《The Wizard's Rise》


 Chapter 1

    Archmagus Stein hurried through the hallways of the king¡¯s palace. The wizard council¡¯s hundred-something meeting started in a few minutes, and he¡¯d overslept. His tardiness would be terrible for his potential appointment as prime magus in the future.


    Finger-combing his hair in as best as he could without a mirror, he rounded a corner and nearly crashed into a household slave. Without stopping, Stein maneuvered around her and broke into a jog again.


    As he reached the wizard¡¯s hallway, he slowed to a walk, cursing his abysmal physique. His watch read 6:58, and a few stragglers were still entering the atrium. He breathed a sigh of exhaustion and relief, then followed them inside.


    A domed ceiling encapsulated the huge room. Ornate windows and gems lined the walls and floors. A massive table sat at the front of the room, surrounded by chairs. Stein took his seat in-between two other archmagi. Regular wizards and magi sat on benches surrounding them, talking to each other.


    At exactly 7:00, the man at the head of the table stood. A bald head, middle-aged face, and blue robes adorned him. ¡°Silence,¡± he said. His words, despite being spoken quietly, seemed to spread throughout the room almost supernaturally. Immediately, the clamor fizzled out.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he continued. ¡°The one hundred and fifty-fifth meeting of the wizard council has begun. We are gathered here, as I am sure many of you already know, to discuss the matter of former archmagus Krell. He has escalated his acts of terrorism and garnered a significant number of followers. The king has deemed him a national threat. Thus, the wizard council has been ordered to come up with measures to remove him. I will now open up discussion to the archmagi.¡±


    As soon as he sat down, a young man to his right stood up. ¡°Thank you, prime magus. To protect our citizens as much as possible, I believe that it¡¯d be helpful to lead Krell into a trap. He has made demands for drastic reformations, so we must humor him, at least partially.¡±


    Next, an old man rose. ¡°True, archmagus Tyron, but we must be sure that we can take him by surprise. Some of us remember Krell when he was an archmagus, and we know that he is cautious to a fault. We would have to organize a situation in which he truly believes an agreement will be formed.¡±


    The discussion continued for hours, with frequent breaks in-between. Stein pitched in several times, offering advice on the best method to detain Krell. At last, they came to a decision. It would take weeks to set up, but it was the easiest and safest option available.


    ¡­


    The prime magus met Krell according to their agreement, in a completely isolated cave in the inhospitable Field of Nix. Obviously, previous presence there was prohibited, to ensure that there were no traps.


    Stein was one of two archmagi with the prime magus. He was a new archmagus, and pretty young at that, so he¡¯d never met the famed Krell. Suffice to say, he was a little disappointed.


    Krell wasn¡¯t short, but he definitely wasn¡¯t tall. Not even average height. His black hair framed his young, handsome face and lackluster body. The two people beside him were more of what Stein had expected. Huge, stone-cold behemoths that looked like they could tear mountains in half.


    ¡°Karl.¡± Krell said. Stein realized that it was the prime magus¡¯s name.


    ¡°Krell, it is good to see you again,¡± the prime magus responded flatly. ¡°How is Melissa?¡±


    Krell¡¯s face twitched. ¡°Let¡¯s get to business. You wanted to discuss details? Has the king finally accepted the inevitable?¡±


    The prime magus looked down for a moment. ¡°No, he has not.¡±


    Krell tilted his head. ¡°Then what am I doing h--¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, two more archmagi appeared in the room. One held a massive rune in his hands. Immediately, the cave erupted into chaos.


    Krell¡¯s guards could do nothing in the face of the prime magus¡¯s invisible magic, and slumped to the floor in seconds. The archmagus holding a mobile sealing rune moved toward Krell, who remained motionless.


    The rune was the first of its kind, developed by the prime magus and a few archmagi specializing in runic magic. It carried a seal that would otherwise have to be carved into stone and demand a huge number of catalysts.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Karl, you did this?¡± Shock and hurt were evident in Krell¡¯s voice.


    The archmagus pushed the rune against the nape of his neck, and Krell¡¯s body went limp. His magic fought back, but the seal was optimized to suppress individual mana sources.


    ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to understand,¡± the prime magus replied, in perhaps the greatest show of regret and emotion Stein had ever seen. ¡°Goodbye, Damien.¡±


    ¡­


    After that, there was darkness. My body no longer existed, but neither did any humanly chains. I felt no anger, no sadness, not even regret. It felt odd to experience such a thing, and I searched my mind for answers. But I couldn¡¯t stay focused for long. Much of my existence was spent reliving memories of my life. Reflecting on past actions.


    I had no perception of time, but that didn¡¯t bother me. Was I at peace?CouldI be at peace? Nevertheless, it passed.


    One day, there was something. A pinprick of light in the middle of my vision. There was no mistaking it in the complete darkness. I felt curiosity, which grew with the speck of light.


    I reached out, tried to take a closer look. But I couldn¡¯t. I felt sadness, then regret. The light slowly expanded until it filled almost half of my vision. Then it burst out and shoved the darkness away. A horrifying, otherworldly pain enveloped me, and I shrunk away in confusion.


    The light disappeared abruptly, and darkness returned. But this darkness was different, not as oppressive as before. And this time, I felt something.


    I opened my eyes and was met with almost painfully bright light. Sensations that I¡¯d long forgotten returned to me--pain, hearing, touch. I was lying on something stiff and hard, and remained motionless long enough for my eyes and body to become acclimated.


    When I could finally see, I looked around. I was in a spacious room built by wood. A man was sitting on a bed situated near a wall. He stared at me, his eyes wide in fear. I used a bit of magic to ease myself to my feet.


    ¡°A--are you a demon?¡± the man stammered, hiding his body with a thick blanket.


    I felt confused at his words. A demon? I looked nothing like one. ¡°I am not,¡± I responded evenly, ¡°but I¡¯d like to ask you a few questions.¡±


    The man inched the blanket off his face. ¡°So you aren¡¯t gonna kill me and Laurel?¡±


    ¡°Not if you don¡¯t give me a reason to.¡± It¡¯d be better if he was a little fearful.


    He nodded stiffly. ¡°What do you want to know?¡±


    ¡°What year is it?¡± An odd question, but the man thought I was a demon. He¡¯d probably understand.


    ¡°Year t--twelve forty-one.¡±


    I struggled to keep the surprise off my face. It was year 457 when I was sealed, so that¡¯d mean almost 800 years had passed. Unless¡­ ¡°What country is this?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Proxia,¡± the man squeaked out. He fidgeted with his blanket.


    I froze. I¡¯d never heard of that country before. Even stranger, he seemed to speak the same language that I did. ¡°Do you have a map?¡±


    He shook his head, and fear sprang to his face again. ¡°The m--maps are in the cartographer¡¯s shop, I can¡¯t afford one.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you tell me how to get there, I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± The man was very eager to help. Apparently, I was in a small town on a hill surrounded by a large forest. He even gave me directions to the nearest cities. A few more threats even ensured that he wouldn¡¯t send any guards after me.


    The man¡¯s house practically touched the tiny gravel road. The road was empty, although I could hear some commotion further down. It was dark out, and a cold breeze blew through my leather clothes.


    I slid to the ground, my back against the wall. Karl had lied to me. Melissa was gone. My uprising had probably failed. I didn¡¯t even know where I was.


    But if the seal had broken, it meant that anyone involved in its construction was either dead or mana-crippled. Maybe something had gone right.


    After taking a few minutes, I reluctantly got up and headed in the direction of the cartographer¡¯s shop. Torches lined the sides of the street, which was strange. They were horribly inefficient compared to light enchantments. Maybe magic was undeveloped in this country?


    The shop was closed, which I should¡¯ve expected. This was a tiny town by the looks of it, so it was probably run by one person. After looking around to make sure I was alone, I coaxed the door open with a bit of force magic.


    The lock clicked quickly, and I was once again surprised. There wasn¡¯t even a magic enhancement on it. I sent a wave of force to make sure there were no traps or people inside before I was satisfied.


    Inside was completely dark, and I conjured up a bit of light to see better. After that, it wasn¡¯t very hard to find some maps. What I saw confused me even more.


    I didn¡¯t recognize a single country. Even major landmasses looked different. But, somehow, I could read the writing perfectly. Although, when I looked closer at it, something was off. Wrong.


    I wouldn¡¯t have noticed it if I hadn¡¯t scrutinized the writing, but the characters were completely different than any language I knew. And when I knew that, I realized that the man I encountered spoke the same way.


    The implications of something like this were crazy. Deception magic of huge power had to be used for someone with my trained mind. It was somehow infused with packets of magic containing knowledge of an entire language. Not only that, but I somehow didn¡¯t notice even when speaking the language. It was revolutionary.

 Chapter 2

    I sighed and eased myself into a chair. The most likely explanation was that someone had done all of it. And I had no idea why. None of the magi had any motive, because they sealed me. But there was no one else who¡¯d even have anything close to this kind of power, and it¡¯d take decades, at best, to develop it. So someone was out there, and helped me, presumably, for whatever reason. I figured the best course of action would be to track them down. Maybe they¡¯d know what was going on. I couldn¡¯t find any mana traces on my body, but that was probably partially because I was always awful in detection magic. Though, I was able to get a read on a bit of the mana signature, and looked through my body for any more of a similar type. It turned out that the deception I¡¯d already found was the only source there.


    There were many maps of Proxia lying around. The country was set to the west of an ocean and east of a mountain range labelled ¡®Ruhr Tribesmen¡¯. It was quite small compared to the countries lying to its north and south. The capital, Taron, wasn¡¯t too far from where I was, so I decided to head that way.


    I put the maps back, then quietly left the tiny shop. Thankfully, there were no issues, and I found the road leading out of the village with little difficulty. Briefly, I wondered if there was any way that I could speed up my travels, but decided to stick with with walking. I didn¡¯t want to draw attention to myself by flying, and I had no local currency to buy a horse. Stealing without knowing the repercussions wasn¡¯t the best idea, either.


    So I set out, allowing myself to use the simplest of light magic, as well as minimally augmenting my legs with force magic--just enough to keep myself running for a large amount of time.


    The first few hours went smoothly--the plains by the road transitioned into a more hilly landscape with some woods to the left. That¡¯s when I saw a faint, flickering light off in the trees.


    As I drew closer, I heard some distinctly human voices. It seemed like some people were camping for the night, so I decided to walk past them. But then, I heard a louder voice.


    ¡°Is that someone on the road?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± another man responded. ¡°Hey, wait a minute!¡± He was talking to me.


    I debated running off--they wouldn¡¯t be able to catch me on foot, and it¡¯d take too long to get on a horse. But I didn¡¯t want anyone knowing about me. I wanted to be invisible, at least until I learned a little more. So, I decided not to risk it.


    ¡°Yes?¡± I said loudly.


    Leaves crunched as a few men walked out to the road. Two were soldiers, armed with swords and dress emblazoned with some type of bird. The last was middle-aged, dressed in finer cloth--he was probably a nobleman.


    ¡°Are you alone?¡± The nobleman asked, frowning. ¡°Do you have a horse?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m just walking to Scopt. I don¡¯t live very far away.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°What? It¡¯s the middle of the night. Are you aware that there are bandits and creatures around?¡±


    I grimaced. Maybe this wasn¡¯t the best idea. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s quite alright. I¡¯ve travelled like this many times and have never seen a bandit in my life.¡±


    The man nodded, but looked unconvinced. At that moment, a lady decided to show up. She looked to be the same age as him, so she was likely his wife.


    ¡°Tom, honey, what¡¯s going on? Who is this?¡±


    ¡°Just a traveller.¡± He looked back at me again, and apparently decided to give up. ¡°Well, have a safe trip. Goodnight.¡±


    I nodded, then walked down the road some distance before casting a light again.


    ¡­The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    By the time the sun had come up, I was almost to the city. I¡¯d used some water magic to satiate myself, but doing the same for food wasn¡¯t possible. It looked like I was going to have to find a source of currency sometime soon.


    Up ahead the woods and plains transitioned into meadows and hills. As I drew closer, I finally saw Scopt--the most populated city near the capital.


    It was huge, situated on a hill and bigger than many cities of my country, Regence. Traffic seemed to be picking up at this time of day, and people walked in and out of the massive wall. I slowed to a walk and joined the main road.


    As I drew closer, the wall caught my attention. It had to be at least fifty feet high, but that wasn¡¯t what I¡¯d noticed. There were magical reinforcements on them--and they were incredibly strong. Elemental earth magic, different runes of fortification, failsafes, and the such. It would even give Regence¡¯s capital a run for its money.


    I thought about what that meant. It seemed like the magic I came across--the deception used against me, the defensive measures--they were strong. The weird thing was that it was so rare.


    Soon, I got to the gate. A squadron of guards waved me and a few others through. I was given a few odd looks, which was probably due to the fact that I was alone and without transport, but other than that, I managed to get through without a hitch.


    As soon as I passed between stone walls, it was like the world had transformed. The quiet, fresh air from outside turned into a raucous, awful-smelling mess. There were dozens of street vendors spread out on the wide, stone street, selling everything from food to clothes.


    I hesitated for a moment. Crowds were always hard for me--way too many people in a tiny area. I acclimated, though, and kept my head down as I walked through the street.


    The first thing I needed to do was find a source of income. Hopefully to pay for something better than the disgusting inns I had seen so far. The first thing that came to mind was magic--creating some enchantments or force augmentations--but I put that on hold. For all I knew, magic could be illegal here. I needed to look around first to learn anything I could.


    I went to the side of the road and saw a kid sitting against a building. He was eating some bread and looked to be around sixteen years old. I walked up to him and waved to get his attention. ¡°Hey, kid.¡±


    A look of concern flashed across his face, but he seemed relieved after looking up and seeing me. ¡°Whad¡¯ya want?¡± he asked, in between mouthfuls of bread.


    ¡°Do you happen to know where I could find a library?¡±


    He seemed confused, but pointed deeper into the city. ¡°Just go over there and ask some more people.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said. I turned to leave, but he stood up.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you around the city, actually, if you pay me.¡±


    The kid probably thought I was wealthy. ¡°Sorry, I have no money on me. I can¡¯t pay.¡±


    He scowled and turned away. I took that as my invitation to leave, and headed in the direction he pointed me in.


    The environment gradually became cleaner, more organized. The peddlers looked wealthier, the inns were nicer, and the crowd had thinned out. I passed what looked to be a park, as well as some larger buildings such as schools and banks. In the distance, I caught sight of an enormous castle with rising over every other structure. That was likely the local government.


    Soon, I reached a large open area where a crowd was gathering. In the middle, a wooden platform supported a large, animated man. I drew closer to hear what he was saying.


    ¡°--then I¡¯ve got just the thing for you! Ladies and gentlemen, two purebred elves from the country of Sveldan itself!¡±


    The crowd clapped, and another man brought two chained beings up the stairs to the platform. A boy and girl, both tall, with blond hair and elongated ears.


    I froze. I¡¯d never heard of an elf before, but judging by the two on the platform, it seemed that they were a different race. Maybe a subspecies of a human. The people gathered were very excited, though, and the cheering rose to a roar.


    ¡°Alright, folks! Bidding will start at one silver for the boy, and two for the lady.¡± Immediately, a fierce bidding war began. Anger blossomed in my heart as the man¡¯s words triggered a memory from several years ago.


    I strolled through the capital¡¯s marketplace with a few friends, celebrating my induction as an archmagus. We went around and bought a bunch of useless trinkets for the hell of it, intent on having a good time. That¡¯s when we saw the slave auction. A bunch of chained-up kids and adults, taken from poor countries.


    When we passed, the lively chatter between my friends died down, and they looked away in shame. That memory was etched into my mind for the rest of my life. I spared a glance up, and saw a six or seven-year-old girl being brought up. She looked terrified, probably only holding back tears for fear of what would happen if she cried. I felt anger and sadness, but most of all, shame. Shame that I¡¯d done nothing. I¡¯d told myself that I couldn¡¯t do anything, that nothing would matter. But seeing my friends act the way they did, I made a resolution.


    Soon after, I bought that girl. She didn¡¯t have a name, so I chose Melissa.

 Chapter 3

    I ground my teeth. Slavery was the same anywhere you went. I was so close to killing everyone there that my body was practically flooding with magic. But I couldn¡¯t. There was no possibility for subtlety, and I had no plan. It was suicide. I clenched my fists and walked past the crowd.


    It ended up taking the better part of an hour to find the library. The building was relatively small, but I¡¯d take what I could get. An older woman sat, reading, at a desk near the entrance.


    ¡°Hi,¡± I said shortly.


    She jumped, my voice seeming to break her immersion and returned her to reality. ¡°Oh, hello,¡± she said, looking up at me. ¡°The fee is twenty coppers a day.¡±


    I frowned. It didn¡¯t occur to me that I might have to pay. Most of the libraries back in Regence were run by their counties, so people could visit them for free. ¡°Can I not look through the books for free? I don¡¯t intend on buying any.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she said, frowning in impatience, ¡°why would you be able to?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Nevermind. Are you looking to hire, by any chance?¡±


    Looking up at me again, she replied, ¡°Maybe. You¡¯ll have to talk to Mr. Frake, he owns this library. He¡¯s in his office right now.¡± She pointed to a door to the right of her desk.


    I nodded, then walked over and knocked on the door. After a few seconds, a loud voice spoke. ¡°Yeah?¡±


    I opened the door and went inside. The voice belonged to a scholarly looking, overweight man doing some paperwork behind a desk. He looked up as soon as I came in. ¡°Can I help you?¡±


    I plastered a smile onto my face. ¡°Yes, actually. I¡¯m looking for work, and heard that there might be an open position here.¡±


    ¡°We do indeed have a job for you,¡± he proclaimed loudly. ¡°Organizing and sorting books, a daytime job. Have you got experience?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve worked in a library before.¡± No lie there. Student librarian was a coveted position back when I was studying magic.


    ¡°Great!¡± the man practically yelled. ¡°The pay is fifty coppers a day.¡±


    I had no idea how the currency worked here yet, so I just nodded. It didn¡¯t seem like he was ripping me off. ¡°Sure, that¡¯ll work.¡±


    ¡°You can start today. Marie will show you what has to be done.¡± He talked a little more about the job and gave me a literacy test, then directed me back out to Marie. My job was pretty straightforward--basically just checking and sorting books, plus a bit of cleaning. It was far more tedious work than I was used to. I had always been an energetic person, never able to stay still for too long. The monotonous work was incredibly frustrating.


    I was, however, able to read quite a bit, most of it being history. The information was quite disturbing, and I found myself with more questions than before. The world history was interesting, but completely different. Gods and goddesses seemed to play a huge part in it, from the establishment of countries to the destruction of entire species. The fact that corporeal deities were written about in history books seemed weirder than it actually was--people seemed to idolize exceedingly powerful, albeit mortal, individuals. Over time, history became misshapen, becoming almost myths.


    Once, I had even come across a village that practically worshipped the prime magus. But, still, not everything had answers.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Everything that I¡¯d seen so far--a different global structure, countries, species, and now history suggested something that I wasn¡¯t sure I liked. I almost didn¡¯t want to entertain the idea. But my best guess was that I, somehow, had been moved to another world.


    A few countries and religions suggested the idea of reincarnation, but this was entirely different than what I believe they meant. Then again, no human being had come out of a seal before. There was also the matter of astrology. Philosophers had suggested that it was possible, even probable, for planets like Earth to exist in the universe.


    So, of course, many new questions came to mind. Could I go back? Why was I here? Did something bring me to this planet, and were they connected to my understanding of the language? I was never keen on abstract concepts, so I was in way over my head.


    Sitting down, I thought about Melissa. She was probably enrolled in a magic academy by now. I tried not to worry about her, because I knew that Katrina would take care of her. Melissa was the only person I loved, and I had to return to her. Doubts invaded my mind--even if I could get back, what was to say that three hundred years hadn¡¯t passed already? I banished those thoughts. There was no point in getting caught up in maybe¡¯s, my goal remained the same. I needed to find the person or thing that could help me.


    By the time the sun was setting, I was exhausted. After getting my money, I headed back out onto the street. Marie had suggested an inn called Dreamer¡¯s Tavern when I asked her. She¡¯d warmed up to me over the day, and had proven to be a great source of local knowledge.


    First, however, I had an idea I wanted to test. The traffic had gone down outside, so the roads were mostly clear. I walked up to a weapon vendor who had on display an array of swords and daggers.


    ¡°How much for your cheapest longsword?¡± I asked.


    The man looked up at me and grunted. ¡°Don¡¯t look much like a swordsman.¡±


    I motioned impatiently. ¡°Hurry up or I¡¯ll find someone else to buy from.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± he scowled, bringing up a sword. ¡°This one here is blunt as all hell, and I reckon it¡¯ll crack soon. Twenty coppers.¡±


    I feigned annoyance.¡°What? For that piece of junk? The highest I¡¯ll pay is fifteen.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°Fine, take it.¡±


    We completed the exchange, and I walked away with a glorified hunk of metal. Next, I made my way to Dreamer¡¯s Tavern, a smaller but clean building not too far from the library.


    A ruckus greeted me when I pushed open the door. The base floor was crowded with a bunch of heavily-inebriated drinkers. My eyes were drawn to the serving counter, where a young man and woman were taking orders and serving food. The man was normal; the girl, however, was interesting. She looked much more muscular than a human, with light, tan-colored fur layering her arms and hands. A faint magical aura diffused into the air around her.


    I walked up to the counter, curiosity overpowering caution. I wanted to question her, but the man next to her caught my eyes and stepped forward. ¡°Hello, sir, how may I help you?¡± he asked.


    I hid my annoyance. ¡°I¡¯d like a room.¡±


    ¡°Very good, sir. A room with one bed costs thirty coppers a night. Food is included, of course,¡± he smiled.


    I handed him most of my remaining money, and he passed me a key. ¡°Mindi, get him a dish.¡±


    Mindi, the strange girl from earlier, handed me a plate filled with bread and meat. I accepted the food, taking the time to examine her aura more closely. It was a series of deceptively simple enchantments that seemed to take ambient mana and convert it into raw strength.


    I think I understood what was going on. Different species were endemic to different countries, and any in conflict were subject to slavery. It was certainly something to think about.


    After finishing my food, I headed to my room. It was pretty much what I¡¯d expected--basically a wooden box with a mattress. I took out the sword I¡¯d been carrying and looked closely at it. This was the easiest way to make money that I¡¯d thought of.


    Putting a force augmentation on the blade wasn¡¯t hard, as I¡¯d done so many times. All I had to do was channel mana, manipulate it into raw force, then jam it into an object. There were definitely many more complexities, but that never bothered me. I was a natural, like almost everyone I met said.


    I allowed a small smile to creep up to my face. In a way, operating ¡®undercover¡¯ was a relief--nobody treated me like I was some sort of god, nobody threw themself at me in hopes of gaining more power.


    After making sure the enchantment fine, I got rid of my mana signature and leakage. That was a bit harder, as I was obsessed with making it perfect. Still, it didn¡¯t take long. Once I was finished, I put the sword away and collapsed onto my bed.

 Chapter 4

    The next day was pretty normal--I spent the day working and reading, picking up knowledge of different races and such. It surprised me to learn that humans were not the strongest creatures; instead, they were far from it. Unlike many other species, humans had a very difficult time learning magic, and, even when they did, they had no hopes of competing with stronger beings.


    That confused me a little, because I was a human, and so was every other sentient being on my world. The humans here were incredibly weak--even the warrior or uncommon mage I¡¯d seen barely had any detectable magic. Even commoners back home would give them a run for their money. I was no magic philosopher, but the fact that the same species would have such a huge disparity in power potential was strange.


    Elves, like the ones I¡¯d seen being sold into slavery, were most notably known for their incredible elemental magic. They were the ¡®purest¡¯ beings, and seemed to have descended from a powerful god. Meanwhile, beastkin, such as the one I¡¯d seen before, were all different in appearance and power. Still, their most impressive characteristic was strength.


    Apparently, humans were still alive only because of their massive population and their pantheon¡¯s patronage. The information about deities became weirder and weirder, so I decided to talk to Marie. The conversation was a little awkward, because I didn¡¯t want to show my complete absence of knowledge, but it seemed to be common knowledge that gods and goddesses were corporeal beings.


    At first, I had thought that the gods were just stronger humans, but with more information, it seemed less likely. If these beings truly lived for hundreds of years, they could be another race altogether. Considering the multitude of other species on this planet already, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if that were the case.


    I decided to visit a church once I¡¯d finished my job. Marie directed me to the most popular temple in the city, a huge building in the middle of the city.


    Everything was pristine. No beggars, vendors, or even poor-looking individual was around, and the multitude of guards made sure it stayed that way. The temple was the biggest, most ornate building I¡¯d seen, and built in an arch.


    People went in and out constantly, so I didn¡¯t need to try to lessen my presence. The tiled floor opened up into a massive, crowded room. Huge stone statues were placed along the walls, each giving off a regal aura.


    They were gods and goddesses. Dozens of people crouched below each of them, making offerings or kowtowing. Towards the middle were three statues that were much larger than the rest. A beautiful woman, whose arms were spread out in a kind gesture; a muscular, shirtless man, holding a massive axe; and a tall, robed figure with a huge staff in hand.


    I had read of them--they were the three strongest deities in the humans¡¯ pantheon. The woman, Myenta, embodied fertility, love, and health; the man, Dyktia, represented strength and resilience; and the robed being, Olmera, encompassed human intelligence and mentality.


    While I was still thinking, silence filled the room. I looked up and saw a white light coming from Olmera¡¯s statue. Everyone around it had stopped what they were doing and knelt.


    The light continued to grow in intensity, and I had to shield my eyes.Then it vanished, and a man stood in its place. Tall, handsome, and dressed in a robe, he gave off the feeling of perfection. Greater than that, though, was his aura. His magical energy was massive, similar in quantity to my own. It filled the air around him in an arrogant manner, like a noble would.


    I was caught by such surprise that I forgot about my own magic. I had let it roam around cautiously, thinking that nobody would detect it.


    The man¡¯s aura paused when it reached mine--I was too slow in reeling it in. He turned and stared at me. Eventually, he frowned and looked away, directing his attention towards the people kneeling in front of him.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Olmera is grateful for your dedication. I must travel to the capital.¡± He took a step forward, then paused. ¡°War looms on the horizon. I suggest you prepare.¡± Then, he vanished.


    The room erupted into movement again. Excited conversations sparked up, and many people hurried to leave. I moved to follow, but was intercepted by two guards.


    The first looked furious. ¡°You didn¡¯t kneel in front of His Supremacy Nolan! What were you thinking?¡±


    Oh, shit. I guess I didn¡¯t. I tried to answer, but the second guard interrupted me. ¡°We could throw you in a cell for a week. Pray tell, what was going on in your mind? The demi-god of Justice appears, and you disrespect our entire city?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± I tipped my head downward and feigned regret. ¡°I couldn¡¯t react, I was surprised. I meant no disrespect.¡±


    The first guard still looked like he wanted to kill me, but the second one seemed more understanding. ¡°Make sure you don¡¯t do it again.¡± He caught the first one¡¯s eyes and shook his head.


    I thanked both of them, then hurried out of the building. The demi-god had definitely seen my magic, but didn¡¯t seem hostile. Either way, I needed to be more careful. Although, wouldn¡¯t that work for me? I wanted to figure out what these gods or goddesses knew of my situation--I needed to think about it.


    The sky was darkening, and I still needed to deal with the sword I had modified. It didn¡¯t take much work to find a blacksmithy near the center of the city.


    There were no customers inside, but I heard banging coming from the back room. I unslung the sword I was holding and rung the bell on the counter. The sounds from the back stopped immediately, and an older, muscular man emerged.


    ¡°Hello there,¡± he greeted me warmly. ¡°What can I do for you?¡±


    I placed the sword down. ¡°I¡¯d like this appraised and sold. It doesn¡¯t look like much, but the weapon itself is powerful.¡±


    He nodded, wiping his hands and lifting up the sword. ¡°The blade looks dull. Give me a minute here, and I¡¯ll see about testing its strength.¡± Taking out a large rock, he ran the sword up and down the edge.


    After a few seconds, his eyes widened. ¡°Well, you were certainly right about its power. If you don¡¯t mind my asking, what material is this blade made out of?¡±


    I¡¯d suspected the question. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a secret. I could get more of them, though.¡± His head shot up. We both knew what that meant. If he didn¡¯t buy them from me, I¡¯d go to other blacksmithies, his competitors. And if they could sell them for a cheaper price, his business would be hurt.


    ¡°You want to make a deal with me then?¡± he asked hopefully.


    ¡°I do. Forty coppers for each weapon I bring to you. Call it a discount.¡± I¡¯d looked around his shop while waiting and figured that a sword of the same quality was around 80 coppers. The price meant that he¡¯d resell the weapons at a lower price and still make a profit. Hopefully, it¡¯d become popular, and I¡¯d be able to sell him more.


    He nodded after a few seconds. Only a fool would reject the deal, and we both knew it. ¡°It¡¯s a deal then. The name¡¯s Doug, by the way. Doug Donnelly.¡±


    I smiled. ¡°Damien Krell.¡± We shook hands, and I walked away with 40 coppers. The arrangement was a relatively safe and efficient way to make money, but there was the issue of time. I¡¯d have to go around and find cheap swords to augment. And if people found out I was reselling them, it wouldn¡¯t be good.


    Lost in thought, I almost didn¡¯t notice the commotion going on ahead. The sound of a struggle was coming from down an alley. Two men cornered a teenager. I hesitated, but decided not to get involved--I doubted they¡¯d kill the kid. Something stopped me from walking away, though. Curious, I looked back down the alley and realized I knew the kid--he was the one who¡¯d given me directions to the library. It wouldn¡¯t be too bad if I just scared them off, right? I didn¡¯t have to kill them with magic.


    ...PoV Change...


    I glared at the two guys in front me. They were going ballistic over a couple pieces of lost bread. It¡¯s not like they needed it. With the quality of their clothes, I wouldn¡¯t think it¡¯d be worth their time to do anything. I was wrong, of course. What¡¯s better than being able to beat a kid up without repercussions?


    ¡°Hey now, what¡¯s with that look?¡± One of the men thrusted his fist into my stomach. Excruciating pain filled my body, and I slumped to the ground.


    ¡°Fuck you,¡± I breathed out. The man frowned. He lifted me up and punched again. My stomach churned, and I threw up. All over his shirt.


    ¡°What the fuck? Do you know how much this costs?¡± He backhanded me repeatedly. ¡°I¡¯ll make you pay for it.¡±


    My vision started blurring, and the second guy decided to speak up. ¡°Jarrod, I think that¡¯s enough. If you kill him, the guards¡¯ll be all over it, and it¡¯ll cost a lot to pay them off again.¡±


    Jarrod¡¯s face contorted. ¡°I don¡¯t care. This thieving piece of shit deserves to die. I¡¯ll be doing the city a favor.¡±

 Chapter 5

    A new voice interrupted them. ¡°Now, that¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s leave it at that.¡± I strained my head upward to see who it was. Walking towards us was a familiar-looking man. After a bit of thought, I realized that he was the wealthy guy who¡¯d asked me for directions to a library.


    My stomach dropped. He wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything against the two of them. I wanted to tell him to run, to get the guards, but my voice wouldn¡¯t work.


    ¡°And who¡¯re you?¡± Jarrod asked. He let go of my collar, and I fell to the ground.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. Now, will you leave the kid be, or do things need to get violent?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re gonna join him,¡± Jarrod retorted. He glanced at the other man. ¡°Daryl, come on.¡± Daryl looked reluctant, but decided to help his friend, and stepped forward.


    Jarrod initiated, running forward and jabbing quickly. He may have been a rich bastard, but he knew martial arts. I turned away and waited for the inevitable, but to my surprise, I heard Jarrod grunt. I looked up. The man was holding Jarrod¡¯s fist like it was nothing. Then, he grabbed his head with his other hand and smashed him into the stone wall.


    My mouth fell open. Jarrod clutched his bleeding head and took a wobbly step backwards, while Daryl stood frozen.


    ¡°Are you done now?¡± the man asked, his voice even. ¡°If not, we can continue.¡± Jarrod looked at him, then bolted out of the alley. Daryl followed.


    After they ran, my vision started clouding. I vaguely heard a voice by my ears, but I was too weak to understand it. The world around me faded until I could see nothing but darkness.


    ¡­


    I tried sitting up, but an excruciating pain in my chest stopped me from moving. A warm, comfortable feeling enveloped my body. I looked around carefully, realizing that I was lying on a bed.


    Surprise and confusion mixed together, and I shot out of the bed, ignoring the pain. The room I was in was empty, excluding the mattress. Before I could make a move for the door, though, it opened.


    The man--the one that saved me--walked in, holding a plate of food. ¡°Oh,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡±


    I nodded, relieved. If he didn¡¯t have good intentions, I¡¯d probably be dead. But why did he bother saving me? And how? My chest was aching, so I sat back down.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I offered. My stomach growled, and I found my attention being drawn towards the food.


    He smiled. It was a warm smile, an honest one. His eyes tracked my line of sight down to the food. ¡°Oh right, I suppose you¡¯d be hungry. Here.¡± He handed me the plate. My hands instinctively reached out to grab it, but I resisted.


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked, hesitating. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to pay you back.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Consider it repayment for helping me.¡± He remembered. I stared at the food, then looked back up at his face.


    ¡°Well?¡± he said. ¡°My arm¡¯s getting tired.¡± My eyes widened. He was still holding out the plate. I moved to grab it, and devoured the meat in seconds.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    He laughed and sat down next to me. The closeness made my body tense up, and he looked at me with concern. ¡°Am I too close?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± I said quickly. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m just not used to people...near me.¡± I dropped my eyes. Way to make an impression.


    But to my surprise, he just nodded. ¡°What¡¯s your name? I¡¯m Damien. Damien Krell.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Theo,¡± I said. ¡°I never knew my last name.¡±


    ¡°So,¡± he said, ¡°would you like to work for me?¡±


    ...PoV Change¡­


    I was reluctant to hire Theo, both because of my financial situation and his background. It was the day after he¡¯d been beaten up, and I¡¯d tasked him with going around and buying cheap swords. I hadn¡¯t given much money in case he decided to run, but it didn¡¯t seem like he would. People were products of their environment, so it would be cruel to dismiss Theo without trusting him first.


    Once I¡¯d finished work at the library, I walked directly to the tavern. It didn¡¯t seem like I¡¯d need to keep the tedious job for much longer, seeing as the enchanting was doing so well.


    Theo was waiting outside my door, and I felt happy knowing he hadn¡¯t betrayed my trust. ¡°Theo,¡± I greeted, unlocking the room and waving him inside. He was carrying a couple of swords and a spear, which was more than I¡¯d be able to buy with the same money.


    ¡°Mr. Krell,¡± he said. I frowned. It was a little ridiculous to be annoyed by such a small thing, but I absolutely hated honorifics.


    ¡°Damien,¡± I corrected. He hesitated, then nodded. ¡°Now, can I see the weapons?¡± Theo placed them on the bed and stepped back, fidgeting with his hands. The movement showed that he was nervous, which was good, because it meant he was taking the job seriously.


    I hadn¡¯t figured out what to do with the enchantments yet. If Theo was working for me, he¡¯d find out about my magic, even if I didn¡¯t let him see it. That was one of the good things of picking up someone like him, though. He likely didn¡¯t have any friends or family. It would pain me to do so, but if need be, I could kill him without repercussions. With that thinking in mind, I made my decision.


    ¡°Theo.¡± He perked up. ¡°I¡¯m going to explain some things to you, and many of them I¡¯d like to remain secret. You have the chance to leave now. I¡¯ll even give you fifty coppers for your time. However, if you stay, you¡¯ll be sworn to secrecy. If I determine you to be untrustworthy, I will kill you. What is your choice?¡± A little harsh, but it got the message across.


    ¡°I agree,¡± he said. I paused. He¡¯d barely given it five seconds of thought.


    ¡°Wait,¡± I interrupted, ¡°You should take more time to think this through. This decision will change your life.¡±


    Theo shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t need to. My life was a...well, I didn¡¯t have a life. Even if I die, at least it would be meaningful.¡±


    My heart softened. ¡°Alright, as long as you know what you¡¯re getting into.¡± I motioned towards the weapons. ¡°You¡¯re probably wondering what I¡¯m doing with these, so I¡¯ll show you. But first, let me ask this. What do you know about magic?¡±


    His brows knit together. ¡°Well, um, not much. The gods and demi-gods use it. There are some wizards too, but all they can do is create lights and stuff.¡±


    I nodded. From what I¡¯d gathered, that was pretty common knowledge. ¡°Then this should be a surprise to you. Watch.¡± I brought my hands up in front of me, and started channeling lightning magic between them. White lightning arced and crackled gently across my fingers in a controlled fashion.


    Theo¡¯s mouth had fallen open, and he stood frozen. For someone who hadn¡¯t known about magic, it was probably an appropriate reaction. I had no idea what I¡¯d do if I couldn¡¯t use it.


    After a few seconds, I cut the lightning off. It was my second-highest magic, barely falling behind force. It might have been almost completely impossible for me to use any other type of magic, but I was lucky. In fact, if my skill had been a little lower, I¡¯d have been forced to become a battle-mage.


    ¡°Okay,¡± he finally said, rubbing his eyes. ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°If you have any questions, ask them now,¡± I said.


    He hesitated for a moment, then replied, ¡°No, I¡¯m good, I--I don¡¯t want to bother you.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s your choice.¡± I was a little happy at his response, though. Even if he¡¯d been exposed to magic for the first time, he didn¡¯t want to be a nuisance.


    I picked up one of the swords and examined it. ¡°My goal is to make money by augmenting weapons. The enchantments will be weak enough so that the magic will be undetectable.¡± Theo nodded, so I explained a bit more.

 Chapter 6

    Not even a week passed before things began going wrong. Ever since the demi-god Nolan had appeared, people had been talking about a war. Apparently, the government was strengthening their borders and promoting enlistment, and the fervor gradually reached Scopt.


    I was eating at the inn with Theo. Over the past few days, he¡¯d opened up a bit. He was ever-curious about magic, and learned anything I taught him quickly. I would have offered to tutor him as a mage, but time was of the essence. Maybe if things calmed down a little, I¡¯d be able to show him a few things. I also wanted to know more about humans¡¯ magic potential, because it seemed to be lacking.


    Theo had already finished eating and was waiting patiently to go back upstairs. We both sported new, simple cotton clothing. My clothing had begun to wear out, while Theo had worn what looked like rags.


    As I finished the soup I was eating, the door opened and everyone in the tavern went silent. I looked up to see Nolan walk in. Everyone stood and bowed, and I quickly followed suit. There was only one reason he¡¯d come to a mediocre tavern--for me.


    ¡°Stand, everyone,¡± he smiled. ¡°I do not mean to interrupt your meal, I have come simply to visit a friend.¡± As the atmosphere began to return to normal, he walked over to our table.


    ¡°Hello, friend,¡± he greeted. ¡°I¡¯d like to talk to you. Do you have a place where we could do so?¡±


    I adopted a respectful expression. ¡°Of course, Your Supremacy. I will show you to my room. Do you mind if my friend comes along?¡± I motioned towards Theo.


    ¡°Not at all,¡± he said. ¡°Lead the way.¡±


    I felt a little relieved as I walked to my room. If Nolan had wanted to kill me, he probably would¡¯ve had stealthier ways to try. Still, I was reluctant to include Theo in this matter. He had gained my trust, but if things went south, he¡¯d likely die unnecessarily.


    ¡°After you,¡± I said, holding the door to my room open. Nolan entered and looked around, sitting down on one of the beds. I¡¯d upgraded rooms after hiring Theo, a cost-effective way of providing him with housing. Theo sat with me on the other bed, his face both excited and terrified.


    ¡°I notice your aura is not exposed,¡± Nolan said. ¡°Why is that?¡±


    So the questioning begins. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I offended you, Your Supremacy. I thought it¡¯d be rude in the presence of someone of your stature.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°I do not recognize you, so you must not be a demi-god. However, the magic you displayed when I was first summoned was powerful. If I could, where did you learn your magic? Do you serve an organization?¡±


    I was somewhat prepared for those questions. ¡°No, Your Supremacy. I was taught by a family member and by my lonesome, there is no group I answer to.¡±


    Nolan frowned. ¡°It is fine if you do not want to answer me. However, I must ask you this. Do you intend the kingdom any harm or ill intent?¡±


    Had he seen through my lie? Even if he had, would he believe my next answer at all? ¡°No, Your Supremacy.¡±


    He smiled. ¡°Good, then I will leave you. Of course, I¡¯ll have to report you to my mother, but you should be safe.¡± He paused. ¡°Let me add this. War will happen soon, and it is unlikely that humans will remain a significant power any longer. I¡¯d suggest travelling to the capital for now.¡±


    I nodded, then said, ¡°Your Supremacy.¡± Now was the time I¡¯d been waiting for. Even if I hadn¡¯t planned this conversation, I wasn¡¯t going to let my opportunity slide away. ¡°If I may, I have a question.¡±


    His eyebrows shot up, but after a second, he nodded. ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean any offense by this question, but it¡¯s very important to me that I find the answer to my question. Is there any chance that I¡¯d be able to meet your mother, Olmera?¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Nolan stared at me for a while before giving his answer. ¡°I...can see that you are honest in your intentions, but my mother is incredibly busy. I will mention this to her, but I can¡¯t promise anything. Head to Taron, and I¡¯ll contact you there.¡±


    ¡°I see. Thank you, Your Supremacy.¡± He nodded and left the room.


    I sat in thought for a minute. The conversation could¡¯ve gone better, but it also could¡¯ve gone a lot worse. Nolan was likely capable of a type of mind magic that detected lies, which would explain his trust in me. I was suppressing my magic, so I couldn¡¯t have seen it anyway.


    The most concerning thing he¡¯d mentioned was the fact that humans were going to fall. I¡¯d read that their power had been declining for generations, because other species had evolved to utilize much stronger magic. I decided to take the demi-god¡¯s advice and move to the capital--it¡¯d be safer to live in, and it was my best bet for talking to Olmera. I¡¯d read that it was the prime city for gods and goddesses to gather in.


    ¡°Theo,¡± I said.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± he replied, sitting as straight as a board.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to Taron.¡±


    ¡­PoV Change¡­


    When I saw the demi-god Nolan, I thought we were dead. I thought he¡¯d found out about the enchanted weapons, and decided to kill us. There were stories about how terrifying he was, how he could tell if someone was lying. And if someone was lying to him, he¡¯d search their mind. Not many people went back to normal after that.


    But Damien stayed calm, something I had no hope of doing. Even when he used honorifics, it seemed as if he was talking to an equal, rather than the direct descendant of a god. What was more, demi-god Nolan praised his magic power. I knew he was strong, but the fact that he was acknowledged by a demi-god meant he was on another level.


    I was curious about Damien¡¯s past. It was obvious that he wasn¡¯t from around here, otherwise he¡¯d be much wealthier. Still, I guessed he would tell me eventually, but it wasn¡¯t like I was going to ask. He was one of the only real friends I¡¯d ever made--he fed me, housed me, and even bought clothes. I¡¯d never seen him get angry or annoyed at anything, but he always seemed a little sad, and I didn¡¯t know why.


    When he revealed that we were going to the capital, Taron, I was excited and nervous. I¡¯d never left Scopt, mostly because I had no way to. It would be an entirely new experience, a new setting. Taron was an oceanside city, and it would be my first time seeing one.


    Packing was relatively easy--we didn¡¯t have many belongings between the two of us, so all we needed were two horses and a few bags. I spent hours going around to make sure that we¡¯d get the best bargain.


    Not soon after being taken in by him, I¡¯d learned that Damien was terrible at bartering. He was a genius at pretty much everything else I could think of, but negotiating was a weak spot. I took it on myself to make sure he got the best deals. So far, I think he was happy.


    ...PoV Change¡­


    The trip to the capital was quick and uneventful. The weather had continued to get colder, and it felt like the equivalent of fall on my world. Taron was by an ocean, which I was grateful for. I was born and raised in a town by the ocean, so the change would certainly be welcome.


    Along the way, I decided to evaluate Theo¡¯s magic. On the first night, I sat down with him and asked if he wanted to learn. His response was delightful.


    ¡°I can learn to use magic? Like you?¡± His eyebrows rose and he started grinning.


    ¡°Well, hold on.¡± I put a hand up. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what the magic is like here, so don¡¯t get your hopes up.¡±


    He nodded, but kept smiling like a madman. ¡°So when can we start?¡±


    ¡°Now, I suppose. Give me your hand.¡± He obeyed, and I started to release my magic. ¡°Normally, people would meditate over a few years to modify their bodies to accept ambient mana, but that¡¯s slow and inefficient. What I¡¯m going to do is basically force-feed you magic until you accept it. It¡¯s difficult and dangerous, so not many people do it this way. Are you ready?¡±


    Theo bobbed his head. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    I gathered a bunch of the ambient mana in the air and started pushing it into his hand. Theo was obviously excited about this, but teaching him magic also helped me. I wanted to know why such a small number of human wizards existed, and if their innate potential was any different.


    Theo started shifting uncomfortably. He¡¯d have started feeling the effects by now. The reason why forcing magic acceptance was so difficult was because the wizard couldn¡¯t convert mana to their own magic. When ambient mana was absorbed, it was automatically processed in the caster¡¯s body, taking on the attributes of their magic. The ability to resist it from blending and remain neutral was a hard task.


    Theo finally collapsed under the amount of magic, and I carefully eased him onto the ground. He screamed in pain now and then, and his body spasmed. It was normal, but I still couldn¡¯t help but feel bad. I...had forged a relationship with him, deeper than I intended to, but not entirely unwelcome.


    Around twenty minutes later, I felt something give way, and immediately stopped flooding him with magic. Once his body had accepted it, I had to make sure that I didn¡¯t oversaturate him, otherwise he¡¯d become mana-crippled. Theo had passed out a while ago, and I let him sleep. He¡¯d be ready to go the next morning.