《The Hero of Aerda》 Death and Opportunity Darkness All encompassing never ending darkness as far as the eye could see, or as far as one could see when they supposedly had no eyes; or a body for that matter. Darren had been ¡®floating¡¯ in this space for as long as he could remember. One second he¡¯d been eating his microwave dinner in his little one bedroom apartment and then he¡¯d blinked and ended up here. His body gone and replaced with a glowing ball of white energy. ¡®Did I die? No, no that can¡¯t be right. How would you have died Darren you were eating noodles and watching American Mom. Unless I had one of those aneurysms or something. I remember Chad¡¯s grandpa died from one of those.¡¯ While thinking to himself shapes started to slowly form around him, eight of them all in different sizes growing into giant bodies surrounding him in a half circle. One thing he was sure of was that five were male and three were female. The second thing he was sure of was that people shouldn¡¯t be as tall as these eight were and tall was an understatement, massive would be a better description. As they finished forming all eight stared down at him from their towering heights, half of them had body language that seemed uninterested while the others held themselves as if they were pleased. Suddenly the one on the farthest left spoke in a voice that reminded him of the warmth he¡¯d feel whenever his mother hugged him as a child. ¡°Hello, there little soul¡± She was dressed in a golden gown and draped in a white scarf around her shoulders. For some reason, he couldn¡¯t focus on her face but imagined that she must be a very beautiful person if the voice matched the face. ¡®well hey shit, she even sounds like motherly love incarnate.¡¯ He stared at her for a moment before finally cluing in ¡®Wait, little soul? That means I must have died, but how did it even happen?¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m sure this is confusing for you and for that we are sorry.¡± ¡®Confusing? I don¡¯t have a body and I¡¯m pretty sure this isn¡¯t what my grandmother would call heaven. Honestly, this is nothing like what any religion thought would happen, though truthfully if this is what the afterlife was like then maybe all religions were wrong..¡¯ Recollecting his thoughts he realized she¡¯d still been talking and was already midway through explaining something most definitely important ¡°-ied by choking on your meal and it happened at the exact time we were searching for a soul so we¡¯ve come to offer you a proposition¡± ¡®I died by choking. How did I die by choking? I followed the cardinal rule! 15 chews before you swallow, This is an outrage! I demand a redo!¡¯ ¡°This proposition comes with some benefits, You see we are the elder gods. We are not, however, the gods of this realm, but the ones in charge here have allowed us to take a wayward soul so as to turn it into a champion of our world. That champion would be you in a reborn body¡± ¡°A-ah reborn you say? What would that mean exactly?¡± Speaking as a spirit for the first time the gods almost didn¡¯t hear him since his voice was so low but the first one to answer him was a different God this time. ¡°Yes young man, you would be reborn quite literally. Taking the place of a baby destined to die within its first few hours of living, thus sparing the family from grieving.¡± with a soft-spoken voice that sounded as if it held the mysteries of the universe. This god looked akin to Gandalf had he been fifty years younger. He wore the exact same robe and hat combination only blue. His long beard stretching halfway down his body. Like the first goddess Darren still couldn¡¯t see his face, not that he¡¯d really see anything with how much facial hair this one seemed to have. Not waiting for a response he spoke again ¡°Of course, for helping us we would grant you some liberties. Such as allowing you to choose your race and gifting minor blessings¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Darren was quite shocked at this outcome. ¡°You mean, instead of going to the afterlife here on earth I¡¯d be getting a second chance at a new world?¡± It almost sounded too good to be true and to most people, it would be. ¡°Yes, yes. Our world is dangerous, however, Strife with conflict between races, demons invading time after time, hostilities between the common man and the magus¡± ¡°You¡¯re telling me this world has different races, Demons, Magic and adventure just waiting to happen? I don¡¯t have to study all hours of the night for an economics major and slave away at McRonalds to buy my dinners anymore? I could have fun and shoot fireballs out of my hands!?¡± With each mention of something new Darren¡¯s disembodied voice grew louder, unable to contain his growing excitement at the prospect. A few of the gods laughed at the little soul, excited for the new world, unaware of the dangers ahead. The first god to speak opened her mouth again, calming him down while talking ¡°That would be correct little one, all you would have to do is accept our offer and we would send you off. We¡¯ve already looked through your life and found you to be suitable for our cause in both mind and spirit.¡± ¡°Then yes I will, I¡¯d love to be reborn. Now, you mentioned something about races and blessings?¡± ¡°There are a lot of races inhabiting the world but for our purposes, we need you to pick one of the three with the highest population. Which would leave you with the options of, Human, Demi-Human, and Fae.¡± The Gandalf god explained ¡°A Human on our world is exactly like the ones here, the benefits are that you are born with an increased general experience gain until the age of eighteen. Demi-Humans are born with increased Strength, Agility and Vitality, while the Fae races are born with increased Intelligence, Wisdom and Magic Abilities.¡± He explained, happy to be of assistance. ¡°Wait I just realized something, will I be keeping my memories from this world?¡± The gods seemed surprised at the question not knowing how to answer until a new God answered for them all ¡°You will keep your memories, as they aren¡¯t attached to a mind but a soul, your soul won''t be changing but the vessel that holds it will.¡± The god who responded this time was Green skinned with long raven hair, with antlers sprouting from the top of her head curling down and around forming something reminiscent of a crown. A dress made of large leaves flowed around her body, different colors and sizes creating an effect as if they were blowing in the wind. ¡°If anything your soul''s power will increase from being reborn which may raise your capabilities down the line¡± Darren smiled inwardly at her comment ¡®So if I keep my memories from this world then I¡¯ll already start out with increased knowledge and intelligence and if I train from early on then I can increase my physical stats easily. Which means a Human¡¯s racial trait would be more beneficial in the long run..¡¯ Making a decision he ¡®looked¡¯ up at the gods and said. ¡°Alright then, I think I¡¯ve made my choice, I would like to be reborn as a Human again.¡± The first god stretched her massive hand down to pick up his orb of a body, Drawing it in close towards the other eight gods ¡°Very well then little soul¡± she spoke ¡°A human you once were and a human you so shall be. We wish you luck in your adventure, but we also warn you that it will not necessarily be an easy one. We shall speak again but not for a long while¡± One by one the gods reached out to touch his soul, releasing some mana which began to circle him in a swirling vortex of different colors. Four of them sent their mana through him granting him blessings in the process for his future growth. ¡°Goodbye, little soul.¡± They spoke in unison, A bright light flashed and those were the last words Darren heard before darkness enveloped him once more. ______________________________________________________________________________ ¡°Are you sure that he¡¯ll be alright Lumina?¡± The Gandalf God said to the Goddess wreathed in gold. ¡°You know as well as I do that I don¡¯t Norden, We may be able to bless him but once he is reborn his fate is left to him and him alone¡± She spoke softly in response as if she¡¯d just sent her own child to his doom. The green skinned Goddess spoke up next ¡°Both of you don¡¯t need to worry so much, The power of his soul may not have been strong now but as he grows so too will it. I feel that in time he will grow to become a powerful figure in the history of this world.¡± She chuckled slightly ¡°You do remember the last soul we took from this world yes? That woman burned alive for her apparent crimes. Joan was it?¡± She grew to become one of the strongest fighters on the Eastern Continent hundreds of years ago.¡± ¡°You have a point Aelana but even so we will worry because that is all we can do.¡± Norden smiled yet held a grim face ¡°Only the fates themselves know what will happen now, and you know as I do how the fates can be fickle bitches.¡± Not quite reborn yet Darkness All encompassing never ending darkness as far as the eye could see, or as far as one could see when they supposedly had no eyes; or a body for that matter. Darren had been ¡®floating¡¯ in this space for as long as he could remember. ''Wait this is the exact same as when I met the Gods. But I thought I was to be..'' That''s when he finally clued in on his peculiar situation ''I haven''t been born yet have I?'' He tried to move around a bit and to his surprise found he had arms and legs, a whole body even. ''Ah, it''s not that I can''t see I just can''t open my eyes yet and even if I could it would be the same as keeping them closed anyway''s'' he mused to himself. Suddenly he could hear a sound. It was high and then low, changing in volume, but he couldn''t quite make out what it was as the noises couldn''t reach his ears quite well. ''Is that singing? Is.. is that my mother?'' The sounds continued for a while, Darren feeling warmer and happier by the minute for some reason. It was almost as if he could physically feel how his mother loved him already even though she had yet to meet him. He kicked out in response to the music, letting her know that he was there and could hear her voice. The sounds stopped and were replaced by a new one that sounded excited and higher in volume, Another sound joined into the first but this one was deep and joyful. ''My father?'' the darkness around him felt as if it was pressing in a little on his left side. ''Ah, he must be pressing on my mother''s stomach to see if he can feel me move. People did that on earth too.'' Deciding to oblige his new father, Darren kicked out again but towards where the pressure was. In response, he heard a loud sound that could only be laughter coming through from his father. Deep and booming yet full of love and excitement. This continued for a while, Darren kicking out every once in a while in response to the pressure around him. Eventually fading out of consciousness as his body and mind went to sleep. This continued for many days, Darren spending his time in the darkness feeling warm and comfortable, listening to the sounds his mother and father produced outside. Happy to already belong to a loving and caring family and excited at the prospect of meeting them. One day something in the darkness changed, his body felt a pressure against it that he''d never felt before. ''Is it finally that time?'' He waited a while until he felt it again, pressure all around him, his body being moved ever so slightly in one direction ''It is the day. My mother must have gone into labor.'' The pressure continued to build until it was happening every minute or so. He could hear the voice of his father encouraging his mother over her screams. Another voice had joined as well, one that sounded as if it belonged to another woman. ''That''s most likely the doctor assisting mother'' The new voice was talking in a soothing tone, likely trying to guide his mother through his birth.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Darren left the warm darkness and was thrust into the new world. The world of new adventures and possibilities. Thrust right into the waiting arms of a hulking bear. ''Wait! I thought I was being born as a human!'' The booming voice of the one he associated as his father in the darkness was coming out of the bear "Aeten erf alro braga thronin" he exclaimed while wrapping Darren in a blanket and wiping the viscera and fluids of Darren''s mother off his body. ''What is this monster saying, do bears have their own language in this world?'' As his eyes cleared he finally noticed that it wasn''t a bear who held him, it was only a giant man covered in hair and a massive beard. ''Ah, I guess he must be speaking the language they speak here.. that makes more sense'' His father spoke some more towards the third person in the room. A wizened elderly woman who only smiled and nodded in response before walking out and closing the door. ''My father looks like how I''d imagine a Viking would. Does this mean I''m going to look like that as I grow older?'' As Darren mused about his future his father beamed down at him, cooing at him and wagging a finger in front of his face. Darren made a small noise in response. His father''s smile widened and he started laughing which made Darren shake in his giant arms. A few moments later his father walked Darren over to who he could only presume was his mother. She was lying on the only bed in the room hair splayed out all around her on the pillows soaked in sweat. It was a lovely reddish color but what really caught his attention were her eyes, they were an amber color and showed nothing but happiness contrary to the rest of her which looked tired after the ordeal. She was smiling widely and focusing all her attention on him and him alone. She reached out to him and took his small body gently from his father. Staring down at him as she softly rocked him in her slender arms. ''She''s beautiful, I hope I get more of her genes than the bear man''s.'' Reaching down, she stroked his face with one of her hands, it was warm and soft on his skin and he enjoyed the feeling which elicited a small noise from his mouth. His mother smiled down at him as his father sat down beside her, both of them leaning on one another as they watched Darren slowly get more and more tired. ''This is going to be a nice life'' he thought to himself as he slowly drifted off to sleep the way babies tend to do. ___________________________________________________________ "He has your eyes Laela, your father''s chin as well." The man said to his wife while staring down at their newest family member. "Yes, he also has your nose and cheeks Jarik." Laela said to her husband. "Now that we know it''s a boy have you thought of a name? I''d chosen Lynne for a girl but none for a boy." "Aye, I have just the thing my beautiful wife." He looked once more at his son before turning to kiss her on the forehead "He''ll be Alder. Alder Skoven Cant move? Get a skill. Darkness. Darkness everywhere as far as ¡®Wait a second I can just open my eyes.¡¯ Darren thought to himself. Upon opening them he could tell he was still in the room he had been born in. His parent¡¯s sleeping on either side of him, each one holding one of his tiny hands in their own. A downside to being a newborn he found quickly, was that he couldn¡¯t move his head whichever way he wanted. To be completely fair he couldn''t really move any part of him aside from slightly wiggling his arms and legs. ¡®Well, this is just perfect. I¡¯m gonna have to be at the whim and mercy of these two for at least a year before I gain enough strength to walk again.¡¯ His face tried to frown but he found he couldn¡¯t even accomplish this much ¡®Oh this is just grand isn¡¯t it?¡¯ looking to the left he could see half of the wall over his mother''s body which blocked the rest. The walls were a kind of dark wood that looked sturdy. The most interesting point being to him that the entire wall was made of three giant planks of wood. ¡®What kind of trees do they have here able to make boards like that?¡¯ One window was set in the wall, though he couldn¡¯t see much but he figured it was either late evening or early morning from the amount of light filtering in. What he could see though, was the barest hint of darkened sky and the branches of a tree waving around. ¡®Well that¡¯s not very interesting, let¡¯s see what''s behind door number 2.¡¯ Turning to the right he tried to see what was beyond his father but he simply couldn¡¯t. His father blocked all view of the right wall with his giant size. Grumbling and cursing the man in his head he looked up at the ceiling he found nothing of interest either. So he instead decided to look at himself. Starting with his hands he tried making a fist but lacked the control, he tried moving his arms but they only somewhat followed his direction the left arm going down instead of up. He tried kicking out with his legs as he had inside his mother but found it tired him out after only a few attempts. ¡®Well, this is severely disappointing. I¡¯m as agile as a fucking turtle in the desert without his shell.¡¯ Finding his motor skills lacking he instead focused on appearance. His skin had that newborn baby rosy hue to it. He found it was several shades darker than his original skin tone. Looking at his mother he found hers to be paler than his by quite a few shades, turning to the bear he saw it matched his skin tone however. ¡®So my theory was correct. I¡¯ll end up as a bear man someday¡­ well, shit¡¯. He thought for a bit on his changes. ¡®Hmmmm, at least everything feels like it should, I¡¯m warm. I can actually move my limbs somewhat and I think with enough time I¡¯ll eventually be able to learn their language. Something does feel weird though..¡¯ Darren couldn¡¯t figure out what is was really but something did feel different than how his body felt when he was on earth. It wasn¡¯t just the fact that he was a baby, but it was a sort of pressure inside his own body. Something he could feel moving through him slowly but surely, rotating through his veins starting from his chest. He tried concentrating on the feeling and suddenly the pressure grew slightly, he could feel whatever it was moving a little bit faster now. It was still barely noticeable but it was there. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Upon this discovery, he heard a very peculiar noise, something like a ring of a small bell. With his eyes closed in concentration, he had no idea where it came from so he opened his little eyes and almost let out a tiny cry at the view of a floating box in front of him. ¡®W-what the fuck is this?¡¯
Mana Sense Gained: Beginner Level 1/10
Congratulations for learning how to sense mana at the unprecedented age of ¡°10 Hours 32 Minutes 17 Seconds¡± without having the racial traits to do so at birth, you have been awarded a Title
Title Earned: Genius Magus *Title Increases experience gain of all Magic Spells by 15% *Title can stack with other modifiers
Darren stared at the boxes for a while trying to figure out what had just happened. He blinked a few times while re-reading them, they seemed like notification boxes from the RPG¡¯s he used to play as a teenager back on earth. ¡®So, that thing I was feeling was my own mana?¡¯ He "looked" inside his body for the pressure and he found it quicker than last time. He could feel it or sense it rather a lot faster than the first time he''d tried. Most likely from the skill he¡¯d just received. Another bell rang and he looked towards to boxes, finding a new one in front of the first few.
Mana Sense: Beginner Level 2/10
He stared dumbfounded at the box ¡®I can upgrade this skill just by looking at my own mana? Wait I just noticed but these are written in English. What the hell?¡¯ Staring closely at the boxes he noticed they had small ¡®X¡¯ marks on the upper left. Darren reached out his stubby little arm as if he was going to press it and the box simply disappeared from view, Leaving the rest behind. ¡®Huh, that¡¯s neat.¡¯ He played around with the boxes a bit, finding he could move them around with a small wave of his hand and a bit of concentration towards the boxes. Eventually, he closed them all as he tried to figure out what it all meant. He practiced for a small while, trying to move the energy inside of him and increase the level of his ability. But no such thing occurred and all he did was tire himself out. Sighing, or trying to as a baby which only elicited a huff of air and a glob of drool to drip down his chin Darren gave up trying to figure out how to use this new energy and instead tried to go back to sleep. He laid there for what seemed like hours thinking about his new life and possibilities until his eyes finally started to feel heavy. Drifting off to the realm of the sleeping he dreamt of distant lands and dragons flying overhead. Magic being cast between armies. Dreams of glory! Dreams of conquest! Dreams of Heroism and mighty quests! And while he dreamt his parents stirred.