𝒲𝒾𝓃𝓉ℯ𝓇 𝒲ℴ𝓃𝒹ℯ𝓇𝓁𝒶𝓃𝒹： 𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓌 ℴ𝒻 𝓉𝒽ℯ ℱ𝓇ℴ𝓏ℯ𝓃 ℋℯ𝒶𝓇𝓉

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓐𝓶𝓫𝓲𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓾𝓼 𝓤𝓼𝓾𝓻𝓹𝓮𝓻 𝓯𝓻𝓸𝓶 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓦𝓲𝓵𝓭𝓼: 𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 33

*
"It's clear from your vacant expressions. The lights are not all on upstairs. But we're talking kings and successions. Even you can't be caught unawares!"

**
Headmage's Office

"Now, students, ready your magical pens," Crowley commanded the three boys, as Y/n prepared herself to do as headmage had asked of her to do. "Prepare to receive a special lesson from your headmage!"

"Seriously?!" Ace yelped as he quickly whipped out his magical pen with Deuce following afterward. "Wanna run the 'why' by me again?!" he exclaimed before he used his usual wind spell on the ghosts that mixed with Grim's signature blue flames while Deuce did his usual cauldron summoning.

After some time, the warm-up was finished, with the boys heavily panting from exhaustion, with Ace bent down with his hands on his knees. Grim turned to Crowley with a slight snarl as Y/n supported her mates, having Ace and Deuce rest on her shoulders, being sandwiched between. "Hey, Headmage, what's the deal? What does fightin' ghosts got to do with blot?" he asked in a complaining tone.

"Direct your attention to the magestone on your collar, Mr. Grim," Crowley then instructed.

Grim looked down at his collar in confusion. As soon as he did, however, he let out a surprised yelp upon noticing black spots on his magestone that wasn't present before. "Myah?! My magestone looks at grungy now," he says, trying to rub it off with his paws but to no avail. "...MYAH?! It won't rub off!"

"Precisely," Crowley nodded. "That inky black stain is the byproduct of spellcasting known as 'blot,'" he revealed.

"Whoa," Ace yelped in surprise upon noticing black spots on his magical pen.

"There's some grime on my magical pen, too..." Deuce flinched in surprise, looking at his magical pen in shock.

"Ewww! This is capital-G Gross!" Grim whined, gagging a little.

"It will come off eventually, I think," Y/n says, trying to assure them.

"Indeed it will," Crowley nodded in confirmation.

"Phew! Had me worried there," Grim says in relief. "But how do you get rid of it? Like some kinda special soap or somethin'?"

"With sufficient rest, blot will vanish from your magestone," Crowley explained. "This is why a magestone is so valuable to magic users. Not only does it aid your casting, it also serves as a lightning rod of sorts, to prevent blot from accumulating within the caster,"

"I see," Deuce nodded in thought. "So when our magestone start to get cloudy, that means it's time for us to ease off,"

"Correct. Eat well and get plenty of sleep, and most of the blot will clear away," Crowley advised.

"Gotcha. So when I become an even greater mage, I'll be able to fire off spells left and right! Pa-PEW!" Grim grinned, pumping his fists in the air excitedly. "After all, I do plenty of sleepin' and eatin',"

"It's too soon for you to be celebrating, I'm afraid," Crowley says, ruining Grim's moment. "People vary greatly in their capacity for magic. However, save for a few key exceptions, there is little variance in most mages' tolerance for blot,"