.

.

"It's all for your own good." A soft voice.

"I will make sure your magic blooms, son." A resolved voice.

"Ben'maat, hold him down while I complete the ritual." A….. regretful voice..?

"Young master." A stoic voice.

"Kellen!" A belligerent voice.

Sounds and memories long faded flowed through my mind as I began to regain consciousness.

I pushed through my lethargy, ignoring the small and insignificant moments that suddenly intruded my thoughts.

My mother's little habit of tracing the outside of my left eye with her fingers to check if I was okay, my father's tendency to hold my shoulder when trying to make a point, Shalla's incessant poking in attempts to annoy me.

Shalla.

Shalla!

I felt my body jolt up as I remembered where I was, or where I was supposed to be.

The world around me cleared up as I took in the image of the dimly lit room around me, my body felt heavy, bound. Courtesy of the chains holding me to the stone table….no…altar, where Shalla's marred and unconscious body was laid.

I spotted my uncle..no, Abydos, standing a few meters away, flanked by his Sha'Tep goons.

"You're finally awake, Kellen." His voice was still as level as ever, annoying me to no end.

I ignored him and tried to remember what the voice of the world had said before I passed out for unknown reasons.

Unique skill [Heretic].

That was what I found etched into my soul, it was dark and ominous, like it didn't belong there.

I tried to access the skill, but failed completely.

"Conditional seal, huh." I muttered to myself as the words finally came back to me.

I suspect that this "higher will" that was mentioned is Rimuru, but I suppose that should be a lower thing on my list of priorities.

"Why did you do it?" I finally spoke, my own voice sounded foreign to me, filled with malice I never knew I could bring to bear.

Abydos, who had waited patiently after being ignored, exhaled sharply.

"To make a statement." He said simply.

My magicules churned as I heard his answer.

"A statement? That's why you ruined the life of your own family?" Was he always a radicalist?

"Family? Please, Kellen, we both know that she doesn't consider me as such." He dismissed me like I was a whining child.

I rose to my feet, the chains were tight but I still had a little room for movement. I touched Shalla's ruined bands, I felt my chest tighten as I imagined the despair she would feel when she discovered what had happened to her.

"That's not true…." I whispered, loud enough for Abydos to hear.

His henchmen tensed as they noticed me turning towards them.

"You're in denial, that girl is the very manifestation of the Jan'Tep society that we wish to destroy. To her, Sha'Tep are as insignificant as insects. It wouldn't have taken long for her to filter you into that category, but it seems you've changed."

Society that they wish to destroy? I suppose I could understand at least that.

My mind cleared up further, making me realize that one person was missing. The man that blocked the entrance to this place. Maybe he died from my attack….

Serves him right.

My soul trembled a bit as that inhumane and uncharacteristically ruthless thought manifested.

"That may be so, but do you think this is the way? Destroying the future of a child, earning my enmity and that of the House of Ke?"

I felt my anger rising again as I considered this, it was all so…maddening!

"That won't be much of a problem. This wasn't something done on impulse, we already took measures to weaken the arrogant Jan'Tep." He said, his confidence was evident.

Then it clicked.

"You guys are responsible for Tennant's sickness?" I already knew the answer but I hoped it wasn't so.

"Correct, not just him. Every Jan'Tep house in possession of a Sha'Tep servant has been poisoned by the very ore that gives you your magic." He began to walk towards me…his steps were steady and assured.

I was beginning to panic, then I remembered.

"Your plan isn't really foolproof, considering my parents didn't seem the least bit affected." I grinned, trying to shake him up.

He finally arrived at the altar-like structure, he stood on the other side of it, looking down at Shalla.

"I suppose that's true, I didn't consider that. But I think it won't be much of a problem now."

His confidence irked me.

"And why is that? Do you think you can stand against them?"

"No, not at all. But you can." He looked up from Shalla and stared into my eyes.

Is this a joke? Does he really think I would listen to him?

"I think there's some confusion here, why do you think I would help you after what you did to my sister?" My curiosity was genuine.

"The better question is, why wouldn't you?" He answered, a look of pity flashed in his eyes.

"What?"

"Let me tell you a story, Kellen. I think you'll find it very entertaining."

His words awakened a feeling of foreboding in me.

"I'm not interested." I said, my voice sounding strained as I pulled at my chains.

"Oh, you just don't know what I'm about to say yet."

"Shut up." I warned.

"Once upon a time, there was a woman. Her name was Seren'tia, she was a very talented mage. Almost as talented as your sister over here." He began, completely ignoring me.

That name though…

"Why are you bringing up my grandmother?" Things were getting more confusing.

"For a simple reason. You see, this talented mage, mine and your father's mother…..was Shadowblack."

"Huh?" My response was dumb as I processed his words.

Shadowblack, it was more of a myth than a real problem to me and others my age.

Said to be a dying curse placed on our people by the Mahdek, the Shadowblack was allegedly a manifestation of the corruption that came from utilizing the forbidden discipline of magic, Shadow.

The Jan'Tep never banded themselves in Shadow, it wasn't even recognised as a proper form of magic because it was allegedly demonic.

The same couldn't be said for the Mahdek.

Legends said that they embraced the element with their souls, using it to cast foul magics and curses, spreading their vile influence among humanity.

"Liar…" I weakly refuted Abydos.

"You don't believe me? Well, I'll continue anyway. So this woman with the Shadowblack was fine for the most part, it never really showed itself for the majority of her life, until one day."

He seemed determined to finish his story.

"It was a normal day, just about a year or so after your birth, you were left in the care of your beloved grandmother."

I don't like where this is going.

"Mind you, none of us knew she was Shadowblack back then, so we couldn't prevent what happened."

"Stop."

"Your beloved grandmother, deciding that suffering alone wasn't ideal, made her move to share her plight with her dear grandson."

"Stop!"

"So, she banded him in Shadow. Sad right?"

"Just…stop…" My will was getting weaker and weaker.

"Your father had to put her down himself after she turned her magic against him and his family. He and Ben'maat - your mother, examined you thoroughly, they were hopeful, praying that the Shadowblack wouldn't affect you since the banding wasn't complete."

"No…"

"But it wasn't so. The marks began to show faintly shortly after you received your normal bands, and what did they do after that?"

I called on my fire manipulation skill and tried to melt the chains that bound me before immediately stopping from the unbearable pain. Abydos didn't seem to notice.

"They concealed it. They conducted 'procedures', weakening your magic everyday, convincing you that you were weak and had no talent while they fawned over their other child, her." He narrowed his eyes at Shalla.

"What…what's this supposed to mean? You think I'll betray my parents just because of this?" I glared at him with pure hate.

"I suppose their actions could be seen as noble if you were an idiotic patriot, I know that that's not what you are though, Kellen."

"You don't know anything." I retorted.

He fell silent, his eyes not leaving mine.

Then he spoke again.

"What do you think would happen if you eventually managed to spark a band? What do you think your father would do if he discovered you can now do magic?"

I had an inkling but I couldn't bring myself to say it.

The inconsistency in my father's behaviour towards my training with Rimuru was now making sense.

"He wouldn't hesitate to counter band you." He said with absolute conviction.

"But…I'm his son." I still attempted to argue.

"Not anymore." Abydos said as he pulled a piece of mirror out of his pocket and threw it at me.

I caught the glass in my hands and stared at it, puzzled.

But when I saw my reflection, I understood.

"No….no!" Around my left eye, right where my mother's fingers had traced innumerable times was a curved and branching black line. I really was Shadowblack.

"You see now? They will never accept you, so join me, Kellen. I have no idea how you have the power that you do now but I'm sure that with it, reforming the Jan'Tep would be possible."

His words failed to register as I plunged into despair.

I looked up at the ceiling of the cavern, expecting answers that were not there.

But my eyes reflected something odd.

Staring right back at me was a couple of slightly luminescent red eyes, they were small, like an animal's

Abydos looked upwards as well but seemed to notice nothing.

The 'eyes' glided downwards towards me, I could see a faint outline of a somewhat feline body.

Somehow, I felt a sense of safety from the obviously ominous presence. It felt familiar, felt like Rimuru.

"Hey, kid." A raspy voice called out.

I looked at the eyes that were now replaced by a lean and somewhat beautiful animal.

It's face was way less pleasing to look at.

I didn't respond, fearing that Abydos, who seemed to be giving me space to think, might notice.

"Ah fuck it, don't scream okay?" The animal said, somehow the fact that it spoke wasn't bothering me much.

But….try not to scream…?

My confusion didn't last long as the statement's meaning was made clear.

The animal sank its canines into my exposed skin, it took all I had to mask it as some sort of emotional anguish.

But the pain disappeared just as suddenly as it arrived, and I felt like something had changed.

Reichis…. I said his name that I somehow knew through the mental link that had been created between us by his bite – which was a binding ritual of sorts.

Darn right. I'm sure you understand all the stupid details from all the information I just pumped into your pitiful mind.

It seems Rimuru has helped me once again.

He had named this…Nekhek – something that should scare me based on the myths about them – and altered it just like he altered me.

He had some skills of his own, all of them specialised around stealth and concealment.

I do. I answered, communicating without speech feeling slightly uncomfortable.

I was grateful for the presence of this…thing. It was a good distraction from the disheartening reality I was now faced with.

You're not slow, good for me. So? How do you suggest we murder these meat bags?

Reichis seems to have already concluded what my intentions were, he seems more decisive than me at least.

But I wasn't sure.

What was the point?

If I escaped now, captured them and got my sister out, what was the point?

The damage was done, she would never use magic again. And there was the issue with the markings around my eye that would undoubtedly make me an outcast and an abomination.

Everything was…meaningless.

Is there even a point? I wasn't expecting anything but decided to ask anyway.

I noticed that my perception of time was slowed down, it seems to be an add-on of this telepathy skill.

Are you stupid? What's all the hesitation for? These guys are the enemy, right? Let's just kill them and leave with the sleeping human.

You don't understand! I erupted within the confines of our link.

What's there to understand? Personally, I see a solution to everything that's bothering you. It's you who doesn't understand.

Huh?

What…?

That femboy, he's insane. I'm pretty damn sure that he can fix your sister somehow, you just have to find a way to convince him to.

His words hit me like a full powered spell.

Rimuru…Rimuru can help.

But would he…?

I recalled his cold attitude, but then I also recalled the help he has been giving to me for no good reason.

What does Rimuru Tempest want?

And why did he think I would be able to give it to him?

If I could figure this out, then maybe, just maybe, I could convince him to fix Shalla, even if he couldn't fix me.

Rimuru….but what can I give him in return? My desperation couldn't be more obvious, even through telepathy.

Isn't that obvious? That person seems bored out of his mind, I've seen it with my own eyes.

Boredom..

Entertainment…

Is this it?

I've decided.

Reichis.

Yeah?

Get rid of these chains for me, it's time to kill some meat bags.

Heck yeah!

Reichis immediately got to work, his claws sharpened, my perception of time sped up as the mental connection was closed.

I collapsed to the ground in a show of weakness, distracting Abydos and his goons from the fact that my chains were about to get split in half by a squirrel cat looking animal.

"Kellen, have you decided?" Abydos spoke, deciding he had left me alone long enough.

"Yes, uncle."

At that moment, a sharp metallic sound echoed, and the clinking of chains followed right after.

"Wait, how!?" The man with the tusks mask shouted as I rose to my full height.

"I will change the Jan'Tep." I began.

I could see the beginning of a smile on my uncle's face.

"But…." My hands ignited, red flames billowing out of them, raising the temperature of the room.

I condensed it into a ball and added some wind magic to it to make it more violent.

"Kellen!" Abydos shouted.

"I'm doing it my own way, I don't need a bunch of radical child hurting imbeciles to help me."

Then I let it loose at the henchmen that had attempted to get to me.

The fire went forth and detonated right in front of them, the shock of the explosion sending each into the solid rock that made up the cavern walls.

I had shielded Shalla with a barrier of moving wind.

Abydos stared at me in disbelief and anger, his expression steadily morphing into one of fear.

"Why….why take this path?" He asked me.

Well, I simply realized.

Rimuru was allegedly bored, and seemed to expect me to relieve that boredom.

So.

I will take this town by storm.

I would shake the arcanocracy to its core.

I would show them the true meaning of what it means to be an anomaly.

Why?

"Because a certain someone might find it fun, that's it." I said, my voice now level and unchanging.

I gathered energy and hit Abydos with all the strength I could muster, effectively reaping his consciousness.

"You're one cool human aren't ya?" Reichis piped up from where he was on the altar, already done slashing through Shalla's restraints.

I gently picked her up in my arms and began to walk towards the caverns exit. Reichis hopped on my shoulder, glaring menacingly at the nearly dead Sha'Tep.

But I couldn't care less, it's time I accomplished something for once.

.

.

As I watched Kellen emerge from the mines, I couldn't help but feel slightly guilty.

I could have stopped all this from happening, but I didn't.

All the mental anguish he was currently feeling could have been avoided if I decided to solve all his problems for him.

But then, he wouldn't grow.

Since my encounter with people like Daria, Takt and Damaris, I have developed a habit of watching people grow. I found it fun.

(A/N: This is from my short story called bane of history in my other book, in case any of you were unaware. It's not necessary to read it, this is just a reference.)

Kellen seemed like a good candidate for this.

The new insight into how he became a victim of the Shadowblack made this even more true.

So I will watch over him.

As he makes his mark upon this little planet.

As he carves his existence into the minds of the rotten Jan'Tep.

I will watch, and I will enjoy it.

And at the end of it all, I will reward him.

Ciel, give him a little gift for me.

[Understood, master.]

Don't let me down, Kellen.

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