"He didn't, did he?" A goat-horned woman with faded lavender hair, fae, if Ori had to guess, gasped. "But isn't that… isn't that dirty?"

"I'm more worried about whether it hurts," Tess whispered, while Freya fluttered her twisted fairy wings, perched on her shoulder. "He didn't look like he was… gentle, was he?"

"I deserved it," Ruenne'del's voice called out, the glow of her smug satisfaction clear over the bond. Casually, she gave the snooping Ori a sly glance before returning to the conversation.

"What did you do?"

"Bit him."

"Where?... No! Down there? Why?!" Tess gasped.

Meanwhile, Seraphine, listening in, giggled over the bond. "My, my, Ori, it seems as if you had your hands full last evening?"

Ori, deciding he'd heard enough, made his way back home.

After healing the Phoenix, he had called on Lucas to find him. It had been a good exercise for the both of them, with Ori finding new ways to project his presence over their familiar bond. Before mid-afternoon, they had returned to Strafhollow, with Ori deciding to "drop in", practising his combination of Presence, Prismatic Mist and Greater Feather Fall as he drifted back into the village invisible.

Seeing Ruenne'del, Freya and Tess talking with other young women from the village, curiosity drove Ori to listen in. Although slightly miffed at their more intimate escapades being discussed with others he didn't know, Ori was at least happy the taciturn fairy was getting on with others outside of their circle.

It had only been a few days, but he was beginning to feel a sense of comfort in having a place to return to. Despite their stop being temporary, weeks of upheaval, travel and danger had been a weight pressing upon his shoulders that only the sense of a home had relieved.

However, there was a call in his mind that had grown harder to ignore, a driving force that was somehow quieter, yet more insistent than the Deathclock or quests resting within his page in the Library of Fate, one that felt even more prescient after his encounter with the Phoenix and his misuse of Fate-aspected mana.

The Path.

Like tributaries pouring streams into rivers, as Ori sat on the porch of his cabin, he could feel just the faintest hints of that grand flow, the great concentration of wealth, talent and destinies.

To resist it would be to deny thyself.

And yet, Ori had never been one to blindly surrender to impulse, whether those that came from within or without.

"What's on in that mind of yours, Ori?" Seraphine called out.

"Procrastinating. There's so much that I need to do, it's almost paralysing."

"What do you want to do?"

"I want to sit here and make things, but I don't have the ability or knowledge to make what I want. So I need to find books, but I don't have enough money to afford them, so I need to figure out a way to earn money, but most ways I could probably help either won't earn enough or require a licence to do properly. I could probably work it out, break it down into steps," Ori sighed. "But I also need to defeat this monster, and before that, there's Tess's trial, and time is running out."

"If I could offer a suggestion?"

"By all means."

"Let's spend the rest of the week finalising your magical foundations. I'll put in a concerted effort to ensure you understand your own magic. I would also recommend Freya pause her lessons on High and Arch magic for now, as there are things you should know about magic use and traditions, the common sense of the times that we might both be lacking."

"You want lessons too?"

"Ori… even I've heard of Vespasian's illustrious Arcanum Collegium Deo. Despite how much I despise the circumstances of your bond with Freya, to have one of their tutors as your familiar is an invaluable boon. One I intend to ensure you make good use of. If I incidentally receive a refresher in spellcraft in the meantime, well then, that's simply my well-earned reward."

Ori chuckled. "Alright, let's go with that for now."

Five days passed by in Strafhollow as Ori, spending more time with Seraphine and Freya together than he ever had before, enjoyed the dual ministrations of his more academically minded bonds. Daytime passed swiftly with lectures, magical demonstrations and question-and-answer sessions that often devolved into general discussions on magic, arcane professions and the common sense of the world, in which Ori learned several important things.

Awakening was rare, likely only one in a thousand mortals ever awakened, as knowledge of accolades and the feats needed to safely achieve them was often restricted, and other methods had high mortality rates.

Conversely, most Awakened could progress without much trouble to the Greater ranks, after which things became trickier, and factors like racial evolution, progression of classes and lucky encounters played a far greater role.

Ori also learned more about Breath and Grace, the far more commonly used paracausal energies, especially Breath, which was more common amongst the "low" races such as humans and the pre-evolved.

Empowered by lifeforce, Breath could be increased through special exercises, resources and classes offered by many academies and war colleges, and at Sovereign ranks, the feats Breath-specialised warriors could achieve would seem no different from divinity. The main weakness of Breath, however, was endurance. While mages could rely on external sources of mana or improve mana regeneration with peritia, Breath regeneration was intrinsically fixed to health and lifeforce, with only the amount one possessed being the other lever one could tweak to improve how much Breath they could use in a day.

Grace, in contrast, seemed to be inexhaustible. The more Ori learned about Grace, the more broken it seemed to be: an ever-present fuzzy forcefield that reacted to one's conscious and subconscious will, a forcefield that could be sharpened into a blade by the right classes and high enough levels.

While difficult to acquire for normal people, Grace made kings and emperors all but invulnerable to others at their rank of Awakening, while actual gods normally could not be destroyed by any method unless a substantial number of their followers, from whom their Grace was sourced, were killed.

The fact that Ori had killed such a being seemed more of a technicality, the more he learned.

Meanwhile, those who had directly manipulated Aether, Peritia or Quintessence were so abnormal that their feats became bywords for rarity. A prodigy could be praised as having "a glint of Quintessence", while masters would dismiss impossible plans as Aether-muddled or Aether-warped.

Beyond that, Ori gained a firmer understanding of awakened culture and his own place within it. Yes, he was powerful, a rarity even amongst the rare handful of Awakened across Twilight, but such talents often concentrated, and while Ori had his strengths in magic and healing, there were always counters to such strengths and methods, often insidious, to exploit his weaknesses.

From assassination techniques that killed from a distance with nothing more than a name, to forms of antimagic and mana resistance that alarmed, if not terrified him, Seraphine and Freya together had done a decent job of stripping away any illusions of invincibility he might have had, while giving him enough just knowledge to avoid, evade or at least recognise the threats that could take advantage someone like him.

There was still more Ori could learn from Freya, an endless amount it seemed, but with these foundations covered, Ori felt as if he could move on from pure spellcraft training.

"Oof!" Ori grunted as Ruenne'del sat heavily on his lap, Tess moving to sit beside him as dawn turned to daylight on the porch of his cabin.

Over the last few days, despite making an effort to have evening meals together, Ori could feel Ruenne'del's sense of neglect over the bond.

"You feel cooped up," Ori stated more than asked.

"I do."

"Want to go to the city now? Dremsway?"

"Thorncross."

Confused, Ori furrowed his brow. It had been one of the locations they had planned to go, but more as a stop before leaving this region than any time soon. That Ruenne'del felt the need to go there today meant something was up.

"Why?" Ori asked.

"A feeling." The pink-haired fairy's cryptic response, together with her thoughts and emotions suppressed over the bond, suggested something related to her classes was at play, and that his knowing would likely be a detriment to whatever plans she had or opportunities she was seeking to exploit.

"Okay." Ori agreed, then turned to Tess. "You coming?"

While Tess's mother had imposed a curfew after being less than impressed with Tess's "walk of shame" the morning after that first night he had caught her peeping on them in the woods, Tess had continued to spend a lot of time in and around Strafhollow with her friends, while helping her dad rebuild their home. Ori had seen her for dinner, and spending time alone for the hour it took to walk her back to her family's lakeside cabin, their connection and relationship had grown even closer.

"Yes! I can even be your guide." Tess continued in a rush. "I've been to Thorncross lots of times. They have loads of guild branches there, Couriers, Gatekeepers and with the Delvers especially, there's lots of Awakened going by. There's even a grand tavern which gets plenty rowdy now that it's month's end, which is when all the commissions get paid."

"You seem keen?" Ori smirked.

"I…" Tess paused, her voice turning small. "It's always been a dream, you know? To become an Awakened, to join a team, or one of the guilds. When I went before, it was always like I was on the outside looking in, but now… I don't know, going with you, maybe it'll feel more real? I know I'm not Awakened yet, but I want to see what it feels like. To be one of them."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Ori nodded, curious and ever willing to satisfy the desires of his bonds. However, his thoughts were more complex. There were risks in interacting with so many Awakened, secrets he still needed to keep, attention and complications he wanted to avoid. There was also Ori's general social awkwardness, an unfamiliarity with, if not aversion to, random crowds of strangers, an all too common feeling to those of his world and generation.

Beyond the guild branches and the Awakened were the inheritance sites. Left behind by Awakened on the Path, these stone obelisks marked the locations of many who had donated a wisp of their souls, containing knowledge and opportunities for humans of future generations. It was one of many initiatives, investments made at great cost by the crown as a statement to the rest of Twilight that Dremsway and Dremshire were the heart of humanity in this realm.

With the legacies of the previous human Demonbane held within one of the one hundred and eighteen stone pillars, Ori would be lying if he claimed he wasn't interested in seeing what all the fuss was about.

"Let me call Lucas, then after breakfast, we'll set off."

Well before they reached the gates of Thorncross, crowds piled along both sides of the main road, expectant, almost as if waiting for a parade, which in the end was closer to the truth than Ori expected.

It was when they were queuing to gain access past the town's gate, with Tess negotiating the fee with a guard she had met before, that the procession approached. Turning as gasps and exclamations were drawn from the crowd outside the town, Ori was transfixed as he finally caught sight of what the hundreds of locals were waiting for.

"Is that the dragon?" Ori asked. He had caught some words from the gossiping crowd as they approached the city. A dragon had been captured not far from Thorncross and was now bound in thick chains and surrounded by over a dozen Awakened at the Greater rank or above, on its way to Dremsway, its fate unknown.

It was the size of a double-decker bus, bright, almost dazzling golden scales covering its surface, with a ridge of thick, menacing horns running down its spine. With wings folded uncomfortably beneath it, its form resembled the two-legged, "anatomically correct" wyverns, but its scale and grandeur contrasted not only with its reception in Thorncross but its overall demeanour.

Instead of the pride of dragons Ori had expected, there was an air of defeat about it, shoulders hunched and head bowed, as if the great beast had been reduced from a terror of the skies to an exhausted victim and target of abuse. As rotten vegetables, refuse, and curses were tossed at it by the angry mob, Ori couldn't help but feel a sense of compassion.

"What is it?" Ori turned to Ruenne'del, her gaze laser-focused on him, her emotions over the bond twisted by an expectation she was barely managing to contain.

Instead of an answer, the fairy continued to stare at him unblinkingly, as if waiting for him to do or say something. Was he forgetting something? What did that dragon have to do with him? Sure, he had a quest to somehow broker a peace between human and dragonkind, but to do so here and now by rescuing the dragon was impossible.

With the sounds of loud cheers and curses drowning out thought, Ori decided to get into the town, to find somewhere quiet so that he could figure out what Ruenne'del was up to.

Before he did so, Ori took another look at the dragon, his eyes glowing white as Vision of the Progenitor peered beneath the surface and into the energies beyond.

It was the first dragon Ori had seen since Thraxis within the Library of Fate, and while complex interactions of Peritia, lifeforce and mana swirled around it, Ori could only determine two interesting facts.

An affinity that was, akin to, if not similar to his own, Freedom and Fate swirled around the creature in concentrations high enough to make Ori believe that the dragon was instead a dragon-shaped elemental.

The second fact was that the dragon was still, inexplicably, unawakened.

"When will you save her?" Ruenne'del said with an intensity that was far removed from her typical apathy to anything outside of his bonds. Tess glanced between them, concerned and flustered after Ori had rushed them into a quiet alley within the town, as far away from the crowds and procession as he could get within a handful of minutes.

Ori stared back at her, searching her face, scouring the bond for answers. He shook his head, slowly at first, as he worked through the events of the day.

"She? Is she why we're here? Today?" Ori asked, as he believed the pieces were starting to fit together.

"No." Ruenne'del dashed his stillborn conclusion, before prevaricating. "She's not the only reason."

"What's this about, Rue? Can you tell me?"

"She's important," Ruenne'del stated.

"Important how? To me, to this realm, or something bigger?"

"Yes."

Ori turned away, hand digging into his scalp as his mind raced.

"What's going on?" Tess asked, uncertain. Ori paused, then smiled as he caught her beginning to string her bow as if they were going to war right there and then. Ori grabbed her hands, pulled her in and kissed her.

"What?" Tess gasped breathily after the kiss.

Feeling a spike of jealousy over the bond, Ori turned back to Ruenne'del and pulled her in for a hug. She resisted, pressing against him for a moment before giving in, her wings ruffling as his hands kneaded the spot where they connected with the rest of her body.

"I trust you," Ori said into Ruenne'del's hair. "So… should I rescue her now or later?"

"Later," she murmured, her words muffled against his chest.

"Okay. Is there somewhere else we need to go?"

Ruenne'del hesitated before shaking her head. Ori could tell that while not a lie, there was indeed something she was expecting. Knowing pressing her for details would be counterproductive, Ori turned to Tess, still nervous and off balance, but now somewhat reassured by the direction of their conversation.

"Alright," Ori exhaled, mentally filing away "dragon rescuing" into the small mountain of tasks to do before leaving this continent.

"Do you want to go to the grand tavern first, check out the guilds, or go to the inheritances next?" Ori asked, turning between the two of them.

"I'm a little hungry," Tess said sheepishly, "skipped breakfast."

"No problem, tavern it is."

The trio drew little notice as they wandered through the town of Thorncross. With Ruenne'del's arm hooked through his, Ori was surprised to see little more than passing curiosity in the few looks they drew. Whether that was due to her presence inversion, glamour, or simply the fact that strange sights and peoples were common here, he could not tell.

Tess seemed steadier now, a small smile playing on her lips as she took in the town. The main high street climbed in a gentle rise, offering the faint, distant view of pale stone pillars on the horizon where the inheritance site lay. The smell of fried dough, grilled meat and spiced broth drifted from food stalls, mixing with the metal tang of forge smoke and the sharp scent of oil.

Whether it was because of month's end, the excitement of the captured dragon, or because Thorncross always felt like this, the town hummed with a rare energy. Young adults made up much of the crowd, many bearing cheap but well-kept weapons, fresh guild cloaks or new armour unmarked by blood and rust. Bars, inns and eateries were packed close together, signs painted in bright colours promising "Adventurer Specials" and "New Team Discounts".

The services Ori had expected, but rarely seen all in one place, were here in abundance. Blacksmiths rang hammers on steel in open-fronted forges. Travel and caravan brokers called out deals on routes to Dremsway and beyond. Clerks, lawyers and administrators watched from tidy offices, their windows crowded with neat rows of notices, prices sometimes scratched out and written over as they tried to undercut the businesses across the street.

The atmosphere felt alive in a way Ori had not felt since freshers' week in London. Mixed races and small groups of Awakened moved at their own pace along the high street, with most laughing and carefree, far from the perpetually tense and serious side of Fate Ori had long since been exposed to. It took him a moment to notice it, but when he did, the realisation surprised him.

He felt… comfortable.

"You like it here?" Ruenne'del asked as much as stated.

Ori shrugged. "I normally stick out when we go to towns and villages. I guess it's nice to feel… accepted?"

"There's the tavern, it's way rowdier than usual!" Tess exclaimed, the roar of noise and activity spilling well beyond the outdoor seating area and onto the streets. Across the dozens of outdoor tables, dirndl-wearing beer wenches carried trays of glass flagons filled to the brim with amber nectar. Another waitress, Awakened to Ori's surprise, came out with trays of beer stacked on top of each other, five or six layers tall. One-handed, she hoisted the beer tower to the mild amazement of half of the customers, with Awakened strength and agility put to use as a spectacle to please the crowd.

Ori, Tess and Ruenne'del were not immune.

Inside, the volume and atmosphere only seemed to rise.

Punters filled the room in a messy mix of steel and Sunday best. Some wore full adventuring gear, mail shirts and leathers still dusted with grime. Others had thrown jackets or cloaks over formal shirts and neat waistcoats, as if they had stepped out of an office by mistake, all of them loud with drink and laughter.

One woman in particular caught Ori's attention. She had short white hair that refused to sit flat and clear blue eyes that missed nothing. A black lace blouse gave her an air that was half stage magician, half sharp-tongued clerk, which clashed in an odd way with her strong northern accent and blunt way of speaking.

She was human, a mortal with none of the traces of Grace or mana Ori would have expected from someone who held a crowd so easily. Her story about slipping away from home after promising her da she would be back for tea, an ocean voyage where she claimed to have fought off pirates with a failed concoction, and how she had paid for it all by selling her "amazing hair products" had her table, and several nearby, completely hooked.

Midway through the tale, she paused, returning Ori's glance. Ori, refusing to look away, held her gaze until a shout of "Tell us what happened next, Eloise!" drew her attention back to the eager crowd.

"Well, I clonked him over the head with the iron and told him if he tried anything again, I'd see how far I could press it up his arse, butter or no."

The lady at the centre of it all, Eloise, continued, her listeners roaring with laughter, glasses clinking as if it were the punchline to a grand story.

"What is it?" Ori said, without realising how or when they had found a table.

Tess smirked while Ruenne'del gave him that familiar, intense stare, the familiar theme tune, though suppressed, playing over the bond.

"You seemed a bit… preoccupied with her tall tales."

"I mean, I was just trying to figure out how she does it, like, if there's some magic to it, or if it's all just her natural charisma." Ori shook his head. "And now you're giving me that look. Do I need to rescue her, too? Or is she one of the other people I need to meet here?"

"Here lie a dozen whose fates could run parallel to our own," Ruenne'del cast the tavern a long, sweeping glance as if searching for those she mentioned. "A dozen more in the town beyond. Even if you could choose them all, would you want to?"

"If you think I should, I would. Otherwise, your guidance is always appreciated."

"I'm happy as you are."

"Then what about…" Ori leaned in and whispered. "The dragon?"

"That's… different."

"Different? How?" Ori pressed.

"Your fates are already intertwined."

"How? Have I met her before?"

"I don't know. Have you?" Ruenne'del looked away, eyes turning to Eloise as she started another tale.

Ori frowned.

"I like her hair," Tess commented, drawing Ori's attention. "And she has really nice makeup."

Ruenne'del nodded absently.

"Likely she's here for the Demonbane's inheritance," Tess speculated.

"Wouldn't most people be here for that?" Ori wondered.

"She's into alchemy? Or it sounds like it. From what I've heard, they only speak – the obelisks, I mean – only speak to those with affinity for their craft. The Demonbane was an alchemist, so you'd need to be one to even connect with it," Tess explained.

"Oh." Ori leaned back. "Have you ever tried? The inheritances, I mean?"

Tess shook her head. "Only works for humans, I tried."

"Ah. That sucks."

Tess shook her head. "As one of… yours, Freya said I'd get a…" she whispered, "unique class when I awaken. So I'm not too worried."

"What are you two going to do when I go there then?"

"I can take Rue around, maybe do some shopping?" Tess offered. Ruenne'del gave Tess a smirk, as if she had other plans.

"Unlike Ori, we need to find someone," Ruenne'del said.

"Who?" Tess asked.

"A tutor."

"For what?" Ori asked.

"My da's been a good instructor, and I want to follow in his path," Tess argued.

"She's to be your captain, yes?"

Ori nodded.

"Then Tess needs leadership lessons."

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