“The first step on the path that leads to extraordinary power is to sense the magical elements that exist within the heavens and the earth. This is both the easiest and at the same time the most difficult step,” Acher said in a steady voice. “Creatures who lack this ability will forever remain mere mortals, their life as fleeting as a dewdrop, born in the late hours of night and gone when the sun rises.”

“Any. Way. To change that?” Luther asked.

“Of course, there is,” Acher replied. “If someone is lucky enough to obtain powerful magical artifacts, an earth-core dragon’s marrow, for example, mortals could use it to shed their old body and be reborn with the power of fire. Or, if they are blessed by a divine being and have their fate changed, that would also work. But to be honest, very few would ever waste such treasures on mortals. Using those rare resources on someone with high potential would be much more worthwhile.”

The raven lifted his head, sniffing the air to confirm something.

“Before I was sealed away, the birth rate of those with the ability to sense magic was about one in seventy,” he continued. “Now, I can guess that the ratio is even lower because the concentration of magic has become so thin. This makes sensing and absorbing magical energy far more difficult than it once was,” he said. “Now, try closing your eyes and attempting to feel what surrounds you. While you do that, recite the words ‘Phanerothēti.’”

Oh. Agares ancient  tongue. It means appear, Luther thought to himself.

When he spoke the word for the first time, even though his eyes remained shut, he began to see countless tiny glowing specks shaped like snowflakes materializing and floating in the space around him.

Those luminous particles revolved around his body in a soft, flowing rhythm, creating the illusion that he was being wrapped within a whirlpool of stars. A subtle curve touched the corner of his lips, revealing a vague smile.

Acher’s eyes also reflected a faint amusement when he saw the boy in front of him, for the first time since they met, show a trace of innocent joy like a normal child.

“Very good. It seems you’ve managed to sense the magical elements around you. Tell me, what color do you see them as?” he asked.

“Deep blue. Almost pitch black,” Luther answered.

“That is how it should be. Your magic belongs to the element of darkness, and normally it takes on a black hue. Your ascended power must have influenced its appearance,” Acher explained. “There are many kinds of magical elements. The most common ones are water, fire, earth, air, plants … and there are rarer ones such as light, darkness, lightning … However, rarer doesn’t mean stronger. Power depends on mastery, rank, the spells you’ve learned, how you use it …”

Luther handed Acher an ice-cold glass of Coke. The raven took a small sip and then continued speaking:

“Being stronger also doesn’t always mean better because this world does not always revolve around battles. A novice druid who is skilled at nurturing and cultivating magical plants can earn far more money than an official knight.”

Luther’s eyes brightened.

“Can I switch. To a different element?” he asked right away.

“…” Acher rolled his eyes. “Don’t you dare waste the talent you were born with. Later on, when you are strong enough, you can just capture a few forest nymphs and let them take care of the garden for you.”

Luther shook his head. What an evil raven.

“After being able to sense magical energy, you are now considered an apprentice mage. At this stage, spellcasters can sense and guide just a tiny amount of magical elements around them, and they can’t even cast proper spells without a medium to channel through, like a wand or a staff. Therefore, they are often assigned simple tasks, like maintaining and looking after magical artifacts or being assistants for higher-ranked mages,” Acher explained.

“The next step is to gather the magical elements and guide them toward your heart to try forming a permanent Ether Focal Point. Once you succeed in doing that, you will bear the title of novice mage. Here’s how to establish the Ether focal point: …” Acher then gave instructions.

Luther tried his best to focus his mind, guiding the surrounding elements of darkness to gather around his heart. As if being drawn by an invisible force, the snowflake-shaped glowing specks near him began drifting toward his left chest, gathering together until they formed a small sphere about the size of a fingertip.

At last, when it took the shape of a crescent moon, a strange and wonderful sensation spread throughout Luther’s entire body.

It was as if he could see the world in a truer light. He could feel the gentle breeze passing through the cracks of the window, hear the rustling of tree leaves hundreds of feet away, and even make out the distant hoot of an owl echoing somewhere in the night.

In the faraway sky, he caught a dim glimpse of a vast river of deep blue light winding with quiet grace, spanning almost a third of the heavens.

Luther lingered in that marvelous feeling for a while before, all at once, he returned to his normal senses. The glowing sphere of light within his heart had vanished, pulling him out of that state and leaving him with an inexplicable sense of loss.

“That is normal; no one can establish a permanent Ether Focal Point on their very first attempt. In most cases, a creature must try hundreds, even thousands of times, before the focal point becomes stable and a permanent connection can be formed with it. This stage can last anywhere from several months to several years. Some people even fail their entire lives. For you, I estimate it will take a few days,” Acher said. “Once you become a novice mage, only then will you be able to start carrying out the duties of a reaper.”

“What duties?” Luther asked.

“Why don’t you try to guess?” Acher responded.

“Guiding souls. Of the dead?” Luther guessed.

“That is just a minor aspect misunderstood by mortals,” Acher said with a soft scoff. “Reapers are messengers of the Underworld, but they are also messengers of fate. It is a noble title in the netherworld. Who has the time to collect every single soul one by one? Do you know how many creatures die each day? Even if you could split yourself into countless projections, exhaustion would still overwhelm you. The truth is, the Flow bears the deceased away on its own, and only the most unique souls are worthy of a reaper’s personal arrival.”

Luther nodded. He had also felt something similar when he died on Halloween night.

“The general work of reapers is to handle tasks assigned by the Flow of Fate. These tasks usually involve wandering souls or creatures that come from the Underworld,” Acher said.

“For example, if someone dies and something goes wrong, causing their soul to get stuck or stay in the mortal world, then the Great Flow will issue a warning about that soul,” he continued.

“Any messenger of the Underworld who completes the mission of guiding or returning that soul to the Underworld or to the Flow will receive a reward.”

“A reward?” Luther asked.

“Most of the time, it’s crystallized magical energy, also called etherstones. That’s something all supernatural creatures can use, and it has a wide range of applications in all aspects. At times, there might be other small things as well,” Acher replied.

“In short. Have to capture. Stray souls?” Luther summarized.

“Not just that. Guiding and hunting souls is just one of the simpler types of missions. There are many others, such as hunting down those who have escaped from the Underworld, sealing Hell gates that had been opened by mishap or by intent, and all sorts of other tasks. Completing them and earning the rewards that come with them will bring significant benefit to your growth,” Acher explained.

Luther’s attention was caught by something else.

“Can. Crystallized magic. Sold for money?” he asked.

“Of course they can. Back in the past, they were the common currency across all worlds, even in the Underworld. However, I’m not sure what the current situation is in the Origin. This place is full of mortals, so we’ll need to find a buyer before we can sell anything,” Acher answered.

“How many reapers total?” Luther asked again.

“Very few. Before I was sealed away, there were fewer than ten of them. In fact, the term reaper refers to the highest and most powerful rank among all the messengers of Hell, and beneath them are other kinds of messengers with weaker powers, like the ferryman of the Underworld, the hellhounds, soulcallers, ghostdrivers …”

So many. Luther blinked.

“All of them are able to move without restriction between the afterlife and living worlds. However, only reapers can open gates to allow other beings to pass through. Because of the nature of their work, they often appear at dusk and leave at dawn,” Acher explained.

“Why at night?” Luther asked.

“Because that is when creatures of darkness become more active, making it easier for us to locate them. Besides, the very nature of Hell messengers is tied to darkness, so they are uncomfortable during the daytime. That’s why they are also called nightwalkers, or in ancient times, ‘those who return at dawn,’” Acher said.

…

The next morning, in class, right before the first lesson began.

Luther’s eyes appeared to be fixed on the textbook in front of him, but his mind was still busy trying to practice establishing the Ether Focal Point.

He had already tried four times since the previous night. Although he had not been able to form a permanent connection yet, the duration of the focal point’s existence had grown longer with each attempt.

I’m getting closer, Luther thought.

In the background, he overheard some of his classmates discussing something.

“Have you guys heard the news? Aaron Attenborough has been in a coma since Halloween night.”

“What? Are you serious? I saw him playing football just fine that day.”

“It’s true. I just overheard Mr. Bryce and Ms. Roxanne talking about it in the teacher’s office. Poor guy.”

“Oh my god, what kind of illness is it?”

“I have no idea. Could it be a stroke? My neighbor had one. He fell into a coma and passed away three days later.”

“That’s terrifying. Aaron is still so young. I hope he wakes up soon.”

“Yeah, I hope so too. Our school’s match against Shaw is coming up soon. He’s one of our main players.”

…

The third night after Halloween, at the Ravenswood residence.

This was the ninth time Luther had tried to establish the Ether focal point. This time, after succeeding, he felt an unfamiliar sensation, as if his body had just grown a new part.

He closed his eyes, focused his mind on his chest, and saw a crescent-shaped crystal glowing in a black-bluish hue floating there.