What Will Be | Chapter 32

Author's Note: Thank you all for your continued support! The upcoming string of chapters are some of my favourites so far, so I hope y'all enjoy them as well!

“There is a chain of islands off the Southern Coast that should never be found. The archipelago is a prison, of sorts, for someone who has learned the value of maintaining their neutrality. The islands are theirs, as are any who ignore the final warning of the guardians.”

~Unknown

Mira’s demonstration produced a pair of profound effects on me. Firstly, any trepidation I felt regarding entrusting Tina’s safety to the Slayers immediately evaporated, not that I would have had any say in the matter either way. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, it also brought into focus a reality of my new world I’d recently grown complacent with. Tina, Tulos and all the other adults in my day-to-day life were capable of incredible feats, it was true. Compared to the human baseline from my first life, they were practically superheroes. They were also civilians, just regular ol’ people in the grand scheme of things.

Everyone had a System. In this world, it was part of their mundane. Much like I rarely considered the mind-bending science casually jammed into household devices, to them the System simply was. Realistically, most people probably didn’t chase after Advancement beyond a certain point. Why would they if they could earn a decent living and live a comfortable life? The potential for self-improvement does not necessitate one seize it. I mean, fuck, if that was the default human experience then… I couldn’t even picture it, but it probably involved an overabundance of six-pack abdominals.

To me, the System and the opportunities it offered represented everything. I craved every single proficiency point for reasons I didn’t need to remind myself about. I imagined that people like Mira also had their own justifications for embracing the path of System Advancement with such zeal.

I watched as Tulos helped de-saddle the horses and gave them free reign to graze.

“Are you not worried they will run away?” I asked. Lionel was more than willing to explain that Slayer horses were specially trained, so it wouldn’t be an issue. Given what I’d seen Tina achieve with her dogs, I had no reason to doubt the claims.

“We will not be gone too long, my Will,” Tina reassured me before she led Pix and Mira into The Forest. The two Slayers had donned large packs that seemed far too full for a brief jaunt into the foliage. It wasn’t until they were well out of sight that Lionel spoke up again.

“Your mother is going to be a while,” he told me, sounding exasperated. “Pix is going to want her to repeat all the details we already have. She means well, but… No matter, we have other topics to discuss. Having extra time will be a boon.” He finished with a smile then rounded on Tulos. It was like a switch had been flipped. Gone were the easygoing smile and relaxed posture, replaced by something entirely more serious. “I got your letter and had to call in more than one favor to get here on such short notice. What is the problem?”

Tulos adopted a similarly steeled expression.

“It concerns Will,” Tulos said evenly.

“Dad, what are you-”

“Will, Lionel is here to help us.” Tulos took a knee to get closer to my eye level. “We can trust him. Do you understand?” I did.

Well, fuck, I guess we’re doing this… As far as Tulos was aware, there was only one major secret I was currently keeping. I felt a ball of nervous energy start to roil in my stomach. Even without my cooperation, there was nothing stopping Tulos from telling Lionel about me. I had no choice but to trust my father’s judgment on the matter. That was fine. I trusted him. It was the lack of forewarning that rankled me.

“System, Tulos, he is not an illegal is he?” Lionel snapped, and I caught the hint of worry in his tone at the implication.

“Of course not,” Tulos replied evenly before I had a chance to question what an illegal was. He gestured towards the weather-worn collection of comfortable logs we used for outdoor seating and began leading us there. “Will’s Core Skill is desirable.”

Lionel nodded in understanding and reached up to give Tulos a comforting pat on the shoulder.

“I see,” was all he said before we all sat down. I saw Lionel tilt his head slightly, as if he were listening for something. His eyebrows shot up before he could school them.

Fudge, who had been on edge since Mira’s demonstration, decided to take the opportunity to zoom around the yard. Human conversations were not particularly interesting to puppies, so I left him to his fun.

“So, what is the Skill?” Lionel asked. Tulos was in the process of fishing his smoking pipe out of a deep pocket, so he gestured at me to answer.

“Perseverance,” I said after a moment of hesitation. I briefly considered lying, but it wouldn’t have accomplished anything unless this was some type of weird, elaborate test.

Doubtful.

Lionel let out an impressed whistle that sent a pleasant tingle down my spine. I sat up a little straighter at the implied praise.

“Yeah, that would do it. I understand why you contacted me,” he said, addressing Tulos again. “I take it you are concerned the incident here will put him on their radar?” Tulos nodded while he finished packing down a clump of halaweed.

Lionel was being intentionally vague but I resisted the urge to interrupt. I could always press Tulos for answers later. Tulos begun reaching for his firestarters and-

“Oh, here, let me get that for you,” Lionel said offhandedly before whistling again. It was a quick thing, a low tone that abruptly cut off with a sudden spike in pitch. A spark of flame flashed over the halaweed, igniting it instantly. Smoke began to wisp away from Tulos’ pipe while I watched dumbfounded.

Tulos quirked a mildly surprised eyebrow. “Thanks,” he said calmly, as if having your friend whistle a flame into existence was a common occurrence. “That must have been a waste of mana,” he added after taking a few quick puffs. “You were never good with fire.”

Oh, well, it was a waste of mana, that makes it okay then, I thought dryly. It wasn’t as immediately destructive or impressive as what Mira could accomplish, yet I found myself enthralled.

Was that some type of sound magic? Did whistling make stuff vibrate really quickly? A thousand hypothetical explanations raced through my mind.

“True enough,” Lionel responded with a shrug of his shoulders. “I have enough mana now that I can afford to be a little wasteful with the small things.” He saw my stunned expression and smirked. “I never get tired of seeing people react to Spellsong for the first time.”

Spellsong! Filing that away for later.

I watched as Lionel tilted his head again. After a moment, he nodded to himself.

“When did Will hit the First Tier?” Tulos sputtered mid-inhale and devolved into a coughing fit. My eyes widened, and Lionel just patiently waited for us to recover. Given the smoke and ash raging its way through Tulos’ lungs, I was the first to reply.

“How could you possibly know that?” I asked, leaning forward with interest. I knew Hwan had some type of magic item that could - at least - read a person’s Core Skill. That people like Lionel could accomplish similar feats carried certain implications.

“Normally, it is rude to ask someone about their Skills,” Lionel lectured and paused to consider something. His hypocrisy almost killed all the good will he’d earned from me. Almost, his next words saved him. “Of course, I am asking the same of you, so I shall capitulate.” I noticed his vocabulary began slipping back into the needlessly extravagant.

“I would also like to know,” Tulos managed to choke out. With a closed fist, he thud the center of his chest a few times as if the impact would force the lingering smoke from his lungs.

Lionel reached up and tapped the side of his ear.

“One of my Skills is Mana Sense [Auditory],” the Slayer said proudly. “I can hear mana. Sensing internal mana is still challenging, but the difference between a Tier-1 and Tier-0 is one of the more obvious changes.”

“How so?” I asked. I had my theories, of course, but figured there was no harm in seeking confirmation. Once again, the potential value of Mana Sense taunted me. I decided not to dwell on it. There was nothing good for me at the end of that train of thought. Instead, I tried to focus on my immediate interest in magical whistling, or Spellsong, as Lionel had called it.

“Before we go through the first Advancement, all our mana is situated here, nestled neatly in our core,” Lionel pointed at his stomach. “It is usually quiet, only notable for its absence of sound. When we get our mana pathways-” Lionel used his finger to ‘draw’ a series of lines from his core to other parts of his body before continuing. “-then our mana makes a sound as it moves around our body, like water flowing down a river.”

“Impressive,” Tulos said evenly, having regained his composure. Despite the recent accident, he continued puffing his pipe, evidently concluding once again that the habit was worth the occasional coughing fit. I nodded in agreement with his assessment of Lionel’s explanation.

This could be a lead… Lionel was the closest thing to a mage, or wizard, or sorcerer - or whatever you want to call it - I’d encountered since coming being reincarnated.

“Can your whistling-magic be used to-”

Fuck, I don’t know the word for teleport. It had never had cause to come up before. I had to improvise. Lionel smiled gently at my hesitation, possibly amused at my intentional use of ‘whistling-magic’ instead of Spellsong.

“Can it be used to move somewhere instantly?”

Now it was Lionel’s turn to look surprised. He let out a long exhale as he considered the question.

“That is a new one,” he admitted. “Wind is my best element, so the right application of Spellsong could help me move faster.” He frowned slightly. “All things being equal, someone with a dedicated movement Skill would still outpace me.”

“Why do you ask, Will?” It was Tulos who asked the question.

“I was just curious,” I lied. I looked to Lionel after the words left my mouth, realizing seconds too late that, like Bella, there might be other people who could magically detect deception.

“Instantaneous movement, what a wonder that would be,” Lionel mused. If he caught my lie, he didn’t mention it. “You have also distracted me quite deviously, preying upon my ego like that.” More and more the serious demeanor he initially adopted was slipping away.

That… was not the answer I was hoping for. I tried to consider the question from Lionel’s perspective. The almost-instantaneous speed of Mira’s projectiles didn’t even make him flinch, so it was probably the - admittedly imposing - line between ‘fast-as-fuck’ and truly instantaneous that gave him pause.

“Can you tell me what Skills you took for your first Advancement, Will?” Lionel continued, interrupting my musings. Tulos gave me an encouraging nod.

In for a penny…

“Taming [Dog], like my mom, and Recovery,” I said evenly. I shifted slightly to the side and flicked the pebble I’d accidentally sat on to the side. I’d been trying to ignore it to gain some proficiency points in Perseverance, but I’d hit my limit of casual discomfort for the conversation.

Lionel looked doubtful. “Tulos?”

“He speaks the truth,” Tulos confirmed. “You see my predicament.” It wasn’t a question.

“I do,” he gestured in my direction with a tilt of the head. “We can discuss the details in private, but given Will’s current progress I should be able to make a solid case on his behalf.”

“If this is about me, I would rather be part of the conversation,” I interjected. All the half-speak made it difficult to determine exactly what was going on. All my suspicions were half-formed at best.

“I can appreciate your desire for independence,” Lionel said amicably. “It will serve you well, but it is also important that you allow me to have this conversation with your father alone.” I looked to Tulos for support but found none in his expression.

“Can you promise you will tell me when you are done talking?” Once again I was reminded how hard it was to be taken seriously when you were a child trying to participate in adult conversations. Even though Tina and Tulos made an effort, they still ultimately saw me as a kid which limited my credibility.

“Of course,” Tulos reassured me. It would have to be enough, even though the situation vexed me.

I whistled for Fudge, mimicking the way Tina grabbed the attention of the kennel dogs. I’d been practicing in my spare time and, while my note wasn’t piercing, it was audible. Most of my earliest attempts resulted in a shower of spittle, so I considered the progress a minor victory.

“Not bad,” Lionel commented. “Try it like this.” The note Lionel produced was crisp and clear. I found myself noting the way his lips were placed and got a strange sense for how he positioned his tongue. A strange impulse washed over me, reminding me of the way Tina helped me form the Tamer Bond. It was guiding me, pushing me to add my voice to Lionel’s. I did, and for the first time I produced a perfect, fingerless whistle.

“Much better. Keep practicing.” Lionel congratulated me while I tried to process what had just happened. Fudge sprinted up to the house, skidding along soft earth that clung to the fur around his paws. His tongue lolled happily as he panted heavily, both exhausted and yet full of boundless energy in the way young dogs often were.

“I will… go wait in the house,” I said dumbly, trying to commit what I’d done differently with that last whistle to memory. I heard Lionel and Tulos share a faint chuckle at my reaction as I turned to leave.