Runes
A/N: HelloDarkness07
A small announcement. I have managed to contract Covid, and am currently in recovery.
Don't worry, I'm alright, mostly, but these meds are really fucking strong. They keep me awake, but just sleepy enough that I cannot write anything. Plus, the WiFi here is shitty, which is the reason I hadn't posted in a while.
I'm hoping to be fully recovered in about 10 days, so see you guys then! Until then, good luck, and take care.
Don't forget to take precautions just because you're vaccinated. I had my first dose for 10 days before my RT-PCR came back positive. Take your bloody precautions!
Anyway, good luck! Read on!
---
I had noticed something about my Astral form. Like the Doctor Strange movies, my Spirit had a soft golden glow to it, as opposed to the silver glow that the ghosts have, and the white shine that Helena boasts.
Our running theory was that it is because I'm actually alive. This way, I can at least distinguish which ghosts are living, and which aren't. Helena definitely isn't, even if she's more solid than the other ghosts.
A few weeks after finding out that I can separate my Spirit, or my Astral form, from my physical self, I was practicing doing it voluntarily.
In the first week, I could only enter the Astral Plane when I sleep. Meaning, I had to sleep while meditating, and only then would I become a Spirit. And I also used to feel drunk most of the time, so there was that. 3 weeks after that, I could enter the Astral Plane while actually awake, and then a week after that, I stopped feeling drunk.
It was a slow progress, but progress all the same. By now, I'd at least managed to go to the Astral Plane and back, if only for an hour or two at a time. I can't do much for a couple hours now, can I? By the rate I was going, I could probably stay in the Astral form for the entire night by the next week, or the week after.
As I was reading a book on rituals that I got from the Room of Requirements, while in my Astral form, Helena floats in through the door.
She sees my body sleeping peacefully, and says, "Good to know you're not slacking off."
Snorting, I say, "I never slack off." Mostly because I know that slacking off will mean my death, or worse. Not expulsion, but complete destruction. At least Death can mean rebirth, or entering the Afterlife, whatever the hell it might be.
Helena smiles, and says, "I know. How long do you have till you have to go back to your body? And it still sounds weird whenever I say it."
I look at the time on the pocket watch I found in the RoR, and say, "About an hour and 15 minutes. Why?"
I expected it, but it was still disappointing to find out that I cannot use Magic while in the Astral Form. Not even a simple Lumos charm works, let alone a relatively complex Tempus charm.
Helena smiles, a little bit sadly, but a bit proudly, and says, "Come with me. I want to show you something."
Curious, I float up into the air, and fly after her, through the wall. Thank God Gravity doesn't work here. Flying in the Astral plane didn't take much effort. You just push yourself once, and then move to adjust the path.
Helena takes me flying through walls, portraits, and even a few suits of armour. And then, she stops in front of a blank stretch of wall. Since I wasn't actually used to flying this much, I'm a bit out of breath.
I ask, "Why are you showing me this? I already know about the Room of Requirements, you know."
Helena chuckles, and says, "What you've seen, although an impressive piece of magic, is just the tip of the iceberg. Wait, and see."
As I absorb what she just said, and the Come and Go Room is just the tip? Damn, what more secrets could the room be hiding?
Helena floats towards the wall that usually shows the Room, and stops in front of it instead of pacing. She then places her left palm on a seemingly random part of the wall, fingers close together.
Pausing a second to allow me to watch, she taps her right hand's index finger on the patch of wall right above her left middle finger. Then, one by one, Helena taps the wall in 16 more spots, seeming random to me.
She then slowly whispers to the wall, "Helena Ravenclaw, daughter of Rowena." And then, the wall shimmers the way it always does, and shows a plain wooden door.
Helena turns towards me, and says, "I really hope you remembered what spots I tapped, because you will have to do the same."
I snort, thankful for my perfect recall of memories. Helena takes the reaction with a smile, and says, "Now, after I go through, put your hand on the handle, and whisper your name, and your relation to my mother. After that, you'll be able to enter the Room."
And then, Helena holds the doorknob, twists it, and then floats through the open door. As soon as she's through, the door snaps shut, and the wall reappears.
Now, I would have tried going through in my spirit form itself, but I know from experience, that the Room doesn't work like that. Those on the outside cannot enter inside through any means save the door. I can exit the room in my Astral form, but I cannot enter the room, since it needs me to tell it which room I actually want.
'The one Helena just went to' won't cut it.
Placing my hand in the exact same spot Helena had her left hand just a few seconds ago, I tap the required 17 spots with my other hand, once again thanking my perfect recall, and then whisper, "Mason Aves, descendant of Rowena."
I feel wind blow in my face, as the door emits magic towards me, and then the door appears. Twisting the handle, I enter the pitch black room, and then gasp, suddenly able to see everything.
Books. As far as I could see, books, books, and more books. There were shelves as tall as the room, mountains of scrolls, and even a few boxes full of pieces of parchment all around. And the best part, there was no end to the room in sight. It went on as far as I could see.
"What the hell is this place?" I whisper, looking around to have my fill of all this knowledge, in one spot. This is like.. paradise! Did I die in my sleep or something?
Helena looks at the books with fascination in her eyes, and says, "This is my mother's legacy. Her Library."
I turn to look at her, and see her staring at a book with sadness clear om her face. I let her have her time, and browse the books closest to me.
Greek, Latin, Anglo Saxon, Norse, Egyptian, there were books in many different languages, but they were sorted. The ones on my left related to household spells, while the right one contained memoirs of different Wizards.
All of these books were probably one of a kind, or really, really rare. I think a few must be even banned outside the room. But the weirdest part was, I recognized some books. Some of them were as new as 50 years old, while some looked to be literally a thousand years old. How the hell did Rowena manage to add the 50 year old book to this library, if she's been dead for 900 years?
Helena comes out of her sadness, and then explains, "My mother was a complex person, with as many good things about her, as there are bad. One of her quirks, is something that is good or bad, depending on your own morals."
"What?" I ask, coming to stand beside Helena to look at the book she was staring at. 'My Life- Rowena Ravenclaw.' Written in Latin was the title of the book.
Well, no wonder this book makes her sad. Her own mother's life story, written by herself. It also shows why she's reluctant to show this place to anyone, this is dangerous knowledge.
Helena turns away from the book, looks at me, and says, "My mother, like you, was hungry for knowledge. She wanted to know everything, about everything. Gods, Demons, mortals, didn't matter to her who you were, if you had some knowledge of Magic she didn't know of, she would try her hardest to get it. But, she didn't show it publicly. She gained the knowledge through the Mind Arts, or by stealing it."
"But, after mother and her friends built this school, she had to show restraint." Helena chuckles, remembering something, and then adds, "It was really amusing, seeing her act the all-knowing woman everyone now knows of, when you've known her as a knowledge-hungry Witch for 5 years of your life."
Heh, who'd have thought? Rowena Ravenclaw was a thief! Well, I understand her theft of only knowledge though. I have also used Telepathy to gain some advantages, and didn't care about the morality much. James the language mutant comes to mind.
Helena continues speaking after a short break, and says, "Well, despite the fact that she had to keep a benevolent, strict but kind face on, her hunger for knowledge stayed the same. So, she created this room."
Smiling wide, Helena spins around herself, her arms spread apart. She says, "This.. is the original Room of Requirements. The Room of Knowledge. Everything that has written word upon it, that has passed through the Wards of Hogwarts, is here. Every book, scroll, Grimoire, Tome that any visitor to the castle has ever brought with them, is copied and added to this room."
Holy. Shit. This.. is way more that what I expected! No wonder there are newer books as well as older ones.
"How the fuck did she manage that?" I whisper, looking at the already impressive collection in new light.
Helena chuckles, and says, "Do not underestimate the hunger for knowledge, Mason. If mother wanted something, she got it." She then gets a bit sad, and says, "Her stubbornness had even forced my sister to run away, but mother still didn't stop going for her goals."
Her sister, that's the first I'm hearing of her. My ancestor perhaps, because I know Helena died childless. She's mentioned that part a few times now.
Shaking her head, Helena says, "To be honest, even after all these years of trying to study this Room, I haven't found a single secret regarding to it. I don't know how the room works, I don't know how it stays hidden from those not of our direct bloodline, and I don't know how the room does this."
Before I can ask, Helena closes her eyes, and I find myself somewhere else. The room I find myself in is smaller than the one before, and was more a Study than a Library. There were two shelves, standing side by side, a pair of comfortable looking chairs, and a burning fireplace that warmed the room.
Helena just gestures me towards the two shelves, smiling and standing back.
Curious, I walk towards the shelves, and pick out a hardcover book in random. Opening it up, I see that it's written in Greek in a flowing handwriting. Reading the first page, I freeze, and look up.
"You wrote this book?" I ask, surprised at Helena. The title of the book, written on the first page, in Greek, said, 'Mind Enhancement Rituals- An Overview.'
Helena nods, looking at the shelf fondly, and says, "These are all the books that either I, or my sister authored. That one was written when I was 7. You can just see how young I was from my writing."
I keep the Ritual book back, and take the one she pointed out. It was a small book, barely 50 pages long, and looked more like a notebook than an authored textbook. Chuckles sound out as I see the magical drawing that portrayed a log catching fire and burning. It was a moving drawing, so it was just funnier.
I smile at the title reading, 'Fire Conjuring charm', and ask, "Your sister.. you have mentioned her a grand total of 3 times, and two of them were today. Was she my ancestor?"
Helena sighs, and says, "I knew I would have to explain this sooner or later. But, you have a right to know. Please, sit down."
I sit on one of the chairs, while Helena takes the other one. She says, "Morgan was my older sister by five years. She was just as smart as me, and just as knowledge hungry as our mother. Alas, even she could not handle staying in our mother's shadow. And mother's own behaviour did not help matters."
Smiling morosely, she says, "We were both always known as Rowena Ravenclaw's daughters, not Morgan and Helena Ravenclaw. Our accomplishments were never our own to celebrate. 'Of course she can apparate at 13. She's Rowena's daughter, after all.' They would all say. And mother.. well, she had us practice writing Grimoire's since the age of 6, so you can judge how much she loved us."
Shaking her head, Helena says, "Morgan had enough of being compared to our mother, even by the ones we called friends, and ran away when she was 17. I was 12 at the time, and Hogwarts was still in its 7th year, so still new. I didn't know at first, where she went off to, but then, when a girl named Melanie Aves came to Hogwarts, almost 50 years after my own death, that I knew. My sister had created a family for herself, married, most likely, and took on the name Aves. So, yes. Morgan was your ancestor."
All through the tale, I sit in silence, just listening. Rowena sounds like a real piece of work, but it could be the fact that Helena herself told me this, that's colouring my opinion.
Did the fact that her daughters didn't inherit her Psionic talents, cause Rowena to push them harder? Could be, those days weren't exactly as calm as they are now, let alone in the future.
Women were branded Witches by the Church left and right, and the need for protection was really high. Rowena could have been trying to help the girls protect themselves or something, I wouldn't know.
I change the subject, and ask, "So, what can the Room of Knowledge do?"
Helena gives me a look, having caught the topic change, but says, "Well, there are different parts in the bigger library. Depending on what subject you want to learn, you can switch rooms. Whatever subject you can think of, chances are, there is at least one book here related to it, probably more."
"So if I wanted to study Apparition?" I say, and just before I even finish the word, we find ourselves in another room, still sitting on the chairs. The room had a single shelf, but was almost twice as large as the previous room.
On two sides, there were two circles drawn on the ground, probably for target practice. I haven't tried Apparition yet, so I don't know if the Anti Apparition ward that surrounds the Castle grounds will work in here or not. Probably not, since the room was made by Rowena herself.
Helena explains, "Whatever subject you want to learn, you will get almost all the stuff you'll need. Of course, for Potions, Rituals, and Alchemy, you'll have to bring your own ingredients. Same for Herbology. My mother wasn't able to break the Laws of Magic, you know."
I nod, amazed at the capabilities of the Room of Knowledge. The Room of Requirements could do it, but I don't think it could circumvent the Wards of Hogwarts, or call the books from the RoK.
"Helena.." I say, making her look at me, and when she does, I say, "I know it's not my birthday, but this makes up for each and every birthday I'll ever live through. And Christmases. But, I have to ask. Why did you show this room to me? I don't think you showed this into every one of my ancestors."
It's not that I don't appreciate the room, heck, this room will give me everything I'll ever need to survive in this wild world, and I'll still have a lot left. But, this is literally her private space, her mother's Room. I wouldn't show this to me!
If I was the only person to know about this room, then I would never even mention it to anyone, let alone invite someone there.
Helena smiles at me, strangely looking at me, yet not, at the same time. She says, "You might not believe this, Mason, but you're a lot like my mother."
Gee, way to insult a guy, Helena. You could have directly called me a bitch too, you know.
Seeing me scowl, Helena laughs a little, and says, "You're not as bad as her, yet, don't worry. But you are a lot like her. You have a hunger for knowledge, you don't mind using less than moral means to get it, and you also won't allow any harm to come to your friends. My mother was like that. Even if a little distant, she didn't think twice before helping me deal with something hard, or protect me from the occasional kidnapping attempts."
Wow, that was spoken way too casually.
I nod, slowly, and say, "Thank you.. I guess?"
I know why I have a hunger for knowledge. Before, I wanted to make a life for myself, be actually successful in life. Fighting in the war would have made me a better person, more disciplined, and given me some amount of public respect.
Fighting Grindelwald and Voldemort, meanwhile, would have ensured the same in the Wizarding world.
But then, I found out that fucking Marvel is also mixed in, and my goals became one of survival. Could I survive as a simple Wizard at the level of say.. Severus Snape?
Hell, no. I'd die by the hands of the wannabe Sorcerers themselves.
So, the hunger for survival, for knowledge, was so I can better myself. Train better, improve my body, and just get to relax later in life, without fear.
Helena then asks, "Do you think you can finish reading the entire Room of Knowledge within these 3.5 years you have left?"
Snorting, I say, "Not a chance. But I'll figure something out. Now, I'll have to leave to my body now, but I'll be back soon."
My Astral Projection just took over everything else as the first priority. Spending entire nights here? Yeah, I'm doing it.
I still have three years anyway.
---
The next few months, I spend almost all of my nights in the Room of Knowledge, in the Astral Form, studying Runes.
You see, I had to do the unlocking thing on the wall just once, while in the physical form, and I could just enter it after just placing my hand upon the wall the next times. But, when I go there in my Astral form, I have to do the entire tapping sequence each and every time. Thankfully, it barely took a minute, so I wasn't wasting too much of my time.
So, yeah, Runes. They're not easy, that much was apparent even in the beginning, but I underestimated just how complex it was! And my Mutation doesn't even allow me to master them within minutes! How unfair.
I'd memorized most of the different Runes, and their meanings that I'd found in the Introduction books in the Room of Knowledge. But using them was a lot harder than just writing what you want to happen and hope for the best.
There are three main varieties of runic script: Early, or Common, Germanic (Teutonic), used in northern Europe before about 800 AD; Anglo-Saxon, or Anglian, used in Britain from the 5th or 6th century to about the 12th century AD; and Nordic, or Scandinavian, used from the 8th to about the 12th or 13th century AD in Scandinavia and Iceland.
But, there are other varieties that are variants of the main three. Like, Nordic Runes evolved into the Hälsinge Runes, Manx Runes, and the Stungnar Runes. They are somewhat similar, but have different meanings.
All in all, I had memorized about 5000 Runic letters, and their meanings, and was just beginning to use them in casting magic.
Runes are the letters of the old languages that have been used for so long, that magic has seeped in them. Any Wizard, or Sorcerer, with a good enough concentration and knowledge of Runes, can use Runes instead of Spells to create magic.
A group of Runes creates a Runic array, and a group of Runic arrays creates a Rune Cluster. Rune clusters are what makes Magic possible using Runes. If I had waited to go the normal school speed, I would have passed out of Hogwarts with learning just the first year spells in Runic format.
But now that I'm studying individually, and with the help of this Room, I can hopefully master Runes completely before 7th Year.
Alas, it's really hard to get the right results. The parchment that I wrote my Runes on to experiment can have spectacular effects ranging from burns, to electric shock. And those are just the mild ones. Hopefully I won't have to experience the more severe ones.
"Stop." Helena says, as I was writing another Runic array on another parchment, my 32nd of the day.
It was Sunday today, and I had spent the entire day in the Room. My friends are definitely wondering where I am, but they've gotten used to me going missing for a while.
I stop immediately, since Helena is a Master at using Runes that makes the current smartest Masters look like thumb sucking morons.
She says, "Look at Perth, you wrote the stroke from the opposite direction. Make it a clean stroke, without lifting your hand, and keep your focus on what you want to happen. Don't just write, feel what you're writing, so that you don't make mistakes."
Sighing, I crumple the parchment and throw it in the fireplace behind me. Until I actually activate the Rune cluster, they're completely harmless, so burning them doesn't make the parchment explode or anything like that.
Trying once again, I begin writing with a Quill, thankful that I'm now used to using a quill as well as a pen. Once done, this time without any mistakes, I check the cluster over, allow it to dry, and hand the parchment to Helena.
She does the same, checking it over, and then hands it to me. She won't tell me if its wrong, though. Can't learn Runes without getting hurt a few hundred times, she'd say.
The next step is crucial. Placing the Parchment on the ground, I kneel down near it, leaning my head back just in case, and focus on the intent of the spell that I'd written down.
Touching a finger to the Rune that will charge the entire thing, Sowilo, I inject my magic into it like I'd do with a wand. For a second, the Runes written on the parchment glow in a white light, and then there is heat.
The entire room had gotten hotter, just as I'd wanted, and there was no explosion! Now excited, I lean forward and try to pull the parchment off the ground.
Nope, it was stuck!
"I succeeded!" I yell, excited to finally create the Warming Enchantment using Runes.
Helena chuckles, bringing my attention to herself, and says, "There's still a few steps until you can say you've succeeded, Mason. Don't forget, the Rune Cluster is only successfully used if you can control everything you've designed it to do."
Nodding, I focus on my magic, and snap my fingers. Immediately, the Enchantment drops, making the room as cool as it was before. Snapping my fingers again turns the Enchantment on again, without me touching it.
Going towards the wall, I touch a stone with my index finger, and then drag the finger upwards. As my finger rises, so does the temperature, and when I drag my finger downwards, the temperature drops.
So, the on/off switch works, and so does the temperature control. Now, the final part.
"Can you try raising the temperature, Helena?" I ask, turning towards Helena.
Nodding, Helena floats towards another wall, and does the same as I did before. Her snaps do nothing, and neither does her finger dragging.
I sigh in relief, and drop down, exhausted. I whisper, "It worked! I created my first Ward!"
Well, recreated. The Temperature Control Ward already exists, but I did it using different arrays than the ones already used in the standard one. But still! My first actual Ward!
Looking at the parchment, still stuck on the ground, I raise my hands, and clap thrice. Immediately, the parchment burns in it's place, not even ash remaining in its place.
The Ward was designed so that only the one who provides the Magic can control it. Others cannot change the temperature, turn it off, or remove the Ward entirely.
Turning to Helena, I smile, and say, "It worked. See?"
Helena chuckles, and says, "Congratulations. 5 more years and you'll be a certified Master."
I drop my head and groan. Damn, I'll have to figure something out for returning here after Hogwarts. No way I'm losing a collection such as this one.
-
".. and that's all with today's agenda, from me. Anything else?" Headmaster Dippet asks, looking at the four Heads of Houses sitting in his office.
It was usual for the Heads of Houses to meet with the Headmaster, every Saturday, while the full Staff meeting was called every other Sunday. It gave them time to decide over management issues, and the progress reports on the students.
Professor Merrythought speaks first, "I would like to offer Mr Aves a chance to give his OWLs this year."
"Mr Aves is just a fourth year, Galatea, no matter how smart." Dumbledore says, before Dippet can even say anything.
Merrythought rolls her eyes at his condescending tone, and says, "Don't forget, Albus, that I was the one who taught you how to hold a wand. I know when one of MY students is smart enough to pass the OWLs, and Mr Aves, is smart enough to pass his NEWTs if I have him take them tomorrow!"
"Truly?" Dippet asks, to which Merrythought nods once. Dippet rubs his chin for a second, and says, "What do you all think of this? Should he be given this offer? Herbert?"
Professor Herbert Beery, the head of Hufflepuff house, straightens up, and says, "I'd say it's Tea's decision, Aves being her student, and none of our business." He pauses to glare at Dumbledore, who frowns, and Merrythought nods thankfully at him. Slughorn chuckles a bit uncomfortably, and loosens his bow tie.
Beery continues, "But, since I've been asked my opinion, I'd say what I've seen. Mr Aves is an exceptional student, and he's a genius in anything he studies. He has most definitely studied ahead, and already knows most of the 7th year material, and some of it even more than that. That said, he doesn't show any interest in Herbology beside the plants that might be used for Potions and Healing."
He pauses, again, and continues, "A thing to note, is that despite not having taken the Care of Magical Creatures elective, Silvanus mentioned seeing Mr Aves near the animals. He particularly enjoys spending time with Hippogriffs, Thestrals, and the Nifflers."
Dippet nods at the detailed explanation, and turns to Slughorn. He asks, "Horace?"
Slughorn gets excited, glances at Dumbledore, and starts rambling praises, "Genius! I'd say he could take the NEWTs in Potions, right now and still pass with distinction. He is simply an amazing student, and even helps others sometimes, if he notices anything wrong. But, like Herbert said, he does seem to favour Healing. Just last week, I caught him brewing a Wiggenweld Potion! And he made it perfect! I'd say let him!"
Dippet nods, and turns to Dumbledore. He says, "Your turn Albus, but be honest."
Albus nods, and sighs. He says, "Mr Aves reminds me of myself. I too, went through my studies, as fast as I could. And look at how I am now. Forced to stay here and not even say one word, while my former friend tries to take over Europe. I simply don't want Mr Aves to turn out to be like me. It's a no from me."
He slumps back into his chair, looking somber. Everyone is concerned for his feelings, knowing about the blood pact he'd stupidly made when younger.
Merrythought finally sighs, stands up, and says, "I understand your feelings, Albus. But he's getting bored in his classes. How long do you think before he turns to the Dark Arts, simply because we had nothing left to teach him, and he had nothing to learn while in school."
"I'm not saying he will go to the Dark Arts, but as his Head of House, I can't ignore the possibilities. So, it's better that we offer him the chance to give the exams, and maybe pass out of school. He can apprentice under some distinguished wizard, and even the Flamels would pay for a chance to take him under their wings." Merrythought says, and sits down, finished with her argument.
Dippet hums, pulls up a parchment, and starts writing on it. He says, "Very well. Galatea, you are permitted to make him that offer. I will write to the Department of Magical Education, and inform Griselda of an additional student appearing for this year's examination."
He finishes writing, and stamps it. Waving a hand, he summons and melts sealing wax, and seals up the letter with the signet of Hogwarts. He gives the letter to a elf that appears without being called, and turns to the four Heads of Houses.
He says, "While I would like it if Mr Aves studied at Hogwarts for 3 more years, he's as you say, a genius. He wants to be a healer, so lets do our best to make him one. Horace? Can you talk with your contacts at St Mungo's and get him an apprenticeship if Mr Aves agrees?"
Slughorn nods, getting excited. He says, "Oh yes, Mia owes me a favour anyway. If Mr Aves agrees, I'll send him right over to them."
Dippet nods at that, satisfied. He says, "Good. Galatea, talk to Mr Aves, I need an answer tomorrow. Dismissed."
The three Heads of Houses stand up, and immediately leave, with only Dumbledore staying. Dippet begins working on another letter, and says, "You've already been dismissed, Albus."
"But Armando- " Dumbledore begins to argue, keeping the same tone as before.
Dippet slams his hands on the table, pushing Dumbledore back into his chair with a wave of magic, and freezing him in place in the same instant.
He glares at Dumbledore, and says, "Do not presume to be superior to me, ALBUS! I've been a professor here for 250 YEARS, AND HEADMASTER FOR 25! IF GALATEA SAYS HER STUDENT IS READY, HE'S READY! Now, you've been dismissed! GET. OUT!"
Dumbledore finds himself loose and walking again, before he even realizes he's walking. He walks out, barely managing to nod at Dippet, and hiding his fear of the old Headmaster. He never would have guessed the old man still had it in him.
'He pushed me aside like I was a fly!' Dumbledore thinks, calming his heart.
This was the day, that Dumbledore learned the importance of being old, and looking frail, and kind. Everyone underestimates you. Always.
'Just like I did with him.' Dumbledore thinks, grimacing a bit. He makes a motion with his head, that says, "I get it now." And thinks, 'At least now I know why Herbert was so afraid of him during my first year of teaching. He must have made the same mistake I did.'
Finally calm, Dumbledore walks towards the kitchen, intent on having some soothing lemon tea. Maybe with a splash of whiskey. Preferably something stronger.
---
A/N: The last part is taken from the old fic, edited to look better. Not much was changed anyway. Whatever they say Mason did happened off screen. We all know he wants to be a doctor, so let's just assume he did try to read something about it.
Updates will be slow, since.. well, read the announcement. Just.. please understand if the updates are slow.
Okay, I might not pair him with Dorea either. But, if I do pair them, it'll be in the future. Probably after the war or something.
Anyway, tata!