"I have a what?"

Arran knew Elder Naran must be talking about his forbidden Realm, but he was startled to finally hear it identified. For years, he had wondered what kind of Realm it was, and now that he had an answer, he found himself dumbstruck.

Moreover, he had no idea how Elder Naran had discovered it — despite Arran's efforts, Master Zhao's seal was still firmly in place. Yet in just a few moments, the giant Elder had not only seen that he had a hidden Realm, but also what type of Realm it was.

"A Destruction Realm!" Elder Naran repeated, the excitement in his eyes undiminished. "Don't tell me you don't know about it — I am not a fool."

"I have a forbidden Realm," Arran said hesitantly, understanding that there was no way it hide it now. "But it's sealed off."

"Someone sealed it?" A frown appeared on Elder Naran's face. "What kind of Essence was used for the seal?"

"Shadow," Arran said, wondering just what the man was getting at.

"I suppose that could work…" Elder Naran said, although it seemed like he was talking more to himself than to Arran. For several moments, he remained silent, forehead creased in thought.

Finally, he spoke again, "Who placed the seal?"

"A mage I met in the Empire," Arran said. "He was the one who first told me that I had a forbidden Realm, and he helped me escape the Academy."

"A mage with the skill to create a shadow seal strong enough to seal off a Destruction Realm? It must have been a Shadowflame member." The giant Elder nodded to himself, then gave Arran a studious look. "Tell me what happened since you first discovered you had the Realm."

The Elder spoke forcefully, and Arran understood that this was a command, not a request. Although the Elder made no threats, it was entirely clear that refusing was not an option.

Briefly, Arran considered lying. He hardly knew anything about Elder Naran, and he had no desire whatsoever to share his secrets with the man.

But then, his most important secret had already been found out, and given the ease with which Elder Naran had identified his forbidden Realm, Arran had little faith in his ability to deceive him.

Realizing there was nothing for it but to tell the truth, he took a deep breath.

"It started when I tried to join the Academy…"

The story was a long one, but Arran told it in detail. As he spoke, Elder Naran would sometimes ask questions, but for most of the tale, he merely listened intently, with the occasional nod or frown.

There was one part of the truth that Arran did not tell — the events involving Panurge. Instead, he invented a story of being caught by the Academy and being imprisoned. Nervous though he felt at lying to Elder Naran, he did not dare risk being seen as an agent of Chaos — unwilling or not.

To his relief, Elder Naran did not seem to pick up on the lie, or if he did, he let it pass without question. Relieved, Arran quickly continued telling the rest of the story, happy to draw the Elder's attention away from the lie.

When Arran finished speaking, Elder Naran was silent for a time, his brow furrowed as he considered what Arran had told him.

Hungry for answers, Arran grew impatient with the silence, and finally asked, "How do you know it's a Destruction Realm? And does it actually do anything?"

"You're asking if it does anything?" The giant Elder let out a laugh that rumbled like thunder. "It saved your life many times over, and you're still asking if it does anything?!"

Arran gave him a blank stare. "It saved my life?" He had used the Realm exactly once, and that was to open his Wind Realm. Other than that, he could not recall it ever helping him, much less saving his life.

"Let me explain," the Elder said. "Perhaps then, you will understand how lucky you have been."

Arran listened anxiously as Elder Naran began to speak, eager to learn more.

"Even before a Realm is opened," the Elder began, "some trace amount of Essence passes through it. For most types of Essence, the effects of this are negligible — the Essence dissipates long before it has any effect. But with something so powerful and violent as Destruction Essence, even that small bit is enough to affect your body."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Without knowing, you have constantly resisted its influence since before you were even born, conditioning your body to withstand its harmful effects. That has strengthened your resistance to magic far beyond what would otherwise be possible."

"So just having the Realm strengthened me?" Arran asked, somewhat confused. He could not recall ever having heard of a Realm affecting someone before being opened.

The Elder nodded. "That's how I knew that yours is a Destruction Realm. When I started the Tempering, I could immediately tell that you're far more resistant to Essence than a novice or even an adept should be."

"But I've been injured by magic attacks before," Arran said.

"You're not immune to magic," Elder Naran replied. "But anything strong enough to seriously injure you would kill most novices and adepts."

A sudden realization made Arran's eyes go wide with shock. "So when I took the Realm Opening Pills…"

"It should have killed you," Elder Naran confirmed. "Likewise with the battles you fought in the Empire. Academy mages might be weak, but not so weak that they cannot kill a fresh initiate. That you survived at all is because of the Destruction Realm."

A shiver went down Arran's spine when he realized that both his luck and his mistakes had been far greater than he had known. It took him some moments to fully comprehend his fortune, and when he finally did, he could not help but sigh in relief.

Seeing Arran's expression, Elder Naran chuckled. "So now you know the truth of it."

"But what should I do now?" Arran asked. The Destruction Realm was still sealed, and he had no idea how he could use it when he finally broke the seal.

"First, you have to undergo the Tempering," Elder Naran said. "Destruction Realm or not, the Blood magic is still a threat to you, and only the Tempering can save you from it."

"And after that?"

"After that…" Elder Naran sighed, and his expression turned grave. "After that, you face great danger."