My head reels from the bright light as I struggle to open my eyes. I take stock of my surroundings and find myself in the same armchair in the library. Mallorc is no longer in front of me, and my head is pounding. I start to shift my weight in the chair and hear some shuffling behind me.
The Old Man clears his throat. “Cam, take it easy—a couple hours of rest doesn’t fix everything. I remember how hard it is to go through each of the Inheritances. When I was in your place I didn’t get any options nearly as powerful as those last two—I can only imagine the havoc those played on your mana flow.”
He hands me a steaming cup with a pale, almost translucent liquid sloshing around. I hold it up to take a sip, but the medicinal smell makes me gag. I look at the Old Man with a plea in my eyes, but he only nods to the cup before taking his back in one large gulp. I steel myself to the task, hold my breath, and down the contents in one swift drink—trying and failing to keep the liquid from touching my tongue. The bitter, sulfuric taste is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before, and I take the cup of water Mallorc hands me to try to wash the flavor out of my mouth.
Before I can get lost in the task of trying to forget that awful drink, I feel a soothing effect wash through my body. My headache washes away and my stiff joints loosen significantly. The pressure I’ve felt under since the beginning of this Inheritance selection falls away as if it didn’t just have me in a chokehold. For the first time today, I feel fresh and at peace. I am lost in this feeling for a few seconds before I remember the weight of my decision—bringing my focus back to the table in front of me, I look at the five remaining inheritances with the dreaded choice sitting heavy on my heart.
I look over at Mallorc and address him carefully. “I am ready to make the choice so I can get stronger. I am stuck between two of the inheritances so I will need your help to look through them and make sure I can practice and progress them.”
I pick up both the CrystalBrew Sutra and Breath of the Petal, handing them to Mallorc to look at. He quickly flips through the first third of the Sutra before setting it down and doing the same with Breath. He slides both of the tomes across the table to me and I can see his face tighten into a frown.
“Master, I can tell you want to say something. Don’t worry about my feelings just tell it to me straight.”
He sighs. “The CrystalBrew Sutra isn’t an option. There is a body modification in it to help awaken an icier constitution—but it relies on a few rare herbs that most scholars believe have been extinct since the beginning of the Devil Incursion.”
I stare off into the distance trying to process the repeated disappointments of the Inheritance selection. Something that started with so much excitement and anticipation has continuously baited me into pitfalls and incompatibility every step of the process. I look at the Sutra one last time, longing for what could have been—angry that no matter what I do the mage path before me is closed. Finally I move my focus to Breath of the Petal. Well I guess that is the one, the only other real option is Three Infusions Breathing but that really doesn’t match my path to power—I’m outright incompatible with the First Infusion.
I turn my focus to the Old Man. Not expecting much I ask, “Were you able to learn anything helpful about Breath of the Petal from the first few pages?”
“In that regard, I have news that is neither good nor bad. The creator of the Inheritance is also the only one who’s ever held it. The groundwork seems very solid and I agree that it is incredibly suited to you. I don’t doubt that you would be able to push it forward—the main caveat being that we don’t know what the art will look like in the future.”
I slowly release the breath I didn’t even realize I was holding in. Relieved by Mallorc’s insistence that there is a solid opportunity to push this art further than it already sits. “If the groundwork seems solid, why wasn’t the creator able to push it forward past the first tier?”
He nods slowly with a pained sadness in his eyes. “Unfortunately that answer is quite simple. The Serene Tea Sage died during the first waves of the incursion. It’s well documented in our archives because the System struggled to find someone to take over the path since he never took an Apprentice. A lot of our knowledge was only found a few generations later by the Wandering Tea Sage.”
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I can only shake my head at the news of the Inheritance’s creator meeting an early end. Portal adventuring has always been the mystic activity on the horizon of my future, but I need to remember how dangerous it is and the danger of devils and monsters within. With a slow breath, I pick up Breath of the Petal ignoring the fear, the anxiety and the System popup describing the Inheritance again. “Maybe the choice was never really mine to begin with… What do I do now?”
He smiles warmly—nostalgia kissing his eyes as he looks at me with the manual in hand. “Run your mana through the tome, creating a connection. Then study what's written and implement the practices in place of Three Infusions Breathing. As far as training goes, you’re officially going to self-study only asking me questions if you hit a roadblock. This will be better practice since you will have to work out progressing the Inheritance on your own.”
I’m startled by his plan to leave me to my own study. It doesn’t align with his promise to help guide me over these next few months so I can be portal ready. Panic starts to ripple through me before the residual soothing properties of the tea calm me. I’m really struggling with the emotional ups and downs that are coming at me too quickly to process. He’s right, if I am going to push this Inheritance forward, it’s best to practice when there is someone who can help me when I’m stuck. I fall into anxious anticipation as I begin to run my mana through the tome. The glowstones on the wall flicker rapidly, and the books on the shelves rattle. The ghostly bell faintly rings in my mind again.
-Inheritance Selected-
I feel a quality change to my mana—it feels airier and flows smoother through my veins. A subtle floral aroma wafts around me as I consciously familiarize myself with the different route my mana flows. I take stock of the mana flowing through the room and immediately notice the breaths of mana emanating from the empty teacups like petals of flowers floating in air. I pull out my Status Card to see if any changes are reflected on it, instantly seeing a change in the Inheritances section of my status.
NAME: CAMDEN DARJEAN
AGE: 20
CLASS: TEA SAGE’S APPRENTICE
PROGRESSION: TIER ONE
AFFINITIES:
MAJOR-WATER
MINOR-EARTH AND WIND
INHERITANCES: BREATH OF THE PETAL (0%)
SKILLS:
TEA SERVICE LEVEL 1
TEA CONNOISSEUR LEVEL 1
MEDITATION LEVEL 1
SAGE’S APPRENTICE LEVEL 1
Mallorc watches me stare at my status for a few seconds. “Okay, I will be back down with dinner in a few hours. The rooms attached to this are for different training purposes. The left door is for meditation, the back door is for combat training, and the right room is a living space with a kitchen, a large variety of teas to choose from for your practice, and a bed to sleep in at night. If you have any questions about what to do come ask me, but you really need to try yourself for the experience. I would recommend starting to read the Inheritance cover to cover multiple times and seeing where you should go from there. For the first month of training you will not leave this room. I will bring all your meals to you, and you can use the restroom that is in the right room.”
I look up from my Status Card abruptly. “What—am I a prisoner? I’m not allowed to leave for a whole month? What about showering and seeing my friends? Mallorc this is not happening.”
I stand in protest and marching past Mallorc for the stairway out. Before I can register he has moved, he grabs my arm and throws me back into the armchair—the force knocking the wind out of me. His grip loosens as soon as he realizes the force he used.
More anger than I have ever seen flashes across the Old Man’s face as he growls, “When have I ever done wrong by you, boy? You need this practice to familiarize yourself with your power and to make sure you aren’t a danger to yourself or your friends. A month to get used to the Inheritance and discover what you can do with. It’s for your own good. It’s also a significant opportunity to take advantage of the increase to your comprehension that is available after selecting an Inheritance.”
The strong reaction from Mallorc takes me off guard. I’ve never seen him act like this—the strain of his voice and the hurt in his eyes melts all of my anger at his suggestion. I flinch a little at the pain but more so at the fact that he’s right. All the time he’s teaching me, it has always been with my best interests in mind. I bow my head, ashamed of how I acted without giving any thought to the opportunities that are only possible because of Mallorc’s support.
Unable to look him in the eye—my gaze sticks firmly to my feet. “I’m sorry. I should have given you the benefit of the doubt before storming off.”
I hear him shift as he stands from his seat—hurt still evident in his voice. “Just take this time to study, Cam. I will be back down in a few hours to check on you, and bring you some dinner. Good luck with the tome.”
With that he turns around and shuffles up the stairs until the sound of his steps no longer reaches me. I look down at Breath of the Petal, noticing for the first time the lotus flower imprinted in the leather cover. “Well, here goes nothing,” I say as I open the tome to the first page.
