Lucen kept on his mask of exasperation. Kibara sat on his side, a stream of water flowing from her right hand onto his knee.
The cold water dripped from his ankle, carrying pain in his leg with it. Her healing magic worked rather quickly.
Lucen side-eyed her and turned to the other side of the carriage; he didn’t want anyone to come in while they were alone.
"Was that a weird question?" Kibara asked.
"If I use dark magic? Yes. I mean, considering the fact that I could be hung for that."
"They’re only prudes in the big cities. Everyone knows you have to pay homage when you live too close to dangerous power."
Lucen’s mouth hung open. "People use dark magic out here?"
"No. Like I said, they pay homage. For example, the Memory of Lost Paths. People pray to that Omen for safety and mercy on long journeys. I hear she can help you remember things too."
All of this sounded like things that could happen normally. If you had a safe journey, you could thank your dark god. And if you died, then people could say you didn’t pay proper tribute.
And finding lost things is not impressive.
Yes, this was a magical world, but praying to literal blood thirsty monsters sounded like a bad idea.
"Do people pray to the Crimson Tyrant, too?" Lucen said, half-joking.
Kibara’s eyes brightened. "I didn’t want to mention it cause it would be awkward, but yes. I knew this couple who fought in a beast tide, they had a talisman crafted in the image of the Tyrant and Omen. For strength and fearlessness in battle."
"Don’t they... people have family killed by Bull wolves, no?"
Kibara shook her head. "Everyone knows. But the Omens have great connections to fate and powers that are just beyond understanding. People still pray to Castor, despite him... rebelling against the Veiled King."
Kibara looked reluctant to speak badly of the demigod. Lucen wasn’t though.
Castor was the demigod ruler of the Ur-Kal region, a Legatus. One of the far regions of the Elaris empire not under explicit imperial control.
"The Dragon Knight," Lucen murmured. Castor was the very first of the dragon Knights. People who killed and absorbed dragons into their bodies to use their powers.
"I’m sure more people pray to him recently, especially with all the talks of dragons coming," Kibara said absentmindedly. "Let me see your shoulder."
Lucen pulled his shirt off, mind on the famed Dragon Knight. People said he was born when Kal battled the dragon of the Void.
A drop of blood fell from Kal and formed a baby. After Kal killed the dragon and was resting, this baby drank the blood of the dragon and became Castor.
Lucen shook his head. "I mean, the Inquisition would find worshipping the literal son of god a bit better than a demon wolf."
"I guess they aren’t too loyal then," Kibara shrugged. "I don’t worship anything though, other than Kal, of course."
She seemed a bit hasty with that last part. Lucen yearned to tell her he couldn’t give a rat’s ass about god, but even thinking that was scary.
Lucen scratched his neck. "Not many people are loyal these days. Dark skies. People think god might not see us anymore."
"The King’s Voice must have promised you something crazy."
Lucen told her about some things that Kedral gave him for the quest and his suggestion that Lucen make sure to attend Crucible.
Kibara had a double take. "Cordvein? My dad told me that it was poison and only used by the highest ranked families."
"I’ve been trying to research how much everything I got is," Lucen muttered. "The prices keep me up at night. I’m afraid of people robbing me."
"Add me to that list. I’m taking your clothes, too."
Lucen chuckled. "I guess the rich kids in Eshara get way more, though. By the time they temper their bodies, all the elixirs and drugs are going to turn them into super soldiers."
"What’s a super soldier?"
"Mouth vomit. I wasn’t really thinking of what I said."
"Also, what’s tempering and why does using drugs make you stronger and not an addict."
Lucen stared at her, not quite sure how a Knight could be so uninformed. Then he remembered that she hadn’t become a Knight naturally.
"Tempering is like torturing your Tripartite with your mana to force it to absorb mana." He stopped, seeing her confused face.
"A Tripartite is the trio of body, mind and soul. Mind holds and understands runes. Soul is the store of your mana."
Kibara nodded, looking a bit unsure. "So when I remember a rune why doesn’t it cast the spell?"
"Intent. Remembering a rune and summoning a rune are not the same thing. Anyway, let’s continue on Tempering. Using your intent, you integrate mana into your very being."
Lucen picked up a cup to demonstrate.
"Let’s use your soul for an example."
"My soul? Why not yours?" She raised her hands in surrender as Lucen just stared at her. "My last interruption. Teach me, master."
Lucen paled slightly, gripping the cup just a little tighter.
"So your soul is this cup, and mana is water that would be inside. Tempering is like willing the water to enter the wood itself and become part of it."
"That sounds unnatural. Sorry for the interruption."
"It is. That’s probably why tempering is said to be so incredibly painful. You have to do this to your body, mind and soul. The process can make someone run mad, and you have to be careful while tempering. You want to crack the shell of your soul and let mana seep in. Not shatter it and deal irreparable damage."
Kibara raised her eyebrow. "Well, I’m never doing that."
"You’ll have to, if you want to become a Grand Knight."
"I got lucky and became a Knight, I have zero plans of advancing."
Lucen quietly considered her. He probably would have said the same thing a few months ago. But weakness came hand in hand with suffering.
Freeing himself from the destiny Kal had forced on him would require power far beyond Grand Knights.
Kibara froze. "How would you even temper your mind or soul. I can touch my body and I can imagine filling it with mana, I already do that for enhancement spells."
"Enhancement spells multiply your force and protect your body from all that power you’re generating. They’re really complex spells."
Lucen picked up the cup.
"Enhancements spells protect the cup and magnify any damage coming from it. But you aren’t wrong to imagine that tempering the body is easier. It’s a painful process but most Knights have tempered their body."
"Tempering the body doesn’t magnify force like enhancement spells, but instead upgrades everything about you. You become healthier, faster, smarter, more perfect and just better in every way."
Kibara nodded, looking very interested now. There was a dark look lingering in her magenta eyes. "What about souls, what does tempering your soul achieve?"
Lucen was about to answer when a voice came from the carriage’s entrance.
"Many wondrous things," Aya said, smiling lightly, climbing into the carriage.