“You sure this is a good idea, Teacher?” Vis asks.

  Novus raises an eyebrow as he says, “I had expected that you would be all for this opportunity. You get a proper fight, and also have your friends and tribe meet.”

  Vis’ face carries an uncharacteristic look of concern, and he raises his hand to his forehead.

  “It's just… I'm worried about the others. For mages, the Grand Dunes are maybe the harshest environment they could visit.”

  Novus places his hand on Vis’ shoulder and offers him a reassuring smile.

  “You don't need to underestimate them. I understand you think of them as family, but they are plenty strong. Have some faith.”

  Nodding at the man’s words, Vis sighs before replying.

  “If we manage our resources, there is a good chance of victory. I'll warn them of what to expect,” he says as he turns to leave. As he walks out of Novus' room, he turns to hear his teacher’s parting words.

  “Ensure you keep developing what I taught you. Make it a habit and your power will develop exponentially. That way, you can protect those you care about.”

  Vis frowns, not giving a response as he returns to his companions to explain the situation.

  ?elare grimaces and says, “That's really bad for me. My fighting style is overly reliant on using magic. If I can't regain it, then I have a very limited time of being useful.”

  He whips his head around to look at Astraea immediately after finishing his sentence and continues, talking slowly with an inquisitive tone.

  “Astraea, what does that mean for you?”

  The purple-haired girl hesitates for a moment before responding, “I doubt that it would affect me. Years before my house was cast into ruin by my brother and his allies, the Thanasia house paid us to be allowed to research my soul. They concluded that I require no mana to function. Even as the greatest soul researchers, despite their malevolence, they still have little information on Quasi-mages such as myself.”

  Hunter looks intrigued and interjects.

  “You've told us little of what they actually discovered. I understand why you might want to avoid the topic, though, so…”

  He trails off, seemingly waiting for Astraea to respond.

  “Ask your question, Hunter. It is only logical to be curious, and they will receive retribution once I am capable.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “How much do you know about the soul? Did they tell you anything about their research, or were you left in the dark?”

  Astraea thinks for a moment, and the other three remain silent.

  “The soul is what dictates our being. It acts as a metaphysical heart, allowing life energy to be synthesised from mana. Paradoxically, it also consumes life energy. As a result, your soul decays irreversibly when it lacks this, causing your body to suffer permanent damage. Healing someone restores their body to what the soul embodies, so soul injuries cannot be overcome with healing magic. It-”

  ?elare interjects, “Is that what happens to Divum’s child?”

  Silence consumes the room as everyone stares at him.

  “Sorry, forget I said anything,” he mumbles. After two seconds, Astraea reaches out and places her hand on his shoulder, causing him to inhale sharply, his face slightly red.

  “I think… that is the case. You are almost certainly correct.”

  She turns around and looks straight at the wall, monologuing to herself, barely loud enough for the others to hear.

  “Dolus was present; there was a soul injury. Furthermore, he made some kind of golem. That is soul magic at work. Has he learned soul magic? But he is not talented enough to be a dual mage…”

  She turns back to the others after taking even longer to formulate an idea.

  “I believe the Thanasians have discovered a way to create dual-mages.”

  Vis coughs, causing everyone’s gazes to return to him.

  “This seems off-topic. Can I continue with the rundown of our second mission?”

  Astraea frowns, then flashes him an apologetic look and nods.

  “Great! So, as I said, the Great Dunes have a very, very low ambient mana concentration. Nobody from it can even do magic. Well, I can now, but that's irrelevant. Anyway, we’ll have to control our magic usage as much as possible while hunting the oversized bug. ?elare, the map.”

  The boy takes the continental map out from his pouch and tosses it to Vis, who barely catches it, fumbling with the scroll in his hands. Shaking his head, he unrolls it and begins pointing at marked lines to punctuate his speech.

  “The fastest way there has us stopping at the Churches of Light and Sound, then a couple of hours later we can hitch another ride to the embassy. They'll let us in without problem as long as I'm with you.”

  Hunter glances to ?elare and whispers to him, “Light and sound, that's awfully familiar.”

  The blond chuckles quietly, causing Vis to stare intensely at him.

  “Who's talking while I'm talking?”

  ?elare begins to laugh even harder, and the warrior cracks a smile, unable to keep up the facade. Hunter and Astraea shake their heads at each other, grinning.

  Vis clears his throat.

  “Does anybody have a reason to delay our departure? The sooner we leave, the sooner we will arrive, especially considering it is still morning, when carriages are readily available.”

  Nobody speaks up, so Vis points up to the ceiling.

  “Let us go, then!” he exclaims, and they walk through out of Astraea’s neat and orderly room. As per usual, they find an entirely random door along the seemingly endless corridor, which conveniently takes them out into Alpha.

  Elsewhere, Novus laughs to himself heartily.

  “Everything is proceeding well, all things considered. Now, how best should I reward them so they become as strong as possible, as fast as possible?”

  He taps his temple and stands up from his throne, walking out of his room. After walking through the sixteenth door on the right side of the hallway, he ends up in a huge, dark chamber.

  He can feel a pull on his mana, but resisting it is natural to him at this point. Making his way silently to the far end, he gazes down at a long, serpentine creature on the ground. Beside the end of its tail, several small spheres rest, which he pockets.

  “Soon…” he whispers, his gaze fixed on the Worldgorger.