Born in Blood



Liam rounded to a large square building. It was just three stories tall, yet powerful guards – wearing black suits sheathed with blades – stood outside its doors.

Liam flashed his token after the two demanded to see it, and he was let inside. 

The interior wasn't anything too flashy – a stern-faced, tall and bald man sitting cross-legged on an elevated wooden platform.

He had brown skin, wore a black and white suit, and had thick eyebrows above his dark, menacing eyes.

Behind him, were countless bookcases filled to the brim with scrolls – techniques and spells. Liam's eye flickered with greed, but he knew it was an unrequited feeling.

He respectfully greeted the man, who's name was Behn, before asking his questions. 

"Can you tell me how much a Rank 4 darkness spell, and a Zenith ranked body tempering method would cost?"

Liam still had his Dark Wraith technique. That alone could warrant some good money, but he was conflicted on whether or not selling it was a good idea.

'It can connect me back to the tournament… it's best I save this for now.'

Meanwhile, Behn looked at Liam as though he'd grown a second head. The sternness present on his face had been replaced with incredulousness.

"Did you say… darkness?" Behn blinked.

'Ah. I forgot it's rare.'

Thankfully, the Binding Oath stopped any knowledge of his element or strength from leaking out. Even if he told the other students, they wouldn't be able to inform their families of his abilities.

Thus, Liam nodded.

Behn let out a half-amazed, half-shocked chuckle.

"As if having a dual-elementalist last year wasn't rare enough," he uttered under his breath. 

"For your questions, a Rank 4 darkness spell would cost you about… 250K Stones, more or less. For mission completion points, that would be 25,000."

Liam raised his brows, which deeply furrowed. He clicked his tongue.

"Spells of that caliber are too rare and powerful, even for common elements," Behn said, noticing Liam's grimace. 

"Inscription masters often make spells suited to their own elements – they have their own unique properties, after all."

"With how rare darkness and light are, spellmakers capable of making Zenith ranked techniques for them are even more scarce."

Liam lowered his head. His grimace grew darker.

'Doesn't that mean I won't be able to utilize my chaos? How long and how much would it take for me to buy two darkness spells? I need to learn how to inscribe, fast.'

"Let's see… Rank 4 body tempering methods sell at about 100K. If it was attuned to darkness, that would make it 200K," Behn clarified, rubbing his chin.

Liam hummed in understanding. That seemed to soften his scowl, but barely.

'Still not enough, and probably not worth it, either.'

Eventually, Liam got tired of racking his brain to find a plan. His time at the academy had just begun. There was no need to think of the future as a dead end.

…Yet.

'I may as well broaden my arsenal of spells while I'm at it.'

"Can you show me your Rank 3 darkness spells?" he asked, and Behn nodded.

Behn closed his eyes. One by one, scrolls from the bookcases shot towards him, slowly floating around his seated figure.

"Here you go," Behn handed the spells to Liam to browse through. "A Rank 3 spell would take you down 35, lower ranks would cost 20 to 10."

Liam nodded and read through them one by one. 

'Piercing blade. Rank 3 mental attack spell. Darkness.'

'Produces a sharp, dark blade from mental energy capable of piercing through the sea of consciousness if unguarded. Consumes large amounts of mental energy.'

'Umbral Needles. Rank 3. Darkness.'

'Creates a sharp needle made from solid darkness – capable of piercing flesh – that explodes with corrosive smoke after a few seconds of contact with skin. Can be used in quick succession. Medium mental energy consumption.'

'Obsidian Skin. Rank 3. Darkness.'

'Can freely turn any patch of skin to sturdy, solid darkness. Bolsters the defenses of the body considerably. Consumption based on how much skin is hardened.'

Liam read a few more spells after that. Some helped with speed, some with strength and some enhanced durability. 

However, none caught his eye like the exploding needles spell.

'I already have a mental attack spell. Corroding Touch is Rank 2, but it's good enough. Obsidian Skin sounds really good, but I already have Cartilage Brace. I currently lack a long-ranged attack, and that's the best one.'

"I'll take the needles," he eventually settled, taking out his sum of Stones. 

Behn nodded. His ring seemed to have a special function – it sucked in all the crystals Liam put on the man's desk in less than a second.

"Here you go," Behn said, handing Liam the scroll. 

"Thank you," Liam said, turning around to leave before remembering something. "What's this about a dual-elementalist?" 

"Ah," Ben exclaimed. "He's currently the possessor of the House of Honor, over the Hole." 

"A prodigy, that boy is. He wields both wind and water, which work to produce ice. Not to mention, his noble family is one of the strongest in Echoria. His name is Rishe Voist, a second-year. "

Liam nodded in understanding before leaving, heading straight for his lodging.

'House of Honor… I like the ring of it.'

///

It took Liam half an hour to memorize the spell. He quickly entered his basement, heaving a breath and opening his palm. 

By command, darkness swirled around his hand to form a bleak needle the length of two fingers. Dark vapor oozed from it, and the tips were razor-sharp.

Taking aim, Liam flicked his wrist from the side and hurled the needle at the wall. 

Shooting through the air, the Umbral Needle was like a lethal streak of dusky light. 

It smashed against the wall but didn't pierce it. Instead, it instantly exploded into a cloud of noxious gas.

The protective inscriptions on the wall rippled violently like water, before the reaction eventually ceased.

One after the other, he kept shooting Umbral Needles at the walls. Their consumption of mental energy and 'Ora' wasn't too much, and it was a powerful all-round spell.

The inscriptions rippled to no end, before he eventually relented.

Liam pursed his lips pensively, then smiled. 

'It's worth the money. I finally have some long-range capabilities.'