XXXVIII

I am left stunned yet again for what feels like the third time in an hour. Eventually, I get my mouth to move. "N-name me?" I ask, stuttering a bit. "Like what evil sorcerers do to exert absolute dominance over their subjects and anyone too weak to resist?"

"Perhaps it can be used in that way, however I want to do it to more closely bind us together, the same way that families are, with the added bonus of the process imparting some of my power to you. You can say no if you so desire, if you don't trust me enough for that, which would be fine, but I just thought that it would be a good idea."

I am silent for a few moments, thinking his proposition over. This all really comes down to whether I trust Sir Lector. There are certain benefits to this, as he has mentioned; namely, the power bonus, but there is also the fact that he would be bound to me in a familial manner. One of the books he gave me had some info on naming. While the one being named is bound to the one who named them based on power, the one who gave the name is given a degree of responsibility like a parent to their child, which would increase my safety on the battlefield even more. So, there are definitely benefits. But, if Lector wanted to abuse this relationship to exert undue control over me, he, being far more powerful than myself, certainly could. If that is the case, it would undoubtedly be better to reject his offer now. So, as said, this really comes down to whether I trust him with near absolute power over me.

The answer is, if I'm being at all honest, no. That said, I don't trust anyone to nearly any degree. This world is so full of such rot that I could have given Jorgenson, the greatest man within it, a button that he could either press to kill me or leave alone to let me live, and I would not trust him to not press it, not fully. In this world, there is no place for such foolish and whimsical ideas as 'trust.'

So, that said, if I treat this like a gamble am I willing to go for it? If I win, I get more power and insurance. If I lose, I am enslaved. The odds are, by my observations, quite heavily skewed in my favor. Hmm…

Seeing me deep in thought, my master does not interrupt me. He does not say anything to prompt me one way or another, and that, combined with his clear allowance of my refusal, is what I base my anwer on.

"I accept your offer. If you would be so kind as to bestow on me a name, I would be deeply honored."

He seems to be quite happy about this, replying "No no no, it is I who would be most honored to grant you a name," with a genuine smile upon his face. "I would be willing to do so as early as tonight, if you are up for it?"

"Yes, that sounds acceptable." Power up, here I come! I add mentally, already treating my naming as though it is done, for better or for worse.

Seeing that Lector is already done eating, I suggest we leave as well, my half eaten slab of burnt leather and my gritty water left behind.

We are silent as we make our way to his residence, a time I take to enjoy the cool night breeze and cloudless night sky. Stretching forth endlessly, a sea of countless lights, free and unrestrained, far more so than I will be for at least thirty years, until I earn my freedom as a soldier… or for the rest of my life, should this all be a trick on Lector's part. Still, when I look deeply at our interactions, I don't believe that to be the case, so we'll have to see.

We arrive at his house, immediately in the room we primarily train in. Small marks adorn nearly every surface from where my spells went out of control while practicing some technique or another. The clutter of the space has only increased since I had first entered, the books Lector had gifted me strewn haphazardly about. As I think of the time we spent training together, him imparting his knowledge to me, a lowly slave, free of cost, I cannot help but trust him, at least to the extent of allowing him to bestow upon me a name. Perhaps he is not as ideological as Jorgenson, perhaps he is more rooted in the beliefs of this world, but I cannot help but feel that Lector is also an acceptably good person to leave alive when I bring this world to its knees. All that he has given me, and now he desires to tie himself to me through naming, increasing my power even more - yes, he is a good person.

"Now - are you ready?" he asks me, to which I respond in assent. "Very well then. When I name you, you will feel a wave of power wash over you. Do not resist this; just allow it to wash over you, doing its work."

Without any further ado, he says "I name you - Anetor."

I immediately feel the wave approaching me, far more powerful than I had initially imagined. I'm not sure I could resist this even if I wanted to, I think, allowing it to pass over me. Less than a second later, I feel a precipitous increase to my power, a noticeable, grand increase. I had been expecting a small increase, sure, but this feels as high as thirty percent!

Accompanying the power, comes a certain… recognition of the name, as though it has been engraved on my very soul, as though it had been there my whole life. Anetor… yes, that is my name.

Lector looks at me with a pleased expression. "I have never named anyone before, but that felt successful. Do you feel anything?"

I nod fervently, answering "Yes, I felt a noticeable increase to my power, as well as a hard-to-describe rightness with the name. Anetor… yes, this is a very good name. Thank you."

And now, for the moment of truth. Will he take control over me and puppet me as his slave, or will he prove himself truly worthy of my trust?

Sir Lector answers my question by only nodding and saying "Good, good. I am glad that the process was a success. You say that you felt a noticeable increase in power; would you like to test that?"

I nod in response, before asking "What did you have in mind?"