Just as the travel was, the following seconds after Alius returned to the village were a blur. Elder Darius dropped him off right outside the view of the now dwindling crowd of people still waiting to be tested. Not a second later, he flashed back up into the air, where Alius could see a barely visible distortion of light flash away to the south. With his little hand still holding the knife that the elders gave him, Alius looked off towards the barely visible trail the elder left for a little bit longer, before turning and walking away.

Before Alius got very far, the old man flashed back in front of him with a somewhat sheepish smile on his face.

"So, uh, two things kid. One, I never caught your name. And two, surviving in the wilderness, while respectable, is not something anyone can do. While I know how much you want to see all there is, what would you say about stopping at my place and learning a thing or two?"

Alius grinned. This was the kind of talk he could work with. The kind where both had something to gain.

"I'm Alius, and it's nice to re-meet you," Alius spoke, extending a hand to the elder.

"And it sounds like you've got yourself a deal. Shake on it?"

"Heh," the elder, Elder Darius, extended his hand. "Deal."

His wrinkled yet firm hand clasped the one of the 7 year old child, equals for that one moment.

"There's just one catch."

Alius laughed in the lyrical voice that could only belong to a child.

*You've got to bring me home, because I'm lost."

____

When Elder Darius brought Alius back to his home, his mother was sitting on the front porch with a mean, mean face. And Alius knew he would be in for a long talk…

After sitting Alius down at the dining table, his mother grilled him for all he was worth, forcing everything that had happened out of Alius. Elder Darius had quietly snuck away during this, and of course was nowhere to be found.

She was very thorough, and afterwards, Alius would vehemently deny that he had ever felt terrified during that moment, but he did.

Alius’s family consisted just of him and his mother at this point. His father was constantly holed up in a far-away estate belonging to some noble. He sent home money, but was rarely allowed the chance to visit.

His mother was very close to her son, and Alius cared for her just as much. So when Alius told her how he had been allowed to train in one of the sects, Alius’s mother was shocked at first, but quickly became very proud of her son, showering him in kisses as Alius struggled to free himself. The sheer abruptness of her transition from a childhood horror to the loving and proud mother Alius knew was almost too much for him to handle.

When she spoke, her voice had a small stutter in it, and her eyes were glistening with tears.

“Go Alius. This is a great opportunity. Your mom can wait for you for just this short time.”

Alius started crying softly, and his mother hugged him tight. As they separated, the old man took Alius’s hand with a smile on his face. Then they flashed away, a brilliant rainbow stream heading towards the east.

____

When Alius came to, the first thing he saw was a wall. Other than that, he was laying on a bed in the middle of a room neither shabby nor of excellent quality. It was four walls, a window, and a door. Alius sat up, and the very next thing he saw was a note attached to the gift he had received during the meeting of the sect elders. Lying on a desk, was the dagger that Elder Darius had handed him. The note read,

You almost forgot this. -Love, E.D. <3

Alius’s expression warped into one of fear. The old man wasn’t…Alius decided to stop thinking so much. Sliding out of bed, he carefully slid the note off and placed it on the desk while he stared at the dagger.

Taking a long look at the dagger, Alius was drawn towards the purple swirls on the dagger. So drawn in, that when golden text scrawled across the dagger, Alius flinched and dropped it. As he bent down to pick the dagger up, the text disappeared. Alius stared some more, and this time was prepared for a surprise, which is why he noticed that the dagger didn't make the words, they were etched into existence above the dagger.

[Ceremonial Dagger]

Forged by a blacksmith who had no idea what he was doing, imbued with the crudest energy, in both quality and effectiveness this dagger is almost useless. At least it looks good.

This weapon has the following enhancement:

[Bleed]: When making a cut, the wound will bleed a little more.

Alius quickly glanced around the room to check for any sect members playing a joke on the new guy, but there was no one to be found anywhere. Out of curiosity, Alius even poked his head out of the window, where he was greeted by a beautifully scenic mountain view, but no potential pranksters.

Now a fair bit more paranoid, Alius returned his gaze to the dagger, and this time read the script.

“Crude?”

Alius took a good look at the dagger, but the only reply he got was the beautifully inlaid golden veins winking him. It would be an ideal weapon for most, with the wickedly sharp edge guaranteeing its effectiveness in combat, while its weight, which was light to the extreme, made it a solid backup in any case.

Alius frowned, because the description indicated that whoever wrote it was either blind, or…they truly thought of the dagger as trash.

Turning the dagger over in his hands, Alius spoke seemingly to nothing.

“Is…there anyone around?”

Scratch that, Alius spoke to just nothing. The words didn’t change, just continuing to glimmer over the dagger. Alius waved his hand towards them, even passing his hand through the words, but they remained ethereal.

Frowning, Alius reached towards the dagger, but his view was blocked by the shimmering text hanging in the air.

“Ow.”

Alius complained while shaking his hand. The dagger now had a dull crimson coating on its very tip. Somehow, it made the golden metals the dagger was made of shine even more, almost glowing.

Wait, it was glowing. Little motes of golden light danced over to the tip of the blade before worming their way down to the hilt. And the source…

Alius whipped his head up to see an ordinary brown book. It was barely furnished, only having a single line of gold trim around its edges. Oh yeah, it was also definitely glowing. And floating.

Why is it floating? Please send help.