Behind the curtains was a room Audree hadn’t noticed before, despite his many visits. It radiated ambient magic. Glowing runes lined the walls, with crystals embedded between them. Tables were scattered throughout the space, cluttered with beakers, a cauldron, and even a chalkboard—almost like an old classroom. Notes and books were strewn about, but everything was coated in dust and cobwebs, evidence that the room hadn’t been used in a long time.

  Lief wandered around the room in awe. Haldo quickly snapped, “Don’t go around touching things. I came here to find something.”

  He began rifling through old papers and rummaging through drawers, mana hands working at a freakish pace.

  Lief, still hovering near the chalkboard, whispered, “What is this place?”

  Haldo responded without looking up. “It used to be a classroom. A place where I trained a few students. Long ago.”

  “You taught people here?” Audree asked, surprised.

  Haldo grunted. “For a time. Until they got too arrogant, too ignorant, or too annoying. Magic makes people reckless. I got tired of cleaning up after their mistakes.”

  Audree couldn’t help but think he might be all of those things.

  While Haldo was searching through the clutter for whatever he needed, Audree could feel more energy flowing into him. It was starting to tingle—a sensation that was becoming increasingly concerning. He glanced down at his slime, which seemed comfortable in the room, soaking in the mana rich atmosphere.

  That’s when it clicked. His arm was doing exactly what the slime did naturally—absorbing ambient magic.

  Feeling a sudden urge to test his theory, Audree picked up the slime. “Hmm, I wonder if I just…”

  The slime stared back at him, completely at ease. Audree focused on the sensation he remembered—the slime absorbing the energy from his arm. He concentrated.

  Slowly, he felt the energy drain from his arm. “Hmm, I guess that worked.”

  “So we do have a connection, lil guy. Some sort of bond, I guess.” He sighed, “Despite me trying not to form one, it ended up happening anyway.”

  He gently placed the slime back into his bag.

  “Well, I guess now every time I go into a magic-filled place, I’m going to have to release that energy into you.” The thought was more than a little annoying. But otherwise… he might blow up.

  Haldo suddenly shouted, “Found you!”

  A tiny “eep” echoed from somewhere in the cluttered room.

  Audree looked over, startled, to see a small bottle in Haldo’s hand. Inside it sat some sort of tiny red creature, scrunched up and clearly confused about its surroundings.

  Haldo held it up proudly. “This is an imp. A lesser demon.”

  “A demon?” Audree blinked, stepping back slightly. “What are you talking about, old man? Why do you even have that thing in a bottle? Aren’t those supposed to be, you know… evil?”

  He stared at the tiny thing. It didn’t look dangerous. It looked small, sad, and honestly a little pitiful. Not at all like the terrifying soul-stealing creatures the old stories described.

  “Well, yes,” Haldo said casually. “But this one specifically has a skill to reveal keywords. Back in the day, before modern magic advancements, people had to do things in… other ways. Don’t worry—this demon is pretty harmless. He’s been sitting in that bottle for quite a while. I nearly forgot about him over the years.”

  Audree frowned. “That doesn’t make me feel better.”

  Haldo glanced at the imp, a touch of nostalgia crossing his face. “He actually belonged to an old student of mine. She was a great summoner—lots of potential. But as always, their ambition led them down a path I couldn’t agree with.”

  For a brief moment, a look of sadness washed over the old man’s face, but he quickly shook it off, returning to his usual stern expression.

  Audree watched as Lief's face paled. Overwhelmed, Lief fled the room, slipping away before Audree could protest.

  Haldo didn't seem surprised. He let out a low sigh. “Probably for the best,” he murmured.

  Audree folded his arms. “So... why do you need this—this imp?”

  Haldo leaned on a crystal-studded altar table in the center of the room. “To uncover your keyword, of course.”

  Audree frowned. “I don’t even have mana. How am I supposed to have a keyword?” He crossed his arms defensively, determined not to let Haldo—or himself—get hopes up again. He'd already accepted that being a traditional mage was out of his reach.

  Haldo’s gaze was calm. “There was something missing in your experiment. Every indicator I’ve seen points to interference from some unknown power. The ability in your arm? That’s not something a regular person can possess. Whether you call it ambient or otherwise, no one without power should be able to do it. So there must be... something inside you, the soul, the will, the heart. Whatever you may call it.”

  Audree swallowed hard, a mix of excitement and fear pulsing through him.

  Haldo lifted a heavy table—carved with glowing runes—and maneuvered it to the center of the room using his mana-formed hands. He placed a crystal orb atop it, its surface shimmering with concealed energy. Next to it, he set the imp’s bottle with care.

  “It’s simple,” Haldo explained. “All you need to do is touch the orb. Let the imp—this being that can reveal keywords—do its job.”

  Audree eyed them both, troubled by the possible outcome. But he stepped forward, lifting a tentative hand.

  This was it—a chance to finally know whether he truly possessed something magical deep within.

  Audree stepped forward toward the orb, his heartbeat increasing. Haldo watched him with a curious glint in his eyes, leaning forward on the edge of his seat. Audree's fingers hovered over the orb, like everyone was waiting for something impossible.

  He reached for his wrist—his bracelet, his comfort—but it wasn’t there. Of course. He sucked his lip, cheeks burning.

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  You’re being childish, Audree, he chastised himself. Just do it.

  He placed his palm on the orb.

  Nothing.

  He stared at the orb, breath caught. Then he pulled back and tried again, focusing on the imp, willing something, anything to happen.

  Still nothing.

  Of course not, he thought, slumping. Why would it work?

  He didn’t even have a keyword—he’d never felt mana of his own. The runes on his arm were a mystery, odd and dangerous, but not proof of anything “Keyword-like.” Maybe he should just accept he was stuck between worlds.

  Haldo sat quietly for a long moment, silent except for the flicker of torchlight on his robes. Finally he cleared his throat and spoke in a low voice.

  “Hmm. Very interesting, my boy. I have a theory.” He gestured. “Hold out that — that strange hand of yours.”

  Audree exhaled, rubbing his temples, then reluctantly extended the marked arm.

  He felt a touch—cold, gentle—a mana hand. Haldo had conjured it, seated back in his chair, that translucent hand reaching out to Audree’s. The moment their surfaces touched, Audree’s runes flared, his arm warming. He felt energy trickle into him—not violent or overwhelming, but slow, regulated. It was nothing like the manic surge he’d experienced before. This was control.

  The mana hand withdrew, vanishing back toward Haldo as Audree’s arm stilled, its glow fading to a constant pulse.

  Haldo rubbed his beard, eyes narrowing. “Interesting…” His voice fell quiet, then firmer: “Now, touch the orb again.”

  And so he did.

  This time, instead of nothing, the orb began to glow—shifting colors swirling within it. Greens gave way to purples, then to deep, lustrous gold. Within the orb, shapes formed: a cauldron shimmered into view, only to twist and morph into a skull with a wide, toothy grin—the same mocking smile from Audree’s dream. The cauldron returned, now forged from gold, and then—

  Crack.

  The orb fractured down the center with a sharp, sudden sound.

  The imp, previously silent in its bottle, began screeching in an almost mechanical rhythm.

  “Alchemist greed! Alchemist greedy! A greedy alchemist! Sin: Greed! Alchemist’s greed!”

  The chant repeated, again and again, growing louder with each pass.

  Then—shatter.

  The orb exploded, not in force, but in grotesque presence. From its center, a burst of green and purple smog shot outward, thick and vile like the contents of an ancient, rotting egg cracked open after centuries. Audree flinched, arms instinctively rising to protect himself, sure he was about to be engulfed by whatever noxious thing had erupted from the orb.

  But... nothing touched him.

  He blinked—and saw Haldo standing right beside him, calm and unmoving. The smog roiled and spread, filling the entire room, except the space they occupied. It curved and coiled around them, like an invisible dome held the filth at bay.

  How the hell did Haldo get over here so fast?

  And more importantly—how was the smog avoiding them?

  “That was a rather interesting outcome,” Haldo muttered, brushing dust from his shoulder like this was business as usual. “Seems you’ve gone and broken my old keyword orb.”

  Audree glanced at the bottle where the imp had been. It now lay empty, a blackened, ash-like mark scorched into the glass.

  “What happened to the imp?” Audree asked, his voice uneasy.

  Haldo sighed, frowning slightly. “I’ll have to explain a bit more—after we leave this possibly toxic, magical-smog-filled room.”

  “Uh... how?” Audree asked, motioning to the cloud of poisonous magic swirling around them.

  “Just follow me,” Haldo said, already walking toward the curtain.

  Audree did as he was told—and just like before, the smog parted before them. No matter how thick it seemed, the air cleared around Haldo, creating a path through the corruption. Audree reached a hand toward the edge of their clear bubble, curious—and the smog recoiled, fleeing his touch.

  What kind of spell is this?

  This man… Haldo… was far more than just a grumpy old librarian.

  And that realization? It sparked a rush of excitement through Audree’s whole body. This is magic.

  This is real.

  This is what I want to be a part of.

  They stepped out of the room, and Audree couldn’t help the wide, goofy grin stretching across his face. He looked back into the room expecting the smog to leak out into the rest of the library, but the curtains seemed to have some sort of enchantment stopping the gas from leaving the room.

  “Okay boy,” Haldo said, glancing sideways at him with a raised brow. “Your grin’s making the most devilish of demons envious.”

  Audree snapped out of it, a little embarrassed. “Sorry—just got excited.”

  Haldo grinned. “Yes, magic can be quite exciting. I have my moments of weakness too.” He patted Audree’s shoulder. “I know you have questions. Go on.”

  Audree hesitated. The whole mess with the orb had shoved aside what they were even here for. His keyword. His jaw tightened. The imp had shouted about greed and alchemy. He could already do alchemy—and that wasn’t the same as whatever Haldo or Velra did. Anyone could learn it with study. But greed? And a sin at that? His mind flashed with old stories of necromancers and monsters wearing human skin.

  “Uh… Haldo,” he said slowly, “that imp said my keyword was two things—and one was a sin. What does that even mean?”

  Haldo scratched his beard. “Yes, it’s strange. Having two keywords is very unusual. From your dream, it seems you had one from the beginning—probably Alchemy, given your ease with it. But your lack of mana would limit how useful that keyword is beyond a passive understanding. Once mana entered the equation…” He glanced at Audree’s arm. “It seems to have activated your keyword.”

  “As for Greed, I assume that’s where the absorption comes from.” He frowned. “I don’t understand why you have two words, or why one is named after a Vitia.”

  “What’s a Vitia?” Audree asked.

  “A Vitia is what scholars call the primal ‘sins,’ as the imp said,” Haldo replied. “A long time ago, there were creatures named for those sins—pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth. They fed on human vices, creating ‘farms,’ as it was called.” He grimaced. “Over the ages, they disappeared, leaving only traces. Still, it’s odd—unsettling, really—to have a keyword tied to one.”

  Audree looked at his arm, uneasy. The idea of being some kind of emotion-eating monster made his stomach twist. “So you’re saying I’m connected to that?”

  “Probably not,” Haldo said with a small smile. “First: imps don’t give poetry; they give pings. They shout whatever resonates most strongly in your soul space—usually one clear word for people with keywords. With that your magic parameters are shown.

  “Alchemy isn’t a surprise. Although unusual, it’s your craft, your lens. Greed”—he nodded at the bandage—“is likely how your power expresses itself. Not greed for coins—greed as taking. Your arm siphons ambient energy, trying to drink from whatever is near. That’s not a moral judgment; it’s a behavioral imprint. Or something like that.”

  “So I’m not… evil?” Audree asked.

  “If imps could judge morality, every court would have one,” Haldo snorted. “No. ‘Sin’ is theology and culture. The imp used the loudest tag it knows for that taking instinct. It doesn’t make you wicked—it warns how your magic behaves.”

  Audree exhaled, a little of the tension leaving his shoulders. “And the orb breaking?”

  “Two anchors collided,” Haldo said. “Your soul-space symbols—the cauldron and that golden throne—don’t like being forced into a neat label. The orb and imp tried to identify more than it could, your mark pushed back, and… eggy catastrophe.” He brushed a bit of lingering haze from his sleeve, smiling at his bad joke. “Also, your arm was already half charged. So it probably was using the orb as an outlet.”

  “So the imp…” Audree asked, glancing at the scorched bottle.

  “It was bound to the orb’s structure. When the structure cracked, the contract burned. It dispersed—unpleasant, but not your fault.” His eyes softened. “Don’t lose sleep over it.”

  Haldo continued, “There are too many unknowns—factors outside my knowledge—for a firm answer. You’ve truly piqued my interest, boy. Moments like these remind me why I love magic. There’s so much more to learn.”

  Audree looked at his palm. “So… what does my keyword even do?”

  Haldo tilted his head. “How a keyword works in magic is completely based on the user's understanding. For me I might believe that it should work one way but you understand it can be vastly different than mine. A mage can be terrifyingly powerful or disastrously sloppy, depending on control. But that is a part of the path you will follow. One of self discovery, pain, and triumph, if you choose this life. For those reasons I can't give you all the answers. It will be your journey into the greater magic world.”

  Haldo paused for a moment, rubbing his beard. “But… I could be a helping hand.” Haldo raised his hand to Audree.

  Audree stared at the man's hand reaching out to him, then shook it, making sure to use his arm without the markings. This had to be a dream or something. He got the old man to finally agree to help him.

  Audree looked down at his marked arm, “Control. Right,” Audree said.

  “Which we’ll start building,” Haldo replied.

  The old man was genuinely excited—more than Audree had ever seen—and it was infectious. Audree glanced around for Lief, wanting to share the moment, but the boy was gone.

  “So much for new friends,” he sighed a bit annoyed, turning back as Haldo called to him. “I guess something's got to give.” He thought back about how uncomfortable Lief was from the start. “I’ll let him know later then,” he said, changing his face to be more happy. After all this is what he wanted, what he wished for.