Intermission – Elder Mergildo
--
I stare upon the perfectly still surface of the Silent Lake as it reveals glimpses into momentous lives while my ears remain attentive for the endless drizzle occasionally produces whispers of the past and present, and little by little, I build a deep picture of the state of our broken reality, but it's deceptively calm. If you aren't attentive, you'll miss the rising tension between the living and the dead, the deterioration of relationships, and the breakdown of our unity.
Then I raise my head and observe my brothers and sisters as they stare at the Silent Lake, but their faces show no indication that they've recognized the signs of the incoming calamity. They've, most likely, simply let their minds drift into the Sea like a new apprentice, mesmerized by the forbidden delights of what the Lake can show.
Everyone should be alarmed already, but this generation of Fate Watchers has been awfully blind to the subtleties of the Lake, and it's so disappointing. I wish I could retire already and spend my time tending my shards, but my brothers and sisters need another decade before they're ready to take the reins.
And I sigh as I caress my jewel. The stress has been mounting too much, and it might produce an early shard, which is a bad sign for someone as old as me.
Perhaps that tiger beastman that snooped into our session could prove to be entertaining while I wait for my fellow Fate Watchers to grow. The pupils of the Silent Watcher always end up appearing upon the Lake due to their insatiable thirst for forbidden knowledge, but I wonder what sort of personality a dangerously curious beastman would have.
His race isn't known to be subtle, so he's bound to get himself into trouble, but he might even prove himself to be useful in dealing with this calamity.
"Elder Mergildo, I sense something odd," a gentle, youthful voice breaks the silence, and all of the Fate Watchers turn to the delicate Ulap boy.
His pale yellow skin turns visibly red as he's quite shy even though our brothers and sisters might as well be statues with how little emotion they show.
But I'm quite happy that someone finally made an observation, so I give him a bit of aid, "Yes, Apprentice Magiting? What bothers you?"
And my position as a father figure for the orphan gives him the courage to eagerly answer, "I see ripples under the surface. The glimpses waver and overlap too much, creating these odd waves. I feel like they're too full of emotion while the whispers have become angry."
"Indeed, they are," I gently answer back, but I hold back a proud smile as it'd be inappropriate considering the situation.
Then Magiting lowers his tone soberly and continues, "That's bad, right?" And all our brothers and sisters nod, but their eyes slowly open wide in terror as they finally start to assemble the pieces of this mystery.
But I still announce it out loud to level our understanding, "It means that the dead are full of regrets and concerns while the unity between the soulful begins to crumble as their envy grows too strong."
"So it's coming," Magiting whispers, aghast.
And I nod solemnly. "Yes, it is. Your generation will suffer if we fail at keeping us all together."
Then a grim silence befalls us, but the Fate Watchers are not unnecessarily depressive. We're concerned with the future, after all, and we all know that another day will always come.
So a comrade inevitably seeks the glint and comments out loud with a light tone, "At least our missions will have us visit all of the Good Kingdoms. It's soulfilling to spread your horizons like that."
And I have to agree. I yearn for a plate of D'Habian curry, but the place I wish to visit the most right now is Vorosza for obvious reasons.
--
Intermission end.
--
I stay on the bed for a while, just staring at the ceiling while my brain tries to process what happened to me.
Wyrd is Trickster God, so I know that I shouldn't trust anything that he says, but…
But…
BUT…!
Fucking mycosis on my fucking balls… I can't stop thinking about it!
There must be some downside to it. The drifter was injecting demonic essence into his own damn body, so why isn't he suffering from extreme Morphism? Or maybe his race gives him some resistance to it…
No, they're obviously suffering from Morphism since the Touched have horns, tails, or other demonic appendages, but the more you consume the demonic energy, the more demon-like you should become until you're basically a full, ugly demon, but that doesn't happen. There must be something else going on with that drifter…
But wait, that demoness I fought only had purple skin while everything else looked human… or rather, everything we could see was human.
What does a demonic pussy look like…?
I raise my blackened… not so shriveled hand and stare at it. It seems to have grown a noticeable amount of muscle yesterday, which is surprising, but I'm more focused on its color. Is it really some sort of demonic corruption? But what about my bone marrow? What does it look like?
Wait, I'm already thinking about the effects of taming the corruption, but do I even need to do that? Pufaia has already told me they'll teach me how to "harness" it later, so I can just wait… but should I?
It isn't just Mom, Sis, and Margi who are depending on me to save them, there's Huba, Emil, Aliz, Édis, old Yomber, the rest of the crew, their families, and even the whole neighborhood. I'm going to be a Magus, and I can't just nap by the fire when I have the power to end their suffering.
But I don't actually have that power, just the chance to grasp it… which is why Wyrd showed me the drifter. It's something dangerous, but if I can master demonic magic…
The demoness had extreme strength even with those frail arms, the ability to stretch space like it was merely weights she had to push apart, and also the regeneration to survive getting her neck snapped. I don't want to give up that kind of power.
I can't give up that kind of power… because I'm going to rebuild Hatarvros by myself.
"Oh, you're already awake," a female voice whispers sultrily.
I raise my head and see the outline of a juicy female goblin, and my Cock starts to come out, raising the blanket behind her, which attracts her attention. Then I notice how her body seems to be covered in a blanket of shadow, hiding her features from me.
"Wow, aren't you a big boy? And so energetic first thing in the morning," Shade slyly remarks.
Then I blink, and she's gone.
I don't know why I'm so easily aroused by just a bit of curve, but I quickly get it under control to not stain the blanket.
Why is she invading our bedrooms, anyway? Don't humans consider this harassment?
And this thought keeps my mind off of Wyrd for a while, but when it's time for the Lifeforce training again, imagining me raping Pufaia puts me in a weir-... odd mood.
--
"Wow, what's going on with your arm?" Georgo remarks as he raises his eyes off his books.
"It's Lifeforce," I grunt absentmindedly as I watch my not-blackened arm's muscles bulge a bit.
And he concernedly points out, "You're using it to increase your strength, though. Isn't the training supposed to be just you manipulating it?"
So I stop it and turn to him as I hum, "Oh… well, what am I supposed to be doing, then?"
"Circulate it all over your body and concentrate it on specific muscles so that you can use it when you need it. Like, concentrating them on your legs so you can jump, or your arm for a super strong strike. Didn't Instructor Ulpare teach you that?" he explains as he makes some vague circular motions around his chest and limbs.
But I shake my head. "No, we spent most of the time with Blood Boil, then he told me to practice somewhere quiet, but I decided to study with you, instead."
And he crosses his arms thoughtfully. "Well, you're basically already manipulating it, just gotta stop using the Lifeforce."
Well, yeah, but…
"This… isn't actually easy. It's just doing it on its own," I reply and raise my arm.
But he confidently states, "You're mimicking the Blood Boil, but don't worry, this is something normal that happens when learning how to manipulate new magical energies like that. Lifeforce is more than strength; it's 'essence.' Think of it like a fuel that lets your mind do things."
"How do you know so much about magic?" I question curiously.
And he becomes embarrassed but also happy with my little compliment.. "My parents paid for magical tutoring. I'm not really naturally talented at magic, but I learned the theory so well that my tutor recommended that I try this test, and I passed the practical part, so I guess he was right."
"In a way, you're the opposite of me…" I casually remark, but then I cringe internally as I've just implied that I'm talented.
"Yeah, that might be true," he answers casually, and I'm glad he doesn't try to make fun of me.
"So…" I continue and clear my throat. "Is Lifeforce like blood?"
He knits his eyebrows thoughtfully and grunts, "Ehh… While your blood is a source of Lifeforce, you don't actually need the energy to live; the soulless don't have any Lifeforce. You can think of it as being more like the 'power' of your soul, or the 'intensity' of your emotions. It also provides resistance to magic, as long as your mind hasn't been tricked into accepting foreign energies, like mind-altering illusions."
I nod sagely as I agree, "I read something like that in the Scriptures of Magic…" Then I remember something. "But wait, if Lifeforce is in the blood, then isn't Blood Boil 'blood magic'?"
And he chuckles. "As much as the name implies it is, it technically isn't. The spell just gives you energy and makes it a lot easier for your Lifeforce to flow, like most other Augmentation spells, but it doesn't manipulate your Lifeforce directly. Though, I heard that the Magi in Merlivux don't like using spells like that one because it's too close to blood magic."
Pious idiots.
But this conversation is making me frustrated, for some reason, so I just fall silent and go back to my training, then I immediately notice a difference made by the new perspective on Lifeforce.
The energy has stopped being so "viscous" and hard to move, and it actually starts to behave similarly to the Strangler's, but I feel a "heat" coming from it that's hard to ignore, so I find it actually takes an effort to keep it "ready to go." The Strangler's stays in my body without the need for any other thoughts and readily obeys my mental commands, so it feels more natural to use to me.
"Wait, if I use Lifeforce during combat, doesn't running out of it makes me vulnerable?" I ask out loud as I stare at my arm.
And Georgo answers without raising his head from his books, "It does, which is why Enhancers only use small bursts of it during critical moments while Augmenters stay on the back lines."
Enhancer uses Lifeforce on themselves while Augmenters use their Lifeforce on others. I only know this because Dad was an Enhancer.
"You know how to fight with magic?" I curiously ask as I turn to him.
"My tutor taught me tactics when I was twelve," he happily answers.
"That's cool," I hum.
And he blushes. "Thanks…"
But talking makes me even more frustrated, so I go back to my fantasies of raping Pufaia while I move my Lifeforce around. It seems like I can't push it out of my body like the Strangler can with its veins, but using Lifeforce to give myself physical stamina is much more effective, though it'll eventually make me vulnerable to magical diseases if I keep using it all the time.
I guess Georgo was right, Lifeforce is only for specific situations, but at least the Strangler is useful to give me a boost in my daily life.
--
Lunch is another big meal, and I decide to get the Fireball Chicken. It's a spicy chicken roast with what seems to be paprika and cinnamon accompanied by lemon rice and juicy, sweet Sirop mushrooms. Everything has a strong flavor, and it actually goes so well together that I get another plate.
"I know you're big, but damn," Georgo remarks, impressed with the size of my stomach.
And I snort, my eyes glued to the goblin waitress' ass as she walks along the table to give someone else their plate. Then I realize that I'm acting horny without getting a boner, which is odd, but the moment I take my eyes off the thick goblin, the frustration comes back.
Am I… sexually frustrated?
I can still get a boner by thinking about fucking someone normally, but imagining me raping Pufaia or any of the sluttily dressed other Magi doesn't do anything. It's actually so jarring that I feel like something is broken within me.
Well… duh, it's demonic corruption.
Before I return to our room to study, I do a quick jerk while thinking of the waitress, and it immediately clears the frustration, but it leaves me feeling odd. Then I do it again while imagining the rape and while it takes more effort to get the boner up since rape doesn't make me hard, I cum so hard the jet splashes on the wall.
But now I'm not feeling odd anymore.
I'm fucking broken.
--
Today, Georgo is studying history, and he gives me a lecture on the history of the Broken Realms.
Only the Fae have preserved records from the time before the Shattering, but they're very stingy on sharing them with us, so all we know is that there were separate realities that one day Shattered and became intermingled, but only small fragments have appeared so far. Even the biggest Realm is just an insignificant little piece compared to how big a whole planet is supposed to be.
The Edge of Reality is a transparent wall that allows you to see a frozen image of how the world looked pre-Shattering, and there's a place in Vorosza where you can even see the far away tall buildings of ancient Angless, but there's a Realm called Angless Wasteland where you can actually see a lot more than just that. None of the Angless technology works anymore though, so only the Scholarly Order of Sky Watchers ever go over there.
It sounds like it's a neat place, but I have no interest in anything not magical.
After the Shattering, magical monsters born at the Edge of Reality overrun all Realms, almost leading humanity to extinction, while Outsiders conquered whoever remained, but only the Fae and Kamae managed to thrive. The Vorosza books call that the Dark Ages, but that's a boring name, so I prefer "Heretical Era," which is what Georgo's books call it.
And then, one day, the Gods arrived and saved us from the Outsiders, giving us souls and allowing us to cast magic. This was called the Soulfilling Day, and it started the Rebirth and Reconquest era, where a bunch of shit happened and the Good Kingdoms were created.
We pushed out the evil Shadah Dynasty of Fae and founded Vorosza, the Erflin humans pushed out the Cult of the Seven Wretched Fetuses and founded Merlivux, the Dwarves dealt with the bugmen and Outsiders and founded Grande Grastoria, the Ulap humans pushed out the Kamae dragons back to the High Heavens and founded Puanabik, and the Saaya humans conquered their monster-infested jungle and founded Nati Hutalwaari.
Then more shit happened. New races appeared, like the Halflings and Jeweled; all the different priest orders were created; and the Maelstrom Collection of Planes and Tears (which are smaller than Realms) arrived in between all of the Good Kingdoms. And this era ended with the first demonic invasion, which created the Touched that were then exiled to a barren Realm called Terkedmish.
Next comes the Brother Wars era, which is just the Good Kingdoms fucking each other repeatedly, and it ends again in another demonic invasion. This is actually important for the test, but it's such an orgy of war that my mind struggles to memorize all the names.
And now we're finally in modern times, which historians are calling "the Consolidation era" because there has been much less war. They put the cause to that on the D'Habworth Federation, which was founded after the Planes and Tears in the Maelstrom rebelled against their latest colonizer, which was us, Vorosza, then they united and made a very powerful merchant nation.
Everyone was too weak after the demonic invasion to stop them, but now trade has made it too painful to start a war, so we have relative peace. It still doesn't stop the Good Kingdoms from bickering, like how Merlivux raided the Khandhut plane and forced the Royal Army to respond, creating an opportunity for the demons to attack
"Isn't another demonic invasion coming, then?" I grimly question.
And he becomes understandably uncomfortable. "You mean… because of the attack on Hatarvros? If the demons didn't attempt to create a foothold, then it was just a raid, not a real invasion, and raids happen… relatively often."
I slowly nod in understanding, then something comes up to me. Since we're already talking about modern times, I decide to politely request, "I honestly don't care about politics, but Pufaia said that the Headmaster has his eye on me because I'm the first beastman Magi, and the Second Tail Council will be very interested in me, so can you tell me anything about them?"
"Oh, I need to take a refresher on that, so how about tomorrow? I didn't study that topic too much since it's unlikely it'll weigh too heavily on the test," he happily answers.
And I hum, "Sure…"
--
After today's bath and dinner, I start to think that Georgo is trying to avoid the other young teens. I don't mind him tagging along, but the youths seem to be getting angry at him for sticking to me, and I don't want to cause trouble.
I might end up being classmates with a bunch of racist kids, so I think it's best to keep in my corner until I know I'm not outnumbered. The racist scum don't show their shitty side unless they have enough allies, so I shouldn't mess with them yet.
Then the evening comes and I start to get bored. Georgo is reading some book in his room, but I don't have anything to keep my mind busy until it's time to sleep, so I decide to put some pants on and go out for a bit. I want to explore the magical murals and other stuff that I saw at the entrance.
There's still some noise coming from the Mess Hall, but corridors are mostly empty, and I'm not attracting as much attention as before, so I feel comfortable walking down the furry carpet. I'm getting a lot of stares from the women, though, and considering how many of them shamelessly use the unisex bath, I bet they're pretty carnivorous.
But my heart is confused, and I don't feel like flirting with any of them yet, so I continue on until I reach the entrance, then I take a good look around. The magic murals and cloudy ceiling don't trigger my magicsight, which shows how perfect the craftsmanship is, and they look so mesmerizing I start to lose myself in them.
When we were little, Sis used to play pretend or roleplay a character from a story she read, but I never thought of myself as the hero in a fantasy novel, so I don't feel excitement from these murals, I feel awe. These were great men and women who accomplished something so great it was immortalized in a beautiful mural, and now that is something I find envious.
I want to save my birth town… and I'll do that by imagining myself raping Pufaia and messing with demonic shit.
Wretch's cunt… I'm being pathetic.
The murals feel inspiring, so I spend my evening observing each and every one of them. Maybe they'll help me find the strength to fix my fucked up mind.
Suddenly, I feel a chill, and I reflexively turn around just in time to see a purple-haired beauty stare at me with the most striking and also sadistic-looking pair of eyes I've ever seen. She seems to be wearing some sort of dark and sparkly makeup around her eyes, which enhances their frightening factor.
The… outfit she's wearing makes her look like she's conflicted about whether she wants to go to sleep or to a bondage party. Still, her body is hard and sexy as fuck, which activates the rapist within me, especially because she starts smirking, as if she was challenging me to rape her.
Her eyes are both gorgeous and infuriating, but I don't like them, so I suddenly blink and look away, then I hear the clack of high heels, and I look at her again only to see that she's already leaving… but that's not a bad thing since her ass is also amazing. Still, I think something odd just happened between us.
She's the biggest slut I've ever seen, and something about her gaze sticks with me. There's just something off about it.
Did she use magic on me…?
I don't like the idea of others using magic on me without my permission, and her gaze also makes me so angry I go to the bathroom to jerk one off to her, then I return to my room and go to sleep.
--
Shade doesn't wake me up this time, so I jerk one off to her once the Lifeforce training starts to get too frustrating. I also just stay in my room all morning as I train so that I can light up an incense, which helps keep the frustration away, but not permanently.
Then Georgo helps me learn about the Second Tail Council, but since it's so new, the books have little about them, even the ones he bought, and there are also some differences between what I was taught and what his books teach. He seems to know a lot about the revolt and the people that died during them, but very little about what actually led to it happening in the first place.
I don't remember the exact details, but there was a dog beastman healer working at a hospital here in the capital who was assigned to heal a little human girl, and the parents didn't want him touching her, but the hospital was too busy to listen to them, so the parents started shitting all over the place (not literally) and riled up some racist scum to their side. They attacked the beastman healer, who defended himself since he knew magic, but then the shithole flooded, and the little girl died along with the healer.
This angered everyone so much that the beastmen of the capital banded together and then hunted down the scum that made the chaos at the hospital, but now the militia had to get involved, so the beastmen broke down all lanterns because they could see better than the militia at night, giving it the name of Revolt of the Broken Lanterns. The killings continued for a few days, and some innocents were getting caught in the crossfire, so the Mage-King said he'd enact anti-racism laws if they stopped.
Now the Council overlooks anything related to these laws.
"Huh… it feels like I have 'the whole picture' now," Georgo remarks, engrossed in our discussion.
And I point out something that's making me annoyed, "The books I read in school were reviewed by the Council while yours are the standard ones issued by the Yellow Lanterns. It's like nobody wants to make themselves look bad."
He snorts. "Now I really don't want this to be on the test…"
"I imagine it's unlikely that someone from the Council will be grading it," I remark with a shrug.
And he becomes pensive. "Still, they could just be part of the anti-racists… though they could just as likely be a racist themself."
But I give him a heavy pat on the back as I warmly state, "Well, I'm glad you aren't racist. It'd be awkward if you were like the other youths."
He chuckles and almost coughs from my pats, so I hit him lighter, then he makes a complicated face. "I dunno why they're like that. You're very… huggable, so why are they so nasty?"
"Do you want a hug?" I honestly offer.
He gives me a odd side-eye but still accepts, "Uh… sure?"
I immediately stand up and open my arms, but he hesitantly follows, thinking that this might be a prank, or something stand up, so I walk forward and wrap him up in a tight hug, giving him a faceful of fur because I'm shirtless. I've been patted before by other "fur-curious" humans, so I'm not uncomfortable with touching, and it feels nice to give a comrade a bit of manly love.
Georgo remains stiff for a second, but then he raises his hands and hugs my torso, though his arms struggle to completely wrap around me. Then he starts moving his hands a bit to feel the softness of my very soft and well-cared-for fur, but I guess it's too much stimulation for the shy boy because he pushes me away after a couple of seconds.
"Okay, t-thanks, but that's enough," he mumbles as he looks away.
"No problem, comrade," I casually reply with a snort.
Then we return to studying, but we drop the Council topic.
"How about math?" he casually suggests.
But I wince and reply through gritted teeth, "Sure…"
--
The next day, I wake up and see that the red gem slotted in my necklace is glowing, which means that it's ready for another session of corruption burning, but I have to wait for Pufaia because she said she'd check on me. I can't say I'm not excited
I use another incense, which helps a lot with the Lifeforce training, then it's more math in the afternoon, and the fact that we're waiting for Pufaia's visit only makes me even more frustrated. I jerk twice to her, once to the mysterious, purple-haired beauty, twice to Shade (who didn't visit us again), and one last time to the goblin waitress.
Then we suddenly hear a knock, and my cock almost comes out from excitement.
I eagerly go to the door and open it up, then my legs quiver as the smell and sight of an insanely fuckable and rapeable woman attacks all my senses. It's like she wants to drive me crazy with how little her dress covers her massive breasts and wide hips. The opening at the side is so high that it shows her panty strings, and also that there's only a little weak knot keeping them tied to her body.
"How are you, Fiubun?" she gently greets with her insufferably sweet voice.
"Great," I grunt back, then I inhale her scent deeply, which might look creepy, so I stop midway and awkwardly clear my throat. "I'm happy to see you," I blurt out.
Then her answer stabs me in the stomach, "I can see that."
I hastily look down, but there's no boner, and I realize her tone was innocent, so my happiness must've been obvious on my face rather than between my legs. Then my eyes slowly take her whole body in as they go up again, and I see a little blush appearing on her gorgeous face.
"Please, don't stare too much," she coyly requests and turns her face to the side.
"I'm sorry. I'm too used to staring at beautiful women back in Hatarvros since they don't mind," I answer honestly before I realize how flirty this sounds.
"Well, a little boldness is fine, but not too bold," she happily answers, and I struggle to conclude whether or not she's flirting back.
"I'll keep it in mind," is all that I can answer.
Then I move out of the way so that she can come in, and I see Georgo giving me a concerned look.
What?
Anyway, Pufaia makes a wide motion with her arm, and two chairs slide away from the table and then stop before us, just like last time.
"First, show me your arm," she requests as she sits down and crosses her luscious legs.
I sit in front of her and extend my black, not-shriveled-anymore arm, which she delicately takes, then her yellow brows rise high up in surprise.
Her delicate touch gives me chills of happiness, but then her next words make me freeze, "This is surprising; it's healing much faster than I expected."
So ashamedly confess, "Uh… Instructor Ulpare used Blood Boil on me, and I may have flooded the arm with too much Lifeforce."
She raises her head and her green eyes penetrate me with their stare. "You… you're lucky it didn't explode."
"Ulpare said the same thing," I reply and flash a guilty grin.
But her tone becomes serious as she grips my arm harder. "It wasn't a joke. Growing your muscles too much will cause ruptures, but if you don't immediately stop filling them with Lifeforce, it starts a chain reaction that ends in an explosion."
I'm positively horrified, so I nod repeatedly as I explain, "I understand; I'm sorry, but the Blood Boil made me too excited."
She shakes her head and sighs then replies more reasonably as she releases my arm, "Well… you did pass the Magus test, so it makes sense it'd affect you more than the normal for your race."
And I just flash a guilty smile again.
Then her tone returns to its usual kindness. "Anyway, let's start the session. Feed the gem a little bit of Lifeforce, but only a little."
But I frown concernedly. "What's 'a little' of Lifeforce?"
And she leans back with a smile. "Good question. Considering what happened with Blood Boil, you might end up breaking it if you feed it too much. Grimoire, give me a training crystal."
A little distortion appears in the air between us, then it suddenly returns to normal, but now there's a thumb-size glass ball floating in its place.
"Take it, Fiubun, and try to fill it with Lifeforce without cracking it," she calmly orders.
I hum and do as I'm told, then I start to imagine myself raping Pufaia again, but not too roughly, almost gentle enough that she'd enjoy it a bit, and I feel my veins start to heat up. Though this makes me frustrated, especially when the mutton herself is right in front of me, I'm still too in control to fuck it up, so I delicately push my Lifeforce into it through my fingers.
The crystal starts shining very faintly, but then the intensity rises almost instantly and becomes so bright that I have to squint. I immediately freeze the Lifeforce, and the brightness starts to recede slowly, then I try to feed it again but even more carefully, as if I was trying to tickle it with my little finger, and now the glow remains steady.
"Hah…!" I happily exclaim then look at them, and they both seem impressed.
"I'm surprised you didn't break it, and also surprised because you almost broke it," Pufaia wryly remarks.
And I just grin cheekily.
"Now do the same for the necklace," she requests then motions with her indicator, and I sense a smoky gray string connect it to the crystal for a second as it begins to slowly fly out of my hand and towards hers. Then she snaps her fingers, and a lit incense appears in the air between us.
I love watching her do magic, but now she's waiting for me to start, so I breathe in deeply and then tickle the glowing red gem with my little finger.
Suddenly, a spear pierces the back of my skull and scrambles my brain, but then the pain is gone in a second, and I find myself standing in the Dark Forest of Hatarvros again.
It's possible that Pufaia can read my thoughts here even though she isn't holding my hands like last time, so I try to not hesitate and simply move forward. The dark trees tilt out of the way, and the mossy earth slides under my feet, but I remain steady, and before long it stops as I reach my target.
The tree is still charred while the air is filled with a strong smell of burned wood, but there's also a hint of a familiar but horrible, pungent scent of death and pain along with a hint of sex. Then I notice the little red blisters growing near the bottom of the trunk.
I immediately extend my hands and release torrents of fire. The tree whines as the demonic corruption is burned again, but it quickly dies down.
"Alright, I'm done here," I calmly state.
Suddenly, I feel something being yanked out of the back of my head, giving a blinding pain for a second, then I open my eyes and find myself back in my room in the dormitory with Pufaia right in front of me, smiling proudly.
Next time, when she isn't here to read my thoughts…
And she promptly praises me, "That was excellent, Fiubun. I believe you can now deal with the corruption by yourself, but still, remain careful to not break the gem."
So I nod repeatedly.
Then her gaze becomes warm as she gives both of us a motherly look. "Now, good luck with your test. You two deserve to enter the elite class, so study a lot
"T-thank you, Grand Magus Pufaia," Georgo stutters like the silly shy boy he is.
"Thank you, Grand Magus Pufaia," I calmly repeat, surprising myself with how husky I sound.
And she leaves after flashing me a pretty smile.
--
The treatment session reduces the amount of "frustration" I feel after Lifeforce training, but doesn't remove it entirely. Still, I feel a lot more in control of myself now that I understand better what's going on with me. But I only focus on studying rather than training for the next two days because, on the third, we have the test.
And these days take an eternity to pass because I'm definitely not made for studying, but they all blur together once they inevitably pass. Then, when the day of the test finally arrives, the vines from Pufaia's spell on my arm fade away in the morning.
My arm has now fully recovered, though it's still black. At least I can move it again without pain, but it's definitely gone a bit weak from lack of use. Still, right now I'm happy that at least the occasional itching from the spell has stopped because that was really annoying.
Then, in the afternoon, we join the other youths in the courtyard in front of the dormitory where a bunch of Magi open Tunnels for us to cross.
"Georgo Kalmar!" a uniformed public servant calls, his voice magically echoing across the yard without him putting in any effort. He also has the pin of the Yellow Lanterns on his chest, so he could be someone important.
"Good luck," I hum and lightly pat the spindly tall boy on the back so he doesn't stumble.
"Thanks, and you too," he replies and points his thumb upward while looking at me, but there's nothing in the sky.
What…?
I remain confused for a bit, but then I hear the servant call, "Fiubun!"
The fact that I'm the only one without a last name is embarrassing, but I stop caring about it the moment I enter the magical sphere.
I come out in a simple, windowless corridor of gray stone with numbered, heavy metal doors all along its length. There are a few youths lined up ahead in front of a tall, naked man made of marble who's pointing the youths to their assigned doors.
A youth shows his ID card to the man, and he answers with a monotone voice, "Imre Solyom, door fourteen."
Is that a golem?
He could be a Crystalline, a type of Fae; a Jeweled with a bad case of Stoneskin; a random rock enthusiast suffering from extreme Morphism; or a spirit who retained conscience but no personality and was contracted as a spell-spirit then infused into a marble statue to act as a golem servant. Considering how he sounds like he's dead inside, I'll bet on golem.
The youths give me worried looks as I stop behind them, but the line is moving too fast for them to care, and soon my time comes.
"Fiubun, door twenty," the marble man states.
Why would they give a dick to a stone golem, though?
I quickly forget about it because it's time to get serious.
So I open my assigned door and enter the little room. There's only a comfy chair, a table, and a floating candelabra Spirit Light.
Then the door closes on its own behind me, and a gentle female voice echoes all over the room, "You have four hours to finish this test. The countdown will begin as soon as you take your seat. You may ask to go to the bathroom at any time, but you'll be escorted by a golem."
Hah, I knew he was a golem.
I promptly sit down, and the air above the table distorts, then a little light flashes, and a stack of papers along with a pencil and eraser appears in front of me. They gently float down and land on the table, but the pencil stays upright as if it was asking for me to take it.
Then I sigh and begin.
--
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Hall of Fame of Patrons
The patrons who support the Realms shall have their names sung by the bards for they deserve the glory and honor. Their names are:
Prince UncontrolledEngie.
Lord Andrew Meyers.
Lord Bakerdea.
Lord Maurice.
Lord Paul Daval.
Lord Paul Daval.
Lord BlindTactic.
Lord d3235.
Lord Jonathan Fanduiz.
Noble Carl Baxter.
Noble Anon A Moose.
Leave a rating or a review to help me rise to the top or fix my shameful understanding of prose.
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