The next morning, Levi woke up to Piper, who curled up next to him in bed. He smiled as her dark, curly hair covered her face completely. He slid out of bed slowly, doing his best not to wake her. Levi walked out into the main room to find Anna and Izzy sitting at the table, drinking tea and coffee. Izzy looked remorseful as Levi walked out of the room. He held up a hand to forestall any apologies before he had his morning tea.

Soaking in the sweet earthly flavor from the tea with a grateful sip, he looked up at Izzy. Her blue eyes were sad and full of regret.

"I'm sorry, Levi," Izzy blurted out, unable to keep it in any longer. "I should have thought a bit more before reacting."

"No need to apologize," Levi said. "Most of that wasn't your fault, you just happened to be a catalyst. I didn't do a good job at releasing my emotions better before that."

"Maybe so," Izzy said. "I know better, than to judge and that was the first thing I did."

"It's all good, Iz, promise," Levi said. He turned to look at Anna, "you on the other hand. We're not cool." Anna tried her best to hide her smile behind her mug as she drank coffee.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," she blatantly lied. "I was simply out doing the tasks we agreed to do with Bradley yesterday."

"Mhmm," Levi said with a flat look. "You think you're slick, you ain't slick."

Anna chuckled, "she's a very convincing girl, no?"

"Sending a child is playing dirty," Levi said, shaking his head.

"I used the resources I had available to gain an advantage over my opponent, simple strategy really," Anna said nonchalantly.

"I think I missed something," Izzy said.

"Anna got Trixie, a teenage villager, to go to Levi to sell her the magic essence," Bradley explained as he walked out of the room. "I apologize for yesterday," Bradley said.

"All good bro," Levi said.

"Oh I see," Izzy said. "Clever." She gave a soft smile to Anna. Shortly after Tycen and Piper joined the team, they all sat around the table, eating pastries, drinking tea or coffee, and enjoying each other's company.

"What time is Trixie coming?" Levi asked.

"She should be here shortly," Anna said. Levi pushed his seat back and got up from the table.

"Bet, I'll go get the ritual drawn out and set up," Levi said.

"May I watch?" Izzy asked. Levi nodded, and she got up excitedly, following him out the door. Piper took another sip of tea and joined the two. Outside the Tavern, a few meters from the building, Levi had his ritual wand in hand. The wand's tip was glowing light blue. He moved his wand precisely, and on the ground, light blue lines appeared, creating a somewhat complex ritual circle.

Piper and Izzy had been whispering, watching Levi draw the ritual circle. Their discussions were centered around magic theory and how some people are born being a magic-user and how some weren't. If Levi hadn't been busy drawing the ritual circle, he would have really enjoyed the conversation. Levi had always wondered why there was even a difference, but he figured it was just how the world worked, which was more or less true.

As Levi was finishing up the ritual circle, voices could be heard coming from around the corner of the building. Several townspeople have heard that Trixie will get her magic essence and begin her journey as a magic user. The crowd oohed and ahhed at the beautiful blue light show that Levi was displaying. Once it was done, Levi turned to see Trixie talking to Anna with nervous hushes.

"You ready?" Levi asked.

"Not really," Trixie said nervously. "Does it hurt?"

"Kind of," Levi said. "The pain is not intense, but it is unlike anything you have experienced."

"Can you explain the process to me, like what is going to happen?" Her hands were trembling as she spoke to Levi. Clearly, her nerves were causing second thoughts.

"Yes," Levi said with a gentle voice. "First, I need you to take a calming, deep breath." She looked at him and nodded slowly. As she inhaled, Serenity pushed out her aura, which was soothing. Trixie visibly relaxed; her trembling stopped, and her eyes focused. "Good job. The magic essence is going to break down and begin forming a magic network inside your body. It will create your mana pool and then all the connecting pieces. Your dad works with patients, right?"

"Yes he does," she said softly.

"Do you know about blood veins, arteries, and all of that?"

"I do!"

"The magic essence will basically be making blood veins and arteries, specifically for the magic that is going to be flowing through you."

"Okay… Okay, I can do this," she said more so to herself.

"Good, so here's what I'm going to need you to do. First thing, you're going to step into the circle in the center. Second thing is you're going to relax. I will put the magic essence in one of the two other circles."

"What goes into the third," she asked.

"That depends on you," Levi said.

"Oh?" she said.

"I have some extra materials that could be used to help increase the chance of an affinity."

"What's that?"

"An affinity is where your inherent power is stronger when managing that specific element," Levi responded. "Your innate talent."

"Oh, so you can just give me an affinity?"

"No," Levi said. "I can give you a chance to get one, a higher chance, but it is only a chance."

"Okay, what are my options?"

Levi smirked. He read off all the summoning and ritual materials he had collected, either from loot drops, rewards, or the Summoner's Guild library. Trixie was excited about and stuck on two options. She was honestly considering the chaos gem. Trixie had seen how Levi had handled himself and fought; it was terrific. She wanted a bit of that power. However, she wasn't sure if she wanted to be a summoner, which left her questioning. The second one would be shiny dust. This one could produce several affinities, all related to mystic elements.

She made her decision, and Levi put the chosen material into the final rune circle. Once all the items were in each rune circle, Levi channeled his mana. The ritual circle lit up, and so did Trixie. Her skin became translucent, exposing her skeleton. The magic essence, which was a light blue cube, opened up. It flew into her rib cage, where her stomach would usually occupy. The cube formed a shape that was similar to a stomach. Tendrils began shooting out of the second stomach into her skeleton.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Trixie flinched as the action felt uncomfortable—not necessarily painful—but weird. She did her best to remain still and not let it affect her too much. After the tendrils had dug into her skeleton, her organs became more opaque; they were surrounded by blue light, showing their thickness/durability increase. More tendrils shot out from the mana stomach as her muscles became visible once more. The tendrils wrapped around the muscles, and some went into the muscle itself.

The rest of her body began to reappear fully as the light in the ritual circle dimmed. She looked up as a few textboxes appeared in her vision. She tried to swat them away, but it didn't work. Trixie then looked at her hands as she felt the power surge through them. She could feel the mana, feel auras, and sense so much more.

"How are you feeling?" Levi asked. His voice sounded clearer, yet he also felt intimidating.

"Why are you scary?" she asked.

Levi chuckled, "You must have gotten an aura ability."

"No," Trixie said. "I have an aura affinity."

***

In the city of Arcross, a small council of city leaders was gathering to discuss the aftermath of the dungeon monster release. The meeting consisted of a member of the royal family, a few professors, the duke of the city, and two representatives from the kingdom's capital, Arvendon. The discussion was taking place in a spacious room in one of the larger town spirals. There was a large table with comfortable seats and windows making up three of the four walls.

The room was stunning and provided a good ambiance for these types of meetings. The meeting began when a dark-skinned Asian woman stood up.

"Thank you for gathering for this meeting," Alessia Onyx said. She was the queen of the kingdom and wife to Leandro Onyx. She had a sweet and commanding voice. Every eye turned to her as she spoke. "The Onyx kingdom is ready to provide any support that is needed following the incident of the 4-star dungeon spewing out monsters. Lord Drazo, if you would be so kind as to share your report."

A burly man stood up and bowed. He had bronze skin with thick muscles over his entire body. His head was entirely too small for his body, which made him look comical. He cleared his throat, "Thank you, my lady," his voice was deep and monotone. "After the team supposedly beat the dungeon, the monsters that were released were some of the strongest that this city has seen. In the wake of the battle we have finally finished counting the dead. 100 civilians have perished, these were people who were not magic-users. 10 1-star magic-users lost their lives trying to defend the city. 10 2-star magic-users also fell. The biggest blow to our cities defenses was the loss of a 4-star Guild-master Rob was killed in combat." There was a moment of silence for the Ranger's Guild guildmaster.

Right before the moment of silence got too awkward, Drazo continued. "A vigil will be held for him in a fortnight. That was all in the way of casualties. Now, the total count of monsters defeated was close to 1000 as we are still counting the dead bodies. The small positive that we can hold on too is the influx of coins, star tokens, and magical items that came from the monsters. Our looters were able to extract many of those items. This means our economy will start to stabilize." Drazo paused and looked over the table of officials.

"As it stands, we do not need assistance. Although we are full of gratitude for the requests, I believe the city will recover well." He bows and then takes a seat.

"The loss of the guildmaster is a devastating blow," an official said. "What are your current plans to replace him?"

Drazo stood back up. "Yes, we are saddened by Guildmaster Rob's death. Our current plans for his successor are underway. At this time, there is no discussion publicly being made." He took a seat after he finished his statement. The official who asked the question frowned, recognizing that it was not an answer to his question.

"Very good," Alessia said. "Thank you for the report." Drazo bowed his head.

"Has the dungeon been neutralized?" a professor asked.

"It has," Alessia said.

"By who?"

"It matters not by who it was destroyed only that it was destroyed."

"So the king did it. What the DC killed in the battle as well?"

"The DC was not found inside the dungeon or outside. It is currently unknown if the Dungeon Crafter is still alive. You must remember, there was a team that was sent in there first. Not much was known about the dungeon but there were many that theorized the monsters would be released as soon as the team defeated the dungeon. What was not theorized was the team's disappearance."

"Has there been any news on their whereabouts?" Professor Bertrum asked. He was the summoner's guild professor. He had the head of a falcon, and the body of a human, with two large wings coming out of his back. He had grown fondly of Levi and was worried that Levi had died.

"There have been, actually," Alessia said. This got many heads to raise. "The nation of Qu'ant said that there was an otherworlder summoner in their midst from the Onyx kingdom. There was no specific detail about how they had arrived at the nation in the first place. All the details provided were it was a small team and they were all present. The team is safe. I have no idea how long it will take until they return to the Onyx kingdom, could be months. Until then, we must continue our efforts to search for other dungeons."

"Sensible, it is good to hear that they survived the dungeon and are safe," Bertrum said. There were murmurs of assent that swept through the gathered officials.

"We have one more order of business, and this is important for both Arvendon and Arcross," Alessia said. "There appears to be a League that is gaining momentum in different continents. They are called the League of Order, led by Axel Arbors. Keep an eye out for any zealot that wants to join the cult."

"How credible is the threat?" an official asked.

"As it stands there is no threat other than suspicions. Axel Arbors being the leader was enough for it to be put on the mention list. He is erratic and strong. The way he speaks to crowds is charismatic, he can lead well. It is also well know that he is not a fan of the Onyx Kingdom, so it is best that we are on guard. Which is why I am bringing it up now."

"What happens if the league enters our cities?" The city lords asked.

"Get rid of them like the verment they are."

"Is there anything else of relevance that we should know about the league?"

"Yes, they all specialize in Order magic. I am not sure if they all have an affinity or if they are simply practitioners."

"Order magic?" a sorcerer professor asked. "Isn't order magic good? Don't we want more order magic? It's the opposite of chaos, so wouldn't it be wiser to welcome the League with open arms?"

"I had much of the same questions," Alessia acknowledged. "Again, we aren't necessarily worried about the league itself but the leader of the league. Axel Arbors is a dangerous man and is someone we must air on the side of precaution. That being said do your best to not allow the any of the league present. Opening the proverbial flood gates is not what we need right now, especially recovering from a dungeon breakout."

"But my lady, think of all the opportunities that we could have with order magic. It is not the strongest form of magic, but it does have the highest utility focal points," the Sorcerer's Guild professor argued. Learning to harness that power of order magic could be all that we needed."

"I understand your perspective, Franz. The issue that I have for it is, welcoming any part of it into out gates. We have no idea the influence, the spread, the power," Alessia responded. "Although I do understand the risks I believe that the benefits of ignoring are much better than allowing."

"Why is this even your decision?" another sorcerer professor snapped. "Is this not the decision of the king and the king alone?" A slow, powerful aura rolled out of the back of the room. Smashing into every other aura in the room. Most looked slightly nervous.

"My HUSBAND and I have been having many conversations about it," Alessia responded with a heavy emphasis on the word husband. "It involved several meetings with higher-ranking officials than you." She gazed at the man with sweet eyes that had the promise of danger. "Is that enough power to make a decision?"

The man, smartly, didn't respond to the obvious setup question, instead bowing his head and following instructions. He turned his gaze back outside the window. His eyebrows furrowed as he looked further. He knew that he had to find a way to get order magic into the city; after all, his wife and two kids were in serious trouble. The League of Order had taken his family from him and threatened to kill every last one of them unless he did what they said.

It was three weeks ago, in the midst of the dungeon breakout, when the league had arrived in the city. They were all disguised as normal people, but they had strong auras. They appeared nowhere in his house. They took his kids and wife and held them hostage until he did all the insane things for them. One of them was getting his dear friend, Guildmaster Rob, killed, which was the one he felt the worst about. He knew it was wrong and knew that the guildmaster didn't deserve to die, even if he was a bit of an ass to most people.

Franz was very nervous, and Lady Alessia's constant gaze didn't help with his nerves at all. Franz took a few calming, deep breaths while he continued to listen in on the plans. But no matter how calm he appeared, her watchful eyes caused some slight trembling and serious sweating.

Franz did his best to hide his nervousness, but he could not just get past the gaze of Alessia Onyx. The man, named Franz, was excited that he was chosen for the meeting, likely because of the high rank of the League of Order officials. He had a feeling he was being watched during the entire meeting. He knew that there had to be someone who worked for the league. He just didn't know who. Franz spent the rest of the meeting trying to identify the one who worked for the league, but he had no luck.

As the meeting adjourned, the queen approached him. He nervously tried to slip away, but just before he could, she spoke.

"Might I have a word, Mr. Franz."