《Ace of Magic》 Chapter 1 - Discipline Sun glistened through the small window pane landing perfectly on Eryk¡¯s chin showcasing the proclivities still present from his venture from the night before. The small stains of wine, food and beauty products that marred their way onto Eryk¡¯s face and shirt now sparkled in the early morning sun that only highlighted his hasty retreat to his well kept and ever clean bedroom as the contrast between the two reflected Eryk¡¯s personality and relationship with etiquette. The small sliver of sun now stationed at Eryks eyes became a torrent of unstoppable energy as the house butler, Fearghus Dovell removed the last possibility of the beautiful sleep that Eryk was very much enjoying. Fearghus Dovell, the Butler for House Bertel curtly pulled and anchored the curtains allowing the mid morning sun to bathe the bedroom in a much needed light that Eryk was attempting to avoid by covering his eyes with the closest cloth he could reach. ¡°Fergy¡­ how many times must I say this. Just wake me up. Why must you insist on assaulting my senses directly with violence?¡± ¡°Master Bertel, it is with the up most due diligence that I remind you that that it is proper etiquette to receive your father in a state that is respectable with your station. As such, a proper bathe, fresh clothes and removal of personnel that do not belong to this house is a minimal amount of effort to appear fully corporeal to your father.¡± ¡°I need you to give me a dictionary, or a thesaurus that you can just give me whenever you decide to speak with me. Honestly, there are way too many large and overly complicated words that you just said. From now on, you will wake me up without opening the curtains, and will also provide me with a dictionary whenever you come in.¡± Fearghus walked to the end of Eryks bed and with a twist and pull removed the last vestiges of sleep that Eryk clung to. Exposed to the elements of daytime, Eryk was fully dressed from the prior nights activities with the exception of a loose belt and trousers that hung down below his knees. ¡°Master Bertel, please do change. While you are fully dressed for a¡­ occasion, Lord Bertel will undoubtedly rebuke your choice of wine stains and cosmetics that are still present on your face even if you are still hiding behind a pair of lacy pink women''s underwear while you are speaking with me.¡± Eryk looked down at his hands that grasped the pink lacy panties and promptly dropped the panties over the side of the bed as if he had never seen them before. Glancing to the unseen side of the bed and back to Eryk ¡°I will prompt the bathing maiden to prepare a full scrub and wash for you¡­and you alone within the hour.¡± Fearghus adjusted his emblem on his tunic and grunted a cough in expectation of a response from Master Bertel. Eryk sighed deeply.. ¡°I hate full scrub downs¡­ Fergy, why do you have to be so mean?¡± Fearghus bowed slightly with his head and pivoted on his heels to turn towards the door just stopping shy of the threshold. ¡°One last thing Master Eryk, please stop calling me Fergy. Perhaps you will remember that during your full scrub. I hear Mistress Olya has newly imported pumice that she has yet to try. Perhaps I shall ask her to prepare it for you?¡± In a careful tone Eryk responded, ¡°No that wont be necessary Head Butler Fearghus Dovell.¡± ¡°As you command Master Bertel.¡± Fearghus resumed his departure from Eryk¡¯s room leaving the young master contemplating his fathers return, and what to have for breakfast. From the side of the bed where Eryk had departed with the pink panties came a women''s voice. ¡°I¡¯m not sure your butler likes you very much¡± Eryk sighed again, ¡°He¡¯s actually very caring, and gentle. Much like how you would care for a rose, just avoid all the prickly parts, don¡¯t grab it with your bare hands, and be sure to keep an assortment of compliments that you can use for leverage.¡± ¡°I don''t think that''s how you care for a rose¡± ------- Having donned fresh clothes, and avoided a near catastrophe with Mistress Olya as she insisted on trying the new pumice, Eryk was enjoying a handful of grapes within the great hall of the Bertel estate. Flanked by a cadre of staff, Fearghus Dovell entered the hall with an assortment of ornate deep storage chests, neatly folded stacks of white, blue and silver linen, and six segments of a large dark wooden table with glyph type inscriptions engraved throughout the top that were lined with a silver and gold leaf pattern. Eryk strode towards the cadre of staff and approached one of the segments of table inspecting it closely. The patterns from afar were static and non moving deceiving most peering eyes. Up close the pattern reflected a wild and almost intangible quality akin to a majestic waterfall that sprays its life into being before returning into a water. Turning his head towards the leader of the cadre, with a quizzical look ¡°Fearghus, do you have any idea when or better yet, if my father ever intends to teach me about the larger world of magic?¡±. ¡°I believe that is a questions best answered by Lord Bertel. I believe he would be the best person to ask about what he intends to do.¡± Ferghus responded with a trivial tone without glancing at the young Master. ¡°Good Talk Fergy.¡± Ferghus glanced with only his eyes towards the young master, but Eryk could sense that the glance carried a slew of threats that would likely be carried out at the behest of the head Butler and his impeccable ability to self control through due diligence would almost certainly spell certain doom of Eryk. Quickly looking down and avoiding eye contact with the head butler, Eryk resumed his study of the silver and gold leaf pattern leading his thoughts back to his father returning and the thought of magic filled his mind once more. Eryk envisioned himself a spell sword, able to track his opponents movements through magical means, removing the physical limitation of his body and replacing it with the magical abilities that enforced the very nature of strength and the foundation of magic that are found so often in knights of the realms. Eryk lacked the foundation of discipline that every magic user requires. His chaotic nature ravaged by poor impulse control and a knack for witty responses left his reputation of a potential lord in the lower depths of not possible. Day dreaming, and pretending to be a lord throughout the days left him with an unfulfilled desire to achieve more but limited by his own lack of control. Pondering how to use magic, Eryk closed his eyes attempting to feel the mana etched into the table by the head of the engravers guild as a gift to his father. Eryk understood the conceptual nature of magic, and even theory craft to some extent as it pertained to items that he had seen. While the table was very interesting, it lacked the more nuanced feel of danger and excitement that Eryk gravitated towards. To Eryk, the table was interesting, the many others, a treasure worthy of loosing ones own life in defense of. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. The table absorbed the ambient white mana that was always present and stored it within its engravings. Because mana is not meant to be contained, the engravings forcefully move the mana from one point to the other releasing portions of the contained energy which are directed into glyphs where the assumed recipient would be sitting. In this case, the table was being put together, and the glyphs were four to a table, for a total of twenty four individual engraved glyphs with two additional master glyphs at either end of the long treasured table. As the last segment of the table was connected, the inter connected patterns melded and removed all crevices, cracks and imperfections of the table making the once segmented magical item now whole. White and Blue linen bundles were neatly unwrapped, and subsequently placed on the table in the same rotating pattern of white then blue which draped over the short end of the table and down onto the floor where it hung low enough to almost touch the floor on either side. On either side of the table where the master glyphs were located, intricate silver linen were neatly and precisely placed with a circular openings embroidered with gold thread to showcase the master glyphs. Eryk watched as this amalgamation of nuanced magic formed in front of him in silence. The only sound and movement were from two members of the cadre bringing high backed regal chairs to each glyph location making the scene feel like it was a dream in the making. Eryk knew that magic did not just occur, or at least the magic that he was witnessing. He had seen this act performed dozens of times, however now that Eryk was approaching his twentieth solstice, the expectation of devoting yourself to the study of a magic realm was all but assured. Most his age had already been taught in the basics of magic, mana manipulation and aura control, however Eryk never had the ability to control mana at a young age. He never could feel its vibration in the air, or the sundering of sound when a mana wave would pass. Eryk for all intents and purposes was magic less and he roiled in that fact every day succumbing to his choice of celebration as he had done the night before. Making unadulterated reckless choices was his was of controlling that fact. To be in control is to be out of control, or so Eryk would repeat the mantra until he chose a easier proclivity that address the mounting desire to be more but lacked the discipline and absolute potential to do so. Eryk was given ample opportunities to excel at other professions, studies, athletics, weapons as his family name carried the calling card of the Steel General, his father it was to be expected to at least be a solider. Time and time again, Eryk found himself comparing magical abilities of other students to his lack there of and always coming up short. Every profession, study and even common households all carried magical abilities of some sort and type. Eryk watched as this amalgamation of nuanced magic formed in front of him in silence. The only sound and movement were from two members of the cadre bringing high backed regal chairs to each glyph location making the scene feel like it was a dream in the making. Eryk knew that magic did not just occur, or at least the magic that he was witnessing. He had seen this act performed dozens of times, however now that Eryk was approaching his twentieth solstice, the expectation of devoting yourself to the study of a magic realm was all but assured. Most his age had already been taught in the basics of magic, mana manipulation and aura control, however Eryk never had the ability to control mana at a young age. He never could feel its vibration in the air, or the sundering of sound when a mana wave would pass. Eryk for all intents and purposes was magic less and he roiled in that fact every day succumbing to his choice of celebration as he had done the night before. Making unadulterated reckless choices was his was of controlling that fact. To be in control is to be out of control, or so Eryk would repeat the mantra until he chose a easier proclivity that address the mounting desire to be more but lacked the discipline and absolute potential to do so. Eryk was given ample opportunities to excel at other professions, studies, athletics, weapons as his family name carried the calling card of the Steel General, his father it was to be expected to at least be a solider. Time and time again, Eryk found himself comparing magical abilities of other students to his lack there of and always coming up short. Every profession, study and even common households all carried magical abilities of some sort and type. Even of the most common elements that were present at the lowest dredges of society were missing in his magical codex of which was an barren land of silence. Ruminating over his lack of control of his fate, Eryk once again looked up at Fearghus and pushed out the comedic relief that Eryk had needed to attain prior to his father arriving. ¡°Fergy, is it possible to make wider chairs for the table? Have you seen some of the banner men that my father employs? I think we need wider chairs. Positively wider. Or maybe just less food? Maybe offer them light snacks? Would they be offended?¡± Head Butler Fearghus ignored Eryks attempt at humor by clapping his hands with infused mana to bring attention to himself. Rising his voice by breathing in mana, Fearghus gave standing orders to ensure a proper welcome was created and to bring attention of any changes to the upcoming welcome ceremony. Fearghus turned and walked calmly with precise steps as his shes crested and fell making slight clicking echos in the great hall stopping within whispering distance of Eryk. ¡°Master Bertel, Lord Bertel will be returning today with an escort. I have been instructed to inform you only once his Lords arrival was imminent. The instructions relayed via magical courier were very clear. You are to sit at the head of the table opposite of Lord Bertel when he and his employ are seated. I was informed that his escort¡­ is¡­ a teacher of magical means. Please do refrain from comedic outbursts, unwanted commentary and undistinguished behavior that would be unbecoming of your station.¡± Eryk felt a wave of nausea. His assumption of the typical day to day activities that would come came shattering down as his mind raced through every possibility of a magical teacher and what that meant to his nature and his wellbeing. For the first time since he was a child, Eryk was left speechless. Master Butler Fearghus searched between Eryks eyes, as Fearghus had been with the family since before Eryk was born left him with familial bond that he had been attempting to hide from others as to be the stern figure in Eryk¡¯s life. In the rarest of moments, Fearghus smiled at Eryk with such authenticity that made Eryk almost reevaluate his relationship with the head butler. Fearghus returned to his station with the rest of the cadre attending to the various accoutrements prepared by the chefs and kitchen. The horns on the outside of great hall entryway leading to the prim and manicured estate of the Bertel family sounded with such great alarm that Eryk jumped just slight enough to break his stupor and hear the Head Butler state with an incredibly strong mana infused voice. ¡°HIS LORD, THE GOVERNOR OF FELIX AND EMBASSADOR TO EMBER HAS ARRIVED!¡± Chapter 2 Discovery The grey stone walls of the large great hall stood strong in the hearty southern wind as the white, blue and silver banners battled to stay close to the stones that they were affixed to. As the wind continued its frontal assault on the Great Halls gray stone, two columns of Lord Bertels soldiers kept pace with a steady beat of ringing plate armor and swishing clothes that were almost muted as the wind lay its claim on the Great Hall. The forty man strong column halted as a command echoed from the center and Lord Bertel rode from the center column typically reserved for lower field commanders to the front near the great halls entrance. In a loud and mana infused tone, Lord Bertel with great authority echoed his intentions to his soldiers ¡°Dismount and prepare for inspection, all Warders stable your steeds and prepare for glyph protections at the table. Commander Beresford, report.¡± ¡°My Lord, all casualties have been accounted for. The remaining two items are still under protection with the heavy auxiliary and are showing signs of degradation. We do not have much time.¡± Lord Bertels expression darkened as he looked up to the raging banners on the gray stones and closed his eyes in contemplation. In a low firm voice, Lord Bertels words only went as far as the commanders ears. ¡°We have no other choice. We have lost too many in the capture of those items, we cannot loose this opportunity now. We have to do this now. Gather the warders, and prepare what we had discussed in haste. I will prepare within the hall.¡± Lord Bertel dismounted the back of his mighty black war steed plated with silver armor which bustled with black scars running deep into the armor plating. Lord Bertel was known as the Metal General during the last great uprising which was aptly named due to his deep affinity for mana infused mineral control. As a result of Lord Bertels ability, casual manipulation of metal to fit the demands of his needs meant any repairs to armor or metal were well within his ability as well as forging weapons or even breaking down metal weapons of his enemies with only a touch of his hand. With out of character scars in the metal and parts of flesh that had yet to be mended, Lord Bertel made his way ignoring the servants waiting to assist in the armors removal which only helped to highlight the importance of what Lord Bertel was preparing. Eryks nausea had dissipated, and was replaced with a guttural excitement that was evident by the ever twitching of fingers holding a small bird figurine made of onyx that his mother had given him before she had passed away when he was still a child. Eryk was finally going to have a teacher, and his moment of great triumph had finally been realized. As Eryks constant spell sword daydream continued, the warmth of the Great Hall was shattered as a the great oaken doors retreated from their duty allowing the raging wind and cold to enter the Great Hall unabated as it claimed victory over the gray stones. Lord Bertel swiftly released his voice infused with mana allowing no interruption to occur as the weight of his mana overtook the wind making the cold retreat back from the suppression of raw magical mana coalescing around the room to surround the lords body in a swirl of majestic spikes ¡°Where is my son. Where is Eryk?¡± Lord Bertels voice echoed and Eryks excitement pivoted to uncertainly as he stepped forward attempting to reclaim his station has son of the governor holding his head high and replying in a formal tone albeit a forced tone. ¡°Father, welcome back to the great Hall. We have prepared the honored tabl-.¡± Eryk was cut off as Lord Bertel adjusted his trajectory to be in line with Eryk and released a suppression aura that was not meant to be welcoming, and certainly not so from his own father. Due to Eryks lack of magical aptitude or ability, the suppression aura felt heavy as if a weight had been added to his clothes akin to wearing clothes made of a heavy rock, but otherwise left Eryk unharmed. With a sigh of relief, but great haste Lord Bertel clasped Eryks arms and brought him to a close embrace. With a familial whisper, Lord Bertel spoke ¡°My son, I do not have much time to explain this to you. I had not planned to do this, however circumstances have exacerbated this to the point of no return.¡±. Eryks uncertainty grew deeper into concern as this was not a typical showing of any emotion from his father. His father had for the most part been present in duty to his role as Governor of Felix, Ambassador to Ember which left very little for his son and family creating a cavernous rift of void of a family connection that left Eryk fending for his own. Responding in a similar fashion, Eryks eyes darted between his fathers in a desperation to understand ¡°I don¡¯t understand father. Why are you injured? I thought this was a routine visit to the Ember sect?¡± - ¡°It does not matter. You have to know. You have to know where you come from, why you cannot partake in any mana or magic. Son, you are not from this realm.¡± Lord Bertel stared deeply into his sons eyes, making the connection seem as if it was taking place outside of Eryks body as Eryk was experiencing this moment like it was not his own. ¡°I don''t understand.¡± Lord Bertel who had never experienced love from his father embraced Eryk closely and spoke in a whispered tone again ¡°no son, you are not from this realm, you are not from this world¡­ you are, or were from a different world. Much like our own, but different in so many ways. You are my son, and you always will be. I do not have any more time, follow me.¡± Lord Bertel swiveled towards the large segmented table that had been set up that morning and was met by Commander Beresford and four knights that carried a two large metal chests that had clearly been created using enhanced magic from Lord Bertel. The chests displayed an unnatural construct of shapes and corners that only absorbed the ambient mana and light within the room creating an unique aura that could only be seen by glancing at the chests. The four knights were imbuing mana into the chests, but instead of creating a larger chest, it was as if the mana was consumed and sundered. Commander Baresford shouted at the knights wihtout infused mana ¡°Quickly, one chest at each end of the table, and prepare the shards.¡± As the knights positioned the chests and themselves at the end of the table, Lord Bertel waved his hand that ushered the warders in place at each open glyph position on the table. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Confused and conflicted about his father, Eryk watched as 24 warders positioned themselves around the table at each glyph location and began imbuing mana into the glyph. As Eryk was attempting to understand what exactly was transpiring, Head Butler Fearghus commanded the cadre to silently remove themselves from the great hall as the original activities had clearly not been needed. Fearghus acting at the behest of Lord Bertel signaling, ushered the very reluctant Eryk towards the center table. As the wind having been shut out by the leaving cadre, and heat returning to the chaotic great hall from etched warming stones on the floor did not relieve Eryk of the swirling thoughts within his mind as he stood on top of the center of the table. ¡°Son, the reason you cannot perform magic is because your body does not have the means to use magic. Your body lacks the foundational requirement that intrinsically comes from having meridians within your body. You lack them because you were born on a world that does not have magic. That is why we mus-¡± The chest furthest from entrance of the great hall shuttered and the two knights injecting mana slumped over drained of life force leaving withered husks of flesh behind. The chest became ethereal as a dark black orb pulsating with layers of visible kinetic force disrupted the physical space surrounding the dark object. With a small finger width crack, the orb began to emit a high pitched reeling noise leaving all present to cover their ears as the sound was pure pain to hear moving straight into their open mana meridians. Shouting, Lord Bertel removed his hands with a grimace and pulled Eryk up onto the table pointing to the center where a large circle appeared. As the circle came out of its translucence state, gaps began to grow inside creating three dimensional weavings of glyphs Eryk had never seen. Lord Bertel had been powering these glyphs and was able to block the sound for both of them. As the weavings grew in size, time dilated and slowed. Mana weaved in and out of the glyphs as the power surged through Lord Bertel. Looking into his sons eyes, and with a smile that could be seen on the eyes relayed the last words that Eryk heard from his father even as the sound from the orb continued, Eryk had heard his father clearly. ¡°This was the only way. The contract I made is almost fulfilled and the demon is escaping from its prison that we captured it in. My son died very young, and I was in pain. I found a demon to make a contract with to bring you back. The demon did not bring my son back, instead he brought you to me. You are my son. You are my son from another existence. The contract payment gave the demon your body, mind and spirit upon your twentieth solstice taking over your body as its new corporeal medium. I agreed out of desperation, loss, and cataclysmic suffering that one only gets when loosing ones child. Please forgive me. This is a forbidden ritual, to seal the demon inside of you, but also to seal a being of equal but opposite power. The other chest contains the a spirit of altruistic being.¡± Eryk blinked, and shook his head with tears forming in his eyes. The flood of information, emotions, and avoidance of the two knights that had just been killed made Eryk tense and loose his breath. The revelation and reasoning behind everything was too much to take in, and Eryks mind was going blank by analyzing every thought catapulting his mind into a repeating realm of manic confusion. ¡°Father, I.. I.. ¡° Eryk was stuttering and was looking Lord Bertel in the eye when his fathers skin started to crack. ¡°I love you¡± the last words of his father echoed in the three dimensional chamber as the cracks became granular releasing a fine semblance of particles that fully enveloped Lord Bertels body leaving only a dusty after image of the Eryks father. As the three dimensional space continued to spin self sustained by the release of mana from Lord Bertel, the remaining chest was dissipated into nothingness revealing a bright silver orb spinning with a white milky cloud inside. As the dimensional space continued to spin, strands of both spirit and demonic mana wrapped around the membrane of the space Eryk was in. Shivering in place, Eryk was loosing his conciseness from the condensation of mana inserting into the same space Eyrk was occupying. From strands of pure silver to black whips and tendrils the mana continued to swirl looking for a medium to occupy as its transitional space needed a medium to exist. Lacking meridian lines, Eryks body was a blank canvas for the two beings who now fought to occupy the same space as the remaining vestiges of energy inserted themselves into the dimensional space. With three beings now entrenched together, the battle for supremacy between a soul, a demon and a spirit began. Outside of the dimension, the Great Hall only held those who were actively imbuing energy into the glyphs giving extra mana and control to the soul inside of the dimensional space. The membrane began to whirl and wild and rampant energies began to release scarring the gray stones and anything in its way with severe damage left in the energies pathways. The remaining Wardens began fleeing for safety as the membrane began to spin upwards with a ferocious force punching through the roof and into the stormy clouds that began to darken at the approach of spinning orb of destruction. The three entities locked in battle spun faster and faster creating shock waves of mana and kinetic force. Eryks mind had long been gone, but his soul fought for dominance as the demonic power pushed to control the soul shard that housed the anchor to this world. As the demonic power pushed, so did the spirit power push on the demonic power to assert its dominance over the abomination. Spirits can anchor themselves within soul shards of lesser beings, as human soul shard contained too much power to subvert on its own. However, the demonic power manifested within created an opening within the soul shard that the spirit power was now protecting. As the demonic power pushed harder, the spirit power was loosing its momentum as its altruistic nature meant defending the human was a higher priority than defending itself. As the moment of the last opening the demonic power needed arrived, a jolt of energy was released from below. Head Butler Fearghus had released ten lesser shards of spirit power meant to power large artifacts. The wealth of one spirit shard alone was in the realm of only a handful of nobles, but ten had clearly been the act of a powerful house such as House Bertel. The jolt of energy was what was needed to break the binding contract of the demon casting its power to claim the human soul shard as its own. In a moment of desperation, the demonic power sent a powerful strike towards the spirit scarring its own spirit leaving it in a state of weakness that would result in a final death. Grabbing hold of the humans soul shard, and finding the crack left by the contract, the spirit entered the soul space and sealed the wound on the soul. With a thunderous crack, the the membrane broke and the lighting scarred body of a naked Eryk plummeted towards the gray manor of House Bertel. The demonic power now outside of its shell, with only moments to spare before returning to the nether sent a powerful wave of energy to where Eryk was plummeting. If the nether demon could not have its contract, than this world would not have this abomination of a human spirit hybrid and the greater demon Asmadu opened a portal, as it had once before done with Lord Bertel and Eryrk vanished. Chapter 3: space ninja pirates Eryk¡¯s consciousness was yanked violently from the swirling chaos of the Great Hall and thrust into an overwhelming explosion of light and sound. His body felt like it was being squeezed through the eye of a needle, stretched and pulled until he thought he might unravel completely. Then, with a sudden jolt, he slammed into a hard metal floor. ¡°Ow,¡± he groaned, wincing as he tried to prop himself up. The floor beneath him was cold and smooth, polished to a metallic sheen. Above, bright neon lights pulsed in rhythmic patterns across a curved, chrome ceiling. The air hummed with the low, persistent thrum of unseen engines. Eryk blinked several times, trying to make sense of the swirling madness around him. ¡°Where¡­ the hell¡­ am I?¡± ¡°Hey there, buddy!¡± A cheerful voice rang out, startling Eryk so badly that he scrambled backward, nearly tripping over his own feet. A small figure, no taller than Eryk¡¯s waist, bounded into view. The creature had bright green skin, enormous golden eyes, and a wild mop of purple hair that seemed to defy gravity. He was wearing a patched, colorful jumpsuit and had a set of small, whirring gadgets strapped to his belt. The little being grinned, revealing a set of surprisingly sharp teeth. ¡°Name¡¯s Zipp! Welcome aboard the Stellar Shuriken! You¡¯re lookin¡¯ pretty disoriented there, buddy. First-time teleports¡¯ll do that to ya.¡± Eryk¡¯s mouth fell open as he struggled to process this new, utterly absurd reality. ¡°A¡­ spaceship?¡± he sputtered, gesturing wildly at the high-tech surroundings. ¡°I was just in an¡­.there were demons and spirits, and my father¡­how did I get here?¡± Zipp tilted his head, his golden eyes blinking with innocent confusion. ¡°Hmm, demons and spirits, you say? Sounds messy! But hey, you¡¯re here now, and that¡¯s what matters! Captain and the crew are gonna love you!¡± He reached out a hand to help Eryk up, and despite the insanity of the situation, Eryk found himself taking it. As Zipp pulled him to his feet, Eryk felt a strange sensation ripple through his body. It was like a current of energy, a vibration that seemed to hum just beneath his skin. He looked down at his hands and saw faint lines of glowing blue light tracing his veins, like rivers of magic that had been infused into his very being. His heart skipped a beat. ¡°What¡­ what is this?¡± Zipp¡¯s eyes widened, and he let out an impressed whistle. ¡°Whoa, buddy! Looks like you¡¯ve got some fancy space magic goin¡¯ on there! That¡¯s rare stuff. Bet the Captain¡¯s gonna want a word with you about that.¡± The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Eryk was still reeling when the ground beneath him shook violently, and a chorus of alarms blared to life. Red lights flashed throughout the ship, and a mechanical voice crackled over the intercom. ¡°INCOMING BOARDING PARTY. ALERT: SPACE NINJA PIRATES INBOUND.¡± Eryk¡¯s jaw dropped even further. ¡°Space ninja pirates? This has to be some kind of fever dream.¡± Zipp¡¯s grin grew wider, and he bounced on the balls of his feet, clearly thrilled. ¡°Oh yeah, buddy! It¡¯s gonna be a party! Get ready to fight!¡± With a flourish, he pulled out a pair of small, whirling energy blades from his belt and twirled them expertly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve got your back!¡± Before Eryk could even process what was happening, a loud clang echoed through the ship as one of the walls exploded inward. A group of space ninja pirates burst into the room, clad in dark, sleek armor that shimmered with otherworldly energy. Their masks were adorned with glowing symbols, and each one moved with the grace of a shadow given form. They carried plasma katanas and throwing stars that crackled with arcs of blue lightning. Eryk¡¯s body tensed, but this time, the magic within him surged to life. His veins pulsed with that strange, glowing energy, and he could feel it wanting to be unleashed. He had no idea how to control it, but he knew he had to try. With a deep breath, he raised his hands, winced and streams of blue mana burst from his fingertips, forming shimmering, ethereal blades like long fingernails¡­. One of the pirates lunged at him, swinging a plasma katana. Eryk barely managed to parry the blow with his mana blade, his eyes wide with shock. ¡°I can use magic?¡± he whispered, half in awe and half in terror. Zipp whooped with delight, ducking under a pirate¡¯s wild slash and retaliating with a series of spinning strikes from his energy blades. ¡°You bet you can! Space magic, baby! Let¡¯s show these ninja scoundrels who¡¯s boss!¡± Eryk found himself swept up in the madness, fighting side by side with his unexpected new ally. His movements were clumsy at first, but the magic inside him seemed to guide his strikes, channeling his energy into fluid, almost instinctual attacks. The pirate who had lunged at him stumbled back, stunned by Eryk¡¯s sudden burst of power. The battle was a whirlwind of flashing lights, the hum of plasma weapons, and Zipp¡¯s infectious laughter. Eryk couldn¡¯t help but feel a rush of exhilaration, even as confusion still clouded his mind. He was in space, fighting ninja pirates, with magic he had never been able to use before. ¡°What is happening?¡± he shouted, half laughing, half terrified. Zipp leapt up, using one of the pirates as a springboard to flip through the air. ¡°Adventure, my friend! The universe is a weird, wild place, and you¡¯re right in the middle of it! Embrace the chaos!¡± As the last of the pirates fell, the alarms quieted, and the Stellar Shuriken shuddered back to relative calm. Eryk stood there, panting, his mana blades flickering before fading from his hands. His body felt heavy, and he stumbled, catching himself against a metal railing. Zipp patted him on the back, beaming. ¡°Not bad for your first space fight! The Captain¡¯s gonna be very interested in meeting you now.¡± He winked, his eyes full of mischievous excitement. ¡°You ready for more, buddy?¡± Eryk let out a shaky laugh, running a hand through his hair. ¡°Ready? No. But it looks like I don¡¯t have much of a choice.¡± Despite everything, he felt a spark of excitement. This was insane, unpredictable, and absolutely terrifying¡­ but it was a chance at something new. A chance to redefine who he was, magic and all. With Zipp at his side and the mysteries of space awaiting him, Eryk took a deep breath. ¡°All right,¡± he said, a grin forming on his face. ¡°Let¡¯s see where this ride takes us.¡± And somewhere deep within the Stellar Shuriken, the universe itself seemed to hold its breath, waiting to see what Eryk would do next.