'While specters are dangerous spirits that exist due to the dead’s overbearing grudge, wraiths are highly developed spirits that can only exist due the result of a curse, or a ritual summoning. Although very different, the similarities the two possess make it rather easy for people to easily mistake the two as a singular kind spirit.

Both forms of spirits exist because of the influences of Dark Magic. Both present themselves by forming a dark shadowy mist before manifesting at the center. Both carry an eerie aura around them that reeks of unnatural death, and both are capable of hovering in the air with veils of shadows and darkness around them. However, despite these similarities, they differ greatly in terms of anatomy and paranormal associations.

Specters are simply floating phantoms with translucent veils replacing their missing lower limbs. They were often encountered at the site of their deaths and never stray far from it. While hovering aimlessly, specters often display expressions of pain and hatred because of the dead’s overbearing grudge. As such, they often have the tendency to mindlessly strike out against the living without having the capacity to think about whom they are even attacking. Communicating with specters is not possible, for their overbearing grudge has robbed the spirit’s mind of any capacity to think. Weak in magic, specters are vulnerable against paranormal influences. That is why exorcism methods are very simple.

Wraiths are much darker and less hideous in appearance, and while specters have bight translucent skin, wraiths are opaque black from top to bottom and they are covered with various shadow veils serving as their clothes. They often have legs, and unlike specters their faces are thoroughly covered. Wraiths tend to be much quieter and more observant of their surroundings. They are commonly encountered in places rich in Dark Magic for they are naturally drawn to places tainted with corruption energy. The dangers of wraiths are determined based on their intellect. The weak minded tend to resemble specters since they exist primarily to cause destruction and mayhem. However, those who managed to retain much of their intelligence are less prone to violence and are of a lesser threat. Through their intelligence, they found a purpose behind their spirit’s lingering presence, and sometimes they could even be reasoned with to avoid any bloodshed.'

 

“Hm… so they could be reasoned with. If we tried talking to that wraith in that tenth level, would it have left us alone?”

With that unanswered question, Cadeus flipped to the next page and continuously engrossed himself as his eyes scour through the glowing symbols and coded language on the black ‘Book of Spirits’.

After that bizarre experience with that overly powered wraith in the catacombs, Cadeus felt that he might have to read up more about wraiths to study more about their basic anatomy. Should he encounter another one in the future, at least he would have some knowledge about their weakness.

And just so it happens, Cadeus had the perfect source for the answers he seeks. Since wraiths were more or less spirits, Cadeus assumed that the ‘Book of Spirits’ would have some information about the wraith. He took a single glance at the page of contents, and voila.

 

Chapter 3 – Specters and Wraiths

1. Introduction to Specters and Wraiths
2. Specters and their voices
3. The Physiology of Wraiths
4. The different types of wraiths

 

While Cadeus did not care too much about specters, the part about wraiths caught his attention. So far, the book’s description of the common wraiths did match what he had seen and experienced during his time in the catacombs.

Moving on, Cadeus skipped to the part that talks about the physiology of wraiths.

 

'In order to understand why wraiths are so dangerous, we must look into their physiology. All wraiths are birthed from the immaterial. This fact allows wraiths to possess a high affinity for magic. Their Cast Limit range is large, and their knowledge and magical capacity is easily comparable to that of an experienced Master.

The various types of spells wraiths can command vary upon their spirits’ living experiences. Although not all of their spirits experienced the life of combat mages, wraiths are nonetheless still fundamentally driven for combat. Due to the varying living experiences, some wraiths may possess a few tricky spell combinations unknown to even the most experienced mages. In regards to this vagueness of their capacities, a few spells are absolutely certain. All wraiths are capable of utilizing warping, teleportation, Phantom Blades, Corruption Magic, and the infamous [Life Drain] that allows the wraith to suck life forces out of its unfortunate victims. It is unclear why all wraiths had this common spell list, but perhaps it’s due to their nature as Spirits.

With their paranormal affiliations, everything about their physical composition relates to the paranormal. With this special feature, wraiths are granted several key resistances towards external paranormal influences. Wraiths are naturally resistant to hexes, paranormal bonds and mind manipulation. This means that it is impossible to force a wraith into submission via a contract or a curse. It is still possible to trap a wraith using barriers and binding spells, but any further attempts to control it would prove fatal.

Aside from the paranormal advantages, you will find that wraiths are clearly immune to any form of physical damage. Since they are beings that are part of the immaterial, they can only be damaged using the immaterial.

While it is obvious that the average wraith is stronger than the average mage, the true danger lies in their unpredictable behaviours. Different wraiths have different purpose in their manifestations. Since their faces are unrevealed, it is also hard to identify the wraith’s living experiences. As such, it is difficult to assume how the wraith would behave, and how and why certain wraiths would react towards certain stimulus.'

 

Knock, knock, knock.

Cadeus’s reading session was soon interrupted by the knock on the door.

“Cadeus, you there?”

Cadeus looked up to the door. It’s Nadav’s voice.

“Yes.”

“What the hell? It’s already 7:45 am! Did you forget to wake me up?!”

“Ah… I forgot…”

Reading would have to resume later.

Closing the book, Cadeus pressed his hands against the soft bed and pushed his body up.

TOA

Today was the second of the three days the trio were exempted from all lessons.

Previously, the trio was involved in helping the Enforcers stop a massive corruption ritual from triggering in the catacombs. In recognition of their success, the Academy awarded the three of them the Certificate of Proper Conduct, a reward of 800 Duches each, and the privilege of getting their own personal familiars even before their trials. In addition, the Archmage himself exempted the trio of them from any classes for the next three days, and they could spend their time out in the city without any curfew restrictions.

So, today, the trio decided to get their familiars.

After getting their usual breakfast, Cadeus and Nadav met Sing in the usual sitting spot and began their breakfast.

After taking in a few bites of freshly baked potatoes, Cadeus opened the conversation.

“So… familiars. We’re finally getting one.”

“Yup.” Nadav replied.

“Frankly speaking, I don’t know what to expect from this. Any idea what are you guys going to get?”

“That depends.”

“What can we get anyway?”

“Hm… let’s see, cats, rats, bats, snakes, owls.”

“…That sounds so typical.”

Cadeus turned to Sing.

“Is there any particular animal you’re vying for Sing?”

Sing soon shook her head.

“Don’t worry about me. I do not need a familiar.”

“Hm?” “Oh?”

The two boys were taken back by her reply.

“Why?”

“Yeah. Why?”

The answer showed itself by sitting on Sing’s shoulder.

“Ah! It's that fairy!”

Sing broke a piece of bread and gave it to the fairy. The fairy cheerfully took it and started chewing.

“Sing, I thought you said that the fairy is not your familiar?” Cadeus asked.

“It’s not. But after all that happened, the fairy had nowhere to go, so it decided to stick with me.”

“So… it is your familiar now?”

“It’s not. The Academy would not allow the fairy to stay since they count it as a pet. The only way for it to be able to stay is for me to register it as my familiar.”

“So it is your familiar.”

“It’s not.”

“It’s your familiar.”

“It’s not.”

“So Sing has her own familiar, what are you getting Nadav?”

Step.

Sing stepped on Cadeus’s feet as an expression of anger.

“Hm… I don’t know. It’s a hard thing choosing a familiar. I mean, once you choose one you are pretty much stuck with that familiar for life. If I’m going to choose one, it has to be badass. By the way, I’m not getting cats.”

“Why?”

“Because Cordelia has a cat for her familiar.”

Huh?

What kind of logic was that?

“What does the Student Council President got to do with all of this?”

“You say that because you are not a Grey. Listen up! The cat’s name is Shantae. As far as the rumours goes, the cat often serves as Cordelia’s spy.”

“Huh?”

A spying cat?

“There are a couple of Grey students who used cats as familiars. Strangely enough, Cordelia knew every single detail about them. Whether they broke curfew or some Academy rules, she would instantly know as if she were there to witness it. People started to believe that her cat was the one who got the information for Cordelia just by communicating with the other cats. So if you want to avoid her, don't get a cat!”

“That, is perhaps the most nonsensical thing I have heard from you this entire month.”

“I’m serious!”

Finishing her meal, Sing wiped her mouth with a tissue.

“Well, we got the whole day to find your perfect familiar. Fortunately for you boys, I know the right place for it.”

““?””

“There’s a special street dedicated to familiars at the northern part of the Thuranian district. It’s called the Varier’s Street. You’ll find basically everything that has to do with familiars; animals, familiar Specialists, familiar food, familiar treatment, books on familiars, etc. We can spend the whole day there if you want.”

TOA

Varier’s Street was an uphill street with a single lane with multiple shops at each side. Unlike Carmith’s Street where activity was bursting with liveliness, Varier’s Street had a more quiet side to itself. Numerous shops of various sizes depicted different animals.

They entered their first shop.

“Welcome. How can I help you?”

Noticing new customers, the shopkeeper put down the newspaper and addressed the trio.

He indirectly gave a wary look at Cadeus, but he soon dismissed him as a harmless Dark Mage.

Well… it’s not like Cadeus ever blamed him for being ever cautious. In fact, he should be.

“We’re looking for familiars.”

“Ah… you guys are from the Academy right? Feel free to… Wait, aren’t you three still students?”

In order to save the trouble, Sing took out the Archmage’s statement and gave it to the shopkeeper.

“Let’s see… in recognition of their proper conduct, the Academy has seen it fit to grant the following three students the privilege of getting their familiars… ah, I see.”

The shopkeeper gave back the statement.

“Feel free to glance. Let me know once you have made a selection.”

Moving deeper the shop, Cadeus gave a general glance around the shop before asking a question.

“So… I choose an animal, then what?”

“You form a blood contract with it. By giving the animal some of our blood, we tie the familiar to us paranormally.” Nadav replied.

“Is that so…”

Cadeus spent a few seconds rooting himself to the ground staring at the various animals on display.

Finding his silence unusual, Sing moved right next to him.

“What’s wrong?”

“In the end they are all pets.”

“Not keen on animals?”

“Not really.”

“You never had any pets.”

“Never. I always had the impression that pets are more trouble than entertainment. You got to feed them, spend time with them and handle their faeces. Time is better spent doing something else.”

“That’s a rather… conservative view.”

Cadeus soon noticed the fairy sitting on Sing’s shoulder. When it noticed his gaze, it fluttered behind Sing’s head and flapped its wings vigilantly against him.

“…It still doesn’t like me.”

“It’ll take some time.”

“Hm…”

Nadav on the other hand, was having a particular time.

With such variety of choices, Nadav had difficulty choosing.

“Wow… there’s so many choices. This is so exciting! Oh let’s see, let’s see! Hm… this wolf looks ok.”

The wolf snarled at him and tried to bite his hand when Nadav attempted to pat it.

“Ok… maybe not… what about this eagle?”

The eagle started pecking Nadav the instance his hand was within inches of its body.

“Ok… What about this dog?”

The dog barked at him and attempted to bite him.

“Um… this hamster?”

The hamster snuck out of his grip and ran back to it’s cage the instance the owner placed it on his hands.

While witnessing all of this, Cadeus tiled his head towards Sing without shifting his eyes.

“Is it me, or does Nadav have terrible compatibility with animals?”

“Don’t start. If we make an issue out of this, I’ll never hear the end of it.”

Nadav came back dejected to the two of them.

“The animals all hate me.”

“Do you even have any experience looking after an animal?”

“No?”

“Ah huh…”

Cadeus and Sing looked at each other. They both already anticipated the events that might follow.

Even if Nadav could get an animal to be his familiar, chances speculate that he would be a terrible master. The two doubted that Nadav would mistreat the animal, but that did not mean that he would be a great caretaker either. Given Nadav’s inexperience in animal care, he might fail to understand the responsibilities when it came to looking after his familiar

The most that could happen would be that the poor animal would listen to its master for a while, but as time passed it would come to ignore him and if worst, defy and attack him.

The two could only conclude that living familiars would turn out to be unfavourable for Nadav.

“Perhaps it’s better if you don’t get an animal. What you might need is an artificial construct.” Sing said.

“Artificial constructs?”

Cadeus supplemented Sing’s point.

“Simple, easy to command, and you only need to know the basic maintenance. If a problem occurs that’s beyond your understanding you’ll just have to take it to the constructors behind it.”

“All right, let’s take this outside. You guys are clearly looking down on me.”

Placing a hand on Nadav’s face to keep him from clawing at him, Cadeus merely stopped him by pulling him to the side.

But thanks to their suggestions, Nadav got a brainwave.

“Ah!”

“What?”

Nadav placed his hands on Cadeus’s grip and pulled his face free.

“I got it!”

“Got what?”

“What to get as my familiar!”

Cadeus and Sing looked at each other. This might turn out to be a bad idea.

“Golems.”

“Golems?”

Cadeus had a rather bad experience with golems during the events in the catacombs so he was rather reluctant on the idea.

“Are you sure? They can be hacked.”

“Don’t worry. I can special order a custom golem that won’t be so easy to hack, and I think I know just the perfect place to get one.”

TOA

Derithmodule’s Monument was a small area that’s situated at the northern western part of the Thuranian District. It’s a Grey area occupied mainly by Grey Mages. As such, the shops over there tend to have items that only suited Grey Mages. The shops were arranged in a circular fashion in accordance to the circular paved road. At the very center of the area stood Derithmodule’s statue, a monument to a Grey Mage who apparently had contributed a lot to magi society.

Cadeus was not clear on the history but whoever this Derithmodule guy was, he’s definitely a big shot.

Nadav brought them to a shop that just happened to be facing the side of the statue.

Opening the door, the trio was greeted by a rather interesting scene.

Golems were set on display throughout the entire level. They come in complete sets or in parts, with various sizes available. Ligaments and wire looking materials hung with detached limbs. Golem heads that were unfinished were set at the side with incomplete designs. With the various working tools, desks and dust, this shop felt more like a working workshop.

With the ringing bell announcing their entry, the trio was soon greeted by an elderly old lady.

“Welcome. I have cookies and sweets. Oh? Isn’t it you Nadav?”

It would seem that this old lady and Nadav were acquainted.

Nadav raised a hand.

“Yo! Old teacher Nartha.”

Cadeus’s and Sing’s eyes nearly popped out at the rather rude address.

“Nadav! How could you call her that?”

“Wait! Wait! Sing! Don’t hit me!”

The old lady, who was rudely referred as Old teacher Nartha, laughed.

“Don’t hit him, he’s just stating a fact. I am old. Old enough to easily pass as a grandmother.”

“But… But still!”

“No worries. The young ones called me that all the time. I don’t mind.”

“…I’m so sorry for my friend’s rudeness.”

Sing and Cadeus both gave an apologetic bow.

“No worries… Oh! I think that’s the clock for the bakery.”

Old teacher Nartha, or let’s call her OTNartha for short, retreated to the back and took out a tray of freshly baked cookies.

“Here, the first half is chocolate chips, while the other half is butter cookies.”

The trio took and nimbled a few to show their appreciation.

Nadav, who was timely saved from a heavy blow (and if worse lecture), quickly gave an introduction.

“Guys… this wise lady here is Old teacher Nartha. She’s a retired Educator and Golem Constructor. In her younger and more energetic days she used to teach at Triple Orb Academy.”

A double specialization between a Golem Constructor and an Educator…

Cadeus was suddenly reminded of Educator Garth.

“So, how can I help you today?”

“I would like to order a custom made Golem.”

OTNartha scratched her head.

“A custom made golem? For what purpose?”

“My familiar.”

“Oh?”

Sing moved up and passed her the Archmage’s statement.

“Ah… I see. So what did you do to get this acknowledgement?”

“We saved the Academy from an evil Dark Mage!”

Nadav gave her the V for victory.

OTNartha blinked her eyes.

“I’m sorry, old age makes you rather slow at times… I’m afraid I lost you.”

Sighing, Cadeus opened his mouth.

“An Alchemist planted a corruption ritual in the catacombs of Tenebris Vacuum. We helped the Enforcers apprehend the culprit before he could do his worst. As such, we were rewarded.”

“Ah… I understand now.”

OTNartha soon gave Cadeus an interested look.

“You are a Pure Blood? A Dark Mage at that. Now that’s very rare.”

“Is it? True, there’s quite a small number in my current badge, but isn’t encountering Pure Bloods a common occurrence?”

OTNartha shook her head.

“Not true. In my five years in Triple Orb Academy as a student, there was not a single Pure Blood. In my fifteen years teaching on that island, I only managed to teach up to a dozen. Pure Bloods are an extreme rarity, especially when one explicitly displays all the necessary physical traits.”

“Is that so…”

Cadeus soon thought about what Claire said about Pure Bloods being on the low side of numbers.

OTNartha gazed at his hair, skin and eyes with interest.

“If I may dare ask, which house did you come from?”

“Ah! About that!” Nadav interrupted.

Cadeus waved his hand to indicate that he does not mind.

“It’s complicated. I can only ask that you’ll not enquire about it any further.”

“Ah… I see.”

Typical of an understanding teacher, OTNartha ceased asking.

The door opened revealing another Adult Grey Mage.

“Old Teacher Nartha?”

Nadav threw his two friends gazes that said ‘See! I’m not the only one!’.

“Ah! Yes, I remember your order. Just give me a moment. Would you like some cookies?”

“Thank you.”

“And while I am at this…”

OTNartha went to one of the desks and gave Nadav a form.

“Here you go, please fill this up, it’ll help me in constructing your custom golem.”

While OTNartha addressed one of her clients, the trio made themselves comfortable at the side of the shop.

Glancing at the form, it’s just a series of questions for Nadav to annotate his preferences.

The first two questions seemed to be generic about physical presentation, while the bulk of the rest appeared to be more directed to the golem’s mechanical compositions.

Nadav gave the paper a general glance absorbing all the requirements.

“Right… just give me a moment.”

Nadav then spent the next twenty or so minutes seriously annotating his preferences.

While he busy himself, Sing and Cadeus moved to the side to give him some personal space.

“Hm…”

“What’s wrong?”

“What are the odds of him writing down something funny?”

“Probably not. This is his first familiar. In addition to that, a custom made golem. I think he will take this seriously.”

Cadeus gave Sing the look.

“This is Nadav we are talking about. He might have some of his gaming inspirations.”

“Well… if you look at it that way… then perhaps you are right.”

Once he was finished, Nadav was just about to submit the form to OTNartha when Cadeus moved up to stopped him.

“Wait.”

“Huh?”

“Let us see it first.”

“………Why?”

“In case you annotate something ridiculous.”

“Oi! That’s mean! I would never do such a thing!”

“But you did include some gaming fantasies didn’t you?”

“Um… ah… well… you see…”

Totally convinced, Cadeus moved up to Nadav and grabbed the paper.

“Oi! Hold on!”

Putting the paper in front of him and Sing, the two of them gazed at the various answers he filled in.

““…””

First question - What is the preferred size?

Answer – Huge, ridiculously huge, like a macho wrestler, with the ability to grow as big as Godzilla

Second question – Specify the golem’s physical shape. It can be humanoid or animalistic. If animalistic, please specify.

Answer – An eagle, but must have the ability to shape shift into other animals or clone into another human being

The duo gave up on the rest.

Cadeus and Sing could not help but look up and sigh.

They had expected elements of gaming wishes here and there. But this?

“This… this idiot…”

Before Nadav could react further, Sing raised her hand and secured the form away before Nadav could take it back.

“Come on Cadues. Let’s go through the questions again from top to bottom before this gaming addict custom more than what he could handle.”

“EH? EEHHHH?! Hold on a minute! Hold on a minute! Don’t I have any say in this? Aren’t I the master of this custom made golem?”

TOA

Coming back to the first question, Cadeus and Sing immediately decided on the answer.

““Small.””

“EEHHHH?! Why?!”

“If you’re getting an utility golem, it does not have to be that big.” Cadeus said.

“If it’s big, it’ll be a huge obstructions to the people around you. I’m with Cadeus on this one. It better be small.” Sing followed.

“…Who ever said that I am getting an utility golem?”

Nadav was silenced instantly when his two friends shot him the ‘We’re not fooling around’ gaze.

Moving on to the next question – Specify the golem’s physical shape. It can be humanoid or animalistic. If animalistic, please specify.

“Hm… An eagle won’t do, and shape shifting is definitely asking for too much.” Sing said.

“Agreed. If your eagle flies around consistently in class, it will be a major hazard to studying groups.” Cadeus folded his arms.

“Humanoid seems more practical. Not only would it be a bother to others, it’ll be easier for your familiar to run errands for you.”

“A small humanoid? Is it going to be capable of speech and thought?”

“That depends on the programming, but let’s put it down just in case.”

“Ehhhh… if it can talk, it’s going to be a bother.”

Cadeus turned to Nadav with curiosity in his eyes.

“Why do you think so?”

“It’ll probably backstab me and tell you two unnecessary things.”

““Of course not. You are imagination things””

“Wow… you guys are perfectly synchronized thoroughly…”

Moving on, the trio went to their first mechanical question.

Choose one of the following three materials used to construct the golem exterior: Iron Nickel Meteorite (190 – 560 Duches), Varmidst Clay (145 - 430 Duches), Vernamite Stone (160 – 450 Duches)

“Wow… whoever said that customizing something would be cheap?”

Nadav had written down Vardmist Clay.

“Nadav, why did you choose Vardmist Clay?”

“Um… well…”

“Yes? Out with it.”

Sing already knew the answer.

“He chose Vardmist Clay because he wanted his golem to be able to shape shift. But that won’t really work.”

“Eh?! Sing?!”

“Is that so…”

Cadeus turned to Sing.

“What’s Vardmist Clay anyway?”

“It’s a special clay known for it’s flexibility in its structural form. The golems who use this material are known for their ability to mold parts of their structural form into different shapes.”

“But the down side of it is?”

“They are relatively easy to break when hit by offensive spells. Even when the golem’s finished, Vardmist Clay is mostly moist clay. They do not have the structural durability.”

Cadeus turned to Nadav.

“And you want to use this fragile material for your own personal golem?”

“Well… depending on the golem’s programming, some golems have the capability to reconstruct their limbs when the clay deforms.”

“That kind of programming requires a strong Essense of Magic and a powerful crystal shard. Even if you managed to acquire both, the golem’s molding ability would still be limited to that of changing its hands and feet. It won’t have your shape shifting desires. Besides, mage who use golems like this usually employ them in construction occupations. If you commission your personal golem with that material, you’ll definitely regret it.” Sing countered.

“Ah… That… but…”

“All right. All right. Vardmist Clay is out of the question. What about Vernamite Stone?”

“Probably the hardest material out of the three. Vernamite Stones do not come in huge chunks, and it can only be found in smaller pieces. Also, the stone also does not bond well with any other material, and there’s a limit as to how much you could grind it. In order to use this material, the golem constructors use a special spell that triggers a paranormal pull to sustain the golem’s structure. There will be no connected joints, and golem will be compromised of loosely strong stones. But the bonuses of the disconnecting limbs would allow the golem to be capable of producing acrobatic movements.”

“A paranormal pull? Won’t it be weak then?”

“No, it will be strong. The paranormal pull can only be dispelled once the core components are destroyed. In terms of durability, the the golem could even stand up to Nadav’s [Rock Fists]. It’s just…”

“Just?”

“The only downside I can think of would be that golem’s core would be vulnerable. It has a durable structure due to the hardness of the stones, but the loosely gaps around its body often leaves the core vulnerable. If an attack could slide through the gaps, the golem’s core could be threatened easily.”

“Heh… Although the material is strong, the golem’s form will be very fragile. If we choose this then how different would it compare to using that clay?”

It appeared that there might be an impasse.

“What do we choose then?” Cadeus asked.

“Hm… I would recommend Meteorite.” Sing said.

She basically chose the most expensive material, but Cadeus knew she had her reasons.

“Why?”

“Well, although the material had various impurities, the accumulation of various metallic elements within the meteorite is said to provide a natural magical resistance to elemental manipulation. Also, with the various magnetic properties within the meteorite, the golem would also gain a natural resistance to telekinesis.”

“And the trade off?”

“The golem would not be fast. Meteorite is heavier than your normal rock, and once refined, the golem’s movements will be purely restricted to its shape. It won’t have the acrobatic movements you could get from Vernamite Stone, nor could it mold parts of its body like Vardmist Clay.”

“Well, weight is not going to be much of a problem since it’s going to be small. And since it’s an utility golem, it does not have to move like an acrobatic clown.”

Sing soon cancelled Vardmist Clay and wrote down Meteorite.

Moving on to the next question, choose one of the following three core materials used for the golem’s inner construction: Carbon Steel (30 – 390 Diches), Tungsten (490 – 3040 Duches), Gold (410 – 1850 Duches). You may choose a second material but it’ll cost considerably more.

Looking at the answer section, Nadav chose Gold singularly. Given the limited budget, it’s normal to see that he would just choose one material. But what drew Cadeus’s question was his choice in question.

“Gold?”

Cadeus tiled his head with wonder.

“What’s wrong?” Sing asked.

Cadeus looked up to Nadav.

“Just out of curiosity. Why didn’t you choose carbon steel?”

“You idiot. Carbon steel rusts overtime. Rusted metals contribute to paranormal malfunction.”

“All right. But isn’t Tungsten better? It’s harder and durable as compared to Gold, and they are not prone to rust as compared to carbon steel. Tungsten is a noble metal as well. It might not have all the popular properties of Gold, but it’s still a stronger noble metal.”

“Hmph! You say that because you don’t know what is gold. Listen up! Gold is frequently used as a magical medium due to it’s paranormal association with perfection, purity and immortality. It’s high resistance to corrosion and oxidization makes it easy to amass and hold magical energies over long periods of time. As Gold is easily malleable, it could assume various shapes, sizes and density to suit a variety of magical set-ups. This allows gold to be able to receive numerous magical application in terms of spells, enchantments and magical formulae without suffering various set backs. Finally, gold can also chemically form different elemental compounds by mixing with other elemental ingredients to match ingredient requirements. It’s a pretty popular choice of magic conduits despite its high price. Oh, and also, whenever Mages usually use gold, they use 100% gold bullions. The purer the gold, the easier it is to enchant supernatural effects.”

Looking at their shocked faces, Nadav’s lips curled upwards.

“He he~! That’s right! I’m amazing aren’t I?

Nadav struck a pose.

“The great Nadav unleashes his brilliances again!”

Cadeus and Sing both stared at Nadav as if they just saw a complete stranger.

“What? Even I know my elements. Is it so weird for me to know something academic?”

Cadeus turned to Sing and pointed at Nadav with his thumb.

“Is he correct?

“He’s correct. I would say 100% correct.”

“Oi. Do you guys want me to hit you?”

Cadeus turned his head back to Nadav.

“All right. Since you are so confident, 100% pure gold is pretty weak. How could that help with being part of the golem’s core?”

“Hmph! Durability is not everything. When it comes to the golem’s core, what is the most important is the magical compatibility between the Essence of Magic, Crystal shards and the core materials. Carbon steel is only around so-so, but there’s a limit number of crystal shard that could match well with it. Tungsten may be stronger than gold, but not as flexible. You can do much more magical tampering with gold than with Tungsten”

Cadeus and Sing both looked at each other before looking back and their extremely unusual friend.

“Are you sure that you did not eat anything funny?”

“Oi!”

Cadeus turned to Sing.

“Your thoughts?”

Sing smiled.

“I think I will side with Nadav on this one. Gold has always been an extremely stable and long lasting medium of magic, and durability can be remedied by using other metals in the process. Besides, since this is Nadav’s personal golem, I think he deserves to have the better material.”

Sing returned her attention to the questions.

“Since we can choose two, let’s just add Tungsten.”

“Oi. Stop right there. If we add one more material my pocket money would be in an extreme crisis.”

“Don’t worry Nadav. We are just putting it down. We’ll still ask Lady Nartha on her opinion on the choices. Besides, since it’s your first personal golem, I don’t see any reason to spend a bit more for the better material.”

Just when they were about to move on to the next question, OTNartha finished her business and came over to their side as soon as her client left the shop.

“How are things? Any confusion?”

“Yes, we would like you to go through the questions with us.”

“Oh sure, sure. Come, let’s move to somewhere more comfortable.”

The trio followed OTNartha into the shop. She brought them past the displays into a spacious area with a large table and some chairs at the center of the first level.

Sitting down, Cadeus could smell the strong scent of flour, bread and cookies coming from a room towards the back of the shop. That must be the kitchen.

OTNartha went back there and brought out a tray filled with teacups with a glass jar of butter scones.

“Come, help yourselves. Nothing is better than discussing golems with tea and snacks. Now, how can I help you?”

Helping themselves to the beverages to show their appreciation, Sing opened her mouth first.

“Nadav’s getting an utility golem. Would you suggest a humanoid form or an animalistic form?”

“Hm… if it’s just a simple helper than it’s better to have a humanoid form. Studies have shown that animalistic forms tend to be limited in their options to carry out tasks, and It is much easier for humanoid forms to deliver what we want as they can perform just as we expect them to do.”

“What about a shape shifting golem?” Nadav asked.

OTNartha gave him a warning smile.

“If you want me to make you a shape shifting golem my dear boy, you must sit through at least five lectures about a shape shifter’s various forms and uses, and the crime and penalty of shape shifting abuse.”

“Oh… never mind.”

It looks like Nadav won’t be getting a shape shifting golem after all.

OTNartha brought a hand out to ask for the form.

“Come, let me see what you guys have.”

Sing gave her the form.

“Please ignore what was written beyond the core materials.”

“I see.”

OTNartha than gave an over all glance.

“From what I can see, it appears that you three are aware of what you are choosing, but you are not entirely sure otherwise.”

“““Yes…”””

“Hm… you are unfamiliar with the other mechanical details. This I can understand. From your age, you young students still haven’t touch on golems.

OTNartha rubbed her chin with her left fingers.

“How about this. I can help Nadav choose the right materials in accordance to the initial choices you all selected.”

“Is it that simple?” Cadeus asked.

OTNartha smiled.

“Contrary to what people usually dismiss, the first few questions are enough for me to have an idea what the commissioner really wants.”

Perhaps it was due to working experience.

Cadeus decided not to pursue the issue.

TOA

The trio exited the shop satisfied. Within the next few days or so, OTNartha would send the custom made golem to Nadav.

She roughly gave them a few extra vague details, and concluded the session just when tea was starting to get cold.

“Oh by the way. Do you have the receipt Nadav?”

“Hm? Oh yes.”

“Let’s see it.”

Now then, in considering all the prices… The golem’s total cost should be…

Nadav eyes nearly popped out. That was no cheap figure.

Even with the usual student discounts, the total charge for the custom made golem was 5,450 Duches.

“This… this…”

Sing sighed.

“It looks like we got to contribute.”

“Seems like it.”

“Eh? Are you guys sure?”
“Sing has does not need to get a familiar, and I am in no hurry to get one either. I can wait.”

“You guys…”

Before Nadav could be moved to tears, Cadeus dropped a landmine.

“That does not mean that we are going to be entirely charitable. You are going to have to pay us back.”

“EEHHH?! Why?!”

TOA

Coming back to the Academy, the time was already 5:13 pm.
Dinner would start in the next fifty minutes or so. With such a gap in time, Sing said that she wanted to head back to the girls dormitory to change her clothes. Since they have nothing else to do, Cadeus and Nadav did the same.

Returning to his room, Cadeus changed into the more informal version of the school uniform, which was their personal clothes. By dinner most classes of the day were over, so there would not be any issue with wearing their home clothes for dinner.

While waiting for the time for dinner to start, Cadeus laid down on his bed and took out the Black Book of Spirits.

He mindlessly flipped through the book searching for where he left off when it suddenly occurred to him.

“Ah shit… I forgot the page number.”

Flipping back to the page of contents, Cadeus searched for the part about wraiths when his eyes soon fell upon an unexpected line.

 

Chapter 4 – Wraiths as familiars

1. The basic facts of a wraith familiar
2. The benefits and risks of a wraith familiar
3. Creation ingredients and procedures

 

“Wraiths as familiars?”

Flipping to the designated page, Cadeus soon stared hard at the first sentence.

 

'Although the idea seemed ludicrous and extremely dangerous, it is possible to have a wraith as a personal familiar. In fact, it is commonly known that the Pride ve Lu family long specializes in employing wraiths as their house guards and servants. Acquiring wraith familiars is a known family specialty. However, it is a signature family feature that few family members actually managed to master.

Please do note that the definition of a ‘wraith familiar’ do not amount to the common blood contract formed between the master and familiar. It is impossible to form a blood contract with an existing wraith because their physiological anatomy prevents them from having any paranormal bonds aside form their own spirit links. In order to solve this particular issue, wraith familiars must be created artificially with the creator’s blood in order to form a different bond. As the creator’s blood was involved, it creates a strong bond that completely binds the creator to the creator.

The procedures that creates wraith familiars are as compatible as the procedures used by Dark Mutators to create chimera familiars. In fact, creating wraiths could be seen as a special form of Dark Mutation.'

 

When Cadeus reached this point, Susan appeared in his head.

Perhaps he could ask her more about this when the opportunity arises.

Moving on…

 

'Why create a wraith familiar? There are many bonuses a master can enjoy once they obtain a wraith familiar.

Once created, the good thing about artificial wraiths is that their created personality is perfectly tuned to their master’s character. They are automatically compatible with their master’s actions and they obey orders without question. In addition, created familiars are less likely to create relationship problems as compared to domestic animal familiars due to their strong ties to their creator.

In creating a wraith familiar, the artificial wraith in question does in fact differ from the wraiths that were naturally conceived by magical phenomena. Artificial wraiths are initially weaker than their natural counterparts, but they do have a growth potency that allows them to develop quickly. Given time, artificial wraiths might overpower their natural counterparts, but their growth development is highly dependant on their master’s magical aptitude. The stronger the mage, the stronger the wraith familiar will develop.

In addition, aside from their combat prowess, the created wraiths are naturally born with various magical abilities that they can instantly use without issue, abilities that will otherwise require time and education out of normal familiars. Even if the wraith would encounter an unfamiliar spell, its growth rate would allow it to learn and adapt independently without much need for guidance.

Depending on the creator’s preferences, key symbolic ingredients used in the creation ritual would allow the creator to customize the wraith’s functionality and assign their created wraiths to be more specialized in a specific area. Some wraiths can be customized into a heavily combat built meant to surpass its natural counterparts in violent engagements, or it could be tuned into utility wraiths capable of performing numerous feats. There are even cases where wraith familiars are created with an unusually high intelligence to serve as Academic tutors to educate their master’s children. The various results could be achieved depending on the symbolic ingredients.'

 

“Wow… this is so appealing. Perhaps I ought to get a wraith familiar after all.”

But the appealing bonuses sure must have a downside, which brought Cadeus to the risks of creating the wraith.

Since the rest of the section just provides examples of wraith familiars to reinforce the facts, Cadeus skipped straight to the part about the risks.

 

'But despite these various benefits, creating a wraith familiar is not without its risks. Although there are not a lot of issues in the long run, the main danger a master will face is when he/she creates the wraith. The dangers of creating the wraith is similar to the kind of dangers Dark Mutators faced during their mutation attempts. The creation ritual process is dangerous, and the outcome may not be favourable. In addition, the mixture of the wrong ingredients with the wrong symbolization will result in a disastrous ritual backfire.

In this particular case, it is accurate to say that the ritual outcome might not produce a wraith with all the desired attributes. If the damage is severe, the created wraith might end up attacking its creator. In the most extreme cases, the failed ritual might even result in the creation of an abomination. The primary causes of the various uncertain failures were due to the formula and the ingredients.

In regards to the formula, the formula itself is no secret. Everyone interested in creating a wraith familiar will find that the procedure is entirely the same. The only deviating factors within the formula are the different base runic circles that are used to mold the wraith’s immaterial form into its final shape.

This is where the problem starts. Only one runic circle can be used, and each runic circle represents a different method to mold the wraith into existence. Once selected, the runic circle must be in tune with the ingredients chosen to define the wraith’s capabilities.

When the ritual begins, the symbolism the ingredients represent will always trigger an unstable reaction once the wraith starts to materialize. It’s a basic metaphysical reaction necessary for the runic circle to bend the immaterial in order for the wraith to be created. If the symbolism involved is antithetical to the wraith’s desired outcome, or if the wrong molding process is used, the wraith’s incomplete form will disintegrate upon the lack of paranormal cohesion, and the molding process will fail before the wraith could fully materialize. This would eventually result in a chain of negative paranormal outputs that could prove disastrous if not contained.'

 

 

“Fwua… this sure sucks. This is starting to sound like a tedious procedure.”

Dismissing the possibility that he could procure a wraith familiar of his own, Cadeus closed the book and laid on his bed.

“But hold on. Since it’s a powerful familiar, shouldn’t there be an equal amount of risk?”

There’s never such a thing as a flat out powerful familiar without any sort of drawbacks.

Besides, according to this book, the most dangerous phase was only during the creation process.

“Perhaps I should seriously consider this…”

Interested in further details, Cadeus spent the next fifty minutes reading into creating a personal wraith familiar.

Reading into the details, Cadeus encountered a few terms that he’s unaware off. he could also ask Susan more of this later.

TOA

Dinner was Chinese.

The buffet table had a large variety of Chinese choices; mixed fried rice, hokkien mee (a kind of noodle dish), sweet sour pork, salted egg fried chicken, red chili Sichuan frog legs, etc.

Opting for his favourite crispy butter cereal chicken, Cadeus was quick to sit at the usual spot and wait for his friends.

While Nadav managed to return minutes later, Sing was nowhere to be seen.

After scouring out the entire hall, Cadeus immediately found her.

It looks like Sing was currently engaging in idle talk with several of her fellow White Students. The conversation did not last long though. Sing soon excused herself and returned to their table. Although Cadeus pretended not to notice, it was rather obvious that her White classmates were staring daggers towards him.

This was not the first time it happened, and Cadeus was not going to let it bother him.

Besides, even though they disapproved of his existence, it’s not like they could do anything about it.

As Sing dropped down right opposite them, Cadeus saw that she went for her favourite Beijing Duck.

She had always been one for the wraps.

With a glitter of light, the fairy sat at her usual spot at Sing’s right shoulder.

Although Cadeus could not see it’s face, it’s aura suggests that it’s waiting happily in anticipation of the food.

Glancing at the side, Cadeus soon saw Susan with Jouna and Padrela.

“Excuse me.”

“Where are you going?”

“Susan’s over there. I need to see if I missed out anything during colours since we were out the whole day.”

“Ho! Is it finally time for Cadeus to ask her out?!”

Ignoring the idiot, Cadeus left his unfinished meal and left.

Moving to the girls, Cadeus saw Jouna’s disgusted expression at the thought of eating a frog’s leg. Putting the leg back to the station, she and Padrela moved on ahead. Susan was apparently still perplexed at the carbohydrate section. It looks like she had difficulty choosing between rice or noodle.

And then, the most unexpected scene unfolded.

TOA

“Frog legs? Eww… Have you eaten frog before?”

“Jouna, if you are not taking it, don’t pick it up with your utensils. It’s rude and disgusting.”

“Like I said, did you eat frog before Padrela?”

“I did. It tastes like chicken. Now put that frog back before someone makes an issue out of it.”

Giving the disgusted look, Jouna flicked the frog’s leg off and went for the sweet sour pork instead. While her two friends engrossed themselves with their meat and vegetables, Susan was still debating on the carbohydrates. Recently, her calories count had exceeded her dieting expectations, so now she’s contemplating on whether she should be eating any additional carbos to curb her weight gain.

“Susan~. Still debating on the carbos?” Jouna said.

“Hm? Hm…”

“So rice, or noodle?”

“Should I even take any?”

“What, are you dieting?”

As if apprehending the main culprit at hand, Susan shot Jouna an accusing look.

“What?”

“Jouna, we already had three suppers for the last three nights consecutively. Whose fault is that I wonder?”

“Don’t blame me! It‘s a night Board Quest! And you know I get hungry whenever we work! Plus it’s not like you have to eat along with me?”

“You are the main culprit for our feasting and you are still shifting the blame?”

Out of frustration, Susan placed her empty plate at the side before grabbing Jouna by her waist.

“Eh? Eh?!”

“What is this? Why is it that you always have this ridiculous metabolism rate? You ate four hamburgers and three ribeye steaks. How are you still so slim! Where did all that fat go?!”

“Ah… Ah ha ha ha ha! Susan! Stop! I’m dropping my plate! Padrela! Help!”

“Jouna, no one has a metabolism rate like yours. There’s no way we can match up to your body’s skill in depleting useless carbohydrates.” Padrela added.

“Eh?! Are you against me as well Padrela?”

“I am. Whenever you eat, we ended up eating as well.”

While being against Jouna, Padrela at least had the sense to take Jouna’s plate off her hands before a major accident could occur.

“Stop! Stop! Susan stop! You are ruining my appetite!”
“Um… am I disturbing something?”

“C-Cadeus?!”

Hearing the voice of her crush, Susan instantly stopped what she was doing and turn to see Cadeus right behind her.

Did he just see everything?! Oh no!!!

With her inner thoughts in turmoil, Susan quickly opened the conversation.

“S-Since when were you there?”

“Just now?”

While struggling to control her elevated nerves, Jouna quietly gave Cadeus a thumbs up for saving her.

“Um… Um…”

Susan entered a state of slight shock.

Being caught off guard with this sudden surprise, there was nothing she could do.

Oh my, oh my… what am I to say?! Susan frantically thought.

In realizing that she was in a bind, Jouna placed her right hand on Susan’s left shoulder before pulling herself forward.

“Hey Cadeus.”

“Hi. You ok?”

“Yeah… I’ll manage. If you have business with Susan, Padrela and I are going to head over first to choose our meats and vegs. Hope you don’t mind.”

“Sure. Go ahead.”

Jouna quickly grabbed Padrela and her plate before retreating to the buffet stations ahead.

Oh my! What am I going to say?!

While thanking Jouna inwardly for giving her some space, Susan was at a loss as to how she should open this conversation.

Luckily for her, she instantly knew what she should start with.

“Congratulations for your recent rewards Cadeus!”

“Hm? Oh… so you heard.”

“Three days leave, a certificate of proper conduct, and getting a familiar ahead of the trials. You have become quite the celebrity in Tenebris Vacuum.”

“Is that so?”

Cadeus started scratching his chin with his right hand.

Oh dear… did I say something wrong? Susan drastically thought.

“Is everyone in class cursing me?”

“Um… well… sort off… but not everyone thinks badly of it. Apparently, I heard that a few people changed their opinion of you.”

“Really? Who?”

“Some students from the other classes. I happen to overhear them say something good about you.”

“Is that so…”

Cadeus appeared to be in deep thought again.

Could he be wondering what might have triggered the change of hearts?

“Hey Cadeus.”

“Hm?”

“Is it true that you entered the catacombs? With Claire and Acriscius.”

“Yes. But we didn’t do much. The Enforcers did most of the work.”

“I see… Claire was in a rather bad mood today. She seems to be unsatisfied with the fact that you got rewarded while she didn’t get anything.”

“Claire didn't get rewarded? Oh right… she’s obligated to help the Enforcers for free since she’s a noble.”

“Since when did you know that?”

“Sirena told me.”

“Is that so…”

Susan’s mood went slightly to the negative side.

The man she had feelings for was still hanging out with that White.

“But still…”

“…?”

Whilst thinking, Cadeus smiled.

But that was not a nice smile.

“Cadeus. You have an evil smile on your face.”

“Hm? Oh. *Clears throat* ”

“What are you thinking?”

“Nothing. I was just thinking that it would be such an amusing sight to see an angry Claire.”

“…You better not provoke her.”

“No, no. I won’t.”

He said that, but it was pretty obvious that he’ll provoke her somehow eventually.

Susan immediately regretted bringing up Claire.

She always found it rather annoying that Cadeus always had room for thought whenever it came to Claire.

Aren’t they in a terrible relationship?

Seriously, why did I mention Claire? Susan thought again.

Wanting to fix this, Susan opened a new conversational topic.

“So! You got three days off, what did you do today?”

“We tried looking for our familiars.”

“Oh! Did you choose one?”

“No. I could not make a choice.”

“Oh? Why?”

“I find the usual pet animal types to be difficult to maintain. So instead of choosing a pet, I am thinking of creating a familiar.”

“A chimera?”

“Hm… yeah. Something along those lines.”

Susan’s heart skipped a beat.

Could that possibly mean…

“You plan to create a chimera familiar?”

“Perhaps. I remember reading somewhere that created familiars do not cause a lot of relationship problems as compared to usual familiars.”

Susan’s heart increased it’s pace in anticipation.

She did not know what to expect, but she knew that something was going to happen.

“So I was thinking. If you are free sometime soon, I was wondering if you could go through some basics regarding Dark Mutation – ”

“Is tomorrow ok? I’m free once colours is over!”

“Susan… distance.”

“Ah?! Sorry!”

In realizing that she had stepped in too close for his personal space, Susan quickly stepped back.

“How about lunch?”

“Lunch? Sure! Let’s meet up at Converse Hall!”

“All right. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

TOA

Once Cadeus was out of sight, Jouna and Padrela quickly came back.

“So? So? What happened?”

“He asked me out for lunch tomorrow.”

““…Lunch?””

Padrela and Jouna stared at Susan until they fully realized the possible implications.

Jouna grabbed Susan by her shoulders.

“Good job Susan! This is a major flag event!” Jouna cried.

“Good job Susan. I’m so happy for you.” Padrela added.

“T-Thanks.”

“So lunch tomorrow eh? You must set a very good impression!”

“Eh?! How?”

“Fu fu fu~!”

Like the love expert she assumed herself to be, Jouna folded her arms together and make a declaration.

“You must invite him to an expensive place for lunch in town to charm him with your noble status. Or, if you want to sell your natural female perks you should start by making him a great lunch.”

“Mm. That sounds good.” Padrela nodded.

“Either way, once you set the right mood, drop a drowsy tablet in Cadeus’s drink. When he falls asleep and wakes up, he should find you dressed in something sexy in a very notorious love hotel – Wait! Wait! Padrela! I’m not finished! Don’t squeeze my neck!”

“Susan, the lunch part sounds good. Ignore the rest.”

“Right…”

“Padrela! Your arm! Your arm! I can’t breath!”

Ignoring the suffocating Jouna, Padrela thought about a fact she found strange.

“But… isn’t this is weird?”

“What’s weird Padrela?”

“Why would he ask you out for lunch all of a sudden. What does he want?”

“He’s getting a familiar but he does not like pets. He’s considering getting a chimera instead so he came to me for advice.”

“How does that lead to asking you out?”

“…I was the one who initiated it.”

““Eh?””

Even Jouna, who was struggling to get out of Padrela’s iron grip, paused and stared at Susan with surprise.

“…What? Is it not good? Should I have suggested something else?”

“No, it’s good.”

“It’s… the best decision… you… have made…” Jouna struggled to say.

“Padrela… I think that is enough punishment.”

Giving Jouna a warning look, Padrela released her elbow grip on Jouna’s neck.

Now that she finally got some space to breath, Jouna ended up coughing with her hands and knees on the floor.

“Padrela… do you want to kill me?”

“It’s your own fault. Why do you keep saying such ridiculous things?”

It looks like relying on Jouna on any further advice would be a bad idea.

While Jouna got back up o her knees, Susan looked to Padrela.

“So… do I bring him out to a restaurant or cook something for him?”

“Hm… well, from what I understand of guys, whenever it comes to dates they usually bring girls to restaurants. If you want to make things comfortable for him, perhaps you can bring him to a restaurant. Perhaps somewhere expensive…”

“Somewhere expensive for lunch? Cadeus strikes me as the thrifty kind. Would he mind?”

“I think it is good. Even if he doesn’t like it, I don’t think Cadeus will say anything against you since you are going to treat him. On second thought, he would be appreciative. But I do agree that it would not be wise to bring him somewhere overly expensive.”

“Hm… but bringing him to the city just for lunch might be a little too much…”

“Then don’t bring him to the city. You don’t really have to drag him out. In fact, I think Cadeus is the type that would feel slightly uncomfortable if you went the extra mile for him when he was the one who asked you out. If you want to be effective yet economical at the same time, then just bring him to the Academy restaurants.”

“Ah… true. Cadeus did mention to me before that he had never visited those restaurants before. He’s always discouraged by the expensive pricings and never once considered dining there.”

“Hold on a minute!”

In striking a comedic pose, Jouna flashed an index finger towards Susan and placed her other hand on her temple.

“Stop just right there Susan, I recommend the other option”

“Cooking?”

“Yes! Cooking is a very good way to appeal to him. If you cook, it’ll really show him what a capable girl you are. Guys tend to be very appreciative of girls who cook, especially when the food is very good.”

“Hm… Jouna has a point.” Padrela agreed.

It looks like Susan had to cook afterall.

“Then… what should I cook?”

“Something original would be great.” Padrela said.

“…Original is a very vague term Padrela.”

“Now, now.”

Before things could get more complicated, Jouna patted her hand continuously on Susan’s back.

“Don’t sweat about what to make. As long as it is enjoyable I’m sure Cadeus won’t complain. As long as it is something special, I’m sure he’ll be very happy with it.”

“Special?”

“You once told me you wanted to try a marinated raw beef right? Why don’t you use that?”

TOA

Returning to his friends, Cadeus immediately ignored the no good sneer coming from Nadav.

“So, what happened?”

“I just need to go through some notes with her tomorrow during lunch.”

“So it’s a date?”

“Sigh…”

Cadeus had long expected this to happen so he just ignored him.

“In any case, I’ll be on my own tomorrow.”

“No problem. I also need to catch up on my own classes. You better do the same Nadav.”

“Ehhh… but tomorrow is still our holiday.”

“We can easily hang out again during the weekends. If you don’t want your grades to suffer I suggest you seek help from your classmates.”

Now it’s Nadav’s turn to sigh.

TOA

As Cadeus promised, he waited at Converse Hall the very next day.

He arrived around fifteen minutes before lunch officially starts. Since Susan would not come out immediately, he could only wait.

In just ten minutes later, students can already be seen coming out of the three corridors.

“Ho? Isn’t that Cadeus?”

“Braig?”

Looking at the direction of the voice, Cadeus saw Briag coming towards him.

“Well, well, well. Isn’t it the hero of the catacombs?”

“Hero?”

Cadeus raised an eyebrow.

“Please don’t tell me everybody is calling me that.”
“Nah it’s just me. You are not happy with it?”

“No.”

“Is that so? Hm…”

Braig foled his arms and went into deep thought.

“Come to think of it, you seem to be more of an anti-hero type. Is it because you don’t like the idea of being a hero? Or did you perhaps hate the idea of associating yourself with the underwear wearing heroes commonly seen in the American comics?”

“…Where did you learn about Marvel and DC?”

“Jouna.”

“Of course.”

Why is it that this guy knows so much stuff from Earth when he’s a Zeffernon noble?

“…Some stuff from Earth can be a little vulgar. You better not get badly influenced.”

“Relax. When it is time to act like a noble, I will act like one. Besides, stuff like comics and manga are hilarious tools to pass the time.”

“Can’t argue against that one.”

“So.”

“So?”

Briag edged closer.

“What exactly happened in the catacombs? We were not told any details and it appears that the adults and the Student Council are keeping their mouths shut.”

“Sorry. I’m not supposed to disclose any details while the Enforcers are still investigating. I have been warned.”

“Now come on, surely you can say something?”

“Briag, you are a noble. Are you sure you ought to be poking around in places you shouldn't? What happens if the Enforcers see you sneaking around and decided to file a formal complain? Wouldn’t you be troubling your parents who are also employed by the High Council?”

“Don’t worry! This is not the first time I have snuck information out of office!”

“…Should I be worried for you?”

Cadeus paused to consider. He had already been warned specifically by Miss Allis and Enforcer Kutsurov not to say anything regarding the catacomb incident. This was not to say that he distrusts Braig. But as a friend, Cadeus felt that he should not be the cause of any trouble Briag gets himself into.

“Sorry Briag. I’ll feel very bad if my words get you into trouble.”

“Oh come on. Don’t be stingy.”

“Sorry Briag. Just this once.”

“Sigh… fine. I won’t probe further.”

Susan soon appeared out of the corridor entrance. When they both saw each other, Cadeus waved over to her.

“Ho? You are meeting Susan?”

“Yes. For lunch.”

“Is this a date?”

“No.”

“I thought so. Hey, if you get a girlfriend please do let me know.”

“Why?”

“Personal curiosity.”

“…Don’t make a big deal out of it. I am already facing a lot of pressure from my mom.”

“Ha ha ha ha! Is that so? Oh well, I best not get in Susan’s way now.”

Moving away, Briag gave Susan a simple wave before walking out of Converse Hall.

“What just happened?”

“It’s just Braig being Braig. So, Lunch?”

“Yes.”

“Corals?”

“Um… well… Not Corals. Today, I have a different craving.”

“Which is?”

TOA

Instead of going to Corals, Susan told him to wait for her outside of the girl dormitory. Cadeus initially thought that she went to get a change of clothes. But when she came out again after several minutes she’s still in her uniform robes.

Instead, what Susan went to retrieve was a basket that looked like a picnic set.

“…”

“What?”

“This is not what I’d imagine it to be.”

“Not expecting a picnic?”

“Yes…”

In just one look, Cadeus could tell that Susan had prepared many things within that single basket for this occasion. Once the realization hits him, Cadeus felt slightly guilty.

“Susan… you don’t have to prepare so much.”

“Hm? Oh don't mind me. This is just one of the moments where I wanted to eat in the open air outside.”

“Is that so…”

“Shall we go?”

“Sure.”

“I hope Jouna and Padrela wouldn’t mind.”

“Don’t worry. They understand.”

The two soon moved to a nice secluded area in the garden behind the girl’s dormitory. Since lunch had formally started, many had left for Corals leaving behind an empty scene.

Finding a nice spot underneath the shade of a tree, Susan opened the basket and Cadeus helped to lay out the blanket on the grass.

Once they had made themselves comfortable, Cadeus sat near the base of the tree while Susan sat right next to him.

Opening her lunch box, Susan took out one of those preservative boxes and handed it over to him.

“Here, this is yours.”

“Thanks.”

And then it occurred to Cadeus. This current setting could be too suggestive.

“…A little too romantic for my tastes.”

“Say what?”

“Nothing.”

Opening the box, Cadeus saw what looks like strips of orange minced meat with a raw egg above it.

“Susan… is this raw?”

“Yes. It’s a special marinated recipe I picked up… Don’t worry! It’s edible! Jouna and Padrela gave it a try yesterday! It’s not bad!”

“Calm down. I’m just asking a question. If I can’t eat anything raw I would have told you from the start.”

Passing him a fork, Cadeus broke the egg’s fragile membrane and mixed the dish.

Twisting a part of it firmly, Cadeus brought it up into his mouth.

“…? It’s good!”

“Really?”

Cadeus nodded.

“The seasoning is good, and the taste is not so spicy either. Although the meat is raw, it’s soft and it easily melts in your mouth. Not to mention, the egg’s taste also helps as well.”

“He he~.”

Smiling to herself, Susan opened her own box. She prepared the same thing for herself.

“Hey Cadeus.”

“Hm?”

“Just a question, but given a choice, would you prefer we head off to Corals, the Academy restaurants, or would you still prefer this set up?”

What?

“…Why this sudden question?”

“Just wondering.”

There were two reasons why Cadeus disliked going to the Academy restuarants.

First, it would be the expensive prices.

Regardless of whether you choose set or a la carte, the pricing can easily eat your wallet dry. It could go as cheap as 28 – 35 Duches if one just simply went for the appetizers, or an expensive eat that can cost up to 500 Duches straight, and that’s not even the most costly bill.

Second, the high-class atmosphere the restaurants gave away.

Since nobles enrolled into the Academy, some of their extravagant peers might find the rate of Corals (which was already very good) underneath their status. In order to accommodate to the high-class tastes, the Academy installed these various expensive restaurants in order to meet that demand. It may seem ridiculous, but there were very frequent regulars that were amongst the nobility.

Sing had been invited to one of these restaurants before by some of her White noble friends on various occasions. She often remarked, and quite accurately at that, that Cadeus would dislike the atmosphere. Even though Cadeus had never been into these restaurants before, he knew that he would not be comfortable with the environment within.

“Hm… well, if I am allowed to speak in all honesty I would very much prefer this for a change. But I would definitely feel uncomfortable if we did head over to one of those restaurants.”

“Like I thought…”

“Hm?”

“Well… if I’m allowed to be rude, you seem to strike me as the thrifty kind.”

“Hm… I don’t intend to deny that. Then again, who would want to spend over a hundred Duches just on one meal? Don’t you at least feel that the Academy restaurants are the greatest illustrations of extravagance?”

“Wow… talk about being extremely critical.”

“But you can’t deny it right?”

“Well… I guess so. But it’s not like the restaurants themselves are of any fault. It’s their purpose to suit the nobles’ demanding tastes anyway.”

“Susan, regardless of the occasion, please don’t bring me in there.”

Oh dear…

Popping in another portion of the marinated beef, Susan opened the more important conversation.

“So… you want to create a chimera familiar?”

“I am still considering.”

“But why create a familiar? Ever considered buying an already made chimera?”

“No. How is that different from a domestic pet?”

“You wouldn’t know. Some chimera brains can be genetically altered to be more compliant with the master.”

“But the trade off for genetic alteration is that the familiar will be more dependant on the master yes?”

“Yes.”

“Then that’s not what I had in mind.”

Cadeus shook his head.

“While being dependant on the master can be a good thing, it’s not good if the familiar cannot act independently without its master’s instructions. What would be ideal for me is for the familiar to be flexible in making its own decisions, and having strong ties with the master at the same time to not be a nuisance. The reason why I brought up creating a familiar is because I read that familiars created with the master’s blood will create an extremely strong paranormal bond that does not require any sort of penalty.”

“Ah. That’s true.”

“Besides, if you think about it, it’ll b e much better to secure a proper leash on my familiar if I use my own blood to create it.”

“Leash…eh?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Cadeus… you are pretty cold at times.”

“Is that so…”

Cadeus scratched his cheek.

“Well… I am quite aware that I can be quite the cynical fellow. Are you uncomfortable with it?”

“Mm…”

Susan soon shook her head.

“No. I had a feeling that even though you appear cold on the outside, you are actually a very nice person on the inside”

“What makes you so confident of that?”

“Why else would you save me from the Armugorus without any reason or hidden agenda?”

“Hm…”

Grabbing another portion, Cadeus chewed on the delicious marinated beef. He had no intention of adding any additional comments.

“If I am going to create a familiar, what kind of familiar do you think I ought to get?”

“There are all kinds of familiars out there, but as a studying student, perhaps it is best to get an utility framiliar.”

“Hm… my Grey friend is also getting an utility familiar.”

“A pet?”

“No. Golem.”

“Ah…”

Susan brought an index finger to her raised chin.

“Well, if you want something like that, then it’s indeed more ideal for you to create your own familiar.”

Cadeus popped in another portion of marinated meat into his mouth.

“An utility familiar is it? Well, I agree that getting a helper is indeed ideal for my current situation as a studying student.”

“Do you need some suggestions?”

“What do you have in mind?”

“If it’s a chimera, I would recommend creating something small for a start. Since we are not as professional as the Masters yet, it doesn’t make sense for us to be ambitious in creating something big. If we make a mistake during the creation process, we might not be able to controlling the situation. If worst, we won’t be able to cope with the consequences.”

“True. Then what would you recommend?”

“Maybe a cat chimera?”

“A cat?”

Student Council President Cordelia soon popped up in Cadeus’s head.

“Hm… maybe not.”

“Why? I always thought that a cat familiar would be good.”

“It’s just my personal preference.”

“Oh… ok.”

Placing the lunch box on his lap, Cadeus relaxed by leaning back against the tree.

Now that they were at this point, Cadeus wanted to clarify everything that he needs to know on how to create his familiar. Of course, he would not expect Susan to know everything, but it would be good if she did.

“In any case, let’s put aside the question of what animal type I should create. What I really want to know is about the creation procedures.”

“All right, what have you got so far?”

“Well, I know that I need the ingredients with the right symbolizations, but there are a couple of terms that I am unsure of.”

“What?”

“There’s the base runic circle, the base form, the Noax, and something about an animal fat paste.”

“Ok, that’s not a lot. Which one would you like to start with?”

“let’s start with the base runes.”

Afterall, the Book of Wraiths only provided up to five different base runic circles. While Cadeus was aware o the circle’s purpose, he wanted to know if there were other runic circles he could use other than the ones provided by Zelnarius Pride ve Lu.

Susan laid down her own lunch box at her lap.

“Hm… there are a lot of runic circles you can use, each runic circles represent a different method to mold the chimera into existence. There are just so many you can use, and the list of circles you can use is ever growing. As of this date, there are up to fifty-seven categories of runic circles, around eight hundred and sixty-three runic circles in total.”

“Eight hundred?”

Cadeus was suddenly glad that the Book of Wraiths only provided five runic circles for him to choose.

“Yes, but don’t worry. Normally we always use the twenty-four basic runic circles. The rest of the lot is mostly used by the more experienced Masters for advanced procedures.”

“Is that so...”

“Well, there are reasons as to why there are so many circles. Ritual procedure and ingredient compatibility is one thing, but another key reason is to protect the chimeras.”

“Protect?”

“Well, just as the runic circles can mold the chimera into existence, they can also be used to unmade them. So in order to protect the chimera, Dark Mutator Masters must be very secretive and selective in choosing their circles. As long as the enemy does not know which amongst the eight hundred circles are used, the chimera could not be unmade.”

“Oh, so it’s a form of safety measure.”

“Yes. While each circle represents a different method, various circles have their similarities so it’s hard to tell which circle is used unless you pay very close attention. Some Dark Mutator Masters even know how to mask the right circle by blending paranormal properties from other circles.”

If that’s the case, the circles the book provided are already quite specialized on their own.

Rather than choosing a different circle, it would be best to just go with what the book provided.

Concluding this, Cadeus resumed eating his lunch.

“Even if we take away the advanced circles, there’s still twenty-four basic runic circles huh… That’s really a lot.”

“Yeah… even I did not manage to keep up with the differences.”

“Even you?”

“Yeah… The base runic circles themselves are already a specialized module on their own. There’s a book I always borrowed from the library to get a rough idea of the subject. It’s called Mutatious Runes, by a Mage called Livarto Mera, but it requires some advanced knowledge regarding runic alignments.”

Cadeus gave up on learning more about the various runic circles.

“That sure sounds tough. Dark Mutation must be a very complicated subject.”

“If it were so easy, it wouldn’t qualify as a specialization.”

“True.”

Cadeus finished his lunch and passed back the box to Susan.

“Mm… thanks. Here you go.”

“I got desert. Sandwiches.”

“Oh. Thanks.”

Once Susan passed the sandwich box over, Cadeus brought up the next important part about creating a familiar.

“A base form must always be presented for the ritual right?”

“If you want your ritual success rate to be high it’s highly recommendable you present one.”

“Right, so by base form, does it refer to a biological corpse?”

Susan shook her head.

“Not necessarily. The base form is an organic base that can be a carcass or a living organism. Sometimes both are used at the same time, depending on the ritual procedure.”

“What’s the general purpose of the base form?”

“Well, if you want to mutate or create something, a base organic form must be presented for the chimera to assume a shape. You can’t create something out of nothing, as the immaterial does not have a definite form. By providing one, it anchors the paranormal to the physical, and it also helps the runic circle to mold the chimera into existence.”

“I see…”

“Some Masters even go through the extra length in using actual chimeras in their procedures to make a different chimera.”

“Like a chimera created from a chimera?”

“Well… yes. That tends to happen a lot.”

“Is that so…”

It’s Dark Mutation after all. It should be of no surprise that Dark Mutators would go about sacrificing existing chimeras to create a variant or deviant.

“Moving on. The Noax. What’s a Noax?”

“A rune stone used to start the ritual procedure and manipulate paranormal changes. It’s a must to have so that the ritual procedure can be manipulated with ease. Should the ritual spiral out of control, the Noax will activate a protective barrier to help initiate damage control.”

“Oh. So it’s some sort of controller.”

“Yes.”

“So how do I use it?”

“You keep it in your hand and let it do all the work. The Noax is just an artifact that consolidates all the manual ritual activation skills. In the past a simple ritual had to be set up by multiple mages due to the activation processes. But with the Noax, none of that was needed anymore. Of course, larger scale rituals still required the necessary manpower, but at least in simpler rituals we now have the option to do it alone.”

“Is that so… Anything else I ought to take note?”

“Well… the Noax could get quite expensive.”

“Is it? Any estimates?”

“There are a total of four tiers when it comes to the Noax. The lowest tier 1 Noax costs at around 50 Duches, but those are more suitable for one off creation events because they are extremely weak. The ritual will always destroy them towards the end of the procedure. If you want to have a Noax that can be continuously used for multiple rituals, you’ll need at least tier 2 Noaxes. Those can cost up to around 500 to 1000 Duches. As for tier 3 and 4 Noaxes, I doubt you’ll need them since those are more for the professionals.”

“I see. Well, I’m not about to go and create several familiars at once, so I guess I’ll just get the tier 1 then. Is there a place I can get one?”

“You can always get a Noax in Tenebris Vacuum. At the forest entrance, there is a tentage booth called Lux detroth. It’s a tentage for Dark Mutation aspiries who take up quests related to Dark Mutation research.”

“Lux detroth is it? Noted.”

“All right. Oh! Before we move on, what about the ritual catalyst? What are you using to start your ritual?”

Cadeus already got that part covered. His recent experiences in the catacombs had taught him a few things regarding ritual catalysts.

“I’m using my own blood.”

“Eh? Your blood? Oh…”

Susan soon recalled the fact that he was a Pure Blood.

“It sure must be very convenient being born a Pure Blood…”

“Don’t think that. If you are born a Pure Blood, people from all around Zeffernon will come to you and ask you for this and that. Just like how the Enforcers would approach Acriscius and Claire to do some dirty work.”

“Is that so… What about your other ingredients?

“Hm… I don't know… I got a few items from my previous Board Quests. They all have strong magical presences, but they are all disintegrated parts of former functioning artifacts.”

“Oh! That sounds like something you can use.”

“Even though they are just fragments?”

“Even if they are not whole, fragments of any magical being or object will always contain remnants of magic. If used wisely, they can be remade to perform the same functions that they are supposed to. That is why, when Dark Mutators want to create new chimeras, they will always review their list of biological materials and organic parts. As various magical creatures have magic within them, their limbs and organs will all sustain their respective magical functions and qualify as a mutative factor.”

“That’s good. But the question is, do I need all of them?”

“As long as the symbolization does not clash.”

“I wonder…”

Hang on, there was one last bit of information Cadeus needed to clarify.

“There was a mention about animal fat paste. Why do we need animal fat?”

“Oh that… that’s just one of the many Lacars Conduits used to set the boundaries of paranormal influences.”

“I am afraid I lost you.”

“All right. Let’s start with the basics. Ritual circles are marked on the ground correct?”

“Yes.”

“When a ritual commences, its paranormal influences can extend beyond the boundaries of the ritual circle. This is why we have varying classes of rituals that can exert different ranges of paranormal influences. So in order to control the range of paranormal influences, Alchemists, Dark Mutators, and even Conjurers will create a new circle around the ritual circle. This external circle is called Lacars Conduit and it acts like a sort of natural paranormal barrier so that the ritual influences do not extend beyond the circle. By confining the paranormal exchanges, it allows the ritual procession to be easier to control. The ingredients used to act as Lacars Conduit all share a certain paranormal properties that helps sets the barrier limit of paranormal exchanges. Animal fat is one of them, and sometimes chalk or salt is also used to set up such natural barriers.”

Cadeus soon thought back about the salt and chalk the Enforcers used back in the catacombs to seal the wraith.

“Does the same apply to seals?”

“If we are talking about a huge sealing mechanism then yes.”
“So if I want to create a familiar I need this Lacars Conduit to keep things simple. Right… So to wrap things up, a base runic circle is used to mold the familiar into existence, a base form is a carcass or living organism that needs to be present for the familiar to have a definite form, I need a Noax to initiate ritual procedure, I have my blood as a ritual catalyst, animal fat paste is required and I need the ingredients with the right symbolizations. Did I miss out anything?”

“Nope. I think you roughly have everything.”

All right, time to ask for an opinion.

“Susan, what do you think of a wraith familiar?”

Susan stared at him with a blank face.

“Phwa ha ha ha ha! What are you saying all of a sudden Cadeus?”

Oh… she laughed?

Cadeus tilted his head slightly to the side.

He could not understand why she laughed.

Did she find the idea absurd or ridiculous?

Cramping a smile, Cadeus was at a loss as to whether he should feel happy, or be extremely embarrassed.

“While I am happy that I managed to make you laugh. I’m also starting to feel slightly uncomfortable here.”

“Ha ha ha – ah? Oh no. No. That’s not my intention.”

“Why else would you laugh otherwise?”

Susan soon managed to control her laughter.

She smiled.

“While the idea is not entirely bad, creating a wraith is terribly difficult. Only the greatest masters could ever dare attempt at making one. If you want to create a wraith, I can only discourage you at our current level.”

“Even if I am a Pure Blood?”

“Even if you are a Pure Blood.”

“Hm…”

Nothing more could be said at this moment.

After finishing their meals, Cadeus helped Susan pack back her picnic set. They spoke more on the way back. However, even as Cadeus walked her back to the girl’s dormitory, Susan could not find the courage to confess her feelings.

TOA

After dropping Susan, Cadeus went straight for Tenebris Vacuum. His first stop was the tentage ‘Lux detroth’. If Susan was right, Cadeus could expect to find most of what he needs for the familiar creation process.

When he arrived at the forest entrance, it took him a moment to find the right tentage. But when he did, ‘Lux detroth’ was actually a mini market compromised of several tentages isolated at the far left of the forest entrance. Each tentage was dedicated to one of the various aspects of Dark Mutation, and the market even had its own quest board for students who might be interested in taking some small commissions.

Judging from the number of students present, there’s quite the number of people who aspired to become Dark Mutators.

Was Dark Mutation quite the popular subject?

Cadeus did not really know.

Anyways,   Cadeus soon searched around until he encountered a tentage going by the name ‘Anonymous Ingredients’.

“Excuse me…”

A middle aged man soon showed himself from within. From his robe slash, he’s an experienced Master.

Perhaps a little too experience.

Even though he’s bald with a few wrinkles on his cheeks, one disturbing thing to see on his face was a bubbling bulge of flesh sticking out of the left side of his temple. His left eye was mutated into that of a housefly’s, with a rather unique bright bluish glow to it.

Gazing at Cadeus, the Master opened his mouth and spoke with a deep rough voice.

“A student yes? How can I help you?”

“…”

“Hm? Oh! You are stunned with this?”

He gestured to his mutated face.

“Don't worry boy. You’ll see many of us having strange looking body parts. Now you may think that it's weird, but you’ll be surprised to learn that mutated limbs grants us special biological enhancements that even the most developed enchantments cannot provide. This eye for an example is a cross of a housefly’s with a Grehmergu’s heart. It allows me to see different thermal heat signatures, it magnifies my eyesight down to the cellular level, and it also allows me to see various magical alignments. Very convenient for organic analysis for chimera biological body parts.”

“Can you revert it back to normal?”

“It depends. Small mutations can gradually revert back with the matching antidotes. But if one’s body is overly mutated like my eye, it is irreversible. But not to worry. Such is the joy of Dark Mutation. We get to enjoy mutating our own limited biological husks into something more.”

“Right…”

“And now you are probably thinking that I’m going to bore you further with pointless chatter. I’m Master Zelketh. I was once an Educator teaching Dark Mutation in Triple Orb Academy. Yes, I’m retired and no, I’m not that grumpy yet.”

“Do people ask you that all the time?”

“You have no idea. Wait till you get to my age boy.”

It seemed that they had gotten off topic.

“I am looking for ingredients to make a familiar.”

“A chimera familiar? But aren't you a student?”

Cadeus took out the Archmage’s letter and presented it to him.

“Hm… let’s see… Oh! So you are the one who went into the Catacombs?”

“Yes.”

“I used to work there! What happened?”

“Um… I can't say much but there was something about a chimera outbreak.”

“A chimera outbreak?”

“Yeah, there was an giant Arthropod colony.”

“Ah… the Pinxas Mertixius… one of my most favourite projects.”

“You made that chimera?”

“I was a part of the team. Sigh… those were good days.”

“We killed the queen. Sorry.”

“Did you now? Well, it does not matter. That queen was a marvel creation, but she was very uncontrollable. Eventually we had no choice but to put her into sleep along with the rest of her brood. But if you said that there was a colony outbreak, we must have underestimated her resistance to magic. In any case, none of us went back to check on it so this sort of things is expected.”

“What was it about the Dark Mutators not using the catacombs for a month?”

“Not using the catacombs for a month? Where did you hear that boy? The last time I heard, some private company booked the catacombs for their own for two whole months.”

“Two? The catacombs have been deserted all this time. When we entered with the Enforcers, entire levels were deserted of human presence.”

“Is it? Strange… I thought the record book stated clearly that the catacomb was in use… perhaps there was an accident that cause the chimera outbreak. Perhaps the people inside got killed. Who knows? But since you said that it was abandoned, perhaps we could reuse the catacombs again for our research since the Enforcers had cleared most of the space.”

“You want to go back there? That Comnaterus thing is still down there though.”

“That thing is still alive? Oh don’t worry about it. We’ll just bring old Hizaf back to tame his pet.”

“Tame?”

“Old Hizaf, or Archmage Hizaf created the Conmaterus. It’s his personal familiar so it’ll only listen to him.”

“Listen? It acts like a wild animal. I saw it tore through five Untouched and an Apprentice without even taking a scratch.”

“I know right? Isn’t that the beauty of it?”

Cadeus gave up on the current conversation topic.

“Just to confirm, did the Enforcers kill any other chimeras?”

“I think they killed a ton of chimeras that broke loose in the ninth level.”

“Did they? Shame. We got quite a good number of specimens down there. I can only hope that the Enforcers did not confiscate any additional materials during their investigations. But there’s no use dwelling on past achievements. Come, you have made me a happy man. I’ll give you a sales discount for anything. You want to create a familiar right? What do you need?”

“I need a Noax, something for the Lacars Conduit and a base form.”

“All right. I’m getting old so let’s settle it one by one.”

Master Zelketh to the side of the tentage and brought out simple rock stones with a polished top with a rune engraving that glowed in bright orange.

“These are simple tier 1 Noaxes. Each will be rendered useless after a successive ritual attempt. Normally each costs 50 Duches but I’ll charge you 35 for it.”

“Ok, thanks. How do I use it?”

“Just apply magic, and the Noax will do the rest.”

“That’s it? No instruction manual or something?”

“You’ll get the hang of how to control it as you use it. Don’t worry, there’s a paranormal fail safe mechanic installed in the Noax should the ritual spiral out of control.”

“When that happens will the Noax be destroyed?”

“No. But if you try to use it again, it’ll disintegrate halfway during the second attempt so I strongly advice you get a new Noax.”

“Would you encourage me to buy a second Noax?”

“If you know what you are doing? No. But if you want reassurances then I would strongly encourage it. All in all it depends on your budgeting.”

“I’ll take two Noaxes then.”

Master Zelketh took two Noaxes and brought them forward.

“Now, moving on. Lacars Conduit. Do you want salt? Chalk? Or animal fat?”

“Animal fat.”

“Which kind of animal fat?”

“What would you recommend?”

“Hm… There are many types of animal fat you can use but they mainly divide into natural animal fats and the deviant fats harvested from mutated chimeras. Since you have not touched on the basics of Dark Mutation, I doubt you need to know anything about the deviant fats. The normal fats we frequently use in various mutation process would be deer fat, bear fat and geese fat. The higher quality natural fats come from black rhinos, platypus, and the Amur tigers.”

“They all come from severely endangered animals?”

“Yes. But those are rare high quality fats that only the extremely rich could afford. Besides the quality only secures a higher ritual success rate, so it does not really matter unless it’s a really complicated mutation ritual.”

“Right… which one would you recommend for a normal procedure?”

“For a familiar creation I would best recommend deer fat. Don’t ask me why, just take it before I start another long lecture I should not bring up.”

“Deer fat is it then.”

Master Zelketh set the deer fat aside.

“Now, your base form. What do you need?”

As far as Cadeus was concerned, according to the procedure offered by Zelnarious Pride ve Lu, the wraith’s base form would be a human corpse.

“A human corpse.”

Master Zelketh scratched his chin.

“You want to make a homunculus? *Whistle* Very dangerous procedure boy. Normally I would advise against creating a homunculus, but I must commend you for your bravery. I rarely see young ones as ambitious as yourself.”

Cadeus did not bother trying to correct him.

“Do you have a corpse?”

“Hm… we ran out of adult corpses, and the remaining children corpses are already reserved for experimental purposes. The only things we have left are the baby corpses and fetuses.”

“Fetus? As in unborn, underdeveloped babies?”

“Yes.”

“…”

“Don’t look so surprised. You’ll soon learn that we sometimes use fetuses in our chimera procedures most notably because their natural stem cells can be easily develop to suit chimera organs.”

“This feels slightly disturbing.”

“Does it matter? They’re dead anyway.”

“Where do you get fetuses?”

“Where do women go for abortions? Listen, I’m not an ethical philosopher so don’t start debating moralities with me. The last thing I want is to deal with a random person calling me a monster and sound like a typical ignorant White.”

“Sound like you Mutators got loads from the Whites.”

“Tell me about it, Whites and their so-called self-righteousness. They’re just being assholes. Oh, and before you start thinking, do not use a baby or a fetus as your base form if you want to create a homunculus. The last thing you’ll want is for your homunculus to be physically underdeveloped.”

Well… since I am creating a wraith, it does not really matter… Cadeus thought.

“So… if I want a proper corpse, I will have to wait?”

“Yes. For at least a week.”

Cadeus thought about waiting, but honestly he did not mind the baby corpse.

“I’ll take the baby corpse.”

“Boy, did you listen to what I just said?”

“Babies are not the ideal base form yes. But every ritual attempt produces a different outcome am I not correct?”

“Your call boy. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Master Zelketh soon retreated into his tent and brought out a wrapped object.

As he placed it in front of him, there was oddly no odor of decay.

“Today’s your lucky day boy. This is my last corpse. It’s mummified and drained of blood, but don’t let it bother you. As long as there’s a shape, the state of the base form does not really matter unless you have a rigid formula. So, you have your Noaxes, your fat, and your base form. What are you using as your ritual catalyst?”

“I’m a Pure Blood. My blood will suffice.”

“Ah yes of course. Total costs will be 215 Duches; 70 for the Noaxes, 85 for the fat and 60 for the corpse. Do you have a Tune Card?”

Cadeus took out his black card.

Master Zelketh swiped his own black card above Cadeus’s, and the designated amount was automatically deducted.

While Cadeus kept his Tune card, he asked a thoughtless question.

“Just to ask, where do the corpses come from?”

“Morgues, the kind we are allowed to have are executed homeless Untouched.”

“Are some of the corpses Mages?”

“If there are Mages, I will be arrested.”

“Of course. Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. Oh and since you are a Pure Blood, if you want to pursue Dark Mutation as a Specialization in future I will be willing to be your Master boy.”

“I’ll give it a thought.”

Keeping the wrapped corpse in his sling bag, Cadeus carried the rest out of Tenebris Vacuum.

There’s a reason why Cadeus accepted the baby anyway.

In the Black Book of Spirits, Zelnarius Pride ve Lu made it clear that sometimes babies can be a good base form to create a wraith. For starters, a baby was entirely dependant on its parents to care and feed it, and it had the capacity to learn things at a very fast rate. This meant that a baby’s corpse strongly symbolizes dependency and the aptitude for exponential growth, and that could be highly reflected in the familiar when the wraith was created.

TOA

Once he finally retreated back into his room, Cadeus got everything out and began reviewing the ingredients he had gathered earlier

He had his Noax, his base form, and the animal fat.

Now, what kind of wraith should he create?

Although there were many types of wraiths, the three primary classes Zelnarius recommended for beginner attempts were Combat, Intellectual and Utility.

Cadeus took a few minutes to ponder.

A combat wraith sounds good.

Cadeus was quick to imagine a wraith similar to the one he encountered in the catacombs. But that soon changed his mind, for he knew that the created wraith would not be that ridiculously strong. Perhaps it would be in a decade or so, but if Cadeus were to create a combat wraith now, it might not be of any use other than help him with simple chores and help him get out of fights. If one thinks further, there’s even the possibility that the newly created wraith might not be so bright when it comes to combat tactics.

Besides, Cadeus already considered himself a close combat mage. At the very least, he preferred casting spells up close to his opponents to casting distant spells from afar. In considering his current capacities, Cadeus believed that the need for a combat wraith was not immediate. Perhaps it would be wiser to consider the other options first.

An intelligent wraith would mean that the wraith would automatically be skilled in the art of magic upon birth.

A wraith like that would prove useful. One big bonus of it was that it could help Cadeus with his homework. Should the need arise the wraith might also help him understand what was going on in class. In addition, an intelligent wraith could be good in magic combat for it could support Cadeus from behind with enchantment buffs or with other long ranged spells.

If there’s one uncertainty, it would be the wraith’s capability to fight its own combat. Strong intelligent wraiths can fend off attacks on their own, but Cadeus did not have the capability to create such a wraith. The wraith he would create would be extremely weak regardless of its intellect due to his current limitations as an amateur Mage. Perhaps now might not be a good time to create an intelligent wraith. Maybe he would in future, but not now.

What about the last option?

An utility wraith?

Hm…

Cadeus pondered. The ideal utility familiar provides multiple services for its master. The most common traits of which would be for it to serve as a skilled helper or a living inventory bag. It might not be as strong as a combat wraith, or as intelligent as an intellectual wraith, but it would have the capability to multitask efficiently and be skillful in administrative matters.

“Hm… that does sound very useful.”

But would it suit him?

At the moment, the thought of having a specialized helper was really appealing. If Cadeus wanted a combat wraith or an intellectual one, he could just try to make one in the near future.

“Hm… Utility wraith it is.”

Now for the symbolizing ingredients…

According to the black book, the most common ingredient representing utility was not some priceless alchemical ingredient, but a simple object easily acquired anywhere.

Simple tools can represent utility. It could be something as simple as a pencil, a notebook, a bag pack or even a calculator.

“Yes… in fact, let’s include all of these in.”

After all, the more the items bearing the same symbolism, the higher the chance the wraith will spawn with the desired feature.

Moving to a drawer, Cadeus took out all the accessories he knew would represent utility. An empty notebook, an ink pen, a quill with its ink bottle, all other manner of stationeries representing utility. There’s even an expensive Texas Instrument TI-84 graphic calculator that his mother got for him for 90 dollars. Sadly enough, Cadeus had never touched it as there were no opportunities for complex mathematics in a world orientating around magic.

“Oh heck, I’ll just let her know that I busted it.”

Cadeus placed the expensive calculator with the others.

Now that the majority of the ingredients represent utility, there’s the option to add other smaller features.

Other than utility, Zelnarius stated that secondary features could be added using other objects representing different features. This was where Cadeus had the option to extend the wraith’s capabilities beyond that of a simple helper.

Cadeus did not want just a utility wraith. He also wanted a very useful wraith.

One or two different objects could do the trick.

“But what exactly do I have?”

Thinking about any interesting items he could possibly have in his possession, Cadeus’s attention soon brought itself to the two items he had collected from two notorious Board Quests.

Moving to closet at the side of his bed, he pulled the drawer out revealing two interesting objects. soon took out what appears to be fragments of a mirror and a corrupted box husk.

“Fragments of Gordon’s Mirror and the Mystical Box husk.”

Yes…

These items might be of use.

Although fragmented, the many pieces of Gordon’s Mirror still retained their magic. They might not have the dangerous capability to force warp people into dimensions that the original mirror had, but they still had remnants of the full mirror’s vast dimensional capacities. Wraiths were automatically granted the ability to teleport and warp themselves, but dimensional magic stems a whole different category of magic. If Cadeus added one mirror fragment to the mix, perhaps that might provide his wraith some dimensional capabilities.

On the other hand, the corrupted box husk called for some concerns. The Mystical Box had the ridiculous capacity to trigger random paranormal influences. Even if used correctly, it’s still unknown what the box could do. So far, the only known person capable of wielding it to it’s fullest potential was the creator, who unfortunately breathed his last a couple of years back. He did leave behind a memoir that contain specific instructions on how to use the box safely. But unfortunately the memoir was lost during the Board Quest. Now, its dubious corrupted husk still retained some traces of magic. Cadeus could sense that it was continuously generating paranormal waves of magic, but its effects were too small to impose any serious change.

Would the box be of any use to him?

“Well… it does generate it’s own magic. Perhaps the created Wraith might have it’s own magic generator.”

Of course, that last bit was a joke. But Cadeus took both out anyway, the box husk and a large mirror shard.

On an off handed note, Cadeus dumped the massive tome of a Encyclopedia of magic and paranormal terminologies that he never bothered reading into the mix. Perhaps this could help his wraith be knowledgeable in all the unfamiliar terms and terminologies that he himself failed to understand.

Putting all the items before him, Cadeus arranged them all neatly on the floor, the utility items at one side with the box, mirror fragment and encyclopedia at the other.

Before he started, Cadeus took a moment to jot down all the details he had made up to this point. he wrote down all the involved ingredients, the base form, the runic circle of choice etc, all in his note book.

Once the last word was written, Cadeus slapped the notebook shut.

Moving to his drawer, Cadeus took out a spare sling bag.

“All right, time to relocate.”

Of course, he could not do the ritual here in his room. Not only was the idea ludicrious, Cadeus would have risked the lives of the other students living here should the ritual go out of control.

No, Cadeus was not going to do such a stupid thing. He would have to experiment the ritual somewhere else.

TOA

Arriving back once more to Tenebris Vacuum, Cadeus saw that the sun had already started to go down. It was a sign that he should not dwell on these grounds for long. Spending time at night in Tenebris Vacuum was highly discouraged due to the increase in the possibility of danger and the influx of paranormal uncertainties. Once the clock hits 8:00 pm, the Educators would all make a full run of the place to make sure that no student remain. If any student were caught lurking about, disciplinary action will be enforced.

Moving quickly, Cadeus moved to the collapsed Obelisk where he often meets Briag.

When he had arrived, he soon found a smooth flat ground he could use for the ritual.

Once he had sorted out all the ingredients, he took out a chalk and stood in front of the object pile with the Black Book in one hand.

According to the Black Book, these were the steps required for the entire ritual procedure.

1. Place the required base form at the center of the intended ritual circle.
2. Arrange the symbolic ingredients into groups according to their symbolism and set them around the base form in a circular manner as illustrated
3. Draw a central circle around the base form and do the same for the ingredient groupings
4. Outline three large circles as indicated around the ingredients and isolate each symbolism with an internal arc
5. Draw the base ritual circle and write out the instructed runic engravings.
6. Outline the Lacars Conduit around the ritual circle
7. Activate the ritual using the ritual catalyst and the Noax.
8. As the procedure begins, activate the six runes one at a time in accordance to the sequence.
9. At the ritual’s peak, add blood into the fold.
10. Once the wraith finishes molding into existence, bind it properly with a name

 

Arranging the ingredients as required, Cadeus knelt on one knee and begun outlining the necessary circles around the ingredients. First, he drew a large circle around the objects. Then, he drew four arcs within that circle to isolate the items representing utility, the mirror shard, the box husk and the encyclopedia. With the three symbolisms isolated, Cadeus proceeded to draw another circle around the first with a radius difference of 3 cm, before drawing a third circle around the second with a radius difference of 1 cm.

Next would be outlining the base runic circle.

Following the depiction, Cadeus drew his selected runic circle around the initial circles. The Book of Spirits recommended five base runic circles. However, given the simplicity of the ritual and the limited number of symbolism groups, Cadeus had chosen the simplest and safest runic circle for this ritual attempt. The Oldeus Circle, a simple runic circle with six activation runes, which simple design usually guarantees a higher ritual success rate and easier ritual control. Scribbling with the chalk, Cadeus finished the symbols, the runes and the many circles and patterns in accordance.

Next, the Lacars Conduit, this was the part that could stink. Prying off the lid, it did not take long for the smell to contaminate the entire room.

“Ah… damn it… why does the deer fat had to smell? Did they put in some sort of preservative?”

Bracing himself, Cadeus stuck his hand into the wet container and pulled out a solid lump of repulsive sticky dough.

While waiting for most the liquid to fall back into the container, Cadeus mold the fat in both hands and slowly split the lump sum into portions before placing each portion at his best at a fixed distance around the marked circle. When he was done, Cadeus quickly reached for a wet cloth and rubbed his hands. But obviously that could not get rid of the stench.

“I should really get local cleaning service once this is all over.”

With the Lacars Conduit in place, it’s time to start the ritual.

Withdrawing his own blood, Cadeus filled two blood vials.

Holding the Noax in his hand, Cadeus activated the magic within. The magic within the Noax soon extended its influenced towards the outlined ritual circle. Although Cadeus could not see it, he could feel the magic molding the ritual circle into the proper set up.

“I really hoped this works…”

Tilting the first blood vial, Cadeus watched as his blood littered the ground. With a stable catalyst, magic filled the air and the Noax automatically initiated the start of the ritual.

Like the ritual from the catacombs, the magic swirled into a continuing spiral. It might not be as dangerous as compared to Fremin’s ritual, but the feeling was the same. Keeping the flow of magic within his control, Cadeus felt magic flowing from the circle outline towards the ingredients.

Once the magic had completely enveloped the entire ritual set up, Cadeus followed instructions and activated the first rune by directing his own magic towards it. When he did, blue light flickered on the rune and this triggered a new reaction. Starting with the base form, the various ingredients began floating off the ground. They rose and simply suspended themselves in mid air at around shoulder height.

As Cadeus continued to activate the other runes in according to their sequence, the ingredients began rotating around in a clockwise direction with the base form as the epicenter. The more runes he activated, the faster the ingredients rotated. Slowly, the paranormal reaction between the runic circle and the ingredients created an unstable aura. The air freckled with intensity as paranormal fusion started to be at work.

After activating the last rune, a shadow began to form around the base form. It enveloped the base form and developed into a black sphere. Slowly and gradually, the sphere began pulling the circulating ingredients towards it. When they entered the sphere, an extremely unstable reaction occurred and sparks of chaotic volatile energy surged from within.

Feeling this familiar sense of stress and tension, Cadeus soon knew that the magic sprouting from within that black sphere was dark corruptive magic. If it weren’t for the Lacars Conduit, the paranormal distortion would have extended itself beyond the room, and Cadeus’s neighbours would soon be banging on his door demanding he stop ruining their night.

In realizing that this was the supposed ritual’s peak, Cadeus moved closer and threw the second blood vial into the black sphere.

When the blood vial entered the shadowy sphere, a new chain of reaction happened. There was a sudden surge of energy, and the rotating ingredients within the sphere began spinning violently. White flashes of light could be seen within the sphere, as the various ingredients came together to create something paranormally distinct.

Whatever was going on within the sphere, it sure was not pretty.

As Cadeus continued to watch, the Noax burned so hot in his hand that he was soon forced to discard it onto the ground.

It was still giving out magic to support the ritual, but from the look of things Cadeus doubted that it would last long.

Should he use the second Noax?

Just when he was thinking about this, Cadeus soon felt a familiar sense of eeriness coming from the sphere. It was the same feeling he got when that catacomb wraith materialized.

Bringing his head up, the shadowy sphere soon change it’s shape and molded into something… indefinite. In addition, it soon developed shadowy veils similar to the one the wraith had in the catacombs.

While far from being complete, the thing that used to be the shadowy sphere began consolidating it’s magical energies within the circle. An immense paranormal pressure began to build up from within the circle, threatening to spill out of the Larcar’s Conduit. The six activation runes soon began to loose their light, and the Noax began to disintegrate under the paranormal pressure. Before Cadeus could observe more, the corruption energy soon distorted the Larcar’s Conduit as the surrounding deer fat began to catch on fire.

“Ah… shit. [Repulsive Act]!”

As an attempt to control the corruptive energy, Cadeus raised a hand and casted a non-elemental barrier around the ritual circle. The last thing he ever needed was the corruptive energy to cause a massive discharge like what happened in the catacombs.

The corruption energy was soon kept in check, but what developed inside the ritual circle started to worry Cadeus.

The thing that used to be the base form soon molded into a big head with a small body with small arms. Oddly enough, there were no legs.

“That’s strange… the Book of Spirits did mention that all wraiths had legs. Did something result in a deviation?”

As the shadowy veils began to clear, the wraith soon created a hooded robe of darkness around it's small body. With it’s hand at it’s sides, it soon sucked in every corruptive energy and cleared the room of any paranormal activities.

All traces of magic from the ritual were devoured, and the wraith remained hovered in the air.

Although it was not moving in anyway, Cadeus could feel that the wraith was trying to finalize its physical connection.

When it was ready, a single eye opened at the very center of the round head.

“…”

“…”

“…”

It just kept staring at him.

“Oh… right.”

Cadeus let down the barrier.

Wait… Cadeus soon felt that he forgot something.

What was that last step again?

Step 10 – Once the wraith finishes molding into existence, bind it properly with a name

“A name huh…”

The small wraith stood there unmoving. It’s shadowy veil steaming from within its robe.

“Veil… Vel. your name will be Vel.”