"Good morning."
Right before Karl, floated a little fairy wearing a violet gown. She had long purple hair—relative to her stature—and black eyes. There was a trail of violet glitter that surrounded her, adding a flair to her already otherworldly presence.
"Good morning." He nodded, a bit stiffly. "Who are you?"
She blinked her eyes at him, then looked around the room. At last her gaze fell on the grimoire finding it unfurled floating in mid-air. She upended her body to look from below, and found the dark crystal gone.
Snapping straight she looked at the young man before her. Short black hair, with shining red eyes. Her mind instantly recalled the day when she was sealed shut.
"Karl Bloodthrone?" She prodded, feeling apprehensive.
"You know me?" The young man looked at her in surprise. That bit was enough to confirm it. Standing before her was no other than Arthur and Mabel's son, karl.
"I never thought..." Her words trailed, as she recalled the days of her past.
Shaking her head she focused on the present. "I take it that you've bonded with the grimoire?" She asked.
Karl nodded.
"Good." She responded. "You did good, considering that you're still alive and standing before me."
"I am sorry." He furrowed his brow and shook his head. "Who are you, again?" He asked.
She smiled and said, "My name is Cinis, but you may call me Cin. I am the spirit of the grimoire."
"You seem to know of me," said Karl, "how is that possible?"
"It's a long story..." Cinis smiled wider.
...
About twenty eight years ago, the grimoire was found by a young vampire by the name of Arthur Bloodthrone. Suffering from the impairment of his broken Blood Core, he sought cure from all over the realms. Until he chanced upon the grimoire and found exactly what he needed.
Nine years after that, when he was about to undergo the Ritual of the Night King, his son was born. The spirit of the grimoire Cinis informed him that Karl had highest compatibility with Crystal Heart since the inception of this grimoire, and that he should let his son bond with the grimoire instead.
At that time dark forces had already shrouded the realm under its gloom. Faced with no choice, Arthur choose the ultimate path of sacrifice for the happiness of his son and the prosperity of the realm.
According to Cinis, an organisation named Crimson Heart was after the grimoire and to bait the enemy his parents had devised a plan to lead them away. It worked and Crimson Vale was left to its own devices.
"What about my aunt?" Karl asked.
While his parents death was a mystery, one of the rumours had it that it was his aunt Rosa who killed her sister and her brother-in-law. There was no way to refute these rumours as his aunt was missing since the death of his parents.
"I don't know." Cinis shook her head. "Your parents made the plan, but Rosa was supposed to be the central piece. So, there's a chance she might be alive."
"She's alive!" karl's eyes lit up.
"I'm not saying she's alive," Cinis said, "just that there is a chance."
"A chance is enough."
Even though the rumours had spread every which way, Karl had never doubted his aunt. He had always known there was a story there, so finally finding out the cause and learning that she might be alive filled him with nervous anticipation. He would do everything to find her and bring her back home.
"Now that I've the grimoire, there's nothing for me to fear." He grinned.
Clenching his fist, he pulled at the well spring of his mana to feel the strength course through him. Except he found nothing.
'What?!' He groaned and strained harder, but found his reserves not only dry and depleted but looking smaller than they had ever been.
"What happened to me?" He didn't let the panic take hold of him, instead turning to Cinis and asking, "Why am I so weak, Cin?"
Cinis chuckled nervously. "That might be a side-effect of the incomplete ritual," she explained, "which caused your magic to dry out and your body to weaken. It would also explain the weakness of our bond, considering that you couldn't talk to me telepathically."
"What? What's that supposed to mean?" In a fit of panic, Karl had forgotten to maintain his decorum and acted in agitation.
"Don't worry, alright." She placated. "This is most likely due you being weak and lacking an appropriate amount of Celestial Quartz. For now, let's look up your current level."
Saying so, Cinis waved her hand and a golden light washed over the grimoire and words began to appear.
«
Power - E
Speed - D
Defence - F (E)
Mana - E
»
Seeing the words on the grimoire filled him confusion and he looked at Cinis to find her giving him a sheepish smile. "What?" He asked.
"It would seem you're quite weak." She spoke. "Though exactly how much is a relative term."
Karl sighed and rubbed his temple, feeling a headache incoming. "Please tell me there's a way to rectify this problem?" He looked at her hopefully.
Cinis smiled widely and nodded her head. "Of course there is," she said. "You just lack cohesion between your spirit and the Crystal Heart. We need more materials like Celestial Quartz to to strengthen your bond and increasing your strength."
"While that's certainly good," Karl said, "I would like to ask if there's any way you can help solve some of the problems I'm currently facing? Does the grimoire have anything that can help me?"
"Do you mean financially?" karl nodded. "Well, there might be something in the grimoire that can prove helpful."
...
After leaving the dungeon room, Karl sealed the placed shut. While on their way back to his station, he expressed concern over her presence hovering right over his shoulder. Cinis had waved away the concerns by stating that she was unlikely to be perceived by anything less than those at the very peak of power. And that only Karl would be able to interact with her.
Feeling marginally better he asked her further questions, regarding the enigmatic Night King, the Grimoire, and even the black gem that she called Crystal Heart. According to her, she was born after the Night King died, adamantly refuting the rumours of his existence. As for the grimoire, turns out it was the crystallisation of the Night King's magic and all knowledge and experience meant for his ultimate heir. The one who could inherit the Crystal Heart.
Crystal Heart she explained was the heart of the Night King itself, though she expressed doubt over that bit. Apparently it was somehow related to the Ritual of the Night King itself, being the first vampire and all.
Karl thought of his past and how he wanted to lead his life in the future. There was no doubt that he wanted to find these Crimson Heart bastards and send them to oblivion. He also wished to find his aunt and help prosper his lands for which his parents had sacrificed their lives.
Crimson Vale was currently under immense pressure and strict scrutiny by the others. Under such circumstances he needed to find a way to ward off Aamon and secure his lands. For that he needed both personal strength and capital.
"I understand your concerns, but I am in a desperate need for gold." Karl insisted.
When he had asked Cinis if there was any way in which the grimoire could prove helpful, she had presented him with a section of knowledge that was solely dedicated to Alchemy. In there were a multitude of recipes to some of the best potions or pills he had ever come across. She had basically handed him a formula to make money.
Karl had had some experience learning Alchemy himself, most of the nobles usually underwent such training to ascertain the aptitude of all and to scout a potential alchemist. He had unfortunately proven that he had no such potential. So, being presented with a database of recipes and not being able to leverage it to its full potential was disheartening to say the least.
Despite that he had come across a potion that he might be able to make and that would help earn him enough gold to support his County. The only problem was, despite the simplicity of the potion itself, it was a signature recipe of Night King's and any attempt to bring it into the market would result in attracting all the hostility toward his already less than friendly territory.
"If you insist on following the route, then I won't stop you," said Cinis with a shake of her head and a sigh. "However, at least try something distinct from the Moon's embrace. That potion is a disaster waiting to happen."
Karl frowned but understood her concerns. "Do you have any recommendations?" He asked.
"Blood Cross Potion."