《Cultivator's Fantasy》


 Chapter 1- Rebirth!

    Chapter 1- Rebirth!


    The stench of blood stained the air. The sky darkened and suddenly flashed every time an enemy made an attack. In a bloodstained plain there were two armies that were locked in mortal combat.


    The soldiers all wore shiny golden armors that covered their bodies and gave off multicolored light every time they were struck. They each held a golden sword or spear that struck as fast as lightning and summoned storms every time they were swung. Shouts and death throes echoed constantly in everyone''s ears.


    "Pull back! Use the Heavenly Star Formation!" A man with a silver hatchet that glowed with mysterious runes yelled. Several golden armored soldiers heeded his commands and grouped in an odd way. The light that they gave off increased exponentially and they charged back into the fray with an unstoppable momentum!


    Blood flew as their swords slashed necks of their enemies, mercilessly slaying a path through the golden men.


    "Heavenly Star Formation huh, how weak." An awfully arrogant voice thundered from inside the enemy ranks as a man in flowing green robes flew out and appeared above the golden soldiers and floated right above their path! Pink lotus flowers dotted his green robe and a braided beard stuck to his face giving him an oddly striking image. However the danger that radiated from his body was second to none in the battlefield.


    With a wave of his hand a lotus made up of blue flames bloomed right in the middle of the Heavenly Star Formation that had dominated the battlefield earlier. The soldiers burned like papers giving horrifying screams before they could finally rest forever. Then turning to mere ashes that littered the bloodstained fields.


    "You over there! Stop staring dumbly and go fight!" A shout reached my ears as I flung myself out of my daze. I quickly regained my bearings and raised my golden sword and straightened my golden armor. I sighed as I looked at the multiple blue flaming lotuses that beautifully and ruthlessly killed many of my comrades.


    If only I was stronger maybe I could''ve helped them. The thought crosses my mind, but I quickly ready myself as I engage the enemy.


    I lock onto the enemies with my divine sense, as they do the same with me and soon I am surrounded by three golden armored soldiers! I reposition myself and use my movement skill to instantly appear in front of the one with the weakest cultivation. I aim my stab straight into his throat and a bright red light surrounds my sword which causes it to reach a speed that turns it into an unmatched red line. His life quickly fades from his eyes as a look of regret and unresolved worries cloud his vision right before death.


    I throw the body at one of the golden men who still seem to be caught off guard and quickly advance towards the other one. He holds a spear with many mysterious runes on it and warily watches my movements now. However I already knew he would be prepared, so my feet become a blur again and I move to my left suddenly. He was once again caught off guard by my movements as he already had a firm base and was readying for my charge.


    I will not fight a fight where I am at a disadvantage, so I had to force him into breaking up his stance and following me. After turning left he suddenly realizes that my path lines up directly with the golden soldier who had just caught the dead body of his comrade!


    While giving a loud shout infused with nature energy I disrupt both of their thoughts and movements, as the one holding the body was already unprepared I dispatched him easily with a quick cut to the throat. I heard an enraged shout that nearly made me cough up some blood from the sheer volume of it. I turn to find the final soldier seemed to have released a special skill, as his eyes grew bloodshot and his hair stood on end in a deep red hue covered his body.


    He released a loud shout and recklessly charged at me. How foolish. I easily sidestepped his reckless charge and slashed at his neck with my sword covered in red light.


    However the sword bounces off of his skin only leaving a thin white line where it made contact! The spear in his hand shoots towards me with an impossible speed. It easily rips apart my bright golden armor and pierces my left side however I moved enough so that it wouldn''t severely damage my organs. Although I still received some shock from it, I gritted my teeth and pushed through the pain.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    I firmly grasp the spear pierced into my side and show a bloody smile. A purple flame coats my sword and I feel it beginning to melt, but I keep pushing more nature energy into it. This is the only way to get through that perverse defense.


    I slash my vibrating flaming sword down the berserk enemy bisecting him instantly. I stare as his blood, flesh, guts slosh down on the ground. Throwing away my half melted long sword I take the spear out from my side and stop the bleeding by consuming a couple pills.


    I take out some nature restoration pills and swallow them greedily. My nature energy quickly regenerates and I wrap my open wound while getting used to the new spear in my hand. Sighing over the pointless slaughter I try to find more enemies, but mainly pay attention to the battlefield.


    There are large palms made of golden energy descending in the far distance. Multicolored lightning strikes every now and then roasting any unsuspecting soldier. Unrelenting gales cut and mince soldiers as they pass through with the waves of a hand. There was one man holding a large sword easily bisecting everyone that came into his path, and then swiftly running towards his next victims. As I watch some of their fights I think to myself,


    ''Now those are real immortals.'' Their dominance always makes my blood boil. Whether they are overwhelmingly powerful and easily overpower their opponents or use a myriad of powerful abilities that effectively oppress their enemies. They deserve the name of immortal. Unlike myself.


    "Soldier over there! You, yes you! Quickly we need another person to complete the Heavenly Star Formation!" A man in a blue rode points out to me and a mysterious energy forcibly pulls me in their direction.


    Before I could protest I lose all control over my body and an unstoppable energy fills my body. I could tell that the formation had started up and my group of twenty started sprinting forwards. No matter how hard we resisted we all held no more control. We were at the mercy of our superiors; not that they ever cared about us anyways...


    We moved like a unstoppable beast that killed all in it''s path. Our weapons and energy flowed as one. It was an interesting feeling, but we all were not enjoying the sensation. We all knew that this formation was a suicide squad to break up the enemy''s advance.


    "Hahaha keep sending them, keep these small fry coming!" A crazed voice that radiated strength signaled our doom in front of us.


    A shirtless man with rippling muscles unbefitting of a human wielded a large broadsword stood in the way of their charge. He laughed manically while raising the unusually large sword over his head. We all knew what was coming up, some closed their eyes afraid of death and others accepted their deaths as they glared at the enemy in front of them.


    Whoosh


    All I felt was the wind. I didn''t even see the man move his sword when I felt my body become weightless. With a thud the upper part of my torso landed next to my still standing legs. I almost gave a laugh at how easy we were dispatched, but blood clogged my windpipe and darkness was slowly consuming my thoughts.


    ''Damnit! I refuse to become fodder! If I have another chance I will make sure to never become another''s tool! I will stand at the apex!'' Darkness then takes hold of me and I drift into the never ending abyss. Unaware of the time that flows and awaiting the erasure of my memory.


    ~~~~~~


    A sudden light and a gut wrenching pain in my back side disturbed my peace and quiet.


    "Wah~~"


    A baby''s cry? Wait is that my cry? What?!


    "He''s a beautiful baby boy!" A woman''s voice takes over, or more importantly what language are they speaking. Haven''t I reincarnated? This is reincarnation right?


    I am suddenly lifted up to the face of another woman with a pale face who is staring at me lovingly. Her face doesn''t make an appearance in my memories, so this is probably reincarnation. I assume the woman in front of me is my mother who has just birthed me. How exciting.


    Tears well up in my mother''s eyes and she delicately reaches out to hold me. She has deep blue eyes and brunette hair that flows out of her head. She has fair white skin and soft, warm hands. From what I''ve seen she is a beautiful woman indeed.


    "What should his name be, dear?" A gruff male voice interrupts my time with my new mother and a man with fiery red hair and a well trimmed goatee walks through a wooden door. He is well built and I can see many calluses on his hands; probably from swinging a sword.


    "Glen, let''s name him Glen." The woman tries not to choke on her tears and holds me softly against her chest. The man puts his hands onto the woman''s shoulders and smiles warmly at me. My instincts are telling me that he is probably my father.


    The lady, who I believe is a nurse, leaves with a smile after seeing that everything has gone well. Leaving us all together on a single bed.


    I still have no idea what they are saying, but I''m pretty sure I missed something important. I am unsettled by the fact that the language is going to be a big barrier for me. However I was once an immortal, there is nothing I cannot accomplish. Albeit I was a lower ranked immortal. Ok I was only just cannon fodder immortal... But an immortal nonetheless!


    I make my plans for the coming future as I slowly slip off to sleep in my new baby body. The soothing sound of my mother''s heartbeat calms my mind and erases my thoughts. The warmth of family that I missed is my cradle and the light of the two moons and the night sky shine through the open window.


    Wait?!! Two moons!!


    Where am I exactly?! No one answers my question. Mainly since it was in my head, but my mother''s heartbeat quickens my descent into sleep before I could get any closure.

 Chapter 2- Heavenly Bodies Transformation!

    Chapter 2- Heavenly Bodies Transformation!


    It has been two months in my infant captivity. I haven''t found much information, and learning my new family''s language as proved to be much harder than I originally thought. Well I can''t blame anyone since I tried to crawl my way to adventure, and find something similar to a library.


    However I was found out by a maid in the halls. My mother nearly lost it and had me placed under watchful eye ever since. I''m still allotted my quality time to move around and be with my family, but it feels like I''m a prisoner. I''ve tried multiple times to escape, but I''m always caught and brought back.


    At this rate it would be easier to kill an immortal emperor with one punch than to escape my mother''s watchful eye. As I have no other way to pass time I review my past life and experiences.


    Although there are some blurry parts, I can still easily remember the techniques and skills I used. I remember the countless battles I have weathered through. And the numerous life and death situations that forged my way of life.


    Those all form who I am, but I am no longer me, I have a new body and a new life. I am confident I am no longer in the Divine Sky Continent, and have traveled to a completely new world. Do I have to give up the Dao of cultivation? No, that represents who I am. If I can''t choose between one life or the other, I will choose both!


    ''Although I am in a new world, I still have ways to cultivate.'' I reconfirm my conviction as I squeeze my chubby baby hands. A fierce light unbefitting of my age radiates through my eyes.


    However there is just one small problem, I am too young to begin cultivating Qi! My meridians and baby body won''t be able to handle any strenuous activity!


    I am not discouraged though. I remember a method that doesn''t need Qi or a trained body to execute. In fact right now is the prime time to use it!


    It is called [Heavenly Bodies Transformation]. I found the heaven defying manual in an old, abandoned temple in a very tattered state. I believed it to be treasure and after I analyzed it throughly I had put together the main ideas and concepts of the skill, but there were still some important things left out.


    I realized the skill doesn''t involve any condensation of Qi, and rather uses Nature energy! Only immortals can use Nature energy to supplement their bodies, but this technique allows one to begin cultivating it while still a mortal!


    The drawback is that it is more suitable to practice this technique when young. When I found it in my past life I was already hundreds of years old with less then mediocre talent, but it still allowed me to become an immortal with my hard work and persistence. However now, I am still an infant, and a prime chance is right before me! I decide to start cultivating right away as soon as the maid watching me falls asleep.


    I quickly bring up my memories of the technique and review it. Information begins to flood my baby brain and I nearly blank out for a second.


    Do I remember this much about the [Heavenly Bodies Transformation]? I review the information that seemed new to me, yet old as if I was originally familiar with it.


    Odd. Definitely odd, I do not remember the technique having 7 layers. I vividly remember the four layers I studied from the tattered manual, but I wonder why an extra three layers are in my memories as well.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    As the maid who was watching over me falls asleep, I decide now is not the time to study the unknown and begin to cultivate the [Heavenly Bodies Transformation].


    Taking in a breath I feel the circulation of Nature energy. The familiar energy, from the time when I was an immortal, doesn''t slow down and begins to leave when I exhale. However before it could escape I start to utilize the technique. The Nature energy stops and mysteriously gets pulled back into my dantian. It slowly circulates and starts to congeal together in the center of my dantian.


    It forms a blurry shape of a infant and it shines a faint almost nonexistent light. I repeat the steps once again and the shape and light become sharper. The hours of night pass quickly and the sun rises in the sky.


    I wake up fully rested after a full night of meditation and quickly check the Nature energy infant in my dantian. It has a fairly stable shape and is giving off a good amount of light. I nod approvingly at the amount of work I accomplished in one night.


    The maid, who had normally monitored my movements, had left my room early in the morning and my mother was sitting in a chair next to my crib. She smiled warmly at me when she saw me wake. I could feel her love whenever she had the time to come.


    I knew she has a busy schedule because every time she comes she has dark bags underneath her eyes. Father hasn''t come to see me for awhile though. I still cannot understand the language, but spending time with my mother I can sometimes understand her feelings.


    Then again it could just be my two month old body reacting to my mother. I have also noticed that I have been born into a very well off family. From the fact that we have maids and that my sheets are made from a high quality silk.


    "How are you Glen? Did you sleep well?" My mother leans over me and asks in what I would describe as a cutesy voice. Based on the fact that I have a mentality of a being with thousands of years of experience, I am very unsettled by it. My displeasure seemed to show on my childish feature and my mother started to panic.


    She hurriedly waved her hands trying to quell what she believed was my anger. Then suddenly I felt the movement of Nature energy from her hands and a ball of fire formed and floated between her hands!


    What?! She''s only a mortal right?! How can she use Nature energy?! My surprise clearly shows on my face, and she laughed while moving the ball of fire between her fingertips. I intently study the phenomenon that she so effortlessly produced.


    Although it was only a small amount of Nature energy and very weak in power, she still is able to use Nature energy while being a mortal! This new found discovery for me gave rise to many questions in my head. This only further solidified my idea that this world is nowhere close to my old one.


    "Come on Glen, it''s time to eat." I hear my mother''s heavenly voice again and she brings closer to her bosom. Repeating the mantra of ''I''m a baby'' over and over again as I am breast fed, I am able to get through the embarrassing process.


    After I had finished my meal my mother tidies herself up and leaves while kissing my forehead. I quietly watch her leave and try to escape my crib while there''s time before the maids come. However to no avail, these maids have got me on lockdown once again.


    Not having anything better to do I remember to check the three new layers on the [Heavenly Bodies Transformation] technique. What I found nearly made me scream out in shock. The three new layers were cultivation techniques, but not just any cultivation techniques; they each were related to specific levels of a cultivator''s cultivation! To find a method that connects each level of cultivation is beyond lucky it is incredibly difficult!


    I greedily looked at the specifics of the three layers. The more I read the more excited I became. As long as my cultivation increases I can keep transforming my body into different heavenly physiques! And each of them would coexist together thus allowing me to mix different heaven defying abilities!


    This was simply a godly cultivation technique! As long as I follow this technique I would easily become unparalleled!


    I am now extremely restless and my baby body is trembling from excitement. Seeing my condition the maid worriedly comes and checks on me. I try to contain myself not letting another outburst as she made sure nothing was wrong.


    I calm my thundering thoughts. I cannot reach the heavens in a single step. I realize that rushing would do no good, and I start taking in Nature energy once again. Step by step, following the directions for the technique.


    I finally have a way to the apex. I will not give up this second chance! I once again clench my plushy hands and train hard in the [Heavenly Bodies Transformation] technique.

 Chapter 3- Nine Celestial Flames Body!

    Chapter 3- Nine Celestial Flames Body!


    "Glen, come eat!" I hear the voice of a the maid who had been watching me since I was 2 months old. I walk as slowly as I can to avoid falling. My one year old dexterity is so atrocious that even I''m appalled.


    I struggle to waddle to a small wooden table prepared with my food. Lately I have gotten an upgrade from breast milk to mushy fruits and vegetables. I curse my toddler body while I eat my delicious mush.


    I have finally gotten down some nouns and verbs in this language. Mainly those that have to do with meals and such, but that''s secondary. As such I always am on time for food.


    "Thnks Cl,air!" I try to sound out my gratitude towards the maid, Claire, with my broken speech as best as I could make it.


    I had started wandering throughout the large halls of what I am assuming is my house around three months ago. I have been exploring as much as possible ever since I could walk. However I''m still under the watchful eye of Claire.


    I move about the rooms one by one. Most of them appear to be bedrooms, but every now and then I gazed at grand halls and just recently I found what I had been looking for this entire time. A library!


    This large house is a maze, and I have trouble finding my way so I''ve been trying as hard as I can to remember the ups and downs. And after a month I had finally found the library. I nearly shed a tear at my accomplishment.


    However I have run into another problem as I opened a book to read. It''s that I can''t read their language! One of these days someone somewhere will feel the wrath I have been storing up.


    "Does Glen want to read again?" Claire asks me as we have been traveling to the library nearly everyday now. I nod my head and try to pull out a book that will allow me to cover many words, but my choice was shot down and she pulls out a picture book again. I roll my eyes at her. What do I look like to you, a child?


    Oh right never mind...


    After spending the afternoon increasing my knowledge of their weird language with Claire I trot back down the large halls I travel everyday and return to my room. Of course sometimes I enter the wrong room, but who can blame me they make the doors so similar and there are so many in one hallway!


    I sit down on my bed and cross my legs. I begin to search through my dantian and find the Nature energy infant still in the middle of it. It has grown substantially larger and more detailed over these past months and the light it gives off is to the point of blinding. This speed of cultivating the [Heavenly Bodies Transformation] is eons faster than my past life, where it took me nearly 10 years of meditation to get less than halfway to where I am now! Ah the pleasures of youth.


    Lately I''ve been feeling that the Nature energy infant has not been growing or accepting any energy that I''ve been feeding it. I did not feel this phenomenon in my previous life, but I previously had rushed the cultivation of this technique. If I''m not mistaken then I believe I''ve reached the optimal state to begin my first transformation!


    I only know seven heavenly bodies that I had luckily managed to scavenge from the tattered manual. However I already know which body to choose, and it is the same one I chose back in my previous life. The Nine Celestial Flames body!


    It is the epitome of heat and flame. I didn''t choose the heavenly body because of it''s potential destructive capabilities, but mainly because I could become a pill master. It is a body loved by flames and flames will carry out any instructions given by it. Any aspiring pill master would dream of having this heavenly body.


    Having decided on the heavenly body I start moving the Nature energy in the specific motions to start the process of changing my body to a heavenly one. The Nature energy infant in my dantian starts to vibrate and condense into a sphere.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    I grow more serious and give the entire process my full attention. Small golden flames ignite on my skin, but shows not signs of burning or pain. The singular orb turns a golden color and starts to split into two orbs. This orb has no color and vibrates intensely as soon as it formed.


    The golden flames change into a deep crimson and my skin shows signs of superficial burns as the crackling flame passes over the top. The once colorless orb turns into a deep crimson similar to the flames baking my body. I grit my teeth at the excruciating pain and push the transformation further. The crimson orb splits itself and once again forms a colorless orb.


    The process repeats itself seven more times each with a different colored flame. Light blue flames that seemed to create a layer of frost on my skin. Purple flames that gave off an invigorating feeling as if I could break boulders with the flick of my fingers. Soon nine spheres of drastically different colors circle around the center of my dantian, and with every new orb a peerless strength radiated into my body. And every vibration of each orb felt like a hammer had plummeted into my gut repeatedly. I had to swallow back a mouthful of blood several times to prevent myself from coughing up my organs.


    Sweat had long since soaked my clothes, but my attention never wavered. In fact, it increased exponentially because now was the most crucial part of the process!


    I finished rotating the free energy, and started to focus in on the golden orb first. I felt a stinging pain as a fierce energy exploded out and the golden orb burst open. A golden flame engulfed my body and my skin instantly combusted while it quickly regenerated back again. Although I was ready for the insane incease in pain, I still nearly passed out. It felt like I was being thrusting into the center of a sun then cooled before being thrust back in. I felt all the water in my blood evaporate and thick red steam billowed out whenever my skin burst open.


    Ignoring the mind numbing pain I guided the exploded energy into each part of my body; from my organs to my skin the excess energy grated into each of them. The pain lasted for what seemed like days, but the entire process only took a few minutes. I restrained the berserk energy from the exploding golden orb and exhaled slowly through the same breathing exercise as to not indiscriminately destroy my surroundings.


    I focus my attention on the crimson orb next and begin the process of letting the orb explode then guiding the volatile energy into my cells one by one. Exhaling the excess berserk energies, I begin the process once again and repeat the painful endeavor over and over again till all the orbs have been merged with my body.


    After I finished exhaling the last of the berserk energies I solidify my new body by directly absorbing Nature energy till a feeling of being full hits me. I feel the flames being absorbed into each of my cells and an extremely comfortable sensation flows over me like a gentle waterfall. I finally release my concentration as an overwhelming fatigue hits me.


    I can''t stop myself from grinning. I couldn''t even absorb three orbs in my past life! And if compared to now the two are leagues apart. I start to laugh and my childish voice echoes on my scorched walls. I have finally laid out my path, and now all I need to do is walk it! I close off my senses and fall into a deep, well deserved sleep.


    "gl...glen!...Glen!!" I suddenly open my eyes to see my mother''s horror stricken face. She has tears in her eyes and is looking around me in a panic. She is constantly running to and fro making sure I''m ok and gasping at my room. I find her actions quite comedic, but I need to make sure she''s ok so I forcibly pull myself out of my resting position.


    I lazily rub my tired eyes and examine my room. The words that could best describe it would be: a complete disaster!


    The stone walls have signs of liquefying and burn marks are strewn everywhere. Every piece of furniture that was in my room has been burned to ashes even my silky smooth bed is no exception. A thick layer of smoke filled the air and shrouded the atmosphere in a gray tint. As I looked down at my body I see a thick black substance covering my skin. I hurriedly scrape off the muck that contained my burned off skin revealing a smooth white surface and stood up waddling to my distressed mother.


    "Baph?" I try to say bath, but as always even when I finally have a heavenly body my language skills still suck. Not that having one and not having one makes any difference. Setting my new goal to master speaking, I tug at the sleeves of my mother as I am in desperate need of a bath.


    "What, what happened here?!" My mother has finally lost it. And even I''m stuck on her question. If memory serves me right then at most my body would only have a few singed hairs, but then again I didn''t complete the full heavenly body during my past life. Still to make a room look along the lines of an incinerator is a little much.


    "Oops..." I shrug my tiny shoulders and give the best reply I can think of. My loving mother gives a light sigh and gently picks me up patting me here and there for any damages. Remembering her distressed state upon seeing my incinerated room, I begin to implement training ideas that would decrease her worries.


    ''Don''t worry mother.'' I cling to her clothes tightly and enjoy the warmth of her love.

 Chapter 4- Magic!

    Chapter 4- Magic!


    It has been 2 years since I''ve been born and now for the first time in this life I can read books on my own! In fact my reading skills have left my speaking skills way behind! This crowning achievement of mine was the product of Claire and I reading picture books day after day. Although purely informational books are obviously out of the picture, this is a huge step in my language studies!


    To celebrate my freedom, my mother went into town to buy a book for me. To be honest I''m quite thrilled, but not too thrilled I got to stay calm and collected. I wonder why mother never takes me into town as well though?


    I can easily guess that I''m part of rich family, as I''ve said before. Maybe I''m a noble''s child? Maybe they are just fearful of a kidnapping situation? That would answer many of my questions. However the question is what do noble children do? Or more importantly what do children do?


    I feel like my recent actions have spurred my mother''s worries too much, and she has now hired a middle aged man in a blue robe to watch over me as well. When I first saw him I noticed that he gives off an impressive amount of Nature energy.


    As such I''ve been thinking about when my mother has created that ball of flame despite being only a mortal. This man probably can do the same as well from the feeling I''m getting. I just don''t know how to ask him.


    Recently I''ve been wondering the house looking for easy to read material to pass the boring years of my youth. Claire would follow me tirelessly and tell me how to say some words that I had trouble with. The man would also follow, but he stayed far away and I would sometimes find him sitting down furiously reading an odd book with equally odd symbols.


    Wait!!? Don''t tell me there are more languages!?! At that point I felt a very sour feeling take me over, but the blue robed man saw this and reacted instantly.


    He hurriedly waved his hands and a sphere of water floated above his right palm. When he saw my look of awe he smiled and with the flick of the wrist the sphere elongated into an arrow, then formed into an impenetrable castle, a running wolf, and finally into a mighty dragon!


    "That!" I tried to get his attention with my usual one word responses and to my luck he understood.


    "This?" He gave a teasing smile as he pointed at the dragon created from water. The shape changed back into a sphere and dissipated into the air. My face may have distorted again when he dissolved the sphere and he stared to laugh.


    "Haha, well that was what we call magic!"


    "Majik?" I said the strange word to myself, but ended up sounding a little off. However the impact didn''t lessen even a little. This was manipulating Nature energy! Only truly talented immortals had the privilege to gain techniques that utilized Nature energy! As I was only a mere soldier I received no such benefits, and had to rely on my partial heavenly body to even offensively use Nature energy.


    When I tried to meditate that night I was caught up in the idea of magic. Such a fantastical ability I need to learn it right away. Thinking of making giant flaming dragons descend on my foes makes me giddy. I stop all my attempts at cultivating the [Heavenly Bodies Transformation] since I already completed the first transformation and, it would be too long of a wait if I finished congealing my second Nature energy infant now.


    Even if I could, I can''t even utilize the abilities of my own heavenly body till I have at least reached the Qi Nurturing stages. Sighing at my temporary uselessness, I quickly fall asleep to the dreams of my bright future.


    The next day I wake up and immediately go to find the man in blue robes. I find him sitting on a chair in the large hallway leading up to my room. Next to him is Claire. They both seem to be laughing and joking around. And now that I take a good look at the guy he''s not so bad looking. He has deep blue eyes and short brown hair that match his fairly angular face. Although his figure could use some muscle training, he seems to be quite fit. He as the image of a kind and gentle person that fits him quite well.


    I am a former immortal so I know the proper decorum when a man''s putting the moves on a lady would be for me not to barge in and declare my demands rudely. Thinking so I sneakily pass them and head towards the library.


    After a couple minutes of wandering through the grand hallways I find myself at the 20 foot tall double doors. If it was the me without a heavenly body I would be hard pressed to even crack open these huge doors due to my age. Now, with a little bit of elbow grease, nothing is impossible for me.


    I open one of the doors by just a bit and slide my toddler body in right before it closes. I find myself in a dry two story room with books lining every single space on the wall. Wooden ladders extend up the walls to reach some of the higher ones. And wooden tables and chairs are found scattered in the room. A woman with soft brunette hair and gentle blue eyes is staring at me with a large smile pinned to her face. She is holding a book in her hands and slowly walks towards me.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    "Now what are you doing here alone?" Mother asks in a questioning tone that is neither angry nor sweet. I find putting the words ''Claire and my other warden are on a date'' hard to say in their language, so I shrug my shoulders with upturned eyes. My mother nearly melts from my childish antics.


    It''s not like I like acting like a child. Its just that mother might die from a heart attack if I come out and say I am a thousand year old immortal from another realm. Except for a couple of hiccups I believe I perfectly have portrayed the image of a child.


    "You naughty child come here I have your book!" Mother brought me into her embrace while laughing. She then handed me a thin book with a picture of a man in armor kneeling in front of a giant red lizard with wings. This was obviously my picture book that she went and bought, and in big letters the title read: The Dragon''s Knight.


    My hands were trembling as I took the book from my mothers hands. I was mainly caught up with the fact that I had seen another dragon! This proves that dragons inhabit this world as well! The thought makes me remember the dragons that had soared the skies in the immortal realm. Terrifying things they were, but I still wanted to fight one...


    "Dragn!" I excitedly yell in an attempt to grasp my mother''s attention. My plan is successful when she starts to talk about dragons.


    "You like dragons don''t you, would you like to hear more about them?" Mother beams a smile in my direction while I nod furiously. Although it is embarrassing to fake the actions of a two year old, I try my best to gain as much information as possible.


    "Well, legends say that dragons used to roam the skies and were as common as birds. They were all intelligent beings who could speak and peacefully live along us. They taught us many things; they even taught us the ability to use magic!"


    "Majik." There was the word again. It makes no sense for a divine beast such as a dragon to impart knowledge to use Nature energy to someone. Maybe if it owed them a favor? I don''t believe mother will tell me such specifics; I am a 2 year old child after all.


    "Hmm~ so you already know about magic? Was it Harold who told you?" Mother seemed a little depressed at the fact that I already knew of magic. It confused me since I vividly remember her showing me a ball of flame when I was two months old. Or rather is it normal for two month old babies to have photographic memory?


    "Majik!" I try to goad her into telling me what I want to know, but she simply smiles at me while patting my head. Although I lament about the fact that she won''t properly teach me magic, I just shrug it off and find a place to sit and read.


    Mother sees my focused look and leaves while bidding me goodbye. Finally I can open up my picture book.


    "Once...Upon, a t,ime." From the first couple of words that I read out loud I knew I would be in here for awhile.after what seemed like hours of reading and searching for similar words I finished the book. To put it on simple terms the book followed the story of a knight who met with a red dragon in the mountains:


    He was born with no talent for magic and sought a dragon to help him. He was given three tasks by the dragon, and in exchange he would gain the knowledge of magic from the beast.


    His first task was to find and defeat a fairy king, and after that he was supposed to take it''s gem. The knight finds the fairy king after a long journey and defeats it in a duel then takes it''s gem.


    The second task was for the knight to climb to the highest peak in the world and place the fairy king''s gem there. After he had found Mount Vernal it took him several months to climb the mountain where he had help from the creatures of the rock, or golems.


    The third task was for him to wait at the mountain top for the dragon. And so he sat down and waited for the dragon. He waited for many years and years until he became an old man. Then finally the dragon came. He was already on the last years of his life, and he asked why the dragon took so long. The dragon replied that he had asked for talent for magic, so it gave him tasks that would represent how he should''ve went about learning magic.


    The first task represented that he needed to learn from battles. The second was that he needed to seek help to reach his destination. The third represented the time he would need to reach his desires.


    The old knight listened to the dragon''s response, but wasn''t angry and just stood up, thanked the dragon for the lesson and hiked down the mountain. When he reached the bottom he was miraculously and mysteriously sent back to his youth! He took the chance to journey the world while studying magic, and later became one of the greatest mages in the world. There was a signature at the bottom that read T. Tallowstone.


    For a children''s book it holds quite a deep message. It was well written and had many easy to understand pictures. Albeit it took me awhile to read, but that''s secondary. My guess is that it is an adaptation of a novel into a children''s book.


    Anyways I learned many things from it. The most important and interesting information I gained is that magic is quite similar to the Dao of cultivation; They both need the person to be relentless in all that he does and struggle time and time again to finally reach his desired peak.


    I make a note in my mind to remember the name T. Tallowstone just in case I need to remember it for later. I tuck the book in my armpit and walk back to my room.


    I found Claire and the man in blue robes, Harold, silently waiting for me. They awkwardly smile when they see me and both stand up to greet me. I''m pretty sure mother gave them an earful for neglecting me.


    Suddenly I hear the sound of clanking iron and the thundering of feet. The echoes of the clattering armor meanders into my ears and I see a massive entourage of knights marching in my direction. I worriedly check my surroundings and find no one else they could be looking for.


    They seem to lock in on me. This is bad. Do they know something? Thoughts about how I could appear different from other children race through my head. I find many cases that attribute myself to being different very quickly in my memories, and start to look for an escape route.


    The knights stop a few feet in front of me before I could find a foolproof method of escape, and the first couple of rows separate to the sides of the hall in unison. A man in a green and red uniform that flared out at the sleeves and ankles appeared from inside the knights and kneeled down in front of me.


    "I greet the third prince Glen!" The man drops some words that clear up most of my misunderstanding. Then the brigade of knights kneel down as well.


    "We greet the third prince Glen!!" A chorus from the mouths of the knights thundered out and filled the room. I slowly take in the situation in front of me and a wry smile spreads across my face.

 Chapter 5- Prince!

    Chapter 5- Prince!


    As I take in the spectacle of having nearly a hundred knights in shiny armor kneel to me I understand two things. One, my father is the king which is probably the reason why he can''t visit often. And two, I like this feeling of having others bow to you. I slowly take in the limelight and the man in green and red clothing steps up to Claire.


    "You must be third prince Glen''s maid, hello I am Jeffrey Vittles I come with a message from King Oliver. May I ask where Queen Penelope is?" The man named Jeffrey introduced himself while bowing and inquired mother''s position. I guess mother is a queen. Then is this the royal palace? No, if it was it would definitely have more inhabitants. I don''t know what exactly is going on, but the fact that I''m only the third prince and that my mother is the queen should be important.


    "The madame is currently in town working with the citizens." Claire responds to his bow with a curtsey and Jeffrey gives a light smile in response. I looked to see if he held any bad feelings towards the word citizens since I could easily tell he was a noble, but his eyes didn''t show any sort of disdain. I breath a sigh of relief thinking that I don''t have to worry about an overly narcissistic noble.


    "Hmm, and who might you be? Oh! I''m sorry mister mage I didn''t see the insignia on your robes for a second! Please forgive my discourtesy!" Jeffrey turns to Harold and gives an overly done display of apology after a rudely worded question. I guess Harold is what they call a mage and apparently a mage is higher than a noble. I note that in my head as they continue the conversation.


    "Don''t worry about it, us from the Sage''s Mages are all easygoing and not easily offended. I am Harold, a third ringed mage." Harold said full of pride while sticking out his chest revealing his left pectoral where a woven insignia lied. He was shooting glances at Clair every now and again seeing if she was looking at him in awe as well.


    "Oh so it''s the Sage''s Mages Guild! I heard that your guild master reached the 6th ring just recently." Once Jeffrey had confirmed that he hadn''t spoken too briskly he tried to strike up a conversation. For some reason his eyes contained a trace of awe.


    "Haha word travels fast now doesn''t it! Yes that''s true, we can finally stand on equal footing with the top mage''s guilds now!" Harold''s pride was elevated to a new level and a content smile curved his lips upwards. Jeffrey''s excitement reached a new level when he heard the confirmation and hurriedly brought out an object from his flared up right sleeve.


    A wooden stick was held firmly in his hand. It had white bark covering it and a red line running down one of it''s sides. Jeffrey held it in front of Harold as if he was a child showing their parents a new toy.


    "Is this?" Harold was the first to speak and he held out his trembling hands wanting to examine the stick closely.


    "Yes!" Jeffrey gives a one word response to Harold and the two seem to instantly form a bond of brotherhood. They start talking rapidly making it very difficult for me to understand them again, and at this point I''m already confused at the whole situation. It''s just a stick right? I don''t sense any Nature energy or any thing that would make it to be even the least bit different from a regular branch. I can only scratch my head and hope someone can explain what it is.


    Anyways I am getting droves of beautiful information as I listen to this Jeffrey character. He sure knows how to talk at least. I remember him talking about Harold''s insignia, so I take a closer look at his robes and a patch shaped in the form of a staff and shield is placed right on his left chest. I mark down it''s appearance in my head for later reference.


    We wait till nightfall for my mother to come home. Harold and Jeffrey are jovially laughing and joking around. Every now and then I would see Jeffrey form a sphere of water in front of him, but his face wouldn''t be calm and collected like when mother or Harold does it. He would breath heavily afterwards and I can always notice a large amount of Nature energy being mobilized right before he forms the sphere.


    Having nothing better to do while waiting I start to circulate my [Heavenly Bodies Transformation] while in the embrace of Claire. Thinking I can pretend that I''m sleeping I slowly breath the Nature energy into my body. I feel it flow through my body like a refreshing spring breeze and merge with the already existing Nature energy infant in my dantian. I repeat the process for a couple of minutes till I''ve reached a satisfactory level, but suddenly my surroundings grow silent.


    I hear whispers from the guards and footsteps coming in my direction. I crack my eyelids open slightly to see a very excited Jeffrey briskly walking towards me. Confusion covered my face as I opened my eyes fully and gaze over his trembling body.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "Harold you felt that too right?!" Jeffrey doesn''t turn to look at Harold, who also has a look of shock on his face. My confusion just increased. Why can''t they just say what I want to know?


    "That was definitely a massive movement of mana, but how''s this possible in just a two year old child?" Harold spoke his thoughts that helpfully cleared some of my confusion.


    However what is mana? They said I moved a massive amount, but what does that mean? I only cultivated Nature energy. I have a hypothesis about the relation between the two, so I circulate my [Heavenly Bodies Transformation] and Nature energy starts to enter through my breathing. I don''t contain it and let it all be exhaled, and carefully watch their reactions.


    Right on the point. Their shock only increases with my clarity. Nature energy is this mana they are talking about. I guess I need to fit in and not draw attention to myself with the two different words, so I change Nature energy into this mana they referenced in my head.


    "P,prince Glen... D,did you do that?" Jeffrey suddenly turns to me and tried to speak clearly, but he''s having a hard time putting words into his speech. I fake not knowing anything and just blankly stare at him without muttering a word.


    "I don''t know what Prince Glen did, but he probably didn''t do it purposefully! He is still only two after all." Claire was flustered at the moment oblivious to the current circumstances. She didn''t seem to sense my use of mana, and she stuck up for me. Some soldiers seemed to be confused as well. Does this mean only certain people can feel the fluctuations of mana?


    I want to test this theory, but a loud noise awakens me from my plans and a female shout sends the room into silence.


    "What are you doing here?!!" Mother''s voice obviously contained a deep fury. I was stunned at seeing this new side to mother when I felt a sudden breeze beside me and mother was standing firmly at my side. She angrily stared down at the soldiers.


    However I wasn''t paying any attention to their reactions. All my energy was placed on my furious mother and the immense amount of mana being released into her surroundings. Mother...when have you been so powerful? I didn''t even detect a single bit of mana released from her until now!


    "Queen Penelope! Please calm yourself! I bring word from King Oliver!" Jeffrey yelled quickly and upon the mention of father''s name her anger quelled slightly.


    Mother glares at them once again and gets down to look me in the eyes. Her menacing look had all but vanished; if it wasn''t for the immense amount of mana being exuded from her I would believe the previous occurrence was just a dream.


    "I''m sorry Glen, were you scared? Don''t worry, go back to your room I''ll deal with them." Mother emphasized ''deal with them'' so much that I''m pretty sure she is bad at euphemisms. However I shook my head no vigorously, I''m not going to miss such an exciting confrontation.


    "Please Glen, mother doesn''t want you to miss your sleep. Claire, take Glen back to his room please." Mother didn''t seem to give in to my demands and even commanded Claire to come and take me. I get that mother means the best for me, but this overprotective attitude is driving me crazy. I easily sidestep Claire''s attempts to grab me by pretending to trip.


    "No." I try to play the spoiled child trick while running away from Claire. However my toddler legs can only travel so far while she easily catches up to me. I once again sidestep her hands, but this time I don''t have the time to fake it being a mistake on her part.


    "King Oliver sends orders for Queen Penelope and third Prince to come back to Thant!" Jeffrey''s sudden yell halted Claire''s movements and mother seemed to enter deep thought. I analyze what Jeffrey just said while inching away from the immobilized Claire.


    "What does Oliver want?" Mother gave a sigh of resignation and she slumped her shoulders in defeat. I take this time to position myself next to Harold in case she remembers that she doesn''t want me to listen.


    "The King is worried about Prince Glen''s upbringing. The king says the Prince needs to be schooled in the proper ways of being a noble or else he will end up spoiled." Jeffrey emphasized that these were the kings word because he feared mother''s fury. Mother wanted to retort, but simply opened her mouth while no words came out.


    "Alright, however give him until he turns six! Please he''s my child, and I will make sure to teach him properly don''t worry." Mother pleaded with Jeffrey and the mana she had once wielded had disappeared. Jeffrey gave a slight sigh while nodding his head in approval.


    "I will come again when he turns six, but I must also mention about his...talents." Jeffrey paused and looked towards a burnt door that was my previous room before I incinerated it. He gave a small signal to some knights and half of them split up from the group.


    "I will leave them here to protect the third prince." After stating this Jeffrey briskly left while half of the knights followed closely behind him. Harold looked a little saddened from parting with his new friend.


    I felt like now was a good time to slip out of this situation and so I turned to enter my room. Then a firm white hand landed on my shoulder and I saw mother looking at me seriously. I felt like her eyes were peering into me and revealing all my secrets to her.


    "All of you can leave, I want to be alone with my son for a second." Mother commanded in a not too rushed and not too slow speed. The knights saluted and left as per her wishes while Claire and Harold swiftly left trailing behind the knights. Mother''s eyes once again locked onto mine.


    "I know you are more intelligent than most children, so you should be able to understand me. I don''t know what you do to cause so much mana to crazily gather towards you, but please try to contain yourself in front of others. I will teach you the basics slowly in these coming four years. I know I have been lenient on you mainly because of your age, but now I need to be resolved." Mother spoke clearly to me. Apparently she had already known that I am not a quite like other children. However mother...who exactly are you?

 Chapter 6- Education!

    Chapter 6- Education!


    Mother had apparently known that I could understand most of their tongue already. As such she devised a plan for me to master the basics of their confusing language. And by the time I turned 4 I could finally hold a reasonable conversation instead of one word responses.


    "Mother, how do you pronounce this word?" I ask as I point my slightly less chubby hand to a word in a large picture-less book. Mother''s brunette hair cascades over my shoulder as she looks over it. Light is shining through the windows of the library. Different books were piled high on nearby tables and some were scattered on the floor. Many laid wide open with markings sometimes littering the pages.


    "It''s pronounced, In-fus-ion."


    "N-fu-shon?"


    "No, that''s not quite right, but you''re getting there don''t give up." I repeat the word several times under my mother''s warm smile. She corrects me when I learn something wrong, but other than that she would force me through reading large picture-less, informative books. She seems different from usual I guess maybe it is because she thinks I might be scared of her. I just need to time ask.


    "To think you would only need two more years to master the basics. Definitely a genius..." Mother''s eyes seemed to become filled with a great sadness with those words. She was so strong, yet retained all of her fragility. I guess this technique to control mana is less strict on the mental requirements. I''ve been piecing all that I''ve learned about this mana to try to learn the skill.


    First, it''s not limited to only one element. Second, only certain people can have it and they have more of an acute sense to mana. Third, mages are apparently people with a better talent in mana. Fourth, everyone can learn this skill in this world. Fifth, although I use mana to form my Mana Infant and I''ve used enough to be considered a mage, people still don''t relate me to a mage.


    "Mother why don''t you seem to like nobles?" Something has been irking me since Jeffrey left and since I was only taught language I could only find sources from books, but never had any sort of closure.


    "That... It''s not that I don''t like them, it''s just I don''t really think I can bear to part from you!" Mother seemed to hesitate when answering and steered the conversation in a new direction.


    "Mother, please tell me." Mother sighed when I spoke and she looked me straight in the eyes.


    "Glen, I know you''re smart. Too smart for your age in fact. You also have a monstrous potential in magic so much that it scares your mother here. Those talents make you shine much brighter than others, but those talents can make you targeted by no small amount of people." Mother glanced at me briefly to check my expression, and when I forgot to show any signs of astonishment she gave me a weird smile and continued, "You are my first child and I know you will have to leave when you get older. However right now, Please continue to be my little Glen."


    I rush to mother to give her a hug. Although she still avoided why she disliked nobles again, she looked like she was about to cry so I conceded. I wanted to change the topic quickly.


    "Mother since I can easily finish my studies, can you tell me about magic." I look up to her with sparkling eyes while in her embrace. Mother still had no idea to my true identity, so she still was in the dark about most of my cultivator antics. And when I was absorbing mana mother never gave any reaction to it, but I believe she mistook it as a high talent for magic or something similar.


    She gives me a little laugh and smiles while she releases me from her hug and walks to a nearby bookshelf. She looks for awhile and pulls out an old worn down book. I never really looked at it since it didn''t have a title and only had a large ''O'' on the front of it.


    "This is the symbol for magic." Mother enlightened me on the circle. I feel annoyed that no one put the word magic on the front and just expected people to know. Mother hands me the book and I carefully open it as if afraid I might ruin the contents. In here is the way to control mana!


    "Now there are some things you need to know first." Mother''s voice awakens me from my emotions, "Mana is the energy of life and is in everything. The methods we have learned are from our predecessors and have been refined by many mages through the ages. Although this gives us an advantage over most, never use it for the purpose of oppression or to purposefully harm another."


    "Wait mother, I thought you said dragons taught us magic?" I remember her clearly say this.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Our history is shrouded in mystery, we would know if we could find a dragon. However dragons are only used as a supplement for fairytales." Mother easily crushes the dreams of her child. Although I have a mentality of an immortal, if I was just an ordinary child mother would''ve just throughly crushed my little dreams. Putting that thought out of my head I look to my new book.


    I heed mother''s previous warning about mana and open the book. I become engrossed with it and time flys by quickly and before I know it the day is almost over. Mother had left awhile ago since she saw I was in a trance while reading, so I retire back to my room on my own.


    On my way I ran into Harold and Claire. Ever since mother said she was going to tutor me Claire hasn''t been by my side. She seems to get with Harold more though, so I guess it''s a win-win?


    "Hello Glen, what you got there?" Claire asks while pointing at my book. Although she knows about my identity as a prince, she still refuses to address me like one. Not that I mind I just worry she might get into trouble for it.


    "Mother gave it to me, it''s a book on magic!" I hold it out for her to have a look.


    "Oh! So prince Glen is learning about magic I see. Why didn''t the Queen just teach you herself?" Harold joins the conversation with a very good question. Mother has always been overprotective, and she is probably not teaching me magic so she can stay with me longer. She''s afraid of me growing up.


    "Oh yeah, it might be because of that!" Harold seems to know something and I get frustrated due to him throwing in a pronoun instead of say what ''that'' is.


    "Since mother won''t tell me can you?" I hide my displeasure and ask Harold up front. He starts to laugh which annoys me even more and I was about to walk away when he stopped me.


    "Don''t get mad prince Glen, I would if I could, but guild mages can only teach others in the guild. Also the Queen would kill me if I took her time with you away." Harold spoke reasonable words and I''m growing interested in the mage''s guild. However that didn''t stop my previous anger from him randomly laughing in response to my question to subside. Though these guilds seem to be an exclusive force not belonging to kingdoms, and they hold their own power as well.


    I bid Harold and Claire goodbye after a quick catchup and finally retire to my room. I lay on my bed and open the book on magic again. The first couple pages were mainly on the history of magic and those who contributed to the discovery of new techniques, but other than that it had no explanation of applying said techniques.


    I start reading where I left off and find a name I haven''t seen since two years ago: T. Tallowstone. I remember the children''s book I read when I was two and I am even more interested in meeting this fellow.


    I read further down and finally get to the good part. I start to read aloud accidentally due to my excitement,"Mages are classified by the number of Mana Rings they have formed inside their Mana Well."


    I stop reading directly after the sentence. There were too many words that didn''t make sense. Mana Well, what is that? Where is it? I remember Harold saying he was a third ringed mage, so maybe these mana rings are numbered singularly. They also talked about how some old man became a sixth ringed mage, so that probably means it is hard to reach that stage. I hate how no one tells me everything specifically. I make a note that when I reach the apex I''m starting a massive reform on these things.


    While dreaming about making everything easier to understand, I check the condition of my muscles and meridians. I estimate I need about another year before my muscles can be worked, but my meridians seem to need around two. I just need to deal with these coming years.


    I begin to start breathing in mana while using the [Heavenly Bodies Transformation] and slowly the night changes into day.


    "...Glen are you up?" Mother voice travels through my door after a soft knock.


    "Yes, please come in." Mother comes in with a man in loose cloth. He had short brown hair that matched well with his equally colored eyes. He stood an impressive 6 foot 5, a couple inches taller than mother, and sported a tattoo of a 3 on his right shoulder. He was a well built man and his muscles were well defined. If it wasn''t for the large scar that ran from the left side of his forehead to across his right eye and onto his right cheek, he would''ve been quite handsome.


    "Glen let me introduce you to the knight captain, Jared Mill. He will start to teach you his sword form starting today." Mother introduced me to Jared and I held out my right hand. Jared gave me a light smile and moved suddenly towards me sending a right punch my way.


    "What the..." I easily duck his telegraphed attack and take some distance between us. I see mother not moving into kill the man, and he has halted his movements as well. I see so this was a test.


    "Hmm, he should be able to learn." Jared turns towards mother and responds. Or rather why was your test suddenly punching a child!


    "Good, Glen don''t be scared. Although his methods are sometimes questionable, he will be able to give you the ability to protect yourself." Mother turns towards me and grabs my hands. Her hands are slightly trembling. It seems like it is taking a lot out of her to entrust me to someone else. She seems to understand that I will not be by her side forever, so she has begun to resolve herself. I can see a deep resolve in her eyes along with hints of sadness as I return her grasp.


    "I''m ready." I slowly release my hands and mother''s smile trembles a little. I will grow stronger, but when that happens I would need to leave home. I need to take small steps so mother''s worries don''t become consume her.


    "What do you mean you''re ready? Queen, I am ready to teach him. Are you ready to go?" Jared suddenly asks mother.


    Wait. Something doesn''t add up with what he said. I turn towards mother with a questioning look and she gives me a weird smile in response. Jared takes her silence as a confirmation and leads me out the door and to our training grounds. With mother trailing close behind. She apparently was going to come with us anyways...

 Chapter 7- Motherly Love!

    Chapter 7- Motherly Love!


    We arrived at the end of a hall in the vast mansion in front of us was an unsuspecting wooden door with iron rivets lining the edges. Jared opened the door unceremoniously and light flooded my eyes. Like a child who first steps outside my horizons instantly soared as I took in all of this new world.


    The sky was a beautiful blue with little cloud coverage to shade from the sun that hung in the sky above. In the distance I could see a few tall mountainous areas and a giant peak that rose into the sky. I could hear the sound of rushing water, so I assumed there was a creek or river nearby. The smell of sweat, blood, and clean nature all mixed into a concoction that pervaded my nose. I then started to focus my eyes on my immediate surroundings.


    A the dirt courtyard with stone walls surrounding it spread before my eyes. In one area to the right there were twelve wooden dummies in the shapes that barely resembled a man with open arms. Two barrels were found in the closest corner to my right, I couldn''t see their contents from where I stood though. Three unknown shirtless men were doing different work out regimes. Even Harold was out and running around the courtyard at a pace that could be counted as a sprint.


    When the three unknown men saw the three of us they immediately stopped what they were doing and kneeled. They appear to be part the knights commanded by Jared.


    "Ah don''t worry we aren''t here to harm you. Go back to what you were doing." Jared came forward and eased some of the tension that had set between us while waving his hands. Harold had come up long ago wondering what we were doing, but mother said she was here to witness my training.


    "Ahem, well prince Glen shall we get started?" Jared turns to me and opens his stance. I begin to expect him to charge at me again so I ready my body and prepare for his movements. He sees this and starts to laugh.


    "Haha, no, no, we''re not going to spar. I''m going to teach to the steps to my sword style. This is the most important since the basics of everything starts from footwork. All you have to do is mirror me." Jared says with a smile, but the smile stretches his his scar making him look more menacing than kind. He then grows a serious face that fits him better and his knees rise. However all I see is him moving in a circle with his toes barely touching the ground. He as definitely reached an impressive in level of footwork.


    He stops after doing five circles and I see the foot prints in the dirt ground. To my surprise they are all in a straight line! I could''ve sworn I saw him move in a circle, but then why is it a circle!? I guess I have severely underestimated the people of this world. I should''ve known that if they are able to mobilize mana when they are still mortals, then they shouldn''t be weak and definitely have a plethora of strong skills to supplement themselves.


    "You''re probably wondering why I didn''t move in a circle." Jared said with very obvious hints of pride throughout and instead of giving me time to answer he continued,"Don''t worry, that is when you have reached the state of turning the complex into the simple. Right now you are too young to even attempt to strengthen your body. My estimation is that you need one more year to grow before we can work on that. In the meantime work on the steps I showed you. You don''t need to go fast just walk through."


    He''s good. He accurately guessed my body''s current state by just watching me. However what steps did he show me? He just showed off and didn''t really teach me anything.


    "Um, what steps do you mean? I can''t possibly reproduce your previous steps." I speak my thoughts out loud while sending a glance at mother. She is just calmly watching us from a distance not saying anything. I know she will jump in and help me if I need it, so since she is doing nothing this must be part of the training.


    "Sure you can. Just step the way you believe you saw me step." Jared said such silly words so seriously. He wants me to step the way I saw it? I thought he was going to teach me his sword? Why is everyone in this world so confusing.


    I begin to move my body right while swaying to the left and the momentum forces my left foot to catch myself. In the same moment I send my right foot backwards and turn my hips to face the right while my eyes are still focused on Jared. Pushing off my right foot I use my left to catch myself once again and at this point my hips have flipped to the left and my body is following the momentum backwards. Then I instantly halt myself mid-step by dragging my right foot in the dirt. My heels click together and my body is sent to the right while my left foot advances in front of me. I arch my spine so that it looks similar to an arched bow than I snap it back in a quick motion while I hit the ground with my right foot. My body ends up in the position I started in and I repeat the process four more times. When I finished I was breathing hard while perspiring heavily. I look to the curved square my steps have made and give a light sigh.


    When I look up to Jared I see his left eye twitching slightly and the three others in the courtyard have also stopped what they were doing and were standing behind Jared. They all held strained smiles on their faces. Mother had appeared next to me awhile ago with a bright smile on her face. Harold was standing next to her with a sphere of water hovering above his hand.


    "Don''t strain yourself too hard Glen, here have some water." Mother beamed a smile at me while pulling Harold forward and I put my face next to it and began to drink.


    "Q,queen, I believe you asked me to teach your child, but his steps..." Jared had a face that contained a complex array of emotions. The three behind him also shook their heads as they returned back to their work. Did I do good?


    "I told you he was a genius. What do you think?" Mother says with her head held up high. So I did do well. I only followed the steps I saw and apparently it was right.


    "Queen I''ve seen my fair share of geniuses back in the royal grounds, but someone who can put some of the soldiers to shame on his first try is not a genius. He''s a monster." Jared said without a hint of hesitation. Mother had a huge smile on her face when he complemented me and turned around to return to where she had been earlier.


    "Well, I guess you barely pass." Jared instantly contradicted his earlier words and gave a little cough when he saw me rolling my eyes at him.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "Anyways lets get to the actual swordsmanship. Now this is not like footwork, it must be honed from the beginning like the sharpening of a blade. You must not get hasty in perfecting your techniques and don''t get hung up in finishing moves. Like I said the basics mean everything! For example, that mage over there, Harold was it, I can cut him down before he has the time to use any magics that could harm me!" Jared felt like he was regaining his confidence and spoke with a louder voice around the end.


    He walked over to a corner which the barrels had been located. He reached into on of them and pulled out two wooden swords. They were crudely carved into a double edged blade that had a worn leather strap wrapped around their hilts.


    He threw me the shorter of the two and took the longer for himself. And I grabbed the hilt as it flew through the air. The familiar sense of a weapon translated through my hand.


    I remembered all time I put into learning different weapons back when I had finally entered the world of immortals. Since I couldn''t rely on the immortals to give me what I needed I took up weapons of all sorts to increase my survivability. I felt the stronger I become the less I relied on the beautiful and awe inspiring techniques I used during my time in the mortal realm and more on weapon proficiency and brutal tactics. Back then it was a weird feeling of becoming an immortal just to once again feel like I had become a weak mortal.


    "Alright this time I''ll go slower so you can see my strikes better. I don''t expect you to understand it on the first try so I''ll repeat it. Feel free to begin when you feel like you are ready." Jared advanced towards one of the wooden dummies and breathed in. I felt a slight wave of mana emanating from his body and curl around the wooden sword then he moved.


    With fluid strokes he maneuvered his sword around the wooden dummy and struck it in places where vitals would lie. He pulled back his sword and began to implement his footwork into his strikes. He would become like a calm stream flowing around and accurately stabbing at the dummy one second then a raging ocean viciously striking clean blows onto the wooden dummy.


    His movements were like a work of art. I had a hard time grasping most of them, but was he really going slower? He couldn''t really answer my mental question, however the sweat that accumulated on his body and his heavy breathing spoke well enough.


    I sigh and get into a firm stance. If he wants to compete in sword skills, then I''ll give him a challenge! I close my eyes and feel the changing currents in the air. I smell the accumulated sweat in the air. I focus my mind on the dummy in front of me slowly molding it into an enemy who I can train with. I concentrate on my surroundings and the enemy I perceive in front of me. The dummy slowly splits into five illusory people each holding a different weapon. From my right they hold a spear, sword, mace, staff, and dual swords respectively.


    The first to turn into my dummy was the one holding a mace in his right hand. He gave a downward swing that swayed the wind and brought down a force that carried the weight of a mountain. I pushed off my right foot to evade with a larger difference in between thenI had hoped. Then I quickly advanced, not giving him time to fix his faulty stance, while sticking to the dummy''s right side. I gave a quick slash to the wrist of my opponent that disrupted his next attack while pushing off my left foot and instantly switching to his left side while turning my back towards him. Before I sense a counterattack I rotate counterclockwise while blocking his line of sight on my sword with my body. With a loud crack my wooden sword transmits a sensation of connecting firmly to the neck of the dummy. The first illusory opponent has been dispatched.


    I breathe heavily while unconsciously reaching in my back pocket for some restoration pills that I normally had stored there. Not caring about my unnecessary movement the imaginary spear wielder assimilates with the dummy and I take a couple steps back to gauge his movements. He starts with a straight thrust that shakes the air and the spear appears in front of me like a snake striking it''s prey. I push off both feet in a small jump while rotating my body into a sideways flip to dodge the strike while my sword trails behind me in my right hand. I land on the imaginary spear effectively snapping it in two and kick the stump that represented his left leg, and with another loud crack my sword slashed downwards onto the dummy''s chest. The second illusory opponent has been dispatched!


    I was nearing my limit and my dilapidated four year old muscles could barely keep up with my movements. I could feel my strength leaving me, but I still geared up for the third imaginary opponent. I definitely will feel this later.


    "H,hey Prince Glen, it''s ok to stop please rest properly. Your body is still too young to train this strenuously." Jared''s trembling voice woke me from my illusory training and I saw him standing to my right while panting and sweating. He had eyes that seemed as if he had seen a ghost. I also felt some gazes from the three training soldiers and Harold behind me. It appears I got too caught up in the training.


    "So you can learn my footwork from just watching and your sword play resembles an old soldier that weathered hundreds of battlefields... Queen, what did you want me to teach this little monster again?" Jared mumbled a couple of words before calling mother over. He had an exasperated expression on his face which was quite comical to look at.


    Mother was still smiling since I accidentally showed too much talent, but as long as she''s happy I guess it''s ok. She showed some concern when she saw me exhausted though and pulled Harold along with her.


    "Well what can I say Glen is a genius." She bluntly stated while pushing Harold once again towards me with a sphere of water for me to drink.


    "Of course... I can''t really teach him anything then. He''s already got most of the basics down, and he is too young for any of my other training regimes. There''s honestly nothing for me to do right now." Jared raised his hands in defeat while shaking his head. Harold nodded his head as if to express his confirmation. Mother''s prideful smile just got larger.


    "Then, what am I supposed to do till then?" I express the thoughts I''ve been having for awhile and everyone focuses their attention to me. Then they turn their attention to mother.


    "Hahaha, well you''re just a bundle of wonderful surprises aren''t you Glen! Hmmm, I guess we''ll continue to work on your language then?" Mother doesn''t put much thought into my future plans and I am dragged back to take a bath. I could hear Jared yelling at the soldiers who were in the courtyard. Something about how they need to return to the basics.


    "You''re mysterious Glen." Mother''s voice invades my thoughts as I hold her hand while leading me towards the bath.


    "At first I thought you might not be like other children and when you started to absorb an abnormal amount of mana I could tell you were destined for something great. I tried to hold onto my time with you, but the faster you grew I could tell something was wrong. From the way you handled certain situations to your everyday actions. Sometimes I wonder if you''re even a child at all. However you are my first and probably my last child. Did you know back before you were born physicians had told me that I couldn''t have a child due to my body?" Mother''s eyes began to grow misty and I strengthened my grasp on her hand in response, as she sucked in a deep breath of air.


    "However I was moved here, given medicines that could severely harm me, and I was isolated in this fort in case the medicines had a negative effect. Then when I had you even the stars in the night changed their usual pattern before you were born. It felt like destiny for you to be my child. And you are definitely not like other children and I know one day you will have to leave me, but for right now please be my little Glen. No matter what you do, or who you become I don''t care. You are my child, and nothing changes that, ever..." Mother trails off and her smile starts to waver as tears begin to stain her cheeks. I felt a tug on my tear ducts, and a warm stream began to flow down my face. This is the motherly love that I missed so much. The feeling I gave up on my quest to become an immortal. My hands unconsciously wrapped around my mother and I gave her a tight heartfelt hug.

 Chapter 8- Breaking Body Stage!

    Chapter 8- Breaking Body Stage!


    I excitedly walked towards the training grounds with mother trailing behind me. I had weathered through a year of once again sitting in a room reading words that barely makes sense to me. I had apparently hurt my body more than I believed when I first went training with Jared, and I was forced to become bedridden by mother for a couple of days.


    After mother had given me that long speech she has lost most of her previous overprotective attitude, but she still refused to tell me why she disliked nobles so much. My learned a little of our kingdom of Thant. Which shares the same name as the city the royal palace is located is at. At times it can become confusing however mother says it makes sense after awhile.


    "Mother can you teach me about magic and mana now?" I had been throwing hints at mother lately pertaining to teaching me about the two. She had always glossed over the matter and started to compliment my genius.


    "Why do you care so much about magic when you can become such an astounding swordsman?" Mother replied however I could see her avoiding my eyes.


    "I guess I''ll just ask another mage when we get back to the city of Thant." I purposefully give up the matter while watching my mother''s body language. She has a sour face that seems like she wants to say something. Differing from my predictions she stands up and leaves the library that we were in.


    I feel bad that I made mother sad and I feel the need to go and make it up to her. I leave the room and chase after her. When I exit I find Harold walking around with his book.


    "Hey Harold do you know where my mother is?" I make sure he acknowledges so I know that he isn''t stuck in his book.


    "Hmm, shouldn''t she be with you all the time? What''d you do?"


    "I don''t know I was just pestering her about teaching me magic again and she left."


    "Well there''s your problem." Harold gives me a weird smile and gave an understanding look over to me.


    "What? What is it don''t just keep me in the dark." I grow annoyed at the smug look he has.


    "Hahaha, don''t look at me like that. Alright I''ll tell you, but don''t tell your mother I told you. You know that your mother is strong right? Well the king and queen are supposed to be the strongest in the kingdom, as such fear and awe is spread simultaneously with their names. However your now peaceful kingdom used to be at war with a neighboring king a couple years before you were born. It is written that both sides lost too many soldiers and had opted for a peace treaty to avoid further destabilization of their kingdoms, but that is only the disguise they made for it. Do you know why?" Harold held a face that presented him as an educated scholar. I felt the need to punch him, but I held myself back and urged him to continue.


    "Well the reason was because of one single battle. Or to be more specific a single person. Your mother, the current queen, she had indiscriminately eradicated both side''s armies in the battle of Alms Pass and this led to both kingdoms fearing further conflict. This is all I know as I heard from a higher up in my guild and he didn''t completely hear the specifics either." Harold shrugged and spilled everything and I sucked in a cold breath of air. I thanked him for the explanation and wandered the halls again.


    I was still looking for mother, but my thoughts were stuck on the glaring details in the story. Apparently mother was strong to the point where even entire kingdoms had to recognize her as a threat. However I remember mother telling me she had to take medicine to suppress her special physique to bear me. Although I don''t know the specifics as to why mother keeps refusing to teach me magic, I can give a pretty good guess now. As for why the Jeffrey and the knights didn''t fear her that much when they came was because mother is probably injured from the medicine...


    I grow further drawn into my thoughts and end up in my room. By now I''ve realized that mother doesn''t want to be found, so instead of wasting time I get onto my bed and expect my body''s constitution. It has been a full year and now that I am five I should be able to start to create my foundation for cultivation!


    Although I cannot absorb Qi into my meridians or dantian, I can still strengthen my body. Finally I can start to climb to the peak! I throw myself into a deep sleep to recuperate for tomorrow''s agenda.


    When the morning came I opened my eyes to mother standing in my open doorway with a wooden box in her hands. She has a rare serious expression on her face.


    "I know what Harold told you yesterday. I just I didn''t know how to tell you. Magic has definitely been honed through the ages, but it is just a tool for killing." A deep self loathing was seen on mothers face. She held so much compassion, yet why did she kill even her own soldiers?


    "I''m sorry I''ve been holding you back from your true potential. I just didn''t want you to find out your mother is a murderer." Mother put her hands to cover her face as to hide her shame.


    "I don''t mind mother. You did what you had to do, and if you hadn''t done that then even more people would''ve have to die. Do not hate yourself because I never will!" I rush to my fragile mother and give her a hug. I have a wry smile on my face. If she knew how many I had killed to rise to the immortal realm she might be even more distressed.


    However something doesn''t add up. Even if it was to stop a war I doubt mother could even bring herself to kill one enemy. Something fishy definitely going on behind the scenes, but I don''t have enough information or sources to pinpoint any conclusions.


    "Alright I don''t consider myself knowledgeable in magic or mana mainly because of my special body it has always made it easy for me. I''ll persuade Harold to teach you then." Mother regained her usual demeanor quickly whilst in my hug and then stated what I believed to be the impossible.


    "Wait, I thought guild mages can only teach mages in the guild?" I voice out what I had heard from Harold.


    "Don''t worry about that~ He owes me one for telling you something without my permission." Mother shows a mischievous look and gracefully leaves while bidding me a good day.


    I am glad that mother is ok and not at my constant pestering, but I''m a little worried about the circumstances surrounding mother''s feats. I get up and wash my face with some fresh water that was in a bucket on one side of my room. And I look at my reflection in the water.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    I have fiery red hair and light blue eyes that don''t match up to my mother at all. I realize that I have taken more of the characteristics of my father. I have an average face for a five year old, and based on how I''m growing I''m pretty confident I''ll grow up to be not too handsome, but not too ugly. I''ll be perfectly normal.


    While I imagined my future appearance I had traveled to the training grounds. I saw three different men training in the courtyard and greeted them before heading over to the two barrels in the corner and picked out a well balanced wooden sword. I gave a few lazy swings off to the side to get a feel for the weight and I found that it was too light!


    I replaced the sword and pulled out a larger wooden sword. The same result! I have a large grin plastered on my face at this point. This was good; the higher my base strength the stronger my body can become through breaking my limits!


    I arm myself with a wooden sword that fits my size and stand in front of a wooden dummy. I close my eyes and concentrate on my surroundings. The light breeze rolls across my skin. The smell of sweat mixes in with the aroma of nature. The dirt under my feet feels soft, yet compact. The memories of my multitude of enemies appears in front of my eyes. My muscles tense and relax violently like I am lifting a great weight. Then everything falls silent.


    No wind scrapes across my skin. No smell invades my nose. No enemy approaches me. No ground is beneath me. I open my eyes and the information of my surroundings flood back to me. I give a light swing of my sword at the wooden dummy. The sword traveled diagonally and by the time it reached the dummy it''s speed had slowed to a crawl. Then with an uncharacteristically loud thwack the wooden sword connected!


    I was sweating constantly throughout the entire process. I had to control all my muscles and weight and bring it all into the sword at the point of contact. This was the method described in the [Heavenly Bodies Transformation] manual. And I doubt I could accomplish the same result more than once in a row right now. Since it focuses on control of the body more than anything, and even though I have my experience from my past life it is still beyond difficult to control my body to perfection.


    However despite the difficulties of just completing the first new layer it didn''t deter my determination. In fact it further proved my idea that this cultivation method was definable heaven defying.


    I sense some gazes in my direction and I raise my head out of my thoughts to find Jared had come to the courtyard and was standing by the three knights who were outside as well. He had a smile on his face that seemed to be extremely strained.


    "Damnit why do you get more monstrous every time I see you!?" Jared suddenly yelled and turned towards his subordinates,"You lot need to take from his example! Everyone, back to the basics!!"


    Jared started to become hysterical at this point. He was taking his anger out onto the poor knights. Still I think I wounded his pride a little. However I don''t mind that and walk up to the four of them.


    "If you don''t mind we could spar a little bit." I express my thoughts with a smile. I look towards the knights and plead them with a smile. I am confident I can reach my First Limit if I spar with them.


    "What?! You''re still five! Although I acknowledge you as a talent, you''re not ready to challenge me or even one of them!" Jared is still angry about me showing his subordinates up.


    "You''re right so if I can''t fight one, how about all three?"


    "Hey if you get hurt you do know the queen will have my head." Jared seemed to acknowledge my determination and stated the obvious.


    "I''ll throw in some words for your safety, so it doesn''t matter I just need them to not hold back. Oh, and if you decline I''ll get my mother to ''persuade'' you to accept." I assure them of my protection as well as close off his retreat with a direct threat of mother. He seems to give up at the mention of mother and sighs.


    "Alright you wimps! You are all to fight Prince Glen, and if you hold back don''t blame me if the queen comes and takes your head! Also Prince Glen, if you are in danger or feel the need to stop I will intervene." Jared warned both his subordinates and me and I started to stretch my body and loosen my muscles.


    The knights grow serious at the mention of mother, but they are taking me too lightly. Their stances are lazily built and their wooden swords are barely in a defensive position. I get a little angry because despite their warnings they still look down on me.


    My eyes narrow and I shoot forwards at them. They had been watching my moves and the one who I was rushing at gave a quick horizontal slash aiming to make me halt my charge. I quickly arch my spine in response and as the sword passes over my chest, and then as quickly as I bent back I snap forward while maintaining my momentum. The sword in my right hand had been like an arrow shooting forward from my body that was the bow.


    The man reacted too late, but he showed his experience and brought his wooden sword in front of him to block the blow. A loud crack followed by the man falling down astounded the other two. Other than his numb arm and broken sword the man on the ground wasn''t harmed in he slightest.


    "Please don''t underestimate me." I said and he gave me a wry smile without responding. The other two strengthened their stances and corrected their postures. The man who had broken his wooden sword replaced it and we once again faced off against each other. This time a new ferocity hung in the gazes of the three. They had finally recognized me and we stared each other down waiting for a good moment to strike.


    Then we all moved at the same time. Two different horizontal strikes came my way in an instant and the third man circled around to my flank. I turned my body to receive one of the strike and used the force of the blow to propel myself into the direction of the man flanking me. A series of my stabs are parried by the man and soon I was surrounded on all sides. I rush at the man I had been attacking earlier and he gives a blinding downward swing. I flip my hips while kicking off my right foot to dodge the blow and send myself back. Then I drag my left foot on the ground to stop myself while carrying the momentum through to my sword arm and connect with the man who was standing behind me.


    He gets knocked back two steps and I rush in to attack him. The process repeats, but every now and then I''ll throw in a feint to confuse them. They had impressive teamwork and I was hard pressed to retaliate sometimes. However the end result was unclear since we all ended up in a pool of our own sweat. Bruises littered our skin and one of the men had a broken rib or two.


    We all we grinning from ear to ear because of our hellish fight. Jared was muttering something about returning to the basics as I struggled to sit up. I crossed my legs and calmed my breathing. Now was the best time to start building my foundation. It was time to start cultivating Qi! The essence of the world, it is what normal people would begin with instead of immediately beginning to even understand what mana is.


    I had felt the Qi in the air swirling around me earlier; trying to break through my skin and invade. I simply had to open the wall that separates them through pushing my body past it''s limits. I felt a cooling sensation run over my tired body. The rejuvenating air swept into my body as I guided the Qi into each of my cells. I noticed a nine colored flame burned brightly every time a bit of Qi entered.


    The flame was almost nonexistent and if I wasn''t paying close enough attention I wouldn''t even have noticed it. I examined it while pulling more Qi into my body and I felt the wind start to swirl around me the faster I absorbed. The flames didn''t change and as a feeling of being full set in the flames extinguished without a trace. A feeling of immense power rushed through my body and I felt like I could fight a couple more rounds!


    I had finally reached the Breaking Body Stage! Although I had only reached the first limit out of five, the power that came with it was substantially larger that my previous strength. I didn''t start to train again because I needed time for my body to digest all the Qi in it or else it would lead to the Qi becoming volatile. And in turn harming my body.


    There was a proverb that went along with this stage: To build, one must first break down. If one related this to growing a plant then this would be to till the soil.


    "Prince Glen!" I hear a shout coming from the door leading to inside and Harold appears looking very feverish. He was sweating and his face was pale. My guess was mother''s persuasion was effective.


    "I''ve come to teach you magic! Hurry up, bring your book as well! We don''t have all day!" Harold spoke rapidly and didn''t even wait for my reply before leaving the courtyard. I gave a light laugh to his disappearing back and made sure my body was stable before walking after him.

 Chapter 9- Knowns and Unknowns!

    Chapter 9- Known and Unknown!


    Harold and I arrived in the library where he nervously glanced around. He was obviously not in the right mind for teaching me.


    "Hey if it helps I can throw in a few words to my mother would that be good?" After a minute of jittery silence I try to offer him some peace of mind. His reaction was as if he had found the greatest treasure in the world.


    "Really?! Whew, you''re a lifesaver Prince! You wouldn''t know since you''re the Queen''s son, but I''ve heard she is a cruel person when she is enraged." Harold throws out some very unsettling information. My face clearly distorts from his comment. He has ''heard'' as he is just listening to a rumor. I know he is probably not the cause, but more like the image that has been set in stone already.


    "I wonder who told you this?" I put on an inquiring tone. As long as I catch onto a tail I will uproot the entire cause if I get a chance. This time I will not abandon my family!


    "What do you mean, it''s common knowledge in your kingdom." I click my tongue at Harold''s words that shoot down my efforts to find a source. I put the thoughts of changing mother''s image out of my head and open my book on magic. Harold sees this and begins to arrange his thoughts as well.


    "Have you already learned about Mana Rings and Mana Well?" Harold asks as I flip the pages. I shake my head as to quickly advance my lesson. He seems to think for a second and motion for me to stand up.


    "Well, right here is your Mana Well."Harold points directly at the area where my dantian rests and continues his explanation without finding the surprise in my expression.


    "However not everyone has a Mana Well which is imperative if one wants to be a mage. If both parents have a Mana Well then the child will definitely have a Mana Well. As for Mana Rings, you can think of them as wellsprings of mana that are formed in your Mana Well. Right now it should be impossible for you to create one since your Mana Veins have not grown enough to support mana. Any questions so far?" Harold clears up my understanding of what a Mana Well and what a Mana Ring are.


    I digest all the information he had thrown at me and begin to think. The Mana Well and dantian are the same thing that was what I had kinda expected since my mana had traveled there to form my mana infant already. The Mana Veins he was referring to should be my meridians since they connect to the dantian or Mana Well as they call it. The Mana Rings were the only thing that I couldn''t relate to anything. Those should be the ways on how to control mana.


    "Yes, to be clear what are Mana Veins? And once I form my Mana Rings can I control Mana?" I inquire while pulling out a writing utensil that looks similar to a quill and paper.


    "For Mana Veins they are found throughout the entire body. Even we have trouble pinpointing the exact locations of all of them, but we mainly will only address the 12 main Mana Veins. The Mana Rings as I''ve said are just wellsprings for mana. To explain it let''s say you wanted to cast a simple magic, you would have to gather the mana from outside then, bring it into your Mana Well and then channel that mana into the correct Mana Veins. The Mana Ring speeds up the process by taking away the gathering process from outside." Harold taught quite well and I had filled up a page before I knew it.


    "Wait, then wouldn''t that mean that someone without a Mana Ring could still cast magic by gathering the mana from the air?"


    "In theory yes, but when actually tried it is near impossible. Magic is a process that requires the upmost concentration. And most importantly the use of a normal single ringed spell would require all the mana in this room and then still need around another four rooms worth to barely become sufficient. Where as a single ringed mage can cast the same magic without consuming any mana in the room and with much less effort required. Understand?" Harold was very well informed and cleared some of my other minor inquiries about magic and mana. However the whole process of controlling mana into a magic was still a mystery to me.


    I understood the explanation of Mana Rings and whatnot, but he never explained it. As if reading my thoughts Harold gave a smile and with a thought a simple sphere of water was formed above his palm.


    "I can only give you the base knowledge. If you desire to dig deeper into magic and mana you will have to find a different teacher. However what I can give you is this." Harold suddenly said and the ball of water flew in front of me. He motioned for me to take it and as it touched my hands I felt an aching headache as information labeling basic mana control came into my head.


    This?!! Wasn''t this the information transfer method of my previous life?!! This definitely has to be it! It''s not like they are similar in method, its that they are the exact same!!


    "I see you are surprised. Hahaha, don''t worry most people are. This is why guild mages can only teach other guild members because if other people knew of his method then everyone would know magic. And if everyone knew an the ways of controlling such a volatile weapon, you can guess the end result." Harold gives me a wry smile at that as he interrupts my inner thoughts. He had apparently mistaken my surprise as I received the control easily. Although he was correct in thinking I was surprised at the information, I was only surprised at how is was sent.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Well I''ll take my leave now, if you have any problems then find me. You need to understand you own control over your own mana. It is different for everyone." Harold turned to leave after, but I quickly stood up and stopped him. There was something very important I needed from him.


    "You said that this is a method from your guild right?" I had a completely serious face which startled Harold for a second.


    "Yes, what abou..."


    "Where did your guild find it?" I cut him off and hurriedly questioned him. If this method is what I think it is then there could be another cultivator in this world already.


    "I dont, I don''t know what you mean? Our guild master is the one you want to meet if you want to know anything, but he rarely sees anyone." Harold had a confused expression to my questions, but I paid it no mind and said my good bye. After he had left I fell into deep thought.


    That was definitely a cultivator''s method, but I don''t have conclusive evidence yet. For now I can only assume that every guild''s guild master is a cultivator. However one thing is clear; this world definitely has some origins in cultivation.


    I make plans to find out more information when I have time and more strength. I close my eyes and bring back the information Harold had sent me earlier. The method is surprisingly easy to accomplish. It was similar to Qi technique manuals and only focused on sending the mana through specific meridians.


    I take in the mana in the air through my [Heavenly Bodies Transformation] technique, but instead of adding to my mana infant I bring it through my meridians. I know Harold had told me not to since my meridians were still young, but I was too excited to find a method to control mana that I couldn''t help myself. I control the mana so that it doesn''t recklessly move through my meridians and it slowly travels to my right palm. I had been inspecting the entire process carefully and when the mana had reached my right palm a golden ball of flame rose formed.


    Then it instantly extinguished. I felt a slight pain in my arm, so I looked down at my body and found that my entire right arms was bleeding profusely and trembling terribly. I was worried that the Qi I had gather from earlier might rupture and I quickly tended to my injury. My meridians were unharmed and my Qi was still stable, but just the simple spell to learn control had nearly lost me an arm!


    I heeded Harold''s words this time and decided to put magic on hold till my meridians could handle the stress. I retire to my room and find Claire standing by my door. She was pacing back and forth in front of my door and when she saw me she jumped.


    "Should I question what you''re doing or just leave you be?" Her actions lightened my mood and I drew a smile onto my face.


    "Prince Glen, please don''t be too hard on Harold. Also I''ve been told by the Queen to send fo... Prince Glen you''re injured!?!" Claire spoke too quickly for me to catch everything and immediately yelled when she caught sight of my right arm wrapped in bandages.


    "Ah don''t worry about this, it was an accident. Now what did you have to tell me?"


    "Oh yes, the Queen requests for you. She''s in your room right now." Claire was obviously still worried about my arm, but gave what she was here for. Or rather why did mother need Claire to tell me that she is already in my room?


    I thank Claire and enter my room to see my mother staring out the window. The two moons in the sky were shining brightly in the night and illuminated the room. Mother saw me enter and when she saw my arm she instantly grew worried. It took a little convincing to stop her from overreacting.


    "Mother what did you need from me again?" I finally asked after I had a chance and mother simply looked out the window.


    "In a year from now we will have to leave for Thant. It is a three month journey from here, and I fear that when we reach the city you might see why I dislike nobles so much." Mother expresses her concerns with a tired expression.


    "I was originally born in a rural area, but I had a physique that was identified to be a body of origin. What that means is that I never had any trouble controlling mana especially flames. I never needed a mage to give me the method to control mana. I believed you to be like this, but I guess your body is a little different..." Mother''s voice trailed off at the end. I could tell from the context that she has had a hard life. If it wasn''t for mother''s impressive body I doubt she would''ve become the Queen.


    "Thank you for telling me this, don''t worry I won''t be manipulated by anyone this time!" I new light burned in my eyes as I clenched my left and right fists.


    "''This time''?" Mother repeats part of my previous statement. It looks like I got too caught up in the moment. I make a note not to get too wound up and reveal everything to everyone. However I resolve myself to tell everything to mother.


    "Mother sit down, I have something important to tell you..." I told mother about my past life, how I grew up, how I traveled to the immortal realm, and how I eventually died an unjust death. Of course I simplified it so that she would understand, and kept some of the parts out. I had already made a promise to tell mother everything when I got the chance.


    I trusted her and she trusted me. If I had kept this information about myself away from her I felt like I would be betraying her trust. I didn''t see any harm in telling her either.


    "I see... Then I guess that makes sense now." Mother said simply as she took in all of what I had told her. She showed no fluctuation of emotion. Mother seemed different from her usual; I don''t blame her though if someone told me that they were a reincarnation then even I would be skeptical.


    "Mother, are you ok?"


    "I''m, I''m fine. I don''t mind who you were, you are my child, so I''ll accept everything about you. I was just a little startled. I had no idea you would be like the heroes in legends." Mother seemed to regain her confidence and her smile came back to her face.


    "Heroes?"


    "Yes, legends say they came from a different world with their with their memories intact. They defeated many evils that plagued our lands and even dragons would respect them." Mother stated some very ominous news to me. This information hits me like a hammer and sends me straight into my thoughts.


    I bid mother goodnight and she leaves with a smile. I believe telling her my secret will allow me to get more of my questions answered. However right now this world is a complete mystery to me right now.


    The unknown relationship to cultivation, the ''heroes'' of legends, and even this control over mana which should originally be impossible. There is one thing that has appeared in all this: dragons! If I can find them I can solve most of my questions. I plan my future actions and reassess my body.


    The Qi that I had absorbed earlier into my body had settled into my muscles, bones, and skin. It still needed to be digested and processed, so I estimated around another month for the whole process to take place. There was no need to rush; I don''t have to hurry to my inevitable goals. I close my eyes and start to circulate the mana through the [Heavenly Bodies Transformation].

 Chapter 10- Leaving!

    Chapter 10- Leaving!


    The suns rays shone brightly through my open window. A light breeze meandered through the room. Hot air from the room counteracted the refreshing breeze. My body was perspiring profusely as I struggled to balance my body vertically on my left palm. And a small depression in the floor was situated underneath my hand.


    My arm was trembling as I bent it at the elbow and lowered my body till my arm reached a ninety degree angle. I held the stressing posture for awhile then with a sudden shout I pushed off the floor! My body rose a couple inches off the floor then I started to fall back down. I slammed my right palm at the approaching stone floor!


    A light crack rang out from my right arm and I tumbled to the floor in a heap of sweat and exhaustion. I could feel that my right arm had fractured and putting away the pain I started to take in the Qi from my surroundings. The refreshing sensation came over me again.


    A renewed strength came back to my body and if I looked closely a bigger multicolored flame was burning inside my cells as I absorbed Qi. A peculiar white flame was seen surrounding to my fractured arm and a slight burning sensation was felt. However because of my body I cannot be harmed by any flame, so this occurrence caught me off guard.


    I carefully examined my fractured arm with the white flame clearly seen before all the other colors and I could see that the white flames clustered around the actual broken bone. I could feel the broken bone fixing itself and correcting its position. The white flame was speeding up the healing process!


    I had only absorbed three different flames from my past life and each carried their own heaven defying ability. Now with the sic new flames I grew very interested into my new flames. The broken bone was quickly mended under the influence of the white flame and I finished absorbing Qi. A feeling of breaking through accompanied my flame and my body had a new surge of strength.


    I had finally broke through to the 3rd limit! The first limit I had easily broken through because of my young age it made it easy to break through the physical limits of a child. The second limit took me an entire five months of strenuous activity including the one month to let my cells get accustomed to my first breakthrough. It took me another five months of pushing my body to the limits of what is humanly possible to break through to the third stage!


    Although this speed is extremely fast, I don''t believe that simple training can help me break though again. I need to go through life or death ordeals to even hope to break through now.


    I start to assess the new strength by throwing a few light punches and kicks. I''d estimate that if I fought those three knights again I''m confident of beating them instead of tying.


    I cleanse the filth from my body and go out to the library. I find Harold sitting in a chair reading his confusing book.


    "Ah good morning Prince Glen, what brings you here so early?" Harold questions my presence since I''m normally in my room or in the courtyard trying to break through to my limits.


    "I decided to switch up my schedule. Where''s mother?" I still haven''t told anyone other than mother about my cultivator identity, and have decided not to reveal anything to anyone else. I don''t want to draw more attention onto myself if I don''t require it.


    "The Queen is helping the villagers in the nearby village."


    "We hear about this village, but why is it that I haven''t traveled there yet?"


    "Well, although your very mature for your age, you are not even six still. Outside is pretty dangerous around here." Harold gave a wry smile to my question and I was confused by his words.


    "What do you mean it''s dangerous around here?"


    "Ah, you see this area is a hotspot for magic monsters to appear. Your mother travels quite a distance everyday through it to help the villagers stop attacks from rogue monsters and from time to time, monster hordes. That''s where the rest of the knights go as well." Harold spoke some awfully useful information that I felt should''ve been mentioned earlier.


    "Wait what are magic monsters? And rogue monsters?" I voice out my thoughts and look to Harold with expectation.


    "Well, normal monsters normally cannot control mana, so magic monsters can use mana with their own special magic. Quite simple yeah? Also rogue monsters are just monsters that have appeared where they normally wouldn''t appear. And I shouldn''t need to explain monster hordes now right?" Harold said with a smile and returned to reading his book after seeing my slew of questions cease.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    I found a book on herbs and plants and found a chair to sit in as I read. I was looking for materials with similar properties from my past life. I had a body most suited to refine elixirs and medicines, so I use everything at my disposal.


    I quickly fell into a trance as I read and the day soon turned to night. When I finished my studies I found mother was standing in the room next to me.


    "Did I disturb you Glen?" Mother''s voice calmly came to my ears and interrupted the silence.


    "No, I was just finishing up." Ever since I revealed my identity my time with mother has dwindled by quite a bit. I know she wants whats best for me and that''s why she has chosen to keep her distance. Although our relationship seems to have dwindled, it has actually strengthened. We both don''t keep much from each other, so it has evolved into a strong bond between mother and child.


    "I see, I just wanted to tell you that in around a month we will depart for Thant. Also about this cultivation thing I''ll cover it up well." Mother stated and smiled.


    "Thank you, that''ll be for the best. Also do you happen to have information on monsters and magic monsters? I can''t seem to find any type of compendium."


    "That should be natural since monsters continually evolve and change. No one is going to spend the time to compile every single species and variant when they are subject to change. A better strategy is to identify the monster based on appearance. Although they evolve most would still have the same weakness. However this small library will contain no books detailing monster anatomy." Mother told me to give up hopes on finding a compendium and instead told me a little about monster ecology.


    "Thank you, also if you could, could you bring me a couple pounds of Hogsweed and Thustleburrows?" I thank mother while asking for two different herbs that I want to test with. We say our good nights and both take our leaves.


    When I got back to my room I quickly crossed my legs and started to absorb mana by using the [Heavenly Bodies Transformation] method. My mana infant was had already shown signs of wanting to change, but I had to forcibly suppress it. And when doing this I realized that the mana that I had taken away from the mana infant started to form a faint ring.


    I found this out around two months ago. Harold had told me earlier that I would need to wait till I was at least six before I could start to even attempt to form my mana rings. However I realized that I could try to form my mana rings through the use of my [Heavenly Bodies Transformation]! And after my two months of work the faint outline of a ring became more defined. Although it wasn''t up to par with what I believe an actual mana ring should be it can effectively remove the process of taking in mana from the outside.


    The only problem is that my meridians still need a little bit more time to mature. I breath in mana throughout the night as the mana ring in my dantian floats around the mana infant in harmony.


    The days all start to mesh together since I no longer spent most of my time training. I frequented the library or Harold about any questions that still lingered in my head. Mother and I pleasantly conversed every now and then. She had given me the two herbs I requested the other day, but since I still couldn''t control my flames I stuck to simple tests.


    Soon the day for mother and I to return to Thant came. Instead of Geoffrey, a different noble came to pick us up. He said his name was Cade and he sported fine silk clothes. He was on the heavier side and his face looked like a bloated balloon. However despite his weak looking body, an impressive amount of mana was released from him.


    "Third Prince Glen, I have another carriage for you to ride in. Please King Oliver send for you two to come home quickly." Cade addresses both mother and I as we were packing our things. He seems to be a well mannered person and on top of his strength he has another group of twenty knights backing him up as well.


    "That''s fine mother can ride I would prefer to walk around as well." I deny his good intentions and suggest that I travel by foot. It would be a good way from me to train and if there are any skirmishes I could jump right in. I had been itching for a real fight for so long. Mother seemed to back me up on my decision, so Cade was forced to accept my proposal.


    Mother leads me to the front of the house that we had been living in for six years of my life. I finally had a good look at what had been my home in this world. It was a three story stone fort with equally high walls. Windows were systematically arranged on the around the base of the fort. Two high towers rose up from the two corners of the fort to look over all of the surroundings.


    A grassland surrounded the fort and a small river flowed around the back of it and traveled well off into the distance. A dense forest transitioned from the grassland the further one got away from the fort and I could hear the sounds of beasts erupting from deep within. In the far distance a large mountain erected from the surface and touched the sky.


    Our squad of twenty knights had regrouped with Cade''s twenty and formed a large party that surrounded two crude wooden carriages. Two horses carried each carriage and were patiently waiting for us. A dirt path traversed the grasslands and cut through into the horizon. I couldn''t find any nearby villages or any monsters and kept my eyes open for anything.


    "You won''t find anything yet." Jared''s voice woke me up from admiring my surroundings and I looked to find him with a funny expression.


    "So what is the name of the fort that was my home for so long." I change the pace of the conversation to not give him a chance to make fun of me.


    "It has no name, it is just a simple fort that is far away from just about everything. If I had to give it a name it would be Fort Nowhere." Jared''s attempt at comedy made my expression turn sour.


    "Great, I come from nowhere...well, it was fun." I take a step forwards and towards my destination. I had arrived into this world knowing nothing, and now six years later I have learned all that my original home has to offer me. I look forward to my travels and to what the future holds as each step will bring me closer to my destiny!

 Chapter 11- Long Night!

    Chapter 11- Long Night!


    The suns rays were not hindered by any clouds in the sky. A slight breeze tickled our noses as the wooden carriages behind us creaked and groaned. The marching of feet and clopping of hooves interrupted any silence. The dirt path underneath us was flattened further as we crossed over it.


    I took in everything. This was the first time I had left my home and ventured into this new world! There was so much that I couldn''t find answers to in that cramped library. Most importantly I wanted to fight again!


    The exhilarating feeling of combat. I had grown numb to fighting through my years as an immortal, but now that I spent six years in a peaceful enclosure I felt like I wanted to let loose again.


    However there was a glaring problem. That was that no monsters attacked us due to our large group. Jared said that only strong ones or ones in large packs would even try to attack a group of our size.


    Sighing I quickly regained my wits and returned to walking. I reassessed my equipment since I was bored. I was given a light weight combat suit that fit tightly over my body. It was a reddish brown color, that mother had said came from a powerful magic monster. I had a short iron sword that was slung on my hip by a well made leather belt.


    "How''re you holding up Prince?" Jared came over and undid his helmet to talk to me.


    "Not bad, where are we headed by the way?" I shrug my shoulders and continue the conversation.


    "We''re going to Rivensdale. It is a small village, but it still has many supplies that we need for our journey. It is about a half day journey normally, but the size of our group can complicate some things so we''ll play it safe and camp out for the night."


    "Wait, didn''t you and your subordinates go with mother to the village everyday?"


    "Ah, well the Queen certainly went everyday, but she traveled much faster than us. We were in separate groups because of this." Jared gave a wry smile that looked quite menacing with the scar on his face and gave a couple of glances at the carriage. We ended the conversation there and got back to trekking towards our destination.


    The winding path brought us away from the dark forests and further into a vast expanse of grasslands. I conversed with several knights I trained with and Jared on the way. Night quickly took over our day and we had to set up camp.


    I sat furthest away from the campfire that they had set up and a extremely small ball of multicolored flame danced between my palms. My meridians had matured enough for me to run mana through them without any immediate harmful effects. However if I started to run a massive amount without tempering them first the results could be disastrous.


    "I see you''re working hard." Mother''s voice comes to me as I was absorbed in controlling the flame. Her expression goes through a great change as she sees my multicolored flame, and a depreciated smile comes over her face.


    "I guess there''s a reason you''re away from the group..." mother''s voice trails off and I quickly extinguish the flame.


    "I wanted to test the spell Harold gave me, so I tried incorporating my own flames to it. However I don''t seem to be able to be able to use it offensively yet." I share my thoughts with mother and she gives off an enchanting laugh.


    "Oh, if any mage heard you they would''ve believed you are crazy. I guess I should tell you the ''spell'' that Harold gave you is just a method for control and nothing more. It can barely be counted as a spell." Mother kept laughing as she explained. I make a note in my head to smack Harold the next time I see him.


    I bid mother goodnight after we finished talking about the journey. She said it was a two month trip to Thant and that we will pass through many small villages on the way to minimize camping out. I had asked her a little bit about how our kingdom was doing, but she said she wasn''t that well versed in the politics of our kingdom.


    The rest of the knights were retiring for the night, so I decided to join them. Mother had gone back to her carriage to sleep, and I found a nice place away from the snoring knights. I had my back to the campfire that they built. I had originally questioned them whether or not it would attract monsters, but they said it was better to deter them than attract them.


    The calming atmosphere drove some into a quick sleep while I kept my senses on my surroundings. I crossed my legs and closed my eyes as I began to absorb the mana in the air. My meditation was halted when I heard a slight rustle ahead of me. I opened my eyes to only find the darkness staring back at me, and closed them believing it was just the wind.


    Then the rustle came again. My eye lids shot open again to find nothing once more. However I put my right hand on the hilt of my iron sword while holding my left hand out behind me. The campfire suddenly raged and a ball of flame about the size of a head separated from it. My heavenly body allowed me to control any flame in existence; a simple flame such as the one from a campfire easily bended to my will.


    The ball of crude fire traveled to me and rose above my head. It shined on my immediate surroundings, but still nothing was found. I sent the ball of flame further away from me and it lit up the dark grasses in front of me.


    Like a tide of insects that feared the light a disgusting mass of bodies swarmed away from the fire that roamed above them.


    "ATTACK!!" Before I could yell out I heard Jared''s voice beside me and he was already preparing his armor and sword. His eyes were locked onto the swarm of bodies that writhed and squirmed under my light. The Knights reacted to Jared''s yell quickly and each of them took up a torch to illuminate their surroundings.


    It revealed that we surrounded by these creatures! I couldn''t tell how big the pack was, but it was already a massive swarm! They had a black coat of fur that was pretty much invisible in the darkness of night. Their beady black eyes shone in the light of the fire that illuminated them. Each one of them had a body the size of a small dog and sported large black front teeth and small black claws. Everything about them was designed to hunt in the night.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    An annoying clicking noise was sung out after they were discovered and it slowly rose into a deafening crescendo as more of them joined in. The Knights all held nervous expressions and as they put on their respective equipments.


    "Captain! Why is there a massive Nightstalker horde out here?!" A knight who was closest to Jared screamed over the clicking noises.


    "I don''t know?! Their kind normally don''t group up in this large of groups!! Hey Prince Glen, can you move that ball of fire over here!!? They are afraid of light!!" Jared shook his head at at the knight and I moved the ball of fire closer to us as Jared asked. The massive tide of Nightstalkers all avoided the light that the ball of fire produced. However the swarm started to crowd around the edges of darkness. They obviously had no intention to run even when they were found!


    "Shit! Why aren''t they running?!! Captain, these Nightstalkers are acting very abnormal!!" The knight that spoke to Jared before swore when he saw the actions of the Nightstalkers.


    "Jared! What''s going on??!!" I grabbed the arm of Jared and got his attention.


    "Nightstalkers! They normally group up in small packs of only 10 or so, but they only group up like this in a couple of cases!" Jared yelled back and commanded two knights to got and get mother, Harold, and Cade. I stood by and watched the swarm of Nightstalkers.


    They all moved and herded erratically. I forgot to ask what Jared meant when he had talked about the couple of cases. However I could give some good guesses due to the knowledge from my previous life.


    I know that packs normally have an alpha. And the bigger the pack the stronger the alpha. Based on the size of this pack I can only give blinds estimates on this alpha.


    Mother and the fat noble, Cade, both rush out from their respective carriages. Harold hurriedly came out from another compartment of mother''s carriage as well and Claire was standing by the entrance to it wearing a nightgown. I give a small laugh at Harold''s appearance and turn my attention back to the swarm. Mother seems to be talking with Jared and Cade. I sense the urgency in their conversation as Jared is making many exaggerated movements.


    Then a loud scream silenced everyone. It had come from tide of Nightstalkers and everyone turned their attention to a large figure moving about in the shadows. It stood roughly 10 feet tall and walked on it''s hind legs unlike the creatures below it. It was too dark to make out any defining features as it stopped right before the light hit it. I felt a nauseating amount of mana gushing from it that wouldn''t fall behind mother''s in the slightest. I knew right then that that was the alpha.


    It screamed again and suddenly a couple Nightstalkers charged at our group unafraid of the light. It happened so suddenly when everyone was cautoff guard by the alpha that we weren''t grouped up effectively. Jared hurriedly started to command his knights as the swarm closed in. Their features were clearly seen as they resembled large rats with extremely black fur and abnormally large black teeth. They reached me instantly and I brought up my sword as I struck the closest one''s neck beheading it before it even touched me.


    Despite easily killing one, two more jumped right up and replaced it. The ball of crude fire that was floating above me was now circling around my body. It burned any Nightstalker that approached and the ones that did get through were easily beheaded. The continual slaughter didn''t deter the the horde in the slightest as they all rushed and flooded onto us. I made my way towards Jared''s influence.


    I felt a heat lick my back as I saw mother casting a large ball of fire and sending it crashing to the unending swarm. I backed up from my position and regrouped with the knights. They were all fending off the swarm as they easily handle several Nightstalkers at once. I sent the ball of fire to the grass and tried to start burning the fields, but the bodies of the Nightstalkers would put it out before it even began.


    My sword was constantly moving as I stepped in between two Nightstalkers and beheaded them in one stroke. I stopped fire that I had circling me and wrapped it around my left arm. Jared saw me handling the swarm and trusted me with three other knights guarding part of our right flank. I couldn''t keep the ball of flame moving around me, so I wrapped it around the arm my sword wasn''t with.


    I tilted my upper body to dodge a jumping Nightstalker and caught it with my left hand allowing it to burn then threw it away at the swarm coming at me. The light of the fire on my left arm illuminated my blood covered sword. Every so often I saw a bunch of ice shards swirl in Harolds area and decimate the surroundings. Mother was still sending massive balls of flames, but now the 10 foot shadow was sending the swarm away from the point of impact, reducing the damage she could deal because she couldn''t cast that flame into the knights.


    My group of four, including myself, were one of the stronger squads and we held out quite well. If one of us grew tired they would be covered by the other three till they were ready to go and fight again. However the same couldn''t be said for some, as the night grew longer, more and more injuries occurred when knights fell tired. We felt as if there was no end to the swarm. It was just an endless endeavor!


    I sidestepped an incoming Nightstalker and beheaded it while catching another with my left hand and fatally burning with the fire surrounding my arm. The fire was losing it''s luster from continual use and no fuel to supplement it, but I didn''t have the luxury to sustain it as more Nightstalkers were already upon our group. They came in droves, but seemed to be more focused around mother, Cade, and Harold due to the danger they presented.


    Then a loud scream came from the large shadow lurking in the darkness, and the unrelenting horde retreated. It happened as quick as they came, and we all exhaled long, tired breaths. I suddenly felt a pair of eyes lock onto my position and a chill ran down my spine. I turned to find the 10 foot tall shadow turned towards me before leaving. I put the thought of what that could mean out if my head as I looked over the aftermath of the fight.


    There were bodies of the Nightstalkers littering the fields as plentiful as the grass on it. It seems that we had lost three knights in the swarm, but over half of us were injured. Harold and Cade were laying on the ground panting. I could feel the mana inside them had dwindled down to a minimum. Mother was returning to her carriage, but I could see a trail of blood coming from between her lips signifying her condition was none the better.


    Mine wasn''t any better as I had many gashes and cuts scored onto me. I was exhausted and gasping for breath. I extinguished the remnants of the flame that was surrounding my left arm while dressing my wounds. I did it without muttering a single complaint. The Qi inside of my cells hadn''t completely settled, so I had to sit down and calm it.


    "Jared! What the hell was that?!" After I had made sure everything was ok I went over and furiously questioned Jared. He had a large cut that gouged the armor on his chest and he was stanching the blood flowing from the wound. He had fought the most Nightstalkers, and the alpha seemed to deem him dangerous as stronger ones attacked him periodically.


    "That was probably a new species. Nightstalkers don''t group under the orders of a singular entity, so a monster that can influence a pack of this size is a terrifying existence." Jared spoke while gritting his teeth. The monster had confused him as much as it confused me. I looked at his wound. He could have avoided his injury if he had stayed with his men when the attacks of the stronger Nightstalkers came, but he jumped into the horde instead of risking the lives of his men. This action alone had won him my respect.


    The sun was rising in the sky by the time everyone had treated the wounded and packed. It was a long night for everyone, and we all heaved a sigh of relief knowing that the Nightstalkers will only attack at night. It was only my first night away from home and we already ran into an extremely dangerous situation!


    "It''s definitely been a long night..." I spoke out loud and my words shared the feelings of several others around me. We then continued our journey towards Rivensdale with tired steps.

 Chapter 12- Rivensdale!

    Chapter 12- Rivensdale!


    We dragged our aching and wounded bodies along the dirt trail underneath us. A knight would keel over in pain and quickly attend to his wounds every now and then. However no one dared to stay in one spot for too long. Last night was truly disastrous. We feared staying another night in these plains with such a creature roaming about in the night, so a consensus was internally formed between everybody. And that was to rush to Rivensdale!


    I was one of the least injured people, so I was roaming around. My white flames that sped up my healing last time weren''t igniting again. I guessed that maybe they need more Qi to activate, but at the moment moving Qi the way I want it is impossible without tempering at least one of the 12 main meridians.


    I closed my eyes while we moved and slowly fell to the back of the group. I felt the Qi around me and began to breathe it in and instead of drawing it into my cells I brought it to my dantian and gave it a few rotations for it to gain speed. I ran it on my heart''s yang meridian, and it felt as if a gallon of water was being strained through a small glass tube. The meridian could barely withstand the strain and the pain that it produced was akin to ants tearing my veins from the inside out.


    However I had finally reached the threshold of the Meridians Molding stage! Both the Meridians Molding stage and the Breaking Body stage were only the purest form of the foundation for cultivation. These two stages exist separately from one another, but the stronger they are the two most important stages in becoming a cultivator. They are both intended to change the body and mind through a series of pain and gain. Besides pain and discomfort is inevitable when one is a cultivator, so forming a mindset that is cruel with oneself and even crueler with one''s enemies would be for the best.


    I hadn''t fully tempered my heart''s yang meridian, but the difference in having and not having was immense. I pulled the leftover Qi and ran it through my heart''s yang meridian. A multicolored flame seemed to wiggle out from the cells that it passed by and I singled in on the white colored part of the flame. The white flame seemed to know what I wanted and started to guzzle down my Qi and spread throughout my body. The cuts and gashes that I had suffered through healed at an impossible rate under the influence of the white flame, but my minuscule amount of Qi quickly dried out and the flame extinguished leaving my wounds still slightly open. However they were drastically improved and I could move without fear of opening them back up.


    I marveled at the wonders of the white flame and happily wandered around. After awhile I went into mother''s carriage to check up on her. When I walked in a sickly pale woman was laying down on a mattress laid out in the far corner of the carriage. It took me a couple seconds to realize that this woman was mother!


    "Mother!" I immediately ran to her side and pressed my hand onto her left wrist. My face contorted as I felt the abnormal beating of her heart. I knew from just looking at her that her condition wasn''t good, but when I actually examined her state could only be described as horrific!


    She had several shatter meridians that couldn''t be healed with any heavenly medicines! An abnormal heartbeat, a collapsed lung, and cracks ran up and down her dantian! The rest of her meridians were probably in the best shape compared to the rest of her body, but they were torn in several places! If it wasn''t for the large pulsating sphere in mother''s dantian in the place of rings, it would be impossible for her to even keep living!


    I grit my teeth and brought my right palm above her dantian and with the flick of the wrist a small ball of multicolored fire was formed floating between mother and my palm. I started to aggressively absorb Qi; it raged into my untempered meridians and I channeled it to the white part of the multicolored ball of flame. The white colored flame took over and the ball turned pure white. I felt my meridians tearing as the amount of Qi increased and the mana from my mana ring gushed through at the same time.


    I pushed the white flame into mother''s body and it seemed to be absorbed. I ignored the pain that plagued my body and the injuries that I probably had incurred from the previous actions. Checking that the flame was healing mother at it''s impossible speed I heaved a sigh of relief. Mother had loved me and trusted me with all of her heart. I would never just sit back and watch her perish!


    I stayed near mother making sure there were no more abnormalities before the flame ran out. Although it was a heaven defying ability, it still had it''s limits. The flame couldn''t completely heal all of her injuries, but it served to get her into a stable state. I watched as some color returned to her face and her features were less strained. I gave a heartfelt smile as I left the carriage and went outside.


    An unending rage began to fill my chest. Those injuries were impossible to have been gained from her last fight. She only cast magic in the back and was never directly targeted by the Nightstalkers. Those injuries must''ve been acquired over a long period of time! I put my revenge for later as I walked outside from the carriage.


    Harold was standing outside and looked to be heading towards mother''s carriage. He had a startled face when he saw me come out from the carriage.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    "Prince Glen, did, did you go see the queen?" Harold had a terrible stutter as he slurred some of his words. He seemed to be worried about mother though.


    "Don''t worry she is getting some rest, so don''t disturb her if you go in." I withhold some information and left to gather with the marching knights. Leaving Harold there to ponder over my words before he went into mother''s room.


    I kept feeling a stinging pain coming from my meridians, so I started to assess the damage I had recently acquired. I gave a depreciated sigh at the three main Meridians that I had torn. I could probably heal them if I could use the white flame proficiently, but at the moment even trying would only cause further damage.


    "Hey prince Glen you look down, what''s up?" A knight trotted over to me. He was one of the three knights who I had fought with. I had won their respect when I fought against the unending waves of Nightstalkers without a single complaint afterwards.


    "Ah hey Chad, I was just thinking about my future a little." I reply while he starts to rub my head. I shrug off his hand while giving him an annoyed look.


    "Hahaha, geez you''re not like other children aren''t you? You''re too young to be thunking about your future, then again you''re too young to even fight a brutal brawl like last night as well... oh yea! You used that cool magic last night as well! What was that? I''ve never seen a mage who can do that?" Chad laughed at my response before changing the subject. He was a long winded fellow most of the time, but he was easy to get along with nonetheless. I didn''t really answer him because what I used wasn''t really magic and more on the lines as a perk of my heavenly body.


    We eased our tensions from last night by joking on the way to our destination. And we finally reached Rivensdale in the afternoon.


    For a village it was quite well off. They had tall stone walls that extended up from the leveled ground. A ditch ran around the circumference of the walls and the only way inside was a large wooden bridge that connected to an opening in the wall. Guards in light armor and long bows stood calmly from atop the walls. A man riding a horse met with Jared and they conversed for awhile before leading us in through the gates.


    Stone paved roads crisscrossed back and forth between wooden buildings. People were going to and fro carrying various materials. Shouts and laugher ran abundant as I gawked at the liveliness of the village. I saw someone leading a large scaly lizard with wooden columns strapped to it''s back. There was a couple of children that were running around with wooden swords.


    "I see your highness Prince Glen is admiring our humble village." The man who had led us into the village came up to my side. He had a well proportioned face that fit fell with his toned body. He spoke with a jovial tone and he had a tough feeling similar to a hardy commander. These two conflicting impressions meshed well with the man.


    "Oh, I''m sorry my name is Garrison Hems. I am the commander to the guards, your mother, the queen, has helped us these past couple of years, so I already know quite a bit about you. By the way, I heard she was injured. I''m going to get the towns best alchemists to help her. Let me lead you to where you can stay." Garrison spoke seriously and was looking around for mother. He led us to a nice looking house and went off to find the alchemists he told us about.


    A lady came out of the house and brought a couple of us to some empty rooms. The lady told us that this was a house that was just built, and was for the purpose of housing newly orphaned children. Luckily they hadn''t had a large amount of orphaned children so we could use some of their empty rooms. Mother was brought into the room next to mine and I waited by her side till the alchemists that Garrison had sent for arrived.


    I heard the creaking of a door when three old men walked through the door. They wore white robes that covered their entire bodies and a thick scent of herbs and grasses came from their bodies. One of them held a large wooden box that I assumed held tools for medicine.


    "Hello, we are the alchemists sent by Garrison. I presume you are Prince Glen?" The foremost alchemists spoke as he walked forwards with an outstretched hand. I returned his handshake and moved out of the way to let them work.


    "Ah Prince Glen do not worry the queen will be alright." The same alchemist spoke with words of comfort and seemed to want to soothe my worries. He made some motions for me to leave them to work. However I couldn''t trust three men to be alone with my mother, so I attached a small Qi imprint on the three right before I left. This way I could easily monitor them.


    I left the rather large house we were staying at and started to wander around the village. There were many sights that were unfamiliar to me. The people for one were all moving about as if they had somewhere to be and something to do. They had intriguing foods that I could sample for free after telling them I was mother''s child. Their culture seemed queer to me. I was used to a world where singular survival was very apparent. They however lived to help the one standing next to them; sometimes I would see someone go out of their way to help another without any want or need of recompense.


    Then again I attributed it to this village''s complete lack of tension. It was as if the dangers outside of these walls were nowhere to be found. I imagined if the Nightstalkers from last night had invaded this village then all hell would break loose.


    A loud horn blasted me out of my thoughts and I looked around for the cause. The people who had been so active earlier were now rushing in different directions. It looked like they had lost all camaraderie and were now trying to escape. I saw a small boy with rags for clothes being swept by the crowd and I rushed in so that he would avoid being trampled by the crazed villagers.


    "What''s going on?" I brought the boy off to the side of the road and he looked at me with some fear. He was constantly looking around as if afraid of something.


    "M, monsters..." The child mumbled in a barely audible response to my urging. He started to tug on my arms and pulled me further into the village. I suddenly felt the ground trembling and a familiar surge of mana near the stone walls that surrounded the village came to me. A loud scream then rang into my ears as the image of thousands of Nightstalkers flashed in my head. I reached for my hip only to realize that my sword wasn''t there! I remembered that I left it back at the house, so I pulled the child away and started to frantically sprint for the house.

 Chapter 13- Dangerous Suspicions!

    Chapter 13- Dangerous Suspicions!


    I sprinted as fast as my legs could take me. I bounded several feet with every step and traversed across the village. Breaking through into the third limit of the Breaking Body stage was showing some effects. The boy that I had saved earlier was slung over my shoulder and screaming. We ran past several buildings and ended up in the entrance to a wooden building. It had several columns and beams that supported the upper floor. However we were lost. I glanced angrily at the culprit over my shoulder.


    "Would you shut up! You''re not helping right now!!" I yelled at the squirming kid. You don''t get recognition for saving anyone anymore.


    "Bad! Bad! Monsters! Coming!" The kid spoke in broken speech as he tried to free himself from my grasp. I didn''t have time to worry about this kid! As I debated on throwing the kid away two black shadows jumped at us from the nearest roof.


    I didn''t have time to think. I flicked my wrist and a ball of multicolored flame appeared above my right palm. I apologized to the nice villagers as I set the wooden beam closest to me on fire. It quickly went up in flames as I threw the kid away and charged at the incoming monsters.


    The first one runs straight at me while the other flanks around my side. I straighten my hips and give a full charge at the one in front. It immediately pounces in response and I smile at how simple these monsters are. I tuck my upper body down and straighten my right leg as I slide underneath the leaping Nightstalker. The flames on the beam that I had set aflame earlier suddenly came to life and released their grasp of the beam and engulfed the Nightstalker instead.


    It released a horrible scream before it was burned to a crisp. The other Nightstalker had dumbly watch the whole ordeal and I took advantage of its confusion by delivering a flying knee to it''s cranium. Flames entered its body through the impact and it died a horrible death as well. I coalesced the flames into a large ball that flew behind my back.


    They were not the almighty multicolored flame and were just some weak crude flame. However that fact didn''t matter to me. I had an epiphany to use my ability to control flames to their max potential, but now wasn''t the time to test any hypothesis.


    "Hey, wait for me here I''m going to look around real quick." I called out to the boy who was trembling. The boy was looking back and forth between the ball of fire behind my back and the dead Nightstalkers. He stopped screaming and thrashing around, so I guess it''s fine.


    I climbed up the wooden columns and quickly got up onto the roof. I lieft the ball of flame behind because I wanted to not attract attention from the horde. Anyways I needed a good idea on the situation of the village. Like I had expected It was chaos.


    A black wave of Nightstalkers was constantly flowing over the walls designed to keep monsters out. I saw people people fleeing through some of streets while guards were valiantly holding off the unending waves. Sometimes people couldn''t run away fast enough or they fought till they were exhausted and then were overwhelmed by the tide disappearing underneath it''s surging black waves. Then it rose out of the black tide that overlooked the village on top of the walls.


    The 10 foot tall monster was loftily staring down at everyone beneath his swarm. It''s features were as clear as day in the setting sun. It had black scales that looked like a lizard on it''s belly side and thick black fur that looked like the Nightstalkers'' fur. It resembled a human in stature and shape except for it''s wolf like head and the abnormally long talons that jutted out from each finger on it''s hand.


    What confused me even more was that it started to look at my direction and our eyes seemed to lock for a good couple seconds. I shivered at it''s black beady eyes that seemed to hold endless hatred and bloodlust. It wasn''t the fact that those things scared me, but the fact that it was concentrated solely on me!


    I quickly got off the roof as I had found the house I was looking for. It wasn''t far from here and on the opposite of the village from the exploding wave of Nightstalkers. When I returned to the ground I found the boy looking at me with sparkling eyes.


    "What?"


    "Hero..." the boy mumbled to my question.


    "Let''s get going, it''s too dangerous here for you." As I said that the boy immediately got up and came to my side. He was awfully obedient now, so I didn''t really mind what he thought. It''s not like I want to be a hero; I would normally ignore a simple child dying in front of me if it meant saving my own skin. However I am not a heartless man even if I have killed many I still wouldn''t hesitate to save someone given the chance!The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    I resume on my path to the house after extinguishing the ball of flame. I had to adjust my speed since the boy was following behind me and refused to be carried again. Luckily we didn''t run into anymore stray Nightstalkers on our way back. My guess was that those two were sent to scout. As for what they are looking for I can only give a few guesses. I couldn''t find anyone to give the boy to on my way, so he had to follow.


    "Prince Glen!!" I hear Chad''s voice calling out to me and I see him fully armed and jogging over to me. He seems to be informed of the situation already.


    "Chad what''s wrong?"


    "I''m guessing you can already tell what''s going on. Captain and everyone are busy escorting everyone out of the village. We severely miscalculated the size of this Nightstalker horde! I volunteered to stay behind and tell you. Also the alchemists said that your mother would be fine; they just gave us a few medicines to help her. She is being escorted by Jared, the noble, and Harold." Chad was extremely nervous and kept fidgeting. He had my sword in his hand and I took it from him and strapped it to my waist again. He made sure to run over all the important details, but there was one glaring problem.


    "I thought you said these guys only hunt at night?" We started to run opposite to the advance of the horde as I asked.


    "We don''t know... normally monsters similar to Nightstalkers don''t group up this large either, or attack when the sun hasn''t even set. My guess it that abnormally large one that seems to be the leader." Chad picked up the boy and we increased our speed. What he said had stirred my suspicions. I stopped running and turned around to examine my surroundings.


    "Prince Glen! What are you doing hurry up?!" Chad yelled back at me and stopped as well.


    "Don''t worry, I can escape if I''m pressed for it! Just bring the boy out; I need to make sure of some things before I meet back up!" I yelled without turning back. If my guess is correct then that giant horde''s target is myself. That means that I''ll continue to endanger mother''s life if we keep running. If I''m wrong I''m still confident of running away even if that 10 foot tall Nightstalker attacks.


    "Damnit! You''re a selfish Prince alright! I can''t go back without you or else I would be killed! Screw it, what are you going to do?!" I hear Chad''s footsteps and he curses me endlessly as he stops by my side. The boy is behind him as well.


    "Hey, Chad''s one idiot for staying. However you need to go. You''ll only drag us down." I point to the boy who is looking at me with a determined face. He shakes his head side to side saying ''no''.


    "Chad, take the boy away."


    "I can''t leave the Prince alone, it is my duty to bring you back to your escort." Chad is looking all around making sure no Nightstalkers are coming anytime soon.


    "Boy, you need to leave. I am no hero, I cannot save you when the going gets rough." I remind the boy again and he simply gives me another determined look. I sigh at these two idiots.


    "Alright, hey Chad you said Jared is escorting citizens out. That must mean that the guard captain Garrison is still here. Do you know where he is?" I suddenly turn to Chad and he looks at me weirdly. He has nice resolve in his eyes and tell me to follow him after he picks up the boy.


    "Wait, I have an idea." I stop Chad and ask him to put down the boy.


    "What''s your name?"


    "...Cooper..." The boy is embarrassed when he says his name. I go over to a wooden column and break off a large rectangular piece. Take my sword and sharpen it to a point. I repeat this several time till I have exactly twelve around the same size.


    "Cooper, you have the most important job. Carry these." I handed Cooper the wooden stakes and we returned following Chad. We ran into several Nightstalker scouts, but they were quickly dispatched by my blade. As we got closer to our destination we saw guards escorting small groups of citizens in the direction we came in. Chad had to talk us out of many confused guards as we passed.


    We reached a small encampment that had large wooden stakes sticking out of the ground at various angles. Nightstalkers were pouring in from one side as guards were switching out and continuing the slaughter against the endless Nightstalkers. I could see Garrison yelling orders and guiding citizens who were still in the village out.


    "Garrison!" I called out to him as we arrived. Our group drew several looks as we made our way towards Garrison''s position. His eyes nearly left his sockets when he saw me coming his way.


    "Prince Glen! What are you doing here?!?" Garrison seemed to lose his cool and left his position to rush over here.


    "Calm down, I just wanted to confirm something. I won''t be in any trouble. Hopefully..." I tried to calm the panicking Garrison in front of me. However my words held no effect on him.


    "Prince Glen, no matter what reason you possibly have I cannot allow you to do what you wa..." Garrison''s preaching was cut off by a loud scream. Then a 10 foot tall Nightstalker rose out of the waves of Nightstalkers. It was staring right in our direction.


    "You three! Come protect Prince Glen! If you fail you''ll have to answer to the Queen!" Following Garrison''s orders three guards came over to me.


    "Prince Glen please don''t get in any trouble." Garrison left and started to command the guards. I simple watched the 10 foot tall Nightstalker as it stared back at me. It seemed to give a toothy smile and a shiver ran down my spine.


    "Hey you three, I''ve got a job for you." I broke our line of sight and turned around to Chad, the boy, and three new faces. My suspicions haven''t been proven, but this danger needs to be eradicated for mother''s safety! I strengthen my resolve and I feel the Qi in my cells begin to settle. I begin to explain my plan to the five in front of me.

 Chapter 14- Run!

    Chapter 14- Run!


    The yells of men and monsters ran synonymously throughout the bloody battlefield. Waves of Nightstalkers flowed onto the angled spikes that jutted out. The spikes worked to stall parts of the horde, but against the endless tides they all became small hills of black furred bodies. Guards were slashing the tides with only the thought of protecting. Garrison was at the forefront leading a group of 27 guards in the direction of the 10 foot tall Nightstalker.


    "Alright, you all understand." I finished telling my five companions my plan while inscribing several marks onto the twelve wooden stakes. The boy is the only one who nods.


    "Good, then I give the task to you all good luck!" I take one of the stakes and the boy takes the eleven extras. He starts to run off, but is weighed down by the stakes and begins to waddle.


    "Um, Prince we were sent to protect you leaving would only defeat the purpose of our orders..." One of the three guards spoke while Chad nodded at his statement.


    "Ok that''s fine leave that child alone to fend for himself against the horde of dangerous monsters." On my reasonable words I couldn''t see any of them listening to my previous orders. For some reason all of them wore a weird smile on their faces. I had once again forgotten I am a child myself.


    "Ok let''s put it this way, I am going to fight that big guy over there no matter what you do. And you cannot stop me. Also for me to do so and still come out remotely alive I need you guys to start moving." I hit them with an underlying threat and I finally started to evoke an expected response.


    "Damnit! Alright, fine we''ll stay and protect the Prince. John, Steven, go and protect the kid." One of the guards finally gave in to my commands, ordered the two other guards, and I finally had my burdens decrease.


    "Ok, now we need to do our part." I spoke to Chad and the guard and they simply tolled their eyes at me. I ignored them while checking the injuries I received yesterday and earlier today. My three main meridians were still torn, but my Qi had finally settled and I could fight while using all of my body! I just need to refrain from using my multicolored flame more than once.


    Before my two comrades could have a chance to refute I thrust myself into the direction of the 10 foot tall Nightstalker. My sword in my right hand and a wooden stake was strapped to my left thigh. I didn''t have time to start a fire, so I am going to have to somehow make it through to that thing. I spot Garrison making his way towards the 10 foot tall Nightstalker and I drew up a plan in my head.


    "Hurry men!! If we kill that monster, then the horde will fall apart!!" Garrison was yelling out encouragement to the men who followed him into the tides of Nightstalkers. His eyes were focused ahead of him as he trusted his comrades to pull through. As such I easily slipped into the back of the group after a bit of recklessness with Chad and the guard guarding my back.


    It was like wading through living water that had sharp teeth and tried to take your life at every moment. It seemed that the further we came closer to the 10 foot tall monster the stronger the horde got. A thought struck my head that this monster might be just a leader type and have little to no offensive abilities. Although the thought crossed my mind, I never dared to underestimate an enemy with such an amount of mana.


    We were already 20 feet away from the giant Nightstalker, but it felt like we couldn''t even take another step. The surrounding Nightstalkers were going crazy and their fervor was increasing. Now that I had arrived this close to the giant Nightstalker I could feel strings of mana attaching to the closest Nightstalkers. However there was a problem with doing this and that was that it couldn''t move from it''s position. I was hiding behind Chad just in case it noticed me and felt like increasing its efforts.


    At the moment it was distracted by Garrison and his subordinates, so now was the best time to strike. I took the marked wooden stake in my left hand. My first plan of action required me to impale this centerpiece onto the leader. I just needed a way to get to it''s non-scaly back.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    "Hey Chad I need to get behind that guy." I get close to Chad''s ear so that our conversation will go unnoticed. Chad seems to understand my intentions and was about to refuse when I started to make my way to the front of the group. He had to exchange places with the guard who followed me and chased after my back. I received some shocked glances, but no one had the time to stop me since they were preoccupied with the raging Nightstalkers around us. I stopped behind Garrison and in one quick motion I switched Garrison and Chad forcing Chad to face off against the crazed Nightstalkers.


    "Prince Glen!?!! What are you doing here!!??!" Garrison was extremely flustered with my appearance and I could only give a wry smile at his uncharacteristic actions. His face was going through many emotions at the moment.


    "First off, listen to me. I need to stab this thing into that guy. Easier said then done right? I just need a way to get to him. also when I''m done I need you all to evacuate." I tried to calm Garrison down and showed him the marked wooden stake in my hand. He showed more skepticism than trust and I could only sigh. He just met me today of course he wouldn''t trust me.


    "Ok don''t trust me that''s fine, but I''m going there no matter what. I know you have something that could possibly kill that monster since you were making your way towards it so confidently. However you''ll have a better chance of killing it if you trust me. I need a path." My words seemed to affect him a little and he started to fall into thought.


    "I mean you can continue your little suicide attack and get all your subordinates killed in the process..."


    "Shut up!" It seems I struck a nerve with my final statement. He was extremely angry at this point, but he knew that he couldn''t take his anger out on me. His expression darkened as he took a quick look around and took in the gravity of the situation.


    "Damnit! For a kid, you aren''t cute! You say you can help us right? Then you better not let us down!" Garrison gave into my demands and sheathed his sword. Then I felt traces of mana flow from his body and into his arms. He interlaced his fingers and brought them down to the ground with his body in a squat. He motioned for me to get on and I rested my right foot on his fingers and I felt a large release of mana from his arms. A surge of strength pushed me up and into the air as I kicked off his hands to increase my upwards velocity.


    "Prince Glen I will wait only a couple minutes till you come back! Everyone else retreat!!" Garrison yelled with a pale face he was gasping for breath and tried to force his men to run. However no one moved and everyone continued to fight. I couldn''t listen in further because I was rapidly soaring over the tide of Nightstalkers towards the 10 foot tall leader.


    It''s grotesque features became clearer as I came closer. It''s wolf head stared at me with beady black eyes and each black fiber that covered it''s face could be seen descending down it''s back like a cloak of night. The scales that covered its chest and belly looked like a dragon''s impenetrable carapace. However it only stared at me flying at it. It made no move to attack me and traces of anger were found in it''s expression.


    I spun my body and corrected my flight as I sheathed my sword. I readied the marked stake in both of my hands. Masses of Nightstalkers were spilling over each other in an attempt to jump up to me. I finally reached the monster and using the force of the my flight and my own I thrusted the marked stake into it''s skull.


    However I instead of feeling the stake sink through the flesh and bone; I felt a shock run through my arm and my velocity come to a halt. I caught onto the closest thing I came across with my left hand to avoid falling into the crazed Nightstalkers. My right was still holding tightly to the marked stake. I looked up to see the beady eyes of the 10 foot tall Nightstalker staring back at me. I realized that I was hanging off of it''s elongated snout!


    Although I hadn''t expected it''s skin to be so tough, I still didn''t give up hope! I threw the marked stake in a swift motion before it could retaliate and as it left my hand I released my grip from it''s snout. It seemed as if it thought it had caught me since a toothy grin was disgustingly plastered on it''s face. I simply laughed at it and kicked the end of the stake and it accelerated towards my original target: it''s eye!


    I unsheathed my sword as I landed and a deafening scream rang out from behind me. It appears that my stake had landed. Bracing myself for the surging Nightstalkers to come, but they never attacked. I looked around to see the Nightstalkers were running to and fro. Their previous crazy actions were nowhere to be found in their current frantic running. I sensed that the mana strings that were connected to the 10 foot tall monster had been erased as I ran through the swarm of running Nightstalkers. However I didn''t have the luxury to figure out any of the circumstances around me because my mind was filled with the the thought of running away from the rapidly gathering amount of mana behind me!

 Chapter 15- Burn Down!

    Chapter 15- Burn Down!


    I sprinted between the disorganized Nightstalkers, and after jumping over a few and ducking under others I reached a dumbfounded Garrison. He was standing there looking at the scene of the frantically running Nightstalkers that had once been attacking so fervently. Although some of the braver ones attacked, most of them were scrambling all around away from the 10 foot tall monster.


    "P,Prince G,Glen, what, what did you do?" I was startled because this was the first time I ever heard Garrison stutter. He was gawking at the disorderly horde around him, but instead of stopping to acknowledge him I kept running past them.


    "Run!" I gave them a quick order without turning around. I didn''t have time to lecture them on what I did. I had felt something was wrong when the 10 foot tall monster didn''t even move even when I got so close. However after I had embedded the marked stake into it''s right eye, I felt an immense surge of mana flowing from the surrounding Nightstalkers into it. I didn''t even need to turn around to guess the dangers that it presented.


    Another scream rang out from the 10 foot tall monster. This one however sounded full of rage and madness. The disorderly Nightstalkers then all changed their routes and stampeded towards the 10 foot tall monster. They all started to pile on top of it and surround it''s body with theirs. The massive amount of mana that was coagulating made me turn around and watch as all the writhing bodies melted and fused together. The mana that was being emitted by the monster was being consumed as more bodies melted together and the form of a giant Nightstalker was taken.


    Sixteen beady black eyes furiously gazed at me from atop it''s massive head. Patches of black fur covered it''s pitch black skin and every so often a Nightstalker would disgustingly bubble out from it''s skin and run away. It tore open it''s sinew covered maw and a disgusting roar spewed forth and rolled across the surroundings and into our ears.


    "I think you made it worse." Chad had unknowingly come to my side and was nervously glancing at the monstrosity. Garrison was standing a few feet from us directing the remnants of whoever remained. I couldn''t find an ordinary citizen around probably escorted by Garrison''s forces. And most of the guards that joined us were littered with injuries, so our battle potential had dwindled drastically. Many of them wore expressions of despair as they gazed at the unmoving mass of monsters.


    "Honestly I didn''t expect this." I spoke towards Garrison who was coming towards me. I had expected the Nightstalkers to become disoriented due to the momentary loss of their command, but for them to run away so frantically. It seems that they are probably not following that monster on free will. I gaze towards the hulking mass and think that free will no longer remains.


    "It''s alright, I didn''t think such a situation would occur either. This is my first time seeing such a spectacle... I guess this is it for us..." Garrison seemed to have given up hope at the sight of a 30 foot long Nightstalker that was angrily staring in my direction.


    "Hey, don''t include me on this! Chad, did you see the signal yet?" I ignored Garrison and turned to Chad.


    "No, maybe something happened to the boy?" Chad pondered over my decision to make the boy do the work. He seemed to have submitted to my antics and decided it would be easier if he just followed with my orders. His adaptability is quite commendable.


    "Don''t worry, the boy''s still alive. I have a way to figure it out. However we are going to have to hurry into our positions or else that thing will get us. Hey Garrison, can you send around 12 people to follow Chad?" I turn towards Garrison and find him already directing his men. Most of them had run away at the sight of the enormous monster, but enough had stayed behind for my plans to work.


    "Alright, I''ll trust you. Mainly because I can only reduce the amount of casualties that that monstrosity can cause at this point. If you have an idea to stall it long enough for the citizens can leave then please tell me." Garrison had his back against the wall on this monster.


    "No, no, I wouldn''t risk my life just to stall. I have a plan to incinerate it''s existence!" I spoke arrogant words to spur the wounded spirits of the remaining guards as I walked away from the monster. It had not moved ever since it roared which gave us ample time to run and plan. Chad had moved out with 10 of Garrison''s men awhile ago to where I had instructed him earlier. Garrison still had 7 subordinates that stayed by his side as we made our way to my destination.


    "Isn''t this the best time to attack? That thing hasn''t moved in so long?" Garrison spoke after we had walked for quite awhile. Some of his subordinates were muttering behind me as well.


    "No, that thing''s skin is too tough for our weapons to even scratch. If you haven''t noticed, it used finely controlled mana to direct the horde and even gave part of it''s mana to strengthen some. That was why it couldn''t move from it''s position every time it stopped. When I had wounded it, the monster lost control over the horde for a second and then for some reason it started to try to absorb the entire horde. However I don''t know if you noticed that it needs to input it''s massive amount of mana into it''s own flesh and bone to fuse it''s new body together. That means that its own mana will act as an impenetrable barrier until it finishes. Add that to its already tough natural defenses, and you''d even be hard pressed to pluck a hair." I explain to them and the muttering behind me stops. Garrison is looking at me with wide eyes and a light grin appears on his face.


    "You''re mother was right. You''re are definitely not like other children of your age. Also don''t tell anyone else you can sense mana, I won''t tell you why now because you''ll probably figure it out later. More importantly, won''t that thing be stronger when it finishes it''s fusion?" Garrison enlightens me on some well needed knowledge. And I smile to the end of his statement.


    "Don''t worry, what that thing is doing is just ensuring it''s death. I didn''t plan for this, but I''m pretty sure that it''ll all go according to my plan." I assure Garrison of my victory to soothe their worries further. I keep myself alert for any changes that could occur. I feel the connection between the marked stake that I had inserted into it''s eye still there. Although it had now fused into the body of the beast, it still could serve its purpose easily.


    "You say you can kill something we cannot, but what exactly is this plan of yours?" One of Garrison''s subordinates who had been grumbling about listening to a kid spoke out.


    "Hmm, so are you trusting in my plan now?" I don''t answer the guard since he was putting on a threatening approach. If I remember correctly he had chosen to stay here instead of following the group that Chad had just left even when he was ordered to by Garrison.


    "Prince Glen, I think he meant to have no dispute. I too want to know what exactly this plan is." Garrison hurriedly put himself between us two, but nearly fell down due to the sudden movement. It appears that the recoil from using the technique that increased his strength hadn''t worn off yet. Seeing this I reach into a small fist sized pouch attached to my belt and pull out a leaf with a stem that branches out into five.


    "Here take this, its a Thistleburrow leaf to numb the pain. And about my plan I''m sorry to say that I might have to burn down the village..." I handed the Thistleburrow plant to Garrison and monitor the changes on his face as I say that I''ll have to burn the village down. Contrary to my assumptions he seems quite calm about it and fall into deep thought as he takes the plant.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "So, on top of battle potential unbefitting of a child, you have knowledge in alchemy?" Garrison started to chew the Thistleburrow as I instructed and I could see some of the pain leave his face. The seven subordinates behind him were all listening intently to what I had to say next and their eyes were urging me to continue.


    However another roar broke apart our little moment of peace and a fierce wind kicked up. We all turned and looked at the monstrosity and watched it slowly lift up one of its front legs and press down on the ground beneath it.


    "I guess right now is not the time to explain. I just need you guys to stall it long enough, and I can''t leave this spot until the end." I spoke quickly and closed my eyes as I sat down and crossed my legs. I didn''t completely seal off my senses not because I didn''t trust Garrison and his subordinates. It''s just that I didn''t feel comfortable leaving my trust in people who barely trusted me.


    I needed to forcefully fully temper my Heart''s Yang Meridian that I had started earlier. This process would put the upmost strain on my already wounded body, but if I did it correctly I could minimize the damage I take to myself and kill that monster! I would only need to find some herbs that would help to stabilize my body.


    I began to feel the Qi around me. I brought it in slowly as to warm up my body and cycled the Qi around my cells. My cells would greedily try to absorb the Qi even when I had not even broken through yet. I had to repress the hungry tissues and continue to rotate the volatile Qi through my body. It wasn''t until a few minutes later till I had readied my body and sent the Qi into my Heart''s Yang Meridian.


    A crippling pain assaulted my body as I felt my Heart''s Yang Meridian nearly burst from the sudden treatment of Qi. It wasn''t like last time where I gradually introduced the Qi into my Meridian. It felt like a knife was gouging out my heart from the inside. However I didn''t yell out in pain; I had already experienced the same pain in my past life as well.


    Then a soothing feeling engulfed my body, and the pain slowly subsided. I was about to stand up and immediately start to help Garrison, but a heat started to pulse out with every beat of my heart. I quickly sat down again and checked my body to find a multicolored flame burning brightly in my Just tempered Meridian. The Qi that should''ve been there had all been consumed by the flame. However I was not excited by seeing this heaven defy. My Qi had dried up at the appearance of this flame and I grew worried since I needed the Qi that came with my breakthrough in the Meridians Molding realm.


    "Prince Glen! How''re you holding up?! We could use some of whatever you have planned anytime now!!" Garrison yelled out and I heard a huge collision of a heavy object smashing into the stoney pathways. My eyelids shot open and I took in the sight of a 30 foot long thrashing about as seven men in armor darted between its large movements and tried to pierce through its tough skin to no avail.


    Without wasting my breath I ran to join them. I still hadn''t received the signal, so I needed to keep the monster in our location until then. I already had unsheathed my iron sword in my right. And in my left I summoned a ball of multicolored flame. Mana and Qi were crazily flowing through the tempered Meridian. The small ball of fire seemed excited by the large amount of mana and Qi as it flickered brightly.


    I didn''t have time to study the changes that had occurred as I pressed the multicolored flame onto the nearest flammable house. It quickly caught fire and the multicolored flame turned into a crude bonfire as it engulfed the house slowly. I slowed my steps to retrieve the flames and it only took a thought to condense the flames around my sword.


    "Move." I ordered the guard in my way as I stepped forward. He have made an annoyed expression, but I didn''t have time to be polite because I felt my sword begin to tremble violently and grew a little worried thinking I was holding a bomb instead of a sword.


    I confronted the 30 foot long Nightstalker and studied it''s movements as I move closer in. A large black claw entered my vision from my right and tried to block off my exit. However it was slow, too slow to be even considered an attack. I had originally thought it was a trap, but when I had advanced closer I noticed that all of it''s movements were slow. It seemed to have traded speed for immense strength.


    I easily duck and dash underneath to it''s underbelly as an impact akin to an earthquake resonated from behind me. I make a note in my mind to not get hit by that attack at any cost. And then I swing the fiercely vibrating sword into the giant Nightstalker''s underbelly.


    A loud explosion occurs followed by a wave of heat and flames as my sword incinerates upon impact and releases my condensed crude flames. I don''t have to worry about the flames due to my body and the explosion was directed more towards the Nightstalker, so I only suffered from a few minor cuts due to the surrounding rocks being thrown around.


    I quickly backed off and escaped from the cloud of smoke I had kicked up. I scanned for any movements as I spotted Garrison staring at the cloud of smoke as well.


    "Damn, I keep underestimating this kid..." Garrison''s mumbling didn''t go unnoticed by just me as I saw a couple other guards nodding at his statement. After watching me deliver my attack the somber mood cleared up. A renewed vigor swept through our small group.


    "Alright, everyone fall back! Prince Glen, I have no idea what you plan to do, but we''ll only get in your way." Garrison had a greater grasp on the situation. He knew that his subordinates were reaching their limits and put all his faith onto me.


    "However please don''t push yourself. Good luck and may dragons be with you!" Garrison gave me a salute and a rather questionable saying as he turned around. I wanted to say something, but a familiar disorganized symphony of clicking sounds rang out as the smoke dispersed.


    A roar blew away the smoke for me to clearly see the 30 foot long Nightstalker had lost its previous form and the swarm of Nightstalkers were struggling to free themselves of the illusory prison that contained them. It took awhile for the mass of bodies to once again regain it''s form, but now I had its undivided attention.


    Suddenly a ringing bell interrupted our little stare down. And a grin spread across my face. I liked the feeling of being the boss and giving orders. I enjoyed when my plan came together.


    I quickly formed a seal with my hands and began to breathe in mana using the [Heavenly Bodies Transformation] method. I guess that if I didn''t have enough Qi to use I might as well substitute it with mana for hopefully an equal effect. The result was much greater than my expectation.


    11 pillars of red light shot up into the sky from different points in the village. Red light began to emit from the the body of the 30 foot long Nightstalker. It was curious about the sudden bell and the light, but it seemed to lock onto my position again and began to advance towards me.


    "You''re too late." I simply state as I feel the waves of mana pulsing through my one tempered Meridian. Although I had not yet formed a complete mana ring it gave off an impressive amount of mana that complimented the mana that was traveling through my Heart''s Yang Meridian. I moved the flowing mana into the formation I had set up and sent it towards the twelve marked stakes.


    My sight was then filled with flames. A sea of flickering heat spread through the village and consumed everything in it''s wake. I could only give a wry smile to the result as I realized that using mana, the immortal''s form of Qi, was a bit overkill. I barely could order the fire to ignore Garrison, Chad, and everyone still inside to village.


    This technique was originally a refining method for pills and medicines, but despite the fact that I was a pill master in my previous life I was never good at fully controlling my flames. I had realized this when I made a mistake with a simple furnace formation and accidentally made it into an uncontrollable bonfire. However now flames can no longer harm me and I can control flames much better in this life than my last. As such this was the best time to test my theory as to whether this modified furnace formation could be used as an offensive technique.


    My answer was clear as I watched the 30 foot long Nightstalker writhe in pain as the flame licked and destroyed it''s body. It had seemed to have lost control of the horde of Nightstalkers as many of their bodies kept tearing themselves from its body and trying to escape only to burn to ashes in the sea of flames. Madness had finally taken hold of the giant Nightstalker as it began to slowly crawl towards me. The flames continuously burned its body to cinders, but its determination never wavered as it kept crawling towards me.


    I grew ever intrigued as to why this creature would forsake the its natural advantage of night to come into the village and attack me. I could understand it''s motive if it was just to feed the horde, but it seemed to have no intention to since most bodies were not taken back by the swarm. It seemed to be drawn to my presence with such a passion that it would forsake even its own body to try to get to me.


    "Burn well." I turn around and walk a few steps backwards while continually tell the sea of fire to not harm anyone still within it. I keep moving back every time the Nightstalker comes close just to make sure nothing unexpected happens. I watch it slowly burn to ashes in it''s futile attempt to reach me.

 Chapter 16- Curse of the Heroes!

    Chapter 16- Curse of the Heroes!


    After making sure the giant Nightstalker had been burnt to ashes I stopped the flow of mana and my strength had left me as I crumpled to my knees. I was both mentally and physically exhausted. If it wasn''t for me forcefully tempering my Heart''s Yang Meridian I would also be littered with injuries. I made sure no more surprises were in my general area and closed my eyes as I fell into a deep sleep.


    "...Prince Glen!" I was awoken to the sight of Harold screaming and shaking me. The grogginess of sleep still hadn''t left me as I started to observe my surroundings.


    Harold was staring at me with a concerned face while checking my body for any severe wounds. Garrison was standing behind him with the seven guards that had left with him. The chubby noble, Cade, was standing off to the side while squinting his eyes. I soon realized that I was lying on a bed in a small stone room.


    "Phew, thank goodness you''re safe! How are you feeling?" Harold gave a sigh of relief as he patted me on the shoulders. Garrison gave a nod and said a few words to the subordinates behind him. They all came forward with faces full of discomfort and awkwardly bent down.


    "We''re sorry we doubted you!" The one who had been rude to me before spoke for the rest. They all got up and thanked me then left. From their stiff movements I guessed that they weren''t used to bowing to children. Then again, that should be most people...


    "Don''t mind them I made them come and apologize for their previous rudeness, by the way we found this in a big pile of ashes near you. I thought it was the mana core of that monster before, but it isn''t entirely. Do you perhaps know what it is?" Garrison came forward and presented me a shiny black sphere with pulsing red veins running around it. It seemed to absorb the light around it as I took it in my hand and studied it.


    "No, I have no idea what this is. I need further study, also how long have I been asleep?" I truly had no idea what the black veiny sphere was, but I was greatly intrigued by it so I had decided to study it at a later time. I slowly got to my feet and started to warm up my rested body.


    "Two days." The one who had answered my question was Cade. I had almost forgot about his presence in the room since he stuck to the back and kept out of the conversation.


    "Ahem, I''m sorry to be rude here, but I need to speak to Third Prince Glen alone." Case spoke again and this time infused a bit of mana into his voice.


    "I''m terribly sorry for the inconvenience Third Prince Glen, or do you prefer to be called by the name from your past life?" Cade waited till everyone had left and then threw a rather unsettling apology. I reacted by summoning a ball of multicolored flame and jumping back to gain some distance.


    "Don''t worry, I won''t kill you since King Oliver has ordered me to bring you home."


    Cade tried to ease my worries by bringing my father into this. However my wariness never faded.


    "Heh, so if father ordered you to kill me you would?"


    "Yes." Cade''s nonchalant answer sent a shiver down my spine. He seemed to be staring at me with questioning eyes as if trying to peer into my mind and expose my secrets.


    "Do not be alarmed though. The Queen played no part in exposing your identity. It was more along the lines of your actions. I mean who would believe that a child merely at the age of six could defeat a mana beast that was about to go through its second mutation!" Case gave a light laugh at what I assumed should be a joke. However the fat on his face rippled too much for me to pay attention to his joke.


    "What is it that you want?" Cade was getting nowhere fast, so I needed to make him continue. He never showed his ability when fighting the Nightstalker horde, but if we''re just judging mana quantity it wouldn''t fall far behind Harold.


    "Well, I want to congratulate you on being reincarnated into our world. As well as congratulate you for becoming a monster''s evolution catalyst."


    "Elaborate."


    "I would''ve even if you didn''t ask, anyways think of yourself as a huge treasure in the eyes of monsters everywhere. If they can obtain you they have hopes of evolving beyond what should normally be capable. However that''s not all, your mere existence in this world will spur monsters to evolve into creatures of all shapes, sizes, and abilities. For example that giant Nightstalker that plagued you." Cade stopped himself and let me take in all of what he had just said. What he said would not be what any reasonable person would think, but it fit in with everything that just happened. If I had not just gone through the ordeal from earlier I wouldn''t even trust the noble in front of me.


    "How do I stop them from finding me?" I urged Cade on with pleading eyes. I don''t want my life to be cut short by the whims of a even more powerful monster. Although I''m curious about how Cade knows of the existence of reincarnations and what they cause, I am more worried about my own life.


    "It''s your blood."


    "Blood? You mean like my bloodline?"


    "Precisely. Now anymore questions before we get down to the actual business at hand?" Cade put more questions into my head than answers, so I took full advantage of his knowledge.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "You say that these monsters are attracted to my blood right? I don''t entirely get why that is though. Also how do you know so much about reincarnated people while mother is clueless?" I finally extinguished my flame while sitting down on my bed. However my senses never dulled. If I felt even the tiniest bit of intent to kill I needed to be next to the most flammable thing in the room to protect myself at a moments notice.


    "I see you are still wary of me... well, as for why monsters are attracted to your blood even I have no idea as to why. Now about your mother, you should understand that she had been moved here several years ago to protect her from being assassinated. She would have no inkling of a hypothesis that was formed after she left." Cade stopped to look at my expression and gave shot a grin in my direction as he saw my face contort slightly.


    "Don''t worry, in fact those assassins that I just spoke of were all eradicated by his highness King Oliver! I mean why do you think he wouldn''t come and visit every once and awhile? He brought to justice those that needed to be brought and personally executed traitors of all sorts!" Cade held his head up high as he spoke praises of father and I was enlightened to the absence of father.


    "I presume that you have no more questions?" I nodded my head to answer and Cade continued, "Now that you know your existence is harmful I have one of three options for you to choose from. One, you allow yourself to be killed by me and I say that you succumbed to you injuries from fight the giant Nightstalker thus ridding the reason for monsters to swarm over our kingdom. Two, you stubbornly continue on towards the royal capital and risk the destruction of not only yourself, but everyone in the kingdom. And finally, we can drop you off at the nearest village and pronounce that you have died."


    "You can fool the kingdom by saying that I have been killed, but mother wouldn''t believe you. Also wouldn''t the third option become obsolete if I simply travel back to the royal capital alone?" I pointed out some of the glaring flaws in Cade''s plan. Although I was enticed by the idea of cutting off my ties with the kingdom, I hesitated due to the bond built with my mother.


    "Don''t worry about the Queen, she is currently asleep and with some of my magic I can even erase you from her memories. As for your travels I simply don''t care, however if you decide to come to the royal capital I can insure your death." Cade held a light smile on his face, but it looked extremely sinister to me. I didn''t doubt any of his words as each struck me into a deep thought.


    "Is there a hope of not having monsters constantly attracted to my blood?"


    "Unless you have a method that can change your body and blood, none. I''ll give you until tomorrow for you to make your decision. If it is for the best of the kingdom then I''ll try my hardest." Cade said firmly and turned to leave.


    "Wait! How did you find out all this information about the reincarnated?" I stopped Cade from leaving and asked something that had been on my mind since the beginning of the conversation.


    "A neighboring kingdom had apparently birthed twins both of whom had genius talent and learning ability. The kingdom flourished for a couple of years while using their ideas, but that peace didn''t last because soon the kingdom was overrun by waves of monster hordes. Even several monsters on their third mutations showed up. The kingdom branched out for help, but we realized that the monsters were ignoring our kingdoms and went straight to them so we simply ignored them as well not wanting to decrease our manpower. That kingdom was quickly erased and all that remains is the paradise that the monsters created from its ruins." Cade was narrating the story while pacing back and forth then he stopped and looked me in the eyes, "The event has come to be known as the Curse of the Heroes. Because the heroes of legends were people who brought about great change in their time. Back then kingdoms were seldom and sparse due to the fierce monsters that roamed the lands. Although the heroes might''ve spurred further evolution of the monsters, they at least fixed it and changed the times from humans continually struggling to where we can finally have some monetary peace. Heroes are no longer needed for change what we need is stability. And if you weren''t the child of the King I would try every means to kill you if it helped to further that goal!"


    Cade swiftly left after he finished and left me there to soak in what he had just said. I simply stood there calming my swirling thoughts while I debated my options. The first one was definitely out; I''d rather not willingly be executed. The second option would be better for mother''s heart and I could probably have better protection under the influence of the royal family. However I feel that my cultivation would stagnate if I followed along with the second option. The only thing stopping me from pursuing the third option would be my mother.


    Sighing I staggered out the door to the outside. When I came outside I found myself in the middle of a burnt down husk of what was once a village. Ashes and burned down houses were the only thing that remained. People were moving about slowing with somber expressions looking for anything that remained from the fire. Some cast glances of fear when I passed by while others threw gazes filled with hate and malice. However no one acted on that anger.


    "Prince Glen!" I hear Chad''s voice and see him running towards me. He had changed out of his armor and was wearing rugged cloth covered in ash. Behind him was the boy who was similarly covered in ash running over with a big smile.


    "Hey." I was too caught up in my thoughts that I simply brushed past them merely returning a greeting.


    "Hey are you ok?" Chad came up to me and grabbed onto my left arm and held me back. His face had turned serious and he urged me for an answer.


    "I''m sorry, I am just thinking. Do you know where mother is staying?"


    "The Queen is staying in a carriage that way." Chad pointed to his left while the boy walked up in front of me. It looked like he wanted to guide me, so I thanked Chad and left while I followed the boy.


    We passed weeping mothers and fathers that clutched their fists tightly as I walked. My mentality didn''t waver at their unreasonable hatred. Something of this degree wouldn''t effect me. It only further increased my understanding that human nature is fundamentally fickle.


    "Here..." The boy suddenly spoke and I saw a wooden carriage surrounded by knights. Jared smiled and waved as he stood in his position. He made no move to come up and greet me, so I thanked the boy and walked into the carriage.


    I was greeted by mother''s sleeping face and Claire sitting nearby on a stool. She was intensively watching the Queen for any abnormalities. She didn''t even notice that I had entered until I spoke up.


    "Thank you for watching over mother, but could you give me some time alone?" Claire jumped a little when I spoke and calmed down after looking at me as she left with a bow.


    I was left along in the cramped compartment of a carriage with mother sleeping soundlessly beside me. I sat down on the stool near where she slept and repeated the words Cade told me when I had awoken in my head. Slowly night fell and the two moons rose in the night sky. However I still sat there silently waiting for the night to pass and for the next day to come.

 Chapter 17- A Soldier for Myself

    Chapter 17- A Soldier for Myself!


    I was startled to the sound of the door to the carriage opening. The sunlight invaded through the large opening the door created until a silhouette covered it. The silhouette sauntered forward in slow heavy steps.


    "I believe you have made your decision?" Cade''s voice followed my readjusting eyes as I saw the familiar chubby appearance. He was draped in clean clothes that puffed up around the sleeves. As always his mana was overflowing to pressure those around him.


    "Yes, I will cut off my ties, leave, and have you pronounce me dead. However! I will go on two conditions. Can you at least give me these?" I had already made my decision earlier, but leaving like this would burden my mind or mother.


    "Fine, I guess this can be considered your final words in a way." Cade thought for awhile and sighed before conceding to my demands for the conditions and urging me to speak.


    "First, I don''t want you to erase me from mother''s mind and give this to her when she wakes up." I pull out a piece of folded paper in my pocket and handed to Cade and watched him put it away before I continued, "Second, if I can solve this problem with my blood and come home I want to see my mother."


    "Fine. I fulfill your first condition and your second condition is close to impossible, but I''ll give you the benefit of the doubt. However on the off chance you do come back you will no longer be the third prince you will just be a citizen of Thant. Now that that is understood get your stuff ready we''re leaving soon. Any longer here and we''ll waste too many supplies." Cade briskly left again seeing that I made my decision, but I stopped him before he left.


    "What is it?" Cade had an annoyed tone as he turned around.


    "I want to know more about the peculiarities of my body. For example, why no monsters attacked me when I was growing up, or if I have to worry about monster hordes popping out randomly everywhere I go?"


    "Don''t worry too much. If you think monsters can sense you perfectly from across the world then you''d be greatly mistaken. I would think of it like this: what is easier to find a target in one spot or a moving target. As such most of the time you''ll run across wondering rouge monsters, but hordes will mostly treat you like a normal human. The reason that kingdom was ransacked was because they were holed up inside there too long. That horde that you decimated earlier was the result of that giant Nightstalker''s planning. As for why you had no attacks in your six years of childhood that would be because of the Queen." I turned to look at mother again when I heard Cade''s statement. I thought of all those times where I had stayed at home and cultivated while she might''ve been outside protecting me with her life. I vow to repay mother some day, but my mind was set on leaving. This may be the only way to protect her.


    I feel that father will protect mother at least seeing how he uprooted the people who plotted against her. So I needn''t worry about her for now. I just need to make sure she goes home safe and sound, and for me to accomplish that I need to make sure monsters don''t swarm them every step of the way. Resolving myself I continue to question Cade.


    "Wait, what do you mean hordes will treat me like a normal human?"


    "I''m saying that the only monsters that will recognize your importance would be those that have some intelligence and inclination to mana. Normal monsters don''t know how to control or utilize mana, so they will simply attack you if you intrude on their territory." Cade told me simply. He was quite a wellspring of information, so I continued to question him and get more out.


    "You said that that giant Nightstalker had planned to kill me what do mean?"


    "Theoretically yes, monsters with mana should be swarming over you like flies, but we don''t really know much about why monsters target reincarnated people. As for the Nightstalker it probably was afraid of your mother''s strength, so it waited for her to become weak and also give itself time to build up it''s horde." Cade''s words enlightened me on the level of intelligence I should expect from the monsters that are after me.


    "One last question, if what you said is true then wouldn''t that mean that when I went outside for the first time I would be swarmed by other monsters and not just that Nightstalker?" I wanted to conclude my questioning because it looked like Cade was getting tired of my constant queries.


    "Hmm, let me explain it like this, if you had a powerful medicine that can only be used once and would exponentially increase your abilities would you want to share it with other or keep it to yourself? Simple it killed it''s competitors." Cade shot me a light smile as he finished his analogy and quickly left the carriage seeming to fear more questions.


    I fell into thought after Cade left and started to plan my next set of actions. If Cade''s words were true the first thing I would need to do is become nomadic. Thinking so I began to plan for when I reach the next village as I left the carriage. Something was bugging me about that giant Nightstalker. If it had so meticulously planned to get me when I had left home then why did it suddenly abandon its knowledge and recklessly try to get me?


    The sounds of dragging feet fill my ears and brought me out of my thoughts as I covered my eyes and let them adjust to the sunlight. I was greeted by soot covered villagers carrying bags of scavenged items as they traveled along a dirt road towards the nearest village. Guards in armor were scattered in the crowd and warily looked around for any signs of trouble. However when everyone saw me walk out of the carriage an invisible tension rose in the air.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "Prince Glen!" Garrison''s voice broke the tension and I found the guard captain jogging towards me in full armor. He grasped my hand with a smile. The crowd saw this and returned to their marching.


    "Please don''t mind them understand that they just lost their homes and previous lives. They''re just putting unreasonable anger onto you. Consider this an apology from them." Garrison handed me a double edged sword roughly three feet long wrapped in roughed cloth. He gave me a wry smile as I took the sword and studied it a little.


    "Sorry, that''s the best one I could find. I need to go, I wish you the best. Hopefully we will meet again!" Garrison left as fast as he came and gave me no time to begin a conversation. I waved goodbye as I saw him jog back to the crowd of moving villagers.


    I returned to my thoughts as I waited for our group to move. I conversed with some of the soldiers as I moved around asking them various things. My questions ranged from things like monsters that they have fought to questions about mana and magic. Many of them seemed to want to brag more than give me reliable answers, so I quickly gave up trying to find out concrete details.


    "Prince Glen, no wait should I just call you Glen now?" Jared came over to me with a smile. Apparently Cade''s word had spread through the ranks and reached everyone''s ears.


    "I don''t mind, I''m not one to care for titles anyways. Is it time to go now?"


    "Yeah. Our destination is a larger village known as Willowsburrow." Jared gave me a simple answer as he urged me to go. Everyone was gearing up and a little after midday we set off. Cade had returned to his carriage and the knights gathered into their protective formation. Although everyone had rested, they were still on edge from the recent encounter with the Nightstalker horde.


    The village was not in the same direction that the Rivensdale villagers were headed and I was told that our journey would be at least two days. I was glad that I wouldn''t have to deal with unreasonable villagers, but I was apprehensive about the journey. What would happen if we ran into a sudden threat. I may have a single tempered Meridian and a body at the 3rd limit of the Breaking Body stage. However that means nothing in front of a truly strong monster. I was once again hit by the feeling of gaining strength only to realize that you are ultimately weak.


    I put those depressing thoughts out of my head as I begin to concentrate on myself. Technically I could begin cultivating Qi into my dantian as soon as I have a single tempered Meridian, but that would defeat the purpose of building my foundation. I need to at least temper half of the 12 main Meridians before I even begin to assail the higher levels. That is the path of cultivation; it has many paths that branch in a multitudinous amount of ways each with its own apex.


    "You look in deep thought." Chad''s voice awoke me as I found him moving next to me. I also saw the boy with him as well.


    "Did you seriously kidnap this guy?" I shot Chad a suspicious glance as I looked at the boy and him.


    "No! Geez, he came along with me besides I looked around the village to see if he had a family, but instead of accepting him most of the villagers shot disdainful looks at him. However I don''t think I can take care of him. I already have a family back in the capital to take care of." Chad looked at me with eyes full of hope as he nudged the boy closer to me. The boy was dressed in his usual rags and was holding some torn pieces of paper in his hands.


    "Denied."


    "What why!? come on Glen. He needs someone who can protect him and a family to lean on. I''ve already asked around and no one wanted to house him. You''re my last hope please." Chad whined hoping I would abide by his demands.


    "He''ll be a nuisance I cannot take him with me."


    "Not." The boy suddenly joined in the conversation as he held out the ripped paper in his hands. He urged me to take them with large eyes. He nearly stumbled on some rocks as he walked with outstretched arms. I sighed as I took the papers he presented to me and skimmed over them.


    On the pages were rough drawings of the Nightstalkers and the giant Nightstalker along with some barely legible words. He wrote in charcoal so some words were smudged and unreadable. However what I could read shocked me.


    The boy outlined the abilities of the giant Nightstalker as well as the weak points that I had noticed. Albeit roughly written and most of it was illegible I could get the gist of what he had written. The problem was that I never told him about those weaknesses. I gave the papers back to the boy and began to think a little bit.


    "Hey, you said you name was Cooper right?" Cooper nodded and Chad held a smile on his face, but I ignored him at the moment.


    "Did you draw and write those?" I pointed at the papers and asked him while studying his movements. He nodded and I gave him a smile. Normally people would give small unconscious movements when they lied. I''m no pro at studying people, but I can at least say that children are easier to read. He was telling the truth.


    "Ahem, anyways where I go is going to be wrought with danger and there is no promise of your life. However I will guarantee you one thing only. That is strength! It is the only thing I have to offer you; do you accept?" The boy simply nodded in response as Chad was celebrating near us. Originally I wouldn''t accept the kid under any circumstances, but if he has a talent in understanding monsters then I can use him. As well as my promise of strength that is the only thing I can guarantee him. Albeit I was an immortal, but I disregarded nearly everything in the pursuit of strength and even then I was only a soldier.


    "Tell me how you found out all that information." I directed this at Cooper while still disregarding Chad.


    "Don''t, know. I just, know." Cooper still had problems putting together his speech. And his ambiguous answer didn''t really answer my questions. I chose to believe him nonetheless. If he becomes a hassle I can always drop him off at the nearest village, and if he is a diamond in the rough I''ll obtain a useful ally in my struggle against hungry monsters.


    "By the way what are you going to do now that you are supposed to be dead?" Chad suddenly joined in.


    "Get stronger. I have no other goals other than survive." When I spoke Chad''s smile wavered a little.


    "Geez, you make it sound like you''re going to war..." Chad said solemnly and drew away from us slowly as night fell. Luckily we ran into no monsters on our first day and we opted to continue moving in the night with prepared torches.


    I gave Cooper a simple foundation manual through the information transfer method and told him to keep it a secret. He immediately began to study it as he grew even more unresponsive than usual. I smiled at my studious disciple and began to think about me coming future.


    Chad''s words continuously rang in my ears. I began to think that maybe what I''m doing is no different from going off to war. It''s not like I mind it I was a soldier fighting for a lost cause in my previous life. Now I am soldier for myself fighting for myself only and not some overbearing general or some unjustifiable cause! Unbeknownst to me a large grin spread across my face.

 Chapter 18- Troll!

    Chapter 18-Troll!


    We moved through the night with our torches shining the path for us. Most of us stayed quiet in the hopes that we could attract less attention. However I was the constantly observing my surroundings with the thought that we could become ambushed at any time. My mind raced with the words Cade had told me.


    No matter what he told me I couldn''t completely trust his words. Sure he had plausible reasoning pertaining to some of the more specific questions I had like why I hadn''t been attack when I was young. However I felt that he wasn''t giving me the entire truth.


    He had said that the monsters were after my blood, but that didn''t make that much sense. If monsters were after my bloodline then wouldn''t mother and father have been swarmed by waves of monsters long before I was born? Then again he did say that it wasn''t until recently they discovered the anomalies of reincarnations. And he never explained to me how he came to find the term ''reincarnation''. There were too many holes in Cade''s speech to trust him.


    However the fact that monsters are targeting something about me is a problem I can''t ignore. I would have to find out what exactly later because I need to focus on what I need to do to insure mother''s safety. The first thing to do would be to distance myself away from her to avoid dragging her into the monsters that will chase me. And it''s not like I plan to leave her in the care of my absent father, much less the untrustworthy Cade.


    The problem was I never saw Cade attack during the Nightstalker ordeal so I am in the dark about his actual strength, but if we were just to go off of the amount of mana he wouldn''t lose out to Harold. And going off the abilities Harold had showed, such as his storm of ice, I''d be hard pressed to confront him unless I had sufficient planning and even then the chances of success aren''t guaranteed since he is definitely not as reckless as the giant Nightstalker. As such I decided that I need eyes on the inside to make sure mother is protected while I build up my strength for my inevitable return. I will either force answers out or find out on my own.


    However the problem of who I can get to protect mother and give me inside information would need to be settled in these two days. While formulating my plan and thinking through how I''m going to convince my candidates I feel a tug on my right arm and find Cooper looking at me.


    "What?" Cooper was studying the cultivation technique that I gave him, so I guessed that he had a question pertaining to it.


    "Monster." Cooper said while pointing towards a tree stump 7 feet ahead of us. It was barely illuminated by the torches we held, and since we were shrouded in the blackness of night no one would pay much attention to a random tree stump.


    I was about to ask him what he meant since none of the soldiers reacted to the stump when I saw Jared jump towards the stump and stab his sword downwards into the ground around it. The ground burst open in response and a loud roar came with it. A large silhouette slowly rose out of the ground with the tree stump anchored to it''s hunched back.


    "Stump Troll! Torches quickly!!" Jared had beautifully leapt away before the Stump Troll had burst out of the ground. The knights quickly reacted to Jared''s words and they surrounded the Stump Troll in a crescent formation illuminating its features.


    The tree stump that was fused to its large hunched shoulders was one of it''s most striking features. The height of the beast reached around 8 foot with brownish skin similar to fresh dirt. The troll had stones and gravel imbedded in it''s skin while clumps of dirt fell off as it rose its body out of the ground. The troll had large arms and legs that resembled large tree trunks and its body had a rounded belly making it look like it just swallowed a boulder whole. The troll had what looked to be a small head that was positioned underneath the roots of the stump with two pebbles inserted where its eyes would be.


    I was shocked. Not because of its appearance, but the fact that I couldn''t even sense it even when we were so close! The fact that the only two who noticed such a large monster were both Cooper and Jared took me by surprise. Jared was a knight captain, so he should be able to identify the monster. However Cooper was no older than me and yet he could accurately point out that that stump was a monster. I remembered that Cooper also pointed out the Nightstalkers when I first met him I gave a slight grin. It looks like I underestimated him again.


    "Shush, it''s still asleep." Jared said in a hushed tone as he motioned for his knights to stop. His words confused me greatly. Wasn''t the Troll already standing? Hadn''t he already stabbed it?


    The Troll roared again and I expected Jared to react with a preemptive attack as I warmed up my body. However no one moved. Not Jared nor his subordinates. Not even the Troll. We just stood there in silence. I soon realized that that could''ve just been it snoring. However I didn''t have time to differentiate roars and snores as I prepped my body and waited for the Troll to start charging me.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    Contrary to my predictions the Troll began to walk away into the darkness with heavy steps, but when it looked like it had forgotten about us a sound akin to the cracking of bones rang out. Then the Troll turned around with an uncharacteristic speed and I saw a bulging bloodshot eye seen inside the tree trunk on its back. The eye eerily roved around for awhile and seemed to lock onto me.


    Then it opened the mouth on its small head and a roar that sounded much deeper than the last two. It pounded the ground with its largest legs and tore a path to me.


    "Move!!" Jared''s yelled under the sounds of the charging Troll and the knight scrambled out of its way. I was already moving out of its immediate path as I was wondering why its reaction to me was so late. Cooper was sticking close to me while looking at the Troll with eyes filled with interest instead of fear.


    I took some fire from the torches in the knight''s hands and formed a ball of crude flame roughly the size of a head. The knights reacted quickly and some took up two torches and waved them rapidly around the Troll while others were circling around it looking for any openings to insert their swords. They moved under the leadership of Jared as I stared in amazement at his commanding skills. I extinguished my ball of flames when I realized that I wouldn''t be needed in this one sided fight. It looked like it kept trying to come over in my direction, but whenever it turned its attention away from the encirclement it would receive a well timed sword into its side. Soon the rampaging Troll forfeited its life as a knight plunged their sword into its bloodshot eye on its tree stump.


    After Jared made sure the Troll had died he spoke to two knights holding torches and they ran off ahead of us. He came over here while cleaning the blood from his sword and armor.


    "Impressed?" He said with a grin. I simply nodded in response. I understand his talent in leading other better than others since I had once been a soldier.


    "Anyways I''m pretty sure you also noticed, but why did that Stump Troll keep on trying to get to you?" Jared''s grin had faded and a serious expression that he only used when he was commanding took over his face.


    "I don''t mind telling you, but didn''t Cade already explain it to you?" I was confused at his question. I had expected Cade to have told him earlier. My distrust in Cade rose a little as I checked our surroundings I waited for it to only be Jared, Cooper, and I to begin to narrate who I am. I told him that because I had been reborn into this world monsters want me. I told him most of what Cade told me and ran the word ''reincarnation'' by him, but he didn''t seem to know what I meant.


    "I see, so you have the memories of your past life and for some reason you are now being chased by monsters. That explains why the Troll woke up so abruptly... now is this the reason you are choosing to play dead? Ah don''t worry about us speaking about you we are under a spell by sir Cade that restricts us from bringing it up to those who don''t know." Jared spoke again and quelled my worries about someone spilling the information about me faking my death. I also took note that Cade''s magic might have something to do with affecting the mind. A dangerous individual indeed.


    "Part of it, I want to keep mother away from the dangers that will surround me, and I also don''t want to get involved in being the prince of Thant kingdom. However I have a proposal for you; would you be willing to listen?" I said and quickly glossed over the reasons of my departure. He gave me a quizzical look and nodded for me to continue.


    "I do not trust Cade much less the nobles of the kingdom. Can you possibly become my eyes and ears on the military matters? And whenever possible inform me on mother''s condition?" I was never one to draw things out and directly gave him my thoughts.


    "You do realize that I am a knight captain aligned with being a noble''s guard. I could report you for treason just from your words alone. Protecting you mother is one thing, but you want me to spy for you?" Jared gave a smile and stated. He didn''t really accept or deny my request, so I switched to a different method.


    "So what, it''s not like I''ll raise an army and take over Thant. I just would like to know. As for mother''s protection that is what I require more. You''d be best since I trust you and your personality seems to be more aligned to the protection of your men and the completion of your mission." Jared''s smile didn''t change throughout my explanation and when I finished he held out his hand.


    "I''ll help protect your mother as for giving you information on our military I can''t give you anything too secret, but if it is just common knowledge I don''t mind giving that away. You only need to know who we''re attacking or who''s attacking isn''t that right?" I gave him a smile in the form of a response as I grasped him hand firmly. He asked how he would get in contact with him and I gave him a simple message transferring formation that every immortal learns and just needs a small bit of mana to activate.


    After a little bit of explaining and showing him how it works Jared left and I easily gained a protector for mother. I turned to Cooper who had silently stayed by my side to find him drawing on a small piece of paper. Apparently the reveal of my identity didn''t warrant any reaction from him and writing about the newly encountered Stump Troll was more important.


    Jared suggested that the group rest due to some injuries caused by the fight with the Stump Troll earlier. And we waited for the sun to come up and illuminate our way before we returned to our journey. However I kept thinking about how the Stump Troll took awhile to notice me. I hoped that we''d meet another alone one so I can test my theories.

 Not a Chapter - an Apology

    Hello, the auther here, telling you all that I am truly sorry for leaving this story on what is basically permanent hiatus. Life hit me pretty hard when I was applying for colleges, and just dealing with all the stress of what was happening. It didn''t help that I lost my password for my account either.


    This was one of my first novels, and I am actually really proud and happy of my work. However, just looking at the story I had no idea where I was going with this. I felt like I was going to be regurgitating the same thing that all Wuxia and Zanxia novels do.


    Which is why I am currently apologizing for canceling this novel. I can''t pick off where it was, nor do I want to spend the time to try and build off the ideas that I have present. The ideas that a Cultivator was put into a world of magic and fantasy is also slightly overdone.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    First and foremost, I love writing in general. It''s calming for me to write and read what I have written, and I do enjoy hearing feedback so that I can become a better writer.


    That all being said, I still am very sorry to stop a story that never really go its feet underneath it. Instead, I''ll still be continuing to write, and, maybe one day, rewrite this, but it''ll be awhile till then.


    Again, I am sorry.


    As requested, I have two stories that I am currently writing; one is a fanfiction that doesn¡¯t follow canon in any sort of the way and is more of a way to write random things, and the other is an original that I¡¯m working on. The fanfiction is up right now. I¡¯ll get the original out later.


    Fanfiction: Out of Foxes to Give:https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/23012/out-of-foxes-to-give


    Original: Broken Kaleidoscopes:https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/23033/broken-kaleidoscopes