Crimson blood began to drip down and stain the stone. Master Rambalt’s eyes widened at the display and then grew even wider as he witnessed her arm regrowing from the stump at an unbelievable speed. He tried to speak but he could only let out a stupefied sound.

Kelsey stared at the pooling blood, her eyes filled with shock and confusion. Her face was pale, and her lips were trembling. Her mind seemed to have shut down as she stumbled over to a chair and plopped down onto the wooden support. She leaned her head down into her hands.

In no time, the arm was fully regrown, and Ray stretched her fingers experimentally, smirking at the two reactions. She knew this power was unnatural, but this was the first time she had shown it to someone other than Lexi.

The voice in her head sighed.

“Uhhh, that probably wasn’t a good idea…”

After a moment of silence, Master Rambalt recovered from his shock and then frowned as his eyes moved over to Kelsey. He sighed and then returned his attention to Ray.

“It goes without saying that I believe you now. I can now say with absolute certainty that you have the potential to be the first person to tread the entire path of the dark healer and unlock all of its secrets.”

Ray reached down and picked up the arm that was leaking blood. She tilted her head as she considered what to do with the appendage. She stored it in her enchanted bag for now and decided to think about it later.

The idea of being the first to explore the realm of the dark mage in-depth sounded exciting. Her heart beat rapidly as she imagined herself unlocking the secrets of dark magic and bragging to Eileen, Master Rambalt, and Siegfried. She imagined the three of them praising her.

As if electricity was running through her veins, she began to quiver with excitement.

“Please teach me!” she half-shouted.

Master Rambalt smirked. He waved his hand and a chair sprung up from the floor. He motioned for her to take a seat.

“Let’s talk about familiars then.”

Ray glanced over at Kelsey with a bit of concern before moving to the seat. The priestess was still recovering, her face green with nausea.

“As you know, there are five aptitudes of magic. These five aptitudes can be further designated by alignment.”

“Alignment?”

“Take holy magic, for example. Holy magic can only be used by those ordained by a god. This magic can also be considered ‘divine’ in nature and, therefore, has an alignment with the gods.”

Ray nodded in understanding. That matched what she had experienced after ordaining Lexi to be a priestess.

“Dark magic, on the other hand, is the opposite of holy magic. The source is still unclear, but it is speculated to be aligned with the enemies of the gods, or the demons.”

“Demons?”

This was the first time she was hearing about them.

“Demons appeared in this world once, about a century ago. Legends say that they were led by a being known as the Demon King. He was killed a little over seventy years ago, though. It’s not well documented since the world was in shambles during the War of the Ancients, but most scholars believe that demons are the enemies of the gods and the origin of ‘dark’ magic.”

“Huh…” Ray replied, uncertain.

The elementalist’s words sounded familiar to her but she got a distinct feeling that the explanation was missing some critical details. She tried to pursue the feeling through her hazy memories, but she couldn’t find the source.

“Nature magic, used by druids, is a combination of holy magic and dark magic and is considered to have alignment with both the gods and their antithesis simultaneously. This conclusion was reached because of a pattern. In all of history, every person who could use both holy and dark magic could also use nature magic. There are no documented cases of individuals who only had aptitudes for two of the three.”

Master Rambalt paused in his explanation and coughed to clear his throat. He flicked his fingers, and a stream of water flew from somewhere inside his robes and into his mouth. After wetting his throat, the elementalist continued his explanation.

“The final two aptitudes, elemental and arcane magics, have a neutral alignment. They can pair up with any type of magic. Each type of magic has a different form in which it manifests. Holy magic is performed through faith, recitation of prayers, or by using blessed objects. Neutral magic is controlled directly with body movement or stored in physical objects, while nature magic is too complex to summarize, but it involves contracts. Dark magic is performed through a medium known as a familiar.”

“But Peter is a warlock, and he doesn’t have a familiar,” Ray pointed out.

Master Rambalt scoffed.

“That boy is but a warlock-in-training. He doesn’t have a familiar because his sense for and control of mana is not at a high enough level to summon one. You, on the other hand, have already reached that level in a matter of weeks.”

Ray lifted her chin up at the praise and nodded in understanding.

“I’ve seen priests use spells without recitations or holy objects, and Peter could use some basic magic without a familiar. What is the function of these processes?”

“For one, they greatly increase the power of the magic. They also supplement your mana when casting highly advanced and draining spells. Very few mages have the mana capacity to cast advanced magic without using these methods.”

Satisfied with the answer, Ray leaned forward.

“Alrighty, let’s do it. Teach me how to summon a familiar!”

Master Rambalt chuckled.

“It’s quite easy, actually. Summon your mana and explore the inside of your own body and mind. Since you have an aptitude for dark magic, there should be a place that feels odd, like it doesn’t belong. Since you have been focusing all of your meditations on enhancing your arm, you probably won’t have noticed it yet, but it will be there.”

Ray closed her eyes and summoned her mana. She focused internally and followed the path of the mana as it circulated through her body, searching for a feeling of strangeness. As the mana entered her mind, she felt three spots surrounding a large ‘void’. The void, she knew, was her connection to her god.

She hadn’t noticed these three spots the first time she had found the void, though that might have been because she didn’t know how to use mana yet.

“I found three of them,” she informed her teacher.

“Three?” he asked, his voice trembling with shock. “I’ve heard of two before, but three?!”

“Does this mean I can summon three familiars?” Ray asked, her eyes still closed as she examined the three spots.

One of them seemed to be willing to let her approach but the other two seemed to move further away whenever she tried to get near them.

“Eventually, yes. The first familiar can be summoned whenever you can sense it, approach it, and draw it out. The second familiar, I’m told, can only be summoned if you obtain its recognition and approval. It is rare that warlocks can summon two familiars, so the exact details are a bit murky. I honestly have no idea how you would go about unlocking your third familiar.”

Ray shrugged.

“What’s important is that I can only summon one for now. I’ll figure out the rest later.”

“That’s right,” Master Rambalt muttered. “The first familiar is said to be one closely representing something you fear. The second is said to represent something that you greatly desire. I hope you share with me what the third one represents when you discover it someday.”

“Sure thing!” Ray promised.

“To summon your familiar, approach and grab it with your mana. Once you have a firm grasp, pull with all your might while willing it to manifest in the material world.”

Ray reached out with her mana and latched onto the spot that would let her touch it. She felt a strange sensation fill her body. She shivered as a wave of excitement and anticipation that was not her own rolled through her. Sensing the familiar emotions, she knew that it wanted to be summoned. It was eager to finally leave.

She willed the entity to manifest and pulled as hard as she could. The odd spot distorted and a strange energy leaked out and started to merge with her mana.

With an audible pop, Ray opened her eyes. A small black sphere with burgundy streaks appeared in front of her. The black orb began to writhe, and a small crack grew on the side. After a moment, the orb shattered.

A storm of feathers filled the air as a large, black bird emerged. It glided down into the space between her and her instructor and perched on her leg. Raising its wings dramatically, it bowed its head in a smooth, practiced motion.

Ray stared at the large black bird, her eyes following its fluttering wings. She felt a regal presence, like when she stood before Shaman.

“Greetings and salutations, Master.”

His voice was raspy and willowy, having an almost ancient feel.

Ray raised her eyebrows.

“You can speak?”

“Indeed. I am the illustrious and magnanimous Lord of Ravens! Remember my name henceforth, for I am Lord Mortimer Perseus Raventon the Dark!”

Ray stared at the large raven with a blank expression. His surface-level thoughts and feelings flowed through their connection.

Lord Mortimer, sensing how lost she was, raised an olive branch out of the kindness overflowing from the depths of his dark heart.

“That is, of course, unless you decide to change it… but I would highly recommend that you allow this distinguished lord to hold onto such a glorious and magnificent name.”

Finally, Ray shook her head.

“I won’t change your name but that is way too long to say in a casual setting. I’ll call you Mort.”

The bird flinched and visibly deflated.

“As you wish, my lady.”

Master Rambalt cleared his throat, staring at the bird with a peculiar expression.

“This is the first time I have seen a familiar that can speak. Lord Mortimer Perseus Raventon, may I ask you a few questions?”

The raven lord observed the human elementalist.

“Your attempt to curry favor is noted but I would advise you to say my entire name if you want to gain my attention in the future. My name is not merely Lord Mortimer Perseus Raventon, but Lord Mortimer Perseus Raventon the Dark.”

Master Rambalt bowed his head.

“My apologies, esteemed lord. It was my mistake, and it will not happen again. May I ask you some questions?”

Mort straightened up noticeably upon seeing the human offering him such evident respect. The raven raised a wing.

“I will permit thy questions!”

“Lord, you are the first familiar I have heard of or seen that can communicate in English. Are there other familiars like you?”

“There are other lords if that is what you are asking. I am the Lord of Ravens. I can only be summoned by the worthy descendants of the rulers.”

“Rulers?”

“The ones who created this world and gifted it with the source of all creation, and the same ones who later regretted and took it away.”

Master Rambalt’s eyes lit up with comprehension.

“Let us halt that line of discussion there,” he replied hurriedly, glancing at Kelsey with a nervous expression. She was following the conversation intently, her complexion long since recovered.

Their teacher cupped his chin thoughtfully.

“I am most intrigued by this new source of knowledge that I never knew existed. I hope to learn many things from you in the future, Lord Mortimer Perseus Raventon the Dark.”

Mort tilted his head upwards.

“I am not a tool for your amusement. I will only answer questions when it pleases me to do so.”

Ray tapped the bird lightly.

“What about my questions?” she asked.

Mort felt a shiver run up his spine and he ruffled his feathers nervously. A sense of imminent danger filled his mind, warning him to issue the proper response.

“O..of course, I will answer my lady’s questions!” he replied confidently, despite a brief stutter. “I exist only to serve thee, Lady Raymond!”

Master Rambalt flinched, his eyes immediately moving towards Kelsey once again.

Ray shook her head.

“My name is not Raymond. I am Ray,” she corrected.

“Duly noted! Henceforth, I shall refer to thee as Lady Ray!”

She pushed herself to her feet and motioned for Mort to come with her.

“Let’s go! I still need to tell Sister Eileen that I have returned. Then I need to practice with my sword before the lesson tomorrow. I can’t show up to a lesson without having improved in between, now, can I?”

Ray turned and thanked Master Rambalt.

“Thank you for the lesson!”

Master Rambalt shrugged and waved off her gratitude.

“I’ll teach you some basic spells tomorrow, so don’t be late…” he muttered indifferently.

Ray nodded and rushed out the door, Lord Mortimer Perseus Raventon the Dark flying behind her. They left behind a disgruntled old elementalist and a young priestess who was staring at the place they left with wide-eyed interest.