Blake is rolled up in a fetal position on his bed. His room is a large, spacious bedroom with two large windows, a bathroom, and a study desk in the far corner. The professor's words echoed in his mind like a relentless drumbeat, each reverberation growing louder, more insistent.
"Why me." Blake said to himself "Why am I a deviant? Why do I have this white hair? Am I a freak"
"No, you're not a freak Blake," A voice behind Blake said. It was Judith. Judith was a servant who served in the Tempest manor. She was of average height with brown hair and brown eyes. She had a pretty face and some freckles on her nose.
"Oh, it's you," Blake said to Judith as he turned back. Judith was standing by the door, holding some laundry in her hands. She walked up to Blake and sat by him on his bed. Blake sat down next to her.
"Now tell me what has gotten you so low," Judith said as she patted his head softly.
"Didn't you hear... I'm a deviant," Blake said in a somber tone.
"Yes, I overheard the mistress talking about it with your brother. I'm sorry to hear that," Judith said in a soft tone.
"What am I to do? My father must think I'm a disgrace to this family."Blake said.
"Don't worry, he's still your father after all."
"That's exactly why I'm worried"
(knock knock) A knock at the door was heard. It was Rollo.
"Blake get dressed, we're leaving."He said then proceeded to leave without saying anything else.
"I'll see you later Judith," Blake said as he jumped off the bed.
"Everything will be alright, ok. Just have patience" "Judith grinned at Blake, flashing a thumbs up along with a wide, cheerful smile that revealed her perfectly white teeth."
****
Blake followed his father to the front yard where a horse carriage was parked. Rollo wore a red silk shirt and a black trouser complemented by black boots. Blake had on a simple white shirt and brown hose trousers.
"Where are we going, father?" Blake asked as they walked out the front door.
"To get rid of a stain," Rollo answered with a deep, detached voice.
At the time Blake didn't understand what Rollo meant by that, but for sure he would soon understand.
They got into the carriage and the horse pulled it along. They exited the compound and went in the direction of the city. As Rollo departed, servants and guards dipped their heads in a formal bow. Blake sat on the left side of the carriage while Rollo sat on the opposite side facing him. Blake looked out the window and saw all sorts of things. He saw people selling in the market, people walking, minding their own business. He also saw animals running around the well-paved roads. Dogs, cats, rats. This was his first time outside the manor. All he saw seemed so bizarre and exciting. He wore a look of pure excitement, like a child about to unwrap a long-awaited gift. His eyes lit up in joy as he continued to stare out the window.
"Dad look... a griffin, "Blake gestured to the sky, his finger tracing the path of a griffin overhead.
A griffin was a type of mana beast that had the body of a lion but the head and wings of an eagle. It flew around in circles above Kingdom Trothe. His father paid no attention to what Blake had said and continued to stare at the floor of the carriage.
After traveling through the city for about an hour, they arrived at a large, black, gate. They dismounted and walked to the gate. The tall gate and towering walls concealed the premises, leaving no glimpse of what lay inside. Rollo knocked on the door and a man from the inside responded asking,
"Identify yourself and state your business," He had a deep voice.
"Það er ég, Rollo, opnaðu nú." Rollo said in a language Blake didn't understand. (it's me Rollo now open up) That is what he meant.
The gate quickly flew open. A man wearing a blue uniform, saluted Rollo as he walked by. Blake grinned at the man and playfully stuck out his tongue, clearly enjoying the chance to rile him up. The man glared back.
"hehehehe" Blake giggled mischievously as he skipped joyfully to catch up to his father. In front of them lay a large white building, with large windows. At the top of the building was a large sign saying NATIONAL BUREAU OF MAGIC.
Rollo walked through the front glass door.
"Don't get lost," Rollo said to Blake in a cold voice. He wore an emotionless face and didn't even look at Blake in the eyes. Everybody inside recognized Rollo and immediately bowed to show respect to the duke. They all wore white lab coats. Inside was a large hall room filled with scientists who were busy doing their tasks. A scruffy man in a white, stained lab coat hurried over to Blake and Rollo. His hair, brown and thinning at the front, framed a thick mustache that added to his disheveled look.
"Good morning sir," The man said to Rollo as he extended his hand for a handshake. His voice was a coarse one with a bit of sternness to it.
"Good morning Fellix. How is business?" Rollo asked as he shook the man's hand.
"Same pace as always, sir. I'm about to lose my mind from boredom." Felix said as he rolled his eyes. "Enough about me, how may I be of assistance to you today your excellence."
Rollo pulled Felix aside, away from Blake and they started conversing something.
Blake looked around the room and saw many other scientists. At a nearby desk, he saw a lady. She had long black hair, pulled back into a neat ponytail. The lady glanced back at Blake and gave him a sweet smile. Blake smiled back and waved at her. He ran towards her desk. She had all sorts of books and a notebook.
"Hi... what's your name? I'm Blake." Blake asked with a smile on his face.
"I'm Melissa." She replied in a gentle, soft voice.
"What are you doing?" Blake asked, straining to peer over the desk, his short stature working against him.
"I'm researching ways to improve the quality of one's mana" she responded.
"ooooh" Blake exclaimed. "Any luck?"
"Well, I'm not supposed to tell outsiders, but I'll tell you anyway. I have just found out that 700 years ago, a mage known as Lucian Draegon was able to combine his mana core with that of another race...a vampire mana core to be exact,"
"Whoa... so that's what made him insanely strong, right?"
"yeah, it did. It even allowed him to use Shadow magic. Something that we humans can't naturally use."
"Blake, stop bothering the scientists and come over here," Rollo called out from behind him.
"ok, dad. Bye Melissa, thank you. " Blake said as he waved goodbye to Melissa. She waved back and smiled.
"Let's go," Rollo said to Blake as he gestured to a staircase that went downwards.
"Where to father," Blake asked eagerly.
"You shall see. " Rollo said as the three of them started walking towards the staircase.
They descended one floor and came to a dark room with a few scientists working inside. At the far end of the room was a door that led to another room.
Felix stopped and started talking to a woman in a white lab coat. She had brown hair and glasses on. Blake waved at the lady and gave her a big smile. Suddenly the woman grabbed a tray of all sorts of apparatus: scalpels, forceps, surgical scissors, and pairs of gloves. The group stepped through the door and into a sterile surgical ward. At the center of the room lay a solitary hospital bed, surrounded by a tangle of pipes scattered across the floor. The atmosphere was unsettling, the kind of cold, ominous space you'd expect to find in a supervillain's lair.
"woah it's so creepy here, right Dad,"'
"Yes, it is quite eerie." Rollo turned to Felix and said, "Is this where we'll be doing the experiments?"
"Yes it is, this is where I spend most of my time," Felix responded with a grin on his face.
"That explains why you stink," Rollo said, his voice dripping with mockery.
"heeey........anyway, let us begin the tests," Felix said. He turned to Blake and said, "Hop on the bed kiddo,"
"Uh... alright," Blake muttered, quickly running up to the bed and leaping onto it.
"So now what,"
"Take off your shirt," Felix said. He proceeded to take a syringe and fill it with a strange yellow liquid.
"um my shirt," Blake said with a confused look".
"Yes hurry," Felix said. Blake took off his shirt and threw it on the floor. Felix walked up to him and injected the liquid into Blake's neck.
"What was that? What did you do?"
"Relax it's just an anesthetic, you'll fall asleep in a few seconds," Felix said.
"Are you performing surgery on me?"Blake said quizzically.
"Yes we are" Felix responded.
Blake's eyelids grew heavy, and his vision blurred. Gradually, he drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep. Felix then took a scalpel and cut open Blake's chest. He took a close look at Blake's organs. Right beside his heart was his mana core. It was a small silver orb. Felix gently took it out and observed it. He placed it aside on a tray. Rollo was still in the room watching as Felix did his work. Felix then put the orb in a large glass basin full of purified water. He then imbued the water with mana. The mana naturally flowed into the mana core. The mana core absorbed the mana but did not release it.
For a mana core to awaken it needed to absorb mana and then release it back out. This was so the mana could flush open the power seals. Blakes mana core refused to release the mana. It just absorbed and then stored it.
"Hmmm....How peculiar," Felix said while stroking his chin.
"What...what....can he awaken....or...or...is there something wrong with him," Rollo asked eagerly.
"He is a deviant, that's for sure, but it's quite strange how his mana core absorbs the mana and then stores it. Normally, for other deviants, it wouldn't absorb the mana at all."
"so is there anything we can do,"
"What your son needs is a catalyst."
"A catalyst," Rollo said.
"We need to force his mana core to awaken,"