Harol placed his finger onto the page he was reading and flipped the pages to the end of the book where he consulted the reference number 186. It simply stated [i]No solid proof on the matter has been concluded thus far, but theories point to the direction of magic potentially harming the flesh if tried to drive through in a flow too slow for the volume. Refer to the book [u]Collection of magical theories, vol 2[/u], gathered by yours truly.[/i] Flipping the pages back to where he was reading earlier, he muttered "Well that was not exactly very informative", and returned to the text where he had left:

[i]but as is evident by the upcoming section [u]Bloodlines commonly utilizing the rite[/u], this is usually not a problem. Nevertheless, while Eldritchian battery does indeed lock one out of the lower spectrum of spells, the mages are compensated with access to spells and ordinary fireball flicker can only dream of, such as Rooftrellen's complete grimoire, and even the dreaded incantations of the school of Demonology, Eredar's New Moon.[/i]
[b]The ritual in itself[/b]

Harol did not bother reading through said section, nor was he interested in the history of it, he skipped straight to the aforementioned "Bloodlines commonly utilizing the rite" section, and the very first sentence made him raise his eyebrow: [i]As is evident by the lack of an actually coherent [u]The ritual in itself[/u] section -[/i] Harol quickly headed back to see what this was about. And indeed, the section merely excused itself for not knowing how the ritual was performed. No wonder it was so short! He then returned to the text about the houses that used it, and the message was simple: The House Arkdal was the only one to openly utilize the rite, and they were most likely the only family that really knew how the ritual was performed in the first place. The author of the book had asked about the specifics, but had politely been denied access to the secrets. Most likely it was for the better. Not all families might be as devoted to merely studying the art.

"So... my family only raises mages of mass-destruction because of this? Because we are all bound to that as soon as we are born? Why did they not - !" Harol was about to start a rant, but was stopped by lord Mortimer: "Now, they would have told you. Eventually. Not bluntly like this though. They start leaving hints around, more obscure at the first, but becoming more and more to the point as time goes by. The more curious sort gets them first, as it should be. But everyone finds out at some point, asks about it, and has it confirmed. I am very sorry I simply threw it at you, but it was all I could do." Harol swallowed once again. While he did not exactly react the best to the news he had received, the old man was right. He had needed to know why, and given his family was now who knew where, this was the way that made sure he got it. "Very well. Please excuse my temper." "No offence taken. Now, I do believe you might want to take a while to adjust. Tell you what, you may bring that book out of the library with you. It is usually prohibited, especially with tomes of such value, but you will need the time, I am certain. And you will be seeing me in the coming days, so your questions will not be left to dwell." "I will do just so. Many thanks", Harol said, still fighting back his conflicted feelings of dwelling frustration, odd feeling of relief, anger, and somehow Freya was in his thoughts just as well. Grabbing his staff, he started his return to the room, the familiar clinking accompanying his steps.