Supreme Magus

by S.H.A aifu

MC is not an anti-hero or a hero.

11. 262

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"Quite an attitude for someone that almost got outshined by a filthy traitor and a dirty poor commoner." Libea clicked her tongue in disgust.

"The traitor and the commoner, as you call them, are a thousand times better than you. I wish my friend Lith was here. He is great at dealing with monsters, something I am still lacking at."

Libea was about to reply in kind when suddenly the whole room turned dark and empty. She turned around just in time to see a shadowy figure with eyes blazing with blue mana closing in to her.

"My dear Yurial, I always told you to go big whenever you make a wish. Otherwise if one of them comes true it's more a pity than a relieve."

"He's right behind you, of course." Yurial said with a smirk.

"You have quite an attitude for someone that ranked… My bad, I forgot you have no rank. It's just that my mind refuses the idea that someone without an iota of magical power could be so arrogant."

Normally, Lith would have ignored Libea's slander. Back at the academy, he heard much crueler words on a daily basis, yet he paid them no heed. Lith just had three months of peace and his renewed bond with Solus made him calmer than ever.

The reason behind his unnatural behavior was the precise instructions Marchioness Distar had given him.

'It's been a while since I taught a lesson to an arrogant prick. This is going to be fun!' He thought.

"It's better for you to watch your tongue, young miss. One day, even a dirty poor commoner could reach a status higher than yours. Without your noble title, you are nothing more than a spoiled parlor dog.

"You should be aware that dumb creatures that keep barking at the wrong tree are… accident prone."

Lith kept his distance, pointing his finger at her while he talked. It was an act incredibly rude towards someone of a higher social class. In any other circumstance, Libea would have lashed out at Lith for his unacceptable behavior.

She wanted to, but was unable to speak. Something prevented her from even moving her eyes away from Lith's index finger. To her it was like a sword pointed at her throat, exuding a chilling aura that was prickling at her skin like countless needles of ice.

With every step that Lith took forward, Libea's stomach twisted into one knot after the other. Suddenly she just wanted to hide behind Yurial, but he was nowhere to be seen. The whole world had disappeared, leaving her alone with a crazed beast.

Contrary to Libea's perception, Yurial was right beside her, the room was perfectly lighted, and Mogar kept spinning on its axis uncaring like always.

'I don't know why Lith is acting so touchy and honestly, I don't care.' Yurial thought. 'Her being forced to shut up for once it's liberating.'

Being used to Lith's aura and having an innate powerful mana flow, Yurial was unable to perceive the pressure Lith was exerting, so he was further surprised by Libea's meek attitude.

At least until he realized she wasn't meek at all. His fiancée was simply unable to breathe.

Yurial recognized the all too familiar symptoms of mind aggression from a magical aura. Libea's forehead was beady with sweat, her face was turning from pale white to cyanotic blue from the lack of oxygen.

"Okay, that's enough." Yurial grabbed Lith's hand, interposing himself between the two to break the eye contact. Libea was now able to breathe again. She found herself back in the Marchioness's dining hall, the people around them were watching at the scene with an amused expression.

Realizing what had happened, she felt humiliated like it had never happened her whole life. The Fintyr family had never given birth to a single mage, but they were one of the most ancient noble households of the Griffon Kingdom.

Even Archmages treated them with respect, as long as the Fintyr did the same, of course. Libea wanted to yell and call for her personal guards, to teach the country bumpkin a lesson.

What she did was going to the closest bathroom, moving forward with furious but short strides, instead. The sudden scare had almost made Libea lose control of her bowels, she had only so much time before shaming herself for life.

Also, making a scene in front of so many guests would only make her look like a fool. The only thing she could accuse Lith of was being rude. He had not cast a single spell nor left a single scratch on her.

As soon as she left, Lith returned Yurial's grab, making it a handshake.

"If that's the woman you are going to spend the life with, there's no amount of alcohol that will make her presence bearable. You need to set boundaries, or she'll drive you insane. That or you can kill her."

Lith's wolfish smile made Yurial understand he wasn't joking at all. Find authorized novels in ReadNovelFull，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

"I wish things were that simple." Yurial sighed.

"Killing Libea would only force me to marry one of her sisters and undergo a thorough investigation. Believe it or not, she's the less annoying of the bunch. Since you already know Lady Ernas, you can imagine what does it mean having a royal constable on your tail.

"No, I only have three roads ahead of me. Accepting my fate, emancipating myself from the Deirus household after the fifth year, or convince my father to cancel the wedding. Emancipation would mean squandering everything I have done so far and probably dooming the Deirus household.

"Without an heir, if something happens to my father, our bloodline is over. Yet, cancelling the wedding is even more unlikely. It would mean making us lose a lot of face, our prestige would be destroyed.

"Between that and antagonizing the Fintyr, it would put an end to all our plans for improvement for at least ten years. As you can see, I'm basically doomed."

A long, awkward moment of silence followed before Yurial decided to move on a less depressing subject.

"The dinner jacket looks good on you." Unlike Yurial, Lith wasn't wearing his uniform but the new world equivalent of a black tuxedo. The white shirt was apparently made of silk, while the pants and jacket were made of a wool similar to Earth's vicuna.

What Lith was actually wearing was his Skinwalker armor. He had stored the real suit in the blue gemstone embedded at the base of the neck, allowing the enchanted item to mimic it to perfection. The white griffon pin was shining on the pocket above his heart.

"Aren't you sick of that uniform at this point? Also, you seem to have lost weight since the last time we met."

"Yes to both. But what can I do about it?" Yurial shrugged.

"Since the rankings came out, my family was awarded with the lands that host the Black Griffon academy. It means a lot more authority and prestige, but also a lot more responsibilities.

"Because of that, my father is forced to spend most his days granting audiences to our new retainers, to sort out those to keep from those to replace. I'm helping him, of course. Being the heir, he is showing me the ropes while at the same time introducing me to my future subjects."

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"Why are you so stressed, then? Isn't this your life long dream? Libea excluded, obviously." Lith could understand her being a pain in the a*s but not like that. Yurial seemed to be well fed and rested, yet had lost at least five kilos.

"Because besides being paraded like an exotic animal 24/7 to affirm our new status in front of the Crown and our neighbors, which is already quite stressing, there have been five attempts on my life, already. Do you see that woman?"

Yurial tilted his head towards a gorgeous redhead. She was wearing an emerald dress that emphasized her fair white skin and green eyes. The red scarf on her neck matched her hair, partially covering her shoulders and arms that the dress left exposed.

"Do you mean that Battle Mage?" Lith replied while his eyes indulged on her neckline a second longer than it was polite.

"Yeah. She is my new personal assistant/mistress/bodyguard. I can't go anywhere without her following me around."

"Lucky bastard." Lith's voice had a tinge of envy. Find authorized novels in ReadNovelFull，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

"Wow, that's new from you." Yurial was surprised. He had always considered Lith made of stone, or at least the next best thing.

"By the way, how do you know she is a Battle Mage?"

"Ever since my earlier little stunt, she hasn't taken her eyes off me. Hence, she knows what happened, but it's not afraid of me, just wary. That makes her a mage. She bears no sword, has too many muscles to be a civilian but too little to be just a hired muscle. If she was a Mage Knight, she would stick closer to you.

The only explanation left is for her being a Battle Mage." Lith explained his Holmes-like reasoning with a smug expression.

'You really are shameless.' Solus made a mental retching sound.

'You didn't notice anything outside her three sizes, while I understood she is a mage from her bright blue mana core and her specialization from the enchanted items she wears. They come straight out of Wanemyre's catalogue. Yurial's dad spares no expenses.'

'Well, you know how they say. Hindsight is correct 100% of the times. Also, it's not like I can tell him about your existence. Since I need a cover story, I can as well use it to appear as a keen observer.'

"Brilliant deduction." Yurial nodded in approval.

"You are lucky none of the girls was here. Otherwise Phloria would never let you hear the end of it, if she learns about your previous remark."

"The Ernas are here too? I heard they didn't have the time to attend."

"They are fashionably late, as usual." Yurial shrugged.

"From what my father said to me, the Marchioness insisted for their presence. Just like she did for yours, I guess. I didn't expect to see you at all. You know, being the party full of stuck up nobles while your parents are…"

Yurial didn't complete the sentence, but there was no need to.

"Indeed she did. I came here with Count Lark as my chaperon." Lith pointed at the jovial noble talking with other mages, losing his monocle from time to time due to the excitement. Lark didn't care about hanging with influential nobles as much as sharing his passion about magic.

"Speak of the phoenix and there is the smoke. Friya, nice to see you." Friya gave them a small curtsy to which they replied with a bow. She was wearing a gold embroidered cream colored evening dress that covered her up to the shoulder.

Her hair was arranged into an elaborate updo, with several tresses knot together that left her neck exposed, emphasizing the leaves shaped parure composed of golden necklace and earrings with black diamonds that complimented her dark eyes and hair.

She also wore evening gloves, giving her outfit a maiden look, being the one that left the most to imagination compared to the other noble dames.

"Nice to see you guys too. Thank the gods you didn't get any taller." She said with a smug expression while looking Lith in the eyes thanks to the high heels.

"I am still taller than you and I've got plenty of time to grow." He shrugged. "Nice dress. It looks lovely on you."

"Thanks, but I actually don't like it." She snorted. "I was just tired of men complimenting at my breasts for their rank at the academy while other girls called me a sl*t behind my back. At first, I tried to ignore them, but after a while they really got under my skin."

"Seriously? Again with those rumors?" Lith raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Yeah. Beware that you got it even worse than me. Some say that you slept with both the male and female Professors, others that you are the Marchioness' boy toy. Some even that you are the forbidden love child between her and Linjos."

Lith laughed heartily at the thought.

"Let them talk, I don't care. Where are the others?"

"Do you mean Phloria?" She winked at him. "Don't worry, she is eager to see you too. We just split up to search for you guys more quickly."

Their chatter was interrupted when they saw Marchioness Distar coming towards them, followed by three youths. The four ladies all wore magnificent evening dresses, embroidered with small gemstones complimenting either their eyes, hair, or skin.

"Ladies, allow me to introduce to you our guests of honour from the White Griffon academy. They are Yurial Deirus, Friya Ernas, and Lith of Lutia." Each one of them politely greeted the newcomers as soon the Marchioness called their name.

"These three girls are the top rankers from the Lightning Griffon. Lusa Erjar, Kyla Dornar, and Vala Rothar." The girls gave them a small curtsy, having a hard time hiding their surprise.

Usually, the first ranker was also the one awarded with the academy's crown jewel, the colored griffon pin. Lusa Erjar wore them both side by side, the golden griffon and the topaz griffon pins.

That was also the reason why Yurial was the only one forced to wear his uniform, otherwise he would be forced to specify countless times which academy he was from.

The second anomaly was the trio composition. On Mogar women were naturally more talented for magic, to the point that even inside the academies the males/females ratio was four to six.

For both the pin awarded rankers to be men was something rarer than finding a unicorn on the doorstep. The three girls from the Lightning Griffon had prepared some nasty remarks for their opponents, but suddenly they were at a loss for words.

The Marchioness didn't seem intentioned to leave the six of them. To make things worse, Yurial was way more handsome than they had pictured him, making hard for them being mean to him. Lith was a good head taller than the Lightning Griffon's golden trio and was looking at them with the same cold gaze an undertaker would use while preparing the boxes for his latest clients.

Friya would have been the easiest mark, if not for the considerable amount of killing intent she was emitting. The muscles on her arms had been finely chiseled by daily training, while her soft smile was warning them that Friya had no problem breaking a jaw or two by "accident".

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"You are the rising stars of your respective academies and the reason why I organized this gala. Your achievements bring great prestige to the Distar marquisate, so I'm going to personally introduce you to my guests. You should use this opportunity to distinguish yourself and show your value to the Kingdom."

The Marchioness took a few steps back, throwing a short but meaningful look at Lith. She turned around, rubbing her throat and activating a first magic air spell.

"May I have your attention, please?" Her magically enhanced voice resounded through the ball room, making all the heads turn and conversations stop.

"Tonight, we have assembled to celebrate the new year. To remember all the hardships we have endured. Two academies are temporarily lost. Balkor has once again put the Griffon Kingdom on its knees. Yet we survived. Our future may seem grim, but our present is worthy of celebration.

"I'll introduce to you, one by one, the brightest minds of this generation. I'd like to ask them to show us a little bit of their talent, so that they can demonstrate the progress they have made during the past year and make this evening more enjoyable.

"There are a lot of rumors about the rankings being unfair." Marchioness Distar looked at all the six youths, but indulged on Friya for a second longer than the others.

"Magic, however, doesn't allow one to bluff. Either you can do something, or you can't. There is no faking talent. What is required from you is to perform at your best by using only first magic.

For security reasons, tier one magic and above are sealed by the mansion's protective arrays and so are all the magical items that are not defensive in nature."

Lith was surprised by the announcement. He hadn't encountered such a powerful formation since during the plague, when he was under the effects of the Small World artifact.

Solus activated her mana sense, scouting their surroundings.

'There are a lot of arrays around us, but no Small World.' She thought.

'This is not something I would have expected from a medium importance noble like the Marchioness. I thought only the royals had access to magical formations this strong. Let's see how they fare against true magic.'

Lith silently waved a tier one spell in his mind, connecting his mana with the world energy surrounding him. The idea was to perform something simple and unnoticeable, raising the temperature of the room by a few degrees.

Everything went fine until he mixed the mana with the fire element. As soon as the energy started to build, the arrays around him activated. They weren't actually capable of preventing him from casting a spell, only to disrupt the execution by causing fluctuations in the mana in the room.

'That's why the security is so lax. Intruders and guests are both stripped of all their powers.

'The arrays can definitely stop a fake mage, but not a true one. I could continue if I wanted. I only need to adapt my flow according to the fluctuations, something that a fake mage's fixed pattern is incapable of doing. What about our dimensional pocket?'

Lith was reassured by his findings. He had walked into the arrays without even noticing them. He had gravely underestimated a noble household's resources.

'I think we can open it but it's going to take some time and effort. In our case, rather than block our magic, these arrays make casting any spell much harder and mana expensive.' Solus replied.

Lith mind nodded to her words, checking if both spirit magic and fusion magic still worked. Everything went without a hitch. No matter how much energy he conjured, the arrays remained inactive.

"Let's start from the first rankers." The Marchioness continued.

"Yurial Deirus, the white hand, from the White Griffon academy."

"Yurial the what now?" Lith whispered in Friya's ear.

"It's his custom title. High rankers often receive one or more nicknames from their Professors in the fields they are more talented in." She explained.

"I never heard anyone calling him like that, though."

"And probably you never will. He probably wouldn't have one if not for Linjos's you know what." Her voice was barely audible, even with his heightened senses.

Lith was able to notice Yurial being embarrassed by the pompous title and the deafening applause that followed.

'Poor Yurial.' Solus's voice was full of compassion. 'Not only he gets constantly reminded of his fake achievement, but he also got the short end of the stick by going first. Hope he doesn't get stage fright.'

'Right now he has only two choices. Either to keep drowning himself in self-pity or do his best to turn the lie into truth. I hope he'll choose the second one.' Lith replied.

Before their telepathic talk could finish, Yurial was already moving.

Stage fright was something he had overcome years ago. As the heir of the Deirus' household, Yurial had followed his father to all the most important social events ever since he was little, often opening his speeches in the role of valet.

After being paraded around the whole Kingdom for the last two months, bragging was second nature to him. Yurial slowly spun around, waving his hands in the air while collecting small wisps of fire from every candle that met his eyes.

The ballroom was mostly lighted with magical crystals, but there would always be other sources of light at a banquet, to give the room warmth. No matter how brilliant it was, magic generated light had something cold about it, especially to non mages.

The wisps danced around Yurial forming an ethereal river, until he widened his arms making them spread around. The wisps rose a few meters above the guests' heads, taking advantage of the high ceiling.

Then, each wisp grew to the size of a football, assuming the shape of a griffon that shrieked its challenge to its fiery companions. Each wisp-griffon was of a different color, ranging from red to green.

Handling so many griffons with only first magic put a cap on the temperatures the conjured flames could reach. The whole room gasped in amazement while the pseudo creatures charged at each other like they were fighting to the death.

Then, Yurial made them fly out from an open window, sending them as high as he could before he lost control. When it happened, they exploded forming multi-colored fireworks. His performance caused a spontaneous applause that continued until the Marchioness announced the next student.

"Lusa Erjar, the Mistress of the Storm." The Lightning Griffon first ranker was in quite a pinch. She had not prepared anything, the show wasn't planned. Lusa didn't want to be outshined, but fire was the flashiest element and it had already been used.

So, she resorted to water magic, collecting a few drops from the drinks of those presents to form a multi colored sphere of liquid that created multiple rainbows across the room before turning it into an ice dragon that flew out of the window before exploding into a huge rainbow.

The crowd applauded, but after Yurial's performance Lusa's was lackluster.

"Friya Ernas, the master of space." Find authorized novels in ReadNovelFull，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

When her name was called, Friya went to the center stage. She used light and darkness magic to recreate the celestial sphere, giving to those present the illusion the ceiling had disappeared.

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Whole constellations moved at unison like each second was an hour, until a fake sun appeared on the horizon making the right return in the room.

The spectators congratulated her with a thunderous applause.

"Kyla Dornar, the battle goddess."

Lith was already bored when he felt someone tugging at his arm. He turned around to discover it was Phloria. He was about to whisper a greeting, but she was faster.

"Kiss me like you miss me." Aside from Friya that was standing right next to them, everyone was so caught in the performance that no one noticed the deep, passionate kiss she gave him.

Lith had the impression she had just sucked the air out of his lungs and maybe even tasted his tonsil.

Phloria only let him go when the applause marking the end of the performance resounded. Lith could finally take a proper look at her. She wore a silk-satin red evening dress and white evening gloves, emphasizing her olive colored skin due to the prolonged exposure to the sun.

It was skin tight, with a neckline that somehow exerted a push-up effect. Her hair had grown even longer, allowing Phloria to braid them into tresses that were knotted, twisted, and tied back in an intricate headpiece, complete with pearls and fabrics.

' Walking like a man, hitting like a hammer.' Lith couldn't avoid remembering an old Earth's song.

'Well, she definitely got the look.' Solus giggled.

Before they could exchange a single word, Lith got called to the center stage.

"Lith of Lutia, the eye of god and maker of wonders." The whole room gasped in surprise, Lith included. No one else had received two titles and him being the third ranker made it even more amazing.

Not even most second rankers would receive a title.

'It seems that Vastor wasn't kidding when he said that the light and forgemastering department were quite pissed off at Linjos for the rankings. Usually I wouldn't like so much attention, but tonight it's different.' He thought with a smirk.

"Thanks for your kind introduction, dear Marchioness. I hope you all realize that at this point, there isn't much I can do without boring you with a rerun of what my peers already did. So, to spice things up I'm going to try something different, but I need an assistant."

He turned around the room pretending to be searching for the right person.

"You." He pointed his finger at Phloria.

"Would you do me the honor of accompanying me in this feat?" Lith extended his hand to her. Phloria was dazed for a second, embarrassed by all the eyes on her, before stepping forward to take Lith's hand.

"Thanks. Now just follow my lead." Lith walked toward the nearest wall, leaving some of the guests confused and most of them disappointed.

Once they arrived in front of the wall, Lith didn't stop walking, stepping on it. Phloria didn't understand what was happening and neither did most of the guests. The others were either chocking on their drinks or inwardly cursing at him.

'Son of a…' The Marchioness was among the latter.

'I asked him for a distraction and some ruckus. This is going to turn into a riot if I don't handle it properly.'

"Do you trust me?" Lith said with a smile, seeing that Phloria was hesitant. In response to the question, she immediately stepped forward discovering that her foot was now effortlessly stuck to the wall.

Lith then resumed walking, accompanied by her until they were standing upside down on the ceiling.

As it was apparent ever since their first vertical step, it wasn't a flight or float spell. Otherwise the coats of Lith's suit and Phloria's gown would be falling toward the ground, making the situation quite embarrassing, especially for Phloria.

Her hair, dress, and jewels were perfectly normal, like she was just walking on the floor.

"May we have some music?" At Lith's request, the Marchioness signaled the orchestra that started playing a minuet.

The couple danced the whole song while avoiding the numerous crystal chandeliers, returning back in front of the Marchioness when the music ended. Phloria was red from the excitement, but the room gave them a cold reception.

No one applauded, they were just looking at them like they were monsters, even Jirni and Orion.

"I'm sorry you didn't like it, but I did." Lith shrugged. Their approval meant nothing to him.

"For your information, that's something I like to call…"

"Gravity magic." Archmage Deirus blurted out, cutting him short.

"Nailed in one." Lith was surprised by how fast Yurial's dad had understood what had happened. After all, Gravity magic was Lith's original creation.

Or so he thought.

"That's impossible!" One after the other, the mages present expressed their disbelief while the nobles would ask them for an explanation.

"What's Gravity magic, dad?" Yurial was among them. Find authorized novels in ReadNovelFull，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

"The seventh kind of magic. Something that's considered an exclusive of the ancient noble households."

"I never heard anything about it. Not from you nor while being at the academy. Is it some kind of secret art?" Yurial's curiosity was piqued, he never heard about a seventh natural element.

"It's not a secret, otherwise I wouldn't know about it." Velan Deirus shook his head.

"I never spoke about it because I don't practice it. You can find books about it in the academies' libraries, but no one will ever teach it to you. It's…complicated."

As soon as the details about Gravity magic were being disclosed, the murmurs rose in intensity and volume, turning into chatting first and yells later.

"Complicated how?" Yurial asked while Lith and Phloria joined him. They were as confused as he was.

"Gravity magic requires to be able to cast six spells at once and wave them together. It also requires a great mastery of the mana control and of the principles behind the natural phenomenons.

"What you saw your friend using is the equivalent of first magic, yet it's already beyond the reach of most. Gravity magic is considered to be a legacy of the most ancient noble households because they are the only ones that possess the knowledge and the magical legacy to teach it."

"Why did you never learn it? Aren't you an Archmage?" Lith nodded, agreeing with Yurial question. He was quite disappointed in learning he had just reinvented the wheel. Again.

Yet this time it seemed to be quite a fancy wheel.

"Because it's useless. Even tier one gravity spells are too complex. They require such fine control over the mana and the hand signs that their difficulty goes beyond that of tier five spells. The results do not justify the effort."

Lith understood Velan's point, but it wasn't an issue for him. Lith never had to struggle with magic words or signs, true magic was all a matter of manipulating the mana flow according to one's will.

Gravity magic was indeed difficult, he was just scratching the top of the barrel and it required Lith's full focus just to reverse the gravity on two people. Yet moving to higher levels of Gravity magic was far from impossible for him.

"It's not just a matter of effort, it's a matter of pride!" Archmage Ejar, Lusa's mother roared.

"Gravity magic it's the living proof of all true magical bloodlines!" She looked Velar in the eyes, clicking her tongue in disgust.

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"That's why I practice it and I'm teaching it to my daughter." Archmage Ejar echoed through the ballroom.

"Because we, the Ejar are true mages, not two bit pretenders like you. Grassroots mages shouldn't even be in the same room as us!"

A lot of indignant voices cursed at her. Archmage Deirus's eyes shone with a menacing emerald light.

"I dare you to say that again!" Velan snarled, his face only a few centimeters away from his peer's.

'I did my part, that's for sure.' Lith thought with a grin on his face.

'The Marchioness asked me for some ruckus. I'd say dinner is served, even though only Isaac Newton knows why.'

"What in the gods' name are you grinning for, kid?" Archmage Ejar ignored Velan's threat, pointing her finger against the uncaring youth.

"How did you do it? Who taught you about Gravity magic? Pray that I like your answers, otherwise…"

"Otherwise what?" Lith slapped away the hand in front of his face, making the Archmage's eyes almost pop out of their sockets in anger.

"I'm a student at the White Griffon. First in the light department and an asset to the Kingdom. I'm Marchioness Distar's honored guest, attending this gala on request of the Crown. What authority do you represent, exactly? Outside your own foolishness, of course!"

"Indeed." Archmage Ejar's face was still in the process of losing its color, realizing the amazing number of blunders in a row she had just made when the Marchioness's voice resounded next to her ear.

"You are in my house, while I represent the Crown and you dare to offend your peers and threaten my guests?"

"No, I…" Ejar stuttered, but luckily for her, Marchioness Distar's question was merely rhetorical.

"Her rudeness is unforgivable, but she made a good point. Where did you learn such magic, Lith?" The Marchioness wanted answers too, but she asked them rather than making demands. Her tone gentle and polite.

"I learned it as a self-taught." He replied with a shrug, making new and ancient households gasp in surprise.

"It's not that hard." Lith couldn't understand the reason behind their disbelief.

"I learned how to create pocket dimensions at the Forgemastering lessons and how to bend space with dimensional magic. They are just two extreme applications of gravity. I only had to combine what I learned from both subjects and then use it to manipulate gravity around objects rather than on the space itself."

As the Marchioness had predicted earlier, Lith's actions triggered a hornet's nest. New households were using him together with Archmage Ejar lack of manners as proof that magic was fair, while the ancient households were not.

All mages deserved respect according to their talent and disposition, not based on the family they were born in.

The ancient households claimed it was a scam, blaming the Marchioness for having shared their secrets with a commoner mongrel. Lith decided it was time to get to safety. Nobles' quarrels didn't interest him, he only did what he had been paid for.

"Where do you think you are going?" Lith felt his center of gravity shift, suddenly he was on the verge of falling horizontally. Archmage Ejar was using gravity magic to pull him back in the middle of the conflict.

First, he had to crouch, gripping at the floor with one hand to prevent the fall. Then, Lith used his own gravity magic to cancel the pull. The opponent had a stronger core, but for her first magic was just a hobby, for Lith it was a life's work.

"Kneel!" He sent a powerful wave crashing on Ejar's body which tripled her weight in a split second. He even added a sprinkle of spirit magic, just to be safe.

Archmage Ejar fell on her knees. She was forced to use her hands to avoid her forehead crashing against the ground.

"I warned you! No one disrespects me or my guests in my house!" The Marchioness clapped her hands, unleashing the full power of the arrays against the unruly noble. Archmage Ejar's body writhed for a second before falling limp on the ground.

Once focused on a target, the arrays were capable of disrupting even first magic. They could also paralyze any threat, living or undead, by binding every fiber of their target.

The brief magical battle made the room turn silent, but only for a second.

One side of the room called Ejar a hero, the other one a traitor. The quarrel resumed without the use of magic, but louder than before.

Phloria and Yurial helped Lith to stand up, bringing him to safety.

"That went well." He said with a sarcastic expression.

"You sure know how to liven up a party." Phloria clicked her tongue at the raging crowd behind them. Dancing on the ceiling with Lith, surrounded by the lights like they were alone in the world had been truly romantic.

What followed, not so much.

"Raising your hand against an Archmage, are you insane?" Yurial was still as pale as a ghost.

"What was I supposed to do? Let her beat me up and beg for mercy? She was out of her mind. I prefer to apologize later rather than be so polite to let someone kill me for sport." Lith scoffed at his companion.

With a short sprint, they reached the safest spot in the room: the one where the Ernas and other nobles were spectating at the unfolding events from a safe distance. Despite being members of ancient noble households, those gathered there had no place in the conflict.

They supported the young magical bloodlines' claim for fairness. They chose to stand on the fence because in the heat of the moment their allies would lash at them mistaking them for the enemy, while their noble peers would brand them as traitors.

Their intervention would only end up making the two factions gang up on them, so they decided to wait for the lord of the house to put an end to that mess.

"Why is it taking her so long?" While her peers were still discussing Lith's performance or Ejar's unspeakable act of aggression towards an honored guest of the Crown, Jirni's mind was spinning at top gear.

"Now that you mention it, it's indeed odd." Orion whispered back.

"Between the arrays and her personal guards, this mess shouldn't have even started. Maybe she doesn't want to raise her hand against other nobles. Violence could escalate things politically."

"Maybe, but she doesn't strike me as a calm guiding hand. Distar had no qualms subduing Ejar. What's worse than attacking a noble that's also an Archmage?" Their private conversation was interrupted when they saw the youths approaching.

Mostly because a young woman stepped right in front of them, welcoming the White Griffon students with a flawless curtsy.

"Yours was a striking performance, Mage Lith." She didn't manage to say it with a straight face. She giggled cheerfully while hiding her mouth with a hand.

"You managed to turn a hundreds years old tradition into a tavern fight in less than ten minutes. That's completely unprecedented and truly worthy of my savior."

She was about seventeen years old, with silky blonde hair down looking like a golden waterfall that almost reached the floor.

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The young woman wore a white evening dress that left her shoulders and arms exposed. It was embroidered with sapphires that emphasized her sky blue eyes.

She had a lively face and a bright smile. Her demeanor left Lith quite puzzled.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" The young woman looked somehow familiar, but no matter how much he focused, Lith couldn't recognize her. The only thing he knew was that she was quite well endowed, her beauty was easily on Friya's level.

"Did you really forget about me?" She said with a playful gaze.

"Even though you are the only man that ever saw me naked?" She whispered while blushing on cue, hiding her face with a fan made of what looked like golden peacock's feathers.

'She's the Marchioness' daughter. Don't you see the resemblance?' Solus pointed out. 'Besides, it's true that so far most of the girls on Mogar are on the thin side, but for example Tista is much more…'

'First, gross. Second, Tista isn't a girl, she is my sister. Don't use her as a standard, thanks.' Lith cut her short.

His companions were all taken aback by the girl's last remark.

'And he had the gall to call me a lucky b*stard!' Yurial inwardly cursed and congratulated at his friend at the same time.

"I'm sorry, Milady. I can't remember all of my patients, no matter how pleasing to the eye they are. I had too many." Lith gave her a small bow, pretending to not know who she was.

Phloria felt reassured by the 'patient' part and threatened by everything else. Lith wasn't the kind of man to make false compliments.

"How do you know I was your patient then?" She closed her fan, her expression inquisitive in a way that Jirni didn't like at all.

"You called me your savior. I'm no warrior, just a healer." While Lith played Sherlock Holmes again, his companions had a hard time repressing a burst of laughter at the blatant lie.

"That and the other part…" He whispered. "made everything clear."

"Brilliant." She clapped her hands while smiling non stop.

"A strong character, a bright mind, and an eye that doesn't stop just at a pretty dress. These are all traits that I appreciate in a man. Also, you are right, we were never properly introduced.

"I'm Brinja Distar, first daughter of Marchioness Mirim Distar and heir to my household." Her choice of words was formal, Brinja even accompanied her self-introduction with a second curtsy, much deeper than the first.

It was quite uncommon for the host to show so much respect to a guest met for the first time. That and her previous words worried Lith as much as they did Phoria and Jirni. Being wooed by the daughter of his patron sounded like a massive pain in the a*s.

'Seems my big sister has a rival now.' Friya inwardly smiled. That evening was getting more interesting by the second.

"I'm Lith of Lutia. If next year I graduate I will still be just a mage." He gave her a deep bow while using modest words to belittle himself.

"Well, for being 'just' a mage you proved to be resourceful and brave. You even stood your ground against a self-entitled Archmage. Or was it just recklessness?" She replied without backing down from her position.

"No, it wasn't." Lith shook his head.

"I may be someone of humble origins, but I didn't spend my time hiding in a cave studying magic or fighting non stop like a bloodthirsty beast. I learned society's rules, got admitted to one of the six great academies, made friends…" He pointed at his companions.

"and allies." Lith nodded toward the Marchioness. "I just showed everyone what I accomplished after a single year of proper education. Now it's up to them to choose if they want to stand against me or support me. Either way, I'm not easily bullied because I made myself really hard to replace.

"No matter how big their ego is or how small minded they are, I believe that in times of crisis most of them would feel reassured rather than threatened by my presence."

"See? That's what I meant, 'just a mage' Lith." Brinja said with a radiant smile while taking his arm between hers, gently pressing it against her breast.

Lith was flattered, but unfazed by her behavior.

"Thanks, your Ladyship, but I think you missed the part about me being just thirteen years old and without any background." Lith tried to step away, he could feel several eyes piercing his back.

"How is that a problem?" She giggled, holding his arm even tighter.

"In a few years, the age gap will become irrelevant. Whoever I'm going to marry, he will join my family and I'm rich enough for three people. I may have no magical power of my own, but the Distar bloodline gave birth to several powerful mages.

"I can't stand those shallow nobles that only care for my wealth nor the arrogant mages that see every non magic user as an object. I'm tired of being considered an arm candy with annuities from those who aim for my family title.

"Based on what I heard about you and on what you did tonight you are like a breath of fresh air. I just want to get to know you better."

Her points were all valid, but Lith had no interest in any kind of relationship.

'What the heck, first Phloria and now Brinja? Women in the new world are quite assertive.' Lith thought.

'Maybe it's because here magic gives them an edge.' Solus suggested. 'Or maybe it's just a cultural thing they have. Unlike Earth's middle ages on Mogar women have the same opportunities as men. They can pass their last name and inherit their families' fortunes.'

Solus had a hard time not mentioning that she also would be assertive, if only she had the means to. Despite being brief, her experience with a body, first Lith's and then hers, had filled her with hope and confidence.

At the same time, Solus had become quite impatient.

'I wonder how many years will it take for me to get even that body made of light.' She inwardly sighed in a corner of her mind, glad to have her privacy.

'Until then, I can only cheer for Lith from the sidelines.'

Distar Household, later that evening.

After all of her guests had safely departed to their homes via the Marchioness' private Warp Gate, she could finally sit down in the armchair in her office and relax. After the bumpy start, everything had gone as planned.

She took out a communication amulet, placing it in the middle of her desk. Four blue magic crystals appeared from the corners of the solid white oak table, opening a secure channel with Queen Sylpha.

"I hope you bring me good news, Mirim." The Queen's stern face greeted her with a nod.

"Excellent news, your Majesty." The Marchioness gave her a small bow.

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"Please, enough with honorifics and pleasantries. It's already late and it's just the two of us, dear friend."

"As you wish, Sylpha." The two knew each other since their time at the White Griffon academy. It was a well kept secret, since Mirim had attended the courses under a fake name. She wanted to avoid receiving a special treatment as the daughter of the ruler of the land.

The two of them had both inherited their respective bloodlines' talent for magic and that, together with the long years of friendship, had created a bond between them almost stronger than blood.

After achieving the role of Lord Commander of the Queen's corps, Mirim Distar had chosen to keep the pretense of being magicless to make her enemies underestimate her, making it hard to believe she was more than just a medium importance noble.

Her only regret was that life seemed to have an odd sense of humor. Her daughter was the only member of the family born without any talent for magic. It was something that had not happened for generations.

'It's almost like Brinja is being punished for my deception.' She would think from time to time, before shrugging off all that superstitious horsesh*t. Inheriting magic was a matter of blood and luck.

Having mages in the family made it easier for descendants to be more attuned with the world energy, but it wasn't an ironclad rule. That was the reason why despite having many heirs, sometimes the ancient noble households bore no mages, even for decades.

"So, how was your evening?" Sylpha asked.

Marchioness Distar told her everything, putting emphasis on Lith revealing the ability to use Gravity magic and the discord that followed.

"Amazing. That young man has a talent for angering people. The most fearsome aspect of his character is that Lith is aware of who and when to provoke. He causes almost more troubles than he solves."

Sylpha laughed when Mirim told her about Lith forcing Archmage Ejar to kneel in public.

"It sure humbled her without causing any physical harm." Mirim nodded.

"I managed to turn the following quarrel into a debate, forcing the two parties to find common ground. I can assure you that most of the guests left on better terms than when they arrived."

"That's the advantage of knowing when and where conflict is about to happen." Sylpha grinned. "The more hot-headed people get, the easier is to manipulate their reasoning. I'm not concerned by such small stuff, though.

"Tell me about your plan."

"As you know, I made sure that all those who knew about Linjos's anti Balkor protocol learned about the existence of the list and that I am about to decipher it. I assumed that whoever is the traitor, would try to learn about it as well.

So, I orchestrated the gala to give them an opportunity to enter my house. The celebration of the top rankers was the perfect excuse to request for an invitation. As I expected, many of our enemies took part in the banquet.

Even with so many people, they couldn't roam free, so I asked Mage Lith to cause a ruckus. He is notoriously unaligned, no one outside the three of us knows of my special relationship with him. No one suspects everything was staged."

"Good! Does he know about the plan?" Sylpha asked.

"No. He didn't even ask for an explanation. Only to strengthen the defense of his family, more money, and materials for his research. He said, and I quote: 'We already have a target on our backs, making it bigger changes nothing. As long as you pay me, I'll get the job done.'"

"Cynic and expensive for someone so young." Sylpha raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"If he was some idealist fool, I wouldn't have trusted him. As for the price, if you pay peanuts you get monkeys. I consider it an investment. If he sees us as the last line of defense in front of his family, he'll never turn into another Balkor."

"What about the list?" Sylpha was getting impatient.

"My safe was successfully opened and the list copied." Mirim said with a wide smile.

"Great! What was written into it?"

"It wasn't the real list. It was a doctored copy written in the same code, containing only the names of our prime suspects. This way, it will appear like one of their accomplices has sold them or at least is planning to cut a deal with us.

Now we only need to wait and see who reacts."

"Who leaked the information about the list?" Sylpha could almost taste their blood.

"Balfas. He is Linjos's personal assistant. He was the one that had access to the information about the safe." The reports Mirim had provided for the suspects to read were all identical except for one detail. The location of the list.

The spy had revealed their source simply by looking in a specific place rather than another.

"May the gods burn him! I was the one that assigned him to Linjos. How in the Great Mother's name did he pass all the background checks until now? Someone in my inner circle is involved or, even worse, is an idiot. Either way, some heads are going to roll for this."

The Queen could almost feel the earth crumble beneath her feet. She had hoped the culprit was someone from the ancient noble households, to gain leverage against them in the recent power struggle. Having been chosen by the Court, Balfas was a political knife pointed at her throat instead.

"That also explains how they achieved capillary control of the kitchen staff, poisoning students and Professors exactly at the right moment."

"Indeed." Mirim touched the blue gemstone on the communication amulet, sharing the latest reports with the Queen.

"I had constable Ernas checking his finances. Thanks to her cooperating with Velar Deirus, we discovered Balfas has been receiving money from a shell company that can be linked to the runaway Archmage Lukart."

"How long it's been going on?" Just hearing Lukart's name gave Sylpha heartburn.

"Before the academic year even started. The odd thing is that even after Lukart's disappearance, the payments haven't stopped."

"So, the players have changed, but is the game still the same?" The Queen pondered out loud.

"Guess we'll find out soon. I'm not going to have him arrested getting a small fish can only get us so far. We'll use him to get to the top of the command chain."

The rest of the winter passed quietly. After the gala at the Marchioness' manor, Jirni allowed Phloria to go to Lith's house, allowing them to spend his birthday together. Orion kept his word, gifting Lith the Gatekeeper sword.

Lith was really happy about it, but there was not enough time left to perform any more experiments. He could only keep studying the interactions between the mana crystals and the pseudo cores.

The armor and the weapon had different effects, allowing him to further his understanding about how to shape a pseudo core with true magic to give it specific properties. Lith and Solus could almost see a pattern, but they needed more data.

In the blink of an eye, it was already time to go back to the academy for the last year.

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Lith spent the last days preparing Tista's homework during his absence and studying once again Lochra Silverwing's book "The basics of magic".

Archmage Deirus's words had inspired him, making Lith suspect that maybe there was something he had overlooked for all those years. If Solus was right about Lochra being an Awakened Magus of the past, then her book could contain part of her legacy or at least point him to its location.

'After all, everything she explains about first magic in her book can also be applied to true magic. I learned every word of the book, but I think I failed to comprehend its full purpose until now.

'As Yurial's dad said, Gravity magic is an obscure subject because of its difficulty, but the same can be said about Silverwing's Hexagram. What if they are both legacies left from past Magi about true magic?

'Back when I first learned how to perform the Hexagram, I had no idea arrays existed. Now, the more I look at it, the more I'm certain it's not just a parlor trick to impress the academy's old fogeys.

'If I'm right, it's not only the first true magic array I learned, but it's also part of the legacy of one of the most powerful mages in the history of the Griffon Kingdom.'

Lith's experiments lead him to discover that he could enlarge and empower the Hexagram at will. There were two major difficulties in the process, though.

The first was that the bigger the array grew, the harder it was to keep all the six elements in perfect balance. To achieve stability the spell required for each element to receive exactly the same amount of mana and for them to have their energies flow as one.

The second was that he had no idea what it was supposed to do. Being a pessimist by nature, Lith suspected it could also just be an elaborate prank from a long dead magician. If Lochra was really dead, of course.

'According to Kalla's words, she may still be alive. So either I find her and ask Lochra an explanation or I need to bang my head until I crack open this mystery.'

At his arrival at the academy, Lith was in for a surprise. The fifth floor of the White Griffon academy was almost identical to the fourth one. The only major changes were that his new room was in a different position and it was much bigger than the previous one.

It was also equipped with a forgemastering laboratory and a healer's office. Fifth years students were fewer in numbers compared to their juniors. In a good year, they would be around one hundred and fifty.

Because of the recent events, between those who died during the attack and the ones that had failed due to the anti mana toxin, there were less than one hundred students attending the fifth year.

It left a lot of free space, granting those who had made it much more liberties.

Each room was customized for their needs so that a Healer could receive patients from outside the academy or a Mage Knight practice their swordsmanship.

Having only one specialization, Phloria's apartment was entirely dedicated to sword practice. It had a soundproof room complete with golems as training dummies. Thanks to their magical nature, they were made of materials which density was identical to the human body.

They could also be programmed to assume different shapes and sizes, mimicking all the creatures that her Mage Knight course would cover.

The golems were also equipped with a sort of Artificial Intelligence. It allowed them to retaliate to the student's attacks by following the most common combat patterns of the various creatures the golem replicated.

The students were allowed to personalize their training dummies' AI to further increase the difficulty level. The first thing Phloria did was to input her own style to practice against herself and find the flaws in her execution.

"It's the first time I'm actually happy to have only one specialization." Phloria said while showing Lith her personal training facility.

"How so?" He noticed that the living space hadn't improved much. Once again, the habitations were poorly furnished, there was just enough to live and practice properly. Everything else was on the student.

Aside from the forgemastering lab and the medical practice, Lith's room had only a bed, a wardrobe, a work desk, and a few bookshelves as furniture. He would never waste money to embellish a place he used only to sleep.

Especially since he would live there only for a year.

Phloria, on the other hand, was more carefree. Her room had already a second wardrobe full of clothes. Soft carpets covered the whole floor allowing her to walk barefoot even during the cold winter mornings.

It was the only commodity Lith almost envied.

Almost.

The Skinwalker armor was capable to reproduce not only clothes, but also shoes. He only had to will for it and the armor would reshape itself from the pajamas form to the uniform, covering his feet.

The transition would only last for a split second. The enchanted clothes turned into a semi liquid state, running over Lith's body while changing its color and composition on a molecular level.

'It's worth every single point I spent on it.' Lith thought every time he used the armor's properties.

Unlike Lith's desk, which was always empty unless he was studying a particularly difficult subject, Phloria's was decorated with egg-shaped nacre ornaments on small pedestals. They were arranged in a semi circular form.

She had even a couple on her nightstand. She had never allowed him inside her own bedroom, except when the group gathered to study together. Even then, he had never seen them before. Clearly, she hid them before their arrival.

"Because unlike Friya's, my training room allows me to spar with multiple golems at the same time. It's also big enough to accommodate two people. It means Friya and I can work out together, or I can simply train you a bit with the sword." She replied.

"Good idea. The only problem is if we'll have enough time for that." He sighed.

"Well, last year was different. Now if we finish late, you can always sleep here." Phloria swept her hair, blushing a little.

"What are these things?" Lith changed the topic. It wasn't like Phloria to make such an odd and rushed offer. After he had almost died, their relationship had slowed down quite a bit. Too many things had happened too fast. His constant mood swings had contributed to making things worse.

"Do you really have never seen a…" Phloria almost chocked on the rest of the phrase. The most shocking thing about visiting Lith's house had been noticing how his room was as big as one of her closets.

He was always so aloof to luxury that she often forgot about his humble origins.

"A what?"

Phloria touched the closest egg. The upper part of the magical item opened, projecting a hologram the size of a photograph. It was completed with sounds and colors, depicting a younger Orion while he was reading a story to Phloria when she was a little girl.

It was a short clip played in a loop.

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"A Rememberer." Another touch from Phloria made the egg close and the hologram disappear. Then, Lith watched one showing Phloria playing with Lucky when the mastiff was still a puppy, both covered in mud from head to toes.

Another was about Jirni teaching her the basics of self defense.

"It's how mages store their precious moments."

"Why did you never show them to me before?" Lith's doubts were turning into a suspicion.

"Because those are my private moments." Phloria fiddled with her hair while she was staring at the ground incapable of looking him in the eye out of embarrassment.

"I didn't share them even with my sisters."

"Okay, let's cut to the chase." Lith closed the Rememberer, resisting the temptation to pry further in her life.

"Are you jealous?"

"What? Why do you say that?" Phloria's flinching like that was a big tell.

"Well, whenever you called me after the gala, you seemed nervous. You have always liked to keep some boundaries. To go slow and steady. Yet now you are offering me to sleep here and sharing all this stuff. Sounds…"

"Desperate?" She completed the phrase for him.

"No. I was going to say: 'out of character'."

"Oh." Phloria blushed up to her ears. She wished for the ground to swallow her whole, but the carpet remained still.

She walked to her bed, sitting on it before answering with a sad voice.

"Yes, I'm jealous. I don't think I can compete with the Marchioness' daughter." Phloria's fears had gone through the roof when Jirni had pressed her to visit him during the last days of winter, instead of nagging her about her studies as usual.

"She's better than me under every aspect. She's very beautiful, moves and speaks like a lady. I'm just a clumsy giantess compared to her." Her eyes fell on her chest area, closing the speech with an unspoken comparison.

"Since when it's a challenge?" Lith scoffed.

"Do you think I have a little book where I assign all the girls I know points or something? That I score them according to some standards? How shallow do you think I am?"

"Wait, did you say all the girls? As in there's more?" Phloria was dumbfounded.

"Of course, there are. Ever since the rankings came out, all the girls of marrying age of my village have been parading in front of me every time I left my house. I keep getting invitations from small and medium importance nobles of the Lustria county.

"Most of them I didn't even know they existed. To be honest, I expect to receive the same attention from our female schoolmates Yurial did last year, if not even worse. Because now he is publicly engaged, while I am just 'an ignorant fool'.

"I expect them to think of me as a limitless letter of credit. I'm not stupid or arrogant enough to believe I've suddenly turned into a beautiful swan. They are all just gold diggers."

Lith sat on the bed beside her.

"Brinja is not different from them. Even after I saved her life, she never considered me nothing more than a brat with a glare. Otherwise, she wouldn't have waited for so long before making a move.

"She probably heard about me from her mother and got curious. You are the only person I met since I joined the academy that looked at me as a person, instead of an asset. Even before we started dating, you sought my company and advice.

"You have shared with me your everyday problems, the quarrels with your mother, and even your dreams for the future." Lith swept the hair that was covering Phloria's face before starting to caress her cheek.

"I wouldn't have ever accepted to go out with you otherwise. Not even if you were the most beautiful girl in the world."

"Are you saying I am not?" Phloria had suddenly found her spunk back, hitting him with a cushion.

"Your words, not mine, remember?"

The mood while they walked toward the fifth year Lecture Hall was completely different from before. Phloria hummed the whole time, without forcing herself to be clingy or flirty.

Not even when several girls looked at him like they saw Lith for the first time, giggling and trying to strike up a conversation with him managed to ruin her high spirits.

Especially because he dismissed them every time with a growl. Lith had no time to waste in pleasantries and hated leeches ever since his time on Earth. He still vividly remembered all those that thought him being parentless was "cool", who had attempted to make him waste his hard earned money for their own gain.

The Lecture Hall was identical to the fourth year one, but even with all the students attending the first compulsory lesson more than half the seats were empty.

When the second gong rang, Headmaster Linjos entered the room, closely followed by Professor Farg.

"Welcome back, my dear students." Linjos's face was still long and unattractive, but he seemed to have turned into a different man. His gaze was hard as steel, any trace of his previous optimistic disposition was gone.

Despite the Headmaster was just in his late twenties, his chestnut hair had partly turned white, complimenting the shades of silver he was gifted with and giving him an even colder look.

There was no joy in his voice as he spoke, only determination mixed with something that Lith recognized as slithering rage. Linjos's expression could only be described as feral. Usually the Headmaster's sharp features and aquiline nose contrasted with his kind nature, while now they gave him a ferocious appearance.

"Since lesson time has already started, I'll go straight to the point. The past year has been a nightmare, partly because bad things happen and partly because of some of the students and their parents."

A few youths stood up in outrage, but before they could even open their mouth they were forced back to sit with a thud, unable to say a word. Linjos had used no spell or array.

He only needed to let out part of his magical aura to overwhelm with his killing intent all those who had attempted to interrupt him. The power released by the Headmaster was so strong that everyone present who didn't attend a combat specialization or wasn't part of Lith's group found themselves shivering in fear.

"So many troubles could have been avoided if some of you had the decency to leave politics outside the castle walls. So many would be still alive if not for blind pride and stupid prejudice tainting young minds like poison.

"Most of the perpetrators have been arrested at this point, others I have just expelled. This is my academy, after all, I don't need to justify myself to you or anyone else for that matter. Since I believe we still have some snakes in the grass, this message is for them.

The party is over." With a snap of his finger, Linjos made a Guilty Ballot appear in front of every student.

"To use it or not is up to you, but I strongly believe it's better to have it and not need it rather than to not have it and need it. Now imprint it with your mana."

A few students stood up again. This time Linjos did nothing to stop them.

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"That's ridiculous!" Said a fifteen year old girl with blonde hair.

"Only weaklings need a Coward's End." When she handed it to Linjos, others followed her lead.

"I'll take the Ballot and your uniform back, young lady." Linjos extended his arm grabbing the magical stone.

"Because defying a direct order from your Headmaster is more than enough to get you expelled. I'm sure that, not being a weakling, you'll have no problem finding another academy taking you in. You'll only have to wait one year."

"You can't do…" The girl's voice faded away when Linjos bent down to look her in the eye while releasing his killing intent again.

"I can and I will. Who wants to get expelled can give me the Ballot." No one stepped forward.

"Good, now imprint it." Everyone obeyed without hesitation.

"Minus five hundred points to all those who disobeyed my order."

"But…" Another girl managed to stutter despite the Headmaster's imposing presence.

"… we didn't say anything! That was her idea." The thought of losing right off the bat more points than acing an exam would provide was enough to make the unruly students try to push the blame on their previous leader.

"You have chosen your leader, hence you'll follow her in defeat as in victory. Minus two hundred more points to all of you for further questioning my judgment. The class is yours, Professor Farg."

Linjos left the class while most of the rebels realized that their magical equipment had been forcefully turned off. They wouldn't be able to access to any dimensional item until they had gained back enough points.

The girl and her followers were weeping because of the humiliation they had just endured when Farg sent them back to their seats.

"The Headmaster's speech fits perfectly in today's lesson. I am not going to teach you about fancy spells or techniques to slay monsters. Today's subject is the life outside the comfort of your homes, something that every mage sooner or later needs to face.

"Some of you come from small villages and know nothing about the outside world." Her gaze lingered for a second on Lith and Quylla, sitting in the front desks. Contrary to Lith's expectation no one had a good laugh at his expenses.

Linjos was gone, but the fear still lingered in the Lecture Hall.

"Others come from noble households and know nothing at all. All of you lack the knowledge necessary for surviving in the real world. Money can't fix all of your problems. No matter how strong you are or how much influential you consider your family to be.

"A rogue can kill any of you just for your pocket money. If you happen to mess with a wandering wizard, they will destroy you before disappearing as fast as they arrived. To thrive, society needs order. Order breeds only from the law and the respect that all of you need to show for it.

"The first topic we will talk about it's the difference between the Mage Association and the Mercenary Guild. In some other countries they are known as adventurer guilds, but we of the Griffon Kingdom like to call things with their proper name.

"An 'adventurer'…" Farg's voice was filled with disgust, her tongue clicked every time she spoke the word adventurer.

"… it's nothing more than a mercenary that names themselves in a fancy way. Mercenaries can be recruited to do almost anything. Kill monsters or magical beasts, clean dungeons, retrieve stolen property. They can even act as personal bodyguards for whoever can afford their services.

"The only tasks they can't undertake are those forbidden by law or those that are strictly prerogative of the army or the Mage Association. To accept any kind of job is necessary to join a Guild. They vouch for their employees and take full responsibility for their faults.

"That's why a Guild is entitled to receive a fair share of your income. Forget all those tales about guilds being nothing more than a board from which the brave pick up quests.

"Their rules are strict since their lives are on the line together with your reputation. A Guild that is found guilty of hosting criminals among their ranks gets disbanded, its Guildmaster charged with the same crimes their underlings committed.

"So, if you ever want to join one, expect a full background check and a lot of personal questions. Those who fail to answer properly get black listed after the first attempt, losing the chance to join any other Guilds as well.

"The Mage Association has fewer responsibilities towards its members but has even more strict rules. The Association is the link between the Kingdom and the practitioners of the mystical arts. If you want to get a title, lands, anything from the Griffon Kingdom, you need to join the Association first.

"Having attended an academy makes things easier, but getting accepted is rarely automatic, unless you have already provided a service to our Country. Just like the Guild, the Association allows you to take on assignments, but you don't get paid with money for them. Only with merits.

"The moment you accept your task, you are representing the Griffon Kingdom and the Crown alike. Failure is an option, no one will blame you if you are forced to retreat or decide you are not up to the task. Making a mess and giving mages a bad name, however is not.

"The Association is also in charge of persecuting traitorous mages and hunting down those who abuse their powers. Killing an outlaw mage is worth much more merits than saving a village or capturing bandits.

"We magic users are the Kingdom's backbone, but also its potential worst enemy. That's why rotten apples have to be taken out in a fast and efficient manner. Those who specialize in killing their fellow mages are called Spellbreakers and receive the highest honors.

"Being part of the Association is not a right, is a privilege. Its authority will shield you wherever you are, a simple call will provide you backup when in a pinch or make whole medium importance noble families disappear in a single night.

"It's possible to join a Guild and the Association both, but it's something that's frowned upon and will cripple your reputation. A mercenary can have as many masters they want to. Money can buy their services, if not even their loyalty.

"A mage in the Association only serves the Crown and themselves. Any more is considered a crowd, making them unreliable. It's through your merits that a mage can be recognized as a Great Mage, an Archmage, or even a Magus.

Those are not just empty titles. They define the depth of your loyalty to the Kingdom and how much your Country values you for it. Spending merits will never affect your status, only your actions will.

"Merits are more valuable than money for a mage, since they can be exchanged for noble titles and the annuities that come with the role, for access to the Vaults of Knowledge, that hold the most prized magical legacies of the Griffon Kingdom.

"During the Code of Practice course, you will not have to study the rules and regulations of the Kingdom or the Association. You will live them, in the roles of civil servants and probatory members of the Mage Association. Prepare to get your hands dirty.

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Professor Farg then explained how students would spend some time outside the academy walls, similarly to what Lith had already done during the fourth year for his Healer specialization.

The main difference was that they wouldn't be employed only according to their specialization. The students would cover all the possible aspects of a mage's daily activities, acting as guards, firemen, healers, or simply helping the Association to deal with the paperwork.

"The dirtied hand teaches the best. Remember, only monsters thrive in chaos, using their powers to satisfy their base instincts. Soldiers, nobles, mages, even the Crown itself, we are all servants of the Kingdom.

"Achieving a higher power means much more than just the ability to yell orders. It comes with an increasing burden and responsibilities. It's only by properly carrying on your duty that your lands will develop and so will the Kingdom.

"Think about it before your first assignment. Class dismissed."

While the other students discussed what they had just heard, Lith observed the impact Farg's words had on his peers. With her charisma, she had made those of humble origins, like Quylla, feel they had a calling in life.

That they had the power and the duty to protect those who couldn't defend themselves.

Watching the tense expressions of the arrogant nobles who earlier had opposed to Linjos, Lith could see how they now felt insecure. They were afraid countless eyes were watching their families.

After listening to Farg's speech, they imagined that it was only a matter of time before their crimes were exposed, threatening the lifestyle that they had always taken for granted.

From their whispers, Lith could hear from their words that for the first time in their lives they were afraid of the consequences of their actions.

Those like Yurial and Phloria, were either depressed or excited instead. They had prepared for a life of duty since they were little. The Code of Practice course meant coming another step closer to their adult life.

'I didn't misjudge Farg at our first meeting.' Lith thought.

'She is a natural born leader, capable of inspiring those around her, making them strive to become better persons. The problem is that the effect she has on people is bound to be only temporary.

'Once they have a moment to think, without the presence of a leader to guide them, they will soon fall back in their old habits and insecurities. No one becomes a better person just because of some fancy words, neither justice becomes more efficient.

'I wonder how long will it take, especially for those of humble origins, to be corrupted by their newfound powers and authority once they get out of the academy. I know very well how intoxicating is the freedom to get back at those you hate without the fear of consequences.

'It doesn't matter if they now believe to have the moral high ground. Once they realize they are giants in a world full of ants no one cares about, they'll show their true nature.

'Talk is cheap, everyone is righteous until they have the opportunity to take what their heart wants and get away with it.'

Solus was a bit worried about him. After seeing how the villagers of Lutia had impoverished their neighbors for their own gain, how petty were the people of Earth and Mogar both with all those who were one bit less fortunate than them, she knew he wasn't wrong.

Yet she considered his vision twisted by his own baggage and distrustfulness. Solus considered herself lucky for having met Lith and him for finding friends despite the academy's harsh environment.

They were the living proof that there were good people in the world.

The following lesson was also a mandatory one, so they only had to wait for the next Professor to arrive. When the gong resounded again, Professor Nalear entered the classroom.

She looked even prettier than before, all that rest had done her some good. Lith felt nothing in his heart while watching her walk to the center of the Hall. He was completely over his childish unstable core induced crush for Nalear.

"Good morning dear students. It's a pleasure to see you again. Believe me, after being bedridden for months, being able to walk again feels out of this world. In case some of you were wondering about it, your Professors from the fourth year have moved to the fifth floor as well.

"The staff follows this rotation so those that have nurtured you can keep following your progress, making the transition to the new subjects easier since we already know your strong and weak points.

"Our subject this time is Magic Creation. As you know, every real mage must be able to create their own spells. Some of you already have some customized incantations and know how hard it is to create something from scratch."

The classroom nodded in unison. Most of their personal spells were nothing more than modified versions of standard spells. At their level, creating something new implied a lot of trial and error.

One of the reasons Lith managed to score so many points every trimester was that he was the only one that seemed to be able to create new spells with ease. The truth was different, though. He only developed true magic spells.

The words and the hand signs he used were just gibberish.

"Magic Creation is another of those subjects exclusive to the six great academies. No mage that comes from minor institutions knows about it. Even speaking about it outside the walls of an academy is considered an act of treason.

"What I am going to teach you over the course of the lessons, is how to more easily create new spells for each element. There's no way we can cover everything in a single trimester, so beware. Magic Creation will last for the whole year.

"I'm going to cover only for the basics, everything else rests on your shoulder. You'll also need what we do here for your specializations. After the first exam, you'll learn how to devise more complex and specific spells directly from the Professors of the other subjects you attend.

Do not slack off. If you fail with me, you are bound to fail in every single course."

The class sweat bullets at those words, watching at Lith with envy. Everyone considered him having an unfair advantage. Too bad they were completely off the mark.

Lith was sweating even more than them.

'Oh, sh*t! Let's hope she doesn't call me as a volunteer to explain stuff, or I'll be in hot waters. The only silver lining is that I can fake my way out. She'll surely request for simple spells that I can easily counterfeit with true magic.'

"Don't worry, we'll start with something simple." Nalear said taking the words out of his mind.

"First, you need to learn how to crawl, then how to walk, and finally how to run. Second, I'll assign each of you a different spell to create. Otherwise one of you will do all the work and the others will just leech it.

"Third, to pass this course you'll need to share with me your final product, so that I can evaluate both your talent and effort. What's required from you is to not only devise working spells, but also the most effective ones possible.

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"Among the spells of the same tier, those that require few words and simple signs are considered much more valuable. On the other hand, long and convoluted ones will get you a C at best."

'Me and my big mind mouth.' Lith inwardly cursed at himself.

'That takes faking out spells off the table.'

'Don't be a sourpuss. Everyone else will have to work on their own, while you have me.' Solus cheered him up.

'That's true. I'm confident that the two of us can understand almost everything about magic.' Lith mind nodded.

'The only problem is that knowing is not doing. I hope this isn't as hard as dimensional magic.'

"First of all, it's better if I give you the textbook." Nalear tapped her foot, making a small booklet appear on each student's desk.

"That's a Codex. As you already know, a spell is composed of two parts: the magical words and hand signs. Magical words define the element the spell is based on, it's shape and properties. Hand signs are necessary to regulate the mana output and adjusting its effects instead.

"The book I just gave you will help you with the words part. It contains all the most common prefix and suffix to alter first magic, plus the standard words that cause specific effects.

"Let's make an example. Infiro is the magical word for fire, Menala means three, and Tach means explosion. Hence an Infiro Menala Tach is supposed to cause three fire based explosions.

"It's not actually that simple, but this is just a theoretical lesson, you only need to get the gist of it." Nalear shrugged lightly.

"Now comes the hard part, finding the correct hand signs. Unlike words, there is no recording of them. Two people can create the same spell, yet use different words and signs.

"Hand signs are strongly dependant on the imagination and willpower of the mage devising the spell. While once an incantation is complete anyone can learn it, during the creation process some signs will feel wrong to some mages, correct to others, and lacking to many.

"Everything you have learned during the fourth year, even dimensional magic, it was all propaedeutic to this moment. You needed to go past the boundaries of the first three tiers of magic to develop your mana perception.

"During all the exercises you have made, you have learned to control the mana flow with your will and to alter its properties. Without such solid foundations, creating even the simplest spell would require weeks, if not months of stumbling in the dark.

"Let's get back to our example. Infiro Menala Tach it's a fire spell, so I'll start using the hand sign for first fire magic." Nalear drew a small circle in the air with her index finger.

"Once you have a perfect pronunciation of the words, what you have to do is to focus only on your hands and your own mana flow. Say the words, draw the fire sign, then keep moving your hands. If you feel the flow continues, which will rarely happen at the first attempt, then you are on your way.

"If you feel it stuttering or being blocked, then you are doing something wrong. As soon as it happens, stop and go back to square one until you find the next sequence of movements. I know it may sound like just a random process, but it's not.

"At first, it will not seem so different from what you tried on your own in the past, but with a little practice, you will be able to understand what's the right sequence of movements by instinct.

"Creating a spell from the first three tiers will take only a few days, while tier four or five ones may require weeks if not months. Let's ask our resident expert."

'Schrödinger's cat, here we go.' Lith inwardly cursed.

"Quylla, Professor Vastor tells me you have a wonderful diagnostic spell. Do you mind sharing with the class what tier it is and how long did it take for you to create it?"

Quylla quickly straightened her slouched posture before answering the Professor.

"Tier three. As for the creation time, it's hard to say. The first version took me years of practice, but after joining the academy I realize it was still lacking." She threw a short look at Lith.

"I keep perfecting it every time I improve or I learn something new. It's a work in progress." Previously having so many eyes on her would have been embarrassing for Quylla, but after months of Jirni's lessons, her voice was clear and steady.

"Do you see it, guys?" Nalear gave her a small applause, followed by the rest of the classroom.

"Years for a tier three. I'm not trying to belittle her talent or efforts, just highlighting how hard it was for her. What about the spell you used during the second exam?" Nalear was referring to Quylla's ice spell that was very similar to Lith's Checkmate Spears.

"Tier three too, but it only took me a few months to make it." Quylla suddenly realized Professor Nalear's point in questioning her.

"Exactly." The Professor nodded at her. "Because I have taught you how to manipulate your mana flow, while Professor Rudd gave you the necessary practice to alter it at will."

"Professor, what about those like me who failed at dimensional magic? Can we also successfully create spells, or are we bound to be second rate magicians like Professor Rudd says?" Said a boy, clenching his fists hard under the desk.

More than half the class had flunked it, managing to graduate only because dimensional magic was considered an optional subject. Yet it had impacted their final score, causing them to be classified as B magicians at best.

They couldn't help but feel inferior to the upper percentile of the class. They also considered the boy very brave for having the guts to say out loud what every one of them was thinking.

"Good gods, that man is a monster." Professor Nalear was saddened by the lack of self confidence she perceived in most of the students.

"Yes, you can create spells, maybe even faster than those who succeeded in dimensional magic. Albeit they are related, they are still two different talents. Dimensional magic requires Exacasting, a very strong mana perception, and manipulation skills.

"Failing at it now doesn't make you lesser mages. You can keep practicing it on your own and learn it like anyone else. Most mages need years to master dimensional magic."

"What about you, Professor?" The boy asked.

"How long did it take you to learn dimensional magic?"

Nalear bit her lower lip, struggling before answering.

"I learned it during my academy years." She would have liked to lie about it, to reassure them about their future. However, the records were public, making the truth easy to be discovered. Nalear had graduated first of her year, ranked as an A mage.

So she preferred to be honest, rather than give them false hope only to lose their trust in return.

Most of the class sighed in despair. Professor Rudd's voice kept echoing in their heads, making Nalear sound just like a mother that was trying to comfort her children with white lies.

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During lunch, the members of Lith's group were hyped at the idea of Nalear's new subject. The only exception was Lith himself.

'I really don't care about learning how to wave new fake magic spells. It's a chore and a bore. I'm already able to cook up new spells with true magic in a matter of days, hours if it's something I'm familiar with.' He inwardly grumbled.

'So far, the fifth year is a let-down. Farg's course is useless too. I never did community service nor do I plan to work my a*s for free. This is just child labor!'

'Well this is an academy for young adults, what do you expect? Also, do I have to remind you that despite your constant pessimism each subject we attended has either given us new ideas or helped to expand our horizons?' Solus said.

Thinking back at the Necromancy class, Lith was forced to admit she was right.

Solus wanted to be supportive, yet her greatest temptation was to tell him to stop whining and enjoy the company of his friends.

The winter break had shown them how despite their bond, noble families were as busy as Lith, if not even more. They had called each other often, but aside for the Gala and Lith's birthday, the group had never managed to meet.

'They have only so much time together, yet Lith doesn't seem to realize how quickly a year pass. I'd like for him to make happy memories rather than waste time grumbling.' She thought.

"I must say, so far the fifth year seems more exciting than the fourth one." Yurial was back being his old self. There were no bags under his eyes anymore, he smiled most of the time and had regained some of the lost weight.

After the gala, Yurial had discovered that it was enough to pretend to call Lith to get rid of his fiancée for several hours. To make things even better, he had asked one of his private tutors to teach him how to emit killing intent.

Despite being a mage, it was something he had never learned to do it. On Mogar, all living being possessed mana. Emitting it was an involuntary act, just like breathing or perspiring.

Intense emotions lead to an increase in the mana emitted. That, together with an aggressive disposition inflicted a mental pressure on those who were exposed to it, causing fear, panic, or even terror.

The phenomenon was simply referred as killing intent. It wasn't necessary to be a mage to emit killing intent. As long one had mana, they could employ it. Even animals were capable of using it to scare their prey or threaten their enemies.

Being a mage made things easier, since by possessing large amounts of mana it was possible to amplify its effects. It was the way killing intent was used by calm people like Linjos.

Another method was to develop the ability to channel one's fury into the mana. It required to train the mind, allowing people like Jirni Ernas to scare even powerful mages despite her natural lack of magical talent.

Then, there were people like Lith, that had plenty of wrath and mana of their own. Ever since he and Solus had met, it had been her task to suppress Lith's mana fluctuations until he became capable of doing it on his own.

Otherwise, after he gained a green core, any animal or human in his presence would feel like a lamb in front of a slaughterhouse.

Yurial had lots of mana but little aggressiveness in him. His life had been stressful but pampered. Since he was a child, everyone had treated him with care and respect. Being gifted with a calm and collected nature, anger was something that rarely affected Yurial's judgment.

At least until he had been forced to spend so much time with Libea. His instructor was a battle veteran. He had no trouble teaching Yurial how to use his gifts to put an end to their constant squabbles.

'It may be unfair on my side to use killing intent to shut her up, but it's much better than being forced to listen to her every day.' Yurial considered it justification enough to quench his guilty conscience.

"I don't have a single spell that doesn't come from textbooks or from my mentor. Between my duties as the heir of the Deirus Household and the academy, it's already a miracle for me to keep up with all the homework they assign to us.

I can't wait to create something that I can call my own. I already have several ideas in mind.

Even Professor Farg's subject piqued my interest. Community service might sound boring, but I think it will be a great experience. I never set foot out of the high end residential areas.

It's a golden opportunity to connect with the people of the Kingdom and understand their needs."

"I can tell you what they need." Quylla was pissed off at him.

"They want tasty food, warm clothes, and some real justice. How do you expect to become a good ruler if you talk about commoners like they are some exotic animals you need to take care of? Do you have any idea how cold a winter can get? How many people starve every day?"

Quylla was usually so calm that seeing her angry was almost scary.

"She is right, Yurial." Phloria played with the food on her plate.

"I think Code of Practice is mostly aimed at us nobles as an eye-opener. Farg is right when she says we know nothing. I believe its purpose is to make us realize there is no easy solution to the Kingdom's problems." Visiting Lith's house had been almost a shock to her.

Even after all the renovations and improvements thanks to Lith's hard work, it was still worse than the servants' quarters at house Ernas.

When he had shown her the nearby village, Phloria had found it to be so small and dirty to make her heart tighten. After hearing Lith's stories about the farmers' harsh life, learning how even getting medical care was a luxury for them, she had felt guilty for days for having such a blessed life.

Friya shared Yurial's enthusiasm, but nodded at Phloria's words. She had never visited Quylla's village, yet all the stories about her previous life before she was adopted by the Ernas were enough to give Friya nightmares.

After lunch, they headed towards the Light magic department for their first lesson of the Healer specialization. Lith was really eager to discover what kind of subject they would practice during the final year.

They were already capable of healing all injuries and amputations. That left very little outside their reach.

"Welcome back, my dear students." Professor Vastor hadn't changed one bit. He still looked like someone had attempted to fuse together an egg and a man.

The top of his head was completely bald, the hair he had left on the sides was snow-white and so were his waxed handlebar mustaches. Vastor's belly was so big that it made hard to guess if he was larger than tall.

"It seems I was a bit too pessimistic last year, saying that only a third of you would make it to graduation." He said while twirling his mustaches.

"Anyway, the lesser the merrier. Now that we got rid of the dead weight our lessons will surely go smoother." Of the thirty-four students that had joined the healer specialization on the fourth year, only sixteen remained.

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"Just like the previous year, we are going to spend the first two trimesters on a single but wide subject, while during the third one you'll get real practice in the field. This time as lead healers in the most important hospitals of the Kingdom.

"What I am about to introduce to you today, is the last branch of healing magic you need to master before achieving the privilege and the honor of being considered full fledged healers.

"Tier one to three have taught you to mend broken bones and to heal injuries. Tier four how to replace lost limbs and organs. Yet there is still a case we haven't explored.

"What if our patient never had a limb to start with? What if they were born with a deformity or a defective organ?" He asked while walking around the class.

"Are we helpless in front of such eventuality? The answer is no. There is nothing that a true healer cannot fix. Only death is beyond our reach, at least for now." Vastor declared with a proud look in his eyes.

"The first four tiers of magic are completely useless against natural deformities simply because there is nothing wrong in the first place. You can't heal a man born blind because it's his natural status.

"Even if his eyes were to be gouged and regrown, they would still be blind. Tier four magic simply gives the body the means to revert to its original status. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Tier five Light magic brings in something that we have often mentioned but never worked on. The study of the life force. During the first trimester I'll teach you how to sense your own life force and how to use it to manipulate other people's life force to give them a normal life."

The class murmured, for all of them life force was a vague concept. They had learned how to share it with the patients, allowing them to survive critical wounds and major procedures, but nothing more.

"That's only the first step, though. Once you learn how to control the life force comes the real deal. Let's suppose our patient is born with a deformed arm. It's the easiest case you'll ever face.

"Two-bit healers will approach the problem by amputating the arm, to regenerate it in the correct shape. It works, yes. The arm will be perfectly functional, but that's a butcher execution that will teach you nothing and endangers the patient's life.

"A real Healer uses a complex mix of light and darkness magic to perform what is called 'Body Sculpting'. Mastering the life force means you can find the dissonances in its flow and correct them accordingly.

"Darkness magic is used to remove the excess parts or to clear the way, so that light magic can start the healing process while the mage teaches the body its new form, permanently altering its natural state.

"That way, if the arm gets damaged or maimed, healing magic will restore it without the need of using Body Sculpting. I want you to understand the deep implications of altering someone forever.

"Our physical appearance is something that defines us, or at least affects how others perceive us. Body sculpting is still a highly controversial ethical matter. Some worry it can be used to turn a human being into something else.

"That through human experimentation it could breed all sorts of hybrids. Such concerns I can understand, but it's something for the Crown to regulate not for us mages to care about.

"Some radical fools say that it breaches the boundaries the gods have set for humans. I say that's bogus.

"When the Crown passed a bill that forces those who oppose to Body Sculpting because it's 'unnatural' to give up all magical tools and commodities since they are unnatural too, no one dared to say a word anymore.

They are just a bunch of hypocrites." Vastor snarled.

"Another thing that you must know, before learning Body Sculpting, is that like all magic it's not omnipotent. Along with the hypocrites that would like to outlaw Body Sculpting, there are also the quacks that try to abuse it exploiting the insecurities of the rich.

"In theory, it can be used to change the shape of a nose, to make someone taller, slimmer, or to increase bust size. Quacks demand insane sums, but the results are underwhelming, if not fatal."

'Seems plastic surgery still has a long way to go here.' Lith was fascinated by Vastor's explanation. Body Sculpting sounded a lot like the procedure he had performed on Tista years before.

"Why fatal?" He asked. "A nose is external and relatively small. Compared to reshaping a whole arm, it should be much easier."

Lith unconsciously touched his own nose, while the rest of the class wondered what they would change about their bodies if given the chance.

"Excellent question." Vastor scratched his short button nose, wishing he could make it more manly.

"Once you learn to perceive the life force, you'll notice that everything has a purpose. Our bodies have something I call a voice, for a lack of a better term, and you must learn to listen to it before applying the smallest modification.

"A hand wants to grab, to touch." He said while flexing the fingers of his left hand.

"A leg wants to walk, a nose wants to breathe, a heart to beat. What about a perfectly functional nose, albeit not easy on the eyes, like mine? If you could listen to my life force, you'd find out that aside from the problems related to age there's nothing wrong with me.

"It means that altering my life force, even just on the nose, would have unpredictable consequences. Make it longer could cause me problems breathing, affecting my ability to cast spells. Becoming taller is alluring, sure, but what about the ramifications?

"Even a few centimeters more imply that all my bones, my organs, everything must be reshaped. There is a reason why powerful mages aren't all muscular studs or world class beauties. It's because the benefits are not worth the risks.

Healthy organs have a healthy life force, their voice can't help you. Changing them means you are acting blindly, relying more on luck and wishful thinking than on scientific basis." Vastor took a brief pause, to make sure that his students had a clear understanding of his words.

"Internal organs are even more tricky. Like all magic above tier three, the procedure requires a full medical team. Unlike regenerating an organ or a limb, the process can't be performed in one go. Cutting and reshaping take a huge toll on both the healer and the patient, especially if we are working on a vital organ.

It's never wise to subject them to too much stress, because if complications arise, the body may not have the strength to make it through. Even if that's not the case, it may be necessary to switch the lead healer to allow them to rest.

Body Sculpting is probably the hardest thing you'll ever do and also the way you'll lose most of your patients." Vastor looked down on the ground, his mind couldn't forget all those he had failed.

Each death had changed him, making him more cynical and detached. They also had made him a better healer and a better man.

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"There are countless things that can go wrong during a Body Sculpting procedure." Professor Vastor continued.

"I'm not going to lie to you. Despite our best efforts, I expect you to see a few people die before you graduate. Some may die under your hands. It's going to put you under a lot of pressure, testing your will.

"Too many times in this job I've seen old men live long enough to not even remember who they were, their bodies refusing to give up, while young people not even old enough to marry would die under my care for no apparent reason.

"Many healers refuse to practice Body Sculpting, either to not affect their reputation with repeated failures or because they cannot take it. Up to tier three, you can still blame bad luck. At tier four anything seems possible.

"Once you reach tier five, you can only blame yourself. People will die because you aren't good enough, aren't prepared enough, or simply because you have let your pride get the best of you. Never be afraid to tell a patient that it's better a long but limited life than gambling everything on a maybe.

"Never hide them the risks of any procedure or make them any promise. The final choice is theirs, but the final burden is yours." Vastor sighed deeply, before resuming his usual confident attitude.

"One last thing. Don't think that once you graduate you are set for life. What we are teaching you are the basics of the basics. The difference between a quack and a real healer is the number of personal spells they develop, how much of yourselves you put into your work.

That's why we'll also cover how to alter, improve, or create from scratch spells.

The fifth year will make the fourth one look like a walk in the park. Class dismissed."

After listening to Professor Vastor's introduction to the subjects of the Healer specialization for the fifth year, the students were gloomy rather than excited. Up to that point, they had always worked in teams comprised of Professors and medical staff.

They were a safety net, boosting the students' confidence that no matter what happened, things could still be salvaged. Now the rules of the game had changed. Only a few, like Lith and Quylla had lost a patient in the past, but no one had ever been responsible for a death.

The thought was scary and not because most of the students had such a good heart. The reason was that the majority of the patients admitted in the White Griffon hospital were powerful mages or influential figures in the political world.

Killing a commoner was one thing, explaining a powerful and well connected family why their loved one wasn't among them anymore could easily destroy lives. The Healer's life, to be precise.

Lith was insensible to such worries. Partly because killing was second nature to him, mostly because lots of people had already died indirectly by his hand. Back at Lutia or during the plague, he could have saved dozens of lives if he had given up his secret and used true magic.

'Seems I actually performed tier five light magic twice already. The first time with Tista, the second on mom.' Lith thought.

'Yeah, but you only succeeded because of true magic. Tista's treatment took months since we lacked tier four magic, while Elina's would have gone badly if you acted alone.

'I'm really curious to see how much our abilities will improve once we learn how to listen to the life force.' Solus considered all the fifth year subjects amazing. They had managed to mimic tier five spells despite missing so many pieces of the puzzle. She was eager to see how far they could get after mastering so much knowledge.

Being the first day, they received no homework. It allowed Lith to go straight to the library and borrow books about the other specializations to copy them. During the fourth year, he and Solus had stockpiled an impressive number of tomes.

Every time Lith had spent the night practicing a specific spell, Solus would use that time to make copies. The information amassed in Soluspedia gave Lith an edge while studying most of the magic related problems.

Even if his understanding of the basics of each specialization was shallow, he could analyze each situation from different angles to find the best possible approach.

Lith decided to keep up the pace, using the time before dinner to work together with Solus and complete the first batch of copies. They could only borrow three books at a time and needed to return them before getting new ones.

Since they used water magic to control the ink, each page took barely a few seconds to be reproduced. The problem was that each book was composed of hundreds of pages. They worked on a different book each to make things faster.

'Don't you think it would be better to spend this time with your friends? Or at least with Phloria? You two only saw each other twice in the last three months.' Solus liked to be alone with Lith, yet since having a full free afternoon was a rare event, she would have preferred for him to socialize.

During winter, at night or whenever his family was away and he wasn't busy with clients, Lith had already spent countless hours studying and researching magic inside the tower. After his speech in Phloria's room, she had hoped Lith would be more considerate, instead of having her making the first move as usual.

'No.' Lith replied. 'This is a perfect opportunity to get some job done. If we manage to finish the three books early, we can visit them before dinner or spend the evening together. If we don't, we'll have to pull an all nighter, even if I'd prefer to sleep.

'I want to be at my peak condition for the first practical lesson of the Healer specialization. Besides, we still have to receive this trimester's books. The clerk should be here any minute.'

He could feel Solus's disappointment, so he rushed to add.

'It's not like we are hiding. If they have nothing better to do, they'll come visit us.'

Lith had barely completed the thought when they heard someone knocking on their door.

'See? This must be the clerk. Good thing we are here, otherwise we would have missed them and be forced to go fetch our package from the secretariat.'

'I bet this is Phloria. I hope she gives you a good scolding before dragging you somewhere nice for a date.' Solus cheated, using her mana sense through the door. Their guest had a bright cyan core and was very tall.

It was unlikely for a clerk to be so powerful, while Phloria fitted the bill.

They were both wrong. When Lith opened the door, he found Wil Ironhelm, the Professor in charge of the Battle Mage specialization, staring at him with an impatient look.

"Good evening, Lith. Mind if I come in?"

Lith was quite surprised. It was the first time a Professor came to his room and Ironhelm was the last one he would have ever expected paying him a visit. After Lith let him in, Ironhelm handed him a piece of paper containing a list of jobs.

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"Those are your available choices for the Code of Practice course." Ironhelm explained.

You start tomorrow and we need to know where do you want to be assigned. The rules are simple. Each day you have to pick a different duty.

"No repetitions allowed until the start of the following week. The Headmaster wants the students to acquire experience in as many fields as possible before graduating. I'm here to answer any question you may have and to offer you guidance."

Lith read quickly the list, noticing that each job was listed along with the maximum number of points the student could be awarded according to their performance. The jobs ranged from clerk for the Mage Association to patrolman.

"Why working as a Healer is not an option?" Lith found odd not being given the opportunity.

"Because it would be overkill. Like all students with a practical specialization, you are already scheduled to spend a good part of the third trimester working in the field. Code of Practice gives you the possibility to try out things that you normally wouldn't do." Ironhelm explained.

Lith nodded, simply selecting for the rest of the week the jobs granting the highest number of points in descending order. Ironhelm furrowed his brows, most of Lith's choices were identical to those of his colleagues.

Being the last year, everyone was eager to score the maximum number of points, no matter what. Yet very few had selected the first job on the list.

"Are you sure about this?" Ironhelm asked.

"Yes, I am. Is there any problem?"

"Kid, I understand you are in the top three and want to keep it that way, but maybe you should rethink your choice. This is the real deal. I know that Linjos kept you safe until now, be it in the forest or during the house calls.

"However, the Headmaster is only a man, he cannot guarantee your safety at all times. What good would points do you if you die?"

"If it's so dangerous why is it available?" Lith didn't budge, merely raising an eyebrow in annoyance.

"Because we didn't make this list, the Crown did. Academies are simply tasked with providing assistance, the final choice belongs to the student." Ironhelm scoffed.

"Thanks for your concern, but I have made up my mind."

Ironhelm shook his head. There were several things he would have liked to say, yet he remained silent. After inputting Lith's choices in his communication amulet, the Professor left the room.

'Are you sure about this?' Solus asked. 'What about our plan of being low key?'

'Too late for that. This is the final year, holding back is useless. I need to stand out as much as possible to acquire what I need and guarantee the safety of my family even during my absence. Besides, the Crown already knows about me.

'During the last year, I've spoken with the Royals more often than most nobles do during their whole lives. I have allies in the army, in the Queen's corps as well as in the White Griffon. Before I was a nobody. I had to build up things slowly while now I'm a rising star.

Even if I sit back and do nothing, a lot of people will try to get back at me for my success. As I see it, this is our only way out.'

The following day, the city of Xenatos.

Thanks to the Academy's Warp Gate, Lith crossed hundreds of kilometers in an instant. Arriving at the location of his first day of community service required help from a mage of the local branch of the Association.

Lith had never been there and time was of the essence.

'I still can't believe we are going to do this.' Solus sighed.

'What do you mean?' Lith laughed in response. 'It's our first opportunity to face normal human opponents instead of the wackjobs we keep meeting since we entered the White Griffon. Who knows? Maybe working as a member of a tactical team may be interesting.'

Walking through the Warp Steps, Lith found himself inside an abandoned warehouse. It was a run-down place, dust and cobwebs covered most of the surfaces. The only clean spot had been arranged as a debriefing room, with wooden chairs and a white board.

Lith could see the rough sketch of the layout of a building that was drawn on it. He counted three floors and what seemed like a basement.

Several men and women wearing military looking uniforms were assembled in a circle around the boards, their faces were tense. No one had weapons, but only because each one had a dimensional ring.

Their clothes were black in color, with the insignia of the local Lord's Household on their backs, shoulders, and heart.

They also wore metal protectors on the forearms, shoulders, and chest. Solus completed the analysis for him.

'Everything they wear is enchanted, but the quality is poor. The clothes are inferior to your old uniform. Only the zones also covered by protectors offer a decent defense.'

Being used to the Queen's corps, the Talons, and all the marvels of the academy, Solus had high standards.

'What do you expect? This isn't an elite squad, just a local police force. It must be the standard equipment. I could never afford my Skinwalker armor without the academy's points. How many mages?' Lith replied.

'Good question. All those present have red cores, except the woman on the second chair from the right, who has a green one, and the man on the first chair on the left. He has just a yellow core. She's probably a mage. Him, I'm not so sure. It depends on the power standards they use.'

Solus pointed at Lith a woman with chestnut hair in her forties and a black-haired man around the same age. Everyone in the squad had an expression difficult to decipher.

More than nervous, they looked like they were there because they had lost a bet.

"The first saddle has arrived, captain." A rough voice scoffed. Lith saw it belonged to the man with the yellow core, who spat on the ground with a disgusted expression. The woman with the green core glared at him for a second but said nothing.

'Saddle?' Solus was baffled.

'Probably an insult. I guess they consider students like me dead weight, or worse.' Lith didn't like being offended, but he could understand the man's feelings. Whatever they were about to do was a dangerous job and the police officers would be forced to keep an eye on the students too.

It would make their work harder and get back in one piece even harder.

"Nice to meet you, son." The captain offered Lith her hand, which he promptly shook.

"I'm captain Yerna of the Xenatos police force."

"I'm…"

"No names, son. We must judge only the performance, not the household." She said with a stern look.

"Since you are from the White Griffon, we'll just call you White. That's sergeant Khran, my second in command. Sorry for the cold reception. Today's task would be a run of the mill, if not for the fact that we are waiting for another student."

"Two rookies to the same unit?" Lith asked.

"Yeah, the other one belongs to the Fire griffon." Yerna nodded.

"Why did they send both of us here? It makes no sense."

"Thanks for your understanding, White. The problem is there aren't many missions that students can take part in without endangering themselves or the host team." She sighed.

"Which is exactly you are doing by being here." Khran stood up, walking toward Lith with a menacing expression.

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"I know that for you nobles your points are much more precious than commoners' lives, but I'd like for your Lordship to realize that some of us may not come back to their families because of you brats.

"Captain, instead of wasting our time with niceties, let's see how much a waste of space he is. What's your status, Saddle?"

"I have a girlfriend. Don't know if she's the right one, though." Lith pretended to have misunderstood the question. Being obnoxious was a game two could play.

Seeing Lith's smug expression, Khran became red from anger. Some of the officers laughed at the joke.

"I don't give a damn about your love life. I want to know what can you do!"

Lith took a mental note that no one was defending him. Even the captain did nothing, aside from the occasional eye roll.

"His specializations are Forgemastering…" When Captain Yerna read out loud Lith's file, multiple groans and the sound of hands slapping a forehead or a leg in a fit of rage echoed through the warehouse.

"That's great, another one as useful as a third nostril..."

Yerna ignored Khran, raising her voice to cover the sergeant's whining.

"…and Healing. Back in his village, White was a hunter and a bounty hunter. Last year he survived Balkor's attack, went toe to toe with a Valor and lived to tell the tale."

Instead of wasting her time arguing, the Captain had decided to check her trainee's personal files from her data amulet. It contained an image of his visage to recognize him and all the relevant information for the mission at hand.

Many heads turned when they heard about the healer part, a few nods followed Lith's past as a manhunter, and clear disbelief accompanied the last sentence.

"His village?" Many echoed.

"Yeah, I'm a commoner, not a noble. I've worked very hard to get where I am." Since they showed him no respect, Lith was ready to pay them back in kind. His voice was cold while Death Vision showed him a series of gruesome deaths he had no intention of preventing.

"A healer from the White Griffon sounds nice." Said a brown haired man in his mid-twenties. For Mogar's standards he was tall and lean, with his 1.74 meters. Like all the men in the unit, he was perfectly shaven.

"I'm Huren Nacth, nice to meet you. Can you get rid of this scar? The ladies don't like it." He took Lith's hand in his own, making the request without a hint of shame.

"I could, for a price. It will leave you exhausted." Lith was amused by the change of attitude. The scar was long and deep, going from the lower half of the left cheek down along the neck.

"A healer is damn fine as long as they are trustworthy." Khran spat again.

"Every kid still attending an academy is a survivor, so there's no point in bragging about it. As for fighting a Valor, what kind of sick joke is that, Captain?"

"It's no joke." The Captain replied.

Yerna's words caused a small commotion. All the unit's members rushed behind her to read from the hologram projected by the amulet, but it was soon interrupted by the arrival of the second student.

He was a fifteen year old boy, 1.7 meters (5'7") high with blond hair and deep green eyes. The newcomer had the build of a soldier, rather than a student. Something in his confident attitude told Lith he had to be a lady-killer at his academy.

The Captain moved to his file, hoping for another pleasant surprise.

Alas, the student from the Fire Griffon was a Warden and an Alchemist. His only perk was having received some nondescript military training. Yerna clicked her tongue, turning off the amulet before moving in front of the board.

"Now that Red is here, let's wrap this up. Today's mission is very simple. We have to raid the drug depot of a local gang. It's a three stories building right in front of this warehouse.

"Thanks to an informant, we know the disposition of doors and corridors. We'll split into four teams of five. Two teams will break in respectively from the front and the back door while the other two will secure the perimeter to prevent anyone from escaping."

She pointed with her finger on the two entry points and then on the position of the windows on the first two floors.

"According to our intel, each floor should be lightly guarded. Expect a minimum of five guards but no mages. The organization we are against is notorious for being ruthless. Its men carry Fire Seeds with them and have no hesitation to blow themselves when captured.

Hence kill first and questions later. We are not taking prisoners."

Captain Yerna took a deep breath before addressing their guests.

"Remember that despite our targets do not have magical powers, they are likely to be well armed. Enchanted blades need one hit to rip to shreds a light armor and the one wearing it. They could also have Alchemical weapons, so never underestimate them.

Any questions?"

Lith raised his hand. Yerna nodded, giving him permission to speak.

"Do you plan on breaking in or for a stealth approach?"

"Stealth it's not an option. The doors could have magical traps or alarms and we don't know exactly how many people are inside. If we take it slow we would risk getting surrounded and outnumbered."

"I can detect and disarm magical contraptions. I'm a Forgemaster." Lith lied. Wanemyre had yet to teach him about those subjects, yet he was confident about succeeding thanks to true magic.

"And I can tell you how many people there are in the building and where they are positioned." Red said with a confident smile. "I'm a Warden and my family specializes in Life Detecting arrays. Speaking about my family, My name is not Red, I'm…"

"Happy to have you with us, kid." Captain Yerna used one hand to shook Red's right one and the other to shut his mouth.

"Today you are Red and you are going to be evaluated based on what you do, not on who your relatives are. Got it?"

Red nodded with a slightly annoyed look. Only then Yerna took the hand off his mouth.

"Good. I'm Captain Yerna, your commanding officer for today. He is Sergeant Khran, my second in command and he is White."

Lith and Red were still deciding what to think about each other when Khran handed them a black uniform and a communicator earpiece each.

"Welcome to the team, kids. There are no Griffons here, only members of this unit. Put on your uniform, so we can separate the good from the bad guys and you avoid getting shot in the back by friendly fire. You can change behind those crates."

"Thanks, but it's not necessary." Lith put the uniform inside the blue gemstone at his neck, allowing his clothes to shapeshift into a new form.

Red took step back from the surprise, while Khran took a wand out of his dimensional ring, pointing it against Lith's still morphing clothes. Its tip shined with a yellow light, allowing Lith to perceive the fire magic it contained.

'Must be the equivalent of Earth's service weapons.' Lith thought noticing a small red mana crystal set into the alchemical tool.

'Yup.' Solus confirmed. 'The crystals work as a cartridge. These guys must be good because a wand like that costs a pretty penny.'

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"A Skinwalker armor?" Red was amazed.

"Your family must be loaded!" He ran behind the crates to change. Red didn't want to be the one slowing down the team.

"With the two of you, we can give the stealth approach a try. Change into something less conspicuous, so you can scout the building without drawing the attention."

A few minutes later, Lith was wearing his hunter clothes and studying the front door while pretending to be interested in the merchandise of a food vendor.

"Don't try to be a hero. If you are not certain of your findings or don't feel up to the task just say it." Captain Yerna's voice sounded in his ear.

'Solus?' Lith couldn't use Life Vision without scaring the cr*p out of the vendor. He still had to find a way to activate it without his eye glowing like small suns. Solus's mana sense was much more discreet.

'The front door is clean. No magic at all, if there is anything it's mechanical in nature. There are no arrays active, but I can sense something magical and powerful on the third floor.'

Lith bought some of the food, going into an alley to circle around the building. It was his first time in a slum of a big city. The alley was full of trash, forcing him to dodge rats eating rotten food while he walked.

Now that he could use Life Vision, Lith detected that aside from the animals the alley was empty. He could see the people inside the building through the wall, and no one seemed to be alert.

Lith used darkness magic to extend the shadows of the alley. It provided him a cover while he studied the back door from a safe distance. It also masked his glowing eyes, preventing onlookers to notice him.

"The front entrance is just a regular door." He reported via the communication earpiece.

"The back door, not so much. It's reinforced by some kind of earth spell, making it as hard as stone. The lock is booby trapped to turn into a skewer of ice whoever tries to pick it."

"Damn!" The Captain sounded really worried. "Not as easy as our intel told us. The front door is probably barred, if not even walled. Can you do something about those protections or do we need to abort the mission and request for reinforcements?"

"Didn't you read my file, Captain? I'm the reinforcements." Lith grinned.

After months spent studying the boxes and the countless attempts in breaking their locks without meeting a fiery death, the enchantments in front of him were barely more difficult than beating a monkey at a tic tac toe game.

"I already finished disarming them while I was talking with you. I counted not less than three people from the windows on the ground floor." With the channel open, Lith could speak but not listen, missing all the gasps and swearing that filled the control room at those words.

Lith could see several life forces down in the basement. They were too many and too weak to be guards, making him wonder what kind of mess he was walking into.

'Either there is a Warp Gate in the basement and they are moving a small army or these guys do not smuggle just drugs.'

On his way back he kept looking for windows, grates, anything that could give him an excuse to share the knowledge acquired with Life Vision. Lady Luck didn't smile at him.

When he made it back to the warehouse, Red had done his part. He was filling the blueprint on the board with red dots according to his readings.

"Your intel was completely off the mark." After listening to Lith's report he had given his best to impress his teammates as well.

"The first three floors are almost empty. There are only three people on the first floor, five on the second, and four on the third…" Red stopped abruptly, wiping off a red dot from the board.

"Three on the third floor. Someone just died. There are also at least twenty people on the underground floor. Are you sure this is really a drug depot?"

At that point, the Captain was the first to question her superiors' judgment.

"Not anymore. I need to call the Headquarters. No matter if the mission gets aborted or not. You both did great and I'll make sure to write it down in my report."

'I can't believe they flunked this so bad. We could have all died in there.' Yerna thought while conjuring a silence spell to prevent the following conversation to be heard.

After a quick call with her commanding officer, she was pinching her nose with her eyes closed, trying to contain her anger.

"I have good news and bad news. The good news is that the HQ agrees with us. This could be too big for a small squad, so they are sending reinforcements from the Association in case something goes wrong. They'll be here in a few minutes.

"The bad news is that since the hostiles are so few and there is such a high number of potential hostages, prisoners, slaves, whatever those people in the basement are, we have been ordered to continue the mission.

"They say our new objective is to prevent the hostiles from running away or get rid of the prisoners once they found out to be surrounded. The even worst news is that since the two of you have been so useful, you have to come with us."

'Still, not a big deal.' He inwardly sighed. 'The ones on the ground floor were just humans, right Solus?'

'Positive. Red cored humans with slightly above average life force. Easy to catch, easy to kill.' After spending so many years with Lith, Solus had little regard for human life. The only exceptions were those who she believed to be innocent or those she grew fond of.

"I have two more questions, Captain." Lith raised his hand again.

"Granted."

"Red, can you detect arrays? I don't mean to sound paranoid, but I'd prefer to avoid any more surprises." Lith was cautious of the content of the third floor, from which Solus perceived a powerful force.

It wasn't a problem for him since he was already on guard and his partner could warn him on time. What worried Lith was being the sole survivor of whatever threat they could find. It would raise too many questions.

"Yes. It's one of the easiest and fastest spells of a Warden." Red nodded.

"It's unlikely we'll find any. A temporary one would imply the presence of a Warden and I can't imagine a mage wasting their talent with these dregs. A permanent one would cost far more the whole building is worth."

"The same could be said for the back door." Lith pointed out. "I think…"

"Wait!" Red cut him short.

"Another person on the third floor just died and one of the two remaining life forces is fading quickly. What in the gods' name are they doing there?"

"Weapons at hand, everyone." Captain Yerna took out a sword and a wand from her dimensional ring.

"We are about to find out."

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"I still have a question, Captain." Orders or not, Lith had no intention of charging blindly. Whatever was happening inside the building was of no relevance to him and so were the people in the basement.

He was there for the Code of Practice course, the only things that mattered to him were his own safety and the points.

"Just be quick, White." Captain Yerna snorted. "Red, keep me posted if anything else happens."

"Since the mission has changed, what are the new conditions to consider it a success?"

"Kid, do you think this is some kind of game? People are dying in there!" Lith could understand Khran's righteous outrage, yet he found it annoying anyway. The Sergeant was a commoner, probably of humble origins just like him.

Unlike Lith, he had dedicated his life to protect the weak.

'What an irritating guy, always preaching his own ideas. I had hoped for having left this kind of zealots on Earth.' Lith thought.

"So what?" Lith replied. "I took no oath, I'm no policeman nor hero. I'm interested in the mission, not in some nondescript ideal."

Captain Yerna grabbed Khran by the shoulder to prevent another outburst.

"We only need to get in and check the condition of those in the basement. If they are hostages releasing them takes priority. If they are soldiers, we can just blow them into oblivion before moving on the rest of the guards. Is it clear, everybody?"

The unit nodded in unison.

"Okay, then let's move. We need to be fast. There is no way to get to the back door unnoticed, so prepare for a warm welcome."

"Actually, there is." Lith waved his hands in the only fake magic he really used. He opened a Warp Steps leading straight into the alley, in the last covered spot before their destination.

Many people flinched in amazement. For non mages, dimensional magic was something straight out of a fairy tale.

"Today's our lucky day, people." Captain Yerna was grinning from ear to ear.

"Change of plans. My team and Khran's will take point and assault from the back. The rest of you will remain on standby until we check on the prisoners. On my command, surround the building. Red, with me."

The others followed her through the Steps. Each unit was comprised of five people, leaving ten officers in the warehouse to close the perimeter or act as backup in case of need.

"You really are a d*ck." Khran stopped for a second before stepping through the dimensional corridor.

"Yet the gods know how much I'd like to have one like you on every mission."

Once on the other side, the Sergeant conjured a shroud of silence around them before asking Red for an update.

"Another life force disappeared. Now there's only one person on the third floor."

"Damn!" Captain Yerna cursed. She had hoped it was some kind of internal strife, but three deaths in such a short time frame didn't fit the scenario.

"What about the guards on the ground floor?"

Red focused for a second, checking twice just to be sure.

"There are none right now, but someone is coming down from the second floor. One person."

"Arrays?" Lith asked.

Red handed to the nearest officer a red mana crystal he was using as a focus. Without it, casting another spell would cause him to lose control of the Life Detecting array.

"I can sense something on the ground floor. It's inactive at the moment." The unit inwardly cursed as one while Lith pondered on Red's words.

'This means that neither Life Vision nor Solus can detect latent arrays. I need to learn the array detecting spell as soon as possible.'

"What does it do?" The Captain asked.

"No clue." Red shrugged. "Never seen anything like this."

"Great. Let's finish this before we have to find out."

Yerna took out from her dimensional ring what looked like a clump of clay, sticking it to the wall near the door. It created a thin air dome, silencing the area within a ten meters radius.

The team entered the building, activating a new clump each time they neared the end of the air dome, generating a corridor of silence. It allowed them to speak and move while remaining undetected by the inhabitants of the building.

"At least the layout of this place is as we know it." Khran cursed. Maybe it was because he knew they were potentially stepping on a minefield, but since they had entered the house the Sergeant had an eerie feeling in his gut.

"The door to the basement should be on our right after the next corner. What about the person you mentioned earlier?"

"It's closing in slowly. It should come from there." Red was pointing to the left branch of the t-shaped corridor.

The Sergeant put a clump of silence clay on his hand while three members of the units aimed their wands in the direction from which they were expecting the enemy.

"Shoot only after I do!" Khran instructed.

The figure of a woman popped out of the corner. She was dressed in a brown sweater and cargo pants. Lith noticed she was young, couldn't be more than twenty years old. She was walking while spinning some odd handcuffs on her index finger.

Sergeant Khran generated a powerful gust of wind from his hand, propelling the clay towards the girl's face. Despite the surprise attack, she managed to dodge it by rolling on the ground, taking out a wand from the back of her pants.

She screamed for help, but the clay was never meant to do damage. Lith could see her lips moving without emitting any sound, like watching an old silent movie. The same happened when streams of lightning made her slam against the wall in a seizure.

Khan objective was a silent kill all along.

"Hren, take care of the body and clean the scene. Red, stay with him and warn Hren if anyone else moves." Captain Yerna tapped on her ear to remind him of the communication earpiece in case he needed to contact her.

The unit moved forward until the door to the basement.

"White?"

"Locked and enchanted." Lith replied using Invigoration to study it. It was a very crude pseudo core with only two mana pathways. Not strong enough to block someone determined to open it, but enough to slow them down.

"Seriously, what do you usually do when you don't have a forgemaster?"

"We mourn." Khran's reply didn't sound like a joke.

"Klaatu Barada Nikto." Lith's fake magic word generated several tendrils of darkness that made short work of the pathways. Without something to contain its energies, the pseudo core faded away with a crackling sound.

Lith took point to search for more traps, but there were none. The wooden stairway led them to a cellar six meters wide and ten meters long. Contrary to the run down look of the rest of the building, the room was clean.

Behind a simple steel grille there were over twenty people of different gender and age, laying either on the ground or against the walls. They were all shabbily dressed, their appearance suggested they had spent most of their lives on the streets.

Yet they appeared to be well fed and in good health. There was no trace of dirt in their clothes. The weirdness of the scene didn't end there.

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Lith signaled to those behind him to stop, scanning the place with Life Vision.

'What the f*ck? I can feel the lingering presence of healing magic emanating from them. I can even smell traces of soap coming from their bodies. Someone has been taking good care of them, but why?' Lith thought.

'Maybe I can answer that.' Solus felt there was something terribly wrong there.

'All these people have only two things in common. Each one of them is older than twenty years and has at least an orange core.'

'What?' Lith was bewildered by her words. So many people and no one with a red core was something impossible to achieve by chance. Not coupled with their age. Twenty years was the threshold of a mana core natural evolution for non Awakened one.

"Is there something wrong?" Yerna asked.

"Everything is clear. The grille is just a grille. Why no one is trying to escape?" The more Lith looked at them, the more the cellar reminded him of pigpen instead of a prison.

Yerna walked past him, placing her hand on the keyhole turning it into an icicle before crashing it with her fist. She only needed to smell the breath of one of the prisoners to answer his question.

"Ophaz. They keep them dosed." Ophaz was the name of a plant from which it was possible to extract the drug her team had been following for weeks. At low dosage, it induced a feeling of euphoria while at higher dosage it caused the user to be in a catatonic state.

They would still be able to move and talk if interrogated, but their mind was clouded by the drug. They had no memory of themselves or will to fight.

"It's the latest form of slavery. Once you give someone the first dose, it turns them into meat dolls."

"Do you want me to cleanse them?"

"Gods, no. This is a blessing in disguise." The Captain shook her head.

"Best case scenario, they would freak out. This way they are meeker than sheep. It will only take one of us to get them to safety. Can you..?"

Lith sighed, opening a Warp Steps back to the control room. The prisoners moved sluggishly, mindlessly obeying the Captain's orders.

"What do you make of this, Captain?"

"Aside from a few exceptions, they are too bad looking or old to have any value as slaves, even for a fighting arena. Judging from the state of this place, they have been here for a while.

"Only the cost of the drug necessary to keep them meek for so long makes the whole operation unprofitable. They have been nurtured for some reason I'm unable to comprehend." She then ordered the units outside to lock the perimeter.

While Lith and the Captain were moving the prisoners, a couple of members of the unit performed a quick search of the cellar. They discovered a few small crates containing packets of drugs ready to be sold and several big crates.

The latter contained luxury furniture ready to be shipped.

"What the heck?" Hren was flabbergasted.

"One of these things is worth more than I earn in a year!"

"Seems we arrived just in time." Khran had a brooding face.

"Those people were the last batch of whatever they are doing. The ringleader has packed their stuff and is ready to leave."

Sweeping the first and the second floor took them less than a couple of minutes. With Red telling them where and how many their targets were, it was like shooting fishes in a barrel. At each floor, Red would always detect the same inactive array.

While moving through the various rooms and corridors, they could see that unlike the ground floor, the rest of the house was still completely furnished. Everything from the paintings to the tapestry was very valuable, but they were assembled with no taste.

It seemed a patchwork made by a color-blind art connoisseur.

'Ugh! I have never seen anything so tacky in three lives.' Lith thought.

'Whoever did this would put the Mona Lisa beside a Pollock, with some piece of junk modern art in front of them both. I'm no expert, but that's enough to deserve to be hanged.'

'Bad news.' Solus chimed in. 'I don't know if it's the same array Red sensed on the other floors, but there's one active on the third floor. I don't know its purpose, but I can tell you it's something powerful enough to blind my mana sense.

If not for Red, I couldn't tell you how many people there are up there.'

"Wait, something is wrong here." They were moving in a single column and Lith was right behind the Captain, making it easy for him to stop the unit's advance.

"I can feel the hair on my neck standing up." He lied. According to Mogar's superstition, it was a common phenomenon in presence of powerful magic. In reality, it was just a reaction in front of impending danger, completely unrelated to magic.

"I thought I was getting paranoid because it's all too easy." Yerna nervously touched her nape.

"What about you lot?" Fear spread like a disease, soon everyone shared the same feeling despite being calm until a second prior.

"Red, check the next floor."

"Gods protect me!" Red yelped after obeying the Captain's order.

"White is right, there is something very wrong here."

'Of course, I am. Right, Solus?' Lith inwardly grinned. She didn't reply, limiting herself to a retching thought.

"I don't know what kind of array we are about to face, but I can tell you this. It's very powerful, it spreads through the whole house, and it feels…"

Red extended his consciousness trying to probe deeper in order to understand the nature of their enemy.

"It feels twisted. The spell is rooted from the light element, but the magic flows backward. It's hard to explain." Red was now drenched in cold sweat, his stomach was twisted into a knot.

"Are you sure there's only one person left in the house?" Captain Yerna could feel the tension rising, her instinct was telling her to walk away.

"Besides us? Positive." Red nodded. "It's right in the middle of the last floor. Hasn't moved since I cast the spell."

"An array this powerful could make our numbers irrelevant. The hostages are safe, there is no reason to walk into a potential trap. Let's get out and wait for the reinforcements to arrive. This is above our paygrade. The Mage Association can deal with this much better than us."

They walked back along the silence corridor they had created, quickly reaching the ground floor again. A blinding light erupted from under their feet.

Red and Lith both understood what was happening. The former had studied hard to master such spell, the latter had already fallen for it once.

The teleporting array moved the whole unit in the attic on the third floor.

The entire floor was occupied by a single room, encircled by a dome made of light which pulsed with a rhythmical beat like it was alive.

"First you interrupt my meal, then you steal my food." The man speaking was the most handsome and the most repulsing that any of those present had ever seen.

"I won't let you go away without proper compensation."

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Saying that the attic was furnished would have been an understatement. Tapestry, carpets, even the chair the man was sitting on were embedded with precious gemstones the size of a nut.

Piles of coins and jewels were laying in random spots of the room as if a creature composed of living gold had a tour of the place while having a bad case of diarrhea.

A magic eight pointed star inscribed in a circle made of pure white energy encompassed the whole room. At each extremity of the star, there was a small altar made of white marble.

The surface of the altars was covered with runes that Red and Lith both would easily recognize as the same light magic runes that were empowering the array below their feet, if only they managed to take a single glance at them.

If they did, they would have also noticed that on some of the altars there were dried up bodies, while the others had their pristine white surface tainted by an ashen powder. All the corpses were dried up like they had been dead for quite some time.

Not even the fact that the body on the altar right in front of them was rapidly collapsing on itself, like it was a closed paper cup being sucked with a straw could make any member of the unit take their eyes off their unwanted host.

The man literally sitting in the middle of that mess was on paper the embodiment of perfection. 1.9 meters (6'3") high, with black hair of such a light shade to almost seem blue. His clear blue eyes were rested on a face that seemed to have been carved out by an artist in love with their own creation.

His muscular body almost bulged out of his tacky clothes, like he could tear them up simply by taking a deep breath.

Yet no man of the unit felt the tiniest tinge of envy nor any woman thought about anything outside pointing their weapons at him and fire them at will.

He was too perfect to be natural. Each piece composing his body was flawless, but more than a person, he seemed like a patchwork of different humans assembled together. There was no harmony in his features.

'That guy looks like the handsome brother of Frankenstein's monster.' Lith thought.

After a split second of stupor due to the teleportation array, Captain Yerna pointed her wand at the man, quickly followed by all the members of the unit. They didn't give orders or made demands, they simply shoot a barrage of fire, ice, and lightning bolts until the man was turned into an half charred half frozen corpse and the chair into a bunch of golden splinters.

'I have bad news and I have worse news.' Now that they were inside the array, its mystical energies didn't impede Solus's senses anymore. With everyone busy and Red scared out of his wits, Lith was free to use his skills to get a grasp of the current situation.

'I think I know what this array does.' Solus explained while Lith used Invigoration on the array and Life Vision on the man.

'It's filled to the brim with powerful energies, yet none of them belong to the unnatural man. My mana and life sense perceive at least nine different signatures currently coursing through the array. I think they belonged to the people on the altars.'

The unnatural man was lying on the floor, but no one managed to relax. Despite its owner death, the light dome was still on.

Seargent Khran tried to open the door, but the array also worked as a barrier, pushing him back with a jolt of light. Khran yelped in pain, the contact had badly burned his hands.

"Who the heck was that guy? How do we get out of here?" He cursed.

"Is, not was." Lith pointed at the body on the floor. "He is still alive and well." He could see how even after so many attacks, the body's life force was as strong as before.

'Exactly.' Solus continued. 'The array keeps slowly injecting those energies inside him. I don't know why, though. The transfer's not fast enough to be some sort of healing device.'

"Are you kidding me?" Khran scoffed while Hren helped him to drink a healing potion for his injured hands. "That guy is as dead as a doornail."

"Am I?" Said a silvery voice coming from the corpse as it tried to get up. A second barrage of spells stuck it before the sentence was completed, sending it sprawling on the floor.

'Let me guess, that was just the bad news. What about the worse news?' Lith was putting together all the pieces of the puzzle. The picture taking shape in front of his eyes wasn't good.

'The worse news is that the unnatural man seems to be a human Abomination hybrid.'

Her words left Lith speechless.

'Is he… like me?'

'Not at all. I can see two cores inside of him, a bright cyan one and a smaller black one. I believe that just like Kalla's, his second core is artificial.'

The corpse got on its back for a second time, getting blasted once again. This time no one stopped shooting until there was no charge left in their wands.

"We need to get out of here!" Captain Yerna wasn't scared. She and her people had gone through worse situations in the past, keeping her cool had always turned out to be the winning move.

"White, Warp us away from this sh*thole."

Lith didn't make her repeat herself, but the dimensional door shattered as soon as it was formed. A second attempt bore the same result.

"What's happening? Why it doesn't work?" Khran was starting to freak out, his voice rose of an octave.

"I have no clue." Instead of despairing, Lith placed both of his hands on the array. He was certain it was the root of all their problems.

"It's actually quite simple." The corpse of the unnatural man stood up from a pile of half molten jewels. Wands were once again aimed at him, but no spell was fired.

"Dimensional magic requires a perfect balance between al the six elements." The unnatural man explained while his skin and hair regrew at an astounding speed.

"This room is so filled with light magic that it makes impossible for a lowly human mage to find the balance necessary to tear up space. Don't blame the kid for his incompetence." He said with an amused look.

"Even if he managed to do it, it would take me a simple wave of the hand to disrupt his focus. As I said earlier, no one is leaving until I get compensation for all the losses you have inflicted me. Kneel!"

The unnatural man apparent kindness turned into a mask of fury. At his command, a new array overlaid with the already existing one. It increased the gravity of all those present by several folds, forcing them to fall on their knees.

Only two people weren't affected by the new array. Lith, who was already hands on the ground studying the room, and the unnatural man, who kept standing as if nothing happened.

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"Do you have any idea how hard it was to find humans smart enough to help me manage my business? How difficult it was to round up among the dregs of society the right ingredients for my path towards godhood? You…"

The ramblings stopped. Suddenly the extra gravity had disappeared and the unnatural man could feel a stinging pain in his abdomen, along with a sensation he had never experience before in his life. Nausea.

"You!" He screamed at Lith. While the others had jumped up on their feet assuming a defensive formation, Lith was still crouched. Several tendrils made of light and darkness came out of his body, tampering with the energy coursing below him.

The array's magic circle was distorted, turning the clockwork formation into a shoddy mess.

"Don't mind me." Lith replied with an innocent smile. "Keep talking, I was really caught up by your narration."

'It seems you are right.' Solus kept observing the alterations in the man's cores.

'The array is linked to his black core, feeding it of the accumulated energies inside the array. The black core absorbs and refines the energy before transferring it to the cyan one.

'It's an artificial version of Accumulation. By my maker, I can't imagine how many lives it took for him to reach a bright cyan core.'

'It was the only possible explanation for keeping those people prisoners.' Lith shrugged. 'He needs quality cores. That's why he fed and healed them. Probably he wanted them well ripened before squeezing them. So kind of him giving me a path straight to his mana core.'

"How dare you touch a dragon's treasure?" The unnatural man turned into a blur, charging at Lith while ripping to shreds all those standing on his path. Three members of the unit died without even managing to slow him down.

'A dragon?' That word along with the man's speed sent a cold shiver down Lith's back.

'I thought it was just some psycho, but to be so quick he must be able to use fusion magic. Why the heck an Awakened need this contraption? Could a dragon really have just a cyan core? It doesn't make sense.'

He didn't fear to fight another Awakened one, hybrid or not. Nor did he care about the rest of the unit, since they were dead the moment they would see his real skills. Lith was experiencing what all of his past opponents felt facing him.

The confusion deriving from not having a clue about what he was against.

The unnatural man jumped, extending towards Lith his hands that had turned into razor sharp claws.

'What an idiot.' Lith sneered while getting back up. By leaving the ground, the opponent had actually slowed down. Once in the air, fusion magic was useless and the trajectory was easily predictable.

Instead of freezing up in fear like his opponent expected, Lith took a side step. He then grabbed the arm while pivoting on his right foot, executing an overhead throw. Lith added his strength to the opponent's momentum, slamming him against the light dome.

'This guy has no technique, just brute strength. Revealing his abilities just to scare me is stupid beyond reason.'

'Why the throw?' Solus was confused by the turn of events.

'Because normally one can't be harmed by their own magic. Yet I think he is trapped as well as we are.'

The impact was strong enough to make the unnatural man penetrate into the light wall for a second. His flesh turned black while the energies trapped into the array reacted to the foreign body with a violent assault.

The unnatural man screamed in agony like he never did when the unit had showered him with tier three spells from their wands. The light dome pushed him away, making his body bounce on the floor writhing into spasms.

Lith didn't wait for him to recover, using wind, gravity, and spirit magic to toss him again against the wall.

'Bingo! The array is so filled with different energies that it's unable to recognize its master. I can kill him and not blow my cover. Two birds with one stone.'

Alas, the unnatural man had no intention to cooperate.

He roared with fury while his body covered with golden scales. Two membranous wings formed under his armpits, connecting his little fingers to the hips. The neck got longer while his face deformed into a long snout.

His nostrils dilated doubling their size, his open mouth now bigger than a manhole revealed the rage burning within. The following breath of fire turned everyone on its path into cinders, making even the gold piles boil.

When the jet of flames ended, the creature was over four meters (13 feet) tall, forced to bend over to avoid his head to graze the ceiling. His long tail whipped the air furiously, generating sparks whenever it briefly touched the array.

Lith was taken by surprise, managing to dodge at the last second only thanks to air fusion. Yet his right leg was grazed by the flames, not even the Skinwalker armor could resist such intensity.

Even using water fusion wasn't enough. The fire burned through the protective enchantment, covering the whole limb below the knee.

Lith's skin was no more, his burned flesh left exposed the burned muscles still throbbing in pain. Four more members of the tactical unit were dead. Only the mystical energies of the array had protected the room, leaving the wall and the floor pristine.

'That's not a man, that's a wyvern!' Solus clearly recalled Kalla's words during their last meeting. Magical beasts once Awakened would evolve into monsters. They could still have offspring, giving life to a new bloodline of creatures that wouldn't be Awakened ones.

He hid behind one of the altars, using light magic to heal his wounds.

The wyvern roared in outrage. By slamming into the energy wall first and by recklessly using his fire breath, a good chunk of the energy stored in the formation had been lost.

"I was so close! Curse you, human!"

Gadorf the wyvern was aware of being really close to a breakthrough. Even though he was no Awakened one, the black core he possessed gifted him with several powers.

The ability to absorb the life force of living beings, to detect the magical talent of those close to him, enhanced regeneration, and partial resistance to most elements. At that moment, the only person that Gadorf hated more than Lith was his own father.

It was because of his father's refusal of Awakening Gadorf that he had spent the last two centuries experimenting all kinds of forbidden magic. None of his experiments bore any fruit. Not until he met that arrogant, insufferable human.

It was only by becoming their test subject that Gadorf had acquired the black core and the Life Draining array. That human was obsessed with the idea of achieving eternal life through the Abominations.

After obtaining what he wanted, Gadorf would have gladly awarded them for their services with a swift death, but the Abominations serving the Master were too strong.

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Gadorf had met the Master only a few years prior. Unable to assume a human form, the only way he had to acquire new techniques and materials was stealing them.

Even if descending from the bloodline of an Evolved monster granted him the use of true magic on all six elements, the wyvern was still too weak to attack a major noble family or important merchants.

Gadorf had already nearly got killed multiple times after raiding small cities. The Association responded quickly to threats, sending several mages at once to deal with him. Gadorf managed to survive only thanks to his mastery of light magic and arrays.

In over two hundred years of practice, he had reached a level in those fields that very few mages could even start to comprehend. It was exactly because of his stubbornness that the Master had taken interest in him.

Fighting the Master had been a humbling experience for Gadorf. Despite their experience gap, despite them being a fake mage, Gadorf's defeat took less than a minute.

"You're lucky the Association put you on priority C until now." The Master wheezed. The fight had been brief, but exhausting for someone not used to fight like they were. Especially because they wanted to take Gadorf alive.

"Me? A proud dragon, just a C-lister?" Gadorf's rage made the ground tremble, but the array keeping him prisoner didn't even budge.

"A dragon? You?" The Master guffawed.

"Good gods, your ego is bigger than Lady Tyris's a*s! Don't tell me that's the reason this dump you call home is full of gold and pieces of art?"

Gadorf's reply was breathing fire with all the strength he had. The act almost resulted in suicide. The breath of a wyvern, just like those of a dragon, was neither normal fire nor a magical one.

It was a unique effect caused by the mix of their life force with the world energy, no mana was involved. It was a similar effect Balkor had developed for his Valors, allowing them to emit rays of darkness from their eyes, without them being affected by slowness that affected all kinds of darkness magic.

The downside of such powers was that just like a body can damage itself, so that kind of attack based on life force, no matter how little was employed, would harm the user as well as anyone else.

Gadorf's screams of agony only made the Master guffaw until small tears of hilarity streamed from his eyes.

"Conceited and stupid. It's a miracle you managed to survive this far. That's a good piece of news, Lizzie." The Master simply replaced the most consumed magic crystals with new ones. The array was back to full force in a split second, adding despair to the wyvern agony.

"I'm not a lizard!" He roared. "I'm Gadorf, son of Xedros the first wyvern! One day I will evolve into a dragon and feast on all those that belittled me. Be it you or my father, you'll end up the same way! Burned to death by my hand!"

"The good news, Lizzie…" The Master continued after silencing their noisy prisoner.

"...is that I believe that just like me, the gods don't play dice. We were destined to meet. My research can't go any further without a willing subject who allows me to study true magic, just like your pathetic daddy issues fueled quest can only get you killed if you keep acting on your own.

Our interests are aligned. If you stop with your temper tantrums, we can make a deal."

After summoning by their side an Eldritch Abomination to keep in check Gadorf's mood swings, the Master brought him to one of their labs. Gadorf was able to learn about Arthan's Madness and study its blueprints. The insane contraption turned out to be an endless source of inspiration for him.

Together, they developed the Life Draining array for Gadorf and some of the technology the Master needed to fuse together Abominations in a stable form.

"I don't get it." While sealed up in one of the Master's gene-tanks, Gadorf could still talk while daydreaming about how inflict to his partner in crime the slowest and most painful death possible.

"If you are already able to create artificial cores, why didn't you make one for yourself?" Gadorf was a prideful creature, to the point of considering even an equal partnership as a dishonor. He believed to have been born a ruler.

As such, stomping arrogant ants was his birthright and the Master was no exception. By defeating him, by subjecting him to all those humiliating tests, the Master had earned themselves a thousand deaths.

Alas, just like Xedros, the Master was too strong for him, yet. Gadorf could only suck it up and bide his time.

"Because I don't like the middle way. The method we have developed for you may turn you into an Awakened one, but then what? You'll get a little more powerful, live a little bit longer. I find your idea of turning into a dragon is nothing more than wishful thinking.

"You are already a wyvern, the very thought of someone as conceited as you becoming a Guardian is disturbing, to use a euphemism. Instead, if I succeed, I'll become an immortal being with no limit to my strength and none of the weaknesses that plague Abominations.

"Humans have stopped evolving for a long time. Awakening is just a palliative care. I'll bring the dawn of a new golden age for mankind. Imagine a world where a selected few, the truly brilliant and enlightened, can lead the masses without the threat of death, aging, or illness."

Gadorf had listened to that speech countless times. The Master's eyes always shone with a childlike enthusiasm that bordered madness.

"Sure, there will be collateral damages. Some people will be sacrificed for the greater good, but Mogar is full of idiots that do not deserve to live. Small minded cretins incapable of seeing further than their nose."

The rage transpiring from their words made Gadorf suspect that the Master was lonely, unappreciated, or both.

"You don't want to conquer the world?" Gadorf was flabbergasted. The Master was as powerful as short sighted.

'Power is the only requirement to rule over the weak.' He thought.

The Master laughed heartily at those words.

"You really are insane, Lizzie. I'm just tired of seeing good people die while the mediocre thrive. To see true genius go unnoticed or buried under useless paperwork that could be handled by lesser men.

"I only want to show humans their true potential, to cure the ultimate disease: death. I'm sure that despite their name, Abominations are as natural as you and I. They are the next evolutionary step, they just need to be perfected."

After acquiring his black core and practicing his new skills, Gadorf was eager to leave the Master's side. The next time they met, it would have been when he ripped the Master's still beating heart from their chest.

Or so Gadorf thought.

"Where do you think you are going, Lizzie?" The Master refused to call him by his name until the wyvern gave up his pretentious dream of becoming a dragon. Both had proven to be stubborn.

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"Away. I need food to evolve." Gadorf snarled.

"You really are an idiot." The Master sighed.

"Attack magical beasts and Evolved Monsters will kill you. Attack humans and mages will do the same. They are many while you are one. Not a particularly brilliant one at that."

Gadorf growled, but didn't reply. He had always picked on humans because he was scared of meeting Evolved Monsters. The wyvern had always considered the humans as the weakest link, yet their fake mages had almost killed him several times.

The Master was a human and a fake mage, yet had single handedly defeated him. Those words deeply wounded Gadorf's pride, yet their truth was undeniable.

"This lab costs money. Giving you power cost me a lot of money. This isn't a bard's tale where you get riches simply thanks to the writer's pen. If you want your 'food' and get away with it, if you want your gold, you've got to earn it."

The Master taught him how to feed only on the weak and the poor, those whose disappearance would cause no alarm, if not call for celebration. The Master also showed Gadorf how to alter his life force to assume a human form.

It was something called "Body Sculpting". Last, but not least, the Master introduced him to the criminal underworld. Someone like Gadorf, capable of opening illegal Warp Gates crossing hundreds of kilometers at once thanks to his arrays, of transporting people and contraband alike, was a money-making machine.

Drugs, fugitives, stolen goods, there was nothing Gadorf couldn't slip over the Griffon Kingdom's borders unnoticed. Even some of the most powerful noble families used his services to get to safety their endangered members, like the ex-Headmistress of the Lightning Griffon Linnea or Archmage Lukart did.

Thanks to their support and protection, his criminal empire had grown over time. The reports about his activities were constantly covered up or downplayed if hiding them was impossible.

Sometimes, leading figures of human society would use him to get rid of overzealous officers, like Captain Yerna, or to settle their grudges away from the Crown's eyes, like in Lith's case. Yerna's execution was already scheduled, Lith's was just the icing on the cake. An opportunity to kill two pests with one stone.

Gadorf needed food, they needed a killer, it was a win-win situation.

The wyvern gladly indulged in such favours. He would get powerful mages to feed on, together with huge sums. The only sour note was that half his profits ended in the Master's pockets, to fund their research.

'I would have already acquired a treasure worthy of a dragon, if not for that leech!' Gadorf hated sharing, but the Master kept him on a tight leash. A single Eldritch was enough to chase him to the darkest corner of Mogar and put him down like a rabid dog.

While Gadorf was assessing his losses, watching his treasures boil and his priceless furniture turn to ashes, Lith was back at his peak condition.

'Where the heck are the reinforcements?' He had no idea that those sent to their aid were of no threat to the wyvern, nor that they had been sent to the wrong address. One hand washed the other, and both hands washed the face.

'Who's left?' Among the smoke and flames, it was hard for Lith to see. Thanks to air magic, breathing was not a problem instead.

'You, Red, the Captain, the Sergeant, and the only two orange cored members of the unit. I suspect the wyvern did it on purpose.' Solus replied.

'No sh*t, Sherlock. We must be his full course. Time to go all out.' Lith actually had several attack plans, but none of his liking. The wyvern was bigger and stronger than him.

Between the fire breath and the tail ending with a talon-like extremity, Lith was tempted to curse at the unfairness of the match.

'Could as well got a broom up his a*s, so he can sweep the floor and kick my butt at the same time.' Lith focused on Solus's ring, making it grow until it covered his whole right hand.

Now it looked like a stone gauntlet with a yellow gemstone shining at the center of the back of the hand. Then, he used darkness magic to cancel his presence and fire magic to spread the smoke while making it thicker.

Thanks to Life, Vision Lith could easily see Gadorf through to smoke and circle around him waiting for the moment to strike. The wyvern kept turning his head, sniffing the air in search of his prey.

The array hindered his mana perception. Gadorf was sure to have left alive the right ones, but couldn't pinpoint their exact location. He tried multiple times to extinguish the fires and clear up the smoke, but someone was opposing him.

'I could force my way through, but this could be some kind of trap.' The resistance he felt made keeping control over the burning environment a tug of war of willpower. To prevail, Gadorf needed to focus. Such a focus would diminish his awareness of the surroundings.

'Bah, I'm overthinking. I have nothing to fear from some weak humans and unharmed kids.'

Lith felt his grasp over the smoke weakening and smiled for it.

'He is no Awakened, otherwise the smoke wouldn't hinder his senses. Finally a piece of good news.'

The moment the air cleared, Lith struck. He charged towards the wyvern's exposed back, his hands pulsing with electricity. Gadorf had centuries of battle experience, as soon as he smelled traces of ozone in the air, he reacted boosting his reflexes with air fusion.

His tail lashed toward Lith with the bone stinger aimed at his shoulder. The ritual required a living prey, not a healthy one after all. Lith took out the Gatekeeper bastard sword at the last second, boosting himself with fire, air, and water fusion.

The sword's appearing took Gadorf by surprise, while Lith's movements brought complete shock to him. They were too fast, leaving him no space do dodge. Too strong, cutting through his scales, flesh, and bones like a hot knife does with butter.

Too fluid, allowing his arms to move up and down like a slithering snake, amputating one chunk of flesh after the other. When Gadorf managed to pull the tail back, half of it was already painting the floor red.

"My tail! How? Why?" Had Lith cut it once, reattaching the two severed parts would have been a piece of cake. Now the wyvern's only options were to collect and reattach the pieces one by one or regrow the tail.

The latter solution would leave Gadorf drained. He didn't dare to leave himself more exposed to such a cruel sword.

"Why?" Usually Lith wouldn't talk. This time he knew his opponent was getting weaker by the second because of the blood spurting from the amputated extremity, while as long he was allowed to use Invigoration his energy was endless.

"Because this isn't a fight. This is just another operating room..." He infused the Gatekeeper with darkness magic, slashing the chunks of tail again.

"…and I'm the healer." Lith taunted the wyvern with his sword, while the flesh rotted at a speed visible at the naked eye.

"Curse you!" Gadorf charged in outrage, his blood boiling from fury, his hatred taking physical form, engulfing him with an armor of living fire.

Red and the surviving members of the team couldn't believe their own eyes. None of what was happening made any sense. Yet Lith's next move surpassed it all.

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From his first and only serious fight with Protector, back when he was still a child, Lith had learned an important lesson.

Be it while facing one of the Kings of the Trawn woods, an Abomination, an Evolved Monster, or a Valor, he had always stuck to it, never allowing his pride to blind him.

Even with an enhanced body, even despite all the changes he had experienced after the recent breakthroughs, Lith never allowed himself to forget that he was just human.

There were enemies whose fury and savagery he couldn't match, no matter how badly he wanted it. Instead of charging blindly like his rage demanded, like his opponent was doing, Lith kept his mind cold while his mana core burned with power.

He had to play it smart, eroding his opponent's strength until the tables were turned.

Gadorf had never been so furious in all his life. He had allowed a simple human hatchling to mutilate him. With his flesh now rotten, reattaching the pieces was impossible, the only choice he had left was regrowing it.

That was the exact reason why Lith had done it.

'He is faster and stronger than me, but without the tail his balance is all over the place. No matter if he prefers to keep his energies and wobble like a duck or to heal himself and exhaust his reserves. Either way he is dead.'

The stump had stopped bleeding, but Gadorf wasn't used moving, let alone flying without his tail and in such a confined space at that. To keep his balance, he ended up twisting his body multiple times, touching the edges of the array with catastrophic consequences.

Every time the array and the destructive spell engulfing him clashed, both would lose part of their power while waves of pain invaded the wyvern's body. Lith easily dodged the charge with a few side steps. When the left wing passed a few centimeters from him, he slashed down with both hands.

The blade cut through the light bone of the arm, lacerating the wing almost all the way to the wyvern's hip. The short flight turned into a tumble, slamming against the altars before crashing into the barrier again.

A new barrage of spells struck the wyvern's body, making him bounce back and forth against the dome of light like a pinball. Lith and the surviving members of the unit, even Red, were throwing everything they had, to pin Gadorf as long as possible.

Gadorf was almost in agony. The phantom pain from the tail was blinding, his left wing was being consumed by the darkness magic Lith had infused into the blade, and his back was sizzling like a steak forgotten on the barbeque.

Worst of all was his pride, shattered like it didn't happen from years. Yet the physical pain made him snap out of his fury. The wyvern was thinking clearly again. His survival instinct combined with centuries of battle experience allowed him to see how foolish he had been.

'I really am an idiot.' The Master's words echoed into his mind and for the first time the wyvern actually listened to them. Seeing that the kid with the sword was waiting for him to do something stupid again, Gadorf took a deep breath instead.

Lith rolled behind the closest altar, expecting another breath of fire and so did the others. Gadorf channeled light magic into his wing instead, wiping off the dark energies and healing the limb.

"I'm done underestimating you, human."

Despite his arrogant tone, Gadorf didn't like his odds. His body was too huge to move nimbly inside the array's closed space. Yet he didn't dare return to his human husk. Tier three and below spells could barely break his skin, let alone harm his scales.

The sword, though, was another matter entirely. His human form wouldn't be able to stand more than a couple of slashes from such a powerful weapon.

'That kid is too fast for a human. Could he be like me? In disguise?' Another sting struck his abdomen while Gadorf was lost in thought.

Lith was tampering again with the array, poisoning its energies and the wyvern along with them. Gadorf inwardly cursed at him, quickly weaving a barrage of ice spears while taking back control over the array at the same time.

Lith channeled fire fusion into the Gatekeeper, engulfing himself in a shroud of flames that turned the ice into steam. Gadorf looked at the sword with greed, before Blinking behind Lith and releasing a new stream of flames from his mouth.

'Oh sh*t!' Lith inwardly cursed, realizing that the opponent not only could use dimensional magic, but also true dimensional magic. His instincts screamed at him to put the sword away and Blink to safety, an action that would lead to his death.

Warp Steps had already failed him before, there was no reason to believe Blink would work any different. Also, without the sword, the difference in physical prowess would be crippling at such a close range.

Lith clenched his teeth while suppressing his muscle reflexes. His only option was to dodge.

Yet it failed. His legs were stuck to the ground, Lith found himself incapable of lifting a single foot. While the flames roared towards him, he needed only a glance to understand what had happened.

The energy of the array was wrapped around him like a leash, blocking his movements.

"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. The array is mine! You are not the only one that can twist it to your whims!"

Lith didn't lose time wondering how the heck the wyvern could talk while hurling the stream of fire. He channeled water and air fusion into the sword, splitting the river of flames in two while generating a cold aura to protect himself from the scorching heat.

Yet he was too close to their source and the wyvern's breath too deep. The creature's flames had an intensity on par with the tier five Raging Sun that had almost killed him in the past. They broke through the aura first and the armor later, prickling at his skin like thousands of white-hot needles.

Lith's hair took fire, his skin was covered in blisters and burns despite the multiple layers of magical protections.

Captain Yerna didn't stand idle. She had attempted to contact the HQ multiple times, but the signal was jammed. Yerna had already used all the weapons she had with little to no effect. She only had one card left to play.

While the two monsters fought, she reached Red's side.

"Why are you staring at them like an idiot? Do something, now!"

"Me?" Red was almost frozen in fear, his mind replaying Balkor's attack in a loop.

"You are the soldier! You do something."

"Kid, I only know tier three spells that the army bestowed to me. The Sargent is just a magico stuck at tier two. Do you really think we can help? You are a Warden and we are stuck inside an array. Do your thing!"

Red cursed at himself. He had picked a potentially dangerous job to get rid of the fear and helplessness Balkor had etched into his heart. Yet just like during those days, he was cowering in fear behind others.

"It's going to take time."

"Then you'd better start now!"

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Before the jet of fire ended, Gadorf charged head first at Lith like a ram. Even with the flames still raging around him, fighting off the blinding pain with light fusion, Lith saw the wyvern coming at him and acted accordingly.

The heat had not only injured Lith, but also weakened his constraints. He could now let himself fall to the ground, holding the sword with both hands close to his chest. As he expected, Gadorf Blinked at the last second, keeping his momentum to strike at him from a dead angle.

It was what Lith would have done in his shoes.

With the back on the ground, however, he had no blind spots. The area was still shrouded in flames, Gadorf had no way to know Lith's exact position. His head only hit empty air, Lith rolled away as soon as the Blink happened.

Darkness energy coursed through the blade, grazing one of the wyvern's legs as he passed. It was just a scratch, but it affected Gadorf's already precarious balance, chipping again his life force at the same time.

The wyvern tripped on his own feet, crashing against one of the altars. The array protected and empowered it, giving Gadorf the impression of having hit a mountain. Lith was too weak, his battered body didn't allow him for fast movements anymore.

Charging at Gadorf was like asking him to Blink and put him out of his misery.

Lith lifted his sword again, using all the strength he had left to stab the ground, unleashing all the accumulated darkness magic into the array. The wyvern felt like his body was being torn into shreds.

The array was like an IV of life force dripping straight into his core. If Lith's previous tampering felt like someone messing with the needle, now it was like venom had been injected into it.

"What the f*ck are you?" Gadorf yelled, writhing in pain.

His words made no sense to the survivors. Their knowledge of magic was so limited they thought Lith's performance was thanks to his training and equipment. They had no way to understand the number of layers the fight was taking place on, nor the amount of energies which had been expended with every strike.

Gadorf himself only understood that Lith was capable of using true magic, but Life Vision and Invigoration were beyond his comprehension. At that moment Lith was using his breathing technique not to heal his wounds, but to keep a steady flow of darkness magic through the blade, shaking the array to its foundations.

The wyvern roared, realizing his chances to breakthrough to the next level were nigh zero. Best case scenario the array was damaged, worst case scenario it was poisoned.

Gritting his teeth Gadorf conjured his strongest attack, the tier five light spell Purge. His eyes were fixated on Lith while the whole room was filled with streams of light of different colors, resembling an aurora borealis.

Then, everything went black. Agony blinded his mind while a small icicle physically blinded him.

"Forgot about me?" Captain Yerna's voice sounded from his right side. Between the pain from the array and his attention focused on his opponent, Gadorf had really forgotten about the insignificant ants.

Yerna had managed to circle around him, waiting for the moment to strike. Her spell was too weak to change the course of the fight unless it hit a critical spot. Compared to the scales, the wyvern's eyes were soft.

With his concentration lost, Purge was dispelled. Another ice dart was aimed at the remaining left eye. Gadorf only needed to slightly tilt his head to make it harmlessly strike the scales instead. The wyvern was enraged once more, on the brink of losing its mind again.

The wyvern roared, Blinking behind the officer that had just shot from his wand, decapitating him in a single bite. He disappeared again, materializing in front of Sargent Khran, his mouth already opened.

Gadorf hated wasting so much energy, but without the tail and an eye, moving normally would mean becoming a sitting duck. Knowing what was about to happen, Khran inwardly cursed while raising his arms over his head.

His last act wasn't a futile attempt of protecting his life. Khran was aware he wouldn't see ever again his wife or children. Gadorf's fangs effortless bit off his upper torso, swallowing it in one gulp.

What the wyvern didn't know was that inside the Sargent's hands there were the broken extremities of his wand. The damaged alchemical tool went haywire, the wild energies it sealed quickly reached the magical stone, releasing all of its power in a small conflagration.

Lith ignored the screams around him, focusing only on two things. Following the wyvern movements with Life Vision and corrupting the array as fast as he could. The energies seeping into the black core were corroding it instead of nurturing it.

Once the black core filtering them was destroyed, the life forces contained into the array would directly reach the wyvern's true core, destroying it.

The explosion caught both Lith and the wyvern by surprise. Gadorf's innards were strong enough to withstand the blow, but not without taking damage. The wyvern coughed smoke and blood, trying to breathe.

It was the first real opening since the fight had started, yet Lith stood still.

'Without dimensional magic, to get there I'd have to fly. Rather than making myself an easy target, it's better to keep weakening him. If he is able to cut off his pain receptors like I'm doing, he could ignore his wounds and crush me the second I'm within his reach.'

Like they were sharing a mind link, Gadorf used darkness magic to stop feeling pain. He Blinked right above Lith, to squash him with his weight. The talons on his feet were longer than twenty centimeters (8 inches) and harder than steel.

The wyvern slashed downwards with his legs, their longer reach prevented Lith from raising his sword and impale him. He had no time to adjust his position, standing there meant having his arms torn or worse.

Lith rolled away, but the talons still managed to open deep wounds on his back, from the clavicle to under his rib cage. Blood spurted all over the wyvern's body, filling him with renewed confidence.

Gadorf pushed forward to not lose the advantage, following the prey closely. Lith couldn't expose his back anymore, so he turned around, slashing randomly with the Gatekeeper to keep the monster at bay.

Lith's swordsmanship was already bad to start with. Now that his arms were weakened by the wounds, Gadorf had an easy time grabbing it in mid air and ripping it from Lith's hands in one fluid movement.

Contrary to his expectations, the brief contact welcomed him into a world of hurt. The sword had been infused with light magic, granting it healing properties. The spell Lith had imbued it with wasn't meant to treat any injury, only to reconnect the severed pain receptors.

Gadorf lost his grip, throwing the sword as far as he could. His throat was back to burning so bad that every breath was agony. Every time the ice shard piercing his eye moved, the pain would make his vision go blank.

Suddenly Gadorf couldn't breathe nor see. He fell on his knees trying to control the spasms and shut down the receptors again. The wyvern regained his sight just in time to see Red completing his spell, turning the world around them into shards of light.

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After Captain Yerna's wake up call, Red was forced to bet everything on a desperate gamble. The members of the unit were dying like flies and despite his outstanding equipment, there was only so much White could do against a wyvern.

The Captain had asked him to do his thing, but there was actually a single option in his arsenal. Countering an unknown array was almost impossible, the only thing he could do was to identify its key points and use them to bring it down.

Destroying an array was always risky, even more if you were blocked inside it. It meant twisting the energies coursing through the formation into chaos, turning the mana flow against itself until its structure collapsed.

The stronger the array, the greater the risk for the consequences to be literally explosive. The only perk of the Disarray spell was to be relatively quick compared to most Warden incantations.

'If it works I may die, but if it doesn't I'll die for sure. Here goes everything!' Red thought.

The only silver lining was that, based on his previous analysis, the array seemed to be based on light magic, hence probably harmless.

Probably.

The word echoed in his mind while the Life Draining array shattered, freeing the prisoners from their cage. The life force released formed wisps of light, the intensity of which made it almost impossible to see.

The surviving member of the unit jumped off the nearest window without hesitation, quickly followed by Red. While their uniforms could easily protect them from the fall, the same could not be said against an angry wyvern.

Their escape almost had a tragic ending, since their colleagues surrounding the house had been spooked by the explosion of lights. Not receiving any response from the Captain for several minutes, they had requested for back up and were expecting the worse.

The sudden explosion made them trigger happy. A few of them shot at their falling comrades before seeing the black of their uniforms.

Meanwhile, Gadorf was panicking. The array had been dispelled before the link between the magic formation and his mana core could be severed. What was meant to be his instrument toward godhood was now a gaping hole in his cores.

He had the means and the knowledge to mend the damage, the Master had foreseen for such an eventuality to happen. The black core served both as a filter for the foreign energies and as a plug.

The problem was the contingency plan had been devised for the case something went wrong during the casting of the array or the assimilation process, not to be used in dire circumstances.

Gadorf was heavily injured, most of his mana spent. Not to mention he had no doubt that the monstrous kid wouldn't let him cast a new array and perform several healing spells while standing idle.

"Come on, White. Let's go!" Captain Yerna was still there. White was just an unknown temporary member of her unit, but she had seen too many good people die in a single day to leave someone, especially a kid, behind.

Lith's body was battered, covered with so many first degree burns his skin was nigh red rather than pink. Life fusion had partially healed the haemorrhage on his back, but it was still bleeding.

Now he could Blink again, the problem was he had enough strength just for one last trick and movement spells inflicted no damage.

'Leave no loose ends.' His mind kept looping. The wyvern knew.

The wyvern had to die.

Invigoration was off the table. The moment he focused on the breathing technique, Gadorf could still Blink. Even if Lith knew exactly where he would appear, the wyvern had proved to be too fast even for his enhanced reflexes.

That when his body had yet to become a bloody mess.

Hearing Yerna's voice triggered Gadorf. His blind eye was a constant reminder of what underestimating her could cause. Following his mana perception, the wyvern cast a stream of lightning with his left hand while charging up a breath to intercept Lith the moment he came to the rescue.

Seeing the air crackle, Yerna cursed at the monster before taking cover behind an altar, still refusing to leave. Even without the array, the marble was unaffected by the spell.

Contrary to the wyvern's expectations, Lith didn't move an inch. His eyes kept staring at his opponent while his hands weaved and amplified a spell he was too weak to cast with his mind alone.

"Damn you!" Gadorf cursed again. The woman clearly had no value as a hostage. The realization shattered his hopes to use her to stall for time and save his cores.

His time was running out, he could hear the escaped officer yelling about the need of sending reinforcements. Gadorf was left with one choice. The energy from the Life Draining array was still lingering in the room and there was still more than enough to overload his core.

Remembering the Master's words, rather than death Gadorf preferred to join the ranks of his Abominations. That was the black core's last trump card.

Just like Kalla's blood core made it easier for her turning into an undead, the artificial black core was supposed to greatly increase the wyvern's chances of successfully turning into an Abomination.

Gadorf used the last of his magical strength to collect all the energies and forcefully inject them into his body. Suddenly he was full of vigor, the missing tail and the pierced eye didn't bother him more than a scratch would.

His rage and pride were replaced by a quiet hunger while his physical body started to crack under the massive pressure coming from inside. For the first time in his life, Gadorf felt at peace with the world.

His path was now clear in front of him, neither Lith or his father meant anything. The only sour note was that until he learned how to control his new body, magic would be out of his reach.

"I'll need a lot of life force to complete the transformation. It's a good thing Xenatos is such a populous city." Gadorf's tone was relaxed, but he was actually focused. With his new senses, he could perceive that Lith's spell was a darkness one.

"Since the two of you pushed me this far, it's only fair for you to become the foundations of my new life." The wyvern smiled softly while his flesh crumbled.

Such a spell was useless against him now that he was back at his prime. Darkness magic was the bane of undead and Abominations alike, but even the most powerful sword was useless if it was unable to hit its target.

Gadorf bolted toward Lith, lured by the light of his cyan core like a thirsty man by a gushing fountain. He moved in a zig-zag pattern, making impossible to predict his trajectory.

The wyvern was so fast that he had barely the time to notice that the young mage was uncaring for the evasive maneuver. Lith just focused all of his strength on his right hand.

His right bare hand.

'Didn't he wear a magic gauntlet? Where has it…' Even if he had realized it earlier, it would have been useless. Back when he had ripped the Gatekeeper from Lith's hand, Solus had followed suit, suppressing her energies behind the sword's waiting for an opening.

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While the wyvern wasted his movements, the sword flew in a straight line held and empowered by Solus, whose senses allowed her to pinpoint her target with surgical precision.

Infused with air magic, the Gatekeeper struck a split second after leaving the ground where it lied in ambush. The blade went through and through, adding its own momentum to the wyvern's to drag him to his demise.

Lith unleashed the darkness spell while Solus acted like a lightning rod, guiding it to destination. Their lives were linked and so were their energies. Manipulating Lith's spells, even from a distance, came natural to Solus like thinking.

"There's two of you?" There was no rage in Gadorf's last whisper, only surprise.

His cores were already weakened from the continuous poisoning Lith had inflicted them and the stress the metamorphosis caused. The first wave of darkness was enough to wipe them both away, turning the wyvern into a bad memory.

The sword disappeared into the glove and the glove shapeshifted back into a ring before returning to Lith's finger. When Yerna came out of her hiding spot, it was already over. Everything had happened in just a few seconds after the lightning struck.

"A little help here." Lith was sitting on the ground in a small pool of his own blood.

The Captain had no idea what had happened, yet it didn't stop her from applying first aid at the best of her capabilities. The wounds were too extensive, they required tier four healing magic. Stopping the bleed was within her reach instead.

"The monster?" She looked around nervously, expecting it to jump out from the shadows.

"Dead. That lightning was his swan's song." Lith lied, pointing his finger to the few scales still in the process of turning into light.

"Seems his life and the array were connected. Red saved our lives."

"Saved our lives my a*s!" The Captain cursed. She knew it was unbecoming of an official and didn't care one bit at the moment.

"Even if what you say is true, it means that if instead of chickening out he had acted earlier, half of my team would still be alive. Khran would still be alive!" Yerna had yet to come to terms with the massacre of her unit.

"You are crazy, instead. Tampering right off the bat with an unknown array and holding your ground like a madman." She wanted to scold him, but found herself unable to.

"The good kind of crazy. Red or not, I'm going to write in my report that if it wasn't for you, we would be lying on those altars, waiting for that crazed monster to turn us into dried meat. That and the fact we've been set up."

"Set up?" Lith raised his eyebrow in interest.

"Yes, even if I have no proof, I'm certain of it. Too much of our intel was wrong. The support was supposed to be on stand by, yet never arrived. Too many things do not add up. It's likely to be all my fault. I stepped on too many entitled toes during the last years.

"I'm ready to bet my next two months' pay that everything will be covered up. Some minor bureaucrat will be fired, all thoughts and prayers to the victims, but in the end, nobody will be held accountable.

"Those rich b*stards always get away with everything." Rage and sorrow cracked her voice.

"Gods, so many people have died today. Good people. What I'm going to say to their families?"

Lith didn't know and didn't care.

"I'm not much for justice…" He took out his communication amulet.

"but revenge, is something I respect. It's time to see if my pin is worth its troubles." Lith called what he thought being his most powerful ally. He had no idea if the real target was him or the Captain. Either way, Yerna's reasoning was sound.

Someone had to pay.

The royal constable Jirni Ernas was surprised seeing Lith's identification rune, he never called her before.

"This better be imp… What happened to you?" Lith looked like a burning building had just collapsed on his head, yet Jirni knew he could shrug off such a trivial event without a scratch.

"Murder attempt. I've been set up during academy duty." Lith used the same tone anyone would use to talk about the weather.

Jirni liked him more every time they spoke.

'Calm and collected, like a professional.'

"Tell me everything."

"One moment." Lith gave the amulet to the captain, who didn't know how to react.

"Ma'am, your son is safe and sound. I can't tell you more and neither should he." Yerna threw a mean look at Lith.

"Today's events are likely to be classified, I'm really sorry."

Jirni found the situation hilarious, yet she just smiled warmly. Unlike Lith's standard issue communication amulet, her own was capable of forwarding and registering conversations, among many things.

She shared the call with Linjos and the Queen, before making the proper introductions.

"Don't worry, Captain Yerna." Her amulet's facial recognition program had already uploaded the Captain's personal file along with all the relevant information about her career.

"I'm not his mother. I'm the royal constable Jirni Ernas. Give me a detailed report of what happened. Start from the beginning.'

"A wyvern?" Linjos was shocked, the Queen merely amused.

"What are your orders, your Majesty?" Jirni asked.

"Go to the precinct, interrogate everyone thoroughly. Find who is behind this attack and why it happened." Queen Sylpha was wandering how valuable could it be a mage who faced a Valor first and an Evolved monster later and lived to tell the tale.

"It won't take long." Jirni was on her way since the Captain had finished her report.

"Once I find them?" It wasn't a matter of 'if' in her mind, only of 'when'.

"Search their homes, interrogate them very thoroughly and once you are finished with them, kill them all." The only answer that came to Queen's mind was 'priceless.'

"Something slow and flashy. I want to send the message that the Crown is not to be trifled with. Just to be sure to hit where it really hurts, strip their families of all their wealth. Half for the Crown, the other half to split between the academies involved. Make sure the families of the victims get properly compensated."

'Well, not bad for just an hour of work.' Lith thought once he was back at the White Griffon academy. There was still one hour and something before the beginning of the next lesson.

Arriving at Xenatos, listening to the debrief, and scouting the place had taken them half an hour. The assault at the building lasted less than ten minutes, the rest of the time had been lost receiving first aid.

'I could have healed everything by myself, but since normal people need hours to regenerate mana or life force, it's better not to show off.'

'The plan worked like a charm.' Solus thought merrily. 'My new powers grant me much more versatility. I'm still a yellow core, but I can pull my weight now.'

It was her first time killing someone, yet she couldn't care less.

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The Skinwalker armor had more holes than swiss cheese, but it was perfectly functional. The problem was repairing it required time or mana. Alas, Lith had a shortage of both.

Luckily, the Warp Gate (*) brought him straight from Xenatos to Linjos's office, where Manohar, Vastor, and Marth were waiting for him.

Marth was there to heal his wounds while Vastor replenished his life force. Manohar was attending out of curiosity. He seemed to find the story of the wyvern and his mysterious array quite fascinating.

Lith reported to them the events, replying to all their questions about the nature of the Life Draining spell being careful to not blow his cover.

"Fascinating!" Manohar listened to every detail like they were sweet words from his beloved one.

"Wyverns are also known as pseudo dragons or lesser dragons. Never use those terms in front of them. They consider it a racial slur, just like the word 'lizard'."

"Bah!" Vastor scoffed at Manohar's childish enthusiasm. "I have yet to meet a single dragon and even if they exist, they would still be lizards. A wyvern is even worse, it's just a lizzie."

"A what?" Lith asked.

"It means a lizard with an inferiority complex." Marth explained.

"It's how we members of the Queen's corps refer to wyverns when they are not within earshot."

"Wait, you are members of the Queen's corps?" Lith was flabbergasted. Vastor looked more like a chef than a fighter. Marth closely resembled one of his high school teachers. As for Manohar, he was Manohar.

It was an inhuman task just to imagine someone willing to fight beside him without being given the opportunity to strangle him on a regular basis.

"We are. Don't underestimate me because of my well-fed exterior." Vastor patted his large belly to emphasize the point.

"Every element is deadly. It all depends on the user. Also, there is no one mad enough to walk into a fight without a true healer. After you experience enough battles, even if you start as a total rookie, you are bound to pick up a few tricks along the way."

"Indeed. Until wars and illnesses exist, healers are like breathing. Something annoying that you can't live without." Manohar nodded in agreement with Vastor.

"Back to the lizzie's topic, I wonder what the array did for him. Beasts use a kind of magic completely different from ours. Maybe we could have learned something by comparing a human and a beast array."

"Unlikely." Vastor scoffed again while checking Lith's vitals.

"Surely it was something idiotic. It cost him his life."

"Today I find myself agreeing with you often, my mildly esteemed colleague." Manohar nodded again.

Vastor took the unintended insult gracefully, barely dilating his nostrils in annoyance.

"How do you feel?" Marth had just finished regrowing his hair.

"Tired." Lith replied.

"You don't say, Lith." Vastor gave him a hospital gown to wear over his tattered clothes.

"The first lesson of Body Sculpting will be a simple one, but you still need mana. Let's go to the hospital and find you a bed. You can rest until your companions get back from their chores."

A Warp Steps brought them to destination.

"I'm really proud of you. It's amazing how much you have grown as a mage in a single year." Vastor said while Lith was tucking himself inside one of the beds in the VIP wing.

"Yet I feel forced giving you an unsolicited piece of advice. Being under the spotlight feels good, I know it very well. Sometimes it's better to keep a low profile, though. Otherwise the wrong kind of people will take interest in you.

"At that point, being a healer will become a hobby, a cover story at best. Small or big, there is no country that isn't constantly looking out for a Highmaster." Vastor sighed deeply.

His eyes went out of focus, Lith's enhanced instinct could sense that the Professor was being overwhelmed by bad memories.

"That's how the Griffon Kingdom calls them." Vastor mistook Lith's curiosity about his past for confusion about the unknown term.

"The Gorgon Empire prefers the term Ravager while the Blood Desert calls them Starkiller. No matter the name, they are all the same. Mass murderers with a badge."

"I thought War Mages and Wardens are the real backbones of an army."

"They are." Vastor nodded. "Highmasters rarely take part in a war. It's too risky. They either start or end it."

A long silence befell between the two men, while Lith mulled over the Professor's words.

"This time you had no choice, but the next time you attend a party, do not show off that much. Otherwise when you get to my age, you'll have a lot of regrets." Vastor closed the curtains around the bed, giving Lith shade and privacy.

'He's a man full of surprises.' Solus said.

'Indeed. The real question is: is he worried about my future or rather that someone recruits me before he does? There is no such thing as a free meal.'

'Your paranoia it's disheartening.' Solus pouted. 'Can't you just accept someone's kindness at face value for once?'

'My paranoia is one of the reasons I'm still alive.' After all that had happened that day, Solus had no argument to refute his logic.

When the first gong woke Lith up, most of the damage sustained by the Skinwalker armor was repaired. It took him a bit of mana for the finishing touch while using Invigoration to recover his strength.

His body was in perfect condition, but his mind was still sluggish.

'The Skinwalker amor's self repair speed is much greater than the uniform's, yet it's still not enough. I better recover at least half of my mana. No matter how simple the lesson can be, I don't want to suffer a headache the whole time.'

Professor Vastor was waiting at the hospital's entrance for the students to arrive. He led them inside a small laboratory that had been rearranged to be used as a classroom. It contained sixteen desks, each one with a sealed fish tank on it.

After the students took their places, Vastor snapped his fingers. Inside the tanks now there was what appeared to be a cake shaped gelatine. They were all identical, each one was a translucent, colorless mass with no distinguishing feature.

Only when the 'cakes' started to move around, looking for a way out of the fish tanks, some of the youths realized what was in front of them.

"Is this a slime?" Yurial asked pointing at the thing that was slowly climbing the glass, until it was hanging upside down from the top of the tank.

"Yes. Ten points to Yurial for his expertise." Those that had recognized the creature too but hesitated to express their mind, silently cursed at Yurial.

"The first part of today's exercise is to learn the Scanner spell which detects the subject's life force, and then use it on the slime in front of you. These creatures have the simplest life force pattern known to man, so I expect it shouldn't take much for talented students like you to get accustomed to it."

"What's a slime?" Lith asked. He had never found a trace of them in any bestiary he had purchased, nor met any during his hunts.

"Excellent question." Vastor nodded while throwing a mean look at those that were sniggering behind Lith's back.

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"Even if can be dangerous if let grow unchecked, a slime is not a monster. By definition, a monster is a sentient creature that naturally harbors hostility towards mankind.

"Despite having the intelligence and the means to communicate, monsters see us as we do with cattle. That's why magical beasts are not considered monsters, because they are capable of understanding human speech and cooperate with us.

"The same applies to Evolved monsters that are called as such simply because they don't resemble animals anymore and because we humans need to put tags on everything.

"The slime is not a monster because it lacks both sentience and hostility. It's a mindless natural scavenger that preys mostly on small animal carcasses. The more they eat the more they grow in size, until they split generating two individuals that are the exact copy of the original one.

"Some researchers even hypothesize that all existing slimes have spawned from a single one over the millennia, but I digress. What matters to you for this exercise, is that all the slimes on your desks are identical and we have more to spare.

"So even if you mess up, you can get a replacement."

A snap of Vastor's finger made a slime appear on the desk in front of him. He quickly cast Scanner, making the slime deflate while its fluids spread inside the tank

Some students shuddered, imagining the same thing happening to a human patient in front of them.

"Is the Scanner spell harmful to the patient?" Lith asked.

"Ten points to Lith for his scientific curiosity and admirable work ethic."

Once again, each assigned point was a knife in the heart of those that despite having the same question didn't ask it, fearing it was a stupid one.

"No, it's not. However, some students get carried away in excitement and attempt to manipulate the life force with messy consequences."

At that point, Vastor taught them Scanner. Less than five minutes later everyone had mastered the spell and were using them to study their own test subject.

"Professor, my slime keeps moving around. Is there a way to hold it still?" Asked a boy.

"Sure, you just have to kill it." Vastor replied with a sneer.

"Do you expect a heart to stop beating or the blood to stop flowing to make your life easier? Consider the slime as an involuntary muscle."

Lith was amazed by the slime's composition. Despite being liquid looking, once seen through the Scanner spell it actually resembled a stack of gelatinous lego bricks. To move they would slide along each other, swapping their position like a treadmill.

Each brick emitted a red pulsing light that defined its contours, its individual vitality, providing a living map of the whole creature. Even if the bricks appeared to be capable of independent movement, after further examination Lith noticed a red pathway connecting all the nearby bricks.

He then used Invigoration to compare the two skills.

He hoped that just like clothes, the thin barrier between the slime and his hand wasn't enough to block his magical sense. Through Invigoration Lith could sense the creature's life force, its feeble mana flow, but no life force or any organ.

To Invigoration the slime appeared like a huge single-cell organism.

'Seems fake magic just beat us this time.' Lith was amazed and kind of frightened by the discovery that even Invigoration had limits.

'For now.' Solus eased his paranoia with her soothing voice.

'We can always master Scanner and evolve it into true magic. Also, who knows? Maybe it can teach us new ways of using Invigoration.'

Lith inwardly nodded, going back to use Scanner, but this time on himself to better comprehend what the spell was showing him. Unlike Invigoration, Scanner was unable to provide full-body imaging.

Everything appeared as a red blur until Lith focused his attention on his arm and then on his hand. Now he could see the muscles, the bones, the blood vessels as well as the nerves surrounding them.

Yet he visualized them as red lego bricks too. Some were smaller, others bigger, but all were connected by multiple glowing red strings the complexity of which made him dizzy. It was like studying a 3D railway map made with an erector set.

The intricacy of a single of Lith's fingers was way higher than that of the whole slime. Lith went back to examining the slime again, gaining a new understanding of how the creature worked.

Suddenly, Vastor clapped his hands, almost making him flinch in surprise.

"The first hour is over. Enough with the theory, it's time to put what you have learned to practice. I can tell you in advance it's a bad day for being a slime."

Griffon Kingdom, City of Xenatos, House of Duke Cailon

Eberst Cailon, twelfth Duke of Xenatos, was a big and burly man. Even though he had been born a noble, Eberst had voluntarily served in the army, quickly achieving the rank of Captain.

After the honorable discharge, he had never stopped training himself following a rigid schedule. With his 1.9 meters (6'3"), he was an imposing sight to behold. His pitch black hair and beard made him look authoritative, almost cruel.

Rumour said that he never cried during his adult life. Neither when his beloved parents died of old age or when his wife gave birth to his firstborn.

Yet now, while Lith was studying his slime, Duke Cailon was sobbing, shivering uncontrollably. There were no restraints preventing him from standing up from the chair of his own office and run for his life, yet he didn't dare to.

Not after his last attempts only resulted in a dislocated shoulder, three broken false ribs, and his index fingers more twisted than a pretzel.

Fear blocked him like the cruelest of chains. He couldn't understand how someone so small could also be so strong.

Lady Jirni Ernas was a petite woman, barely 1.52 cm (5') high. She was wearing her dark blue military uniform that emphasized her blonde hair held up in a ponytail and her sapphire blue eyes. She looked like a doll.

If the doll was Chucky's blood relative, of course.

"You are really making things hard for me, Ebert." Her tone was sad, almost sympathetic.

"Everyone at the precinct, even the chief of police, was so kind to break in less than a few minutes of interrogation each. I already have everything I need to convict you of capital crimes."

Jirni pointed at the several folders she had thrown on the desk of his own office at the begin of their conversation. Each one contained hard proof of how large sums of money, after passing through the hands of several figureheads and being laundered by shell companies ended straight in his personal accounts.

Each folder was a different source of income. Human trafficking, embezzling of royal funds for the territory, bribery, and so much more. Some of those papers weren't even supposed to exist, but in such shady business, it was common practice for the involved parties to keep some records as "insurance", in case something went wrong.

Duke Cailon accomplices had sold him. Some in exchange for a reduced sentence, others just to make Jirni stop.

A burst of pain from his shoulder made him scream.

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"Finally!" Jirni exclaimed. Ebert Cailon had managed to impress her. Hurting or threatening him had been useless until that moment. It was the first time he made a real sound.

"Aside from cracking their own nails, nobles are not supposed to have a notion of pain. It's what makes you so easy to interrogate. Now we have something to work on." She removed the ten centimeters (4 inches) enchanted needle imbued with her light magic.

The pain disappeared, leaving only a small trickle of blood.

"What was that?" Duke Cailon asked while gasping for air.

"A nerve bundle in your deltoid muscle."

"Do your worst, witch." He replied while gritting his teeth. "If I'm already dead, I have nothing to lose. You can make me scream, but I will not betray my comrades!"

"Comrades? This means they are your buddies from the army." She giggled.

Eberst bit his tongue in despair. Then, everything went off the rails.

"As for having nothing to lose, I beg to differ." She showed him her communication amulet while pressing a too familiar contact rune.

"That's my son's rune! How did you get it?" Duke Cailon went pale.

"Dad?" A childish voice came out of the amulet.

"Is that you? Is everything all right, daddy?"

Jirni pressed the rune a second time, ending the call.

"You can talk now, or I can make your son spectate to our next session. It's all up to you." She smiled softly, aware that her prey was mortally wounded

"You are a monster!" Ebert jumped from the chair trying to tackle her. He held his only arm high to protect his vitals, as the army had taught him.

Jirni executed a low kick in response. The steel toe of her booth hit the side of his left kneecap, shattering Ebert's balance and knee joint at once. Before he could fall on the ground, she headbutted Duke Cailon on the nose and back on the armchair.

Her right hand moved like a snake, striking at a nerve on the back of the neck with her index and middle finger. The pain hit like a shockwave, making Ebert forget for a second about his broken joint.

"Ebert, start telling me something I don't know. Otherwise I'll show you what a real monster is."

White Griffon Academy, in the same moment.

A second sealed fish tank appeared on each desk. At first glance there was no difference between them, nor between their inmates.

"The first slime is a 'healthy' one. The second one is your patient. We Professors have altered their life forces and created anomalies in their bodies. You'll use the first slime as a baseline to find what's wrong in the second one and understand how you are going to fix it." Vastor explained.

'It's the same method I used to cure mom.' Lith was amazed by how much tier five magic resembled true magic.

Several hands were raised at once. Vastor pointed at Friya, allowing her to talk.

"Professor, before you effortlessly killed a slime. Does this spell have any combat application?"

"No." Vastor shook his head. "I managed to do that because all slimes are identical. I don't even need to look at their life force anymore to know how to manipulate them. To use it against an opponent, I'd need them to be still long enough for me to understand their life force.

"During all that time, I could kill them hundreds of times by using more ordinary spells."

Now it was Quylla's turn to speak.

"Professor, are we really sure they are mindless creatures? This exercise seems cruel."

"Mindless, yes. I can assure you about that. They have no mind nor memory, just instincts. It has been proved by countless experiments. I won't lie to you, though. They are still living beings, so they feel pain. Remember this while you play with their lives."

Some students shuddered. They unconsciously took a step back from the tanks.

"No one forces you to be here. No one forces you to become a Healer." Vastor sighed.

"Tier five healing magic is extremely delicate. It can only be learned through a trial and error process. We start with slimes because they are easy to deal with, but also because they are the perfect starting point to steel yourself.

"They have no eyes, no mouth, no fur. Nothing that can make you empathize with them. Then we will move to small animals, bigger animals and lastly on humans. If you hesitate now, how will you be able to heal anyone?"

"Humans? We'll have patients?" Many students asked in unison.

"No. You'll have convicts, not patients. People whose actions are so terrible that even the death penalty has been deemed not to be punishment enough. People that no one cares about and would be better off dead, but still people."

Several of those present gulped a lump of saliva. They looked at each other, wondering what to do. Some even eyed the door, uncertain for the first time about their career.

"Would you prefer to practice on innocents? To kill anyone dumb enough to ask for your help until you learn how to properly perform Body Sculpting? If it can ease your conscience, those convicts would die anyway after several hours of torture.

"They volunteered for this. You are their only hope for a clean death. If you are so worried about hurting someone, you shouldn't have picked any specialization. A Healer is also a torturer.

"Battle and War Mage are fancy names for killers. Alchemists and Forgemasters are nothing more than weapon dealers. Now, for those still interested in becoming Healers, I'll explain the Chisel spell. The rest of you feel free to leave."

No one left the room, but it was clear from the mood that many had doubts.

The spell was complex and required a lot of focus. It generated a single blue tendril of mana that allowed the student to interact with the patient's life force with surgical precision.

The task was made even harder by the necessity of employing two spells at once: Scanner and Chisel. Vastor explained that a full fledged healer required at least triple casting. The ideal procedure required to use Scanner twice. One for the patient and the other for the healthy subject, usually the Healer themselves. Chisel was employed only on the patient.

A few slimes were colored, some had odd shapes, others had small tendrils. Lith's slime was one of the latter. After carefully studying both slimes, he came up with two possible solutions.

'From what I can see with Scanner, while normal bricks are all linked between themselves, those that make up the tendrils are disconnected from the main body, with the only exception of those at the base of the tendrils.

'So, I can either severe the life force connecting the bricks that serve as junction or make them be reabsorbed. I have no idea how to perform the second procedure, though.' Lith pondered about the problem, before following Occam's Razor.

The simplest explanation is usually the correct one.

The first method was similar to amputation, something that Vastor had harshly criticized during the first lesson. It was bound to be painful for the patient as well as wasteful. Hence Lith deduced it was also the wrong solution.

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The second method, instead, required for Lith to create new strands of life force and use them to connect the isolated bricks inside the tendrils to the ones inside the body. Lith did like Vastor suggested, using triple casting to keep everything under control.

When the gong rang, the class was disheartened. Only a few slimes had died, but none of the students succeeded Sculpting the slime back to normal. Lith had only managed to make a single tendril a bit shorter after the whole hour.

Vastor didn't seem to mind, patting their backs and complimenting them.

"Excellent work, people. I'm amazed by how many of you successfully used triple casting. We'll continue next time."

"Continue?" Everyone was dumbfounded.

"Well, yeah." Vastor replied with a laugh. "To finish at your first attempt in just an hour you should be monsters. Before you go, a word of advice to those who killed their slime. Cutting meat it's a butcher's work, not a Healer's.

They may be mindless creatures, but if you do not anesthetize them, even slimes die out of shock from the excessive pain. Class dismissed."

Lith walked toward his companions, pondering about what he had learned.

'Now I get why Marth was so enthusiast about the diagnostic spell I shared. Scanner is able to sense life force in great detail, but it gives no information about the actual body. Also, it's overly convoluted. Even repairing a single bone by altering the life force is not an easy feat. It's much simpler to use normal light magic.' He thought.

'Not only that.' Solus chimed in. 'It's also very risky. Altering the life force means that the slightest mistake causes damage that can only be fixed by using Chisel again, which can lead to another mistake. The silver lining of this method is that on Mogar they can use it to fix genetic disorders.'

'Indeed. We must find a way to incorporate Scanner with Invigoration or at least with your life sense, otherwise…'

"Is it true?" Friya interrupted their conversation. Yurial and Quylla followed her closely.

"What is true?" Lith was still thinking about genetic disorders, but there was no such term in Mogar's tongue.

"That you fought a wyvern, you dummy!"

"I thought it was supposed to be a secret, but yes it's true." Lith nodded in slight surprise.

"It's a secret if you have no relatives in the army, the Mage Association, or in an important family." Friya scoffed at his naivety.

"That or if unlike most of us, you aren't working as a clerk for the Association." Quylla pointed out. It was the second available duty awarding the most points. It came with zero risks, aside from dying of boredom under a mountain of documents.

"What happened in Xenatos generated a mountain of paperwork. I doubt any student of any academy at this point doesn't know about it."

"Who cares about the paperwork!" Yurial wanted more juicy news.

"What does a wyvern look like? Was it strong? How the heck did you survive? The reports didn't say much. You must tell us everything!" Lith was happy and pissed off at the same time by seeing them so excited.

Happy because after Balkor's attack, the mood turned heavy. It took the whole winter break for things to slowly go back to normal. Pissed off because it was his life they were talking about like it was some kind of reality show.

"He was impressive." Enemy or not, Lith refused to speak about Gadorf as a thing instead of a person. He used the same respect he would have liked for himself or for Solus, if their true nature was ever exposed.

"A wyvern…"

"Thank the gods you are okay!" The moment they walked out the light magic department, Phloria hugged him tightly, lifting him a few centimeters from the ground.

"I'm going to kill you for making me hear about it from my mom instead than from you." Contrary to her words, the embrace was tender and her voice filled with warmth.

"I didn't want to bother you during your community service." He had prepared no lie, so Lith spoke the truth.

"How can you put your life and my community service on the same priority level?" Phloria was shocked.

"Did you at least call your parents?" She put him down.

"Why would I?" Her questions didn't make any sense to him.

"Are you telling me you almost got cooked, sliced, and yet you didn't feel the need to call anyone? To hear a friendly voice to share the joy of being alive? Seriously, what's wrong with you?" Now her voice and words were a match made in heaven.

Lith froze for a second. It was all true. Between the disregard for his own life he felt ever since he was on Earth and everything that had happened on Mogar, a near death experience felt just like a Monday to him.

The realization was disturbing.

"I never made a mystery of being kind of insane in the membrane." Lith tapped his temple with an index finger.

"So do you want me to list what's wrong with me in chronological, or alphabetical order?"

The group had a good laugh at Phloria's expenses. She was the only one to not find the joke funny. Not one bit.

She pinched her nose with her eyes closed, trying to calm down.

"Okay, now tell me everything about your day from the beginning. I need to know how bad it is."

While they walked toward the canteen, Lith shared with them the whole story.

House Ernas, at that moment.

Lady Ernas managed to get home just in time for lunch. Even if their duties kept them apart for most of the day, she and Orion always tried to consume their meals together. It was a way for them to relax and unload their daily burdens.

Jirni had still much to do in Xenatos. After Cailon surrendered, he had given her the names of all the players involved in that morning's events together with all the dirt he had on them.

In the underworld, there was no honor among noble criminals. The best way to get rid of a competitor had always been to collect incriminating evidence until there was enough for an anonymous tip.

At that point, if the constable assigned to the case was competent enough, it was only a matter of time before the Kingdom did the dirty work in their stead. What Duke Cailon had given her wasn't enough to indict any of them, but enough to start an investigation.

A confession to a Royal Constable didn't allow to bargain for a reduced sentence unless it was backed by proof. That was another reason why so many collected information about their competition. It was both a weapon and a shield for rainy days.

Now that she had completed a branch of the investigation, she had to open the new one from what she had. Like a domino, Jirni had to bring down the little pieces, until she had enough to make the big ones fall too.

There was only one rule in that game: follow the money.

While power plays could be concluded with an allusion or a handshake, moving huge sums always left a trail. Following such trails was Jirni Ernas's specialty. Aside from interrogation, of course.

She was surprised to discover that Orion had prepared the main dish. Cooking was a hobby he practiced when something was troubling him.

"Did something happen today to you too, dear?" Orion was a good cook. It was the timing of the events worrying her.

"As a matter of fact, yes. From today onwards, I'm relieved from all my duties as a member of the Knight's Guard."

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