While saurian elements lean towards their court’s elements, the four saurian courts, manabeasts of other elements are still represented. Including the opposite, antagonistic element, albeit in smaller number than the rest and with a significantly reduced power..

  — Excerpt from The Saurian Primer

  Day 130, 12:20 AM

  The notification let me know I had reached the next realm an instant before the world snapped into clarity and I felt my existence exert itself against reality, pushing and making more space for itself.

  [You have advanced a realm.

  You have leveled up.

  Select a skill within sixty seconds or a random one will be assigned to you.

  Improved Mana Sight - You can see the flows of mana more easily.

  Initial Extended Reach - The range at which you control mana increases slightly.]

  Interesting skills, perception was always a welcome and important thing, but extended reach was better, hands down. Based on my tests, it was only a ten percent increase, then again, it was a ten percent increase. At the peak of the third realm that would be an extra foot, at the peak of the fourth, it would be ten feet, and so on. In certain situations, it was the difference between surviving and redoing.

  The next level up condition was defeating someone of a higher realm. Luckily, Newstar, who had reached the peak of the second realm using the potions I had given him, counted.

  I had a natural urge to get it over with, but I needed to appear dignified before Newstar. To speak properly and never look out of sorts, so, I took a good night’s rest, sleeping some six hours before I entered his cavern and cracked my neck to get his attention.

  “A second realm mageknight.” I answered his questioning look. “How about we spar a bit?”

  “Here?” the youth asked in confusion, as I unslung my metal staff and motioned him to come.

  He charged without thinking and almost by reflex I brought my staff down, knocking him out cold, but retaining enough control not to cause injuries more serious than a lump on his head.

  [You have defeated a higher realm combatant.

  You have leveled up.

  Select a skill within sixty seconds or a random one will be assigned to you.

  Improved Mana Resistance - You resist invading mana more easily.

  Initial Overbearing Mana - Your mana is more difficult to resist and dispel.]

  My life’s philosophy was, ‘offense is the best defense,’ so I made my pick, then approached Newstar sprawled on the floor.

  “Sorry, I went overboard.” I helped him up while he just kept looking left and right, semi-conscious.

  “The acceleration of mental processing is very handy.” Otherwise you would’ve been dead or bleeding your way there.

  “What happened?” he asked, still dazed.

  “We sparred, and you helped me a bit.”

  “How?” His voice shook, shaken as the rest of him.

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  “Age and training. Once you get a couple of decades of fighting under your belt, you will get better. You could also find a master-grade instructor.” I advertised myself, but it went over the boy’s clocked head.

  “What now?” he asked instead.

  “Now I sculpt my realm. As for you, you have the instructions on how to set up an alarm spell seal.” I decided to give him a bit of a tip, feeling slightly bad about clubbing him unconscious. “If you can make it work, you can also use your time more constructively, but even if you fail, practicing scribing should be a better pastime than napping or staring at the ceiling.”

  He nodded, still confused, while I went back to work on my realm, but first I drew an alarm spell seal, using the same ink I didn’t use the last time. I used to think the scribes’ guild people were crazy, charging a whole piece of manarium just for ink, but after using the same vial inside loops for dozens of times, the price suddenly seemed quite reasonable, especially since it was able to withstand the mana loads of my suicide time bomb seal.

  With a new loop start chosen, it was time to experiment with my second realm, but suddenly, I felt tired. For Newstar and the rest of the world, it’s been less than four weeks since we met. For me, it’s been some thirty, forty years, and it’s been nearly a decade since I had taken a break.

  Redo was red, more than ten days left, I might mess up the timing if I go out and miss the count. With that thought, I decided to sleep and play with runic seals, trying to make programmed illusions, which would react to my gestures.

  I knew no such seals, but trying to make them tickled my intellect in a new way, providing some entertainment and helping with my poor mood. When Redo finally came back online, I headed over to Thunderbluff.

  I went to the fanciest tavern, Noble Dragon, looking for entertainment.

  “What would you have, Sir?” the pretty maid asked.

  I couldn’t just say I wanted a fight, instead I pointed at the third realm awakened wearing yellow and black livery, marking him a member of a local chivalric order. “I like his amulet, I want that.”

  I said it loudly enough for the mage or mageknight to hear me. He looked at me like I was trash, and the server paled.

  “I will count to three. If you don’t get out by then, I’ll throw you out, hedge scum.”

  I raised an eyebrow at him and cracked my knuckles.

  “One…”

  ***

  “The accused, Dandelion Blackfist is charged with disturbing the public order, violation of private property, destruction of private property, theft, and inflicting bodily harm to an awakened.” The magistrate glared at me. “How do you plead?”

  It had taken the guards ten minutes to arrive at the scene, then merely another twenty before I was brought before the gray-haired judge. The rich could obviously pull heavy strings when they wanted to.

  “I plead nonplussed.” I grinned back at the man, who was merely at the second realm, like myself. No self-respecting awakened would have bothered playing magistrate instead of focusing on their growth.

  “The dumbass’s realm is hollow, just makeup to look more important in front of others, and yet he dared challenge me.”

  The judge gawked at me, fire and brimstone gone from his face, replaced by dumbfounded confusion.

  “You are still wearing the stolen pendant,” he said, seemingly uncertain about how to proceed.

  “It looks better on me.”

  The man cupped his chin, covering his lips as he focused on me before turning towards the guards who brought me in, as if they could help him.

  “Was he violent? Did he resist arrest?”

  They shook their heads. “He threatened he’d beat us blood if we took his… new shiny.”

  The judge focused back on me, concern creeping into his eyes, his tone turning surprisingly gentle.

  “Are you suffering from heart demons?”

  “Nope, banged the only one until she disappeared.”

  The judge blinked.

  “I’m sorry, I must have misheard.” I hated it when people doubted their senses. Still, I repeated the answer for his benefit, more explicitly the second time to ensure my message gets across.

  He blinked again, and the guards seemed just as stumped.

  “Are you unwell? Are you suffering from any problems?”

  “I’m immortal and bored, and it’s a terrible combination.”

  He cupped his hands and looked at me, then at the guards.

  “He is unwell, lock him up in a dungeon, confiscate his belongings to pay for the damages, and hire a healer to see what’s wrong with him, but don’t use the city funds, just what’s left of his resources.”

  I didn’t like where things were going, but I wasn’t overly surprised. The only thing which surprised me was how decent the judge was.

  “Are you sending me into isolation? Do you mind locking me at Rose’s place? I swear I won’t run away.”

  The man gaped as I mentioned the most expensive brothel the city had to offer, and the absurdity of the situation was certainly like a balm to my weary soul.

  “In your delusions, you are a hazard to yourself and others, you will be kept in solitary confinement until we figure out what to do with you. An initial second realm awakened who can beat up a mid third realm mage is a strategic resource and the citylord will have to consider your fate personally. Take him away.”

  And so, I followed the two guards after chatting with a surprisingly decent magistrate. Sitting in a dark cell, I counted the minutes. Nobody came to see me. They probably planned to use the intimidation tactic, leave me in jail for ten days before taking me out for an audience. Unfortunately for them, Redo refreshed.

  I snapped the citylord’s power-play, along with my neck, and exploded.

  I was back in the cave, just finished talking with Newt, my timing slightly off. Without saying a word, I turned around and headed for Thunderbluff again, leaving the confused youth behind, alone in the cave.

  A week or two of debauchery at Rose’s should be a cure to my condition at least in part. Maybe I could read some novels, assuming I haven’t read everything already.