Dean arrived outside Richard’s office after about five minutes, during which he pondered why he was suddenly called.

Even going as far as to dismiss all the system notifications that appeared. Only sparing them a quick glance.

[You have confronted Rogue]

[Rewards: 2000EXP]

[You have exposed Vanessa’s Betrayal]

[Rewards: 2000EXP]

[You have accepted the Rite of Hel’khar]

[Rewards: 2500EXP]

[Bonus Rewards: 2000EXP]

[Total EXP: 23800 ]

***

The door of the office was cracked open with Richard standing outside in the doorway, talking to someone inside of the office.

"I’ll be right back," Richard said. His body looked like he was excited even as he closed the door.

Standing behind, Dean placed his hand over his mouth and cleared his throat.

"AHEM!"

Richard turned immediately, "Dean.." his eyes looked dull but his tone sounded like he was surprised.

"You called for me?" Dean gestured, raising a brow.

"Did I?" Richard tilted his head to the left as if he was really confused.

Wanting to keep toying with Dean, he walked closer but suddenly, his eyes darted to something he had completely missed before now.

Ash was dutifully settled on Dean’s left shoulder. And Richard had completely missed him.

The man’s expression shifted. He looked surprised. Like genuinely surprised.

Out of curiosity, Richard stretched his hand towards the slime even as Dean watched calmly.

With his fingers centimeters away. Ash’s gelatinous body began to move like troubled waters and glowed red. Bright, eye-catching red.

Richard withdrew his hand, deciding against proceeding with touch as he simply observed the slime for a second longer.

"I can’t sense anything from it," he muttered more to himself than Dean.

Remaining quiet, Dean only watched as the man finally shifted his attention back to him again.

He’d chosen not to say anything to Richard about Ash, so as to not get thoughts about the system.

After all, Richard was a psychic and nobody could convince him otherwise.

"So this is why they were so interested?"

"Who?" Dean snapped instinctively.

"The W.S.A," Richard answered flatly.

"Are they—" Dean tried to look through the crack of the opened door.

"Hey. Hey. Hey." Richard stepped forward to block his view. And then repositioned his body away from the door. "We’ll talk as we walk."

’As you limp, you mean.’ Dean eyed the man. Still trying to sneak a look into the room.

Richard guided Dean through the academy halls, passing areas that they were no eyes. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

They went down a flight of stairs Dean hadn’t noticed till now. Then another. And another.

Mid way another set of stairs. Dean stopped. "Where the hell are we going?"

Richard turned and smiled, his cane tapping on the floor slightly. "Where I bury the academy’s secrets."

Dean looked at him blankly. That didn’t help.

"Wanna see?" Richard turned and kept walking. "Follow me!"

Still motionless, eyes darting from left to right, looking at the damp stone walls.

Dean sighed deeply and continued even as the air grew cooler and the texture of the walls seemed older, maybe even older than the academy itself.

At the end of the stairs, stood a heavy wooden door. Pulling out a set of keys from his coat. Richard unlocked it and pushed it open.

The door opened with a slow screech, and it wasn’t what Dean was expecting. It wasn’t a torture chamber.

It was actually a cellar. With rows upon rolls of bottles lining the walls like decoration.

The bottles glinted under the dim light of a single dangling bulb. The air was heavy not just with the smell of alcohol but dust, and a lingering sweetness.

Richard limped to one of the racks. Running his fingers along the bottles like he was reading the faded labels.

Stopping somewhere at the middle of the rack, he pulled out a bottle and held it up.

The label looked handwritten but its script was gold and barely legible.

"This one," Richard said. He grabbed two glasses form a near-by shelf. Richard glanced at Dean for a second and wiped them with his sleeve.

Pulling out a table to the center of the room. He set the glasses down. Popped the wine open and poured it elegantly.

The amber liquid was thick as it clinged to the edge of the glass even as Richard tilted the bottle.

The fact that this wasn’t a torture chamber was shocking enough for Dean. But seeing Richard pouring a drink made him even more surprised.

’is this for real. Why is this crazy bastard pouring drinks.’

His thoughts barely formed, when Richard looked up at him with a smile.

’Yeah...psychic’ Dean rolled his eyes.

"Sit," Richard gestured.

Dean’s eyes darted around. "Where?"

Richard didn’t answer and simply sat on the floor, folding his legs together.

Dean immediately did the same, ignoring the dust on the wooden floors even as Richard slide a drink to him and raised another.

"Happy birthday, Gray."

Dean blinked, he was caught by surprise.

"But–"

"I know it’s in two days," Richard said.

Dean nodded. He wanted to ask how but he could already take a guess.

"You turn eighteen," Richard raised his glass and gestured for Dean to do the same.

Picking up the glass, Dean looked at it but it was the sharp smell that pricked his nose before he even tasted it.

He placed the glass on his lips and took a quick sip.

The drink scorched his throat on the way down like it was prepared to peel off his innards.

Dean coughed once, trying and failing to hide it even as Ash began rubbing its body on his throat as if it could fix the problem just like that.

’Don’t tell me, I will be a bad drinker in this body?’ Dean thought even as he petted Àsh.

"Thanks buddy."

Watching him cough, Richard smiled warmly. "Now you are a man."

Dean set the glass down harder than needed. "Is that all?"

"Yes," Richard said, his lips still arched with a small smile.

Dean shook his head as if frustrated but deep down, he was relieved that there wasn’t more to this.

"..Wait. No," Richard expression suddenly became serious even as Dean’s heart sank.

Reaching into the pockets of his jacket, the man chugged all of the drink in the glass with one hand and handed Dean a white envelope with the other.

Now, Dean’s heart actually skipped. ’What the hell did I do now?’