Michael felt pretty good about himself. He had foiled Melissa’s plot, and, judging by how the girl failed to show up as a teaching assistant to Nahlil’s Class, she had lost some if not all of her backing. Erea had been over the moon about getting her old position back and she let Michael know about it. Personally. Nahlil was just grumbling about switching assistants too many times.

If he was lucky, Melissa was out of the picture for good. If not, he simply got away from her for a set period of time. And he wasn’t going to waste it. He had already set Bob and Micah on finding artifacts that would allow him to bypass truth Spells. He was proud of himself for handling the talk with Melissa, dodging around the details as he did, but he had to admit he got lucky too. And he couldn’t rely on luck forever.

It was after Monday’s Battle Magic Class, as Michael was eating lunch with his friends, that he got summoned.

“Ascentionalist Regitris requires your presence.” The young mage told Michael.

“Ascentionalist Michael will honor him with his presence after dinner.”

The young mage nodded, handed Michael a scroll containing the location he was supposed to go to, and left. Micah waited just long enough for the other mage to be out of earshot before loudly asking.

“Is that really the way you all talk?”

“No. Some Ascentionalists just get too infatuated with the ‘mightier than thou’ attitude. I just like to make fun of them.”

It was some time later that Michael found Regitris’s office. A new one. Again. He didn’t even try and observe the surroundings this time, not in detail anyway. He just noticed it was some kind of overgrown bird’s nest, but with the twigs being made of different types of metal. The room was round too. Kind of tacky and uncomfortable, but you know, he wasn’t the head elf around here.

“You wanted to see me, sir?”

“Yes. Take a seat, Michael.”

It seemed that the elf meant business. Gone was the distracted, rich, grandfatherly look and here was the type of person who, save for the ears, had the same look on his face as a bank director. Or a loan shark. Michael had never seen either, but he imagined this is what they looked like.

Severe and focused.

“An interesting fact has come to my attention.” The elf said, after Michael sat down. “It seems that you have gained the attention of the head of another faction.”

“Yes, sir. It happened this Friday. Me and my team had been accosted by an out-of-control golem. We tried to run, but the golem ran faster. It was about to make contact when the head of the Martial faction found us and saved us.”

“Indeed. And, if my reports are correct, lead you to a personal realm of his own making.”

“He said that it was a Skill, sir. I’m not sure if it was an entire realm.”

“Whether by Skill or Spell, such aptitudes are known.” Regitris lectured. “The creation of a pocket realm. Where some basic laws can be modified. Such as time. I have to ask and I hope that you will answer me, Michael. How much time did you spend in that pocket realm?”

“Uhm, enough to have a short conversation, sir.” Michael said. “Maybe… fifteen minutes?”

“I see. So, you had carried a conversation. May I ask what about?”

“I can’t say, sir. I have a similar arrangement with Kelunad as I do with Professor Sinestra. In exchange for my help, I obtained tutorship from him.”

“You received… tutorship? From the orc?!” Regitris asked, disbelieving, before mastering himself. “That… that is not unprecedented. Even in their faction. Yet it is rare. What did he ask for?”

“I cannot say, sir. I am sorry.”

“I see.”

The elf’s eyes got cold. As cold now as they were mad when he had put Michael through his mock-trial. He reached inside his robes and pulled out a strange object. Borderline metallic, borderline crystalline and shaped like a three sides pyramid. He raised it and left it floating in the air, where the object doubled itself, another side emerging, as if from a mirror. Yet the new side, pointing down, looked off. As if Michael was seeing the reflection of the object, not the object itself.

“This, Michael, is a Lie Eater. I will ask you three questions and I hope that you will answer them. You can abstain from answering, though that is an answer in and of itself. But beware, if you choose to answer and you lie, then this artifact will ‘eat’ your lie. In that it will retrieve any information of this lie from your memory.”

Once again, Michael was left aghast at the notion that this artifact was even a thing. So, if he lied, then he lost all memory regarding the subject of that particular lie. If he didn’t answer, Regitris would probably take that as an admission. A little rough handed for the normally cool-headed elf.

“No offense, sir, but that’s a little direct for my tastes. And I’m not sure what I’ve done to deserve this treatment. What will happen if I simply stand up and leave?”

Michael was prepared for an even more heavy-handed answer, but to his surprise, the elf simply shook his head.

“Nothing. And you will not be forced to leave our faction either, if that is on your mind. Yet you will no longer have my trust.”

Or your favoritism.

There were a few things Michael didn’t want to tell. Then again, he hadn’t done anything against the faction itself. Other than start a conspiracy. If Regitris asked about that… Yet, he felt the old elf was more wary of Kelunad than anything else. It was a risk, but…

“Very well, sir. Ask away.” He said and the elf nodded.

“Has Kelunad asked you to, hinted at or otherwise drove the conversation towards a possible plea, ask for help or bargain, with the purpose or undermining, sabotaging, obtaining inside information or affecting our faction, the Ascentionalists, in any way or form for the duration of your conversation with him?”

“No.” Michael answered, after he had a moment to process the question.

That question was lawyer worthy. He had no idea if |Lawyer| was a Class in this world, but this question deserved to win the elf the Class.

Yet Regitris only nodded, breathing out, as if a great weight had left him. Still, he had two questions left and the elf looked more wary of them than Michael did.

“Had you, prior to meeting the orc Kelunad this Friday, any affiliation with him, whether direct or indirect?”

“No, sir.”

“Good, Michael. Good.” The elf breathed. “This will not be considered one of the three questions, but did you even know he existed?”

“I knew the Martials must have had a leader. But until I met him, I didn’t even know Gnosis had orcs.”

“Not many, thankfully.” He muttered. “Alright Michael, final question. Are you ready?”

Is he hyping himself up?

“Yes, sir.”

“Has the orc Kelunad, leader of the Martial faction, asked you to, offered you the possibility or made any promise towards you, Michael, defecting our faction, the Ascentionalists, and joining his faction, the Martials.”

“Well, this one’s more than a yes or no answer.” Michael said and saw the old elf freeze. “He basically named me an honorary member. And from what I see, all Martials now think of me as such. But no, sir, he didn’t ask me to join his faction or made any other such moves. Nor do I have any plans of joining them.”

I may in the future, but not now.

“Good. Good.” Regitris said, and sat down in a very uncomfortable looking chair. “Please forgive this peculiarity Michael, but for the orc to make a move again, after so much time… and with you no less. After the event, myself and a considerable number of our faction’s finest met and deliberated on what the orc could want. We decided that it must be a power move, for the orc is ever hungry for confrontation, physical, magical or otherwise. A move against us. And since he approached you, well. We had decided that it was probable that the orc had tried to either recruit you or use you against us.”

Only it wasn’t probable. At all.

“I personally thought you would not fall for such an act.” He said. “But I had to be certain. For our faction, Michael, I had to be certain. I am sorry to have put you through this.”

In this moment, though Michael had had his private thoughts about Regitris and his elitist behavior, he actually felt for the elf. He looked just as old and tired as he probably was. It couldn’t have been easy to run a faction, much less a top faction. Seeing daggers lurking in every shadow. He might still not completely like the man, but he wouldn’t dislike him either. Not without cause.

“I understand, sir. Does this mean I will not be questioned further about my meeting with Kelunad?”

“You may, by other mages. Certainly about the fact that you are now referring to him by his name. But not by our faction as a whole. Again, I personally understand making a deal that requires secrecy. Everyone does, provided they live long enough. But… if the orc becomes too much. I am always here, Michael. He is not all-powerful and you need not be scared of him. Not with us at your back.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“That being said, if you wish to double-cross him, we are more than happy to barter for the discussed information.” The old elf smiled.

“I think I’ll hold on to it for now.” Michael laughed. “But thank you for the offer.”

“As you wish, Michael. But one more thing. Last time we talked, you asked about a certain faction. One with knowledge seeking inclinations?”

“Yes, sir.” Michael said, at full attention.

“We have sources of our own. And it seems that a shadow war is being fought. Secrets have been bartered and questions have been asked. About you.”

“About me, sir?”

“Yes. Though, I myself have looked at the information requested and how it has been requested. From what I see, the most likely scenario is that only one individual is asking about information related to you. At most, a few individuals. From what you have told me, of the mage who had tried to recruit you and the one you saw… it may have let you see them. I believe you have attracted the curiosity of one of these mages. An annoying fact, given that this one seems to be quite relentless, but better than attracting the interest of them all.”

Nothing I didn’t know.

“I understand. Anything I can do to get them off my back, sir?”

“The normal method, my boy, is to do nothing. If you resist, they see you as a better target. Be as boring as you could be. But, here as well, if they insist, tell me. We have ways against them as well.”

So, basically what I already thought of.

Yet it was still good. Besides Kelunad’s promise, he now had Regitris’s promise as well. His might come with string attached, but if push came to shove, it was good to know he had options.

“Thank you, sir. I will keep it in mind.”

“Good, good. Now, I believe I can give you some time back. Oh, and congratulate young Micah for tomorrow’s celebration. Though, of course, I imagine he will receive plenty of that tomorrow. Just tell him to ignore the fools who forget what the day stands for.”

“Oh? I don’t know… what celebration is that, sir.”

“He hadn’t mentioned it?” the elf asked, looking amused. “Or perhaps he wishes to surprise his friends. It’s Change Day. Also called Moon Day. A celebration among lycans and the world.”

“Oh. I didn’t know, sir. I’ll congratulate him” Michael smiled. “Can I ask what it’s about?”

“Of course, Michael. It’s a celebration honoring the lycans’ ancestors for their decision. To change, as an entire race, from werewolves to lycans.”

Instantly, Michael was transported to his first day at Gnosis. To the first time he had met Micah. And what the lycan asked him when he caught Michael looking at him.

‘…you were thinking ‘werewolf’, weren’t you?’

Huh. So, there’s a connection after all.