Chapter 8: The Shadow and the Feast (Part 2)
Location: The Hay Loft, Royal Arken Stables.
Time: 5:00 AM (Immediately following the Dungeon).
Ren collapsed onto his pile of hay. He was wet, he smelled of ozone and ancient dust, and his left arm throbbed with a dull ache where the bone had knitted back together.
But he couldn't sleep. His mind was a storm of new information.
Seraphina is a Vane. My mother's cousin. A Heretic in the robes of a Saint.
He held up his hand, staring at the Ring of the False Null. She had seen through it not with magic, but with blood intuition.
"If the High Priestess is a Vane," Ren whispered to the pigeons cooing in the rafters, "then the Church isn't as pure as they claim. Or she is a double agent."
He sat up. He had work to do.
He pulled the Heart of a Void Beast from his pocket. It was still beating—a slow, rhythmic thump-thump that vibrated against his palm.
"Archive," Ren commanded.
The world dissolved. He stood once more on the obsidian floor of the Bibliotheca of Infinity.
He walked to the center of the library, where his "Desk" (a mental construct he used to organize thoughts) stood. He placed the beating black heart on the table.
[ Item Analysis: Heart of a Void Beast ]
[ Type: Construction Core (Living) ]
[ Compatibility: 100% with The Bibliotheca. ]
[ Action: Implant? ]
"Implant?" Ren frowned. "Into me?"
[ Negative. Implant into the Archive. This entity can serve as a Guardian Construct for the Mental Space. ]
Ren looked at the endless, dark aisles of the library. It was empty. Just him and billions of books. Having a guardian—someone to organize the books or defend the mind against psychic attacks—would be invaluable.
"Do it," Ren ordered.
The obsidian floor beneath the table rippled like water. The Heart sank into the floor.
Rumble.
The entire library shook. Black veins shot out from the insertion point, spreading across the floor like roots.
[ Incubation Started. ]
[ Time to Hatch: 30 Days. ]
[ Cost: 10 Mana per day from User. ]
"A tax," Ren sighed. "Fine. Take it."
He exited the Archive. He closed his eyes and finally, exhaustion took him.
Time: Two Weeks Later.
Location: The Servant's Training Grounds (Old Barn).
Status: Level 7.
"Yield!"
Caelum screamed as he hit the dirt, his wooden sword spinning away into the darkness.
Ren stood over him, the tip of his own wooden stick pressing against Caelum's throat.
"You telegraphed the overhead swing," Ren said, removing the stick. "You drew your breath in before striking. A sharp inhale is a signal. Stop doing it."
Caelum groaned, rolling over and staring at the barn roof. He was covered in sweat and bruises, but his muscles looked denser. The baby fat of a pampered noble was melting away, replaced by the lean corded muscle of a fighter.
"I'm tired, Ren," Caelum panted. "Voss has been working me to the bone during the day. 'Proper' magic theory. It's boring."
"Voss is leaving tomorrow," Ren said, offering Caelum a hand up.
Caelum took it. "Thank the gods. If I have to listen to his nasally voice one more time, I'll stab myself."
"Did you learn the breathing technique I showed you?"
"The Silent Lung?" Caelum nodded. "Yeah. I can hold my breath for three minutes now while moving."
"Good. Use that during your mana cultivation. It stabilizes the core."
Ren walked to the water bucket and drank from a ladle.
"Ren," Caelum said, his voice serious. "There's a rumor."
"There are always rumors."
"This one is about the Academy Entrance Exams."
Ren paused. The Royal Academy. The center of power in the Kingdom. Every noble scion went there at age 15. Caelum was 13. Ren was 12.
"What about them?"
"They are changing the age limit," Caelum said. "Because of the rising monster activity in the North and the tension with the Empire, the King wants more Mages, faster. They are lowering the entry age to 14. And they are opening a 'Special Admission' slot for commoners with exceptional talent."
Ren lowered the ladle.
Special Admission.
If he stayed in the Estate, he would eventually be discovered. Or he would hit a ceiling. The Archive needed new books. The Estate library was exhausted; he had copied everything of value. The Royal Academy had the Grand Library of Oakhaven—the largest collection of knowledge on the continent.
"When?" Ren asked.
"Two years from now," Caelum said. "But the preliminary qualifiers start in six months."
Ren looked at Caelum. "You're going?"
"Obviously. And I want you to come with me."
Ren raised an eyebrow. "As what? Your servant?"
"As my shadow," Caelum grinned. "I checked the rules. High-ranking nobles are allowed to bring one 'Retainer' to the exams to assist with equipment. But if the Retainer passes the written test... they can enroll."
Ren considered it. It was a path out.
"Six months," Ren calculated. "I need to be at least Level 15 by then. And I need to master the Grimoire."
"I'll take that as a yes," Caelum said.
Suddenly, the barn door creaked open.
Ren vanished into the shadows instantly, activating [Shadow Veil].
It was a guard.
"Young Master Caelum?" the guard called out. "Lord Valerius is asking for you. Inquisitor Voss is departing."
Caelum sighed, wiping the dirt from his face. "Coming."
He glanced at the empty corner where Ren had been standing. He didn't say anything. He just walked out.
Location: The Main Gates.
Time: Dawn.
The carriage of the Ivory Tower was sleek, black, and pulled by four white horses.
Inquisitor Voss stood by the door, shaking hands with Duke Arken.
"The anomaly has not repeated itself," Voss said, his voice carrying in the crisp morning air. "Perhaps it was indeed just unstable coal. But I have left sensors, Duke. If a Leech appears..."
"You will be the first to know," Valerius said coldly. He clearly disliked the Inquisitor.
Voss climbed into the carriage. He paused, looking toward the stables. His eyes narrowed for a second, as if he sensed something—a faint, lingering smell of the Void. But he shook his head and closed the door.
The carriage rolled away.
Ren watched from the roof of the kennel, three hundred yards away.
[ Danger Level: Decreased. ]
He exhaled. The hawk was gone. The mice could play.
He climbed down and walked into the stable. He went to Stall 44.
The Abyssal Warhorse was awake. Its leg was fully healed. Its coat shone like polished obsidian. It was massive, terrifying, and beautiful.
"You're bored, aren't you?" Ren whispered, stroking its nose.
The horse nudged him hard enough to bruise.
"Me too."
Ren looked around. The stable was empty. The morning shift hadn't started.
"How about a run?"
Ren grabbed a bridle—not the heavy iron chain they used before, but a simple leather one. He slipped it over the horse's head. The beast accepted it willingly.
Ren didn't use a saddle. He vaulted onto the horse's back.
It felt like sitting on a volcano. The power beneath him was immense.
"Quietly," Ren commanded. [Mana Projection: Calm].
The horse stepped out of the stall, its hooves silent on the straw.
They exited the rear doors of the stable, heading toward the North Gate.
The guard, Hork, was asleep again.
Ren leaned forward. "Go."
The horse didn't trot. It exploded.
It went from zero to forty miles per hour in three seconds. The wind tore at Ren's hair. The world blurred. They cleared the perimeter fence in a single, massive leap, landing in the Dark Forest.
"YAAH!" Ren shouted, feeling the rush of adrenaline.
This was speed. This was freedom.
The horse—Onyx, Ren decided to name him—wove through the trees with supernatural reflexes.
Ren rode deep into the forest, far past the Goblin Nest, past the Dungeon entrance.
He stopped at a clearing near the River of Whispers.
He dismounted. His legs felt shaky, but his spirit was soaring.
"Good boy," Ren patted Onyx's neck. The horse grazed on some Mana-Grass.
Ren sat by the riverbank. He took out the Grimoire of the Devouring Void.
He had learned Mana Drain, but he hadn't tested it properly.
He looked at the river. Small, bioluminescent fish were swimming in the current. Mana Carp.
Ren dipped his hand into the water.
"Mana Drain."
Black tendrils of energy shot from his fingertips into the water. They latched onto a passing fish.
The fish thrashed. Its blue glow began to dim. The light traveled up the black tendrils and into Ren's hand.
[ Mana Drained: 5 Points. ]
[ Target Status: Unconscious. ]
Ren stopped. The fish floated away, dim but alive.
"It works on organic life," Ren noted. "It pulls the mana directly from their core."
He looked at his reflection in the water. His grey eyes seemed darker, almost black.
"If I use this on a person... I could kill them instantly."
Snap.
A twig broke behind him.
Ren spun around, drawing his Shiv. Onyx reared up, baring his teeth.
Standing at the edge of the clearing was not a monster.
It was a girl.
She looked about Ren's age. She wore leather armor dyed green and brown—ranger gear. She had wild, curly brown hair and bright green eyes. She held a short bow, an arrow nocked but pointing at the ground.
[ Analytical Eye ]
[ Name: Kaelith ]
[ Race: Half-Elf ]
[ Class: Ranger / Scout ]
[ Level: 8 ]
[ Affiliation: The Forest Walkers (Nomad Clan) ]
"You're loud for a human," the girl said. Her Common was accented, musical.
"I wasn't trying to be quiet," Ren said, relaxing his stance slightly but not sheathing his weapon. "Who are you?"
"I'm Kaelith," she said, eyeing Onyx with awe. "And that is the most beautiful horse I have ever seen. Did you steal it from a Demon Lord?"
"I borrowed him," Ren said.
"I'm sure you did," she smirked. She looked at the river, then at Ren's hand, which was still crackling with faint black energy.
"You use Dark Magic," she stated. It wasn't an accusation, just an observation.
"Is that a problem?"
"Not for me. My clan respects all elements," she shrugged. "But you're standing on our fishing spot."
Ren stepped back. "My apologies. I didn't see a sign."
"We don't use signs. We use scent." She sniffed the air. "You smell like... old books and blood. Weird combination."
She lowered her bow.
"You're from the Stone Castle, aren't you? The Arken place."
"Maybe."
"Well, 'Maybe', you should leave. A Dire Bear has been tracking you for the last mile. It's about thirty seconds behind you."
Ren's eyes widened. "A Dire Bear?"
[ Monster: Dire Bear ]
[ Rank: C ]
[ Level: 12 ]
That was too high. He couldn't fight a Level 12 C-Rank monster yet.
ROAAAAR!
The trees shook. A massive roar echoed through the forest, close. Very close.
Onyx whinnied, stamping the ground, ready to fight.
"Run!" Kaelith shouted. She didn't run away; she ran up a tree with the agility of a squirrel.
Ren vaulted onto Onyx.
"To the estate!" Ren commanded.
But as he turned the horse, he saw the bear burst through the treeline. It was ten feet tall, covered in bone plates.
And it wasn't looking at Ren. It was looking at the girl in the tree.
It slammed into the trunk. The tree cracked. Kaelith lost her footing, dangling from a branch.
Ren hesitated.
He could leave. He should leave. She was a stranger.
But she warned me, Ren thought. And she saw my magic. If she dies, she can't talk. But if I save her...
"A favor from a Forest Walker might be useful," Ren calculated.
He pulled the reins hard.
"Turn around, Onyx!"
The great horse spun on its haunches, kicking up dirt.
Ren drew the Prisoner's Shiv. He gathered his mana.
"Hey! Overgrown Rug!" Ren shouted.
He cast [Mana Arrow]—not at the bear, but at the bear's eyes.
BANG.
The bear roared in annoyance as the blue bolt exploded near its face. It turned toward Ren.
"Come and get it!"
Ren spurred Onyx. The horse bolted, not away, but past the bear, leading it away from the girl's tree.
The chase was on.
End of Chapter 8 - Part 2
Summary of Events:
The Heart: Ren implants the Heart of a Void Beast into the Archive. It begins a 30-day incubation to become a Guardian.
Time Skip: Two weeks pass. Voss leaves the estate, lowering the danger level.
Progress: Caelum is becoming a capable fighter. He informs Ren of the Academy Entrance Exams in 6 months. Ren decides to aim for it.
The Ride: Ren takes the Warhorse (Onyx) for a joyride into the deep forest.
New Skill Test: Ren tests Mana Drain on fish, confirming it works.
New Character: Ren meets Kaelith, a Half-Elf Ranger. She spots his Dark Magic but doesn't attack.
The Threat: A Level 12 Dire Bear attacks. Ren chooses to save Kaelith instead of fleeing, initiating a high-speed chase.