Chapter 54: Shards of Omniscience
Were all ninth-circle casters this strange? Just like Lysander, this one acted without thought, then hoped a favor would count as an apology. I supposed they were rather famous and even feared throughout Enusia, so perhaps that expectation wasn’t unfounded, but I found it irritating all the same. That wasn’t to say I wasn’t going to take advantage of his offer, and quickly fell into thought.
The question on my mind was clear, so I looked at him and, with as much confidence as I could muster, asked, "I came here to learn about Dispel Magic. Something about the spell I know is wrong, but I can’t tell what. Would you teach me?"
He grunted, turning a critical eye to me. "Isn’t that what this paper’s all about? Why would you waste it on something this trivial?"
My cheeks flushed red, and I looked down. Of course it was. Why wouldn’t the nature of one of the most used and ancient spells be trivial? The gleaming light of the Shard caught my eye, and I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind.
"Why is there a Shard here? And why do they know all our abilities?"
He settled back, leaning against his cane. "Now that, on the other hand, is a question out of this world. Do you know what a Shard is?"
I shook my head. "Nothing I’ve read mentioned them beyond their ability to awaken and identify people."
"Not surprising," he muttered. "Follow me."
He led to the shard and instructed me to lay my hand on it. The glass-like texture of the crystal was warm and smooth against my palm, and my eyes slit as the pleasurable heat of mana swept through me, resonating with the crystal.
Name: Xiviyah, Hero of Fate
Race: Demonkin