Eldritch Sugarbaby

Rory couldn't quite wrap his head around what he thought he was hearing from a formless ancient spirit, so he chose to ignore it. Clearing his throat, he said, "Thank you for the gift, then, but how do I take it off?"

The deadwood crown had apparently fused with his skull and become a permanent fixture, its wooden horns looking like natural growths from his very skin.

"Take it off?" The spirit's creaking mental presence seemed confused. "No, that is impossible. Why would you want to?"

Aurelius felt his stomach cramping. 'Because suddenly having antlers is inconvenient for a lot of reasons?!'

He was beginning to severely regret the curiosity that had him don the crown in the first place.

"Well then, could you explain in more detail how it's supposed to help me?"

"I can, although you would realize the benefits naturally in time. For one, I am using it as a medium to communicate with you, and you can reach out to me as well whenever you're in need."

An open communication network with a forest spirit sounded like a double-edged blade to Rory, who worried about angering the spirit and invoking its wrath instead.

Jahreszeiten continued his wordless communication. "The Autumn Ring will make you resilient against heat and cold. And since you are a Druid, you should also feel an improvement in the quantity and quality of your essence."

At that, Aurelius closed his eyes and turned his senses inward. Indeed, he senses that his total mana quantity had gone up by a significant margin—fifty percent in fact. It was a wonder he hadn't been alerted to such a sudden and drastic change. The integration of these wooden horns with his body must've been more seamlessly done than he imagined.

And on top of that, his mana felt… stronger, somehow. It had adopted some unfamiliar quality he had trouble placing, but it seemed to be beneficial.

To test the temperature resistance, he moved closer to the fireplace, held his hands up to it, and even touched the flames. They were hot, but bearable. Stepping into the outdoors, the cold weather felt crisp and refreshing; he didn't even feel the need for a coat.

'Alright then, this isn't as bad as I thought.'

He would have to think of something to say to people who questioned his new horns, and there would be a forest spirit forever peering over his shoulder, but in exchange, he would never suffer from the cold again, and his path as a sorcerer had become suddenly rosier.

"Thank you, Jahre…" Rory was embarrassed about it now, but he couldn't remember the rest of the spirit's name.

"It's Jahreszeiten, but I don't mind if you call me something else. Do you have a name, human?"

"Oh, right. Yes, my name is Aurelius Glorianus, but most people call me Rory."

"Aurelius… That is a beautiful name."

Jahreszeiten's silent voice sounded like roots rustling through soil, but Rory could sense the sincerity in it, and his cheeks flushed a little. It didn't last long.

"By the way, Jahre, are you… upset about, well, my house? It's all my parents left me so I don't want it to be destroyed…"

The nature spirit felt the plot of land Aurelius's home was built on. The soil there had been heavily wounded, but it was effectively scabbed over. Maybe it itched a little, but nothing too terrible in the grand scheme of things.

"Your house does not upset me, Aurelius. I admire its craftsmanship and I'm happy to be a home to you and your species. It brings me some measure of joy in life."

Well… this spirit seemed considerably more tolerant than the old fables would have Rory believe.

"Okay… good." Having run out of things to talk about, Aurelius felt acutely uncomfortable. "Well then, goodbye. Jahreszeiten. I'll talk with you more tomorrow, I suppose."

"Very well, Aurelius."

The ancient presence faded from Rory's mind, and he heaved a sigh of relief. He felt like an empty bathtub now with all that weight and pressure lifted: relieved, and a little empty.

'I have to consult with teacher about this,' he thought doubtlessly, feeling around the base of his new antlers with his fingertips. 'If Jahreszeiten has awoken, perhaps other spirits are waking up too. People need to know to prepare for that.'

And there had to be something, some trick or illusion, his teacher knew to help hide the autumn ring from view. Speaking of, Rory went to take a look at his reflection in a pane of glass to assess the damage. But surprisingly… he looked good. The wooden antlers and crown-like prongs were strange and exotic but not necessarily in a bad way.

He looked regal.

'Huh. Or maybe I don't need to hide them.'