Michael is at his usual restaurant, chatting with a man who looks like an older version of him, but not by much. The man radiates authority and power, and I know he’s got a Ruler Class, even if he’s somehow able to block my Appraisal.

He must have an Appraisal Resistance higher than whatever my Appraisal Level is. I really wish the System would just give me the Skill, so I know.

“Hello, Michael,” I approach him, then look at the man. “Chieftain.”

“He’s just as you described him,” the beastborn stands up, sticking a hand out. “Pleasure to meet you, Gavin. I am Matthew, Michael’s father, as you assumed. How are you today?”

“I’m doing well, sir,” I say. “I’d heard there was another beastborn around this last week and a half, hanging around Michael. Didn’t think it would be his father.”

“My son hasn’t contacted me in months,” Matthew shrugs. “I thought it time I sought him out and talked with him. Taught a few things, too.”

“Yup!” Michael nods enthusiastically. “Going to try some of them out in the Dungeon tomorrow. So watcha up to?”

“Was wondering if you could teach me Life Restore,” I answer. “I’m going to be practicing new magics, and figure, if I can make use of my massive Health Pool, that would be better than relying on someone to heal me. And it’d give me practice on Life Restore as well.”

“Life Restore?” Matthew asks his son.

“Yup!” Michael nods. “It uses Health to heal your own wounds! I learned it while traveling around!”

“I know what it does,” Matthew says. “I know more than a few Health-based magics.”

“Really?” Michael asks.

“Indeed.”

“You never told me that,” Michael says. “How did you learn them?”

“It’s a secret,” Matthew puts a finger to his lips.

“How light is your blade?” I ask Matthew, who tenses up for a moment, then looks at me. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me – my blade I just as light.”

“Huh?” Michael looks between us.

“Don’t worry about it, son,” Matthew puts a hand on his son’s head.

So at least one of the tomes teaches magic that uses Health. Unless… only one Grimoire teaches Mana-based magic.

“Is there someplace private the three of us can speak?” Matthew asks.

“My inn,” I nod. “I’ve spelled the walls of my room against intrusive listening.”

Matthew pays, then tells Michael to come with us. In my inn, Matthew looks around the room, then nods.

“You have fine tastes,” he says. “Expensive, but fine. This inn already spells its walls against intrusive listening.”

“I buffed them up,” I nod. “Just flowed a little bit more Mana into them.”

“Let us speak in Jozan,” he says. “To reduce those who might understand what we say.”

“Very well,” I say in Jozan. “Are all of the magics for Health?”

“Indeed,” he nods. “How did you guess?”

“I have one for Mana,” I answer. “Though the magics within are pretty powerful, with only a few basic magics.”

“Mine are basic,” he says. “With only a few powerful magics hidden deep within it, but not quite to the end.”

So the reverse of mine…

There are two tomes. One for weaker, one for stronger.

But there are eleven Affinities. How many did Tristan learn? And how many Grimoires does he really have? Is it only five? Or are there more.

“What are you two talking about?” Michael looks between us.

“The Grimoires, Michael,” I say. “Your father apparently has one.”

“Oh!” Michael exclaims. “I think I know someone who has one, but he’s in a time ruin right now.”

“A what?” Matthew and I both ask.

“A time ruin,” Michael says. “Time isn’t passing while he’s in there. It’s preventing him from reaching the end of his natural lifespan.”

“How old is he?”

“Technically, he’s our age,” Michael answers. “He’s training while in the time ruin, but also studying the Grimoire. It’s got tons of easy spells in it.”

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“His natural lifespan ends at fifteen?” I ask.

“Thereabouts,” Michael nods. “Though he said that, as a result of his Species, he won’t live to his thirteenth birthday. Then discovered that while he’s in the time ruin, it doesn’t count as him aging. So he’s currently studying the Grimoire, hoping one of the alchemy recipes has something that increases LIF. Well, it does, but only by a single point, and he can’t get the ingredients. I told him I’d be on the lookout for them.”

“What’s he missing?” I ask.

“Um,” Michael scrunches up his face in thought, his tail swishing from side to side as he thinks hard. “I think he was missing dragon’s blood essence. I think he has the rest of the ingredients. I know he has the Guilds of his continent looking for it.”

“A kid has Guilds looking for it?”

“Max is very, very intimidating when he wants to be,” Michael nods. “He can apparently threaten all of the major Guilds and face no retaliation, despite being far inferior to them in power.”

“My Grimoire has a recipe for a potion that increases LIF,” I say. “Though it requires phoenix tears to make.”

“You know your Grimoire has that off the top of your head?” Michael asks. “I thought you didn’t study it.”

“I didn’t study the magics in it,” I say. “I know alchemy. What’s his Species?”

“He’s labeled as a mutt,” Michael answers. “He honestly doesn’t know what he’s got in him, though he looks human.”

“If I can find the ingredients needed for the potions,” I say. “I’ll need you to let me know how to get to him.”

“Alright!” Michael says. “So I’m a bit confused. Why are we here?”

“To teach Gavin Life Restore,” Matthew says. “Then, a few more Health-based magics. From what you’ve told me, it likely won’t be difficult. Are you ready, Gavin?”

“Before I learn anything from you,” I say. “Why is it in your interests for Jozan to exist?”

Matthew pauses, and Michael frowns, looking between us.

“If I don’t answer that?” He asks.

“I will kill you,” I exert the power of my Mana, infusing it into the air with the force of my full bloodlust within it, filling the room.

Michael pales and collapses, his father paling and dropping to one knee under the sheer force of my Mana.

Skill Gained!

Mana Presence 1/10: Exert your presence and mood through your Mana, filling the space around you with it.

“Jozan is my home,” I say. “And the spirit of Jozan must never die. I will not allow anyone to act in such a way to destroy it. That is why I am working toward Jozan’s revival. As such, I will also allow none to act in such a way as to use it for their own gains. Think carefully before each word you say next.”

“A deal,” Matthew says through gritted teeth. “I made with King Wesley’s father, when we were but children. It is a deal that spans continents, though now, I am the only one left alive from the original agreement. Jozan was a kingdom with a single purpose. So long as that purpose exists, we are to fight for its continued existence. When Robert was a child, that purpose had been nearly forgotten, but he rekindled it. The Council had already begun digging their roots and his grave. Wesley proved to be just as difficult as his father to control.

“In exchange for a certain item,” Matthew continues. “I will grant my support to Jozan, and until the spirit of Jozan is dead, I will continue to do so. Jozan is a nation founded for the prosperity of magic and the shared knowledge of magic, without the control of guilds of magic to limit the knowledge. Until the rule of Turas, that has been the way, though the Council fought against it. I have the item Robert promised me, and so will continue to work for Jozan’s restoration. It would be dishonorable to turn against my oath, and no member of my tribe would ever do such a thing. It is why I have tasked Michael with aiding you in your journey. All of this, I swear on the blood and power that flows within me to be true.”

He glows with a crimson light touched with some sort of unusual power.

Skill Gained!

Divine Detection 1/10: The ability to detect the presence or power of a Divine being.

So Blood Oaths have a touch of Divine in them? It’s faint, but it’s there.

“Who were all those participating in this oath?” I ask. There’s more to it, but he hasn’t told me it. “Their names and occupations.”

“The Witch Sisters,” Matthew answers. “Natalie and Temperance Voltas, the Tier III Adventurer Elijah Mountainstep, Robert, and myself. We lost contact with Temperance a long time ago, Natalie perished in the takeover, according to my reports, Elijah vanished two centuries ago, and Robert is now dead.”

“Professor Temp is quite alive,” I say. “She teaches magic at a school on another continent. One that doesn’t force you to join to learn its secrets. She taught me, after all. Michael told me that Natalie vanished during the battle, as did any magician loyal to Jozan. No clue who Elijah is, and King Robert was definitely buried. I think.”

And yet the Blood Oath confirmed what he said… so it must mean that it will work if you believe what you say to be true.

“Temperance is alive?” Matthew asks in surprise. “Would you… mind lifting this? I’m growing very weak trying to resist it.”

“You pass approval,” I release my new Skill, and Matthew breathes out in relief, then stands. He was sweating from that, and is quite pale. I can see him trembling. “But if I sense that you are acting against Jozan for any reason, or attempting to acquire something you shouldn’t be, I will kill you. Without hesitation. Do I make my self clear?”

“Quite,” he answers. “Despite being far inferior to me in terms of Class Levels and Tiers, I don’t doubt that, were you to truly desire it, I would die. I might manage to wound you badly, but you would kill me, in the end.”

“I’m glad we’re at an understanding,” I say, then look at Michael, who hasn’t moved, though from his breathing and the slight whimper coming from him, he’s quite awake. “My apologies, Michael. I didn’t mean for you to be caught in that. I wanted to ensure your father knew that I would not tolerate his orders being for selfish reasons alone, and that I would act to protect the interests of Jozan over anything else. Matthew, I believe it best if we were to not do the lesson tonight, to allow the two of you to recover from this.”

“Do you have paper?” Matthew asks, and I indicate a stack on a table in a corner. “Mind if I use a few? I’ll use them to write down the runes and instructions for using Health and these Skills, as well as two Health Expansion techniques.”

I gesture to the table, and he walks over to them. Twenty minutes later, he finishes, then returns to Michael, picking his son up with ease and carrying him out of the room.

I feel bad for hitting Michael with that. His tail was between his legs, and his ears were drooping. He was still pale, shaking, and whimpering when they left. The next time he’s around me, I’ll make sure to apologize again. Things aren’t as fun when he’s not around.

Walking over to my bed, I lie down and stare at the ceiling. My Mana’s refilled, so I close my eyes and focus on making it denser, then on expanding it, the former of which yielded a point, the latter of which yielded none.

Closing my eyes, I allow sleep to overtake me.