ã€ŠInheritã€‹


 Chapter One

    Chapter One

    They say that the eyes are a window to the soul, so it makes sense that they have always been a big topic in my life. I vividly remember a teacher of mine asking me why my eyes have lost their shine. Others weren''t quite as polite. "You have eyes like a dead fish." is something I heard much too often, and much too early. But I digress.

    You see, eyes are also a big topic in my present, not the gift-wrapped sort of present, the time kind. Although it''s not eyes, it''s just one eye after all. One very big, and very red, eye. Beautiful to look at in a way, but terrible for my sanity. Eyes shouldn''t be this big, they shouldn''t be red like this, and they definitely shouldn''t be attached to a lump of meat with just too many tendrils. No, this day has been going less than stellar. I bombed another exam, I dropped my keys in an unfortunate spot, and while I was busy rummaging around in the storm drain for them, I find myself face to¡­ eye.

    Things weren''t always like this, and with my hand still moist from the nautical search to find my keys, that''s hard to forget. I would just so prefer to not be in this stone room with a single heavy wooden door that''s placed squarely behind my ocular adversary, as I''m face to eye with an eye monster. Kudos to anyone willing to be in this spot, let''s trade yea? But my prayer is going unanswered, there is no sudden switching of places. The eye has now gotten over the shock of seeing me it seems. The comically large iris is locked on me, and in a shock-fueled idea, I reach out my hand. Not to touch the eye; I''m in shock, not suicidal. But when I slowly move my hand to the left, the eye''s gaze follows. Then to the right. It follows again.

    My movements speed up, left to right, right to left. The eye has no trouble following my gestures.

    Waving my arm in a circular motion, I faintly hope that it becomes dizzy and self-destructs quietly, in vain.

    Then that heavy wooden door behind the eye opens and I face new issues. More human issues, if only they were also more humane. A broad-shouldered man walks through, thick beard swooshing hypnotically with his heavy, armored, steps. For a moment I can almost believe he doesn''t see me. And then his eyes widen, which is to be expected, but I have seen enough eye for a while, and his mouth opens wide. Then sounds escape from the aforementioned mouth, and I face yet another major problem, namely that I haven''t got the faintest idea what the hell this man is saying. Which is certainly odd. Politely, I inquire.

    "Hello?" I venture.

    His mouth shuts, and his enraged face turns to confusion, mirroring my own. Neither of us is sure what the next smart move is. I try to smile and his face relaxes, he lets out a sigh. This time my face mirrors his instead, for about a quarter second. Because then I notice his hand reaching for the sword at his hip, and when I can see the silvery blade reflecting the torchlight, I decide not to put my faith in his hospitality. As he tenses his muscles and starts to circle the abomination that separates us, I head the other way. In the brief moment where neither of us sees the other, I quickly cast the first spell that comes to mind.

    By the time we are face to face yet again, his eyes just dart around the room. Looking for something I can see clearly, the windows to his soul are staring straight past mine as I shuffle towards the door. Invisibility spells don''t dampen sound, and it''s all I can do to hold my breath. One step after the other I make my way toward the only exit. A fact that mister shiny boots has yet to realize as he heads towards my last known location. With his sword extended he circles around the damn eye, which I now notice has never stopped looking straight at me, even with my invisibility spell at full tilt. My own eyes widen when I make eye contact with it.

    It distracts me enough that I don''t even notice the spell losing power and vanishing. It is only when I hear the yell of the other mouth-owner that I regain control of my faculties and dash towards the door. I was never much of an athlete, but I was always passionate about not getting stabbed, and that passion now motivates my every step as I move faster than I ever have, through the door frame, into the corridor. Barely able to register what I''m seeing as I just sprint forwards, there are no turns to make, just a straight staircase that''s uncomfortably steep.

    While channeling my inner gymnast, I move upwards like a hurricane, and soon come face to face with a new door. The armored foe is not far behind, but these hinges are well oiled and it opens with no resistance. It''s times like this when I wish there was a loading screen when moving between zones because I sure could use a moment to gather my thoughts. No such luck however and the hunt continues mercilessly, I don''t even have the advantage of knowing where I am.

    The stone hallway that I find myself in leaves me two paths to go, I turn towards one when I hear the sound of laughter coming from further down the hall. I immediately turn around and make a beeline for the other direction, the shrill screams of my enemy not far behind. As I venture onto my chosen path the laughter behind me dies down and is replaced by questioning sounds. I decide that discretion is the better part of valor and get ready to cast another invisibility spell, as long as there is a momentary gap where no one sees me I should be golden. Then, a feeling of nausea hits me as I''ve never felt before; I sway but manage to retain my balance. No time to figure out what just happened, but it seems I don''t have another invisibility spell in me. Highly unfortunate, and not at all what I needed. While my lungs are already burning. I don''t slow down for a moment. I can''t afford to. The chase leads me down more corridors until I come across the biggest door I''ve seen yet. With not much distance between me and my doom, I take a gamble and push my full weight against it.

    Not nearly as effective as I had hoped, but my despair lessens as a quick look downwards shows me where the handle is, and I ram the door open. I''m greeted by fresh air, the courtyard looks lovely at this time of year. Or so I assume because I sure as hell don''t have time to check. My eyes dart around in search of an escape, but the towering walls offer no such luxury. Luckily, the gate does. For gods know what reason the gate is wide open and the drawbridge lowered. This is my ticket out of here. The air fills with the sound of screaming as I see some people on the walls start running towards the gate too. Undoubtedly to bar my escape by closing the only exit. Perhaps if they had reacted faster it would have worked. But someone is looking out for me as when I head out into freedom, the iron bars slam shut behind me. It affords me little leeway however and I don''t believe that will stop them for long. Not to mention any ranged weaponry remains perfectly viable from on top of the walls. I am covered for a moment however, and it allows me to draw up the barebones of an escape plan. The forest in front of me has a single dirt road, not that well-trodden, and the foliage is thick all around, perfect to escape in.

    My exhaustion is catching up to me and my pace starts lowering at an alarming rate. Yet I push myself to keep moving and when arrows start whizzing past, it spurs me to run faster. One arrow hits a tree in front of me at an awkward angle; it bounces back and nearly hits me. My hands catch it out of a reflex. Although you could argue I am now armed, as the arrowhead is plenty sharp, I hardly intend to discuss that with my adversaries so I continue forward. Onwards through the thickets, the foliage slows me down, but doubly so for my armored chasers. Although they don''t have to mind the sharp sticks the way I need to, their heavy apparel does them no favors in the mud. The distance between us isn''t decreasing as of yet, but my stamina has long been depleted. They will catch up to me if this goes on. A furry animal dashes away at the sound of my escape. My lungs are giving me a fiery hell and I barely breathe at all. My gasps don''t do much to satiate my oxygen-starved body. Even with my concentration frayed I do my utmost to start casting my third invisibility spell of the day. Nausea hits in much the same manner as before, and I now recognize the feeling as mana depletion, not something I''m accustomed to and certainly not something a single invisibility spell should inflict, especially considering how short it lasted.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    But as frustrated as I am, that doesn''t change the facts. I am fresh out of mana. As is the entire area, which I''ve never even heard of happening, the mana density in this forest might as well be zero. Which shouldn''t even be possible, I might have bombed today''s exam but this is essentially lesson one, everything has mana. This is having me question all I know. And the worst part is that I''m still being pursued, I don''t have the luxury to stop and think about the implications. My survival is far from guaranteed in this overgrown place. With some distance between my newfound enemies and myself, my body starts to relax against my wishes, and the immediate consequence is that the shock starts to fade away. Leaving only panic to course through my veins, my body turns jittery and I miss a step. Throwing up my arms to protect my head I eat dirt, and plants. Plants that give my mana starved body the unmistakable tingle of power, for the nth time today my eyes widen significantly. Even as my tired body tries to set itself upright, my mind is racing; head snapping to the right I head for the bushes closest to me. And, throwing away thousands of years of civilization, I proceed to stuff my mouth with leaves.

    Every bite has me ingesting a little bit more mana, something I desperately need, and a second wind blows through my body. The euphoria doesn''t last long however because I can hear the yelling drawing near. I pick myself up and, with renewed vigor, I dash along with the trees, with no destination in mind I just desperately try to get away. Dodging low-hanging branches and high-rising roots I make my way, unwillingly leaving far too many tracks for my pursuers. Second wind aside, I won''t get away like this. And although my magical reserves aren''t quite as dry as they were before, they''re very far from full, certainly nowhere near being able to cast another invisibility spell.

    And then the worst happens, and the forest ends. As does the ground. Winds whizz by as I stand at the edge of a cliff, high enough to be fatal. I have no time before they catch up, and with exactly zero faith in my spellcasting abilities at this moment, jumping is decidedly fatal.

    <hr>

    The commander has been screaming the entire time, and I don¡¯t believe for a second this whole chase will end happily ever after. That someone managed to intrude into the sanctuary is a grave sin and he will need a scapegoat. Most of the other recruits haven¡¯t realized it yet, but the older Paladins have reached the same conclusion. One by one they grimace when they think no one is looking, and it¡¯s a matter of time until the young ones start catching the hints. But we are safe for the duration of this chase at least.

    A chase that I still don¡¯t understand the origin of, not even as a whole platoon of paladins makes their way through the thick foliage of the forest. We were eating lunch, as usual, then George tripped and deposited his soup all over some guy I don¡¯t remember the name of, Jason maybe, and as laughter filled the room, we heard the commander screaming his head off from down the hall.

    Training kicked in and half of us went to grab their gear and the other half investigated the disturbance. Even as I put on my gear in record time, the investigation half started changing into combat apparel as well. The clanging sound of the gate closing made us relax for a moment. Until the commander started screaming even louder, the echoes of him spread throughout the whole castle and we realized our job was not done yet. Within minutes we were heading out into the woods, our glorious leader leading the charge, with enough noise to wake the dead.

    Expletives rained from his mouth and it promised a vile end to the intruder. But even with all our efforts, the infiltrator kept escaping us. Luckily for our sakes, we were gaining on him. Although not fast enough for the commander¡¯s taste. But as I started recognizing the landscape my worries switched tracks, the fear of the enemy escaping vanished, and in its place came terror about the consequences of having someone breach into the sanctuary.

    Perhaps the commander would be in a good mood after he was done with them because he would be in for a world of hurt. This part of the forest only leads to being captured or dying, after all, sheer cliffs surround the outcrop we are in.

    The leaves part and the platoon comes face to face with our foe. Or face to back as it happens, and not for long because this stranger doesn¡¯t even hesitate as he notices our arrival. It¡¯s easy to see his body tense as he makes a run for the cliff. I can almost hear the commander¡¯s eyes go wide.

    ¡°Stop him!¡± he orders.

    But there is nothing we can do as this infiltrator does what no one here expected, he reaches the end and simply leaps down. We slow down but the commander only speeds up, not to mimic the intruder however, only to peer down the cliffside. He then takes a step back, turns to us, and lets a rage-fueled scream nearly rupture my eardrums. The few paladins closest to the edge look for themselves and whatever they see, they only shake their heads.

    As I am quite curious now, I head towards the edge to look for myself. But a glance reveals nothing, the distance to the ground is so far that mist obscures the bottom. That¡¯s not a distance anyone can survive. Which makes my situation worse as well. The commander is furious and not known for his level-headed decisions in the first place. He turns to us.

    ¡°Form up,¡± he states, with deceptive calm.

    We form a line in front of him, he paces back and forth.

    ¡°Can anyone tell me how we let a spy infiltrate the deepest, most sacred part of our castle?¡± he questions. Silence answers him.

    ¡°No one? Then tell me, who was in charge of protecting the sanctuary today? Hm?¡± he ventures, knowing full well there was no one in charge at the time. That part of the castle was on break.

    ¡°It was Alan sir.¡± a snitch hurriedly yells out.

    My head snaps to the side and I spot George refusing to meet my eyes. That damn traitor, I didn¡¯t even laugh at his misfortune.

    The commander¡¯s pacing continues in silence until he stands in front of me. He abruptly turns to face me. And puts his face uncomfortably close to mine

    ¡°Then tell me, recruit, why is it that I encountered another person on my checkup?¡± he whispers, threateningly. I swallow to wet my throat.

    ¡°I don¡¯t thi-¡± I try.

    ¡°That¡¯s right you did not think!¡± the commander bellows.

    ¡°You did not think and if not for this intruder¡¯s lack of information about the area he would have gotten away with sensitive knowledge!¡±

    His spit is wet on my face, and it takes everything I have to remain calm.

    ¡°To my office, now. And all of you,¡± he motions to the rest of our platoon, ¡°if anything like this happens again, I¡¯ll hold each and every one of you responsible.¡±

    We walk back in silence, the shame and anger clinging to me worse than the sweat. I try to ignore the stares directed at me. The entire platoon knows I¡¯m not responsible for this, but they prefer throwing someone else off the cliff if it means they don¡¯t have to suffer personally. I vividly recall only one person going down that cliff, and yet I might as well have followed suit.

    <hr>

    ¡°Gods bless timely fog and creative use of absolutely horrible materials,¡± I whisper to myself as those knights make their way back. The garbled sound coming from whoever caught me was the only thing I heard as I hid behind a rock. My chest swells in pride as I think back to my genius idea, invisibility was a tough spell, not just because it involves very precise control, but also because it takes plenty of mana to make sure you can still see after deflecting the light around you. Basic illusions take next to no mana, they¡¯re just mentally intensive, and although I only barely succeeded before they caught up to me, it was enough to fool them. The wind covered up the lack of sound and I could forgo most of the details. If they had seen the other side of the body, they would have been horrified to look at an empty shell. I only had enough time and mana to form the outside, and even that would have been too much if I had included the front. They think they saw a person jump to their death, but really it was only a hastily conjured up outer layer of one, and only half done at that.

    The chase has ended, and they probably believe I died, which is just fantastic. The next issue, however, is figuring out where the hell I am. And where I have to go from here. On a whim, I pick a direction. Then there¡¯s only the sound of my mismatched footsteps and labored breathing.

 Chapter Two

    Chapter Two

    I must be a sorry sight, walking through the woods as I am. My breath has returned to normal, although my muscles are aching all over. Most importantly, however, I¡¯ve been chewing on every normal-looking leaf I could find. Though there¡¯s a chance I get very unlucky and poison myself, or arguably worse, find some addictive hallucinogenic, I desperately need the mana. Because what I¡¯ve learned as I trudged along the non-existent path, is that I¡¯m bleeding the stuff. Luckily for me, I haven¡¯t been losing any blood but my current situation is not much better. Especially since this place, wherever it may be, lacks mana. Where I¡¯m from, and quite literally in every place I was aware existed, there¡¯s mana floating freely in the atmosphere. In such abundance that it creates beautiful spectacles in certain areas. Mana depletion the way I experienced just recently, is something of an urban myth.

    Something students like me impress their peers with, heroic tales of soldiers reaching beyond their limits and throwing up, right on the battlefield. All based on some real story that wasn¡¯t nearly as entertaining. Teachers were always quick to point out that mana depletion wasn¡¯t depletion, since that implies there¡¯s no mana at all. Which is of course a scientific impossibility. Matter itself depends on mana to even exist. But there now exists a horror version of the tale, something even the more depraved minds among my fellow students never came up with. What if you¡¯re not just using up all your mana, what if you continuously bleed your mana into your surroundings, my current situation in a nutshell.

    It¡¯s no surprise that my invisibility spell failed me so soon, I must have been leaking all the while. Not that I noticed any of the symptoms even after that fiasco, the chase obscured any hint of it happening. I suppose I should just be happy that none of my pursuers managed to pick up on that trail, it would have led straight to me. Even now it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to track me, because despite my best efforts I can¡¯t seem to contain all of it. With conscious control, I managed to lower it to an amount I can sustain with leaves, but I¡¯m terrified of losing focus. I¡¯m not sure what will happen if I ever run out, but the nausea I experienced last time I got close promises nothing good. The worrisome part is that the sun is slowly making its way below the horizon. And with the adrenaline having drained some hours ago I¡¯m not steady on my feet, I need to sleep and I need to do it soon.

    But any hope leaves along with the sunlight and I am soon walking in the dark. The lack of visibility is doing me no favors as I struggle to make any progress. Every step has me stumbling along the bumpy ground, I don¡¯t dare open my mouth for fear of biting my tongue. Judging what leaves might be safe to put in my mouth has likewise become impossible and I just pray none of these trees are sadistic like that. If they are, I won¡¯t just be leaking mana, I¡¯ll be leaking every fluid and even some things that shouldn¡¯t be fluid.

    But the situation doesn¡¯t last; it wouldn¡¯t have, to start with, as I¡¯d eventually pass out on my feet. Luckily for me, however, I am blessed to see light again. No bright sunlight, the nights aren¡¯t that short, but the unmistakable light of a fire, and that promises civilization, or perhaps the remains of one. Or a wildfire now that I think of it. But these little shining orbs are no natural disaster, and I hasten my steps as much as I can, which is nothing to be proud of after hours upon hours of trudging along. It takes all I have to keep moving, the wooden gate that comes closer and closer is closed, but I can vaguely see guards on the palisades. This isn¡¯t some knightly order however, these are regular folks that are just on lookout. Even as I finally breach the leaves and become free of the forest, a root trips me and I eat dirt for the second time today, or the first, it might have been midnight already.

    But with salvation or death so close at hand, an end to this suffering, either way, I crawl further. It is only when I reach the light and my body is illuminated by the soft glow of lanterns that my energy finally runs out. And it¡¯s with the sound of concerned yells in my ears that I blissfully pass out.

    <hr>

    When I finally return to consciousness, I am immediately assaulted with the knowledge that I am in very poor shape, and also an answer to what happens when the body runs out of mana. I can barely detect an iota of it in me, and it¡¯s causing haywire throughout my system. Shivering and retching, I try to regain control of myself but there¡¯s nothing I can do, there¡¯s no leak to plug as there¡¯s nothing left to bleed out. I am well and truly dry of mana. I¡¯m surprised I¡¯m alive. A wave of pain forces my eyes open and I am greeted with an awful sight. The jitters have cramped my arms into an upright state, which now means I get to see my fingers without needing to strain my neck or get up. I rather wish I couldn¡¯t however because the sight leaves much to be desired. My hand looks like a dead man¡¯s and my fingers are black and withered. I¡¯m reminded of what happens when the body becomes too cold, but this is no better to look at.

    Then a spoon enters my mouth and I am forced to swallow dryly, moisture has seemingly left my body along with any magical power. Now I get to regain both, however, as whatever was on that spoon reinvigorates me to my soul. The euphoria is short-lived, however, as the mana already starts to leak, one thing has changed though, now that I¡¯m awake, if feeling like death frozen over, I get to dampen that leak. Perhaps not plug fully, but as long as I maintain concentration I can get it down to a drizzle, a world of difference, and when the second spoonful enters my mouth I can feel my reserves fill up. This is nothing like nibbling on leaves, that were barely enough to replace the aforementioned drizzle, this fills me right up and I can feel my body responding. Blood rushes through my veins and my blackened hand regains a little color.

    And even as I finally relax a little, making sure to keep clamping down on any mana leakage, a voice reaches out to me. And through some miracle, I even know what it says. The sound is all wrong but I know exactly what is meant.

    ¡°Boy, you¡¯re awake?¡± a voice as dry as my throat feels asks me.

    ¡°Barely, and only thanks to you,¡± I respond, voice strained from exhaustion.

    Slowly blinking to get some moisture on my eyes, I try to see who my savior is. The first thing that comes into view is the ceiling, the cloth reveals that I am lying in a tent, and the second thing is that I am not the only patient in the ward, and that¡¯s no proverb. I fully recognize the background noise as the groaning it is, and my savior seems to be in the right business. Unfortunately, that strains my eyes too much already and I¡¯m forced to close them before seeing who they are.

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear, now I have other patients to attend to, but someone will come to you soon.¡± The voice says. ¡°We do have some questions about who you are and what happened.¡±

    No surprises there, although I have no idea how to explain my presence. It¡¯s not like I understand what happened to me either. At least I can explain my condition, it¡¯s a pretty clear case. Time passes quickly as I just focus on containing my energies, thanks to what I ate the tank is far from empty. Only the murmurs of other patients and the accompanying sounds of groans and labored breathing fill the otherwise silent tent. Peaceful enough, until I am interrupted as promised.

    A young man snuck up on me as I lay there, engrossed in my thoughts. My eyes are now able to see without much trouble.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°Hello,¡± he ventures politely. ¡°Are you awake?¡±

    I try to answer but what comes is more of a grunt.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a yes,¡± he smiles quietly, then pauses.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you have a general idea of what I¡¯ll be asking,¡± another pause. ¡°But considering your state, I¡¯ll try to keep it short.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s mana depletion,¡± I cut in. ¡°I was well and truly spent.¡±

    He reacts surprised and then grimaces. ¡°I might not be a full-fledged doctor like Madam Barrow, but even I know that mana depletion doesn¡¯t result in withered limbs.¡±

    We make eye contact and he gives me a stern look. I¡¯m not sure what face to make.

    ¡°Then you tell me what I¡¯m going through, because I only know I¡¯m leaking mana and beyond it being unhealthy I have no clue what that even means,¡± frustration clear in my rough voice.

    His expression turns troubled.

    ¡°How long has this been going on?¡± he asks carefully.

    But before I can answer, another figure joins us. An old lady with hands almost as shriveled as mine walks over and the young man in front of me respectfully makes room for her.

    ¡°How is he,¡± she says, and I now recognize the dry voice as my savior from before.

    ¡°Ah, yes, he claims to suffer from mana depletion and says he is leaking mana. But the damage doesn¡¯t really¡­¡± his sentence dies off as the old lady grabs my arm.

    The warm and pleasant feeling of mana flooding into it is not enough to distract me from the sight of rejuvenation that happens in these few seconds. The feeling stops as she lets go, it takes a moment for me to even realize how out of breath she is. My hand has transformed from its withered state, and it now looks almost healthy. Even the color has mostly returned, from the charcoal black that it was, to a sickly pale. Far from healed but orders of magnitude better than before. The assistant¡¯s jaw goes slack at the sight.

    ¡°It.. healed? But that hand was¡­¡± he¡¯s missing the words to explain himself, though not for lack of trying. ¡°You can¡¯t heal the damage done by mana depletion like that.¡±

    ¡°He wasn¡¯t lying, I¡¯m afraid what we¡¯re seeing is the fate of the other patients. Although I don¡¯t know why his state has progressed so much further, nor do I claim to understand the healing he showed,¡± a tired look is thrown my way, however, I don¡¯t move to enlighten her.

    I¡¯m still struggling to comprehend how I was somehow in a worse state than the others, I had been containing my mana loss for the majority of the time, aside from one short invisibility spell, and two failed attempts at the same, and also a minor illusion, I had been holding out very well, the leaves certainly helped the issue too. So how come I was running dry so much faster than them?

    Too many questions and nowhere near enough information, they didn¡¯t even mention the utter lack of mana in the area. That particular supposedly scientifically impossible state would surely be relevant to a case like this, but they didn¡¯t say anything about it. At least the healing makes sense, although I can¡¯t say the same about their reaction to it. I learned basic first aid, just like everyone at my university. Lesson one has always been to insert mana. As long as you stop the bleeding you can heal from most things. Those entire lessons boiled down to:

    <ol>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">Prevent immediate death by closing holes as best as possible.</li>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">Insert mana.</li>

    </ol>

    The body takes care of the rest. Yet they seem to regard this as some godly intervention. The oddities just keep piling up.

    ¡°But if this is happening to all of them¡­¡± the assistant tries.

    ¡°Yes, we don¡¯t have nearly enough herbs to keep their mana levels up if they¡¯re all like him.¡±

    ¡°As long as you put more mana in me I should be able to move shortly,¡± I interject.

    I¡¯m keeping the leakage to a minimum now, which is straining but I should be able to keep it up for quite a while. They both give me a look as if they practiced it, both of them regarding what I said as idiotic. Their condescension bled right through. It¡¯d be hurtful if I had the energy to care. Keeping my mana at a healthy level was taking up most of that energy though, so I didn¡¯t care that much.

    ¡°We already fed you with a box full of reagents, we don¡¯t have all that much left after that,¡± she shakes her head dejectedly.

    I guess it would take constant injections of mana to keep me alive whenever I wasn¡¯t consciously holding it back. That¡¯s a horrifying realization since I can¡¯t keep this up forever, I still need to sleep for one. Even as my mind begins to spin with the possibilities, I notice something. There¡¯s a source of mana nearby, although it¡¯s not particularly big, then I notice another. It feels like I¡¯m sensing my surroundings for the first time in a long time. Then the old lady stands up and the puzzle pieces click into place, I¡¯m sensing her. Not just her of course, but also the young man assisting her, and I can vaguely feel the other patients in the tent. I can¡¯t differentiate between them all that well, not at this distance, but it¡¯s unmistakably them. Like little fires I feel them all around me, what would normally be obscured by all the background mana is now clearer than I have ever felt it.

    The precision notably drops after just a few meters but the general sense remains. A vague idea implants itself in my mind. My body is healing even now, but I¡¯m very consciously holding it back, as it would drain me dry once more if I let it. Healing is not a particularly efficient process and certainly not supposed to function with so little mana, but this barren wasteland does not provide what I need. Still, the barren part only applies in regards to the ambient mana, the wildlife has what I need. If I could find some leaves that contain more than the bare minimum of mana, I could replenish myself, enough to get going at least.

    A simple attempt to move my legs does not inspire hope but does not extinguish it either. In a highly controlled manner, I let loose some of my mana into my legs, doing my best to contain it within. The effect is instantaneous as I regain feeling in my lower limbs, at the cost of most of my stored energy. While I¡¯m creaking like the wooden floor of a seedy bar, I can move. Unfortunately, even as I finally get one leg out from under the covers, my saviors turned captors push me back into bed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it,¡± the old lady glares at me, ¡°You¡¯re in no condition to move.¡±

    Their good intentions will be the death of me, the longer I lay here the more exhausted I¡¯ll be. The strain of holding back constantly is growing by the hour.

    The doctor turns to her assistant.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to forage, these woods are rich in mana. The quality of herbs won¡¯t be as high but it¡¯s better than nothing.¡±

    The words have me raise my eyebrows, this place is rich in mana? This magically barren wasteland? But my expression goes unnoticed as the young man responds with a voice full of worry.

    ¡°Madam, you can¡¯t be serious, it isn¡¯t safe! We don¡¯t even know how any of this happened¡­¡±

    ¡°Most of the patients were not doing anything in particular, and they certainly weren¡¯t all in the woods as it happened. We have no reason to believe the forest is related to this at all,¡± the doctor says, her mind made up.

    ¡°But the stories!¡± the assistant interjects anxiously.

    ¡°They''re just stories, there¡¯s ghost stories about every foggy forest on this continent, and these patients need real help. More real than some tall tale to scare children.¡±

    The young man¡¯s mind is very obviously not being set at ease by her words but he offers no response. The doctor gives him a tired smile, then she sets off and leaves the tent. Her assistant is left alone with the patients, training takes over as he gets to work to ease their symptoms. The best he can do right now. And I start preparing for the best that I can do right now. I have no real certainty that my idea is even viable, but continuing to lie here will only result in a later death. So when he¡¯s busy with the bed furthest away from mine, I quietly put my feet to the ground, and with only a small grimace I take my first step. The pain is very present but I bite through it, the second step is barely easier. But after the fifth step, I notice improvements and by the time I leave the tent, unnoticed by the assistant, I¡¯m only grimacing every other step.

    My next challenge is finding my way out of this camp, luckily they seem to have quarantined us, as the tent is some distance away from the houses. From where I stand at the entrance I can see the gates I passed out at unless they have multiple entrances. Unlike when I passed out, however, they¡¯re open now. And perhaps it¡¯s lunchtime but I don¡¯t see any lookouts on the palisades this time. With some silent groans and many a wince, I make my way over. When I finally stand outside the walls I close my eyes and cast my senses out as far as possible.

    It takes a while to understand what they¡¯re telling me, and longer still to find what I was looking for. After what must have been at least a full minute of standing there I get a hit, the faint feeling of mana like a delicious smell draws me in. One last glance at the gates behind me and I enter the forest again, hoping to find what I need to stay alive.

 Chapter Three

    Chapter Three

    The forest was no more inviting than it used to be, although walking around was easier now that I had sunlight accompanying me once again, my mana starved body was not enjoying this one bit. Groans of protest were audible from both my lips and my legs, yet I moved forward. I had caught the scent of something with abundant mana and I intended to collect it. Since as far as I could tell it hasn¡¯t moved at all, I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s a plant of some kind. Or perhaps a hibernating beast, caution would be worth it. I had nowhere near enough mobility to escape any predator worth its salt and wasting my mana on illusions was a death sentence, better to avoid conflict as a whole.

    The sounds of the rustling leaves ring in my ears and I¡¯m surprised to admit how pleasant it is. Although I¡¯ve done excursions before I lived just barely outside the city proper for the majority of my life, this was the first time I spent any substantial amount of time immersed in nature like this. Well, yesterday was the true first time, but I struggle to remember most of that harrowing experience, so this counts. While the circumstances certainly leave a lot to be desired, and my broken body gets plunged deeper into agony with every step, the sun on my face and the wind through the trees gives me a feeling I could get used to.

    University life wasn¡¯t all that, the pressure to get high grades on topics I couldn''t care less about was far from enjoyable. I can¡¯t help but reminisce about my younger days before I lived alone with no friends to call. It¡¯s sobering to realize that the only person that will miss me is the university''s treasurer. I did pay a substantial amount to fully ignore their glorious lectures after all. Then again, they¡¯d only realize my absence next year, when the money never arrives. Or perhaps I¡¯ll just get back to an ever-growing debt instead. A depressing topic, even the thought of ever returning seems distant, I have not a single clue to comprehend how any of this happened. The closest thing to a hint was that horrible monstrosity that they kept in their basement, they should stick to regular skeletons in regular closets.

    Not that I can even act on that tidbit of information, rather hard to approach someone about the whole topic.

    ¡°Hello, do you have a moment to talk about the large and possibly demonic eye in the basement of some castle?¡± the sentence sounds even more ludicrous out loud.

    I¡¯m shaken out of my thoughts when I close in on my prey, I can almost smell the mana that¡¯s emanating from it. My eyes reveal its true nature, a stalk of blue grass poking out from under a bush, hardly noteworthy aside from its unusual color. Reaching out to harvest it, I wonder about how to even prepare it. While I ate plenty of leaves yesterday, which was fueled by desperation, the situation is not nearly as urgent now. Somehow the idea of putting some raw grass in my mouth doesn¡¯t feel very appetizing, Color aside, there¡¯s still dirt on the stalk. Would love to at least wash it off, or maybe boil it, or put it in a sandwich. That last one, in particular, sounds the most appealing, if only I could find some meat to go along with it.

    Unfortunately for me, although this blue grass is rather mana-rich, it¡¯s far from enough to sustain me for long. Judging by how many herbs they fed me, I must leak mana like crazy when I sleep. I, very badly, do not want to wake up with withered limbs again. Thus, my hunt continues as before. This time, however, I¡¯ve been getting more experience with my newfound sensory abilities, and it takes just a few seconds to hone in on another mana source in the area. This one is even bigger than the grass in my pocket, and not far off if I¡¯m understanding my sense right. With slightly less audible groans than before, I head off deeper into the woods.

    I get to enjoy working out even more muscles when the ground starts sloping upwards, not much but it turns an already straining walk into the realm of actual exercise. Not that I was ever one for pumping iron, something I¡¯m regretting as the day goes on and I suffer for my lacking muscles. My pace is slow but I make good progress over the next few hours. A small smile forms on my lips as I think of how I would have reacted if someone told me this was going to happen.

    Dropping my keys into the storm drain had me cursing, and while it would normally be a simple trick to levitate them back to my hand, the drains were protected from magical interference. Something about an anti-vandalism initiative, I only ever noticed it when I was forced to get my hands wet just to get into my apartment, a place I never even got into in the end. Instead, I¡¯m in some basement with an eldritch eye and some guy that doesn¡¯t speak my language. What¡¯s weirder, is that I could understand the doctor and her assistant without issues, I wonder what¡¯s up with that. Their words were odd too like the sound didn¡¯t match what I heard, was my voice weird to them too? Not that anyone could tell while my throat was that dry. I should ask when I see someone next though, the discrepancy bothers me.

    And I¡¯m no closer to understanding my condition, even ignoring where I am. My mana leakage is abnormal and highly dangerous, keeping it under control manually is doable, but I still need to rest eventually. No way to stop it mentally while I¡¯m sleeping either. Currently, my only solution is to simply massively overcharge myself so I get to have a good night¡¯s rest. Although perhaps I¡¯ll be forced to wake every couple of hours to eat again, not a pleasant idea either. What confuses me is the attitude that these locals have regarding the whole ordeal. They live in such a magically barren environment and yet they don¡¯t seem to lack mana, I¡¯d suspect they don¡¯t need mana to live, or perhaps just such a small amount that it would be negligible in practice. However the doctor infused me with enough mana to heal a limb, she either has so much mana that this amount was worth the risk, but that she was out of breath makes that rather unbelievable, or she doesn¡¯t fear running out, not really.

    That comment from her assistant bothers me too, he didn¡¯t believe my symptoms were mana depletion for some reason. The whole situation is driving me mad and I can¡¯t seem to find any answers. If nothing else, I¡¯m coming up to my target. A mana source that is significantly larger than the grass I harvested earlier is just ahead of me, along with what I now recognize as a second source right behind it. No wonder I didn¡¯t sense it before, they line up near perfectly.

    What¡¯s worrying, however, is how it seems to get larger as time passes. Hasty footsteps bring me to the edge of a small clearing, one big tree is taking up so much of the sunlight that the undergrowth has no chance to prosper. Even as I inspect the surroundings, two things stand out from the background.

    One is the bear that¡¯s sleeping beneath the tree, the other is the doctor on the opposite end of the clearing. She¡¯s confidently striding towards the clearing, totally unaware of the danger. It¡¯s almost comical how perfectly the tree¡¯s massive trunk conceals the bear, curled up next to the base as it is. The incoming bloodbath is nowhere near as funny to imagine, however, but if I shout a word of warning we¡¯ll still wake the bear. Magic seductively whispers in my ear, but I¡¯ve been straining to maintain my mana levels all the while and that¡¯s not a type of exhaustion you can easily ignore. With the old lady¡¯s steps coming ever closer to the beast I am faced with a choice, and it¡¯s one I make in a heartbeat. Standing still and covering myself as best as I can with a nearby bush, I focus on the mana roaming in my body. Spending precious seconds to form the spell, I cast it successfully and a noticeable chunk of my reserves deplete. My effort is rewarded as a small rectangular screen pops up in front of my savior as I return the favor. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    What I hadn¡¯t anticipated, however, is that not everyone is used to prank pop-ups from their school days. And the old lady does what anyone would presumably do when faced with such an unfamiliar situation. A shrill scream escapes her, although, to her credit, she gets control of herself remarkably quickly. Nowhere near quick enough, unfortunately, as the damage has already been done. The beast in the center of the glade rouses from its slumber, its round and deceptively soft ears perk up. What follows is a yawn that reveals some truly dangerous teeth.

    The doctor is on high alert but the tree still obscures the visage of the bear, although not the sound of it waking up. Her eyes dart around to find the source of the noise. My message is of no help because her scream disrupted my concentration enough to have the spell fail. With the peaceful option evaporating like smoke, I try to get her attention the old-fashioned way, with wild waving of my arms. This method proves more successful, but perhaps too much so. Misinterpreting my signal for a call to come over, she steps out of the forest and into the clearing proper. The wrong move, which she discovers as the beast makes itself known to her. It creeps around the tree, the sight of such a colossal silhouette gives my savior quite the shock. Blessedly, her heart doesn¡¯t give out immediately, but she does lose her footing in the scare. The bear towers over her fallen form and I¡¯m forced to intervene more directly.

    The clumping of earth hits its head with a thud and does its job of getting its attention quite well, but little else. With its prey forgotten, the beast searches for the attacker and finds him easily enough. A bush only gives so much protection after all. I have precious few seconds to form a plan that involves my prolonged survival, and no ideas spring to mind quite yet. When the bear¡¯s front paws hit the ground, my mind is still desperately searching for a way out. Even when it starts charging toward me with a deceptive speed I can only pray for some higher power to intervene. No such luck as the hulking mass lunges towards me and I do the only action I can think of. The logic was simple, a bear is an animal, and animals dislike fire. The decision to set my clothes ablaze was perhaps not my smartest move but what can you do?

    They burn quite well and the acrid smell gives the large predator pause, long enough for me to dispel the illusion and ignite the bear''s fur, distance no longer barring that tactic. With its lustrous coat burning surprisingly well, it loses all interest in ending my measly life, redirecting that enthusiasm into getting rid of the flames. An effort in vain, as I simply keep igniting more and more of the bear, generating small sparks of high heat takes more mana than I would like, but it¡¯s nothing compared to the worth of my life.

    When it opens its jaws to roar in pain I use the opportunity to force all the smoke around its massive shape onto its face. Jamming both the nostrils and the mouth. It trashes around but I wisely remain out of its reach. The smoke taking away its sight while also suffocating it proves an effective tactic. The pain of burning helps the matter too, although it¡¯s a waste of the fur.

    It¡¯s a long and painful couple of minutes while the noise slowly dies down. When the blackened form finally collapses, never to rise again, the doctor moves toward me. I take a step in her direction, flash a smile, and promptly throw up. While it¡¯s nothing compared to the agony that animal suffered, just seeing a living creature have its life ended in such a torturous manner is a sure-fire way to have my stomach-turning. When my innards finish turning outwards the tears start following suit. Two days of exhaustion and pain catch up to me all at once as I empty my body of anything I can. Absent-mindedly I notice my mana reserves dropping dangerously fast.

    At first, I don¡¯t even care, everything feels too heavy and nothing matters to my traumatized brain. But then the shivering starts again and I¡¯m forced out of my state, survival demands action and I intend to live for a long time still. Hastily and with shaking fingers I reach into my pockets, retrieving the grass I stored there. This time barely noticing the dirt on it I stuff my mouth with the herb. The rich taste of mana fills me and I heave a sigh of relief.

    Then my legs give out and I collapse to the ground fully, barely dodging the vomit I previously deposited. In an instant, I have a doctor at my side. A finger on my neck to check my pulse and a hand on my forehead to take my temperature. Typical bedside manners I imagine, and what I wouldn¡¯t give to have an actual bed right now. No rest for the wicked, however, and satisfied with what she felt, the doctor leaves my side to check on our adversary instead.

    I¡¯m almost jealous, but then I notice the burning smell and it¡¯s an effort to keep myself from dry heaving. Not like there¡¯s anything else to export out of me. Aside from the mana I¡¯m keeping rigorously contained inside. The old lady breaks the silence.

    ¡°Well, you well and truly killed it,¡± she states, and I can almost feel the tears forming again.

    ¡°I... I didn¡¯t mean to do that,¡± is all I can weakly retort.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you did, it would have no doubt killed and eaten us. This way we can use it to help the patients instead.¡±

    Help the patients?

    ¡°By giving them a proper meal?¡± is all I can say. She turns to look at me with that same condescension.

    ¡°No, by feeding them a mana-infused meal. Quite the luxury for us common folk.¡±

    Her words make me focus on the corpse with my other senses, and as she said there exists a plentiful amount of mana inside. No doubt enough to fully rejuvenate me and then some. But I¡¯m not selfish enough to keep it to myself, I even ignore how she just implied it was her right to divide the meat. There¡¯s another problem, however.

    ¡°How do you even intend to bring it back? That¡¯s a big creature, it must weigh a ton.¡±

    She just gives a smile, a sight that feels unnatural to see after I just suffocated and burned a bear alive. Then she starts spouting incantations, and although I hear her clearly, I cannot make out a word that she says. Not that it stops me from knowing the meaning of her sentences. A long-winded prayer to lighten the load, quite literally it seems because the moment she finishes I find the corpse starting to glow. A small shimmer of light hangs around the burned cadaver and the doctor wastes no time in lifting the massive bear overhead. My mouth is agape.

    ¡°Well, what are you sitting around for? Help me carry this thing back to the village, the spell only lasts so long and I don¡¯t want to drag it through the dirt.¡±

    Even as my mind starts to comprehend what just happened my body is already moving. Our progress is painfully slow, between an old lady and someone with a plethora of wounds we don¡¯t exactly have a record pace, but we make it anyway. The silence gives me time to understand what she just did. Incantations aren¡¯t exactly unheard of, even in the modern age, but they¡¯re mostly just for the performance, the only places where you encounter incantations at my university were in the history electives, and drama class. They just weren¡¯t worth it to a properly trained mage. Most teachers look down upon tradition, they see it as a crutch.

    It allows you to cast spells without having to manually control your mana, but it takes away almost all of the flexibility, you can still designate a target, spells would be useless without that, but it always comes with severe limitations. Being able to only target one object for example. Do you wanna lift multiple boxes? Well assuming I had the mana, something obvious back home, I could lighten every box at the same time, or even make it affect only the lower half of them. Not sure why you¡¯d want that but it¡¯s utterly impossible with incantations as I know them.

    Which begs the real question, why did she use them?

    The question will have to wait, however, because the walls of the village come into view. A sight for sore eyes, If I wasn¡¯t stuck carrying this corpse of my own making I would have sprinted towards the gates. Or at least attempt to, I doubt it would go well with my injured legs. Either way, I am glad to see civilization, even though I used up the grass I still need to get enough mana to last me the night. I can only pray that the meat is enough.

 Chapter Four

    Chapter Four

    We enter the village without much fanfare, my absence was noticed soon after I left of course, but the assistant did not have the luxury to go look for me. Not that he was particularly inclined to in the first place. The doctor¡¯s absence was known beforehand so that was no shock to anyone either. The corpse of the beast we are carrying draws much more attention, but only from the guards that could see it, and there aren¡¯t all that many. So it is only by the time we reach the center of the village, on our way to the butcher, that the crowd starts gathering. Low murmurs ripple through the people as we make our way over. One brave soul steps forwards.

    ¡°Did¡­ did you kill this beast Doctor Barrow?¡± he asks, cautiously.

    But she just shakes her head, and though her hands are occupied, she still vaguely kicks in my direction.

    ¡°The boy did, rather gruesomely as well,¡± she explains.

    I could have done without that extra bit of information tagged on, the shock has faded enough that I recognize the necessity of my actions, but I loathe that I had to do it. Even if its death was needed, I just wish I could have killed it more cleanly, without the suffering. But I doubt these people would care too much about my emotional struggles with killing, they seem like hardy folk. You¡¯d have to be to survive as a villager living in a place like this, beautiful forests aside, it can¡¯t be easy.

    At least the bear¡¯s death wasn¡¯t in vain, and its meat will nourish those that remain. A very poetic way of saying that meat is pretty delicious and has an important role in a balanced diet. The commotion that we¡¯re making in front of his shop forces the village¡¯s butcher to come out, with his cleaver still in his hand he makes his way through the crowd. His eyes bulge when he notices the sheer size of the corpse. You can see his mind work the numbers, and when he realizes he¡¯ll be able to feed everyone the joy is clear on his face.

    ¡°Oh yes, this will do, this will do!¡± he nearly shouts, ¡°bring all the meat to Tony, I¡¯ll cook up a feast!¡±

    Without a word we unceremoniously dump the corpse on him, the sheer size of his stature allowing him to lift it all. The weight is no issue after all, but at least this way it doesn¡¯t become dirty from the floor. The doctor follows him for a few steps and holds open the door for him. When he¡¯s through she proceeds to kick him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about keeping the juicy bits for yourself, this meat is needed for the patients.¡±

    I can¡¯t hear his response after the door falls shut but I have faith that the stubborn old lady has it under control. Now I find myself standing in the middle of a crowd, their eyes aimed at me but I¡¯m not sure what they¡¯re expecting. Then a child enters the circle and tugs on my shirt.

    ¡°Tell us about the fight, sir! How did you beat a bear!¡± he says, eyes filled with delight.

    It¡¯s a childish enthusiasm that I can¡¯t help but adore, and though the memories are traumatic I have no other choice but to oblige his curiosity. I¡¯m guided to the village center, rows of benches are placed here for announcements, or when travelers have stories to tell. And though I am no willing traveler, my tale counted. The kids made a circle around me with much ruckus involved, but their parents and the other adults were just as keen to listen. I would do my best to provide.

    ¡°Well, normally I would describe to you just how big this beast was!¡± I begin passionately, ¡°but you¡¯ve already seen how much meat you¡¯re going to eat.¡±

    The rest of the story proceeds without hassle, the thrilling story has everyone on the edge of their seats, both young and old alike. While retelling my harrowing experience I find that it¡¯s that much lighter to think back to, sharing these things is healthy and I feel gratitude welling up to these strangers. When I finish with the storytelling, one little lady walks up to me.

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it scary to jump in?¡± she says, her eyes shyly dodging my own.

    I think for a moment and give her an honest smile.

    ¡°It really, really was,¡± I state confidently. She looks confused. But before she can say a word I continue.

    ¡°But when I had to choose between helping the doctor and running away? Well, the fear ran away instead,¡± my smile doesn¡¯t fade and I pat her head, happy with the lesson I imparted.

    Then I stand up and head for the butcher¡¯s, the crowd that naturally formed around me dissipates just as organically, people heading for their daily duties like normal. My story and experience become just another interesting event in their lives. Perhaps the kids will think back to this moment when they have to face their fears. I''d like to think that I helped them.

    It doesn¡¯t take long to reach the meat shop and not much more to find my savior, although I suppose we¡¯re even now. The butcher himself is showing his craft as he dismantles the giant animal like it¡¯s nothing, cleanly slicing through muscle and fat alike. It¡¯s mesmerizing to watch. Madam Barrow notices me first.

    ¡°Boy, what are you doing back so soon, the meat isn¡¯t ready yet.¡±

    ¡°No ma¡¯am, I¡¯m not here for the meat, I¡¯m sure Tony got it well in hand.¡±

    Tony belly laughs at me, his cheer is infectious and I smile too. Then I remember why I¡¯m here and the joy fades, a grimace on my face replaces it.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, can I talk to you privately for a moment?¡± I eventually say.

    The doctor eyes me up and down, suspiciously.

    We¡¯ll use your office,¡± she states to Tony, who doesn¡¯t seem to mind.

    I find myself in a surprisingly neat office, sheets of paper formed in proper stacks dot the desk, luckily there are enough chairs to accommodate us both. I sit down and she picks the chair in front of me. She raises an eye and beckons for me to start talking.

    ¡°I¡¯m leaking mana.¡± I eventually say. Unsure of how to properly convey what I truly want to say.

    She rolls her eyes, ¡°Yes I had noticed, so do all the patients in my tent, what is it that you really want to say?¡±

    There is no tact in her.

    ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say is that I will run out of mana again, the moment I fall asleep.¡±

    She waves it off.

    ¡°You¡¯re barely leaking, and you have enough mana to last for days right now.¡±

    A puzzle piece clicks into place.

    ¡°You think I only leak this little drizzle naturally,¡± I state. She raises an eye.

    ¡°Am I wrong?¡± she questions.

    ¡°If I wasn¡¯t terrified that I¡¯ll run out again I would show you for dramatic effect. Sadly my mana reserves are too vital to blow on that,¡± I take a deep breath, ¡°The leakage you see is just what slips through my conscious control, and that control will vanish the moment I pass out, the rest of my mana will evaporate in seconds after.¡±

    Even back when I was fully charged right after my transfer, it only lasted about an hour. My current reserves are a fraction of that, and will also only last a fraction of that time.

    She narrows her eyes at my statement.

    ¡°You claim to be consciously controlling all your mana? To prevent it rushing out?¡± she scoffs, ¡°That¡¯s an impossible feat, and even if you leaked mana like crazy you¡¯d still generate enough to offset the majority of the damages.¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    It¡¯s now my turn to be confused, since when do humans generate mana? And I state as much to her.

    ¡°Since before we are born, when the soul latches onto the unborn baby, they start creating mana. We don¡¯t know exactly where it comes from, but our predominant theory is that it¡¯s the soul itself,¡± she raises an eye, ¡°This is all elementary, every budding mage knows this, and plenty of non-mages.¡±

    That¡¯s the last nail in the coffin, and it sure is one hell of a coffin. This is not my world. I had my suspicions after the first language barrier, they deepened when I realized how impossibly mana-barren this place is, but now this talk of souls making mana? And bodies holding onto it naturally? This simply cannot be the same reality as the one I grew up in. But when I open my mouth to say as much, a second realization comes to me. If this is an entirely different universe, just how in the hell did I get here? It must be related to that eye, a disturbing and possibly demonic eye, in the basement of some castle not far from here. I would be suicidal to proclaim my otherworldliness to any native. Thinking faster than I ever have before, I reach a conclusion.

    ¡°Yes, well, I¡¯ve stopped doing that I¡¯m afraid. Just a day or so ago, I was casually walking through the woods when I suddenly started losing mana to my surroundings, and I¡¯m not replenishing any of it. You saw what happened after I collapsed in front of the gates. It wasn¡¯t pretty and it wasn¡¯t your casual mana overuse.¡±

    Her eyes sharpen, and I struggle to believe I convinced her. Luckily she doesn¡¯t seem inclined to dig deeper and just leaves me to my lies.

    ¡°You¡¯ll need an artifact to do that for you then,¡± she simply says.

    ¡°A what?¡± I dumbly answer.

    The doctor lets out a big sigh.

    ¡°An artifact, an object that can use rudimentary magic through the power of magical engineering. Don¡¯t tell me your little accident gave you memory loss as well? This is all basic knowledge you know?¡±

    ¡°I should have gone with amnesia,¡± I mutter quietly.

    ¡°What was that?¡± she says.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, the point is that I have no idea how I could get such an artifact,¡± and I doubt she would just have one handy for that exact purpose. She sighs again, however.

    ¡°Follow me.¡±

    We walk back into the butcher¡¯s workroom, Tony is making quick work of his quarry. It seems we¡¯ll have a feast tonight. Then we head out into the open air, and in silence, we travel back towards the tent. Twice I try to make conversation along the way, twice she ignores me. The medical area is set up a fair distance away from the houses of the village, at first I believed it was for quarantine reasons, but the doctor had no trouble visiting the village proper, now that we walk towards it, however, I realize the real motivation. A scream cuts through the air and the doctor grimaces, then finally talks to me again.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a pleasant feeling to lose your mana, and sometimes it gives sharp pains throughout your body. They can¡¯t help themselves but scream out like this.¡±

    Quietly I nod, losing any appetite for talking after this bit of awful information. The closer we get to the impromptu hospital, the more groans are audible. Not a pleasant background noise. But we soon find ourselves entering the tent itself. The young man serving as the doctor¡¯s assistant is on us in a second.

    ¡°Oh doctor, I¡¯ve never been more glad to see you. They¡¯re getting worse and I don¡¯t know what to do,¡± he proclaims anxiously.

    His savior responds with the good news.

    ¡°We¡¯ve found a solution, although I don¡¯t know if it will heal them, it should replenish them and allow us to heal them properly,¡± she says.

    A quick recounting of the bear story later and he collapses into the nearby chair, fatigue claiming another victim. Poor man, I still haven¡¯t learned his name.

    ¡°Get up Viktor, our work isn¡¯t done yet. We need to keep them stable until dinner, and make sure they eat enough now so that the meat won¡¯t overwhelm them.¡±

    Well, that is one question answered. Viktor gets back to work after a quick ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± I follow the doctor to a section of the massive tent that¡¯s cordoned off for her supplies. As she ruffles through her bags I wonder what to expect. Would she magically have the exact artifact I need to stabilize my mana reserves? That sounds too good to be true, which usually means it is. Luckily I don¡¯t need to wonder for long. I do need to dodge the object flying toward me, but my exhausted mind and body can¡¯t react quickly enough. The necklace hits me square on the forehead. I get no apology from the doctor, the very same person that just assaulted me.

    ¡°Put that on,¡± she simply says. Offering not a hint of remorse.

    Subdued I do as she says. The effect is not quite what I expected, it certainly doesn¡¯t contain my mana. Instead it just¡­ moves it. A circular motion that draws in most of the mana inhabiting my body.

    ¡°It¡¯s a training tool,¡± is the curt explanation I get. I offer an unamused look back to her.

    ¡°No need to be bitter, of course, I wouldn¡¯t have something that suits your needs perfectly.¡±

    As if I expected something that good, only a very small amount of me had that particular hope.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t get my hopes up,¡± I lie, ¡°I¡¯m just wondering what exactly this is.¡±

    The lady has the gall to sigh as if disappointed with me.

    ¡°As I said, it¡¯s a training tool. We attach it to children,¡± she emphasizes the children part, ¡°to help them feel their mana. It¡¯s also the first test we usually administer, how long does it take them to sense it, or for the more advanced test, how long until they can continue the motion after we take it off.¡±

    That¡¯s¡­ actually pretty clever I¡¯ll admit. Still no need to compare me with a kid, I have no issues sensing, nor moving, my mana. I just have issues keeping it around. Something that this tool was not designed to do, but when I slowly lower my containment I¡¯m happy to see that it alleviates the problem. It''s still a proper river compared to the drizzle when I maintain the stoppage myself, but it isn¡¯t the tsunami of mana that it was before.

    The doctor grimaces. ¡°You weren¡¯t lying when you said you were keeping it back, you¡¯re radiating that stuff like crazy.¡±

    Of course, I wasn¡¯t lying! What sort of idiot would lie about their health and capabilities like that! But she just waves me off.

    ¡°Amuse yourself until dinner time, I have patients to support.¡±

    And what else can I do when she promptly leaves me alone. Walking outside the tent I try hard to think of something I can do. Then I step back into the tent. The doctor looks at me with an irritated face.

    ¡°Go, be off, someone will find you when it is time for dinner.¡±

    I maintain eye contact and try to project confidence.

    ¡°Let me help.¡±

    <hr>

    When I leave the tent again, the sun is setting once more. I chuckle at the difference between this sunset and the one I saw while traversing the forest. From an unwilling traveler to a volunteer doctor. Or at least an assistant to a real one. The old lady didn¡¯t reject my offer and continued to work me to the bone afterward. I wiped so much sweat off of people¡¯s bodies, I feel like you could fill a well with the water and season dinner with the leftover salt. Dinner that I¡¯m looking forward to all the more now, I limited my mana depletion as best as I could, but it¡¯s harder to multitask, without the necklace supporting my efforts I would have been forced to quit, simply to preserve my health.

    Instead, I managed to help others with their health, and I¡¯ll admit I liked it. Not that I am going to be a doctor myself now, but I didn¡¯t regret putting my time into this. While I was working I felt like a real part of this world, it certainly gave my life more meaning than university ever did. Viktor, who I am now on quite good terms with, follows me out into the open air. The doctor is still working away with no regard for breaks or pauses, but we got tasked with bringing dinner over, and that¡¯s a task I am eager to fulfill.

    Tony greets us enthusiastically and wastes no time in getting the meat on our cart. He then follows us back to our tent, intent on helping with the preparations.

    ¡°Let Tony here show you how to cook real meat,¡± he says full of confidence. Viktor scoffs at his good intentions.

    ¡°You just want to eat with us,¡± he reveals. Tony blushes but defends himself.

    ¡°I prepared all the meat for cooking!¡± he sputters, ¡°I deserve a little taste myself.¡± Viktor looks at him.

    ¡°We¡¯re feeding the patients first,¡± he states.

    ¡°Good thing I¡¯m a patient myself then,¡± I happily cut in. Viktor just scoffs again. We¡¯re on such good terms.

    The bickering continues until we reach the ground in front of the tent. Firewood was brought over while Viktor and I were working, and some kind soul even dug out a makeshift campfire pit. With the meat already cut, we went to work on creating a fire, Tony getting his utensils out and building a contraption to hang the pots and place the pans on.

    Soon enough we have a roaring fire and the delicious smell of mana-infused, well seasoned, and juicy meat fills the air. Even as we go to help feed the patients, Tony is hard at work setting aside a portion for himself. I have no real knowledge of meat, but I¡¯m willing to bet the butcher is choosing the good bits. So I¡¯m pleasantly surprised that when the patients are all served, I am handed an extra big portion by Tony, his face wearing a huge grin.

    The doctor and Viktor join us as we sit by the fire. The darkness of the night surrounded us, the flames protecting us from the chill. The doctor turns to me.

    ¡°Thank you for your help boy,¡± I struggle to believe my ears. Hard to believe that the old lady thanked me.

    ¡°Would you stop calling me ¡®boy¡¯ old lady? I do have a name you know?¡± I respond to her. She raises an eye at that.

    ¡°And here I thought you lost that alongside your common sense,¡± she bites back. I just cannot win against this damn doctor.

    ¡°My name is Samual Herit, but you can call me Sam,¡± I tell her. She turns to face the fire again and for a moment I think that she didn¡¯t hear me. Then she speaks up.

    ¡°Thank you, Sam.¡±

 Chapter Five

    Chapter Five

    The morning comes quickly and for the second day in a row, I miss the sunset. With the hospitalized villagers having recovered practically overnight, I¡¯m not needed anymore in the ward and so I am free to sleep in. Unfortunately, the doctor also has more free time, and she¡¯s taking great delight in waking me up.

    ¡°Get up boy, daylight¡¯s wasting and we don¡¯t have enough herbs to compensate for your lazy lifestyle,¡± she tells me. I wonder if she¡¯s intent on not using my name still, or if she¡¯s just suppressing the memory of when she thanked me.

    Unfortunately, she¡¯s right and I can only afford to laze around for so long. The necklace I¡¯m wearing makes my problem more manageable but I¡¯m still losing mana at a steady pace. With a swallowed expletive I rise from the bed. Trying to orient myself because I barely remember falling asleep, but apparently, the doctor put me right back in the same bed I was nursed on. Fitting.

    My clothes have fallen to the ground but luckily this tent does have a groundsheet, so they¡¯re protected from the worst. I don¡¯t have many possessions from home and my clothes are the bulk of it, so it¡¯d be nice to keep them for a while longer. That said, I¡¯ve been sweating like crazy in them and you can only wear clothing for so many days in a row before the smell starts to ward off evil spirits. And me. But the doctor saves me once again. Albeit in her signature uncaring way, dropping a fresh set of clothes straight on top of me. I mumble a word of thanks as I dress myself, the fabric being much smoother than I expected. This hardy folk still had an eye for comfort it seems.

    ¡°I had Tony prepare some more meat for you, we both know you¡¯ll need it,¡± she says as she walks outside, ¡°We¡¯re preparing a lot of it to keep long term, can¡¯t have you running out.

    Then she¡¯s outside of the tent and I can¡¯t even respond. As annoying as the old lady is, she¡¯s incredibly competent and just a very kind soul. Although she¡¯s dead set on making sure no one finds out it seems. I yawn as I finally get out of bed, heading straight for the tent¡¯s opening. Outside there I find Tony once again, locked in a conversation with Viktor. The doctor has seemingly vanished already, probably off the to village for gods know what reason. So I head to the butcher to get myself some breakfast. Viktor sees me first and gives me a studying look, then nods approvingly.

    ¡°I see my clothes fit you well,¡± he says. My eyes narrow, I should have known that they wouldn¡¯t have clothes of this quality just laying around in my size and of course, Viktor uses silky smooth fabric. Well, thanks to us sharing the same build I get to share in his luxury.

    Tony is as exuberant as always, slapping me on the back as he hands me a plate filled with meat. My breakfast is heavy but his strength even more so, I stagger with every hit. Savoring every bite I make sure to once again contain the mana released from it. The effort is quickly becoming second nature, although it¡¯s still straining to keep in check. With plenty of tree stumps around, I sit down on nature¡¯s seat, taking the time to eat my meal while simultaneously going through some mental exercises. These are second nature to me by now, my childish routine has long since saddled me with unease if I skipped them. Well, there were worse ways to spend the morning as a mage. The peace that comes over me as I finish feels almost foreign, I¡¯ve been so busy with one thing or another for what feels like a lifetime. In reality, it was only two days, but those two days had me in mortal peril too many times to count, not to mention the impromptu assistant work and my medical condition.

    I truly haven¡¯t just sat down and relaxed since coming to this world, unfortunately, it also lets my mind wander and I don¡¯t like what it finds. The emptiness of existence felt crushing enough as a mere university student, now that I¡¯ve found myself in a different universe entirely? Well, crushing doesn¡¯t come close to describing what I feel. I lack any direction forwards, although I know I¡¯d prefer to get away from the castle, rather than move closer to it.

    A sigh leaks from my lips, the bleak-looking future feeling all-encompassing.

    ¡°What¡¯s got you all down now boy?¡± the familiar voice of the doctor sounds in my ears. She always pops up at the weirdest moments, it¡¯s a real gift.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ I don¡¯t know what to do now,¡± I reveal, ¡°I got the bear meat to fix my issue for the short term, and I haven¡¯t gotten the faintest idea about any long-term solution, so I just feel adrift in the meantime.¡± Another sigh punctuates my words.

    The old lady sits down next to me, thinking about my words in silence.

    ¡°The Academy,¡± she eventually states out loud. The word conjures up some especially boring lectures from back home.

    ¡°I can¡¯t say I particularly want to be a student again I¡¯ll admit,¡± I state somberly. She scoffs at my troubles, however.

    ¡°You don¡¯t particularly want to bleed to death either, I imagine. The Royal Academy of Magical Arts, as it¡¯s technically called, has the greatest library on this continent. If you can find a clue about your situation anywhere, it¡¯ll be there.¡± Then she stands up and begins to walk away.

    ¡°If you decide to attend, I¡¯ll write you a letter of recommendation. That should let you take the exam at least,¡± she casually says as she heads off. What is up with her and dramatic exits, and how is she so incredibly fast? She must be like ninety, this isn¡¯t the pace most near-centurions have. But her words bounce around in my head regardless, because it¡¯s true that I want to stop leaking mana. The fear that I¡¯ll just run out someday is ever looming and none is too kind.

    Then again, what comes after that? Even if I manage to plug the hole and live a normal life. I struggle to find motivation, it was like this before and I guess multidimensional travel doesn¡¯t change a person. I enjoyed helping the doctor, that much is true, but I don¡¯t think I want to be one myself either. Returning home would be a goal for many people, but while my life back there wasn¡¯t so bad, it isn¡¯t exactly worth trying to cross-dimensional boundaries.

    Images flash through my head, of my inability to understand the commander, and of that damnable eye in their basement. Perhaps that should be my goal. The disgust I felt at the time is burned into my memory, and with the knowledge of their activities, I can hardly turn a blind eye. All the thoughts are frying my brain and giving me no answers I let loose a frustrated scream.

    ¡°What¡¯re you thinking so hard about? Tell Tony,¡± the giant butcher says, standing behind me out of nowhere. This whole village is just a ninja hideout isn¡¯t it?

    I¡¯m not about to reveal everything but I could use the help of a native in this regard.

    ¡°Say, Tony,¡± I start, he grins, ¡°what do you know about the castle deep in the forest?¡± I eventually ask, there¡¯s a chance this is a very dangerous question but I can¡¯t keep going in circles on my own. His face slips into a frown and my worries shoot up.

    ¡°The castle of those Order bastards? Damn leeches. What¡¯s there to know?¡±

    I raise an eyebrow at his hostile attitude, the Tony I know is a gentle giant.

    ¡°Well, what do you mean ¡®Order¡¯ for starters. But also, what are they doing here?¡±

    Tony grumbles a little but sits down next to me.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°It¡¯s the Order you know? The big one, a bunch of fellas called ¡®The Order of Sight¡¯,¡± he sighs and a chill goes down my spine at the name, ¡°supposedly they and their god saved us, humans, from extinction in the last Hellwar. But if they did, these lot don¡¯t mimic the attitude. They¡¯re more preoccupied with taking outrageous amounts of grain under the name of taxes while offering barely any support against the beasts in the area. I¡¯d bet that the bear we ate yesterday was something they knew about but couldn¡¯t be arsed to kill.¡±

    The venom in his words is clear but they explain his attitude quite well. There was a lot of unnerving information in there, both about them and about this hellwar. Was it just a bad war? The mention of a god interfering sounds like religious hogwash to me, or to be more polite, like a mundane reality turned mythical by time. Then again, I was just shifted between dimensions and placed next to a giant eye creature, in the basement of a religious group called the Order of Sight. If that isn¡¯t ominous I don¡¯t know what is.

    ¡°Hellwar?¡± I question.

    He looks at me like I¡¯m a dunce, this must be another bit of information that¡¯s regarded as common knowledge.

    ¡°You don¡¯t even know about the Hellwar?¡± he lets out. Face a mask of confusion. ¡°What kind of rock did you live under?¡±

    ¡°One that taught me enough magic to kill a bear, now explain,¡± I bite back in annoyance. Tony takes no offense to my outburst, he just laughs again.

    ¡°True true, whoever taught you did their job well and gave me a good meal. I¡¯ll explain as if you were from a different world then,¡± he jovially says. My face stiffens but I force myself to relax.

    ¡°So, long long ago, like all good stories, the world we live in was inhabited by just us humans. Just us and the plants and animals of the age. No gods or monsters, and certainly no demons,¡± he takes a breath and collects his thoughts for a second, I listen with rapt attention, ¡°then one day the sky split open, and out came a god-¡± I scoff but Tony doesn¡¯t let that stop him, ¡°this god was not all-mighty, but to us primitive humans they might as well have been. As we were without magic at the time. Now, here¡¯s where the legends kind of split up, some say that this god breathed mana into our world and taught us magic. Others say that it wasn¡¯t the god, but that the hole simply unleashed mana from wherever this god came from. But our main religion states that the other side of the rift wasn¡¯t where the god was from, but that it was simply passing through a place so mana rich that it filled the air and the hole just let it flood into our world.¡±

    My breath catches at the mention of mana-filled air, but I don¡¯t interrupt Tony again.

    ¡°This god decided to help us adapt to our new mana enriched world, and blessed us with its power. According to this legend, alongside the god were a group of Angels, the exact number differs depending on the version, people that looked just like humans but had the innate power to control immense amounts of mana. Blessed with the ability to understand any living creature. They taught us to make use of this new energy that came down from their world, a place that we tend to call Heaven.¡±

    I can feel my left eye twitching a little at this name because the place sounds far too familiar and I don¡¯t like the implication. But Tony isn¡¯t done yet.

    ¡°With our new knowledge and skills, humans entered an era of unprecedented wealth and prosperity, until it all went wrong. Because humans aren¡¯t Angels, and Angels aren¡¯t humans. Our world was nowhere near as mana rich as Heaven, and while this was no issue for us since the god blessed us with the ability to create mana and store it in our bodies. Unfortunately, the Angels were not similarly blessed, and they needed mana from outside sources to sustain themselves. Slowly they became more and more jealous of mankind, and they sought to gain our power for their own. They went to their god to have them bless their kind, but he did not reply. In their rage, they sought a different entity to fulfill their wishes. A demon god.¡±

    I was enraptured in his tale, and luckily for me, Tony only stopped to gather his thoughts for just a moment.

    ¡°The Angels enacted a forbidden ritual to summon this demon god, intent on having him bless their souls with the power to create mana. All to survive our world. Their plan did not slip by the god¡¯s sight but he did not have it in him to smite down his servants. And while the god was struggling with the idea of slaying his own, even if it meant thwarting the summoning of a demon god, the ritual succeeded.

    And mirroring the way a hole appeared in the sky, a giant earthquake ripped open the earth, an enormous rift opening and devouring a mountain range. It was the start of the Hellwar. A brutal affair with the existence of mankind hanging in the balance. From the earthen rift emerged demons, magicless creatures that corrupted everything they touched. They were hellbent on taking over this world for their own. The god was enraged at this and killed his Angels on the spot, but it was too late to stop the invasion. Mankind rallied behind a single banner and fought with the invaders. While we paid a deadly price for every kilometer of land, we slowly drove them back to their rift. We were not prepared for what came next, however. The hole that god descended from closed soon after they came through, but this rift had been open all this time. We had no real way of closing it ourselves either. And from this gaping hole in the earth, a demon god finally emerged to bring doom to us all. It was then that our god stepped in, the two divinities waging their battle, spells, and miracles slinging back and forth between the two entities. They were evenly matched but we humans were still winning ground from the demons. And after a long time of fighting, we cornered the demon god at his rift. Then he unleashed a secret weapon; the Angels that our god had slain for their transgressions came back to fight us. It was our turn to lose ground, that was just how powerful these Angels were.

    When it became clear we had become unable to win against them, our god chose to sacrifice itself. It closed the hole, banishing the demon god back to Hell, but in exchange, it suffered from incredible wounds and was forced to rest. Supposedly it¡¯s still recovering from the damage it suffered at the hands of the demon god. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t get all the demons. So the Order of Sight, the church of the god, is devoted to defeating demons wherever they¡¯re found. To prevent them from ever opening another rift,¡± so Tony finishes his retelling of the tale.

    ¡°But well, this is a children¡¯s tale. Those order bastards aren¡¯t anywhere near as saintly as the story says. Bunch of pricks,¡± he grumbles.

    This has certainly given me plenty to think about, but one question still nags at me.

    ¡°Did they ever open another rift? You make it sound like it was a real possibility they would.¡± Tony¡¯s face darkens.

    ¡°Yes. One thing we know is true is that there are still demons out there, and they¡¯re always trying to sacrifice people to make gates. Small holes to allow more demons through.¡±

    I think back to the bloody eye I found myself next to, almost as if taken through a hole.

    ¡°They¡¯ve taken over the church¡­¡± I mutter quietly.

    ¡°What was that?¡± Tony asks.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, don¡¯t worry about it,¡± I say, trying to stay calm. If demons actually infiltrated or even took over the church, then that would be disastrous. But the story fits. It even explains why I couldn¡¯t understand that bigshot knight. I was always taught how communication happens through the soul, and that what we say in words gets understood by the soul. But if these demons don¡¯t have souls then it stands to reason that I can¡¯t understand them. It¡¯s pretty clear from this story that I am what they so painfully embarrassingly refer to as an Angel. Although I have no idea where this supposedly godly entity came from. But the rest matches up, the language, the mana. My eyes widen as I realize I¡¯ve made my choice.

    ¡°Hey Tony, do you know where the doctor is?¡± I ask the butcher.

    ¡°She¡¯s probably at my store, helping to prepare the meat for your journey,¡± he states as a matter of fact. It catches me by surprise.

    ¡°My what?¡± I say dumbly. He¡¯s just as confused by my reaction.

    ¡°Your journey? You¡¯re heading off towards the Academy, yea?¡±

    That crafty old¡­ She knew full well that I was going to go there. I wonder if she also figured out my¡­ heritage.

    ¡°Thanks!¡± I yell at Tony as I sprint towards the butcher¡¯s store.

    Running as fast as I can I get to the village in no time at all. I¡¯m weaving through the streets, dodging villagers and pets that walk along. When I reach my destination I¡¯m completely out of breath. I dash through the door to find the doctor packing a backpack with magically preserved meat. A freshly written letter is drying next to her. She turns to me and shows no surprise.

    ¡°I¡¯m almost done packing. You have a long road ahead of you, luckily for you, the traveling merchant should arrive at noon. You can leave with him in the morning. He doesn¡¯t tend to stay long.¡±

    Out of breath and completely outplayed by this old doctor, I just laugh out loud. Although I feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders, and not even my world, I can¡¯t help but feel ready to take it all on. And now that I have a new destination in mind, I¡¯m no longer feeling adrift. The old lady shakes her head at my antics, but then her face turns serious.

    ¡°We have to talk about you though, Angel.¡±

 Chapter Six

    Chapter Six

    My face stiffens at her blunt words, those muscles are getting quite the workout today. We¡¯re locked in an awkward staring contest while I¡¯m trying to find a convincing reason to deny her allegations. Not that she¡¯s accusing me of anything in particular but, especially with the story I was told, I¡¯m not enthusiastic for people to know of my origins. And so our contest continues in silence, it ends when I try to smile and she sighs. Shaking her head she continues packing the meat away.

    ¡°It took a while for the pieces to click, your prodigious magic combined with your lack of common sense was a hint. Your condition was another, but last night I finally figured it out. When I carried you to bed after you were swaying on your feet, exhausted as you were, you were still containing your mana,¡± she states as if this explained anything. Of course, I would maintain that plug, being tired doesn¡¯t mean I want to die and there only is much mana I can spare.

    ¡°Your face tells me that you don¡¯t grasp the significance of that,¡± she sighs heavily and stops packing again, ¡°that isn¡¯t something we humans can do you know?¡±

    Her words don¡¯t clear up a thing and I just get more and more confused. Again, she sighs.

    ¡°Focus on my palm, sense my mana,¡± she orders, curiously I comply. She¡¯s swirling some mana around above her skin, I can only assume she¡¯s warming up for a spell. Then she stops.

    ¡°That¡¯s about as much mana control as I can manage, and that¡¯s when I truly focus.¡±

    My brain freezes at that statement. Does she have some kind of injury? Is her mana flow impeded?

    ¡°No, you uselessly talented Angel, that¡¯s the upper limit of what humans can achieve.¡±

    My eyes blink but no thoughts occur in my brain. That¡¯s¡­ it? Just a rudimentary circular motion just barely outside her body? And that¡¯s the upper limit? For the fourth time, she sighs.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think that it¡¯s just me that¡¯s weak. I graduated from the Academy, top of my class at that. Medical spells require finer control than the magic of other branches so mana control was, in fact, a focus for me.¡±

    This is ridiculous. I could do that when I was four, I could do ten times that when I was eight. I was throwing snowballs at classmates with nothing but raw mana control when I was twelve. They¡¯d be chucking them right back too.

    ¡°So now you can see why I was skeptical of your claim. While controlling mana inside your own body is much easier, you are continuously keeping your mana back even while it tries to rush out of you... The control something like that requires is far beyond my comprehension,¡± the doctor says with yet another sigh.

    ¡°But¡­ but the training tool makes rough circles? Surely people can replicate that feat?¡±

    ¡°Rough circles he says¡­ Listen boy, that tool is more precise than the vast, vast majority of mages. Artifacts are always better at precision, they¡¯re made for it. The graduation test is to use that training tool for five minutes, and then maintain the circle for thirty more after you take off the necklace. After four years of study, it still fails twenty percent of students every year. They¡¯re forced to either redo the year or pick a less precision intensive study. I was heralded as a genius when I maintained it for almost fifty minutes.¡±

    This is making me feel dumb, these people are quite literally producing mana on their own, and yet they can¡¯t make a circle with it? I¡¯ll have to admit my chest is swelling with pride however, being told you¡¯re exceptional does that to most people. The idea that I¡¯m that far ahead of the natives is like a drug, my ego is growing by the second.

    ¡°What would be a less intensive study then?¡± I ask, eager to hear more flattering information.

    ¡°Geomancy is a popular one. Hydromancy is as well,¡± the doctor reveals. Still, it¡¯s not what I expected and I¡¯m even doubting if I understood her correctly...

    ¡°Geomancers control earth while hydromancers control water, how does that not require precise mana control,¡± I question the old lady.

    ¡°Because no one controls the elements manually,¡± she clarifies, ¡°they cast incantations that do the bulk of the precision work. They still need to specify what they want for the spell to function correctly but it¡¯s the difference between saying ¡®one meter¡¯ and drawing precisely a single meter.¡±

    Thoughtfully I nod, fully intent on milking this for all it is worth.

    ¡°But of course, both hydromancy and geomancy take significantly more mana. Aeromancy takes much less. Pyromancy is the easiest and is mandatory. If you can¡¯t light a fire you cannot graduate in any course, aside from non-magical studies. A qualified geomancer can create enough stone to build a house each month.¡±

    I nearly choke on my saliva. Did she just say ¡®create¡¯?

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I must have misheard you, you mean geomancers can move enough stone to make a house right?¡±

    She looks at me with a blank expression.

    ¡°No, they make the stones themselves. Graduated hydromancers can also fill a bathtub every six hours or so,¡± she adds.

    My mind is spinning at the idea, they create matter? Actual matter? They can make physical matter? That violates so much of the physics I know¡­

    The doctor¡¯s face grows a vulpine grin.

    ¡°Can our resident Angel not surpass that? Hm?¡± she playfully teases.

    ¡°Surpass that? I can¡¯t even make a single gram of earth¡­ nor water for that matter,¡± I mutter. Although I can draw the moisture out of the air if need be. Not that there¡¯s a usable amount of liquid around in most places.

    Her grin widens further at my admission.

    ¡°I guess Angels aren¡¯t all that either then,¡± she states. And although I know she¡¯s just trying to get a rise out of me, it annoys me all the same. My eyes flicker to the meat that she was packing. A stable supply for a few days.

    The room is filled with water at my command, and the doctor¡¯s eyes widen in shock. Desperately she tries to breathe but only water enters her mouth. Then I let the illusion drop and we¡¯re back in a perfectly dry room, not a hint of the previous nautical moment remains. She glares at my juvenile prank.

    ¡°Very funny,¡± she tells me, deadpan.

    ¡°I thought it was,¡± I admit, a smug grin dancing on my face.

    Wordlessly she places the last of the meat in the backpack and then casually tosses it to me, I struggle to catch it. The weight surprises me and I almost lose my balance. Some stumbling later I find our positions have reversed, my face now wearing a glare, and hers featuring a grin. But before I escalate our little conflict she speaks up.

    ¡°The merchant will arrive in a few hours, take that letter and collect whatever belongings you have. He¡¯ll leave in the morning, and so will you. I doubt he¡¯ll mind someone tagging along in his carriage and it¡¯ll be far more pleasant than walking for you. Should also make the journey¡¯s length more manageable, unless you want to be walking for a couple of months.¡±

    I shake my head at the thought, my stroll through the woods of yesterday fresh in my mind.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°You¡¯re lucky that you¡¯re on the right side of the continent, the capital is only two weeks by carriage. There should be more students joining along the way, perhaps you can make a friend.¡±

    It sounds almost condescending, the way she said it. As if I can¡¯t make friends, I¡¯m perfectly sociable! The memories of my lonely stay at university spring to mind, but that¡¯s different. New world, new me, or so the saying presumably goes. The doctor starts walking to the door, leaving me with my backpack and a letter I carefully put away in an inner pocket of Viktor¡¯s needlessly fancy clothes.

    Even as I wonder about the trip, we get interrupted by the rightful owner of the outfit I¡¯m wearing. Viktor walks in just as the old lady walks out, they nearly bump into each other but the doctor¡¯s fast reaction speed saves them. She is some ninja I swear.

    ¡°Ah, ma¡¯am,¡± Viktor says, ¡°the trader is here and he¡¯s asking to see you.¡±

    ¡°What does the old coot want now,¡± she grumbles but moves to follow Viktor. I also accompany them, meeting the trader is important since I¡¯ll be traveling with him for the following weeks.

    Viktor guides us to the village center where the merchant has set up shop. Right between the benches, I told my story yesterday. He looks much more dignified than I expected him to be, I knew merchants could be rich but I didn¡¯t expect anyone that traveled all the way out here would be all that wealthy. But judging from the red satin coat hanging over his shoulder and the shiny accessories decorating his brightly colored tunic, this man does not lack for coin.

    His finely combed gray beard combined with the impeccably styled hair, much the same color as what grows on his chin, gives off the appearance of a man with a goal. Even from a distance, I can feel the touch of determination that is mixed in everything he does. He knows how to present an image of himself, that¡¯s for sure. There¡¯s already a crowd forming around him but luckily for us, he spots us first. While we get closer he redirects his customers to the attendants unpacking the cart.

    ¡°Madam Barrow, you are a sight for sore eyes! And Viktor! I know we already spoke but it really is nice to see you¡¯re still hanging around the old doctor, she needs the company,¡± the doctor in question is already grumbling under her breath. Clearly none too pleased with the implication of his words.

    ¡°And who¡¯s this young man? I haven¡¯t seen him around before. I wouldn¡¯t forget such brilliant blond hair,¡± he says while looking straight at me. Flattery comes naturally to him it seems. I extend my hand and he grips it tight.

    ¡°I¡¯m Samual Herit, pleased to meet you as well,¡± I say as we shake hands.

    ¡°What a polite one, you wouldn¡¯t happen to need me for something hm?¡± he says teasingly. I stiffen a little since I am going to ask about him taking me to the capital. His grin only widens.

    ¡°I was right, was I? The polite ones always need something. I don¡¯t mind it all, state your request!¡± But then the old lady cuts in.

    ¡°Don¡¯t harass the boy James, I¡¯ll be the customer, he¡¯s just the goods.¡± Feeling vaguely offended I turn my head to complain, but something about the seriousness on the doctor¡¯s face stops me from opening my mouth.

    ¡°Well my dear Julia, you know the rules as well as anyone, what¡¯s the destination and what will you be paying for my services. Is he a student?¡± My eyes narrow at the exchange.

    ¡°He will be, but he won¡¯t be taking that predatory package you call a deal. As for the price, first, tell me why you called for me,¡± she says. The merchant named James¡¯s face turns grave.

    ¡°It¡¯s one of my workers, they¡¯re suffering from persistent mana depletion, it only started a few days ago,¡± he says, tone serious. The doctor relaxes.

    ¡°Well, they¡¯re not the only one. We have a tent full of them, luckily for you, we also have a cure.¡±

    That¡¯s news to me, I thought we only eased their suffering? More like delayed it really. Viktor leans in and whispers in my ear.

    ¡°The patients are recovering after yesterday, the leakage is lessening as time goes by. They should be back to normal in a few days.¡±

    That¡¯s good to hear, I was afraid they¡¯d be sharing my condition forever. Although it¡¯s much less serious for them considering they offset the loss on their own somewhat. James¡¯ face regains its previous cheer at the doctor¡¯s words.

    ¡°Fantastic, I knew I could count on you. Should I bring him to you then?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother, I¡¯ll give Sam the cure, he can administer it while you¡¯re taking him to the capital.¡±

    The merchant¡¯s face stiffens just a tad at that.

    ¡°Now now Julia, we haven¡¯t talked about his fee yet though?¡± he tries, but Madam Barrow is having none of it.

    ¡°Do you want your worker healed or would you prefer to lose him rather painfully?¡± she states, leaving no room for compromise. James¡¯s face looks very troubled but her attitude doesn¡¯t allow him to refuse. Eventually, he relents.

    ¡°Fine, okay fine, the boy can accompany me. I¡¯ll be picking up more youngsters anyway,¡± he turns to me, ¡°We leave in the early morning, don¡¯t be late.¡± The doctor grins at his acceptance.

    ¡°I¡¯ll pack some more meat for you then,¡± she says to me, then turns and walks back to the butcher¡¯s. Leaving Viktor and me with the merchant. He seems confused about her comment but is smart enough to realize he¡¯s been conned.

    ¡°That damnable old lady, I¡¯ve been a merchant all my life but I could never best her mind. She would have made a most formidable opponent as a fellow trader, I suppose I should be happy she went for a medical life instead.¡±

    Viktor seems inclined to defend her honor, but I can¡¯t say I disagree with the man. She really is sharp as a tack. I speak up before he does though.

    ¡°Can I see the patient?¡± I ask.

    James realizes we¡¯re still here at my question, and offers one in kind.

    ¡°I hate to be rude but you¡¯re not actually a doctor, are you? Are you sure you can administer the cure? I would really hate to lose a worker, all the more so because his dad rather scares me.¡±

    Thinking back for a moment to feeding the meat to the patients last night, I decide that I¡¯m qualified enough to do that again.

    ¡°It won¡¯t be an issue, sir, I¡¯ve helped with curing our other patients too.¡± This sets him at ease.

    ¡°Then follow me,¡± he states, and both Viktor and I do as he asks.

    At first, I thought we were heading for the carriage that the other workers were unloading from, but it¡¯s clear that James has a different spot in mind. We cross the field between the tent and the village and soon find ourselves in front of the gate. Parked right outside are more carriages, and I realize I¡¯ve underestimated how rich the merchant in front of me is. Makes me wonder what he¡¯s doing out here. There can¡¯t be that much wealth flowing in this village unless they have a local specialty to export? That would explain some of this.

    Passing through the gate, James is heading for one particular carriage parked the furthest away. He casually opens the curtains and hops inside. Viktor follows without a word. I, too, hop in and am greeted by the sound of groans. Highly reminiscent of the patients inside the village, I look at his state. He¡¯s younger than I expected, can¡¯t be much older than me, if at all. There isn¡¯t much visibly wrong with him, aside from his scrunched-up face and the way he shivers every so often.

    When I look at him with my other senses I see a wholly different story, however. There is barely mana remaining in him, and its absence is wreaking havoc in his system. Just yesterday I wouldn¡¯t have done this, but I can afford to splurge a little with the preserved meat hanging on my back. So I put my palm on his stomach and insert some of my mana into him.

    One thing I noticed these last few days, is that the natives all have this core in their body that stores their mana. From what the doctor mentioned while we were working, it also binds the mana to themselves, which somehow makes it easier to use. I don¡¯t have anything like that, instead, I just pass any mana I want to use through me to align it with myself. I can move ambient mana around when there is any, but using it to cast proper spells requires alignment.

    His core is running dry and my mana is practically unbound, ideal to replenish others with as their innate defense system doesn¡¯t trigger. And replenish I do, not too much because I already cast that illusion earlier and I have to keep my reserves up, but enough to alleviate his immediate troubles. The effect is immediate and pronounced, his entire body relaxes and his breathing deepens. It takes a second for me to realize he¡¯s fallen asleep.

    When I look up I see James¡¯s mouth agape.

    ¡°What¡­ what? What did you just do!?¡± he nearly shouts at me. I recoil from him at the noise.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a short-term fix, the real cure comes later,¡± I explain. But the merchant is having none of it.

    ¡°You just infused mana into his core! Do you have any idea how dangerous that is!¡± At this point, he really is screaming and I¡¯m caught by surprise at his hostility. The patient comes to my rescue, however, woken up by James¡¯s shouting.

    ¡°Sir?¡± he asks sleepily, ¡°What¡¯s wrong sir?¡± The merchant turns to him.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s nothing Percy, how are you feeling?¡±

    Perseus stretches and stands up. Then he jumps a little.

    ¡°Fantastic actually,¡± a grimace flashes over his face, ¡°Well, a little sore still,¡± he adds. He leaves the carriage and we follow him out. Then the trader faces me again.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Sam, you just scared me there. Infusing another with mana is a highly dangerous thing to do. I¡¯ve never even heard of someone directly supplying someone else¡¯s mana core.¡±

    I let out a little laugh. ¡°I guess we¡¯ve both learned something new then.¡±

 Chapter Seven

    Chapter Seven

    For once I didn¡¯t miss the sunrise. I was up and about before the light of dawn as the merchant demanded. The rest of the goods would be stored back into the carriage and we would set off soon after. I¡¯m nibbling on some jerky to combat the mana lethargy I now experience in the morning when my personal patient walks up to me. I greet him first.

    ¡°Hey Percy, how¡¯re you doing?¡± I ask, we hit it off during yesterday¡¯s feast but I¡¯m surprised to see him right now. He should be helping the others pack, I can laze around as I¡¯m a guest.

    ¡°Hi Sam,¡± he says energetically, he¡¯s more of a morning person than I am, that¡¯s for sure, ¡°I was just checking if you were ready to head off. Bossman told me to make sure, although I think it¡¯s just an excuse to prevent me from helping with the packing.¡±

    If it was any other worker, I wouldn¡¯t have believed them, but Perseus was a special one. He¡¯d confided in me how he came to join James¡¯s caravan yesterday, and it was a story worth knowing. Albeit a bit of a cliche. A young man runs away from home to seek fame and fortune in the outside world, except in this case it¡¯s not a common home he ran away from. Though he¡¯s not exactly high ranking, his dad is a wealthy and powerful noble. Unfortunately, he¡¯s also rather protective of his heir, finding this protection stifling, he conspired with his mother to let him work for James. It¡¯s all in the name of getting some experience, but half of it is just to get away from his dad. That was about a year ago, however, and he¡¯ll be home soon. Though not for long either because he¡¯s joining the Academy same as me. It¡¯s nice to know a friendly face beforehand, and Perseus is a good sort.

    The consequence of being an heir to a very powerful blueblood is that even James doesn¡¯t quite dare be too commanding with him. He must have been stressed out of his mind when Percy got sick, especially now that the reunion with his family was so close. Even now that our young hero is feeling better, he¡¯s still not allowed to help. Then again, he really isn¡¯t healed yet, since he¡¯s still slowly leaking mana. That should be fixed shortly, because the doctor slipped him enough meat to counteract any damages during the banquet last night.

    Might be a few more days before the leakage totally ceases, and he¡¯s absolutely banned from using magic until that point, but he¡¯s in no danger from some regular work. Not that James is taking any chances with that. So instead of my lazy ass watching him break his back, instead we both watch the other workers break theirs. A fun way to pass the time at least. Although his standards are high, James is not one to treat his employees badly, according to the doctor he would have made the same deal for any of his laborers. Although perhaps not with the same urgency as he did for Perseus.

    ¡°Are you looking forward to seeing your home again?¡± I ask the young noble. He stares into the void for a while, then snaps out of it.

    ¡°Well, yeah. I¡¯m just¡­ worried about how my father will react to my absence I suppose.¡± I can tell it¡¯s not the only thing weighing on him, however, and I¡¯m curious enough to pry a little.

    ¡°Just your father yea? No worries about your mother?¡± He laughs at that.

    ¡°No, not my mother, she¡¯s the one that helped me escape after all.¡± His eyes lose focus again and this time I grow slightly worried.

    ¡°Then what¡¯s bugging you so much, it¡¯s clearly not just your dad,¡± I say, concerned, and turn further towards him. He turns away and avoids eye contact. He sighs.

    ¡°Well, see, it¡¯s my sisters¡­¡± he reveals then. I can imagine some scenarios, but I don¡¯t want to assume.

    ¡°Older? Or younger? Or a bit of both?¡± I ask.

    ¡°The same age actually, although I suppose they¡¯re slightly older. I¡¯m told they came out first.¡± He catches me by surprise with this turn of events.

    ¡°You¡¯re triplets?¡± I ask incredulously, that¡¯s very rare and is always incredibly exhausting for the mother. And that¡¯s relative to a regular pregnancy, those are intensive enough as it is. It¡¯s far from a guarantee for any mother to survive childbirth, and I can only imagine how much more dangerous giving birth to triplets is.

    He lets out a laugh at my question, ¡°It doesn¡¯t happen often, no, but more importantly, they¡¯re incredible individuals who rather agree with our father¡¯s protection. I used to be kind of clumsy as a kid, and they got it into their heads that they have to protect me from the world.¡± His eyes go kind of hollow again as I can almost see the memories pass through his mind¡¯s eye. He shudders a little.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s been a year so perhaps they¡¯ve gotten more mature?" I venture. Percy''s laugh rings as hollow as his eyes look.

    ¡°I can only hope,¡± he mutters.

    Luckily the depressing topic is brought to a halt as I catch sight of James waving to us. It seems it is time to depart. I give Percy a little push to shake him out of his distracted state. He glances over and we start walking towards the caravan. I got a spot next to where Percy himself was placed, so we would keep each other company as we traveled. When we reach the carriages I get a minor scare. Nowhere are the horses I assumed would be pulling the carriages. Instead, I witness the workers adjusting a harness to a lizard that¡¯s even larger than the bear I killed, multiple meters in height and length. Percy chuckles at my surprised face.

    ¡°Never seen a drake before have you?¡± he asks rhetorically. I just shake my head.

    ¡°We let them huddle together at night, they¡¯re pack animals after all. No surprise you didn¡¯t see them yesterday.¡±

    When I get over my shock I find other people waiting for me. Viktor, Tony, and the doctor have all made time to bid me farewell, but I¡¯m convinced we¡¯ll see each other again. I can¡¯t turn a blind eye to the local church and even if that wasn¡¯t on my mind, how can I not visit my savior and the only person that knows about my otherworldly origins.

    Tony breaks the ice, ¡°You¡¯d best come visit Tony when you can, you hear!¡± he tells me, his customary cheer dampened somewhat. The gentle giant is not one for farewells it seems. I reassure him that I¡¯ll come to visit for sure. With the promise of more bear meat, he¡¯s placated and after a firm handshake that quickly turns into a crushing hug, he lets me say goodbye to the others. Viktor is next and he¡¯s as obtuse as ever, but with a heart of gold underneath.

    ¡°When you get to the capital, make sure to get some proper clothes. From a tailor, not some second-hand store,¡± he tells me, then betrays his real feelings when he squeezes my hand just a little bit more than strictly necessary during our handshake. When he walks off back to the tent I¡¯m left with the doctor. The person that saved me when I first arrived in this wild world, and who I subsequently saved from a grizzly death too. The only person who knows about where I¡¯m really from, and the entire reason I can even travel with the caravan to start with. The letter of recommendation is safely tucked away in my backpack. She holds out her hand for me to shake but I wrap her in a hug instead.

    ¡°Bah, you¡¯re not dying and neither am I, what¡¯s with this nonsense,¡± she complains, but she doesn¡¯t struggle against my hug in the slightest. I squeeze her once again and then I let go.

    ¡°Thank you for all your hard work Julia, and thanks again for saving me,¡± I tell her, she just scoffs but I can see her blush slightly. The old lady is a real softie at heart.

    ¡°Go, be off, and don¡¯t come back until you¡¯re done. I don¡¯t want to find you all withered again,¡± she tells me and then heads off back to the village herself. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    A lonely feeling spreads through me as I sit down in the carriage next to Percy. I didn¡¯t know these people for long, only a few days. But they grew on me. It makes me wonder who else I¡¯ll meet during my stay at the Academy. I don¡¯t know much about the place to begin with now that I think of it, I say as much to Percy.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know about the Academy?¡± he says in a disbelieving tone, ¡°Do you at least know how admission works?¡± I shake my head.

    ¡°Seriously? How did she ever send you off like this¡­ Well, no matter. I¡¯ll explain it all while we¡¯re traveling. I¡¯ve visited the place before and my mother drilled all the information into me before I left. The first thing you have to know is that there¡¯s an entrance exam. Every year there are thousands of applicants, but only a few hundred students. The test is seriously tough.

    We, or rather, you, will arrive a bit more than a week before classes start. I¡¯ll join you later. They hold the entrance exam every day for seven days, you see. You can attend three times before being blacklisted for the year. That¡¯s why the caravan arrives earlier, so any potential students we pick up have enough time to try a few times.

    The actual tests are simple enough but incredibly difficult. The exam is split up into multiple tests by the way. The first is for everyone, the others depend on which path you choose.¡±

    I cut in before he gets going again, ¡°Paths?¡±

    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s a couple of main courses, commonly referred to as paths. You get to pick two electives after choosing your path too. There¡¯s four paths for each element: earth, water, fire, and air. Then there¡¯s magical engineering for the mechanically inclined. There¡¯s also the combat course but most people pick a combat elective instead. The nut jobs that go for the main combat course are a breed apart I tell you. Lastly, you can choose to ignore the paths and just select whatever electives you want, but the teachers can just test you on whatever they want so it¡¯s not exactly popular. Still, each year some people try it. I heard that someone even managed to graduate two years ago, which was the first time in almost a decade. I guess some people are just attracted to the unconventional.¡± He turns to look at me and his face falls.

    ¡°Hey, Sam?¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to go for that last one.¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡±

    Percy just narrows his eyes at me, I guess the shit-eating grin on my face was kind of a dead giveaway. I didn¡¯t want to focus on just one of the elements, and combat¡­ I still see the bear dying when I close my eyes. Engineering could be interesting but I might as well pick it as an elective instead.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me I didn¡¯t warn you when they fail you for some ridiculous reason,¡± he warns me.

    I wave him off, ¡°Tell me about the electives then,¡± I say in response. He sighs at me.

    ¡°There¡¯s too many to list really, and they change every year. You get to graduate if you get enough points and every elective gives the same amount so it doesn¡¯t really matter what combination you pick. Just so you know, if, for example, you choose the geomancy path, you get double points for the geomancy classes. That¡¯s also why graduating is so hard without a path. You need to put in twice as much work to get enough points.¡± I nod thoughtfully at his explanation.

    ¡°How do you get points then?¡± I question.

    ¡°It¡¯s mostly based on test results, high scores mean you get more points. Although teachers can give out a certain amount every year for other reasons, sometimes as motivation, sometimes as rather blatant nepotism. No one said it was a perfect system.

    Still, there¡¯s only so much favoritism to show before the headmaster steps in. It works out in the end.¡±

    I wasn¡¯t so sure I liked this system, but I would make do.

    ¡°So, I¡¯m told they also have this famous library, how do you get in there?¡± I ask the encyclopedia sitting next to me.

    ¡°Ah, the library is amazing for sure, unfortunately, regular students only get to access the first three layers. The real treasure troves are stored much lower.¡± This puts a sizable dent in my motivation.

    ¡°Is there any way to get access to those lower layers then?¡±

    ¡°For students, it¡¯s also bound to the point system I mentioned. Passes are also given to nobility, but they¡¯re not allowed to lend them, believe me when I say I tried to get my father to give me his.¡± That¡¯s unfortunate, I guess the student life won¡¯t let go of me so easily.

    The carriage is making steady progress, but my ass is already feeling all the shocks. It¡¯s not pleasant but when I look at our pace, I¡¯m still glad I¡¯m not walking. I¡¯m surprised how quickly these wooden vehicles move. I had expected them to move only a little faster than walking, but I¡¯m wrong on that front. Those drakes are putting in work. There are two weeks of this to look forward to, however, and I¡¯ll have to admit I¡¯m not all that enthusiastic. There really isn¡¯t that much to do besides talking.

    ¡°How far is the capital if we have to travel for two weeks? This is quite a pace we¡¯re setting,¡± I ask of my trusty source of information. Percy is happy to oblige. Not without a little laughter at my question though.

    ¡°It¡¯s not two weeks of traveling though, it¡¯s only a couple of days of active traveling. The rest of the time we¡¯ll be camping at the villages and cities along the way. That¡¯s where most of those two weeks will happen.¡± I let out a sigh of relief at that news. As I relax now that I know I won¡¯t be enduring torture for two weeks straight, my stomach makes itself known. Eagerly I grab my bag of supplies and reveal the dried bear meat hidden within. I grab two portions and pass one to my friend and patient.

    ¡°Thanks?¡± he says, unknowing of how important that meat is for him.

    ¡°It¡¯s your medicine,¡± I explain, ¡°The mana inside will help fix your issue. I¡¯ll give you some more later. Snack on it when you need to.¡± He wordlessly accepts the gift, putting his faith in the old doctor more than I.

    ¡°You mentioned there being multiple tests for the exam, what are they then?¡± I say to get back on track.

    ¡°Were you really not told anything? Besides, where did you grow up that you don¡¯t know any of this?¡± I just smile and laugh awkwardly.

    ¡°Well, it doesn''t matter. There¡¯s one main test you must pass before you even get to pick your path. They have this giant stone and one by one you must come up to it and try to emit mana into it. If you can¡¯t do that then you¡¯re immediately disqualified.¡± An easy pass there then.

    ¡°The second test differs per path, but the general principle is the same. For the geomancers and hydromancers, they need to make a certain amount of their element to pass. The aeromancers need to make a sufficiently strong wind, and the pyromancers need to keep a flame burning for a certain amount of time. The combat people need to get acknowledged by a teacher and the engineering applicants are required to show any artifact of sufficient quality that they made to a teacher to get a pass.¡±

    Percy turns to look at me with narrowed eyes. I give him a guilty smile. He just sighs in defeat.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what the pathless need to do actually. It changes every year. Although I guess you could say that you need to impress a teacher. And I do mean impress, not just have them acknowledge you.¡±

    That can¡¯t be too difficult, as long as they don¡¯t ask me to make any damned matter. That it¡¯s even a possibility messes with my head. It goes against everything I¡¯ve learned.

    ¡°And that¡¯s it, once you pass both tests you¡¯re officially acknowledged as a student of the Academy,¡± he finished his explanation. And I do feel much more prepared for it now, perhaps I¡¯ll go watch on the first day though. There¡¯s no rush to get admitted straight away.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯ll join later you said?¡± I ask Percy, and he nods.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be camping out next to the city that my father rules in the last few days before you reach the capital, I¡¯ll leave you there and stay with my family. I expect we¡¯ll arrive at the Academy on the second to last exam day. My sisters and I would be disowned if we failed any of the tests even once¡­¡± He shivers. Pity wells up in me as he shares his plight.

    A whistle is sounded and it signals that we¡¯ve reached our first destination.

    ¡°Oh, we reached Lorvia already, I¡¯m glad I have you as a companion Sam. This ride is going so much quicker with your company,¡± he says. I blush a little at his bluntness. It really has been too long since I¡¯ve had actual friends.

    We leave the carriage as it stops, and Percy heads off to find James. Meanwhile, I hop over to the driver of our vehicle. He¡¯s busy with the harness but he shows his experience as he takes it off in no time at all. The beast trudges off to go be with its packmates. The handler follows it and I do likewise. He notices my presence now and signals for me to come closer.

    ¡°Lookin¡¯ at the drake are ya? Can¡¯t blame ya, beauty of a beast she is,¡± he says, accent thick.

    ¡°So she¡¯s a girl then? I was wondering what kind of creature she is¡­ I¡¯ve never seen a drake before, you see.¡± He laughs.

    ¡°She¡¯s a she alright, they all are. Males don¡¯t be too happy with the trekking, see? But they don¡¯t mind the girls leavin¡¯ the nest either, so it¡¯s all good.¡±

    ¡°Fascinating, can you tell me more about them?¡± I ask the handler.

 Chapter Eight

    Chapter Eight

    This village didn¡¯t seem to differ much from the one that became such a home to me. Wooden palisades encircle the buildings, and a gate allows for access to the village proper. Houses are spread out somewhat haphazardly, with a space for activities in the center. I didn¡¯t think my experiences here would prove terribly exciting. That all changed soon into my walk with the drake handler, however. Because while I originally asked him about his creatures more out of boredom and slight interest than anything else, he quickly showed there was immense depth to the beasts, as well as immense heights. So in a large open space, very close to the village, I found myself being proved wrong very efficiently

    ¡°Is this safe!¡± I yell at the handler from the back of a particularly rowdy drake. He shrugs and grins at my plight.

    ¡°Should be! Though poor Bertha here didn¡¯t get ¡®nuff food lately, so maybe skip the mouth ya hear?¡± he says, the grin betraying his teasing attitude. While I¡¯m consciously aware that these drakes are well trained and they¡¯re not violent monsters to start with, my body still reacts as if I¡¯m being hunted. Adrenaline courses through my body and my heart spikes. The energy pumping in my veins nearly forces me to laugh, the chuckle that escapes my lips soon turns into manic laughter and I can see the handler shake his head at my antics.

    He can go stuff himself, this is terrifying and exhilarating. After a stuffy day of traveling, I don¡¯t mind some exercise, though perhaps this is more than I bargained for. The drake that is so lovingly named Bertha is enjoying our playtime as well, and she¡¯s burning off whatever excess energy she had left. Which turned out to be quite a lot, so I¡¯m now trying to stabilize myself while she¡¯s jumping around like a puppy. Except she¡¯s quite a lot bigger than even a large horse, so I¡¯m jostled around like a sack of potatoes. The big girl is enjoying it though and I¡¯d be lying if I said I hated it. That is, until my foot slips and I¡¯m launched into the air. Now, a fall has never killed someone before, but as I start my uncontrolled descent I¡¯m reminded that the rapid deceleration when hitting the ground is most definitely dangerous.

    With laughter still ripping free from my lungs, I act on raw instinct and try to cushion my fall with some blasts of air. My efforts prove mostly successful, but I would have still received major injuries if it wasn¡¯t for Bertha herself catching me with her tail. For such a large animal she¡¯s deceptively nimble. My opinion of her rises, and even more so when I catch her guiltily avoiding my eyes, well aware of the danger her movements caused. How can I be mad at such a tender heart for long, her cute manner of acting melting whatever anger came from my perilous situation.

    After all, how many near-death situations have happened in the last three days? I¡¯ve stopped keeping track after the third time. As I just proved I can handle another just fine. It does make me reluctant to climb on again though, but fortunately, Bertha forgives me easily as I rub her chin.

    ¡°That was a mite dangerous, huh lad?¡± he casually states, as I wasn¡¯t one wrong move away from breaking my neck.

    ¡°Just a little I guess¡­¡± I hesitantly say, unwilling to antagonize a man that works so closely with beasts of this caliber. He guffaws and slaps my back. I give an awkward smile in response.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be heading into the village now though, see you soon enough I¡¯m sure,¡± I tell him and walk off. He makes a noise that¡¯s somewhere in between a grunt and a chuckle. Already busy with Bertha and the other drakes.

    My little walk won¡¯t last very long, the village is still close by and the gates will remain open until night anyway. But there¡¯s a chance they won¡¯t let me in after dark and I might even get arrested if they feel like it. Sneaking in after dark is mighty suspicious, although I¡¯m sure the teenagers that live here disagree.

    A guard patrols along the palisade and two more are protecting the gate from behind it. A raised platform behind it allows them to take cover easily while simultaneously enabling them to keep watch easier. When I pass through the gate I now see that they each have an unstrung bow next to them. Stacks of arrows are lying in neatly tied bundles under a small roof. Doubtlessly these things would barely give pause to a drake like Bertha, but bandits and smaller creatures could certainly be repelled with some precise aiming. Even the bear whose life I took would not be willing to assault while being peppered with arrows.

    The road leads me deeper into the village and the houses start huddling closer together for every meter I walk. The closer I get to the center, the more I find that they built their dwellings much denser than I had expected, this village might have a significantly larger population count than I originally thought.

    I never did learn the name of the village I originally stayed in, but Percy called this one Lorvia, and I expect it to have more than four times as many villagers judging by the number of front doors. While it should still be called a village due to its rural location, in terms of people living here it could feasibly be called a town I believe.

    Makes me wonder how populated the capital is, and also the size of the city that Percy¡¯s dad runs. If this is still a village then a city must be significantly bigger in every metric I assume. Although perhaps it doesn¡¯t quite work that way either. With a thud, I¡¯m forcibly wrested out of my thoughts and I glare at the ball responsible. The leather construction gives no reaction but the kid that kicked it is shouting an apology from afar.

    ¡°Are you okay mister?!¡± A brown-haired kid runs up to me as he asks this. I wave him off.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, it didn¡¯t hurt,¡± I say as I smile at the boy. The ball has rolled behind me and I turn to roll it over to him. Unfortunately, he had the same idea and my youthful instinct kicks in when the situation sinks in. A quick movement leveraging my larger legs steals the ball from right under him. I pass it between my feet, hoping he¡¯ll take the bait, but he just looks at me confused. I stop passing the ball back and forth and look at him in turn.

    ¡°Do you not know football?¡± I ask him, the idea foreign in my head. I was never all that athletically inclined but I had never heard of a kid that didn¡¯t even know football. Although I knew plenty that couldn¡¯t shoot a ball to save their lives, I counted myself among them.

    ¡°Football?¡± he just asks quizzically. And my heart shatters at the sound. The poor kid never learned the joy of kicking a ball back and forth with a friend? Or is it just the competition that he hasn¡¯t heard of? I suppose just kicking a ball back and forth isn¡¯t exactly football exclusive. I pick up the ball at my feet and hand it over.

    ¡°What were you playing then?¡± I question. He lights up at the question and starts enthusiastically explaining the game he and the other kids standing further down the road were enjoying. I don¡¯t quite follow the convoluted explanation but I gather that it does involve kicking the ball, just away from other people instead of towards them. Aiming might be a little difficult for them then.

    Judging the distance toward the other kids I decide even my lanky body can make that shot. My foot kicks out and the ball flies towards them, unfortunately, my aim is quite a bit more pinpoint than I would have liked and it snipes the taller boy right in the head. I sprint towards him, concerned for his health when he pops back up like a gyroscope. The stars in his eyes are not from the impact but from admiration instead.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°How did you do that!¡± he screams at me while running full tilt towards me. Not slowing down even as he gets close. He tackles me and attaches himself to my leg. While I relive some flashbacks from doing community service at a daycare he¡¯s entranced with my leg, and the foot attached.

    ¡°Hey kid, I can¡¯t show you if you¡¯re glued to me,¡± I explain and he lets go with some reluctance, acting as though the secret to life can be found in my limbs. By the time I¡¯m untangled a different kid has already deposited the ball at my feet and there¡¯s no escape to be found. Well, it¡¯s not like I am needed elsewhere and I need to pass the time regardless.

    ¡°The trick is to use the inside of your foot, not the front,¡± I explain while I pass the ball between my feet. The simple motion mesmerizes the children until the bravest of the lot, which might be head trauma, takes the ball from me to try himself. He forgot about his friends though and they¡¯re not about to let him have free reign. A fierce fight threatens to erupt but I intervene before any damage is done.

    ¡°No violence!¡± I tell them, ¡°Steal the ball using your feet, and only your feet!¡± I add to still give them an outlet.

    The kids follow my words faithfully and start kicking the shins and feet of the poor ball-owner. My face goes deadpan at the sight.

    ¡°No violence means no kicking people! Don¡¯t touch them, only touch the ball,¡± I elaborate.

    Some tongue clicking and glares later I finally have a group of children play a ball game that can be very loosely interpreted as football. My work as an otherworldly invader is done, I¡¯ve imparted the pillar behind children¡¯s games, applying your foot to the ball in a somewhat controlled manner.

    I take a few steps back to witness the carnage in its full glory. The competition is fierce but they¡¯re keeping to my words and I don¡¯t see anyone trying to inflict real damage on their opponents. Physical damage that is, because these kids don¡¯t hold back with their words at all. It¡¯s teaching me something about how inventive kids are with some of the playground insults they come up with. Calling someone a stinky poo is one thing, but telling someone they won¡¯t ever feel how soft a bear is cut to the soul. With no reference as to what''s appropriate, I leave them be. Until I hear a kid start attacking another boy¡¯s mom. Real men don¡¯t insult mothers, that¡¯s a sacred line. I want to yell to catch his attention but another is faster.

    ¡°Timothy John Derter!¡± a strict-sounding voice cuts through the noise. The kid goes pale at the sound. Another boy snickers. The young lady, who''s clearly Timothy¡¯s mother walks over and grabs her son by the arm. With a finger raised and waving in front of his face, I get to witness a scolding that has my own back straightened.

    The other kids snicker but not for long, one catches sight of a herd of other moms walking towards them, and most of them start sprinting. Some towards their mothers, others just run away. It¡¯s a glorious sight to see and more than makes up for any inconvenience they may have caused. One of the ladies walks over towards me and I offer her a smile, she returns one in kind.

    ¡°Are you part of the merchant¡¯s caravan?¡± she questions politely and I nod at her words.

    ¡°I don¡¯t work for James but I am traveling alongside them, I was just playing with the kids to pass the time,¡± I explain to her. She relaxes a little bit, I guess it¡¯s always stressful to see your own offspring play with strangers, probably more so in a village. Although this one is big enough that not everyone knows everyone, they all still recognize each other. A stranger in their midst is cause for celebration and concern alike.

    While their worries are justified, it¡¯s always a bit rough to be under suspicion like this. Not that we¡¯ll be here long enough for it to matter either. But what twisted soul enjoys making enemies? Or even just leaving a bad impression?

    ¡°We were just getting ready for dinner but the children always forget the time,¡± she says, and embarrassingly enough that¡¯s when I notice the golden sheen in the sky, courtesy of the sun setting slowly behind the horizon. Lunch seems a long way away all of a sudden and my stomach rumbles. The mother chuckles.

    ¡°Since you¡¯re a traveler, would you like to join us?¡± she ventures, but I wave her off.

    ¡°Thank you very much for the offer, but I have my own food and I suspect I¡¯m leaving people waiting already,¡± I say with a remorseful smile. She seems genuinely disappointed at my refusal, what a kind person.

    ¡°Well, I wish you the best of luck then. I wouldn¡¯t want to keep you from meeting up with friends.¡±

    And at those words I start walking away, turning back to wave at the kids. They enthusiastically wave back. I wonder who managed to claim the ball in the end? I think back on their contest as my feet take me towards the village¡¯s center. The original destination that I never actually arrived at. Luckily it isn¡¯t far off and when I arrive I see a big tree decorating the middle. The true village center, both physically and spiritually. Although perhaps not quite as accurate for the physical location, from what I saw this village is not spherical and is rather lopsided in fact. A natural consequence of having a single entrance and exit into the village proper I imagine.

    James and Percy both are standing at a stall, selling primarily silk and leather. Easy enough to transport I suppose. Part of me expected fruit but that must be very hard to keep fresh, even with magic involved. It¡¯s not like high-level mages would enjoy cooling fruit all day. The cost involved would mean that, aside from potentially some very exotic fruits, it wouldn¡¯t be profitable.

    I approach them and wave to Percy in particular, he¡¯s the first to notice me although part of that is James being in a passionate verbal exchange. He¡¯s even distracted enough that he allows Percy to walk away from the stall when he comes over to greet me.

    ¡°Where have you been?¡± he asks curiously, then notices how I¡¯m looking at James¡¯s discussion and sighs.

    ¡°They¡¯ve been going at it for at least fifteen minutes now, the other guy is the village chief. It¡¯s about where we can host our feast.¡± That confuses me.

    ¡°We¡¯re having a feast?¡± I question Percy, he chuckles slightly.

    ¡°Technically no, but we¡¯re having dinner with the whole caravan and that will inevitably turn into a banquet of sorts. It happens every time,¡± he clarifies. When I think back on how much sound came from their side of the walls last night, I kind of get what he¡¯s talking about.

    ¡°So the mayor doesn¡¯t want him wreaking havoc?¡± I ask, it would make sense for a village chief to want to keep the peace at night. Percy¡¯s face twists into a delighted grin. I raise my eyebrows at him but he remains silent.

    ¡°C¡¯mon then, out with it. What¡¯s so funny?¡±

    ¡°The chief wants him to turn it into a proper feast and host it right here in the center of town,¡± he tells me and my face must have turned into quite a spectacle because he¡¯s looking insufferably smug. I glare at him but he¡¯s unfazed at it.

    ¡°Why would the mayor want him to hold a feast here of all places? Wouldn¡¯t that be quite disruptive?¡± Percy knowingly goes along with my subtle attempt at changing the topic.

    ¡°That¡¯s the thing, apparently they were already planning a celebration. It¡¯s the chief¡¯s birthday tomorrow and they tend to celebrate those the night before here or so I¡¯m told. The rub of it is that he¡¯s trying to make James bring the goods. He¡¯s framing it as a birthday gift. James is having none of it. Would go against his merchant spirit to suffer a loss like that.¡±

    With the situation now clear to me, there seems to be an obvious solution to the problem. I explain my suggestion to Percy whose eyes widen. I can almost see him doing the math and he¡¯s liking the result. With sparkling eyes, he goes over to James while I watch from the side. It¡¯s rather difficult to get the merchant¡¯s attention but eventually, the young man manages to intrude on their conversation. When he explains my ideas I can see the crafty trader make the same realization as Percy did. The village chief, on the other hand, goes slightly pale but is forced to accept, unless he wants to cancel his own birthday party. His pride won¡¯t allow that, however, and so he acquiesces to their demands.

    The merchant and his apprentice waste no time in setting up the grounds for the festivities as I proposed, refining the plan as they go. In no time at all, they have more stalls up and running and workers are gathering the foodstuffs inside a marked area. Drinks are collected much the same and I can see vats of alcohol making their way into the plaza. Deposited safely behind a desk.

    Anyone who¡¯s not busy carrying things is set to work with preparations as James and Percy saw fit. With the promise of our impromptu festival as a reward, they work with renewed vigor.

 Chapter Nine

    Chapter Nine

    My suggestion was a simple one, blow the entire thing out of proportion to force the chief into paying. The excuse of it being a birthday gift would only stretch so far and James had enough financial leeway to rip it to shreds. While most of the workers remained busy with the usual preparations, a select few were tasked with preparing a spectacle. My eyes were twitching nonstop at the sight of the rocks being summoned out of thin air, but aside from my sanity, there were no major losses. The mages had enough mana to¡­ oh the thought alone pained me, but they had enough energy to summon the materials needed. Then came my part of our performance, although I still had my reservations about the whole work.

    ¡°Are you sure you can deliver me enough mana?¡± I question James again, he waves off my concern just like the last two times I asked.

    ¡°I will get you a high-quality mana potion if this all works out, I promise,¡± he responds, annoyed at my doubts but also excited for the results. Meanwhile, I¡¯m wondering if a mana potion will cover my costs, but to tell the truth, I¡¯ve been feeling stifled as it is. Magic has always been my biggest stress relief, and there¡¯s been an awful lot of the former, and not nearly enough of the latter. So this is a perfect excuse to flex my magical muscles, and I can¡¯t say I mind the audience either.

    This is easily the most taxing spell I¡¯ve cast in quite some time, manipulating the environment like this is not often necessary and its inherent destructiveness means its use is regulated back home. No such rules exist in this universe however and the world is my playground. With a somewhat manic grin decorating my face I collect enough mana to power the show I have in mind. Truthfully it isn¡¯t necessary to collect quite this much all at once but it does create quite a spectacle of its own. The skin of anyone nearby starts to prickle as I animate the lumps of rock the other mages so nicely deposited in the plaza. Gravity becomes a lie whispered by the fearful and the sky flickers with dread for the result of my actions.

    The small boulders levitate upwards and get pulled to each other. The raw display of power is gathering onlookers and from the corner of my eye, I even spy some of the kids I played with a short while ago. The rocks orbit the plaza and speed up at my command. This might very well be the most wasteful spell I have tried my hands at yet. Nearly none of this is strictly necessary but it¡¯s one hell of a sight and that¡¯s the goal more than anything. It¡¯s why I force a stable orbit even though I could also just finish the magic now.

    The crowd grows by the minute and it¡¯s clear that there is some confusion about the nature of the floating rocks. James tries to explain but the winds drown out his voice, to help out I cast the illusion of a microphone in front of him. He grabs it with some confusion but when he tries to ask the nearby mage he notices the effects firsthand.

    ¡°Did yo-¡± he begins then notices the throng of people in front of him looking up at the sound of his voice. Smoothly he forces a smile on his face as he renews his explaining efforts.

    ¡°People of Lorvia!¡± the cunning merchant begins, ¡°We, the Golden Crow caravan, are pleased to announce the start of your beloved chief¡¯s birthday party!¡± They cheer at his words, face please he continues.

    ¡°Mister Karakt asked me to tell you how immensely pleased he is at your attendance, and how he hopes to work as your chief for plenty more years!¡± Again there are shouts of pleasantries but the clever merchant isn¡¯t finished yet.

    ¡°He¡¯s also promised to pay for all of the food and drinks for this entire night!¡± I spot the chief¡¯s face go even paler as it sinks in just what he agreed to. Fortunately for him, it does buy plenty of goodwill judging from the noise the crowd makes.

    With the explanations finished I dismiss the microphone, it was more straining than I expected to keep the rocks orbiting while transmitting the sound of James¡¯ voice. The slight headache I feel forming promises me I¡¯ll regret this in the morning but I push through, the show isn¡¯t finished yet after all.

    The small boulders speed up and I adjust their orbit to induce a crash. Plenty of encouragement to be had from the people in front of me with their cheers and clapping. When the little meteors collide I amplify the sound once again, the deafening boom is far out of proportion but it excites the viewers all the more so. When the dust settles, its pace fully under my control, what remains is a statue of the bear I¡¯ve been eating for the last few days. A lifelike replica with a fearsome look if I say so myself, it¡¯s easy to imagine the roar that should accompany the pose. I was never an artist but replicating something I¡¯ve seen with my own eyes is a neat way to cheat the system. Gasps emerge from the crowd until they realize the stony nature of the beast.

    Excitement peaks and I don¡¯t have to add any sounds to celebrate their new statue, their roars overpower what the animal was capable of in life. The kids are mimicking the bear and roar with their friends. I am tempted to add a wolf to the mix until I notice Percy looking worriedly at me. It¡¯s only then that it sinks in that those rocks weren¡¯t the only thing floating. I had been levitating myself subconsciously as well. Slowly I reduce my altitude and safely touch down on the ground next to my friend. His worried face doesn¡¯t go away and I raise an eyebrow at it. He reaches into his jacket to retrieve a handkerchief, even as I stand still he wipes my face with it. When the cloth comes away the blood is clear to see. My eyes widen at the sight, my hand touching the same spot. They reveal the origin of the red liquid. I¡¯m bleeding from my nose, the strain was clearly more than I had believed.

    ¡°How long has that been going for? I wonder out loud, Percy enlightens me hurriedly.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been bleeding ever since someone amplified James¡¯s voice. But how were you flying anyway? I didn¡¯t even see you cast all this time. For that matter, how did you do any of this!?¡± his voice grows more frantic with every word he lets out, I guess he was truly worried for me. I open my mouth to answer but don¡¯t get the chance when the exhaustion hits all at once, I overtaxed my mana reserves and now pay the price. My body starts to shiver again and it gets worse when the memories of my withered hand force its way into my mind. I feel the bile rising in my throat but force it back down.

    ¡°I- I could really use some of that meat,¡± I tell Percy with a shaky smile.

    He¡¯s cursing me under his breath as he digs through the bag on his shoulder to get me some much needed mana. Every bite is bliss and rejuvenates my system with the injection of energy. Still, I just used up essentially everything I had stored up for these last two days, I hope James¡¯s mana potion would be worth it. Not that I¡¯d get it soon, they¡¯re a rare kind of medicine that you can only find in the cities, or so he told me when we discussed the plan.

    ¡°Gods I hope that potion is worth it, I¡¯m not doing that again,¡± I mutter.

    ¡°But what a spectacle it was! And you don¡¯t have to worry about the potion, with how much I just fleeced the village chief I can get you a very high-quality one.¡± Without my awareness, the merchant has already arrived at my side with a grin fixed on his face. Pity for the chief flashes through me for a moment but then the bile makes its way up again and I¡¯m forced to focus more on myself.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to sit down for a while if you don¡¯t mind. I don¡¯t have another one of those in me for a while,¡± I tell Percy and the trader as I slowly walk towards the nearest seat. My friend is not so easy to shake however and he puts my arm around his neck to act as my support.

    There¡¯s more stumbling involved than I¡¯m willing to admit but we reach the seats without major problems. That only goes so far as the walking is concerned however when I drop my potato sack of a body on the wooden chair and lean against the backrest I find that my troubles are far from over. Due to my little flight, I was significantly more visible than I had expected to be, and I had drawn enough attention to myself that some brave villagers went to investigate.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    With dusk setting in I can vaguely see someone getting ready to light the bonfire that was built up in the plaza. Small braziers are being lit up all around the village center and the added light would normally be much appreciated. Unfortunately, it only serves to illuminate my most recent adversaries at the moment. They¡¯re crowding around me like journalists would a celebrity caught in a scandal, a wall of questions just exuberating my headache.

    ¡°How did you do that!?¡± one asks enthusiastically.

    ¡°Can you teach me that flight spell?¡± a well-dressed individual questions.

    ¡°Did you make the artifact that the merchant used?¡± another inquires. Hold on a minute, artifact? My face reveals my question it seems because Percy leans down to whisper in my ear.

    ¡°That thing that amplified James¡¯s voice,¡± he clarifies.

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t an artifact though? Just a spell.¡± I explain, but the others are having none of it.

    ¡°How could that be? He was clearly holding something in his hand.¡± someone says. I open my mouth to clarify but I don¡¯t even get the chance.

    ¡°You were already holding those rocks in the air, surely you can¡¯t cast a spell like that at the same time.¡±

    Slowly blinking as I try to follow their thoughts I try to respond to each of them.

    ¡°No, he wasn¡¯t actually holding anything. That was just an illusion, simply an interface to facilitate his use of the spell. As for the other issue¡­ It¡¯s one thing to perform two spells at the same time but keeping one spell going as I cast another is doable enough.¡± My words don¡¯t hit their target if the confused looks they show me are any indication at least.

    Percy, on the other hand, is shocked enough that his mouth falls open.

    ¡°An illusion? And you were the one that amplified James¡¯s voice? Doesn¡¯t that mean you were casting four spells at once?¡± he says, subdued by shock. I guess he hadn¡¯t actually seen the illusion, only noticing James¡¯s voice being audible.

    ¡°I¡­ suppose? The microphone is kind of part of the sound spell. The rocks were a matter of shoving enough mana at the issue, I didn¡¯t really notice my own levitation I¡¯ll be honest. Not sure when I started doing that.¡± My explanation doesn¡¯t satisfy him and I¡¯m forced to acknowledge my sense of normality is still not fully adjusted to this world. Them summoning actual matter keeps throwing me off. My little illusions just seem so juvenile compared to making physical matter. It¡¯s hard to grasp how what I see as an impossible act is almost childish to them. That my actions seem similarly godlike to them makes it that much weirder.

    Percy has resorted to passively glaring at my lackluster explanation but what am I supposed to tell him? I¡¯m infinitely more impressed with the mages of the caravan summoning rocks out of thin air than I am at my mimicry of a spell some other mage from back home designed.

    I don¡¯t use all that many spells when I cast, assuming you classify spells as predefined magical actions. It¡¯s mostly raw and unstructured magic. The line has long since blurred in my native world. While my friend is busy frying his brain trying to comprehend my actions I think back on the lectures I had about the topic. Spells used to be rigid and we used spoken incantations, sometimes also hand gestures, bla bla bla. Admittedly, a well-designed spell is much more efficient compared to my usual methods. Carefully considering the interactions within the mana to get an optimal result doesn¡¯t use nearly as much energy. The thing is, with enough control I limit the waste mana too, not quite on the same level as a properly made spell though.

    It¡¯s been biting me in the ass now that I¡¯m not permanently soaked in mana, however. My entire method is based on having enough energy to spare, something that is far being the case. Even limiting the mana waste only goes so far.

    My thoughts on the matter are cut short as another wave of people starts bombarding me with questions. Percy gets up to drive them away but in the spirit of my newfound interest in efficiency, I choose a highly effective method to achieve the same effect.

    They scatter like a flock of birds when I stand up and vomit in the small drainage channel that lines the plaza. Percy is next to me in a heartbeat, the kind soul.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get you some water,¡± he says and does his best to get away from my waste. Can¡¯t say I blame the traitor.

    I¡¯m back at my seat easily enough, feeling much better now that I emptied my stomach. Hungry though so I dig through Percy¡¯s backpack to find some more jerky. I¡¯ll replenish his stash with my own, tomorrow. To my dismay, I find he doesn''t have much left and I don¡¯t want to leave him with nothing for the night. I eventually take the bare minimum, I do need my stomach filled a little.

    While I nibble on the salted meat, the traitor comes back with some water. He offers me the cup and I gratefully take it, pouring the liquid down my throat.

    ¡°I suppose you needed that,¡± I hear my friend say, and I don¡¯t refute him.

    With my thirst slaked I notice my empty stomach that much more and so I head out to find something to fill it with. Percy follows me like I require constant supervision. Not that I can rightfully send him away while I¡¯m shaking with every step though. So he walks with me as I pillage the food supply. When I¡¯m finally satiated in body and soul, I find a new seat closer to the bonfire. I''m not sure how seasons work on this planet but it still gets chilly at night, the heat from the flames keeps me nice and toasty.

    I¡¯m being warmed up slowly and it certainly helps my body relax. It doesn¡¯t take long for more people to find me, however, and that spoils the mood somewhat. Fortunately, it¡¯s not a horde of villagers this time, instead, I get cornered by the mages that summoned the rocks earlier.

    Their wide smiles don¡¯t set me at ease at all but it¡¯s too late to escape their clutches. The moon is shining bright in the sky and has moved quite the distance by the time their incessant questioning finally ceases. I can¡¯t explain most of the things I do satisfactorily anyway, I just have a general sense of it all and trust in that. One thing I learned is that the mages in this world have significant issues with just moving mana around. Differently from what I thought it¡¯s not so much that their control is fuzzy, for the lack of better words, but more that the mana feels sluggish to them. I spin some mana around and mimic the statue, the one I made earlier, with the energy. There¡¯s no effort involved in it. Their descriptions of it being like shaping mud with their feet do not strike a chord in me.

    The way they complained about how many kilograms of stone they could summon was lacking made my eye twitch, but is it fair for me to complain about that when I have this innate advantage over them? A sigh escapes my lips as I ponder the future. The Academy will be an experience, to say the least. Whatever tests they have for matter creation will be the death of me, I just hope I can compensate in other areas. I sigh again.

    ¡°What¡¯s gotten you so down?¡± a voice asks me. I look up the source and find the village chief settling down next to me.

    ¡°Hello mister Karakt,¡± I politely say, unsure of what he¡¯s doing here.

    ¡°Bah, treating me with respect after getting that wily old merchant to rip me off. The brutal youth of today,¡± he laments. My cheeks heat up a little at his words. He started it in the end though, by trying to force James into funding his own party.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question either brat, what¡¯s gotten you down?¡± he repeats and I stare into the fire as I think about his words.

    ¡°I¡¯m just wondering if I¡¯ll fit into the Academy I guess,¡± I eventually state. My medical situation was a bigger concern if I¡¯m being honest, but that¡¯s no topic to discuss with strangers. He¡¯s silent for a while. Long enough that I wonder if he even heard me to begin with, but when I look to see his face I discover him frozen in shock.

    ¡°Sir?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Did¡­ did you just say you¡¯re an applicant to the Royal Academy?¡± he shakily ventures. I nod at his question.

    ¡°You made that statue while flying and I¡¯m told you created the artifact that wily old trader used to speak to my people too. Now you¡¯re saying you¡¯re not even a student? Forget the brutal youth, this is just bollocks,¡± he mutters the last bit but I hear him clearly.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t an artifact, just a spell made to look like one,¡± I eventually clarify, unsure of what else to say to him.

    He drops his head into his hands at my words. Defeated.

 Chapter Ten

    Chapter Ten

    Another day, another headache. After my conversation with the chief yesterday night, I was left alone for the most part. Percy came to check up on me a few times but it was increasingly difficult for him to get away from the others. Someone must have let his noble origins slip because he quickly became the star of the night. The chief put up a good fight for the position though, I heard plenty of cheer for his continued reign. The alcohol and my spectacular performance bought him all the goodwill he could need, though the purchase certainly cost him a pretty penny.

    I wasn¡¯t sure what amount they eventually settled on but judging from the shade of white that the mayor¡¯s face continued to be for the entire evening, and James¡¯s satisfied grin, it couldn¡¯t have been pretty. Beautiful enough for me though, since I heard the merchant gloating about my being his guest from halfway across the camp. He loved the microphone in particular.

    Now though, I find myself groaning with every ray of sunshine that hits my face. Though we won¡¯t stay much longer in the village, we still have time for a good breakfast. The sight of Percy being run ragged packing the carriages warms my heart as I eat my jerky, though he¡¯s far from the only one working. Meanwhile, I find other ways to spend my time, which leads me to the same street I was assaulted in yesterday. As luck would have it, the same kids of yesterday are once again making the roads unsafe, bless the little gremlins.

    They¡¯ve changed the game that they¡¯re planning since the last time I was here, my football advice caught on, judging by the passionate yelling and shouting at whoever holds the ball. They don¡¯t quite have the teams going but it doesn¡¯t stop them from fighting for dominance. Here¡¯s to hoping the leather ball holds up. Their enthusiasm helps me wake up and I soon find myself indulging in their guilty pleasure, shouting advice from the sidelines like a good coach. My yells mostly make them distracted and thus easier to steal the ball from, but it¡¯s funny for me so I ignore their glares. They get so distracted by reclaiming the ball that I doubt they even remember their annoyance.

    As I spend my morning yelling at kids, their real guardians come over to take a look. The same mother that I spoke with yesterday wanders over to me as I¡¯m standing to the side, hurling treacherous words at her child.

    ¡°Quite a show you made last night,¡± she tells me, and I turn to her.

    ¡°I¡¯ll admit that I enjoyed the exercise, I don¡¯t get to cast magic like that too often.¡±

    ¡°Exercise, is it? It looked like hard work to me.¡± A grin spreads over my features.

    ¡°How can it be work if I¡¯m enjoying it so much,¡± I say to her, then I grimace, the headache making itself known, ¡°Though I strained myself a bit too much if I¡¯m being honest,¡± I admit.

    ¡°That won¡¯t do, you have to take care of yourself.¡±

    ¡°Not to worry ma¡¯am, I¡¯m taking medicine for it,¡± I confide in her, showcasing the jerky in my hand. She gives me an unamused look.

    ¡°That¡¯s barely food, and certainly not medicine. I asked you before, but I won¡¯t let you refuse me again. Come and eat with us, we have plenty of food and my husband also wants to meet you. He¡¯s been harping about it all morning when I let our conversation from yesterday slip.¡± Her resolute eyes have no room for refusal but I try anyway.

    ¡°Well, actually the caravan-¡± I begin, but she cuts me off.

    ¡°Won¡¯t leave until shortly before noon, I made sure to check during the party,¡± she triumphantly states. I let out a defeated sigh.

    ¡°You got me, I¡¯ll gladly enjoy your food ma¡¯am. Though I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t give another show like yesterday. There¡¯s a severe limit to how much magic I can use, you see.¡± She waves off my concern, unbothered by it.

    ¡°Timothy wants to ask you about your football, and my husband is more invested in making sure you don¡¯t do something like this again as a matter of fact.¡± The color drains from my face a little, she¡¯s making it sound like I¡¯m in trouble.

    ¡°No need to make that face,¡± she smiles, ¡°he¡¯s the local guard captain, he wants to discuss prevention methods. That spectacle of yours gave him quite the fright. I told him he¡¯s overreacting, and that any mage capable of something like that has no need to attack us, but he just can¡¯t let go.¡±

    Theatrically I sigh, big movements exuberating the act, as I cleverly use it to mask my very real relief.

    ¡°Well unless you have some hidden agenda of your own, I¡¯d be more than happy to eat lunch with you and your family,¡± I say with a polite smile. She has a dainty little laugh that she performs.

    ¡°I just like to cook, that¡¯s all,¡± she innocently promises, though the wink she adds doesn¡¯t set me at ease. Still, I let myself get guided to her home. Timothy is peppering me with questions along the way; most of which I have no answers to. Athleticism was never a real interest of mine, kicking balls around was enjoyable enough though, and I had some lessons in it as a kid. None of that ever went anywhere though, half of what my coach told me is buried under a thick layer of memories. The other half is just erased, I didn¡¯t care much for the verbal abuse that accompanied it.

    It¡¯s a good thing her house is close because even the short walk has me quickly running out of nonsense to spew. Something about practicing in the sand to promote muscle growth. The kid is over the moon at what he thinks is some secret expert advice. The reality is much more somber, I just tell him what the coach told me, mixed with some stuff I nicked right out of an animated series.

    As the wife guides me inside, her husband greets me at the dining table. I was already clued into the fact that he took a day off, all for this lunch; talk about putting pressure on me. The guard captain rises from his seat and walks over to welcome me.

    ¡°Hello! Sam, is it?¡± he asks with his rough voice, then continues without waiting for my response.

    ¡°I¡¯m just bursting with questions for you,¡± he says, revealing the true nature of my invitation, ¡°but that can wait, for now, Miranda prepared a most wonderful lunch. Normally we¡¯d do something like this over dinner of course, but since you¡¯ll be leaving soon, this will have to do. I can guarantee my wife¡¯s cooking skills, however! You¡¯ll miss it I tell you.¡± His voice is deep and scratchy, and I find his enthusiasm infectious, though just as tiring.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad to be here sir, I¡¯d been regretting rejecting her offer the first time.¡± Miranda snorts at my words. She¡¯s probably thinking back on how I very much attempted to refuse once again today. Her husband gives me a grin though, unaware of his wife¡¯s reaction.

    ¡°Good to hear, well, while Miranda works her magic, do you mind answering some questions?¡± he innocently tries. I just nod, and he grins again.

    ¡°Great, then, first of all, are you an¡­ average mage? Last night¡¯s show was just quite something to watch.¡± I shake my head and move to explain, but the guard captain doesn¡¯t let me.

    ¡°That¡¯s fantastic to hear!¡± he spouts out, then blushes when he realizes how inappropriate that comment could be, depending on how it¡¯s interpreted.

    ¡°Ah, I mean of course that it is fantastic and remarkable how someone as young as you is such a powerful mage. Were you a student of the Academy?¡± he tries in an attempt to save himself.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t no, I¡¯m traveling to the capital right now to apply, however,¡± I reveal. His eyes bulge at the implication that I did all that without formal training. Now, as funny as it is to watch him squirm, I think it¡¯s about time I correct his thinking.

    ¡°You really don¡¯t have to worry about your village being attacked by a rogue mage, sir, I don¡¯t mean to brag but my situation is rather¡­ unique.¡± Unfortunately, my words don¡¯t take root.

    ¡°How unique can you really be in a world this big,¡± he mutters, then quickly adds on, ¡°no offense meant.¡±

    ¡°None was taken, but if you¡¯re interested in defending from a rogue wizard? Bar having mages yourself, your best bet is to not be valuable enough to attack. Not that villages are often a good target, no offense,¡± I shoot back. My blunt words make the message sink in somewhat though, and I can see him ponder my words. I follow up in the silence that follows.

    ¡°If it¡¯s wild animals you¡¯re worried about, well I think those bows and those arrows you placed at the gate are a fantastic method. Not that many creatures enjoy getting shot at; if there¡¯s even any.¡± Some flattery is good, and these are my honest thoughts. I¡¯ve had a healthy respect for the art of archery after visiting the university¡¯s club once. The members were particularly fond of using enchanted bows and arrows while supporting their efforts with spells too. The seniors were targeting and hitting bullseye from almost a kilometer away. Absolute madness, I had literal nightmares about it that night.

    The guard captain cheers up at my words, feeling very happy with his efforts being noticed and appreciated.

    ¡°That was a good idea, wasn¡¯t it? It¡¯s something the Royal Guard does too, I saw it when I was visiting the capital, I worked hard to implement a similar system here after that.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been to the capital? Would you mind telling me more about that? It¡¯ll be the first time I visit it, you see, so I¡¯m a little nervous,¡± I inquire curiously. Just as he begins his no doubt thrilling story, Miranda comes back in with lunch. A variety of sandwiches get placed on the table, then she reveals the highlight of the meal, a boiled egg for each of us. I even spot some salt on it.

    Though I¡¯m not sure how expensive this is, I get the impression they don¡¯t eat like this every day. Reaching into my backpack, I pull out some dried bear meat. It doesn¡¯t quite fit the theme, but it feels wrong to not contribute.

    ¡°I know it doesn¡¯t look like much,¡± I say about the meat, ¡°but this is some high-quality bear meat. It is very healthy.¡± Timothy¡¯s eyes light up as he sees the meat, and his father looks on, intrigued. Miranda isn¡¯t quite as enthusiastic, she gives me a disappointed look.

    ¡°Here I thought I was saving you from having to eat that the whole time,¡± she tells me. With a cocky grin, I offer her a piece.

    ¡°Try it yourself before judging me too harshly,¡± I say, and she hesitantly takes my offering, then puts it in her mouth. Her eyes widen at the rich taste. Though it¡¯s dried and not nearly as good as when it was freshly cooked, it remains the meat of a mana-rich animal. That makes it high quality by default. Not to mention that it was prepared by a good butcher.

    Timothy grabs a piece for himself while his mother is still distracted, and even his dad joins the fun. They both have similar reactions to Miranda. Who, now that she¡¯s free from her trance, is pouting at me.

    ¡°I wanted to impress you with my skill, how could you pull out a hidden weapon like that,¡± she says. I just laugh and grab one of her sandwiches. I was never culinary inclined, but I don¡¯t think her food loses to mine. It¡¯s a treat and I treat it as such. The family joins the lunch and we settle into a comfortable rhythm of questions and answers. The husband tells me of his trip, the kid pesters me about more games, and the wife routinely asks if I¡¯ve really eaten enough. She¡¯s motherly, no doubt about that.

    Time passes too quickly, and I suddenly remember I¡¯m supposed to leave soon. When I hurriedly leave my seat the kid bars my way out.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you stay?¡± Timothy boldly asks, but I have to disappoint him.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not, they won¡¯t stay for little old me, and I don¡¯t want to walk all the way,¡± I tell the kid, then give him a high five.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let those other kids beat you, you hear?¡± I say and he responds enthusiastically.

    Miranda gives me a hug and her husband follows up with a firm handshake. With the goodbyes out of the way, I leave for the caravan. The sun is already quite high in the sky to my eyes, but I¡¯m too used to using clocks to measure the time that I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m late or not. Not that I know when I¡¯m expected to be there, to begin with. The road leads me towards the gates and it¡¯s there that I find Percy waiting for me.

    ¡°Where have you been! We¡¯re leaving soon, I was about to go and find you myself,¡± he tells me and I apologize as we both head for the carriages.

    ¡°Was I that late?¡± I ask him, but luckily he denies it.

    ¡°Not very, we¡¯re still getting the drakes ready to move, that always takes longer than expected,¡± he reveals. I sigh in relief. We make our way to our assigned carriage.

    ¡°So?¡± my friend asks curiously, ¡°Where were you hiding?¡±

    ¡°I got invited for lunch, it was more fun than I expected and I lost track of time,¡± I admit. Percy¡¯s curiosity is not sated with just that, however.

    ¡°You got invited? Who do you even know in this village?¡±

    ¡°The guard captain, ever since lunch at least. I was teaching some kids how to kick a ball when one of their mothers struck up a conversation yesterday. Then again today, it turns out her husband is the leader of the guards. My little show from last night had him worried about mage attacks apparently,¡± I explain. He shakes his head at me.

    ¡°Can¡¯t believe you¡¯re better at networking than I am, and that¡¯s with James¡¯s training working in my favor.¡±

    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t want to be a merchant? Didn¡¯t you do this for the experience?¡± He sighs at my questions.

    ¡°It¡¯s complicated. I wouldn¡¯t exactly mind being a trader, but my father kind of expects me to take over the city. Not that I¡¯m against that, but my sisters have a good claim to it as well, and there¡¯s only one seat you know?¡± he reveals. I wonder about that though.

    ¡°Does there have to be?¡± I ask, his face turns confused.

    ¡°Does what have to be?¡±

    ¡°Only one seat I mean, can¡¯t you just split the work? Every sibling takes some duties and you hold a meeting every so often to discuss everything.¡± Percy looks at me with his mouth hanging open slightly.

    ¡°You have the weirdest ideas I swear. Unfortunately, we can¡¯t. There would still need to be one city lord. The official title can¡¯t be shared.¡± Again I question him as to why that¡¯s the case.

    ¡°That¡¯s how the king decided it is, he appoints the role in a ceremony. Though my father gets to decide who his successor is in practice.¡±

    ¡°Would you want to though? Share the seat?¡± I inquire. He takes a moment to think about my words.

    ¡°I¡­ would? I think so at least. Though they¡¯re overprotective of me, I think we could work together well.¡±

    ¡°So ask him.¡±

    ¡°I just told you, my father can¡¯t decide this,¡± he tells me, a little exasperated.

    ¡°No, not your dad; ask the king.¡± I enlighten him. His whole face goes blank. It takes a moment for his mind to reboot.

    ¡°Ask the king!?¡± he yells, and I admonish him for the noise.

    ¡°Sorry, but seriously. You can¡¯t just ask the king these things! It¡¯s not easy talking to him, to begin with,¡± he clarifies, his voice sounding sad.

    ¡°Just because it¡¯s not easy doesn¡¯t mean it can¡¯t be done right? What options do you have for it?¡± He thinks for a while. Then the carriage starts moving and our conversation is interrupted.

    ¡°Ah, they finished then,¡± Percy states. I¡¯m about to ask about the kingly meeting options again when something catches his attention.

    ¡°Someone didn¡¯t close this crate properly,¡± he complains and gets to work fixing the mess. I decide to let the matter rest. Looking outside to pass the time, I am serenaded by Percy¡¯s noises of irritation at the work of his colleagues. It wasn¡¯t just that crate as it turns out, and I¡¯m guessing someone is getting a mandatory course in knot tying at our next stop, judging by my friend¡¯s ranting.

    ¡°This is shoddy work is all I¡¯m trying to say,¡± he tells me, though I only listen halfheartedly.

    ¡°One good bump could knock the lid off and we could lose merchandise that way.¡± His irritations just grow as he inspects the other boxes. Noticing flaws with every step of his routine. The blueblood has high standards and he¡¯s not afraid to enforce them. No one is safe from his criticism. He keeps his hands busy with fixing the contents of the crates and personally tying all the knots again. By the time he¡¯s finished the sun is slowly setting over the horizon.

    Suddenly he stops what he¡¯s doing and turns to me.

    ¡°You can meet the king at graduation,¡± he says out of the blue, ¡°The highest scoring student is awarded a private meeting with him.¡± I guess he was thinking about my words more than I thought.

    ¡°Then I guess you¡¯d best study hard noble boy,¡± I tell him

 Chapter Eleven

    Chapter Eleven

    Just as I tell Percy to put his efforts into achieving his goal, instead of just accepting the way things are, is when the carriage that we¡¯re riding in stops. Though lost in thought, my friend goes to help the other workers with setting up for the night. The sun has just started setting so we have a few hours yet, but making camp is not pleasant in the dark. I stand and watch to see how these people set up a tiny village at a rapid pace, tents are erected and carriages are placed strategically in the middle of our settlement. The drakes are brought away, far enough that they can frolic and play without needing to be excessively considerate of our frail and fragile human bodies.

    Torches are put in place and the workers set up a campfire just outside of the encampment, fire is dangerous work. Nothing is lit up yet as the sun is still sufficient to illuminate the world, though some of the food prep is already underway. With very little to do; I go out to explore. The woods beckon my adventurous spirit, which I only recently discovered. My impromptu journey takes me towards the drakes first, I see the same handler that let me ride Bertha before and wave at him.

    Bertha is also happy to see me and I narrowly avoid her enthusiastic charge. One embarrassing death dodged but more are incoming as Bertha¡¯s gal pals are hot on her heels. It¡¯s a sight to see, but preferably from a distance. Between the drakes that are here, there¡¯s enough mass to snap those wooden palisades of the previous villages like twigs. I have no desire to be flattened, nor do I want to serve as a warning for others, so with a quick spell I am propelled upwards. Sailing over their heads feels fantastic, when the weightlessness ends, and gravity asserts itself, I find the sensation less amazing. It takes another awkward burst of air to halt my descent. Unfortunately, I still lose balance and plant my face in the dirt.

    I get up with dirt in my mouth and hair. My luscious blond locks look less than stellar I¡¯m sure, though there¡¯s no doubt it wasn¡¯t much to look at even before. Traveling takes its toll, even if that just means having dirty hair.

    Then I spot the handler lying on the ground too, weak from laughter at my antics. My face heats up but I try to keep whatever dignity I still had by walking off in a confident stroll. Until Bertha pushes me straight back to the ground with a well-timed nudge at my back. Her body is massive, however, so it¡¯s more of a subtle headbutt instead. I continue lying on the ground for a while, trying to become one with the earth. Eventually, Bertha loses interest in my corpse and goes to play with her friends. I get up slowly, adamant about erasing any memory of this from my brain.

    ¡°I guess I should be glad she didn¡¯t step on me,¡± I mutter, feeling defeated.

    In a much less upbeat mood, I continue my adventure and head further away from the camp. Trees surround me and roots take over the ground. A thick layer of moss is dampening the sound of my footsteps, it occurs to me that it would dampen more than my own footsteps. With that worrying realization in mind, I continue forward, admiring the trees around me. I reach an area that¡¯s dotted with giant boulders, a natural maze with which much of my sight is obscured.

    ¡°You know,¡± I state out loud, ¡°It must be really easy to get lost here.¡±

    When I look behind me I find the path I took¡­ gone. There¡¯s just a boulder right behind me. Did I make a turn earlier? But when I retrace my steps I find a tree placed between boulders that I haven¡¯t seen before. My pace quickens, as does my heart rate, as I hurriedly look around for a way out. The sun seems to be going down at lightspeed and my worries grow.

    I remember the sun blinding me when I looked back at the camp after what definitely did not happen with the drakes, and so I turn towards where the sun is setting. Seeing¡­ nothing, no path, and no way out. While I consider the risks of propelling myself into the sky again, the sun hides completely; though its light does not leave quite yet.

    Knowing full well that I don¡¯t want to be here the whole night, I get ready to fly. The levitation magic I used at Lorvia isn¡¯t good at quick movement and burns through too much mana, so instead, I utilize a small barrier and a less small explosion of air. While my altitude increases substantially I re-cast the barrier spell, though with a much different configuration.

    When I reach the highest point and my weight seems to disappear, a thin sheet of mana hardens above me. My impromptu parachute isn¡¯t as effective as I expected, but a few quick refinements fix the main issues. I now drift down slowly, which gives me plenty of time to scour the ground for any signs of life. Preferably fire, since the others should have lit up the torches by now. I expect the campfire to be burning already.

    Before I spot any traces of the caravan, I am instead greeted with the sight of a red glow hidden between the many boulders that dot the ground. My mind provides me with a helpful reminder in the form of memories, the monster in the basement still haunts me. The raw emotions flooding through me distract me, but not enough to miss the telltale sight of fires in the forest further ahead. In an uncharacteristically bold move, I glide towards the scarlet light. My landing is soft and on one of the giant stones. Body tense, I get down on my stomach and peer over at whatever is creating that blood-like radiance, though it isn¡¯t a comfortable position, I very much do not want to be spotted; even less so when I witness the horrifying scene below.

    In a clearing between walls of rock, there is a collection of small, red, fairy-like beings. Big heads are stuck to a small body that seems entirely too thin. Their long limbs drag over the ground, and though they can¡¯t be more than a meter in height, that¡¯s still a sight out of a nightmare. The strange creatures seem stretched in an unhealthy way. I firmly believe my capacity for odd things has grown significantly with my transmigration, as did my open-mindedness. Without a lie in my being, however, when I say these creatures are more otherworldly than I am. There is a visceral wrongness to their existence, like a traced drawing that isn¡¯t quite up to par.

    Any boldness remaining in my system is removed at the sound of their chittering, a bug-like noise. There are at least a dozen of them, idling around a big red crystal. Next to me the sounds of footsteps nearly stop my heart. In the small valley, between the rock I¡¯m on and the others surrounding the demons, there¡¯s a group of five of the red creatures, they march while carrying something. It¡¯s only when they reach the crystal that I get a clear sight of what it is; the gruesome view of mutilated cadavers reaches me. Some rabbit-like creatures were cut open and broken to pieces. The returning demons press their prey to the blood-red crystal in the center of their hideout, the material melts like water around the corpses. Then the absorption finishes and nothing remains but some blood spatters on the ground

    Calmly, collected, with not a hint of fear, nor pressure, I book it. Barriers block any sounds I make as I propel myself away from this horrid location, towards the lights I saw earlier. Boulders grow less common in seconds as I dash forward, aided with well-timed bursts of air. Trees slow my progress and I drop the magically enhanced movements. Full of pride in my athletic prowess, I trip over the first root I encounter, and for the third time today, I eat dirt. I pick myself up and move much slower this time, I keep going towards where I saw the torches before.

    My relief is audible when I see the caravans, but I can¡¯t relax yet. So I head towards the campfire I saw them build before I even left. The roaring flames reveal Percy talking with the cook. With the ample light, I also spot James on the other side of the firepit. He¡¯s talking with an armored man I haven¡¯t seen around before and, especially after my experience just now, I feel my body tense. After a deep breath, I force myself to unwind; for approximately three seconds. Then it sinks in that I know the character speaking with the merchant. Unless I¡¯m wrong, and I deeply hope I am, that¡¯s a knight of the Order. The emblem on his chest piece mimics the one above the gates of their castle. Then, with no warning, his head snaps towards me and we make eye contact.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    <hr>

    ¡°Any paladin is free to stay with me,¡± the merchant says jovially, though his smile is somewhat forced. While the Order of Sight is still popular, there¡¯s been growing resentment among the people too. Something should be done about that soon, we do need their goodwill to survive; something the higher-ups seem to forget.

    Unfortunately, it¡¯s not like I will have any say in that, not now that the commander sent me away towards the capital to serve the bishop. While some people would be overjoyed, I¡¯m not so naive. While being stationed at the Sanctuary Castle was a chore, and the honor is something I couldn¡¯t care less about, it was only a decade or two before you could retire with enough money to live comfortably for the rest of your life. It wasn¡¯t even dangerous, just highly classified, no one can find out what is stored in the sanctuary in the basement after all. It would render their demon-slaying activities moot, worthless.

    A shiver goes down my spine and out of instinct I search the area for any signs of danger, I only spot a brown-haired man looking at me. He seems frightened though the light makes it hard to see. The armor was imposing, after all, it isn¡¯t that weird for a commoner to feel fear at the sight of it. Something about his hair rubs me the wrong way though, odd. Then, the brown-haired youth marches towards me, and I hesitantly reach for my sword. That turns out to be unnecessary, the young man steps toward the merchant instead.

    ¡°Sir?¡± he says, and the trader stops talking at me, looking at the newcomer instead.

    ¡°Sam! Where have you been? We were about to send a search party for you!¡± he claims, but I¡¯m doubtful the crafty trader was going to. Nonetheless, the brown-haired youth called Sam responds.

    ¡°I was exploring the forest,¡± he says, ¡°but that¡¯s not important.¡± Then he looks towards me shiftily, reeking of a guilty conscience.

    ¡°Well? What are you trying to tell me?¡± the trader eggs him on. With a sigh, the young man gives in.

    ¡°There¡¯s demons.¡± Sam all but whispers. My eyes widen at his words and training takes over. I grab the youth by the arm.

    ¡°Where,¡± I order, but instead of the expected reactions, either an answer or turning into a stuttering mess, the young man glares at me with emotionless eyes. Then turns back to the merchant.

    ¡°Just beyond the forest there¡¯s an area filled with these giant boulders, they¡¯ve set up camp there.¡± With his arm still in my grip, I ask him for more information.

    ¡°What type of demon did you see?¡± I question. This time he turns towards me, his eyes reveal anger hidden within, but he answers me now.

    ¡°A whole load of small people like things, barely a meter high. They¡¯re thin and long, their arms drag over the ground even when they stand,¡± he spits out. I do my best to ignore the venom laced in his words.

    ¡°Large heads with big eyes?¡± My question only makes his eyes squint.

    ¡°Yes, with red skin,¡± he elaborates. They¡¯re imps, no doubt about it.

    ¡°How many?¡± They¡¯re always in groups but they¡¯re not strong. Unless there¡¯s a whole swarm¡­ After a moment of thinking, Sam answers.

    ¡°About twenty maybe? There¡¯s a red crystal too, they seemed to feed it with animals.¡±

    ¡°Shit,¡± I let out, but the expletive is fitting. If they have a birthing crystal then we cannot delay this. The longer we wait the more of them there will be, eventually, they¡¯ll infest more regions, creating more crystals as well. That¡¯s why they¡¯re a high-priority extermination target. If I let them go then I can forget about being a paladin. For once, the brown-haired youth relates with me it seems, nodding at my cursing.

    ¡°They¡¯re imps, and that crystal makes more of them when they feed it enough. They¡¯re like ants in that way,¡± I explain. The merchant looks worried.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to escape quickly then,¡± he says, and I have to restrain myself from slapping him. As if I can ignore an imp nest.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to eradicate them,¡± I state, projecting an air of confidence.

    ¡°Eradicate them!?¡± the trader sputters, ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what Sam said? There¡¯s twenty of them, you think I¡¯m going to risk my caravan against twenty demons?¡± Anger is clear in his voice, but he seems to have misunderstood the situation.

    ¡°There¡¯s twenty, yes, but they¡¯re weak demons. They just spread quickly and thus we are required by law to do our utmost to remove them,¡± I remind the man, he might be cowardly but he can¡¯t refuse the law. Judging by the frustrated look in his eyes, he¡¯s realized the same as I.

    ¡°Fine,¡± he spits out, ¡°But I¡¯m only handing you a few guards. We still need to protect the caravan after all. Can¡¯t spare any mages.¡± My right eye twitches at his words, does this idiot not realize it¡¯d be much easier to just overpower them completely? Torch the area and call it a day, or a night in this case. Though imps are famously sensitive to magic, so, hold on. I face the young man again.

    ¡°Did they see you?¡± He shakes his head.

    ¡°I used magic to get away silently too, so there¡¯s no way they noticed me.¡±

    ¡°Shit!¡± I curse loudly this time, ¡°Fuck! They¡¯ll be here soon then.¡± Confused looks surround me.

    ¡°Imps can sense magic, they¡¯re very good at it. They¡¯re also excellent trackers and not much slower than humans. They must have followed you.¡± As if ordained by god himself, the telltale sound of chittering can be heard. Then, a small figure dashes towards us, standing at the edge of the campfire as we are.

    <hr>

    The shrill sound of a sword leaving its scabbard rings in my ears and, when I find the origin of it, I can feel the urge to vomit rising once again. The corpse of an imp lays on the ground, the knight stands over it, sword red from its blood. More bug noises serenade us from the forest. The campfire slowly reveals a dozen or more figures, small, almost child-like, but more dangerous by far. They break into a sprint as the knight yells.

    ¡°Form up! We need to kill them!¡± The other people at the campfire go for their weapons, and mages get ready to cast spells. Then the red demons arrive and the fighting begins in earnest.

    My eyes dart around, trying to find Percy, and I do, he¡¯s safe for the moment. Then, one of the creatures is on top of me, and my hand shoots out to burn the thing when the memory of a dying bear flashes before my eyes, and I freeze. A sword cuts the demon right before it reaches me. I mumble a word of thanks at the knight.

    ¡°What are you doing! You¡¯re a mage right! Then fight!¡± he yells at me, then he¡¯s gone, off to slice more creatures. Once again feeling like I¡¯m going to throw up, I try to gather my wits. The red things are scattered around the campfire, the knight is killing them easily enough but there are too many for him to deal with alone, he takes too long to reach them and they¡¯re too nimble.

    Madam Barrow¡¯s words ring in my ears, replacing the sound of screams. Her simple answer to my inner turmoil, earnest gratitude, and the reminder that it was us or them. I steel myself, then I let loose.

    <hr>

    Dashing seats and food, I try to reach as many imps as I can, they¡¯re easy to kill but they¡¯ve started to catch on. They¡¯re avoiding me now, and it takes that much longer to get to them. The mage that lead the damn things to us is also useless, too shocked about some demons dying and now he¡¯s frozen in shock.

    My irritation distracts me and my otherwise clean slice goes awry, I hit a stone instead of my target and the impact numbs my hand. A sharp pain flares up from my leg and I spot one of the infernal monsters biting me. Teeth cutting straight through my chainmail. With a kick, it¡¯s gone, but it¡¯s still alive and I can¡¯t afford for any of them to remain that way. The Order will have my hide if these people tell them about this mess.

    I stop for a moment to catch my breath, fighting in armor is heavy and exhausting business; then the campfire explodes. Orbs of flame splatter outwards, I raise my arms in defense but the burning ball swerves around me, only to clock an imp straight in the head. The heat kills it instantly. I hear it before I can see it, the clamor dying down, corpses are strewn throughout the former dining area. Imps, most of them with their heads melted off. In the corner sits a youth, his hair looks almost blonde from the torchlight, but when I blink to clear my eyes it¡¯s firmly brown again. Fatigue must be playing tricks on me, but I need to verify what I just saw.

 Chapter Twelve

    Chapter Twelve

    ¡°You, Sam, was it?¡± I ask him. He looks up with a set of dead eyes, I avoid them without meaning to, he makes me uncomfortable.

    ¡°What,¡± he simply responds, voice tired.

    ¡°That fire magic, was that you?¡± He blinks slowly at me as if he doesn¡¯t understand the words. But before I can ask again, another young man is at his side.

    ¡°Sam! Are you okay!?¡± the youth yells.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine Percy,¡± Sam says, voice slurring, ¡°I just need to¡­ sleep. In private.¡± The last words are said while he looks straight at me. His friend gets his hint it seems because the young man named Percy is now cautiously staring at me.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get you to a bed,¡± he says, and, with Sam leaning on his shoulder they walk away, leaving me to stand here; my question left unanswered.

    <hr>

    The first thing I notice is the familiar tent ceiling, a white cloth that¡¯s not cleaned enough greets me. After a moment, however, I¡¯m bombarded with the memories of yesterday, both seeing the demons, and their subsequent attack. Secondly, is that what little mana I had collected is now spent. Though making the statue, back in Lorvia, felt amazing, I was also left nearly dry at the time. Bear meat helped my issue but it can only sustain little spells like my wind bursts, whatever I don¡¯t use is saved up of course, though that only adds up to so much.

    Now that I¡¯ve slept for so long again, well I¡¯m still leaking all this time. My ability to contain it is increasing as I¡¯m forced to practice, but that doesn¡¯t help my nightly release. I am now back to avoiding magic at all costs, which is a huge problem, because, while I can avoid the air spells easily enough, and that fire spell of yesterday was an exception; there¡¯s another spell I¡¯ve been maintaining since last night. It¡¯s taking negligible amounts of mana, but the focus I need is worse than any other spell thus far. The magic is simple for the most part, just a color-changing illusion, my blonde hair appears brown to the onlookers. And if that was all? Well, that¡¯s barely noticeable compared to forcefully containing my mana.

    Unfortunately, it isn¡¯t all, the caravan people are already aware that I¡¯m blonde, so I can¡¯t change it for everyone. It¡¯s only that knight that sees the brown color. Which involves a very slight amount of, well, soul magic. An elective I took to improve my illusion skills, is now paying off.

    Soul magic has this unfortunately high demand of focus, I was regarded as a prodigy in class, and it still feels like my brain is frying now that I¡¯m tasked with living my daily life in addition to it. Not to mention the effort needed to contain my leakage. The combination of the three is like reciting poetry while getting kicked in the gut. As I lie here on a simple cot, I find that removing the daily life aspect makes all of this significantly easier. Simply lying here allows me to focus. Luckily that knight isn¡¯t here, so I can afford to drop that illusion. My stomach drops along with it, there are definite limits to how much magical effort I can sustain; I¡¯ve ignored those limits for too long as it is.

    There are footsteps outside the tent, by the time a figure makes its way inside I have re-casted the illusion. At the expense of any comfort, my stomach is in revolt, and my entire body feels like it''s swelling. I can see myself pop like a balloon if I continue.

    ¡°Oh you¡¯re awake, thank god,¡± Percy tells me. The relaxation I feel in his presence forces me to drop any attempt at magic. When I try to get up to greet him, however, I only get halfway before I spit out blood. Exhausted, I fall back down to the cot. My friend is at my side in seconds.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong!? Can I help?¡± he asks worriedly. I try to wave him off but the motion moves my stomach and I¡¯m too busy suppressing the urge to vomit to signal him again. He¡¯s not deterred at all.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get someone else,¡± he says and moves to leave the tent.

    ¡°Wait!¡± I just barely get out, blood is seeping out of my mouth, and still, I try to explain, ¡°Avoid that knight, he cannot see me. Whatever you do, keep him away.¡± I try to enunciate my words but there¡¯s too much liquid to speak clearly. I can only pray that he understands.

    ¡°Alan?¡± he says, confused at my words. I try to maintain eye contact, all in an effort to show the seriousness of my words.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Percy answers resolutely, ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± It¡¯s the best I can expect. Now, more than ever, I do not want him to discover me, I¡¯m defenseless. I can barely throw up an illusion. Keeping my mana inside is taking everything I have. Speaking of mana.

    ¡°Meat,¡± I mutter weakly. My friend doesn¡¯t seem to hear. Again, I try to form words.

    ¡°The¡­ bear meat,¡± I say this time, louder. My effort pays off and I¡¯m handed some jerky, only to be faced with a new challenge. My limbs are shaking, and when I try to open my mouth I barely notice the meat slipping from my grip. I recognise the sound of someone sighing and if I wasn¡¯t such a broken shell of a person I would¡¯ve defended my honor. As it stands though, all that happens is a slight groan from me.

    ¡°I¡¯ll feed you,¡± Percy says. Then I hear him walk away, leaving me behind, confused at the contradiction between his actions and his words. I don¡¯t have to be confused for long, however, because he returns shortly. When I turn my head slightly I can see him enter the tent after a quick minute. Now armed with a knife, my adrenaline spikes but I relax when he starts cutting the dried meat into smaller chunks; all to help me eat them easier. My eyes water a little.

    I watch as he cuts the meat, awkwardly, because dried meat isn¡¯t as easy to slice as you might expect. I witness the glorious sight of him realizing it¡¯s much easier to just tear to pieces. With renewed efforts he gets to work, amusing my tired brain. When he deems it small enough, he grabs a handful and moves towards me, he freezes for a short moment when he realizes I¡¯ve been watching him.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t see anything,¡± he concludes, I would nod but that¡¯s too much for me. His embarrassment put aside at the sight of my suffering, he moves closer. I open my mouth and he feeds me a small piece of the jerky. It¡¯s like a blessed rain on a desert, new life fills me as my mana reserves are replenished a little. The salty taste is just right and it takes effort to keep still. Any movement would do more harm than good, though I¡¯m severely tempted to grab Percy¡¯s entire supply of meat. Whenever I finish a piece, he feeds me another. This goes on for almost an hour, it¡¯s only then that I feel full. My feeder friend leaves soon after helping me drink from a water flask.

    Then I¡¯m alone, and I have little else to do but think. Magic is out of the question, though I amuse myself with my senses regardless. Trying to track the people working outside is tough, made significantly worse by containing my mana at the same time, but it¡¯s also a rewarding challenge. And I¡¯d be lying if I said it didn¡¯t set my mind at ease somewhat, the ever-present fear of the knight was taking its toll too.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    My thoughts spin out of control as I feel myself heating up, back in fight or flight mode. The crystal I saw between the boulders is on my mind, as is the eye in the basement. Alan killed those demons without batting an eye, is the church perhaps not as corrupt as I had imagined? The twisted visage of the eye in my mind is laughing at me, I can almost hear it. Why does the Order of Sight have a giant eye in their cellar, how come a knight of their Order kills demons but not that monstrosity they have. Are they experimenting on it? Or¡­? A horrifying thought cuts through me, I¡¯m scared to even think it. Fortunately for my sanity, I am interrupted by another guest. James makes his way inside the tent.

    ¡°Sam! I heard you woke up, how are you?¡± he asks, concern on his face. His question makes me consider my current state.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not fine, but recovering,¡± I eventually tell him, then remember something he promised me, ¡°Speaking of recovery, would you mind giving me that mana potion that I worked for?¡± I say, wincing at how blunt my words sound. James gives an awkward laugh.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t,¡± he admits with a guilty look on his face, ¡°Not that I don¡¯t want to of course! You earned your keep,¡± he adds.

    ¡°The thing is, I don¡¯t actually have one. The high-quality potions are somewhat expensive and I have no real reason to keep any on me, I¡¯m not much of a mage myself and we have enough guards; both mages and swordsmen,¡± he explains, ¡°I was planning on buying one for you when we arrive at Gartric. The city that Percy¡¯s father owns.¡±

    Well, there goes that idea. Back at square one, I¡¯m once again rendered mostly immobile and in need of mana. James must have seen my troubled face because he speaks up again.

    ¡°However! I have some low-quality potions if that suffices?¡± This crafty merchant knows very well that it does, I imagine that the only difference between the two is how much mana you get out of one.

    ¡°I just need mana,¡± I reveal, ¡°As long as I get enough I¡¯ll be fine.¡± James tilts his head slightly, somewhat confused at my situation; then his eyes widen a tad.

    ¡°Is that why you¡¯ve been eating all that jerky?¡± he questions, ¡°Wait! Is that the medicine that old hag prescribed for Percy?¡± he shouts, connecting the dots. Unfortunately, it also functions as an attack on my head, and so I wince. James mutters an apology for my plight. Still suffering, I nod my head at his question.

    ¡°That damn¡­ I knew she ripped me off. Hold on though, if that meat cures whatever it is that Percy suffered from, how come you still need it and he doesn¡¯t?¡± This merchant is unnecessarily sharp, I¡¯m not about to explain the whole issue.

    ¡°That¡¯s complicated and private,¡± I say, clearly enunciating the words, ¡°What matters, is that I need mana and that I need a lot of it,¡± I add after I judge that my previous words have sunk inappropriately. James thinks for a moment.

    ¡°Low-quality potions wouldn¡¯t be ideal then,¡° he concludes, to my surprise, ¡°If you take too many potions in a short time¡­ Well it¡¯s not pretty,¡± he explains.

    ¡°No, no potions, but perhaps¡­ Yes, those demons might help you,¡± the merchant states, horrifying me. Luckily he realizes what he just implied and hastily clarifies.

    ¡°I meant their bodies, demon bodies have a lot of mana contained inside,¡± he explains hurriedly, ¡°They¡¯re sometimes used as alchemy reagents, mostly for mana potions of very high quality. Not exactly legal, but much easier to get than some of the other ingredients.¡± The idea is still somewhat revolting, but I¡¯m starting to understand what he¡¯s saying.

    ¡°I might be able to extract their energy then,¡± I say, thinking out loud, then I remember the other guest of the caravan, ¡°What about Alan though?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you know him?¡± James says and I shake my head hard enough to hurt, though movement hurts in general at the moment.

    ¡°No, Percy mentioned his name, but he¡¯s a knight from the Order of Sight right? Won¡¯t he have issues with us using a demon¡¯s corpse?¡± James considers my worry.

    ¡°He might raise a fuss, but this is my caravan and you¡¯re a guest that¡¯s paid for. I never liked their attitude anyway.¡± His words don¡¯t set me at ease, and my suspicions about the Order only worsen. The merchant gets up, presumably to retrieve a corpse, but I interrupt his departure.

    ¡°Wait, before you go, I need your help with one more thing.¡± James looks at me with an expecting look.

    ¡°Keep Alan away from me, I have¡­ bad memories with the Order,¡± I tell him, it¡¯s not the most convincing reason, but the trader is already not too fond of the knight. He thinks for a while, and I worry about what he¡¯ll say.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine, I won¡¯t pry then,¡± he just says, and without any fanfare, he leaves the tent. I just let out a sigh of relief.

    <hr>

    He¡¯s avoiding me, that brown-haired guy. Percy has become downright suspicious of me and refuses to let me see him. All I want to know is who cast that spell, that was not easy magic. If this Sam was the one that did? Well, that would be quite the achievement for someone of his age. Enough of one, perhaps, that the bishop will want to scout him personally.

    It¡¯s not like I can afford a bribe. Still, a discovery like this should please them; they might even put me back at the Sanctuary Castle. Or at least raise my salary. Unfortunately, while I was debating just walking into the tent they keep him in, the other people seem to have gotten the wrong idea. I can see them watching me when they think I¡¯m not looking, Sam must have made some friends because they¡¯re not letting me get anywhere near him. Even the drakes are stationed close to the tent, and there¡¯s one in particular that is glaring at me. So when the merchant finally leaves the tent I intercept him as he walks away,

    ¡°Hello?¡± I say, blocking his way, he glares at me for a moment before acting as though nothing happened. With a grin on his face, he answers.

    ¡°How can I help you!¡± he responds, trademark joviality thick.

    ¡°I want to see Sam,¡± I say, cutting right to the point. The trader is unaffected by my bluntness.

    ¡°Is that so¡­ Well, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to disappoint you, he¡¯s still recovering and is in no state to receive guests,¡± The slimy merchant says, managing to insert genuine-sounding remorse into his voice. I grind my teeth at the obvious lie.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just visit him?¡± I ask impatiently.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not exactly a guest, am I? Any merchant worth his salt would keep track of their guests¡¯ health. I can¡¯t help but feel guilty when I remember how demons injured him so,¡± he explains, the mockery in his voice clear to my ears. How dare he blame me for his inadequacy. The coward was going to run the moment he could.

    ¡°What about the other one, Percy, he visited too.¡±

    ¡°Well, Percy and Sam are friends, how could I stand between them? Percy was by his side for half the night, while you so heroically went out to hunt the rest of the imps. Did you get them all?¡± My eyes are twitching and I grind my teeth, this irritating man is knowingly blocking me.

    ¡°I have a topic of my own to discuss with you, however,¡± the merchant continues, ¡°It¡¯s concerning the demon corpses.¡± I interrupt him hurriedly.

    ¡°We¡¯ll burn them of course,¡± I state, the trader¡¯s face stiffens a little, ¡°We must remove the demon¡¯s taint in its entirety of the course,¡± I say, knowing full well that this is just dogma of the Order, the real reason isn¡¯t nearly as holy.

    ¡°Yes, about that, do you think you could perhaps spare one of the corpses?¡± The man ventures, somewhat hesitantly, my eyes narrow.

    ¡°Are you aware that the sale of demonic corpses is forbidden by law?¡± I say, caution in my voice. The merchant¡¯s eyes widen at my words.

    ¡°Sale? Of course not! But the law does not forbid gifting them, no? I have a friend who¡¯s interested in them.¡± Annoyingly, he¡¯s right. That law is full of loopholes, all to protect the production of certain alchemical concoctions. Something that the Order has been trying to prevent, in vain thus far. There¡¯s just too much money involved in them, the illegality of selling corpses is a statement more than anything else, it just tells those involved to barter instead. No currency means no proof.

    ¡°While that is true, it¡¯s still frowned upon to possess anything of demonic origin, I will dispose of these things myself,¡± I tell him, not that these corpses will be destroyed. They¡¯re much too valuable for that. In a cold voice, the gray-haired man in front of me responds.

    ¡°You would commit theft then?¡± he states simply. But the implication is clear. The people sitting nearby go still, stealthily reaching for weapons.

    ¡°Theft? Of course not, I killed these beasts myself!¡± I say in defense. The wrong move. Someone interrupts our conversation.

    ¡°You? Some, yes, but it¡¯s the kid that killed the rest. I saw him,¡± an older man says.

    ¡°We all saw him throw those fireballs,¡± another adds. There¡¯s a crowd forming and I can sense the danger.

    ¡°I- I was only talking about the ones that I killed, of course, the others would belong to Sam,¡± I¡¯m forced to admit; I have no interest in fighting these people. My words appease the forming mob somewhat. Meanwhile, the merchant is visibly pleased with my reaction.

    ¡°I see! It was all a misunderstanding then. Sam already permitted me to collect his kills after all.¡± This damn¡­ He got me, I can¡¯t refute any of that.

    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled,¡± I hiss through gritted teeth. Still, I got something out of that, it seems it really was Sam that cast that magic.

    <hr>

    In front of me is a red being, thin and elongated, in defiance of biology.

    ¡°So, do you think this will help you?¡± James asks nervously. I shrug my shoulders.

    Wordless I reach out, one finger trailing its body, from a misshapen hand, up to a bony arm with bulges stretching the skin. When I reach the elbow I start to feel something inside of it, slowly I move upwards. The shoulder, then the neck. There isn¡¯t much left of the head, and its face is melted and disfigured. But when I move my hand downwards, my eyes go wide at what I sense. In the middle of the body, right around where the spine should be, is a very dense cluster of mana.

    ¡°Could you¡­ cut it open?¡± I ask Percy, who¡¯s standing next to me. Reluctantly he complies, opening a hole where I point. Silently I watch him do it, when he reaches the middle of the creature, my suspicion is confirmed. There¡¯s a heart. Or perhaps just something mimicking a heart. Entranced by the mana I can feel being held within, I reach inwards. My index finger touches the biological engine, and my mind turns off like a light bulb.

 Chapter Thirteen

    Chapter 13

    The sun is blinding, absolutely scorching. The stone street I¡¯m walking on does nothing against the heat, I wonder if you could cool the ground for that? Strategic placement of ice perhaps? Freeze the drainage channels? Hastily I dodge one such drain, they¡¯re dotted around the road. With carriages taking up much of the space, those of us that walk have to squeeze onto the sides instead.

    ¡°Oi, Ralph!,¡± a voice cuts into my thoughts, disrupting my flow. Still, if someone uses your drain you¡¯re supposed to respond. Though it takes me a while to find whoever called out to me. I discover that the source of the sound is a guard, so I put up a smile at him.

    ¡°Steve!¡± I say, injecting some happiness into my voice, ¡°Anything you need me for?¡± I ask innocently. His eyes narrow and he stares at me for a while.

    ¡°Raphael.¡±

    ¡°Stephen?¡± He sighs at my response.

    ¡°No, my name is actually Steve, it¡¯s not short for anything. And you know why I called out to you.¡± I honestly do not actually, but something tells me that he won¡¯t like that response.

    ¡°Is¡­ is it about¡­¡± I try, desperately trying to think of something.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡± he cuts in, rude.

    ¡°The church,¡± I answer confidently, he can¡¯t find fault with this. Or so I thought but now he¡¯s looking at me with a frown on his face.

    ¡°I¡¯m not lying!¡± I clarify, and I''m speaking the truth, the church is my destination!

    ¡°Oh I believe you,¡± he says, which is good, but his tone of voice tips me off. This man is not happy with me for some reason. I wonder why? I¡¯ve known him for a long time, but figuring out other people has never been my strong suit.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be off,¡± I tell him, it¡¯s better to leave before anything else happens.

    ¡°Hold it, what¡¯s in the bag?¡± Steve says, I sigh and open it up for inspection. Not that there¡¯s anything special in it, just some food for lunch and my art supplies. Brushes of varying sizes and shapes, for the most part. A bunch of large cups and small buckets

    ¡°Why are you taking your brushes to church?¡± he asks with his eyes narrowed again, ¡°and¡­ buckets?¡±

    ¡°I always have those with me, you never know when the mood strikes you,¡± I say sagely, ¡°it pays to be prepared,¡± I add.

    ¡°Then where¡¯s the paint?¡± Well¡­

    ¡°Did I forget to pack the paint? That¡¯s a shame,¡± I say while pouting a little. The guard lets out a sigh, confronted with the realization he can¡¯t accuse me of anything.

    ¡°Fine, go, I won¡¯t keep you.¡±

    ¡°Thanks! Good luck with your work,¡± I say, then I continue onwards. Steve was on to me, but no paint means no evidence. The path grows wider the closer I get, the church is an important destination for the city, well, the cathedral really. It goes without saying that the capital has a suitably sized church building. The Order needs to show everyone how amazing they think they are, the pricks. I sigh, frustrations mounting. My pace lowers, motivation vanishing.

    ¡°And it was going to look good too¡­¡± I mutter, then I change directions. I am not walking fast, I have enough time anyway. WIth my downcast mood, I can¡¯t say I want to run anyway, not that it¡¯d be comfortable with the bag hanging from my shoulder.

    The alleyways are filled with shadows, much the same way that my mind is. I know that I shouldn¡¯t get so worked up about something that happened so long ago, but it was important to me. It wasn¡¯t theirs to take. My frustrations just grow, an emotion that I need to vent somehow because otherwise I¡¯ll get swallowed in it. And I had such grand plans for the church too, a large red rose. It wouldn¡¯t have hurt anyone, but with red being such a taboo color inside the church¡­ It would have made a statement. I might not be able to understand people easily, but even I know how to make them angry. It¡¯s a valuable skill to learn, whether it¡¯s because you want them to be angry, or to avoid it.

    I look up at the sky, almost hoping I can get these annoyances to just fly away. The small balconies above me catch my attention, I notice some flower pots are decorating them. In front of me there¡¯s a group of people walking, a bird swoops down. The entire scene feels slow like time is stretched out. The bird is diving towards one of the balconies, its beak pecking around some potted plant, in an attempt to find a worm I imagine. The improperly placed ceramic wobbles, and to the surprise of the bird, topples downwards. Tumbling gracefully, and going to hit one of those people right on the head. Time is like jelly around me, I can count the seconds as it falls. They don¡¯t even notice. My arms are dangling at my sides, the right one tenses. Then my hand raises smoothly, and I cast.

    ¡°Break.¡±

    Not much of a cast, all things considered, but this isn¡¯t much of a spell to begin with. The ceramic explodes, sending a flat ring of shards outwards. None are aimed down because I¡¯m not an amateur, only the dirt falls further, mostly unaffected by the shattering. It hits the girl walking in front, the coarse earth coats her head, but no real harm is done. I wince as she lets loose a scream, the shrill noise cuts through the air and hurts my ears.

    ¡°What was that!¡± she yells as she tries to remove the dirt from her body, unsuccessfully. Dry earth sticks to people in horrible ways. And this plant was not watered often if its dried leaves are any indication. Still, much better to get dirty than to have your head caved in. I don¡¯t know quite how much damage that pot would have done but ceramic is hard, and it was high up. She wouldn¡¯t have come out unscathed. I see one of the guys next to her laugh a little, his friend gives him a subtle kick to the legs. Not quick enough, she notices his antics and doesn¡¯t find them as funny. She starts spewing harsh words at him, he¡¯s looking chastised but his friend just looks annoyed.

    Then, the other girl notices me staring, she whispers something to the guy next to her and points my way. I can¡¯t hear what she told him, but he doesn¡¯t look happy.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    ¡°Hey!¡± he yells at me, ¡°You there.¡± At his words, I decide that discretion is the better part of valor, and turn to walk the other way.

    ¡°Oi! I¡¯m talking to you! Explain yourself!¡± he shouts at me, but I know better than to stick around; not when I¡¯m outnumbered like that. I pick up my pace, walking quickly but not quite running. Sadly, I badly underestimate his speed. Before I can leave the alleyway, he catches me. He grabs my arm and keeps me from leaving. I¡¯m less than comfortable with any of this.

    ¡°What?¡± I say tersely.

    ¡°Why did you attack her!¡± the teenager spouts. His group of friends are walking our way and they heard his loud voice.

    ¡°You attacked Sophie!?¡± the other girl yells. Technically she¡¯s asking a question, but in practice, they don¡¯t let me defend myself.

    ¡°Why would you attack her! What¡¯s she done to you!¡± another guy adds.

    My already mounting frustrations get much worse at this one-sided verbal assault. I saved her, why are they angry at me?

    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± I say, trying to stay calm, ¡°I just wasn¡¯t able to get the dirt in time.¡± The girl in question narrows her eyes at me, the earth is still coating her hair.

    ¡°Just look at the shards,¡± I point out.

    ¡°Shards?¡± one of the guys asks.

    ¡°Yes, you didn¡¯t think there just happened to be dirt with a flower in it falling from the sky right? I only managed to break the pot in the air. There are shards of ceramic over there,¡± I explain.

    ¡°As if you just broke the pot in mid-air, what are you? Some professional mage?¡± the same dude that got kicked interjects.

    ¡°Shut up Jason, go check,¡± Sophie barks at him. We stare awkwardly at each other as Jason goes to retrieve the shards. He finds them after just a few seconds.

    ¡°How the hell¡­?¡± he mutters as he looks at the small pile to the side of the alley. I guess they didn¡¯t even notice the pieces, they fell in the small drainage channels to the sides of the path. Sophia walks up to him and grabs a shard for herself, then she walks back with a peculiar look on her face. I feel a storm coming, but when she stands in front of me she just lowers her head a little.

    ¡°Sorry, I guess, and thanks,¡± she says, then turns to her posse.

    ¡°C¡¯mon, we¡¯re leaving.¡± I watch them leave, wondering what just happened. At least it ended well, It was worth trying to explain myself after all. A glance at my bag, and though I can¡¯t see the brushes within, I think of them. Then I make up my mind and head towards the church.

    ¡°Let¡¯s give them something to remember,¡± I say as an evil smile nestles on my face. I¡¯m still not running, but my pace is much quicker than before, now with much less frustration weighing me down. As I move I think of the many options I have, there are a bunch of walls after all. I already accepted that I would have to settle with one of the smaller ones because there¡¯s only so much you can do in broad daylight, but with this newfound motivation I¡¯m considering checking out other walls as well. It won¡¯t be daytime forever.

    Even I have to admit that the cathedral is quite the sight, even as someone that lived in the capital for the majority of his life, it cuts quite the image.

    High walls, and a lot of sharp edges on top. Supposedly it mimics a crown, though I¡¯m not sure I agree. It¡¯s imposing regardless, and there¡¯s a throng of people crowding around it. I¡¯m later than I originally wanted to, but still on time. As the crowd enters the building there¡¯s a noticeable emptiness in the area surrounding it. Everyone is inside for the sermon, the perfect moment to decorate. Confidently I walk around the massive structure, before eventually settling for a little cove to the side of it. It¡¯s a discrete spot, though it lacks escape routes. As long as I¡¯m quick I won¡¯t need to escape anyway. I put down the bag and take a last look around, deciding that the coast is clear I bring out the brushes. Then I place a large cup on the ground.

    ¡°Water,¡± I whisper, and the world twists. I¡¯m told that the feeling differs per person, but creating water has always felt like I¡¯m wringing out reality like a wet cloth. A steady stream of clear water appears out of thin air, filling my cup easily. I smile at the sight, there¡¯s a childish sort of joy in magic, even now. I reveal a small bucket out of the bag, more of a very large cup if I¡¯m being honest. Here comes the tricky part. Making water is easy, making earth is no harder, although it does use more mana. What¡¯s much more difficult is creating compounds. Luckily I¡¯m very experienced, I chant for a full thirty seconds but my efforts pay off splendidly. Red paint pours from nowhere into the container. With yet another bucket I repeat the process, this time making white paint. After just a few short minutes I have every color I could need, it does pay to be prepared.

    The real work begins here, and I get to work eagerly. Red is the primary color, it¡¯s what generates the most impact considering it is the color of demons. It isn¡¯t what I start with though, that would be green instead. Quick strokes make a grassy layer to build the rest of the image on top. I¡¯m swallowed by my work as I add layer after layer, creative use of air and fire magic speeding up the drying process.

    Red flowers dot a growing landscape. My painting hands add anything I think of, including a recreation of the cathedral from memory. It¡¯s a nice view, and I continue my efforts.

    I wonder how much I¡¯ll manage. The sermons last for quite some time so I should be golden in regards to time. When I was scoping out the place I made sure to check that, along with what walls are more easily seen, and which are nicely hidden; like this one. Some guards are patrolling, but it¡¯s peaceful and they don¡¯t really pay attention to the church itself. They see it every day and are firmly under the impression that attacks or unrest will come from outside, or at best from the plaza in front. Their colleagues will take care of anything happening inside, after all, all perfectly valid reasoning. Though they forgot about the walls themselves. Rookie mistake.

    My efforts are paying off, even as I¡¯m lost in thought. A landscape has developed further around the cathedral, with the red flowers now prominently displayed in the forefront. The church building is seen more in the distance, with rolling hills all around. Picking up a thinner brush for finer details I start adding the stuff they¡¯ll despise. Small red forms pop up around the structure, an army marching towards their objective. Geomancy forms small steps so I can reach higher, I color in the sky and put real effort towards a flying monstrosity soaring towards the cathedral.

    After I make sure to dry the layers properly, I paint a new church over the original one. This one is in tatters, the top is broken off and its bell is dropped to the ground. Demons are swarming the building and they¡¯ve clearly conquered it. Lastly, just to rub it in, I add in a few words in a blood-red script.

    ¡°A sanctuary for the wicked,¡± I read out loud, proud of my handiwork.

    ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯ll be going,¡± a different voice tells me. I jump and turn around. An armored figure looms over me, studying my art. I dash to the side but this guard is faster, he grabs me by the collar and pulls me back. In a panic, I start to chant.

    ¡°Furious winds that rage-¡± I begin, but he punches me in the stomach. The air is forced out of my body and I nearly vomit.

    ¡°Sorry ¡®bout that, but I can¡¯t have you trying to run away,¡± he explains, though it does nothing to ease my suffering. He drops me to the ground but I¡¯m too busy wheezing to attempt any getaway.

    ¡°Now, where did I put my handcuffs?¡± he mutters to himself while I blink away tears. An audible click pulls me back to reality and I find a lock on my wrists.

    ¡°Wha-¡± I try, when his hands force my mouth closed. My teeth clatter but he gives no reaction to my plight. After he gags me he grabs me by the collar again, dragging me towards the plaza in front of the church, or so I think. Instead of doing that, however, he walks towards a side door. Then he inserts a key and unlocks it, forcing me inside. I¡¯m now inside one of the many corridors inside the cathedral, and I¡¯m heading in deeper it seems.

    We pass lavish artwork and beautiful sculptures, it only conjures disgust in me. This place was never about helping people, if it was, my parents wouldn¡¯t be gone. I would still have a sister. The rage fills me up, giving me the illusion of strength, but I know better. I learned that lesson the hard way, anger is useful but it doesn¡¯t bring the results you want. Gagged and cuffed, I¡¯m pushed through another door.

    ¡°Hey, I caught a little troublemaker, where should I put him? my captor asks, I can see a young man sitting at a table. Eating lunch probably, he swallows before responding.

    ¡°What was he doing?¡± the man asks before narrowing his eyes, ¡°How come you gagged him?¡± The guard that captured me sighs.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to, but he¡¯s a mage. Started casting something so I shut him up.¡± The man¡¯s expression relaxes.

    ¡°A mage? At his age? Surely he couldn¡¯t have been that dangerous?¡± he questions.

    ¡°I¡¯m not taking chances with the magical sort, that never ends well,¡± the guard says, grimacing, ¡°Now where do I put him, Alan?¡± The man named Alan thinks for a moment.

    ¡°What did he actually do though? If it¡¯s something serious I can take him to the bishop.¡± My face pales at that idea, I do not want the local head of the church to know my face. Luckily, the guard shakes his head.

    ¡°Nothin¡¯ that serious. He painted some stuff on one of the walls, I¡¯ll admit that it looked very good. Though it wasn¡¯t exactly singing praises of the church if you catch my drift,¡± he says. Alan just rolls his eyes.

    ¡°Nothing that serious then, just give him to the city guards. I suggest getting him to clean it up,¡± he pauses for a moment and looks me in the eyes, ¡°... Never mind that I don¡¯t need the additional hassle of having someone keep watch on him.¡±

    ¡°Roger that, mister paladin, I¡¯ll pass him over to the city guard then.¡± And with that exchange, my custody is decided. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll get much punishment for this if I¡¯m being honest. They have bigger things to deal with as it is. The Academy exams are coming up and that means a lot of tourists and other visitors. Not to mention the hundreds of wannabe mages that are all too eager to display their skills. No, I¡¯ll be safe enough in their custody. Perhaps Steve will put in a good word for me too.

 Chapter Fourteen

    Chapter Fourteen

    ¡°I knew you were up to no good,¡± Steve says then sighs dramatically, so much for having him stand up for me. The church¡¯s guard already removed my gag and handcuffs before we entered, ¡°Vandalizing the church? What good can come of that?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t vandalize it, not really,¡± I mutter, ¡°Vandalizing implies I made something worse, this is an improvement.¡± The glaring tells me that the guard doesn¡¯t agree with my take.

    ¡°Alan, ah, that¡¯s the paladin who got stationed here a few days ago, told me that we don¡¯t want him to clean it up. Something about not wanting to bother with supervision,¡± the awfully relaxed guard of the church informs Steve.

    ¡°Then what am I supposed to do with him¡­?¡± he mutters, eyes pointing upwards. His religious colleague shrugs at the question, unconcerned with my future.

    ¡°Send him to his parents? Or keep him in a cell for a while. I don¡¯t really care as long as I don¡¯t have to apprehend him again.¡± And with that sentiment laid bare, the church guard excuses himself, leaving the room.

    ¡°So, Raphael¡­¡± Steve begins.

    ¡°So, Stephen¡­¡± I mimic him.

    ¡°I told you, my name is Steve, just regular Steve, it¡¯s not short for anything,¡± Stephen says, irritated, then his face relaxes, ¡°Look kid, why did you do this anyway.¡± He grabs a seat and motions for me to do the same. I remain standing, however. Staring silently at him.

    ¡°What did you think this was going to achieve?¡± he questions, and the words are out of my mouth before I realize it.

    ¡°Anything to hurt them,¡± I say, voice full of venom. The guard in front of me remains unperturbed by my outburst.

    ¡°This doesn¡¯t do that, it doesn¡¯t help either. You, painting some scandalous artwork on an obscured wall of the biggest church in the country? Who was even going to see?¡± I break eye contact, aware of the futility of my actions. But what else am I supposed to do? I can¡¯t forgive them, I can¡¯t ever forget the sight of¡­

    ¡°Why do you want to hurt the church, Raphael,¡± Steve asks.

    ¡°Well, why do you protect them!¡± I yell, ¡°They¡¯re murderers, and it¡¯s not like they help the people here anyway. Have you seen what they decorate their inner walls with? How many families does a single sculpture feed?¡± I vent, pent-up rage unleashed. The guardsman looks confused.

    ¡°Murderers? I won¡¯t say that the Order is virtuous but I think that¡¯s going a bit far,¡± he tells me. Once again the memories of that day flash before my eyes, some armored prick telling me my parents weren¡¯t coming back. Rachel yelling and shouting. That callous gaze of his is seared into my very soul. I can still hear him sigh before he cut her down. Cleanly beheaded. My very own sister, my last fragment of family.

    I go still, anger making way for apathy. The sun shines just as bright outside but my world has darkened regardless.

    ¡°Tell that to my family, to my sister, or try saying it to me again, the person that was left behind,¡± I say, with watery eyes and my voice barely a whisper. Steve goes silent at that.

    ¡°Ralph, I¡¯ve known you for years. I¡¯m the one that took you to the orphanage when you got dropped off here in the city. Why have you never told me this?¡±

    Because I wanted to avoid it.

    ¡°You never asked,¡± I mutter instead. He just sighs at my response.

    ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s take you back home. They must be worried about you.¡± I look at him incredulously.

    ¡°You¡¯re letting me go?¡± But he just laughs.

    ¡°Nope, but the headmistress will need some time to think of a punishment for you,¡± he tells me with a smile. My face pales at the thought. We keep walking as I try to convince him otherwise.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you just put me in a cell? No need to tell her right? She doesn¡¯t need to know!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯ll realize you¡¯re gone during dinner at the latest, and who do you think she¡¯s going to complain to then?¡± I hang my head solemnly at his words.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, she¡¯d go straight to me, and she would find me with you behind bars. That won¡¯t look good for me either.¡± I hate how he¡¯s right, but I¡¯m still not looking forward to this. Without anything else to say, we walk in silence. I entertain the thought of running, but where would I sleep? Or get food from? It¡¯s not like the headmistress is going to kill me either, but her punishments are creative so it might come close¡­

    It¡¯s easy to see the orphanage, a stone wall surrounds a field of grass; a large gate keeps intruders out and children in. I can see Timmy chasing Natascha, and Jacob is bouncing a ball against the wall. A very familiar sight, the atmosphere makes me feel relaxed. Steve has his own key for the gate, he¡¯s not unfamiliar with bringing back kids, both because of thwarted runaways and when we forget the time. The metal barrier creaks and groans as he pushes it open, the noise catches the attention of both Timmy and Natascha, Jacob doesn¡¯t even look up though. All of us know that Jacob¡¯s off in his own little world when he¡¯s bouncing that ball.

    ¡°Ralph!¡± Timmy shouts, his little legs carrying him towards me as fast as he can. He¡¯s the youngest here, barely ten. Younger even than I was when I was first brought here. Natasha is older, though not as old as me. She¡¯s roughly sixteen. Keeping track of birthdays is a very loose activity here, not everyone knows when they were born. I¡¯m fortunate in that regard since I still remember celebrating mine with my parents. Rachel¡¯s head falls in my mind¡¯s eye again, today is a particularly bad day. I try to not think about it when possible, but it inevitably creeps up on me. Not a week has passed where I didn¡¯t see her dying in front of me. There¡¯s always something to remind me, forcing me to relive that day.

    Ralph grabs my leg and hugs it as if his life depends on it, anchoring me in place. I point to it as I finally talk to Steve again.

    ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t go with you, Timmy caught me.¡± I explain remorsefully, ¡°You¡¯ll have to go alone.¡± The guardsman doesn¡¯t even look at me.

    ¡°Hey Timmy, if you¡¯re good I¡¯ll give you a candy,¡± he says nonchalantly, my eyes widening. Timmy releases me even faster than he grabbed me, the traitor. Then he stands in front of Steve and holds out his hand. The sight of him getting candy fills me with jealousy, my misfortune is his luck.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Stephen says and continues walking. I follow wordlessly, Timmy¡¯s betrayal is too fresh. The imposing front door gives the brave guard pause, he swallows nervously. After a moment of hesitation he pushes through resolutely, the door opens, causing an even bigger ruckus than the gate did. Steve winces.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°I should oil those hinges,¡± he mutters. And then the old headmistress is walking toward us and we both freeze up.

    ¡°So, how come you¡¯re bringing Raphael here personally, Stephen?¡± the old crone asks.

    ¡°My name isn¡¯t Stephen, it¡¯s Steve.¡±

    ¡°You should take the opportunity to go by Stephen, it¡¯s a much more dignified name,¡± she responds. Poor Steve can¡¯t bring himself to argue.

    ¡°Well in any case,¡± he says, trying to brush past her words, ¡°Raphael here was found vandalizing the church building, they sent him to me and I decided we should tell you ourselves. He¡¯ll be in a cell for a couple of days, so you won¡¯t have to cook for him.¡± The old hag¡¯s eyes narrow.

    ¡°He was vandalizing the church you say? And why was he doing that?¡± she questions, but I remain silent. None of my reasons would help my case. Stephen on the other hand sighs and responds seriously.

    ¡°He¡¯s¡­ angry at the church, we had a little talk back at the base.¡± The headmistress nods her head.

    ¡°And?¡± she asks.

    ¡°Perhaps we should talk about this privately?¡± Steve says, pointedly not looking at me. But she¡¯s unconcerned.

    ¡°If he can tell you, you can tell me with him hearing it.¡± The guardsman just sighs again.

    ¡°Fine, he says the church are murderers.¡± I refuse to make eye contact; though I feel her gaze on me.

    ¡°Hm, we¡¯ll talk about this in more detail young man, you¡¯re not off the hook. And when you¡¯re out of your cell again, well I¡¯ll put in plenty of effort into your cooking,¡± she says, smiling evilly. A chill goes down my spine at her words. Her food is infamous, even though she can make normal food, and she does it every night, her hobby is experimenting with ingredients. There are some horrific dishes that she produced, and she takes great joy in using them as punishment.

    I can see Steve went pale too, and he stutters when he talks again.

    ¡°R-right, I¡¯ll just get him back to the precinct and we¡¯ll have him think about his actions in a cell.¡±

    ¡°You do that,¡± the old hag says, shooing us away. She turns around and walks off. After her departure, we follow suit. I wave goodbye at Timmy and Natascha. Jacob is still bouncing a ball off the wall, but even he seems to notice and he waves at me. Surprised, I wave back.

    ¡°That¡¯s odd, Jacob almost reacts when he¡¯s busy,¡± I mutter.

    ¡°He must have noticed how guilty you look,¡± Steve teases me, I let out a mocking laugh.

    ¡°Real funny,¡± I tell him, this doesn¡¯t stop him from cackling at his joke. We keep walking, taking a few shortcuts here and there.

    ¡°So, are you going to tell me about your family?¡± the guardsman ventures, I glare at him.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t think so, but it was worth a try,¡± he says, and shrugs, ¡°It helps, you know? Talking about it, I mean.¡± I don¡¯t answer, I just listen to the sound of our footsteps, and the cawing of birds above us. In the distance, there¡¯s a group of familiar people walking, what a coincidence. One of them notices us too. She bumps the other girl, the one that I saved from a caved-in head, and they turn around.

    ¡°Hey!¡± the girl yells, Steve looks confused.

    ¡°Friends of yours?¡± he whispers at me. I shake my head.

    ¡°I met them this morning, saved that girl from a flower pot.¡± He looks at me, no less confused than before.

    ¡°What¡¯s up, how come there¡¯s a guard with you?¡± she says, as the whole group gets close, ¡°Are you his bodyguard? You don¡¯t look like a noble.¡± Steve just looks perplexed at the whole situation.

    ¡°Me? No, I¡¯m bringing him to jail.¡± The girl¡¯s eyes widen.

    ¡°To jail!? What did he do?¡± she asks.

    ¡°That¡¯s private-¡± Steve begins, but I answer anyway.

    ¡°Drew on the church, got caught.¡±

    She laughs, I¡¯m still struggling to remember her name, then her friend pipes up.

    ¡°That¡¯s rough, and after you saved Sophie too,¡± the friend says.

    ¡°Saved her? What did he do?¡± asks Steve.

    ¡°He shattered some flower pot in mid-air, shards of ceramic everywhere. Still had the dirt inside hit her on the head though, so that was funny.¡± Sophie playfully kicks at her, but the girl dodges her friend¡¯s attack.

    ¡°It was fine, it wasn¡¯t hard to clean,¡± Sophie says, defending me. Steve turns to me.

    ¡°You did what? Do you know how hard a spell like that is? Most second-years can¡¯t do that.¡± he says, referring to the Academy¡¯s students. One of the guys stands up for me too.

    ¡°I saw it too, he did that,¡± he lies, because they didn¡¯t even believe me when it all happened. There¡¯s no way he saw it. Not that I¡¯m complaining now that he¡¯s helping me.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t even know you could do magic¡­¡± mutters Steve, ¡°You¡¯re still spending some time in a cell,¡± he says, glaring at me. Then he starts walking again and I hurry to catch up with him.

    ¡°No leniency? Not even after I saved someone?¡± I ask him. He stubbornly refuses to look at me and continues walking.

    The guard station comes into view and we head for the door, two of Steve¡¯s colleagues are next to the entrance and they greet him, only offering dramatic glares at me. I return the favor, they¡¯re just trying to intimidate me. Inside, we encounter a quiet interior, a bored guard sitting on a chair filing paperwork.

    ¡°Mike, I¡¯m putting this one in cell fourteen,¡± Steve tells the clerk, who looks up surprised.

    ¡°Hm? Oh, Steve. Before you do that, the captain was looking for you,¡± he says, lacking any amount of enthusiasm. I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯s totally here in the room with us. His head seems to be somewhere else entirely.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just drop him off and then I¡¯ll go see her.¡± But the clerk shakes his head.

    ¡°No, she said you had to visit, and I quote ¡®even if he¡¯s detaining an armada of demons¡¯ so just take him with you,¡± he says with a serious tone of voice. A strained smile forms on Steve¡¯s face, but he eventually deflates. He turns to me.

    ¡°Don¡¯t say a word in front of her,¡± he warns me. I look at him, initiating a stare-off.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± I say eventually, I don¡¯t intend to dig an even deeper hole for myself. Steve just sighs, lacking the energy to deal with me. So he guides me to the captain¡¯s office, I''ve never met her so I don¡¯t know what to expect; I¡¯m expecting someone stern, especially with that sentence the clerk quoted. I don¡¯t have to wonder for long.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, what did you need me for?¡± Steve asks after knocking on the oaken door.

    ¡°Get in here,¡± a voice responds, muffled by the wood. Dutifully, we both enter. So for the first time in more than half a decade of living in the capital, I meet its head guardian. She¡¯s not what I expected. Her black hair absorbs the light of the sun shining in through the window, it matches her piercing eyes. Her uniform is barely different from the one the other guards wear, just without the armor added on top. This desk job doesn¡¯t require anything like that.

    ¡°Steve,¡± she begins, ignoring my entire existence, ¡°Can you explain to me, why I was just chastised by the bishop?¡± My poor guard friend pales.

    ¡°Uhm, ma¡¯am, it¡¯s not like we-¡± he tries, but the captain cuts him off.

    ¡°It¡¯s because some idiot kid got caught drawing on the church,¡± she says, her voice deadpan. The window is very interesting, you can see a small garden through it.

    ¡°That¡¯s why they have guards,¡± Steve responds, keeping his answer short. It prevents her from cutting him off yet again.

    ¡°I know that!¡± she yells at him, ¡°And so does the bishop! It doesn¡¯t stop him from patronizing me!¡± After that outburst, she sinks back in her chair, and for the first time since I stepped inside, she notices that Steve isn¡¯t here alone.

    ¡°...Why is there some kid here?¡± she asks slowly.

    ¡°Mike told me that you wanted me here as soon as possible, even if it meant bringing Ralph.¡± The captain pinches her nose, muttering something, I can only catch the word ¡®idiot¡¯ being used more than once.

    ¡°Why is Ralph here?¡± she eventually asks.

    ¡°Because you said I had to show up as soon as possible?¡± Steve tries. The captain sighs and looks up at the air with a pained expression.

    ¡°I mean, why is he in this building,¡± she clarifies. Her subordinate winces when he realizes his misunderstanding, then again when he draws the connection between the captain¡¯s foul mood and my crime.

    ¡°Ah, uh, I was just going to lock him up for a day or so, so he has time to think about his actions,¡± he says, trying to avoid the topic of what those actions were. The captain is less than amused by his antics and isn¡¯t fooled.

    ¡°And what,¡± she begins, threateningly, ¡°Would those actions be?¡±

    Steve is desperately trying to think of something, and I¡¯m mentally rooting for him.

    ¡°He¡¯s the one that vandalized the church,¡± the filthy traitor reveals. I turn to him with a look of betrayal. He avoids eye contact with both me and the captain. Meanwhile, his supervisor does the opposite, staring straight at me, and in a bold move, I look straight into her eyes. I don¡¯t want to be punished but I have no shame in my actions. If anything, I wish I did more.

    ¡°Lock him up for a week,¡± she tells Steve, and we both react in shock.

    ¡°A week!?¡± I sputter in protest.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit harsh, ma¡¯am?¡± my friend says, more diplomatically than my words. The captain doesn¡¯t even bother responding, going straight back to the documents in front of her. Defeated, we slowly and awkwardly leave the room. Not a word is exchanged between us, but when we head back to the entrance, part of me hopes Steve is just going to set me free. No such luck.

    ¡°MIke, reserve cell fourteen for the next week.¡± Mike is just as confused as us.

    ¡°A week? Isn¡¯t that quite long? What did the kid do?¡±

    ¡°Unknowingly angered the captain,¡± Steve mutters, he and Mike share a knowing look.

    With my fate for the next week decided, I am guided towards my new, temporary, home. We walk past the other cells and it gives me a clear indication of what state I will be spending the next seven days in. Hard beds and a toilet, not much else can be seen in the rooms. The numbers above the bars go up the further along we get. Fourteen doors later we stand in front of our destination, at least the beds in this cell have some stuffing it seems. That¡¯s an improvement.

    ¡°Well, here you go,¡± the guard tells me as he opens the door. Obediently I walk in and drop myself onto the bed. It groans as I put my weight on it.

    ¡°You¡¯ll get your meals delivered at regular times. And don¡¯t make a mess because we won¡¯t clean it until after you leave,¡± he warns me.

 Chapter Fifteen

    Chapter Fifteen

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to believe how big this city is,¡± I mutter. Gartric isn¡¯t the capital, but it comes close in terms of prosperity. A good hundred thousand souls live within the stone walls that are visible from the carriage. Percy is still in the back, he¡¯s seen this sight a million times. When he told me how imposing his dad¡¯s city looked from a distance, well I just had to ask the handler if I could sit with him.

    ¡°It¡¯s a beauty, it is,¡± the driver says with a thick accent, ¡°It¡¯s the city ¡®o walls after all.¡± And it¡¯s a well-earned nickname.

    Even from our low vantage point, it¡¯s hard to miss the incredible fortifications that are present around the city. Those very same fortifications make it difficult to see the inside, but from what Percy told me, it¡¯s the same in the whole settlement.

    It comes as no surprise that this place raises so many fantastic geomancers, they must need legions of them just to maintain what they¡¯ve already built. The roads are in much better shape too, though that¡¯s also a natural result of our proximity to the heart of the kingdom. Gartric and the capital are only a day or three away from each other, it depends on what transportation you use.

    For once I didn¡¯t need to pester my encyclopedic friend, he shared it willingly, brazenly, and without pause, for the past few days. We¡¯ve already passed by half a dozen towns and cities, though none come close to Gartric, not in size and certainly not in looks. Though it was still hard to miss how much wealthier those places were compared to Lorvia or even the village I recovered in originally.

    I¡¯ve long since healed from the injuries I sustained by killing those demons, there¡¯s only so much you can squeeze out of a mind, and mine was past its breaking point. The illusion targeted at Alan, combined with needing to contain my mana¡­ The spectacle at Lorvia didn¡¯t help, and even the little wind bursts added up. I still couldn¡¯t rest as I was leaking as badly as I was at first, but at least the training tool that the old doctor gave to me was pulling its weight.

    Alan, the paladin of the Order, was also no longer a concern, he didn¡¯t stay much longer after that horrific encounter with demons, when we reached the next village he kept traveling. Whereas we stopped to sell our wares. We¡¯ve also been picking up applicants as we went, so Percy and I got less and less privacy. That is, until he just happened to mention that in front of James, from that point on we just had more cargo in our ride. No other people to share with though, so that was still an improvement. Who needs legroom in a vehicle¡­

    My good fortune wasn¡¯t going to last, however, as Percy would get off at this stop, taking away our special privileges with him. I can¡¯t say I blame him though, he¡¯s not safe either. Aside from the plethora of information that he¡¯d been sharing with me, he¡¯s also been unable to shut up about his family; and how terrified he is about meeting them again.

    After leaving, a little over a year ago, without a word of goodbye I might add, his overprotective siblings and father were on his mind more often than not. Which I noticed, repeatedly. In a way, my insistence on sitting out in front was as much to see the city earlier, as it was protection for my sanity.

    I am going to miss the noble boy. He¡¯s a good person, very helpful, and very driven too. I think about his good points as I nibble on some meat, the jerky has been on my mind too, the lack of it, really. Though I haven¡¯t run out yet, the bag is starting to run dry, even after Percy donated his portion to me. With his leakage fully gone, he¡¯s finally been able to safely perform magic again, as well as help with his duties as James¡¯s employee.

    A bear only has so much meat, unfortunately, and what little I have left is losing its use too, mana doesn¡¯t stay in corpses forever. The thought sours my mood, even the beautiful walls don¡¯t cheer me up. I think back on our disastrous attempt of healing me with a demon¡¯s cadaver.

    It seemed like such a good idea though, if somewhat unsavory, demons have a ton of mana in them, I needed a ton of mana in me. A perfect solution. Until I came into contact with their energy, which turns out to not be mana in the way that I understood it. Theirs is potent, oh so very potent, but that aspect comes from how densely packed it is.

    When I first touched the demon¡¯s heart, I passed out immediately; my whole mind got shut down. I woke up quickly, fortunately, and that¡¯s when I discovered what happens when a mana-deprived body gets an incredible burst of energy injected into it. Namely, it tries to both absorb and release it. The mana stuck to me, like adhesive, it glued itself to me and soared through my veins. I felt like a god for an entire five seconds, and then the drop came.

    I used up all the mana in the span of those five seconds, I don¡¯t even remember actively doing anything with it though. What I do remember, is how I threw up and passed out yet again. Landed right in my vomit too. The second time I woke up, I was back to feeling somewhat good. My body felt fresh and energized; my mind much less so. The feeling of having pulled an allnighter clung to me, yet I couldn¡¯t fall asleep at all.

    I was lethargic for days, but physically in peak condition; far from ideal. It could have been much worse of course, and the healing effect helped immensely with my fatigued mana channels. The moment that healing was done, however, the release part of the process happened, which was very involved with making me faint.

    My mana reserves were once again dangerously low, but at least my body¡¯s desperate desire for energy was sated for a while. Even now, my daily upkeep was significantly less, though it was growing every day.

    While I was engrossed in my thoughts we reached the entrance of Gartric, from my spot up with the driver I can see James jump out of his vehicle, he walks towards an official-looking fellow. There¡¯s no way I can hear anything from this distance but it¡¯s clear that they know each other. After a prodigious amount of hand waving they go off on their own again, I¡¯m guessing James had us all a spot assigned in the stables, or perhaps a place to set up camp outside of the walls.

    We start moving again at James¡¯s behest, his carriage guides the others and we follow like ducklings. All towards a building that I can best describe as a farmhouse, except much wider and less tall. These were the stables, and after the drakes drop us off at the pasture outside, they each find a spot inside. I hope there won¡¯t be too many other visitors because we¡¯re taking up a huge amount of space.

    I can see James motioning for me to come over, and curiously I head towards him.

    ¡°Samual! Would you mind amplifying my voice again?¡± he asks politely. I don¡¯t want to accuse him of anything, but I suspect he just loves hearing himself speak loudly. Not that I can deny there¡¯s an actual use for his vanity. There¡¯s a lot of people traveling with us and they need to be told when we¡¯ll leave. I let loose a dramatic sigh.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget your promise,¡± I say to him, ¡°We¡¯re in Gartric now, don¡¯t tell me you cannot get my mana potions here.¡± James has been postponing my payment for a while, giving the same old excuse in every city. Saying that the city is too small to have any potions worth the gold won¡¯t fly here. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    ¡°Of course! Two high-quality potions, you''ll get them,¡± he assures me, and thus I get to work. Not too much work though, but I¡¯m taking care to avoid straining myself. So instead of casually casting what he wants as I would usually do, I sit down and take it slow.

    In front of the merchant appears a small rod with a bulb on top, he grabs it eagerly and moves it to his mouth. As a freebie, I also add a glowing sign above his head; though it is technically not part of the deal.

    The crowd gathers, having already gotten used to the show.

    ¡°Hello everyone!¡± James happily shouts, now easily heard by everyone in the area, ¡°We¡¯ve reached Gartric, and we will be staying here for two days before heading onward to the capital. Everyone is free to visit the city in the meantime, but make sure you are here before nightfall tomorrow. We¡¯re leaving early as always, and if you¡¯re not here then I¡¯m charging you double before I leave without you.¡±

    His crew cracks a smile at this, but most of the applicants don¡¯t know him well enough to judge how sincere he is. Some awkward laughs fill the silence before I dismiss the spell.

    ¡°So, are we going shopping?¡± I ask James with an innocent smile, he pulls a face.

    ¡°I¡¯m not entering the city,¡± he says resolutely, ¡°Not without Maria to defend me from her husband. Percy''s father is a fair man but I¡¯m not taking chances when it comes to his reaction toward his son''s departure.¡± I narrow my eyes at his words.

    ¡°Then how and when are you going to pay me?¡± He breaks eye contact and I start glaring at him.

    ¡°Look,¡± he says, ¡°This can wait until the capital right? Where¡¯s the rush?¡±

    ¡°Then I guess you¡¯re going to give those applicants their money back too?¡± Now it¡¯s his turn to glare at me, though I don¡¯t avoid his eyes the way he did to me.

    ¡°Fine, get Percy to buy them, you can send me the bill,¡± he caves, ¡°But don¡¯t even think about buying anything else in my name!¡± James warns me. I grin at him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go find him then,¡± I say, ¡°I think he needs the emotional support before his family reunion.¡± James and I share a look of mutual understanding, both of us knowing full well how nervous Percy is about the whole thing.

    Then I¡¯m off to find my friend, I doubt he went inside the city yet. Though he¡¯s a real go-getter, I get the feeling he¡¯s going to procrastinate this for as long as he can. So I walk throughout our camp, waving at people along the way. I didn¡¯t mingle much with the applicants, I only heard a few names. Though there was one guy that told me his entire life story before James rearranged the seating.

    Still, I greet whoever I encounter, leaving smiles as I go.

    ¡°David!¡± The burly handler turns his head at my call.

    ¡°Aye lad, what¡¯s got you so excited.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing, James finally decided to honor his debt,¡± I tell him, ¡°Have you seen Percy around? I¡¯m looking for him.¡±

    ¡°I think I saw ¡®em gettin¡¯ swarmed by them applicants? Near the gate,¡± he says, and it¡¯s not hard to imagine the scene he¡¯s painting. Percy¡¯s noble origins got leaked a while back, and every applicant we picked up along the way heard about it. They must be harping about meeting the city lord, or just trying to get into his good graces the same way they¡¯ve been doing for days now.

    ¡°Thanks, good luck with Bertha and the girls.¡± I wave as I walk off, David grunts something I can¡¯t make out. Then I¡¯m off again, walking towards the giant walls that protect the city, though no one has mentioned yet what they¡¯re supposed to defend again these days. I¡¯ve been told plenty of stories about how this was the last bastion of humanity before turning the tide in the Hellwar. The myth is so common knowledge that I¡¯ve even heard kids reference it, though it isn¡¯t a complicated story so that isn¡¯t as odd as it may seem.

    It takes a few minutes to reach the gate, a portcullis hanging above. There was no moat, though Percy had told me that the inner castle did have one. The ruling family lived there, though it also functioned as a city hall of sorts, so he was very familiar with it.

    As I reach the gate I can see why David mentioned the swarming part. There¡¯s a whole school of teenage people hanging around Percy as he tries to stay polite. I grin and watch the show for a minute before interrupting.

    ¡°Excuse me!¡± I shout which draws their attention, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I already have an appointment with him.¡± Percy looks at me with worship, something I rightfully deserve. The crowd is less pleased though, and the sound of resentful muttering can be heard. Without letting that bother me I grab Percy by the hand and pull him towards the city, though his followers don¡¯t leave so easily.

    They move after us like ducklings, not sure where they¡¯re going, but clinging to the one thing they understand. I spot one of them egging the others on, some guy with a mustache that makes him look much older than he is. Before he gathers his nerves enough to cause a ruckus though, I decide to give a demonstration.

    Limiting my mana usage is of the utmost importance so I can¡¯t do whatever I think of, and regardless, most of these people have never seen me properly cast spells. Intimidation would be inefficient at best. So the opposite is a much more appealing option to me. Considering the vast majority of these applicants are guys, well there¡¯s a very effective method for them. So, very coincidentally, there¡¯s a woman that emerges from an alley.

    I somewhat underestimated how taxing this is, but at least I can base her on some model from my world. The generous curves and entirely impractical apparel draw their attention as planned, though some of them don¡¯t react much. They¡¯re all distracted by this beauty though, attraction aside, and so I pull Percy into a different alley, away from them.

    I let the illusion vanish and the effect is instantaneous, some yelling can be heard from the main street so Percy and I head the other way.

    ¡°Who was that?¡± my friend says, distracted. I look at him with faint amusement.

    ¡°Me.¡± His goofy grin evaporates.

    ¡°...An illusion?¡± he asks though he already knows the answer. I offer a polite smile.

    ¡°So, this is your city, where to?¡± I turn to my guide, who¡¯s still coping with his shattered dream. Wordlessly he points to a crossing further down the road.

    ¡°We go left there, it¡¯s mostly straight from that point.¡±

    And so we walk side by side, my amusement clear on my face, his own showing the disappointment he feels deep inside. Before we even reach the turn, he¡¯s already back to normal; serenading me with information.

    ¡°Most of the city is actually less than twenty years old,¡± he shares with me, though before I can even ask, he explains what he means, ¡°Not that the city grew that much in just two decades, we just do so much construction work that most building and roads get completely renewed roughly every twenty years.¡±

    He timed his reveal perfectly because as I turn the corner we reach one of the bigger streets, and the open space shows just how much stone is used in this city. With great results, there¡¯s a steady stream of people walking around us, and even some carriages taking up the middle of the road. These aren¡¯t pulled by drakes, however, as the lumbering giants would take up far too much space. I¡¯m not a fan of how noisy the area is, the weather is great, so plenty of people are out and about. It¡¯s nice to see such liveliness, but I can appreciate it better from a distance.

    Percy guides us further along, and I take the opportunity to ask him about his family.

    ¡°My sisters? Well¡­ Where to begin? I¡¯ll start by warning you that they look identical, and even I have trouble distinguishing them by their appearance. Demeter and Persephone are their names, though as I said, I can¡¯t tell you who is who based on what they look like. Their personalities aren¡¯t useful for it either; they¡¯re very fond of mimicking each other.

    Only their interests are different, with Persephone living up to our reputation by focusing on geomancy. Demeter, on the other hand, prefers pyromancy. They both dapple in the hydromancy too, and neither is very good at aeromancy.¡± He¡¯s painting a dreadful picture, of two identical sisters that only differ in their preferred element of magic? I¡¯m looking forward to meeting them. At his words, a new question comes to mind.

    ¡°Then which element are you focusing on?¡± He grins, and I narrow my eyes at this suspicious sight.

    ¡°It¡¯s aeromancy isn¡¯t it?¡± I guess. He deflates a little.

    ¡°Don¡¯t just guess my element like that,¡± he says, ¡°Spoiling the surprise is rude.¡± Then I can see the lightbulb in his head start to shine.

    ¡°Wait, let me guess yours too then.¡± I nod, knowing damn well that I don¡¯t have one. Magic wasn¡¯t as bound to the elements back home. We specialized more on how we used it, less than on what we used.

    ¡°It is also air, right? That sound amplification spell is aeromancy,¡± he guesses, and I take a moment to consider his point. The thing is that it isn¡¯t air-based. It is vibration-based, I can use the same principle to shake a rock or water, it isn¡¯t exactly more difficult. The denser a medium is though, the more mana it takes.

    ¡°It kind of isn¡¯t? Though I guess you could call that aeromancy,¡± I tell him, ¡°You¡¯ll have to guess more later though. We¡¯re here aren¡¯t we?¡±

    Percy stiffens and starts paying attention to his surroundings again, going pale as he realizes we¡¯re right in front of the bridge to his house. The moat only has a little bit of water in it.

    ¡°Yea¡­¡± he says, then he pulls himself together and heads for what I can only assume is an employee standing guard at the entrance. He takes a deep breath in front of the man, who is looking at Percy like he¡¯s trying to figure out if he knows him.

    ¡°I am Perseus Trigalt, and I return from my year-long departure.¡±

 Chapter Sixteen

    Chapter Sixteen

    I''d be lying if I said it wasn''t amusing to see the guard connect the dots. The relaxed pose he was in vanishes and suddenly a professional stands before us; his posture straight. Percy is just as nervous though, so they make a good pair.

    ¡°Sir! Welcome back! I will inform the lord!¡± says Percy¡¯s employee, and heads off. I notice how my friend seems surprised at how quickly he leaves until I see the guard switching direction, heading the other way. Embarrassing, to say the least.

    ¡°Should we wait here?¡± I ask Percy, who has a stiff look on his face.

    ¡°We could,¡± he admits, ¡°But I don¡¯t think we¡¯d get far.¡± And with that vaguely threatening sentence, I notice the source of his dismay. A girl is walking our way, and judging purely from her confident walk; and also Percy¡¯s slight twitching, I¡¯d say it is his sister.

    Now comes the second question, which one is she? The geomancer, or the pyromancer. As I¡¯ve done so many times since waking up in the village, I miss being able to use magic for whatever I want. The urge to shoot a spell her way to see how she reacts is distracting me.

    Preventively, I place a hand on Percy¡¯s back; making sure he doesn¡¯t try to bolt. I doubt he even noticed how much he was moving backward. I am such a good friend to him, though I don¡¯t think he would agree with me based on the betrayed look on his face.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have to meet her right now,¡± he mutters, ¡°I could let her know from a distance?¡± What is she, a bomb? But unfortunately for him, his hesitation costs him. Whichever sister it may be, she¡¯s noticed us now. And it seems she noticed her brother¡¯s identity.

    Her previous confident stride is nowhere to be seen as she takes off towards us. Percy told me she¡¯s bad at aeromancy but it feels like she¡¯s flying regardless. I take a step backward to properly witness their touching reunion.

    My question regarding if she is Demeter or Persephone is answered when fire shoots from her legs. Her brother lets out a whimper, I¡¯m detecting some mild trauma, or perhaps his image of her just grew and twisted while he was away. The fire doesn¡¯t seem to add anything but perhaps it is a stylistic choice? It certainly adds an element of danger.

    And then it¡¯s collision time, as siblings reunite after a year of distance. It is an explosive event, not in the least because she creates an entire cocoon of flames around the two of them. She barely chanted for it too. The usage of the fire magic already implied that this is Demeter, but this all but confirms it.

    My common sense regarding the magic in this world is lacking, but I¡¯ve seen the mages that James employs cast, and this is on par with some of their favorite spells. Firmly ranking her among the better students, or at least among the applicants. The exams haven¡¯t happened yet.

    The scorching fire in front of me does bother me, it obscures them and that means it is taking away a huge source of amusement for me. Fortunately, while casting spells is something I should avoid, manipulating existing spells is a lesser evil. Mental strain is the only risk of that since it doesn¡¯t consume any mana. I also want to show off in front of Percy¡¯s sisters, because I frankly find the idea incredibly funny. So with that motivating me, I casually dismiss the construct.

    The fire dies down now that the magic no longer feeds it, and inside I see Percy on his knees. Demeter is scolding him harshly, though she¡¯s flustered about her magic getting dismissed now. I wave at her with a smile on my face.

    ¡°Who¡¯s that,¡± she interrogates Percy, and I feel kind of bad for him. It doesn¡¯t outweigh the immense amusement I experience at his plight though, so I¡¯m not very inclined to help him out.

    ¡°That¡¯s Samual, he¡¯s a friend,¡± her brother reveals, and I wave again.

    ¡°Hi!¡± I greet her enthusiastically, ¡°Sorry about the fire, but I¡¯ve been looking forward to seeing Percy¡¯s reunion, you see. He deserves some company while it happens don¡¯t you think?¡±

    Percy quickly gets up, but while he tries to get to me, Demeter grabs him by the collar.

    ¡°This is a family affair,¡± she says coldly.

    ¡°It is,¡± I agree, ¡°But not helping a friend in trouble would be unforgivable,¡± Her eyes narrow at that. Luckily for both of us, the rest of her family is hurrying toward us.

    It¡¯s quite the sight, a young girl that looks identical to Demeter is running at full tilt towards her brother, and her father is hot on her heels. Percy¡¯s mother is more laidback, but though she¡¯s walking gracefully she¡¯s not lagging behind, somehow. I don¡¯t notice any magic aiding her, but at this distance, her mana pool could very well cover it up.

    Persephone is shouting words that I can¡¯t make out, she¡¯s moving rapidly and it¡¯s terrifying to see. Her pace is deceptively high, and I almost think that she has me under some illusion. Until I notice the ground at her feet is subtly waving. The movement is helping her speed up, it is a weird thing to see. Again, I am tempted to mess with spells but I don¡¯t want to risk injuring her. Interrupting anyone moving at that speed is a dangerous proposition.

    Then she arrives at her siblings, still spewing words but since she¡¯s so out of breath I don¡¯t think anyone can understand her.

    ¡°Exactly! He can¡¯t just disappear like that!¡± her sister shouts in agreement, disproving my earlier claim. I¡¯m amazed she understood even a word because I didn¡¯t get anything from that. This means a lot because I don¡¯t do language the way they do. I hear what their soul means to say. Which in this case was gibberish. I guess the sheer amount of emotion overwhelmed any verbal meaning attached to it.

    I¡¯m not sure if that explains why I couldn¡¯t understand the people from the Order back then though; nor why I could understand Alan just fine.

    My pondering gets interrupted by Percy taking cover behind me, his existence momentarily forgotten as his sisters share their frustrations with each other. A small prickle of energy gets me moving and without hesitation I drop to the floor. Behind me I can hear an explosion and I hurry to look at what caused it. The small but noticeable crater behind me is reasonable cause for alarm, the perpetrator makes themselves known too.

    "You dodged that, tch,¡± Percy¡¯s father says. Instinct takes over as I raise both my arms and a barrier in front of me. Nothing hits it, the projectile came from my side instead. It hits my ribs and rips straight through. My figure evaporates like mist.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°Don¡¯t try that again,¡± I say coldly. The man before me stiffens as he feels the heat from my spell. A blazing orb is readied before my hand, positioned right behind him.

    He does not take my words to heart, however, and, without chanting, he raises a barrier while turning around. My spell blows through his shield like it was wet paper, blowing away most of his left arm. As he screams from the pain I let that illusion fade too.

    We are back where we started, the crater behind me, though I am now standing slightly to the right. Percy¡¯s father blinks away the tears in his eyes.

    ¡°Wha¡­ huh?¡± he questions, voice hoarse. Innocently I wave at him, smiling all the while.

    ¡°Dad!¡± both sisters exclaim, they are at his side in moments. He looks at them in confusion while his brain tries to catch up to what his mind just experienced.

    ¡°You!¡± Demeter shouts at me, I can only tell that it¡¯s her because she¡¯s the only one to have reason to suspect me. Before the situation escalates, however, her mother steps in. If I recall correctly her name is Maria. I only know because James refused to enter the city without her support. She¡¯s the lady that helped Percy depart, I admit I¡¯ve been curious about what kind of person she is.

    With a clap of her hands she catches everyone¡¯s attention, the sound is amplified and it reverberates throughout my body. That it makes me slightly queasy is a testament to how much power she put into the spell. An accomplished aeromancer, that much is certain.

    ¡°Relax, no harm was done,¡± she tells her family, then looks at me, ¡°Right?¡± I nod my head at her question.

    ¡°He just saw an illusion, none of it was real. Just¡­ straining his mind. He¡¯ll be fine after some rest.¡± Maria smiles at me, though I can still feel how unhappy she is with my treatment of her husband. While I understand that, he attacked me first. The sisters don¡¯t hide their real feelings nearly as well.

    ¡°You attacked dad!?¡± they shout, the stereo of it is freaking me out a little bit. They really are identical twins. Triplets, technically, but Percy is the odd duck of the bunch.

    ¡°In some sense of the word, he did throw some explosive spell at me first though,¡± I tell them while I gesture at the crater behind me. Before my very eyes, the hole fills itself up again. I twist my head in confusion. Until I look back at Persephone, who is concentrating and mumbling something that is no doubt an incantation. These damn physics defiers.

    ¡°How did you dodge that!¡± The dad pipes up, I¡¯m surprised he got over the shock of losing his arm so quickly.

    ¡°Could we maybe not put me in the spotlight like this?¡± I hesitantly ask, they are not inclined to follow my suggestion though, not until Percy stands up before me. He had been trying to hide until now, but I¡¯m pleased to see that his earnest desire to help his friend shook him out of it.

    Or at least, that¡¯s what I thought, right up to the moment where he takes cover behind his mom instead. Silently I mouth the word ¡®traitor¡¯ at him, he looks away. His father is covertly trying to cast, but at this distance, it is easy to notice the mana bundling up in front of him. With a quick twist of will, I rip the whole structure to pieces. Not as subtle as I could have been, but I am getting annoyed with the hostility in this man. I didn¡¯t do anything to his family, aside from dismissing the spell his daughter cast.

    ¡°Look, Percy¡¯s dad, what did I do to you?¡± I ask him frustratedly. He glares at me, and I expect him to try another magic spell but he answers me instead.

    ¡°You took my son away from me!¡± he shouts, I glare right back.

    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous, I wasn¡¯t even¡­¡± in this world a year ago, I finish in my head.

    ¡°You weren¡¯t even what!¡±

    ¡°I had nothing to do with your son¡¯s departure! I¡¯ve only known him for a week and a half,¡± I tell him. Though he doesn¡¯t seem to believe me, not until his wife claps her hands in the same devastating manner as before.

    ¡°Jason,¡± she says, ¡°I¡¯m the one that helped Percy escape.¡± Her husband is completely taken aback by this reveal. Meanwhile, I¡¯m wondering why she didn¡¯t tell him before all this, she had a year to explain the situation.

    ¡°Maria? You helped? But why!?¡±

    ¡°He asked,¡± she responds, shrugging her shoulders, ¡°How could I refuse when he asked sincerely to see more of the world? We are supposed to teach him as his parents, he won¡¯t learn those lessons from inside this castle.¡± There is a tense moment between the two before Maria sighs audibly.

    ¡°Speaking of the inside of this castle; let¡¯s go there,¡± Percy says, the first words he¡¯s uttered in front of his family since the moment he left the city. In return for his bravery, I give him a thumbs up. His family, except his mother, glares at him instead, though they still follow him and Maria back inside. I, too, walk with them.

    ¡°Does he have to come?¡± one of the sisters asks with her voice full of venom. In response I mockingly act like she just broke my heart, falling to my knees. For a second I can see both of them react in a genuine fashion, a small half-step towards me with kindness in their eyes. Then they realize I was just messing around and they both refuse to make eye contact. Hastening their steps to walk further ahead. Leaving me to walk next to Percy¡¯s dad. Who has seen better days, he¡¯s rubbing his left arm and it twitches when it touches his side.

    I feel a little bad about it, phantom pain is no walk in the park, though this variety will pass in a few days at most. That said, there are ways I can help him with it, they just take more mana than I am willing to spend. The types of illusions that occur only in a victim¡¯s mind are intensive, and I wasted a lot of mana with how rapidly I had to cast it. I can only hope that I¡¯ll find those potions tomorrow because otherwise, I will be in hot water, and not in a comfortable way.

    I marvel at the flowers while we walk through the courtyard, there are many colors spread throughout the foliage. I couldn¡¯t name most of the plants but I can at least recognize the roses. Some low hedges separate the area into parts and it has a positive effect on the overall feel.

    We enter through two large doors when we reach the other side of the garden, a marble floor decorates the interior. I also spot two staircases curling upwards, some paintings hang on the walls and there are even a few pedestals with sculptures on them dotting the corridors to each side. We head for the stairs and follow the corridor. The sheer amount of doors that we pass by reminds me of an office building from home, or perhaps even a hotel.

    Percy slows down his pace until he matches mine, taking the time to explain some things about his house.

    ¡°Many of the rooms behind these doors are combined offices and sleeping quarters. They¡¯re multifunctional guest chambers. Our rooms are a bit ahead.¡±

    He barely finishes his sentence when his mother suddenly stops in front of a door with the number sixteen hanging painted on it.

    ¡°I expect you will stay the night? James will only leave in two days, so you are free to stay here until then. This will be your room, remember the number.¡± Maria tells me. I express my gratitude before we start walking again. Not far though, we walk into what looks like a dining room shortly afterward.

    ¡°It is about time for lunch I¡¯d say,¡± Percy¡¯s mom says,¡± I will inform the cooks. Behave while I¡¯m gone.¡± I exchange an awkward smile with her son, while the rest of the family is glaring at me and him. When she leaves the room, they begin their verbal assault.

    ¡°Now spill, why did you leave?¡± Demeter says unless they¡¯ve switched spots while I wasn¡¯t looking. Percy takes a deep breath and tries to calm his nerves.

    ¡°I wanted to see the world,¡± he eventually states, ¡°To learn about myself.¡±

    ¡°You were going to the Academy already!¡± Comes the reply, but my friend shakes his head.

    ¡°I am going to the Academy,¡± he corrects her, ¡°But I will have both of you watching over me, I needed some room for myself before that. To make mistakes, to prove myself!¡± His voice picks up by the end, as he¡¯s venting his frustrations.

    Both sisters are taken aback by the emotion in his voice, while his father isn¡¯t totally present. His face is worryingly pale. I furrow my eyebrows at the sight, my illusions shouldn¡¯t have this much of an effect. I barely notice the sound of Percy shouting with his sisters as I take a better look at his dad.

    He doesn¡¯t even notice when I stand right in front of him, I can see how much he¡¯s sweating from this distance. It¡¯s a tense few seconds as I think about what to do here. Mind magic is a touchy subject, and besides projecting illusions, I am woefully underqualified. Especially when it comes to helping the man in front of me. I hold my chin as I study him until I experiment with sensing his mana pool. Without hesitation, I act.

    Wordlessly I cast a spell as I push him down, the wooden floor grabs his limbs though he barely struggles regardless. The rest of the family notices my actions now and both sisters start casting; for about a second. Then they stumble and I manipulate their clothing to restrict them. Percy is looking at me with fear on his face.

    ¡°Sam!?¡± he shouts, but I ignore him. His father is barely responding to any of this and I know why. I rip off his shirt and confirm my suspicion, there¡¯s a form wriggling inside of him. Reminiscent of a vein, it¡¯s burrowing just below his skin.

    ¡°You fucking pest,¡± I growl as I try to get a hold of it with magic, my efforts go unrewarded as it slides past all my containment attempts. Making a decision, my hand shoots to the side, and a small knife flies from the table and onto my waiting palm. I try to slow the creature inside by flooding it with mana, which works for a moment. But just before I use the knife to carve it out physically, I get tackled. Percy mounts me and starts punching my face, his year of hauling crates pays off because I feel my nose cracking.

    ¡°Wait!¡± I try to say, but it doesn¡¯t come out cleanly. It stops him for a moment though, and that¡¯s enough for the spell to do its work. Percy falls to the floor, sound asleep.

    I push him to the side and confirm his siblings are still contained, they are, though they¡¯re mumbling through their fabric gags.

    When I get to Percy¡¯s father again, I realize my nose is bleeding, but it barely registers as I see the shape again. In a desperate effort, I freeze the entire patch of flesh where it¡¯s located in. This helps significantly, and when it stops moving I jam in the blade.

 Chapter Seventeen

    Chapter Seventeen

    A horrible sound fills the room as the blade enters his body, the creature underneath letting loose a piercing cry. Through gritted teeth, I hiss a reply.

    ¡°This damn¡­¡± But the rest is cut off as the doors slam open, guards make their way inside and Maria is close behind. She doesn¡¯t hesitate as she sees her husband on the floor, the knife I stuck into him clearly visible.

    ¡°Seize him!¡± she yells at the guards, her anger mounting when she sees the rest of her family in similar straits. Maria joins the action herself and I feel the air around me starting to gather. While I¡¯m not sure what spell she is casting, it cannot be anything good for me. But the five guards that are rushing toward me don¡¯t leave me much room to work with. I do not have the mana to burn on this, even if I wanted to.

    So instead I focus on the body in front of me; disregarding any subtlety, I jam my hand in the wound. The father I¡¯m trying so hard to save grunts at my intrusion, and his wife shouts even louder in response. Mere moments before the guards reach me I grab ahold of the foul thing inside of him. Then armor collides with me and I¡¯m forced away from him, the worm is still firmly in my grasp.

    With the immediate danger averted, I drop the binding spell I cast at Percy¡¯s sisters, and wake him up. His father is still out cold, barely reacting to the noise around us. The guard that tackled me uses his weight to restrict me, even going so far as to clamp my mouth shut. Besides nearly cutting off my tongue it doesn¡¯t result in much, my magic is not restricted by what sounds I can make. Though it is preventing me from explaining the situation.

    While I try to come up with a solution, both Demeter and Persephone rip free from their bindings, now that my spell stopped reinforcing the material it wasn¡¯t strong enough to contain them. Percy is also opening his eyes again, dazed from his impromptu nap.

    All three siblings dash toward me, though the brother takes a second longer. With fury in his eyes, Percy casts a wasteful wind spell to remove the guard from on top of me. Though I regain temporary freedom, it doesn¡¯t help me much. His sisters are perfectly coordinated and well trained; I¡¯m barely on my feet again when they knock me down for the third time today.

    No quarter is given as they bash in my face, the pain distracts me enough that casting anything is beyond me. Only when they¡¯ve finally vented their rage is when I get a moment of peace. Though at this point their mother has long reached us and wastes no time interrogating me.

    ¡°Who paid you!?¡± she screams at me, I try to form words but I don¡¯t quite manage with my teeth standing the wrong way.

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand,¡± I try to tell her, and clearly some of my words make it through.

    ¡°Don¡¯t understand!? You assaulted my husband!¡±

    My eyes are having trouble focusing on anything, but I slowly manage to open my fist; revealing the creature contained within. Percy is the first to notice.

    ¡°What¡­¡± he mutters and comes closer to inspect it. I barely hear what his mother is shouting at me, everything seems so far away. Even the sounds around me feel heavy. My head falls to the side, and it gives me my first good look at the insect I discovered. The red skin gives a demonic vibe. Then I open my eyes wide as I make the connection.

    ¡°It thought I attacked it,¡± I mutter; then I pass out.

    <hr>

    The ceiling that greets me is not fabric, which is the first time in what feels like an eternity that I¡¯m sleeping in a building with a hard roof. The events from before rush back to me and the spike of adrenaline well and truly removes any fatigue from my body. It¡¯s peculiar that no one is in the room with me, and what a room it is. Polished wood on the floor with a fluffy rug laying on top. Cautiously I feel my face, expecting my nose to be misplaced and my teeth to be like a mountain ridge. To my surprise, I feel a healed face; not a hint of damage on it.

    With shaky legs I crawl out from under the covers, putting one foot on the ground. Before I let the other drop the door opens and I see Percy enter the room. I freeze in my awkward position, hit by a flashback of his vicious attack. Not that I can really blame him. In hindsight, my methods were less than perfect. Though my reasons were good, and I wasn¡¯t sure how long he would live, randomly attacking someone¡¯s father is a terrible image.

    ¡°Hi,¡± I say with a stiff smile on my face. Percy returns a similar expression. He¡¯s still holding the door half-open, but he steps fully outside after a moment. After he closes the door behind him, he sits down on a chair and lets out a sigh.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± we both say, producing the same stereo effect that his sisters are so skilled in. A small chuckle escapes from me, and Percy looks at me in confusion.

    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± he tries, desperate to put all of this behind us.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± I tell him, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for, well, attacking your dad. And your sisters, and also you.¡± Now he¡¯s the one that lets out a laugh.

    ¡°It sounds so absurd when you put it like that¡­¡± Then his gaze turns focused and the mood becomes serious.

    ¡°What was that,¡± Percy asks. And I shrug halfheartedly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I confess, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have noticed it if not for¡­ Well, it was killing your dad.¡± Percy motions for me to go on, and I comply.

    ¡°Back outside, right after I dodged that projectile your father threw at me, I showed him an illusion. It involved him experiencing getting his arm blown up,¡± I tell my friend guiltily, he jumps up a little, but catches himself before he interrupts. I smile gratefully.

    ¡°Normally that doesn¡¯t really do much, it messes with your head of course, but it just takes a moment for your brain to catch up,¡± I take a deep breath, ¡°After a few days there¡¯s no trace left beyond the memory itself.¡± Percy¡¯s eyebrows furrow, and I don¡¯t blame him.

    ¡°I was already wary when your father reacted so quickly after the experience, but I just figured he had a strong will. But then, when we reached the dining room, he just got paler and paler. He didn¡¯t even react when I was standing right in front of him. I couldn¡¯t figure out what was wrong with him until I sensed his mana. It was going haywire, and there was a clump of demon mana crawling around by his stomach. I put two and two together and¡­¡± I don¡¯t finish my sentence but Percy gets what I meant.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°And you decided to cut it out of him?¡± he asks, exasperated. I feel my face heat up at his words.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure how dangerous it was, but it felt like he was dying. I didn¡¯t expect it to be as slippery as it was. Originally it would have only taken a few seconds. Then I could heal him and explain my actions. As we experienced, I was dead wrong. I truly am sorry for how out of hand that got,¡± I say, and I mean it. This could have gone much worse than the already terrible event it became. Percy lets out a sigh at my words.

    ¡°I¡¯m also sorry for bashing your face in,¡± he says, but I get the distinct feeling he wasn¡¯t that sorry about it. Then again, with the situation he was in, he wasn¡¯t exactly in the wrong. How could he have known? The room fills with a heavy silence, as I sit on the edge of the bed and he sits on the chair. Then Percy stands up.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go tell the others,¡± he says. Before he leaves though, I ask him a question.

    ¡°Did you figure out what that bug was?¡± He shakes his head.

    ¡°I¡¯ll come back later.¡± Then he¡¯s out of the door and I¡¯m left alone in my room.

    The window behind me catches my attention and I peer out of it. Taking in the scenery, a beautiful courtyard, and the gorgeous walls. This is quite a place. But I cannot ignore the elephant in the room any longer, my mana reserves are back to dangerous levels. I am once again withering. I sigh as I look at the painful black spot on the back of my hand, I wonder why it¡¯s always my hands. This is the same one too, as far as I can remember.

    I lie down for a moment again, though I¡¯m in severe danger from the exhaustion. Fortunately, it should be an easily solved problem, James still owes me the potions and I¡¯m sure Percy¡¯s family will have no trouble procuring me what I need. Which, of course, mana; as much as they can gather.

    My mind fills itself with melancholy, as the stress of my ever-dwindling mana reserves catches up to me. While I stare at the garden outside, tears fall from my eyes. Frustrations that I have been bottling up rage around, and I have no clue how to handle them.

    Moments after I finally feel in control of myself again, Maria enters my chamber.

    ¡°I heard about what happened from Percy,¡± she says solemnly, ¡°And I cannot thank you enough for saving my husband.¡±

    ¡°I would have done the same for any stranger I met,¡± I wave her off, but she isn¡¯t so easily discouraged.

    ¡°Nonetheless, it wasn¡¯t a stranger that you saved, not to me. From the depths of my heart, thank you. Is there anything I can do to repay you?¡± she says, and I look at her.

    ¡°...Potions,¡± I eventually say, embarrassed but forced out of necessity.

    ¡°Excuse me?¡±

    ¡°Mana potions,¡± I say again, ¡°I have a¡­ medical situation and I don¡¯t produce any mana. So I need to replenish myself using potions and the like. I was already running low before I got her, the mana-infused meat that I was eating ran out, but I¡¯m currently working on fumes.¡± Before I think better of it, I show her the black spot.

    She looks shocked at my admission but then gets a determined look on her face.

    ¡°We can help you with that,¡± she says.

    ¡°That would be much appreciated, I need those potions quickly. I don¡¯t know how long I¡¯ll last at this rate.¡± It should be a few hours at least, what little specks of mana still course through my body are kept firmly in place by my iron will. Eventually, they¡¯ll be used up though. The only reason I¡¯m not completely empty is probably that their mages cast plenty of healing magic on me.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to bring you them, now tell me more about your condition.¡± My eyes narrow at her words, that was a very blunt, and incredibly invasive request. She seems to understand that though because her next words clear it up somewhat.

    ¡°I meant we can help you with your condition,¡± she says, ¡°But we will need to know what we¡¯re working with.¡± I stare at her with a blank face, then I let out a laugh. Does she think she can fix something that people like me summoned a god for? I can only be amused by the sentiment.

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that is possible, and I¡¯m sorry to say that my situation is incredibly personal. It isn¡¯t something easily shared.¡±

    ¡°We won¡¯t know unless we try. The Trigalt family hasn¡¯t ruled one of the most prosperous cities for nothing, we have resources that even the king lacks.¡± Her eyes speak volumes about her determination, but they don¡¯t light a fire in mine.

    ¡°I can only tell you that my soul doesn¡¯t make mana and that it never has,¡± I eventually tell her, unwilling to disappoint her earnest gaze completely. She smiles at me.

    ¡°That is enough for now, I will ask the librarian. Now, if you would excuse me, I will send someone to gather the potions,¡± she says before moving towards the door and opening it. The angle restricts my sight but Maria seemingly grabs something, before her daughter gets shoved through the door frame, the other daughter follows willingly.

    ¡°Hi?¡± I ask, unsure of the situation. Both the sisters fidget nervously before they explain their presence.

    ¡°How did you do that?¡± they ask simultaneously. I smile stiffly.

    ¡°How did I do what, exactly?¡± I question, and the siblings share a look.

    ¡°That binding spell! You didn¡¯t chant, one moment we are trying to rescue our father, the other we¡¯re stuck.¡± This time, only a single sister speaks, though I couldn¡¯t say which one.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to disappoint you there, I have no idea how to teach any of that. It¡¯s just something I do.¡± Not to mention it might simply be impossible for them, it¡¯s hard to say which things are exclusive to my Angel heritage. They¡¯re thinking about my words, and I patiently wait to see if they have any other questions. Until the potions arrive I don¡¯t think it is wise for me to move.

    ¡°Then show us!¡± one of the sisters pipes up. Putting me in an awkward position once again. Although I told their mother already, I don¡¯t want to spread this around. I sigh.

    ¡°I can¡¯t right now,¡± is all I say. They¡¯re not satisfied, but they realize how serious I am and drop the topic.

    ¡°Then we will excuse ourselves.¡± I offer a smile at her words. I wish I could share this with someone, the old doctor was the only one who knew the full story. I find myself missing someone to talk to about all of this. Perhaps I should confide in Percy.

    But as much as I like Percy, I get the feeling he wouldn¡¯t understand. For how down-to-earth he is, he¡¯s so well off that I have trouble imagining him understanding real peril. I suppose he reminds me too much of myself before crossing over, though I was never as driven as he is.

    I am once again left to my thoughts as the sisters leave the room. I wonder what the demon bug was, it can¡¯t be a coincidence that it infected the city lord. I can only imagine someone planted it on him on purpose, which heavily implies that someone is siding with the demons inside the castle, or perhaps there isn¡¯t a traitor but instead, a demon managed to sneak in by themselves. I haven¡¯t seen any demons with the amount of intelligence required for something like that, but I haven¡¯t exactly seen many demons, period.

    If the myth is accurate, then there have to be smart demons, they couldn¡¯t have waged war otherwise, though perhaps it wasn¡¯t really a war in the strategic sense. It could have been a horde rushing out instead. So many questions, no real answers to be found.

    What I can reasonably assume, is that someone, or something, infected the city lord. Which means there¡¯s a scheme afoot in the city. Presumably, I inflicted a large setback on them with this discovery, but I will be leaving shortly, so I can¡¯t help but worry regardless.

    Wait, what day is it? My adrenaline spikes as I consider that I may have missed the scheduled time for departure. I leave the bed in a hurry, but right as I open the door, someone else tries the same from the other side. They lose their balance and fall forward, while I hurriedly take a step backward. Dodging whoever tried to enter my room. I hear a groan as the figure hits the floor, then I recognize it is one of the guards. Perhaps even the same one that tacked me before.

    ¡°Uhm, I¡¯m sorry?¡± I hesitantly say, they quickly get back to their feet.

    ¡°My apologies!¡± comes a formal-sounding voice, ¡°I am here to bring you lunch.¡± And with that, they produce a crushed bag from their side.

    ¡°Ah,¡± they let out as they notice the damage done. Awkwardly I take it from them regardless.

    ¡°Thanks, I could use a bite,¡± I inform them, ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, how long have I been asleep?¡± They give a salute at my question, causing me to cringe.

    ¡°You have been asleep since yesterday!¡± they enthusiastically reply.

    ¡°Right, thanks,¡± I respond, happy that I haven¡¯t missed the caravan, but also extremely put off by the formality that the guard shows. On a hunch, I ask another question.

    ¡°Did you¡­?¡±

    ¡°Sir! No, sir!¡± they reply, much too soon, and my face goes deadpan.

    ¡°You are the guard that tackled me aren¡¯t you?¡± Not a word of response can be heard from them. The helmet obscures their face but I would bet that they¡¯re blushing. I laugh at their stiffness now.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± I say, ¡°Percy rearranged my nose before you got to me, and he did much worse after he pushed you off.¡±

    ¡°Besides,¡± I add, ¡°It healed up nicely don¡¯t you think?¡± I caress my face with my hands, inadvertently showing the dark spot on the back of my hand. I hide it then, but it¡¯s already too late.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention that to anyone,¡± I warn them, ¡°Seriously, you didn¡¯t see anything.¡± My only response is the sound of metal hitting metal as the guard nods rapidly. The visor shifts a little at the motion. I catch a glimpse of green eyes staring at me.

    ¡°Good,¡± I say as I smile, ¡°Now let me eat that lunch you brought.¡±