‘So you just like upsetting your elders then?’ the Lady asked, as ladies at both tables turned on him in a blink with frowns that were becoming unapproving.

‘What? No.’ Lan stepped back, realising he had lost much more favour than he had thought. But before the Ladies could throw something at him, Miss Lucy came to his rescue, walking in without knowing what had happened.

So, with a promise to let her know when the party was, Lan made a daring escape before letting out a soft laugh as he walked down the street to the Guild Hall. Even if it was a lie that had backfired, it was better than seeing that fear in the Lady’s eyes.

That brought him back to what she had said, a power that takes root in the mind and makes one want to listen to her. Thanks to the vampire and Dell, Lan knew the difference between being controlled and influenced and knew that whatever that woman had done was neither.

‘Any ideas.’ Lan said to the voice. Lan still wasn’t happy calling her just “the voice”, but when he tried to name her, she said that she didn't need a name as a Seraph of a Light Mark, adding that as she was the only voice he could hear anyway, it didn’t really matter.

{Hmm, it does not sound like any ability or magic known to me. Even the most powerful targeted spells do not permanently remain without a mana source, one that a child should not have. And having it build over time is worrying. Saying it is taking root may be more accurate than I like, as it might permanently change the mind. We should be careful with that one}

Lan nodded, and once he could speak with the Guildmaster, which turned out to be relatively quick despite the time of day and the line waiting outside his office, he passed it on.

The meeting was a little more intimidating as Lan met the head of the Mages’ Guild through a scrying ball.

The moment the silver-haired woman saw him, the orb turned to look at the guild master.

‘So this is the one you were talking about… you know he looks just like…’

‘We know.’ The guild master cut her off.

With another look at Lan, both listened as he explained what he had learned. Most of which both seemed to have learned since the last time he spoke to the Guildmaster. No doubt the Guildmaster had looked into it already, but what was new to them both was the effect that built over time and that Lan had started to feel it when he looked into the woman’s eyes.

‘Hmm,’ the Head Mage hummed with the melodic effect of speaking through a glass ball. ‘If its effects are so rapid, having non-mana users face her may not be a good idea. We could have our own people turn on us in a moment. Also, aside from the mind eater, she could have any number of beasts bound to her. I suggest you allow the Mages’ Guild to handle her.’ With a nod from the Guildmaster, the image in the orb vanished, and Lan was dismissed with a “Keep it up” from the Guildmaster.

With that dealt with, Lan had one more place he needed to go, one he had been putting off.

Cali let out an anguished cry as Lan pulled the broken mess of the shield arm out of the Chest, which now looked little more than the abused arm of a child’s toy soldier.

‘Wh-what?...’ she cried as one of the extendable shield blades dropped to the shop floor, making Lan wince as she ran up to him. Cali grabbed his shoulder as she reached him, looking down at the Shield Arm.

‘You used it, didn’t you?’ Cali looked up at him as a wild grin crossed her face.

‘I… did.’ Lan trilled off, feeling a little silly for worrying.

‘And?’ she squeezed his shoulders.

‘It… left its mark.’ Lan sighed, remembering the red mist of the once goblin head.

‘Oh, you are the best.’ She said, hugging him. ‘and you still have both your arms.’ She patted his shoulder. ‘Good for you.’

‘Yeah, you said I would be fine as long as I hit something, right? I did still break some bones, though.’ He returned with a frown.

‘Huh? I said that about the other Shield Arm, not this one.’ Cali said happily as she picked up the parts, leaving a dumbfounded Lan standing there as she walked to the counter as Cawl had walked up the stairs.

‘Ah, hi lad. Need some repairs?’ Cawl asked before looking thoughtful. ‘Well, it might be time for a tune-up with the Campaign coming up.’

‘That would be great.’ Lan said, getting a nod from the large man.

‘Go ahead and drop your sword and armour on the table.’

Lan did so, and Cawl looked over his once again damaged armour. He paused as his eyes fell on Lan’s sword. If it had been anyone else, Lan knew they wouldn’t be able to see anything out of the ordinary, but for the one that forged the blade, it must have looked like a different weapon.

‘Made some changes, I see.’ He stated.

‘Only to the scabbard and pommel. We knew better than to touch the blade.’ Lan said, picking up his sword and drawing it before turning the two halves and joining them. The sound of fusing metal and snapping Steel rang through the room, and Cawl smiled.

‘Your father’s handiwork.’ Cawl asked, clearly already knowing as he took the offered sword spear. ‘The balance is perfect,’ he said before trying to pull the two halves apart. When it didn’t easily come apart, Cawl put his shoulders into it, the muscles on his arms and back bulging before he puffed out.

‘Tough mechanisms.’ He breathed as Lan took the spear back.

‘No mechanisms.’ He said, sending a trace of mana into the runes before drawing it back, parting the two with a sound that was growing all too familiar. Lan next explained what he and his father had done, including their new techniques.

Before Cawl could say anything, Cali tackled Lan to the floor, knocking over a few display pieces, her eyes shining with wild excitement. ‘This is it! This is what I have been looking for,’ She cheered. ‘I need the schematics.’ She beamed.

‘Ah, I’ll ask my dad.’ Lan said as Cali looked like she would vibrate through the ground.

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‘No time.’ she cheered, leaping off him and shooting out of the shop with a manic laughter following her.

With a sigh, Cawl turned back to Lan’s gear, picking up Lan’s sword again. ‘one hell of a crafter,’ he said under his breath and, with a smile, started working on them.

[Spell Thief.]

[Damage Score: 30]

Durability A,

Rarity: Unique

Quality: Skilful.

Construction: Fable Steel – B, Edge – A, Point – B

Traits: Fused Tuning Core, Spell Thief

[Link Level: 8]

[Reinforced Leather armour: Well-made leather armour reinforced with steel plates, sacrificing some of the speed and mobility of standard leather armour for greater defence.]

[Defence Score: 30]

Durability A,

Rarity: abnormal.

Quality: Skilful.

Construction: Black Bear leather and Steel – c, Impact Damage Resistance - c, Piercing Damage Resistance – C

Traits: Fused Tuning Core

[Link Level: 8]

For the rest of the first week, Lan’s life was nothing but training and guild work. But instead of seeing the days as a countdown to the end, Lan saw it as steps in his progress.

He made progress, indeed, as his skills began levelling up.

[[Skills Up]]

[Spearmenship - Level up: 1>2]

[Black Spear Form - Level up: 1>2]

[Unarmed fighting - Level up:1>2]

[Arrow Fist Form - Level up: 1>2]

[Mace-wielding - Level up: 1>2]

[Crimson mace form - Level up: 1>2]

[Sword-wielding Level up: 1>2] [Sword-wielding evolved into Swordsmenship]

Part of his training was trying to get used to Wispwalking. Setting up a target around the front of their house, Lan cleared his mind as Tyr shot off past the target. When she was three feet away, Lan followed her, the world rushing past him with the sound of shattering crystal.

The moment he landed, charged with the silver wind, Lan spun his body, moving at a blinding speed as he struck the target with a training sword.

Tyr darted past the target again, and Lan stepped through space, spun and hit the target just as Tyr made her third approach, this time, coming at the target low to the ground before shooting up, putting Lan above the target after the wisp walk.

Charged with the Silver Wind and with the high ground, Lan threw his body into a full spin in the air, allowing the Silver Wind to carry him. But his aim was a little off. Leaving him twisting wildly until his sword crashed into the ground and flew off into the tree.

Now, just floating in the air and holding his stinging arm, he cursed to himself.

{Maybe we try it without a weapon… no?} the voice said.

‘Yeah.’ Lan sighed as Tyr darted up to him, ready to go again.

Although their communication had gone back to before his first walk, it was easier to understand her impressions and to have the voice to fill in the rest now. So even though she would still ignore him sometimes, he knew she enjoyed training like this.

At that moment, she wondered why they had stopped flying together.

‘Okay, okay.’ He smiled as the Silver Wind brought him back down. This time, he focused on Wisp Walking and finding the target while keeping his feet planted, but despite planning to keep it simple, Lan felt something changing after an hour.

He started to turn before the Wisp Walk, shortening his time to find the target again. After noticing it, he did it without thinking as if he should have always been doing so like an instinct. It even became fun Wispwalking around before enjoying the moments of unparalleled mobility for those ten seconds. So much so that in his other training, there would be times when he would feel himself wanting to Wisp Walk.

The one thing that wasn’t going his way was an actual fight. Although he had been training and sparring for days, he hadn’t fought anything for real, and although training with his mother and father meant he was learning fast, it wasn’t a real judge of growth when they were holding back, leaving Lan to wonder how ready he was.

So Lan poured his anticipation into his training and soon found a roadblock in terms of the time needed to refind a target. Preempting his next move helped but also led to him overshooting every third or so attack.

{Hmm, maybe this would help} the voice said just as Lan felt his awareness grow, just enough that he could tell where everything around his home was as if he hadn’t been gone for ten years. No, it was better than that; when he focused, he could even sense the birds in the tree Tyr was looking at.

‘This…’

{That’s right, it looks like I can feed what she sees back to you.}

‘This is crazy. I won't even have to look for the target with a little more training. I can’t believe that this is possible.’

{It’s not without a Seraph like me… Yes, I feel this is part of what I am, linking you to our bonds. Almost like a second mind.} The voice sounded like she was looking inward as much as she was explaining it to Lan, something that he was still not ultimately used to, even if he believed it was a good thing.

‘Whatever it is, I am glad for it and you.’ he smiled and looked to Tyr, who darted past the target and he stepped. With the voice sending sight to him, he knew where she was and what was around her, leaving him to act without thinking. Lan mused, turning in the air and landing a solid kick to the target.

Second mind seemed right. Not only did the Voice allow Lan to see what Tyr could, but as he trained. Lan found himself actively processing the information less and less as the Voice improved her flow of information.

Even with this limited experience, Lan could see just how much of a boon this would be in a fight. Lan didn’t know if the other Light Mark had a Voice like his of their own or Wisps, but if they did, he could see why they had become unparalleled Warriors. Lan thought before Landing a spinning kick, breaking the target.

On the tenth day of the first week, Lan started his job for the Guild later than normal, meaning that in the ever-quietening forest, it took him a few hours, even with Tyr’s help, to collect enough of the crystallised sap that he had been charged with gathering.

Not only was it another reminder of the danger they faced, but it also meant that the sun had long since set when they got back.

‘Oh, Hi Lan,’ Mari smiled. ‘Before looking to the receptionist who was waiting to change places with her. ‘I’ll handle this one.’ She said before reaching for the Keystone.

‘Is your shift over?’ Lan asked, reaching for his tag and the crystallised sap.

‘Yeah, right after you.’ she nodded before yawning. From the looks of it and the rings around her eyes, it had been another long day.

‘Thanks for all your work.’ Lan said, getting her to smile.

‘I should be thanking you and the other hunters for all the hard work you all do.’ She added, taking the sap.

‘Not so. Without you and the other Ladies, we wouldn’t have any work. especially now.’ Lan said.

With everyone taking all the work they could, it wasn’t enough for the receptionists to wait for jobs brought by the Duke’s men or the people, so they used their network with the other Guild’s receptionists to keep everyone working.

Mari and the other girls smiled at him, each looking as tired as she was.

‘Thanks, Lan.’ she smiled warmly before handing him his reward.

[Added: Five Silver pieces.]

[Exp Gain: 100]

‘And thank you.’ Lan smiled back. ‘Oh, if you are heading home, I can walk with you,’ he offered.

Even though someone would have to be really stupid to try anything with one of the faces of the Wild Hunt Guild, given how late it was and the desperate times, Lan didn’t want someone’s bad eyesight to come back to bite them.

Mari smiled at that. ‘I would love the company.’ She said, picking up her things and letting her replacement take her seat.

Stepping out of the Guild, Lan took a deep breath of the crisp air as Mari yawned and stretched.

‘There is nothing that can wake you up like a cool early winter breeze.’ Mari said, and Lan couldn’t help but agree. Although he knew those of some of the other lands wouldn’t feel the same, he was sure all in Crownguard would agree with them.

‘I have to say, Lan, you seemed to have taken to the life of an adventurer.’ Mari noted as they started down the road.

‘You think so?’ Lan looked at her as she nodded.

‘You always had the wild eyes of one, but now you carry yourself like one, too.’ she added as she walked around him.

‘Oh yeah? Well, I will take your expert opinion on it.’ he laughed.

‘You should. I have seen one or two adventurers in my lifetime, you know.’ She giggled before she gasped. ‘Oh no, I forgot to send out the call sheet.’ She turned. ‘Give me a moment,’ Mari said before rushing back to the Guild.

With it still in sight, Lan listened, watching her run back inside before closing his eyes and rolling his neck, enjoying the air as he reached out to Tyr with his mind.

She had wandered off before finding something hiding under a roof tile interesting enough to investigate.

‘Is there any way I can better see what she sees?’ Lan asked the voice.

{This is the best we can do at the moment. I think more will damage your mind and sense of self. Even Light Marks have limits.}

‘Got it. I can just ask once she finds out.’ Lan smiled a moment before he staggered, taking a step before the ground rushed to meet him.