The clatter of forks on ceramic plates joined the cacophony of hundred conversations filling the cafeteria. Devus stabbed at a piece of potato, his chair scraping the floor as he leaned back with a groan.

"This whole squad thing is absurd," he said. "Splitting nobles and commoners? How does that even make sense? We're all supposed to be fighting for the same cause."

Jenna shrugged and scooped up a mouthful of stew. "I'm not against it. Squads probably do work better that way. Less friction and egos clashing."

Seth glanced up, his golden eyes shifting between them. Devus was in Squad 39, Jenna was in Squad 38, and Elena, sitting quietly across from him, was in Squad 1. He'd assumed the numbers weren't supposed to mean anything, but seeing the noblewoman in the first one had made him question that.

He pushed a piece of chicken around his plate, the conversation turning into background noise, but Jenna's voice brought him back into the moment. "You don't agree, Seth?"

Seth set his fork down and sighed. "No," he answered. "I don't think it's about teamwork. They're probably just dividing nobles and commoners to make disposable squads. They'll use us to gauge the strength of the empire… or throw us at the enemy's strongest squads to avoid risking the life of their precious nobles."

Jenna's expression shifted as she immediately shook her head. "That's… ridiculous," she said before turning to Elena. "Right?"

"I don't know." The noblewoman's emerald eyes flicked toward Seth. It seemed she was trying to conceal her thoughts, but the faint furrow of her brow suggested she might agree with him.

Jenna's mouth twisted to the side. "You really think they'd just sacrifice us?"

"I don't think so," the noblewoman answered.

Seth shrugged. "Let's hope I'm wrong, then."

Devus sucked his teeth, his mouth turning into a tight line. "We'll see," the Guardian said before rubbing his face. "But I wonder if they'll pick squad leaders based on Ranks alone. That wouldn't be fair, considering we're with second- and third-years."

Jenna tilted her head, chewing a piece of beef. "Yeah, but they've got more experience. That has to count for something."

"Sure," Devus muttered, "but it doesn't mean I'd be any less good than them at leading."

A sly smile crept onto Jenna's lips. "You sure? After a single loss the whole squad's morale would plummet with how depressed you'd become."

"Ha ha," he retorted, rolling his eyes.

The conversation slowly moved to lighter topics, like rumors about the upcoming classes, speculation about the rewards which were supposed to have been given during the Spring Tournament, and many more things—Seth stayed silent through it all, barely hearing the words, his thoughts elsewhere yet again.

Finally, he pushed his chair back, the legs screeching against the tile. "I'm heading out," he said. "I'll see you all later."

Jenna looked up, her brow creasing. "What? Where to?"

"To the Champions of Chaos' headquarters," Seth replied, offering a faint smile. "I have to speak with one of them."

Elena gave him a subtle nod, though Devus and Jenna exchanged a glance, both clearly picking up on the change in Seth's mood.

Without another word, Seth turned and walked away, their voices fading behind. After leaving the academy's main building, he began crossing the garden, where his boots crunched on the gravel path. The crisp evening air carried a faint, earthy scent that lingered from the previous day's rain.

Nightmare's voice broke the silence, reaching Seth through their bond. 'You all right?'

Seth didn't respond immediately, his golden eyes moving to the fading light on the horizon. 'I'm not sure I even want to fight,' he finally said. 'This isn't our war, Nightmare. I'm not going to die so the king and a handful of nobles can get some resources.'

'You're thinking about quitting the academy? After barely eight months? What about that second-year spell-crafting class you wanted to take so badly?'

'Things change,' Seth muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets. 'I wanted control of my life. To decide where I'd go and what I'd become. And none of this feels like that right now.'

'Then take control,' Nightmare replied.

'Yeah…' Seth answered with a sigh. A few seconds later, he frowned. 'Since when do you want me to stay at the academy?'

'I just don't want you to regret your decision,' the direwolf huffed. 'And this place comes with some advantages.'

Seth raised an eyebrow. 'Like Elena's behind-the-ear scratches?'

'No!' Nightmare growled. 'I was talking about advantages for you! Like that Tower, the room with the Imp… and the knowledge!'

Seth rolled his eyes. 'Yeah, right. The knowledge.'

Before long, the wooden sign of the Champions of Chaos' headquarters swung into view, creaking in the breeze. Seth pushed the door open, stepping into the warmth and the familiar scent of old wood and lantern oil. At a far table, Toren, Yline, and Celine were deep in conversation.

Yline's face brightened the moment she saw him. "Seth! You're right on time."

The woman reached under in a nearby drawer and pulled out something wrapped in a piece of cloak before setting it down on the table with a grin. "Your gaunt—" she started, then cut off with a frown. "What's with the face? You look terrible."

Taking a deep breath, Seth pulled out a nearby chair. "It's nothing, ma'am."

"Doesn't look like nothing," Toren replied with a raised eyebrow. "Spill it, kid."

"It's about the war," Seth admitted, glancing at the three of them. "The board put all the commoners in the same squads. It's like they're making sure to have disposable units at hand."

Celine exchanged a grim look with the others. "It's not surprising," she said. "They did something similar a decade ago during the Red War. And it caused commoners to quickly use Escape Scrolls when things got too dangerous. And that caused some… frictions."

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"Friction?" Seth repeated. "The crown was pissed that they didn't let themselves get killed?"

Celine leaned back in her chair, rubbing her neck just below her short silver hair. "Kinda. Because of that, they tried to make it illegal to use them in Warfare Rifts. Claiming it was for the 'greater good.' But people didn't take that well. Things almost boiled over into a full-blown revolt, so they backed off."

"What happened after that?" Seth asked, already predicting that the king and the Houses would try that stratagem again.

"War went on… and we finished the Copper and Iron stage with an almost fifty percent casualty rate," Celine answered, her face tightening. "On the Bridan Empire's side? About five. So, once the war moved up to the Silver stage, the king quickly came to an agreement with the Bridan Empress, knowing how things would end."

Seth lips pressed into a thin line, filling anger rising in his chest. "So that's how it will end again? Half of all the commoners dying for nothing?"

Celine shook her head. "I doubt it. The stakes are much higher this time. We aren't talking about some Platinum and Gold spells like last time… but goddamn Legacies."

The last word of the outpost's administrator caused Seth's heart to skip a beat. Kreytorus's Legacy… that's the other name of Link. Are we going to war for similar spells?

Trying to keep a straight face, Seth cleared his throat and faked a frown. "What's a Legacy, ma'am?"

Celine seemed to hesitate for a moment, glancing at the others. "It's a rare type of spell-shard," she finally explained. "On top of granting an absurdly strong spell, it creates something called a core in the person's chest and pushes them on a specific Path. The Path of an extremely strong Wielder. Think of it like… inheriting a fragment of them."

Toren, sitting across from her, sighed. "In my mind, it's like selling your soul to the devil, though. You give up your own Path to follow someone else's. Rare are the people who find one that completely aligns with who they are. But even so, no one would hesitate for even a second before using one if they had the chance. They are that powerful."

Seth's chest tightened, realizations hitting him one after another. My core… the urge to fight like a beast, to dominate everyone, to climb to the top… that's not solely me. It's also him. Kreytorus.

Toren continued, "They grant stronger subclasses, better Revelations, and, most importantly, they make breaking through Tiers a lot easier. Since that person is following a proven blueprint, after all."

"They're incredibly rare, though," Celine chimed in. "I don't think anyone in Kastal has ever possessed one. Well, until now. That means there's no way the king will give the ones they found back to the Empress. These things could turn some of his grandchildren into Platinum Wielders within a decade."

Seth frowned. "Why not use them on himself? Or someone already powerful?"

"They're most effective when used early," Celine explained. "They can alter a Wielder's Path significantly, but from what I heard, they still work best when the person is only Iron or Silver."

Or Copper, Seth thought, his stomach churning.

'Do you think there's something similar for beasts?' Nightmare asked through their bond.

Seth stopped himself from rolling his eyes. 'That's all that matters to you?'

'That's what's important.'

Many questions about Link rose in Seth's mind, but he shoved them aside for the moment. Asking any of them to Celine would make him suspicious. "Do other nations, like the Bridan Empire, have a lot of them?"

Celine tilted her head. "I'm not sure, but I'd bet the most powerful nations, like the NEVAK, have hundreds. Maybe even thousands. It's a self-perpetuating cycle. The stronger Wielders create Legacies, and those Legacies give life to strong Wielders."

Yline nodded in agreement. "Power feeds power. Those at the top stay at the top."

If Draeria is as powerful as Sericar said, shouldn't they also have hundreds of Legacies? Seth wondered. Maybe some like Link that created bonds with beasts.

"So, the king is ready to sacrifice thousands of Wielders just so he can keep a few Legacies?"

Toren chuckled, shaking his head. "Kid, a Gold Wielder is worth a hundred Silvers. A Platinum? Hundreds of Golds. Now imagine if one of those Legacies could produce the nation's first Diamond Wielder in a century. We wouldn't need to worry about beast invasion or anything like that ever again. You best believe he thinks that's worth the price."

Seth scowled. "Let's just hope his grandchildren don't get killed a year or two after using them."

"Don't worry about that," Celine answered. "They will have a whole army of guards permanently around them once they use them."

"Maybe they will hire the branch to protect them?" Toren asked, turning to the outpost's administrator. "That could be quite lucrative."

Yline frowned. "Why would they?"

"Well, Orwen, Drack, and Krystel are probably the best escort any rookies could have for Rift Diving."

"That's true, but…"

The trio's conversation blurred into background noise as Seth remained quiet. The idea of following Kreytorus' steps made him feel uneasy. What if their Path was completely different? Somehow, it would be as if he wasn't the one who'd made the decisions that had brought him this far—that had made him who he was. What part of his drive and hunger truly belonged to him, and what part belonged to Kreytorus?

Before he could voice his thoughts to Nightmare, Yline stood up with a wide grin, holding up the small bundle which had been in front of her the whole time.

"Speaking of power," she said, unwrapping the cloth, "here's something I think you'll like."

Seth's eyes widened as she revealed a pair of sleek and impeccable-looking combat gauntlets. Faint runes pulsed along the dark leather, and at the center of each reinforced pad, a large, mesmerizing scarlet crystal glinted under the light of the lamps.

"I crafted them with that stone you brought me," Yline said proudly. "I tried to follow your recipe as closely as I could, but my skill wasn't quite up to the task."

Seth frowned and cast Intermediate Identify, unsure what the blacksmith meant.

Desert Snake Gauntlets

Weapon

Tier: Iron

Grade: Epic +

Effects: - Ignores 13% of Toughness.

- Increases Toughness by 11%.

- Reduces aether cost by 14% for any spell using hands/arms.

- Reduces the cooldown by 18% for any spell using hands/arms.

"Epic+?!" Seth exclaimed. Like Beastmaster Rage, it was halfway between Epic and Legendary. "I didn't even know that a piece of equipment could reduce spell cooldown."

"Yeah," Yline answered, rubbing the back of her neck. "The effect was supposed to be different—something like a once-per-day trigger. But I didn't manage to achieve that part. That recipe was probably meant to craft a Legendary pair. It wasn't from a random Wandering Merchant, wasn't it?"

Seth forced an awkward smile. "Can someone activate the non-disclosure ward?" he responded instead of answering the question.

Celine's eyes narrowed. "Sure."

A heartbeat later, the aether in the room shifted.

"It was left behind by my father," Seth then explained, able to speak freely. "With other things that would help me progress as a Primalist."

"Mmmm." Celine's brow arched. "Like the Undead spell you used to crush that boy, Lucius Faertis?"

Seth nodded. "Yes."

"Any chance he left a recipe for an Artificer too?" Toren asked with a grimace before pointing at Yline. "I wouldn't mind getting some enlightenment like her."

"I can check," Seth answered. "But I doubt it. Especially something for a Gold Artificer."

"It doesn't need to be Gold," Yline replied for Toren. "Your gauntlet's recipe taught me crafting techniques I'd never seen. And I gained two class attributes from it. Which is incredible to say the least."

Toren nodded repeatedly. "Exactly."

"I'll ask the person holding onto these things for me next time I see him," Seth answered.

"The 'person,' huh?" Celine repeated, her gaze piercing Seth. "Still keeping secrets, greenhorn?"

Seth shrugged while throwing his hands up. "I don't think I'm allowed to reveal his identity."

He then rubbed his neck sheepishly and slipped the gauntlets on. After feeling the strange but comforting weight settle over his wrists, he then grabbed the money pouch hanging at his belt.

Almost immediately, Yline raised her hand. "Don't you dare. I learned more from that recipe than I could imagine. I should be the one paying you."

Seth shook his head. "With everything I've got from the Black Hounds, I have plenty enough to pay you, ma'am."

"No, I insist," Yline retorted. "Use those coins to prepare for the upcoming war instead."

"Yeah," Celine agreed. "Buy some sessions in the academy's Epic Training Chambers, get new spells. Even if Escape scrolls allow you to flee from the Warfare Rift's, there's Artificer's devices out there that can create distortion fields and prevent anyone from using them. You need to be as strong as possible before the battles begin."

Seth's face tightened for a moment, then he nodded. "Understood."

He had already learned about those fields in class, but hearing it again made goosebumps spread along his back. Would the Bridan Empire use them? If they did, it would certainly not to take captives—it would be to send a message.

One written with blood.

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