Frustrated, Cyrus restarted his camera. After all this time evading death and danger, it's damaged by his own idiocy?! How unfair! The screen soon flickered to life, and Cyrus meticulously searched for signs of harm.

"No damage." He sighed in relief.

Still, what happened? And to Cyrus' shock, he found those dead pixels in Bird's photo. However, it was only in that picture, and not in any of the others. Did that mean there was something on Bird?

A quick glance revealed nothing...

Frowning, Cyrus thought long and hard as he stared at the picture.

"There's only one way to fine out..."

Click

And there it was again! There had to be more to this. So, he took it a step further and channeled as much mana as he could into his light runes. And this time? He was to capture the forest before him.

Click

Cyrus' mouth went slightly ajar. More marks. Hundreds of them. Green, brown, cyan—they had nearly covered his entire screen. Just what were they? This needed more testing. Again and again, Cyrus took pictures, each bearing these marks. Moreover... the green ones appeared on the trees themselves.

Don't tell me. Cyrus' gaze widened as a notion dawned on him. Are these runes?!

It felt like a correct hypothesis, as all life carried the life domain. What else could there be other than the life signatures of plants and insects? Then the brown on the dirt and the cyan in the air...

Then, just what was that yellow mark?

With this in mind, a single thought surfaced. If green was life, then white must be... Cyrus focused on the canary, which was happily stuffing its beak with dried seeds.

"Bird possess a light rune."

His gaze remained transfixed on the canary for what felt like an eternity. Could that be true? It had to be. Not only did the theory have a foundation, but Lord Dílis only said detection was nearly impossible, not absolutely. Because of this principle, mages and Actors could walk in plain sight without a care.

Cyrus' hands shook so hard that he nearly dropped his camera. This revelation was extraordinary. Now, he had a tool, an ability to peer into the unseen and uncover the unknown. Truly, his camera was the most important thing in the world. If he were correct, Cyrus had unlocked a way to prepare himself for the future. High-affinity locales and crystals can be sought now with the click of a button. How amazing was that?

But why do I need my camera for this?

"What are you talking about?" Latriaen gruffed, pulling Cyrus out of his reverie. "Light runes?"

Oh shit. Cyrus grimaced. I forgot about him. Should I tell him?

Despite the possibility of a wealthy future, there was a dark side to it all. His new ability could find umbramancers, more importantly, Actors. And Cyrus was sure he would be target number one if he weren't already. Moreover, what about plain mages who were hiding secrets? Spies, criminals, whatever—all would now perceive him as a threat. Anyone who discovered Cyrus' insight was a potential enemy.

Silence hung in the air between them. The two remained gazing at each other as Latriaen watched Cyrus, the latter unable to control his expressions. In the end, Latriaen ultimately snorted and returned to wiping his spear.

"Don't give me that look. I won't press you."

Cyrus remained silent. His head ran through countless balance scales and simulations of his next steps. What he could say next will change his teacher's perception of him.

The information Cyrus provided from The Stewart described the Ork before him as a seasoned arcanesmith with vast knowledge. But there was another side to this coin. Latriaen, for all he was, was just a solitary man who kept to himself. The man ignored private invitations from nobles unless they were for specific commissions. More telling was that the man had a store inside the forest of a nearby city than in a popular district.

But even then, Latriaen still agreed to Lord Dílis' request and offer.

And there lay an opportunity.

Could I use this to my benefit? Cyrus hid his thoughts by appearing to struggle with his words. He already knows I carry the spatial domain.

Another pause. One that felt like an eternity. Maybe this was a chance to prove more of his worth. And so, Cyrus took it.

"I think..." Breathing deeply, he locked gazes with his mentor. "I think... I can detect another's runes."

Latriaen furrowed his brows, clearly skeptical of his claims.

"Show me."

Alright. Cyrus elaborated on the camera's functions to his mentor, who appeared to wish to pry it open and search for secrets.

"Remarkable device," Latriaen said, his hands itchy. "And you're certain it's not enchanted?"

Cyrus shook his head. "It's not. I'm unsure how to explain how it's made, but there's no magic in it. But it might as well be."

"I see. Well then, boy. Get on with it."

And so he did. With a flick of his wrists, a momentary pale glow bathed the camera.

Click

Another image of Bird appeared on the screen, bearing those yellow and green marks.

"See?" Cyrus flipped to the green-marked forest photos. "And these were from earlier."

Latriaen frowned at the sight. "This isn't enough proof. Wait here."

He picked up his spear and ran at astonishing speeds into the dark, foggy forest. Startled, Cyrus silently settled beside Bird by the campfire. It wasn't until an hour later that he heard the snap of twigs and the drag of something sizable.

"Please don't let it be a monster."

Spear in hand, Cyrus jerked up and activated his light vision. There it was. In the darkness, a pair of searing eyes closed the distance. Cyrus' instincts urged him to attack, but he resisted.

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Probably Latriaen. Cyrus sighed. Still, couldn't you be a little less creepy?

The Ork emerged from the haze... dragging a damn pink salamander comparable to one of the lions in size, sans alpha.

"Take a 'photo' of this," Latriaen said, unceremoniously tossing the beast before Cyrus.

Click

The image revealed several different types of runes littering its body. Some were brown, while others were blue, and the remaining ones were green.

"Earth, water, and life?" Cyrus inquired, seeking confirmation from his mentor.

Latriaen's gaze remained transfixed by it. He remained as such for some time, as if gears in his head were spinning. In the end, the Ork growled. "Your ice box. Take a picture of it."

Goosebumps crossed the back of Cyrus' neck. You mean...

Click

Cyrus swallowed his saliva. Gray and blue runes littered around the box. They were dimmed and fading. Almost as if they did not have long for this world.

"Even enchantments," Latriaen murmured, his gaze transfixed.

"Teacher?" Cyrus muttered, his legs trained to move at the slightest movement. He felt like a cornered prey that had just caught sight of a predator's gaze upon it. But just as that feeling came, it went as he watched the Ork drop his shoulders and return his attention to the unconscious beast.

"Listen, boy. This is likely a low specialist-ranked creature, given the brightness of the marks." Latriaen gestured at the salamander. His searing gaze turned to Cyrus with a mixed expression of annoyance. "And you? You seemed to be able to infuse light onto objects now."

"Infuse?" Cyrus was taken aback.

Latriaen nodded. "It's like enchanting an object, but temporarily. It seems like you've gained some inspiration during your ascension. Be happy." As if to prove a point, he gestured at Cyrus' spear. "Go ahead."

"Alright... here goes nothing."

Cyrus traced his hand on his spear and channeled his mana. His mind envisioned that dim light exploding brilliantly.

One second. Two.

And to his shock, he felt his mana pool torrent mana onto his blade, coating it with energies. At the same time, his light runes worked to imbue mana with... intent? Instructions? The feeling felt similar to adding hunger to his small ember, but with extra steps.

Meanwhile, the mana lit up into a blinding ray that shot forward, wishing to purify the surrounding fog and darkness. The gloam receded, and Shadows became defined in the attack. But the fog? It remained perfectly untouched.

Just as quickly as his new ability came, it went. And the darkness took over the forest once more.

"What the hell!" Cyrus complained, planting the spear on the ground. "That was only two seconds!"

Undeterred, he conducted a series of experiments. Time and time again, he drained his mana pool to near emptiness. Nonetheless, Cyrus was left somewhat disappointed by the results.

The ability was too draining when used on his spear for a moment's flash. And just like his ember throws, it relied on attacking in under two seconds. Furthermore, Cyrus found that he couldn't alter the intensity of the light's effect. There were no patterns, bursts, or delays—just a beaming light. Indeed. Not only was Cyrus a walking lightbulb, but he could now make portable flashlights with awful battery lives, to boot.

"Apply anything," Cyrus muttered incredulously, gripping his glowing spear. "Then why does my camera behave differently?"

Latriaen massaged his temples. "It's because something within the camera responds to light in a manner reminiscent of your affinity and knowledge."

That's a thing? Rubbing his messy hair, Cyrus pondered his mentor's words.

While his understanding of how cameras operated was lacking, he wasn't wholly ignorant. Cyrus knew that light is captured when it enters the lens and is processed by a sensor before forming an image. But the effect only occurred once he applied what he recalled during his ascension. It seems like that last crystal gave him something to work with.

Ah, I see. Instead of thinking of it as changing the camera's functions, it could be more like... augmenting them.

With that thought, Cyrus held his camera close as if the very air would turn it to rust. He had to keep it safe for as long as possible. Perhaps ask his teacher about the cost of a preservation enchantment, if such things were possible.

Said teacher grumbled. His gaze flickered in blinding brightness and searing lights before stamping the butt of his spear flat on the ground with his head held up high.

"Do it."

Click

"Huh?" Cyrus began, presenting the image. "It doesn't affect you."

It portrayed an image of a proud-looking and commanding Ork. But that was all.

And yet, Latriaen's gaze turned the utmost solemn. He leaned ever closer to the image and scrutinized it intently. His searing gaze grew brighter and brighter, and Cyrus was forced to shield his eyes from it.

"What was it?" Cyrus anxiously asked.

Was his camera broken? Did he have another power?

"...Do I really look this dirty?" Latriaen's voice was as soft as a whisper.

Cyrus was stunned into speechlessness. The Ork before him was now absentmindedly dusting his sweat-stained and charred shirt in some impossible task to clean up his appearance!

"Your power. It's too weak," Latriaen said, removing his gaze from the charcoal stains of his shirt and onto Cyrus. "The strength of my domains outmatch yours."

Cyrus' shoulders slackened in response.

"But..." The Ork's gaze narrowed. "I could feel your gaze on me."

"Really?" Cyrus was taken aback. "But how?"

"Life runes are very sensitive to intrusion." He pointed straight at Cyrus' camera. "It was like a small pinch, barely noticeable. Only because I was looking for it, did I notice."

Okay. That meant Cyrus had to be very careful who he chose to take pictures of. At least he found out here and now rather than later when it mattered.

"Boy, take a picture of my spear." Latriaen placed his spear down and moved several meters away.

Click

Shortly after, an image of a radiant spear materialized on the camera. Its entire form was enveloped in a dazzling crimson hue of fiery sigils, so intense that Cyrus could scarcely see a river of mana etchings that lined underneath the weapon's surface. It connected bright fire runes with even brighter gray arcane runes before looping back again, forming a closed circuit.

There it was, despite the interference: arcane smithing in all its glory. It was incredible. Beautiful even. And Cyrus wanted to adjust the lighting just to stare at the circuit and marvel.

But Latriaen wasn't as amused. His eyes narrowed as he studied the image.

"Your power is dangerous."

Cyrus also shuddered in agreement. Magic circles, enchantments, and arcane weapons could now be investigated... and exploited.

An all-seeing eye...

Another round of silence. One that was broken by Latriaen's weary exhale. The ork gave Cyrus a complicated gaze before simply sitting beside the campfire and returning to wiping his spear. But there was a question lingering on Cyrus' tongue.

"So..." He sat down across from him. "You were able to sense my camera?"

Latriaen's composure returned to its regular gruffness. And Cyrus had no doubt that the Ork had decided to figure out how to counter Cyrus' insight ability.

"As you rise in the ranks, your body forms barriers against intrusion through your runes and domain." He paused, gaze tracing Cyrus' form. "Without them, a flamesparker could steal the very heat of your body."

Cyrus froze still. "W-what? Are you serious? Like... could an aquamancer exsanguinate blood from someone's body?!"

Latriaen nodded casually. "Thank whatever gods you believe in that those kinds of mages are rare."

Cyrus drew in a deep breath. How horrifying!

But Latriaen cared not for his thoughts as he settled into a deep silence. One that was broken a few minutes later.

"Starting tomorrow, I'll teach you tracking and hunting techniques. You can eat only what you catch."

Cyrus nodded as he slowly stood up. But as he turned, something forgotten on the floor snagged his attention.

"Teacher... what should we do about the salamander?"

Latriaen impassively glanced at the unconscious creature. "End its suffering. Tonight, you will learn how to carve meat and harvest crystals."

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