《Reincarnation: A New World》 -1 Info / Reference Sheet In Progress [Traditional Cultivation Realms] - Mana Circulation Realm > 1-13 Stages Foundation Establishment > 1-9 Stages Core Formation Realm > 1-9 Stages Golden Core Realm > 1-12 Stages Nascent Soul Realm > 1-9 Stages Soul Forming Realm > 1-9 Stages Soul Completion Realm > 1-9 Stages Soul Perfection Realm > 1-9 Stages Soul Shattering Realm > 1-9 Stages Pseudo-Ascendancy Realm > 1-9 Stages Ascendant Realm > ?-? Stages [New World Knight] - Will Add New World Equivalents as They Appear or When Helpful. Equivalent to Mana Circulation : (Minus 3 Stages Due to Reasons Yet Disclosed) Initiate Knight > 1-5 Stages - One begins to circulate mana within themselves to strengthen and temper their bodies, up to the first bottleneck Apprentice Knight > 1-5 Stages - Once one breaks through the first bottleneck they continue the tempering process as an Apprentice Knight Knight-in-Training > 1-3 - Those in the midst of going from an Apprentice Knight to a Knight are called Knight-in-Training, not quite into the Foundation Realm but not completely in Mana Circulation. [Mage Realms] - Very much different from normal cultivation. A new Path altogether Pre-Initiate Mage > Gathering of Mana in a specific point to create a mass of Mana Initiate Mage > Once one has accumulated enough Mana in the Pre-Initiate stage, can they attempt to create a functioning Mana Pool through stimulation of said Mana Pool with their elemental affinities. If a Mage fails in creating their Mana Pool, their accumulation of Mana will have gone to waste and they''ll have to restart their accumulation in the Pre-Initiate stage. Apprentice Mage > ?? Mage > ?? Great Mage > ?? [Bloodlines Rarity] - Each Bloodline''s Rarity is separated into three tiers, Low, Medium, & High. Such that a Low-Common are extremely abundant while a High-Common is already approaching the uncommon classification. Common Uncommon Rare Legendary Mythical Divine [Cultivation Technique Ranks] - Each Cultivation Technique Rank is split into Low, Mid, & High Grades. For example, a Low Earth ranked cultivation technique is weaker than a High Earth ranked cultivation technique. Mortal Rank - Common cultivation techniques which were found in nearly all corners of the cultivation world. Earth Rank - Rare cultivation techniques that allowed oneself to rise above the mortals of the world and truly gain the power of immortals. Saint Rank - One-in-a-million cultivation techniques that allow oneself to reach for the very heavens that contain them. Heaven Rank - Cultivation techniques that allow oneself to surpass all below heaven and challenge heaven itself. Divine Rank - Cultivation techniques that surpass the very heavens and allows one to reach for divinity and ascension [Affinity Levels] - In the New World people with more than one Affinity are rare and ones with more than 2 are exponentially rarer. Low - Lowest form of Affinity which is found within 1/100. General Improvement and Growth of related Affinity skills increased by 25% and efficiency of Affinity Spells and Affinity-related skills by another 15%. Also allows one to sense Elemental particles. Medium - An Affinity which is found within 1/500. General Improvement and Growth of related Affinity skills is increased by 50% and the efficiency of Affinity Spells and Affinity-related skills by another 20%. Also allows one to sense Elemental particles High - An Affinity which is found within 1/2,000. General Improvement and Growth of related Affinity skills is increased by 75% and efficiency of Affinity Spells and Affinity-related skills by another 25%. Also allows one to sense Elemental particles Strong - An Affinity which is found within 1/6,000. General Improvement and Growth of related Affinity skills is increased by 150% and efficiency of Affinity Spells and Affinity-related skills by another 30%. Also allows one to sense Elemental particles Excellent - An Affinity which is found within 1/15,000. General Improvement and Growth of related Affinity skills is increased by 200% and efficiency of Affinity Spells and Affinity-related skills by another 35%. Also allows one to sense Elemental particles and improves True - An Affinity which is found within 1/35,000. General Improvement and Growth of related Affinity skills is increased by 250% and efficiency of Affinity Spells and Affinity-related skills by another 70%. Also allows one to sense Elemental particles 1 The Start of Something Beautiful The First Paragon, a being who had transcended mortal limits and had risen to amass such an unprecedented power as a pseudo-ascendant,had risen to the very limits of cultivation found herself facing the final heavenly tribulation before she could truly ascend beyond her pseudo-ascendancy and become a full-fledged ascendant. While undergoing the heavenly tribulation she was confronted by the only other pseudo-ascendant strong enough to challenge her, the Demon Beast Emperor. A beast who had started his life as a lowly common animal who over eons broke the limitations of his bloodline and transcended what was once thought possible for beasts. The Demon Beast Emperor who had always strived to become insurmountable under heaven saw the heavenly tribulation as an opportunity to finally get rid of the First Paragon. In the midsts, of the final heavenly tribulation, the First Paragon required complete concentration in order to survive ascending. When the Demon Beast Emperor attacked the First Paragon he caused the First Paragon to become distracted and in the single moment of carelessness was smited by the very heavens themselves. Unable to hold the might of heaven the First Paragon was incinerated by the sheer strength of the heavenly tribulation. The cultivation of billions of years was wasted in mere moments. Cultivation which had transcended what was once thought possible and rose to a level to challenge those who called falsely propheted themselves as Gods. As the First Paragon entered the Samsara cycle of rebirth she recounted her memories. The struggles she faced when she was born into slavery. The struggle of earning enough money to eventually buy her freedom. Her late start in cultivation which caused many people to ridicule and abuse her. The first time she entered an immortal sect. The years it took to progress from outer to inner disciple. The false friends who betrayed her on the path of cultivation for their own gains. The death of her beloved master who had assisted her in all her problems. The memories flashed by at a blistering speed until she found herself once again caught up viewing her death. Sadness struck her as she fully realized she had failed the heavenly tribulation. She had suffered through eons. Yet, it was all for nothing. All the days and nights of constant training, the countless years researching and cultivating for naught. Her soul began to blur and fade as the samsara cycle attempted to consume her and make her anew. Her soul unwilling to admit defeat fought against the pull from one of the fundamental principles of the universe. The soul of one who dared to challenge heaven, unwavering in the face of absolute rebirth. Her near almighty soul that she had slowly cultivated over eons fought with unending might. The samsara cycle unable to rebirth the unyielding soul forcefully cast it out. Outside the samsara cycle and into the void beyond the known universe. The First Paragon quickly found herself flung far past the bounds which she recognized as the known universe. As the First Paragon''s hostless soul drifted further and further out, the very principles of the universe began to warp and contort. Eventually far beyond anything thought possible, the principles of time, space, life, and death finally reached their breaking point and fully lost control. Time disappeared, space became both infinite and finite, life and death both ceased. Through the principles void, the First Paragon''s soul began to wither. Unable to survive in an environment without even the most fundamental principles. She eventually drifted into another universe who had very different yet recognizable principles. Although she was wanted to determine the principles and study them as was her nature, she had more pressing matters. The principles void had damaged her soul rendering it far weaker than it''s once pristine state. Her hostless soul unwilling to fade into nothingness eventually found a world teeming with life. In a dire need to stabilize her soul, she quickly sought refuge within the world. In her descent, she felt a small barrier resisting her entrance. She burned a large remainder of her soul in order to give her the final push necessary in order to get past the resistance and find a host. Although she had been able to see the essence of life in her soul form prior to forcing her way into the world, she was now unable to sense them as precisely as she once previously could. The First Paragon felt a very young lifeforce in the vicinity and quickly drifted towards it. Although she had once been above the mortals of her world she still felt that it would be far too cruel to force someone who had too many ties to their world out of their body. In order to limit the damage, she sought out the youngest being in order to avoid pointless pain. Although damaged, her soul was still vastly more profound and powerful than the lifeform she detected. She made quick work of the soul and began to reform the host in order to suit her soul. As the host''s body began to adapt to the new soul, the First Paragon began to be able to sense the world around her in a more material form. The First Paragon had made a mistake. The being who she had migrated into was still yet to be born. Once her soul had settled into the new being she heard a distinct *Ding* in the back of her mind. *System Activation 19%* Time slowly passed for the First Paragon. Yet to be born she quietly waited. Day after day passed and the message that had appeared in her mind had progressed during the time that she waited. *System Activation 48%" The First Paragon was planning on using this time to mold her new body through the power of her soul until she noticed that there were several differences between this body and the one she had in her previous life. Due to this discovery and the presence of several new organs, she refrained from altering until discovering more the differences and the world in which she found herself in. The days turned to months and as the day of her birth arrived the system''s alerts kept climbing until eventually, the awaited day arrived. *System Activation 100%* 2 Beginnings The First Paragon was blinded by a cacophony of light. She emerged from the darkness and was reborn into this new world. The system''s alerts which had provided her with a slow yet continuous company had fallen silent. She found herself being hoisted into her mother''s arms. The look of pure happiness on her mother''s face was beyond explanation. The unbreakable connection between a mother and daughter already established with a mere smile. The First Paragon''s physique couldn''t withstand consciousness for long without the support of her mother. She struggled to stay awake. Savouring every moment. She had lost her first family long before she even learned their names and had always yearned for the familial connection she so often observed. In this blissful moment, the First Paragon had forgotten that she was currently a baby. She hadn''t made any noise. She had forgotten that most babies cry after birth but it appeared to not have startled her parents in any way which she found both oddly puzzling and confusing. Before her odd train of thoughts could continue she found herself in a semi-unconscious state. The baby physique being far too frail for near any activity. Although the First Paragon wanted to take advantage of her early years to begin cultivating she found that the Qi which had been all-encompassing in her previous universe was absent. Instead, a far more powerful yet increasingly volatile and seemingly unpredictable energy had taken its place. This energy was far too strange to haphazardly cultivate with. She would first investigate the energy once she reached a stable enough age. The first few years of her life were spent blurring in and out of consciousness as the frail baby body slowly matured and strengthened. The First Paragon had yet to learn her parent''s names but in her first few weeks had been endowed with a name, ''Nora''. Nora cherished this name. She had long forgotten her original name from her previous universe. People had spent millennia only calling her the First Paragon. So long that she had forgotten the name that once bound her to mortality. The days continued to blur until she found herself once again in full control at the age of 3. She quickly discovered that her parents held some form of power in their current society. Although she was restrained by her parents to remain within their household she found it rather spacious and lofty. The few people who came to visit her parents always showed a deep and honest respect. Most of Nora''s days would be spent doing very little for she needed to bide her time. Occasionally she would go running around her family''s compound, other times she would observe her parents speaking in a new yet intriguing tongue. Although physically young she was still beyond curious about the new world she found herself in and quickly realized that in order to make any progress she would first have to learn the new language. In order to not draw too much-unwanted attention towards herself, she would mostly observe and only practice her own speech in her own room, away from prying eyes. Left with nothing but time as she slowly she began to learn the new language she thought back to her past life. In her previous life, she had been given the name of the First Paragon for being the first cultivator of all the 6 Paths. These paths being the six cultivation paths which were commonly practiced in her old world. The Paths of Weapon Cultivation, Outer-Cultivation, Internal Cultivation, Bloodline Refining, Alchemical Path, and Elemental Cultivation. She wanted to determine if she would be able to go down these Paths in her new world or if they were even practicable. Nora prodded at the new energy. Attempting to manipulate the energy in a similar method to how one would gather Qi in her old life. She felt the energy slowly bend to her will when she heard a startling noise *Ding* - [Skill Gained - Mana Manipulation] Mana Manipulation : 1 - Very confused and startled she regained her composure and once again attempted again but attempted to draw a larger amount of this so-called Mana and further manipulate it into a shape. Before long she once again heard the distinct *Ding* - [Skill Level Up] Mana Manipulation : 3 - With each increase in Mana manipulation, she could feel her understanding of mana mysteriously grow. Information which she hadn''t otherwise obtained appeared in her mind as if she had already learned and consolidated the information. Nora decided that she would first master this new energy before making any further assumptions on which paths would be available to her. Nora''s previous mastery over Qi showed through her manipulation. She once again began to manipulate the mana but in far more complex and difficult arrangements. The small shape she previously made was first reformed into a series of armaments. Although these armaments were only decorative they were very complex. With each passing second, Nora would continuously improve the armaments, delving further and further into detail. All of these acts prompted a series of sounds to occur in the back of her mind *Ding**Ding*Ding**Di... The speed in which she improved and mastered her manipulation of mana would sicken any amount of experts if they were to hear that a child in one sitting managed such a herculean feat. - [Skill Upgrade] Mana Mastery : 1 - With the system alert, she felt a far more profound understanding of mana take root within her mind. She finally felt comfortable with adapting some of her cultivation methods over to mana instead of Qi 3 School & Cultivation Nora deliberated on which cultivation manuals to convert to mana. This task was by no means easy and would require both substantial time and focus in order to not limit or break the cultivation method. Thinking back to her previous life she remembered that throughout her lifetime she had gathered thousands of cultivation manuals but had only found nine Divine ranked manuals that she would truly call near-perfection. Out of those nine, four were outer-cultivation manuals while the remaining five were inner-cultivation manuals. The easiest of the and least powerful of the outer-cultivation manuals, ''Demon King''s Calamity Body'' was fantastic as it avoided many tribulations but had one major downside, the immense darkness, and cruelty required for cultivation was immeasurable. During her time as the First Paragon, she had lost several friends to this technique after they were hunted down for slaughtering well over hundred-thousand innocents in order to shatter their golden core and pass the cultivation boundary into the Nascent Soul stage. Not knowing the powers of this world she decided to cast this one out of the selection process. Undergoing a similar thought process she removed, ''Devil''s Tempering Gluttony''. This left her with two possible options, "Heavenly Thunder Scripture'' a rather boisterous name for a cultivation method focused on achieving pure divine strength and, ''Dragon Kings Incarnation'' an undeniably hard method to study but by far the strongest. An ancient cultivation manual that empowers one with the attributes and power of the four dragon kings of the four seas. In what seemed like hours Nora eventually decided on, ''Dragon Kings Incarnation''. Although it would require four times the cultivation compared to ''Heavenly Thunder Scripture'' it would provide a far more general use, unlike the latter which depended almost completely on pure force. With this decision, Nora quickly sunk into deep contemplation. She would spend the vast majority of her days contemplating on each and every minute part of the ''Dragon Kings Incarnation'' manual and deconstruct the individual Qi-based fundamentals and with her new knowledge of Mana reconstruct the manual. Her parents grew weary as the once vibrant Nora become far quieter and no longer followed her parents around. In the brief moments in which Nora was unsupervised, she would secretly record the newly constructed portions of the ''Dragon Kings Incarnation'' In complete concentration, years passed and as Nora reached completion of converting the cultivation manual she noticed her fifth birthday was approaching. Although she had neglected any serious study of the new worlds language she had still managed to learn it by overhearing her parents speak it on many occasions. It seemed like a very simplistic language, very similar to her old world''s ''Common Tongue'' a language that although simplistic in nature was spoken in nearly all corners of the world mostly due to its common use as the dominant trade tongue of her previous world. On the day that Nora turned five, her parents although worried for her now recluse nature told her that in a months time she was going to be enrolled in a nobles-academy for Knights and Mages. Although she did not know what these so-called Knights and Mages were she was excited as when her parents told her they themselves were beyond visibly excited. Nora''s beginning on any of the other Paths of cultivation would have to be put on hold until she could learn more about the new world. With ''Dragon Kings Incarnation'' she was confident that she could at least hold her own while she learned more. Content with her progress she smiled. Until she realized that she had yet to speak to her parents in all the five years since she had been reborn. In complete befuddlement from her realization, she let out a *sigh* and facepalmed. Her thoughts screamed in her mind, ''How stupid can I be? Do my parents think I''m mute? Why haven''t they even said anything about it?!?'' Regaining her composure she made her way to where she knew she could find her mom at this time of day, the family garden, a pleasure project of her mom which she tended for every day. Nora slowly entered the garden and was immediately met by a warm smile from her mother. Lovingly her mom asked her, "How''s it going sweety?" Without much thought, Nora kindly replied, "It''s quite sunny today..." Nora''s mom instantly froze. These were Nora''s first words... Normally whenever Nora''s mom asked that exact question all she could get from Nora was a slight smile or a thumbs up but suddenly she received a complete sentence. Nora sensing that something was amiss, shortly noticed that her mom had seemingly turned to stone. For the second time, she let out a *sigh* and facepalmed, ''What''s wrong with me! Can I not act normal!?!'' Admitting defeat, Nora walked back to her room and in order to feel somewhat sane decided to begin cultivating ''Dragon Kings Incarnation''. The first step in ''Dragon Kings Incarnation'' was very similar to nearly all other cultivation manuals except for the method in which the once Qi, now Mana was circulated around the body. Nora cleared her room and sat in a lotus position. Instead of forming a single route for the Mana to follow, ''Dragon Kings Incarnation'' required oneself to create 4 separate overlapping paths. One for each of the represented Dragon Kings. One would also have to model the Mana that one would circulate in these paths with the exact visage of each of the Dragon Kings. In order for one to comprehend the visage of these Dragon Kings, one would have had to be able to mentally create the perfect dragon from having observed, studied, and slaughtered thousands-upon-thousands of dragons. Luckily when Nora was the First Paragon she had done this very act in order to study ''Dragon Kings Incarnation'' but was distraught and had to abandon that train of thought when she learned that one had to restart their cultivation from scratch in order to study in this very distinct method, something she couldn''t bare risking. The feat of modeling the mana alone required mastery in manipulation. One in which she was confident in ever since the system alert notified her of attaining ''Mana Mastery: 1'' Nora focused as she began to circulate the 4 dragons around a specified pattern within her body. The dragons moved slowly at first, tempering the body as they circulated in their four individual patterns. The four dragons increased their speed ever so slightly causing a hellish pain. One of the major reasons people avoided Outer-Cultivation methods, and especially the higher ranked methods was due to the way they tempered their bodies. Although higher ranks provided ever-increasing benefits they also provided a pain so hellish it could break the minds of cultivators. Low ranked methods such as Mortal or Earth ranked methods could vastly increase the body of a cultivator by slowly tearing muscles and breaking bones in specific methods to induce supernatural strength and endurance. Saint and Heaven ranked methods violently ripped, tore, and broke everything from tendons to bones. Then once broken forcefully healing them, allow oneself to completely temper oneself. Worst of all, Divine methods that tempered one''s body through internal tempering and not evil methods such as, ''Demon King''s Calamity Body'' would completely destroy and reforge one''s body. Nothing would be spared from the excruciating and hellish pain, not even the soul. Nora had long accepted the pain and had grown used to it. It had become one of the few constants in her long life and had grown the almost cherish the pain. Hours passed by at a crawling pace due to the extreme pain but eventually, once dawn broke the following morning, Nora was satisfied. She had managed to complete 10 full circulations within a minute and therefore reached the 1st level of what was once called Qi Circulation Realm. Now that the name Qi Circulation Realm no longer suited, Nora decided to rename it to Mana Circulation Realm. 4 Startled Parents & History Nora awoke from her cultivation to see two very startled parents in front of herself... - Nora''s mom had followed after her daughter once she broke out of her statue-like trance. She had found her daughter in an unbreakable meditative trance and found her daughter to be violently sweating, twitching and struggling for air. Her attempts to awaken her daughter were completely ineffective so she rushed to get her husband. Although Nora''s dad was equally startled he held his composure and rushed out of the house to get a cleric. When the cleric arrived and saw Nora in such a precarious state he pulled out an old tome and cast a holy spell in attempts to heal her. His efforts proved useless and he left to consult his superiors. Leaving two very confused and startled parents anxiously staring at their daughter. Over the next few hours, the cleric had yet to return. Until suddenly Nora stopped her violent twitching, the profuse sweating, and even her breathing calmed. The already shocked parents awaited with bated breath. Seemingly returning to normal Nora calmly opened her eyes and found herself staring back at her two parents. Nora''s dad was the first to break the silence, "Nora are you alright? Are you hurt? What just happened..." the string of questions was interrupted by Nora, "Calm down," noticing the genuine concern on their faces truly showed her how much they cared for her, "everything is fine. I was simply cultivating" The phrase ''cultivating'' set Nora''s mom off on her own string of questions, "What were you cultivating? A disease? An egg?" Nora thought to herself, ''Do they not know what cultivation is?'' She decided that she would attempt to clarify. "I was using mana to temper my body" Seeming to make progress Nora''s parents had some of their questions answered while many more questions arose. "Where did you learn a Knight Technique?" Nora''s dad questioned A few things instantly clicked in Nora''s head leading her to mentally ask some questions, ''So Knights are this worlds cultivators? If they are cultivators, what kind are they?'' Pushing those thoughts aside she struggled to think of a convincing excuse. She decided to go with it and in a complete hail mary shot said, "I taught myself..." These three words warped Nora''s dad''s face into an expression of pure bliss. He ran out of the room at an incredible speed shouting at the top of his lungs, "MY DAUGHTER IS A PRODIGY!" He had seemingly forgotten the violently sweating and twitching which had occurred just minutes prior. Nora''s mom quickly apologized, "I should go get him before he does something stupid..." and quickly chased after him. Nora''s two parents who had just undergone a myriad of emotions had left her in a stupor as she thought to herself ''Maybe I shouldn''t have said that...'' - Nora''s parent''s absolute excitement calmed down over the next few days as the first milestone of Nora''s life would soon begin. Nora had a mere 3 weeks before she would be enrolled into the Imperial Academy of Allosian Empire. Nora asked her parents for a book on the empire''s history and her parents gleefully provided her with one. Glossing over what she deemed as useless filler she took note of the main points. Well over a thousand years prior the current year, the Allosian Empire was founded by nine major families who had been prosecuted and hunted down by the Aford Empire to the northeast. These families who fled joined together to form their own nation. Over the millennia, three of the families merged into the Lightcrow Imperial Family becoming the major power of the empire and forcing the other families to submit to their authority. Of the remaining six founding families, two had died out from internal fighting. Leaving the current four founding families of the Allosian Empire. The Locke Family, the Moongreen Family, Ironelk Family, & the Silverhill Family. For the past hundred years, the Allosian Empire has been in constant skirmishes with the Republic of Godge, a relatively new rising nation which has pushed the once mighty Aford Empire into a decline. These skirmishes have caused a certain level of tension between the two nations. Nearing the back of the book there were a handful of pages dedicated to notable families of the empire''s history. Curiously Nora asked her parent''s about her surname. Nora''s parents assumed that she wanted to see if her their surname was in fact on the back of the book, therefore they clearly told her that her surname was in fact ''Redblood'' Nora quickly flipped to the back of the book and her eyes scanned the pages looking for her own family. She saw some families of great generals, revolutionary scholars, powerful mages, and just before she lost hope of finding her family among the pages, she flipped to the page about the Redbloods. The Redblood Family had earned their surname through sheer combat. They were one of the first people to migrate to the Allosian Empire when it had first founded and had helped defend the fledgling nation ever since. During the First Defensive War against the Aford Empire, the Redblood family had single-handedly acted as the vanguard force and managed to slaughter all opposition in their path. When they returned they were completely drenched in red blood, earning them the surname of Redblood. Forever cementing their family name in the Allosian history books. 5 System Nora now enticed, kept reading. Quickly she read through the pages she had previously skipped and gained a general understanding of her both the empire''s history and some of the more prominent and major families. Once she had finished reading the book her mother had provided her she headed towards their family library. Nora had neglected the library while she was deeply immersed in converting the outer-cultivation manual to mana. Upon entering the library she marveled at the large silver chandelier. Decorated with a series of miniature swords, it lit the circular room with had bookshelves stuffed to their limits lining the entirety of the walls. Looking at the sheer quantity of books, Nora couldn''t help appreciate the efforts her family had undergone in order to fill such a sizeable library with such a quantity. Although in her life as the First Paragon she had witnessed far large and far vaster libraries, this library had been curated by a small and visibly declining family. There were no unlimited sums of resources to gather books. No swarms of servants scouring the nearby cities for book merchants. Such a sizable library was an astonishing achievement. Nora quickly perused the bookshelves looking for books of interest. With her enhanced strength from reaching the first realm of Mana Circulation, picked up a large stack of books and hauled them towards a rather non-descript wooden table in the centre of the room. Nora decided on the first book she would delve into, ''Way of the Knight'', reading through the pages she began to read several biographies of what appeared to be the higher echelon of Knights. Through reading these biographies, Nora deciphered some new information In a very similar fashion to Nora''s old world, Knights practiced knight cultivation techniques. These techniques were very similar to Outer-Cultivation techniques from her previous life. Although the ranking of the realms was different she didn''t have enough information to decipher the exact order of the differently named realms. Once she finished devouring the new information she reached for an odd book which had caught her eye, ''Guide to Leveling''. The term leveling was very odd and she was originally going to ignore it but her curiosity lead her to grab the book. It was a rather very thin and aged book, with visible signs of wear. Nora flipped over the cover of the book and was met by another strange word [Status]. Mentally she couldn''t help but ask ''What''s a status?''. Almost on cue, a prominent system alert appeared in Nora''s mind. - [ Status ] Name: Nora Redblood Species: Human Occupation: None Professions: None Title: None Bloodline: None Affinity: True Mana Affinity, Level: 1 Health Points: 200/200 Mana: 500/500 Strength: 251 Speed: 301 Accuracy: 247 Stamina: 322 Skills : NEW - Mana Mastery: 1 NEW - Dragon Kings Incarnation Cultivation Technique: MC1 - Nora startled at its sudden appearance quickly calmed as she began to observe the status. Thinking back towards her previous physical state she estimated that the base value of Strength, Speed, Accuracy, & Stamina were all around the 10 range. Her cultivation technique already showing its Divine rank capabilities. She noticed that she apparently had an affinity for mana. In confusion, she focused on the affinity prompt and a new alert appeared. - [Affinity] True Mana Affinity - 250% General Improvement and Growth to Mana Spells and Mana related skills... - Nora couldn''t help but think to herself, ''I really got lucky with this host...''. Putting the status and stats to the side she decided to return to the book she had been reading in order to see if the system had any more functions. The first page covered the status prompt and confirmed Nora''s suspicion that the base value for a non-cultivating human was indeed between 10-20, largely depending on what seemed like genetics. The next few pages described the process of attaining new skills. The book claimed that once one performed the action that proved a certain mastery over the skill, the status would update. Nora curious of this claim ran out of the library and towards the servant quarters. The servant quarters had once housed a large number of servants but now only harbored a loyal few who refused to leave the Redblood Family. Nora politely asked the first servant she saw for a broom. The servant was well-beyond confused and simply complied to Nora''s request. Nora now seemingly excited ran towards the courtyard and tore off the brush section of the broom leaving her with a wooden staff. She calmed herself before starting the progression of the 99 moves of the ''Monkey-King Staff Form''. With undeniable grace, Nora calmly and expertly progressed to the tenth move of the ''Monkey-King Staff Form'' before she heard a *Ding* - [Skill Gained - Polearm Mastery] Polearm Mastery: 1 - Nora continued through the progressions. Once she passed the twentieth move a second *Ding* sounded in her mind - [Skill Level Up] Polearm Mastery: 2 - Nora continued the progressions, hearing a mental *Ding* every ten moves until reaching the ninety-ninth move and suddenly a far louder *Ding* occurred in her mind - [Skill Level Up] Polearm Mastery: MAX - Satisfied with the confirmation, Nora returned to the library. The remained of the book, ''Guide to Leveling'' covered how an occupation can directly affect the stats, how the killing of beasts and monsters can provide experience to level up, and how levels increase stats directly based on which occupation is selected. With a superficial understanding of how the system worked and knight cultivation techniques she thought about her parents. She wondered if her parents had practiced such knight techniques. After thinking about how she could get an answer she attempted to sense the mana inside of her parents to gauge their overall strengths. Using her previous knowledge on how to Qi Sense she quickly managed to translate the ability and hear a *Ding* - [Skill Gained - Mana Sense] Mana Sense: 1 - As she was still in the library, Nora was unable to sense her parent''s mana from such a distance, especially with only ''Mana Sense: 1''. She turned ''Mana Sense'' towards herself and took note of the mana to be able to compare it to her parents. Nora made her way towards where she had last seen her parents and once again attempted ''Mana Sense''. Immediately Nora was stunned by a huge quantity of mana. Although she had some expectations she couldn''t believe her eyes. Her parents had been at the Early Soul Forming Realm the entire time. 6 Affinities & Seclusion Nora talked to her parents and warned them that she was going to enter seclusion until the start of her enrollment in the Imperial Academy. After some convincing, she managed to calm them down, seemingly remembered the pain Nora had undergone in the previous session. She quickly made way towards her room and noticed that all the furniture was still pushed to the sides, leaving a perfect area for cultivation. Nora delved deep into meditation. In full swing, she began to circulate the four dragons, carefully keeping all four of them in perfect sync. As Nora began to increase the speed of the dragons past ten circulations a minute, the pain returned. Without dampening her dedication she ignored the pain and soldiered on. She slowly increased the circulation speed. The day faded into the horizons giving way to night which gave birth to a new dawn. At mid-day of the second day, Nora managed to reach the halfway point to the second stage of the Mana Circulation Realm, 15 full rotations a minute. The days an nights continued to fly by until on the seventh day of her seclusion she began to approach the fifth stage of the Mana Circulation Realm, unlike the prior four stages the fifth stage provided a qualitative difference. As Nora began to slowly creep up to 50 circulations a minute she was caught by surprise as the four dragons who had up to this point been formations of mana began to gain colourful hues. The four dragons had become identifiable, the Azure Dragon, Red Dragon, Black Dragon, and White dragon began to carry faint elemental properties. The faint colours gradually increased in brightness until a series of four sequential *Ding* noises rose Nora from her meditation - [Elemental Affinity Gained] Low Wind Affinity - 25% General Improvement and Growth to Wind Spells and Wind-related skills. 15% Increased Efficiency to Wind Spells and Wind-related skills. Allows oneself to sense Elemental Wind. [Elemental Affinity Gained] Low Fire Affinity - 25% General Improvement and Growth to Fire Spells and Fire-related skills. 15% Increased Efficiency to Fire Spells and Fire-related skills. Allows oneself to sense Elemental Fire. [Elemental Affinity Gained] Low Ice Affinity - 25% General Improvement and Growth to Ice Spells and Ice-related skills. 15% Increased Efficiency to Ice Spells and Ice-related skills. Allows oneself to sense Elemental Ice. [Elemental Affinity Gained] Low Light Affinity - 25% General Improvement and Growth to Light Spells and Light-related skills. 15% Increased Efficiency to Light Spells and Light -related skills. Allows oneself to sense Elemental Light. - Nora had not been expecting this since from what she understood the four dragons would eventually allow her to control the four different kinds of Qi but had not expected it to translate into the new worlds elements, let alone affinities. Nora stood from her meditation and opened her eyes to an unexpected sight. In the air floating around her vicinity, she could see four different colours of particles flying in aimless directions. Curious to the particles she re-entered meditation and resumed her cultivation of ''Dragon Kings Incarnation'', unlike previous times she entered meditation she didn''t raise the speed past her current limit of 50. She maintained the speed and focused on the four separate dragons. During their rotations, they would attract their respective particles into Nora''s body and consume them. Through this process, Nora could literally feel the overall mana present in her body increasing rapidly. Far too curious at this point she once again exited meditation and mentally prompted ''Status'' - [ Status ] Name: Nora Redblood Species: Human Occupation: None Professions: None Title: None Bloodline: None Affinity: True Mana Affinity, NEW-Low Wind Affinity, NEW-Low Fire Affinity, NEW-Low Ice Affinity, NEW-Low Light Affinity Level: 1 Health Points: 2000/2000 Mana: 9000/9000 Strength: 2651 Speed: 3301 Accuracy: 2249 Stamina: 3322 Skills : Mana Mastery: 1 Dragon Kings Incarnation Cultivation Technique: MC5 Polearm Mastery: MAX - Nora couldn''t help but marvel at the difference compared to before. Although, she felt both excited and downtrodden that she could still drastically increase her overall combat power by both beginning another path besides Outer-Cultivation or discovering new Paths. She had thrown away the Elemental Path from her previous world but now, with her discovery of Elemental particles she once again thought that the Elemental Path just might be available once again. It had already drastically increased her mana capacities well past what she had been expecting. Nora, therefore, decided that instead of continuing to advance only one Path, she would refrain due to the possible imbalance that she could create within herself if one Path got substantially ahead of the others. Therefore she decided to use the remaining time to convert an Inner-Cultivation technique to Mana. This conversion would take substantially less time due to Nora having ironed out the kinks of converting Qi to Mana. Once again having to determine which cultivation manual, she contemplated which manual she would convert. Upon further deliberation, she decided that she wouldn''t convert an element based cultivation manual due to ''Dragon Kings Incarnation'' already providing 4 Affinities. Instead, she thought of an ancient manual which in her first life as the First Paragon had taken from the once mighty Demon Sovereign. A cultivation manual which although an Inner-Cultivation method, was fundamentally different from other demonic Inner-Cultivation manuals. The ''Demonic Witchgod Transformations'' manual allowed oneself to eventually obtain the powers of a so-called "Witchgod" a type of being which had died out eons before the First Paragon was even born. Although, some of the oldest legends spoke of their almighty, insurmountable powers. 7 Doting Parents The days flew by as Nora focused on converting the Inner-Cultivation manual, ''Demonic Witchgod Transformations'' from Qi to Mana. As Nora finished the labourus conversion she heard a knock on her door. Nora content with her work, slowly made her way towards the door. On the other side of the door, both Nora''s dad and mom had been giddily waiting. Any parent could tell you, the first day of school is always a momentous occasion, the day your child''s life takes flight. As Nora opened the door her parents barged in with bright smiles. Nora''s mom suspiciously hiding something behind her back. Nora slightly creeped out by their excitement decided to just go with it, what else was she to do? Nora''s parents eventually managed to compose themselves. Nora''s mom rather excitedly pulled a rather bleak yet ornate black and white outfit with scarce traces of purple from behind her back. "Do you like your academy uniform?" Nora''s mom inspecting her daughters face for a response. Nora couldn''t help but mentally sigh. She had never really liked the concept of uniforms before. She had always preferred to just be herself rather than have others dictate what she could do. Hiding her distaste Nora simply smiled, "How lovely..." her sentence slightly trailing. Nora''s mom instantly saw through Nora''s words yet her happiness did not falter. It was simply too great of an occasion. Nora''s mom handed the outfit to Nora, "Put it on, we still have to take a carriage to the Imperial Academy." Nora''s mom who had entered her own realm of bliss, once again noticing the presence of her husband, who had been minding his own business and angerly said, "Get out! You shouldn''t watch your daughter undress!" She stomped her way towards him, forcefully picked him up and with all her might threw him out the door, sending him flying across their estate. The sounds of the husband turned projectile echoing in the background. Seemingly unfazed Nora''s mom locked the door and expectingly watched her daughter. "Come on, change..." her gaze''s steadfast nature creeping out Nora. - Nora''s father regained consciousness in a ditch. His body had created a series of human-shaped imprints in the walls of his estate. Dusting himself of the dirt that now riddled his clothes, he couldn''t help but think, ''Why couldn''t she just ask me? I hope Nora''s alright with the unleashed ''Mama Bear''.'' Nora''s father climbed through the newly created windows back towards Nora''s room. - Nora''s father had almost returned to Nora''s room before as if setting off a trigger, the door of Nora''s room came flying open. Nora''s mom walked out first, covering Nora as she walked out. "May I present to you," Nora''s mom nearly bursting at the seems, "Nora!" Nora''s mom continued her showcase by emphasizing Nora as she frantically shifted to the side and attempted to finish her awkward display with ''jazz hands'' but somehow failed miserably. Nora, frankly embarrassed, couldn''t help but slightly blush as she stood there awkwardly in front of her father in her academy uniform. - Nora''s father, who had been keeping track of time, had become slightly worried that if they delayed much longer they would miss the opening ceremony. Knowing the half delusional state his wife was in, he began to drag his wife and daughter to the carriage that had been sent by the Academy to pick them up. Although a carriage isn''t quite necessary in a world with an abundance of people who have superhuman powers, it had become a rather old tradition and a display of power that the Academy was more than eager to flaunt. Nora now being lead by her father, couldn''t help but notice that her mother still hadn''t broken out of her parental stupor. As Nora and her parents approached the carriage, Nora couldn''t help but notice the purple banners carrying a white and black emblem of what seemed to be a hybrid between a horse and an eagle,hanging on the sides of the carriage. - The carriage ride was far more comfortable than Nora had originally expected. Unlike her previous world, something was different with these carriages. They lacked the ruggedness that she had disliked in her previous life. Due to the Imperial Academy being situated several kilometers outside of the city, the journey was going to take some time. As the carriage began to move Nora''s eyes were glued to the passing streets. At first, Nora saw a series of similar estates to her own. Each of the estates proudly flying their own familial banners, causing Nora to realized she hadn''t seen her own family''s banner. The realization caused Nora to think of several questions she would like to answer for herself at a later date. Soon enough the carriage entered what seemed like the centre of the city. A series of massive markets lined the streets, the streets were literally bustling with activity. Curious to the cultivation of what seemed to be the average populace, she activated ''Mana Sense''. Immediately Nora felt an abundance of Mana in the vicinity. Countless people were at the Mana Circulation Realm with the vast majority either stuck at the fifth stage bottleneck or the tenth stage bottleneck. Only the odd few had reached the Foundation Establishment Realm. The sensing of so many people caused a *Ding* within Nora''s mind. - [Skill Level Up] Mana Sense: 2 - This day was already shaping up quite well, Nora had leveled up Mana Sense and for the first time really got to see the city. The way things were going, she was quite excited for the Academy. 8 Enrollmen The remainder of the journey quickly passed. Before Nora realized she was beset by the sight of the Imperial Academy. The Academy itself, a grandiose resting on a large hill, surrounded by a sort of hinterland. Several dozen carriages could be seen strewn around the entrance of the Academy. A crowd already gathering at a large metal gate. The town surrounding the Academy being rather small was quickly traversed. Nora and her family promptly joined the crowd. Within a few minutes, the loud creaking of the metal gate, caused the rather large crowd to slowly migrate inwards. They entered what appeared to be an outer-courtyard with a makeshift stage set up in the middle. The stage housing several prominent figures from the Academy. Once all the parents and children had entered the courtyard a loud and powerful voice boomed, "Welcome to the Allosian Imperial Academy!" The old, fatigued, and rather bland appearance of the old man not failing to portray his power. In what Nora assumed as a display of power, he didn''t withhold his mana and let it out freely. Immediately letting Nora feel the wild mana of a Soul Completion Realm cultivator. The old man continued as he slowly withdrew his mana. "Here at the Allosian Imperial Academy", proudly emphasizing the Acadamy''s name, "we offer two distinct courses. One for those who desire to become Knights, and one for those who have the ability to become Mages!" One cue two of the other figures who had been patiently waiting on the stage unveiled two mysterious orbs and placed them on two separate tables at the sides of the old man. "I, the Headmaster of the academy, Thurmond Lightcrow, I would like to personally invite all your children towards the stage." Headmaster Thurmond calmly gesturing towards a set of stairs to the right side of the stage. "The orb on my left is a mana crystal enchanted to sense those who can manipulate mana while the orb on my right is enchanted to sense if someone has an elemental affinity. If someone can pass the trial on my left, they will qualify for enrolling in our Knight Curriculum. If someone possesses an affinity they can enroll in our Mage Curriculum." pausing for a brief moment as if saddened, "If one fails to activate the orb on my left and cannot manipulate mana, they shall be asked to leave the premises and return home." The children of the many families present made their way towards the stairs and formed a long line at the instruction of some academy staff. Headmaster Thurmond then gestured at the first child on the line to make their way to the first orb. The child wore heavily worn clothing, somewhat signifying his economic situation. In high hopes, he eagerly approached the mana sensing orb. Instructed by one of the other figures on stage, he placed his hand on the orb. A very faint blue light appeared inside the orb, signifying a Low Mana Affinity. The young child turned ecstatic, he had actually managed to qualify. Next, the young child walked over to the Affinity orb and placed his hand. An extremely dim red glow flickered within the orb. Barely qualifying the child broke into tears, he was going to be able to make all those who wronged him pay! Nora had joined the line relatively late compared to everyone else and ended up in the back half of the line. She watched well over a hundred people undertake the two tests. The majority passed the mana test while only a dozen or so passed the affinity test. Each person with a varying level of affinity, the highest reaching a High Air affinity. Earning the praise of various onlookers. Soon enough, it had become Nora''s turn. She walked up the stairs towards the first orb hesitantly she placed her hand on the orb. Instantly Nora felt the orb latch onto her Mana. In the orb, a dim blue light appeared and quickly crescendoed into a blinding bright light. Nora instantly felt all the eyes of the parents immediately stare at her. Complete silence. Everyone had frozen. The entire mass of people became completely flabbergasted at what they were witnessing. The Headmaster turned to Nora and with a creepy smile said, "I guess I''ll have to keep a close eye on you..." as he lightly licked his lips. Nora instantly regretted everything, but with so many eyes on her, she had to soldier on. She made her way towards the Affinity orb. Instantly, she realized that not a single person who had taken the test so far ever passed more than one affinity she immediately began to formulate ideas of how to avoid drawing even more attention to herself by revealing her four affinities. In the few meters between the two orbs, Nora decided on the only plan she could think of. Immediately, she created three arrays meant to seal Elemental Qi but haphazardly switched the segment for Qi with the segment she had created for Mana. With the completion of the sealing array, she heard a *Ding* in the back of her mind but quickly dismissed it, focusing on the events unraveling. Nora always had planned on studying how arrays worked in this world but had procrastinated her investigation due to focusing on what she at the time deemed a higher priority. Having no way to test the array, she now had to hope for everything to go well. Nora placed her hand on the Affinity orb and closed her eyes, praying for everything to go well. After a few moments she re-opened her eyes and looked at the orb. Two colours glowed. A dim red and a flickering white. Nora immediately knew what happened. She didn''t manage to completely seal the Air Affinity. Wanting to judge the situation Nora looked over to Headmaster Thurmond his once creepy smile had turned perverse. ''Oh god, what have I done'' 9 Arrogant Young Miss & An Awkward Friendship Nora quickly made her way off stage and joined the dozen or so children who had also passed both tests in a small building to the side of the courtyard. Just as Nora joined the crowd a young girl with luscious white hair approached Nora. Immediately Nora recognized the girl, she had been the one to reach the highest elemental affinity out of all the test goers, High Air. In a very stuck-up and pretentious attitude said, "I guess you can be one of my friends," the disdain for all others evident in every word. Nora having heard countless arrogant people throughout her life as the First Paragon simply ignored the pretentious girl and continued walking. Just as Nora was passing, the white-haired girl grabbed onto Nora''s shoulder and with all her force pressed her nails into Nora''s skin. Nora now feeling insulted by this girls act turned to face her. Nora could feel the force the girl was using in her nails. Nora could feel through the force being applied that the girl had already reached the second stage of Mana Circulation, presumably an impressive feat at such a young age but to Nora who had cultivated, ''Dragon Kings Incarnation'' to the fifth stage, insignificant. The force hadn''t even managed to mark Nora''s skin let alone damage it. The white-haired girl was somehow oblivious to the fact that her attempt to injure Nora had completely failed yet, arrogantly she declared, "I am Emilee of the Imperial Lightcrow Family, how dare you disrespect me after I was so charitable to you". Nora being far less childish than this petty little girl responded in clear, "Leave me alone". Nora''s gaze seemingly starring into Emilee''s soul, behind it an even clearer meaning of, ''I''m warning you''. Nora turned to leave once again but Emilee once again reached for Nora but before Emilee could grab onto her another girl who appeared to be in Emilee''s posse interrupted and stopped Emilee''s hand from connecting. In an attempt to calm Emilee the girl started, "Don''t bother with her. She''s just a nobody. She''ll eventually hate herself when she sees what she missed out on." Although Nora had been a potential future friend and prospect for many of the children from influential families, most of them now simply avoided talking to Nora in an attempt to themselves not anger the young girl, Emilee, the proclaimed genius from the Lightcrow Family. Nearly all the children who had the aptitude to become mages had been from influential families, mostly due to the fact that Mana bearing parents had a high chance of producing children with the ability to wield mana. Never the less the very few children from non-influential families who had managed to luckily be born with affinities were in an even worse position in case they managed to offend someone from the Lightcrow Family. Therefore as Nora traversed the group the many children in her path simply moved out of the way in their best attempt to distance themselves both socially and physically. That is all but one. The first child to be tested had already been ostracized by the crowd of children. The clothes the young boy wore were in such a state of disrepair that most of the children simply avoided him in order to maintain their high-status appearance. Nora quickly noticed that the young boy was also being ignored due to him being "from a lower class". She knew the feeling of being looked down upon. When she was a slave everyone looked at her with distaste. When she arose from slavery and became free, the brand of once being a slave shackled her to the lowest of classes. Only once she became powerful did they all finally stop and respect her. She knew how lonely and painful it was to be all alone. At that moment she decided that she was going to help this young boy. She was going to be there for him. She was going to be what she always wanted during those long, lonely years a friend. With a newly found skip in her step, Nora made her way towards him. Seemingly surprised, the young boy looked at the cheery girl who somehow parted the sea of people to approach him and became thoroughly confused. Nora promptly greeted the young boy, "My name is Nora. What''s yours?" "Perceval, but my friends call me Percy." replied the young boy, still in a perplexed state of confusion. "Wanna be my friend Percy?" noticing the boys rather straightforward response, Nora decided to in turn be straightforward as well. Percy couldn''t help but thinking, ''Who the hell is this girl? Why me?'' "Because I know your pain..." as if reading Percy''s mind Nora replied. Percy visibly taken aback finally understood, ''Birds of the same feather do indeed flock together'' Nora felt like she had stumbled upon an opportunity and said, "Percy do you like ships?" "Why?" "Because this friendship has sailed" 10 Pins & Shameless References... Nora and Percy''s banter ended rather abruptly with the entrance of one of the significant figures who had been at the stage with the Headmaster. The figure who up to this point had been shrouded under a hood unveiled themselves to reveal a young woman who looked not a day over 20. With a bright smile, she said, "I am Great Mage Mirlie and I will be your guide. If everyone would please follow me." then, just as she began to walk to back outside to the courtyard and into the Academy she paused. She quietly grumbled to herself, "My memory really is failing me...". Mirle turned around and gestured for the crowd to stop, "Before we enter the Academy you all need to put these on". She reached into her robe and pulled out a box full of blank ornate pins. Nora, who had been closely following Great Mage Mirlie was the first to receive a pin. As Nora grabbed a pin from the box, the blank spaces on the pin quickly shifted into two separate sentences. On the top of the pin the words, ''First Year'' were clearly written while on the bottom it said, "Fire Affinity". After a few seconds, an image of a flame appeared at the centre of the pin. Nora innately curious at the workings and purpose of the pin began to keenly observe it. Forgetting that she was blocking others from getting a pin. Mirlie quickly noticing that Nora seemed confused added for the entire group, "These pins will allow you to enter the Academy. Otherwise, the protection arrays of the school will identify you as a foreigner and alert security. So please, don''t lose them" she seemed to be speaking from personal experience as a rather disgruntled face took hold of her. Nora realizing her actions quickly stepped to the side to allow the rest of the children to collect their pins before they headed inside. - Headmaster Thurmond already having wrapped up his duties as the overseer of the enrollment tests began to make his way back towards his office but before he left the courtyard he caught sight of his new playtoy. She and the new Mage course students were just now receiving their identification pins. He steeled himself as he noticed the presence of Great Mage Mirlie. Thinking of the future his perverse smile once again grew on his face. His face somehow contorting further as he resumed his walk back to his office. - Nora only had waited a few minutes before everyone had their collected their pins and had pinned them onto their uniforms. As soon as they were all ready, Great Mage Mirlie once again instructed, "If everyone would please follow me." doing her best to pretend that she hadn''t nearly caused the entire school to panic as over a dozen foreigners set off all the protection arrays. Great Mage Mirlie led the now, new students into the Academy. As they crossed the entrance into the academy an invisible barrier provided some light resistance as everyone crossed. Nora quickly identified the barrier as some form of scanning array as she felt her entire body get scanned only for it to stop once it detected the pin. The chatter of the new students began to build as they made their way down one of the many halls within the Academy. Many of them gawking as they passed a series of classes, "Was that teacher doing fire magic?" "How are there so many rooms?" "I swear it wasn''t this big on the outside..." They eventually arrived at an empty classroom. Although the classroom appeared more like an auditorium it remained a classroom due to its lack of size, even the seats were at different raised altitudes to allow students to have a better view of the teacher. Great Mage Mirlie quickly told the students to sit down. The children already beginning to form their own cliches quickly sat down. Emilee, of course, having by far the largest group. Mirlie began her lesson about how the academy functioned, "At our Allosian Imperial Academy," slightly parodying the Headmasters pompous emphasization of the academies name, "the days are split into two types, Day One, and Day Two. For the first year''s the schedule is rather concrete and inflexible. "Day One''s consist of History, Magic Theory, Pre-Initiate Class for whichever element you have an affinity for and then a brief break for food. Followed by an elective of your choice in the afternoon." "Day Two''s consist of Physical Conditioning first, then Language Studies, followed by Pre-Initiate Class into a break, then a second block of whichever elective you chose." "For choices of electives, we offer a wide array", Great Mage Mirlie pulled out an incredibly long list from a nearby shelf and displayed it in front of the students. (List Of Electives) - Basics of Potioneering - Herbology - Care of Magical Creatures - Intro Arithmancy - Divination... - Defence Against the Dark Arts - ... - .. - . - The list continued on but Nora froze as she read ''Defence Against the Dark Arts'' she was extremely happy that she hadn''t started to cultivate ''Demonic Witchgod Transformations'' as that surely would''ve given her some form of affinity for the dark arts. From what Nora inferred, the people of the Alossian Empire weren''t were too fond of Demons... 11 Dormitories & An Array Great Mage Mirlie handed out a series of forms for all the students. The forms although rather long required each student to fill out certain information. Nora wanting to speed things along quickly jotted down her information [Class Organization Form] Name: Nora Redblood Age: 6 Affinity Type: Fire Affinity Elective: Defence Against the Dark Arts Nora was rather surprised at the archaic manner that the school obtained its information. If it were up to her, she would''ve used some form of an array instead, streamline the process. The train of thought brought Nora into more questions. ''How common are arrays in this world? Surely they could''ve used on right? Isn''t this a prestigious academy?" Nora''s thoughts were interrupted by Great Mage Mirlie, "If you all wouldn''t mind, could you all pass the forms down?", her rather kind tone setting the migration of papers into motion. Once the forms had made their way down to her, she quickly sorted them by affinity types. Then, leaving the papers on a table, which Nora could only discern as the teacher''s desk, Great Mage Mirlie asked the students to once again follow her. She led them down a series of rather confusing corridors before turning to face them. "This hall leads towards the student dormitories. On the left are the girls on the right are the boys. Each dorm holds eight people and are separated into affinities in order to encourage friendships and provide a beneficial learning environment with those who will study similar magic.". In the brief moments between Great Mage Mirlie''s instructions, Nora proposed a question, "Where do the Knight students live?" Mirlie probingly asked, "Why? Is one of your friends a Knight student?" "I''m just curious" "They live in a series of barracks around the academy. They''re training to be strong and durable, cushy dorms wouldn''t suit them." "Well anyway, classes will start in three days. Some more students from other cities will be joining the school over these next few days as they arrive get tested. Later on in the day, you will all receive your schedules." Great Mage Mirlie then guided the group down the hall and instructed certain students to enter each dorm. Somehow remembering their affinities from the forms. The first few dorms were for those with Water and Earth affinities, then came Fire. Nora was instructed to enter a dorm along with six other students. The dorm was circular in nature and vigorously decorated with the colour red. Nora couldn''t help but thinking, ''I know it''s for the fire affinity but do they really have to be so over the top?'' A series of eight fancy wooden twin sized beds circled the room. Nora was rather surprised by the size of the dorm. If all the dorms were this size, how the hell were they fitting them all inside the academy? From what she could recall they had gone through way too many corridors. Something weird was going on. Nora''s respect for the school increased as she came to the conclusion that they must''ve created a spacial array to contain such a vast school-ground within such a disproportional building. - Nora and the other girls settled rather quickly into the dorm. The other five girls had been avoiding Nora, probably due to Emilee''s influence, but it didn''t really bother Nora as she thought it would be rather annoying to have to deal with shenanigans of so many little children. Nora had claimed the furthest bed from the door and the girls rather humorously fought to see who would be the one who had to claim the bed beside Nora. Nora rather enjoying the display decided that although she still didn''t have all the information she desired about how the empire felt about Demons, she would need to increase her strength. The perverse smile on the Headmaster''s face had rather deeply disturbed Nora. With her current strength, she could guarantee that no matter how good she was in combat she would be completely outclassed by someone with a mana quantity at the Soul Completion Realm. Since it was still early in the day, Nora simply waited for the five girls to leave the dorm. Nora reading their desire to become ''friends'' Emilee. Once they left, Nora with a few simple movements, unsealed her affinities. The array she created was completely rushed and had innumerable flaws, and in turn, it had felt rather uncomfortable to have a portion of herself sealed under the messy array. Nora realized that with the presence of other girls in the dorm she may not be able to cultivate at night due to them potentially realizing the weird and unworldly methods she used for cultivation. With that in mind, Nora began to inscribe an intricate array on the bottom of the bed, hidden from prying eyes. The array covered the entirety of the beds bottom surface. Inscribed were over a hundred languages in a hundred diagrams. Several Mana collection diagrams were strewn into the mix with countless other indecipherable diagrams. Nora was not willing to risk being discovered with perverse and lecherous eyes hunting her. In breakneck speed, Nora finished the array. The system recognizing its perfection let out a *Ding* - [Skill Gained - Array Mastery] Array Mastery: 8 [Profession Gained] Array Grandmaster - One who has approached the very heights of arrays and comprehended the very nature of arrays. The intricate and complex mind required for such a feat, cannot be contained. 30% Bonus Experience. 20% General Improvement to all Magic Skills and Spells. - Seeing the new title, Nora was rather content but noticing the skill only reaching level 8 slightly bugged her. Although this array wasn''t near her limit, it was extremely complex. Something very few beings could ever create. Using the system''s evaluation Nora estimated that her ''Array Mastery'' probably truly lied around level 9. Still lacking perfection. Disgruntled Nora stepped back and activated the array. A perfect illusion of her appeared within the room. Seemingly minding its own business. Nora walked towards her doppelganger and tested the array by applying some force onto the illusion. Once, Nora felt applied the force and felt resistance she once again felt satisfied. She hadn''t been sure if the array would act the same way with mana but everything appeared to be working fine. Content with the array, Nora hopped on top of her bed and sat in a lotus position before beginning to cultivate. 12 First of the Demonic Witchgod Transformations Nora sat on top of her bed in a lotus position before quickly going over the first steps of ''Demonic Witchgod Transformation''. Unlike other Internal-Cultivation techniques which first focus on gathering energy in one''s dantian, ''Demonic Witchgod Transformations'' first gathered one''s energy within their own blood. Once she felt confident she began following the first steps of conducting the energy. Far unlike the first steps of ''Dragon Kings Incarnation'' of circulating dragons, one had to chant a very precise, demonic mantra which calls upon the many ''Witchgods'' which came before, while in turn circulating energy around oneself in a mystical pattern. The mystical pattern began to grow around Nora as she started her mantra. Unbeknownst to Nora a being began to materialize behind her. A breathtakingly beautiful, white-haired woman dressed in fantastical armour, coloured in a myriad of red and black shades. A blood-crimson coloured array of infinite complexity glowed behind the mysterious lady. As Nora continued to circulate the Mana around herself she felt a pair of hands latch onto her shoulders. Nora having expected this continued to trudge onwards. From the latched hands Nora felt a new type of energy flow into her, she could only describe it as completely domineering. The energy began to circulate within Nora''s veins and arteries, gradually siphoning Nora''s own Mana which she had been circulating around herself. The foreign energy proving too much of a strain on her heart began to slow her heartbeat. Nora''s heartbeat began to slow to a crawl until it eventually stopped. Somehow the energy as if sensing the heart failure rushed towards the hearts position and began to condense into a mass of energy. The energy began to devour the heart, breaking it down until there was only an empty space within Nora''s chest. The energy having cleared the space, condensed into a tiny purple core. The purple core began to circulate blood once again, permanently creating a faint presence of the new found energy within Nora''s blood. After a full rotation of Nora''s blood, she felt the pair of hands which had latched onto her shoulders leave and disappear as if they''d never been present. - Nora awoke from her cultivation, gasping for air. Although she knew the method of ''Demonic Witchgod Transformations'' was an oddity she never expected to have her heart completely devoured. From what she had read in her previous life, the technique had only been described as creating a demonic core within oneself. Never did she expect that she would be technically killed and revived just to progress through cultivation. Nora attempted to calm down as she could swear that she could feel her heart racing until she noticed something peculiar. She couldn''t feel her heartbeat. She could feel her body pushing adrenaline through her system after the close call with death but she couldn''t feel her heartbeat. Nora reached down to her arm and could feel no pulse. She reached for her neck, yet couldn''t feel her pulse. She could tell that she was definitely alive, she could clearly feel that the rest of her body was functioning perfectly fine. Her muscles hadn''t ceased from a lack of blood flow so she quickly determined that although the demonic core had replaced her heart, it didn''t provide a pulse, instead provided a constant flow. Slightly calming down, she took some deep breaths. That is until she noticed that something had changed about her skin. She rushed over to one of the many mirrors inside the dorm. Another undescribed change had occurred. Nora''s skin had significantly paled while her hair adapted to a bloodsoaked crimson colour. Nora couldn''t help but mentally cuss at herself, ''Why did I have to choose this one! Why couldn''t I just have chosen a simpler cultivation method! How the fuck am I going to explain this? What will my parents think!'' Nora trying to console herself called out ''Status'' - [ Status ] Name: Nora Redblood Species: Human Occupation: None Professions: NEW-Array Grandmaster Title: None Bloodline: Lower Elemental Witch Affinity: True Mana Affinity, Low Wind Affinity, Low Fire Affinity, Low Ice Affinity, Low Light Affinity Level: 1 Health Points: 4500/4500 Mana: 14000/14000 Strength: 8312 Speed: 7602 Accuracy: 5489 Stamina: 7644 Skills : Mana Mastery: 2 Dragon Kings Incarnation Cultivation Technique: MC5 Demonic Witchgod Transformations: T1 Polearm Mastery: MAX Mana Sense: 2 - Nora''s mouth fell wide open as she gazed onto status. The first transformation of ''Demonic Witchgod Transformations'' had surpassed the entirety of the stats provided by the first five stages of ''Dragon Kings Incarnation''. Suddenly the appearance change didn''t matter as much. Nora''s smile turned sour, ''Lower Elemental Witch?''. The incredible new stats had made her miss the new bloodline on the first look but now that it had caught her attention, she couldn''t help but frown. - [Bloodline] Lower Elemental Witch - An uncommon type of witch found on the ";??(^#!#"? Plane" their odd physiques allow them to resist the elements at a significantly higher level compared to other similarly ranked creatures. 20% Elemental Resistance. - ''I had been planning on waiting to find at least a Legendary beast before taking their bloodline to start my bloodline cultivation, but what is this sorry excuse for a bloodline?'' Her sour thoughts immediately stopped when she realized, the system hadn''t registered it as a new addition. Somehow, ''Demonic Witchgod Transformations'' had managed to bypass the system which up to this point had been quite up to par. Nora also came to realize that the system had somehow provided an error. It couldn''t identify where the bloodline was from besides that it came from some Plane of reality. ''Demonic Witchgod Transformations'' just may have been a very good choice after all...'' 13 Demonic Array & Class Lis Nora having begun the first transformation of the ''Demonic Witchgod Transformations'' now faced a bigger problem. The change in her appearance. Due to both the initial tests to enroll and the introduction class, many people had seen her appearance, but now with her significantly paled skin and crimson hair, someone would easily notice the oddity of the situation. Her classmates were one problem but the eyes of Headmaster Thurmond were specifically keen on her during the enrollment tests. Nora easily felt from her past experiences that this old man wasn''t the kind of man to keep to his own. Nora now needed to hide the appearance change. Nora had two options, either to hide her transformation through a demonic array or through an illusion array. She didn''t know which would be the safer option. She didn''t have enough information on the world and it''s people to know which would be the safer bet. With this uncertainty, she decided that she would use the demonic array since she had always wanted to attempt one. There was one reason for Nora having never attempted a demonic array before. One needed to use the truly willing blood of a demonic being. Although in her life as the ''First Paragon'' she had met many Demons, they were always exceptionally willful and proud. Unwilling to lend their blood to the curious ''First Paragon''. Nora bit into her finger, drawing blood. Unlike her previous blood, a slight hue of purple now filled the blood. Pulling up her uniform she inscribed a blood drawn array. Unlike her previous array, this one had a single archaic language. One of the oldest languages she had ever learned, a tongue that predated the very history of her original world. The archaic tongue of ancient demons. Over the countless years that Nora had lived through as the ''First Paragon'' she had only ever found a few records of it. Only when she defeated the Demon Sovereign and scoured his hoard of treasure did she finally find enough records of the language to decipher the tongue and learn it. Although the demonic array was several thousand times simpler than the array inscribed under Nora''s bed, it held a far more mystifying vibe. It felt like something that truly shouldn''t have existed in this world. With the completion of the demonic array, Nora felt a portion of herself become sealed under its power. Her skin regained its previous hue while her hair followed suit and slowly reverted. Nora resumed cultivation but instead of cultivating ''Demonic Witchgod Transformations'', she returned to ''Dragon Kings Incarnation''. The far more traditional cultivation progressed smoothly until Nora was interrupted by a knock on the dorm door. Nora being the last person in the dorm quietly disabled the array under her bed and answered the door. In the doorway stood a senior student with an incredible stack of envelopes. Before Nora could even greet the senior student, they handed Nora six envelopes all with individual names ornately written in fine ink. Just as suddenly as the senior student handed the envelopes to Nora, they had already mad their way down the hall to the next dorm. Leaving Nora all alone in the doorway. Nora seriously confused, closed the door and headed back inside the dorm. Curious, Nora opened her envelope and found that it held her class list. [Block: ClassRoom Number] 1-1: General History1441 1-2: Basics of Magic Theory1001 1-3: Pre-Initiate Fire Class2312 1-4: Defence Against the Dark Arts1084 2-1: Physical ConditioningO.C 2-2: Language Studies1142 2-3: Pre-Initiate Fire Class2312 2-4: Defence Against the Dark Arts1084 Nora quickly memorized the classes and room numbers before she heard another knock on the door. Nora believing it to be the senior student quickly answered the door, slightly angry at how she had been rudely treated earlier. Except that instead of the senior student, a young boy stood in the hall. Percy in his hand held his own class list. "Nora, can I see your class list! Do we share any classes?!?" the excited nature of Percy couldn''t help but create a happy smile across Nora''s face. Nora''s mood having significantly improved due to Percy''s request, she responded, "Gimmie a second, I left it on my bed". Nora promptly closed the door, ran towards her class list, and brought it back to Percy. Percy stood there in the hall with anticipation, his excitement unwavering. Nora''s return only brought more excitement to the young boy. His eyes scanned both, his and Nora''s class lists and after his careful inspection shouted, "We share history, fire class, and datda!" Nora couldn''t help but wonder, ''What''s datda?''. She repeated her thought out loud to Percy. "Datda = Defence Against the Dark Arts" Nora hearing Percy''s abbreviation, in an instinctive response, facepalmed. 14 History Class The next few days passed rather quickly with nothing much else to do rather than cultivate. Nora made slight progress in both, ''Dragon Kings Incarnation'' and ''Demonic Witchgod Transformations''. The circulation of the four dragons had increased in speed and in turn, strengthened her body and ever so slightly increased her affinity to each of the elements. Not enough to increase in affinity level but an increase nonetheless. On the other hand, when practicing ''Demonic Witchgod Transformations'', Nora''s demonic core which had replaced her heart grew slightly, infusing slightly more demonic energy into her blood. Whenever Nora would go stretch her legs, she''d find Percy and they''d walk around the Academy to familiarize themselves with the school grounds. Over some of their conversations, Nora discovered that just as she was being largely ignored by her peers, they had also been avoiding Percy. Except unlike Nora, who had been ostracized for angering Emilee. Percy had been ostracized for barely qualifying for the mage course and for being of substantially lower standing than the other students. - With the dawn of a new day, Nora''s first class was soon to start. She had rather high hopes for ''General History''. She had been wanting to get a better understanding of the world she now found herself in. Nora and Percy had made their way towards ''General History'' together. They had found the classroom listed on their class list, ''1441'' during one of their meanderings in between Nora''s cultivation. The class itself was slightly larger than the one they had been orientated at a few days prior. Since they arrived rather quickly compared to the other students they managed to sit together. Nora became rather excited as more and more people entered the classroom. She had spent quite some time wondering about the many facets of this new world. She truly felt like she''d finally have the answered she saught. After some time passed a teacher walked into the room. The teacher in a dreary and slow tone said, "Uh... my name is Glenn Moongreen, and I am the sorry Mage who has to teach you". The rather unmotivated way he spoke kinda ticked Nora off. She had highly anticipated General History yet all she was going to be taught by such a slacker. It was simply unbelievable. Luckily for Nora, a familiar girls voice promptly shouted in its condescending manner, "Hold it right there! Mage Glenn this is unacceptable! I demand a better teacher!" Emilee''s voice perfectly portrayed her ''I''m better than you all'' stance on life. In that instant, Mage Glenn snapped his fingers. The motion creating a series of immaculate golden chains appeared and silenced Emilee. The light aspected chains constraining her, preventing her from speaking. With another motion, he lifted Emilee out of her seat and with an invisible force pulled her to where he was standing. "I may be reluctant to teach this class, but you will not disrespect me. If you like it or not, you''re stuck with me. Deal with it." Mage Glenn with a wave of his hand canceled his spells and let Emilee drop to the floor in an unsightly manner. "I am Emilee Lightcrow, how dare you disrespect me! I''m going to complain to my father about what you did to me! You damn bastard of a magic instructor!" "Do what you want little child. Your insignificant dad can''t touch me." The sound of Emilee running out of the classroom and down the hall echoed in the air for a brief moment. Before the slight sounds of Emilee crying begun down the hall. "Ugh... I better go fix this... If the missis hears a made a little girl cry on my first day she''ll have my head!" Mage Glenn then walked out of the class after Emilee. Leaving the class in an awkward silence. Not long after, Mage Glenn returned with Emilee in tow. The evident signs of crying appearing across the face of Emilee. - It didn''t take long before class commenced. Mage Glenn handed out massive textbooks to each of the students. The textbooks themselves having the words "The History of the Nespian Continent". The time flew by as the unmotivated teacher gained some vibrancy and happiness whenever he started to talk about History. Since it was the first class, much of what was covered Nora had already learned. Although she did learn a few new minor things, the only thing that she really deemed significant was that although the textbook referred to the continent as the "Nespian Continent", the continent''s name was currently in contention with all the major powers of the content having their own name for the continent. The only reason for the written name on the textbook being the "Nespian Continent" instead of the local name of the continent was due to an ancient empire which once had controlled the entirety of the continent being called the Nespian Empire. Leaving this name as the name used by scholars who wanted to avoid the political turmoil from siding with one of the many empires. Before Nora knew it, it had become time for her Magic Theory class. 15 Magic Theory Class With the end of the first class and the beginning of the second, Nora had to bid farewell to Percy. Although they shared many classes, Magic Theory was one of the three classes that they didn''t share. Learning about magic in this world was one of the main reasons Nora was originally so happy to attend the Alossian Imperial Academy. The single display of power from Mage Glenn only helped increase her desire to learn more about the potential new Path. Nora quickly made her way towards the next class. The new classroom was very much like her previous classroom. Now alone, Nora found herself a seat and patiently waited for class to begin. In the background, she could hear a few students talking about previous knowledge their families had taught them about magic theory. Seemingly trying to show off to the other children. Nora''s patience slowly withered as whoever was going to teach the class was surely late. To Nora''s surprise, the teacher for Magic Theory was by far more generic than her previous teacher Mage Glenn. The old man wore worn grey robes and carried a long wooden staff. The only odd thing with the old man''s appearance was a bright red ring he wore on his left hand. The old man entered the classroom seeing the eyes of many of the children holding the same feeling which Nora had. They too had grown rather tired of waiting for the old man. The old man''s face turned stern as he began, "A mage is never late. Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to." the old man losing his composure and began to chuckle. The light chuckle grew into a hearty laugh as it infected the students. Even Nora, who had thought herself rather annoyed quickly joined along. "My name is..." the old man begun before a nasty cracking noise came from the old man''s knee. "Oh my, I used to be young like you. Until I took a spell in the knee..." The old man hobbled towards the door, attempting to hide the severity of the pain he felt. "I''ll be right back. I need to get my knee healed." The sounds of the old man complaining about the pain could be heard for some ways as the old man went further and further from the class. The many children in the class quickly began to talk about the joking statement the old man had said. Nora hearing a noticeably louder child say, "A mage is never late. Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to. What kind of joke is that? Has that old man gone senile?" The room was quickly hushed as a figure Nora recognized walked into the room. Mage Glenn slowly made his way to a neatly placed desk, "My name is Glenn Moongreen and I''ll be the substitute who''s in charge of this class while Mage Incanus finds a healer." Nora couldn''t help feeling rather mixed. Mage Glenn had been a good teacher in her previous class but he was really unmotivated. Surprisingly Mage Glenn seemed to be rather focused on the task at hand and began the lesson. "All of the students present here are part of the Mage course. As any Mage would tell you, the beginning of any mages adventure all begins with a basic step..." the eyes of Mage Glenn catching a student dozing off in the back of the classroom which quickly interrupted his focus. "You in the back, focus! This is what your entire future depends on, focus!" the words of Mage Glenn containing a very faint trace of residual mana, causing the young boy who had begun to fall asleep to immediately awaken. "As I was saying...", Mage Glenn slow exhaled in an attempt to calm himself before continuing, "All mages must begin their journey by accumulating Mana and creating a Mana Pool." Mage Glenn then walked to a chalkboard behind his desk and drew a diagram. "Those with the ability to manipulate Mana can focus said Mana in a specific spot to create the foundation of the Mana Pool." Mage Glenn pointed at the human diagram he had drawn and emphasized a spot between the lower ribs and naval. "Only when one can accumulate enough Mana can one properly create a Mana Pool. The process itself requiring one to have enough control with their affinity to force the accumulation of Mana to turn into a perpetually rotating Mana Pool. Only then will one qualify as an Initiate Mage. The true starting point of the Mage classifications. I myself am a Mage. I have already gone through the steps of an Initiate Mage, Apprentice Mage, and I am now growing ever closer to becoming a Great Mage." After taking a brief pause to ensure that everyone had understood the lesson so far, Mage Glenn continued, "For the first few classes we will undergo communal meditation with a focus on teaching and showing you all how to begin accumulating Mana." While gesticulating Mage Glenn continued, "Can everyone close their eyes," his eye''s scanning the room, ensuring everyone closed their eye''s. "Try to feel the Mana in the air around you. Imagine the Mana moving towards you. Picture the colour of the Mana and how it comes to rest inside of you" Instead of jumping headfirst into the accumulation of Mana, Nora sensed around at the progress of other students near her. A small fraction of students had already begun to accumulate Mana beforehand and already had a small quantity of Mana within themselves. Nora then sensed the different quantities of Mana each student were managing to pull towards themselves. Some of the people who had never learned how to accumulate Mana learned quickly while those with lower abilities to manipulate Mana struggled onwards. Having gauged that this was a very individual process, which was highly constricted based on one''s ability to manipulate mana, decided that she would begin attempting to accumulate Mana herself. Before Nora could properly begin, she heard the old man return to the class. "I have returned!" the old man proudly shouting. Nora noted the robes of the old man were no longer grey. They had become a bright white. The hair that the old man once possessed had also turned white. Mage Glenn greeted him, "Mage Incanus, what are you doing back, you''ve barely been healed" the contemplative noise of Mage Incanus sounded quiet as he muttered, "Oh yes... that was what they used to call me... Mage Incanus. That was my name..." 16 Mirlie? With Mage Incanus returning to the class, Mage Glenn ran out of the classroom and down the hall. The serious attitude he had held during his teachings disappeared as he yelled at the top of his lungs, "FREEDOM!" Nora couldn''t refrain from laughing to herself. Mage Glenn really was quite the character... His very weird attitude was growing on her. Yet, before Nora could attempt to accumulate Mana, Mage Incanus signaled the end of class. Although Nora wasn''t too happy about not getting the chance to practice, she nonetheless headed to her next class. She''d have to wait until after her classes to attempt this new Path. Nora surprisingly found Percy outside her class, waiting patiently. She could only infer that Percy''s class was close to hers. Nora along with Percy made their way towards their third class. Their Affinity class. Since nearly all the new students had yet to even become Initiate Mages, they would have to attend the Pre-Initiate class. A far more basic class to help the young students learn to sense and manipulate the element that they''re compatible with. The Pre-Initiate Fire class quite far away so Nora and Percy made pace towards their class. In a few minutes, they had gotten to their class. Nora noticed that Percy was out of breath and sweating. She honestly felt rather bad for him. Only now did Nora really notice how frail he appeared and she truly felt sad for him. They entered the class, Nora now slightly downtrodden. At the front of the class sat Great Mage Mirlie, patiently waiting for her class to fill up. Nora rather liking Great Mage Mirlie decided to sit at the very front of the class. Although Percy slightly disliked the attention, he begrudgingly agreed. The class size rather small quickly filled with the dozen or so students. Great Mage Mirlie then began, "I believe most of you were just in Magic Theory. Nevertheless, for those who weren''t, let quickly review." Great Mage Mirlie went on to explain the very same material that Mage Glenn had covered except in a more descriptive form. Showing that either Mage Glenn glossed over some minor details or Great Mage Mirlie truly was ''Great'' in comparison. "Luckily or unluckily for you, Fire is one of the more destructive affinities. Quite powerful for offense it often leaves much lacking in defence." rather reluctantly Great Mage Mirlie appeared to be speaking from personal experience. "Since this is our first class together, we''ll focus on getting you started on accumulating Mana." Nora was rather pleased, she''d finally get to try out a new path. She felt like this was what she needed to boost her spirits. Great Mage Mirlie instructed the class to follow the same steps as Mage Glenn had described. "Close your eyes, feel the air around you, pull the mana around you towards yourself." Before commencing, Nora noticed how Percy was only managing to collect a far smaller amount of mana compared to the other classmates. At this moment Nora decided that she would help Percy. Although he was young, he was far kinder than any other student she''d met at the Academy. Nora closed her eyes and focused on the air around her. She sensed a vast quantity of Mana in the air around her. Without realizing she ravaged the Mana. The mix between her previous experiences with elemental Qi and her True Mana Affinity truly showing their combined might. The Mana in the air began to be drained at such an unnatural pace that some of the students near Nora stopped being able to sense any Mana around them. Noticing the occurrence, Great Mage Mirlie called attention to herself at the front of the class, "Everyone, please continue practicing while I step out for a minute" as she made her way out of the class she passed by Nora and said, "Do you mind speaking to me outside?" her tone rather serious, making the question seem less like a question and more like a statement. Nora knowing that there was no other option simply complied. She made her way outside without many people noticing. Many of them distracted by their attempts to accumulate Mana. Nora followed Great Mage Mirlie outside. In a rather straightforward and decisive manner, Great Mage Mirlie stated, "Would you like to be my personal disciple?" Nora beyond confused asked, "Great Mage Mirlie, why are you asking me?" "I''m asking you because your affinity with Mana is far too unnatural. In my long life, I have never seen someone be so inhumanely naturally attuned to Mana." seeming to forgo her status in order to attempt to convince the one in a lifetime student, "I''ve seen the way Headmaster Thurmond looks at you. I am willing to protect you from his advances if you become my disciple". With that offer alone Mirlie felt like she would be able to sway Nora to become her disciple. Yet to her surprise Nora simply responded, "With all due respect, why would I need your protection?" ''Uhhgh, doesn''t she understand the danger she''s in?'' Mirlie exclaiming internally, ''Fine, maybe this''ll work.'' "If you become my disciple I''ll teach you how to do this..." Great Mage Mirlie turned her hand over and summoned a ball of fire in her hand. Nora was rather curious but didn''t expect much from this display. At least that was until the fireball in Great Mage Mirlie''s hand changed from a red to blue... 17 Organs and Percy With the appearance of the blue fireball caused Nora to grow very curious. She hadn''t seen such a flame in quite some time. It reminded her of the ''Essence Flames'' from her previous life yet, it was vastly different. It didn''t contain any of the unique properties which ''Essence Flames'' were known for. Nora could feel that it was still a normal flame, if not just more powerful. Nora not noticing that she had begun to ignore Great Mage Mirlie due to her curiosity for the flame. Returning her attention to Great Mage Mirlie, "Nora, whatever you do, do not use the full scope of your Mana Affinity. When I saw you during the test with Mana orb, it wasn''t even close to what I saw in the classroom. Such a high affinity already brought the attention of many of the major families. If they saw the true extent, they wouldn''t allow such a potential challenger to rise and unbalance the precarious balance." Great Mage Mirlie seeing that Nora was about to respond quickly told her to return to class but not before reminding her to, "control yourself and come see me after class". Nora made her way back to class and quietly took her spot. Nora resumed her Mana accumulation but at a reduced rate at Great Mage Mirlie''s request. Nora was very curious at the underlying mechanics of mana accumulation. In her previous world, such a form of collecting Qi could only result in an extremely dangerous imbalance of energy within the body. Using her very soul to sense her body she recalled the several new organs which she had found foreign in her body. Noticing that a single organ resided in the exact spot which Mana had been accumulating in. The organ managed and prevent the Mana from causing harm within one''s body. Nora''s curiosity somewhat sedated, spent the remaining class time accumulating Mana. Using her estimate for the organ''s capabilities she inferred that she had made a minimal amount of progress. Slightly disheartened by the slow pace in which Mana accumulated decided that from what she had seen the diversity of the Mage Path, she would trudge onwards. With the class wrapping up, Nora kindly told Percy to go ahead to his self proclaimed "datda" class while she went to speak to Great Mage Mirlie. "Nora, will you accept my offer?" Great Mage Mirlie spoke as she saw Nora approach "I can''t see why I would refuse..." Nora simply replied. Great Mage Mirlie finally having received a response celebrated to herself. Jumping wildly around while flailing her arms carelessly. Only stopping when she realized that she had completely shattered the appearance of her teacherly etiquette. Nora quite weirded out slowly backed away from her teacher. Just as she was about to escape into the hall she heard Great Mage Mirlie chase after her, "Nora wait! If you have any questions for me come look for me in room 3261. Ok?" "Alright..." Nora''s words once again sending Great Mage Mirlie into her odd celebratory dance Nora now escaping Great Mage Mirlie''s room made her way to join Percy in their class of ''Defence Against the Dark Arts''. Only to notice that it was currently break and class wouldn''t start for quite a while. Nevertheless, Nora continued to her class, hoping to run into Percy on the way. Although Nora didn''t run into Percy on the way to their class she found him waiting outside their next class. Seemingly waiting for Nora. To both of their surprise time passed rather quickly as they waited for their class to begin. While many of the other children were chatting with their friends or hanging out, Nora and Percy had both become the undesirables of the school. Therefore they chatted amongst themselves, talking about their own lives and where they came from. Through the conversation, Nora learned that Percy although technically a noble and therefore allowed to attend the school had come from a very poor family who had many children. Leaving Percy with little to no prospects. Rather moved by Percy''s story she spent the remaining time thinking of a cultivation manual which could help Percy with restoring and assisting his impoverished family. Just as a middle-aged man in black robes approached the classroom, Nora decided on a manual for Percy, ''Flame Tyrant''s Rebirths'' 18 Datda The middle-aged man who was now entering the classroom appeared rather menacing, his thin physique and sallow skin only emphasized his large hooked nose. None of his features subverting the dark cold eyes plastered on his face. The middle-aged man as if sensing the glare from Nora''s eyes stared her down as he entered the classroom. Nora perplexed by the sullen eyes of the man remained stunned until she heard a low voice from inside the classroom, "Come in" even furthermore confused if the words were directed at her, she stood there silently slightly expectantly, "Yes you, come inside" the low voice spoke again confirming Nora''s thoughts. Nora and Percy meekly walked into the classroom unsure of what to expect. The black-robed man had already made himself at home. An immense stack of textbooks were stacked onto the teacher''s desk. "Could you two help me put out the textbooks?" Although Nora didn''t mind doing a little labour, she couldn''t help but think to herself, ''Why don''t you just use magic?'' As if reading Nora''s thoughts the middle-aged man responded, "Little girl, magic may but sometimes one must remember one''s beginnings." Complying both Nora and Percy assisted the rather odd man with distributing the myriad of textbooks to the empty spots, which students would soon fill. Nora naturally having a much easier job carrying the hefty textbooks. Throughout the process of laying out the textbooks Nora kept contemplating the words the man had said, ''one must remember one''s beginnings''. Those words held a very close resemblance to a mantra Nora had learned for breaking past the Golden Core Realm of cultivation. The process of destroying the golden core created within oneself and imbuing it into the soul of oneself required one to, ''return to one''s origin''. Nora''s contemplation only disturbed when she noticed that the once imposing stack of textbooks had disappeared and a flow of students had begun entering the classroom. Noticing that Percy had already taken a seat, she promptly joined him. - The class began rapidly as the teacher introduced himself as, "Great Mage Sev". Great Mage Sev started his class by explaining that, "This class was normally offered to 3rd year students but due to some unexpected circumstances the course is now beginning during the 1st year. The material might be a bit harder to understand than some of your other courses but you may find, such as I have, that this course may prove far more valuable." Nora couldn''t help notice that the middle-aged man was also a ''Great Mage'' like Great Mage Mirlie. This was rather odd as she had noticed that nearly all of the other teachers throughout the school had similar Mana levels to Mage Glenn and Mage Incanus. "If we may begin, please open your textbooks to page 12..." Great Mage Sev carefully instructing the class to skip the table of contents "Our lesson today begins with the most common creature, and often a nuisance. Goblins." Great Mage Sev explained with a heavy sigh in his words. "Goblins are one of the most adaptable species of creatures. Often physically changing to suit their environments. Some of the many examples of Goblins adaptability are such as the Cave Goblins who have lost much of the pigment in their skin to reduce the need for certain nutrients while also having their eyes mutate to see better in dark places." The class continued much to the enjoyment of Nora. Great Mage Sev continued detailing many of the recorded adaptations of Goblins, such as the Rock Goblins from the mountains with increased their increase defence to the Marsh Goblins with webbed feet. The class rather quickly glossed over some of the variants due to the real focus of the class being less of creatures and more on defence against said creatures. The class shifted focus onto the hierarchy of Goblins. How most villages were lead by a Goblin King, a powerful creature on equal footing to a Great Knight. The Goblin King often protected by Hobgoblins, a sub-species of Goblin which is born once in every group of 20 Goblins. Great Mage Sev then covered his experience with Goblins and the major flaw within Goblin anatomy. Their rather frail arms always provide a fruitful target for one who is trying to kill Goblins. Then, with the wrapping up of class, Great Mage Sev covered the easiest ways to detect if a Goblin Tribe has taken residence in an area. The many types of markings which Goblins leave in their territory, the absence of only small animals, and many many more possible indications that Goblins had made their claim to an area. Only once Nora was nudged by Percy did she realize that the class had finished. She had been so immersed in learning about a type of creature that she couldn''t wait for the next class. Having finished class Nora headed to leave the classroom but before she could leave she heard the voice of Great Mage Sev ask her a question, "Little girl, would you mind helping me out again next class?" Having grown to rather like the class Nora happily answered, "I''d be happy to" 19 nuk-kcur Ending the conversation with Great Mage Sev, Nora and Percy left the classroom. Although the regimented courses had ended they now had many hours before they would be required to enter their dorms. They wandered around the school for a while, unwanting to end the day early. With their conversation slowly growing stale and the topics they could discuss shrinking evermore, Nora boldly decided in order for their friendship to grow, she wouldn''t lie to Percy. In a rather timid fashion, Nora muttered, "Percy, I think I need to tell you something..." The shift in tone not lost on Percy he inquired, "Why so serious? Let''s put a smile on that face," as if referencing something he began to chuckle to himself, attempting to restrain laughter. Feeling the lightheartedness, Nora double-down on her commitment, "I have something to tel..." Nora was cut off as Percy stopped her while pointing down the hall. She looked up to where Percy was pointing and spotted Emilee and her posse moving down the hall. The posse had grown in size from the last time Nora saw it. Now hosting both Mage course and Knight course students. Without saying a word, Percy turned around and speedily walked away. Once out of sight he began to sprint. Before Nora could chase after Percy, she heard the unwanted voice of Emilee, "Oh my, what do we have here? It seems the little runt left you all alone." Originally Nora had not bothered with Emilee in the slightest. All she saw was an arrogant little girl who only had the power of her family to back her, and no real power to herself. In other words, she was a fool. Nora simply wanted to let the stuck up girl be as she doubted that she could "correct" Emilee''s ways without getting in trouble with the teachers. Yet, Emilee in her all-encompassing perfection now decided to insult Percy. Something which Nora wouldn''t easily let go. To Nora, a friend was more than just someone to be used, they were someone you''d move a mountain for. Even though she had known Percy for a very short period, he resembled her actions when she was still very young in her original world, and something deep down made her want to protect him. "You know what," Nora retorted, "I don''t give a damn about who you are, leave me and Percy alone!" Giving Emilee one last chance to leave things be, Nora started to walk away. Before she could even make it more than ten steps, she was grabbed by Emilee. Once again, Emilee attempted the same trick she had previously tried, she used her strength as a second stage Mana Circulator to attempt to dig her nails into Nora''s shoulder. Finally done with the little girl''s antics, Nora turned around grabbing Emilee''s outstretched hand, bending her wrist far beyond the breaking point. Leaving a loud *crack* as the wrist began to dangle freely from its joint. Emilee immediately began to cry. In her entire life, Emilee had never been even slightly injured. Now presented with a broken wrist, she couldn''t control herself. Her sobbing leaving a pitiful expression strewn across her face. "I tried to warn you..." Nora said as she once again began to walk way. To Nora''s surprise she heard a powerful voice yell out, "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY DEAR GREAT-GRANDDAUGHTER!", the voice''s power shaking every single fiber within Nora''s body. The instantly recognizable power of Headmaster Thurmond appeared beside Emilee. Beyond all of Nora''s expectations, the Headmaster had actually teleported beside Emilee. A feat she did not believe someone with the Headmaster''s power could complete. The Headmaster reached down and inspected Emilee''s wrist. Seeing how her dominant hand had been completely dis-attached from the wrist, he became furious. The full power of the Headmaster flared up, such a vast quantity of Mana began to rage and writhe as the anger of the Headmaster exploded. Before Nora could even react, the pressure of the Mana hit her like a ton of bricks, pressing her down into the floor. The force so furious that almost immediately Nora began to cough up blood. The sounds of several bones snapping began to resound and Nora was pressed with more and more force from the Headmasters Mana. To Nora''s surprise, she heard the sound of footsteps running down the hall, unimpeded by the force created by the Headmaster. Unable to see the figure in her prostrated state, she reached out to sense who the being was. Great Mage Mirlie ran down the hall, stopping beside Nora. Releasing her own projection of her Mana, she managed to halt the pressure being imposed on Nora. The Mana feeling far more calm and soothing. "You think you alone can stop me from exacting my revenge!" the Headmaster taunted towards Great Mage Mirlie. "You cannot stop me from making equal on the harm she caused me great-granddaughter. For every tear my great-granddaughter shed, Nora should face a thousand lashes!" the Headmasters voice reaching a crescendo as he yelled. "Well now," Great Mage Mirlie spoke, "aren''t you being somewhat unreasonable?" seemingly unfazed by the sheer rage within the Headmasters voice. "YOU CANNOT STOP ME!", a large staff appearing in the Headmaster''s hand as he spoke. Nora once again grew nervous at the sight of the staff. If there is one thing that she learned in her previous life, it was that someone with a weapon will always be stronger than one without. The staff itself causing a qualitative change in the force being projected by the Headmaster. This change even affecting Great Mage Mirlie as the first signs of fatigue appeared on her face. "Not so fast there my "dear" Headmaster," a black mass of darkness speedily appearing at the side of Great Mage Mirlie, "I wouldn''t do that if I were you..." The black mass twisting into Human form, leaving Great Mage Sev standing in his black robes with a wooden staff at his side. "You see, I may have promised this little girl''s parents that I would protect her." Disgruntled at the appearance of both Great Mages, Headmaster Thurmond declared in a somewhat restrained rage, "You better keep a close eye on her. If she hurts my precious great-granddaughter again, I''ll have her head." With those final words, Headmaster Thurmond reached down and lifted the still sobbing Emilee into his arms as he, in a flash, teleported away presumedly taking Emilee to get her wrist healed. With the main aggressor leaving, the eyes of the two Great Mages slowly shifted onto Nora. Simultaneously they spoke, "Why would you do something so stupid! - Unwillingly Nora was dragged back into Great Mage Sev''s classroom. Before she could even thank the two Great Mages for saving her life, they gave her the scolding of a lifetime. The two Great Mages spoke over eachother as their scolding turned more into rant territory. After what seemed like an eternal scolding, Nora finally had a breather. Seemingly done with their rant they finally spoke in turn with Great Mage Mirlie speaking first, "Nora, from now on don''t linger in the halls. Whenever your classes end, come to one of our classes. We can protect you from any residual hatred either Emilee or Headmaster Thurmond still hold. Anyways... why did you break her wrist in the first place?" "She insulted my friend, and tried to hurt me!" "Nora, really? Uhhh fine... let''s just deal with the aftermath, what''s there name?" "His name is Perceval, but he prefers the name Percy" "Sev, could you get him?" "Give me a second..." Great Mage Sev responded before turning into a black mass and speeding out the window. Nora now witnessing the rather eerie form of movement watched emptily as Great Mage Sev exited the classroom. Noticing the odd gaze at the sight of the odd magic, which Great Mage Mirlie had once alos shared, she chimed in, "The thing is Nora, Sev is a practicioner of black magic. One of the remnants from a war that you''re far too young to know of. Nowadays most people either fear or feel disgust towards black magic. After Sev and a few of his late friends assisted in the offensive war against the Kingdom of Castrum, the Lightcrow family grew scared of the power they wielded and outlawed the open practice of black magic, and now prevent those with an affinity for black magic from being taught at any of the academies, be it the Allosian Academy or any of the merchant or commoner academies. The Lightcrow Family has slowly made most of Sev''s old friends disappear over the years but they haven''t managed to make Sev disappear for he has the support of many families, such as your family the Redbloods. The fierce rumours that the Lightcrow Family spread eventually made the entire populace of the Allosian Empire turn against black magic practicioners." Appearing through the window the black incorpreal mass made its way back into the classroom before turning back into Great Mage Sev with a slightly terrified Percy in tow. "Great Mage Sev, I swear I''ll be good! Just please never do that again!" Percy being mortified of whatever spell had just been cast on him. "I brought the little one back as you asked Mirlie" "Thank you Sev." Great Mage Mirlie''s eyes then turned to Percy, "Do you know what Nora got herself into because of you!? Luckily Sev came along and helped scare of the Headmaster, otherwise who knows what he would''ve done to Nora!" getting some frustration out she finally asked a real question,"Why did you leave her all alone?" Percy having been informed of what transpired by Great Mage Sev couldn''t help but feel rather guilty for leaving Nora all alone. "The thing is Great Mage Mirlie... Emilee and her posse haven''t been the kindest to me..." Percy then took off his uniform''s top and revealed a series of both fresh and slightly old bruise marks. "Oh my!" Great Mage Mirlie seeing the myriad bruises rushed over and embraced Percy. "I''m so sorry!" Mirlie failing to hold back her tears as they slowly rolled down her face. "Here Percy, drink this," Great Mage Mirlie reached into her robe and pulled out a very thin vial with an extremely concentrated red liquid within it. Passing the vial to Percy she said, "Don''t worry about it, it''ll make you better" Percy rapidly chugged the potion and the bruises which covered his upper body slowly faded away, leaving unblemished skin behind. Percy then looked around the room, seemingly thinking about the people in the room, before deciding, "Nora, I have to tell you something about who I really am..." 20 Secrets Percy carefully evaluating the situation decided that he had to say something, "Nora, I have to tell you something about who I really am..." taking a few brief moments to compose himself, "I originally didn''t want to tell you about who I really am. For I am not from this world. I was born as Bradley Jones on a world called Earth. When I was born my mother died in childbirth. My father a hardworking blue-collar worker who loved the bottle a little too much. When my mom died in childbirth his hatred for my festered. His once earnest nature turned vile as he leaned further and further on the bottle. Before I knew it he started giving me all these nicknames, ''Killer'', ''the Accident'', ''Murderer'', the namecalling turned to beatings when I turned five. Every time I came home from school he would beat me vigorously, to the point that I would often be left unable to move. Eventually, the many absences caused by the countless beatings brought the attention of my school admin. Somehow the admin figured out my situation and got the authorities involved. They rescued me and placed me into child services, although I managed to regain my footing I never truly recovered from the trauma. My only escape from reality became the many media platforms in my world. I secluded myself from reality and dove headfirst into fiction. Until one day in my adulthood, I was catching up on the most recently updated web novels when a truck flew into my 20th-floor apartment and instantly killed me!" Percy paused before a faint smile appeared on his face, "When I died, I finally felt free. I roamed in pure all-encompassing darkness for what felt like decades until I felt as if I was being dragged towards someplace distant. What was at first only a small tug, turned into an irresistible force. After travelling an inconceivable distance in the darkness I suddenly saw a single light appear in front of me. Something instinctual drove me towards the light and the second I made contact I felt my very soul merge with that of Perceval Stonebraid. Next thing I knew I was Perceval. A five-year-old kid who was born into lesser-nobility. Although my family was rather large and comparatively poor, I felt a familial bond with them. I felt as if the pain and suffering that I had undergone in my previous life turn to distant memories as I experienced the true, unadulterated love. In the last year, I learned many things about this world. When I first learned about all the different kinds of Mages and Knights, I couldn''t be more excited. Eventually, when the Academy tests rolled around I luckily managed to qualify for the Mage course, even if by a hair''s length." the smile which had appeared on his face dimmed and turned remorseful, "Sadly, there are no free meals in any world. Although I managed to meet you, Nora, I also encountered Emilee. When she learned of who I was and who my family was, she immediately began harassing me. Whenever I was alone, they''d gang up on me and beat me down. As one of the Lightcrow, she threatened both me and my family if I ever told any of the teachers. Only in confidence do I now tell you three..." finally the diminished smile lost its form and tears began to well in his eyes, "Nora, I''m so sorry for what they did to you! I hope you can forgive me! I never wanted to get you involved in my troubles... Please forgive me!" Nora didn''t really know how to feel. She had felt that something had been slightly off about Percy since the first day they met. She couldn''t really put her finger on it but something instinctually told her that Percy was beyond his age. Although slightly janky in his conversation something felt as if he was older than he portrayed. "I have something to share as well..." Nora reluctantly spoke before being interrupted by Great Mage Sev, "What? That you''re not entirely human?" "Sev, I think you''re mistaken, there''s no way she isn''t human!" Great Mage Mirlie replied "Nora, you may be able to hide that demonic array from others but it''s not the first time I''ve sensed a demonic array. The energy they give off is unmistakable" "Great Mage Sev," Nora replied, "you''re mistaken. I am still human." Nora reached into her uniform and deactivated the demonic array. Immediately Nora''s skin paled and her hair turned a blood-soaked crimson. "I also have something to share..." although she didn''t fully trust the three, she felt that it was a fair shot, she didn''t want to keep her secret from everyone. Having her teacher, the man who''s promised to protect her, and her only friend, know about her secret didn''t seem like too much of a potential risk. "I too am not from this world... I come from a world of cultivation. I was born into slavery, the first eighteen years of my life were absolute hell. I suffered through unimaginable torture until through some less than reputable means, managed to buy my freedom. I eventually managed to join a sect, something akin to what major families are in this world, my late start in cultivation caused people to ridicule and abuse me. Seen as the undesirable weakling, they picked on me and pushed me down. Through over a hundred years of suffering and pain, I finally managed to become an inner-disciple. With renewed vitality, I began to challenge the norms and undergo many types of cultivation at once, although I progressed slowly and people condemned me for my actions, it eventually caused me to become heralded as the ''First Paragon'' as I surpassed all those who were once above me. Eventually, after eons, I reached the very brim of ascension, a hair length away from divinity. Only to be struck down by the Demon Beast Emperor during my last heavenly-tribulation before the gates of divinity. Unwilling to die, I used my near-almighty soul to fight against the samsara cycle and challenged one of the very principles of the universe rebirth. For contending with one of the major principles I was ousted from my universe and through the burning of my soul, I managed to survive the void which separated my universe from this world. After drifting in the void I forced my way through the innate barrier of this world and before I knew it, I was born. Since then, I''ve used some of the cultivation techniques from my old world to progress in this world." Although she shared a large portion of her history, she left out some less than needed information, such as the forceful ousting of the being who would''ve become Nora Redblood, if not for Nora''s replacement of the original being and that the first few years of her life were more of a blur than actual memories. "I am no demon. One of the cultivation methods which I am currently practicing caused my appearance to slightly change. If anything, I know more about being human than all of you" 21 Great Knight & New Classes Nora and Percy''s confessions were met with confusion. Great Mage Mirlie couldn''t wrap her head around their stories. Great Mage Sev on the other hand, oddly nodded with confirmation before casually walking out of the classroom in a partial daze, both wanting and unwanting to comprehend the information. Although at first, they didn''t quite believe such an outrageous claim from Percy, Nora''s claim had extensive proof. Her cultivation method was extremely odd with causing an appearance change, her cultivation was far beyond what should''ve been. She had recovered from serious injuries at a far abnormal pace for her cultivation. One of these claims alone was odd but all together, proved far too hefty to dismiss. Having to think about her next step, Great Mage Mirlie tossed two small pendants with a small blue crystal at the centre. "As long as you channel Mana into the crystal in the centre, they''ll alert me of your location and I''ll come to your aid. With that said, try to stay out of the limelight and avoid Emilee and her posse." pausing for a brief moment, "Head back to your dorms. From now on, after your classes come directly to my class and I and Great Mage Sev personally tutor you two. Alright?" In unison, both Nora and Percy rather disappointedly agreed, "Alright..." Before leaving, Nora reactivated the demonic array and her appearance once again reverted to its original state. - Nora and Percy both headed back towards their dorms in silence. Unsure how to break the new awkward feeling since their confessions, they simply said goodnight to each other before disappearing into their respective dorms. Although at first, Nora wanted to give Percy, ''Flame Tyrant''s Rebirths'' his act of ditching her to face Emilee did slightly deter her from wanting to give Percy such a powerful technique. Instead of completely leaving Percy with nothing, she did, in fact, feel some sympathy for his situation. She knew the pain of being subpar and being mistreated. In both wanting to help Percy get past his underlying fear of pain, and get even with him, she decided that she would give him an extremely painful cultivation method, "Tempering by a Thousand Cuts". A Saint rank Outer-cultivation technique which tempered one''s body by inflicting an ever-increasing amount of cuts on one''s body. Although at first, Nora had some reservations about giving such a painful method to Percy, if he truly wanted to become powerful, and if he wanted to overcome his past, he would persevere and become a better person through the ordeal. The complexity of a Saint rank technique being far lower than a Divine ranked technique, Nora converted the technique from it''s once Qi base to Mana within a few hours. Leaving the remainder of the night to cultivation. After being forced to the ground by the Headmaster''s power, she refocused on ''Dragon Kings Incarnation''. She wouldn''t let someone force her down again. Only a stronger body would allow her to resist such a force. For someone who had been above all for so long, being weaker than such a vile person felt like an insult to her. With the newfound drive, she made a breakthrough and entered the sixth realm of Mana Cultivation. - The night passed in a blur of cultivation and before Nora knew it, it was time for her first class. Unlike the previous day, she had a different schedule compared to yesterday. Following the class list instruction, she went to the Outer Courtyard for Physical Conditioning. Unlike the other classes Nora had, Physical Conditioning was taught by a Great Knight named Galahad. A rather large figure who wore an imposingly large silver armour. His facial features both bold and sharp only accentuated his golden hair. To Nora''s surprise, everyone in the class was handed a small bland manual with the words, ''Allosian Beginner Knight Technique''. Although she had been surprised, it quickly died down as she read over the technique. Although it was, in fact, an outer-cultivation technique, it was far from a decent manual. According to Great Knight Galahad, the original founding families created this technique from observing some of the native creatures and their innate body tempering techniques. Nora couldn''t help but scoff. What creatures, mice, rabbits? This technique was trash in her eyes. It barely qualified as a mid-mortal ranked technique. The fact that Great Knight Galahad seemed proud of the history of the technique, it left a bad taste in Nora''s mouth. With the vast majority of the class having not started any form of cultivation, Nora breezed through the class as the "conditioning" didn''t even cause her to break a sweat. The only real boon from the class was Nora finally had an understanding of what a ''Great Knight'' was. Using Great Knight Galahad as a base for Nora''s estimation she inferred that a ''Great Knight'' must''ve been within the bounds of the Core Formation Realm. With the wrapping up of the class, Nora headed to Language Studies. This, another class coincidentally without Percy, proved rather interesting. Following the similar format which she''d now seen several times, she received a textbook for the class and from then on, class rapidly progressed. The teacher for Language Studies was far older than any other teacher she''d seen. His aged skin significantly drooped and all his movement carried a frail appearance. Even through his age, he taught with a passion which countered his age. The class quickly dove into the fundamentals of the ''Common Tongue'' which was widely spoken within the Allosian Empire. Nora became engrossed in the textbook which she had been provided and read ahead. Madly flipping through page after page, ravaging the new information. Nora only noticing the end of class once the other students around her began to leave the classroom. Before leaving, Nora returned the textbook. As she left the classroom she spoted Percy. He was patiently waiting for Nora in the hall. 22 Magic Pool & Misinformation Nora spotted Percy waiting patiently for her in the hall. Although she didn''t want to avoid him, his confession made things rather awkward. She didn''t fully know how to respond to the whole ordeal yesterday. "How''s it going?" Percy asked as Nora approached, pausing while anticipating a response, the lack of said response prompting him to ask another question, "How was Language Studies?" At least Percy was putting in the effort to connect while Nora not really being a social person in the first place was rather disconnected, even more so than her she had been before. Noticing her own lack of contribution she tried to respond but all she got managed to say was, "Good..." "Nora I know what I said yesterday was a lot, and my actions before that were even worse... Let me just say, I truly am sorry and for my actions. I swear on my life that I will never make the same mistake again." In silence, Nora and Percy began walking to their next class. Still lacking a response from Nora, Percy continued, "Here, let''s start anew. My name is Perceval Stonebraid, but my friends... well... I call myself Percy, and you are?" Percy''s attempt finally breaking Nora''s shell, she responds in turn, "I''m Nora Redblood, nice to meet you, Percy." As they approached their third class of the day, Pre-Initiate Fire Class, a far more jovial air surrounded the two as they entered the class. Exchanging in small talk as they found their seats. Soon, Great Mage Mirlie started her class, "Welcome all to your second day in my class. Due to some recent developments," Great Mage Mirlie''s gaze briefly glancing at Nora, "Today I will explain the purpose and use of a Mana Pool. As most of you may have witnessed already, Mages have the ability to do marvellous things. The first few stages of becoming a Mage are the preparatory stages for being able to cast such spells. Currently, you are all of you are Pre-Initiate Mages, you are all in the stage of accumulating Mana to form a Mana Pool. After which once you''ve formed your Mana Pool you will become Initiate Mages. The difference is monumental. A Mana Pool''s purpose is to provide a reliable source of Mana for which to be used to cast spells. Any questions?" a series of hands instantly sprouted into the air, "Why can''t we use the Mana already contained within our bodies?" Nora too wondered this, according to her ''Status'' she already had a sizable amount of Mana, why wouldn''t that Mana also work? "The Mana Pool acts as a channel and refinery, you''ll be able to use that Mana as a surplus on top of the Mana Pool only once it has gone through the Mana Pool. Otherwise, the Mana is far too unyielding to be simply drawn from." At this answer Nora was beyond perplexed, she had easily manipulated Mana outside of her body. Even creating intangible constructs from said Mana. Yet, Great Mage Mirlie claimed it far too unyielding? Compared to Qi, Mana was as malleable as clay. Seeking an answer Nora too raised her hand, Great Mage Mirlie noticing her disciples hand, in an act of favouritism let her disciple ask her question first, "If someone were to tame the unyielding nature of the Mana, would they then be able to use it?" "Well... hypothetically yes, although it would still be far harder than going through the traditional process of channelling it through their Mana Pool. Even so, such a feat would require on to possess mastery over Mana. Something that normally takes a lifetime to accomplish." A mastery over mana? Nora already had achieved ''Mana Mastery: 2''. Something that takes a lifetime, more like a few afternoons! Following Great Mage Mirlie''s request to avoid dragging unnecessary attention, she withheld the rest of her questions for their afterschool tutoring. Nora''s mind began to drift as the remainder of the class time passed with the students asking questions that pertained more to the accumulation of Mana, something that Nora had no problem doing, than to the subject at hand, the Mana Pool. Once the other questions had been answered, the class began to continue their accumulation of Mana. Noticing the change of direction, Nora joined in. The progress she made in accumulating mana seemed rather small but if anyone knew at what an absurd speed she was gathering mana compared to the other students, they''d have a heart attack. Soon enough, class began to wrap up and before Nora and Percy could make it out the door, Great Mage Mirlie personally offered to escort them to Great Mage Sev''s classroom for ''Defence Against the Dark Arts'', ensuring that Nora and Percy didn''t cause any more trouble. Although being escorted ensured that Nora and Percy wouldn''t cause trouble, it didn''t help prevent rumours from spreading. The fact that Emilee and the Headmaster had begun spinning the previous day''s altercation in their favour by spreading misinformation wasn''t helping the situation. The sight of Nora being ''protected'' by a teacher only fueled the rumours that Emilee had completely defeated Nora and caused her to seek protection from Great Mage Mirlie. Although many of the first years doubted the authenticity of these claims, they didn''t dare voice it. No one wanted to offend the young miss. Nora, Percy, and Great Mage Mirlie swiftly made their way to Great Mage Sev''s class. To both teachers surprise, Nora''s first words upon entering the class were, "Great Mage Sev, would you happen to have some paper I could use?" 23 Fire + Mana = Dragon As soon as Nora walked into the room, she asked, "Great Mage Sev, would you happen to have some paper I could use?". Oddly perplexed but curious, he obliged, "I just happen to have a stack of paper. What''s the occasion, Nora?" Understanding the inquiry, Nora simply responded, "It''s easier to show you than to explain, would you mind?" while gesturing towards the paper. "Here..." Great Mage Sev handed a paper to Nora. She then drew upon the Mana within her body and formed a brush like a construct. The sight of which made Great Mage Sev freeze. To him, this was an impossible sight. He instantly recognized such a level of mana mastery. How was it possible for Nora to have already accomplished something he was still trying to achieve. It perplexed him to the point in which he forgot he was still holding onto the paper, his grip unrelenting until Nora broke him from his trance with a slight cough. Then, with the paper in hand, Nora attempted something she had previously theorized, she imbued a tiny portion of the ambient fire element into the tip of the brush construct and began to burn onto the paper, "Tempering by a Thousand Cuts". "Great Mage Sev, would you mind passing a few dozen pages? I''ll show you what it is I''m writing after class..." With a slight stutter at the sight of Nora writing with a Mana construct, unfazed by the feat she was performing, he responded, "Uh... mmm.. sure..." With a stack of papers, Nora made her way to her seat and waited for the class to start. While she waited she continued to write on the remaining pages. Luckily for Nora, Great Mage Sev realized how much trouble and chaos Nora could cause if someone spread the information that Nora could create Mana constructs to the Lightcrows or any other of the major families. In a decisive moment, he with a few words, cast a camouflage spell. Upon the casting, Nora immediately felt its effects. She recognized the feeling the spell gave off, it reminded her of a stealth technique she once practiced. Instead of invisibility, the effect was more of indifference. Someone would simply pass over the one enshrouded in the spell instead noticing the one in question. If such as spell was so easy to cast by a practitioner of black magic, Nora could somewhat understand why the Lightcrows feared them. In Nora''s old world, such a technique was only practicable by those who already have the power to shatter mountains with a single finger, someone far more powerful than Nora believed Great Mage Sev to even be capable of. Not minding the spell, Nora continued to write the ''Tempering by a Thousand Cuts'' technique for Percy, all in time before class begun. As soon as the class had begun, Great Mage Sev covertly cancelled the spell on Nora and began his lesson. Unlike the previous lesson which was on Goblins and their hierarchy, today''s lesson was based on two very similar creatures to Goblins, the Hobgoblin and the Bugbear. The former being a tall humanoid creature who resembles a human far more than they resemble a goblin. Their orangey tan skin and the vast amount of fur that covers their bodies being their biggest giveaways. Their constant warlust makes the Hobgoblin a dangerous creature to face. Often grouping up with other Hobgoblins to raid and pillage. The Bugbear, on the other hand, was a far lazier creature with even superior abilities than the Hobgoblin. Their appearance resembled a large orange bipedal ape. Dangerously powerful and incredibly sneaky, Bugbears were a force to be reckoned with, well... If only they weren''t so unbelievably lazy. The only things that could make a Bugbear take action were the necessity to consume food and the desire to find a better place to sleep and laze around. Nora couldn''t help but laugh at the idea of such a lazy creature as the Bugbear, how could they even come close to surviving with such lazy tendencies. The lesson flew by. Before she knew it, the class had wrapped up and people were exiting the class. Nora and Percy made their way to Great Mage Sev before he personally led them to Great Mage Mirlie''s class. When they arrived at Great Mage Mirlie''s class, some students were still leaving the class. Nora waited for the last few students to leave before handing the manual she had written out to Percy. "Percy, this is for you. I guess it''s quite similar to a knight technique, well... except for the fact that it''s actually useful. Only practice it if you truly do want to get stronger. This technique is exceptionally painful. Don''t take it lightly..." "Thank you, Nora, why is it called ''Tempering by a Thousand Cuts''?" "That''s for you to find out" a small vengeful smile appeared on Nora''s face as she quietly spoke. The two Great Mages who were now being ignored by Nora and Percy couldn''t help but eavesdrop on their conversation. Upon hearing that Nora had written a knight technique, or at least something similar, they couldn''t help but be curious. Any Great Mage who had progressed passed the stage of Mage were innately curious for their power originating in the knowledge they accumulated. Trying to be sly, both of the Great Mages cast separate observatory spells, Great Mage Sev created a tiny humanoid eye that hovered in the corner of the room attempting to peer into the manual which Percy was soon to open, while Great Mage Mirlie cast a miniscule flame which also clung to the walls as it provided Mirlie with a view of the manual. Nora easily noticing their attempt simply glared at the two Great Mages who were acting more like children than the two actual children in the room, "If you want to look at it, just ask." Nora''s words holding a rather harsh tone. Great Mage Mirlie slightly peeved at the tone which Nora talked to them, she without thinking spoke out, "You shouldn''t use such a disrespectful tone with those who are older than you!" "Well if we''re going by age you should kowtow and call me Ancestor" the words that were spoken by Nora immediately shut down Great Mage Mirlie as she remembered that although Nora was currently young, she had lived far longer than everyone in the school combined. Ashamed at her lapse in memory, she sat down and remained silent. Nora looked over at Percy, "Read over the manual in full and try to practice it. Alright?" a quiet nod from Percy signified his agreement. Having handed the cultivation manual to Percy, Nora made her way to the Great Mages. "Would you mind teaching me some magic?" Nora''s words restarted the downtrodden Great Mage Mirlie, "You have to be able to control Mana, you''re still a Pre-Initi..." her words cut off by Great Mage Sev, "Don''t even try, she''s already attained mastery over Mana... Nora, do you mind?" Understanding Great Mage Sev''s request, Nora decided to truly show her limits. With all her focus, she siphoned half of the entire Mana within her, creating a humongous dragon construct. Nora guided the construct around the classroom, before deciding that she would try the same nifty trick she attempted earlier. Suddenly, the humongous dragon construct which once was no more than an outline of Mana turned into a dragon constructed by a raging fire. "So... would you mind teaching me some magic?" 24 Stages of Spellcasting "So... would you mind teaching me some magic?" At the sight of such a humongous and intricate dragon construct, Great Mage Sev fell to his knees. He was already amazed by the comparably simple brush earlier, let alone an impossibly large and near perfect dragon. "How is this possible..." the jaw of Great Mage Mirlie dropping in absolute shock. To other those below the stage of a Great Mage, such a sight would only cause awe, to a Great Mage such a sight could instill fear. By the time someone became a Great Mage they could somewhat manipulate all the mana within their body, yet still preferring their Mana Pool for its ease and assistance in control of the unwieldy Mana. Both Great Mage Sev and Great Mage Mirlie had both attempted to create tiny constructs but the sheer amount of corrections one would have to continuously undergo for a construct to maintain its shape. They had failed at tiny constructs such as the brush Nora had created earlier, let alone such a humongous construct. It would be nearly impossible for one to even come close to creating such a feat. Seeing Great Mage Sev fall to his knees brought a smile to Nora''s face. She decided to further push the situation. Slowly, another dragon construct emerged, unlike the previous one which was based around the fire element, the second dragon construct was based around the wind element. A flurry of wind encompassed the dragon, making it seem almost ethereal. Under Nora''s guidance, the two constructs circled and coiled around each other. - [Skill Level Up] Mana Mastery : 3 - Due to Nora not wanting to miss a single moment of the sight before her, she ignored the prompt. Such a sight pushed Great Mage Sev passed his limit and caused him to pass out. Nora now felt the effects of drawing mana out from one''s body, she felt rather sluggish and her body slightly unresponsive. Wanting to actually learn some magic and not just scare her teachers, she cancelled the constructs and they instantly fell apart, causing the elemental particles to scatter and the mana to dissipate. Percy who had been completely engrossed in the cultivation manual only now looking up, "Why is Great Mage Sev on the ground?" somehow managing to have been completely oblivious to what had just occurred. - Great Mage Sev awoke a few minutes later, Great Mage Mirlie beside him, comforting Great Mage Sev who had collapsed. The first words out of Great Mage Sev''s mouth immediately were, "Please tell me it was a nightmare..." still not wanting to believe that Nora was such an impossible being. Wanting to console Great Mage Sev, Nora walked over to him and spoke, "I''m really sorry... I think I took it too far Great Mage Sev... It was just too funny seeing you in shock" "Nora, it''s alright... From now on, you can drop the prefix, just call me Sev. With such an impossible degree of control over Mana, it won''t be long till you surpass me anyway..." the statement hurting Sev''s pride more than he''d ever admit. "Nora," Great Mage Mirlie added, "since you''re already capable of controlling mana to such a degree, I don''t see a problem with teaching you how to cast spells" Both Sev and Great Mage Mirlie rose from the ground, Sev physically dusting off the feeling of defeat he had just felt. Great Mage Mirlie walked over to the large board at the front of the class and began, "Percy, you should listen too, it may help you in the future as well. Spells are primarily broken down into 3 stages. Spell formulas are what make up the spell. They are what allow a Mage to create supernatural feats with ease. The first of the stages is ''Incantation''. During the beginning of one''s path as a Mage, people often have to recite a passage which help''s one properly activate the spell formula. The words which are spoken often help guide the Mana to create the desired effect. Although this process is by far the easiest, it is also extremely inefficient and beyond dangerous in battle. Making a Mage nearly useless in battle due to the long delay between them starting combat and actually attacking. The second stage of spell casting is ''Meaning'', the process in which someone endows a selection of words with a spell formula. Shortening the process of spellcasting, instead of one reciting a long passage, they only need to say a few words, such as Fireball." the utterance of Fireball creating a large red sphere of flames on Great Mage Mirlie''s hand. "At the second stage combat becomes viable if not slightly hazardous due to most intelligent enemies being able to prepare for you attack as you state the select words. The final stage of spell casting is ''Intent''. The final stage allows one to imbue their actions with a spell. Such as a simple wave of the hand allowing one to cast a fireball instead of having any verbal requirements. By far the most viable in combat and the most useful. At a certain point, most Mages have mastered most of their spells to the ''Intent'' stage due to the larger their options in combat, the larger chance of them remaining unharmed is multiplied." - Shortly after Great Mage Mirlie finished her brief lesson, she wrote out a Level-0 spell formula. She explained to Nora that the spells are divided into ranks. In this case, the Level-0 spell formula refers to spells which although aimed at Mages, is of lesser complexity and difficulty than the proper Level-1 spells of a proper Mage. The Level-0 spell in question was Mage Hand, an extremely common spell which nearly all Mages have mastered. It allows one to create a hand out of Mana which can carry non-magical objects that weigh less than 10kg''s at will. Only with the small downside of having to sustain a constant supply of minimal mana. Percy who had been quiet for quite some time, as soon as he heard the description of the spell he couldn''t refrain and spoke up, "I swear I''ve seen this spell before..." after a few brief moments he shouted, "This spell is straight from D&D!" 25 D&D & Mage Hand "What is D&D?" Nora befuddled by the new found word "Well, D&D is actually called ''Dungeons and Dragons''..." Percy responded before being cut off by Great Mage Mirlie, "How did a spell come from this ''Dungeons and Dragons''?" "It''s doesn''t really have Dungeons nor Dragons. Well... It kinda does. It''s a type of tabletop game, games which are played in groups of people on tables. Dungeons and Dragons is a role-playing game, a game which focuses on playing characters in an overall story. Everyone plays it slightly differently but it allows people to experience going on fantastical quests and heroic journeys. Letting the mundane turn fantasy." "Then, why didn''t you just go on an actual journey or quest?" Nora spoke, "Wouldn''t it be far more enjoyable?" "Nora, unlike your cultivator world, people of my world had no supernatural abilities. Without power, our people turned to intellect. With this intellect, they tamed the world and in turn tamed themselves. The most the average joe could expect to attain in life was a nice home and a quiet life." "What about people not called Joe?" Great Mage Sev curiously inquired. "Ughh, that''s just an expression..." Percy''s hand striking his face, "average joe means the average person" "That''s a rather odd turn of phrase... I wonder how all the Joe''s felt..." Great Mage Sev still slightly missing the point. "Anyway, can I go back to reading the cultivation manual?" his gaze peered at the people around him, the consensual nod, cueing his leave. - Nora attempted to analyze the magic formula on the board in front of her. The lack of knowledge in the regards of magic formula''s really showed it''s head. Nora could only grasp that magic formula''s were in fact somewhat similar to arrays. She could only wish that she had more magic formula to compare, but for now, she would settle with what she was given and she would try to grasp ''Mage Hand''. "Great Mage Mirlie, what is the incantation for Mage Hand?" the absence of the incantation finally dawning on Nora as she had been far more interested in the magic formula itself. "Whoops... I completely forgot. I guess old age really does catch up with you..." Great Mage Mirlie replied in a mutterance, more to herself than anyone else. In a moment of curiosity, Nora asked a question which had been lingering in her mind, "Great Mage Mirlie, how old are you really?" Immediately turning defensive, Great Mage Mirlie hurridly spoke, "Twenty-five and not a day older..." the dragging of the sentence giving far more away than the actual answer. "Nora, Mirlie here is actually..." Sev was immediately cut off by Great Mage Mirlie as she threw a small blue fireball in his direction. As if Sev''s response was innately apart of him, he once again turned into a black incorporeal form as he dodged the blue fireball. Rematerializing a few feet away. "Mirlie is actually 1..." getting to pronounce the first digit of Mirlie''s age before another small blue fireball was flung in Sev''s direction. "Mirlie is 18...." a far larger blue fireball sped towards Sev. Although dodging, the fire slightly singed the black incorporeal form of Sev. "Fine, fine, fine... I won''t say but did you really have to burn my robe?" "Twenty-five and not a day older..." Great Mage Mirlie told herself one more time, Nora couldn''t tell if she was even trying to convince herself or others. - Nora driven by her curiosity began to study the incantation on the board. She could only agree with Great Mage Mirlie''s statement, if one had to say the full incantation in battle, it would be literal suicide. Nora looked over the magic formula and attempted to manipulate Mana to follow the specified instructions. She wanted to avoid the incantation step in its entirety. She didn''t think it''d be too hard of a feat. It was a rather simple spell, a Level-0 nonetheless. She tried to follow the formula but due to the new foreign nature of magic formula''s in general, she failed. The second that the spell failed Nora felt the Mana which had been used in the attempt, recoil and backlash towards her. The backlash was beyond minute but her powerful soul assisted in detecting it. Nora now realized why people didn''t outright skip the incantation stage. For a Level-0 spell, the danger was minimal if not non-existent, but for a far more powerful and complex spell, Nora already began to dread the idea of such a spell backlashing towards her. Not wanting to admit defeat to what seemed like a simple spell, she decided that she would power on and try again. To Nora''s surprise, the second attempt failed. Determined she tried once again and managed to succeed. A blue hand appeared in front of Nora. To Nora''s surprise, the blue hand felt like an extra limb. Although quite sluggish and possessing bad motor controls, the Mage Hand defied what Nora had known in her previous world. It was vaguely similar to how a flying sword from her previous world would control once one became one with their weapon, if not for the sluggish nature, Nora would''ve believed it to be the very same. Once again magic had defied her expectations as only once someone had travelled far on the path of weapon cultivation would one be able to accomplish a similar feat. Yet, a measly Level-0 spell could already mimic something that would take decades to accomplish. Nora began to feel out the Mage Hand and its control''s. Moving the Mage Hand around instantly brought the attention of the two Great Mages. ''I can''t believe it... It took her less than a day when it had taken me months...'' Great Mage Sev couldn''t help but marvel at Nora''s accomplishment. Unbeknownst to Sev, Nora had already begun contemplating to herself, "What would happen if I modified the magic formula?" 26 Bloody Percy Having comprehended Mage Hand, Nora already set her sights on her next goal, she asked Sev, "What other Level-0 spells would you recommend?" her smile seemingly taunting the awestricken Great Mage. "Well, shouldn''t you take a break?" the breakneck speed of which Nora learned scared him to the point of no return, "That must''ve tired you out..." "I''m fine. I could do a few more..." at the sound of Nora''s words Sev''s face paled. "Fine, fine..." his unwanting steps taking far longer than they should to reach the board. Sev then carefully wrote out two more common Mage spells, the Level-0 Candlelight, and the Level-0 Mage Eye Candlelight creating a dim candle-like light which said mage can freely manipulate within 2 meters. On the other hand, Mage Eye being far more like Mage Hand, creating a controllable eye which allows a Mage to see through said eye. In a similar fashion to Mage Hand, Nora managed to skip the incantation stage and within a few attempts wrangled control of both of these spells. Mage Eye, in particular, bringing an odd sense of self as an external perspective shifted the general view of the surroundings. Soon enough, Percy walked up to Nora and asked her a few questions about the cultivation manual she''d given him. After a few minutes of deliberation, Percy made his way back to one of the many classroom chairs and started to cultivate. Slowly a few minor cuts no larger than papercuts appeared on his face. The blood barely breaking past the skin through the cuts. Gradually, slightly larger cuts began to appear. The cuts began to exponentially multiply. One turned twenty, twenty turned a hundred. Blood profusely bled through the now thousands of cuts. With each and every single one of Percy''s heartbeats, a wave of blood leaked out of each and every cut. Even Sev, who had witnessed many atrocities in his time fell silent as the young boy turned into a pulsating mass of blood. Each heartbeat creating a series of squelches. The blood-soaked uniform slowly disappearing before an even greater mass of blood. Great Mage Mirlie terrified at the sight ran towards Percy before being yelled at, "Don''t touch him! You''ll kill him!" only Percy could end his cultivation, otherwise the cuts which have been spouting blood would begin to overpower the cultivation''s creation of blood. Turning Percy into a bloodless husk. "Just give him some time, it''s not even that bad" Nora having seen much crueller cultivation techniques didn''t even bat an eye at the sight of endless blood, "I think I''ll call it for the day, I''m quite tired..." a false yawn stretching over her face, yet, the two Great Mages were completely affixed on Percy. "Fine, but you better clean it up, otherwise it''ll reek of blood for a very long time..." pointing at the quickly forming puddle of blood. - Nora casually left the three in the classroom as she made her way back to her dorm. She really wanted to delve into her cultivation. She really wanted to advance with her ''Demonic Witchgod Transformations''. She could already feel that with a few good nights of cultivation she could complete her first transformation, having full replaced her heart. The power which Sev wielded seemed very appealing to her. If her transformations did eventually grant a new affinity, she may get to learn and analyze any and all interesting powers which she stumbled across. Undeterred, Nora reached her dorm and quickly activated the secret array below her bed. Seemingly disappearing from the world, being replaced by the near-perfect illusion. Without a second thought, she jumped into cultivation and in turn sat on her bed in a lotus position. The purple core in place of Nora''s heart had grown substantially from when it first had formed. Everything had been progressing fine until in the midsts of her cultivation, Nora heard a faint female voice speak from behind her, although barely audible the voice deeply terrified every fibre of Nora''s soul. Something about the voice seemed completely wrong, the slow pronunciation of each word made the entirety of the encounter far eerier, "What do we have here... Hmmm... Interesting..." the voice paused, Nora''s mind raced in the silence until the quiet was broken once again, "A dragon cultivator... wait, those dragons aren''t from this world." the being behind the voice instantly seeing Nora''s cultivation and the origin of the ''Dragon Kings Incarnation''. "You''ll be quite entertaining to watch... Let me spice things up..." Nora instantly felt an insurmountable surge of demonic energy collide against her body. The only release, a bloodcurdling screech as the insides of Nora began to reform and reconstruct. The single purple core shattered into 9 segments. Each of the segments reforming into 9 smaller cores. An inconceivable myriad of inscriptions appearing on each of the cores. Under the duress of the demonic energy, the demonic array which Nora had inscribed on herself failed and Nora''s appearance adapted to her true form. The pale skin turned ghastly, her eyes shifted, her pupils morphing into vertical lines, the brown pigment turning a bright golden. Signalizing the end of the energy, a *Ding* resounded in Nora''s mind. [Elemental Affinity Gained] Medium Darkness Affinity - 50% General Improvement and Growth to Darkness Spells and Darkness-related skills. 20% Increased Efficiency to Darkness Spells and Darkness-related skills. Allows oneself to sense Elemental Darkness. [Elemental Affinity Gained] Medium Light Affinity - 50% General Improvement and Growth to Light Spells and Light-related skills. 20% Increased Efficiency to Light Spells and Light-related skills. Allows oneself to sense Elemental Light. 27 Inheritor x 2 Nora slowly regained consciousness from her cultivation. The sudden surge of demonic energy and the changes which occurred afterwards had caused her to lose track of time. Worried that she had either missed class or been late, she quickly opened her eyes. Only to see Great Mage Mirlie sitting in front of her. A look of both anger and relief strewn across her face. "Thank goodness you awoke!" she embraced Nora, finally relaxing, "When you missed your first class I worried the worst had occurred and came looking for you. Only to find a masterclass illusion array." "Actually," Nora responded, "It''s a grandmaster class array..." she had put a lot of effort into the array and felt rather proud of it herself. She didn''t want it to be so easily diminished to simply masterclass. "Nora, what happened to your eyes!" finally noticing the golden, vertical pupils within Nora''s eyes. "Are you alright? How did this happen!?!" "I was just cultivating, Great Mage Mirlie, no need to worry!" in an attempt to calm down Great Mage Mirlie, Nora tried to curtail the gravitas of the physical transformation. "Nora, I''ve been waiting for you to exit your trance for three classes. I had to ask another teacher to take over my class while I made sure no one discovered your odd cultivation... We can''t just let this happen all willy nilly. I already asked many favours just to keep quiet." "Something odd happened last night, I can''t really explain it but it shouldn''t..." "I didn''t want to do this but I guess it''s the only way to ensure your safety. Especially with the level of enigma you are." Great Mage Mirlie paused momentarily as she contemplated her next few words, "I guess I''ll have to name you my inheritor..." The importance of these words did not fall short on Nora. In her world of cultivation, someone''s inheritor was closer than one''s own kin. They were the lifeline of the legacy a person left behind. The direct succession of all one learned and experienced. Although she didn''t quite know the specifics of what an inheritor consisted of in this world, it was still very clear to her that it wasn''t something to take lightly. "What does that mean?" Nora wanting to find answers questioned. "It means I''ll personally teach you everything I know. Due to some old rules of the Allosian Academy, it also means I get temporary leave for a few years, in order to train an inheritor. It also means that you''ll get pulled from your classes in order for me to personally teach you all your classes, one on one..." Nora liked the sound of what Great Mage Mirlie had described to her. Although she did enjoy the academy, she quickly felt the mental drain of having to learn at such a slow speed. She by far preferred to wholeheartedly obsess over study in large chunks, rather than the current slow chapter by chapter progress. "That all sounds great, Great Mage Mirlie but I really enjoy Sev''s classes..." the look on Great Mage Mirlie''s face instantly darkened. Nora immediately regretted her words. "Nora do you not understand the opportunity I''m offering you? Why would you even want to be taught by him, you have an Affinity for Fire and Air, why would you care for a black magician like him?" in the heat of the moment, Great Mage Mirlie responded with harsher words than she truly meant. "Well, Mirlie... I happen to share something in common with him." Nora couldn''t stand Great Mage Mirlie talking down to someone who had protected her from Headmaster Thurmond. Although she too had protected her, it was clear that only Sev truly stayed the Headmasters hand. Not wanting to have his name sullied, she created five constructs, five perfect spheres of Mana. Before infusing them with her five elemental affinities. One turned into a raging flame, the next an abyss of darkness, followed by a blinding light, a torrential tempest, and a storming blizzard. "Wait here, Nora... You just complicated everything." spoke Great Mage Mirlie before walking out of the dorm. - A few minutes later, Great Mage Mirlie walked in with Sev in tow. Sev''s appearance was very dishevelled, the signs of him just woken up clearly displayed for all to see. "Nora, show him what you just showed me..." Replicating the same display she did not a few minutes prior, she created the five elemental orbs. Before Great Mage Mirlie could say anything, Sev interrupted, "It seems I may finally have an inheritor..." "Too late Sev, I already offered her to be my inheritor. This is what you get for sleeping in all morning!" wanting to secretly protect the future legacy she tried to dissuade Sev. "Every few years a prospective Fire Mage appears, finding a prospective black mage is far rarer, let alone in the Allosian Empire! I think it''s only fair she becomes my inheritor!" the ''teacherly discussion'' quickly escalating Seeing the opportunity in front of her, Nora chipped in, "Why can''t I inherit both of your legacies?" The completely foreign proposition immediately halted the ''teacherly discussion'' as the two Great Mages thought it over. Great Mage Mirlie couldn''t help but reply, "Nora you truly are quite greedy..." 28 The Start of Mystery Nora sat witness to several minutes of discussion between the two Great Mages. Eventually, they reached a conclusion. They had discussed several things, such as, where they would teach Nora and where they could avoid the Lightcrows influence. They had a few ideas such as going to the Mage tower in which Great Mage Mirlie received her post-academy education, the Crimson Flame Tower, but they eventually decided on going to Sev''s now personal Mage Tower. The secluded Mage Tower which once housed him and his friends during his younger years was rather well hidden and nearly impenetrable. Yet, before they could continue their discussion, Nora budded in, "What about Percy? Can he come too?" Great Mage Mirlie couldn''t help but think to herself, ''My, my, this girl really wants the world...'' "Well," before Great Mage Mirlie could respond Sev spoke, "that''ll be up to him to decide if he wants to come along" he made sure to not let Mirlie turn the request down. He knew the value that a good friend could carry, and the feeling of loneliness the lack of one created. "Before we inform the Academy, we should figure everything out..." Great Mage Mirlie begrudgingly replied "Do you two mind if I figure some things out while you two discuss?" "It''s fine, just don''t leave the room quite yet..." Sev replied Nora immediately called upon her ''Status'' - [ Status ] Name: Nora Redblood Species: Human (98%) Occupation: None Professions: Array Grandmaster Title: None Bloodline: Higher Elemental Witch Affinity: True Mana Affinity, Medium Darkness Affinity, Medium Light Affinity, Low Wind Affinity, Low Fire Affinity, Low Ice Affinity, Level: 1 Health Points: 9,000/9,000 (+4,500) Mana: 28,000/28,000 (+14,000) Strength: 10,322 (+2,010) Speed: 8,824 (+1,222) Accuracy: 11,744 (+6,255) Stamina: 9,801 (+2,157) Skills : Mana Mastery: 3 (+1) Dragon Kings Incarnation Cultivation Technique: MC6 Demonic Witchgod Transformations: T1 Polearm Mastery: MAX Mana Sense: 3 - Nora scanned through the status. As she reached the ''Species'' section she noticed the change from ''Human'' to Human (98%)''. Naturally, Nora thought to herself, ''How can someone be 98% of a species? That just doesn''t make any sense.Whatever that mysterious being did to her wasn''t normal. This was by far something new to her. Just the feeling of new things to discover made her excited. She continued to go down the status until she realized the bloodline had once again changed. She knew she hadn''t reached the next stage of Demonic Witchgod Transformations, whatever the being did was far more of a lateral progression than a vertical one. So this bloodline hadn''t been from cultivation but rather granted to her by the mysterious being. - [Bloodline] Higher Elemental Witch - A rare type of Witch found on the ";{??(^#!#"? Plane" their odd physiques allow them to resist the elements and elemental energies at a significantly higher level compared to other similarly ranked creatures. Their predatory eye''s granting them masterful precision. 50% Elemental Resistance - Suddenly the massive leap in accuracy made sense. This bloodline truly was a godsend. Having taken note of the numerical change in her power she began to delve into her new nine cores. Nora swore that she hadn''t read anything about the nine cores, she had only ever read about of a single core. She began to circulate her Mana in the same fashion she previously had to cultivate Demonic Witchgod Transformations and found that the nine cores were intricately connected. All working together to grow stronger and empower Nora. Through some form of amplification, Nora felt that she was progressing at a far faster pace than she previously had. Since she was just testing things out she didn''t want to delve completely into cultivation. She made sure to keep track of her cultivation and not to lose herself in cultivation. At least not for now. While making sure she didn''t fall into deep cultivation she could vaguely sense that the nine cores within her were somehow dilating time. Something so faint that only through vast experience in her previous life and personal experience manipulating the principles of time and space did sense the dilation. Wanting to fully explore her cultivation she began to circulate ''Dragon King Incarnation''. Only to find that following the four dragons circulating within her, nine shadows involuntarily followed the four dragons around her body. They too, mysteriously tied to the nine cores. She instantly knew that her encounter with the mysterious being was very beneficial towards her. She could barely contain the excitement within her. Nora now with many future prospects and many things to look forward too, Nora with a smile wide across her face thought to herself, ''Everything seems to just keep getting better'' 29 Roping in Percy It took a while before the two Great Mages and Nora headed to Great Mage Mirlie''s classroom after the final classes wrapped up. After a brief period, Percy joined the classroom. He had been worried for Nora after she didn''t show to any of their shared classes. The very second in which Percy saw Nora, he ran up to her, "Nora, why weren''t you in class! I couldn''t stop myself from worrying for you!" "Well..." Nora spoke, "that''s kinda hard to explain..." Sev then stepped in to explain, "Both Great Mage Mirlie and I have chosen Nora as our inheritor. We''re willing to take you along to join Nora in a far more private education.If you are willing to join us, we can guarantee that you will be able to gain the power to survive if not thrive in this world." To Percy the choice was rather obvious, he didn''t have any other friend beside Nora and anyone could see the advantages of having a far more one on one education. Especially with teachers who know that you aren''t really 6 years old, and treat you accordingly. Yet, Percy still wanting to think things over, "Great Mage Sev, could you give me a moment to think things over?" "Go ahead Percy..." Sev was rather surprised that Percy had to think it over at all, it was quite an obvious improvement so why would he need to think things over? In truth, Percy had already decided within his heart but he wanted to reflect on what brought him to this point. The many choices he had made since his reincarnation in a new world. He knew from his past life that all the little choices that one made throughout their life made them who they were. The proposition in front of him was by no means small. It would set him on the path of greatness. Receiving the teachings of two Great Mages and the assistance of Nora who was once heralded as the First Paragon in her old world could only lead to a good future. This would be one of the most pivotal crossroads in his life. Composing himself he thought back to his new family which welcomed him and loved him. He thought back to the joy he felt when he first learned that the world was of knights and magic... He also recalled how he cowered in the face of power, in the face of the Headmaster. He had wronged his friend, yet she stuck by him. He recalled the very moment he realized the truth of this world. Only with strength can he protect his family. Only with strength can he protect his friends. Only with strength can he make up for what he did to Nora. "Great Mage Sev, I''ll go. I want to be able to protect those I hold dear!" A confused facial expression appeared on Percy''s face. The emotions of both joy and sorrow combining within him. Having heard his agreement, Great Mage Mirlie, added to the discussion, "If we are going to take you along," her face still showing that she didn''t really agree with the idea of taking Percy with them, "I''ll have to report Percy as my inheritor. At least for the academy to grant us leave without prodding too far into our matters. Since he has the potential to be a fire mage it won''t be too much of a stretch. Nora, on the other hand, is already an anomaly which has caught the attention of the Lightcrows so Sev declaring her as his inheritor won''t cause too much more pandemonium. Little did they know that the moment that Sev would declare Nora as his inheritor, the Lightcrow Family would raise hell itself as they came to the conclusion that if the ''Vulture of Death'' Sev had declared an inheritor, he must''ve found prospective youngling who finally met his impossible standards. Someone who could truly become a threat in the future... "If everything is settled, Great Mage Mirlie and I will go notify the Headmaster about us enacting our right to teach an inheritor and our subsequent leave. Hopefully, things don''t go too badly..." Sev''s own uncertainty, clearly visible in his words. "While we go take care of that, make sure to stay safe in here. We''ll be back soon, don''t do anything rash." Great Mage Mirlie added as both her and Sev walked out of the room. With the now absence of the two Great Mages, Nora and Percy found themselves in an awkward silence. Although the silence at first was quaint and fresh, it quickly grew from it''s refreshing quiet to a daunting silence. Soon overwhelming the overall mood of the room. At that moment, Nora decided that she wanted to somehow break the ice. Nora tried to bring up a shared topic she knew that would reinvigorate the feeling in the room, "How''s your cultivation of ''Tempering by a Thousand Cuts''? Have you had any progress so far?" Succeeding in her attempt Percy answered, "I managed to enter what you described in the manual as the first stage of the Mana Circulation Realm." his words picking up glee as he relished in his accomplishment. "I''ve already noticed the difference this one lone stage has granted me. I feel the power flowing under my skin and I finally feel alive!" Nora couldn''t help but think, ''He may be quite talented after all...'' 30 Hitting the Road The wait for the two Great Mages to return took well over half an hour. In this time, Nora and Percy both began cultivating. Nora with her ''Dragon Kings Incarnation'' and not ''Demonic Witchgod Transformations'' due to it being far too otherworldy with the presence of another entity appearing through cultivation, while Percy cultivated his ''Tempering by a Thousand Cuts'' in all its bloody goodness. In their state of cultivation, time passed quickly. Percy''s cultivation leaving massive amounts of blood all around him. The blood, endless and continuous, squirting in every which way. The peace was soon disturbed by Sev bursting into the classroom and closing the door behind himself. "Well, things could''ve gone better..." visibly distressed, he wiped off a collection of sweat which had begun to form on his brow. Gathering his composure he began to chant a spell, "Darkness which hides in the shadow of the life. Grant us your protection in our time of need. In the name of our Lord Nerull, Dark Sanctuary!" The vibrancy of the room dimmed, the colours darkened and lingering darkness enveloped the edges of the classroom. Truly creating a sanctuary through darkness. Nora marvelled at the power of the spell as she could no longer sense anything outside the room. Seemingly separating the classroom from reality itself. "Nora, I managed to buy us a few days before the Lightcrows come after us. They didn''t take it to well when I said I found an inheritor... We need to leave tonight, Percy and Great Mage Mirlie meet up with us on the way to the Mage Tower. Headmaster Thurmond believes that we''ll leave in three days time. Hopefully, the confusion distracts him long enough for us to escape his influence. Meet me at the Academy''s front door when the moon is at it''s highest. Until then, hide within the grandmaster array under your bed. It should be enough to keep you safe until then. I gotta pick up some things for the journey." In a single movement, Sev dispelled the Dark Sanctuary he created and the classroom regained its vibrancy and colours. Reconnecting the classroom to the Academy once more. "Let me take you both back to your dorms. We gotta keep on the down low for now..." - It didn''t take long for Nora and Percy to reach their dorms. The two students creating another stir in the school as once again they were being escorted by one of the few Great Mages in the school. Let alone the single black mage of the entire Academy. They soon separated and entered their own rooms. Nora patiently waited while cultivating until night time slowly overtook the sky and the moon peaked in the sky. She had made some good progress in her cultivation while she waited. Having long memorized the path towards the school entrance, she carefully made her way towards the Academy''s entrance. To her comfort, Sev was waiting patiently for her in the doorway of the Academy. "Thank goodness you made it, I was getting worried..." "It was just a few hallways, what were you expecting?" Nora replied "Nevermind that, let''s get going..." Sev clearly on edge as they began to make their way away from the Academy. They made quick pace as they reached the little town around the Academy. The dead of night leaving the streets bare and desolate. The night was in complete silence if not for a pitch-black carriage waiting for Sev and Nora at the edge of town. The longer that Nora and Sev took to get to the carriage, the more Sev became far agitated. Only finding relief once they both entered the carriage. Nora couldn''t help but note that something was off about the carriage driver, as he was cloaked from head to tow and sat completely still, far beyond lifeless. Nora was about to ask about the driver before Sev answered her question, "Don''t mind the carriage driver, he''s a contracted ghoul that''s been with me for countless years. You can trust him..." As they set off, Sev began to cast a myriad of spells, all in an effort to erase the presence of both himself and Nora from any curious onlookers. "Nora, this is for you," Sev reached into one of the pockets on his robe and handed Nora an ornate ring. The ring itself holding the appearance of an ouroboros, the ancient symbol of a serpent eating itself. "This ring once belonged to one of my comrades. He has long passed but now I hand you this ring in hopes that you, once you''ve become powerful enough, avenge his wrongful death at the hands of the Lightcrow Family. Nora gratefully received the ring. Upon putting the ring onto her left pinky finger, she immediately recognized the ring. This ring truly was a spatial ring. 31 Stormskin In the dusk of night, the carriage made its way. The journey began quickly as they left the city and entered into a treeline. The world around them disappearing as trees began to fill the entire landscape around them. The carriage ride became all the more comforting once they had put some distance between themselves and the city. Sev deciding it was safe enough to rest, he laid his feet horizontally beside him and passed out. Nora patiently sat in the carriage for several hours until she began to nod off. Although no longer necessary, the act of sleeping still held some value as it was one of the most refreshing experiences, the call to sleep continued to grow until the carriage came to a halt and a loud noise startled her awake. *knock* *knock* The carriage door opened, revealing Sev''s ghoul comrade enshrouded in his black robe. Although he was covered from head to toe, Nora still saw that the ghoul was having a hard time staying still, his actions screaming anxiety. "Master, there''s some trouble up ahead!" rather urgently he called out. Somehow reaching the borderline asleep Sev, "Nora would you mind dealing with it?" nonchalantly dismissing the distressed ghoul and his worry. "I''ll go check it out, ghoul, may I know your name?" Nora responded The ghoul looked to Sev for permission before replying, "People call me Stormskin, if you wouldn''t mind, we''ve got company." Understanding the urgency, Nora hopped off the carriage, "Why are you called Stormskin?" the rather odd-sounding name confused her. It was a vastly different name from all the others she had met so far. "Only my contractor may know my real name. The reason people call me Stormskin is due to a gift my master granted me..." A small surge of blue lightning began to arc around Stormskin''s body, before being cut off by Sev, "Don''t do it so close to the carriage!" At that moment, Nora understood Sev''s words. The stench of rotting flesh burning made it''s way to her. The sudden arrival of the smell nearly causing her to throw up. Only holding back her uncontrollable gagging by sheer willpower. In the midst of her gagging, she spotted a dozen wolves stumble onto the road. At such a distance she could only see the vague features of the wolves. Their white fur drawing a sharp contrast with the forest around them. As they approached, their sheer size dawned on Nora. These wolves were nearly two meters tall, their large frames showing the faint signs of blood, clearly not their own. At the sight of these creatures, Nora felt both excited and slighgtly worried. It had been such a long time since she had gotten to properly punch something. To her relief, Stormskin spoke, "Those are River Wolves, the adults are almost as strong as a Knight, their real danger comes from their large pack numbers. They shouldn''t be too much of a hassle at this distance..." As Stormskin hadn''t been fully briefed on the current situation, he suspected that the young miss was a prospective Mage and therefore dismissed any danger associated with the pack of River Wolves. Yet to his surprise, instead of casting spells, the young miss burst forward with incredible speed. Nora finally having a target, shot forward. Lamenting the lack of a weapon but excited nonetheless, she headed straight for the largest of the River Wolves. As she neared the wolves, they too accepted the challenge and charged towards her. Nora''s fist recoiled backwards before throwing a vicious punch at the open jaw of the Alpha River Wolf. The initial resistance gave way as the jaw became unhinged and tore off the poor wolves face. The sound of tendons snapping and flesh ripping made the entire pack freeze motionless. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, she threw two more violent swings at the Alpha''s head, each swing further disconnecting the head of the River wolf from its body.With the first signs of the alpha going limp, she turned her focus to the next wolf. Digging her feet into the ground, she threw herself towards the next wolf, continuing her carnage - Stormskin back at the carriage could only sit back at the sight of the brutal little girl. She had completely defied his expectations. He would''ve never expected the young miss to be such a monster. Her movements showed no remorse or thought, almost as instinct she flung herself from one wolf to the next as she contorted and deformed the poor wolves. - Nora had made her way through eleven of the wolves as she threw the final kick to the side of the last wolves head. The kick itself breaking the wolves neck with an audible crack. Finding relief in the violence, Nora took a deep breath, calming her mind and body. She truly needed to punch something, the lack of power she had felt previously in front of the Headmaster had gotten to her and now she had released the pent up anger. In the forest around her, the air stood silent. Until, she heard a quiet whimpering off in the bushes to the side of the road. ''Crap...'' 32 Puppies The quiet whimpering sounded pained. Realizing her actions, Nora approached the bush. The whimpering became silenced as a series of tiny yelps tried their best to scare off Nora. She felt a wave of sadness piled upon her as she spotted two tiny puppies, scared and alone. They appeared malnourished and frail. Looking around at the twelve dead river wolves, Nora noticed that they too seemed starved. "I hope you two can forgive me..." she had gotten a little lost in her desire for battle, that she forgot that even beasts have families. Everyone just wants to survive, to live. She picked up the two puppies, she made sure to cover their eyes as she brought them back to the carriage. Her actions were bad enough, she wouldn''t let the puppies bare the sight of their dead pack. She took her time and slowly made her way. As she reached the carriage, Stormskin spoke, "Those are some delicious looking puppies..." with those words, an eerie sensation of death began to irradiate from the ghoul. With a single glare, Nora eyed down Stormskin, "Don''t you even dare think about it!". She was going to make her wrong right. From inside the carriage, she heard the voice of Sev, "Hand them to me... I''ll keep them company while you clean up the corpses." Complying, Nora handed over the puppies and quickly made her way back to the corpses. Only to find a flock of black birds already starting to scavenge from the fresh corpses. It only took a few seconds to scare them off. Using her enhanced strength, she hastily dug a large ditch before piling the corpses into it. Before returning to the carriage, she pled a prayer for the River Wolves. Wishing them good fortunes in the samsara cycle. Whether or not the prayer meant anything, Nora would never know as she was in a far too foreign world. - Percy, in accordance with Great Mage Mirlie''s instructions, met her at the front of the school at the break of dawn, a couple of hours before school would normally start. After getting dressed, he made his way down to the front, only to see Great Mage Mirlie discussing with a group of other teachers. They''d all come to praise Great Mage Mirlie for finally finding an inheritor. She''d been seeking a suitable inheritor for many years and most of the faculty had naturally come to know of it. Unlike Nora''s hasty escape in the midst of night, Percy found himself walking beside Great Mage Mirlie out of the school and into a luxurious ornate school carriage. They set off in high spirits, the gathering of teachers waving them off as they left. - Several hours had passed since Sev and Nora had continued their journey. The sun had started to crest over the approaching mountains, and the forest had begun to scatter and turn to plains. Sev didn''t even bat an eye at the two puppies, besides pulling some raw meat from his spatial ring to feed the puppies, he had returned to his sleep, seemingly far more accustomed to long carriage rides. Desiring to pass the time by sleeping above everything else. Nora tried to comfort the puppies, they had regained some youthful charm after being fed. Even beginning to play with each other, their little playfighting sending them tumbling around the carriage. Seeing them so joyful brought comfort to Nora as she presumed they were far too young to understand their current situation. After a few more hours, the puppies had long tired themselves out and fallen asleep. The pair of them cuddling together beside Nora. In their sleep the faint twitching of dreaming granting them a resounding cuteness. Looking out from the carriage, Nora could see a vast plain around here. The forest had disappeared and been replaced by seemingly endless rolling hills. Roused from his slumber, Sev awoke and peered out of the carriage, "We''re making good time, we''ve already entered the Retford Plains" his gaze returning to the inside of the carriage, he noticed the two curled up puppies beside Nora, "Have you thought of some names for them yet? There is power, within a creatures name. Since you found them, I''ll leave them all to you." a faint smile appearing on his face as he recalled some distant memories, "Wolves are always good companions, they''ll always have your back..." lost in those memories, he soon recollected himself and spoke, "We still have to pass through Retford before we make it to the Mage Tower. Mirle and Percy should meet us there within a day of arrival..." 33 Lord Vulture!!! It didn''t take long before the rolling plains transformed and revealed vast ocean beyond its horizons. In the far distance, a single city, Retford stood. The once magnificent walls which surrounded the massive city, now long worn and in disrepair. The handful of buildings which peered over the walls, showing their age, the once vibrant colours having dimmed. Nora hadn''t gotten to witness the capital in the same splendour. Now her eyes marvelling at the old battlements, each and ever mark, an inscription of their long-standing history. Seeing the look of astonishment on Nora''s face, Sev pitched in, "Retford is one of the oldest cities in the Allosian Empire. The remote location of the city has brought hard times upon its people. After surviving solely on the sea for countless years, the people of Retford have become hardy and unyielding. Somehow after all these years it still stands..." - As Sev and Nora began to near the city, Sev finally explained their purpose for coming to Retford, "Nora, we''ve come to Retford with two main goals, meet up with Mirlie and disappear. I have a few contacts within Retford that can help us hasten our journey to the Mage Tower and aid us in completely erasing our tracks. Lastly, don''t get lost. Although you can clearly handle yourself, wherever civilization stands, darkness arises..." The carriage slowed as they approach the city gates. The large city gate itself guarded on both sides by two large green copper statues, the statues taking the shape of what Nora recognized as horses with a single horn protruding from their heads. A queue of carts and carriages awaited their turn. A group of hardened guards inspecting each entering group. After only a few minutes, the guards had made their way down to Sev and Nora''s carriage. Having been working for several hours, the guards had tired many hours prior. "State your name and purpose." the lazed tone diminishing the few embers of authority Nora had felt from them not minutes prior. Without responding to the guard''s inquiry, Sev held up a black badge with the familiar Ouroboros symbol. Having not received a response, the guard slightly peeved looked into the carriage. His eyes immediately coming across the badge. Before Nora could comprehend what had just occurred, the guard slammed down onto one knee, "My sincere apologies my Lord!" the guard''s face paling, sweat slowly appearing on his face. With the first guard hitting the floor, the other guards followed suit when they noticed the actions of the first guard. In unison, the guard troop shouted, "Lord Vulture, forgive our insincerity!" "Nora, I believe my friends may have become ever-so-slightly more influential since last time I was here..." Sev''s face showing the sheer scale of confusion and embarrassment. "Make way for Lord Vulture!!!" the guards shouting and yelling, demanding the clearing of the queue for Lord Vulture. To Sev''s further embarrassment, the crowd around them instantly split creating a path for ''the mighty Lord Vulture!'' Stormskin making use of the clearing lashed at the carriage''s leads, driving the carriage forward. "Nora... that, wasn''t supposed to happen..." Seizing the opportunity, Nora mockingly yelled, "Lord Vulture! My apologies!" "Oh god..." Sev now hiding behind his hands... ''Why! Just why!!!'' - The city gate soon revealed the vast city within. The city walls had hidden the inner nature of the city. The myriad of buildings were built onto each other, overlapping and stacking on top of each other. The city was far denser and packed than Nora had thought possible. Stormskin knowing his way, hastily took the carriage through the city. Turn after turn, corner after corner, they continued further and further into the city. The passing buildings slowly losing their dense nature as they neared the centre of the city. Down the road, a daunting, tall building emerged from the city around it. Untouched by the crowded city around it, the pristine building shone in a myriad of black colours. "That''s the house of my friend Lucius Blackblight. How odd, it hasn''t changed at all after all these years. The city may have grown but people still fear him...Whatever you do, just don''t stare at his face. Let''s just say, he doesn''t appreciate the extra attention..." 34 Lucius Blackbligh The house of Lucius Blackblight appearing eerily in the distance. Large black spires reaching into the sky. The exuberant decorations on every which side, aided by flying buttresses. The carriage continued down the road, stopping at a large ornate gate. Sighing, Sev jumped out of the carriage, straightened his robes and approached the gate. Sev, shouting past the gate and into the mansion, "Lucius! It''s time to settle our debt!" To his disappointment, pure silence. Disgruntled, Sev spoke out, "Don''t go hiding in your manor..." Yet, silence, absolute silence. "Fine, you brought this on yourself..." Sev, knowing his ''old friend'', summoned a tiny ball of perfect darkness. Promptly summoning a second ball. Combing the two into one, slowly growing. Slowly adding one ball of darkness onto the next, cascading into a singular gargantuan sphere of perfect darkness Reaching the apex, the sphere began to violently rebel against Sev''s control. Small sparks freeing themselves from the sphere, slowly falling to the ground, dissipating in its own consumption. The fearsome sphere motivating the grandiose doors on the mansion to pop open, "Alright, alright, you got my attention..." An aged white-haired man, dressed in an overbearing overcoat. The old man getting on in his age sped his way to the gate, his steps bounded to a limp leg. The act of walking aided by a black-jewelled cane. As he approached, Nora glimpsed at the face of the old man. His severely scarred, the signs of a checkered past permanently fixed onto his face. Varying degrees of muscle damage moulding his face into weird contortions, a frozen smile, glistering in the near clear day. "What may I do for you, Great Mage Sev..." addressing Sev with such formality bringing internal turmoil to Lucius. For he had long thought that he had finally become an equal to Sev. Only for the previous display of Sev''s infamous spell, ''Hand of Nerull'' bringing him crashing to the ground and hubris brought into check. For since last time Lucius had seen that very spell o'' so many years ago, it had been no more than a quarter of its size. It''s new might dwarfing its past incarnation. "I''ve finally found an inheritor, Lucius. She''s is still in the carriage but we need to go to ''that'' place. I presume it''ll aid her in her cultivation. We also need a place to rest, would it be alright if we used your mansion as temporary housing while another of Nora''s teachers meets up with us here?" the underlying tone of his words revealing the true nature of his intention. The exchange of words being more of a demand then an inquiry. - Percy had now been accompanying Great Mage Mirlie for several hours. Still, quite far from their destination, the leisurely pace portrayed by the carriage betrayed the true turmoil within. Within the first few hours of the journey, Great Mage Mirlie had begun to occasionally glimpse at Percy. At first, Percy didn''t see anything wrong with that, ''What''s wrong with just glancing?''. Yet, his subconscious continuously warned him, they were no simple glances. As time progressed, the glances turned to prolonged starring, the embers of anger appearing on Great Mage Mirlie''s face. Not wanting to further anger Great Mage Mirlie, he pretended he didn''t notice and awkwardly glared out the window. Little did Percy know that throughout the long journey, Great Mage Mirlie had been contemplating her recent actions. At first, everything seemed fine. At least until she realized that she had truly declared to the school that Percy was going to be her inheritor. The few initial glances just happened to be Great Mage Mirlie''s thoughts being portrayed through her eyes. She tried to reason to herself that she had made a reasonable choice, but over a long time within the carriage, she began to eat away at her own reasoning. She had declared a child as her inheritor. A child who had yet to even become a Mage. A child who hadn''t show any extraordinary abilities like Nora. If he failed on his journey to become a Mage, he would be the downfall of her legacy and fame. He could dismantle everything she had accomplished throughout her long life... These thoughts continued to irk at her mind. Agitating and infuriating her more and more as the carriage leisurely paced towards Retford. - Begrudgingly, Lucius opened the front gate, allowing the carriage and Great Mage Sev into his residence. To Nora''s surprise, as she approached the mansion, it''s size truly dawned on her. Nora came to appreciate Sev significantly more. If someone with such vast wealth was below Sev, how powerful was he truly? More importantly, how powerful was black magic? 35 The Past & Skeletons The grandiose door swung open, the age of the door showing, as it slowly creaked open. Exposing the far too elegant and luxurious interior. A massive chandelier cast of pure gold, hanged precariously from the ceiling. Several dozen fire burning candles, layed on a multitude of furniture. Every piece of furniture as extravagant as the chandelier, tables lined with gold, masterwork art pieces framed in frames that could only be described as perfection incarnate. All culminating in a staggering staircase, leading up to a higher floor. The slow reveal of the interior left Sev''s eyes both an appreciation for the ever-growing treasury of Lucius and a well-kept envy. Unlike Nora, her eyes only briefly paused over the extravagance. Herself having become dulled to such displays of wealth. Her only thoughts being on how such lofty collection, in her words, was a waste of a fortune. As Nora entered, a series of rattling noises echoed the second floor of the building. The rattling noise continued to grow until, two skeletons in their loud and inelegant moves, rushed down the staircase, fumbling and falling part way down the staircase. Completing their folly in a pile of bones, scattered at the foot of the larger-than-life staircase. "I see that Scraps and Brook are still alive, alive-ish, well alive enough" the pile of bones reminding Sev of some of his younger years. "Come on you two, don''t be so impolite, this is Nora" The rough pile of bones started to shimmer, slowly reforming them into the two skeletons that Nora had seen running down the staircase previously. "Nora here is my inheritor, treat her and you would treat me" Sev spoke slowly, ensuring the two buffoonish skeletons understood. "Sev, how do I tell them apart? Which is Scraps, and which is Brook?" "It doesn''t really matter, they''re always together so they''ve both been Scraps and they''ve both been Brook. It just matters which is closer..." Lucius, who had been awkwardly standing beside Sev, completely mute and confused finally spoke out, "They listen to you instantly, but after 40 years they haven''t followed a single one of my commands! Those ungrateful bastards!" "Don''t blame them, they''re kinda slow on the uptake..." Sev spoke, trying to be the kind voice for the two skeletons, "Nora you see, these two skeletons aren''t like any other. They were the result of one of my more curious experiments. Unlike traditional summoned skeletons, who have their consciousness and life-energy centralized and contained within their skulls, these two were manually, and painstakingly created by hand, several dozen miniature arrays within their bones spread their consciousness and life-energy throughout their entire body. Storing the consciousness and life-energy in such a manner caused them to be extremely difficult to permanently injure while slowing down their mental prowess..." Sighing, in memories of days long past, "For some reason or another, I could never destroy them. Something about my first original creation brought a sense of... well I don''t know... maybe fatherly attachment?" "Yeah, that same ''fatherly attachment'' is why I''ve been stuck with them for the larger part of 35 years!" Lucius'' internal displeasure rearing its head. Instinctually, Sev smacked Lucius in the back of the head. "Don''t be so rude to Scraps and Brook!" - Great Mage Mirlie and Sev had now been travelling on the road for what Mirlie considered far too long. Her initial anger had cooled off, her hope to save face rested of the cultivation manual which Nora had gifted Percy, the so-called, ''Tempering by a Thousand Cuts''. Ever since she had a change of heart, the ride had been going a lot smoother. Great Mage Mirlie had even begun to give some pointers in the ways of the Mage to Percy. His real age shining through as he attempted to absorb all the new information. Or at least everything had been going smoother until Great Mage Mirlie''s gaze shifted violently, peering out the window. "Stop the carriage!" The coachman who had been driving the academy provided carriage immediately halted at the instruction of Great Mage Mirlie. Great Mage Mirlie hastily jumped out of the carriage, unveiling a staff Percy had yet to see. The seemingly out of nowhere staff materializing from a bland metallic ring on her hand. The staff itself standing nearly two heads taller than Great Mage Mirlie. The towering staff possessing the appearance of a large branch with a large green emerald at its head. At the appearance of the staff, Percy couldn''t help but be curious, "Great Mage Mirlie, what''s with-" "Not Now! There''s a time for questions and there''s a time for action. Ask me later, we''ve got some unexpected friends!" A fair way down the road, a man dressed head-to-toe in a black robe, mounted on a large wolf was charging his way towards them. As the man neared, Great Mage Mirlie''s vigilance skyrocketed. She could sense an uncontrollable bloodlust from the man. Something far more akin to a berserk state than to malintent. With the quickly closing distance, Great Mage Mirlie had to make a choice, either to let the distance close further and attempt to reason with the black-robed man or to pre-emptively attack the seemingly hostile man. She quickly ran the question in her head, weighing the positives and negatives both of the potential outcomes. Her decision was aided when she noticed that the wolf which the man was riding on, had some significant signs of rot and decay, missing fur, blank eyes, exposed muscle. Clearly, the wolf had been raised into some state of undeath. "Damn it!" having long known the power of those who practice any of the forms of black magic, Great Mage Mirlie, decided that the best course of action was to attempt to finish the black-mage off at a distance before they could begin to create further troubles up at a closer distance. Great Mage Mirlie, in a burst of power, slammed her staff into the gravel road and piercing the dirt. Instantly, the branch-like staff began to writhe as it came to life and created it''s own roots, stabilizing and locking it in place. "In the name of Scalan, the Lord who granted the first flames," while holding onto the staff, a fury of Great Mage Mirlie''s mana was channelled through the rooted staff, forming a red ball of pure flame, hovering precariously above the staff, "grant me your might, for the praise of your flame, for glory of your flame, for destruction by your flame!" with every word the ball of flame reformed into a three meter long spear of fiery fury. Seeing the progress of the incantation, the black-robed man increased his speed to his maximum. The undead wolf now rushing at full pace towards Great Mage Mirlie. In a quiet voice, she spoke the last of the incantation, "For those who side with death, grant them life..." with the last word, the spear turned from a pure red flame, into a blossoming blue flame. With a single powerful motion, Great Mage Mirlie viciously tore the staff from the ground and pointed it towards the black-robed man. Following its instruction, the spear hurtled towards the black-robed man with unimaginable speed. The heat emanating from the spear scorching the ground below it as it soared. In mere seconds, the spear tore into the black-robed man, the sheer force throwing him off the undead wolf. Only the sound of a brief scream echoed in the surrounding area, before being cut short by the flames completely engulfed the man. Yet, the wolf kept charging. Completely undisturbed it kept running. "I''ve been had!" With the death of the presumed necromancer, the wolf should have returned to its natural death, yet it kept charging. Something was way too off. Sensing danger, she ran back to the carriage and hoped onto its roof. Wanting to protect the carriage, she created a primitive Level-1 Mana shield to enshroud the carriage, causing a faint blue glow shimmered on the surface of the carriage. Her actions being proved right, as a nearly a dozen more black-robed individuals appeared in the distance, all riding similarly raised undead wolves. "Oh fuck..." - "Scraps and Brook, could you show Nora to the guestroom? After the long journey, I presumed she''d like to rest. I still have a few details to settle with Lucius..." Sev''s eyes immediately sending a shiver down Lucius'' spine, "and don''t worry, I''ll bring the puppies to your room as soon as I''m done..." a devious smile returning to Lucius The shambling skeletons both latched onto Nora''s hands and guided her upstairs. The speed of the skeletons causing Nora to worry, for their past display of agility worried her as the ascended. As they reached the top of the staircase, Nora saw the true size of the mansion, as the grand hallways stretched into a maze of rooms and further hallways. Now on flat-ground, and no longer the staircase, the speed of the skeletons only quickened. Somehow managing to stay in one piece, they guided Nora down the maze of hallways and eventually in front of a large wooden door, the dark ash colour, although bleak, showed both elegance and simplicity, in contrast with the front entrance. Excitedly, Nora opened the door, only to reveal a dark and dusty room. Although the room did not lack exquisite furniture, such as a king-size bed resting in the centre of the room, a large end-table neatly placed to the left of the bed with an ornate clock on top, or the series of abstract paintings on the walls. The furniture took on a far more monotone appearance, compared to the front entrance of the mansion. Appearing in varying shades of black and dark grey. The darkness further supported by a single candle, already lit on the end-table beside the king-sized bed. While all the other candles strewn around the room remained unlit and lifeless. When Nora turned to look at Scraps and Brook, they had already fled back down the hallways, presumably making their way to their creator, Sev. ''Well, I guess it''s up to me...'' Nora then used the scarce fire element particles in the air to light the remaining candles in the room. Restoring a far more lively look to the room. Finally, all alone, she hastily jumped onto the bed, ''I hope that Great Mage Mirlie and Percy are having a pleasant time on the way here..." - "Why the fuck are there so many wolves! 36 What? The near dozen newly appearing wolves and riders flocked to Great Mage Mirlie and the carriage. Her act of incinerating one of their fellow riders bringing determination to their hearts and a far stronger thirst for blood. Their breakneck speed of encirclement surprising Great Mage Mirlie. Even in their fury, they maintained some sense of order, this made Great Mage Mirlie worry. As a renown fire great mage, she had previously been enlisted in several different purges of the undead and necromancers. Yet, in all those occasions, only the undead on par with Liches and Death Knights could maintain any form of intelligence during an engagement. With haste, the riders began to close in on Great Mage Mirlie. She had to think of a way to both attack and defend. Her first instinct was to wait until they closed in and then attack with an AoE spell, the only problem being that if she attempted such a spell, she would probably incinerate the carriage and Percy along with it. Under duress, she decided that she would do what was most natural for a fire mage. She would use the spell nearly all fire mages knew and relied upon, Fireball. One of the most ancient and useful spells for making things go boom, be it flesh or bone. Instinctually, Great Mage Mirlie summoned a fist-sized ball of rabid flames, the sheer temperature distorting the air around it. Suddenly, Great Mage Mirlie threw the Fireball, with a motion of her staff, towards the closest rider. The rapid hurtling of the Fireball leaving fear and trepidation in its wake. As the ball of pure flame approached the wolf, a single leap sent the wolf and rider out of the direct line of impact, or at least until the ball of flame made contact with the ground and exploded into an enlarged sphere of raging fire. Completely engulfing both the rider and wolf. - Nora, in her wait for Sev, to finish his ''discussion'' with Lucius, fell asleep. Only to be rouzed shortly after by a series of loud knocking on the guestroom door. *Knock* *Knock* *Knock* Her natural flight or fight instincts kicking in, causing her to immediately sit upright at the noise. The friendly yet foreign environment having sent her normally careful nature into overdrive. Before Nora could respond, the door handle turned and there stood Sev. In each hand, held a puppy. The puppies disliking Sev, wiggled and writhed trying to loosen themselves from his grip. One of the puppies succeeding in their efforts fell to the floor. In a rather agile manner, the landing was rather delicate as at first impact, the puppy sped its way towards Nora, lunging into her embrace. Only for the other puppy to urgently follow suit once it too freed itself from Sev''s grip. The puppies clearly having imprinted on Nora. Having lost their original mom, now turning to Nora for protection and care. "You two sure are adorable..." - Great Mage Mirlie having severely underestimated the oncoming enemies found herself in an undesirable predicament... She now found herself almost completely naked. All her belongings having been stripped off and long taken. The last thing she could recall was her throwing a series of fireballs towards the oncoming riders before something hit her on the back of the head, something blunt, something hard. Before she knew it, lights out. Looking around she could see the carriage tossed onto its side, damaged beyond repair. The body of the carriage driver spread across several feet beside her. The body having been devoured now rested in several pieces, the blood painting the ground around both Great Mage Mirlie and the corpse. Further regaining her senses, she realized she couldn''t spot Percy. Only a few scarce signs of a struggle indicating Percy''s fate. ''At least he made it out alive...'' The new cold breeze disturbing her as she stood up. In her attempt to see some good in the bad, she commented to herself, ''At least I got a few of them." the bodies of several black-robed figures lay strewn across the now quiet battlefield. As Great Mage Mirlie approached one of the more intact corpses, she pulled back the hood which had been covering the face of the assailant. Only to freeze as she saw what lied beneath it. 37 Revenants As Great Mage Mirlie approached one of the more less incinerated corpses, she pulled back the black hood which had been covering the face of the assailant. Only to regret her action and freeze as she saw what lied beneath it. As she lifted the hood, an old wooden mask met her gaze. A symbol she never wished to see, inscribed across the mask. Perfectly etched along the exact centre of the mask, the leviathan cross. It had been many decades since she last saw this symbol. They had returned... - Seeing the puppies take to Nora so thoroughly, Sev closed the guestroom door and headed back down the massive staircase. He had just sent off Lucius to do some less than honest errands. "Brook, Scraps!" Sev yelled out. The sound of rattling bones immediately followed, in a mad dash, both Brook and Scraps raced towards Sev. Tripping and falling several times in their efforts. "It''s about time I give you two an upgrade..." - Nora sat lying in bed, one puppy on each side of her. She had been contemplating a name for them for several hours. Ever since Sev mentioned something about names holding power. In her old world, names only gave power to those who came close to divinity. Their name coming to hold meaning or representation in a Dao. Yet, for some reason, giving a name to some River Wolves apparently held some similar power. Using similar reasoning, she went through countless names in her head. Everything from Yin and Yang, a representation of duality, too far more traditional names of Beihai and Nanhai. Yet, nothing seemed to stick. She kept poking flaws in her own selection. ''Wouldn''t this name be too harsh? What if no one understands it? Does it even make sense in this world?'' her own questioning, an onslaught. Quickly, she burned out on names. No name seemed perfect, let alone two. Deciding that she would continue her search for a perfect name later. She too concluded that she should probably cultivate. She still lacked the strength she desired. Resolute, she propped herself up on the bed and sat in a lotus position. The two puppies unwanting to leave her side simply found new positions to cuddle around her. ''Too damn adorable...'' - Great Mage Mirlie, with new found resolution peeled off the mask, the act taking far more strength than she originally believed. With a strong pull, the mask flew off the face. The being which lied below confirmed her worst fear. They weren''t imitators, they truly had returned. What had once been a man, now layed in front of Mirlie, the face torn clean off, still firmly attached to the mask. Revealing exposed muscle which had been permanently contorted into a wicked smile. A pair of ferocious black eyes now rested in death. Yet the most unsettling part of the corpse, being the full set of pristine razor sharp teeth which lined its smile. ''They sent actually twelve Newborn Revenants...'' Now knowing who had taken Percy, reinvigorated, began to make her way towards Retford. Only to realize that she was still nearly completely stripped. She begrudgingly stripped the corpse and dawned it''s black-robe. It wasn''t her proudest moment but it beat being nearly naked for the remainder of the journey. It felt almost wrong to wear a black robe. She had detested black magicians for such a long time that even their apparel now disgusted her. Even though she did not enjoy her current situation, she knew that the problem at hand far surpassed her own qualms. Before leaving, she made sure to grab the mask of the corpse she had stripped. Prior to burning the remaining corpses. Reducing their existence to nothing more than piles of ash. Now prepared, she restarted her journey to Retford, with newfound purpose. - In a secret room within Lucius'' Mansion, Sev had begun to slave away at a new experiment. It had been many years since he created Brook and Scraps. Compared to his current self, these skeletons were a stain on his past. Indicators of his naivety as a young mage. Now that he had returned, he could improve then, remake them, strengthen them... 38 Karthus & Malphus In a dark a dingy secret room within Lucius'' Mansion, Sev had commenced his ''new experiment''... The room, large in nature, contained a myriad of complex, and simplistic tools. The tools lining the walls, attached to a metallic rack. Just below the rack lined with tools, a series of cauldrons and furnaces spanned the length of the wall. Each and every cauldron varying in size and material. The two skeletons who had once been named Scraps and Brook, now lied lifeless and scattered on top of two large mysterious tables. The odd tables strongly resembling wood, yet pulsating in rhythm with a string of demonic runes, which ran across the entire length of the table. "Oh my, oh my!" the giddy expression across Sev''s face failing to hide his childlike excitement. Having long wanted to correct his mistake, finally having the opportunity brought endless joy to Sev. While dancing to his own hummed tune, Sev wiggled his way around the dark room and towards the tools. After grabbing a large bronze maul, he wiggled his way back towards the two piles of bones. With all his might, he heaved the bronze maul over his head and smashed down onto the bones. The bones immediately crumbling under the sheer force of the large bronze maul. The sight of disintegrating bones bringing an even larger smile to his face. In a joyful ecstasy, Sev swung the bronze maul, again, and again, and again... - Great Mage Mirlie, dressed in a black robe, had begun her journey towards Retford. Each and every one of her steps holding a restrained urgency. Having enough experienced to pace herself in order to arrive at Retford in the most efficient and timely manner. Not long after she started walking, she saw a series of large dug up graves. Simply on the side of the road, the graves held an impromptu appearance. Clearly having been dug quickly and excavated soon after. The dirt surrounding the graves still thin and loose. "These goddamn monsters, they wouldn''t even let the dead rest before rising them into undeath!" her fury against the undead flaring at the thought of undeath, "I swear I''ll make them regret ever returning to this plane!" - Sev stood beside the now two piles of bone dust. Sweat gleaming from his brow. The complete mauling of the skeletons taking more out of him than he originally estimated. ''This frail old body of mine hasn''t aged well...'' The saddened smile of a wizened man regretfully stretched across his face. ''At least the physical part is over...'' Returning the maul onto the rack, Sev then grabbed a mortar and pestle which had been resting on top of one of the larger furnaces. After collecting the ground up bones, Sev further ground them up with the assistance of the mortar and pestle. Refining the bone dust into a fine powder. Pouring the bone powder into a mediocre sized gray cauldron. Sev poured three distinct pre-made potions. Each of the three potions containing their own sharp and bright colours. The three potions only mixing once all three had been added into the cauldron. Quickly turning jet black, the darkened liquid began to emit a stench of death. The sickly-sweet odour, intoxicatingly familiar to an experienced black mage like Sev. Relishing the in the odour, Sev waved his hand and activated one of the many arrays inscribed onto the mysterious tables. Instantly transforming the flat tables into two identical moulds. Each of the moulds containing a spherical core at their centre and a foot above the core, skull-shaped masks. With a few pushes, Sev moved the cauldron off the wall and towards the tables. Carefully leaning the cauldron over, he poured the black viscous liquid into the moulds. The liquid itself quickly solidifying after leaving the cauldron. Yet, somehow Sev masterfully poured the black liquid. Pleased, Sev pulled out two fist-sized purple cores from his ouroboros spatial ring. Their appearance, strikingly similar to Nora''s original tiny purple core. Carefully, Sev slowly lowered the purple cores into the spherical moulds with the black liquid. Undisturbed by the cores, the black liquid rapidly engulfed the cores. Satisfied with the acceptance of the cores, Sev activated a secondary array, completely sealing the moulds. The mysterious tables applying immeasurable pressure onto the moulds. After a few breaths time, Sev completely deactivated the mysterious tables, reverting them into their original flat, pulsating state. Revealing two perfectly smooth black spheres and two large eerie masks. Concentrating his very being into his words, Sev shouted at the top of his lungs, "I NAME THEE KARTHUS AND MALPHUS!!!" The black cores responding, began to move and writhe. Shortly before they exploded into black mist. Reforming into two large humanoid figures, roughly enshrouded in a cloak of pitch black feathers. Their eerie masks completing their figure. Their eyes replaced with hellfire, their gaze unnerving. ''I can''t believe it... They''re actually Shroud-Wights...'' 39 Names & Cultivation The Shroud-Wights stood in front of Sev. Newly born into the world, undeath taking them. Faced with their own existence, they howled in pain, ear-piercing screeches fell silent on the walls of the dark and dingy room. "For once, I actually succeeded in creating Shroud-Wights!!!" the sheer excitement taking him in full swathes, his excited yelling matching the screeches. Only for the Shroud-Wights to realize Sev''s presence. Immediately rationalizing, their forceful existence being tied to the man in a black robe. Their hostile flame-like eyes latched onto Sev. Unnaturally, the Shroud-Wights lowered themselves closer to the floor, their perfectly smooth yet beyond unnatural. Mimicking arachnids, the Shroud-Wights inched their way forward in complete silence. Their hunting instincts kicking in, they began to increase their speed as they approached Sev. Unworried, Sev simply marvelled at the outright ungodly movements. The many books he had read on Shroud-Wights hadn''t disappointed him. The many months which he had taken to collect and brew the several potions fully paying off. The two Shroud-Wights began to encircle Sev, keeping a small distance between them and him. Continuously attempting to enter Sev''s blind spot or spot a weakness, they menacingly circled. Only for a single word to bring them in check, "Kneel." Unable to refuse, the two Shroud-Wights forcefully kneeled. Tied through their names, Sev''s words serving as absolute commands. A loud thud sounding as both of the Shroud-Wights hit the floor, at the same time. "Karthus, Malphus, from this day on, you shall never hurt or injure me or my inheritor Nora. You shall serve as our hands, as our flesh, as our bones. " "Protect her, as she is precious to me..." - Having been walking alongside the road for quite some time, Great Mage Mirlie began to feel the strain of continuously stepping on the rough gravel road. During the last few hours of her journey, several carriages had passed by but none were willing to offer aid or assistance to Great Mage Mirlie. The black robe she dawned scarring them away before she could even ask. ''This is so unfair! Why don''t they stop! If only I had my staff... I could make them see things my way!" The stigma against black mages having grown so vast over the years that even many of the aristocrats and nobles within the Allosian Empire beginning to believe the falsehoods perpetrated by the Lightcrow Family. ''Why don''t they even give me a chance! This damn robe!!!'' Great Mage Mirlie only failing to see her own hypocrisy against black mages. Why would they treat her any better, if she woudn''t treat the average black mage any better. - Sitting in a lotus position on her bed, immersed in cultivation. Nora had finally gotten used to her two current cultivation methods and began to circulate them at the same time. Significantly fast-tracking her progress. She''d lost herself in her cultivation, failing to realize that the circulation of dragons, had already become instinctual. No longer having to fully-concentrate on carefully guiding the dragons, she could continously increase the speed of their circulation. Subconciously, Nora began to push her limits. At first, only slightly, but before she knew it, she''d started to approach the next stage of, ''Dragon Kings Incarnation''. The nine purple cores within her, smoothing out the process of entering the next stage. Then, in a single go, she continued to increase the circulation once again, approaching the next stage. Before once again sailing into the next stage, then again, and again. Only stopping at the noise of Sev knocking on her door *Knock* *knock* Forcing herself out of cultivation, she began to viciously pant, the effects of rising in stages finally hitting her body. Struggling to calm herself after such a startling increase in cultivation, she found that the two puppies which had lied down around her immediately attempted to comfort her. With the aid of the puppies, she brought herself back into composure and approached the door. Luckily Sev helped her break free from her cultivating trance. Otherwise she may have entered the Foundation Establishing Realm without the proper preparations. She had almost accidentally quadrupled her future troubles in cultivation. Quite content with her luck and Sev''s presence, she opened the door. There stood Sev, on either side of him two large menacing creatures... ''What the fuck...'' 40 Meeting New People Nora forced herself out of cultivation, barely managing with the aid of the knock at the door. Her breath escaping her as the sudden change in power immediately hit her. Panting, she slowly composed herself. The two puppies at either side of her attempted their best efforts to comfort her. Composing herself, she slid off the guestroom bed and onto her feet. Unaccustomed, her legs betrayed her commands and caused her to stumble as she approached the door. Opening the door, there stood Sev, on either side of him two large hulking creatures. The laboured breath of the two creatures emitting faint traces of smoke. ''What the fuck...'' "Sev, would you mind explaining them?" gesturing to the two menacing creatures. "Well... remember Scraps and Brook? I remade them into Karthus and Malphus, Shroud-Wights. These two are my magnum opus. The height of my dabblings in necromancy." the pride on Sev''s face gleaming as he spoke of his new creations, "Karthus, Malphus, this is Nora. My inheritor, you must protect her at all costs..." his heartfelt command, releasing a pitiful smile. "What''s a Shroud-Wight?" Nora beyond curious at the two creatures questioned. "They are creatures who stand on the line between the spectral plane and the material plane. A variant of Wights which have adopted absolute darkness. Technically part ghost, they possess an incredible ability, well besides their predator anatomy, they can partially phase portions of their body into the spectral plane. Making all close-combat fighting a near impossibility. Honestly, even if I were to fight them, I wouldn''t be sure of victory..." ''Damn...'' - Lucius, having completed his ''tasks'', started making his way back towards his mansion. His carefully paced stroll began completely uninterrupted, the common people of Retford fearing him and the stigma around him. Unwilling to interrupt him, the once crowded streets split, clearing a path for Lucius'' stroll. Having long grown accustomed to this treatment from the town people, Lucius calmly made his way.He began to contemplate many of the new things which had only suddenly exploded into his life. ''Why had Sev returned? Who''s Nora? Why was she the inheritor of two separate Great Mages?'' while the myriad of questions clouded his mind, he failed to realize that a woman in a black-robe was running straight down the clearing, and directly at him. Although old, Lucius was far from weak. Although he failed to realize that someone was barreling towards him. He simply remained unfazed as the robed figure charged into him. The collision leaving him unmoved but sending the black-robed figure backwards. "What was that?" the impact unaffecting his stance, still disturbed his thoughts. Noticing the black-garb he slightly raised his guard. Unlike most people, Lucius had known countless black mages during his hay day. If anything, he feared black mages less than traditional mages, his experience with black mages dwarfing his combined experience with other mages. "Are you going to apologize?" Lucius'' words giving the impression of an aged old man who didn''t really care anymore. "Old man! You should watch where you''re going!" in her haste, not realizing how the old man hadn''t moved a single inch. "You should really watch your tone young lady..." Lucius was surprised. No one in Retford would ever dare talk to him in such a manner... "Don''t talk down to me! Get out of my way!" clearly having a bad day, the mage didn''t heed the old man''s warning. Not bothered, Lucius didn''t move. He knew who he feared, and who should fear him. Angered, the black-robed mage activated a blood-drawn array on her hand, "Fireball", summoning a blue ball of pure fire. Seeing a black-robed mage cast fire magic already intrigued him, let alone blue-fire magic. He sprang forward, in a single movement, instantly closing the distance between himself and the robed figure. He reached forward and latched onto the mage''s neck. Lifting them clear off the ground. "Do you mages ever think about the people around you? Are they just acceptable casualties!?!" as he spoke, a few things clicked in his mind. Finally putting the information in order in his mind. With his other hand, he unhooded the figure, "Great Mage Mirlie I presume, Sev told me to come look for you... You may have heard of me, one of the four ''Saints of Death'' Lucius Blackblight 41 Seven Seals "Do you mages ever think about the people around you? Are they just acceptable casualties!?!" as he spoke, a few things clicked in his mind, the blue fire and rather loose tempered... Finally putting the information in order in his mind, he unhooded the figure, "Great Mage Mirlie I presume, Sev told me to come look for you... You may have heard of me, one of the four ''Saints of Death'' Lucius Blackblight Realizing the degree of her mistake, Great Mage Mirlie''s face paled. One of the Saints of Death. She''d heard the stories of their massacres, the unending bloodshed that painted fields red. When she had been but a mere child, her parents told her nightmare inducing stories of the near-mythical Saints of Death. They had been the vanguards of the Order of Solomon. The unbreakable defence of the nine black mages which once singlehandedly defeated entire nations. She''d thought that they had all long passed away, they had only been warriors. Their lifespan should''ve longed ended yet one of the Saints of Death had completely overpowered her in a single movement. Seeing the reaction on Mirlie''s face, Lucius released his grip. Still reeling from her realization, Great Mage Mirlie fell onto the ground while gasping for air. In between breaths, she managed to mumble a few words, "The... four... horsemen... have... returned..." - After Sev introduced the Shroud-Wights to Nora, he guided her out of the guestroom and into a large dining hall. The room long and narrow, massive pieces of artwork lined the walls. Distracting those who enter from the great table which had been perfectly hand-carved. A large display of food lined the table, the aroma greeting Nora and Sev as they entered. "If you wouldn''t mind," gently Sev pulling out one of the many chairs alongside the table for Nora, "Lucius should be back soon enough, and soon after Mirlie and Percy should arrive..." contemplating something Sev paused, "Feel free to dig in.", then promptly seating himself across from Nora, he too began to enjoy the lavish food. - A few minutes into their dinner, the meal was disturbed... *Boom* The large front door of the mansion swang clean open, the pure force echoing throughout the mansion. The sound of a pair of hurried footsteps closely followed the disturbingly loud noise. "Sev!" the feminine voice of Great Mage Mirlie called out, the signs of distress clearly instilled into every syllable. Hearing the panicked voice of Mirlie, Sev immediately turned into an incorporeal black mass and raced towards the origin of the sound. Leaving Nora slightly worried and confused... Deciding that she too should probably look into whatever was happening, she calmly stood from her chair and in polite etiquette pushed her chair neatly back into its original position. Before calmly walking towards the direction Sev rushed towards, following a faint trace of darkness particles left in his wake. - After a few twists and turns, Nora could see Great Mage Mirlie, Sev, and Lucius all gathered at the top of the staircase. Great Mage Mirlie hastily spoke, Nora only making out a few words, "-they took Percy..." Realizing the severity of the situation, Nora no longer calmly walked and now quickly joined the group, interrupting and immediately asking the pressing question in her mind, "Who took Percy!?" Seeing the expression on Nora''s face, Great Mage Mirlie instantly recognized that although suppressed, the anger within Nora was already reaching its limits. The disappearance of one of the few people who she had come to trust and care for had majorly ticked her off. "One of the four horsemen has been released, Nero the Horseman of Conquest, ambushed me, sparing me but stealing Percy from under my protection. The first of the seven seals is now free..." 42 Mage Mirlie "One of the four horsemen has been released, Nero the Horseman of Conquest, ambushed me, sparing me but stealing Percy from under my protection. The first of the seven seals is now free..." "What are the Seven Seals?" confused, Nora asked Not knowing how to explain such a topic, Great Mage Mirlie and Sev looked at each other, before Great Mage Mirlie stepped forward, "When I was younger, well... a lot younger, I became a Fire Mage. Renown as a prodigy upstart, I was recruited by a newly founded Holy Order. At the time very few people knew what had begun to occur. The only thing people knew was that many Holy Orders were either re-established or founded in a short period of time and that Fire and Light Mages were being recruited like wildfire..." The memories painful to recall, she paused but before she could continue, Sev spoke up, "The mad efforts to recruit these Mages may have seemed odd at first, only for people to realize the gravitas of the situation far too late. Well, the thing is, the Seven Seals are a series of Divine Realm Seals created by the most ancient of Elemental Lords, mages of a bygone era who wielded unimaginable power. In their prime, they waged war against an entire Realm now known as the ''Realm of Revelations''. They created seven seals to contain the most powerful aspects of the Realm of Revelations. Each seal built on top of the previous, adding to its complexity. Each seal encompassing an aspect of the Realm such as Nero, the Horseman of Conquest, truly being the embodiment of the Realm''s greed. Stories say that the final seal actually managed to Seal the very will of the Realm of Revelations, a near-impossible feat... The Elemental Lords eventually partially combined the realms in what many believe to be an attempt to glimpse divinity. Luckily, when Mirlie was recruited they had discovered that three of the seals had already been released, Conquest, War, and Famine. They had-" before Sev could continue Great Mage Mirlie now willing, continued her telling of her past, "Well as Sev was saying, they had been released and had begun to snowball. The aspects had perverted over the years of their confinement. Turning their morbid aspects into absolute darkness. Their new nature''s aiding them in raising legions upon legions of undead. The more they damaged our Realm, the weaker the seals would become eventually releasing the next of the seven seals. By some grace and many sacrifices, the many Holy Orders and Mage Towers put aside their grievances and barely managed to reseal the three freed Horsemen. When the dust had settled, seven Grand Mages were dead, hundreds of Great Mages were slaughtered, and innumerable Mages were massacred. I lost everyone I once held dear, my friends, my family, my brothers and sisters... Three of the seven seals nearly brought our world to its knees. I wouldn''t dare imagine what would occur if the seventh seal ever became undone..." With Great Mage Mirlie''s worlds, an eerie silence lingered in the air around them. Only broken by Lucius'' words, "Although the many mages suffered tragically, the warriors, knights, commoners, they all suffered many times the casualties. Luckily for the Allosian Empire, the vast majority of the fighting occurred on the northern continent. What once was the home of one of the most expansive trading hubs has now turned desolate and unforgiving... The aftermaths of war still plague those lands, wild, raging mana storms across the levelled mountains and plains. Unbelievable cold snaps and heat waves torment anyone who attempts to traverse those lands..." "At least," Great Mage Mirlie spoke, "there is a high chance that Percy is still alive. The fact that the Horsemen of Conquest sparred me, means one thing. He was only recently unsealed. Something tells me that the reason he captured Percy, may have to do with him being a reincarnator... 43 Instinc "There''s a high chance that Percy is still alive. The fact that the Horsemen of Conquest sparred me, can only mean one thing. He was only recently unsealed and has yet to regain his former power. Something tells me that he may have captured Percy due to him being a reincarnator..." Stunned at Great Mage Mirlie''s words, Nora spoke out, "What does him being a reincarnator have anything to do with him being captured by the Horseman of Conquest?!" Surprised by Nora''s outlash, Sev decided to attempt to calm Nora, "It''s the only real anomaly. If not for that one factor, he is rather average. His family rather obscure, his talent mediocre, what else could it possibly be?" "What do you... well.... uuhh!! We need to find him!" forgoing the honorifics, Nora calmed herself and spoke, "Mirlie, you''ve had a past with these undead. How do we find them?" "Nora, I know you''re upset but you shouldn''t call me Mirlie..." the second she spoke those words, Lucius and Sev knew she royally messed up. Sev had come to know Mirlie''s temperament, this wasn''t good... "I DON''T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT YOUR SILLY HONORIFICS!!!" the anger she had suppressed now raged, lashing out towards Mirlie, her having to constantly call her by her Great Mage title already annoyed her. Now that the stakes were serious, she didn''t want to hold back. Nora lunged forward, slamming her fist into Mirlie''s face. The unrelenting force pushing her far into the air. Only to find leniency as she rolled down the adjacent staircase. "Now... Let me ask you again, how do we find them!" in her rage, Nora subconsciously called upon and infused all her affinities into her self, amplifying her image, a myriad of absolute colours radiated around Nora, each and every colour raging alongside their master''s will. As Mirlie rolled down the entire length of the staircase, she glimpsed at the awe-inspiring sight of Nora. Calling upon every fibre in her body, Nora slowly walked down the staircase after Mirlie. The sight of the approaching monstrous anomaly, she cowered in her skin. The colour in her face draining as Nora made each deliberate step. Her heart racing, panicked, and scared, she tried to speak but found it nigh impossible. As she looked at Nora, she could see the faint outlines of four dragons, staring at their prey. Using every once of her will, she finally managed to mumble out a few words, "I don''t know! I don''t know!!!" her desperate cries barely reaching Nora''s ears. Realizing her actions, Nora reeled at her actions. Something was off, rage consumed her. She had lost control of her body and instinctually acted. She looked at herself and then at the crying Mirlie, ''What have I done...'' "I''m so sorry Mirlie!" Nora rushed towards the now sobbing Mirlie, only for her to realize that she was genuinely cowering. As Nora approached Mirlie did everything in her power to move away from her. "Don''t. Don''t you dare- get closer!" ''What the hell did that mysterious begin do to me!'' "Mirlie, I''m sorry, I wasn''t in contro-" "GET AWAY!!!" - Lucius and Sev could only watch as Nora descended the staircase. She no longer appeared like a mortal, only holding the visage of a god of war descending for slaughter. The faint images of four spectral dragons took form around their overlord as she descended. They too froze, this was way too unexpected. They couldn''t believe their eyes! Unrelenting majesty, the two hardened war veterans could only stare as they marvelled at Nora. They could sense absolute bloodlust emanating from her, an unimaginable feeling overtook them. At the peak of her anger, they could taste the bloodlust, the taste of copper overwhelming their senses. Only for it all to suddenly disappear. Nora had frozen in her actions. The world returned to normal as the faint sounds of Mirlie crying began to fill the grand entrance room. They stood there awestruck as they saw the outright pure terror strewn across Mirlie''s face. As Mirlie cowered, Sev though to himself, ''I need to step in and do some damage control...'' He ran down the staircase, only for Lucius to follow suit. The two of them stopping at the same step Nora was on. "We''ll deal with her, you just-" "-but let me make things right!" "You''ve done enough Nora, go back to the guestroom, wait for me there..." 44 Failed Once ''What have I done?'' Nora now downtrodden, made her way back to the guestroom. She had no clue what possessed her at that moment, something far too primal for a cultivator. Something had to be done about it. There was nothing worse than losing one''s ability to think during a battle, let alone a small confrontation. What if she lost her temper at someone weaker than Mirlie? It only took a small slight for her to go nearly berserk! She needed to figure things out... - The terrified sobbing still continued to echo throughout the mansion. Following his promise, Sev carefully approached Mirlie, "You''ve gotta calm down, everything''s alright. No one''s going to hurt you." each word followed by a quiet step towards Mirlie, trying his best to avoid scaring her off. As he approached, he stretched out an arm, gently holding Mirlie by the shoulder, "I''m here for you, let it out, let it all out... We can talk after..." As soon as Sev comforted Mirlie, she stepped forward and embraced him. Crying into his shoulder as she tried her best to calm down... It had taken several minutes before Mirlie completely calmed down. Regaining her senses, Mirlie told Sev and Lucius everything. How the encounter started, the Newborn Revenants who set up the ambush and how she had been blindsided by the Horseman of Conquest. When Mirlie mentioned Revenants, all it took was a silent exchange between Sev and Lucius before Lucius bolted out of the mansion and out of town. Being one of the Saints of Death, Lucius had experienced countless encounters and fights with all kinds of undead. Revenants were one of the easier kinds of undead to track. Much like Sev''s new Shroud-Wights, Revenants and specially Newborn Revenants were partially tied to the spectral plane. Although the link was far weaker with Revenants, they still lived a pained existence as they were rejected from the normal world, causing them to leave an extremely faint trail of darkness wherever they passed. If Lucius could track where the Revenants came from, there may be a chance at finding Percy... - Nora sat waiting in the guestroom. She wanted to do something, to help out, but deep down she knew that the best course of action would be to wait for Sev to settle everything. She tried to contemplate what could be have caused her to lose control but she couldn''t put her finger on it. It couldn''t possibly be her bloodline, she had already mastered the ability to restrain the urges that powerful bloodlines provided. Anyways, they would never full control someone, only tempt them, persuade them, never outright possess them... The only lead she had happened to be the nine purple cores which had replaced her previous single core. They were far more mysterious than anything else she had so far encountered. She couldn''t even understand the runes inscribed onto the individual cores! She continued to contemplate, the two puppies as comforts, eventually she tired of contemplated and simply waited, and waited, and waited. Time seemed to slow as she continued to wait. After a while Nora eventually got tired of waiting and tried to open the door, after this long decided that if it would speed things up, she would try to help herself, yet, the doorknob wouldn''t budge. As she looked around, the many candles surrounding the room had frozen, no longer flickering and standing completely still. Nora began to panic, she was still on edge from earlier and didn''t know what to do. Desperately she tried at the door, nothing. Until she heard a voice, a mysterious voice... "Ooo... I''ve always loved puppies..." "Why are you here!" angered at what the mysterious being had caused her to due, Nora shouted, "What have you done to me!!!" "I merely granted you a gift. You''ve already failed once, I was rather looking forward to the company..." "What do you mean failed once!?! What is this gift?!?" "In due time, in due time..." an awful chuckle followed the vague words, slowly fading into obscurity until the candles began to flicker, the puppies beginning to move, and most importantly the doorknob easily turned... "I''ve already failed once? Wait... she couldn''t possibly mean... oh god... that can''t be!!!" 45 A God I''ve already failed once? Wait... she couldn''t possibly mean... oh god... that can''t be!!!" Nora now distressed paced back and forward in the guestroom. Her steps sporadic and brash, "Someone had crossed the barrier and become an ascendant, become a part of divinity. No, that can''t be... Clearly, she was someone that was already part of divinity. From the words she had spoken, it was clear that she had watched her cultivate from nothing until she reached the peak of pseudo-ascendancy. Nora knew that she had been the first from her universe to claw her way all the way up to the very border of divinity. Yet this being already existed at the height of power. If she hadn''t failed, she would''ve been able to meet this being who had been a part of the very divinity of existence. She would''ve been able to become like this being. Above all other beings, divine. ''For now, I can still rely on Sev and Lucius to restrain my new impulses but I must find a way to suppress the primal instincts within me. Otherwise, once my cultivation improves I may end up creating a slaughter...'' - Lucius had long bolted from the mansion and was racing out of town. Unlike Mirlie who had simply lived during the era of war and helped deal with some rogue undead, he had been on the frontlines of the worst of the fighting, alongside the rest of the Order of Solomon. He had witnessed the worst atrocities imaginable. If Percy was a part of one of the Four Horsemen''s plans, he had to intervene, he had to stop them. As long as he could attempt to stop the same event''s from happening, he would even lay his life on the line. He ran out as fast as he could, leaving a constant blur in his wake, his steps quickly leaving the city behind as it faded into the distance. A warrior by trade, his pace far surpassed the average mage, regardless of spells. - After Mirlie had fully calmed down, she and Sev went to find Nora. Sev knew that she probably wanted to say a few words, he knew that she hadn''t been in control of herself. In his past, he had lost control a few times and he''d always regretted his actions afterwards, yet he still had to deal with the aftermath... As they approached the guestroom, they felt something was off. The higher a mage progressed, they would slowly develop a strange sixth sense, a sense of the world around them. As Great Mages, they had only developed their odd sixth sense to its most basic form, yet as they approached Sev and Mirlie clearly felt something horribly off... Something told them that something that shouldn''t exist was standing on the other side of the guestroom door. Knowing that Nora had entered the guestroom, he ignored the feeling inside his head and reached for the doorknob. Only for him to freeze as he made contact with the doorknob. The moment he made contact, he heard the voice of an eerie speaking female trail off as they spoke, "In due time, in due time..." He didn''t know what to do, he froze there and time ticked on, only for him to open the door to find Nora pacing back and forth in her room. "Nora what was that?!" disrupted from her pacing by Sev''s words, Nora stared at Sev and Mirlie who had just walked into the guestroom. Only for her to feel disappointed as she noticed that Mirlie began to shake as she made eye contact with her. "Sev, I gotta tell you the truth... I just met a God..." 46 Super Impressive "Sev, I gotta tell you the truth... I just met a God..." Sev was profoundly confused, he had sensed something far amiss yet, how could it be a god? Trying to play down the situation, he gave a hollow laugh before speaking, "What do you mean, you just met a God?" Internally he hoped that she had misinterpreted what had happened, or at least been confused... "Sev, I met a real God. Not some being who has neared divinity. A real, full-fledged God." "What do you mean? How could it be a god!?!" his fright energizing his voice, slowly rising higher and higher. Quietly, Nora replied, "She knew about my past, she knew about everything... She gifted me whatever it was that possessed me. She even said that back when I was the First Paragon, she had been looking forward to my company once I ascended into divinity..." "You mean..." as the realization hit him, he fell to his knees, "a god..." "She left before I could ask her about the so-called, ''gift''. Something about telling me in due time..." Not knowing what to say, Sev, Nora, and Mirlie all became silent. What was there to say? This wasn''t a situation anyone was prepared for. The silence stood for several minutes until Nora finally realized that Lucius was missing. "Sev," her voice still soft and quiet in the aftermath of the mysterious being visiting, "where''s Lucius?" Suddenly freeing himself from his silent trance, Sev replied, "Oh, Lucius went to try to find a trail to track. Apparently, the Horseman had a group of Newborn Revenants with him. Revenants normally leave a trail wherever they go, we should be able to get a lead of their whereabouts." "Why don''t we go too?" "He''s much faster than us, we''ll only be in his way. Plus, he''s the best tracker out of all of us..." "Well... we''ll see about that." in a moment of decisiveness, Nora decided that she would help out Lucius, although Sev and Mirlie as mages may not have the physique to keep up with Lucius, she was willing to bet that as a cultivator, she could at least give it a fair shot. Nora began to walk out of the room, only to stop at the doorway, looking back she couldn''t help herself, "Mirlie," with the mention of her name, she hid behind Sev. Nora could only sigh as she continued speaking, "I''m truly sorry for what I did, I hope you understand that I wasn''t in control of my actions, please forgive me..." without waiting for a response, Nora bolted her way towards the front entrance, out into the streets, and out of Retford. - Nearly an entire hour later, Lucius had arrived at the ambush site. The carriage still toppled over and lying on its side. The bright banners which had been hanging from the sides of the carriage now rested in torn pieces across the entire gravel road. Instinctively, as someone well versed in undead creatures, he could faintly smell sulphur. ''Luckily I got here in time,'' sighing in relief he paused, he could hear someone approaching him from behind. Spinning around as fast as he could, his eye''s met disappointment when he realized it had been Nora. ''Wait... why was Nora here? How did she nearly catch up with me? She''s truly a monster... ''Damn! I almost caught up with him!!!'' inside Nora felt slightly disappointed, she had truly run at her top speed yet she barely missed the mark. "So Lucius, can you track them?" "It''s very simple, try to sense the dark particles in the air... Then, try to sense any particular spot with excess particles, afterwards, find the next adjacent spot with a higher number of particles. Using this method you can construct a line of which direction they went. The lingering excess particles slowly disperse after some time, the higher the number of particles the fresher, therefore whenever you following the next higher number of particles, you''re technically following their exact path. Pretty neat huh?" Nora couldn''t resist as she thought to herself, ''That''s incredibly, no, unimaginatively simple...'' "Impressive right?" "Yeah... super impressive..." 47 Wanna Make A Bet? Lucius led the way off the path, to ensure that they would lose the path and could follow the trail, they took their time. To Lucius'' surprise, the trail started heading towards a large mountain range towards the east, the mountain range itself being a large barrier between the Allosian Empire and other nations. He found it extremely odd that the trail was, in fact, heading towards the mountain range due to most undead either disliking or being severely affected by the cold. Much like humans, in the cold undead would feel cold but unlike humans, they had no way of heating themselves up. Leaving them with only one outcome, slowly freezing over. ''Surely they wouldn''t just enter the mountain range, right?'' - Percy gradually awoke. Finding himself tied up on the back of a horse. As he came to his senses he saw a figure riding the horse he was tied to. The figure wore an oversized white tunic with equally baggy pants. The figure''s outfit completed with a marvellous crown atop his head, the mixture of crimson and gold which adorned the crown could only be described as simple yet perfect. As Percy stared at the odd figure, a single thought came to mind, ''Why''s everything so silent?'' he couldn''t hear the horse gallop, although the horse was running at an incredibly fast speed, he couldn''t hear a single step. The wind which raced past too fell silent. From his tied-up state, he made out the quickly approaching view of a mountain range. The countless mountains which dotted the horizon all reached towards the sky, piercing the very sky. The peaks seeming insurmountable he thought to himself, ''These mountains really put the Himalayas to shame...'' Only for his thoughts to be interrupted by a deep, dry voice, "Little one, we''re almost there..." a dry cackle echoing as the figure summoned a boney longbow, the bow large and unwieldy held a level of supremacy above everything else in Percy''s view. He found himself drawn towards the bow, finding it hard to resist. His admiration for the bow was broken as the figure, in one quick movement, knocked Percy out with the edge of the bowstave. - After a few hours of following the trail left behind by the Newborn Revenants, Lucius found his assumption wrong as both he and Nora continued to approach the ever-growing mountains ahead of them. Although from a distance, they had seemed impressive, at a closer distance the true daunting size of the mountains revealed itself. They had been making good time until in the far distance, Nora spotted several dozen black-robed figures. "The Newborn Revenants, they''re waiting for us..." Lucius spoke under his breath, mentally preparing himself for battle "They don''t look very undead to me." without thinking Nora spoke her mind "There''s a reason they wear those robes if you want to find out how they really look, undress one of those bastards. You won''t be able to unsee it!" "Lucius, wanna have some fun?" "What do you mean, ''have some fun'' you should never take combat lightly! It could mean the difference between life and death!!!" "Let''s see who can kill more Revenants..." Hearing Nora speak, Lucius raised his eyebrow, her words having roused his long slumbering competitive nature. Immediately changing his tone, he eagerly asked, "What are the stakes?" "If I win you''ve got to help me find some ore that can channel Mana. If you win, I''ll help you recover a youthful appearance..." Having heard the stakes, Lucius grew even more excited, his old appearance being one of the things he had grown to dislike over the years as many of the mages he knew continued to look significantly younger than him, "You''re on!" 48 Wager Having agreed to their wager. Lucius and Nora quickly changed their slow walk into a blistering sprint. The joyful expressions of two longtime battle-junkies stretched across their faces. Ignoring all doubts within their minds, they threw themselves at the several dozen black-robed figures. At such a sight, even the undead Newborn Revenants paused, bewildered by the oncoming human projectiles. Although undead, they a rather limited primal intelligence. All creatures knew that numbers almost always meant power. Yet, two lunatics were hurtling towards them. It was only natural for them to be baffled. Overcoming their own befuddlement, they trusted in their numbers and charged towards Lucius and Nora. Even their limited intelligence encouraged them. Unaware of the imminent danger, their pack-mentality urged them onwards. As the two parties quickly approached each other, Lucius raised his cane. Its true purpose shining through as a cane became endowed with an imposing aura. The aura quickly spread to Lucius himself. This change startled Nora, ''Wait... that''s sword intent! Not only that!! Lucius has achieved the state of one with his sword!!!!'' Nora''s emotions began to rage within her, joy, excitement, glee, but this would have to wait for later. She would reserve her rejoicing for after the battle. ''Well if he''s going to use intent... It''s only natural for me to use my cultivation! Releasing the full might of her cultivation, leaning on her cultivation techniques instead of raw force. As she released the might of her Demonic Witchgod Transformations, she became enshrouded by a black mist, then when she released her Dragon King''s Incarnation, the two cultivation techniques intermingled, transforming the black mist into four mist-like dragon heads emerging from the mist. Forgoing defence and betting everything on offence, both having wagered valuable things in their interest, they would hold nothing back. The first to collide was Lucius, his cane swung with immense force and intent, easily surpassing the resistance provided by the undead body of the Newborn Revenant, messily decapitating the revenant as the degrading muscles tore with the application of force. Without skipping a beat, Lucius lept towards the next undead as he spoke, "That''s one!" "Don''t get so cocky old man..." Following suit, Nora barreled her way into the closest Newborn Revenant. Nora''s fist barreled towards the masked face of the Revenant, the sheer force behind her fist shattering the mask as it penetrated past it and caved in the Revenant''s entire head. To Nora''s surprise, the four dragon heads latched onto the Revenant as she attacked, their mist-like forms chomping through the robe and onto the undead''s flesh. Facing little resistance, the mist like dragons tore off pieces of the undead and devoured the flesh. The sensation feeling extremely odd to Nora as she felt both her cultivation in ''Dragon Kings Incarnation'' and ''Demonic Witchgod Transformations'' slightly increase. "Old man, that''s also one!" Nora pounced onto the next and next Revenant, each time following the same practice of striking at their face as she let the four dragon heads tear apart the corpses. Lucius himself was cutting no slack as he violently, yet masterfully slashed at the small horde approaching him. Throughout the entire process, Nora and Lucius kept gleefully keep score of their kills. "You''re going too slow! I''m already at 4" a smug smile appearing on Lucius'' face "Are you slowing down, old man? I''m already at 5!" - In less than one minute, Lucius and Nora stood on a pile of corpses. Nearly half of the heap of corpses having large chunks roughly torn off. Excessively panting both Nora and Lucius had lurched over as they attempted to catch their breath. "Old man," Nora''s words interrupted by her own heavy breathing, "I got... thirty.... four....." Letting out an exhausted chuckle, Lucius attempted to speak, only for him too to barely make out words in between breaths, "Haha... you were... too... slow... I... got thirty... five..." 49 Lucius Cane With their panting slowly receding as they regained their composure, Nora could help but rejoice, although she had lost the wager, she had still learned from watching Lucius go full out that ''intent'' existed in this world. She hadn''t been able to try to find out for herself since she had yet to find a suitable weapon for weapon cultivation. If she would have tried to create a bond with a crude or frail weapon, it could''ve crippled her future cultivation. With a smile far too wide for someone who had just lost, Nora inquired, "Well... Lucius, would you mind if I could take a look at your cane?" Pausing, Lucius seriously contemplated. His cane was very precious to him. He''d normally scoff at such a request... but something about Nora made him feel as if it was alright. Something about how they both shared an exhilaration for battle, or how she made him feel truly alive after so long. "Fine, but don''t forget about the wager you set. I''m tired of this old face of mine..." As Lucius reluctantly handed over the cane, Nora validated her suspicions. The moment the cane made contact with Nora''s hand, the cane began to emit a wave of bestial anger. It clearly rejecting Nora, far preferring its proper master. The previously seeming normal cane, although still, writhed with life. She could sense the faint circulation of mana from within the cane, almost as if it was breathing. Unlike other Paths of Cultivation, Weapon Cultivation built on top of other cultivation techniques. Acting far more like an auxiliary power than the main power. Lucius had cultivated in a warrior technique based completely creatures which already innately circulated mana. Mimicking their innate act, humans could create their own cultivation. Lucius'' cane built off of the provided technique, embodying its origin and it itself becoming a beast. Appreciating Lucius'' efforts in Weapon Cultivation, Nora had to ask, "Have you given the cane a name?" "Why would I name a cane?" confused, Lucius attempted to make sense of the question. Amused by Lucius'' lack of knowledge, Nora couldn''t help but smirk. He had made progressed so far in Weapon Cultivation, yet he couldn''t see the road ahead of him. "I''ve got a lot to teach you..." - Percy awoke, only to find himself in a dimly lit dark cell. The air carried vast amounts of humidity, dampening the decrepit stone walls which enclosed the cell. No longer bound, he looked around the cell. His only comfort being the vague noise of dripping water. Having a hard time looking around, he found a small note in the centre of the cell. The note itself being a small piece of aged parchment while in the dimly lit cell, he could faintly read the words inscribed, yet he couldn''t help but notice how it reeked of sulphur. It read, -