I found myself in the abandoned wing of King Casimir Academy. Cobwebs surrounded me, the area was cloaked in darkness despite light streaming in from broken windows, and bits of shattered furniture littered the ground.

  If there was a reason in the lore why this part of the school was abandoned, I did not know it. Still, just walking through the place sent chills down my spine. A sense of unease settled about my body. I felt like a mouse walking through a house full of cats.

  The silence was eerie. I couldn't even hear any rats scurrying about or the draft from the trees blowing outside. And that's with all the windows destroyed. It was especially strange because I could see tree branches shaking hard in the breeze. There was enough wind that I should have heard it indoors. But there was no noise.

  However, the smell was horrible. It was a mixture of must, dirt, rot, and a disgusting assortment of other horrid substances. I gagged with every step I took. My stomach was like a sea in turmoil. Yet, I kept going.

  I'd have left this place a long time ago if I wasn't desperate. But all my plans for surviving the first boss involved magic, and this was the only way I knew I could get it.

  For a moment, I considered asking Millia for help. That thought left my mind as soon as it entered. I'm a noob as far as she's concerned. She gave me some items, yes, but she barely trusted me with them. I doubt she'd want me to learn magic until she's certain I won't do anything stupid with it.

  I couldn't blame her for her attitude. And I might have been doing something stupid right then. But I didn't have many options, and I didn't want to die.

  Going deeper into the abandoned area of King Casimir Academy, I ended up in a room that was a void of complete darkness. And I don't mean that it was normal blackness. Light simply did not exist in that wretched place. Still, I took a deep breath and stepped inside.

  The door slammed shut behind me. A jolt of fear pulsed up my spine. I took a deep breath, stagnant air flowing into my lungs, to calm myself. Showing fear would hurt me.

  "Well, well, well, what have we here?"

  This sonorous voice echoed through the room. I couldn't tell where it was coming from.

  "A little boy, coming into my lair."

  "I'm not afraid of you," I repeated the dialogue from the game.

  "Oh? Well, you should be. You should be very, very, very afraid."

  I shrugged, making it look as casual as possible.

  "Someone hiding here to prank me isn't very scary," I said.

  A lump of darkness appeared in front of me. It was like a tumor or zit growing on the floor. More bumps appeared on top of it, eventually growing to the size of a bodybuilder.

  The amalgamation burst in a wave of light, blinding me for a brief moment. When my vision returned, the entire room was bright. This illumination came from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

  At its center was a two-meter-tall, four-armed humanoid. It was masculine in appearance and looked mostly like a human. However, its face was like that of a hairless tiger, save a bushy white mustache. And yes, it had the fangs of a big cat.

  Its clothes were Southeast-Asian in nature. Though they had far more jewelry than most garments from that location. Just seeing this thing sent chills down my spine.

  Yes, I knew exactly what this thing was. While I avoided spoilers, I looked up what it was before I made any deals with it in-game. I even looked up what the best deal to make with it was.

  The thing standing before me was the Duke's Duplicity's take on a rakshasa. Worse still, it was also something known as an anti-god. I didn't research any further to avoid spoilers, but there's no way that was a good sign.

  "Welcome to my lair," the creature said with a polite bow. "I am the Omenthief of Khemer, unjustly banished from my homeland, so many leagues away."

  I bowed back, recalling the game's dialogue options. I'd need to give the Omenthief a false name. And Dante provided one.

  "My name is Pierre de Mantz. It is an honor to meet you," I said.

  The rakshasa grinned, revealing that it had rows of teeth like a shark.

  "Ah, a man of the gentry. That is, unless naming customs have changed since I was imprisoned here," the Omenthief said.

  "They have. I am no noble," I replied.

  It nodded.

  "I was a noble among my kind, not that humans care about status amongst my kindred. But that does not mean we cannot be pleasant," the Omenthief stated.

  Then, it sat midair as if there was an invisible chair under it. The Omenthief waved its lower right hand around, and a portal in the shape of a dark circular void formed. It stuck its hand inside.

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  "Tell me, would you like something to drink?" it asked.

  Always accept the Omenthief's gifts. If you refuse, he will set his jaws upon you and devour you. And a cursed gift is better than dying now. That's what a lore book I read said. Even among rakshasa, this guy is a bastard.

  "I would be honored to have one," I answered.

  "Splendid," the Omenthief nodded.

  Its hand left the portal, clutching a severed human head. I felt like throwing up as I saw blood dripping from its neck. This chopped head came from a boy younger than I was.

  The Omenthief held the head by the neck and chopped it with its upper left hand. This cut open the top of the skull. Reaching inside, the monster removed the brain and threw it onto the ground. It landed with a sickening splat.

  With a smug smirk, the Omenthief handed me the severed head.

  "Brain fluid. I find it has such a delightful taste, the younger the better. Go on, have some," it said.

  I knew this was coming, but the awful smell made me want to puke. Still, this was better than dying.

  Without hesitating, I grabbed the severed head and started to drink. I'd need to down every last drop of brain fluid if I wanted to live. It made me want to throw up. But I kept downing it like a man getting water after journeying through a desert. I felt the blood start to spill down my mouth and adjusted how I drank. I couldn't afford to make it look like I was trying to spill a single drop.

  The Omenthief burst out laughing.

  "By the Daeva, I did not think I'd meet a human like you here! It has been so long since I've met someone so...willing," it said.

  I finished drinking the brain fluid. Inside, I felt horrible in every possible way. But I forced my face to contort in a smile. Anything less, and I might be torn limb from limb.

  "That tasted great," I said.

  "Glad to hear it," the Omenthief replied.

  It grabbed the severed head before putting it back in the portal. Then, the dark void closed.

  "You are unusually pleasant company for a human," the Omenthief stated. "Most of your kind would be screaming by now. I find it most intriguing."

  "Thank you," I said, wanting to vomit as the words escaped my mouth.

  The Omenthief leaned closer, grinning literally ear to ear. I could see every bit of the inside of his mouth. It was all coated with tiger teeth. Even his tongue was covered in them. Hell, there was a single tooth hanging from its uvula.

  "I think I should reward you for being such good company. It has been so very long since I've met a human like you, after all," it said.

  Now, I still remembered exactly what to say next.

  "A reward? You are truly generous to give someone as unworthy as me a reward."

  "Generosity is a weakness, one that I unfortunately possess," the Omenthief stated. "I will teach you two magic spells. Tell me what you would like to learn, and knowledge of them will form in your mind."

  "Orb of Destruction and Fist of Power," I said.

  A flood of information poured into my brain. It felt like my head was swelling up to the point of bursting. White hot pain crashed in like a truck tumbling from a mountain, and I clutched my skull while doing everything I could to keep from screaming.

  Imagine a field of red rabbits, biting each others' skulls, eating each others' flesh. The fox sings as it sees this spectacle with seven signs, seven sins, seven bloody fists. Tear out the rabbit stomachs, eat their intestines.

  Feel the blood. See the blood. Taste the blood. Love the blood. Let the blood be your hunger.

  Mash the rabbits' eyeballs, turn them into stew. Seven heads, seven guests, into the goop. An eighth man comes to turn them into paste. Quick, bring the bride, make haste!

  When I came to, I was lying on the floor of an empty hall. Augusta sat next to me. Her hands were pushing my chest, and her face was plastered with concern.

  "Please, wake up, Dante," Augusta begged.

  Tears leaked from her eyes.

  "I'm awake," I sat up with a jolt. "I'm awake."

  Augusta's voice turned stoic in an instant.

  "Good. Dante, what happened?" she asked.

  That...was a good question. My memories were a jumble. Let's see...I went to the Omenthief and got spells from him. I remember Dante passing out when he received magic from the Omenthief in the game, but he wakes up just outside the door. Looking around, I could tell that I was some distance down the hall from it.

  I also didn't imagine his experience to be that unpleasant.

  Still...Dante didn't talk to Augusta here in the game. What was she doing in the abandoned area of the school?

  "What are you doing here, Augusta?" I questioned.

  "I saw you going in here while I was training," she said. "And I followed you."

  On shaking knees, I started to stand. I stumbled and almost fell. Augusta caught me. She helped me up.

  "Thanks, Augusta," I stated.

  "There's no need for that. Just tell me why you're here," she said without emotion.

  Could I really tell Augusta that I was here to get magic from a monster? What Millia told me earlier worried me. But on the other hand...dammit! I couldn't decide! What should I do?

  Taking a deep breath, I made up my mind.

  "Augusta, I know that you consider me a friend, and I'd like to think of you as a friend too. And I think you are the coolest person in the academy. And I know that you were genuinely worried for me," I said. "But I don't know you all that well. I will tell you, but only after you prove that I can trust you."

  I expected her to be mad. Instead, Augusta gave me a slow nod.

  "Dante, thank you," she said.

  "What are you thanking me for?" I questioned.

  "I've never had a friend before, so I don't know how to be a friend," Augusta stated. "Trust is important, right?'

  I nodded.

  "Yes. Trust is very important."

  "Then, how do you get trust?" Augusta asked.

  I was not expecting this question.

  "It's something you build up over time. There's no fast way to do it," I replied.

  Augusta gazed right into my eyes. Then, after a moment of hesitation, she spoke. Her usually emotionless voice was filled with concern.

  "Don't come back here until you tell me why you were here," Augusta said. "It's dangerous."

  I placed my hand over my heart.

  "Don't worry. I promise you that I won't," I replied.

  "Keep that promise," she ordered.

  Augusta's a princess, so she's probably used to ordering people around. Well, I can't exactly blame her for that. But I should make it clear what sort of person I am to her.

  "I will because I gave my word. I don't need any other reason to keep a promise," I said.

  "Okay. But you'd better keep it," Augusta replied.

  "Don't worry. I will," I assured her.

  She gave me a single nod.

  "Good. Now, I will help you get back to your dorm," Augusta said.

  "It's fine. I can..." I started to walk, just to shake on my knees.

  I almost fell, but Augusta caught me in time.

  "Thanks," I said.

  "Let's not go to the dorms," she replied. "You should go to the nurse's room."

  Augusta started to help me walk. I looked away, a sense of self-disgust flowing through me.

  "You don't have to do this. I don't want to be a burden," I stated.

  "Don't worry," she replied. "This is nothing for me."

  I decided against arguing further and let her take me to the nurse's office.

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