“Before we go any further, Max, this is for you.” Manus said presenting the book he carried.

The book itself was new. Likely a copy. It was a pale shade of purple with black and gold embroidery, the opposite colors of the Church of Healing. Max had met a few [Priests] from the Church during his time in Esmel’s clinics. They, like Manus, wore primary white. Green and gold were their unique colors. No matter what the [Priest] wore, the symbol of the Healer was stitched into the clothes. A small bird, maybe a dove or sparrow, made with gold thread and a green backdrop.

Divinity symbols had power. They could not be fabricated unless given permission by the involved God. This removed any semblance of identity theft. It also allowed anyone, at a glance, to recognize what Church a [Priest] belonged to. Black and gold were colors Max was not familiar with. The symbol stitched on the cover was also a mystery. A circle of black with small irregular patches of gold. It was something a child could make, there was no fitness or creativity, just splotches of color.

But, to Max’s surprise, the golden splotches moved. Wiggled to be more precise. They squirmed with bravado and subtly, tricking they eye and moving while your brain caught up. As the glittering spots moved, Max looked around at the faces of his company. Each were watching the book, except for Manus. He was watching Max.

“They move for you, don’t they? The gold, I mean.” Manus asked causing everyone to turn to him.

“What does it mean?” Max asked.

“It means, that only you can read that book. The true owner, dictated by the creator, can see the gold dance as well as be the only one who can read the words. Try it. Read a sentence aloud.” There was something in Manus’s voice as he said this. Maybe amusement? Or indulgence?

Max pulled the cover open with the ease of any other book. It was light and well bound, something that was almost a rarity on Nava. Hand stitched and glued to the finest dyed leather. Pressed with delicate pride, it was a masterwork of a book.

Max read over the first line of the book, ensuring the words were safe to read. Then he began. To him the words sounded fine. Common was the langue most everyone spoke and being a Lost One, Max had used a Universal Langue Stone. He hadn’t fully tested its limits, but it seemed that he could read, write, and speak every language on Nava. There had been a few words that broke this mold, however. The main offender being the word; Nacittib. That word was a title the people of Esmel had given him so very long ago.

To the other, Max spoke nothing. His mouth moved and it was obvious he was speaking, but they could not hear him. It was as if Max was behind thick glass, only murmurs and deep syllables could be heard. It was an eerie feeling to them all, and Vel quickly stopped it from continuing.

“Stop, boy.” She said grabbing Max’s attention. “Don’t ever read that book aloud in someone else's presence again. What an awful feeling.”

“What?” Max asked. “Sounded fine to me.”

“To us it sounded as if we were underwater. Not very pleasant. But it highlighted my point.” Manus said. “That book is your and only yours. Your bond may be able to read it, but past that…”

“I see…But what is it?” Max lowed the book into view for Emi. Her eyes glazed over after a few seconds. Max frowned.

“That is a Tome of Knowledge. One of my Lord’s private collections. Won it in a game of dice, he said. It is a copy, of course, the real one would destroy our brains if we tried to read it.”

“I’m not sure I follow. Who did God Subuntu win this from?” Max asked.

“Why Knowledge itself. God of Knowledge, Learning, Understanding, Research and a million more synonyms, Ulis.”

“Ulis? I’ve never heard of them.” Max turned to Vel who took que to answer.

“Not surprising. The Church of Knowledge is a secluded bunch. They don’t live in the spotlight like some of the other Churches.” Vel turned her head towards Burk. “They often live alone or in a cave laboratory somewhere researching. They also don’t have typical [Priests]. I don’t think there are any actually. Instead Ulis hands out Blessing to anyone who catches his eye.”

“And… I can say that this book is incredibly valuable?” Max asked hesitantly.

“Yes. But only the people in this room, my Lord, and the familiar that watches over this house, knows of it. And it would be valueless to anyone except you. It may even harm them if they try to read it. I’m not sure.” Manus said.

“I see. Thank you, and thank you too, Subuntu.” Max said looking up in the air. He could have sworn he felt a pat on his shoulder and warmth filling his body. “But this can’t be the only reason you visited, can it?”

“Ah, no. I wanted to discuss the lecture you will be teaching. We have a one-hour timeslot in Lesterwood’s Church’s atrium. Are there any materials you will be needing? I can send an [Acolyte] to fetch anything.”

“Is there a… Chalkboard or something equivalent in the room?”

“A mana projector, yes. State of the art, as I understand.”

“O-okay… Other than that, I’m not entirely sure. I have a rough idea of what I’m going to talk about for the first lesson, and for that I don’t need any materials. I think. If I come up with any ideas, I’m make sure to let you know.”

“For this first lesson are you not teaching, what did you call it, CPR?” Manus looked confused.

“Yeah CPR, that’s right. And no. I think there is a bit of background knowledge needed to really grasp the concept and why it works. I could simply teach you how to do it, but I feel everyone would be better off with understanding why it works. It will also help in learning some of the other things I had planned for.”

As Max spoke, Manus’s eyes widened and flourished with a great smile. A few simple sentences were enough for him to understand his Lord’s reasoning for sending him halfway across the world to meet Max. He remembered Subuntu’s words exactly; Learn well from Max, his words may be the start of something. Manus had originally questioned why he had to be a part of these lessons. He was a busy man, and someone could simply teach him in his free time. But now, now he was thankful.

“How many are going to be there? And how long are they staying?” Max asked.

“There are a few… Many traveled long distances to get here but were understanding in that they may remain in Lesterwood for weeks or even months. Do not worry, they are happy to be here.”

“But what are they going to be doing the rest of the time? One hour a week see-“

“Do not worry, Max.” Manus cut off. “There will be plenty of other opportunities for them to learn. I am here along with the Head of Lesterwood’s branch. Many do not have figures of such knowledge or renown where they practice, all of us being gathered together is going to be very beneficial to the Church.”

They discussed for some time more, but nothing of value was said. Just pleasantries and small talk. Max learned of some of the inter dynamics of the Church. There were six [High Priests] in total, and they were similar to Cardinals from Earth’s churches. There are two higher ranks, [Champion] and [Elder]. Both of which had regular discussions with Subuntu, and each had their own orders and jobs.

There is only one [Champion] that a God can appoint. There are special and unique circumstances for each God that allows them to appoint temporary [Champions]. In the case of the Church of Healing, these individuals travel the world healing broken armies or stopping the spread of natural plague.

[Elder] shared its generic class name with a few others, but Manus assured Max that [Elder] was not the real name of the class. He seemed rather embarrassed by this, hinting at some past difficulties. [Elders], in simple terms, run the Church. They stay in one place, usually, and send out orders and updates. Currently she resides in a city Max had never heard of, halfway across the globe.

Bishop and Clammy soon arrived, giving Manus and Burk a reason to end the conversation. Manus had high hopes for the young Lost Lord. Hopes that could even get a God excited. He didn’t know why his Lord gave Max that book. He didn’t know the contents, but it was of insurmountable wealth, and for his God to give it away? Just on word of mouth? Unheard of.

Dinner came and went. Darkness had already long been cast. The cold was creeping in. Everyone was asleep in the mansion, except for an owl and a young man. The man, boy really, laid awake in his bed. Around him was the illusion of space. Stars and outlying galaxies painted a vibrant color scheme on the black walls. Supernovas and red giants were scattered among the newborn and ever moving planets and stars.

Knowing he should be asleep, the boys mind wondered. He now knew the age-old question of if there was life among the stars. Since arriving on this planet, he never really thought about it. Were there more planets like this? More life, more Humans? He didn’t know the answers to these questions, but he could dream. Dream of one day visiting these other worlds. After, of course, his home.

He would travel the universe! Exploring and battling dangerous foe. Helping the weak and inspiring the masses. It was a boyish dream, but one that was becoming closer to reality every day. But for that, the boy knew, he was a long way off. For now, he needed to get stronger. He needed mana. He needed items. He needed experience. His experimentation these last few days had taught him that. He was weak. He was merely level 17.

But he couldn’t simply leave Lesterwood and grind experience. He had a job to do, people were counting on him. He couldn’t live out in the wilderness for months slowly gaining levels. No, he had to continue to experiment and live his life. His time in Esmel taught him about life. Something that he never really understood, at least until it was almost taken from him. He could still feel his arm sometimes and the holes in his gut. Mere fragments and ghost of memories, but painful nonetheless.

The book the [Priest] had given him was much more of a daytime sort of thing. He had plenty of time to read through the book during the day. Nights were times of rest and relaxation for most. He knew he was unusual. He knew that others didn’t have a second world that could tap into. But it didn’t matter. He understood that he was chosen. Maybe by chance or by some moral formula. Regardless, he had a way to get stronger. One that he had been afraid of. One that was very real and very dangerous.

Max closed his eyes, taking one final memory of the dream of a boy. When he opened them, he was on a beach. The sand was grey, the water murky, and the feeling of selfishness in the air. His bond was asleep, unknowing of the dangers he would face. She would try to join, but where he was going was simply too dangerous, too deadly.

He began to walk and walk. It took many hours last time to reach the pitch black he remembered. His lungs were full of water, and his skin was slowly shriveling. It started on his fingertips and moved to his toes. It was his only way of gauging time in this realm. Eventually he remembered his goal and set off faster. Water pushed his body deeper and deeper. It was gradual, but he made progress. The darkness was the first assurance that he was moving deeper.

When his eyes finally failed, and his racial became his only real way to see, he knew he was getting close. The first enemy was spotted using his real eyes, however. A small glowing orb careless drifting with the deep currents. He knew not to look, but to feel. The orb carried a deadly trick, one that he was close to taking head on last time. With a quick pulse of mana and an imaginary image of his end goal, a long lance of ice was formed and launched. He moved quickly from this point on. There were other hidden threats in these waters.

But that’s the funny thing about [Water Mages]. An ocean was nothing more than unlimited ammunition.

Congratulations, you have killed a level 29 Shallow Water Angler!

You have gained 21,611 Experience!

Weaker than the last one. The boy thought eyeing the deeper waters. He had two choices. Travel deeper or search this zone for other foes. He went with the safer option and began his hasten travels. Another glowing orb was spotted in the distance, and another lance was shot. And another, and another. As the time went on, his fingers slowly became numb. His prints were breaking form the harsh salt water signaling his time exploring the deepest depths was coming to an end.

But he didn’t feel accomplished. Sure, he had killed a few monsters, gained some experience, and gathered some bodies of exotic fish, but it was nothing in the grand scheme. These monsters were worth nothing to him anymore. It would take thousands to gain a level and thousands more after that. He wanted to know what lies deeper. If he could handle it alone. If he could one day achieve his dream.

He went deeper. More orbs of light followed higher levels than the previous, but he felt it. Something on the edge of his sight. It was about the same size as the angler, but inherently differing. It crawled on the ground, using small legs to propel itself across the sand. Two large claws protruded out of its shelled body, increasing its size to double an angler if included. A crab, or maybe a lobster. He couldn’t tell.

Again, he thought through his battle strategies, visualizing the spell and trajectory of his projectile. A lance was formed and launched. It pierced the hardened shell with ease, ending the monster’s life quickly. The boy was disappointed. It was too weak. Hardly a battle and hardly any experience.

Congratulations, you have killed a level 36 Shallow Water Crab!

You have gained 43,125 Experience!

Congratulations through knowledge or dedication Ice Spike has evolved into Ice Lance (Rare Evolved).

The boys last thought before opening his eyes back on his bed were At least it wasn’t a total waste of time.

Water exploded outwards, drenching everything. The sudden creation of water was always something that puzzled the boy. Was this beach and ocean a real place? How did he get there if his body didn’t actually move? He subconsciously gathered the water plaguing his sheets and pooled it by the door. His bond looked unhappy to be suddenly woken up by an influx of attacking water but became even more unhappy as she realized what the water meant.

She wasn’t the only one who was mad. An owl had formed by pulling the lights from the stars and galaxy, building body of pure light. He stood with an angry posture on the nightstand next to the boy’s bed. His glare was piercing, like he simply knew the boy was up to something. The owl hadn’t been there when the boy revealed the angler to the others. He didn’t know of the dangers the saltwater explosion signified. But his look was one of experience and old age. One that a mother would give her child when she simply knew the child was up to no good.

The boy didn’t know what to say. He knew he was going to be yelled at, he had already come to terms with it. But an idea sprouted in his head. One that might mitigate some damage. A futile hope, but one he would grasp anyways. With a clear and confident voice, one of a man, the boy spoke.

“Don’t tell Vel.”