《The Last True Demon》


 Chapter 1 - The Path to Power

    Chapter 1 - The Path to Power


    "Great performance as usual Oliver," said a man garbed in a greenish gown.


    "Much thanks father," I replied stoically.


    "Think nothing of it, still your aegis could use some polishing up. It disrupts too easily and the mana distribution throughout the shield isn''t an even ratio," he criticized.


    "I apologize for my incompetence father I¡¯ll try to master it."


    "Don''t get ahead of yourself boy, mastering the aegis isn''t no menial task. Even the greatest of wizards, Lionel the dementor couldn''t accomplish it. Don¡¯t assume you could,¡± he replied coldly.


    "Well, Lionel may have been one of the greatest magicians of all time but he wasn¡¯t a Kai. While I am. Anything is possible for our bloodline," I calmly stated as if though it was a fact.


    While narrowing his already thin eyes he responded with a drawl, "Although that may be true, too much arrogance will lead to your downfall. Remember that boy.¡±


    "I will keep that in mind, father. " I replied.


    "Moving on, Oliver your acceptance letter came in yesterday. Go to your room and pack your bags, you will be leaving via teleportation tomorrow afternoon."


    "So, soon." I said a bit surprised.


    "The Imperial Wizard Academy isn''t so simple boy. For it to produce the greatest of wizards is a testament to that. That¡¯s why I¡¯ll be sending you a week early to not look like a blundering fool on the first day," he said preparing to leave.


    "Thank you for your forethought and consideration, father."


    "Think nothing of it, I just don''t want a member of the Kai bloodline to flail around like a commoner on the first day. " He replied throwing a stern look my way before leaving through the open hallway.


    "Of course father knowing you I doubt you would care about me at all. Of course unless I did something to dishonor the bloodline." I muttered coldly under my breath.


    Leaving, I calmly went in the same direction as father, but rather than go towards his study on the first floor. I headed to my bedroom which was located on the second floor. Taking my time I slowly walked up the wooden stairs, which went spirally upwards. As I walked towards my bedroom, I sensed intense fire attribute energy in my older sister''s room as I passed by. Without giving it much heed I quickly entered my bedroom. Looking at impeccable condition my bedroom was in my complacent smile dropped. Only to be replaced with a sinister sneer. "I truly will destroy them all one day." I say with vehement conviction. Laying down on my bed, I thought back to the hell hole I call a childhood.


    I am Oliver Kai, son of Lord Cillian Kai and Lady Morgana Kai. We''re one of the ten major houses of the ''Empire'' a superpower on the continent of Alvernon. It dates back a couple thousand years ago when elvish invaders from the east of Alvernon attacked us. At the time the ten major houses were split and warring. With each houses being their own kingdom. When the invasion started however, many of houses had many casualties and were on the brink of disaster.


    In a last attempt to survive they all came together to form a coalition, putting their past grudges behind them. They each sent their strongest representative to create a council called the ''The Council of ten.'' With the formation of the coalition and creation of ''The Council of ten'' they easily pushed back the elvish invaders winning what was dubbed the Faery Invasion.


    After the war, to combat any future threats they kept the coalition and the council of ten. Which eventually lead to the formation of the superpower known as the Empire. Still, weary for future battles the ten houses delved into the deep abyss of magic, to empower themselves, and their future generations. They developed magical tattoos, sacrificial rituals, and demonic summonings using them all without hesitation to gain power. As for the Kai family they nonetheless did the same. Going as far as to tattoo the eldest son from birth to increase his mana pool. Instinctively raising my hand up to the left side of my face. I trace my finger around a green colored tattoo going across the left side of my face. Unfortunately for me I am the eldest son.


    No longer thinking about my childhood I cross my legs to enter meditation. You need strength to change your life and without it you can''t change anything. So, I will gain that strength and change it I thought to myself. Closing my eyes I focused on my center. As I entered meditation a distinct brownish energy gathered around my body. Slowly little by little the specks of brown enter my body settling in my abdomen, where my mana pools lied. This process continued for at least an hour until I filled my mana pool with the brownish energy.


    No longer needing to meditate I stand up stretching a little. The reason I don''t meditate for a longer period of time is because I want the earth elemental energy I gathered to fuse with my mana pool. Even though this process sounds slow it isn''t. Since I meditated for an hour I will only need double the amount of time before the energy fuses with my mana pool. This method allows my earth spells to be more powerful and pure. Walking towards my shelf to find a book to read, I hear the sound of the door opening.


    "Hey Oliver I heard your acceptance letter came in. Why don''t we exchange pointers to prepare you for the academy," said my elder sister Irene as she stepped inside. Looking past her golden hair, along with her piercing green eyes. My hazel eyes narrow as they settle on the spiral red tattoo marking her otherwise flawless face.


    "Don''t jest sister I''m still an initiate mage, while you''re an adept. A duel between us won''t benefit you in the slightest," I calmly reply.


    "Don''t bother lying, younger brother. I know your skills better than anyone else. Other than for the fact that you haven''t been tested at the academy yet. You would be considered an adept as well." She said staring into my eyes as a small smile creeped onto her face.


    Sighing I reply "Fine, if we must battle let¡¯s do it on the courtyard."


    "Alright brother," She replies before quickly forming some complex hand gestures.


    "We don''t need to teleport," I say before the surround area transitioned into a wide courtyard surrounded by fluted columns. It was a spacious area which was located in the middle of our house. It also had a magical array to prevent damage against the ground and the house itself.


    "It''s faster that way. Anyways let''s begin the time limit is an hour. Is that okay," She asks looking eager to begin.


    "It''s fine, let''s go," I said as I clasped my hands together quickly. A thin, blue shield surrounds me. This was the most basic of arcane defensive skills the ''aegis.'' She does the same, both of us staring each other down. We start to chant and form complex hand gestures. Finishing my spell first I mutter "Magnetic Aura." She opens her eyes wide when a shimmering brown shield overlaid my aegis. Not able to cancel her spell without backlash she shouts "Flame Swathe." An abnormal amount of fire coalesces surrounding my shield in spiral formation.


    That''s when the special ability of ''Magnetic Aura'' comes into effect. Using the power of magnetism it could reflect any spell within a certain rank back. The swathe of flames is sent spiraling backwards to Irene. She quickly does some hand gestures before a weapon made of flame materializes in her hand. She cuts the swathe of flames and rushes towards me with her flame weapon in hand. Backing up quickly I complete the spell that I already started ''Quagmire.'' And medium size portion of the ground she''s walking on turns to mush trapping her in. "Bloody hell!" She yells before I cast another spell called ''earth grasp.'' It was an huge hand comprised entirely of earth that I was able to control as I wish. "I give up! Oliver stop!" She yelled in indignation before it could reach her.


    Even though earth spells lack power in general. They have one of the most unbreakable, and unique defenses. Allowing earth mages many opportunities to counter attack. Though if we were to compare attack power with fire it''s inferior. So, it would be unwise to go against a fire mage in a head collision.


    As I slowly absorbed the ambient mana around me. Irene came over with a slight blush on her face. "How?!'' She yelled stomping her feet.


    .


    Acting indifferent, "Oh, what do you mean Irene," I ask coldly laughing at the embarrassment written all over her face. With a stutter she replied, "You know what I mean! How could you cast ''Magnetic Aura,'' it¡¯s an master level spell. Even if you could cast it, it would take at least all of your mana leaving you with nothing to spare! It''s not possible to have enough mana left over to cast two other spells."


    "Oh, but that¡¯s where you''re wrong dear sister. With the help of this tattoo right here anything is possible." I said pointing to the spiral tattoo going across my face. "Not only will it increase your mana pool, but it¡¯ll also decrease the amount of mana required to cast a spell." I said with a small smile plastered across my face, "But you must''ve not found out about that nifty feature yet."


    Narrowing her eyes to an almost impossible degree "Relying on that ''thing'' Oliver, will only stunt your future potential." She replied coldly before strutting off in the direction of the dining hall. Lowering my voice I reply coldly "As much as you hate our parents Irene, it doesn¡¯t hurt to take advantage of what''s given. " she glanced back a she walked throwing me a sneer and continued walking. Whatever being so high and mighty wouldn¡¯t allow you to change your fate. Only true strength will.


    It was time for supper, and skipping would only bring about punishments by father. Painful...punishments. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I slowly entered the dining hall, glancing at my parents before taking the seat on my father''s right.


    "Good evening Oliver, how was your day?¡± my mother ask in a tone that suggests she could careless.


    "I¡¯m doing well mother! My acceptance letter came in and I''ll be going tomorrow afternoon," I reply with a bit of fake eagerness in my voice.


    "That''s wonderful, but make sure not shame your father and I. Don''t misbehave otherwise we will be informed. Understand," She replied coldly.


    "Yes, mother," I reply nodding meekly.


    "Moving on, how are your studies Irene?" She asks turning to Irene who sat to her left.


    "I¡¯m also well, mother." she replied expressionless.


    "Irene! You better answer more clearly than that. If you don''t want to be punished." Yelled my father, interrupting the conversation. I could see a hint of fear pass through Irene''s eyes, before she quickly responded "I''m sorry mother and father, "


    "No matter, Cillian forgive the girl this once, but watch your words next time Irene." My mother said pacifying father while glancing at Irene. "So, again, how are your studies? Dear," She asked again.


    Almost replying instantly Irene replied "Well! My grades in magical history and art are top of the class."


    My mother curled her lips before she responded "History and...art. Don''t take such useless subjects next time. Focus on dueling and combat classes. Our Kai bloodlines weren¡¯t meant to be historians. We''re meant to be conquers."


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    Irene drooped her head slightly before he replying fearfully "I will change my classes."


    With a snorth my mother replied, "Good!'' Ending the conversation with a awkward silence.


    Finishing my supper quickly I ask my father "May I be excused?"


    Looking up, he stared at me for a whole minute before replying "You may, but...make sure to see me later. We have much to discuss." My face scrunching up a bit, I asked him "What will we be discussing father?" A disgusting smile crept up his face before replying "Oh, you''ll find out."


    My back broke out in a cold sweat before I quickly left the dining hall. Rushing towards my room I shut the door behind me. I breathed heavily a few times before sliding down to the floor. Every time we had to ''discuss something.'' It was just him venting his anger out on me. This happened every time I couldn''t grasp a new concept instantly. After I adapted to the usual torture. It became sort of his hobby to find new and improved ways to punish me. I don''t fight back mostly because I can''t, not even now. Even with all the adept spells in my repertoire as well as the unique master level ones I have. Fighting him would be suicide, I wouldn¡¯t even be able to reach his knees. That¡¯s what it meant to be an Arch-Magus of Earth.


    To gain the title means having mastered all the spells of earth. There can be only one Arch-Magus of each element. Just showing how much his strength surpassed mine. That''s why I''ll wait, wait until I have enough power to defeat him and tear down The Ten Houses...


    **


    I hate them, all of them especially my brother. Even though we both despise our parents. He''s more like father then he thinks he is. I know in the future he''ll become another power hungry Kai. That''s why I''ll grow more powerful than him, than all of them. A lofty dream considering my father''s prowess and Oliver''s latent talent but I will accomplish it.


    I have something neither of them could ever imagine having. As I opened my palm a pale scarlet flame danced across my finger tips, flickering in darkly lit hall. I have a true flame. A type of fire essence that appears in a people with high affinity with fire. Even though it''s not powerful in the beginning every person with a true flame has special property gained with it. The special property my flame has is dominance.


    Which is the property of turning people burned under my flame into puppets. It''s greatest strength lies with quantity. Oliver dreams of killing father, while becoming the head of the Kai house knowing him he too will tread the path for power, leading to nothing but destruction. But I-I will destroy all of them, and create a land where women aren''t undermined and children tortured. I too will need power for my dream to be accomplished. But I''m not as blessed as Oliver, he only has to defeat father and become the head to reach his goal. For me to ever be in a position of power. I must destroy the council of ten and tear down the Empire itself.


    **


    Stepping out into a dimly lit hallway, I slowly walked to my father''s study. Going the down the stairs, my every step seemed heavier than the last. Stepping in front of my father''s study I opened the door handle taking one foot in before an overwhelming pressure washed over me. I was used to this pressure, so I put my palms together letting a mini shield cover my consciousness. This skill is called Soul awareness, being a mage is not only about memorizing chants and casting them. Anyone could do that, but what matters is understanding the mechanics behind magic. The most important mechanic is the soul, it¡¯s what helps us will magic into existence. It''s what helps us live longer than our common man. The  soul is what helps you control the mana to produce what¡¯s called magic. So, without having any awareness of your soul you won''t be able to cast magic.


    Using my soul awareness I cover my brain and heart in a thin purple shield. When your soul awareness gets to an high level like Arch-Magus. You can use it to disrupt other chants causing backlash. Backlash will sometimes not only stun you but paralyze your control over mana. The only way to defeat soul awareness is to use soul awareness.  So, I heavily fortified the most important parts of my body with my soul. My father steps out of the darkness of his study with a small smile. "Nicely done," he said. "Th-thanks father..." I reply grimacing slightly from the pressure. "Oh Oliver. You have much to learn," he said letting up the pressure on me. Before I could even be at ease the surroundings changed. Instantaneous teleportation, its being able to teleport without the use of incantations or hand gesture.


    Looking around I see nothing but granite walls with a tinge of blue surrounding them. "Fuck!" I mentally yell. "Calm down Oliver, no need to look so agitated." He said with a smile. "I know your combat abilities are lacking so I made this special room just for you." Putting his two palms together his golden tattoo lights up. I sense an abnormal amount of earth elemental energy gathering. Slowly bit by bit they coalesce into multiple earthen replicas of himself. "This lesson will be our last before you go to the academy. So, I plan to teach you something incase you fight with the other heirs." He said while the earthen elemental energy slowly stopped fluctuating. "Our bloodline tattoo has so much more to offer than you can imagine, Oliver. Not only can it lower the mana cost of each spell as well as decreasing the amount required. It can also help you increase your affinity with your element."


    "But isn''t affinity fixed at birth, father." I say a bit confused at this. After all it was a well known fact that affinity was fixed at birth and nothing could change it. "Don''t be naive, Oliver. Nothing is set in stone and do you think that our bloodline tattoo is so simple that it can only help you mana pool. " He replied with a sarcastic tone. Thinking back how could it be so simple. The other houses techniques are powerful sometimes making me doubt how our tattoo could fight against them. For example the Lazarus house specialize in turning themselves into their elements. It would be difficult to fight against someone who is pretty much made of water. "So, what''s the special ability of our tattoo then." I ask a bit anxious to find out.


    Looking at my eager face he smiled before replying "The tattoos of the branch members don''t have any power actually. Only the head family has them, which is us. Also no tattoo is the same, the ability you have must have not manifested yet so today I plan to speed up the process."


    A bit confused I ask "So, does Irene have a tattoo ability." Out of nowhere he explodes with a thunderous laugh while saying "Oh Irene, Irene. She does have a tattoo ability but I''ve known she would never use it due to her personality. So, I''ve imprinted it in her mana pool instead of the tattoo. So, it''ll appear as an actual ability, not an remnant of her tattoo. Oh, she must be thinking of exploiting me with her ability." He continued laughing before calming down enough to say. "But for you, your ability is a bit special so it won''t appear without proper motivation." A cold smile appeared on his face before his stoic, earthen replicas started attacking me. He teleported out with a satisfied smile covering his face "See you tomorrow and survive." He said before fading out.


    Grasping my hands together I try to cast a spell but something gets in the way. The walls must be blocking me from using external magic I thought. Glancing at the earthen dolls of father, it''ll take more than that to break me down. Using my soul I guide my mana around my body fortifying it. Before I finish, a doll is already in front of me. I throw out my palm hitting its chest. Nothing happens for a few seconds before it suddenly flies back. I just used ''Shock fist'' a type of martial art technique. Usually warriors fortify their body and use martial arts instead of magic. It may seem less powerful and it is. Though on One on one it¡¯s almost impossible for a regular mage to win against a similar level warrior. The ten houses are an exception to this rule though. I don''t know about the other houses but my father taught me his own set of martial arts he created with a base around earth. So, I could use them in conjunction with earth.


    The martial art is called Earth-bending. It¡¯s built around defense and creates a type invisible bubble that I can sense any movement with. It only extends to only about five meters though. The earthen dolls keep on attacking while push them back with earth bending. This is not going to get me anywhere I thought. Putting my two palms together a thin, earthen crust covered it. I guess it can''t block all magic. Then again this earth crust was a simpler version of earth armor.


    Using the my earth hardened hands I keep on throwing out palms. One by one I destroy all of the earthen dolls, finally relaxing I feel the earth elemental energy coalescing again. Instead, of forming dolls again though a wolf like creature is formed. Damn I thought fighting enemies who cooperate is much harder than ones who don''t. After the wolves form they immediately form into formation preparing to attack me. I truly hate my father I thought. How will fighting weak enemies help me understand my tattoo ability. Putting my hands together again I form a thin ''Magnetic Aura'' around my hand which I call magnetic hand. The wolves quickly surround me I quickly activate my bubble and they start attacking. With perfect coordination one goes for my throat while the other goes for my legs. Unfortunately for them they''re inside my bubble and I can sense anything within it.


    Using my magnetic hand I reflect the wolf heading for my throat towards the one going for my legs. They smash together and break. Luckily for me these aren''t magical beasts. I swiftly deal with the other wolves pouncing on me. Reflecting their attacks back at each other. This is why I mastered this master level spell first instead of the other more powerful ones. It can not only reflect attacks back, it can also use magnetic force to push or pull enemies. It allows me to control my enemies movements which is a great advantage when fighting against multiple opponents.


    Finally, destroying the last earth wolf, I try to recover my mana since using spells like these drain my mana. Before I can even ease up though. The surrounding elemental energy fluctuate again coalescing again to more giant like figure. "Fuck, Fuck, Fuck!" I yelled. The coalescing energy form a huge humanoid made of earth, a golem. There''s no way to defeat this many I thought. Golems are one of the hardest earth constructs to defeat, they possess near inexhaustible stamina as well as regeneration. Not slow regeneration either fast regeneration. Am I going to die I thought. Stealing my heart I will the little remaining mana I have again into my hands forming my magnetic aura. Instead, waiting to be attacked, I rush out to meet them. I throw a punch at one of the golem''s face destroying a part of it before it regenerated. This is going to be a long battle I thought to myself darkly.

 Chapter 2 - Latent Talent

    Chapter 2 - Latent Talent


    I threw palm after palm at each golem construct. With every thrown palm my stamina slowly decreased, if I kept going at this pace I knew I would lose. Reaching inside my mana pool I forcefully cast a spell. I probably wouldn¡¯t be able to control my mana for a bit after this, but it would be worth it if I could use magic at all. After I cast my spell a thin purplish brown ripple emanated from my body colliding not only with the golem constructs but also with the gray walls. It didn¡¯t do anything to the golems but it dispersed the blue tinge that was surrounding the walls.


    I couldn¡¯t even breath a sigh of relief before the golems surrounded me. Great, I thought now I have to survive long enough to be able to use my magic again. The spell I just cast was a unique variant of the spell ¡®Magnetic Aura¡¯. Considering this was the most powerful earth spell I could use, I put a lot of effort into mastering it. Still, even with all of my effort, I was only able to scratch the surface of what it could do. ¡®Magnetic Aura¡¯ is a spell which is ranked as master level despite its weak power because of its variety. You can use it as a magnet, pulling, or pushing foes and allies alike. You can also emanate a ripple which can cause turmoil in the surrounding ambient mana which can make a magician¡¯s spell go awry.


    I¡¯ve figured out that the blue tinge on the wall was an enchantment which prevented a person from controlling their mana by sending the same type of ripples as ¡®Magnetic Aura¡¯. But with its collision with the magnetic ripple it dispersed due to opposing forces. Still, I only eliminated one of my problems. I was still faced with how I was going to defeat all these golems. I could no longer face them head on, so I kept ducking and retreating until I could get my mana under control. After a few close calls, a bit of control finally came back to me. Time for payback I thought. Browsing through my collection of spells in my head I settled on ¡®Earth Tide¡¯, a mid-level adept spell. Completing a series of quick hand gestures I stopped and place my hand on the ground. The earthen elemental energy condensed around me and with the casting of my spell mounds of earth headed toward the golems in waves.


    The earthen waves attacked the golems which surrounded me in a circular formation. After the waves reached the golems they turned into nothing more than the earth itself, losing all the form and structure magic had given them. Wiping the sweat from my forehead I let out a relieved sigh and collapsed on the ground. That battle took all of my efforts and I was barely able to win, how will I ever beat my father I thought to myself. Even after ten years of training is this is all that I amount to. When will I ever reach my father level I thought frustratedly. Slamming my fist on the ground a small crack appeared where it. Grabbing the chunks of earth I¡¯ve displaced I infused them with my aura instinctually and crushed them.


    It wasn¡¯t on purpose and it was probably the only time ever since I was young that my mana went out of control. My mana pool started to rumble and rolled around in waves. Unknowingly my tattoo started to glow a bright green. The small link that existed between my mana pool and the tattoo started to enlarge. My tattoo no matter how insignificant still required some mana and this was probably the only time I¡¯ve suffered from mana exhaustion. Even though I didn¡¯t actually use all of my mana. I still forcefully activated a spell and another one on top of it without recovering from the original. Now, the backlash was coming back twofold. Which not only meant I couldn¡¯t control magic I also lost control of the elemental energy I¡¯ve cultivated. Normal magicians who don¡¯t have legacies or parents who practice forbidden magic all follow the same route.


    Which is the elemental route, they absorb the elemental energy that they have the most affinity with. The elements are comprised of fire, water, lightning, earth, nature, light, and shadow. The magicians who absorb elemental energy and infuse it into their mana pools are considered elementalists. Ever since I reached the adept stage I¡¯ve been slowly fusing my elemental earth energy with my mana pool. The more earth energy I could infuse with my mana pool, the greater the control I had over my spells. But due to the backlash the elemental energy was dispersing and separating from my mana pool. ¡°Shit,¡± I yelled months of hard work was going to waste. I tried to prevent the separation but it was out of my control. Pain racked my body and I felt tremors spread throughout my body. As I spasmed on the floor my green colored tattoo started spreading to every inch of my body.


    First, it covered my face then it moved on to my chest, as I raised my arm to take a better look I could see the tattoo wriggling like it was living under my skin. It formed different arrays of complex patterns all over my body and caused pain every place it went. After it covered every inch of my body in complex patterns it extended towards my eyes. With unimaginable pain, it entered my pupils, and my mind went blank. That last thing I could sense before passing out was my elemental energy going completely erratic.


    **


    Waves of earth rolled all around his body, the mana near him was completely erratic. At the rate, the elemental energy was separating from him. He would lose all the mana he absorbed in a matter of minutes. What kind of ability takes this much mana I thought. Looking at his body the tattoo had completely covered his body by now and was glowing an eerie green. Interesting I thought. Normally for the eldest son, it would take a shocking effect for their ability to manifest. Unlike all the other members of Kai, the ability would become one with the body and interlink with their soul. This was done so monsters or necromancers wouldn¡¯t steal the ability. Our ancestors truly have predicted everything I thought with a smile, slowly rubbing my beard.


    With a flick of my wrist, a green orb appeared in my hand. Time to end this farce I thought. It would¡¯ve been beneficial if I could forcefully activate his ability but at this rate all that would happen would be him losing all his years of training. Considering I held back on his training speed on purpose to stabilize his foundation this would be trivial, but the elemental energy separation is a whole another matter. You can regain mana quickly with certain methods but as for the natural elemental energy of the world that was a whole another thing altogether. There may be some methods but there isn¡¯t a sure fire way to fuse elemental energy with your mana without backlash. Trust me I¡¯ve tried and tried nothing works. Even the famed cultivation methods of the Western Pantheon doesn¡¯t work. So, considering the pros and cons of this I finally settle on forcefully stopping his tattoo activation. I¡¯ll have to make some special preparations next time I thought with a small sadistic smile. As I was about to stop the mana disturbance and seal his tattoo, something unexpected occurred. He started to wake up, it wasn¡¯t noticeable at first but I noticed his muscles twitching rapidly. A dark wave of demonic energy emanated from his body eliminating all of the mana fluctuation. What in the world I thought to myself where in the world was the demonic energy coming from. I was dazed for a second but my years of training kept me calm and prepared.


    Calling upon the earth, I felt a overwhelming feeling wash over me. I felt as though I was a mountain. A mountain that withstood centuries of time, a mountain which was unmoving, and resilient. With a wave of my hand, colossal pillars of rock sprouted all around Oliver, my golden tattoo lit up and the rocks were dyed with a golden light. My tattoo ability was one that saved me from countless dangerous. It was the ability of amplification, it could amplify any spell or ability I had. Along with my impenetrable defense, it was almost impossible to defeat me head-on. With an arrogance that seemed to be bred into my bones, I cast another spell. When you reach the level of Arch-Magus most of the lower rank spells could be cast instantaneously.


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    A wave of pillars emerged from the pillars I already cast, forming a prison like structure around Oliver. With another spell, the pillars darkened and became pitch black becoming obsidian. The golden glow from before still didn¡¯t disperse and the black pillars kept increasing in denseness. After the formation of the prison, I waited for Oliver to wake up. Slowly every passing second I became impatient and pressured Oliver¡¯s soul to wake up with my own. Boom! A large explosion occurred from inside the prison as powerful as it may have sounded it didn¡¯t make a dent in the prison. Interesting I thought as I watched Oliver emerge from the cloud of smoke. His brown hair became long and turned into a deep pitch black, whilst his normal hazel colored eyes became   bizarre. One of his eyes still remained as it¡¯s hazel color but it was inscribed with a weird pattern. The other eye, on the other hand, changed drastically, the normal hazel color no longer remained, instead, it was replaced by a blood red that seemed contain an ever-burning fire. It glowed and flickered with an almost demonic feel to it, what in the world I thought.


    **


    An indescribable feeling welled up within my heart. It¡¯s not a feeling that could be described with words. Ever since I started to tread the path of the earth. I¡¯ve felt as though something was missing. A part of myself which needed to be restored for me to feel complete. Today was the day that part of me was restored. As I tried to sense the changes of my body, a feeling of extreme heat was emanating from my left side. While a feeling of vastness emanated from my right. It was an odd feeling but balanced at the same time. Reaching deep within my body I felt around my mana pool where an unexpected surprise awaited me. My mana pool was completely dispersed and was in a gaseous stage. Which meant I dropped down all the way from the adept stage to the initiate stage. That was still within my expectation. What I didn¡¯t expect what the black pearl which was located in the center of my mana. The other surprise was the red specks of energy intermixed within my mana. It seemed as though I gained affinity to fire I thought. Raising my arms in wonder and excitement. I noticed my hair became much longer reaching down to my waist, it also turned pitch black. What in the world happened I thought to myself. Looking at my wrists I noticed faint black lines running under my skin. Oh great, the tattoo is now embedded into my skin I thought. While I was busy inspecting the changes to my body I heard a cold voice speak.


    ¡°I see you¡¯ve changed Oliver. How are you feeling,¡± asked my father with a small smile? I swear I saw a glint of amusement flash in his eyes.


    Quickly composing myself I conceal the surprise in my eyes and assume a neutral expression. Showing any feeling to father was the same as asking for punishment. Ever since I was young I was trained to have a neutral expression in all situations for political training. With a small smile, I reply, ¡°I feel better than ever before.¡±


    He narrows his eyes before he asks, ¡°That¡¯s good to hear, did you perhaps find anything unusual within your mana center?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I did father, I seemed to have gained an affinity to fire it seems. I also found an unusual orb within my center, the bad news would be that my accumulated mana dispersed,¡± I said with precise words not forgetting anything. As much as I hate my father he was a master in the art of magic. He probably had way more knowledge into the peculiarities my tattoo caused than I ever would.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± he said slowly stroking his beard. ¡°That orb is probably the manifestation of your ability. My ability itself manifested in the same way so I would know. But oh my don¡¯t you realize the wonderful luck that befell you?¡±


    ¡°Luck? Do you mean the affinity to fire I gained?¡± I said calmly but confused within my heart.


    ¡°Yes, that''s extremely lucky. Do you know how many dual elementalists out there? Not many, only 1 in 100,000 can gain more than two affinities. Making you extremely lucky for actually gaining that along with your ability.¡±


    I¡¯ve heard that dual elementalists were rare but I didn¡¯t know how rare they were. ¡°So, does that mean I can use fusion magic as well?¡± I asked with a hopeful tinge in my voice.


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯ll just depend on whether you can find fusion spells like that?¡± he said with a demon like smile.


    ¡°So, you won¡¯t give me the spells?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Oliver you must learn not to just rely on me. When you arrive in Lukedonia the city of The Imperial Academy, go, and signup at the magical association. Even though my collection of spells are vast they can¡¯t compare to the magic organization. If you work yourself up the ranks, you¡¯ll more than likely be able to acquire any type of spell you please. Even some of the more forbidden ones,¡± he replied.


    ¡°I understand,¡± I replied letting out a sigh of exasperation. When my father made a decision there was no way of changing it, I¡¯ve learned from experience that it was better to just let it go. Plus my father is my goal and I¡¯ve received enough help from him. When I reach Lukedonia I will finally be able to put my plans into overcoming my father into motion.


    ¡°I¡¯m pleased we see eye to eye on this matter,¡± he said coldly. ¡°Now, we need to find out what your ability actually is. Go inside your mana center and infuse your orb with mana.¡±


    ¡°Yes father,¡± I replied automatically closing my eyes. As I sat down I crossed my legs and entered meditation. Sensing the vast energy of the world I paid it no heed and focused on my mana center. I was running low on mana so I started to absorb it, my body was like a vacuum absorbing the ambient mana extremely fast. After about half an hour of absorbing mana, I turned my attention to my center. Looking around for the orb I start to channel mana into it just like father told me. In the beginning, nothing happened but little by little that eerie green glow appeared, a bit apprehensive I kept channeling the remaining mana I had into the orb. When I was close to running out of mana lines of black light shot out of orb. They formed some weird pattern in my mana center but it didn¡¯t stop there. My eyes began to hurt again and I could feel a connection forming between my eyes and the orb. After a minute or so of emitting beams of light the orb slowly dispersed leaving behind the knowledge of my ability.


    Aura Absorption, the ability to perceive and take the auras of living beings.

 Chapter 3 - Enlightened

    Chapter 3 - Enlightened


    I felt tendrils of mana interconnect my eyes with my mana pool. With the disappearance of the orb only the knowledge of my ability remained. My ability was called aura absorption, apparently I could reap the auras of others the only prerequisite being that they have to be dead. Shaking my head I try to clear my thoughts. This ability was straight demonic, stealing people auras ,and abilities what am I? A demon I thought. Standing up from the ground I wiped the dust off my clothes.


    ¡°So, what is your ability?¡± My father asked as he watched me.


    ¡°I can steal abilities,¡± I said with a deadpan tone.


    ¡°Stealing abilities hmm powerful, but most of those stealing abilities have limits. Is there an ability limit? Or certain requirements before you can steal an ability.¡± my father asked not scared of the possibility of me stealing his in the slightest. Then, again he probably had countermeasures if I tried to.


    ¡°Well,¡± I said slowly thinking about what to say I had to find a way to tell him the obvious aspects of my ability without exposing its weakness. Then again this ability didn¡¯t have any side effects at all I thought to myself. It would be dumb to lie at this point. Of course, I could¡¯ve lied now and eventually took him by surprise when I confronted him. But that would be stupid since knowing what the ability did wouldn¡¯t give him an edge at all. ¡°The only requirement is for them to be dead,¡± I answered.


    A hint of surprise appeared on his face which he quickly hid, ¡°If the only requirement is for the other person to be dead then it would be simplicity for you to take abilities. This is a great blessing granted to you by our ancestors. Truly the will of our ancestors is for us to succeed. Many ability stealers have to face harsh consequences when they steal abilities. In all of my travels in Alvernon, I¡¯ve yet to heard or met off an ability stealer without any requirements ha ha,¡± he ended with an almost maniacal laughter. After a few seconds of laughter, he returned to his dignified posture without a hint of the previous laughter, ¡°Oliver oh my son you¡¯ve gone and exceeded my expectation. For now, return to your room and rest. In the morning I¡¯ll have a magical beast ready for you to test your ability,¡± he said with hints of jubilation within his expression.


    I¡¯ve been trained by my father for more than 10 years. Judging by his expression or lack of it right now he was probably rejoicing in his heart of my newfound talent. Even though I was always talented. Receiving a high rank for my soul, and affinity to earth at the tender age of seven. Considering only 15 percent of the Empire were magicians, with only 1 in a 10,000 receiving a high rank for affinity. I was destined for greatness but as usual, my father was unsatisfied. When he was my age he was ranked as exceptional for his affinity to earth, as well as his soul awareness. He¡¯s always wished for me to go above and beyond. He wished to use to me to accomplish his goal of taking down the other ten houses.


    Even though the ten houses had formed an alliance which led to the formation of the empire. They all reigned over different areas, with each one being vastly more diverse than the other. Adventurers who entered Alvernon for the first time were always befuddled due to the different structure and culture in each of the dominions of the houses. To foreigners it seemed the empire was united as a whole but it was just a front. There existed many conflicts between the houses, which existed far before even the formation of the Empire. The biggest conflict between the houses was probably between us and the Lexus. The Lexus was a family which tread along the path of demonic transformations. There wasn¡¯t much known about them since they hid their powers with conviction but what was known was enough to send a chill down any person''s spine. The gist of their abilities was that they could become demons, not only taking their powers but also their forms. Demons were classified as the most dangerous species on the entire continent. They completed dominated northern Alvernon with only a population of a few hundred. They remained as the most powerful, deceitful, and ruthless beings on Alvernon with the exception of mythical creatures like dragons.


    To actually become a demon even for a short while, would be more than enough to destroy an equal level magician. That¡¯s why the Lexus head was able to defeat my father even though he was on the precipice of being an arch magus. I don¡¯t know much about their rivalry but it runs bone deep. When I first heard my father talk about it I couldn¡¯t believe it. How could my father who was one of the few Arch-mages on Alvernon lose. I hate my father but I do respect and admire his power. I asked him a bit on how he lost but he never did tell me.


    ¡°Alright, father I will go and rest for now. Will I still be leaving early in the morning for Lukedonia?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it won¡¯t take much time for our little test. Some of my plans might delay you but you must go to Lukedonia,¡± he said stroking his beard in contemplation.


    ¡°Why do I have to go to Lukedonia?¡± I asked it was weird for my father to keep insisting on something. There''s probably an important event that I probably had to show up at.


    ¡°There are plenty of reasons, but soon there will be a ranking tournament that¡¯ll be happening in Lukedonia and you must compete. That damned Lexus House has been provoking me all these days with their heir,¡± he replied with a dark expression.


    ¡°Uhm, father are you perhaps talking about Melior Lexus?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that damned brat. You haven¡¯t left this estate for a long time so you don¡¯t know but that Lexus girl has reached the master level as a magician. Not only that but she already merged with a rank 4 demon.¡± he said with a growl. ¡°But that''s not even the worst part, she been taking part in many ranking tournaments as of lately around the empire gaining fame. She¡¯s even went as far as to challenge you to come and duel with her in Lukedonia. I haven¡¯t mentioned it to you since it was nothing more than an annoyance but she crossed the line. Just because I¡¯ve kept our family hidden so you can take your time growing, does not mean the Kai family is weak. You must go to Lukedonia tomorrow and show her our true might!¡± he ended with a cold, resolute voice.


    ¡°Yes, father!¡± I yelled bringing my right fist up to my chest trying to fake some anger. But in my heart, I could care less what anyone said about the Kai family. I hate my father and I hate what he represents. If I could, I would probably go and thank her for doing me a favor, unfortunately, that¡¯s just not possible. When she insulted the Kai family she insulted me. As much as I hate it, I am the future heir of the Kai house. For her to insult me would be fine but as the current heir of Kai I can¡¯t ignore it without being considered a pushover.


    ¡°Good spirit but it¡¯ll take more than that for you to defeat her. Even before your magical power dropped to the initiate stage you probably wouldn¡¯t be matched for her. But with your new tattoo ability as well as your double affinity you might have a chance. Still, I¡¯ll bring a high-level magical beast so you can gain a powerful ability. I¡¯m sure you have your ways.¡±


    ¡°Of course, father I won¡¯t let you down,¡± I replied before a wave of dizziness washed over me. I steadied myself but I knew I had to get some rest. ¡°Can you let me out of the prison now father?¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± he said before he snapped his fingers. With a gust of wind he appeared inside the prison, putting his hand on my shoulder. The mana around us fluctuated with a certain rhythm before our surroundings transitioned into the second floor of our mansion. ¡°Go get some rest,¡± he said before he faded away. With some heavy steps, I headed towards my room collapsing on my bed. Exhaustion washed over my body and I fell asleep without even bothering to remove my clothes.


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    **


    The next day I forced myself to wake up early, I believe that only a weak-willed person wouldn¡¯t be able to get up in the morning. Putting on a black silk shirt, with some black leather pants I looked at myself in the mirror. For some reason, I¡¯ve gained a large amount of muscle and it wasn¡¯t the normal kind of muscle. It was extremely lean muscle. I didn¡¯t look like a battle-hardened warrior or anything but instead like a sleek, lean panther. The other discernable change would be my eyes, they were extremely bizarre one was red while the other was brown and if you looked closely enough you could see some patterns inscribed in them. My hair was also much longer than before reaching down all the way to my waist. I got an elastic to tie my hair up into a ponytail. The only benefit this transformation provided was that it hid my tattoo. Digging through the back of my closet I found some skin tight leather boots. They were extremely comfortable and were without the bulk a regular leather boot. They were made of a snake type magical beast skin.


    Finally, donning a robe I hurried to the courtyard. I¡¯m not like Irene or my father I never bothered to learn teleportation spells. It was mostly because I¡¯ve never had the need to leave the mansion. I¡¯ve only left the mansion two times in my life, both of them being trips to the Northern Wilderness for some training. Plus it¡¯ll be a waste of mana to teleport to the courtyard when I can just walk there. Within five minutes I arrived in the courtyard where my father was waiting for me. As I walked toward him I noticed a magical beast next to him tied up in chains.


    ¡°Oliver come over quickly,¡± my father said motioning towards the beast behind him. Speeding up my pace I arrived near my father. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I test it on something less powerful first,¡± I said staring at the beast behind my father. I¡¯ve had some combat experience against magical beasts before but the one standing behind him is probably a rank 7 magical beast. That¡¯s at least on par with a tenth stage Master magician. I¡¯ve never bothered to mention it but Magician ranks go from initiate, acolyte, adept, master, grandmaster, and then to arch-magus. Those are only most basics of rankings with each level having ten stages. Most mages train from the young age of seven and finally break through the initiate stage at 15, for someone to break through the master stage will require not only huge amounts of latent talent but also huge amounts of resources backing them up. That¡¯s why people are so awed by Melior Lexus her being at the master stage at fifteen shows her huge amount of latent talent.


    ¡°No, even though your power seems to lack requirements it might have an ability limit. Which means that you may only have a set limit of abilities to obtain, so it would be fruitless ability if you could only obtain a weak ability,¡± he said.


    ¡°Alright, father so should I kill it.¡±


    ¡°You probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to kill it even with your previous power, so don¡¯t waste your breath on saying that,¡± he said with contempt. After making some quick hand gesture he started reciting a spell. An innumerable amount of mana fluctuations occurred around the magical beast. Earthen elemental energy started coalescing around the beast, not harming it but providing huge amounts of pressure. I noticed the beast¡¯s muscles straining under the pressure, with an agonizing howl the beast fell to its knees with the chains restraining it cracking. ¡°Now, you can try to kill it,¡± he said.


    I knew without my father restraining this magical beast I wouldn''t even be able to pierce through its natural defenses. The magical beast was a kobold, a unique variant one at that. Normal kobolds weren¡¯t even matches for initiate mages but despite that this one was ranked at 7. Magical beasts and demons were ranked from 1-10 with each level providing a huge increase in power. Despite its origin as a the lowly kobold species which was ranked as a 1, it was able to reach this huge level showing how determined it was. How unfortunate it was for it to meet with my father I thought. My father was the only arch-magus of earth in the Empire, even rank 10 magical beasts would have trouble evading him. As for this rank 7 kobold, it was probably child''s play for my father to capture him. I felt bad for it but that was it. I could careless about the kobold personally. This was a world where strength reigns supreme, it might be more civilized, but strength is how you achieve what you want. This kobold probably ate and killed countless other magical beasts for him to obtain his current power. It¡¯s only normal for him to be killed as well, reaching inside my mana center I condense my gaseous mana.


    I¡¯ve dropped down from a tenth stage adept to a first stage initiate. I try to keep it out of my mind but it hurts. I worked hard to reach my previous level and for it to all be drained away to activate this ability sucks. This ability better be worth the cost I thought to myself as I activated my power. I sent the condensed mana into the link between my eyes and mana center. I could feel my eyes fill to the brim with power as that tattoos that submerged themselves emerged. A hint of demonic energy surrounded me as I activated my ability. When I first obtained this ability not only did the use of it appear in my head, the way it was used was imprinted in my mind. There were two ways to use this ability one was through my eyes while the other was through physical contact.


    There were pros and cons to each one. If I tried to activate the ability through my eyes, my tattoo emerged and my eyes lit up with mana. Any magician would easily notice what I was doing if they paid attention to the mana fluctuations. While this power was easily noticeable I could use my ability without touching my target. Some magical beasts are extremely poisonous and touching them will result in death, with this ability I didn¡¯t have too. Still, the other way of using it was probably way more useful. If I used the ability through physical contact minimal mana fluctuation would appear, and my tattoos wouldn¡¯t emerge. The only downside to this way of using is the fact I have to touch my target. There are some magical beasts that could self-detonate, or even release poisonous gasses that would kill me. Still, this was more convenient way of using the ability, but since I wanted to hide the other way of using my ability I showed this version to my father.


    With my eyes becoming an eerie green, an intangible hand shot out of my body heading towards the kobold. I could see my father at the side watching me activate my ability. When I activated my ability the tattoos reached towards my soul, I couldn¡¯t tell what it did with my minimal progress in soul awareness but I know it tampered with it. The intangible hand that shot out was a personification of my soul. When it reached the kobold the hand captured its soul in its grasp. The kobold that was already under pressure from an arch-magus couldn¡¯t take it anymore when the hand squeezed on his own. With a huge pull, the intangible hand pulled out what   was the kobold soul. The intangible hand squeezed the kobold soul with a huge amount of pressure, The kobold soul which was originally shaped like the kobold itself reformed into a tiny ball. Even after reaching this stage the intangible hand wasn¡¯t done, it kept squeezing the kobold soul until it was the size of a fingernail. Finally, the hand shot back to my body with the tiny kobold souls in its grasp, I wasn¡¯t sure how but the intangible hand refused with my soul along with the kobold soul in its grasp. With the fusion of the kobold soul, messages appeared in my head.


    <table><tbody>Intuition acquired</tbody></table>


    <table><tbody>Shadow affinity acquired</tbody></table>


    <table><tbody>Shadow Manipulation acquired</tbody></table>

 Chapter 4 - Departure

    Chapter 4 - Departure


    The influx of information had me stunned for a moment before a childish grin broke out on my face. I gained another affinity and even a rare one at that! Now, I could be considered the extremely rare triple elemental magician. I assumed that I could only steal abilities but I didn¡¯t know I could steal affinities too. If this was spread out, thousands of magicians would come after me vying for my ability. Affinity to an element was fixed at birth and was a representation of one''s talent. Even those magicians who have diverted from the beaten paths like illusionists or arcanists still needed an affinity to the arcane. Which is pure magic itself, the manipulation of magic without the need of the elements. Even our tattoo, the representation of thousands of my ancestors hard work and study only amounted to a subtle increase of affinity, or maybe an extra affinity gained if you¡¯re lucky.


    My heart was leaping with excitement right now. The fact that I could obtain affinities meant a whole new world opened up to me. I could learn all branches of magic, without the opposing forcing collapsing my mana center. Taking in deep breaths I tried to sort my thoughts. Yes, being able to gain affinities to all the elements was great, but I shouldn¡¯t get ahead of myself. For now, I would train in only some of the elements, training in all of the elements at the same time would decrease training speed which I couldn¡¯t afford right now.


    Returning to my calm disposition I browsed through the new abilities I gained, which amounted only amounted to two. One was Intuition, which allowed me to understand something without any reasoning. The other ability I gained was shadow manipulation, this ability apparently lets me control shadows as I wished. It was vague and I would probably have to practice a bit with it before I understood it. While I was reveling in my new findings a voice found its way in my ears.


    ¡°Were you successful Oliver?¡± My father asked with a tinge of anticipation.


    ¡°Yes I was, I¡¯ve gained the ability to manipulate shadows,¡± I said.


    ¡°Care to demonstrate.¡±


    Without any hesitation I activated my ability, and the surrounding area turned dark. It wasn¡¯t a natural born darkness which occurred due to the absence of light. It seemed to be a darkness with substance, a darkness that I felt an intimate connection with. I felt as though with a thought I could control the darkness as I wished. I concentrated all the darkness and gave it form in the shape of a sword. The darkness flowed silently around me forming a whirlpool where I stood, they started coalescing into a sword in front of me. The sword was long and thin, and completely black. It had no presence, it felt like the sword wasn¡¯t there for some moments if I took my mind off it. I tried to grab hold of the sword but my hand touched nothing but shadows. It seemed that this power was all showy but without actual power. I would have to practice a lot for me understand all of its quirks.


    ¡°Excellent just excellent, a great crowd control ability,¡± said my father with a series of slow claps.


    ¡°Much thanks, father,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Hahaha, this is great news I¡¯ve raised the ultimate successor to the Kai house. Within a few years, you¡¯ll be more than ready. It¡¯s just unfortunate I have to send you off to the Imperial Wizard Academy.¡± He said with a laugh.


    It¡¯s good that I have to go I thought. Otherwise, I would be stuck in this miserable place training all my life.


    **


    Ever since I was young I¡¯ve never left the premises of the Kai house. I¡¯ve never even seen the branch members of the Kai family. Unlike Irene, I was never allowed to roam free and visit cities. If the Council of Ten didn¡¯t make it rule that sons and daughters of the ten houses were required to attend the Imperial Wizard academy. My father would¡¯ve force me to stay here for the rest of my life. He¡¯s always filled my head with thoughts of taking over the Empire, which I will admit believed in. I trained earnestly learning magical theory and learning the various uses of magic in combat. I¡¯ve never had any interest in a political struggle so I focused all of my efforts into Magical Combat. My father praised me saying I was a genius with so much potential. With renewed effort, I kept training gathering my mana so I could break through to the Initiate stage, the starting stage for all aspiring magicians. In three short years, I did more than that, I exceeded the initiate stage and reached the adept stage when I was ten. Of course, I didn¡¯t do this without help, I used mana elixirs, and herbal baths which increased my absorption rate of mana. Along with the help of my tattoo which slightly boosted my absorption of mana, it was no wonder I reached the stage I did.


    This might sound like the greatest of accomplishments for an aspiring magician, but there''s a major flaw. Before I reached the adept stage all I did was train. On my father''s instructions, I was forced to master the 100 initiate spells and meditated every day. I didn¡¯t play with other kids I just meditated. My schedule since I was seven till recently was for me to meditate all morning, take occasional breaks to eat, study, and then return to meditating. Once in awhile, my father would call me down for his innovative study sessions. When I was still naive and asked my father if I could take a break and play outside I was slapped. It wasn¡¯t the pain that mattered but the shock. All I asked was to have a break, it was extremely stifling for a child at my age back then to constantly train but that¡¯s all I did. Still, that wasn¡¯t an extremely major event and my father apologized. Still, a seed of doubt was planted in me then and it started to sprout. When I reached the adept stage, I wanted to show my father my accomplishment so I went to his private study.


    When I got there I realized something was wrong, the door was opened a bit just a little crack. I didn¡¯t want to disturb my father so I waited quietly. After a few minutes, I became a bit impatient so I went to knock on his door but something stopped me. Through the crack, I saw my mother''s face as I heard her cold, and calculative voice.


    ¡°Why must you train that bastard child, he is nothing more than a product of a fling you had. Why must you turn your back on my precious Irene for that little bastard? Even if he is a man, hasn¡¯t there been a case of a woman ruling the Kai family for a while. ¡±


    With every word she spoke thunder boomed in my head. I was young but I was extremely mature, I may have been ignorant to affairs of the outside world but I understood adult concepts. Since alI I did was read and train it was no wonder I turned out to be as mature as I was. So, with every word she spoke that seed that was planted in me as a kid started to sprout faster.


    ¡°Shut up woman! I love Irene and nothing can ever replace my golden child, but you must admit he is talented. He may be a bastard child but he is useful and anything useful is meant to be used.¡± My father yelled back with a touch of anger.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if a bastard child is talented he will amount to nothing! Only my pure blooded Irene is capable of being an heir to the Kai house. He will only bring nothing but ruins to us I tell you!¡± She yelled back with wild frenzy in her voice.


    ¡°Morgana I don¡¯t have the patience right now return to our chambers and cool your head. Don¡¯t worry I have all of my plans set up, and everything will turn out right. I¡¯ve poisoned that boy ever since he was young. It won¡¯t kill him but it¡¯ll be more than enough to control him and that despicable woman. I may have injured her greatly but she is extremely dangerous. Fortunately, I have her son¡¯s life in my hands otherwise, she would have come back to attack me.¡± he replied with a low voice. At the end of his little speech, a small smile appeared on his face. That was the moment that I declared within my heart that he was no longer my father.


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    ¡°Fine I will trust you this time but sooner or later she¡¯ll come back and you¡¯ll have to deal with her,¡± she replied turning towards my direction to leave.


    Seeing her turn my way I ran for my life all the while trying to keep my steps silent. That speech was not something I was ever supposed to ever overhear. It was only fate that let me breakthrough to the adept stage at the right time for me to come to his study. It was the first time my father unveiled his evil nature and I was there to witness it. That was the moment when I started to doubt who I was.


    **


    ¡°Unfortunate, but this will be a great time for me to get combat experience, as well as put that arrogant Lexus girl in her place,¡± I said trying to appease him.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to be proud but the tournament will be watched by many high ranking officials and mages so do not dishonor us.¡± he reprimanded me sternly, ¡°Also, I see that your outfit is lacking I don¡¯t want to provide you with too many magical artifacts but one to protect your life should suffice.¡± He said as a ring appeared on his hand. It was funny how he was only giving me one magical artifact whilst Irene was loaded with tons of them when she left a year back for the first time. Still, it didn¡¯t matter it¡¯s not like I want anything from him anyways. I was alright with receiving training from him but I would never take any life protecting treasures from this bastard.


    He threw the silver ring at me and I caught it in one hand. I dropped it in my pocket since I wouldn¡¯t trust anything he gave me. I saw him glance at me as I placed it in my pocket but he didn¡¯t mention it.


    ¡°Alright, now this will be the last time I¡¯ll be seeing you in a while. So, you must improve before our next meeting,¡± he said as a suitcase made of black leather appeared in his hand. My father had an interspatial ring, a ring which had it¡¯s own pocket dimension. It was a rarity on the continent of Alvernon, with only a select few having the prestige of owning one. Receiving the suitcase, I opened it to see some enchanted clothes as well as other miscellaneous items.


    ¡°Yes, father I¡¯ll train as hard as I can so I reach my former stage and surpass it,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± he said not bothering to reply. ¡°Meet me at the teleportation array. l have to go and retrieve Irene. I planned on taking to you to the academy in the afternoon but somethings came up so you¡¯ll be leaving early.¡± he replied before he faded away. I breathed out a sigh of pent-up stress before heading towards the forest clearing behind our house. Time to leave this shitty place once and for all.


    **


    The flaming energy burned and crackled under the dimly lit room. It coalesced to form a burning wolf which seemed to be the embodiment of fire. Finally, I thought. It¡¯s been ages since I¡¯ve dominated anything under my flame and this was the first time I was successful. My dominant flame not only takes the ability of my target, it also gives them an fire attribute body. The wolf before me was a rank 2 Direwolf but with the enhancement of my flame, it became rank 3. Its fur was gone only to be replaced by fire, which layered upon its body like flames. When I dominated something for some reason I could absorb it and it would appear on my body as a tattoo. I haven¡¯t dominated anything other than this Direwolf yet but I¡¯m guessing it would. Whatever, not like I care I thought. Rubbing the fiery wolf tattoo on my hand I have nothing to fear. Maybe I should go and teach my arrogant brother a thing or two I thought with a smile.


    I¡¯ve been passing off Oliver¡¯s constant wins over me as flukes but I can¡¯t anymore. I¡¯m not stupid. Oliver had Cillian¡¯s constant attention so it wasn¡¯t a wonder he can beat me. Yeah, I call my father Cillian when I¡¯m alone. I hate that piece of shit, but I would never dare to call him Cillian to his face. All he cares about is little old Oliver only my mom is half decent to me, but she tends to flip out a lot mostly when it¡¯s about my future. Letting out an exasperated sigh I walk towards my closet. I guess the only plus to Cilian is the fact that he lets me have so many magical artifacts. A little too many I thought. Reaching towards a box near the top of my closet, I remove a little necklace and tie it around my neck. This is a rare inter-spatial necklace one of a kind and a kind of heirloom in mother''s family. It contains well let¡¯s just say enough that if Oliver ever tried bullying me, I would destroy him. I could probably even fight long enough to run away from a Grandmaster Magician if one ever attacked me.


    As I packed my bags I just took some extra miscellaneous items. I didn¡¯t need to pack a bag but I had to put up a front. My mother told me that I couldn¡¯t reveal this necklace to anyone under any circumstances so I had to make it seem like I packed a bag. Stuffing my bag full I heard a knock on my door.


    ¡°Irene, are you ready? We¡¯re leaving.¡± Cillian said behind the door.


    ¡°Yes give me a minute,¡± I replied as I hurriedly put the necklaced under my garb and rushed to the door. ¡°Let¡¯s go, father,¡± I replied as I carried my small leather bag on my hip.


    ¡°Yes let¡¯s,¡± he replied before he placed his hand on my shoulder. With minute subtlety, the surroundings changed into a forest clearing. The sunlight hit me directly in the eye when we arrived in the clearing. It was still early morning so there was a chill in the air.


    ¡°Who in the world is that?¡± I asked noticing a black haired person coming in our direction. Nobody ever visits our house and I mean no one. I¡¯ve been to Lukedonia before and our house is the most secretive of all the houses according to other students. If it wasn¡¯t for our rivalry against the Lexus no one would ever pay attention to us. That and the fact that my father Cillian is an arch-magus was probably the only reason we are even known.


    ¡°Who else would it be other than Oliver,¡± my father replied nonchalantly.


    ¡°O-Oliver? He looks nothing like Oliver!¡± I yelled in surprised. I mean how could he be Oliver? Oliver was average in every other aspect other than his talents. He had brown hair and hazel eyes, he was really plain. How could he transform into this devilishly handsome guy? The guy that was walking towards us was, at least, 5''9 in height which I will admit was similar Oliver¡¯s height but everything else was different. He had long silky, smooth black hair which he tied into a ponytail. He also had extremely bizarre eyes, one was red while the other was brown. The biggest difference would probably be his presence. I dislike Oliver and even say I hate him but it¡¯s pretty hard for me too. He¡¯s always had this amiable smile which hid his terrifying power but now it seemed like nothing was hidden. He emanated an extremely powerful dark aura, it was subtle and most ordinary magicians wouldn¡¯t notice it but I could. What in the world happened to Oliver I thought.

 Chapter 5 - Lukedonia

    Chapter 5 - Lukedonia


    ¡°Hey Irene,¡± I said smiling at her dumbfounded expression.


    ¡°Are you really Oliver?¡± she asked with a bit of hesitation.


    ¡°Of course, who else would I be?¡± I replied sarcastically.


    She gave me an irritated glance and turned her head.


    ¡°Stock bickering you two. I have much business to do so I don¡¯t have the time to accompany you to Lukedonia. I may be busy, but I¡¯ll still be watching the annual ranking tournament so you better not let me down. Especially you Oliver, Irene was able to reach the quarterfinals last year, but I expect you to do better,¡± he said with a stern voice. In the corner of my eye, I could see my sister restraining her anger. She was so easy to read I thought.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do more than just better father I will win.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± he said before he started to walk. Falling in line behind him, we followed him. I¡¯ve been in this forest before but it was really easy to get lost. My father once had an illusionist as well as an enchanter work together to cast an high-level Bewildering spell on this forest. Which would even confuse high-level magicians much less us. An only father who had a high level of mana sense would be able to make his way through here. He also had a runic engraver set up a huge array around the forest clearing to prevent anyone without Kai blood from entering it.


    After walking for a while we arrived in a wide clearing. It was open and had runes all over the place, it looked like some childish scribble but to a true Rune Master, it would look like complex formulas. Maybe I should study runes in the academy I thought. My father was only proficient in the combat ways of magic, so he never taught me or even permit me to learn the other ways. Still, I¡¯ve always had an interest in the other forms of magic, this was probably my only chance to learn it.


    My father went towards the center of the runic formation and started chanting. Yeah, he started chanting, and he barely ever chanted. The only time he chanted was when it was magic that required a lot of mana and concentration. Chants were used only as a form of guide, a true magician who was proficient with his magic wouldn¡¯t need them. The chants he used were in Ley, the elvish language. Not only were elves the race with the greatest amount of magical prowess, and knowledge they were the inventors of magic casting.


    After at least two minutes of chanting in a rhythmic trance, the runes started lighting up. It started out as a dim yellow but within moments, the light was blinding. He opened his eyes and let out a voice that was a bit strained.


    ¡°Get in the middle now!¡± He yelled as he backed out of the formation. We instantly did as we were told and stood in the middle of the array. He kept chanting a few more lines, and then the intensity of the array reached it¡¯s highest. It takes this much concentration to activate this array I thought. Too bad for me I didn¡¯t know how monstrous it was for my father to activate it alone at the time. It would usually take at least one grand master magician, as well as ten supporting master magicians to activate this formation. For my father to activate it alone could only be considered freaky.


    We both walked and stood in the center of the array. This wasn¡¯t my first time using the teleportation array so I was familiar with the procedure. After a few more lines of rhythmic chanting, the yellow light started to surround our bodies. It covered every inch of our body and invaded our body, within moments our whole body was covered with light. As my surroundings changed I heard my father¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Work hard and do not disappoint me, Oliver.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± I thought with a smile before pulling up the hood on my robe to cover my face.


    **


    A feeling of nausea welled up in me as we teleported but I gritted my teeth and suppressed it. One of the cons of long distance teleportation is the uncomfortable feeling it causes. It¡¯s the same with short distance teleportation but it¡¯s barely noticeable. Looking around at my new surroundings I saw a group of mages surrounding us. They mostly wore luxurious robes all with a golden insignia in the top left with the Magical Association logo. Each had a reserved aura but my Intuition was telling me that any of them could easily defeat me.


    ¡°Welcome to Lukedonia young master Oliver and young lady Irene,¡± said a black robed man as he stepped up towards the platform we were standing on, and gave a bow. The Magical Association was powerful in terms of influence and power but they still had to be respectful to the main members of the Ten House. Since after all, the foundation of the Empire itself was built by the Ten Houses. Which allowed for the Ten House to garner huge amounts of influence in the empire making them comparable to nobles. There were three groups in the Empire that were extremely influential. first being the Council of Ten. Technically since the members are the lords of each respective house they aren¡¯t a separate entity but still their word is greater than one or two of the houses. The second influential entity would be the Ten Houses themselves, which is self-explanatory and last but not in the least being the least influential is the Magical Association.


    When I first heard about the Magical Association I was surprised. Since after all why would the council let such an influential organization be within its border. But after a careful investigation in our library, I found out a big secret about the Magical Association. It was actually nothing more than a prison. Any renegades of the Ten Houses themselves were hunted down by the Magical Association which put them high on my destroy list. Since after all I thought coldly, I plan to be one. But for now, I still have to gather some information. So with an amiable smile, I walked towards the black robed man.


    ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure,¡± I said. Glancing to my left I saw that Irene already disappeared leaving me alone. What a reckless girl I thought doesn¡¯t she know how powerful these magicians are. ¡°Sorry for my sisters disrespect,¡± I said with a sigh looking at the place where she stood before.


    ¡°It¡¯s no problem,¡± he said waving his hand. ¡°It¡¯s not the first time Miss Irene disappeared like this, but don¡¯t worry young master. She knows her way around and our members will be looking around for her.¡±


    I nodded my head in acknowledgment, ¡°Thank you, sir, for looking out for my sister, and please just call me Oliver. I feel uncomfortable with honorifics.¡±


    ¡°Ah well then Oliver, then please refer to me as Romani. I hate honorifics as well but it¡¯s proper etiquette so please excuse me if I made you uncomfortable.¡± The mage replied with a bit more warmth to his words.


    ¡°It¡¯s no problem,¡± I said.¡±So, Romani can you please show me to my dorm room if it''s not a bother.¡±


    ¡°Alright Oliver please follow me,¡± he said gesticulating for me to follow. I fell in line behind him as he walked towards a wide double door. The place that I was transferred to was probably just a Magical Association branch. The room I was in was white and was filled to the brim with runes, and judging by my limited mana sense defense spells as well. I noticed Romani tap three times on the double door to open it. It opened with a click and barely noticeable mana fluctuations. It was odd. Ever since my tattoo activation, my mana sense became so much more powerful. Mana sense was short for mana sensitivity which is the sensitivity you had for the fluctuations of mana in the air. There was a particular legend that some mages had such great sensitivity that they were able to learn a spell after seeing it once. They could see the mana fluctuations not only in the environment but also within a magician''s center. Still, it was nothing more than a legend and no evidence to prove it was found. Either way, the increase in my mana sense was still helpful.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    As I followed Romani down the hall I surveyed the area. There wasn¡¯t anything special about it other than the runes which littered the place. Reaching the end of the hall we came out into a bustling lobby. It was the first time I¡¯ve been in a place with so many people so I was a bit dazed.


    ¡°So, many¡­¡± I muttered under my breath.


    Romani glance behind and noticed my anxious expression,¡±Haha don¡¯t worry Oliver they don¡¯t bite. They¡¯re just new mages that passed the entrance test.¡± He said with a warmly.


    Cracking a smile I replied,¡±If they¡¯re mages why don¡¯t they just enter the academy. No offense to the association but the academy is famous for its teaching capabilities.¡±


    ¡°True, but what the academy is also famous for is its rigorous selections. Only the best of the best are able to get into the Imperial Academy. It¡¯s pretty much the foundation of the empire so they only want geniuses there. Some hopeful young mages come in hope of joining only to fail the test. Most of them would¡¯ve spent their parents whole life savings to even get to Lukedonia with the hopeful dream of entering the academy and making money. Unfortunately, they have no way to go back so they come here, and we accept them with open arms. After all, we have our own agendas to look out for.¡± He ended his speech with a little chuckle.


    ¡°I see, so would they be accepted as members or disciples?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, they would be apprenticed to a ranked member according to their skills and with due time would be able to get their qualifications as a Copper ranked mage. If you didn¡¯t know the association ranks go from copper, silver, gold, and black. With white robes representing extremely high authority members. Either way, they¡¯ll eventually be able to join the organization officially with due time.¡±


    ¡°I hope it¡¯s not a bother but may I join as well?¡±


    ¡°O-of course.¡± He replied with shock on his face.


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No no there''s nothing wrong. It''s just unusual for a main descendant of one of the houses to join us. After all they have their own heritage which extends way further back than us.¡± He replied with some suspicion in his voice.


    ¡°Our family has their own heritage as well and I have already inherited it. My father just wishes for me to work for my rewards instead of spoon feeding me.¡± I replied with a smile trying to ease Romani¡¯s suspicion.


    ¡°Ah your father seems like a great man, and he raised such a respectful young man such as yourself,¡± Romani replied reevaluating his opinion of my father. ¡°Well, if you want to join it¡¯s easy just pass the test that¡¯ll be held within a few days.¡±


    I nodded in agreement not bothering to ask when it was. Joining the association is not really important. It would be helpful getting spells but for now, the tournament is more important.


    We walked for while bypassing the bustling lobby and stepped out into the even more bustling street. If the lobby had me then this had me completely stunned. I saw people in all different types of garbs rushing around on the cobblestone road. The buildings were all compact and close together and it was extremely crowded. Looking more closely I could see high-level mana fluctuations around some of the people rushing around. They all seemed to be at the least be initiates. I stopped for a minute just gazing out at this bustling, energetic crowd and I felt a sense of longing,


    ¡°Haha Oliver don''t worry you''re not the first to be dazed by this,¡± said Romani bringing me back to reality again.


    ¡°Thanks, Romani it¡¯s just I¡¯ve never been out a lot,¡± I said with a laugh just as I took a step to leave someone bumped into me. Looking to my left I saw a silver robed person walk by without even excusing themselves. I heard the silver robed person mutter ¡°Country bumpkins,¡± under their breath before they disappeared into the hubbub of the crowd. Stepping out on the cobblestone road I narrowed my eyes. People are really disrespectful I thought. Glancing to my right I saw Romani tense as he stared at the silver robed person.


    ¡°Please forgive her Oliver she¡¯s the head¡¯s daughter,¡± Romani said as he turned to me. I couldn¡¯t see his face, but I could sense that he was apologetic.


    ¡°It¡¯s no matter,¡± I said with a laugh.


    ¡°So, is there any specific place you want to see before the dorms?¡± He asked in a subtle way to make it up to me.


    ¡°No not really,¡± I said. I did want to do a lot of things before I got to the dorms, but not with magical association mage watching over me. ¡°But can you perhaps give me a map of Lukedonia?¡±


    ¡°Of course Oliver,¡± he said as he reached into the inside of his robe. Pulling out a small, yellowy scroll. ¡°Oliver you must understand some parts of Lukedonia are not allowed to be mapped. So I can only give you this incomplete map,¡± he said passing the yellowy scroll over to me.


    ¡°Thanks it¡¯s no matter, and quick question can¡¯t you just teleport us to the dorms?¡± I asked as I placed the scroll in one of the pockets on the inside my robe.


    ¡°Well, I can, but teleporting is not considered safe unless you have an Insignia,¡± he said.


    ¡°Then, Irene has an Insignia?¡±


    ¡°I assume, so Lord Kai must¡¯ve given it to her. Each ten houses only get one, but considering the level of prowess your father has I don¡¯t think he needs it. The insignia is a key in the Citywide array which lets you teleport. Otherwise, at the least you¡¯ll be teleported outside the city or worse get stuck in limbo.¡±


    ¡°My father likes to dote on her so it¡¯s understandable that he gave her the insignia,¡± I replied with a tinge of bitterness in my voice. ¡°Either way thanks for the map Romani. I don¡¯t want to bother you too much so I¡¯ll go alone the rest of the way to the dorms.¡±


    ¡°It was a pleasure to meet you, Oliver. I wish you the greatest of success on your path of magick,¡± he said with admiration in his voice. ¡°It¡¯s not every day I meet such a respectful, talented young man such as yourself.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you praise me too much Romani. I¡¯m nothing more than just your average mage trying to find his way,¡± I said giving him a firm handshake. ¡°I too wish you much luck on your path of magick.¡± I ended giving him a final wave before entering the bustling, crowd of mages hurrying throughout the cobblestone roads.