Firana waved at me and smiled, unaware of the fact I had spent the last hour talking with the System itself within my mana pool. I barely managed to smile back. A hundred thoughts piled up in my mind, but that wasn’t all. There were runes everywhere: on the table's surface, the shelves, the wooden beams, on Firana’s cape, and even on my skin. Most of the runes shone with washed-away colors and undefined edges that made it impossible to read them. On the other hand, the runes on Firana’s cape were bright and sharp.
I repeatedly blinked, and the runes eventually faded out. Firana gave me a worried glance, but I did my best to reply with a carefree smile. Neither Abei nor Firana seemed aware of my lengthy reunion with the System Avatar. I let out a sigh of relief. Despite Abei’s general friendliness, I wouldn’t trust him with the secret of my new class.
The old man gave Firana a beatific smile and turned a bronze crank at the side of the solar system model. The planets slowly spun under the girl’s amazed glance. Still, I ignored the similarity between the model and the Solar System –although there were more planets in Abei’s model– and focused on the faint blue glow of Firana’s cape. No amount of blinking made the juxtaposed runes disappear. I could see the enchantment weaved on the fabric.
Fractalis System Re-initializing.
Verifying the contents of the soul…
Verifying past experiences…
I closed my eyes and braced for what was coming next. My life flashed before my eyes. The happy early years with my parents and grandparents. The old house in the country. The piles of junk in my grandfather’s workshop. The smell of leather. Highschool. Laura. My parent’s death. My first day at the fencing club. Laughing with the boys at the club. Stressful college exams. My gloomy days. The portal towards Farcrest. Elincia. The kids. Hopes and fears.
Re-initialization complete.
Foreign Soul Robert Clarke verified.
Assigning new Class.
Goodspeed cowboy.
“You little piece of code.” I grinned as the series of prompts appeared in front of my eyes. The weird ‘flavor’ of the sassy prompts made sense now. The System Avatar had been eyeing me, taunting me, since the moment I had crossed the portal.
My Character Sheet popped up before me.
Name: Robert Clarke, Human.
Class: Runeweaver Scholar Lv.1 (Displayed Class: Scholar Lv.15)
Titles: Lonely Boy, Stone in Love, Hot for Teacher, Confidant, Classroom Fiend, Favorite Teacher (97), Father Figure (2), Master Tutor, Silver Scholar, Delinquent Reformer (5), Stalwart Mentor (7), Making the Difference, Role Model, Expert Mathematician, Expert Physicist, Adept Historian, Adept Linguist, Journeyman Biologist, Novice Chemist, Novice Orator.
Passive: Lv.5 Swordsmanship, Mana Mastery, A̵w̴arɐnes̵s, Master of Languages.
Skills: I̶d̶en̴t̶i̷f̴y, Stun Gaze, Intimi̷dɐte, Minor Illusion.
Status: Deeply grateful to the System Lv.99
My heart skipped a beat. There were no skills related to rune weaving or enchanting. I let out a nervous laugh. Did the System make a mistake? My eyes raced over the Character Sheet just to reach the same conclusion —no new skills. I took a deep breath and eased my mind. There had to be a good reason behind the lack of skills related to rune-weaving. Maybe it was due to my lack of levels. A part of me doubted it, though. The first time I got a Class, the System gave me [Identify] instantly. Shouldn’t it be the same here? How else would I improve my level without a related skill?
I expected something else: a blue light engulfing my body or the feeling of an invisible hand kneading my brain. Cautiously, I reached the System Shrine Fragment, but the blue surface remained opaque. Then, I closed my eyes, and focusing, I dived into my mana pool. The right white runes made of Fountain Mana remained there, but the System Avatar was nowhere to be found.
Further experimentation would have to wait until I was alone at the orphanage.
I leaned forward and pretended to read Byrne’s journal. The fact the man had fled back to Earth after contacting the System Avatar bothered me. If the System Avatar was telling the truth about the increase of Corruption –and I had no reason to think he was lying– why did Byrne run away instead of helping? A world of magic wasn’t something even the most boring earthling could give up so easily. Certainly, I was not going to do it.
Now came the issue of deciding what to tell Abei.
Telling him I chatted with the System itself was disingenuous, to say the least. People who bragged about talking with gods and spirits usually ended up in psych wards. Even if System Zealots had some level of contact with the System, they didn’t speak directly to it. Instead, they received quests from the System. I quickly discarded the idea of telling Abei.
I decided to tell him most of the truth regarding the journal's contents.
“Master Abei?” I drew the old scholar’s attention.
“Were you lucky with those scribbles, Master Clarke?” Abei replied with a Mall-Santa smile on his face. He left Firana playing with the brass solar models and dragged a heavy chair beside me.
I placed my hand on top of the notebook.
“This is one of Samuel Byrne’s field journals. It summarizes the expedition into a tunnel network under the Farlands that ended with the finding of the System Shrine Fragment.” I explained. “Since you were mentioned in it, I believe you are aware of most of the events described here.”
Abei nodded. “Yes. I was part of that expedition a long time ago. Does it say anything interesting about the Fragment?”
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
The eagerness in his voice only made me feel more guilty.
“Not much,” I said, opening the journal and turning the pages to the part Byrne started talking about the System Shrine Fragment. “In this passage, Byrne says that the fragments were corrupted. There, it says he believes the Fragment has more uses than showing people’s class and titles. Then he goes to the Farlands to gather evidence but with little success.”
Abei followed my explanation in silence, occasionally writing a few lines on a wax tablet. The fact that Byrne’s journal was primarily descriptive helped me convince the old scholar that nothing was out of the ordinary. Revealing that Byrne traveled through a portal to another world was out of the question because that would reveal my own place of origin.
“This part is interesting, though,” I said, pointing at the hastily written lines near the end of the journal. As much as I wanted to keep the secret, committing academic fraud was against my nature. “It seems Samuel Byrne had a breakthrough after his [Mana Manipulation] evolved into [Mana Mastery]. The journal stops after that, so I can’t tell exactly what the breakthrough was.”
Abei’s eyes lit up.
“Samuel Byrne was an expert in arithmetic, physics, and biology. It doesn’t surprise me that he had achieved [Mana Mastery] at all.” Abei said, scratching his long white beard. “Well, I didn’t expect to find all the answers to my questions here. Master Byrne wouldn’t leave an important piece of his investigation behind wherever he decided to go.”
I agreed with Abei. The essential bits of Byrne’s investigation had to be on the table inside the cabin back on Earth. To think I was once so close to them infuriated me, but I couldn’t foresee their importance.
“Might I ask what lit your interest in the System?” I asked.
Abei laughed. It was reassuring, at least, that the man was so open to discussing his investigation.
“Consider the following. We take the sun for granted, but if you think about it, isn’t it weird that a giant ball of fire crosses the sky daily? I’m starting to feel the same about the System. Isn’t it the way that gives us power mysterious? ” Abei said. Then, he paused as if he had trouble choosing the following words. “That’s not the whole story, though.”
Although we were alone in the study, he looked around to ensure no prying ears were nearby and leaned toward me before continuing.
“The truth is, Corrupted monsters have been on the rise. What we considered a Monster Surge fifty years ago is only a normal Monday today. Studying the System to shed light on the true nature of Corruption might be our next logical step.”
“Is it bad?” I whispered.
“I’m not saying the situation is dire. Thanks to the young Marquis, we are better equipped to deal with monsters. I’m starting to see a pattern, however. There is less time between Monster Surges and more casualties each time. What's the point of being a Scholar if you can’t protect your home?” Abei said.
I felt the same, but before I could reply, the distant sound of a horn filled the Scholar Tower. Abei cursed and jumped on his feet, almost knocking over the chair. If I had to guess, he was expecting that call.
“The crowned prince is entering the city! I’m sorry to cut our study session early, but I’m the court’s Scholar and must be present.”
Abei rummaged through a chest, pulling out several different pointy hats and robes. In a heartbeat, the Scholar had shed his old robe and replaced it with a red mantle with golden stoles. The change surprised me. He didn’t look like a thin Santa but an old sage from ancient times. Opening another chest, he pulled out a belt with several wand holsters and tied it around his waist.
“I have a lot of work at the orphanage. My time to return was near in any case,” I replied. The truth was I wanted to go home to put my new class to work. Also, I had to tell Elincia about my true place of origin now that the Silence Pact had been lifted. I sighed. The fact I had been lying wasn’t going to please her.
“I can only imagine how much work the kids give you. I never married, but I was in charge of my young nephew after my sister died. He was a handful. A brilliant kid, Darius, but too focused on achieving results for his own good.” Abei laughed as he guided us to the door.
“Do the prince’s troops ride skeeths? I wonder what they do to tame them.” Firana asked.
Suddenly, Abei stopped in his tracks. With a swift movement, he pulled out a wand from his belt and swung it towards the coat rack. Two robes of a dark red color flew to his hand.
“The court Scholar needs an entourage, and I don’t see any Scribes nearby. If the soldiers ride skeeths, you’ll be able to see them from nearby when they cross the inner wall.” Abei mindlessly said. The fact he was bending the rules to satisfy Firana’s curiosity made me like him even more. “It will only be a moment.”
Firana hung on my sleeve and gave me the puppy dog eyes. I wondered if she learned that technique from Shu. It was very effective, and I wanted to see the skeeths too.
“I guess we have time,” I said, grabbing one of the robes.
“Yes!” Firana celebrated and grabbed the smaller one.
“I’m ashamed that Master Clarke, with all his titles, would have to dress up as a lowly Scribe.” Abei sighed, genuinely distressed.
“I’ll survive,” I replied.
Firana and I walked behind Abei down the spiral stairs and through the Great Hall corridors. The Guardsmen moved up and down like panicked ants. Other than high-ranking officers stopping to greet Abei, no one dared to stop us. If I had to guess, the Marquis wasn’t expecting an actual royal visit after the army's arrival. Despite the Great Hall being plunged into chaos, Abei walked leisurely.
Outside the main gate, a double line of guards and royal soldiers formed a passage from the wall to the Great Hall steps. The Marquis was at the top of the stairs, dressed in red and black armor. Under his arm rested a wolf head helmet, and hanging from his belt, a gilded rapier. Captain Kiln stood at the Marquis's right, wearing the same black and red armor except for the wolf helmet. On the Marquis's left, there was Sir Janus. He didn’t wear the colors of Farcrest Nobility, although its armor was cleaner than anything I’d seen him in before.
Behind the line of Guardsmen, nobles and commoners stood on the tips of their toes to catch a glimpse of the royal delegation. Abei guided us toward a spot reserved for the court Scholar at the base of the staircase. Then, as we reached our place, the bannermen blew their horns. The iron gate opened, and a squad of armored soldiers raided horse-sized lizards with muscular bodies covered in shiny, amethyst-like scales entered the courtyard. Firana gasped. A skeeth snapped against a nearby Guardsmen, and the raiders had to assert the reins for no one to get eaten. Raising one at the orphanage didn’t seem a good idea anymore.
Suddenly, A man in golden armor raiding in the back of a black stag of majestic ivory antlers crossed the iron gate. The crowd held their breath as the man reached the Great Hall. The Marquis walked down the stairs a moment later and knelt before him—the prince.
After a short exchange of pleasantries, the prince dismounted and signaled the Marquis to stand up. Then, he raised his visor, but I didn’t get to see his face due to the angle. They both walked inside the Great Hall a moment later, leaving a small army of squires to take care of the colossal stag.
“Not a single greet for the rest of the nobles, how unsightly,” Abei whispered as the rest of the royal entourage entered the courtyard.
Two hundred men and women carrying dozens of different banners soon invaded the Great Hall. Two blue olive branches over a golden field. A raven over a silver background. A black hammer on the sun. A lush tree with ethereal multicolor petals falling out of the banners. A red falcon catching a fish. A white tower. Foot soldiers, skeeth raiders, carriages, and heavy carts drawn by another species of lizard, this one bulkier and slower than the skeeth. Togs. Soon, the Guardsmen retreated, leaving space for all the newcomers to fit inside the courtyard.
I wondered if the Marquis would have enough room for everyone. This looked more like an invasion than an actual visit. The Farlands campaign shouldn't be going very well for such a great force to retreat.
“Darius, boy!” Abei suddenly yelled over the noise of animals, workers, and soldiers.
A tall man with sharp features, tanned skin, and rapacious eyes stopped his horse and looked in our direction. His skin had that sickly yellow tone usually associated with a lack of sunlight. Although he was dressed as a Scholar, a curved sword hung from his belt.
“Holst,” Firana grunted.