After getting Sam to sit on the grass, Annabelle drew a circle of Nature mana with her finger around them. It was so thick that the grass was sparkling green in the sunlight.

She sat opposite Sam and used one of her abilities that would stop anyone from listening in on their conversation.

Nature’s Haven

Nature mana suddenly shot upwards to create a dome around them. Sam quietly watched the dome form with curious eyes.

“It will stop anyone from listening in on us whilst we talk. Next, I want to form a temporary pact with you. It is just so you know what a pact is.”

Lying. It broke down trust and she was blatantly lying.

Nature’s Pact

“You should have a notification which asks you to accept or reject the pact. Accept it and then we can start.”

Nature’s Pact has been accepted.

She would have to ask for forgiveness afterwards. The gnawing need to understand who Sam was, superseded her kindness.

“Let’s begin then. What is your name?”

She saw him frowned in a little confusion but answered none the less.

“Samual Jeffrey Underwood. Aunty, why are you-“

“Where are you from?”

She had to be quick. If he realised that it was a truth pact, he would just walk away or worse; figure out how to avoid the real truth. Truth was limited by a person’s knowledge and understanding.

“New Jersey.”

Sam’s frown stayed but he said nothing.

“Where is New Jersey?”

“… United States of America.”

She watched as his eyes grew wide before they gazed over. He was probably reading the details of the pact for the first time.

“This pact says that we both have to answer questions truthfully. Are you interrogating me?”

His voice was full of hurt and disappointment. Unfortunately for Annabelle, the truth pact worked both ways.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I need to.”

“Why?”

“Because you are a mystery to me.”

She had to stop his momentum of questions and gain something substantial.

“Where is the United States of America?”

“Earth. Do you want to know where I am from?”

“Yes”

“Why?”

“Because I fear you will bring trouble to my family.”

“Do you trust me?”

“No.”

“Ask me the same question.”

“Do you trust me?”

“I did before you did this pact. Why didn’t you just ask me all these questions without this pact?”

Sam glared daggers at her and she felt guilty. Not guilty enough not to get answers though, it was for her family’s safety.

“You could have lied. Do you want to hurt my family in any way?”

“No.”

She started asking her next question when she was interrupted by Sam.

“Why did you attack Jeremy?”

It felt like a dagger had pieced her chest, she sucked in a breath. He knew?! She didn’t get much time before the magic of the pact compelled the truth from her.

“It was the instincts of the wolf. I did not have enough control to stop it.”

“Why did you attack me?”

“I don’t know why. The wolf inside me thinks you are a threat. Don’t ask me why because I don’t know that answer.”

She felt so small. Jeremy had told him? Why? She had thought and hoped that Jeremy had left that tragedy behind him.

An old fear reared its ugly head and with it an unasnwered question. The question swirled in her mind, begging to asked but Sam interrupted her thoughts.

“Have I done anything that would make you think that I wanted to hurt anyone in your family?”

Annabelle blinked at the specific question and asked.

“No.”

“What do you need to trust me?”

“I need to know you will not bring harm to my family and that you will look out for their best interests.”

“I have already answered the first question. Ask me the second one."

She stared at him. Who was this teenager? She had just betrayed him and yet he was still trying to prove his good intentions?

“Will you carry out your actions in the best interest of the Underwood family?”

“Yes.”

Since she had started asking questions, she had watched him carefully. His answers hadn’t been vague and rather precise.

He wasn’t lying unless he could overpower the pact which she knew he couldn’t without greater Wisdom than she had.

“I am from a planet called Earth. It does not have the Mastery System. I feared for my safety which is why I lied when I arrived."

Knowledge Mastery: Holder of Knowledge level 6 gained. 2 Mastery points awarded.

There was no greater truth than the Knowledge Mastery… She froze as the realisation hit her. It didn’t make sense. A world without the Mastery System, she had to confirm.

“Are you from a place called Earth which has no Mastery System?”

“Yes.”

She felt her fear deflate and anxiety and confusion replace it. Had she betrayed his trust to find out where he was from and then what? She hadn’t thought her plan through. What did she want to use the information for?

Her skewed motives aside. A place without the Mastery System? It seemed so bizarre. How did it all work? It explained why Sam knew nothing about the system.

Her mind felt numb. She hadn’t gained a level in Knowledge Mastery in such a long time that she had forgotten the sensation.

She stared in disbelief at Sam who looked to be in a state of calm resignation.

The question in her mind reared its ugly head again. She didn’t have much time left before the pact ended, it was her only opportunity.

“Is Jeremy baptised in the Beast Mastery?”

She had to know. Everything pointed towards it. Since her [Beast Transformation] animal was a predator, it was destined to cause baptisms and her father had even said it was a rite of passage of sorts but for it to be her own son…

“Jeremy is not baptised like I am…”

He took a deep breath and his tone became accusatory as he stared at her.

“He is baptised in fear. Fear that his mother may attack him again.”

Like a sword through to gut, she balked. Was that what Jeremy thought of her? Was she just a source of his nightmares?

She couldn’t stop the tears as she began weeping.

Minutes passed before she recovered and by that time the pact and the dome had run their course.

She looked at Sam and saw a frown on his face of Jerald’s calibre.

“If you want to know something about Jeremy and that night, you need to speak to him. He is your son. How do you expect to move passed such an incident if you don’t talk to him about it? What if Jeremy needs help and is afraid to ask?"

She stared at him as the questions went unanswered.

Sam was correct and his words definitely sounded like something her father would say. She sucked in air as she tried to control her emotions. She spoke softly.

“I am so sorry Sam. I am sorry I attacked you and I am sorry that I betrayed your trust with the pact. I needed answers; I needed to lessen my worries.”

“I don't think a pact was necessary. Lying and betraying me like this..."

He glared at her before his face softened.

“I really like this family and this farm isn’t too bad. Where I came from, there were a lot of people and it was really busy. On the farm, it is slower and more relaxing..."

He paused and chuckled.

"The cold baths aren't very pleasant though.”

Annabelle chuckled with him. Their chuckles turned into laughter that could be heard from the other side of the marsh.

As their laughter came to an end, both of them were smiling. Minutes passed as they sat quietly together. There was a soft breeze moving across the grass.

Annabelle smirked as she broke the silence.

“You didn’t have to bath with cold water. There is a seal on the wall that you just need to touch and say ‘Release’. If you do that, the water comes out hot.”

Surprise appeared on Sam’s face and Annabelle's smirk turned into a grin.

"Really?"

Annabelle nodded as she pulled up her left sleeve and showed him her upper arm. There was a large circular tattoo made of light grey ink.

“This is a seal. There are many different types of seals. Each has a different design and each design has a different purpose.”

Annabelle watched Sam become excited and he spoke.

“I saw a similar thing near the bathtub. I thought it was a decoration. So these ‘seals’, how do they work? What does the one on your arm do? Can I get a seal?”

She smiled as she let go of her sleeve. He was like a person discovering food for the first time; he wanted to know what everything was and experience it too.

“A seal can be created by certain Masteries but the Seal Mastery is the most specialised and the best at it. Seals are used throughout everyday life and make everything much simpler. Two examples in the farm are the geyser seal which releases fire mana into the water to heat it and the water cleanse seal which purifies our drinking water. Those two alone have made our lives much better. There are, of course, many more.”

Annabelle watched him nod as she continued.

“Seals can be created in different ways. Some are permanent and some disappear after a few uses. Most require the ‘Release’ command and can be triggered by almost anyone as long as they come in contact with mana. Seals are very useful and there are even protective seals which many warriors use to protect their bodies from attacks."

She smiled as she waited for a barrage of questions but there was only one.

“Can you show me how it works?”

Annabelle blinked. She only had two seals: one was for communciation and the other was for emergencies. She supposed she could contact father.

She nodded and spoke as she pointed to the tattoo on her upper left arm.

“This is a communication seal. I can communicate with different people who have a matching seal. I will contact my father who is the Elder of the region. Please show him respect and refer to him by his title, Elder.”

She made sure to be clear. She didn’t want father to get angry because of a misunderstanding and she was sure father would like Sam. He had seemed interested in meeting Sam ever since she had told him about the baptism.

“Come closer to me. His voice will come out of the seal.”

She placed her palm on the communication seal and willed Nature mana into it. The familiar connection to her mind appeared and she focussed on her father.

After a few moments, she heard his deep voice.

“Daughter, what affords me such a blessing this day? I would think you would be too busy milking the cows.”

She blushed as she realised that she had berated him many times for calling her whilst she was working during the day.

Seeing the confusion on Sam’s face she removed her hand from the seal and spoke aloud.

“Elder, I have removed my hand from the seal so that Sam may speak with you as well.”

“Oh, that is fantastic. Sam, can you hear me?”

She looked at Sam who was staring bewilderingly at the glowing grey seal. Sam hesitated and spoke.

“Elder, it is my honour to speak to the person who raised Aunty to be such a nice lady.”

Annabelle was stunned and blushed slightly. She had not expected a compliment especially after the way she had treated him.

There was a hearty chuckle from the seal before some coughing. Annabelle blush turned to worry.

“Elder, are you ok?”

There was a pause before the Elder responded.

“I am just an old man. Now we have been acquainted Sam, do this old man favour and tell me what Masteries you have. I have always found that a person’s Mastery say a lot about their life.”

Another pause and Sam looked questioningly at Annabelle. She gave him an encouraging nod and then Sam began speaking rapidly.

“Elder, I have the Knowledge, Labour, Water, Mana and Chosen Masteries. Which Masteries do you have?”

Annabelle frowned. She didn’t know Sam had such Masteries. She had heard of the Mana Mastery, it was held by scholars who always avoided war. She hadn’t heard of the Chosen Mastery but she was sure that if someone would know, her father would.

“Oh that is quite an impressive list. I would recommend you keep the Chosen Mastery a secret. It is quite a unique Mastery, more so than even the Mana and Knowledge Masteries. From a combat perspective, the Water Mastery seems the most useful. Annabelle?”

“Yes Elder?”

“I would recommend you assist Sam to gain the Body and Weapon Masteries. Since he can’t summon water yet, he will not be able to defend himself without a source of water. Some basic physical combat strength would be useful for him. Since he has the Chosen Mastery, I will make him an ally of Nature when we meet.”

What?! An ally of Nature! It was a Talent that was rarely gifted and was gifted to those with had contributed greatly to Nature and its followers. Only an Elder could bestow such a Talent. For her father to say such a thing…

“Yes Elder. I will get Jerald to instruct him immediately.”

Annabelle wondered what she had missed. Was Sam now an honoured guest instead of an extra mouth to feed? What was the Chosen Mastery? She would have to ask father as soon as they were alone.

“Unfortunately Sam, I do not have the time to tell you about my Masteries. In my long lifetime, I have collected many, many Masteries but what I can share with you is some wisdom I have learnt which is something to remember as you grow stronger. Focussing and specialising in only one Mastery can make a person very powerful but they can become predictable in battle and in life. Different Masteries offer different perspectives and different interpretations of the laws of mana and the realms. I would recommend you gain as many Masteries as you can and with the knowledge of many Masteries you will be able to see your true path and gain power. Power is difficult to measure with Masteries and sometimes someone with a simple Tier 1 ability can surplus someone with Tier 4 abilities so don't get arrogant. Each gained Mastery makes a person stronger and wiser because each can provide a different insight into our understanding of the world. Do you understand?”

“I do Elder. Thank you for your wise words. I look forward to meeting you.”