《Celestial Cycle》


 Prologue

    Gods, monsters, heroes, Atlantis, and all the other myths and legends that we tell ourselves are false and could never happen; what if I told you they were all, to some degree, real and living beings in the far past?


    ¡°Sir are you alright? That wound looks pretty bad. I should get you to a medic, maybe they can save your arm.¡±


    ¡°No worries my friend I have suffered much worse. Although could you do this old man a favor and listen to what I have to say. Oh, and you wouldn¡¯t happen to have some rum, would you?¡± The wounded man missing half his left arm said.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± You reach into your pack and pass the elderly man a bottle.


    ¡°Life once moved by moving continually forward with no redoing what had already happened and the law of cause and effect always held true. People are born, live their life, and then their spirits returned to the spirit world where they originated from.¡± The wounded man said with a sad smile, after taking a swig from the bottle, passing it back. ¡°I take it you have already figured out from how I was speaking that those things used to hold true but things have changed from how they used to be.¡±


    ¡°Sir, assuming, I believe you may I ask where you heard this from since it goes against what all the churches teach and what might have caused the change?¡±


    ¡°Relax my young friend, in time I will get there but first let me ask you a question. What is humanity and what does it mean to be a human? What out of the thousands of other species and beings that are currently and, in the past, have been in creation made us so special? Why does it seem like no matter how large or powerful they may be we slowly gain control over the very laws of nature?¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°I do not know I have never really given it much thought. I just know what the churches have taught that we have dominion over the planet.¡±


    Laughing with a sad expression ¡°In the many generations and cycles I have asked myself these very question time and time again but here at the very end I think I have finally figured it out. Humans are a balance of perfection and imperfection. Our souls come from perfection and should not exist within this physical realm for long and pull us towards that perfection again. Our bodies come from the earth and are imperfect and weak, keeping us from reaching that perfection. With every advance we make towards that perfection, we advance and improve but for each set back we adapt and stand back up. Learning how to move forward even after countless failures no matter how many times it takes. From generation to generation we pass the baton on of the challenge to reach perfection and potential that we cultivated. This balance of perfection and imperfection allows our perfect souls to slowly comprehend and bend these laws until maybe one day we can stand among the stars. But what is waiting for us when we near that perfection that could shake the very foundations of the imperfect existence.¡± The wounded man said all this gazing up towards the stars hand reaching out like he was reaching for something he had lost a long time ago. Then pulling his arm back and looking back ¡°Sorry for my rambling but it will serve some point down the road.¡±


    ¡°It is alright sir.¡± Is this man going crazy from blood loss? You wonder.


    ¡°For now, before whatever may befall us within the next several weeks or days, I wish to share my story so that way someone may know the full story that led the whole of humanity here. For the full story, we must start back in a place of gods and myths, Asgard, in the prime cycle or as I call it the Celestial Cycle.

 Chapter 1

    Sitting in the lotus with his eyes closed, a young man with long black hair and an unruly beard takes a deep breath as a red, blue, brown, green, and grey orb rotates around a smaller silver one. They rotate above his head causing his long black hair flows around as if the wind was blowing around him in the room. A rainbow-like fog can be seen swirling around him slowly being drawn to whichever orb that shared a color with it. A small silver fog slowly begins to show causing the other fogs to move out of the way and allow the silver fog to pass as if allowing royalty to pass. As the silver fog starts to be drawn to the silver orb, the orb starts to hum as the two connect but after just a few seconds the humming stops and suddenly a large explosion is expelled from the silver orb.


    ¡°Sir Aesir!¡±


    ¡°Dragis!¡±


    The young man was on the floor with clothes in disarray and several burn marks on them. A younger man with brown hair and a lab assistant grey clock shook him violently. The young man on the floor opened his eyes and looked around his lab beginning to laugh as he saw that it was a complete disaster.


    ¡°Are you ok? We heard what sounded like an explosion from outside.¡±


    Looking up he saw the other young man and behind him an older man dressed in military red of a city guard with darker almost black hair.


    ¡°Gurgy and Rensler I am fine just a slight bump on the head from a small experiment gone wrong,¡± Dragis said slightly embarrassed.


    ¡°I thought you were going to wait for me to return before starting the test,¡± Gurgy said as he reached down and grabbed Dragis¡¯s arm helping him up on his feet.


    Dragis laughed ¡°I did not start the initial test. I was doing my magic breathing trying to recover from last night¡¯s tests and the elemental slime for the test reacted to the excess concentration of ether fog causing it to combust.¡± Dragis says while standing up with the assistance of Gurgy, dusting off his white lab coat that had a silver trim showing he was a master of a lab.


    ¡°Sir you should have expected such a reaction from the concentrated either fog you create while in the gathering state. You are a ranked 7 magical core at the age of 20 that is considered outrageous even by the military branches much less your tecnomagic branch.


    Their world was one of both magic and technology with a society that was split between five branches; Military, Technomagic, Infrastructure, Government, and Citizens. Once you started training in magical or physical aspects, you started as an initiate then advance through the other eight ranks of internal, external, foundation, core, king, emperor, lord, and divine. Each of the ranks are divided into nine levels.


    ¡°O Rensler! You are just mad that I am more powerful than you.¡± Dragis says with a slight grin


    ¡°If I had the benefit of being born in the Aesir family I would have long ago passed you; even though you had almost perfect potential in magic and intellect you have only decent potential in the physical aspect. Sir¡± he said the sir in as sarcastic a tone as possible.


    ¡°Come on Rensler we used to all be best friends till those stupid tests. At least you got a high potential in the physical aspect the best I got was decent in intellect and if not for Dragis I would have probably been a mortal.¡± Gurgy said almost depressed.


    ¡°Guys, guys that were in the past and both of you have benefited from me joining the Odin branch so what if it is all because of me,¡± Dragis said in a grandiose fashion


    Suddenly three more men dressed in military red walked in with a confident sneer followed by a female that whose whole body seemed to give off an aura of superiority dressed in a white lab coat with golden trim signifying that she was an overseer.


    ¡°Mr. Aesir this is the third time this month that you have damaged your lab! You have cost us more this month than all the other labs combined!¡± she yelled with a smug face.


    With an innocent smile, Dragis spoke as if lecturing a child ¡°Mistress Hella how can we possibly advance our current limits without a few minor setbacks first. Also in all fairness, we have made probably twice what these setbacks have cost us with the fire and water stone I invented earlier in the year¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    She looked directly at Dragis with a look that could kill ¡°If it were not for that very stone that houses the ability to fuse those two opposing elements and you being a member of the Aesir family, you and your peons would have long ago been kicked out of here and if I had my way made mortal¡±


    Dragis¡¯s face darkened as he released his magical pressure making everyone who had just entered the room start to sweat, their faces turning pale, and causing his hair and lab coat to whip around ¡°Mistress how does one with such exterior beauty have such an ugly personality? You seem to forget something that goes beyond the stone and my family, something I gained on my own, I am also valued for my magical prowess and before you threaten to turn me and my friends mortal you may want to remember that outside of the older generation no one is on my level of power.¡±


    Hella¡¯s eyes open with fear and anger as Dragis places enough pressure on the guards ahead of her to cause them to kneel ¡°Mr. Aesir during the ancient times power may have made right but right is now determined by the rules and those rules follow what the majority say and you should also know I am working with the Dreakar family as the personal magictech. So, don¡¯t you, who is merely a branch bloodline member of the Aesir threaten me!¡±


    Dragis raised his voice ¡°Do you think someone who takes money from the labs for their own personal gain. Promotes people not on their contribution or value to the techno-magic branch but because they greased your hands or told to by your masters has a right to lecture me on rules and which ones I should follow? I have remained quiet because you allow me to work normally without much interruption and leave my lab funds alone but I tell you this if you push me too far I will make sure that the Aesir will know of every breach of protocol on your behalf!¡±


    The Aesir were one of the main starting families of Asgard and was the bloodline that the prime founders Odin, Thor, Loki, Hamdell, and Dwarfa were from. They currently control about a third of the Odin branch by bloodline and a good portion more by allies. The only other family that could come close was the Dreakar family who had about a quarter of the Odin branch.


    Dragis slowly stops emitting pressure allowing the guards to stand as Hella starts to back up towards the door to leave, her face pale but with a venomous look still on it. Before the door that they left through closes, she looks back and says ¡°Do not think this is over Mr.Aesir.¡±


    ¡°Sir are you sure you should have upset her so much?¡± Rensler said with fear on his face.


    ¡°Rensler you should know me well enough by now to know that any who threaten my friends I will not back down from no matter the consequences.¡±


    Rensler with a smile of gratitude ¡°Thank you, sir¡±


    Gurgy finally gaining his wits ¡°That bitch she thinks she can turn us into mortals she does not understand your abilities and overestimates her own!¡±


    ¡°Gurgy language!¡± A female voice rings out


    ¡°Sorry lady Deardrea Pious.¡± Gurgy says with a smile and a slight bashful look


    In walks a young blond whose beauty surpassed even Hella and was wearing a white bronze trimmed scientist lab coat who wore an upset look on her face. She was Deardrea Pious a member of the family responsible for the Church of Life and one of the larger families and one of the only ones that spanned to all the islands.


    ¡°Dragis what did you do this time?¡± She yells as she walked up standing face to face with him making him look down at her from her shorter height ¡°I heard the explosion from the storage area and saw Hella red-faced and ranting about you and how you need to be put in your place. Don¡¯t you know she could pull your silver stripe and take all our research and give it to the Dreakar family? You are unbelievable you can¡¯t just follow procedures just because¡­:¡± Dragis places his hand on her mouth interrupting her. She struggles for a second then shoots him a death glare as the other two in the room start to laugh.


    ¡°My fair lady it causes me great joy that such a beauty would be so worried over my wellbeing. I will be fine there are too many people who have placed their hopes in me to become an elder and to bring a new era to what we know of magic for such a small person to cause me pain. But if you wish to comfort me we could always go to my chambers and you could comfort me to your heart''s content.¡±


    She unleashes a blast of physical energy and kicks him in the shin making him let go and kneel grabbing his shin in pain. ¡°In your dreams you no good doctor.¡± She makes to leave then stops and turns looks back with a wicked grin placing her hand on her hip ¡°If you wish for me to ¡°comfort¡± you first you have to find a way to get my father to give his blessings for us to marry  and you know he doesn¡¯t like the mischievous you.¡± She then turns and leaves the room.


    ¡°Sir I feel that fireball may not even be within your magical skills to handle¡± Rensler jokes.


    ¡°Dragis you know her dad will never allow it right?¡± Gurgy says apologetically.


    ¡°You two can just leave my lab if you are just going to pour salt in a wound.¡± They proceed to leave patting Dragis on the back with a mix of pity and humor. ¡°I will have her one day,¡± Dragis says then releasing his full power with a quick set of hand signs a silver light emits from his body till it feels the room. As the light covers the room it begins to fix itself and return to a state before the explosion. ¡°If I could show this power to others no one would look down on me for being a member of a branch family of the Aesir, but till I know where it came from, how to make it stronger, and if it has any negative backlashes I must be careful.¡±


    If he had known what was coming he would have stopped using that magic then but he was a fool using forbidden magic and knowledge that was not meant for mortals.

 Chapter 2

    That night after signing out of his lab he worked his way to the old housing district bringing him near the grand crystal, which kept the island of Asgard floating in the air. He stops at a nearby bench looking at the crystal. He stares at the dark black crystal and contemplates what to do about Hella and the powers that had appeared in his body.


    ¡°Well if it is not the hot shot branch member Dragis!¡± A low voice yelled out.


    Closing his eyes and leaning his head back ¡°Devin you are just mad that I passed your magical power level in last year¡¯s family competition.¡±


    Suddenly a splash of water hits Dragis in the face. ¡°Cool down hot stuff you only beat me because you knew that strange method to combine different elements that should now be.¡±


    Sitting up opening his eyes as and shaking the water off his face and looks at Devin with a slight grin ¡°If you spent less time studying theory and more on actually practicing it you would have figured the trick out first.¡±


    ¡°Well we can¡¯t all be monsters in multiple aspects I am a few years older than you and yet you are at the same level as me.¡±


    With both of the men smiling ¡°Well at least we both make a powerful pair the powerhouse and the theory maker. Also, have to add my brother Layzrac into the list as he is not too far off from us in either.¡±


    ¡°Have you managed to fuse the wind and earth elements yet or they still rejecting each other?¡± Devin asked as he sat beside me with a serious face.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°I have yet to find a solution to fuse the fast and slow areas of the elements. I can begin the fusion but as the elemental laws fill the stone it tears itself apart.¡± Dragis said with a sigh as he looked into the large crystal.


    Devin leans back ¡°Do you really think that if we can fuse all of the elements we can make a space crystal like the grand ones that hold the mainlands above the lower world?¡±


    ¡°I believe so , or at least in theory, we know that it radiates all the different elements that allow us to use magic as well as make elemental stones¡± Dragis responds placing his chin in his hands.


    ¡°True but just the fusion of fire and water only worked because you were able to use the combination of the fog and smoke spells as a starting point and a base to hold it together that was hard enough on their own much less adding in the other three.¡±


    ¡°There is no choice with the power from the grand crystal getting less and less each year within the next one hundred to two hundred years the islands will fall,¡± Dragis says seriously as he looks at Devin.


    ¡°Well thankfully at our level we should have about that same amount of time to work on the problem,¡± Devin says as he stands up and smiles.


    ¡°How do you stay so calm when we are one of the few who knows this secret and has so much responsibility?¡± Dragis stands up asking him.


    Patting his shoulder Devin says ¡°We will figure it out just breathe and stay focused. I will see you later I have to go home to the wife at least one of us focuses on love some.¡± He smiles and walks off.


    ¡°You are not very funny¡± Dragis yells at him and turns and starts walking back to his housing district.


    Before he leaves the area he looks back one last time ¡°Who made these giant crystals and if they made them where did the knowledge they used to make it go?¡± he ask himself as he turns and walks out of the area.


    Again I say be careful the questions you ask and the knowledge you search for because if you look hard enough you will find an answer even if after you wish you had not.

 Chapter 3

    <h1>Chapter 3</h1>


    Dragis enters what used to be his family¡¯s branch district and moves towards the old main hall which he had changed into his personal house and lab. Stepping into the main hall, which is now a plain living quarter with just the basics and what else he needs to live. As he walks in he notices someone has left a letter in the mail portal. He summons the letter over to him.


    My Dear Dragis


    Why must you live in such lowly, rundown, and lonely a place? Ever since you showed your power at the last family gathering the rest of us were allowed to move into the main families¡¯ district where living conditions are much better and with the money, you have made and saved it is more than enough to get yourself a large house for you and Deardrea. Also, we were asked if you were going to join the joint operations with Olympus in eight months by the family head and we were not sure so would you please let us know so we may inform him.


    Love Mother and Father


    ¡°Sorry, mom but I am happy here where I can practice away from everyone and keep you safe from any possible backlash.¡± He says while laying the letter down.


    Dragis held out his hand causing his six orbs to reappear in his hand but were smaller than before.


    ¡°The elements of fire, water, earth, air, and metal revolved around the orb that represented time. Had it not been for me tapping into the memories of that magical lord all those years ago, would I have been able to fuse fire and water?¡± He asks himself with a slight smile as he starts walking down into his basement.


    The basement has a thin membrane of a soundproof and damage nullifying spell around the walls. There is nothing except for a small cushion in the middle of the room. Dragis sits on the cushion closing his eyes and taking a deep breath and then forms a simple hand sign. As the hand signs are made, the orbs appear at their full size above his head rotating around the small grey one. Breathing out a rainbow fog begins to form around him in the air and then begins to be drawn to the matching orb. As the fog enters the orbs they slowly begin to spin refining the fog into the orbs as new magical strength. After a time, a grey mist appears and heads towards the grey orb. After a few seconds of it being absorbed into the grey orb, the air begins to spark and rumble causing another large explosion causing the membrane to hum and shake just barely managing to keep the explosion from escaping and destroying the room.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Almost a whole two years have gone by and I have yet to increase my power of time by even a single level. Could it be that my magical or physical level is too low for me to contain the power? Maybe I should stop cultivating the grey orb all together and just focus on the other four; maybe if I enter the emperor domain I can progress the grey orb.¡± Dragis theorizes as he paces the room and strokes his chin.


    As he is contemplating the future paths he could take he senses the warning ward he had placed at the front of the district to alert him if someone enters the area. He quickly leaves the room heading back up to the main hall and sitting in a chair with a book pretending to read.


    After a few minutes a young man with short dark hair and very professional air to him walks in ¡°Brother when are you going to come to the main branch so mom can stop worrying all the time.¡±


    Dragis looks up with a smile ¡°Lyzrac you only want me to return home to our mother so she will leave you alone and you can focus on your market distract and the money it brings.¡±


    ¡°As I remember it is my money that allowed you to make that mighty fire and ice stone that you are so proud of,¡± Lyzrac responds with a slight grin


    ¡°Why bring up the past. So what I borrowed some of your money to show a fake investment to the heads of the head committee of the Loki branch you have more than made that plus a nice profit by now I am sure.¡±


    Lyzrac laughs dropping the professional front ¡°That I have but we really do worry about you all the way out here with no guards and all of our families¡¯ enemies looking for a chance to kill you.


    ¡°For each one, I fight my skills will grow faster and I will improve. Besides not too many can threaten me and if they can the main family would know who it was. By the way, I sense you made it into the first king level¡± Dragis says with a grin.


    ¡°Yes I have but when compared to a monster of cultivation like you even though I am faster than most of the people our generation my power will never be considered first class even if we both found that cave that kick-started our growth.¡± He says grumpily. ¡°Anyway I was just passing through to give you your share of the elemental stones and talk to you for mom.¡± He throws a bag full of stones to Dragis then quickly leaves.


    ¡°How happy would he be if he knew that if it were not for the extra cultivation speed the grey orb seems to give me he would have long left me in the dust in growth rate?¡± Dragis says with a slight frown and turning back to the basement.

 Chapter 4

    Dragis returned to work the next day expecting to deal with the fallout that was bound to come from the night before, expecting a representative from the Dreakar family to be waiting to reprimand him or to put on some airs to try and show their dominance. Yet as he opens his door to his lab he sees an older man in a grey robe with the Aesir crest on his shoulder sitting at his desk.


    ¡°Family Patriarch,¡± Dragis says with respect and then makes a slight bow.


    The Aesir family patriarch was an elder man in his three hundred who always keep a long beard and a royal look and was also one of the top five strengths in Asgard.


    ¡°So you do still know how to show respect to others. I was scared that your power had made you forget even that.¡± He says with a slight smile as he stands up.


    ¡°I will always show respect to those who show me respect. But everyone has a bottom line that once pressed they will retaliate.¡± Dragis replies as he straightens up.


    ¡°Where this is true every man should have his bottom line remember also each action has consequences that may outweigh your bottom line or possibly put others in danger even ones who were not involved.¡±


    ¡°So does that mean you are here to give me those consequences for my actions from yesterday or just lecture me?¡±


    ¡°In a sense. your superior wishes for you to pay some penalty or make a public apology but if you will accept a request from me I will put pressure on her to make the problem go away as if it never happened.¡±


    ¡°What is it you wish me to do patriarch?¡± Dragis askes


    ¡°Next year it will be time for the meeting of the four islands. For the occasion, at the end of the year, the city lord will host the generation tournament to find the top ten most powerful members of your generation.  Where people are not required to join the tournament. Since you are the strongest of the Aesir in your generation I would like you to fight for the first ranked spot in the tournament to return the honor we lost in the last generational tournament because of Shyun Drakar cutting off one of our strongest members connection to the grand crystal causing him to lose his ability to use magic.¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Dragis thinks back to when he was a kid watching that tournament when Shyun fought Grethor Aesir and through the use of his mental magic Shyun broke Grethors mind causing him to no longer be able to concentrate to cultivate magical powers.


    ¡°I will do as you ask patriarch and take revenge for our family member,¡± Dragis says with a slight smile.


    ¡°Good there is six more months till the tournament. Each family is allowed to enter at most thirty people to participate as a team. For most of the other members of your generation, there is little hope to win but we have five other family members who have great promise who we wish you to train in the next following months.¡±


    ¡°What about my brother, he is almost at my level will he not take part?¡±


    ¡°He will be taking all the others and trying to train them up to a much more respectable level. He may be almost your equal in strength but he is not as good with people as you and I am scared he may not know the limits of the others. Also, I am afraid of the cost of elemental stones that your brother would charge to train the other five.¡±


    Thinking about the points that the patriarch made Dragis agrees since his brother, who normally is calm, his anger is on a whole other level and does not stand people who do not meet his standards or people who always make excuses. ¡°Well this may be training for him as well but what is wrong with the other five¡± Dragis says with a laugh


    ¡°That is my very thought as well he is your equal in every way almost except for his understanding of people.¡± He says with a laugh ¡°And there is nothing wrong with them they just may be hard to handle. Since you have agreed to start next week after your work come to the main family training grounds to meet the Family Elder and the other five.¡±


    ¡°If the Elder of the Young is free then why have me do it?¡±


    ¡°You will see next week,¡± the patriarch says as he walks by me and out the door.


    ¡°Guess my time of peace and quiet will be done for a while,¡± Dragis say lowering his head slightly in defeat.

 Chapter 5

    After work ended for the week and the next week began Dragis changed into some battle robes after work and reported to the Aesir training fields as requested. Once he arrived an elder walked up to him with a serious look on his wizened face and dressed in the head trainer¡¯s robes.


    ¡°Good morning Junior Dragis! I do hope you have come here ready for quite a challenge when it comes to training these young lords.¡± The elder says with his head hanging low


    Dragis makes a confused look ¡°I am surprised you need my help Elder Josha with the years you have spent training the young I thought this would-be child¡¯s play for you.¡± he said with a questioning tone.


    ¡°I will be honest with you out of all the elders I am one of the weakest when it comes to magical power at a rank one magical emperor but I am the one who has the most knowledge of natural laws and magical cultivation methods. These two facts lead me to this very position of being the best option when training younglings who have yet to find their own path and being able to fight people slightly stronger than me. People at your level are beyond what I can easily train and these five youngsters have gotten to where I cannot keep them in line without openly threatening them and I cannot do that. They respect strength and since you have knowledge sufficient to train others and the extreme power for your age you should easily be able to gain their respect and keep these five in line.¡± He says slightly with his head held down and shoulders slumped.


    Dragis smiled with understanding and sympathy for the elder ¡°Then Senior I will trouble you to lead me to where these five are and to introduce me.¡±


    Elder Josha turns and starts to lead Dragis towards the very back of the training area. As they pass through the first area that has a small pavilion they see a small group of children sitting in front of an older man who is teaching magic theory to the children.


    ¡°Now we all know we are able to use magic thanks to drawing power from the excess energy from the grand crystals and that lesser crystals can hold certain types of energy for use in everyday things like cooking and transportation or in battle but can anyone here tell me how we humans use magic without the crystals?¡± The older man asked.


    Several of the kids raise their hands and the teacher points to a young red-haired boy near the front of the class.


    ¡°Yes Joshua.¡±


    ¡°With hand signs and channeling the magic through our meridians!¡± the young kid yelled out


    ¡°Correct we use hand signs to focus our minds and send certain elemental energy to follow a preset path through our bodies and the environment and the fusion of the energies create a spell. It is possible for one to memorize these paths and cast spells without them but one distraction and boom the spell goes off in your face.¡± The elderly man says with a slight wave of his arms making the children laugh for a bit.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you miss those younger days where you could just sit and listen and have no worries about what tomorrow may bring?¡± Elder Josha asked


    ¡°When I was young in my branch family there was no one who understood magic well enough to teach us let alone explain how we should train,¡± Dragis said with a sad smile


    ¡°Yes, I forget you and your brother both come from a branch family. It really is quite marvelous that one of the lowest branch families produced two people such as yourselves.¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°Had it not been for the family pulling together and buying us training scrolls we would have never had a start.¡±


    ¡°How on earth did the two of you get so strong from nothing but a scroll? your comprehension abilities must have been monstrous!¡±


    ¡°We had a lot of trial and error and a lot of patience and tenacity. O and luck, lots of luck.¡± Dragis says with a grin. He could not tell him they both found a cave that had been left by a magical lord or higher that had a water recording in it that taught the both of them a training method that trained all five of the elements hand in hand. Nor that I had found a grey orb that absorbed into me giving me a time bloodline magic.


    As they continue walking they finally come to the back of the training area where the private arenas rest.


    ¡°I have to warn you these five are very arrogant but their power at their age allows them to back it up.¡± Elder Josha warns Dragis


    ¡°No worries I am sure I can handle them and get them well prepared for the upcoming ranking event.¡±


    As Dragis walks in he sees four figures around his age sitting around one that looked a couple years younger than them just talking.


    ¡°Stand up and greet your new trainer!¡± Elder Josha tries to yell with authority


    The younger five do not even pay him attention and continue to talk as if no one was there.


    ¡°I do believe an elder of the family just told you to stand up,¡± Dragis says using magic to amplify the volume and make a slight show of power.


    This gets their attention causing them to look over at him with disdain and looks of superiority.


    ¡°Why it is the branch families pride and joy Dragis Aesir the mighty come to train us poor main family members.¡± The youngest one says with a voice thick with sarcasm.


    ¡°You may want to be careful he may use one of his FireIce spells and cheat to beat you like he did to gain the branch family some favor.¡± The only girl in the group remarks with a grin.


    ¡°What use are cheap tricks against true power. Had Aquila not been too young by two years to compete in the family meeting he would have beat all of the others.¡±  Said a large man with a scar on his face barely missing his left eye.


    Dragis makes a quick analysis of the others using traces of their aura of magic to gauge their magic and concluded that they were all magical kings ranging from level one for the female and the young man was level three and that the large one was probably more focused on physical training rather than magical.


    ¡°Well if that is how all of you feel how about we make a small bet?¡± Dragis ask with a confident grin.


    ¡°What kind of bet were you thinking branch man?¡± the one named Aquila askes


    ¡°How about we all spar if one of you can beat me I will leave and admit that the branch families are useless trash like you think but if I win then you must let me train you and listen to my orders for the duration of the tournament,¡± Dragis says as he crosses his arm


    ¡°So, you will take all five of us on in duels one by one by yourself?¡±


    ¡°That is the bet unless you five prodigies are too scared of a poor branch man? I won¡¯t even use my cheat spells as you call them¡± Dragis says with a mocking tone


    ¡°Us scared of a member of a branch family especially the one that brought the main branch shame in every competition for the past several generations!¡± The woman yelled


    ¡°You are a branch scum.¡± The larger man yelled


    Aquila just crosses his arm walks over ¡°You really think someone like you with magic power like ours can beat all five of us? Since all of us are in the same realm of power without your tricks this will be an easy won bet.¡±


    Aquila then walks back before Dragis can respond and sits behind the other four showing that he thought he would not even have to fight in this competition.


    ¡°Then elder I must trouble you to act as a judge for this sparring session.¡± Dragis glances at the elder with an apologetic smile.


    As he finished speaking the elder flew up to the judging platform activating the protective shield that kept people on the outside from being harmed as well as from being able to tell the exact spells being used.

 Chapter 6

    Dragis glances at the five with a faint smile ¡°So who is first?¡±


    The young woman dressed in a red robe with exposed arms walks forward first with a confident smile ¡°I will play with you first so you four men can just be lazy.¡± She says with a smile directed at Aquila turning so all her beauty was on display.


    ¡°I seem to be at a disadvantage my lady you know who I am but I have yet to catch your name if you would like to play with a man you should at least introduce yourself to them first.¡±


    Rage filled the ladies¡¯ eyes ¡°You branch scum you dare talk to me like that I am Thia Aesir granddaughter to the Financial Elder Razel. I am a rank one magical fire king.¡±


    Dragis laughs loudly holding his sides ¡°Fire magic for a hot-headed woman now that is a perfect combination.¡±


    Thia yells turning red with anger not noticing two of the men behind her start to laugh. Then she does a quick sigh and fires a fire dart out of her palm towards Dragis.


    ¡°Trying to use a quick dart to heat up another¡¯s passion; don¡¯t you know without time to build the true fire can never burn,¡± Dragis says with a laugh as he does a quick sign with his left hand and waves his hand upwards causing a heat wave that sends the fire dart up and into the protective shield. Then with his other hand, he makes a three-phase sign and then points his index finger down causing the air around him to distort with heat and areas at distance from him to grow cold.


    ¡°Fool, doing an ability that requires charging in the middle of a duel. Does he think someone will hold her and give him the time he needs? Once you start one of those spells you cannot even move or the charging will be lost.¡± Aquila says with a sneer of disgust.


    Thia screaming ¡°You want to see the true power of fire your dog!¡± While yelling she performs a double handed sign and held her hand in front of her forming a fireball yet as fast as it starts to form the fire was pulled out if it towards Dragis¡¯ heat wave and starts to circle around him.


    With a wicked smile ¡°While it is true I cannot charge my spell while moving but if I am fighting a fire mage any spells they do will be drawn to the fire adding to the power of my fire vacuum arrow and if you want to approach me in hand to hand combat the heat wall around me may not burn a fire mage it would almost certainly cause some minor discomfort.¡±


    Thia¡¯s eyes yet again filled with rage. ¡°You really think your spell can keep me away if I choose to attack you?!¡±


    She then does several signs in a row then throws her hands open causing ten fireballs to quickly form causing a spike in heat in her area. Just as the impressive sight appeared the fire and heat were yet again drawn towards the wall of fire being caught in the heat vacuum causing the spell to go out and the fire around Dragis to yet again grow in strength.


    With rage and a quick hand sign fire burst from Thia¡¯s feet sending her flying towards Dragis and a ball of fire forming around her hand flying into the heat wall trying to punch him. As the fire around her was drawn into my wall the heat wave sent her flying upwards and backward landing a few feet away with barely any of her clothes left but enough to cling to her and cover the important private parts.


    ¡°What was that you said about I could not keep you away.¡± Dragis laughed as he said, ¡°And look you experience the discomfort I mentioned and you are even more fit for the play you promised earlier.¡±


    ¡°You mongrel how dare you do this to me?¡± She raged holding what was little left of her clothes.


    ¡°I did nothing to you I even warned you about what would happen. You were the one who attacked now but now I am about to do something though.¡± As he spoke his eyes suddenly focused in on her. Dragis then raised his left hand and drew a portion of the heat and flame from the wall of flame around him to his hand causing a flaming bow to appear in his hand. Then raised the other hand to the bowstring drawing the remainder of the flame swords the bowstring causing a flaming arrow to appear. As Thia looked at Dragis and the flaming arrow she felt her body freeze with fear as a great pressure pushed down on her. Pulling the arrow back even more heat rushed into it from the surrounding area causing the flame to turn blue.


    Dragis let the arrow fly straight towards Thia. As it leaves the edge of the bow the flame from the bow get drawn into the arrow as well causing it to grow even larger. As the arrow passes through the air heat waves distort the air and burn anything it can as it flies on its path causing smoke to fill the area distorting everyone¡¯s vision. As they see the bright light from the arrow pass where Thia was and hit the side of the arenas barrier causing a loud explosion as it hit and sending waves of heat and flame along the protective wall till it dissipated and the heat equaled out in the arena. Fear filled the eyes of the people watching as waited for the smoke to clear so they could see the outcome.


    ¡°Is he trying to kill her?¡± The large man yelled standing up as he was about to jump into the arena.


    As he was about to jump in the smoke cleared enough for everyone to see Thia kneeling with eyes full of fear and a left shoulder that was fully exposed and the hair on that side singed and skin burned red. As they saw their friend was alive everyone but Aquila let out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°I hope you understand I could have killed you with that spell had I wanted to.¡± Dragis say in a serious tone and as the others looked at him they no longer saw the relaxed-looking man but someone that reminded them of a sword that had just been drawn and was ready for use.


    She looked up at Dragis with a mixture of fear and respect then lowered her head ¡°I admit my defeat you have a much deeper understanding of fire even if we are in the same realm of power I cannot beat you.¡±


    Dragis smiles at her appearing to become relaxed again ¡°Good you have some sense and can admit your wrongs that means you are not a bad person through and through just a spoiled one.¡± Dragis glances at the other four with a relaxed smile ¡°So, who is next?¡±


    A short man with spikey hair walks up and bows to Dragis in a very respectful manner a pleasant change from their behavior before.


    ¡°My name is Nepa Aesir and I am a water mage and though I am slightly stronger than Thia I admit that that fire arrow of yours would have easily ended my life had you hit me with it thusly I admit defeat.¡±


    Dragis nods his head with a slight smile thinking ¡°This one is probably the humblest of the lot his ability to move with the flow will make it easy for him to grasp many a water spell.¡±


    Nepa then straightens up and walks to Thia lending her a hand and helping her up. The pair then moves to the observation area behind Dragis and sit down showing that they had both acknowledged Dragis¡¯ strength and were willing to follow him.


    ¡°You traitors!¡± The larger man yelled at the two who had just walked behind Dragis with a face filled rage and confusion ¡°How could you betray the young master that easily!¡±


    ¡°Maxum calm down! You felt the power that came off that flame arrow it is only natural for the weaker to recognize the stronger at their level it could have easily killed them.¡± The tall skinny man beside Maxum said calmly.


    ¡°Icor you would not be thinking of changing sides now as well?¡± Aquila said from behind the other two his voice as cold as ice and a slight murderous aura coming off him.


    ¡°No! my young lord it is just that I know I would lose horribly if I was to face him in a duel but I will not acknowledge him unless he beats you,¡± Icor said bowing fear showing clearly on his faceThe narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°You are just a coward I cannot believe that the Punishment Elder gave birth to such a spineless person!¡± Maxum yelled at Icor


    ¡°If you are going to call another a coward then why don¡¯t you step up and face me?¡± Dragis asked with an indifferent tone.


    ¡°Fine if you think you can take me on then I will gladly help you to your death bed!¡± Maxum yelled as he jumped out onto the battle area landing and causing dirt to fly up. ¡°I am Maxum son of Druthor the Guardian Elder, and I am a rank 3 earth king!¡±


    ¡°O! Just like the hot-headed girl having fire magic a large block head has earth magic is all of you perfect matches for your magic?¡± Dragis asks while holding his sides and laughing.


    ¡°You little piece of branch family trash you dare make fun of us and insult even or magic?¡± Maxum asked in a rage.


    ¡°Calm down Maxum he is trying to rile you up to cause you to make a mistake!¡± Aquila yelled from the back voice still cold as if he cared little for his companion.


    Maxum closes his eyes and breathes causing his body to relax and the rage to leave his face ¡°What a vile trick from a vile person.¡± He says with disdain feeling his voice.


    ¡°Aww, no fun the owner calmed his poor dog down,¡± Dragis say with a frown but slight anger in his eyes as he looks at Aquila.


    Maxum eyes flash open rage feeling his face again as he does a quick two-handed sign and forms a war-hammer made from rock and starts a full run charge.


    ¡°I should have called you a bull instead of a dog,¡± Dragis says as he does two one-handed signs that form a sword and shield from rock and sidestepping the hammer.


    ¡°Wait he can use earth as well as fire and water?¡± Thia says with disbelief from behind me.


    Maxum quickly tries to change the direction of his hammer but before he can Dragis uses his shield to hit Maxum¡¯s back knocking him off balance and causing him to fall face first.


    ¡°The rock headed man meets the ground. Right where a rock should be.¡± Dragis says with a mocking laugh.


    Maxum pushes himself up causing him to completely leave the ground as rage filling his eyes.


    ¡°You branch mongrel dare to mock and perform such tricks on me?!¡±


    Maxum performs a quick chain of hand signs with his full power to create stone armor that glitters as if a few diamonds are in key spots on it and a halberd with a similar glitter on the point of it. He then causes spikes to form out of his armor and float around him.


    ¡°This is my strongest chain of spells that I can currently use. I will enjoy seeing it cripple you if not kill you!¡± Maxum yells with a sense of pride and confidence.


    He then points a finger towards Dragis causing the spikes to shoot towards Dragis. As the spikes start to rapidly fly towards Dragis he does a few quick hand signs and kneels placing a stone wall spell on the ground forming a wall in front of him blocking all the spikes.


    ¡°This is why I hate earth magicians sometimes, they are all brute force, and no thought goes into it just smash and bash.¡± Dragis thinks to himself then yells out ¡°Enough.¡±


    Before the echo from the yell even fades Dragis performs a quick hand sign with his hand still on the ground then another quick set of signs with the other hand and then places it on the ground as well. Maxum suddenly feels himself sinking as the stone beneath him becomes quicksand sinking up to his ankles before he can even act. As he struggles to try and get out he sinks even faster till he is up to his knees in the sand.


    ¡°He changed the stone to sand then added a water spell into the mix to make quicksand all within seconds¡± Elder Josha praised from the judge stand Then rubs his beard as he contemplates ¡°Has he found a way to fuse earth and water just like he did fire and water?¡±


    ¡°Stop these vile tricks and face me like a man!¡± Maxum yells while he struggles trying to break out of the quicksand causing him to sink about to his waist.


    Dragis stands up allowing the stone wall to sink back into the ground and then performs a simple hand sign turning the sand back to stone ¡°Tricks? This is a magic battle and in a magic battle, all that matters are immobilizing the opponent to where they cannot fight back. I could have killed you by making the quicksand much deeper or add spikes to stick through you beneath the sand.¡±


    All the blood left Maxum¡¯s face as he realizes how helpless he currently really was. ¡°Fine, I surrender you win.¡± He said as he lowered his head


    Doing a few quick hand signs Dragis again changes the stone to sand and then sends the sand up to press Maxum back up and on his feet before it turns back to stone.


    ¡°Remember it is not a dishonor to lose if you gain something from it that helps you in the future. Also, every magic has its strengths and where yes earth magic is known for its upfront and brutish ways does not mean a smart person can¡¯t use it in other ways. People have long since quit using their imagination when using their magic and just trained in ways people of the past used their magic. As much as people put faith in magic power alone the use of magic laws and how to manipulate them are just important and if all of you can learn that it will help you down the road.¡±


    As Dragis spoke these words floated within the minds of Maxum, Thia, Nepa, and Icor making them think and their eyes to fill with admiration. As Dragis spoke words that normally only the weak would speak since the pursuit of magic power and understanding laws many did not think was worth the split of time. For knowledge in magical laws would allow for one to beat even possibly easily conquer even people one or two levels above them but each law you comprehended increased the difficulty in going from one realm of power to the other especially to the Lord rank.


    ¡°Though many believe the increase of understanding makes it more difficult to increase from one realm to the other I say it is more for every law you start a path on but do not complete causes an anchor to hold you back when trying to go to the next realm,¡± Dragis says as he places both his hands behind him as if teaching a class.


    The four that had all been defeated or surrendered knelt to Dragis in respect.


    ¡°Senior Dragis would you please take me as a disciple?¡±


    ¡°Please teach me more senior Dragis.¡±


    ¡°I will follow you if you will have me senior Dragis.¡±


    All three of the male disciples said in unison


    ¡°My senior Dragis I, Thia, will do anything you wish as long as you will take me as your disciple,¡± Thia said as she respectfully bowed.


    These four showed that no matter the time or place, strength, and knowledge would gain respect.


    ¡°You four honor me with your words but I still have one more to beat before the bet is done. Once I beat Aquila there will be time to talk about these things and more so, for now, please stand.¡± Dragis says with a smile and understanding that at least these four could have a chance to become true powerhouses in the future.


    The four all look at each other than with a smile they stood up and gathered in Dragis¡¯ side of the arena.


    With a slight grin, Dragis looks at Aquila ¡°So young lord shall we continue with our bet or will you just surrender now? If you give up now I will not hold it against you,¡± I say with sarcasm.


    ¡°You beat four minor characters and think you can beat me. I give you that you know more about the laws than most in our generation but your power and skills are not more powerful than I and I do have many tricks that the others do not.¡± A wicked grin flashed on Aquila¡¯s face with a mixture of anger and pride.


    The other four stare at each other as an angry look shows on their faces as they realize the place they had in their young lord''s heart.


    Dragis lowers his head ¡°So you are the type to use people and throw them away even if they consider you their friend.¡± As I speak these words I partially lose control of my magical power causing the wind to kick up and blow my hair around and start to cause the dirt to kick up.


    ¡°That Aquila does not understand how much troubles he has just caused for himself. The ones born and raised in the main family do not understand what it is like to have their treasures at constant risk of being taken from them or to be used by other people. The main family has long suppressed the branch families due to the fact that many see them as embarrassment while others see the few strong ones as a threat.¡± Elder Josha said as he stroked his beard. ¡°I hope Dragis will be able to calm himself and not do something he should not.¡±


    After a few seconds, Dragis takes a deep breath to calm down and regain control over his anger. The wind starts to calm down as Dragis opens his eyes and smiles. ¡°What a great and brave young lord we have here. He has definitely learned how to use people and throw them away after they no longer serve a purpose. The main family must be so proud that you have learned so much from your elders, but if you ask me you are nothing but a spoiled rotten child in need of a lesson.¡±


    As the last sentence was spoken the four that had already been defeated stared at Dragis with shock as Aquila¡¯s face was turned red from anger.


    ¡°Your words will be the death of you branch family scum!¡± As he said these words a light flashed from Aquila¡¯s eyes and shot toward''s Dragis almost faster than the others could see. As the light entered Dragis¡¯s eyes he stumbled back holding his head.


    ¡°What was that just now?¡±


    ¡°Why the great scholar Dragis does not know a spirit cage spell?¡± Aquila asked contempt and joy written on his face.


    In a split second, Dragis made a gesture to summon a rock dome around him to protect him from whatever may come next.

 Chapter 7

    ¡°Dragis! Are you awake?¡±


    Dragis puts his hand to his head and opens eyes as he does he sees blue skies above him.


    ¡°What happened to my rock dome?¡±


    ¡°Dragis you said you would take me to the woods to play no time to sleep¡±


    Dragis looks over and sees a young child


    ¡°Lyzrac what happened to you? You look like you did when you were a child.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean when? I am five and I have been for months. Now get up and let¡¯s go to the woods where the ruins are," Lyzrac says as he grabs Dragis¡¯s hand and starts pulling.


    Dragis stood up with his little brother pulling him up and looked around. In the distance, he could see the old branch family compound but instead of being empty he could see people moving around and doing chores.


    ¡°What is going on here? Let''s see the last thing I remember is Aquila¡¯s spell entering my...wait what was it called again spirit cage or something like that.¡± As his mind wandered he followed his brother.


    As Lyzrac walked down the path he started snapping his fingers causing sparks to come off of them as if he was hitting flint together.


    ¡°Brother when will my fire magic fully manifest?¡± Lyzrac asked with a slight bit of disappointment on his face.


    ¡°The average age when the starting phase like your sparks is about the age of five while full awakening is around the age of eight,¡± Dragis said without thinking as if he was teaching a lecture.


    ¡°Then why has your magic not awakened? You are nine so you should be able to summon your element right?¡±


    As the question hit Dragis he panicked and tried to summon his elements but all he could pull out was a black void, the sign of no element.


    ¡°Wait if I have no element then this is before we found the cave! So this must be a memory of that day but why? Spirit cage must be a spell that locks a soul in a very strong memory to paralyze the body. Even if I know this the question is how to escape? Do I try to use will power to break free or follow it to the end of the memory? I got a rock dome around me and the elder will not let them kill me so no need to hurry.¡±


    ¡°Brother, why did you stop?¡± Lyzrac asked with clear annoyance in his voice.


    Dragis had stopped and was stroking his chin as he thought.


    ¡°I am sorry. You lead the way.¡± Dragis said with a large smile on his face ¡°I might as well tag along. It has been a while since I have spent time with my brother anyway.¡±


    The pair followed the trail with Lyzrac stopping to try and catch random bugs or animals that Dragis said were safe to go after. This pattern continued for several minutes until Lyzrac took a turn and suddenly fail through the ground. As Lyzric left Dragis¡¯s sight Dragis ran to the edge of the hole. As he looked he saw a smooth slanted surface.


    ¡°So it begins this is the entrance to the tomb.¡± Dragis thought and then yelled down ¡°Hey are you alright down there.¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Light could barely be seen as Lyzrac tried to start a fire with his sparkes. ¡°I am fine but I can not climb up. I am scared it is dark down here.¡±


    ¡°Step away from the entrance I will be right down,¡± Dragis yelled down and then jumped down into the tomb''s entrance.


    After a few seconds, the slant of the drop straightened out till Dragis slid to a stop as the land becomes level.


    ¡°Brother I am scared I can barely see past the entrance,¡± Lyzrac said as Dragis stood up and patted the dirt off of himself


    ¡°Use your flame magic to make a little light. It should not take too much magic power or concentration.¡±


    ¡°if you say so,¡± Lyzrac said with doubt but still placed his hands together then separated to make a circle. He closed his eyes and focused on strain showing on his face. After a few seconds, a small flame appeared within the circle and lighting the surrounding area. Dragis looked to the left and saw an old torch.


    ¡°Here is hoping this old thing works¡±


    He quickly grabbed the torch and placed the head to the small flame. Just as Lyzrac magi gave out the torch lit.


    ¡°See even with your partially manifested flame you can light a torch. One day your flame will be more powerful than uncles.¡±


    Lyzrac even with his pale face grinned at the encouragement,


    ¡°Then we can move to the main house right?¡± Hope was clear in his eyes


    ¡°Yea, maybe one-day¡±Dragis laughed while patting his younger brother on the head. ¡° Now let us see if we can find an exit. From here there only seems to be one path to take. Stay close behind me¡± Dragis begins to walk forward with Lyzrac close behind him.


    As they walked down the hallway they could see that nothing around them had survived the march of time. Even what was clearly magical infused metal had lost its luster.


    ¡°According to teacher magical metal keeps its power for at least 500 years at its weakest,¡± Lyzrac said curiosity winning over from his fear.


    ¡°Do not get too close to any of it we do not know if any of it has had its magic cross this critical line. If the runes engrained in the metal have been damaged the slightest jar could cause it to blow.¡± Dragis says grabbing Lyzrac¡¯s had to make sure he stayed close


    ¡°Come on it can not have to much power with how little energy it gives off.¡± Lyzrac starts to fight Dragis grip on him


    ¡°That may be true but still enough to at least take a hand if you were to close.¡±  Dragis stops looking back and tightening his grip.


    ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t touch it,¡± Lyzrac says hanging his head in defeat.


    After the exchange, they walked in silence for a few minutes.


    ¡°I forgot how old this place looked and how much danger we were really in. Had we landed wrong or hit a decayed rune we could have been goners.¡± As Dragis finished this thought they took a turn and saw an old door that had somehow kept its appearance of majesty.


    ¡°Whatever magic they used on this door must have been insanely strong,¡± Lyzrac said with his eyes and mouth open in awe.


    Dragis steps up and places his hand on the door. Allowing things to play out like they did years ago. As his hand touched the door a loud voice sounded causing him to jump back and press his brother behind him.


    ¡°Who are you two young rats to disturb this one¡¯s resting place? Do you not know who I am?¡±


    Both kids cowered from the voice and held each other. Dragis meekly cries out. ¡°No your grace. this is an unmarked tomb that we accidentally fell in.¡± Lyzrac barries his head into Dragis back.


    ¡°Unmarked! Accident! This should have been the grandest grave on all of the islands! Wait, How long ago was the rule of Old man Odin?¡±


    ¡°Odin has been dead for several thousand years now. Even the magic stones he left behind are losing power.¡±


    ¡°Thousands of years? Then I guess it is possible for this tomb to be lost.¡± After this line, the voice went silent for several minutes causing the pressure on the kids to drop.


    ¡°Listen when I say go take off running the way we came. Maybe we can find another way out.¡±


    ¡°Will he did not stop us?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea but at least we¡­.¡±


    Before he could finish the sentence a laugh came from the door.


    ¡°Well then if he is gone there is no reason for me to hide my legacy anymore. The magic placed on this area would have run out in a few more generations probably anyway so you kids are in luck. Even though this was meant for one I will split it into two.¡± As the last word faded the door flung open causing rays of light to engulf the kids.


    ¡°Brother! Help!¡± Were the last two words Dragis heard before his consciousness failed him

 Chapter 8

    All of a sudden Dragis opened his eyes but he was floating above his body. ¡°What is going on this is not part of my memory.¡± Dragis thought as the light separated the two boys.


    ¡°O! but is it not part of your memories? even when asleep the brain can still pick up noises and sense touch.¡±


    ¡°Who are you? Wait a more important question is how are you talking to me as if it is not a memory¡±


    ¡°I am a fragment that was left on your soul for you to find one day to better explain the powers you got.¡±


    ¡°You do know it has been over fifteen years since this happened right?¡±


    ¡°Well, then you were just slow then. Could you tell me what you know so far so I can save power and fill in the blanks?¡±


    ¡°Well when we woke up I lost all traces of magic for half a year then it returned and also manifested as all the elements in one go. A miracle most called it.¡±


    ¡°It took half a year to rewrite the part of your soul that sets your proficiencies. The fact that you can now use all elements was slightly beyond what I thought would happen but still a pleasant surprise. What else?¡±


    ¡°Lyzrac magic mutated fusing soul and flame creating a black flame that he calls The Underworld Flame.¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°This ability is exactly what was intended for him as well as boosting his maximum magic potential.¡±


    ¡°That you did he definitely beats me when it comes to magical endurance. His personality though became more calculating and colder as well as his anger became much more terrifying later in life.¡±


    ¡°It would seem masters personality was also transferred to him. That is a surprise.¡±


    ¡°Wait for masters? So you are not the one who gave us this power?¡±


    ¡°No no no. I am just a time sprite.¡±


    ¡°A what?¡±


    ¡°Think of me as a magic life form infused with time magic and since you inherited the time and death magic you inherited me as well.¡±


    ¡°Wait I got time AND death? I had noticed the time mana but not the death mana.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s because you have not died yet or almost dies at least.¡±


    Dragis eyes went wide. ¡°So I would have to put my life on the line to get that magic?¡±


    ¡°Why yes. All those with that magic have entered a near death state.¡±


    ¡°Well, I can mark that off my list of things to do.¡±


    ¡°But you need both death and life to control time.¡±


    ¡°SO that¡¯s why the time mana blows up when I try to train it. Also, anyone not in the Church of Life or the Church of Death are not allowed to use that magic and time magic is outlawed.¡±


    ¡°So Odin feared it that much? Well, I can tell you why¡­.Wait the spell that sent you to hear will be running out soon. Since we have met I will give you the next part of your inheritance. I will burn a location in your mind. IF you can find it you can gain great knowledge.  Also for your brother get him to train his soul flame and focus it into his eyes and he will gain his next inheritance of the soul sprite. Farewell, my new master.¡±


    ¡°Wait for your new¡­¡­..¡±

 Chapter 9

    Dragis opened his eyes to the pitch black area within the rock dome he had created. His body was in the exact stance from the casting of the spell


    ¡°How much time has passed while I was in that trace?¡± He thought to himself standing straight and walking to the edge of the dome stroking his chin. As he neared the edge he could hear the voices of those who were outside.


    ¡°Young lord Aquila! Was that a soul cage spell? You know that spell is forbidden to be cast on people during a sparring match.¡± The enraged voice of elder Josha sounded.


    ¡°I just overestimated him. If he was even as half as smart as all you elders seem to think he is then he would have been ready with a counter before it hit him.¡± Aquila retorted without a single trace of respect for his elder.


    ¡°This kid has truly been raised to think he is above everyone. Well, I guess with the rare spirit magic he was probably papered and given everything he wanted. The main branch probably was raising him as a counter to Lyzric.¡± Dragis started to fiddle with his beard as he thought. ¡°Actually maybe I should let him fight Lyzric to see what a true spiritual master could do. On second thought I do not want to scare him too bad so nevermind.¡± Dragis shivered as he thought of the outcome that would be from those two fightings.


    ¡°So what do you guys think of your so-called master now? What is he going to teach you from a soul lock?¡± Aquila gloated and laughed ¡°Now if you losers kneel and beg I will let you serve under me again.¡±


    ¡°Aquila does not go too far we are all from the main family. Also, even you will not get off without a scratch if you hurt Dragis. Even if the main branch will not do anything then Lyzrac will.¡± Thia pleaded with Aquila fear creeping into his voice.


    ¡°Yea even though you are a spirit mage as well he has those black flames of Hades!¡± Maxum said his voice just shy of yelling.


    ¡°What you two believe those rumors? So what if he has that hybrid flame he has only used it on someone once and no one except the prime elders got to see what it did. For all, we know they overstated its strength and he is all theatrics, just like Dragis so-called intelligence." Aquila stated then pointed to the elder who was remaining quiet, "See even Josha is not commenting because he knows it is true.¡±


    Dragis could feel the air go cold ¡°NOT GOOD!! This is not good if he is here. I have to find a way to lower the wall even with my low magic reserves.¡± He pounded on the wall sending earth magic into the dome trying to create a hole and yelling. Even with this effort sadly no one outside could hear him.


    ¡°Oh? So you managed to trick my lazy brother with a soul cage hmm?¡± A dark voice came from the entrance of the training area as a man dress clothes walk in.


    ¡°Sir Lyzrac please do not be mad at them. They are just kids.¡± elder Josha pleaded as he bowed


    ¡°Kids, you say? Since when do children know the soul cage that locks people in a loop of there strongest or worse memory?¡± Lyzrac said as he started to walk forward eyes looking at the children and a strange aura disrupting the air.


    ¡°Ha! Just because your branch trash cannot easily get that spell does not mean that I can not. I can learn any spirit magic I want¡± As Aquila said these words all of the other kids stepped away from him with shock on their face.


    ¡°Does this kid have a death wish?¡± Dragis could just shake his head at the stupidity.


    Lyzrac looked straight into Aquila¡¯s eyes and stopped walking. ¡°So you are the great brat I have heard about.¡± As he said these words black flame starts to lick at his feet. ¡°If you are so great then how about try my flame?¡± He brings his hand up causing a fireball to form as even his eyes turned black ¡°I will give you two choices. Either you release my brother and receive light punishment or I break your will turning you into a puppet and do it myself.¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Black tendrils start to reach out from the fireball almost as if it could since its creator''s fury and wanted to get at the source of that fury.


    ¡°HA! you like to appear as a daemon to¡­¡± Before Aquila could finish his sentence elder Josha moved as fast as possible to him covering his mouth.


    ¡°If you value your sanity shut your damn mouth.¡± Josha said to Aquila ¡°Now release your spell before this gets worse!¡±


    Aquila forced Josha hand away ¡°Who do you think you are! Anyway even if I wanted to I have not learned the release spell. Serves him right for underestimating me.¡± He crossed his arms lifting his head up.


    Suddenly the fireball went out and cold laughter filled the area.


    ¡°Please magic returns before I have to explain why my brother mentally crushed someone of the main branch!¡± Dragis pleaded as he constantly tried to cast a spell to reshape the dome ¡°Wait instead of the whole thing just an area will do!¡± He focused his little magic he had gathered on one area and then cast a push spell to open a hole.


    ¡°WAIT!! I got out of the spell myself!¡± Dragis yelled as soon as the small piece fell out causing everyone to look that way.


    Relief filled everyone''s face but Aquila¡¯s as if they had just escaped a demon.


    ¡°Maxum, please useyour magic to make me a door please and then reseal it behind me,¡± Lyzrac says with a slight smile as he walks towards the dome.


    Maxum mindlessly follows his instructions allowing Lyzrac to enter.


    ¡°Now bro it was an accident. Anyone could have made that mistake.¡± Dragis says backing away from the new door.


    ¡°O really brother? Maybe I should teach you the true fear of spirit magic so you will not be careless again.¡± Lyzrac said with a grin as he slowly walked forward.


    ¡°Have you two forgotten I am here! How did you break my spell you are a lowly branch dog!¡± Aquila yells towards the brothers.


    ¡°This one is the pure definition of stupid it is like no one ever taught him how to respect others or gave him a reason for self-preservation.¡± Lyzrac smile faded as he looked at Aquila


    ¡°Thank you for my scapegoat. I mean Aquila!¡± Dragis thought before walking outstanding by his brother. ¡°If you must know a soul cage is only effective when there is a large power difference or true hatred is filling it. Unlike the other types of magic, spirit spells are changed drastically by emotions. All it took for me to break your spell was to follow the memory to the end.¡±


    ¡°Why must you waste your time explaining to someone who will never understand?¡± Lyzrac asked annoyance clear on his face.


    ¡°True this one is rather slow. I know why don¡¯t you cast your Cage of Limbo on him so he can learn from experience.¡± Dragis grinned


    ¡°Why brother I have never heard you say a better idea,¡± Lyzrac said his smile returning and a black flame square forming ¡°I will give you five seconds to put up a defense. 1...2...3¡±


    ¡°Like I need to defend against you.¡± These were the last arrogant words Aquila spoke before the cube of black flame hit his chest and disappeared into him and his consciousness faded.


    ¡°What did you do to him?¡± Elder said as he raced forward to catch Aquila before he hit the ground ¡° If you do permanent harm to him none of us will escape without some sort of punishment from grand elder Gawain.¡±


    ¡°So what if he is Gawain¡¯s grandson! No one messes with my family without some sort of payment. I am not as kind as my brother to let slights slide. Every debt must be paid to be it good or bad.¡± Lyzric stated to the elder with black flames starting to admit from behind him causing the air to warp. ¡°Had my brother not broke out would he have been punished for killing him or would he have been let go because we are members of a mere branch family?¡±


    Elder Josha''s eyes filled with fear seeing the black flames grow and this young man¡¯s famous rage started to show. ¡°I meant no harm Lyzric. I just wanted to know what spell you cast on him.¡±


    Without the flames fading, Lyzric responded with spite clearly on his face. ¡°I cast the exact same spell he did just with the intent for him to live through his worse nightmare to get out.¡±


    Suddenly a great pressure fell on those in the arena, causing the weaker people to fall to their knees and Lyzric, Dragis, and Josha fighting to stay up, as the magical barrier around it was broken. As the outside scenery filled the area a man entered their vision.

 Chapter 10

    ¡°You two brothers must have gone crazy to think you can hurt members of my family without some consequence!¡± A large voice boomed from the man who just entered the arena


    Of course Grand elder Gawain would be near. Why not with my luck today I will be happy if it is just him. Dragis thought to himself as he looked up


    ¡°We have not harmed him Grand elder sir. It is just a minor soul cage that can be easily shaken off. I mean he hit me¡­¡±


    ¡°I do not care what happened to your mutt. You and he are completely different in importance. You and your brother are nothing more than nice money gainers that no one would really miss. While my grandson has the potential to lead our family one day. You two just touching him is enough for me to cripple you.¡± As the grand elder spoke these words his magical aura started to flair and get stronger.


    Dragis and Lyzric both utilized their own magic force to fight the pressure. Even though they were brothers the aura they showed could not have been more different. Lyzic''s was a black flame that gave off the feeling that it would burn everything away while Dragis¡¯s had a grey aura that, meant all five elements were available and felt like it would not be stopped by anything. As the two auras merged it managed to halt the pressure from the grand elder above.


    ¡°You may be a good bit above us in power old man but if you wish to push this too far we will not go without a fight,¡± Lyzric yelled and formed two black flames one pointed towards the man up to and one towards his grandson.


    ¡°You would not dare! He¡­¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t my brother dare you were going to try and cripple or kill us without any reason beyond your grandson loss. You may think us mutts or stray dogs or whatever you want but remember the more desperate a dog is the worse his bite will be.¡± As he said these last words Dragis opened his hands causing five orbs to float in front of him each representing a different element. ¡°Know this I have not mastered this spell yet but I can force all five elements into a single point and make an elemental explosion. You may survive but I doubt you will without some damage and your grandson would be ash with us.¡±


    ¡°Master Gawain, Why don¡¯t we all back off here as long as they undo the soul cage? This was just some sparring and in all fairness, your grandson broke the rules first.¡± A light females voice sounded from above as another aura filled the area reducing the pressure that was on the ground.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Misstress Alium, They have threatened me and you expect me to just let them off?¡±


    ¡°Why yes, I do because I saw the whole thing. You barged into one of my arenas and threatened them and attempted to cripple them before they could even try to defend themselves. What would the Patriarch and Matriarch think of this if word got out? Not only would you lose your grandson but possibly your grand elder spot as well.¡±


    ¡°Now you are trying to threaten me as well? You think just because we are both grand elders you are the same level as me?¡±


    ¡°O why of course not you are many years my senior and I would never threaten you, Although I do think the one who has his eyes on those two has those qualifications. If he comes over here with his rage your whole family may be burnt.¡±


    ¡°We do not even know if that old dragon is still alive. He may have passed on years ago.¡±


    ¡°But do you want to risk it?¡±


    Gawain stared at the woman across from him and at the ones below him. Rage, annoyance, and doubt passed by on his face. ¡°Fine release my grandson and I will let this go this time.¡±


    Lyzric made a quick motion with his hand causing a small spark to pop around Aquila breaking him from his trance.


    ¡°WHat hap¡­.WHere am¡­.Grandfather, why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Shut up boy!¡± Gwain yelled and then made a motion causing his grandson to fly up to him ¡°Sooner or later that old dragon will pass and when he does you two will get what you deserve.¡±


    There was a loud bang as the elder flew away causing everyone to feel lighter. Everyone else relaxed their auras many sitting on the ground.


    ¡°We thank you Grand Elder Alium. Without you we would have been killed.¡± both of the brothers said and did a respectful bow to the grand elder.


    ¡°No need for thanks. I was just making good on the favor I owed your branches founding leader. I think he is thinking you two will get strong enough where he can finally rest.¡±


    ¡°My bets would be on Lyzric I feel like I am a tad too lazy for that responsibility.¡± Dragis laughed


    ¡°If you try to pass one more responsibility of yours on to me I will personally light a fire under you so hot you will fly,¡± Lyzric said with a mix of annoyance and humor.


    Elder Josha stood up looking like many years had been shaved from his life ¡°Now that that''s a..a..all over maybe we should all go o...our own directions an¡­.and meet back another day.¡±


    ¡°I am good with that. I feel like my brother has some stuff he wants to talk about anyway. Tomorrow at the same time work for you guys? Minus the brat of course.¡±


    ¡°Yes! Master¡± the other four all say with a bow then walk off.


    ¡°You will not be pushing those four off on me Dragis.¡± Lyzric said as he walked over ¡°You are the one that got full of himself and made them worship you.¡±


    ¡°Sadly I know,¡± Dragis said kinda defeated but happy. ¡°Now let us go talk.