Luther walked to the section where bird cages were displayed. He pointed at a hot pink one and asked:

“Do you like it?”

Acher:

“…”

“What is that thing?” the raven asked in a suspicious tone.

“A bedroom. For birds.”

“You think I, a great being of The Abyss, will sleep in that thing?” Acher growled.

“Sleep perching tired,” Luther said.

Acher was stunned for a moment. He cleared his throat and then muttered:

“Hmph. Even sleeping in a cage, I would still have to perch.”

“That’s true,” Luther replied.

He then led him to another section. This area displayed a variety of round beds of all sizes.

“Sleeping here. Comfortable,” Luther said.

Acher pointed to a black one at random and said:

“This one will do.”

Luther paid twenty-five bucks for it.

Inside his head, he began calculating how much money was left in his bank account. Now that Acher was part of his life, he might run out of money altogether even before finishing his first year of college. He was already considering finding a part-time job to earn some side money. But the problem was that he was just a fourteen-year-old boy, so it would be super difficult to find a suitable job.

Acher glanced at him and spoke up:

“You’re not only the shyest Ascended One I have ever met but also the poorest one. If I had known this earlier, I would have told that boy to leave behind a few pieces of mortal treasure. Don’t worry, there are many easy ways to earn money.”

“What ways?” Luther asked, turning to look at him at once.

“You just have to put on the cloak and take money from other people. No mortal could ever catch you. In fact, they wouldn’t even realize they had lost money,” Acher said with a shrug.

Luther shook his head.

“No. Wrong. Grandpa forbids,” he said.

“Wrong? What’s so wrong about it? You fool, being robbed by you would be an honor for them. When you grow up, you’ll only need to speak a single word, and you’ll be able to repay them a hundred thousand times over. The truth is, if these mortals understood who you are, they would fight, betray, and even kill each other for the chance to offer you everything they have. And in the future, if you decide to grant them even a small blessing, it would be more than worth it,” Acher said.

Luther’s mouth fell open.

Was this raven losing his mind?

“Whether you believe it or not doesn’t matter. When you’re older, you’ll understand that the ones who manage to be close to you at this stage of your life are the luckiest creatures in the cosmos. Anyway, hurry up, let’s go home, I’m starving already. What are we having for dinner tonight?” Acher urged.

“Spaghetti,” Luther said, walking faster.

“What is spaghetti?”

“Noodles from Italy.”

“Where is Italy?”

“… I’ll show. On map. Later.”

The golden light of the setting sun stretched across the tree-lined street, casting long shadows of the boy and the raven perched on his shoulder down onto the ground.

Dinner that evening was spaghetti with beef meatballs and garlic butter bread. Luther had cooked a large pot with the intention of saving it for a few days. But after they finished eating, he took a deep breath when he looked at the enormous pot of spaghetti that was already more than halfway gone.

The raven let out a satisfied burp, licked his beak, and said:

“That was so good. I’m still not full yet, but I’ve had enough for now. Leave the rest for tomorrow.”

Was Acher a raven from the underworld or a pig from the underworld? Luther thought to himself.

But he would never dare to ask out loud.

After cleaning up the kitchen, Luther sat cross-legged on the living room floor. Acher then began the very first magic lesson.

“Luther, right now, you hold an extremely high status in the cosmos. You have already completed the Moon Ascension, so the might of the seventh layer flows through your body. On top of that, you possess the power of mystery itself, along with the reaper’s abilities that are waiting for you to discover them,” he said.

What a mess of random stuff, Luther thought.

“But do not let that make you arrogant,” Acher continued. “At this moment, you have zero experience in controlling your power, and you are as weak as a hellworm. No, in fact, a hellworm could swallow you whole in one bite.”

Luther:

“…”

The raven went on:

“Although ascended energy is powerful, with the current state of your body, if you dared to use it in a reckless way, you would suffer serious injuries or even lose your life. That is why I had to ask Minos to temporarily seal away that power. At this stage, you can only utilize a very small portion of it. Even so, I suspect that after each use, you would be bedridden for an entire week just to recover.”

What a terrible ability, Luther thought.

“You are a unique exception across all eras. Every other Ascended One, before completing Moon Ascension, had already been mighty beings. For a mortal like you to become the lord of the seventh layer, it all came from the thorough preparation of your ancestor, the special favor of destiny, and your own exceptional physique. Those things cannot be replicated,” Acher said.

“Destiny’s favor?” Luther asked.

Being neglected by almost the whole world for over fourteen years? What kind of “favor” was that supposed to be?

“I will tell you later, when you are strong enough,” Acher replied.

Once again, it was “later.” Luther deadpanned.

“How do I become strong?” he asked.

“In fact, for a being like you, you don’t need to do anything. Just like the other divine beings, after awakening, you will gradually return to your rightful position. Even so, I will still teach you the path of spell casters, also known as the way of the mage. It is not only more flexible than one might expect, but it can also accelerate your growth,” Acher said.

The raven pecked at a slice of potato chip and continued:

“You will have to learn everything from the beginning, just like an ordinary person. When it comes to magic, it can be said that all supernatural creatures are, at their core, beings who can sense, absorb, and use magic.”

“Gods as well?” Luther asked.

“No, they are on another level altogether. With their power, also known as authority, they alter the fundamental laws that govern the cosmos. Magic is nothing more than divine arts reduced to a simpler practice. It is weaker, but it is also far easier to perform,” Acher explained.

“Practicing magic can be divided into two main parts: the physical and the spiritual. Both are important. Without a strong body, it is difficult to absorb, store, and transform magical energy. And without a strong spirit, it is hard to control that energy to weave the spell you want, and even if you can cast it, its effectiveness will be reduced to a large extent. But for most mortal creatures, one aspect is definitely more important. Can you guess which one?” he continued.

Luther thought for a moment and answered:

“The body?”

“That’s right. Why do you think so?”

“Sick feels bad.  Even no magic. A strong body still useful,” Luther replied.

“Very good, but that’s not the most important reason. What truly matters is that using magic to transform the body allows a mortal creature to keep breaking its own limits, extend its lifespan, and even become godlike,” Acher said.

“Ordinary creatures. Become gods?” Luther asked.

“In theory, it’s possible, but its difficulty is far beyond what anyone would expect. Out of a trillion, maybe one will succeed. If you do not have enough potential, it is almost impossible to progress even a single step,” Acher said. “The path to divinity is harsh and full of obstacles. Dying along the way or being stuck at a certain level for the whole life is nothing unusual at all. Even so, innumerable creatures, generation after generation, still head toward it without hesitation. From the Era of Enlightenment until now, those who have followed this journey have written many unforgettable stories.”

He preened his feathers and then continued:

“Let alone becoming a god, just reaching the Grand level is already the lifelong dream of many. Anyway, we’ve strayed a little off-topic. Let’s return to the main subject. Because of the importance of the body, the primary path is to focus on refining and evolving the body, and along the way, also train the soul while learning spells. Besides the reasons I just mentioned, having a strong body will also make your mind sharper.”

Luther nodded in agreement.

“And when it comes to using magic, there are two main schools: those who cast spells and those who use their own body. The first one uses incantations, mediums, or charms to perform magic; examples include magicians, astrologers, curseweavers ... The second school uses their mighty physique as their weapon, like knights, sword masters … There are also ones who walk both paths,” Acher said. “And you, as a reaper, are a natural-born spellcaster. A mage of death and darkness.”

Luther’s eyes lit up. Although he was much quieter than other children his age, in the end, he was still just a fourteen-year-old boy.