Please Note: Statements between % something in italics % are game system messages.

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The 8th floor of the magic academy. Raka followed the four men in armor including Emilius and Lord Holtimius inside a big room full of mirrors hanging on many sided walls. There was an ornate basin in the center of the room. There was also a bookshelf containing various books and a large map of the island on one of the walls. The room was designed in the shape of a decagon, with nine walls having a mirror each.

Raka observed the peculiar design as he entered. An older man with lots of grey in his hair but still having the feel of energy was filling water in the basin. He turned around as he heard the company enter and started greeting them.

"Welcome Lord Holtimius. I hope you are well. How's the Lady doing?"

"Yes, she is fine. Still gets tired easily but the medicine this time is helping a lot. She almost has the color in her face back."

"Ah that's wonderful to hear. And how are you General? Having good food as usual?"

"Don't joke with me Sambal. I have been hungry since my wife put me on that healthy diet! Ah never thought I could miss meat so much. I lost around 10 stones atleast."

"Hahaha...." and the group laughed.

'So this guy was a general.' There still remained one guy in armor who remained silent. 'He is dressed similar to Emilius, so he might also be a guard captain', Raka deduced.

"Hmmm...what do I see here? Is he one of the Goddess's children? Why is he here?" Sambal asked in a concerned tone.

"Oh...pardon me. I thought it would be a good idea to have him here." Lord Holtimius replied. "His name is Raka and apparently he is Verina's student." he continued.

"Ah you're the lad who asked for an appointment just now aren't you?"

"Yes I am" Raka replied.

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Meet with Sambal complete.

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"Well it still doesn't answer my question...why is he here?"

"Ah...seeing as he was the one who alerted us to the situation in the first place, I thought it would be a good idea to have him around. So he can answer any questions we might have." Lord Holtimius said.

The general nodded.

Sambal sighed.

"Alright. But he will still have to sign the official secrets agreement if he is to stay here. If not, he will have to leave." Sambal said.

"Um...what is the official secrets agreement?" Raka asked interested.

"It is basically something which ensures that you do not tell what happens here to someone. And if you wish to stay here, you need to sign."

Raka pondered for a bit. But looking at Lord Holtimius and the general's encouraging nods, he decided to take the plunge.

"I agree."

Sambal went to the book shelf and took out a page. He then waved his hands and then wrote something on it.

"Please put in your name where I have left it blank, local language is fine, and put your thumbprint at the bottom with a prick of your finger." Sambal directed and Raka followed.

As soon as Raka touched the paper he realized that energy had been embedded into it. This was a spell scroll though different from the ones he was used to making.

Written in both magic language and local language, the document said,

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I, Raka, do hereby solemnly swear to honor the Official Secrets Agreement, henceforth called Agreement, as defined by the law of the Nation of Ilmentia.

I, Raka, do hereby solemnly swear to honor and keep hidden, the informations, items or otherwise classified as Secrets, as defined by the ruler of the Nation of Ilmentia or by another signatory to the Agreement.

I, Raka, further swear not to disclose the existence of the Agreement, its nature and details to anyone, not a signatory to the Agreement.

The agreement also prohibits mention of the Secrets between signatories unless steps to protect unauthorized or accidental disclosure have been taken and enforced. The agreement is binding and exceptions can only be made by order of the ruler of the Nation of Ilmentia or their authorized representative.

Signed by:

Witnessed by:

Accepted on behalf of the Queen of the Nation of Ilmentia by Sambal, Advisor for Magic to the Queen:

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Raka pricked his thumb to draw just a little blood and put it on the paper. Lord Holtimius did the same as the witness. And finally Sambal himself repeated the process imprinting his thumb print.

Just then,

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Official Secrets Agreement is in effect.

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Raka could understand that what he had just witnessed was a very complex bit of magic. He first thought that this might be the curse magic Lady Verina had talked about before. But he threw that thought out. Curse magic as Lady Verina had said, required great amounts of energy and focus, even with the help of a magical object. The agreement, even though a complex bit of magic, was performed instantly. And as far as he could understand, the other five people in the room were signatories so this couldn't be curse magic. Maybe some other explanation is there which he will have to discover.

Raka moved his thoughts to the back however, as he saw Sambal making the paper disappear with another wave of his hand, and then resuming to fill water in the basin. Having done that, Sambal waved his hands on the water. The water stuck to his hands like a glove. He then moved on to one of the mirrors on the wall and touched it. The water flowed from his hand on to the mirror. He whispered something softly and the water shimmered. And then, slowly something started appearing in the mirror.

It was Lady Verina who looked back from the mirror. She looked around at everyone present.

"Greetings Sambal, Lord Holtimius, General. Do I see Emilius and Maltus as well...! Nice to meet you too....eh!"

"Raka! WHAT are you doing here?" She started a loud exclamation but controlled herself midway apparently.

Raka simply smiled sheepishly. He hadn't spoken to her since the graduation ceremony. Remembering that, he blushed. Lady Verina, who was staring at him....suddenly blushed as well. Raka felt the others were confused at this exchange, but no way in hell was Raka about to offer an explanation.

"Hello Verina," Sambal spoke scattering the discomforting atmosphere which had developed. "How are the preparations?"

"Ye...yes, the preparations...it is completed. Altia reports that she and her company are ready to move at a moments notice. How are preparations at your end?"

"General, if you may" Sambal spoke.

"3 companies are armed and ready" the General replied.

"Um...is it ok to speak freely with Raka present?" Lady Verina finally asked with a concerned look.

"If it wasn't we wouldn't be speaking to you now, would we?" Sambal retorted.

"He is here at my invitation as the witness to the intrusion." Lord Holtimius spoke.

"WHA....He ....YOU encountered the beastmen?!" Lady Verina spoke flustered.

Raka looked around to see if he was allowed to speak. When Sambal nodded,

"Yes" Raka replied as he repeated the incident.

"Oh you were lucky to survive young man." Lord Holtimius spoke.

"Yes, it is beyond words at this point!" the general agreed.

"Well in any case, it is good that he did bring us the news!" Sambal added while Lady Verina simply glared. "Now lets move on to the other thing. We have found out that the beastmen belong to a group of pirates who have recently started operating near our shores. You remember the two ships that were lost four months ago and we assumed they were lost in the storm. Now we suspect that it may be the activities of those pirates. Which makes it doubly important to capture the beastmen alive for interrogation. Cassian is also trying to find another way but till then we have to rely on this."

Raka pricked his ears. 'Cassian? Could there be two people with the same name?'. Raka knew it was possible. With so many npcs in the game it was impossible to give unique names to everyone. So like players they allowed the npcs to have the same names as well. But in any case, this was worth checking into.

"Alright. We will keep in mind. Any news on their location?" Lady Verina asked.

"Not yet!" the General replied.

"Our scouts have been following their tracks but we cannot afford to close the distance, lest they find out! After all they have improved sight, smell and hearing. Any mistake and our scouts would be dead and we will lose any chance of tracking them again" Emilius spoke expanding on the general's answer.

"Hmm and they are still somewhere between Gurrow and Thelmova?"

"By last reports, the tracks were seen there heading in a south westerly direction towards the forest on the other side of Gurrow!"

"Hmm...so would they be heading to the sea again?"

"Probably. There is not much they can do if we are on alert. Though it just might be that they were scouting us in the first place."

"Verina, that's the case. Keep an eye out from your side. I will try to send some additional people to help you." Sambal said.

"Alright. Any plans to counter them at sea then?" Lady Verina asked.

"Not yet but I have apprised the Queen. She may make a decision soon enough. So for now we focus on getting more information" Sambal replied. "I need to remind you not to let your insatiable curiosity take over...I know fully well you haven't met the interesting beastmen before."

Lady Verina pouted after hearing that.

"Lord Holtimius, General do you wish to add something?"

"I am good" replied Lord Holtimius.

"Yeah me too. Be careful though and say that to Altia as well. No one questions your courage or your intelligence but always remember that these are beastmen. Practice caution. If you and Altia lose, not only your company but the entire Gurrow village might be put under risk. I will be sending the 3 companies with Emilius and Maltus there. They will leave sometime today, so expect them tomorrow" the General added.

"We will. Thank you for your concern General."

"We will make haste to reach there as soon as possible as well" Emilius and Maltus added.

"Alright that's all for today Verina. Same time tomorrow."

"Alright Sambal. Oh, a small request from me. Give Raka your special course. I am sure he can handle it." She smiled an evil smile.

'What exactly have I got myself into!!' Raka worried.

The conversation done, Sambal moved his hand on to the mirror. The water stopped shimmering and Lady Verina disappeared as the reflection of the people standing in front of it returned. The water made a glove on Sambal's hand again and he carried it back to the basin. Then he simply let the water drop in it.

Having done that, he turned to face Lord Holtimius and the General.

"We need someone to update Cassian of this as well. Will you send someone to him?" Lord Holtimius asked.

"Yes, I will send one of my assistants to him with a letter." Sambal replied.

Raka suddenly had a brainflash. 'This is a chance!'

"Um, sorry to interrupt but I could deliver the letter to Cassian, if it is alright?"

Sambal stared at him for a while.

"Well, we did have him sign the agreement after all, so it should be alright!" the General added. He finally conceded. "Alright I will let you deliver the letter. Make sure you deliver it to him and only him!"

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Deliver letter to Cassian

Sambal requests that you deliver a letter to Cassian containing details about this meeting and other things. The letter has been classified as a Secret and Official Secrets Agreement applies.

Difficulty: E

Reward: Intimacy increases with Sambal.

Obtain the letter and Cassian's location from Sambal.

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"I will" Raka replied.

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Quest has been accepted.

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"That's it for today gentlemen!"

After the others left, Raka was led outside as well while the room was locked.

"Please come to my office" Sambal said.

Raka nodded and followed Sambal to the 5th floor which was bigger and had more rooms. Sambal unlocked one of the rooms and invited Raka inside.

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The room was full of shelves and shelves of books and papers of all kinds. And a large desk also full of papers but also some quills and some other things Raka did not recognize. But unlike Lady Verina's office, it was kept organized and tidy. Raka was impressed. The good thing about organization is not only to keep things clean and tidy, but to make sure you always find the thing you are looking for. Some people find organization in chaos, Raka was not one of them however.

Sambal took the chair behind the desk, motioning Raka to take one of the other chairs in the room.

"Ok...first of all I am sorry. I cannot accept Verina's request and train you in magic. Contrary to her understanding I just don't have any time. I hope you understand!"

Raka nodded looking disappointed.

"On the other hand, I will give you the next 2 hours. You may ask me any questions or learn any specific magic you may be interested in. I will try to teach you within my ability but most of it depends on how fast you learn."

"Thank you for that." Raka's mind quickly started whirling around with all the things he wanted to learn.

"Um..could you teach me how the agreement thing works?" Raka was really intrigued by it. He never thought writing local language and magic language together, works.

"Ah..the first thing you ask me is something I cannot disclose. The agreement is one of the most highly classified magics on the island."

Raka nodded. 'That makes sense'. After all it was called Secrets agreement. It wouldn't be any good if people simply knew how it worked. Raka thought a bit more about the magics he had seen. Reading in the magic library in Gurrow village, he had figured out a lot of magics and its workings. Actually doing them, involved practice which could be done anywhere. He should invest in something which could be useful in the future. Finally deciding, he asked.

"Could you teach me how you used the mirrors to communicate?"

Sambal looked at him for a while after this question. Raka thought maybe he had asked something classified again and Sambal was thinking on how to refuse politely.

"Alright I will teach you!" He finally said smiling.

Raka breathed a sigh of relief...'What was all that suspense for then!'

"It is just that most people would have picked up some different magic. Maybe something which helped you to fight or maybe which gave you advance warnings on approaching enemies. But this is strange, especially because you are one of Goddess's children."

"Why is it strange?" Raka asked perturbed.

"Well don't you guys already have a way to talk to others far away? I think its called a PM or something, whatever that is."

Raka was shocked. But then he remembered. Sambal was one of the few who believed in Lady Verina's words. 'Could it be...'

"Um do you also know about us?"

"Ofcourse! You don't live among us without us picking off a few things too. We are not stupid, you know!" Sambal retorted. "I was interested in the Goddess's children ever since they showed up. And I, who was the head of the magic institute could learn a lot more than kids who accidentally saw something, don't you think?"

'That actually makes a lot of sense.'

"Don't worry, its not like people believe in your secrets anyway. Although I expect people will soon realize that you guys are immortal. After all, so many Goddess's children from the village will soon be able to leave. They will fight and they will die. And then the people of the island will know!"

Sambal mirrored Raka's thoughts perfectly. He knew that this was not a secret that could be kept indefinitely. Wonder how the game system will act then. The entire point of having artificial intelligence is to give it the freedom to act based on what it thinks.

"So do you still want to learn communication magic?"

Raka thought for a bit about how much he could tell.

"Yes. You see, we can communicate only with the other Goddess's children using the PM method. Distance does not matter when using that. But if we want to communicate with the islanders or other people, we cannot use this method and have to actually talk to them face to face. Communication magic as I understand allows you to talk to anyone, us or the people of the world I believe."

"That is true. If you can learn our magic I assume it is possible that you can communicate like us as well."

After pondering for a bit more, Sambal said,

"Alright! I will try to teach you this magic. Whether you learn is something up to you, is that ok?"

"Yes please."

"In turn, can I request you to answer a few of my questions? Ofcourse only the ones you can answer! I am sure you people have your reasons for keeping your secrets. May be the Goddess forbade it or something."

'Uh oh...this could get weird!'

"Um I will try to answer but please understand if I do not answer a few."

"Hmm...ok I don't know what I should ask...there are so many things I want to know...." Sambal said excitedly.

"Do explain to me why do you guys die though? It doesn't make sense to die if you are immortal anyway, right? I first thought you were like a pheonix which is born from its own ashes but the phoenix is born a baby. But nothing of that sort happens with you guys...does it?"

"Um...its kinda like that. Its just that instead of being born new every time we die, we get weaker instead" Raka answered.

"Oh..but you can always regain your strength back can't you?"

"Yes, we can. But it is very difficult for us to gain strength in the first place. If we die a lot, regaining all of the lost strength would become almost impossible."

"Ah! so if a person dies a lot, he could be as weak as he was like when he was born, not knowing the language and what else?"

'Eh! I didn't think of that!' Raka was now seriously worried. His character window did not show the Ability to learn languages skill, so maybe it was a kind of a special skill. Maybe it won't be affected by death. Raka decided to check afterwards.

"I cannot be sure. You see we are discovering as much about ourselves as we are learning about the world."

"Hmm...well alright. I guess I have spent too much time satiating my own curiosity. I am sorry it has taken your time as well. Lets move on to the training area. And we will need two mirrors."