“They’re rare.” Unn defended herself.

“I’m aware. I could do an <Appraisal> on him, but I don’t think you’d like to pay for one.” Priest Lorfca retorted.

“I would not. I know his <Affinity>, his <Race>, and now he has a <Blessing>. I just. I realized which one it might be.” Unn replied, struggling to make eye contact.

“Oh? What narrowed it down so much?” Priest Lorfca inquired, looking a bit surprised.

“Nothing. Don’t press.” Unn snapped. Unn knows my parents, so something about my parents instantly told her the answer.

“Is someone embarrassed?” Priest Lorfca teased, giving Unn a hug from behind.

“Not in front of Ash.” Unn retorted.

“You’ve been so busy recently. I need attention.” Priest Lorfca whined. They must be good friends. Wait a second. OH. OH.

“You two are dating?” I probed.

“Somewhat.” Priest Lorfca answered. Somewhat?

“What?” I checked.

“We’re both busy people and neither of us really have time for dating.” Unn stated. Huh.

“Cool. What’s this building called?” I asked.

“This is a <Temple>. It’s where we pray to the Lords. Do you know the seven Lords?” Priest Lorfca told me.

“No. Who are they?” I probed.

“Dha, Andel, Sul, Uhm, Nyx, Kron, and Utol. They are the Lords of Life, Light, Dark, Nature, Magic, Fate, and Death respectively. You’d likely want to pray to Utol.” Priest Lorfca explained.

“Why?” I checked.

“You have <Death Magic>. You should pray to the one you take after.” Priest Lorfca informed me.

“Is that true Unn?” I probed. With what happened after Aut’s demise, and the fact I’m alive in a world full of <Magic>, I’m willing to give higher powers a chance this time around.

“Yes. I did plan on showing you how to become an exorcist, which Utol is the best Lord for.” Unn confirmed. I have many questions, but a toddler wouldn’t know to ask the deluge I’m thinking of.

“Let’s try a little <Seal>.” Priest Lorfca suggested.

“What’s a <Seal>? Are they different from <Talismans>?” I checked.

“It’s a symbol powered by a prayer to a Lord. What symbols have you seen?” Priest Lorfca answered.

“Freeze and <Magic>.” I told her.

“Okay. Draw freeze on the ground.” Priest Lorfca instructed, giving me what looked like a chalk stick. I carefully drew the symbol.

“You’ve improved! Way to go Ash!” Unn praised.

“Now, give a quick prayer to Utol.” Priest Lorfca stated.

“What do I pray?” I inquired.

“Something simple like, ‘please power my symbol, Lord Utol’ will work.” Priest Lorfca explained, showing me how to put my hands together.

“Okay.” I replied.

Please power my symbol, Lord Utol. I put my hands together, giving the quick prayer. I felt a fluctuation around me, as something other than me powered the symbol. What? The entire <Temple> felt fifty degrees colder. What the hell? There is no way I powered that. Then I realized, the temperature was still dropping. Why is it getting so cold? From what I know about <Magic>, that’s impossible. Now, the <Temple> was full of chilled mist, as ice lightly formed on the stones.

“Wow.” Unn and Priest Lorfca said in unison.

“What happened?” I asked, not understanding what just happened.

“You properly used a <Seal>. That was quite good!” Priest Lorfca praised.

Is it faith if I’m extremely confident that Lords exist? I sensed no <Mana> move from Unn or Priest Lorfca when I activated the symbol. Why would a Lord activate a symbol of a toddler? It was mind boggling. How? How does this world work? This is so different.

“Why would a Lord power my symbol?” I checked. Unn and Priest Lorfca chuckled.

“She didn’t. Or more accurately, Lord Utol didn’t power it personally. The Lords can turn your faith in them into reality. The stronger you want the <Seal> to be, the more you need to pray. If you pray over a <Seal> over several days, it becomes much stronger than one you make a quick prayer to.” Priest Lorfca explained.

“How strong can they get? I just did what you said.” I inquired.

“That one was a bit abnormal, but you are in a <Temple> following the instructions of a priest. Try again.” Unn told me.

“Give me a quick moment.” Priest Lorfca stated

She drew a similar symbol, but it was a box with convex edges. Priest Lorfca activated it, and the room returned to its original temperature. I redrew the symbol for freeze, reciting the same prayer. The area only dropped a few degrees this time. Okay. That’s interesting.

“The more you ask from the Lords, the weaker it is. You should properly build and pray to one for your <Seals> to actually have effect. Acts in their names that they approve of also increases their effectiveness; things they dislike will decrease their effectiveness.” Priest Lorfca instructed.

“Like what?” I probed.

“Despite being the Lord of Death, Utol does not like murder for example.” Priest Lorfca explained.

“He’s three Lorfca.” Unn snapped.

“Priest Lorfca while we’re in the <Temple> and fair point. He just seems to grasp what’s happening so well. I’m curious what <Blessing> you believe this is, but I know you won’t say.” Priest Lorfca retorted.

“I’m sorry, Priest Lorfca.” Unn apologized, giving her a stare that I didn’t fully understand. But I have a good guess.

“Cutting down a tree in the name of Lord Uhm would greatly offend him. Planting one in his name would delight him.” Priest Lorfca clarified.

“What does Lord Utol like?” I probed.

“Acts of mercy. Acts of heroism. Acts of kindness. She likes when people do the right thing, regardless of how badly it ends for them.” Priest Lorfca told me. Fascinating. Let’s see.

“Is defending yourself right or wrong?” I checked.

“Stopping the attacker is usually right. Depending on how much danger they pose to you or others effects how much is right or wrong. It’s a hard question to answer.” Priest Lorfca answered. Did not beating Ailva senseless actually matter? It seems to have.

“I see.” I quipped.

“We will be back on Kronsday for <Temple>. Someone needs to get back to practicing.” Unn stated.

“You already started training him? He’s three.” Priest Lorfca checked.

“Yes. You should see how good he is.” Unn retorted.

“Oh yea. I bet.” Priest Lorfca chuckled.

“Ash, try punching Priest Lorfca here.” Unn told me.

“Why?” I grumbled.

“Wow. I taunt you about forgetting <Blessings> and I have to fight your toddler of terror?” Priest Lorfca gasped.

“I think little Ash here could get a little fighting experience from someone as distinguished as yourself.” Unn retorted.

“Sure. Let’s see what your little toddler can do.” Priest Lorfca replied.

We walked deeper into the <Temple> until we reached a courtyard in the back. I’m three. I barely reached Priest Lorfca’s knees. As we arrived. Priest Lorfca went to one end, sitting on the ground in some sort of meditation pose. A few moments later, a spectral form of Priest Lorfca manifested in the courtyard. It was my height, translucent, and looked identical but shrunk to my size.

“What’s that?” I probed. That’s cool.

“<Spirit Projection>.” Priest Lorfca answered.

“Is it solid?” I checked, reaching my hand out. Priest Lorfca gave me a high five.

“Quite. I also will feel some of the damage you deal.” Priest Lorfca informed me.

“Isn’t it going to hurt when you hit me?” I verified.

“Yes.” The two replied in unison.

“You need to learn to fight Ash. It’s important.” Unn added.

“Alright.” I grumbled.

I took the stance Unn showed me with a few deep breaths. I covered my body with <Iron Skin>. Priest Lorfca took a similar stance across from me. This is going to hurt; no need for me to rush her. I stood still, just waiting for her. We both looked at each other waiting for the other to move first. It took roughly twenty seconds before Priest Lorfca accepted that I wasn’t budging.

She immediately took the initiative. Unn only showed me jabs and straights. As soon as Priest Lorfca got close, I jabbed at her with my right hand. She easily slipped my punch. Priest Lorfca stepped in, instantly launching a hook into my side. Thud. The force pushed me to the side, but <Iron Skin> protected me from the pain. I could feel the hit, but most of it was stopped. Thank you Aut. Priest Lorfca gave an amused look to Unn who just shrugged.

I made sure to get back into my stance, attempting to jab her again. Again, Prist Lorfca slid around my punch to step in. She’s going to hit much harder this time. Not wanting to get punched, I tried kicking her away. It was awkward and my body screamed from the sudden pivot. Why does this hurt? My toddler body spun much faster than it should’ve as my kick connected. My leg felt like I tried kicking a wall. It spun my entire body around as Priest Lorfca easily kept moving. I repositioned, barely keeping my balance. I’m amazed I didn’t fall there.

Priest Lorfca gave me little time to breathe. She instantly pivoted, launching herself at me. Come on. I tried another jab; it went about as well as the rest. She’s slipping them so easily. What can I do? My kicking was too awkward. She was stepping in to try and do hooks. Mimic her I guess? We both stepped in. I attempted to punch her with a hook, but Priest Lorfca immediately back stepped out of my range.

Could she show a little mercy? No. The answer was no. She stepped behind my hook attempt, punching me hard enough to send me to the ground. <Iron Skin> again kept me from feeling pain. She’s thankfully not punching hard enough for this to hurt. I scrambled to my feet, getting back into position. I tried again but was met with a few sharp hooks that put me to the ground. I got back up, not wanting to lose this badly.

What have I been doing good at? Getting punched. That’s a great skill. What could I do? Priest Lorfca was currently kicking my ass. She did not relent, giving me no time to think. I tried punching back but that was met with getting put back into the ground. My body was shaking as I stood back up. <Iron Skin> might have blocked the damage, but it ate my <Mana> from the constant hits.

“I was expecting a bit more Unn.” Priest Lorfca taunted.

“He’s three and practicing actual fighting for a week. The fact he keeps standing back up is already good enough.” Unn shot back.

“I can keep going.” I snapped.

I’m not going to lose this badly. What was I good at? I doubt I could draw a <Seal> or <Talisman> fast enough. What could I do? There has to be something. <Physical Magic>. <Mana Reinforcement> and <Iron Skin> were keeping me in the game so far. What can I do? Wait. <Manifestation>. Priest Lorfca doesn’t know I can do that. I tried making fiber armor before. What if I try spiked armor? I tried punching her again. Priest Lorfca slipped around me again, and I instantly formed spikes where her punch was. Her face contorted as her knuckles slammed into the spikes.

“He can do <Manifestation>?!” Priest Lorfca howled, her projection shaking its hand.

“Barely.” I gasped. Now I can collapse. The smallest victory, but I’ll take it.

Priest Lorfca renewed her assault. She dashed in, throwing in a feint. Getting beat senseless in my last life did teach me something. I knew which punches were really aiming for me; each one I made sure to put spikes in their path to block them. Granted, my current plan is getting punched and just taking it with spikes. Not the biggest win, but I at least had something to point at as a win. Better than nothing.

“Okay, what is with this forling kid?” Priest Lorfca growled.

“No swearing!” Unn snapped with a smirk.

“I accept your defeat.” I taunted.

Unn was chuckling. Priest Lorfca was apparently not amused with getting sassed. She dashed in, and I tried hitting her with a punch again. It was fruitless. Her hand was fully reinforced this time, lifting me by my side as I put spikes to block the hit. Pain radiated from my side, as she rapidly pivoted into another punch, almost knocking me out. I was curled up on the ground, with my ears ringing. I turned to my side as I caught my breath.

“Prest Lorfca! He’s three!” Unn snarled.

“I’ll heal him.” Priest Lorfca stated.

I slowly got to my feet, getting back into a fighting stance. Come on; I’m not giving up yet. I took a few deep breaths. They both looked stunned I was standing. My blood was absolutely pumping. Come on! Some part of me wanted to keep going. What is this? Priest Lorfca looked, seeing if I was seriously going to keep going. I dashed towards her, trying to land at least one hit. Priest Lorfca made an open palm, hitting me with a massive pulse of <Mana> as I got close. I was winded, collapsing instantly. My body was in agony, but that wasn’t from her last hit.

“Now I heal him.” Priest Lorfca laughed as I was curled up.

She walked over, and then it hurt so much worse. I howled, convulsing from whatever she was doing. It felt like every nerve was being struck by lightning. Priest Lorfca instantly stopped as I whimpered on the ground. What was that? Why did that hurt so much?

“What?! Just how pure is his <Death Magic>?!”  Priest Lorfca exclaimed.

“One of the purest you’ll ever see. He needs to be healed with <Spirit Magic>.” Unn informed her.

“Alright.” Priest Lorfca stated.

Priest Lorfca switched whatever <Magic> she was using, and it felt better. Exhaustion washed over me. Am I immune to healing <Magic>? What is normal healing <Magic>? The pain subsided as my eyes felt as heavy as the world. I yawned as Unn picked me up. I can’t heal normally? I’ll need to ask Unn about it. I tried asking a question, but I fell asleep.