Amidst numerous transportation methods the high staged magic-oriented classes used, teleportation was certainly Zunna’s favorite. Sure, flying was cool, less dangerous, and less costly, but it couldn’t compare to the feeling of crossing a veil of mana and appearing in an entirely different place.
Her master… or rather, teacher, had always despised wasting time on meaningless transport. At first, Zunna thought Frea was simply effective and punctual because her expression and demeanor showed nothing but discipline. However, the last three years under Frea’s tutelage had dispersed all those stereotypes of her stoic teacher. In fact, Zunna couldn’t believe the stark difference between the usual everyday personality Frea had displayed during their teaching sessions and the Sage Frea that the whole of Acelia knew…
It would be a lie if Zunna said she was disappointed after learning that all stories surrounding the famous Frea the so-called Sage of Awakened were extremely exaggerated by the people who didn’t know her. If Frea was a strict and highly disciplined woman as everyone believed, Zunna would’ve had a much harder time. The usual lax and carefree tall blonde woman from the North was the one Zunna preferred. Although there were times when the strictness of a Sage was aimed at Zunna, but most of the time, she deserved it.
“Your mind isn’t present, again…” Frea commented between her hurried steps.
“Ah, sorry Teacher,” Zunna adjusted her glasses. She had her reasons to get lost in taught and it had everything to do with their current destination…
“Nothing to be sorry about. It’s fine to daydream, just not right now.”
Frea’s tone sounded very serious, prompting Zunna to ask, “Teacher can you explain to me what’s going on? I can’t help but feel that something extremely is wrong...”
She couldn’t be blamed for asking. Not long ago, she was studying with her newly acquired grimoire only to be interrupted by Frea and then forcefully teleported to participate in a sketchy ritual. She still couldn’t process everything that had happened, thus confusion on her part was justified.
“Wrong? It depends,” Frea sighed. “Was meeting an individual who could release killing intent that almost knocked me out wrong? Perhaps. Was he the most dangerous character from all the books I’ve read? Definitely yes, even if I include all fictional books in that.”
Oh, she was talking about Veles... The first time Zunna had met him, she guessed he was a classed Assassin from Situs Tundra which was a valid assumption that even Frea praised. The problem arose once she learned he was a Sorcerer, Psychic, and Spatial user. Just being one of those would make him a person of great interest, although it depended on which part of Acelia they were talking about. In Bistaiya, Sorcerers were heavily suppressed and were often treated as a menace to society, contrary to that, in the Atus Kingdom the so-called land of mages, they were treated with high regard. But being Psychic was an entirely different story… Nobody liked people capable of messing with the minds of others.
While studying as a kid Zunna had to learn about the hundreds of different classes. It was a prerequisite to becoming a Sage. The ‘carriers of knowledge’ as some people had called them. This ultimately forced her to form a biased view of someone like Veles, especially considering he was mainly a Sorcerer, a rare class followed by many notorious stories.
Actually, Zunna couldn’t remember any positive story involving Sorcerers even if they belonged to a well-known family. So, in a way, the first time she heard Veles was one, her prejudice was justified. However, once she talked to him, the usual belief that Sorcerers were arrogant bastards looking to exploit everyone didn’t apply. He was certainly mysterious and slightly weird, but entirely approachable. She could still remember her talks with him both in the tavern when he performed that trick with the wooden mug and their discussions at the inn. They were interesting topics she truly benefited from. In truth, it was one of the rare conversations she could confidently say she enjoyed.
Even now, she couldn’t comprehend why her teacher was this freaked out. Sure, it was revealed that Veles was an immortal who lived for who knows how long. He was an anomaly without a doubt, however, in her opinion, there were many more bizarre things crawling out of the dungeons every day. In Zunna’s mind, Veles was still the guy who explained the Mana Undulations to her and was also the one who gave her the materials for the grimoire she could only dream about…
Her pondering and silence seemed to have lasted too long. Frea was glancing at her with that curious glance. Zunna had painstakingly learned how to discern some of the expressions her teacher showed. This one in particular didn’t match the usual stoic persona Frea forced out…
“Is he really that dangerous?” Zunna inquired.
Frea quickly side-eyed her before answering, “He most definitely is. Mage Iilusig in his book described Veles as the epitome of competence. When they first met, Veles was a simple man who just destroyed his core because he found Iilusig’s world worthy of one of his ‘restarts’. Can you imagine yourself destroying your mana core and starting anew?”
Zunna immediately shook her head. There was no way she would do that. Every person who formed their Mana Core and received a class would feel the instinct telling them that their magical advancement was more important than their life. As far as Zunna knew, there was no record of someone destroying all their Stages and staying sane to start from the beginning again.
“Right,” Frea continued, “Yet, Veles did just that, and he apparently did it many times. As you might have guessed, he probably did the same thing recently. This ultimately means he doesn’t look at gaining power as we do. He is immortal, he doesn’t feel the urge to advance stages and extend his lifespan. Getting stronger for him is just like buying a new tool for a specific job that could be easily disregarded. Iilusig in his book said that if Veles wasn’t plagued by his curse, he would’ve lived as a normal mana-less person because he just found it more convenient. And Veles actually did just that when he took Iilusig as his disciple, he hadn’t touched mana for the first fifty years…”
Frea then stopped, looked at Zunna, and asked, “Do you know why that makes him dangerous?”
Knowing her teacher, Zunna knew the best course of action was to provide an immediate, and honest answer, “No I don’t.”
Sure, she could’ve pondered a bit and maybe formed a solid conclusion, but Frea proved not appreciative of that approach.
“He survived for those fifty years,” Frea continued after seeing Zunna’s interest shown, “In the world where Iilusig lived, they didn’t have stages like us, instead they all had just Cores which instead of storing mana served as the magical conduit for forming spells and skills our of ambient forces. There, everyone was magically inclined, even children. Yet Veles lived there for fifty years without any power while openly seeking trouble, and not once was he bested. That was why Iilusig called him extremely competent, but that wasn’t the only part of it.”
“There’s more?” Zunna asked. She didn’t doubt a single word. The reason why her relationship with Frea was on a very good term was because both of them liked hearing and collecting stories. The path of a Sage both of them wanted to take was extremely similar and if Frea was known for something, it would be her insanely large collection of knowledge about dungeons that carried traces of other worlds…
Frea looked at Zunna in a teasing way… and asked, “Think about it. Have you ever seen a man better looking than him?”
Well, that came out of nowhere…
However, once Zunna tried to recall Veles’s looks in detail, various pictures formed in her head that made her face hot. Frea was right… even if she recalled the beautiful elven men or the pictures of famous people, not a single one of them could match Veles.
“You get it,” Frea luckily interrupted her wandering mind. “He isn’t human despite how he looks, and his level of charm is dangerously high. The fact that he didn’t weaponize it and instead gave his all to suppress his charisma is a sign he hadn’t taken things seriously yet. Remember, he is also a very knowledgeable Psychic with a deep understanding of how the mind works. He survived those fifty years without any magic using only his intelligence and charisma. So, if you interact with him, make sure to critically analyze his every word, don’t allow yourself to get entangled by his wits.”
That was… good to know. Zunna was never interested in relationships and those other ‘things’. She would rather spend her time reading books, but she couldn’t help but be self-conscious now that Frea had mentioned it.
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But all of this sounded like her teacher was preparing her for something, and Zunna didn’t like it…
“Everything I said about him pales in comparison to what you are about to see,” Frea said, gesturing to their surroundings. “As ancient as he is, Veles possesses a vast knowledge of magic and forces out of our comprehension. Some of them were explained in Iilusig’s book quite clearly and I intend to fully exploit my chances of Veles sharing some knowledge with me. I suggest you do the same, all those high-staged materials he’d given you are nothing compared to the information he can provide-”
Zunna simply stopped listening because she’d finally noticed the state of their destination. Even from this far, she could see the absolute panic of everyone belonging to the institution called House of Destiny. What was once a majestic school was now riddled with broken walls and ever-rising smoke. The whole building stood surrounded by dozens of medical tents and various personnel escorting students from the collapse. She even saw a group of soldiers pinning down a frantic student and then cuffing him with a heavy set of chains…
Everything was chaotic. She couldn’t even imagine something like this happening in the heart of Ulik Academy, especially in the infamous House of Destiny. Amidst numerous teaching establishments in this worldwide famous academy, the rare few fate wielders attending House of Destiny managed to bring its prestige to the top ten. Zunna actually couldn’t remember if there existed any other place for fate users to learn except here. Yet watching the current scenery, she couldn’t give herself any other explanation except that someone had attacked this place.
Frea had long noticed her silence. The tall woman didn’t say anything, she kept walking to their destination which was one of the medical tents at the edge.
A great number of questions formed in Zunna’s head, each more ridiculous than the other. However, she didn’t voice any because the closer she was to the tents, the more confused she became. The only people she noticed were apprehended were other students and even professors, and from what she could discern from this far, their expressions were somehow strange.
“Grand Aunt, what are you doing here!?” A sudden yell reminded Zunna that they’d reached the tent Frea was aiming for, and it belonged to a bushy white-haired man. It was hard to discern the age of a people coming from the far North nation of Skljavi. However, Zunna was sure this person was similar to her age even if he stood almost two meters tall, which matched her teacher's height…
“I’m here Kudrig because your mother was telling me that you are in grave danger.” Frea scanned him up and down, then crossed her arms and asked, “Mind explaining what’s going on?”
Her teacher didn’t hide a glare she sent toward her tribesman. As far as familiarity with Skljavi culture goes, Zunna was certain that the title Grand Aunt held no significant family bond, instead it was probably treated like the title of an elder.
“Ah, you see…” Kudrig awkwardly stretched back of his head, “I appreciate your presence Grand Aunt, especially since you are geared for the war, but there is nothing to worry about, ma was probably overreacting…”
He was right, Frea still wore her armor under the usual military-like clothing she usually reserved for exploring dangerous dungeons. This reminded Zunna that her teacher took this Veles situation very seriously.
“Are you going to explain or do you want me to look for answers?” Frea asked threateningly.
Clearly, Kudrig’s attempt to brush her off was unsuccessful… He sighed and went for his robes. With a swift motion, he removed the outer layer along his shirt, leaving him standing there only in his pants.
Zunna didn’t even pay any attention to his nakedness. The bigger attention grabber was the patch of murky white covering his left shoulder and chest. It looked like a giant bruise but colored in a strange deformed white color…
“Like usual, I was meditating in silence, searching for significant events to peer into, and possibly gain some vision of the future,” Krudig touched this ‘bruise’ with a grimace on his face. “I kept seeing brief pictures of possible outcomes with most of them incomprehensible as usual… But then, I was suddenly pulled into this vivid dream-like state. There… everything felt so real, and I was falling… It lasted barely a few seconds before I fell and hit the stone ground left shoulder first. That’s when I woke up from this state and noticed that the result of that fall had somehow been transmitted to me in the real world.”
“Does it hurt?” Frea asked, the way she did sounded like she already knew the answer.
“I only felt pain inside that strange state,” he replied before touching the bruise yet again, this time more forcefully. “However now I feel nothing. Doctors said that the outer layer of my flesh is dead and that they couldn’t do anything at the moment.”
“It looks like you can move your left arm fine,” Frea commented after a brief observation.
“I can, but it takes much more effort than before. It's bizarre in a way because I feel absolutely nothing…”
Frea nodded, then proceeded to ask, “Doesn’t change the fact that your mother was panicking and went as far as using the favor I owe her. So, quit playing and tell me why I’m here.”
Krudig was in the process of putting back his clothes when he heard this, “Ugh… It's not really about me.”
He was stalling again, something her teacher disliked very much. Zunna was honestly impressed that Frea hadn’t decided to turn around and leave this guy on his own, favor or not.
Probably noticing that the Frea’s silence was dangerous, Krudig glanced at the tent he came out from and said, “It’s about my fiancé, she had it much worse-”
And he was completely ignored, Frea walked around him and entered the tent. Zunna was right behind and just as she saw the person in question, she understood why this white-haired guy was so dodgy.
His fiancé was an elf. That wouldn’t be a problem if Krudig didn’t come from the Skljavi where people were extremely traditional. However, knowing her teacher, this wouldn’t be a problem. Right now, the bigger issue was the state of the elf girl lying down on a makeshift bed...
Zunna found it hard to explain what she saw. Like almost every elf, this girl was once undeniably a beauty. However, almost the whole right upper part of her head was nothing except the bare bone. Her skull was visible with the flesh of her right eye socket gone, leaving her whole eyeball on display with her pupil completely white. This lack of flesh reached her ear and covered a part of her scalp, if not for her soft breathing and the rest of her body in perfect condition, Zunna would’ve thought she was just another undead.
“She experienced the same state as I did with the only difference that she got hit with an arrow straight to the eye,” Krudig said from behind. “At first she was fine… Only after she noticed the blindness in her right eye and checked herself in the mirror did she become livid and started trashing around. I was lost I didn’t know what to do, luckily doctors appeared soon after and sedated her.”
“Interesting…” Frea mumbled after doing a close checkup on the elven girl. “Have you experienced any extreme emotional distress after you exited that ‘state’?”
“No, not really,” Krudig quickly replied. He then looked at his fiancé, “Is she going to be alright?”
“She is alive,” Frea said bluntly. “As for her mental state and the state of her face, I don’t know. I could probably connect you with someone who can help both her and you, but that’s as much as your mother’s favor can get you.”
“That’s perfect, thank you very much Grand Aunt.” Krudig placed his right fist on his heart and bowed slightly.
“I hope your mother knows all the details about your fiancé. I cannot be bothered if later she contacts me to complain. You understand what I’m talking about, right?”
“Yes, ma knows everything…” Krudig answered with a somehow bitter smile on his face.
“Good,” Frea then switched her attention back to Zunna, “I will be leaving you here.”
With a flick of her wrist, Frea tossed a silver token which Zunna grabbed promptly.
“Your job is to gain as much information as you can on this event. Use my name without reserve, and if anyone complains, write them down so I can deal with them later.”
“Understood, teacher,” Zunna replied without protest. Frea had entered her serious mode and this was no time to mess around. This type of job was expected anyway.
“After you question enough people try to form a valid theory and write it inside your grimoire, maybe it will provide you with additional answers,” said Frea as she cast a couple of spells on the unconscious elf.
“I will give my best. But teacher, am I allowed to bring my grimoire out in public?” Zunna asked what was weighing on her mind. Even if her grimoire was nested inside her Mana Core, it didn’t change the fact that it could entice the greed of others. She was familiar with cases where newly classed Sages were killed because of their grimoires. She would especially become a prime target if people knew that her grimoire was created with the support of Heaven, which was easy to figure out if she took it out in public.
“There is no need to use it in public. Write normal notes first before writing them in your grimoire, of course, you will do that part with me present.” Frea instructed. The unconscious elf girl was floating next to her, supported by a couple of spells.
Frea then faced Krudig and said, “They probably formed a temporary platform that allows teleportation here. Lead me there.”
“Uh, okay…” He again scratched the back of his head before removing the opening of the tent.
“I will pick you up in a few hours. I hope you will get done with your assignment by then.” That was all Frea said before she left Zunna alone inside the tent.
Great… Another job focused on questioning people. Zunna truly hated those, especially in situations including a disaster. People tend to be extremely angry and irrational during bad times, which often forces them to lash out at her. Although, there was one saving grace in this situation.
Zunna took the token her teacher had given her. It was encased in silver with blush text giving her the simple title of ‘Special Agent’. This title, even not sounding very important held a very significant power inside the academy. Her teacher had earned it by donating a very special research material which old monsters residing in this place really appreciated. The privileges provided to Special Agents were even higher than to elder professors, and Zunna could basically do anything she wished in the academy. So, this assignment wouldn’t be as bad as it sounds.
With the token firmly pinned to her robe and the pen and paper in her hand, Zunna exited the tent and immediately went for the one nearby. Many ideas about this incident crossed her mind, and all of them involved the Veles’s ritual. Sure, she was the direct participant in that ritual and was probably partially responsible for the misery people here experienced.
But she didn’t care, because she truly hated this place…