At noon, the sun hung high in a crisp autumn sky.
Bayern woke groggily, clutching his aching head. He really was getting on in years; both his body and mind were no match for the young anymore.
Out of habit, he stroked his grizzled beard, only to suddenly realize it was gone.
The bizarre scene from last night echoed through his mind. At his side lay a strange book, its cover engraved with dense straight lines that formed a complex, dizzying, incomprehensible pattern.
When he looked more closely, only a hexagram remained on the cover. Beneath it was a sentence: "Keep secrets, watch and aid each other, Equivalent Exchange, respect knowledge, seek true knowledge."
Bayern softly read the words aloud. The illusion spell Ace had left within the book activated, and the book began to radiate an inexplicable allure. Holding his breath, Bayern carefully reached out to touch it.
The moment his hand touched the book, it turned into liquid and surged up along his arm. When it reached his chin, it transformed into a beard.
Bayern stared in astonishment as he touched his recovered beard. He gave it a pinch, and the beard vanished again, leaving a magic book in his hand.
It was as though someone was whispering to him, the voice low and mellow.
"Bayern, between the first and second pages of the magic book is a card engraved with Lesser Permanent Mental Blessing. Take out the card, open to the first page, place your hand on it, and activate the Equivalent Exchange ritual on the first page."
As if controlled against his will, Bayern picked up the card of unknown material engraved with mysterious patterns and pressed his hand against the first page of the magic book. Buzz!
He felt weak all over, as if a