Nikolai hurried after Simi, who, despite her shorter legs, was walking incredibly fast. Saxhaven was teeming with people as usual, and the two weaved through the bustling market street.

  Once again, he’d been unceremoniously dumped through a shadowy portal by Vitzer only minutes after the “briefing” was over. He was glad to be back in the city, but also incredibly annoyed at the grumpy bastard. Simi didn’t look any happier, though Nikolai suspected her irritation was directed at him rather than her father.

  “I know my father wants you to join my team for a while, but I don’t see how much use you’ll be. You’re not just a newbie—you’re the newbie of all newbies. And you’re an idiot on top of that!” Simi growled as he caught up.

  Nikolai rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fully aware of your opinion. You’ve said so more than once. If you want me to go do my own thing, I’m perfectly fine with that. In fact, I’d prefer it. So please, just say the word, and I’m gone.”

  Simi clicked her tongue in annoyance but didn’t reply. Nikolai grinned. “You won’t, though—because you’re afraid of your daddy.”

  Simi’s punch came so fast he barely registered it before he was doubled over, gasping for air.

  “You’d better shut your mouth, Nikolai, or I swear I’ll fry you from the inside out!” she growled, lightning crackling between her fingers.

  Nikolai raised a hand, still struggling to breathe. “Alright, point… utterly understood,” he wheezed.

  “Right now, you’re useless to me. In fact, you’re a liability! We’re between jobs, taking a short break. You’ve got maybe three weeks to improve, or I swear I’ll throw you into a pack of frenzied monsters and watch them rip you apart while I eat a snack!” she said, her tone deadly serious.

  Nikolai straightened slowly, still wincing. “Fine. What do you suggest, then?”

  She gestured to a nearby shop. “You need gear, you need training, and you need to reach stage three—though that might be a stretch in a month. You’ll go to the hospitarium and spend half your day healing patients there. Every morning, you’ll come to the guild. I’ll arrange an instructor. Every night, you’ll practice mana control until you can use darkness as a physical force.”

  Nikolai blinked at the surprisingly reasonable plan—then grinned. “Sounds good!”

  Lazgrim looked genuinely shocked to see him walk through the huge double doors of the hospitarium. A nurse had rushed off to fetch him the moment they’d spotted Nikolai, and now the dwarf stared with wide eyes.

  “Lad, you’re alright?” he asked.

  Nikolai shrugged. “I’m fine. Why? Oh—sorry for disappearing, by the way. There were… circumstances.”

  Lazgrim scoffed. “Knowing Moulin, she probably wanted to treat you herself. Never did trust anyone else to do a proper job.”

  “You know my master?” Nikolai asked, surprised.

  He rolled his eyes. “A Gravling in a white robe, snapping at everyone while collecting one of my employees? Who else could it be? Never mind that—how are you, lad? You gave us quite a fright.”

  “I’m fine,” Nikolai said with a smile. “Fully recovered and ready to do some work.”

  Lazgrim squinted at him, then smiled. “You’ve grown a bit in power, haven’t you? Reached the next stage, did you? Congratulations! There’s plenty to do—but first, I’d like to ask you something. What spell did you use to help that adventurer lad? No—don’t answer here. Let’s talk in my office.”

  He led Nikolai through the building to a humble room lined with wooden furniture and a single bookshelf. A rectangular window overlooked the hospitarium’s herb garden—an enclosed courtyard filled with greenery where patients and healers could rest away from the city’s noise.

  Birds chirping outside lent the room a rare serenity. Nikolai sat opposite Lazgrim, who poured him a cup of tea.

  “So, lad,” Lazgrim began, eyes locked on him, “I admit I’m curious about how you counteracted that curse. It left you in a coma, and I wasn’t back in time to see to you myself. By the time I arrived, you were gone. Now, I’ve got my suspicions—perhaps you can confirm a few things.”

  Nikolai tried not to squirm under the dwarf’s direct gaze. “I’m… not sure how much I should say, to be honest.”

  “Let me guess,” Lazgrim said. “You used pure essence.”

  He’d hit the mark exactly. Nikolai’s expression must have betrayed something, because Lazgrim sighed. “Moulin… she always did like to experiment, but this is too far.”

  “This wasn’t her fault,” Nikolai said quickly. “She didn’t teach me what I did.”

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  “Oh?” Lazgrim’s eyes narrowed. “So this was your idea, then? What did you do? Essence transfer is a rare rune—and dangerous at low stages—so I doubt that’s what you used, but…”

  Nikolai hesitated, then decided to trust him. “It wasn’t essence transfer. It was essence drain.”

  Lazgrim froze. His eyes lifted slowly to meet Nikolai’s. “What was that, now?”

  “Essence drain,” Nikolai repeated evenly.

  “That’s a dark affinity spell, not a light one. It does the exact opposite of—wait. The husband… No. Don’t tell me. They actually did it? Those crazy Gravlings actually managed it!?” Lazgrim’s voice rose with incredulity.

  “Before I answer, what’s your relationship with my master?” Nikolai asked carefully.

  “Moulin was my master too—long ago. I graduated, but she never stopped preaching balance—light and dark in harmony. When she met Vitzer, that crazy bastard, they started experimenting. Lad, what did they do to you?”

  Nikolai exhaled slowly. “Alright. Yes, I’m the result of an experiment. I had no affinity when I met them. They offered me a chance—and in return for being their test subject, they’d teach me if it worked. A lot happened after that… and now I’m here.” He wasn’t sure speaking so openly was a good idea, but it was out there now..

  Lazgrim’s expression darkened. “Those two… experimenting on people like that. You say you were affinityless—how’s that possible unless… Ah. You’re not from this realm, are you?”

  Nikolai’s eyes widened in surprise, and shook his head. “I’m not. How did you know?”

  The dwarf sighed heavily. “It’s not as rare as you might think. So they took a newly arrived youth—confused, vulnerable—and put him through a dangerous experiment. Those two are incorrigible.”

  “It was my choice, Lazgrim. I was given an offer, and I took it. I won’t pretend it was fun or painless, but I can’t argue with the results.”

  Lazgrim studied him a moment longer, then nodded. “Alright. Putting your masters aside—what did you actually do?”

  “I reversed the spell,” Nikolai said with a small grin. “I forced Light mana through the drain, so instead of taking it, it gave. When I ran out, I asked the man to help—and he willingly lent his essence. I used that to save her. It was desperate, but it worked.”

  Lazgrim gaped for a moment, then burst into a half-laugh, half-groan. “Bloody hell, lad—that was reckless! Reckless, but ingenious! Insane, yet brilliant!”

  “Thanks, but honestly, I wasn’t thinking about brilliance at the time. Just… trying to save her.”

  “Perhaps so,” Lazgrim said, sipping his tea, “but the result speaks for itself. A dual-affinity mage with Light and Dark—impossible, yet here you are. It intrigues me, but please, don’t ever use that method again if you plan to work here.”

  “I won’t,” Nikolai promised. “And thank you for not throwing me out. Also—please keep my affinity secret. I don’t think I’m supposed to tell people.”

  “Not an issue,” Lazgrim said, waving a hand. “I’d never betray one of my master’s apprentices. Still—if the zealots caught wind of this… no, best not dwell on it. Just keep it hidden, lad. Now—about your work...”

  That night, Nikolai collapsed onto his bed in a heap. It had been an exhausting day. Lazgrim had kept him busy until long past dinner. Yet he felt content. He’d never planned on being a healer, but helping people… it felt right.

  The next morning, a man arrived to fetch him. He wore loose-fitting yellow and purple clothes, topped with a feathered hat. Without a word, he handed Nikolai a sealed letter and then led him through the city.

  It was early—so early that few were on the streets—and they made good time. Nikolai wanted to explore more, but his escort from the messenger’s guild set a brisk pace.

  After half an hour’s walk, they reached the Adventurers’ Guild. The building was large, square, and starkly grey—more fortress than hall. Riveted steel doors guarded the entrance, flanked by a stone-faced guard.

  “What do you want?” the guard asked in a flat tone.

  Nikolai handed over the letter. The man broke the seal, read it, and nodded before knocking on the door with the pommel of his sword. “Come inside. Pavel’ll be in the bar, most likely.”

  Nikolai thanked him and stepped inside. The interior was more inviting than the exterior suggested—though still plain, sparsely decorated, and mostly empty. A bearded man snored loudly on a couch by the wall. There was a small reception desk—and a large bar that dominated half the room.

  A man sat at the counter chatting up the barmaid, who was smiling with polite exasperation. When Nikolai approached, she looked up with a friendly grin. “A new face! Welcome—come sit.”

  The man turned and glared at Nikolai. He looked about sixty, his skin weathered by decades in the sun. Deep crow’s-feet framed his eyes, and his shoulder-length hair was mostly grey. “Boy, it’s rude to interrupt a man while he’s courting a lady—especially one as lovely as Millie here.”

  The barmaid—Millie—rolled her eyes. “Keep your mouth shut, Pavel. You’re not courting anyone. I don’t know this guy, but frankly, he’s closer to my bed than you are.”

  Pavel’s glare shifted to Nikolai. “See what you did, brat? You ruined my rhythm! I had an entire performance poultice ready!”

  Millie grinned wickedly. “I’m sure this young man doesn’t need such an aid to perform. Do you?” she asked, winking at Nikolai.

  He coughed, blushing, while Millie laughed and Pavel scowled.

  “I, uh… have a letter,” Nikolai said, handing it over. “Simi told me to come meet you for training—but you seem… busy.”

  Pavel snatched the letter, skimmed it, and swore. “That little—she does me one favor, and now she thinks she owns me!? Well, I’ll show her! Get lost, boy!”

  Millie leaned on the counter, smirking. “One favor? She saved your sorry life and kept the Governor’s Guard from tearing you apart. You owe her, Pavel. So stop grumbling and do your job. And do it well—he looks pretty green.”

  “I’m as green as they come,” Nikolai said cheerfully. “Never even held a sword!”

  Both stared at him. Pavel sighed deeply while Millie bit back a laugh.

  “Boy,” Pavel said in a tone of pure exhaustion, “why are you here?”

  “I was told to come,” Nikolai said brightly. “But I also want to learn. I’m not sure what Simi’s planning, but I’m guessing it’s dangerous.”

  “Dangerous? Everywhere’s bloody dangerous,” Pavel muttered. “Fine. Come with me. I won’t promise miracles—but I will enjoy wiping that grin off your face.”

  Nikolai’s smile faltered slightly, becoming just a touch brittle. “Right… okay then.”