Rot Heart: A LitRPG of Rot Magic in an Ancient World (Book 1 completed)

Less than a day after leaving it, Div, Dana, and Gennorina were back in the hall where the elders had interrogated them. This time, they were accompanied by Lepin.

"You still haven't explained who this boy is," Gennorina whispered to Div as they waited.

Div sighed. Had he known helping Lepin would result in so much trouble… He would have been more careful when using his skill. Something he should have done anyway. He couldn't just go around changing people's bloodlines like that.

Dana and Lepin were not unhappy about it, but still…

Terebus pushed the door open. He was followed by Panos, who, despite the early hour, already looked exhausted.

"What have you done this time?" The old man didn't waste time and got straight to the point. "Picking a fight with Kheironite soldiers? Forcefully awakening a child of my village?"

Panos grimaced. "Div, you've been here for such a short time. I'm disappointed."

Div swallowed. He knew he had messed up; he had lost sleep over it last night. But, no matter how much he replayed the situation in his head, he didn't know what he could have done better.

Letting Lepin get beaten up by the two men was out of the question. Yet, he didn't hurt them too much. He should have refrained from using Chorus of Renewal, but if it was only that…

Terebus sat in the central seat. "Explain. Why do I have to deal with an angry Emerios and a child that awakened close to a year early?"

Div gathered his courage. "They were beating him up."

"I know. The soldiers claim he was stealing from them."

"And you believe them?"

Terebus frowned. "Div, you have to realize I know Trabine more than you do. I know for a fact that Lepin was stealing from them. On that note, Lepin, there will be consequences for your actions; you can believe me."

At these words, the boy visibly shrank, his eyes not leaving his feet.

"Even then, it's no cause for a beating."

"Indeed, what they did is not right," Panos said. "But there are proper channels to enact justice. Whatever you did to those soldiers, they will take time to recover. They might be relatively weak, but it's still two men less to defend the village."

Div stared into Panos' eyes. "I'll take their place."

Terebus laughed. "Ah! You were already going to fight; this doesn't fix anything. But let's not tarry on that point. You didn't go too far. You can forget about the reward Emerios owes you, but he should let that go."

"Really?" Div asked. Emerios didn't seem like the kind of person to ever let things go. Neither was Div—it ran in the family.

"If you don't make waves. Just stop provoking him, and you'll be fine," Panos added. "We have more important issues to take care of."

"Right, right," Terebus said, waving his hand. "Let's move on to the second reason you're here."

Terebus leaned forward, elbows on the carved armrests. "You forcibly awakened a child. Without warning. Without supervision. Do you realize what kind of risk that entails?"

Div hesitated. "He was hurt. Bleeding. I—"

"I don't care," Terebus snapped. "You don't use that kind of power like a bandage. Do you even know what an early awakening can do to someone?"

"He survived," Div muttered.

"That's not the point," Panos cut in, voice quieter but somehow more cutting. "You changed his life. You pushed him onto the path early. A path that wasn't meant for him."

Lepin flinched behind him, silent.

Div's jaw clenched. "So I should have let him bleed out?"

"No," Panos said. "You should have used your brain. You could have healed him another way. You could have called someone."

Terebus slammed a hand against the armrest. "And even if you had no other choice, you could have told us. Instead, we learn it from Emerios' men pounding on our door before dawn."

"You're impulsive," Panos added. "You're strong, but that doesn't mean you get to ignore the consequences of your actions. There will be consequences. For you and especially for Lepin, whom you forced a strange bloodline on."

Div lowered his gaze. He didn't know why he was pushing back so hard. He was aware of all of this. Was it so hard to admit he had been wrong? "I didn't think—"

"And that's the problem," said Terebus. "You didn't think."

As the elders' words settled over him, Div couldn't stop the guilt gnawing at him. They were right. He hadn't thought. Not enough. He'd acted on instinct, on emotion.

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For a long moment, the room fell silent.

Then, Terebus sighed and leaned back again. "He's alive. He's not broken. You didn't ruin him, but you changed him, and that's not something we forget easily."

Panos nodded. "You're lucky you're not being punished formally. But don't make us regret that."

Lepin stepped forward, timidly. "It wasn't his fault. I—"

"Silence, boy," Terebus said, not unkindly. "You'll have your turn."

He glanced again at Div. "Now. Let's move on. Panos."

The other elder nodded. "Lepin, you will skip a grade and join this year's awakened class. It's late, but it's better than waiting for a year without training. Your new teacher will handle your punishment for stealing from the soldiers, expect a lot of chores."

Div frowned. "Elders, you're aware that Lepin is homeless, right?"

"Yes," Panos said. "Now we are. The school has space for cases like his."

Terebus cut in. "Lepin, you need to lean on us. Don't suffer in silence. We can't keep track of every soul in Trabine. If you need help, you have to speak up. Understood?"

Lepin nodded slowly. "Yes, Elders. Thank you."

Terebus gave another small nod, then turned back to Div, Gennorina, and Dana.

"Dana," he said, his voice firm. "You're being placed under our direct command. You and Div will join a forward scouting group. You're leaving in one hour, from the southern door."

Dana bowed her head. "Understood."

Div, less used to military discipline, imitated her.

"What about me?" Gennorina asked.

Panos turned to her. "You have not reached Evolved Rank yet, so we will not deploy you."

"But—"

"If you want to make yourself useful, try to convince your bonded spirit to reinforce the ground below us. A siege is coming, and while we're confident in our enchanted walls, the mountaineers' stone mages could burrow under the hill."

Terebus stood. "That's all. Dismissed."

Gennorina looked ready to argue more, but Dana tugged her sleeve, subtle but firm. Div placed a reassuring hand on Lepin's shoulder, giving him a brief nod. The boy gave one back, still visibly shaken.

They exited in silence, the heavy wooden doors shutting behind them with a solid thud. Outside, the early morning fog still clung to the streets. Dana adjusted the straps of her light armor, already packed and ready.

Gennorina crossed her arms, scowling faintly. "I still think it's ridiculous they're not letting me come."

Dana gave her a small nod. "Agreed. With Suce, you're strong enough to match us."

Gennorina sighed. "Well… watch your back out there. Both of you."

Div managed a thin smile. "You too. Can you see if Lugsellos is fine?"

"Obviously. It's not like I have anything else to do but look for him."

Div turned to Lepin, who lingered near, shifting from foot to foot. The boy's head was low, his hands clenched.

"I'm sorry," Lepin blurted. "You got in trouble because of me."

Div crouched slightly to meet his eyes. "You didn't ask for any of this. Don't carry that weight."

"But—"

"Just train. Make something of it. That'll be enough."

Lepin nodded, blinking quickly. "I will. Div, I really like my bloodline. No matter what they say, I know it's the path for me. You know my other facet…"

Div gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze before standing again.

"Come on," Dana said softly.

"Yeah," Div replied.

They didn't speak much as they made their way down to the southern gate. When they reached the guard post by the reinforced gate, a single guard glanced up and waved them through.

"Your team awaits just beyond," he said. "Command said to expect four of you."

Div's brow furrowed. "Four?"

Dana raised a questioning eyebrow, but said nothing as they stepped past the gate and into the misty outer clearing. The low sun was burning through the haze, casting long shadows through the pines and scattered boulders at the edge of the trail.

Two figures waited at the edge of the path, already geared and armed. One leaned on a tree, the other stood with her arms crossed, posture loose but alert. As the mist cleared, Div's steps slowed.

"Wait," he muttered. "That's…"

The taller figure turned and grinned. "So that's the second half!"

Div blinked. "Seriun? Wait, you saw En?"

Seriun smirked. "The one and only. And yes, we saw him some time ago. We were so confused when he explained your condition!"

Div glanced at the woman.

"Ilmara," he greeted. "I didn't expect you two to be our team."

"You know them?" Dana asked.

"We met two years ago at a gathering in Bavacium."

"That's right," Ilmara said. Her voice carried a strange, layered harmony, several tones speaking at once. But unlike last time, it was controlled now. No dissonance. "Glad to see you again."

"I see you got your echo magic under control," Div said.

"I could say the same for your rot magic."

Div smiled.

"Well, let's get moving," Seriun said. "I've been assigned command for this mission. We're heading south, toward Lepante. You might've heard it was under attack. Well—it's fallen. We expect the mountaineer army to be advancing in our direction. We ought to spot them and return to the oppidum to report."

It was enough to sober everyone up. A village had fallen. The first that had been attacked. The one where its inhabitants hadn't been able to evacuate.

"What about the people? And the rest of the Kheironite army?" Div asked.

"I don't know," Seriun said. "But if Lepante fell, I assume Kheiron didn't intervene. Perhaps the siege was too complex to lift. I'm not privy to the elders' grand strategy."

The group fell into a heavy silence, the weight of Seriun's words pressing down on them.

Without another word, they set off, boots crunching softly on the underbush as they went down the hill.

Dana walked beside Div, quiet and focused, her fingers twitching slightly near the hilt of her dagger. Seriun led with easy confidence, but even he kept checking the treeline, eyes narrowed. Ilmara brought up the rear, her steps light, her head tilted, always listening.

Div had extended his Rotlife Sense. The further they went from Trabine, the quieter the forest became.

The curse had taken hold outside the oppidum's protective enchantments. The forest was devoid of life. It would make it easier for Div to detect their enemies when the time came.

Whatever lay ahead, it was coming.

And they would be the first to see it.