Chapter 87—The Father

Chapter 87: 87—The Father Lucen stood a short distance from the Grey Keep, trying to examine everything he got from Kedral. He originally planned to use the training yard, but everyone and their grandmother was up there testing the spells they got. He needed some silence to think about everything. He was back where they fought the Shapeless wolf. The Void glistened behind him like a sheet of black ink, titanic forms shifting behind it. Lucen felt its pull on his skin and grimaced. "That’s so annoying." He took the black box out of his space ring and opened it gently, picking up one vial of Green Lake elixir and reading the paper instruction on how to use it. Three times a week. He decided to take one now. But checked the prescriptions for Cordvein to know if he could take them both at the same time. [Kedral has finally taken his eyes off us, so I’ll say these work well together. The elixir focuses your mind and improves perception. Cordvein puts your soul under extreme stress and you have to control the mana in your soul to fight it. Take both at once.] Lucen pretended like he heard nothing just in case Kedral was actually still watching them. He had stopped speaking to the Devourer system some time after Kedral arrived. The man watched him even from afar for any unnatural behaviour. He decided to put the elixirs back first and look for the spells. Minor Divine channelling didn’t mean much to him, but now he could publicly use Divine magic. It was the most strictly controlled mana type. Lying to Chester about buying a Divine channelling technique off a traveller would get him executed. [This channelling allows you to use healing and defensive Divine spells. I’d recommend just shelving it, fusion won’t change much. At King-rank and Hegemon-rank, channelling techniques become more specialized for their mana. Like Hegemon-rank Elemental channelling could specifically draw plant mana.] Plant mana was a subset of Earth and Water mana. Lucen found it strange that channelling techniques would become more limited. There were two High-rank spells. The first was a water spell that created a tail of water he could use to swim faster or launch powerful attacks behind him. The scrolls came with a manual and illustration. The second spell was a Divine spell that fired a beam of superheated golden light. In the illustration, it blasted burning holes in boulders. Its activation speed was incredible too. He clasped his chin and thought for a moment. He decided to test the elixirs first. His soul and mind might be worn after, but he suspected he wouldn’t be mastering the spells today anyway. Before he could open the vial, he heard footsteps. He turned around, jaw tightening as the person came into view. Heimar. He marched across the grass like it offended him, barely held-back fury burning in his golden eyes. He wore a sharp black coat with golden epaulettes and buttons. Lucen packed up everything and stored it in his space ring, rising to his feet after to face Heimar. Something was very wrong. Heimar had never even spoken to him before, since his literal birth. Lucen bowed and saluted, feeling uneasy. Heimar stopped a few steps from him, a nasty glare on his face. "Sir Heimar, it is a pleasure to see you," Lucen said, "is there a problem?" "You told Selene quite the ridiculous story, huh?" Heimar said, "filling her pretty little head with your stupidity." Lucen swallowed. "That’s none of your business." "I’ve endured a lot of your actions because of your mother, but I will not let you go out and further disgrace me. She’ll stay here with us and you will go where you are told. In fact, after your quest, don’t return. Stay wherever the hell you find yourself and wait for orders." Lucen’s mouth turned bitter. He raised a glare at Heimar. "No. I’ll go where I please. If you don’t want me disgracing you, then you’ll leave me and my mother to leave." "And what are we to do about those eyes?" Heimar sneered, "Pluck them out, if you feel so bold as to betray us." Lucen’s head was spinning. Betrayal? He was barely a part of the family. But If he didn’t have these eyes, then he wouldn’t even be recognised as a Lightcloak. Heimar paced around. "With everything that’s happening to us, you still try to cause more problems. If Koril wasn’t around, I’d chain you in the pits and forget about it." Lucen finally understood why Heimar was being so unreasonable. The physical rune. He couldn’t get one without Alger’s permission. "You can’t keep Selene here. I’m certainly not going to do anything to disgrace the Lightcloaks," Lucen promised, "I’ll hide myself somewhere far away and live my life till death catches up to me. If you have any sympathy in your heart for us as my father, you’ll—" "I’ll what?" Heimar roared, stepping up to his face. "Tell me, halfblood, what you are ordering me to do? You think I’ll take your flimsy promises? Will you swear on the Pillar of Eternity to never use magic again? To sever yourself from humanity? You don’t tell me what to do!" "Father," he scoffed. "If I had made sure Selene took that draft, then I’d never have this problem. You’d be long dead." Lucen felt a sharp pain run through his head. He clenched his teeth, holding back. Heimar stepped away, breathing hard. He kept murmuring to himself. It made Lucen suspect that he had just heard some bad news. So now he was bringing that anger to Lucen. "With Selene here, I can at least relieve some stress," Heimar muttered to himself. "What did you just say?" Heimar turned on him, glaring. "What’s that tone? Don’t speak to me like that, halfblood. Are you going to stop Selene from talking to me? Next time she comes to beg me, I’ll make her—" Lucen’s spear flashed into his hands. His golden eyes were wide and cold. "Don’t say another fucking word." Heimar’s mana exploded around him, a Divine blue light with golden specks. His face twisted into a mask of fury. "Don’t you dare order me, halfblood trash!"