Jered proudly straightened the lapels of his coat as he claimed first place in the Global Ranking. That spectacular moment was further enhanced by the stunned silence of the crowd. The golden shimmer of the barrier fizzled out as the Royal Magicians fell down in a sweaty heap. The spells used in the match had far surpassed that of an Elder-Tier. There was no respite for the barrier, and for the ones tasked with keeping it up. The emcee cleared his throat as he repeated, "We have a winner... Jered von Jacobs has won..."
A smattering of applause sounded out before everyone else joined in and burst into a standing ovation.
The Royal Magicians quickly headed to the downed form of Mikhail, lifted him up, and floated him away.
Del, who was somewhere in the stands, was screaming his lungs out in excitement.
Ambrose, who was there along with the executives, got up and left with a thoughtful frown on his face.
A few seats away, Audrey smiled at her father, "Looks like you were right."
"Oui," the man was impassive, though, to an attentive eye, it was clear that the gears were turning and churning in his head.
Misty whistled, impressed, "He actually did it. No wonder you lost then."
"I told you!" Audrey crossed her arms, talking louder so her friend could hear her over the claps and whistles, "He's amazing, isn't he?"
"He is... way too amazing, actually. I'm not sure if it's a good thing, however..."
"What do you mean?"
"Someone like him is bound to become extremely powerful. Like... more powerful than your father..." Misty said, hoping the man in question wouldn't take it to heart.
Jacques nodded quietly, agreeing with her assessment.
"So?" Audrey tilted one eyebrow up, "There are many people more powerful than papa..."
"What she means, dear," a familiar voice interrupted them, "Is that if young Jered were to turn rough... to go down an unsavory road, it could very well be a disaster for the rest of us. While it's always a joy to see such an incredible... no, such an unheard-of talent... we can only hope that he has his heart in the right place, and won't let all that power get to his head."
Audrey looked up at Monika Bauer, and her daughter, Selena, behind her. She was not offended at all by the interruption. Actually, she felt honored that the older woman was addressing her, "Ohh... so you're saying that it would be a bad thing if Jered became evil?"
Selena was plain bored by the discussion, but she still managed a drawn-out 'Duuuh' as she stared at them, "You just need to take a look at Mikhail..." she pointed her finger to the other side of the arena, where a few Magicians were placing restrictive seals on the wounded Mikhail, "They don't see him as a human. But he has a lot of power; and when I say a lot... I mean a whole fucking lot. He could probably hold his own against a Royal Magician. However, to Russia, he's a weapon. And I don't disagree with the idea. After he drank that... he went bonkers. Someone like that has to be controlled... or killed."
"Aren't you exaggerating a bit?" Misty tapped her chin in thought, "I get your point, but Jered is not crazy like Mikhail... there's no way he'd be that bad."
Monika shook her head gently, "The difference here is that one of them is psychotic, unable to hold discussions or feel empathy. Death and destruction are all he thinks about. Hence, his actions are predictable. We know very well that if any of us were to be in the same room with him, unmonitored, he wouldn't hesitate to kill us. As for Jered? He's perfectly in control of himself, of his emotions. He smiles at everyone the same, but he can be ruthless... and that's coming from someone who's 17 years old. At what age did you get your first kill?"
"..."
They lapsed into a dignified silence.
"See what I mean? Jered's actions, contrary to Mikhail's, are not predictable," she continued evenly, "We don't know what he's thinking or what he aims to achieve. All we know is that he's mad talented, composed, and can be quite ruthless. Great traits for someone who strives for greatness; no doubt about that. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't be concerned. Don't you remember Rainey? Such a lovely girl; one of the most brilliant Magicians to have ever lived. Now, please, do remember what she did after that... remember that cute, innocent girl who wanted to change the world for the better."
With those words delivered, Monika and Selena promptly left the premises.
"She's not wrong, I'm afraid," Jacques said after a while, startling Audrey and Misty, "Though I hope dearly she is."
"..."
"..."
And all of a sudden, a sour atmosphere fell over them.
----
It was raining.
The clouds wept a curtain of water. While it was a pain in the ass to move around during such grim weather, the smell was amazing. A flash of thunder streaked overhead, its sonorous rumbling following soon after. Jered had accomplished what Rainey wanted. Fame. His lips curled up as he went through the news on the AUC website. Now it was time to take the next step. It was time to embrace a whole new world. It was time to leave his old life behind.
[Your fourth vein has been stirred.]
His heart thrummed, and he held a hand over it. Each beat filled him with a refreshing sensation, as if he was about to be reborn.
[Your fourth vein has been stirred.]
He couldn't help but laugh as he clutched his chest, his stride slowing down to a halt. He tucked himself in an alleyway, his 'Telekinesis' canceling out due to the erratic movement of his mana.
The rain soaked him, but he didn't mind.
A swirl of heat and embers went off next to him, warming him up slightly. Not long after, a jagged, silver slash of lightning struck the spot to his left. Two silhouettes walked out of their respective elemental portals.
"Looks like it's time..." Rainey's heels clicked, her voice wrapped by the comfort that, soon, she'd be back to work again. Her business in Archiland had been left unresolved for so many years. She smiled as she pulled Jered into her bosom, "Don't worry about anything else. Let it happen, Jered. Don't resist the thrum of power beckoning at you."
Jerry was behind them, "Hah. Holidays are over, huh."
[Your fourth vein has been stirred.]
Jered couldn't feel an ounce of energy in his body, so he gratefully rested his head against Rainey, allowing her full ownership of his unresponsive limbs. She tightened her grip on him, one hand running through his wet hair. He vaguely heard a couple of 'Shhh' 'Shhh' as she peppered his forehead with kisses. His Mana Circuit was throbbing, expanding, burning.
"Let's take him back to the asylum, it's certainly cozier than this damp alleyway," Jerry suggested, a cigarette perpetually hanging between his lips.
Rainey readily agreed, her smile warm and motherly, "Yes."
Hence, in a wave of embers and lightning, they flashed away.
----
A burst of mana billowed up, lingering in the air like ectoplasmic clouds.
Jered's eyes were half-lidded, and through his spinning, hazy vision, he could faintly see Rainey and Jerry looking at him from above.
[Your fourth vein has been vastly stirred.]
And along with that notification, a bigger, stronger ripple of mana blasted out of him. The shockwave was so powerful that the furniture in the room was instantly consumed and vaporized. An extremely potent 'Mana Barrier' was erected over him, containing the volatile, destructive discharges of mana. The pain on his body abated as a feeling of weightlessness settled in. Literally. Jered found himself floating a few feet from the ground—without the use of 'Float'.
'Concentrate, son," John said, standing next to him. For a moment, Jered thought he was hallucinating, for neither Rainey nor Jerry could see him, 'Think about your deepest desire; what you want to achieve with the power you're about again. Is it to protect others? Is it to conquer everything? Think, son. Push your heart with your intentions.'
He closed his eyes.
'Why not? Do you really need a reason to want wealth and power? Ask that to any average Joe and see if they'd answer no. Life is a competition, and I don't care what I have to do to make sure I'm ahead of everyone else.'
That was what he said to Jerry when he learned his first spell. It seemed like ages ago, but it had not been that long since then.
Power. He needed more. What he had wasn't enough. That's what he always told himself. And he didn't need power to achieve some grandiose goal, such as world domination or world destruction. He needed it because he wanted it; it was a psychological need. There was safety in strength, and many roads could easily open up to him with a snap of his fingers—as long as he had it.
It wasn't Wrath. Anger did not control him.
It wasn't Sloth either. Jered never rested.
No, it wasn't Lust. Not once did he ever let himself be swayed by carnal desires.
Pride? Perhaps. There was a thin line between pride and narcissism.
He was sure it wasn't Gluttony. He did indulge himself, but with moderation.
Envy was not it, that was obvious. He couldn't recall a time where he'd ever felt immense jealousy of someone else.
Only one 'Sin' was left. And Jered felt a resonance with it. Probably because whatever he accomplished so far was due to it.
Avaritia.
He snapped his eyes open.
[Sin detected: Avaritia.]
[Avaritia: Be it Power, Wealth, Women, or the World. Everything is up for grabs.]
[Paranoia! is selecting a special spell suitable to the host. Please wait a moment...]
[...]
[...]
[You have learned the Special-Tier spell, Green Flames of Greed.]
[This spell has been created by combining 'Soul Eater' and a fragment of the host's unique bloodline.]
[Green Flames of Greed: The more you kill, the stronger it grows.]
[You have found your 'Sin'. The conditions to unlock your fourth vein have been met.]
An explosion of green mana went off, swirling up into a tornado of pure energy and power. Rainey was slightly surprised when a negligible crack appeared on her 'Mana Barrier'.
[Congratulations. You have unlocked your fourth vein.]
[You have become a Royal. Your mana is purer, stronger, more raffinate. Thanks to that, you can easily gain a noble status anywhere in the world.]
A scorching rush of power filled him. His body couldn't contain all of it, so his mana leaked out, dancing around him in emerald-green ribbons.
Jered slowly floated into a vertical position, his feet touching the ground. He stared at his hands.
[The mana consumption for spells below the Royal-Tier have been reduced by 50%]
[The magic power for spells below the Royal-Tier have been enhanced by 50%]
[You can now use the Royal-Tier spell 'Pharaoh's Flame' without side effects.]
[You can now use the Royal-Tier spell 'Shadowport' without side effects.]
[You can now use the Royal-Tier spell 'Rain of Death' without side effects.]
[You can now use the Royal-Tier spell 'Lanza del Diablo' without side effects.]
The sheer strength he could unleash at that moment was simply ridiculous. His mana pool was so large that it felt endless. And there were still 6 more veins to unlock. Jered couldn't fathom how strong someone who had unlocked all of them was. Perhaps, the World Spirit was at that level. And since he was her indirect enemy, he had to be just as strong to face her.
The 'Mana Barrier' around him faded.
Rainey approached him, her eyes twinkling, her smile so wide he could see her teeth.
"You did it."
He returned the smile, a laugh rolling along with his words, "Yes, I did it."