《Re: Heroes' Mount》 Chapter 1: Life as a... What? Chapter 1: Life as a¡­ What? Like any other middle-aged man, Seth Butler worked. A lot. In fact, he barely had time for himself, except for a few secret pleasures he kept hidden in his desk at work. Yes, at work. He probably never leaves work until they tell him to leave (which is mostly midnight). Why, you ask? It was simple. Seth Butler was a middle-aged, balding, slightly chubby man who was indefinitely single. He had no one to return to at home, except for several action figurines he bought when he was younger, more fit - still ugly, though. However, his outward appearance has never stopped him from trying online dating sites or finding his soulmate - which he now doubts is alive¡­ or ever lived, for that matter. His hypothesis was that God allowed him to be born single in order to become a priest - an opportunity or job he never felt inclined to. An odd hypothesis. Then again, many churches are lifting their ban on priests marrying. He highly doubted he would get married then. If he thought hard about it, he realized he didn¡¯t need a woman in his life. He could cook for himself, pay the bills, and have an entire house (that was spacious) to himself. Also, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about having kids. In the first place, if he did have a child, he was sure his aesthetically pleasing face would overwrite his wife¡¯s genes. Did you catch the sarcasm? Sometimes he joked to himself that he would donate his seed, just to see what the child would look like. Anyway, back on track. After they tell him to leave work already, Seth would walk home - his mother told him to. She grounded him from his car until he lost weight. He didn¡¯t understand how she had such an influence on his life, even after living by himself, yet he still followed her orders. His co-workers often teased him for being a ¡°mommy¡¯s boy.¡± But he couldn¡¯t help it. Who doesn¡¯t love their own mother? She did go through a hell of a lot just to give birth to him, and he wouldn¡¯t give an attitude about it. ¡°Hmm, hmm,¡± Seth hummed to himself, skipping home - the fat on his stomach highlighted by the moonlight, it bounced up and down. He skipped down the road and onto the crosswalk only to land on his foot wrong, a stabbing pain was felt. ¡°Oof,¡± Seth grunted, as he fell face-forward to the ground. He frowned, sitting up, I might¡¯ve sprained it. He rolled his ankle around and stopped when he felt a sharp pain. He sighed and thought of how far he had to go. I might as well call a taxi, he sighed again. Seth cursed and got up, limping to the other side of the crosswalk. ¡°I swear,¡± he muttered. From now on, I¡¯ll just drive home and tell mom I¡¯ll workout at the gym, which he doubted he¡¯ll actually do. He¡¯ll probably walk in and hide in the locker rooms for a certain amount of time - if they¡¯ll even let him do that. He slowly staggered to the other side of the crosswalk, not even halfway there yet. Unfortunately for Seth, at nights, he tends to become careless and stops sweating the small details, this includes reports, conversations, and¡­ well, traffic lights. BEEEEEEP. BEEP. A light blinded Seth¡¯s vision, he frowned and turned to where the source was coming from, uttering out his last words, ¡°is it morning?¡± ¡­. Seth opened his eyes, only to be surrounded by pure darkness. He couldn¡¯t see, hear, or feel anything. Did the world just end? He wondered to himself, sitting around for who knows how long. Then, like a vacuum, he felt something pull him towards a light - a small force pushing him forward. The light became brighter, and brighter, and brighter, and brighter, and finally he stopped. Awkwardly. He felt the tip of his nose emerge from something, as he could feel the wind brush it, then, slowly, he felt the same push - his head and the top his body emerging into the brightness. Then it stopped again. Around him, he saw a farm-like setting. Although he couldn¡¯t see very quickly, as a blanket-like substance was covering his view. Seth tried moving around, but his body felt weak and barely moved. He noticed he couldn¡¯t feel certain parts of his body, like his hands. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. What is going on? He wondered, trying to look down. He felt the same push and finally the rest of his body emerged - slowly. ¡°@!%^*,¡± a voice said, Seth looked towards the voice and saw another human. Wait, no. That wasn¡¯t a human. A humanoid grinned at him, his blonde hair was long and he wore a brown, leather vest, brown trousers, and black boots. Also, Seth noticed this humanoid had strange ears - pointed ears, to be exact. What kind of dream is this?! Seth gaped at the elf¡¯s ears. Elves really are beautiful. I could go gay for this guy! ¡°Where am I?¡± Seth wanted to ask, but when he opened his mouth, he realized he couldn¡¯t speak very well. He frowned. He then felt something nipping and licking at him, he turned to see who it was. A horse. A freaking horse. ¡°What is this? Get off of me!¡± He tried yelling, but to no avail - it only sounded like small yelps. The strong, white horse continued to lick at him. Finally, he saw something shiny that caught his eye. Behind the man was a small mirror. Seth noticed another horse - a horse he didn¡¯t see around him. Seth tried to turn around and see where it was, but saw no one. It can¡¯t be¡­ can it? Seth turned to face the mirror nervously. He tilted his head to the right, only to have the white foal follow him. He tilted his head to the left, once again, the horse tilted his head to mirror him. He noticed, after a while, that he could feel his surroundings. The rough hay beneath him, the ticklish tongue licking and nipping at him, as well as the morning air breezing through the barn - gently touching his skin. Did I die? He paused. Was that bright light a car? It was all fairly possible. At night, he becomes very careless and tends not to sweat the small stuff, whether it¡¯s reports to a traffic light. He groaned and then remembered something very important. Seth¡¯s mind flooded with thoughts about his mother, father, his older brother, and his two younger siblings. However, oddly enough, he couldn¡¯t recall their names, faces, ages, or any other details about them. He only knew they existed. He recalled that he loved comic books, anime, and manga, yet he couldn¡¯t remember what he read or what they looked like or any of his favorite quotes that he knew he had. Oh, God¡­ Seth whimpered, crying - albeit no tears fell, as it was scientifically impossible for them to. His new mother noticed something wrong and started licking his face. ¡°$&@$?¡± The elf said, frowning. Seth then realized that as a foal, he should start standing up. At least that¡¯s what he thought. While mourning for his own death, Seth struggled to stand up - falling quite a few times. He didn¡¯t know how much time has passed until he could finally stand up, legs trembling. The elf smiled proudly, saying a few words. Then he sat down, watching Seth with anticipation. What now? He thought to himself. What do horses do after standing up? His stomach grumbling answered his question. Oh, no¡­ he thought, staring at his mother who was readying herself to nurse him. ¡°%#@^(<,¡± the elf smiled, as if he were encouraging Seth. ¡°#%@%&.¡± Seth cursed, glaring at the elf, I¡¯ll get you back for this. And so, Seth was nursed consciously for the very first time¡­ by a horse. ___________ Stellar''s Box Hellooooo, this is a side story to my main story Spirit. HOWEVER, FRET NOT, I WILL UPDATE THIS REGULARLY, TOO. Please comment/give me your feedback. Also, I''m looking for any suggestions for the name - sooooo do that too. :) Yep, thanks ALSO, sorry for the short chappie, but since it''s the first chapter I kind of thought it''d be a-okay to do this. I''ll try to make them longer, but no promises. Chapter 2: Anwar the Legendary Steed Chapter 2: Anwar the Legendary Steed A few days has passed since Seth died in the human world and reincarnated into a new one. He finds himself able to run around easily now, and live a life full of peace and love (from the strange elf and his mother, whom he can¡¯t communicate very well with). I wonder if there¡¯s a horse language, Seth thought to himself, galloping around like the mighty steed he was. For a horse, he was pretty handsome. In fact, all of the female foals liked nipping and licking him. Unless they thought he was delicious, then that was a problem itself. ¡°&@^%&!¡± The elf hollered, gesturing Seth to come to him. Seth huffed and ignored the elf. He still felt bitter about the incident. I mean, yeah he loves new experiences, but that was a line that shouldn¡¯t have been crossed¡­ ever. Seth sighed, he knew it was going to happen someday¡­ or in a few hours after birth. He galloped over to his caretaker, who rubbed his head affectionately. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me,¡± Seth said, albeit it came out as a neigh. ¡°@*$@!#$,¡± the elf laughed and smiled at him. Seth glared and stared at the hand that was rubbing him. Then, in a split second, he bit it. Yep, he bit the elf¡¯s hand. HAHA, how do you feel about that?! Seth laughed victoriously as the elf screamed and yelled things. A female elf came running over and pulled Seth¡¯s mouth open. She then yelled things at the male elf and rubbed Seth¡¯s head. Animals sure get it lucky, Seth snickered, galloping away from the two. The animals on this farm were given a lot of freedom. They were allowed to graze and run around the field until the edge of the forest, which was pretty far from the farm. However, that was the destination Seth intended to go to. As he neared the fences blocking him from the forest, Seth examined the forest behind it. It was dark and hauntingly scary. However, being the dare devil, he jumped the gate. They must think we¡¯re stupid, Seth thought, landing gracefully on the other side. Then again, I have a human mentality. Seth walked around, still near the fences. He knew it was dangerous to stray away, but he couldn¡¯t help it. He didn¡¯t want to reincarnate into a world with elves stuck on a farm for the rest of his life. That wasn¡¯t his motto. I wonder what the forest looks like deeper inside? Seth thought, eyeing the forest. He then turned to stare at the farm, which looked like a H*rseland haven. Seth turned away from the farm and galloped into the darkness of the woods. ¡­ See? Not so bad, Seth thought to himself, growing increasingly nervous. From time to time, he could make stupid decisions that he¡¯ll pretend to be alright about, despite regretting it. Like now. Currently, our legendary steed is lost in the dark forest filled with magical creatures and other dangerous entities. Not only that, but he was sure he would be cannon fodder in this forest, with his white hair making him easily visible, and his weak legs being unable to carry him anywhere fast. La, la, la, la~, Seth sang to himself, shutting his eyes closed and blindly running about in the forest. If I can¡¯t see you, you can¡¯t see me, he hummed even more to distract himself from his own stupidity. He jumped in the air and felt himself glide through it, Seth opened his eyes to find himself inbetween something¡­ or well, two somethings and a laser beam. To the right of his mighty, gliding self is a small rabbit cornered and stuck inbetween trees. To the left of him was a magical predator who just shot a beam at the rabbit, and is now heading directly for Seth. Not again, Seth groaned. He felt the beam hit him and slam him against the tree, just above the terrified rabbit who took this moment to run away. This bastard, Seth cursed, watching the rabbit run away. Who, seconds later, was taken by a different predator. Good, he said smugly. Meanwhile, the predator eyed Seth with desire and hunger evident in its eyes. Seth sighed, it looks like he about to die once again. He shut his eyes and waited for the eventual. However, moments later, he still felt nothing. Seth opened his eyes to see the creature on the ground, dead. A beautiful lady with long, green hair tied in a loose braid, brown eyes, and milky white skin. On her right hand was a white flame - at least, that¡¯s what it looked like. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°You,¡± the woman said, her voice like whispers. ¡°Are very kind¡­¡± Wait, I can understand her? ¡­ Wait, what is she talking abou- ¡°You risked your life for a creature whose life is seen to be insignificant compared to yours, it¡¯s a pity he died in the end,¡± the woman sighed. Wait, what? ¡°I am Elwood, Goddess of Nature,¡± she said. ¡°Your kindness is much needed for in this forest and in this world. As gratitude, I grant you the ability to use mana.¡± She walked up to him and bent down. Seth sighed, living a life as a virgin until he was in his young 40¡¯s ruined his sex drive. He feels no desire to either gender, although he knows an attractive person when he sees one, he has no desire to court them. Elwood raised her hand and blew a kiss at him, well¡­ not a kiss. She blew a substance into him. A blue-tinted wind surrounded his body. It felt cool to touch and was nice in this hot weather. Just like mint, Seth commented. Then he began to burn all over. WAAAGGGHHH. WHAT IS THIS?! THIS BI- ¡°Do not fret, young one,¡± she interrupted, smiling as if she were actually doing something nice to him. He glared at her. ¡°This will only hurt¡­ for a few hours.¡± WAIT, WHAT? NO- WAIT! WAAH. ¡­ Seth panted, ¡°you-!¡± He yelled. ¡°Wait, what?¡± Elwood smiled, ¡°as a divine beast, you will now be able to communicate telepathically with others. Ah, young one, be careful not to talk in front of others easily.¡± Then Elwood left him, alone in the forest, confused about what happened. He laughed, ¡°this¡­ this world as magic? And I was granted with the ability to use it?¡± He laughed even harder. This was possibly the most exciting thing to ever occur to him in 43 years, not including the day he was born. It pretty exciting knowing there was magic. D*sney can¡¯t compare, Seth laughed, then wondered what D*sney was. Then, how do I use it? Seth pondered, he tried to recall his past life and what he could remember about magic. Many vague thoughts filled his mind, some were about gathering mana around you, others were about meditating¡­ ¡°Young one,¡± Elwood said, appearing in front of him once again. He neighed out in surprise. (a/n: Yay for puns -wink wink-) She sighed, ¡°to use mana, you must first find it. If you sat down and concentrated on searching for this feeling-¡± she blasted the blue-wind rudely in front of his face. ¡°-you¡¯ll be able to use mana.¡± ¡°R-right,¡± Seth muttered, and she disappeared again. Seth got up and began to wander around, he wondered how he would be able to get home. He wandered around for hours, as the day already passed and it was morning again. He began to feel sleepy, when suddenly a voice interrupted him. ¡°Anwar! There you are!¡± a voice yelled, Seth turned to face the source of it. It was the male elf of the farm. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking all over for you,¡± he sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s get you home.¡± Who¡¯s Anwar? Seth thought to himself. He deduced that it must be his name in this world. Sounds pretty cool, Seth nodded. For finding me, I¡¯ll forgive you. And so, from that moment on, Anwar came into existence. The name of the legendary steed that no one will know of, Anwar thought to himself. Yep, just another light novel-esque story. _____________________ Stellar''s Box Heelllloooo, thanks for reading! Remember to comment and give me feedback! Soz for another short chappie, but once I get more into the plot, it''ll -probably- get longer. Also, italics = his internal dialogue/thoughts, for those of you who don''t know. Side Note: So this morning I woke up to see a 1/2 star on my story, and then I thought, "This person must hate horses. LOL." Oops. Oh, well. Trolls will be trolls, kind of sucks now that it happened to me. (I sympathize with those that it happened to now). ALSO WANTED TO THANK THOSE WHO GAVE ME 5 STARS TO EVEN IT OUT ^^ Chapter 3: What Makes People OP? Chapter 3: What Makes People OP? What is mana? Some might say it¡¯s the essence of magic, the energy that supplies skills, a magical essence that exists around the world. However, Anwar says, mana is the thing that makes people OP! Filled with the desire to become stronger, similar to the evil people he vaguely remembers from the stories he read, he decided to try and find mana - following Elwood¡¯s words. Speaking of Elwood, Anwar thought he¡¯d never see her again after he left the forest, unfortunately¡­ ¡°Hey, young one. Young one! Young one~! YOUNG ONE.¡± ¡°IT¡¯S ANWAR,¡± Anwar yelled back, getting up to go inside the barn. Okay, let¡¯s do this again. Find the mana, find the mana, find the- ¡°You¡¯re doing it wrong,¡± Elwood pointed out. ¡°Then how do I do it?¡± he asked, slightly frustrated. ¡°I told you to concentrate, not to think about trying to find it,¡± Elwood, once again, pulled out the blue flame of mana and blew it rudely in his face. ¡°This feeling.¡± ¡°So¡­ I just wait ¡®til I get that feeling?¡± ¡°Yes, young one-¡± ¡°Anwar.¡± ¡°Alright then,¡± Anwar, lied on the hay while closing his eyes. He begun to concentrate and focusing on finding that cool-to-touch feeling Elwood¡¯s mana gave him. While doing this, however, his thoughts who sometimes stray away¡­ I wonder what I should make for dinner? Oh, wait. That reminds me, what¡¯s D*sney? What¡¯s h*rseland? He didn¡¯t know how long he continued in this state, with Elwood floating around and calling his name, until he felt a small, cool-feeling. It was deep within the pit of his stomach. ¡°ELWOOD. QUICK- WHAT NOW?¡± Anwar panicked, unsure what to do once he found the feeling. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s only been years,¡± she yawned. ¡°Anyway, try grabbing it and stuff.¡± Stuff? Anwar frowned, but closed his eyes once more. ¡°Wait. How do I grab it?¡± To which Elwood made a grabbing motion with her hand. I¡¯ll just visualize it, Anwar frowned. So, he imagined his han- hoof. He imagined a hoof grabbing it. He suddenly felt a something hard go against his hoof. Wait, I can actually feel it? Anwar felt surprised. Anwar tried grabbing it, but it only moved around his hoof. He sighed in frustration. How does a horse grab things? Let¡¯s try this¡­ He raised both hooves and tried catching it together. Yes, both hooves. He probably looked like an idiot. It moved around his hooves like the elusive snake it was. Anwar growled in frustration and in one last attempt, quickly stuck his hooves together, successfully grabbing it. The small, cold area spread throughout his body, starting from his chest to the rest of his body, even down to his¡­ private area. However, the nice, cool feeling did not retain and a burst of warmth replaced it. The warmth soon raised in temperature, burning his body - just like when he first recieved it. ¡°WAAAH!¡± ¡°Oh, it looks like you¡¯ve found it,¡± Elwood said casually, picking her nails. She didn¡¯t even spare him a glance as he rolled around in pain. ¡°Hmm.. it looks like I¡¯ll have to shut you up, before that silly elf comes back.¡± A small dome of earth covered Anwar and concealed the neighs and yelps he gave out. ¡°Better,¡± Elwood commented, giving herself a small smile and a pat on the back. ¡­ After an hour or two, the pain finally stopped. He twitched on the ground, panting from the left-over effects from the pain. ¡°D-do I have to go through that again?¡± he asked, trembling with fear. ¡°That¡¯s for me to know, and you to find out,¡± she grinned cheekily. ¡°Now get up, horse, before the elf finds you twitching around.¡± ¡°His name is Elwyn, and he¡¯s not just an elf! He¡¯s the elf I somewhat dislike!¡± Anwar defended, suddenly feeling sensitive to everything. The pain must¡¯ve gotten to him. ¡°Stop being a wuss,¡± Elwood glared. ¡°Get up.¡± Anwar sighed and stood up, his legs trembling. ¡°Stop trembling,¡± she snapped. ¡°I can¡¯t help it,¡± he complained, wanting to hold a tantrum. Just as she said, Elwyn came walking around, whistling a random tune that came from the top of his head. ¡°Good evening, Anwar!¡± Elwyn smiled, bowing down to him. That¡¯s right, you better bow to me. In fact, eat the dirt, Anwar snorted. Elwyn took that as a greeting. ¡°Hey, did I ever tell you about the Kingdom of Cyrus?¡± asked Elwyn, grabbing his pitchfork and working around Anwar. ¡°Apparently they¡¯ve chosen a hero to defeat the Demon Lord. Supposedly, she¡¯s a girl - a very beautiful one, at that.¡± Demon Lord? Anwar listened more carefully. Some days, Elwyn would come in and tell him boring stories or things that occurred to him a few days ago. Other times, like now, he would give important information to him. ¡°Yep, and now the other human kingdom, Hartwin, is planning on summoning their own hero.¡± Elwyn babbled on. ¡°Unfortunately, it¡¯ll take them 2 years to summon that hero. They plan on training him for 1 year - that¡¯s when Cyrus is going to let their hero leave.¡± Elwyn laughed, ¡°oh, it looks like I¡¯m boring you-¡± No, no, no, no, no! ¡°Shall I tell you about the time I accidentally punched Sheila-¡± the other elf ¡°- in the face?¡± Anwar groaned, he¡¯d much rather hear about the world outside of this stupid barn. Currently, what he¡¯ve gathered so far from Elwyn, is that he¡¯s in a world called Solum - a place full of magic and mystical creatures. Besides elves, they had the standard humans, dwarves, beastmen, vampires, and other races he didn¡¯t care about. Emphasis on the ¡®didn¡¯t¡¯. Also, dragons existed in this world. He wanted to meet one, but he knew that the dragon would kill him. In the movies, which he could recall, he always saw a dragon carrying away a horse or a sheep. And now that he was horse, well¡­ he¡¯d rather not face that experience. ¡°This guy is annoying,¡± Elwood frowned. ¡°Wait! Can¡¯t he see you?!¡± Anwar looked at Elwood with worry. ¡°Please,¡± she snorted. ¡°I¡¯m a goddess.¡± Could¡¯ve fooled me. ¡°I can choose who can see me or not see me.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°I see,¡± Anwar replied dryly. ¡°...Anyway, I gotta go, Anwar. Bye!¡± Elwyn leaned in to kiss Anwar. OH GOD, Anwar quickly reacted and turned around, kicking Elwyn in the face. He was out cold. ¡°Pfft- AHAHAHAHA!¡± Elwood laughed, pointing at the knocked-out Elwyn. Tears rolled down her face as she stared at a star-strucked Anwar. ¡°H-he tried to kiss me. It was self-defense. Right,¡± Anwar tried convincing himself of the murder he just committed. ¡°Elwyn, I thought- OH MY SOLUM! WHAT HAPPENED?!¡± Sheila came in, rushing towards Elwyn¡¯s body. ¡°O-OH MY¡­ Oh, he¡¯s still alive. Nevermind.¡± Sheila looked up,¡± oh! Good evening, Anwar. Did you do this to daddy?¡± Anwar snorted, his shock quickly went over his head, who¡¯s daddy? ¡°Well, good job!¡± Sheila gave him the thumbs up. ¡°Punishment for being a player,¡± she muttered, dragging the body out of the barn. Before leaving, she looked around, a confused look on her face. ¡°Anwar, did you bring back any friends with you?¡± she reached her arm out, feeling the air. ¡°Ooh,¡± Elwood clapped, wiping the tears from her eyes. ¡°This elf has good perception.¡± ¡°Her name is Sheila,¡± Anwar said. ¡°They all look the same anyway,¡± Elwood replied with ease. ¡°Racist.¡± ¡°I guess not?¡± Sheila frowned. ¡°Oh, well.¡± She continued to drag Elwyn¡¯s body out of the barn. Anwar watched the couple until they were out of sight. ¡°What do I do now?¡± Anwar asked, as if nothing happened. Mana coursed through his veins and every particle of his being. ¡°What am I? Your teacher?¡± Elwood shot. ¡°Well, why else are you here?¡± Anwar shot back. ¡°Hm¡­ well,¡± Elwood recollected her memories. ¡°I saw a horse get shot down pitifully by a monster, only to care more about the rabbit, who left him in that situation, getting killed. It was quite funny, so I decided to bless him with mana so I can entertain myself as I watched him crawl in pai-¡± ¡°I get it,¡± Anwar sighed. ¡°Can you teach me?¡± ¡°Try recalling the feeling of mana and concentrating it in one spot,¡± Elwood explained. ¡°This could take up to an hour to¡­ maybe¡­ 10 years? It depends on your affinity with magic. I wouldn¡¯t doubt yourself too much, though. After all, I was the one to bless you.¡± Anwar gasped, ¡°don¡¯t tell me¡­ I¡¯ll get crappy nature abilities, too-?¡± Elwood karate chopped his head. ¡°No! As a divine horse, you¡¯ll have a different set of abilities.¡± ¡°Ouch,¡± Anwar muttered, unable to rub his head. He¡¯ll end up punching himself. ¡°Now go meditate,¡± Elwood huffed. ¡°Yes, mother.¡± Anwar closed his eyes, trying to recall the coolness of the mana. However, everytime he thought about it, he stopped mid-way, afraid of the burning feeling. It was like he had the yips for magic. This continued on for a few days. Every day, he got closer and closer without stopping. Albeit some would tell him to just concentrate it already, he would tell them he was making progress, despite being slow. Slow and steady, his new motto. Well, not really. His motto was ¡®feel the fear, but do it anyway.¡¯ However, this didn¡¯t apply to magic. That pain was out-of-this-world. Elwood sighed as she watched the small horse meditate. At least he was faster than¡­ 70 percent of the world. However, he would¡¯ve been able to achieve his goals by now, if he wasn¡¯t so afraid of the pain. She must confess, most people in the world didn¡¯t feel pain every time they leveled up their mana. However, Anwar was a special case. She saw a large amount of sleeping potential in him, and she.. well, awoke it forcefully. If someone didn¡¯t wake it up, who would? He was a horse with no clue of magic. The pain wasn¡¯t due to his mana being forced awake. It was the fact that his mana was unusually large and required a lot of time to level up. Most of the time, the pain passed by so quickly, a person wouldn¡¯t realize it was there. And so, she decided to tell Anwar this. It was up to him, whether or not he would want to feel the pain in return for getting stronger. ¡°What?! You should¡¯ve said so sooner!¡± Anwar frowned. ¡°I was more afraid of being unprepared, but at least I know when the pain will happen.¡± ¡°Anyway, as soon as you¡¯re able to concentrate and control mana, you¡¯ll be given a set of abilities called gifts. Well.. one gift. Every time you level up your mana, you¡¯ll be given another gift. The maximum amount of gifts a person can receive is 6. However, upon leveling up your mana after receiving your gifts, it will strengthen them. So don¡¯t get lazy, got it?¡± Elwood explained. ¡°A full-fledged magician¡­ er, divine beast¡­ will have all of their gifts. Right now, you¡¯re at the bottom of the chain. You¡¯re even lower than those elves.¡± Anwar froze at this. Weaker than Elwyn? But he fainted in one kick! ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate those elves,¡± Elwood scolded him, flicking his ear. ¡°Now start meditating.¡± ¡°W-wait! Let me prepare myself for the pain,¡± Anwar inhaled deeply, closing his eyes. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll just wait another millennia until you¡¯re done,¡± Elwood replied cooly. He grunted. ¡°It¡¯s a steady progress. Steady!¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± __________ Stellar''s Box Much longer chappie today. :) [Finally picking up the pace, too... well, ish.] Also, what I wrote on my other ff: I''ll be slowing down updates/writing since I was stressed out about my other novel (posting 7-13 pages a day) and decided to stop since it was eating up my summer. Also, I''m starting my online courses for summer (gaaah, I hate it, but since I refused to do it during school year, I''m stuck with it now...), so I won''t be able to write as much. However, it''ll probs take me a weak and half to finish (if I do 4-5 hours a day),.. ANYWAY, COMMENT BELOW ON WHAT YOU THINK/GIVE FEEDBACK, It''d be great if you told what you want to see more of. c: Alsooooooo, ta-dah. A different (sort of) magic system! :) I wanted everyone to have a specialized power to themselves, it makes everyone more unique and defined in a way. Side note: 1st gif is from one-punch man (w/ an edited horse head). 2nd gif is from a random video of a horse kicking a lady. EDIT: OKAY, SO THERE IS SMALL MISTAKE OR NOT AS EXPLAINED CONCEPT IN THIS CHAPTER. ANWAR WILL NOT GET AN ABILITY EVERY TIME HE LEVELS UP, THAT WAS MY MISTAKE. Chapter 4: The Small Patch of Hell PLEASE READ Okay, so some people have been asking me about whether or not Anwar will get laid/have a mate or something. Orignally, the romance tag was for side characters, but since some people asked, I''ll give you an option to choose whether or not he should have a romantic side, too. Also, suggestions on who it is will be good, too. It''ll get my thinking juices going if I have some examples (I''m never good at this...) ___________ Chapter 4: The Small Patch of Hell After a few days or so, with Anwar¡¯s steady pace, he managed to concentrate his mana for a whopping 10 seconds. It made him feel proud. Elwood, on the other hand, expected a more exponential growth. However, at least he could concentrate it. Now, the newest problem was channeling it and willing it to obey him. Once he learned this, he¡¯ll receive his first gift. ¡°In order to channel the mana, image it spreading throughout your chest - where your mana core is,¡± Elwood explained. ¡°That¡¯s easy,¡± Anwar scoffed, ¡°just tell me how to will it.¡± ¡°Concentrate a ball of mana forming on top of your hand. Imagine it as anything you want it to be, however, do remember, that this is how your mana will look like every time you materialize it,¡± Elwood warned him. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything you would regret.¡± ¡°Wait, you can¡¯t change it?¡± Anwar asked nervously, what if he messed up? ¡°Well, it should be fairly easy, whatever you think of that exact moment, it¡¯ll transfer over to shape your mana,¡± Elwood said. ¡°Hm.. alright,¡± Anwar let out a breath of nervousness. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his mana forming in front of him. Images of his past world filled his mind as he fed more and more mana to materialize it. Finally, his mind rested on one image. It was a long, hard, and sharp - sword. The hilt was made out of gold and had a ruby encrusted in the center of it. On the blade itself, three small rubies were built onto it, going vertical. Anwar opened his eyes, to find a shortened version of the sword. As in, everything was the same, except for the fact that the blade was around 4 inches long. (A/N: Just imagine it¡¯s rounder on the sides¡­) Elwood sputtered out, ¡°i-is that a¡­ peni-¡± ¡°No! It¡¯s a sword!¡± Anwar immediately intervened. It¡¯ll grow bigger, right? ¡°It¡¯s quite¡­ small,¡± Elwood choked out, her body trembling and her face turning red. ¡°It¡¯ll grow bigger¡­ right?¡± Anwar asked, depressed. Elwood coughed, masking her small laughter, ¡°every Time you level up, the materialized mana changes, too.¡± A new determination burned in Anwar¡¯s eyes. ¡°In order to level up, it¡¯s faster to gain experience in¡­ defeating things,¡± Elwood slyly said, noticing Anwar¡¯s new confidence. ¡°ELWOOD, LET¡¯S GO KILL SOME MONSTERS,¡± Anwar suddenly yelled, a fierce look in his eyes. However, his stomach grumbled, and his mother trotted inside of the barn, as if she knew. Her eyes giving him a challenging look, as if she dared him to reject her nursing. ¡°...After I eat¡­¡± ¡°Pfft- HAHAHA-¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± ¡­ ¡°ALRIGHT, LET¡¯S GO KILL SOME MONSTERS,¡± Anwar roared (neighed) ferociously. He jumped over the fence and into the dark forest, Elwood following behind him. The two quickly race down and into the forest - running nonstop. ¡°Slow down,¡± Elwood yawned. ¡°First things first, find a small opponent. Try not to go for the large ones-¡± ¡°Like that?¡± Anwar gestured to the large creature looming nearby, he eyed Anwar as if he were pancakes on a Sunday morning. The monster had a large head, similar to humans, yet its ears were pointed and its nose crooked downwards. Its teeth were long, sharp, and awkwardly thin - it resembled its nails. The monster¡¯s body was scrawny and had a long tail and wings. Its skin was pale, and on some parts, translucent. ¡°Ugh,¡± Anwar held in a mini-barf as he eyed the creature with disgust. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°A mongrel,¡± Elwood replied with distaste. ¡°It¡¯s a creature comprised of other race physically - an abomination of nature itself. I don¡¯t know who would do this to the poor souls.¡± ¡°Physically? As in someone pasted together parts of other races to create this thing?¡± Anwar asked for confirmation, staring at the large creature with pity. ¡°Yes,¡± Elwood muttered, gritting her teeth and clenching her fists. ¡°So.. how do we defeat it?¡± asked Anwar. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it won¡¯t let me leave.¡± The creature slowly hobbled over to the two, who backed away. ¡°Well, you see¡­ you have to find its heart.¡± ¡°Oh? That¡¯s it-?¡± ¡°Heart as in weak spot. Mongrels don¡¯t own hearts, they¡¯re spurred to live on by a constant force of mana feeding them. Each Mongrel has a different weak point,¡± Elwood clarified. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°So, is there any way I can escap-¡± ¡°GRAAAAH!¡± The Mongrel roared and proceeded to chest-thump. Yes, chest-thump. He charged forward at Anwar, who narrowly dodged his punch. ¡°WAAAH. WHAT DO I DO?¡± Anwar yelled, running circles around the beast. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Well, I suggest you stop doing that and run properly,¡± Elwood snorted. ¡°CAN¡¯T YOU DO SOMETHING?!¡± Anwar ran straight towards the fence, which was quite a distance away. ¡°Hm.. it took quite a lot of mana for me to.. well, awake yours. So, physically, no - I cannot help you,¡± Elwood shook her head. ¡°WHAT KIND OF GODDESS ARE YOU- WAH!¡± Another narrow dodge to the Mongrel¡¯s rash and random attacks. The Mongrel twirled around, raising both of his arms, trying to hit something - anything. ¡°Tch, I can¡¯t think. The damn Mongrel is pissing me off, the more I look at it¡­¡± Elwood glared at the Mongrel, who proceeded to chest-thump again. She placed a finger on her chin and began to think of possible situations. Meanwhile, the Mongrel and Anwar ran around her. ¡°Oh! I know!¡± Elwood shouted in revelation. She pounded the bottom side of her fist onto her palm. ¡°What-¡± pant ¡°-is it?¡± Anwar asked, gasping for air, as he soon began to tire out. ¡°I can analyze its body and tell you where its heart is,¡± Elwood grinned. ¡°Unfortunately it¡¯ll take me ten more minutes, so hang in there~!¡± ¡°Anything! Just do anything!¡± Elwood smiled and let out a small giggle. She closed her eyes and small plants popped out of the ground, they formed a field of clover in the midst of the dark dirt that surrounded it. The clovers turned a light blue color and a small flame-like essence surrounded it. ¡°Alright, I need you to push him into this,¡± Elwood gestured to the small patch of hell. ¡°A-and how do I do that¡­?¡± Anwar slowed down since the past ten minutes, but so did the Mongrel, who still spun around stupidly. ¡°Kind of what you did with that elf- the male one.¡± ¡°K-kick him?¡± Anwar eyed the Mongrel, who licked its lips and growled at him. ¡°Yeah, alright.¡± Anwar ran towards the small patch, the Mongrel trailing behind him. Everything went well, Anwar ran towards the patch, the Mongrel chased him. However, Anwar made a mistake and well¡­ tripped. He fell into the small patch of hell. ¡°WAAAH, IT HURTS. MAKE IT STO-¡± ¡°Idiot, stop. It won¡¯t work until I activate it, so hurry up and move over before I do so on purpose,¡± Elwood scoffed. ¡°Oh.¡± However, it was too late, a large shadow loomed over Anwar¡¯s body. The Mongrel was in arms-distance range to Anwar and it knew it. He.. or she¡­ licked its lips and leaned forward to attack Anwar. OH, GOD. Anwar rolled over in fear and kicked the Mongrel into the patch of grass. Without skipping a beat, Elwood snapped her fingers and the patch of hell burst into flames and consumed the Mongrel - killing it slowly. Anwar twitched as he heard its small yells of pain. ¡°Wait. Hang on a second¡­ You said that you were only able to analyze- ...Did you lie?¡± ¡°Oops. I got caught,¡± Elwood winked uncharacteristically. ¡°...Satan¡¯s spawn.¡± ¡°How rude!¡± Elwood pouted - again - uncharacteristically. ¡°No, just¡­¡± Anwar let out a breath of air, ¡°why do you still breathe?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bodily func-¡± ¡°WHOA!¡± Anwar yelled out in surprise, a small blue screen (of death) appeared in front of him.
Metamagic (Beginner) Learned!
¡°What is this?¡± Anwar asked, showing Elwood the screen. ¡°Ah¡­ that¡¯s your first gift,¡± Elwood clapped. ¡°Good job,¡± she said dryly. How do I find out what it does? Anwar thought, frowning at the screen. He tried stomping on it with his hoof, but it created a small crinkle before fixing itself again - within two seconds. ¡°Status!¡± he yelled, but nothing happened. ¡°Pfft- this isn¡¯t some novel,¡± Elwood snorted. ¡°Try thinking ¡®info,¡¯ instead.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Anwar¡¯s face turned a slight pink, ¡°info!¡±
Can adjust or change properties of magic and items to a certain (minimal)* amount. *Color, name, etc.
Anwar frowned. Nothing much, he noted. It was cool he could change or adjust magic or item properties, however, as it stated, it was only to a minimal amount. ¡°Right now, it¡¯ll be useless,¡± Elwood said. ¡°However, it has the potential to be something great.¡± ¡°R-really?¡± Anwar looked hopeful. ¡°HAHA, what do I look like to you? The God of Future?¡± Elwood laughed. ¡°Hell if I know!¡± ¡°...Why are you even alive.¡± __________ Stellar''s Box Another small chapter, apologies! Howeeeeverrrrr, FIRST GIFT OMG WHAT. NOWAY. Tell me what you think about it! Is it a good idea/bad idea? What are the potentials of it, etc. ;) Also, side note, didn''t want to make MC too OP during his early stages - he''s SUUUUPERRR nerfed. Super. NOT A CHAPTER This is not a chapter, but rather to clear up some things from last chapter. Just for clarifications if I do have romance. Q. Will Anwar have a humanoid form? A. No, this will take away the uniqueness of Anwar even coming to this world. What would be the point of reincarnating into a horse if he could become a human? Q. Will Anwar and his supposed love have sex? A. NO, definitely not. I''m not all into bestiality and it''s against my moral codes to write something as sexual as this. Maybe you, if you wanted to, can write what you think will happen between them, but I will stand by my values. Q. How would their love be like? A. Of course, they will be socially and emotionally involved with each other and love each other that way. However, nothing sexual will be involved. It''ll be similar to a companionship, but they''ll love each other romantically. As stated previously, in chapter 2, Anwar has no sexual desires. Q. Will there be a harem? A. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I hate harems, absolutely hate them. It''ll be trouble enough to find a reason as to why each female will accept each other, and why he would love them equally. That, and I don''t want some side-chicks hanging off of him every hour, minute, and second of the day. (Annoying). Anwar will have one love in his life, and that is it. (If anything, I''d rather have a harem for a side character). You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Q. When will you ever introduce his love? A. It would definitely be later in the story. As he''s progressing, I don''t want him all over some chick who could potentially stunt his growth. When he''s much stronger, then I''ll introduce her. _________ Unrelated questions Q. Will Anwar be super OP? A. Anwar will be OP, just not super OP. Everything in this world will have a limit and a weakness, therefore making it slightly more realistic. I honestly, sometimes, don''t like where the MC can destroy a mountain with a flick of their pinky, and the only way someone can counter him/her is if they''re more OP than him/her. Nobody is perfect, so why is the MC without weakness? Side note: I hate when the MC''s weakness is his love, like ugh. No. Dropped. Chapter 5: Fire So, I flipped a coin to see what story I should write for and it was Heroes'' Mount, so here''s the chapter! Also, apologies for not posting faster - I''ve been taking breaks and playing games to relieve myself from the stress of health class. ___________ Chapter 5: Fire 6 months have passed by since Anwar learned his first ability. During that time, he¡¯s been diligently meditating and sometimes running around - or away¡­ from a certain person. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t Elwyn, despite the fact that he still watched Anwar with happy eyes and talked to him about nonsense. No, this person was a stranger - a young girl, in fact. Around this time, Elven children at the age 14 with birthdays within the next four months are to choose their horse counterparts and train them to become mighty mounts of the battlefield. This was due to the unveiling ceremony approaching within four months, where they would officially become adults at the age 15. However, none of the children went up to Anwar (mostly due to the young girl chasing away suitors). Anwar thought she was absolutely crazy and would run away everytime he saw her. The young girl had long, red hair and daring, green eyes. Her every move challenged him in no ways Elwood even could. Every twitch of her finger sent him trotting away into the field like a pony. In fact, he felt like a pony. However, he knew he was a mighty stallion. So Anwar would sometimes challenge her back - by glaring. Yes, glaring. Maybe adding a little neigh, but that was it. However, the time to choose a horse counterpart was soon coming to an end. Anwar hasn¡¯t been chosen yet, and the girl hasn¡¯t gone after any other horse either. ¡°Why don¡¯t you let her choose you?¡± Elwood yawned, as she lazily floated by him. ¡°Know for a fact, that if you¡¯re not chosen here, then you¡¯ll be stuck in this barn as a stud. You do know what a stud is, right?¡± Anwar shivered. However, he was not the type to lose to an obvious challenge. Well, actually he was, but today of all days - he felt like a beast. ¡°No, I won¡¯t lose this one. I¡¯ve been a coward all of my life, today I will change-!¡± the young girl was rushing towards him at max speed, her face was hidden, but a small, evil smile could be seen. She looked up at him, her green eyes glaring with determination. ¡°S-she¡¯s coming! I repeat, she¡¯s coming! Abandon ships!¡± Panicking, Anwar turned around to run away. However, he felt the small girl pounce at him, tackling him to the ground. His gravity shifted and his vision turned from what was in front of him to the green grass. ¡°YOU WILL BE MINE!¡± She roared. ¡°N-never!¡± Anwar yelled, a surprised look appeared on her face, before the world turned to darkness. ¡­ ¡°...a baby!¡± A masculine voice yelled, to which Anwar identified as Elwyn. ¡°Uuu¡­. s-sorry,¡± a childish voice apologized. ¡°However, he submitted first! A warrior must never do that! At least, that¡¯s what Papa told me¡­¡± Elwyn sighed. ¡°What has Zander been teaching you?¡± Anwar got up, his vision still hazy, however he could make out the figures and colors before him. To the right of him was the red-haired girl, to the left was Elwyn - who seemed much more mature and cooler at this time. ¡°Don¡¯t do it again, got it?¡± Elwyn warned, glaring at her. ¡°G-got it!¡± The red-haired girl saluted Elwyn, who walked away. Hey, hey, hey, wait a second. Hold up, you¡¯re gonna leave me? With her? Anwar eyed the girl nervously, who glanced at him nervously. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep your secret,¡± she whispered to him. ¡°I know you can talk - you don¡¯t have to talk back, though.¡± Anwar snorted, I won¡¯t - trust me. ¡°Well, my name is Ayda Chava Gweluthel! However, you can just call me Ayda! From now on, we¡¯ll be partners, okay? So¡­ nice to meet you, Anwar,¡± Ayda grinned at him. Anwar¡¯s heart softened a bit, albeit he still held a grudge when she tackled him and knocked him out. So, Anwar nodded his head. Ayda¡¯s face brightened up and her small grin spread across her face into a full-blown smile. ¡°Hehehe¡­ let¡¯s get along then.¡± ¡­ The training regimen for chosen horses were different - much different than what Anwar had expected. Of course they would train their muscles by running laps and carrying heavy objects. However, they would also train their horses to track carefully and even learn how to attack correct opponents. This really is a magical world, Anwar thought to himself, as he listened to Ayda telling him their training regime. He couldn¡¯t image horses on earth doing stuff like this. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go to the field, Anwar!¡± Ayda chirped happily, as she lead him to the field. As soon as they arrived at the field, Anwar felt something odd in the atmosphere¡­ and it was directed towards Ayda. Whispers circulated around the field, as children alike all glared at her with hatred and disgust. Anwar couldn¡¯t understand why. By the time they made it to their field, an instructor awaited them. He, like the other children, had a disgusted look on his face as he eyed Ayda. ¡°Late,¡± he said, glaring down at the small girl. ¡°S-sorry, sir,¡± she bowed. ¡°It won¡¯t happen again.¡± Anwar frowned, as they were walking to their field, the other students were casually talking and lying about. So, why is Ayda the only one they¡¯re strict with? Anwar neighed at the instructor, who scoffed and muttered, ¡°impudent, just like your master¡­ Hurry up and start your training.¡± As he left, Ayda smiled sadly at Anwar. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Anwar. Don¡¯t get mad. You see, I¡¯m a half-elf - born of human and elven blood. My mother was a human, she died giving birth to me. My father¡¯s name is Zander, he lives by the edge of the village - he¡¯s a warrior.¡± Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Anwar wanted to know why elves discriminated against half-elves. Was it something to do with humans themselves? Or did they dislike hybrids in general. ¡°Well, let¡¯s get started! We have a long day ahead of us!¡± Ayda yelled enthusiastically. ¡°First, we¡¯ll learn how to saddle up¡­¡± Anwar sighed, at times like these, he wondered where Elwood was. Her constant pestering kept him somewhat entertained at moments like these¡­ ¡­ ¡°Forward!¡± Ayda yelled, as Anwar jumped over a log and moved faster - his legs burned, but he pushed forward. He could feel the muscles building already. ¡°Almost there, Anwar. Keep it up,¡± Ayda said calmly, as they shortly arrived at their destination - the end of the field. Right now, they were doing a practice run to see if the horses were competent enough or if they had to choose a different steed. Currently, Anwar was first place. Ayda grinned happily. ¡°No way, she must¡¯ve cheated somehow,¡± some children whispered to each other, she ignored. She ignored it like every other comment she has gotten today - which amounted to quite a lot. Maybe even more than a hundred or two hundred. ¡°We did it, Anwar!¡± She hugged him. ¡°That must¡¯ve showed them,¡± Ayda whispered. Over the day, Anwar has learned that elves of all ages discriminated against Ayda, due to her being a half-elf. Not only that, but they also refuse to acknowledge those related to her. For example, Zander, her father, and Anwar, her horse. For the next few hours, Anwar ran laps across the field with Ayda on his back. He dodged obstacles and jumped over some, as well as even crushing some obstacles to dust. They taught him how to attack opponents, to which they surprised on how fast he was picking things up. Well, most of them were really simple. Some of them include his regular attacks, such as kicking with the hind legs - something he did more often than he would like. However, as babies, they limited the amount of things they could and should do. Some of it being the amount of weight they carried, how many laps they should run, and how many things they could do. Once their training was over, Ayda brought him to her home - where he met her father, Zander. Zander was handsome - like all elves were. He had long, blonde hair and striking green eyes that would illuminate in the darkness. ¡°So, this is your horse,¡± Zander eyed Anwar, walking around him with analyzing eyes. He then proceeded to touch Anwar and rub him in places even Elwyn hasn¡¯t. NO, NOT THERE-! Zander retreated his hands and nodded his head in approval, leaving Anwar feeling used and disgusted. ¡°He¡¯s a good horse. Nice pick.¡± What is with elves and touching? Anwar groaned, crying to himself. Ayda grinned, ¡°he¡¯s the one I¡¯ve been telling you about - the challenging warrior one!¡± ¡°Oho,¡± Zander grinned, ¡°so you managed to get him after all.. Good job.¡± ¡°Hehe,¡± Ayda giggled and hugged Anwar, who twitched - it was a habit he got from his pony days¡­ which means a few hours ago in the morning. Zander stared at Anwar a bit longer, before smiling and saying, ¡°you better protect her well, got it? So, what¡¯s his name?¡± You should¡¯ve asked that in the first place, Anwar glared, finding a newfound hatred in Zander - along with Elwyn. ¡°Anwar,¡± Ayda grinned. ¡°Elwyn told me it meant luminous or bright. Apparently, as soon as he was born, Anwar resembled an intellectual animal.¡± ¡°Well, is he?¡± ¡°Is he what?¡± ¡°Is he smart, come on now, child,¡± Zander snorted. ¡°Well, today¡­¡± Ayda then proceeded to explain to Zander what happened today and how fast Anwar picked up the things they taught him. She included how surprised the instructors and other children were when they saw Anwar - they were supposedly jealous. ¡°Hehe, that¡¯s my little warrior! That¡¯s how you teach others not to cross you! And if they do?¡± ¡°Kill them!¡± Ayda yelled, grinning innocently. Anwar paled as he stared at the father and daughter pair. ¡°HAHA!¡± Zander laughed, ¡°alright then. Bring Anwar to the stables, I made your favorite vegetable soup.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Ayda cheered. ¡°Come on, Anwar, let¡¯s bring you to your stables,¡± Ayda led him to a comfy-looking stable filled with hay. ¡°I spent all of my allowance just to get you this hay. Before we didn¡¯t have any.¡± Anwar laid down on the hay, nodding his head in appreciation. Well, at least she tried, Anwar thought to himself. ¡°Well, nighty-night, Anwar. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow morning!¡± Ayda smiled before leaving. Anwar sighed contently and snuggled up in the hay, before remembering something - or someone - important. Where¡¯s Elwood? ¡°Here,¡± Elwood yawned. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ve been doing something.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± Anwar asked. Elwood, who he knows to be lazy and tends to get easily bored, actually did something? Something productive even? Elwood paused. A tense silence filled the room as she stared at him with a serious expression. ¡°Anwar, I have to tell you something.¡± __________ Stellar''s Box DUN DUN DUNNN! Soooo, hey. How''s it going? I know I haven''t been releasing much, but in the mornings I''m busy with health, and in the afternoons.... I''m playing an mmorpg lmao. Related to story: So, how do you feel about Ayda? Zander? Any of the new characters? Who''s your favorite character so far? Who do you dislike the most? Chapter 6: As Quick as Lightning Chapter 6: As Quick as Lightning ¡°Anwar, I have to tell you something.¡± Anwar paused, ¡°go on.¡± Elwood sighed and paced back and forth. ¡°The girl¡­ Anya-¡± ¡°Ayda,¡± he corrected. ¡°Ayda, right¡­ Stay by her side.¡± Elwood said, ¡°protect her, make sure she isn¡¯t harmed in any way. Got it?¡± Anwar felt confused by her sudden task and felt compelled to ask her what was going on, but a nervous look on her face told him to not ask. It could either be bad news (for him), or bad news (for the girl). Either way, he chose not to hear and live in complete ignorance. ¡°Alright,¡± he replied dryly. ¡°Eh?¡± Elwood let out in surprise, ¡°wait. That¡¯s it? You¡¯re not gonna ask why? You¡¯re not even going to deny it?¡± ¡°No,¡± he snorted. ¡°After all, ignorance is bliss. Besides, you were going to force me to go with her if I said no, right?¡± ¡°True,¡± she nodded. ¡°But I¡¯ll tell you anyway.¡± Don¡¯t tell me after I said all of that! Anwar yelled in his mind. Elwood coughed. ¡°As the Goddess of Nature, I am in ropes with the other Gods - naturally. This includes the God of Time - also known as the God of Future, Past, and Present, however you want to say it.¡± ¡°Ooh,¡± Anwar let out, mentally clapping his hands. ¡°In the near future, something will happen and tip the balance of good and evil. Of course, due to this something, another something will happen concerning Ayda, leading to something, and-¡± ¡°Hold on,¡± Anwar frowned. ¡°What¡¯s with all of these ¡®somethings¡¯?¡± Elwood chuckled mysteriously, ¡°I see you¡¯ve noticed¡­¡± Who wouldn¡¯t?!] Anwar frowned. ¡°I am, unfortunately, a less important major god. According to the God of Order and Balance, we¡¯re not allowed to help either side of good or evil. However, since I¡¯m not helping her, but rather telling you - a weak animal - to stay by her side, this counts as something ¡®safe.¡¯¡± Basically a loophole, Anwar sighed. ¡°What¡¯s in it for me?¡± Anwar asked. ¡°Hmm,¡± Elwood rubbed her chin before pounding her fist on her palm. ¡°You can get out of this small town and explore the world as much as you like¡­ As long as you watch over her, of course.¡± ¡°Ergh¡­¡± Anwar had been wanting to escape this hell hole ever since Day 1, with the feeding incident. However, as much as this appealed to him, anything involving the gods seemed to be dangerous. He didn¡¯t want his new life to be put to waste so easily. ¡°Think about it, Anwar.¡± With those parting words, a rush of wind blew through the room, and Elwood disappeared. Anwar sighed and pondered his choices. After a minute or so of concentration, he finally came up with the best remedy to his problems. I¡¯ll sleep on it. ¡­ ¡°Starting today, we¡¯re going to train for real!¡± Ayda declared. Causing Anwar to tremble, yesterday wasn¡¯t real training? ¡°In the mornings, I¡¯ll practice using my weapon with father, then I¡¯ll practice using the bow, then using the bow while riding you, then¡­¡± Anwar spaced out as she listed her various drills and practices she would go through today. ¡°...oh, and also you¡¯ll train to increase your strength, speed, and flexibility!¡± Ayda concluded, smiling. Wait, what? Anwar whipped his head to face Ayda, who smiled up at him. ¡°Ayda, you there?!¡± Zander yelled, peaking his head through the doors. ¡°It¡¯s time for Anwar¡¯s warm up.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Ayda called back. She grabbed onto Anwar¡¯s rein and lead him outside, where he saw a familiar elf waiting. It was Elwyn. We meet again, Anwar glared. ¡°Good morning, Anwar,¡± Elwyn grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking over your training from now on. Do not fret, you¡¯ll see Ayda during her breaks.¡± Elwyn comforted him, as if Anwar cared about that little girl. Elwyn grabbed onto Anwar¡¯s reins. Ayda grinned, ¡°see you later, Anwar!¡± However, as soon as Elwyn pulled, Anwar pulled back. He refused to go with Elwyn. ¡°Eh?¡± Everyone looked baffled. ¡°Anwar, it¡¯s time for training,¡± Ayda smiled, a slight frown on her face. However, no matter what they did, Anwar did not budge. That was until Elwyn started to laugh evilly, ¡°HAHAHAHA!¡± ¡°Oh, no¡­¡± They groaned. ¡°Elwyn¡¯s other side came out,¡± Ayda sighed and looked at Anwar with pity. ¡°He¡¯s so kind, I wonder how he ended up like this,¡± Zander shook his head at Elwyn, who had a crazed look on his face. ¡°I¡¯ve never met a horse as stubborn as you before,¡± Elwyn grinned evilly, licking his bottom lips. A shiver coursed through Anwar¡¯s body, cold sweat dripped down his body. In one motion, Elwyn ran and pulled himself up onto Anwar¡¯s saddle. It was as quick as lightning, Anwar could only see a blur passing by him. Then, as if possessed, he felt a huge amount of pressure compel his body forward. He was unable to stop running at max speed towards the field, with Elwyn laughing wildly on his back. Zander sighed and grinned. ¡°Back in the day, Elwyn was known as the Forest King. There was no animal he could tame. Even the strongest magical animals were subdued by him.¡± ¡°Wow! I didn¡¯t know Mr. Elwyn had a background like that!¡± Zander laughed, ¡°don¡¯t judge a person by their cover. Got it, Ayda?¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Ayda nodded in confirmation. ¡­ ¡°Ugh,¡± Anwar held in a mini barf as he panted in exhaustion. After charging Anwar to the fields, he forced him to run around non-stop until he finally slowed down into a trot then a walk. ¡°Good boy,¡± Elwyn grinned. A new form of fear and respect built within Anwar for Elwyn. Anwar walked around for another ten minutes, occasionally turning either left or right (or however Elwyn saw fit). After this, Elwyn lead him to a place with low bars on the ground. ¡°Good, no one is using the ground poles,¡± Elwyn nodded. ¡°Come, Anwar. Trot over them,¡± Elwyn pulled the reigns towards the ground poles and followed his lead. He sighed, when will this be over? ¡­ As stated previously, as soon as Anwar was done with his morning routines, he was allowed to see Ayda, who was still practicing using her weapon with her father. Much to his surprise, her weapon wasn¡¯t a sword, but rather a long, slender pole. Or stick - however you see fit. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. In Anwar¡¯s personal opinion, it was a stick. Thankfully, there were no mind-readers to hear him say that. Whap! A loud noise resounded throughout the forest surrounding them. ¡°Uuu¡­¡± Ayda whimpered, a red mark slowly appearing on her calf. ¡°I can see you slacking,¡± Zander glared. ¡°But I¡¯m tired!¡± Ayda groaned. ¡°Listen, child!¡± Zander suddenly yelled. ¡°Do not slack off, just because you feel slightly tired. There are many other kids who would die for a chance to be able to learn how to train, but are unable to find a mentor or even afford a simple book that talks about the basics of training!¡± Ayda frowned but sucked it up and continued to practice diligently for the rest of the time. During her break, Ayda quickly ran over to the nearby Anwar. Her face was red and she was pouting. ¡°Can you believe it, Anwar?¡± Ayda grumbled. ¡°I can¡¯t believe father punished me because I took a small break after feeling tired. Isn¡¯t that too much? I mean, it the first time I¡¯ve slacked off a little. Couldn¡¯t he give me a break?¡± Anwar paused to think to himself. Her father was reasonable in telling her not to slack off, but as a child, she still didn¡¯t understand - or didn¡¯t want to understand - why she got punished for something she¡¯s done for the first time. Anwar just snorted and neighed at her, shaking his head. ¡°W-what?¡± Ayda¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re on his side, too!¡± In his eyes, Ayda¡¯s training was comparable to his past life. Albeit he barely remembers it, he recalls being bitter of the fact that he was born with a not-so-pleasant face and was unable to obtain a girlfriend because of it. Other children were unable to train due to certain circumstances, despite wanting it desperately. In this world, training to even a low level still means you¡¯re above average, giving you a higher status than normal people (although you¡¯re still below nobles and such). A higher status means better paying jobs or even friendlier (business) relationships with others. It was a strong-eats-the-weak world. Anwar just neighed back. ¡°Ergh¡­¡± Ayda pouted. ¡°I just don¡¯t understand.¡± A sigh came from behind Ayda. ¡°Ayda,¡± Zander called her name. ¡°Let me tell you, in this world, who do you think dominates the top?¡± Ayda turned to face her father. ¡°Obviously the strong,¡± she replied. ¡°How do you get stronger?¡± ¡°By training!¡± ¡°Why is getting stronger important?¡± ¡°You can get a higher status and earn more money!¡± Zander sighed. ¡°And most importantly?¡± ¡°Father, what do you mean?¡± Ayda frowned. ¡°Ayda, getting stronger isn¡¯t about getting wealthier. There are more important things to life. Getting stronger has a deeper meaning to it, and those who don¡¯t realize it, are unfortunate and fortunate at the same time.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Ayda asked. ¡°To get stronger means you can better protect those you love or things important to you. Those who don¡¯t realize this fact, have, fortunately, never encountered a situation in which they must protect something they love. Unfortunately, they don¡¯t have the luxury of having that one drive - that motivation that pushes you through your hardships and allows you to attain a higher level of strength.¡± ¡°So I have to find something I need to protect? Isn¡¯t that easy?¡± Ayda frowned. ¡°I want to protect you, Anwar, and Elwyn.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not as simple as that. Ayda you need to find your motivation.¡± Zander then said, ¡°the reason why I punished you for slacking off, is due to thousands of people dying from being suppressed by the strong. Everyone wants to get stronger to be able to fend off those who want to harm them. However, here you are, training to get stronger in a safe environment.¡± ¡°This is a luxury millions of others can¡¯t have,¡± Zander ended. ¡°Why can¡¯t others train by themselves?¡± Ayda frowned. ¡°Do you really need a book or a teacher to teach you how to punch?¡± Zander laughed, ¡°you don¡¯t need a teacher or a book to teach you how to punch. However, you need one or the other to learn how to form your foundation to train. Without your foundation, you¡¯re rendered unable to learn certain skills requiring mana.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°Forming a foundation enables one to connect with mana. Think of it as a medium between you and mana. If you don¡¯t have this connection, then it¡¯s impossible to learn anything past physical skills.¡± ¡°Have I formed a foundation already?¡± Ayda asked, unsure of herself. Zander burst into laughter again. ¡°Ayda, let me tell you several ways to obtain a foundation. One, you¡¯re born with it, two, you form it yourself with professional help, three, you¡¯re given it by an entity or object. Elves are a race of magic, we¡¯re born with foundations. This includes half-elves.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Ayda paused, thinking to herself for a minute or two. Before she nodded. ¡°I understand why I was punished. I apologize for my bad behavior,¡± Ayda stood up and bowed. Zander patted her head and began to rub it roughly. ¡°Good.¡± Then he walked away. Ayda looked at Anwar, too, a flash of intelligence in her eyes. ¡°Thanks for listening to me rant, Anwar.¡± She then ran off towards her next activity. Anwar paused, are all elves as quick as lightning?* __________________ * Refers to how fast she matured, if you didn''t catch it, lol. Or I might just be bad at writing in between lines... Stellar''s Box: Long time no seeeeeeee! Things are starting to slow down a bit, so I might be able to post chapters every couple weeks or so. c: If there''s any mistakes, feel free to point them out. (I haven''t written in a long time, so any help would, well... be helpful). ALSO, I would like to add in the fact that I''ve changed my opinion on a lot of things ever since I went on a small hiatus. Things I''ve said previously might not be true now. Thanks! Chapter 7: Clueless Chapter 7: Clueless 2 months have passed since Ayda began to show maturity. Her skin grew thicker, she yelled less (albeit, she developed quite a temper), and rarely insinuated arguments and fights with the other kids. However, she still acted childish in front of Anwar - it was, apparently, her way of showing him affection. ¡°Anwar!¡± Ayda chirped happily. Sweat dripped off her chin and forehead and she produced a foul-smelling odor that caused Anwar¡¯s sense of smell to go numb. Ayda, evidently, just finished the first part of her conditioning. It was something that recently appeared in her schedule, an entire day of training her body to be that of a warrior¡¯s. Within two weeks, her muscles that used to look soft, yet toned, now had grown hard and somewhat¡­ big. In a few months, she¡¯ll resemble Arnold¡­ Anwar thought to himself, examining her biceps. There¡¯s no way, right? ¡°I missed you!¡± Ayda laughed, hugging him, her sweat sliding up and down his neck. He shuddered in disgust and quickly nipped at her arm, to which she quickly pulled back, giggling. ¡°You missed me, too, huh.¡± He mentally gagged. ¡°Break¡¯s over!¡± Zander yelled, calling for her back. ¡°B-but it¡¯s only been a minute!¡± Ayda complained. ¡°It¡¯s been 10 minutes,¡± Zander deadpanned, an amusing gleam in his eyes. Sadist, Anwar shook his head. I have no time for this, Anwar huffed, getting up and away from the two. ¡°W-wait!¡± Ayda protested, but he left before she could say anymore. Normally, when he left her randomly, they assumed he went to graze, like a dumb horse. The truth is, he was practicing his magic and training to become stronger in the forest under Elwood¡¯s supervision. Anwar maneuvered through the dark forest, as if he knew the entire forest on the back of his hand. He finally stopped at a small clearing where the sunlight came through the small holes between the trees. The clearing was circular and was, of course, surrounded by trees and various vegetation. However, the difference between this clearing and the rest of the forest, was that Elwood placed a small protection ward on it. In this clearing, anyone and anything, aside from Anwar, Elwood, and a few people Anwar deems trusted (which is no one, including Elwood), are unable to enter this area. It was quite convenient, and was given to him, generously, by Elwood. (Which he suspected was a bribe to help Ayda). ¡°What do I do now¡­¡± Anwar pondered to himself. He came here to train, but he wasn¡¯t exactly sure how to train. In the first place, the word ¡®train¡¯ was completely foreign to him. In his past life, he wasn¡¯t so much a jock (well, he wasn¡¯t very good at sports, from what he recalls) and preferred to play video games or read fantasy books and translated novels from different countries. Also, there was the odd case of action figures, to which he felt a deep, passionate connection to. ¡°Need help?¡± A familiar voice spoke up. He could recognize it anywhere. Soothing, yet somewhat snide and sarcastic. Other times, amused or bored. He sighed, ¡°hello, Elwood.¡± ¡°Is this how you greet your master?¡± Elwood faked hurt, and placed her hand on her heart. ¡°On the serious note, do you have any questions on training?¡± Anwar hesitated before saying, ¡°yeah. A lot, actually.¡± ¡°Ask away.¡± ¡°Alright, then.¡± Anwar showed no mercy and said, ¡°how do you train?¡± A sudden burst of spit came from Elwood as she looked at him incredulously. ¡°Are you serious?!¡± ¡°Not right now, no,¡± Anwar casually replied. ¡°So? Are you gonna tell me?¡± She glared and quickly fixed the spit from her clothes and chin with a wave of her hand. Anwar scoffed, if she could do that, then couldn¡¯t she have killed that previous Mongrel easily, too? ¡°I assumed you knew, since, well, you¡¯ve succeeded on receiving your first gift,¡± Elwood sighed. ¡°But, if you truly don¡¯t know-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± he interrupted. ¡°Yes,¡± she glared, then continued. ¡°If you don¡¯t know, I¡¯ll ¡°teach¡± you,¡± she created quotation marks with her fingers. ¡°What do you mean by ¡®teach¡¯?¡± Anwar tried copying her movement with his hooves, but was unable to and fell forward. Ignoring his antics, Elwood said, ¡°practice makes perfect. Meaning, in order to perfect and advance your magic, you continuously use them, apply them in battle, study it, and make improvements on it.¡± ¡°This only applies to regular spells, however. In order to train your gift, you must train your mana and push it to the next level. You are currently at level 2,¡± Elwood explained simply. ¡°Uh?¡± Anwar stared at her in confusion, ¡°how do you check your level?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t exactly check it, it doesn¡¯t appear to you like your gifts do when you first get them. However you can feel for your level, as in concentrate deep within you and check to see how strong your mana is. But anyway, you should be level 2, since you achieved your first gift a few months back.¡± ¡°Feel for it?¡± Anwar closed his eyes and concentrated on his mana, trying to ¡°feel¡± for it. He definitely felt his mana as a surge of power burst within him, leaving behind a mint-cool feeling to it. However, nothing appeared to him, except a burst of mana. A small amount of frustration built inside of him, but quickly disappeared when he saw a familiar blue screen in front of him.
Basic Information Name: Anwar Race: Divine Horse Age: 43? 8 months? Title: Blessed One Level: 3
¡°Uh, Elwood.¡± Anwar gulped. ¡°Are you sure a blue screen isn¡¯t supposed to appear?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± she nodded her head firmly. As if it were a law it wasn¡¯t supposed to show up. However, it was happened to Anwar¡­ right now. ¡°Are you super sure?¡± ¡°I¡¯m super sure,¡± she yawned. ¡°Serious? Are you super serious?¡± A small flash of irritation appeared on her face before saying, ¡°as dead serious as you were when you first drank from your mother.¡± ¡°Low,¡± he whispered. ¡°Anyway, if you¡¯re so sure, then why is there a blue screen in front of me saying ¡®basic information¡¯ along with my, well¡­ basic information.¡± ¡°What?¡± Elwood¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Anwar¡­ what¡¯s your mana level?¡± ¡°It says level 3? Is that good?¡± he asked cluelessly. ¡°What! When did you level up?!¡± Elwood stared at him in surprise, then a flash of shock and shame appeared on her face. As a Goddess, she was ashamed she didn¡¯t realize it after examining Anwar¡¯s mana everyday. Shock, because even he didn¡¯t realize he leveled up. Anwar squinted his eyes, thinking of anything that happened recently that could cause him to level up. ¡°Oh!¡± He yelled out in sudden revelation, ¡°it might¡¯ve been during that one time¡­¡± One day, during training, he accidentally provoked Elwyn¡¯s dark side and was suddenly hit by a ton of mana pressure from him. Anwar must¡¯ve unconsciously tried to defend himself from the sudden attack and failed, but the pressure probably forced his mana level to increase by one. He recalled seeing blue upon fainting. ¡°I see¡­¡± Elwood trailed off. ¡°This Elwyn must¡¯ve been a character back in his days.¡± ¡°It¡¯s what everyone is saying,¡± Anwar sighed. ¡°Well, then. What¡¯s your second gift?¡± she asked. ¡°Uh, how do I check that again?¡± ¡°Info,¡± she replied curtly. ¡°Info!¡± Anwar yelled, feeling himself turn pink, which was impossible but¡­ Saying it out loud was embarrassing.
Metamagic (Beginner) If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Can adjust or change properties of magic and items to a certain (minimal)* amount. *Color, name, etc.
Info?* (Beginner) Can show information on items and statuses *Info given is clearly the ¡®common sense¡¯ in this world
He sighed, another useless skill. However, everything has the potential to become something greater! Is what he thought to himself uselessly¡­ ¡°Er, it says info,¡± he told Elwood. ¡°And?¡± Elwood urged him on. ¡°It says info with a question mark.¡± She sighed, ¡°tell me its description.¡± ¡°Can show more information on items and statuses¡­ info given is clearly the common sense in this world,¡± Anwar ended pitifully. ¡°Pfft! BAHAHAHA!¡± Elwood guffawed, ¡°leave it to you to get another useless skill.¡± She sighed and wiped a single tear from her eyes. Anwar huffed. ¡°Anyway, you should really get back to leveling up. At this rate, you¡¯ll be level 10 in a few years, which is¡­ incredibly horrible.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Anwar tilted his head, ¡°this isn¡¯t normal?¡± ¡°It¡¯s incredibly slow,¡± Elwood answered back. ¡°Below average.¡± ¡°What!¡± Anwar shouted in surprise, ¡°then what¡¯s the normal rate? What¡¯s the above average rate?¡± ¡°Hmm, before going off, I¡¯ll tell you one thing. At the beginning stages, known as the foundation-forming stage, one would normally take a few months or even years to form a foundation. However, it took you a few days-¡± ¡°Wait, does that mean level one is basically forming a foundation?¡± ¡°Correct. If you were able to use magic, that is. Beings that are unable to use magic use other methods to level up. Anyway, taking a few days to form a foundation is¡­ horrifyingly fast.¡± Elwood sighed, her eyes filled with awe. ¡°Eh? Then what happened to me now?¡± asked Anwar. ¡°Normally, it would take an average person a few months to get from level 2 to level 15 and have 2 of their gifts, maybe even advance one of them, in less than half a year. However, it took you a few months to get from level 2 to level 3.¡± Anwar gulped, when she phrased it like that, it seemed like his cultivating talent was horribly weak. ¡°Then how do I level up faster?¡± ¡°As of now, you¡¯re only training your physical abilities and your body. However, fret not, I will teach you the ways of magic!¡± Elwood smiled, as if he should be lucky to have someone like her around. ¡°What do you say, young one?¡± ¡°Er, well¡­ I mean, yeah-¡± ¡°Perfect! Let¡¯s start now!¡± Elwood clapped her hands. ¡°What?! Now?!¡± ¡­ Somewhere far away from the Elven village, the Kingdom of Cyrus stands proud and tall. Within the Kingdom, one could see a burst of life and harmony between the citizens of the kingdom. If you took a closer look, one would see that not all of the Kingdom¡¯s citizens were humans. Yes, in large Kingdoms such as Cyrus, different races co-exist. There was, generally, no slandering between them, albeit they had a few cases of elitist nutjobs every now and then¡­ Within the castle, a group of pale-faced, regal-looking men stood in a line, parallel to a young man who sat in a throne. A golden crown sat on top of his lush, black hair and his golden-like amber eyes analyzed the men in front of him. This was King Kyros, despite his young appearance, he was, in fact, 53 years old! Of course, he didn¡¯t retain his young, handsome appearance by any normal means. No, the king himself was a magic warrior. Magicians and magic warriors alike consumed mana. Along with consuming mana, came a decrease in aging. Of course, the stronger you are and the more mana you consume, the longer you live. In the past, there were many tales of immortal warriors and magicians who reigned the battlefield. Of course, that was in the past. ¡°What is it?¡± asked King Kyros, staring down at his subjects with disinterest. ¡°Sir,¡± one of the men spoke up, he was a tall, burly man with a set of thick curls as his hair. This was one of the captains of Cyrus¡¯s military regime, Gabriel. ¡°Regarding the hero¡­¡± ¡°Did you find her?¡± King Kyros asked, finally looking interested. He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and his chin resting on his hands. ¡°Unfortunately, yes,¡± he sighed. ¡°We found her¡­ dead.¡± ¡°What?!¡± King Kyros exclaimed. ¡°Did you find the culprit?¡± ¡°No, sir. However, there was evidence of a large battle and resistance from the hero. We also found some uneven terrain and some parts of the earth missing.¡± Kyros cursed, he slammed a fist down on his throne. ¡°It¡¯s those elementals again. They must¡¯ve heard that the hero was of the wind element.¡± ¡°Would you like us to find the culprit and deal with them?¡± asked Gabriel. ¡°No, no.¡± Kyros sighed, ¡°there¡¯s no need for that. The elementals, despite there being no information or evidence of their split, it¡¯s clear there¡¯s a war going on between them. Even some of the smallest things could swing the momentum their direction.¡± Gabriel¡¯s eyebrow raised slightly, ¡°then, what now?¡± ¡°We find a hero with no element,¡± Kyros said. ¡°A simple warrior.¡± ¡°But sir, that¡¯ll take too long! By the time we find a new hero with no element, the Kingdom of Hartwin would have summoned their hero! Then we¡¯ll have no advantage of setting our hero off on a journey sooner!¡± Kyros cursed, of course he knew this. He wasn¡¯t a dumb king. However, there was no other option. Summoning was out of question, since his country was mostly made up of strong warriors. They barely had enough mages to even pass the first stage of the summoning process! ¡°Advantage or no advantage, there is no other option than to find one,¡± Kyros bit his lip in frustration. ¡°Finding someone with no element will take decades,¡± someone other than Gabriel finally spoke up. This was the Chief of Information, also known as the General of Secrecy, Silence. Silence had black hair and eyes, but pale white skin. He resembled a porcelain doll, despite being incredibly powerful. Silence¡¯s real name wasn''t known to anyone except for the king and a few other high-positioned people within the military. ¡°It¡¯s best to just find someone as fast as possible, with all of the requirements needed to be Cyrus¡¯s hero,¡± Silence said. Of course, their hero had requirements. Finding someone to fit these requirements proved to be harder than they thought, but now they had to find someone with no element that satisfied those needs? It wasn¡¯t impossible, but it would take years, maybe decades. Afterall, all beings were born with an element. However, beings born without elements were known to be incredibly powerful. Only a few have revealed themselves to the public. To be born without an element means you had the ability to use all elements, since you weren¡¯t bound to just one. Kyros growled in frustration. It was impossible to ask them to find someone who had no element, yet filled their requirements. He knew this, but he said so anyways. ¡°Just find someone,¡± he sighed, feeling defeated. He couldn¡¯t do a single thing about the Elementals¡¯ War, all he could do was pray for them to not assassinate his new hero¡­ ___________ Stellar''s Box HELLLLOOOOO, thanks for the wait? :) Comment down below on what you think of the chapter/any mistakes you found. I''d appreciate any feedback, too, you know. Story is finally starting to pick up, soooo sorry for the long, boring few chapters at first. x.x But, hey, it''s kind of worth it. (I think). *LOOKING FOR PROOF-READERS FOR THIS STORY, THANKS. Chapter 8: Magic Training! Chapter 8: Magic Training! ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s supposed to be like this?¡± Anwar asked with a nervous voice. ¡°Yes, perfect,¡± Elwood said. Currently, Anwar was somehow, somehow able to sit on his hind legs, with his hooves up in the air. ¡°Well, the meditating technique I¡¯m about to tell you about is supposed to have you sit upright, but unfortunately you¡¯re a horse, so¡­ this will do,¡± Elwood nodded her head in satisfaction. ¡°I feel ridiculous,¡± Anwar commented. ¡°Nobody cares. Anyway, this technique is very powerful and will allow you to expand your the amount of mana you can use by absorbing and releasing it- the sooner you use this technique, the better it is for you. Thankfully, you¡¯re only level 3.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t all meditating skills allow you to do that-?¡± ¡°Shh!¡± Elwood hushed him. ¡°This one allows you to do it at a faster rate, it will also absorb and release pure mana- rather than the gross ones humans absorb.¡± Gross ones? ¡°What now?¡± Anwar sighed. ¡°Close your eyes.¡± He did as she complied. ¡°Now, slowly breathe in and out. Remember how your mana felt? Try searching for that.¡± Anwar remembered the coolness of the mana, how it reminded him of mint. He then felt the same cool-as-mint feeling surrounding him. Then the mana slowly started entering in and out of him. As time went by, it began to enter in and out of him at a rapid pace. ¡°Hm?¡± Elwood frowned. ¡°He already managed to do it?¡± Anwar couldn¡¯t remember how long this process took, but by the time he opened his eyes, it was dark outside. Crap! Ayda! ¡°I must go!¡± Anwar yelled and ran back home, where he found a worried-strucken Ayda and a stern-faced Zander. ¡°It¡¯s Anwar!¡± Ayda yelled, tears rolling down her face. She ran up to him and hugged his neck tightly, at the same time, he felt the oxygen in him escape and a pair of arms forcibly stopping him from breathing. Ugh.. is this how I die? In the arms of my supposed master? Anwar let out a few cut-off neighs, to which Zander took notice. ¡°Uh¡­ Ayda?¡± Zander looked at the dying Anwar with worry. ¡°Ayda? You might kill him- Ayda!¡± Anwar turned purple, before Ayda, surprised, let go of him. ¡°Oh, sorry, Anwar! I was just so worried,¡± she pouted. ¡°Where did you run off to? This is the longest you¡¯ve been gone!¡± Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have returned, Anwar muttered, as he pushed her away with his face. ¡°Aw, Anwar. You missed me, too?¡± Ayda sighed and hugged his face, concealing his nose and restricting his mouth. Again, he couldn¡¯t breathe. Devil! She¡¯s doing this on purpose! Once again, he turned purple before she let go, wiping a tear from her face. ¡°Let¡¯s get you back,¡± Ayda smiled happily. Meanwhile, Zander looked at the horse with worry, a few beads of sweat rolling down his face. ¡°...Does she know?¡± Zander mumbled under his breath. ¡­ Once again, Anwar found himself at his personal clearing, learning magic from Elwood. ¡°So, you¡¯ve already mastered meditating, huh?¡± Elwood frowned. What else should she teach him? He doesn¡¯t have any attack-based powers, so it was useless to have him fight now. Plus, she didn¡¯t want a repeat of the mongrel situation, that was horrid. ¡°Did I? Was that it?¡± Anwar frowned. He was sure there¡¯d be more to it than just that. ¡°Yes,¡± Elwood sighed. ¡°Well, since you don¡¯t have any attack-based powers, I can¡¯t help you on that.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you help me level up my skills, then?¡± he asked. ¡°Unfortunately no, it all depends on your level, after all. Of course, the levels you receive your skills differ from person to person, and the higher level you need to advance a skill, the more powerful it is.¡± ¡°Do I just meditate then? How will I level up? How do I level up?¡± ¡°Leveling up is the act of either gaining experience and becoming stronger mentally or becoming stronger physically or magically. Well, meditating is one way to level up, although it¡¯s a bit slower than the other methods, such as defeating monsters and earning experience,¡± Elwood said. Elwood frowned and placed a finger on her chin, thinking of ways to help him. ¡°Ah! How about, mana manipulation?¡± ¡°Eh? Can I really do that?¡± Anwar questioned. ¡°Hm, if you¡¯re alright with it taking a slot of one of your skills, then yes. Although, mana manipulation isn¡¯t too uncommon, it¡¯s still a unique ability that¡¯s extremely helpful in combat and can even help make your skills that are mana-based stronger,¡± Elwood explained. ¡°There¡¯s many reasons to learn how to manipulate mana.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll take a skill slot?¡± Anwar thought about his current skills. [/i]Well, it must certainly be more useful than metamagic and info with a question mark.[/i] ¡°Alright, teach me this mana manipulation skill.¡± Elwood grinned, ¡°good.¡± She began to explain to him the concept of mana. First of all, mana is, basically, the energy that fuels mana-based skills, which were all skills that weren¡¯t mental-based or spirit-based, such as elemental power. Vita, however, is a magical essence that¡¯s the uncondensed version of mana, living creatures can¡¯t use and it exists in the atmosphere. It¡¯s too strong for living creatures to use and, if one were to use it, their skill would become stronger than them and they would lose control of it. Albeit, it¡¯s not possible to use vita, anyway. Every magic-user has a Mana Core, Anwar¡¯s was a ¡­ sword-shaped core. The mana core was the ¡°organ¡± that allowed a person or beast to interact and ¡°use¡± vita. The person or beast themselves don¡¯t use vita, but rather their core processes the vita and transforms it into usable energy known as mana that living creatures can use. To manipulate mana is to actively control your mana core to process vita and transform it into a usable, physical form. ¡°Okay, and how do we do that?¡± Anwar asked, slightly giddy. Manipulating mana sounds awesome! It sounds like a skill that main characters would use! ¡°First, you must train your mana core to become stronger. It¡¯s like a muscle, the stronger it is, the more you can control it better, something like that,¡± Elwood said. ¡°And how do I train it?¡± ¡°I was getting there. In order to train your mana core, you have to exhaust yourself of your mana every single day-¡± ¡°Hold on a second¡­ It¡¯s incredibly tiring to do that! How am I supposed to exhaust my mana, anyways? I don¡¯t have skills that can use mana!¡± Anwar frowned. ¡°Give me a second,¡± she glared. ¡°Since you¡¯re a special case, in order to exhaust yourself of mana, you must attempt to manipulate mana, despite not being able to. Trust me, it will exhaust you.¡± ¡°Is it painful?¡± Anwar asked. ¡°Hm¡­ no, but the exhaustion will knock you out,¡± Elwood simply said. ¡°Which is why many don¡¯t train their cores this way, as they¡¯ll be knocked out¡­ for a long period of time and be unable to recover their mana for a few days. Of course, the more you do it this way, the time you¡¯ll be knocked out and the time it takes to recover will decrease.¡± ¡°Hah?! Isn¡¯t that dangerous?!¡± Anwar exclaimed. ¡°No,¡± Elwood grinned. ¡°Since I¡¯ll be teaching you a way to recover your mana.¡± Anwar felt a bead of sweat roll down his face. ¡°And since I¡¯ll be teaching you this, as soon as you exhaust yourself, you will recover your mana and exhaust yourself again¡­ over and over again.¡± ¡°Can I say no-¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Shall we get started?¡± Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Might as well. Anwar closed his eyes and asked, ¡°how do I ¡®attempt¡¯ to control mana?¡± ¡°Easy, remember how you first grabbed mana in the beginning?¡± Anwar vaguely remembered doing that, as it was more than 6 months ago. ¡°This time, after ¡®grabbing¡¯ mana, you¡¯ll try and moving it to your will.¡± When it came to explaining how to do things, Elwood, once again, fell short. ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡± Anwar sighed. Although he didn¡¯t understand what it meant to will it, he¡¯ll still try anyways. Anwar recalled the cool-as-mint sensation he felt whenever mana surrounded him. Lately, it¡¯s been getting easier and easier to bring forth mana. Maybe it¡¯s due to meditating? Although he just started training his magic just yesterday, he could already feel the results weighing in. So, do I just turn it or something? How do I will it? Do I ask it to move or something? Anwar sighed. What Elwood meant wasn¡¯t exactly ¡°grabbing¡± the mana but being able to gather it in one place, which is what he sort of did last time. He gathered the mana in his hands, which then spread to the rest of his body like a plague. Of course, when he first did it, it truly felt as if he was ¡°grabbing¡± the mana, since it went in his hooves and everything, but now that he¡¯s got a better understanding of mana, it meant that he moved the energy to one point of his body. Once he gathered the energy to his hooves, Anwar tried moving it elsewhere. However, it stubbornly refused to move from his hooves. Why my hooves, out of all things? Why not my forehead, or something? It¡¯d make sense, since it wasn¡¯t facing the ground 24/7. How would I release a mana attack from my hooves, anyways? Do I get on my hind legs and start casting spells that way? The visual thought of him walking on his hind legs caused him to sigh. At times like this, it sure would be helpful to be human, Anwar thought. When Anwar tried moving the energy elsewhere, he started feeling slightly tired. Is this what she means by controlling it? I¡¯ll try moving it more forcibly now. Now, with more force, Anwar tried moving the energy to his forehead instead. ¡°It¡¯s not working,¡± Anwar sighed. ¡°What isn¡¯t?¡± asked Elwood. ¡°The mana isn¡¯t movi-¡± The horse dropped to the floor suddenly, as if he were knocked out rudely. ¡°Liar, it just did,¡± Elwood cackled. ¡­ Anwar woke up, his body feeling sore and thoroughly exhausted, as if he couldn¡¯t move a single muscle. Well, I guess I succeeded? ¡°Good morning,¡± Elwood grinned, her eyes moist and her cheeks red. It¡¯s clear that she¡¯s been laughing for quite awhile. ¡°You¡¯ve been asleep for 5 hours, not too bad. Maybe it¡¯s because you¡¯re a beast?¡± ¡°What!¡± Anwar felt shock course through him. The sky, thankfully, wasn¡¯t too dark, but the sun was setting. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you how to recover your mana tomorrow. For now, your¡­ master, pfft-¡± Elwood coughed to cover-up her laughter. ¡°Is waiting for you, so- ahah- sorry, see you tomorrow!¡± Then, in an instant, the red-faced Elwood disappeared. Anwar raced back home, to see a worried Ayda and Zander. Ayda was worried that Anwar died from something horrible or ran away, while Zander was worried that Ayda would accidentally kill Anwar from suffocation. ¡°Anwar!¡± Ayda yelled and ran up to him once again. She embraced his neck and squeezed tightly. ¡°I missed you so much! Why do you stay out so late? It worries me.¡± Zander bit his nails, carefully watching Anwar, incase something bad happened. Ugh! Not this again¡­ Can¡¯t.. breathe¡­ Anwar dropped to the ground. Ayda, panicked, held him up- by the neck. ¡°W-what!¡± Ayda let out, ¡°Father! Anwar- he-!¡± ¡°Yes, child.¡± Zander sighed, ¡°I know. He¡¯s just exhausted, so just¡­ carefully let go of him and-¡± ¡°B-but, he needs me,¡± Ayda pouted. ¡°Shh, just let him rest. I¡¯ll drop him off, so¡­ let go of him carefully.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Ayda sighed in defeat. As soon as she let him go, Anwar felt oxygen enter his lungs once more. My savior¡­ Anwar thought, staring at Zander with new-found respect and affection. ------ Stellar''s Box Alright, so I have something to confess. Yes, I was busy (I had a few exams and tests these last few months), but at the same time, I couldn''t find the motivation or juices to write something worth-awhile for this story. My writer''s block just gets worse and worse as the story continues. x.x; Honestly thinking of rewriting some chapters as well, since I found that I didn''t explain things well enough in the previous chapters and, could''ve possibly, caused a misunderstanding or a flaw in the story''s logic. Here is a recap, since I haven''t written a chapter in awhile: RECAP Abilities/Mana Skills - Each person can only have 6 skills - There are (from what you know) mana-based skills, mental-based skills, and spirit-based skill * You will earn skills based on your level, i.e. a person levels to level 24 and gains his 3rd skill, etc. ** ANWAR WILL NOT EARN A SKILL OR ADVANCE IT EVERY SINGLE LEVEL (THIS WAS NOT EXPLAINED WELL ENOUGH/CAUSED A MISUNDERSTANDING IN CHAPTER 4) Mana - Pure mana, or the uncondensed form of it, is called Vita, it can''t be used by humans. - Energy that fuels mana-based skills (not spirit-based or mental-based skills) - Mana will allow people to live longer and retain their youthful appearance Mana Core - Processes and transforms vita into a usable energy called mana Character Recap Anwar: The protagonist of the story, yay! A human-turned-white-horse that has weak skills and is unfortunately (painfully) fortunate. Currently has two skills: metamagic and info?. Elwood: The Goddess of Nature; "granted" Anwar the ability to use mana. A beautiful lady with long, green hair tied in a loose braid, brown eyes, and milky white skin. Elwyn: An elf with blonde hair and good looks; he tames animals and is somewhat hated by Anwar. Sheila: Elwyn''s wife and the other animal tamer, has good perception. Ayda: Anwar''s "master." A 14-year-old half-elf with red hair and daring, green eyes. She will soon become an adult in 2 months (age 15). Due to the fact that she''s a half-elf, she experiences unpleasant treatment from others, aside from her father, Sheila, and Zander. Zander: Ayda''s father and a warrior. Has long, blonde hair and striking green eyes. King Kyros: The King of Cyrus. Has lush, black hair and golden-like amber eyes. Gabriel: A tall, burly man with thick curls. A warrior who is one of the captains in Cyrus''s military regime. Silence: Chief of Information of Cyrus. Has black hair and eyes, as well as pale skin. Places Kingdom of Cyrus: A powerful kingdom that opposes the kingdom of Hartwin; their hero died and is now searching for a new one. Kingdom of Hartwin: A powerful kingdom that opposes the Kingdom of Cyrus; is attempting to summon a hero.