Just as expected I was unable to get any proper sleep that night. Sigh. I was the type to overthink profusely when things didn't go my way. In this case though, I was certain that something had gone horribly wrong with me. Even after some hours of restless tossing and turning I just could not seem to let my thoughts wander off, nor find a comfortable position to lay down in. As always Rheka had managed to fall asleep almost instantly. How good for her!

Despite my personal failures at magic, I was proud of her, if not even a bit jealous. From the moment when she deflected that disgusting, terrifying bird's attack with her bare hand I knew, as cliché as it sounds, that the kid was gifted in some way. But then - what was wrong with me? Weren't we supposed to be... Nekro and Forpal? Two sides of the same coin? Or something?

The morning came and I woke up first. If I even slept at all. I stayed quiet until Rheka got up, groaning with exhaustion.

Relatable.

The old man made his way over to our room earlier than expected. He let out a long yawn.

“You kids ready to face another day?” he asked, giving us both a good look.

“We're raring to go, Pa!” Rheka replied with eager.

“Great. I might've figured out what's going on with Argius, you know. We'll continue with practice, but I'll have to leave you children earlier today. To confirm... a hunch of mine."

“Sure thing!” Rheka exclaimed as she jumped out of bed.

I followed suit right behind her. After all, I was curious to see if the old man had figured it out for me. And if he hadn't, well... Then I'd just have to keep trying until I got it right. I was stubborn like that. If something didn't go to plan I'd just... bruteforce it. Or find a way out of bounds.

We arrived at our training grounds in the plains shortly thereafter. "Alright you two, despite yesterday's little mishap I want you to give this another shot. For today's lesson you'll be learning about the spell Ember. It's a simple Fire spell that produces a ball of flames, which can be used as a distraction, or for setting things ablaze. It's versatile and can be used in many ways. Most importantly-" Vrintas stopped abruptly before producing a small flame in his palm. He reached out his hand and fired it across the plains. "It can be used as a projectile, should the need ever arise.”

“Now then, before you start." The old man turned towards me, sliding a ring off his fingers before slipping it over one of my claws. It felt cold against my scales.

"This should help me figure it out for good."

I nodded in confusion.

Attuning to the spell took some time. Just like yesterday, after watching the old man demonstrate the spell a couple more times, I closed my eyes and visualized the image of the spell in my head and... just like yesterday I failed. I couldn't feel a damn thing. Nothing. I was completely blank. My heart sank. What a bloody waste. I was starting to doubt myself, wondering whether I'd just been forsaken to never be able to get the hang of this shit.

Was this really my destiny? Couldn't I've just been reborn as a simple human then? I mean, I knew I wasn't exactly a great person... lizard. But I didn't hurt anyone. I didn't steal. Well, I do steal. Sometimes. But I didn't lie. I didn't cheat... often. I didn't even kill! I didn't do nothing here. Not in this world. I just want life to go my way for once. That too much to ask for?

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"Hey, kid?" The old man called out to me.

I snapped back to reality and looked up at him.

"I know you might feel defeated right now but bear with it just a little longer."

I didn't say anything in return. Instead, I just stared at the ground.

"Rheka!” Vrintas turned around. “Less watching, more casting. Now its your turn!"

Immediately Rheka sprung up from her spot and approached the old man. She closed her eyes and tried to visualize the spell. I could tell she was having some difficulty, but she persisted. I felt a slight tingle, whilte her hands started to glow red. Soon after the flames appeared. They were small and faded quickly, but they were there, nonetheless. Eventually she got the hang of it. Kid was a prodigy - sure as shit.

Vrintas had told us that he'd be leaving us to our own devices for a while after our last lesson. So naturally, we decided to spend the rest of the afternoon exploring the plains. Rheka was keen on stirring up trouble as she kept on flinging tiny balls of fire in random directions. I didn't really care though, so long as the girl had fun. At the very least someone should.

After a while, the sun began to set. We were supposed to be at home by dusk, so we headed back to our house. When we arrived, the old man hadn't returned yet. Rheka and I waited with patience in our room before fighting our tiredness became too much to bear and we dosed off.

That night I managed to sleep a bit better. Somehow, thinking about Rheka’s success and the old man’s encouragement gave me enough peace of mind that I’d managed to fall asleep. Right up to the moment when the man himself shook me awake.

I groaned.

"Follow me son. Come on." Vrintas whispered. I stepped off the bed and exited the room. Together we headed down the stairs to an all-to-familiar place. The old man's basement.

As we entered, I could see a couple of candles burning in the corners. Various items and books were scattered across the room's floor.

To be frank I was still groggy from before. My head felt heavy, my body sore. I felt like shit. Despite my exhausted state I tried to focus, gazing at the old man with curiosity. What did he intend to do now? Why had he brought me here?

"Alright, then. It appears that someone's holding a serious grudge against you." Vrintas spoke softly. "And judging by the fact that they blighted you not just once but twice, they must be rather determined."

A blight? What, like a curse?

"You’re unable to convert mana. The whole channeling process does not work for you. I was able to clearly detect mana throughout your whole body, which is unsurprising given the fact that you’re essentially a walking catalyst. Yet you’re unable to make use of it even with an external source, such as the ring I lent you. It just didn’t make any sense. Until the possibility of another blight came to mind. You see, blights can be rather... arbitrary at times. Sometimes they even miss their marks and end up in all-sorts-of-places. It isn't necessarily that rare of an occurrence. People can live out their whole lives without even realizing they've been marked with one. But two? At your age? That’s... Well. Unlucky. To put it mildly."

My heart skipped a beat. Had I been cursed? Was that why I couldn't cast up a damn thing? Because of some bloody blight?

"Now, let me see..." The old man began rummaging through some of the books scattered across the floor. "I've witnessed a fair share of blights throughout my life, but these ones are quite... exotic. I'm by no means an expert on the subject but fortunately for us I might know someone who could be able to confirm my suspicions." Vrintas went on with his eyes glued to a book, turning the pages.

“Curbing a blight is actually fairly simple if you know what you're dealing with. Which in this case is probably a... Mana Restraint, as well as a Silencer. But we’ve already taken care of the latter, haven’t we?” He shut his book and gave my collar a light pull, prompting me to nod.

“You and I aren’t so different in that regard. We’ve both been compromised in our arcane capabilities.” He paused, looking up. “Well, my situation is a bit more permanent, I suppose.” The old man chuckled before staring through the air for a bit.

“Cheer up son, we’ll fix you up as soon as we can.”

I nodded again.

"For now, you should get some rest. We'll talk about it more on another day."