It was the weekend and I was currently having tea at the Gray families manor at Bowerstone north. Supposedly, I was meant to meet her father today but I was told he had urgent business arise suddenly and had to leave. A similar story was told about her sister having to attend a funeral for a friend's family member that passed suddenly. The whole thing seemed suspicious and Elvira was acting more so herself.

She was nervously fidgeting in her chair across from me at our small round wooden table. I know she thinks I'm still mad at her but there is no reason to be so... worried.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I... I just am not feeling very well," She answered.

"Then I should head back to the guild so you can rest," I reasoned.

"NOOO!" She yelled panicked.

"Why?" I asked squinting my eyes. She was up to something, I just knew it.

"Um, I wanted to apologize for not being forward about what I have become".

"You did that already and I said I forgive you."

"... But I decided to bake a cake and stayed up all night baking it," She lied. I could tell a poor lie when I see one and her eyes were moving all over the place as she made excuses. She seemed to want to look at something but was trying to force herself to look away. I noticed she shared a meaningful glimpse at the girl who was our maid this evening. She wasn't one of the normal maids I had seen before and now that I examined her she felt somehow familiar.

Blond hair, thin frame, purple eyes, that's when it hit me. That's not a maid at all but Elvira's older sister posing as one. So if she is Amanda Grey then does that mean Lord Grey is here too. I scanned the room and saw no new faces around. Just some of the maids and... her butler?

I thought back to the letters sent to my mother in the past. The ones stating the Lord's approval of me acted as if we had met before or he had appraised me at some point. Then my dear Watson it seemed obvious that Ronald was Lord Grey after all in disguise the whole time.

"So Honeybun, when are you going to introduce your family to me?" I asked calling her Honeybun was a teasing name I started calling her.

Picking up on the cue from my tone that she was in trouble Elvira tried to avoid the subject, "Why are you asking all of a sudden. I thought you didn't want to meet them anyway. How about another slice of cake."

"Come now Lord Grey, surely your tired of this farse by now," I stated.

"Clap", came from the hands of the man I once thought was just Elvira's butler.

"What gave me away?"

"The girls are terrible actors and also they look too much alike to not be sisters," I answered.

"Ah, I've tried to teach them the arts of deception young but it takes a lifetime of experience to master," Lord Grey shrugged.

"Why do this? What did you gain from it?"

"At first, it was to determine if you were worthy of my daughter. Second, to determine if you had what it takes to rule. Third, I was so fascinated by your capabilities. How even death would grant an immortal body and magic to my girl just to align her with your destiny. You are no mere man and its rare for one such as myself to be in awe of someone else."

"I am many things lord Grey but someone who likes to be manipulated is not one of them," I grumbled as a straightened my flashy suit.

"Yes, I understand your reluctance but you see that you are more than I could have hoped for. Civilization had recently collapsed leaving the people and towns not unified. With creatures such as Balverines running wild Human populations have nearly depleted to nothing. Bowerstone is the only location doing well but the aristocrats would ruin everything if I left them untended for a single second. " Lord Grey explained.

"What in the heck does any of this have to do with me?" I demanded.

"Because it was William Black who first unified the people and Nostro after him: granted to a lesser extent. A powerful hero such as yourself, with a great intellect and incorruptible Will, could change everything. Until you came along I feared this may go on for centuries. Now it may be possible to see my dream become reality within my own lifetime."

"Do you think that's my responsibility? That because I have the potential I must fulfill your desires?" I asked in a belittling tone letting the question hang in the air for a few seconds before I continued.

"Let me explain something to you, Lord of Bowerstone, there are two Wills in this body. I died a long time ago and I am just here to vanquish evil! ONE LAST TIME!" I emphasized the last few words strongly before getting up and leaving.

"Looking forward to getting to know you better future son in law," Ronald said smirking humorously. Elvira and her sister Amanda were slightly less enthused.

I glared at him before I turned and walked out. I had a meeting to attend with Maze.

...

"Ah, Arn there you are. I've been waiting for you," Maze exclaimed as I entered his chamber at the guild.

"Why did you want to see me all of a sudden. We weren't going to experiment with new spells for a while," I said urging Maze to explain the situation.

"Well, I've been thinking that there's a way for me to cut ties with Jack entirely. You see recently he found out you and your sister were here and demanded I send you both to him. With you both as hostages, your mother would rush to save you both and he would have all three of you. He doesn't know about your baby brother yet it seems or it simply doesn't matter. He only needs three of you anyway and the knowledge your mother posses about the sword."

"So he knows we're both here this time around. Good thing I got the guild demon door to provide shelter to my parents but this still poses a serious problem," I exclaimed aloud.

"Yes, clever using the door to keep them safe but it's not gonna fix everything. So here's my idea, Jack fears the Mage who beat him in Oakvale. If that Mage is granted Hero status by the Guild and I ally myself with him declaring Jack a mutual enemy the bastard won't set foot here until he is sure of his victory." Maze stated matter of factly.

"But I'm an apprentice right now..."

"That's the genius of it BOY! He won't know you are the mage he fears!" Maze raised his voice excitedly.

"How?"

"I'll have you MOVED from regular training sessions to private lessons with me due to your advanced skills. At least, that's what we will tell the others. While in actuality, you'll be ceremonially added as a hero in your disguised garb. My private lessons with you are just an excuse for you to do quests so Jack sees you actively growing stronger." Mazed grinned.

So I'll be a magical Batman-like vigilante but with a legitimate and legal system to save people? I asked internally.

"What do you say, Arn? Do you believe it will work?"

"... Yes, I do," I answered after rubbing my chin.

"Then there is one last thing to settle," Maze.

"What is that?"

"Your Heroic vigilante's name," Maze said pointedly.

"I see..." A few ideas passed my mind but only one stuck. "Then I shall be called Grey Cowl".

"Hmm, why Grey Cowl", Maze asked.

"Well, it is vague and the color of the robes I wore during our battle was grey. My mother's Hero name is Scarlet Robe which is another clothing item and Grey is also the last name of my girlfriend," I explained.

"A name with hidden meaning that even Jack would fail to understand. How fitting," Maze smiled.

"So what about the skills I train here. I can't have them look too similar to what Grey Cowl uses," I questioned.

"That's simple, you'll just train your might skills and learn the lightning spell. It never hurts to have more skills, and they are some of the easiest to train." Maze answered.

"Looks like I'm going to have a lot of time spent training over the next few weeks after I join the guild. I can't let others think you saw talent in me and yet I never display those skills. especially since you are not known for taking an apprentice directly under your wing."

Maze nodded, "That is indeed the case. Others will be jealous and seek to test you and if you are found lacking will make demands".

"Why is nothing ever simple?"

"Yours is the life of a hero and that is never simple. Yet, those whose lives are would give anything to be like you. People it seems are never satisfied with what they have," Maze.