A Testament Of The Dark Magician

No way, this had to be some mistake.' The thought sounded ridiculous, but Roland quickly remembered something.

'Omega, activate scout mode.'

A shimmering silver light appeared over his eyes. Roland lowered his gaze and observed the blood stains against his body.

#Blood Report...

+ 3 hours old

+ Classification - Black Boar

+ Classification - Red-tailed fox

+ Classification - Moonlight Rabbit

Roland deactivated Omega's abilities and almost immediately fell into a slight state of panic. Was he covered in animal blood? Of course he was? Because what else would he be covered in other than blood.

'Omega, can you show me my-" Before he could finish his sentence, the detailed description of this body appeared. Roland scanned through what looked like an RPG sheet. Once he reached the bottom of the list. He took a few moments to steady his breathing before peering closer at the new entry that made his chest tighten.

Name: Roland Smoke (Cloud Family)Age: 16Weight/Height : 52kg 168cmRace: Unidentified Bloodline.Recorded Body Rank: Unrefined Early IronBloodlust Hunger (5.0% /100.00%)

Roland furrowed his brows staring at the entry. He was too bright to not put things together. But also somewhat cynical in accepting what was staring him right in the face.

'Omega, tell me everything you know about this blood lust ability? Analyse what part of my body directly influences the value showing. And also, assuming you don't possess the right data, I need a general idea of what this could mean.'

Omega went to work before producing a response that kept Roland's brow closely knitted together.

{During the unknown brain activity, a highly reactive toxin caused your anterior cingulate cortex to pause. And a single message was being transferred from the hypothalamus.}

Roland knew the answer, but his mouth moved to ask the question.

"And what was the message?"

{Hunger, hunger, Hunger.}

***

Roland trodded over the crunchy earth beneath his bare soles. He walked through a small clearing snaked through the dense foliage. The owls hooted from the unreachable branches above him, and the sharp winds whistled every so often. The cold was beginning to get to him, but his body had never felt so loose and full of energy like this before.

He clenched his fist and threw a swift jab forward. His body had changed; he could feel it when he walked, punched, ran, and jumped. This could only mean one thing: the body refining process was a success. Relief was an understatement, there was a part of him that genuinely believed he wouldn't make it.

'I actually did it, I improved my body constitution from a stone rank to an Iron Rank.'

His smile was so broad he hardly had time to think about the sad things. He went from a low stone rank to a low iron overnight. And according to both Lord Brutus and the scribbled voice of Diane, his mother. This was seen as no more short of a miracle.

'There was more chance of me dying than surviving that. And yet, I did it. And my body feels in the best state it's ever been.'

Roland didn't believe in coincidences. Before he could rest his head in peace, he was determined to discover what had happened to him during that period, and he lost control of his actions.

His arrival back at Lord Brutus's manor wasn't eventful. In fact, when the night guards first saw his ghoulish figure trodding towards them from a distance, they almost cursed him to death, thinking he was a ghost.

Roland told them he had sleep-walked and found himself in the forest. No one believed him, of course. In fact, they looked as though they had never heard of such a thing.

Thankfully, the guards didn't dare to question him further. As a result, he was inside, up the tall stairs, and on his way to his sleeping courts with little to no issues at all.

He cautiously opened the door and was bombarded by the most terrible stench he had ever smelt.

'Ergh-yuck, what the hell is that smell! '

Forced into shielding his entire lower mouth, Roland braved inside the room. Upon taking his first few steps, he was left stunned by the destruction within. The windows, the shelves, and most of the bed were either smashed or broken into pieces. His first thoughts were that some kind of untamed beast had run amok here. But his eyes later trailed against the pool of black layered against the ground.

Roland cautiously approached the oozing bile but was forced away by the strong smell . He had a small rationale for where that came from but referred to Omega just to confirm.

'Impurities? Fr-from inside of me? '

Roland looked completely shocked, staring at his bony frame in wordless disgust. How such a vile thing could've left his body was a marvel to him.

'Now that I think about it, the manual mentioned the method of washing my tendons and replacing my bone structure.'

The corners of his mouth tugged upwards slightly, recalling he now carried the body of an early staged iron rank. Roland smoothed his temples before exhaling a deep sigh. For now, he could only hope there weren't any lasting effects waiting to reel its ugly head unexpectedly in the near future.

'Complicated, everything's just so complicated.'

Omega's voice beeped through his thoughts with a sudden announcement ringing.

{Heat signature detected} it said

Roland turned expectantly towards the opened door, where he met the familiar masked fellow announcing himself in silence.

His death knight took a single look around the room, turned to face Roland, and stood silently for a little while before simply stepping back out again.

Roland heard his smokey voice lingering in the air as he left.

"I will find you a new room…Young Lord"

A new morning arrived, and Roland tussled with the remnants of misplaced sleep. He spent the rest of his days either training or discussing theories and hypotheses with Omega. Roland understood the need to be intentional with his system from now on, which required constant engagement to further its current abilities.

During the following six days, Roland spent most of his time sparring and exercising. His death knight was composed and quiet during the day but completely ruthless and unforgiving during their training at night. Most nights, Roland's muscles were so fatigued that he slept as soon as his head touched the bed. He slept, ate, trained in his swordsmanship, and studied alone.

By the 6th day a large convoy consisting of 4 carriages and 8 horses assembled in the courtyard. Roland was dressed in very fitted smart clothes. With his hunting boots pulled on and a medium sized grey robe wrapped over him.

Lord Brutus looked stiff as he marshalled his men in order. His eyes crossed the stone yard and found Roland standing on the top steps. His hardened face contorted into an affectionate smile. He beckoned him closer, to which Roland complied and walked through the busy courtyard with measured steps.

The tall, standing man dressed in iron placed a single palm against Roland's frail shoulder. His bearded face pulled a smile.

"It's good to see you, young Lord. But before we depart, I wanted to have a few moments alone with you."

Roland nodded, observing the iron knight fiddling with something in his pocket. He pulled out a silver chain with a strange black diamond embedded into the style of a pendant. Brutus placed the jewel into Roland's hand. The black jewel looked peculiar, with a smokey dark essence pooled inside.

"This belonged to your mother." Said Brutus ruefully. Roland's brow lifted in intrigue.

'So this belonged to Diane?'

"It used to carry a charm. Something about knowing when you're alive…I can't say much about all that magic stuff, but it's yours anyway."

Roland twirled the jewel before his wide, childish gaze. Unbeknownst to everyone around him, he was locked into a mental exchange with Omega about the nature of the diamond.

'So what I'm staring at is a concentrated amount of mana? Are you able to further extract its function?'

{Negative. Omega is unable to understand the components structure. As far as one can tell, it's mana stored inside a relic.}

Roland left things at that for the time being. He also didn't want to arouse suspicion or come across as a madman, so he swiftly started a conversation with the towering knight.

They spent a short amount of time talking about Lord Brutus's next plans while he was gone. Roland learnt that this civil way was much deeper than he thought. Lord Brutus had planned to return to his homeland to strengthen his already depleted army.

"Thank you. For all your help. I won't forget it." Said Roland earnestly. He meant every word he spoke as well.

Lord Brutus gave him a solemn bow before leading him to the middle carriage where he would be riding today.

The clouds finally dispersed, and a round sun took its place in the sea of azure quilted above. Despite the somewhat animated journey, the convoy noisily trailed along the uneven road, filled with bumps, deep craters, and sudden dips in the middle.

During the journey so far, the convoys' manoeuvring had been strict and composed, all things considered. Meanwhile, Roland used the rare time afforded to him to soak in this beautiful landscape. He would've never guessed that seeing such a vast plane of earth would fill him with such joy.

'I never allowed myself to experience this in my old world.' A moment of reflection sent Roland down memory lane. Most of his life was spent under a strict regime. Everything he did was structured for him down to the last minute of the day. Looking back now, Roland wasn't surprised most of his life he lived was in small acts of rebellion against the natural order.

Seldom could he remember prolonged days of peace. Thinking of his past, it was no wonder his most desirable skillset was in espionage, counterintelligence and war. Roland caressed a soft smile, dreamily gazing into the moving outdoor whilst the carriage continued rolling over the harsh terrain. By the late evening, the skies had darkened again, and the envoy's journey noticeably slowed down.

When Roland questioned one of the guards assigned to ride beside him from the outside. He was informed that the level of dangerous beasts increased during the night. The pace was to ensure the envoy remained prepared for anything.

Sometime along the journey, Roland was sure he simply blinked, and suddenly, his death knight had materialised into the same carriage he had been riding alone in until this point. His reaction, of course, was the same as whenever the elusive fellow decided to appear randomly.

Roland pulled a half smile as he stared at those glassed, lifeless eyes glaring his way. No matter how many times he saw it, he could not see past how scary that mask looked up close. He wondered if all the other death knights looked the same way.

'Guess I'll find out once we arrive.'

The silent figure eventually engaged with him after he explained what had become his usual way of starting conversations.

'There's nothing like an eerie entrance before a conversation.' Roland thought to himself with a light-hearted chuckle.

"Apologies for disturbing your peace, young Lord." Said the willow.

Roland waved away those sentiments.

"Did you have something to err-tell me?" He asked.

"Yes. We should use this time to train." announced the death knight proudly.

Roland looked visibly disturbed upon hearing that ludicrous suggestion. First, he looked around the box-sized room. How was he supposed to train here? He wondered.

The willow made himself comfortable and twisted his head towards the side, seemingly staring off into the outdoor world.

"Meditating is as important to as physical development. It is through your mind where all your dreams are intricately woven into reality."

The death knight laid his hand flat against his lap and pressed his knuckles together.

"Try slowing down your thoughts. And gently regulate your breathing. Find your rhythm and allow your body to involuntarily continue a steady pattern. Keep doing this until I tell you to stop."