?'' Be thought and a huge blush appeared on her cheeks. ''I''m not ready for that!''

 Chapter 153 - Love

    Even then, Be jumped towards the mirror and gave herself a look. She decided that she shouldn''t have done that because she now realized how horrible she looked. Her hair was a mess from a whole night of being rubbed all over the bed and although her eyes weren''t baggy, her left eye had be red for some reason.


    ''It''s not even itching, so why the hell did it be red?'' Be wanted to curse, as she heard the footstepsing closer.


    Quickly, she grabbed a lodestone and conjured a stream of water to straighten up her hair and before she was about to wipe her hair with a towel, she gave herself a sniff. She didn''t really smell anything, though she still decided to y it safe and ran to the bathroom.


    She threw all her clothes onto the floor, went in the tub and just gave herself a quick shower. It wouldn''t really clean herpletely, but it would have to do. She then hurriedly wiped her body with the towel and put on her clothes.


    She then heard Evin knocking on her door.


    ''I can''t believe I made it!'' she wanted to exim.


    She then tip-toed next to her bed and made some noise on the bed to indicate she was on it. Then, as Evin knocked once more, she groaned audibly and walked to the door with deliberate footsteps. She didn''t know why she was doing this.


    Right before the door, she breathed out softly to clear her mind and opened it.


    Evin was standing there, an awkward expression on his face. He was wearing the same clothes as yesterday and his eyebags looked a notch darkerpared to yesterday. He smelled slightly of sweat, but Be didn''t dislike that smell.


    ''Did he not sleep as well?'' Be found herself thinking. The thought made her oddly happy for whatever reason and Be had to force down her urge to kiss him. They were still technically fighting, after all.


    "Uh, good morning," Evin greeted, his voice cracking slightly.


    ''So stiff¡­ and why does he sound so guilty?'' Be found herself thinking.


    "Hello?" she replied. "I thought you were going to your mother¡­ Uh, did you¡­ decide not to go?"


    She nned to ask him outright, but of course, she failed hallway through. How was one supposed to ask something like that in the first ce? And shouldn''t she be allowed some time to prepare herself?


    But Evin quickly reassured her about his intentions. "I''m still going to meet my mother," he said, frantically waving his arms in front of himself.


    "Oh," Be replied, feeling slightly disappointed. "Well, I hope you travel safely."


    She considered flipping out again, but decided against it. She was too happy to be angry again, even though she really wanted to spend the day with him. She was even preparing herself mentally for that too.


    "Before I leave, I just wanted to say I''m sorry," Evin quickly added.


    "For what?"


    "Uh, for always wanting to¡­ you know, uh, push our rtionship further?"


    Be immediately realized what she was talking about. Her cheeks felt hot, but through willpower, she managed to keep her face level. For whatever reason, her urge to kiss him was ring up again.


    "It''s okay. I was also wrong. For saying those things to you. About your mother as well¡­"


    "No-no," Evin started waving around his hands again. "I never knew that it was soplicated for you. I mean, I knew about it a little, but I never really knew the details about it, you know? So I just wanted to tell you that I''ll never force you to do anything. I''ve just been thinking about things after I left yesterday."


    Evin was speaking very quicklypared to normal. He seemed to notice it and slowed down. "I still like you a lot you know? And I just wanted to make that clear before I left."


    ''So he''s still going to leave,'' Be thought once more. ''Well, of course, he''s going to leave¡­''


    Evin was too nice in Be''s opinion. Sure, he could be ruthless and annoying sometimes, but for things that mattered to him, he was too sincere. He was the type that would never break a promise to his close ones. Of course, his mother fell into that category, so Evin would definitely be with her.


    ''Stopining,'' Be reprimanded herself. ''You fall into that category as well, so stop acting like a spoiled child. Isn''t that why you like him so much in the first ce?''


    "I''m not really mad anymore," Be said with a sigh. "And I told you, I was in the wrong as well¡­"


    Evin didn''t look very convinced, with how he was looking at her. A brief glint of determination shed through his eyes, before he walked closer to her. Be''s heart skipped a beat as his hands grabbed hers.


    "Are you really alright?" he asked.


    At this point, Be couldn''t take it anymore. She pulled Evin into a hug and sealed his lips with hers. She pulled him into her room and closed the door behind her. Usually, it was Evin who was proactive in the rtionship, so he looked quite shocked.


    They fell to the ground then and there, locked in each other''s embrace. As Be was passionately kissing Evin, a sense of euphoria came over her mind, as she felt indescribably happy.


    Only when her heart felt satisfied, she could let him go. He looked back at her, a smitten expression on his face. Be grinned in what she could imagined as a maniac way, and kissed him again.


    She felt like she''d allow him anything at that moment, but she also felt like she wouldn''t be able to let him go after that.


    But eventually, they broke off each other.


    "You can go to your mother now," Be spoke. "You can also do it every week like you promised her and I won''tin, but you have to do this to me every morning you have to leave me behind¡­ You have to do the same when youe back too."


    She couldn''t believe she said that with a straight face.


    Evin looked at her in a stupefied way, before nodding and getting up to his feet. He went to the window and flew away.


    "He didn''t even say anything¡­" Be sighed out as she saw his figure turning smaller and smaller.


    She wasn''t that disappointed. It felt like an Evin thing to do.


    But just as he disappeared out of her sight, a dreadful feeling came over her heart. Hervish room looked awfully wide with only her inside it and she suddenly found herself with nothing to do. The sudden emptiness felt terribly oppressive to her. How was she even going to survive the day now?


    ''Maybe I shouldn''t have told Evin to do that, if I was going to feel like this every time he leaves me...''


    *****

 Chapter 154 - Peaceful Days (pt. 1)

    The next couple weeks, Evin''s schedule got a few additions, but it stabilized soon enough.


    Like she promised, Be did notin about Evin leaving to his mother''s once a week anymore. But she did act much more passionately when they were together. Though, of course, they never did anything more than kissing.


    After Endra had his little sex education ss, Evin became much more worried about casually having sex. He didn''t know that all sorts of illnesses could be transmitted through that, hell, he realized that didn''t even know how pregnancy worked.


    Evin of course, knew how babies were made. At least the act necessary for it. But he realized that his previous concepts of it were oddly wed. He thought that women only got pregnant if they had sex in the morning. He didn''t know where he got that idea, but he lived for about two years believing that and never bothered to check if he was correct.


    The revtion made him wonder how many of the things he believed in were actually wrong, but Evin was just going about his business thinking he was right.


    Anyhow, about the sex, Endra was saying that there should be some way to prevent pregnancies, considering the existence of magic and the World of Life, but Evin was too ashamed to actually go searching for them. He figured that maybe Leanne knew about it, but was he really going to ask her that?


    Whatever the case, he was fine with the rtionship being the way it was now, so he wasn''t worried. He was satisfied with cuddling and kissing.


    And of course, he was bing closer and closer to his mother and her family. Before that he noticed that they only thought that Evin was doing this because he felt like he had to do it, but after a month of Evining to visit them without breaking his promise, they were starting to ept him.


    Funnily, he felt the change most when Sasha started to run over to him to get hugged, giggling all the while. She was very shy around him at first, but Evin''s friendliness, yfulness and gifts (mostly the gifts) finally paid off. Ssatsko didn''t ept any gifts himself, but he couldn''t really deny them to his granddaughter.


    The old man also started to ept Evin as his own grandson, despite how politely and distantly he acted at first. He even brought him hunting one time, during which Evin learned that Ssatsko''s horns could give him ess to Irratas and Apdenul. Ssatsko exined that they could only absorb one lodestone''s worth of mana, but they offered much precise controls over the World energies and showed it.


    Even Endra was impressed by Ssatsko''s demonstration. The old man used a chant to cast, but the fine control of the World energies made Evin feel like he was Imagination Casting.


    From his Social Studies sses, Evin knew that some Northerners could receive a horn during the Horn Ceremony if their efforts were recognized by their Pir, which was basically the king of the North. Every three years, the Pir would go through a list of the North''s most talented citizens and decide which of them were eligible to receive a horn, that allowed them to cast magic of a certain World.


    But Ssatskomented at Evin''s enthusiasm, saying that those days had ended. It definitely was like that a century ago, when the Northerners were still the nomadic, battle-loving people, running all around the North, fighting each other all the time. They could still survive while being so scattered like that, because whenever a foreign threat appeared on the horizon, the Tribes unfailingly united to take care of it.


    But things changed when one of the tribes, the Paradra Tribe finally took over the North and united it.


    Why was that a bad thing? Because the North could finally allow for cities that could house hundreds of thousands of people in it.


    Before that point, buildingrge cities were too risky, considering how easily other Tribes could raid the farms that fed the city. Every town had to be small sized, even for the strongest Tribes, so that every part of it could be defended more easily. And even then, it wasn''t rare for Tribes to conquer entire towns, makingrge cities very appetizing meals for everyone else. Who wanted to work so hard on something, so that they could just lose it to another?


    Anyhow, all that changed when the North finally became united. Larger cities were built, allowing for the centralization of power. Some of the stronger Tribes could finally dedicate all their resources to one ce. Before then, they couldn''t do so, fearing to lose it all in an unlucky war, but they didn''t have such worries now.


    So, all that clustered power led to Tribes only caring for their own, turning the Horn Ceremony into something akin to a formality. Nowadays, only the family members of the top Tribes, or people who had very strong bonds with them could receive Horns.


    Ssatsko also received his horn that way, though he was lucky to have served a fair Tribe, who was graceful enough to let him retire peacefully. It was arge Tribe named Tendu, who had very close ties to Paradra.


    Evin decided to use the mood and ask his grandfather about Lora''s marriage with Theor, but Ssatsko refused at the time, saying it was gettingte. Evin was still curious as to why her mother was like that when he first met her. He really believed that there was something more.


    But seeing Ssatsko shrug off the topic like that, Evin started to feel like he was being too paranoid. He felt like Ssatsko wouldn''t allow for Theor to do anything to Lora¡­ but thinking of his own father, Evin couldn''t help but feel suspicious.


    As for Theor¡­ Evin was learning that he wasn''t as unbearable as he first seemed to Evin. He was annoying with his principles and bragging sometimes, but Evin could tell they were good natured. In the end, as long as he didn''t try shoving them down Evin''s throat, Evin decided to not care for the man''s philosophies.


    In the first ce, he cared much more about his mother, who was practically turning into someone else.


    She looked much younger, acted much more at peace, spoke much livelier, and overall, was much happier. Evin couldn''t really believe how much someone could change during such a short time.


    But this change further cemented Evin''s suspicions that there was something unsavory going on before Evin appeared there¡­ coz, why else would Lora look so disheveled?


    But, he couldn''t be too forceful, so for the time being, he just decided to let it be. If he notices something wrong, he''d act on it, but otherwise, he''d stay low.

 Chapter 155 - Peaceful Days (pt. 2)

    Other than his rtionships, Evin was starting to use his metal leg more roughly. Since he could walk on it non-stop for a couple hours without problems and even move it a bit thanks to the runes that connected it to his brain, he reckoned he could try running on it now. Once again, the effort made him sprawl on the ground and clutch at thest bits of his remaining flesh.


    Butpared tost time, when he onlysted a minute, this time hested five minutes. Obviously, he wasn''t battle ready, but he felt like he could survive a fight on the ground if itsted a minute or two.


    This gave him the confidence to attempt some spear stances. Bokh, his teacher also supported this idea, saying that only focusing on handling the spear only wasn''t the ideal thing for a spearman, or whatever-other-weapon-man for that matter. Evin agreed as well, as he knew how important legwork was.


    So, he began learning his stances from the ground up. Most of them were techniques to apply one''s weight as low as possible and hold it there without faltering. Evin quickly learned that the most important thing for fighting with spears was to stand one''s ground. Since the spear was a rather long weapon, naturally, there came a time when the extra length became detrimental.


    This became especially apparent when Evin did mock fights against Bokh, who always managed to either disarm Evin, or make him topple over. And thatst part was important too. It wasn''t that Bokh toppled Evin over, it was that he made Evin topple over. There was a difference.


    The man never pushed or hit Evin with a weapon. He always focused on the spear that Evin held. Bokh would either grab and yank it after Evin finished swinging, or lightly block Evin''s attacks by putting his own weapon in front of the spear''s path (which somehow always ended up in Evin losing his bnce), or he would simply parry Evin''s attack, even if Evin was swinging it at full speed. The man had inhuman hand-eye coordination.


    And after each time Bokh finished making Evin topple over or lose his bnce, he would tell him that it was entirely possible to avoid this oue if Evin had a stronger, or sturdier stance.


    Evin always wanted toin that he couldn''t apply too much weight on his legs because of his prosthetic, but he didn''t want to make excuses. He liked the ss and he didn''t want to disappoint Bokh.


    Evin liked the man, despite how he sometimes tries to pit Evin against noble students. Evin didn''t know why, but he always felt that the way Bokh did it was more sincere than the way the Chairman did it.


    Perhaps he was just being biased.


    One more ss that he enjoyed was, surprisingly, the Heart-casting ss.


    It was a small ss. Aside from the three students that were picked alongside Evin, there were only five more from the second years. Shockingly, Evin found Konanne among them. He learned that the previously timid girl had be much more confidentpared to half a year ago, so much so that she was switching from Pleading Chants to Demanding ones.


    Weirdly, after talking to the other four, Evin learned that one of them was an orphan, the other was paralyzed below her waist, while the two were previously ves.


    Sufia exined that most likely, those experiences taught these children to control their emotions better. She then told them that the ss wasn''t going to involve much thinking. Instead, they were going to focus much more on their emotions, or rather, how to best suppress them.


    Evin learned that the reason why mages went crazy when they entered a World of Magic, was because they felt a certain emotion to its peak. Some of those emotions were quite simple. For example, in the World of Fire, mages felt severe rage. So much so that they try to burn everything and everyone around them after they exit Irratas.


    There were also someplex ones. In Ivelisi, mages would feel extreme detachment and loss of self-awareness, effectively turning them into lifeless husks.


    In the World of Earth, a mage would feel as if they were perfect. So perfect that they wouldn''t even want to move an inch after they escape the World. After all, why bother living if they were already perfect.


    The World of Emotions, though, was the mostplex of them all. It was able to evoke literally any emotion a person could evoke, and depending on how important whatever emotion was to someone, it would put a negative twist on it and amplify it by a thousand times.


    So, mages who wanted to ess the Worlds needed to learn how to suppress these specific emotions, or learn how to deny these emotions somehow.


    When Evin first heard it, he immediately went through the Worlds he could ess and their specific emotions. He could enter Seyethe, Exivear, Lochra, Qanatohm, Therae and Ori-Etu.


    Seyethe''s invoked a sense of longing for freedom. The mage would feel as if the entire world was some kind of giant prison, despite how illogical that sounded.


    The World of Darkness turned a mage dysfunctional levels of paranoid.


    Lochra was a rather special case. While inside it, a mage''s brain would be ceaselessly fed with information. Not only that, their thinking capabilities would be boosted as well, allowing them to process the information to a certain degree. And after some point, the mage would simply kill themselves. Evin really didn''t know how one was supposed to survive that.


    The World of Weight was more straightforward. It simply made you feel the purest despair. Sufia even called it the easiest way for a mage to be suicidal.


    Therae and Ori-etu were simr. While Space made you feel small and insignificant, and Time made you feel so very finite, they both made you feel unbearable fear alongside it.


    Listening to these descriptions, Evin felt confused at how he was supposed to survive any of them.


    After the first lesson, which was mostly a lecture, Sufia began teaching the students exactly that. Everyone picked one of the Worlds that they werepatible with and Sufia would tell them how to best handle that World.


    Evin picked the World of Thoughts under Endra''s persuasion, and learned that to survive the World of Thoughts, one had to either learn how to block information from their mindspletely, or to use drugs and hallucinogens to numb their brains¡­


    Evin''s eyes widened at the method and asked Endra about how he blocked Evin off. Thetter replied that he used a Lochra spell. Excited, Evin asked Sufia whether someone could use Lochra spell to block out the information, but the old woman shook her head, saying that that was like trying to stop a tornado by blowing at it.


    So, Evin''s days of spending his mornings meditating and trying to think nothing began. It didn''t feel like he was achieving things, but he found it nice to have an hour to himself a day. He would''ve preferred it even more if he could do whatever else he wanted to, but this was still nice. Lately, he was always surrounded by someone, so even this moment of nothingness felt precious to him. It wasn''t like he hated being with others, it was just that he liked being alone and he was now realizing it.


    All in all, Evin was enjoying his school days peacefully.

 Chapter 156 - Sudden News

    Evin was in his Imperial Language ss, reading a passage from a book named ''Cmities Come''.


    " ''Most historians agree that the most hated of the Twelve Cmities was the woman named Lauwich, mostmonly known as the ''Sin-mother''.


    " ''She wasn''t the most hated because she was the strongest among them. Every one of the Twelve Cmities were strong enough to make a mess of the world of they wanted to. And nor was she the most hated because of how much she killed. That title went to the Father of Beasts, whose forces scoured thends in search of food to consume.


    " ''The Sin-mother was the most hated, because death by her hand was the most unimaginable thing for someone to go through. Her victims could do nothing, except to be forced to part with all of their minds, as the Sin-mother harnessed their every memory, making them even forget to how to breathe.'' "


    "Very good," the teacher said. "Now, here are two examples of the author using a passive verb here. The first one, is about how the Sin-mother is hated by everyone, though in this example, the author is using a passive verb as an adjective, almost, so it doesn''t matter much. But in the second example, where the author describes her victims being forced to part with their minds¡­ that''s a good usage of a passive verb.


    "As you all know, I rmend you all to refrain from using passive verbs as that makes the subjects look weak. Like they''re letting all these things happen to them. But that''s perfect in this situation, isn''t it? It''s not like the Sin-mother''s victims have any way to resist her powers, so all they can do is stay silent and hope she didn''t kill them. Their circumstances are very passive¡­ as you can probably imagine."


    Evin listened with half a year, wondering if anyone here wanted to write a book. His point was proven when one of the students spoke.


    "Uh, how did the Sin-mother take someone''s memories, though?"


    "Ehhhh, that''s not a question rted to the Imperial Language, so I will not answer."


    ''No one knew exactly how the Sin-mother killed her victims, but whenever it happened, a blue-green tree would appear from her body,'' Evin replied in his head.


    "Teach, please?"


    "You can go ask Teouka when you take the history ss. Or you can even go read ''Cmities Come'' when you get to the library."


    Saying so, the teacher ended the ss; and everyone slowly dispersed.


    Evin slowly made his way towards the cafeteria, where he was going to meet Be.


    But when he made his way there, he found Decatur standing next to her table, speaking something. Evin couldn''t really hear what, but from Be''s open frown, he could tell it was something annoying. It quickly turned to joy as she noticed Evin''s approach.


    Seeing the sudden change, Decatur looked back, and seeing Evin, scowled and walked away. His gaze looked especially hateful today.


    "Is he still asking you to join thatmittee?" Evin asked as he sat in front of Be.


    "Ugh."


    "What is thatmittee going to do in the first ce? Sounded to me like it was just some pointless social club that talked a lot about what they were going to do, instead of actually doing anything."


    Evin really didn''t know what Decatur was trying to do. But he did go around inviting all the important noble students to it, even some of the upperssmen. He was very insistent on inviting Be,ing to talk to her daily for the past week or so.


    "Ugh."


    "So that made me think¡­ You''re sure he''s just not trying to hit on you?"


    "Bleargh."


    "Well, he was jealous of me a lot, so I thought it natural he''d suddenly develop feelings for you."


    "Geh."


    Amused the sounds she was making; he went around her to massage her shoulders. She seemed like she needed it, with how busy she wastely bing. Her father''s often been calling her and assigning her tasks back at Jiha town and its few surrounding viges, and the other noble students were also busy.


    Evin didn''t know what exactly Be was working on, since she refused to talk about it, but she was working hard.


    "Themittee''s something he''s doing for his Heart-casting ss," Be murmured. "I think."


    "How does that work?"


    "For you, who''s trying to enter the World of Thoughts, you need to learn how to clear your mind. For me and Decatur, it''s to learn how to deal with our anger. I have it much easy, since I stopped caring about my father, but Decatur''s still feeling anger at you. Not just you, his brother, his mother, Phel, the World¡­ but of course, not himself. His reptilian brain isn''t capable of such introspective thoughts."


    "And what does that have to do with thatmittee?"


    "Honestly, I don''t have an idea. But he''s been acting like that ever since Lady Sufia told us to learn to deal with our rage and anger somehow," she shrugged. "But I do wish he''d learn how to deal with his shit himself, and not drag the whole county into a fucking frenzy."


    "Sounds dumb," Evinmented, and resumed his massage.


    ''So the reason why everyone is suddenly so busy is because of Decatur¡­ or rather, because he''s trying to deal with his anger issues?''


    Evin felt like it wasn''t working so well. In fact, he felt like Decatur was getting worse and worse. Every day, his hateful gaze would turn a notch darker when he looked at Evin, and every day, he would lose his temper over the most childish things.


    ''He probably wants to settle his anger issues by killing me¡­''


    The thought didn''t unsettle Evin. He probably should''ve felt some fear, but Decatur only felt like some small-time viin at this point. At worst, Decatur would only send him to the warzone.


    Evin didn''t know why, but that thought didn''t unsettle him either. At first he was pissed, but at some point, he''d just epted his fate and decided not to think about it too much. It wasn''t like he was belittling war or the army. He knew he wasn''t going to have a good time there. But he had this feeling that everything was going to turn out okay.


    ''But seriously, where am I getting all this confidence from?''


    Ever since he became a mage, slowly, he was turning into someone else. If someone showed him his 10-year-old self again, surely, Evin wouldn''t be able to recognize the boy.


    As he was mused with his such thoughts as he rubbed Be''s neck, he heard someone''s urgent voiceing towards him.


    "Be! Evin!"


    Daishan was running at them, herrge, scarred figure contrasting heavily with thece and elegance of the cafeteria.


    "Daishan?"


    "You must follow," she said, looking at Evin. "Your family, they were attacked!"


    It took Evin some time to process her words. But when he did so, he immediately pulled out a lodestone from his pocket and started floating.


    Be pulled him down to the ground by his feet and ignoring Evin''s confusion, pped both his cheeks.


    "What are you doing?" Evin demanded.


    "Don''t be in such a hurry," Be said. "You can''t just hurry there knowing nothing, can you?" Be made sure that Evin was somewhat calm again, then turned towards Daishan. "Is everyone safe?"


    Daishan paused, making Evin imagine the worst. "They are safe. Thank the Empress."


    Evin wanted to curse Daishan for adding that weird pause, but he first breathed out a sigh of relief. Be nodded and asked: "What happened?"


    "Last night, Evin''s family attacked by mages! Two! But Horn-bearer stopped them! Family are now in manor."


    "Why were they attacked?" Be asked.


    "Don''t know," Daishan''s answer was short, just like her recollection of the event.


    "Thank you, Daishan," Evin found himself saying.


    "No bother. Let''s go."


    ¡­

 Chapter 157 - The Incident

    Thirty minutester, Evin appeared in Jiha town with Be and Daishan. He flew much faster than he usually did, but knowing that everyone was alright, he could fly with a peace of mind.


    He made a beeline for the manor and a servant directed him towards a guest room. Inside, he found a shaken Lora, a sleeping Sasha, an anxious Theor, and an unconscious, bandaged Ssatsko, being tended to by Elune. After Evin came, a lot of hugs and ''Are you alright?''-s urred, before Evin could finally learn what happened.


    Lora and Theor''s recollections were practically the same, both of them were sleeping in their own room, when they suddenly heard a loud scream, sounds of struggle, and then finally, Ssatsko''s voice warning them to get Sasha and run to the guards. The reached the guards; who after hearing that they were dealing with mages, sent a runner to the Viscount''s manor; who in turn, returned with Daishan.


    They made their way to the house, where they found Ssatsko, lying on a rock-filled ground, with one sticking to his forearm. Thankfully, he was still breathing, but they also found the body of another young man lying next to him. Daishan deduced that the man was a mage and that there was another mage who was now missing from the scene. She then brought the family to the manor, and after making sure everything was okay, went to fetch Evin and Be.


    "Thank you again, for doing so much for my family," Evin said to Daishan.


    "Ha-ha-hah. It''s only natural, to do this much for family."


    Unlike Parsh, who was still in denial about Evin and Be''s rtionship, Daishan was quick to support them after their mock fight. Evin found her a genuinely kind and caring person, and always found it really hard to not like her.


    "Ah, the old man''s waking up," Elune said.


    "Urgh, damn you guys, at least let me sleep in peace¡­" Ssatsko grumbled from behind her.


    "Dad! Are you alright?"


    "Ssatsko!"


    "Grandpa!"


    Another messy situation urred before Elune shooed everyone away. "Calm yourselves and give him some space. He''s not dead nor dying, so no reason to act like he is."


    Elune was usually the one to y around, but today, she was very professional.


    "Yeah, just an unlucky stab to my arm. I should''ve bound the wound immediately, but felt like I was fine, so dilly-dallied too much before passing out like an idiot from too much blood loss. Or maybe fatigue."


    "But you could''ve died from that, couldn''t you?!" Lora said. "Why didn''t you just run to the guards after us?"


    "Yes, yes. I should''ve done that, ugh," Ssatsko replied. "I''m not really proud of it, either."


    "But what happened?" Evin asked. "Do you know anything about the attackers?"


    "Ah, nothing much¡­" the old man replied, rubbing his head. "Do you know anything about them?"


    "Not yet. But the Bureau''s working on identifying the mage you killed," Elune replied. "I hate to ask this after you just woke up, but we''d appreciate if you give us some clues on the second mage that ran away."


    "Is that so, in that case, it was a male¡­ both had masks on so I can''t be sure, but escaped one was burgundy-haired, looked young, was about as tall as I am, should be wounded on his palm. As for some other stuff, he Imagination Casted Tenarak spells¡­ but the spells seemedcking, so I''m guessing he was trying to hide his main World?"


    Elune nodded to a nearby servant, who quickly run off somewhere.


    "Thank you for your information. We''ll be sure to send someone to


    There were two mages, with how they were almost bursting with mana¡­ they didn''t look very dangerous, but they were definitely nning something nefarious, so I managed to¡­" Ssatsko said, before his eyes fell on Sasha. He then chinned at Lora.


    Lora grabbed the little girl and made her way out of the room despite Sasha''s protests.


    "As I was saying, I ambushed one of them and stabbed him to the side of his head. You know, soldier''s training. Don''t spare your enemies if you''re not sure and whatnot. The other was flustered at first, but he did block my attack when I tried to take advantage of his shock."


    "How did you get wounded on your hand?"


    "Ah, he used a Talisman at the end of it, and I couldn''t block every one of the little rocks he created. Before that, I was trying to buy some time till my family made their way to the guards. I could tell he was trying to kill me at first, but at some point, he just started trying to run away."


    Hearing Ssatsko so casually mention the event, Elune chuckled: "Well, I realize we shouldn''t have worried so much."


    "One Horn-bearer is enough against your two londer mages," Daishan said.


    "Of course," Elune said.


    At this point, a manor guard came into the room.


    "Elune, they identified the dead mage. It''s the eldest son of baron Kasna, Ilhan Kasna."


    "That''s the old man who owns that cotton ntation, right?"


    "Yes."


    "Anyone who seems suspicious by his connections?"


    "Uh, yes. Ilhan''s close friend, Lyudvik Armbron, who''s also a mage. They''re sending someone to the Armbron house to check on him."


    "Hmm, sounds kinda troublesome, so I guess I''ll have to get there myself, huh?" Elune sighed.


    "Lord Mage," Theor intervened. "Surely, we can''t have you do so much for us. You''ve done enough already."


    "No, no," Elune replied. "I''ll do this much for Evin''s family. Don''t think you''re imposing on me."


    "But, mydy, I''m happy for your help, but I just feel like we should be doing this ourselves."


    "Listen," Elune''s friendly tone turnedmanding. "A matter that involves mages can only be solved by other mages. Even if you try to do things yourself, they''ll simply push the matter to a mage from the Bureau. What would you do if that mage turns out corrupt? The two baron families will surely do everything in their power to wipe the shame of having their sons invade the house of a 3rd grade house, their motives be damned. Can you confidently say you can prevent your whole family from being executed to clean some baron''s name?"


    "I¡­ You''re right, I''m sorry."


    "Don''t be," Elune smiled. "My job''s quite boring, so something like this happening is rather fun. As for you all, just enjoy your time here. Boss Komarokh''s defenses are nigh impregnable. We''ll let you go home when we capture the other mage and then find the reason why they attacked you."


    Then she stood up, and left with a guard.


    Lora came back with Sasha shortly afterwards, both looking worried.


    "Don''t look so shocked, you two. I''m a Horn-bearer. I won''t croak from getting stabbed in the hand."


    "But-"


    "Especially you, Lora," Ssatsko said. "Don''t always be so timid. Even if you have to fake it, act like you have answers and that you know what you''re doing."


    Lora nodded, but not before stealing a nce at Theor. Evin felt like he''d learn something about her mother''s state of family from the exchange, so he quickly focused his attention on what was happening.


    Be pulled at Evin''s sleeves and whispered. "I''ll go follow Elune."


    "Are you sure? You can take some time off if you want?" Evin offered.


    "If those two barons try to y dodgy, I''ll have to be there. Elune''s just a guard in our manor, after all."


    "Then I''ll go with you," Evin whispered. "They''ll need someone from Lora''s family."


    "I guess, but shouldn''t you stay here?"


    Evin looked at his family, who all looked quite lost, except for Ssatsko.


    "Ah, Evin can go there if you think he needs to," the old man said. "He won''t be of much use here, and like Mage Elune said, I wouldn''t want us to be bullied by those barons if we can help it, right?"


    "I mean, he doesn''t have to do it," Theor said. "He still has his sses back in Ankelite city, right?"


    "Theor, don''t act like that now," Ssatsko said.


    "But are you sure you''re fine?" Evin asked.


    "Don''t worry. Just leave," Daishan shooed them away. "We''ll protect them."


    With that settled, Evin and Be decided to make their way to the Citizen''s Bureau. Before going, Be went to her father and asked if she could act in his name. He said that she couldn''t officially, but implied that she could throw her weight around.


    Then they reached the Bureau, where they found Elune among a bunch of people. There was an investigator, baron Armbron''s secretary, and baron Kasna himself, who was a mage.


    The investigator was asking Armbron''s secretary about Lyudvik, who turned out to be missing from his house. He also couldn''t be found in any of the ces he frequented.


    Baron Kasna, on the other hand, was demanding that Theor''s family be arrested for killing a mage; and Elune was preventing him from going off on his own. The man looked genuinely confused why he was having so much trouble putting a few 3rd grades to ''justice''. Evin immediately didn''t like the man.

 Chapter 158 - The Weight Of The Situation

    With Evin and Be''s arrival things got even messier. The people there knew Be as the Viscount''s daughter, but they were still treating her like a child. It was obviously much worse for Evin, who was only known as Be''s boyfriend in Jiha town.


    The title made him famous, butrgely in a bad light.??


    "Who are you supposed to be?" Baron Kasna asked, towering over Evin.


    Hisrge frame reminded Evin of some displeasing memories, making him feel a tinge of uneasiness. Evin thought he was over his fear of his father, but evidently, he wasn''tpletely free.


    <Do you want me to talk for you?> Endra asked. <Like Elune said, the situation''s rather serious.>


    Evin was unwilling, but thinking that he wouldn''t want to act like Theor, relented. He ckened his control over his body, and allowed Endra to take over.


    "My name''s Eviendra, son of Lora," Endra said, humming. "Be''s boyfriend."


    Evin felt that like there was no need to unt the fact like that, but he trusted Endra.


    "Then what''s your business here? Leave!"


    ''Since he''s not reacting to me being Lora''s son, he doesn''t know that I''m rted to the case¡­'' Evin thought. ''Or he just didn''t bother memorizing the names of a few 3rd grades¡­''


    "I''m apanying Be. She''s been given some freedom to act in her father''s ce and asked me to speak for her."


    Kasna wasn''t the only one confused by the news; Be also looked at him, cocking her head. Endra pulled her closer and whispered at her to y along. She gave her the okay.


    "And what does she have to do with the murder of my son?" Kasna asked.


    "As the Viscount''s daughter, of course it would be in her authority to participate in this matter," Endra said. "And you can''t say your son was ''murdered''. Nothing''s clear as of yet."


    Before the man could protest, Endra turned to baron Armbron''s representative. "What of master Lyudvik, then?"


    "I''m terribly sorry," the butler-like man replied. "He''s fallen ill with a sickness and has been bedridden for the past two days. He''s also afraid the sickness is infectious and is not willing to appear in public."


    ''What a cheap excuse,'' Evin couldn''t help butment.


    "Is that so?" Evin hummed. "My condolences to master Lyudvik. He is most praiseworthy to care so much for the rest of us. More people should be as selfless as he is."


    "I am thankful for your praise¡­?" the representative said, his tone turning questioning at the end of it.


    Deciding that he had nothing to do with the representative anymore, Endra turned to the inspector, an old mage who wore a perpetual scowl on his face.


    "Sir¡­ how should I call you?"


    "Murdok''s fine," the old man grunted.


    "Sir Murdok, what are your first impressions of the case?"


    "It looks like a murder. The victim and the perpetrator are obvious for everyone to see¡­ But of course, a thorough investigation will be held."


    "And you don''t find it weird that two noble mages were inside the house of a 3rd grade?"


    "As far as I know, there was only one person dead."


    "Three mages checked that ce and they all agreed there were two mages," Endra replied. "Have you even visited the ce of murder?"


    "I was just about to¡­" the old man grunted.


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "Will you be the inspector with the highest authority in this case?" Endra asked, sighing.


    The old man tly stared at Evin for a few seconds before shrugging. "Yes. I sent a report to the higher-ups and they straight up told me to quickly solve this mess."


    Evin hated the tinge of pride in the man''s voice.


    "In that case, send them another report, saying that the Viscount''s family wants to ''properly'' solve this case. You know, justice and all. If that doesn''t work, call it a conflict of interested. I''m sure they''ll send someone more fitting to deal with this¡­ ''mess'', as you so aptly described."


    Evin then realized what the higher ups meant when they said to quickly solve the case. Of course, they would put the me on the weaker side. Evin felt stupid for not realizing this sooner. He only now understood how precarious their situation was. He felt ashamed to think he was acting so carelessly.


    "Boy, you can''t just order me around like that, yeah? Everyone''s busy in this world, especially the mages like me who are forced to deal with shit like this."


    "In that case, can I understand that you''re willing to ''properly'' solve this case, find the true culprit and put them to justice, no matter the enemies you''ll make during it?" Endra asked, voice t.


    "Don''t waste your time, kid," Murdok grumbled.


    "You sound like you don''t have the balls to do act outside your superior''s expectations," Endra sighed. "In that case, this is clearly something above you. Please shut your mouth and call someone qualified."


    The old man grumbled something under his breath, but went somewhere after grabbing a piece of paper.


    After he left, Be nced at Evin, a look of puzzlement on her face. Well, of course she would be confused, Evin was acting like apletely different person.


    ''If she had doubts about Endra''s existence before, after this, she should definitely be convinced¡­''


    The thought worried Evin, but he knew it was bound to happen sooner orter.


    "What are you doing?" Kasna asked. "What''s soplicated about this incident? My son''s been murdered and the murderer isn''t captured yet!"


    "Sir, don''t be so impatient," Endra replied, though Evin could tell he really just wanted to sigh. "I''ve told you that nothing''s been confirmed yet. Your son''s dead, true. By a Northerner named Ssatsko''s hands, also true. But there are many reasons why someone would kill someone."


    "Stopplicating things! If there''s a murderer, then he should be detained and interrogated!"


    "Of course, he''ll be interrogated," Endra shrugged. "But in public. In a civil, educated manner. Same as the other suspect of the case, such as Lyudvik Armbron."


    "Young man, as I''ve said-" the representative began speaking but Endra cut him off.


    "Now, now, an inspector more capable and authoritative shall being to solve this matter. He''ll surely know what to do. But before hees, let us enjoy a small break."


    Saying so, Endra nodded at Be and Elune to follow along and walked away.


    "Nice job," Elune said after they got to a seat.


    "Thanks."


    <Uh, should I take over now?>


    <Not yet.>

 Chapter 159 - The Trial

    "But damn, you were really cool where you were ordering around that old man. It was so satisfying to see him being put in his ce," Elune said, her polite, professional tone turning casual again. "It was so obvious he was just trying to push the me on your family so he can go wallow in his misery."


    "He did look very unreliable," Endra smiled. "Do you have any guess on what inspector wille next?"??


    "Someone of noble origins, definitely. Most likely a high-standing baron¡­ But I''m kinda worried the new inspector will still take on the two baron''s side."


    "As long as it''s someone who won''t be scared of a couple barons, it''ll be fine," Endra said. "Then it''s just a matter of persuading him, or her."


    "Mm," Elune hummed, smiling. "Ah, but I''m so jealous of you, Be. I knew you''d pick someone special. Ah, if only the people I met were half as cool as you."


    Be nodded, but she was still wearing a frown.


    "Oh, is it true the Viscount''s allowed you to act in his ce?" Elune asked.


    "Not really," Endra replied. "He said we could unt our position, but not officially."


    "What? Isn''t that bad? What if they go asking?"


    "I was hoping the Viscount will y along when that timees," Endra shrugged. "Well, even if he doesn''t, we can always say we misunderstood him. He was being quite vague, after all."


    "Hmm, I think you should still go talk to him again," Elune said after a pause. "Tell him honestly what you did. And you can tell him about the inspector acting suspiciously as well, making you feel like you had to do something. Actually, let''s go there together."


    "Are you sure?"


    "Yes. I feel you''re acting overconfident since you''re young and stupid, but you can''t act like that without proper backing. You need to settle your allies first."


    The group made their way to the manor again, and had another talk with Viscount Borna. Hearing what Evin did, he turned quite mad. He looked like he couldn''t believe that Evin would so confidently act in his name. He only calmed down when Elune and Be exined to him that there wasn''t much Evin could do, considering how the inspector was acting.


    After calming down, in true noble fashion, the Viscount decided that they needed a proper excuse for why Evin acted in that way. What''s done was done, now they needed to justify it.


    They decided to say that they were trying out the Count''s methods. Gehenne dan Carew was letting his brother rule the entire county, so why couldn''t the Viscount let his daughter oversee one murder case?


    Afterwards, Evin visited Ssatsko and briefly exined everything that''s happened. Endra then talked about how Ssatsko probably needed to give the Bureau to give his story once more. The old man, of course, agreed, and they began talking about how they should best handle the situation.


    During the talk, Evin suddenly thought of a genius idea. He proposed it to Endra, who agreed that it would definitely help and started discussing it with Ssatsko. The old man had no problems as well.


    Evin was feeling almost d his family was attacked, just so he could implement this idea.


    *****


    Four hourster, Endra was lying on his bed, casually watching the dome above him. An old man reading through some documents inside a makeshift trial room.


    The new inspector finally arrived in the Bureau. It was another old man named Alvich, but was of much higher staturepared to the previous old man. He was a baron, who got the title after working for the government as aw expert some two decades ago. Now, he worked as an inspector and sometimes judge for crimes involving nobles or other high-ss people.


    Inspectors of the kingdom had the ability to do go through the investigation themselves and give out punishments as they deemed fit, just like what happened with Evin when he murdered his father. So, Inspectors had a lot of power.


    And, since Alvich was someone who was used to working with nobility, he definitely seemed reliable in Endra''s eyes. At least he wouldn''t be so afraid of condemning them if he needed to.


    Endra was also worried they''d send someone antagonistic tomoners or something, but thankfully, the man looked decent enough. He looked like someone who could be reasoned with, and he wasn''t so annoyed at being suddenly called over either.


    "With this, I wouldn''t really have to worry too much¡­" Endra murmured, grabbing some snacks.


    During the past three hours, using Evin''s body, Endra managed to finish a lot of work. It definitely wouldn''t have been possible if he didn''t have the Viscount''s official okay. He was really thankful to Elune for persuading Velpin.


    Using that time, Endra made sure he did everything in his power to make this trial a sess.


    From preparing Lora and Ssatsko; to gathering witnesses who saw what happened, or at least imed to have seen what happened; and then preparing his speech for the inspector and the crowd around.


    A crowd had gathered around them, a rather diverse group of people ranging from 2nd grades to some members of nobility, who were pulled in by the spectacle. Endra decided they were budget juries. They were Evin''s backup n in case the new inspector tried something funny.


    In total, there were roughly a hundred people gathered in Jiha Town''s main square. They were practically all Endra''s allies.


    On the other side, Baron Kasna and Baron Armbron stood with ck jaws, looking quite shocked at the spectacle. Evin didn''t know what they did during the previous four hours, but they definitely weren''t prepared for something like this.


    ''The only thing I''m worried about is whether or not Lyudvik''s actually staying at his house¡­'' Endra mused. ''If he''s escaped somewhere, then it''s going to be really hard to find who ordered them to do that in the first ce.''


    Endra asked Elune to check on the baron''s house to see whether Lyudvik tries to run, and so far, there haven''t been much news. But even with that, Endra couldn''t control everything.


    ''Well, even if he runs away, hopefully we''ll be able to catch himter on.''


    On the screen of the dome, Alvich finally lifted his head from the files in his hand.


    "I''ve read through the files and I''m now familiar with both sides of the story," Alvich spoke in a calm, sonorous voice. "If you would, please let me summarize the situation, so everyone can get on the same page."


    Hearing no protests from the participants, he summarized the events, including Ssatsko''s testimony, the two baron''s stances, and the Viscount''s stance (which was basically just Evin''s stance).


    "Sir Alvich, I would like to deny these oveplications regarding my son''s murder!" Kasna shouted.


    ''Sigh¡­ Well, here we go, I guess¡­'' Endra said and prepared himself for the trial.

 Chapter 160 - Trial (pt. 1)

    Alvich regarded Kasna with a level gaze before replying.


    "It is true, that your son has been killed. And as we all know, Horn-bearer Ssatsko here admitted to his murder. That doesn''t mean we can simply charge him for a murder and tow him away. There are many reasons a man should kill another."??


    Endra found it interesting that the old man would use the same words as he did. Kasna must''ve noticed it too, as he went off in a rage.


    "You''re with that boy, aren''t you? This is all a conspiracy, isn''t it?" he bellowed.


    "What are you saying?" Alvich responded.


    "The boy said the exact same things to me earlier! That means you two must be in cahoots with each other!"


    "People say simr things all the time," Alvich sighed. "Please don''t jump to conclusions."


    "Then what''s the point of this trial in the first ce? Why are there so many people gathered around listening to this bullshit when my son''s murderer is sitting right there?"


    "Sir Kasna, I understand why you would be angry, but you must know that the circumstances of your son''s death are most suspicious. Why would he appear in a 3rd grade''s house in the middle of the night? Do you have any ideas on that?"


    "Of course I do! These people are all lying! They must''ve killed my son and brought them to their house so they can concoct this n!"


    ''This guy''s really something, isn''t he?'' Endra thought with a smile, before taking control of Evin''s body.


    "Objection, your honor. We''ve found traces of World energies inside the house and we also have witnesses who saw the event unfold."


    "And who might you be, young man?" Alvich asked.


    "My name is Eviendra, son of Lora, grandson of Ssatsko. I''m also representing the Viscount''s authority and am overseeing this murder case," Endra said, pulling out a letter from the Viscount and showing it to the old Inspector. As Alvich was reading through it, Evin exined the Viscount''s intents to prepare the future generations.


    "And what would you be doing as the overseer of this trial?"


    "Of course, I will make sure proper justice is delivered."


    "Bullshit, that boy''s only there to save that murderer from true justice," Kasna interfered. "And isn''t he the man''s grandson? This is tant nepotism, Inspector!"


    "This is nder against the Viscount," Endra said, hiding his urge to sigh. "He is a man of principle, of desire for fairness, and of truth. He noticed the dubious details in this murder case and wanted to get to the bottom of it. As his representative, of course I shall not abuse his powers to help my family. If Ssatsko is found guilty by your honor, then I shall ept the oue with grace. Same as the Viscount."


    Endra noticed Be rolling her eyes at his side, but the girl had to swallow her protest.


    "You say these grand things, but you still stand on your grandfather''s side?" Alvich asked, smiling.


    "Of course," Endra replied. "Just as baron Kasna believes wholeheartedly his son is innocent, I also believe my grandfather is innocent. I will defend his honor¡­ But like I said, the decisiony in your hands."


    "Very well," Alvich nodded. "You mentioned witnesses?"


    Endra then prompted the few witnesses he''d gathered to speak.


    "It''s true, your honor. Woke up in the middle of the night hearing some noise from ol'' Ssatsko''s house. Thought he was getting robbed or something and decided to go help, but just as I wasing, I saw a masked man frantically running out of the house, stones flying behind him. I noticed he was a mage and decided to get as far away as possible. Woke up my wife and kids and went as far as possible."


    "I saw the same thing as well!" another woman spoke. "After the man ran away, I walked in to check inside their house, only to see Ssatsko over there standing next to a corpse of a man! I got scared I just witnessed a murder and I went to the guards to tell them about it, your honor!"


    The woman said it in a rather dodgy way, but it was good enough. She was honest and Alvich wouldn''t think that Endra just paid a bunch of people to help with the trial.


    Couple other people spoke of their stories, with simr contents.


    "From these witness ounts, it''s obvious that your son has infiltrated a 3rd grade''s house with someone else," Alvich concluded. "Any objections?"


    "This is nder! These people must''ve been paid by that Evin boy over there."


    "In that case, here are two more witnesses that havee out, telling the same story," Alvich said.


    It was a young couple, who looked weirdly ashamed. With Alvich''s urging, they spoke of what they saw.


    "Us two were, uh, meeting in an alleyway near Mr. Theor''s house, when we saw two men walking to the house. It was night, so we tried not to make any noise, since you know, they could be dangerous and all and just watched. But then one of them opened the lock through some kind of device. We don''t know what it was. It made a soft nking sound and the door''s lock just fell to the ground.


    "We know Mr. Theor''s house has a very strong lock, so we realized that they may be mages. We ran away the moment they entered the house, afraid of being spotted by them. We knew we should''ve spoken out about it earlier, but we were just too afraid, thinking we''ll get killed by the mages."


    Endra couldn''t help but grin listening to the story. With this, he just had to prove that Ssatsko was acting in self-defense when stabbing the dead mage in the head.


    "As you''ve heard," Alvich said. "These two and the other witnesses have proven that your son and another man infiltrated the housest night. Or would you call me a liar as well?"


    "¡­"


    "Finally, we can get to the second point. Do you have any idea why your son would do this?"


    "No¡­" Kasna said, practically growling. "But even if he has infiltrated their house, there''s no reason for him to be killed like that."


    "Hmm, Mr. Ssatsko says he did it in self-defense," Alvich replied.


    "But from what I''ve heard, he attacked them first! How is that self-defense? Who just kills a stranger in their house? I''m not saying it''s normal to trespass into someone''s house, but to kill them because of it?"


    Endra grinned when he heard Kasna say this, but he did not show it on Evin''s lips.

 Chapter 161 - Trial (pt. 2)

    Instead, he pulled out a batch of lodestones from his pocket, filled his core to the brim, and ordered Seyethe energies to swirl about his hand. Without waiting, he started walking towards Kasna with quick, yet unhurried steps, wearing an expressionless face and a level gaze.


    Kasna looked at Endra and then at the swirling mass of Seyethe energies in his hands. He seemed confused and unsure of what to do, but the bodyguard he''d brought with him did not hesitate and began chanting. A wall of ice rose in front of Kasna, followed by a body of water rapidly flowing towards Endra. ??


    Endra had countless methods to deal with the spell, but he let the spell hit him in the stomach. He managed to take one deep breath and cover his nose, before the water rose up to cover his face. Evin was ready to create an explosion if things got too dicey, but for the time being, he needed to wait. Ten secondster, Endra felt the water moving away from his body, and then heard the loud gasps of the surrounding spectators. The people close to Evin had especially worried faces, but they calmed down when Endra gestured that he was okay.


    "What is the meaning of this?" Alvich demanded, though Endra couldn''t tell if he was saying that to him or Kasna''s guard. He looked up at the old Inspector and udnerstood that thetter was talking to him. He freed his core from the Seyethe energies and spoke.


    "Your honor, I was just wondering what would happen if I walked towards Baron Kasna over there, overloaded with mana," Endra said. "If nothing happened, I nned to simply shake his hand and admit that my grandfather murdering his son was wrong. That Ssatsko was too impulsive to straight up stab Ilhan Kasna in the head."


    Understanding reced the anger in Alvich''s eyes.


    "But now that you were attacked?"


    "I''m starting to think that what Ssatsko did was quite reasonable. If I get encased in a prison of ice by just trying to walk at baron Kasna, then it''s natural that Ssatsko would choose to kill in that situation. Anyone in his shoes would do the same."


    Endra''s voice turned louder, so everyone in the square could hear what he was saying.


    "Imagine you''re lying in your bed in the dark, unable to sleep, and then you hear your door opening at night. You go check it out, you see two mages sneaking through your house. Not only that, they''re practically bursting with mana.


    "Now, if you were a powerful mage like them, you wouldn''t worry too much. You reveal yourself and ask them what their business is. But the problem is, you''re not a powerful mage. You''re only a Hornbearer, who can ess only two Worlds and even then, you can barely absorb one lodestones worth of mana.


    "You start worrying about the two mage''s intentions. What are they doing in your house in the middle of the night? Certainly, you''ve never seen them before¡­ Are they trying to rob your house? Or¡­ are they trying to kill you¡­? Even worse, what if they have ill intention towards your daughter and your granddaughter?


    "You know you won''t survive the fight if you face them fair and square. So, what do you do? Of course, you decide to even out the odds and assassinate one of them before they know you''re aware of you."


    Endra looked around the crowd and saw that mostly everyone was convinced.


    "Well, we all know the rest of the story, so I won''t bore your honor with that," Evin said.


    "Mm."


    Alvich''s expression was still. Same as the crowd, he looked convinced, looking slightly impressed as well. But oddly, he also looked somewhat indignant.


    ''He finds me baiting Kasna interesting, but he doesn''t like it?'' Endra mused. ''How wholesome."


    Endra wasn''t worried. What he did was just a cheap trick and though it could give him a bad rep, it wasn''t anything incriminating.


    "Baron Kasna, do you have anything in your defense?" Alvich finally spoke.


    "He tricked me!" the old man bellowed, desperation seeping from his voice.


    "He did indeed," Alvich agreed. "But it proved his point quite clearly, so I''m willing to ept his stance¡­" Hesitating, the old man continued. "I''m afraid that you must also ept it. What Mr. Ssatsko did was not the best thing a man could do. But we cannot expect men to act in their best."


    Baron Kasna was silent. His towering figure was nowhere near as intimidating as how he looked when Endra first saw him. His wide shoulders were now slouched, his ever-wrathful gaze had turned unfocused, and his loud denials were now silent. Kasna was finally registering that his son was dead.


    He could function earlier because his wrath against Ssatsko distracted him enough from the grief, but now that he was forced to face reality, he was crumbling down.


    Kasna was a strong man, but he was still all too human.


    Endra was all to familiar with the scene, he himself experienced the same thing many times. Thus, he knew it wasn''t his ce to speak. There was also no need, as Ssatsko''s safety was practically guaranteed.


    He sent a nce at Alvich, who sighed and started speaking.


    "Baron Kasna, I''m sorry for your loss. If you want to, perhaps we can take a small break now."


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "I''ll stay," Kasna replied. "I want to know what happened to my son."


    Alvich nodded. Endra did so as well, respecting the old man''s strong will.


    "In that case, we shall continue," Alvich said. "Your son has passed away, but I shall do my best to uncover why. We''ve asked Mr. Ssatsko if he had any previous histories with your son, but we could not find anything. Thus, the only clue to this case is the prime candidate for the escaped mage, Lyudvik Armbron."


    With this statement, the trial continued towards the next phase. Endra now needed to find out who attacked Evin''s family and why.

 Chapter 162 - Trial (pt. 3)

    The focus of the trial went towards baron Armbron, a mediocre looking man in histe thirties. He was dressed well, unlike Kasna, but his clothes looked too fancy for his short, skinny body.


    ''No doubt here to deal with his son''s little blunder. In that case, he should also know the details of the blunder,'' Endra thought as he wondered how he should best approach the scenario.??


    "As we''ve said, my son fell sick with a potentially viral infection two days ago and was staying inside his room ever since," baron Armbron replied to Alvich''s question. The man''s voice was level; andbined with his calm, t gaze, Endra felt he wouldn''t be so easy to deal with like Kasna.


    ''Well, it''s not going to change what I''m going to do,'' Endra thought. ''Let''s try prodding at his defenses.''


    "May I ask a few questions from baron Armbron?" Endra asked.


    "You may."


    With Alvich''s agreement, Evin began his questioning.


    "Can you tell me the symptoms of your son''s illness?"


    "If it''s possible, I''d¡­ rather not," Armbron grimaced.


    ''Is he actually going to make this easy for me?'' Endra thought, but he felt that there was something more to this.


    "Can you tell me why?" Endra asked.


    "It''s just a personal thing."


    Endra wanted to immediately bite at the weakness Armbron was showing, but his instincts were telling him that this was bait. He couldn''t just start using the man of lying. He was also interested in the man''s n, so he decided to take it slow. It wasn''t like he was in a hurry or anything.


    "I respect your son''s privacy, but we''re trying to solve a murder case here. At least tell me the reason why you can''t describe your son''s illness. Or perhaps you can tell us where he got it? Since he believes it''s infectious, he must''ve seen someone else with the same symptoms, right?"


    "Ah. Indeed, he got it from someone¡­ some woman. I''ve been trying to find her since I''ve heard the story, but so far I''ve found no sess."


    "Alright, I hope you good luck in that," Endra said. "Another question. Since the illness seems rather serious, I''m guessing a doctor or a mage checked up on him, yes?"


    "Yes, of course," Armbron replied. "I''ve just asked a mage I frequent myself to check up on him."


    "And?"


    "The mage spoke to him through the door under my son''s insistence, and decided she couldn''t heal him. Wounds and bruises are easy to heal for a trained mage, but many have problems dealing with infections and illnesses. Regardless, she then decided it was best if my son stayed locked up for the time being."


    "I see," Endra said. "It does sound rather serious. Is your family okay? Perhaps your servants are sick somehow?"


    "Thankfully, they are all fine," Armbron replied. "They''ve been instructed to stay careful."


    Endra nodded.


    "Baron Armbron," he resumed. "I would like you to provide proof for all the statements you''ve made. Your son''s illness can be proven by the testimony from the mage that checked upon him, and if we could also bring in a servant from your house, it would be very helpful."


    "I believe you don''t have the right to ask that from me," Armbron replied.


    "Whyever not?" Endra asked, humming.


    "Although I hate to say it, it''s because a family of 3rd grades have no right to use a baron''s family member of murder without substantial evidence. In fact, I''ve onlye here to reassure everyone that my son has no connection to this murder case," Armbron finished. "And if you have no more questions, I shall be taking my leave."


    The man was right. 3rd grades were unable to openly use nobles of any crimes, based on only suspicions. Since the kingdom worked so hard to create all these social levels, of course, a wider choice of clothing wasn''t the only perk the higher-grade citizens received. 3rd grades couldn''t enlist Inspectors for cases, they couldn''t work any businesses, and they couldn''t enter certain schools even if they had the money for it somehow.


    But that wasn''t a problem for Lora''s family. At least, not anymore.


    "But my family are no longer third grades anymore," Endra dered as he brought out Lora''s citizenship documents dering their new status.


    Authority, definitely was a wonderful thing. Using the viscount''s name, in only half an hour, Lora''s family jumped from 3rd grade to 1st. Evin was the one who came up with the idea, so he was the most excited. They easily convinced Theor to put aside his pride for the future of his family. After all, they needed to know why they were attacked in the middle of the night. How could they be sure something like this wouldn''t happen again?


    '' "Everyone has a n until they get punched in the mouth", huh,'' Endra thought with amusement, remembering Theor''s defeated face. ''Last night''s event definitely was a punch in the mouth for him.''


    Putting Theor out of his mind, Endra focused on the trial.


    "A house of 1st grades was trespassedst night and the person responsible sounds a lot like your son. Under the kingdom''sws, I ask you to provide proof for your son''s illness that you''ve mentioned. Ah, I know that a procedure like this needs to go through the Bureau first, but don''t worry about that. It''s been already passed through. And coincidentally, we have an Inspector here working on a rted case, so it''s all perfect."


    Endra smiled, certain of his victory. Armbron must''ve expected usations against himself, but the man should''ve expected nothing more. Endra had the power, but the same didn''t apply to Lora''s family. Even in Endra''s case, the power was borrowed. He couldn''t really force things to go his way.


    In Armbron''s eyes, the mage student Eviendra should''ve been nothing more than Be''s boyfriend, so he shouldn''t expect Endra to pull something like this and shouldn''t have bothered to prepare any alibis. But reality took on a surprising turn.


    "Ah, in that case, as any good citizen of the kingdom, I shall provide the proof. 1st grades are 1st grades, after all," Armbron replied. "Though I''m not sure how exactly I''m supposed to do it. Perhaps you can visit my manor and check on the situation yourself? The mage I''ve been talking about is staying there and you can stop and ask any of my servants there whatever question you find necessary."


    ''Is he bluffing?'' Endra thought. ''Most likely not.''


    Even if it wasn''t a bluff, Endra had to go check it out. Leaving the spectators behind, Endra, Alvich, Kasna and Ssatsko made their way towards the baron''s house.


    The next events proved that the baron wasn''t bluffing. They met the servants there, who spoke the same story, and then Endra spoke to the mage, who described Lyudvik''s condition. Rashes, itchiness, pale skin, and sweating all over the skin; but most of all near his genitals.


    Turned out the Lyudvik had gotten an STD from some woman he met in a bar. Apparently, the woman had a reddish groin and sweated quite a lot, but Lyudvik was too wasted to care at the time. But when he came home the next day and saw the rashes himself, he just decided to stay cooped in his room, hoping the illness will pass by itself.


    "I only found out about my son''s little misadventure today, with the trials and everything," baron Armbron said, chuckling awkwardly. "Imagine my surprise when I finally heard the full story from him."


    On the surface, everything made sense. The one-night stand, the self-quarantine caused by shame, Armbron''s replies, they all made it clear that Lyudvik wasn''t the one who was with Ilhan Kasna the night before.


    But Endra didn''t believe any of it. Because this was exactly what he would do to save his own son if he was baron Armbron. Create a shameful story, so you can act defensive about it and when you''re forced to reveal the circumstances, you won''t look so suspicious. For some reason, people tended to believe in shameful, embarrassing things. It was human nature to gossip, after all.


    Endra was not going to fall for something like that.


    And it wasn''t so hard to have your house servants and a random mage speak for you. Some might''ve considered lying to save an acquaintance immoral, but those people simply never face such a choice before in Endra''s opinion.


    "Your honor, I will be convinced of baron Armbron''s honesty if I''m allowed to see Lyudvik with my own eyes," Endra sighed. "I know it might be dangerous, but I''ll be taking proper precautions so you won''t have to worry about my well-being."


    "Have you not seen enough?" the wife of the baron said. "I believe we''ve been sincere enough by letting you in our house and conducting an investigation. And now you want to check up on my son as well?"


    "I want to believe in the good of people, but I just know of many cases where a criminal feigns insanity to receive a lighter punishment," Endra sighed.


    "Who would want to end up in a mental asylum?" the woman said.


    Endra then remembered he wasn''t in Earth anymore and frowned.


    "Regardless, I would like to check on Lyudvik. Your honor, please allow, for the inspection."

 Chapter 163 - Trials End...?

    Endra had to wait for Alvich''s answer. The old man decided he needed to summarize the day''s events once more, as things were getting a bit out of scale. Endra did not know why. He seemed smart enough that he didn''t need to pause like this. And Endra''s arguments were logical enough.


    Was he just prudent like that? Careful not to make the slightest mistakes? Or was he trying to buy time with this move? Whatever it was, Endra had no power here. He could only hope for Alvich''s permission.??


    Two minutester, Alvich reached his conclusion. "The boy is right. We''ve seen many fabricable proofs, but nothing concrete. I would like to see this young myself as well."


    Baron Armbron''s wife looked distraught, but spoke noints. The Baron himself only sighed slightly and led the group to Lyudvik''s room.


    "Boy, you there?" he said, knocking on the door.


    "Father?"


    ''So he hasn''t run away? Sounds cheerful enough¡­''


    "You know we talked about you being suspected for a trespassing, right? Well, they need proof that you''re sick, so they''re going to enter your room now. Ah, ah. Don''tin yet. It''s something done under the kingdom''s name, so you have no right to refuse. There''s only a difference between them barging in and you opening the door yourself."


    "At least give me a few minutes to dress up!" the boy replied.


    "Two minutes top," Endra said to the door.


    "Now, as we''re waiting," Alvich spoke. "We need to consider what we''ll do if he''s actually sick."


    Endra shrugged and created a barrier of air around himself and the old man. "Infections mostly pass through the air, touch, fluids and sometimes animals or insects. If he''s got an STD, it''s most likely fluids, so we''re probably okay¡­ but just in case, I''ll keep the air from his room tucked inside his own."


    "You''ve studied medicine before?" Alvich asked.


    "Heard about it somewhere."


    "You sound quite confident, though."


    "The person that told me sounded the same, so I''m only borrowing his confidence."


    Alvich didn''t press further and waited for Lyudvik''s invitation. Eventually, they entered, and was greeted by the sorry state of Lyudvik. He was exactly how he described himself, but worse. His skin was some white shade of pale, with rashes showing from his neck. He was sweating from his forehead, his hair looking slightly damp.


    "Oh, my child," the baron''s wife eximed. "Tell us who this woman was and we''ll immediately find who she was."


    "Is it him?" Endra asked Ssatsko.


    He also matched Ssatsko''s description almost perfectly, with the same build and the burgundy hair. The only thing that was missing was the supposed wound on his hand, that Ssatsko described.


    "He looks very simr, but I can''t be sure," the old man replied.


    "Alright."


    "Who is this kid?" Lyudvik said, looking at Endra.


    Endra smiled. It was only the second time he heard those words today. He expected to hear it a lot more.


    "I''m the one who suspects you of the trespassing," Endra said. "Sorry for the interruption if I''m wrong."


    Looking at the young man, Endra used every method he knew to distinguish illusions, some he learned from the Academy, some he devised himself. He couldn''t find anything suspicious.


    "Well, now that you''ve seen me sick, can you leave?" Lyudvik said. "And don''t you dare speak of this to anyone!"


    "Of course, young master, just another moment," Endra replied. "Uh, Inspector Alvich, can you use that device which traces World energy usage?"


    "Haven''t you seen enough?" the baron''s wife spoke.


    To this Endra responded by making himself look exactly the same as Lyudvik, with the pale face and the disgusting rashes.


    "Empress''s horrors!" the woman gasped, taking a step away from Endra.


    "I''d love to actzily, but the existence of magic oveplicated things a bit, you see?" Endra said and nodded to Alvich.


    Thetter brought out the same device Evin must''ve saw being used in his house. As it worked, Evin saw how the World energy traces became visible in Lyudvik''s room. Most of it were of Qanatohm energies, mixed with a tinge of Seyethe; and they were mostly around random objects in the room. Cups, books, towels, etc.


    "Like to move objects using a little bit of Telekinesis, huh?" Endra asked.


    "Yes," Lyudvik replied.


    There wasn''t any traces of illusions on Lyudvik''s body. There were some dark purple traces on his hands, which were presumable from him grabbing those objects he levitated, but other than that, he was clean.


    Endra looked at the scene and couldn''t find any faults. The scene felt natural, a bit too natural.


    "There''s no way these devices can be fooled, right?" Endra asked.


    "There are ways, but as far as I know, only High-Mages of Lochra are able to do it," Alvich replied.


    They both looked at Lyudvik and thought the same thing. The young man definitely wasn''t High-mage material.


    "Well, I guess this is a dead end," Alvich said, then turning to baron Kasna, asked "Do you know anyone else that might be suspicious?"


    "Let me see¡­"


    The two men started talking about other potential suspects and Endra prepared to leave.


    "I''m sorry for bothering your family, baron Armbron," Endra said.


    "Oh, don''t worry," the average-looking man responded with a smile. "If I was in your shoes, I would''ve done the same. I''m not even sure if I''d be able to be so thorough as you are, though."


    Endra nodded, but just as he was about to turn back, he noticed a giant wound on Lyudvik''s palm. But the wound closed up right in front of his eyes, and when Endra looked towards Lyudvik''s face, he saw a mocking grin. Endra looked at Alvich, but the old man was too focused on his conversation with Kasna.


    ''The hell?'' Endra thought and looked back at Lyudvik again.


    He still wore the prideful smile and was waving at Endra with his left hand, almost unting it. ''Come on, you know I did it,'' the gesture seemed to say.


    ''He''s baiting me,'' Endra realized.


    Knowing that, decisively, he turned around and walked away from the room, careful for an attack from behind. He stood behind Alvich, feeling he would be the safest there and thought about what he just learned.


    ''I definitely wasn''t hallucinating,'' Endra first established. ''I went a bit crazy for a while, but I''m way past hallucinations at this point.''


    With that out of the way, Endra thought about why Lyudvik would taunt him like that. Did he want Endra to make a scene? Start screaming that Lyudvik had a wound on his hand? Insist that he was the attacker?


    But who will believe Endra? Certainly not the baron''s family. Perhaps Alvich, but the man was more logical than he was emotional, so even if Endra managed to perform his most convincing act, Alvich wouldn''t move. After all, there were possibilities that Endra was right, but certain possibilities were too unlikely to consider.


    ''Such as Lyudvik being a High-mage capable of masking the traces of World energies¡­'' Endra cursed. ''But if he''s a High-mage, then why would he run away from Ssatskost night? Or was that all his n in the first ce? Was this whole thing some kind of fucked up way to send a message that his family was not safe? But who would do something like this in the first ce? In the first ce, who''s so influential to move High-mages at his beckon?''


    So many questions.

 Chapter 164 - Suspicions

    Endra stole another nce at Lyudvik before they closed the door. This time, he was acting as normal. But just as the door closed, he sent Endra another triumphant re.


    ''He''s really proud of himself, isn''t he?'' Endra thought with a sigh. ''Well, at least it looks like he won''t attack me any time soon¡­''??


    The group then made their way back to the Bureau. There was no point going to the square where they held the trial since Endra was finished with everything he needed to say. Now he only had to wait for Alvich''s decree.


    "Well, sir Inspector. That seemed to be a dead end," Endra spoke. "And baron Kasna doesn''t seem to know any other suspects either, so I think we should end for today."


    "Are you sure?" Alvich asked. He seemed surprised that Endra wasn''t going to push the case further.


    "Yes. If the Bureau wants to, they can continue the inspection, but for me, I''m satisfied."


    "Satisfied?"


    "Yes. Ah, I should probably say I hope I''m satisfied," Endra said. "I was thinking that I''d convinced you that my grandfather was innocent. But as I said, the decision''s yours, ultimately."


    "Don''t worry. I''ve already sent someone to the Bureau earlier to clear your grandfather''s name."


    At his beck, an official came over to release Ssatsko''s bindings and then brought the man away to have him sign some documents.


    "Thank you foring here," Evin said. "I understand you usually work on much bigger matters."


    "No-no. One must not be picky with one''s job¡­" Alvich replied. "My father used to tell me that a lot. I''ve worried him a lot when I was young... It was toote when I realized my mistakes. Now I only wonder what would he say when he sees me now."


    "Mm¡­"


    "Regardless. This wasn''t such a boring job. No, not at all. I''m a bit saddened we wouldn''t find the culprit, but I''m d I could get acquainted with such a talented youth like yourself."


    Endra nodded, not trusting himself to not sigh or scoff in self-deprecation if he opened his mouth.


    "Though¡­ are you not worried about why your family was attacked?"


    After what he saw with Lyudvik, Endra wasn''t sure if they were actually attacked or not.


    "Well, I''m half convinced that they''ve been sent by someone. And if we can''t even find Ilhan''s aplice, then I''m really doubtful I''d be able to find who sent them in the first ce. Of course, I can''t be sure they won''t get attacked again, but for now, I can only increase the security around them and hope nothing happens."


    Alvich seemed surprised. "How old are you again?"


    "I''ll be 11 in four months, your honor."


    Endra knew he was acting way too mature to be Evin, but he long decided not to care. It was Evin''s problem to deal with.


    "Really? I''ve heard there was a promising student in Ankelite Academy, was that perhaps you?"


    "Hmm? You must be talking about Arza. He''s halfway finished with creating a Conditional Absolute and he''s the current Helm. I''m in his ss, but I''m nowhere near as talented as he is, I''m afraid."


    "Is that so?" Alvich hummed. "Well, I''ll have the bureau here searching for more clues. If you find anything yourself, don''t hesitate to contact the authorities. Just mention my name."


    "I''m not sure, I''ll be searching for anything, though, sir."


    "Bah, you kids always say that as if us old timers can''t see what''s going on through your heads. Remember, don''t hesitate the contact me," Alvich said, then pulled out a piece of paper. "Actually¡­ just contact me if you feel like you need help. Here''s my address in Ankelite city."


    "Thank you in advance, then," Endra said, receiving the address.


    They then said their goodbyes and Endra decided to go to Be''s manor. He checked on Ssatsko, but it looked like it was going to take a while so he went on ahead.


    ''I''m not sure if I can trust him yet¡­'' he thought, looking at Alvich''s address.


    Apparently, a High-mage was moving against him. That knowledge made Endra a very, very cautious person. Suddenly, no one seemed trustworthy anymore, making him wonder who really was behind these attacks. He first suspected it was Decatur trying to fulfill his stupid revenge, but now he wasn''t so sure anymore.


    He half-suspected the Chairman, but this whole thing didn''t feel like his style. Maybe the Chairman was trying to push the me to Decatur, finally pushing Evin against the nobles like he always wanted.


    ''In the first ce, if he suspects Evin''s controlled by some ancient power, why does he think he can control it to fight against the nobles? I certainly don''t feel like trying to fight against the nobles, and I''m pretty sure any ancient artifact won''t be so stupid to be get angry at the nobles¡­


    ''Is it typical evil scientist/cultist/fanatic delusion? But he doesn''t feel like that to me¡­ It''s more like he''s trying to get my attention¡­ Huh.''


    Endra felt like he was getting somewhere, but he heard Be calling him.


    "Wee back."


    "Hey, hey," Endra replied, though of course, he didn''t lean in to kiss the girl as Evin would.


    Be also seemed to not expect it, knowing that it really wasn''t Evin. Endra was thankful for the girl.


    "How was the trial?"


    "Not bad. We couldn''t find the culprit or their motive, but we managed to save Ssatsko. He''s handling some documents now and should be back sometimeter."


    "Was Lyudvik really not him?"


    "Yep. I even went to check on him to see whether he was really sick. He really was sick with something. What a coincidence, huh?"


    "Then let''s go tell your family, then," Be said.


    "Before that, do you have any questions for me?" Endra asked.


    "What kind?" Be asked, frowning.


    "Oh, I don''t know. What I really am, or what''s going to happen to you and Evin now that you can''t pretend he''s just half crazy anymore¡­ stuff like that?"


    "I¡­ I guess¡­"


    "Then let''s go to your room. The rest can wait."


    Endra was not a child predator. It was weird to be spectating Evin''s lovey-dovey moments sometimes, but that was something he couldn''t help, so it was what it was. He blocked himself out whenever he could, but naturally, there were moments were he couldn''t help but witness those moments.


    He considered trying to push Evin and Be away from each other so things like this wouldn''t happen, but he knew the more he tried to pull the apart, the more Evin would try to get together.


    It was the same with the two teens having sex. Endra definitely did not want to be a part of that, but he knew that the more he opposed it, the more Evin would want it. The human mind worked in the weirdest ways sometimes.


    So, Endra decided to just inform the boy of sex thoroughly, and hoped he would wait until the two were separated. Somehow.


    ''Sigh¡­''

 Chapter 165 - Warning

    Despite really wanting to lie down on a bed, Endra pulled in a chair inside Be''s room and sat on it backwards, resting his head on the back support. Be sat on her bed, with a straight back and a thoughtful frown.


    "Well," Endra began, "what kind of questions do you have for me, then?"??


    "Where''s Evin?"


    "Ah," Endra hummed. "A good question¡­ You''re talking to him right now, but I''m the one controlling his body from inside his mind¡­ would be more correct."


    "Then is he listening to us right now?"


    "Mmm¡­" Endra debated lying. "No," he finally replied, deciding to speak a half truth. "He''s unconscious right now, but he should be back after a while."


    Be paused, and her frown turned hostile. "You knocked him out somehow, didn''t you?"


    "Why would you think that?" Endra grinned.


    "Evin doesn''t feel like someone who would sleep through his grandfather''s trial¡­"


    "It could''ve been his only way to let me take over, no? It''s not like people living in your head is amon thing. Who knows how manyplications are there to it?"


    "He was acting like himself at first, but now, there''s not a speck of his personality and behaviors¡­"


    "Well, there''s no point in trying to hide it at this point," Endra shrugged. "I did lock him up. But don''t worry. He''ll find his way into his body sooner orter."


    After taking control over Evin''s body, Endra decided to do a little prank. He decided to lock away Evin''s consciousness like he sometimes did to his own. Problem was, the prank worked a little too well. Endra expected Evin to be able to break through the lock in an hour or so at best, but there was no sign of the boy breaking through it yet. But, Endra wasn''t so optimistic to think he could keep on living as Evin. It was, ultimately, the boy''s mind.


    "How can I trust you?"


    "Hah, if I truly was free, I would''ve been long gone from here. I wouldn''t be talking to you here," Endra said. "Actually¡­ maybe I would be. I do like you and Evin''s other friends and acquaintances. Even if I take over and decide to leave somewhere, I''ll at least say a proper goodbye."


    Endra''s words disturbed Be noticeably, as she was frantically attempting to see whether Endra was serious or not.


    "Don''t look so disturbed from a possibility," Endra shrugged. "There''s a real possibility that we''ll both die in this room the next second. But we don''t think about those or else we can''t function¡­ Anyhow, do you have any other questions?"


    "No."


    "Then I''ll give you one piece of advice," Endra said. "Go make some friends."


    He''s been wanting to say this to the girl for ages.


    "What?"


    "Go talk to some other people and have fun. I don''t care whether they''re girls or boys, five-year-olds or fifty-year-olds, get some friends," Endra said.


    "I do have friends¡­ I''m good with Phel and also Arza."


    "Bah, you barely notice Phel even if he''s there talking to you," Endra scoffed. "And being friends with Arza shouldn''t count as having friends at all if you''reparing."


    "Then who am I supposed to be friends with?"


    "I told you," Endra said, looking at her in the eye. "Anyone you want. It could be those two idiots from your mage guards; anyone from the Academy, including the teachers; it could even be your family members. Fix your rtionship with those sisters of yours and maybe even your father and be friends with them, I know you want to. Just get someone you enjoy being with other than Evin."


    "Don''t talk like you know everything about me," Be was getting defensive.


    "Of course, I don''t know everything about you," Endra scoffed. "I barely know a quarter of you."


    "Don''t put your nose into my life, then! I''m barely wrapping my head around you existing in Evin''s head!


    Listening to the girl, Endra knew he''d couldn''t convince her now. Even if he was right, and even if she knew he was right, she''d probably refuse to make friends out of sheer stubbornness.


    ''Well, how should I fix this problem?'' Endra sighed in thoughtfulness. ''Ah, of course.''


    "I''m only saying this because I''m worried you two would stray away from each other at this point."


    "What do you mean?" Be asked, worry on her face.


    That definitely hooked her attention.


    "If I were to make an educated guess, Evin would start losing interest in you after a month or so, at most. Three months after that, he''ll start consider breakup. A month after that, you two will be separated."


    "That makes no sense!"


    "Of course it does," Endra chuckled. "It might happen even sooner, to be honest. The sad truth is, that people lose interest in things. This happens especially quickly when you spend your whole day with said thing. Now tell me, how many hours do you and Evin spend together? Ten? Twelve? Half the day?"


    "What''s wrong with that?"


    "You might not see any problems with this, but Evin does. And the more time you spent with him, the more he''ll start despising these hours," Endra sighed. "Of course, he doesn''t even know he despises it yet, but eventually it''ll happen.


    "Do you know why you feel like dying whenever Evin''s not present in your immediate vicinity? It''s because you''re bing too dependent on him. And it happened so fast, because you''ve never really dealt with something like this before. You''re unfamiliar with care. It''s the same thing as an abused woman thinking her husband loves her since he''s not beating her every other day.


    "You''vecked love and care in your life. If your father and your sisters showered you with attention and love, you wouldn''t have felt like your whole world revolved around Evin¡­ But, well¡­ shit happens I guess. Anyhow, get a friend. A real one that you can love and care for. Share some of your heart."


    "¡­"


    "You look like someone who doesn''t trust what I''m saying," Endra smiled. "Well, that''s fine. I''ll just tell you one more thing. For a rtionship to seed, love alone isn''t enough. Love does not conquer all. It''s the part that hurts you the most. You might disagree now, but¡­ well, you''ll get to feel it soon enough."


    Saying his piece, Endra got up from his seat.


    "What are you, really?" Be spoke.


    "Just someone who''s really wants a body for himself¡­" Endra said, waving his hand.


    *****


    The morning after, Evin finally emerged from the lock that Endra created for him. After regaining consciousness, frantically, he felt his body all over to make sure he was in control of his body once more.


    A brief wave of relief passed through his head, before anger took over.


    <What the hell did you do to me!?> he shouted in his head.


    <Oh, you''re finally back,> azy voice replied back. <I was getting a bit worried. Or rather, hopeful?>


    <What the hell did you do to me!?> he repeated.


    <Ugh, don''t be so loud first thing in the morning,> Endra replied, yawning. <I just locked your senses away from reality, the same way I do when I give Be and you some privacy. As a joke, really. Thought you''d be out of it in an hour at most, but surprisingly, you stayed locked up for more than half a day.>


    Endra''s calm tone did not rub off on Evin, as he felt his spine going cold once more. The endlessly vast darkness he was locked away in was far worse than anything he ever experienced before. With nothing else to apany him, except for the floating piece of metal that was apparently the lock that Endra created.


    At first, he didn''t even realize he was locked. He thought he was dreaming and was only confused on when he fell asleep in the middle of the day. But gradually, things started to feel out of ce


    Then came the realization, and then came Evin''s endless fight with Endra''s lock.


    <Well, you''re finally out, so at least there''s that,> Endra was entirely unconcerned with the hell he''d put Evin through. <We actually have a little problem in our hands.>


    Evin was about to snap again, but Endra put a piece of paper in his face.


    [It will happen again.]


    "What''s this?" he murmured, reading the paper.


    <Found it under your nket when I came back to our room yesterday evening,> Endra exined. <I believe they mean they''re going to attack your family again.>

 Chapter 166 - What To Do Next?

    Evin listened as Endra exined the previous day''s events to him, about the trial, Lyudvik''s taunt, and how he found this note.


    <Where''s my family?> Evin asked at the end of it. ??


    <They''re staying in Be''s house till their own house gets fixed, so I''m sure they''re fine for now,> Endra sighed. <But we do need to worry about what''s going to happen next.>


    <There''s nothing to think about! We learn who''s doing this and take care of them somehow!>


    <Sadly, we can''t.>


    <Why not?>


    <Even if we know who it is, we can''t have them tried because we most likely won''t have evidence. Even if someonees out and tells us it was them who did it, we can''t use them if they don''t give us proof.>


    <If that doesn''t work, then just kill them!>


    <To kill them, huh? I considered that. But I''m not so confident we''ll survive a fight against a High-mage. One that specializes in illusions nheless. We''d be dead before we even know what happened to us.>


    "Shit¡­" Evin cursed, wracking his head for solutions. <How are you so goddamn calm, anyway?>


    <I''m simply built different,> Endra replied. <Well, it doesn''t really change what we do next. We go to Ssatsko and tell them to be careful. We also tell them that it''s probably our fault they were attacked.>


    An hourter, Evin found himself once again at the Viscount''s manor in Jiha Town with Be next to him. His girlfriend seemed to be acting more distantly today, but she seemed happy enough to fly home with him. Evin was curious about what happened, but decided to askter on.


    Evin asked for Ssatsko, feeling anxious if they were already attacked again or something. Thankfully, Ssatsko only looked surprised to see Evin so soon.


    Evin pulled him to a private room and told him about the note he received yesterday. He even told how Lyudvik taunted him yesterday, grinning all the while.


    "You''re not joking or something, right?" Ssatsko asked, hearing everything.


    "I wish I was."


    "Why would anyone even do this to you? Who would do something like this in the first ce?"


    "I don''t know. I thought it was Decatur, the acting count of Greater Ankelite, but¡­ I''m really not sure anymore. It could be the Chairman of my Academy, or it could be that old man Alvich from yesterday as well. He seemed very interested in me for some reason."


    "What purpose do they have to do this?"


    "To harass me? Since they''re not asking for anything, I''m guessing they just like seeing me suffer. Or maybe they''re just curious what I''ll do," Evin answered. "Since Lyudvik was taunting me so openly, maybe they just want to discredit me; but if that was all they wanted, this whole thing''s really overkill."


    "¡­" Ssatsko nodded, lost in thought.


    "Well, I''m sorry I brought you into this mess¡­ since they''re saying they''ll attack you again, I''m sure they''ll send someone more dangerous next time."


    "I''m not worried about myself. I''m more worried about Lora''s family¡­" Ssatsko sighed. "The more I think about it, the more I realize they''ve been heading towards their room that night we got attacked. The biggest reason I was able to ambush them was because they didn''t even bother to check inside my room. Means they knew our house''syout and came for something specific. Empress''s curses."


    "What do we do?"


    "We can''t stay in the Viscount''s manor all the time. We feel way too out of ce here, but we can''t go back to our house either¡­ Do you think they''ll be safe in the 1st grade district?"


    "They''ll definitely be safer¡­ but probably not entirely."


    Safety was one of the advantages of being a 1st grade in the kingdom, but that wasn''t something absolute. Evin heard many stories of 1st grades getting killed some way or another; and honestly, he had countless ways to murder someone as well.


    "I''m really sorry¡­" Evin said again, voice straining.


    It felt so terrible to be united with his mother again, just to have his own problems destroying her life.


    "This isn''t your fault," Ssatsko patted Evin''s shoulder. "Some people simply have too much power in their hands. And way too much time. Sigh¡­ Well, I can only think of one thing now."


    "What?"


    "To leave the country and escape to the North," Ssatsko replied. "Hopefully, they''ll be safe with that, but I''ll ask my Tendu Tribe for protection as well."


    Evin thought about the idea and slowly nodded.


    "Yes, that''s true. If these people are the kingdom''s nobility, surely they won''t be able to move freely outside the country," he said. "But will Theor agree to that?"


    "I''m sure he won''t like it¡­ But he''ll have to agree."


    "But would he even believe my story?"


    "Like I said, he''ll have to."


    Evin nodded. Feeling anxious, he asked Endra.


    <What do you think?>


    <I agree. Fleeing''s probably the best move,> Endra replied. <Honestly, we should also go with them¡­ but do you want to?>


    Evin thought about the things that he was bound to in the kingdom. In the end, it boiled down to only Be. He thought about Leanne, Phel, Arza, and Rith, and realized he could live without them for a little while.


    Of course, Evin didn''t n to be away forever. The kingdom would probably not like him doing whatever he wanted, but Evin was sure he''d just a p to the wrist. If he revealed he could create portals, he would be too important for the kingdom to seriously punish. And besides, if he stayed here, he''d eventually get sent to the South either way.


    Evin nodded resolutely, agreeing with Endra.


    "Then I''ll go with you too," he said to Ssatsko.


    "What? What about your studies?"


    "It''s fine. I can always catch up," Evin replied. "Besides, I have nothing much to learn in ss, anyway."


    "And what about your girlfriend? I know you mean well, but you can''t just decide to leave all your life like that you know?" Ssatsko asked. "Also, can you even leave the kingdom like that?"


    "I''ll talk to Be, she''ll understand. But I won''t say much to the rest. If there''s someone from the kingdom targeting me, I can''t trust anyone. I think you should keep the part about leaving secret too."


    "You''re nning to be a fugitive?" Ssatsko frowned. "I don''t think the kingdom will allow you to leave like that, you know? Even if you n toe back, they won''t wee you with warm hands."


    "Of course they won''t allow me to leave. But do you think I''ll be content with staying here with unknown mages hunting after you?" Evin argued. "Bah, since we''ve decided to leave, we should hurry on with it. Go talk to Lora and Theor. I''ll go talk to Be."


    Leaving Ssatsko no chance to reply, Evin walked out of the room and went to Be''s.

 Chapter 167 - The True Culprit?

    Her found her sitting on her bed, lost in thought. Evin remembered her state in the morning and decided to ask what that was about.


    "Be?" he asked, grabbing her shoulder. "What''s wrong?"??


    "Nothing." She eyed Evin''s hand with a hint of suspicion, before looking at Evin''s eyes. "Why did wee here again?"


    Evin showed her the note and exined how he found it in his room the previous day.


    "Thought I should warn Ssatsko, at least."


    "You sure it''s not some prank or anything?"


    "Can''t be. I think someone''s trying to harass me."


    "Decatur?"


    "I don''t know. Could be him, but¡­ I don''t know. It doesn''t feel like him."


    "Then, what are you going to do?" Be asked, "It''s not like you know who''s the culprit."


    "Yeah," Evin sighed. He searched for the right words, but he knew there wouldn''t be any easy way to say this. "Ssatsko says he''s going to the North with the rest of the family."


    "¡­"


    "I''m going with them. I can''t just let them go with mages hunting them."


    "You''re going to leave? But the kingdom won''t allow you to go, I think. You''re one of the young mages who''s learning portal magic, no?" Be asked, her voice low.


    "Yes, but I''m leaving anyway. Other than you I don''t have much binding me here."


    "You can''t be serious," Be''s voice was getting madder. "Don''t you have any shame? After all the kingdom''s done for you? Do you think they spend thousands of gold on your core just so you can leave? I know you think me vain because I''m a noble, but at least I''m not so heartless to take from my country and not pay it back!"


    "What do you want me to do then? Watch as my family gets attacked by mages every week? Or are they going to do this every day? And even if I want to do something about it, those assholes aren''t even asking me for anything! If they asked for money or my powers, I''d have dly given it to them! But no, they just want to see me and Lora suffer!"


    "Just ask the kingdom to give your family escorts! Why do you have to go yourself?"


    "I can''t trust them! You remember the trial yesterday? There was a mage who could mask the remains of World energies from those devices the Inspectors carry around."


    "What?"


    "I know, a High-mage was working against me. I saw Lyudvik taunting me, showing me his wounded left palm while no one else was watching, grinning like some idiot too. Probably wanted me to attack him or some shit."


    "You didn''t see that, him¡­ Endra did," Be said coldly.


    "Same difference! My point is that this whole thing''s definitely moreplicated than how it looks!"


    "It could''ve been just baron Armbron asking for favors from a mage he knows. If Lyudvik''s the culprit, then of course he''s going to do everything in his powers to clear his name."


    "But what''s with the note I got?" Evin snapped. "This whole thing''s a fucking conspiracy! Do you really think I can leave my family''s safety to some random mages? And it''s not like I''ll be gone forever. I''ll get them to their Tribe ande back. It''ll only take a few weeks at most!"


    "Do you even know what happens to mages who leave the country without permission? They get permanently cklisted on the kingdom''s records, meaning you''ll lose your rights as the kingdom''s citizen and get arrested on sight the moment you''re discovered. It''s not even weird for some mages to kill fugitives out of simple disgust."


    "Fine, then I just need to get a goddamn permit!"


    "And leave to another country where you might get converted? Of course the kingdom won''t allow you your permit," Be scoffed. "Listen, just get to Arcvallen, hire some random mercenaries. I''ll give you the money for it. You can pay me back when you get rich, I don''t care how long it takes. Just don''t ruin your life like that, please."


    Evin was almost convinced. But he still couldn''t make himself trust mercenaries, who ultimately worked for the highest bidder. If these enemies of his could hire High-mages, then there was no reason they couldn''t buy out a few mercs.


    "At least let me try getting the permit first," Evin replied. "If I don''t seed, then it is what it is. I''ll do it the way you suggest."


    "Alright. Thank you."


    Be''s expression softened greatly and sheid her head on Evin''s chest.


    "But it''s not like I''ll be staying with you even if I don''t go, you know?" Evin said. "Decatur will still send me to war, and that''s definitely going to take much longer than a quick trip to the North."


    "Ah, actually¡­" Be grimaced. "He can''t send you to war."


    "What do you mean?" It was Evin''s first time hearing about this. But seeing Be''s face, he realized what was going on. "Did you do something?"


    "Yes¡­ You''ve been pulled out of the list of young mages who were going to be sent to the war Academy in the south. Decatur won''t be able to do anything about that, even if he wanted to."


    "How?"


    "By sending another student in your ce," Be exined. "There are many desperate families in Greater Ankelite, who won''t mind sending a son to war in exchange for some wealth. And the quota for the recruitment doesn''t change, so you can stay assured you won''t get drafted."


    "How much money did you pay to do that?"


    "Don''t worry about it. The Borna family''s rich, and my father knows I''ll bring wealth to the family soon enough."


    "No-no, I''ll pay it back for you¡­" Evin began, but then he suddenly thought of something. "Does that mean Decatur''s behind the attack? I''ve been dismissing him, since I thought he had no reason to do this because he could still send me to war¡­ but since that didn''t work, he decided to attack my family?"


    "Maybe."


    Evin felt rage bubbling up in his head, thinking of the blonde boy who just wouldn''t stop trying to ruin his life. In the end, what did Evin even do to him?


    ''Nothing. I was just better than him and he couldn''t ept that. And now what? He''s trying to kill my family, so he can learn how to ess that stupid World of Fire. Is that his fucking attempt at trying to be better than me?''


    Evin could handle getting bullied, but he couldn''t stand the idea of his mother going through the same, because of him.


    "Be, how do I kill Decatur?"


    "No," she refused. "I told you it''s just a maybe."


    "Even if he''s not behind this, he''s going to do something to fuck me over anyway, so I''ll kill him anyway," Evin said. "And even if I have the patience to deal with him, I won''t allow him to hurt my family. And if he''s behind this whole thing too? Enough is enough. Just tell me how I get to kill him."

 Chapter 168 - Motives

    Be looked at Evin, no doubt wondering if he was serious or not.


    "If you really want to kill him, gather evidences of him slighting you. That time he challenged you to a battle on your first day, those times you found yourself having to fight him inbat sses, that time he gathered the students of the Academy to hunt you, and of course, the time he trapped you inside the Temple. Witnesses will also do but gather at least ten different people of varying backgrounds."??


    "And then?"


    "And when your case isplete, marry me," Be said. "You''ll be a noble then and you can challenge Decatur to a duel of honor. Make your case public, so he won''t be able to refuse you, and kill him during the duel."


    Evin''s face flushed at the idea, and he couldn''t find a response immediately.


    "What?" Be asked, sounding oddly annoyed.


    "I mean¡­ you just mentioned something very serious very casually."


    "You wanted to kill a Count, I told you how," Be hmphed. "And don''t think I''ll allow you to marry me just so you get to kill boy. I may love you, but I at least have some pride left in me."


    "I¡­ Of course."


    Be smiled and kissed Evin''s lips.


    "Well, tell your grandfather you''ll try to get proper permission, and that if that doesn''t work, you''re going to buy mercenaries for them," she said. "We''ll worry about Decaturter."


    ¡­


    Two hourster, Evin and Be were standing outside a ssroom, working on the things he needed to say. A quick visit to Leanne taught him he needed to bring the Academy''s permission to the Bureau if he were to leave the country, meaning he needed to talk to the Chairman.


    Hearing it, Evin almost wanted to stop, since the Chairman was one of the people he suspected previously. But under Be''s insistence, he had toe talk to him. Well, Evin was sure he was going to be refused, considering the Chairman''s intentions, so he was just going to ask if he could leave without providing the reasoning.


    "He''sing out," Be said from his side.


    The ssroom door opened and Kent walked out of the room followed by a few 4th year students.


    "Sir," Evin greeted, urgency filling his voice.


    "Oh, Evin and Be," the man replied. "What brings you here?"


    "I wanted to talk to you about something, in private."


    "Be too?"


    "She''ll wait outside."


    "Sure, let''s go to my office then."


    The Chairman was slow to make their way to his room. He wore a gleefully anticipative expression, as if he couldn''t wait to hear what Evin was about ask him, but for some reason, he dyed the visit as long as he possibly could. He stopped thrice to speak with teachers and students about somethingpletely inconsequential; and even when they made it to his office, he insisted on brewing some kind of special tea for himself before sitting down.


    "Well, then, you seem to be in quite a rush?" Kent asked.


    Evin had to push down a curse at thement. "Yes, but of course, please don''t let my problems hurry you." Though, he couldn''t quite keep the sarcasm away.


    "Sorry, sorry. I just noticed you were busy now," Kent smiled. "Well, what did you want to talk about?"


    "I wanted to go to the North for a few weeks and wanted to get permission from you."


    "Hmm? Why?"


    "Personal reasons, sir. Sorry."


    "Mmm¡­ You know I can''t just let you leave without a proper exnation, you know?" Kent asked.


    "I know," Evin grunted. "But I¡­ I really can''t talk about the reasonings. It''s a desperate need, sir."


    The Chairman hummed and took a sip from his tea. Evin was sure the Chairman knew why Evin needed to go. Even if he didn''t know the exact reasons, he definitely had guesses. Or, he could''ve been the one behind the attack on his family. In that case, he''d immediately deduct why Evin suddenly wanted to go.


    Evin felt like a fool, sitting here talking about his escape to his potential enemy, but he felt like his enemies would learn about his escape regardless. If they had a High-mage specializing in illusions, it wouldn''t be weird if that person was sitting in the room next to them. It was a worrying thought.


    Evin had to make a habit of using magic to sweep a room to see if there was someone invisible standing somewhere in a room, but even then, he couldn''t bepletely sure.


    ''This whole fucking mess is really tiring me¡­''


    "A desperate need, but you can''t tell me what exactly¡­" the Chairman spoke, frowning.


    "Yes," Evin said, cursing inside for not being able to tell if the Chairman was acting oblivious or not.


    "Sure, why not," the Chairman smiled, and started writing on some paper.


    Evin looked at the Chairman''s smiling face, trying to detect a joke.


    "Don''t make that face. It''s a desperate need, right? I trust you enough, so I''m not worried about you bing the North''s mage. I''m more worried about you leaving without permission, bing a fugitive."


    The logic added up, but Evin still couldn''t make himself trust the man.


    "Ah, but of course, I have some conditions."


    ''There it is¡­''


    "I''m sure you''ll be fine, but you''ll need to take the next month''s materials from your teachers and privately study them," the Chairman added. "I can allow you to leave, but I cannot allow you to neglect your studies. And don''t try to cheat me out of this one, I''ll ask every teacher if you''ve met them or not."


    "I¡­ of course¡­?" Evin replied. "I''ll visit them after this."


    "Well then. Good luck on your travels," the Chairman said and gave Evin a permit. "Show this at the Bureau and you''ll be good to go. Oh, do you need anything for the trip? No? If you do, don''t hesitate to ask. Well, off you go."


    Dazedly, Evin picked up the permit and walked out of the room.


    "How did it go?" Be asked. "Is that the permit?"


    "Yeah?"


    "Holy shit, they actually let you leave like that?" she also seemed to think it impossible.


    "Yeah, but I''ll need to take care of my studies while I''m away," Evin replied. "He was rather particr about that, so I''ll have to visit my teachers. I really don''t wanna lose the permit because I didn''t do that."


    "But are you¡­ still going to leave? You can still hire those mercs, you know?"


    "I will," Evin replied. "I don''t want to trust anyone, and honestly, I didn''t wanna ask the Chairman too. But I''ll be back in a few weeks at most so don''t be sad¡­ Wait, actually, I can be gone for only a day if Rith agrees to portal me there. I remember her talking about how it costs only a few hundred gold so I should be able to afford that!"


    "Sure. Yes, of course, you''re right. I''ll go talk to your grandfather to hear if they''re ready to go yet. You cane after you''re done talking to Rith," Be said.


    Evin nodded and started visiting his teachers one by one. The first two asked him to get some book from the library to read upon, so Evin decided to just visit them all and then get the bookster. But just as he was about to leave the library with a stack of books in his hand, he was met with the Chairman.


    "Oh, Evin. I''m so d I managed to catch you before you left. I have some more news about your leave."


    "You can''t not allow me to go!" Evin immediately panicked, thinking of the worst.


    "No-no-no. You''re still allowed to go," the Chairman shook his head. "I''ve got different news. Actually, I reported about your situation to the higher-ups. They almost immediately replied and told me that you can''t go alone and told me to keep you here till they send someone to apany you."


    "Oh," Evin breathed out a sigh of relief. "Wait, but who are they sending?"


    "Don''t know," the Chairman shrugged. "But they should arrive here in the Academy by today evening, so you can get to know them then."


    "Alright¡­ I''ll be back to meet them then¡­"


    "Don''t worry about them sharing with others whatever you''re trying to hide. They''ll apany you, make sure you''re fine, ande back with you. They won''t even speak of their experiences to the kingdom, so you can make them your confidants if you want to."


    Evin''s moment of relieve didn''tst.


    ''Of course, that mage''s just there to observe me for the kingdom¡­ I guess it''s fine if it''s just that, but I can''t be sure they''re not someone the Chairman himself is hiring to check up on me¡­''


    Countless questions popped up in his head one by one, each more worrying that the previous.


    <It''s best if you stop thinking about that,> Endra said. <We can learn the mage''s intentions when we meet them. For now, go talk to Rith.>


    <Sure, but¡­ can we trust her?> Evin asked.


    <Rith? Probably. She''s hired by the country itself, so there shouldn''t be any problems. And you know the integrity of the Cosmics. There''s no way for her to betray you.>


    The credibility of the Cosmics were known to all. They prided themselves in never cheating or betraying their customers after a deal was made, no matter the amount of gold offered to them. From the moment they appeared on Alvox out of nowhere, they''ve be the ideal merchants to work with.


    <But weren''t you the one who taught me that nothing was concrete?>


    <Yeah, but you can''t live doubting everything around you, you know?> Endra said. <There are real risks of getting murdered in your sleep, but you don''t stay awake all the time because of that, right?>


    Evin nodded and made his way to the Cosmic''s den. He exined his situation and asked her how much would it cost to create a portal to Ssatsko''s Tendu Tribe. Rith exined that she could get them to the Third Cataract, which acted as the border between the North and the West, but not beyond that.


    International teleportation was aplicated privilege that was only avable to a select few people that Evin wasn''t part of. Evin needed toplete the rest of the journey on foot, or he had to find a Cosmic in the North and hire them to do the job. The best ce to find one was in Khuutam city of the North, more famously known as the Prison of the Eight-limbed Godling.


    The name piqued Evin''s curiosity, so he asked Rith about it. Teasingly, the Cosmic told him to see it for himself. This was the moment when Evin realized that he was technically going traveling.


    He thanked Rith, and made his way to Jiha Town to find Ssatsko. He learned that they''d went to their old house to pack up. But arriving in Theor''s house, Evin found a rather ugly scene.


    "I will not leave my damn house," Theor shouted at Lora.

 Chapter 169 - Persuasion

    It didn''t take long for Evin to understand what was happening. Lora agreed to go to the North with Ssatsko, but Theor was against it. Evin didn''t know where Ssatsko and Sasha was, but that didn''t seem very important. Perhaps the old man was taking the girl for a walk, so the couples could talk privately.


    Evin didn''t want to bother them, but he knew he was the cause of all this so he had to say something. ??


    "Hello, Theor," Evin greeted, hoping he sounded friendly enough.


    "You!" Theor snarled. "What did you bring upon my family?!"


    <Stay calm if you want to convince him,> Endra reminded. <Remember my talk about conversations?>


    Evin remembered, and he knew that shouting back at Theor was meaningless. Evin looked at Lora, who was meekly standing in front of Theor, not even bothering to reply. The sight angered Evin a bit, but he calmed himself the best he could and replied.


    "Yes, yes, I know it''s all my fault and I''m sorry," Evin bowed.


    "You think you''ll be forgiven with an apology? Do you know what you''re putting my family though?"


    "I''ll exin everything as best as I can, but can you tell me what Ssattsko told you?"


    "He told us we might get attacked again, and that it had something to do with you."


    "I see," Evin sighed. "I''m really sorry for what''s happening to you. I just didn''t expect that asshole to target you guys just to get back at me."


    "You know who''s behind all this?" Theor asked.


    "Yes," Evin lied.


    "Then why can''t you do anything about it?"


    "Well, the problem is, there''s no proof he''s behind this¡­ and even if there was something, I can''t do much with it," Evin sighed again. "We''re against the Acting Count of Greater Ankelite, after all."


    "What?"


    Both Theor and Lora''s face changed considerably. For them, someone like that sounded much too distant and much too powerful to imagine as enemies. Evin used to think that as well, but after spending some time with these high and mighty nobles, he stopped thinking of them as something above the skies. King Seth''s letters also served a purpose in shattering his unbending adoration of king Rnd.


    "Again, I''m sorry¡­ I''m irreconcble enemies with Decatur Carew, who happens to study in the same Academy as me. I was under the impression that we agreed to not bother with each other again, but I suppose he had different ideas. And even then, I didn''t think he''d stoop so low to attack my fa¡­ my mother''s family like this."


    "What among the Empress''s sins did you do to him in the first ce?"


    Evin had to chuckle at that. "Honestly, I don''t know. We had a spell-castingpetition one day and turned out I was better than him. Since then, he''s been butting heads with me and eventually, our little rivalry turned ugly. He got convinced that everything wrong in his life was somehow my fault."


    "¡­ I still can''t leave my house like this," Theor was stubborn.


    "Theor, I know you wouldn''t want to leave behind something you worked so hard on¡­ but it''s not like you''re going to leave forever. You can stay in the North for a while ande back after I''ve dealt with Decatur.


    "You might think I''m speaking nonsense, but rest assured, I have a n to deal with him. It might take a while, but I''ll definitely seed," Evin said. "Before that, enjoy your time in the North. Think of it as an extended holiday! I''ll make sure to keep your house here unupied and untouched."


    Theor looked back at him, still unconvinced. Evin was getting a bit annoyed, having to convince a grown man to bend to the circumstances, but he had to keep calm. If he couldn''t do that. He had to keep up fake smile at the very least.


    ''Even if I hate Theor, I don''t want mother to be separated from her husband¡­''


    <Sigh, Endra?>


    <Mm?>


    <Can you show Lora and illusion of me convincing Theor in some other way?> Evin asked.


    <Mmhmm¡­> Endra sounded amused. <But are you sure you want that?>


    <I guess that''s the simplest way,> Endra sighed and got to work.


    When Evin was sure his mother was seeing an illusion, he walked up to Theor and asked. "Are you sure you won''t change your mind?"


    "No. If you have to leave, leave. I won''t hold Lora and Sasha with me, but I will not go with them."


    Evin frowned and grabbed Theor by the hand. Before the man could understand what was happening, Evin pulled him down and kneed him in the guts.


    "Guhaah!" Theor spat out. He crawled away on all fours, his limbs moving frantically. Evin did not wish to prolong this, so he walked over to kick Theor onto his back.


    "Stay- Stay the fuck away from me!" Theor struggled. "Lora! Lora! Why are you just standing there!?"


    "She can''t hear you, I''m afraid," Evin sighed and made Theor heavier, before he could struggle again.


    "Gah!"


    "I''m really sorry for doing this to you, but I don''t want my mother to go to the North without you," Evin said. "Please, obediently pack up your things and go with us. Like I said, the world won''t end because you''ll be gone for half a year. I''ll have killed Decatur by then, and I''ll bring you back home. You can do whatever you want after that."


    "You two-faced fucking monster."


    Evin kicked Theor in the guts. "No, I''m afraid I''m just a mage. Our glorious country raises us to be ruthless and a littlecking in morals, you see. They teach us to dominate others using pain and fear, and if we can''t do that, to simply ept being dominated by others¡­ And I¡­ decided to be the dominator. I turned out a pretty good one if I do say so myself. Perhaps I got it from my father."


    "I-"


    Evin heeled Theor''s palm. "Sigh, I''d have cut off a few fingers or toes to drill in my point, but I''ll let you off easy, considering my mother. Curse me all you want but leave her out of this¡­ Now that I think about it, I''m still curious on why she looked so despondent when I first met her. Was that you? Well, no matter. You''ll do nothing to hurt my mother again."


    "Sto-"


    Another kick. "And don''t bother ying the brave hero. If I can beat you up while making Lora see apletely different scene now, I can certainly make you act the part during the whole trip. Sure, it would be a pain, but I''ll be sure to thoroughly take out the frustration on you when we get some alone time. Perhaps I''ll still get to dismember you finger by finger then."


    "Please!"


    Evin put his feet to Theor''s throat, gradually increasing the pressure. "Of course, you won''t get such treatments if you simply act as if nothing''s wrong. Easy, no?"


    Theor nodded rapidly under Evin''s feet, tears in his eyes. Evin smiled, pulled up his feet and helped Theor up.


    "There, there," he said, rubbing the man''s back as thetter struggled to calm himself. It took quite a bit of time.


    "That wasn''t so hard now, was it? Do you think you can act normally in front of Lora now, or should I create an illusion for you?"


    Theor looked at Evin with a mix of fear and disgust, but he had stopped breathing so roughly.


    "I-I''ll do it myself."


    "Is that so? Well, the illusions Lora''s seeing is almost wrapping up. Look how her face brightens to have youe with us?" Evin said. "I''m sure you want to make her happy too, so let''s cooperate on that."


    Theor nodded and Endra merged reality and illusion together.


    "I''m so d you''reing with us!" Lora hugged Theor. "You''ll enjoy the North, I promise you alright?"


    Theor seemed shocked by the sudden hug, but did not shy away from it. "Sure¡­ honey."


    "Are you okay?" Lora asked, perhaps noticing something amiss.


    Evin sent Theor a professional smile.


    "Everything''s fine, love¡­ Let''s pack up."


    Evin was d Theor didn''t make a scene. Endra was ready to interfere just in case, but it would''ve been best if Theor did so himself. Illusions weren''t perfect, and Evin couldn''t possibly keep up an illusion for so long anyway.


    <Wasn''t your acting a bit too overkill there?> Endra asked.


    <You''re the one who told me to act psycho when torturing someone.>


    <What, when did I say that?> Endraughed. <My bad then, I guess.>


    Evin decided to hide the fact he was enjoying the process.


    ¡­

 Chapter 170 - The Night Before

    From then on, it didn''t take long for Evin and his family to prepare.


    Ssatsko came back with Sasha to help out. The old man seemed to find something amiss with Theor, but seemed to shrug it off pretty quickly. Evin was still worried Theor would speak, but there was no way he could keep his eye on the man forever. But Endra assured him that it was okay, considering how fearful Theor acted before. ??


    They decided on a time to depart for the day after; and Evin flew back to Ankelite city to meet with Rith. The Cosmic surprised Evin by gifting him a Spatial Ring. Evin marveled at the object for a bit, before thanking Rith and sheepishly asking her why. She exined that it was a gesture of goodwill from the Cosmics to Evin. She reminded him to practice his portals daily and promised to meet him in Jiha town.


    He then got to his own preparations. He went to the Academy to gather his things, to pawn some of his World Shards for enough gold coins and happily put them inside his new Spatial ring. Evin took a peek inside it and found that it definitely wasn''t small. The space inside was as big as his room that he shared with Arza, yet the Ring itself weighed barely more than a bracelet, even with everything inside it.


    Sure, it was a bit inconvenient, since Evin could only fit in objects that were as big as the ring itself (which was the size of a man''s head), but the pros definitely outweighed that one simple con.


    Evin then tried to find Sufia again, but like in the morning, he couldn''t find the old woman. He decided to leave a message with Be.


    The Chairman came to him with te observer from the kingdom. It turned out to be a female mage with a short, military-style, red hair, and a rather dull-colored armor. She was named Myn and looked to be in herte 30s. She had this no-nonsense atmosphere around her, which gave her a very unapproachable vibe, but of course, that wasn''t a problem to Evin, who wanted to keep his distance.


    Myn assured Evin that she was only there as a simple safeguard and nothing more. But what she was safeguarding for, she didn''t exin. Evin didn''t ask either, since he knew the answer anyway. He just told her to be in Jiha town tomorrow morning and they parted.


    Happily, Evin sorted all his stuff and went back to Jiha town. He checked on Theor, to see if he''d said anything, but nothing seemed to have happened. Theor looked at Evin with a look of panic, but Evin decided it was because of fear for Evin. Lora and Ssatsko were acting normally anyway.


    Then, Evin went back to Be''s house, wondering why Theor was so adamant on staying behind during the flight. Evin couldn''t really get it. And honestly, he didn''t really care for it either.


    He found Be in her room and soon epted he was going to spend the rest of the day in Be''s embrace.


    At first, they yed with the idea of Being with them, but both of them knew that it wasn''t going to happen. Talking with Be, Evin realized that she had definitely changed. She was sad about Evin''s leave, but she was definitely taking it much better than Evin expected. Piqued, Evin asked her what happened, but she just shrugged and told Evin not to worry about it.


    Out of the blue, she then asked Evin who would be a good friend for her. Evin made a few jokes of her growing out of his care, but he did his best to help her. He was always saddened when he had to leave her alone knowing she''d be alone the entire time, while he was off to have a good time with his family.


    They ended up making a list of people they knew and started ranking them on how good of a friend they would be. It was childish, but Evin felt like he needed to do something like this once in a while. Eventually, they decided Daishan and Parsh were their best bets. They were friendly, reliable and terribly fun to be with. No one from the Academy coulde close to the two of them.


    They also toyed with the idea of Be making up with her sisters, but she felt like it was toote. She did beat Arelyn in front of Olevyn, and spent the next few years trying to stay away from them.


    Endra suddenly interjected at this point, calling Evin lucky for having Be as his girlfriend. Willing to love, willing to understand, willing to change, and most importantly, with enough smarts to seed in her determinations.


    Evin was startled, thinking that Endra was not listening to their conversation. Thetter apologized, saying he didn''t feel safe, thinking of the invisible High-mage possibly listening to their conversation. He was scouring the room every few minutes to make sure they were alone.


    Evin replied that he was being paranoid now, but Endra only sighed and told Evin to focus on his girlfriend, make sure she won''t miss him too much after he left. Or to make sure she missed him a lot.


    Evin didn''t understand itpletely. He didn''t even ask what Endra meant when talking about Be. He put Endra out of his mind, and tried his best to pretend he wasn''t there. It wasn''t that hard, he had a lifetime to practice, after all. But he did decide to keep the kissing to a minimum.


    Be then decided to spend more time with the Mage Guards. They joked about what kind of friend Komarokh would make for Be, but she smiled triumphantly, saying the old northerner was already her best friend. It was just that she was only now realizing the fact.


    Evin smiled, and they then started talking about random topics. Then they started kissing, and at some point, they fell to slumber in each other''s arms.


    *****

 Chapter 171 - The Invisible Enemy

    The morning after the time came for Ssatsko and the rest to walk through the Cosmic, Rith''s portal. Lora and Sasha were excited and fearful of the idea of portals, the little girl excitedly chattering about the Cosmic and her magical ways.


    Ssatsko smiled at the sight¡­ and then had to sigh, reminded of the gulf between themon man and a mage. He looked at Evin, talking to Rith about a Cosmic contact in Khuutam city. The conversation was polite, professional, and down to the point. Seeing the 10-year-old, some might''ve thought he was trying too hard to act like an adult, but Ssatsko knew they would be wrong. Evin did talk like this, and apparently, it was the least of his secrets. ??


    When Evin first reappeared in Lora''s life, Ssatsko found the boy rather vain. He seemed like the typical kingdom''s mage - arrogant, used to getting what he wanted, and also trying too hard to look mature. He looked like extra trouble on Lora''s hands and Ssatsko wondered how he was going to be rid of the boy, without hurting Lora.


    Gradually, Ssatsko learned he was wrong, and honestly, he was d for it. Evin was sincere, and he genuinely wanted to make his mother happy. And his maturity wasn''t the fake, wannabe type either. Sure, he acted childish sometimes, but the same could be said for Theor, and even Ssatsko himself. Ssatsko was confused on why that was at first. How could a 10-year-old be so mature?


    When he first thought about it, Ssatsko found the reason why quite easily. For Evin, both his parents were failures. One of them simply gave birth to him, and the other was in charge of feeding him. Ssatsko didn''t know how, but Evin somehow must''ve reached the conclusion that his parents weren''t really proper adults. Ssatsko couldn''t me the boy.


    He still thought of Lora as his baby girl, and even Edmund - who was reaching 40 when Ssatskost saw him - seemed like a child who was only then learning about the world.


    "Well, is everyone ready?" Evin asked, turning around.


    Everyone nodded to him, and Evin looked at the Cosmic. Rith nodded back and started working on the portal. A golden circle appeared in the air, and with it, a violent gust of wind.


    The first to go through the portal was Rith, followed by Myn and Theor. Evin gave his girlfriend onest hug, took Lora and Sasha''s hands and he ushered them into the Portal. Sasha suddenly seemed reluctant to enter, but with Lora''s sweet words and Evin''s genuine encouragement, the little girl walked through. Evin seemed genuinely happy as he shared a look of pride with Lora before disappearing through the portal.


    This gesture of love and care was what Ssatsko was so surprised to see in Evin. Despite his parents failing him, Evin still managed to learn how to love. Ssatsko wondered if he had goodwilled friends in his childhood, but hearing Evin''s story, he couldn''t really say so. Every kid that Evin could get close to shunned and isted him.


    When he first heard Evin''s story, Ssatsko couldn''t believe it. A parent like Edmund only served to raise hateful and rebellious children. Sometimes, the abuse was so bad the child would simply be too terrified to trust others. But here Evin was, the exemr of proper love and care, and only ten to boot.


    ''Damn mages¡­?'' Ssatsko frowned and followed behind.


    An unnatural moment of him existing between the border of existence and nothingness passed, before he found himself in heavy fog. Ssatsko wondered if it was some effect of going through the portal, but as his mind cleared a bit, he realized it was just the Third Cataract''s fog all around the ce. He could tell by the ear-splitting sound of the giant waterfall in the background.


    In front of him, the figures of his family could be seen. Lora''s family were on the ground, lurching, while Evin, Rith and Myn were helping them out.


    "You alright?" Evin asked, noticing Ssatsko.


    "Not my first time going through a portal," Ssatsko replied.


    "If you must puke, then just puke," Rith''s was saying behind Evin. "You''ll feel better if you do."


    "Bleargh!" came the reply, though Ssatsko couldn''t tell if it was Sasha or Lora.


    He smiled, remembering his days in the army, being forced to get used to going through portals. He even used to skip breakfast sometimes, knowing he would lose it by the next hour.


    "I knew the Cataract would be foggy, but not this much," Evin said.


    "It looks even more daunting from afar. A patch of white, blotting out everything in your front. It takes real bravery to willingly enter such a harrowing ce," Ssatsko chuckled.


    "Well, I''m d we didn''t have to walk at the ce," Evin replied. "All hail the Cosmics and the-" the boy''s head turned sharply to the right. "Who''s there?" he shouted out.


    Ssatsko turned his attention to where Evin was shouting at, but he couldn''t really feel anyone''s presence.


    Evin seemed positive someone was around, and started casting. Ssatsko wasn''t sure what spell the boy used, but the fog around started swirling. Ssatsko squinted at the fog and could briefly catch the outline of a person in it. A loud boom sounded from next to Evin, followed by the thud of an impact.


    ''Shit,'' Ssatsko cursed, startled by Evin''s sudden attack.


    "What are you doing?" Myn came from behind Evin.


    Evin ignored her and another bang resounded in the area. "Rith, can you clear this fog?"


    "Alright," the Cosmic said and a wave of searing heat pulsed out from her body, vaporizing the fog.


    They could now see their surroundings, but they still couldn''t see this mysterious figure that Evin was seeing. Evin and Myn ran over to where Evin cast his magic and found a bloody stone on the ground.


    Frowning, Ssatsko filled his two horns with mana and crouched closer to his Lora and her family, ready to strike at anything that seemed odd.


    "It lodged itself into someone, but whoever it was, he''s no-" before Evin could even finish his own sentence, another bang sounded, followed by some disturbance further away. Evin and Myn ran over there as well, but there was nothing other than a patch of blood on the ground.


    "Dammit," Myn cursed. "How can you tell where they are?"


    The kingdom''s mage was trying to work the World Energy Detector she pulled out from somewhere, but the thing didn''t seem to be working as intended.


    "If you want me to tell my enemy how I''m finding them?" Evin replied, not hiding his annoyance. "Just get close to my family and try to protect them."


    Myn looked like she wanted to say something, but decided not to, and came next to Ssatsko.

 Chapter 172 - An Unknown Device.

    Evin got back to what he was doing and randomly cast at something two more times, chasing after the enemy. Both of them seemed to hit, but like previously, the victim was invisible to all. Ssatsko was struggling to understand what spells Evin and his opponent were using, and also wondered why this enemy wasn''t retreating.


    But the next bang was followed by a loud thud on the ground, and Ssatsko could see the outline of a man bleeding on the ground, the air shimmering around him and a distorted groaning from him. Ssatsko found that he found it hard to focus on the man for more than a few seconds. Even the distorted groan started to sound off, as if it was something Ssatsko was hearing in a dream.??


    ''Illusions¡­'' Ssatsko thought, and was reminded of Evin''s story about Lyudvik taunting him. He didn''t believe the boy then, but now, he was certainly willing to. ''Does that mean we''re against a High-mage like Evin mentioned?''


    The thought worried Ssatsko, but it didn''t put him in a panic. He fought alongside and against High-mages before, so he knew they weren''t something from the myths like some people made them out to be. They were deadly, sure, but there were limits to their power.


    ''And since this one specializes in invisibility, his biggest danger would be his surprise attacks and not his offensive spells,'' Ssatsko decided. ''It could also be that the High-mage simply applied their spell to the man. It seemed very likely, considering how helpless the invisible man was acting.


    Ssatsko looked at Evin, who was confidently running towards the fallen man, who Ssatsko was having trouble seeing. Ssatsko wondered if that was the spell''s effect, to make someone invisible by forcing others to ignore them.


    Evin then pulled out some device from the man''s body and to Ssatsko''s surprise, the air started shimmering around Evin, turning him partially invisible. This also revealed the man''s sorry figure on the ground, bleeding from very messy five wounds. Four spells, four wounds, all lethal. Thest one seemed to have hit the man''s strange device.


    Ssatsko realized why the man was not running away. He tried, but he simply couldn''t.


    "A magical device that eludes World Energy Detectors?" Myn breathed out from next to him.


    Ssatsko knew the implications of what that meant. So did Evin. The boy immediately started checking the man''s wounds and judging from the Irratas energy, decided to cauterize them, "Come help me!"


    Myn and Rith rushed over to help. The Cosmic was calm since everything began, and Myn was also gathering her wits.


    Ssatsko looked at Lora. His daughter was hugging Sasha close to her chest, her hands covering her ears, so the little girl didn''t witness what was happening.


    "I''m sorry you had to see this side of your son," Ssatsko whispered. "It''s somethingmon for a mage, I guess¡­ so don''t let it bother you too much."


    Lora nodded back, but honestly, she didn''t look that affected. Theor, on the other hand, was staring at the scene, shocked out of his mind. He was acting the same asst time, when he let Evin walk all over him so they could win the trial.


    Ssatsko didn''t dislike Lora''s husband. He was a good man, with good principles and good intentions.


    He was simply way too na?ve. Theor wholeheartedly believed that he could achieve anything if he simply worked hard for it. It was an admirable trait, and sure, it could apply to some things, but sadly, there were simply way too many things that were out of the control of an honest, simple man.


    ''I guess he''s something exclusive to themon worker ss,'' Ssatsko thought. ''It was simply impossible to find such ideals among soldiers, merchants, and the least of all, mages.''


    Evin, pulling out a piece of stone out of the man''s body and then burning the wound a few steps away, was the prime example of that.


    Ssatsko couldn''t me the boy. Mages in general, were an unfeeling bunch and the kingdom''s education did not help in bringing some heat into their already cold cores. A mage could feel reluctance, remorse or guilt when killing a man, but they rarely failed in the killing part when things came down to it.


    And Ssatsko observed, that Evin was much more ruthless than any other mage he saw.


    "Shit, he killed himself," the boy was saying. The man was frothing from the teeth, eyes wide open.


    The trio then searched the man''s body.


    This wide dissonance between the Evin that loved his family and the Evin that ruthlessly killed his enemies worried Ssatsko a lot. It didn''t feel natural.


    Ssatsko noticed this side of Evin''s during the trial day, when the boy was acting like apletely different person. If Ssatsko could call the current Evin a child, unusually mature for his age, then the Evin that cleared Ssatsko''s name was an adult, no doubt about it. Apletely different person. They even spoke differently.


    ''He''s definitely some kind of crazy¡­'' Ssatsko thought as the trio came back.


    "It doesn''t use a smidgeon of mana," Rith said in a distorted voice.


    "You''re right!" Evin replied. "I felt like something was off when I was holding it, but that''s it!"


    "And it automatically casts an illusion around whoever''s wearing it, one that makes you invisible and also distorts any noise you make," Myn noted. "How is it possible?"


    "But where to people even get this? Are they built somewhere? Or something new from Tower City?"


    "Who knows¡­" the Cosmic replied.


    Rith was definitely too calm. ''Damn Cosmics, always a mystery.''


    Ssatsko helped his daughter and his granddaughter up. He offered the same to Theor, but the man''s pride did not allow it. But these small details weren''t important at all to the three mages in the group.


    "Are we going to have to worry about these invisible enemies from now on?" Myn asked.


    "I guess. But we can at least be happy we''re not against High-mages or something like that¡­" Evin said.


    "We must take this back to the kingdom, so they can analyze it further," Myn continued. "This is something beyond our control."

 Chapter 173 - Change Of Plans?

    They shared another look at the device in Evin''s hands.


    "Cosmic Rith, can you make a portal to Arcvallen city?" Myn asked. ??


    The device''s existence disgruntled the woman at first, but she was still the kingdom''s representative mage. She had calmed down and were taking control of the situation.


    "No," Rith shook her head. "My core''s too small for such a big jump. I''ll need to stop between here and there once, recharge, then jump to Arcvallen. And I can''t jump right away either. I''ll need twenty minutes to recharge."


    "Then we''ll do that," Myn said. She turned to Evin. "Please give me the device for safekeeping."


    "Wait, wait," Evin suddenly interjected. "Don''t take control so casually."


    Ssatsko frowned, thinking that Evin was acting uncharacteristically childish.


    "This isn''t the time to decide who''s the leader here, child," Myn replied. "Give me the device."


    "I''m not vying for control here," Evin replied. "I just have doubts on whether you''re a proper representative from the kingdom in the first ce."


    "What are you even talking about?"


    "As far as I know, only Chairman Kent told me you''re a representative from the kingdom. He first mentioned it, and he was present when you first came to meet me. You''ve never shown me anything that said you were an official of the kingdom. Show me your papers, or some signed decree of the kingdom, showing me your credibility."


    "Why would I carry around something like that?" Myn scoffed. "And why would you even think that Chairman of yours is working against the best interests of the kingdom?"


    "Personal reasons, but I know he''s not entirely trustworthy," Evin replied. "But that doesn''t matter. My mind won''t change until you produce proof for me."


    "You stubborn little shit," Myn cursed and walked at Evin to snatch the device herself.


    A loud bang resonated and Ssatsko saw the patch of grass underneath Myn being hit by something.


    "Next one will hit you in the head," Evin threatened.


    Ssatsko cursed, unsure whose side he was supposed to take. He first felt Evin was being childish, but he now knew he was being either paranoid or justifiably suspicious. Ssatsko never met this Chairman of theirs, but he knew Evin wasn''t stupid.


    Myn, of course, wasn''t willing to let go of a challenge like that.


    "Try it!" Myn snarled. "You think I''m a mage for nothing?"


    Without even a chant, an armor of molten red materialized on her body. The air shook around her, the same as it shakes above a burning fire, as she started pulsating heat around herself. The ground beneath her was charred instantly, the strands of grass not even allowed to burn properly.


    Evin did not flinch away from the sight, instead opting to cast his own spell. His invisible arsenal was, as the name suggested, invisible, but Ssatsko knew his spells were floating about the air.


    Ssatsko pulled back Lora and the other non-mages, expecting something ugly to happen.


    "Lady Myn," Rith floated in front of the woman. "I may not be able to create long-distance portals, but I''m entirely capable of my other tricks. And it''s not like Evin''s working against you. He''s willing to give the device to the kingdom, but he''s only mistrustful of you being an impostor, right?"


    Some thought of Cosmics as a peaceful, harmless race, but Ssatsko knew what they were capable of. With her taking Evin''s side, the advantage tilted to them.


    ''But for the love of the Empress, I refuse to take part in this idiocy,'' Ssatsko decided.


    His goal was Lora and her family''s safety.


    "Yes," Evin spoke. "I don''t mind giving this thing to the kingdom, I just don''t want you carrying it."


    Myn scoffed, but she let go of her molten armor. "Fine."


    The tension in the air cleared slightly.


    "Then I''ll tell everyone here when I''ll be ready to create a portal again," Rith said and pped her feline paws together. It did not produce a pping sound, only a t thud.


    "Sure," Evin said and looked towards Ssatsko and the rest. "Theor, can you keep Sashapany? Please keep close to Rith if you can."


    "S-sure."


    "Mom, Ssatsko, we should talk."


    Ssatsko nodded and urged Lora to follow behind. He didn''t know why Lora had to be there, but he liked it. Lately, it felt like his daughter was being flung about by the circumstances too much. Even if she couldn''t do anything about it, at least she could know what exactly was happening.


    "What do you think?" Ssatsko found himself asking.


    Now that the danger passed, Ssatsko found time to think about the events and their implications. So far, he wasn''t very optimistic about the whole situation. He felt like he needed to hear a different perspective, but he was surprised he was willing to consult the opinions of his grandson.


    ''Well, Chief always said that wisdom does note from age.''


    "About?" Evin replied.


    "This whole thing. This man waiting for us right next to the Cataract, the device turning out to be somethingpletely unknown, and didn''t that Lyudvikd possess the same thing?"


    "Well, if they could turn invisible like that, they must''ve heard us talking about going to the Cataract¡­" Evin said. "And this whole thing''s turning out to be much bigger than¡­ well, what I expected. And I''ve been wondering if we''re really safe in your Tribe¡­" Evin whispered. "I mean, with technology like this, it wouldn''t be hard for them to find their way to the North."


    Ssatsko shook his head.


    "It''s possible, but these secret organizations - forck of better description ¨C they face a lot of pressure just to stay afloat," Ssatsko exined. "For them to produce such devices without being found out, they need to be very well hidden. Usually, circumstances don''t allow them to be an international threat."


    "Is that how it works?"


    "Yes," Ssatsko replied.


    "Then, are you absolutely sure you can be safe in your tribe?" Evin asked.


    "We will be," Ssatsko replied with no hesitation. His Chief deserved his unconditional trust.


    "I''ll trust you on that," Evin replied. "I''ll give this thing to Myn and we''ll go on our way, then."


    "But weren''t you willing to fight for it just now?"


    "No offence to your tribe, but I was thinking we might need to beg the kingdom for safety. I could''ve needed the device as a bargaining chip," Evin shrugged.


    Ssatsko could see the logic, but he felt it was too optimistic. "I don''t think that alone will be enough."


    "I have other cards too. The kingdom has a huge investment in me," Evin pointed his chin at Rith.


    Ssatsko struggled to understand the meaning of the act.


    ''What does Rith have something to do with this¡­? She''s a good friend of Evin''s by the look of things, and she was even willing to stand against Myn,'' Ssatsko''s head was filled with thoughts. ''Wait, why does Rith even stay with Evin so often? Cosmics do many things for money, but I can''t imagine Evin paying them to just hang out with him¡­ He mentioned an investment from the kingdom, didn''t he?''


    Suddenly, things clicked in Ssatsko''s head. The kingdom was having the Cosmic teach Evin.


    ''But even then, it doesn''t mean much. There were previous attempts of mages trying to learn portals from Cosmics, but none of them really amounted to anything. Everyone considered it a huge waste of money, and some mages even suspected the Cosmics weren''t entirely honest with their teachings.


    "That too, doesn''t mean much," Ssatsko said.


    He felt like Evin was being too cocky, so as the elder, he felt he needed to help tone it down. He himself was prideful like the boy, after all.


    "Their investment already paid off," the boy smiled slyly. "They just don''t know it yet."


    Ssatsko froze in ce.


    "Don''t tell anyone, alright?" Evin said. "We''ll get to your Tribe first and I''ll go back to them."

 Chapter 174 - The Cataract

    "Mom, are you alright?" Evin asked, finished with Ssatsko.


    "Y-yes," Lora replied, stuttering.??


    "Are you sure?"


    "I-I am¡­ I''m just shocked, is all."


    "Should I not have talked about this with you here? I just thought you should know what''s happening¡­ even if you don''t get it fully," Evin started. "I know things were out of control for youtely, so¡­"


    "I''m¡­ well, not used to it¡­ but I''m familiar with it. I just need some time, I think."


    "Alright," Evin, although still concerned, then went to talk with Myn and Rith.


    Ssatsko found himself wondering how many secrets the boy held. He wasn''t even sure if he knew everything about the secrets that Evin already revealed.


    "He didn''t even flinch," Lora murmured from beside him.


    "What did you say?" Ssatsko asked.


    "He didn''t even flinch when killing that man."


    Lora looked deeply confused. A slight frown glued to her face, and her gaze stuck on the ground.


    ''Shit¡­'' Ssatsko sighed. ''Of course.''


    He looked at where the dead body was, covered in a thin illusion made by someone so Sasha didn''t see anything.


    He put his hands around his daughter and whispered. "You can''t me him, child. Mages aren''t the most emotional bunch, but that doesn''t mean they don''t feel things. The boy still loves you. He just sees the world in ck and white for now. Uncaring for his enemies, but deeply devoted to his loves ones."


    "It''s my fault, isn''t it?" Lora whispered. "I should''ve held on to him. At least I should''ve tried reaching out to him. But I was too scared of Edmund to even think of going back to Evin¡­ And now look where it got him. A child forced to kill his father¡­ Of course he wouldn''t think twice before taking another''s life."


    "No, no¡­ You can''t do this to yourself again," Ssatsko gritted his teeth, remembering the year after he dragged Lora out of that hell. "If you need someone to me, me Edmund. me the kingdom for raising mages like that, hell, me me for not quitting soldiering when you first asked me to. If I''d just been there with you, why would you even go to Ankelite city?"


    "So Evin wouldn''t be born in the first ce?" Lora looked at Ssatsko, misery filling her eyes.


    Sometimes, Ssatsko wondered where his willful, passionate child went to, the one that was forever angry at the world for being so full of violence and pain. Forever angry at others for tolerating it all, demanding them to do better.


    He knew she was dead. Beaten out by Edmund, who showed her that there was no meaningful reason needed for people to be violent. Some people were simply inhumane. But Edmund did not manage to fully kill the fair and brave Lora. That girl was still thinking she could bring change to her husband, some way or another. Willing to believe that even a person like Edmund could change.


    The one who killed her was Evin. The boy taught Lora why people tolerated such cruelties. He showed her that sometimes, she needed to weak and subservient, so the monster''s ire won''t fall on her child. That bravery and righteousness did not win. It was tyrants and bullies that held the power.


    "Hey, you two,e over," Evin shouted from afar.


    The boy seemed to have finished his talk with Myn. He was standing with Theor and Sasha, waiting. Myn and Rith were talking, the woman''s figure distorted beyond recognition and their talk unintelligible due to the waterfall.


    Ssatsko grabbed Lora by the shoulder and walked. His daughter did not protest. Her shaken expression was also gone.


    "Let''s get going, then¡­" he said.


    He could only wish he had something better to say to her.


    "Mm¡­" she nodded.


    Myn was working on a ball of fire when Ssatsko appeared next to them. His red horn shook slightly, resonating with the strength of the orb''s. She released the spell into the sky, towards the Third Cataract''s peak. As it spun upwards, it thoroughly evaporated the great fog that apanied the waterfall, revealing its grand splendor.


    Ssatsko saw the Cataract''s full figure many times, but every time his jaws would cken. He supposed that a three-thousand-meter waterfall had that effect. Soon enough, the fog cleared fully, revealing the Cataract''ske, and the Great Wall of the North in its full splendor.


    The Great Wall was a cliff that defined the border between the Northern Tribes and the Western Kingdom. Its tallest point was on its westmost end, near the ocean, the height difference between the countries five kilometers tall; while it was the shortest on its eastmost end, which was near Tower City.


    There were five great Cataracts along its path, the First being the tallest and the water falling into the ocean that surrounded Alvox. Some myths say that the water falling from there is the biggest source of water for that endless expanse of water. Foolish myths, but something the less-educated man would very likely believe in.


    The other Cataracts also hadkes forming underneath them, most of them quite huge, simply because of how far the water from above couldnd from where it first fell. This allowed for nature to thrive around thesekes, but no settlements could be made here.


    The water problem could be solved or tolerated by the citizens, but they couldn''t do much about the noise the Cataract created. Ssatsko heard of a city that stood here, but had to be relocated because of it.


    Honestly, it was the smaller problem the waterfall was responsible for. He could only imagine King Vervi''s surprise, finding that the country he neighbored stood thousands of meters high in the air.


    ''Truly, it''s a miracle the Twelve Cmities didn''t destroy the World,'' Ssatsko mused.


    "Wooooaaaaah!!" Sasha started screaming.


    Ssatsko eyed the others and found them gaping at the scene too. Smiling, Ssatsko went over to put the little girl on his shoulder. The girl giggled contently and grabbed at Ssatsko''s horns, ying with them.


    "It would be a shame for you to not see the Great Wall aftering so far," Myn said. "Everyone knows them, but most never get to see them¡­ When you get up there, take another look at the bottom. At the kingdom. Who knows, you might even feel yourself tearing up at the sight."


    Saying so, the woman nodded to Rith and the two flew towards the South. Evin exined that they could make the trip in one jump if they flew some of the distance.


    The remaining group eyed the two for a few seconds, before they started walking towards the stairs built onto the Cataract. They could''ve flown up, but that was a terrible idea due to altitude sickness. Ssatsko even knew of two mages who died of suffocation after ascending the Cataract too fast.


    Themon way to ascend was to climb a kilometer a day, taking long breaks every 300 or so meters. There were t resting areas built by mages at certain points of the climb. But even then, some people still got sick, so it was best to dy the trip as much as possible. It was a long ordeal.


    Ssatsko felt that was a good thing. Perhaps he''ll be able to help Lora during these next three days.


    *****

 Chapter 175 - Busted

    Phel sat silently in front of the ssroom, listening to Arza talk about their revised battle tactics now that Evin was gone. Evin''s role in the Helm ss was rather big, him being the head of Heavy Mages and all. It was taking some time to find a suitable recement for him.


    But aside from Evin leaving somewhere without a word, all these things weren''t so important to Phel. ??


    His eyes were stuck on Arza. The ponytail that contrasted the rest of his short hair, his forever-grinning white teeth, and of course, his buff abs and plump ass barely being contained inside his uniform. Phel found himself eyeing those especially oftentely.


    But Phel wasn''t just concerned with Arza''s looks. His attention couldn''t help but get drawn to the charisma oozing from the red-hair''s body. The confidence, the air of control, the visionary gaze¡­ The way Arza stood on the podium in such a natural way, he even looked a more convincing teacher than the Chairman sitting next to him.


    ''Shit¡­'' Phel sighed, once again wondering how he was going to end up with Arza¡­ or if such a thing was going to happen or not.


    His mind seemed to be experiencing a lot of shiftstely. At first, it felt like a rtionship between him and Arza was something from fairy tales. How could he imagine something like this working in the first ce? But gradually, he became more and more educated on the matter.


    Although same sex rtionships weren''t something so widespread in the kingdom, it was somethingmon in the East. It wasn''t widespread, but two men could hug and kiss in public without drawing much attention.


    It was the same story in the North. Actually, the story behind that was actually pretty interesting. The story goes that since the Northern men find themselves fighting lots of wars, naturally, they started developing some feelings for the brothers in arms that they so often fight together with.


    Some books even said that these couples of war fight many times stronger than normal soldiers to impress their loved ones, and fight even harder to avenge their lovers when they fall in battle. Such a tragic story wasn''t for Phel, but he appreciated their existence nheless.


    Phel dug through a lot of history and found a few other ounts regarding same sex couples. It was a difficult thing to research, as he needed to blindly pick a history book in hopes of them containing the relevant information. He didn''t want the librarians to learn he was interested in the topic, so this was the best he could do for now.


    However, Phel was satisfied. He wasn''t such a rare oddity he first made himself out to be. There were others like him. This fact allowed Phel one huge choice. To confess to Arza.


    It wouldn''t be anything difficult. He''d approach the boy, talk about Arza''s philosophy of staying true to one''s heart, and reveal that he was in love with him.


    And honestly, he felt like he had a proper chance.


    Arza got into two more rtionships after Lopar, and in both cases, it sounded like he just agreed to two random girls just asking him out. If Phel did the same, wouldn''t Arza say yes?


    And that wasn''t all. He was gradually getting closer to Arza, making himself and the red-haired boy more and morefortable with each other''s presence.


    They seemed to vibe well with each other too. Phel was one of the few people that Arza never argued with, Phel was also one of the few people that could ept Arza''s arrangements of the Helm ss, and was probably the only person who could wholeheartedly ept Arza''s rules on staying true to one''s heart.


    ''Well, I can ept it¡­ but it seems I''m not yet able to practice it myself.''


    If he did so, he would''ve confessed already.


    "Hey," a girl''s voice approached him.


    Phel looked over to see Be standing next to him.


    "Hey, Be," Phel replied. "What''s, err¡­ What''s up?"


    "Nothing," Be said. "Can''t I just say hi?"


    "Of course, of course."


    It''s been a long time since she went out of her way to talk, so Phel was a bit surprised.


    "Well¡­ How''s life going for you?" he asked.


    "Ugh, miserable," Be grinned. "I didn''t think Evin leaving would be this bad¡­ but it''s this bad. I''m even considering talking to other people again."


    ''Guess she''s just bored.''


    "Well, I''m definitely not a good conversationalist like Evin, but I''ll do my best."


    "You damn better," Be smiled and sat next to Phel.


    "By the way, where did Evin go to in the first ce?" Phel asked. "Or did he not even tell you?"


    "Oh, he did tell me. But I can''t talk about to you. It''s ratherplicated. And dangerous. So don''t feel bad about him being all secretive about it."


    "Oh, I''m curious, but I''m not hurt. Since he has his reasons, I won''t pry about it."


    "Thanks," Be smiled, before whispering ever so casually. "So, how''s things between you and Arza?"


    Hit by the sudden question, it took Phel''s every effort to stay calm and collected.


    "What do you mean? We''re doing fine. As friends."


    "Oh,e on, don''t take me for a fool," Be said, her hand wrapping around Phel''s shoulder. Her cheeks came close to Phel''s and she whispered again. "And I''m sure the other girls in the ss noticed your passionate stares at Arza too, you know? You practically drool when your eyes fall on him."


    Phel shook his head in rebuttal, "Seriously, what are you talking about?"


    "If you don''t admit it yourself¡­ I might just tell Arza myself."


    "N0-" Phel was about to shout, before Be covered his mouth.


    "Shhh. We don''t wanna make a fuss now, do we? And you can trust me to keep my mouth shut if you just act faithful to yourself. Of course, if you don''t want me taking the spotlight."


    Phel sighed, helpless in the hands of the girl, and nodded.


    Be''s mouth widened before forming a grin. She created a small barrier around themselves that isted sound.


    "Really?"


    "Yes."


    "Holy shit, I thought you¡­ Holy shit."


    "You weren''t sure?" Phel asked.


    "I mean¡­ I was pretty sure. But you know?"


    She was practically radiating excitement.


    ''If you love gossip this much, then howe you hate the nobility and their frivolous pastimes?!''


    "Since when?"


    "Since the Helm''s Worthy. When he came to save Evin with me."


    Be asked countless questions afterwards about Phel''s feelings towards Arza. Phel replied obediently, feeling like he''d forced to answer if he refused anyway. And it felt good to finally talk about these things to someone else anyway. He''s been pondering upon these things alone since forever, feeling that others would judge him. In a sense, he was d to Be for forcing him to talk. He was also d she was taking things so casually.


    "You don''t feel weirded out by me?" he couldn''t help but ask in the end.


    "No, of course not," Be shrugged. "Though in my case, I don''t really give two shits who you end up with, so I guess I just don''t care. I''m sure Evin would ept you for the proper reasons, though."


    "Fair enough."


    "But when are you going to confess?"


    "I¡­ Not sure."


    "Don''t tell me you''re not going to do it."


    "I''ll do it¡­ definitely. But I''ll do it when I''m confident."


    "Bah, I''m sure Arza''s gonna get another three girlfriends before you make up your mind. Don''te crying to me when one of them sticks."


    "I''ll be happy if he''s happy."


    "Bullshit. I''m confident Arza will also ept you for the right reasons too, you know?

 Chapter 176 - Confessing

    Phel considered the possibility. Arza epting his love. Really considered it.


    Honestly, he did the same thing every day for the past month. But this time, it felt different. It felt more real. Like it was something more than a fantasy.


    Perhaps it felt more realistic with Be epting him for what he was.


    He was reading about the same things in other countries and histories alike, but hearing it from someone he knew personally felt different. Was like the heroes from his fantasiesing alive in front of his eyes. It felt surreal, even though it was so very real. Phel was never this excited before.


    But he was also afraid. So very afraid. Suddenly, his fantasies became real. He liked toying with the idea of confessing, but when the choice actually came to him, he found himself hesitating. Fantasies were called fantasies for a reason. They weren''t real.


    However, he felt it wasn''t so bad to let things stay the way there are. He could be the silent admirer. Always in love and always imagining more, but never finding the courage to confess his feelings. Some might find that life unbearable, but to Phel, it seemed usible. He lived like this for the past two months already and it wasn''t so bad. He even witnessed the boy starting and ending two rtionships and took it much better than he first expected.


    There was no need to ruin things by being overreaching.


    "Well?" Be urged.


    "Why do you even care so much anyway? Don''t you have Evin to worry about?"


    Phel''s voice was filled with unexpected venom, wanting to be rid of Be, so he would be left alone. He immediately regretted saying them, but a part of him hoped his words would shoo away Be too.


    "I don''t, actually," but Be only shrugged at Phel''s overly defensive answer. "Just found you an eyesore, looking at Arza like you''re about to gobble him up, but never daring to approach him properly¡­ Reminded me too much of my old self."


    "But my case ispletely different than yours, isn''t it? I''m sure you didn''t have to worry about the thoughts and scorn of others."


    Still, the venomous tone.


    "Of course, it''s easier for me and Evin," Be shrugged again. "But it''s not only sunshine and rainbows. First of all, I''m of nobility and Evin''s amoner. Second, despite his talents, he''s not really loved by everyone else, you know? As his girlfriend, I''d get the same treatment. Someone even told me I''m an opportunistic bitch only in it to get good at spellcasting."


    "But you never cared for their thoughts in the first ce. You probably don''t care for mine either."


    His stubborn side was getting the better of him, trying to shove away Be in any way it could.


    "Both true. And I''m starting to regret it."


    But it was hard to stay angry at someone who kept agreeing with you on every word.


    "What?"


    "Nothing," Be sighed. "And don''t try to change the subject."


    "I''ll think about it," Phel managed. "I really will."


    "I know you really think about it," Be said. "Probably all the time. I need you to act on it. Just say the words and see what happens. What''s the worst that could happen? He''ll either say yes or no and that''ll be the end of it."


    "But what if he''llugh at me? Mock me for what I am?" Phel asked.


    "Well, if he really does something like that," Be shook her head. "Is he really worth your love?"


    ''He wouldn''t do that¡­'' Phel said to himself. That only made Be''s words sound more convincing. What''s the worst that could happen?


    "I''ll tell you a little story," Be continued. "You know I refused to go with Evin during the Helm''s Worthy, right?"


    "No?"


    "Well, Evin found me on the 1st day, and offered to go through the test with me. At the time, I told him something about earning the Helm''s title with my own power, and refused his offer. A bullshit excuse.


    "In reality, I wanted desperately to go with him. All the possibilities sprung up in my mind. If I went together, I''d get a whole week alone with him. And we''d even get to go through the test, so things won''t even be boring. The test was a fucked-up thing, I realizedter on, but at the time, I fantasized that the whole ind was our date spot, ready to be enjoyed by both me and him. I was certain I''d voice my feelings at some point during the whole thing. I won''t be able to resist the urge.


    "But my hesitation got the better of me. I''ve been contemting confessing for a while before that point, but even when the perfect chance appeared on my palms, I decided against it. Look what that lead to. Evin''s lost his foot, and from what he told meter on, it wouldn''t have been so weird if he''d lost his life.


    "And as a twist of fate, we ended up a couple anyway. If only I had the guts to follow him back then, he''d still have his legs, and I''d have been plenty happy too. Sometimes I even wish we didn''t end up together. In that case, he wouldn''t have lost his leg for nothing."


    Finished with her story, Be frowned. She seemed confused why she talked about all these things so randomly. But Phel wasn''t so confused. Many of his friends did the same. Out of seemingly nowhere, they''d start talking about some dark aspect of their lives.


    "I''m sorry," the girl muttered. "Randomly talking about all these things."


    "It''s okay," Phel replied.


    He knew it was best to say little in these moments. And besides, Phel was preupied with what he realized from Be''s story.


    Did he not regret doing nothing enough? He wallowed in misery as Decatur tried to have Evin killed and swore he''d never do the same again.


    ''That I wouldn''t hesitate if I know I need to do something.''


    ''That I wasn''t going to go through the hell that was indecisiveness.''


    ''Wasn''t this the reason I fell in love with Arza in the first ce?''


    Determination filled his heart and he looked at Be.


    "I''ll confess."


    *****

 Chapter 177 - Sudden Danger

    Half-sighing and half-groaning, Evin slid into the tent he somehow managed to put up.


    They had just reached an area dug into the Third Cataract, wide enough for dozen tents to be pitched. Their roof was the rest of the Cataract they had to walk up. It was basically a man-made cave. A resting point built by great mages of Tenarak.


    "Final checkpoint," he mumbled.


    At first when he was climbing, Evin was scared of the walls and the few pirs giving up on him and crushing him beneath it. His instincts refused to stay still inside a ce like that, but eventually, he got used to it. Even managed to sleep under it. Though¡­ the altitude sickness robbed that from him.


    ''Oh, how I want to sleep. Or at least be finished with this damn climb. 300 meters more and I''ll finally be at the top, right? Knowing my luck, I''d still probably be sick when I get there, but at least I won''t have to struggle through these stairs anymore¡­'' he thought. ''It feels like my foot''s going to act up again too.''


    "Make sure you drink enough water!" Ssatsko said from outside. "And try to breathe a lot."


    "Uh." Evin managed. It was supposed to be an ''Uh-huh!''.


    "Just hang in there till evening," Ssatsko sighed. "There''s a guard post on top of the Cataract and I have a friend there who makes pills for that sickness."


    "Is brother Evin okay?" Sasha''s voice sounded.


    "Yes, yes. He''ll be fine by tomorrow. For now, he just needs some rest," Ssatsko said. "Can you let your brother rest undisturbed for today?"


    "Un!" the girl nodded.


    "Alright, stay close and don''t wander too far. Wouldn''t want you walking off the cliff now, do we?"


    Evin saw the scene, knew he should''ve felt all warm and fuzzy inside, but all he could feel was annoyance. Mostly at Lora''s family always trying to help him out on the littlest things. He always went through sicknesses alone, so the extra attention felt excessive and sometimes even pitying.


    He rolled down the tent''s p and conjured water from the air. It wasn''t hard, with all the cloud swirling around him. Gulping it, heid his back on the thick cloth on the ground. The nausea in his stomach felt a bit better at that.


    He tried sleeping, but sleep was still refusing toe. It hadn''te to Evin since yesterday morning, and in its stead, only pain and thoughts. The bad sort.


    The increasing sadness in his mother''s face, the increasing fear in Theor''s face, the increasing suspicion in Ssatsko''s face. At this point, he was sure Theor had spoken about Evin''s threat. Evin tried to believe otherwise, but it was painfully obvious. Theor''s reluctance to even look at him sometimes; the many private talks between his mother and his grandfather; how hurt and dismayed they looked after these talks.


    Perhaps they didn''t believe Theor at first, but Ssatsko would know what Evin was capable of. Lora also knew of Evin''s illusions, so she would immediately realize why Theor was convinced so easily.


    Would she still keep her good faith in him? Probably not.


    ''Juste and confront me on it¡­'' Evin sighed. ''Get this over with.''


    Evin wanted to groan. He hater being sick and also being riddled with these thoughts. His head suddenly felt dizzy, and with it, came his nausea. The different kind from his stomach''s nausea. The one that came if you were constantly feeling pain. Evin learned about this new kind after he lost his foot.


    ''Fun times.''


    <Try those meditation techniques you learned from Sufia,> Endra offered.


    <It hurts too much to focus¡­ or to lose focus.>


    <Then focus on your breathing,> Endra said. <Try to breathe as much as possible, and at the same time, as fast as possible. It''ll keep your mind busy and distract you from the pain.>


    <Shut up.>


    Endra sighed and went silent, leaving Evin to rot with his negative thoughts.


    Briefly, Evin felt smugshing out at Endra, but the satisfaction did notst. Guilt came in its recement, making Evin even more upset. It did not take long for Evin''s head to make up depressing scenarios again. Perhaps it really would''ve helped if he focused on his breathing, but Evin was too stubborn to admit defeat to Endra. That fact also made him angry at himself.


    ''Truly, people show their true colors when they''re sick.''


    Honestly, the pain wasn''t too bad. It was just annoying to be feeling it all the time.


    The tent pped and a wave of hot air hit Evin''s face gently.


    <What was that?> he asked.


    <Maybe check outside?>


    Evin, though reluctant, slipped out of the tent and looked around.


    The clouds had somewhat cleared up below, revealing the vast expanse ofnd below, which was the kingdom. Myn said people felt patriotic witnessing the sight, but Evin did not feel a smidgeon of the thing even after seeing it for the better part of the day. He was even d it disappeared behind the clouds an hour ago. Probably had something to do with him being sick.


    <Look down,> Endra ordered. <Maybe someone cleared out the fog like Myn did.>


    <Right,> Evin sighed and walked over to the cliff''s edge.


    He could barely see theke formed below the Cataract, so he quickly decided that it was impossible for him to see anyone from up where he was standing all the way to the bottom.


    <There''s no one at the bottom,> Endra hummed.


    <How can you tell when I can''t fucking see a thing from above here?>


    <Hmm, I''m not sure how either. But I can see behind you too, so I don''t really get why I shouldn''t be able to see further than you too,> Endra replied, but he was focused on something else.


    Evin wanted to curse, but another st of air interrupted him. Much stronger this time. Evin had to cover his face instinctively, fearing it''ll scald his skin.


    Ssatsko appeared from inside his tent, a worried expression on his face. Lora also came out of his tent, instead of the big one she shared with Theor and her daughter.


    ''They were talking about me again¡­''


    "That wasn''t you, right?" the old man asked.


    Evin shook his head. "It came from below."


    Ssatsko came over to see. Finding nothing, he frowned.


    "Well, it''s impossible to see anything on the ground from up here, so¡­"


    "No, that st did note from the ground. It was much closer to the peak of the Cataract than to the bottom and it was much weaker than Myn''s spell. They''re clearing out the cloud bit by bit!" Ssatsko pointed at the sky clearing up above them "My horn picked up the difference when the st hit us the second time."


    "Could it be¡­" Evin wondered, and looked down again, this time, searching for mages in the sky. Again, he saw nothing. A bad feeling welled in his heart.


    <Tell Ssatsko to protect the others.> Endra said.

 Chapter 178 - Real Danger

    Evin found his hand reaching for his pocket to absorb mana from a lodestone. Immediately, two elerators began to take shape nearby, while the rest of the Seyethe energies went down to feel for invisible mages.


    "Those invisible mages areing!" Evin said to Ssatsko.


    <How many are there?>


    <I''m not sure.> Endra replied, but the answer changed fast. <One mage- no, three mages flying up.>


    "Shit!" Evin cursed and brought out the stone bullets. He almost dropped them, panic and sickness catching him off guard, but Endra managed to catch the bullets and started firing down below.


    Some distance away, two nging sounds ringed and Evin managed to see one of them flying off to the side. Thankfully, it was still far away, but Evin knew they were going toe soon enough.


    <They''re using some kind of barrier on their bodies!>


    <I have eyes too fucker!> Endra said.


    There was sudden urgency in Endra''s words. It worried Evin.


    Evin turned to the others and found Lora, Theor and Sasha huddled together in a corner of resting point, Lora''s hands hugging Sasha''s head. Ssatsko stood protectively in front of them, his eyes darting around to find these invisible enemies.


    <Take full control over me,> Evin offered.


    He didn''t trust himself to function properly being sick and addled. It would be best if Endra was the one piloting his body.


    <Fuck off with that weak shit!> Endra said. <I need my full attention on spellcasting!>


    Endra sounded like he wanted to say a great deal more things, but he was already too busy with dealing with the iing enemies. But soon, Evin''s face turned grimmer and grimmer, and Endra''s voice was turning more and more desperate.


    Endra tried everything he could in the span of thirty seconds it took the mages to ascend. He decided on the metal bullets after the stone ones, feeling no need to hold back. But those too, bounced off harmlessly against the invisible barrier. There was still only the harmless nking sound, without a hint of a crack.


    Then he tried the World of Weight to push down the mages. This worked, but the mages seemed propelled by something and whatever that was, it just worked harder to make up for the increased weight.


    Next came the explosions. These worked to a certain degree. The three mages did not look like they wanted to take them head on and retreated slightly. Endra''s explosions chased them, but the three mages suddenly split, each maneuvering through the sky in ways Evin thought impossible. At times they dashed, they zig-zagged, randomly stopped, never allowing Endra''s explosions to hit them urately.


    The explosions were powerful, but Endra needed to gather air in a spot at first, meaning he couldn''t spark explosions near enemies immediately. There was a dy between them.


    Endra then tried creating an illusion of him flying up the Cataract, while making themselves invisible. The best thing to do was to grab Lora and the rest and fly up. Maybe even create a portal above, but Evin''s mana-core was too spent to do something big like that. It was toote to escape. A hastily made illusion was the only alternative at this point. But¡­


    <They didn''t buy the illusion,> Endra said, tone grim.


    Evin slowly walked back to his family, eyeing a spot near the edge of the resting point. There was nothing there, but Evin could feel the Seyethe energies outlining the three mages'' shapes.


    "What do you want?" he shouted at them. He clutched at the knife he was holding in his pocket.


    He expected no answer, but one mage''s figure shimmered into existence. A lean man appeared in Evin''s vision, his whole body covered with dark-brown clothes and wearing some alien contraption of a mask on his face. It was ck in color, had ss circles for eyepieces and two cylinders on its cheeks.


    There were two more devices on the man''s body. One of them was the illusion-creating device they found three days ago, while the other was some device, which looked responsible for creating the unbreakable barrier covering the man''s body. His boots also seemed to serve some purpose, as it was made of metal and had numerous tubes connecting to a cannister on his back.


    <What the fuck is going on?> Endra murmured.


    There was disbelief in his voice, but there was also a hint of familiarity.


    <What is that? Do you know them?>


    Evin''s question was cut short, as the man spoke. "Where''s the cloaking device?"


    It was in ented Imperial, though it definitely wasn''t a Western, or Northern, or Eastern. The voice was also husky, seeminglying through the cylinder on the man''s cheeks.


    "Cloaking device?" Evin asked back.


    "This thing," the man said, pointing at the illusion-creating device on his body.


    "Mel¡­ A- a mage from the kingdom took it to the capital!" Evin shouted.


    He did not dare to act brave and honorable.


    "And who is this mage?" the man asked.


    "Myn! A twenty something female mage, with red hair and uses Irratas mostly!"


    He needed to survive and if that required snitching on Myn, then so be it.


    "Hmph, honest enough," the man said, sounding like he already knew the answer to his own question.


    ''He was testing me?'' Evin thought. ''Why?''


    "What do you want from us? Why do you keep targeting my family?"


    "It is not yet time to learn that," The man''s expression was a mystery, but a bored tone filled his voice. "But know that you are piece of a grand n, one you shall participate in one way or another."


    The man approached Evin and whispered to his ear. "You should''ve taken Lyudvik''s bait. Snapped and snarled like any normal person would." The man paused. "You shouldn''t have killed the man on the ground. Shouldn''t have sniffed around¡­ should''ve stayed oblivious and blissful like any normal person would." He paused again. "Look where being special got you."


    The man sighed and looked at Evin''s family. "Truly a shame."


    A chill went through Evin''s spine. Something bad was going to happen. He felt it.


    His knife clutched hands suddenly swiped at the man, but it harmlessly bounced off the barrier protecting him.


    "Admirable efforts, but you''re not strong enough," the man said. "Don''t feel too bad though. Few mages in this world are strong enough."


    <Shit, shit, shit¡­ How can this be happening?>


    The ever-reliable Voice was now a babbling mess in Evin''s head.


    <Do something!> Evin found himself shouting.


    The man walked past Evin, knowing he wasn''t a threat. His gaze was stuck on Sasha as he approached the four. Ssatsko tried tackling the man, but upon contact, the man''s barrier created a powerful shockwave.


    Ssatsko went flying to the wall, dust and rubble falling around his body.


    The man ignored Lora''s wails and his hands reached for Sasha''s shoulder.


    <Fucking shit!> Endra screamed.


    Evin felt the air stir, then gather around him en masse.


    <You''ll kill us all!> Evin screamed, fearing Endra went mad somehow.


    But Endra did not put fire to the amassed oxygen, instead, started hoarding them. Not allowing them to move freely through the resting area. The man''s sudden chokes helped Evin realize what was happening.

 Chapter 179 - Unknown Enemies

    Panicked, the man was trying to gasp for air through his mask, but there was no air to take in.


    The man''s panic did notst long. Immediately, he activated the gear on his foot and tried to fly away. The two other mages were doing the same thing.


    Endra filled Evin''s core with Qanatohm energies and made them all heavier. The spell was much more powerful this time. The three could not resist the spell''s effect, and fumbled onto the ground, clutching at their throat. The man was frantically working a pouch on his waist, trying to open it.


    Evin was about to go kick him, but the man finally found whatever he was aiming for and pulled it out. It was an odd-shaped metal device, which had a handle on one side, and a small hole at the other end. Although it was much smaller, it reminded Evin of Endra''s elerators a lot.


    His bad feeling was confirmed with Endra''s desperate shout. <Dodge!>


    Evin immediately jumped to the side.. He heard a loud banging from his side, and something graze past his cheek at impossible speeds, rupturing his face. Stinging pain assaulted his mind, but Evin knew better than to fall to the ground. He needed to keep moving.


    The hectic bangs continued, and Evin kept dodging around the resting ground, praying to the Empress that one of the bullets did not hit his body again. It was a matter of luck entirely, as these bullets were much faster than anything that flew out of Endra''s elerator. Either the man hit or he didn''t.


    The man hit.


    Evin''s hands mmed into his hip, a searing pain mmed into his head, and Evin toppled onto the ground. Fearfully, he looked at the man. The mask was smiling in Evin''s eyes, and as the smoking hole pointed at Evin''s face, the man''s fingers pulled.


    Evin expected a bang, but he only heard a click.


    The man looked at the machine on his hand, disbelief on his face. His surprise made him lose control over his body, as he tried to gasp for air again. The man was now struggling to stay conscious.


    He had a moment of calm when he was trying to kill Evin, but that was already lost, his body''s instincts overwhelming his reasoning, trying and failing to inhale air¡­ before goingpletely limp.


    Evin suddenly wondered why the other two weren''t shooting at him, but when he looked back, he saw the two of them lying limp on the ground, two bloody wounds on their foreheads.


    <They tried to shoot you too, but they needed to remove their barrier to do that,> Endra exined.


    Endra sent a bullet to the man''s head and let loose of his control on the air.


    The fight was over.


    Evin breathed out a sigh, and his tense mind finally rxed.


    Agony made its entrance in Evin''s senses, his hands, hip and cheek demanding attention. Evin tried to growl, but only a whimper came from his mouth. He nced at his palm and found a bloody hole in the middle of it. The pain worsened. A lot. Evin decided not to reach for his hips and his cheek.


    Something cold put itself on Evin''s cheek. He flinched back, the sudden movement forcing his head to throb with pain. The altitude sickness reminding Evin of its presence.


    <Don''t move, I''m freezing the wounds,> Endra said.


    After Evin''s cheek was done, a block of ice encased his hand. The cold numbed his sense and a bit of calmness washed over his head. Evin wanted to sleep then and there. He knew he deserved it.


    <Get up¡­> Endra ordered.


    Evin wanted toin back, but he knew Endra was right. Evin''s day was far from over.


    He gathered his willpower and tried to get up but the soreness in his hip sent him stumbling down. His hand went to it and found blood clotting around his belt. Thankfully, it wasn''t from his hip. Just the leftover blood from his palm. Inside the blood, he found a small metal orb lodged into his belt. He pulled it out with his good hand and found it was almost identical to the metal bullets Endra made. He decided to put the matter away for now.


    He got up again, carefully this time, and got a good look at everything.


    His family was fine. Hunched together shivering¡­ sobbing and babbling. But fine.


    Ssatsko was pulling himself out of the wall, shaking his head with confusion. His muddled eyes regained their spark and he anxiously looked around. He looked towards his daughter, then at the three bodies, and then at Evin.


    Evin could not make himself say anything, except pointing a chin at Lora. The old man nodded grimly and rushed over to console his daughter.


    Something told Evin it was best to stay away from his mother.


    <You need to wrap up your palm properly,> Endra said.


    Reaching into his Spatial Ring, Evin pulled out some vodka, some bandages, and some thin sters made of tree sap that Be gave him.


    Evin had to break the ice on his hand and pour vodka on it. But just as he was using Ivelisi energies to melt the ice, the pain intensified on his palm. As Evin held the bottle of vodka over his hand, he suddenly wanted to throw the bottle down the Cataract.


    <You do it¡­> he said to Endra.


    Endra did not argue and took control over Evin''s body.


    Stoically, Endra ripped part of the bandage and poured vodka over it. Using it, he gently wiped at the wound. The gentleness did not help. Evin would''ve fainted from the pain if not for Endra holding his body firm.


    Soon, the wound revealed itself fully. The back of his hand had a huge hole on it, but the bullet''s entry point was at least¡­ clean. The problem was with his palm. It was a mix of skin, flesh and blood turned into a mess, hanging dead from it. Miraculously, the bullet had missed his bones saving Evin a ton of pain. Evin just had to close the wound and leave it be.


    Endra poured some more vodka on the wound, applied the ster on both sides of his hand, and wrapped it with a bandage.


    <Are you going to do my cheek too?>


    To this Endra answered by wiping at Evin''s cheek with another vodka-soaked bandage.


    <I think it''s okay to leave it alone since the wound''s already clotted.>


    The pain was still persistently assaulting Evin''s head, but he felt like he was slowly turning numb to it. Tiredness swept over his mind again.


    "Are you okay,d?" Ssatsko''s voice came from behind him.


    "Fine," Endra replied for him.


    "We should get moving," Ssatsko said. "We''ll be safe when we get up there."


    The old man spoke with confidence, but Evin could see the fear and uncertainty in his expression.


    "Take the others and get walking," Endra said, "I''ll do something about these three and follow. You should be fine for now."


    "What?"


    "I don''t want those three seeing me," Endra growled near Ssatsko''s ear.


    Something about the emotionless toneing out of Evin''s mouth convinced the old man. He herded the other three and after putting their tents and things in Evin''s Storage Ring, soon got to walking the stairs. Evin expected Lora to protest, but none of the three uttered a single noise. Even Sasha was silent throughout the whole thing.


    ''I''ll exin everythingter¡­'' Evin promised himself.


    Left alone, Endra got to work. One by one, he removed the devices on the three mage''s bodies and put them inside the Storage ring. Some items, like the cannisters on their backs, were too big to fit through the circle, so Endra wrapped them all up in a spare sheet.


    When Endra removed their masks, Evin saw three humans that looked very different from how he himself looked. These humans had pale white skin, snow white hair, and also glowing white eyes. Their physiques were the same as humans, but Evin couldn''t help but feel something alien from these people.


    <Who are these people?>


    Thankfully, sending thoughts did not expend much energy.


    <No fucking idea.>


    <Weren''t they using the same elerator as you?> Evin couldn''t help but ask.


    Their shapes were different, but Evin could immediately notice the simrity. And since Evin was familiar with other worlds, he couldn''t help but think of them.


    <Yeah¡­ but these guys definitely aren''t from my home World. Even albinos back there don''t look this pale, and we definitely don''t have glowing eyes¡­>


    It didn''t sound like Endra was lying.


    <But they don''te from Alvox, you think?>


    <Yes. These guys are most definitely otherworlders.>


    Evin nodded thoughtfully, before he noticed something.


    <What''s happening to him?>


    Blue spots started appearing on the man''s perfectly white skin. The same thing was happening to the other two. Evin jumped back holding his nose, as a terrible smell engulfed the area.


    From afar, he saw the man''s body caving in around the blue spots, which looked soggy. Small bubbles appeared on the blueness, a slight sizzling sound apanying them. Evin had to look away, as the men''s bodies started melting into a disgusting blue liquid.


    "Empress''s fucking horrors! What''s going on?!" Evin screamed.


    He soon hunched over, the pain, the tiredness, the disgust getting the better of him.


    <The mana in the air''s doing this,> Endra said. <It''s practically dissolving them.>


    <Why?>


    <Who knows? Maybe mana''s poison to these people. Or acid, in this case. An impossibly potent one¡­ Well, we don''t have to worry about cleaning their bodies with this, so let''s leave.>


    Endra pushed away the liquid using the World of Water and after making Evin and the sack of spoils weightless, started floating towards the others.

 Chapter 180 - The Strongest Protector

    When Evin reunited with the others, they were almost halfway through the rest of the journey.


    Sasha was sitting on Ssatsko''s shoulder, unusually silent. Theor noticed Evin''s arrival, but the man looked like he was trying to ignore the fact. Lora sent him worried nce, but it soon turned to pity or sadness. Evin felt like he didn''t deserve such a gaze, but he kept his mouth shut and floated behind them.


    His body was hurting all over, and his altitude sickness was ring up again, so Evin wanted some peace and quiet. He was every grateful for Endra being able to control his body in his stead. Thanks to that, his mind could still get some rest while his body was moving around.


    ''Hail magic.''


    But Ssatsko put Sasha on Theor''s shoulder and came to Evin.


    "Any idea who those people were?"


    "No," Endra replied. "Honestly, they didn''t look like they came from Alvox. They had pale white skin and hair, and their eyes were glowing."


    Ssatsko frowned. "Perhaps skinshifters?"


    Evin thought about it and decided it made sense. The elusive race of skinshifters were, after all, able to change their shape and form to whatever they desired.


    ''But it can''t be them, since skinshifters don''t melt when exposed to mana.''


    "Maybe. But it still doesn''t exin the devices they had," Endra nodded to the sack. "I''ve checked them briefly and I can tell they don''t use mana too¡­ the three men also seemed like the didn''t use mana."


    "That can''t be right," Ssatsko said. "They used a spell to clear out that fog at first, don''t you remember?"


    "You''re right¡­" Endra murmured.


    <But all three of them melted because of the mana, right?> Evin asked. <And they didn''t have a magical device or a Talisman on their bodies¡­ not that they could use it.>


    <Yes, and they were using the same spell over and over again, so they couldn''t have had another mage doing that for them¡­ Unless, there was another mage, but the mage flew back down after their job was finished¡­ They could''ve been wearing those Cloaking devices and we wouldn''t know of them since our spells can''t reach that far.>


    They took a nce down the cliff, but they couldn''t see anything out of the ordinary.


    <Maybe the mage was ordered to leave them? So they won''t have to reveal what their other devices do?>


    Endra said. <Well, we''ll have to deal with it when ites to us. For now, let''s not scare your family needlessly. They''re struggling as is.>


    Ssatsko must''ve looked at Evin''s troubled expression and the nce down the Cataract. "You''re in some real deep problem, and you don''t even know why."


    The words sounded almost usatory, but Endra did not take it as such. "Bad luck."


    "What are you going to do about them?"


    "Nothing yet. I can only get Lora to a safe ce for now."


    "About that¡­" Ssatsko grimaced. "I''m feeling more and more doubtful my Tribe''s not as safe as I''m thinking," he whispered. "I''m sorry."


    Evin was sure he would''ve snapped at the old man if he was in control, but Endra took things more calmly. "I see¡­ Sigh, well, they''re still our best bet for the time being. So, unless you have another n, we should just keep on going."


    "No, I actually have a different idea now," Ssatsko said. "You know Khuutam city''s also called the Prison of the Eight-limbed Godling?"


    "Yeah? I remember Rith mentioning something like that."


    "Perhaps we can ask the Godling there for help."


    "Is that possible?"


    "It is. The Eight-limbed Godling is famous for his interest in the peculiar," Ssatsko said. "If we offer him these devices you took, he should agree to keeping Lora and the others safe. If he agrees, you won''t find a safer ce."


    "But can we trust this Godling? Aren''t some of them famous for their fickle tempers?"


    There were few Godlings that enjoyed having other races near their dens, but many preferred to be left alone. These did not attack the Twelve Races but people knew they didn''t want to be bothered. Some were even hostile to people, killing or letting their offspring hunt intruders.


    "Ah, you don''t have to worry about that," Ssatsko smiled. "People call him a Godling because of his unparalleled strength and apparent immortality, but in truth, he''s one of the Cobfolk."


    The Cobfolk were a vassal race to the Ivari. They were an independent country for most of history, but fell to the Ivari''s control when the Tribes were finally united. They were talented artisans, that created most of the best artifacts mages used, but they weren''t really powerhouses of any kind. They weren''t even that long living.


    "Then how is he immortal, then?" Endra asked. "Some trick of the World of Life?"


    "Have you heard of the Aspects of the Worlds?"


    ''They''re mages so powerful they were given control over a World of magic by the Empress, right?''


    "I have¡­" Endra murmured. "You''re saying this Godling''s one of them? But in that case, isn''t it hopeless to ask him for help?"


    Evin learned that these Aspects of Worlds could not participate in Alvox''s matters in his history ss. Same as the Empress. Unimaginable power, but no way for them to use any of it.


    "Normally, you would be right," Ssatsko said. "But Lord Kena''s a former Aspect of Tenarak. I don''t know what orders the Empress imposed upon him, but he''s known to help people who sate his curiosity."


    <I think it''s worth a try,> Evin said.


    <You sure?>


    <It''s the best option for us, I think. If those rumors and ounts of the Aspects'' strength are any true, we''ll never have to worry about my family''s safety,> Evin said. <And since he''s connected to the Empress, the information about Otherworlders will interest him. I''m sure our goddess wouldn''t want unwanted guests doing whatever they want in Alvox.>


    <That does make sense,> Endra replied.


    "Then let''s give this former Aspect a visit," Endra said. "We''re headed to Khuutam city anyway."


    Ssatsko nodded and went to put Sasha on his back again. He had ess to the World of Life, so it was easier for the old man to carry the little girl.


    Left alone, Evin found himself thinking of many things. He also realized had many things to ask Endra. Frankly, there were too many things to ask. He decided to start with the easier ones.


    <So that elerator you create out of air is the same as those devices these people use?>


    <Yes,> Endra replied. <They''re actually called guns. The one they had must use some sort of exploding powder to propel a bullet. The same way I use air explosions to shoot out bullets. Obviously, their bullets are much faster, since they have proper fuel and a better designed gun than my elerator.>


    <Then what about those Cloaking devices, and that Barrier creating device they used?>


    <Those¡­>


    Endra exined that his world didn''t have those things when he was there. But he had a guess on what they could be, since Earth had many different science fiction stories describing what the future could be.


    Cloaking devices, jetpacks, forcefield generators¡­ Evin suddenly received a ton of new information, all of which sounded more and more magical to him. Endra insisted that these things weren''t rted to magic at all, but he could understand how Evin felt.


    Curious, Evin began asking what else these new enemies could possess and Endra went to describe tracking devices, spaceships, virtual realities¡­ all sorts of magical things and concepts. Evin was excited to hear these things, but his enthusiasm soon died out as he realized something important.


    <Wait, we might have to face these things, aren''t we?>


    <Yup,> Endra replied. <If they have such powerful cloaking devices and forcefields; it''s hard for me to imagine them not having tanks and airnes and all sorts of various bullshit. They definitely have portals that they must''ve used to get to Alvox¡­ I''m actually surprised at how normal their guns are.>


    Evin frowned, suddenly feeling terribly anxious about his future.


    <But don''t worry too much,> Endra said. <They should have a reason why they didn''t pull out these things yet. And it''s not like magic''s something to scoff at either. I mean, look at this Cataract. I personally never heard of a sci-fi story where people could elevate the ground three kilometers to the sky. There''s a reason these people are not waging war on Alvox. They''re too weak to threaten the truly strong mages.>


    Evin agreed. From his history sses, he knew that any one of the Twelve Cmities could destroy the world if they so desired. He didn''t know if the Aspects of the Twelve Worlds were as powerful as the Cmities, but he felt like they were powerful enough to stop an otherworldly invasion. And who knows what the Empress could do?


    ''The problem is, it''s not the Aspects or the Empress these people are after. They''re after me and my family.''

 Chapter 181 - Names

    ''Fuck¡­ Finally¡­'' Evin took the final step of the stair, sweat on his forehead. ''Motherfucker¡­''


    He looked back at the kingdom looming beneath him. Still, he did not feel very patriotic. He only felt soreness and annoyance. He was walking for the past ten minutes, at first okay and but soon half-limping. Endra let go of his control over Evin''s body and was tasked with keeping their spoils floating and suppressing the pain in Evin''s palm. Evin was once again, thankful for his existence.


    But he felt too useless having Endra do everything for him, so he decided to stubbornly struggle the rest of the way on his own feet¡­ though he was definitely regretting that now. He wasn''t even feeling prideful he reached the top of the Cataract.


    Not only him, they all probably should''ve felt happier, but a gloomy atmosphere persisted around the group. Evin was especially miserable, the pain in his palm getting worse and worse due to the stinging cold of the North. He could finally understand why Daishan always called westerners warmsick.


    ''I prefer to be called warmsick than to live in such a cold ce,'' he thought, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.


    Atop the Cataract a hut and a yurt greeted them. Evin could see a portly-looking man sitting atop a rocking chair on the hut''s porch. He had a single white-painted horn on his head, but Evin could guess it was pink underneath the paint. Ssatsko said that people who received horns from their tribes could choose its World, and most picked the World of Life.


    The man soon noticed the approaching group. He squinted his eyes for a brief moment before standing up, face full of excitement.


    The two men greeted each other and started speaking something in Northern. Ssatsko soon turned around and introduced the man.


    "Parslo Tremors. My brother five years younger."


    ''Brother?''


    "And this is Ssatsko Redheart!" Parsloughed. "Bane of our mother and stealer of my lover! Bwahaha!"


    ''Redheart?''


    The man''s joy was almost infectious, as even Lora smiled at her uncle''s sight.


    "You never bore of that story, do you, Uncle?"


    ''I''m d you''re happy to see your uncle, but I''m dying here!''


    "Of course not! It''s a damn good story!" Parsloughed again. "But I''ll tell you about itter. Now, tell me why you''ve alle here, with daughter and husband. With such gloom too."


    "Can''t I give my favorite uncle a visit?" Lora teased.


    Evin was feeling a bit annoyed at how long the conversation was going, but he felt he needed to grit through the pain because his mother was showing a rare smile.


    "No-no-no. Of course not." Parslo said. "May the skies smite me three times for daring to question my little Ivelyora." He gave Lora a hug and a kiss on the head. With the man''s huge body, Lora did look like a little girl next to him. "And an apology for little Sasha," Parslo said and kissed Sasha on the head.


    ''It''s almost looks like he''s about to eat Sasha¡­'' Evin thought despite the pain. ''Shit¡­''


    "Who''s the other boy?" Parslo asked. "Does he also need an apology?"


    "He''s my grandson," Ssatsko said. "Lora''s firstborn."


    Parslo''s eyes went wide. He gazed at Evin''s figure for a second, before smiling toothily.


    ''Get over your emotional stuff quick and fix my damn hand¡­ I can''t believe how casual you all look!''


    "He does need an apology," the man said and kissed Evin on the forehead.


    "What''s your name, boy?"


    "Evin¡­ Eviendra."


    "Eviendra¡­ yes, I remember. A good name," Parslo whispered. "Ha-ha! A truly good surprise you''ve brought me. What happened to your cheek and your hand, boy? Had a little falling from the stairs? Eh?"


    "I¡­ Something like that," Evin grimaced, blood leaking through the bandage on his hand. "Uh, do you have anything to help with a pierced through hand?"


    Twenty minutester, Evin was lying on a bed inside Parslo''s yurt, his wounded hand inside a pot of warm water. A few leaves were floating in the water, herbs useful for reducing pain. Lora was sitting next to him, wiping his sweat off. Parslo was sitting behind a table nearby, diligently working on a Talisman. The man was an expert calligrapher, and was creating a Talisman of Healing for Evin''s hand.


    Evin found it hard to think he didn''t remember to buy a couple of those before leaving. He never considered healing his palm himself, since he and Endra were terrible at using the World of Life, but that didn''t mean they couldn''t use Talismans.


    "There," Parslo hummed, handing Evin the finished Talisman. "You won''t find a better one."


    Evin filled his core from the lodestones Parslo had lying around, and ripped the Talisman in two. It drained his corepletely and immediately started refilling the gap on Evin''s hand. Evin felt painful, seeing the meat, tissue and skin regrowing in his eyes. When the wound finally closed, Evin sighed in relief, enjoying the slight itching from his hand.


    The same thing happened to his cheek and hip, but it wasn''t so dramatic this time since the wounds weren''t serious.


    "There you go," Parsloughed next to him. "Still can''t believe you patiently waited for us to enjoy our reunion, ha-ha-hah! If you stay in the North, you''d definitely be Named young."


    "Named?" Evin asked, feeling sleepy.


    "Men and mages who receive Horns also receive Names in the North. Your grandpa''s Redheart, and I''m Tremors. Ssatsko was only Ssatsko Red when he first got his Apdenul Horn, but became Redheart when he got his Irratas horn."


    "Shouldn''t it be the other way around?" Evin asked. "Red for fire and heart for life."


    "Ah, there''s actually no corrtion between a Name and a horn. Ssatsko became Red because he managed to kill five enemies all alone. One of them was even a Named man! I still remember how he emerged from that bloodbath covered in blood. Ssatsko Red¡­ Still gives me shivers, that man¡­"


    "Uncle¡­" Lora whispered. "Please."


    "Sorry, sorry," Parslo sighed. "But the boy needs to learn these things eventually, you know? Blood history and all. Anyway, heter became Redheart when he seduced my fianc¨¦e and settled down," Parslo chuckled. "You look like you have questions, but Names don''t always have to be associated with violence. The Name could be about anything, you just have to be worthy of it."


    "Then what does Tremors mean?"


    "Well. Of course, it''s because whenever I walk up against the enemies, the ground shakes under my steps, creating tremors and terror among the enemies."


    "It''s because he was shaking so violently after his first battle, the pots were rattling next to his trembling feet. His captain heard it and thought an earthquake was happening," Lora rified.


    "Bah, baseless lies," Parslo grinned.


    Evin''s attention was slipping at this point, sleep washing over his head.


    "Well, the boy should take a break now," Parslo said. "I know you''re in a hurry, but take at least a couple hours'' worth of sleep. You''ll never know when you''re going suddenly drop unconscious by overworking yourself. I''ll send word to Khuutam city and ask if they could send the Godling''s blessings over."


    <I''ll wake you up if something happens,> Endra said. <You''ve been awake since yesterday, so it''s really no wonder if you suddenly drop on the road.>

 Chapter 182 - Help And Intentions

    *****


    Be sat on a bench outside the Academy garden, waiting for Phel. Her fingers tapped at the wood erratically, guilt bubbling up in her heart. Any time now, the soft-featured boy woulde out of the garden, no doubt wearing a defeated expression.


    ''I shouldn''t have forced him to do this¡­ At least not with such stupid reasons¡­''


    Phel''s love seemed doomed to her from the beginning. But she didn''t know how to tell the boy that. So she decided to force him to go with it. There was also a part of her that wanted tofort the boy afterwards so they became better friends.


    It was an idea that sounded stupider and stupider by the day. In the first ce, who tried to push two people together, so they could get close to one afterwards? But Be was aware of Phel''s feelings, so when the opportunity presented itself, she decided to take advantage of the situation.


    ''And it''s not like I''m doing anything too terrible,'' Be thought. ''If left alone, Phel will suffer with his feelings forever, never finding the courage to confess. And even if it confessed, the reply wouldn''t change¡­ So I''m doing good by hastening the process. And besides, it''s good for him to let it out.''


    How was she supposed to feel when she was doing something good, but with ulterior motives. A rtively harmless motive ¨C to get close to someone, but a motive nheless. It felt wrong. Even more so, since Be knew the confession was doomed from the beginning.


    "Hello, Be," a familiar voice greeted.


    "Hello, Count," Be replied, looking back.


    "Can I sit here?" Decatur asked.


    "Uh, sure¡­" Be said, trying not to sigh.


    A brief silence ensued. Be was fine with it though. The less she had to talk to this persistent noble, the better. She genuinely hoped it would continue forever¡­ but, Decatur started talking eventually.


    "I wanted to talk to you about something. I received a letter from Arcvallen Academy talking of student exchange program. They basically want to invite one of our students to study in the capital for half a year¡­ I was thinking I''ll have you go on it."


    "I''m sorry," Be did not have to think much. "Without Evin, I won''t go the Arcvallen."


    "I thought of having the boy go, I really did," Decatur said slowly. "But the Capital''s only epting one student from all years and Evin''s not really here either."


    "Well, in that case, I guess I''ll be staying here," Be shrugged. "I''m sure many students are raring to go in my stead. Thanks foring here to tell me though."


    Decatur nodded and stood up, silent and brooding.


    ''Is he gonna go?'' Be thought. "Today wasn''t so bad¡­ Is he finally learning to politely leave after being refused?''


    "I don''t get it¡­" Decatur murmured.


    ''Ah, of course¡­'' Be sighed. ''Leave it to Dec to never learn a thing¡­ You know, I won''t even reply. Maybe if I pretend he doesn''t exist, he''ll get the clue.''


    "I don''t get it¡­" Decatur said. "How can you stay so loyal to someone who would leave you so readily?"


    Be just shook her head and opened up the book she wasn''t reading. She argued a lot with the noble, so she knew it was a pointless thing. Evin managed the same, so she should be able to too.


    "Why don''t you answer?"


    "I don''t know¡­" Be shrugged.


    "You know, but you just don''t want to speak to me. You just wish you were facing your boyfriend," Decatur spat out. "But who knows were he is now. Probably enjoying life with his precious family. A trip to the North, with no known return date. But for you, he only goes as far as Jiha town. Damn murderer."


    Be''s eyes twitched.


    "Murderer, murderer, you really love that word, don''t you?" Be said. "I imagined you''d be the best person to know we''ll all be murderers soon enough, no? The prized weapons of the kingdom."


    "But who goes except him goes around killing his allies? He''s just a bloodthirsty barbarian is what he is."


    "You''re a fucking idiot," Be hissed.


    How can someone be so self-righteous and stupid, Be couldn''t tell.


    "I''m right! You''ve seen what he did in the Helm''s worthy and also what his grandfather did to that baron''s son! I''m sure he''s participating in some fight in the north. It''s almost fitting!"


    Be had enough.


    "Ugh, can you leave me alone now? Perhaps you think me needy ofpany, but I''m perfectly fine alone. And to answer your previous question. I''m not as retarded as you to make it difficult for him to leave considering what happened to his family."


    Be added an using tone to thest sentence, even though she knew Decatur probably had nothing to do with the attack on Evin''s family.


    But Decatur did turn defensive at that. "I told you I didn''t do anything to his family!"


    "I never said you did," Be said. "Now please."


    Decatur was about to say something, but the gates to the garden opened. Phel and Arza were walking out of it side by side, the noble boy practically beaming.


    ''Wait, did it actually work?''


    Arza waved a hand at Phel and left, while thetter came running to Be''s side after greeting Decatur.


    Ignoring Decatur, Be whispered. "Did he say yes?"


    Phel nodded excitedly and hugged Be. "Thank you."


    ''Huh¡­ What the fuck?''


    "Uh, no problem at all," Be managed a smile. "If you need any help, don''t worry about bothering me."


    ''No-no-no, why did I have to say thatst part? Don''t I just sound desperate?''


    The boy gave a sharp nod and ran towards Arza. "I''ll treat you to anything you want!" he shouted.


    Be smiled and waved off the boy, feeling conflicted.


    ''That went well, I guess? Maybe I didn''t have to worry so much about forcing him to confess¡­''


    "What was that about?" Decatur asked from her side.


    "You''re still here?" Be frowned.


    She decided it was best to just ignore him from now on, and gathered her stuff.


    "We''re not done talking."


    "I don''t have the obligation to argue pointlessly with you, Decatur. I appreciate your thoughts, but I don''t like the feeling of being forced into things."


    Be did not give him a chance to reply and covered herself with an illusion. Invisible, she walked off to her room. But thest thing she said to Decatur did make her think of something.


    ''I said I appreciate the thoughts simply because noble etiquette demanded it, but in Decatur''s twisted mindset, he is trying to help me, right? I guess he is just trying to force me into doing something, thinking it''s best for me¡­?


    ''But isn''t that the same as me trying to force Phel into confessing?''


    Somehow, it ended up working well for Phel, but it wasn''t so odd if Phel''s confession failed. In fact, it failing was the expected thing to happen. Be was even banking on it, thinking she''ll make a friend of Phel afterwards.


    Of course, what she did wasn''t admirable, but Phel didn''t really look so opposed to the idea at all.


    He was the pr opposite of Be when she gets approached by Decatur for one thing or another.


    But technically, Decatur was doing the same thing Be was doing.


    ''What''s the difference?'' Be thought.


    Perhaps because of her annoyance at Decatur, she found it hard to focus.


    "Evin would know about the answer¡­" she whispered. "Or maybe the being inside him would know¡­"


    She was maintaining a strong fa?ade, but it was still hard for her to be alone.


    "Sigh¡­"


    *****

 Chapter 183 - Lord Kena

    Evin stood inside a metal cage with his family and watched it slowly go down into the underground. At first, he only saw the dirt surrounding the elevator, but soon, the underground city under Khuutam city revealed itself in all its blinding splendor. The City of Nevernight.


    Sorbothium ores filled with Lumiaris''s energy were shining from all around Evin, forcing him to cover his eyes. They were lodged into the earthen ceiling above, some of them natural, some of them artificial. They were the undying source of light that gave the city its name.


    Evin felt it weird that the ores which were endlessly mined from Khuutam city above were scattered so abundantly in the underground city, but Sorn exined that the miners could only dig down to a certain point. Any more than that, they risked being executed.


    Khuutam city''s nickname was the Prison of the Eight-limbed Godling. First hearing the name, many assume that it''s a ce that has a Godling sealed in it, but the name was much more literal in its meaning.


    The city was a prison, yes. But not for containing Lord Kena, the Former Aspect of Earth. It was a prison that contained the various criminal mages of the North, and Lora Kena was the supervisor of that.


    Evin didn''t know why the former Aspect decided to build his own city below a prison containing the most dangerous men and women in the entire North, but that was none of his business.


    The light from the Sorbothium subsided and Evin could see the city looming below. Most of the buildings were bigger than what Evin was used to seeing, some of them even twice as tall as Lora''s. There were also an awful lot of them built in the walls, the only way to get inside the being the handrails lodged into the walls of the city.


    The reason for these oddities were walking around the streets below. Tall humanoids with four extra arms filled the city, all wearing a mask and covering their bodiespletely. The Cobfolk.


    Beneath the mask, Evin would see vaguely human faces withrge jaws and eight pearl-like eyes¡­ but due to the Cobfolk being a vassal race to the Ivari, they were forced to cover their heads for looking too monstrous. The rule persisted even in their own city.


    But that didn''t mean they lived a bad life.


    From a nce, Evin could tell the underground city was much hospitable than the hell above ground which was Khuutam City. The civil architecture of the city was well-nned, the streets were cleaner and the people livelier. It felt like heavenpared to the rot, filth, despair and death filling the city above.


    It truly was eye-opening, seeing mages living like that.


    The elevator stopped and Evin''s family walked off it with their ''offerings''.


    "Wee to the City of Nevernight," the Cobfolk apanying them, Sorn, said in a husky, drawn-out voice. "Lord Kena awaits you in his manor."


    The Cobfolk''s mask was simple. It had a white base and only had eight dark-purple beads arranged symmetrically. There was no mouth, no ear, no nose.


    Under Parslo''s guidance, Evin sent a letter to the former Aspect before leaving, describing some of the devices he''d gotten from the Otherworlders. They were going to visit the city regardless, but it wasn''t good toe unannounced. On their way, they met Sorn, who exined he was to act as their protector and guide.


    Evin''s family walked through the city streets, hearing about the local historical buildings and monuments from the guide. Evin was not very interested in these bygone stories but he made himself look interested in fear of offending the former Aspect''s servant. Thankfully, the tour did notst long.


    Lord Kena''s house was a rather modest three-story building located in the outskirts of the city. The materials and style of the building was exactly the same as all the other buildings. The only difference was that it seemed somewhat taller than the other buildings. Also, there were no other houses built over it on the walls.


    ''I guess it''s a bit awkward to build your house over a demigod.''


    "Come on in," Sorn said, leading the group to a guest room inside the house. "I''m sorry to hurry you, but master Evin and Mister Redheart, please follow me. The others can wait here. Help yourselves to anything you wish."


    Lora and Theor were left behind, looking confused and tired. Lora was holding Sasha''s sleeping form in her hands, bags under her eyes and new wrinkles on her face. No doubt a product of her non-stop flying through the air for the past two days. Theor also looked simr, but at least the tiredness was concealing his fear.


    They did not look like people who just ended up inside the house of a demigod.


    ''Perhaps to them, every mage seems like a demigod¡­''


    <Don''t think too badly of them,> Endra said. <Every mage must seem like a demigod to them.>


    <I guess¡­ But how can people live so differently? It feels like there are twopletely different worlds, one for mages and one for the rest. Isn''t something like that impossible?>


    <You''d be surprised at how differently people can live. Did you know, back on Earth, the richest 1% of the world had more money than the other 99%bined? As actual numbers, it means that 80 million people are richer than 7 billion 920 million people.


    <Well, as a more positive example, there also the cultural differences. While some people live in carved ice blocks, others live in huts built out of mud and straws. The same thing''s apparent on Alvox too. You''d never see a yurt in the kingdom, but in the North, half the country lives in it.>


    Evin pondered on the numbers and the difference between mages and others, shook his head, and pushed at the pile of devices floating next to him.


    Sorn came in front of arge tall door and knocked on it. "Your guests are here, my lord."


    "Let them in," a staticky, artificial-sounding voice said.


    "Please don''t take his kindness lightly," Sorn opened the door, let Evin and Ssatsko inside, and closed it behind them.


    The former Aspect of Earth was twice as tall as Ssatsko, standing in front of a desk, a mess of notes and books behind of him. His dominant pair of hands were holding a book open, while the other two pairs were hidden under a white cloak.


    ''He definitely doesn''t look like what I first imagined¡­'' Evin thought, though he didn''t really know what he imagined.


    "Wee," the staticky voice said again, his head still facing down. "You must be the guests from the kingdom."


    The voice wasing from the mask Lord Kena was wearing, a featureless, nk white mask which only covered his face. His silky white hair was hanging loose from his side, and his glossy grey skin could be seen around his long, slender neck.


    "Yes. As we''ve described briefly in the letter, we found some very interesting items on the bodies of three unusually pale men and wanted to offer them to you."


    Endra was speaking with Kena. The two decided that the conversation was too important for Evin.


    "In exchange for protection," Kena added.


    "In exchange for protection for my family, yes." Endra said. "My mother, her husband and son. Perhaps my grandfather when he''s inside the City of Nevernight."


    "Of course¡­" Kena said and finally faced Evin.


    Evin could not see the Cobfolk''s eyes behind the mask, but he could feel himself being eyed all over. He felt like a rabbit trapped inside a pit with a snake, and a terribly bad feeling filled his heart. Was it really correct for him toe here? It wouldn''t be weird for someone so strong to find a random fault with him and kill him, right? I mean, who was there to enforcews on a former Aspect of a World? The Empress? Something told Evin he wasn''t in the Empress''s list of important people.


    The ominous feeling intensified when the former Aspect cocked his head to the side and started humming to himself.


    "Is there something wrong?" Ssatkso asked.


    "Hmm¡­ yes," Kena said. "¡­But we''ll talk about itter. First, show me these devices of yours."


    Evin exchanged a quick nce with Ssatsko and found the other sweating on the forehead. He noticed he was sweating too.


    ''We''re not gonna get robbed or something, right? Someone so powerful shouldn''t be someone so petty, right?''


    "Well, go on."


    Endra pulled the devices out one by one and described what they did. The jetpack, the cloaking device, the forcefield barrier and the gun. Sadly, aside from the gun, Endra could not make the other devices work. Unlike the cloaking device they found from the first man which turned anyone invisible no matter what, these ones refused to function.


    Lord Kena nced at the objects, gave one a sniff and murmured something. "Smells like Orgone¡­ Hmm, what happened to the people who had this?"


    "They melted when I took off their clothes. It looked like it happened because of mana."


    Ssatsko gave Evin a look from the side, but Endra decided ignored it.


    "As I expected¡­" Lord Kena murmured.


    He then pulled out a Storage Ring and pulled a sk from it. There was something blue floating around in it. It reminded Evin of mana, but there was something terribly wrong about it. He almost felt the thing was life-threatening to him.


    But Lord Kena uncorked it without worry and held it underneath the forcefield generator. The device started glowing with a blue sheen before creating a barrier surrounding Kena. The same exact one that the three men had around their bodies.


    Evin looked upon the scene, confused but mostly worried.


    <Isn''t that bad?>


    <Yeah¡­> Endra replied.


    Lord Kena was familiar with the organization that Evin was fighting against. How? Perhaps he was a part of them


    <What should we do? Run?>


    <No,> Endra replied. <We hope and pray.>


    Endra sounded calm despite the situation. He was much more panicked when they were fighting against the three otherworlders. The two situations werepletely different in scale, but somehow, Endra was calmer in the more dangerous scenario. Seemed like it was the right thing to do though, as Kena was not at all paying attention to Evin, instead trying out the devices one by one.


    Kena then tried out the cloaking device. He gave up on using the sk''s contents on the jetpack and the gun, calling them works of engineering.


    "Hmm," he murmured after finishing. "You''ve done well. Bringing this to me."

 Chapter 184 - Danger

    Evin breathed out a sigh of relief, hearing Lord Kena''s friendly tone.


    "Tell me," Lord Kena continued. "How did youe upon these three strange men?"


    "They came upon us when we were climbing the Cataract," Endra said. "They thought we had one of their cloaking devices."


    "Did you?"


    "We didn''t. But we did possess it for a short while. Now, it should be in the hands of the kingdom."


    <Just tell him the whole story,> Evin urged.


    <Not yet.>


    "Tell me the whole story."


    Endra kept silent, then nced at the door behind him.


    "Oh, you''re worried about your family," Kena hummed. "Do not worry. If they simply stay in this city, they''ll be safe from any and all threats. Ah, if they don''t wish to stay near Cobfolk, then you can send them to Koidot city. I can talk to Kal and have her arrange protection for your family."


    "The Leader of the Paradra?" Ssatsko asked.


    "Indeed," Lord Kena said. "She''s something of a Junior of mine. Don''t worry about the details. And don''t worry about her strength. In fact, I''m sure she''ll do a better job than me."


    "O-of course I won''t doubt you or her, Lord Kena."


    "But, I have one condition," the Cobfolk said. "I need to talk to Evin there privately."


    Evin gulped, wondering what there was to talk about.


    ''He said it so solemnly, he''s definitely going to ask something from me, right? But what would someone like this need from me? I''m a century behind him, aren''t I?''


    Evin thought about the matter and came to one possible conclusion.


    ''Maybe he''s going to have me search for the otherworlders? He seems knowledgeable about them, but for one reason or another, he''s letting them be¡­ He said my family will be safe from the otherworlders if they simply stay in his city. That should mean they''re afraid of appearing near Kena. Perhaps it''s the same with this Leader of the Paradra.''


    That made sense in Evin''s head.


    ''Which is why, he needs someone to hunt them for him. I probably won''t have to fight them, though. I''d just find them and then report to him, or something¡­''


    "Oh, don''t think of it too seriously," the former Aspect added. "I''ll just ask you some questions. You won''t even have to answer them if you want to."


    Evin cocked his head, confused.


    "I probably won''t mind some questions," Endra answered for him. "Maybe grandpa can go talk to mother and ask her where she would prefer to live in the meantime."


    "Are you sure?" Ssatsko asked.


    "If something happens, I''ll scream at the top of my lungs. Do make sure toe save me then."


    Ssatsko paused, looked away and fake coughed. "I''ll go talk to Lora, then."


    Evin watched his grandfather leave after bowing his head to Lora Kena, his pride most likely damaged.


    Lord Kena then put one of his hands on Evin''s shoulder. "Hmmm¡­ Follow me."


    The former Aspect left the desk and entered a different room, quite arge one at a nce. Compared to the previous one, which was as orderly as a room could be; this one was perhaps, as messy as a room could be. Books littered all over the floor, tes with leftover food, at least ten different cups, clothes of various shapes. The only thing devoid of objects was a chair the former Aspect presumably sat on.


    But what was most prevalent in the room was artifacts and magical devices of all sorts. Some of them seemed harmless, while others felt like they were about to explode with mana.


    "Sorry for the mess," Kena said casually and moved through the piles and piles of things, picking some of them up with his spare hands, sometimes moving them with tendrils of thick Tenarak energy.


    However, mana wasn''t the only thing present in the room. sks and vials filled with various unknown materials were decorating one wall, and Evin knew one touch of them and he would be no more. He didn''t know why the otherworlders melted under the effects of mana, but something told him that foreign energies would do the same to his body the same.


    One such object was a blue-green¡­ tree of some sorts standing in one corner of Kena''s room. It had vine-like branchesing out of a thick stump nted inside a pot. Evin called it a tree, because it was the only simr thing he could think of, but it had no leaves, its body was smooth, almost glossy like Kena''s skin, and it also pulsed with bright blue-green light asionally.


    Evin didn''t know what the blue-green light was, but it didn''t give off the dangerous feeling that the other mysterious materials had. It felt familiar to Evin, but somehow it felt taboo. Like something Evin wasn''t supposed to see. Out of everything in the room, it was the most interesting thing to Evin. It seemed it was the same with Endra.


    <What is that?> Endra''s voice was filled with awe and want. A rare sound to hear.


    <How am I supposed to know?>


    Kena''s produced a Talisman from his Storage Ring and put it on the tree. Nothing happened to the tree, but Kena''s hands took on the same blue sheen.


    "Touch it," the former Authority said, nodding at the tree.


    "Lord?"


    "The tree, touch it," Kena insisted. "It might be helpful to you."


    Hesitantly, Evin reached for the tree.


    Upon contact, his fingertips turned shining blue, and a ring of light wrapped his finger slowly moved up. When it reached Evin''s hand, its speed increased exponentially and in a split second, it rushed to Evin''s chest. An incredible force pulsed through his body, and Evin was thrown away.


    However, Evin didn''t m into anything, instead, he slowed down right afterwards, even feeling as if he was going to be pulled back into his original spot again. Exactly that happened. A moment after Evin was blown away due to the forceing out of the tree, he was back where he was standing.


    He immediately fell to his knees and started breathing raggedly. His whole body was sweating and he could even feel his teeth shivering. But Evin couldn''t me Kena for putting him through something like this.


    He did not know what exactly he felt when it happened, but it was definitely something exceptional. The moment was ephemeral, but Evin was something so much vaster during it. Transcendent, omnipotent, invincible, and eternal. It felt simr to how he felt when Endra first started sharing his mind with, except this time the feeling was a thousand times stronger.


    Evin''s moment of euphoria did notst long, though. When the aftereffects of the moment subsided, he noticed theck of something in his soul.


    ''Endra?'' he tried to ask, but the method he used to talk to Endra was not even working.


    "Well, this is certainly a surprise¡­" Kena''s voice sounded from above. "And which world do you hail from, intruder?"


    Evin looked above, and found Kena''s blue hand grabbing a man by the neck. Endra.

 Chapter 185 - Interrogation

    Even if he never saw Endra before, Evin could immediately tell the man struggling under Kena''s grasp was him. It was the same face he saw in his dreams and part of Endra''s figure was blurred, looking as if it was stretching towards Evin''s body. Back to where he resided.


    ''Stop!'' Evin tried to shout, but found that his body was too weakened to even speak. His hands reached out to Endra, but immediately fell to the ground, reminding Evin how weak he was just then.


    "Well, speak, Otherworlder," Kena said. "Where do youe from?"


    "EaRtTh!" Endra shouted, his voice distorted beyondprehension. "I cAMe FrOM eArtH ten yEaRS ago!"


    "Earth¡­ you say?" Kena''s voice sounded startled. "Don''t be bringing up big names just because you''re desperate, boy."


    "WhAt Do YoU?! the OnLY twO WOrLd I knOW Are ThiS aND EaRth!"


    "Then how and why have youe here?"


    "sOME WOMAn SENT me HeRe AFTER asKinG mE If i waNT To Live oR DiE!"


    "What was her name?"


    "i DON''t KNow?! no, Wait! shE had STorM-Like eYeS! LIghtInG FlickERED aLl aroUNd IT wHeN SHE bLinKed!"


    The mask hid Kena''s expression, but from the pause Evin could tell he was hesitating. Same with Endra.


    "loOK, IF i kneW moRe AbOUt all ThesE worlDs aNd THeiR relATIoNSHips, i WoULDN''t cOMe ViSIt a fOrMeR AsPECT sO cARelesSLy, rigHt? if you tHINk ME dAnGERouS, yOU caN EaSiLy keEP ME nexT To You fOrEVEr! BUt nOw, PlEAse Put me In A BODy. i''M reALly FeelING like I''m DiSApPEaRINg!"


    Endra''s body was bing paler and paler, bits and pieces of it dissipating slowly.


    "Please¡­" Evin managed. "Put him back inside¡­"


    Kena''s hand stayed on Endra''s neck for another second, but he let go. Endra''s floating soul immediately flew back inside Evin''s body, and Evin was whole once more.


    Although whole, Evin could still feel something wrong in his body. Something in his head felt jumbled up as if someone carved out his brain and then put it back in upside down. Everything was spinning, nothing felt right, and all around him were noises. Not to mention his head hurt like hell.


    "Drink this," Kena offered some drink after casually putting Evin on a couch. "It''ll right your soul."


    The drink was the same blue-green of the tree. Evin felt wary, but due to the allure of bing better won and he took a sip. Slowly, he could feel himself getting better.


    <Are you alright?> Evin asked.


    <I feel old.>


    Evin smiled.


    "You seem to be feeling better," Kena spoke. "I''m sorry for acting rashly. I hope you forgive me."


    Evin found it annoying how the Cobfolk was able to change moods so easily. But he was too tired to be mad. And even if he could get mad, what was he supposed to do? What was his forgiveness worth, anyway? Feeling pissed off, Evin decided he''d grant the Cobfolk''s wish.


    "I¡­ forgive you?"


    Evin didn''t know why it turned into a question, but it felt good to say that.


    "That makes me happy," Kena chuckled. "I''m sorry to the man inside you too. Now that I think about it, his words make sense."


    "I forgive you too," Endra spoke. "But please, tell us how we can separate from this one body."


    <Endra?>


    <Remember how I once told you to go ask the Empress for help? I think this will be the closest we''ll get to that.>


    It wasn''t hard to notice the excitement in Endra''s voice. It also wasn''t hard to understand what he was thinking. This was what he was searching for in the first ce, after all. A way to separate. For a brief moment, they truly did separate.


    <We can''t trust him!> Evin said. <Look what he did to you? And me!>


    <It''s a misunderstanding, Evin. Nothing to sweat at. I''d do the same in his shoes,> Endra replied cheerfully. <But thanks to that, I can finally see a way forward for us! We won''t have to spend countless years searching for the method on our own!>


    ''Of course, Endra''s ultimate goal is to separate. He''d do anything to achieve and it he''d forgive anything if it helps him reach that goal.''


    "A method to separate, huh¡­" Kena murmured. "Unfortunately, I don''t have a way to help you."


    "But just now¡­"


    "That''s thanks to the Soul Tree," Kena shrugged, pointing at the blue tree. "I can use some of its functions. I can briefly reveal a person''s soul, I can touch souls, and I can scour a person''s memories. But nothing more than that."


    "Can you tell us where you got it from?"


    "Yes, of course. From a¡­ past colleague of mine I suppose. Twelve Jokes. Have you heard of her?"


    "No, never."


    "Well, it''s no surprise. Even among Aspects, she''s quite elusive."


    Many mages knew of the Aspects, but few were familiar with their details. The few that Evin was familiar with was Judeus Arcwall, the Aspect of Lumiaris; Ethez Sent, the Aspect of Seyethe; and Lady Hin, the Aspect of Exivear.


    The first two originated from the kingdom. One of them, Judeus Arcwall, was the founding king of the kingdom, while the other was a famous rogue mage, known as the Paramour of Liberty. Thetter was somewhat of a dark spot in the kingdom''s history.


    Originally a criminal of unimaginable cruelty and greed, who was finally caught by the kingdom after inciting terror upon thends for three decades. But on his day of trial, he was pardoned by Two Tales, who exined that the Empress was interested in Ethez. Later, he came back as an Aspect of a world, hence the name, Paramour of Liberty. Truly, the stuff of fantasy.


    As for Lady Hin, aside from her name, no one knew a thing about her. No one knew which race she belonged to, what country she was born in, whether she was really the Aspect of Darkness or not, nothing.


    So it was big news for Evin and Endra to learn about this new Aspect''s name.

 Chapter 186 - Light At The End Of The Tunnel

    "I can help you meet Twelve Jokes," Kena continued. "Perhaps I can even convince her to help you... But I have a request for you in exchange."


    "What is it?"


    Endra did not say he''d do anything for it, but from the tone of his voice, Evin could infer the meaning.


    ''He''ll really do anything for it¡­''


    "I want you to talk to me about Earth."


    "Earth?" Endra asked. "Why? You also mentioned it being a big name, didn''t you? As far as I know, Earth has nothing special going for it."


    "Nothing special?" Kena chuckled. "Earth''s one of the biggest worlds conceived. Do you know how big is Alvox? In its entirety, I don''t believe it amounts to twenty percent of Earth''s surface. It''s the Four countries sharing this small bit ofnd and that''s it. That''s not even considering the endless expanse of space surrounding it. Compared to our little bubble¡­ it''s infinity."


    "The Edge of the World¡­ so it''s true?" Endra asked.


    "Of course. We can only swim out so far, and we can only fly so high. Go beyond that limit, and you''re subject to the poisonous space that keeps us isted. No one survives it and nothing outlives it."


    "I was thinking those otherworlders came through a spaceship of some kind."


    "A spaceship? What''s that?"


    "A ship that can travel through space?"


    "Is there something like that on Earth?" Kena asked.


    "Yes, but we can''t travel far with it. Perhaps we could, but not yet."


    " ''Nothing much'' you say¡­ Heh, I''m also sure that Earth''s the most advanced technologically by far."


    "It''s advanced technologically, sure, but those otherworlders had rather futuristic devices on them too. Cloaking devices, forcefields¡­ Earth certainly doesn''t have those."


    "What these devices use," Kena pointed at the equipment that the otherworlders were using, "is an alternative form of mana. In this case, it''s this thing called Orgone," Kena pulled out the sk again. "I don''t know how exactly they function, but I imagine they work simrly to our own magical devices."


    "Even then, wouldn''t a World with magic be superior to Earth? I''d think much more of a world like Alvox which has magic and godlike beings in it."


    "Indeed, but have you ever wondered why otherworlders never invade Earth? From your perspective, there''s not much earthlings can do against mages such as myself, right?"


    "Yes¡­ Even I can wreak havoc there if I end up there again."


    "Well, there are a couple reasons for that. The first one''s rather basic. There''s no mana on Earth, so a mage can only be as strong as the amount of lodestones they bring there. It''s the same with any other energy source. Orgone, n Vital, Aether¡­ all these different versions of mana that other Worlds have, they''re also nonexistent on Earth."


    "I mean, if they can get there, it shouldn''t be hard to set up a supply line, no? They''ll just need to set up a base and work from there. And if they want to, maybe they can even mount an all-out attack immediately."


    ''How can you talk so passionately with someone who just tried to kill you a minute ago?"


    "Sure, but that''s not possible due to the second reason. The Ruler of Earth. The Almighty Creator. ''He'' and ''His'' subjects who are responsible for keeping the otherworlders at bay are what protects Earth''s safety."


    Endra seemed baffled. But there was still, excitement in his voice. He never


    "There really was a god back there somewhere?"


    "I''d imagine. You mentioned a woman sending you here, right? She should''ve been his subject."


    "Yes, but¡­ it''s still hard to imagine. To think I lived in a world with a literal god watching over it, but never knowing about it all¡­."


    "Well, it''s not so odd. Not many in Alvox know about us Aspects and what we do too. And if the Empress wished to, no one could''ve learned about her existence too.


    "By that logic, I''m sure there is something akin to mana in your world," Kena said. "But since no human there can use it, I assume it all simply goes to the Ruler of Earth and his direct subjects? If they could keep all that power to themselves, then it''s small wonder no one dares to mess with them. Despite being small, our World creates an enormous of amount of mana, you know? I can''t imagine what a world of Earth''s size produces."


    "Huh¡­ But is it okay for you to talk about all these things to us? It sounds like something only a select few know about."


    "You''re an otherworlder yourself and you''ve met others too. There''s no point hiding these things from you. And it''s not like the countries don''t know," Kena shrugged. "I''m merely interested in Earth. These


    "Which is why you want to learn more about Earth."


    "Yes. Only about your technology and your religion."


    ''No, no, no.''


    <We should wait a bit before deciding,> Evin said. <Mother and the others are safe so there''s no reason for us to do this. And besides, there''s no guarantee he''ll help you afterwards, is there?>


    Evin was just being desperate at this point and he knew it. But even so, he couldn''t stop himself from saying these things. He wanted to take back control of his body, but he was too weak now. Perhaps a part of him knew that this was for the best. Endra wasn''t someone who could stay with him forever.


    "I''ll tell you all I know," Endra said. "Don''t expect me to know everything, though. I''m not even sure how urate my memory would be."


    <Endra!>


    <Information about Earth is a cheap price for a chance at separation. And. Even if we separate, it''ll only be in soul. I think I''ll stick around you for some time after I get my own body¡­ Hmm, I wonder what kind of body I''ll get¡­>


    <I guess you''re right¡­> Evin murmured.


    ''I have no right to keep you with me. I should let you go.''


    "Of course, I won''t expect perfection from you," Kena continued. "But there''s a solution for it. I can check them myself using the Soul Tree. It''ll be much more urate, and you''ll also remember anything you might''ve forgotten too."


    "Is that how it works?" Endra hummed. "But will that affect Evin too? I don''t mind about my own privacy, but I wouldn''t want to pull the boy into it, you know?"


    "It''ll only affect you. And you can choose to hide whatever you want from me if you want to¡­ At least, that''s how it''s supposed to work. But I''ve never done this with someone with two souls, so I can''t be sure."


    "Please," Endra said. "Do what you need to do. I only hope you can convince Lady Twelve Jokes to help me after."


    "Of course. Ah, but should Lady Twelve Jokes help you, she''ll most likely demand your loyalty to the Empress. It''s nothing too odd. You must swear your loyalty to the Empress. This means you can''t betray Alvox, and it also means you must obey her every order."


    "No problem," Endra''s answer was immediate.


    "Please give me a moment to prepare," Kena said. "In the meantime, you can rest inside the other room."


    Endra nodded and dragged Evin''s tired body across the messy room. Evin knew he had no choice in the matter. In fact, he should''ve been happy. And like Endra said, it wasn''t like separating was the end of the story for them. They could still be together.


    ''There''s a time for everything¡­''

 Chapter 187 - The Ritual

    When Evin emerged from Kena''s room, Ssatsko greeted him, then asked what happened. Evin replied it was a private matter, and also mentioned that Evin might stay with Kena for some time.


    Ssatsko seemed curious about Evin''s conversation with the former Aspect, but there was no way Evin was going to talk about Endra''s origins. Ssatsko then said that Lora and Theor preferred to stay among humans or ivari. Evin nodded and promised he''ll talk to Lord Kena.


    They parted, and Evin''s mind became preupied with the impending separation with Endra. Despite knowing it was the right thing to do, there was still a dark cloud looming in Evin''s heart.


    <Are you okay?> Endra asked.


    <Yeah, I''m fine¡­ But are you sure we should be doing this?>


    <Yes¡­ Evin, you know I love you, but I can''t settle with being the voice inside your head. I just can''t. It''s not that I don''t approve of your life, it''s just¡­ Even if it''s a longshot, I have to do this.>


    <I get it¡­>


    Is this just how farewells worked? Evin certainly didn''t feel this way when he left his father. He missed him sometimes, but mostly, he was too busy with his new life to think about his past life. But even after his father died, Evin didn''t feel much. There was no longing, no sadness, only his cold eptance.


    Evin always wondered if he simply was a heartless person because of it.


    ''Guess that was wrong at least, considering how I''m acting now¡­''


    He really didn''t know when he became so attached to Endra. At this point, it was difficult for him to think that he used to call Endra ''the Voice'' and referred to him as ''it''.


    ''Shit¡­ maybe there is a reason he wants to be rid of me so desperately,'' Evin smiled.


    In all honesty, Evin and Endra''s rtionship still wasn''t anything perfect. They still argued, they still kept secrets from each other, and probably, both of them still wanted to control the other. But they both did not wish to confront each other to talk about these disagreements.


    One of the most important things that Evin learned from Endra was to have conversations. If both sides are willing to listen to each other, an honest conversation could save so much trouble.


    ''But it''s not so easy to just¡­ talk about things, huh.''


    Evin shook his head and started loitering around the room.


    ''I really don''t want to go through this¡­'' he sighed. ''It all feels wrong.''


    Endra having his memories scoured in hopes that he''ll be able to meet another Aspect capable of fixing the mess that was two souls existing in one body. If it was anyone other than a former Aspect speaking of this, Evin would''ve immediately called it a scam. But Lord Kena really was an Aspect. Who else would know of all these things and possess such arge variety of magical and otherworldly items? And his im that he could possibly have a way to help Endra isn''t so unbelievable due to the Soul Tree.


    And since this Lady Twelve Jokes was supposedly the one mastered the Soul Tree, surely, she would be able to help Endra separate into two bodies.


    ''But¡­ Lord Kena didn''t really say she mastered the Soul Tree, right?'' Evin thought. ''She only said he got the Soul Tree from her and that she might be able to help Endra out.''


    ''In that case¡­ Wouldn''t it be weird if she too was unable to help Endra separate?''


    After all, the two were both Aspects. Sure, one of them is a former aspect while the other''s an active one, their abilities shouldn''t be so different, right?


    ''So if Lord Kena can''t help Endra, there''s a chance that Lady Twelve Jokes might not able to too.''


    Evin suddenly found another possibility.


    ''Wait¡­ If that''s the case¡­ how are we going to separate, anyway?'' Evin pondered. ''Well, we''ll deal with it when it happens. Maybe we can go ask the Empress next, ha-ha-ha.''


    Interrupting Evin''s thoughts, the door to the room opened and Sorn appeared.


    "Lord Kena is calling for you."


    <Let''s get this thing over with.>


    Evin nodded and walked back into the former Aspect''s messy room. Surprisingly, some of the mess was cleaned and a smaller, human-sized couch was brought into it. Kena was sitting in his own couch, hand glowing blue. The Soul Tree was standing next to him, shining brighter than before, though one of its branches was cut off and was left inside a bowl on a table. It was leaking some fluid into it, and Evin also noticed a brush next to it.


    "Lie down on the couch, get yourselffortable, and touch the tree again," Kena said, his staticky voice sounding excited. "I''ll have to grab hold of your soul and draw something on it, so apologies for that."


    "Alright," Endra said. "Also, our family said that they''ll go under Lady Kal''s protection."


    "Ah, yes, I''ve heard. I contacted her already and she agreed. Said she''ll have her personal Cosmic transport them to Koidot city. I don''t know how exactly she''s going to arrange their living quarters and livelihoods, but I''m sure she''ll handle things to their satisfaction."


    "Thank you," Evin said.


    "It''s a small matter for me. Also, I''ve contacted Lady Twelve Jokes regarding your situation."


    "And?"


    "She said she was expecting you to approach her."


    "She was expecting me?"


    "Yes. As the Aspect of Time, she sees glimpses of the future sometimes. Perhaps you''ve appeared in one of her visions?"


    "Is that how it works?"


    "That is how it works," Kena nodded. "She''s waiting for you in the Ashen Battlefield. It''s an old battle turned to ketricite. You''ll find it if you walk for two hours westward. Once inside the battlefield, you''ll need to do a little wandering around, until you see a blue-green tree like this one here."


    "I¡­ It''s hard to believe you''re helping me out so much."


    "Why would it be? We old timers should help the young ones. And like I said, it''s a small matter for me."


    "Alright. I''ll dly ept your help," Endra said. "I''mfortable enough. Should I touch the tree?"


    "Anytime you want. Though be careful, after I draw the rune on your soul, your strongest memories will rey in your head, simrly to a shback. For most, these tend to be traumatic experiences, so I shall refrain from peering into your memories for the first half hour. After that, your soul should be used to the spell''s effects and you''ll be able to relive the rest of your life in a more leisurely manner."


    "Hmm," Endra murmured. "Alright."


    "As for the boy¡­ Well, I''m not certain what will happen to him, but I''ll be here to make sure nothing goes haywire."


    "Thank you."


    Without further dy, Endra reached for the tree and once again, had his soul pushed out. Evin experienced the same thing, but like before, his soul immediately jumped back into his body.


    The weakness hit him again, but Evin could still see what was happening above him. Holding Endra''s body gently in his hands, Lord Kena was drawing something on Endra''s forehead. Evin noticed that the Cobfolk''s other pair of arms were drawing the same symbol on his own hands. The paint was the liquid oozing from the cut off Soul Tree''s branch.


    Lord Kena finished his drawing and put Endra''s soul back into Evin''s body.


    Nothing happened to Evin before this point, but immediately after he became whole, Evin found himself in the body of a young boy.

 Chapter 188 - Trauma

    It was wrong to say he was inside the body of a boy. Technically.


    He was instead in the boy''s head, which appeared to him as a vast empty in. Tall grass swirled around him perpetually, the wind cold yet gentle. Clouds loomed above, with only few rays of sunshine prating it, giving the sky a golden hue.


    Despite the confusing situation, Evin was calm. It was because in the middle of this ce, stood a dome-shaped building. Evin was familiar with it. Sure enough, when he entered it, he saw screens on the dome above which showed the surroundings of the boy he was inhibiting.


    ''Is this due to the memory scouring spell?'' Evin thought with curiosity. ''Then is this Endra''s past?''


    ''Lord Kena did say the spell might work in odd ways¡­ First, let''s see what''s going on?''


    But before Evin could see what was going outside, information on the boy started pouring into his mind.


    The boy was named Evan Lorelei, and he was born in a small, middle-ss family. He was the third child with a sister and a brother above him, and two twin sisters below him. As far as Evin could tell, the boy did not have any needs, and he always found himself surrounded by the love of his family.


    His doting mother and sister; his rough, but loving father and brother; and of course, his two adorable little sisters.


    The boy found it fascinating that he could suddenly be an elder brother just like that. He remembered only finding the increasinglyrge belly of her mother worrying, but to think they''d suddenly produce two living beings¡­ it was hard to imagine, let alone witness in reality.


    Due to the two twins, the attention he got from the rest of his family diminished, but Evan did not care. He himself was absolutely captivated by the two girls. He would help his mother out with the twins as much as he could, and would spend hours just staring at the two. His father always called him the most doting elder brother in the world, but the title only instilled pride in the boy.


    Of course he was the most doting elder brother in the world. Who else was going to look out for his two sisters?


    Buttely, he wasn''t allowed in the twins'' room as much as he used to.


    It all started happening after the boy''s family went to the Harvest Festival. The did not remember what it was like the previous time he went there, but he did remember enjoying it a lot. However, this time, the festival was rather disappointing. The whole thing ended in only the first hour when some people with a rash started vomiting.


    From then on, Evan was not allowed to visit the twins. Even when he gathered the courage to go there in secret, he found that his mother was always in front of it, guarding the room.


    The boy''s family also started acting weird afterwards. His elder siblings still spent time with him, but he could see they were not focused on the games at all. They always had a serious expression on their faces, thinking and worrying.


    A few days after the festival, as little Evan was walking around his home, he heard his mother''s stifled cries outside the twins'' room. The boy decided to gofort her, as she did to him every time he cried.


    But as soon as she heard his voice, she screamed at the boy to get away. Evan flinched in fear and ran away. He felt wronged and cried a lot afterwards. She never screamed at him like that before. And he just wanted to gofort her.


    He went toin to his elder siblings, but they were nowhere to be found. He searched around the house for them, and he ended up in the girls'' room door.


    This was the only ce he hadn''t yet checked, and his mother, who was usually guarding the door, had also disappeared off to somewhere. Curious, he entered the room.


    "Gah!" Evin gasped as the sudden surge of memories ended.


    He looked at the screens on the dome and saw the now familiar room.


    Avishly furnished room, painted in bright colors and filled with toys and items made for newborns. There were two cradles put together in the middle of the room. The wooden floor around it were worn down, the paint of its metal scraped off¡­ and a thin white cloth covering it.


    "Liz and Les¡­?" the boy asked as he approached the cradle. "Why did they cover you with this?"


    "Don''t go there!" Evin shouted from inside the boy''s head.


    The boy did not react and pulled off the cloth innocently.


    Lesions and rashes covered his little sisters'' pale bodies. Their faces looked fake, almostic, like someone put makeover over one''s pimples in a bad attempt to hide it. Some older lesions turned into indents or rashes, while others were leaking some yellowish fluid from it.


    And these things covered every inch of their skin. Not a single part of their bodies was left untouched. Their limbs, chest and back, and the entirety of their heads looked inhuman. A melted mess of pus and liquid.


    Evan could only stare at the bodies of his sisters, spellbound. He could not even cry, his voice stuck, barely able to keep breathing. He did not know how long the momentsted.


    "Evan! No!" his mother''s voice came from his back.


    "I told you not to go there! Why didn''t you listen to me?!" she screamed as she dragged him out of the room.


    "Why? Why?! Listen to me properly!" his mother reprimanded him with a teary face.


    "You''ll be alright. You won''t turn out like your sisters¡­ I won''t let it happen to you¡­"


    Evin was helpless. He could only scream at the boy, but of course, Evan could not hear him.


    Soon, the shback ended. The screens on the dome went dark, but at the back of Evin''s head, he could feel the memories and information on Endra bubbling up.


    Evin was deadly curious.


    Endra only told him about how he originally came from a different world. But other than his few life lessons and scientific knowledge, Endra rarely talked about himself. Evin could guess that some of the stories he told had something to do with his life, but there wasn''t enough info to put together a coherent picture.


    But finally, he found a way to learn about what happened to Endra. Evin found a spot to sit inside the dome-shaped house and allowed the memories to flood through his brain.

 Chapter 189 - Death

    They had to iste Evan for quite a long time after that. The boy''s family would talk to him from behind a door, and they would take turns so the boy didn''t feel too lonely.


    Evan cried a lot during that time. He cried because he was alone, because he was sad for his sisters'' deaths, but mostly because he didn''t want to be like them too. To get infected by the same disease, turn so sick, even his mother wouldn''t be able to recognize him.


    Only after three weeks, when they were a hundred percent sure that he was okay, they let him out.


    But even after he was confirmed to be safe, he clearly remembered that some servants would look at him with wariness. Even his siblings didn''t want to be with him for extended periods.


    Not long after, Evan started to have nightmares.


    In those nightmares, he would find himself in a pool of dark water, looking above. Expectantly. Fearfully. His sisters would soon descend from above and gaze at Evan indifferently. Evin would be happy at first, but soon his sisters'' faces would turn from indifference to hatred and pain.


    Their soft, delicate skins would start forming lesions and pus rapidly. In a matter of seconds, such abrasions would cover their entire skin. Soon they would start popping and leaking fluid, as if his sisters were boiling from inside. Evin''s sisters would inte in ridiculous ways, almost like they were about to explode, but they never did. They would slowly... torturously melt down onto his face.


    With the fluids falling on Evin''s cheeks, the boy''s fear of contracting the disease would re up. He would imagine himself in a simr state, covered in abrasions. Leaking.


    He would madly run away from his sisters, filled with fear and guilt. The fear urged him to faster, but the guilt ate at him from the inside.


    But running through an endless pool of muddy water, he would soon find himself under his sister''s dripping corpse again. There was no escaping them.


    The dripping would follow him until he woke up gasping for air and finding his bed soaked in a cold sweat. Silently, he would sit there, trying to calm himself. Hoping to forget. Even though he himself knew exactly how futile it was.


    Soon after he turned 10 he started hallucinating. Just sitting outside in his family''s fields, he sometimes heard the water dripping. Trying to ignore it only seemed to worsen his mental state.


    He never learned how to cope with it, since the sounds came so suddenly. During the worst times of the hallucination, he would feel a drop of liquid ssh on his head. Panic would seize him immediately. He would fearfully feel his head, afraid to find some kind of viscous liquid leaking to his face.


    Due to the nightmares and the sleepless nights they induced, Evan''s body grew frailer and frailer. He would get sick more often than other children, and his condition would be worse as well. The boy didn''tin about the sicknesses much, though. His mother had it way worse than him.


    And he knew in his head that his fate was much better than his sisters. At least he was alive.


    Thankfully, the trauma died down by the time Evan reached adulthood.


    After a while, Evan got into a college and soon distanced himself from his family. His fear of dripping liquids became less and less prevalent, and eventually, he started to feel like a normal person again.


    He didn''t have to fear the nightmaresing, the sleepless nights and the frailty of his body. He could live like others. Befriend others, have fun with them, start loving them.


    The girl he met was perfect. The second daughter of an old army lieutenant, well educated and well mannered. Fun to talk with and calming to be around. But most importantly, caring and loving to Evan.


    The young lovers nned to marry soon after dating, but Evan enrolled into the military due to the lieutenant, who found Evan too frail to take care of his daughter. It was a stupid story of Evan trying to prove the man wrong by serving the army.


    He served two years as a border guard, but when he came back after his military duty was over, he found that his lover had found someone else and married already. And it wasn''t because the lieutenant forced his daughter into someone''s hands. The love between them was true and strong, and Evan could see it clearly. Somehow, he couldn''t make himself angry at them.


    That didn''t stop Evan from drinking to relieve the pain. He thought his life was over now, that he would fall into depression and kill himself... but reality told him otherwise. It actually didn''t take a long time for him to forget about the matter,pletely opposite of his expectation. He made a huge fuss of it, drinking andining¡­ but after two weeks, he was back at life like nothing ever happened.


    Evan wondered if he was just like that. Numb and desensitized. These words didn''t sound so bad to Evin. He knew that society frowned upon such emotionless people, but Evan didn''t understand why such a view existed among others.


    And the three years he lived alone after that cemented the idea in his head. It was fine to be alone and self-sufficient. The freedom felt refreshing as well.


    The idea cemented itself in his head when he visited his parents. They constantly nagged him about grandchildren and whatnot, since both his sister and brother already had their own life and children.


    His parents'' words made him even more stubborn about the prospect of marriage. Being single felt like a blessing to him, without the constant pestering of another on his side.


    Some of his friends joked that he got too hurt by the betrayal of hisst fianc¨¦e, so now he''s acting like a little sissy, but Evan let the jokes slide off without caring.


    But after constant repetitions of these incidents, one thought started to appear inside his head more and more often. About how societypares outgoing people to individuals who would rather keep to themselves. How society actively encourages its individuals to chase after rtions and love. To create a family. But for the ones who would rather stay alone, society pressures them to follow the rest, just like his family and friends who constantly nagged at him to get married.


    With such thoughts, Evan Lorelei decided to write a book.


    To sell his idea, he made a study of ancient human behavior and ancient social structures where cooperation was absolutely necessary for survival. Humans could not hunt a lion alone, but if they cooperated, they could use a plethora of methods to y one. In such a time, ones who wished to stay solitary did not meet a pleasant end most of the time.


    He thenpared these studies with modern human behavior, stating that there was no need for such tight societal dependency in modern days. One could easily take care of oneself, without the need to depend on others so heavily.


    He then wrote that mankind''s ancestral dependency on social rtionships was a curse that was bound to their blood, and that it was time to ascend these primitive ways, to adventure not the Earth, but to delve deeper inside themselves, to understand oneself best before trying to tackle the world¡­


    The book was a failure, of course. Obviously such radical thoughts were ill-received by most readers. The only silver lining was that people hated it so much, the book sold quite well.


    But the money and the ill fame did not sit well with Evan. His notoriety pushed him more and more into his solitude, leaving him only with his ideas and beliefs to clutch onto.


    Obviously his family and friends offered to help him, but in the eyes of the ostracized loner, it felt like they were taking pity on him.


    After this incident, Evan''s life became more and more difficult. Without him realizing it, he became unable to trust others properly. Every time someone talked to him, he would suspect their intentions. Even his nightmares started visiting him every so often.


    Eventually he startedshing out at his own family and friends, and began to iste himselfpletely. He even kicked out the servants from his house, because he suspected them of talking behind his back.


    Although he had some trouble at first he got used to living alone. After all, wasn''t this what he wanted everyone else to do?


    Drowning himself in his giant collection of books, Evanpletely stopped taking proper care of himself, falling into a state of lethargy and filth. With such a way of life thatpletely disregarded health and hygiene, it wasn''t be hard to guess that he would fall sick at some point.


    One day, Evan had spent a little too much time in the cold outside and had gotten a fever. The thought to consult a doctor or his family never urred to Evan. It was only a fever.


    He went to the butcher''s shop to buy some chicken legs and wings, sweating and lightly panting. The way the butcher looked at the smelly and quite obviously sick customer soured Evan''s mood, but he desperately needed the ingredients. He could only curse at the butcher inside his head, while amiably smiling at the man.


    After procuring his ingredients, he staggeringly walked home and started preparing the food, all while coughing and cursing. After starting the fire, Evan put all the ingredients in a pot filled with water and sat at the table, his back drenching with cold sweat.


    A normal person would worry and panic when their body started showing such symptoms, but Evan''s childhood which was riddled with such illnesses. For him, it wasn''t such a big deal. A good meal and a solid night of sleep would fix his body by the next morning.


    After some time passed, Evan ate his beloved chicken soup and headed towards his bed, removing his clothes as he walked. But while he was taking off his shirt, his foot hit a crooked wooden tile and stumbled onto the floor with a rumbling noise.


    Evan tried to get up, but the weakened state of his body did not allow him to move a single inch. Half-naked, with his shirt partially removed, Evan fell into a deadly slumber.


    On the cold night in the middle of fall, Evan Lorelei passed out due to hypothermia.


    And thus, the author who advocated solitude over socialization died because he refused to ask for the necessary help to cure a fever.

 Chapter 190 - The Ashen Battlefield

    Endra''s moment of death passed, but Evin wasn''t satisfied.


    "What?"


    "That''s it?"


    "Wasn''t there a woman that sent him here somehow?"


    "First of all, where are all the technologies and sciences that Endra described?"


    As the countless questions appeared in his mind, the surge of memories abruptly ended. Evin''s consciousness was pulled out of the golden in; and after a brief moment of darkness, he found himself in his own body again.


    "Is that all you need?" a voice was speaking nearby.


    "Yes, of course. In fact, it''s much more than I first expected." Lord Kena''s voice.


    "In that case, thank you for everything you did for us."


    Evin realized that it was himself speaking. His sight came back to him, and he realized he was sitting upright on the coach he fell asleep on.


    "Your wee. You should wake the boy now. Young Kal''s Cosmic has arrived. He should at least say his goodbyes before you two depart for the Ashen Battlefield."


    "I think he''s just waking."


    <What''s going on?> Evin asked.


    <Lord Kena just finished scouring through my memories. The spell made you unconscious, but since there was nothing life-threatening, we decided to continue without you,> Endra replied.


    ''He doesn''t know I saw his past?''


    <How long did this take?>


    <The spell? About three days.>


    <What? That long?>


    <Yep. It also sounds like the problem with your family''s all sorted. Now you just need to kiss them goodbye and then we''ll head to Lady Twelve Jokes,> Endra replied.


    <Alright.>


    "Well, we''ll be off then," Endra said to Lord Kena.


    "I hope she''s able to help you out¡­ And, my condolences. Regarding your past."


    "Hah, don''t worry about it."


    With a sore body, Evin then went to say his goodbyes to his family.


    The farewell did not take long. Evin gave each family member a hug and said he was sorry he couldn''t apany them. He told them he''d visit them eventually, but for now, they''d have to part. He reassured them, saying that the leader of all Northerners was going to take care of their safety personally, so there was no need for them to worry.


    Honestly, most of them took the news well. Theor looked outright happy, Ssatsko looked conflicted, while Sasha and Lora looked simply too tired. It was a huge contrast to how they all looked a month ago.


    Evin felt guilty he had to make his family go through something like this, but he decided that it was better than having them dead.


    And it was going to get better. The past week was simply too adventurous for the average person. Having their home invaded, having to move to the North for safety, being chased around by some mysterious people, Evin having to fight and kill them, and now having their futures decided for them.


    Thinking of the matter, Evin decided that none of the things happened was his fault. But it still didn''t stop him from feeling guilty.


    Evin watched his family disappear through the Cosmic''s portal with a heavy heart. He wanted to go sleep, but he knew Endra wasn''t going to allow him the luxury. Or maybe he was?


    <Can I get some sleep before we go?> Evin asked.


    <But you slept for three days?>


    <I really don''t feel like I''ve slept for three days, though.>


    <It happens to people sometimes. Sleep so much, but still feel drowsy. It''ll pass. We wouldn''t wanna keep an Aspect waiting, now do we?>


    Reluctantly, Evin made his way towards the elevator that led outside. Sorn offered to apany him, but he refused, feeling it''d be awkward.


    He appeared on the surface, and was met with the grisly sight of Khuutam city. Dirty, disheveled men and women of all ages were strewn across the street, each of them possessing a small, metal lump on their foreheads. The brand of prisoners.


    They looked at Evin with curiosity, their eyes gauging how easy of a target Evin would be. Evin didn''t know what kind ofws were maintained in the city, but apparently, it wasmon for the prisoners to attack each other, and even some of the residents underground.


    They''d be killed right afterwards, but they still chose to attack someone else. Evin couldn''t get it. And to think all these people were mages and Hornbearers¡­


    Pinching his nose, Evin made himself float, and instantly, the eyes of the onlookers steered away. They couldn''t reach someone who flew above. The residents were all mages, but due to the metal brand on their heads, they couldn''t take mana in. The slightest intake of mana would trigger the brand and it would prate their brain.


    They also couldn''t walk out of the city because of them. The moment they passed the poles which surrounded the city from all sides, the same fate would ur.


    Evin shook his head and flew westward, towards the Ashen Battlefield. Surprisingly, the flight cleared out his mind. His drowsiness cleared and he found himself in a better mood.


    Half an hourter, he saw it. A vast expanse of graynd lodged into the otherwise endless green of the ins. It was an unnerving sight. Green, green, green, then suddenly gray. It was as if Evin suddenly turned colorblind. It took him some time to get used to it.


    Evin tried to search for the blue-green tree from the sky, but a small mountain blocked his vision. He couldn''t fly too high, due to how cold it got up there, so he contemted flying around the Ashen Battlefield to search for the tree.


    He decided against it, considering that the mountain wasn''t that far away from his side, and that it wasn''t so tall either. If he could get atop it, surely, he''d be able to find the tree immediately.


    Ruined remains of a building stood at the edge of the Ashen Battlefield. It wasn''t really a fortification per se. It was a long, tall wall, which had an open row atop it. If it were hit by anything, it was going to topple Most likely, the Heavy Mages stood in a line on it and fired their spells at their enemies.


    Evinnded beside them, and sighed. The oppressiveness of the ketricite could be felt immediately. It almost felt like it was slowly expanding outwards.


    It might really have been expanding. That was how they got so big in the first ce, after all. No matter how much mages bombarded each other, they couldn''t turn such arge piece ofnd into ketricite. In its earlier stages, a ketricite field would look like small patches of gray scattered across a battlefield.


    Soon, these small patches of gray would connect with each other, and the ketricite fields would slowly expand outwards. Evin heard that they stopped growing eventually, but Evin was still fearful of a future where the whole world would be covered in ketricite.


    Evin still stood at the edge of the field. He knew he was wasting time, but he really didn''t want to walk in this ck desert. Let alone meet this new Aspect.


    <Let''s go,> Endra said, acting oblivious to Evin''s worries.


    Evin sighed again. ''This small bit of ketricite is nothingpared to a world without mana¡­ Technically, I lived in one for roughly 30 years, haven''t i?''


    Evin filled his body with World of Life energies, brought out his spear, and walked into the Ashen Battlefield.


    Even walking on ketricite felt weird. Raw ketricite was like very soft sand. It was almost like ash, but unlike ash, it didn''t stick to your clothes and boots, and it didn''t rise up dust so easily.


    But it did take on shapes quite easily and it held its form rather strongly, as was apparent from the footsteps that Evin was leaving behind. Their shapes were so spot on that Evin even wanted to call them the most urate footsteps he made in his entire life.


    "Huh." The thought made him realize something.


    <What?>


    <I just realized I somehow ended up all alone. Didn''t we leave the kingdom as a¡­ what, a six-person group?>


    <Well, you still got me.>


    <Yeah, but what are we going to do if someone tries to ambush us here?>


    <Who would do that?> Endra scoffed. <A bunch of bandits waiting for the stray traveler to walk into the ketricite field? Not even waiting. Hoping for it, coz I sincerely doubt anyone would want toe here, even if they''re being chased.>


    <But they can see my trail clear as day. What if they decide to follow me, seeing I''m only one person?>


    <We saw no one on the way here, so it''s probably fine. And we did fly with an illusion.>


    <Sigh, I guess you''re right.>


    <I am right.>


    Evin shrugged and kept on walking. His worries did not dissipate. He felt naked, being unable to do half the things he could do with mana. The Apdenul energies circting through his body helped, but there His core was still unused to the pressure of the ketricite, so perhaps he was feeling a bit antsy due to it.

 Chapter 191 - Conversation Pt.1

    Perhaps Evin was also feely antsy due to the imminent possibility of separation. He felt like separation was something far off in the future, so he was shocked to see ite to him so soon.


    ''How did it evene to this? Didn''t we juste to the North to save my family from those mysterious attackers? At some point, the mysterious attackers turned to otherworlders and then we had to visit Lord Kena, hoping he''ll be able to help us somehow¡­ who suddenly offered a solution to split our soul¡­''


    The past week was too much adventure; not just for his family, but to Evin as well. He felt tired, confused, and there was a constant weight of something on his mind.


    The unnatural gray surrounding him did not help his mood either. He also felt the need to constantly look back, in case some people were following him from behind.


    Evin needed something to distract himself.


    <Even if we can separate, what kind of body are you going to inhibit?>


    <I''m sure Lady Twelve Jokes has an idea,> Endra shrugged. <But I do hope it''s an adult body¡­ actually no. I hope it''s around your age, since I want to live as much as possible. It''ll be perfect if it''s immortal.>


    <No way it''ll be so convenient.>


    <I guess you''re right¡­ But it doesn''t hurt to dream.>


    Evin kept on walking, asionally ncing back to see if someone was following him. So far, no one had shown themselves so he was starting to feel like an idiot.


    <What are you going to do when you do manage to separate?> Evin asked.


    <Hmm, I want to say that I''ll go traveling, but I don''t really have enough money to do that. Ah, shit, I''ll have to find a way to get a stable source of World Shards too, right? Should I enroll in the Academy? Hmm, or maybe I can go ask Kena if I can study under him? So many possibilities~>


    Endra''s tone was giddy; dreamy almost. It was the first time Evin heard him act like this. It felt weird thinking that him and Endra were havingpletely different emotions.


    <But enough about me,> Endra said. <What are you going to do?>


    <What do you mean?>


    <You''re still being hunted by those people, aren''t you? Those otherworlders.>


    <Ah.>


    <I''m sure I''ll be fine since I''ll be in a different body, but I feel you''re not going to have such an easy time. They seemed rather tenacious, you know? Now that you''ve killed three of them, who knows what they''ll send at you next?>


    <Huh¡­>


    <Now that I think about it, you have so many problems waiting at home. The Chairman, the otherworlders, Decatur, the War, your girlfriend, your mom and what you did to Theor¡­ What else is there?>


    <There''s also the thing with the Helm ss, the Heart-casting ss, me being able to cast portals¡­ well, the Academy in general.. And it''s wrong to call Be a problem. She solved the war problem for me too.>


    <That''s fair,> Endra said. <Anyhow, I guess your only choice now is to contact the kingdom. Tell them you can cast portals and tell them what happened to you and your family the previous few days. Find Rith and Myn and have them act as your witnesses. I''d trust Rith more on this matter, personally.>


    <So I get protection from the kingdom?>


    <Yep. Try to get a private audience with the king or something. Since the founding king of the kingdom is an Aspect working for the Empress, I''m sure the king would know about the otherworlders. I don''t know what kind of actions they take against them, but it''ll be a start for you.>


    Evin thought about the idea and the more he thought about it, the more he liked it.


    <That solves the problem with the Chairman and Decatur too. I''ll be too important for them to mess with.>


    <Look at you, so grown up already. I don''t think you''ll recognize yourself from a year ago.>


    Evin chuckled. <I was thinking the same some time ago.>


    Listening to Endra, Evin couldn''t help but think that this person waspletely different from the man he saw in his visions. Their personalities were different, their speech and mannerisms were different, even their thoughts were on apletely different level. Evin reckoned that even he, a 10-year-old was smarter than the man he saw in those visions. Not just smarter, more worldly and not as na?ve either.


    The only resemnce Evin could think of was in their looks. The ''Evan'' that died in the visions looked exactly the same as Endra. Every part of their face was exactly the same, down to the smallest detail.


    ''But did I really see Endra''s past? Or was it something I dream up?''


    Evin couldn''t really say that. His experience felt true. The amount of control he had, the length of the visions and how the information was ryed, everything was real.


    <Though, I''m sure you''ll end up getting sent to the war if you do that,> Endra hummed. <You''ll also end up having to teach portals to the younger mages¡­ most probably the ves, or perhaps even children.>


    <I get having to teach, but why the war?>


    <They had you guys learn portals so you could act as their supply line in the first ce, after all.>


    <But wouldn''t I need to be protected? From the otherworlders, I mean.>


    <Sure you''ll be protected. But that doesn''t mean you can''t cast portals during that time,> Endra'' chuckled. <Actually, you''ll probably be more protected than the king himself. Though I''m sure half of that protection will be dedicated to keeping you from leaving.>


    <Huh.>


    <Yep. You''ll be too important for the kingdom''s logistics to let go. Though, don''t look too gloomy. At least you''ll live a life of luxury. You''ll get a noble title, tons of money, entire libraries of research and history for yourself¡­ what else? Bitches and hoes?> Endraughed. <Don''t know how you''re going to exin thest part to Be, though.>


    <I want none of that though¡­> Evin said, thinking of the sigh-inducing list of ''luxuries''.


    <Well, whatever you end up wanting,> Endra chuckled, <convey it to king Seth and he shall arrange it for you. Don''t you like the idea of having a king be your fetcher-boy?>


    <Now it just sounds like you''re being delusional.>


    <Of course, not all will go your way. You''ll just have to be prepared to sacrifice something. The world functions on trade, don''t you know?>


    <I just want to get along with my mother and be close to her,> Evin sighed.


    Things were going well before all these things happened, but for the past few days, his mother''s smile only turned more and more miserable.


    He felt he''d feel better if he didn''t have to see his mother''s sorrowful gaze all the time, but now that she was gone, only regret at making her go through such a hellish experience lingered. And at this point, Theor must''ve already talked about how Evin tortured and threatened him to get his way.


    ''It suddenly feels like I''ll never see her again. And even if I do, she''ll only have hate and disgust for me.''

 Chapter 192 - Conversation Pt.2

    <As for your mother¡­> Endra yawned. <Well, you''ll just have to give her some space. Personally, I think you two separating was a great thing.>


    Evin did not like what Endra was saying, but he decided to wait for an exnation.


    <I feel like you two feel obligated to love each other,> Endra continued. <I might not make sense, but the motivations behind why you feel the need to love and care for one another are¡­ wrong. Definitely, there is that unconditional love between you, but you two don''t realize how different you are. It''s like you two had different expectations of each other, but you''re now slowly realizing how wrong that was.>


    <You were right, you really aren''t making sense,> Evin said. <And it''s not like I have expectations from my mother.>


    <Ehh¡­ it''s debatable.>


    <No. I know I sound like an asshole, but she left me when I was three. How would it be rational of me to expect something from her?>


    <But you agree that she has expectations from you, right? She feels saddened at how ustomed you are to violence and murder. She wants you to be more merciful and loving.>


    <I guess.>


    <But how does she dare assume that? She left your fate at the hands of your father. Did she think he would turn over a leaf and start acting properly after she was gone? Or did she think that it was her that was causing Edmund to be violent?>


    <¡­>


    <Well, of course she realizes that. She could leave hell, but to do so, she had to leave you behind. She doesn''t say a word about your killings and violence because she knows she doesn''t have the right to. But that doesn''t mean she''s happy about it. Same with you. If you really had no expectations from your mother, you wouldn''t be stressing so much about her being sad at you.


    <At the very least, you expect her to ept you as who you are. You know, you''re proud of yourself. You''ve been through shit and you came out victorious. You hit rock bottom and you managed to climb out of it. That''s prideworthy. You know it, I know it, Be knows it, but your mother doesn''t. And that hurts you, coz you want her to be proud of you. You want to be acknowledged by her.>


    Evin really didn''t have anything to say to that. He silently trudged on towards his destination, his eyes idly scrutinizing the point where the gray met the blue of the sky. He was close to the peak.


    <Leave each other be. Hopefully, she''ll realize what''s the problem by herself. If she doesn''t, ask Ssatsko to tell her.>


    <You''re really talkative today, aren''t you?> Evin replied.


    <I guess I am,> Endra hummed. <I might not have the chance to talk to you so often after this, so¡­>


    <Then does that mean you''re willing to talk about anything if I ask for it?>


    <Maybe.>


    <¡­>


    <¡­>


    <Why did you make me kill my father?>


    <Ah,> Endra paused. <How embarrassing.>


    <Just say whatever. It''s not like I''ll get mad at you or anything.>


    <I was actually expecting you''ll get more devastated by that. ording to my deranged head, you would''ve realized how destructive I can be after witnessing your father''s death, and then I''d force you to do what I want. Maybe even threaten Be or Leanne''s lives if I need to.>


    Evin remembered Endra casually mentioning something like that before. At the time, he could only hope he was joking, but he was very worried for a few days afterwards. What Evin was more interested in was that Endra was crazy during the act.


    <Your deranged head?>


    <Yeah, I think I was going crazy around that time.>


    <You went crazy?>


    <Yeah,> Endra sighed. <I know it sounds like I''m making excuses but it''s hard being a Voice in someone''s head, you know?>


    <Then why are you okay now?>


    <Let''s just say, insanity doesn''t work for me. I do have insane thoughts, but my sane self is still in there somewhere,ying low. I guess you could say I can only act insane, if that makes sense.>


    It was weird, but it made sense to Evin. There definitely was a period after Edmund died when Endra wasn''t acting like himself. And eventually, he was back to normal like nothing happened.


    <Anyhow, my sanity returned at some point and I had to stop being crazy. I also realized quite a few things during that time too. I realized that it''s best to let you do as you wish and just stop thinking about my independence so much. I knew obsessing over it was just going to get me more depressed.>


    <Huh¡­>


    <Yep. Huh,> Endra chuckled. <Oh, it was also around that time that I decided to share whatever I know with you without holding back. Before that, I nned to tell you about all those things when I parted with you, but I felt that it was going to take too long, so I started talking about them beforehand.>


    <Yeah, I noticed that¡­ But I still don''t know your full story,> Evin said.


    <Well, I''d rather not talk about that,> Endra was likely grimacing. <Just be happy with whatever lessons I managed to learn from my past and leave it at that.>


    It suddenly didn''t feel fair to Evin.


    <You''d let aplete stranger like Lord Kena to see it, but not me?>


    Endra sighed deeply in Evin''s head.


    <Unless you''re selling it for something,> Evin growled.


    Evin knew Endra was smiling at that.


    <Unless it gets me something I really, really, really want.>


    Evin reached the peak. He looked below and sure enough, arge blue-green tree was growing from the ground below.

 Chapter 193 - World Of Souls

    This tree was much taller and more majestic than the tiny one at Lord Kena''s ce. It was at least three stories tall and it even had dark blue flower buds were growing on it. One weird thing was that its trunk was not one giant branch, but a swirlingbination of many, which took on the shape of a tree as a whole. It looked like braided hair almost.


    But the tree wasn''t the only thing that surprised Evin.


    Next to the tree, arge three-story house made of stood. It seemed quite extravagant, but Evin was more concerned with why such a building was there in the first ce.


    There was a long-haired, dark-skinned man chopping wood next to it, throwing the lumber into a metal basket. He was wearing long white robes that covered practically all his body, leaving only his face visible for others to see.


    Evin then noticed that the ground surrounding the tree was not the gray of ketricite. Instead, there were grass growing all around it and even some tiny dots of blue and yellow could be seen.


    This haven of normalcy looked so wrong in the otherwise gray world.


    Looking at the scene Evin realized that aside from the tree and its surroundings, he could only see three colors: gray, blue and white. Although he was standing atop the peak of a small hill, he could not see the end of the Ashen Battlefield.


    The tree was located right in the middle of arge concave, surrounded from all sides by a great lump of ketricite.


    Evin thought that perhaps it was a coincidence, but the hills surrounding the tree were so level in height, that he couldn''t help but think thendscape was manmade.


    <I guess Aspects can control ketricite,> Endra reached the same conclusion. <Well, let''s get going.>


    Evin nodded and slowly made his way down the hill.


    As they got closer, the man chopping the woods noticed them and walked inside the house. A momentter, a girl who looked not much older than Evin himself walked out of the house. Perhaps only 13 or 14. She was wearing clothes simr to Evin''s own, a trouser and a shirt, only inplete white. She had long ck hair, which hung freely down to her waist.


    ''What''s wrong with her eyes, though?''


    There seemed to be a dark blue void where her eyes were supposed to be, and it even seemed to be glowing somewhat.


    As Evin wondered who this girl was, she casually approached the Soul Tree next to the house. The tree shifted at her touch. The thick swirling branches that made up the trunk started folding themselves over each other in a much tighter way. At the end of it, it turned into a diamond-shaped structure, with only its front side open, making it look like an artfully made box.


    Evin struggled to process what was happening, but the girl was not finished. She flicked her hands almost off-handedly and a surge of bright blue energy started pulsating at her hand. Evin could not fathom what the energy was, but he did know one thing. The amount the girl was holding was enough to obliterate Evin a hundred times over. Its pulsations emitted shockwaves through the air and even Evin could feel theming despite being 50 steps away from it.


    All that energy, the girl directed into the Soul Tree. It trembled at the sheer weight of the power it was forced to hold, its frame glowing brighter and brighter, threatening to explode at any moment. But nothing of the sort happened. Instead, somethingpletely mind-boggling urred.


    When the energy inside the box started to be dense, it turned liquid. Not only that, the liquid seemed to harden once more, considering how it stopped slushing around and stood still inside the box. The shockwavesing from it also stopped, so did the pulsations. The Soul Tree, which was turning bright blue due to the energy, also lost its color and turned to its original blue green.


    The girl, undoubtedly Lady Twelve Jokes herself, looked at Evin and beckoned him over. Evin ran over, feeling he shouldn''t keep an Aspect waiting.


    "Lady Twelve Jokes, I came here on Lord Kena''s words. I-" Evin began, but was interrupted.


    "I know," the girl pointed at the box. "The answer to your problem, you''ll find it inside there."


    "So I enter that?"


    "We''ll enter together," she said. She looked at the man. "I''ve seen nothing amiss happening, but protect the Soul Tree with your life, Rin."


    "Yes, Mistress," the man, Rin replied in ented imperial.


    "Good."


    Saying so, she grabbed Evin''s hand and jumped into the viscous liquid in the box.


    The next thing Evin knew, he was lying on the ground.


    "Where am I?" he was muttering when someone held out a hand to him.


    Evin grabbed it without much thought and let himself be pulled up.


    "Every time something like this happens you somehow end up unconscious," a familiar voice said. "You''re really prone to a dizzy spell, aren''t you?"


    Evin looked up and saw Evan''s face smiling at him. But it was urate to call him Evan. This was Endra without a doubt. Evin didn''t know whether it was possible that two people with identical bodies could differ so greatly, but the proof was in front of him.


    Compared to the slouched and fidgety Evan, Endra was apletely different person. He stood with his head straight and his gaze invincible.


    "What''s going on?" Evin asked.


    "Look around you."


    Evin did as told and noticed he was where he was before, with the Soul Tree, the house, and the ketricite field¡­ but there was something off about everything. The colors of his surroundings, the sounds he made, the smell of things, the feel of the ground beneath him, the air¡­ All of it feltcking to him somehow.


    "What''s wrong with this ce?" he muttered.


    "Well, wee to the World of Souls," Endra gestured grandly.


    "The World of Souls?"


    "I don''t really know anything about it," Endra shrugged. "Lady Twelve called it so."


    "Where is she? By the way."


    "They," Endra corrected him. "They''re inside the house¡­ though, you''ll only be seeing Twelve, I presume. Let''s go."


    The man turned around and walked into the three-story house.


    ''That can''t be Evan¡­'' Evin decided.


    The two people were simply too different. Evin never had these thoughts when Endra was inside his head, but now that he saw him with Evan''s face, it was getting confusing for his brain.


    ''Endra and Evan are two different people,'' Evin said to himself again and walked into the house.


    He was met with a rather strange sight. The inside of the house was mostly hollow. There was arge empty space in the middle of the house and three stories were built around it. Each floor had four doors, all of them identical and all of them equally uninviting.


    In the empty space, were two smaller Soul trees growing in a vase. Two couches were ced below each respectively. Endra was sitting on one couch, while Lady Twelve Jokes sat on a chair nearby.


    They beckoned Evin over.

 Chapter 194 - The Two Tasks

    Evin approached the two, and felt the need to at least greet the Aspect.


    "Lady Twelve Jokes, thank you for your help."


    "Call me, Twelve," the Aspect smiled. "I''d have loved to introduce the others, but they''re a rather antisocial bunch."


    "It was surprising, seeing all those people suddenly emerge beside me and start walking into house," Endraughed. "I''m really grateful to Twelve here for staying behind and exining everything to me."


    Evin found Endra''s way of speaking to the Aspect awfully dangerous, but both sides seemed to not care about it too much.


    "The others?"


    "Don''t worry about them," the Aspect said.


    Endra raised an eyebrow at that, but didn''t say anything else.


    "Well, Twelve said she''ll exin everything to you," Endra smiled. "I''ll be off to learn the solution to our little problem."


    Evin expected the Aspect to do everything for them, but apparently that was wrong. But seeing Endra''s jolly attitude, he found himself smiling and nodding along. He''d worried endlessly of the moment of separation, but perhaps his mind finally epted that he couldn''t stay together with the voice-inside-his-head forever.


    Endra grinned and nodded to Lady Twelve Jokes. Under her beck, the branch of the Soul Tree next to him reached out to his head. Endra unceremoniously passed out.


    Lady Twelve Jokes, who was sitting nearby, moved her chair closer to Evin.


    ''What''s going on?'' Evin wanted to ask, but he decided to be patient.


    Lady Twelve Jokes got herselffortable and began exining the situation to him.


    "For the next few days, you can stay here and experience the memories attached to this Soul Tree."


    "Memories?"


    "Yes. Memories of that man''s past," she said and nodded to Endra. "Down to the smallest details."


    "Er," Evin was struggling understand the reasoning. "Why? If it''s possible to exin," he added, feeling he was being a bit too rude.


    "There''s no grand reason. It is merely to satisfy your curiosity."


    It would be a lie if Evin said he wasn''t interested. But he was also suspicious. This wasn''t in any shape or form, connected to the separation of souls. What was the point of him seeing Endra''s past, then? What was he seeing then?


    Evin nodded. "Can I ask what Endra''s seeing?"


    "A bit of history not quite known to the popce. In fact, I''d say only fourteen people know of it, including myself. Well, I suppose in a few moments, the number will be fifteen¡­" Twelve Jokes smiled to herself, seeming amused by the fact. "I suppose this would be considered a historical moment."


    Evin was silent. He was not hearing the whole story at all. And he was still suspicious of everything that was happening. He was also slightly annoyed, considering how everyone seemed to be doing whatever they wanted with him, not even considering what he wanted to do.


    "To be honest, you seeing or not seeing it is inconsequential," Lady Twelve Jokes sighed in bittersweetly. "If you wish to, stay here and meditate your time away."


    Evin reined his thoughts at the remark, wondering if his thoughts were being read somehow.


    "It''s not that," the Aspect, who took on the figure of a girl, said with a smile. "With age,es a talent of guessing another''s thoughts."


    It was almost creepy, when a teen talk like an old woman. It was especially bad, considering how short and small her body was. Evin tried his best to hide the thought though, in fear of angering the Aspect any further.


    "But even if you choose not to see the man''s past, there''s nothing for you to do. You can''t go exploring the great outside, since you''ll surely turn out dead or worse in the first few hours."


    "Dead?" Evin frowned.


    "A variety of invisible creatures roam the World of Souls. They can survive off the energy in the air, but they don''t mind eating a few live souls here and there. Then there''s also the problem of insanity. As any other World of Magic, the World of Souls also affects your psyche. The only thing keeping you safe now is my immediate presence," Lady Twelve Jokes smiled.


    "Wait, wait¡­ You mean to say this world''s the same as the other Twelve Worlds of Magic?"


    "Of course. I''ve been calling it the World of Souls since before, no?"


    "But¡­ Why does no one else know about it? I mean, if I offer it mana, will it give me Soul energy in return?"


    "Not all Worlds must exist to serve mages, you know?" Lady Twelve Jokes hummed amusingly. "And not all Worlds must be known to them¡­ But that''s beside the point. Stay here if you don''t mind the boredom, but do stay inside."


    "I''ll see Endra''s past," he dered.


    The old woman in the girl''s body shrugged. The Soul Tree''s branch reached out for Evin''s head. It felt ufortable, but Evin was more concerned with how his eyelids were closing.


    ''Endra was right¡­'' he thought. ''I am cking out a lot more these days¡­''


    Before he went out, Evin noticed a tinge of sadness in Lady Twelve Jokes''s expression. Evin couldn''t tell why she would look like that.


    *****


    Soon after the boy''s soul was pulled into the vision, Twelve saw Four appearing from her room, scantily dressed as always. She was holding a chair in one hand, and a pipe in another. She put the chair down, lit the pipe and breathed in a lungful. The smoke that came out of her mouth was distorted, spreading through the air in unusual patterns. A feature of the World of Souls.


    Four slouched into her chair, her long limbs going ck. "Why waste our time like this?" she asked. "He won''t mind the methods. You''ve seen his memories."


    "It''s the best way for him. Ultimately," Twelve replied.


    Four snorted. "And since when did you start caring so much for these two mortals?"


    "It''s also what''s most convenient for the Empress. Ultimately."


    She seemed to take that as an answer.


    "Ah, of course. Well, you''re the one who knows the future, so we''ll do as you ask."


    "Thanks for the Trees."


    "Whatever''s mine is yours, Mistress. Though, I do hope we''ll be out of this shitter soon."


    Four did not say anything else. She resumed smoking her from her pipe and when she was finished, she stood up and walked back into her room.


    Twelve could only shrug. Her visions said that this was the best path forward, although it was rather boring and time-consuming. But what was some time to Twelve?


    *****

 Chapter 195 - Endras Vision

    *****


    Expectant, Endra allowed the Soul Tree to prepare his mind for the vision. The one this time seemed much more alien, considering how long it was taking to start. When Kena brought him into his own memories, the time spent between the jump of his consciousness was almost zero.


    ''Perhaps the time needed changes depending on how familiar with the memories I am,'' he mused, feeling the slight tingling on his soul, as if something was working on his core being.


    But Endra was used to the feeling. After all, he had to struggle through it when Kena was going through his memories before.


    And after so many hours of working with it, he understood that it was best to do and try nothing during this moment of limatization. The Soul Tree was like a program designed to help someone see the visions inside it without problems. Endra trying to mess with it only made things harder.


    But that didn''t mean Endra was idle during this moment. He tried his best to feel whatever was happening to his soul so he could hopefully replicate it himself someday. Even if it was something of a long-shot, it wasn''t a bad thing.


    ''It''s not like it''s an exclusive ability that only Twelve, or should I say Four, possesses.''


    Four herself used it, Twelve used it, and even Kena used it, despite not being a member of the Twelve Jokes. Endra learned many things during his short stay inside the World of Souls.


    When Evin''s body went into the box that Twelve created, the two souls inside it split and became independent, making it possible for Endra to move around by himself.


    At that moment, he also noticed how 12 souls emerged from Twelve''s body. None of them looked the same as Twelve herself though. There were men and women of varying ages and looks. The only thing that was same was their race. But oddly, they all looked familiar.


    Endra never saw them, no, but he heard descriptions of each and every one of them for a long time. When he thought about it, he came to a shocking conclusion. Evin made a bold guess that they were perhaps the Twelve Cmities.


    It kind of became obvious when he saw the tall, mesmerizing blonde creating the two Soul Trees inside the house. That was most definitely the Sin-mother, Lauwich¡­ though Twelve called her Four.


    He also saw the Father of Beasts ¨C arge, hulking albino with a metal jaw, just as the books described. He didn''t have his iconic Godlings with him this time, but Endra was sure they were kept alive somewhere.


    There was also the Keeper of Secrets ¨C a crooked old man, whose spellcasting talents were so out of this world it was said that he only casted Absolutes.


    Of course, the others all had their stories, but if Endra had to rank them, these four were the most famous among the Cmities. The Sinmother famous for her sadism, the Father of Beasts famous for the destruction he wrought, and the Keeper of Secrets famous for the countless lives that died by his experiments.


    Endra felt giddy, thinking he met all these legendary figures without anyone else knowing. Everyone heard of the Twelve Cmities, but not many knew where exactly they disappeared off to. There were, of course, spections, but none of them had any evidence to back them up.


    ''Of course, they''d end up working for the Empress¡­'' Endra thought. ''By that logic, Twelve must be the Daughter of Time¡­''


    It made sense. The description matched and her ability too, added up. With a bit of thinking, Endra could also guess at why the other eleven Cmities ended up inside her body, instead of their own.


    The Daughter of Time was regarded as the most peaceful of the Twelve Cmities. She kept herself far away from trouble and was usually a helpful personality among the Twelve. She sometimes helped bestow divinations to the people, warning them of disasters, sometimes helping random strangers who wouldter turn out to be important figures.


    Though, she was still considered a Cmity, because everything around her aged rapidly whenever she saw the future. After a vision, a town or vige she was staying in would be found in a distinctly worn state. Rusted metal, rotten wood, destroyed buildings, wilted nts, and of course, carcasses and corpses.


    But the Daughter of Time still tried her best to keep herself distant from society, lest her visionse springing on her when she''s surrounded by people.


    A saintpared to the other Cmities, who were either uncaring of what damage they did, or outright sadistic, like the Sin-mother.


    If Endra had to choose who he was going to put all their souls in, he was also going to choose Twelve.


    ''But how did something like that even happen?'' he wondered, thinking about the Twelve Jokes.


    From the name, he had to guess that whatever happened was against their will. If he had to guess, the Empress must''ve gathered them, put them inside one body, and called them Twelve Jokes.


    ''Now I''m curious on how Two Tales got his name¡­''


    As he was specting, the scenery around him changed. The vision was finally starting.


    A long table materialized in front of him, six pairs of seats on each side, the head and the end of the table empty. It was high-quality stuff, made of sturdy,cquered wood, its legs and aprons decorated liberally with carvings. The main motif seemed to be pointed arches so it reminded Endra of gothic architecture.


    The resemnce became stronger when the room housing the table became apparent. Therge stained sses on his side, the ribbed vaults in the ceilings above which took the shape of a pointed arch, and of course, the massive size of the ce.


    Endra suddenly felt it was disrespectful to call the space a ''room'', as it was more akin to the nave of a church, expect it wasn''t just any old church, its size wasrger than the fucking Notre-Dame.


    ''But which country has this style of architecture?'' Endra wondered.


    The closest ce would be the Western kingdom, but from what Endra could see, most of the buildings in his country resembled the baroque style more than anything. In fact, he could confidently say he saw nothing that reminded him of gothic buildings in the kingdom.


    But he could say the same for the other countries as well. The East''s architecture was more Imic from what he could gather, the North''s was traditionally Nomadic. The South''s architecture was a mess that Endra didn''t want to think about, but it definitely wasn''t gothic.


    When the scene was finally finished, though, the actors emerged one by one. On the twelve seats, twelve figures appeared. They were of course, the Twelve Cmities.


    They were not wearing the same casual attire that Endra saw earlier, but a much more formal one. They also looked slightly younger. Perhaps because of it, they looked much more serious. The only one that looked exactly the same was the Keeper of Secrets, with his long ck robes and sickly disposition.


    He was also the only one who looked to be good spirits. As for the rest, a heavy atmosphere surrounded them.


    "Well," the Daughter of Time was speaking. "It is depressing¡­ sitting here, waiting for our death."

 Chapter 196 - A Chance At Living

    The opening sentence of the vision pulled Endra''s attention.


    "Then there really is nothing to be done?" the Father of Beasts spoke.


    "Unfortunately, the knowledge of the future is not something that can help against the Princess of Denial," the Daughter of Time smiled. "At this point, I can only see more details on how we''ll end up dead by her hands."


    ''The Princess of Denial?'' Endra''s ears perked up. ''That golem I fought mentioned the name during that test, didn''t I? He even said that one of the rats knew about the Princess of Denial, but no one else could remember her¡­''


    "It''s vexing, to think our Hexmagi Alliance would be dust without even a fight," the Father grimaced.


    "A bullshit ''Gift'' that Hex possesses¡­" the Sinmother spat out.


    "She is no mere Hex now," the Keeper of Secrets spoke out. "She is a proper deity now. There were many arguments about this wasn''t there? ''At what point does a Hex or a Magi be god?''. Well, with what she''s doing to the souls and bodies of everyone, I''m deigning to call her our goddess now."


    "If only our goddess could be more merciful towards us¡­"


    "We are powerless to question the will of our goddess," the Keeper chuckled. "At this point, I only hope we''ll be transformed into a more affable race. I wouldn''t want to be part of her little legion of antpeople, no thanks."


    "What monstrosities has she created of us now?" the Sinmother scowled.


    "As far as I could tell, hertest endeavors were: ant-people, spider-people, bird-people, metal-people, and semiliquid-people."


    "Semiliquid?" one of the Twelve asked.


    "Yeah, their flesh can change shapes. Shapeshifters basically."


    "Metal?" another asked.


    "Living metals," the Keeper spoke nonchntly. "They tend to take on a humanoid shape, though."


    Endra felt like he''d learned of something sphemous.


    ''So the Twelve Races were created by this Princess of Denial? Doesn''t that make her the Empress? Who else is so omnipotent to do something like that?''


    "I don''t want to be something like that¡­"


    "Likewise," the Keeper sighed. "But we do have hope. She''s now working on a different race. A very special one at that. The Hivemind, she calls them."


    The others leaned in to listen.


    "She''s trying to create a race of people that are bound somehow. I''m not sure how it works exactly, but they''d look mostly the same as humans, but their minds would be connected. They''d think the same things and know the same things, basically."


    Just as the Keeper spoke this, the Sin-mother mmed on the desk. "That''s it!"


    The hopeful tone in her voice pulled everyone''s attention, Endra included.


    "Tell me more about the experiments she''s doing!" she urged.


    "For the time being," the Keeper started. "She''s trying soul magic mostly. Before, she was trying to create an organ that acts as the bond between the Hivemind''s¡­ minds, but that n mostly turned to Soul magic in the end. Knowledge and memories are so deeply ingrained into one''s soul after all.


    "But''s she''s facing some problems, since the souls of people are so vastly different so it''s hard to mesh them together. She''s also thinking hard on keeping the final product sane. After all, such arge amount of souls definitely has a hefty amount of information on them. I even saw her try to create a giant brain that''s capable of thinking at such levels and also acting as a center for all the different bodies.


    "Though, the brain was too hard to keep alive, so she scrapped the idea. So, as I''ve mentioned before, she''s searching for methods that use soul magic."


    Endra wondered how the Keeper was so up to date on what the Princess of Denial was doing, but he guessed that the old man had his methods. Since it was rumored that he only cast Absolutes, perhaps he had a spell that could spy on someone else regardless of them being a god or not.


    But aside from that, he was very interested in the conversation.


    The Hivemind was a rather mysterious race of people. In the few decades they were alive, they were said to have pushed magic to its limits, and in the end, were the cause of summoning the Twelve Cmities.


    Hearing about their true nature, Endra could see how it was usible. It was basically a hyper-evolutionary race, where every member worked for the same goal. They were practically a superputer on steroids.


    But from the conversation, Endra could tell that there was something more to that story.


    "In that case¡­" the Sin-mother hummed. "Perhaps we have a chance at a next life."


    The rest were silent, waiting for her to exin.


    "Since she''s struggling to findpatible souls, we''ll just have to provide that for her. Sief, how dense is your soul?" she asked therge Albino.


    "It''s equal to about 7 thousand ordinary souls."


    "Exactly. And among us, yours would be considered rather modest. It definitely palespared to mine, which is equal to 90 thousand. Add that between us all, and the amount would be nothing to scoff at¡­"


    Endra frowned hearing such foreign concepts. One person''s soul equaling thousands?


    ''Is it something exclusive to the time before the Empire? ¡­ Now that I think about it, these people all seem familiar with this thing called soul magic, but I''ve never heard a whiff of it during Evin''s studies¡­''


    "Say, what if we whittled down our souls to its basest form and simply let the Princess collect them? Surely, she wouldn''t be able to resist such a perfect gift? After all, it''s the perfect solution to her Hivemind problem. Thousands of identical souls, all strong enough to take on a bit of manhandling."


    "Are you crazy?" one of the Twelve asked. "You know how fucked up the process of whittling down our soul would be? That''s no different than dying in the most agonizing way possible!"


    "Of course I know," the Sin-mother spat out. "Who do you think you''re talking to? ¡­ But for us to survive, this is the only method I can think of."


    "Ori, can you see whether something like that will be possible?" someone asked the Daughter of Time.


    "I can''t say. As you know, souls like ours breaking down is basically death, so anything beyond that¡­ I''m unable to see. But if we have no better options, I''ll be happy to go along with Lauwich''s n."


    A brief debate urred regarding the feasibility of the n, but the Sin-mother could not give a concrete answer. They even talked about whether the Princess would even use their souls for her Hivemind experiment. But all those talks, they were pointless. It was a blind leap of faith.


    Their deaths were certain, but it was just a choice between a peaceful death and a very painful death with a slim chance to revive someday in the future.


    In the end, everyone agreed to the n.


    The vision ended abruptly.


    *****

 Chapter 197 - Death (pt.1)

    At the same time, Evin''s watching of Endra''s past. He was reaching the point where the vision ended thest time. Evan''s death. At first Evin was confused, since Evan''s life was exactly the same as what he saw before. The childhood trauma, the lover, the book, the gradual istion, and the eventual death.


    But there was no way Lady Twelve Jokes would be wrong, so he convinced himself that this truly was Endra''s past.


    ''But if she truly was perfect, wouldn''t she know that I already saw these memories?''


    There were some differences though. The biggest one was how Evin saw these visions. First, he could also choose how he saw the visions. In a big lump of information, or in a more scenic way. In the first case, information would simply flood into his mind and all he had to do was process them. It was interesting, though. He could hear stray thoughts in Evan''s head, and sometimes even his feelings.


    This new feature helped him understand the isted Evan''s actions more clearly. The first time he saw it, he almost couldn''t believe that he was seeing Endra''s past. There was even a feeling of disgust at Evan''s foolish decisions.


    In the second case, Evin would be put inside a specific scene and could live out Evan''s memories. Previously, he was stuck inside Evan''s mind and could only see everything going on around the boy, but this time he had his own body.


    He could move around, though not too far away from Endra; and he could touch things. This didn''t have any effect on the vision''s urrences, though. Even if Evin grabbed a person, they''d only split into two, one real and one fake. Evin could only interact with the fake. The real one would keep on doing whatever they were doing originally.


    Mostly, Evin took on the memories in its information form. It was quicker and it was easier as well. But sometimes, the scenic visions would appear forcefully. Now, he was in the scenic mode. He was inside the room Evan had just died, and was waiting for what was going to happen next.


    ''No way it just ends like that,'' he was muttering to himself.


    Something did happen.


    Evan, who was lying on the ground, rotting suddenly moved. It was wrong to say that he moved. He split into two. One Evany dead on the ground, while another emerged from inside the body.


    Like Evin, the new one was confused. He looked around, got startled from his own dead body, rubbed at his eyes, perhaps wondering if he was having a dream. Eventually, the revived Evan stopped moving and could only stare at the body.


    "I must be dreaming¡­ I''ll wake up in a few minutes and everything will be the same as always..." he muttered under his breath.


    The situation continued for five days, before finally, Evan seemingly epted he had died. He didn''t do it peacefully though. He thrashed everything in his house, screaming his regrets and the unlucky, almost shameful circumstances of his death.


    "I should''ve gotten my guts spilled out by a robber!"


    "Should''ve gotten smallpox and died at a deathbed!"


    "Even slipping on thin ice and breaking my skull would''ve been great!"


    "Anything other than dying like this!"


    A few hours of ragingter, the newborn ghost finally calmed down. But calmness was impossible. Soon enough, the mutterings resumed.


    Was the afterlife like this for everyone? Wasn''t he supposed to fall in hell like all those people told him to? Was this hell? What did God want from him?


    Evan muttered and questioned endlessly. He started praying too. But he received no answers. There was no one to answer him, not even God. But who had the answers?


    Evan decided to find out himself. He would find out what was going on to him and why it was happening.


    With a clear motive, Evan functioned a bit better. He started thinking about his situation more seriously. He noticed that when he was raging at his death before, he could freely pick up some items and throw them around. But the mess Evan made was already gone, like nothing ever happened inside the room.


    After a few experiments he concluded that he could touch and pick up things, an ethereal copy of it would be created and the original would stay in ce. If the ghost let go of the ethereal copy, it would disappear soon after. Evan wondered what would happen if he touched another person?


    He resolved to go outside. He needed answers


    But, he was stuck at the doorstep for a long time, his wavering heart refusing to let him move. He knew that for better or worse, the act would have a certain finality to it. Was he truly dead or not?


    With great effort, he walked out of the doorsteps, and he was met with a beautiful sight of an empty street covered in a thin rug of snow. It was just after dawn, so most people had not left their houses. As the ghost walked on the snow, his footsteps would ruin the perfectly level ground¡­ before they disappear promptly.


    Something about this discovery startled Evan greatly, and the man frantically ran around the area and rolled on the ground to leave at least some kind of impact. s, the footsteps of the dead could not be found on the snow-white street.


    Soon, others started appearing in the street. They took no notice of the ghost rolling on the ground and went on about their businesses. The previously level ground was now riddled with an array of footsteps. One of them phased through Evan, which left the spirit dazed with horror.


    The certain realization started cementing itself inside Evan''s head.


    "I''m really dead, aren''t I?"


    He muttered,ying on the now dirty snow in the middle of winter. He was barefoot, and was wearing nothing but a thin, sweaty garment.


    He longed to feel the cold at least.

 Chapter 198 - Death (pt.2)

    After Evan died, his body was found two weekster, when a mailman came close and smelled something foul inside the house. He called the police, and they found a badly dposed body inside, sprawled on the ground, like he had been knocked out, but with no sign of an attack and no signs of a burry.


    An old forensic expert with a foul mood suggested that he died perhaps three weeks earlier, and it was confirmed when they found the butcher that Evan bought the chicken from. The man ndered Evan''s name for whatever reason, saying that he was reeking of alcohol and was walking around with the local homeless, but Evan did not care.


    He was too heartbroken with one thing. His parents'' reactions. His mother''s broken wails and his father''s crushed expression, filled with guilt and regret. A silent tear streaming down from his eyes. It was his first time, seeing his father cry.


    His mother''s nightmares resumed after that, dreaming of the deaths of her children. She became more and more unstable, alwaysshing out at others for the smallest reasons. She would cry afterwards, ovee with grief and guilt. Evan cried alongside her, apologizing for burdening her even more with his own death atop his sisters.


    Even more painful was watching his father slowly sumb to alcohol. His old man knew it was the wrong thing, but when those moments of weakness came, he couldn''t help but reach out for the bottles with shaky hands and teary eyes.


    Evan did not wish to be with them. He wanted to run away, but he felt he was obliged to at least witness the pain.


    Thankfully, his parents'' condition turned better eventually. Their expressions still held traces of sadness, but at least they could smile andugh. On the contrary, Evan''s situation was turning worse.


    One feeling lodged itself firmly in Evan''s heart during this time. The worthlessness of the dead.


    It was inevitable he would have this feeling. He could only watch as his parents withered away, he could not help in any way, he could not even make his presence known to them. The only thing that changed was his increasingly grim and broken mood.


    Believe it or not, Evan was at one point optimistic after he died. He was filled with the desire to live and he even fantasized about using his newfound ghostliness for greater purposes. That, of course, was gone.


    He did everything he could think of to affect the world of the living, but his will was thoroughly smashed at the end of these attempts. To the living, Evan was worthless.


    So, Evan decided that it was best to search for clues in the world of the dead. The only problem was that he was the only spirit around. He refused to believe that was true, so he started searching for them.


    He started loitering around in morgues and cemeteries, hoping to see someone be reborn as a ghost or a spirit like himself. He encountered nothing of the sort, but he did find a rather interesting ce.


    It was the coroner who diagnosed his cause of death. An aged man, with a balding head and thick lines across his face. The old man was quite an entric. His primary way of talking was through yells and grunts, especially with police officers, but thew enforcement did not mind his character, since the man knew his job well.


    They could allow a few entricities.


    The old man also let no one inside his home, which he used as his autopsy office. Naturally, a constant stream of rumors flew around his house, where dead bodies were carried into on a weekly basis. The strictly no-outsiders policy did not help with the problem of gossip as well. But obviously, a closed door did nothing to stop Evan, who was now a ghost.


    When Evan finally entered the house, what he found inside was a surprise. Amid the smell of death and decay, and a row of mummified bodies in ss top coffins assembled in one corner the house, a blonde-haired girl with pale skin, still with some baby fat on her face, diligently cutting a line on the stomach of a dead man appeared in front of Evan.


    Her slender fingers tightly gripping a scalpel, drifting slowly, but deliberately. There was a certain mastery of her job that was apparent in the girl''s actions. Sometimes, the old man would instruct the girl to do one thing or the other.


    He acted stern and infallible with the girl, but when she wasn''t looking, a beam expression full of satisfaction could be seen on the man''s wrinkled face.


    Evan, ovee by his curiosity, started spending more and more time in this house surrounded by rumors. He soon found out that the old forensic scientist was expecting his own death and had decided to train his future sessor. His daughter was his first choice, since the girl had no fear of the dead and she was sufficiently talented.


    The girl''s name was La Lockhoover. Somehow, watching her work gave Evan a feeling of awe and pride. He joined in with the old man, feeling pride for the girl. It was helpful to his goal as well. A number of dead people came to this ce anyway, so he could continue his search for spirits.


    From the asional conversations, Evan learned more and more about the girl and her circumstances. The mummified bodies inside the house were the members of the girl''s bloodline. The coroner''s ancestors were all distinguished in autopsy, who slowly perfected their craft over generations.


    As for the girl herself, she was the serious and socially inept type. She hardly went out, spending most of her time with dead bodies. And when she did get out, the smell of rotten meat would permeate from her, giving no end to the rumors that surrounded her. La herself though, never gave a second thought to the stares and whispers. Her gait proud and steady, never wavering and never disturbed.


    After the spirit spent three years with the family of coroners, Evan had hopelessly fallen in love with La. Although no spirit appeared in front of him from the dead bodies, Evan was too infatuated with the girl to care. After La became an adult, her stern gaze and sharp cheekbones finally lost their baby-fat, creating a young woman who looked like she was in her early thirties. Most would not consider her to be someone pretty, but to Evan, she was like an incarnation of Aphrodite.


    During this time, Evan felt like he was living. He would sleep in the same room as La, silently looking at her, and sometimes covering her with an ethereal nket. Eventually he began to stay as close to her as possible, but not quite enough to touch her. He knew that if he dared to touch her, his body would phase through and his perfect illusion would be destroyed.


    He knew he was living in delusion, but it still felt nice to pretend at living.


    ''Isn''t she Evan''s ideal?'' Evin thought, remembering the contents of the book he had written. ''Independent, self-sufficient, uncaring for the thoughts of others¡­ No wonder Evan fell in love with her.''


    Evin paused the surge of information, letting his mind rest.


    Inevitably, his thoughts steered towards the memories. He could now understand how Endra and Evan could be so different. Evin didn''t know how long Evan lived as a ghost, but even after a few decades, Evan would turn into someonepletely different.


    But he still wasn''t at the level of Endra yet. And also, the world he was seeing wasn''t remotely close to the technologically advanced world that Endra spoke of.


    A bad feeling rose in Evin''s head. How long was he going to be stuck with these memories?

 Chapter 199 - Hivemind Ritual

    *****


    The second vision came to Endra. Same asst time, it began with the slow materialization of the surrounding area. It was a structure of some sorts. Endra couldn''t call it a building, as itcked walls and a ceiling. It was more fitting to call it a giant art sculpture.


    The architecture was simr tost time, with tall, gothic-style elements around him. But there were two distinct differences here. First, the ritualistic, almost religious way the pirs around him were arranged.


    Twelve giant pirs were arranged in a circle around twelve podiums in the middle. There were flying buttress supporting them from the outer side which reminded him of the gothic architecture, but Endra was more interested in the materials these used.


    If he saw correctly, the structure was fully made metal. Not just any metal, but it was exclusively made of sorbothium.


    ''Such excess¡­'' he couldn''t help but sigh. ''Wait¡­ are those runes?''


    Endra went closer to examine one of the pirs and sure enough, various Runes were etched onto the pirs. From a nce, Endra could tell that each pir was decorated with different runes, with only the supporting ones looking simr. Weirdly, although Endra was well-versed in runes, he could only recognize some of them. And even those looked to bemon supporting runes like: Connecting and Binding.


    ''Does that mean I''m in the Empress'' era?''


    Endra wasn''t sure whether or not the age before her had Runes or not. But none of the items thate from that time had any Runes, despite having magical qualities. In the modern age, anything that used mana had to have a Rune or two etched on them. It was the easiest way to distinguish ancient items and modern-made ones.


    As he was wondering, the actors of the scene slowly made their presence. Tens of thousands of figures slowly emerged next to Endra. From the blue, tentacle-like organ growing from the nape of their neck, he guessed that they were the Hivemind.


    Surprisingly, their skin had a bluish tone to it, though it wasn''tpletely blue. It was as if blue veins were simply more prevalent in their bodies.


    There were few descriptions of the Hivemind, but there weren''t anything concrete. Some said they all had white hair and red eyes, while others insisted their limbs were longer than most. The only thing they agreed on was the tentacle growing from their neck.


    ''What are they all doing here, though?'' he wondered.


    It was an eerie sight. Many of the Hivemind looked exactly the same as one another, and from a simple nce, Endra could tell that there weren''t any children around. There weren''t even any young men or women. Everyone looked at least forty years or older. Some even looked 60, which was considerably old for Alvox.


    The Hivemind wasn''t really doing anything, except staring at the middle of the pirs silently. Weirdly, they all looked reluctant to be here. Not just reluctant, some even showed faces of disgust and fear.


    There was one member of the Hivemind, writing something in the middle of the podiums. Curious, Endra walked over to see its contents.


    ''The hell is this¡­?''


    A rather confusing line was being written on the notebook.


    [A thousand sacrifices of children to summon the Sinmother. All children must not be older than a day, else the ritual shall fail.]


    Out of habit, he snatched the thing away from them, and surprisingly, a copy of it appeared in his hands.


    Endra shrugged and started reading.


    The gist of the notebook was simple. It described the rituals to summon the Twelve Cmities upon the World. Endra heard the story before. It was said that only one ce in the Hivemind''snd was spared from the ever-burning green mes and that spot contained a book which described something simr.


    But the rituals written here¡­ Endra could only call them scams. Most of them required a sacrifice or some suffering to work, but they were all so illogical, he couldn''t help but scoff at them all. Even the surrounding people seemingly found them distasteful.


    ''What''s the point of this notebook then?''


    The person writing the notebook finished, then threw it in the middle of the circle as if he didn''t want to do anything with them. Endra could only assume it was a bad joke of some sorts.


    "Let''s get this over with," someone spat out.


    Forgetting about the notebook, Endra focused his attention to the gathered people.


    They brought in twelve bodies into the circle, sunk into a tub of ice. They had the features of the Twelve Cmities. Endra''s eyes sparkled.


    Twelve people manning therge pirs pulled a lever. Apparently, the flying buttresses did not just support the pirs, they supplied it with mana. Their bases started glowing with mana and Endra could feel the massive amounts of energy being shoved into the pirs. At first, only the runes on the pirs lit, but soon enough, the whole thing started emitting insane levels of power.


    Before long, an ethereal, green me appeared in the middle of the pirs and started zing towards the sky.


    Entranced, Endra tried to remember every detail of the process, thinking it could be helpful to him.


    The people watching all got up in an orderly way, and started walking into the me. However, when the first person made contact with it, he simply burnt away, joining the ring green. Each time someone evaporated, they would turn into two different colors: green and blue.


    It as a delicate process but Endra could see that the blue part would seep into the pirs, while the green part would simply be part of the me.


    As for the people, they showed no pain¡­ or any other emotion for that matter. For these people, this burning death was business as usual.


    Eyebrows crunched, Endra saw as thousands of people simply headed into their deaths in an orderly, calm fashion.


    But he forced his mind to focus on the various details of this ritual. The things he was seeing had iparable value. Surely, this whole thing was what he needed to learn to separate from Evin''s body.


    Since the vision showed the pre-Empress era Twelve Cmities splitting their bodies into tiny little parts, perhaps he had to bravely split apart from Evin''s body?


    ''After that, I''d have to do this ritual?'' he wondered.


    He then looked at the runes etched on the pirs and diligently memorized them. As he was busying himself with his new task, eventually, everyone was disintegrated under the green barrier''s effects. The me stopped, but it didn''t disappear, turning into an orb of sickly green.


    The pirs, on the other hand, shone a bright blue now, and the energies of all the people inside it seemed to be gathering at their peaks.


    Twelve orbs of pure blue appeared in the sky. They slowly found their ways into the Twelve bodies that were arranged on the bottom of the pirs¡­ and the Twelve Cmities were reborn once more.

 Chapter 200 - Calamities Come!

    The Twelve were reborn once again, but their expressions were wrong. None showed joy at being reborn, instead only pulled out their cold, stiff bodies out of the ice and sat down to the ground, brooding.


    They regarded each other''s naked bodies for a bit of time, before the Sinmother spoke.


    "Lan, can you pull out our clothes?"


    "I''ll try," the blonde-haired man spoke. "But¡­ I''m not sure if it''ll go well."


    "Why?"


    "Don''t you feel it? There''s something wrong with out magic."


    "I do, but just do it," the Sinmother urged.


    The man sighed, then started absorbing mana. Soon, a golden circle appeared in the air, and the blonde pulled out clothes from inside it one by one.


    It reminded Endra about Rith''s spellcasting, except his was a notch more elegant. The Cosmic did not use a Storage Ring to hold her stuff, she could seemingly ess such a ce by herself. Sometimes, she''d quickly shove her paw through a circle of Therae energies to bring out a small snack. By the time she''s finished putting it in her mouth, the circle would be gone as if it was never there in the first ce.


    But Lan''s circle did not go out so quietly.


    The circle did to shrink into nothingness, but just before it was gone, it turned into a grand explosion. Miraculously, none of the Twelve were injured. The explosion''s force was diverted away from them, hitting one of the pirs nearby.


    Completely unscientifically, the pir''s base waspletely obliterated, leading to the grand structure toppling over. The whole act resembled an overly tall man who had the rug pulled out from under his feet.


    Endra was worried for the Twelve who were about to get crushed under the falling pir, but just before the thingnded, it slowed down andnded gently next to everyone.


    Endra couldn''t tell who exactly was casting such magic, since none of the Twelve were even looking at the falling pir, let alone chanting or gesturing. They were much too preupied with getting themselves clothed.


    But Endra''s questions were answered.


    "Is it the same for everyone? Feeling like something will go wrong if you cast?"


    They all nodded grimly.


    "How did you cast without the side effects, old man?" the Sinmother asked.


    "The side effect did happen," the Keeper replied. "I took care of that as well, before it materialized."


    "How? Wouldn''t ''taking care of it'' also create a side effect?"


    "Yes, but for me, the side effects are always of lesser strength than the original spell, so technically, I only have to keep doing it until the chain reaction dies out harmlessly."


    Just as the old man finished, a small explosion poofed into existence right next to him. Of course, the effects were considerably weaker than the explosion that urred from Lan essing his Storage Space.


    "Oh," the Sinmother nodded. "Ah, but that''s useless for me, since the side-effects of my magic seem unpreventable."


    "What is it?"


    "Everyone I work on loses all their memories afterwards¡­ and they die?" she sighed. "Oh, I''m also feeling much more sadistic than usual. It doesn''t feel like a kink anymore, more of a necessity. What''s it like for everyone else??"


    "I''m afraid my visions will age and corrode everything around me from now on," The Daughter of Time, Ori responded. "It would be fine if it was just that, but I can''t control when I get my visions, and I also feel more mischievous than usual."


    "Mischievous?"


    "Yes. I know it''s bad to stay around people with how I am, but I still feel the need to stay around people."


    "Ah, my problem seems bad," the Father of Beasts grimaced. "Any beast I take control of stops epting mana as their food, only epting flesh and blood as their sustenance. And I now have this overwhelming urge to rear something as well¡­"


    ''How do they all know these things so clearly?'' Endra wondered, but brushed it off as their expertise.


    One by one, the Twelve shared their new weaknesses with each other.


    Endra could draw many conclusions from the exchange.


    ''They managed to reincarnate, but their abilities don''t function as before. On top of that, they all feel forced to act more violently and dangerously.''


    But why? Something that happened due to the reincarnation? Or perhaps¡­


    "Damn the Pr- ¡­ Empress¡­" one of them stuttered. "I can''t even say her old name!"


    "Well, we did guess that she might do something to us when she gets hold of our souls," Ori said.


    "But even so! And what''s the point of all this? We can''t cast magic without killing anyone, so does she just want us to wreak havoc on her Empire? And also that distasteful notebook we had to write¡­ And this whole ritual we had to do! For almost a century, we toiled on reincarnating ourselves in our original bodies due to some instinct that was imnted in our psyches, but we''re still not free from her influence?!"


    "I am curious about her intentions¡­ but what we don''t know, we don''t know," Ori said. "For now, let''s finish the ritual. Lauwich, please."


    The Sinmother nodded back and reluctantly made her way towards the green orb, which seemed to be the final product made by the green mes.


    Shezily etched a couple runes on the orb, and surprisingly, Endra could read it. They were terribly simple runes.


    [Incineration -> Continuous burning], the rune read. Its function was simple. Upon activation, the rune would burn whatever device it was etched upon, and have it continue burning until it runs out of fuel or mana.


    Then, the Sinmother threw the run outside the podiums surrounding her and activated the rune.


    Endra expected a great explosion, but there was none. Instead, a small green fire started growing from the orb and it started spreading wildly across the surroundings. It did not care whether the materials it was touching were mmable or not, it simply got on them and started whittling them down.


    ''Ah,'' Endra hummed. ''That must be the ever-burning green fire of the lost Hivemind capital¡­''


    The Hivemind was not just destroyed, itsnds still burned under the effects of a mysterious green fire. Anyone who touched it lost their memories and soon enough, they died in fear and confusion.


    "Haah, such a waste," the Sinmother groaned. Her eyes were stuck on the green orb that was still spitting mes. Regret and desire filled her gaze.


    "How long do you think it''ll burn?" one of the Twelve asked.


    "Maybe a couple millennia? Who knows?"


    "That long? What the hell?"


    "Yes. That''s why it''s such a waste¡­ that was almost a hundred thousand souls you know? And since it was mostly us, the quality''s top notch as well. I''d guess they''re equal to about a million normal ones."


    The other ones looked at the fire in a regretful light. They were all sighing for the wasted resource.


    "Well, we''ve found our freedom at least," Ori spoke. "Despite howcking it seems now. For the time being, let''s explore the new Alvox for ourselves and see what our glorious Empress has in n for us."


    Some scoffed at that, but most of them seemed to have made peace with their fate.


    "You can all go explore wherever, but please doe back here in a year to share your experiences. Perhaps we can develop countermeasures against these imnts in our psyches sometime. And if all else fails, perhaps we can simply ask the Empress what she ns to do with us."


    That solicited a few groans, but they all nodded and went their ways. The vision also ended at that, leaving Endra alone with many questions.

 Chapter 201 - Death (pt.3)

    Time passed with Evan living in La''s house.


    The old coroner soon decided that he had taught her everything he knew and decided to set her up as his sessor with the police force. The police knew of the old coroner''s daughter, but did not expect the talented coroner to teach his ways to a woman. As the times back then were heavily biased towards men, the police did not wish to ept the female forensic coroner.


    The old man certainly did not take the matter silently, cursing at the policemen for being "idiot pigs" in his loud voice.


    He decided to contact some of the authorities he knew, ones who were indebted to him, ones who had cases personal to them solved thanks to his inspections.


    After a few meetings, mostly consisting of the old man''s deafening shouts, he finally managed to have his daughter rece him. It would''ve been something to celebrate, but the old man was not an idiot. He knew that his daughter''s new coworkers would not ept her so easily. He sat her down and started talking to her about her future.


    "It''s a curse to be born a woman these days," the old man said in a raspy voice. "Can''t even do the jobs you''re good at."


    "Don''t worry father, I will do fine. You know my skills in forensics are second to only yourself," La replied, holding her father''s hands.


    "You don''t know how those animals think. Your excellence will only spark their jealousy. I don''t even trust them enough to leave you alone," the old man scoffed. "Do only the bare minimum that is expected from you. You can even fail some cases that you could have solved. Those idiots would scorn and belittle you, but the words of those dogs aren''t worth listening to."


    "But father," La began but was interrupted by her father.


    "Silence. I know it is irresponsible and I know that it was I who taught you to keep a professional standard, but it is a small sacrifice in exchange for your safety," the old man said. "Promise me that."


    La nodded with a heavy face.


    "Good. Also, find someone to marry, get a kid and perhaps teach your methods to the child," the coroner joked. "I suppose a boy would be best, considering thetest circumstances, heh."


    "Father, I wish only to better my methods, I don''t have time to waste on children," La protested but a swift p from her father forced her to reconsider her words.


    "You fool! Then should I have spent all my time working with dead bodies instead of raising you and let the history of my family die?! The Lockhoover history is sacred as it is crucial. Our family was the pioneer of Forensics for the past three hundred years, and that should be the case for the next three hundred! I don''t care if you have to birth an ape to teach it your methods, but you MUST leave your legacy in this world!" the old man''s voice reverberated in their house.


    A sharp cough came out of the old man''s lungs, his face pale and sweaty from histest outburst.


    "Please don''t exert yourself," La begged, rushing to support the old man. "I''ll marry and I''ll have children. I swear to your name."


    "Good," the old man sighed after calming down. "Think of this as myst words. I fear I''ll die coughing and wheezing. No leisure to be speaking¡­"


    Evan''s expression paled at the mention of marriage. Worry and jealousy filled his expression, and beads of sweat dripped from the spirit''s forehead. It was an unnatural reaction.


    "What right do I have to dictate who the girl married and who she rejected?" he muttered to himself. "You''re dead and that''s it. Don''t overstep your boundaries¡­"


    Despite his head arriving to the right conclusion, Evan''s heart was still pained at the turn of events.


    But La did not waste her time looking for suitors after her talk with her father. She would mostly stay in the house and take care of her father, while doing the asional jobs that came from the police. The old coroner was not a needy patient, only requiring a clean environment and good food. He would asionally instruct La on how to best survive in that hostile workce of hers.


    "You can chalk that one up to hemlock," the old man was saying from the bed after hearing the symptoms before the death and hearing La''s thoughts on the dead body.


    "Although we both know it''s actually a poison thates from pufferfish, most policemen don''t know about it. Even if you tell them that it''s from pufferfish, those idiots will either brush you off, or simply argue that it''s hemlock. Don''t waste your breath on those apes," he exined.


    La thought about it and figured that her father was right. Such things happened often after she took over the job, where someone from the police woulde and start arguing about the results of the forensics examination.


    La learned that it was best to humble herself in front of such people.


    ''You are absolutely right,'' was her go-to answer, but she would always ask to remove her name from the new forensics report, as per her father''s instructions.


    She was also taught to y along with the police, if they were especially intent on one story. The old coroner exined that they were most likely trying to pin the me on someone specific. Perhaps to save the actual offender, or perhaps it was convenient the victim took the me, or whatever.


    "The whys don''t matter to you. Remember that," the old coroner said, coughing. "Do as they say. But if they ask you to greatly change your autopsy report, then ask to have your name removed from the papers. Your signature can be used to implicate you when their shady dealings are exposed. Always make a copy of the reports if you can, too. Keep them in the bank or somewhere safe."


    La was learning a lot about how real life worked for these past few years. During the first twenty years of her life, all she did was learning how to dissect bodies and find clues from them.


    Her father''s constant yells were also bing non-existent as oftely. Coupled with the interesting things that he talked about, La could only hope that her old man would live forever.


    But s, time was indiscriminate and the old coroner passed away silently on his hard, wooden bed. None came to his funeral, not even a priest. This was illegal, yes, but it was necessary for the tradition of the Lockhoovers.


    Wiping away her tears and snot, she washed her father with a disinfectant and carefully removed every organ from his body. She then began her work of recing his bodily fluids and gasses with preservative chemicals. Then came the long task of mummifying the body.


    First, she had to dry the bodypletely, before wrapping in special linen. She uniformly applied a kind of salt to every part of her father''s body and left it in an airtight coffin. After three days of constant working, the most important part of her work was finally done. Now she only had to wait and see. And after the body dried enough due to the salt, she would wrap his body with linen and resin and her job would be finished.


    Evan stayed with her through all of this, wiping her tears with false copies of handkerchiefs. The tears that would drip through her cheeks would be smudged with it, but would never disappear. The futility of the task was breaking Evan''s will, but he still stubbornly persisted.


    To forget his situation, he started actively talking to La. It was a one man show, featuring Evan''s delusions and fantasy. He pretended that La responded, that his love could see him and hear him. That she lived with him.


    Deep in his head, the spirit could notice that his mind was ying around at the edge of insanity and sooner orter he would go over the edge and fall to madness. Only his single-minded obsession allowed him to stay functional.


    Hallucinations and reality created a confusing mess out of Evan''s mind, making the spirit believe in his grand charade. Living in an artificial life weaved out of the lies that his brain gave birth to, Evan was the happiest man alive. There was only one unbreakable rule in his perfect world: don''t touch anyone.

 Chapter 202 - Death (pt.4)

    La did not know of the delusional spirit that lived together with her. After she had finished her work, she began to focus on her official job, while also keeping an eye out for a man she might fancy.


    The task turned out to be much harder than she anticipated. The only men she ever met were from the police, and practically all of them were certified assholes. La really could not udnerstand how they found the free time to nitpick at every single aspect of her work when they met.


    As for others, they were not so weing to date a woman with so many gossips surrounding her. Her sharp features also did not help her situation. There were obviously some people who pitied her situation and tried to get to know her a bit better¡­ But they would immediately change their minds after a single visit to her house. The smell of decay and the row of mummies felt a bit too much for the young men to handle. They also felt an extremely hostile presence in the house, forcing them to reconsider their choices.


    Although this did not affect the La herself, it did affect the promise she gave to her father. But after pondering about the matter for a bit, she found a perfect solution: she just needed to adopt a child. She didn''t need to go through a year of pregnancy, and she could also skip the worst years of raising a child.


    Making up her mind, she immediately headed towards an orphanage. The sight inside pained her heart, every child looking at her with hope and desperation. A row of battered children, thin and malnourished, wearing thin rugs that could barely cover their tiny bodies. Had she been a millionaire, she would have adopted them all, but sadly, her finances told her that she could only afford to raise a single childfortably.


    She checked the children''s hands and faces one by one and found two children that met her criteria. A boy and a girl. The boy was only six years old, but the strong grips of his fingers and unparalleled dexterity greatly shocked La. She guessed that the boy had tried his hands in pick pocketing, but in these desperate times, what kind of child did not do such things.


    The girl, though, was much younger and seemed to be in a more dire need of help. Her belly bloated due to the excess fluids and a pale, her dry, cracked skin that was peeling off at some spots. But all of that did not affect her deft hands and sharp mind. Even though she was only four years old, her gaze was akin to a predator.


    In the end, La decided to adopt both of them. Although her sry would not be enough to feed three mouths, she had enough in her savings tost until the two of them were able to start chipping in.


    The boy''s name was Zack, and the girl was called Pebble. But under the insistence of La, she was renamed to Penelope. The girl didn''t seem to mind that much.


    The two children collected what little possessions they had, and the three went to their new house. A row of jealous children stared daggers at the two.


    "Zack''s a pickpocket! You can''t take him with you, he''ll ruin your life!" one of them shouted.


    The culprit squirmed ufortably, but La could also see the boy mouthing something at the child.


    "Is it true?" La asked with a thin smile.


    Silence was the only answer she got from the boy. Zack was thinking about what kind of excuse he should make, what kind of face should he make when talking about it and how badly should he beat that meddling boyter. But the next question from his new "mother" shook him out of his silence.


    "Have you ever got caught?" La made sure to add the friendliest tone to her voice.


    "No," Zack blurted, since he used to brag about his deeds all the time. He promptly closed his mouth and nced at La warily.


    "Then that means you''re innocent," La shrugged and prompted the boy to follow after her while she carried Penelope in her arms.


    Despite expectations, the two children fit into La''s life well. Especially Penelope. She was a rather unemotional child, so she wasn''t much affected by her new environment and her new mother figure. Even seeing the dead bodies, she was unfazed. La worried that there might be something wrong with the child, but that wasn''t so. The little girl turned better after La fixed her extreme hunger.


    Over time, she started to open up to La, turning more and more talkative. And asionally, she would show glimpses of sharp intellect and single-minded curiosity. She sometimes even spoke back to La when she found something she didn''t agree with. Surprisingly she was very vocal about her opinions.


    In a way, she was very simr to La. Thus, her mother tried her best to pull the little girl''s interest into the field of medicine and forensics.


    It was a different story for Zack, though. He was very suspicious of his new foster mother during the first few months of his stay. He seemed to believe that there was some kind of catch to La''s kindness. The row of dead bodies did not help his worries too, despite La clearly exining their story and traditions.


    Obviously, he didn''t invite trouble because of it. He was always obedient, never crossing a word with his new mother, even if thetter asked him to help out with some rather scary stuff.


    But at the same time, he couldn''t not be thankful either, since La was the person who sheltered and fed him. And, half a yearter, this thankfulness turned to love.


    Perhaps because they were orphans, they seemed unused used to receiving such care and attention from someone else.


    Funnily enough, after three years of living together, the two children ended up withpletely different personalitiespared to before. The vocal Penelope turned silent and obedient. After arguing with La for so many times and always ending up on the losing side, she decided that it was fruitless to argue.


    On the other hand, the obedient Zack became more and more wild. La was d the boy opened his heart to her, but that came with various other extra things. The boy originally had a very active and out-of-control personality so after he learned that La wasn''t going to be so harsh with her punishments, he let his mischievous side out.


    As for Evan, he was happy in his delusions. At some point, Penelope and Zack became his and La''s children. It was a convenient lie that he was quick to believe in since there was no other male in the household.


    But there was an eventing that would shatter his little delusion into pieces.

 Chapter 203 - Death (pt.5)

    The incident urred five years after La adopted her children.


    Outside their house, a short, chubby policeman was questioning La. He was a frequent visitor to La''s house, along with his partner: an average height, brawny, and a bit lowbrow-looking officer. They were responsible for bringing bodies to La''s house and also receiving the reports.


    Usually, they both had a look of annoyance and reluctance when dealing with La, but today, they almost seemed expectant to be here. The reason was standing next to them.


    The brawny officer was tightly holding Zack''s shoulders, asionally looking down to seemingly check if he was still there or not. The boy looked guilty, but there was an air of stubbornness to him as well.


    "Heh. Well, go on, boy. Tell your momma what you did this morning," the stout officer spoke.


    "I didn''t do a thing!" Zack said.


    "Don''t be lying, you little shit! You''re gonna say us two policemen saw wrong?" the officer snarled. "That we didn''t see you snagging that gentleman''s wallet in the middle of the street?"


    "I told you I didn''t! Why would I even need to do that? And even if I did, where''s the wallet that you''re talking about?"


    The boy''s eyes were darting all over the ce, so La understood he was lying.


    "Lying little imp," Evan said, smiling at Zack.


    A permanent smile was stered on the spirit''s face these days.


    "We saw ''nother kid running off to a street corner right beside you, boy. Now tell me where that kid went. We can''t have the gentleman waiting forever now, can we?"


    "I''m telling you I''m innocent! Show me the evidence and thene talk to me!"


    The brawny officer smacked the boy on the head.


    "Little shit."


    Evan snarled at the man. "That''s my kid, you lowlife."


    La rushed to hold her boy in her arms. She red at the officer, but managed to contain herself.


    "Since there''s no proof, I can''t let you do that to my child. Sir."


    "Stop defending your child, woman. We saw the kid bumping into the gentleman and running to another kid, who ran off to some street corner. We caught your kid and asked the man to check for his possessions and sure enough, he was missing his wallet."


    "That means nothing. He could''ve lost his wallet hours before in this bustling city. And what''s so strange about kids running through the streets? That''s what they all do, don''t they?"


    The exchange went on for another few minutes before the officers had to give up.


    "I''ll let you off for now, but don''t be crying when wee with proof," the officer snarled before leaving.


    Seeing the officers'' fading backs, Zack scoffed. "Those brutes."


    La groaned, brought Zack into the house to interrogate him.


    "I know you did it, so cut the crap and tell me what happened."


    "Yeah, boy. Why do you have to pickpocket in the first ce? Only the hungry and the needy do that," Evan added.


    "Wha- I''m telling you I didn''t," the boy was stubborn.


    La pped the boy. "Do you know how pickpockets are punished in this city?"


    "I do."


    "Oh really? Up to three years in jail, or if you''re especially unlucky, hanging limp with a noose around your neck. If you know that, then why are you pickpocketing?"


    "¡­"


    "Zack, look at me. Why did you need to steal from others? Is the food on your tes not enough? Are the clothes on your back too little? You either tell me or wait in this corridor until you do."


    Penelope''s head peaked out from the other room.


    "You keep working on that preservative, Penny. And don''te out until you get it right!" La said.


    The girl ran off and started mixing the chemicals.


    True to her words, La kept herself and Zack in silence. She did not rx her expression and she did not allow her mind to wander off.


    Soon enough, the boy fessed up.


    He did it to impress the other kids. He thought it was cool. But when he told about it to the other kids, they didn''t believe him. So, he decided to prove it to them. He picked the gutsiest among the kids his age and went with it.


    He was already a pickpocket before he became an orphan. It was the reason he got picked by La in the first ce. She wanted kids with agile hands and who could do something without choking at thest minute. La could only curse her past self for bringing herself such trouble.


    But today, she could only think about how she can solve this problem.


    She decided to meet this friend of Zack''s and get hold of the wallet. She couldn''t let them be rewarded for their actions.


    La got hold of the walletter that evening, when night was nearing. She met the other kids through Zack, chewed them out a bit, and was now heading to a police-box through the dim-lighted streets. She nned to leave the wallet somewhere anonymously and be done with this whole incident.


    Zack was following behind him, a sullen look on his face. His eyes were darting to the dark corners around them, perhaps wondering if he could run into one of them.


    "Think of it as punishment for the crime," La was saying. "At least it''s better than going to jail."


    Zack was silent, though his lips were still pursed.


    "I''m sure the boy will turn out okay," Evan spoke next to them. "Kids, they''re all the same, aren''t they?"


    As they were walking through one of the empty streets, a voice called out to them.


    "Halt! We''re searching for the culprit of a thievery."


    It was the stout officer who gave visit to them in the afternoon.


    La tried to walk back, but the brawny officer appeared behind her. Before La could say anything, he quickly walked up to her, snatched her bag away and spilled the contents on the ground. The wallet fell among them.


    The atmosphere turned wrong very quickly. Even Evan''s constant smile was gone.


    The stout officer grabbed it from the ground and waved it in front of the two.

 Chapter 204 - Death (pt.6)

    "Well, well. Look what we got here?" a smirk appeared on the man''s face. "Seems we found the thief sooner than expected."


    Fearful, La stuttered out a response. "I was just about to give this to the authorities."


    "Sounds nice and all, but it''s a bit too convenient, isn''t it? We just went to your house to ask for the wallet, and now you''re bringing it to us," the officer said. "


    Humming, the officer snatched Zack''s hand and produced a rope from somewhere.


    "Heh. Well, words are cheap. I''m sure we''ll get to the bottom of this soon enough at the police station."


    "This is a misunderstanding," La insisted. "I know some of the urchins that live around here. I went there to check if they had it and sure enough, they did."


    "Lying little rats. You better shut it, La, or you''re gonna get arrested with him, you understand?"


    "Bitch," the bulky man said and pushed La to the ground.


    Evan rushed to help her, but in the end, he couldn''t make himself touch La.


    The officers then tied Zack''s hands with the rope and pulled at it with an ugly smirk.


    La couldn''t really tell what was going to happen to her boy. The violent tendencies of cops were notorious these days, and there was also the fact that they hated her. She felt like they were always searching for ways to get at her, but couldn''t do so without proper reason.


    "It was me!" she found herself shouting. "I told him to pickpocket! I even went to the orphanage, searching for kids who looked like they had swift hands!"


    "Wha-" Zack was about to protest, but the brawny officer punched him in the guts.


    "Oh, what are you saying, La?" the stout officer smirked. "You''re telling me you''re rearing pickpockets in your smelly little house?"


    "Yes¡­ So it''s all my fault. Zack there, he''s just a dumb little kid. He doesn''t know better."


    "No¡­" Evan whispered.


    His meaninglessments were gone, and a rare glint of sanity was resurfacing in his eyes. He couldn''t help but guess at what the officers were trying to do.


    "Heh. Well, what are we supposed to do now? I should bring you to the office to do a proper trial, but considering our acquaintance, maybe I''ll be a bit lenient with you."


    La frowned, hearing the officer''s words.


    It was a weird thing to say. Normally, the officer would be beaming at a chance to fuck up La.


    "But don''t look too happy," the officer smirked. "You did something illegal, so we have to punish you somehow. How about we do it the old-school way? Hey, you know how they used to punish thieves a thousand years ago?"


    "They killed ''em," the other officer replied.


    "No, no. Nothing so extreme. They cut off their arms, didn''t they?"


    "Aye."


    He pulled out a knife from the side of his boots and brandished it haphazardly. The knife did not look sharp. Its edge was dull, and parts of it were chipped off. There was no rust on it, thank God, but it was going to be a while, if they nned to cut someone''s limb with that.


    "Stop, you fuckers¡­" Evan said, his voice cracking.


    La took a step away, her eyes stuck on the knife. Zack waspletely still. He was clutching at his stomach, but he was also staring at the knife with a look of shock and fear.


    "Scream for help, you idiots," Evan urged.


    The stout officer approached La with casual steps.


    "But, of course, we''re civilized men. We won''t really cut off your arms," he smiled, taking the knife from the other officer. "Just¡­ trust us, and put two of your hands on the ground."


    "What?"


    "Get on your knees, put your forehead to the ground, and hold your hands above your head. Oh, also, put a cloth in your mouth."


    "Why?" her voice turned smaller and smaller.


    "Heh. Well, it''s your punishment, remember?"


    He pulled out a handkerchief and tried to shove it into La''s mouth. She first resisted, but couldn''t overpower the man.


    "Scream for help! Goddamn you!"


    Desperation seeped Evan''s voice. There wasn''t just worry for La and Zack''s safety in it. There was also the fear of his delusions getting shattered because of it.


    The ever-proud La that he loved so much was shivering under the hands of the man, tears streaming from her eyes. She always seemed untouchable, but the sudden events of the day were too unfamiliar for her to deal with.


    Evan was on the verge of pushing the officer back, but just before he could make contact, he would flinch away grimacing.


    "Fuck! Why aren''t you fighting back?!" he shouted again. "It''s just pickpocketing! Let it be and start screaming for help! They can''t do this to you!"


    La found herself lying on the ground, her hands above her head. Even she seemed surprised to find herself in this situation. A look of disbelief hovered her face.


    "Someone hel-" finally, Zack gathered her bearings and asked for help, but the other officer quickly shut him up with a punch to the guts.


    "Shut up."


    A gasping sound came from the boy''s side, but despite the tears on his face, he started thrashing around under the man''s body. The officer did not allow for distractions.


    "The boy''s overreacting, really," the stout officer said.


    His voice sounded grated this time. It was almost emotionless. Evan couldn''t help but wonder why it sounded so different from his usual obnoxious tone of voice.


    The man lifted his feet and mmed it on La''s hand.


    "MMMPH!"


    The muffled scream that followed weighed him down even further.


    He wanted to pull his gaze away from the La lying on the ground, pulling her hand away from the boot that was stuck on it.


    "Don''t move it, bitch!" the officer snarled as he lifted La''s face and smacked on it a couple times. "Put it on the ground again."


    "Nngh!" La fervently shook her head, holding her hands close to her chest. "Hmpleas!"


    "Not so high and mighty now, are you, eh?" the officer was smirking as he continued to punch her in the stomach. "Always keeping a safe distance from us all, content with looking at us from above¡­ I never really liked that unassuming look of yours! Now put your fucking hand on the ground, or I''ll swear to God I''ll cut them off for real!"


    "Stop! Stop! Why are you even doing this!"


    At this point, Evan was frantically trying to pull the man away from his love. He failed every time, but he couldn''t stop himself from trying. He tried shoving, kicking, punching and ramming, but the man was not bothered by any of it.


    It wasn''t real after all.


    "Please! Stop! Why isn''t anything working?!"


    La was meekly pushing her hand above her head.


    "Good woman!" the officerughed as he mmed on her hands again.


    This time, a crashing sound came from the impact.


    "MAAGH!"


    A bloodcurdling scream came from La''s mouth. One of the fingers were bent in a wrong way, its surroundings blue.


    She pulled her hands away again, but was forced to put them on the ground, due to the beating she received on her guts. It took two more beatings for her to stop pulling her hands. The officer mmed on her hands without reserve from then on, and only stopped after he started panting.


    "Keep the wallet," he said and left with the other man.


    Zack rushed over to help his mother, but he could only cry at seeing what had happened to his mother.


    Seven of her fingers fit wrongly, and there were many cuts and bruises on her palm. It was a miracle she was still conscious. Zack managed to lift her up and, limping, they made their way to a hospital.


    Evan, for the first time in the past year, was not in La''s immediate presence.


    "No¡­ no¡­ this isn''t real¡­ this can''t be happening to La¡­ I can''t be dead either¡­ I lived with her for so long. This whole thing''s just a bad dream¡­"


    Evan was lying on the ground, his hands covering his ears. The helplessness of death came to haunt him again.


    "No¡­ This can''t go on. You''re dead¡­ you''ve been dead for the past ten years¡­ ept it already."


    Bit by bit, his rationality destroyed the delusion his mind so carefully created. He was forced to meet with reality.


    "I''m fucking dead¡­ didn''t I get over this before? Why am I going through this shit again?"


    His whining tone change into anger.


    "What''s the point of my existence? God! Why!? I can see anything I want in the world, but I can''t affect it? What kind of bullshit is that?"


    Evan started screaming at the sky.


    "If you kill me, then kill me properly! Why do I have to suffer alone?!"


    Despairingly, with each word, he could feel his head bing clearer and clearer.


    "If it''s like this, then at least take my emotions! Why can I love and care like any other person, but I''m doomed to feel them only by myself!?"


    He thrashed at the ground, but he only felt more miserable knowing no one could hear his outburst.


    A thought shed through his mind at that moment.


    "If only I was still alive¡­"


    If only he were alive, he''d have everything in his hands. And his everything wasn''t something so big. He would''ve been happy if he had La. That was all he needed to be happy.


    "And I''d be able to protect her too."


    ¡­


    Evin''s mind was forced out of the scene. He was back to the information receiving state, and he could finally take a breather. He had to stop the stream of information that followed afterwards, or else he feared he''d get overwhelmed by it all.


    He then noticed he was having trouble breathing.


    "Fuck¡­"

 Chapter 205 - The Final Empress

    *****


    The third vision entered Endra''s mind.


    This time, he did not find himself in any fancy ce. He was on a t in, with a few pir-like cliffs rising from the ground near him. There were at least a hundred of these pirs, and they seemed to be arranged in a certain shape, but Endra couldn''t tell exactly.


    The sight made him think that the spot was not naturally made. But why would anyone do something like this, he couldn''t say.


    He patiently waited for the vision to show its characters, while he thought about the previous vision. For whatever reason, it was taking a while.


    ''After a century of living in the new world, the Twelve managed to resurrect themselves using some kind of ritual¡­ But their souls were tampered by the Empress, so they were forced to act out of their control. They were forced to act as proper Cmities¡­''


    That sounded like a good enough summary, but there were more details he had to consider.


    ''But it''s also likely that they were under control when they were the Hivemind in the first ce. They didn''t say it explicitly, but they made it obvious enough.''


    They had to write a fake guide on how to summon them, and because of that, it was also possible they were forced to do the ritual. Sure, their original goal was to reincarnate somehow, but Endra made an assumption that they wanted to stay as the Hivemind.


    He had no evidence, but he could see the advantages of staying as one giant, connected brain.


    The main reason were the Runes he saw on the pirs. More specifically, how little he knew of them. Granted, he wasn''t a specialist, and the kingdom was especially stingy about imparting knowledge on Runes, but he at least knew every Supporting Rune. They were the basics of the basics, after all.


    If he could describe Main Runes as the skeleton and organs of a body, then Supporting Runes were the blood and flesh that filled in all the gaps. Without them, a mage could never make a functioning Talisman or device.


    On the pir, there were Supporting Runes he could recognize. But there were also some that he couldn''t. That alone spoke volumes about how magically advanced the Hivemind was.


    Theirplexity and variety rivaled the Runes that modern mages used.


    In only one century, they were able to produce results that rivaled what it took 15 centuries for all the other countries. Granted, the Hivemind were piloted by the collective consciousness of twelve of the strongest mages of the era before the Empress, but even then, their progress was insane.


    ''I guess it''s a good thing that the Hivemind are no more¡­ Or should I say that it''s a great loss?''


    Endra pondered about an alternate history where the Hivemind survived, but soon got back on track.


    ''What''s the third vision going to be about?''


    Slowly, shadows appeared on the field. One by one, the Twelve Cmities appeared. Their appearance and clothing were not of the time they left the Hivemind''s ruined Capital, nor did they resemble what they wore before the Empire.


    They looked more worldly.


    They weren''t particrly doing anything, though. Except, all their necks were crooked slightly. They were all looking towards something up above.


    Endra followed their gaze, and saw up there the Final Empress.


    He found himself kneeling instinctively, but he still could not pull his eyes away from her.


    He saw many depictions of the goddess, but he felt that none of them could capture an iota of her essence. But that felt understandable. The depictions could only describe her appearance. If he waspletely objective, the Empress was not a celestial beauty able to topple kingdoms with her face alone.


    Even her clothing leaned towards modesty. She was wearing a simple ck robe, which was apanied by essories of dark golden shine. A hairpin, a ne, and a chest ornament made from a joining of circr motifs.


    Beautiful clothing, but nothing mind-blowing.


    So, was it her gaze and expression that forced others to bow down to her instinctively? Not really. The Empress''s gaze was sharp, and the slight golden hueing from her eyes definitely gave her a divine feel, but Endra was not unfamiliar with such mythical beings. To him, the stormy-eyed woman who sent him here was more impressive.


    But there were few visual details that were proof of her divinity.


    Endra couldn''t tell how it was possible, but her jet-ck hair flowed in an ethereal, almost liquid way. Countless lights shone unevenly inside it, giving them a majestic and celestial look. Endra was convinced that a universe was contained in them somewhere.


    Then there were her hands.


    Seeing them, Endra''s head hurt. It was as if her hands were constantly blurred. Even when they moved a slight bit, afterimages would appear in their trail.


    ''The Myriad Arm Goddess¡­''


    Another title of the Empress popped up in his head.


    If her title were to be trusted, the Empress had countless arms attached to her two shoulders. They didn''t need to have space to amodate them each though. Simr to what happened to the objects that spirits touched, they could exist while ovepping with each other, hence the after-image-like, blurry effects.


    But those were things that everyone could learn.


    The thing that put the Empress above everyone else was simple. It was so simple, that there wasn''t even a need to think so much about it. She felt different.


    Even a human like Endra, who was said to have the worst instincts among animals, could feel the simple difference of status.


    The Empress exuded an aura that rivaled the cosmos.


    Then, an absurd thing happened. The Empress of the vision nced at Endra for a brief moment, before directing her attention towards the Twelve Cmities.


    "Well," she spoke with a smile on her face. "How have you liked my little world?"


    The question could''ve been for Endra, but he knew it wasn''t so.


    "Just kill us already," one of the Twelve, Lan, groaned.


    "Such a waste," the Empress hummed. She seemed to enjoy the situation. "How could I do something like that when you''ve so graciously put yourselves in my hand?"


    "Then what do you want from us? Just for experiments?"


    "For the most part, yes. Simple things, really. How would a race who could share their thoughts progress, what kind of magic will you all be able to develop and how fast, how would the peak of the old age fit into the new world¡­ Things of that nature."


    "Thatst one didn''t go so well, did it?" the Sinmother added with a bitter chuckle.


    "Yes. Although you all are forced to act the way you do, your powers are too much to handle for others. It''s a boring solution, but I must impose hard restrictions on the stronger beings of the continent. The godlings shall not be able to leave their homes, and the countries shall learn the Oaths to control their mages."


    "Good for them¡­ but what will happen to us?" the Father of Beasts spoke.


    "You have no more questions?" the Empress tilted her head. "As old acquaintances, I feel that I at least owe you some answers."


    The Twelve looked among each other and they shook their head. Even Lan, who seemed the most hot-headed of the bunch, only sighed slowly.


    "We''ve had a lot of time think," Ori spoke. "I''m sure each of us have reached our own conclusions."


    "Is that so?"


    The Empress looked disappointed, but she seemed to have expected the oue.


    "Then I won''t keep you waiting any longer."


    A sickle materialized in her hand as she descended to the ground. Its curves were much more acutepared to normal sickles, and its edge had an eerie sheen to it. She graciously held it with one of her hands.


    Then, some of her hands rose slowly and pointed at the Twelve Cmities. Endra could count eleven of them, and they were pointing at everyone by Ori.


    "I Deny you your bodies."


    Decreeing so, the Empress cut off the eleven hands with her sickle.


    The moment the arms were cut off, only Ori and the Empress were left behind on the ne. From the others, only their clothes remained. The eleven arms fell to the ground unceremoniously and turned to dust.


    "Khgh!" Ori grimaced as she fell on the ground, clutching her head.


    It did not take her long to start frothing at the mouth, her whole body shaking uncontrobly. "Take them out! Please!"


    Despite the girl''s suffering, the Empress watched impassively from above her. She wore a stern expression, but there was something else in it. ''You deserve this,'' the expression seemed to say.


    Endra could not understand why the Empress would think that.


    Ori''s seizure stopped. She was still, but from her groans Endra could tell she was awake.


    "Sit," the Empress ordered.


    Sluggishly, the girl assumed a seiza positions.


    "This is revenge for Von."


    "I understand," Ori managed.. "We are forever regretful for the fall of your nation."

 Chapter 206 - Hope And Despair

    Endra watched the scene with bated breath.


    "The goddess in me tells me I should be benevolent, but I am still¡­ a woman. I will not forgive you."


    "¡­"


    "I contemted killing you, but as I''ve said, it''s a waste of talents," the Empress continued.


    "We will dedicate our talents to the Empire," Ori said, knowing it was her only chance of living.


    "Don''t speak so irresponsibly," the Empress warned. "As long as I live, I will not allow you to die, and of course, you Twelve must share that body until the end of time. Of course, you''ll do whatever I tell you to do."


    Ori bit her lips, but she didn''t falter. She nodded and bowed her head.


    The Empress nodded back. She epted the Twelve''s loyalty. She continued.


    "Regarding you work, Alvox may look safe and peaceful, but even as we speak, foreign forces lurk beyond our doorstep. You shall search for them and destroy."


    "Otherworlders?"


    Ori sounded familiar with the concept.


    "Yes. What I''m about to tell you cannot be revealed to anyone else. ----- ----- -----."


    The Empress''s words turned into something iprehensible. Endra was a bit confused, but he guessed that Twelve must''ve blocked that part of the vision.


    "We will do as you say," Ori spoke softly. She seemed shaken by what she just heard.


    "Then I shall not waste your time further. Report to Two Tales if you find something relevant."


    "Yes, Empress."


    "Good," the Empress nodded.


    Then, her body started to disappeared bit by bit from the bottom. Endra frowned, not understanding what was happening at first, but he guessed she was teleporting away.


    ''I guess she doesn''t need to use portals like the rest of us. She can just turn herself to particles and recreate herself somewhere else¡­ But in that case, what''s the difference between her being everywhere but nowhere at the same time?''


    Ori, who was left behind, seemed to be lost in thought. Endra was also left behind with questions, such as what was the point of these visions. It felt like the Twelve were only showing their history to him at this point.


    But just before the Empress left, she spoke something, as if she was just remembering them.


    "Oh, before I leave¡­ Considering your knowledge and expertise, I know you Twelve will probably try something to split your soul again."


    Endra''s ears perked up.


    ''Oh, this is the part I''ve been waiting for!''


    "We¡­" Ori started but the Empress cut her off.


    "Don''t bother."


    Terribly casually, the Empress shook her head.


    ''Why? There must be an exnation, right?''


    "As Hex and Magi of the age before, we primarily used our own souls as base and fuel for magic. For that reason, it was natural for us to strengthen our own souls either through virtuous or diabolic methods. It was also a time when the soul of amon man was no different thanmodity, ready to be traded, assimted, or stolen."


    "Thews of magic have changed. Mana reced souls as the primary source of magic. Souls and bodies shall be irreceably interconnected. If I pull out any of the souls inside you, they''ll be dead in minutes. I''m sure you''ve felt it, right?"


    "Yes¡­"


    "Actually¡­ try to do it. It might work somehow. But don''t be reckless."


    ''This is bullshit¡­''


    The Empress''s body fadedpletely after the short remark.


    Just like that Endra''s answers were given to him.


    Darkness engulfed his vision, and he woke up on the couch he''d fallen asleep on. It was the end of his visions. Endra spent a few moments in silence, but he pulled himself together.


    ''This can''t be all...'' he told himself.


    He looked around. Evin was still sleeping on his couch, and Twelve was reading on a chair nearby.


    She took notice of his awakening, and put down her book.


    "So it''s not that you prefer to stay in body, you''re forced to be in one."


    Endra knew he was speaking something dumb, but he couldn''t care.


    "Yes. And like she said, we tried many ways to separate ourselves."


    "And she said it so casually too. As if it was an afterthought."


    "Some of us felt wronged about that as well," Twelve smiled. "But such is the life of mortals such as us."


    "I don''t think you''re qualified to say that."


    Endra''s voice was more hostile than he intended, but Twelve did not mind.


    "You''re probably right, but it''s hard for me to think like that." She didn''t exin why. "Anyhow, I''m sure you have many questions. Don''t hesitate to ask them. After all, the boy''s still asleep."


    ''Questions? What good will questions do for me?''


    Endra sighed and thought about the offer. His brain started working on various theories, despite himself. He looked her in the eye and asked softly.


    "Is it really impossible to separate?"


    He knew it was weak of him to be this persistent, but he couldn''t stop his head from thinking like this.


    "It is impossible. The Empress did not waste 11 of her arms as a show of strength. She only dered that she denied our bodies, but her magic works the same as chants. What she deres shall always be reality, but she can also influence or alter their effects with her will."


    "But there are cases of soul transnts working, right? The kingdom does many experiments on the subject after all. And some of their golems seem to take on life as well."


    "Ah, that," Ori said. "Have you spoken to such a golem, or a soul-swapped person?"


    "Yes¡­ It was a golem¡­" Endra realized. "I first heard about the Princess of Denial from it! But how would it be able to know the name? She even banned you all from uttering it."


    "Yes. Soul transnts work. Technically. However, the original soul disappears as the Empress intended. But for whatever reason, another soul, usually from the age before the Empire appears in the intended host body. Of course, they''re usually deranged due to the long period they spent living as a soul, so it''s hard to call them functional."


    Endra nodded slowly at that statement. If their spiritual state was something simr to his, then he could see them going insane eventually. Type 12 mostly acted the same way, after all¡­


    ''But what about Type 13?''


    "There was a case of sess once¡­ I heard it before. It was a professor named Heim Morton, who managed to transnt its consciousness into a golem."


    "Don''t get your hopes up," Twelve sighed. "That may sound like a sessful case, but it''s not. It''s likely just a rtively sane soul pretending to be someone else."


    "But that doesn''t exin their capabilities and knowledge. If it was a impostor, then why can it so adeptly live as the original?"


    Endra felt a surge of hope, following this trail of logic.

 Chapter 207 - Choice

    But contrary to Endra''s hopefulness, Twelve was a bastion of calmness and eptance.


    "Then let me ask you this. You see a woman hanging dead on a rope. But when you bring her down, sure, you see some of the rope marks on her neck, but you also see a fainter trail made by something much thinner than a rope. What''s her cause of death?"


    "Strangling?" Endra asked.


    "And how do you know that?"


    Endra thought about the question, and frowned.


    "I think anyone could tell that with some thought."


    Endra knew he was being stubborn. And he knew what Twelve was trying to say.


    "Then with some thought, you can also understand what I''m trying to say."


    Endra frowned, being read so easily.


    ''The golem acting as Heim Morton is a spirit who spent an ungodly amount of time next to the professor¡­ So much so that when he suddenly finds himself in the man''s body, he can perfectly act as the man himself. And it''s possible for them to be still sane, since I''m living proof that spirits can stay functional. Kind of.''


    "But¡­"


    "Give it up," Twelve said.


    Endra wanted to retort, but he couldn''t find the words.


    ''Am I doomed to be a voice in the boy''s head forever?''


    The thought sent a chill down his spine. He sighed, but it came out as almost a whimper.


    ''No¡­no, no,'' he shook his head. ''It''s your destiny to receive the short end of the stick,'' he told himself. ''In fact, it was a mistake to get so excited about this whole thing in the first ce.''


    ''Set your expectations to zero and you''ll never get disappointed. Isn''t that the only reason you managed to stay sane on Earth?''


    Most of Endra''s undeath, he spent fighting against hope. He knew the emotion would be better off dead considering his situation. Unfortunately, the damn thing was persistent. No matter how many times it was smashed to pieces, it came back to gnaw at his heart as if nothing had happened.


    But every time Endra decided to fall into hope, he''d be left broken or half-insane. He''d think he would learn his lesson after all that, but every time, he''d find himself grasping at that drug known as hope.


    Even now, after all that Twelve said to him, it was offering solutions to his problem.


    ''It''s not the end of the tunnel,'' something at the back of his mind was saying. ''The Empress¡­ Yes! The Empress should be able to help!''


    Endra did not care if it was possible or not. No, it should be possible, since she''s a goddamn goddess and all. Since she had myriad arms, she wouldn''t mind sacrificing one for Endra, right?


    "Well, I suppose the only choice I have left is to go bug the Empress about it."


    He said almost as a joke. But it was a possibility, so he couldn''t cut the hope from his voice.


    But Twelve did not affirm or deny him, and instead asked a question.


    "Hmm, in the vision," Twelve said, pondering. "After she said that no one can listen to whatever she''s about to say¡­ did you catch what she said?"


    Endra guessed she was talking about the moment when the Empress''s voice distorted.


    ''The Empress seemed to nce at me for a moment there¡­ does that mean she could choose to reveal the information if she wanted to? But she didn''t, so what does that mean?''


    "No, I didn''t. It was unintelligible to me."


    ''Why? Is it important?''


    Twelve fell into thought at the remark.


    "Are you trying to say that she knew what we were doing here?" Endra asked, hoping he didn''t sound as desperate as he was feeling.


    "Mm¡­" she nodded. "But since she didn''t allow you to hear, I don''t think she''ll ept your request¡­"


    "Why?"


    Twelve only shrugged.


    ''Of course, she doesn''t need to answer every little question. And usually, I''m not someone who''s this talkative either¡­ Am I acting like this because she''s the first person who I''ve talked to besides Evin? No, I talked to Be and Edmund before¡­ Argh, my mind''s all over the ce.''


    "But you have another choice on your hands," she continued slowly.


    Endra''s ears perked up again.


    "Another choice?"


    "Yes. Moreover, it''s only avable to you in the World of Souls."


    Twelve smiled sadly after the remark, and pulled out a knife. Its edge held the same eerie feel as the Empress''s sickle. She offered the knife to him.


    "¡­"


    ''Ah¡­''


    "Kill the boy''s soul and take over his body. And, this is the only chance you have. Outside the World of Souls, there''s no chance of you overpowering the boy."


    Twelve''s words were enticing. Taunting, even, but her tone was filled with reluctance. Endra didn''t know why she was doing this, but he could tell she didn''t want to put Endra through this.


    ''Fuck.''


    Endra desperately wished he was someone who could tell Twelve to piss off with that offer of hers. Someone who could look at the years ahead of living as a voice in someone''s head and onlyugh at it all.


    Laugh at his circumstances and not let a bit of it bother him.


    But he wasn''t someone like that. He wasn''t a hero of a fairytale. In fact, he was closer to a viin. He was weak and he was tempted.


    ''I''m even surprised I didn''t think of it before¡­'' he smiled self-depreciatingly.


    Pushing down his conscience, he took the knife from Twelve''s hand.


    "Why?" He couldn''t help but ask.


    "Does it matter?" Twelve tilted her head.


    Endra had no answer to it.


    ''Fuck, fuck, fuck¡­''


    "Do whatever you wish," Twelve sighed. "Take the opportunity, waste it, or perhaps do somethingpletely out of my expectations."


    She got up from her seat and quickly walked towards her room.


    "Fuck¡­ fuck¡­ fuck¡­"


    Endra was left muttering curses under his breath.


    It was ironic. His whole undeath, he spent wishing for the power to influence life. But now that the opportunity presented itself, he found himself not wanting it.


    "Truly, humans change quickly," he whispered to himself. "I''m sure the me of ten years ago would''ve stabbed the boy in the head already. He wouldn''t even care if the boy''s still a damn baby. He''d consider it a mercy, even."


    He wondered what happened during those ten years that he no longer considered that choice so obvious.


    "No¡­" he found himself whispering. "Nothing much has happened."


    *****

 Chapter 208 - Death (pt.7)

    *****


    Evin felt his surroundings change abruptly. A scene was about to ur.


    Soon, he found himself standing near La''s bed. He felt tired and overwhelmed, but he had no power to stop these scenes. He couldn''t even stop the constant string of memories for much long.


    An older, much more haggard La was lying on the bed, looking resolutely at her two children.


    Her hand was wrapped in clean bandages, the shape under it mutted. Two of her right-hand fingers were missing, while a part of her left hand had caved in wrongly.


    After the incident with the police officers, the family hoped it would heal naturally after a while, but such a thing did not ur. Some of the crushed parts started to rot after a week, forcing them to sever it. And even then, La was forced to live in agony, as her hand continued to torment her with phantom pain even after all these years.


    Evin could sympathize with her, knowing how painful it was to live with a missing limb. He could only thank the existence of magic for lessening his burdens.


    Sighing, he looked at the rest of the people in the room.


    Evan was sitting on the bed, hugging her. The spirit''s outward appearance remained the same, but on the whole, he was a very different person. He had finally epted his circumstances. His tendency to pretend that he was a living person, interacting with La and her children had ceased; he stopped trying to do something for La and her children; and he was okay with making contact with others.


    But Evan was still changing. Even though he understood his circumstances, he couldn''t ept it from the bottom of his heart. He still faltered and he still hoped for things to change.


    Zack and Penelope were standing near the bed, smiling gently at their mother. Zack was already 20 and married, while Penelope was almost 18. Zack had grown into an admirable young man, with a great sense of responsibility, while Penny was showing her brilliance as a mortician.


    For the past years, La dictated everything she knew to the two children,piling everything she knew in a book. Due to her mutted hand, it was mostly Penelope, who wrote it for her so she ended up the most knowledgeable in the matter.


    Zack was traumatized due to the incident with the police officers, but managed to gather himself. Most of it was thanks to his new wife, a chance customer of their new business.


    Of course, after what happened, they could not work as forensic experts in the police. Instead, La''s children started a funeral business for the wealthy. Aside from the moremon services of a mortician such as burying or burning, they also offered services of embalming, or mummifying wealthy persons.


    But that that was not the story for today.


    "Zack, Penelope,e here for a bit," La gestured.


    The two approached their mother with a look of love and care. They did not know what she wished to talk about, but their mother''s serious attitude forced them to stay silent.


    "I am nning to end myself this night," La said with a smile.


    ''Mm¡­'' Evin nodded.


    Evan also knew it wasing. La lived in endless pain. She managed to hide most of it from her two children, but of course, she couldn''t hide her grimaces of pain and the fever induced nights of agony from Evan. The more it happened, the more Evan was convinced that she was nning to end herself. A resolute glint had taken root in her eyes, growing stronger every year.


    Of course, the spirit''s expression was calm, hearing her intentions. Perhaps he even looked forward to it.


    "What?" Zack and Penelope could not understand their parent''s words and could only answer in a shocked and panicked voice.


    "I have nothing left to do in this world, I''ve taught you everything I know of and I''ve left a book to continue the legacy of the Lockhoover family. I''ve paid my debt to my father. The knowledge persists. I can finally leave peacefully."


    "Just because you''re done with your work, doesn''t mean you can talk of dying like that!" Zack shouted in response. "Did you take us in just because you wanted to teach us your methods and nned to end yourself afterwards?"


    "Don''t be unfair," La replied, a cold smile on her face.


    It was unfair of her to say that.


    Hearing her simple answer, Zack could not think of anything to say. It was, after all, because of him that La ended up like this. If only he could keep his darned hands still, none of this would have happened.


    "Besides, the pain in my arm would kill me sooner orter. I''ve learned to hide the grimaces and groans, but I don''t wish to live such a life," La said decisively. There was no hesitation in her voice.


    "Please¡­ don''t do this! Stay with us! Please!" Penelope started begging her mother as tears streamed across her face.


    La tried to caress her head, but she inevitably flinched, fearing the iing pain. She tried her best to ignore it and raised her daughter''s head with her two bandaged limbs. She kissed her on the forehead and spoke.


    "I love you two with my heart and I will always look after you from beyond. Although it pains me, your tears and pleas will not change my decision¡­"


    She wiped the tears off Penelope''s eyes.


    Of course, it took a long time for the two children to give in to their mother''s decision. Of course, they never epted it. Zack wanted to ransack the house and rid it of poisons, but his quick wits told him that La would be prepared for such a reaction.


    Penelope cried her heart out for the longest time, but after an hour, an awkward silence ensued inside the room. How was one supposed to talk to someone who had nned out her death?


    La eventually spoke.


    "Thank you for respecting my decisions. Now leave,e back in the morning and tell the police that I must''ve mistaken my pills. The concoction that relieves my pain does not look so different from the disinfectant I use to clean bodies in the darkness. I don''t want you two to be prosecuted for my attempt at death. Now leave," La urged.


    The two children were speechless at their mother''s calmness, but they could understand her. In fact, when faced with something like this their reaction was the calmestpared to others. As people who worked with dead bodies every day, they couldn''t help but think of the concepts of life and death very deeply.


    In the end, they decided to respect their mother''s decision.


    "Thank you for telling us beforehand," Penelope muttered out, and left.


    A while after her children left, La sat in her armchair silently, trying to ignore the pulsating pain that came from her battered arms.


    Gently sighing, she slowly dragged herself onto her bed and started wing at the surrounding things, making a mess of the covers to make the scene look like the aftermath of a panicked struggle. The bandages that held her hands together became undone and an unnaturally ck blood bled from her hands. She whimpered from the unbearable pain, but she didn''t stop until she was satisfied with her ''case''.


    "It''s a bit sloppy, but it''s enough to convince those idiot pigs..." she smiled.


    She then took out a small steel bottle from between her breasts, carefully pulled at the cork on top of it, and began to inhale its contents. Gradually, the pain disappeared and was reced with growing excitation. Her eyelids became heavier and heavier and just before she lost consciousness, she drank a mouthful of the embalming fluid she made.... as a tribute to her father.

 Chapter 209 - Death (pt.8)

    Evan let go of her and sat on the floor nearby. His face was still, but his eyes shone with anticipation.


    Evin followed suit. The two who could not be heard or seen or felt, silently watched the woman die from the poison. At least thanks to the liquid she inhaled, she didn''t need to suffer through the pain.


    Evin wondered if La would turn into a spirit like Evan hoped.


    "How long is it going to take her to die in the first ce?" he wondered audibly.


    ''I hope it takes at least a few hours¡­ At least I don''t have to receive Evan''s memories anymore¡­''


    Evin sat on the floor, regretting his decisions. He should not have taken Twelve''s offer to go through Endra''s past.


    What did he expect? A heroic story of the cynical man trying his best to get transported to another world? The life of a yboy billionaire, who spent his entire life in luxury and pleasure?


    It was Endra. Of course it was going to suck. How else would someone end up with such a shitty personality?


    ''But¡­ Evan''s still not close to bing Endra.''


    How long was he trapped in this ce?


    Evin was already tired of the experience. He felt weak, thinking that he wasn''t even able to witness Endra''s life as strings of information. He felt like he was throwing a tantrum, like a child who refused to read a book.


    And the worst part was, he was only going through this for a few days at most. Some scenes took up a long time, and although the information came in at a rapid pace, it still contained countless details.


    After all, it was describing a person''s entire life. Thest surge of it was especially bad, with most of the information describing a terribly bleak time for Evan.


    ''Sigh¡­ If I''m acting like this after a few days, how was it like for Endra himself?'' he wondered.


    He stole a nce at the haggard Evan, whose whole body reeked of dried sweat and rancid dirt, and decided that it was pretty bad.


    Evin smiled wryly. "Shit."


    ''What''s the point of me seeing this in the first ce?''


    "Twelve said¡­ what did she say again? She said it wasn''t needed for me to see these memories, but there was something else she said¡­ Ah, it was only to sate my curiosity."


    "Shit," Evin cursed.


    Sighing, he lied on the floor.


    "Well, at least I know why he''s so damn desperate to separate and live his own life," he murmured. "I''d probably also get pissed if I lived as a spirit for who knows how long and then found myself in some baby''s head."


    He giggled.


    "It''s probably be the same for you, eh?" he then said, looking at Evan.


    Thetter did not respond.


    It dawned on Endra, what he was doing.


    ''Fuck, I''m going crazy.''


    He got up, shook his head, and started thinking of other things to distract himself.


    His eyes fell on La.


    Despite how he acted, he sympathized with the woman a lot. He himself went through a lot during the first few weeks after he had his foot cut off. All sorts of thoughts had filled his head back then. If his pain did not subside, he was sure he''d think of ending his life, instead of suffering like that day in and day out.


    ''Suicide, huh¡­'' Evin frowned.


    It felt like it only now dawned on him that someone died right next to him. Even though he watched it happen in front of him, he felt so emotionless somehow. Perhaps he acted like this because he knew it wasn''t real. Well, it was real, since it did happen, but it happened ages go.


    But even so, he should at least feel something, right?


    ''There''s something wrong with me¡­'' he frowned again.


    Maybe he was feeling like this because of his experience these past few days, bereft of any hint of hope and bliss¡­ constantly bombarded by the crushing past of Endra. Perhaps it was natural he''d go numb with all this gloom surrounding him.


    ''What is the point of all this?'' he couldn''t help but wonder again.


    "Kah-k''!"


    La started choking.


    Her body convulsed all over the bed, her expression distorting with each shudder. Evin could only hope she was still unconscious. Soon, she stopped struggling and her breathing stopped.


    Evan got up next to him and observed La''s body intently.


    Then, his expression shifted into shock.


    "La?" the man uttered and ran next to the body.


    Evan moved as if he was holding someone in his hands¡­ but in Evin''s eyes, nothing was happening.


    "La!" Evan shouted with tears in his eyes! "Are you confused? D-don''t worry I''ll exin everything to you!"


    Hope and excitement filled Evan''s voice.


    Evin could only grimace at the scene, realizing what was happening. Evan was obviously hallucinating.


    ''This is hard to watch¡­'' he thought to himself.


    He worried for Evan, wondering how long the spirit could keep the illusion going. And what would happen at the end of it all, when he realized that everything was a lie.


    But Evin''s fears turned out to be unneeded, as a tone of desperation appeared in Evan''s voice.


    "La? What''s happening to you?"


    Evan''s hands scrambled in the air. It was as if he was trying to collect someone''s scattered pieces back together.


    "Nononononono¡­ noooo...!" Evan started wailing.


    ''This is fucking worse, isn''t it?'' Evin muttered. ''This gives him hope¡­''


    Without realizing that he was just hallucinating, how long would Evan cling to this hope dangling in front of him? Seeing La turning into a spirit, he would endlessly chase dead people, hoping to chance upon a spirit that can stay in the world of living like himself.


    Evin bit his lips, looking at the mad spirit crying on the floor.


    Slowly, the scene started to fall apart. Feeling like shit once again, Evin was brought back to the state where he endlessly received information about Endra''s past.


    "Fucking stop!" he shouted, despite himself.


    "Let me out! I''ve seen enough!"


    He was ready to scream until his voice was coarse, but the stream of memories he was expecting did not appear.


    His consciousness was pulled at again, and he woke up in the World of Souls.


    Confused, he looked around and found Endra ying with an eerie looking knife in his hands.

 Chapter 210 - Murder

    Evin didn''t know why he was suddenly pulled away from Endra''s past, but he decided it was for the best.


    "Hello," he greeted Endra, but he immediately noticed that something was off.


    Endra''s expression was wrong. His eyes were glued to the knife twirling in his hands, and in his expression a look of grim resolution could be seen.


    "What did you see in your Soul Tree?" Evin asked cautiously.


    "Some pieces of history¡­" Endra shrugged with a wry smile. "How the Twelve Jokes came to be, the origin of the Hivemind, what was the world like before the Empire¡­ Oh, I''ve also seen the Empress. She really did have a lot of arms. She cuts off some of them when she needs to cast world-destroying magic."


    Endra gestured widely with one hand as he said that, but he seemed to be avoiding eye contact.


    "Did you learn anything about separating our souls?" Evin went to the point.


    "Ah¡­ Kind of."


    "And?"


    Endra stopped twirling the knife in his hand, before sighing loudly. "Well, long story short, it''s impossible. It''s something against thews of Alvox. Perhaps the Empress can do something about it, but that''s¡­ practically impossible. As you know."


    Evin bit his lips at the news. He could now understand why Endra was acting like this. Honestly, this was what he wanted, but even then, he couldn''t help but feel bitter about it all.


    ''But what''s with the knife?''


    A bad feeling welled up in Evin''s heart.


    "What did you see in your Soul Tree?" Endra asked.


    Evin debated saying a lie, but he felt he should be honest today.


    "I saw your past."


    Endra''s eyes went wide for a second. "All of it?" But he still did not look at Evin directly.


    "Until La''s suicide."


    "Ah¡­ Heh, it''s embarrassing to think about, somehow."


    "How long did you stay as a ghost, anyway?"


    Endra did not like to talk about his past. Usually.


    "Roughly 300 years?" Endra sighed. "Perhaps around 200 in Alvox''s time."


    "What did you do during those times?"


    "Simr things as what I did when I was with La. I''d stick to one person and see how they live out their life. And when they die, I''d move on to the next person."


    "All women?" Evin chuckled.


    "Yes, all women," Endra sighed. "Nowy off. Actually, they were all very interesting people. It''s just a coincidence that they allcked a dick, alright?"


    "Sure, sure."


    "They were very interesting! Thest one was this one Russian girl. She had bad gambling problems¡­ Hmm¡­ I wonder if it''s okay to talk about this? Ah, whatever, she wouldn''t mind. She even brags about it to her friends now." Endra grinned.


    "Anyway, she rued thousands in debt from loan sharks, got into prostitution under her debtor''s business, got pregnant somehow, and they turned out to be twins. But in a miraculous twist of fate, she managed to escape her country and get a new chance at life. She even stopped gambling after all that."


    "Sounds like you''re just making it up."


    "I know, right. I had trouble believing at first too," Endra chuckled. "But after all that, she became seriously depressed. I don''t even know how it was possible. Logically, you''d think that someone so strong like her who overcame such harsh difficulties¡­ she wouldn''t fall into something like depression."


    "¡­"


    "Well, I can only guess that her previous experience left her traumatized."


    ''Do you always live together with such problematic people?'' Evin found himself thinking. ''Wait¡­ does that mean I''m also one of those problematic people?''


    He frowned, and decided not to think about it.


    "And how many women did you spend your time as a spirit with?"


    "Only eight," Endra shrugged. "Three hundred years might seem like a lot, but it''s only six generations. Except for La, who passed away early, the rest lived out a more fulfilled life."


    Evin nodded. He found himself fidgeting with his fingers. He wanted to find other topics to talk about, but he found it hard to focus. He knew that there was something else they needed to talk about, but he didn''t want to be the one to start the conversation.


    As he was in thought, Endra started twirling the knife in his hands again.


    "Well," Endra began. "I''m sure you''re wondering what''s next. What''s going to happen after all this, and what I''m going to do? And where I got this knife from."


    Evin nodded.


    Endra stopped twirling the knife in his hands and finally looked Evin in the eye. Evin shuddered, meeting the gaze. Inadvertently, he caught his breath and was unable to let go.


    "Sigh¡­ Twelve gave me a choice," he said. "Kill your soul here and I''ll be able to live on in your body¡­ or I do nothing, and we live on as if nothing had happened."


    Evin sharply exhaled the breath in his lung, imagining the knife sticking into his body.


    "Wait," he hurriedly said. "We''ll ask the Empress. I don''t know how long it''s going to take, but surely, we''ll get to that point eventually."


    Endra only shook his head. A choking pause ensued before he continued. "My mind''s already made."


    The knife still spun atop his hand, Endra smiling while holding it.


    Evin jumped up from the couch and fell behind it. Subconsciously, his core tried to gather mana, but nothing happened. His magic did not work in the World of Souls.


    "Ha-ha-ha, what''s with that reaction?" Endra said,ughing.


    "We can talk about this!"


    "No, no. You''re misunderstanding."


    Endra threw the knife in the air before catching it by its edge. He then approached Evin with slow, deliberate steps. Evin wondered if he should run further, but he decided to trust Endra.


    "Take it," Endra said, offering the knife.


    Evin knew he should do something, but he still found himself paralyzed. Seeing it, Endra shrugged and threw the knife in front of him. Something about the way it thudded on the wooden floor shook him awake. He reached for the knife and grabbed hold of it.


    "Now, stab me in the head with that," Endra grinned.


    *****

 Chapter 211 - Weakness

    Endra found himselfughing, looking at Evin''s shocked face. But he couldn''t me the boy.


    "Is this some kind of twisted joke?" Evin finally asked.


    "Unfortunately for you, no." Endra couldn''t wipe the grin off his face. "I''m just shamelessly pushing the responsibility of killing me to you."


    Endra himself didn''t know how serious he was being. He felt so terribly aloof. He felt so done with everything, thoughts such as ''It would be nice if Evin ends up killing me,'' were floating around in his head.


    Evin seemed to notice his thoughts. The boy calmed down slightly and spoke. "You can still stay with me. In my head."


    Endra did not need to think about the offer.


    "I''m done living that life," he shook his head. "There''s only so much I can tolerate in life."


    Endra didn''t mean he couldn''t tolerate Evin. He meant life as a voice in someone''s head in general. He probably should''ve rified that, considering the face Evin was making, but he couldn''t make himself speak.


    He didn''t even want to bring up the whole argument of Evin just wanting to use him as a spell-casting bot. He also didn''t want to think about how Evin got attached to him. It was all in the past.


    Today, he just wanted to perish. To invite the nothingness, despite the fear it induced in him.


    "Kill me, and let''s be done with this."


    Endra walked back to his couch and fell onto it with a relieved sigh. Evin was left behind him, probably still wearing that shocked face. Endra looked back and sure enough, the boy''s eyes were darting between the knife and him, his breath quivering.


    Endra thought long and hard about the choice he was offered.


    He couldn''t live on as a voice in Evin''s head. He just couldn''t.


    He also knew that the choice he made was almost as bad as him killing Evin. Who gave a 12-year-old boy a choice like that? Wasn''t it the adult''s job to take responsibility instead of the children?


    It was.


    He should''ve already stabbed himself, if he just wanted to die. He had no right to leave such a weight on Evin''s shoulders. In fact, he should''ve already killed himself.


    He knew he was acting like scum. In fact, scum was too light a word to describe him. He was a know-it-all baggage, who regarded himself the equal to half of humanity. Death was too good of an oue for him. The big man up in Earth''s sky seemed to agree as well.


    ''Just roll over and die, you scum. Why do you have to be so dramatic? Why oveplicate things?''


    But something about a quiet and peaceful death did not sit well with him. He even wanted to go make a fuss in Twelve''s room, but¡­ his survival instincts were still intact. So, as a proper and respectable member of society, he could only vent his anger on the 10-year-old boy.


    At this point, he wasn''t even sure if he was going to die here or not.


    "Please, stay with me," Evin spoke. "We can talk about this."


    "There are countless things we can talk about, but at the end of it all, it''ll end with you killing me. Perhaps some other day, I would''ve been happy to have those conversations, but not today," Endra replied, closing his eyes. "Talk to me when you''re ready. If you want to, you can just stab me. I won''t mind."


    ''Well, there''s that,'' he thought as heid on the couch with his eyes closed. ''The knife shoulde any second now.''


    Endra did not want to look at Evin. He didn''t want to talk to him, and frankly, he just wanted to disappear. He was now feeling the shame of the choice he made just now.


    It would be a lie if he said he wasn''t scared of death. He was still human. Technically, he was already dead, but he still struggled for a chance to live all these yearster. He didn''t know what to make of this.


    ''Just end it,'' he thought half seriously.


    But he had to open his eyes at Evin''s next words.


    "Fine, I''ll do it."


    Evin was holding the knife properly this time, looking at Endra with a gaze of determination and anger.


    ''I suppose it''s fair he''s pissed,'' Endra thought as he pushed himself into a sitting position.


    ''It would be great if he really does stab me,'' Endra thought half-heartedly. ''I wouldn''t have to make the choice and I wouldn''t have to go through the hassle of stabbing myself.''


    Resolving himself, he tried his best to control his expressions. He couldn''t show fear or hesitation in front of the kid and ruin the moment. After shoving the responsibility onto the boy, the least he could do was to ept his fate with dignity.


    Evin seemed to notice his change and walked towards him with deliberate steps. Endra did not bother standing up. It would''ve been morefortable for Evin to stab him as he was sitting down. He briefly mused if it was going to hurt, but decided it was best to not think about it.


    ''Though, he really made up his mind quickly,'' Endra wondered. ''Did it have something to do with the memories he saw?''


    In the end, it didn''t matter. Endra refused to think. He was going to die here now, and it would be best if he didn''t have regrets about it. But if he thought about things too deeply, the of course he was going to find grievances. Best not to dig up that hole.


    Evin appeared in front of him, holding the knife in that weird psycho reverse grip.


    ''You were clearly taught on how to properly hold a knife. Why do you need to hold it so emotionally?''


    The Vice-chair always advocated a forward grip, since it allowed for more range and also more finesse. In Endra''s experience the reverse grip allowed for more power while sacrificing some safety. But at the end of the day, they were mages. They could strengthen their cuts through other means. In the first ce, it would be best if they didn''t have to use a knife to fight.


    Clearing away the random thoughts, Endra sighed. ''I guess it doesn''t matter since I won''t be dodging anyway.''


    He looked at Evin, who was raising the knife in his hand, preparing for a swift strike. Endra wondered if Evin was going to miss for dramatic effect, but the knife''s edge was headed straight for his forehead.


    ''Huh.''


    Endra''s life did not sh past his eyes during that moment. Only the eerie edge of the knife filled his vision. Now that he thought about it, nothing of the sort happened when he first died back on earth.


    However, when the knife was an inch away from his head, Evin''s movement slowed down unnaturally. The moment of impact was dyed eternally, before Evin''s movement stoppedpletely. There wasn''t even a ripple in his gaze. The off colors in the World of Souls looked even bleaker than normal.


    Time stopped for Endra.


    He tried to frown, faced with the unknown urrence, but his body was not exempt from the phenomena''s effects. In fact, only his eyes seemed capable of moving.


    "Strive for eternity or strive for true death!" a woman''s voice echoed above.


    "Lest your wandering undeathes haunting you once more."

 Chapter 212 - Conclusion

    Endra''s mind nked at the familiar words. How could he forget the parting words of the woman who sent him to this world in the first ce?


    And of course, he spent countless hours wondering about its meaning when he first appeared in Evin''s head. All his thinking gave him one answer. If he half-assed his death in his next life, he''ll end up as a spirit in Alvox. He''ll be forced to go through the same thing we went through on Earth.


    ''No¡­''


    A sense of dread filled his entire being. .


    The time that stopped started to move once more. Colors filled the world again, and the knife in front of his face started elerating.


    Endra had to act quickly. With all his might, he pushed his body away from the knife''s trajectory. It barely missed his ears, but Endra ignored the close call and let Evin''s body stumble past him.


    The boy fell on the couch next to him, still holding the knife in his hand. He looked back at Endra, his eyes using Endra of making light of his determination.


    Endra looked down upon the boy, and a decision was made in his head. His body started moving, following a single, grave intention. His hand snatched the knife away from the flustered Evin and stabbed him in the back of the head. Evin did not receive the chance to retaliate. He did not even receive the option to question Endra. Before the boy could understand what was going on, he was forever silent.


    Endra did not dare to stab the boy in the heart or in the guts. As the coward he was, Endra chose the quickest method of killing. That way, he wouldn''t have to listen to Evin''s final words, and he wouldn''t need to make this moment harder than it needed to be. Dead people were dead. Their dying wishes were only a burden.


    What happened, happened. There was nothing to think about next. As the coward he was, Endra refused to feel guilt over his actions.


    "I refuse to die after all that trouble," Endra muttered to himself. "If anyone deserves to live, it''s me."


    He spoke to the words over and over again under his breath. There was no other way. How can he willingly fall into that hell he spent three centuries to escape? Who can say that he''ll be saved in this life?


    "No more¡­" he repeated to himself. "I will live out my own life, as I intended to at first. This is just a brief detour I needed to take. Nothing serious."


    The weight attached to his knife disappeared abruptly. He suddenly realized how tightly he was holding onto the knife.


    The wound on Evin''s head was shining bright blue, and the boy''s soul was phasing out of color. In a matter of seconds, Evin''s soul broke down into nothing and flew towards the sky.


    Seeing the scene, countless thoughts threatened to overwhelm Endra''s head, but he decisively pushed them all back.


    One by one, the doors inside the house opened up. The Twelve Cmities walked out of their rooms and headed outside in a messy fashion. They all passed by Endra as if he didn''t exist. Only Twelve bothered to approach him. She gently took away her knife from Endra''s hand and then pulled him away.


    "Let''s go back."


    Endra let himself be dragged away from the house, and they once again entered the Soul Tree shaped like a box. They all went out of the World of Souls and Endra''s consciousness reappeared in the real world. This time, he did not appear inside Evin''s space of consciousness, but inside Evin''s body. In control of it.


    He also felt the faint pulsations of paining from his metal foot, and the lingering stiffness he felt all over his body. He opened his eyes and was met with the bright rays of the sun, viciously assaulting his pupils. He frowned involuntarily, but his body was filled with glee.


    These were things that real, living people felt.


    He was finally alive.


    Despite the horror hemitted to live, he still found it hard to erase the grin forming on his face.


    "Wee to Alvox," the Twelve Jokes said from in front of him. "Properly this time."


    Endra couldn''t tell who was talking to him, but he assumed it was Twelve. Then, he remembered how time stopped briefly inside the World of Souls.


    "Was that you? Who shouted those words to me at thest moment?" he spoke, the words almost slurring.


    His body was very weak, so even talking felt taxing.


    "No," Twelve replied. "It was Four."


    ''The Sinmother¡­''


    "Why?" The moment he asked that, a thought passed his mind. "Was my only option to kill Evin?"


    Twelve did not answer. But the silence confirmed Endra''s guesses.


    "Was me surviving alone the only oue you could allow?"


    Again, silence. Endra was feeling hot-headed now.


    "Then why go through all this farce in the first ce? Those visions, my past, all of it!"


    "I know this sounds awfully like those clich¨¦ lines that prophets often say, but¡­ it needed to happen."


    "Why? At least tell me that. Don''t prophets always reveal the truth after everything''s over anyway?"


    Twelve sighed and started speaking. "Even without you killing the boy in the World of Souls, he would''ve died in a month regardless. There was nothing I could do about that. And to be honest with you, even if I could do something about it, I wouldn''t have. I mean, why would I? But I saw that if it was you who was alone in the boy''s body, you would''ve survived. I''m only saving what I can save."


    Hearing the words, Endra calmed down slightly. There was also a part of him that felt relieved. A part of his mind still felt guilty about the whole incident, but he silenced it immediately. It was what it was.


    "What''s going to happen to me next month?" he then asked Twelve.


    If he knew what wasing, he could deal with the problem more easily. It was something that Evin couldn''t deal with but he could. He wondered what it was.


    But Twelve''s answer was a figurative punch to his gut.


    "Nothing. And he wouldn''t have died next month either. I made up an excuse in your stead, so you''ll feel better about killing Evin and recing him. At least for a few seconds."


    "¡­"


    "You want to live and you don''t mind killing a child to achieve your wishes," Twelve said coldly. "You can believe the lie if you want to. It''s not impossible for something like that to happen. The Otherworlders will be giving you extra attention because of what you did, so perhaps one of their attacks will find their target¡­ But, it''s better for you to ept your ugliness and move on."


    Spoken to like that, Endra wanted to talk back, but anything he said would just be more excuses.


    Sshed with cold water, Endra nodded grimly. "I understand."


    "Good," Twelve''s expression turned soft. "Do you need help getting up?"


    Endra tried to get up, but stumbled down the ground. He felt like a newborn foal, just fallen out of his mother mare''s womb. He didn''t know if it was because he stayed inside the World of Souls for too long, or because he hasn''t been in control of a body for so long.


    The second guess couldn''t be right since his soul was shaped like a body, and he also moved Evin''s body around sometimes.


    Twelve grabbed his hand and pulled him up. "Entering the World of Souls is a tiring ordeal. You''ll get better when you get used to it, but for now, let''s get you some rest in the house."


    Endra nodded.


    The two made their way into the house, in which the Easterner was sitting inside, making food.


    "Rin."


    "Mistress," the man greeted, ncing at Endra. "Has your work been sessful?"


    "Yes. Anything happen while we were gone?"


    "There were a few birds which flew overhead. Finding it suspicious, I''ve shot them down and buried them under the ketricite. I''ve left one for you in your room."


    "Good," Twelve nodded. "Make some extra for us and bring them to my room."


    "Yes, mistress."


    Twelve entered the room she upied in the World of Souls.

 Chapter 213 - A Free Prophecy

    Twelve entered her room. She sat Endra down her bed and walked towards her desk. A dead sparrow was lying inside a ss box, kept unrotting thanks to the runes surrounding it.


    She immediately pulled it out of the box and started examining it. A minuteter, she levitated the bird atop her hand and it started dposing at a concerning rate. It took it only a second to be a skeleton, and another twenty for it to whittle down to dust.


    Endra waved the remaining cloud of the dead avian away from himself, unsure how he should feel about the scene.


    "We can talk till you''re feeling better," Twelve broke the silence.


    She was offering an exnation. Endra thought about what he should ask first, and decided on a question..


    "Why pick me?"


    "You were simr to us. Trapped in a situation you have no hope of escaping¡­ But if you want a more pragmatic answer, there''s also your experience and knowledge. The Empress does not care for the young or the old, nor the wronged or the sympathized. She only sees her people''s usefulness. And, as her loyal subject, I felt the need to keep you alive."


    The answer sounded wrong.


    "But for the past centuries, she hasn''t really utilized her people''s usefulness in any way. No? She just looms over us, the same way Earth''s gods do."


    "You misunderstand. You are always useful, especially since you use mana. But even if you''re a non-mage, you''d still be serving the Empress simply by existing. That''s all she ever needs from you."


    Endra frowned, thinking of the answer.


    The part of the vision, when the Empress was talking about how people before the Empire used souls to cast their magic, appeared in his head.


    "Before the Empire, was everyone able to use their souls to cast magic?" Endra asked.


    "Don''t think too much about it," Twelve dodged the question. "There''s nothing you can do about your situation. And as a mage, you receive a huge benefit from this arrangement also. And I must add that you''re one of the few people who use the benefit of magic to its utmost limit."


    Endra derived many conclusions from the answer.


    ''Before the Empire, everyone could cast magic by using their souls. I can''t tell how well, but they all had the potential. But when the Empress took control, she introduced mana as the main form of casting spells¡­ And from what I can guess, mana is much easier to use and much more widespreadpared to souls. This, of course, leads to a more magic-oriented society.


    ''The catch is that only a few people can interact with mana¡­ And since Twelve says that people are useful even if they only exist¡­ then perhaps the Empress created a simr system to Earth. From what Lord Kena told me, the Ruler of Earth stood atop every other world because only he and his chosen could utilize magical energy.


    ''They''re basically hoarding all the energy to themselves¡­''


    "I told you," Twelve sighed. "Don''t think so hard about it. And¡­ sigh, if you want another pragmatic answer, then I can tell you that the Empress shall soon be requesting some assistance from her people."


    "What? Why?"


    After asking, Endra felt the question was very rude, but he ignored the concern.


    "You''ve seen the visions. She''s not omnipotent. And it''s impossible for a ruler to do everything by herself. What''s the point of having an empire, otherwise?"


    "Which is why you saved me instead of Evin."


    "Sure," Twelve shrugged.


    Endra fell into thought. He did not feel honored nor delighted. A Goddess''s order did not sound like something he''d enjoy. She''d probably ask him to exterminate all xenomorphs or something ludicrous.


    ''Perhaps if it came with various benefits, I might look forward to it¡­''


    The more he thought about the possibility of rewards the more likely it sounded. The Empress could definitely do whatever she wanted with her subjects, but surely she was smart enough to reward them for their efforts.


    very did get stuff done, but a willingly working individuals had much better productivity after all.


    Rin knocked on the door, bringing food. Twelve let him in and the two had a meal. Endra felt his portion was too much, but he soon found that he was starving. He quickly finished two and a half servings and only then he felt full.


    "Are you feeling better now?" Twelve asked.


    Endra moved around ''his'' body and found he had no problems doing so.


    "Yes¡­ Thank you for your help and care."


    "Good. Then, let me talk about how you can repay me," Twelve smiled.


    Endra was taken aback by the words, but he quickly calmed down. Of course, nothing was free in this world. Experience told him that acting eager was best in these situations.


    "Of course. Whatever you wish."


    "It''s nothing so difficult," Twelve smiled. "And besides, Kena''s already paid on your behalf. I''m only reminding you to swear your loyalty to the Empress. He''s mentioned that to you, right?"


    ''Oh,'' Endra''s ears perked up.


    "Yes. But what exactly do I do as her loyal subject?"


    Twelve smiled at Endra''s reply and gave him a slip of paper. "At Ankelite city, meet a man named Heralt. He''ll tell you all about your new loyalty. Here''s his address."


    Endra put the piece of paper in his pocket and nodded. Then, a thought appeared in his head.


    ''Wait, am I going back to the kingdom as if nothing had happened?''


    One by one, Evin''s close ones appeared in his head. Lora, Be, Phel, Arza, Rith, Leanne¡­ His head started hurting, wondering what he was supposed to do now that Evin was dead. Was he supposed to just simply take over Evin''s life as if nothing had happened, or was he supposed to dere he was a new personality?


    The second options did not seem like a good idea. But there were a few people who he knew he needed to confess to. Be and Lora. A part of him felt that Phel and Arza would find out eventually as well. Same with the Chairman.


    ''Or maybe, I canpletely disappear from their lives? They''ll only think I went missing mysteriously¡­''


    "Are you thinking about the future?" Twelve inquired from the side.


    Endra was surprised by the Aspect''s intuition momentarily, before taking it as granted. Of course, someone who lived these countless years would be able to read his expressions with some effort.


    "Yes."


    "You should stay with the kingdom."


    "Pardon?"


    "Perhaps you''re thinking of disappearing, but that won''t end well for you."


    "¡­"


    "If you choose to run from the kingdom, the likelihood of you dying bes¡­ certain. You can live your life as you wish, but stay inside the borders of the kingdom. Think of it as receiving a free prophecy from me."


    Endra felt unsure, but he nodded regardless. "Thank you."

 Chapter 214 - The Future

    Twelve seemed satisfied, knowing Endra wouldn''t go against her instructions. Endra, of course, was not going to take the Aspect''s words lightly. Especially when she made her warning so obvious.


    ''Bah, all those useless fortune tellers¡­ A prophecy should be something like this, crystal clear with no room for misunderstanding. If I go to outside the kingdom, I''ll die. Awesome.''


    Twelve got up, patted the dust off her clothes and spoke. "Well, I''d love to keep youpany for longer, but we''re both busy people. Stay safe and enjoy Alvox."


    Endra also got onto his feet. The metal one almost gave up on him, but he managed to keep himself standing. Absorbing mana, he granted himself some strength..


    "I''ll be on my way, then."


    Honestly, Endra wanted to stay and talk a bit more, but he made sure not to overstay his wee. He nodded to Twelve and made his way outside.


    Outside the house, Endra looked at the odd mix of blue and dark gray. He still couldn''t get used the ketricite in. It was a bit better than the World of Souls, but it still felt unnatural to look at.


    On his back, Twelve was talking to her servant in Eastern. Endra couldn''t tell what they were discussing. Eventually, the servant nodded and destroyed the house behind them. Pieces of wood scattered across the ketricite in. Then, before Endra could say anything to them, they left through a portal.


    "I guess she really was in a hurry¡­" Endra murmured.


    He suddenly felt a bit regretful, since their conversations were only ever about abstract, almost-business-like topics; but he supposed he should feel happy enough to have gotten acquainted with an Aspect.


    He looked around himself once again, sighed, and started walking.


    Many thoughts swirled inside his head as he walked through the ketricite in. Although his destination was set, he still had to think about how he should get back. If he wanted to get back to the kingdom as fast as possible, he could go towards Nevernight city and ask a Cosmic to send him home.


    However, Endra was never going to take that path. He wanted to dy the trip as much as possible. At least he wanted to get there at a reasonable, but slow pace. However, he didn''t want to dally outside the kingdom''s border due to Twelve''s warning.


    He decided to rush towards the Third Cataract after he passed the ketricite field. He would take a day to descend down the kingdom. Altitude sickness only affected people who suddenlycked oxygen, and almost never the other way around. Although he wouldn''t make a free dive down the three-kilometer waterfall, it was okay for him to walk down it in one go. He figured the effort would take about a day as well.


    After passing the waterfall, he''d find his way towards the nearest town or vige, and hire a carriage. It was going to take him a long time, but he was excited at the prospect of traveling the kingdom''s north. Eventually, he''d end up in Ankelite. The long journey would also grant him a lot of time to properly think things through.


    But before all that, he needed to make one important decision.


    ''Should I take over Evin''s life or not?''


    If he allowed his weakness to take over, he would simply disappear. Leaving no trace of him behind. That would be the mostfortable choice. Twelve did say that he was allowed to do whatever he wanted as long as it''s inside the kingdom''s borders.


    That way, he wouldn''t have to have difficult conversations with others; wouldn''t get the look that the worst murderers got; wouldn''t have to worry about his secrets being exposed; and most importantly, he''ll get to start his life from a clean te.


    Of course, by doing so, he''d be putting a great, perhaps even evesting, burden on Evin''s close ones. Lora and Be would be especially devastated by his choice.


    ''But to be fair, they''d be devastated no matter the choice I make¡­''


    A slightly better option would be to remove himself from Evin''s social group in a low-key, but final way. Of course, he''d confess the truth to Be and Lora, but for the others, he can just abruptly remove himself from their lives. And it wasn''t even that difficult for him to do that.


    He simply needed to reveal that he could cast portals. After that, he''d either be put to work on the frontlines, or he would be a teacher for the kingdom''s future mages. Either way, he''ll be put far away from Evin''s circle of friends.


    ''By doing this, I''d still be Evin in the eyes of others, but I wouldn''t have to worry about people noticing my drastic change of personality...''


    Another option would be to embrace Evin''s identitypletely. He''d start talking like Evin, he''d start acting like Evin, he''d start moving like Evin, and eventually, he''d be Evin.


    It was the safest option, and it wasn''t going to restrict Endra''s freedom that much. He could still slowly change his behavior to how he acted originally. On top of that, he could freely study the things he preferred.


    Lastly, Endra could publicly dere his secrets. He''d reveal that he was a mysterious entity sharing Evin''s body, and finally, he was victorious in his killing Evin''s consciousness. He''d embrace his sins.


    Obviously, Endra wasn''t going to do something like that.


    ''I know I''m badass, but not that badass.''


    Endra arrived on top of the little ketricite hill and looked around. Finally, he saw colors other than gray and blue and felt relieved, but he regathered his focus and searched for signs of people. Finding nothing, he started to walk down.


    ''Now that I think about it, what do I do with my life now?''


    Endra thought the answer woulde to him immediately, but he found himself needing to stop and properly think about the question.


    ''I can''t be experiencing a quarter-life-crisis at the age of 310 or whatever the exact number is¡­''


    Soon enough though, the definitive answer came.


    He needed to be immortal. Or if that doesn''t work, learn what the hell true death meant and die in that manner. In essence, his motivation was simply to avoid turning into a wandering spirit.


    "Sounds terribly¡­ meh¡­ now that I think about it¡­ Eh, whatever. I''m sure I''ll find something to upy my mind soon enough," he murmured and resumed walking.


    Despite his ''terribly meh'' life goal, Endra wasn''t worried. He knew that if he just lived his life for a few weeks more, he''d find himself something to strive for. He still needed to meet that Heralt person that Twelve mentioned.


    Endra didn''t know why the Aspect asked him for something like that, but surely, it wasn''t because she was worried Endra wasn''t making enough friends.


    ''Well, whatever it is, I''ll know when I meet him.''


    And for the time being, he could n his future while assuming he''d be immortal somehow at the end of it.


    He felt regretful he with how little he really talked to Twelve.


    "At least I should''ve asked her how I can be immortal¡­ Do I go beg the Empress? Or do I have to be an Aspect of a World? That seems rather difficult¡­"


    Wondering about his future choices, Endra headed back to the kingdom.


    *****

 Chapter 215 - Busted

    "Young master Phelippe, your father''s calling for you," the house butler spoke from behind the door.


    "I''ll be there after a clean myself!" Phel replied, and then added to himself silently. "I just came here, at least give me some time for myself¡­"


    He then undressed, and went to his bathroom. The water was a bit too cold for him, but he solved the problem soon enough with a spell.


    As he submerged himself into the warm water, his mind settled down. Though, he still couldn''t prevent the sigh from escaping his mouth.


    And he was very much looking forward to spending time with Arza on the weekend. But, his family called for him abruptly the day before. They did not even tell him why he was called, only saying it was urgent.


    Phel apologetically exin his situation to Arza.. Thankfully, Arza was understanding and let Phel go without issue. A part of Phel hoped for the red-haired boy to make a bigger fuss, but one couldn''t have everything in life.


    And besides, they were still only two weeks into dating. They held hands and exchanged a few pecks on each other''s cheeks, but they didn''t do much more. Arza seemed like he didn''t mind trying more, but Phel felt it was unnatural to move at such a rapid pace. They needed to truly befortable with each other for their rtionship to develop and prosper.


    Phel smiled, thinking of the past two weeks. At first, a part of him feared that Arza would call off the rtionship, the way he did with his previous girlfriends, but so far, nothing suggested an action like that. Arza never showed worry or difort.


    Phel wanted to ask why Arza''s rtionshipssted for such a short time, but he didn''t want to stir anything between them, fearing he''ll say something unnecessary and ruin the peaceful status quo.


    There was no conflict between them, since the red-haired boy was always very vocal about his wants and needs. Phel was also not the type to be fussy about the little things, so he usually agreed to work on whatever Arza wanted. And most of them were things that Phel would want as well. Things like exercising together in the morning, Arza asking Phel to be more proactive in the Helm ss, etc.


    On the other side, Phel only had one request from Arza, which was to keep the rtionship secrets. For various reasons.


    Arza did not make things difficult for Phel, and the two have been dating secretly, but peacefully.


    Humming, Phel finished cleaning himself and got out of the bathtub. He dressed himself, and walked out the corridor.


    "Young master," the butler greeted him.


    "You''re still waiting for me?" Phel asked. "What''s the problem?"


    "Lord Perre hasn''t informed me of his reasons, but he seemed slightly impatient to see you."


    Phel nodded and the two made their way towards his father''s study.


    The butler dered Phel and he entered, wondering what this was all about.


    The door behind him closed and Phel looked inside the room.


    Phel''s father was standing in front of his desk, lightly biting the base of his index finger. There was a subtle frown on his face and his gaze seemed out of focus.


    "Father?"


    His father sharply turned his towards Phel, almost as if he was startled to see him.


    "Phel. How was your journey? Hope you didn''t have any ns for the weekend?" his father asked.


    "Don''t worry about it," Phel smiled. "But why did you call me all the way here?"


    "Oh, of course. Ah, first, take a seat. You want some wine?"


    "Uh, no."


    "Take some anyway."


    The two gotfortable on a little tea table, and Phel''s father started speaking after a brief pause.


    "You ever heard of what happened to the Earl of Havencastle, right? Earl Merlyn Tuchat?"


    Phel saw the name before, but he couldn''t remember from where exactly. But Havencastle was a city that was the main trade hub with Tower City. The current ruler was a woman name Zakha Nabid, an easterner who was granted a noble title due to her talents.


    ''Since their family name''s different, maybe this Mervyn Tuchat was exiled somehow?''


    "An Earl from the east? I feel like I''ve heard of him, but I can''t tell exactly."


    "He was executed some decade ago, after being found in the bed of another man," Phel''s father said grimly.


    Phel suddenly realized where he saw the name. It was during the time when he was searching for the existence of gay people in the kingdom and other countries. Realizing this and what his father''s reason for suddenly calling for him was, Phel turned very defensive.


    "He was also convicted of arranged rape. He let his two servants do whatever they wanted with his them wife."


    "So you have heard of him¡­"


    "I told you, the name sounded familiar. But why are you telling me this all of a sudden?"


    "Yes. Well, Mervyn''s case also included rape, but hm¡­ Have you then heard of Viscount Gion Atherson? Hanged publicly on charges of homosexuality, alongside his steward, who was his lover.


    "..."


    "Then you must know that the man was very well-regarded in his little town, famous for his kind and selfless personality. Everyone loved him, but he still couldn''t escape the kingdom''s harsh judgement of such people."


    "¡­"


    Phel did not want to have this conversation. He wanted to go back to his room and enjoy dinner with Arza. There was no need for him to hear these words.


    He wanted to keep his silence, hopefully make his father too tired to continue speaking¡­ but due to his irritation, he just decided to end the conversation quicker.


    "Dad, why did you bring me here? I was worried something hade up, since you were so urgent."


    Phel''s father sighed deeply and poured himself another bottle of wine.


    "Phel, my boy. You''re not a fool," he continued. "You know why I''m telling you all this."


    "¡­"


    Phel went back to his silent treatment.


    "When did you two start dating, anyway?" his father sighed. "You know, I don''t have a hobby of spying on my son. It''s just that I was feeling that something was off. That something bad was going to happen if I do nothing¡­ I''ve told you about my random anxiety attacks, right?"


    "¡­"


    "I''d start feeling anxious whenever somethinges up. That time our house was suddenly hit by a stray spell from a mage, I started feeling iting almost a month prior. I got irritated easily, I couldn''t sleep well. My heart was telling me that something bad was going to happen, but foolishly, I ignored it, thinking I was just overreacting."


    Phel wanted tosh out at his father, to make him stop talking, but he knew that wouldn''t solve anything.


    "The next time it happened was right after I invested in that savings thing that offered monthly percentage ies for customers. The moment I put my money in the thing, I started having those anxious thoughts all over again. Thankfully this time, I decided to trust my instincts and pulled out my money. Itter turned out that the business was a scam. Countless people lost their moneys, but I managed to win, since I was the one to pull out early."


    "¡­"


    Phel wanted to call bullshit, but he himself was an avid believer of his father''s miracles. He would proudly talk about his father''s sudden premonitions to his friends and ssmates.


    "Phel. I was insomniac since two weeks ago. I couldn''t tell what the hell was going on, so out of desperation, I asked a good friend of mine to check up on you. He told me about what''s happening with you and that red-haired boy¡­ Oh, how I wish to let you do what you want¡­ but, listen. It won''t end well."

 Chapter 216 - Father And Son Conversation

    The father and son''s argument continued on. ording to the clock, it was only thirty minutes since Phel was called to his father''s study, but it felt as if he spent an entire day in the dreary room.


    He wanted nothing else, other than to walk out of the room, and have his father never mention the discussion again. He was so close to walking out on his father, but his noble upbringing simply couldn''t allow him to act like that. He couldn''t even properly argue against his father; only expressing his desires in a civil, polite manner.


    The heavy silence did not help his mood at all.


    Containing a sigh, Phel asked his father, keeping his voice level.


    "Can I leave now?"


    He tried to not to let the spite and tiredness he was feeling to seep into his tone.


    His father did not reply.. In that case, Phel wouldn''t budge either.


    If his father wanted to be stubborn, he would do the same. He did not want to yield. He wanted to win this argument against his father. The problem was, he didn''t have any grand strategies to win the fight. His only tactic was to act stubborn until his old man gave in.


    The tactic usually worked. His father had a soft side. Ever since Phel was a child, he often used this tactic to get what he wanted. He felt that his father knew about it, but let it be, since Phel usually wasn''t rebellious.


    He was the model son. He was allowed to act spoiled here and there. And it didn''t take much effort from him either. He just needed to remain steadfast in his stance and eventually, things would go his way.


    His father on the other hand, tried many things to convince Phel. He first mentioned the discrimination gays received inside the kingdom. He tried to convince Phel logically, that a noble heir having a homosexual rtionship was a bad thing.


    That didn''t work, so he tried begging. He begged Phel to be responsible, to think about his parents and also his subjects. And most of all, to think about Arza, since surely, if Phel were to be punished, Arza would receive the same treatment, or worse.


    Phel''s heart wrung at the words, but he managed to remain outwardly unaffected.


    Then, his father tried the silent treatment. Hence, the current situation. Two stubborn people trying to out-stubborn each other.


    "Can I leave?" Phel asked again.


    "You will not be allowed to leave until you swear to me to break off with the boy!" his father suddenly roared.


    Phel flinched, surprised by his father''s sudden increase in volume. He never really shouted at him before. Most of the time, it was his mother to be cold or angry with him. His father was always soft and humorous with him.


    Seeing his father act like this, Phel realized that something as different this time.


    But after the moment of shock passed, Phel felt angry.


    Who was his father to decide what Phel could and could not do? He used his entire childhood, diligently learning what he was taught, faithfully serving his town as a proper heir, and most of all, trying to push himself to be a proper mage like his parents always wanted him to.


    But the moment he tries to do something of his own wish, his father calls him in and says he can''t do that. Phel deserved some freedom in his life.


    "¡­"


    But despite his sudden desire to shout andin, he remained silent. He quickly got rid of his hurt expression and went back to being stubborn. The calm and collected won in the end.


    "Can I leave?"


    "You think you can get away with it by acting like a child again?" his father roared. "If you want to act like a child, then why don''t you behave like one and listen to your parent properly?! And if you''re so damn mature, then act like it and understand the consequences of your actions!"


    The part about Phel being childish hit true, but he was too deep into this to back off.


    "¡­"


    "Say something!" his father shook him.


    Not receiving a reaction, his father''s expression turned from raging hot to chilling cold in a matter of seconds. Phel realized it was a hundred times better if his father was screaming at him at the top of his lung, instead of looking at him like that.


    "Get out if you want," his father whispered. "But remember that you''re no longer a Narke if you leave."


    Then, his father threw Phel a piece of paper. It was a rather long document, but its name stood out like a sore thumb.


    [Disowning paper] the title read.


    For a moment, Phel''s mind nked.


    He quickly picked the paper up and read through it. From the statements written on it and the formal wording, he concluded it was a real document. And to top it all off, his father''s wax stamp was pressed on the paper''s bottom.


    "Curse me if you want. I don''t care. Go bother your mother if you want. I don''t care. But if you''re not separated from your boyfriend by the end of the week, I''ll submit my own copy to the Nobility Bureau."


    It suddenly felt as if the sky had fallen on Phel.


    "You¡­ You can''t do-"


    "I can and I will!" his father shouted before Phel could finish. "No doubt Arza''s honesty and integrity you love and respect. In fact, I respect the boy for those traits as well. But to push for a same-sex rtionship because of it? I can''t allow that for you, I''m sorry."


    "¡­"


    "But in honor of his honesty, I will promise you this one thing. I will tell you that I''m not threatening you emptily. I am serious in what I''ve said. And I hope you''ll take this seriously as well. I will disown you if you keep your rtionship¡­" his father paused and straightened himself. "I am repeating myself already. You may leave."


    Phel''s father walked past him and opened the door. Phel just looked at his father, unsure if he should say something. If he should do something.


    "Well, go on then. You''ve been wanting to leave, no?" his father urged and gestured at the doorway. "Come on. Go."


    *****

 Chapter 217 - Summoning

    Leanne stood inside one of the waiting rooms of Arcvallen Castle, trying not to let her mind get overwhelmed by the ketricite blocks surrounding her.


    She understood that it was necessary for the most important location in the kingdom to be safe from any spies or stray spells, but it didn''t change the fact that she felt terrible with the ketricite''s effects weighing on her core.


    The ce really riled up her paranoia. The ce negated magic in the first ce, and even worse, they didn''t even allow for her to stock up on mana in her body. She was well and truly helpless.


    If anything happened to her inside the pce, there was nothing she could do to help.


    ''But¡­ if the kingdom really wanted me dead, then I wouldn''t be able to do anything either¡­'' a thought popped up in her head. ''Even if I have ess to mana, I wouldn''t be able to deal with the High-mages, or any of the King''s Mages that lurk the pce¡­''


    The despairing thought actually helped her calm down a little. Leanne felt as if she understood the people who feel at peace, even though they''re thousands of gold in debt. When the scale of things get out of hand, it bes hard to properly wrap one''s head around it..


    But she couldn''t bepletely calm. With one thing settled, her mind immediately focused on a different worry. It was the reason the kingdom''s soldiers coulde in at any moment and arrest her.


    She was, of course, trying to pass on Albin''s message to the king as she promised.


    At first, she thought she could just ignore Albin''s request, but her paranoia did not allow the easy way out. She realized logically, that it was most likely impossible for Albin to keep an eye on her. But her mind insisted that Albin knew what she was up to. Albin might not know that personally, but he definitely could have henchmen or colleagues working for him.


    He just joined a very powerful organization, so it was impossible for him to bepletely helpless.


    He even mentioned that the Capital''s castle wasn''tpletely safe. If that was the case, it wouldn''t be so hard to have someone in Ankelite.


    Thus, driven by her fears, Leanne started working on how she could tip the king without being found out.


    She wrote up a dummy project/research paper, then encoded a secret message in it, hoping the king would notice it. King Seth was adamant on reading every paper submitted to the government himself, promising funds and attention to the most innovative ideas.


    When Leanne first heard about it, she ignored it, thinking she didn''t have anything to do with those studious people. Butter on, she realized it was a great chance for her to convey a message to the king, and started working on her n.


    It took some time, but she managed to write up a legit enough paper, which still contained the secret message she was trying to tell.


    As she waited with bated breath, she soon received a summons from the king. Leanne''s heart jumped at the news, but she still couldn''t bepletely sure about what was going to happen.


    Did the king really catch the message in the research paper she submitted? Or was she going to get detained by the guards and interrogated for information. The only two possibilities were those two, as she knew the project she pitched wasn''t anything world-changing. Only something that Leanne wastely bing passionate about: divorce settlements.


    When she and Terrence agreed on a divorce and started pursuing it formally. Leanne said that she didn''t mind if the two just started living apart and doing whatever they wanted, but Terrence insisted that they do things properly.


    Soon, they learned that the process was too tedious and inefficient. To be fair, it was rare for divorces to ur and only the rich possessed the wealth to actually go through the procedure legally, so Leanne could get why things were like that.


    So, when she realized she could pitch a project for the king while also sending him the message, she was overjoyed. And it wouldn''t be so odd of her to do something like this as well.


    Leanne found herself smiling self-depreciatingly, thinking where it all went wrong.


    Half a year ago, she was just a teacher at decently sized city, and now she was ying emissary for one of the most wanted criminals in the world.


    "Mage Leanne Lanesbreau, the king is expecting you in his office," a guard, that was most likely a mage, spoke.


    ''Guess there''s no dying it any longer,'' Leanne thought and followed the guard.


    They came to a door and the guard dered Leanne. She entered with her hands sped in front of her and a slightly bowing posture, greeted the king first, introduced herself second, and exined her reason foring third. As per protocol. The king asked her to raise her head and she was allowed to look inside the room.


    She half expected herself to be brought to one of the ceremonial rooms, with its grand decorations and tall ceilings, but of course, king Seth was a much more practical.


    The king''s office wasrge,pared to her own office, for example, but it was still much more contained than what someone would expect from the king of a country. There were the essentials, but not much more. The only decoration in the room was the royal family''s symbol etched onto a banner, and the portrait of the founding king.


    And fittingly, the king himself was dressed quite modestly. He was wearing a formal ck suit that was perked up using a modest amount of golden buttons and threads. It was a much more approachable lookpared to when Leanne saw him first, during the coronation ceremony all those years ago.


    At that time, king Seth was wearing a mix of white and silver, the usual colors for the Arcwall family. Of course, at the time, the decorations on the man''s body were at least a dozen times fancier than what Leanne was seeing now.


    And honestly, the modest look suited the king. The man''s features were handsome, but he wasn''t the rugged hero that his father was. King Seth exuded a much softer and gentler aurapared to his father.


    "Leave us," king Seth spoke.


    "Sir," the guard nodded and walked out.


    The king casually got up his seat, and opened the stack of documents in his hand. Leanne recognized them as her submitted project paper.


    "A most useful take on the procedures of divorcing. Honestly, we should''ve created aw about this a long time ago, but no one found the time to properly word them. Many thanks for doing our job for us."


    "It is my pleasure," Leanne replied stoically, but was a bit surprised inwardly.


    First of all, her paper was seemingly not that terrible. And secondly.


    ''Did he not catch the message?''

 Chapter 218 - The Strange King

    ''But he''s invited me to a private meeting didn''t he? Should I point out the code to him now?''


    Leanne was tempted to get things going, but she decided to wait just a bit longer to make sure.


    The king continued to talk with a smile.


    "Was there a reason you''ve chose this subject as your project?"


    "Yes," Leanne replied. "I''ve recently been through a divorce."


    "A foolish man," the king smiled. "Or perhaps an unbearable one?"


    Leanne''s head tilted, wondering why the conversation was bing so weird. But it was rude to keep a king waiting, so she replied neutrally.


    "We learned our marriage was devoid of love.. Since there was no child binding us together, we decided it was best to go our own ways. Appropriately, the divorce went off without much conflict or incident, since the decision was mutual."


    Leanne half-expected Terrence to change his mind and was ready to firmly deny it, but from how he handled everything so quickly and efficiently, Leanne understood that he was in a hurry to be rid of her. He didn''t evenin when Leanne asked for arger cut from their shared wealth.


    ''Perhaps I''ll hear of him remarrying soon enough¡­'' Leanne thought smilingly. ''Ah, but even if he does have someone in the back, he wouldn''t marry that quickly. He still needs to save face.''


    She felt no jealousy towards Terrence and his hidden little mistress. And thinking about it more, it wouldn''t be so weird, either. The two barely ever met each other in their own house. It wouldn''t be weird for Terrence to frequent a woman when he wasn''t near Leanne.


    "Well, the man is still quite foolish. Love does not thrive without proper attention," the king said. "My father sometimes told me, one needs to nurture those feelings properly."


    It was funny, hearing something like this from the king. Perhaps it was fitting, as the king''s own marriage was loveless from the start. He was married to one of the Heir Sovereigns of Tower City. As far as public knowledge went, the two hadn''t even met before the day of marriage. The king would definitely need a lot of nurturing for that rtionship to develop love.


    "Perhaps my next marriage will go differently," Leanne said, keeping her face level. "I''ll be sure to nurture it well."


    "You do that. But remember that unfortunately, some rtions don''t bloom even with years of nurturing. You need to learn to distinguish those things properly and remove yourself from it with confidence," the king spoke slowly. "And most importantly, to start searching for the next one without dy. Life is too short to spend in loneliness."


    Leanne was once again taken aback by the king''s words.


    ''Is he flirting with me?''


    She mentally shook her head, feeling she was being too full of herself.


    Then she realized how weirdly she was acting. She''d think that she''d be scared witless in the presence of royalty. After all, wasn''t she always fearful of the disdain of the powerful? She knew perfectly well that some people could make her disappear with a


    So why was she not feeling the same thing from the king? Technically, he was the one who had the most power over her.


    In fact, the whole day, she was always fearful of her safety, but she was never scared of the king. And when she came into the room, that feeling only became stronger.


    Her being able to think about so many different, almost unrted topics like her divorce and the king''s marriage during their little talk was proof of that.


    Leanne had to mentally shake her head again.


    "Umm, sorry, but what''s going to happen next?" she asked.


    Her question was rude, but she felt it would be alright.


    "Well, I''ll give this another proper read and perhaps change some of the finer details," the king smiled. "You''ll, of course, be handsomely rewarded, and you can enjoy some fame by adding your own name as the author of thew. Perhaps you''ll find it easier to find a job in the pce too."


    Leanne nodded. If that was all, there was absolutely no need for him to call her here. Hence, she became half-sure that the king saw her hidden message.


    ''But he''s not mentioning it to me outright¡­ what''s the problem?''


    "But since you''vee all the way here, why not apany me for some time? In my private quarters."


    The king suddenly delivered a terribly crude pick-up line. In a terribly deadpan manner as well.


    "Your Highness?"


    "Trust me," the king whispered, as he reached out for her hand.


    Leanne wanted to pull her hand away, but something in her was saying that there was more to this situation. If she assumed the king saw her secret message, then she could deduce that the king was trying to talk about that.


    Normally, Leanne would expect the king to talk inside his office, but since he wasn''t¡­ there must be other listening to their conversation.


    And the way the king said trust me, it definitely had deeper meanings.


    "Of course, Your highness," Leanne replied.


    The king nodded, retracted his hand and walked out of the room.


    Leanne followed after him.


    Ignoring the asional nces that came at their way, the two arrived at their destination. Simrly to his office, the king''s chamber was decorated modestly.


    The king closed the door behind them, and let out a sigh. Leanne noticed that he didn''t lock the door, which she was thankful for.


    "Sorry for all this," he said, his tonepletely different.


    ''Definitely, there was something going on.''


    "Your highness?" Leanne asked.


    "You''vee to give me information, right?" he asked. "About the blue portal incident on the testing ind. You''re really lucky my test-readers are sloppy at their jobs."


    "Yes," Leanne said.


    She understood that her job was almost done and produced Albin''s metal Talisman from her mouth. She wiped it some with her clothes and offered it to the king. He took it, but he looked a bit disgusted.


    "Really? In your mouth?"


    Leanne decided not to tell him that she needed to shit out the thing because Albin shoved it down her throat.


    "N," the king called.


    "Your highness." A beautiful woman materialized in the room. Leanne wondered briefly how such a thing was possible, but she soon realized that the ketricite blocks'' effects weren''t active in this room.


    "See what''s in this," the king hander her the metal piece.


    The woman nodded and activated the Talisman.


    She was in a trance for a few seconds, before her eyes became focused again.


    "It''s mostly superficial information on the organization that kidnapped Albin Faizan and the Type 13."


    It was in line with what Leanne expected.


    "Mostly superficial?"


    "There are some key pieces of information."


    "Tell me."


    At this point, Leanne had to say something.


    "Your highness, please. Discuss this after I leave."


    "What do you mean?"


    "I''m only a messenger."


    "You haven''t seen the contents of the message?"


    The king was quick to catch up.


    "No. And I don''t n to either."


    Leanne was adamant on that point.

 Chapter 219 - Homecoming

    "Lord mage, we''re here!"


    A deep, but servile voice woke Endra up.


    Groggily, Endra peeked out from a bundle of nkets. Momentarily, he found it hard to understand where exactly he was. A small, box-shaped room; curtains covering a window; and a short, squarish door with the bearded face of a man peeking out of it.


    ''The trip¡­'' he sighed.


    "But by the Empress, you sleep like a log," the driverughed. "You werepletely out of it for the two-day ride. Even wondered if you''d died, but your breathing was fine so I let you be. Hope I didn''t do anything wrong."


    "Mno¡­ No," Endra slurred and shook his head.. "But two days?"


    "Yes, sir. We''re at the gates of Ankelite already. They''ll be checking for your papers. Wanted to tell you that," the man said and resumed driving.


    "Fuck¡­"


    Thest thing he remembered was hiring a carriage driver and then thinking how bumpy the ride was.


    He then wondered what he could do to make the trip more bearable, but at some point, he''d fallen asleep. Not just asleep,pletely unconscious. The driver must''ve checked up on him to make sure he was fine, but Endra knew nothing about that.


    "Never thought the most difficult thing I''d do after reviving was to manage sleep."


    "What''s that, lord mage?"


    "Nothing, just thinking out loud."


    Endra could sleep as a spirit, but not when he was in Evin''s head. He could pretend to do so, but it wasn''t the same thing. So, he lived life as Evin, as if he didn''t sleep. He dosed off a few times, but those were light ones. He even wondered if he didn''t need to sleep. Perhaps some perk he received thanks to his unusual circumstances.


    "I definitely need to reconsider that¡­" Endra said.


    The driver peeked back, but Endra only shook his head.


    He really needed to do something about his habit of speaking out his thoughts. It wasn''t a problem when he was a spirit and a voice, but now he was a proper member of society.


    Shaking his head, he looked outside the carriage.


    They were fast-approaching the gates of Ankelite city, with a few other travelers walking near them. A guard was walking among them, asking them their documents.


    When the guard came to Endra''s carriage, he pulled out his papers from his storage ring and was admitted. Of course, the process wasn''t difficult, considering he was a rich local.


    "Would you like me to bring you somewhere, Lord Mage? It''s free service. You''ve been the best customer I had in years, after all. Aha-ha-ha," the driver asked.


    Endra looked at the address that Twelve gave him. It was on the other side of the city, inside the district of 3rd grades.


    ''It can wait,'' Endra decided. "I''ll get there tomorrow by myself.''


    "Bring me to the Mage Academy."


    "Aye, sir."


    Endra slouched back into his seat, and sighed deeply.


    He dyed his arrival a lot. He was like an over-eager tourist, who couldn''t help but see every sightseeing spot in his path. It was honestly fun, seeing the new sights¡­ but he couldn''t enjoy himself fully. The heavy conversations he''d need to were like clouds in his little core.


    "Well, there''s no dying it further," Endra muttered.


    The driver did not nce back at him this time, realizing Endra was just talking to himself.


    Endra reprimanded himself again for thinking out loud.


    The streets of Ankelite were bustling. A couple children ran behind the carriage, both swearing curses at each other; stall owners shouted out to nearby pedestrians, holding their greasy products by their hands; a driver of some important looking carriage was arguing with the city guard; and from somewhere, a waft of shit was spreading through the air.


    The filth of life surrounded Endra and he felt a sudden tinge of nostalgia.


    Although he lived till the 21st century on Earth, he still couldn''t feel at home with the clean and civilized feel the city centers had. Often, he found himself looking for interesting people or ces in the city outskirts or the slums.


    He even half-seriously considered moving to Edmund''s house. The Academy dorm was nice and convenient, but the ce was rather boring. It was especially boring for Endra, who was more interested in people rather than luxuries.


    But when he thought about it, Edmund''s neighbors weren''t the most breathtaking people either.


    ''Ah, whatever,'' he thought¡­ then smiled since he didn''t sigh that out loud.


    As he was patting himself on the back for his achievements, he saw a rather congested stall. A number of people were surrounding it, but the whole vibe felt off. Looking closer, Endra noticed that the people were just lurking around the stall, not really buying anything. Another look told him that all the people lurking around were men.


    "What''s going on there?" Endra wondered, before the reason became apparent to him.


    An almost dramatically eye-catching woman was working the stall. Honestly, that was an understatement of her beauty, but Endra wasn''t someone who was so weak to looks.


    He could only smile wryly and forget about the matter.


    "But why is no one buying anything from her?" he wondered again.


    Normally, they''d at least be unting their wealth, however shallow that may be, but these men, they only seemed happy to lurk around her.


    Endra looked closer to her wares and saw a sign.


    "The Brown Awakener. Exotic eastern drink. Popr in Tower City. Refreshing and invigorating."


    ''Huh.''


    On the woman''s stall, a few devices were ced. A good look told Endra that a few of them were magical devices, a boiler, a shredder, and some other device. Nearby, a few ss containers were ced, holding brown beans inside them.


    "Coffee!" Endra realized.


    "Driver, drop me off here," he said.


    "Don''t think it''s a good idea, chasing that woman over there," the driver replied tauntingly.


    Apparently the man was keeping an eye on Endra. The man was too damn perceptive for his own good.


    "I just want the drink," Endra said, to which he only received a knowing smile.


    "Just stop," Endra said. "And thanks for the ride."


    Ignoring the man''s jeering smile from behind him, Endra approached the woman''s stall.


    A few eyes from the men came towards his way, some curious, some jeering.


    ''Mind your on businesses,'' Endra thought to himself and asked the stall owner.


    She truly was a beautiful woman. Endra even wondered why there were so few people around.


    "What can I do for you, sir?" the woman asked.


    The way the woman called a teen like Endra ''sir'' without batting an eye showed her professionalism.


    "How much for a cup?" he asked, nodding to the coffee.


    "Depends on the type, sir. Raw, with milk, with sugar, or with both?"


    "Raw."


    "4 silvers, sir."


    Endra understood why no one was buying anything from the ce. Even for Endra, a mage, 4 silver wasn''t cheap. It would be weird if anyone around could afford a drink like this.


    "The productes from far away, sir. Please be understanding," the woman added.


    Endra nodded and produced 8 silvers. "Give me two cups."


    The woman seemed surprised, but managed to keep it in and started working on the coffee.


    The jeers of the surrounding men fell on Endra, but he paid them no mind. He found a seat, and casually watched the stall owner work. She really was a professional. Endra felt happy, managing to find this ce so randomly. He didn''t care how a coffee stall suddenly appeared in Ankelite city, he only worried if it would disappear someday.


    He was excited, smelling coffee for the first time in ages, but his mood felt wrong all of a sudden.


    ''Ah, I''m dying my arrival again,'' he realized. ''Fine, fine. I''ll get there after this.''


    Sighing, he decided not to think about things again, and focused on the two cups of coffee in front of him.


    "Your coffee, sir," the woman spoke.


    She honestly sounded too formal, but looking at the men around, Endra guessed it was a defense mechanism of some sorts.


    "Thanks," Endra nodded and gleefully took a sip from one of the cups.


    It was definitely coffee. Not some magical bullshit coffee exclusive to Alvox. Real, proper coffee.


    "What''s your name again?" Endra asked.


    "Rhea," the woman''s face fell somehow. "Sir."


    Endra didn''t care for her misunderstanding. It would get resolved by itself soon enough.


    "Well, Rhea. Tell me in advance if your stall''s going to relocate to somewhere."


    Saying so, Endra smiled and started walking towards the Academy.

 Chapter 220 - The Chairman

    It took Endra another couple hours to finallye to the Academy. On the way, he stopped forte lunch while enjoying his coffee, visited a public bath, yed ball with some random children, sat feeding some kitten and its mother, before finally arriving at his destination.


    It waste afternoon so a few students were walking out of the Academy''s gates, each minding their own business. Some of the second years noticed Endra and greeted him, to which he nodded back. Thankfully, none of them came close to talk to him.


    Overall, the Academy looked no different than usual.


    ''Well, that''s a given, considering I was gone for only a few weeks,'' Endra sighed..


    He knew that, but it still he had juste from a long and tiring journey. Considering all that happened, perhaps it was justified of him to feel that way.


    Sighing again, he headed towards the Chairman''s office to report hising back. The ce turned out to be empty and Endra realized that it was Helm ss at this point today. His Helm ss.


    Groaning, he started walking towards his ssroom.


    The Academy halls were mostly silent, but soon enough, familiar voices became audible. Arza''s voice was more distinct than the others, but they seemed to be in the middle of a discussion. Endra came close to the ssroom and stood in front of it for a few seconds.


    But right as his hand fell on the handle, the door opened by itself.


    Part of him expected it to be Be, but it was only Dagan.


    "Oh, Evin," he murmured.


    The others in the ss looked at him and greeted as well.


    "Wee back!" the cheery ones spoke up. "How was your trip?"


    "It was fine," Endra found himself replying with a polite smile, as Evin would.


    ''Guess I''m posing as Evin for now,'' he thought to himself.


    Looking past most of them, Endra found the more important people looking towards his way.


    Be was happy, and looked like she wanted toe to Endra''s side immediately. The conversation with her was the most important.


    Arza and Phel both looked happy to see him, but there was a weird distance, or tension between the two. Endra wondered about what happened between them. Perhaps Phel finally confessed¡­ but it was still weird. Arza didn''t seem to be the type who''d act weird after rejecting someone.


    Endra did not n to tell them the truth, but perhaps one of them would notice something off about him.


    Decatur''s expression had defaulted to a re. Endra did not care much for him. The noble boy didn''t have much to threaten Endra with.


    Then, Endra saw the Chairman. A knowing smile appeared on the man''s face as he observed Endra.


    "Have you juste?" he asked.


    "Thought I''d report to you before I went to my room," Endra said.


    "Continue on with the debate everyone. Personally, I support Phel''s offer, but the choice is yours," the Chairman said and stood up from his seat.


    Endra quietly followed after him, wondering if the High-mage realized the truth already. Endra made sure to act the same as Evin, but he always felt that Chairman Kent knew more than he let on.


    They entered his office and the Chairman offered Endra a seat. "Tea?"


    "No."


    The Chairman shrugged and started making one for himself.


    There was a certain cleanliness to the man''s movements. The way the man poured tea resembled the movements of a long-serving butler of nobility. Slick, confident moves, with a hint of showmanship ir hidden in them.


    Honestly, Evin never gave the Chairman enough credit in Endra''s opinion.


    A silly, old man, doing almost adorable things to pull at Evin''s strings.


    But Endra did not n to take the man lightly.


    He yed down the man''s stupid pranks on Evin as roundabout ways to incite him, but no matter what, the man''s actions were simply too meaningless. But from what Endra could tell, the man wasn''t an idiot. Not at all.


    So why bother Evin?


    In Endra''s eyes, the Chairman messed with Evin because he was bored. He was slightly interested in Evin from the beginning, considering the boy''s unique talents, but as for why he pushed so many problems into Evin''sp, it was because he was bored.


    If the Chairman really wanted to make an icon of Evin, he could''ve done so easily. The problem really wasn''t that hard. The easiest method would be to just ask Evin. Either bind him with threats, or even better, offer rewards for him if he''s sessful.


    Given enough, Endra would''ve been happy to y along the man''s ploy.


    He also could''ve acted more actively behind the scenes. Force Evin to sh with the nobles and direct him afterwards.


    The man''s actions had the same gravitas as a person ying with a kitten. They''d hold the thing on their hands, sniff and kiss it, tickle it, maybe throw it in the air for the heck of it, yada, yada. The kitten would definitely not enjoy its treatment, but the person would be amused.


    ''Perhaps for High-mages like the Chairman, we also look like little pets to them.''


    "Well," the Chairman smiled. "Instead of ''Wee back'', ''Greetings'', would probably be the proper word to use here. So, greetings. You can call me Kent."


    ''He knows.''


    "Creepy bastard," Endra felt a chill down his spine.


    "That your name?" Kent replied, and then paused. "I meant to say it as a jab, but it''s honestly quite urate isn''t it? An entity of some sorts, ying house in a child''s head."


    Endra realized Kent was trying to rile him up for some reason. Most likely boredom.


    "You''re not wrong. But you can also call me Endra."


    Kent smiled, hearing the name. "It''s a bit unimaginative, but I like it. However¡­ a little advice from me. It''s better if you call yourself Evin."


    The words made Endra pause. His head churning, he arrived at a possible meaning of the advice.


    ''He wants me to embrace Evin''s identity.''


    "And no," the Chairman continued. "I don''t mean you should live your life as if you''re the boy''s copy. What I mean to say is, you should embrace the fact that you''ve killed and taken over him."

 Chapter 221 - Forced Help

    Endra was momentarily shocked to hear Kent point out that he killed Evin. Though he made sure not to break his poker face, he couldn''t help but wonder.


    ''How does he know that? A random guess?''


    More and more, the conversation was not turning out the way Endra would like. To be fair, he did not expect Kent to talk about all this, but even still, Endra shouldn''t be at such a huge disadvantage. With anyone else, he was always the dominant speaker, but it just wasn''t his day today.


    To regain a bit of control, Endra decided to keep silent until he got things in order.


    "Oh, please. Why so defensive?" Kent spoke. "It''s not like this conversation needs to be so serious. I''m only trying to help you. Bring some rity to your mind.. It''s okay to be more open."


    Kent was not lying, at least in Endra''s eyes. But that made it even harder for Endra to believe him. Something had to be going on here.


    "Well," Kent sighed. "I thought you''d be more than this. But I suppose that''s asking for too much."


    At that moment, Endra heard something hum at his back. Startled, he looked back and saw nothing. But he did feel something there. Endra was blocked off from outside.


    Kent started speaking at that moment.


    "The Box of Invisible Walls."


    At that point, Endra had already filled his core with Air and Fire energies, and was trying to create an explosion under the ceiling.


    "A Conditional Absolute of the Domain Type,"


    But Kent was effortlessly scattering any clump of air that Endra would collect.


    "That creates up to three thin slides of moving Hard Air in an enclosed environment,"


    Knowing that Hard Air guns wouldn''t work, Endra created a few illusions of himself. While his copies distracted Kent, he was trying to jump through the ceiling.


    "Which will be called a wall as a whole."


    But just before he reached the window, he was met with another ''wall''. Kent casually continued speaking.


    "Except gases and other Absolutes, anything which tries to pass through the wall will be shed to pieces by the moving Hard Air."


    Endra had no other choices left at that point. He started creating a portal, damn the consequences.


    "Activation Conditions: exin the effects of the spell in one minute after casting (Failure to do so will result in bacsh of the mana-core)."


    Kent was still exining, his spell, curiously eyeing Endra, seemingly wondering what he would do.


    ording to Rith, an aplished portal caster would''ve been able to hide the fact that they were creating a portal till the veryst moment, but Endra was not that. He cursed himself for not practicing his spellcasting for the past few days, but there was no point regretting it now.


    Indiscernibly, he reached for the small pouch of Hermium in his back pocket.


    "Walls must be created with at least two meters of distance between them and must not collide with other walls," Kent continued, still calm.


    Endra tried his best, but he could not keep the portal hidden till thest minute. The edge of the portal shimmered gold in the air. But even so, he''d still need five more seconds to be able to jump through the portal safely.


    "Walls," Kent said and paused, finally realizing what Endra was trying to do.


    Endra was immediately struck from below by a force of air so powerful, he momentarily hung on the air, his body taking on the shape of a shrimp. He quickly fell to the ground face first. Soon enough, he coughed up blood. Something was definitely crushed inside him.


    "Can be individually disabled by the user, but cannot be moved or recreated," Kent continued speaking.


    It took Endra''s everything to keep his focus on the portal, but he soon realized it was a foolish endeavor. He found he couldn''t even move his body.


    "After all walls are disabled, the spell will require one minute to cast again."


    The portal had already disappeared after Kent finished his exnation. The Chairman then walked towards Endra and made him sit up. He pulled out a Talisman from his pocket and put it on Endra''s stomach. The paper shone a bloody pink before the pain in Endra''s body subsided.


    "Good," Kent spoke. "Your body''s not rejecting the Life energies." His voice contained not a single ounce of agitation. The brutal pain he put Endra through was not a noteworthy enough event for the man to show a change of emotions.


    But for Endra, the feeling of death caressing his cheek was still vivid. His life was in the hands of this High-mage now. There was no point in trying to escape. Now, he only needed to do his best to survive. If that involved kissing Kent''s ass, then so be it. Someday in the future, Endra would take his revenge.


    "Hmm. You look much better now," Kent hummed. "Are you the type that needs to feel pressure to function at your best?"


    "What are you talking about?" Endra asked.


    With another person, he would''ve been worried about being too rude, but Endra knew Kent wouldn''t care.


    "The look in your eyes. It''s filled with your desire to live. The cold, unflinching determination. It''s almost inspiring. Nothing like the look you had when you first came inside the ssroom."


    Endra felt like he understood what Kent was trying to talk about now.


    "Is that why you ruptured my gut? To reignite my will to live?"


    "Well," Kent sat down his own seat and took a sip from his tea. "Not exactly. Like I said, I was trying to give you some rity. I wanted you to be more open. But since you were acting too cautiously, I gave you a little encouragement."


    "What? So you did that to express that you''re open for questions."


    "Yes."


    "Sounds counterintuitive."


    Kent waved his hand dismissively. "Everyone hates being forced into things. It doesn''t matter if they know that others are just trying to be helpful. They sometimes even try to sabotage the help of others¡­ "It''s the same with you. I can see the anger in you. You''re plotting your revenge. Perhaps you''re even nning to kill me. I don''t care for that. What makes you different is that even if you''re forced, you will still use the opportunity you''re given. You''ll still reflect on my words. You''re one of the few people in this world that know everyone has something they can teach you."


    Endra did not feel ttered by the words. He understood what Kent was getting at.


    It was easy to realize something and think you''ve changed. A person could read a book and understand the life lessons it''s trying to teach them. But rarely every they truly changed.


    A teenager can read from a book and learn about how one should listen and be patient, but when their parents talk to them wrong, they''d still snap at them and think they''re right.


    It was easy to unt one''s knowledge and call oneself wise and educated. But what mattered was actually implementing those knowledges.


    Now, was Endra really someone so perfect?


    "You''re overestimating me too much."


    "Bah, take apliment. At the very least, you''ll listen to what I''ll say, and not brush it off as nonsense."


    ''You really want to talk, don''t you?'' Endra thought. ''Well, in that case, I''ll ask you your questions.''


    "How do you know I''m not Evin?" Endra asked.


    "Bah, boring question. Hence, I can only give a boring answer," Kent waved off his hand. "Experience."


    "Experience?"


    "Reading expressions, bodynguage, reading your gaze, and then deducing a possible answer. Then asking a few questions to confirm my guess afterwards¡­ and yada, yada, boring, boring."


    If Kent was not lying, then Endra just got yed. If he just kept ying dumb, he would''ve been fine.


    "Who do you work for?" Endra asked next.


    "Many people, really. Too many to list."


    ''Doesn''t want to answer.''


    "What did you want from Evin?"


    "I wanted him to shake things up a bit," Kent said.


    "Why?"


    "Hmm¡­ For a shot at gaining independence from the kingdom''s royalty and nobility. He''d be its new ruler."


    "What?"


    Endra was bbergasted by the news.


    "Eh, don''t worry about it. Now that you''re in control, it''ll never happen."


    "Alright¡­ What do you know about me?"


    "Ah, now we''re getting to the good questions," Kent smiled.

 Chapter 222 - Monologue

    Endra didn''t know which questions would be good and which would be bad. But since Kent seemed willing to answer both, he didn''t care.


    "As for what I know about you¡­ In all honesty, probably very little. I know you shared the original boy''s body with him, you could talk to him, you could cast spells for him, you could take over his body¡­ Hmm, what else? You wanted to be independent from the boy somehow, you two argued a lot, and you both probably thought each other annoying."


    ''He knew a lot¡­'' Endra thought. ''But he doesn''t know the important parts.''


    "And today, I learned you took over the boy''s body somehow and that the result''s permanent. I won''t pretend I have any idea on how you managed to achieve that. Since you can cast magic in that weird way of yours, perhaps you''ve made a breakthrough on it recently."


    There was a hint of curiosity in the man''s words. Endra immediately started thinking about how he was going to give away as little information as possible.


    "Oh, and I won''t bug you about your secrets, so don''t worry," Kent winked at him.


    ''Fucking shit, am I that obvious to read?'' Endra cursed.


    He thought his poker face wasn''t so bad, but he was definitely wrong.


    "As for your origins¡­" Kent continued. "I have no clue. My strongest guess is that you''re something from the forgotten era. Before the Empress and all that."


    Endra wanted to act surprised at the mention of that era, but he felt it would be alright if Kent had that misunderstanding. It was better than being dubbed as an otherworlder. Also, Endra knew enough about the previous era to pass off as someone of that time.


    "As for other things I know¡­" Kent put his hand under his chin. "I know you''re feeling guilt from killing the boy."


    Endra could only smile wryly at that.


    "I don''t mean to judge, of course. Who wouldn''t feel guilty? Anyone human would feel guilt. I don''t know how long you''ve been with the kid, but it was obviously long enough to get attached. Especially with how well the boy was growing. He finally came out of his shell, he finally managed to escape his father''s shadow, he was finally experiencing what maternal love felt like, he was finally experiencing romantic love felt like, and perhaps, he was finally respecting you as a proper living being."


    At this point, Endra wasn''t even surprised to hear the Chairman''s urate guesses.


    "And that wasn''t all. The endless possibilities his future held for him¡­ What could he have achieved in two years? Ten years? Although he had your help, the boy wasn''t talentless. And he knew struggle, so he wouldn''t have turned lethargic or egotistic either. You would''ve been there to make sure of that. To make sure that the boy would turn out a great person."


    ''As long as you live¡­ huh.''


    "But¡­ All of that. All his past, all his growth, all his future, obliterated in one brief moment of betrayal."


    It really was a moment of betrayal. Endra offered his neck, but fearing to face his old fate, he took the knife from Evin''s hand and stabbed him in the neck. At the time, he felt he did right, without needlessly prolonging the boy''s death, but he should''ve at least let the boy live for a few more minutes. Say hisst words. Endra owed him at least that much.


    Kent paused, taking a final sip from his tea. "I need a proper drink." He then opened a drawer on his desk and pulled out a bottle. "Whisky. Much better." He poured two cups and offered one to Endra. This time, Endra did not refuse.


    "But that''s death, isn''t it?" Kent said, sitting down. "Theplete elimination of one''s future. His past lives on as memories for others, but whatever he could''ve done in the future¡­ no longer possible. And frankly, no longer important. The dead do nothing, the dead have nothing, the dead are nothing."


    Kent then held his cup up in the air, urging Endra to toast. Endra did so in silence and they both took a sip.


    "That''s right. The dead are nothing¡­ Isn''t that why you''re so desperately clinging onto life?" Kent continued. "Isn''t that why you were willing to do anything to avoid death, even if it costs your freedom? So that you''ll still have some form of future? Now, I can''t know what you did before you appeared in the boy''s head. But there must''ve been a reason you did something like that, right?


    ''To live eternally, or to properly die¡­ Sounds so cheap now that I think about it.''


    "Now, like I said, I won''t judge. Everyone has their reasons and only they can truly understand their importance," Kent shrugged. "But whatever your reason is, embrace it. Embrace it and then empower it. You need to make sure that it bes important enough for you to warrant robbing a loved one''s life because of it."


    "Move on." With that, Kent finished his cup of whisky in one gulp. "Now that I''ve drunk a bit, you probably didn''t need me to say these things to you. It would take time, but you''d get your shit together eventually. You''d probably find another reason to engulf yourself in anyways."


    Endra did not agree or disagree. But he was surprised to learn how simrly the two of the thought.


    "Well, it matters little. With this, hopefully, you''ll stand up sooner. And I wanted to talk to you anyways. And I think I''ll want to talk with you some another time as well. It''s honestly a joy to talk with someone like you. The feeling of having your every word truly be heard and understood is a rare joy, despite how sad that sounds."


    Smiling contentedly, Kent poured himself another drink.


    "I have another question," Endra said.


    "Go on."


    "What do you want from me?"


    Kent chuckled casually and shook his head. "Nothing."


    Oddly, Endra did not feel that Kent was lying. Endra half-expected Kent to add a menacing ''Yet,'' but that also, didn''te.


    "Now go," Kent then waved his hand dismissively. "Your schedule as a student will be the same as always. If you need anything, ask."


    Endra nodded. He wanted to trust the Chairman more, but he felt it was impossible. But he did have something he needed.


    "Do you know where Rith is?"


    "Your Cosmic friend? She came back here with Myn two weeks ago. She should be staying in her house. Oh, Myn actually decided to chase after you, so I should probably tell her not to," Kent said and went to rip a Talisman on his desk.


    "Alright."


    Endra nned to give Rith and the Heralt guy a visit tomorrow.


    "Oh, also," Kent continued. "I''ll keep your portal a secret for now. Though, the higher-ups might pressure you for results soon. I heard they went around checking on the other students who are learning portals."


    Endra nodded.


    "Goodbye."


    Endra said his own goodbye and walked out of the room.. There was no spell obstructing his way.

 Chapter 223 - Coping

    Stepping outside, Endra walked towards a bench and pulled out the extra coffee he''d gotten from the stall. It got cold inside the Storage Ring, but Endra didn''t mind. He slowly sipped from the cup, feeling nostalgic due to the bitter taste.


    ''I should try the ones with sugar and milk.''


    Inevitably, his thoughts started to wander towards the conversation he just had. It was more of a one-sided monologue, rather than a conversation, but it did have some good points. As much as Endra hated the Chairman, he wasn''t going to ignore him just because of that.


    Like Kent said, Endra prided himself in his open-mindedness to learn from anyone.


    And Endra indeed realized something during the conversation. He was going to be fine.


    Like Kent said, just because you knew the right thing to do, you didn''t always actually do them.


    Endra knew it was best to forget about Evin and move on with his life, focusing on his future. It was a future he robbed from a child, but since the deed''s already been done, there was no reason to waste the opportunity.


    One had to be realistic about these things.


    Sure, he sinned, but so what? Who didn''t sin? Who cared if the size of his sin was a little more severe than others? It was pointless topare sins. Big or small, one could only learn to ept their sins and live on.


    And what was sin in the first ce? Only a name one attaches to our regrets, hoping some god would ept it for them. Remove all the fancy things, such as its connection to god, then it just bes ''feeling guilt''. It was all in the mind.


    You do something good; you feel good. You do something bad; you feel bad. That''s all there was.


    Endra knew all these things logically. He read it in books, he saw it on movies, he saw it happen to his close ones, and he experienced it over and over with how helpless he felt as a spirit.


    But there was a problem. He still felt the guilt.


    No matter how helpless he was during the situation, no matter if he had no choice in the issue, his heart would still ache like a motherfucker. No matter how many times he goes through the same things, despite him realizing the symptoms, he still felt as if he''d sinned.


    Did that mean that Endra was unable to grow for all these years? Did it simply mean he was too idiotic to put things into practice?


    No.


    It just meant he was human.


    And to be human, was to be apanied with the nonsense called emotions.


    They were the only thing that kept every single person in existence to reach enlightenment. Without them, there would be no love or sorrow, there would be no grief or sadness, there would be no momentary surges of rage, there would be no grief or guilt.


    Without those hindrances, who couldn''t be a buddha?


    But something so convenient wasn''t reality. Endra was still stuck with the regret looming inside his heart. Even the memories if his previous life were haunting him endlessly. How to be rid of them and be enlightened¡­ who knew?


    Though he at least knew one thing. Or at least, he remembered he knew it during the conversation with Kent.


    His emotions would resolve its issues by itself soon enough. You just had to steer it in a favorable direction, but otherwise let it be.


    Endra''s actions these past two weeks were the perfect example.


    Endra knew he was acting illogically. He was walking around in circles, hoping to dy the conversations that would serve as proof for what Endra did. Perhaps if he takes long enough, everything would be resolved by itself.


    ''Of course, something so convenient wouldn''t happen. I need toe back here and settle these issues. But at the same time, I can''t juste back here immediately and act as if everything''s normal.''


    But on top of having to take responsibility, Endra also needed to care for the well-being of his mind. And the only way he knew how to do that was to allow himself some time to cool off.


    Endra had toe back to Evin''s life, but he needed a little time to distract himself from the problems that gued him. The time he spent as a tourist provided that for him.


    If he''d immediately came back to Ankelite city after parting with Twelve Jokes, he was definitely not going to be at his best. He was almost sure to say things he wouldn''t want to say, and act in a manner that would get him in troubleter on.


    But now, he was confident enough in himself to not worry too much.


    Endra knew all these things, so he started to feel Kent''s worries and advice were unneeded. In the end, Endra learned more about the Chairman so he could say it wasn''tpletely useless. It also allowed him more time to dy his talk with Be.


    But of course, Endra knew it couldn''t take any longer.


    Endra sighed loudly. ''Too much thinking¡­''


    He got up his seat and stretched his body. Refreshed, he absentmindedly looked around. Finding no one, he resolved himself to go talk to Be.


    He headed towards Be''s room, wondering how the conversation would go. He''d at least get punched a few times. Knowing the girl''s temper, it was surely going to escte further.


    ''Hmm. Maybe I should go in with my core charged up. Isn''t really a bad idea. But I''d need to let her vent a bit¡­''


    Endra decided he''d take the punches, but would act if things go out of hand.


    Thinking such things, he appeared before Be''s room. He knocked on the door, but surprisingly heard no answer. Scratching his cheek, Endra moved to his own room. Perhaps she was busy with something else. If she wants to she cane to him herself.


    It was unlikely, but if Be decided not to talk with him today, then all the better.


    Humming, Endra came before his room and paused.


    ''Damn, Arza''s in there isn''t he? I should really get a private room¡­''


    Endra opened the door, but instead of Arza, he was met with Be, who immediately tried to kiss him.

 Chapter 224 - Guilt

    Endra deftly grabbed the iing girl''s arm and lifted it above him slightly.


    "Best not to do that," Endra said, in the manner most unlike Evin.


    Be looked at him with some suspicion before pulling back her arm.


    "Evin?"


    Endra shook his head and chinned towards the door. "Probably best to talk in your room."


    "What happened to Evin?" Be seemed to notice something was off.


    Endra debatedying out the truth immediately and ending things, but decided against it. If he was going to stab someone in the heart, he was at least going to do it in thefort of their room.


    Heedless of Be''s questioning gaze, he walked through the door and headed towards the girl''s room. Soon enough, he heard Be following behind him.


    The trip was quick, but the silence was choking. If it was like this for Endra, he couldn''t imagine what it was like for Be. He hastened his steps and the two arrived.


    They entered the room and Endra turned to Be and a hand wrapped around his waist. "Idiot. Is this your idea of scaring me?" Be said with a chuckle.


    She spoke teasingly, but Endra could see the nervousness in her eyes. Desperately, she wanted to believe this whole thing was a joke.


    ''You could act as if everything''s a joke,'' a thought appeared in his head, but he immediately killed it.


    He wasn''t going to treat Be like a child.


    Endra held back a grimace and gently removed her hand. Containing his emotions, he sighed resolutely.


    "Evin is dead," Endra spoke as briefly as he could. "I destroyed his soul and took control of his body."


    He would talk about how he came to meet Twelve and entered the World of Souls if Be asked. The little trip to the North and everything were things Be deserved to know.


    But he wasn''t going to talk about how Twelve''s ultimatum. He wasn''t going to talk about how the Aspect urged him into killing Evin. He was also not going to exin his tragic backstory and how Evin and him were trying to separate for a while now. In the end, they were worthless excuses.


    What had happened had already happened, and certain things couldn''t simply be forgotten or forgiven.


    "What are you talking about? S-stop joking around, Evin," Be said with a shaky voice.


    If anyone else heard these words, they really would''ve thought it was a joke, but Be knew about Endra. She talked to him already. She would want to think it''s all a joke, but deep down she would know. He didn''t need to exin everything to her.


    "If you want to believe I''m still Evin, go ahead," Endra said. "But we should probably keep to each other from now on."


    If he was honest, then Endra would''ve liked to keep in contact with Be, but that''s not something his human decency would allow.


    ''The rtionship thing didn''t work out, but maybe we can still hang out¡­ Yeah, probably not the best thing to say,'' Endra thought, looking at the girl''s disbelieving face.


    He wanted to say something else, but he found his head empty of words. He took it as a sign that he should leave. Keeping his expression level, he pushed the door open.


    "If you have questions, then you can ask¡­" Endra said and walked out. Urged by something inside him, he looked back. "This is not how I thought things would happen. With Evin and I."


    ''Meaningless words¡­''


    He immediately regretted saying that. But he was also surprised at himself for thinking this way.


    So he did be attached to Be. It almost felt refreshing. If he was still a spirit, he definitely would''ve stalked the girl. In a way, it wasn''t so surprising. It wasn''t like he had anyone else to interact with.


    It was hard to keep his emotions in check with all these thoughts swirling in his head. He needed to leave.


    Without further dy, he closed the door and made his way to his room. A few stepster, his feet headed outside, to the city. After that, he would find a fucking liquor shop.


    Thirty minutester, Endra was slowly drinking alone in a random inn''s room. He wanted to go around searching for any kind of drugs or psychedelics, but decided he was just going to get himself wasted.


    A part of him worried for his safety, but Endra couldn''t allow himself to care for those worries much more. What was the point of living if he couldn''t get drunk when he wanted to?


    And he didn''t just want to get drunk. He needed to get wasted.


    After a knock on the door, a barmaid came in to put some food on the table. It was enough to feed ten people. Seeing Endra alone holding a row of hard alcohol next to him, the barmaid made a face and walked out silently.


    "Cheers for my miserable state," Endra said and chugged from another bottle. "Everyone''s lives are miserable, anyway¡­ Those fucking Buddhists were really onto something."


    Without worry, he started wolfing down the food in front of him and heedlessly drinking.


    Slowly, the mess of thoughts in his head was being untangled. One by one, his worries disappeared into nothingness and Endra felt his mood turning giddy.


    At some point, he realized he wasn''t acting like this because of his conversation with Be. He was acting like this because of his killing of Evin. He thought he was doing fine, taking his time with his emotions and all, but apparently he was ready to explode.


    And his confession to Be was the catalyst of it all.


    "Bah¡­ don''t think about those things¡­" he chided himself and drank more.


    Immediately, he felt his worries subside.


    "Everyone should get wasted sometimes. Especially that motherfucker, Kent."


    Endra wondered how the man would act when he was drunk. Would he act like a mouth-breathing idiot, or would he go silent? Endra soon realized Kent would never allow himself to get drunk in the first ce. It was easy for mages to control that.


    "Motherfucker¡­ You talk from a high horse about not feeling the guilt of your actions and just moving on, but why don''t you know that it fucking stings like hell?"


    Endra couldn''t just kill someone he loved and act normal afterwards.


    Another drink.


    Countless retired soldiers faced mental issues.


    The ignorant ones say that if it as them, they''d just fucking kill the enemies they face and return to society as if nothing had happened. Most of them had never been in a brawl before. They were idiots who knew nothing about how their mind and body worked.


    The simple truth was that humans were designed to connect with others. And when they couldn''t do that, or acted as in a way that pushed them apart from others, their minds would immediately make them feel like the worst garbage imaginable to the world.


    So it didn''t matter whether a soldier killed with good intentions or not.


    Their brains were designed to hurt over the murder of others. Morality was engraved in their genes and some things, it just couldn''t let go.


    "Pointless thoughts¡­" Endra chided himself again.


    It was a chore that the human mind couldn''t not think, but Endra knew he would soon forget about it all. Even now, he was struggling to stay awake. He hadn''t even finished half the food he''d ordered, but there was no helping that.


    ¡­

 Chapter 225 - Alvoxs Border Control

    Endra woke up the next morning with drooling out of his mouth. Wincing from his throbbing head, he looked around himself. He was a bit confused at first, seeing the unfamiliar room, but the collection of half-finished food and alcohol reminded him of the past night.


    "Good, I''m still at the inn¡­" he said with a groan.


    ''And I didn''t die in my sleep too¡­'' he thought and grabbed at his head.


    He really shouldn''t have drunk so much.


    Pulling out a lodestone, he turned it into Life energy and started circting it through his head. It wasn''t a cure, but it did help. After lying in his spot for a few seconds, he got up and opened the wooden window. The sunlight burned his eyes, but he forced himself to stay in it for a few seconds.


    Thirsty, he looked around the room for water. The closest thing he found was the bottle of sweet gin.


    ''Should''ve at least asked for fruits¡­'' thinking so, he nibbled at the vegetables on the remaining dish.


    At that point, it dawned on him to ask the owner for water.


    His nose wrinkled as he gave himself a sniff, but he did not have the luxury to look be presentable.


    Some timeter, he was lying on the inn''s bed, slowly sipping on a jug of water. The barmaid from yesterday was gathering the remaining food on arge metal te. She did not bother to hide the displeasure from her face.


    Endra paid her no heed and focused on cleaning his body. A handful of water was running through his body, collecting his sweat and dirt.


    ''Hail magic.''


    The barmaid soon finished with the pile of food.


    "I''m done with the food," she said curtly.


    "Ah, sure. You can keep the unopened alcohol to yourselves," Endra replied. "If you don''t mind, you can keep the half-finished ones too."


    He then got up from his bed and cast a Weight-reducing spell on the pile of food. He then made the thing float behind him and walked out.


    "Lord Mage, your fee," the girl spoke up from behind him.


    "Oh, sure," Endra said and pulled out a gold coin from his pocket. "Is this enough?"


    "Ah- I''ll get you your change," the girl''s tone of voice seemed different somehow.


    Endra shook his head. "Keep the change."


    He probably wasn''t rich enough to act like this all the time, but he didn''t n to drink that much in the first ce. Getting wasted was more of a monthly thing. If you do it every day, you were just alcoholic.


    "Bah," Endra cleared away his thoughts and walked out of the inn.


    Carrying the pile of food, he headed towards Heralt''s address.


    He had sses at the Academy today, but he figured it was okay for him to skip one more day.


    As he neared the address, he passed through the border that separated the 2nd grades and the 3rd grades. The atmosphere changed almost immediately. Before, people would look at him and the pile of food with varying levels of curiosity; but here, Endra could feel fear and desperation around him.


    Some almost seemed eager to jump on him, but their survival instincts would remind them that they were dealing with a mage.


    Although 3rd grades could live afortable enough life in the rural areas, that usually wasn''t the case for the 3rd grades of cities. In the city, they lived a life worse than most ves.


    Endra found a rtively open space among the many streets and put the food down.


    "Don''t kill each other for it, bastards," he shouted to no one in particr and moved on to his destination.


    He didn''t bother picking a lucky child among the crowd to give the food. After he left, the kid would only have his newfound food stolen by the adults. Perhaps they''d get punched in the gut a few times in the process. Endra didn''t want toplicate the process any further.


    "Fat fucker, that''s mine!"


    "Eat my shit, you boney whore!"


    He looked behind and saw some scrawny men and women pulling at each other''s dirty clothes. Someone was even biting another in the shin. The smaller kids around were quickly diving in towards the pile of food like hyenas.


    Some paused their fight when they saw Endra turning back, but continued soon after when they saw him shrugging and moving away.


    Endra could not care less for what those people would do. In fact, it raised his mood a bit, seeing the ugliness of man. With this, he wouldn''t have to feel so bad acting like an asshole.


    Shaking his head, he eyed the street signs and moved forward.


    Heralt''s address turned out to be a tavern called ''The Bottom Barrel''.


    It did not stand out much from the surrounding buildings, with its worn-down wood, messy porch, and overall gloomy look. There was an open door on the front, with two wooden windows ces symmetrically next to it.


    Endra walked around the building once, and did not find any more windows or doors. He did realize that the building gave off a rather confusing vibe. He couldn''t tell what it was exactly, but he didn''t like the feeling.


    ''Well, if I need to, I''ll just break through the wall,'' he decided and walked into the tavern.


    A muscr man with a long, white mane was idly sitting behind a counter, sewing something. A ragged kid was standing next to him, wolfing down a meal. The kid then noticed someoneing in and saw Endra.


    "Oh, that''s the rich kid who brought the food!" the kid eximed.


    The man nced at Endra and asked. "Endra?"


    "Sure," Endra nodded. "You''re Heralt, then?"


    The man nodded, lifted up a part of the counter, and walked into what Endra thought was the kitchen. Behind him, his hands beckoned Endra to follow behind.


    Deciding to trust Twelve, Endra entered the kitchen. Among the utensils and ingredients usually found in a kitchen, Endra saw Heralt next to a floating stove. Underneath it was a stairway that lead underground.


    ''This fucking world and its fascination with underground areas,'' Endra cursed, reminded of the Ind and its many trials.


    Heralt lit antern and walked down. Reluctantly, Endra followed.


    Soon he realized why the building was giving off such an odd vibe. The underground floor was made entirely of ketricite.


    Reaching the edge of it, Endra stopped, wondering if he really should be so trusting of this stranger.


    "It''s to make sure of your identity and make sure no one''s around to listen," Heralt said.


    Endra sighed and stepped onto the ketricite floor. He made sure to keep a good eye on the man in front of him.


    "If you''re so wary of others, then why did you make such amotion outside?"


    "This ce just doesn''t feel good."


    "Whatever," Heralt replied and opened a door. "Come inside this room. You''ll get to use your precious magic in it."


    Indeed, the room was safe from the ketricite''s effects. And surprisingly, it was also arranged simrly to a tavern, expect there were a variety of alcohols on the shelves. The interior was also much cleaner than the tavern above.


    But what got Endra''s attention most was therge board filled with four lists of various names. Above them were two categories: ''Confirmed Otherworlders, ''Potential Otherworlders'', ''Confirmed Turncoats'', and finally, ''Potential Turncoats''.


    ncing through the list, Endra saw many familiar names. In the Potential Turncoat section, almost every teacher in the Academy was listed, while others were famous schrs or mages in Ankelite city.


    ''What''s the point of a list if you''re literally going to suspect everyone?'' Endrained as he noticed his name in the ''Confirmed Otherworlders'' list.


    "Twelve exined anything to you about this ce?" Heralt asked.


    "Nothing.. But I''m guessing this is part of Alvox''s Border Control."

 Chapter 226 - Soul Spells

    Heralt did not react to the remark, and started exining. "Our task is simple. To keep an eye out for anyone who makes contact with Otherworlders. Ideally, we bring them back to our side, but if a need arises, we take drastic measures to keep Alvox clear of foreign influences."


    "As for the Otherworlders themselves?" Endra asked.


    "Due to the influence of mana, Otherworlders cannot survive without the various apparatuses that keep them alive. So, distinguishing them isn''t that hard when they decide toe out into the open. What''s hard is finding their hidden bases and the people they''ve reached out to."


    "I saw them using some Cloaking Device on their bodies, though? Even some mages had them."


    "You''ve stumbled upon the Orgonians," Heralt shrugged. "Unlucky that. They''re a pain in the ass to deal with. But aside from them and the n Vitalis who are capable of properbat, the rest aren''t so bad. At most, they just want to look at how things are going on Alvox. The same thing we do in other worlds."


    Heralt did not even bat an eye as he revealed something mind-blowing. Of course, hearing something like that, Endra couldn''t help but ask about a certain world.


    "Can I go to Earth?"


    Heralt shook his head.


    "Earth''s off-limits. Perhaps you cannd on its moon and stare at it from afar, but the moment you close in on the itself, you''ll find yourself at the mercy of the Ruler and his subjects."


    "But isn''t he missing?"


    "He is missing, but he''s still out there somewhere. His magic still exists after all."


    Endra pondered the existence of Earth''s god. He still found ''Him'' and this whole thing unbelievable. God, parallel universes, and how special his home world is,pared to others.


    ''But assuming there was a god back there¡­ Where would he go? Maybe he went to a different civilization that came to be somewhere in the universe?''


    Seemed like the logical thing. The man must get bored, looking at only Earth all the time. So if another race appears on the other end of the universe, surely, he''d go check them out.


    All these thoughts about aliens and parallel universes made him think of another possibility.


    "Were there any attempts at a coexistence agreement between different worlds? If not that, maybe a coalition or a union of various worlds?"


    "It''s difficult for that to work due to the ill-effects of mana," Heralt reminded. "But there are coalitions between worlds. And there are a few alliances as well. The Orgonians that we''ve talked about, they''re one of them. Their source of magical energy, known as orgone, is not that dangerous to foreign species. The catch is that it''s much less powerful,pared to something like mana, but the Orgonians can use their various technologies to make do."


    "Does that mean that species of other worlds can also use orgone?"


    "A little bit."


    "But why would they? Considering they have their own source of magic."


    "Not many worlds are so nice to their mages like Alvox here. Some require sacrifices to work properly, some require immense calctions and mental energy, some require you to do certain deeds, some require you to be faithful to a world''s deity, and some would just fuck up your body way too much to be of any practical use."


    Endra remembered how he thought that this world''s magic was way too lenient when he first heard about the casting methods. With at least four different methods to cast, and even an autopilot feature to the casting methods¡­ Alvox''s mages were terribly coddled.


    If he was suddenly asked to cast magic using these different sources of energy, then he probably would''ve have such a jolly time.


    "My eternal gratitude to the Empress."


    "Serve her well," Heralt said matter-of-factly.


    Endra wanted to say something witty in return, but nothing came to mind.


    "So I just search for otherworlders and people who might be in contact with them?"


    "Yes. You may kill the otherworlders if necessary, but for the turncoats, you can inform me with either hard evidence, or a very convincing argument. I may also ask some things from you from time to time."


    Then, Heralt pulled out two thin pieces of paper from a Storage ring.


    "For your efforts, you will be rewarded with spells," he said and gave the two pieces of paper to Endra.


    There were unknown word scribbled onto the two papers with a drawing of a rune next to it. Two words were written in imperial underneath.


    "Soul Sense¡­ and Soul st?" Endra asked.


    "It''s your reward for killing those three otherworlders on the Cataract," Heralt said. "The first spell''s something that allows you to sense the presence of anyone nearby. Quite useful against invisible enemies and illusions. To cast it, you''ll need to chant those words in a specific manner or etch that rune onto a talisman."


    "Do I just use it with mana?"


    Heralt cocked his head at that. "No. You would need to use up your own soul. Did you not learn about this?"


    "No?"


    "Hmm¡­ It''s faster to show you."


    Heralt then brought out a Talisman and gave it to Endra. It had the rune for Soul Search. Endra ripped the piece of paper without much dy.


    A faint pulsation began emanating from his body. When it reached Heralt, Endra could very clearly feel the man''s presence. The pulsation even reached the ground floor above, unaffected by the ketricite or the wall. It reached the boy from before and Endra could tell that he was eating. Just before it could reach outside, the pulse died out.


    "Not bad for a first timer," Heralt said. "Feel anything odd, or heavy?"


    "No."


    "Your soul''s strong enough to keep that up for an hour or so. Train it well so you can keep it up forever."


    The man kept casually mentioning all these¡­ things. When was Endra even going to sleep like that?


    But to be fair, the spell really didn''t feel so difficult to maintain.. Normal spells were much more difficult to maintain usually.

 Chapter 227 - Meeting With Rith

    Endra then tried to manipte the pulses that came out of his body. Or rather, his soul. What he really wanted was to change the shape of the pulse that came out of him. Normally, it was just a circle with him at the center. If he could make it a long oval or something, he''d be able to make them move much further than normal.


    He realized that the process of was a waste of time. Another thing he noticed was that the spell was much more rigid than what he was used to. He could do anything he could imagine with mana created spells. Even Talisman spells, Endra could affect to a certain degree.


    But Soul Sense, it did only one thing and it was impossible to do change it in any way. Endra was sure Soul st would be the same story.


    "You mentioned this is using up my soul," Endra said. "Should I be worried about that?"


    "You should stop when your soul starts showing signs of tiredness. The mostmon symptom is sleepiness, but there are some other reactions: agitation, anxiety, short-temperedness, irrationality. But don''t be discouraged and keep on practicing. Just as our organs can function tirelessly our whole lives, our soul can also do the same. It''s just that no one really knows how to use it for more practical things."


    "Alright."


    "And," Heralt said and looked at Endra''s body with a slight frown. The expression soon turned to indifference. "Never mind."


    It was obvious what the man thought.


    ''Just say I''m not fit enough for your standards,'' Endrained inside. But like Heralt, he also decided not to voice his thoughts.


    Changing the subject, he asked about the second spell.


    "So Soul st is an offensive spell I can use?"


    From the name, it sounded like a very generic energy attack. At that point, Endra would probably be better off using normal magic.


    ''But, there are some perks to using Soul magic. Most people wouldn''t know what they''re dealing with.''


    "Ah, no," Heralt smiled for the first time during the whole conversation. "It''s a spell that ruptures your own soul shredding it to pieces. You, as an entity, would be dead, but your body can still live on as a vegetable. Might be useful if you don''t have a better alternative."


    ''Motherfucker¡­'' Endra cursed. ''How is that even a reward? Wait, would this be considered true death? Doesn''t that mean I now have at least one method to escape undeath? Wait, wait, wait. How would I even check if that''s true?''


    "How do I even practice this spell? Feels like I''d just kill myself identally."


    Heralt did not care to borate.


    "Serve the Empress well and you''ll receive more rewards. The next spell won''t be a suicide method."


    In that case, Endra wasn''t going to bother learning the spell. Practicing your suicide just in case something went wrong¡­ that was just bad omen.


    "How many spells are there?"


    "Ten base spells. After that, you can ask for more specific ones."


    "Care to tell me more details?"


    "The first tell will include base inspective, defensive, offensive methods. Learn those and I''ll tell you about the specific methods."


    "Alright."


    Heralt then produced a stack of papers and gave it to Endra. "The people on the list and what we know about them," he said, nodding to the board. "See through it at your leisure."


    Endra wrapped it up and put it in his Storage Ring.


    "We don''t have a quota for you, but do be careful of the Orgonians. As for the rewards, just think of them as a bonus to keeping yourself alive. Come here whenever you need, but do it discreetly next time. There''s an entrance on the tavern''s back that leads to the ketricite halls. Check it from the outside."


    Endra sighed, said his goodbyes and walked out of the tavern.


    When he reached the building''s back, at first he couldn''t really see anything, but his Soul Sense picked up on something. When its pulsations hit the tavern''s wall, Endra could feel the outline of a door. When Endra reached out to touch it, he realized he could simply push it open, though the process felt awfully off. Instinctively he knew that if he tried to push the hidden wall whilst not using a soul rted magic, it wouldn''t move.


    He immediately tried his hypothesis and sure enough, it was as if the door was never there in the first ce. Endra even pushed on the wall to realize it was solid. He brought out an empty talisman and drew the Soul Sense rune on it and activated the spell again. With that, the door once again became visible to his senses.


    The experience made him more curious about Soul magic. Given some time, Endra would''ve been able to recreate a simr effect, but if the person touches the wall, the jig would be up. It was technically possible to deceive someone''s sense of touch with illusions, but that was simply too difficult to achieve reliably.


    Thinking about the mysterious door, he realized he was getting tamed by Heralt. The man was using the carrot and stick method on Endra, with the spells acting as rewards and the Orgonians acting as potential punishment. It was a pretty nasty trick, to have yourself be the ''carrot'', while painting your enemies as the ''stick''.


    Endra shook his head and walked away.


    He was going to have to deal with the Orgonians regardless of whether he got rewards or not.


    He then gathered some Thought energy in his core and made himself invisible to themon eyes. Thankfully, he could still cast spells without problem even with the Soul Sense sending out pulsations.


    He headed towards Rith''s house, testing out his new senses on the crowd around. He half-expected himself to feel overwhelmed with this new sense of his, but it was surprisingly fine. Since he could see the people he was sensing, his brain received the information without much issue.


    At some point during his walk, Endra started focusing on finding invisible people among the crowd. Perhaps someone was acting like him, walking around the city discreetly.


    He couldn''t find anyone by the time he reached Rith''s house. At this point, the tiredness was kicking in. Seemed like his symptom would be themon sleepiness. That was good enough for Endra.


    He then knocked on Rith''s door and soon saw the Cosmic opening the door for him.


    "Oh, Evin," she greeted with a yawn. "You''re back already?"


    "Yup," Endra said and picked Rith up.


    He then carried her to the table for humans and the Cosmic let him do as he wished. He put Rith down on the table and helped himself to a cup of tea and some snacks.


    "Where''d you leave your parents?"


    "They''re in Koidot city."


    "That far?"


    "Well, this and that happened and they ended up there."


    Rith seemed unaware that Endra had taken over Evin. In a sense, it wasn''t that surprising. Evin''s speech pattern mimicked Endra''s quite a lot. so even if Endra acted like himself, people wouldn''t notice anything off. He just had to be mindful of his bodynguage a bit.


    The two of them started catching up on things while Endra had his breakfast.


    Endra spoke about his meeting with Lord Kena and the deal he made with him. He didn''t mention the details much and Rith was kind enough to keep her curiosity in check. He also didn''t mention anything about Twelve and the World of Souls. Naturally.


    Rith spoke about how she and Myn went back to the Capital to report their findings. They were asked to keep their findings secret and not mention it to the public. They were told that someone high up would contact them again, but there was no word for them yet.


    From the talk, Endra could tell that Rith was hiding something from him and she was making the fact quite obvious. Endra took the hint and soon dropped the subject. They both knew the truth; it was just hard to talk about it openly.


    The two then enjoyed their time together and Endra soon got up to leave.

 Chapter 228 - Bellas Incident

    As Endra headed back to the dorm, it was already lunchtime. Feeling hungry and also feeling a crave for a certain something, he decided to head towards the coffee stall. There were some seats near the stall, so he could get something to eat and enjoy the zoo of horny men circling around the area like vultures.


    Sure enough, as he got close to the stall, he could feel the sudden increase of testosterone in the air.


    Shrugging, Endra got himself some bread and meat skewers. He then approached the stall, greeted Rhea, and ordered two drinks for himself. He found himself a seat nearby and had his lunch.


    It really was interesting to see Rhea dealing with the men around. She pretended not to see the gazes directed towards her and whenever someone sat on the stall''s seats she would kindly ask them to buy a drink before sitting down.


    Some would reply with a sure, but would either frown or rage at the outrageous prices. Rhea would then exin the origins of the coffee seeds and the difficulty of bringing them to the North of the Kingdom. Whenever someone tries to be physical, she would subtly nod at the guard-post nearby.


    As for the people who actually buy the coffee and try to talk with her, she doesn''t mind entertaining them, but she''d always keep the line clear.


    Endra suddenly felt bad for the woman having to deal with all this shit, but soon, his interest faded out. He activated his Soul Sense to make sure there weren''t any invisible guests loitering around and started reading the list.


    Most of the confirmed Turncoats and Otherworlders were already under watchful eyes so Endra didn''t really need to do anything about them. As for the suspected Otherworlders, it contained details about their potential hideouts and also who they might''ve tried to contact. Endra read through the information they had on the Orgonians.


    Many of their hideouts were found and destroyed, but the main one was yet to be found. The likeliest ce was the northern side of the Eastern Deserts, but any other ce was a likely candidate. At least they knew for sure that the base wasn''t in a city.


    Their appearance was not consistent due to their multiethnic culture, but most had pale white bodies and hairs. The spies on the Orgonian''s home world confirm that they are the true Orgonians.


    They were also the most active seekers of potential Turncoats.


    As for the capabilities, they could teleport, fly, turn invisible, and had a forcefield. Each had some extra info attached to it, but Endra was more interested in the shield. The short description of it was that it could block any projectile below a certain strength threshold. There was also a short excerpt from an observational diary that they got from an Orgonian.


    [As a bullet needs to be five times the speed of sound to prate the shield, most of the smaller projectiles that Alvox''s mages useck the strength to hurt us. But arge boulder lifted by magic can be extremely dangerous even at slower speeds. Hence, it''s necessary for us to redesign our shields to blockrger objects. The default one designed to block bullets is nigh-useless in this world.]


    The diary was from 20 years ago.


    ''If the idea caught on, I should imagine that the newer shields are better againstrger objects. Now, the shields should be weaker against bullets.''


    Endra decided to create more bullets and a stronger gun when he had the time. The one he currently used was good against unknowing opponents, but it was still too weak. Perhaps it was barely above the speed of sound.


    The default shield Orgonians used could withstand 5 times that amount, so Endra would definitely need to create something stronger.


    ''Perhaps I''ll try making a real gun soon¡­'' Endra pondered the idea''s usibility before moving on.


    Aside from the Orgonians, another world that Endra had to be wary of were the n Vitalis. Their description depicted mostly human-like people, except they had pointy ears. They were all tall, had long hair, and always wore a robe that covered everything from the chin below.


    ''Hmmm¡­''


    [For their capabilities, they were masters of nature. They could control anything organic, including the flesh, bones and organs of humans. This allows them to modify themselves and others to a certain degree. When you face one, it''smon for them to be several times faster, stronger and observant than the average human, despite looking like one.]


    [Each n Vitali also has something special to themselves. These could be anything. From the rtively normal ones such as: stronger hearing, sharper eyesight, and stronger legs; there are baffling ones such as: the ability tobust and burst water, an antenna on their body with unknown capabilities, an extra arm, etc.]


    [Although these ''differences'' can be misleading in their usefulness, the n Vitali can always use them to their fullest potential. Never underestimate them.]


    Endra read through their description with vivid interest. They felt like generic elves at first, but then they turned more and more bizarre.


    Curious, he continued reading when he stumbled upon a terribly interesting sentence.


    [Their prime method of recruitment is to offer nigh-eternal life. With their ability to modify others, it is easy for them to prolong another''s life.]


    ''Wait¡­''


    Wasn''t this what he was searching for? Some method to live forever? But¡­ a part of him didn''t want this method.


    It wasn''t like he was being picky about his choices, he just knew there were other methods. And it wasn''t like he needed to be immortal this very minute. He still had a lifetime to live through.


    The guidebook''s next sentence on the offer of immortality further convinced Endra to not search for the n Vitali. It spoke of how easy it was for the n Vitali to imnt spells inside otherworlders, essentially turning them into their ves.


    Of course things weren''t going to be so simple. Endra felt ashamed for actually considering the idea for a second.


    Shaking his head, he put away the stack of papers and got up.


    He briefly looked at Rhea catching a break before her counter and noticed that the testosterone in the air had lessened a bit. Well, people would get tired of Rhea sooner orter. But would some stay due to the coffee? Endra wished they hadn''t.


    Gathering his stuff inside his Storage Ring, he peacefully walked towards the Academy.


    Surprisingly, when he got close to the dorm''s gates, he noticed another gathering of crowds on the flower field. Someone in the crowd turned to him, and gasped in shock.


    "Y-You need to help her!"


    "What happened?" another asked him.


    "What are you talking about?"


    Tilting his head, Endra let himself be dragged to the center of themotion.


    There, he found a pale, wet Beyn covered in leaves and grass, arge sh wound running through her left hand.


    *****

 Chapter 229 - The Murderer

    Beyn woke up to a clean, snow-white ceiling, and the sounds of metal clinking nearby. It took her a second to realize she wasn''t in her own room.


    ''Is this my next life?''


    And since she still had her memories with her¡­ was she one of the Children of the Empress?


    The thought did not linger long. Her body felt the same as always, and when she raised her left hand, she could see a crooked scar running along it.


    So she failed to die. No. It was proper to say she refused it.


    "You''re awake," a voice resounded near her.


    Flinching, she lifted her head to see Evin¡­ or whoever the hell it was now, sitting on a chair next to her bed, ying with something metallic.


    She pushed her body up and managed a half-sitting, half-lying position. "What are you doing here?"


    Her voice came out coarse and weak.


    A cup of water appeared in front of her, previously familiar but now foreign hands offering it to her. She tried to swat it away, but her hands were too slow to hit it off the hands'' grip.


    The monster-inside-Evin put away the cup and resumed fiddling with the metal again. They were two intertwined nails, bent in some special way.


    "You just missed your father and the Mage guards. They really drilled about what happened." He started pulling at the two metal pieces in his hand. Didn''t seem to work. "Told them about our breakup." He then twisted the two nails in a weird way. They came loose. "They didn''t think you''d do something like this over a mere breakup. Well, I told them to ask you when you wake up." He then fiddled with the separated pieces a bit, and they became tangled again. "I''ll go with whatever story youe up with."


    With the way he acted, sometimes it felt so difficult to tell he was different from Evin. But he absolutely was different from Evin. There was something fundamentally different between the two people.


    "You''re a murderer," she croaked out.


    "I am," he said softly. "But that''s not something you should worry about, really. You couldn''t have known about what was going inside Evin, and you wouldn''t have been able to prevent what happened in the end¡­ Though, of course I know these words are meaningless to you now."


    "Of course it is!" Be hissed. "Leave!"


    She wanted to scream, but for the love of the Empress, her throat felt like she''d swallowed a mouthful of sand. She badly wanted that cup of water now, but her pride did not allow such thoughts.


    "Perhaps you''ll find my words useful when you grow old," he said, showing no sign of leaving. "For now, you''ll have to excuse my presence here."


    The way he spoke was so terribly akin to Evin. Be always noticed Evin trying to speak a certain way but never naturally. She could see who she was trying to mimic now.


    But those memories of him felt worthless now. Seeing his body only caused her heart more pain.


    "Leave!"


    Acting as if he heard nothing, he pulled out another pair of tangled metal pieces and started fiddling with them. Be was powerless to do anything him. She could only look away, unable to bear looking at him any longer.


    "Though, how did you end up outside anyway? I''m guessing you jumped off your bathroom window, but why would you do that?"


    Be remembered lying in her bathtub, trying her best to not think of anything. Keeping away the thought of her body turning cold and numb from the blood trickling out of her hand. She remembered getting startled, feeling how warm her blood felt when it touched her skin.


    Then¡­ all hell broke loose as her survival instincts kicked in.


    ''Like hell I''m going to die a stupid death like this,'' she remembered whispering in a coarse voice.


    At the time, she intended to scream the words out, but she didn''t realize just how weak her body would be after losing all that blood. She tried to push herself off the bathtub, but her left hand waspletely useless and her right hand couldn''t even form a fist. She could only get her left hand out of the water so she would at least stop bleeding.


    She wanted to use a spell, but had no lodestone nearby to cast anything helpful.


    She could only use the mana in the air, and she''d have only one shot at saving herself. As she gathered them in her core, she started drinking from the water she was in, pushing down her disgust and nausea. A part of her hoped the bloody water would help her body recover, but she knew that was too optimistic.


    With a hazy mind, she worked on a n. She knew she couldn''t simply get herself out of the water and be done with it. She could easily die from anemia and no one would know until the next dayes.


    Hence, she decided she needed to jump through the window.


    Someone should get her the help she needed.


    Everything after that was hazy, but since she was still alive, she seemed sessful in her task.


    Her gaze inadvertently turned towards her guest. He was idly ncing at her, expecting an answer. Her eyes softened at the sight of him, but the emotion immediately sent pain to her heart.


    "Well, it doesn''t matter much. What matters is that you''re alive."


    A deep, revolting hate appeared inside Be.


    "How can you say that?!"


    He, who murdered a 10-year-old boy, did not have the right to say those words. Did he just kill Evin so he could survive by himself? Of course he fucking did. What else would a parasite like him do? Filth like him did not deserve to breathe!


    Consumed by her rage, Be found herself lunging off her bed. Her hands reached for his neck, but she was unable to reach her target. Her tumbled onto the ground, only able to re at the figure above her.


    The murderer in Evin''s skin did not react at all to her sudden outburst.. He peacefully observed her struggling on the ground, content to do nothing.

 Chapter 230 - Defeat

    A few minutes of struggling on the floor, Beyn''s head cooled off a bit. She tried crawling through the floor at him like some rabid, disabled dog; but only ended up isted in the middle of the room. Tried throwing small spells at him, but they were of little use. She then cried and punched the floor at her helplessness, though she never really wailed.


    Now, she was only feeling shame, and feeling guilty because of it. Were her feelings for Evin this shallow? That after a little tantrum and a little crying, she''d start concerning herself with how she looked in front of his murderer?


    She didn''t know.


    But the most hurtful thing was that he was still looming over her, silent and still. There wasn''t even the sound of metal clinking anymore.


    Be didn''t want to look up to find him looking down on her with mocking eyes. With any eyes, really.


    "I always wondered why a mage''s first instinct in a fight or flight situation is to act as if they''re still human. Always, their bodies move first before their core, even though their core''s stronger than anything their bodies can muster."


    Be then felt her body turn light and a strong gust of wind hitting her from the bottom. She briefly floated before ending up on her bed again.


    "Guessing it has to do with our roots. We were still animals a million years ago¡­ though, I guess that doesn''t apply to Alvox, being made by the Empress and all."


    He was making pondering face, but soon shook his head, as if saying he was done with those thoughts.


    "Sorry, it''s a bad habit of mine to talk to myself."


    He walked towards his seat again and started ying with the metal puzzles. Didn''t look like he nned to leave.


    Be grabbed the nket and silently covered herself with it.


    She thought of pretending she was alone, but knew it wasn''t going to help. She could ask him questions, but it felt so pointless. What was she supposed to do?


    She didn''t know.


    Someone knocked on the door.


    "Come in!" he answered.


    Be peeked out of her nket. Maybe it was the Mage guards. If Be asked them, surely they''d get rid of this monster for her. In the worst case, it was her father¡­ but, he should help her, right? No, considering him, he should be walking around with at least Komarokh. Their job was to protect her father, so he wouldn''t be alone.


    If she revealed everything about how there was someone else controlling Evin''s body, someone shoulde to arrest him. Even better, he''d be turned into ab rat, suffering every day until his dayse to an end.


    A boy, no older than 7, came in holding two cups. He was dressed well, but nothing too fancy.


    "Your, uh, ck awakener, lord mage."


    Thetter put a silver coin on the boy''s hand.


    "Here''s some extra copper," he said and gave the boy a handful.


    "Thank you, Lord mage."


    "There were some older kids eyeing you when you talked to me. Maybe hide the silver," he said and shooed the boy away. "Now go along."


    Thetter looked confused, but walked away without more words.


    It was disturbing, seeing how naturally a 10-year-old boy acted like a grown man. Evin sometimes tried to act mature, but that was just that. Acting. For this new¡­ persona, the performance was far from fake.


    "It''s called coffee," he said some unknown word. "Or wait, do they call it the ck Awakener? They surely need a better name than that¡­ Anyway, it''s not really famous yet, but people will start enjoying these soon enough. Perhaps in a year or two. You want a taste? Get a head start on the trend?"


    He approached her bed, and offered the cup. Be held out her hand, and when he put the cup on it, she threw it away. The cup didn''t shatter, nor did its contents get spilled everywhere.


    "Your loss," he shrugged as he picked up the cup and scooped up the floating liquid in the air.


    "Leave!"


    He sat back on his chair and started drinking.


    "Mm¡­ I always used to argue with Evin. You know, when I was still a voice in his head. It was especially bad when he wasn''t yet a mage. At that time, I didn''t know I could Imagination cast, you see. Didn''t even know what it was, really. So, of course, Evin could only see me as¡­ an unwanted parasite. Something that made him a lunatic in others'' eyes.


    " ''Get out of my head!'', he''d shout randomly, and ''Thwack!'' came his father''s fist. He even tried to threaten me with suicide once. A case of mutual destruction, if you will. I don''t even remember why he did it now. Probably something stupid and childish. Like making me shut up.


    "Ah, this is making me sound like I was some insufferable asshole. I really kept myself silent most of the time. Only spoke when I thought I absolutely needed to. I had the best intentions, really. I never told him the wrong things. The right wisdom, the right choices, the right people, the right actions¡­ Of course, I never expected him to actually listen. Kids don''t work like that."


    His voice cracked a bit at the end of that sentence. He smiled. Swirled the cup a few times in his hand and gulped it in one go.


    "Please leave," Be''s voice was almost non-existent.


    He spared her a nce. Noticed the tears in her eyes, her sniffing away the snot, and the incessant shaking of her body. His expression did not change much. It only looked a hint sadder.


    "You know, if I truly cared for him and wouldn''t have minded doing anything for him, I''d have kept myself shut. Let the boy live out a normal life. Without the worries of a voice sitting inside his head. I''m not someone like that. Me sitting here talking to you is living proof of it."


    He picked the other cup and cast a little spell. The liquid inside blew steam. Smiling wryly, he took a sip.


    "But a selfish little part of me says that¡­ me being Evin as he went through all that¡­ nonsense, maybe it helped a little."


    He went silent. His breathing quivered. So did Be''s.


    She closed her eyes. She didn''t want to see him. He wasn''t crying.


    "Haa-ah," he sighed deeply.


    Sounds of him getting up entered Be''s ears. He came close-by, and with a ''thud'', put something beside Be.


    "You can call me Endra."


    With those final words, he walked out of the room.


    It took courage for Be to open her eyes. When she did, there was only herself, and the cup of ck liquid that Endra left for her.


    She picked it up, and took a gulp.


    An unfathomably bitter taste permeated her mouth. She almost spat it back out when she tried to swallow it one go.


    "Who- cough, would drink this- cough, willingly? Cough, cough."


    She put the cup back down, but a secondter, something about the bitter taste made her drink it again.

 Chapter 231 - The Eavesdropper

    Sighing, Endra walked out of the Be''s hospital room. He filled his core to the brim, made himself invisible, materialized a gun, and started running.


    He made his way outside the building, where Be''s window would be.


    Thankfully, the man listening to the conversation was still there, silently hovering near the window. In Endra''s Soul Sense, he seemed to be furiously writing something down.


    ''Since he''s not running, his target''s Be? ¡­ or he''s just confident in his invisibility since I didn''t react at all to him being there?''


    Endra could ask him in a few seconds. Slowly, he covered Be''s window with ayer of vacuum. Then, he loaded his gun with a metal bullet, and shot at the man.


    The boom of the shot surprised the man, but he was toote. The bullet cleanly hit his wrist, and off he went wailing. Eerily, he made no sound as he screamed. Endra flew at the man, stabbed him through the mouth to prevent any chants, and started choking him. At that, whatever was silencing the man''s noise disappeared and his gurgled screams finally became audible.


    "Shut it," Endra hissed


    The man was reaching towards his pocket, no doubt trying to either reach a Talisman, so Endra shot his remaining good hand and choked harder.


    He couldn''t even scream properly this time, so rapidly losing his consciousness.


    Below, some people around looked around for the source of themotion, but they wouldn''t be able to find anything, as both victim and perpetrator were invisible. As for Be, Endra could see her drinking from the coffee and was wiping off her tears. She had no idea what transpired behind her. Good.


    Endra did not fancy himself the silent protector, but the girl had enough on her tes for now. She could learn about all this at her own pace.


    But for the man who threatened to ruin that peace, Endra had no mercy.


    He silently made his way to Heralt''s base.


    "You''vee back earlier than I expected," Heralt greeted Endra as he helped tie up the sudden catch.


    "Chanced upon an invisible, floating eavesdropper as I was talking to someone."


    Endra took away the man''s cloaking device. There wasn''t any other device on him, though, which meant he was flying and keeping himself silent using his own magic.


    He picked up the man''s diary and read thetest entry.


    [Ah, this is making me sound like an insufferable assho-]


    The pen drew a long line afterwards, followed by a spray of blood. He read up and found his whole conversation with Be was written word by word. Before that, he found some details on Be''s schedule and habits, some other conversations she had, followed by the man''s spections on her suicide and how it was a chance to recruit her.


    ''So their goal was Be¡­ Guess I was an unexpected bonus.''


    "Find anything interesting?" Heralt asked from the side.


    "He was trying to approach Beyn Borna," Endra ripped out the part that contained his conversation and handed him the diary.


    "Seems so."


    "I''ll ask him his ID, how he was approached by the Orgonians and how he can contact them. Anything you wanna add?"


    "What job he did to earn the Cloaking Device."


    "Alright," Endra said. "Oh, and I''ll need to kill him afterwards. That''s okay, right?"


    He waved the ripped-out pieces of paper and burned it.


    "Personal information?"


    "Something like that."


    "Sure."


    Receiving Heralt''s approval, Endra squeezed the man''s messed up hand.


    "Aaagh!" the man woke up screaming.


    "Name and upation," Endra asked calmly.


    "Wh- what¡­? Who, who, who are you?"


    "Your name and upation, tell them to me," Endra squeezed again.


    "Aaaagh! S-stop! Pleease s-su-stop!" the man was crying now.


    Endra squeezed harder.


    "Leor Polivar! I''m Leor Polivar! I, I work as a manager in the Bureau!"


    "How did the Orgonians approach you?" Endra asked, finger caressing the blood clotting on the wound.


    "Orgonians? W-what are you talking about?"


    Endra was a bit confused at the genuineness of the response, but of course, the other side wouldn''t use their real identity so lightly.


    "The people who gave you that cloaking device," he asked.


    "I- I¡­ I don''t know! It was my colleague!" Leor screamed desperately. "She acted as the middle man! A woman named Fiscel! Bu- But she''s been missing since forever!"


    Endra turned to look at Heralt. Thetter nodded to the board with the names on and lifted three fingers.


    ''Confirmed Turncoat?''


    "How do you report to the Orgonians?" Endra continued his questions.


    "The, uh, the orgonians, yes. Those guys, they¡­ they meet me periodically. They alwayse at random times¡­ but only when I''m alone."


    Heralt showed a shrug at that. Same answer as the rest, Endra guessed.


    "How did you earn your cloaking device?" he asked, holding the device in his hands.


    "I¡­"


    Endra reached for the man''s hands again.


    "I found it in Fiscel''s room!" he screamed. "After she disappeared, I went through her stuff and found that! The, uh, the orgonians, they allowed me to keep it. And gave me fuel for it¡­ I- I can show you where the fuel is!"


    Heralt shook his head subtly. Endra guessed that meant the questioning was over, but he had to make sure.


    "Anything else?"


    "No," the big man replied.


    Endra aimed his Hard Air gun at the man''s forehead and shot twice. The man, of course, did not know what wasing.


    "Ah, don''t make such a mess the next time," Heralt said, sighing at the blood on the floor.


    "Sorry."


    "Well, doesn''t matter too much," he said, casting a spell. A body of water appeared and carried the body away into another room.


    Endra also cleaned his hands with a small spell. "So? Hear anything useful?"


    "Not particrly. Same questions and same answers. Though that''s normal, considering it''s just a turncoat. A real catch would be an otherworlder," Heralt replied. "But it was surprising to hear the otherworlders allowing him to keep the cloaking device. Maybe they''re getting desperate?"


    "And who was that woman he mentioned?"


    "Ah, she was caught a few months ago. Killed herself instead of letting us interrogate her."


    "Huh. So there are the more zealous Turncoats?"


    "It mostly depends on how deep they are in this business. The stronger your ties to the otherworlders, the stricter rules you must follow. The strictest of those rules apply to the otherworlders themselves. Hence, why it''s so hard for us to find their bases."


    Endra shrugged at it all. He patted the dust off his clothes and stretched.


    "Well, as a job well done, I want my next spell."


    "Ah, I''m afraid you''ll need a couple more turncoats to receive your prize. Find me an Otherworlder, though, I won''t even mind giving you two spells.


    "Three turncoats for one spell. But three spells for one Otherworlder?"


    "Something like that."


    Something about the number felt fishy.


    "I''ve already killed three otherworlders. I don''t remember receiving nine spells."


    "It''s coz you killed them. The dead have the same weight."


    The logic made sense, but Endra was still suspicious.


    "By the way, you mind telling me who else works for this¡­ border control you got going?"


    "Why?"


    "If I see something I can''t handle, I want to call up on some allies. Whoever they may be."


    "You can just tell me and I''ll gather you a suitable team."


    "Alright," Endra sighed. He just wanted to ask about their rates.


    He said his goodbyes and headed back to the dorm.

 Chapter 232 - Finding A Place To Sleep

    Ten minutester, he finally plopped onto his bed. This time, Arza was with him, as rare as that was.


    "Aah, this is heaven¡­" he found himself muttering.


    Yawning, he realized he hadn''t slept since waking up at that inn. He really should develop a proper sleep schedule. Thinking that, he pulled off his clothes one by one, before covering himself with the nket. When his hand reached his metal leg, he was slightly startled; but it quickly turned to surprise at how easily he got used to being an amputee.


    "A rough day?" Arza''s voice came from behind him.


    ''Oh, Lord¡­'' he contained his sigh. He really wasn''t in the mood for this.


    "Something like that," Endra replied from the bed.


    "Not going to sleep next to Be today?"


    "Ah¡­" he remembered the conversation with Be. "No. I''m sure she''d like it alone for a while."


    "Yesterday, why didn''t youe to ss?"


    ''The questions would end eventually¡­'' Endra sighed inwardly.


    "I was celebrating my return the night before. Celebrated a bit too hard and got too wasted."


    "With who?"


    "Alone, of course."


    "Should''ve called your ssmates. At least me, Be and Phel."


    "Slipped my mind, sorry."


    A brief silence reigned in the room. Endra, hoping that was the end of it, tucked himself tighter into the nket. His mind was almost slipping away, when he heard Arza''s voice.


    "What happened during your trip away?"


    ''Hmm¡­'' Endra could pick up on some subtle hints that the question wasn''t thrown lightly. The serious tone Arza took, the choice of words, the heavy atmosphere in the room.


    Before, Endra wondered if Arza could pick up that Evin was a different person now¡­ maybe the boy was now trying to sniff out the truth.


    "I''ll tell you all about it tomorrow."


    "¡­"


    Maybe he should''ve replied more earnestly¡­ but Endra wasn''t in the right state of mind for such a serious conversation. If Arza still wanted to ask tomorrow, maybe he could reveal part of the truth.


    ''Nah, who am I kidding?'' Endra snorted.


    Arza wasn''t someone he was that close to begin with. Endra had obligations to Be and Evin''s family, but he had no such obligations towards others. But¡­ there was something about the silence in the room that kept bugging him.


    He peeked out of his nket and saw Arza staring at him.


    "You''re not gonna do anything to me when I sleep, right?"


    "No."


    "No as you won''t, or no as you''ll do it."


    "I''ll do it."


    ''So he has his suspicions¡­'' Endra sighed.


    Well, he was acting much differently than the normal Evin. Thetter simply wouldn''t just do the things Endra was doing. Skipping sses, getting wasted alone, breaking up with Be¡­


    ''What is he even gonna do if I sleep? Ah, it''s fucking Arza. Who knows what he''ll do? And I''m sure I''ll hate it, whatever it is.''


    If he was still inside Evin, he would''ve told the boy to ignore Arza, but now, he was defenseless one third of the time. He was really considering shoving some unfortunate soul into his body, so it''ll act as an rm for him.


    ''Ugh.''


    "What can I do to have you say you won''t do it?" Endra asked. "I really want to sleep peacefully, you see?"


    "Tell me the truth."


    "I have many truths. Which one you want to hear?"


    "All of it."


    ''Ugh, fucking children.''


    "Can''t do that."


    "Then, I''ll have to ask harder."


    Endra considered knocking out the boy, but that seemed unlikely to happen.


    "Alright, I''ll go find somewhere else to sleep," Endra muttered as he got up from his bed. "Gimme your word you won''t follow me."


    Something about the way Endra said it must''ve pissed off Arza. The boy got up from his bed, his huge body towering over Endra.


    "Stop talking to me like you''re talking to a child."


    "Follow childish rules, and you''ll have childish conversations," Endra only shrugged as he finished dressing up.


    "We''re not done talking!" Arza reached out for Endra.


    "Ugh," Endra waved his handszily as he jumped off the window.


    Making himself invisible, he fell down into the street. Landing silently, he looked back at his room. Arza was staring out the window, his eyes searching something.


    "Straight-ass bastard¡­" Endra murmured as he wondered on his next destination.


    Some other room in the dorm? Probably a bad idea. Another inn? As ast resort only. The chairman? He''d probably be safe, but he definitely wouldn''t be able to rx. His old home? Same as the inn.


    ''Oh, I can go to Leanne''s house,'' he realized.


    The trip wasn''t long and he already saw her house after a minute.


    He only hoped she wasn''t still stuck in a ss or something. It was still daytime, after all. Well, even if she was, she said he was always wee, so he could just ask Bee, the 4th grade maid, to let him in.


    With those thoughts, he undid his invisibility, activated his Soul Sense, and knocked on the household door.


    He heard someone''s footsteps approaching and then Bee opened the door. She seemed surprised to see Evin, but still replied professionally.


    "Lord Mage, how can I help you?"


    "Is Leanne in?"


    "No, Lord Mage, she was called to the capital city," the woman said the words with a small grimace.


    ''Well, damn. Do I have to sleep another night in an inn? Or should I head to Evin''s old house?''


    Endra decided he should at least ask. "It''s a bit embarrassing to ask this, but do you mind if I spend a night here?"


    Bee cocked her head.


    "Some stuff happened and I couldn''t sleep in my dorm room, you see."


    "I''ll have to ask Lord Terrence," she replied.


    ''Oh, he''s here?'' Endra was surprised. "Of course. I''ll be waiting here."


    Bee nodded and closed the door. Endra spent his time asionally ncing towards the dorm''s direction, wondering if Arza was going to appear. Whenever someone appeared around the corner, Endra would make himself invisible. From how many times he mistook some random citizen for Arza, Endra realized he needed to sleep.


    The door opened again, and Bee appeared.


    "Lord Terrence invites you to ate lunch."


    Endra wanted to just sleep, so he had to agree.

 Chapter 233 - Late Lunch

    "That¡­ that ungrateful woman!" Terrence stuttered out. "Unfaithful, really! I was out there in the world, shedding blood and sweat for her, but she was only thinking of herself!"


    "Women," Endra nodded, grabbing a piece of bread and putting it in his mouth.


    He had finished his steak, the surrounding vegetables, the leftovers of Terrence''s food, then the assortment of fruits, and now, only the bread was left. For some reason, his stomach was the endless void today. Or maybe he was just too sleepy and on autopilot to notice how full he was.


    "You know, I was surprised, when she seemed so eager when I mentioned divorce. I only meant to scare her a bit. Tell her to keep her image clean," Terrence continued. "But you know what she did? She immediately went to the bureau with me to ask how we could separate! Near the end of it all, she even started to write an official project to optimize the process of divorce. The damn paper got so damn popr, she was even invited to the capital!


    "Truly, I didn''t want things to end that way. I wanted to tell her to stop! I wanted to talk more on the subject! But my sted pride! It won''t allow me to back down on my word! I was the one who mentioned divorce in the first ce, so how can I be the one to speak of reuniting?" he roared, then took another gulp from his wine.


    Terrence had finished a bottle of whisky he had when Endra first came, and was now going steadily through the wine he gave to Endra.


    "Man has to have his pride," Endra nodded grimly, barely hiding the smile beneath.


    Since he was there to listen, he shouldn''tugh or judge. That was just low.


    "But you know what I heard this morning?" Terrence continued. "What news did my informants bring?"


    "What?"


    "That my own wife, Leanne Lanesbreau. We''re almost done divorcing but she still has the damnst-name, I tell you that. My own wife in name, Leanne Lanesbreau, has be the mistress of King Seth himself. The King. The KING!"


    "Oh, shit," Endra gasped. It truly was a surprise. Even his sleepiness was disappearing.


    "Of all the people¡­ the King¡­" Terrence''s voice trailed off.


    Who knew that paranoid savior of his would go so far up in the world? But she really didn''t strike Endra as someone who would do that. And was being the king''s mistress something to be happy about?


    "Does King Seth have many mistresses?"


    "Many. As far as open rumors go. And also fresh. The king finds someone new every month. Aside from a woman named N, who he''s been keeping before he was even married."


    ''So being the king''s mistress wasn''t something so precious,'' Endra concluded. ''It feels more likely that Leanne was forced into the role either through ckmail or pressure. Even if it''s the king, Leanne is smart enough to know she can''t just go to another man''s bed as she''s divorcing.''


    Endra''s gaze fell on the man slowly sipping thest bits of the wine. Endra couldugh at the situation, but of course, the same wasn''t true for Terrence. Although the man spoke like he was on some stage, the feelings were real. And when real feelings were involved, they could manifest into something ugly.


    Endra knew he was probably jumping to conclusions, but he felt he needed to make sure Terrence wouldn''t hurt Leanne. But he couldn''t say that outright. And he couldn''t take Leanne''s side. He was still Terrence''s listener after all.


    That only left one option.


    "I always thought our king was a fine, principled man; but I guess everyone has their ws, huh."


    "What?"


    "I just remembered the time I read his letters when I was in the Helm''s worthy. I remember how proud of myself and of my king I felt when I first read that letter. Something personal of the king! Felt like he''d never do a wrong deed in his entire life¡­ But hearing about how he took Leanne as his mistress, the image is kinda shattering."


    Terrence looked like he just realized he was talking to a kid. Then he looked as he himself realized something.


    "I''m going to the bathroom," he suddenly dered and got up.


    Endra looked at the man''s back, and felt he did enough. He also realized that even if Terrence tries something, Leanne would probably be able to take care of herself.


    Shaking his head, he slouched into his chair.


    Really, he didn''t expect he''d enjoy thiste lunch so much.


    He only expected the worst when Terrence called him for lunch, but surprisingly, the man was already


    At first, Terrence was still civil. He asked about this and that about spellcasting, about how his family was doing, before casually offering to be Endra''s sponsor, which Endra declined, albeit he was a bit worried he wouldn''t get to sleep in the house anymore.


    However, Terrence turned out to be a big-hearted man, and allowed Endra to spend a night in the house. Though he politely asked Endra to finish the lunch.


    Endra was at first a bit judgmental of the man for wanting to socialize with a minor, but he, as a big-hearted person himself, forgave it as the foolishness of a drunk man. The Empress knows what he himself did the night at the inn. Sure, he didn''t pull others into it, but who was he to judge others?


    Gradually, the two of them turned more and more tipsy and Endra realized he was enjoying hearing Terrence''s perspective.


    The man was just trying to get himself ahead in the world, then retire so he could livefortable life. do that, of course, he needed to work hard these past few years. He saw an opportunity beside Duchess vd, and started to work diligently under her. Acting as her manager, almost. Taking care of the little things she needs taking care of, etc. etc.


    At the same time, he was always worried for Leanne. In his eyes, she just didn''t seem like she was trying hard enough. Shecked ambition, she didn''t have any hobbies in particr, her favorite pastime was to do nothing, and she had no interest in maintaining a proper image.


    Terrence mentioned these problems a few times, but she brushed them off easily.


    So, when Leanne got herself into that mess on the Ind, Terrence decided to scare her a little. Mention divorce and see how she reacted.


    ''Well, guess that n went to shit real quick now, didn''t it?'' Endra smiled.


    As he was sitting on the table, the door to the dining hall opened up.


    Endra expected to hear Terrence talking about some other problem in his life, but a thin, female voice entered his ear.


    "Lord Mage," Bee spoke. "Lord Terrence has fallen asleep. I shall lead you to your room."


    ''Oh, I guess he passed out,'' Endra sighed. ''Right when the talk was getting interesting.''


    "Thanks," he said and followed Bee into a room.


    He made sure the room wasn''t hiding an otherworlder or something inside it, asked Bee to wake him up early, then went to sleep. For real this time.


    ''The things I go through to find a cotton bed¡­''

 Chapter 234 - INTERLUDE II: Alt Leland

    "Has anyone never thought to do this? Really?" the distorted voice echoed in Alt''s ears. "You could just kill him like this, you know? It''s easy," the distorted figure pulled out the knife from Alt''s chest and waved it around carelessly. "The consequences? The inevitable chaos? Sometimes, someone just needs to say ''Fuck it'' and take the risk." The distorted lines that made the figure''s face formed a smile.


    Alt''s surroundings became void and the pain faded away¡­


    Pricked by the wetness under his back, something in Alt''s mind demanded he wake up. He briefly nced at one of the clocks hanging in his room and saw it was only an hour past dawn. It was too early to wake up. He barely got three hours of sleep.


    Lately, the days he got to sleep at least six hours were dwindling rapidly. That number was alright for most, but for someone like Alt who was reaching his fifties, it was four hours less than the norm.


    But as he tried to shut his eyes again and sleep, his senses were assaulted by the wetness of the nket. He couldn''t smell it himself, but he was sure the room stank with the stench of his sweat.


    Again, that nightmare.


    Alt wasn''t sure if he shouldugh at the fact that he can sleep through the nightmare without waking up now. When it all first started, he was sure to wake up screaming every other day because of it.


    ''Never should''ve sought her out¡­'' hemented.


    A mortal like him should''ve stayed in hisfortable surroundings, yed god to the mortals around him, and passed away when the time of his passing came. Not like he was now, fearing the moment of his death every waking hour and every sleepless night, because he couldn''t help but wonder how and when he would die.


    Sighing, he consoled himself for not getting the sleep he deserved, and slowly removed himself from the bed.


    "Clean my room," he croaked to the Rune of Listening etched near his bed.


    The door opened and a pair of maids walked inside. One went to the bed, while the other walked up to Alt and carefully removed his bedwear.


    "Would you like your meal now?"


    "Bring it to my bath."


    One maid walked away with the dirty cloths, while the other opened the door to Alt''s bathroom. She conjured a hot body of water and filled his bath.


    Groaning, Alt slid into the water and rubbed at his temple. As the maid busied herself with cleaning his body, she spoke of Alt''s schedule for the day.


    It was nothingplicated. Some important letters that needed to be read, and a councilor from Tower City that he needed to apany.


    "The king called for a meeting of Dukes and Marquises in the capital," the maid added.


    "Let Ban go in my stead. Tell him he can do what he wants," Alt waved his hand nonchntly.


    "I''ll inform him, then."


    Alt liked his maids. They were much more receptive and unreactive to his orders. His son, Ban, on the other hand, was too emotional and rigid. He also had no eye for the importance of things. For thed, the king''s orders were absolute just because Seth was kind and he was son of duke. He couldn''t see past empty titles. He couldn''t see exactly where true authority was.


    No matter how obvious Alt tried to make seem for thed, he still respected the king.


    In reality, Alt could shit on the Arcwall''s bed and have him clean it up.


    ''Egh,'' he sighed. ''Should''ve shown him the whole truth. Should''ve shown him what the Lnd family is truly all about. What the Dukedom of the East is going to be.''


    But no. In his son''s eyes, Alt wanted to make present himself as a righteous, noble man. A proper man.


    Not this¡­ conniving, power-hungry old fool, who struggled with insomnia because saw the moment of his death.


    The moment when he was stabbed in the chest in broad daylight, in the presence of every powerful persona in the kingdom, and not only that, to have the killer mock him before all. Gloating his kill, as if the consequences of killing the Alt Lnd were nothing to lose sleep about.


    Alt tried to find his killer. Put him to an end before he himself could be killed. That was the whole reason he spent so much wealth and effort to seek out the Twelve Jokes and learn about his death, wasn''t it? If it''s not a natural death, he''d do anything in his power to prevent it beforehand. And his power was vast.


    But he had nothing to work with. The killer''s figure was a shadow, his face was a mess of lines, his voice was a mix of all. It could''ve literally been anyone.


    But the weirdest part was, it was none of the people he would normally suspect. The king and the dukes, the generals and the marshals, the mage ministers and high mages¡­ they were all there with him as he died. None could move against his killer. Even his most loyal allies could only stare in silence as the shadowy figure would casually approach Alt and stick a knife in his chest.


    Who could do something like that if not the Empress herself?


    Alt shook his head. He was getting ahead of himself. And he needed to stop having these worthless thoughts anymore.


    "Any other news?" Alt asked. "What of that woman Seth''s been meeting with? That Leanne?"


    "Seems she''s only a bedmate. Our people investigated her, but they found nothing suspicious. She was invited to the pce, due to a paper she wrote. A set of newws and regtions that would make the divorce process easier in the kingdom. The reasoning for the paper was most likely because she is trying to divorce her own husband."


    "Mm."


    "It wouldn''t be weird for her to end up in the king''s bed with such a mental state. As for the paper she wrote, its implementations are now in progress," the maid finished. "Should we apprehend her for rification?"


    True, the story did seem usible. One thing Alt learned was that most often, the simplest stories were the truths.


    "Leave her be," he waved.


    The maid finished washing him, and the other brought his breakfast.


    Alt got to eating.


    "We have also heard from an informant in Ankelite city."


    "Heralt has a new employee under him, a student in Ankelite city''s Academy, a 10-year-old boy named Eviendra."


    Alt''s attention was drawn.


    "A Child of the Empress? How have I not heard about this yet?"


    If possible, Alt liked to pull those kinds of people to his own side early on. The Children were usually a worthy investment.


    "He did not act like a Child at all."


    The maid exined Eviendra''s circumstances and past to him. About how he lived with his abusive father until the Awakening ceremony, and then revealing his talents as an Imagination Caster. Then she talked about his deeds and connections, and what he was doing nowadays.


    Something about the story did not add up.


    "Investigate him further."

 Chapter 235 - INTERLUDE III: Sorry

    Sorry knelt under her mother''s altar, praying.


    "The war is turning towards us. After years of defeat and suffering, the Alliance''s troops have captured the human''s ketricite factories. Even if the kingdom sends overwhelming force to take them back, they''ll only be met with rubble and fire. And us¡­ we''ll leave with the technology to turn the war towards us once and for all. Our¡­ sacrifice. It was not in vain."


    Empty words. Sorry would be forced to sacrifice more and more. But she hoped at least her mother would rest calm knowing that her suffering wasn''t for nothing.


    Her crimson, almost gleaming fingertips felt the name etched onto the altar.


    [Shame]


    A brutally honest name. But that was the tradition of her family, as her mother always taught her.


    ''When your name shows the deepest truth about yourself, then your actions will be truthful as well,'' she would say.


    ''Then why did you name me ''Sorry''?'' her younger self would ask back.


    Her mother could only reply with a sad smile.


    Back then, Sorry hated her and her mother''s name. Seeing the other names etched on the other seven altars built inside the mausoleum, she''d want something more queen-like for herself and her mother.


    Regalia, Serenity, Sagacity, Luxuriance, Herald, Tenacity, Hope.


    The great queens of the past. And even their name made it obvious. Nothing like thest two in the line.


    What princess was named Sorry? What kind of queen was named Shame? What subjects would want to serve these names? Wouldn''t Arn be ashamed to be the Champion Protector of such royalty?


    Those were good times. To live in a world where her only worry was the outlook of others. Sheltered by her mother from the shameful truth of her race.


    But Sorry could not stay young forever. The Myrmi Queen only gave birth to an heir when they were close to their death, after all. The queen''s abilities would slowly switch owners while she taught the future queen everything they knew of.


    And Sorry learned many things. The birth of the Myrmis, the glory they pursued, the cowardice they needed to learn, the knowledge and wisdom they needed to rue, the time of great progress they enjoyed, the foreboding signs they noticeding, the suffering they needed to endure, the struggle for the promise of better days, and the price of failure they needed to pay.


    Regalia, Serenity, Sagacity, Luxuriance, Herald, Tenacity, Hope, and Shame.


    The whole history of the Myrmis, depicted as eight altars in an empty tomb.


    And what was Sorry''s part going to be in all this. What would be the significance of her name? Who knew? The only thing she knew was that she felt sorry. For her children, for her mother, for her carved-up heart.


    And today, she had to do something that would scar it even further.


    Her face a grimace, she got up on her feet and walked outside.


    Her slim, yet dense feet clicked against the marble floor of the tomb. It was almost as if she was wearing high-heels. But the fancyces of the previous Myrmi queens were not Sorry''s cup of tea. She was happiest if she did not need to wear any clothes like the rest of her children, but as royalty, she knew she needed to maintain some form of decency.


    People would have to be satisfied with the long cloth wrapping around her from neck to knee.


    "Your majesty," Arn met her outside the tombs.


    "Call me by my name."


    There were too many royalties in the world. Especially in the South. The title was meaningless.


    But this Champion Protector of hers, the four armed swordsman that served two generations of queens, he always reminded her that she was something more.


    "Your majesty is perfection itself," Arn insisted. Which meant he was in a bad mood. Most likely because of Sorry''s uing duties. "Us lowly ones should not utter your name so lightly."


    "Sorry - is perfect."


    She truly felt so. The name she hated oh-so-much¡­ it turned out to be the greatest gift she received from her mother.


    No other words exchanged, the two walked away from the tomb. Their destination, the Birthgrounds.


    The Birthgrounds was arge empty space There, the son of the Colossus king met her. His towering, obsidian body marked with runes and scars reserved for Colossi royalty was always the harbinger of spiteful, worthless words toe out from his mouth.


    "You''rete, woman," Thoth grunted.


    "Watch your mouth, whelp," Arn replied in Sorry''s stead.


    "We''re all busy people here. Do your job first, then you can waste your time however you see fit."


    Arn revealed one of his swords, his crimson armor ttering noisily.


    Sorry would''ve loved to see Thoth missing his head, but that wouldn''t really help her problems. She put her hand on Arn''s and helped him sheathe it. She could only ignore Thoth''s mocking smirk directed at Arn. The fool would get what he deserved. His type tended to get a wake-up call sooner orte. She could only hope she would be there to witness it.


    "How many?" she asked simply.


    Thoth brought out four lodestones twice Sorry''s size.


    "Two thousand."


    Sorry nodded and walked up to the first lodestone.


    The magic of the Myrmi Queens appeared inside her head, reacting to the vast source of mana she was touching. A part of the World of Life reserved only for Sorry and her bloodline.


    She found herself almost smiling, as she was finally about to have her children. It was so long since thest time¡­ but she could not allow herself the joy. What were her children going to be born into? Nothing but a quick death at the hands of the South''s enemies, or worse, a slower death starving after their use is exhausted.


    There can be no joy in this process.


    The shape of a Myrmi appeared inside her head. As always, Sorry cut out the part of their brain that allowed forplex thoughts plus the part that made them feel pain, and activated her magic.


    The giant lodestone was used up almost immediately, its energy spreading all around the Birthgrounds. Slowly, they assumed the shapes of Myrmis. Five hundred living, breathing individuals, born only to die.


    Each and every one of them turned their heads to Sorry and knelt their allegiance. Their undying love and loyalty oozing from their eyes. Sorry could not bear to look at it.


    "Follow his orders without fail," Sorry pointed at Thoth.


    The same process urred with the three other lodestones. An army of 2000 ready in the span of ten minutes. The despisable prince of the Colossi walked away with a smile on his face.


    Arn picked the drained Sorry in his arms, and headed towards her chambers.


    Silently, Sorry sobbed on his shoulder. She could never get used to doing this. Wasn''t she the queen that was supposed to lead them to glory? Wasn''t she supposed to fight for their better future?


    Sorry could only cry.


    She remembered the stories that the South''s enemies had about Myrmi Queens. They imagined her as a gigantic, otherworldly monstrosity, that spent her daysying countless eggs that would hatch into Myrmis. A foul beast that knows only two things. To eat and to breed. Unfeeling and unthinking.


    No feelings, no thoughts.. Sorry could only hope to be such a monster.

 Chapter 236 - Relations

    *****


    Endra''s days in the Academy continued. Contrary to his expectations, there wasn''t much change in his rtions.


    He was still good friends with Phel. The boy also told him about the short rtion he had with Arza and how he was forced by his parents to stop. Endra offered Phel some empty words of constion, but the whole incident was as Endra predicted. He was surprised that Arza actually epted Phel''s feelings, but as it was Arza, the reasoning could''ve been anything.


    As for the red-haired boy, he and Arza made a vocal agreement to not meddle with each other''s business. These things were usually done in silence, but as it was Arza, things needed to be said out. The good part was that, since a verbal agreement was reached, Arza never mentioned the topic again, and also seemed to have lost his interest in it. It was convenient, and Endra became sure that Arza was some sort of crazy.


    Endra couldn''t care what kind, as long as it could be predicted and controlled.


    The same kind as Decatur.


    The young Count was getting desperate in his attempts to one-up Endra at something. Endra guessed it had something to do with him trying to enter the World of Fire, but of course, he did not give him the satisfaction. And even if he did throw a match or two, he felt Decatur wouldn''t be satisfied.


    Hence, Endra decided topletely ignore Decatur. He was, after all, an adult. Same with Arza, whatever childish ideas the students had, Endra had to be above it. It was a matter of personal pride.


    But he would be lying if he said he wasn''t satisfied by Decatur failing in the background. Even without trying to, Endra was simply better than him.


    Hypocritical much? That was okay. Endra kept himself to a different standard. A much lower one.


    As for the adults in his circle, he became oddly close to Terrence. It was mostly due to the free room he got at their ce at first, but as things tended to go, Endra became genuinely interested in the man. Of course, Terrence only spoke about things when he was truly drunk, but those days weren''t rare for the soon to be divorcee.


    Endra realized that the man''s talk about truly loving Leanne and distancing himself because he wanted to rise up in society wasn''t aplete lie. It lost a bit of power when he randomly said: ''I cheated on her, yes. But it wasn''t only with whores and prostitutes.'' At the time, Endra wasn''t in the mood to ask what the difference was.


    Of course, Endra was no snitch, and he was no judge. He only sat there and listened to the man''s words.


    He soon realized that if the divorce is sessful, Terrence would have to leave the city, and Endra would most likely be left without a rent-free ce to live in. At that point, Endra had basically moved into their ce.


    The gears in his head turning, Endra decided to help Leanne split with the house in her possession. News came that she wasing back to Ankelite city at the time, so if she continued working in the Academy, she''d have to have a ce to live in. And thus, Endra would get to keep his room.


    So, he started nting ideas in drunk Terrence''s mind. To change his perspective of her and the divorce. It was easy enough, with how he seemed to still like her very much.


    ''She must''ve felt neglected while you were gone.''


    Endra said this sentence in its various alternatives at least a hundred times as Terrence gulped a bottle. Hear something a thousand times and it would inevitably start to make sense. Especially if you''re mind being so vulnerable with all the alcohol swimming through you brain.


    ''Maybe there''s still a chance for you¡­''


    ''But you can''t act desperate, you have to make her want it.''


    ''Let the divorce ur silently. You can even be magnanimous.''


    ''Let her keep whatever she wants. She''ll wonder why you''ve changed so much¡­''


    ''Stay apart for a few months. and inevitably¡­ she''ll start thinking about you again.''


    Sweet nothings. Probably untrue, but it sounded reasonable. At least Terrence thought so, as everything they owned in Ankelite city went to Leanne. She did seem surprised, but Endra didn''t think she was thinking about Terrence much during her surprise.


    Anyhow, The Lanesbreau family was no more, and Terrence soon went back to serve the Duchess. Leanne resumed living inside it, and didn''t mind Endra living in it too.


    She, of course, did not learn the truth, though¡­ she tended to send wary nces towards him asionally.


    Endra was confused by her behavior, but his rtion with Leanne was mostly unchanged. The woman came back from the capital, was the center of attention for a while due to what she did with the king, then it was back to normal life for her.


    She was acting all bashful about it, but Endra could see how she disliked the attention beneath. Obviously, he didn''t pry and tried his best to not mention it in her presence.


    He was freeloading in her house, after all. He couldn''t make the houseowner feel annoyed or awkward.


    Thankfully, it didn''t seem like he was going to get kicked out any time soon.


    With the Chairman, though, Endra kept his distance. The man would send him knowing grins and smiles here and there, and that was the extent of theirmunication. Endra was almost starting to believe what the Chairman said about not wanting anything from him.


    Curious, he checked on what Heralt had on the Chairman. Heralt''s organization targeted every potential enemy, so of course, someone like Kent had huge potentials to be recruited by enemies.


    What Endra learned was that Kent was clean. There was only one instance of him being approached by Orgonians. At the time, Kent simply killed the unknown enemies. Simr to how Endra first noticed their existence, the chairman used airflow to determine their location and then killed them using an Absolute. Then, he brought the body and its equipment to the kingdom and was done with the incident.


    Endra suspected there was something else going on with the man, but he couldn''t know what. And even if he knew, he felt he wouldn''t be able to do anything about it anyway. Hence, it was better for him to be as far away as possible from the Chairman.


    He did get closer to Heralt, however. The man still showed zero emotions most of the time, but he did crack a smile whenever Endra brought in new turncoats and spies.


    But the moments were rare, as turncoats were much rarer to find than Endra expected. He only found four so far, and that seemed like a lot, with how much he searched for them.


    For his troubles, he received a spell that allowed him to create a shield from his soul, but Endra wasn''t liking the need to grind for these spells so much.


    If Heralt wanted more capable soldiers, he''d need to give them more options to use. How else were they supposed to be productive?


    Endra voiced these concerns, but Heralt only replied with: ''We tried that before, worked much worse than you''d expect.''


    Endra also asked why everyone else couldn''t learn of Otherworlders. Surely, these shes in the dark would end up better with the whole of Alvox on their side.


    Heralt replied with: ''Twelve''s orders. The Empress''s will, essentially.. The tangible type.''

 Chapter 237 - Abilities

    Endra could only guess that the Empress didn''t want her people knowing of the existence of other worlds. But since she couldn''t let potential enemies do whatever they want in her empire, this whole secret war had to ur.


    It worked for the most part, with the mages wanting Soul-based spells in their arsenal. Endra certainly felt their usefulness with the Soul-sense and the shield he learned to use. Thetter, especially, felt like a huge jackpot.


    The shield was invisible to everyone else but Endra, made no sound, and was practically instantaneous. With mana-created shields, they weren''t really shields, really. Just obstacles surrounding Endra protectively. And they were too impractical and slow to use. The slowest for Endra were Hard Air shields (which were a huge waste of mana and willpower to begin with), and the quickest being water shields, which still needed a second to form from the moisture in the air.


    The Soul-shield, on the other hand, appeared instantly, since it was created from Endra''s soul, and its strength was very reliable as well, since it depended on the strength of one''s soul. The one Heralt demonstrated was stronger than the forcefields of the Orgonians; and although Endra''s hadn''t reached that level, it was at least half as strong as the otherworldly shields.


    The only downside to the shield was that Endra couldn''t use it in public, as he wanted to keep his soul-spells a secret. He could only use it against otherworlders or turncoats. But that was fine.


    Before, Endra always used some other method to divert iing spells, the main one being contained explosions. But they were noisy and a bit dangerous. Endra could predict their heat and strength to a degree, but nothing was 100% certain. This defensive method became especially dangerous if the enemy sent arge amount of small objects.


    But with the shield, Endra had more options. At the very least, he could use the shield while disguising it behind an illusion.


    Speaking of his illusions, Endra reached a point where no one in his year could see past them. Bybining the World of Darkness and the World of Thoughts, Endra could turn entire fields into a vast empty darkness.


    Evin''s affinity with Exivear had properly passed on to Endra, so if he was smart with his usage of Dark and Thought energies, he could create cheap, yet effective invisibility in one area. It was also lighter on his head, as it was much easier to cover his body with darkness, instead of trying to make himself invisible from every side, like he used to with Evin.


    His opponents tried using Talismans to clear out all the illusions, but that only allowed them a brief moment of rity, before the shadows would take over.


    The mana they needed to cast the Talismans was much more than what Endra needed to recreate the darkness.


    His other spells also got upgraded. His invisible gun was halfway through bing as strong as real modern gun. He changed his flight style to feel more natural and easier instead of just letting his body be tossed around by a gust of wind. His Qanatohm spells were stronger and quicker. His control of the air was subtler and deadlier. And his core was finally strong and vast enough to not be a hindrance to his imagination.


    Hence, Endra quickly became the strongest student among the second years. Honestly, he felt he wouldn''t lose to anyone among the Academy students.


    Through a drunk Terrence, he learned that most of the 1st to 3rd year students'' time was spent mastering their own spell-casting methods, mastering chants and gestures, or trying to create an original spell. Especially with Imagination casters, they relentlessly tried their best to polish their imaginations to the best of their abilities.


    Endra could be better at casting, but by mage standards, he was already a good enough graduate.


    From the 4th year on, they would heavily specialize towards one field of magic. Endra was still unsure about his future specialization. He called himself a Jack of all Trades and felt proud of it, but he knew he needed to narrow his focus sooner orter.


    But then again, he didn''t want to specialize in something he would regretter on. Hence, he decided to introduce himself to everything first.


    The Academy had a variety of other sses, so Endra simply learned everything he could. Magical engineering, healing, inscribing, engraving, manipting, etc. Even if he wasn''t going to work as these professions, it would be good for him to know what they were about.


    As for how he could learn them so quickly, he became the Chairman''s personal disciple and had him teach things privately. Endra didn''t want to do this, but this was the easiest and quickest way to be properly educated.


    And thankfully, Kent wasn''t stingy with his knowledge. And the man genuinely seemed to want to help Endra, whatever his end-goal was. He was also vastly knowledgeable, deeply familiar with the various fields of magic. And honestly, Endra couldn''t understand everything that was being taught to him.


    He alsocked practical experience with these things, so his n was to cool off after learning about the basics. He''d tackle all these specializations one by one at his own pace. His current goal was to stock up information.


    He wanted to learn more about Heart-casting, but Sufia suddenly decided he was ineligible to attend her ss, as he was absent for too long. Even with Kent''s pleading, the old woman refused to teach him.


    But, Endra wasn''t discouraged and just focused on his other things.


    Another thing that the Academy put emphasis on was a student''s fighting capability. Of course, Endra had no problems in this department. He didn''t choke, his spells never fumbled, and he wasn''t unfamiliar with strategies, tricks, and dirty tactics.


    And if he wanted to, he could be the biggest pain in the ass against his opponents by refusing to show himself during the fight. In fact, all his battles against Decatur were fought like this. But he still properly fought the stronger opponents in the Academy. Arza, Be, the few spars Bokh himself attended¡­ he knew he shouldn''t overrely on one spell too much, so he was happy to improve his basics.


    He definitely needed to get challenged, so he found himself almost looking forward to the Helm ss tournaments that wereing soon.

 Chapter 238 - Arcvallen

    ¡­


    "It''s just excessive, really," Endra spoke as he passed through the humongous ketricite wall that surrounded Arcvallen. "That''s what? Almost as tall as our Academy in Ankelite?"


    "Now that I think about it, it is your first timeing to the capital, huh," Leanne replied. "Though, I didn''t think you''d be one to be surprised about something like this."


    "What do you mean? I''m still human. Why wouldn''t I be surprised seeing a wall, that''s as wide and tall as a four-story building? How did they even build this whole thing?"


    "Magic?"


    "Isn''t it made of ketricite? How would they use magic?"


    "Although we can''t affect the ketricite itself, it''s not too hard to put it atop a cart, then have a mage pull at the carriage from afar, outside the ketricite''s effects. The road''s a straight line, thanks to the Tenarak mages that terraformed the whole path from here to the Gray Field."


    Endra could see the usibility of the project.


    "I guess, you''re right."


    Leanne shrugged. "Though, you''ve be a bitzy now, don''t you think?"


    "Hmm?"


    "Before, you''d think about how something would work before just asking."


    Endra wasn''t sure what Leanne was talking about. Maybe when Evin still had a crush on Leanne, he tried to show off his brains?


    Endra, on the other hand, preferred not to use his head too much. Maybe it just had something to do with his age.


    "Eh."


    "And you''ve also stopped talking to the others in the ss."


    Endra looked towards therge group of students flocking around Arza. They were checking out the streets of Arcvallen with avid interest. Themoners were all acting like country bumpkins, while the nobles were showing a cool, collected front.


    It took a while, but everyone in the Helm ss, including themoners and the nobles have warmed up to the red-haired boy. Even Decatur and Be seemed to respect him to some degree.


    Endra, in contrast, was usually alone, either reading a book, or going through the notes he took under the Chairman''s tutge.


    "I''m realizing more and more, I''m an introverted person," he shrugged.


    "That doesn''t mean you should stay alone all the time, no?"


    "I''ve read in a book somewhere¡­ uh," he rubbed his chin. "One should be content with what makes them happy. For naturally unsociable people, it''s best to not force them to interact with others. Provided they''re happy alone, of course."


    Leanne tilted her head. "It just sounds like a sad excuse now."


    "Take it as you wish," Endra shrugged.


    Leanne smiled sheepishly at Endra. "Is it because you broke up with Be? Is that what it is? What happened between you and her?"


    The woman''s previous wariness of Endra had disappearedpletely. She seemed a bit concerned when Endra first started living in her house, but soon enough, she got used to him. She was now acting like that cool aunt to him. Endra also was getting used to herpany. But even so, he couldn''t open up to herpletely.


    "Now that I think about it, will you visit the king in the next few days? I never heard why you fell out of his grace?"


    Leanne grimaced at that. Endra even noticed a hint of guilt in her eyes. She looked like she wanted to say something, but whatever it was, it died under her breath. An awkward silence appeared all of a sudden.


    ''I was definitely right to not mention her little escapade when I first started to live with her¡­'' Endra sighed inwardly. ''Guess I shouldn''t mention it from here on out either.''


    "Sorry," Endra quickly added.


    "No, no. It''s fine," Leanne smiled almost sadly.


    Endra thought of talking further, but decided against it.


    He looked around, and took in the sight of Arcvallen''s streets. Perhaps it was because they were entering through the 2nd-grades-and-above entrance, the surroundings were much cleaner than he expected.


    The people were at peace and were lively, and the children that ran through the streets were with clean, well-fitted clothing. The shouts of stall-owners filled Endra''s ears, urging the new mage students to buy this and that. Though, there was a stall that was advertising something out of Endra''s expectations.


    The king.


    The more Endra looked, the more he realized how prevalent the king''s presence was inside the capital. Bars and shops in his name, product''s borrowing the word king and kingdom, even toys modeled after the man.


    Endra couldn''t tell why that was so, but soon, his attention was drawn to another object on a stall.


    "Come get your new ketricite tes! Freshly designed ketricite tes! All spells from the wicked southerners would turn to dust the moment theye in contact to this new piece of armor!"


    A man was shouting next to a row of gray tes of armor. Aside from the chest pieces, there were also gauntlets, helmets, and a few feet and leg pieces.


    The stall was also decorated quite dramatically. It showed a griffon throwing a spell (which was aptly drawn as a zig-zagging line) at a gray-armored man and it bouncing off, harmless and useless.


    Endra had many methods to bypass ketricite, but he wondered if it would be useful against the griffons'' spells. After all, they were mostly maniptors, meaning they couldn''t send projectiles like Endra could


    ''No, it''s not like they can''t use any other spells, they just prefer the World of Emotions,'' Endra shook his head.


    The group went deeper into the city, heading towards the giant building, which Endra guessed was the capital''s academy building.


    It really was excessive, howically giant the buildings in Arcvallen were. The Academy building was at least five times wider than the one in Ankelite city, and it was also two stories taller. Its main building was an almost overdecorated baroque pce, while its entire topside was a beautiful monument of ss and marble. Endra loved the sharp contract between its traditional base and more contemporary roof.


    Now that he thought about it, Arcvallen was just a bigger version of Ankelite city. Maybe that was wrong, since there were more lighter buildings here. In the north, it was too cold to not have proper wood and y to protect you from the cold air.


    But the generally design of the architecture was quite simr. It was also very simr to pre-Victorian era London, except it looked much cleaner.


    ''Guess the ugly parts aren''t so visible here¡­''


    Thinking such things, Endra arrived at the Arcvallen academy behind the rest of his ss.


    A guide appeared before them and spoke about the short, but explosive history of the kingdom''s biggest academy. They also spoke in-depth about King Seth, who was crucial in developing and normalizing his father''s idea. Honestly, Endra was getting tired of all this talk about the king at this point.


    Then, they were brought before an old woman named Lilix Padeshi, who was the Dean of the Arcvallen Academy. She only gave them a brief greeting and simply wished them good luck in the uing Helm tourney.


    Endra almost sensed a sneer in the woman''s voice, but he decided to ignore it.


    Finally, they were brought before a man in his thirties, wearing the ssiest and imposing mage suits one could find on Alvox. Though the man''s appearance was slightly dampened by the baby-face he had, Endra could almost feel the Authority radiating from his body.


    Even the hefty Lilix Padeshi bowed down before him.


    "The 9th Mage King of the Kingdom, Urven Elypsis."

 Chapter 239 - The Boy

    The Mage King looked through the room in a slow, discerning manner. Even Endra felt pressured by the gaze, despite knowing he''d be safe. Perhaps it was the same as climbing onto an elephant. Despite knowing its trained extensively, you still can''t help but imagine yourself crushed beneath its colossal body.


    With himself like that, Endra couldn''t me the others for faltering under the Mage King''s pressure. Nobles andmoners alike, everyone looked away or made themselves smaller under it.


    But it was nice to see Arza''s ever-confident gaze staring back at the Mage King. That too, seemed to interest the Mage King, as he scrutinized Arza the longest.


    As for Endra, he did not really want to garner any attention on himself, so he simply looked away when faced with the death stare.


    "This group can skip the preliminaries," the Mage King finally said, pointing at Arza''s ss.


    The 3rd ¨C 5th years of Ankelite that were with them raised their eyebrows a bit, but they nodded in understanding. Arza, Endra and Be were quite popr in their hometown. And under the Chairman''s insistence, Arza''s Helm ss also fought some mock fights against their seniors. In a fair fight, Arza''s team could hold their own against the 4th years.


    But Arza''s ss could never hold a candle against the 5th years. There was a big gap between the 4th and 5th years, since during that time, the academy heavily focused onbat excellency. Even Endra''s darkness and illusions were countered by illusionists and illuminators from the 5th years.


    Perhaps things would be different if Endra fought with the intent to kill, but the reverse would be true for the enemies. If enough proper mages tried to kill Endra, there was little he could do to fend them off.


    "This group can also skip the preliminaries," the Mage King gestured at Ankelite''s 4th years.


    It felt nice, receiving special treatment, but Endra wasn''t sure how the Mage King decided who got them.


    ''Does he have a scouter hidden somewhere? That seems convenient, I want that¡­''


    Endra''s hunts for turncoats and otherworlders didn''t always go ording to n. Thest time he fought, he couldn''tpletely kill the mage he was ambushing, which lead to Endra having to literally use every lethal spell he could muster toe out on top.


    ''I even started to wear talismans on my body in case I get jumped like that randomly¡­'' Endra thought, feeling the paper attached to his sleeve.


    "What will we do with the 16-team knockout?" the Dean of the Academy suddenly spoke out.


    She sounded almost offended. She did not say it out right, but Endra could tell by her questioning tone that she didn''t think much of Ankelite city.


    The Mage King however, did not deem the question worthy of answering and left.


    Lilix was left flustered, but she calmed herself quickly enough. She turned to Arza and spoke. "Then, your group can do whatever you want for the next three days. I suppose you can still see the preliminary tournament that''ll be urring between the other Helm sses of your year."


    She then turned towards a younger woman. "Natani, take care of this. I need to be with the Mage King to wee the next city''s students."


    "Of course, madame."


    Thetter nodded and lead Ankelite city''s Helm sses to where they were going to stay. She also introduced the sightseeing spots in Arcvallen, the schedules for the preliminary tournaments that started the next day, and also the taboos andws they needed to be mindful of in the city.


    No flying, no offensive magic, no invisibility, no acting rude to others. She especially focused on thest one, saying that it''s best to not risk offending anyone you shouldn''t offend, and in the capital of the kingdom, there were a lot of such people.


    Everyone nodded and soon, Endra was left alone in his room, the rest of the ss going off somewhere to y. Leanne came in to his room, mumbling a worriedint after seeing him alone, but he heeded her no mind. She left after chit-chatting a bit, reminding Endra to go outside.


    Endra nodded and went to bed. His sleep schedule was stillrgely fucked. At this point, he was considering giving up on fixing it.


    The next morning, Endra and the rest of his ss went to check out the prelims.


    Unlike Ankelite city, which had its biggest arena and the Academy in the same building, the capital had its own little Colosseum built. There were seats for audiences, though most of it was empty for now; a betting station; arge food court; some enclosed balconies reserved for VIPS, one of them being reserved for the partipating students who had either no fights or had already finished them.


    The VIP balcony they got was surprisinglyrge inside, easily fitting the 20 students from Arza''s ss.


    But when they entered, they found another student inside, looking down the arena. A cleanly dressed boy, scribbling something on a notepad. He briefly nced at Arza''s ss and frowned annoyedly.


    "This ce is only for students who finished their fights," he said and focused on his notes again.


    "Also for students who have no fights in the first ce," Decatur answered.


    The boy''s eyes looked back to see Decatur.


    "The young Count, isn''t it?" he suddenly said. "Don''t you have better things to do than being here?"


    "And who are you?" Decatur asked back. "A no name noble? Or worse yet, amoner who has too big of a mouth on his face?"


    Thest part seemed to strike something inside the boy, as his hand abruptly stopped moving.


    "Dec, you should stop picking fights with everyone you see," Arza said.


    "Says you," Decatur said and found himself a seat.


    "Hey, take that back," the boy suddenly spoke up, walking towards Decatur.


    "Piss off, random."


    "Now, now," Dagan interjected. "Brother we want no trouble," he said to the boy. "We were told our ce to sit was here by a woman named Natani, and forgive Decatur for being an ass. It''s just how he is."


    Decatur red at Dagan, seemingly wanting to say something, but eventually held it in.


    The boy had grown a lot. And with the many talents around him, he had been humbled a lot as well. Endra was almost feeling proud of him.


    "You''ll regret saying that," the boy spat, but he did go back to his notes.


    With the little conflict out of their way, the ss got themselvesfortable to see the match urring below. It was between two cities from the western end of the kingdom, Hespani and Lazil.


    While everyone was focused on the match, Endra turned himself invisible and approached the boy to see what he was writing.

 Chapter 240 - Recon

    Endra didn''t know what he expected to see on the boy''s notes, but he was a bit disappointed to learn that it was justmentary on the teams fighting below. It was still empty for the time being, containing only the names of the two western cities, Hespani and Lazil; and a small emptyment: ''Both teams acting too safe''.


    The two teams in question were still in a staringpetition down below although the fight had already started a few seconds ago. They had created some cover to defend themselves, but as far as Endra could tell, aside from the a few students working on a spell, the fight was quite stale.


    From the silence, Endra could also tell that both teams'' students were mostly from nobility.


    Endra agreed with the boy''s judgement. The two sides were acting too cowardly, despite the arena being an open space with nothing between them. If it was Arza''s team, they would''ve surely went for an all-in offensive right off the bat, damn the consequences.


    And the tactic wouldn''t even be that bad against unsuspecting enemies, as few among the 2nd year students would know how to deal with getting jumped on by a pack of mages.


    But finally, there was action beneath, with a Hespani student throwing a rather big spell: a huge fiery wave covering almost half the arena grounds. The student promptly fell to the ground while holding his chest, his hands dropping ripped-up pieces of a talisman.


    Two Hespani students who were casting something beforehand released their spells, which were wide-area Seyethe magic. The me covering half the arena quickly became big enough to engulf the entire enemy opposition.


    One Lazil student ripped a Talisman, which conjured a wall of water in the air. Unfortunately, it was definitely not enough to cover the me''s reach. Another three Lazil students ripped apart talismans, which finally created a wall big enough to block the me entirely.


    Steam appeared all over the area, but Endra could see looks of relief appearing on the Lazil students'' faces. They soon turned to frowns as the Hespani melee offensive appeared from beyond the steam.


    From beyond the steam wall, Hespani artillery picked at stray Lazils with considerably powerful spells, but nothing lethal.


    The Lazil students tried to mount a stronger defense, but their efforts weren''t strong enough to stop the calmer and more confident Hespani. Slowly but surely, the fight swayed towards the Hespani students.


    At the end of it all, the melee brawl ended with nine Lazil students carried away on hangers.


    It was great fun violence to observe, but Endra wasn''t really impressed by the whole ordeal. It all felt too¡­petition-like. He nced at the boy''sments on the fight.


    [Indecisiveness at the start, no clear n on Lazil''s side, a weak offensive from Hespani and an even weaker response from Lazil, overreliance on Talismans.]


    That was the short summary. The boy went on to list a few possible countermeasures to the offensive, and how it could be improved upon.


    Endra agreed with most of the things he read. The boy was knowledgeable, and he seemed to possess practical knowledge.


    But after writing down the info on the fight, the boy looked at Arza and the rest of the ss. He checked through the matches that were supposed to ur the day and tomorrow, and after thinking briefly, wrote [Ankelite ¨C skipping prelims] on a piece of paper.


    He wrote down Decatur''s name first, and gave him a brief description. [Arrogant, easily agitated, possibly a weak link. Uses a wide variety of magic, but mostly focuses on Lumiaris and Ivelisi.]


    One by one, he wrote down the descriptions of everyone else and added his guesses on their personalities and how could they exploit them. He knew of some of the nobles''s names, and especially on Be, he had a lot of information. As for the students he wasn''t familiar with, he just gave them nicknames. Red-head, slim-girl, sses, etc.


    His estimations on their abilities were a bit low, but Endra couldn''t me the boy after seeing the fight below.


    Soon, the boy finished the 19th student, his eyes started darting around, searching for the missing one.


    Endra took that as a cue and undid his invisibility, "Eviendra, I go by Evin."


    The boy got up his seat startled, dropping his notes all over the floor. "Motherfucker," came the reaction a half secondter


    ''Didn''t try to hit me immediately,'' Endra noted, but then he noticed the air stir next to the boy.


    Endra immediately deployed his own Seyethe energies as a tentacle and swatted at the stirring air, intending to disable whatever spell was being cast. Usually it did the trick, with how tight Endra''s control over the World energies were. At this point, he could almost use them as his limbs.


    But as his mass of Seyethe energies met with the boy''s, they were blown away by the impact. The boy''s spell took effect afterwards, creating two sharp pieces of Hard Air.


    Endra''s surprise at being blown awaysted only a split second, before his brain immediately started working on a solution. His first instinct was to use the Soul Shield, but through sheer willpower, he stopped his hand from ripping the talisman in his sleeve and he ordered his mass of Seyethe energy to m more violently against the two Hard Airs.


    This time, the boy''s defenses had more trouble against the assault, his grasp on the two Hard Airs weakening significantly. Using the chance, Endra struck again,pletely destroying the spell.


    Both sides didn''t try any other spells and only looked at each other for a second.


    "Sorry for startling you," Endra spoke first.


    "Where the hell did youe from?" the boy asked, shoving Endra away.


    Arza and the others nced over and some got off their seats, but Endra only waved at them dismissively. They sat back down, but they were still looking over with curiosity.


    "Saw you ncing at us and decided to say hi."


    "I said where, the hell, did you appear from?"


    The boy asked, a hint of a threat in his voice this time.


    "Like I said, I just came to say hi. Though, I didn''t expect you to start shooting a spell at me the moment you saw me."


    A brief confusion came over the boy, but it was soon wiped away. Then, as if thinking everything was ridiculous, he shook his head, and started picking up his notes.


    "Pretty wrong notes you got there," Endramented. "Especially on the ones you don''t know the names of."


    The boy red at Endra at that, and got up.


    "Were you invisible beside me?"


    "Eh," Endra shrugged. "But that''s not important. Tell you what. You give us info about the rest of the Arcvallen ss, and I''ll give you info on the rest of my ss. How about that?"


    "Won''t need it."


    "You sure on that after what I did to your spell?" The boy paused at that, a contemting look in his eyes. "Also, was your chant, ''Motherfucker''?" Endra asked, trying to sell his abilities. "Hmm, it''s impressive how fast you could create Hard Air, but even with you chanting, you''re way too slow." Endra created a piece of visible Hard Air, that looked exactly like the two the boy conjured.


    Thetter''s curiosity was almost taking over.

 Chapter 241 - The Child Of The Empress

    Endra was almost sure he''d hooked the boy''s interest with his skills, but thetter shook his head and finished gathering his things.


    "Not interested."


    Endra shrugged, "Your name, at least?"


    The boy gave a sideway nce, before turning away. "Wen."


    "Wayne?"


    "No, just Wen. W, e, n."


    Endra tilted his head, hearing the three-letter name. If he learned he was a ve when he was ten, then why keep his ve name?


    "You got bought or something?"


    Wen just shook his head and walked out of the balcony.


    Arza came close to Endra and asked. "How strong is he?"


    Endra remembered the brief exchange of spells. "Guess he''s¡­ his defense is three times as powerful as Dagan?"


    The bald chanter''s head turned at that. "That''s bullshit."


    "Alright, you create something out of mana and I''ll try to smack it away with World energies."


    It took Endra only a casual swat to destroy a floating body of water.


    "Maybe four times as skillful?" Endra reassessed his judgement. "My first swat off his Hard Air only bounced off, the second time I was serious so it did some damage, but I only managed topletely destroy it after the third one."


    "Huh¡­ Who is that guy anyway?" Dagan asked.


    "Someone from the Arcvallen ss, probably," added Phel.


    Endra nodded. "He was taking notes on the fight below and also on us. Probably writing an essay about me," he added smilingly. "Ah, he''s over there," he pointed at Wen, who found a seat among the audience and started furiously writing stuff down. "See? An essay."


    "What did he write about us?"


    "Nothing substantial. Descriptions, personalities¡­ some other quirks you guys have."


    "Anything else?"


    "Hmm¡­ He described Dec as impulsive and easy to exploit? So probably, we can expect some taunting words from our Arcvallen enemies. If we ever get to meet them," Endra shrugged.


    The rest of the ss buzzed on about Wen for a while, before their attention went towards another mediocre fight that urred below.


    Endra, feeling he wouldn''t see anything worth seeing below, decided to search for info on the Arcvallen Helm ss. Since they were considered the best of the best, surely, the city-folk would know something about them.


    Endra''s journey to find info on the Arcvallen 2nd year ss, unfortunately, did not bear much fruit. Contrary to his expectations, the 2nd year Helm ss of the Arcvallen Academy wasn''t really the child celebrity group he expected them to be.


    There were a few enthusiasts who


    Though, he dide upon a very interesting fact about that ss. They had a Child of the Empress among them. A girl, or should he say, a woman named Eliseline Lnd. She was born as a 3rd grade Elise, but she soon became orphaned. At the time, she revealed that she was a Child of the Empress and wanted the protection of someone powerful.


    The Duke of the East, Alt Lnd adopted her, and now she was learning the ropes as an Academy student. She wasn''t a mage in her previous life, but in her current life, she realized she had talent for it, so she became the brightest star in the 2nd year Arcvallen Helm ss. In fact, she shone so bright that her namepletely blotted out any mention of the other students.


    ''Oh, the other students? Guess they''re alright,'' was the most Endra could get.


    "Hmm¡­" Endra thought as he looked at the gathered information.


    He was categorically against paparazzi, but he did find it useful when literally everything about Eliseline wasid bare before him.


    Tall body; curly, blonde hair; bulging eyes; small lips and nose; love for jewelry, but otherwise modest clothing. As for her personality: she disliked strangers; had an introverted disposition; spends most of her time reading; takes things seriously; polite to the point of eeriness; struggles to hide her annoyance.


    Thest one got a chuckle from Endra, and he read on.


    Favorite magic to use: Illusions, Maniptive magic, Shadow and Light, Wind and Fire.


    Seeing the line-up, Endra hummed, seeing simrities with himself. The biggest difference was her mastery of Ferlour, which Endra just wasn''t that interested in. He liked illusions, but he wasn''t the type to enjoy toying with other''s emotions. He wasn''t a monster like that. He was more of a make them weightless and then send them to the sky type of guy.


    But he was interested to see what she could do with her illusions. Endra always wondered how it felt for the other students to face him, so maybe against her, he could taste his own medicine.


    Endra then tried to find more information on the Lnd family of the East, but surprisingly, his search bore almost no fruits. Only that it was a powerful family who controlled the kingdom''s trade with the rest of the world.


    The problem was, that title was so powerful that it was impossible for others to simply not know about this Lnd family. Endra wondered if they purposefully decided to hide details about them, but if that was the case, he was treading dangerous waters, trying to unearth their information.


    He promptly gave up, and decided to enjoy his time in the capital.


    Finished with his investigation, Endra spent the two days mostly doing nothing and just enjoying the surprise holidays he had just received. Just before the prelims ended, he went to check out the final match between the two strongest teams aside from his ss and Arcvallen''s. It was a match between the biggest city of the South, Crownshield, and the biggest city of the East, Torgaza.


    Witnessing the fight, Endra couldn''t help but wonder how shit the West of the kingdom was. That first fight he saw looked like toddlers fighting with mudpared to the spectacle he saw in the final fight of the prelims.


    Huge spells, tight teamwork from both sides, and tactics that really showed the potential of magic. Endra almost found himself excited to meet these opponents. It really was a good thing he stuck with the Helm ss and decided to participate in these tournaments. It did feel like he wasn''t challenging himself hard enough.


    Endra thought he wouldn''t care much for the whole event, being fine with either losing or winning. But as the two days passed, he was more and more excited.


    The experience made Endra realize thattely, he was constantly finding new things about himself.


    He wondered why he didn''t feel the same when he was a spirit, but back then, his thoughts had no one else to bounce off of. Even if he spent countless hours pondering on a subject (which rarely ever happened, or only happened if he was pretending to be crazy), he could only tunnel on one thought, not really thinking about the other possibilities.


    But now, even the smallest conversations helped him think from a different perspective. Or maybe Arza''s battle-maniac persona was just rubbing off on him.


    "It''s starting," Phel''s voice disrupted his thoughts.


    Endra looked up the stage to see the Mage King and the King of the West himself standing regally above the gathered masses.

 Chapter 242 - The Tourneys Start

    It was hard not to feel conflicted, looking at the two kings side by side. The Mage King''s mysterious aura that silently, but surely dominated the room¡­ and King Seth smilingly waving to the masses below, casually chatting with a beauty beside him.


    Endra, of course, did not presume to know anything about the two men, but he did know that appearances yed a big role for public personalities. Kings and queens especially. And for most citizens, they wanted to serve a harsh, stoic master, instead of an easygoing, happy go lucky one.


    ''Guess the letters were a scam, then,'' Endra sighed, thinking about the Helm''s Worthy again. Reading them, Endra felt that the king was na?ve, but someone who was trying his best in his own way. But seeing him here now, the feeling faded away. ''But he did invite Leanne over after reading her set ofws on divorce¡­ Or was that just because he wanted to bed her?''


    Frowning, Endra decided not to think too much about the king. The monarch''s actions weren''t so important to Endra''s daily life.


    "The yearly contest between the futures of our kingdom hase once again," King Seth began. "A thrillingpetition to witness the strength of our youth and to push them even further towards perfection. All of this possible thanks to our ancestors toiling for our sake. To create a future that''s safe, prosperous, and easy to live in.


    "But I want us to remember one thing. A saying of the old. Hard times create hard men. Hard men create soft time. Soft times also create soft men. And soft men create hard times. We now live in the border of two times. A soft one we''re enjoying. And a hard one we''re awaiting.


    "The endless warmongering of the South finally became loud enough to hear from all the way here. Even Duchess vd of the North has been preparing her duchy, hearing the drums of war."


    Endra was surprised by the content of the speech. Didn''t feel like something you''d talk about during apetition between students¡­ but considering the things Evin had to go through in the Helm''s Worthy, perhaps a patriotic speech about war wasn''t so out of ce among a gathering of students.


    "We cannot go on, pretending that everything''s going to be okay¡­" the king continued, but the Mage King whispered something in his ear. A brief silence urred, but King Seth abruptly ended his speech. "As always, I hope for an invigorating disy of skill from our students."


    He nodded to the Mage King, who in turn nodded to Lilix Padeshi.


    "Every year, we test our students on their theoretical, practical, andbat mastery of magic. But this year, we''re taking a different approach. This year we will focus exclusively on practical andbat mastery.


    "And, while the preliminaries were a knockout-style tourney, the realpetition will have the qualifying nine academies vying for points in various different contests. The first of which, will be a series of singlebat matches."


    Some murmurs rippled through the students.


    "The sses will choose five strongest students, and will receive a point for each victory obtained by them. In twenty minutes, please have your fighterse to the stage."


    The ss collectively looked at the Vice-Chair, who came as a recement to the Chairman, but he only shook his head. "You can sort it out amongst yourselves."


    "In that case," Arza spoke up, "it''ll be me, Evin, Be, Dec, and¡­ either Lopar, Dagan, or Theundel. Any three of you will be fine."


    "I''ll go," Theundel spoke up.


    "Sure. Good luck out there," Lopar patted the big noble on the back.


    "Unlucky you''ll getpared to these freaks of nature," Dagan sighed, ncing at the previous four.


    "With enough effort and dedication, you can achieve anything you desire," Endra grinned.


    "Shut up."


    With the line-upplete, the five went to the stage. The other sses also gathered round. Endra nced at the Arcvallen ss, but saw that their lineup consisted of only four students and also did not include the superstar Child of the Empress.


    Endra searched the rest of the ss for her, and found a blonde girl sitting on a makeshift chair, reading. He couldn''t make out her face, but she did seem to be the person he was searching for.


    ''I guess they''re not sending out their ace in the hole so early in the tournament¡­ or she''s just refusing to go?''


    Endra was a bit disappointed he wouldn''t be able to see her in action, but shrugged and let it go.


    Twenty minutes passed, and the first fights of the tournament were ready to begin. The matches between the students were randomly decided, with Endra''s fighting close tost. He was pitted against a student from Arcvallen, though, so he was looking forward to that.


    The fights began soon enough, and it was mostly within Endra''s expectations. There was a lot of diversity in the student''s spells, but not much mastery.


    However, he was surprised by how vast the power differences were between the four duchies. So far, the strongest duchy was the South with three of the qualifying sses being from there. Then it was the East and the North with two sses and one ss from the West.


    Even for the other years, the qualifying sses had about the same distribution.


    And form a match between a western student and a southern one, Endra could tell how heavily the South focused on practical andbat knowledge. The western student tried his best to end the fight with grand,plex magic, but the opponent never allowed him the moment of breather he needed, ending the fight through overwhelming force.


    Then came Be''s fight. The fight was against a student from the East, which ended in about 10 seconds.


    Endra didn''t know if it was because of him or not, but after Be recovered from her suicide attempt, her spells started to focus greatly on the one hit one kill mentality. In a sense, she followed in his footsteps, with how tight and explosive her offense was. Endra''s go to method in a real fight was to ambush and kill them as fast as humanly possible.


    In her fight, Be did exactly that. Instead of creating an armor of mud with the mindset of prolonging the fight, she simply struck her opponent with all her might. It wasn''t every day you saw a three-meter-high muddyndslide chasing some poor bloke through an open arena before finally swallowing him up.


    Obviously, the surprise tactic couldn''t work a second time, since the enemies will be prepared, but Endra wasn''t worried about Be''s ability to handle a normal fight.


    Then came Decatur''s fight. It was against another northern student, who specialized in the Seyethe. Except, the opponent''s wind des weren''t powerful enough to cut through Dec''s hardened skin. That was the problem with traditional wind magic, was that it was terribly hard to hurt someone who had tough defenses.


    Endra could make it work, because he mostly usedpressed air explosions to make up for theck of strength, but without Hard Air, it was definitely hard to cut someone with only air.


    The two yed a game of cat and mouse before Dec finally caught up and knocked the enemy out. Compared to the times when Decatur would chase Evin around an arena in blind rage, this time, he was much more controlled and calcted. Perhaps those rage management sses with Sufia were helping.


    Arza''s turn came next, but due to bad luck, he went up against a western student. Obviously, the fight ended in his victory, but he couldn''t really be satisfied with such a one-sided fight. He bothered the judge for a while to fight in Endra''s ce, but of course, his plea was overruled.


    Theundel fought against a southern opponent, and was the ss''s only loss. In all honesty, he had a good chance in a straightforward fight, but the opponent happened to be the steady, ranged type. She used a system of ice projectiles to keep enemies at a distance, and they were simply too powerful for Theundel''s hardened skin to bear.


    But Endra felt like the projectiles were under the effect of another skill or rune, which allowed them to ignore defenses. If that was the case, then she was a very impressive opponent, who possessed the makings of an Absolute spell.


    Theundel lost, but wasn''t so affected by it. The others gave him some encouragement and dispersed soon after.


    Soon after, Endra''s turn to fight came.

 Chapter 243 - The Fight

    As Endra appeared inside the arena, he heard some boos from the crowd above. He supposed it was natural, considering he was the away team. The thought put a smile on his face for whatever reason and he looked at his opponent.


    It was a boy with arge body, though he wasn''t as tall as Arza. A smirk stood unwavering on his lips, as he eyed Endra from top to bottom, his neck tilted back slightly.


    He had runes tattooed on his muscr body, hints of mana oozing from his pores. Endra recognized the runes as mostly Apdenul ones, with bits of Ivelisi added in. And from what Endra could tell, they were already activated.


    ''He''s a melee type, so I''ll keep my distance from Tattoos,'' Endra decided, walking towards a shade.


    "Sorry for the beating in advance, midget," Tattoos said.


    Endra guessed he was being taunted, so of course, he shot back.


    "I was hoping to see the Lnd in action¡­ Too bad I''m stuck with a nobody like you."


    The boy''s smirk faltered for a second, but he regained his calm soon enough. "It would be a same to bother the Young Lady for filth like you."


    ''He''s respectful to her, and it''s sincere,'' Endra noted, as he created a pair of guns. He debated on using metal bullets, but settled for stone for now.


    He nodded to the referee floating above. Tattoos also nodded.


    "The match starts now," the referee dered.


    Tattoos immediately dashed forward. Endra shot back, aiming at Tattoos'' legs. But when the bullets hit, they bounced off Tattoos, a ripple pulsing around his body. It stopped him. But Tattoos looked more curious about what just hit him, instead of the impact itself.


    Endra realized there was a membrane around his body made of Hard Water. It was basically Be''s mud armor, but stronger and more flexible.


    His thoughts were interrupted by Tattoos'' massive body approaching him once again. The shade below Endra turned pitch ck, before extending to his right and covering most of the arena''s walls and grounds behind Endra. He himself sunk into the shadows, and switched his stone bullets for the metal ones. He also decided to upgrade his guns, elongating the barrels and also adding more air for the explosion.


    Even from above, the crowd''s brains would struggle toprehend the sudden blotch that appeared on the arena, devoid of light and shapes. So for Tattoos who was looking at it from so close, it would be extra difficult to wrap his head around the sudden phenomena.


    Or so it should''ve been, but Tattoos immediately reacted by casting a Lumiaris spell and a blinding light started blinking in the air. Seeing Endra, he immediately dashed, winding up for a wide punch.


    Endra quickly realized he couldn''t stop the attack, so he made himself weightless, switched his own gravity sideways, and created a powerful jet of air to push him away from the iing enemy.


    Tattoos'' hand just missed Endra andnded on the wall behind him. Upon impact, part of Tattoos'' membranous shield struck with extra force into the wall a second time, destroying it thoroughly.


    Endra was just feeling d he decided to dodge, when he noticed a body of Hard Water rushing towards him. He didn''t have enough time to fully create his flying spell setup, so he could only propel himself in various directions to dodge the water and hopefully escape Tattoos'' range.


    But of course, Tattoos followed behind him doggedly, not intending to let him breathe.


    Endra cursed again, and hurriedly prepared two explosions. For one, he simply made it asrge as possible and set it off right before Tattoos, who was quickly closing the distance between them. For the other, he mixed a ton of stray World energies and directed it towards the blinding light and the chasing Hard Water.


    Two booms echoed through the arena, throwing a ton of dust in the air. The light stopped flickering and a cracking sound resounded soon after.


    Endra rolled on the ground falling sideways for a while before finding his bnce. Without the shing lights revealing him, he could hide himself in the safety of his darkness. He then pulled his spear out and searched for Tattoos using his Soul Sense.


    He found him lying about twenty meters from where he was when the explosion urred. He wasn''t so hurt so he immediately got up and recast the defensive spell on his body. Tattoos looked around with worry, perhaps expecting a follow-up attack.


    Endra considered shooting at him, but decided that was going to give away his abilities too much. He was also curious about what his opponent would do next, but he didn''t want to give him too much leeway. He extended the shadow to cover half the arena.


    ''If he tries the shing light again, I''ll just swat it down immediately¡­'' he thought with a sigh, as the dust settled.


    Tattoos looked at the darkness covering half the arena, and frowned with vehemence. He recast the shing light, but Endra immediately swatted it with a World energy tentacle. He hit it with much more power than he usually did, expecting the same resilience as Wen, but the spell was destroyed easily.


    Tattoos cursed and started working on another spell. Endra felt he was being ignored too much, so he shot two metal bullets at Tattoos'' left hand. A worrying squelch came from the impact, and the hand was thrown back violently. Tattoos'' body followed it, twisting abruptly to the left.


    The second bullet hit him on the right rib, a crack resounding through the arena. Tattoos'' chest wasn''t pierced thanks to the shield, but a metal bullet definitely wasn''t something he could take without problems. He groaned in pain, teardrops at the edge of his eyes.


    One of Tattoos'' runes activated, and Apdenul energies appeared on his cracked rib and twisted hand. Endra thought of shooting at him, but felt bad for the kid.


    ''Maybe metal was a bit too much,'' Endra sighed.


    The darkness following him, he slowly walked towards Tattoos, shooting at the ground every once in a while, making sure to make each explosion as loud as possible. Each shot would make Tattoos flinch, which in turn would make him groan from the pain of sudden movement.


    After the third shot, Tattoos finally shouted. "I yield!"


    "Match won by Eviendra of Ankelite Academy," the referee shouted above the arena.


    Endra sighed, undid the darkness, put away his spear, and patted the dust off his clothes. He looked up and was met with the crowd silently eyeing him from above.


    He wasn''t really interested in their gazes though, what he wanted to see was the Arcvallen ss''s reaction. He saw Wen, his default frown on his face, the rest of his ssmates wearing an expression of shock and surprise.


    But behind them all he saw the curious nce of Eliseline Lnd, her lips pursed slightly for whatever reason. Endra expected the people''s descriptions of her beauty to be a lie, but she really was pretty. Because of the person inside, the makeup and the few scant jewelry on her made her look more mature than the other students in her ss.


    There was also something different that caught Endra''s eye.. The wrongness she emitted sitting there.

 Chapter 244 - The Invisible Guest

    It wasughable how out of ce Eliseline looked, sitting among the rest of her ssmates. An adult in the body of a 10-year-old. And unlike Endra, she didn''t need to act. She could simply be herself and no one would find it odd. After all, she was a Child of the Empress. Who knew what kind of life she had previously?


    Despite theic sight she made, a faint feeling ofpanionship rose in Endra. He was also the same as her, wasn''t he? An oddity that probably wasn''t supposed to be where he was. The thought made him smile self-depreciatingly. It also reminded him that he was probably staring at someone for too long.


    He nodded slightly to Eliseline and walked out of the stage. He didn''t know what the nod meant.


    As he arrived among his ssmates, Arza patted him on the shoulder, sighing exasperatedly.


    "I really wanted to fight with that guy¡­"


    "I''m sure you''ll find a chance soon enough," Endra shrugged.


    Endra''s ssmates congratted him on the win, but weren''t so surprised about the result. Well, they tended to expect unreasonable things from Endra. Some even spoke with relief, saying that the Arcvallen academy wasn''t as unreachable as people made them out to be.


    Endra let the other students be and flipped open another book the Chairman had given him. He found it hard to focus on it, as he noticed a few eyes focused on him. They were the nobles and mages who were spectating the fights.


    Endra gave them no heed, but soon, an invisible guestnded beside him. From the shape, Endra could tell it was a woman. She wasn''t using otherworldly devices, so it had to be a high-level mage. Before receiving his Soul Sense, he could vaguely tell if someone invisible was near him through Seyethe spells, but surprisingly, even those failed to notice the woman.


    From the fact, Endra realized he probably shouldn''t try anything with her. He kept his poker face and focused on the book. The woman approached him to see what the book was about; dug through Endra''s pocket ¨C he honestly didn''t feel anything even though he knew what was happening; and just stood there, observing him silently.


    Endra sent curses to the woman in his head, realizing what she was doing. He hoped she wasn''t there to stay with him forever, but a voice in his head was jokingly telling him that she was staying with him forever, like how a certain spirit used to haunt others.


    ''But at least I had the decency to not let the person I''m stalking to know I was actually there¡­'' Endra grumbled, before realizing he was staring at one page for too long.


    He continued reading his book, hoping the woman would leave at some point.


    As time passed, the tournament''s first round ended.


    For the 2nd years, in joint first ce, Ankelite and the South''s Crownshield stood with four points. In second ce, Arcvallen and Torgaza stood with three points, while the rest of the academies line up after them.


    For the other years as well, Ankelite academy''s students appeared high up in the rankings. Everyone managed to win at least three matches, standing proud among the elites.


    Endra could tell it was an unprecedented event. Arcvallen, Crownshield, Torgaza, they were the academies that performed consistently well. The 3rd, 4th, and 5th years of these three academies all were familiar with each other, everyone looking like long rivals.


    It was natural, in a way. The three cities they represented were the most powerful cities of the kingdom. Crownshield was ruled directly by the Duke of the South, who was most likely the biggest contributor to the kingdom''s war with the south. Torgaza was ruled by the Duke of the East, which functioned as the kingdom''s biggest gateway to the rest of the world.


    So, it was odd that the academy of a random city of the north was sharing the spotlight with them.


    Endra smirked.


    In a way, it was natural for him to be apanied by an invisible woman. The dark horse always attracted attention.


    And besides, the invisible woman was rather useful. As Endra was reading his book, three other invisible ''guests'' came to apany him. They were all incapacitated by the woman who arrived first. From the brief fights, Endra realized he was lucky he didn''t try to dispose of the woman.


    Like him, she too was a firm believer of the ''One hit, one kill'' philosophy. Even if she wasn''t going to kill Endra, she was going to hurt him a lot.


    Endra didn''t want to go through such pain, so he happily convinced his mind that it was ''cool'' to have a prettydy acting as your silent protector. There was no need to panic. Endra just needed to act cool in front of her, so she would be impressed by his capabilities and his strange abilities.


    ''Wow, this kid I started following sure is cool!'' she would surely think. ''He doesn''t even piss or shit! Is he really human?''


    Endra sighed and said his goodbyes to his ssmates. They nodded, disinterested. They were already used to him doing whatever he wanted.


    As he walked out of the arena, he could sense the woman following behind him. He wasn''t really sure where he was headed, so he simply walked around the city taking the sights in. He soon realized there was a coffee shop in the city somewhere, since Rhea mentioned every city in the kingdom had one.


    He asked around, and soon found the ce. He ordered two cups like he always did, and sat down a bench. He noticed the people walking by, a content expression on their faces. The peace he was seeing was a lulling experience. It was hard to think the kingdom was at war.


    ''Now that I remember, the king tried to mention the war today, but was stopped by the Mage King. What was that all about?''


    There was something odd about the king. Endra couldn''t tell why, but something about the man''s character didn''t add up. He was acting out of character way too much. It was as if he had split personalities.


    Though Endra didn''t think that he had a voice in his head controlling him somehow. That sounded too imusible to happen. The head of the country couldn''t have something unknown influencing him from inside. Since Evin could find his way to Twelve, Endra was sure the royal family could find an Aspect to help them out.


    But the idea of split personas didn''t work as well. King Rnd had many children to choose from. It would be weird of him to choose the one that was mentally ill.


    And there was the fact that the Mage King prevented the king from speaking about the war.


    ''It''s not my problem,'' Endra wanted to say, ''But when I reveal how far I''ve learned portals, I''ll have to work under the king¡­''


    As he was thinking, he noticed the woman sitting beside him and then picking up the cup. Her features were revealed and she spoke in a sultry voice.


    "How did you know I was here?"

 Chapter 245 - An Odd Meeting

    "I was sure I had avoided your Seyethe spell that scanned your surroundings," The woman continued.


    Endra''s brain, however, was working full-drive trying to understand why the woman suddenly revealed herself. Noticing the cup of coffee in her hand, he realized that she mistook him buying two cups as a subtle deration of him knowing about her presence.


    But at that point, Endra realized another thing. If he wanted to keep his abilities secret, he needed to act more surprised by her revealing herself.


    ''Shit, there''s no way I can act shocked now.''


    "Woah," Endra eximed. He immediately cringed, hearing his own fake act. He quickly gave up on his n and looked at the woman.


    Although the woman made herself visible, her features were still a mystery to Endra. She was wearing all ck, and instead of her face, a blurry smidgeon constituted her expression. But even with that, Endra could tell she wasn''t buying his act.


    "Luck," he managed to reply.


    "Don''t bullshit me."


    The woman''s tone was neutral, but her implications were clear.


    "I can''t tell you," he finally said. "I''m bound by an oath."


    He wasn''t speaking a lie. Heralt did tell him there were consequences for revealing Soul Magic. Endra had promised him not to, so technically it counted as an oath. The woman was silent, but Endra could tell she wasn''t amused. But this was better than saying he had an intuition or a gut feeling.


    "Thanks for removing the other invisible guests for me," he continued. "But if I may ask, what do you want from me? If you just ask, maybe I''ll be able to answer. Obviously, I''d keep some things a secret."


    The woman thought for a bit. Endra sat silently, wondering if he should be worried. He knew she was only told to keep an eye out for him, and remove any other privy eyes if needed. She was also probably ordered to anything she could from him.


    The best thing Endra could do was to give her whatever she wanted and let her be on her way. Since there was a way ofmunication, he wasn''t going to waste it.


    "Why did you leave your ssmates and walked out into the open?"


    It was a test question.


    "I was trying to not let you know I was aware of you. Who in the right mind would wander alone if he knew a spy was on him? But when I bought two coffees, which I usually do, you must''ve misunderstood me."


    The woman cocked her head and looked down on the coffee cup. She looked like she wanted to sigh, or curse, realizing the idiocy of the situation. She settled herself and asked another question.


    "Where did you learn Imagination Casting?"


    "I showed promise when I first tried it out. The Chairman of my Academy noticed that and started teaching me. Since he''s amoner himself who painstakingly learned Imagination Casting after he established himself as a mage, he sympathized with my situation."


    Despite his worries about Kent, Endra could trust the man to support his lies. And the part about him teaching him wasn''t exactly false either, it was just that the timing was a bit off.


    "Is that all the information you''re willing to share?" the woman asked.


    Endra thought, wondering at the meaning behind her question. Was she just testing her? Or was she only asked to learn about his spellcasting prowess? Or was she just trying to confuse Endra?


    His head turning hazy from all the overthinking, Endra spoke.


    "I was lucky that my father was a cksmith. He sometimes spoke about how dangerous it was to keep air locked in at high temperatures, which was prone to explode. Coincidentally, the first magic I cast was a fireball and then an explosion."


    The woman sat silently for a bit, pondering.


    Endra regretted saying so much. He should''ve simply said he was smarter and more curious than most and that would''ve been enough. But he did manage to hide his inner worries. Even if he was lying, he needed to be confident about it. But he didn''t want to overdo it, so he too, sat silently with her.


    "Follow me," she suddenly said and got up her from her seat. "I will bring you to my owner."


    ''Owner?'' Endra wanted to ask more, but thought better of it and followed behind her, grabbing the cup of coffee she left on the table.


    The woman led Endra to a not-so-well-maintained two-story house in the 1st grade area of the city. Endra quickly realized that there was another woman inside it, walking around a room in circles, her one hand holding something, most likely paper. Abruptly, the woman''s head turned towards Endra''s location, startling him.


    ''A subordinate of one of the Aspects?''


    He pulled back his Soul Sense and prepared for the ensuing conversation.


    As he entered the house, he saw a familiar face peering back at him. It was the Child of the Empress the whole city was prone to talk about. Eliseline nced at his face, and spoke.


    "I am Eliseline Lnd. Adopted daughter of Alt Lnd, the Duke of the East."


    "Eviendra. Of Ankelite City."


    "A most talented mage," Eliseline said, her eyes on the paper in front of her. "Peerless in his academy. A master of the spear and illusions, shadows and illuminations, the abrupt fire and the infinite sky¡­ the desperate melees and the unseen artillery."


    Endra frowned, hearing the list of exaggerations. He was also confused as to why the Duke''s daughter was speaking to him so fancily.


    "A most humbling list of praises," he said, copying her grandiose speech for whatever reason.


    "Sen, find someone normal to write these reports," Eliseline burned the paper with a wave of her hand. "Leave us be and maintain our privacy."


    The woman beside Endra nodded and walked out of the room. Endra soon felt a membrane of magic covering the room they were in.


    With their privacy secured, Eliseline spoke. "Where have you learned Soul magic?"


    Endra paused for a bit before answering as neutrally as he could.


    "I''m an agent of an Aspect."


    "Hmm," Eliseline chuckled. "How intriguing. So? How does it go? Is it fun, catching otherworlders and turncoats on Alvox''s soil?"


    Endra wasn''t sure why, but he did not expect the Child of the Empress to be this expressive. She looked like a doll from afar, and as far as he could tell, she acted like one as well. Why was she so giddy, talking to him? His suspicions high, his mind focused hard on the conversation.


    "It''s a rewarding duty."


    "I''m sure it is."


    "¡­"


    "Say, are you in love with me?"


    Endra cocked his head. "No?"


    "No, you must be. Why else would you want to fight me specifically? Surely, you must''ve been trying to impress me with your shocking mastery of magic."


    "I was just trying to taunt Tattoos back then," Endra replied.


    "Tattoos? Dan Waismich?"


    "Yeah."


    "No, no, no. I''m sure I''m right. Why else would you stare so passionately at me after your victory? And it even looked like you were searching for me then as well."


    Endra honestly had no idea why he did that. "With all the rumors surrounding your beauty, I was curious to see your face for myself."


    "And then you fell in love."


    Endra was getting tired of her insistent usations.


    "Eh," he replied, shrugging.


    "Is that a yes or a no?"


    "It''s an ''eh''."


    "So, a ''Yeh''?"


    "Eh."


    And why was he getting caught up in this weird, random conversation?


    "Can you tell me why you sent Sen to spy on me?" he finally asked.

 Chapter 246 - Conversation With The Reincarnator

    Hearing Endra''s question, Eliseline rolled her eyes. "Who wouldn''t send spies to you after the little show you put on? Didn''t you sense the two other spies that were sent your way? You should thank me, by the way. Thanks to Sen taking care of them, most nobles in the capital won''t dare bothering you anymore."


    "Thank you."


    Something about the way he said it seemed to bother the woman.


    "Boring, boring, boring little boy. Just admit your love and everyone will be happy. You don''t even need to be embarrassed. Half the boys in the Academy have some sort of crush on me. I''m sure I''m responsible for some teacher''s sudden dislike of his wife."


    Endra frowned, hearing the woman''s shameless remarks.


    "I see."


    "So you admit it?"


    "No."


    Eliseline smiled at that.


    "Then you must be the enemy of my father. You''re nning to use me to get closer to him and stick a knife in his chest. You''re not someone who loves me, so that''s the only logical answer possible."


    Endra''s frown deepened. Even knowing she was joking; he wasn''t happy hearing those usations. Could he go against a Duke? Probably not. So even if she was joking, there was a miniscule chance her words would be taken seriously.


    ''I should''ve lost the fight¡­'' Endra thought with a sigh. ''If winning was so troublesome, I''m better off staying a loser.''


    "Can I leave?" Endra asked.


    As for Eliseline''s words, he could only hope they were jokes. No, they were jokes. And the woman herself shouldn''t be childish enough to make trouble for him like this.


    "Wait," the Eliseline said. She looked at Endra discerningly for a few seconds, before speaking. "You''re the same as me, aren''t you?" Her speech turned different from the almost childish one she used previously. "A Child of the Empress."


    "No."


    "Officially, I can respect your stance. If you want to keep your secret from the world, keep it. It''s none of my business. But please tell me the truth."


    "Officially and privately, the answer''s no."


    Eliseline sighed. "In that case, fine. But before you leave, would you listen to me for a bit? I promise I won''t use you of loving me or using me anymore."


    Endra''s first instinct was to refuse, but he realized he was curious about her. The cold way she acted in public, the childish way she first talked to him and the mature way she was talking to him now¡­ Endra wondered what else would she show him.


    "Sure,"


    Endra sighed and sat down a sofa nearby. Eliseline sat on another one and out of her Storage Ring pulled out some snacks for the two. After settling down, she started speaking.


    "How much do you know about me?"


    Endra dug into his Storage Ring and brought out the list of Eliseline''s characteristics hepiled a few days ago. She looked through it and nodded.


    "So you know most of it."


    "¡­"


    Endra did not believe the woman''s remarks. No way in hell the rumors in the streets were most of it.


    "Don''t look at me like that. Despite what people say, I''m not that secretive or mysterious. But even with me exposing my everything, people still try to make up stories about me."


    "Sure."


    "You''re scoffing now, but soon enough, you''ll feel the same exact pain as me. I''ll see youugh when themon people make overexaggerated stories of you."


    Endra wasn''t so worried about his sudden rise to fame. Even if they wanted to fuss around him, he would dly share everything he could. With that, interest in him would dwindle and soon enough, he''d be left alone¡­


    ''Wait, that''s exactly what she''s trying to do, isn''t it?'' he suddenly realized. ''And still, half the city talks about her as if she murdered the king.''


    Endra frowned, realizing he might be in trouble.


    "Even today, our whole ss was buzzing about you non-stop," Eliseline said. "Who is that guy? Where did hee from? Who trained him? h, h, h. It got so bad, that even I got pulled into it. They thought your provocation using my name had some meaning, and some girls even discreetly asked me if the intense gaze you sent me meant something deeper."


    "¡­"


    "Have we met somewhere before? No, right? Even from my previous life, I''ve never seen someone like you."


    "¡­"


    "Hello? Why are you sitting there silently? Have we met before or no?"


    Slowly, the woman''s speech turned yful again. Endra felt this was her default mood.


    ''She probably only died in her twenties. Or maybe she was just a child.''


    "I was just thinking."


    "What about?"


    "You."


    That made her pause. She grinned soon after.


    "See? The way you said that so naturally. You even said it without batting an eye. You''re definitely a Child of the Empress. An adult in the body of a kid. And I''m sure you were a terrible yboy in your previous life, too."


    "I was just being honest."


    "Eleven-year-old teens are too fucking awkward to be honest," she scoffed. "Actually, I''ll tell you something else. You wanna know what I learned when I started studying with these kids?"


    "?" Endra cocked his head.


    "Teenagers are absolutely and utterly idiotic."


    "What?"


    "Don''t you think that too? Every time I see them, it''s just a fucking mess. Their decision making is outright self-destructive; they''re thoroughly self-absorbed, they struggle to realize others have problems in their lives; they barely know anything, so they question you all the time; and worst of all the absolute confidence they exude as they perform these disasters, it''s as if they truly think they''re doing good in life."


    Endra found himself smiling at the rant.


    ''It''s just humans developing at their natural pace,'' he replied in his head, but of course, he didn''t want to admit his knowledge. "Then I''m also probably as dumb and idiotic as the rest."


    "No, you don''t get it. It''s so fucked, I even had trouble believing I was also a teen once. How could that be? But the more I remember, the more urate it felt! Can you believe it? Me! Trying to puff up my appearance by using soot as an eyeliner, shoving squashed apples in my bust¡­ Starving myself, just so I could look a tiny bit better to the handsome son of the mayor in town! Aaaargghhh!"


    Obviously, Endra was familiar with these idiocies. Decatur''s days of trying to put Evin in the dust, Be''s days hating her father and making that her whole life mission, and Arza being Arza. It was just the natural development of their brain and their egos.


    Endra was even surprised he could still mostly retain adult thoughts. Technically, as his brain was still in development, he should''ve been much dumber than he was previously.


    ''I thank the Empress''s grace,'' he muttered under his breath.


    "Anyway," Eliseline suddenly said. "Because I can see how dumb these teens are, I can confidently recognize you don''t belong in that age group. In fact, you even act older than me!"


    Endra sighed. "And how old are you?"


    "Not telling."


    "You were probably and old hag," Endra smirked. "Probably died in your fifties. How sad. Though¡­ it''s weird you choose to attend school with teens. Should I be worried?"


    "How cruel. I just wanted to experience a normal childhood after I was reincarnated. What''s so wrong with that?"


    Endra was surprised by the answer and how confidently she said it.. So the woman had a mature side to her, after all.

 Chapter 247 - Reunion

    Endra smiled. Despite everything, he was enjoying the conversation with Eliseline.


    "I feel dering yourself a Child of the Empress wouldn''t grant you a normal childhood."


    "It was going well when I was first born," Eliseline said. "A loving family, a carefree childhood¡­ Sure, we were poor, but I was confident I''d be able to help as soon as I was able. But¡­ shit happened and now I''m the daughter of a duke."


    "Sounds like trouble."


    "Tell me about it," she groaned with tiredness. "The title has its perks, but there are too many responsibilities attached to it."


    Endra smiled. "And I thought nobles were there only tovishly exploit themoners."


    Eliseline scoffed, looking genuinely offended. "The more I live as the duke''s daughter, the more I feel I deserve to live a life of luxury. I should be wasting everyone''s money for how much work they shove onto me¡­ but old habits die hard. I lived frugally before I died and had to live even more frugally after I was reborn. Even if I have the means to, it''s impossible to suddenly be a wastrel."


    "Mm."


    "You really don''t know how easy you have it. Amoner mage with no responsibilities except for perhaps participating in the war. You''re also involved with the fight against the otherworlders, but that''s wholly optional. The Aspects or the Empress herself are sure to intervene if things get too out of hand."


    "I guess."


    "What the hell do you even do anyway? I don''t imagine academy sses being a challenge for you. In the first ce, those things are designed to be as easy to understand as possible."


    "I can ask the same from you."


    "Me? I''m just plowing through the theoretical knowledge. I try to do some practical experiments for the subjects I''m interested in, but sadly, I''m usually swamped with my adoptive father''s orders."


    "Just call him your father."


    "Ugh, no. I''m not young enough to crave fatherly love and besides, our rtionship''s purely benefit oriented. I receive resources and education; he receives my loyalty for the next 15 years. If I start calling him ''Daddy'' all of a sudden, it''s just going to be weird and awkward."


    Endra could sympathize with her. Even now, he wasn''t sure how he was supposed to approach Lora and her family. He hadn''t received any letters from them, and he didn''t want to send any himself either.


    "Oh? What are you thinking about? I detect pain on your face."


    "My mother," Endra replied. "I had to move her to the north, because the otherworlders started harassing her family."


    "Aren''t you able enough to protect her?"


    "Not always."


    "Hmm¡­ well, shit happens."


    The two stood in silence for a brief moment.


    The barrier that was keeping their conversation secret disappeared. Sen''s voice came from the outside. "Young Mistress, your father wishes to speak with you."


    Eliseline sighed and turned to Endra. "Well, duty calls. You got anything to say to my father?"


    "No. It''d be best if you don''t mention me at all."


    "I''m afraid he''s calling me specifically to ask about you."


    "Ah," Endra hummed. "In that case: ''I''m scared, I''m confused. Please leave me alone.'' "


    "He-heh, sure, sure," she beamed. "Well, it was nice to meet you. If I find some free time, I''ll have Sen reach out to you. You wouldn''t mind spending some time with, would you?"


    "For?"


    "For a date, duh."


    "Oh."


    "You know, maybe you are a clumsy little teen," she winked.


    With those words, Eliseline walked away, leaving Endra alone in the house. A few momentster, he too walked home.


    "Huh."


    *****


    Leanne flew behind the hooded figure, trying her best to stay unheard and unseen. They were high in the sky, and ording to her guide, it was the only way they could enter the pce without the knowledge of Lnd''s people. When she acted as the king''s mistress, she could enter the pce any way she wished, but now that she was considered a forgotten mistress, she couldn''t be seen by his enemies.


    Soon, they appeared right above the pce. Her guide floated upwards and downwards for a bit, before nodding to Leanne.


    Leanne made him weightless and held his hand as she was asked.


    "Down to hell I strive to fall, but my feeble strength can only send me so far."


    The odd chant prompted a golden portal to appear right below them. Leanne undid their spell and they fell through the portal. The next moment, they appeared inside the king''s bedroom.


    "Wee back," King Seth greeted her.


    He was sitting behind his desk, a stack of papers in his hand. As always, N was standing silently nearby, an expressionless face on her head.


    "I''ve done what you asked. Evin''s not an otherworlder. There. Could''ve just told him and I wouldn''t have to risk getting abducted," Leanne said, pointing to the guide.


    Before she met the king, she would''ve never taken such an attitude with him, but the more she talked to him, the more she realized she was better off cutting her ties with himpletely. The king was losing. And he was losing badly.


    "Now, don''t be hasty. We all saw what he did today. Tell me, is he a Child of the Empress?"


    "No. He lived as a normal 2nd grade till his 10th birthday, and only when he Awakened, did he show his potential for Imagination Casting."


    "Many of the Children prefer toy low."


    "In his case, he was stuck with a violent, abusive father, who was always ready to take out his day on his son. Not only that, his father was fearful of Evin bing a mage, as that would put the boy above him. I still remember Evining to the Academy ten days after his Awakening, delirious and stuttering, saying he doesn''t want to be a mage. You think one of the Children would willingly live like that?"


    Leanne found herself growling out thest part.


    "I tried fixing his head with the World of Thoughts. In the end, I myself became sick in my head."


    "Even so¡­"


    "He is not an otherworlder either. He lives with me. Though he still attends the Academy, he''s now studying ahead under Chairman Kent''s guidance."


    Leanne did not mention that Evin wasst reading a book on the study of Godlings. The subject was usually taught only in the 4th year, so at this pace, Evin was set to finish learning everything in the Academy by the time he became a 3rd year.


    "And. Evin never hides his strength. In his first contest of spellcasting, he cast an explosion on his opponent''s face, and until just recently, the only thing holding him back was the size of his mana-core. Now that his core''s sufficientlyrge, of course, there''s no one among the students who can match him. Even the 4th years in the Academy can''t hold a candle against him. If he''s tryingy low, why garner himself so much attention?"


    Of course he hid his strength. Although what he revealed to the public was unprecedented, he was still hiding something. Leanne was confident she could take him on, but she knew she was going to struggle for it. Her pride was hurt at the assessment she came to, but the boy was simply too unique.


    "What about his private life? His spare time?"


    "He goes to y around with his ssmates sometimes, but he''s usually alone. It''s not that odd. He had a rough childhood, so he finds it hard to trust people. But to the people he trusts, he''s oddly loyal. He even escorted his family all the way to Koidot city, because they were being harassed by some unknown men."


    Leanne decided not to mention Evin''s rare escapes to the city, thening home tipsy or sometimes, with world energies sparkling all around him and a slight smell of blood. She also didn''t mention that most of Evin''s friends were adults.


    "Unknown men?"


    "Two mages broke into his house once. One died to his grandfather, a Hornbearer of the North. Due to the dead one being a noble, the case was quietly dropped. But since then, there wasn''t any other mention of the attack."


    Of course, Leanne did not talk about Evin''s sudden shift in attitude towards his parents. Before, he was always happy to talk about them, but now, his face would strain whenever someone mentioned them.


    She was hiding all these things because against all odds, her heart decided that she was better off offending the king, rather than betraying Evin.

 Chapter 248 - What The King Believes In

    Evin was changing. In fact, Leanne wasn''t sure if she could call him that now. In her eyes, the boy had turned into something else entirely. Gone were the boy''s doubts and worries, gone was his sweet, innocent curiosity, gone was his pained hesitation when striking another student, and of course, gone were the times he would pause unnaturally to talk with himself.


    Leanne could tell herself that the boy was just growing up faster than others, but thest point sealed her conviction on the matter. When Evin first became a mage, he would often pause and whisper to himself. After a while, he stopped outright talking to himself, but he still paused abnormally. Seeing it, Leanne could only guess that he was talking to the entity inside him through some other means.


    But after Evin came back from the north, he had never paused like that again. The boy was changed. In his stead, someonepletely different had appeared. The new Evin was more confident, strong-minded, and way too familiar with the ways of the world.


    Leanne didn''t know what happened in the north, and she had no intention to do so.


    Despite the guilt she felt towards Evin, she felt d. She had always feared the entity inside Evin, but now that he was out in the wild again, she could tell she wasn''t in its bad books. The entity wasn''t some mad artifact of a forgotten age, hell-bent on burning the world to the ground.


    Did that make Evin an otherworlder, then? Leanne did not care. As long as she was left alone.


    "There''s no way he''s someone from another world," Leanne said once again. "Now that I''ve done as you asked, please let me go. I never intended to be any part of this¡­ struggle and of course, I''ll stay far away from it in the future as well."


    After saying her piece, Leanne stilled her breath. Perhaps she went a bit too far. Even though the king was weakened to this extent, the man still had his pride. It wouldn''t be weird for him to suddenlysh out at her.


    ''No¡­ I need to be firm on this point. The longer I stay here, the more danger I''ll be exposed to.''


    The king in question was frowning behind his desk. Leanne showed him her most confident look, not allowing him to doubt her conviction.


    "Have you realized what Alt Lnd''s worst fear is?" the king suddenly spoke.


    Leanne was put off-guard by the question.


    "No? What''s that got to do with this?"


    "Quite a lot. To be honest."


    "And? What is it?"


    "He fears an assassin."


    "What? An assassin? ¡­ I mean everyone who stands atop such wealth and authority would fear an assassin, I suppose?"


    "I worded that poorly," the king sighed. "What he fears is the prophecy of an assassin. You''ve learned about Lady Twelve Jokes, right?"


    "I have. The Aspect of Time."


    While working under N, Leanne heard some info about the Twelve Aspects that protected the world in the dark.


    "Yes. Some even call her the Empress''s will," the king nodded. "Did you know that for a price, she can prophesize your death for you?"


    Leanne tilted her head. "Aren''t they supposed to not interfere with the mortal''s matters?"


    "A prophecy of one''s death does not count because there''s no way for any mortal to change their own destiny. It would only be a burden they''d have to live with."


    "Alright¡­ and I''m guessing Duke Lnd had his own death prophesized?"


    "Yes," king Seth nodded. "And I''ve only heard of this before my father died. Before the Duke of the East started having thoughts of usurpation and betrayal. He described the scene for me. A shadowy figure would casually approach him and stab him in the chest in the middle of a conference. No one in the room even tried to stop the figure.


    "Noplicated assassination plot, no overwhelming force, no imperial decree from the Empress¡­ a simple stab in Lnd''s chest. Sounds almost impossible, isn''t it?"


    "¡­"


    "But did you know what else he said to me back then?" the king smiled. "That I was among the council at the time. With me, the most important men in the kingdom''s government. The only mystery was the shadowy figure.


    "When I first heard it, I thought it was a joke. After all, I was the least likely to inherit the throne back then. My brothers and sisters were more fitting to rule over the kingdom. Even the bastards from my father''s concubines were more talented than I. Me? Perhaps I would''ve been sold to some other country as a prince, or perhaps I was to be used as a hostage for the South."


    But despite all odds, prince Seth inherited the throne. Not prince Kk, who was a High-mage rivaling the current Mage King; not prince Ephrene, whose intelligence was said to rival the Aspects; not princess Shash, who was beloved by every citizen in the kingdom¡­ but Seth, the only non-mage among king Rnd''s children, the Forgotten Heir.


    "No," Leanne shook her head. "You can''t tell me you''re struggling like this because of your enemy''s delusion."


    "A man has to believe in something," the king smiled wryly. "The day I became king, I believed the duke''s prophecy. Someday, he will die. We just have to wait for it."


    Leanne was outraged. The king was jumping off a cliff, because he dreamed the night before he was going to survive. And he was inviting Leanne to jump off with him.


    "No," she spoke again. "I''m terribly sorry to say this, but my situation''s not so doomed as yours. I''m still clean. You can''t keep me tied up like this."


    She probably shouldn''t have said all these things. But she still spoke.


    "And just because you survived to see Lnd die, it doesn''t mean the same will happen to me. I''m only a pawn in this grand chess game between you two, my life worth nothing. It wouldn''t be funny for me to die believing in a prophecy you very well, could''ve made up on the spot."


    "The prophecy is real," the king interrupted her. "You know it. Lnd has promised luxurious rewards for anyone who discovers someone who''s attempting to kill him. If you can provide proof of the nned assassination, you can be richer than 90% of the kingdom''s mages in one night.


    "Not only that, if someone does seed in killing him, anyone who catches or kills his murderer can legally receive 10% of his whole fortune. That includes everything, by the way. His real estate, his businesses, his authority. Everything."


    Leanne of course, heard rumors about those luxurious rewards when she got herself tangled in this mess. She thought it was weird that the duke was so concerned with his safety, but she only brushed it off as a weird quirk. She was fearful of powerful people, so why couldn''t the duke be fearful of an abrupt end to his life?


    "The duke''s lifestyle revolves around that prophecy," king Seth said with conviction. "Victory is ours.. We just need to be patient."

 Chapter 249 - The Lot Were Dealt With

    Leanne was thoroughly fed up with the situation she was thrown into. In the end, she was starting to flip out.


    "Since your victory''s already assured, me staying on your side or not is irrelevant, your highness. As I''ve said, I''m worth nothing in this situation. Even if I were to reveal everything I know to the Duke, he would still die by the assassin''s knife."


    "No, no. That''s not how the prophecy works. If I were to act stubbornly and tried to make sure the prophecy didn''t happen at any cost, I could do it. In fact, many of my actions can lead to a swift end to my campaign against the Duke. If I were a fool, I would''ve bet everything on the prophecy and simply done nothing. But I know better than that. I need to struggle. I need to survive until the Duke''s death.


    "For that, I need you."


    The king''s voice was soft. His eyes looked sad, almost hurt.


    Leanne did not buy it. He was just sad he was losing a capable hand. Leanne tried her best to not appear capable, but the king pushed her into situations where she needed to perform to survive safely.


    ''Never should''vee to the pce¡­'' Leanne thought withment.


    What was Albin going to do? In fact, he should''ve half-expected Leanne to not go through with her promise.


    ''Never should''ve epted the king''s offer¡­''


    By working for the king, Leanne only learned things she was better off not knowing. The Otherworlders, the king''s struggle against the ever-growing influence of the Duke, the desperate situation in the South, and Evin''s true nature. She even started to see how differently the Chairman started to act.


    Before, the man only looked like azy, uninspired High-mage, who was exiled to the North. He was casual with everyone, and was even tolerant of his subordinates belittling him asionally. But now, he was bing more and more creepy.


    Ignorance was truly bliss.


    ''Sigh¡­ I never should''vee back here once again¡­''


    Leanne felt that her lifetely was filled with regrets. She thought a lot about what her problem was. And surprisingly, despite how much she tended to overthink things, she managed toe to a pretty reasonable conclusion. It boiled down to her being unable to say no.


    Always letting others drag her around and pull her into whatever thing they''re trying to make happen. Even if what they were doing was something admirable, Leanne never felt good about those aplishments, as she felt she was forced to work without her consent.


    Even if she stayed with the king and he managed to emerge victorious, she was sure she wasn''t going to feel any better.


    "Your highness," she spoke calmly. "Please let me leave."


    The room was silent. After sighing deeply, the king spoke in a low tone.


    "Have you guessed what the Duke''s n is?"


    Leanne felt another wave of bullshiting at her way.


    "No."


    "Are you sure?"


    "Your highness, please do not waste your time with such dramatics. You have a campaign to win."


    "True that," the kingughed coldly. "Then I''ll tell you all about it. Even if you have other guesses, that''s fine. It''s not like I know how the duke thinks in the first ce."


    He finally stood up from behind the stack of documents he was reading.


    "First, have you noticed the strange atmosphere in the city? Although the war with the South is going terribly, no one among the citizens seem to care much about it. Odd, isn''t it? Even though we''ve started to lose more and more fights against the Myrmis ever since we lost our two ketricite factories."


    Leanne learned about these losses through the king. Without this channel, she didn''t know when she would hear about it. The information was tightly being kept secret so the kingdom''s people wouldn''t panic.


    The king then approached his window and pulled away the curtain. The city of Arcvallen stretched beyond the window.


    "Look. The capital of the kingdom, the very symbol of prosperity¡­ I could almost hear some citizen praising my name," the king''s eyes dropped. "But in the next year or so, this city will be overrun by Myrmis."


    Leanne struggled to contain her shock. Even with how badly the war was going¡­ for them to reach the capital in such a short time¡­


    "Sounds impossible, doesn''t it?" the king smiled sadly. "But with how the war is going, it''s only a matter of time now. And with the duke''s constant interference with the flow of information, the southerners are allowed toe to our heart in such a short time."


    "You mean the duke''s trying to lose the war on purpose? Why?"


    "My name rings loudest in this doomed city. The golden boy of thete king. The one who truly understood the legendary Rnd Arcwall''s vision. Who else but him could bring about such prosperity?" king Sethughed self-depreciatingly. "In contrast, the duke''s name is almost non-existent. Alt Lnd? Who? Ah, the Duke of the East. What does he do? Trade with Tower City? That''s admirable, I suppose.


    "But when the Southerners sweep through our nation, ravaging everything in their path, it would be the silent duke of the east who would save the day. You see, Alt Lnd''s the one who''s most prepared for the war. Do you think he simply sits on all that gold he makes? No¡­ You might even say that he''s overprepared for the asion. After all, he needs to win back a war that''s all but lost.


    "The people would revere him as a hero. In contrast, I''ll only be remembered as a frivolous king who neglected the war so much, it appeared on his doorstep without anyone knowing. It would be easy to guess who they decide would be the best candidate for king is. Romantic, isn''t it? The ve that refused to let go of his three-letter name bing king of the West¡­ Me, I''ll rot in the duke''s dungeons, tortured until my weak and fragile body finally breaks down.


    "But¡­ all that doesn''t really pertain to you. What matters to you is your safety," the king smiled. "You must think that if you simply pull yourself away from the situation, you''ll live in peace. Perhaps you''ll be right¡­ But, the duke has me in his dungeons, remember? Knowing his paranoia, he would surely ask me what I know about people who want his death."


    With realization dawning on Leanne, her eyes turned to a slit.


    "Of course, as the brave man I am, I''ll act strong at first. ''I would never give away my people!''. But¡­ torture isn''t something a human can endure. Least of all a pampered royalty like me. I''d spill everything. The names of everyone who worked under me, their locations and weaknesses, the people I nned to recruit¡­"


    ''Disgusting worm¡­''


    "But soon, I''ll run out of things to say. At that point, I''d start making things up. Since I know that talking would spare me from pain, I would talk as much as possible. ''N hates you to the core, she would definitely try to kill you!'', ''My children will surely take revenge for me!'', or ''Leanne fears you so greatly, she would try to kill you the moment she sees a chance!'' "


    ''Eat fucking shit¡­''


    "Lea, your fate was already sealed with us the moment you came inside the pce," the king shook his head. The man had the gall to look sad about it all. "We''re all dealt lots whether we want them or not. The only choice we have is to either ept them or deny them."


    ''We''ll see who''sughing when I shove the lot you dealt me into your own sorry mouth.''


    *****

 Chapter 250 - Date Pt.1

    Endra sat on the restaurant chair, waiting for his food. He leaned onto the handrail andzily looked upon the students below. All the 2nd year sses were gathered in the city center, enjoying their time together. It was a brief moment of respite from thepetitions in the tournament.


    So far, there was a contest of close quarterbat, speed-casting, and improvisation. The top two spots were shared by Ankelite and Arcvallen, while the South and the East were a close 3rd and 4th. Five of the nine sses were disqualifies at this point, only leaving the top four for the semifinals.


    As a celebration, a street in Arcvallen was reserved only for the students to enjoy.


    It was a peaceful sight of teenagers enjoying life together. Endra half expected their rivalry to re up even during breaktime like how most stories went, but the event was rather peaceful. Although Arza was ruthless during thepetition, outside it, he was the same old socialite no one could hate. Slowly, the red-haired boy was bing the most popr student of the whole event.


    Even Decatur was having fun, with a flock of girls following him around, heart-shaped clouds over their head. With how domineering he was during thepetition, he seemed to have gotten some fans among the other Academies'' female students.


    Thinking about it, it was natural. He was the acting Count of Greater Ankelite and he had a killer face. And with his constant scowl, he was bound to be popr. And before he met Evin and constantly ruined his own image, Decatur was the center of attention everywhere.


    And although Endra hated to say this, thanks to him epting his own inferiority to Evin, the boy was able to mature much quickly. Though he still had some problems with how easy he was to snap.


    ''Eh, he should grow out of that phase soon enough¡­''


    "What are you thinking about?" Elise asked from the other end of the table.


    The two of them were having the date that Elise mentioned earlier.


    "I''m just jealous of Dec," Endra replied. "Look at how popr he his, despite his shitty attitude."


    "Heh," Elise chuckled, looking down. "Girls like confident guys. So, the bad boys who spew insults without giving two shits look more preferablepared to the king and gentle boys who act nice to them."


    Endra agreed. Whatever a guy''s game was, confidence was key.


    "Is that how it works?"


    "Yup. My previous life was rather dull, so I had lots of time to think about stuff like these. Though, in the young Count''s case, I suppose politics y a big role too."


    "Heeh."


    "But that''s only when girls look at boys from afar. When ites to marriage, the kind and gentle boys are much better even if they don''t excite your heart so much."


    Endra didn''t agree with that. A loveless marriage was peaceful, sure, but humans always focused on emotional satisfaction. Those kinds of rtionships usually ended up oddly depressing.


    "I think love is still important," he said sheepishly.


    "Love is great, sure, but it''s vastly overrated," Elise said with a sigh. "And besides, it''s not like you can''t learn to love another person. Especially if you live with them. Actually, love can only bloom through time spent together. Love at first sight isplete bullshit."


    When he was a spirit, many people looked interesting to him at first nce. But of course, a few days with them revealed that they weren''t really the type of person he liked.


    "Were you married before?"


    "Meh," she spat out disinterestedly.


    Endra took the clue and let the subject be. Thankfully, the food they ordered came at the time, so they dug in. Endra, as usual, was idly ncing at the people around him as he ate. His habits as a spirit still hadn''t disappeared yet.


    He noticed Be hurriedly pulling away her gaze when their eyes met for a brief moment. He chuckled at that, but soon found another pair of eyes focused on him. It was a student from Elise''s ss, and from what Endra could tell, a devout fan of the Child of the Empress.


    ''Maybe the childish conflicts from all those stories could still happen today¡­'' he thought gleefully.


    "I remember an old man just like you," Elise said. "He would spend all his day on his balcony, staring at the people on the streets. Randomly, he would chuckle or smile or sigh withment. I always thought he was a creepy-ass weirdo, but could tolerate it since he was an old man. I''m sure the man was bored. But seeing you, there''s only disturbance and no forgiveness in my heart."


    Endra sighed, and turned himself invisible. With this, no one should mind his habits.


    "Hey, that''s worse," Elise said and swatted Endra with a st of World energies.


    Her core''s capacity was at least three times asrge as Endra''s so nothing was left from his illusions. Even with him absorbing as much Shards as he could find, it was still hard for him to match proper monsters like Elise.


    "Seriously, even the teens I''m sometimes forced to date are better than you. Despite what you may think, I''m kind of serious about this date, you know?"


    Endra smiled and focused his attention on the woman in front of him. Honestly, she was someone he would''ve stalked if he was a spirit.


    Even if she didn''t turn out to be his type, her status as a Child of the Empress was enough to pull him in. And as she said, through a long time spent together, he woulde to love her properly.


    But as Endra wasn''t a spirit, he knew he wouldn''t be able to fully dedicate himself to her. He had his own life to lead after all.


    And he also knew that despite how she was acting, Elise had motives to be spending time with him. In that sense, he couldn''t just wholeheartedly believe her.


    How sad was it, that only the dead could love others with all their being?

 Chapter 251 - The Hidden Powers

    Endra smiled wryly. In a sense, his fruitless affection when he was a spirit was the pinnacle of love. He was literally the embodiment of unconditional love. After all, what could he expect from the people he loved? He was literally dead, so there was nothing they could for him.


    ''The purest form of love¡­ huh? Who wouldn''t want that?''


    But even knowing that, Endra knew he wouldn''t be able to love someone that way. He was painfully aware of how fickle human emotions were. He was definitely going to expect something from his lover. Their attention, their care, their thoughts¡­


    A part of him felt disturbed by the idea. Without him realizing it himself, his standard for love had be abnormally high.


    It sounded idiotic to say it out loud, but that was the truth. He felt like he wouldn''t be able to be satisfied with a normal rtionship.


    A small part of him even wanted to be a spirit again and love someone the way familiar to him.


    He shook his head. ''No, no, no. That''s just idiotic.''


    A person was free to think whatever, but some thoughts were deserving of a punch or a kick.


    "It''s fun watching you," Elise said. "It''s entertaining to see the various expressions that appear on your face."


    Endra smiled. "I''m sure that old man you were talking about had simr thoughts to that."


    Elise''s eyes went wide for a moment. "That makes so much sense now."


    "You also said you noticed how dumb teenagers were around you. I can almost see you smiling smugly while sitting with your ssmates. Are you sure you weren''t that old man?"


    "Nah, couldn''t have been me," Elise chuckled. "If I was, I was one heck of an old man. I even managed to get pregnant at some point."


    "Hey, I''ve seen some weird stuff."


    "Well, not me. So clearly, you''re the more enlightened of us two."


    Elise had no idea. But to be fair, Endra had no knowledge of the woman''s past either. And from what he could tell, she wasn''t so willing to share it either, with how she always started joking around the subject was mentioned.


    So, Endra decided to ask about something else.


    "Are you finally taking a break from your work?"


    "Ah, no. It''s actually my work to get to know you. My adoptive father''s really interested in you."


    The Duke of the East, huh. To be honest, Endra hadn''t heard much about him. In the capital especially, everyone shouted out the king''s name only. Endra only heard about the duke because he was searching information on the Child of the Empress.


    "Does he want to adopt me as well?"


    "Perhaps. But it''s not necessary. He just likespetent people, so he''s offering you a workce."


    "And what will I be doing?"


    "Anything you can. He''s good at using others, so I''m sure he''ll find something that fits you. What do you think?"


    Endra could tell that Elise respected her adoptive father, albeit reluctantly. Perhaps the man was the sleazy, but capable type. That could also exin theck of fame he possessed.


    It suddenly reminded him of the Rothschild family from Earth. They were by far the most influential and powerful family on the, but few ever heard of their names. Sure, their information could be found if you searched, but those basically only confirmed that the family was rich. They never told the whole story.


    Endra, of course, had ventured to seek the truth on the matter. And what he found shocked him to the core. He realized that the family had countries under their tabs. Governments had huge debts to the family''s banks and were sometimes ''politely asked'' for favors.


    In Endra''s opinion, these people were the most dangerous. And the more he thought about it, the more he felt that the duke was someone simr. With his daughter knowing Soul Magic, and also being protected by someone like Sen¡­ there was no way the Duke was as simple as he seemed.


    "By the way," Endra asked. "How many other siblings do you have?"


    "Hah, are you actually thinking about it?"


    "No, just curious."


    "Twenty-three so far," Elise shrugged. "Only three are the duke''s legitimate children. The rest are talented kids he found from somewhere else."


    "All mages?"


    "Except for one of his own and two others, yes. All mages. Most don''t reach my level, but they''re pretty good. As for the ones better than me, I''m sure I''ll be ahead of them soon enough."


    Endra supposed that most of these kids had people protecting them from the dark. If they were all at Sen''s level, then the Duke was mighty powerful. Most mages weren''t used for mere bodyguard duty. Especially not ones on Sen''s level.


    ''The duke''s definitely more than he appears. I should be careful of what I say, then.''


    "I''ll think about it," he replied after a bit.


    "Don''t dally too much," Elise said with a serious tone. "If you want to mean something and not get killed for it, it''s best to have someone powerful on your back. By some standards, you''re almost reaching that level."


    Endra took the warning to heart.


    "But don''t worry too much," Elise smiled sweetly. "For the time being, you''re under my protection."


    Endra surprised himself by how much he was moved by those words.


    "I''ll keep that in mind."


    The two''s conversation headed steered towards more lighthearted topics from then on. Briefly, they talked about Elise''s childhood, how awkward it was for her breastfeed for a long time, how hard it was to have her diapers changed and everything, how she struggled to not wet the bed so much.


    They soon started talking about the students that were keeping an eye on the two of them. Elise was quite popr among the students, so Endra soon found himself at the center of attention.


    Elise taunted him, noticing Be''s eyes on them and Endra had to briefly talk about Evin''s rtion with the girl. It was awkward, but he had to do it. Elise would''ve found out about it some way or another and things would just get too awkward for him.


    They then walked around the city for a while, before Elise had to go back to her duties.


    Before she left, she said that she found the time to participate in next event of thepetition.


    "I''ll show you some tricks of spellcasting you''re definitely going to enjoy," she said smilingly before departing.


    Endra sighed and soon went away to sleep.

 Chapter 252 - Obsessive People

    Leanne silently watched as Evin stood alone inside a giant circle, the others in the ss working hard to create clouds in the air.


    They were preparing for the semi-finalpetition between the sses.


    The theme of thispetition was loosely tied to war. It was a four-way free for all in the forest, and the goal was to remove each ss''s Helm-bearer out of a certain area. The Helm-bearer could be anyone, but they couldn''t leave said area.


    Aside from them, there were also the defenders and the attackers. The defenders were stuck with the Helm-bearer and only the attackers could mount offensives.


    The most important thing in the event was to properly divide the 20 members of the ss to defense and offense. They needed to have enough firepower to affect the other sses, but they needed to leave enough people so their own Helm-bearer couldn''t be captured.


    As a twist, only the ss leaders could choose who became defenders or attackers. As Helms were trained to be the leaders of army mage units, they needed to have in-depth knowledge of their underlings'' strengths and weaknesses and also the necessary experience to assign them to the proper tasks.


    But for the Ankelite ss, the problem was solved quite easily. Arza designated Evin as the Helm-bearer and everyone else became attackers.


    Leanne was against it at first, but she would be lying if she wasn''t intrigued by the boldness of it. Battles weren''t won by careful strategy alone. Sometimes, reckless bravery was needed.


    And besides, the final decision was in Arza''s hand and Bokh also seemed interested to see how it would all turn out.


    Finished with the cloud, the attacking team went away to discuss their strategies.


    Leanne took the chance to approach Evin.


    "Will you be fine?" she asked.


    Evin shrugged, not a single tense muscle in his body. "I''ll do what I can. It would be hard if all three sses decided to attack me, but¡­ eh, it''ll probably be fine."


    "Well, good luck."


    "Thanks."


    Leanne paused for a bit. Should she really pull Evin into the same mess she was in? She then felt the tattoos N inscribed on her body ever so slightly vibrate.


    Cursing inwardly, she started speaking.


    "By the way, how''s your study of portalsing along?"


    Evin put his hands to his chin.


    "Not too bad. Rith said that it might time for me to present to the king."


    ''Oh, no¡­'' That was the worst answer Evin could give.


    ''Just say no and go marry the Lnd girl!'' she wanted to say. ''Destroy the king!''


    But Leanne was helpless. Not only was she forced into this shitty situation, the king now controlled her life. The runic tattoos on her body not only heard her surroundings, but also worked as a minor Oath. Another secret of the royal family she learned a few days prior - their control of Oaths.


    "Maybe you can ask for an audience with the king after the fight?" Leanne said, cringing inwardly.


    She did not want to say these words. She didn''t even want to be here. She nned to run away from the capital as soon as she was free from the pce, but the king, feeling suspicious of her, decided to be extra sure.


    "I''ll talk to Rith about it," Evin replied.


    ''There''s still hope,'' Leanne thought. ''And even if he does meet the king, there''s no guarantee he''ll end up on his side.''


    The situation was out of her control, but Leanne could still pray.


    "Then good luck in thepetition," Leanne said and walked away.


    ***


    Endra stood for a while, curiously gazing at Leanne''s back. He was confused by the weird way she was acting, and also by the shape of a soul attached to Leanne''s own soul. It was as if some parasite hadtched onto her.


    ''Since she was acting so weird, perhaps she was forced to say those things¡­'' Endra reasoned. ''But why would the king want to meet with me?''


    Questions began to pop out one after another.


    Why was the king forcibly controlling Leanne? Did that have to do something with the war? Or was it rted to what Elise was speaking about, with the various powers in the kingdom?


    Too many questions and zero concrete answers. Endra sighed and forced his mind back to the more urgent matter.


    ''Leanne''s being forced into something by the king.''


    That was the only truth he knew for now.


    Endra couldn''t help but feel bad for the woman. She always seemed to be getting involved with annoying things. First with Endra and the Chairman, then she was caught up with the terrorist attack on the Ind, and now she was tangled with the king somehow. There was also the chilly marriage she needed to suffer through.


    ''Being unlucky has its limits¡­'' Endra sighed. ''Now, how can I help her?''


    "I''ll quickly go to the bathroom!" he shouted to Arza.


    "Seriously?"


    "I''ll be quick!"


    Endra made his way to a quiet ce and ripped a Talisman. It created a greenish blue me before assuming the form of Heralt.


    "Speak," the border control agent urged.


    "I''ve seen a soultched onto a woman and the woman seemed to be forced into doing something. What''s with that?"


    "Is the woman rted to the royal family?"


    "She met the king."


    "It''s a minor Oath," Heralt exined. "The Oaths that are used by the kingdom are a form of Soul Magic. It''s a basis of their control over the country. Properly made, they''re invisible to us, but minor Oaths can be seen sticking out."


    Endra hummed. "Is there any way to remove them?"


    "The Orgonians are also able to do it, but I don''t know the details. You could eventually do it, but if the situation is urgent, I can do it for some contribution points."


    Endra''s face brightened. "Can youe here then?"


    "No. I need to stay in my designated area. You''ll need to bring her here."


    "Isn''t there a simr ce to yours in the Capital? I''ll just bring her there."


    "The Capital''s security is controlled by another Aspect, so my word has no weight there. Especially if it concerns an Oath."


    "Why?"


    "The Aspect there is the Aspect of Lumiaris. Judeus Arcwall, the founding king of the Western Kingdom."


    "Shit," Endra cursed. "Well, I''ll try to get her to you as soon as possible."


    He hung up on Heralt and headed back to his Helm-bearer''s spot.


    "You alright?" one of his ssmates asked.


    "Yeah."


    Thepetition was beginning soon, but Endra''s mind was preupied.


    ''The king''s using an Oath to force Leanne into something¡­ The Oath wasn''t there yesterday¡­ no, I haven''t seen Leanne for two days almost¡­ so she must''ve been visiting the king during that time¡­ And something happened there that forced the king to put an Oath on her. To either keep a secret, or to force her into something. Thetter seemed more reasonable, considering how she was acting¡­''


    Endra quickly deduced that Leanne probably refused to do something for the king, which led to this situation.


    And the thing she did right aftering out of the pce¡­ was to invite Endra to meet with the king.


    "This whole fucking kingdom''s filled with obsessive psychos¡­" he muttered. "And they all want a piece of me for whatever reason¡­"


    And because of that Leanne was being used and abused. Endra nned to help her to the best of his abilities. She was always willing to help him out (despite her reasonings being a bit skewed), so Endra decided to do the same.


    ''I should at least meet the king for her. Who knows what he''ll do if Leanne fails?''


    Naturally, Endra had to be prepared. He needed to meet with Elise to receive some advice.


    A loud horn rang through the forest, signaling the start of thepetition.


    ''I can only hope she''ll be safe until I can help her.''

 Chapter 253 - The Black Mist

    The start of thepetition wasn''t as exciting as Endra thought it would be. He knew that Arza and the others were attacking the Arcvallen ss. Three would be scouting to see what the other three sses'' attack squads would be up to and then regrouping with the rest.


    As he was waiting, Phel came running.


    "The Crownshield ss is making their way here, a total of ten people. The Torgaza''s attacking them, while Arcvallen''s attacking Torgaza."


    "So we''re just making a circle, basically?" Endraughed.


    "Yeah," Phel nodded. "Also, the Arcvallen ss''s attack team was made of 19 students. I think they''re trying to catch every ss''s Helm-bearer one by one before finishing with you."


    "I''m guessing Eliseline''s the Helm-bearer?"


    "Yes."


    "Well, we''ll see what happens," Endra replied. "Good luck fighting her."


    "You too," Phel nodded and flew away.


    Not long after, the Crownshields appeared on the horizon. Endra did not n to underestimate them, but he wasn''t so worried. From their fights, he learned that their defensive capabilities were way higher than the other sses. Sure, they had a solid offence, but Endra was confident.


    He aimed two of his guns and pointed at someone who seemed the leader of the group and some girl close by. He used metal bullets. Two loud booms resounded, soon apanied by two dull thuds.


    The shots got close, but a wall of earth rose to protect the two at thest minute. Two ripped Talismans fluttered in the air.


    Endra was unfazed. He waited a few seconds and sent two shots once more. The Crownshields used their own magic to block the attack to save mana and Talismans. But this time, it was one dull thud and one scream of pain. Their spellcasting wasn''t fast enough. One student''s left shoulder was pierced. Blood spurted all over the ground.


    The gap was filled soon after but their expressions turned heavy.


    Endra nodded satisfactorily. ''First, decrease morale. Show them you''re not to be messed with.''


    He shot again. They both hit the earthen shield, but the Crownshield''s advance was much slower. Some students attacked him back. Instead of sending projectiles, they sent spells filled with World energies. Endra guessed they were the homing type.


    Sure enough, the spells straightened their flight midair and flew towards him. Endra used his World energy tentacles to swat those down.


    Then came the projectiles. At this point, Endra couldn''t just dodge out of the way and be fine. It wasn''t like he was the only mage in the world who could hurl objects at dangerous speeds. In fact, all mages were more or less expected to be able to reliably kill an unsuspecting mage at a certain distance. As star students of the Academies, these 2nd years wereing close to that standard.


    Endra blocked the first wave with two explosions, then he let his shadow spread across the ground. Soon, the shadows turned gaseous and the entire space was filled with ck mist. He let the mist sweep around his body, and soon, he was invisible.


    The students tried to shine light on the mist, but they could only slightly light the surface. The ck water droplets did not allow light to prate deeper into the ck mist. Then they tried blowing away the mist, but the ck mist stood motionlessly, no sign of even being affected by the mist.


    Endra continued to shoot at the Crownshields, hoping for them to enter the mist.


    This was a spell Endra created by mixing two Worlds: Exivear and Ivelisi. It was something he learned from the Chairman, when thetter was exining different tricks when mixing worlds.


    One of the things he taught was that spells could have switching traits. The greatest example was Be''s mud armor. It could be hard like the earth or fluid like water as long as she wills it. The Chairman revealed that any spellbining multiple worlds could be used like simrly.


    For example, Endra''s ck mist was a skill with two traits from two Worlds. It had the immateriality of shadows which allowed the wind to pass through it without issues and the tangibility of water droplets which blocked the light. Of course, those two traits were opposites, so Endra could only activate one over the other. So if the enemies used both light and wind, Endra would have to choose between having his mist blown away or to have light prate through it.


    But of course, the students from the Crownshields seemed unfamiliar with the confusing new spell. Endra could even hear some of them wondering if they were dealing with an Absolute.


    ''Well, it''s natural. These things were stuff they would only learn in the 4th and 5th years in the Academy.''


    The Crownshields then decided to disrupt the spell using masses of world energies. Endra let them do as they wished, but he made sure to refill any lost gaps during immediately after, so the ck mist would look inexhaustible.


    He needed them to think that he could keep this going for hours. This was a bluff. Spells with unnatural traits cost a lot of mana and willpower to maintain. And a ck mist that could be intangible and tangible at the same time was definitely not scientific. Hence the massive amount of World energies it took to replenish.


    ''But I''m confident in my bluff. After all, cheap, yet powerful spells are my signature.''


    The explosions, the gunshots, his flight and illusions. To others, it would look like he was pulling off ridiculous spells without using any mana at all. But what they didn''t know, was that concrete scientific knowledge of the spells'' mechanisms made them much cheaper to use.


    Like he predicted, the Crownshields soon stopped trying to remove the mist. They fortified their defenses and stood nearby.


    Endra couldn''t hear what they were saying, but he knew they had few options. Go inside the mist and try to push him out. Or, they would try to throw some sort of massive spell towards his way, forcing him to get out on his own.


    If they chose the first option, Endra would wipe them out. The only reason they were surviving his bullets were because their defense was too strong because they were in a group. In the mist, they wouldn''t be able to block his bullets.


    ''Ah, I guess they would choose right,'' Endra sighed, sensing the huge gathering of mana on the other side of the wall. It seemed to be a Irratas spell, from how violently the mana fluctuated. ''They''re gonna drop the earthen wall and throw the giant me at me.''


    Endra thought that the southerners would be more adept at the World of Earth, but what he usually saw were huge mes. They were usually created by multiple casters, making them extra deadly.


    Apparently, those were the most effective method against Myrmis. Endra was worried for the growing mages'' morals; but since the world was at war, he supposed the questionable types of teachings would have to prevail over the sensible ones.


    As he was busy thinking, the earthen wall fell down and the giant me headed towards his way. There was no way his mist could survive that. Even if the shadow trait made it invulnerable, basically, the giant me was still a huge bundle of world energies.


    Hence, Endra ordered the mist to gather around his palm and then he flew up high into the sky while staying invisible to the enemies. As he ascended he didn''t forget to shoot at the Crownshields.


    Having to maintain such a huge spell, the students'' concentration was hazy. One student had his palm pierced, while another''s thigh was shot.


    The me raging beneath Endra lost some of its ir, but Endra knew he would its heat was nothing to scoff at.


    Soon, the me died out and Endra ordered the ck mist to turn gaseous once more and cover the area. Endra smiled, seeing the despair on the students'' faces.


    ''I can keep these guys here indefinitely,'' he hummed.


    Perhaps Arza would be able to push through Elise''s defense, but Endra didn''t think that was likely¡­ Torgaza shouldn''t be able to ovee the Crownshield''s defense. But the Arcvallen''s attack team will definitely be able to win against Torgaza. After that, they''ll head for the Crownshield''s Helm-bearer. Endra hoped that they would fight the Torgaza''s attack team then they''ll finallye to him and maybe fight against the Crownshield''s attack team as well.


    ''But if they somehow decide to team up, then I''ll be in a pickle¡­'' Endra thought.


    Cooperation didn''t seem too unlikely. With their Helm-bearer gone, Torgaza and Crownshield didn''t really have much reason to fight against Arcvallen.


    ''I''ll need Arza to finish winning against Elise then head straight towards me¡­''


    Thinking so, Endra ripped a Talisman of Communication and exined his thought process to Phel.


    *****

 Chapter 254 - Growth

    Phel had just joined the rest of his ss when Endra''s message arrived. He flew next to Arza and exined the contents of the message.


    "So we''ll need to hurry if we don''t want to lose our Helm-bearer," Arza said and peeked beyond the fortified walls Be had just created.


    He would be looking at a giant ck cube standing where the Helm-bearer of the Arcvallen ss should be. But he immediately ducked down, and a pitch-ck beam flew past his head. The beam hit a tree behind Arza, turned into a goo of some sorts and wrapped around it.


    Nearby, two of Phel''s ssmates were lying down, their body covered in the same ck goo. The rest of the ssmates were trying to remove them but were finding it troublesome.


    "It''s frustrating that we''re being underestimated," Arza sighed. "Surely she has stronger methods than this."


    "I don''t think we wanna see two of our ssmates dead, instead of just stuck," Phel replied.


    "But still¡­"


    "Stupid idiots, I''ll only allow Evin inside." A loud voice interrupted Arza. "Go bring him before I cast some real spells on you all! You''re still in my range, you know that, right?"


    Phel couldn''t help but nce at Be. Sure enough, the girl''s eyebrows were twitching incessantly, despite her outwardly calm appearance.


    "Was she always this talkative?" Arza muttered from beside him.


    "Who?"


    "Eliseline. The Child of the Empress. I thought she was the silent, broody type. Like Dec. Now she''s calling us stupid idiots. What does that even mean?"


    "She barely showed her face when thepetition was just starting, and from what I heard, before that too, but after Evin had that fight in the duels, she became like that."


    "Well, it doesn''t change the fact that we need to push her out of that area. Dec! How big of a spell can you create?"


    The Count of Ankelite came at the call. He peeked out beyond the wall and soon ducked down to dodge the ck beam.


    "I can make something big enough to cover that whole area, but it won''t do anything. It''ll just get blocked by that block of darkness."


    "Isn''t that just a shadow? The same stuff Evin makes all the time?"


    "No, that thing''s much more dangerous. It''s Nyxium."


    "Nyxium?" Phel gasped. "Are you sure?"


    "Yes. I thought it was impossible at first, but seeing this ck goo, I''m sure that thing has Nyxium spread across its body."


    "What does it do?" Arza asked from the side.


    "It''s a material coveted by Exivear users due to its ability to make shadows have assume different states of matter," Decatur exined. "It can make them solid, fluid, gaseous and anything between those three states. So if I throw a big me at it, it''ll just be fluid and negate it."


    Before, Dec would''ve never responded to a question like this, but now, he even made a detailed exnation of the thing. Phel was feeling kind of proud of him.


    "But how do you deal with that?"


    "The surefire way is to lob ketricite at it, but we have none of that," Decatur shrugged. "The other method is to overpower it with world energies, but that seems impossible for us."


    "Why?"


    "There''s a reason why they don''t teach about Nyxium or simr materials to students. They take too much mana and willpower to control. Even I, who was fed World Shards since I was a kid, will find it troublesome to control Nyxium of my own size."


    "Then how is she creating a giant cube then?" Phel asked.


    "There are different types of World Shards. We mostly consume half-processed or raw ones. There are some masters who can fully process them, making it easier to digest and also much more effective at increasing your mana intake. As the golden daughter-reincarnator of the Duke of the East, I wouldn''t be surprised if she only consumed those kinds of Shards.


    "But, it''s not like that huge cube ispletely made of Nyxium. Most likely, only 1 % of it is actual Nyxium, but since they''re so easy to move around, they can act as a sort of mobile defense against enemy spells."


    Arza looked like he wanted to groan again.


    "Any other solutions?"


    "We can rush in and hope for the best?" Decatur grinned.


    ''Oh¡­ Dec just joked,'' Phel thought.


    He was momentarily dazed by what he just witnessed, but he needed to offer a better solution. The ss couldn''t risk everything here.


    "Maybe we can go attack the other teams?" he asked. "From what Evin said, the Torgaza''s will be stuck on the Crownshields for a while. If we go there now, we should be able to make it in time. It''s shameful to say, but deal with those two sses may be easier than trying to attack the Child of the Empress."


    Two months ago, Arza would''ve stubbornly insisted on the siege, but now, he was seriously contemting the decision. He had changed a lot during these past few months. Most of it was due to Evin humbling him endlessly at everypetition they could find themselves together in.


    Arza was someone who submitted to strength. He was also someone who did everything in his power to ovee said strength.


    And when pushed far enough, he started to consider options that didn''t just amount to fighting power. Fight strategies, tactics, tricks, post-fight analysis¡­ he started to see his fights against Evin with the eyes of a coach. He even started to thinking of group tactics that could be used against Evin. Granted, his pride didn''t allow him to use them, but he still became well-versed in the matters ofmanding.


    Phel felt that that was the only moment Arza truly became interested in his title of Helm. Before it all, he only saw it as a convenience, but eventually, he started to see how important the position of a Helm was.


    Phel, as always, stood together with Arza during this whole time, so he felt very proud of him. The part of him that constantly wanted more for them raised up its voice, but Phel shut it down. He should be thankful for the fact that he could still stay close to Arza.


    His father didn''t insist on Phel ceasing all contact with Arza. Perhaps he was still keeping an eye on the two of them, but Phel stayed true to his promise.


    ''And surprisingly, I got over all that much quicker than I realized,'' Phel thought smilingly.


    "You''re right," Arza suddenly spoke. "It''s too risky to bet everything on this siege." He gathered the rest of thess. "We''ll do this. Be, Dec and I will try to rush in and see what happens. I don''t think great numbers will do much against that ck cube.


    "The rest, head towards the Crownshields'' Helm Bearer. What''s the point of having this many people in the first ce? Phel, you''ll be the leader of the division. Oh, and for the two who got goo all over them. See if the spell disappears if they go far enough. If not, they''ll just have to wait till we take care of the Child of the Empress somehow."


    Arza winked at thest part and prepared for the rush. Phel took control of the rest of the ss as ordered, and flew away. He looked back, and saw the three advancing under Be''s protection.


    *****


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