《The path of the Emperor》 Chapter 1 - The transfer The grass sways as the wind blows through the narrow valley. The mountains direct the wind and keep it from escaping. The sun shines high, shining¡¯s its warmth on everything. The very source of life; the rise of the sun brings life comes back in the valley. Where there is light there is darkness¡­ Within the valley, the wind carries with it the scent of fresh blood; blood spilt during the crack of dawn. The body lays dying or dead, only the soul may tell. Blood pours out in a steady stream from where the cruel bullet hit its prey. A boy, no more than 17, walks to his kill, a kill he committed without a second thought, as though it were the most natural thing he could possibly have done. It was not the first kill he had made, and it would not be the last. The body of the winter fox, now with its snow white pelt tainted with the nectar of life, lay motionless on the muddy ground as the boy walked closer and inspected his kill. A hunting trip was what his father called it, a trip to relax the mind and enjoy nature. But did taking the life of another truly give him relaxation? The boy was not ordinary, all who knew him could tell. He kept to himself, doing what needed to be done, and did it well. There was nothing he could not do; hailed a genius the boy lived his mundane life without excitement. A life lived with the praises of others, praises that start of as sweet but turn into the most bitter of poisons for the mind. The boy walked to his kill, inspecting where the bullet entered and exited the poor animal. He should feel sadness, distraught, queasiness, unhappiness, or maybe joy. But the boy felt nothing. Taking the life of another being, to him was the same as walking in a park. It did not mean anything to him, and activity that was but a forced action placed upon him by his father. An action which allowed him to waste away another day of the mundane life he lived. The kill, which for all intents and purposes should be dead, with a bullet stuck in its body and blood flowing form its wound¡­ moved. Something that should not have happened indeed happened. The boy passed it off as nothing but one of those twitches that corpses are told to have, nothing more than the muscles moving one last time by an impulse from the brain. It should have ended there, with the boy taking the kill and returning to their family¡¯s cottage down by the riverside. The world should have continued with its mundane functions, continued on as the boring place it was¡­ But fate had something else in store for him. The earth shook, the sky cracked, and the rocks fell. It seemed like the end of the world for the boy, something which should never have happened. Then it was still again, as if nothing had happened. The birds continued to chirp, the sun rose from the east, and the smell of fresh blood once again entered his nostrils. That was strange, the boy thought, he had never had a moment like that before. A boy hailed as a genius, a boy who was seen as the embodiment of perfectness, should not have even for a moment be hallucinating. The boy looked around once again, but the world stood still and continued on as if nothing had happened in the first place. The boy vowed that that moment would forever be kept hidden; a moment which could be his weakness could not be known by anyone. The embodiment of perfectness could not be known of having mental hallucinations. Once again it should have ended there; the world should have resumed the way it was in its mundane and routine way. The moment completely sealed away in the memory of the boy, the world should have resumed. But the fates would not have it. The ground ripped apart from right under the boy¡¯s feet. A surface of dirt and rock split apart right from under him as if hoping to devour his very existence. ¡°Is this the end, anti-climactic I might say, dying from falling into a crevice in the ground? I wonder if anyone will find my body,¡± thought the boy. There was no struggle, call for help, or any desperate attempt to preserve the life of one. The boy simply waited for it to all end. The life which had been nothing but mundane and routine had finally come to an end. Stolen story; please report. ¡°Will I be able to get away from it all now? Can I finally ¡®relax¡¯?¡± The most unexpected of event happened, or could it be said to be predictable? With a THUD his body hit solid ground. But it did not hurt, no, what should have been pain was instead the feeling of nothingness. ¡°So this is how I go eh? Very well, anywhere is better that that shithole of a place I called my world¡­¡± Darkness took him, took his consciousness, and took his mind. Was it truly the death and eternal rest he was expecting? But once again, the fates would not allow it. There glowed a circle with unintelligible characters under the body of the boy. For five minutes the circle glowed, and slowly the glow enveloped the boy. The next instance, it was gone, and with it the body of the boy. The body which was neither dead nor alive, but in a form of stasis, was transported by the power of the circle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Out in the wilderness there laid a foundation. Constructed of stone, there lay a circular foundation of stone interlaced with white marble. Surrounding the foundation were seven massive pillars, each representing and transferring the power of the seen elements into the stone and marble circle. Within the confines of the pillars, surrounding the circle stood seven hooded figures. Figures which chanted words with the utmost concentration knowing that a single mishap could spell the doom for all that were present in an area of miles around. Time passed, seconds which became minutes, minutes which became hours, hours which became days, all throughout the chanting did not cease. None dared to stop at such a critical juncture. It had been seven days, and on this day the chanting finally stopped. A magic circle formed in the circle of stone and white marble. A magic circle formed with the unlimited power provided by the pillars of the elements. The circle grew in size and filled with intricate designs as it needed in order to fulfill its purpose. Minutes passed as the hooded figures waited patiently yet anxiously for the circle to finish. When it finally did, it started to glow. A blood red glow came out from the magic circle, indicating the magic had located a good candidate. The glow grew in brightness, to the level that all present had to avert their eyes, even the hooded figures dare not look at this light. Seconds passed and all was normal once again. The magic circle now gone, and in its place¡­.. A boy, a boy of an age that could not have been any more than 17. The figures all around looked at one another with delight. They had been successful. They had succeeded in summoning the candidate. Now they must access the boy. But the boy slept, more as if he were unconscious. The hooded figures dare not take chances with this most dangerous of rituals and looked at the boy with uncertainty. One of them stepped forward, and with a wave of their hand, levitated the boy into the air. And as one they all disappeared from the setting. Making it seem as though there had been nothing there in the first place. They would nurse the boy; wait till he awakens before they could continue on with what they had planned. There were no second chances. There was no room for error, the boy must be kept safe even if every other life needs to be sacrificed. Like this days passed, the boy would not move, his body showed sign of lack of nutrients and water, even with one of them always trying to feed him and make him drink. The boy was unconscious after all Days passed and all became anxious. Had something gone wrong? Had someone messed up? The sacrifice to get here was too great; a mistake could not be tolerated. The perpetrator would be punished with death. But that was for later, now they waited, and waited. A month had passed with nothing changing, many of the seven had given up hope, the boy must be dead they thought. The rest were starting to believe the same. But the most unexpected of events happened. The boy opened his eyes¡­ ¡°I am not dead?...¡± Chapter 2 - Re-birth and new home Chapter 2: ¡°I am not dead?...¡± ¡°Ah, you are finally awake boy, come quick, alas; we have awaited a month for this and almost lost hope.¡± A hooded man who was currently looking after the boy said. This small commotion would have normally caused no stir, but the tranquility of the land and the profound silence within the cave made the others gather quickly. Seeing the boy awake, they quickly get back in role and prepared for what was to come. ¡°Boy, we are the seven mages of fate, the ones who as you may know, reside over the fates of the beings in this plane. This plane which we are in is different from your own plane boy. There is a great destiny waiting for you to accomplish, although we are late due to you being unconscious, we must start he ritual immediately.¡± Hooded mage of fate #1. ¡°Boy, we will send you to a planet, as you call it, on which you will be born anew. You will keep your memories, but what you do from there is up to you. We have seen a great destiny for you, one which may or may not come to pass based on what you decide to do. You may consider this your second chance at life boy.¡± Hooded mage of fate #2. ¡°You have yet to tell me where I am, yet you start babbling nonsense, what other planet, what plane, explain clearly old man.¡± Boy. ¡°There is no time for such, we will send you there immediately. You may feel some discomfort but deal with it¡­¡± Hooded mage of fate #3. ¡°Hold it, what is goi--¡­¡± The boy was unable to get his final words out before the mages had started chanting loudly. Seconds later, the space surrounding the group had started to distort, causing the boy to feel nauseous. The usual uncaring boy was surprised out of his mind at the turn of situations, but he also understood, this was the thing he was looking for, adventure, fun, and change to his monotone lifestyle. No longer would he be who he was, if what these creeps in over sized robes was correct, he was being sent to a new world. A new world! There was much he could do in this new world, but he yet did not know what type of world it was, and until he did he could only dream. He had several ideas in mind, but one prioritized above the others. What could possibly be more interesting than gaining power and following the path of conquest? If this world was anything like he thought he would be, then his predefined path was ascertain. World conquest it was. But the boy was not conceited; he would take it one step at a time. Slowly everything got dark, the boy had lost consciousness it seemed. ¡°Think he will be alright?¡± HMoF #7. ¡°It is not for us to judge, we may only observe, and let fate play its course. Whether the boy takes control of his own destiny or not, is up to him. We have laid out the base for him, it is up to him to go on with it.¡± HMoF #6. ¡°Smart ass.¡± HMoF #3. ¡®It is dark¡¯ thought the boy as he gained consciousness. He could feel that he was in a contained space, the walls around him seemed to be made of a living squishy substance. ¡®This is new¡¯. But just as the boy had started to look around, he heard faint but clear voices (They were loud but wall was in the way). ¡°Push, My Lady, push, the child is coming out!¡± Mysterious voice #1. ¡°Oh shut up doctor, I have done this before, I know what to do, UGGGGHHHHHHHHH¡­¡± Mysterious woman. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Calm down dear, and do as the good doctor says, the child is almost out, HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, it seems I will be a father once again!¡± Mysterious man. As the voices conversed, the boy felt the walls of his confinement start squeezing him. They were sending him towards an opening. The boy could see faint light coming from the opening, no doubt being the world outside his current confines. ¡®If what I hear is correct, then I have been reborn¡­ I am a baby now?¡¯ The boy thought as he was slowly but surely being pushed out further and further out into the opening. Eventually the boy was completely pushed out of his confines, and as he opened his eyes to observe, he was blinded with a sudden flash of light to bright for him, causing him to once again close these eyes. Most newborns would cry in such a situation, but the boy simply closed his eyes and tried to let his eyes rest before opening them once again to look around. Looking around, he saw a handsome man in his middle age. He appeared to be human. He had black hair, blue eyes, and an angular face. Many would agree that this man definitely had a pleasant face to look at. ¡®So this man is my father, interesting¡­¡± Looking around once again, the boy noticed an unparalleled beauty. In his past life he had seen many models on tv and magazines. But this women was in a whole other league altogether. She had a beautiful face, with an equally beautiful body, one would not believe she had just given birth. She was a brunette, with the brightest green eyes, ones which caused the boy to start at them for a couple moments before he was able to look away once again. ¡®This woman must be my mother then, my parentage in this world seems to be extraordinary¡­¡¯ Finally, there was an average looking man in a white robe, seemingly the doctor. ¡°It is a boy my lady, my lord. You must name him as I am required to record it in the archives to the Avalon library.¡± ¡°What shall we name him dear, should he have been a girl I would have had the perfect one.¡± *pouts* Mother. ¡°Haha, don¡¯t worry my dear wife, I had always wanted a son, and I have just the name for him. My son, you will grow up to be a great man. Your life will no doubt be filled with great adventure and danger. For that, I shall name you¡­ Valiant, Valiant of the house Leardnarnd!¡± Father. ¡°Valiant, I like that, so shall he be. Good doctor, his name shall from forevermore be Valiant Leardnarnd!¡± Mother. ¡°Yes my lady, my lord, I will record it immediately.¡± The doctor says as he quickly exits the room. ¡®Valiant, huh? Very well, it will do as a fine name in this world. I seem to be noble born. Good, it will make getting information much easier. Privileges of nobles are always a good thing. But with this, it seems this world is still in the medieval times. Well¡­ This shall make it all the more interesting. Let me begin my new life, and this time it will be different, this time I will not allow myself to be confined to the mundane lifestyle to be previously. This world¡­ I will make it mine!¡¯ The boy silently made a vow to himself. Thus begins the adventure and tale of the boy, Valiant Leardnarnd, as he strives to achieve his goal, the world. Will it truly happen, or will he be unable to do so. Only time will tell, and fate shall dictate. What has destiny in store for this boy? To be continued¡­ chapter 3 - childhood and learning Chapter 3: From now on, I will probably write in POW format as it is easier to describe feelings and stuff that way. It saves me time and also is a more interesting way to write. Hope you guys don¡¯t mind, if there are major complaints, post a comment and I may change back to 3rd person. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Valiant POV: Being born again is definitely not an enjoyable experience, especially when you are intelligent enough to understand what is going on. But this life seems interesting, a new world, and being born a noble, maybe I will not get bored here. -------------****---------------- 2 Years have passed since my birth. I am currently living in a large estate type mansion, which I have gathered through my various travels through the grounds in the arms of either Mother or one of the many maids of the house. It turns out house Leardnarnd is quite famous, relative to the other nobles of the region. If one was to rate us, we would be upper middle class noble¡¯s. My father, George Angis Leardnarnd II, along with the rest of my ancestors deal in military and mercantile pursuits. The main source of income for my family is the trading that we do. We have a trading union of our own which operates in the region in which we live. Our other sources of income are taxes and military contributions. Military contributions are done through providing the king with soldiers when he requires them, and per the grade of the soldiers and their quantity as well as the time loaned, we are provided with compensation as well as pay. The pay is quite hefty as it not only is able to cover the cost of maintaining those soldiers but also able to provide additional profits. Anyway, here I am a 2 year old child. I have practiced talking in my native language, and am able to do so. Some of the maids caught me but they thought it was nothing but baby talk as after all they did not understand the language I was speaking in. Throughout these two years I have also gained knowledge about the local language, called the human tongue. There are three major languages in this world, and as long as one is able to speak one of them, they can go anywhere, or so I¡¯ve heard from the unsuspecting maid gossips. They are the human tongue, the beast tongue, and the demon tongue. I started to crawl when I was a mare 1 month old, but I did not show it. After my last life I had learned my lesson, I would not make the same mistake and call too much attention to myself. World domination could be accomplished through various methods, and calling too much attention to me was not always the best one. I will most probably follow through with my plan. I acted as though I was a normal baby, but that was just in the light of day. Being the typical rich nobles that we were, I had a room all to myself, although my mother always used to fuss about it at the start, my father put a firm foot down saying that a Leardnarnd child needs no such comfort and must grow up tough. At the age of two, I was just strong enough to walk and move around properly. With that I was often able to escape my high bed and leave the confines of my bed during the cover of the night. The estate had a rather large study room, filled with books upon books, and a large desk in the far back, where I assume most paper work is done. Although it is occupied by servants and my father during the day, at night it is empty. And thus I was able to go there. Usually I just explored the house, but I had decided that if I truly aspired for something as big as world domination, I would have to start early and get strong. Many things would have to change, but before that I needed to gain knowledge. Tonight was the first night I actually looked at a book forming the study? There were countless there, but through the past 2 years I was able to perfectly learn to read and write the human tongue. ¡®Beasts of the great sea¡¯, ¡®Tale of the Heroes of Aguar¡¯, ¡®Magic theory and manipulation Vol.1¡¯, ¡®Laws of Augustina¡¯, ¡®tale of the gr---¡®. MAGIC? This world truly contains magic!? I knew this world seemed to be in the medieval era but to think this world has magic, what else might it have? Living in the estate for 2 years, I have seen little of the outside world, and no one in the estate uses magic that I know of. If magic exits then it will surely be a valuable asset in my quest to gain power. I will have to adapt to this, no longer can I expect the world to be one which is fought only with melee and tool based warfare, there is magic! Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. I quickly took the book from the shelf and carried it to the table. With my 2 year old frame, I had difficulty carrying and climbing atop the table, but it was a necessary obstacle. I slowly began to read through the book, it seemed to be the first book in the series, so it was just the right one for me. Through careful reading I was able to understand how magic works in this world. Magic in this world relied on a power source called mana or elemental essence. Elemental essence is mana but in the form of an element, once a magus (that¡¯s what mages are called) starts learning, they learn what elements they are best at, their affinity per say. The utilization of magic is through the manipulation of this elemental essence inside and around oneself. Usually, mortals (as it says in the book) of this world have a fairly small mana capacity, making it so that they would only be able to cast a couple spells of their level before running out of essence and thus being vulnerable and weak. That is why most mages rely of manipulating the mana around oneself, the mana in nature. This allows them to gain an unlimited source of mana, that wound in theory allow them to use their level of magic endlessly. But the universe is not so giving. Using the mana in the air indeed lets one cast more spells, but there is a limit that the body is able to handle. For instance, after channelling the outside mana through the body to cast a spell, the body would be affected, making it weaker and making the next spell casted a bit weaker as well. This effect continues for a while after which, if forced the body of the magus will faint from over exhaustion. By using the mana in one¡¯s body, the person will never get exhausted or suffer a consequence of lack of power until they run out of mana, after which they will faint. This is why although there is a decrease in power form using the mana in the air; most people choose to do so this way. It not only compensates for their small mana capacity, but also makes them weak gradually so they do not fall unconsciously suddenly. I continued to read the book, and the more I read the more I understood the concept of magic. I had no idea what affinity I had as of yet, but I was eager to learn magic. As the book said, I first began to sense my mana core. This is the part which all living and some non-living beings have, even plants have them. The morning was coming soon, and it was time for me to almost return to my room, lest I get caught. It would not do to have a 2 year old reading books about magic, although whether they would believe I was really reading is doubtful, I was rather avoid the punishment I would receive from mother if she caught me here in the middle of the night. I closed my eyes and tried to feel some type of energy in me. After 20 minutes I was able to feel a faint pulse. I had passed it up as being just my heartbeat, but after another 20 minutes I went back to it. The more I concentrated on it, the more I could tell that it was something different. It pulsed in waves, traveling through my body. I was able to feel it! So this is what magic was. The book had stated that it could take months to years to be able to sense mana, but I was able to do it in 20-40 minutes. I guess they did not call me a genius for nothing¡­ I continued to concentrate on the pulse that was flowing through my body, and slowly I was able to feel it, or see (with my mind) more clearly. It was a stream of many different colours: red, blue, green, silver, black, and gold. The black and gold were the most prominent. If I was to judge then these colours were my affinities. Strange, this book says that most people will only have one colour, and at most three, but I am able to sense six colours? Indeed strange. I continue to feel this pulse, forgetting the time, when I am roused by the sudden tiredness in my body. Strange, I was fine just a few moments ago, could this have to do with mana? It would make sense, I am but 2 years old, being able to sense the mana inside of me can already be considered genius. As drowsiness begins to overtake me, I hasten to put away the book and scamper back to my room. But from this expenditure i have learned a lot, i truly know nothing of this world. If i wish to achieve my goals, then a I have much to learn. After all, they say knowledge is power. For now, magic has caught my interest, from the fatigue I have felt I find that I will be unable to do much with magic at the moment, perhaps learning and exploring it would do for now. Damn, it is too late, the sun is almost rising, the servants will wake soon, I must get back quickly or I will be in deep trouble. But first to return this book! To be continued¡­ Setting the foundation Chapter 4: I was able to make it back to my bed quickly, the fear of getting caught kept me going even after I was dead tired from learning to sense mana. It was a huge achievement, but it was merely the first step on my way to power. As I lay on my bed, I thought of how I would achieve my goal. From what I have learned so far, this world is still in the medieval era, but with the aid of magic people can no doubt do amazing and terrible things. I have yet to learn the extent of magic power in this world, only that one can manipulate the magic within themselves and that in the environment. If this world is truly what I believe it to be line, one where strength, money and power are supreme, it would be crucial to establish my own strength first before gathering resources, human and materialistic alike. These resources would be crucial to establish a decent sized force. It would be foolish to start a new colony and build an empire, I know not how long my natural lifespan nor do I have any allusions of what would happen if i did such a thing. I would be killed without even knowing how it happened. There is still much to learn about this world, and I intend to find it out. I continue to plan as my eyes droop and I slowing fall asleep. -----------------------------***------------------------------ The sun once from showered the world with its rays of life, as if beckoning all living beings to rise and bathe in its radiance. It was this light that peeked through the curtains of the lavish room of the youngest child of the Leardnarnd clan. "Young master, It is time to awaken, your mother calls you to break the fast," a beautiful maid calls out for her charge. From under the covers of a large bed, the head of a small youth, no more than 3 years of age peeks out, its first appearance of the day. Slowly but surly the child climbs out of the ornate bed sheets and steps down onto the rich hardwood flooring of the bedroom. "Young master, it will not do to be late, your sisters and parents await your presence in the dining room. You are already late as you are." "I am up, gather my clothes for the day, I shall bathe before presenting myself. The bath is ready I presume?" "Yes young master, it has been prepared beforehand like always," the maid replies as she bows and awaits her young masters permission once more before heading off to do as ordered. The young boy begins his trek to his private bath, although now as luxurious as the main bath in his parents quarters it is none the less nothing anyone not a noble would be able to afford. Nothing less for the heir to the Leardnarnd family. As Valiant Leardnarnd enters his bath, maids began to wash his as is their duty. Images and thoughts of what he has learned and accomplished since that fateful day in the library a year ago come to the surface of his mind. It was often his pastime, to recount what has happened while he relaxes in the bath. After further studies on magic, Valiant learned that not only are there magus in this world, but so are there warriors. Those who use magic to strengthen their bodies to break past their limits, cultivating their bodies to become weapons of their own right. Weather magus or warrior, both occupations are highly sought after in this world that worships strength and power. A powerful mage is enough to destroy cities and a powerful warrior can kill kings and emperors alike. They are feared and respected wherever they go, even the weakest of their lot being many times stronger than a regular human. Both professions are broken into sever ranks. Both follow the same classifications of strength although there are those among each rank who are able to defeat those stronger than themselves. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. The ranks follow a simple but absolute order. It begins at the apprentice realm, called mage apprentice and warrior apprentice respectively. Following which is the master realm, then the grand master, king, Emperor, Immortal, and Soverign realm. Most of the inhabitants of the world do not even know there are realms past the Emperor realm as they are spoken only in legends. Of beings who transcend logic and ascend to higher planes. Each realm is further broken down into 9 stages, and progress gets harder the further you go along the path of cultivation. The head of the Leardnarnd family, Valiant''s father George is a warrior at the peak stages of the grand master realm, with the possibility of breaking into the king rank. His mother is a magus at the middle stages of the grand master realm. Both have already reached the age of 76 and 73 respectively, but their appearance remains as youthful as if they were only 25. As one progresses in realm, so does the lifespan of the practitioner increase. Warriors tend to have longer lifespans due to their trained and robust bodies while mages are only slightly behind due to the support of the excess magic inside of them. Getting out of the pool, Valiant is handed a tower by one of the 4 maids who serve him. Once he is done drying himself he heads towards the dining hall where the rest of his family await him. There are benefits to being born noble, but with it there are also expectations. Until recently he was helped in all things by his mother who taught how to live adapt to this world. But as he finally reached the age of three, his father stated that that would no longer be permitted. His mother protested for his sake, but even she understood. In this world of strength, one must learn from young to become strong and independent. Sure he had maids, but he would no longer be coddled by his parents. During the long path through the mansion he once more recalls all that he has read. This world, or planet is called Elgaia, divided into 3 massive continents each the size of what pangea would have been on Earth. Enhabited by different races, the populations of this world is monstrous. In some areas slaughter is as common as drinking water, blood flows in rivers and bodies pile up as high as mountains. The Leardnarnd clan is located in the city of Redmoon, in the East prefecture of the Ridal Dynasty, within the continent of Astoria. The Leardnarnd clan is a upper middle class noble clan, and can be considered to have no equal in the middle class nobility. To reach the upper class however, at least one member of the clan must have strength of the king layer. It shows the way the world worships strength. Valiant finally reaches his destination, arriving at the end of the long hallway in front of and ornate door leading into the dinning hall. "Greetings mother, father, sisters..." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After 2 years im back. As the title stats, this chapter was for world building as for me to get back into the ''zone'' as i had to try to think of where this story will head and how it will turn out. Once again, comment and rate, updates wont be constant but i will try for quality over quantity. This is not a crack fiction, so if you are hear for comedy, bad idea, but if you are hear for a good and interesting read then welcome. This is my first real fiction, and hope it turns out well. Plz dont be too harsh. Grammer is a bit bad cuz im too lazy to double check and only fiz things that get underlined in red. =P. Thanks for reading.