Someone nudged him a few times on his leg. He released Meditation and saw Mistress Helfira's leg close to him. The woman's slipper kept kicking him lightly on the side of his leg.

"Still hungry?" The old lady asked.

Tercius nodded and his stomach gave an answer of its own. With a heated face, he got up to his feet and spotted J'ro hiding behind the small Mistress.

The boy was slouching and keeping his gaze on the floor, pretending as if he was elsewhere.

Tercius made his way past the small Mistress and made a stop before the suddenly tense boy. Tercius' eyes only saw hair from his viewpoint, as J'ro kept his head down.

"J'ro?" Tercius said slowly then swallowed hard. "I want to apologize to you. I… I shouldn't have done… this, I shouldn't have asked. I'm sorry,"

J'ro seemed completely taken aback by Tercius' words. His face did not believe his ears, so the boy's eyes had to come up and search Tercius's face for answers. "Tercius… I… what?"

"All of this… is my fault. If I didn't ask… none of this would have happened. So… I'm sorry,"

"No… no… I," J'ro said between short breaths, confused. "It's me… I was the one who…"

There were a few moments of silence where the two boys just looked at each other. Tercius remorseful yet also curious and J'ro just downright confused.

"Why did you attack me?" Tercius asked. "Did you want to hurt me?"

"No, no, I… I just… reacted," the boy said hastily.

"Did you think that I would report you?"

"...yea,"

"Even after I specifically said that I wouldn't?"

"It… it happened, once before,"

"It was a good reaction, by the way," Tercius said with a small smile. Lux would have been proud of it, Tercius thought. "Fast and without hesitation,"

"...thank... you?"

"So do you accept my apology?"

"... what?"

"Kid, just say 'I do,' and let's go eat. I ain't getting any younger," Mistress Helfira said and her slippers started making klip-klop sounds as she walked away. With a small thoughtful hum, she murmured, "Maybe I can even get a wink of sleep before morning,"

***

When Mistress Helfira and the two boys came into the kitchens, a few servants were tending the fires and making preparations for the breakfast. Feeding over a hundred hungry kids required a lot of work and that was atop the regular work they did.

"A fresh loaf, something to put on it, and then leave us alone," she ordered and the servants jumped to obey. Tercius noted that only women worked here-- very young and quite attractive women.

Mistress's commands were executed without fail in a matter of a minute. The woman lifted the bread loaf and in a moment it fell back down-- in cleanly severed pieces.

While the woman took two pieces and smeared marmalade over them, Tercius and J'ro just looked at the remaining bread on the table. Both wanted a bite yet neither wanted to touch it. It fell apart so easily, and Tercius had a feeling his fingers would do the same.

"It won't bite," the Mistress said with a small smile. "Go ahead,"

Tercius looked at J'ro and made a small incline with his head.

J'ro shook his head in denial, his shaggy black hair swaying about.

Tercius took a deep breath. His hand took the bread slice without an issue. Two spoons of marmalade were smeared and he scarfed down the slice in a moment.

J'ro followed suit after Tercius and the two boys made short work of the remaining bread. Mistress Helfira still had a third of her first slice in her hand when the rest of the bread was finished.

"You saw where the loaves are. Take as many as you want," the Mistress gave permission.

It was a while later that all three were sated.

"Alright, I want to make sure you both know something before you go to your room," Mistress Helfira said then turned to J'ro. "There will be a lot of… new behavior towards you, J'ro. Most of the students here are from the lands of the Empire and you know what that means, don't you?"

J'ro only nodded.

"Well, they will learn but it will take time. Expect a lot of comments and teases, we can't do much about that. Take comfort in this, many a great mage of our Academy had been a werebeast skill user. My Mentor had a werefox skill and she went on to be a great mage-- a trailblazer in her field. What matters is what you do, not what you are,"

"I thought things would be much worse. I thought you would give me to the Army. To endure some words, here and there, is nothing," J'ro said confidently.

"We handle our own, here. As for words… some can cut as well as your claws, if not better," Mistress Helfira said. "Tell me about your Mana skills, both of you,"

Tercius and J'ro shared a hesitant look.

"I… I currently have none, Mistress," J'ro said. "Master Kot had been working with me for some time and I have sensed it, but couldn't quite manage to move it,"

"I have Mana Manipulation and Mana Sight and Master Lazarus has shown me the exercises I need to do before I get a spell and try for Mana Metamorphosis," Tercius said when the Mistress looked at him.

"Tomorrow both of you will come to my office after classes. I will inform your teachers of the change," Mistress Helfira said.

"But… why?" Tercius asked.

"I have free time, that's all," she said. "Do you remember where you were placed?"

Tercius and J'ro were not there when rooms were divided in the afternoon, but Mistress Helfira easily found Eunim’s room. She guided them to the door and let them in, locking the door behind them.

Eunim was sleeping on a bed near the window as the two boys made their way into the room and sat on opposite beds.

Even though Tercius felt tired, somehow he did not want to sleep. The scene where J'ro's teeth grew flashed before his eyes. The smooth pale face sprouted whitish fur and cat eyes looked at him.

Looking at J'ro who was sitting on his bed, Tercius had to ask, "Does it hurt? The transformation?"

"...a bit," J'ro shrugged. "You get used to it,"

"I didn't know that you had this skill, J'ro," Tercius whispered. "There was some kind of a parasite attached to you and when I saw it, it was cat-like, I just..."

"She told me. The mistress," J'ro answered in a low voice. "She asked if I felt any weakness in my leg and she poked it a few times. She asked about my skill… Tercius… I'm sorry, I…"

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Tercius just looked at the boy. "What's done is done. We're here… we're alive. That's enough,"

"Still…"

"Did Amber see you or something?"

"Huh?"

"I was just wondering, did Amber know just about the parasite or did she even know about you too? "

"Oh... that... I don't know about the parasite but… I may have shifted once or twice. I forgot that she was there…" J'ro confessed with embarrassment in his voice.

“So she was onto you,” Tercius smiled. Good girl. “Is this ‘shift’ something you need to do? Does the skill require it?”

“Once a week, at least a for a little while,” J’ro nodded. “It gets… uncomfortable if I don’t do it,”

"Interesting," Tercius murmured. Considering that J'ro did not cross over the first barrier it meant that whatever this uncomfortable feeling was, it was an innate characteristic of the skill. The ferocity after the skill barrier was most likely– just like the majority suspected– a consequence of the wrong way of leveling the skill.

The skill wounds up corrupted somehow. Maybe a… psychological reaction of the individual. Emotions do have an effect... I can’t imagine that eating a family member is something easy. Yet it might be an advanced form of this feeling J’ro feels now, a natural progression as the skill levels. Maybe all of the above? Hmm, what would happen if I gave J’ro Energy to level it? Tercius thought.

“Why are you like… this?” J’ro asked suddenly.

“– what?” Tercius murmured and tried to get his head out of his musings.

“People had found out before… about me. About... what I am. All of them ran away. Or... worse,” J’ro said with a soft voice. “And now, there you are… Not even phased by what happened... by what I did to you,”

There was a stormcloud passing over, barring moonlight from the world. The night was dark, yet peaceful. Tercius looked at the wall behind J'ro and imagined himself at that moment when he felt the steel hand on his neck, he saw the eyes that had looked at him. There was no pain... there was only...

“... it’s not that I’m not phased. Did I feel fear when I saw your teeth grow? I almost pissed myself. There it was, the nails, the teeth, the fur… the eyes.” Tercius said slowly in a low tone, his eyes still seeing the whole scene– aided by Visualization. “I knew what it was that my eyes saw in an instant. My mind supplied the answers as if I was reading them. All of it matched at first, you see– and then some of it did not. You looked so... unwilling, so... I don’t know...”

Tercius’s eyes found J’ro’s in the dark room. “You spoke. While your hand was trying to squeeze the life out of me, you said ‘I’m sorry’. Would a mindless beast do that? I think not.”

Tercius clenched his fists. “I was... lied to, in a way. Purposefully. I don't mind being lied to, I mind that I believed it. I believed it, J’ro. Most of all, I mind that I didn’t question it. I just... took it for granted, and you almost paid the price of my foolishness—”

“Tercius, the whole world believes it,” J’ro said slowly. “And it’s mostly true, what’s written there—”

“As if that is some kind of consolation. ‘The world believes it’. Forget the world. I should have known better,” Tercius said through clenched teeth. “Most of that shit might be true, but not all of it is— is it? How many of those they kill are truly feral? How many are killed before they even do a single thing wrong? This is… so messed up. This whole thing is just... Fuck!”

Slipping a curse in a language only known to him, Tercius looked at J’ro’s eyes. The boy was looking back at Tercius with wide eyes. “It’s the easy way out, J’ro. Kill your problem—”

—one I used, he bit down the words. I'm such a hypocrite. Who am I to point a finger at anyone? My hands may not be as bloody as theirs, but they have blood on them. I… No, they are killing still innocent humans… children... and that mage was many things, but not an innocent child. He knew what he was getting himself into… To place my crime against their institutionalized one is… wrong. It's a whole other scale…

Tercius felt sick. There was a hand gnawing at him from inside, bitter and repulsive, twisting his organs left and right.

The practical side of him saw the benefits of the Empire’s way immediately, hells it even somewhat approved. That only made the feeling worse.

He could see why the Empire went with it. It was much easier than any other alternative– it eliminated the threat permanently. The danger feral werebeasts posed was most likely completely true, and yet this kind of preventive measure… it was too extreme.

They killed anyone who had the potential to become feral, without question.

Now I need to check every single skill from the Forbidden List, just to make sure, Tercius thought.

"Go to sleep, J'ro. Tomorrow is a new day," Tercius said. Still in his clothes, he laid down, took the cool pillow, and placed it over his heated head. He wished Amber was near him.

“I think that the sun will come up in a few hours, so, technically, it will still be the same day,” a voice from the nearby bed said, groggily.

Tercius lifted the pillow a bit and said, “Go back to sleep, Eunim,”

“You’re not my Father. Besides, you woke me up,” Eunim said and rubbed his eyes. “Now, who will tell me what exactly happened today? I heard five different stories, at least, so…”

***

What do I do? Tercius asked himself as he looked at the new arrival. Should I even do anything?

"What's he doing here?" Euria asked, her finger pointed at J'ro.

Eunim, J'ro, and Tercius were seated around a table, doing nothing in particular. The mansion had so many salons, reading rooms, and entertainment lounges, that Tercius thought that no one would find them. He was wrong.

He saw the small reason Euria had been able to find them, in a moment. Wiggling her small body, Amber tried to leave Euria's arms. She jumped and landed on her feet, immediately heading to Tercius.

He placed his hand on the floor and she ran straight onto his palm.

While he played with the energetic river lion, Euria stayed where she was and looked at J'ro with fear in her eyes.

J'ro looked at Tercius and inclined his head to Euria, as if to say, 'That's the proper reaction,'. Tercius almost rolled his eyes.

"Take a seat, Euria, Lomera," Tercius said and pushed out two chairs.

"I won't! Lomera, stay there! Tercius! Is it true? Did he try to kill you?" Euria asked.

Oh, Gods, he thought. I will need to do this when Penelope comes back, won't I?

"Do you want to explain this?" Tercius asked J'ro. The boy only shook his head.

"A short story then. Once upon a time, there was a---"

"Is it true? Are you a werebeast?" Euria asked and looked at J'ro.

"You didn't think this through, did you?" J'ro accused. "What if I attack?"

The girl went pale and took a few steps back.

"J'ro please, this is difficult enough," Tercius said and stood up. "Please sit, you two, we'll explain everything,"

"Euria, since he's here, then the teachers must have allowed it," Lomera stammered and went and sat across from J'ro.

A smile spread itself on Tercius's face as he looked at Euria. "See?"

Hesitantly, Euria joined the group at the table. Tercius and J'ro told the story slowly, explaining and answering every question.

Finally, there was silence.

Suddenly he had a thought. Nothing breeds fear like ignorance. Tercius turned to J'ro. "I don't know if you are feeling comfortable enough to do it, but you should show them how it looks. It will be better than if they imagine it,"

"I don't know… people usually don't like to see it…"

"It's up to you, choose as you like. But, if I was in your place I would take my advice," Tercius said, confidently.

"All right…" J'ro said. "I'll start now, so… just don't scream,"

Tercius watched as small white hair sprouted over J'ro's cheeks. His black eyebrows turned more grey and the eyes under those eyebrows shifted. The nails grew longer and grew in thickness, going from neatly cleaned ones to sharp points that scratched the wooden table. Two fangs made their exit through the mouth, pointing downwards.

Euria was pale white, holding onto Lomera and trying to pull the small girl back. Even Eunim, who was somewhat prepared, looked a little queasy.

"See? Nothing much to it," Tercius said and pinched J'ro's furry cheek, leaving the skin red.

"Hey," J'ro complained and swiped at Tercius's hand. He drew a bit of blood, but only a scratch. "Don't do that,"

The softness of the fur on the boy's cheeks surprised him. "That's so… I never felt something like that. Let me just…"

Tercius tried to do it once more, but J'ro hissed and showed his teeth. It had the desired effect, but only for a moment. Tercius's hand grabbed the cheek once more. "Ohhh, that's so smooth. Eunim, you have to try this. We should shave him and make a pillow out of this,"

Eunim looked intrigued. The kid loved a good pillow, Tercius knew. "Really? That good? Can I--"

"Stay away!" J'ro growled. "Tercius remove that hand or I will do it for you,"

"You won't," Tercius said confidently. "You owe me this. I will consider us even if you let them try it,"

"Tercius…" the boy growled.

"J'ro…"

The two boys looked at each other, neither one willing to yield. Never blinking, Tercius stared at the boy-- slowly showing his seriousness. Finally, J'ro closed his eyes in defeat.

Tercius waved Eunim over and the boy had a go. "Ohhh, I see what you mean. It's so fluffy. How fast does it grow back? J'ro, I can pay you if you want..."

Tercius persuaded Lomera to try it. The girl caressed J'ro's other cheek and the boy blushed. It took a while, but Euria finally joined in on the petting.

They squeezed the cheeks and tugged the fine hairs until the boy's face turned blue and hairless. The group wouldn't have stopped, yet, but J'ro ran out of Mana and his transformation slowly reversed itself.

Rubbing his cheeks, the boy had tears in his eyes as he glared at Tercius. The aftereffects of complete Mana depletion made the boy swoony.

Tercius, on the other hand, had a satisfied expression on his face. The iceberg had been melted, at least a big chunk of it. To J'ro, Tercius's expression seemed particularly smug.

"I don't feel like going out today," Tercius said. "So, how about we practice drawing some Runes?"

***

That evening, Penelope was returned by Seliana.

"She told me what happened. Thank you for looking out for her," Seliana said after she greeted him with an embrace. "She was always a bit of a chatterbox, but I thought that was only with me,"

"Mother…" whined the said chatterbox.

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure she saw where she made the mistake. She is smart enough to see how dumb her actions had been--" "--hey, that's not nice to say,--" "--and now she won't repeat them,"

"You think so?"

"I hope so. If she does, I will have to make sure to get away from an explosive ingredient. You're a brewer, I'm sure you understand," Tercius said with a wink to the older woman. From where Penelope stood she wasn't able to see the wink.

"Yes. Explosive ones are the worst," Seliana nodded seriously. "I was never one for beating my child, maybe that was a mistake. Tell you what, you have my permission to… punish her in my stead,"

"M-mother," Penelope stuttered as she looked at the students around them.

"Don't you 'Mother' me, young lady. Use your head, think about your actions and their consequences. Look at Tercius, such a responsible, studious, young man. He would never do anything stupid, would he?" Seliana said crossly.

"I don't know about that," Tercius said slowly.

"--you need to look at what he does and--"

Tercius saw that the woman was on a parental educational roll and wouldn't be swayed lightly. Still, he liked to see how chastised Penelope looked. What he did not like was how Seliana set him as a shining example of proper behavior.

Especially after the events of the day before, it stung too much.

"We need to go now. We'll be leaving the mansion in a little while," he said to Seliana, interrupting her.

"Oh, I spoke to that woman, Porfira I think her name was. I asked to take you in, the next time a weekend like this comes about. As long as you agree, you'll be able to come with Pen next time,"

"Oh?" Tercius perked up. This might mean a few things... could be accelerated. "Thank you for that,"

"Don't mention it. It's the least that I can do for you," the woman said and went on her way.

Tercius and Penelope moved through the neat garden, towards the giant mansion. As they entered through the grand front door, Penelope asked, "Did anything interesting happen while I was away?"

"... no gossiping, Penelope,"