My sleep was dreamless and had it not been for Kai’s restless bed turning, I would probably have slept for another couple of hours. When I admitted defeat and opened my eyes, he was frowning and squirming on his bed, his covers thrown down to the floor.

I got out of bed and moved toward him only to realize that he was actually crying with his eyes closed. I laid my hands on his shoulders and gently called his name. At first, he did not wake up but he did at least calm down a little bit. I continued calling his name softly until he finally opened his eyes.

“Were you having a bad dream?” I asked him, in the quietest tone I could manage.

“No, I’m fine,” he said quickly, and jumped off the bed, storming toward the bathroom.

I was sure of what I had seen though, and his wet pillow was further evidence that he had been crying in his sleep. For the moment, I decided not to push things and simply waited for him to return.

“Do you want something to eat?” I asked, as soon as he reappeared.

“Yes, please.”

“Why don’t you come with me to the kitchen then?” I said, and reached for his hand.

I served breakfast for the two of us using some of the prepared meals I had retrieved from the market before leaving and we ate in silence. I was not going to push him with any further questions regarding his dreams, especially since we had such a long road in front of us.

“Hey,” I started, as casually as I could as we stood up from the table where we were eating. “Have you tried gauging your mana yet, to see if you can channel it?”

“No, I haven’t,” he replied, suddenly perking up, “but I could try now.”

“I could also do it for you,” I said. “I’ve already cast the spell on myself and it seems I have enough mana to spare. I just thought that maybe you’d like to do it.”

“No, it’s fine,” he replied hastily. “I would like to test it myself. That’s why we learned the spell after all.”

I nodded and sat back comfortably in my chair while he took the position that we had practiced some days ago. Legs locked, hands high, palms pointing upward, he chanted the words and brought his hands to his chest exactly as he should.

After performing the spell for more than thirty seconds, nothing happened. I couldn’t see any faint glow around his body signifying that the spell was complete, nor did he look like he’d received the mental answer to his query.

“It should’ve worked, Myriam,” he said, “right? I did everything exactly as we learned.”

“Yes. You performed the spell perfectly, but…” I struggled to find the words to convey what probably both of us were thinking. “I’m sorry. Maybe the liturgy didn’t work for you.”

A silence hovered between us for a while. I knew how much he wanted to receive his mana and I was sad that he didn’t seem to have any in him.

On the one hand, I felt a great sense of relief. This further proved my theory that he could not have had anything to do with those violent power discharges. On the other, I wondered whether this meant that instead he had been possessed by The Divine. That might explain his skin color change as an aftereffect at least.

“It’s fine,” he finally replied, breaking the silence. “After what Its angels did, I don’t think I want to have anything from The Divine.”

My worries that he would be disappointed about remaining manaless were blown away by this unexpected response. I couldn’t help but smile at him.

“Speaking of things you don’t want,” I started, “what do you say we try and change the color of your skin?”

“Yes, let’s do that please!” he smiled back and pulled up a chair to sit next to me.

Transforming just the color of his skin was technically a minor metamorphosis. It was not a difficult spell, nor one that demanded much mana, but it did require precision when selecting exactly what would be transformed.

Name : Minor Metamorphosis

School of Magic : Transmutation

Verbal Components : 16 words

Somatic Components : Simple

Material Component : None

HP Consumed : 0

MP Consumed : 0

Divine Mana Consumed : 1020

Range : Touch

Casting Time : 720 seconds

Precondition : None.

Description : Alter the structure and appearance of a living being to any shape and effect selected by the caster. This metamorphosis spell cannot result in more body mass than what was initially available. In the case that this spell is directed toward an unwilling creature, the spell’s strength and Magic Attack of the caster will go against the target’s Magic Defense.

Just to be safe, I first performed a minor magic attraction cantrip on his skin.

Name : Divine Mana Magnet

School of Magic : Conjuration

Verbal Components : 4 words

Somatic Components : Simple

Material Component : None

HP Consumed : 0

MP Consumed : 0

Divine Mana Consumed : 40

Range : Touch

Casting Time : 10 seconds

Precondition : None.

Description : This small cantrip can be applied on any point in space. The next spell cast with divine mana will be pulled straight to the target of this cantrip.

Once I cast it on his skin, the next spell to be cast would be drawn to it by default, meaning that it would now be difficult to avoid the skin absorbing the metamorphosis spell. And so, I took the necessary stance to cast it.

I moved behind Kai who was still seated and touched his arm with my right hand. This served the purpose of making contact with the part that would undergo the metamorphosis. In this case, the skin would probably attract the effect of the spell either way, but one could never be too careful.

Next, I placed my left thumb, index finger and middle finger to my right arm. This signified the color that I wanted the skin to take. Keeping my hands in this position, I chanted the 16-word incantation for about twelve minutes while Kai sat patiently.

For the first eight minutes, Kai’s skin gradually changed back to its original color, or at least close to it, while the remainder of the time was used to meticulously cover every little spot and secure the pigmentation.

“Will this hold, Myriam?” he asked, as soon as I finished. He twisted his arms and legs in order to check them for inconsistencies.

“It will definitely last you at least several years,” I replied. “I don’t think you need to worry about that anymore. In any case, you saw how easy that was. If you ever need it in the future, we will just perform the spell again.”

He nodded appreciatively and returned to stretching his limbs and checking the uniformity of his restored skin color.

“Kai, I was thinking…” I began. “We should continue moving away from Nara. It may be best if we increase our distance from it in order to be safer from any further angel raids.”

He frowned, but I quickly realized it was not meant to be directed toward me. It was the mention of the angels.

“Yes, we should leave,” he replied, after a short while. “But where are we to go?”

“We’ve been heading west for the past couple of days,” I answered. “The plan was to eventually move southwest, away from major cities, or at least cities with great temples and archpriests.”

“But there’s nothing but wilderness to the west!” Kai exclaimed.

“You’re correct,” I said, smiling at him. “There are the remains of the old king’s road though, which leads to the south, around the mountains and ends up on the outskirts of Leskia. The route might be much longer and lacking comforts such as inns or stables, but it is much less frequently traveled.”

“I see.” He thought about it for a moment, before starting to put some fruit and water into a backpack. “Then let’s not waste any time.”

Once we were ready for departure, we climbed up the stairs and exited our portable home. I gathered the barrier stones and put them back in my bag, while Kai secured the chest.

“Take this and wear it around your neck,” I told him, handing him a silver chain with a matching whistle on it. “If you use it now, and we can start our journey.”

He gasped in astonishment. “Is this a—”