"Is this..." I look at Orrivane, confused. "Are you messing with me?"

"What do you think?" Orrivane says, looking dead serious.

"I guess not. Ok, would you mind explaining?"

"You and Iskara are the only ones who saw what I can do. You saw..."

"Your Rainbow Skill," I say. "And Iskara suggested to everyone I have one too. What's the deal here?"

"I don't know if you have a Rainbow Skill or not. And if you do, you're under the protection of the Headmaster."

"So are you," I frown.

"Yes. But the Headmaster is not all-powerful. Even he can only be in one place at the time."

"So?" I ask. "What are you getting at?"

"My family, Jacob... they're Soul Mages."

"Oh."

I now remember that when we fought Iskara's brother, Orrivane was the only one who didn't faint completely other than me and Iskara. And the only reason I didn't pass out is because King Baalrek protected my soul.

"So," I mutter. "Your family. Why would they want to kill me?"

"If they extracted the knowledge about what you saw, they'd want to take me away from the Academy immediately. They'd call upon powers that I'm not sure the Headmaster would want to battle for you."

"I mean, it seems to me like the Headmaster is not someone who would refuse a war out of principle."

"Yes, Jacob, but you would be dead."

"So, your family doesn't want your Skill to be revealed to anyone and they'd take you away to protect you."

"No. That's not what I said. They'd take me from the Academy because they'd want the Skill. Not because of me. My family... they're not good people, Jacob. They enslave people."

"What?" I frown. "Enslave?"

"Their minds through their souls," Orrivane says slowly. "What I'm telling you is something extremely confidential. My family would shatter my soul if they knew I told you."

"Well..." I frown. "So... wait. Are you telling me they don't know that you have a Rainbow Skill?!"

"Indeed, Jacob, they have no idea that I own a Rainbow Skill."

"Oh, wow. And you're telling me because they want to talk to me because... I'm the Champions' Guide?"

Orrivane nods.

"You can't allow them to talk to you. And you can't reveal what I told you to anyone. They'd use Soul Magic to peer into your soul and glean everything that you saw during the battle. It doesn't matter if you have some rudimentary soul defenses like you showed. They are masters of the craft."

King Baalrek.

No one can peer into your soul. I don't have a physical body, Jacob Cloud, but I can use Soul Magic as strong as the one I had when I was alive at least INSIDE your soul. As long as you have me, not even Asmodeus could peer into your soul.

Well, that's actually reassuring. But... the problem stands.

I look at Orrivane.

"I'll talk to them, Orrivane. No one's able to peer into my soul. Not even your family."

Orrivane raises an eyebrow.

"Are you boasting, Jacob? Did you understand--"

"Not even Asmodeus himself would be able to peer into my soul."

Orrivane now does a double-take.

"So, your Rainbow Skill is connected to Souls."

"What Rainbow Skill?" I say innocently. "Plus, why don't we bring this to the Headmaster? You don't want to see your family eradicated?"

"I... I have a dead man's switch in my soul. If my family activates it, I'm dead. I am a master of Soul Magic as much as Void Magic, which makes me uniquely able to hide things from them, even if they're infinitely stronger than me. I can obfuscate my Rainbow Skill thanks to that and my Class. But I can do nothing to what they did to my soul for now. Not for a long time. And I'd rather not die."

Anything you can do?

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As I said, Jacob Cloud, I can only act inside YOUR soul. There's nothing I can do for the kid. But ask him if his family is part of the Cult of Lazhardrak.

"May I ask something, Orrivane?" I ask slowly. "And I hope this insinuation is not offending."

"Ask away."

"Is your family part of the Cult of Lazhardrak?"

Orrivane's eyes widen.

"You know about the Cryptic Souls? How? Who the hell is your Master, Jacob?"

"Did I mention I'm sort of an expert on the heritage of King Baalrek? That's how I helped Iskara."

I had MANY encounters with those bastards. Lazhardrak, their Dark God, is not someone you want to take lightly. This kid was born into a Cult that rivals that of Asmodeus, Jacob Cloud. He's dangerous.

He is, I reply mentally, evaluating the situation.

"King Baalrek the Infernal was a sworn enemy in the lore of the Cryptic Souls..." Orrivane mutters. "If your knowledge about him is as vast as you claim it to be, then it makes sense that you would know about my family's business. Do not reveal about your heritage to them, however."

"Don't worry about it," I smile. "I'll take care of this and not reveal anything about you, you can rest assured."

I see Orrivane finally breathing out a mouthful of stale air that he seemed to have kept inside until now. He goes to sit on a couch in the room and puts his face between his hands. "You can go, I... I need to decompress."

I turn toward the door and I hear Orrivane's deep sighs.

"Orrivane," I say, turning over my shoulder. "I got your back. Don't worry. And if you ever need something, please don't hesitate to ask. I don't have many friends here. We share secrets that could get both of us killed. We can at the very least be friends of convenience, alright?"

I see Orrivane raising his head and giving me an actual smile.

"Thanks. I'll come if I need it, then. Now that this is solved, I sorely need a nap."

* * *

I tell you that the kid is dangerous and you want to get closer to him, Jacob Cloud? Why offer to be his friend? Why not Asterion? The Highblood likes you and his friendship could open doors that--

I think Orrivane feels alone and with his back to a wall, I say mentally to King Baalrek as I walk toward the Astral Library. I can empathize with what Asterion told me about himself so far, but I don't really understand it that well. I haven't lived down the kind of pressure that Asterion faces. Orrivane's troubles, instead, feel a bit closer to home. Not the crazy family that is in a Cult or the Soul Magic, of course. But the fact that he feels alone. He came to the Academy to become a Knight, probably telling his family a bunch of lies in order to be allowed to stay here. But if he came here, he must have dreamt of becoming a Knight for some time. I was alone in the mines, doing a thankless job for pennies and dreaming about becoming a Knight for the better part of my life. I can clearly feel that Orrivane is the same. But he has more baggage than I do... I can see why he's always tired now. I would be too.

Worries like the ones the kid carries are like death by a thousand cuts, Jacob Cloud. You, however, should keep in mind that many, under that kind of pressure, will lose their mind and revert to the easiest option. He could kidnap you, bring you to the Cult, and barter your soul for his freedom.

He can try, I smirk.

Soon, I arrive in front of Elder Karl.

"Jacob!" Elder Karl says, rubbing his hands together. "You finally decided to come and get the Platinum Rank Runic Notation section! I've been waiting for this!"

"My life's become more expensive than I planned for at the beginning of the year," I say, looking toward Lancelot with a withering gaze. He, however, is just sipping on some tea that I have no doubt is more sugar than water.

"I already went through the procedure and updated your token. It costs thirty Merit Points to open the Runic Notation section in the Platinum part of the Astral Library."

"Thirty?" I am stunned. "What do you mean thirty?"

The sound of pages and pens are the only background for a moment.

"Thirty?" I repeat again. "Thirty Merit Points? I have, like, only sixty-three!"

"Lower your voice," Elder Karl sighs. "From Platinum Rank onward, the price of the knowledge in the Astral Library skyrockets. Once you get to Diamond Rank, a single section can be worth hundreds of Merit Points."

"What the..." I mutter.

Wait to hear how much entering the Heartspire costs.

I don't think I want to know.

"But, since you achieved so much already and you unlocked a Platinum section," Elder Karl gives me my token back and I see a small platinum etching on the token, "as a Library Elder, I can offer you Challenges, Quests, and more."

"Oh," I say, interested. "I never heard of this."

"Usually, no student in the first year gathers enough Merit Points to unlock any Platinum section. And if they do, they usually use them for the Heartspire, weapons, or something else. Knowledge, sadly, is not the first priority of many."

"Makes sense," I say out loud, making Elder Karl wince. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. It's just that knowledge is a less short-term... item than, say, a sword or a Skill Crystal."

"Kids these days..." Elder Karl complains. "But it doesn't matter. What matters is that you'll be able to get some of the points back from me. I know you got the initial batch from one of the Elders under the Dean of Admissions. But I, as a proper Elder, carry way more Merit Points to distribute than you would imagine. In fact, few departments in the entire Academy carry more Merit Points than the Astral Library Elders and Dean. The Headmaster knows the value of knowledge very well. Anyone capable of contributing or proving himself worth of it is rewarded."

"So, what would I have to do?" I ask.

"If you decided to sell your knowledge about Runic Notation back to the Astral Library, you would make an incredible amount of Merit Points. I can't even fathom the amount. I would have to summon the Dean himself, perhaps even the Headmaster to intercede. It's above my own authority. Plus, it would make it impossible to profit as much from Runic Notation once it got out. You could sell all the Runic Notation about Skills to the Astral Library for Merit Points, but if you're here, you probably need more coin than points."

I nod.

"Well, then, I could issue a formal Challenge. Merit Points are not only a reward for deeds that aid the Academy, but also proof that you deserve to advance based on your knowledge in a specific domain. I can't show excess favoritism since it would violate all my Oaths, but I can offer..." Elder Karl does a dramatic pause. "A puzzle!"

He summons a complex looking projection and smiles. It's a small citadel with tiny little shadow people walking around.

"This is an historical puzzle. It's way beyond your capabilities at the moment, but your ability to extract knowledge from books should aid you. You need to channel your Mana in such a way that it does not disturb the projection. You'll be able to complete it thanks to the references to it in the following books--"

I look at the puzzle, activate the Grimoire, and effortlessly channel Mana through the streets inside the projection. The moment it hits the final spot, right above a small waterfall, the projection brightens up and then slowly gets tinged of gold as the shadowy figures in it, which now become lifelike.

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