After his battle with the Fallen Saint, Leox was led back to the chariot with Collector Meruvio, whilst the Three Black Knights were left to deal with the aftermath of what had taken place in the church.

  Leox sat facing towards the collector, whose legs were crossed as he examined the student carefully.

  "So, what do you think?" He asked.

  "About what?"

  "About the life of a Collector." Meruvio shrugged. "This is a common day for us, especially during the apocalypse. We face the death of our allies, anger from parents who don't want to leave their sons, and we have no place to call our homes, as we're always on the move. Is this a life you would ever consider living?"

  Leox immediately shook his head. He wasn't bothered about the deaths, but it was true that the lives of the collectors were not the future he wanted for himself.

  Meruvio let out a chuckle at the boy's response.

  "It is not all bad, though. Sometimes we find kids like yourselves, who are talented enough to do what you just did, yet still manage to remain humble and respectful. You're a good kid, Leox, and will make a fine man, regardless of what path you decide to tread."

  The words were heartfelt, Leox could tell. As he looked into the man's face, it was as though Meruvio were speaking to his own son. As though Leox were listening to the words of a father who was no longer a part of his life. If he were more of an emotional child, he could imagine himself getting teary-eyed. Instead, he bowed his head so deeply, showing that he truly appreciated the words of Collector Meruvio.

  Not long afterwards, the knights returned and took their seats atop the chariot. Their time in the village of Hedgerton was done, and although they had not managed to find any children worthy of joining the fight against the apocalypse, Leox felt that the journey had been beneficial.

  He had discovered a new method to strengthen his class, and from his fight, he had managed to see great changes in his overview.

  [Awakening Overview]

  [Leox Lether]

  [Awakening Stage: Second Stage]

  [Awakening Stage Progress To Next Stage: 15%]

  [Classes:]

  Grandmaster Immortal

  Apprentice Monk

  Apprentice Fire Mage

  Apprentice Swordsman

  Novice Water Mage

  Novice Wind Mage

  Novice Earth Mage

  [Class Skills:]

  Deathless Rebirth (Immortal Skill)

  Weave Current (Water Mage Skill)

  Greater Overheat (Fire Mage Skill)

  Flame Coating (Fire Mage Skill)

  Flame (Fire Mage Skill)

  Tempest (Wind Mage Skill)

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  True Counterstance (Monk Skill)

  Purity Of Body (Monk Skill)

  Rapid Cleave (Swordsman Skill)

  Mud Wall (Earth Mage Skill)

  [Fusion Skills:]

  Stormblade (Wind Mage/Fire Mage Skill)

  [Discard Skills?]

  [Rank up for increased Overview complexity...]

  First, he noticed that with time, his overview was becoming more and more crowded and difficult to navigate. He now understood why the option to discard skills had been given to him at stage two.

  More importantly, though, he had reached 15% through his awakening and also reached Apprentice Swordsmanship. This made sense, considering how much he had practised with the sword by now.

  With this progression, Cleave had become Rapid Cleave, allowing the heavy horizontal strike to move much faster, as though the blade were weightless. As for his Fire and Wind Mage classes, they remained the same. His monk class hadn't seen any benefits yet, but he assumed that would change the more he consumed the poisons. Unfortunately, he had been neglecting water magic and earth magic, two classes that seemed powerful, but not until he strengthened them further, or came up with some sort of fusion that might work.

  As the chariot rolled on along the path, heading back towards the Undying City, he thought carefully.

  There must be a way for me to mix the earth and water magic... But how?

  He went over many different ideas in his mind desperately, as the chariot made its way back home without sight of a single demon along the way.

  ---

  After arriving back at the Academy, Leox parted ways with Meruvio and the three knights. The Collector told him that he would be staying in town until the weekend was over, so if he needed anything, he could find him where he was staying.

  Afterwards, Leox headed back to his academy dorm. The sun was still high, which meant that there was still time left in the day to work towards some of the ideas he had come up with during his journey back home. This was all interrupted when he found a rolled-up piece of paper lying outside his door, which he brought inside.

  It's probably Ivy. I'm sorry for making you wait so long. I promise I'll come to visit you at the church soon.

  Leox guiltily opened the paper and read its contents. What he found inside was not what he had expected at all.

  Dear Leox,

  I’m writing this from inside Hawking Estate. Don’t panic. They haven’t hurt me yet.

  For reasons I still don’t fully understand, I awakened the Dark Mage class. You can imagine what that meant at the church. I managed to escape, and during that time, I was captured by a woman named Morigann. She brought me here, saying that I might be… useful. Isn’t she the same woman you saw with Donn in the tunnels?

  I don’t have much time, so I’ll be quick and pray this reaches you... If the Allfather even hears them anymore.

  Something is wrong here, Leox. The Hawkings are hiding something, and I’m almost certain it involves demons. At night, I hear sounds from beneath the estate. Groans that seem to be human, but not quite, and there are a lot of them. The family has taken me in and started teaching me to use my dark powers, but to them, I'm just a pawn who they hope will continue to walk the dark path. Their kindness isn't real, and whatever mercy they show me will not extend to others. Whatever they’re planning feels dangerous.

  I’ll try to learn more, but once I do, I don't think I’ll be able to write again. They watch me constantly. You have no idea what it cost me to get this letter to you.

  I’m not in immediate danger, so please don’t do anything reckless like trying to rescue me. That’s not why I’m writing. I need you to prepare for whatever is coming. Expect the worst.

  I don’t know what the next few weeks will bring, only that I won’t be able to see you for some time. When we do meet again… I hope the world is still recognisable.

  With love,

  Your graceful friend

  With every sentence he read, Leox's heart grew heavier. He was taken through a range of different emotions, finally settling on a place sat between fear and anger.

  They've taken Ivy.

  He didn't care much for their reasoning or why she had awakened the dark mage class. He was more focused on the fact that his friend had been captured by the same family that captured him. He wanted to go against her word, marching into the estate and making them go through as many deaths as he had.

  But Leox was not a fool, and neither was Ivy. She had managed to write that letter to him, warning him of an immediate matter that she found much more pressing. The threat of demons.

  Why would demons be beneath the Hawking's estate? What could they be planning, and how did they even get there?

  Leox sat down on his bed, rubbing his temples. It was a lot of process, and had completely thrown off his plans for the rest of the weekend. He wondered whether he should tell someone about the letter, but thought that would only put his friend in more danger. So what was he supposed to do, he wondered? Without certainty, he couldn't really accuse the Hawkings of anything. The family had much more power than he did, and due to his bad history with Donn, they would suspect that he was just trying to get revenge.

  After what felt like an hour of thinking, Leox came to one simple conclusion. He would decide to do the only thing that he could to prepare himself for the situation. He would get stronger.

  "Ivy, wait for me." He said, tearing up the letter, and preparing for what lay ahead.