When Adam returned home, he coincidentally encountered Lavin, who had come to deliver the approval documents. After a brief exchange, Adam accepted the documents and expressed his gratitude.
"I apologize for making you run all the way here," Adam said sincerely.
"It's no trouble at all," Lavin replied, scratching the back of his head, clearly unaware of what Adam was apologizing for. Adam said nothing more and didn't allow any trace of discomfort to show.
Apologize? He would do so. But if this happened again, he would still act in the same manner.
Adam watched as Lavin left, his mind already turning to how he would attend his lesson with Jin that evening.
However, as he passed under the eaves of the house, a few birds chirped merrily, catching his attention.
Once inside, Adam mentioned to Aris that he was shifting from learning painting to studying to become a sorcerer, showing the approval documents. While the Bokhu family didn't fully understand the nature of being a sorcerer, they were thrilled to see that the documents stated Adam would be able to join the military after his training, as those who could serve in the military were considered important figures. It was a promising path.
After dinner, Adam pushed open the attic door, where he found Jin casually sitting with his legs crossed, playfully teasing the bird with breadcrumbs.
"Finished the errand?" Jin's tone turned serious as he looked up at Adam. "Where did you go this afternoon?"
A wisp of black smoke floated from Adam, swirling around Jin before returning to Adam's hand.
"Was this how you tracked me?" Adam asked, accepting the black smoke without resistance. Reflecting on the details of that night of awakening, Adam knew he had been marked by Jin's tracking method.
"Exactly. From the moment you stumbled into my vicinity, I placed it on you," Jin said proudly. "But don't worry, the smoke's power may not be strong, but its stealth is top-notch. No one else will notice."
This tracking was meant in good faith. Adam could clearly sense that, although Jin had hidden his true intentions, he had always been extending kindness to him.
"I visited a sorcerer teacher today," Adam said, presenting the spellbook. There was no need to hide this, though he would keep the teacher's identity concealed.
"A sorcerer who can open a reflective space? That one must have reached the return stage at least," Jin said, scratching his face. "Such a sorcerer isn't easy to kill. If this new teacher finds out you're an otherworldly being, I may not be able to save you."
"I'll be cautious," Adam nodded. People's rejection and hatred of otherworldly beings was hard to shake. Though Anthony treated him well, Adam wondered what would happen if Anthony learned his true nature.
A swirl of black smoke enveloped the attic as Jin began the second round of his lessons.
After covering the basics, Jin delved into more advanced topics, focusing on bloodlines and vitality.
The foundation of bloodlines lay in the inheritance of life, passed down through the spirits of ancestors, maintained by the forces of nature. Nobles' bloodlines also originated in life's inheritance, improving the talents of descendants and carrying forward ancestral wills. The most powerful individuals could even imbue their descendants with knowledge from birth, stabilizing the bloodline and forming their family's crest.
"Bloodlines are unfinished rituals, the gift of ancestors, and the transmission of power," Jin elaborated on the composition of bloodlines. "But bloodlines don't only bring benefits."
"Not all ancestors acted with their descendants' best interests at heart."
"Many ancestors, unwilling to accept death, might rise from the bloodline itself, tainting the spirit, seizing the body, and stealing the life of their heirs."
"These are dangers that bloodline sorcerers must guard against."
"Moreover, there is the 'sin' that sustains the bloodline's power," Jin cautioned Adam. "Sin is a natural force that constantly operates, drawing on the forces of nature and converting them into new sin to fuel the bloodline."
"For the otherworldly beings who acquire bloodlines through external means, this absorption of sin is crude, and that's why they're so easily recognized."
"Understood." Adam reflected. He could easily identify non-pureblooded otherworldly beings when they appeared before him. This seemed to be an instinct—now he realized it was their disturbance of sin that made purebloods sensitive to their existence.
"Pureblooded bloodlines absorb the forces of nature subtly and slowly, but even the most skilled individuals can detect it with sharp perception. To mask this, various methods are required."
"Common methods involve using magical potions to replace this absorption and suppress it, making it less noticeable to others."
"And your God's Tears ritual is so perfect, it's almost excessive." Jin said, half in admiration, half in awe.
"Do you know what I would observe if I used my senses on you?" Jin asked.
"There's light flickering around you, radiance that shines, making you not seem like an otherworldly being, but rather as though you bear the blood of a paladin."
Adam's eyes widened. He now understood the issue—hiding an anomaly was best done by masking it with another. If otherworldly beings absorb natural power as sin, then completing the God's Tears ritual would present an appearance of absorbing nature's forces through divine light.
Otherworldly beings were seen as abominations that needed to be eradicated, but those who absorbed divine light to harness natural forces were seen as rare talents by the Church.
No wonder the high priest and others paid such close attention to him. Adam had originally thought it was due to his inherent charm and unique talents, but now he realized the God's Tears ritual played a part.
"What about Will and Adel?" Adam turned to Jin, concerned that the flaws of the God's Tears ritual would make them even more conspicuous.
"They haven't shown any abnormalities yet. The first stage ritual has burned off the agitation in their bloodlines, making their current state close to pureblood. However, I'm not sure what changes they'll undergo after the second stage," Jin explained with a smile, providing information without offering solutions.
"That's a relief," Adam sighed. While this reduced his leverage in controlling the otherworldly beings, the problem wasn't as severe as it could have been.
The God's Tears ritual's traps weren't just in the danger of being tempted by divine power during the ritual. The most striking side effect was this enhanced visibility.
"Such 'gifts' are rare. If any priest discovers it, it will certainly draw attention. I might even be sponsored by enthusiastic priests to become one myself, enrolling in the Church's records," Adam mused, frowning at the thought. "From that point on, finding me will be too easy."
Adam shook off the sense of defeat. He remained unaffected.
"Teacher, would you like to hear the complete God's Tears ritual?" Adam asked, his smile curling. He had no attachment to this mysterious ritual, which had driven most otherworldly beings mad.
"Have I given enough already?" Jin teased, recalling their first meeting, yet he didn't refuse.
He was indeed curious about the ritual—after all, it allowed a mortal to perform it, covering three stages that embodied three divine manifestations. The rituals appeared simple, but behind them lay a deep interpretation of the divine, which was what enabled such a remarkable outcome.
Adam explained the three stages of the God's Tears ritual, their corresponding divine manifestations, the meaning behind the required materials, and the actions he had taken during his own initiation.
Jin analyzed the details, extending his understanding and explaining why this ritual impacted bloodlines.
As the ritual's intricacies unfolded, Adam gained a deeper understanding of bloodlines, quickly absorbing the knowledge. Along with this, a bold, though still vague, thought emerged in his mind.