《Epic of The Demonic Sage 》Chapter 28: A Gift?
Advertisement
Lucius felt as if he was hallucinating at first and thus rubbed his eyes. Hallucinations were a common side effect of soul incompatibility, and thus he thought that was exactly what it was.
But after confirming it for the third time, he knew it was true.
Floating in front of him were a string of words that were written in the language of his past world.
They read, "Thorn Mistress".
As soon as Lucius saw it, only one idea appeared in his mind: Gift.
'This is unexpected. Is it truly a gift or something else? Looks like it allows me to see other's gifts, but why only the baby and not the others? Hmm… I'll need to study it a bit more.' Lucius thought, all the while keeping a calm expression so as to not alert the others.
It was well known that Asher did not have a gift, and he did not want to pull more attention to himself by showing that he had awakened one. For now, he needed to figure out more of the workings of the gift, before he could reach a sufficient level for analysis.
While it was possible for people to awaken gifts later on in life, the chance for this was quite less. Thankfully, from what Lucius could tell, Asher was definitely less than twenty five years of age.
Thus, if it ever came to it, he would be able to give the excuse of late awakening.
He looked at the people who were talking and searched for a suitable place to sit. He didn't have to look for more than a second as Kiana pointed at the place that was reserved for them.
"Come Asher, this way," Kiana said while tugging on Asher's hand gently.
She couldn't help but repeat the habits that she had developed over the years and thus did this, even though Asher had said not to coddle him like before. But seeing that he didn't mind it for now, she took a breath of relief.
Advertisement
Asher and she sat in the chairs next to Lita, Asher's mother. She was talking with the two priests along with a few nobles from the town who had been invited.
"Ah! Young lord Asher is here finally!" An old man who was dressed in a silk shirt embroidered with elaborate designs spoke.
"Pardon me for my tardiness," Asher replied.
"No, no, lord Asher. It is my honor that I get to meet you. Your bravery is quite impressive, even without a gift you fearlessly went to fight on the battlefield and even killed four squads of enemies all alone." The old man spoke.
This was news to Lucius, as he had not known that Asher had such martial prowess to kill sixteen men. Of course, this was something Lucius could do with the snap of his finger had it been his previous world and he had his magic, but it was not.
Rather it was a noble boy who was likely kept isolated from most of the world's cruelties. Lucius could tell from the body of Asher that it had not been properly trained and what little muscle he had was likely just naturally grown due to his good genes.
"I'm flattered, sir…" Lucius replied.
"This is sir Cambrian. He owns a few weapon retail shops in the blacksmith's district and the neighboring towns." Lita introduced, understanding that Asher did not remember who that was.
Lucius glanced at the old man to see his reaction to him not recognizing him, fully expecting him to be surprised; but he was not.
'Looks like Lita already informed the guests about my condition.' Lucius thought.
Lucius exchanged a few more pleasantries with the other guests and soon food was served. The people enjoyed the food as Lucius glanced at them one by one, wanting to test out his supposed 'gift'.
Advertisement
He was still unsure about it being a gift and was wondering if it was a hallucination. But when he looked back at baby Cia, he saw the words appear again.
'There is some other condition that I'm missing. Hmm… who are the people here that I know for sure have gifts; the two priests, Lita, Kiana, the guards, John and Alessa.' Lucius thought as he glanced at them one by one.
No words appeared for any of them, and thus he thought of a different approach. He looked to his side where Kiana was sitting and eating calmly. Her manners and etiquettes were actually better than some of the nobles that were in attendance here, which prompted Lucius to think that she really wasn't just a normal servant.
'Even her uniform is different than the other maids…' Lucius thought.
"Kiana," Lucius spoke.
"Yes, Asher?" She responded.
"What gift do you have? I'm curious as I don't remember." Lucius questioned.
"My gift? I have the gift called Stone Shooter." Kiana answered and then showed him her palm.
In the next second, a small stone materialized out of thin air and floated above her palm. The stone looked unassuming, and one could find something like that anywhere on the ground. But Lucius could sense faint fluctuations from it that he had not sensed from others.
Then, they appeared. Words materialized in front of Kiana saying: Stone Shooter.
'So knowing the name is one of the conditions? But that condition would make the gift rather useless. Unless… there is more to it than meets the eye.' Lucius thought.
"Tell me, Kiana. How did you figure out the use of your gift? Did the priest tell you at the appraisal ceremony?" Lucius questioned.
"Oh no, he didn't. I never did a formal appraisal of my gift since I did a full awakening when I was fourteen." Kiana answered.
"Full awakening? What's that?" Lucius questioned.
~Sigh~
"Seems like we need to set up some additional classes for you, later. These things will have to be relearned." Kiana spoke.
"Yes, that is indeed necessary, but do tell me what it means for now," Lucius spoke.
"Alright then, listen to me closely."
Advertisement
The Cursed Heart
Kayden was six months old when the doctor found the curse in his heart. From then on, his life was a struggle to keep it locked away and dormant and above all secret, dreading the day that it would finally break free and wreak havoc. Now he’s fourteen, and that day has come. Things look bad, but there’s hope — the world’s most prestigious magical school is willing to take him in, keep him safe, and pay his legal fees to avoid bankrupting his family. Most importantly, they can teach him to control his curse, to avoid ever hurting anyone else. It sounds far too good to be true, but what other option does he have? Kayden quickly finds himself embroiled in a large political game he doesn’t understand. But he’d better learn fast. Because the secrets of his new school run deeper than he ever expected, and his actions have far more dangerous consequences than he could ever have known. ----------------------- Want to read ahead? Chapters are posted in advance on the Curse Words website. Our Discord.
8 169The Blood We Are Born In
In this land nobles rule over the peasants, not only by right, but by their magical powers passed down their bloodlines from father to son. The powerless have no choice but to serve. But these are troubled times. War, conspiracies and revolutions spread through the land, bringing conflict and suffering along with the promise of an uncertain future. It is on this stage that a lowly mercenary of mixed blood meets the royal heir of an ancient bloodline. This is their story. Cover art by Nicole Cardiff This story is currently abandoned, and will not update.
8 115Risky Sailing
Gabe was weak.. he was destined to die at an early age... and his clan had discarded him like scrap paper. with only his servant Colin at his side, he has been forced to trek accross the unending face of the world simply to grasp at the hope of survining past 20. But really, there was no hope at all he would make it. that is untill Destiny, chance, and Doom hand deliver a package to his doorstep. a package that should he accept would allow him to lead a better life. who would have thought however that Gabe would not be satisfied with just that, and instead sets his sights on the very heavens themselves, risking everything time and time again to gain what no-one ever thought was posible to gain. And while this young man is stealing his own fate back from the hands of higherpowers, A greater danger is lurking beyond the world he calls home. a danger Gabe will have to colide with one way or another.
8 138Emperor Of The North [Dropped]
Erwin is an ex-army officer who found himself in a snowy forest. At first, he thought he came here because of something he drank while hanging with his friends, but later a strange Voice, which calls itself Guideline, reached Erwin. Without knowing its purpose or why he is in a different world, he tries to survive, improve and learn. As he progressed forward. Erwin learned he was supposed to be the Lich King, a villain destined to be defeated by heroes, but because of a conflict that happened between gods, he isn't affected by a curse which supposed to turn him into a monster with no self-control. With a broken guideline and some powers of The Lich King he is supposed to be, Erwin will rise from a nothing trying to survive in a snowy forest to a conqueror who will turn God's precious playground into his.
8 350The Tears of Kas̆dael
It was just supposed to be a game. A really, really great game, yes - but a game. Instead, Jasper got his heart ripped out by a brooding goddess and awoke to find himself in another world. No weapons, no skills. Naked. Trapped in a world full of ancient horrors, where gods and monsters still roam the earth, Jasper is forced to adapt quickly or die - and he's not ready to die. Good thing he's a mage. This is a high-fantasy novel with light LitRPG elements. It's not super-crunchy, but the system is an important part of the story. There is some light cursing and gore, but this is not a Grimdark novel. There will also be no harem. The current schedule is chapters on M-W-F of around 2000-2500 words, as well as occasional bonus chapters that provide background or insights into side characters. This is my first real attempt at writing a full novel, but the story is based on a world that I've been creating and re-creating since I was a child. I have an extensive "history" and religion, and even a semi-cohesive language system worked out, which will hopefully slowly shine through as the story progresses. I want to avoid having too many info-dumps, so I may from time to time post a bonus lore chapter that will explain some of the background for any who are interested.
8 195Episode 2: SPAWN
A vampire was destroyed in the city of Two Rivers. Her second death points detectives Alton and Cook of the Unjust Existence Extermination Investigation Force in the direction of an agent of a foreign power, and suggests the existence of a greater vampiric plot that undermines the reputation of the city for fair treatment of living-impaired citizens. Set in the world of Manifest Destiny - a shared hombrew D&D 3.5/Pathfinder 1 campaign setting that has been in use since 2007, this is a fantasy police procedural similar in style to Law & Order. Retired player characters make cameo appearances. This work originally won NaNoWriMo in 2015, and will update every Saturday until complete.
8 217