54 Library of Mages (14)

Ever since I started training with my Master, I slowly realized how this world actually works.

The government keeps saying that they are in control, that they are in control of the Artists, but that is just a front. They know it, but that's the only way for them to stay on power.

In the end, it's the Artists that are in control of the world. The government most likely made a deal with them, so they don't act in the open. Thus, making the Artists kings in the shadows.

Now, as I watched the charred remain of the four assassins that aimed for our life's I understood the rules. Stay in the light, and you will be a puppet, walk into the shadows and you will fight for your life.

This is how the world works now.

As we walked back towards the exit of the hunting ground, we didn't talk. The silence between us persisted all the way back to the car. I saw that Rose wasn't too bothered about what happened, but Emily… with empty eyes, she looked straight forward without blinking.

When we sat in the car I finally asked, "How are you doing?" but as if she didn't hear my words there was no reaction. Only when I poked her did she show any reaction.

"What?" she asked.

"Are you ok?"

"I… just need to be alone." She didn't say anything else, and I didn't ask. We got back to the university and split ways. Before leaving Rose told me I got an A and said to meet her the next day.

When I met her, it turned out there really was a reward for the grade we got. Because I got an A, I could choose an enhanced item from the school storage. I didn't need a weapon, or armor, what I lacked the most was a reliable ability for long distance attacks.

I settled on a ring that could shoot fireballs, each had a power that could blow up a fridge to dust. After they are used up, I will need someone to recharge it. Unlike the seals I made previously, it didn't hold the spell, it was made by a person with fire elemental essence. It had all the systems to create the fireballs, it only needed a recharge of fire elemental essence.

With a ring on my finger, I left and continued on with my day as per usual. Emily didn't talk much, other than saying that she informed her father she didn't say anything. While I attempted to talk to her, Emily just kept finding excuses to leave.

For a few days I kept trying to talk with her, but she just didn't want to. I could only let her be. As days went by we kept our routine, I kept training and studying, and Emily gradually got better, at least on the surface.

By now I knew I couldn't just help her like that. I could only wait and see, if she asks I will help, if she wants to deal with it by herself, I can only support her decision.

We stayed in the safety of the university, while the world was watching how the war against Faevum continued.

Faevum was what the MCA called the white monsters. After months of studying them, all they could do was give them a name and tell tier general build. They said they were fungi. Or at least similar to them, as their cells were like muscle and nervous, they were walking brains. They also had an ability to harden a part of their tissue and regenerate them like crazy.

They slept under the ground where they absorbed can all of their nutrients from the soil. But like leaches, they preferred to feed on the roots of plants.

The MCA also found the different types of Faevum's, the one I fought was referred to as the 'basic.' Most common of them all, as it can fight in almost any environment.

'Worker' with huge sacs on their back they move nutrients. They like to go where there is lots of plant life or dead bodies. They then eat them and make a paste of nutrients. It has the same abilities as the basic.

'Giant.' The size of an elephant, it looks like a 'Basic' only bigger. With much higher strength, and ability to shoot appendages from any part of its body, it was a slaughter machine. The only limitation was its speed.

'Behemoth' is the biggest of the Faevum's. Ten meters high, walking on six legs, with bags of nutrients inside of it. The surface of Behemoth is fully hardened, it two middle legs transform into hundreds of appendages with hardened tips making them like spearheads. Its head was fitted with a sensory organ that could detect anything that had any energy in them… in other words Artists.

There is one more type of Faevum's, not observed yet, and only theoretical, a 'Queen'. Faevum must come from somewhere, and the workers need somewhere to deliver the nutrients. The war with them continued but their number not only didn't diminish, but they also increased every day.

Thankfully more and more countries realized the danger of the Faevum and sent reinforcements. Only because of that the frontline stayed stable.

Since only Artists could fight them, the regular military could only perform regular bomb strikes, with little effect, but still better than nothing.

Now it was a stalemate.

I wanted to help, but my strength was far from enough to help there if all I could do was fight a couple of basics. In the meanwhile, I had a lot of studying to do. The seals were more and more interesting the longer I studied them, and symbols on my arm… became even more interesting as I studied them.