《Realm of Mages》


 ｐｒｏｌｏｇｕｅ

    Pressure is, indeed, two-edged blade.


    It could produce the finest diamonds in a world of brittle, impure entities. Immense pressure could create the toughest material in the universe. Crush it, bash it, burn it, or hit it against the most destructive of walls, and it would still stand whole without a single dent on the surface.


    It could also be the very thing which breaks a pipe into half, bending it into an ugly shape and rendering it useless for its entire life, only for it to be disposed and never seen again.


    For the Sansei, pressure could be the very blades hidden within the treaded sand. One wrong step, and it could mangle your foot, rendering you disabled for your entire life. You might as well consider yourself dead, as you''re unable to do anything to fix it. With the right mind and instincts, however, the blades shrouded in the dunes could be picked up and used as formidable, versatile tools of survival, from being a instrument to retrieve resources, or a deadly weapon which could take out any foolish opponent.


    The Sansei will always be burdened as vessels of three souls. You see, most Humans are born with two souls - Their mortal soul, and their Aberrancy, a second soul which gives its user inhuman abilities. Speculations vary wildly as to where these Aberrancies came from, though most believe that The Age of Spiritualism which occured many centuries ago, beginning after the death of Christ, unlocked the second souls which hid dormant in humans for a millenia.


    Sansei, however, are abnormalities. The ability to wield two Aberrancies was considered a curse throughout history, often associated with tyranny or abuse of power. Sansei were viewed as manipulative rulers who would use their destructive abilities to display their superiority and dominance over everyone else. As the contemporary era grew closer to sight, Sansei gradually became embodiments of leaders and guides. Many began to view them as wise in the ways of the multiverse. As humanity began to explore many different realms, often coming into contact with interrealm civilizations, people turn to Sansei for advice in progressing the human race.


    It is the very reliance entrusted upon them which causes them to either become the most sturdiest of diamonds, or the most damaged of pipes.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Diplomatic advice alone, however, would not help humanity in the long run. The Multiverse is a vast, unexplored frontier, obscuring many intruiging secrets, waiting for young and enthusiastic pioneers to be discovered. As the Multiverse is a massive place, encounters may vary. Some may be breathtaking, while others may be strangely familiar. But the ones humanity has to look out for are the secrets which could potentially serve as threats to humankind - hostile civilizations, interrealm terrorists, or eldritch entities which possess destructive power.


    The possibilities of humanity''s demise are endless, which is why the United Nations, alongside the Interrealm Coalition, created a peacekeeping organization primarily tasked with defending the Multiverse Realms from dark forces.


    They call them The Society of Mages.


    The idea of Mages stemmed from when Humans learned about the existence of Aberrancies. Abilties which they have gained from their second souls allowed greater self-defense. But after an Interrealm War with a hostile dimension known as the Netherrealm, the Interrealm Coalition had the idea of weaponizing Aberrancies to create soldiers. Thus, the Mage profession has been born, using Aberrancies to fight against interrealm threats.


    Each country had their own Society of Mages, responsible for defending the colonies of their home country throughout the realms of the Multiverse. These Societies meet each other through a massive pocket realm know as the Axis Mundi, where each Mage Society owns their own Mage City, their main headquarters for training and residence.


    In recent years, however, a new interrealm threat has been growing within Axis Mundi itself. Known asA.L.L, or the Aberrant Liberation League, it is a terrorist organization that has risen from the shadows of the Axis Mundian underworld, led by a mysterious figure simply known as ''N��men''. It is unknown how the movement started, or what real motivations are behind their actions. They just came into the light when they began launching attacks on many Japanese colonies all throughout the multiverse. The Japanese Society of Mages have thus been alerted regarding A.L.L ''s activities, and many speculate that A.L.L was a dark mage syndicate originating from the Japanese City of Mages. What interests many was how A.L.L specifically targets either Sansei or Aberrantless humans, kidnapping them for their own hidden agendas��


    Regardless of A.L.L''s intentions, the danger they pose to minority groups is staggeringly frightening. The world forced those who were different to hide in the shadows for their protection. A.L.L ushered society into a new age where being defenceless or too powerful was considered a weakness. Abnormalities which stick out in the crowd were...vulnerable.


    Everything would change, however, when a Sansei recruit has been accepted into the Japanese Society of Mages, changing the view of abnormalities forever...

 布人傀儡

    "Good Morning, Akagane-san. How may I help you?"


    A short, crimson-haired boy stood in front of the registrar''s office, inside the entrance building of the Japanese Interrealm Port. The boy was maybe 5''4 feet in height, looking like an absolute midget compared to the other tall teens falling in line and chatting with their friends. Unfortunately for him, none of his friends wanted to be a Mage, so he went to apply for the Mage Recruitment Examinations alone.


    Follow your dreams, right?


    "I''m applying for the Mage Recruitment Examinations.", Akagane said, nervously. The tall physiques of the other kids made it more nerve-wrecking for him, considering the fact that his thin physical body looks to be the least combat-ready out of all of these applicants. He ruffled his already messy crimson hair, conscious of the fact that his forehead was sweating.


    "Ahhh, I see now!", the registrar said. She was a nice-looking lady sporting jet black hair which has been tied into a nice ponytail. Her eyes flickered between Akagane and her hologram screen. "You''re Akagane Ousei, right? Let''s see here..."


    Ousei observed his profile picture on the computer screen through her rectangular, thin-framed glasses. She gently scrolled down, reading his data within seconds. It wasn''t until she reached the bottom of the screen when she looked up at Ousei''s face again.


    "You''re a regular applicant from Kousetsu Junior High, huh?", she said with a surprised tone. "Wow...not many pass the M.R.E from small schools like yours. Usually most passing examinees come from big, recognized academies with multiple branches even spanning different realms."


    "Actually...I have a scholarship..."


    The entire registration hall quickly became silent, despite him practically whispering the words from his mouth. Ousei quietly passed the scholarship certificate to the registrar, who got it from his hand and began to examine it with wide eyes. Whispers began to flow throughout the room, some with curious voices, while others had more malicious tones.


    "A kid like him has a scholarship? Unbelievable! Look at those stick arms!", one kid whispered.


    "You never know, man! He might be one of those kids who secretly hold some extremely deadly powers!"


    "He''s so short, too! What a cutie!"


    "Tsk! With a frail body like that, he wouldn''t even last the A.C.T!"


    "Uh...Sorry to interrupt, but what''s an A.C.T?", Ousei asked the registrar, who chuckled a little in response to his question.


    "Applicant Compatibility Test.", she explained. "It''s a pre-test to the Mage Recruitment Examination. It''s basically for testing if an applicant would be able to physically and mentally withstand the given obstacles in the M.R.E. If you fail, you won''t be eligible to continue, and you''ll be given the option to either re-register for next year, or revoke your scholarship."


    Ousei could feel his heart pounding quickly in fear. Re-...revoke my scholarship? What?! I-..No way!


    "Don''t worry! Judging from the scholarship verifications I just did, it seems like you''d pass the A.C.T! Don''t be too hard on yourself!", she cheered him up. "And you''re probably wondering how I was able to read your mind. Well, it''s my Aberrancy!"


    Thanks! I''m definitely not going to be beaten to some pulp using this information you''re giving me!


    "Even in your thoughts, you have sarcasm!", she chuckled cheerfully out loud. "Well then, just sign this applicant form and you''re eligible to enter the A.C.T in two weeks time!"


    She slipped a small piece of paper, containing examination terms and conditions, plus some information regarding the applicant. After he filled in the required information and signing his signature, he was free to go.


    ������


    "So how''s your application?", Ousei''s mother asked him as he approached the car. His father was inside, watching a Canadian Netflix show on his portable laptop. His younger sister was outside, chatting with his mother. "Did everything go well?"


    "Let''s just go home, please...", Ousei said, lazily treading his way towards their car. "I-...I need to practice more..."


    "Is everything alright, Onii-san?", his younger sister asked him with an enthusiastic, high-pitched voice. "You look tired!"


    Of course everything isn''t fine, you twat! My scholarship is on edge here!


    "How many hours till'' we get home?", Ousei asked. All three of them entered the car in the process.


    "We''ll probably be home by eleven.", his father replied. "In the meantime, how about we go eat at Mos Burger, then maybe some shopping in Tokyo Midtown, perhaps? I think you need to lay back a bit, Ousei. All you''ve been doing is practicing for the past few weeks!"


    "Yeah!", Ousei''s sister, Haru, chimed in. "Just start your training tomorrow!"


    "Fine...", Ousei croaked. Some change of scenery would be nice. "But starting tomorrow, leave me out of your vacation plans. I need to pass that A.C.T..."


    ������


    As expected of the summer season, Tokyo Midtown was crowded with shoppers.


    The garden area was filled with a sea of people on vacation. Shoppers shrouded themselves in shopping bags, while others flocked the nearest coffee shops and restaurants. A large fountain stood right in the center of the garden, while a glass canopy hung overneath. Recently, the canopy has been turned into a shallow aquarium area. Stingrays swam overneath the garden, casting shadows over the crowd.


    "You know, they''re building a public aquarium in the Japanese City of Mages.", his sister said, observing the wraithlike shadows of the flat stingrays. They both sat on a bench right beside the garden fountain. "Apparently it''ll serve as a training area for underwater combat."Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "Are there even any dimensions that are completely underwater?", Ousei asked. "As far as I can tell, Japan doesn''t have any colonies in Azurea, which is the only aquatic realm I could think of."


    "Well, South Korea does.", she replied. "I''m guessing the public aquarium is for joint operation training, since we have a close partnership with the South Korean Society of Mages."


    "I''m honestly having second thoughts in becoming a Mage.", he said, watching the people move about. "Am I doing the right thing?"


    "It''s your choice, really!", his sister said. "Nobody''s forcing you to become one! And besides, isn''t becoming a Mage your childhood dream?"


    "People change, Haru.", he said gloomily. "Back then, I liked the idea of exploring the wilds, and Aberrant Martial Arts was one of my hobbies. Now, I don''t even do anything athletic anymore."


    "Well, you could always return your application form to the registrar.", she said. "If you don''t like the idea of being a Mage anymore, maybe you should tell Mom...and Dad."


    "You know, just because your friends aren''t into the fact that you want to be a Mage doesn''t mean you should give up pursuing what you want.", she said. "You''re not stealing anyone''s dreams, Onii-san. They''re your own!"


    ...


    Is it really, though?


    For a Sansei like me?


    ������


    The class was sleepily silent.


    Math was the last subject of the day. Some of the students have already given up and dozed to sleep. Others were barely keeping their eyes peeled open. Trigonometry was definitely not something that would spark a student''s interest.


    "Now class, let us use this basic 30-60-90 triangle as an example for finding the inverse cosine. The figure has a hypothenus measuring one centimeter, so the adjacent leg would have a measure of the square root of three all over two. Can anyone tell me how to find the inverse cosine using the given values?"


    A tall boy with rough spiky mellow yellow hair raised his hand. He was the only one who paid attention to the teacher. Seeing no one else was volunteering, she decided to call on him.


    "Nunohito Kugutsu, what''s your answer?"


    The blonde haired boy stood up and answered her without any stutter in his voice. "To find the inverse cosine of the triangle, the formula would be arccos times adjacent leg over hypothenus equals theta. Replacing the variables, it would be arccos times the square root of three all over two divided by one equals theta."


    "Very good, now can anyone solve for the unknown angle value using the formula Nunohito-san has given?"


    Kugutsu sat down on his char, proceeding to take notes in his math notebook. Ousei peered over at his notes, spotting drawings of triangles and trigonometric function formulas.


    "Seriously, I''m beginning to think you''re a Sansei with those math skills.", Ousei whispered to Kugutsu. "Maybe you''re second Aberrancy would be quickly calculating numbers or something."


    "Honestly, a math-related Aberrancy would make my life so much easier.", he whispered back. "Fabrikinesis doesn''t exactly get you that far in trigonometry. It just...doesn''t suit me at all!"


    "Well, at least you''re not stuck with two useless Aberrancies like me.", Ousei said. "Seriously, blood manipulation and an Aberrancy for copying other Aberrancies isn''t...cool."


    After some minutes, the bell rang. Students greeted the teacher goodbye and began filing out of the classroom. Ousei and Kugutsu ran down the stairs, elbowing their way through the crowd of students, making their way towards the school track field to practice. There were some students over there, already engaged in practice duels in preparation for the upcoming Mage Scholarship Exams.


    "You really like the idea of becoming a Mage, do you?", Kugutsu asked Ousei as they laid their bags down by the bleachers and stood far apart from each other on the field, preparing for a practice duel. "Doesn''t it feel...scary?"


    "Not really.", Ousei said. "Once you get over the fact that you could potentially die on duty, the scariness factor tends to lessen."


    Kugutsu removed his neck tie from his bag, and wrapped it around his right forearm. Using his Aberrancy, he manipulated the necktie to be more sturdier in shape, forming a blade which extends from his wrists.


    "I dunno, man.", Kugutsu said, readying his stance. "My Aberrancy isn''t really fitted for combat. Really, how many ways of turning cloth into weapons could you think of?"


    "Good point.", Ousei agreed. Crimson red blood began forming hexagons on both of his forearms, solidifying arm guards. Blood gushed from his skin, solidifying into a red knife in his right hand. "I guess using your head a lot in real time battles could really put you in a disadvantage. Still, I''m going to Axis Mundi. I''m confident that all this training would pay off."


    They readied each other, weapons drawn at their opponent. Kugutsu''s necktie blade and Ousei''s crimson blood knife were pointed at each other.


    "Start whenever you want.", Ousei said.


    Kugutsu rushed towards Ousei, blade out front and focused on his target. Ousei backed away slightly, preparing to parry his attack.


    He jabbed the necktie blade, attempting to go for his head. Ousei was surprised, but managed to duck in time, as Kugutsu was way taller than him. He stabbed Kugutsu in the stomach, causing him to grunt in pain and frustration. After that, Ousei telekinetically pulled Kugutsu''s blood from his stab wound, causing him to stagger on the ground and scream in pain.


    Kugutsu looked at Ousei''s innocent face, blood dripping from his deep red stained lips. A hint of anger glinted in his eyes, competitively annoyed by the fact that he was getting beaten to a pulp by this Hemokinetic midget. "You''re getting way too good at this. Do you realize how brutal of a fighter you''ve become?"


    "Good.", Ousei replied. "That means there''s progress."


    Kugutsu kept slashing and jabbing his blade into Ousei. For every attack he launches, Ousei kept dodging, looking for an opening. But ever since Kugutsu has been pierced in the stomach by that blood knife of his, he has been keeping his defence up, restraining his attacks to prevent any openings.


    But Ousei knew him well. With every miss he unintentionally does, the more competitive he becomes, desperate to at least lay his blade on Ousei''s skin. He grew angrier and angrier with his every failure, every ounce of hope slowly fading away.


    "Damn it, Akagane! I can''t-...why-"


    "You''re not taking this seriously.", Ousei coldly announced, without regard of his effort. "You keep slashing and slashing, leaving an opening for me to counter your strikes. Haven''t you learned anything from your previous practices?"


    "What?! I-"


    Ousei slashed his knife at Kugutsu''s torso, leaving him confused and in pain. "You keep leaving yourself vulnerable to attacks. In a real battle, your opponent will always find a way to exploit you, using whatever tactics you could think of. It is your job to defend yourself from every possible attack you could think of. That brain of yours is meant for thinking, so use it!"


    "Akagane, I-...I need a break-"


    Ousei once again slashed him with his blood knife. "A break? There''s no time to peacefully think! How could you possibly become a Mage if you''re slow on your feet?!"


    "Akagane, please...please stop!"


    "This is why you''re weak!", Ousei teased, continuously throwing him around telekinetically like a ragdoll using his blood. "Too stupid to prioritize your life! You want a scholarship, right? Then train like your life depended on it!"


    "ENOUGH"


    Kugutsu has screamed at him at the top of his lungs. The dueling students around them stopped fighting, turning their heads as they recognized a voice of anger and jealousy. Ousei released him from his grasp.


    "YES, I WANT A SCHOLARSHIP! YES, I WANT TO BE A MAGE LIKE YOU! BUT CLEARLY, I LACK THE MENTAL PROWESS FOR IT, UNLIKE YOU! I''M NOT YOU, AKAGANE! I CAN''T TRAIN FOR A FEW DAYS AND BECOME AN EXPERT AT FIGHTING! I''M NOT A GENIUS LIKE YOU! I''M NOT AS TALENTED AS YOU ARE! I ENVY YOU! I''M TRYING MY BEST HERE! CAN''T YOU SEE THE EFFORT I''M TRYING TO EXERT? AND IF YOU CAN''T TAKE THE TIME TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT, THEN STOP TRAINING ME! YOU''RE CLEARLY A BETTER MAGE THAN I AM!"


    Kugutsu stormed off, coughing up blood while hastily walking through the grass and wiping his tears off his face. Ousei stood like a statue, his face without a flicker of life within. A single tear drop rolled down his face.


    What has he done?

 剣のワルツ

    It was late at night.


    Ousei laid motionless on his futon, staring at his wooden room ceiling up above. It curved inward, into a dent consisting of one straight horizontal line at the center, depending on what direction your body was facing. That was because his room was in the attic, the highest room in his family''s house.


    It was relatively small, since it was previously a walk-in closet that has been renovated. His clothes were neatly stacked inside a tall drawer stand right beside the door. A thin black PC monitor stood on a rectangular box-like table, low to the floor as he prefers to use a pillow as his seat rather than a chair. Beside the monitor, there were some book collections - Some unfinished Shounen manga, and a few books about the Multiverse.


    Ousei decided to crawl towards his monitor, and power it on. He waited for the Toshiba logo to appear on screen, indicating that he had logged in. Many of his computer files were dedicated to all sorts of Mage practice - Aberrancy Compatibility, Multiverse History, Military treatises regarding terrorism, war, and other violent events. His particular favourite was The Art of War by Sun Tzu, an ancient Chinese general who wrote one of the oldest military texts in history. It has everything necessary for Mage combat - strategy, principles, etc.


    He decided to take an online test, just to practice his knowledge. The M.R.E has two parts preceding the A.C.T - the Written Exam, and the Practical Exam. The Written Exam was then divided into two more components, consisting of Mage History and Mage Combat.


    He decided to take a general practice test consisting of both test components, mixing it together to further test if his knowledge was sustainable enough to pass the test. He waited for the first question to pop up, observing the blue dots circle around in a dark grey screen. After a few minutes, the first question appeared.


    1. A Pyrokinetic Mage has been left behind by his teammates, allowing his opponent to catch up to him. His opponent has an Aberrancy which allows him to completely cover himself with bulletproof iron growing on his skin, forming an effective armor. Assuming that he was cornered, determine the best way for the Mage to either escape or take out his opponent.


    a) Shoot short, controlled bursts of flames at his opponent.


    b) Keep his opponent at bay by wildly thrashing flames in front of him, allowing him to escape.


    c) Engage the opponent with a melee weapon made out of extremely high pressure flame, and hope for the best.


    d) Project a long, steady stream of fire at his opponent, until his opponent falls unconscious or dead.


    That''s an easy one. Controlled flame bursts could easily be dodged. Thrashing flames isn''t a good option of escape if the Mage was cornered. The melee weapon would be an extremely stupid idea since his opponent would probably use his iron skin Aberrancy to beat the shit out of him. But since his opponent has skin made out of metal, which is a good heat conductor, a steady flamethrower stream would probably hurt like hell for him. So the correct answer is D, as this would make his opponent lose focus as he suffers in immense pain.


    He clicked on option D, which was correct. The practice test kept going on like that. From history questions regarding the start of the Society of Mages to more practical questions like the first one. He did make a few mistakes here and there, but overall, he did exceptionally well. As long as he understood the history of Mages and used logic for the more practical questions, he was fine...


    He just hoped everything he prepared for was worth it.


    ������


    THUD!


    THUD!


    THUD!


    Crimson red spines viciously implanted themselves into the tree bark.


    Training was exceptionally exhausting today for some reason. Maybe it was because of the scorching heat of the summer sun, or maybe it was because of the fact that nothing seemed in place anymore. Ousei has lost all motivation to do anything. At this point, the only reason he''s training was to make his parents happy about the fact that he was on his way to achieve his dream.


    A dream that he has lost enthusiasm for.


    He continued to launch spines at the tree, sweat dripping down his blank, bleach-white face. His red and blue sports shirt felt moist against his back, while his royal blue shorts swayed with him. His dark brown eyes glinted with the sun, intensifying his fiery frustration at himself.


    More and more blood spines impaled themselves on the tree, like a rain of bullets being drilled into a human target. Everything that has happened between them was his fault. His overly arrogant insults and criticism was enough to push his only best friend away from him, terrifying him to the point of keeping his distance away.


    His shitty personality was what caused all of this.


    Somewhere deep inside his mind, his own conscience was ferociously screaming at him to give up. He was undeserving of such ambition. He was no better than the school bullies who constantly taunted him for his short physique, weak body, and unattractive appearance. He was blinded by his own false superiority to see the fact that his friend, a boy of many talents, was trying so hard to achieve something he could have reached with ease.


    The immense guilt and shame he experienced right now was enough to make him want to disappear from existence.


    "Ousei, time for lunch!", his father called out to him.


    "Coming!", Ousei responded, snapping out of his stream of anxious thoughts. "I just need a minute."


    Ousei crouched down on the grass, head down on the ground, contemplating about his current state. Three days from now, the A.C.T would begin. It would be that very moment which dictates the fate of his scholarship. No matter how much knowledge he possesses, it''s his physical body which it matters. That moment would either be his turning point of becoming a Mage, or an event of immense embarassment and failure.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    To risk such humilitation for something he loves, he has some balls of steel to do something as stupid as that.


    ������


    Another night is passing.


    The day of A.C.T grows closer and closer to the present. It''s literally tomorrow, and Ousei is internally sweating and panicking. He has thrown all sorts of projectiles, slashed all sorts of weapons, and has cut himself numerous times to increase pain tolerance. Something within is telling him that what he was doing wasn''t enough. He sees no progress, no improvements whatsoever. Everything seemed...the same.


    It was 7:00 pm on a friday night. His family was outside, watching him train in their yard. His father was leaning against a wall, arms crossed.


    "You know, you keep using that Blood Aberrancy. You''ve already mastered it at this point."


    "What...what do you mean?", Ousei said, panting. "I don''t see any improvement since my training started about two weeks ago."


    "No improvements?", his father repeated. "Son, you''ve already managed to slice that tree bark into confetti! That''s huge progress compared to last time!"


    Ousei looked at the tree he was practicing in. Sure enough, the trunk was already skin naked, and multiple deep cuts were submerged into its body. Compared to last time where every blood shard projectile he launched at the tree just harmlessly bounced off its trunk, he was now doing actual damage, enough to severely injure an opponent.


    "Son", his father continued. "When everything you do seems terrible, that''s a sign of improvement. Most of the time, your tastes grow with your skills. Sometimes, however, your tastes would slightly outgrow your rate of improvement, which is definitely frustrating at first. But if you stop looking at others and only focus on yourself, you''d see how much you''ve changed since then."


    Ousei looked at his father. "But...I just-...It just doesn''t seem like enough!"


    "Well, of course it seems like that at first.", his father said. "But your true colors would surface once your life depends on it. Don''t look down on yourself! You''ll be surprised how far you''ve come!"


    Seeing as Ousei still looks unconvinced, his father decided to do something to prove his advice. "Say, how about we do a practice duel, so you could really see what I''m talking about?"


    "I-...", Ousei started. The last duel he had ended with a disaster...


    "Come on!", his father ushered him. He stood distanced away from Ousei, though it was close enough for him to lunge blood projectiles at. "Fight me"


    Ousei was hesitant at first. The idea of severely injuring his father seemed horrifying. What if he accidentally renders him disabled? Or..worse...


    "I''m not sure about this...", Ousei started, clearly at unease. "Can''t we just-"


    A throwing knife came out of nowhere and narrowly missed him. Ousei was quick enough to dodge by stepping at the side, albeit with a startled look. He rushed to grab the knife, pulled it from a tree bark, and threw it back at his father with lightning speed, in which his father blocked it with a metal shield that had grown from his forearms. It drilled into the iron surface with a loud BANG!


    "See?", his father said. "Not bad! You could practically kill someone with those reflexes of yours!"


    "Otou-san, let''s not-"


    His father rushed at him with his metal shield, and a katana which was forming in his hand. Ousei panicked at the sight, frantically thinking of ways to stop him. He ended up launching shards made out of hardened blood at his father, which was a stupid decision considering he had a shield.


    BANG!


    BANG!


    BANG!


    All those projectiles implanted themselves on the iron surface with immense force, one of which almost passing through. He then moved out of the way, and grabbed his father in the leg using a long whip made out of his crimson blood, which he tugged with brute force, causing his father to fall on his back and drop his sword.


    "Sweet moves!", his father complemented him. Ousei reddened silently with flatter.


    "Bet you never anticipated this, though!"


    "Huh?"


    SPLAT!


    A small object has hit itself on his stomach. The pain was...oddly rough. It wasn''t excruciating, but it felt more like a deep punch to the gut.


    It wasn''t until he looked down and saw that a metal kunai blade had pierced his lower abdomen. Blood spilled on the floor, while he gagged in horror.


    "Otou-san, what the-.."


    "Ousei, in a real battle, there''s no restrictions on what your opponent could do to you.", his father said, standing up. "They could do worse things than stabbing you with a kunai. They could amputate your limbs, suffocate you, or burn you to death. Once you become a Mage, you won''t be spared from the horrors of war!"


    Thanks, Otou-san! Really motivating! I can''t wait to be decapitated!


    Ousei has seen enough movies to know that pulling a blade out of his stomach was absolutely NOT the way to go. He thought of methods on how to get rid of this thing. He thought of applying more pressure, but he wasn''t sure if that was safe. He needed to find a way to secure this thing in place.


    Then he thought of something - What if he blood clotted the wound?


    Using his Hemokinetic abilities, he solidified the blood around the knife wound, stopping it from spilling. That seemed to work for a while. Now all he needs to do is take out his father.


    His father was back on his feet again. He looked at his son''s wound, and an impressed smile curled on his face.


    "Wow! That''s actually pretty smart!"


    "yOu liTerAlly iMpaLed mE wiTh a kNifE wHat tHe hEll?!"


    "Like I said," his father continued. "Your enemies could do anything to you. Though you''re a bit far from prepared, you seemed to recover real quick! Keep at it, son!"


    Ousei looked at him in disbelief. He knew his dad was a bit on the wild side. But he never imagined he''d go to such lengths as to STAB his son.


    At this point, Ousei stopped protesting. He was pretty much convinced that this would only end when one of them gives up. He formed a medium-length sword made out of crimson red blood and held a defensive stance. He parried all his father''s attacks, clashing their weapons. He looked at his father with deep determination in his dark brown eyes. Both of their deep red hairs danced with the wind, as they also danced a waltz of swords on the green grass.


    His father has cornered him. Ousei''s back was against a tree bark, sweat dripping from his face. He tried to escape, but his father has blocked his left with the shield and his right with a katana. He was pinned.


    "In a situation like this, what would you do?", his father asked him, urging him to think on his feet.


    Ousei looked at his father dead in the eye, and noticed the blood shards he had launched at the tree trunk right across them. His lips slowly curved into a smile.


    "Reflect on what I did so far in the past five minutes."


    "Are you sure? There are other ways to re-"


    His right hand reached forward, underneath his opponent''s left side. He telekinetically pulled the shards towards them, and they launched right back at him, landing on his father''s back with lightning speed.


    He expected to hear some wound splats. However, all he heard were three loud noises of pierced metal.


    CLANG!


    CLANG!


    CLANG!


    "What the-..."


    His father released him, and he rushed behind to take a peak of his back.


    A small metal shield has grown on his back regions, blocking his projectiles. He has anticipated his next moves.


    "Welp, that''s enough practice for now!", his father said, melting the sword and shields. "Let''s do something about that knife wound, then go eat dinner!"


    "B-...Bu-..But how?!", Ousei stammered, blinking rapidly as he refused to believe his eyes.


    "You know, you and your mother have similar Aberrancies.", his father explained. "Back in highschool, we duelled each other like this in the school gym. It''s surprising how you and your mother used the same exact moves. Of course, you''re far more unpredictable, since your mom had to cut herself to make her Aberrancy work, unlike you who''s blood just painlessly passes through your skin."


    "Well then, clean yourself up!", his father added, heading back inside the house "And make sure to take a shower when you go inside!"


    Ousei was left, standing there on the grass, in the middle of the night. He looked at the house with a perplexed, dazed look. Everything seemed a hundred times more confusing. Otou-san and Ok��-san duelled back in highschool?


    One thing became clear, though: He has improved...way too much.