The First Archmage

(Gavin)

As I fly over the forest, I pull up my Species Advancement Quest, contemplating stopping and becoming a True Human before arriving in the fairies' kingdom. After reading the new additions to it, I decide against it, and continue to fly on.

As I draw near the forest mountain pass that leads into the actual kingdom, I see a massive tree in the distance. Even from here, I can see its information.

Yggdrasil (Divine Being)

World Deity

It must be at least a thousand feet thick, and many tens of thousands tall, its canopy stretching for miles, the green leaves shimmering with a faint golden touch to them.

As I draw even nearer, I can make out the leaves clearer – they're green, with golden veins. The bark of the tree is a deep, rich brown color unnatural to any tree I've ever seen before. There are various berries growing out of the bark, along with brightly-colored flowers, and on the branches, apples golden in color.

A small figure begins flying towards me, a group of others joining him. They all look like children, but I seriously doubt a single one is under several decades of age. Especially the naked one in front, with golden-brown hair, emerald-green eyes, sparkling cheeks, and a pair of shimmering, green wings flecked with gold, the massive Spirit Pool, and the green and gold crown rests atop his head.

The Fairy King looks furious, and is chanting something in Silvar, the language of the Spirits.

Summoning a powerful Spirit to cast a curse upon me, judging by my knowledge of that language.

The other fairies all chant as well, casting powerful spells and curses at me with their Spirits, and I evade all attacks.

"I'm not here to fight you!" I yell out to them, but they ignore me.

I doubt Oberon's curse is something I can dodge, and unless I attack, I won't be able to interrupt it. As old as he is, though, he might be able to evade any attacks while still casting that curse.

He completes the curse, and the powerful Spirit forms, taking on an almost physical form, yet it's not easy for me to put what it looks like into words.

I feel its power all around me, gripping into me, coursing through my Mana and beginning to ravage it. Immediately, I weaken heavily, but manage to maintain my flight spell. It might be months before it actually consumes all of my Mana, blocking it off.

Not just my Mana – all of my Pools.

The Spirit fades away, and Oberon glares at me.

Now I know who did that to my father, if this is what Warren was referring to, back then.

"Son of Christopher," he growls. "Humans aren't welcome in my realm, and you most of all, with your heritage. That curse will have already halved your Pools, and over the next months, wear them down until there's nothing left for you to use. You'll be an empty vessel, with no way to restore them. Any that you regenerate will be twisted, and not work the same, and every spell and Skill will cost more than double it normally would."

"I have more than 600 LIF," I say. "And two of Tristan's Grimoires, with knowledge of where more are. I'm sure that figuring out a way to undo your curse won't be too difficult, Oberon. Especially since there are several Spirits willing to make a contract with me, and your own son an ally of mine."

"My son?" He snorts. "As if-"

"Warren is quite safe," I tell him. "And happy. He's currently on his way – actually, he's probably already there, since a week's passed – to a place where he can train to become even stronger than he already is. He is one of my two closest and most trusted allies. If you have Appraisal 10, which I'm sure you do, with your many hundreds of years of life, then I'm sure you can see my name and Title. Ignore my Primary Class, since it only lists the first one, and leadership Classes are always put ahead of others."

He looks irritated, and opens his mouth to say something.

"Sir," one of the fairies says.

New Skill!

Ygdris Fairy Language 1/10: The Common Language of the Fairies

I guess my buff to learning languages mean I learn them the moment I hear something in it. That's… interesting. I wonder how much I'd have to do to hit Level 10. Being antisocial after gaining those boosts didn't really give me a good judging ground for this.

"I checked him," the Fairy, I guess, says. "His Title is 'First Dragonslayer'."

"What?" Oberon exclaims to him, then looks back to me, eyes widening in shock. "A Dragonslayer?"

He trembles slightly, probably as he realizes just how powerful a person he just cursed was. He probably feels relieved that he's only realizing this after he cursed me, and that I didn't attack him.

"I understand," I say. "Why you cast that curse without hesitating, Oberon. I am not here to steal the Grimoire. Rather, I am here for two reasons. The first is that I made a promise to your son, and I intend to keep it. The second is that I wish to learn Spirit Magic. There are several Spirits who wish to contract with me, but before I do that, I would prefer to learn under masters of Spirit Magic – people who wield it by nature."

"I will never teach a human Spirit Magic," he scoffs. "Even one with as large of a Spirit Pool as you."

"Not even for an Archmage?" I make that Class public, and he pauses. "My father is going to try to kill me, and take in some of my power. He's likely waiting until whatever Skill he has that allows him to do that is at maximum, so that he can gain the most out of it. Comparatively speaking, I'm more powerful than you.

"With training in Spirit Magic," I continue. "I'll be able to more effectively combat my father. I plan on learning Health Magics and Blood Magics, though I haven't reunlocked Blood Affinity yet."

He frowns, then gold and green markings begin to cover his body as his Spirit fluxes. He's casting something that's not with Spirits.

"You're a Jakran," his tone is very dark. "And a human. I can't trust you, no matter how much you're trying to earn it. If I begin to trust you, and you turn out to be just a good actor-"

"I'm an excellent actor," I say. "Acting 9 is somewhat proof of that."

"-then we could be royally screwed," he says. "I will not change my judgment. Now leave, before I change my mind about allowing you to live, and instead, cast you into Nulmis."

Calm, Oberon, a voice radiates through my mind. Childish, like a fairy's, yet ancient and powerful at the same time. The moment it speaks, the fairies' eyes widen, and Oberon goes stock-still. Gavin is not like his father, and intends for good. He does what he must to achieve his goals, which some might say make him no worse than his father. Different from his father, his goals aren't selfish, but, indeed, quite selfless. He wishes to protect those who are dear to him, including your son. He has formed his own order, the Order of the Violet Flame, with the mission of being a place beings of all species can learn, and grow together. It will be a place of learning as well. Gavin's dedication to restoring his own kingdom back to power, removing the false rulers from it, falls second to it by a great amount. He is not his father, and far from other humans in personality.

Nies?

Yes?

Who is talking to us?

Yo, Yggs!

Oberon and the fairies look completely confused, and I know, just know that Nies let them hear that on purpose. He's in a cheerful mood right now, for some reason.

So the World Deity is conversing with us, telling Oberon to calm down. How interesting.

Hello, Nies. Your Hero is quite something. Are you aware that he's unlocked the Advancement Quest to become Ultimate Human?

Yes! Can you believe it? My Hero is going to be the first Ultimate Human? That's just insane! I'm squealing so hard right now! What if he unlocks beyond? That'd be even more cooler!

Nies is in a very cheerful mood.

Gavin – the notion of your Order is quite interesting to me. When it is time for you to establish the official headquarters, return to me, and I will grant you one of my World Seeds. It will grow a World Tree that bears silver fruits.

"Lord Yggdrasil!" Oberon blurts out. You can't-"

Hush, Oberon. Gavin is not his father, and nor is he like his father. He wishes to create a place where Warren feels safe to be himself, where Michael can train without worry of how others will treat him, and where people of all species can gather and share knowledge, without it being monopolized. With the vast power he possesses, Gavin can achieve this, and his determination to it is quite strong.

In fact, the World Deity continues. His determination for this Order has given him a Quest for it – as well as one to remove the Boundary of Sages. So calm down, and-you, too, Nies.

BUT YOU'RE AWAKE! Nies yells, and I'm glad I'm not the only one who covers his ears and recoils from the sound. THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN OFTEN! I'M GOING AND STEALING ONE OF EKRE'S CAKES, THEN COMING AND VISITING YOU!

You haven't changed a bit, Nies.

You are not stealing my cakes, Nies.

Yes, I am.

I've blocked you from my realm.

I'm in it right now.

What? Hey! How'd you get in there?

You left a door open.

That still shouldn't let you in…

Quiet, you two, the World Deity says, and their voices fade from my mind. The child gods can be interesting, a yawn sounds in my head. My apologies. It's been several centuries since I last woke, and I'm still shaking the cobwebs from my mind.

A soothing feeling fills my body, and the power of the curse fades away.

Well, what was left of it after my Curse Resistance Skill, anyway.

I have lifted the curse from your body, Gavin, the World Tree says. Oberon – teach Gavin the power of Spirit.

"But, Lord Yggsdr-"

When it is time, I will bestow upon Gavin the Class of World Mage.

World Quest!

???

Requirements: ???

Reward: Title [World Mage of Eisnar], Class [World Mage]

"Eisnar?" I say aloud.

The name of this world.

Expanded information: World Mage.

World Mage: One of the most powerful True Ultimate Classes in existence, this can only be granted by a World Deity, and shows that you have proven yourself to them. Congratulations! This is not an easy thing to achieve, by any means! Possessing this Class enables you to use magics unique to this world, interacting with the world itself. It also provides a massive buff to all resource regenerations while in on the World it was granted for. +50 to all Affinities, +30 LIF, INT, each Level, ability to learn the World Magics of Eisnar.

"Lord Yggdrasil," Oberon says with forced calmness. "Gavin is a Jakran, and while I respect your knowledge and wisdom more than anything, he could be-"

He is the reason I am awake, Oberon, the World Deity says. And in the time since I awoke, I have reviewed everything he has done on Eisnar since gaining Access, as well as everything before then. Though he may come across as evil, he simply does what needs to be done to achieve his goals, which are more selfless than they are selfish. Yes, he is selfish, too, but he will cast that aside without hesitation to do stuff for those who matter to him.

He could have forced your son to come here, to 'prove' that he meant no harm, but he happily let your son go with Michael, so as to allow him to grow stronger, which is something your son very, very much wished for, after his time as a prisoner and battle slave.

Warren is one of his most-trusted allies, Oberon, and he would do anything to ensure his safety. When he spoke to you, he said that your son was safe and happy, and an ally of his. If he wanted to manipulate you, don't you think he would have mentioned that he rescued Warren from his enslavement? Or that Warren has a crush on him bigger than the sun? The mere knowledge that Gavin could play with your son's heart could change things, as could the fact that if you did something to harm to kill Gavin, it could destroy your son.

However, Gavin is not that kind of person. Even if you were a true enemy of his, he would not treat Warren that way, because he sees him as a friend. He might be a Jakran by blood, but he is not his father, and nor are his brothers who are here.

Gavin has only a few major goals. The first of them is to restore Jozan – Wesley was slain an in usurping, and his son forced out of the kingdom. Turas is the name of the nation that Jozan has become, and Gavin will do anything to destroy it and restore Jozan. It is part of why he has come to seek you out.

As are the other major goals. He wishes for his Order to have a headquarters with powerful defenses, yet still able to let in those who mean no harm, and wish only to live in peace, happiness, and doing what they love, so long as it doesn't bring about harm to the other residents.

He also wishes to remove the Boundary of Sages, allowing the world to unite once more and share its knowledge across every continent. Part of this is so that anyone could come to his nation, be it through the Dungeon Travel, if they know of it, or through boats and airships, or other means.

Airships? Those are the ships that fly through the air that Michael mentioned, I think.

And most importantly, the World Deity continues. Gavin wishes to end his father. You were unable to slay him, only place that curse on him while your warriors and mages distracted him, and that was at huge danger to yourself. You are still recovering from those wounds. Gavin is much stronger than his father. Had he wanted to, he could have prevented you from casting that curse entirely, and dealt great damage to you before you and your guard managed to chase him out of here. He allowed you to cast that curse upon him, only protecting himself from attacks, to prove he didn't come with hostile intent.

And so, Oberon, give him a chance, and train him in magics. Allow him to prove to you that he is not his father, and that his intentions are pure. Well, as pure as they can be, for him.

"Hey!"

You killed an entire village, then burned it to the ground, Gavin. Yes, I understand the reasoning of it, and I know you'd do it again, given the chance, but you can't say you're entirely pure, if you'd do something like that.

Anyway, he sighs. Nies is actually here, along with Ekre, who is yelling at him to return the cake, so I will stop, now.

He kind of sounds like an exasperated older brother, there. As if this isn't uncommon for him to deal with, when he's awake.

Oberon – you're still flexing your Zierna. I know you don't trust humans – and those related to Christopher, most of all – but give Gavin a chance. You know quite well that I wouldn't trigger a World Warrior Quest for just anyone.

The presence of the World Deity fades, and Oberon closes his eyes, sighing. The markings across his body fade away, and I realize two things.

One, those markings somewhat resemble the mark on Warren's face in style – glittery, and slightly raised. What is a Zierna? And why is Oberon's not visible unless he's activating it? The mark on Warren's face is always visible.

Two, Oberon likely has World Mage. Or… some other version of World Warrior, since that's apparently the name of the Class series World Mage is a part of.

I use Appraisal on Oberon.

Oberon, Fairy, Fairy King (III)

World Knight of Eisnar

So he's a Knight. I wonder what his boosts are, and what its Level is, if I'm powerful enough to take him on and only be driven away, yet such a Class grants such massive boosts.

It's more powerful than Archmage. Much more powerful. If that's Tier I for it, and it grants that much power each Level, what does Tier IV grant?

Also – why does his Ruler Class just say "Fairy King"? Isn't it supposed to change to something like Emperor or something?

"What's that mark on Warren's face mean?" I blurt out before stopping myself.

With Acting Level 9, one would think I wouldn't do stuff like that.

"That mark?" Oberon frowns. "His glamour should hide it, even when he's weakened."

"He only hides it sometimes," I say. "And usually doesn't use his glamour around just the team. I also have a habit of looking right through a glamour without even knowing it's there."

"Clear Sight?" He raises an eyebrow. "It's rare that a human would have that."

"I don't have any such Skill," another one the System 'hid' from me?

+0 INT!

Screw you.

-0 CHA!

"Lord Yggdrasil," he takes a deep breath. "Has told me to give you a chance. Know that once we are under his canopy, my power will be ten times as great. In my haste to cast you out, I thought not to stay under and await you, though I didn't imagine you'd be more powerful than your father, not by far, so felt that you wouldn't be a threat.

"I do not trust you," he continues. "But I will respect Lord Yggdrasil's wishes to give you a chance and some learning. If you even once show any sign of being anything other than what Lord Yggdrasil has stated, I will personally end your existence, shattering your soul so you could never return. The curse was a punishment and a deterrent. This will be a permanent end, and a mercy, in comparison. But do not think of it as a mercy, Gavin Jakran – I will not allow any threats to my people."

"I do not intend to harm your people."

"Before I allow you anywhere near us," he folds his arms across his chest. "Another one of my sons is captive, elsewhere on the continent. He's in a city called Neai, and forced to do the same as Warren was."

"And you're leaving him in that state?"

"It's not like I can leave," he spits. "Not with your father on the loose, and I'd lose too many good men and women to the warriors protecting them."

"Shouldn't you have kept a better eye on them?" I ask. "I mean, Warren was kidnapped as a child, after all."

Oberon's nostrils flare.

"Sorry," I say. "Not trying to be rude, just can't quite comprehend how two of your sons have been kidnapped. Warren wasn't exactly honest with me on it, and I got the feeling he was trying to protect someone."

"Bring Beck here," Oberon orders. "Then I will teach you some Spirit Magic."

"I'm not exactly sure where Neai is," I say. "Could you direct me there?"

"You're a human," he says. "You can figure it out."

The knowledge of the location fills my mind.

"Was that you, Nies?"

Yeah. I don't like the way he's talking to you.

"Thank you, Nies."

You're welcome. Don't forget to bring me lots of food, when you find an intact altar.

"I won't," I say. "Forget, that is. You sound a lot more like you usually do."

I'm so stuffed right now… that cake was sooooo good. I'm going to take a nap. It's been a long time since I've slept inside of Yggdrasil.

Okay…

"The god who chose me as his Hero," I say to Oberon. "Gave me knowledge of where Neai is. Give me a few days, and I'll return with your son."

He scoffs, but I ignore it and fly away. I promised Owen I wouldn't kill his father if possible, and if a World Knight grows stronger under the canopy of the tree, then he'd probably just fly under there if I attacked.

Plus, I want to make friends with him – not enemies. I'm not even interested in taking the Grimoire, which is likely the secret to his full power, past what he has from his True Ultimate Class. I just want to learn some magics from it.

Soft snoring enters my mind, and I assume that Nies has fallen asleep. He sounds cute when he snores.

Nies? I ask. No response. Nies? NIES!

Still doesn't respond, just sleep.

Ekre?

What? He sounds grouchy.

Is Nies actually asleep?

He curled up inside of Yggdrasil after splitting some of my cake with him, then passed out after talking to you. Why?

He's still projecting into my mind, I tell him. I can hear him snoring.

He forgot to disconnect, he sighs. Nies won't wake up if I try. I'll see if Yggdrasil can wake him to get him to disconnect.

Thanks, I say. When I make it to one of your temples with an intact altar, is there anything you'd like me to put on it, as a thanks? And an apology for my god's way of treating you?

Hrm… I'll think on that. Usually, the Heroes of a god won't make offerings to others unless they want something.

Well, I do want Nies to stop snoring in my head…

Fair enough. Yggsdrasil is currently trying to wake him, so he can disconnect from you. I'll let you know if I think of something. Do I even have any intact altars on this world?

His presence fades from my mind, and my trip to Neai passes with just the sound of the wind whipping around me and the god snoring in my mind.