Bro, I'm not an Undead!

Bryne Family Residence.

Skullius reached the closed double doors to the mansion that were guarded by several guards. His distinctive facial features didn't give the guards a hard time and they allowed him to pass without issues.

When the Hybrid Luman reached the ever present, mostly empty lounge, he saw the lone figure of a small girl he hadn't seen in a long time. Frankly, he had forgotten she even existed.

It was Terese, the youngest of the Bryne siblings!

Her hair that was different from the fiery style which many had grown to expect since her older siblings had the same, made her seem disconnected from the Family and for a long time, she was.

The blonde pigtails did give her a distinct look however, but for Skullius, it was the energetic air the little girl had around her that made her easily recognisable.

This was especially so after her conversion.

Upon seeing Skullius, Terese shot up from her seat and eagerly rushed up to him with giggles of excitement!

"Sir Festos!" she yelled with enthusiasm while blocking his path.

"Hello..." Skullius said in an awkward voice. For some reason, he couldn't look at this girl whom he had deemed irritable before with the same annoyed visage he had anymore especially now that she looked at him with sparkling eyes. There was not even a reason to act cold with her or anyone else.

He was free to practise indifference sprinkled with granules of affability for a change.

"It's been a long time! I heard you fought brilliantly in the Premium Age Royale! I wish I could have been there! Big sister refused to let me get the thing... the uhm... the seal! None of her reasons even made sense! After that she sent me away after that day at the Association! Ah, I wish I could see everything that's going on!" Terese rapid fired details that the Hybrid Luman had no interest in.

"I... see," Skullius said, pretending to care.

Beyond the bratty, entitled little girl he had met when he first came to Genhuis, there seemed to be... a clingy fan girl. What a revelation.

Of course, that wasn't too surprisingly since Terese had begun to look more favourably at Skullius since the day he had fought the examination officers. That was also the last day he had seen the brat as he went on to spend two days with the Fire Breeders.

"Nice story," Skullius said, brushing off the little girl's long list of pending tales in the name of urgency. "Is Stylla still awake?"

"Yes, I think so. She wanted to talk to you actually," Terese informed.

"Great. I also wanted the same," Skullius said as he skipped his way out of the lounge and rushed to Stylla's room.

With a quick knock, Skullius was allowed into the luxurious space that had furniture and features more lavish and organised than his own which he had shared with Yuyui.

Stylla was sitting on a comfy couch within the room while looking outside the wide windows that gave a broad view of the city.

The night looked particularly nice with the lights and movements that never seized from human bodies and otherwise. There were always those that didn't have the luxury to rest.

"Festos..." Stylla said with a sombre look on her face.

Skullius nodded and walked up to where she sat. He stood by the window she was gazing out of and let his senses give him the status of this fiery haired lady.

Stylla's mood since the end of the day's Preliminary matches hadn't changed. Something was still eating her up and it most likely had to do with her request that she join him on a trip to the Bryne estate along with her brother.

Something was meant to happen or was happening with the Family perhaps.

Stylla passed Skullius two envelopes that she had bee carrying on her lap. Both had different insignias representing their different sources.

The Hybrid Luman held them.

Sigh.

His forced breath made Stylla smile sheepishly as she realised that the man couldn't read.

How embarrassing.

"I'm sorry. The way you move makes me forget that you are blind," she said in an apologetic tone. "Those letters are from two individuals expressing interest in the Family and you. One is from Vali Kinn and..."

Skullius' face had already hardened by the first name.

Vali Kinn? Why?

"...the other is from Her Highness Darwel, daughter of the High Family of Opungale."

...!

'You're kidding me,' Skullius thought.

For him to attract so much attention....

Was it his match against that pompous idiot?

But he lost. What did these two want?

Especially Darwel. What could she possibly...

"What do they want?" he asked.

"Both want to talk to you but their motives are different as far as I can tell. At least I understand Vali's. She seems to want a connection to the Family through you. She was rather open about it. As for Darwel, there's nothing to go off of. She simply wants to meet you."

Well...

Skullius was torn.

What exactly did wanting a connection the Bryne Family through him even mean?

He was a lesser member of the Family. What could he possibly have to offer?

This was strange.

"If it's Vali, I'd rather not approach her at all," Skullius said while scratching his chin.

Stylla expected such an answer. She was the one who had warned Skullius about her in the first place and in most cases, it was indeed dangerous to meet this slippery snake. However, for the Family's sake, Stylla was reconsidering.

"I would have wanted to learn what exactly that woman is up to but this is your choice. That aside, I strongly advise that you not brush off Darwel's request. I don't think she has any hostile intentions otherwise she would have used other means to approach you," Stylla said as she laid one leg on top of the other.

Skullius nodded.

He wasn't intending on ignoring the Princess. Seeing as she was living with the Governor, such a stupid move could be exploited by his atrocious luck.

"Alright. I'll meet with her, but only after we return from the trip to your estate," Skullius decided.

Stylla seemed to be lost for a moment before she waved her hand, remembering that she had indeed invited Skullius to accompany her.

"No. What I asked you before... you can forget that. I can handle it myself. You need to meet with Darwel as soon as possible. Perhaps even tomorrow," she insisted.

"I can't do that. I have something important planned for the next two days. I had just barely slipped time enough to accompany you to the Bryne Estate which I have to admit was only possible because it serves one of my objectives," Skullius said, countering Stylla's thoughts.

In short, he was willing to forgo meeting the Princess for just a bit.

His schedule was more important.

Since Darwel was a contender in the Royale, they had a lot of time ahead of them but for the Hybrid Luman, delaying his plans any further for what promised to be something... shocking he was sure, just didn't make any sense.

He had almost decided to cancel his trip with Stylla and Setkh when he realised that he could capitalise on it to accomplish another goal. A Replicus related goal.

"I see," Stylla voiced.

She couldn't argue with Skullius on this. He intended to meet Darwel in the end so there was no real problem. Besides, she regarded Skullius as someone with extreme awareness. Surely he wasn't taking any of this lightly.

"On that subject, I wanted the guarantee you gave me about this Mage whom you know. This was part of our deal," Skullius said while resting his back on the wall beside the windows.

"I remember," Stylla said as a glint sparked in her eyes. She stood and grabbed a neatly bordered parchment â€" clearly designed for formal messaging â€" which she began to write on. "The man you're looking for goes by the name Ryte. Arch-Mage Ryte. It's hard to meet him most times but this...should give you an easier time."

Stylla placed a seal on the parchment she had written on and rolled up before giving it to Skullius.

"My father had a lot of connections and hopefully, even in his current state, his favours and friendships can get you an audience with Ryte. They were... are close friends."

Skullius felt over the parchment.

"Are you sure this will be enough?" he asked with concern.

"I can't guarantee that. Mages are very strict. The Academy's policy is even more so. My guess is you may be strictly assessed before taking even a step into the Academy grounds. Or maybe not  depending on who receives this first. Either way, use this chance wisely. You probably won't get another chance."