"My sacred blood?" Nil muttered, a sudden realization dawning on him.
He rubbed the letters on the parchment with his thumb. Against the tone of the parchment, the characters looked dark, but as he smudged them, the scarlet hue grew apparent.
It was unmistakably blood—fresh blood at that. The inkpot on the table was nothing more than a showpiece.
Distressed, Nil massaged his temples. What had led this elf to commit a sacrificial ritual, drag a poor soul like him into this world, and then show him what to do in scarlet blood? Lack of elven girls? Nil smirked, remembering that he was the last of his kind.
"Did he write the letters just before going to the ritual?"
"Yes," Corbenic answered. "About an hour and a half ago."
"So he must have spent some time preparing for the ritual, right?"
"Right."
"Then why didn't you stop him?"
"I couldn't..."
The voice of the castle went still, as if it were heaving a silent sigh. Of course, if the castle was created by Etam, it must mean he had absolute authority over it. Trying to stop him would be foolish.
"Do you know why he did all this?" Nil inquired.
"No, he didn't tell me why he did it. He just left with some instructions to follow. One of them is to protect and guide you."
Suddenly, a bird flew in and perched on the table, jolting Nil out of his thoughts. It was a large-eyed owl.
"So it has come already," the voice of Corbenic resonated—not in the room, but in the mind of Nil, telepathically.
It was a large brown owl with golden eyes that seemed to pierce into Nil's soul.
Creepy! Nil thought.
Suddenly, he noticed a small paper slip attached to the owl's leg.
"Take the note from the owl," Corbenic said in his mind.
Carefully, Nil approached the bird and held its leg. He expected the owl to become restless and fly away in an instant, but it obediently stood there, letting Nil retrieve the message.
Perhaps it is spellbound by my looks, Nil wondered. Opening the letter, Nil was shocked. It certainly looked like a question paper - entirely unintelligible.
He telepathed to Corbenic, "Read this for me."
"Are you illiterate?"
"I am transmigrated! How am I to read your language?"
"Hehe. I was just messing."
And so Corbenic read:
"To Etam Maclagordh de Will, Archmage and Bench member of the Council of Sorcery:
It is hereby to inform you that a council meeting has been announced for a pressing matter concerning the balance of sorcery. On the holy oath, the council expects your presence in the meeting tomorrow.
From the Chancellor of the Labyrinth Academy of Sorcery, Augustus K. Auganath."
"Wow," Corbenic remarked after reading the tense letter, although much of it went over Nil's head. "I expected the matter to be concerning, but never so grave."
What's this AI thinking? Nil remarked to himself, unknown to Corbenic.
Suddenly, he noticed that the owl was still looking at him with its still, piercing gaze. What does it want? Nil couldn't help but wonder.
"I know."
After a moment, an invisible hand brought in a squeaking little mouse, which the owl happily grabbed before flying out of the room.
Nil noticed the same shimmering light around the mouse when it was brought in. It was similar to the light he had seen in the chamber where he woke up, and the feeling was similar to the sudden sensation he had when climbing down the mysterious stairs.
As the owl went away, Nil asked, "How did you catch the mouse so fast?"
"They are just lying around in the town sewers. Well, nothing in the town is unseen by me."
Nil's mouth gaped; he couldn't even imagine how it was done. Suddenly, a thought passed through him as his eyes went wide.
"You mean... everything?" He grinned from pointy ear to pointy ear.
"First of all, I am just an artificial spirit, devoid of human depravity. Secondly, I have been instructed by Master Etam not to do what you are thinking," the voice said firmly.
"Hehehe, jokes apart. Why does magic here appear gleaming? Or is it me—to be precise, elves—who see shimmering lights around magic?"
"It is the specialty of elves. They are very perceptive to Rah changes."
"Rah changes?" Nil muttered.
"Nil, your body not only belongs to an elf, but perhaps one of the strongest elves in history. The Council of Sorcery was created by the world's most important sorcerers to maintain the laws of sorcery and the Labyrinth Academy."
"So you are telling me... I am occupying one of the most important people's body and identity?"
"Yes."
Nil still couldn't understand the weight of the matter. "Tell me, how much time would it have taken Etam to destroy the town?" Nil used a normal powerscalling method he used in his world when debating about the prowess of different characters in different verses.
"A minute to leisurely draw a conduit circle or a spell in order to cast a hell-flame. Or a second if he orders me or any of his contracted spirits."
Nil couldn't believe the words.
"So listen, according to the instructions, you must become at least a graduate-level sorcerer in the upcoming month."
"Okay," Nil said, oblivious to what "graduate-level sorcerer" meant. In his previous life, he hadn't even passed high school.
"But first, you must learn how to read."
"I am not illiterate! I just transmigrated to a new world without my consent. How am I supposed to know the language?"
"How are you talking to me?"
Nil froze in shock. He hadn't noticed that they weren't talking in English or any language belonging to Earth. Suddenly he remembered a line: "As those knowledge are scripted in the subconscious of mine, you won't have a problem retrieving them."
"So why can't I read?" Nil asked.
"This is how our subconscious works. In the exchange of words, verbal speech coupled with expression, situation, and interaction affects us more than that of the scripted ones. That's why verbal words are easier to retrieve and use. Like human children learn verbal words first, then they learn to read."
"I see."
Suddenly, many books with different bindings and sizes flew into the room, coupled with some parchments and a quill and inkpot.
"Better we start learning afresh."
"Wha—?" Nil's eyes bulged as he remembered a quote: You never chase knowledge, but knowledge chases you.
It was even chasing Nil down to afterlife.