Crests.
They were said to date back thousands of years. No one truly knew when people in this world began to be born with them.
Despite centuries of study, even the magi—the most knowledge-obsessed of the five nations—had found little in the way of concrete answers.
Each nation kept its own records, and most were reluctant to share anything of significance.
So instead of tracing crests to their origin, the magi shifted focus. They began studying the crests as they existed now.
What were these crests?
The most plausible theory suggested that they were a kind of link—a tether between the people of this world and another realm or dimension.
Since the existence of other dimensions was already accepted thanks to animars, this theory held weight.
Next, the researchers studied how crests functioned. The conclusion: the more one trained, the stronger their connection became.
For barbarians, this meant training the body. For magi, training the mind. In both cases, it allowed them to draw more power from the other realm through the crest.
Many experiments followed. One particularly grim line of research asked: What happened when a crest was removed?
Using cruel methods, the magi tested this on war slaves and criminals. First, they just removed the surface the crest was.
Each time, the crest was formed again underneath that layer.
But when they completely cut the body part the crest was on, for example, cutting a hand, the crest didn't show up in another place in the body.
But there was one exception.
If the lost body part was regenerated by a powerful Lucen, the crest would reappear—restored as if it had always belonged.
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"Hello, how can I help you?" asked Oras, the middle-aged man.
"Huh? Ah, yes. Hi." Caelen snapped out of his daze. He hadn't realized how obviously he'd been staring at Oras' missing hand.
"I'm Caelen," he said, glancing around before continuing. "I came from a barbarian village."
At that, Oras raised an eyebrow, though he didn't say anything.
"Uhm... I was sent by Mr. Idel."
"Idel? Why did that old fool send you to me?"
Caelen paused, trying to figure out the best way to explain. In the end, he went with the truth, plain and simple."Unfortunately, he was killed. By barbarian warriors."
Silence settled over the shop like a dropped curtain. Caelen couldn't bring himself to meet Oras' eyes—there was a kind of pressure now, not magical, just... weight.
"Stop it, Oras. You're scaring him," Favia cut in, thankfully.
"Ah, yes. Please continue," Oras said, his face suddenly blank, as though nothing had happened.
"Y-yes. He was already badly wounded when I found him. The followers picked up his trail. I didn't actually see him die... he left on his own so they wouldn't think I helped him. But before he left, he gave me his research."
Caelen told Oras everything, just as Idel had instructed. He'd been told Oras could be trusted.
Still, he couldn't help feeling a bit resentful. Idel had conveniently left out the part where Oras lived in a hidden cave in the cliffs. If he hadn't run into Favia, Caelen wasn't sure he ever would've found the man.
"I see. So that's how it went. And what does he want from me? I assume he didn't just tell you to drop the research off," Oras said, raising his right arm—well, the stump where it used to be.
"Ah, no. He, uh... he said..." Caelen hesitated. The words sounded awkward in his head. Idel had said Oras would train him—but was that even possible now?
Did Oras still have his hand when Idel last saw him? he wondered.
"He told me you could train me... B-but you don't have to," Caelen said quickly, looking down.
"Pfft!" Favia snorted. The pieces were finally coming together in her mind. "Oras, I think the kid's worried you're not up to the job anymore."
"Nonsense!" Oras barked. "That old man... I bet he didn't explain a damn thing."
"Umm... What didn't he tell me? We were in a rush, so maybe he skipped a few things..." Caelen tried to defend Idel, unsure what was going on.
"Don't worry about it. So, this is the situation, huh?"
"That's not all," Favia added.
Oras turned to her. "What else?"
"Why don't you see for yourself?" She nodded toward Caelen's left hand.
Oras frowned. Only now did he recall the boy saying he came from a barbarian village.
Reluctantly, Caelen unwrapped the cloth on his hand. His Crest of War was exposed, sharp and unmistakable.
"I see. This is the real reason he sent you to me," Oras said quietly. "Come inside. We need to talk."
Without another word, he pushed through the batwing doors and disappeared into the back.
Caelen swallowed, nerves rising again. But Favia laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry. He just wants to see if you're worth the trouble."
Caelen gave a shaky nod and followed Oras inside. Favia stayed behind.