The Apprentice of Ouroboros [Monster Evo LitRPG Adventure]

Neska gasped for breath as Kalloway’s office came back into focus, and that agonizing cut across her throat still felt all too real. She ran her hand across her neck twice to assure herself that the assassin hadn’t inflicted damaging psionic feedback.

Ability Proficiency Increased

Ritual Tracing 3 > 4

Ritual Potency 3 > 4

Ritual Precision 3 > 4

This was personal. He knew her from before she died and came back as a snake. “Kalloway,” she rasped. “What in the Divine's name was that?”

He knew who I was. Did he know from before? Or was this new information he acquired recently? She kept her thoughts on this staggering reveal muted...for now.

Kalloway was slow to rise and also rubbed at his throat. The ritual’s power had faded with the runes crumbling to pieces. He brought himself to a kneeling position, breath coming in ragged.

“I…don’t think we’re dealing with an amateur. He knew how to counter our powers. Worse, he seemed to anticipate it.” He kicked the skull away, making a hollow, rattling sound as it slid across the floor and came to a stop by his desk.

It might have been dramatic. But Neska had just seen how the past could definitely hurt her. He then lifted her to her feet–wait, the term didn’t apply here; standing height, then. “Are you alright, Neska?”

“I’m fine.” She rubbed uneasily at her throat, casting a glance at the skull, then back to him. “What did that man use to disrupt the ritual? You mentioned a lure."

“A lure, is a protective ward to defend against scrying methods. Including what we just used.” He instinctively ducked when Syrona came flying in, wrapping around Neska’s neck and shoulders protectively, and making a sharp, agitated trill. "Apparently, your familiar was worried, too."

"So, what's a lure, then?" She stroked Syrona's feathers to hide the fact that her hand was trembling slightly.

“A lure is what people can construct to obscure their movements from tracking, divination, premonitions, and other extra-sensory effects of the various classes. It can misdirect your viewing to a specific point of view or timing, or worse, direct psionic feedback that can leave a witch incapacitated. They're not easy to make, and they can’t block everything. But for you and me, mid-tiers? It can be…effective.”

“Then why the hell did he not use that the first time when we had his dagger?” She was furious. This man had gotten the jump on her. Again. Though, by the sound of it, he might be more paranoid than a genius planner.

“The lure is tied to the focal used. He would have had to attach the lure to every dagger before he started his mission. Also, it's likely he was not aware of you when you grabbed it. There’s a bit of a catch with lures–they’re only effective if you anticipate you’re being shadowed or observed. They aren’t perfect, either. A clever witch can get some ability upgrades to see past obscurements and misdirects.”

“And let me guess, you don’t have that.”

“No. Levels at my age and tenure are harder to come by, and people usually choose specialization over general usage.” Kalloway scowled at the skull still sitting on the floor, and stooped to pick it up and place it on the alchemy table. “Neska, we need to talk.”

“About what?” She didn’t mean to hiss, but there was a hissing undercurrent to her words.

“You.” Kalloway’s voice took a somber tone again, and his speech was slower, more deliberate. “Neska, this man is toying with you. He will kill you the second he’s completed whatever goals which also includes destroying Risha's legacy. I would say that he would even go so far as to destroy the whole Academy, then make humanity take a bow to the Awakened. I think this is the point where we need to abandon efforts to find him. For now.”

“I refuse to sit idle. How can no one know what Risha was doing? You all knew her for years! Decades!”

Kalloway glanced at his desk and let out a soft grumble. “You want to hear my theories?”

“Yes, I would love to hear them. It's disturbing how much it sounds like I really was Risha’s last hope. Which, while flattering, doesn’t make a lot of sense considering where I had to start from.” She coiled her body tightly, arms folded as Kalloway moved to his chair, sinking into it so deeply the chair creaked, and the springs strained audibly. “Do you know who the assassin is? Because he sure as hell knows me.”

Despite her outburst, he remained calm, even looked resigned. “It’s Pas.”

She was left speechless for a few seconds. “What? Her familiar? Hold on, no, that makes no sense.”

“It does if certain circumstances are possible,” he proposed. He grabbed a dark, angular bottle from his desk, and a crystal tumbler–two, in fact. “Care to partake?”

“No. I’m good.” Even so, he poured a small amount of clear fluid into his tumbler and took a sip, his lips puckering at the taste. After a moment of contemplation, he set the tumbler back down. “Do you always drink in the presence of students?”

“No. Only in the presence of peers.” His specific wording gave her pause, and she dropped the topic. For now. “Think. Your own familiar can evolve. Who's to say her old familiar couldn’t?”

“Because it’s unheard of.”

“Not entirely. The classes evolve in unexpected ways at higher Tiers.” It did align with what she’d heard previously: people’s classes could evolve beyond their normal parameters, and the Interface merely gave guidance to the powers people were already capable of. Even unique passives and abilities. “And, based on what I've seen of you so far, I believe you inherited some of her unique witch powers.”

“That shouldn’t be possible, either. I picked a witch because of…fancy hats.”

He raised a brow at that. “You set the course of your life and evolution based on wearing a hat? Gods tell me you’re joking.”

“Yes. I really wanted to be a witch like Risha. I could feel it was the right choice from the beginning.” She shrugged and shied away a bit. “Okay, and maybe the appeal of a hat was a minor factor.”

“Fair enough.” He sat back in his chair, holding the tumbler and swirling the contents. “But don’t you find it odd that your abilities are in alignment with hers?”

“I picked those abilities because…because they called to me.” She didn’t know how to put it into words. That urge to select those particular abilities was all her decision, right? It should have been based on pure logic and circumstances at the time.

Or would she have made those choices for mana bolts, ember hexes, her root hex, and more, given enough time? “You’re saying that my powers are based on Risha's unique abilities? The ritual work, the alchemy, all of it, was because I was around it a lot?”

“Or, you inherited her class when she sacrificed herself. As if it were always her plan. It’s my theory.”

She felt a heated flush beneath her cheeks. “I was part of that ritual. It was almost completed successfully before Marikand shattered the fifth-tier monster core. It wasn’t just for show. You don’t honestly believe that she was going to sacrifice herself regardless of whether Marikand was there, do you? That she'd leave me just when I needed her the most? I knew her, even as much as she tried to hide it, and she never gave up fighting. She was convinced that the Interface was the key to defeating the Varadur. She never struck me as–”

“A martyr? Risha was driven by overwhelming guilt over whatever had happened in Arivol. Sometimes I think she threw herself into harm's way, because…”

He winced before taking another sip of his drink. “Because it would have meant she didn't have to keep fighting an unwinnable battle. I saw it in her face when she got back from her last effort, three years ago. Something broke her.”

Neska found that hard to swallow. “You don't believe that, any more than I do, Professor. She threw herself at everything full force because it was her redemption for whatever burden she carried. But to say she broke the world? Do you honestly believe she was capable of that?”

Silence was his answer. “Do you really believe that she doomed the world over who I was before I became an Awakened? That's insane. Why should we believe anything that man taunted us with? He could have been lying.”

"Neska...maybe it is relevant. Who you are may very well thread into many other answers. Do you at least remember when you were born?"

She bit her snout, shaking her head. "I don't know. I get this feeling it was after the Schism."

"But you don't know. Nor do you recall who Risha was, to you, personally."

"A hidden prodigy." Why did she no longer believe that? She was clearly more to Risha than that. "Why was she in Arivol? You never gave a full recounting of her actions."

He stumped for a second. “I recall she took an offer to stay for a full two years at the Arivol Institute of Arcanology. She was working on tracking souls within the Umbral Shoal and how Ceruli crystals could be used as a metaphorical compass. That's all she claimed to know…”

“But, you think there's more. Why did she stay?” Neska pressed.

His reluctance to answer right away told her it was important. “I have my theories. I think Serkin knows those answers. Never could get them out of him.”

“Divines, Professor, he sounds completely broken. And he's currently comatose and not available.” She let out a hiss of frustration. "So, theories about me?" she pressed.

"I..." he trailed off, swallowing uncomfortably. "I've played out a few scenarios ever since I learned of your name. I presume you have ever since, as well. Theory one, the most likely one: You were a hidden prodigy. Someone she came across, trained in secret, but compartmentalizing her efforts from even us. You may have been intended as a replacement, should anything happen to her: an arch-witch in training. I don't think she counted on having to turn you into an Awakened, though.

"Theory two: You were never human, just something very, very close. The assassin said this is your second time evolving, assuming he isn't lying. The only other recollection I have of something close was Risha's failed experiment to transplant an Awakened soul twice. It ended badly, and she never tried again. That was hard on her. "

"That makes no sense, Professor. How?" she demanded.

"Theory two point five: We've never tried to transfer a Varadur soul into another Varadur. We have no idea what the result would be. But if I had to conjecture a reason why it would be done..." he frowned, bowing his head. "Perhaps this was her effort to break the Interface link the Varadur use to coordinate with one another."

The thought made her sick to her stomach. Could Risha have been capable of such horrific experiments? "And your last theory, I presume?"

"I have two, actually. Theory three...Risha lied."

"About?"

"About losing her child." The room remained dead silent for several seconds, and her body tensed. "Surely you've considered it?"

"No." Actually, she had. She just knew that the knowledge might prove too painful to bear, because it fit uncomfortably well with the known data.

He continued without comment. "Theory four: Risha's research in Arivol...ties directly to who you are. You might be the result of whatever she was doing."

"Which was?"

"Finding a lost soul in the Umbral Shoal. At least, I suspect that's how the pieces go together." He grumbled audibly. "It is well known that Lachmir was mentally unraveling for years after the death of his son, but before the schism. I think...he tasked Risha to help bring a soul back, something that should be impossible. Pulling a soul back out, if it were possible? Perhaps there is untapped power there, unburdened by the cycle of souls."

"That sounds even less likely than me being the literal daughter of Ouroboros," she stated with a click of her tongue. "I suppose none of these can be confirmed until Serkin wakes. And I still don't have a clear picture of what she intended with her final actions."

“I do, Neska. Twenty years of struggle took a toll even on the best of us. Her ritual may have been used to imprint the class onto you. Maybe she saw it as the only way,” Kalloway said after a discomforting silence.

“No. This was unexpected for her, too. She theorized I could get a class, but wasn’t sure, not until we were in the middle of it,” she countered. “I don’t think Risha wanted to die, any more than she wanted me to have to shoulder the burden of a near-impossible battle.”

“Well, not completely impossible,” he said observantly.

She let the frown fade from her snout. “No. Just difficult. Okay, I’m done venting. It's time to solve more manageable mysteries. Can we try the diagnostic again?”

“No. Diagnostics for one particular focal tend to wipe whatever residual ‘history’ you might find on it,” he cautioned. “Besides, he’s aware of your powers now. He must have put up protections after your chase across campus. You did cast several witch powers, and he clearly knows Risha and you.”

Neska let out a hissing exhale. “Okay, that makes sense. And if he knew this much about Risha, he must know a lot about the witch class. He’s taunting me. He wants me to know who it is, wants me to put the pieces together. Risha must have had enemies. Or allies she let down, less likely. Or a jilted lover.”

He raised a brow at the last suggestion. “Risha, despite her noble actions, did things I wouldn't, or couldn't. The examples I listed are just some of the highlights."

“Okay, let’s take a few steps back as to who he is, then: why Pas?”

“That snake was smart. And I suspected over the years he was evolving, taking on unusual traits. If Syrona can evolve, maybe Pas could, too.”

“No, by the sound of it, a familiar would literally die if they killed their soul bond. Wouldn’t Pas have died when Risha died?”

“No. But a familiar without a soul bond…that kind of loss can make them lose the will to live.” Kalloway pointed to Syrona, currently trying to nudge Neska's hand for cuddles.

She relented and let the coatyl wrap around her arm as she stroked her feathers. “But it makes no sense. Why would her familiar want to destroy everything she built? He saw and felt everything she did; he would know of all people what she endured. The sacrifices she made.”

Another thought dawned on her. “The attacker said he was her first failure. I think that rage was genuine. What if that’s his identity? What was Risha’s first failure?”

“Kickstarting an apocalypse?” Kalloway suggested. Neska glared at him, tapping her claws on the table. “Okay, you’re not in the mood for humor. But seriously speaking, I think it’s tied to what happened in Arivol. Her first failure.”

“Or her first Awakened.” The idea suddenly dawned on her. “The symmetry in what he said. ‘I was her first failure, and I’ll be her last.’ Who was the first Awakened? I don't know if I've come across this in the books. Who was it? Are they still alive?”

“I…I don’t know. The first Awakened was a–” he trailed off, his eyes slowly widening. The tumbler rattled in his hand like a vibrating crystal, and he took another long sip. “That would make sense…except, not.”

“Who were they?”

“A snake, I believe. That individual became a naga, a powerful evolution. His name was Markus. But he died nearly ten years ago,” he said, the weight of the significance weighing on his expression. “Sorry, Neska, I don’t think it’s him.”

“Are you sure? Because I'm ninety percent sure I was chasing a damn naga across campus."

“I…” he trailed off, looking down at the tumbler. He set it down on the table, cupping his hand afterward. “We buried him, Neska. You want the proof, his name is on one of the markers in the memorial.”

"You know I'm going to go dig up a corpse to confirm it, right?" She said flatly.

"Gods, don't," he groaned. "Try the sensible thing, like looking at the academy archives. There are records of all the Awakened."

“On my to-do list. Could you bring back an Awakened again?” she pressed. “Risha knew it better than anyone. And to my understanding, it’s not impossible–what’s with that grave look?”

He shook his head. “You recall my second theory? She swore she’d never do it again after what happened.” He cast a contemptuous glance at the picture frame on his desk, almost reflexively.

“And what happened?”

Kalloway reached for his tumbler and drained the remaining liquid in one swallow before setting the glass back down with a soft clink. “Their minds unraveled. And before they did, they unraveled others.”

That statement chilled her blood. “I don’t think this was Markus. I still think the reason we haven’t found Pas is that he evolved…and he's bitter that you replaced him. It’s the only thing that makes sense: he would have intimate knowledge of her actions. And how to break them.”

"Or, it could be one of the Awakened. He's said enough to indicate that. You know all too well how we're treated even at the best of times." The stinging accusation was like a slap in the face for him. "Maybe it is that simple: her first Awakened, doomed to die in a never-ending battle, he just...broke. Gave up and realized humanity was almost as bad as the monsters he was fighting. So now he wants to destroy it all. He grew resentful of Risha, just like..."

She bit her snout tightly. "Just like how Felix broke."

Her hands went slack to her side. "But why was Risha hiding me, if there was any truth to what he said? Divines damn it, she could have trusted me with this." Kalloway said nothing, and it only drove the point home; she needed to know why.

But priorities needed attending to. “No matter who he is, we confirmed that our fugitive used or is using the resources of the Marisano family.”

“He’s long gone by now. I doubt he’d leave that taunt if he wasn’t already done with them,” Kalloway countered. “That said, I can’t entirely take them off the board. If they were being coerced, their son Trevor may become collateral if they don’t continue to help him.”

“Then we need to make sure he doesn’t become collateral. But we need to be subtle.”

“Neska. You need to focus on levels. You need power. You may have held your own during the pursuit, but he is at least Tier three, possibly level thirty or more. Even as clever as you are from your various endeavors, sheer level difference can’t always be overcome that way.”

“So you’re saying I’ll need to be stronger, not smarter?” she asked, tail tensed.

“Well, both, preferably.” He tapped his desk again. “Field efforts are coming up. I presume Corvin is training you on team-based efforts with your peers?”

“It’s on the roster of activities,” she answered.

“Build your power base, explore your options with your alchemical infusion. I want you to know every in and out of that ability. Push your body to whatever pain and effort you can tolerate. It's your strongest ability in sheer versatility right now. And above all, get Trevor out of the campus, if nothing else, the enemies can hide easier in here than out in the open world.”

“Keeping Trevor in view was one of my goals anyway.” This plan was at least more achievable than chasing an assassin with an entire tier over her. “What about ritual work?”

“We’ll focus on alchemy and get Sakiri to let you have access to whatever you need. Rituals take time to learn the nuances of, time we don't have. I also need to observe your witch hexes. If you have leftover essence, get another hex or two."

She let out a soft hum. “Then I guess we'd better get started." Her mind wandered to the list of hexes she'd passed on before...maybe it was time to revisit it, especially with two points to spend now.