Due Respect

Fate sighed inwardly. Kravoss' thoughts were Fate's thoughts. Neither could hide something from the other.

'Arrogance at the expense of safety and those close to you is not pride, but foolishness,' Kravoss said, reiterating his point. 'You and I, we're in this life together. You cannot ignore me as much as I cannot ignore you.

'By turning away help, you turn away the people who offer it. Is that what you want? To be alone, wandering this planet with no friends or family? You've experienced such a thing before. Do you really want to go back?'

'No,' Fate sighed. 'No, I don't.'

'Then learn to accept help when it's offered. There is nothing wrong with doing so. It doesn't make you any less of who you are.'

Kravoss blocked himself off from Fate to go back to his back, leaving Fate alone with his thoughts.

Fortunately, that didn't last very long.

For a moment, Fate had forgotten what they were there for, but Benedict straightened back to his full height, mirth gone from his now-stony face as he reminded the Journeyman.

Rather than a pleasant old man, he now gave off the air of a ruthless businessman determined to succeed at his assigned task. His eyes dimmed until they were normal, non-glowing eyes, or at least as normal as eyes colored like his could get, as they landed on Fate.

"I've researched your Facet,' Benedict said with gravitas. "I didn't find anything, but that's what caught my attention.

"If I'm right, your Facet doesn't come from the Nine Races. It doesn't fit into any currently existing categories in this world. Do you know what that means, young man?"

"That I don't have any magical, noble bloodlines flowing through my veins?" Fate asked. "I could've told you that."

"Ah, but that's what's so important! Tell me, little ocean, what's the most important thing to consider when it comes to children between Mages?"

"Whether the child will birth a Facet, and which one it will be." Samantha frowned, catching on even as she spoke. "But you're saying Fate doesn't have any Nine Race blood to pass his Facet along."

"Exactly," Benedict said with a sly grin. "He's effectively a mortal when it comes to being a father, or that's my theory, anyway. So tell me, what's stronger, a mortal's blood, or a Mage's?"

"A Mage's," Fate said instantly. It took him a small bit longer to realize what Benedict was saying, but when he did, noticed a flaw in Benedict's plan. "But this is the first time my Facet has ever shown up on Ziobrun. It's possible I have blood from a Magical Beast outside of this world."

"All Magical Beasts descend from the Nine Races," Benedict replied matter-of-factly. "So it would be impossible for them to birth a new Facet.

"More likely, you have no Nine Race blood at all, and your Facet doesn't require such blood to be born. I'm certain that if we tested you, we'd find you to be almost entirely human.

"A child born from you and my daughter is practically guaranteed to meet the prerequisites to birth a Radiation Facet."

Fate and Samantha shared a weird look upon hearing this.

That would be a valuable thing for a daughter like Samantha, who was an only child and had the responsibility of continuing her family's bloodline.

Nine Race blood was a necessary requirement for birthing a Facet. It was also much more potent than human blood on average.

Rather than kitsubi blood, which overwhelmed other bloodlines for a majority, typical Nine Race blood like that of the aesh and Void Giants couldn't do so.

Rather, the only thing they had in common with kitsubi blood was that they only needed 10% of their blood present for the possibility of birthing a Facet.

The child also needed Nephilim blood, another minimum of 10%. Nephilim blood was special in that it still counted as human blood for the purpose of classifying humans, as all humans descended from the Nephilim.

So one could have 40% human blood, 50% Nephilim blood, and 10% kitsubi blood, and still be classified as human. It was similar to neanderthal blood in prehistoric humans, which were a separate species entirely but still considered human.

"Good for me, I guess," Fate replied. "But what about your daughter's feelings? What about my feelings? Neither of us wants this, especially after the way we parted ways."

"Boy, I'll level with you." Benedict walked over and placed a hand on Fate's shoulder, his expression that of an old man about to part wisdom. "Every couple fights. I've never been married, but I know this.

"My parents used to fight every day of the week when I was younger. My father would throw things, say things, do things that no man should say to a woman, and my mother was no better.

"Even with heated debates or physical altercations, they'd make up by dinner time. By the time I was ten, the fights had dropped to once a week, then a monthly occurrence by the time I was twelve, until it dropped off entirely when I was thirteen.

"Every fight made their relationship stronger. By the end of their lives, they were the closest couple I had ever seen, and their fights weren't out of worry for the other like yours was.

"My parents were made of tough stuff, just like their son and granddaughter. From what I've seen, you're the same. If you two truly didn't care about each other, you never would have fought in the first place."

"That was four years ago, father," Samantha insisted. "Neither of us feels the same anymore. We've been apart too long."

"And you have almost two years to catch up," Benedict grinned, squeezing Fate's shoulder. The entire time, his eyes never left Fate's. "Two years to get to know each other again, to rekindle the embers within you."

"With all due respect, sir," Fate started, brushing Benedict's hand off. "I decline. Sign whatever papers you need to so we can go back to our studies."