ã€ŠSon of Demonsã€‹


 1. Voices In The Dark

    Chapter 1

    ¡°Kara, bring the boy. It is time.¡± A cold voice echoed out within the darkness, making the air tremble.

    ¡°As you wish, master,¡± came the reply. This voice was nothing like the other; it was reminiscent of rusty iron being dragged across the ground.

    This place was deep beneath the surface in the heart of the northern reaches of Kavaron. The darkness and silence were ever unchanging. No living man had ever set foot here.

    Yet now, heavy footsteps echoed through this ancient place of vast halls and great caves.

    ¡°Are you certain this is what you want, Bael? The boy is young, but he is one of us. He has never left since he fell down here. Can you really bear to let him go?¡± A third voice echoed out. This one was ancient, and although a might on Bael¡¯s level couldn¡¯t be felt, it was more dignified.

    ¡°Hmph. Of course I don¡¯t want him to go, but Kael has been here long enough. We have taught him what he needs to know about the world above. And with the powers that boy possesses, who can stand against him? Kael was made for darkness. He''s a complete natural: the greatest talent I have seen in thousands of years. Do you really think I will let any harm come to the boy? I call him my son!¡± By the anger that seeped through Bael¡¯s voice, an unknown might filled the air, which shook in a way that could be felt.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be angered by my words, brother. That kid is dear to me as well. After all, he sees me as his uncle. I suppose you are right; he is able enough to go outside. But while few will be able to harm him, what about the light magi and the templars? They despise our race and those associated with us.¡± The dignified voice had turned quite submissive, placating even.

    ¡°Azog, you should know better than mentioning those ants in my presence. If harm ever comes to Kael, I will destroy the world above. Even if the gods then descend, I would butcher them like pigs.¡± As Bael¡¯s voice boomed through the dark chamber, the walls began to shake.

    Azog was speechless for a moment. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you cared this much for the boy. Very well. I suppose you have made sufficient preparations. Let us await Kael. After all, he can be considered the son of demons. I look forward to his coming to the world above and how he upturns its foundations.¡± Azog chuckled before turning silent.Stolen story; please report.

    Further inside the fathomless darkness in a small chamber lit by cold-looking blue flames, sat a boy in a chair. Although tall for a thirteen-year-old, he looked frail. The ends of his gray hair draped his shoulders. His face looked soft yet angular at the same time. He was dressed in a black robe of fine cloth both functional and warm.

    From a distance, all that was peculiar about Kael was the color of his hair. But there was something else which made him unique. His left eye had no pupil. It wasn¡¯t that he couldn¡¯t see through this eye; it worked fine, and so it could be reasoned that, somehow, his entire pupil must be pure white. Sitting there reading, he was unaware that this day was the day he would be stepping out of a familiar world and into a new life.

    Someone knocked on the chamber¡¯s door. Kael looked up from his book, a little puzzled. ¡®Who could¡¯ve come for me? Nothing ever changes down here, but I hope I can do something other than read today.¡¯

    ¡°Young Master Kael, may I enter? The master requests your presence in the grand chamber.¡± This voice was as rough as nails scratching across stone.

    ¡°Kara? What does father want? I''ll be there, just hang on a moment!¡±

    What could his father want? Kael placed the book in one of the many bookshelves lining the dimly-lit walls. He had finished reading them all a long time ago.

    By now he knew most of them by heart, and his favorite, which he was holding at the moment, was a guide to the continent of Kavaron. While reading it, he had often let his imagination run wild. After all, there wasn¡¯t much that existed down here. Nothing ever changed, but for some reason, Kael still liked the dark: he always had. Perhaps it was because he¡¯d become able to see in the dark after having spent the last eleven years in it.

    How he had arrived at this place, that Kael didn¡¯t remember. His earliest memory was of the first time he had heard his father''s voice, how it had made the air tremble, and how he hadn¡¯t been frightened by it. As he grew older, he got to know the rest of his family: his uncles and the many servants who lived in these halls. It was odd how they never did much other than sleep.

    The exception was the time they had spent with Kael. They had always been glad to help him whenever he had a question. Where knowledge was concerned, his family members were like bottomless oceans, and this he knew after having asked them questions about every topic he had ever come across. As a result, he was himself a deep pool of knowledge.

    Kael didn¡¯t know why they were so different from him: they just were. And they differed from each other too. Some were the size of small mountains, while others had many heads, and a few even looked like the animals he had read about in his books. But there was one thing they all had in common. They cared for Kael, and it was all that mattered to him.

 2. Departing, Sealing Of Memories?

    Chapter 2

    As Kael followed the servant Kara, he wondered what his father wanted. The last time they¡¯d been together was when his father had taught him summoning and binding incantations. ¡®He seemed really pleased at the time and praised me a lot, only to leave me alone for weeks.¡¯

    Hundreds of eyes in the dark followed the puzzled Kael¡¯s figure as he walked behind Kara. The gazes held a little affection, but more than the attachment, they held awe and reverence.

    Kael¡¯s chamber was located at the end of a tunnel that ran out of the Great Chamber. The air in the passageway was cool and mist covered the floor. But Kael paid it no mind, for in the dark, it was all the same. From within the Great Chamber, the two could be seen drawing nearer. Their footsteps grew louder and the echoes grew clearer. As they walked past the chamber¡¯s doorway, Kael withdrew from his thoughts, and instead began to admire the figure of his father¡¯s servant. What he admired was not a handsome face or shapely limbs, for Kael¡¯s sense of beauty was based on where he grew up.

    What Kael admired about Kara was his entire being. Standing at six-foot-seven, he was a mountain of muscle. His skin was pale white, and his eyes glowed yellow in the dark. This huge being moving about in butler¡¯s clothes made for a peculiar sight. And yet, this was just one of the many oddities Kael had grown used to over the years. He regarded him as family all the same. In fact, it had never even occurred to the boy that he was the truly odd one in this place.

    After walking in silence for a few hours-the kind of time it took to move around this place-they arrived at the doors to his father¡¯s chamber. The size of the great hall was so immense that it¡¯d take Kael a year to reach the other end. His father had once told him that it was designed to accommodate the ones living down here who were huge in size.

    As for when this Great Dark came into being? That his father wouldn¡¯t say.

    As the two reached the entrance, the two massive doors, excess of a hundred meters in height, inched apart. What was odd was how the doors made no sound as they swung back little by little.

    Kael followed Kara inside.

    ¡°Son, step forward. Today is an important day of your life.¡± His father''s voice was calm and, as usual, the air trembled as his mouth birthed words. Kael had to admit that he had never truly seen his father face-to-face before. There had only ever been his voice, and that was enough for Kael. The boy didn¡¯t care: he was odd that way. Growing up in the Great Dark, he had learned to accept most things without a hitch.

    ¡°Greetings, Lord Father. May I ask as to why I¡¯ve been summoned? And hello, Uncle Azog!¡± Kael replied in an overly formal manner, except for the greeting he extended to his uncle, upon the mention of whose name a smile crept onto the boy¡¯s face. It wasn¡¯t as if he could see Azog; he presumed the fellow would be present.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    ¡°Hehe. Kiddo, you¡¯re growing by the day. The reason why your father has summoned you is because it¡¯s time for you to go out into the world.¡± Azog chuckled. The affection was evident in his voice, but the stunned boy had no mind to think about it. This was his dream Azog was talking about!

    He knew so much about the world above-perhaps more than anyone who lived in it-yet he could only depend upon his imagination to picture it. After a brief moment of being stunned, he burst out with words.

    ¡°Are you serious!? I cannot wait! When do I go and to where? What about you, father, will you be coming with me?¡±

    ¡°Calm yourself, son. We must accomplish some things first. For reasons you don¡¯t need to know for now, we need to restrict some of your memories. As you travel and live in the world above, these memories will become available to you over time. There are people out there who¡¯d hate you for who you are and from where you come.

    ¡°As for accompanying you, you¡¯ll naturally not go to that world alone. I shall send your uncle Rache with you. He does dote on you, and out there he can teach you everything you need to learn. I''ll even let you bring some of your pets. What about your hounds? And maybe your pet raven too? How does that sound?¡± The voice had been somber at first, but as it continued to sound out, traces of cheer and humour made their way in. As for what his father found so amusing, Kael couldn¡¯t tell.

    ¡°As you say, father. When can I come back here?¡± Kael was a bit anxious about the whole matter. He was only a thirteen year old boy, after all. He would miss his home a lot after a while.

    ¡°You can come home whenever you wish, but don¡¯t be in a hurry to return. You will find that time passes faster up there than down here, endlessly so for one as old as me. Oh! And do mind that most of the people up there are quite simple. They crave others¡¯ possessions and act in passion and for desire. Your uncle Rache will teach you about this as well, I suppose. Shall we begin? You will fall asleep after we seal some of your memories. Once you wake up, you will be with your uncle Rache in the world above.¡±

    Kael was a bit hesitant at first, but then gave a solemn nod. A moment later, a darkness that was somehow thicker than his surroundings enveloped him.

    For a while the chamber was silent.

    ¡°Bael, why did you seal his memories? That was nearly all the knowledge he has from this place other than his elementary magic. I realize that with his knowledge he would be a godlike existence up there, but is this really necessary?¡± Azog¡¯s doubtful words echoed through the hall.

    All of a sudden, the chamber shook from a rumbling laughter. Two red glowing orbs materialized in the dark. They were the size of boulders, and looking closer, they seemed to be two scarlet eyes.

    ¡°He needs to work his way up in the continent. It would be far too easy for him to destroy the world above if he had all his knowledge and power at his disposal from the start. I want him to learn from their way of life first. As time progresses and he forms his own experiences, then when his power is at its peak, he can do as he wishes. Besides... would it not be hilarious if he entered a holy order? With no signs of what he truly is, what can they do? The mention of my name alone would make their souls escape their bodies. Seeing through my powers is a dream too far fetched...¡± The laughter slowly abated and the chamber was once again covered in silence.

 3. The Day The World Shook

    Chapter 3.

    ¡°Why¡¯s the mountain called that, you ask? Well, why don¡¯t you two sit down, and I''ll tell you the story of the Devil¡¯s Fang.¡± An old man wiped the sweat from his brow, before sitting down on a rock in the fields. At his feet were two young boys, his grandchildren, who looked up at him with wide grins and big eyes. He paused for a moment to take a whiff of his pipe, gazing at the tall mountain visible in the distance behind him. It was all black, and devoid of most life: only a couple of mountain ibex and some eagles roamed the area.

    ¡°Now, where to begin? Hmm¡­ Since my grandfather¡¯s day, wives would whisper of the dangers of the ominous mountain... and of the goat-man that resided there.¡±

    ¡°Goat-man!?¡±

    ¡°Mhm. At the foot of the Devil¡¯s Fang, a farmer had taken up residence. All was going well for him, and did so for years, until one day his goats began to disappear. In search he travelled up the mountain many a day and night. Two weeks later, his flock had only diminished. The farmer grew frantic.¡±

    Sighing, the old man felt the pleasant wind carrying along autumn¡¯s dried foliage. He gazed at the clear blue sky, then at the mountain that cast gloom upon the noon. ¡°The farmer would be ruined if he lost his herd. Desperate, he turned to a god. Fervent prayers left his mouth for a day and night, but he gained nothing. At the end of his rope, he turned to the devil. In his prayer, he promised to enter into a contract as long as his flock returned and his family was taken care of¡­¡± The smile on the old man¡¯s face had been diminishing throughout, and now it was finally replaced by a grimace. He went into deep thought.

    A gasp escaped the younger boy at his feet. Less patient than his sibling, he nudged his grandfather on. ¡°What happened to him then, grandpa?¡±

    The old man turned to study the two boys. He sighed and continued the story. ¡°A man abandoned by his god wouldn¡¯t expect anyone else to help him. And yet, a devil appeared in his home. His prayers were answered! The devil would let him find his flock, but on one condition. The farmer would take residence on the mountain itself, delivering a child to the devil each year. Scared out of his wits and foolish as many men are, the farmer agreed.

    ¡°And to his surprise, the devil didn¡¯t reveal any trickery. It kept the end of its bargain and led him to his missing flock. The farmer cried in relief. But while he had forgotten the bargain, the devil never had. As the farmer was hugging one his goats, his back began to twist. His clothes ripped apart, and revealed a back covered in hair, and something began to protrude from him skull. He grew taller many feet and his back became crooked.

    ¡°Two horns then grew out of his head!¡± The old man put his fists against the sides of his head with the index fingers unfurled.

    ¡±Hooves for feet!¡± He stamped his feet onto the rock beneath him.

    ¡±And panic in his eyes.¡± He jumped up and stared

    at the boys with the mountain looming behind him.

    Horrified, the two gaped as tears made their way into their eyes. Seeing that he¡¯d frightened them too much, the farmer sat back down. ¡°In his now horrible voice as coarse as sand, the farmer screamed with reluctance. But he, or rather it, had to obey the contract. Each year it would steal a child and sacrifice its pure soul to the devil. It would spend the time in-between staring at its own reflection in a pond deep within the mountain.¡±

    The old man stood up and gave the two youngsters a stern look. ¡°And that¡¯s why everyone stays away from the mountain, and you should too! Unless you want the goat-man to take you...¡±

    As he spoke these words, the frightened look on the boys¡¯ faces returned. While a handy tool for keeping the children in line, the legend¡¯s truth was one he was uncertain of. He gave a weak smile and was about to coax them when he realised that their eyes were fixed to a spot behind him. A chill ran down his spine as he turned to look at the Devil¡¯s Fang.

    Belying the sun hanging in the wide blue above, the sky around the Devil¡¯s Fang had begun to darken. The old farmer grabbed the two boys and ran with all his might into the shoddy barn nearby. His pipe lay discarded upon the rock where a tendril of smoke would rise up time and again.

    This far up north in the continent, there were only a few villages to witness the scene, whose residents all rushed back to their households with children and cattle in tow. The view only turned more ominous as lightning flashed around the peak. Yet, what was happening was far beyond the villagers¡¯ feeble superstitions.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    In another part of the continent, in a flourishing city by the name of Light¡¯s Sanctuary, was a large temple. Since ancient times it had been dedicated to the god of light, Soramon. Deep beneath it was a chamber hidden away from common knowledge, large and round. A semi-circular table went around half the room, at the center of which was a glowing orb. Sitting behind this table were twelve old men whose existence, if known, would warrant prostration from the city¡¯s folk. They were all former archbishops of the temple of light.

    These men would remain motionless all year as they prayed to their god. But now they were shivering and staring in disbelief at the flickering orb in the middle.

    The old man sitting at the head of the table managed a quivering voice. ¡°How could this be happening? I feel engulfed by a fear like I¡¯ve never felt before. A being that shouldn¡¯t exist has entered our plane. Its descent has even caused the power of light in the world to fall into chaos!¡±

    The other men were too shocked to reply. A flash of light erupted within the chamber, and as it cleared, what remained was the flickering orb and twelve empty chairs.

    The power above the Devil¡¯s Fang was the antithesis to not only the light, but to god-kind as a whole. And so, those powerful enough to sense the change gathered from all the temples spread across the continents of the world. They stood at the summit of the Devil¡¯s Fang, staring at the lightning-laden dark clouds above.

    It was the 11th day of autumn in the 143rd moon cycle. And on Kavaron, the land of iron and blood, the world seemed to be ending.

    ¡°What in Gaia''s name is going on! Does anyone know what could be causing this?¡± The speaker was one of Gaia¡¯s descendants. He looked middle-aged, and that was quite young, considering most gathered here looked old as oaks. No one answered.

    One man pulled his gaze away from the spectacle and spotted a ravine appearing beneath the mountain. It began to stretch outwards, and the earth split apart to reveal a hole. Shocked, they tried to peer through, but its secrets were shrouded in darkness too thick.

    And as their eyes were affixed to the hole¡­ something moved within the darkness. A farmer¡¯s cart soon appeared, filled with various objects and carrying a blanket-covered boy in the back, besides whom was a caged raven. It was being pulled by two skeleton-skinny horses, and two hounds padded behind.

    The crowd stared in horror, but also in puzzlement. The driver had grabbed their attention, but it soon shifted to the boy sleeping in peace. He was pale and gray hair covered most of his face. In comparison, he had seemed normal to them at first. But after they gazed at him for a while, their bodies couldn¡¯t help but shiver.

    One of the archbishops of light could no longer stop his instincts. About to summon a ray of pure light to incinerate the area beneath them, he found the scene before his eyes shift and turn black. Back at the Devil¡¯s Fang, the strongest people of the world all vanished without a trace.

    They found themselves in a dark place. The archbishop from before attempted to summon an orb of light to dispel the dark, only to wear a look of bafflement instead. He couldn¡¯t touch his magic at all.

    The archbishop yelled in horror. ¡°Wh-where is this? My magic! Old Seventh, Old Ninth! Anyone? Is there anyone here!?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I can feel the others here. What is this dreadful place that has robbed us of our vision and our magic? It seems to be another dimension altogether. I can not even sense the presence of our God,¡± Old Seventh replied.

    ¡°Old Seventh, what kind of power must one possess to transport someone across dimensions?¡± Old ninth asked, voice filled with fear. Silence was his only reply.

    After a while, they began to settle down and discuss among themselves.

    ¡°What was that boy? He must be eliminated.¡± The one who spoke first was an old man from the War God¡¯s temple.

    ¡°Why did I feel so threatened?! He must die!¡± Lacking in anything better to do, the rest gave their assent.

    All of a sudden, the air itself began to tremble, sending the now calm holy men into another panic. Two orbs emitting scarlet light appeared and lit up the chamber. The dread that crept into their hearts upon seeing the orbs nearly made them sully their underpants. But this dread was nothing to what they felt when they realized that each scarlet orb had a circle as dark as night inside. They were eyes!

    A voice soon appeared, solidifying this realisation. ¡°You dare to plot the death of my heir! MY SON!? You puny mortals servicing those low-born gods DARE!?¡±

    This time, many couldn¡¯t hold their bladders. Some pissed themselves, while others closed their eyes or tried to look away. None of them could faint, even if they wanted to. Fear wasn¡¯t enough to describe what they felt. Their minds were demolished.

    One known as Bajan Bright-Blade, son of the Azura God, somehow managed to utter a plea. It proved his reputation as a brave man, for inside, he fared no better than the others under this terrible voice.

    ¡°O¡¯ Mighty Lord, pi-pi-pity us mortals. We did not know who we offended. W-we want to apologize. We¡¯d never even dream o-of trying t-to k-k-kill the son of someone like you.¡± He only finished speaking after much difficulty. In the hands of one who could call their gods low-born, Bajan knew they had to try anything they could. Just the demon¡¯s voice alone had been enough to almost kill them.

    It was bend or break.

    Bael chuckled, but didn¡¯t let the frightened mortals hear it. He had to make sure nobody would dare to touch his son. Any other time he wouldn¡¯t be scared of a low-born god hurting Kael, but with his son¡¯s memories sealed, he was afraid of a cat killing a defenceless dog.

    ¡°Mark my words: if a single drop of my son¡¯s blood is spilled, your world will end. I will wipe you all off the face of the earth. Then, I will destroy your dimension and slaughter every god who ever came from this lowly planet. Do you understand!?¡± The last bit was pronounced with such force that some weaker people present began to bleed from all orifices.

    All of them nodded in unison while shaking like autumn leaves in a hurricane¡¯s path. Just a touch would be enough to send them to the underworld.

    The darkness within the chamber moved and engulfed the crowd. When it dissipated, they had vanished. The chamber was left with an eerie silence, which soon broke again as a laughter rumbled through the halls, echoing for a long time.

    In the end, Bael said one more sentence.

    ¡°Now, my son, the world is your stage. I will wait and see the choices you make and the future you create.¡±

 4. The Beginning Of A Journey

    As the different powers of the world found themselves back in their dimension, lacking any memory of what had happened during the previous hour, a small cart was rolling through the hills on a small coarse road leading away from Devil''s Fang.

    The cart was drawn by two poor excuses for horses, barely more than skeletons, yet bafflingly enough, they managed to keep the cart moving. On the driver seat, sat a hunchbacked old man, draped in a cloak. He was softly humming to himself as they made their way across the land.

    After journeying for a long while, they the first signs of people, appeared along the road. It was a small farmstead, encircled by tall pole fences. It consisted of a small thatched cottage and a few sheds. Various house animals and cattle was running about in the yard, but no people were out.

    Naturally enough, this was due to people having gone into hiding. People around these parts, were of the superstitious sort. Having seen what looked like doomsday, they did what every peasant would do in such a situation. Run home with the wife and kids, gather as many of their livestock as possible and finally, barricade the doors.

    As the road went on, farms like this, became more and more frequent. Having journeyed a whole day, they came to a small village. The village was one of little importance in the land, and the people here were largely independent and free of the law. It could even be said they were forgotten by their liege lord, as tax collectors never came to these parts. Only the odd trader and such would bother with this remote location.

    The village, small as it might be, were filled with a hardy folk. Those who dared to live here were used to the harsh requirements of living in isolation, and were a tight-knit community. Therefore, it came as a surprise to them that on this day, a horse drawn cart came rolling in, stopping next to the small inn.

    Although travellers were strange, they would not be overly excited about the newcomers, but these would usually come from the south. Nobody ever came from the north, except those who already were settled in those parts, and those were mostly known to all.

    The strange party consisted of an old man wearing a grey cloak, sitting hunchbacked at the driver seat, two ragged horses, a kawing raven and two massive hounds. What made the people feel completely put off, finding it even ominous, was that every animal was as black as coals. Which to the common folk, was a sign of bad luck. Especially the menacing raven staring at them with intelligent eyes.

    Black birds, were generally the worst omen one could find.

    ¡°H-hello good sir, where come ye from? What do ye be wanting?¡± A rather unintelligent looking, yet bold man, was the first to approach them. He was a fat balding man, short and stocky, and at his hip, he was carrying a small cudgel. The man looked fairly nervous, and his unintelligent appearance did not improve, with eyes the size of pinholes.

    ¡°Good day to you sir. We are travellers who have come far, we have been living close to the mountain for many a generation. Last winter, however, cold weather took half the household. Only myself, and my grandson survived. Now we are looking for warmer climate. There is not much to live on next to the Devil''s Fang, but here you seem to do fairly well. Is there an innkeeper here? I wish rooms for two and place in his stable, for the horses.¡± The old man in grey replied with a dull and hoarse voice heavy with age.

    ¡°So ye are from the mountain are ye? How come ye speak like higher born than us, who be living here? Strange times this is, not long past, it seemed the heavens were falling down, and now fair spoken folk from the Devil¡¯s Fang? Can''t have been easy getting here!¡± the man looked at them, a bit suspicious, but eventually his face widened into a broad grin.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°Well enough about that. I suppose ye be needing food, but room for two? Where be yer grandson?¡± The man looked puzzled by the lack of presence, by this fabled grandson.

    ¡°Ah! Yes, i nearly forgot, my grandson is asleep in the back. The journey has been long and hard for him, it would please me greatly if you could help me carry him to his room. Meanwhile, I shall have a word with the innkeeper.¡± The old fellow looked amused at the mention of his grandson.

    As soon as the old man dismounted, he did not look so crooked any more, he was quite tall for an old fellow, six foot at the very least. The bald fellow with the pudgy face and squinting eyes had to bend back just to peek up under his hood. What greeted him was a bearded and weather-worn face. He was paler than usual, and his face exuded a sort of grace. After seeing this, the little baldy felt a bit better. This old man did not look like a bad person.

    After looking at the old man for a time, he turned his attention back to the carriage. ¡°Say mister, those horses of yours look so scrawny, I cannot imagine how they managed the journey from the mountain to this place? Did ye feed them on ground fairy dust? They have not even broken a sweat yet!¡± The baldy was apparently amazed by these two animals, whom already looked near death.

    The old man smile, and without a word, walked past the pudgy fellow and headed inside the inn. After a bit of bartering, things were settled. Soon the horses were in the stables and things looked in order. That was until the pudgy man saw the boy sleeping soundly in the back.

    ¡°I say mister, that is an interesting boy you have. He is pale as snow and what colour is his hair? I''d mistake this young man for one of the walking dead, if he was not so fair in the face. Alright I guess I better get him up to yer rooms.¡± The man looked fascinated by the boy sleeping peacefully in the cart.

    The moment the man touched the boy, all hell broke loose.

    Until now, the raven, who had been quiet and watching, suddenly started a furious racket. Cawing and clawing at the man from inside its cage. If that had been all, the man might just have got a fright, but that wasn''t it at all. The two massive hounds, whom also had looked docile until now, charged at the man. Howling and growling furiously, as if he had just dragged them by the tail. In the split-second before the man was torn to shreds, the old man stepped in between.

    ¡°My apologies, I forgot, all these animals are raised by my grandson and are loyal only to him. I hope you can excuse their behaviour.¡± The old man commented with a helpless tone.

    ¡°N-no t-trouble at all s-sir. I have seen many a hound in my day, but those s-sure are big. I''ll carry the boy now.¡± The pudgy man was sweating profoundly, and thought to himself that; involving himself with strangers with who owned hounds nearly the size of a bear was a bad idea.

    Soon after this he managed to get the boy up to his room, behind him followed the two hounds, clearly distrustful of the man. It was as if they thought he would take their master away at the first opportunity. The innkeeper intended to chase them two beasts out, but then thought better of it. With a sigh, he resigned himself to his fate.

    Not long after, the raven came, along with the old man. They all gathered in the boys room, it appeared quite crowded. The massive hounds, as soon as the boy was in bed, put themselves right next to him, appearing as small wall of fur. It became quite clear that anyone who had bad thoughts about the boy, would have to take it up with his furry guardians. The raven was also quite annoyed by the presence of others in the room, as soon as it was set down at the little nightstand beside the bed, it started scrutinizing the pudgy man.

    It was as if the raven was eyeing a prey, which it found quite below its own high standards. Soon enough the man started getting very annoyed by this feathered demon, but after thinking it through a couple of times, he gave up on scaring the creature. After all, he might spook the massive beasts by the bed, and he doubted anyone would be able to save him from those two hostile creatures, once thoroughly riled up.

    Soon, after some small talk, everyone left. The only ones left being the animals and the boy. Soon enough, the little village was covered in dark of night and everything was quiet...

 5. Awakening, Attaining Knowledge Of The World

    It was slowly getting bright by the time Kael awoke. As he sat up in his bed, he looked around. His two hounds were with him, and so was his raven. What first hit him was how bright it was. Everything was so clear compared to his life from before. His life from before? As he tried to recall where he lived before, it hit him, that he knew nothing about how his life had been before he awoke.

    All he knew was that he had set out on a journey to what he knew as the world above. The world above? Above what? The more he thought about it, the more confused he got. He did not recall leaving his previous home, wherever that might be, nor did he recall having come to this place. He decided not to think about it any more.

    Eventually he got out of bed, but as pulled himself out by the side of the bed, a thundering crack resounded. Losing his grip, he crashed to the floor, landing on one of his hounds, Grim. The hound whimpered as it was startled awake, but soon relaxed noticing its master. It even started wagging its tail in response. As Kael looked back to his bed, he was dumbfounded by what he saw. The bedside he had used to support himself had been reduced to sawdust, making the bed look like quite the poor a sight.

    ¡°I do hope this furniture was not too ancient or expensive¡­¡± he muttered to himself. What he eventually realized as he got up, was that he felt incredibly light. It was as if he was a feather in a breeze. Any too sudden movement would cause him to skid across the floor. Annoyed, Kael decided to take a walk outside to calm himself. He also needed to figure out where this was, and if he was all alone.

    He got himself dressed, apparently he had a few chests of belongings with him as he looked about the room. There was plenty of clothing, for fine gatherings, relaxation and so on. He picked out a set of garments, who looked quite ordinary, well in his eyes anyway. A grey scholars robe and a pair of black leather boots. He also found a washing basin by his bedside. He used this to wash his face and clean his hair. Finally, he bound his hair in a ponytail before assessing himself in the reflection of one of his mirrors. Barely presentable, was what came to mind. He absent-mindedly also had a look at his left eye. His pupil was white as ever. Someone would eventually notice that, he thought to himself.

    At long last, he went for the door. He called out to the already awakened Grim, to bring him with him for his walk. As he opened the door, he realized his mistake. His strength was on a whole different level in this place. He nearly yanked the door of its hinges. Lucky for him, the only thing he ruined was the door handle. He stood there, stunned with half a door handle in hand.

    Sighing, he tried to fix it a few times, upon succeeding he walked into the hallway. After a quick look at the worn down hallway, whom to his mind was quite dirty, he went towards the only way that looked like a plausible exit. It was an old staircase, which to his annoyance creaked like nothing he had ever experienced before. He came to the conclusion that he preferred stone before wood homes any time.

    The common room of the inn was empty. Shabby tables stood about the room, with a few scattered chairs adjacent to them. To the left of the staircase was a shabby looking bar, behind which, were what looked like oversized barrels and few clean mugs. Finally, opposite the bar, was what he assumed would be the door leading outside. As he stepped through the exit he felt the smell the fresh breeze of the morning and the morning chill. Well, initially it did seem fresh, until he sensed the smell what had to be manure and dung...

    He wrinkled his nose. This was new, but he already knew that he would not get used to this smell anytime soon. It appeared he had not been exposed to this stench in his previous home. After a quick study of his surroundings, he observed that the inn was situated in the middle of town, apparently as form of gathering hub.

    Around the inn was a muddy road in a circle. The road ended at two opposite ends of the village. One road going north towards a tall black mountain in the distance, barely looking used at all. The other going south towards forests and farms in the distance. This one clearly saw the most traffic, filled with deep tracks in the mud. Besides the roundabout road, in a circle, stood many houses. Some large, made of clay and stone. Some wood and some with thatched hay roofs. There were even some larger ones, which had to be barns.

    As he walked onto the muddy road, he realized that he had made a bad choice of clothing. He had to pull his robe up to avoid getting mud on it. On the other hand, Grim, the big hound, looked quite comfortable. He wagged his tail, walking next to Kael. Apparently he found no disgust in the smell here.

    The were no other people in sight. He decided that he might as well take a walk towards the woods to get out of the mud. The thought of trekking through the mud, any more than what was necessary, was not something he would do if it could be avoided. It only took him a short time to walk out of the village.

    He had decided on a nearby looking hill. It stood above the village and seemed like a good spot to survey the area around. A short walk later, he arrived at the hilltop. He was met with a breathtaking sight. He could see mountains in the distance, and just above the mountain peaks, was a blazing ball of fire. Kael found it hard to look directly at this ball. He decided that this had to be the sun. As he gradually looked away from the sun, he surveyed the landscape below. What had looked dull and grey half an hour ago, was now bathed in light. It was quite beautiful.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    As he stood there admiring the sight before him, someone came up behind him.

    ¡°Young master, it is beautiful is it not? I am glad you are awake. I have much to tell you of this world. My name is Rache. You can call me uncle Rache if it pleases the young master, but preferably you can also just call me Grandpa. Whatever the young master wishes.¡± A tall old man stood behind him, head bowed in respect.

    ¡°Grandpa Rache, was it? Tell me what happened after we left home. Also tell me what i need to know about this world, and where we will travel to next? What should my goal be in this world?¡± Kael was surprised, but not that much. He knew this man meant him no harm, after all, not just anyone could approach him without Grim''s approval.

    ¡°As the young master wishes. First of all, when we left home, you were asleep. We came from the black mountain you see in the distance towards the North. We have been at this tavern for one night. As for this world? I''ll begin then.¡± The old man took a deep breath, before he continued.

    ¡°This is the northern part of the continent named Kavaron. There are four other continents in this world. Those you will learn of in the future. What else... ah yes. This continent is divided into five parts. The central part of the continent is home to the capital and main seat of the Vici Empire. We are in the region known as Paravon, the smallest of the five sections of the continent.¡± The man slowly started smiling at the mention of the Vici Empire.

    He continiued,¡°this section is known as the feudal state. It is divided up between several feudal lords. However, the area we are in now is not considered a part of any lords lands. There is only a few major cities in Paravon. The one I want to propose going to is called Fallgara. It is the only town in Paravon with a magic academy.¡± This long speech made the old man looked a bit winded. He looked to Kael in anticipation.

    ¡°I see, but you still have not told me why we are travelling to Fallgara. Also, I know a bit about magic, or at least I feel I should. Why don''t you explain to me what forces of magic are used to in this world... and what other powers the people of this world can use?¡± With a pondering look, Kael directed these questions to Old Rache. He seemed very familiar. Yet he could not tell who he was. Whatever. He was a friend, besides, he felt at peace with this man.

    ¡°As you wish young master. This world can be divided into the world of magic and the world of obscurities. Magic is something only those gifted can use. Magic exists in countless forms, but we generally say they all use mana. Mana is essentially gathered in our bodies like blood. We can generate it, store it, and utilize it if one extracts it from one''s body. If flows through hidden veins in the body, but as to how much a person can store, that depends on everything about that person. His genes, at what age he began and how many mana veins that person possesses.¡± At the mention of magic, the old man got a somewhat obsessed look in his eyes. He seemed to be far away in his own thoughts.

    He continued, ¡°also, unlike blood, there is no upper limit to how much a body can store when it comes to mana. People of this world however say that if a person has a mana level of five. That is the limit to the human body. That however is wrong as you know. There is no limit. As for how we measure the level of mana a person possesses, it is about how much a person can utilize at one time. An ordinary rank five magi is declared as the pinnacle of the continent. They can create a fireball the size of carriage. As for how large higher levels can create, that is unknown.¡± As Kael looked at the old man, he realized that this old goat was making fun of the strongest people on the continent, but he decided to ignore this for the time being.

    The old man, meanwhile, continued with his explanation, ¡°magic can be used, as i previously said, in countless forms. Nature magic, destruction magic, elemental magic, healing magic and so on.

    There is also another type of power, not quite magic, but similar. This we call obscurity or obscure magic. These powers cannot be measured by the power of mana, because they use the power of faith, fear, devotion or other states of emotions expressed by large populations of people or creatures. It is more powerful than magic, in a sense, because it requires not the power of mana, but of fame.¡±

    ¡°It utilizes thoughts of many people to form concrete matter. And so many powerful people, famous mages in particular excel at this type of power only after gaining fame. Although the most powerful utilizers of obscurity are those who practice religion or famous royalty. They do not even need to know magic, because they have attained high levels of obscurity.¡± ¡°Obscurity comes in many forms as well, emperors use righteous forms of obscurity for example, if they are kind and just emperors. Some religions might use the power of faith to create holy magic. Druids utilize obscurity to control nature, from their care taking of animals and plants.¡±

    ¡°As for why I wish for you to go Fallgara, is that i wish for you to enrol in the Fallgara academy of Magic. You have great talents with magic, and you know much for your age, even if you do not know it yourself as of now. It would be beneficial for you to begin your life on this continent as a mage, as they have much power both in politics and gain much fame.¡±

    ¡°Eventually you might even be allowed to travel to the continental capital to join the grand magi association and learn at the grandmaster academy of magic there.¡± At the mention of this, the old man started grinning profoundly, as if imagining something very funny.

    Kael stood thinking for a long while after hearing this, he started to recall some things, which were what he was just told in more detail. Finally, he nodded.

    ¡°We shall do as you planned. I also look forward to this journey, magic huh? I look forward to seeing what the magic of the five continents will reveal to me in the future!¡± When he said this, Kael''s face took on a somewhat terrifying look. He smiled, but unaware of this himself, Kael''s smile made the old man tremble with excitement. Finally, the young master was going to act...

 6. On The Road

    Early the next morning, Kael and the old man, Rache, were on their way. They sat side by side in the driver seat of their cart. Grim and the other hound, named Groum, padded behind. As for the raven, it was sleeping in its cage, not much bothered by anything in the surroundings.

    It was not long before they left the small village far behind. Soon they were trekking through the woods on the road heading south. Along the way they passed by travellers, farmers and the odd trader with their own carts. They all stared at the odd pair, with their half dead looking horses.

    The journey carried on like this, until it started to get dark. They had managed to cover about nineteen miles that day. As they made camp by the side of the road, Kael was getting bored. So he made some conversation with the old man.

    ¡°Say, yesterday while I was getting out, I realized my strength is vastly different in this place. Can you tell me the reason behind this? I am quite puzzled by this.¡± Kael asked after having sat in silence for a long while.

    ¡°Ah I forgot to explain that, yes this is because of difference in atmosphere from where you have lived all your life. Where we lived before gravity was much heavier than it is on this place, and we have something this place does not, a particle, which is necessary for our bodies not to break down there. It reinforces our bone structure significantly as young, and after enough time passes this change will be permanent. This is the reason for us being able to exist where we lived before.¡± The old man had a look of reminiscence when speaking of home. Soon however, he looked at Kael, and his expression brightened, before continuing.

    ¡°As such, when we leave the place, we are already extremely strong in other people''s eyes. You yourself, young master, have not yet mastered your body to the degree of controlling your own strength yet. However, if you were to have a fight, id say you would be able to contend with a wild forest troll. We should do something about that, i will teach you some exercises so that you can control yourself.¡± The old man scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed after this statement.

    ¡°It is fine grandpa. I remember my sword lessons at home, I could already beat old uncle Kirrion by the time I was leaving. I''m not sure how useful this will be with no sword, I''ll just go look for a stick of sorts and practice until I can control my strength.¡± Kael said this with an enthusiastic grin before jogging towards the forest, hounds hot on his heels.

    The old man looked after him with horror and excitement on his face. "To think that the young master could defeat the Scarlet Legion commander before the age of thirteen... He is too abnormal, even for us demons... I guess sending him into military service would be useless then... He would be more skilled than any knight, sword master or general at least in this continent. Maybe only someone from the war god''s temple would be his match... I should tell him to try to hide his skill for now, or every emperor from the five continents would seek him out for the position of royal sword master... " The old man laughed after this thought, then shook himself and started working on the campsite.

    Meanwhile, Kael, having ran into the woods, after much trouble, managed to find a stick to his liking. Only trouble was, then when he was running he kept crashing through trees. His speed was truly abnormal. If any ordinary person saw him, they could only compare him to Kerian Coursers, which were used by messengers of war and in races.

    After enough trial and failure he managed to slow down and control his speed. It was at this time that he had spotted a stick similar to the length and thickness of his practice sword at home.

    He was delighted, until he swung it once and the whole branch turned to splinters by the speed and weight put into it alone... This somewhat put Kael''s mood to shame, but he refused to give up, he tried thicker and thicker branches, finally only one branch made the cut, and that was the thickness of his thigh. He sighed. It would take some time until he would be able to use a stick of normal thickness without smashing it to smithereens.

    He began moving into his sword forms, Demons Lunge, Twisting Tendons, Fang Strikes The Heart and so on. Many of these were meant for a fight of attrition to wear down one''s opponent. However, Demons Lunge was an exception, it comprised speed and deftness over skill. It was a skill used for killing one''s enemies swiftly and against enemies with less skill than oneself.

    The skill went like this; Start with a low weight point, with your body in battle stance, chest leaned forward, lower body half squatting. Most importantly, keep your sword arm pulled back, elbow close to your body, sword pointing forward. Then when you have built up enough power and see an opportunity, push yourself forward, whilst twisting your body in such a way that you can push your sword arm forward at maximum speed. It should be such that your sword arm is stretched out in a straight line. This way your reach will be at its highest and you will strike with momentum.

    The only flaw of this move was that once you were in the stance, you were very vulnerable. This, however, could be fixed by various martial arts of close combat form, for example pulling your arm back whilst spinning around whilst sending out a roundhouse kick in the direction of your second enemy.

    Kael practised this familiar art with his newfound strength, not tiring until he got bored with changing sticks every time one of them broke. On his way back he realized how much more control he had over his body, he could jump from tree to tree whilst running, swinging himself up onto branches and performing flips and the like. He was just completing one of these when he heard noises coming from afar.

    It was making quite the racket as it neared him. He settled on a rock nearby, watching his hounds, as their ears were perked, looking in the direction the noise was coming from. Soon enough, a massive head came poking out of the nearby shrubbery.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    This was clearly a bear, that much was clear, but it was clearly also not one of the ordinary sort. It was at least three times the size of his hounds. Covered in brown fur, it had black eyes. Although it clearly saw him, there was a struggle in its eyes. Its vision, although adapted to darkness, was clearly not that great. Kael and his hounds on the other hand, were used to darkness far less penetrable than this. He was amused by this beast, which was internally debating whether this was worth the risk or not.

    Kael patted his hounds, telling them not to move. Although reluctant, they lowered their heads. It seemed they were interested in hunting this creature, so much larger than themselves. Kael neared the beast, until he was only eight meters distanced from it. Then he got into battle stance, preparing himself to perform the Demons Lunge. The bear sniffed about, cautiously nearing him growling all the while. It was quite odd, but the hounds made the choice not to express their disdain for the beast, considering how he had just told them to stay put for the time being.

    Kael breath was relaxed, and his expression was rather dull. He had faced bigger things than this at his home, while training. He wondered if his heavy branch would hold when used against this big beast. The bear suddenly started trotting towards him, as it finally determined his location. At a distance of four meters, it roared and ran at him.

    Kael waited until it was at three meters distance, before making his move. He lunged, his speed far surpassing any normal reaction speed, then he brutally stopped his momentum abruptly. His muscles went taut as his right arm was catapulted forward.

    The bear although fast for a beast its size, failed to stop its momentum. Its eyes widened at the aggressive action of this human who it thought was moving far too quick to what it was used to.

    BOOM! SPLINTER! CRACK! ... ROAAAR!

    There was a boom, followed by a small explosion of shrapnel and splinters, as the thick branch made contact with the bears face. The bear roared in pain as blood gushed out from the big hole in its forehead. Shallow the wound might have been, but there was a lot of bone breaking in the process.

    It stumbled around in a daze, until it passed out on the ground, all the whilst grunting in pain. Kael was surprised by this, he never thought he would harm the animal to this extent. After thinking for a while, he decided it would be a shame if the bear was forced to live with brain damage for the rest of its life, so he decided to put it down. He gave it a swift chop to the back of the neck.

    The bear then lay lifeless on the ground. Deciding this might be a good supper meal, he, with his comparatively small stature, managed to put the bear on his shoulder. It was an odd sight, because most of the bear was dragging behind him on the ground, only a third of its massive body suspended on his shoulders.

    After a long trek through the woods, he made it back to the camp, being greeted by a surprised Rache, and a three other men. At first, they thought it was a forest troll coming for their blood, a massive boulder of fur, but soon realized the truth of it. Then they gaped at Kael in amazement.

    This boy, where on earth did he find this massive dead beast, and how could he even manage to drag such a beast? When Kael gave the explanation that he thought it would be a good supper meal, they stared at him in horror. How did this, although tall for his age, boy manage this? Instead of giving a direct answer, Kael pointed at the two massive hounds at his heels. The three men shut up rather quickly upon seeing the beasts. If they were capable of killing a dire bear, was there any need for further questioning? They certainly could not bring down such a beast themselves.

    After butchering and skinning the massive dire bear they started to cook it. Soon after having enjoyed a sumptuous meal, with plenty to spare, they started chatting among themselves. It soon became clear that the three men were merchants. They were fur traders and created capes and clothes from furs obtained by farmers along their trade rout.

    Kael pondered for a while, before asking where they were headed. To his surprise, he learned that they were heading in the same direction. It was soon winter, and the traders were heading back to Fallgara, to sell their furs for a good profit. Apparently the nobles of Fallgara would spend good coin if it made them warmer during winter. Grandpa Rache apparently had agreed to travelling alongside them for the journey.

    The three men were brothers, and their names were Bob, Kimle and Lannen. After enough small talk, they started praising Kael for his skill as a hunter, and asked him if he wanted to sell them his dire bear fur. Kael pondered on this, before asking them if it was possible for them to help him by making armour out of the fur. The three spoke among themselves, before telling him that would not be possible for the time being. They were used to making ordinary clothing, fur from a dire bear on the other hand would be much too hard to make use off, but they offered to tan and garving the pelt, making it ready for a professional armourer to process. Kael agreed to this.

    Eventually one of the men asked Kael about his white pupil. Kael brushed it off by saying that he was born with it. Though internally, he wondered about that himself, he had never really asked anyone. Rache meanwhile, unbeknownst to any of the other men, stared at them coldly.

    He thought to himself, that as the saying goes; curiosity killed the cat. He just hoped they would let it be with Kaels reply. Fortunately, for them, they accepted it with no further questions.

    After talking about this and that, the brothers started talking about rumours. Apparently there was a new lord in Fallgara, Gerard. He was the son of the previous lord, but it appeared he was not a well liked man. He had a bad reputation. Apparently he liked to have young women taken to his chambers, claiming this was his right. A lot of people felt pity for these women, who had hard times trusting men after experiencing rape from the hand of this cruel lord.

    Even Kael was a bit angry listening to this, even if he had never seen a girl his age. He felt that women should be respected, the same as men. He had read in history that some of the greatest characters on the world above, were female, so naturally they should be able to demand respect the same way men did. However, it was not his business.

    Other rumours were of the new magister at the academy, youngest in two hundred years. Talented he was, and well liked. He also was quite famous for his new spell, the twin fire bolt spell. Making him capable of fighting two magi of the same rank as himself.

    There were also mentions of different monsters appearing across the land, a vampire lord harassing a feudal lord in the border region. A werewolf butchering an entire village before being hunted down by a demon hunter and a priest and so on. The most disturbing rumour was that off the mention of a new troll king in the mountains far to the south, nearly outside of the region borders.

    This talk continued far into the night, before finally the fire was put out and everyone went to sleep. It would take them a week to travel to Fallgara, but Kael was started feeling something he had not felt for a long while. Anticipation...

 7. Arriving At Fallgara

    The next morning they carried on with their journey. This time, in addition to Kael¡¯s own cart, there was the three brothers carts. These were much bigger than the small cart driven by old Rache. It was merchant wagons, sturdy and well maintained, covered by a canvas tarp.

    These wagons were filled to the brim with fur, salts and other common trade goods. They were also well-equipped to deal with highwaymen. At the wagon sides, were heavy oak boards on hinges. These could be pulled up to create solid walls for the wagons. Each of the boards had archery hatches that could be opened for an easily defended spot for a crossbow or bow.

    They travelled for many days, once in a while, they would stop a new location to make camp, or in a village. Here the brothers would make their trades. The brothers also found the time to tell Kael about the things a trader would usually need to know, even going so far as to teach him how to handle fur and hides. The brothers were surprised when they realized the terrifying ability Kael had at obtaining new knowledge.

    Soon they had taught him all they knew, in just a matter of days. In the end, Kael worked on the dire bear fur by himself. He was a bit clumsy at first, but soon he was at the same level as the three brothers. This somewhat put the brothers to shame, but at least it was a kid who did it. He would not gloat nor stop asking their advice after only a little success.

    The journey continued like this for four days. They had until now been fortunate with the weather, but their luck was not made too last. Soon, a horrible storm came upon them. Rain pouring down in droves. Their pace soon came close to a crawl, wagons and carriage stuck in the mud which now had become ankle deep. In the end they were forced to abandon the road, seeking shelter beneath some large trees. They all knew the danger of camping beneath trees during a thunderstorm, but they decided any risk would be worth getting away from the worst of the downpour.

    Late that night, while the wind was howling, they all sat in one of the two wagons owned by the brothers. Water dripped through the canvas, but fortunately, the brothers had a small brazier which they placed in the open space in the middle of the wagon. In the end it became quite comfortable. They packed themselves in furs whilst roasting some of the leftover bear meat. The animals were tied to the nearby trees, while the dogs stood watch over them.

    Kaaaw Kaaw!

    It was Kael''s raven. It sat in its cage in the corner, clearly dissatisfied with its current situation. There was nothing for it though, because the water dripped everywhere. The raven had to deal with the occasional drop of water, startling it awake, as it failed to fall asleep.

    Kael tried to placate the raven by feeding it a piece of bear meat, all the while trying to pay attention the story the three brothers were currently telling. It was a story about the great white wolf, a monstrous mutation of the ordinary dire wolf. It was said to be the size of a small house, and lead a pack of nearly three hundred. No man could stand against the beast, as its hide was thicker than the strongest leather armour. It claws were like swords, and its fangs like spears.

    The wolf had dominated the neighbouring Pale region for decades. This was until one day a great hunter arrived. His name was Sir Walder Iron Bane. He had travelled the world, with his small entourage of elite hunters. There were even rumours he had slayed a great wyrm. His greatest achievement however was slaying a great whale at sea. It was named Iron, due to its extremely tough skin. It had hunted fishermen and whalers alike.

    They said that the great whale had once been a peaceful creature, but after experiencing countless losses in his herd, the great whale finally went mad. It first began with a whaler ship hunting him and his pack, but after learning how easily he could break them. He started actively seeking these out. He soon became the scourge of the northern sea.

    Not long after word had spread of this menacing whale, Sir Walder arrived. It took him many months of observation to finally come up with a plan to defeat the great whale. He had discovered a small island, merely a stretch of rock. The plan he hatched was one he had used before against large beasts roaming the land. He figured that if he could lure the beast here, and anger it sufficiently, it would fail to realize that it had stranded itself. He would then launch a surprise attack from land using ballistas armed with harpoons.

    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.This plan would take weeks to accomplish, and the hard part was getting the whale there, but sir Walder also found a solution for this. He hired the fastest vessel on the northern sea, a small brig named the Sea Lion. He then filled this ship with oil and put up torches everywhere on the ship. Walder would have the ship sail towards the whales, it was a risky plan, because it might not work, and being the fastest ship on the sea, it would certainly be no way of getting it back.

    Sir Walder followed the ship from afar in another brig, not that much slower than the first one. Once the ship was directly aligned in front of the herd of whales. The crew jumped ship, and were picked up by Walder and his crew. They watched as the ship got closer and closer. They were starting to get worried, but then, Iron attacked.

    The ship exploded into a great blazing ball of flames, several dozens of meter high. The oil soon covered a large area, flames running rampant across the water surface. Many members of the herd, panicked and fled, others cried in misery and pain, but the one who was hurting the most, was Iron. He was badly burned from his attack, he had lifted his massive body and smashed it down onto the ship¡­ The result was predictable.

    After a brief period of panic, he started thrashing about, in anger and pain. Soon, spotting the ship not far off in the distance, he swam towards them at high speed. Sir walder, already having turned his ship about in preparation, set off as fast as the wind could carry them. The hunt was long, but at long last, the hunter became the hunted. Walder let his ship ram onto the shores of the small island. His crew and himself leaping out as fast as was humanly possible.

    Not long after, an angered Iron smashed onto the ship. He then realized that he was stuck, stranded on this small strip of rocks. Sir Walder and his crew, were swift into action. They started firing heavy harpoons at the beast, chaining it until it was barely able to move. Then walder climbed atop the beast, and stuck it with his spear, the legendary talon, made from the claw of a giant eagle. It took many hours for the beast to finally die.

    Walder and his crew became heroes to the fishermen and sailors of the region. They made it rich on the giant beast, but Sir Walder did not lack wealth, no, what he wanted, was the hunt of a lifetime. A beast worthy of his dedication and full set of skills. Something that he felt would be the death of him. The search carried on, until one day, they heard tale of the great white wolf. It was said that nobody has ever seen Sir Walder after he set out after the great white wolf, but the men in the area had reported finding dead wolves and hunters in droves.

    This was the last the three brothers knew of the matter. By now, it had been six months since they last heard any news of Sir Walder, but people still hoped. After finishing the tale, they all sat in silence. Kael was just about to speak, when they heard a dreadful scream not a long distance away. The screaming was soon joined by other voices, eventually, one by one, the screams fell silent.

    The people gathered in the wagon tensed, finally, they decided to have a look. One of the brothers picked up a lantern nearby, lighting it with a piece of glowing coal from the brazier. They then armed themselves with crossbows and some woodcutting axes they had stored away in the corner.

    As they all filed out of the wagon, they could smell the stench of blood in the air. They neared the direction the screaming had come from. Finally, they saw drag marks in the mud, filled with blood. They found the first body, not three meters away. It had been a fat man, but other than that, nothing much was gained from looking at him. He had been torn to shreds, his throat was missing, and some of his body parts as well. Bone and flesh lay scattered about like splinters of wood.

    It would turn out, not to be the last of them. As they proceeded onwards, they found three more bodies. They were all armed, and looked to have been highwaymen of sorts, one of the men still had his face intact, he matched the description put up in the last village they passed. As they were wondering what kind of beast would be capable of doing this, Kael turned around looking into the darkness. Unlike the others, he could clearly make out his two hounds. They were both covered in blood.

    He decided to keep this a secret, and signalled them to go away for the time being. Hoping they would get rid of the blood on them after staying in the rain for a while. The party soon returned to their wagon, but nobody except Kael and Rache could sleep properly that night.

    The next morning, the sun shone on them, the bad weather had passed. Upon seeing the horror in daylight, nobody felt the need for breakfast. They also gave up on identifying the killer of these bandits. The rain had washed away any trace. Kael¡¯s two hounds were sleeping by the horses, looking a bit worse for wear after the night in the rain, but nobody had the time to think about that.

    After burying the bandits, considering only one could be used for bounty, they carried on with their journey. It was slow going at first, but eventually the baking autumn sun dried even the mud. After travelling with only the occasional stop at an inn or village for selling their wares, they arrived at Fallgara.

    It was a city of stone, with a sixteen-foot wall surrounding the settlement. It was a medium-sized town, by continental standards, but it was huge compared to anything Kael had ever seen before. The city stretched on for at least three kilometres. From a distance they could see tall towers, grand estates and even a great cathedral. What caught Kael¡¯s eye the most however, was the massive tower in the middle of the town. It towered far above the city walls, and was clearly the largest building in the city. Slowly, a grin spread across his face as he spoke, ¡°Fallgara, I have arrived.¡±

 8. The City Of Fallgara

    As Kael and company approached the city gates, they slowed to a crawl, being caught up in the que. There were farmers with carts filled with vegetables, trader wagon-trains filled with goods, men and women, alone or in groups, carrying things they would bring to market.

    As Kael and the others settled at the back of the que, Kael noticed, that ahead of him, was a band of men. They were clad in worn leather armour, some had leather caps on their heads, others wore nothing. The group were filled with men of different ages, some looked as young as Kael, others looked even older than Rache, but what they had in common was that they all looked worn and tired. A few members of the group had bandages, but even so, they along with the others, were armed. Crossbows, bows, spears, the odd cudgel and dirks. They looked like an odd bunch.

    After a while, one of the boys, noticing Kael''s curious gaze, walked over and spoke, ¡°what? Never seen a mercenary group before?¡±

    Kael sat silent for a while, studying the boy, who looked his own age, shorter though he might be. As Kael looked at the boy, the boy noticed something odd about him, one of his eyes were white? It made the way Kael looked at him, feel quite uncomfortable.

    He was thinking about speaking up, and get him to stop staring, when Kael spoke first, ¡°well, I suppose you are the first mercenary group I have ever seen, but I had imagined you differently. You cannot be a very successful, judging from your gear, but I guess one cannot expect to see the strongest mercenary companies this far from the capital.¡±

    The boy looked at Kael, stunned. He was starting to get angry, this pale boy was clearly looking down on them, and what was this about seeing the strongest companies?! Who were able to see them as they wished? He decided to give this boy a lecture, at least teaching him some manners would be fine.

    Just as the boy was preparing to reprimand the pale boy, one of his superiors called out to him, ¡°let it be Julius¡­ He is right, we are not exactly the kind of mercenary group you hear about in tales.¡± the old mercenary approaching them was chuckling at this last bit, before continuing, ¡°that being said¡­ we are not a weak group. Boy, don¡¯t you know that the most dangerous beast, is not the fat one, but the bone skinny one¡­ The one with nothing left to lose¡­¡± This last bit he directed at Kael with a grin.

    Kael studied this old man, he was thin, but he clearly had quite a bit of muscle left. His left hand, was missing, and in its place was an iron hook. He also was riddled with scars. This was clearly an old warrior.

    Having been silent for a while, Kael spoke, ¡°You are indeed right old man, I was disrespectful. As an apology, how about I give you a lesson in hand-to-hand combat? With that hook of yours, I promise you, you will be a tiger with wings, after learning some of my combat forms.¡± Having said this, Kael once again studied the old man, with a sly grin on his face.

    Rache, having only paid casual attention to this conversation until now, jerked up hearing what the young master said. He soon broke into a sweat. This would not do, there were too many people present, and a boy his age should not be able to beat up a veteran like this old man. That was what common sense would dictate, but the result would probably be the old man dying from a few punches from Kael, after all, he had yet to master his own strength.

    Hurrying to speak before the old man could answer, he said, ¡°Grandson, you should not speak such to a warrior like this. I apologize for his behaviour, if you wish, I shall take his place as a sparring partner.¡± Having said this Rache only looked at the old man. He did not dare look at Kael¡¯s puzzled face. Reprimanding the young master! This was blasphemy! At this moment however, he had to do this, it was for the young masters benefit after all.

    Kael, watched old Rache scrutinizingly. He must have some plan, although he did not appreciate this gesture, he thought he had understood what it might be. Kael, as he thought about the potential reason for the disruption, soon came to a realization. He was far too young to beat up an old veteran, and giving him lessons. After coming to this conclusion, bowed his head, sometimes, he forgot how young he was. Rache, with his old age, naturally knew more about the world than him. Kael after thinking for a while, decided to restrain himself in the future.

    Meanwhile, the old man who first had been shaking with indignation, calmed down after hearing what old Rache said. He remembered himself how it was to be young, confident and hotheaded. He smiled at Rache, and said, ¡°well, youngsters are youngsters after all. I think I will decline the offer to spar for the time being. However, youngster, if you are interested in some work one day, come to the Shattered Shield mercenary company. I am the head of the group, so I''ll get you in if you want. I will wait for your teaching that day.¡± He finished this last sentence with a half mocking, half amused grin. Then he grabbed the young boy by his side, and headed back to his group.

    Old Rache, having heard everything, was sweating again. He prayed that the young master would find it in his heart not to be offended by that man. Exterminating a mercenary company was hardly low key. However, if that was what the young master wished, that was what would happen.

    To old Raches relief, Kael only grinned and laughed, having heard the old mercenary. He then spoke to old Rache, ¡°thanks old gramp''s, I was a bit to hasty there. It appears I forget my own age sometimes. I have realized, having only been around you old timers my entire life, I should probably act a bit more low-key. Let''s head into town, I look forward to where you will take me.¡± Kael smiled at old Rache after this, he then proceeded to lean back against his seat, seemingly falling asleep.

    It took them close to an hour to get past the gates. At their turn, the brothers showed a sigil. This was a mark, belonging to the traders union of Fallgara. They did not have to pay toll for entering the city, they only paid a yearly tax. Upon seeing Kael and old Rache moving up to the gate, they were about to offer to take them with them as well, but old Rache politely declined. The brothers looked at each other before telling them, that they could find them at the local traders union house later, before taking their leave.

    The guard looked at old Rache with a deadpan expression, who would decline such an offer of free passage? He was about to ask for the fee, when old Rache pulled out a small sigil and a roll of paper. Old Rache proceeded to pass these to the guard. The guard looked with widened eyes at the sigil in his hand, it took him a long while before he started reading the scroll of paper, upon which his face went pale as paper.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    The guard opposite him looked at him in bewilderment, what would make his colleague change like this? Before he got to ask, the other guard bent forward in a respectful and differential bow. He did not speak a word, nor did he try to stop old Rache as he took back the small token and the piece of paper. Old Rache, then had the horses move forward.

    As the cart disappeared in the crowd, his fellow guard could no longer hold his curiosity. He asked, ¡°What the hell was that? Why the sudden change in attitude, who was that old man? That paper, what did it say, and what was that small sigil?¡±

    The other guards face, having slowly regained some colour, paled immediately. He walked over and smacked his colleague in the back of the head, before reprimanding, ¡°stop asking questions! That man could have us hanged if we showed him disrespect! Did you not see that sigil? It is the sigil of the Wake family! Only second to the city lords house, they may look low-key, but some of us know otherwise. This only a side branch of their family, unlike others here, they are originally from the capital, and from what I hear, they are not weak at all.¡± The guard had said this in a harsh whispering tone, and was clearly winded from this tirade.

    The other guard, having heard what his colleague had to say, became nearly as pale. He started muttering to himself about looks deceiving, thanking the gods for his luck, if he had tried to hinder that old man, his superior would probably have his hide.

    A kilometre inside the city, the old cart was trudging forward on the cobblestone road. Kael was currently studying the surroundings. They were currently in the trade district. The smell here was of vegetables, raw meat and smoke among some. Other smells were definitely present, but at the moment Kael did not care too much about that. What fascinated him was the amount of people he saw. Young and old, tall and short, dark and light, there were people in every colour and appearance.

    Kael was also being watched, people looked and pointed at him, from afar. He did not think much of it, but the surrounding people, did find him just as fascinating as he did them. Tall and lanky, pale as snow, grey hair pulled back in a ponytail. His face was very fair, but that was not what caught most people''s attention. In fact, his left pupil was completely white. Many young women stared longingly after this young man, who looked so fair for a commoner.

    As they travelled on, the district got smaller, and the street and buildings became fairer to look at. Eventually they reached a small gate. It was broad enough for two carts, a far cry from the city gates. Same procedure as at the main gate happened. The guards here were even more deferential. The land surrounding them was divided into grand estates, and the streets were only walked by nobles and rich traders. These people stared after this odd pair, who looked so out of place, but did not act upon this. Just the fact that they could be here, was enough as a deterrent. Though, the pair did leave a bad taste, after all, peasants were not an ordinary sight in the noble area.

    After a hours ride through twisting streets, they arrived before a massive mansion. The walls around this place were of even greater quality than what separated the commoners from the noble district. As they neared the small gate, guards started fanning out from the gate. One tall man in steel plate mail stood out from the rest, clearly the guard captain.

    The guard captain went up to the cart as it stopped, with a doubtful look, he studied Kael and then old Rache. He eventually spoke, ¡°We did not expect any supplies today, who are you? Are you aware that you have come to Wade family mansion? How did you two get into the noble district anyway?¡±

    Old Rache did not speak, as with the previous guards, he passed on the paper and the small token. The difference between these guards and the ones guarding the gates, soon became clear. The captain, having read the contents of the letter and seen the small sigil, stood in a daze for a while, before going down on one knee.

    He then shouted out, ¡°My lord, pardon my actions! This one will take the punishment required if you wish it so. You lot, why are you standing about!? Kneel for his lordship!¡± The captain yelled this in a fierce voice, before again turning to old Rache, with head bowed, not saying a word.

    The other men about stood in shock, before scrambling to their knees. Old Rache on the other hand, had a smile on his face, he waved his hand at the captain, signaling that it was alright. He then had the captain come over, before whispering something in his ear. The captain then bowed, before letting them inside the mansion gates. The other guards wanted to ask the captain about these two lords, but did not dare, seeing the seriousness of his face.

    As Kael and old Rache disembarked from their cart, servants came out to see them. Along with the servants came a castelan. He spoke in low voices with old Rache, before quickly walking into the mansion again. Old Rache turned to Kael, then spoke, ¡°We are here young master, this will be our home in the city, you should go have a bath and get some food, meanwhile I shall go speak with our host.¡±

    Kael nodded and followed some servants. Old Rache sighed, before heading into the mansion. As he got further inside, the castelan reappeared and led him through many corridors before stopping in front of the doors to the great hall. Old Rache was then lead through the doors and into the spacious room. In the end of the room, stood a tall chair on a pedestal. There sat a middle-aged man. He was an impressive looking man, he was powerfully built, with a rather handsome face. His hair contained traces of grey, but this only made him seem wiser.

    Old Rache proceeded to walk all through the chamber, stopping only a few feet in front of the man. He studied the man, the midde-aged man studied him in return. He was not familiar with this old man, who seemed to know everything. The lord stood up, and started walking towards old Rache. Whom then produced another piece of parchment, different from the one used with the guards, and the small token.

    The lord looked surprised at the sight of the token, but did not change his expression too much. Without a word, he proceeded to take the parchment. As he started reading, his face became pale, he even started to tremble in excitement. His eyes were wide as saucers as he looked up at old Rache for a moment. In a trembling voice he then proceeded to ask, ¡°c-can you please let me s-see proof of your identity great s-sir?! Can it this be true? If it is...¡±

    Old Rache said nothing in response, but suddenly, he started changing. He grew taller, and taller, until he was half the height of the chamber roof. His face started twisting, until a completely different face appeared. He looked much more royal, but also terrifying. His eyes became red, he sprouted two great horns on the sides of his head. These horns were black as obsidian and curved to just above his temple.

    His feet grew hooves, and he sprouted fur, and finally, his skin became a dark red colour. When he spoke next, his voice was not the of an old man any longer, instead it was dignified and dripping with power, ¡°now do you believe, lord wade?¡±

    Following this, old Raches face twisted into a malicious grin, before continuing, ¡°your family, has served us for a hundred generations. The Wade family has been our puppet on this continent for longer than your family has written history, but you have always been rewarded. Today we entrust you with your greatest reward yet. The young master of the abyss is now the guest of your house. You should know what to do, no?¡± This last, old Rache said in reverent voice, filled with pride.

    The lord stood there, mouth agape for a long while, before he started crying. He then prostrated himself on the ground, shouting, ¡°the Wade family stand ready to serve the young lord, whatever he may ask of us, he shall have! If he asks us to die, we will gladly do so. This world will belong to the young master, if the Wade family can only serve at his feet, we will still do so if he asks it of us! Alach na ein! Long live the dark lord!¡±

    Old Rache smiled at the lord, then said, ¡°The young lord is taking a bath as we speak. Do not neglect him, but do not disturb him for the time being. He is here to experience the world of mortals for the first time. Understood?¡± he then proceeded to walk out of the chamber, leaving the stunned lord behind¡­

 9. Young Master Kael

    It was nearly time for the evening meal when Kael finished cleaning himself. Constantly throughout his refreshing bath, Kael, was thinking about what connection his family could have with this lordly house. He assumed that it had something to do with old Rache bringing that token and those papers. Kael was starting to regret not asking about them, after all old Rache had flashed them around all day.

    Whilst brooding about this, he had the servants bring him his travelling chests. He brought out some of his fine garments. It was a black pair of trousers of fine velvet, a shiny pair of knee tall boots in dark brown, and a white silk shirt. To top it off, he put on sleeveless doublet as black as night, it was brocaded with a fine pattern of dancing dragons in red. It was also lined with silver buttons. He then proceeded to inspect his shoulder-length hair, it looked shiny and sleek after his bath, he decided to go with a black silk band, and wrapped it about his hair, resulting in a ponytail.

    As he stepped before the mirror, it was as if it was a different person entirely. He had always been brought up in a cordially at home, but once he saw himself now, he looked like some prince of myth. His grey hair and pale skin, strongly contrasted with his attire, he looked even more mystic due to his white pupil. He definitely looked handsome, but to others, he looked like a thorny rose. Even a bit terrifying even, a young man whom could demand respect, with his regal bearing.

    He himself did not realize this, before stepping out from the bathing chamber door. The servants were struck dumb by the contrast, him entering and him leaving, were two different things entirely. They bowed deeply, barely daring to look at him at all. As he was led towards the dining hall, this became even more apparent, every guard posted by the walls leading to the great chamber, saluted in deference.

    He was flabbergasted as he was led into a great hall, with many people standing about the chamber. This was due to the way the castelan introduced him, ¡° lords and ladies, his lordship, lord Kael, graces us with his presence.¡± He said this in a monotone tone, but even Kael can sense the oddity in his tone, was that reverence?

    If the guards and servants had a reaction to his presence, he was even further dumbstruck by the noble''s reaction. They gaped at him, normally they would whisper among themselves about a new noble being presented. At this moment however, they were too occupied with just looking at him.

    Kael had never realized himself, what a striking figure he made when he tried his best to look good. The nobles gathered eventually began whispering about a foreign prince, a future monarch. Kael was put on the spot, not sure about how to act, when suddenly the handsome man seated at the back stood up and spoke with booming laughter, ¡°lord Kael! I have long wanted to meet you! Come, come, I wish to speak to you, and introduce you to some of my friends.¡±

    While the lord spoke, a surprisingly good-looking Rache appeared at his side, he smiled a Kael and nodded. Kael proceeded to walk towards the pair, under the admiring and curious gazes sent his way. He felt somewhat relieved by not having to stand about like an idiot.

    Kael was soon even more flabbergasted, so was every member of the great hall, the lord Wade, actually made a deep bow towards Kael, as soon as he stood in front of him. He was all smiles as he looked at Kael, it was as if he only saw Kael in the room. His eyes were shining like torches, making Kael somewhat uncomfortable. This man, was far too interested in him for Kael''s liking. He had heard about men liking men before, but he was not sure if this was what that was. He certainly hoped not.

    Had Kael¡¯s thoughts been heard by lord Wade, one can not be entirely sure of his reaction. Either he would gladly embrace such a thought, or he would cough blood and bear with it. There were not that many options. Lord Wade on the other hand, was studying this godlike being which now graced his halls. Just feeling Kael¡¯s presence, he was sure of that this had to be the young master Kael. There was no doubt about it, that aura, such a regal bearing, this was the master he would serve for his entire life, and doing so gladly.

    Before he could break free from this train of thoughts, old Rache spoke in a low voice, ¡°young master Kael, as you can see, everyone here is sure you are a prince from a foreign nation. With the way you have been educated throughout your life, the way you have been raised, it''s not far from the truth. It would be best to embrace this, there are no disadvantages from such an identity. Our family has strong ties between us and the Wade family.¡± As he said this last part, he sent a sharp look in lord Wades direction.

    Lord Wade coughed once, looking a little embarrassed, but decided it best to ignore old Rache, even if it was close to a walk on blades, he needed to get some goodwill from his master at all costs. He smiled amiably, then proceeded to go up to Kael, and under old Rache''s shocked and indignant expression, he grabbed Kael¡¯s shoulder with one hand, all the while smiling and nodding appreciatively at Kael.

    Kael, who was now sure this was one of those odd men, who liked other men, instinctively wanted to draw back. He decided that would be too rude in this situation, under the various gazes from the nobles. As he was about to politely ask lord Wade for some distance, the former spoke, ¡°Ah! Young lord Kael, I want you to think of me as an uncle, I will carry the sky for you. I like young fellows like you the most, you have great promise for the future. Think of this as your home, as long as you say the word, you shall have it. Actually, I will gift you with your own mansion on my estate, as much money as your coffers can hold, some top servants, and my death sworn soldiers. This way I can feel at ease with you being cared for!¡±

    Looking at this overexcited, over friendly, and over generous lord, Kael nearly began to panic. What the hell was this? Did this old man try to hit on him just like that?! Kael sent a pleading gaze towards old Rache, this man was far too much for this young master to deal with. He was even more sure about his assumption with the lords gifts. Just what kind of host did old Rache take him too?

    The lord Wade, clearly having sensed Kael¡¯s discomfort, began to sweat, to anger his master, this was his worst nightmare. So he once again ignored old Rachel''s subtle threats, trying to placate Kael even further, by offering even more gold, guards and even his main mansion if he wished it. Of course, this had the opposite effect on Kael, who was getting even more frantic in his plight for escape.

    At this moment however, they finally rang the bells for dinner. Kael politely declined lord Wades offer to sit in his seat during dinner, preferring to sit with old Rache between himself and this perverted, overzealous noble. During dinner, he was asked again and again about where he came from, who his parents were, endless digging about his true identity.

    After having endured this dreadful gathering for at least an hour, Kael politely withdrew to the mansion assigned to him and old Rache. He signalled to old Rache with his eyes, that they would certainly have words when he came back.

    It took nearly two more hours before old Rache appeared. He did not dare to look at Kael at all, he just stood before him with head bowed. Kael sat in a gilded chair in a grand chamber, which was his own. He was not used to such riches, but did not totally reject them. It was quite comfortable.

    After waiting for a long while, Kael spoke, ¡°well, what kind of host is this have you brought me to?! He looked like he wanted to take me to his chambers right there and then,¡± before he even finished the sentence, old Rache looked up with an expression filled with horror and indignation, the mere thought of this could get anyone killed! Kael continued, ¡°as if it was not bad enough, he then proceeded to trying to bribe me with mansions, guards and gold!? Where did you find this fellow? I cannot possibly believe that someone like that would have ties to our family?¡± Having finished this tirade he looked expectantly at old Rache, who now was paler than the shirt he wore.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    Old Rache fell to his knees, shocking Kael, then proceeding to bang his head to the floor repeatedly, all the while babling for forgiveness for such blasphemy. Finally, he spoke in a begging and apologizing tone, ¡°young master, forgive me for not informing you beforehand, that man is actually your servant. His family has served ours for generations. He is only overzealous, but he is entirely devoted to your well-being, but when he made you appear uncomfortable, he mistook your meaning. Lord Wade thought you were dissatisfied with his gifts, and so offered more and more, until deciding to offer his entire mansion.¡± Having calmed down, old Rache made a weak, pleading smile at Kael.

    Kael, too relieved to think of anything else, said, ¡°good heavens, that''s good to hear. Please do inform me in advance of such matters¡­ I thought you were offering me up to this lord Wade as some form of payment for some debt you had¡­ To think that he is my servant, odd thought indeed.¡± Whilst Kael was high in the clouds in relief, old Rache nearly spat blood hearing Kael¡¯s words. Offering the young master as a form of payment!? What debt between heaven and earth would be able to even justify such a sacrifice!? Not to mention he would be tortured for a few millennias should anyone even know of this. This was pure blasphemy!

    Feeling a bit guilty, looking at old Rache''s deathly pale face, he decided to go apologize to lord Wade. He had been so distant to his goodwill, he hoped it would not damage their reputation. Since lord Wade was his servant, he should at least try to have a good relationship with him. Suggesting this to old Rache, he immediately wondered what he did wrong, because old Rache, having regained some colour, immediately went just as pale as before.

    Having the young master apologies to a servant of the dark!? What kind of day was this?! Would the prime god of light descend next to saint a donkey? If the master of the abyss knew of this, would he be mad, laugh or just straight out kill old Rache? He shivered at the thought about the master, everything considering the young master was of utmost importance, and here he was filling the young lord with doubts, misgivings and even got close to having him apologize to a servant not even of the abyss? Old Rache nearly fainted.

    Deciding to wait upon the morrow, Kael said he was tired, but rather than being a bit tired, it was to let old Rache calm down. He looked like doomsday had come too early. Little did Kael know, that in the lord''s mansion, lord Wade was shaking like a leaf himself, considering suicide for his disrespect, wondering what he could do to salvage the situation. It was a rather sleepless night for both him and old Rache, filled with terribly nightmares and deathly premonitions.

    It was a rather refreshed Kael who met the lord and old Rache for breakfast. He smiled and chatted with the lord, offering a small apology for having misunderstood him, blaming it all at the ashamed old Rache for not informing him of the situation.

    To his exasperation, lord Wade prostrated before himself, crying, ¡°buuhuu!! This servant greets the young master! I was sure I had offended the young master, I was prepared to commit suicide to correct this error!¡± He was so relieved that he did not care about any servants, guards present. Luckily for him, the rest of his family member never showed up for this earliest breakfast. He would not mind, but he would have to execute any family member disrespecting the young lord in response to his attitude.

    The guards and servants around the room felt heaven had fallen on to their shoulders, someone who was the master¡¯s master?! What did that signify? Would they have to call this young lord, the greatest master? Little did it matter to them, a master was a master.

    Having thought for a while, Kael spoke up, ¡°I will take your gifts, as it was put out in good faith. I however wonder what you can tell me about the academy of magic in town?¡± Kael¡¯s eyes started shining at the mention of the academy.

    Lord Wade looked pleased beyond description. He then got a bit serious at the mention of the academy. He spoke, ¡°young master, the academy is the strongest power in our region. They do seldom meddle in mundane, other than to fight threats. This changes however when the magi complete their training. Some have the option to continue towards the capital, if their talent is great, some commoners who become magi are offered a teachers job at the academy, but most leave the academy to help their family or travel the world. I am one of the latter.¡± He said this part with a little pride, before becoming serious once more.

    He continued, ¡°Can I assume you wish to join the academy? I shall refrain from informing you about the inner structure of the academy, as you will learn of this once you enrol. You are actually quite lucky, young master, the registration for new applicants start in two days. As a noble, you do not have to go through a screening process with the commoners whom have the talent. You can meet at the noble registration, which is less time-consuming.¡± Lord Wade refrained from asking about Kael''s talents concerning magic, what a joke, doubting the young master of the abyss ability to use magic?

    Kael nodded at this, he was starting to get excited. He continued to ask about the city and other topics that could interest him, before taking his leave. Kael wanted to check up on his animals, but also on the things lord Wade had gifted him. He was quite curious about the concept of a death sworn squad of soldiers serving him.

    His hounds having had a bath, looked splendid as ever, greatly pleased by the food they were presented at this mansion. The only problem was that they would not let anyone but Kale come close to them. A self-confident kennel master had tried, he now lacked a finger. He however, had mysteriously disappeared after begging the lord to put the beasts down. Nobody asked after him though. The lord had made it perfectly clear, that any insult to the young lord or his entourage would result in catastrophic reprisals.

    Soon, Kael was at his new mansion, it was only a few hundred yards from the lords'' mansion, It was a grand building, built in dark grey marble, the insides were decorated in gilded gold and red velvet covered every thinkable surface. When Kale went into the courtyard he was met with a grand sight.

    Thirty powerfully built men, wearing polished dark steel armour were kneeling in his courtyard. They were covered from head to toe in black, only their eyes peeking out beneath their veiled helmets. Behind them, grand cloaks billowed in the morning breeze. They were an intimidating sight. It was not made any less terrifying by the two curved swords each man wore at the hips. These were clearly sword users of great skill. Only swordsmen of some skill would wield an extra sword instead of shield.

    As one, they stood up and bowed towards Kael, yelling in unison, ¡°first Death guard of the Wade family, greets the young master! We will live and gladly die by your word!¡± They then kneeled down once again, waiting for Kaels command.

    Kael, taking in the sight, asked, ¡°whom here is in command? I was told I would receive only one squad, but this is clearly a platoon. Who is your leader?¡± Kael asked this with a puzzled face.

    A man, nearly a head taller than the rest, walked forward, before kneeling at Kael''s feet. He yelled out, ¡°captain of the first death guard of house Wade, Silent Blade, greets the young master. Answering to the young master, the lord felt the young master could use a larger protection contingent. As such, we, the Death company, has been assigned to the young master. Reporting to the young master, we gathered here are the strongest members of the Death company. We have 70 more brothers on standby in the barracks located beneath the mansion, we are all ready to die for the young master at any time. Our last orders from the previous master, was to follow the young lord forever, or until you no longer have any use for us.¡±

    Kael was a bit exasperated by this revelation, but went with the flow. More of these deathly loyal men, could not be a bad thing. It would be nice to have his own force in this world, only loyal to him. If any of the other servants of his family had heard him say this, they would not know what to think, what did they exist for, if not for the young master?

    He spoke to Silent Blade, ¡°Well, as you were. I want you and ten men to accompany me in two days time, as I go to sign up at the academy of magic. You may also pick some of your men to spar with me, for swords training in the days to come. Who knows, maybe I will be the one teaching you lot.¡± He said this last bit with a tad of humour to his voice, to his disappointment, he got no other reaction than the rather boring, ¡°as the young master commands.¡±

    No longer wasting time with his dull and monotone guards, he went into his mansion. There he found gold in droves, neatly stacked in bags in his chambers. He picked up one, counting it up. Just one of these small bags contained a hundred gold coins. One gold coins, was approximately a hundred silver, that again was a hundred copper coins. Kael pondered upon whether he would really need a hundred gold coins, but decided that at least one of these small pouches would be a good thing to bring with him wherever he went.

    As he settled down in a fine chair on his balcony, he could see the entire city before him. He was quite content, he was set for the future, Kael would probably spend a long time in this place, knowing he did not have to worry about anything but working on his own skills and learning magic, was a great feeling. Kael did not go complacent however, no matter how great a talent, if he did not use it to his full ability, it would be too great a waste. Kael prepared himself mentally, before closing his eyes. In two days, he would finally start his journey on the road of magic. He was looking forward to it...

 10. The Gathering Of Nobles

    It was early in the morning when Kael awoke the next day, he decided that it was time for some morning workout, preferably with some of his death guards. After a short breakfast in his mansion, he proceeded to the courtyard, wearing lax loose fitting clothing.

    Several of the thirty death guards were missing from yesterday, but he did not worry, they were probably somewhere on the property looking for threats, or having a break in their barracks.

    Kael stopped in the middle of the courtyard, shading his eyes, he looked at the sky, clear and blue, with a scorching morning sun, barely up in the sky. He then turned his attention to the death guards, they all stood in various places in the courtyard, still as statues.

    ¡°Attention! Silent Blade, you and two of your fellow death guards, come with me, I wish to spar. Bring a sword to me, preferably two fingers wide, and four feet long. I want it to be double-edged, and with a rather broad cross guard. See if you can attach a heavy pommel for a low weigh point. When you have something like it, bring it to me, along with some protection gear.¡± Silent Blade was initially dazed, but his job was to always remain calm, so shortly after, he bowed, and then disappeared.

    Kael had to wait for over ten minutes, before Silent Blade appeared again. He bowed his head as he leaned forward, presenting Kael with a steel blade in a fine scabbard. As far as Kael could tell, it was made of cold-steel. A rare type of hard metal alloy, which were mixed with ancient ice-particles. Therefore, it was quite easy to tell that it was cold-steel, there would be blue spots in the steel. One would also notice, that cold-steel had the characteristics of never going hot, the blade had too high a melting point to ever melt. Only a very few special flames could melt cold-steel.

    A man could try to heat it again and again, put his sword on fire with a spell, and the sword carrier would still be fine, because the melting point was too damn high. Very few blacksmiths would be able to make such a sword as this. It was worth a kings random, not to mention the beautiful black pearl covering most of the pommel.

    Kael stood, admiring the weapon, before deciding to have a look at the blade itself. As he drew it out, it shone bright in the sunlight, it was truly a beauty of a sword. Though a bit long for Kael, he would be able to live with that. The blade was straight, before narrowing towards the tip, not in a straight line, but slightly curing in the edges. The blade had writings on both sides, and shallow patterns ran across the entire length of the blade.

    Kael realized that this weapon was actually a magical blade, forged by a master blade smith from outside the continent, and enchanted by a grand enchanter, before ending up in his hands. He wondered how his death guards had got their hands on such a treasure, of this quality. He decided not to use this for practice, it would be to dumb, using such a master blade against his death guards would be using a cleaver to kill a chicken.

    As he turned towards Silent Blade, he said, ¡°well done, we should be starting, some other time, I wish to know where you got this sword. I will not go easy on you just because you are my guards, so prepare yourselves.¡±

    Kael got into a leather practice doublet, before heading onto the mansion training ring. His death guards gathered about the practice ring, all were still watching their surroundings, but even still, they were curious about the young lords skill.

    He certainly was confident enough.

    Kael walked onto the arena, and retrieved a sabre from one of the guards. He then pointed at Silent Blade and two other death guards, who with curiosity walked on to the stage. Kael bowed towards them, without a word, and then went into the stance, Demons Draws Against The Sky. It was a skill, used to disarm opponents weaker than oneself. Where one sped up with maximum amount of power and speed, drawing their sabre, and aiming it at the sides of the opponent''s weapon, knocking them out of the opponent''s hand.

    Silent Blade and the others drew some practice sabres, readying themselves to go for a swift victory, after all, the master said not to hold back. Just as they were about to attack him, and surround him, the arena shook, and Kael shot at them at insane speed.

    Silent Blade and every death guard watching, was flabbergasted, as Kael, with the speed of a cannonball slammed into one sword after the other. None of the death guards, had much to respond with. He was too fast, and used too much power in his swings. It was like being smashed into by a cart. The three guards, except for Silent Blade, was sent flying out of the arena, sabres flying in all directions.

    As he watched this, Silent Blade drew his second sabre, only he could stand after being hit by the young lord, even still, he was shaken by the force in those sabre swings. He was not confident at all, he felt that this was far from the young masters full strength. His technique was also unfamiliar to Silent Blade, whom could pride himself on being one of the few blade masters on in the region.

    The young masters technique seemed to be a combination of speed and power, but there was also something else in it. Yes! Killing intent, something Silent Blade was very familiar with, but Kael¡¯s killing intent was different. It felt as if this was something natural, whom only he could exude, even Silent Blade felt uneasy, not to mention the other death guards who stood not far away, eyes wide.

    Kael went into the Devils Lunge stance, and charged forward, stopping his momentum only a few feet away from the flustered Silent Blade, the sword tip shot forward at subsonic speed, only coming to a halt at Silent Blade¡¯s neck. A drop of blood slid along the curve of the sabre, as Silent Blade stood in a daze, along with the rest of the death guards.

    This was the person they were supposed to serve and guard? Lord Kael was clearly not some good for nothing noble son, he was a man prepared for anything. Just his skills with the sabre, put them to shame, and that killing intent? How did he acquire something like that at such a young age? Even the death guards, not afraid of dying, were uncomfortable with it, this was something only a person who had slaughtered his way through life, should be able to do. Not some thirteen year old lord.

    Kael sighed, withdrawing the sabre, tossing it to a waiting death guard. He then spoke, ¡°I will be frank with you, this was really subpar. I had expected more, but I suppose you have been trained after the best of circumstances available. From here on, I am in charge of your training. I will teach you knowledge about every subject of use to you, stealth, assassination, infiltration, fighting, disguises, tactics and so on. Also, I will increase your body strength, I will create special supplement for you all. You will need a different diet to cope with the massive amount of training you will each do.¡± He paused, looking expectantly at them.

    They were silent, but also surprised, how could a thirteen-year old know this many subjects? Kael continued, ¡°you will also need skills in languages, mathematics, geography and history among some. Do not get me wrong, I want to make you my shade, capable of any task assigned to you. Be it infiltrating the trader''s guild, teaching at a noble¡¯s school or even becoming a court bard if you have to.¡± Kael finished this last line in a regal voice, he wanted them to understand that they would be no mere cannon fodder. Yes, they would only live for him, but they were going to serve him in every useable aspect.

    Silent Blade went down on one knee, before speaking, ¡°you defeated me easily, even if you are my master, I would still only follow you because those were my orders. Now however, I have seen that you are far superior to me. Master, i, Silent Blade, will do anything you ask of me, and I will never have another master in this life. Please guide us Master, we are your blades!¡±

    The other death guards joined in, and kneeled down with Silent Blade in respect.

    Kael nodded, and so, two days passed in a flash. Kael used these two days, to first learn his men about the fighting styles they would learn. Writing out a set of instructions which were to be followed. The second day, he ordered teachers for every possible subject the men might need. He also had Silent Blade hire members of the merchant guild, to teach them the tricks of commerce, bards to teach them how to entertain, and many other members of society.

    He also sent for alchemist to create special supplements for them, to make them immune to poison, enhance their bodily capabilities.

    His men were going to be a formidable force, the strongest fighters on the continent as a group, and a deadly threat on their own. Able to be a part of any place in society, be it a beggar or a noble. These hundred men, would be his primary force in the future.

    Finally, old Rache came to collect him on the third day. Today was the day he was attending the academy...

    Kael wore the same outfit as the first day he met lord Wade, being presentable would give his future teachers a good impression of him. Besides, there would be other nobles there, looking shabby was not an option.

    He got into an extravagant coach with old Rache. He felt a bit annoyed at all the splendour, but he decided it would not do to complain. It was not his own coach after all. Surrounding the coach, ten death guards stood watch, armed to the teeth. Each rode on a tall warhorse, armed with a long lance, and a large kite shield in the other arm, and two sabres strapped to the hip. Every one of them wore light plate mail, in black. Only their eyes being visible. On the left side of their horse, was a cavalry crossbow and several bundles of bolts. They actually looked ready for war.

    On the driver seat, with the rather nervous driver, sat Silent Blade. He looked quite intimidating, arms crossed. With watchful eyes, whom were roaming back and forth, looking for potential danger.

    They started their travel, scaring quite a lot of nobles, as this mighty entourage passed through the noble district. Several nobles wondered who could afford such a rich and grand entourage. Some, however, knew that house Wade had a new guest, and not some nobody at that. A man whom even the lord of the Wade family had to bow down to. Rumours spoke of him as a man, but most of the privileged once, knew it was a young boy. Nobody quite knew who this boy was, though rumours said he was far to tall for a boy his age.

    Apparently this boy was named Lord Kael. Many influential figures of the city were preparing gifts, in anticipation of meeting this young man. Though he was only thirteen, he was such a big mystery. Nobody knew of his background, nor which house he belonged to, or if he was even a prince from distant lands. His looks, certainly made him out to be someone like that. Fair to look at, but also terrifying at the same time, like a thorny rose.

    Kael however, was not aware this, sitting caught up in his own thoughts. He had been wondering for a while now, why he suddenly recalled some things of his previous home, but not others. It seemed the knowledge kept popping up as he needed them. Until now, he had not managed to remember the reason, but when he sat into the coach, he suddenly recalled what his father had told him. His memory had been locked away, and only bits at a time would be released.

    Especially, regaining all his knowledge about training an elite force, was too well-timed. He just had to conclude that his father had great foresight, sequencing the memory unlocking, from here however, he suspected most knowledge he would gain, would be about magic. Hoping that he would be able to explore magic on his own, he hoped he would not remember too much. It would be fun to learn from this place magic on his own. Kael had unlocked some things about magic already, but he decided to not access it. It was an odd feeling, to have knowledge in your head, that you did not know, but chose to not remember. He was pretty sure that this was not something many people could do.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    After passing through the noble district, they drove through the commoner districts, until they came to the scholars square. A large district of the town, where many shops for magi, scholars, alchemists, enchanters and bunch of other professions stayed. People producing engraving kits, parchment, scrolls of different quality also lived here. It was also here that the entrance to the magic academy district was. It was quite special, as the academy had an entire district to itself. However, not just anyone could enter, you had to be either a noble, or one of the magi initiates to enter.

    As Kael¡¯s group neared the gates, they swung open by themselves. Kael starred in fascination at the gates. He could sense the flows of mana in the gates, there were artificial mana veins in this iron. Someone had also added a command enchantment, and combined it with an enchantment with an opening and closing functionality rune. Kael was puzzled with why he could spot this, but suddenly it hit him, his pupil. It was a natural mutation, mana veins had somehow grown inside his pupil! He could see magic no matter its form, or how hidden it was, as long as it had mana!

    He was amazed by this discovery. Until now, he only knew theory, but now, he could feel that he could control this gate with a thought. Kael was different from other magi, as long as he saw the mana vein, he could control the actions of the mana in that vein, because his eye was directly in contact with his brain. While others had to use spells to know the location of a mana vein, slowly finding the vein, and only touching upon it, after feeling the vein. Kael, on the other hand, did not need to do this. He could transmit the mana vein location to his brain instantly, therefore he did not need to search for it, due to his eye, and so he could control the mana without restrictions.

    Kael realized that this was a dreadful ability. Say he made an eye enchanting spell, if he could see mana veins in biological creatures, he could control their mana. Not fully control them, but he could basically control their actions like puppets.

    While Kael was processing this information, the coach had followed a brick road with green fields on both sides, filled with woods, small streams and a few lakes. It was an entire ecosystem. The journey eventually led them to a large square. There were plenty of coaches and carriages there, of different sizes and splendour. Many finely dressed people stood about in small groups talking. Behind these people stood youths of different ages, ranging from 11- to 15-year old. Standing at the back, were many men in different colours. Every group of these men were armed, some seemed poorly equipped, many were far to over geared for the situation. Some, on the other hand, looked ready for battle like Kael¡¯s Death guard.

    Everyone turned as Kael¡¯s coach stopped. Kael stepped out of the coach, followed by old Rache. Behind him, his Death guard filed in, after dismounting, after all, it would be considered rude to be mounted when your master was walking.

    The crowd of nobles started on in interest and mixed admiration. This was a good-looking youth, tall, pale and fair skinned, grey hair tied in a tail at his back. Wearing a fine attire of contrasting black and white colour, with red dragon embroiders on his doublet. At waist, fastened in a black leather belt, sat his new cold-steel longsword. He also carried himself with great dignity, yet comfort. Nearly looking regal, but in a relaxing manner. However, it was his eyes, that caught most people''s attention. One of his eyes was coloured a deep green, like an emerald, exuding charm and wisdom. It was the other eye however, that caught the crowd''s attention. White as snow, it looked emotionless and cold to the people watching.

    Among the nobles gathered, were many opinions on the young man approaching them, but they all agreed that he looked like some fabled prince out of legend. Many who looked at him felt a pang of jealousy, but many rubbed it off after a while. These men and women were born into nobility, they had their own pride.

    The younger generation of nobles, were also watching Kael. They were not so restrained however, many of the boys, were silently gnashing their teeth. Such a good-looking guy¡­ They did want to embarrass him, and they would have, had it not been for the many warnings their family had given them. This unknown lad clearly had a very special status. On the other hand, the many young noble ladies, studied Kael with stars in their eyes, if not as intense as the gaze of lord Wade, the collective gazes were more than enough to make Kael¡¯s face close to blushing. He even felt a shiver down his spine.

    It was only now that he discovered that he was probably quite handsome. It was either that, or the other option, which he dreaded, that it was his status. Some probably were only interested in his status, he hoped this was not the case with most though, it would be too much of a blow to him.

    He and old Rache stopped a few feet from the closest group of nobles. Soon he was swarmed by the surrounding nobles, wanting to introduce themselves with him and old Rache. Kael was very polite, and quite secretive, leaving most of the talking to old Rache. Eventually the younger generation came to introduce themselves to him.

    Instantly, Kael noticed two who stood out from the rest. One was a young lady from the house of Rosales. Her name was actually Rose, and she looked quite fitting for her name. At the age of fifteen, she was nearly as tall as him, long, silk like, red hair draped down past her shoulders onto her back. Her body was quite proportionate for her age, a slim waist, firm hips and a rather swelling bosom for a fifteen-year-old. She was incredibly pretty, full red lips, a rather small and pointy nose and pretty green eyes. Her eyelashes were rather long and fluttered as she looked at him in interest. She would be an absolutely kingdom-toppling beauty in the future.

    Among the young ladies, there were plenty of pretty flowers, but Rose was definitely the prettiest of the lot. She wore a long draping dress in green and white. Kael was quite taken with this young lady, nearly failing to tear his gaze away, becoming quite embarrassed.

    Other than the ladies approaching, some young men also approached him. One stood out among the others, he was taller than Kael, blond haired, and had blue eyes. His face was square with a bold appearance. His body was rather bulky looking, filling out his fine suit, of blue and white. He also carried a military sabre at his hip, which was rather unadorned for a noble of his standing. He was the young lord Archibald of the house Lion.

    Archibald was the youngest member of the city lord¡¯s family. He was a proud person, not unlike his brother, but he, on the other hand, was a righteous man. Quite opposite of his brother in that regard, but even he, looked quite jealousy at Kael at this moment, even if he hid it well. He was the first person from the younger generation to greet Kael. Whilst shaking Kael¡¯s hand, he applied a lot of pressure. To his surprise however, Kael did not seem to notice at all, which made him sulk a little. He was famed for his strength among the younger generation.

    Archibald did not like that this Kael had appeared on this day, after all, if not for him, he himself would be the centre of attention today. What bothered him even more was that this Kael probably had much higher standing than himself. He also did not like the way Kael looked at him, with that white eye of his, he was quite intimidating. As he thought about all this, the young lady Rose introduced herself next, in a melodious voice.

    When Archibald saw the way Rose looked at Kael, he nearly went mad there and then. He had pursued Rose for many years, since they were young, he had always wanted her, but she never responded to his feelings. Now, this thin, pale looking youth, had her interest just like that? It was no wonder he felt anger rising up.

    After Rose and Archibald introduced themselves, others did likewise, and they started conversing among themselves. Gossip, stories, and questions to Kael was the main topic. They also wondered about the relationship between Kael and house Wade. Kael entertained them for a while, with vague replies. Also, asking them about themselves and this and that.

    The result was that the crowd was no wiser about Kael than when they came to introduce themselves, but many now had a favourable opinion of this well-spoken youth. Eventually many started to withdraw. Then the conversation moved onto the excitement they all felt about the academy.

    Many told Kael various things about what awaited them in the academy. Especially the entrance test was well-known among them. They were to learn the fire bolt spell, and hit a target. The size and power of the fire bolt would give them scores, and also the cast time, time to learn the spell and the precision of the spell would be judged.

    After chatting with the people present for thirty minutes a bunch of old men approached the gather people. They looked healthy, yet old, eyes filled with wisdom. They wore what appeared to be scholar robes. The tallest of the men walked forward greeting them, ¡°Welcome, lords and ladies, to the academy of magic in Fallgara. We look forward to seeing the potential of you young people, but also chat some with you older graduates. We know many of you from your years at the academy already.¡± he paused for a moment, before looking directly at Kael and old Rache, with a rather puzzled expression.

    Suddenly his face lit up. The old man beside that youth, he looked very familiar to him. He thought he might have seen this old man at the academy when he was just a novice. He could not be sure though. The old man walked straight up to Kael and old Rache, surprising the crowd of nobles, as well as the other magi.

    ¡°Greetings sir, might I know your name? I seemed to have seen you at the academy many years ago, accompanying the previous headmaster for a walk. Pardon my bluntness, but what rank of magi are you?.¡± He smiled at old Rache, ignoring everyone else present.

    Old Rache smiled, before answering, ¡°Not bad memory, I remember seeing you back then. It seems to be over two hundred years ago now, you were just a kid back then. You may call me old Rache, or uncle Rache in your case. I am after all, far your senior, as for my magi rank¡­ You can think on this yourself, only an old geezer like you would be able to understand what it means that I have attained equilibrium.¡± Old Rache smiled after saying this.

    The old magi looked at old Rache with a pondering expression, before his expression changed into one of shock. He knew now, that this old man, was far his superior as magi. The magi system was divided into levels, but there was a difference. Every level had different stages, the hardest one to pass however, was the final stage of each level. It was named equilibrium. Equilibrium was a phase of mana flow, where every mana channel of the body was stable, and that meant that you had managed to open every mana channel hidden in the body as well.

    A Magi who was this old looking a hundred years ago, what stage could he be at?? He himself was only a hundred and twenty years old. What kind of monster was this man? Could he possibly be at the peak of the legendary level 5? If so he was probably among the few level 5 magi on the continent, and nearly none of them were at the last stage. It could not be so, he had to be a level 4 magi as himself, but how did you explain his age? Magi could have long lives, yes, but not immortality.

    Even still, the fact that this old man had to be magi of his own level, and at peak at that, was quite shocking. He was surely stronger than himself, and he was the strongest among the entire academy. Deciding to speak, he said, ¡°so it''s senior uncle Rache! It is an honour to see a magi as strong as yourself. I''d like to invite you to become a guardian of the academy, it would bring great honour to the entire academy if we could have you as a teacher or head guardian.¡± As he finished speaking, he bowed deeply at old Rache. Causing the crowd¡¯s jaws to drop nearly to the floor.

    This was the academy headmaster! He did not bow to the city lord, even only slightly inclining his head to any noble man, and it was not even responded with a similar bow. What did that mean? Did that old man following lord Kael have such status?

    Old Rache looked at Kael for a moment, before replying, ¡° as it currently is, my only duty is to follow and guide the young master, and serve at his side. I shall have to decline your offer, headmaster.¡± He said this in a dull tone. Not seeming even slightly interested.

    The headmaster, hearing this, was stumped. He looked at Kael in apprehension. A boy bringing an at least peak level 4 magi, around, was someone of incredible status. Ordinary nobles and lower class magi could never understand the true might of a peak level 4 magi. The difference was the same as that between heaven and earth. A peak level 4 magi could probably destroy all of Fallgara with one high class spell. This was due to the state of equilibrium the magi¡¯s body. He could utilize more power all at once, than a level 4 magi of lower stages.

    The headmaster, looked at Kael for a long time, before bowing to the pair, then walking to the middle of the gathering, once again shocking the crowd, the old man might have status requiring a bow, but Kael? He was just a young noble, how could the great headmaster of Fallgara academy of magi, bow to him?

    The headmaster did not look at any in particular before speaking, ¡°It is time for your test, make ready young ones, this years challenge will be exceptionally hard¡­¡± Then, for the first time, his face turned into a rather wicked smile. It was time to test the mettle of these youths.

    He, personally looked most forward to seeing the young lord Kael in action. With a level 4 magi at his beck and call, he should have high expectations of him¡­ And so, the initiation test for the academy of magi, began¡­

 11. Fire And Brimstone

    Everyone drew a breath, when the headmaster said that the test would be much harder this year. Some of the youngsters, drew in a sharp breath. They had prepared in advance, as everyone knew that the fire bolt test was easy, what did he mean though? How would it be more difficult this year? Why bother with it just for them? Was it because of their cheating preparations?

    Kael himself did not have much of a reaction, he was studying old Rache. The headmaster had spoken with old Rache in a low tone, but Kael, who''s hearing was much better than those present, had heard all of it. Old Rach was, at the very least, a peak level 4 magi? That was too incredible. After all, people on the continent all thought that peak level 5 was the highest attainable level as magi.

    Old Rache, becoming aware of Kael¡¯s quizzical look, drew near him, and spoke in a hushed and apologizing tone, ¡°I have to apologize to the young master, for not telling my rank as magi. I was instructed to keep it quiet until you needed me, but it seems no use hiding it now, who would expect that youngster to recognize me? To be honest though young master, I am far above peak level 4 magi. My exact strength is somewhere in between level 6 and level 7.¡± He paused at Kael¡¯s flabbergasted look, before continuing, ¡°In all honesty, there are several hidden families and characters who are as high as me, but they are all hiding. Under the threat of death coming from your father, they do not dare come even close to the five continents.¡±

    As Kael took in this new information, he simultaneously kept an ear listening to the headmaster, ¡°you will all have your own choice from five different spells, the first ones are easy, but the latter are harder. We will determine your learning capability, your performance, your strength, but also your accuracy. It will not matter if you are a master magi, if you cannot even throw a lightning bolt at a barn door. We shall split you into two groups, one for men, and one for ladies. There will also be a reward at the ending, for the highest skilled from both sexes.¡± Finishing this sentence, he looked expectantly at the crowd.

    The headmaster continued, ¡° Now, split into two groups, males with me, females with elder Moongaze. First you shall pick your spell of choice, then go sit at one of the desks, you will have one hour to start comprehending your spell. Once you are finished, the spell parchment will disappear. If it does not disappear, before the time limit, you will lose your spot. Clear? Hurry up then.¡± He clapped his hands as he finished, the elders behind the headmaster, split into two groups, ten female elders, went to the girls, while nine male elders stayed behind.

    One of the elders then went forward, saying, ¡°line up, when you come up to me, I shall let you have your pick of spell.¡± Everyone stood in a que, Kael was somewhere in the middle of the que. Soon, it was his turn to pick a spell.

    As it turned out, the five spells were as follows; fire bolt, water spear, sprouting flower, shadow spike, and meteorite decent. The spells were apparently very hard to use towards the end, appearing impossible. Most went for the fire bolt spell, a few went for the water spear, but none among the men went for sprouting flower. There were however three men who went for the shadow spear. Archibald was one of them of course, but there were two Kael had not noticed at all, one, a black haired skinny boy, appeared out of nowhere. Apparently he was from one of the more silent houses in the city. He had a rather inverted nature, but as he looked at the spell parchment before him, Kael noticed a trace of fanatical joy in his eye. Clearly he had wanted to do this his entire life.

    The last person was one Kael did not like the look of at all, he was a dishevelled red haired youth, he had a look on him, that made him appear naturally evil. It did not help that he was cackling in an evil voice as he got his hands on the spell. Well, for most it would look that way, but as soon as Kael heard what he said, he had the urge to laugh¡­ The youth was whispering, ¡°kekeke¡­ I, the mighty Custer Darius will take the stage, soon the world will tremble at my feet! I will become the greatestes magi ever seen! Kekeke¡­¡± Kael nearly face-palmed on the spot.

    As Kael had his turn, he thought it over, should he take the hardest spell there? Or go for a simple one? He could not decide, but eventually he formed his will. He was his father¡¯s son, if he did not try the hardest option, what would father say? Kael picked meteorite decent.

    The elder handing out the parchments looked at Kael for a second, wondering what to say, but instead kept quiet. Kael had made his choice. It was worth mentioning that only one in a hundred magi was able to learn this spell, not to mention it was hard to use it with any power at all. It required ridiculous amounts of mana to even form.

    They were then led by the elders to a small hall, filled with chairs and tables for study. The old man each allocated them one each. When they were all seated, the old man spoke, ¡°you can all begin in 3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­ begin! You have one hour to finish.¡± Then he sat down, watching them with a casual look on his face.

    There was the rustle of paper as everyone looked at their parchment. As Kael opened the parchment, he noticed the traces of magic everywhere on this page. Even the ink had been enchanted. As he focused, he saw a complex pattern of symbols and lines. Kael then looked at the writing on the side of the page, ¡°meteorite decent, a spell whom, if completed correctly, can bring extreme havoc. It is classified as peak beginner spell, however few can ever learn this spell, due to the harsh requirements of the users mana and comprehension. To complete the spell, you will need to draw the entire symbol for the spell, in your mind. Then you will need to inject as much mana as you possibly can. If you manage this part correctly, you are almost ready to go. The thing you need to do next however, is to visualize the spell, and say the words; Stone from heavens, come, bring havoc to my enemy! You will also have to visualize your target location.¡±

    This was the entirety of the spell description. Kael was a bit disappointed, with his eye, he could easily make out the different symbols making up the spell, down to the last mana symbol. He did not even need to copy this spell, he knew the meaning of each symbol because of his eyes. Instead of knowing the meaning of the entire symbol, he now knew what each individual symbol meant. He felt like this was too much cheating. Kael could basically make up the spell however he liked, as long as he combined it with any compatible symbols, he could make hundreds of variants of the spell.

    While thinking and visualizing the spell in his head, Kael did not notice that his spell scroll had vanished. Not a trace left behind. The other students were looking at their own scrolls, barely five minutes having passed. However, the elder at the back, and the headmaster, looked at Kael with shining eyes. What was this monster? Did he really comprehend what too most initiated magi, a day at the very least to even think about creating? Though they both knew this was not the hard part, completing in five minutes was pretty much unheard-of.

    Kael did not get up, instead he kept playing about with the ordering of the spell symbols, in his head. He found that every symbol would grant the spell a different effect, the spell consisted of fifty different symbols, thirty different types of lines and a conduit symbol at the centre, altering the spell¡¯s composition.

    He found that it was possible, to drop, not just one meteorite, but extreme amounts of them. It appeared he could have them crash down all at once, in a line, from many directions, and he could also decide their speed. There was also a possibility to alter the meteors shape and effect. The one he chose to go with was the firestorm effect rune. This would make the meteor a giant firebomb, it would be small, leaving next to no impact on the ground, but it also released insane amounts of fire from the crash site. He was pondering about making it into a meteorite storm spell, but considering that he did not know the power of his current meteorite, he decided against it.

    The hour soon passed, with most of them making it, last of all, surprisingly, was the red haired youth. He did not look too happy with his own performance, which was slow as a turtle, soon however, his eyes started shining, eager to practice his first spell.

    The elder then nodded at them, looking especially long at Kael, before leading them into a great field. Here they would practice hitting a target. They would be scored for accuracy, power, and casting speed. The old man spoke, ¡°Now then, you will go by the difficulty of your spell, once you have cast your spell, you will get personal guidance, and then be led back to the central plaza. Beginning now, fire bolt casters first.¡±

    It became quite interesting to watch for Kael, as the first person spoke in low tones, a small ball of fire gathered in his hand, before shooting out towards the target, missing by a few inches. The boy looked rather pleased, but not quite, he then went over to the elder, receiving a parchment from him, before bowing and proceeding to the central plaza.

    What Kael found funny, almost sad, was the amount of efforts these guys put into their spells. With his white eye, he had found out that he could observe the spell cast by them. Seeing every spell at least three times, were enough for him to learn every symbol in the spell, and with his hearing, he could hear the trigger words used.

    The spell casting continued for at least an hour, some nearly got themselves killed as they mixed up the forward casting symbol in their spells, the spell shooting at their body at the release command. Had it not been for the teachers quick assistance, they would have died. As soon as the spells changed into water spears, things became even more lively, one guy shot his spear so far that it flew far into the horizon. Another shot a spear, so slow, that even the teacher became waiting. It took the spear nearly one minute to reach the target, but it hit dead centre. That did not save the boy from having a reprimand from the teacher.

    With another few slow moving minutes, it was the shadow spike¡¯s turn. Archibald performed amiably, his shadow spike nailing straight through the target up ahead. The second kid, with a dark look, even shot two spikes at the same time, showing great promise in the shadow arts, getting an applause even from the teacher in charge. The most embarrassing however, was the red haired youngster. He spiked himself in the foot. Screaming in anger and frustration, he was taken to a healer. Kael had just managed to learn the spell, nearly being too slow on the last one, when it was his turn.

    To the teachers surprise, the headmaster and old Rache appeared in thin air, as Kael approached. Old Rache spoke in a low voice to the headmaster, whom shortly after, paled. He then hurried over to the teacher in charge, telling him something in a hushed voice, before taking the examination sheet from him. He then bade him to go to the square and wait for them there.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    The headmaster then looked at old Rache, then at Kael, before speaking, ¡°senior Rache has told me to vacate the area, he expects you will be able to create surprise for us, that not even I might be able to handle. Just to be safe, I will create a safety barrier to contain your spell once it descends. I hope senior Rache can give me a hand if need be?¡± The headmaster looked a little embarrassed and doubtful after saying this. He had little doubt about Kael''s talent in magic, but this¡­ this was an honour most magi could never received, a barrier made by a level 4 magi.

    Old Rache nodded once, before looking towards Kael, shaking with excitement. He thought; the young masters first spell! I cannot wait! It should be glorious! To think, that i, Rache, will be the first to see the glory of the young master!

    Kael on the other hand scratched his head, he was not sure what the result would be once he released his spell, but he was sure he would give it his all, but he then spoke up, ¡°sir, I have to tell you, I have altered the core symbol of my spell and several of the sub symbols and mana leylines. I am not sure how powerful it will be, but I hope you and old grandpa Rache can make as many shields as possible, I feel it should be quite powerful.¡± Old Rache looked shocked, before nodding and smiling at Kael, meanwhile the headmaster, was gaping.

    To be able to alter a spell¡­ Not many people could do that, but to alter a spells central composition and its effects?! It was harder than reaching the heavens, requiring at least ten years work, and here, this youngster, was saying he had done this in little over an hour?! The mighty above! Who was this little guy?! Nobody, had ever been able, ever, to alter a spell in such short a time, it was not possible at all!

    After ranting about in his head, with a gaping mouth, he turned serious, adding at least ten more barriers to the shield. He was hoping Kael would fail, if not, what were all the rest of them good for at all? They would all be rubbish compared to Kael, nevertheless, he spoke, ¡°alright lord Kael, whenever you are ready, if you have done what you said, I will have to directly promote you to senior magi¡­ As you will have passed the highest requirement for magi. To alter a spell in a fundamental way, basically crafting a new spell. Not to mention that you will be the youngest magi in the history of our academy, you will also be the fastest rising magi in all of Kavaron, probably¡­¡± He was trying to keep up a fake smile after finishing this sentence, whilst ranting and ranting on in his heart.

    Kael took a deep breath, then started constructing his spell in his mind. It took him less than four seconds to complete the spell, a long while in his opinion, but it was the first time he cast the spell. Next, he poured mana into his leyline network. He directed it into the large symbol in his mind, filling it with as much power as he could channel, he stopped when the symbol started shaking, apparently too filled to take any more. Kael on the other hand was puzzled, he did not feel drained at all. He decided to think about it later, he had to control the volatile symbol whilst he spoke the altered incantation.

    ¡°From the heavens above, fire and brimstone, be my weapon of war, descend, annihilate my enemies! Sun-stone descend!¡± His new incantation complete, a massive symbol materialized in the air in front of him. The symbol was shaking hard with power, around the symbol, the air shivered and cracked, the void filling the places with reality that disappeared as cracks came and went.

    The headmaster whom until now had been observing Kael, looked at the symbol in terror. He shrieked, ¡°What on earth is that!? How?! What amount of mana did you pour into that thing!? It is filled to the brink! One wrong move, and we will have a mana explosion on our hands! B-boy! Release your spell, or all of us, and even the entire region Paravon might be turned into nothing!¡± He was shaking like a leaf, all pretence of calm forgotten. He was dreadfully frightened.

    As a contrast to the headmaster, old Rache was roaring with laughter, tears falling from his eyes. He was kneeling on the ground, arms raised into the air, face facing the sky. He was so happy, this was his dream, to see the young masters spell come into being! A taste of the dread that was his master, and such power! It was tearing the fabric of reality, before even being released! Such glory, once the master learned advanced magic, how strong would he become!? Even he would die for sure!

    Kael, a bit panicked, calmed down, and let go of the mana strands between him and the spell, maintaining the mental connection between them. The symbol, faded away in a flash. Then nothing. Kael, looking around, became puzzled, old Rache, also felt this was odd. Even the headmaster looked about for the spell, but saw nothing.

    Little did they know, that far, far above them, in the outer atmosphere, stood an armour clad figure, nearly a hundred feet tall. He was known as the war god, Kargath. A low-born god, but nonetheless a god. At this moment he was feeling a bit panicked, coming from afar in space, was a gigantic meteor, it was as if the moon was heading towards the planet. It shone like the sun, and the closer it got, the hotter it became. Soon, even the war god, felt apprehension. This meteor was no ordinary calamity, for sure. He shielded the planet behind him with his mana, this action caused quite a lot of commotion among the other gods, it was considered rude to act like this.

    Soon after, various gods, appeared near the war-god. They were about to reprimand him, but then saw the massive meteor in the distance, then they felt the heat coming from afar. Immediately, they understood why the war god had acted as he had. As one, they gathered into a formation, which boosted the mana shield already created by the war-god. Soon the meteor, was only a few hundred kilometres away, it would only take it a few seconds to crash into them. It was huge, nearly the size of the moon. The meteor was golden, and bright flames rose on it. The heat it sent off was so powerful that it created holes in space as the meteor passed.

    All the gathered gods, felt as if they were being cooked alive, even at this distance, the god of water, aria, was currently boiling. Steam constantly rising from her, her form was slowly turning into a dried husk. She was panicked, but she could not move, not before it crashed into them. Not even the fire-god was comfortable at these flames, they were hot enough to make him sweat. A feat that should have been impossible.

    The heat got even worse as the meteor neared, then it crashed into the shield. The gods were tossed about like rag dolls, before settling down, looking worn and burned. Among those with the worst injuries, was the war-god, the water-god and the tree-god. The war-god was left with a badly burned stump, where his right hand had been. To him, this would be an annoyance, forming a new hand could take decades for him, the water-god had shrunk to the size of ten meters, looking dried up as a skeleton. The one who had it worst however, was the tree-god, he was burning. The flames would not be put out, and he was lying midair, rolling about, screaming. Eventually, after several tries from the others, the tree god lay still and crumbled to ash.

    They felt apprehension. A god had died? One of them, had died? Just like that? The war-god spoke up, ¡°this can be classified as an extinction level event. Have any of you got a clue about where the burning rock came from? Where can one find something this dangerous?¡± He got no reply, he was just about to tell them that they could leave, when he spotted something far off in the distance, what he saw, made him go pale¡­

    Meanwhile, on the ground. Kael had waited for at least a few minutes before he got a bit annoyed, all that, and no spell? He decided to try again, before any of the other two could say a word, Kael had made two new symbols, just as powerful as the last, releasing that, he looked around. Nothing at all, in the end, he decided it might be his spell composition was wrong. So he tried again and again with less and less power, before eventually condensing the spell scale to down to the lowest level. He then fired off this spell as well, to the shock of the other two, how much mana did Kael have??

    Just outside the outer atmosphere. The war-god was panicking. So was the other gods, in the distance, two more of the giant meteors had appeared. Surrounding them were massive amounts of meteors. They were all different from each other, some were cold and freezing, some had iron spikes all over, some were like long spears, some a massive brick form.

    ¡°We¡­ We must attack and destroy them before they hit the shield, or our world will be destroyed. Brothers and sisters, I fear an enemy race is attacking us from afar, sending these giant meteors as a weapon against us. We must fight!¡± He declared in a shaky voice, he then summoned a giant sword in his hands. The others did the same, massive spells were prepared by all of them.

    The war-god said, ¡°at my command, fire your spells, but remember to defend against the shock wave and explosion.¡± He then readied his strongest spell, and waited. Soon the meteors were within range, he then yelled, ¡°release! Destroy the weapons of our enemy!¡± Massive sword beams, spells in all sizes and shapes smashed into the meteors repeatedly.

    After five minutes of hard spell casting, they were all exhausted, but the threat was over. Some had nearly died, but they managed to fend it all off. As they were swearing to defeat this enemy of theirs, a tiny light in the distance was speeding towards the planet. It was so fast that one could barely see it, it travelled a hundred kilometres in less than a second, and after two more seconds, it was next to the planet. It then smashed downwards before the gods had time to stop it. The combined mana shield the gods had cast, broke apart like a burst bubble of soap.

    They looked in horror at this turn off events, but soon relaxed after noticing the that the size and speed of the meteor had slowed dramatically. Fearing there were more of them, they turned towards space again, preparing themselves for a siege that they feared would last at least a hundred years.

    On the planet surface however, a bright light had appeared over Kaels head. It was insanely fast as it sped towards the ground, it looked like a burning rock, only the size of a fist, but it was exuding heat that even old Rache was a bit apprehensive about. Soon, before they could react, it crashed into the target. It was as if a volcano had erupted at that spot. Shield upon shield, made by old Rache and the headmaster, cracked under the force. A firestrom errupted and fire stood nearly four hundred feet into the air inside the barrier sircle.

    Kael, old Rache and the headmaster, were all shocked and terrified. This was too much. If this had been fired at the city, the entire city would be gone in a jiffy. The headmaster was impressed, but this was too much for even him to deal with. How could someone have this much power? This would unsettle the balance of the world, if he was not lead in the right direction.

    Old Rache was crying with joy as he praised Kael, ¡° young master! Young master! You did it! This was too amazing, that was the power of a late rank 3 magi! With a beginner spell! Too impressive young master!¡± He was so excited that he might die of that alone.

    The headmaster however, said nothing, he just looked at Kael with doubt and a pondering look on his face. He was wondering how to deal with Kael. He had to be taught by himself, nobody could know that he was this strong. Kael had to be taught, but most importantly was to have him use a much lower amount of mana in his spells.

    Kael was in a daze, he had thrown a spell, but he nearly killed everyone in the process. He decided not to ever use this spell again, unless he had no other choice. Finally, the headmaster spoke to Kael, ¡°Kael, would you consider to be one of my disciples till you can control your power? I will let you go through beginner courses as everyone else, but most subjects will be taught you by me in our private lessons. At the end of this period, I will promote you to senior magi. Skipping four grades. I will then personally take you to the capital and have you admitted to the grand academy of magic. How does that sound? Oh! Never use that spell or any spell, ever, with that amount of power infused. You could have destroyed the city!¡± He sighed after saying this. His shoulders sank with relief, just thinking about what would happen if the shields were not there...

    Kael was silent at first, but then nodded. He then looked at old Rache, whom was still as a kid seeing firework for the first time. He then spoke to the headmaster, ¡°shall we go back and announce the results? I belive that i won this, yes?¡± He smirked at saying this.

    The headmaster rolled his eyes, before nodding. This brat¡­ he hoped he was less trouble than it was worth¡­ Only the future would tell¡­

    ¡­

 12. Legendary Brawl Of The Elders

    Kael, old Rache and the headmaster, after this traumatic experience, got on their way to the central plaza. During the walk, the headmaster, was constantly muttering to himself. Even with Kael¡¯s hearing, he could not hear what he was whispering to himself. Sometimes his expression looked close to tears, sometimes he was so excited that Kael thought his face would blow up, from the amount of blood gathered in it. From time to time, he would look at Kael. There were all kinds of different feelings in that gaze, adoration, reverence, shock, but the most frequent emotion, appeared to be terror.

    As Kael kept observing the headmaster, an even more excited old Rache, came up to his side. He spoke close to Kael¡¯s ear, ¡°that was brilliant young master! I have dreamed of seeing you release your powers in such a moment since i first meet you. The master told me something though, he said to give you this,¡± at this, old Rache handed Kael a silver amulet, before continuing, ¡°he said that this amulet was to be given to the young master, after you had cast your first spell. He said that this would restrict your true power to 1/100th of your strength. Master said to never take it off, unless you had no other option. It is for your own control, but also for the safety of the continent. With your level of power, destroying it by accident would be easy.¡±

    Kael¡¯s face paled at hearing this, even the rambling headmaster, perked his head up at this. He turned around, looking at old Rache in horror, before screaming, ¡°why did you not give it to him beforehand!? The thing that he cast, it was a beginner rank spell! What if you forgot it!? Imagine him casting a volcanic eruption spell! The continental plates would start shifting! Senior, pardon my expression, but you were too rash today!¡± As the headmaster finished his tirade, he shrank back under old Raches harsh gaze.

    Old Rache continued after watching him for a few more moments, ¡°it was my orders to only do so after the young master cast his first spell, and you, Mr.headmaster, will not speak a word of this to anyone! If you do, I will personally turn you into a turd!¡± Old Rache finished this sarcastic rebuke with a harsh snort, causing te headmaster to shrink even further back.

    After thinking for a while, the headmaster, dared to speak, ¡°I can agree to keeping the boys powers a secret. No good would come of it being spoken. He can however, not remain at an initiate magi rank. Also, he must swear not to use his full power, or even one tenth of that. If his power, utilizing a beginner rank spell, can cause two rank 4 magi¡¯s spell shields to collapse like that, I dread to think of our continents future. Besides, once he is finished his education, he will be the most dangerous person in the world. I am not jesting, young Kael, you are truly a freak of nature. It would not surprise me, if you break the current stalemate of the world, rising above rank five magi.¡± The headmaster looked a bit nervous as he said this to Kael, but also quite excited.

    The thought of having the world''s strongest magi as his pupil¡­ Well what could he say? He would have to be careful, but the glory it would bring him. He had to make sure Kael¡¯s true potential never got known, or magi across the continent would come to steal him away from him. Even if it meant a world-war, it would mean little, compared to having this disciple.

    As the trio arrived at the central square, the other elders noticed the oddness of the atmosphere among the trio. They were bewildered as they looked at the headmaster, currently struggling to remain calm, face flushed red, eyes wild with anticipation. They exchanged looks, not sure what to think about this situation.

    The headmaster eventually managed to remain calm, as they waited, he gathered the other elders in a group, speaking in a hushed voice. Shocked expression spread across the gathering of elders, and soon their tones rose, shortly after, breaking into a harsh argument.

    Nobles and youths alike, looked at this strange sight in bewilderment. What could make the magi lose their cool like this, even starting to fight. They thought that would be the end of it, but suddenly one of the elder magi, screamed something in anger and fired a spell of sorts at the headmaster. Not long after, the square turned into a full fledged brawling scene.

    The old fudges were screaming and swearing at each other, throwing small scale spells at full power. Some of the more vulgar went straight into a pure fistfight, moving surprisingly agile for their age. It went even further as they started rolling about on the ground, pulling each others hairs, and biting, clawing at their opponents faces.

    One in particular stood out from the rest, he was a hunchbacked old man, with a walking stick, he was facing off against the headmaster. He charged at him with his walking stick, screaming, ¡°nasty old Mitch! Every time there is something good, you snatch it from the rest of us, but not this time! The boy will be my main disciple! You might have had the twin-fire bolt-boy, but this one you shall not have! Even if I have to turn you into a toad, I will have him!¡±

    The headmaster, was not to be outdone, knowing full well the true value of Kael, ¡°kek! Little bastard Nial! You can dream on forever! I found him! I decide if I want to have him as a disciple, not you! The strongest of us two has always been me! You have never won over me in your lifetime, it was like that when we were young as well!¡± He said this with a grin, before firing a massive fireball at old Nial.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    Old Nial¡¯s expression darkened a bit, but as he deflected the fireball, he grinned mischievously. He then responded in a sarcastic tone, ¡°have you always won over me? Your wife said otherwise back in the day! Who knows, maybe the son you had was mine! Sheila always said you were a lazy back in bed! kekeke!¡± He laughed aloud after finishing this sentence, then sent a black ball of shadows flying at old Mitch.

    Old Mitch expression turned into one of shock, but then anger, then it was his turn to grin evilly at old Nial. He then screamed out in response, ¡°you may have had my wife, but I slept with your daughter old toad! Also! Do you recall the time you got drunk at town!? We always said you slept with a princess of the divine kingdom, but in truth, it was a hog! Kekeke! I have always wanted to say that to you! Ask anyone here, you, old man, screwed a pig!¡± He laughed so hard after saying this that he nearly toppled over, almost neglecting to deflect the incoming spell. At the last minute he managed to avoid it.

    Old Nial''s expression froze, he did could not respond to this, what could he say that was worse than this?! He screamed in anger, then charged the headmaster with his walking cane. It then turned into an extremely nasty duel between the two, at close quarters.

    At one point old Nial managed to jab his stick up old man Mitch''s end point. The mighty headmaster of the Fallgara screamed out in pain, before smashing his knee into old man Nials groin. That seemed to conclude their fight. Neither could stand before a long while passed, but the first one to get up, was surprisingly, old man Nial. He rose his cane above his head, declaring his victory. The old headmaster sat there in a daze, he started bawling, before vanishing in a poof of smoke. Clearly too ashamed to show his face.

    It appeared old man Nial had developed thick skin through the years, because he ignored the shocked looking onlookers. He then proceeded to jump into the fray once again, eventually emerging victorious, having beaten up several elders. The dishevelled elders, blood stained, hair in disarray, bowed their heads in defeat. Old man Nial, then proceeded to walk towards the gathered nobles, and examinees, with triumph in his stride. As he was about to speak, someone spotted the female examines and their elders in the distance.

    As they approached, they looked at the sore state of the gathered elders, elder Moongaze, looking at the gathering, declared in an amused, yet bewildered tone, ¡°we have concluded the examination for the female initiates, the victor being the young lady of the Sunchild family, closely followed by lady Rose. Everyone has been assigned a teacher. Now I wish to know what the hell has happened here, where is the headmaster? Who won the examination?¡± She looked amused as she finished this last, looking at the dishevelled old men.

    Old man Nial stepped forward with a triumphant look on his face. He spoke, ¡°we have concluded the examination, young lord Kael beating everyone by a mile. As for this¡­¡± he had an embarrassed expression for a moment, before continuing with a victorious look on his face, ¡°we had a brawl to decide who would take the young Kael as their disciple. The headmaster, lost to me, too ashamed to show his face, he ran away! Serves him right! Snort.¡± Old man Nial, grinned at this last, clearly quite pleased with himself.

    Elder Moongaze was stunned for a long while, before breaking into a laugh, then in mock anger she spoke, ¡°to think that you reserved old bunch would turn to brawling, thinking nothing of your reputations at all. Was his result that impressive? To have you all fight with the headmaster over him?¡± She asked this with a hint of curiosity on her rather fair face.

    To her surprise, every elder there, perked up before answering at the same time, ¡° yes!¡±

    Now she looked even more bewildered. She went closer, whispering to old man Nial. Old man Nial articulated, at the end he nearly looked ready to start brawling with this female elder.

    She sighed and shook her head, withdrawing back to her group. Old man Nial then turned to the gathering, and spoke in a loud, yet pleased voice, ¡°the winner of the male section of the initiation test, is young lord Kael. He is to be immediately promoted to senior magi. His skill and potential is too great to spend on basic magic. Kael will still have to attend some basic classes, but he will mainly spend his time learning from us elders. Also, he WILL be my disciple. Anyone thatdisagrees with what i just said, can take it up with me, I will give them a good bashing for their trouble.¡± He then patted his cane with a fierce grin.

    The gathering was silent for a long while, everyone looked at Kael in shock. What kind of miracle did he perform, to have all the elders fight each other, be promoted to senior rank magi, skipping two grades, and be taught collectively by all the elders? Then the commotion broke out, this news would not die away any time soon, it was seldom that elders of the academy would disagree about ownership over a student, but an all out brawl? This would become a local legend.

    Kael himself, thought to himself that keeping low-key from now, would be utterly impossible. He decided that to ignore this, and focus on his future path as magi. It was path of wonders, no knowing what the future would show, and so, the magic initiation test, concluded. A legend was also born, of how the elders had a free for all to fight for the rights for one student. Not to mention all the gossip about the different elders, many secrets had now been uncovered, the drama behind the scenes had been exposed for all to see. Many elders now were bitter enemies because of this, and the cause? A young boy named Kael¡­

    What these people did not know, was that all around the different continents, dignitaries were in an all out panic, none could contact their gods. It would be many years before the commotion would die down, and the gods returned to their temples. They were busy preparing a massive shield against their phantom enemy. The ones who had it worst were the Tree god worshippers, they directly knew that their god had died. Burned alive, they blamed the fire god temple, and so a fierce war began between the two factions, that would not be resolved until the gods descended in the future¡­ Kael¡¯s first day as magi, had already caused waves that affected people everywhere in the world.

    In a black abyss somewhere in the northern part of the continent, the black chamber was quaking with laughter, many voices boomed together as they laughed for hours, mocking the gods sitting above the world in preparation for a war, that would never come¡­

 13. The Magic Academy

    After holding his brilliantly short speech, a proud old man Nial hobbled over to Kael, grabbing him by the arm, and dragging him after him. Leaving behind a stunned crowd. Old Rache followed behind at five yards distance. Old man Nial was constantly looking Kael over as he dragged him along, nodding and smiling appreciatively every time he came across something new he liked about Kael.

    Eventually Kael came out of his stupor, and asked, ¡°sir, where are we going? I am not supposed to be at the academy for at least a few days'' no?¡± He was a bit embarrassed about the situation, the headmaster had gone to great lengths to keep him secret, even if it was to his benefit to do so. He knew that Kael was unimaginably strong, but did this old man do the same?

    Old man Nial stopped and turned around, he grinned from ear to ear, and answered, ¡°Young Kael, I heard of your impressive talent in the field of magi, your fast comprehension, creating your own variation of the spell on the go, and that you managed to fire your spell at the first try! To let a youngster like you be wasted on the likes of old Mitch would not do! Not speaking of the fact that he has several disciples already, he does not deserve the honour of teaching a genius like you!¡±

    The elder paused for a moment, his expression becoming somewhat worried, before speaking, ¡°i on the other hand, have never taken a disciple, so I can not say how well I would do as your teacher, but I beg you to become my disciple, I shall help you to the best of my abilities, unqualified as I might seem! Though I want you to know, there has never been decided who among me, and old Mitch, is the strongest.¡±

    Kael turned around after pondering for a moment, looking at old Rache. Old Rache shrugged his shoulders and bowed his head, this was up to him to decide. After thinking for a while, Kael finally nodded and spoke, ¡°You seem sincere to me,¡± he bowed, before continuing, ¡°disciple greets master, please guide me on the path of magi, master.¡±

    If someone could be the happiest and most excited person in the world at the same time, old man Nial was certainly qualified. He shouted; ¡°Yaaahoooooo!!!¡± before holding his cane above his head, dancing a jig, way beyond a man of his years.

    Kael could not help smiling at the sight, meanwhile, in the back, old Rache gritted his teeth. A human, with mundane magic of only the 4th level, had the young master bowing to him!? The amount of blaspheme old Rache had to deal with, after following the young master to this world, was enough to make a high priest call for a crusade from the church of light in comparison.

    The following hour was spent on small talk, before Kael managed to convince his master that he could take his leave for a few more days. He needed to make sure that his men were properly trained, he also intended to give instructions to old Rache to start investing in businesses in his name. He could not be a lord with no activities at all, he had to gain some influence for the future at least.

    When Kael and old Rache arrived back at the mansion, they first had lunch, before Kael went to inspect his guards. It turned out that their growth was spectacular. Silent Blade could now keep up with Kael for a whole sparring round in the arena. Though Kael held back a bit, few could get close to Kael¡¯s level in their lifetime.

    The death guards, were now looking quite impressive as a whole. Their knowledge had been vastly expanded, they practised with thieves guilds as guest operators, assassination with the local cloak and dagger association, and they also practised infiltrating every different type of organization. They had lost some guards already, due to rookie mistakes, they had been captured. Only a few had died, the rest had managed to get themselves free, but had to hide before they made their way back.

    Kael found it quite comforting to have these loyal men, and he felt pride, in the amount of progress they had made in just a few days. He also kept the lord Wade at a distance¡­ The man was a constant reminder of his somewhat odd status in this place. Back home, it did not feel like he had a different status, but now that he thought about it, he probably did have that. Just the amount of servants he had, was quite staggering. Not to mention that lord Wade was his servant...

    After two days wait, it was time to head to the magic academy once again. Kael told old Rache to take the reins in his affairs and to expand his influence in the city, before heading off towards the academy in his coach. With him, came Silent Blade and five others. These would live with him in the academy grounds. There was also a few servants to take care of his daily needs.

    His master, old Nial, had told Kael quite a few things just before they parted ways. For example, every student in the academy had their own living area. It would not be too big, but it was a house with its own courtyard. Magi valued their privacy, they were paranoid that other magi might come to steal their secrets and research, and so this arrangement was a must. Initiates would need to live in dormitories, but since Kael was going to be a senior magi, right off the bat, he would not need to live like that.

    Another thing his master told him, was how the magi ranking system worked. Here is how they were ranked, initiate magi ¡ú magi ¡ú advanced magi ¡ú senior magi ¡ú magister ¡ú elder magi ¡ú grand magi. Ordinary magi could only reach the level 2 magi level also called senior magi. From initiate magi to senior magi, the power level varied, but once you passed senior magi, the ranking was consistent. A magister, would be a level 3 magi, an elder magi would be rank 4 magi and grand magi would be a level 5 magi.

    The thing that baffled many was that Kael was so talented that he would become senior magi from the beginning. How talented would he have to be for the academy to do that? Kael himself did not think much of this ranking system, he was fresh to this world''s magic, and had very few memories of his own magic training from before this. He wondered whether there were many people in this world who were hidden from the known ranking system. People like old Rache.

    As his coach drove through the gates of the academy, he was greeted by the sight of many coaches like his own, lined up in a gigantic roundabout plaza. There were many young nobles disembarking, dressed in blue robes. Kael himself wore a grey scholar''s robe, which indicated his status as senior magi. There were also several people greeting the new arrivals at the academy entrance.

    The academy building itself, was larger than any building Kael had yet seen. It was a massive maze of connecting buildings. The main building was a circular tower, nearly a hundred meters tall, and eighty meters wide. Built of marble, it was a vague white, windows lined every floor, letting in sunlight. In addition to the main tower, it was connected to many smaller structures. Each of these structures were larger than most noble homes, and were built in different styles. Towers and spires lined the structures, making the academy building look quite peculiar, yet grand at the same time.

    In the distance, Kael could still see other buildings, it was as if the academy was a small city of its own. He had no idea of how many lived in the academy, but he figured that it had to be at least a few hundred, if not thousands of people.

    As his coach came to a stop, Kael disembarked, he became the primary source of interest the moment his foot touched the cobbled street. Everyone who watched him, had different gazes, some admiration, some jealousy, and so on. Those who watched, spoke in hushed tones with those next to them. Kael decided staying here would do him no good, so he entered the academy entrance, not waiting a minute.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Kael was then showed away from the rest of the crowd by a youth wearing a purple robe. The young magi was sent there to guide Kael to his quarters, he was exempted from listening to the opening speech and would be given a private tour of the area, and also and advanced introduction in the morning.

    The courtyard Kael was given, was a like a small mansion area. There were several buildings, a glasswork, smithy, alchemy hut, what appeared to be an enchanting circle, among some. These were not large buildings, but they took space. In addition, there was a garden, with the earth untilled, and unkempt. It appeared that every student had to begin their own garden on their own, if they wished it.

    Kael had the servants start dusting every building in turn, when they had cleaned the small mansion he entered along with his guards. He then told the others to find themselves a room, before bringing Silent Blade with him to main chamber. Which was a spacious living room, with a grand fireplace, and four chairs seated surrounding it.

    As Kael sat down, he told Silent Blade to do likewise, the other however, refused, saying that the death guard never sat with the master. A bit exasperated, Kael decided to think of a solution to this in the future. It was not practical at all, but he nonetheless continued all the same, ¡°Silent Blade, this is a new place for all of us, I want you to have the spare death guards to look into rumours around this place. Also, let me know if any of you have any talents in magic. It would be useful to try to enrol the guards as commoner magi. Often, I have read that the way to control a city, is to have ears everywhere, especially with the commoners, they know nearly everything that goes on in a city. Not to mention, knowing magic is a great advantage as a fighting force. If they are too old, let old Rache check their talents, and pass him this note from me, it will give him appropriate instructions.¡± Kael then passed a letter to Silent Blade.

    Silent Blade looked a tad surprised, but nodded without a word, withdrawing. Kael looked after him for a while before speaking up to him, ¡°As for you, Silent Blade, you will be my shadow. Keep your eyes and ears open, gather intel about those around me. I am not a cautious person by nature, but it would not be wise to ignore the great waves I made, when I entered the academy. That will be all, also you can tell them to let my master past the guards.¡±

    Silent Blade nodded, not asking how Kael knew, then left. It was only a few minutes before old Nial came hobbling through the door. He smiled as he approached Kael, speaking, ¡°Ah! Good disciple, I have missed you already! You must have missed your master as well, you should eat more, you are far to skinny, ah and maybe you should get yourself a wife! Someone who can take care of your needs, I know many potential candidates for this job, dear disciple!¡± The man was over showering Kael with familiar love, even though they barely met a two days ago.

    Kael felt warm inside, but before he could reply, his master continued, ¡°ah, good disciple, it is great that you have strong and careful guards, but those you have outside your chamber, are far too zealous. They came out of nowhere and had your poor master¡¯s face glued to the carpet on the floor, and before they even let me say a word, they gagged me with a piece of cloth! I, an elder magi, looked like a bound up pig for a winter banquet¡­¡± He looked ashamed as he said this last part.

    With an amused face, Kael answered, ¡°I am sorry master had to endure such treatment, they are men who are prepared to die for me. Gifted to me by lord Wade. They might be a bit overzealous, ill make sure that the entrance guard gift out special badges that allow passage without such treatment, in the future. Master must have come for other reasons than to tell me that you missed me no? I enjoy a pleasant visit as much as the next person, and I have also missed master, but let us speak of the reason that brought you here, yes?¡± Kael smiled with a bit mischief as he watched his master¡¯s expression.

    Old Nial¡¯s smile turned a bit sour at this last part, but changed his expression quite quickly. He then told Kael, ¡°hmph, you are clever, as expected of my disciple. Yes I am here for other reasons, little brat, you are close with lord Wade, are you? He is a clever old man, who knows what he might want by helping you like that. Never mind, what I came for, is to tell you a bit about what I have planned for you in the future. As you know, you have already skipped from initiate magi to senior magi, a feat nobody in our academy history can match.¡±

    He paused, before continuing, ¡°that being said, you will have it harder than the others, you have great talent, but that will also cause many to be dissatisfied. Already many senior magi are ready to argue with us elders. Most of the elders placate them by rebuking them, after all, we all wanted you as a disciple, but even among the elders, many are dissatisfied. Since they could not have you as their own disciple, they wish you to fail, the master of the greatest talent of the academy will have great influence in the future. Personally I''m not interested in that, i just wanted you to pass on my legacy. I would not pass that on to just anyone, but you are the one I wanted, as soon as I heard about you.¡±

    Old Nial smiled at Kael, it was a genuine smile, before he continued, ¡°the reason is that my path of magic, is different from the norm. Many magi can alter their magic in specific ways, for each spell, but my magic is altered in its entirety. I have merged my primary magic, shadow magic, with many other types of magic, creating a shadow-synergi magic. Among them is the shadowfire bolt, blackshade rose magic, and many others. The thing about my magic is that I did not discover it myself, but comprehended it from an old tome. I know not who first made it, as I discovered it in some ancient ruins of the past. There are many other elder magi and magisters who have done the same as me, every path requires great comprehension of magic, to learn the magic. For that reason, we all wanted you for our disciple.¡±

    He paused slightly here, before he brought out several tomes which he handed to Kael. He then continued, ¡°these are a few of the tomes I have created from the primary tome I collected. I want you to begin comprehending them, and start crafting the spells in them as soon as possible. You need to be able to defend yourself, because people will ask you to fight them, due to their dissatisfaction with the fact that you have already become a senior magi. It would not do for you to refusing to accept their challenges either, as it would make you look bad, and in here, reputation is an important power to create connections. Tomorrow you will have your first class, it is about summoning a familiar. It is also the most important lesson you will learn this year. Every magi can summon a familiar, it is a lifelong companion which has many uses. Some can summon tomes, which can increase a magi¡¯s spell chanting speed by at least fifty percent. Another type are live animals, or animated weapons. The animals can not do too complex tasks, but they are great at defending their owner, and can increase the diversity of their master. Some can even fly, and help their master travel on them.¡± He looked quite longing at this last mention.

    Old Nial face was locked in this longing expression for nearly an entire minute, before he continued, ¡°I wonder what your familiar will be, there are records of an extremely talented magi, a thousand years ago, whose talent was great, who summoned a dragon familiar. As he grew in power, so did the dragon, until it reached a hundred meters in size. He then went to help the emperor of the capital in a war, with his help the imperial family was able to secure their hold on the continent. His name was changed to grand magi Dragonflame. He died not long after, nobody knows how, but his deeds will forever be remembered by the world. That is how important a familiar can be, and there are countless variations. So prepare yourself my young disciple, and work hard.¡±

    After this talk, old Nial stayed for a while longer, talking of this and that with Kael, before leaving. Kael sat in thought for a long while, before he started reading the tomes just given to him. He found that they were rather simple, even the basic firebolt spell, only took him less than five minutes to understand. As he learned more and more spells, he got access to more and more spell symbols, soon he would not need any more symbols, he discovered that most of the symbols were the same for each spell. Only the major symbols mattered for the outcome of the spell effect.

    He studied the first tome for nearly an hour, learning half the spells contained within it, he decided to stop here. It would not do if he finished every tome in a day, after all, he had to be human. Nobody could do that feat in a day, which took and elder magi nearly a hundred years to do. He decided to focus on what would happen tomorrow. A familiar? Sounded quite interesting, he wondered what his familiar would be, he was very curious about this¡­