Ludere walked the familiar route he always did back to home. Usually it was near evening or later afternoon. The sun hit differently in the morning. He needed to get back home, which meant crossing several bridges, the largest of which was several minutes of walking over a large, clear river.

  The Azuria ran alongside the neighborhood his family lived in. It was fresh enough to bathe in, most days, and he itched to just jump in and frolic about. But he was a man now, and whatever else had happened, he was still the same person as he had been, but now with just a modicum of control over his Willpower.

  He couldn't fully hide it.

  The Oracle had spent enough time in the morning explaining why before reluctantly letting him go. That she hadn't made him wear clothing until he left her chambers was, on the balance, a good thing. She hadn't, either, but he was pretty sure that was because she only had one dress.

  She let him go under the condition that he would return sometime later to talk to her. If he hadn't, she promised that she would seek him out. Apparently one of her powers was to be able to find people that she had interacted with in such an intimate manner. He did not have a reason to stop her from finding him, but he was so happy that he'll be able to see his family again.

  It had been so long since he'd seen them.

  It felt like a month. Each loop might have been an hour, but it was a long hour. And he was doing his best to grind his skills through it. Now he could swap skills out with people, and he was going to find Gia and Erebus and make them powerful, as well. If he could do that. The best he could do was to have more powerful people help him out. So if it was true that the demons were going to invade again, then he could actually protect himself and have his friends protect each other.

  He got choked up, seeing the building that his parents lived in. His home was a modest domus and the white and yellow hue mirrored his neighbors'. He found himself walking faster and faster, until he realized he had to hold back from sprinting. It still was early, so his father should be home, and his mother was unlikely to have left, yet. He wanted to come in and have everything be all right.

  Then he was at the door.

  Then he saw his father, and he couldn't hold back anymore.

  "Ludere? Son? We heard about the arena, and…"

  The tears fell freely. In all this time, throughout his visions, he didn't know if he'll ever see his father again. He realized that he could pick the man up easily, and he had to hold back on his strength. A full embrace between the pair had him sobbing.

  "What happened? Someone from one of the noble houses came by to speak to us and tell us that you were a hero! How did you get… What happened to you?"

  "Dad."

  He did not say anymore. His father held him and this went on for far longer than he'd ever intended it to go on. He wanted to face his father like a man but he couldn't. After all that, he still felt like he was a little boy. And then he felt another arm around him as his mother came through.

  "Mom…"

  "It's okay, son. They told us something ridiculous. We're here for you."

  The sobbing increased, and then hit a point of stoppage before they could all begin crying just as hard.

  His mother used her tunic to smooth his tears. "Now, why don't you tell us all about it?"

  The atrium in the center of their house was a familiar one. It felt so strange to be back in it, but he was so happy to not have to think about the next monster that he needed to kill. So many demons had met his spear that he didn't want to let it out of his reach.

  "Son, you can put the spear down. You're safe here."

  "There were a lot of demons. Father, you don't understand. They were lined up. They… it felt so planned out. They operated like the Legion."

  "Now, son, we talked about this: just because they operate like a military doesn't mean that they are military. From what you've told us, it sounds like they just have a strict command structure based off of magic. And I know it's true that Senators and Prefereti get preference for skill gems. But you're not thinking that they learned from us or something, right?"

  "They're not dumb."

  "Ah." Ludere's father turned to his wife.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Don't look at me." She tucked a strand of black hair flecked with grey behind her ear. "I wasn't the one in the military all those years. For all I know, they could have their own military, and this is just them trying to figure out how to get here. I don't know what they would want."

  Ludere shook his head. No one would share as to what the demonic invasion was supposed to be doing, Whether it was supposed to be them trying to take over or just trying to massacre as many humans as possible. He hadn't seen them taking any prisoners.

  It would have been a different thing if he'd seen them take prisoners, but this just looked like a slaughter for no reason.

  "If they wanted to take over, there has to be easier ways," Ludere said.

  "It sounds like you think that they're going to be smart about what they're doing. I promise you that they're probably not that much smarter than any of us. What's going to happen is that the military is going to call their people back. If the demons keep opening gates like that to come here, we're going to have to have a response. The Empire is too big to watch every mile of it. Eventually they're going to find a place to intrude."

  His mother put her hands on his father's back. He deflated. He'd never seen his father look so ready to give up. It was like he was just being strong for the two of them.

  "Well, with your skill, at least we'll be able to do something about it."

  "I don't know what to do about it, though. I don't think I have a direction to go next Saturday. Want to do things? You don't want me to go to these grammarians, do you? Dad?"

  His father scrunched his face.

  "Your father is still adjusting to the knowledge that his son is a hero of the Republic. Things will be different for you now, but they will change for us, as well. If you become a Regni Equia, our lives will change substantially."

  "Regni Equia?" Ludere looked between the two of them.

  "This is the kind of thing that makes Senators recognize you. This is the kind of thing… Son, I don't want to tell you what to do, but I don't think we need to worry about land holdings any more."

  Ludere's mouth was dry. "Maybe we need to have some food. All of this talk about potential things that could happen—it all feels so far in the future. I just want to enjoy the festival, what little I can save. I think, can we not talk about this for a while?"

  "Of course, son. Let's have some food. Your mother and I both would love to speak about anything you want to talk about. Perhaps we can talk about Skills?"

  "I think I would like that."

  Hours later, with his belly stretched as much as it could be, Ludere took the time to take stock of his Skills and write down what he wanted to do next.

  His thoughts went to the Oracle. She wanted to train him. She would find him soon, no matter what he did. He would welcome that, though perhaps that wasn't the only reason she wanted to go after him.

  Their encounter hadn't been fully expected. It was quite enjoyable, but the lovemaking had felt… He didn't have anything to compare it to. That part had been left out of his official reporting to his parents.

  They wouldn't understand.

  It wasn't like he could enter into a marriage with the Oracle, though perhaps if his station rose, he could.

  A knock sounded on the exterior of their domus. Ludere could feel the presence. The familiar Soul Magic of the Oracle worked its way backwards towards him, and he couldn't help but leave the atrium to find her there.

  Somehow, she was alone. The blind woman had traveled all this way on her own, and he almost didn't believe it. But she had a way with souls.

  "I'm sorry. I never asked your name. At least, I don't recall it."

  She smiled briefly. "We give up our names upon becoming Oracles. It's one of those things that we can't keep. We belong to humanity now, not just to ourselves."

  Ludere checked the atrium, but he couldn't sense either of his parents. They'd taken the time to speak in private, and he was just there to be alone for a time.

  "You waited until they both stepped away to address me on my own. You must know something—what is it?"

  Her face flushed as she got closer. "There's something going on, and you've struck on something massive. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but I can't see past it. Maybe with your help, I could."

  He didn't want to talk about what his parents were speculating about. This was real. This was something she needed actual help with that he might be able to do something about.

  "Tell me what I can do to help."

  "I've got these exercises for you. I want you to work through them with me. Let's strengthen your Soul. You told me last night you have Spirit Magic, which I thought was odd, but I had to check. I got a reader, and we read through some of the old records."

  She shook her head. Whatever she'd been about to say had been cut off. His mother walked through the door. She saw the woman in the blindfold and stopped cold.

  "Mother. This is the Oracle."

  She resumes moving. "Ah. Apologies. We don't ever have members of the clergy around to see us, so this is an unexpected surprise. What brings you here?"

  "I've come to talk to your son. He had a lot to say about his actions yesterday and he needs to be trained on how to wield his skills."

  "Ah. Allow me to be of service, then." His mother, always the pragmatist, disappeared, and then returned with an amphora of cold water and two cups.

  "Thank you." The Oracle put a cup up to her lips and drank deeply. "Might I bother you for some food as well? I don't often walk so far alone, but it was imperative that I talk to Ludere."

  "Of course. I was just figuring out dinner…it will be easy to set another plate. Will you be staying with us?"

  "I will be staying as long as you will have me. I have business with your son. The fates have conspired to have us both working together on the same things."

  His mother smiled. "I think that in that case I should prepare the guest room for you. We don't often have guests. Our family is not as close as it once was, but any woman that my son is willing to bring home, is welcome here."

  "Mother, please. If you'll allow me to set up the room. I, at the very least, want to do something productive. All we've done all day is talk."

  The Oracle gave him a look. "You're going to need to learn."

  "You are a godsend. Now I know that someone will teach my son."