"Took you long enough. Listen, I did you a favor, now you owe me." The journal page spoke into David's head. Its voice was old and gravelly, like nails on a chalkboard. David grimaced as he heard it talk.
"Don't like my voice? Get used to it, kid." It spoke again. "Since we're going to be working together, I suppose some introductions are in order. Tell me your name, I tell you mine. Got it?"
David nodded. He was about say his real name, David, when he hesitated. He kind of liked Devotion. There was something almost comical, hearing someone yell a word like "Devotion" in anger instead of his name. He knew things were about to be different, so he might as well let his old self die. In a way, the bald man had really killed David Maliere. In this world, David Maliere no longer existed. In his place stood a Devil Named Devotion!
"Devotion!" Devotion shouted, steeling himself.
"Stupid name. I'm just going to call you Devo. Easier on the soul than an idiotic name like that."
The newly named Devotion ignored his comments, instead resolving to get his questions answered.
"Alright, I told you my name, now tell me yours."
The voice paused for a second, then spoke. "I might as well, since we'll be stuck with each other for a while. My name was Merem Dhanu, although in my prime, I was feared across the entire Phimux Continent! I was known as the great magician, Ghostwhisper!" Ghostwhisper was expecting a reaction from his great name, but was shocked when Devotion did nothing.
"Never heard of you."
"It must have been that blasted fool, Alabaster. He's the one who defeated me and locked me into this sorry state. Imagine how humiliating this is! Being trapped as a lowly staff!" You could almost hear the sigh in his voice as he lamented.
"What do you mean staff? You're a sheet of paper."
"Ah, I almost forgot. Even in this form, I have a little bit of power. I used it to transform myself into this page, hoping a greedy cultivator would grab it and allow me to take control of their body. However, I've taken a shine to you, so I've decided to allow you to keep your consciousness. All I ask of you is you grow in power with my teachings, and eventually unleash me from this prison. Do this, and I will bestow upon you all of my knowledge from years of cultivation! You see, in my life, I was a Ninth Rank Cultivator!"
Devotion's eyes shone hearing that. Ninth Rank? Imagine how powerful he would be! He would never have to work a day in his life again! "You have yourself a deal."
"Excellent! Now, let's see what I'm working with. What cultivation techniques do you know? How powerful are you? What Section of magic are you trained in?"
Devotion stared blankly at the staff. Sections? Techniques? Magic? What was this thing talking about?
"Oh god. Don't tell me you're a mortal. Do you even know how this works?" Ghostwhisper nearly gave up immediately. Devotion shook his head no.
"I guess I'll have to explain things to you, then. I'll start from the beginning!
The lowest of the low are the mortals! Idiots like you with no power. However, I will teach you how to step beyond the world of mortals! I'll teach you magic! Your rise will be meteoric! You'll become a First Rank Magician in no time at all! Your destruction magic will shake the continent as we know it!
Magic is broken into sections. While most magicians are able to cast spells from multiple sections, most decide to focus especially on one! Furthermore, each magician has an aptitude for each section. Some people might have zero aptitude for any magic, while others might be skilled in all. I was an S Rank in Destruction Magic, the highest of them all! Normally, one must pay money to be tested, but fortunately, I can test you right now."
Devotion suddenly felt an indescribable sensation in his core, and his nose began to bleed.
"Testing complete! Let's review your results.
Aptitude for Regeneration Magic: F- Rank!
That is absolutely pathetic. The worst possible rank. I've never even seen this low! At least it's in a worthless section." Ghostwhisper was angered at first, but calmed itself when it realized regeneration was not what was important.
"Aptitude for Destruction Magic: E Rank!"
Both Devotion and Ghostwhisper were silent for a second.
"E RANK??? HOW PATHETIC ARE YOU?" Ghostwhisper suddenly erupted. It's chances of being released from this form were next to zero now.
"Fine, fine, this is till salvageable. This last section of magic is one I know very little about, but if your aptitude is good, then I'll at least be able to teach you basics. You'll have to learn the rest on your own, though."
"Aptitude for Conjuration Magic: ..."
Ghostwhisper paused for a long time. Devotion was terrified. Did he really have that bad aptitude for magic? Were his hopes about to be dashed, just as quickly as they had come?
"I don't believe it." Ghostwhisper finally said. "You aptitude for Conjuration is so high, I can't measure it. It's even greater than S Rank! I'll call it S+ for now. You're in luck, Devo!" Ghostwhisper would have been leaping with excitement, had it not been a simple piece of paper.
"That's great! Now how exactly do I use that?" Devotion was excited to have a chance again, but was still a little lost. "Fret not! I shall teach you how to cast magic!"
"Before you can cast any spell, you must break the barrier of the First Rank! Doing so will allow you to condense Qi into your core. Qi is a sort of energy, used to power spells and battle skills. In other words, each technique I will teach you will use a certain amount of Qi. The higher your rank, the more Qi you can safely condense at a time, and the more powerful techniques you can use. I am going to mentally transmit a simple breathing meditation technique to you. Follow it, then talk to me once you've condensed Qi. I'll teach you how to break the true barrier and reach First Rank at that point. I must rest now, I've used too much of my power today. Go! Do not disappoint me!"
With that speech, Ghostwhisper returned to its dormant state. It was just a piece of paper again.
"Why didn't you turn back into a staff?" Devotion asked. "Do you not have enough power to do that anymore?" Devotion swore he could hear a cough from embarrassment, but didn't pursue it further. He decided to look over this meditation technique while he was isolated.
Devotion resolved himself. David Maliere was dead, and the new Devotion would sweep the continent with just his name!