The two walked deeper into the darkness of the woods, with Emery quietly following behind. They walked away until everything became a distant, muffled voice, almost unheard.
The patriarch turned his head and looked at Emery. "Master Altus told me you are a special kid."
"Ah… Thank you… Patriarch." Emery stuttered not knowing what to say in response to the sudden compliment. For the headmaster saying that about him was quite surprising.
"I've read your profile, and… I must say I am angry with the way they treated you…" The patriarch sighed.
"Angry, Patriarch?" Emery looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"Yes, I am! you not being allowed in the privileged class is really an insult to us all." the patriarch said in a serious tone
"Master Altus must have told you it wasn't about the lower world or bloodline, did he? I am afraid it is…"
Emery did not know what to say, nor to feel. He did not say anything, he merely followed the patriarch deeper into the woods.
The patriarch stopped at a clearing, where the trees parted and formed a small, circular area with a large stone standing in the center. The patriarch approached the stone and sat, while Emery looked at him.
"Master Altus has been fighting on and on despite knowing this was a battle he couldn't win. Deep down, he realized he was fighting for a lost cause, but he kept on moving forward…"
The patriarch looked at the night sky towards a bright moon before looking at Emery's eyes. "It is human nature to be corrupted by one's desires and we of the wolf bloodline would understand this perfectly, as we are driven by our emotions more than anyone else"
The patriarch looked at Emery for a second before continuing
"Master Altus sent you to me, so you could understand the true reason why you didn't get accepted into the privileged class. Are you ready to know?"
"Yes, Patriarch." Emery answered solemnly.
"Okay, so here is the fact of the matter… All half-blood wolf acolytes possess what we call the ancestor gene imprint. The imprint forces all the half blood to obey the ancestor command unconditionally... do you understand this?"
"I am not sure I understand, Patriarch." Emery looked down and said.
"Previously, during the ceremony… you must have experienced moments where you had no control over your own body."
Emery nodded. His expression looked calm, but his mind starts to race. He remembered how all the patriarch words during the ceremony seems to give a heavyweight on him, and also the time he transforms against his will.
"Currently, I possess a rank 7 wolf gene bloodline and it means I have a much closer ancestor gene imprint compared to all the half-blood wolves below rank 7. Under normal circumstances, all wolves under rank 7 will follow all my commands without fail."
Emery's eyes widened.
"If you wish to resist my commands, you will need to either reach rank 6 or you need to reach at least the level of magus." The patriarch paused for a second, making sure Emery understood his explanation, before continuing. "Your dark core problem ensures you won't be able to become a magus, while your bloodline ensures you are unable to resist me or someone else with high-level wolf bloodline… Do you understand now?"
Emery stared at him in silence.
"Your condition ensures that none of the Grand Magus would be willing to accept you as their disciple as they knew you will never really be loyal to them… This was the real reason why you got rejected."
Emery looked down. Though he wished to refuse it, he somehow knew everything the patriarch said was the truth.
"Please, Patriarch. Tell me what can I do?" pleaded Emery
"There are two ways. One is solving your core problem so you could become a magus. If you can't go down that path, your only option would be to upgrade your wolf bloodline level."
The patriarch stared at Emery, his two yellow eyes a stark contrast to the dark night. Emery felt as if the gaze was penetrating his soul.
"I owe Master Altus for his kindness and I am willing to help you. Unfortunately, even the headmaster knew little about our wolf bloodline."
The patriarch let out a long sigh and said.
"The Legendary Bloodline Elixir, though precious and helpful, would only be able to help those struggling in the early stages of their bloodline. The higher your rank the less it become effective. The best way to increase your ancestor genes is by getting access to a source of pure fey genes. The mythical creatures themselves or their descendants."
The explanation ignited a spark of hope in Emery's heart, but the patriarch's next words plunged him back into despair.
"I have checked the records about fey wolf and unfortunately, it is one of the lost ancient wolf genes. The last record of their sightings dates back over 2000 years ago and there have been no known magus with fey wolf genes since. At least, that is the case within the knowledge residing in the universe of men."
Emery closed his eyes, feeling the hopelessness settle in.
"Boy, do not despair… There is one other way for you... Let me ask you, how about your family? How many other fey wolves are there on your home planet?"
Emery thought of his home and remembered how Morgana and her sisters shared the same ability as him. With them being related to his mother, Emery pretty sure they are also having the same fey wolf genes.
"A few, patriarch." Emery answered.
"Then, you have two ways to increase your bloodline level. The first one is by getting as many 'Legendary Bloodline Elixir' as you could, but as you know, that would be the expensive, resource-intensive way. The second one is, create your own fey gene booster with the help of those few fey wolves."
"How do I do that, patriarch?" Emery asked, feeling his hope returning.
"There is a place in Zodiac City, where a specialist of gene bloodline resides. I'll give word to them, but beyond that, you'll have to hope they're willing to help."
"Thank you, Patriarch. Thank you." Emery said.
"Don't thank me yet, your fate is still uncertain. They are a cunning and fickle bunch, and they might not agree… Other than that"
The patriarch rubbed his storage ring and took out a small scroll made of leather. "Considering your condition, this might come in handy for you."
[Bloodmoon Ritual Scroll]
"If you succeed and manage to reach rank 4, This scroll will help you. With this, you can put your capabilities to the test and it will also help your family."
Emery kneeled in gratitude yet again.
"Thank you, Patriarch."
"That's all I can help you with young acolytes, I have high hopes for your future endeavors."
The patriarch gave Emery one last words before floating away in the night sky, leaving Emery alone with his thoughts in the clearing.