Nier stretched his gaze around the alley, taking in the darkness and wickedness those dingy houses has held since the realm of Dagonvania was young, while Necronomicon calculated his power loss, announcing that the transportation would be ready within day four of a blood moon.
"Blood moon?" Nier raised a brow, the kid's memories resolved his query right after.
He then looked at the dark sky, discerning 6 moons, each stained in a different color, today was an almost fading blue moon, which only meant that tomorrow would be the first day of a purple moon.
"So in terms of earth time, it's going to be about a year before we can leave this place," Nier said.
[Correct]
[Marlock universe is only strong enough to be our rest station]
"You starting to sound like a scamp," Nier chuckled. "By the way, I always wanted to ask you this, what in the hell are you?"
[...]
[Chapter 28 hidden knowledge]
[The book cannot disclose any input about the book's nature until chapter 28 has been successfully unlocked]
"Hm? I need to unlock your chapters? How?" Nier said.
The Necronomicon answered by making his pages flutter, as he announced:
[Of course]
[From your Earth memories, I have discovered something that we can use to make you unlock my chapters more easily]
"And what would that be?" Nier asked, inquisitive.
[The game element]
[You loved games back in college, although you weren't that great in any of them]
[Dark souls as an example]
[6023 deaths]
[Only finished the game on NG+3]
"Alright, stop," Nier said, going slightly red.
"What's that has to do with anything?"
[I would like to suggest using a Quest guiding system]
"Oh," Nier uttered, "that is quite the idea, but, I would like you to keep your intelligence around, the last thing I need now is a brainless book presenting me with rewards and punishments as if I'm some kind of slave,"
[...]
"Besides, I would like to keep my options flexible—" Nier pouted, scoffing the idea at once.
[The Necronomicon would not dare]
[The system would not offer punishment nor any kind of enforcement]
[It's simply a way to unlock my chapters]
[I'm composed of 32 chapters, each harboring a set of powers]
[To unlock them you need to complete the Quests I give you]
[Quest 1 and 2 has been already completed]
[Points Earned: 50]
[Chapter 1 has automatically been unlocked]
[Current points: 0]
— — —
[The bearer has gained:
- World Hopping: [Gives the user unlimited universal traveling]
Requirements: Enough elemental power to make the journey.
- Soul Seal Remodeling: [Gives the user a universal authentic identity]
Requirements: None.
- Seraphon Desensitization: [Keeps the user hidden from the Serpahons' eyes]
Requirements: Enough elemental power while outside a universe.
- Soul Transmigration
Requirement: Can't be used two times on the same soul.
- Curse Lift: [The user can lift any curse, jinx, or hex cast on him]
Requirements: Can't be used more than 3 times.
Skill Upgradability : [ Chapter 4 hidden knowledge]
— — —
"Oh," Nier thought. "That makes sense now, so, I suspect the first and second Quests, were about finding the cellar and fighting for the rights to own you?"
[Correct]
"Ok, show me the third Quest," Nier ordered.
[...]
[Quest 3: Become a Wizard]
[Reward: 15 points]
[Points required to unlock Chapter 2: 250]
The Quest was well in front of Nier's eyes, as he shifted his attention to the bundle of scattered fragments of memories.
"The kid's memories well stated that he does not possess any magical power," Nier thought, "but the book would not make mistakes if he gave me this Quest that means that there is something amiss,"
Nier's mind went directly to the only thing that can inflict such long-term effects on a Wizard's body.
"A curse or whatever they call it here?" He thought, "Yes, that's must be it,"
Nier entered in a thoughtful state, trying to figure out if it's wise to waste one of three tries he gets to use 'Curse lift.'
At last, he sighed reluctantly, "I can't think of anything besides an outside force that might have harmed my body somehow during my childhood, let's just be sure and eliminate any assumption,"
"Book, use 'Curse Lift' on my body"
[...]
Without arguing, the book propelled itself on Nier's chest, sending a flash of light through his whole body.
[Curse Lift have been used]
[A grade 6 curse have been detected]
['Snytzel Curse']
[Description: A powerful curse used to clog the magical power of a newborn wizard]
"So my assumption was right!" Nier's face brightened as a rush of pain overtake his body, it felt to Nier as if all the locks inside his body were forcibly shattering.
[Curse lifted from the bearer's body]
Nier recovered his senses after some time, "Despite the fact that this kid was cursed right after he came out of his mother's belly, I can't feel any burning sensation in my veins? Where is the famous rush of energy? Or even The urge to make number 2?" Nier said, "All that pain for nothing?"
"Even the Quest had not been completed yet," Nier sneered, "Why am I still not a wizard?"
Just when he said that a spider carriage pulled into a halt, the 2 spider legs stemming from the sides made 2 holes right between his head.
"Since when the footpath became a bed?" the grey cloaked driver yelled from above. "Move brat!"
Nier heard the driver, shouting for him to get off the way. He stiffly stood up, wiping some of the dirt and soot off his tonic, as he sidestepped for the carriage to parade forward.
In a second, the alley's shops have almost finished opening.
Nier widened his eyes upon seeing a disheveled witch carrying a tray of what looked like a huge liver, as she got out of her shop. He then was startled by a broom appearing from nowhere one moment sweeping the dirt off the ground and the other sweeping it off his face and clothes.
"My clothes must be really messed up for that thing to think that I'm the same as pavement," Nier thought, evading the broom's attacks, as he plodded along the alley.
In the way, some shops have caught his attention, most notably, a shop called 'Alive Grimoires' on the left side where books drifted everywhere, some skidding on the ground, some flying, and some even locked in cages.
"Well book, you aren't that special her are you?" Nier teased tiptoeing to see through the mirror.
[...]
Nier passed 2 more shops, 'Herbs to die' and 'Black Cauldrons' before he heard a voice call for him.
Nier turned around, to see 4 boys, waving at him, with smiles close enough to grins.
"Sluggy," A paunchy boy, who seemed to be the oldest in the bunch said.
Nier recognized him to be the leader of their begging group, his name was "Wilber."
"How was the hag's meal?" he added, sniggering.
"Needs more salt" Nier answered, "But overall soul-sucking delicious,"
The boys all frowned, hearing the boy, as Wilber asserted, baffled. "Where did your stutter go?"
"Ah that, well the soul-sucking meal also helped me get rid of it," Nier said, keeping a placid smile. "You should try it too, maybe you can also get your soul enthralle—d—"
"Oh there it is, that's sluggy as we know" Wilber uttered, laughing right after.
Nier did not stutter, but a shop had invaded his vision, as he felt a strong pulling force drag him towards it.
He did not remember himself before he passed the boys and stood in front of the bewitching shop.
A plaque well above Nier's head read: 'Wands for all'
"What the hell is he doing?" a short boy named Jasper said to Wilber. "Doesn't he not know that unmagical people like us can't enter Wizardkin shops? We had only been allowed to sneak inside Morgan alley because all Wizards deem us as good as ants scurrying along their walls,"
"Seems like we going to see Sluggy's legend end today, I heard that the shopkeeper is one crazy witch" Wilber snickered, playfully elbowing Jasper. "What do you think will happen to him? Get Petrified, minced, or pulverized?"
"Dead," the quiet boy, in the right said. "I have seen one unmagical man like us dare to try and steal from a shop before,"
"He only made one step inside before he dropped dead,"
"Poor sluggy most likely would meet Marlock today," Wilber chuckles turned to chortles, he always believed that Nier wasn't cut off well for this world, to shave it even narrower, the kid was almost retarded, and through this thirteen years old boy reasoning, it was better to just let him die now before tomorrow.
Nier did not hear their laughs, nor their immediate shocked gasps just after he successfully made it through the already wide-opened door as if he's one of the Wizardkin.
Nier was met, by shelves running along the walls, where wands were neatly propelled in golden stands right up the ceiling.
Nier walked deeper, observing the wands with great interest, each fascinating him with a different shape, and angle.
And then, his eyes landed on a white wand, propelled on the deepest area of the shop.
Despite the signs warning him to not touch any product Nier went to seize it, he felt like he had to, it was as if the wand wept and begged him to come and take it.
But when his hand got close enough to touch it, he heard a feminine voice come from the little cabin beyond the desk.
"Cappio"
Nier heard the word as his hand was seized by an invisible claw, holding it tight in place.
"The sign is right in front of you thief, recklessly trudging to this place means you're ready to bear the consequences" the voice said, as a towering black-haired woman in black robes, gracefully crossed from the cabin.
She searched for the intruder, expecting a stout Wizard, however, her green eyes needed to descend all the way down to glance at Nier.
"A kid? What business a kid have her?" She uttered, scanning the boy.
Nier did not answer.
"What family are you from?" she tested leaning down.
Nier not letting his panic, confiscate his tongue, answered truthfully, "I don't have one,"
"Excuse me?" The witch said, shifting her gaze to the door—confirming that her repelling charm was still working, unmagical people would not be able to cross the door and remain one piece.
"Our kind is scarce enough in Mortemhill to know all the wizarding families here, and you're obviously a wizard, hurry and tell me your family name, and I shall not tell them about your misbehavior," The witch instructed, pulling on a kind expression.
Nier shrugged, "I really don't have one,"
"Huh?" The witch finally had a second look at the boy's ragged dress and bare dirty feet.
"Well that's weird," The witch muttered, flicking her wands, for Nier's head to tilt to the side.
"You do look like you came out of a chimney," She said, mumbling more words under her breath.
Nier only caught the words, 'illegitimate kid'.
"What's your name?" The witch asked after a deep thought.
"I named myself Nier," the kid said inexpressively.