Aethernea : Soulbound [Book 1]

Episode 91 - Mana Purification Artifact

Previously:

Elaru gives Kiel the ring she had made for him two days ago. It had now been enchanted with the spell she had designed and mystified. Elaru makes Kiel close his eyes and gives the ring to him as a late birthday present along with a happy birthday card.

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"When people notice you are in possession of a "mana purifying artifact", they won't find it strange because you are a noble. They would think that your family bestowed the artifact onto you. However, your family knows better. Therefore, they will start asking questions. Namely, where you got it."

Elaru motioned towards the box on the table. "So, to avoid you having to come up with a lie, which could be easily exposed. I created a cover story that is true so you wouldn't have to lie."

She grinned. "When they ask how you got the artifact, you'll tell them you got it as a birthday gift. If they ask further, you'll tell them you found it on the table when you opened your eyes. And you can even show them the birthday note. If they ask who gave it to you, you can say that you didn't 'see' who left you the ring and there was no name on the note."

Kiel's eyes widened in realization. Elaru gave him the ring, dubbing it as her birthday present to him, just so he could claim it to be a birthday present without having to lie about it. She even went as far as to make him close his eyes so he could claim that he "found it on the table" and "didn't see who put it there". Since there was no name on the note, he could easily manipulate the truth and make everyone think he doesn't know who gave him the gift.

She transformed truth into a cover story that could be used to deceive everyone without lying to them. This way, even if he was forced to sign an oath of truth, he would still have a way out.

Even if someone suspected Elaru's involvement in this matter, the timeframe wouldn't match. His birthday was months before the two of them met for the first time, therefore she couldn't have been the one to give him the ring.

Brilliant! Kiel's eyes lit up. Elaru was simply brilliant!

However... Kiel's eyes dimmed down again. "If my grandfather believes the ring to be a mana purifying artifact, he would take it away from me to give it to someone who "actually matters"."

Elaru smiled mischievously. "I figured as much."

Kiel's heart skipped a beat. "You thought of a way to prevent him from taking the ring?"

"Of course." Elaru nodded with self-satisfaction.

"I'm all ears." Kiel motioned for her to explain.

"I'll explain that later." She waved it off. "Now, open it."

Without further ado, Kiel picked up the box and opened it. Inside of the box was the same ring Elaru had crafted for him the last time they visited the Black Pearl restaurant.

The inner ring was made out of a black material, around which Elaru morphed a silver colored metal, encasing the black ring inside the silver ring.

Kiel removed his right glove so he could slide the ring onto his finger.

However, when he removed his glove, Kiel suddenly froze, momentarily forgetting about the ring.

When Kiel and Elaru had established their bond, on the inner side of Kiel's right wrist a small black mark had appeared – the mark of the bond. Back then it was only the size of a tiwi egg, looking like a miniature tribal tattoo.