“Where did you meet the three of them?” He asked and his pen moved on the notepad with his words. Probably some alteration magic. Klein envied the ability to do it. He wished he could delegate his homework to magic and not punish his hands for it.

  He pushed the thought out of his mind. This was more serious. He gave Professor Loch a look who nodded at him, and spoke, “I met them when I was out delivering an order,”

  “Can you detail to me more about this order, why you carried it out, and to whom you delivered it?”

  “I run a business of magically enchanted blankets with two of my peers. Alain Capra, and Amelia Cavazza. Before the holidays, we got an order from Djerv Roosel, a merchant residing in the Linton Borough. He had a marriage ceremony, and he ordered 20 blankets for his guests. I had to go because my partners are back home during the holidays,”

  “I understand. Now, more about the three gangsters. How did you come upon them, and how did it all lead to you being in their factory in a deadly match of gunshots?” He asked and Klein was sure he could feel the Detective tense a bit. He didn’t know if it was the lack of cigarettes or if he was really interested in his story.

  Klein had thought it hard in the time he had before their arrival.

  “I am a natural information mage. It’s a trait, as told to me by my Mentor,” Klein motioned towards Tillmann who only nodded at Zachary’s look. “I only found out about it the day before the delivery, and had been practising since then. As you know, I’m a Stiffer, so the access to any new magic is a god-blessed gift.

  “I had been curious about them, given their apparel. Black cloaks in the middle of the day? Very suspicious. I tried to drop in on their conversation. Initially it was mostly an attempt to learn more about my powers by eavesdropping on people,” Detective Zachary raised an eye at that, so Klein quickly corrected himself, “I wouldn’t do it on normal people. But c’mon, you gotta give me some leeway with shady people,” He protested.

  “I did not say anything, Mr. Skyla. I don’t see why you felt the need for a clarification,” He smiled. Klein cursed under his breath. “So yes, what did you hear?”

  “I heard them talking about some kid who had stolen something of theirs, I suppose. They were talking about some incident, I don’t know what. One of those guys was asking their leader if they’d be able to harvest his organs and such,”

  “And you thought that the best option would be to engage them in a fight? That too in the Charting Borough?” A smidge of disgust flashed through his face at the mention of Charting Borough.

  It irked Klein more than he let on. He wondered what the man would say or do if he found out he was from the Charting.

  “No. I did not. I only wanted to follow them and see where their lair was. I managed to stay undetected for a while, but I don’t know when they caught scent of me. They stopped in the outer edges of Charting, and I stopped in an alley to observe them, but someone suddenly ambushed me from behind and knocked me out cold,”

  “Ambushes everywhere. I hate them,” Zachary shook his head and continued, “Okay then, what happened after that. When you woke up, and all,”

  What followed next was a distorted but somewhat accurate rendition of the fight that went on. Klein removed every instance of his use of his powers to keep the existence of the upgrade under covers, but he still feared what they might find if they searched the factory.

  His magic wasn’t one to fade away with time. It would stay on forever and ever, having changed the material on a fundamental level.

  By the time he finished, he had successfully blamed most of his success on his new trait and some wits on his part, and a lot of luck.

  The detective stayed silent as his story finished, his pen continued to scratch at the notepad.

  “You have been quite lucky, if I must say. Unfortunately for me, I wouldn’t be able to differentiate how lucky you really were or if you had hidden some things. Somehow, the factory was empty of anything except some craters in the ground and the bodies of the four people, who match your descriptions,” The detective looked at his notepad as he spoke. Unfortunately for him, he missed the shock which flashed across Klein’s face at those words.

  Tillmann Loch looked at him with intent.

  The detective continued to speak, “I’d say though, it was quite impressive of you to be able to come all the way here with those wounds. It takes a lot of balls and a will which impresses even hardened officers like me. If you were a little older, I’d have even tried to recruit you,” He gave Klein a look, who by then had schooled his expressions, “But maybe that’s for a few years down the line,”

  He stood up with that, his notepad and pen already in his coat, and extended a hand towards him. Klein shook it with his right. It was a little harder, but he did it.

  “You’ll be given a monetary reward of 10 gold coins for this feat–which although was extremely dangerous, reckless, and most probably illegal in ten different ways–was still something which helped the city council a lot. We recommend you not repeat this feat though, as rewards won’t be on the other side for you always.

  “I’ll see you around kid,” He nodded at Tillmann Loch and went away. His professor, on the other hand, did not leave with him. Klein already had an inkling of where this would go.

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  “Is there anything you’d want from me, Professor? I’m feeling a little sleepy and tired. If you don’t mind turning off the light while you go…” He tried to feign ignorance and delay the talk. He tried.

  “Now now Mr. Skyla. We’ve known each other for a year now, haven’t we? Also remember the bit about information magic? I’m pretty sure Mr. Haur too felt you stiffening up at certain times through the vibration of air on your skin.

  “But even though I hate to badmouth someone, he is a little lax with his job. He probably didn’t think much into it anyways. Nor did he have as much information as me.

  “I’ll cut to the chase, Mr. Skyla. I know you are hiding something from me, and I’d very much appreciate that you come clean with me if you really wish for my help. It’s considered very rude to keep your well wishers in the dark like this,” His stern eyes spoke more than his words. They wanted answers, and no deception.

  Klein sighed and slacked on his bed. He knew this was gonna happen sooner or later. There was only so long before he could hide his new abilities from his mentor.

  He hasn't wished to hide much from him either. Gaining the support of someone like him would be a tremendous help to him in all ways. He just hadn’t been sure… how much he could trust him.

  I guess that doesn’t matter anymore.

  He looked at Honker who too stared at him with those deep beady eyes of his.

  “I’d like you to meet Honker, first. He’s my insider informant,” Klein said.

  “Hmm, I did feel the mana in the creature. A magical beast, one in the form of a goose is rare, but not impossible. I wonder how you communicated with each other…”

  “Like this,” Klein said as he sweeped the sand on his desk in his hands, and scattered it across the floor. The sand rearranged to spell, “Hello,”

  “Fascinating application of luck magic,” His mentor looked at the sand intently, then at Honker.

  “I must admit, this has already been more interesting than I expected, but I’d expect a more detailed summary, if you must,”

  Klein sighed and started his story. He talked about the day he went on the adventure, about the fight, and then the piece he obtained. He talked about his finding a second soul star in his body, and how he had the vision of his system screen which detailed him about his new ability.

  To prove his point, he took one of his pillows and hardened it like steel. He let the professor examine it for a while, who then quietly returned it back to him.

  He then talked about his meeting with the goose, how he found out about the attack, his search for more pieces, and how he finally came to him for help.

  He also mentioned that the three people were looking for him when he found them.

  Professor Loch to his credit, did not seem to be as panicked as him about this information. He calmly took it all in, and even after he finished the story, he sat there patiently.

  Finally he stood up, and paced around the room. Slowly, Klein saw his hand rise to his hair and ruffle it. He finally understood why he always had disheveled hair, despite looking so gentlemanly in other ways.

  A full ten minutes later, he finally calmed down. He looked at Klein intently, and asked, “How many people have you told about this?”

  “No one except you, yet. And maybe Honker, but he knew all of it already. He was the one who used to help the people find the pieces before he was freed,” Klein answered.

  “That’s good. You should keep it that way. It is better for everyone the less it goes out. If people find out that the system still exists, even in this form, then it’s gonna cause havoc,” He said.

  “Sir… why do I feel like you already knew about the system? What is going on? Is this some sort of upper echelon secret that I shouldn't be aware of?” Klein asked.

  Tillmann nodded and said, “It’s not something everyone knows, no. For most people, it wouldn’t even make a difference. Do you know about the Guardians under the King, Klein?”

  “Yes. They are a special force of mages with very specialisations in their field. They are the first form of defense against any external threats to the kingdom. Why?”

  “They are all Stiffers. Raised and trained by the kingdom. Their specialisations make them less versatile alone, but in a group? They are a terror,” Klein probably didn’t hear a word after the word ‘Stiffers’. He had looked up to the Guardians. They were, after all, one of the strongest mages in the kingdom. A shining idol to follow. And now he was being told that they too were Stiffers? Stiffers like him?

  “Does it mean… I could reach that far too? Become as strong as them?” Klein asked shakily.

  “Yes,”

  “Why didn’t you tell me before?” He didn’t know if he was angry at the man, or not.

  “It is illegal, Mr. Skyla. Do you think the crown would dilute its power by giving up such an essential source of strength? The Guardians keep the kingdom safe. That is enough justification for their actions,” He sounded stern, like he wished to dissolve himself from the situation.

  Klein stayed silent and looked at his feet. They were hidden by the blanket.

  “Would you rat me out now? Let the Guardians come and take their piece away?” He asked.

  “No. The piece cannot be taken once you have it. Nor do I wish to give you away. Although… I cannot help you if you must strive for more pieces. I am honour bound to not act against the interests of the crown,” He said. Klein could see his shoulders slouch, as if the decision weighed heavily on him.

  He looked at Honker, and smiled wryly, “Guess it’s just me and you, afterall,”

  The silly goose in return honked.

  “Now don’t go running around, making plans already, Mr. Skyla. I said I couldn’t help you in retrieving the pieces, but I could certainly help you get ready for it,” Tillmann smiled as he saw his pupil’s eyes widened “I’ve spent many years teaching Stiffers Mr. Skyla. I understand the desperation you feel. Not to mention your situation is certainly odd, and more dangerous. I hope for you to survive, and grow strong.

  “The crown has many pieces, and more Guardians than they would require. For once, I want to build my own Guardian. I wish to see how far you can go, Mr. Skyla. Please don’t disappoint me.” He smiled and walked towards the door.

  “Let’s meet tomorrow in my office after you are discharged. There’s much to talk about, and much for you to catch up on,” He left with those words.

  For a moment Klein stared dumbfounded at Honker. The bird too seemed to be a little shocked, but it overcame it much faster than Klein did.

  Klein had a beautiful dream that night.

  #

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