//------------------------------//
// Chapter 9. 
// Story: "Low Level" Mage 
// by Knight of Crows 
//------------------------------//

Manus POV

I paid no mind to the guards or the princess as I hurried out of the ruins. I grabbed another Moonlight Stone and stuffed it in my pocket before continuing to pour fire and dark magic into the phoenix egg, I might be able to give it lunar magic so long as the town has the right color paint, candles, and lunar moth wings. Before that though, I want to get the egg to safety and deal with the bodies that necromancer desecrated.

Once we reached the outside, I summoned a few werewolf familiars to dig up the graves and wait for the others to leave before bringing the other bodies outside, make the jobs of the local law enforcement and whoever else a little easier with what I had planned. Along the way back, the egg was turning out as I intended, the colors changing from red and orange to varying shades of black and purple, indicating the phoenix's element has had dark added to it. If I can add lunar magic to it, it will have a similar appearance to the night sky, and it's magic will be stronger during that time.

Upon our arrival back at the hotel, the first thing I did was gently lay the egg down on my pillow and move it somewhere out of the way so it wouldn't be disturbed. Once the others had finally gone to sleep, I quietly made my way back out of the town, the werewolves should be done by now with the runes I needed them to draw. Once I arrived back at the cave, I saw they were just finishing up with the runes.





I carefully avoided messing up the rune as I stepped into the massive circle that was large enough to contain all the bodies. Once I was near the center, I created an ash dagger and cut into my fingers, adding blood to enhance this. I dropped some blood into the center circle.

"Exolvuntur, with this ritual, do I carry out your will as one blessed with Death. These are not your people, but I ask you offer those without peace to find it within your Shadow, warmth in your Light, and both in your arms."

My eyes started to glow purple as I used what this world calls a taboo magic. I moved back and dropped some more blood into the three circles surrounding the middle one.

"Exolvuntur, with this offering of blood, I ask that what was taken by one who would abuse and misuse his Gift be restored. With this offering of blood, I ask that what defiles the vessels of those who may have entered your domain be cleansed by your Light."

I moved further back out of the circle and started walking around the outer layer, dropping more blood along the second inner ring where the triangle and hexagon meet. The circle began to emit a purple light and all the bodies were being restored to their states before the necromancer stepped in. Specifically, any additions and alterations done by him were being undone; the extra limbs, the fangs, claws, etc. disappeared. In a few cases, flesh was restored.

"Exolvuntur, with this last offering of blood, I ask not for the departed, but for myself. Please, guide me in this unfamiliar world that may become my enemy. I ask for Sanctuary in your Shadow if I must hide, Absolution if I must fight, and Judgement if I lose myself."

With this last drop of blood, the circle changed colors and turned white. The only bodies left unaffected were the ones beyond repair like the skeletons. Seconds later, the light dimmed, indicating the ritual was done. I turned my attention towards the cave and made my way back into the ruins inside.

As much as I wanted to destroy these ruins because of the necromancer, I didn't want to risk leaving any stones untorched, so to speak. He might have had other notes regarding necromancy and I wanted to personally ensure they were reduced to ash. Back at the room with the alter, I checked around for any other pathways we might have missed. There was one that I saw.

There was a storage room at the other side, not what I expected, but it was still something. There was a bed and a small book shelf containing untitled books. Skimming through them, some were notes on necromancy, others were journals, and a few were of him researching lichdom, not that any of them would've worked. Viable phylacteries are difficult to make, even harder to find the items for. A potion that kills without actually doing so and grants immortality is nonsense. Cats and eyes being windows to souls isn't even a thing.

I burned the rest of his research until one thing caught my eye. It was long and wrapped in cloth. The book next to it had some answers.

These ruins were more than I could ask for! I could do without all the dust in here, but it's better than hiding in crypts-

"You have got to be kidding me." I thought as I just skimmed the page.

The sword I found is unlike anything the world has ever seen!

"Definitely has nothing on the Archon's sword, that's for sure."

Every part of the weapon is like it's not meant just to kill, but cause excruciating pain and even cause the wielder to bleed. The countless "teeth" along the blade, the bladed crossguard in the shape of bat wings, the hooks near the end of the blade, the spike fit has for a pommel, even the hilt! The first and only time I held the sword, spikes pierced my hand and I dropped the sword. My blood was absorbed into the hilt and traveled up the blade, the edge looked sharper and turned a dark red after a few seconds.

"That sounds familiar..."

No matter what I tried, I couldn't learn anything about this sword except for what I learn upon touching it! Perhaps I'll be able to learn more and even translate the text on the blade after I ascend?

I unwrapped the weapon and held fire close to it to get a better look at it.

Ferrum in prima Vampire, Vita Exhaurire

"Nope!!!" I quickly wrapped it up again and took it with me before burning everything else here and setting explosive runes on my way out. That was the plan until I ran into Luna in the previous room. "Why did you come back here?" I asked.

"I could ask you the same thing, though what I'm smelling right now gives part of it away." She said.

"'Part of it'?"

"I saw what you did outside." She clarified. "I know you used blood magic, and I'm sure that was necromancy as well."

"So what does that mean for me then?" I asked as I gripped the wrapped weapon tighter.

"Dark magic, blood magic, and necromancy. Three forbidden, illegal magics. By law, banishment would be a mercy that one wouldn't deserve under any other circumstance."

"So what about my circumstances?" I summoned several shadow snake familiars coiled around my arms under my sleeves, armed with paralysis curses.

"However, you yourself have proven your magic is different from ours on more than one occasion, and what I saw outside, you used two of those magics to clean up the mess here, and ask for your God to help the dead. You keep proving you're nothing like every other practitioner of these magics and doing the exact opposite of what practitioners are known to do. You lifted a curse with dark magic, and you restored the bodies of my subjects with the very same magic that defiled them, though I know not what the blood was for."

"To empower the ritual and hopefully be heard by Exolvuntur. Depending on how long their bodies were like that, it would've been impossible like with the skeletons." I explained.

"Regardless, you can consider your debt repaid. I will have to inform my sister of this, but I doubt she'll be against it."

"I guess I should thank you then."

"Just don't go destroying anymore expensive things like that again." She joked before turning her attention to the sword. "What is that?"

"An extremely dangerous weapon that shouldn't even be in this world, partially because the only people who have any business directly touching it are Vampire Lords. The text reads 'Blade of the First Vampire, Life Drain', thankfully, our target couldn't learn anything from it." I answered.

"Vampire Lords? Perhaps we should ask to meet with Solkier." I didn't hear that last part. "Either way, I must ask you hide your necromancy, dark, and blood magics. Please stick to fire and lightning until I speak with my sister, if we do grant you a permit for dark magic at least, would you be willing to try and learn why users of these magics all become monsters? We could do the same for blood magic after?"

"Fair enough. Now let's get out of here, I was setting explosive runes set to go off when one does and destroy this place once I got outside." I walked past her and desummoned the snakes. Still not happy that she followed me, but she and her sister are still my best chance at returning home.