"How many?" He asked.

"Just two."

"But why do you have to bring them here?"

"To breastfeed them."

She was lying but there was nothing he could do about it. She was so good at it he couldn't have realized she was lying if he didn't already know.

"Good luck with that." He poured more wine into his cup and the conversation continued in another pointless direction.

She slapped the table, laughing. "I got you there, didn't I? You believe the babies are mine, don't you?"

Gaus rolled his eyes at her and just kept silent.

"They aren't mine. I'm just trying to create a longevity bond."

"A longevity bond?" Gaus frowned. This was the first time he came across the term.

She shook her head, mistaking his frown for disapproval. "It isn't what you think. Longevity bonds are quite different from soul bonds. They don't involve domination or taking over other people's personalities, mana, or skills. I admit they have their share of a downside but everything is reversible.

Gaus leaned forward, interested. "Tell me about it."

"Longevity bond is quite simple. It creates a temporary connection between people's longevity to affect their affinity for time magic. I'm using it for training. Once I'm done I'll break the connection and everything will go back to the way it was. No harm is done to the babies or me."

"How does it differ from a soul bond?"

Ariwen sighed. "A soul bond forms a permanent bond between two or more people. It's the darkest of all arts that involve total domination and consequently death. The dominant soul will take up the other party's soul and get their skills and mana. Soulbond is generally rejected because of its adverse effects on both the caster and the victim. It has been obsolete for more than two centuries."

"So," Gaus said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "You can copy my skills by just binding your soul with mine?"

She nodded. "But if I bond with you then I won't be copying, I'll be taking all your skills and mana as long as the bond is successful."

Shit.

"Dark, indeed. What can man do to protect himself against such arts?"

She shrugged. "That's why we have Defense Against the Dark Arts, right?"

Gaus furrowed his brows. "Linc said it'll take a year or two to start learning that, do we have to remain vulnerable all along?"

"That's what he said, but I can teach you the telltale signs of these skills. You can at least recognize it when you are being targeted."

"Please, do."

Probably, it was because of how desperate he sounded but Ariwen decided to name a steep price for her knowledge. "Show me your watch skill and don't give me the 'I'm blazer' bullshit. I have a skill that can pick pacifists."

Gaus spent several minutes, pretending to be contemplating. There was no point in denying it.

"I'll think about it. Now, tell me."

"Not good enough," she said. "If we're going to be friends then I need to know your watch skill."

"Will you show me yours in return?" Gaus asked.

She shook her head just as he expected.

"It's selfish of you but I'll agree to it. Give me seven days and I'll show you my skill." In seven days she wouldn't remember this conversation.

"Agreed. In seven days, you'll show me your watch skill."

Gaus nodded. "Deal."

After making sure she put down their agreement in writing and stuffing it in her inventory, she explained the process to him.

"Longevity bonds come silently with no warning whatsoever. You won't even know you are being targeted unless you check your affinity for time magic which will be lower than usual by at least twenty percent. Soulbond on the other hand comes with behavioral changes. At first, you'll have a sudden and unnatural predisposition toward things you don't normally care about. Say you don't take beer and then you suddenly want to have several kegs at once. You feel compelled to drink despite not being a drinker. Or maybe you've never liked men and now you do. Something like that. Do you get me?"

Gaus nodded slowly.

"These are the initial signs before your soul starts to dissolve and you begin to lose mana." She added.

Gaus was so absorbed in his thoughts he didn't even register her last sentence. Did that mean his desire for red hair was from a soul bond? Was Tyren trying to bond his soul so he could steal his skills (hoping that would allow him to remain in the loop) and mana?

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Everything was suddenly clear. Tyren was secretly trying to bond his soul and to prevent it, Gaus's immortality sent him back in time to twenty seconds before the soulbond started. So Tyren started soul-bonding him the very next day he arrived at the academy. Even as he sat there his soul was being attacked and he couldn't even notice it. He trembled.

"Are you alright? You look pale." She asked.

Gaus smiled weakly. "I'm fine." For now.

She looked at him suspiciously but didn't say anything. Most of the evening was spent in silence as Gaus became incapable of starting any conversation. They went back to the academy together and Gaus escorted her to her room. Then he went to the city to have his soul inspected.

Most soul mages practiced in secret because of the nature of their job. But this guy was bold. He practiced at his home. Gaus knew him before he joined the academy.

After knocking at the man's door for a minute, the door opened and a middle-aged man came out.

"Do you offer soul inspection services here?" Gaus asked.

"I used to. How did you even know about this place?"

"I got the address from a friend of mine. He said you'll help." The only friend Gaus had before he joined the academy.

"This friend of yours, what's his name?"

"Abbas, from the library..."

"Abbas...? Oh, that boy. Is he still alive?"

"Why won't he be?"

"He was a sick child. As a child, he lost all his parents and was left alone to tender for himself. It's still a mystery how he becomes a marine."

"He's a marine?"

The man frowned at Gaus. "Guess you don't know much about your friend." He scratched his temples while he scrutinized Gaus. After what seemed like a long time, he let him inside and brought milk as a welcome gesture.

Gaus pushed the keg aside.

The man frowned and pointed at the keg. "Drink. It's not poisoned."

Gaus raised the keg under the scrutiny of the man and gulped the milk. He barely swallowed it.

"How does it taste?"

"It's sour."

"Haha..." the man laughed. "You probably didn't take much milk as you grow up, that's why you don't savor the taste."

Smiling bitterly, Gaus put the keg down. "I used to sell it, you know."

"You can sell it but still not take it," the man argued.

Gaus was forced to roll his eyes at the man. Just how much cow milk did he take as he grew up on Earth? Only God knew.

Minutes later and the man decided to talk about business. "Do you want to know?"

"Want to know what?" Gaus asked, puzzled.

The man smiled. "Many people want to know how many days they've left, but, trust me, they always regret it. If you want to know how many days you've left then I'll tell you, but don't blame me for the emotional turmoil that will follow."

"What are you talking about?" Gaus asked with a frown. "I'm not here for that."

The man tilted his head in surprise. "Then why are you here?"

The man was probably used to people coming to him to check their lifespan, but that wasn't why Gaus was there.

"I want a simple soul inspection to make sure my soul is okay," Gaus said.

"Huh? You should have said that earlier. I'm retired but I'll help you just for that kid Abbas." He retrieved a small bottle from the locker behind him and gave it to Gaus.

"Drink this."

Gaus tasted the black liquid. It was bland. He gave the man a curious glare before he swallowed it.

The man retrieved a transparent glass from the locker and carefully examined Gaus through it, starting from the head. "Stay still if you don't want a skewed result," he warned.

Gaus did as he was told and remained still.

A minute later and the man threw the glass aside and took a wooden box from the locker. After five more minutes of inspection through different glasses inside the box, the man asked Gaus to put both his hands on the box.

"No, it's a... No, it's not. I think your soul has been... No, I don't think that's it. There's er..."

"What is it?" Gaus cut him off angrily.

The man raised his head from the readings on the box and looked at Gaus. Even he was confused. "You shouldn't be alive. What kind of dark mage have you fought?"

"I haven't fought anything."

The man narrowed his eyes. "Did they attack you in your sleep?"

"I don't think so."

The man was silent for several seconds before he closed the box and sighed.

"Joke aside, your soul has been injured and I can't even recognize the nature or extent of the damage. Come back in the evening, at four o'clock, I'll take you to my teacher. He's both wiser and stronger."

"How much will it cost me?" Gaus asked.

"A hundred thousand ayrids, maybe more. It's expensive."

Gaus didn't have the money but he still came back in the evening. A carriage took them to a flat apartment in the western region of the city. Two policemen stood guard at the entrance.

"Welcome, Heinsman," the policemen greeted them.

"Is detective Fredrick home?"

As it happened, detective Fredrick was Heinsman's teacher who was supposed to inspect Gaus's soul.

They waited for him in the guest room until 6 pm. Detective Fredrick was a burly man with big brown eyes and a beard that was dyed red.

"Heinsman?!" Frederick exclaimed upon seeing the man, "long time no see."

Heinsman bowed his head. "I'm sorry for disturbing your peace."

"Uh oh, stop being so formal, Hen. You know I hate that." He turned to Gaus. "Who's this young man?"

"He's my client," Heinsman said. "His soul is defective but I don't seem to find the cause."

Fredrick just glanced at Gaus for a few seconds and he already identified the problem. "It's soul bond," he said.

He took a step closer to Gaus and stared silently at his chest. After a minute of silent inspection, he put his hand on Gaus's chest and closed his eyes.

"You can be forgiven for not picking something like this," Fredrick told Heinsman, eyes closed. "For it's subtle, almost imperceptible. The strings have been attached with the greatest care and expertise. Even I will have missed it if I wasn't looking for it. Just who the hell put this on you, little one?" He asked Gaus, finally opening his eyes.

"I don't kn..."

"Stay quiet if you don't want a skewed figure," he warned.

Gaus frowned but stayed silent.

"I can correct the defect in your soul giving the appropriate time and resources, but you've already lost 20 MP which, I'm afraid, is irreversible," added Fredrick.

Before he asked any questions, he opened his status tab and went to his mana.

Mana: 265/285 (0.5/min)

What the hell...

His overall mana was 305 MP, how the hell did he lose 20 MP? Of all his skills only Gaus's immortality was known to have a permanent effect on mana. It was said every usage would cost 5 MP, but he didn't use the skill, not once. All the previous times were errors.

He quickly opened the skill tab.

Gaus's immortality.

Cool down time: 90 days

History

1. Error: cost 5 MP

1. Error: cost 5 MP

1. Error: cost 5 MP

1. Error: cost 5 MP

The cost of the skill remained even if it reported an error. It was clear from the numbering the skill didn't even realize it was sending Gaus back multiple times in a row irrespective of the cool down. But there were consequences. Serious consequences. As it was, he stood to lose all his mana and consequently die when Gaus's immortality couldn't activate due to lack of mana. In other words, the seven-day loop came at an exorbitant price that could hardly be justified. If he remained in it for the next 50 to 60 restarts, he would lose all his mana. His only option was to leave before he was forced to leave. But where was the exit?