By the good graces of our lord and mighty overseer, Sheogorath, we mourn the passing of my very own sanity; this day of our lord… six days after my fucking birth. Yup, basically a week since my birth, I wish I had taken different choices. Good news is, I have been able to gain a new trait through training, the -Enhanced Circuits- trait… bad news, it is kinda useless at tier one and with my stats being as low as they are.

T: ‘Did you seriously just invoke Sheogorath?’

‘Yes, yes I did.’

Would anyone else be willing to come to my aid besides him or Cthulhu… honestly I am worried that in this world I might get a new voice in my head by invoking either. Lord knows that I already have way too many voices going on…

“Zekiel, did the witch show up yet?” Not so much a voice, as my mother who has been annoyed for that passed two days; as it seems the witch who does appraisal is kind of late. I’ve checked my internal map of the world, and she’s been in town since then; just avoiding the Jarl’s longhouse for some reason… that I know. “She should have arrived in the village by now; did something happen on her travels?”

“Calm down dear, the witch is in town and should be on her way after our little talk. She’s only a couple days late, shouldn’t be too much bother.” I mean, father is right in many ways, most children are appraised after their first year… or second depending on the financial situations of the family. Since our family has no issues with money, and my parents wanting to soothe some… main family elders… we’re doing the appraisal now.

Yehai and Xihlis are still the way they were before, sleeping and eating mostly as they are of course little babies. I wish I could sleep as much as them; my parents becoming sure of my blessing and continuing the lineage of demons with it.

“Well, she should come faster. I want this crap taken care of and the elders to shut up about my marriage and my children.” I’ve heard this for days now, even had the pleasure of meeting an elder while being held by my Oma. Old bastard gave me such an evil eye, and I wished I could do some form of rude gesture back; guess my existence is enough for now. “My marriage, my children… they should have no say in either of the matters. I’d rather squash them, and be done with all of this!”

“Indra, darling, again… calm down.” Father has an arm wrapped around mama’s waist, and giving her soft kisses on her face. Lord these two would already be in bed doing adult things if the healer didn’t tell them not to or maybe lose chances for more kids. “Nothing will go wrong, and I can assure you that no one can harm our three little children. Runesca will be there to watch over everything; and your mother is going to be nearby as well.”

Technically, any children of the Haruk family must have Ugdralath as one of their patrons, or they will be relegated to a Branch family. The number of patrons isn’t important, but you must have the patron of death; and anyone in a Branch family to have Ugdralath will be adopted by a family in the main family. Kind of… old fashioned and a pain in the ass; this is why most of the people I’ve looked up from my time in the SPD… aren’t doing too well.

It’s enough to make one want to take the elders of this family by the head, and repeatedly slam your knee into their face. Honestly; even Ugdralath has no idea where they got this idea from, as he doesn’t remember things from before he became my patron. It’s kind of one of those things that the boys and I speculate on.

Honestly, I would enjoy things more if I didn’t have to deal with these forms of politics… but I know for a fact that I am going to have to get involved. Not only because I was born into this particular branch of the main family; but since it will be shown my ‘pureness’ of my connection to Ugdralath… which is my fault because I let him out of his door.

Course, as we wait in the main hall of the longhouse with various members of direct family around; I already know that this witch will try something when it comes to me. I can already read through her profile; and there are quite a few things in there that make me worried. I am surrounded by my family though, so not much can happen that would put my life in danger; hopefully. It is nice to meet my aunts from my dad’s side though; the lust and pride demons that they are.

They are currently enjoying the feel of playing with Yehai and Xihlis, as they seem to notice that I am quite too much like my dad to be pleasurable. Which is hilarious, since I feel I am more like my mother than my father… but personal ideas.

Aunt Xitra; a lust demon and the first child of my Oma, took after her father who is apparently a bastard. Owns a bordello in the city of Georgina, which is in the country over of Liberteria. So basically she is an information gatherer, who gives information to my father, who works as the spymaster for Freyjan. This has so many good points, I wonder why they don’t seem to have a better relationship.

Then there’s Aunt Vivian, who takes after Oma a bit more as she is a pride variant of demon, who runs her own little book store in the capital of the neighboring country of Kumari. Course that is her cover, and her true vocation is that of a ‘Mother of Moonlight’, or a matron of an assassin’s guild… I can see this side of the family is very much into the darker sides of life. At least I can pass off my own… eccentrics… as something that sort of runs in the family.

“So little bro, get used to havin’ kids yet?” Xitra, her cockney accent showing as she makes fun of her little brother Zekiel; her hands busy holding little Xihlis. Of course he is sleeping through all this; much to our aunt’s sorrow, she likes making us squeal but doesn’t want to bother their sleep. “I still find it funny; The younger two look more like Zekiel, but have nothing similar to him. Zeri looks like Indra, but is more like his father; poor kid.”

“Xitra, Zeri is cute as well, in his own little way. It is amazing how much he takes after Zekiel though; I’d prefer to be more like his mama, she’s much cuter.” Vivian comments; her voice more sultry with a tint of desire hidden beneath. I do not need to know of my aunt lusting after my mother; but there it is, which explains why her relationship with my father is as bad as it is. “I do have to ask you two; have you ever heard Zeri actually… cry? Or is he always this calm?” Of course I’ve never cried since the day I was born; just little protests for food, changing, and about their treatment of poking me. “Xihlis looked upset when everyone came in, but then fell asleep; all while Yehai looked upset at first and is now sleeping calmly after being fed. Zeri just seems… very mature.”

“Well… they were born with full sets of teeth; I wouldn’t be surprised if there weren’t other strange things about either one.” Oma, who is holding me while mother paces around the longhouse… her husband; Kragna, or Old Bull, holding her on his shoulder. Seriously… Old Bear, gramps, and Old Bull are frichen huge… nearly eight feet and barely touching the ceiling of this place. “I mean, Zeri has a new trait now… makes wonder how he got that.” Fuck, forgot those two can see things too…

“Now dear, let some secrets remain.” Old Bull Opa chuckles with his deep hearty voice, seriously... baritone or lower I swear. Though the old bear’s voice was deep, but this guys takes the cake… “Old habits are showing in both you and little Zeke. If the little ones want to start early with learning, why stop them; or question them.” Question, how is your wisdom so low with lines like that? Feeling like I’m about to be experimented on… maybe I should lie low…

<”If you want to live… then listen to me…”> Oh goody, and the prodigal voice that started all this appears; <”Snark later, act now! Your little black soul in here is about to finish something; and I have a bad feeling.”> Oh, that would be the synergy of Eye and Guide… that was quick…

P: ‘I feel insulted.’

<”Enough talk! Close your eyes!”>

If my eyes would work properly and focus, I might roll my eyes; maybe that’s why I don’t really pay attention to clothes? Never heard him so desperate; so as my eyes close…

-BOOM-

-BOOM-

-BOOM-

Three loud booming gongs reverberate the… world… Xihlis and Yehai quickly waking up and crying loud, and Oma grips onto my tightly as people begin to panic; but I can’t seem to hear them as… a voice… another voice of ancient descent; speaks…

[{“One who seeks the new of the world, who naturally works the weave like a Spinner; you have roused this ones curiosity… and it’s a fucking baby?”}] Rude, I am technically a newborn, please do not make me older than I am. [{“And it’s giving me lip…”}]

<”You get used to it.”>

[{“And Baalish… why do things seem to be getting worse. So this kid weaved together two patron abilities to create a new ability?”}]

[“Yup, isn’t my holder such a talented young one; if I recall you’re… Liliana?”]

[{“That’s my sister, I’m Kiara. Close Yrmala, but she handles skills while I handle abilities.”}]

‘Do I get to speak, or should I let the little meet and greet continue?’

T: ‘They seem to be old friends; let them speak. Not like we have panicking mortals all around us trying to figure out why the bells of Notre Dame decided to fill the longhouse.’

P: ‘At least I wasn’t the only one to notice.’

The voice goes silent for a while, before a shuddering sigh escapes from… her… something. I don’t know, can’t see her or feel her presence. To my guess, she could be some kind of spider given they called her a Spinner;

M: ‘Now be nice, her voice sounds pretty. I am sure she is not a spider; Spinner could mean any kind of creature or profession…’ Martyr goes silent for a bit; ‘Forget I said anything… lets not bring seamstresses into this.’

B: ‘Did you… just call her a prostitute inadvertently?’

[{“Why are there FIVE of them?!”}]

<”Welcome to the madhouse that is my life… get to the point.”>

[{“Fine; so this holder has garnered the attention of the Spinners due to his… creativity. I’ve already looked at the weave that was created for this ability; a little crude, but I’ve polished it… seriously… why have we never thought of this thing called ‘Synergy’?”}] Maybe we hurt her feelings, [{“Know anything at a glace, can see what you wish before your eyes… and what does this… H.U.D. mean?”]}

‘P, did you seriously sign your work with details?’

P: ‘You ever work threads together into a tapestry? Trust me, there’s a reason it took me six days to do this.’

Another shuddering breath can be heard; yeah, we hurt her feelings with this one;

‘H.U.D. stands for Heads Up Display, it’s a basic… ability… for those that depend on knowing the state of their body at a moments notice. It can also be used for many other purposes, trust me; it’s very handy when in a fight and you need to see your current vitality and fatigue.’

[{“I won’t deny its credibility, and the usefulness an ability of this caliber can hold… but it was made by a… wait…”}]

<”Here it comes…”>

[{“How is it alive?”}]

<”I question that all the time.”>

‘What do you mean?’

<”The fact that Nephilim weren’t a thing in Agenai before YOU were born; the real reason your… sisters… didn’t make it. And the reason it’s difficult for your parents to reproduce; it’s due to their blood, and how it mixes well.”> A chuckle can be heard from the old demon in chains; <”Goes to show you how compatible that destined ones are.”>

‘Oh, that. Elementary my dear Watson!’

<”Do I want to know?”>

(“I do.”)

‘And the true culprit is… Baalish.’

[{“Still causing problems there…”}]

<”I am being framed, I swear!”>

‘Nope, it’s because Baalish is my fourth Patron; we already calculated the numbers on this. Due to his influence, the blood in me leveled out to make -Demon- the outlier with -Human- being lesser.’

P: ‘This difference in purity caused the -Angel- and -Dragon- to balance out as well, thus allowing our circuits to better handle the different mana that bodies of Agenai aren’t used to. If I may ask; since abilities are handled by a -Spinner-, would -Races- be handled by one as well… or some kind of -Matrix-?’

[{“Too many questions; stop. Knowing too much is never a good thing.”}]

‘So we have been told; back to business, the new ability?’

[{“Right, business… what do you wish to call this ability?”}]

‘Wait… I get to name it?’

<”That’s how it has been; when the first abilities were made, the creator named them… hence why you have some strange names…”>

[{“There is also the requirements, and who all gets to use it. All decided by the creator of the ability; much to my dismay… -Golden Cock- is still a thing that is being used.”}]

<”You have got to be kidding me…”>

‘-Eye of Nephilae-, requirements are of course; training, -Guide to Life-, and -Keeper’s Eye-. Why would I keep others from using this ability? Let them all use it, if they can handle it.’

[{“See? Naming sense, decent requirements, and… wait, you’ll seriously let ANYONE use this ability if they meet those requirements?”}]

‘Of course, why not? It doesn’t feel fair to say only those of my race can use it… there are only three of us.’

[{“Of course there are… alright, so we have the name and requirements. I feel like my job is done here… and like my head is about to explode with everything going on.”}]

‘Mind if I ask a question before you go?’

[{“Sure, why not? What question do you have child?”}]

‘In all seriousness; who are you and why do those that control the weave make house calls? Every person who discovers a new ability gets to talk to you… does that also include every other aspect of the weave? And, if one is noticed by the Spinners or Weavers… who also pays attention?’

Some might think that my questions are odd; but they each have a meaning…

<”You don’t really trust anyone, do you? What is the real reason you broke the doors and destroyed that… cathedral?”>

T: ‘Trust is not earned, it’s given through harsh trials from the one who gives it. We choose to trust, but those who don’t trust us… do we have to play along with their games?’

The voice, Kiara, chuckles before the tone of her voice changes to one that resonates with my own soul; almost wish I could grin at this time…

[{“Well well, you never change; do you? That will all come in time, but I can answer something for you; We all noticed your birth, and are paying attention. You messed with the matrices of the world in an odd way, so we’re curious if you are to bring ruin to our little… experiment. Will you be the hero, or the villain; we shall see.”}]

‘Oh, I know the answer to that.’

The adults around me continue to panic a bit as everything quiets down, the presence of Kiara slowly ebbing away as my soul grins back at the abyss that stared into it;

‘I am neither hero nor villain of this story you all tell; I am just me.’

[{“That’s an answer! All the souls have stagnated into categories, but none have a sense of self. We will meet again, I am sure; and if you meet my sister before then, tell her I said hi.”}]

…

…

“Zekiel, what was that?” The tone that filled the room still reverberates through my very bones; filling me with dread, Xihlis and Yehai both crying a storm and causing my instincts to go into overdrive. Zeri is silent as always, in the arms of his grandmother as if nothing had happened; giving me some peace of mind. “Are my babies okay?”

“I got Xihlis, he’s a bit upset about it, but nothing seems to be out of place.” Xitra clings to the small boy as she had already upended a table and hid behind it; I can hear her whispering soothing words into the child’s ear to try and calm him…

“Yehai is fine darling, he’s just a bit spooked I guess? My real question is why is the third one okay?” Vivian makes a good point on that, as Runesca looks at little Zeri with a curious look on her face;

“I mean, his eyes are closed for the first time I’ve seen him. Maybe he is scared but silent about it?” She wiggles him slightly as she frees an arm and begins poking around his eyes; “Come come now, it’s okay Zeri, you can open your eyes now.” As she pokes around his eyes, he makes some sounds of protest; and it seems like he is trying to move away from her prying fingers.

“Maybe he got something in his eye?” Kragna looks down at the boy with a little worry on his face, rubbing a finger on Zeri’s stomach; the child jerking as it seems to tickle him, then a gasp can be heard from Runesca before she stops Kragna’s hand.

“Well, that explains the noise…”

“What’s wrong? What was the noise?” Looking at my mother-in-law, as she rubs her forehead with the first emotion I’ve seen on her; fear, worry… “What happened to Zeri?” A cold chill fills my veins as something grips my heart…

“Stories tell of those who… do something to earn attention from beings higher than the Patrons. And there are times they manifest… different abilities.” She sighs before poking Zeri’s forehead; “Too late boy, I already saw your eyes.” Moving to where Runesca is, I look down at my boy, as it seems he… sighs… and his eyes open to reveal…

…

…

<”DAMNIT! Why can’t people just treat babies with care, and not try to force them to do things?!”>

‘Welp, cats out of the bag… by the way, can’t see my eyes. What happened?’

P: ‘Well… according to the polished HUD we now have; gonna have to work that around to a proper look but we have time…’

<”What do you mean time?! The witch will take one look at you and probably kill you!”>

[“Oh she would not dare.”]

T: ‘No, he’s right… more information here, and seems there is an issue. Course the eyes didn’t have anything to do with it.’

P: ‘May I finish please? Seriously… so looks like the -Eye of Nephilae- completely overwrites the two abilities used… or absorbs is the better word for it.’ Never really heard Philosopher sound so… annoyed… ‘Interesting is a word; it has as much use as we can make of it… since the concept of a HUD is new. But; and here’s the but, it affects our eyes. The Sclera have turned complete black it seems… pupil is white, and the Amber Iris is more pronounced, glows brighter…’

M: ‘And mama does not look happy; is something wrong?’

Martyr is right there, mother does not look happy in the slightest, as if her heart is breaking as she stares at me. Did I do something really bad here… just the look of fear in her eyes is breaking my heart…

<”Before you ask, she’s not afraid of you… it’s more like she’s afraid of the life you will have.”> Baal sighs and I can hear him grumbling;

{“Black eyes are a sign of one who has earned the right to see the world as it is; which is not a good thing to many people. Some even see it as a sign of being known as -Lord-, a strong title in many cases; and others will want to steal it.”}

‘Heh, funny. I don’t have any titles, so I don’t see anything wrong here. So I have discolored eyes; will make a good idiot detector.’

Silence permeates not only my mind, but the room we are in; the small breathing of my mother as she picks me up in her arms… then bolts for the back room; making me surprised to the point I nearly missed a small chime in my head…

-=Title Earned: Lord of Nephilae=-

T: ‘You HAD to open your mouth!’

‘Sue me.’

T: ‘I fucking would kick your ass, if I was a masochist!’

While an argument takes place in my head, mother has already barricaded the back room to a rather impressive degree; furniture and debris stacked in front of the door. The strength and dexterity of this woman is amazing, and scary; note to self, do not make mama angry. Though she is very soft hearted; crouched in a corner and holding me like I am about to disappear, weeping.

Well, don’t I feel like a right ass…

“Indra, hun, it will be okay. We can think of something about the witch.”

“They still won’t leave us alone; they will send another appraiser to look at them; they’ll see Zeri’s eyes, and they will… oh god my boy…” She clutches me tighter, I swear I am not going to disappear; “The world wasn’t happy with my daughters, now it wants to take my son away from me as well.”

“I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen Indra, our boys will live happy lives; full lives, will find love and have kids of their own.” Father seems to be holding back many emotions, and from what I can see with my eyes… they are holding back Oma and my aunts who want to go do something… “Hun, trust me; have I ever… would I ever let anything happen to our children?”

‘Oh for the many times I wish I could speak…’

Silence once again fills the area, only my mother’s weeping heard from my little ears; her tears falling on me. She looks absolutely miserable with that look of fear in her eyes. It’s a bit too quiet really…

“Where are the children who need appraisal?” Ah, that’s why it’s quiet, the damn witch finally decided to get out from the bottle; “I don’t have much time on my hands, let’s get this over with so I can leave this dead end town.” Hey, hate me but don’t diss my Freyjan.

“No worries, we’ll have to start with Yehai; Indra is in the back giving Zeri a change of cloth at this moment.” Old Bear is being as respectful as he can be… but man who can feel the shaking fury in his voice even though he tries to hide it.

“Matters not, all three will have to be tested before I leave anyway. Give me the whelp, and give me some space to do what I need to do.” Can I bite her?

“Of course, use the side room over here; we will give you some space to do what you need to do.” At this point I started to ignore the polite speech, as plans started to go through my mind… a mental grin spreading on me; seriously, do not fuck with my family like this.

…

Took a bit, but mother has now calmed down and has went back out into the main room; now getting held by father. Yehai and Xihlis have already gone through the process of appraisal at this point; and surprise fucking surprise they have Ugdralath. Also two additional Patrons each, which is good… and from explanations the process will not reveal Baalish.

<”So what have you been thinking about that has ALL of your little selves… well, laughing in a rather creepy manner. Even the orange one; I thought he was supposed to be the calm one.”>

[“Yeah… they’re still cute, but I am worried.”]

‘Oh nothing; just… well… I can now see some secret things I couldn’t before, and oh so much fun shall be had.’

While I still plotted in my head without letting the Patrons know… save for one… I was being held by Oma once more, as she stared intently into my eyes; and I stared right back. Though I was still blurry, it seemed that things were becoming clearer thanks to my new ability.

“Well… guess we’ll be safe the appraisal can’t see Titles… cause that’s one I have never seen nor know what it does.” Oh right…

‘The fuck does -Lord of Nephilae- even do? I am trying to look at it; and all I see is -Still Processing-. Someone needs to update the server, game broken!’

“I would say Zeri is fine, he shows a lot of emotion on his face, and I can tell he’s frustrated. Maybe he saw his mama crying and wants to help her.” Old Bull smiles and gives a hearty chuckle, “He’s a good boy, not purposefully causing trouble. Just a victim of circumstance.”

<”He is far too pure to be apart of this family… anyway, usually a Lord title has a few benefits; strengthens the holder with each member of the same race near them. So a -Lord of Goblin- would gain power as more goblins stand with them.”>

(“Not in all cases, some Lord titles strengthen instead the ones around them; so that same goblin is not stronger, but leads an army of much stronger allies. Most cases end with the Lord being killed and all the followers losing power. Funny that.”)

“How long does it take the witch to recharge her energy? I know she just did two appraisals, but you would think one with her age would have some kind of trait to help with it.” I agree, Aunt Xitra, and she does; but that is not what she is preparing. Seriously, something is wrong with some people these days if they think excuses like this would pass… especially around the ever paranoid.

-=Ding=-

‘Oh, soup’s done? Or what…’ Words flash through my head as I really feel a headache coming on with how this day is going; ‘Seriously… maybe I need to talk to Jyggalag more…’

-=Lord of Nephilae: A mix of Demon, Angel, Dragon, and Human; just by being around those who hold this blood, they find themselves becoming stronger more expediently.=-

‘I want to scream… not a baby scream, but a scream that will wake the sleeping giants of this world…’

“Alright, I am ready for the final whelp; bring him here so we can be done and I can go home.” The witch finally exits from the back room; and I could almost cry with happiness as I finally have a way to get rid of this annoyance. Oh you… well you’re hideous, but I will call you beautiful at this time. “Remember, no coming in while the channeling is going on; otherwise you might injure the whelp’s circuits. And we don’t want that, now do we?” Oh that small smile, I am going to have fun…

…

…

For the longest time, I have been an appraiser for the country of Handrak; money is good and every so often I will get a request from someone influential. These requests get me extra money for my daily needs, and I can even get rid of unneeded existences. Honestly, it doesn’t matter what type of child they are, but these kids received the ire from someone higher up; it’s their own fault for bringing this fate on themselves.

This time though, that Elder brought me enough gold to make sure I don’t have to deal with children ever again; seriously, he must really not like this child. I can see why; the marriage between those two was never approved by the Elders of this clan, so children were not expected after the first failure. I don’t know the real reasoning, nor do I care, so let’s just go and start this. Have to make this look like an actual appraisal.

Gently place the child now, if it starts crying then the parents will rush in… do not want to annoy either one with the reputation they both have. Little basket right next to my appraisal slate… and those black eyes stare at me, focusing directly on me… creepy.

Now to clean my slate from the previous appraisal; that dragon brat Yehai with his starting stats, patrons, and traits being quite good for a meat-headed brat. With some spring water and a silken cloth, I wipe away the words only those blessed by -Astrosis- can see.

So far, the brats that woman gave birth too… were quite scary… stats way too high, patrons meshing well together. And their traits coming together to make one wonder; if it was accidental. These thoughts plaguing my mind as I get the glass of reagents to mix in the bowl, then grabbing the -Knife of Astrosis-. This part always pissing me off, as it involves cutting the palm of the child to be appraised, and they always cry. Why does this process involve cutting… would be easier if they all just waited for the whelps to gain an ability to channel mana; but no, never listen to the witch.

As I grab the whelp’s hand, and slowly draw the knife down his palm to draw the blood for the bowl, maybe going a bit slower to induce more pain… things got weird. The child just stared up into my eyes without so much a hint of discomfort, no crying… just silent and judging eyes. That fact alone sent a shiver through my spine, as this child was anything but normal. Let’s get this over with and get out of here…

{“...guilt…”}

That word flows through the air as the blood finishes leaking into the reagents, not quite the most unnerving aspect of this situation. Just get this done, get out of here, and maybe go far away from Handrak… good plans…

Quickly mixing the bowl’s contents, and saying the blessing of Astrosis for appraisal; the bowl gets poured on the slate,then spread around so the liquid can be absorbed faster. Moving mana through the slate, the liquid absorbs through the cracks of the slate to show…

{“...are guilt…”}

A skull…

A skull with a dagger through it, and a bell tied to the pommel… the pure sign of Ugdralath himself… Others show either just a skull or skull and dagger, but to show the bell means they are pure chosen by the Patron. The fuck has that Elder gotten me into…

{“...you are guilty…”}

The low gruff tone, coming from all around… feeling my heart pounding away in my chest, this is way more trouble than I signed up for. Seriously, why the fuck did I have to get myself into this mess… though the sack of coin was good incentive…

Looking back at the slate… and my blood instantly goes cold from horror… as the other two patrons have full marks as well. A large book, surrounded by runes with an hourglass… Hannash. Then a tree with weaved roots forming a circle, with the four progenitors coming from both sides of the trunk… Yrmala. These three together… as the lines of -Astrosis- slowly form the whelps abilities, traits, attributes… spell out that I should not be here…

{“I have counted…”}

And where is this voice coming from… and what did it count…

{“…the bodies of the children you have sent to me.”}

As the voice makes that proclamation; my vision gets blurry, and a blood chilling scream reverberates around the room… only the door being slammed open by the large wrath demon, did I realize that the scream came from me…

…

…

T: ‘Who knew that time in Tibet would come in handy… though I did not realize…’

Tyrant’s ability; -Tulpa Realm-, allows one to manifest their metaphysical world into the physical… also increases the amount of mana spirits I can store.

So, we now know that my other sides do contribute traits of their own… but they have to be damned to show them. Will have to ask what these mean at a later moment; as the witch is having a total meltdown and old Bull just broke down a fucking door… made from oak I might add. That and I can feel my back, chest, forehead… and esophagus begin burning like fuck!

It only took the old bull a few seconds to scoop me up and begin to gently pat me before walking out of the room, letting the old witch to begin babbling incoherently… I didn’t do that much…

“It’s alright little kit, it’s just the patron’s marks; they always appear after the appraisal. It will go away soon, depending on how well connected you are.” Old Bull states with a soothing voice, moving into the main room and putting me in the arms of my mother, who is trying to soothe three babies at once. Course I am taking this burn better than the other two, but good lord; make it quick!

<”Would be quick… save for the purity of the connection between you three and your patrons. Slide in for a rest kid, as this will take maybe…”>

(“An hour at most, it’s amazing how you three have such a pure connection.”)

It is at this time that I sort of regret that I bought them at max, but you know what… no, regret as it feels like a hot iron brand is resting against my flesh! What else can go wrong…