Noctarus straightened in his seat, shifting to a more formal position. His expression turned serious, his tone scholarly. “We start with the basics, for we cannot build a successful education on misconceptions.”

  “Sounds reasonable.”

  “Then first you must understand mana better. Mana is the lifeblood of a planet. Or more accurately, its breath. Planets breathe out mana in different densities, depending on the world tier. That mana is what powers all magic. On some worlds, mana condenses in pockets that transform into monsters.”

  Cyrus had told me I couldn’t receive all of the promised stat points for my tier-1 levels because the mana density was too low. Arasha was a tier-0 planet, and yet now I was able to get all 3 of my class points per level. Cyrus had suggested that was possible because I’d made it to stage 2.

  Would the mana density keep increasing as we pushed to higher tiers? That actually made sense, since those higher tiers had stronger monsters. Wouldn’t they need more mana to generate?

  Noctarus continued. “Spells and many abilities utilize mana, and the system that awards those powers hard-wires into us an instinctive understanding of how to trigger them.” He tapped the side of his head.

  “Makes sense.” I didn’t like how Cyrus could implant knowledge into our minds whenever he wanted, but I’d gotten used to the idea over the past insane week.

  It still felt like reality had warped into neverland for me to be sitting in the office of one of the stage bosses, learning deeper secrets of magic from him. I expected him to change his mind and try attacking me any second, and the weird dichotomy of sitting in a lecture while remaining primed for battle added to the odd feeling.

  Noctarus leaned forward, waving a finger. “But that does not mean we can’t gain a deeper understanding of mana and how our powers manipulate it. That understanding opens the door to quicker leveling of our powers and the easier addition of more similar powers. If one advances enough, they can begin using mana independently of system-granted powers and create their own.”

  I hadn’t considered quicker spell leveling. I wasn’t sure he was totally correct, though. I’d felt Nexus energy, and Cyrus had explained that it was the true lifeblood of planets and the power structure of the multiverse. Mana was created out of it.

  So did that mean Noctarus didn’t know about Nexus energy, or was he withholding that information? I wasn’t about to share the secret. Not yet. Still, Noctarus was right. Learning to better manage and manipulate my mana pool might grant a huge benefit.

  Then I remembered my upgrade to Linguasight.

  “You not only identify objects and beings, but perceive the reality of them. This ability scales with Perception. As you progress, you will gain the rights to see deeper truths. Anything from a lower tier can no longer conceal its identity from you.”

  I usually focused on the fact that I could get more information about monsters and items through Identify, but maybe I’d been overlooking something else important. As soon as I thought of that, I got a flash of insight from my new Spell Weaver class ability. That upgraded Linguasight should synergize well with my recently upgraded Spellseer’s Gaze sight too.

  “Spellseer’s Gaze. Legendary. Expand your horizons close to home. Zoom your vision on distant objects to trigger Identify. When active, allows you to see energy and mana in living color, sense energy flows, and more easily see synergies between spells and mana types.”

  I hadn’t triggered the newly upgraded ability yet. It had gotten lost in the flood of other prizes, loot, and stat upgrades. Then the wolves attacked before I could process and really internalize all my gains.

  I triggered Spellseer’s Gaze now, and the room lit up with colors. Everything from the books to the desk, to stone walls seemed to subtly come alive, with a depth of color and a weight that I’d never experienced. The air glowed faintly, and the crackling fire now boiled with a new red light that fountained around the flames and bubbled out of the fireplace, floating into the room in slender streamers.

  Was that fire, as in fire mana that could be used to fuel fire magic? I grinned as I slowly scanned the room, just staring at the world alive with life and light.

  “May I inquire as to what is going on?” Noctarus interrupted. “You seem to have received some kind of epiphany.”

  I blinked, shutting off Spellseer’s Gaze and quenching the world back to normal drab existence. I’d totally forgotten the old necromancer was sitting right across from me. Dummy. He might be pretending to be nice, but he was still a level-59 stage boss. I couldn’t leave myself open like that.

  “Sorry, I’d never considered trying to sense mana outside of tapping into it to fuel my spells. I just tried now, and I can feel it. We don’t get anything like that in our homeworld, so I got lost in the moment.”

  Noctarus leaned forward, his odd, dead black eyes peering intently at me. “You sensed ambient mana on your first attempt? Remarkable. What does it feel like?”

  I wasn’t dumb enough to tell him everything about my upgrades. I wanted to learn from him, not have him rip out my soul and dissect me as an interesting experiment. I was cautiously open to the idea of trying to work together until the inevitable confrontation, hopefully after I gained a lot more levels.

  Choosing my words carefully, I said, “I can feel energy around me. Now that I’m focusing on it, I can sense how it is touching my mana pool and replenishing it.”

  That was true. My natural regeneration, enhanced by Wolf Blood, drew from the ambient mana to replenish my pools. They had already refilled since arriving in Noctarus’s study, but mana was seeping into me, circling those pools, as if eager for a chance to get in.

  How had I never felt the subtle flows before? Was focusing on it, plus activating Spellseer’s Gaze, enough to give me such an insight?

  “Congratulations, Lucas! For pausing long enough for a bit of self-reflection, you have gained the new ability Mana Sense.”

  “Mana Sense. Ability. Common. Improve your sensitivity to mana by 10% for every level of this ability. That sensitivity helps you better understand the flavors of mana around you and improves your ability to absorb them. Due to the inherent bonuses of Spellseer’s Gaze, you start this ability at level 4.”

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  Ha! Noctarus was a better teacher than he realized.

  He did seem to realize something was going on. His eyes narrowed and his lips turned down slightly before he caught himself. “It took me months of concentration before I could easily sense mana, yet you felt it on your first attempt, without any instructions on meditation?”

  “I think one of my abilities helped me take the first step.”

  Noctarus took a deep breath, looking like he wanted to go rip the soul out of something to ease his frustration. I tensed in case he chose me as his victim. Thankfully, he mastered himself quickly and settled back in his chair.

  “That’s excellent news, despite my sudden worry I may prove unnecessary as an instructor.”

  “I wouldn’t have made that breakthrough without this conversation. How does mana sensitivity turn into mana manipulation?”

  Noctarus rose and paced across the small rug before turning and studying me again. “Our time is short, so it is good I can vastly accelerate my training plan. I might actually be of use to you in the 3 days we will be working together.”

  “Mana manipulation is but one aspect of what we’ll be practicing. Additionally, know that mana integrates with your soul. That is one of the reasons necromancy is possible. As my skills and powers grow, coupled with an advanced sensitivity to mana and practiced manipulation of that mana, I can much more easily guide souls toward a far more complete undead afterlife, retaining more of their memories and personality, while improving their capacity to level up.”

  That was a long, run-on explanation, with a lot to digest. He stopped in front of me and added in a tone that seemed a bit strained, as if he was trying to appear calm to hide excitement or nervousness. “If you will permit, I would like to touch your soul with my power.”

  I recoiled in my chair and he lifted his hands in a placating sign, adding quickly. “Not to invade, attack, or in any way affect or alter your soul. I seek only to sense it.”

  “Why?” Everything I knew about necromancers suggested that letting them anywhere near your soul would be suicidal. Not that I knew much, but still.

  “By sensing it, I can gain a far more accurate understanding of your integration with the local mana. You’ve only been part of the multiverse for a week, so it’s possible the integration is not complete. In that case, more advanced topics I wish to teach might not be possible for you yet.”

  That seemed reasonable. Maybe. But there was definitely more he wasn’t saying. His left hand twitched slightly, as if he barely resisted the urge to reach out and touch me. He really wanted this.

  Noctarus sighed. “I understand your hesitation. I am not sure how better to swear to you I intend no harm, merely a better understanding of how to teach you. Here. Perhaps this will help.”

  He pulled a simple gold chain out of a pocket and flicked it around his neck. It snapped into place and cinched up like a choker. When I activated Spellseer’s Gaze, the necklace glowed brightly, imbued with a lot of power.

  Noctarus extracted a small cube of black metal, the size of a car fob and handed it to me. As soon as I touched it, I got a message.

  “Do you wish to accept ownership of the Guillotine Trigger?”

  “Go ahead,” Noctarus said calmly.

  With a deep breath, I did, and Identify activated.

  “Guillotine Trigger. Rare. This trigger is paired with a Guillotine Garrote. When the Garrote is locked around a target’s neck, you may release it or trigger Off With His Head. It does what it sounds like.”

  “Why?” I asked, looking from the trigger to the garrote around Noctarus’s neck. He might have a way to cheat death, but it still seemed insane to knowingly put a magical guillotine around your own neck. Had he used the thing to kill other humans in recent days?

  “As an insurance policy to show my good faith. If you sense anything malignant or threatening in my scan of your soul, you have my permission to trigger the Guillotine.”

  He wanted the scan even more than I’d thought. There had to be something important in it for him, which might mean something very bad for me. Could he overwhelm my soul before I could trigger the Guillotine? Maybe he thought so, but my mental resistances were a lot higher than most.

  Would mental resistances help against soul attacks? Or magical resistance, or did I need some kind of soul invasion resistance? My Tiberius title did give me plus 50% to all resistances, so that had to help.

  Besides, I could respect such a ballsy move. What would be important enough for me to warrant taking such a risk? Protecting family and friends was about it.

  “What’s preventing me from triggering it now and removing one of the bosses my quest demands?” I couldn’t help asking.

  That plucky old necromancer never batted an eye. “The same honor that has prevented me from removing your soul the moment you arrived in my study.”

  I smiled. I might have to kill Noctarus eventually, but I had to admit, I was honestly starting to respect him. I doubted I could ever say I could like him, not after what he’d done to my people, not being a necromancer, but in his own way he seemed to be fighting for his people just like me. Unless everything he’d told me was a lie.

  “All right. You have a deal, as long as I get to keep this after we’re done.” I gestured with the trigger.

  That obviously troubled him more than having a magical guillotine encircling his neck. “That is a one-of-a-kind item.”

  I nodded, holding his dead gaze.

  “You are a better negotiator than I expected. Fine. Consider it a gesture of good faith.”

  “I will. So what does a soul scan entail?”

  “Justs sit still and give me a second.”

  His gaze narrowed as he focused. I had left Spellseer’s Gaze active, so for the first time I saw a new representation of what it meant for someone to wield magic. Noctarus’s eyes filled with inky darkness, while black smoke oozed from his entire body. Then a beam of complete darkness that still somehow emitted a soft light flowed out of his eyes and stretched across toward my face.

  I forced myself to remain relaxed, muscles loose, trying to focus on the wonder of seeing his magic working rather than the gut-clenching worry that I was an idiot to leave myself open to a necromancer’s power.

  The touch of his black magic against my face was feather soft, like an icy wind from a suddenly-opened door. I shivered involuntarily as the black power rolled over my eyes but did not obscure my normal vision. It was weird, like I had two sets of eyes seeing everything, their sight layered over each other.

  Noctarus’s magic slid into my eyes and I tensed as chill seeped into me, like I’d been standing in sub-zero wind for several minutes. If he made any aggressive move, I’d snap off his neck.

  He did not. The chill feeling washed down my left side, then up my right, then dissipated. The entire weird experiment only lasted a few seconds. When the black waves of mana dissipated, I sighed and snapped off Spellseer’s Gaze.

  The world turned dull and plain again as my magic-seeing eyes closed, but I didn’t mind. That had been freaky, if enlightening. Seeing magic being wielded against me, or even noting if someone was secretly preparing a spell to cast, could give me a huge advantage. I’d have to experiment to see if I could watch monsters using their magic as clearly.

  Noctarus closed his eyes for a long moment, breathing deep and slow in a contemplative way. Finally he opened his eyes and gave me his dead-eyed warm smile.

  “Thank you, Lucas. That was indeed insightful.”

  “Great. What did you learn?” I didn’t feel different, didn’t sense any foreign power lingering after the scan.

  “Your integration with mana appears complete and well developed. Far more than I would have expected from such a newly integrated person, and more than I sensed from the other humans I have encountered so far.”

  The reminder that he’d been sending out zombies to capture humans, enslave them, and ultimately kill them through forced manual labor brought me back to full alertness. He was acting like an eccentric old professor, but I couldn’t forget he was still a necromancer. Playing with death, making zombies, and enslaving my people were parts of his day-to-day life.

  Something of my thoughts must have reflected on my face because he sighed. “If I’d known how reasonable humans could be, I would have started our interactions far differently.”

  “That would have been a good idea. You have a lot of ground to make up.”

  He gestured at the golden Guillotine Garrote on his neck. “You may remove this and keep it as one of those first steps of restitution.”

  Despite a lingering temptation to press the button, I willed the necklace to release, which it did with a little click. The chain then whisked across the space between us and wrapped around the little Guillotine Trigger fob. I dropped them into my inventory, hoping I wouldn’t regret not taking his head when I had the chance.

  No. I still had a lot to learn from Noctarus. He was clearly playing his own game, but so was I.