The rational part of him, the part shaped by this new body, screamed at him to listen. To shut the book, hide it, and forget this path before it was too late.

But another part, a deeper, hungrier part that had been starved in his previous life of passive observation and was now fed by the discovery of his own latent power, stirred. This could very well be the only opportunity he'd be getting in a long while to increase his strength so as to guarantee his safety in this strange world of his.

'I'm afraid I'll have to take the risk,' he thought, the decision crystallizing with a calm certainty that surprised him.

'I've already spent a hundred gold. What more could I lose?' he joked, his lips arching upwards into a nervous smile.

He understood the severity of the situation, as well as the potential catastrophe that was being hinted at in that bloody script. But the allure of the unseen, the promise of power that was earned and not inherited, seemed just too tempting to pass off.

As if in response to his unspoken resolve, the Grimoire's pages began to flip once more. They settled on a new spread. Again, the invisible scribe went to work, but this time, alongside more text, simple yet evocative line drawings began to form, images of a human form, its back erupting in great, sweeping, bat-like wings constructed of swirling, coagulated blood.

'Blood Wings,' Lucius read the title. His initial awe was quickly tempered by his practicality. 'I don't think getting wings is a good idea,' he sighed, the mental image of his mother's reaction sobering him, this time he wasn't tempted in the least. 'I'd rather not alarm Mother if she were to see me suddenly sporting new limbs. Who knows if I can get them off if I wished.'

Besides worrying his dear mother, just the scandal and panic, not to mention the inevitable counciling and interrogation that it would bring was a swift path to losing all his hard-won freedom.

Tentatively, he spoke to the book, feeling slightly foolish. "Could you… show me something more discreet instead?"

He held his breath. For a moment, nothing happened.

' Can't I converse with it then?' Lucius thought to himself, but he was proven wrong the next moment.

With a graceful flutter, the pages turned again. They stopped on a fresh, blank one and new texts began to flow, with new images being formed, this time he saw a detailed drawing of a human eye, its iris intricately carved with minute, arcane sigils. Below it, a list of ingredients and a complex diagram of a brewing process appeared.

'Eyes of the Fool,' Lucius muttered. "Sounds more like a spell than an appendage." He thought to himself, leaning in closer, his finger hovering over the lines of text below, without a second thought, he read out the words before him. 'With these eyes, you shall peek into the secrets of the world around you, but be careful, for as you gaze into it, it shall gaze back at you.'

"Gaze back at me?" Lucius whispered, puzzled. "How can the world gaze back?" The phrase was chillingly ambiguous but Lucius was more intrigued than scared to be honest.

Did it mean the magic would attract attention? He wondered.

' Or perhaps that using it would make me visible to things best left unseen? Or is it another philosophical warning as well?' No matter what he thought , The Grimoire offered no further clarification.

Shaking his head to clear the creeping confusion. he focused on the practicalities. Below the description was the method. "Potion ingredients…" He scanned the list, Tears of a Moon-Whipped Willow, Powdered Sapphire caught at Dawn, a single drop of Spirit-Spring Water, Eye of a Blind Newt, and three petals from a Night-Blooming Nighshade, harvested at evening." Lucius had no words, just by reading the names of this ingredients he concluded that they were fantastical, daunting, and utterly captivating.

'To gain this magical ability, I'll have to conjure up a potion. Should be… easy enough. Right?' He pondered, drawing on his memories of his herbalist past. The methodical gathering, the precise measurements, the careful combinations, at least he had some kind of edge here, after all, that part of him still felt familiar. It was basically a foundation he could build upon. He thought to himself only for his determination to falter slightly when he recalled that this was alchemy infused with magic.

' Even if it's hard, I hope it's not too hard a task.'

'It's certainly risky since I don't have someone to show me first hand.' he admitted, stroking his chin. 'I'll just have to rely on the Grimoire's guidance. It hasn't led me astray yet.' He committed the list to memory, then rose from the bed. He needed to write this down.

A search of his desk yielded parchment, a quill, and a pot of jet-black ink. Sitting on his desk, he carefully transcribed the ingredients and the steps, his elegant handwriting belying the bizarre nature of the shopping list.

' Stir counter-clockwise until completely red, before...'

He was so engrossed he didn't hear the door open. A soft presence at the edge of his awareness made him look up.

"Oh, Su. You're back." A genuine smile of relief touched his lips. He was just about to call for her since he needed help with something.

"Can you hand this to one of the guards at the gate?" he said, standing and offering her the parchment. "Have them go into the city and see if they can get me everything on this list. Discreetly, if possible." He then handed her a small pouch that clinked with the sound of gold coins. "Here are the funds. I'd prefer it if they could be fast about it."

Su took the list and the pouch, her dark eyes flicking over the strange ingredients without a trace of surprise. She merely bowed in acknowledgement. "Of course, Young Master Lucius. I shall relay your orders precisely."

As she ghosted out, Lucius turned back to his bed, his thoughts already racing ahead. He reached for the Grimoire, intending to study the instructions once more. "I wonder where I should hide this," he mused aloud, pursing his lips. "It'd be problematic if Lavender or Lily ever chanced upon it." The image of some cheerful, gossipy maids finding such a blatantly occult object sent a jolt of anxiety through him. They were loyal to the household, which meant they were loyal to his mother. The news would travel to Lady Hana's ears before the day was out, and his fragile, nascent independence would be snuffed out under a barrage of concerned, smothering authority.

" Huh? What's the matter now?"

He was taken aback as the Grimoire in his hands shuddered. It released another pulse of that blood-red glow, but this time it felt different, seemingly warm, and alive. Before he could react, it flew from his grasp, not to the ground, but into the air, hovering right before his eyes.

"What are you doing?" he asked, bewilderment overriding fear.

The book didn't answer. It hung in the air for a suspended moment, thrumming with a strange power. Then, in a blink, it shot toward him.

" Crap!"

Lucius raised his arms in a instinctive, useless guard. The Grimoire didn't strike him. Instead, a foot from his chest, it switched forms, transforming into a streak of crimson light that bypassed his defending arms entirely and plunged into the centre of his chest.

He gasped, stumbling back a step. There was no pain, only a profound, tingling sensation that spread from his sternum outwards, like ice melting under his skin. Panic clawed at his throat. Had it possessed him? Cursed him maybe?

Frantically, he tore off his shirt, his fingers fumbling with the buttons. He stared down at his chest in the room's dim light.

There, centred over his heart, was a tattoo. It was not large, no bigger than his palm, but incredibly intricate. The design mirrored the Grimoire's cover, The ink was the same disturbing shade of rust-brown as the text had been. It looked old, as if it had been there for years, yet the skin around it felt perfectly normal.

'You… you really can here me huh." Lucius realized what had happened , briefly recalling how he had questioned where he would hide it.

With this, the tension drained from his shoulders in a rush, leaving him weak-kneed. He let out a long, shaky sigh of relief, his hand coming up to press against the symbol.

The skin was the same as before.

'At this point, I'm starting to wonder if there's nothing you can't do.' A soft, incredulous chuckle escaped him as he pulled his shirt back on. The fabric settled, and with it, the last visible sign of his secret was concealed.

In an act of conducting a little experiment, He focused his mind, picturing the book in his hands.

A gentle warmth spread from the tattoo, and a moment later, the Grimoire materialized before him. With another thought, He willed it away, and it dissolved back into light, returning to its place on his chest. He repeated the process several times, a grin spreading across his face each time. It was perfect. The ultimate concealment.

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