《Divine Descent: A God Among Us》 Prologue: Origins Prologue: Origins There is a massive mountain that has existed for countless years, some say it has existed since the beginning of time itself. Of course none who make this claim can prove it, considering that they themselves have not lived that long, but nonetheless the point is that this gargantuan mountain high enough to reach the skies and beyond is old, far older than one would expect. Near the peak of the mountain there is two figures climbing to the peak at inhuman, godly speeds. Their speeds if one were to look at them would make them seem as if they were an illusion, creating mirages as they moved. They finally stop at the peak and look to see that there is a gate like structure, the gate emitting a faint light gives off a warm feeling once you got closer. Looking closer at the two figures, one would would see that it is young couple looking to be in their early twenties. The male has golden hair that shines in the light as if to give off a glowing look. His face could be considered extremely handsome, as if he was a holy being descending from the heavens themselves, his silverish eyes at the moment however are giving off a solemn and saddened look, contrasting his handsome facial features. He looks at the person besides him and sees a woman of similar expression, examining her to notice that she is also an extraordinary beauty With her auburn hair giving off a faint crimson light, and her pale jade eyes giving off a faint greenish light. Her looks were akin to a goddess of beauty, giving a sort of noble aura, despite the depressed expression on her face. In her arms, surprisingly is an infant with thin locks of golden hair, wrapped in a blanket that couldn¡¯t have been born less than a few months ago, his jade green eyes looking around in curiosity at his new environment. The woman is the first to speak after they¡¯ve both ascertain their surroundings were safe for the moment. ¡°Ar-...are you sure this is the only way?, surely we ca-¡± ¡°No...this is...the only way.¡±, the golden-haired man interrupted her in a sad and depressed tone, obviously they had still some doubts about whatever they are about to do. ¡°But¡­ couldn¡¯t we send him somewhere else?¡±, she said in a frantic tone. ¡°No, do you think that with them being able to drive us into this state and possessing the power to kill all our subordinates, that whoever they are they wouldn¡¯t be able to find him and kill him.¡± If one were to look closely at the two you would find both their complexions to be extremely sickly, nearly all color lost. You would also see that their clothes were muddled with dried blood and there were cuts and tears on them. One would come to the conclusion that they were in a battle and were seriously injured, not physically but something... else. The red-haired woman contemplated this thought and calmed down, she realized that the man was correct. Whatever they were fleeing from was no ordinary power, it was something that even she and her husband couldn¡¯t comprehend much less outwit in any other way. ¡°Does it have to be a mortal realm though?¡± ¡°This way no-one but us will know where he is.¡± Then, out of nowhere came an adorable sound akin to gibberish. The two then turned their faces to see the baby looking at them with his eyes as if to say ¡°what¡¯s going on?¡±. The husband and wife¡¯s expression then turned even more somber, realizing that their son doesn¡¯t know of his fate, and even more so when they realize that they don¡¯t even know of his fate. ¡°Well¡­we should say our goodbyes then.¡±, the gold-haired man said in a somber tone. ¡°Mmmm.¡±, hummed the red-haired woman in agreement. The golden-haired man then took out a silverish amulet and as he held it out in front of him, a goldish light was emitting from it. He then puts it on his son and emits a faint, warm light from his fingertip towards his son. The infant is covered in a goldish aura for a few seconds, but quickly dies down. The woman then takes out a jade colored bracelet with extremely detailed carvings on the outer parts, and places it on the baby¡¯s wrist and does the same, except this time the boy is covered in a greenish light that dies down just as quickly. The woman is the first to speak. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry that it had to be like this son¡­I-I just hope you at least have a good family and that you..that you find a girl that you love and-and..¡±, as she says this her eyes are getting teared up and her voice is getting progressively choked up. After stuttering for a bit she just holds the baby closer and hugs him, patting him on the back as she starts muttering how his life should turn out. The infant on the other-hand just giggles and thinks nothing of it. He keeps making cooing noises as he is getting embraced by his loving mother¡¯s arms. Then he slightly wiggles and squirms in a cute manner as he tilts his head slightly towards his father. The man himself has an extremely stone-cold look that seems somewhat sad, as if he was expecting this to be easier. But as he realized that even a person of his type can¡¯t bear to look as he parts from his own child, much less seeing his wife in such a state. He then opens his mouth to say what could very well be his final words to his only son. ¡°Son I-¡± ¡°So this is where you were!¡± The gold-haired man turns and looks to see three black hooded men, each holding daggers at arms length and emitting a void-like energy that sucks in even light. The leading man that wields an extremely vile and sinister smile, chuckles slightly at the two. The gold-haired man at first has a face full of shock and then turns into a face full pure, wrathful rage. ¡°I WILL KILL YOU FOR WHAT YOU¡¯VE DONE!¡±, the man bellows with a booming voice akin to a god mad with wrath. ¡°Hmph, you honestly think you scare me, do you not remember that wound I¡¯ve struck you with?¡±, as the hooded man says this the other two hooded men start to snicker. ¡°You can barely use your power, much less kill me!, besides we are not the only ones you would be facing anyways, so as I see it you should give up the notion of saving your clan.¡±, the hooded figure says this with a cold and mocking sneer on his face. The gold haired man grits his teeth down and faces his wife and says, ¡°Ready the portal, I will use that.¡± As he says this the red-haired woman is about to say something in rebuttal but is interrupted by her husband. ¡°We are about to die anyways so why not go with a bang right?¡± The woman then after a quick thinking nods in agreement and sets the infant in front of the gate and starts to display out her hands with a faint green light emitting from them towards the gate-like structure. ¡°Hmph, trying to save your pitiful bloodline?, we¡¯ll simply search and kill your child as well¡±, the man at the side of the leader says this in a taunting snicker as he raises his dagger to ready for battle. The gold-haired man simply looks at them with a cold stare. ¡°You honestly think I¡¯ll let you live?¡±, he says this with a snarl and then mutters something under his breath. ¡°Really now you think that bluff-¡± [BOOM!] This sound came from the gold-haired man as a golden light emits from his body making him appear as if he was a golden god. ¡°What! you shouldn¡¯t be able to use your divine energy!¡±, the leading hooded man then looks towards the man to his left as if to ask ¡°what happened?¡±. The man to his left just stood there in shock and muttered something. ¡°B-but I¡¯m certain I sealed his divinity.¡±, he said this frantically as he tried to comprehend what was happening in front of him. ¡°Well, you obviously didn¡¯t!¡± the hooded man to the other side said in annoyance. ¡°Who ever said I was using divine energy?¡± ¡°What!¡±, all three of the hooded men turn around to see the golden being that was supposed to be in front of them behind them. The leader of the group noticing the situation turn sour, was the fastest to react and retreated at lightning speed. He still however got severely wounded and his right arm was completely torn apart. The other two however were not lucky enough and immediately beheaded after their bodies were completely mutilated by what seems to be the golden being¡¯s claws. Taking a better look at the being it is a sort of humanoid draconic being, covered in golden scales and spikes. Lightning coiling around it¡¯s body as if it was alive. A golden light coming off of it¡¯s back as if to simulate a divine halo. ¡°Wh-what?!, you shouldn¡¯t be able to use any type of energy, much less utilise that form!¡±, the wounded hooded man was obviously shocked as things have turned out unlike the ways they should¡¯ve. The golden draconic being is about to say something but then spurts out a mouthful of blood and kneels down to the ground before deforming back to his more human self. ¡°Haa haa haa¡±, the gold haired man is panting in exhaustion as he then feels an excruciating pain all over his body. He grunts in pain as this all happens as he is looking cold center at the hooded figure who is also grimacing in pain, but the hooded man then chuckles in realization as he thinks of something. ¡°So I see, hehehe haha haha!¡±, the man laughs maniacally as he smirks at the gold-haired man in pain, only to then charge forth at him while saying something. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°So you would use your own life-force to save your bloodline, huh?, fitting seeing as how you would¡¯ve died anyways!¡±, his dagger then almost reaches the gold-haired man¡¯s forehead, as something then smashes hard into his side. This feeling at his side is as though a mountain was hammered to his side. Off to the side one can hear a baby¡¯s cry as it fades away into the background, the gold-haired man then smiles in the revelation. ¡°YOU WILL NOT TOUCH HIM!¡± The hooded figure was then pushed off the peak of the mountain and is seen falling past the clouds. Going back to the peak of the mountain to see a being of flames and a divine green light coming off of it¡¯s eyes. ¡°Why¡¯d you do that? we¡¯re gonna die anyways aren¡¯t we?¡± The being then turned and quickly deformed similar to the gold-haired man and dropped to one knee in the same manner as him. To her side is her husband wearing a smirk on his face kneeling and blood dripping off of his mouth. ¡°Well, I¡¯d rather go out with a bang wouldn¡¯t I?¡±, the woman said this with a similar smirk and blood dripping down her lips. The man just smiles and asks her a question, ¡°Did you send him to the place we talked of?¡± ¡°Mmmhm¡±, the woman hummed and nodded.¡°Let¡¯s rest for a bit.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡± , the man nodded. The two then layed there and reminisced about their life together, how they met, how they fell in love, how they lived their lives in excitement and adventure, and how they felt joy with the news of their newborn. They just stayed there and reminisced until their days came to an end with each others hands clasping, not wanting to let go.
In a remote village where people are few in numbers, off to the side of the village is a cottage. Outside in the backyard of the cottage is a woman sitting on a chair, the woman looks to be in her late 20¡¯s and seems like a very pretty girl, with her long blonde hair tied up in a ponytail, her blue eyes mesmerising and fairly light. Her expression itself seems to be sad and depressed, as if she lost something important, something sentimental. Out from behind her comes a tall man who looks to be of similar age to her with green eyes and brown hair, he seems to be more of the manly, grizzly adams type. He goes up from behind her and puts his hand on her shoulder and tries to console her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Diana, it doesn¡¯t matter what some shitty doctor says, we¡¯ll have that child that we¡¯ve always wanted no matter what.¡±, He says this with the best convincing tone he can come up with, obviously trying his best to come out of his comfort zone. One would concur that this is not the man¡¯s best forte to begin with, but one could also make the argument that he is trying his best despite that. Diana notices this and gives him a straight answer, as to not have him keep on with this charade. She then looks at him with her almost lifeless eyes and says. ¡°Mark...It¡¯s fine, no really. The doctor is probably right, to begin with we¡¯ve been trying for two whole years and have nothing to show for it. No¡­.all I need is time by myself...to think, ya know?¡± Mark, even being the boorish and brute-like that he is understood this. Sometimes these things needed time to heal the wounds. So he nodded and just said simply. ¡°Ok, but if you need anything, and I mean anything like kill someone, chop some wood, or hunt for some meat, you just need to ask ok?¡± The woman just chuckled at how simple her man was at times, seeing her laugh, Mark just smiled and headed back inside the cottage leaving Diana to her devices. She then just sat there and pondered in deep thought, when suddenly a bright light shone and blinds her for a second. She then hears a faint cry in the forest where the cottage¡¯s back is facing. ¡°What?¡± Diana then looks at the direction of where the cries and the bright light was coming from. She then decided to go and check it out, thinking it was perhaps some young mage experimenting, though that seems unlikely as their are rarely any mages out this far in the country. As she approaches a bush the crying becomes louder and is more apparent that they are the cries of a baby. She opens the bushes to see an infant no older than a few months crying and flailing it¡¯s arms about. Diana having her maternal instincts take over, quickly took it into her arms and started to sooth the baby and rocking it from side to side trying to calm it down. Her efforts are in vain until she decides to take it into her arms and just hug it and slowly patting it on it¡¯s back. This finally calms the infant as he starts cooing and making cute noises in satisfaction. This goes on for about a few minutes until Diana notices that there is no sign of a parent anywhere as she looks around for one. ¡°Who would just leave a poor baby like you around in the forest?¡±, as she contemplates this she holds the baby up face to face and notices the silver amulet and jade bracelet on him. She tries to slip them off trying to get a better look at them but surprisingly can¡¯t. She realizes what these things might be. ¡°Who would put a magically bounded item on a baby?¡± Diana is extremely shocked by this seeing as how magical items aren¡¯t really rare, but magically bounded items are exceedingly rare to the point of costing massive fortunes. As they are items that only the bounded person can remove or use and yet this strange infant has two of them! ¡°Hmmm, we should probably turn you into the orphanage.¡±, but as she says this her own problems surface inside her mind and she starts thinking about her own repeated failures of conceiving. ¡°Gurgoogoogah hahaaa¡±, this extremely adorable gibberish came directly out of the baby¡¯s mouth. This snapped Diana out of her own thoughts and she immediately ¡°awed¡± at the sound and noticed something. ¡°Huh, your eyes are green¡­.kinda like Mark¡­¡± The infant then just looked at her in confusion. She then took a closer look at his jade bracelet. ¡°What¡¯s this say?¡± On the bracelet there was a carving that read Zacharias. ¡°Zach huh¡­ that¡¯s a nice name.¡±, after that she decided out of past failures and dreams of wanting child and caring for her own that she would do something spontaneous. Diana wrapped Zach up in the blanket once more and headed back inside the cottage. There she was greeted by Mark sitting on a couch. ¡°Oh hey Ana that was qui-!!¡± ¡°Mark! I want to adopt this baby!¡± ¡°When-where¡¯d you get a baby...wait, did you steal a ba-!¡± ¡°No, you idiot! I found him abandoned in the forest all alone and...and¡± ¡°And what?!¡±, Mark seemingly is very shocked by the whole ordeal and is wide-eyed at the moment. ¡°And well I just thought that since we are obviously not getting a child any time soon, that...well this was a sign. Ya know?¡± ¡°A sign of what?¡± ¡°A sign that we should take this boy as our own Mark! I mean look, he even has your color of eyes!¡±, She then raised Zach up so Mark could see his eyes. ¡°Huh, ye-yeah you''re right, he kinda does and hey he¡¯s got your hair!¡± ¡°See!....so what do you say Mark?¡± ¡°Well I mean, I would say to give him up in the orphanage.¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Buuut, since we have been trying to get a kid since for about two years now and, It seems to make you happy¡­.then I¡¯m all for it.¡± Diana just smiled at that and looked at Zach in glee. Then Mark asked out of curiosity. ¡°Oh yeah, does he have name yet?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s Zach. Strange thing was he had two magically bounded items on him.¡± ¡°WHAT! Aren¡¯t those a fortune!¡± ¡°Yeah but since it¡¯s already bounded to him we can¡¯t exactly take it off, yet at least.¡± ¡°Geeze, what the hell have we picked up.¡± Zach on the other hand was just rested snugly in Diana¡¯s arms and looking at his new surroundings in curiousity. While Mark says something to catches his attention. ¡°Well, welcome to your new home son.¡± (Authors Note: Chapters will be updated at my leisure, so probably looking at one chapter every two or so weeks, give or take. Anyways thanks for reading, and peace fuck out dudes.) Ch.1: Eight Years Ch.1: Eight Years In the small village known as Ulvick there is a cottage placed at it¡¯s side, with it¡¯s back faced towards a forest nearby. Inside the cottage there is a woman with waist-length blonde hair in a ponytail, with steel blue eyes, seeming to be in her 30¡¯s. She looks to be preparing something in the kitchen and while doing so she calls out in a loud voice. ¡°Zach honey, come on down!¡± After a little while of hearing the sound of tiny footsteps a small voice is heard coming from the kitchen door. ¡°Hi Mom, what is it?¡± The woman stopped her cooking and turned her head to see a young boy who seems to be around eight to nine years of age, wearing shorts below his knees and a simple shirt. His pale green eyes looking at her in curiosity and his blonde, golden-like straight hair at eyebrow length, shining in the light coming from the bright midday sun seen from the window. She smiles warmly at the sight of her son and tells him. ¡°Hi sweetie, I¡¯m gonna need you to do something for me, your father is out hunting for some Red Furred Hares, so I¡¯m gonna need you to grab me a few ingredients from Mr. Geran, okay?¡±, as she says this she takes a piece of paper and writes down a few names and numbers. She hands the paper to Zach and also gives him a few bronze colored coins. Zach however has his eyes wide open and starts salivating slightly at the thought of what he was going to have for dinner. He then snaps out of it and quickly takes the coins and paper to put it in his pocket, he then asks his mother a question. ¡°Sweet!, we¡¯re having roasted hare for dinner?¡± His mother just looks at him, slightly chuckling and nods, her son is somewhat of a glutton and loves anything that tastes good. He isn¡¯t fat by any means, in fact he¡¯s quite fit for a boy his age, surprisingly he almost never gains any weight, so one could imagine how amusing Zachs mother finds it whenever she mentions food that he gets a little overzealous. ¡°Yes hun, now get on outta here, I¡¯m gonna need those ingredients before noon kay?¡± ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am!¡±, Zach, while saying this does a salute in a joking manner. While his mother just chuckled and shooed him away so that she could continue preparing. Zach walked out of the front door of the cottage and took out the piece of paper containing the ingredients that he needed. ¡°Huh, that¡¯s a lot of stuff. Don¡¯t remember roasted hare needing so many things.¡±, Zach was pondering the fact while walking down the rows of houses and heading towards the market area. ¡°Oh well, doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Zach just shakes his head as he speeds up towards the market in the center of the village. As he enters the area full of people trying to sell their various goods and produce from their shacks, he bypasses the crowds of people and looks around. He seemingly spots what he is looking for and quickly walks towards a certain old man who seems to be in his late 60¡¯s, he is holding a cane while sitting on a wooden chair, viewing over his shop like and stern eagle. He has set up his shop in the far right of the village square center. ¡°Hi Mr. Geran, how ya doin?¡±, while greeting the old man Zach slows down his pace and eventually stops right in front of his shop and looks around to see only a few customers browsing his wares. ¡°Slow day huh?¡± The old man known as Geran, whose eyes at first seemed to be annoyed at first looks up at Zach and his facial expression softens up. ¡°Ohoho, hi there Zach, what¡¯ll it be today?¡± Zach turns his head to look at the amiable Geran and smiles, he then takes out the piece of paper and hands it to Geran, while saying something. ¡°Just these few things, Mom¡¯s says we¡¯re having roasted hare today.¡± ¡°Let me see, let me see.¡±, the old man looks at the paper in curiosity and holds it in front of him to look at for a few seconds before his face turns into a look of confusion. ¡°Boy, you said that your mother is making roasted hare?¡± ¡°Yeah, why?¡± Geran just sits there to ponder a bit and then his face brightens up as if he realizes something. He chuckles slightly at his newfound revelation and sets the piece of paper down ¡°Hoooh, I see now.¡± Zach just stares in confusion and says. ¡±See what?¡± However Geran didn¡¯t comply to his question and simply smirked at the boy. ¡°Oh it¡¯s nothing you should worry about, just wait here and I¡¯ll gather the ingredients.¡± Zach being the curious youth he is couldn¡¯t help but scowl at the fact that he was left out of the revelation. He tried to call out to the old man but was interrupted as a small voice was heard. ¡°Hi Zach!¡± Turning around to see who called out to him, Zach was now smiling as he was looking at a young child who had a full head of sky blue hair styled in a messy bowl-cut, it was almost as bright as his own set of blonde hair. The child who was a full head shorter than Zach and seemed to be just a few years younger, had on a pair of blue overall shorts and a plain white shirt. ¡°Oh, hey Quinn, what have you been up to?¡± Quinn just looked around as if to make sure that no one was around to listen and simply said, ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone this but I¡¯ve been actually planning on sneaking into the shop that opened up across from gramp¡¯s shack recently.¡± Zach with his curiosity piqued once more is compelled to ask about the shop. ¡°Oh?, and what¡¯s so special about it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s supposed to be owned by a retired mage.¡± ¡°Wha-rea-seriously?¡±, stunned at the information Zach was fumbling his words and staring at Quinn with half-shocked half-excited expression. ¡°Hmph, special enough for ya?¡± Quinn on the other hand just gloated at the fact that revealing the fact to Zach surprised him to this extent. But honestly speaking, who could blame him?, mages were beings who were treated like royalty in any parts of the country, much less in such a small, unimportant village on the outskirts of the country like Ulvick. Even a retired mage could be treated with respect in the most prosperous cities and could live the life of teaching young nobles for a price that a commoner like Zach couldn¡¯t dream of even hearing of in a small place such as Ulvick. Snapping out of his stupor and regaining his senses Zach gathered his thoughts and started to question Quinn about the credibility of it all. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re not lying are you?¡±, while saying this Zach had a suspicious look on his face and started squint his eyes and rub his chin. Logically speaking, mages, even retired ones would have a status akin to a noble even in capital cities, but to have come here in such a small village? Unspeakable! ¡°Wha-of course not!¡±, Quinn just had this look of astonishment as if shocked that Zach would even doubt it. Still unconvinced Zach just continued asking Quinn about it, ¡°Oh really?, then how come no-one is crowding the store right now?¡± Looking at the store there was a sign that simply said Mana Wares. Now this in of itself doesn¡¯t mean that the owner is a mage, for example a lot of shops tend to have magically infused items or item that utilised mana, but does that mean that there is a mage nearby? No, in fact these types of wares were not that rare, they weren¡¯t cheap, explaining why none were visiting the shop, but they were seen on the occasion even in a village like this. ¡°Well that¡¯s because no-one else knows about it dummy.¡±, fitting for a child, Quinn had this pouting, annoyed looking face on at the moment. ¡°Why you little brat!, then how come you know about it then?¡±, Zach at this moment also had a face full of annoyance, seeing as how he didn¡¯t like being called dumb. He was far from being stupid, he was actually extremely smart for his age. He could be considered a sort of a prodigy child, he started to walk when he was only four months old and even more shocking, could read and talk at six months. His parent were indeed shocked at this but were nonetheless very joyful that their son had such learning capabilities. This fact however was very offset by the fact that he in fact was very interested in the world and it¡¯s wonders and loves new information. Therefore one would think that he was a fairly intelligent boy. In fact Zach was the most interested in one thing, mana. The invisible force that pretty much everyone uses from simple farmers with magical items, to grand and seemingly invincible mages who directly utilises it. Thus, the reason for Zach being ecstatic at first at the chance of meeting a mage, and his suspicion for Quinns claim. ¡°Because Grandpa told me about it!¡±, Quinn meanwhile sticks a tongue out at Zach. ¡°Wait, Mr. Geran really said that?¡±, Zach on the other hand was slightly taken aback, because he somewhat thinks of Geran as a reliable source as he, in his old age is very wise, seemingly so at least. ¡°Yeah! he even said that he and the mage were old friends too!¡± ¡°What?!, really?¡± ¡°Mmhmm¡± As they were talking, Geran walks in with a bag full of ingredients and spices, and sets them down next to Zach. ¡°Here ya go boy, that¡¯ll be three bronze coins¡­.what¡¯re you looking at me like that fer?¡± ¡°Mr. Geran are you actually friends with a MAGE!?¡± ¡°Wha-what?!, where did you get that from?¡± Geran was confused and startled at the question because that information was supposed to be a secret. However once he took a look at Quinn trying oh so hard to look innocent, he realized what happened. ¡°Ah you BRAT!, I tell you one thing and you go off telling people left and right!?¡± Gerans face was full of annoyance and was glaring madly as he yelled. He didn¡¯t think his grandchild would be such a loudmouth. ¡°Hiii, I¡¯m sorry grandpa!¡±, while saying this Quinn just crouched down in fear of punishment. ¡°I only told Zach I swear!¡± Zach, realizing from Geran¡¯s reaction that Quinn was actually telling the truth, decided to try and help the kid out. After all Quinn did no harm, and was just telling him some interesting info. ¡°Wait!, Mr. Geran, Quinn did really just tell me, honestly!¡± ¡°.....{sigh} Fine then, child you better thank Zach.¡± Quinns face lights up and stands to thank Zach profusely. ¡°But Mr. Geran, how are you friends with a mage? Aren¡¯t they supposed to be really haughty and prideful?¡± ¡°....Boy, you¡¯ve no idea how this world works.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Just because you¡¯ve read a few books and are seemingly more intelligent than the average kid, in the end you¡¯re still just a kid. You are too inexperienced to say what is and what isn¡¯t.¡± Staring at Geran in deep thought Zach¡¯s mind begins to unravel. It was true, although he is more intelligent than the average child, nearing an adults IQ, this was only in book smarts. He thought that what Geran said was perhaps very true and was slightly perturbed at that. Although he wasn¡¯t straight up angry at the old man''s words like he was with Quinns, simply because he knows that what geran said was rooted by his wisdom and speculation and not some form of cheap insult like Quinns. ¡°But, to answer your question, yes, mages are usually very haughty and would usually not bother with a simple man such as myself.¡± Zach''s eyes light up slightly at the fact that he was not completely wrong. ¡°The mage we speak of however was actually born here and rose up in power with his talents. We were actually old buddies from childhood.¡± ¡°That¡¯s incredible¡­¡±, Zach''s eyes were practically glittering at the moment. ¡°Yeah, yeah, anyways, are you gonna just stand there or are you going to give your mother those?¡±, Geran said this while pointing at the bag full of the needed ingredients. ¡°Huh? Oh yeah!¡±, Snapping out of his train of thought Zach just grabbed the bag and started to walk towards the direction he came from while waving goodbye. ¡°Thanks Mr. Geran!¡± Geran on the other hand stood there shaking his head. ¡°Hmph, I swear that kid.¡± ¡°Ummm¡­¡± ¡°Hmm? What is it Quinn?¡± ¡°Grandpa...did he pay?¡± Geran had a look of realization and yelled out while walking out of his shack. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°AHH, you BRAT!¡± However Zach was already long gone and out of sight. Geran just sighed and looked at Quinn. ¡°Quinn, can you go run me an errand and get that idiot¡¯s money?¡± Saluting him as if it were an important mission, Quinn simply said, ¡°Yes sir!¡±
Back in the cottage, Zach''s father, a man with a fully grown beard and long, shoulder length, brown hair has arrived and come home with several dead hares with red tinted spots of fur near their heads. His green eyes looking around at the entrance for a second before a loud deep voice comes out of his mouth. ¡°Honey, I¡¯m home!¡± He then raises up the hares that he has by their feet and says once again, now in a more normal tone. ¡°And I¡¯ve brought the hares.¡± A several seconds pass and in comes the same blonde woman from earlier. It seems that she got done preparing in the kitchen a bit ago and was ready to take a break. Looking at the the hares and then looking back at the bearded man, she then spoke. ¡°You know...you didn¡¯t have to yell Mark.¡±, looking slightly annoyed yet slightly endeared she scratched her head while saying this. Mark on the other hand just smiles and sets down the hares, only to lean forward and give his wife a kiss. ¡°Sorry, but you know how I like to give a bit of a grand entrance Diana.¡± Diana gives Mark a smirk, while he grabs the hares and heads into the kitchen to set them down. ¡°Honey, could you get these ready to roast?, I want to rest up for a bit before we start roasting.¡±, Mark said this while pointing at the hares in the kitchen. ¡°Alright then, let me get ready first.¡±, Diana then heads into the kitchen to continue her work. ¡°Oh yeah, where¡¯s Zach?¡± ¡°Oh I had him gather the rest of the ingredients from Mr. Geran from the market.¡±, Diana comes out putting on an apron, while answering Mark. Just as Mark is about to say something, a sound of a door unlocking is heard. The said door which the sound came from opens up to reveal a young boy with a bag full of groceries and such. ¡°Hi mom, I have the produce!¡±, setting down the bag at the door he then notices his father sitting on the couch in the living room, just a few feet from the kitchen door. ¡°Dad!¡±, Zach then runs up to greet his father. ¡°Aaah, hey kiddo.¡±, Mark replied to Zach while ruffling his hair and messing it up slightly. Diana however just smiles at the two and walks towards the bag while closing the door and locking it at the same time. She checks the ingredients and spices and confirms them as the exact ones she wrote down. ¡°Good job sweetie, now to get on with actually cooking. You can go play with your friends now, after all it is your rest day.¡± Zach however just stood there in between his mother and father seemingly wanting to say something. He slightly fidgets while contemplating whether or not to say something. Mark notices this and looks at his son and asks him something. ¡°What is it son?¡±, this catches the attention of Zach¡¯s mother Diana, as she turns her head to look at Zach. Zach realizing that he should probably say something, decides to just go with it. ¡°Mom, Dad¡­.do you think I could become a mage?¡± This slightly shocks the both of them, but not for the reasons one would think. For example, one would think one would be surprised at the question because simply put, it is extremely difficult to become a mage. In fact, to become a mage someone would need the natural talent, intelligence, and most of all hard work and ingenuity. In general, warriors and the likes are far more common, one could see them even in such small villages as Ulvick. Generally only one in a hundred people are able to become warriors, but only one in a hundred thousand were able to become a mage. This was a difference of a thousand times! But no, the real reason why Zach¡¯s parents were shocked was not because of this reason, but because of the fact that their child actually asked them for advice! For you see, Diana and Mark knew how intelligent Zach was, it was apparent from the start. So the child himself would almost never ask them anything after his fifth year of age, simply because he would go out a read about it or try to learn it himself. In fact Zach had a very well tempered and level headed personality. So when their remarkable child asked them whether or not he could do something, that truly surprised them. They knew that given the chances, Zach was probably completely capable of becoming a mage, just to what degree that they didn¡¯t. ¡°Hahahahahaa¡±, both Diana and Mark start to laugh. ¡°Wh-why are you laughing?¡±, asked Zach. ¡°Well honey it¡¯s just¡­. we didn¡¯t think you¡¯d ask something like that.¡±, Diana regained her composure and said so in a sweet voice. ¡°Oh, well could you answer my question?¡±, while asking so Zach had a slightly serious face, as if to indicate his curiosity. ¡°Well of course you can son, you¡¯re our child after all.¡±, Mark was the one to speak this time and he did so with the widest grin he could possibly give, Diana on the other hand was doing the same. ¡°Of course you¡¯d have to put in hard work and have intelligence, and well...you¡¯ve already got that down so I have no doubts that you could do it.¡± And this was very true, in fact Zach has always had a more keen interest in magic and mana, but he would usually keep that to himself because he always felt that as a commoner he would have little to no chance to become one. But once he heard that a member of their village had become a mage, his brain started to unravel his deep interest in mana. So when his parents said that they had their utmost faith in him, he smiled greatly and was filled in excitement, but he then thought of something, he thought ¡®wait, how do I start?¡¯. ¡°But wait, Mom, Dad, how do I even begin?¡±, this was a very valid question in Zach¡¯s heart, one that could make or break his life as a mage. ¡°Oh yeah!, you don¡¯t know about that do you?¡±, Diana had a look of surprise at first and then a look of realization. Mark then right after said something as he also seemed to realized something. ¡°Guess you didn¡¯t read that in your books, huh?¡± ¡°Wait, what are you talking about?¡±, Zach however just looks at them in confusion. ¡°Well you see honey, there is actually an entrance exam for when kids are of the age of 12.¡±, Diana was the one to answer Zach. ¡°What!?¡± ¡°Yeah it was actually implemented fairly recently, around 50 years or so ago I think.¡±, this time Mark was the one speaking. ¡°So your books shouldn¡¯t have this information I don¡¯t think.¡± ¡°Bu-but that¡¯s not short¡­¡± ¡°Compared to how long mages have been around? I¡¯d think that would be extremely short.¡± ¡°Yes, as your father said, you know that mages and the like have been around for as long as civilisation had begun. Comparing it to 50 years would indeed be short.¡± Zach just had a look of amazement and intrigue, indeed this was correct. The books they had here on mages was fairly dated and wouldn¡¯t include a new addition from a mere 50 years ago, so accepting that he then began to ask another question. ¡°Mom ca-¡± ¡°Sweetie of course you can.¡±, Diana actually interrupted him before he finished and answered with a yes. Zach realized that they already gave their full support so it would be obvious they would allow it. ¡°Ah, but we should probably tell you that we don¡¯t know the specifics about it so you¡¯re gonna have to figure it out, ok?¡± ¡°Ok!¡±, he nodded wholeheartedly. Zach then ran outside to go and play, after all this was a rest day. It was a day where he didn¡¯t have to do much in terms of chores or anything. So he walked down the walkway towards the market. He was obviously going towards Mr. Geran¡¯s place and ask more about mages. However, as he was walking he was knocked down by someone from behind as they shouted. ¡°Ahaha!, there you are thief!¡±, the voice however loud the person tried to shout was still childish and small. ¡°Oof, get the hell off me Quinn!¡±, while saying this the two children were squirming on the ground. ¡°NO!, not until you pay!¡± ¡°Pay for what!¡± ¡°Those groceries you ran off with!, wait don¡¯t tell me you forgot!¡± Zach then checked his pockets and found out that he still had the coins that his mom gave him in the morning. He stood up while shoving Quinn off and quickly apologised. ¡°Ah, sorry Quinn, here ya go.¡±, handing over the coins to Quinn Zach then asked something. ¡°Wait¡± Quinn then took and pocketed the money to then turn to Zach. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You said that you wanted to break into the mages place?¡± Quinns eyes then brightened. ¡°Yeah!...why?¡± ¡°Well...I want in.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Oh nothing, just remembering how mean you were to me today.¡± ¡°Mea-mean!?, but weren¡¯t you the one who called me dumb?¡± ¡°Well you were calling me a liar!¡± ¡°That¡¯s completely different!¡± ¡°Nuh-uh.¡±, quinn on the other hand just stuck a tongue at Zach. ¡°Then what do you want me to do about it!?!¡± ¡°I want you to say you¡¯re sorry.¡± Zach just looked at Quinn in disbelief, he thought that it was completely justified to question Quinns logic, but apparently it didn¡¯t seem like so to the kid. ¡°Ugh, fine then¡­..I¡¯m... sorry for calling you a liar¡­¡± Quinn¡¯s face shot up at that moment and seemed to be pleased with Zach¡¯s apology. ¡°Heheh, let¡¯s go shall we?¡± ¡°Wait, right now?¡± ¡°Yah, why not?¡± Quinn just shrugged and walked towards the market, Zach just followed on.
Arriving at the market and after Quinn gave Geran the money and walking towards to the mana shop sneakily so that Geran wouldn¡¯t see, they were crouched up at the side of the building and were talking about their plan of infiltration. ¡°So how are we gonna do this?...¡±, Quinn said this simply and with a curious tone. Zach however was annoyed as he thought that there would already be a plan. ¡°Seriously, you didn¡¯t think up of anything?, in fact... why don¡¯t¡­. we just... walk in?¡±, Zach said this in a fairly annoyed voice and a very sarcastic tone. ¡°Cause it¡¯s more fun this way and stop being such a party-pooper, come on I think I found a way.¡±, after saying this Quinn pointed at a nearby window and motioned a box, that was also near, under the window. After they pushed the box under the window Quinn motioned towards the window, indicating to climb into it. After the two struggle to open the window they finally got it open and started to climb into it. The window however closed shut after Zach got inside, and left Quinn outside. ¡°Quinn!¡±, after shouting out for his friend a booming, deep voice came out from behind him. ¡°WHO GOES THERE!¡± This shocked Zach greatly and almost made him faint, as he turned around he was startled not to see a grand, tall, old, wizard with a grey long beard. No, what he saw was a young man in his 20¡¯s, with a slightly scraggly, short dark purple beard, his dark violet hair down to his ears and his eyes a shade of dark red.He had a look of confusion as he looked at Zach, as he spoke his voice was extremely deep and yet much more soothing than it was just a moment ago. ¡°Just a child?¡±