Sirius was sweating. The wound made him catch fever, but he continued to go eastwards, using his staff as a walking stick. He was going all night, just to get away from the place of the attack, and now the strength was leaving him. Sitting once again to rest and check on his leg, he sighed.

He still could not believe what he had done. The Astral World, or so he called the strange place he appeared at whenever his soul left his body, still occupied his mind. Thought Constellation might have given him the ability to think while leaving his body behind, but now he understood that the body was also surviving on its own all this time. Despite the faint connection, they were like separate parts that lacked communication during his travels to Astral World.

Bitter that he had no time for research, Sirius stood up once again, and went forth once again. Eventually he stumbled upon a ravine and prepared to go around, fearing that climbing from the bottom was impossible with his injury.

"Why are you here?" The elderly voice asked from behind.

Sirius quickly turned around and took a stance with his staff in both hands.

"Hey-hey, calm down." The elder was several meters away. "I come in peace."

"Sorry." Said Sirius emotionlessly and leaned once again on his staff, grimacing in pain.

"So... Why?" The elder lifted his bushy eyebrow, revealing his shining green eyes.

"I am a runaway. Just want to leave Kingdom."

"That is not easy feat." Elder brushed his long beard with his hand in thought. "Why so jumpy?"

"Pursuers, assassins, fanatics... The church."

"So, a fellow heretic?" A man laughed a bit. "How long are you injured?"

"Since yesterday." Answered Sirius truthfully, making the man's had stop.

"Where did you come from?" He asked seriously, losing the playful tone.

"West." Sirius tightened his grip.

"Who attacked you?"

"Men in red. Glowing eyes. Six of them."

The elder sighed. "Select few have the Crimson Crusade going after them. Let's go, my house is nearby."

"Who are you?" Asked Sirius.

"Me?..." The elder thought for a moment. "Call me Friend."

"Sure..." Sirius furrowed his brows a little and followed Friend.

They went for a couple of minutes, and the Friend asked.

"Were you the one to light a second sun that night?"

"Yes."

"Oh, what a pleasure to meet a fellow mage from the second circle! And so young at that!"

"What does circle mean?"

"Oh, it's how we call those who completed the development of their Spirit Eyes, and moved on to the next stage!"

"How do you call that organ?"

"In the Kingdom it is known as Material Chains."

"I don't have that."

The man stopped to look at Sirius for a second, and continued walking. "We will talk about that later. How did you stop the manastorm then?"

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"I... Don't know." Sirius described what he saw during the storm and in Astral World.

"You did correctly, if the leylines connected, the aftermath would erase that place. Did you really traverse the immaterial plane, though?"

"I have the Thought Constellation, so..."

"Wait, you have the Eyes AND the Spirit Mind?"

"I... guess so."

"What came first? I don't believe that the Mind was first."

"It is..."

"Oh, my manners. One should not ask about the Soul, unless given permission."

"I am the Divine Child."

"That explains stuff." An elder shrugged. It was the first time Sirius felt such indifference towards his title. "Who taught you magic, boy? It doesn't seem like you use the church's spells."

"A druid."

"I would be glad to meet your teacher! Maybe we were from the same community..."

"He is dead." Sirius cut him short.

"That... Complicates things... I am sorry for your loss." The elder awkwardly stammered.

"The church killed him when they came after me. Since then I am alone."

"Don't say you are alone, that friend of yours bared his fangs at me the moment we met."

"Who?"

"Oh, the manasnake. He is right beside you. Can you not see him?"

"No."

"You have your Spirit Eyes closed, that's why! Come on, open them!"

"How?"

"I... Erm... Let me try, I never done it. I am going to touch your spirit, so don't be afraid." Elder quickly placed his thumbs on Sirius' forehead and pushed some of the environmental mana inside. Then he said with a worry. "It is so underdeveloped. You are blind like a puppy. And your Mind is incomplete, how did you even... Oh..."

"Found the Mana Pool?" Asked Sirius while looking up at the elder.

"Yes..." He removed his hands.

"Can we move along?"

"Sure..." The worry and a tinge of fear was visible in elder's shining eyes.

After some time they arrived at small hut, half-buried into the ground. A small smoke trail left the chimney in the back, giving away its location. The elder lead Sirius inside and invited to sit at the table on the only chair. The interior was simple, and very similar to what Sirius made in his lab near the World Tree. The small openings for windows were covered by murky glass panes, likely made by Friend himself. The dim sun illuminated the rough table made from split logs, containing the various cutlery. Seth appeared besides Sirius and landed on his lap, asking for head pats.

"Why are you here alone?" Asked Sirius, stroking the scaly skin of manasnake.

"I am in search for my specialisation."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, of course. Among us, druids, it is important to find a branch of magic you are most passionate about and study it, usually all their lives."

"And you didn't find it yet?" Sirius looked at the elder.

"Unfortunately." Friend sighed. "I am still trying out new things, hoping to get inspiration. Do you, by any chance, know the specialisation of your master?"

"Healing." Sirius said, making the elder choke a little. "He was exiled for that."

"Go figure. Magic is about the world, not the body. What do you specialise in, by the way?"

Sirius frowned, trying to remember everything.

"Alchemy, metallurgy, circle diagrams... Some basic healing as well..."

Sirius looked up at Friend and saw his eyes shining with excitement.