Apparently, Arthur could easily discern that the Elvic guy truly had some abilities. The ability to charm ladies and walk out, leaving the atmosphere behind him stripped of their money.That guy was something. Not just anything; he might actually possess something that spiritually stripped shops and stores of their coins.Arthur already suspected this Elvic guy. Voicing his observations to the inhabitants of Sysia might be foolish. It might seem foolish right until Elvic walked into their homes or stores and somehow left them lighter of their coins.But Arthur found no reason to tell this to anyone. He did not blame Elvic for stealing with his tricks. Anyone could be a thief. Sooner or later, Elvic would have to answer for his punishable acts when caught.As Arthur walked toward their home, a patch of land slightly isolated from the others, his eyes caught the herdsman sipping from his wooden cup. Thin curls of steam drifted upward into the cooling evening air. It was clear that this

In Sysia, this was how witches and wizards were caught. Generally, witches were not feared as much, but wizards were considered malevolent.Wizards were believed to be sinister and brutal beings, and very little could stop a powerful one when it decided to unleash its wrath upon a place.Although Arthur forced himself not to think too much about this incubus called Elvic, he was deeply afraid of being caught. Yet Elvic kept watching him and smiling as though nothing was wrong.Arthur believed one thing: if he was going to be exposed here as a wizard, then Elvic, who was also hiding behind a masquerade, ought to be caught as well. Neither of them should escape this."And now, let's all kneel!" the aged man in the long garment cried, raising a large pot containing something Arthur couldn't identify.Everyone dropped to their knees and, fortunately, Arthur could still see clearly from where he was positioned at the back. He had grown considerably taller since turning seventeen, so peerin

Hearts could jerk to either two things; excitement or dread. It should be generally agreed that the latter was quite unfavourable. Unfavourable in the sense that it could steal away one's reasoning and replace it with vulnerability.Arthur experienced this sort of dread. Upon arriving within the priests' walls, the true meaning of insecurity settled heavily inside his chest. The structure was built from the strongest wood he had ever seen while gigantic stones stacked upon one another formed the outer fence. The walls looked less like a home and more like a place built to keep dangerous things from escaping.Elvic merely showed the dread Arthur was feeling and it couldn't be argued that the performer wasn't afraid. In fact, Elvic often gave Arthur reassuring looks as though everything would somehow be fine.Arthur himself knew that if he wanted to stand on the smart side of things, all was certainly not fine. Elvic hardly knew he was a wizard. A real wizard from a generation of wiza

Returning back to his ward, Arthur fully accepted things were not going to be easy. He needed to leave here. At the very least, he needed to find a way beyond these walls and retrieve his book before attempting any escape. The longer he remained under the priests' watchful eyes, the greater the chance of being exposed.Concerning the escape itself, there was a strong intuition that it would not be something easily attained. Too many flaws could emerge from such a plan. Someone could notice his absence. Someone could follow him. Worse still, someone might already be expecting him to try.Even thinking about escape felt like something that needed caution. Arthur knew very little of the world hidden beneath ordinary appearances. There could be powers at work here that he neither understood nor perceived. Apart from that, priests themselves surely possessed limitations just as performers supposedly did. Yet limitations alone did not make them harmless.Arthur had not been able to ask

It was at the same moment Edward and Alaric burst back from the water and regained their footing. Both disciples immediately sniffed the backs of their hands again, their eyes reddening with each breath they drew.Arthur and the remaining disciples instinctively stepped away from them. They smelled terrible. To Arthur at least. Edward's and Alaric's scent reminded him of Horiah, the dreadful man who had torn his father's heart from his chest.Arthur could perceive their spiritual smell perfectly.Obviously, they smelled this way because of that Clarity Powder they kept inhaling. If a substance could alter a person's spiritual scent so greatly, then perhaps the powder was far more abysmal than Arthur originally thought.As the enraged disciples attempted to charge at Elvic once more, Arthur suddenly noticed something.Elvic's eyes glinted amber.Only for a second.The moment it happened, Edward's and Alaric's belts loosened.Their trousers slipped downward.Both men stumbled forward