Chương 58: 058

Henry and Dominicus stood where they'd promised, Maya perched on Henry's hip. As we approached, Dominicus's ear twitched, catching our footsteps before he lifted a hand in greeting. Henry startled, turning toward us, then relaxed as his face broke into a smile.

"Good morning," he said warmly, then muttered with an amused shake of his head, "I always forget you sense more than you see." Dominicus's lips quirked, but he didn't comment, merely nodding toward us.

"I presume you're ready to depart?"

"Yup," I said.

"Whenever you are." Dura stood just behind them, a massive axe slung casually across her shoulders.

"Same here." Maya yawned, rubbing her eyes as she tucked her face against Henry's shoulder.

"We're going home?" Henry kissed her forehead and shifted her higher on his hip.

"We are. Though you'll be staying with Sir…" He hesitated, glancing at Time.

"Thomas," Time supplied smoothly, giving a casual wave. Clearly, he'd planned ahead. Henry nodded.

"You'll stay with Thomas and the spirit of Nature for a bit. I'll come back for you once things are safe at home." Maya frowned, her arms tightening around Henry's neck. She peeked over his shoulder at Time.

"I don't want to go with him. He looks mean." Henry winced and shot Time an apologetic look.

"Maya, that's rude." Time merely shrugged, though a flicker of grief crossed his face before vanishing.

"Children seldom like me. I take no offense." His voice carried weight. His gaze drifted, caught on something old. Something painful. I nudged his side lightly and stepped in.

"Don't worry, Maya. You'll be staying with the spirit of Nature too, remember? If you've got questions about animals or plants, she's the best person to ask." Hopefully, Nature wouldn't mind being followed everywhere by an endlessly curious kid. Maya perked up instantly.

"Does she know about Lunar Wolves?" She paused.

"Both kinds?" I had absolutely no idea what those were, but I nodded anyway.

"She made them. So yeah—I'd say she knows." Maya beamed, all traces of sleepiness gone. She wriggled until Henry set her down, then grabbed his hand and tugged him toward the road.

"Come on! I have so many questions!" Henry let himself be dragged along, Dura following with an amused shake of her head, Dominicus a step behind. I slowed, lingering beside Time for a scrap of privacy.

"You okay?" I asked quietly. He blinked, shaking himself free of whatever memory had snared him.

"Of course." His posture straightened, composure snapping back into place.

"We should begin your lessons. There is much you must learn about Nexus." Dominicus frowned, glancing back at us.

"Why would he require such lessons? Surely a spirit such as Karma would not choose someone ignorant of the world they inhabit." Dura glanced back as well. Time scowled, his tone sharpening.

"The reasons spirits take Chosens vary. Karma did not see fit to explain her choice to me, nor does she need to." His gaze flicked to me.

"Nikolas's background left gaps in his education. It is my responsibility, as his senior, to address them." Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. His lips curled.

"Will you be interrupting every lesson with your opinions, or may I proceed?" Dominicus held his glare a moment longer, then turned forward.

"Proceed." He moved ahead of Henry, irritation rolling off him in palpable waves. Dura let out a low whistle.

"You two are downright catty. Any particular reason?" I jumped in before Time could escalate things further.

"Clashing personalities, mostly. Thomas is private, doesn't like fielding questions about himself or our patron. Dominicus, from what I've seen, isn't big on trust, so he tends to… poke." Like just now. He hadn't intended to insult Karma, but he'd implied she'd chosen poorly. And Time was absolutely the sort to take that personally. Dura hummed and let it drop.

"Fair enough. Mind if I listen in? Never hurts to learn something new." Time waved a hand.

"Do as you will. Just refrain from interrupting." His attention returned to me.

"You already know how to contact spirits in an emergency. Let us discuss how to do so for mundane requests." I nodded, matching his pace. Dura slowed as well, listening closely.

"Most spirits are solitary," Time explained.

"They avoid the mortal realm when possible. Unless you are connected to another spirit capable of reaching them, contacting a specific one is exceedingly difficult. Spirits with a presence on Nexus, however, often maintain temples or bases. Nature and Inspiration, for example, reside in Latica. Mortals may request an audience directly, or through one of their Chosens."

"Is it normal for spirits to have multiple Chosens?" I asked, committing everything to memory. Time made a vague gesture.

"It depends. Nature has many, allowing her to delegate Nexus's lesser concerns. Inspiration has fewer because his duties require personal involvement. He only takes Chosens who impress him, those he intends to mentor directly." He glanced at me.

"Karma's role is corrective. She ensures those who disrupt Nexus face consequences. Sometimes she takes Chosens. Sometimes she does not." His mouth twitched.

"Her preferred punishment was once transmuting offenders into cockroaches. Effective at first, but its deterrent value diminished." Hence, us. I hummed.

"So what's the plan? If turning people into roaches doesn't work, we still need something that does."

"We have time to decide," Time said mildly.

"For now, open your spells menu." I did, and frowned at the row of question marks that hadn't been there before.

"What's with the mystery box?"" That is an undeveloped spell," he said.

"Once you decide on one, it will manifest. If it falls outside Karma's domain, it will not stabilize."

"I'll think on it during the trip to Latica." I glanced up.

"What else?" Dura tilted her head.

"If you don't know how to get new spells, that's a good place to start." There wasn't a hint of judgment in her tone. I shot her a grateful smile. I knew I had gaps in my education, clearly, but it was nice not being treated like an idiot while I fixed them. Time nodded.

"Correct. Spells come from two sources: spirits, or tomes written by Mana herself. You may only cast spells aligned with your affinity—plants, in your case. Each affinity's tomes are stored in specific locations across Nexus."

"So if I want spells without Karma's help," I said slowly, "I need to find those tomes."

"Yes. Though I do not know their exact locations." Henry slowed to join us, his expression dark.

"You might not find them where they're supposed to be. Silas has been collecting them." Time stiffened.

"He stole Mana's tomes?" Henry nodded, "I don't know how many he's taken, but if I had to guess, I would say a fair amount." Volpe shifted in my hood, bumping the satchel strap. Slowly, an uncomfortable realization settled in. I glanced at Time and tilted the bag meaningfully. Recognition flickered across his face—followed by relief.

"We may have good news," Time said.

"Nikolas claimed the king's personal library as his boon. The tomes may be among those volumes." Henry exhaled, tension easing from his shoulders.

"Good. The thought of those in the wrong hands is… unsettling." Looks like my love of books was paying off.

"When we stop tonight, I'll go through everything," I said, already dreading it. Hundreds of books. A satchel full of volatile plants. No quiet, and no privacy… I wanted to categorize it all when we were alone, but we couldn't afford to wait. If the tomes were in that bag, we needed to know. Which meant tonight would be another long, sleepless night. Fantastic.