Mistress Deidre Cosgrave was carefully manipulating her spell form while sweat dripped from her chin. Her private training room was empty, as she preferred to train without distractions. Her spell form finally snapped into shape, then started to draw on the essence in the air.

She watched as the small fireball started to form. Paying careful attention to the input streams, she let it grow. After several seconds, she triggered the spell’s targeting function. Like a fast pitched softball, her spell shot toward the dummy. As the spell form dissipated, the fireball exploded in a glorious conflagration of fire and destruction. Deidre took a deep breath at the success.

With a smile on her face, she collected a towel from a bench and wiped the sweat from her face. Grabbing her water bottle, she was mid-sip when she received a ping at the door. Walking over, she threw her towel over her shoulder and kept drinking.

Katerina Neelson, her advisor and teacher, entered with a proud smile on her face.

“I felt that last one from the hall. You’re getting better,” she said.

Deidre smiled and said, “The spell-form is still tricky. The weave is still too slow. I’ll get there eventually. Regardless, the sentiment is appreciated. What can I do for you?”

Katerina’s smile dimmed, as she said, “I wanted to speak with you about your plans.”

Deidre gave her a defiant look and replied, “You’re actually going to try and talk me out of it?”

Shaking her head, she replied, “No. However, I’m not going to stand by and let you doom your house. If you persist in this foolishness, I’ll have to inform your mother.”

Shocked, Deidre said, “You’ve never threatened to tell my mother anything in the past. What’s different now?”

“You know what’s different. I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors. Your brother plans to declare his house in opposition to House Cosgrave,” said Katerina.

Waving a dismissive hand, Deidre said, “That’s nonsense. He’s just angry. As he has every right to be. After Lord Walker’s dead, mother will send for him. He’ll come home and everything will sort itself out. This will all be nothing but a memory in a few years.”

Katerina stepped forward and gripped Deidre by the shoulders. Staring at the girl with firm eyes, she said, “You’re not listening. Banish your emotions and analyze the situation. If you were the scion of another house, and you were analyzing House Cosgrave. How do you think the next few moves will play out?”

Deidre was paralyzed in confusion. Katerina had never, in all the time she’d known her, acted like this. She was always there to help, to comfort, to offer support. Deidre had never known her to be so forceful.

Trying to imagine the scenario Katerina asked her to, Deidre took a minute and thought it through. She realized what Katerina was trying to tell her, and she felt herself start to panic.

“You're right. We don’t have a lot of time. If Lord Walker doesn’t die before Derek declares, mother will have no choice but to have him killed. This isn’t about a slight to House Cosgrave anymore, my brother’s life hangs in the balance,” she said firmly.

Deidre watched as Katerina’s eyes fell. Without another word, Katerina turned and walked away. Although Deidre didn’t know how old the woman was exactly, Katerina looked like she had just aged a decade as her shoulder’s slumped and her steps seemed forced.

At the door, Deidre heard Katerina mutter, “Stupid, foolish children. Never learning, always repeating the same mistakes. Nearly two decades wasted.”

Realizing the danger, Deidre opened her link. She had plans to alter, and trails to eliminate. Everything had to happen without Katerina finding out. It had to appear that Deidre had decided to cancel her plans to have Lord Walker killed. Success would be difficult, but it was possible. Lord Walker had to die before her brother reached a city.

Opening a map with the link, she saw the closest city he could reach was Locksgrave. With some quick math in her head, she estimated a month. 30 days should be more than enough time to organize an accident. Taking into account travel times, she should have her brother back in no more than two months at the latest.

Smiling, she sat down on the bench and started sending out pings. After she eliminated every plan Katerina knew about, she’d have to find some hunters. Specifically, some hunters who were looking for money, and weren’t interested in staying in Dorchester. Deidre went through her contact list. She needed a fixer, and she knew just who to ping.

-----

While mentally working on his essence density report for General Branson, Nick had received a ping from Nero. Although the conversation was short, it did a lot to relieve Nick’s stress. Hearing Nero find out that he was now a celebrity was priceless. Nero’s psyche was in shambles, and Nick tried his best not to laugh at the poor boy’s misery.

Walking into the dining room, Nick saw Vera and Lord Bennings having tea. Vera had invited the lord over to talk about Nick’s acceptance of the trials. While their purpose for meeting was to discuss Nick, he wasn’t surprised that they were instead talking about the events of the past few days. Seeing Nick come in, the conversation turned toward his ascension to nobility. Taking a seat, Nick listened to them decide his fate.

“You’re going to have a lot of work to do with House Walker. Are you sure you want to found a house right now?” Lord Bennings asked Vera while sipping her tea.

Nodding, Vera replied, “It’s necessary. Nicholas and I always planned on doing it eventually, and this seems like the perfect time. This way, he can watch over Nero while completing his own trials. Nero is the one on a timeline. We can file for Nicholas to complete both the Trial of Knowledge and Trial of Service already. His work with Center-Research fulfills the requirements for both.”

Lord Bennings replied, “Quite right. Lord Walker only has to complete one trial a year, but it must be done. New nobles are under strict requirements if they want to maintain the protections the royal house provides. As for Nicholas, will he be keeping the name Salvatore? As a scion, he could. Even so, it will still only be a branch house. Typically, for those, a new name is chosen.”

Vera looked to Nick with a smile, and answered, “We’ve spoken about it. We’ve decided on the name ‘Verena’. It’s a name from the north, meaning ‘truth’.”

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Nick nodded. The name had always spoken to him. With a wave of his hand, Nick summoned a glass and a bottle of the expensive whiskey he preferred.

Lord Bennings nodded. “Then after I file this paperwork, you will be Mr. and Mrs. Salvatore-Verena of House Verena. Any last minute changes before I file this?”

Vera and Lord Bennings reviewed the paperwork together, as Nick just sat and enjoyed his whiskey. He was more than fine with Vera handling everything. This was her area of expertise, and he’d just get in the way.

Soon enough, the paperwork was filed, and Lord Bennings left for her own estate. Nick was still at the table when Vera returned from seeing the lord off.

As Vera walked back into the dining room, she said, “Please tell me that you didn’t just sit there the whole time drinking. Did you finish your paperwork for leaving Center-Research? Or were you working on the report General Branson asked you for?”

Paling, Nick replied, “I was focusing on watching you work. You’re amazing, my love. The way you navigate the game and seek advantage is awe-inspiring.” Nick’s smile was wide and charming.

Vera offered him a blank look, and said nothing.

With a sigh, Nick stood up and finished his drink. “I’ll be in my office if you need me. I have some work to get done before morning. Let me know if you need anything,” he said.

Smiling as if she hadn’t gotten exactly what she wanted, Vera replied, “Of course, dear. I will be in my office as well.”

She went over and kissed Nick on his cheek, then walked off.

As she was exiting the dining room, she said over her shoulder, “It seems we are going to be opening some trading houses. Make sure to let your brother know that you’ll be taking some blacksmiths and enchanters along with you when you officially leave House Salvatore tomorrow. I’ll send you a list in an hour or two.”

Nick just stared at her back as she left. ‘What the hell is that woman up to now?’ he wondered.

Shaking himself out of his curiosity, he walked toward his office, making sure not to forget his bottle of whiskey. It was best to not try and figure out Vera’s plans. He just had to do what he was told and enjoy the benefits of her machinations.

-----

Nero had gone to bed early. Too much had happened yesterday, and he wasn’t handling it well. Now, it was 3 in the morning, and he was staring at his breakfast.

The cafeteria was nearly empty, but there were still groups who were either starting or ending their day. Nero could tell they were watching him. He felt their attention like it was an itch he couldn’t scratch. Social anxiety had never been a problem for him, but he had never liked groups. He preferred anonymity. His newfound celebrity was unwelcome, and he grit his teeth in annoyance.

Picking up his breakfast, he decided to find somewhere else to eat. Walking quickly through the halls, he was soon back in his room, safe from the stares and interest of his peers.

Eating quietly, Nero opened his identity.

Name

Nero Walker

Level

7

Race

Human

Growth

36%

Tier

1

Condition

100%

Age

14

Center

100%

Body

1

Mind

4

Soul

1

Confluence

10

Stars

0

Pillars

0/0

He couldn’t deny it anymore, he had stopped growing. Nero could feel it. Too much had happened, and he felt out of control. This world was different. It was as though all the experiences were bottled up in his gut, and he couldn’t face them. The stress was like acid reflux. If Nero didn’t get a handle on it, the experience would just fade into the air.

While absently stabbing his pancakes with a fork, Nero sat in misery. He wondered why the world was so different, and why he had to deal with all this self-help ridiculousness. In a flash of insight, he realized the answer.

Was the world actually different? Yes, but all the self-help crap sounded the same. Because the lessons were the same. He knew how to do this. Countless TED talks, and articles, and examples were at his fingertips. ‘Know yourself’ was just as important in his old world, as it was here. The only difference was that in this new world, he could grow. In the old world, good mental health just decreased the chances of high blood pressure and stopped a person from relying on antacids.

With determination, Nero stood up and downed what was left of his coffee. Walking over to the meditation mat in the corner which he had never used, he sat down. Turning off the lights through the link, Nero closed his eyes and faced his problems head on. Reviewing everything from the past few days took time. There was a lot to cover.

Nero made peace with his actions in the arena. It wasn’t his fault, and he knew that. His desire to live was more important to him than the life of a budding assassin. This world wasn’t led by the weak, and he wouldn’t be a casualty. If he had to kill again, he would. Nothing would stand between him and his future. His previous world was a battlefield, he just never fought. Here, he was in the middle of it. Facing that was difficult, but Nero firmed his heart. If combat were necessary, then his enemies would fall.

Addressing his new nobility wasn’t nearly as difficult. He’d become rich. Vera was like a mother figure he’d never really had. His old mom was great, but distant. Growing up, he knew that his mom didn’t have high hopes for him. But Vera believed in Nero. It made Nero want to believe in himself. Nick was like an older brother. They were his family here. He had to get strong in order to protect them. House Walker would rise, and they would rise with him.

As time passed, and Nero sat in contemplation, the essence in the air started to swirl. After over an hour of quiet meditation, the essence started to move the air. Nero felt his level approach. The weight on his soul was lifting. It was like he was climbing a mountain, but as he neared the top, the handholds were easier.

In a crescendo of essence Nero felt the ‘Ding’ as he leveled. He could sense that he had more saved up, and that it wasn’t over. Yet, as he panted, he had to open his eyes. His senses were humming. He could feel the air gently moving around the room. The sweat on his back was cold. Nero needed a break.

Standing up on shaky legs, Nero decided on another shower. Checking his identity, he saw that he was now level 8. He had shot past the bottleneck, leveled, and gained almost 40% of another level in just a few hours. Stripping out of his sweat-soaked robes, Nero went to the bathroom.

Standing in the hot water, Nero reflected on what he learned. Experience was just sitting there in his soul. He had to face it, understand it, and accept it. There was more to face. He knew that. But he wasn’t ready. Rushing it was just as bad as ignoring it. Turning off the shower, Nero decided to see if his breakfast was still good, or if he had to make another trip to the cafeteria.

Looking out the window, Nero saw the sun coming up outside. A new day was starting. Nero smiled and promised himself that he would be productive. He had magic to learn, and an assignment from his friend. After second breakfast, he’d find out what ‘essence density’ was all about.