Emil, Aelia and Shey rode on the backs of horses past the first city wall, observing the vast farmlands.

Shey had evidently seen more sun than the twins and her black hair and eyes added to the contrast between them.

Beldin's weather, where the twins had said they were from, was cold and gloomy, in contrast with Gritjor's heat.

Aelia observed a carriage of regular farmers carrying crops headed back into the city.

"With the heat, I thought there'd be more mages to manage the farmlands." She said curiously. "We haven't run into one since the wall."

"Grains and the cotton for cloth adapt well." Shey spoke with confidence as a commoner of Gritjor. "But, yeah, I thought there'd be more."

As they were of the same path, her and Aelia had actually been getting along well.

She was a year older than the twins.

They'd been on a leisure ride for about an hour, with Shey having been showing them around.

Emil took in a deep breath and let it out.

"You two don't like reading, do you?"

Aelia's brow slightly pinched.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Please tell us, Our miss mind path." Shey added and she and Aelia chuckled.

Emil shook her head with a slight smile.

"It might not seem like it, but the people are an obvious important factor to the princeps." She said.

"It's because your mages, maybe you didn't notice." She gave them a glance. "The common folk position in certain sectors has been improving. It's an invitation."

"To what?" As someone who'd once been a commoner herself, Shey asked with great interest.

Her family also, though sharing in the benefits she'd been receiving since becoming a mage, were still commoners.

"Did you not hear the decree?" Emil asked in response.

Aelia pondered, and her eyes narrowed on some people plucking in the fields.

"He has the mages though?" She asked.

"Yes," Emil said, "But they're taking a distant approach. Only for key positions are they still very present, like the Baron, and in time that might change too."

Aelia moved a hair strand from her eyes.

"What does that have to do with reading, then?"

Emil let out a sigh.

"It's a good tactic when taking over a people, letting them know they won't be undermined."

"I get it." Shey said.

"What?" Aelia turned to her.

Shey chuckled.

"I never went to school, and I'm smarter than you. And you can't use the excuse that Emil is of the mind path on me."

Aelia blew air into her right cheek.

After a short pause, Shey gave Emil a glance and spoke with confidence.

"With the dynamic between mages and regular humans, such a strategy wouldn't be necessary. Especially when someone like Jasmine can appear anywhere."

A gust of wind blew at them.

Shey pondered for a moment then asked.

"What about the ritual? Your Viscount daughters, you must know something?"

"Exactly what it is." Emil said.

"And what's that?" Shey asked.

"An oath. A mystical one, sure, but still an oath."

Aelia and Shey's eyes blinked rapidly.

"Were you…. Were you using your abilities on us?"

They said nearly at the same time.

"What?" Emil smiled.

It was like a spell had been lifted off of them.

It wasn't exactly mind control, but Emil's words were like a beautiful song that made them want to listen.

"Tsk. This mind path will get very insidious when you get more powerful."

Shey said.

"If we do." Aelia stressed.

Shey shook her head with a scoff.

"You two are practically guaranteed!"

Aelia turned to her and spoke with assurance.

"The world is a big place. There are a lot of nobles, but when asking for humanity to invest in you, talent will matter more."

Shey pressed her lips and gave her a nod.

"We should head back." Emil said as her eyes narrowed on the distant second wall that looked like a thin black line from where they were.

…

Altering his sight between normal and essence view, Hadrian twisted his arm right and left.

I wonder if I can do more than just the thin layer of fog.

In that space, he could make the fog form anything, from bodies to the majestic hall. Even if they were superficial.

With slight anticipation, he sent out his intent to the fog layer wrapped around his arm.

It stirred, twisting and shifting, trying to take a specific form but ultimately, nothing came out of it.

Hadrian's lips pressed tightly in disappointment.

His eyes rose to the slimy jaws snapping in front of him.

The creature's skin was a dark green. It looked like a lizard with long limbs built for running.

It was a regular creature.

Actually, as Hadrian had found out, powerful kritas or wildings were not as abadunt as he expected where he was.

Hm. It makes sense. How else would such an ecology survive with powerful predators everywhere?

Because he'd been close to the river, he and the other party of mages had run into more than one normally would.

They weren't the only dangerous things out here, though.

Hadrian had lost one of his monkey vessels, caught by surprise, a plant snapped close on him and sent paralyzing venom through him.

The fiend I killed must have had a wide territory for its own. There'll be a vacuum now.

Slightly nodding apprehensively, he called at the essence of the creature in front of him.

It got more aggressive when he made contact, but held in place with rock moulding, there was little it could do.

A short while later, the creature's body shook as the rock moulding shed off.

Walking around his main vessel, Hadrian got a feel of his new body.

Immediately, he put the force core inside it.

Next, he and Alia got onto its back, and Hadrian lessened his control over the creature. Not completely mechanical, but close.

Getting the creature was already good enough, and he didn't need to ride it, but he could, so he did.

Heading in a specific direction, the creature ran.

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