When Jackson and Ebalin heard Maverick’s command, they complied, rigidly lifting their heads and looking at his conciled face with glowing pinpoint eyes and rictus grin. They both looked away reflexively, not daring to stare at him directly. Silence took over the space for a few moments. ‘Perhaps I should calm them first.’ Maverick thought. He then conjured a long table, the head of which rested just below the throne; he sat on it. Jackson and Ebalin were surprised by the display, forgetting their previous fear for a minute. Maverick then made two solid chairs on either side of the table and closest to him.

  “Take a seat,” Maverick said, gesturing to the chairs.

  Jackson’s eyes widened, and he tentatively walked over to one of the seats. Ebalin, however, stood rooted in her place.

  “Where are we? Who are you?” Ebalin asked with a defiant tone and a scowl.

  Jackson froze mid-stride and quickly looked back at her in grim astonishment. The smile the two could see on Maverick shifted subtly.

  “I dame to be hospitable to trespassers, and you dare to speak with such disrespect,” Maverick responded. ‘What is this girl’s problem? Am I that scary?’

  Maverick unconsciously let out a bit of his aura, frightening the two even more than when they first saw him. Ebalin and Jackson then took their seats with the same haste as children who tested their parents' patience a bit too far. Maverick collected himself before starting the conversation.

  ‘How do I answer her questions? It’s not like I know where we are either. What if I use my old gamertag, Sager&69? No, Sager? Sage? Yes, Sage,’

  “If you must address me, then call me the sage. I would ask who you both are and how you got here.”

  Jackson stood up and bowed slightly, “My name is Jackson Tellos. I belong to the Tellos household. Mr. Sage, I beg your forgiveness for intruding on your divine kingdom and for healing me when I entered. I ended up here as a consequence of a botched concealment ritual.”

  Ebalin stood as Jackson sat, “My name is Ebalin Grous. The cult of corruption caught me in Glise and planned to offer me as a sacrifice.” She bit her lip and deliberated with herself for a moment. “Are you Zallen of Old Novara?”

  Maverick’s eyes widened for a split second before he composed himself. ‘What now? I could just say that I am Zallen. But given his reputation, I don’t think that would be great. Oh, that's an idea.’ Maverick widened his smile and looked directly at Ebalin. “No need to fear. I am not Zallen of Old Novara. He is long dead. Also, I must apologise for being short with you, lost children.”

  Maverick conjured a couple of cups of tea in front of the two. Jackson and Ebalin were thrown through a loop by the kindness this entity was now showing them.

  “Apologises sir, but when can we leave?” Jackson asked.

  Ebalin shifted uncomfortably and gripped her shoulders.

  “You may leave whenever you wish, but do either of you have a plan for what you will do next?” Maverick asked.

  ‘The girl vented her troubles, but how does he know I’m also in the thick of it?’ Jackson thought.

  “I don’t know,” Jackson said meekly.

  ‘It might not be much, but maybe I can help,’ Maverick thought. “I’ll make you a deal.” Maverick lifted his hand and conjured a couple of tendrils much like the ones that came out of his back before. He then directed them into the cups of tea. “Drink and you will gain strength. In exchange, I want the circle you both used to get here.”

  The two looked down at their cups in quiet contemplation. Ebalin took the cup and gulped the whole thing down. She felt a new spring to her step and a comforting chill rise up from the pit of her stomach. Jackson soon followed, to him the drink felt like it lifted a long forgotten weight off his shoulders. In reality, the tea did nothing. Maverick was using his new bio spirit infusion to augment their bodies. As his spirituality seeped into them, their muscles grew more taut, their minds sharper, and their senses heightened. Maverick then conjured a piece of paper for each of them, getting an idea of what the circle looked like.

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  ‘I think it worked. Bio Spirit infusion seems a little too overpowered, but I’m not complaining.’ Maverick thought.

  “The pact is now sealed, and it is time for you both to leave.” ‘This feels similar to the times I helped new players in online games I played

  Jackson lowered his head, “Thank you, Mr. Sage. I hope that someday I might be able to come back.”

  “Whenever you both are in need, you can come back, and we can make another contract. Although next time the price will be higher.” Maverick said.

  ‘I say that, but I have no idea how any of this works. Hopefully I can use that circle to find something out.’ Maverick lifted his arm and thought, ‘return.’ The next moment, Edalin and Jackson sank into the floor and disappeared. A moment after Maverick became lightheaded, he felt like he was falling before opening his eyes and finding himself back in the center of the ritual. Maverick looked around in confusion before regaining his bearings. The remaining spirituality in the area gathered and flew back into Maverick.

  The forest was still, and Maverick’s spirituality spread across his body, sharpening his senses and giving the world new color. He could see the spirituality he could always feel by augmenting his eyes with it. For Maverick, it was like he could see for the first time. He turned around and saw the others coming up to him. What was evident to him immediately was the spirituality the three had. It looked like fuzzy subtle colors Maverick wasn’t familiar with. Herald and Mark seemed to have about the same amount, but Clawford had so much more then them it intimidated Maverick a little.

  “How are you feeling, Maverick?” Herald asked

  “Good, very good. I’m a warrior now.”

  “Aw, I was hoping you would end up being an Alchemist,” Herald complained

  “You guys look different.”

  “Looks like your abilities are active. Try not to over do it. If you become spiritually drained its easier to lose control.” Clawford said

  Mark looked at Maverick with shock and confusion. “It’s gone, it’s all gone.”

  “What?” Maverick asked, slightly annoyed by Mark.

  “All that demonic energy Mark was whining about was used up during the ritual. Meaning he has to deal with the fact you aren’t a demon and he was wrong,” Herald said bluntly.

  Mark shifted uncomfortably before scoffing and running off abruptly.

  “Don’t hold it against him too much. Deep down, he is a good kid. In any case.” Clawford put his hand on Maverick’s shoulders. “Welcome to the Elmur secret police officer, Collins,” Clawford said.

  Maverick smiled and nodded his head. “Thank you, captain.”

  The three went to the carriage, catching up with Mark. He was made to drive the carriage back to town because he could use bio-spirit infusion to augment his eyesight and see in the dark. All the better for Maverick because he had some burning questions for the captain.

  “There is something I’m confused about.” Maverick piped up during the ride back.

  Both Clawford and Herald looked at him, ready for whatever questions.

  “I’ve been meaning to ask about that room I found the knife in, and why I needed it.”

  Clawford leaned back, his body melting into his seat. “That room is called the syphen. You see, everything involuntarily leaks spirituality. It's like breathing. Only those with control over their spirituality can keep it from leaking. Even when you hold back yours, it’ll sometimes spill out without your noticing. Normally, that isn’t a big deal, but when you have a lot of spirituality in an area for a long period of time, it can lead to strange and terrifying things happening. Much like the phenomena of the haunted house. To prevent that from happening, we gather all the excess leaked spirituality in that room. As for all the items inside, that more Herald’s specialty.” Clawford closed his eyes and leaned on the window.

  “Such an old man,” Herald said under his breath. “As the captain said, all the spirituality gets gathered in that room. But it doesn’t stay stagnant. It seeps and crawls its way into the walls, floor, and everything else. As for the items, we put them in their place to be infused with the room's spirituality because they are constantly used in rituals as spiritual stores of sorts. But to become a mystic, you need an item infused with spirituality. We don’t know why or what item will produce what result. Does that answer your question?” Herald explained.

  “Yes, I believe so.”

  “I’ll teach you more about Mystics tomorrow. For now, we will drop you off at your house.” Herald said.

  “Thank you,”

  Later, when Maverick got off the carriage, he was going to walk down the street when Mark suddenly grabbed his wrist.

  “I’m…Sorry, but could I see your spirituality once more?” Mark asked

  A little annoyed, Maverick obliged. He lifted his hand casually and made his spirituality coalesce into a tendril that wrapped around his hand. ‘This is so much easier than it was before,’ Maverick thought, proud of himself. The tendril was similar but different from what it was before; it was still pitch black, but now had hints of purple along its surface, almost like a light sprinkle of glitter had gotten on it. Mark reached out to touch it and felt a cool comfort in its touch, like the coolness of your blanket when you just get into bed.

  “So it was your spirit, not the demon’s,” Mark said to himself.

  “Sorry, but what do you mean?” Maverick asked.

  Mark tensed up and got back on the carriage in a huff. “I’m sorry for giving you a hard time for nothing. But you would do best to stay out of my way and not make trouble.” Mark barked before driving off.

  Maverick chuckled to himself and walked down the road thinking, ‘What would you know, he is just a kid. This body might only be 19, but I was 35 before transmigrating, so I can’t help but feel responsible for guiding those younger. Speaking of, I wonder if Mary’s asleep yet.’