Kyle lingered on the training field a little longer than necessary. His muscles ached, his breathing had mostly evened out, but something about the fight with Darius still sat in the back of his mind.
The way his body had responded so naturally, how his instincts had felt sharper than they should have been. He hadn't trained as much as someone like Darius, yet somehow, he had been able to keep up.
And then there was Boneclaw.
Even now, he could feel it. A faint, chilling presence coiled deep in the edges of his mind, silent but alert. The familiar had not interfered, nor had it made itself known, but Kyle knew it had been watching. Waiting.
"Deep in thought, huh?"
Kyle glanced to the side as Jace stepped up beside him, stretching his arms overhead. "I'd be too if I nearly beat Darius Holt in my first real match."
Kyle exhaled. "It wasn't about winning or losing."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever makes you sleep better at night," Jace grinned. "Still, you shook some people up with that. Even Calder seemed interested."
Kyle glanced toward where the instructor had stood, but Calder was already gone. The field had mostly emptied, students filing back toward the main academy buildings.
"So, what's next?" Jace asked, falling into step beside him as they made their way toward the exit.
Kyle rolled his shoulders. "Mana control class."
Jace let out a long sigh. "Man, I wish I had that level of patience. I'd rather take a nap."
"You'll never improve that way."
"Yeah, yeah," Jace waved him off. "Anyway, I'll catch you later. Got some stuff to do."
Kyle gave a short nod as Jace split off, leaving him to walk toward the next class alone.
Attribute Cards – The Bloodbound Relics
Jace ran his thumb over the metallic surface of the Nightborn Veil card, watching the faint pulses of mana shift like living ink beneath the sigils.
Attribute Cards weren't just rare—they were forbidden in some circles. Unlike standard enhancement cards, which boosted a familiar's existing abilities, Attribute Cards rewrote a familiar's very nature. The process was irreversible, permanent. If it worked, the familiar would be changed forever.
But what made these cards so powerful was how they were created.
Blood and stone.
The foundation of an Attribute Card came from two sources:
The Blood of High Orcs – known for their raw physical might and natural resilience, their blood was a conduit for permanent change. It acted as a binding agent, ensuring that the power etched into the card merged with the familiar's essence instead of fading over time.
Gemite Crystals – rare minerals that could store and amplify mana, often found deep underground. When properly refined, they became vessels capable of holding not just power, but an identity, allowing a familiar to take on traits it was never meant to possess.
The process of making these cards was brutal. High Orc blood had to be harvested fresh, and the refining of Gemite was a craft mastered by only a handful of artificers in history. Many had tried to replicate the process, but only the ancient forges of the Veilforged Dynasty had perfected it.
And now, centuries later, Jace held one of their lost creations in his hand.
The Nightborn Veil.
A card whispered about in forgotten texts. It was said to infuse familiars with the essence of the shadows, gifting them with unnatural stealth, heightened intelligence, and the ability to phase between the material and spectral realms. If it worked, his Silvercrest Raven wouldn't just be a scout anymore.
It would become a predator.
Jace swallowed, his grip on the card tightening.
This was a gamble. If the card rejected his familiar, it wouldn't just fail—it could kill the Silvercrest Raven outright.
But hesitation was for the weak.
He had already made his choice.
---
The Offering
With a slow, steady breath, Jace turned his gaze to his shoulder.
Perched there, watching with eerie intelligence, was his familiar.
The Silvercrest Raven.
Its silver-specked feathers gleamed faintly in the dim corridor light, but its sharp eyes were locked onto the card. The bird wasn't just looking at it—it was waiting.
"You want this, don't you?" Jace muttered, smirking slightly.
The raven let out a soft caw, wings twitching.
It understood.
Jace didn't hesitate.
He pressed his fingers against the surface, channeling a sliver of mana into it.
The symbols ignited. A burst of cold fire ran through the sigils, and for a moment, the card felt like it was alive, pulsing against his skin. Then—
Crack.
The entire thing crumbled into fine black dust.
But the dust didn't scatter.
It swirled, coiling like living smoke, before sinking into the raven's feathers. The air around them grew cold, a strange pressure forming in Jace's chest.
The Silvercrest Raven shuddered.
Its entire form flickered, like a mirage distorting under heat. But instead of warmth, an unnatural chill crept over the corridor. The silver flecks in its feathers darkened, its shadow stretching unnaturally against the wall behind it.
Then, the moment passed.
The raven settled, its wings folding neatly against its body. But its eyes—they gleamed sharper, almost predatory.
Jace exhaled slowly, watching his familiar adjust.
Something had changed.
The Nightborn Veil had worked.
He had no idea how much, but tonight, he'd find out.
Still want to know what he found out
Mana control.
It was the other half of combat, the foundation for everything in powering up our familiars and enforcing our bodies. Kyle had always had an average aptitude for it, but now... now, things were different.
Because his mana wasn't just his own anymore.
As he walked, the air around him seemed to shift ever so slightly, just enough for him to notice.
Boneclaw was still watching.
And Kyle had a feeling today's class was about to be just as interesting as the last.
—