As her fingers touched the hilt, Kelsey expected something to happen, she expect some sort of tingling sensation or energy, but was met with nothing. It felt like a completely normal steel blade… except… it was lighter. She peered down at the rapier in her hand and inspected it with her domain. The metal itself was infused with an incredible amount of raw stable mana.

Mythril.

[Mythril Rapier - Immortal]

Seriously? They have enough Mythril to just hand these out? This thing must be worth like fifty million gold or something.

Kelsey was tempted to try to create the metal right then and there but was interrupted by Alana.

“Where are Gwen and Abby currently? They cannot be around for what is next.” she asked as she looked around the room.

“They’re down by the river playing. They’re taking a break right now, but trust me, when they start back up, you’ll know.” Kelsey answered.

Alana nodded and stood slowly. "Very well. First, the Oath. As you requested, this shall not be an Oath to join, simply to be told more information. Be warned, there are still things I shall not be able to tell you." She said formally.

Kelsey nodded her head in understanding and waited for the notification to reach her system.

Blood Oath

I, Kelsey Kain, under the threat of death will not share the information shared with me by Alana Swanson, Queen of Cardona, with any sentient lifeform, living or dead.

Living or dead? That feels like one of those rules that they added because some asshole abused it. Insanity.

Kelsey quickly accepted, seeing no reason to delay the inevitable.

Once she accepted, Kelsey nodded and sat back down in her chair, placing the Mythril rapier across her legs.

“Okay, so let's start from the beginning. I’m sure you have a ton of questions. We’ll keep things pretty simple.” Alana began as she sat down in one of Kelsey’s leather chairs.

“The Wardens is a group that was founded a few hundred years ago in response to a great Immortal threat in the form of an Adult red dragon that awoke inside the borders of El’Thena, the elven kingdom.” Alana started matter of factly. “A small group was formed, some of the most powerful people from different nations. Together they were able to drive the dragon away and make it flee from Anoura. During that battle, most of the founders were killed, leaving only one surviving member.”

Kesley interjected. "So, you're saying the dragon wasn't killed? What do we do if it comes back?"

"Correct. The dragon was not slain. She is still out there, likely plotting her revenge." Alana said simply. "She is one of many threats that we humans face. She is by no means our greatest worry though."

Alana paused to let Kelsey digest the information. “After her comrades had fallen, our leader began wandering Anoura, looking for people to join her. Her goal was to create a Guild made up of people with True Classes that were able to work together to protect Anoura, in spite of national borders or differing ideologies.”

Kelsey looked up in surprise at the term she had never heard before. “Wait, wait, wait. True Classes?”

“I thought you might ask about that. I was planning on answering questions at the end.” Alana said with a cheeky grin on her face. “But fine. This one probably is worth answering now.”

“In short, they are classes like yours. Mine is called Immortal Queen. They are classes that cannot have a secondary, or tertiary classes.” She explained easily. “I received mine when I became an Immortal. When I chose the class, my other class was taken away. But True Classes are always more powerful than two, or even three independent classes.” she finished. “Does that answer your question?”

Kelsey reeled from the new information. So, my Magus class isn’t 'completely' unique, it’s a True Class... Makes sense. From what I understand about the system and the soul, a true class must be more real somehow. Like a more direct link to the soul's power... If that's the case, why does the system default... Her mind trailed off as she realized what the answer must be.

The body. If you have two, or three independent classes, you won't be able to access as much mana at once. A person's total power would be divided into more skills. A regular creation or manipulation skill 'only' allows you to work with one material or element. I could, and frequently do, create or manipulate multiple elements at once. I'd bet anything it's a physical limitation. A safety net. An intentional limiter. Which is why I was seemingly able to get a True Class so easily. My body isn't normal. The Mageblood body is more durable and is designed to handle more mana.

The more I learn about this damn Mageblood body, the more it feels like it's some fundamental thing the world is built on. It's as if the system itself expects people to have access to the ritual.

Kelsey was taken out of her thoughts by a short cough by Alana, which was when Kelsey realized that the woman had been talking. But Kelsey didn't care. Something had been bothering her for a year and there was no way she was going to pass up her opportunity to find out the answer once and for all.

“When I received my Magus class, it had the line ‘You shall walk alone’ in the requirements. Do you know what that might mean?” Kelsey asked curiously.

The Queen nodded knowingly. “Yes. All of the True Classes have a cryptic line such as that one. They’re always related to a person’s past experiences, or a phrase that resonates with them in some way.” she answered. “Mine was, ‘You shall always rule alone.’ They all really mean the same thing though; you cannot have additional classes if you chose a True Class.”

Kelsey nodded her head. That was basically what she had assumed. But she did wonder why that particular phrase was chosen for her. It certainly didn’t resonate with her meaningfully other than a deep fear of it being true. The worst possible scenario for her would be to live an Immortal life completely alone. Maybe that’s exactly why it was used. It does resonate with me, just in a negative way... Strange.

Putting thoughts of loneliness out of her head, she asked her next question. “Is that the official name for them somewhere in the system, or just a name you all came up with?”

Alana froze, not speaking for several long seconds. Based on her expression, Kelsey felt like the Queen was thinking that answering the question would derail her likely very well thought out explanation.

“It is a name that your predecessor came up with.” Alana answered, a small grin popping on her face.

Before Kelsey could question what, she meant by that, the ground began to rumble and shake as the two sisters started fighting once again. Alana flinched and her hand flew to the hilt of her rapier as the rumbling began. She calmed quickly as she realized what was happening.

"Told you that you'd know." Kelsey said cheekily.

Alana grinned and rested her hand back in her lap in preparation for Kelsey's question.

“My predecessor? What do you mean?” Kelsey asked.

“Autumn tells me you won his notes at the auction last year. The Sage, The Winter Magus, The Unrivaled, The True Master of Mana. The First Otherworlder. He’s gone by many names.” Alana said with a fake casualness. "He was the last known Magus."

Kelsey’s eyes narrowed as she considered what Alana was saying. The Winter Magus and The Sage are one in the same? What is his connection with The Warden’s then? According to his notes, he should be dead. Who the hell is The Winter Saint then?

“Wait, if The Winter Magus is The Sage, who is The Winter Saint?” Kelsey asked.

This question was clearly not what The Queen had expected Kelsey to ask, but she recovered quickly and answered. “His daughter, and the only living member of the original Wardens.”

Okay… But he said in his notes that his family had all died… Although, he did say 'taken away from him by the twist and turns of fate.' That doesn't technically mean dead, I guess...

Kelsey looked at Alana questioningly. "You seemed surprised about me being a Magus earlier... Didn't Autumn know? She let me have the notes."

Alana smiled softly. "She is... cryptic at times. She simply told us that you would have more use for the notes than we would on account of you understanding the language natively. We've been searching for the notes for a very long time, but when Autumn has a gut feeling, we pay attention. If you choose to join, you will learn that Autumn is a conundrum, difficult to understand, always knows more than she's letting on, and a staunch defender of humanities interests. She had her eye on you even before Leon did but was less vocal about it of course."

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

Kelsey nodded in understanding. “Is The Sage dead?” Kelsey asked quickly, having only half listened to what Alana had said about Autumn.

“No, he left a few thousand years ago, but his daughter stayed in Anoura against his wishes. No one knows where he went. Why do you ask?” She answered, clearly confused at Kelsey’s line of questioning.

Instead of answering the Queen, Kelsey summoned the Sage’s Notes and flipped to the end where he described his final days.

‘…I have done all that I set out to do. I have protected this place for long enough and my wonderful family has been taken from me by the twists and turns of fate. I will miss them dearly.

I have no regrets in this life, but I feel it is my time to depart this Immortal shell and find a new home among the frozen seas. It is the folly of man to believe they can live in peace forever, no matter how powerful they may be.

Dear reader, I leave you with these; my final secrets…’

After those lines, the book continued with the very cryptic line that read ‘All paths lead to the same place. It isn’t worth worrying about which direction to travel.’ It then continued with the formula for the Mageblood ritual.

Now that Kelsey was reading the passage with fresh eyes, she could see clearly that he wasn’t talking about dying. He was talking about Ascension… Ascendant. There really is a tier after Immortal, and The Sage reached it. Departing his Immortal shell and making a new home among the frozen seas... I had assumed that was just a clever way of saying death, but now it makes more sense that he's talking about Ascending from the Immortal tier and leaving Anoura for the frozen wastes...

This also confirms that he didn’t say his family had died, just that they had been taken from him. Why did he leave though? For what? Where is he now? Is his reason for leaving related to his ascension?

What the hell is Ascension?

Kelsey read and reread the passage a dozen times, trying her best to make sure she understood the meaning of The Sage’s words. Once she was done, she stored the book and looked back up at Alana who was still waiting patiently.

“Do you know 'why' he left?” Kelsey asked seriously.

Alana paused, clearly not interested in answering that particular question. “Yes.” she answered hesitantly.

“Not planning on telling me more about that one, are you?” Kelsey asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Sorry, I can’t say more before you swear the Oaths.” she answered with no shortage of guilt.

"Does it have to do with Ascension?" Kelsey asked.

"I cannot answer that question." Alana said, once again guiltily.

Kelsey didn’t like it, but she could accept it for now. “Alright, final question before you continue. What makes The Sage my predecessor?” she asked.

“Just that he was the last known person with the Immortal Magus class. He never had the original Magus class though. Based on Leon's explanations, I assume you did.” Alana answered simply.

“Got it, alright. I feel like I’m caught up.” Kelsey said as she motioned for Alana to continue.

“So, the Winter Saint traveled the lands, trying to replace the fallen members. She considered herself the first member, but numbers two through five all died in the fight against Fyre, the red dragon. I became the eighth member about 300 years ago. This was before I was a real Queen, but after I had gained my Immortal Queen class at level 250.” Alana continued.

Kelsey once again stopped her. “If you weren’t a Queen yet, why did you get a Queen class?”

“Well, my father was King at the time, but was stepping down to go into retirement, so I knew I would be Queen one day, so when I did my adventuring, I used the alias, Queen. The system recognized that and gave me a True Immortal Path. It’s both a diplomatic class, and a combat path.” Alana answered easily, clearly trying to satiate Kelsey's curiosity after being unable to answer the questions from before.

How the hell is she below level 400 if she's been alive for hundreds of years? Seems like a pretty slow pace if she was already an Immortal 300 years ago.

Kelsey didn't voice her thoughts and simply nodded in understanding, indicating for the Queen to continue.

“Eventually we gathered all the members we have today, you, potentially, becoming the newest if you agree. Leon set his sights on you after your Gold advancement. He realized pretty quickly that you had a True Class when you came back at level 100 and started destroying level 210 Shadow Panthers with massive beams of light.” Alana said with a small grin on her face.

“Thanks to your Mageblood body, level 100 is the lowest level any of us have ever seen someone get their True Class at. Everyone else got theirs at level 250.” she added offhandedly.

Which just adds to my theory that there is something fundamental about the Mageblood body...

“So that brings us to why we exist today, and what we do. To put it simply, we watch Anoura and protect it. Most of your time will be spent doing whatever you normally do, but occasionally we all get called together to deal with some sort of threat that’s too big for any one of us to take on alone.” Alana finished expectantly.

“Now that you’ve heard the whole story, would you like to swear the Oaths? At this point, you can still turn around and leave. But, if you swear the true Oath, you’re in. For life.” The Queen said seriously.

Kelsey laughed. "Not even close to done with my questions Alana, are you insane?"

Alana's face flashed with genuine frustration for a moment before she was able to carefully control herself. "Very well. What else do you wish to know? Remember, even with your Oath, there are some secrets too guarded. Some that I cannot share, even if you become a full member."

Kelsey sat back in her chair and grinned. "That's fine. Alright, first. What machinations of fate are working against humanity? You said you could answer if I swore the Oath."

Alana shook her head. "If I could have told you that without you joining, I would have. I said I could tell you if you swore the Oaths, but I was referring to the one sworn when joining officially."

Groaning in frustration Kelsey sat up straighter and prepared to ask the real question she'd been wanting to ask since the conversation started. "Fine, then answer me this. What the hell is wrong with Anoura?"

Alana adjusted in her chair before eyeing Kelsey with a critical glare. "What do you mean?"

As Alana asked her seemingly innocuous question, something in Kelsey snapped. A thinly constructed veil of sanity that she had been relying on broke, and all of her questions and frustrations, all of the inconsistencies she had witnessed in the last year came rushing to the surface of her mind.

"What do I mean? Are you kidding me? Look around us. You live in a world where someone with your strength could take a short, day trip to the other side of the region, wipe out the monster population and be back before dinner. Yet, every single day there are men and women around Anoura risking their lives to protect their cities, for what? Why? You live in a world where the fundamentals of magic and the system are so heavily obfuscated that it took me nine entire months to sift through the bullshit and lies to find information that could have been contained in ten paragraphs and handed out as a pamphlet to every child on their twelfth birthday!"

Kelsey stood up and began pacing angrily. "No one around me knows literally anything relevant. Owen went to magic school to learn about electricity for his class but came back without the ability to properly determine his own mana usage, a skill that is so easy to learn and train that I was able to help my friends achieve it in a single day... Now that I've confirmed the Mageblood ritual works, it's barely even relevant anymore, but still, it's something that should be taught. It's so useful and so easy that literally everyone should learn how to do it before they turn twelve."

Feeling the anger rising in her chest, the very fabric of reality surrounding Kelsey began to warp and shift. The dimension itself reacting to her frustration and anger. "Another thing. Food? Money? Commerce? All of it is absolutely meaningless. I could wave my hand and create enough money to crash your entire economy tomorrow. I could wave my hand and create enough weapons and armor to outfit an army. Abby, the woman currently hitting her sister with a metal stick, could wave her hand and create enough food to feed an entire city. My brother could sneeze in the direction of a mountain and chisel a beautiful city from it by accident. Yet, people still suffer from the monotony of working normal jobs, living normal lives, and I can't think of a single logical reason why!"

By this point, the entire dimension had begun to shake, and Kelsey could see worry and fear coating the Queen's eyes. "And most importantly. How the actual hell did a ritual as important and powerful as the Mageblood ritual not get discovered until I read some notes written by a guy that left Anoura 'a few thousand years ago? It allows health regeneration, more mana regeneration, better control of mana, thirty attribute points per level, and by simple deduction, probably makes getting a True Class so trivial that I was able to accomplish it by accident. Honestly, it feels like something the damn system 'expects' people to have, yet it was never discovered. Seriously? All you have to do is channel 2,133 mana into some Mageblood sap mixed with blood, and you're telling me that not a single person stumbled on that in thousands of years!? There are cake recipes more complicated than that!"

Kelsey was shouting, her anger and frustration at everything this world had thrown at her coming to a head all at once. "Ever since I got this Magus class, I've felt like there was something missing; something I wasn't understanding. For the past year all of this has felt so fucking easy, like everyone should be able to do the things I could do... Like I've been living in a different reality than those around me. When I was level 100, I was able to obliterate level 200+ monsters without breaking a sweat with minimal training or preparation. I've watched my brother, and my friends struggle for their lives against monsters just a couple levels higher than themselves, yet for some inexplicable reason I've been able to effortlessly reach Immortality in what amounts to a month and a half of fighting monsters!?"

"Now, I understand. It's all about some blue sap that I was lucky enough to eat right after being summoned to this world against my will. But none of that explains why you are all so content to force people to live unnecessary monotonous lives dedicated to the meaningless collection of worthless resources. Why you let people risk their lives. Why you don't simply task a small group of Immortal adventurers to keep the surface safe. Why you don't set up a system to help people reach Immortality safely. And most importantly why you keep critical information like True Classes hidden from the public. Tell me Queen. What the hell is wrong with Anoura!?" Kelsey screamed in anger.

As she finished shouting her question, she reined in her skill and stabilized her dimension, which had, in her anger, started being consumed by the infinite void that surrounded it.

"And I swear to whatever gods exist in this world, if you say you can't answer, I will wipe both of us out of existence right here, right now." Kelsey said threateningly, her voice quiet and angry.

Before that moment, Kelsey hadn't really understood how much the unanswered questions and inconsistencies about this world frustrated her. She hadn't realized just how close to the brink she had been. Now that she'd asked someone who might actually be able to answer her questions, she felt some level of closure, like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

Looking back on the past year, she realized that she had been coasting through her life in Anoura, refusing to acknowledge the oddities of the world around her. She'd had questions, but always pushed them off, deciding she could find answers to them later. No more. Today, she was going to confront them.

Looking up at Alana, who was covered in a thin sheen of sweat, Kelsey spoke again. "Answer me, now."

The Queen wiped her forehead anxiously and nodded.

"He calls himself The Inventor."