Omen: 4, 14

  Mana: 18 -> 16Enting CheckD20 + 7 = 16 (9)Omen: 4, 14 -> 414 + 7 = 21

  Adam plucked a Thread of Fate.

  There were many of them, the anomalies which had ehe world. This world which held inhabitants of various nds, even those of other realms. However, the world itself was ected to the realms, and thus allowed travel between the various worlds betwee, every world was insuted, and was uhe pantheon of gods, each reted to one another, from a time long fotten.

  This was something else. All these strangers, the anomalies, who had appeared in this world, all on the same day, they were not the same. They did not e from the various ected worlds. They came from outside. They broke the Order.

  Though he had e to cim the soul of a dying old man, the Champion stopped. It was nearby. It, which was the most dangerous of all the anomalies. The Champion, who was travelliward, turned, and marched towards a particur cave, not a hundred miles away.

  Thus Fate was forever ged.

  Omen: 4, 7

  “You should take a break today, Adam,” Sonarot said. Adam had been w too hard from the beginning of the year. It had been almost two weeks, and he had spent so many days enting. A magical on a week was gruelling work, and though there were Iyrmen who could ent, and ented at such a rate, it was still awkward to see her Nephew like this.

  “I wasn’t pnning on enting today if that was what you were w,” Adam replied, sipping the soup.

  Sonarot sighed with relief. “You should rest for the day.”

  Adam stared down at his bowl. “I wasn’t pnning on doing anything strenuous today.” ‘I wish I had rolled better. I still have fical ons to make, and one of them will take me aire week.’ There were the three ons he had promised to the Ban family, and the on he had promised to Elder Zijin. ‘Being i is so stressful.’

  “What will you do today?” Sonarot asked. From the way Adam spoke, it didn’t sound like he was going to stay here to py with the children as he usually did.

  “I’m going to keep my promise,” Adam said, finishing the rest of his soup. “I won’t be able to py with you today, Lanababy, so don’t miss me too much.” He tickled his sister’s , which was half covered in spit and bread. She looked up at him, stig bread and her hand into her mouth.

  Once he had finished his meal, he made his way through the Iyr. However, as he tried to ehe estate, he was blocked by an older Iyrman with one arm.

  “What are you doing?” Adam asked.

  “Nothing,” Jarot replied. “You have not visited in some time. Shall we go for a walk?”

  “Maybe aime, I’ve e to-“

  “The us drink,” the older Iyrman said, ing his arm around the back of Adam’s neck, trying to lead him away.

  ‘This old man is so annoying,’ Adam thought, not admitting they were cut from the same cloth. “Stop b me, a me teach him already.”

  “We drink for today and you teach him another day.”

  ‘Should I borrow Phantom to teach him some manners?’ Adam thought. He didn’t dare to fight the old man without Phantom, which would allow him the ce to at least not lose so easily. He had only beeen once, aill remembered how embarrassing it was.

  “Leave him,” Mulrot called. The older Iyrman, Jarot’s wife, walked up to Adam and brushed his hair. “e.”

  Adam followed her, and Jarot followed after him. Churot was nearby, reading a book, or rather, he retending to read a book. Once Adam arrived, the Devilkin boy pced down the book and stood up.

  “Are you ready to learn today?” Adam asked.

  “Yes,” Churot replied.

  “While I’m teag you, you have to call me mister Fateson,” Adam said.

  “Yes, mister Fateson.”

  Adam narrowed his eyes, feeling the peculiar gaze from the Iyrmen beside him. However, there was something off with Churot’s response. No, it wasn’t Churot’s response, but his own respoo Churot’s response. “No, nevermind. Call me Cousin Adam.”

  “Yes, Cousin Adam,” Churot said.

  “Alright, so…” Adam fell silent, and the older Iyrmen beside him stared at him, w why he had grown so silent.

  Churot stared up at Adam patiently, and as the seds passed, the other Iyrmen nearby crept closer. There were mostly children, but a handful of teens too, whereas a few of the adults nearby remai their seats, eating their snacks and reading their books.

  “Hold on,” Adam said. “How do I teaeone how to use magic?”

  “Since you do not know, then there is no need for you to teach him,” Jarot said, with far too muthusiasm.

  “How did you learn magic?” Mulrot asked.

  Adam looked to the old woman. “I…” His eyes sed around towards the other Iyrmen nearby. He trusted the Rot family, but it was best to keep his secrets to only a handful of people. “Hold on. Before one learns magic, they must first have the aptitude. Since my magic is based off of how intelligent a person is, I o first make sure Churot is intelligent enough as to not waste his time.”

  Churot’s eyes twitched slightly, thinking Adam was trying to get out of his promise. However, since he was Jurot’s brother, the boy had to give Adam a ce to not out himself a liar. “Okay.”

  Adam thought deeply about what he should test the boy on. “ I have some paper and some stylus, please?”

  Before Jarot could pin, Mulrot bowed her head. “Of course.” She left to find some paper for them.

  Jarot sighed. It was too te to pin, so he stropped about nearby, watering his pnts.

  “If I ’t teaagic right away, I’ll try and teach you a few other things,” Adam said. ‘How the hell am I meant to teach magic?’

  Once Mulrot returned, Adam went to work on f a test for the boy. He focused on math, sihat was the easiest thing to test. Adam checked everything at least three times to make sure he had all the mathematics correct, though didn’t include anything to do with angles.

  Churot stared down at the paper, before he began to jot down the ao the questions.

  Adam sat down, w how he could teach Churot how to use magic. ‘I ’t really tell him that I have a system and that I don’t actually learn how to use magic, I just buy the ability to do so.’

  “Adam,” called a voice from nearby.

  Adam looked over to see another Devilkin, an older Iyrman, who wore thick furs and a mace at his side. It took him a moment to realise who it was. “Elder Teacher,” Adam said, as respectfully as he could.

  “I have heard that you have decided to teach young Churot yic,” the Great Elder stated.

  “Yeah-s,” Adam replied, awkwardly. ‘I should probably show the Great Elders as much respect as I , otherwise they’ll get all suspicious of me again. Unless ag politely will make them even more suspicious?’

  Elder Teacher remained silent. The first time he had seen Adam, it was when Jurot had used magic. Though he had been able to use magic thanks to the on Adam had created, it was still quite a surprise.

  There were mages in the Iyr, a rger han most people may expect, though they were all Blood Mages, those with magic given to them through their bloodline. Most were Devilkin, though there were a few Ord Humans too. However, there were no scribe mages in the Iyr.

  Elder Teacher could see Adam was deeply thinking about something, and he also noted Jarot’s hopeful expression. Jarot was quite the troublemaker, especially after losing his arm. Though Jarot was Churot’s grandfather, he was not the Family Elder, that great responsibility rested at his wife’s shoulders.

  It was difficult.

  Churot chose to learn magid had sought out the Half Elf retly to learn. That was something which couldn’t be ignored in this matter. Mulrot had decided to trust Sonarot. Jarot refused, and though he was ohe Family Head, he retired from that positioo the death of Churot and his parents.

  Adam hew of the Rot family, whititled him to some trust. He was also treated as a sibling of Jurot and Lanarot, and he seemed to treat his Cousioo. Adam had accepted the matter without a sed thought, so he was told, though the Half Elf had yet to e and discuss the price of the teag.

  A thought passed through Elder Teacher’s mind. ‘Does he uao be paid?’

  “Adam,” Elder Teacher called.

  Adam snapped back to attention, his eyes quickly meeting the Great Elder’s. “Yes, Elder Teacher?”

  There was something odd about how formal Adam was being. It was unlike him, but there were other matters which were more important. “How much is the price of Churot’s tut?”

  “I get paid?” Adam asked, letting the question slip through the surprise.

  “Yes.”

  “How much would you pay Aunt for tut him?” Adam asked.

  “We would not.”

  “Then how e you’re paying me?” Adam asked, furrowing his brows in fusion.

  “You are not…” Elder Teacher he looks that both Mulrot and Jarot were giving him. Though Jarot had been against Adam teag Churot, the Iyrman also thought Adam to be his grandson, the same as Jurot. The btant disrespect Elder Teacher had shown, had caused the pair of Iyrmen to gre at him with quite the harsh look.

  Elder Teacher sighed. In fact, all of these sideratioruly insequential. There was one sideration which had weighed on Elder Teacher’s mind above all else. It wasn’t that Adam had chosen to teach Churot without speaking to the family, or the Elder, Zijin, who was in charge of making sure Adam stayed out of trouble, and it wasn’t the fact that Adam was still extremely suspicious.

  In all of Elder Teacher’s years, he had never seen the Chief so spooked before. It was especially queer sidering the Chief had enced Elder Gold and Elder Forest to speak with the tinkerer.

  Adam remained quiet, w what was weighing so heavily on Elder Teacher’s mind.

  “Adam,” Elder Teacher finally said.

  “Yes?” Adam replied, cautiously.

  “If you require anything to assist in teag Churot, then speak with Elder Zijin.”

  “Okay.”

  Elder Teacher looked down to Churot, before saying something in the Devilkin tongue, before he left.

  Adam decided against calling for the Great Elder, and fot everything about his payment. ‘Seeing Churot sling a Fireball is its own reward.’

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  ‘Seeing Churot sling a Fireball is its own reward.’

  Truly the only reason to teach magic.

  That, and bathing.