Pride without intelligence is called arrogance.
~Nuada the Silverhand, First God King
“Wh-what is this?” Crow asked, but the old man didn’t reply. Crow watched as the man formed a spell he was unfamiliar with. The only thing he was sure of was that the method was distinctly Draoidh.
“I’m sure you’ve never seen this type of spell,” the old man said after seeing Crow’s rapt attention. “It is called a Druid Circle, which should have been kept away from you to protect our ancestral bloodline. But… you’ve displayed the Beast Aspect, which should have also been hidden, so I’m very interested in you, young man. Regardless, these two techniques would instantly give you away as one of the Draiodh to everyone in the upper realms. A Druid Circle requires a focus to give it powers and its methods and is one of the few reasons other sects turned on them. They desired this power.”
While angry for being locked up, Crow hadn’t lost his rationality. What the old man just said was intriguing. “Is that like the circles listed in the techniques from this place?”
“The concept is similar. I created and modified many simple techniques with a primary focus and added circles as a mental exercise. However, a Druid Circle is much more liberating than that. Once you become powerful enough, you don’t need techniques because a Druid Circle grants you the power to create. The only limitation is the medium and your imagination.”
The old man held up his hand, and the two coin-like sigils floated above his palm while slowly spinning.
“Are you saying those are Druid Circles?”
“Idiot, these are Sigils. A Druid Circle can only be seen through Mana Sense. Like most Druid spells, it draws energy from its surroundings, but a Druid Circle allows you to cast spells as they relate to where you are. It makes them insanely powerful but also weak at the same time. Imagine forming a circle around yourself while out on an ocean. The spells you could use would be water-based, which might be useless against the beasts you’d face out there.”
“I see,” Crow said.
Although the old man said the circles were both powerful and weak, Crow didn’t believe that. It sounded like a Druid Circle was a method to draw out the natural order of an area, and the old man’s description was lacking. Crow didn’t believe the old man didn’t understand that simple concept, and when he saw the old man smiling at him, he knew the old guy was playing with him.
“Why did you imprison us?” Hooligan asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence. She trusted Crow and remained silent to understand the situation.
The old man’s gaze shifted to her and then waved around himself.
“A circle relies on its environment; that’d be a prison in this case. What I’m about to do is going to be painful, and if you are inside a chamber, I can immobilize you so that you can’t harm yourselves. I promise this gift will be worth it. Especially for you, little girl. You might even resort to calling me grandpa after this.”
“Hmph,” Hooligan grunted and glared at the old geezer, making Crow chuckle. He was sensitive to danger and knew the old man’s intentions weren’t malicious, but his danger sense wasn’t infallible.
He remained cautious because the old man’s power could easily hide his real intention. Just because Crow didn’t sense danger didn’t mean he wasn’t hovering at the edge of life and death. All it meant was that this man wasn’t deliberately trying to kill or harm them.
“I’m about to mark your flesh, so I’ll let you choose where you want me to brand it.”
Crow’s eyes narrowed as they shifted toward the floating Sigils. Knowing what was coming, he finally understood why he’d been uneasy. The old man wasn’t dangerous, but those Sigils were.
“Can it be placed on our bones?” Crow asked, with the idea that he could remove it later. Plenty of healers and pills could regrow their bones if necessary. The skin seemed like the more logical choice since he could remove it easily, but the Sigil wasn’t embedded in the skin like a tattoo. It would move or return after healing. Removing a Sigil from flesh was annoying, but bones were different. A sigil etched in bone was fixed—at least that’s what he’d read.
The old man turned toward Crow with a big smile.
“It can, but the skin is less painful.”
Crow and Hooligan exchanged glances.
“Is your pain tolerance high?” He asked her.
Hooligan nodded.
“We want it on our arm,” Crow informed the old man before looking at his woman again. “Hooligan, focus inward and try to cultivate your Mind.”
The old man nodded and waved his other hand. Crow and Hooligan turned stiff as a board, and their bodies tilted forward until their foreheads rested against the energy barrier.
“Kid, you think I don’t know what you intended?”
It was the last thing Crow and Hooligan heard because pain consumed them when the old bastard pushed the Sigils toward their foreheads. The flesh parting was negligible, and neither of them noticed that. It probably wouldn’t have been noticed if it weren’t for the trickle of blood running down their faces. However, the Sigil carved itself into their skull, and they could feel and hear as the bone was ground down to accommodate the Sigil.
Hooligan was still screaming when Crow regained his awareness, and his heart hurt. He could tell by the sound that it wasn’t the pain causing her panic. The trauma of someone attacking her face and activating her worst fears compounded the misery. Having the bone of their skulls etched wasn’t pleasant, but they both understood that this gift wasn’t something they could refuse.
Crow’s mind went blank after a time, unsure if he was even awake. It seemed something similar was happening to Hooligan because she’d gone strangely quiet. The pain long ended, but the Sigil was messing with their Mind and Spirit.
When he finally became conscious again, he could move and noticed the cylindrical chamber was gone. Crow rushed over to Hooligan and picked her up. He held her close to his chest, so her little face pressed against him, giving her cheeks and mouth a cute smooshed look.
“I’m fine,” she said hoarsely, trying to reassure Crow. “Is-is m-my face?”
“No marks.”
“That isn’t true,” the old man said. “But no one can see it, so on the surface, you are fine.”
“What did you do to me?” Hooligan’s voice was as cold as the Frigid Starburst.
“I promise, it’s a good thing. The Scath are an indomitable force throughout many realms in our universe.”
Stolen novel; please report.
“What is the difference between a world and a realm?” Hooligan asked. She was curious about the conversation earlier but didn’t understand the difference.
“A realm can have multiple worlds, which, unlike planets, are a source of existence. A rock can be a planet, but you can’t live on it, nor can it provide a stable existence for any life.”
“And a universe can have multiple realms?”
“Yeah.”
“Then the Void is the emptiness between universes?”
“Not bad, kid. Your mind is pretty agile. People often confuse the Void and space. A universe has a lot of space between realms or worlds—”
“You lost me again. Is a realm a separate entity from a world or not?”
“The Origin Realm is essentially the universe. So it has realms and worlds within it. A realm, just like a world, exists within the universe, but it is almost impossible to stumble across them because of how vast the space within a universe is. Worlds and planets are easier to find because they exist on the same plane.”
“He means that the universe is flat like a body of water. Drift around that water long enough, and you’ll eventually find land.” Crow interrupted. “Worlds and planets within the Origin Realm are all on the same flat plane. You’ll eventually stumble upon something if you don’t go above or below it. Based on what the old man said, I assume that other realms exist within the empty space above or below our Origin Realm.”
“Good job, boy. I’m more and more impressed with how your mind works.”
“So it isn’t that a realm can’t be found, but if we leave the plane where all normal existence is, we could—”
“Be lost forever. There are no guideposts, so the chances are you’ll die out there long before you find a hidden realm,” Crow said.
“Partially true,” the old man said. “Some realms have guides, but you’d need the appropriate treasure or ability to sense it. They are like beacons but only respond to something linked to them.”
“Ahhh,” Hooligan said and held up her hand, showing the wooden artifact. “These, right?”
Even Crow was shocked because he hadn’t made that jump in understanding yet.
“Boy, you better cherish this little one. She complements you well. But we are getting sidetracked. The Sigil on your skull is multifaceted because it is like a Druid Circle, giving you some freedom on how to use it.”
“Yeah, but what is it?”
“It is something I created from centuries of research, and I call it the Scáthmharfóir.”
“Shadow Killer?”
“Shadowman Killer.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t name things,” Hooligan said slowly, and Crow chuckled. The old man huffed, his face flushed red in anger.
“Getting sidetracked,” Crow said but couldn’t hide the amusement in his voice.
“The Scath are like a hive, and their minds are linked. Ever wonder why their abilities seem varied, powerful, and adapt to every situation?”
“Shit…” Crow said. “Are you saying that they are Draoidh?”
“No, but the Shadow Druid is, and his Druid Circle of Corruption is something he engraved onto his Soul.”
“Is that even possible?”
“I wouldn’t have thought so. However, with it, he can twist the Souls of those he captures and turn them into his loyal minions—the Scath. It isn’t so much of a ritual as it is an aspect of his power. These things are his eyes and ears. That man never has to leave the darkness where he slumbers. His Scath will carry out all his desires, but we underestimated the seal placed on his consciousness. His power of corruption can destroy anything given enough time, including the seal on him. It isn’t if he awakens, but when.”
Crow knew what the old man was implying, but he didn’t have the context to understand the implication. In the past thousands of years, the only significant war or event was the eradication of the Draoidh, which happened over ten thousand years ago—an amount of time that Crow couldn’t fathom.
“I don’t want to unsettle your minds, but the coming war will most likely be fought by you kids. We talked about worlds and realms, and the scale of war that is coming will probably destroy over seventy percent of all existence.”
“And this sigil is going to help us?”
“Maybe. It’s both a blessing and a curse. It’ll allow you to sense Daemons and Scath if they are near. They won’t be able to hide from you, but you won’t be able to hide from them either. I’ve given you access to their power and their hive mind. The Light Mana rune I put into the Sigil will degrade because of the corruptive force of the Scath used as the source.”
“You’ve…” Crow sighed.
“That’s right. I’m forcing you to grow faster or become that which you hate. Either you harness the power of the Druid Circle of Corruption, or your consciousness will become corrupted by the Shadow Druid.”
“You fucking bastard!” Hooligan shouted and slapped the old man’s face. He didn’t dodge or retaliate.
“I deserve that and more. Because I’ve done a lot of evil things for the greater good. I won’t pretend to be a good person, but sometimes it takes a monster to fight a monster. If I have to become a monster to destroy the Far Dorcha, you better fucking believe I’ll do much worse than this. I’ll forcefully enlist everyone with potential if I have to because it is necessary.”
Crow held Hooligan back. Knowing her past, he could understand her anger because rage simmered inside him too. While this wasn’t a curse, it might as well be, and he despised that type of magic the most.
“Wake the fuck up, little girl. Life is fragile and can shatter at any moment. The thing I gave you is a weapon. You will harm yourself if you can’t learn to wield it. However, based on your anger, you should thank me. In your hands is a weapon that could terrify Daemons and Scath alike if you learn to control it. You’ll become their demon, the thing that shows up in their nightmares. Or… if you choose to see it as a curse, you’ll one day join them.”
“Trust me. I’ll never allow you to become one of the Scath.” Crow whispered to her, and her visibly shaking body calmed down. Turning toward the old man, Crow stared with calm eyes and demeanor. It was not what the old man expected, and he was clearly surprised. “How long do we have before the corruption turns us?”
“Maybe a hundred years. Let’s say eighty to be safe. But… some treasures exist out there that can delay corruption. If you can find those, you might prolong the end result for a few hundred years. However, no matter how many treasures you find, at most, in less than five hundred years, you’ll turn if you can’t learn to harness it. The corruption after the eighty-year mark doubles in power every few years. Even with treasures, I’m skeptical about you making it to two hundred years. Still, I’m claiming five hundred because there is always a way, even if the probability is so low it can’t exist.”
Crow nodded, but despite his calm demeanor, Hooligan could hear his teeth grinding.
“Now, to show I’m not completely heartless, take this book. Call it compensation.”
“What is it?” Crow asked and took the item.
“A primer on Druid Circles. Based on your comprehension ability alone, I believe you should stop learning techniques and focus on this.”
“Why?”
“Because, if you master Druid Circles and Beast Aspect—”
“I didn’t learn Beast Aspect. I modified it and called my new technique the Myriad of Beasts,” Crow told the old bastard.
“What!? How is that possible? Why would you do that?”
“Because I didn’t want to be limited to a few types of beasts. My technique will allow me to absorb any beast core and transform into them. I sacrificed Body enhancements, but I believe the trade-off is worth it.”
“But you maintained the core part of Beast Aspect?” The old man seemed to grasp what Crow did and felt it was a solid upgrade.
“I did. If I want to gain any Body enhancements in the future, I need to absorb beast cores from various types of crows. Other beasts will only serve to become a transformation.” Crow didn’t inform him about auras because after understanding Druid Circles and the current abilities he’d gained from this place, he decided to learn Druid Circles. Because of that, he’d change his techniques, so they relied on something he was tentatively calling a Seed Aura. The logic behind it was to eliminate the restriction imposed by auras by creating a garden-like aura in which technique Seeds could be planted. Provided the Seeds didn’t conflict, his Aura would grow, accommodating all techniques within each Seed. Initially, he wouldn’t be able to handle all the auras at once because his Body couldn’t withstand that much power.
“Druid Circles will still work with this modification. The only warning I’ll give you is that if the circle isn’t inscribed on a focus, then you are the focus. The natural power it draws on may change as you move around. If you are in a forest and use vines to detain someone and then take to the air, the power of the vines will greatly weaken because your circle is no longer of the forest.”
“I would thank you, but somehow I feel that’s inappropriate,” Crow said, and the old man laughed.
“If we meet again, I promise I’ll make amends. If we don’t, then you probably succumbed to the curse and aren’t worth knowing.”
“This fucking old bastard. Even if I become Scath, I’ll fucking hunt you down and break your geriatric bones, you piece of shit,” Hooligan growled. “I curse you to have a limp dick, you sick pervert.”
Crow didn’t stop her, but internally, he didn’t know if he should laugh or cry. This girl would always be a hooligan. Even the old man switched between anger and amusement but hearing a little girl cursing his manhood, he couldn’t take it anymore. Hooligan and Crow were flung out of the dungeon and fell to the ground below the Colossus.
“I should have kicked him in the balls instead of slapping him,” Hooligan muttered.