“Sit down Brandon.” Alphonse ordered tersely as soon as I entered for training that night. I obediently took the seat, and started to apologize.
“I’m sorry, but they-“
“Enough.” He said, holding up a hand. “There’s no need to worry about your friends in the library. So long as they don’t disturb the books, I actually welcome their presence. There is safety in numbers, and already there have been attempts on your life. In fact, I fully intend to pass on a message to your superiors letting them know that if they send me the information, I will have extra reading possible for your guards who need to brush up on certain areas of their skills. That way they aren’t missing sleep for nothing.”
“No, what I need first is to know the answer to a question. How serious are you about learning magic?”
“I would love to learn magic, and would devote myself to it if I had the time before being deployed. Why?”
“Because there are three options before you, each more dangerous than the last. The first is that I teach you nothing more. You have already demonstrated more than enough control of your magic to be deemed not a threat to those around you. The second path is where I teach you as much as I can before you go, knowing that it won’t be enough. You will be an apprentice slinging spells against masters. Once or twice you might get lucky and be underestimated, but then you will be targeted and killed. One of the greatest rules of the battlefield is kill the mage first, after all. The last one seems innocent, but is by far the most dangerous. Before I tell you what it is, I need a blood oath to keep it secret in case you don’t choose this route.”
I sat and stared for a moment. Even without a sanguimancer’s power, blood oaths were serious business. A poorly worded oath could cripple or kill people, and were only used in the most dire of circumstances. “And the oath itself?”
“Good. Thinking ahead and asking questions. The oath will be as follows: I, insert name, hereby swear by the blood in my veins that should I reject the final path offered by Blood Duke Alphonse the Grim, Devourer of Light, Kindler of Hatred and the Harbinger of Bloody Retribution I shall have the path offered immediately stricken from my mind, never to be recovered. This I willingly agree to, that I might never inadvertently or willingly break this oath.”
I stared for a second, then smiled. “That is possibly the gentlest blood oath I have ever heard of.”
“Do not be too sure.” He admonished immediately. “The removal of memories is never something to be done lightly. It can cause changes in personality, instability in mannerisms, insomnia, and a deep seated feeling of loss that can never be relieved. If you do it too much, remembering things will become more difficult. And as you age, you have a far likelier chance of losing all your memories.”
“I see. Thank you, for revealing the possible problems I wouldn’t have even known to ask for.” I said, nodding at him. “I, Brandon Clayson, hereby swear by the blood in my veins that should I reject the final path offered by Blood Duke Alphonse the Grim, Devourer of Light, Kindler of Hatred and the Harbinger of Bloody Retribution I shall have the path offered immediately stricken from my memory, never to be recovered. This I willingly agree to, that I might never inadvertently or willingly break this oath.” Upon speaking the final word, I pricked my finger with my dagger, drawing a drop of blood. It immediately moved between us, before stretching into a rope that bound us together before disappearing. Even with it gone, I could still feel it settling around my heart.
“Welcome to the point of no return then. The final path involves a very rare blood wine given to me by my master. It has been stored within a ley line, growing in power. Drinking it will expand your mana pool, allow you to learn magic faster, and more importantly retain what you have learned easier. Practice will still be required, but that you will have time to do. The downside is that there is a chance that you will consume too much and be destroyed by the power coursing through your veins. It will literally cook you from the inside out.”
“How much do you think you could teach me with the blood wine?” I asked, interested.
“Enough that you would have a chance to hold your own. We have less than six months. As it stands, you can tolerate a quarter cup of the wine diluted to a full cup per week. At the end of the first month, we will determine how much you have grown. But be warned, I will be pushing you far harder if you choose this route. I refuse to waste such a precious resource, one that kingdoms will literally going to war over.”
I sat back and thought it through, but I was already leaning toward taking the wine route. Though the Legion was downplaying it, I could tell Sekigahara was going to be a bloodbath. How could they be that desperate for resources that they would send an entirely new Legion with only six months of training into battle? Risking danger now so that I might survive later was a much better option than playing it safe now only to die in battle. “Let’s do it. I’ll drink the wine.”
A sad smile graced his face, “I see. The smart choice, though often the most dangerous. I’ll be back with your wine, one moment.” He said, disappearing. A few minutes later and he was back with a gold plated cup and two bottles. One I could feel the magic radiating off of it, and it was only half full. It was a strange type of green crystal, with a red wax seal on top. The other was a normal jug of what smelled like chicken blood. “A small dose of this, and I’ll fill your cup with chicken blood. I don’t know if the dilution will help you or not, so be prepared. I suggest downing it in one big go, as there’s a chance you won’t be able to do it in small doses.” He warned, pouring the cup for me. Even from across the table, I could taste the magic on the air from the blood wine. He slowly slid the cup to me, and I looked inside.
What I expected was a dark blood, but instead was a bright red. It almost had its own inner light, and the heady aroma was sending shocks through the back of my nose. Without losing another second, I downed the glass as swiftly as I could.
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“GAAH!” I managed to gasp out, before my entire body was wracked by convulsions. The wine was like nothing I had ever had before. It was fire, it was the first snow of winter, it was the bracing cold of a mountain stream as the snow melts. My mother’s gentle embrace when I was sick, the pains of my body after working the fields for the first time with Dad. It was all that, and a thousand other sensations that I had no words to describe. It slammed into my stomach and was immediately absorbed, racing through my body as it desperately clawed its way to freedom. It worked against itself, as each time it clawed closer to freedom it healed my body and made it stronger. As the fires of pain ravaged my body, icy spikes were drilling through my brain and out the back of my eyes. It started with the pain of eating snow too swiftly, a child’s challenge that swiftly ran out of control. Was I exhaling steam or frost? Did it matter?
“HAAAH!” I managed to screech out as my hands slammed onto the table, my chest heaving with exertion. “Gods above, what a ride.” I said, eyes wide as I tried to take in everything. My entire body was trying to shake, as everything seemed slower. Part of me traced the path of a dust bunny floating through the air, while another part noticed lazy swirls of flame mana idling above the candles. Darkness mana lurked in the corners, biding its time as light mana zipped around, too fast to see but leaving trails in its wake.
“A most impressive reaction.” Alphonse drawled, and my head and focus snapped up to see him moving slightly slower than normal.
“Alphonse? You ok?” I asked.
“Breath Brandon. You are speaking incredibly fast right now. I need you to control it before we can begin. Feel the magic within you, and impart your will upon it. Slow it down, tame the raging river I see flowing through your veins.”
I cocked my head for a fraction of a second before looking down to my hands. To my surprise, I too could see the mana racing through my body. And like Alphonse said, it was moving far too fast. But I knew how to handle this. I took a forcibly deep breath, and held it. And held it. And held it. When my chest started burning, I slowly exhaled. Not just air, but stress as well. Again, and the image of Sean Locke losing his head earlier that day was exhaled. Again, and the pain of having a dagger thrust through my shoulder. Had that only been this morning? That thought too, went out. With nothing on my mind, I could finally focus on the river raging through my veins. And the pain I could now feel as the rivers tore at their banks, longing for freedom. Dropping into a trance, my thoughts entered what I knew was my center of power far easier than I ever would have thought. Already I was feeling the effects of the wine, as entering here should have taken at least a week of study.
I opened my eyes to see a storm raging above an ocean of mana. Rain would drop as water was sucked back toward the sky. Backlighting it all was a near constant barrage of lightning. I had no choice here, as a tendril of power was going to be swiftly sheared off and consumed by the raging tempest. Instead, I did the unthinkable. I launched myself into the center of the maelstrom, reveling in the power. But this wasn’t what I was. Old Klein would be disappointed in someone who couldn’t control themselves.
He was always a hero to us kids growing up. He braved the night, time after time, to bring back meat for everyone. When he was in town, his words were few, but he always had something he would drop along his way that somehow managed to turn into a toy. And those few words? We hung onto them like a lifeline thrown over a cliff. “Power is dangerous.” He once said after breaking up a fight. “It can be used in so many ways, and shown in so many ways. But the ones who rage, the ones who throw their power around? Those are the ones who die soonest. For others can see their power, and take counters to it. Instead, be like a bowstring. A small thing, unassuming to most, until drawn back. Even then, the power is only known to the one pulling the string. Silently it releases its strength, striking down its target. Be like the bowstring, and your enemies will never know your true power.”
Keeping his teaching in mind, I grabbed onto the nearest winds. These were my power, and they would obey me. Once I had them, I forced them down. They would be gentle, they would be calm. And as they calmed, I grabbed more. And more. Eventually, I found myself floating above an island, with a calm and gentle sea around it. The skies were clear, and I could feel the warmth of the sun on my face. I landed on the island, sitting down with my legs crossed. A deep breath later, and I was back in the library, magic gently flowing through my veins.
“Half an hour. Not bad.” Alphonse nodded, surprising me with the time it took me to control it. “We are swiftly running out of time for the night, but that’s fine. I have already prepared you this list of basic runes. There are twenty of them. You will have one week to memorize them. For the rest of tonight, I want you to work on mana control. You have managed to control it within your body, but I can already tell that you are much stronger than you were previously. Every time you drink the wine, you will have to reacclimate yourself with your own strength for at least an hour.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Joffrey’s POV
“Damn, but this sitting and waiting is annoying. Why did I let you talk me out of bringing cards or dice again?” I asked.
“Because I am not about to lose any money gambling with you.” James retorted with a snort.
“Aw don’t be like that. I just have good luck, it’s gotta run out sometime.” I said with a grin.
“And perhaps your young friend is smarter in the ways of the world than you think Mr. Swindler.” A deep voice droned out of nowhere. We both jumped, turning to see the creature that Brandon had gone with earlier seeming to appear out of the shadows. “Relax. I’ve merely got a note to pass on to your instructor. While I apologize for not realizing that there would be guards for our mutual friend, I will make amends by offering tutoring for any of you falling behind in their studies. There is no reason that those willing to sacrifice their time to ensure Brandon’s safety shouldn’t also benefit from the experience.”
“How is Brandon doing?” James asked, getting his act together before I could.
“He is training, but will be exhausted after tonight. I would suggest he take a double dose of blood every Monday, as he will be putting extreme strain on his body while here. There are a few other concerns, but I have them all addressed in the note.”
“Well, on behalf of our instructor, I will go ahead and thank you for your generosity. I’ll make sure tomorrow night’s guards bring his response.” James said, taking the note and saluting the creature.
It turned to walk away, before turning back and staring at me. “I can hear your heart thundering in your chest, so you know what I am. You can relax, as I am under a powerful spell and couldn’t hurt you if I tried. But I would take it as a favor if you could work to ensure that word doesn’t spread beyond your fellow soldiers.” Stupefied, I could only nod as it disappeared upstairs. Shivers raced down my spine, as I realized just how easily someone could sneak up on me.