《Mu: The Legend》 Prologue: The Assassin Hi there! This is a story I''ve thought up over the past year and have started to put on paper during my spare time. As such, I''ll try to release a chapter every week, each about 2,000 - 3,000 words long. Also, if you spot any errors, please do let me know. I hope you enjoy the story as much as I''ve enjoyed writing it.
Regret. A deep sense of regret was what the nameless assassin felt as he stumbled along the stone hallway. His left hand clutched firmly at his right abdomen in a futile attempt to stanch the blood flowing freely out of a gashing wound. His right hand held an ominous, black guard-less dagger. Carved on its hilt were intricate runes overlaid with circles and I-Ching hexagrams. Behind him lain a fresh trail of bodies, each bearing a single, precise, fatal wound. ¡®A little more.¡¯ At the end of the hallway, the assassin stopped in front of a metal door. He grunted as he pushed the heavy door open with some effort, marking it with a smeared bloody handprint. Two armor-clad figures came into his sight in the room illuminated by mounted kerosene lamps. A pale-faced man in his late thirties with matted blond hair moved his trembling hand to the hilt of his sword, clearly shaken at the sight of the assassin. Prince Caleb Ravain, sole heir to the throne. Standing between the shaking prince and the assassin is a well-built man in his fifties, with short black hair and trimmed beard peppered with streaks of white. He stands tall and robust with his sword drawn, an unmoving sentinel that reeks of danger. General Karn Eisenblut of the Royal Guard. A brilliant commander on the battlefield, he accumulated countless merits in the war to unite the western continent of Paven under the Kingdom of Ravain. But, yet, in this time of peace, he oversaw the illustrious Royal Guard. A promotion, the court ministers said. Karn knew that it was a glorified position to limit his role in kingdom administration. Regardless of his political clout, his standing among commoners is second only to the king. A respected man, loyal to the throne. ¡°Your vengeance is misplaced. Killing Prince Caleb will solve nothing. Stop your foolishness. It is too late to save you, but I can at least give you a swift end,¡± said Karn calmly. The assassin responded with an ironic smile, ¡°Your loyalty is what is misplaced, Karn. You blindly protect this monster and coward. Can you disregard the evil acts he has committed? Can you forget the countless lives that ¡­¡± ¡°Enough! Kill him!¡± interrupted Caleb, some color returning to his face after seeing the assassin¡¯s sorry state. Shaking his head, Karn said remorsefully as he brandished his sword, ¡°I am sorry that it has come to this.¡± He took an intimidating fighting stance as he stared at the assassin. A resolute pair of eyes stared back at him. The assassin took a deep breath and chanted something under his breath. The runes on the dagger flashed red and blood stopped flowing from the wound. A blood-red replica of the dagger appeared on the assassin¡¯s left hand. He gripped the daggers tighter in an under grip as he calculated his final assassination. ¡°An artifact?¡± remarked Karn in surprise. Taking advantage of Karn¡¯s split-second distraction, the assassin launched his attack. He kicked the ground behind him, immediately closing the distance between him and Caleb. He slashed out with his left dagger, aiming for Caleb¡¯s jugular. ¡°NO!¡± shouted Caleb. A battle-hardened man and a grandmaster swordsman, Karn quickly recovered and dashed backwards, pushing Caleb behind him while parrying the assassin¡¯s dagger. Caleb staggered backwards and fell onto the ground. *Clang* The assassin launched a flurry of coordinated slashes with both daggers at Karn. Despite the speed disadvantage of a sword, Karn masterfully deflects the attacks. ¡®Faster.¡¯ The flurries became faster but Karn matched the assassin¡¯s speed. ¡®Faster.¡¯ Karn wrinkled his brows, ¡®This is beyond what a human is capable of. Is it the dagger?¡¯ His swordplay could not keep up. He began to dodge some slashes too fast to parry using skillful footwork. Noticing that Caleb is still on the ground, he yelled, ¡°My lord, get up and move back!¡± Caleb scrambled up, horror in his eyes. He pulled out his sword and held it in both hands towards the fighting duo. He inched backwards slowly until his back was against the wall. ¡®Faster.¡¯ The assassin¡¯s daggers disappeared from Karn¡¯s sight for a second and appeared, slashing horizontally towards him. Karn¡¯s battle-honed reflexes kicked in and performed a quick backstep to avoid it. The assassin¡¯s momentum appeared disrupted as his other dagger found Karn¡¯s chestplate, leaving behind a diagonal line. ¡®You over extended!¡¯ thought Karn as he slashed upwards. The assassin dodged it at a hair¡¯s breadth by swinging his body backwards. Karn roared as he rammed towards the assassin with his left shoulder. The assassin smiled. He had anticipated the attack. ¡®Not good!¡¯ realized Karn. The assassin took a step back with his right foot and kicked the ground with his left, spinning around. With this fluid movement, he avoided Karn¡¯s attack while bypassing him at the same time. Like a strung arrow taking flight, he dashed towards Caleb. Karn recovered and turned around as he saw the assassin knocking Caleb¡¯s sword away using the hilt of his blood-red dagger. The assassin¡¯s arm flickered as he slashed vertically at Caleb¡¯s throat. Disbelief flashed in Caleb¡¯s eyes as he made a gurgling sound and grasped his neck with both hands. Like a raging river breaking a dam, blood bursted out and seeped out between the crevices of his fingers. Life drained from his eyes. Caleb was no more. Despite his ferocious loyalty to the throne, Karn was a pragmatic man. ¡®This fight is over,¡¯ he thought as he dropped his battle stance and sheathed his sword. The assassin¡¯s red dagger slowly disintegrated into a blood-red mist as he dropped onto his knees beside Caleb¡¯s body. This act of vengeance, his personal crusade, felt like a hollow victory. No, he convinced himself. His motive was a selfish one, but his actions had implications beyond that. He was preventing the rule of a power-hungry sociopath that treated all life as means to an end. Then what was this sense of regret that still hounded him? A shadow fell over the assassin. ¡°Was it worth it?¡± The assassin stumbled around into a sitting position against the wall and looked up towards Karn. Blood was flowing out of the wound again. The assassin grew weaker with every breath he took. Smiling weakly, he responded, ¡°Does it matter? It¡¯s over now.¡± Karn shook his head and said in a defeated tone, ¡°Over? Do you know what this means for the kingdom?¡± The assassin chuckled and coughed out some blood, ¡°Job security for you.¡± He continued solemnly, ¡°Court politics and governing may be beyond me, but even I know the consequences if Caleb becomes king. You just refuse to believe it.¡± ¡°It cannot be worse than war,¡± retorted Karn as he stared at the assassin. The two men stared at each other in silence for a few minutes, emotions running deep. The assassin broke the silence, ¡°Farewell, old friend.¡± He closed his eyes for the last time. ¡®Maybe you are right¡­ The least I could do is to send you off.¡¯ Karn shook his head and crouched down to perform the final rites. Before Karn could touch the assassin¡¯s body, the runes on the dagger, still in his hand, abruptly flashed blood red again. Karn reflexively jumped backwards. The red intensified and slowly spread to cover the whole room. The world was dyed in a monochromatic red. Fear. As a man who has stared death in its eyes countless times and have seen the depravities of war, Karn had not felt this sensation in a long time. Adrenaline rushed through his body. His hair stood on its end. His spine tingled. He heard his heart pumping. ¡®Run!¡¯ his brain screamed, but his body would not respond. The dagger became black again. A black blacker than that of the darkest night. A black blacker than that of a bottomless ravine. A black that threatens to devour everything. The darkness spread outwards in a sphere and slowly enveloped the assassin¡¯s body. It lingered for a few seconds when in a split second, it shrank into a single point and drew the red into it. As abruptly as it appeared, it disappeared with the assassin¡¯s body. Color came back to the world and Karn fell onto the ground, white as paper. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. *** The assassin remembered his last moments. His consciousness was fading when it was suddenly jolted back. He had no physical body but felt his consciousness traveling somewhere. He was surrounded by darkness when it flashed a blinding white and a scene appeared before him. ¡®What is this?¡¯ Staring from above, he was looking at his last conversation with Kane moments ago. Their mouths were moving but the words were inaudible. *Flash.* A sword in his right hand and the dagger in his right, he was slaughtering his way through the prince¡¯s castle. Exhausted from the constant battle, his concentration slipped for a mere second. That was enough for the an elite guard to deal the fatal wound that plagued him in his last moments. *Flash.* The assassin was crouched beside a man wearing a black cloak with a short sword stuck in his abdomen. The man smiled and uttered his last words, ¡°Get him.¡± The assassin uttered his goodbye and closed the dead man¡¯s eyes. ¡®Am I traveling back through time in my memories?¡¯ *Flash.* Earlier that day. He was in an underground room, faintly lit by candles. Three men, dressed in black cloaks, looked over a map of Prince Caleb¡¯s castle. A red circle was drawn around a small room on the north-east corner of the castle. With a determined look in their eyes, they grabbed their weapons. The assassin rolled up the map and held it over the flame. The parchment caught fire as he threw it into a metal basin. *Flash.* Three months ago. He was slumped over in a dark alley with a bottle of liquor in his hand. A man wearing a red cloak walked towards him and stared into his dead eyes. After a short conversation, the man in red extending his hand. Grabbing it, the assassin pulled himself up. *Flash.* A year earlier. His left hand covering the mouth of a woman, he drove his short sword into her back. He felt her body grow limp. The job was done. He turned the body over and laid it down when a familiar face stared back at him. A rush of emotion overcame him as he staggered backwards. Horror. Grief. Sadness. He let off a primal howl. The assassin locked the door and carried the body to the bed. He folded her arms across her chest and gently placed an obsidian coin into her hands. ¡®No!¡¯ *Flash.* Three years prior. The assassin held a palm-sized obsidian coin in his hand. Carved onto one face is a figure of a left palm facing outwards and the other a circle. The symbol of one of the core assassins of The Hand, Ravain Kingdom¡¯s shadow organization. In The Hand, no one had an identity. No past. No future. No present. They blink into existence only for the moment their blade finds their target. And just as they appeared, they disappear. Age was therefore inconsequential and no one kept track of it. But, even without any record-keeping of age, it was evident that he had just became the youngest person to assume that role. He bowed slightly to the hooded man in front of him and took a seat beside five other hooded figures. For this young assassin, the Hand broke tradition and appointed its sixth core assassin for the first time. Where others would feel pride, the assassin felt nothing. He existed only to kill. *Flash.* A month before. Death lingered in the city of Zan. The once green cityscape was replaced with withered plants with dried brown leaves. Desiccated, charcoal-colored bodies of humans and animals alike littered the streets. Half a million human lives just ceased to exist. Not knowing the consequences, the assassin had activated a rune above the tower in the center of the city as instructed. Life within the radius of the circular city drained into an egg-sized, translucent gem placed above the rune. The assassin held the now green gem in his hand. It pulsated as if alive. That was the day his mind truly broke. That was the day he lost his humanity. ¡®No! Stop this torture!¡¯ the observing assassin¡¯s soul howled. *Flash.* Two weeks before the Massacre of Zan. The assassin had become a grandmaster assassin and quickly rose through the ranks within the past four years. Caleb personally visited him and the Adjudicator, the utmost authority of The Hand. Caleb pushed a small ornate wooden box adorned with the figure of a phoenix towards the Adjudicator. The Adjudicator slid the top open and pulled out a parchment. He unfurled it and laid it on the table. A single intricate runic diagram was drawn on it. Caleb¡¯s lips moved. ¡°I was never here.¡± *Flash.* Four years prior during an assassination and item recovery mission. The assassin had just recovered the ornate wooden box. His extraction group was discovered and had to find his way out of the ancient city of Aman. He escaped into an old Wind God temple built into the mountain, a relic from the time where humans used to worship the Gods. Such temples were built where turbulent winds gather and, as such, often opened into windy mountain passes. It was here that he discovered a hidden room below the altar and found a black runic dagger and a worn-out tome. On the first page was a single world, written in cursive; Pangu. It described a strange concept of cultivating internal energy, qi, which will temper the body and strengthen the mind. This was achieved through the [Primordial God¡¯s Foundation] detailed in the book. *Flash.* Six years earlier. A young boy held his dying friend in his arms. On the ground beside them laid two white masks, splattered with blood, and two swords, one dyed red with blood. The friend smiled at the boy as he took his last breath. Two boys died that day and an assassin was born. ¡®Please. Stop.¡¯ *Flash* A year prior. The boy was brought to the temple of The Hand. His hands were chained and his shirt was torn on the back, revealing raw red whip marks. Yet, there was a determined look in his eyes. *Flash* Six months before. The boy watched as knights rode into his family¡¯s estate, declaring his family traitors to the kingdom. His father, Duke Aran Sturm, was executed at the capital for treason and his family¡¯s land are seized by the throne. His mother and elder sister will be sent back to his grandparent¡¯s, another duke of the kingdom. Him, being the male heir, was to be sold to slavers, stripped of his nobility. As they were separated, his tearful sister leaned in and whispered in his ears. A face he had just saw moments ago. From his vision, the assassin could not see her lips. ¡®What did she say? Why can¡¯t I remember?¡¯ *Flash* Five years prior. The boy held a blunt-edged wooden sword in his hand. The sword, though wooden on the outside, had a core made from grey volcanic ore, making it extremely heavy. There was a strained look in his eyes, but he wielded it anyway. He distributed the sword¡¯s weight efficiently through his body. His sword instructor, master swordsman Karn Eisenblut, nodded approvingly as the boy practiced his sword swings. The boy¡¯s father set his quill down and watched proudly from the window of the study. ¡®I am sorry. I wasn¡¯t the man you wanted to raise me to be.¡¯ *Flash* Six years before. A bright-eyed four year old girl ran into the room with anticipation. ¡°Is he here? Is he here?¡± On the bed was a woman, holding her newborn baby. The wet-nurse stepped aside and walked to the stove to get more hot water. Her husband, who was fawning over his wife throughout the whole process, looked relieved. He smiled at his daughter and nodded. He picked her up under her arms and hoisted her closer to her newborn brother. The woman whispered loving to the baby boy. ¡°Welcome to the world, Edan Sturm.¡± An identity the assassin had forgotten. His soul mourned. ¡®I am sorry. I lost myself.¡¯ ¡®I am sorry, my family. I wish things were different. I wish I were stronger. I wish I had the mental strength to break free. I could¡¯ve found you. We could¡¯ve avoided this fate.¡¯ *** What seemed like an eternity passed. He opened his eyes to a blinding light. He blinked a few times as his eyes slowly adjusted to the light. His ears ringing from a chatter of voices. It is too bright. It is too loud. But, he recognized this feeling. Where he felt ephemeral earlier, he now felt solid. ¡®I¡¯m alive?¡¯ Mu: Book 1 - Chapter 1 Mu Book I Part I ¡°The soul is a miraculous construct. Born from the most primal of instincts and rawest of emotions, it is a seed that is nurtured by the universe while it resides in a mortal body. At the first thought of self-realization, sparked by either internal or external stimuli, it sprouts into consciousness. It evolves as it journeys forward during its lifetime, forming intelligence and gathering wisdom. As it meets its mortal end, it completes a page of a book, forgotten by all but the universe itself. What it received in nourishment, it gives back in knowledge as it re-assimilates into the fabric of the universe to begin the cycle anew.¡± ¡ªAn excerpt from the Scrolls of the Arcana, Volume I.
Chapter 1: The young genius The sun rose slowly, casting its dazzling rays of gold and yellow across the sky as it drives away the blue and violet palette of the dawn. Blades of grass glistened as beads of dew danced in a cold breeze, resembling a dazzling array of diamonds. Birds chirped playfully, ushering in the new day. As sunlight blankets the land, it revealed a boy sitting in a lotus position. Amidst this display of life and flutter of activity, he remained unmoved and serene. His chest moved up and down rhythmically, every breath seemingly synchronized with an unseen pulse of the world. The boy had black wavy hair that came to his shoulders. It is a stark contrast to his white skin, the color of first layers of powdered snow of a winter morning, with a healthy pink glow underneath. Feeling the warmth of the day, he slowly opened his eyes, revealing a pair of black irises, a black so dark that it threatened to devour everything around it. The boy blinked a few times, allowing his eyes to readjust to the now bright daylight. His irises faded grey. Knowing that townsfolk are starting their day, he pushed himself up and made his way back to the town of Wales. ¡°Good morning, young master,¡± greeted a tanned farmer. He smiled at the boy, revealing a set of red-stained teeth, owing to a lifelong habit of chewing scarlet fenu leaves. Fenu is a common plant that grew in this world. Sage green and nondescript, it littered the forests and plains. Scarlet fenu is a variant of fenu that occurs naturally, found growing with its common cousins. Green leaves with scarlet red veins, it releases a red juice that matched the colors of its veins when chewed. Despite its mild addictive properties, it has a mild numbing effect and is often chewed by commoners as a cheap, often free, pain-killing medication. The boy smiled warmly back and walked towards the center of town, where the Steele Family¡¯s estate is. The Steele Family was a family of nobles that ruled the mid-sized prefecture of Lapilla, which included the township of Wales and its surrounding lands and villages. Wales was an average-sized town in the kingdom of Iridis. It is home to twenty thousand people, good-hearted and hard-working folk, and governed by the patriarch of the Steele family and Aran¡¯s grandfather, Gerand Steele. A few more adults greeted him as he made his way through the familiar streets. The boy was well-liked by the townsfolk. He is out every morning, always polite and humble to the people of Wales. His curious eyes would scan the streets and sometimes he would stop by, striking a conversation with stall-owners setting up their stall for the day, asking about a random ware. Some older townsfolk sees Aran as their grandchild and would often tell him stories of their travels and of the recent war. Once in a while, they would see a glint of comprehension and sorrow in the wide-eyed child, but was rapidly replaced with the same curious stare. The adults would brush it off as their over-thinking and sent Aran off on his way as they finished their stories. ¡°Good morning, young master Aran,¡± greeted a young guard as the young boy got to the estate. The guard had long gotten used to this morning routine that began a little more than a year ago when Aran had snuck out of the estate. Though not heavily guarded, guards were posted at every entrance. This three-year old boy still snuck out, avoiding any detection. ¡°Greetings, Justin,¡± Aran nodded with a smile as he stepped into the compounds, acknowledging the brown-haired youth. ¡°Where did you go today?¡± asked Justin exasperatedly, ¡°You¡¯re going to get all us guards into trouble one of these days. And you¡¯re going to be late for the ceremony!¡± Any other guard would not be so daring as to ask where a young noble had been. But, Justin had interacted almost daily with Aran, and had realized that this young child was mature beyond his age. Where any young noble would be offended by this interaction, Aran had welcomed it, sought it even. Being the son of a hunter, Justin had hunted from a young age and Aran had often pestered Justin with questions about the animals and plants surrounding Wales. What shocked Justin was the fact that Aran was actually learning and internalizing the information, the same way a young hunter apprentice would at the age of six or seven. Justin too had enjoyed these conversations; they brought much needed company to an otherwise uneventful job. After a year, an unlikely friendship formed between master and guard. ¡°Just out looking for the mist leopard you told me about yesterday,¡± teased Aran in a mischievous grin. The dumbfounded Justin watched as Aran opened the doors and walked into the estate. ¡°I¡¯ll stop telling you stories about my hunts!¡± Aran heard as the doors closed behind him. Chuckling to himself, he felt gratitude that he was born in a peaceful part of the world. A complicated look, unfitting a child his age, passed his face. This reminded him of his peaceful childhood in his past life. It has been four years since Edan was reborn into this world, Parthenon. Through an unfortunate stroke of luck, or a cruel game played by fate, he was given his father¡¯s name from his previous life. A burden known only to himself, Aran Steele carried this new name as a constant reminder his losing himself to the assassin and the inability to do anything for his previous family. ¡®Things will be different this time around,¡¯ he thought. He had worked hard these past four years. *** It had taken him six months to learn the spoken language of the common tongue in Parthenon. Surprisingly, even though the words were different, the semantics of the language mirrors the language he had spoken. In the same amount of time, he familiarized himself with the new body and regained basic motor skills. By the time he was one-year of age, he had regained most of the dexterity of his former life and learned written language. The laws that bound physical movement, strangely but to his relief, was comparable, or at least felt similar, to that of his previous world. Despite his attempts to hide his ability to read, a curious maid discovered his ability to read when she found him hunched over a book for hours, mouthing to himself terms and concepts unique to this world. A genius, he was hailed, and the family spent a good amount of resources to nurture him. Teachers were hired to teach him a variety of subjects. Resigned, Aran decided to stop hiding his prowess and instead to capitalize on it. He would reveal some cards and steer his ¡®education¡¯ with a gentle, invisible touch. His first machination; his own room. Following that, his days were filled with lessons from morning till evening, with only free time to himself in the evenings after dinner. To the surprise of the adults, Aran did not once complain. Not to mention being able to even start learning, even if they could, any other genius child would feel repressed and would revolt against taking these many classes. Aran, having the wisdom of a previous life, happily accepted them and gobbled up all the knowledge they provided. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Like the laws of physics, mathematics stayed the same, just that it had progressed a little more in Parthenon. Aran, who had already been schooled in it as Edan, showed competency in the subject. His teacher, George Tallows, was shocked beyond belief. While rare, mathematical geniuses were not unheard of. After the initial shock, he had happily moved on to teach Aran more advanced topics, usually restricted to students who were at least thirteen years old in advanced academies. While the appreciation of the arts were similar across his lives, but Aran had much to learn. He had been well-versed in etiquette and all forms of arts in his previous life. Being an assassin required infiltrations and fake identities. The identities were fake, but the knowledge wasn¡¯t. To the best assassins, the identities were fleeting, not fake. And he stood out among the best. Although there is little difference in the tools and techniques used to paint, music and dance had evolved differently in Parthenon. As such, he had paid more attention to the latter two subjects. The arts teacher, Mihail Spiro, quickly realized this and geared his lessons towards the young master¡¯s interests. History and geography are perhaps the subjects Aran was most interested in. Also amazed by the breadth and depth of the topics she had to teach Aran, the history teacher, Erika Phillis, rapidly burnt through her knowledge. What would take her four or five years to teach, Aran devoured in a year. Aran learned that he was born in the country of Iridis, situated south of the continent of Ares. Ares, one of three known continents in Parthenon, was the smallest but most suitable for crop cultivation and abundant in natural resources. As such, it was the most densely populated of all three. Ares had five countries, Iridis to the south, Osiris to the west, Rhodeus to the north, Planaris to the east, and Hassius in the center. Iridis borders Hassius and Osiris with a strait through the south that separates it from the continent of Alaron. Being a populous continent with plenty of resources, the rulers of all five countries recognized it a folly to compete for land. They signed a treaty, the Treaty of Ares, that maintained peace in the continent. During that time, Aran began cultivating qi in the evenings alone in his room using the Primordial God¡¯s Foundation. When he first discovered the tome, he was skeptical about the effects it claimed. The technique allowed the cultivator to absorb the natural energy that exists in nature, qi; internalizing and converting it for the cultivator¡¯s use. It will temper the body to make it harder than steel and give it the strength to destroy mountains with the user¡¯s bare fist. It benefited the mind too. Cultivators of the technique will hone their mind, allowing them precise control of their thoughts and forming a mental tenacity that allowed them to easily dispel illusions. Combined with descriptions about Gods, soul, and magical qi, it was something difficult to resolve within Aran. Intellectuals from his previous world has dispelled the notion of Gods, magic, and soul. Cause and effect ruled all common sense in the physical world, leaving behind little room for the debate of the metaphysical, and everyone was brought up with that knowledge. Still, the wondrous effects caused Aran, the assassin back then, to attempt it,¡¯What¡¯s the harm?¡¯ Cultivating this technique was difficult. It was broken down into three stages; Forming, Condensation, and Evolution. In the Forming stage, a cultivator tries to sense the qi in the world. This was the first bottleneck, as this feat itself required the cultivator¡¯s mind to enter a state of calm nothingness and seek out the feeling of qi. It was akin to looking for an object in an enormous pitch black room; not knowing where it is, how it feels like, or even how big it is. As a result the number of people able to do this is astronomically small and in Aran¡¯s previous world, non-existent. After that, cultivators begin to absorb qi into their body. The qi circulates within the body and begin tempering the body. Flesh and muscle become as strong as metal. The energy is also stored in the muscles, allowing for explosive release, generating force and speed far surpassing that of a mortal body. As more and more qi is absorbed, the cultivator attempts to form a qi-realm in their soul, which manifests physically as three points in humans, called dantians. The lower dantian collects the absorbed qi and refines it into purer qi. This pure qi is then transported by the veins in the body to the middle dantian located at the chest. During transportation, the body absorbs a small portion of this qi and further strengthens itself. In the middle dantian, this pure qi is stored. This point also acts as the intermediary, a gate, between the physical collection of qi and the qi-realm in the soul and qi flow continuously between them. Once in a while, some incompletely refined qi may make it to this point. The middle dantian further refines this qi into pure qi, rid of any impurities. It harmonizes pure qi with the soul, converting it permanently into an energy truly belonging to the cultivator. This pure qi then travels to the upper dantian, located between the eyebrows, once again absorbed by the body during the process. The upper dantian is where the soul and wisdom of the cultivator manifests their control over one¡¯s qi. Qi is manipulated and, with enough experience, converted into usable forms of energy that allows the cultivator to perform feats beyond the physical boundaries of their normal body, although still bound by the laws of the world. When this is formed, the cultivator would have completed the Forming stage of the Primordial God¡¯s Foundation. Even mastering this stage would grant the cultivator powers that rivals Gods of certain worlds. Perhaps it was due to him rejecting the idea deep in his mind due to his upbringing. Perhaps it was talent. But, in his previous life, Aran was only able to practice the technique to the point where he could absorb qi, but unable to form a qi-realm. Still the effects of this initial stage manifested itself in his physical abilities, allowing him to rise through the ranks of The Hand effortlessly. After personally feeling the effects of cultivating in his previous life, causing the slaughter of Kan, and undergoing rebirth, Aran no longer had reservations. Furthermore, magic was present in Parthenon, although gifted only to some. And so, he spent the second year of his life taking lessons in the day and cultivating in the evening. Since he had already been able to sense qi previously, he was able to step right past the qi-sensing stage and began rapidly absorbing it into his body. *** ¡°A genius!¡± remarked Mihail excitedly when the three teachers met at the end of the first year. They met regularly, to coordinate lessons and share notes. This, however, was a meeting to compile a report for the Steele family of their recommendations for Aran. He added, ¡°The boy just turned two, but he never complains, learns quickly, and knows what he wants.¡± George nodded in agreement. ¡°Genius? He¡¯s a bloody glutton! If it goes on like this, there will be nothing to teach him in another year of two,¡± remarked Erika. Despite her complaint, the usually calm young woman had a strange smile when she spoke and a hint of pride in her voice. ¡°Erika is right though. He is learning at a pace so fast, it is difficult for us to prepare lessons,¡± said the usually reserved George. The three sank back into their seats, deep in thought. ¡°Aran did mention that he was interested in learning combat during one of our lessons,¡± mentioned Mihail while he leaned forward with a mischievous look in his eyes. ¡°We could suggest¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s much too young! What if he gets hurt?¡± interrupted Erika. ¡°I think we¡¯ve established that think we can¡¯t use common sense to measure him,¡± said Mihail. George looked at Erika and nodded. Mihail continued, ¡°Think about it. We¡¯ll suggest to Lord Steele that young master Aran is developing at a rapid pace, and it might benefit him to start learning combat earlier. We can say that he can do so in the afternoons and limit ourselves to an hour to two of lessons per person every day.¡± The order came the next day; Aran, then two, was to start combat training with the older children of the estate. Mu: Book 1 - Chapter 2 Mu Book I Chapter 2: A martial prodigy It was high noon in summer and the sun shone down mercilessly. As many guards and soldiers had left for the Midsummer Festival, the training ground of the Steele estate was unusually empty, with only two boys sparring in the center of it. The eleven-year old Armand had just managed to execute a complicated dodging maneuver and found the back of the almost six-year old Owen. Owen recovered a second too late as Armand grappled him from the back and locked him arms around his head. Owen¡¯s struggle was futile. The arm grip only got firmer. It wasn¡¯t hurting him, but it was draining the blood from his head. ¡°I give up!¡± Owen yelled. He felt the grip loosen and felt light headed as blood rushed back to his head. His left hand ruffled his short blond hair. He sat down and looked up at Armand, ¡°You always get me.¡± Armand smiled, ¡°You never think about your follow throughs. Once I dodge a single attack, you¡¯re done.¡± Sitting under the awning by the training ground, a light brown-haired boy chuckled. Tomas Steele was wrapping the grip of his blunt-edged sword with some newly tanned leather. The old grip, worn from overuse, lie beside him on the ground. Satisfied with his work, he stood up and made a few practice swings with the sword. ¡®Perfect,¡¯ he thought and walked out towards the two cousins. Armand was pulling Owen up when a two-year old Aran walked onto the training grounds. At two, Aran looked like he was a four-year old child, standing at a little more than a meter tall. Aran¡¯s cultivation of the Primordial God¡¯s Foundation resulted in faster development and a stronger body. Despite his stature, Aran¡¯s tempered body hid a strength that rivaled that of a teenager who has practiced martial arts. ¡°So it¡¯s true? He¡¯s joining us for training?¡± whispered Owen to Armand. Armand shrugged and smiled warmly at Aran. This little brother of his was too monstrous, but Armand was proud of his genius brother. Tomas stared at Aran with a slight scowl. He quickly realized it and replaced it with an unbothered look. Aran, who had trained years to observe every detail and grasp human nature, took all of it in. Owen, Aran¡¯s cousin from his father¡¯s younger brother, was still too young to understand anything unusual and was therefore a little nervous of this unknown young child. Armand was mature beyond his age. Not once was Aran able to perceive any sense of jealousy from this elder brother of his. A temporary shock, replaced by pride was all Armand had shown and he had always treated Aran with care. Seeing Armand, Aran felt warmth from the bottom of his heart. Tomas gave off an entirely different feeling. Aran had caught sight of that scowl, and this wasn¡¯t the first. Tomas was the eldest child of the fourth generation of the Steele family, and the son of Aran¡¯s eldest paternal uncle. He had always been reserved around Aran and Aran noticed a hint of jealousy from Tomas ever since he was revealed a genius. Tomas was not bad natured and Aran accounted this towards the influence of Tomas¡¯ father, Aran¡¯s eldest uncle, who had always held a grudge against his father, presumably in competition for the Lord¡¯s title. ¡°Good. We¡¯re all here,¡± a deep voiced boomed. The boys turned towards the armory that was connected with the main house. A tall medium-built man wearing a set of grey training clothes came out of the armory towards them. Instructor Jacob Sindris held a wooden short sword in his scar-ridden right hand, a parting gift from a ferocious beast in his previous campaign. He was not one to let grudges pass and had personally taken care of the beast after ensuring the safety of his company. Erin Steele, Owen¡¯s elder sister, walked beside him. She wore her dark-brown hair in a neat ponytail and had a recurve bow strung across her back. A quiver of arrows, two short of a dozen, hung on the right of her waist and a dagger in its scabbard on the left. There was dirt on her clothes and a streak of dark red on the left elbow of her shirt. ¡°You must be the boy genius,¡± Jacob said as he stopped before Aran, emphasizing the last word mockingly. He felt that the Steele family was being reckless and, maybe just a little, had injured his pride. Jacob warned, glaring at Aran and trying to intimidate him, ¡°My training is not easy, boy. I would not want you to get hurt because of your family¡¯s recklessness.¡± To his surprise, Aran didn¡¯t even bat an eye and plainly stared back at him. Jacob¡¯s thoughts raced, ¡®Ignorance? Foolish bravery? No, those are the eyes of someone with absolute confidence, of a veteran even.¡¯ Aran ignored Jacob¡¯s taunts. He turned to look at Erin and beamed, ¡°Big sis Erin, I see that you have had a productive hunt. Uncle Brandt will be elated that you brought home a deer. I look forward to our joined dinner tonight.¡± Erin was taken aback. Everyone around looked quizzically at Aran. It was not difficult to tell that she went for a hunt, but to recognize that it was successful and correctly guessed that the game was a deer. Erin nodded, ¡®This coming from a two-year old? Even Tomas would not necessarily have done better.¡¯ ¡°How?¡± Tomas asked on impulse, confirming Erin¡¯s assumption. ¡°Well, I know that big sis had been anticipating her hunt for a large game from a while and that Huntmistress Ada had approved it. From the dirt on your clothes and your missing arrows, you must¡¯ve went hunting. There is a steak of blood on your left elbow, where you cleaned your dagger after killing the game. Since it was your first time hunting a big game, I am sure Huntmistress Ada restricted you to the outer forests, and there are two kinds of game that were plentiful; boars and deers.¡± ¡°There are minimal bloodstains on you, and a boar would have put up more of a struggle. You would have opted to either finish it with arrows, or if you did with the knife, you would have more blood on you than just that clean streak on your elbow. Am I right, Huntmistress?¡± Aran finished and turned towards the direction of the stables. The other youngsters just noticed that Ada Grey had already gotten only a few meters away from them. She was dressed in a dark brown hunter¡¯s outfit that hugged her toned figure, shrouded by a green hood that was drawn down. She was a handsome woman, with high cheekbones and piercing hazel eyes. Her dark brown hair was short, less of a distraction she said. A trained huntress, her steps were steady yet graceful, fast yet unhurried. ¡°Impressive, boy,¡± Ada laughed as she approached, ¡°You might have a good head on your shoulders, but I¡¯m not sure about your physique. I agree with Jacob¡¯s evaluation. Rushing things might cause injuries that might hamper your future development.¡± Aran shrugged. He could tell that both instructors had his best interests in mind, and they were not looking down on him. At the end of the day, even Jacob¡¯s admonishment and intimidation, despite his slight bitterness, was done out of concern. After all, what other child could begin training as young as Aran? ¡°Let me prove myself,¡± said Aran. With a childish smile and mischievous glint in his eyes, ¡°How about making a bet with me? You and Instructor Jacob can each give me a test. If I pass them, I get to stay here and train. If I don¡¯t, I won¡¯t ask to train again for another year.¡± You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Jacob and Ada stared at each other dumbfounded. Who was this fearless kid they were dealing with? ¡°Fine!¡± Ada resigned, ¡°Erin, hand me your bow.¡± Taking the bow off Erin, Ada started inspecting it. ¡°All you need to do is draw this bow. It¡¯s a little too big for you, so you don¡¯t have to complete the draw length. Ah, I forgot. You shouldn¡¯t have had any training. I do not care about the form, just as long as you can draw it with your arm extended till your chest, like this,¡± Ada added as she demonstrated drawing the bow. ¡°Got it?¡± She handed it of to Aran as he nodded. The edges of Erin¡¯s mouth turns upwards. The boys were smiling as well. Even Ada couldn¡¯t help but look a little amused. The contrast between Aran and the bow created a funny scene. Aran was holding a bow much taller than him. With his left-hand at the grip, he straightened his arm. The bottom of the bow was touching the ground. Aran frowned. ¡®A little too big? I see your game. I¡¯ll raise you.¡¯ He then looked at Ada, smiled innocently, and said in a baby voice, ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll try it like you did.¡± He angled the bow so that the bottom is raised from the ground, now at a 45-degree angle. His right hand gripped the string and, to everyone¡¯s surprise, started drawing the bow. The full draw length was too long for Aran, but he managed to draw it 80% of the way, in perfect form. ¡®What?! That¡¯s a 40-pound draw weight! It took Erin a year before she could draw it. He¡¯s not even trembling! And that form. He looks like an experienced archer!¡¯ The usually calm Ada was flustered. After relaxing the bowstring, Aran fished an arrow out of Erin¡¯s quiver. Ada exclaimed, her right arm extended towards Aran, ¡°Ah! Stop! You don¡¯t have to¡­¡± Before she could stop him, Aran had nocked the arrow and drew it. He abruptly turned around towards the armory, causing everyone, including Jacob and Ada, to jump away. Aran released it. The string snapped forward and the arrow flew true, thirty meters into the center of a target in front of the armory. Everyone did not have time to recover from their initial shock. This fluid motion, from drawing the arrow to landing a bullseye using an ill-suited bow, happened in mere seconds. Cold sweat dripped down everyone¡¯s back. ¡°Did I pass?¡± Aran asked sweetly. Ada snapped herself back to her senses and stared at Aran, who was still smiling innocently. ¡®This guy¡­¡¯ ¡°Yes, you did,¡± she sighed and took the bow from Aran. ¡®You monster,¡¯ she added mentally. Aran turned to look at Jacob, like a hungry beast looking at its prey, ¡°What about your test, Instructor Jacob?¡± Jacob smiled back at Aran, ¡®This guy¡­ Looks like the Steele family¡¯s judgement wasn¡¯t clouded like I thought.¡¯ He had already approved of Aran. Anything beyond this is just formality. ¡°Owen!¡± he roared. Owen straightened his back and responded, ¡°Sir?!¡± ¡°Go get your sparring blade,¡± said Jacob. Owen obeyed and walked hastily towards the armory. Jacob looked down at the wooden sword in his hand. He had brought it thinking that the light weight was suitable for Aran, and if he couldn¡¯t convince Aran to leave, he would be satisfied swinging it around and would not hurt himself. After seeing Aran effortlessly drawing Erin¡¯s bow, he chuckled. He shouted towards Owen, ¡°Bring a short one as well!¡± The sparring blades were heavier than their actual combat counterparts, to build strength and stamina. The short sword Owen is bringing back in particular weighed at least 10-pounds. A short while later Owen came back with two blunt-edged swords, an arming sword, about 80cm in length, and a short sword, half the size of the first. Jacob took the short sword and handed it to Aran. Owen sighed as he heard Jacob¡¯s next words directed at Aran, ¡°You will spar with Owen. He will not attack, only defend. If you can get a single hit within twenty moves, you will have passed my test.¡± Turning to Owen, ¡°You have been training with me for a year now. If you lose, that¡¯s ten laps around the training grounds.¡± Owen groaned. The training ground was 100 meters long and 50 meters wide. ¡°Go easy on me, little cousin,¡± said Owen, vigilant after Aran¡¯s earlier display. Aran only smiled back. Owen got into a guarding stance several meters away from Aran; tilting his body with his right, sword-wielding hand towards Aran and his left away. Aran secretly complimented Owen. It was a good guard for a boy his age, but it wasn¡¯t enough against a trained assassin. ¡°Be careful, brother Owen,¡± said Aran calmly as he twirled the short sword and held it in an underarm grip. He kicked the ground with his right foot and exploded forward. To the untrained eyes of the other children, Aran seemed to flicker as he appeared in front of Owen. Using the hilt of his short sword, he hit the pommel of Owen¡¯s sword with precision twice; once to loosen it, and again to disarm Owen. Aran grabbed the loose sword in the air with his left hand, slipped his foot behind Owen, who was reflexively stepping backwards. Owen tripped and Aran pointed his newly acquired sword at Owen, the tip of it inches away from Owen¡¯s eyes. Owen did not even realize what had happened until he blinked and focused onto the sword in front of him. ¡°Brother Owen, you let me win!¡± Aran dropped both swords on the ground and instinctively offered his hand to Owen. Realizing he was too short, Aran retracted his arms, drawing a hearty laugh from Erin. Ada whistled in amazement. Jacob shook his head and closed his eyes. He had expected Aran to get a hit in, but not this overwhelmingly. ¡®Three moves? It¡¯s so fluid, I would even consider it one!¡¯ This young boy had shocked them over and over again. ¡°Geez, boy. What the¡­ Did you drink dragon blood growing up?¡± Armand smiled ear to ear, ¡°You shock us again and again little brother! Father and grandfather would be proud!¡± From the corner of his eyes, Aran caught Tomas wince at this comment. Owen, even though a little embarrassed at his loss, laughed heartily. He had accepted Aran as one of the boys and ruffled the little boy¡¯s hair. ¡°Well, we¡¯ve wasted enough time. Go get your training swords,¡± Jacob barked to Erin and Armand, ¡°We will begin our drills for the day.¡± He turned and looked at the relaxed Owen, ¡°I didn¡¯t forget. You will do your laps after the drills.¡± Seeing Owen¡¯s dejected look, Ada smiled. She waved at the group and walked back to the barracks. She didn¡¯t have any lessons today, and had only came by to assess Aran as requested by Lord Steele. ¡®A genius and a martial prodigy. Things are going to be very interesting,¡¯ Ada thought, her heart racing with anticipation for the next few years. ¡°Instructor Jacob,¡± said Aran. ¡®What now?¡¯ Jacob turned around and looked down at Aran, ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Can I change my sword? It¡¯s too light for me¡­¡± *** Mu: Book 1 - Chapter 3 Mu Book I Chapter 3: Attempting qi-realm formation Two months after Aran started training with Jacob and Ada, the elder children, Tomas, Armand, and Erin travelled back to the one of two Royal Academies, where nobles¡¯ children in the country of Iridis almost all attended. These were the best places to cultivate their children, as the royal family, even with an expensive tuition paid for by the nobles, spared no resources to hire best lecturers and instructors to teach the students martial arts, etiquette, politics, and magic. This was also where the future nobles and rulers met, promoting healthy competition and forming lasting friendships. Therefore, to all the nobles in Iridis, there was no cost too expensive to send their children to the academy. Aran had spent the rest of the year advancing his studies, both scholarly and martially, and continued to awe all his teachers and instructors. Aran¡¯s martial arts proficiency also spurred a spark in his daily sparring partner, Owen, as he saw Aran as a friendly rival. As such, much to everyone¡¯s satisfaction, Owen¡¯s close combat abilities also developed rapidly. In the evenings after dinner, Aran had continued his cultivation. This was a secret he kept to himself, for multiple reasons. Firstly, it was not something that was familiar to this world and he could not chalk it off as being born with an innate physical aptitude or intellectual talent. It was not something that he himself completely understood, and would not be able to find a way to explain it. Secondly, through his readings and probing questions, he realized the similarities between qi and the magic essence in Parthenon, something the people here called mana. It was forbidden for children under the age of seven to practice magic and absorb mana. Lastly, it was of no benefit to Aran to reveal this information, as he believed that no one could guide him and a hidden trump card was something he¡¯d like to have in his hands. When he first started cultivating qi, it felt like he was pulling in thin wisps of smoke that dissipated seconds after it entered his body. The proficiency of absorbing the qi increased at a rapid pace with practice. It gradually accumulated and thickened. He could feel it flowing through the veins in his body when he was actively cultivating. When he stopped however, this feeling was replaced same ephemeral feeling of the qi fizzling out like smoke of a blown candle. Now, the qi has become so dense, he could feel it lingering long after he had stopped cultivating. For about an hour after he stopped cultivation, his veins pulsed with qi with every heartbeat, ready to erupt like a volcano. Aran sighed inwardly. If the qi had not tempered his body, the qi might even burst out. He did not want to imagine the sight of that. ¡®According to the tome, this feeling is called yang saturation. When I can constantly feel the circulation of qi in my body, at the state of complete yang saturation, I should be able to attempt to form my qi-realm.¡¯ It was unfortunate that he did not have the tome with him. He had read it countless times after being able to sense qi, believing its words with skeptical optimism. And so, he remembered most of the details of the first stage, as he was actively attempting it. As for the remainder, he remembered the concepts, but not the finer details of how to achieve them. Aran put that thought away, ¡®No use thinking about the other stages. I remember all about the forming stage, and who knows how long before I am able to form my qi-realm? It was a major bottleneck and countless mortals spent years cultivating but never realizing it.¡¯ Every time a cultivator¡¯s qi-realm forming attempt was unsuccessful, the energy dissipates and they lose ten percent of their accumulated qi, having to cultivate that over again. There was a long road of cultivation ahead. *** A month shy of turning three, Aran had achieved complete yang saturation. It was a cool spring evening, with a soft breeze bidding the sun farewell as it escapes down the horizon, casting its last light as a vivid orange. Aran drank in this majestic view and rolled down the bamboo blinds of his window. He sat on his bed in a lotus position, body trembling with anticipation, and recounted the steps of qi-realm forming. Aran must first clear his mind and enter a meditative state of nothingness. An excited thought or external distraction was all it needed for the process to fail. Next, Aran had to manipulate the qi in his body to spin and form a sphere where his middle dantian would form. When a whirlpool like sphere has formed , he had to start absorbing qi and directing it through a point just below his navel, where his lower dantian will be located. When this is completed, the whirlpool should start absorbing qi at a furious rate and the qi absorbed through the lower point will circulate through fiercely through the natural path of his veins. It destroys as it heals, reforging the body along the way. This was a painful process, and without the necessary willpower, he would fail. A failure in this step may lead to physical harm, and in serious cases will cripple if not kill him. As the body gets used to this ferocious energy, the whirlpool¡¯s consumption will increase and eventually collapse on itself, forcing its way to the soul, creating a transient bridge. At this point, Aran will have some control over his soul and will be able to expand it to accommodate this qi. The size depends on the strength of the soul and the quantity of qi he was able to absorb. When the qi settles down, it will form a gentle swirling sphere in the center of his soul, effectively forming a qi-realm. As the mass of energy in the qi-realm swirls, it draws in tiny strands of the soul, which contains yin energy, while thin wisps of it gravitates outwards into the surrounding soul, strengthening the soul while harmonizing the qi with it. The qi in from this qi-realm will flow continuously between the soul and the body while the bridge between them slowly solidifies over time. The complete stabilization of this connection signifies the true completion of the forming stage. Aran took a deep breath, controlled his emotions and began. For Aran, who was trained to perfectly control his emotions, the first step was easy. Within seconds, he effortlessly settled into a meditative state. He had experimented over the past year and had reached an acceptable degree of proficiency at controlling the qi within his body. He slowly gathered qi at his middle dantian. After an hour, a fist-sized amount of qi had coalesced at Aran¡¯s chest and started spinning slowly. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. As time passed, Aran slowly uncovered the complexities of manipulating qi. His control over qi had reached another level and extended to qi half a meter around him. With his more polished control, he was able to increase the speed of the sphere and it transformed into a violent whirlpool. Aran gritted his teeth and started absorbing qi from his surroundings, forcing them to go through the point below his navel. Qi was rapidly sucked in and raged through his veins. Aran¡¯s faced twitched. Even though he was mentally prepared, the pain was overwhelming; more brutal and raw than the torture he underwent during his assassin¡¯s training. It felt like his veins were being scorched by lava and every so often, a warm feeling flowed through his body, as if healing him. The respite was but for a second, and the contrast heightened his sense of pain and worsened his agony. And yet, he endured. The merciless cycle repeated itself. An hour. Two hours. The pain gradually subsided. Unfortunately, beyond Aran¡¯s expectations, the whirlpool had turned into a maelstrom and the qi streams feeding into it turned berserk. Aran was slowly losing control of it! It spun faster and faster until Aran¡¯s struggling concentration lapsed for a split second. ¡®No!¡¯ Realizing that there was no way to salvage the spinning mass of raw energy, Aran forcibly redirected newly absorb qi to protect his internal organs and veins. Layer upon layer of qi formed around his organs, preparing to shield them against the impending backlash. The maelstrom shuddered, collapsed, and exploded outwards like a nova. The protective qi slowly depleted as the energy gushed out, following the path of least resistance. Aran¡¯s body absorbed some of the impact, but a strong shockwave still rippled outwards, causing the walls to rumble and furniture thrown around. The door to his room swung outwards and the blinds crumbled. *** Gerand Steele lightly pushed the papers in front of him away. It had been a long day. Two land disputes, three ferocious beast sightings, and a bandit raid. After hours of meticulous planning, he had to mobilize all the forces at hand and had to personally lead a few guards to subjugate an Ironhide Rhinoceros. Of his three sons, two were still away dealing with the flood of problems. The eldest, Niall Steele, an accomplished swordsman and commander, had led a third of his army to subdue two other beasts on the eastern edge of Lapilla prefecture. Luca Steele, the equally accomplished middle son, had led the other third in pursuit of the bandits at the opposite end of the prefecture. He sighed, closed his eyes, and leaned back into his chair when he felt the room tremble. ¡°What?!¡± Gerand jumped up. He suddenly felt a strong mana fluctuation within the estate in the direction of Luca¡¯s compound. He grabbed his blade and dashed out the door. *** ¡°Welcome home, dear,¡± Rana Steele greeted her husband. She was dressed in a simple dark blue dress that contrasted her creamy white skin and her blonde curly hair. ¡°Are the matters resolved with the villagers?¡± Ed Steele returned a tired smile and nodded. He walked towards the table in the room and poured himself a glass of water. Just as he brought the glass up to his lips, he felt a strong tremor rock the room. He reflexively dropped the glass and reached for his dagger. Shock followed by seriousness filled his eyes. The shattering glass reflected the mood of the room. ¡°Mana fluctuation? No, aberration? In the estate, and at this time?¡± asked Rana, terrified. ¡°Yes, a strong one too. From Luca¡¯s. Go to Owen. I will investigate,¡± said Ed after calming his nerves. Husband and wife left the room hastily, headed to different directions but with the same grim look on their faces. *** Jura Steele had just put her two year old daughter to sleep. She lightly parted her daughter¡¯s hair and planted a kiss on her forehead. ¡®Looks like Niall won¡¯t make it back tonight,¡¯ she thought as she turned off the light from the mana lamp. As she readied to go to bed, the room shook. Being a mage, she recognized the feeling. Alarmed, her motherly instincts kicked in as she quickly ran over to her daughter. She chanted a spell and a protective mana shield enveloped mother and daughter. The silence of the night was marred by the toddler¡¯s cries. *** Celeste Steele furrowed her eyebrows while thoughtlessly tapping the pen in her left hand on the table. She was in the library and the mana lamp in the center of the table casted a bright light onto the open book, pages yellowed with age, in front of her. Papers were strewn around the book; all containing hastily jotted notes, with words often crossed off and replaced by another scribble, as if an army of ants trying to cram themselves onto the piece of paper except where the were figures. These figures consist of circles with strange runes and criss-crossing lines, forming well-proportioned squares and polygons. Her face drew closer to the book and the warm light caressed her face, revealing the troubled look of an intellectual. Even so, she was no less beautiful than her usual self. Her rich wavy black hair wafted around her delicate face, highlighting her large green eyes, that sparkled like emeralds in the light. She had olive-colored skin, a common characteristic of Planarisians. ¡°This doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± she murmured, staring at the page before her. She was a mage of her own right, and a distinguished academic in the arcane theory of wind and water magic. She was an independent researcher associated with the Magician¡¯s Society, enjoying all of the benefits and having to give little back. She had been burning the midnight oil, having hit a bottleneck in her research trying to unravel the mysteries of merging magic of these two elements. The library rumbled and the many books on the shelves around her shifted slightly. ¡°Aran!¡± Mana fluctuated in the room and Celeste disappeared as a gust of wind, blowing the papers off the table. *** Aran coughed out blood and his body fell backwards onto the bed. His skin was a pale white, the color of marble without the warmth. Mu: Book 1 - Chapter 4 Early release this week. Enjoy!
Mu Book I Chapter 4: Sealed Celeste arrived at Aran¡¯s room and was shocked when she saw Aran lying on the bed with many small tiny, superficial cuts all over his body and a thin trail of blood dripping from his lips. Fighting her panicking brain, she immediately rushed over to Aran¡¯s side and inspected him with her arcane sense. Dense. The mana in the body of her son was dense, but chaotic. His internal organs were lightly damaged, with a few veins being lacerated. She sighed in relief; it wasn¡¯t life threatening. ¡®What did you do?¡¯ She immediately set his body straight and laid his head on a pillow. She put her palm on his chest and started letting her mana flow into Aran¡¯s body. A blue haze surrounded her body, as she rapidly absorbed and directed the water-attributed mana around her into Aran¡¯s body to envelope his damaged organs and veins. At the same time, the small wounds all over his body slowly closed. Two men arrived at the door and saw Celeste, kneeling beside the bed in concentration, tending to Aran. The room was in a mess. There were blood splatters on the floor, spread outwards from the bed, and the furniture were broken and scattered across the room. Gerand nodded to Ed and both stood guard, remaining vigilant for whatever might have caused this phenomenon. An hour later Celeste got up. ¡°Thank you, father, Ed. Aran is in a stable state now,¡± said Celeste, bowing slightly towards the both of them. ¡°What happened?¡± asked Gerand concernedly. Nothing stirred in the hour he and Ed stood guard, and they already had an idea of the cause in their minds. ¡°It¡¯s probably this foolish son of mine,¡± gritted Celeste, accordant with the doubts of the other two present. ¡°But this feeling. He couldn¡¯t have, could he?¡± questioned Ed, disbelief in his eyes. ¡°Probably. But, we won¡¯t know until he wakes up. Celeste, rest well. We will take our leave and send some servants to help with the room,¡± Gerand said solemnly and left with Ed. ¡°Foolish child,¡± Celeste said, as she sat on the bed, caressing her son¡¯s forehead. *** The whip cracked angrily on the back of the brown-haired child, leaving behind raw, ugly red welts. ¡°You will kill that beast, boy!¡± roared a burly man wearing a slaver¡¯s mask on the wall above the arena. Edan Sturm stared stubbornly back at the slaver with his back turned towards an injured pair of panthers, ¡®You will not break me!¡¯ The whip cracked again, accompanied by boos from the spectators around them. It had been six months since Edan had been sold to the slavers. As he had been trained in combat, they had forced him to fight ferocious beasts at the slave¡¯s arena as a form of entertainment and a source of gambling. He was one of the youngest fighters in the arena, or rather, one of the few young ones that have ever survived a single fight. This was his fifteenth fight, and he had made the slavers a fortune. However, he had refused to kill a single beast. In every fight, he would expertly disable his enemy beasts, and sat on the side. The only injuries he had accumulated were from slavers, who had jumped into the ring to discipline him. He never took it sitting down. He had often fought back, and had to be dragged out of the arena. When that first happened, the crowd got rowdy in enjoyment. After all, it was free entertainment. The slavers always gave in; they had dragged him out and killed the beasts themselves. Recently, it was getting tougher to restrain the boy, and Edan was let out after a few slavers had failed. It was financially more viable to start the next fight than gamble on the stubbornness of a child with enough skills to back it up. But now, many of spectators have grown tired of his antics, and the slavers have noticed. Today, the overseers decided, was the day a death would present itself during this slave¡¯s fight. A death. Any death. The slaver motioned to a dozen other slavers. Twelve men, armed with various blunt weapons jumped into the arena and circled him. Edan smiled, ¡®Again?¡¯ Edan brandished his blade and took a defensive stance. Despite his hatred for this depraved sport, he did enjoy inflicting pain on his tormentors. ¡®Come, you sick bastards.¡¯ He was confident against this band of uncoordinated lowlifes. His body had hardened over the past six months. Already strong to begin with, working in the mines when he wasn¡¯t fighting had given him strength and constitution comparable to that of an average adult. Fighting wild beasts had granted him agility and explosive power. Coupled with his finesse in close combat techniques, he was not an easy enemy. If that was not enough, fighting the slavers at the end of every match, he had learned that honor only stands in the way of fighting in an arena. The slavers laughed maniacally and fearlessly as they approached the boy. They might have feared the boy the first few times, but he had never killed anyone. Teach him a lesson, the boss had said. If he didn¡¯t obey, kill him. Either way, they will be rewarded. A slaver carrying a heavy mace swing at Edan. He deftly stepped to the side and quickly launched a left palm towards the slaver¡¯s face, breaking his nose. He quickly turned as he heard the shout of another slaver behind him. He parried away another mace and kicked the slaver in the stomach, sending him to the ground. Edan continued weaving between the slavers, dealing pain with every move. Half an hour later, an exhausted Edan stood in the middle arena, surrounded by slavers who were lying on the ground, either unconscious or groaning in pain, unable to get up. He frowned. Usually, by now, the gates would open. The slaver with the whip from before smiled evilly. He pulled on a lever and a gate on the other side opened. Two men, armed with swords and shields walked out. Slaves. Slaves who had fought and killed men in the same arena. Edan recognized one of them, The Ripper, who was known to be cruel and brutal. He reveled in rousing the crowd with his slow, methodical treatment of his opponents. As the men stepped out, Ripper slit the other slave¡¯s throat from ear to ear as he shouted, ¡°The boy is mine.¡± A chill ran down Edan¡¯s spine. ¡°Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!¡± chanted the excited crowd, hungry for blood. ¡°Boy, I will slowly slice you apart. It has been a while since I enjoyed someone as young as yourself,¡± said The Ripper with a maniacal glee in his eyes. Edan felt fear, a fear deeper than the one he had when he faced his first beast. The fight was long, and painful. The Ripper easily disarmed Edan and started slowly slashing him, avoiding the face, causing painful, superficial wounds. The face, The Ripper had said, was best left for last. He had refused to scream, to refuse this demon of its sick satisfaction. His determination crumbled soon after. He never begged though. He would never. After minutes of agonizing pain, with every strike, Edan had slowly inched himself towards the body of the slave The Ripper had killed earlier. Grasping the last of his strength, Edan grabbed the sword, in the still warm hands of the body, and plunged it deep into The Ripper. The Ripper stared at the sword in disbelief and slashed a diagonal wound on Edan before gurgling up blood and collapsing onto the ground. Edan heard the crowd gasp, followed by uproar. He had lost too much blood and his consciousness slowly faded. In a platform reserved for dignified guests, a man in a black hood whispered to his aide, ¡°Get me that boy.¡± *** Aran¡¯s eyes opened in shock while gasping for breath from the nightmarish memory. His body felt like a block of lead. He found himself in fresh clothes, lying on the bed in his room, alone. The door was open and he felt a breeze of the crisp morning air of spring. He groaned as he pushed himself up weakly and leaned against the headboard of his bed. He sighed inwardly, ¡®I was too hasty. I should¡¯ve taken better precautions.¡¯ He tried moving his toes and smiled when he realized that he has not lost his sense of movement. Aran quickly closed his eyes and inspected his body using qi. To his relief, his veins and internal organs were shocked, but not damaged. His body had been strengthened after absorbing qi for two years. Although he had failed to form his qi-realm, he had completed the series of reforging cycles during the qi circulation, further forging his body. Furthermore, the hastily formed layers of defense, while imperfect, still offered some protection and resistance. While some qi blasted through the defenses, most had travelled through the path of least resistance, around these layers and out of his body. As such, he was able to prevent major internal damage. ¡®But no injuries? Not even externally? Impossible¡­¡¯ He then noticed a faint blue colored energy forming a layer of translucent membrane around his organs; an energy that felt foreign with a warm familiarity to him. This energy did not seem to do any harm, but rather continued to nourish and protect his internal organs. He understood then that any minor injuries he sustained must have been healed by this energy. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡®Mother.¡¯ He extended his senses and saw that the amount of qi in his body had decreased by a sizable amount, about twenty percent, compared to before he attempted forming his qi-realm. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re up,¡± said a monotonous voice. Aran turned towards the door and saw his mother, Celeste Steele. She had a tired, stern look on her face and her hand carried a tray of food. Despite that, her eyes had a look of relief and were a little moist on the edges. She blinked a few times and set the food down by the table. She sat by the bed, slapped Aran¡¯s hands, twisted his ears, and hugged him. ¡°Mother,¡± he said weakly and indifferently. After a few breath¡¯s of time, Celeste stopped and gently helped Aran against the headrest. ¡°Tell me everything. You¡¯d better not lie. I know the phenomenon,¡± said Celeste, glaring coldly at a son she had long deemed anomalous. Aran closed his eyes, quickly running the limited scenarios and options that he had through his head. He could try to lie, but Celeste was an accomplished mage researching the laws that pertains to it. It would have to be an extremely convincing lie rooted on the truths of this world. If he mentioned coming across an otherworldly tome, she would ask to see it and he would be unable to produce it. He could also just come clean; that he was reincarnated. It was an easy out, but it meant revealing all his cards. That was something he was unwilling to do. Furthermore, even if she accepted the story, how would she react to a son that was mentally the same age as her? The same son that she had suckled for months? ¡®I can¡¯t tell her,¡¯ he determined. He pieced together the information he had read about magic in this world. Since it was a power foreign to him, he had spent countless hours poring over it in the library. There were many concepts that were unfamiliar to him, but he did find many descriptions similar to the process of qi manipulation. Magic in this world was achieved through the manipulation of an energy called mana. Aran believed that mana and qi are one and the same; an energy that exists in nature across different worlds. He hypothesized that the laws that govern them might be different across both worlds, leading to different applications of it. This was something he mused about after he noticed a difference in the qi here. Not only was qi more abundant in Parthenon, it was also qualitatively different. In Parthenon, the ability to manipulate mana was hereditary, and are generally restricted to nobility. Or rather, magical prowess allowed the ancestors of noble families to rise to power and establish the social structure of the world today. Aran had realized a while back that his ability to sense and manipulate qi had improved in this world, and attributed it to both his new family¡¯s lineage and the increased abundance of qi. Like qi, before the mana could be utilized, it had to be absorbed into the body of the mage through meditation. Unlike cultivating, this happened more passively and slowly. The mage doesn¡¯t actively draw in mana, but rather sensing them and letting them flow into the body while the mage''s mind entered a calm state. Meditation was only performed after the mage forms a mana pool, a place to store mana in one¡¯s soul, akin to a qi-realm. After the mana pool had been formed, a mage¡¯s body would constantly absorb mana without conscious effort. Even more importantly, the absorption rate of mana by the mage during meditation would increase up to ten-fold. The formation of a mana pool was slightly different compared to the qi-realm formation. While both required crossing the boundaries of the physical realm into the soul-realm, it did not require the gradual accumulation of qi, like in the Primordial God''s Foundations. Rather, it depend on the forceful accumulation of mana in the body to force a connection with one¡¯s soul. This was often done with the help of elder mages and magic circles. Although rare, coalescing one¡¯s mana pool on their own was not unheard of, at least from ages long past. This practice had been abandoned by the mainstream mages, due to the relatively poor success rate, high risk of mortal danger, and the presence of better methods. Uncontrolled mana is combustible by nature, and the large accumulation required for the breakthrough to the soul-realm, if not controlled properly may damage, or even kill, the person attempting it. The body needed to be strong enough to house this power. Like a fragile urn containing labile gas; mana in a weak body will go wild and cause the person to explode. For this reason, it was forbidden for children below the age of seven to practice magic. Furthermore, the child would have had undergone training to strengthen the body, and be examined to be capable of holding the mana needed to break through to the soul before attempting it. This is the second reason for the presence of elder mages and magic circles. Not only do they increase the mana concentration, they also act as a safeguard to quickly dispel the accumulated mana should anything go wrong. Even absorbing mana through meditation carried the same risk. In the books that Aran had read, meditation only slowly accumulated mana in the body, without converting it into useful benefits like strengthening the body. It was not until after the existence of a mana pool that the mana begins circulating and strengthening the body. The main purpose of meditating before then was to prepare a stash of mana for use during the mana pool coalescing process. The Primordial God¡¯s Foundation had the advantage of increasing the amount of qi, or mana, in one¡¯s body while strengthening it. ¡®Well, it had been done before. And I wonder if it is really any different.¡¯ Aran decided to base his half-truth on it. ¡°Go on. Speak,¡± prodded Celeste. Aran gathered his strength and spoke slowly, ¡°I was trying to practice magic. I have read the instructions in some of your books and attempted to coalesce my mana pool.¡± Celeste nodded, already expecting the answer, ¡°I knew you were a smart child, even when you were a baby. Your brother would cry and babble when he was a baby, but you, you were quiet. Others thought that you were mentally incapable, but I recognized something else. Those knowing eyes of yours were brimming with intelligence and full of curiosity. I had the maid pay extra attention to you, and sure enough, it confirmed my suspicions. ¡°You quickly astonished everyone, myself included. Your body matured quickly,with the mental constitution to match it. Your father and I, curious and excited, had decided to leave you be, seeing that you had the capacity to make good decisions by yourself. ¡°But this?! This is reckless. You are well read. You know the dangers of practicing magic as a young child! Perhaps, we have put too much faith in you. You are a child after all, and chilldren bound to be curious with reckless abandon,¡± Celeste said, shaking her head. Aran realized that he had underestimated this astute mother of his. However, her reaction was well within his calculations. He nodded, ¡°Yes, mother. I¡¯ve read of the dangers.¡± ¡°Then recount them to me.¡± Aran slowly described the dangers, without missing a single point. ¡°And how old are you?¡± asked Celeste. ¡°Almost three,¡± said Aran calmly. Celeste was a little perturbed by how accurately Aran had recounted the dangers and how calmly he had responded to her. Even though he was mature for his age, any child should be anxious when being reprimanded. Aran thought deeply, and continued honestly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry mother, for making you worry.¡± Celeste¡¯s look softened a little, but she continued her interrogation, ¡°How long have been planning this?¡± ¡°A year now.¡± Celeste closed her eyes and slowly shook her head. They should have kept a closer eye on him. ¡°And you think you can do this on your own, without any help or supervision?¡± ¡°I was fifty percent sure I could accomplish it, and should I fail, I would be able to protect myself. After all, this had been done a long time ago.¡± ¡°The success rate back then was at most only ten percent. The difficulty of accumulating enough mana itself is¡­¡± Celeste stammered. An understanding and dismayed look flashed on her face. ¡®The dense mana!¡¯ she realized, before she shouted in anger, ¡°Aran Balor Steele, have you been meditating?! For a whole year?!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Celeste furiously raised her hand and brought it down in a slapping motion. She stopped it just before reaching Aran¡¯s face, and steeled herself. Her hand retracted as she hugged Aran tightly, ¡°You fool. I could¡¯ve lost you.¡± ¡°I am sorry mother,¡± Aran said softly, his eyes a little wet. A flood of emotion that he had locked away suddenly overflowed. Motherly love. Love. Something he had consciously forgotten to survive. A short moment of silence later, Celeste stopped hugging Aran. Celeste remarked sternly, ¡°You will stop meditating. You will stop trying to practice magic. The library is forbidden to you. If there are any books you¡¯d like to read, let a servant know, they will get it for you. Until you are old enough to act responsibly and withstand its rebound, your mana will be sealed.¡± Mu: Book 1 - Chapter 5 I''m traveling this weekend, so early release. Enjoy!
Mu Book I Chapter 5: Primitive dantians Before Aran had regained consciousness, Gerand had already sent his fastest rider to convey the news to Luca, who made haste back. That same evening, Luca Steele had returned to the estate with the rider, leaving the matter with the bandits to his subordinates. He climbed off his personal horse and handed the reins to the stableboy. Concerned about Aran, Luca did not bother to remove his armor and immediately walked towards Aran¡¯s room in the estate. It was getting dark and the mana lamps lining the estate flickered on, casting light onto his solemn figure. A servant, noticing Luca coming in from the stable, nervously walked towards Luca with his hands extended, offering to take his armaments. Luca took off his helmet without slowing his pace, revealing an unkempt, curly light-brown hair highlighting a handsome face, with high cheekbones and a strong nose. Worry reflected in his grey eyes as he handed the helmet and his sword to the servant. He gestured that he¡¯ll keep the armor on and kept on walking as the servant bowed. In mere minutes, Luca was standing in front of Aran¡¯s door, his heart thumping wildly as he put his hands on the handle. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and found, to his relief, Aran and Celeste sitting by a table, having dinner. Aran stood up and addressed him, ¡°Father. Welcome back.¡± After a short pause, he added, ¡°I apologize. I have made you worry.¡± Feeling his heart rate slow down, Luca questioned, ¡°What happened?¡± Before Aran could utter a word, Celeste held up her hand towards Aran, indicating for Aran to be quiet, and walked towards her husband. She whispered to Luca and shock registered on his face as he looked incredulously at Aran. A few moments later, his face tensed up, reflecting his rage. Celeste put both hands on his chest to calm him. Luca closed his eyes and calmed himself. He was not easily angered, and even if he was, he was one who would not let it cloud his judgment and quickly regained his wits. Luca walked towards Aran, pulled a chair close, and sat right in front of the boy, his face inches away from Aran¡¯s. ¡°Why?¡± he asked sharply, staring right into Aran¡¯s eyes. ¡°I was curious,¡± came the reply, as Aran stared back unflinchingly. He continued with resolve, ¡°No. To be absolutely honest, curiosity is a small part of this. I want to become stronger. Strong enough to protect our family.¡± Both parents were taken aback by Aran¡¯s answer. While many children have dreams of power, they are usually fantasies of grandeur; of triumphing over evil, of becoming a hero, of discovering unknown lands. None so limited. None so specific. Additionally, they lived in relatively peaceful times, with no major wars happening within and around the continent. Their main threats were ferocious beasts and bandits, something that posed little problem to the Steele family. When did it get into this child¡¯s head that he had to protect the family? ¡°Stupid son of mine,¡± said Luca while leaning backwards, his expression gentler, as he put his hands on top of Aran¡¯s head, ¡°That¡¯s our job.¡± ¡°Yes, and no. Disaster can strike fast and without warning. There¡¯s no such thing as having too few people capable of protecting our family. At the end of the day, it¡¯s everyone¡¯s role,¡± Aran replied as-a-matter-of-factly. Luca looked at Celeste. Both parents had a resigned smile and shook their heads at each other. Luca turned back to face Aran, ¡°It¡¯s good that you think that way, son. But, I agree with your mother. You are way too young, even with your astounding growth rate.¡± ¡°That growth rate though¡­ If your eyes weren¡¯t grey, I doubt that you¡¯re even my son,¡± Luca added, getting sidetracked. Celeste smacked the back of Luca¡¯s head, ¡°Idiot. Of course he¡¯s not yours. He¡¯s too smart to be your son.¡± Aran¡¯s lips curved upwards and the corner of his eyes crinkled, much to the shock of both Celeste and Luca. Their usually serious son was smiling? ¡°We will talk to grandfather and seal your mana. No debate. It is for your own good. We agree that you can probably start your magic training earlier than other children, but not now. After all, children usually train their bodies for at least two to three years before they are tested for magic affinity. You have only done so for a little more than a year,¡± Luca continued. *** The next morning, Aran was summoned to Gerand¡¯s study. When he entered, he found Gerand standing behind his large walnut desk, talking to both Luca and Celeste, who had their backs facing the door. The patriarch of the Steele family remained in great shape even after fifty years of age. This was due to the fact that he maintained an active role in various skirmishes, unlike most other lords of the older generation. His hair, the color of mahogany interspersed with lines of grey, was slicked neatly backwards. He was thumbing the bottom of his carefully trimmed beard, listening carefully to Celeste. Gerand motioned to his son and daughter in law, and all three of them looked at Aran. Aran bowed curtly and addressed his elders. Gerand nodded back, with an incredulous smile on his face. He then started laughing heartily. ¡°Father!¡± cried Celeste. ¡°This boy¡­ Trying to coalesce his mana pool by himself and surviving the backlash?¡± Gerand continued, unable to hold back his laughter, ¡°His foolhardiness reminds me of myself when I was younger.¡± His eyes teared and he grabbed his stomach, still unable to stop laughing. Gerand, rational and wise as he may be, had the flaw of being fond of his grandchildren. Stern and fair when he had to be, he still couldn¡¯t help but laugh when amused by their antics. Aran, having read his grandfather long ago, was not surprised by this reaction. However, he also knew what was coming next. Wiping the tears off the side of his eye, Gerand cleared his throat and said authoritatively to Aran, ¡°I am sure your parents have reprimanded you. So, no, I will not waste our time here. You are a bright kid, but what you did overstepped a line. This is a serious matter. If not for your luck and your mother healing you, you could have become crippled or mentally disabled. As punishment, you will reflect in the ancestral hall for one day and you will have to wear this mana dispersing bracelet from today onwards.¡± Gerand opened a box that was on his desk and produced a bracelet that was made of a black metal with a colorless, cloudy gemstone embedded in the middle. The bracelet was half an inch wide and, unlike most metals, had no sheen. This bracelet was made of black meteoric iron, a rare metal that could only be tempered by magic. Once molded into its final shape, it allowed the artificer to imbue it with a single magical purpose and would be resistant to all other forms of magic after. The gemstone was lens-shaped and its length was the width of the bracelet. This was void quartz which had the natural ability to disperse mana. This particular void quartz was of a low quality, indicated by its cloudiness. A high-quality quartz would be clear, pure of impurities. Although of low quality, this metal and gemstone pair was still expensive, as any other instrument to restrict the power of mages would. Since the void quartz was of lower quality, it would be able to seal the abilities of low-leveled magi, and would theoretically work well on someone who hadn¡¯t even formed their mana pool like Aran. This specific configuration was designed to disrupt the link between a mage and surrounding mana. The channeling of any mana by the wearer, inwards or outwards, would be dissipated, effectively sealing a mage¡¯s ability to manipulate mana externally. The flow of mana inwards were designed to be unperturbed, although largely restricted, to allow for other mages to inspect or affect the restrained mage. ¡°Give me your hand,¡± ordered Gerand. Knowing that resistance without exposing himself was futile, Aran held his left arm out. Gerand held the bracelet over Aran¡¯s arm and chanted a quick spell. The bracelet glowed and latched onto Aran¡¯s left wrist. Aran immediately staggered. Celeste looked alarmed as she reached her hands out to him. Aran steadied himself and shook his head at Celeste. ¡°I¡¯m fine mother. It¡¯s just a weird feeling. I feel like all my senses just got worse,¡± Aran said and closed his eyes. ¡®Maybe the bracelet sealed more than just my qi. I just have to adjust to it.¡¯ His assassin training had trained him to operate without one of each of his five senses, one after another, allowing him to quickly adjust to a loss of any. A few moments later, he opened his eyes and got accustomed to the new sensation, his senses working together to make up for whatever was sealed. ¡°Leave. Go to the ancestral hall and reflect on your actions. Do not leave until breakfast tomorrow,¡± ordered Luca. Aran bowed and left. As the door closed behind Aran, the adults looked at each other. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°That reaction?¡± asked Gerand, disbelievingly. ¡°He¡¯s not a mage. It¡¯s impossible,¡± Luca responded softly. ¡°It¡¯s not impossible. That was a textbook response to losing one¡¯s arcane sense. An experienced mage, if caught unawares, would have a similar reaction, not to mention fresh mages,¡± said Celeste, ¡°People who are born with a natural affinity to mana are extremely sensitive to this. Maybe he has high affinity to mana. After all, what child would have the amount of mana he has only after a year of meditation?¡± ¡°Just how many gifts does this child have?¡± asked Gerand, his shock turning into a smile. Unknown to these three, however, is the fact that Aran had been absorbing qi, or mana, for the past two years. He had long developed his arcane sense, which was the first step of the Primordial God¡¯s Foundations. Having actively sought out mana daily over two years had made him sensitive to mana. Himself unaware of it, Aran had unconsciously been perceiving the abundant mana around him. It is similar to how a blind person would develop and refine their other senses to observe the world around them; even senses most are not conscious about such as magnetic fields and balance. Furthermore, Aran was in one of the few period of active growth phases in a human¡¯s lifetime, exponentiating this effect. After pondering for a second, Gerand continued, ¡°If he has such high affinity to mana, do you think the low-grade bracelet is enough?¡± Celeste closed her eyes and opened them after a short pause. Her forehead creased as she replied, ¡°It should be. While the amount of mana is dense, it is not near the level of an initiate. Even if there is an influx of mana, the amount should be negligible since he can¡¯t feel the presence of mana. Besides, we don¡¯t want to use something too strong that might cause irreparable damage to his future prospects.¡± An uncertain Luca nodded, ¡°Let¡¯s hope that you¡¯re correct.¡± *** It was night outside and Aran was seated in his room in a lotus position, furrowing his brows. He had worn the bracelet for a week now. After spending the first five days sorting out the disordered qi in his body, the next two days were spent trying to cultivate qi with little success. Cultivating aside, it was difficult to even try to feel the presence of qi. He was now absolutely sure that qi and mana were one and the same. As one to strive to improve himself but not to dwell on the impossible, Aran had given himself a one-week deadline of trying to cultivate. Should he fail in a week, he would approach the adults a few months later to try to change their minds. After all, he could continue to learn other aspects of this world. He glanced at the bracelet on his left wrist. Every time he attempted to sense mana, the gemstone would glow and increase its intensity as Aran tried harder. Following this display, Aran would slowly feel his ability to sense mana slip, as if he was trying to catch sight of rapidly dispersing smoke. Not phased by this, Aran slowly tested the limits of the bracelet. He tried to sense the mana surrounding him again. The gemstone flashed and the Aran quickly lost the sense of mana. He then extended his sense inwards and discovered that the amount of mana within him was the same as before putting the bracelet on. He manipulated the mana in his body and found no interference. The gemstone remained dim and colorless. Recalling that mages projected their mana out of their body as one of the ways to cast spells, Aran wondered how the bracelet would react to it. While he was experienced with drawing in mana, Aran had never attempted transmitting his mana out and had skimmed over the details of doing so while reading. ¡®I just have to experiment in baby steps.¡¯ Aran manipulated the mana in his body to slowly expand outwards, but they did not respond the way he envisioned it. When the mana got to the edge of his body, they stopped and moved inwards in a random motion. He then limited this to a small portion of his body. Holding his right index finger up, he directed the mana to gather at the tip and slowly extend outward. The bracelet kicked into action; the mana scattered like mist the moment they touched the surface of Aran¡¯s skin. ¡®Projecting the mana? Projecting. Maybe it has to be fast?¡¯ He willed the mana to accelerate outwards, but all it did was to make them sluggishly move around. He tried, and failed, again a few more times. Aran opened his eyes, leaned back and looked at the ceiling, deep in thought. He suddenly sat up, remembering the scene during his qi-realm forming attempt. ¡®The nova!¡¯ Aran looked at his right hand and closed his eyes. He pictured the mana in his body revolving in a small thumb-sized circle around the palm of his hand and steadily extended his palm outwards. The revolution became more intense every second until Aran forcefully collapsed it. The mana exploded outwards spherically but the moment it left his body, the gemstone glowed again and the sphere shuddered before fizzling away. Aran¡¯s excitement at triggering some sort of mana reaction was immediately replaced with disappointment. ¡®So it activates anytime mana passes the boundaries of my body?¡¯ The methodical Aran continued experimenting. He tried it again and, like an ever alert sentry, the gemstone activated. He repeated the process several more times, slowly increased the amount of mana in the revolution every iteration with no better results. Like the evil glint of a demon¡¯s eyes, the gemstone flashed every time, teasing him. Mentally exhausted, Aran finally decided to stop. He inspected the mana within his body and tilted his head slightly. His mana had decreased by about ten percent. Interestingly, because the mana in the body is less chaotic and saturated, Aran was able to identify two areas where mana tended to congregate; areas by his chest and below his navel where his middle and lower dantians would have manifested. Feeling refreshed upon the discovery, Aran was prompted to continue. Using his arcane sense, he delved deeper into those areas and noticed that mana formed equidistant layers of a dozen sphere-shaped lattices, radiating outwards until they reached the size of his fists. In the center of these spheres was a dense nucleus of mana. These constructs reminded him of dantians, but were more defined and less pliable. He moved the mana of those lattices and discovered that they returned to the same configuration when he stopped. Aran proceed to make the bottom spheres rotate individually. Unexpectedly, the sphere drew in mana from around it and slowly compressed them through the layers. ¡®Eh?¡¯ As the mana around his body was compressed into the sphere, surrounding mana slowly diffused into his body. The gemstone remained quiet. He slowly increased the pace of the rotation and the mana flow rate increased proportionally. Unfortunately, this rate was much slower, about a third, compared to his usual cultivation speed. Still no sign of the gemstone activating. Aran stopped and the mana that were absorbed this way remained in his body. ¡®What are these? They are behaving like less efficient version of the whirlpools during the forming stage.¡¯ Aran had unconsciously formed primitive dantians. In this world, like many others, when its first conscious beings realized the existence of mana, they would only be able to manipulate a small portion of it, not being able to fully utilize its powers. As these beings continued manipulating mana, it slowly accumulated, and their mortal bodies were eventually saturated with it. Driven either by courage or desperation, those that continued to use mana would find themselves overloaded with it, under the risk of death. A small few who survived; either blessed with a body strong enough to withstand it, intelligent enough to find an external method to overcome it, or had a great dose of luck on their side, would find the mana compressed into these spheres. These beings became the first true magi and identified this compression as a major step in achieving true mastery of mana. They would experiment and develop techniques based on refining these spheres that eventually became the practice of coalescing the mana pool. For Aran, his dance with death rewarded him with more than a reforged body, it had also granted him the earliest, unrefined form of dantians. Repeating the process, Aran was pleased to find that it was able to be replicated. ¡®The bracelet is not activating? Is it broken? Couldn¡¯t be. Could it be that it has to be activated by my mana?¡¯ He tried pushing mana out from his fingertip. Like clockwork, the void quartz activated and the mana dissipated. He made the bottom spheres revolve again and sensed mana flowing into his body. Aran trembled with excitement, ¡®I can¡¯t use my mana, but I can cultivate this way!¡¯ Mu: The Legend - Glossary This sticky is pretty basic at the moment, but I envision this turning into a glossary that keeps track of the characters, families, etc. I will continually revise this post as the story progresses. It''s motivated by two main reasons; 1) my release speed is relatively slow, and I may revisit characters that have not been mentioned for a while so it''ll be a quick lookup, and 2) for any lore/maps related to the story that may not fit in the text. Mostly maps.
Maps: Continent of Ares Spoiler :
Family trees Steele family tree Spoiler : This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
Magic System Cardinal Elements (Bk.1, Ch.7): Spoiler : Attributes (Bk.1, Ch.7): Spoiler : Mu: Book 1 - Chapter 6 Enjoy!
Mu Book I Chapter 6: Compromise Aran rotated the spheres in the chest and discovered that it behaved similarly to the bottom one, just a little less efficiently. With his current competency of controlling mana, he was able to activate the middle and bottom spheres simultaneously. Mana started circulating in his body and the passive diffusion rate of the mana increased. *Knock knock* ¡®I can¡¯t practice here. They have been observant.¡¯ Quickly suppressing the revolution, he relaxed himself from the lotus position. He walked over silently to his table where his mana lamp was illuminating a thick book titled ¡°Compendium of medicinal plants in the continent of Ares¡± and sat down. ¡°Come in,¡± he said as he traced a paragraph with his index finger. The door creaked open inwardly and Celeste walked in. Aran looked up briefly and addressed her before poring over the book again. ¡°I thought I felt a strange sensation from the room. Is everything okay?¡± she asked as she walked over to Aran. ¡°The mana lamp was acting up and I realized the mana stone was loose. I tightened it and it works fine now,¡± he responded, looking at her again. ¡°Good. Well, it¡¯s getting late son. Go to sleep soon,¡± she said as she pecked him on the cheek and headed towards the door. ¡°Mother,¡± Aran said, reaching his hand out. ¡°Yes, son?¡± responded Celeste, turning around. ¡°Can I go train in the outer forests early tomorrow morning? I¡¯d like to start hunting on my own for small game,¡± he asked in a pleasant voice. Celeste furrowed her brows, ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s safe. You¡¯re far too young.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll only be in the outer forest. I¡¯ve hunted there with Huntmistress Ada. She had been suggesting that I should hunt solo and I¡¯m excited to!¡± he exclaimed, with a sparkle in his eyes. Ada had approved of, and had declared to his parents, Aran¡¯s capabilities as a fighter and an archer. Ada believed that the best way for Aran to grow is by hunting and tracking on his own. Aran added, his grey pupils flitting to the side, feigning envy, ¡°After all, Owen had already done so, and I can match him in our spars!¡± Celeste pursed her lips, ¡®He¡¯s never seemed so eager before. I¡¯ll just have someone tail him, just to be safe.¡¯ She gave in and cautioned, ¡°Fine. Make sure to only stay in the outer forests.¡± ¡°Thank you, mother. Good night,¡± Aran said as Celeste waved, stepped out, and closed the door behind her. Aran turned off the lamp and went to bed. He spent an hour plotting a plan of action before he drifted off to sleep. *** The next morning, Aran woke up before dawn, beating his mother¡¯s timing expectations. He put on his set of lightweight leather armor. He deconstructed the mana lamp, something he learned from Armand, separating the bulb from the energy providing mana stone and pulled out the magical circuit. The bulb lit up when he tied the components together. Satisfied with his makeshift torch, he separated the components and put the stones in different compartments of his armor. He set off to the kitchen where several maids were preparing for the estate¡¯s breakfast. ¡°Young¡­ Young master Aran!¡± a sweet-faced maid exclaimed when she saw Aran. ¡°Can you pack me some breakfast? I plan to go for a morning hunt in the forest,¡± he asked politely. She nodded her head and quickly wrapped a loaf of fresh bread, a chunk of cheese, and some berries into a small cloth package before handing it to Aran. ¡°Thank you!¡± Aran remarked as he left the kitchen, heading for the armory. All the maids looked at the door, shrugged, and continued their work. Aran walked resolutely into the armory and nodded his head slightly at the two guards before entering it. He addressed the burly arms-master Fel Gahagan, who was leaned far back in his chair, ¡°Arms-master Fel, can I get a short-bow, some arrows, and a hunting dagger?¡± Fel blinked a few times and looked at Aran with sleepy eyes. He cracked his neck, pushed himself to sit up straight and spoke with a deep voice, ¡°Young master Aran. May I ask why you would need those things?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going for an early morning hunt. I will just be in the outer forest, just at the foot of the mountain.¡± ¡°Does Madam Celeste or Sir Luca know?¡± ¡°They do. Plus, Huntmistress Ada has been suggesting that I go hunt for small game, and mornings are the only convenient time for me.¡± At the mention of Ada¡¯s name, Fel¡¯s eyes became focused. He had known Ada since she was young, the daughter of his good friend Tarral Grey. She had been headstrong and adventurous since she was a girl, and as an adult had the penchant to be hard on her students. It was also well known in the estate that Aran had a packed schedule. He further deliberated Aran¡¯s safety. Mount Ashanti was near Wales, with a lush forest growing around it. As the forest spread away from the mountain, it became less dense. Constant human activity, mostly hunter-gatherers, around the outer regions of the forest had ensured that the outer forest remained relatively safe, with any ferocious beasts quickly subjugated. Therefore, many young teenagers frequented the area to hunt and train, sometimes with little to no supervision. Fel nodded, ¡°Fine.¡± His voice carried a tone of sympathy to the young Aran. Fel, familiar with Aran¡¯s weapon preferences from his daily training, promptly got up. He collected the weapons and handed them over to Aran. Aran counted a dozen arrows. Fel pulled out a leather-bound book and started writing in it as Aran wore the quiver on his right waist and slung the bow over his shoulder. He tied the dagger and its sheath on his left waist. Fel took out a cyan-colored sphere, the size of quail¡¯s egg, and placed it atop a piece of cloth on the table in front of Aran, ¡°Here¡¯s a flash charge. Use it if you run into a ferocious beast.¡± Aran nodded and wrapped the flash charge in the piece of cloth. It was a tool made by alchemists that emits a blinding flash of light when crushed. When caught unawares, the blinding could last up to tens of minutes, with vision recovering very slowly. An essential tool during explorations, it was used to escape but with caution as it might attract the attention of unwanted guests. ¡°You may use all the arrows. Return the bow. Keep the dagger,¡± he said as he closed the book and waved Aran out. ¡°Thanks!¡± *** The sun had risen before Aran found a clearing in the middle of the forest after circling a quarter of the way around the foot of the mountain away from the village. It was above a small hill and hidden from plain sight. Ever vigilant, he had scoured the nearby areas for any signs of animal activity and found none. He had used the mana torch while looking for a suitable area to train in and made a mental map of the way here. In the future, he would be able to find his way with little to no help from the torch even before the first light of dawn. ¡®I have to make my way back soon, but I¡¯ll be able to get here before sunrise tomorrow.¡¯ It would take him half an hour on foot to get here on foot, giving him about two hours to cultivate before he had to start heading back. He ate his breakfast and stayed in the area for another fifteen minutes, making final observations before leaving. With the light of day, he noticed a rabbit¡¯s warren on the way back and was able to shoot one to corroborate his story. On his way back the same day, Aran had engaged Justin Behran, a young guard stationed at the main entrance of the estate and was delighted to find out that he was the son of a hunter. After peppering him with questions about the animals and beasts around Wales, Aran realized that while he was proficient in tracking and hunting, he knew little about the animals in this world and much less about processing them. He had requested, much to the satisfaction of his teachers, to reduce his time in classes; shortening it to two classes a day in rotation. Between Justin and Ada, Aran had learned much about the anatomy and behaviors of the animals around Wales. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Under the guise of tracking and hunting, Aran was able to continue his cultivation unimpeded in the mornings. Multiple times, he would realize a tail sent by his parents. No one tails the assassin in Aran, and he quickly lost them. He had even threw a few days away, leading his pursuers into a wild goose chase, while he merely explored and mentally mapped the outer forest. He would also bring some game back every few days; enough to show he was trying to hunt, but not so much to show that he had mastered it. Though he was unable to sense the mana around him, Aran realized that the mana cultivated at dawn was denser and purer than other times of the day when he absorbed it. With these conditions, even though his cultivation rate was slower, it was only about half the speed of him cultivating using the Primordial God¡¯s Foundations. Aran rapidly made up the mana he lost during his last attempt to form his qi-realm. Six months later he felt the familiar feeling of yang saturation. Aran had resolved to form his qi-realm, or mana pool, barring the ever vigilant mana dispersing bracelet. While he was able to cultivate, he realized the stifling effects of the bracelet and not knowing how the bracelet would affect his attempt with drawing in a large amount of mana, he had to proceed with caution. His most direct option was to have it removed. For that, he decided to put on his most innocent face possible to appeal to his parents and capitalize on the fact that he is a child, but not so much that they would brand him immature. It was a fine line, but one that he had walked most his previous life. During dinner that evening, Aran casually brought it up, ¡°Instructor Jacob mentioned that I¡¯m strong enough to compete with a youth and had me spar with a young soldier today. It was tough, but I beat him in the end.¡± Luca, seemingly unimpressed, simply looked at Aran lazily and said, ¡°Are you sure he wasn¡¯t a recruit?¡± ¡°No, he already have his own set of equipment,¡± responded Aran. He added after a short pause, ¡°Although the only thing I had to do was get three hits in. He was allowed to retaliate though!¡± Luca¡¯s lips curved up, ¡°Well, that¡¯s good. I expect nothing less of you.¡± Aran continued, beamingly, ¡°Instructor Jacob will start having me spar with the off-duty soldiers for my training since he said my physical condition is comparable to some of the younger soldiers.¡± He continued eating indifferently, grabbing a piece of chicken from the center of the table, while letting the sentence sink in. ¡°How about your other classes?¡± asked Celeste. ¡°They¡¯re fun and have been proceeding well, especially with math. I¡¯ve been hunting with more success. I brought home a two squirrels yesterday and started learning how to skin and process them under Huntmistress Ada¡¯s guidance. Teacher Mihail taught me about the customs of Hassius. Do you know that they don¡¯t have lords? They have a different way of governing their country. ¡°Also, I learned about how the continent of Ares came to be from Teacher Erika. I knew that Ares was a young continent but the history behind its formation and land division was fascinating. And lastly, with Teacher George, we started advanced lessons on the application of mathematics to basic arcane theory. He began with demonstrations using calculations for mana capacity and how it related to the body,¡± Aran responded excitedly. He noticed Celeste exchange a glance with Luca and felt something amiss. ¡®They know?¡¯ Both adults set their utensils down and Luca motioned Aran to do the same. Aran groaned inwardly, ¡®They know!¡¯ ¡°We were wondering when you¡¯d bring this up,¡± Celeste said with a smirk on her face. ¡°More on how, actually,¡± corrected Luca with the same smug smile, ¡°We know it has been six months, and you have been behaving well. We had sent experienced trackers to tail you on multiple occasions and they have noticed nothing strange. Though, you do have the tendency to sometimes lose them. Keeping up with your progress from your lessons, we know very well where you are physically and academically. Jacob had actually secretly tested your ability to hold mana, and he gave you a passing score, with his only concern being your age.¡± Luca looked at Celeste, who nodded and continued the narrative. ¡°It is unheard of, but not inconceivable for a mage to start training around your age. After all, the limiting factor is the body, not age. We will lift the restriction, but not until after the winter. It is a few more months, after of which we will formally test you and decide what to do from then. We are your parents, not tyrants who want to stifle your development. We do want the best for you, and it¡¯d be great to have a mage in the family who breaks the age record. It¡¯ll be a great case study!¡± Celeste said with a hint of fanaticism in her eyes. Aran sighed, an action unbecoming of a child his age, and nodded. There was a little delay, but nothing too long. It was a better result than he expected, especially since they had understood his motives earlier and could easily be turned away by it. He accepted this compromise and had just realized Celeste¡¯s last words, ¡°Case study?¡± Celeste smiled. *** In the following weeks, the feeling of yang saturation in Aran¡¯s body was constant; and while it was unpleasant at first, it was something he had gotten used to and learned to regulate it. Even so, he was concerned about the effect of continued cultivation past the point of saturation and had slowed down his progress of cultivating mana. He only did so every other day, but did notice that continued cultivation at this point allowed the mana to transform more than just his flesh and bones; it also started strengthening his soft organs and sharpening his senses. Beyond this, he continued training his mana in a different direction; control. He began slowly and methodically incorporating mana into his movements during physical training based on the instructions he could remember from the Primordial God¡¯s Foundations. His training in mana consisted of achieving fine manipulation of it within his body, learning the most efficient way of moving it around. Increasing the mana density in parts of his body allowed him to achieve superhuman capabilities, such as leaping over the estate walls, which were two storeys high, when they were concentrated on his leg muscles. Additionally, there were methods to conceal one¡¯s qi, or arcane, presence which would serve to shield one¡¯s cultivation base and avoid detection from the prying eyes of other cultivators. While the latter may be unnecessary with the mana dispersing bracelet, Aran knew that he would require it after it was removed. He deemed these the utmost priority and set about to patiently learn them. Winter had come and gone before Aran had reached an advanced level of proficiency with most of his training. He was able to perform extremely precise movements and his physical condition was comparable to himself as the assassin before he found the tome and dagger. Other than the physical limitations of height and weight, Aran would be able to perform most of the complex movements he knew from his previous life. He could increase his strength and speed output by at least one-fold at will, and could do more with less frequency of success. By then, the flow of mana had also stabilized, with his body hardened and used to yang saturation. Aran had also reached a basic level of proficiency in arcane concealment and was be able to manipulate mana without causing any disturbance, avoiding detection of his cultivation unless actively examined. Not long after, the Steele estate swung into full action in preparation for a huge ceremony. It was not until then that it dawned upon Aran why Luca and Celeste wanted him to wait until after winter to have the bracelet removed. He smiled. The day he would be rid of the suffocating mana dispersing bracelet was rapidly approaching. If he played his cards right, he might even gain more than just that. Mu: Book 1 - Chapter 7 To my friends in USA, I hope you had a great thanksgiving. Here''s the release for this week. I also updated the glossary [here] with pictures of the elemental system in Parthenon. Enjoy!
Mu Book I Chapter 7: Arcane assessment Owen¡¯s seventh birthday was approaching and it was customary for aristocratic children to undergo arcane assessment at this age, where they would be tested for their potential for magic by a mage from either the Royal Institutes or the Magician¡¯s Society. Both institutions were invested in the development of magical potential and offered their services for free, with hopes of recruiting promising mage candidates down the road. The assessment consisted of two portions; a test for innate mana force and one for elemental affinity. Innate mana force was the amount of mana that the child naturally accumulated by the age of seven, which directly correlated with the child¡¯s affinity for mana. A child with more innate mana force would have a higher inherent mana absorbance rate, leading to faster mana accumulation. Mana force throughout the lifetime of a mage could be increased by training or with the help of magical treasures, but someone with a higher innate mana force would naturally have a higher potential of reaching a higher rank in their career as a mage. Elemental affinity was separated into two components; the first being the cardinal, or basic, mana elements attracted by the child. Mana in Parthenon existed in multiple forms, with the purest being pure, or attribute-less, mana. Following that, there were four cardinal elements; spread out towards four cardinal directions. Clockwise, these were fire, wind, water, and earth. Mages usually had affinities for a single cardinal element, with one in a hundred mages having dual elements. Dual-elemental mages were able to create new element and combination magics, more powerful and useful than those of single element mages. For example, a mage with affinities for water and wind, like Celeste, was able to combine the wave-like nature of both elements into sound elements and utilize it for illusion magic. Triple-elemental mages of these cardinal elements had not been seen in Parthenon, and had been ruled by the Magician¡¯s Society as an impossibility as that would involve having affinities for two opposing elements. A second layer of complexity existed above this. On an axis perpendicular to the cardinal elements existed light and dark attributes that acted both as their own elements and at the same time as modifiers, often exponential, of the cardinal elements. For example, a mage that was blessed with water element and light affinity would be able to create holy water, which healing capabilities quadruple that of water and light magic alone. Light attribute mages were rare, at a rate of one in fifty. The darkness attribute was even rarer in humans and mages born with it were shunned by the magical society at large, as cardinal magic imbued by it had extremely destructive and cruel effects. It was also common belief that one¡¯s mana affinity reflected their disposition, and only someone evil and cruel would be able to wield such malevolent powers. Lastly, there was spatial magic, that existed beyond the realm of this classification. Poorly studied, as a result of it being extremely rare, its single defining characteristic was that it held immense power only if its wielder was willing to pay an immense price. The assessment phase happened in the early afternoon of the assessment day. If the child had reasonable mana force and affinity to elements, as most aristocratic children do, the mages will set up for a ceremony to form the child¡¯s mana pool in the evening, where most guests had the option of not participating in. It was a day long event, and rightfully so, as it marked the coming of age of an aristocratic child and the emergence of a new mage. *** On the day of the ceremony, Aran had just returned from his morning cultivation. Aran closed the door behind him as he finished teasing Justin about the mist leopard the latter had talked about. Aran was instantly greeted with a cacophony of activity and myriad of colors. Servants were busy preparing food, setting tables, and ushering guests. Adults and guests were mingling, exchanging stories, and sharing laughters. The walls and pillars were adorned with decorations and banners that were blue and silver, the Steele family colors. Guards were posted everywhere, dressed in their uniforms bearing the Steele family crest, a silver heater shield with a phoenix in the middle. The phoenix was blue, the color of the hottest flames, with tongues of flames flickering upwards as if burning eternally. It was depicted with its wings spread and head looking majestically downwards, as if everything in the world was below it. Domineering and powerful, it signified birth and destruction; hope to allies and swift retribution on enemies. Scanning around, Aran spotted his parents at the same time they saw him. Celeste, dressed in her magician¡¯s robe over a long, grey dress, walked towards him. The robe was made from a black, silky material, with a silvery sheen to it and had purple and blue lapels and cuffs. It flowed down to Celeste¡¯s ankles and the sleeves extended to her wrists. It was held together with a single button by the nape. The button was silver in color, engraved with ten white circles radiating outwards, with the fifth one from the center etched black. As Celeste approached, she said, ¡°Go get ready. You have half an hour.¡± Aran nodded and headed to his room and collected his ceremonial clothes. He went to the bathroom where a warm bath was already drawn. Within fifteen minutes, he had bathed and was dressed in the ceremonial clothes of Iridis; black pants and white shirt made of cotton and a silken vest, bearing the family colors on the lapels and cuffs. His was silver and blue, with the phoenix from the family crest embroidered on the left chest. He went back into the courtyard and greeted his parents. Celeste beamed and pecked Aran on his forehead. She pulled Aran by his hands towards Gerand, who was talking to a gentleman of his age, with brown hair, neatly combed to the side, and dressed in the same clothes but with a black vest with a brown wheel embroidered on the left chest. Gerand caught Celeste walking towards him and shook hands with the man as he excused himself. ¡°Father, as we have discussed,¡± said Celeste. Gerand nodded and gestured for the duo to follow him. They ended at Gerand¡¯s study, where Gerand pulled out the same wooden box that used to house the bracelet that Aran was wearing. ¡°Since you have been doing well, we have decided that comes off today. You should at least observe, to the best of your abilities, the mana pool coalescing of your cousin,¡± said Celeste. Raising an eyebrow, and asked a question she already knew the unbelievable answer to, ¡°You can sense it, can¡¯t you? Mana.¡± Aran nodded, confirming the doubts in the minds of both adults. Gerand spoke, looking at Aran, ¡°When you¡¯re ready, Aran.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± said Aran, as he closed his eyes and steeled himself. He quickly suppressed his mana and nodded. Gerand took Aran¡¯s left arm and chanted a spell. The bracelet shimmered and floated upwards towards Gerand¡¯s downward-facing palm. The familiar feel of mana enveloped Aran and they rapidly rushed into his body. He slowly opened his eyes and was immediately assaulted by an intense and vivid sensation. His eyes dilated. Everything in his sight was warped, seemingly surreal. He had trouble focusing on a single point and yet was able to see everything clearer than ever before. Aran could see every little detail around him and everything at the same time. The pulsating breath that Gerand and Celeste took. The beads of sweat rolling down their necks. The slight flush of red on Celeste¡¯s cheek. The wind blowing through the open window, weaving through obstacles and playfully curling in the air. The fluttering leaves on the tree outside the window. The bugs that were shuttling around its trunk and nibbling at its leaves. The maids in the courtyard, hurriedly setting up for the ceremony. The flow of mana, omnipresent and every-moving, embracing everything. He could see it all. ¡°..ran ¡­ Aran!¡± Celeste¡¯s voice slowly reached his ears, loud and ringing even though she spoke softly. Aran suppressed his senses and the world slowly grew calm again. Gerand, lips curled upwards, was looking incredulously at Aran. Never have they expected Aran¡¯s reaction to be this powerful. Powerful enough to match that of a mage. ¡°I am fine now. Thank you, mother,¡± said Aran. He turned towards Gerand and added, ¡°Thank you, grandfather.¡± ¡°We have some time before the ceremony. Do you have any questions?¡± asked Celeste, the academic and teacher in her kicking in. Gerand excused himself to tend to other guests of the estate. ¡°How will Owen¡¯s magical potential be assessed?¡± complied Aran, taking advantage of this rare opportunity. ¡°There are a few steps to this. Owen¡¯s physical condition had already been determined to be sufficient to begin forming his mana pool. Today, he will go through the actual arcane assessment which consists of two parts. You know of the two aspects, yes?¡± replied Celeste. ¡°Mana force and mana attribute tests?¡± said Aran, inquisitively. Celeste nodded and continued, ¡°His mana force will be tested using a mana compass. It¡¯s a mana lodestone linked to a screen using magical circuits. When held, the mana compass draws in mana from the person holding it and reports the mana force in numerical value.¡± Stolen story; please report. ¡°How do they quantify it? I mean what does it mean if someone had ten points? Doesn¡¯t that seem arbitrary?¡± asked Aran. Celeste laughed. Her inquisitive son had an analytical mind; he would do well as a mage. Smiling approvingly, she answered, ¡°This is a question that the Magician¡¯s Society had to first answer. To accurately describe and study the phenomenon known as magic, you had to quantify it. So what is a good measure of mana force? The foremost academics at the time raked their brains. They couldn¡¯t have used the intensity of brightness from mana lodestones as each one had accommodated different ranges of mana force. An intense brightness from a lower grade lodestone was not even equal to a dim glow from a high grade one. Plus, there was enough variation within each class of lodestone that it was not feasible. So they decided on the one thing that changed life in Parthenon the most; light. Every single point of mana force is the amount needed to activate a standard mana lamp for a minute.¡± Aran nodded and understood the principle. Magic in this world was treated like any other subject, it seemed to follow specific set of rules, and was thus studied like one would mathematics. Therefore, a common, systematic system was required for its study. The Magician¡¯s Society had devised one. Aran continued, ¡°What is the typical amount of innate mana force of a seven year old?¡± Celeste answered, ¡°About twenty to thirty. Higher innate mana force mean that the child had better affinity to mana and would absorb more mana than someone with lower innate mana force. But remember, it is a mere measure of the starting point as a mage; if the child didn¡¯t meditate or comprehend the complexities of mana, they would soon be taken over by one who had less innate mana force. Furthermore, many richer families will boost their children capabilities by buying elixirs and magical tools. So even if the child is ahead, they cannot slack off in their training.¡± Seeing that her son had grasped the information, Celeste continued, ¡°Now, where were we? Ah yes, next is the attribute test. That is tested using an aura gem. With injection of mana into it, the gem displays different colors, reflecting different elemental affinities.¡± ¡°What are the colors?¡± pressed Aran, ¡°And of the other attributes?¡± ¡°Orange for fire. Purple for wind. Blue for water. And brown for earth. There are also compound elements for dual-element mages, but those don¡¯t exist until a mage has started fusing their elements. Light and dark attributes are manifested as white and black halos respectively around the gem. Spatial magic, which had not been seen in the known world for a few generations had be recorded to cause the aura gem to tremble and, in cases, collapse on itself, disappearing into a void.¡± Aran was beginning to ask another question when Celeste stopped him, ¡°We have to join the others. Let¡¯s go.¡± Her soft hand wrapped around his surprisingly strong one as she pulled him towards the ceremonial hall. Passing by the courtyard, Aran realized that many of the guests had already gone into the ceremonial hall and both mother and son picked up their pace. Entering the ceremonial hall, Celeste sighed a sigh of relief as the ceremony had yet to begun. The ceremonial hall was long, stretching 200 people deep and 50 wide. A blue carpet, the color of clear sky, was laid from the back of the hall to the door. The walls were adorned with banners similar to that in the courtyard. Everyone was gathered at the back of the hall. Fourteen empty chairs were laid out along the carpet with a single chair at the end, the seat of the patriarch. Approaching the crowd of twenty people, Gerand was talking to two men, the man with the wheel-embroidered vest from before and another man in a magician¡¯s robe. Unlike Celeste¡¯s, the lining of his robe had brown and blue lapels and the sixth circle on the button was etched black. Noticing the mother and son, Gerand extended his arms in welcome and introduced them. ¡°Ah, here comes my lovely daughter-in-law, Celeste, and her son, Aran, who had given us our share of surprises,¡± said Gerand. Gesturing to the man in the vest, Gerand added as Celeste shook hands with the men, ¡°This is Mister Gallen, the manager of the local branch of the Merchant¡¯s Union. He has been helping us transport all the harvests and acquire anything we need without a hitch. And Magister Cain, who is joining us all the way from the Magician¡¯s Society main branch in Iridis, located at the capital. Magister Cain has gratuitously offered his help with Owen¡¯s assessment today.¡± Magister Cain simply shrugged and said, ¡°It is nothing much. I so happened to be in the regional branch for a separate reason when the request came in. I took it up. After all, I could not miss the chance to swing by to see old friends.¡± ¡°My pleasure, Mister Gallen. And Arturo, it¡¯s nice to see you again. Have you spoken to Luca yet?¡± greeted Celeste. Arturo smiled and nodded. ¡°Aran greets Mister Gallen and Magister Cain,¡± he said as he smiled sweetly and extended his hand forward. Both guests knew Aran was about to turn four but his stature was similar to that of Owen. Taken slightly aback by the young boy''s stature and forwardness, both men quickly regained their calm. ¡°So you are the child genius we¡¯ve heard so much about?¡± asked a smiling Mr. Gallen as he shook Aran¡¯s hand, surprised at how firm the handshake was. Aran smiled sheepishly and responded, ¡°Grandpa is being generous, as he does with all of his grandchildren.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, Aran,¡± said Arturo, ¡°Your father won¡¯t stop talking about you.¡± ¡°He¡¯s just like grandpa!¡± remarked a wide-eyed Aran. Mr. Gallen and Arturo smiled warmly, immediately taking a liking to this friendly, humble, and polite child. Gerand shared a strange look with Celeste and shook his head, ¡®Grandpa? This child is calculative.¡¯ The small group chatted for a while when Arturo excused himself for the arcane assessment. Gerand ushered the group to their seats and took his at the end. Ed and Rana took the seats immediately right of Gerand, followed by Niall, Jura, Luca, Celeste, and Aran. Mr. Gallen was talking to a man, his aide, sitting on the opposite side, two chairs down from Gerand. Also gathered were important individuals of the Steele family guard and army, as well as four of Owen¡¯s teachers. Those who were not seated, were standing at the opposite end from Gerand. Arturo was standing in the center with another mage and a nervous, yet excited, Owen. Arturo nodded at Gerand, who held out his arms and cleared his throat. ¡°Thank you everyone for gracing us with your presence today. It is my grandchild, Owen Balor Steele¡¯s seventh birthday, and the day he will be tested for his aptitude as a mage. His parents are accomplished mages of their own. My son, Ed Furon Steele, is a fire mage and my daughter-in-law, Rana Ani Steele, is a wind mage. Magister Arturo, please.¡± said Gerand, as he gestured towards Arturo. ¡°Lord Steele,¡± Arturo responded, acknowledging Gerand, ¡°Everyone, we will now test Master Owen¡¯s mana force.¡± His fellow mage motioned for Owen to place his hands on a jagged, translucent stone attached, by means of magic circuits, to a wooden box, the size of a tome, with a screen on the top. Owen gripped the stone with both hands, and immediately felt a pulling sensation, drawing a strange energy from inside him. Owen had felt mana for the first time. The mage whispered in Owen¡¯s ear, ¡°Relax, and remember the feeling.¡± Owen slowly relaxed and the mana lodestone shone white, the pale, gentle color of moonlight. It slowly got intense and within several seconds, the box emitted a strange sound and the number 56 was displayed on the screen. The mage tapped Owen¡¯s hands and he released the stone, breathing heavily, exhilarated by this sensation. ¡°56!¡± declared the mage. The crowd nodded in satisfaction as that was double the amount in an average seven year old aristocratic child. Everyone in the Steele family, especially Ed and Rana wore wide smiles on their faces. ¡°Moving on to the affinity test,¡± said Arturo, as his colleague moved the mana compass off the table. Arturo took an aura gem and placed in on the desk. It was translucent and spherical, not smooth but faceted such that one could place it on a flat surface and it will not roll away. Owen put his right hand on the gem and immediately felt mana being drawn out of him. Immediately after, he felt a strange, unpleasant sensation of prickling all over his body. Mana had started flowing into the gem and, at the same time, Owen. ¡°That¡¯s you absorbing mana. Don¡¯t fight it,¡± said Arturo calmly as Owen fidgeted. Owen nodded. Arturo took a closer look at the gem and saw small spherical wisps of light inside, like lanterns floating in the night sky. There were many orange colored wisps and half as many purple colored ones. ¡®Dual-element? 56 innate mana force? He is a strong candidate!¡¯ ¡°Dual element! Affinity for fire and wind!¡± declared Arturo excitedly. Everyone cheered. Rana gripped Ed¡¯s hands, both trembling in excitement. A proud look flashed across Ed¡¯s eyes. ¡°We will be back later in the evening to coalesce Master Owen¡¯s mana pool,¡± said Arturo as he patted Owen on the shoulder and motioned him to go to his parents. He and his colleague cleaned up and walked over to Gerand. Arturo spoke, ¡°Congratulations Lord Steele!¡± Gerand smiled from ear to ear and responded, ¡°Thank you both for your help.¡± ¡°You are welcome Lord Steele. That was the easy part,¡± said Arturo, knowing that the difficult part is coming up, and excused himself to set up for the ceremony. The Steele household and its guests were chatting excitedly. Owen having a high innate mana force and dual elements meant that the Steele family was going to gain a mage with a lot of potential. A mage who will be sought after by multiple powers in the country. Mu: Book 1 - Chapter 8 Mu Book I Chapter 8: Fracture While most guests have left by the time evening rolled around, Mr. Gallen and his aide had stayed, looking forward to observe Owen¡¯s full potential. Secondary to that, Mr. Gallen had also enjoyed his conversations with members of the Steele family, especially Aran, who was constantly curious and had peppered him with endless questions about the trade routes around Ares and happily listened to all the stories the experienced merchant had to tell. Celeste had to pull Aran away from a laughing Mr. Gallen when it was time for the ceremony, with Aran shouting, ¡°Thank you Mister Gallen for the stories! It was fun!¡± Mr. Gallen chuckled. It had been a while since his family had a young child and Aran reminded him of his three grandchildren when they were younger. Rubbing his hands together, he walked towards the hall in anticipation. Everyone gathered in the hall again. The chairs were arranged in a circle, five meters in diameter. The process could take a while and some distance was needed in case anything goes wrong. Aran sat between Celeste and Rana, facing the front of Owen, and watched the center intently. Owen was dressed in a white robe and seated cross-legged in the center of a large magic circle with various inscriptions within it. Owen¡¯s eyes were flitting left and right, and he kept rubbing his palms on his robes. Arturo whispered to him, ¡°You don¡¯t have to be nervous Owen. It¡¯ll be okay. That¡¯s why we are here. Just remember the feeling you felt before during the affinity assessment and welcome it. We will help guide the mana, but you will have to picture a single point in the center of your chest, right here.¡± Arturo pointed towards the center of Owen¡¯s chest. Owen nodded, closed his eyes, and slowly exhaled. He clenched his hands together, and slowly released them and placed them on his knees, gripping them once in a while. His eyes opened and stared resolutely at his parents. ¡°Shall we begin?¡± asked Arturo. Gerand looked at Ed, who nodded at Arturo and held Rana¡¯s left hand in his right. He said quietly to his wife, as well as to himself, ¡°He will be fine.¡± Arturo gestured to his colleague and gave Owen a pill. It was a mana-reinforcing pill, which increased the user¡¯s ability to take in mana by a few fold for two hours. Owen took it and closed his eyes. Arturo stood behind Owen, and put his hand on Owen¡¯s back, directly below the neck. The other mage stood in front of Owen and held both of his hands high with the palms open. They chanted a spell and the magic circle flashed, lighting up. Arturo took a step back. Both mages sat down and extended an arm outward, maintaining the active magic circle and controlling the amount of mana that was accumulating. Aran¡¯s senses tingled. He felt the mana moving rapidly into the area above the circle, like when he attempted his qi-realm formation. He focused more intensely at the sight in front of him and felt a warm feeling gathering at his eyes. He could see the mana flowing and gathering around the magic circle, like streams of air wrapping into a misty dome around Owen. The mana became increasingly concentrated and by Aran¡¯s estimates, this accumulation of mana was at least five fold as efficient as during his attempt. A hint of excitement flashed in his eyes, ¡®If I could have this during my attempt¡­¡¯ Soon, the mana density reached the point of saturation and both mages directed the mana to focus onto a single point at Owen¡¯s chest. Owen gritted his teeth, sweat flowing down his pale face. As instructed, Owen pictured a single point on the center of his chest and felt the mana around him rushing towards that area. Aran noticed the point in Owen¡¯s chest glowing white, with dense mana gathering. Arturo smiled, ¡®He¡¯s doing it well. It¡¯s making our task is easier.¡¯ After about an hour, the mana within the dome suddenly rushed with zeal into the point on Owen¡¯s body, as if sucked into a blackhole. Owen started trembling and squeezed his brows together. Fifteen minutes later, the mana suction stopped and Aran saw mana shooting upwards from the point on the chest to another point between Owen¡¯s eyebrows. ¡®Dantians? Only two?¡¯ he wondered. The mage in front of Owen held out his other palm, clenched both hands and rapidly opened them. The circle grew dim. Mana stopped flowing into the dome and slowly dissipated. Arturo chanted another spell, and a blue halo surrounded him and Owen. Owen¡¯s ragged breathing slowly calmed down and color flowed into his face. Ten minutes later, the halo dissipated and Arturo sent his arcane sense into Owen to inspect his condition. Satisfied, Arturo stood up and looked towards Rana and Ed, nodding his head while showing a tired smile. Rana and Ed, whose hands were white from clenching too hard, let out a sigh of relief and beamed. The ceremony was a success. Owen had formed his mana pool. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed Aran, who was watching the ceremony like a hawk. Arturo blinked a few times, unwilling to believe what he was seeing. Aran¡¯s grey eyes glistened silver, shimmering like the surface of the pond, reflecting multicolored lights, like a veil, shielding something profound behind it. Arturo forced himself to stop staring at Aran and immediately motioned to his colleague. The mage took out the mana compass and had Owen test his mana force again. The mana lodestone flashed and the screen showed 241. Arturo, pleased at the results, announced to the crowd, ¡°Owen Balor Steele has successfully coalesced his mana pool! His mana force is now 241 and is officially a rank two initiate!¡± ¡°Rank two initiate!¡± exclaimed Gerand, unable to contain his excitement. Most children Owen¡¯s age would be considered gifted if their mana force after coalescing the mana pool had even approached that of a rank two initiate. When a person¡¯s accomplishment or characteristic can be measured, ranking systems naturally followed. The Magician¡¯s Society had devised one for mana force which was widely used in Ares. It not only measured a mage¡¯s progress, it also scaled with the type of magic a mage could cast. Theoretically, mana force ranges from zero to infinite, as long as one¡¯s body can house it. A person with a mana force less than 100 was considered someone who¡¯s not a mage, also known to the magical community as an ungifted. During the formation of mana pool, the amount of mana absorbed would increase a person¡¯s mana force to above 100, into the realm of an initiate. Initiates were divided into 9 ranks, with each 100 points of mana score being a higher rank. They were not considered true mages yet and have access to the most rudimentary of spells. A person would truly be a mage at 1000 mana force; a first circle mage to be precise. Thereafter, every doubling of mana force became a higher circle; with 2000 being second circle, 4000, third, and so on. The highest rank that the Magician¡¯s Society had put forth was the tenth circle at 1,024,000 mana force. Mages of the first through third circles were called novice mages, fourth through sixth were adept mages, seventh through ninth were grand mages, and tenth were archmages. A majority of the mages in Parthenon was stuck at the third and fourth circles. Only twenty percent of all documented mages had achievements above that, and very few were at the peak of being a grand mage. In the history of this classification system, no one had ever been able to break through the tenth circle to become an archmage. It had been speculated from written records that there may only have been two human archmages in the history of Parthenon, and that had happened before the formal study of magic had been implemented. These classifications also directly impacted the types of spells a mage was able to cast. Each advancement in rank was a soft boundary of mana force requirements of more advanced spells. A novice mage would have the ability to cast single target spells of increasing power as they rise through the ranks. An adept mage was able to cast spells that affected an area while a grand mage could cast spells that could decimate an army or a city, if unprotected by other mages. Archmages were existences that could cast spells that impacted entire countries and even the world. Owen¡¯s results that day displayed his potential to rise above his peers and had the potential to be a peak adept mage, even a grand mage. Grand mages were existences that stood at the peak of power and their family would stand to benefit as a whole. Seeing Arturo nod towards her, Rana immediately ran towards her son. She thanked Arturo and his colleague and knelt down to Owen¡¯s level, giving him a warm hug. Color slowly returned to Owen¡¯s face and he stood up, trembling in excitement, ¡®I¡¯m a mage!¡¯ Aran and his parents walked towards the mother and son. Both adults gave Rana a quick hug and started talking. Ed had just finished talking to Niall and Jura and the trio walked towards them. ¡°Congratulations cousin brother!¡± said Aran, the sides of his eyes and lips curved up. Owen laughed and patted Aran on the back. Aran added, ¡°How does it feel?¡± ¡°Great! I feel so much energy inside of me. It was worth the pain. At first, it was just an uncomfortable prickly feeling during the process. Then, suddenly, I felt something pierce my chest and I blacked out. When I regained consciousness, I felt a strange sensation around my chest area. It feels weird, a good weird. I constantly feel a small trickle of something flowing into my chest,¡± said Owen, almost to himself. ¡°That my son, is your body absorbing mana,¡± said Ed, as the two boys turned around. Ed added, ¡°You will get used to it and soon it will feel natural.¡± ¡°Congratulations Rana!¡± said Jura as she hugged her sister-in-law. Niall also looked elated as he congratulated Rana. The group chatted in the center for a while. Anyone who looked at this family would never forget the memorable sight of this powerful ensemble. The men, powerful warriors and mages, stood strong and tall. The women, each with their unique charm and beauty, wore mage robes of varying colors. The children¡¯s potential seemed boundless; one a martial and scholar prodigy, the other a dual-element initiate with great innate talent. The most striking were the five pair of grey eyes, so beautiful, yet so sharp, as if they could pierce the heavens. Gerand looked at the scene proudly and closed his eyes, which felt a little wet. ¡®If only you were still around.¡¯ Gerand allowed himself a few seconds of melancholy and regained his composure. He walked towards the mages and thanked each of them. He raised his hands and said aloud, ¡°My guests, please join us at the dining hall for a banquet. It is a day for celebration!¡± The dining hall was decorated like other parts of the estate, with long tables full of food and wine. Wine flowed freely and the food trays were never empty. The guests and Steeles ate, drank, and laughed. Gerand was not one to treat his people poorly and the estate staff, soldier, and guards joined in the celebration, though with a little more self-control. Arturo and his colleague did not hold back; it was customary for the mages that performed the ceremony to stay the night, as most mages tasked with this lived in research branches of the Magician¡¯s Society or at one of the two royal institutes, which could be a good distance away. The banquet continued late into the night. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. *** That night after the banquet, Luca and Celeste used mana to dissipate the alcohol in their bodies. Together with Aran, they walked back towards their residences. They ended up in Aran¡¯s room, where they found a pot of tea waiting for them. Celeste poured three cups and sat down at the table with her husband and son. ¡°So, how was it? Your first time seeing an actual mana pool coalescing?¡± asked Luca, sipping the calming cup of tea. Aran said, after a short pause, ¡°It was¡­ Efficient. Very efficient.¡± Luca raised an eyebrow. He smiled at himself for expecting a different answer, more suited to a child Aran¡¯s age, and realizing once again the abnormality of this son of his. ¡°So no more attempts in your own?¡± asked Celeste. Aran looked at Celeste while responding honestly, ¡°No. But, I have a request. Remember that conversation we had a month ago? You mentioned that Instructor Jacob had secretly tested my physical condition. He concluded that I was ready. I would like both of you to do the same. I think I am ready to undergo arcane assessment.¡± ¡°We plan to, in a different manner. It might feel a little unpleasant,¡± said Luca candidly. Luca put his right palm on Aran¡¯s chest and spread his arcane sense into the latter. Aran shuddered a little, feeling a strange energy probing inside of him, spreading outwards from his chest. After a few seconds, the uncomfortable feeling slowly receded. Luca¡¯s eyes were wide and his mouth was opened as he stared silently at Aran. Celeste, seeing her husband¡¯s dumbfounded expression, smiled and tapped him aside. ¡®Must be the same dense mana I felt before.¡¯ She did the same as he did to Aran and was equally shocked. Aran¡¯s body was in perfect condition, like one whose body had nurtured by mana for a few years. What was even more surprising was the amount of mana in the body. It had actually increased compared to before. ¡®Did the bracelet not work?¡¯ ¡°Have you been meditating?¡± asked Luca, sternly. Aran shook his head and responded without batting an eye, ¡°I did not. To be honest, I did try once, only out of curiosity. But it did not work with the bracelet on.¡± Luca chortled and held his palm over the table. With a gentle motion, a mana compass appeared out of thin air onto the table, surprising Aran. Seeing the confused look on her sons face, Celeste said, ¡°It¡¯s a spatial ring. All of us have one with a small storage space.¡± ¡°But you told me that spatial mages are extremely rare. Even more, there are no spatial mages that we know of today,¡± asked Aran, ¡°How can spatial rings be so plentiful?¡± ¡°It is true; spatial mages are rare. But, while spatial magic is the easiest way to make spatial rings, there are also mages with other elements that could make one. While this feat is easy for a spatial mage of the first few circles, an earth or wind mage of the sixth circle could warp space to create dimensional pockets,¡± explained Celeste. Aran scratched his head. Concepts about dimensional spaces having to do with earth and wind elements eluded him. Celeste, seeing that Aran did not comprehend it, offered a further explanation, ¡°Grand earth mages are able to control gravity and, when the gravity is powerful enough, it is able to pull space away from its surroundings, collapsing it and creating a dimensional pocket. Wind does it the opposite way. With a ripping force strong enough, it rips a space away, separating it.¡± Aran nodded and stared at the contraption in front of him. ¡°Arturo owes me a few favors and I asked him for this in exchange for one of them. We decided that we would test you, and, if satisfactory, measure your mana force,¡± smiled Luca. He continued, ¡°Go ahead. I have to return it when he leaves tomorrow morning.¡± Aran took a deep breath and held the mana lodestone in his right hand. Aran felt a strange sensation overcoming him. The lodestone drew him in like a muse, coaxing him to lower his defenses as mana flowed out of his hands. However, Aran resisted out of habit and it rapidly became a tug of war between him and the lodestone. ¡°Stop resisting,¡± said Celeste, realizing what was happening. Aran consciously stopped his struggle and allowed the lodestone to draw his mana. He further manipulated his mana to exit through his right hand. The lodestone greedily, but gently, drew in the mana, draining it from his whole body. His primitive dantians and stores around his flesh and bones rapidly emptied. After a few seconds, Aran felt a slight pushback from the lodestone and consciously prevented more mana from being drained. The stone glowed brightly and the box tolled. Aran felt the drained mana flowing back into him through his hand. The screen flickered and the numbers 300 were displayed on it. Luca pushed himself back into his seat and blew air out of his mouth. Celeste¡¯s mind blanked for a second and immediately put her palm onto Aran¡¯s back, inspecting his body once again. ¡®No. No mana pool. And stable. How is this possible?¡¯ Never in the written history of magic was there a person with a mana force of more than 100 prior to forming their mana pool. Her son was an anomaly that even her, a scholar of arcane theory, could not comprehend. ¡°Anything wrong?¡± asked Aran. Celeste and Luca regained their composure. Luca spoke, ¡°No. Nothing¡¯s wrong. You feel completely okay?¡± Aran looked back with confused eyes and nodded his head. Even though he had read books on magic, he had mostly read about the different elemental systems and little about the testing and schooling aspects of it. Therefore, while he knew this result was twenty times that of a normal person, he had no reference that it would be an abnormality. ¡°That¡¯s ¡­ That¡¯s great then. We will discuss this with your grandfather and come up with a timeline for you. It has been a long day and it¡¯s getting late. We can all benefit from some rest,¡± said Luca as he stored the mana compass in his spatial ring. He stood up and ruffled Aran¡¯s hair. ¡°Ah, before you leave, father, mother, I have a quick question. While Owen was coalescing his mana pool, I saw two points in his body where mana concentrated and remained even after the ceremony. One in his chest and one between his eyebrows. What are those?¡± Aran voiced asked the burning question in his head. ¡°Those are mana foci. The one in the chest connects directly to one¡¯s mana pool. Upon the formation of that, mana shoots upwards towards one¡¯s brain where a second focus is formed between the eyebrows. The chest focus controls the mana between the mana pool and our physical world, and is called the Gate. The focus by the brain allows mages to manipulate mana using their mind and is called the Tower,¡± answered Celeste. ¡°Are there only two?¡± asked Aran. Celeste nodded and, after a short pause, spoke, ¡°Did you say that you saw it?¡± ¡°Yes mother,¡± Aran responded. Celeste hugged her son and motioned towards Luca to leave. Both parents walked out and closed the door behind them. It was a crisp spring night and both shared a pensive, quiet walk back to their room. ¡°He saw?¡± repeated Celeste thoughtlessly as they got out of Aran¡¯s hearing range. Luca was silent. *** The next morning, the Steele family sent the mages off. ¡°Thank you Magister Cain and Magister Polon,¡± said Ed earnestly. Gerand wished the same and Luca clasped his old friend¡¯s hand firmly. ¡°Arturo, till the next time,¡± said Luca. Arturo smiled, ¡°Your turn to visit the next time. Celeste, you must visit too. Veena would like it.¡± After the farewells have been said, both Arturo and Magister Polon climbed into their carriage and departed. Arturo was quiet during the journey. He was hunched forward, with his eyes closed and hands clutched together. His thumbs supported his chin while his forehead rested on his index fingers. ¡°It¡¯s unlike you to be in such deep thought, Arturo. The boy, Owen, is certainly a rare talent and our country will definitely gain much from this, but he still has a long path in front of him. We must send word to the institute he will enroll in, to help guide his development,¡± said Magister Polon. Arturo opened his eyes and leaned back into his seat. ¡°Hahn, that¡¯s indeed worth doing. But that¡¯s not what I¡¯m thinking about. It¡¯s about the other Steele child, Aran,¡± Arturo responded. ¡°Oh, the likable, inquisitive kid? Hahaha. He is a little well grown for his age, but his innocent questions and behavior immediately makes one grow fond of him,¡± said Hahn. ¡°Yes, him. Right after we helped Owen coalesce his mana pool, I caught sight of him, focusing intently on the ceremony,¡± continued Arturo. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? I remember my first ceremony too. My eyes were glued to the scene,¡± recounted Hahn, his tone growing a little more serious seeing the expression on Arturo¡¯s face. ¡°His eyes were shimmering with a multicolored sheen. And I could almost feel dense mana accumulating around him from a distance,¡± said Arturo softly, as if he still couldn¡¯t believe what he had seen. ¡°Shimmering? You think it¡¯s arcane vision?¡± asked a shocked Hahn. ¡°Maybe. But, the odds are low. I could have been exhausted and was just seeing things. The process did require a lot of our concentration after all,¡± Arturo rationalized. Hahn nodded and said, ¡°Well, if it¡¯s true, it will only continue to manifest itself and we will find out soon enough. If that comes to be, on top of Owen being a dual-element mage, the Steele family will be a power to take notice of.¡± ¡°I can think of no better family to wield this power though,¡± said Arturo after pondering for a while. ¡°True!¡± agreed Hahn, who added, ¡°Oh, pass me the mana compass. I¡¯ll return it to the artifact hall when I return the aura gem. There is no need for you to stop by the branch.¡± Arturo nodded, took the mana compass out of his spatial bracelet, and handed it to Hahn. Hahn inspected it and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Hey Arturo, did you drop it?¡± asked Hahn. ¡°What? No,¡± responded Arturo, perplexed. ¡°What grade is the stone?¡± Hahn continued asking. ¡°Lesser, grade 3. Standard issue for mana assessments,¡± replied Arturo. Hahn furrowed his brows, ¡°How many times has it been used?¡± Arturo thought for a second and removed a folder from his spatial ring. Flipping through it, he said, ¡°It¡¯s a fresh one. Only twice, including Owen¡¯s.¡± ¡°It should measure up to 300 mana force before overloading. And Owen¡¯s was 241¡­¡± Hahn thought out loudly. ¡°Is anything wrong?¡± asked the now concerned Arturo, storing the folder. Hahn grumbled, ¡°The mana lodestone¡­ I don¡¯t understand how, but it¡¯s fractured.¡± Mu: Book 1 - Chapter 9 Enjoy!
Mu Book I Chapter 9: Happy birthday The week following Owen¡¯s arcane assessment, Owen had refrained from combat training, focusing rather on consolidating his mana foundations. The weeks following one¡¯s mana pool formation was an exponential growth phase, and most aristocratic families would spare no amount of resources in nurturing their younger generation at this phase. Ed and Rana, being fourth circle mages, had personally instructed him in mana manipulation and meditation. Mana reinforcing and stabilization pills were taken out of the treasury to aid in the process. Under these favorable conditions, Owen rapidly advanced and neared the threshold of being a rank three initiate. Owen would continue training with the Steele family until the beginning of the next year, when he will be enrolled in the Royal Institute as a student, with other aristocratic children of his age who had coalesced their mana pools in the same year. While Owen was undergoing arcane training, Aran had yet to resume mana cultivation. After the bracelet was removed, Aran realized that the mana in his body grew restless, like a caged beast regaining its freedom, and moved in his body wildly. He had spent the week suppressing and controlling the mana, trying to stabilize it before attempting to cultivate. At the meantime, he continued to advance in his studies and training. Having learned much of the culture and history of Iridis, Mihail and Erika proceeded to instruct Aran on the other countries in Ares, starting with Hassius, information with which Aran consumed rapidly. With this new information, Aran had slowly begun to understand the power structure and relationships of the different countries in Ares. Mathematics proved a little more difficult. Mathematics in Parthenon was more advanced than that of his previous world, with the complexity compounded with influences on and from arcane theory. However, George, being a patient and experienced teacher, was able to break complex theories down to help Aran understand them. For combat training, Jacob had begun having Aran spar with soldiers of the Steele army. While his mastery of the sword and dagger was phenomenal, his disadvantage in stature and reach had made it challenging to fight against trained and experienced soldiers. This had forced Aran to repeatedly experiment and refine all aspects of his swordplay and footwork, something he had never thought possible. Making minor adjustments to his footwork with every move, Aran had slowly discovered a new level of mastery of the skills that served him well in his previous life. Ada had procured mock animals, targets, of life size and shape, of actual beasts for Aran¡¯s training. Made of fortified dirt, the only areas an arrow would penetrate were thin slabs of meat pinned to actual vulnerabilities of these beasts. Ada had made Aran repeatedly shoot at these spots, increasing the difficulty with every successful shot. Aran often found himself being barked orders to move further away or attempt to shoot at these targets from tricky angles and through obstructed flight paths. Aran¡¯s vast experience in projectile weapons often had human targets, and found this exercise surprisingly challenging. Not one to shy away from challenges, Aran had immersed himself wholeheartedly in these trainings, discovering a new fire to aim for perfection in fields he had thought himself a master in. *** ¡°300?!¡± repeated Gerand incredulously while rapidly stroking his well-trimmed beard with his thumb, ¡°Are you certain? Could the mana compass be wrong?¡± Luca shook his head. ¡°No. At least we don¡¯t think so. We inspected the mana reserves in his body manually and had sense a large amount of it, expecting him to approach the realm of a rank one initiate. The mana compass ¡­ confirmed that and more,¡± he said, hesitating on the last point. Gerand, remembering the incident a little more than a year ago, asked solemnly, ¡°Are you sure he has yet to coalesce his mana pool?¡± ¡°No. His body was saturated with mana, so it was difficult to sense any mana pockets, but his Gate and Tower foci did not have any fluctuation reminisce of one with a mana pool,¡± responded Celeste. ¡°But 300? It¡¯s difficult to swallow. I mean, I don¡¯t know of any precedence. Do you?¡± asked Gerand. Both Luca and Celeste shook their heads and the room fell into silence. After a few minutes, Gerand broke the silence, looking expectantly at Celeste, ¡°So?¡± ¡°I ¡­ honestly do not know. Our saving grace is the fact that his body seems to have adapted to it and should not pose any immediate risk to him. By all measures, he is a perfect candidate for mana pool coalescing. However, if we were to move forward, I dare not predict how much mana he will absorb, and if his body could withstand it before his mana pool has coalesced,¡± Celeste spoke slowly, emphasizing the last sentence. Luca interjected, ¡°I agree, but there may also be harm in doing nothing. We don¡¯t know how much his body can withstand this amount of mana without a mana pool to store the reserves, and how long before it reaches a tipping point.¡± Gerand sighed; both of them brought up really good points. But with no precedence, they had no idea on how to proceed. The methodological Celeste leaned back into her chair and drummed her fingers on the armrest. She slowly suggested, ¡°I think we can at least wait till his upcoming birthday. We will make sure that he approaches us if anything feels odd. In the mean time, I will look into books of ancient mages, who had the practice of starting arcane training at a very young age. And I see no harm in testing his aptitude, as long as we proceed with caution on the mana pool coalescing end.¡± ¡°That is as fine a plan as any,¡± agreed Gerand. He added solemnly, ¡°But we must keep this a secret. We don¡¯t know how the other families or the Magician¡¯s Society will react to this.¡± Luca nodded and added, ¡°I¡¯ll look into trying to procure a mana compass and an aura gem over the next month.¡± Luca and Celeste stood up and started for the door. Before they left the room, Gerand thought out loud, ¡°With his mana reserves, can he cast spells?¡± He was greeted with blank stares. *** An arrow struck the slab of meat, an inch tall and 5-inches wide, right above the eyes of the fake armored lizard. Ada pulled the arrow out and yelled, ¡°Good. Move five meters back and shoot again.¡± Aran obliged and moved backwards. He removed an arrow from his quiver and nocked his bow. Steadying his breath, his slowly pulled the bowstring and aimed at the same spot he shot at moments ago. He gauged the wind¡¯s direction, rightwards, and aimed a little to the left. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed a projectile hurtling at him. ¡®Two seconds,¡¯ he estimated and took a final look at his arrow¡¯s flight path. He released the taut bowstring and rolled to the left the moment the fletching left the bow. He heard a thud from the direction he was standing a second ago as he nocked another arrow and pointed it towards the direction the projectile came from. Aran found himself aiming at a grinning Ada, who was leisurely throwing a rock, half the size of her fist, upwards and letting it fall back down onto her open palm. ¡°Impressive,¡± she mocked as she caught the rock and motioned towards the armored lizard target with her head. The arrow was embedded squarely in the center of the slab of meat, an inch about the point between the eyes of the mock beast. ¡°I could¡¯ve shot you,¡± quipped Aran, unamused, as he slowly relaxed the bowstring and stuck the arrow back into the quiver. ¡°You were far enough for me to dodge. Besides, no beast will stay still for you to take your time to aim at it. I¡¯m just introducing a little more¡­ realism into your training,¡± shrugged Ada as she dropped the rock and walked towards Aran, ¡°I think you¡¯re ready for your first hunt for big game.¡± ¡°Really?! What are we hunting,¡± remarked Aran, pretending to perk up. ¡°Boars. Or deer. Whichever¡¯s track we come across first,¡± she responded. Aran suppressed a sigh, ¡®Well, at least I get a chance to prepare its carcass.¡¯ ¡°When?¡± asked Aran, continuing to feign interest. Ada, buying into Aran¡¯s acting, smiled. ¡°In about two weeks or so. Owen will be joining us for that trip and both of you will be doing most of the work; tracking, hunting, and preparing the animal. He resumes training today, which should give him enough time to familiarize himself with the condition of his body,¡± she responded. Ada made Aran try a few more variations of his archery practice until Owen came to the training grounds. He promptly greeted Ada, who smiled warmly back. Ada took the bow off Aran and walked towards the armory, ¡°You¡¯re Jacob¡¯s problem now.¡± ¡°Aran!¡± Owen called out, beaming. ¡°Owen! It¡¯s been a week. How do you feel? More importantly, can you cast any spells?¡± greeted Aran. ¡°I feel great! It¡¯s good to be back here. I missed sparring. It is infinitely more exciting than sitting down and meditating all the time,¡± responded Owen, cracking his fingers, itching to move around. ¡°As for magic, father had taught me how to conjure a simple tongue of flame, shape it, and maintain it. I don¡¯t fully understand the theory, so I¡¯m only successful one out of a dozen times or so. I haven¡¯t learned any wind magic. Mother wants me to focus on the basics of fire magic first. Here, let me try it out.¡± Owen motioned Aran to step back, who happily did so. Owen held his right hand up, a few inches from his face, with index his finger pointing upwards. He furrowed his eyebrows and stared intently at the tip of his finger. He spoke softly, ¡°Fire.¡± After a few seconds of inactivity, Owen took a deep breath and squinted his eyes together, ¡°Fire!¡± A small tongue of flame flared upwards from the finger and floated a few centimeters above the tip of the finger. It flickered and danced, as Owen clenched his teeth together. The flame slowly twirled and formed a small ball of flame, 5cm in diameter. The ball¡¯s shape continually distorted, as Owen focused to maintain it. After a few seconds, he closed his eyes and the ball of flame dispersed into a small wisp of cloud. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°That¡¯s amazing!¡± remarked Aran, genuinely impressed by the display. This was the first time he had seen magic up close. ¡°Not really. It¡¯s really tiring even doing that much,¡± said Owen, visibly drained. Jacob, who had observed the exchange from the side, chuckled and said, ¡°Actually, that is very good progress. Many initiates have trained much longer to achieve what you have just shown. You are talented in magic, it seems.¡± Owen sighed exasperatedly, his lips curling up a little. Jacob continued, ¡°Welcome back to training, Owen. Let¡¯s start with having the two of you spar. Go get your swords.¡± The two boys promptly walked towards the armory and returned, each holding a training sword with blunt edges in their right hand. Aran had rapidly approached Owen in stature, and his sword is the same length as Owens, being just a few pounds heavier. ¡°I¡¯ll win today, Aran!¡± declared Owen with confidence, having recovered from his magical display earlier. ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± smiled Aran. Owen instinctively took a defensive position. In the two years that these cousins have been sparring, never once had Owen been able to take the upper hand against the much younger Aran. However, he was able to extend the fight by taking a defensive stance, and had even gotten a few strikes in. Despite them being dodged effortlessly by Aran, it still gave Owen a small sense of satisfaction of actually making it a spar. Aran took the first initiative and dashed forward, chopping diagonally downwards from the right. Owen parried that with an upward slash and immediately stepped to the right, dodging Aran¡¯s follow through; a downwards slash after recovering from the parry by deftly turning a semicircle. Aran fluidly slashed leftwards, to which Owen blocked vertically with his sword. Owen kicked outwards with his left foot and Aran rolled backwards, avoiding it. When Aran recovered a second later, he barely saw Owen as the latter kicked leftwards, flickered out of his sight, and circled around. ¡®Fast!¡¯ Aran rolled to his right, shot forward, and turned around to find Owen¡¯s sword slashing upwards towards him. He slash downwards, meeting Owen¡¯s sword with a loud resounding clash as both boys retreated a few steps backwards. Both boys grinned from ear to ear, looking at each other with burning resolution in their eyes. Owen tensed his muscles and darted forward, using the momentum to slash from the left. The air whistled as the sword sheared through it with immense force. Anticipating Owen to lose his balance with this move, Aran deftly stepped backwards to avoid the blow. To his surprise, Owen turned his body and swung his sword upwards in a spiraling arc; the sword a pendulum and his body the pivot, borrowing force from the momentum and generating centrifugal force as he brought the sword downwards. Aran relied on his fast footwork to jump backwards as Owen¡¯s sword found the ground, creating a resounding crash and a small crater to match. Aran took advantage of the split second Owen¡¯s sword was on the ground and slashed at the hilt. Owen rapidly released the sword and jumped backwards. ¡°You win!¡± Owen yelled as the hilt of his sword touched the ground. His face was flustered and breath was rapid, ¡°How are you still breathing so steadily?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t the one who put everything in a single grand maneuver,¡± grinned Aran, ¡°But, I am surprised. You¡¯re faster. And stronger!¡± ¡°Father said that when my mana pool was formed, some of the mana I absorbed had nourished my body and made me stronger. I didn¡¯t truly believe it, until now,¡± Owen responded with a shrug, still unwilling to believe that Aran won despite his gain in strength. ¡°Wait till I learn combat spells.¡± Jacob laughed, satisfied by the performance of the two boys in front of him, ¡°What your father said is true. When a mage accumulates mana, a very small amount is absorbed by the body, which will nurture it. This effect is most evident when coalescing one¡¯s mana pool, but slowly becomes less effective after. Unfortunately, it is sorely lacking for an initiate, where you need to rapidly improve your constitution to allow your body to adapt to housing more mana and resist any backlash from casting spells. Therefore, it is important to continue your physical training.¡± Jacob paused for the last sentence to sink in and continued, ¡°Owen, you lost. Ten laps around the grounds.¡± Owen groaned, ¡°It¡¯s my first day back. Do I have to?¡± ¡°Even more so,¡± grinned Jacob, crossing his arms. Aran smiled and patted Owen on the back, ¡°Come on. I¡¯ll run with you.¡± The soldiers and guards who were training looked respectfully at the two cousins. That was a fine display of strength and agility, comparable to recruits, often teenagers, a few years into their training. It soon struck them that these children were three and seven. A chill ran down their spine. ¡®Monsters.¡¯ *** Arcane instruction during ancient times began young, often after the child first understood the spoken language. Scholars have hypothesized that this was in part due to magic being a relatively new entity to ancient mages, but was in greater part due to the constant threat of magical beast attacks, where the benefits of having another able-bodied mage outweighed the risks of harming the child. ¡­ Methods used to measure mana force were crude and non-standardized; either inspection by an elder mage or using mana lodestones of different grade and purity, both susceptible to variations and fluctuations in measurements, leading to improper classification of ones mana force. Therefore, it is difficult to estimate the extent mana force in child mages post mana pool formation. Scholars have speculated, however, that the value is comparable to those of initiates today, with the advances in magic circles and mana pool forming methods making up the difference of a few years of meditation. Celeste sighed and rubbed her temple. ¡®Speculations. Bloody speculations. All of them!¡¯ She closed the book titled [The practice of magic in ancient times] and pushed it towards a pile of half a dozen books further away from her, each bearing a title related to ancient magic or mana force measurement benchmarks. She sank backwards into her chair and scanned the bookshelves around her. ¡®There¡¯s nothing here. I need access to current research texts.¡¯ The next morning, Celeste rode to the nearest branch of Magician¡¯s Society, located at Vilna, a three-day ride away. *** The days passed relatively uneventfully, and Aran had resumed cultivating, pleasantly surprised by the speed of his cultivation, which had increased two fold after the bracelet was removed. With the feeling of yang saturation became increasingly common, Aran had further limited his cultivation to an hour a day, and had even skipped days where the feeling did not subside. This was a looming reminder that emphasized to Aran the urgency of forming his mana pool. Aran had hunted for big game twice, nabbing a boar each time. Owen and he had the opportunity of cleaning and dissecting the carcass both times, learning to recover parts in order of importance, without damaging the rest of the animal. After properly recovering the material and preparing the carcass, Ada had stored them in a spatial ring and took them to the market, where they sold the unneeded parts, everything but a few pounds of meat, to butchers and tanners. The second time around, the boys had elicited a ¡°Decent.¡± from one of the tanners as he handed over fifty copper coins. Ada had let them split and keep the earnings. Three weeks later, Aran¡¯s fourth birthday arrived. Non-royal birthdays, with the exception of specific milestones, were usually small affairs in Iridis. Typical of a lesser aristocratic family, Aran¡¯s birthday was celebrated with a slightly more sumptuous than usual dinner, in the company of family members, mentors, and several family friends. Gifts were not commonplace and were only given by parents; often something practical, like a blade or a book. It was quick and uncomplicated. Aran had preferred this; his birthday had long been forgotten in his previous life, and any attention on him was truthfully a hassle. This year¡¯s celebration was like the past three, with one single exception. An extra guest was present; Mr. Gallen, who had came bearing a gift, a simplified book about trade routes pertaining to Iridis, compiled by the Merchant¡¯s Union for aspiring traders. Dinner was a short and enjoyable two hours, where pleasantries and stories were exchanged, and Aran had learned more about the Merchant¡¯s Union from Mr. Gallen. After the guests have left, Gerand ushered Aran and his parents to his study. When they entered the study, Aran¡¯s eyes lit up at the sight of a mana lodestone and an aura gem sitting on the desk. He was trembling in anticipation, a rare show of emotion for him. Celeste¡¯s literature search had proved fruitful. While there was nothing resembling Aran¡¯s case, research in young magical beasts, even amongst the weakest, domesticated species with constitution weaker than humans, have shown that many bore mana force in the hundreds pre-mana pool formation. Despite the anatomical differences between humans and magical beasts, Celeste found solace in the fact that there were examples of a living being with the same phenomenon reliably forming their version of a mana pool. As such, both Luca and her had decided to move ahead with testing Aran¡¯s magical aptitude and decide on his mana pool coalescing after. Celeste and Luca spoke at the same time, ¡°Happy birthday, Aran.¡± Mu: Book 1 - Chapter 10 Made it to 10! Happy holidays everyone !
Mu Book I Chapter 10: A minor setback ¡°I was unable to procure a mana compass, but this will serve well enough as a rough measure of your mana force,¡± said Luca as he took a seat and motioned for Aran to do the same beside him. He handed the lodestone to Aran, ¡°You know what to do with this.¡± Aran felt the familiar tug of the lodestone and let his mana flow into it, causing it to glow in response. After a few seconds, the lodestone, which was now shining brightly, shuddered and started cracking. Aran quickly suppressed his mana and tried withdrawing it, but to no avail. The cracks extended, spreading throughout the stone, and, with a heave, shattered into many small pieces. ¡°What?!¡± exclaimed Gerand. Regaining his composure after a few breaths, he asked, ¡°What grade was the stone?¡± ¡°Lesser, grade four,¡± said Luca, his mouth dry from shock. With the flick of his wrist, he took out another lodestone from his spatial ring, ¡°We will use this one instead. It¡¯s a grade one, regular lodestone.¡± He handed it to Aran. Once again, Aran let his mana flow into this new stone. It gradually became brighter. The draining steadily slowed, and Aran felt a strange sensation on his palm. Mana moved back and forth through his palm, rhythmically and continuously, like waves in ocean. As his mana was drained, an equal amount flowed back into him. The gem stopped becoming brighter, settling at an intensity half that of the gem that shattered. ¡°About half¡­ That¡¯s about 500¡­¡± Gerand¡¯s voice trailed off as he exchanged a complicated look with Celeste. Celeste threw her hands up and shook her head. Tonight¡¯s events had thrown all common knowledge out of the window. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know what you¡¯re thinking, but I feel absolutely fine,¡± said Aran, reassuring the adults that he was not in any danger. Luca stared at his son in disbelief and sighed, ¡°We believe you. It¡¯s just difficult to¡­ process. Let¡¯s move on.¡± Luca pushed the aura gem towards Aran. Gerand leaned against the wall and look intently at the aura gem, hoping to be surprised again. Celeste sat down by the table and stared at the gem, with an expectant look in her eyes, while tapping her fingers on her thigh. ¡°Like before, let the gem guide the mana out of you. Don¡¯t worry about breaking this one; it naturally disperses any additional mana. It should,¡± said Luca, half doubting his last words in the face of everything he had seen tonight. Aran reached out to the gem with his right hand and let his mana flow into the gem. An immense amount of small wisps of light rapidly condensed within the gem, appearing a hazy white color. All three adults squinted, trying to make out some sort of color from the wisps. Other than the ring of white around the wisps, it appeared colorless, like bubbles rapidly churning upwards in boiling water. Aran raised a brow, uncertain of what he was seeing. ¡°Stop, pause for a second, and try again,¡± Celeste spoke, a small quiver in her voice. Aran complied and withdrew his hand. Taking a deep breath to calm his mind, he touched the gem once more, resulting in a similar result. Only, this time, there were a larger number of colorless wisps, moving more furiously, rapidly propagating outwards, as if trying to escape the prison that was the colorless shell of the gem. Celeste whimpered, tears building up on the corner of her eyes, ¡°You can stop now.¡± Luca sucked in a deep breath and uttered, ¡°Damn it.¡± Gerand rammed the wall he¡¯s leaning against with the bottom of his fist. ¡°What?¡± asked Aran, still in the dark. ¡°Aran, I want you to listen to me carefully,¡± Luca said slowly, looking Aran in his eyes. ¡°I want you to understand this that this does not change who you are and how we feel about you. This is not the only thing that defines you. You¡­ You are attributeless.¡± Hearing Luca¡¯s words, tears started flowing down the side of Celeste¡¯s cheeks. These were not tears of disappointment; she would never be disappointed by her outstanding son. Rather they were tears of concern and guilt. On one hand, she was apprehensive of her son¡¯s reaction to this news. On the other, she was arrested by guilt, as if she had failed him. She blamed herself for the possibility of her elemental incompatibility with Luca being the cause of Aran¡¯s condition. ¡°Attributeless?¡± repeated Aran, already forming an idea of what this unfamiliar term meant. ¡°You are a mu, which means void of anything. The mana in your body has no elements or attributes. It is pure mana; pure energy with no true utility. The fact that you can absorb mana is bizarre. And, even with your deep innate mana force, you will not be able to become a mage. Disregarding the question of whether you can form a mana pool, even if you do, with no attributes, a mana pool will be¡­¡± Luca fumbled at that last word. ¡°¡­ Useless,¡± interjected Gerand, finishing the sentence for Luca. It was too cruel of a thing for a father to say to his son. Aran smiled bitterly. When the word attributeless was spoken, Aran had already anticipated this answer. But he was not expecting pure mana to be worthless to a mage. Wasn¡¯t something that was purer, better? Aran voiced the thoughts in his head, ¡°How can having pure mana be useless?¡± Celeste had calmed her emotions and responded quietly, ¡°Because there is no way of converting it to perform work. Without any elemental mana, you won¡¯t be able to conjure a fire or condense water. Imagine a fully charged mana stone. Unattached to any magical apparatus, it merely sits there, with no way of displaying its power. Pure mana is the stone while elemental mana is the apparatus.¡± ¡°Most spells require some form of elemental mana to act as the catalyst to transform pure mana. Lacking that, you can only perform cursory spells,¡± added Gerand, taking the reins of the villain. No parent should have to explain this to their child. He motioned for Luca to step aside and sat in front of Aran. Despite his iron grip over his emotions, Aran felt a tinge of disappointment. However, he was not one to dwell on the impossible. Aran closed his eyes and cleared his thoughts. If it were truly impossible. He quickly resolved to gather any information he could on his attributeless state. Even if it ended up being unfruitful, he still had two more stages to the Primordial God¡¯s Foundations. This was not a dead end, he had decided. Determined to form his mana pool with the help of magic circles, Aran pushed his case. He opened his eyes and stared resolutely at Gerand, ¡°Grandfather, you said attributeless spells were cursory. So, am I to understand that an attributeless mage can cast spells?¡± To the adults, the words attributeless mage was an oxymoron. However, they had mistakenly sympathized with Aran, concluding that his line of questioning was coming from a position of denial. ¡°Attributeless mage? If there were one, there would only be a few spells available to them. And only one truly useful one ¨C mana shield, a spell used by mages to defend against both physical and magical attacks,¡± replied Gerand, hoping to satiate Aran¡¯s curiosity and, maybe, console him. Convincing the boy of his inability to become a mage would have to wait for tonight¡¯s development to truly sink in. ¡°So it is possible for pure mana to be used?¡± pressed Aran, finding some confidence in Gerand¡¯s answer. ¡°Sure, if you present it in that manner. But not in the truest sense of magic,¡± Gerand responded patiently. ¡°But it can be used. So if it¡¯s possible to use that mana, then, it would also be conceivable to think that coalescing a mana pool is possible, right?¡± continued Aran, sharpening his gaze at Gerand. Gerand instinctively leaned backwards and found himself at a loss of words at Aran¡¯s imposing manner and rationale chain of argument. A second later, he tilted forward again, ¡°We don¡¯t know the answer to that. While it may theoretically be possible, we need to know more before we decide. After all, pure mana, while the most powerful, raw source of energy, is also the least stable form of it. Your body might¡­ explode. ¡± ¡°We will try, but it is unlikely that we will know more,¡± Celeste remarked, chiming in with sadness in her voice. ¡°You, my dear son, are the only attributeless person with a high innate mana force in the history of magic. I understand your frustration, but nothing we say or do can change the fact. And we are unwilling to proceed without knowing the risks.¡± As Aran was about to raise another point, Celeste spoke, stopping him, ¡°I believe I speak for all of us when I say this. Regardless of what you say, our decision is firm. Your mana pool coalescing will be postponed indefinitely. I promise you, however, that we will do everything we can to learn more about your condition.¡± Aran looked upwards and sighed. Not knowing enough about the nature of mana, his arguments would be unconvincing. He yielded, a strategic retreat. *** Aran¡¯s indifference to being tested as attributeless came as a surprise to the adults. If the boy was disappointed, he hid it well. He had carried on with his daily activities with the same unfazed temperament as before. The only indication that Aran even remembered anything about his arcane assessment was his insistence of helping Celeste with her research on attributeless mana. Celeste was rescued from her psychologically mire by her son¡¯s impassive reaction and determination. Instead of being weighed down by the guilt, as she did before, she had wholeheartedly refocused her attention towards understanding Aran¡¯s condition, even given the low likelihood of ever discovering anything. The mother and son duo had met daily, often working into the late evenings. Arcane theory was foreign to Aran. Being absent from his previous world and having no concepts similar to it, Aran had struggled in his sessions with Celeste. Despite her son slowing her down, Celeste, who was delighted at his interest. She had patiently, even happily, instructed Aran on the basics and had personally demonstrated some of the concepts he had trouble grasping. In an effort to understand Aran¡¯s limitations, Celeste had tried making Aran perform mana manipulation and basic, attributeless magic. While Aran was able to manipulate the mana within his body to an acceptable proficiency, doing so beyond his body proved challenging. Celeste had attributed it to Aran¡¯s lack of a tower and did not repeat the exercise. In the span of a week, both of them had gone through the books in the Steele estate on pure mana and attributeless spells, all three books among the hundreds stocked in this library. Aran shook his head. Applications of pure mana were truly lacking. After exhausting the limited information in the estate, Celeste planned to visit the Magician¡¯s Society in Vilna. Aran had asked to tag along, eager to experience firsthand the world beyond Wales, a proposition that Celeste had agreed to. They visited the armory, suited with light leather armor and arming themselves with swords and bows. Packing four day¡¯s worth of supplies, Celeste and Aran left the Steele estate on horseback, due east on a partially paved road, maintained by the Merchant¡¯s Union as the main trade route between Wales and Vilna. Celeste wore her mage robes above her armor, a deterrent to any human orchestrated problems on the road. The first day of the trip was relatively uneventful, with them making good speed. The road had taken them beside vast golden fields of wheat, which supplied a quarter of the grain consumed in Iridis and was the main source of livelihood of many commoners in Lapilla. Aran had continued his informal education on arcane theory while travelling. Celeste insisted that she would lecture during the somewhat leisurely ride, something that Aran welcomed. They spent the evening in an inn at a small village, a short ride from the border to Mir, the prefecture of which Vilna was the capital. The duo set off early the next morning, but this time with a hurried trot, and without the same conversation as the day before. The next part of the journey involved travelling on an unpaved portion of the road, close to the outskirts of the Mila Forest, known to harbor magical beasts. While a rare occurrence, these beasts sometimes wander to the edges, and more powerful and ferocious ones, may target small bands of travellers. As a fifth circle mage, escaping would not be a problem to Celeste, but she would rather avoid it altogether, to prevent overexerting their mounts. This provided both the opportunity for silent introspection after days of working so closely together. Celeste truly comprehended her son¡¯s intellectual talent. His teachers were right; beyond being gifted with a phenomenal memory, Aran¡¯s capacity for comprehension and critical thinking were equally impressive. He takes after you, they had said. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. On the other hand, Aran had finally understood his mother¡¯s genius. Beyond the breadth and depth of her knowledge of the arcane, she approached it with a methodical and critical nature, allowing her to wholly understand the concepts and demonstrate them in ease using layman terms. Aran had the impression that this extended beyond her scholarly life, into her daily conduct. He felt both liberated and stifled; liberated that he may convince her with rational arguments, and stifled that he had to be more cautious in practicing his otherworldly cultivation techniques around her. When their mounts¡¯ hooves hit gravel, Celeste visibly relaxed. After taking a short break for the horses¡¯ benefit, they hurried on to the next village, half a day into the border of Mir, where they spent the night. The rest of the journey took them across a landscape marked with more wheat fields, which supplied another quarter of grain consumption in Iridis. Engaged in deep conversation, Celeste and Aran did not notice the passing of time, as they rapidly approached the gates of Vilna right before sundown. Vilna was a city, many times larger than the town of Wales, with stonewalls built around the main city and thatched houses spread out beyond the walls. Its development was triggered by its strategic location; beside flat fertile lands suitable for wheat cultivation, and on the only major trade route between the western and eastern prefectures. Because of its strategic location, major guilds had branches here, including the Magician¡¯s Society and, especially, the Merchant¡¯s Union. Multiple guards were posted on the southern entrance, performing cursory inspections and as precaution against potential disturbances. Celeste, wearing her magician robe, was allowed into the main city without any hassle. The city was circular and was separated into four quadrants. Celeste led Aran towards the southwest quadrant, where a tower seven-stories tall could be seen from the southern entrance. They dismounted as they got to the tower and handed the reins with a few copper coins over to a grinning stable boy. The copper coins were his to keep. The boy took the horses into the stable and returned with two leather strips with a unique number written on each. Celeste thanked the boy and headed towards the entrance. Entering the tower, they were greeted by a clerk, a youth seated behind a desk with a few stacks of paper neatly arranged on the side. He was wearing a grey robe, with a single white button, an initiate¡¯s token, bearing three grey vertical lines at the nape. A rank three initiate. ¡°Welcome to the Mage¡¯s Society in Vilna. How may I help you today, magister?¡± he greeted politely, glancing at the token at her nape. ¡°I am Celeste Steele, and I sent a letter a few days ago indicating my interest to use one of the studies here,¡± she responded while taking a blue-colored, crystalline card out of the inner pocket of her robe. The clerk nodded and quickly flipped through a stack of papers on his right, and pulling a sheet out. ¡°Yes, Magister Celeste Steele of Wales. Your study is ready, on the second floor,¡± he said, tracing his index finger on the bottom of the page. He turned around and scanned the cupboard with small drawers behind him. He opened a drawer labeled ¡°2-5¡± and fished out a silver colored card and placed it on the desk, on a grey rectangular portion of the desk. Noticing Aran standing beside Celeste, the clerk took another card out and stacked it above the one he took out earlier. ¡°I just need your magi-card as verification.¡± Celeste handed the card in her hand over. The clerk aligned the paper from before onto another grey area of the same shape and size. He tapped Celeste¡¯s card onto an obsidian-colored square on the desk. The card flickered and Celeste¡¯s name, rank, attributes, and position flashed onto the card. The grey portion of the desk with the paper and cards lighted up dimly, and a mark appeared on all three. The clerk smiled, and handed both cards over to Celeste while refilling the paper, ¡°Thank you. This indicates that you will be staying with us as well. Two beds. Is that still true?¡± Celeste nodded while taking all three cards. The clerk continued, ¡°Your room will be in the living quarters behind the tower, and my coworker will help you with it. Feel free to visit either your study or room first. The first four floors are the library, and if you need to use a practice space or lab on the floors above, please let us know. The form indicates one week¡¯s stay, but feel free to extend it at least one day before the end date. Please enjoy your stay here and thank you for visiting the Magician¡¯s Society.¡± ¡°Thank you, Initiate¡­¡± said Celeste with a small pause at the end while looking at the clerk. ¡°Bram¡­ Bram Ranor,¡± Bram fumbled hastily, not expecting Celeste to ask for his name. Most mages wouldn¡¯t bother with initiates; much less ask for their names. ¡°Well, thank you Initiate Ranor,¡± repeated Celeste, smiling sweetly at the clerk, pulling Aran deeper into the tower. Bram felt a warm feeling on his reddening cheeks as he stared blankly at the beautiful fifth circle mage walking away. With night falling, the inside of the mage¡¯s tower was well lit with mana lamps. Shelves were built into the stone walls, lined end to end with books. The center of the tower had another circular wall, with openings on four ends. Briefly glancing inside, Aran noticed shelves and shelves of books, with signs hanging over them indicating various topics. Mages, donning their robes, were shuffling between them, often with one or two initiates in tow, rapidly scanning the shelves for their book of interest. Celeste led Aran to the back, and traversed a tunnel, which opened into the living quarters. Another clerk greeted them, and showed them to their room. After a hearty meal and a warm shower, sleep found both exhausted travellers quickly. Aran woke up refreshed the next morning, eager to begin. After a quick breakfast, Celeste brought him back into the tower, up a flight of stairs, and ended up in front a heavy mahogany door with the numbers ¡°2-5¡± written on it. Celeste tapped the silver card onto the handle. The door unlatched with a soft click, and shuddered as it slowly opened inwards, revealing a room with a long desk, multiple chairs, empty shelves, and a blackboard on one side of the room. A large window let in natural light, and mana lamps were on the wall and table for the evenings. There were two lecterns on the side of the door, each with a thick tome, made of thick vellum paper and bounded with high-quality leather. Hanging off them were a pen and small sheets of paper, with a few pieces torn off. Celeste opened the tome closer to the door, and scanned the neatly written, perfectly spaced words. ¡°Second floor, section three. Section five,¡± she said, tearing off a piece of paper and writing on it. She tore off a second sheet, and continued, ¡°First floor, section one. Section three.¡± She paused for a second, and flipped through the tome, ending on a page with the title ¡°Magical Beasts¡± written on the top. She hastily jotted down onto the second sheet of paper, and handed it to Aran with one of the silver cards from yesterday, ¡°I want you to go to the first floor and get these books for me. The layout of the library should be self-evident, but if you can¡¯t find your way around, ask a librarian. There should be one stationed at the center of each floor.¡± Aran nodded and went down to the first floor. He scanned the shelves on the outer circle and noticed a sign saying ¡°Textbooks¡± on the top. He walked into the inner circle. Like Celeste mentioned, the organization was quickly evident to Aran with the numbering of sections and subsections starting numerically from the north entrance. He quickly located the sections Celeste had written down and scanned for the books she had asked him to collect. A few mages had noticed Aran, and stared at him with puzzled expressions. A child who looked six-years old in his build, with features that looked younger, and not wearing an initiate robe was a rare sight in the tower. However, they knew of the strict entry requirements into the tower, and quickly dismissed any idea of unauthorized entry, returning to their tasks at hand. Aran had located the last book he needed, but was on a shelf too high for him to reach. He looked around, but found nothing that could help him. He set the books on a small, cube-shaped table beside the shelf holding the book of interest, and walked towards the center, where a librarian, a third circle mage, sat behind a circular desk. She was staring at an open book while resting her head against her right hand, deep in thought. ¡°Hello!¡± Aran said, softly but excitedly. The startled librarian looked up, and then down, and a flash of surprise flitted across her eyes. She sat up, and regained her calm. Although she arrived at the same conclusion as the other mages, she couldn¡¯t help but sound a little doubtful, ¡°Hi¡­ How may I help you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to get a book off the top shelf¡­ But I couldn¡¯t reach it,¡± he said, shyly. ¡°Oh. We have stepladders located under the desks between the shelves. You just have to find a latch underneath it and pull it out. Here, let me show you,¡± she said sweetly, her guard lowered by Aran¡¯s actions. She stepped out and Aran held her hand, as he pulled her towards the shelf, a happy bounce in his step. She smiled at his excitement and asked, ¡°With whom did you come?¡± Aran stared back at her with wide eyes, ¡°My mom! She¡¯s upstairs, and I insisted that I could do this alone. Please don¡¯t tell her!¡± They arrived at the shelf and the librarian showed Aran the latch under the desk. With a click, the bottom slid out, revealing a small stepladder. Aran looked astonished and thanked the librarian. She pushed the ladder back, and with another click it was secured in place. She offered to get the book for Aran, to which he said, ¡°Classification of magical beasts,¡± and pointed to the top shelf. The librarian pulled the volume out and handed it to Aran. ¡°Thank you big sister! You¡¯re the best!¡± chirped Aran happily. ¡°Can you tell me your name?¡± The librarian grinned and said, ¡°You¡¯re welcome. You can call me Nina. Is that all you need?¡± Aran nodded, and put the last book on top of his stack. He grabbed the bottom of the stack, and effortlessly lifted all five books, to the surprise of Nina. ¡°Are you okay carrying all those?¡± she asked, a hint of worry in her voice. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s my training. I¡¯ll be a powerful warrior mage in the future. Thank you again big sis Nina,¡± Aran nodded as he left the room. Nina gazed at the young child leave, smiled, and went back to her desk. Returning to the room, Aran found that Celeste was not back yet. He set the books down and walked towards the lectern to inspect the tomes. They were titled [Books] and [Research papers]. He was about to flip the latter open when the door opened inwards. Celeste entered and beckoned Aran to join her at the table. From her spatial ring, she took out a dozen books and a few folders, holding pieces of paper tied together with strings. Celeste sat Aran down and took a seat in front of him. She stared deep into his unflinching eyes and said, ¡°You¡¯re really not disappointed or afraid are you?¡± Aran shook his head, ¡°Why would I be?¡± ¡°Has it not sunk in yet? It is likely that even with our effort here you can never be a mage,¡± replied Celeste, with a bitter smile. Aran scratched his head and shot Celeste a quizzical look, as if she had just asked a pointless question. ¡°Mother, you mentioned that there were two components to a spell; mana and a mage¡¯s ability to comprehend and direct the spell. I don¡¯t lack the former. I will gain the latter.¡± ¡°Coalescing your mana pool could be dangerous,¡± she pressed. Aran shrugged, ¡°It could be. But, ultimately we don¡¯t know. Not knowing and it actually being dangerous are two completely separate things. And, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s impossible. If pure mana is as unstable as you claim it is, how is it that mana stones are so inert? If it will explode, it would¡¯ve exploded in my body by now. I understand my body¡¯s condition well. I think I will be fine. No, I know I will be fine.¡± Celeste moved her lips, about to say something, and held herself back. She furrowed her eyebrows, her eyes staring off to the side. His argument made some sense. Aran added, ¡°Mother, even if we learn nothing, I believe that I should coalesce my mana pool. It is unlike us to be held back by fear of the unknown. Being attributeless? Having limited spells? It¡¯s all just a minor setback.¡± Celeste refocused her eyes on Aran and found a determined look staring back at her. For the first time since Aran¡¯s arcane assessment, she found weight in her son¡¯s words. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them with newfound resolve. ¡®Let¡¯s not fail him.¡¯ Mu: Book 1 - Chapter 11 Merry Christmas!
Mu Book I Chapter 11: Mana magnet Sunlight peeked into the study where Celeste and Aran had toiled through the night. The mana lamp, detecting ample light in the room, flickered off. It had been five days since they have arrived at the Magician¡¯s Society. Other than food, hygienic practices, and sleep, they had spent their time between the study and the library. Books and research papers were strewn all over the table, with only two small clearings where Celeste and Aran worked. Aran closed the book he was reading, stood up, and stretched. Looking at the mess in front of them, he started piling the books and research papers that had already been read into a pile and moved them to the empty bookshelves. These would be emptied by the end of the day, and the material returned to where they belonged. He poured himself a glass of water and went back to the table, sorting a stack of notes, an inch thick, written by Celeste. ¡°Nothing in this one,¡± grumbled Celeste as she set her pen down and looked over at Aran, ¡°What do we have so far?¡± ¡°We have notes on magical beasts, conversion of pure mana into elemental mana with multiple subsections, mana stability, mana formations, and magical artifacts,¡± Aran said, flipping through the notes. ¡°Looks like we¡¯ll have to extend our stay here. Let¡¯s get some rest and take the day off. Since we¡¯ve travelled so far, it¡¯ll be a waste if you didn¡¯t see Vilna. I¡¯ll talk to the clerk in the front. Go shower. I¡¯ll meet you back at our room,¡± said Celeste grudgingly. Aran nodded, separated the notes into five stacks by topic, and left. Celeste moved the material onto the bookshelves and headed to the front desk to extend their stay. *** After a quick rest and a light lunch, they headed out of the Magician¡¯s Society towards the city square at the center of the city. With the exception of special celebrations or festivals, the city square housed stalls and peddlers trading all kinds of wares, from weapons to alchemical ingredients. All one needed was a permit from the city guards and an agreement to pay a small tax, and anyone could legally display their merchandise, if they could find a spot. Guards were stationed throughout the square to maintain order and settle disputes, and few would challenge their authority. Celeste and Aran started browsing the wares, keeping their eyes out for particularly rare and ancient texts. Celeste would periodically stop to highlight and explain the uses of items and ingredients important in the practice of magic to Aran, who absorbed the information like a sponge. They stopped in front of a merchant who specialized in magical artifacts. Aran quickly scanned the stall and noticed a large collection of weapons, staves, and scrolls. A box with a glass cover displayed rare stones of different colors, glittering under the sun. Celeste motioned to a stack of scrolls and asked, ¡°Mister, may I?¡± The merchant opened an eye and waved his hand indifferently. Celeste looked through the scrolls, opening the small flaps that described its contents. It was considered rude to open the scroll, as some simpler contents may be immediately understood and learned without purchasing it, while some had single use only inscriptions. Aran looked deeply at the merchant. Despite selling magical artifacts, which was lucrative business in Parthenon, the man was dressed in simple, somewhat worn, clothes, unbecoming of someone with expensive wares. Furthermore, he seemed disinterested in marketing, as if the whole idea bored him. The merchant looked at Aran, who smiled innocently back. The former grunted and closed his eyes again. Aran glanced around, ¡®He¡¯s not here to sell. What are his intentions? Spying? No. He stands out too much. Waiting for someone?¡¯ Aran spent a few more seconds going through the possibilities. Reaching no conclusion, he shrugged; whatever it was did not concern or affect him. It was unlikely that he would encounter the merchant again. Aran casually looked at the wares and rested his eyes on a small, brown pouch beside the glass-topped box. A strange sensation drew him in, like the time during Owen¡¯s mana pool coalescing. He looked into the pouch and found several pebbles, each double the size of his thumbs, black as night and smooth as an egg. A warm feeling gathered in his eyes again, and Aran saw pulsating mana spheres in the center of each pebble. Mana flowed strangely around them, being drawn close but not into them, circling and hovering centimeters away. Aran tugged at Celeste¡¯s robe. She turned around, holding a scroll in her hand and looked down at Aran. He pointed towards the bag, ¡°What are those?¡± Celeste peeked into the bag and responded, ¡°I have no idea. Looks like polished obsidian pebbles to me. It can be shaped into weapons, probably arrowheads given the size of these. Imbued with mana, they have immense penetrating power. Do you want them?¡± The merchant opened his eyes, looked at the bag and then at Celeste. An amused look flashed briefly through his eyes, a moment caught by Aran¡¯s exceptional perception. Aran nodded, ¡°Yes, mother.¡± ¡°Mister, how much for this scroll and that bag of obsidian pebbles?¡± asked Celeste, realizing that this was the first time Aran had asked her to buy anything for him. ¡°Four hundred and twenty gold coins,¡± he answered listlessly after glancing at the scroll in her hands. Celeste furrowed her eyebrows, ¡°I don¡¯t wish to offend, but I must ask if you are mistaken. This is a scroll for a third circle fusion magic. While rare, they are so specialized that most don¡¯t cost more than fifteen gold coins.¡± ¡°The scroll is twenty. This bag of pebbles cost four hundred gold coins,¡± grunted the merchant, emphasizing the word pebbles mockingly. Celeste, instead of being offended, became curious instead. She shot the merchant a puzzled look, ¡°Forgive my ignorance, but what might those be?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t know, then they¡¯re worthless in your hands. There¡¯s no use in me explaining what they are,¡± he snorted and said with finality, ¡°Four hundred and twenty. Final price, or just walk away with the scroll, or neither.¡± Celeste took a deep breath. That was a small fortune, two month¡¯s income of their family, for a bag of unknown pebbles. Were they treasures, or was the merchant a swindler? ¡°Mother, it¡¯s okay,¡± said Aran with a steady tone, ¡°I don¡¯t need them. I was just curious since they were pulsating so brilliantly.¡± The merchant focused his attention on Aran and a hint of surprise registered on his face. Celeste looked at the pebbles again, ¡®Pulsating?¡¯ ¡°Will you not budge on the price? If so, may I at least inspect them?¡± bargained Celeste. The merchant took another long look at Aran. He strung up the bag and chuckled, ¡°It¡¯s your lucky day, kid. Twenty for the scroll. If you buy it, I¡¯ll throw in the bag for free.¡± Celeste tilted her head, taken aback by the merchant¡¯s sudden change of attitude. Not one to shy away from a good deal, she took out a small pouch and counted twenty gold coins. She paused for a second and counted ten more, ¡°Here¡¯s thirty. I feel that you should be compensated for that bag. The going price for high quality obsidian should be this much.¡± ¡°Ten measly gold coins to compensate me for it? That¡¯s fresh,¡± laughed the merchant, who then pocketed the coins and closed his eyes again, leaning lazily backwards into his chair. Seeing nothing else of interest, Celeste stored the items, thanked the eccentric merchant, and left his to his own devices. Aran chirped, ¡°Thank you kind sir!¡± The merchant opened his eyes and stared at Aran until the latter left his sight. *** The duo spent another hour at the square before heading to the northeast corner of the city, where the Merchant¡¯s Union and Adventurer¡¯s Guild were situated. Shops, two-storied with lodgings on the top floor, and warehouses filled the quadrant, with two large buildings in the center of the quadrant. Celeste and Aran strolled down a street with shops displaying various dyes, cloth, and paper. Celeste stopped in front of one with a wooden sign labeled [Inc.], bearing a logo of an inkwell with a black lotus in the center. Celeste pushed the creaky double doors open. ¡°Welcome to Inc!¡± greeted a middle-aged woman behind the counter, ¡°We have all the ink and paper needs for everyone.¡± ¡°Hi Edna,¡± said Celeste. ¡°Celeste!¡± responded a delighted Edna. She noticed Aran and motioned with her head, ¡°Is this cute little boy your son?¡± Celeste patted Aran on the head, ¡°Yes. Aran, say hi.¡± ¡°Hello Miss Edna,¡± addressed Aran, bowing his head slightly. Edna laughed, ¡°Such a polite boy.¡± She turned towards Celeste, ¡°The usual? A ream of mid-grade knellwood? And, two bottles of refined silverthorn resin?¡± Celeste nodded. Edna smiled, ¡°Just a second.¡± She returned to the counter with a ream of paper, tied together with hemp rope, and two bottles of black ink, ¡°Here you go. Billed to the Mage¡¯s Society?¡± Celeste shook her head, took out a small pouch, and counted twenty silver coins. Edna happily took the coins, and deposited them in a drawer behind the counter without counting them, ¡°Thanks for your business.¡± Celeste responded in kind and left, heading back to the Magician¡¯s Tower. After dinner, Celeste removed the pebbles and laid it out on the table in their room. They counted eight. Both Aran and her picked one up each. Not noticing anything particularly interesting about the pebble, Celeste began to set it down. When it neared the other pebbles, she felt a small twitch of mana. She immediately realized that these pebbles were more than what met the eye and inspected the one she was holding with her arcane sense, immediately feeling a strong pulsating mana field around the pebble. ¡°Aran, these are not mere obsidian. Did you say you saw them pulsating?¡± said Celeste, still inspecting the pebble. Aran mentally noted that this was the second time she had asked him if he saw something. ¡®Could she not see it?¡¯ A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Yes, mother. If they¡¯re not obsidian, what are they?¡± asked Aran, placing the pebble back onto the table. Celeste smiled. She began to believe that the merchant was likely not a swindler after all. She ruffled her son¡¯s hair, happy at their purchase. Not one to be sidetracked, she replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know yet, but we can find out. After learning more about your condition, of course. Let¡¯s get some rest. We will return to the study tomorrow. As for the stones, we will take care of the matter later on.¡± Entering their study the next morning, Celeste motioned to the [Research papers] tome, ¡°Aran, can you look through the tome like you did before and see if there¡¯s anything interesting?¡± A puzzled Aran obliged. They had already went through the tome a few days back, and returned with any research paper that indicated anything to do, even remotely, with pure mana. ¡°It changed?¡± Aran asked quizzically after flipping through the first few pages. Celeste looked over her shoulder, ¡°Oh, the research papers tome?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± replied Aran, staring intently at the page, ¡°How?¡± ¡°That tome updates automatically. Every single study in this tower has those two tomes, which are magically entangled to a master copy that is maintained by the head librarian. Every time that master is updated, the copies do the same,¡± said Celeste, as she turned back to the book she was reading. Aran browsed through the tome, and found no additional papers of interest. He closed it, and went back to the desk. He opened another unread book, and proceeded to scan the book for topics that might help his mother. *** Another week passed, and Celeste decided that they should leave. There would be little gain to stay any longer. The afternoon before leaving, Celeste had taken Aran to the northwest quadrant of the city, where the Artisan¡¯s Association was located. The Artisan¡¯s Association was the official organization of crafters in Ares, and dealt with all manner of crafts: blacksmithing, alchemy, tanning, magical circuitry, and more. Walking past blacksmiths and shops selling various alchemical ingredients, they went to the center of the quadrant, where the Artisan¡¯s Association¡¯s building was located. They entered the building, into a reception room with three clerks sitting behind a booth that would hold seven, with one of the counters being free. Celeste and Aran walked up towards it. ¡°Welcome to the Artisan¡¯s Association, Magister. How may I help you today?¡± the clerk behind the counter greeted politely. ¡°I would like to get something appraised. A set of stones to be precise. And I would appreciate it if you could keep it¡­ private. I am willing to pay an additional fee, of course,¡± replied Celeste. The clerk glanced at Celeste¡¯s mage token, and nodded, ¡°If you would take a seat. It¡¯ll just take a minute as I see if any of our appraisal masters are free.¡± Celeste thanked the clerk and waited patiently. A few minutes later, the clerk walked up to Celeste with an older gentleman, dressed in formal wear bearing a single white hammer on the vest and a mage¡¯s token bearing the mark of a third circle mage pinned to the right. ¡°This is Grandmaster Ernes Jun, one of the three grandmaster appraisers in our branch. He will be helping you today,¡± introduced the clerk, and walked back towards the counter. ¡°How may I help you today, Magister¡­¡± greeted Ernes, extending his right hand. Celeste responded likewise, ¡°Celeste Steele. Thank you for offering your services Grandmaster Jun.¡± ¡°Of course. Please, let us go to a more private setting,¡± said Ernes, directing Celeste and Aran to the door in the back. They walked through a short hallway, up a flight of stairs, and into a room with no windows, lit with mana lamps. In the center were a desk and a workbench, with a few seats around them. There were a few contraptions stored on the side of the room, none that Aran recognized. ¡°You said you had a set of stones to be appraised, Magister Steele?¡± asked Ernes, as he motioned for everyone to take a seat. Celeste nodded and took out the bag of pebbles from her spatial ring. She handed the bad over to Ernes, who laid out a white cloth onto the desk and poured the pebbles onto it. He picked one up and eyed it against the light. He squinted, set the pebble back onto the cloth, and slid a small drawer open. He pulled out a small leather package and a jeweler¡¯s loupe. Putting the loupe on, he repeated the same process. ¡°Looks like high grade obsidian,¡± murmured Ernes, and looked sideways at Celeste, ¡°But since you, a Magister of the fifth circle, brought it in to be appraised, there must be more to this than meets the eye.¡± Ernes extended his arcane sense and a look of surprise, followed by delight, registered on his face, ¡°It cannot be.¡± Flipping the loupe away from his eyes, he stood up excitedly, grabbed two pebbles, and walked towards one of the contraptions on the side. He beckoned for Celeste and Aran to join him. Moving closer, Aran saw Ernes place one of the pebbles on a glass platform, with a mana stone beneath it. ¡°This is a mana tracer. It shows the movement of mana in a small area above the platform,¡± explained Ernes. He took a pouch from a shelf above the contraption and scattered black powder over the platform before flipping a switch on the side of the contraption. The contraption whirred and the mana stone glowed. The black powder shuddered, glowed white, and slowly floated. It hovered around the pebble, circling it in a slow undulating movement, like gentle waves in the sea. Seeing this, Ernes¡¯s face lit up and spoke, a tremor in his voice, ¡°Now, watch.¡± He held the other pebble between his middle finger and thumb, and slowly moved it over to the pebble on the platform. The white specks near the second pebble trembled and burst outwards, before being drawn rapidly to circulate around the other stone, confirming Ernes¡¯s speculation. Ernes set the second one down beside the first. The amount of white specks gathered around both stones became denser. It was a magical sight; wisps of light dancing playfully around two pebbles, the white contrasting the black. Ernes beamed, drinking in the sight before him, before flipping the switch off. The mana stone dimmed, and the powder followed suit, growing black before slowly settling onto the platform. ¡°Magister Steele. These are mana magnets. And of the highest quality,¡± said Ernes excitedly, ¡°I have not seen one for many decades, let alone eight.¡± ¡°Mana magnets?¡± asked Aran, unfamiliar with the term. Celeste raised an eyebrow, equally lost. ¡°These are extremely rare but naturally occurring variations of obsidian, which form after being exposed to dense mana, usually at intersections of mana leylines, for tens of thousands of years. The microstructure within the obsidian was formed such that it would attract but not absorb mana. You can think of them as natural magical formations. Given the strict conditions for its creation, they are extremely rare,¡± lectured Ernes, ¡°Not many people know of them. I¡¯ve only seen it once as a young artificer under the guidance of my master. A pair of cubes, of good quality, being transported to the two Royal Institutes.¡± ¡°What can they be used for?¡± asked Celeste, looking at the pebbles in a new light. ¡°Oh, countless things. Their ability to draw and redirect mana can multiply the effect of meditation, like weak, mobile mana leylines. With these eight being this size, you should be able to arrange them to double, in the least, the meditation efficiencies of two people. It can also be used in making artifacts, as the ability to gather mana can increase the efficiency of many magical tools, often multiple folds,¡± spoke Ernes, his eyes glistening, like a child with a new toy. Celeste sucked in a mouthful of air. These mana magnets were precious. With the mages in the family being able to increase their efficiency much faster, the Steele family could reach new heights. ¡°If I may be a little bold, Magister Steele, I would like to purchase one of them from you. I¡­ Have never had the opportunity to work with one, and as an artificer, I would like to experiment with it. Of course, I would give you a fair compensation. Fifty¡­ No. Eighty gold coins for one of them,¡± Ernes spoke meekly, interrupting Celeste¡¯s thought, ¡°If that is not enough, please feel free to name your price.¡± As a scholar, Celeste understood Ernes¡¯s desire to work with something rare and exciting. However, his gain meant her loss. She smiled bitterly, and said, apologetically, ¡°I am sorry Grandmaster Jun. I am afraid I can¡¯t part with them. I do, however, appreciate your honesty in sharing this information with me, and your secrecy on the matter.¡± Ernes nodded, disappointment in his eyes, ¡°I understand. It¡¯s just¡­ difficult not to ask. And, you have my word. Other than the three of us, not another person will hear about this from me.¡± Ernes took another longing look at the mana magnets and sighed, ¡°Actually, before you leave. Let me detail to you the optimal way to use them. Other than myself, I believe that only two other appraisers and artificers would know this information in Iridis. I¡¯d like to at least play a role in helping them achieve their potential.¡± He gestured for them to take a seat and promptly took out a pen and paper from under the desk. He hastily jotted down some notes and drew a few rough diagrams. Spreading three sheets of papers out, he nodded, satisfied. Neatly stacking them, he handed them to Celeste, ¡°Here, these notes detail of how to use the mana magnets to boost meditation. My only request is that if you wish to fashion them into artifacts, or use them in any structures, that you would give me the opportunity to help you with it.¡± Celeste looked at the notes, surprised by how complete they were, and stored them into her ring. Looking at Ernes gratefully, she said, ¡°Thank you so much Grandmaster Jun. I will keep you in mind should the Steele family decide to do anything with them.¡± When they left the Artisan¡¯s Association, Celeste had placed a small pouch containing ten gold coins into the hands of Ernes, twenty times what the appraisal service had cost. Walking back, they took a detour to the city square, to try to find the merchant from before. In place of that merchant, was a jovial spice trader, loudly shouting his deals on exotic spices from the north. They spent another hour walking around, with no luck. The eccentric merchant was nowhere to be seen. Mu: Book 1 - Chapter 12 The chapter two days ago, was a thank you to the readers for Christmas. This is the regular chapter. Enjoy!
Book I - Chapter 12: Mana pool Gerand leaned back into his chair with his eyes closed and rubbed his temple. The revelations Aran gave him in the past month were a lot to bear, even in his wildest dreams. He sat up, opened his drawer, and took out a small wooden, black box. He slid the top open and pulled out three carvings; a sword, a crown, and a scroll, each the size of his palm. He set them neatly in front of him and stared deeply at them. He reached for the glass of whiskey on his right, took a sip, and slowly enjoyed the burn down the back of his throat. He set the glass down and sighed. These were mementos from his childhood, each representing him and his brothers of the Valen generation; ones he kept to remind him of his brothers and their dreams. He had unwillingly inherited the title of Lord of Wales from his father by virtue of seniority, over his two brothers, who he believed to have greater talents than himself. Their father¡¯s decision not outweighing the brotherly bonds, both younger brothers left Wales without Gerand¡¯s knowledge, pursuing different paths. Had they left later, Gerand would have done the same. Gerand picked the crown up and smiled. The crown represented Brandt Valen Steele, the second brother, who was a talented commander, was one of the five supreme generals in Iridis, serving directly under the royal family. He had dreamt of reforming the guard and soldier system of Lapilla, increasing its potential and efficiency. Brandt would have been an inspiring lord. The youngest brother, Tomas Valen Steele, was the scroll. He was the most intelligent of the three and a gifted magician, reaching the sixth circle at the young age of thirty-three. A profound philosopher, he had voiced the flaws of a serf society and emphasized a rule that was fair and humane to the commoners. Tomas was recruited by the Mage¡¯s Society and had risen swiftly through the ranks, but had went missing in an expedition, exactly sixteen years ago, and was never heard from again. Tomas would have been a progressive ruler. Gerand took another sip of the whiskey, without savoring the taste this time. The three brothers often shared their dreams and ideas of ruling Lapilla, conversations Gerand took to heart. With the weight of three dreams and disappointment from his father¡¯s choice ingrained deep in him, Gerand had ruled by merit, a rare practice in this world. And such was the principle he would select the next Lord of Lapilla. While he was in great health, Gerand knew the fleeting existence that was life, and constantly weighed in on the inheritance of the lordship. Niall and Luca were equally strong candidates, forcing Gerand to consider all their qualities, including their children. Aran had shifted the balance heavily in Luca¡¯s favor. The same Aran who was a mu. Staring intently at the scroll, Gerand couldn¡¯t help but wonder, ¡®What would you have done, little brother?¡¯ His concentration was disturbed by a knock at the door. Gerand cleared his head, ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°My lord. You requested to be informed when Madam Celeste returned and have her see you. She arrived minutes ago and is on her way over,¡± a rough voice sounded behind the door. ¡°Good. You may leave,¡± responded Gerand, eager to find out what his capable daughter-in-law might have discovered over the past three weeks. A few minutes later, there was another knock at the door. ¡°Come in,¡± said Gerand, as he finished his drink. ¡°Grandfather,¡± said Aran respectfully. Celeste greeted, in kind, ¡°Father.¡± ¡°Welcome back, Celeste. Aran. I take it that your trip was worthwhile?¡± responded Gerand with a tired smile on his face. Aran¡¯s eyes drifted towards the intricate sculptures on the desk, arranged neatly in a row. Celeste nodded, and Gerand motioned for her and Aran to take a seat, ¡°Should I send for Luca?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± she responded. She turned to Aran, ¡°No. I¡¯ll speak with him later. Aran, you should go back to your room and get some rest. It has been a long day.¡± Aran nodded and left, ¡°Goodnight mother. Goodnight grandfather.¡± Gerand left briefly and returned with Luca. Celeste proceeded to recount her findings to father and son, who nodded solemnly. She took out the mana magnets as she got close to the end. As they saw the Grandmaster Ernes¡¯s notes, Gerand and Luca¡¯s eyes widened, and their shocked expressions were soon replaced with smiles. *** Celeste sat cross-legged in the center of a meditation room in the estate, with her eyes closed. Four mana stones were arranged in a square around her, one on each corner. Mana flowed inwards between the mana magnets as thin, snake-like threads gathering into four large streams towards Celeste. The mana then circulated around Celeste, as if the mana magnets formed an impenetrable boundary. After an hour, Celeste opened her eyes and her mouth curved upwards into a smile. Her meditation efficiency had increased at least threefold with these mana magnets. These were truly treasures for a mage, which would allow the most mediocre of mages to easily reach the fifth or sixth circles. She calmed her emotions and gathered the mana magnets. She went to the library, took out Ernes¡¯s notes on the mana magnets, and studied them in greater depth, formulating the most optimal way to use and distribute these precious stones to maximize the gains for the family. *** A week later, Gerand gathered the adults after dinner, with the purpose of discussing the use of the mana magnets. He showed everyone the mana magnets, explained the capabilities of the mana magnets, and briefly described the ways to use it. Following that, he proposed to split the eight stones into four sets. Four of the stones will be common use, for general cultivation of anyone in the family. It will be shared on a rotation basis, should everyone be interested. Priority would be given to the younger generations, and everyone agreed to this use. One stone each will be given to each of the three brother¡¯s nuclear families, fashioned into an artifact of their choice. While its efficacy was less compared to when four magnets were combined, with the right combination of metals and inscriptions, the magnets would still be able to boost mana accumulation rate or increase the efficiency of other tools. Lastly, one stone will be given to Aran, and he was to do with it whatever he wished. To this, Niall raised a simple question, ¡°Why?¡± Gerand nodded, and explained how the mana magnets were discovered. Other than Luca and Celeste, everyone else shook their heads in amazement. Gerand continued, ¡°What does everyone think?¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± responded a smiling Ed. Everyone nodded in agreement. ¡°Good,¡± said Gerand as he took out a stack of papers, copies of Ernes¡¯s notes, ¡°These notes detail the uses for them, and you can each decide what you want to do with your magnet. Let me know your choice and I¡¯ll have them fashioned into the an artifact.¡± He handed out the notes and a mana magnet to each family. Rana sucked in a deep breath, and said what was on everyone¡¯s minds, ¡°Unless I probed it, I could¡¯ve never tell that it was anything more than a polished obsidian.¡± ¡°Before everyone leaves, there¡¯s another matter than we are here to discuss today,¡± started Gerand with a solemn note, ¡°It is imperative that we keep this within the family. Celeste, why don¡¯t you tell them?¡± Celeste proceeded to tell everyone about Aran¡¯s unique predicament. When she finished, she threw out the question, ¡°Any ideas?¡± Everyone¡¯s mouths were dry, without an idea of what to make of the situation Celeste presented. Except Rana, who spoke slowly but confidently, ¡°It¡¯s possible. He will be fine. But you should have him coalesce his mana pool sooner rather than later.¡± A look of shock registered on Luca and Celeste¡¯s face, rapidly replaced with beaming smiles. Gerand smiled and stroked his beard. Everyone looked at Rana thoughtfully. Luca said, ¡°How?¡± Rana paused for a while, displaying a complicated look on her face. Ed, seeing her hesitation, put his arms around her shoulder, ¡°Is it about Jhor? You don¡¯t have to if¡­¡± ¡°No, dear. It¡¯s okay. It just brought back some bittersweet memories,¡± Rana cut in, ¡°In my family, one of our most trusted servants, Jhor, was from Rhodeus. His¡­ upbringing and circumstances were a little different. He was born a free person in one of the tribes residing in the Rhodean Range. They had little contact with the outside world, and met outsiders only to trade.¡± ¡°His tribe practices what he called the spirit arts, which was primarily a body strengthening technique. The ability to do so manifested in a small fraction of his tribe members, and Jhor was one of the few with this gift. The initiation was a painful process that involved channeling spirit energy at one¡¯s chest.¡± Jura gasped, ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Rana smiled painfully, ¡°Yes. He had a mana pool, except they called it a spirit sphere. Surprisingly, like us, children were tested at seven year¡¯s of age. And, while rare, attributeless children with the potential to be a spirit warrior existed. Their spirits were most volatile, and were given priority to form their spirit sphere because the longer they waited to form their spirit sphere, the more dangerous it was.¡± ¡°You¡¯re certain?¡± asked Luca, faint hope in his voice. Rana nodded. ¡°Jhor was one of them. Of that I¡¯m certain. He was unable to cast spells, but he had a mana pool¡­¡± her voice trailed off. Ed patted Rana¡¯s shoulder¡¯s, ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± A single tear flowed down Celeste¡¯s cheeks as she held Rana¡¯s hands tightly, ¡°Thank you¡­¡± *** Two months later, a familiar face showed up at the Steele estate. Arturo Cain arrived in Wales, traveling with a merchant group. The Steele family greeted his arrival with excitement, especially Luca and Celeste. Besides being close friends, Arturo was well versed in the study of arcane inscriptions and runes. He could help Aran coalesce a mana pool and was the only person who could do so that they trusted with this secret. Arturo entered the household with thoughtful look. He had received Luca¡¯s letter a little more than a month ago, summarizing the magical conundrum of his youngest son. After rereading it, he had burnt the letter and confided in his wife, who immediately berated him for even hesitating. Arturo left the next day. ¡°Arturo,¡± said Luca, relieved to see his friend as he went in for a hug. ¡°Is it true?¡± said Arturo as they broke the hug. Luca nodded, ¡°Why don¡¯t we discuss this as I show you to your room?¡± Luca slowly recounted, in detail, Aran¡¯s progress until they reached the room. ¡°500?!¡± asked a shocked Arturo, after being filled in with the details. Luca nodded solemnly. Arturo shook his head, ¡°How¡­ How is this even possible?¡± Luca shrugged, ¡°You could test him again with your mana compass, but he shattered a grade four, lesser lodestone.¡± Arturo gulped, ¡°But he¡¯s a mu?¡± Luca nodded. Arturo crinkled his forehead, ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense. He shouldn¡¯t even have affinity towards mana for that. It¡¯s unheard of, for someone to only have affinity to pure mana and not the more pliable and stable attributed mana?¡± Luca shook his head bitterly, ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know. As does Celeste.¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Arturo asked, after a short pause, ¡°And you¡¯re certain this is safe? That this is what you want?¡± ¡°No, we¡¯re not sure it¡¯s safe. The way we see it, there is harm in doing nothing either. So, yes. We will do this,¡± said a hesitant Luca. Arturo smiled. He slapped Luca on the upper back and roared, ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. You are in the presence of one of the best inscriptionists in the world. Heck, those old fogeys are not here. The best inscriptionist.¡± Luca smiled at his friend¡¯s attempt to ease his mind. *** The next morning, Arturo met Aran during breakfast. He had told Luca that he would do his own assessment, and if Aran was not up for it, either physically and mentally, that he would withdraw. Luca agreed; another opinion was much welcomed. ¡°Magister Cain!¡± greeted Aran cheerfully, ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again.¡± ¡°You can just call me Uncle Arturo,¡± smiled Arturo, ¡°Do you know why I¡¯m here?¡± Aran shook his head, even though he had a good idea. Arturo looked at Luca, who nodded. ¡°I¡¯m here to help you coalesce your mana pool,¡± said Arturo, staring intently at Aran. The latter feigned shock, followed by a beaming smile and asked with wide eyes, ¡°Really?!¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said Arturo, sitting down beside Aran. They talked over breakfast, with Arturo probing Aran¡¯s temperament and maturity; gauging how the young boy would treat magic. The latter caught on quickly, and expertly painted himself as a curious yet responsible child. Arturo was pleasantly surprised. Luca, Celeste, Aran, and Arturo went to one of the meditation rooms in the estate after breakfast. Arturo took out a mana compass and aura gem, and set them on the ground. Arturo sat on the floor and motioned for Aran to do the same while pushing the mana compass forward. Aran obliged and held the mana lodestone on the mana compass. The lodestone slowly brightened and the machine tolled. 531. Even with forewarning, Arturo stared at the screen incredulously. Luca¡¯s lips curved up into a mischievous grin, ¡°We did tell you.¡± Arturo chuckled and stored the mana compass. He pushed the aura gem towards Aran and watched in anticipation. Aran sighed, put his hand onto the gem, and channeled his mana. An explosion of colorless bubbles propagated in the gem, with more intensity than before. Arturo gasped and motioned for Aran to stop, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen such a powerful reaction before, let alone from a mu.¡± Looking at Celeste and Luca, Arturo asked once more, with finality, ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± they said in unison. Arturo nodded, ¡°Well, I¡¯ll begin drawing the magic circle. It should be an hour or so. You can come back then.¡± ¡°Can I watch?¡± asked Aran, energetically. Celeste shook her head, ¡°Come on now. Don¡¯t bother Uncle Arturo. Let him work.¡± ¡°Please?¡± he asked again, appealing to Arturo. The latter laughed, ¡°It¡¯s okay. He can stay. I¡¯ll see you guys soon?¡± Luca chortled in defeat, nodded, and left with Celeste. Arturo took out a back from his spatial ring and set it on the ground. ¡°Can you tell me what you¡¯re doing?¡± asked Aran, putting his hands behind his back and leaning forward, peering into the bag. ¡°Of course,¡± replied Arturo with a grin on his face. He took out a small pouch, a large brush, with a head the size of Aran¡¯s hands, and an inkwell with silver-colored ink for the brush. ¡°Silverthorn resin?¡± asked Aran quizzically. Arturo raised an eyebrow, and smiled, ¡°No. They look the alike and have similar mana conducing properties. But, silverthorn works better on paper. This is argentroot dye, which works on all surfaces.¡± ¡°Now, I¡¯ll start drawing the outline of the magic circle using the argentroot dye, and I¡¯ll have to focus. I¡¯ll stop when I¡¯ve finished a portion and tell you about it,¡± said Arturo as he dipped the brush into the inkwell. Aran looked intently. *** A little more than an hour later, a complete magic circle was drawn on the floor of the meditation room, and Arturo sprinkled powder from the small pouch he took out earlier onto the circle and he chanted a quick spell. The circle flashed briefly and the silver color intensified. ¡°It¡¯s ready. Go get your parents,¡± said Arturo. Aran nodded, and left. A few minutes later, he returned with Celeste and Luca in tow. Arturo gestured for the family to come closer, ¡°Celeste, I¡¯ll need you help to stabilize the mana field.¡± ¡°Before we begin, I have a request,¡± voiced Aran. The three adults looked intently at him, as he continued, ¡°I would like to coalesce my mana pool on my own.¡± Arturo wrinkled his brows, ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need you to help focus the mana. I¡¯d like to do that on my own,¡± said Aran with conviction. Arturo looked at Luca, who shook his head ¨C he was equally lost. ¡°Do you know how difficult it is?¡± asked Arturo sternly. Aran nodded, ¡°Yes. But I know I can do it. Trust me. If you don¡¯t believe it, here, I¡¯ll show you. Hold my hand and use your mana sense.¡± Aran held his right hand out towards Arturo, with the palms facing upward. Arturo obliged and put his left hand on Aran¡¯s, and probed it with his mana sense. Aran manipulated the mana to slowly swirl on his right hand in a slow, but constant rhythm. A look of surprise flashed on Arturo¡¯s face. Aran smiled, and forcefully reversed the flow, with it now spinning counterclockwise in the same exact rhythm. ¡°That is some control ¨C that would match a mid-stage initiate!¡± exclaimed Arturo. He closed his eyes, deep in thought. ¡°Fine. You can do it yourself. But we will be monitoring you closely, especially your Gate.¡± With that, Arturo motioned for Aran to sit down on the magic circle. Arturo sat behind Aran, and Celeste in the front. Luca stood on the side, clenching his fists. ¡°Gather,¡± said Arturo calmly, and the magic circle activated. Mana started accumulating above the circle, forming a misty dome of dense mana. Aran smiled, ¡®This was the right decision. The mana now at least five-fold as concentrated as when I¡¯m cultivating alone!¡¯ ¡°You may begin.¡± Clearing his mind, Aran began the qi-realm formation process again. He first focused on the middle dantian. Instead of only rotating the spheres individually, he pictured a path swirling from the outmost sphere inwards towards the nucleus of the spheres, passing by every point in the lattices like stringing a thread through a series of perfectly positioned beads. Very quickly, the sphere turned into a steady whirlpool and started drawing in mana from around his body. This whirlpool was extremely stable, having been pictured using the perfect blueprint. Arturo gulped. ¡®This boy is a natural. That¡¯s as perfect a sphere as any I¡¯ve formed!¡¯ Aran urged the mana in his body to circulate and started a similar revolution in the bottom sphere. The bottom sphere turned faster, increasing the compression and decreasing in size. He made a conscious effort to restrain his arcane sense from reaching outside his body to grab mana, to prevent the bracelet from activating. Yet, mana rushed into his body greedily, like air gushing into a vacuum chamber, transforming the lower sphere into a second whirlpool. ¡®The intensity increased?¡¯ Celeste shuddered. The circulating mana once again travelled through his veins, repeating the burning and healing cycle of reforging his body. It was no less painful and Aran once again endured it. The mana around Aran grew restless and the misty dome deformed in an attempt to draw in more mana from the surroundings. Inside Aran, the whirlpool in the middle dantian transformed into a controlled maelstrom, a process quickly followed by the bottom one. Aran slowly released his attention on the bottom maelstrom and discovered that the maelstrom maintained itself, continuing to greedily draw in mana. ¡®Should I stop it?¡¯ questioned Arturo, his face pale from the spectacle in front of him, ¡®It¡¯s raging¡­ but it seems stable. I¡¯ll make preparations just in case.¡¯ Aran focused all his attention to the raging yet contained maelstrom at his chest. He drew in a deep breath and increased the centrifugal speed of the maelstrom. The speed rapidly increased and it imploded, inwards and through the physical boundaries. At the same time, residual mana shot upwards towards his head, where the upper dantian formed into a steady maelstrom of mana, half the size of the other dantians. Aran¡¯s body tensed at the unexpected intense pain. His arcane sense followed the flow of mana as it travelled through a psychedelic tunnel made of a flickering, multicolored membrane. It rushed forward quickly and stopped in front of a white rippling barrier. The barrier slowly opened like parting a water curtain. The mana rushed through this opening and formed a small enclave, surrounded by the same rippling barrier separating it from what appeared like liquid outside. Periodically, a red or black light would flash through different locations of the barrier like sparkling wisps playfully hiding in the bottom of a lake. Mana rapidly flowed through the opening and started expanding the enclosure. After a few minutes, the expansion stopped and the mana settled as a colorless mist in this enclave. The mist pulsed like a heartbeat, expanding, then contracting; pushing the membrane back and forth as it is doing this. Aran, realizing that this was his soul-realm, willed the mana to start rotating. The mist churned into a spiraling mana cloud and the barrier trembled and diffused into the mana cloud. On one end of the spiral, some of the liquid from merging into the mist, and on the other, some of the mist condensing into the liquid. Mana flowed continuously through the tunnel, between this realm and the physical realm. Zooming outwards with his arcane sense, Aran felt a strange sensation. His sense peeled and expanded outwards, like coming outside of a flat piece paper into the three-dimensional world. The bridge was a small sphere that collapsed upon itself, with energy flowing freely through it. Reorienting himself, he zoomed further out. Aran looked back onto his soul and saw a huge spherical mass of energy that felt ethereal. It was a bizarre sight. The sphere behaved like an ocean in the form of an orb, quietly twirling with an occasional wave that splashed around. Its surface was a bright white, the white of sunlight, and shimmered like the surface of water. The same flash of red and black occasionally peeked out and disappeared as fleetingly as it appeared. Atop the surface of this water-like sphere, was a thin layer of flame that burned cold, with tongues flickering upwards. The flame was a darker shade of white, the color of the first layer of snow on a winter morning. Aran pondered about the size of his mana pool. Having no reference, it was impossible to gauge it. Not being one to dwell on impossible questions, he drank in the sight and willed his senses to travel back to the physical realm. Aran opened his eyes, a rare look of satisfaction on his face. ¡°Success.¡± *** In the void at a corner of the universe, a being stirred. It had felt a tiny, insignificant, but strangely familiar feeling. It had felt countless awakenings, and this one was seemingly ordinary, in both size and quality. But yet, it resonated with something in the being. A memory. ¡®Brother? Impossible.¡¯ Too weak, it thought. Too ephemeral. Still, it did not take any chances. Having lived for eons, it had seen the impossible become possible. It conjured a sentry and without another thought of this disturbance, returned to its pensive slumber.