《The Principles of Magic》 Draft~ The reason the story is in a spoiler is that my story has deviated somewhat from this draft, you can still read this draft but please keep in consideration that this piece of literature was submitted to appease the requirement of posting a bit of writing before a fiction will be accepted. As such, my story does incorporate a lot of what is written here, and the general theme of world changing and overwhelming power is still the same. Notable differences are the personality of both the Main Character ''Eran Abdicatus Magia'' and The Heiress ''Alexia Steele''. The concept and origin of Magic was re-written and is predominately different than what was stated here. However I am tossing up the idea of keeping the origin of magic in this prologue and implementing it as the history of magic in the ''New world'' which Eran travels too. Anyway, read this prologue for a bit of light reading. Thank you for your time~
Spoiler : In an alternate reality of earth, magic was discovered around the same time that religion became a prominent factor in human life. Although humans originally didn''t possess magic like the other life forms on the planet, they assimilated the magic into themselves through other means. They killed and consumed the mana saturated meat of animals. After countless generations of life, humans grew in both intelligence and skill which eventually resulted in their ability to utilize the now massive wells of mana in their bodies. Which now leads to the year 2015 ADA (After the Death of the Arch-mage) when magicians or more commonly known as, ¡®mages¡¯ make up the entire population of humans on earth. The main character is a far below average in power magician in his world, in fact he is dead weak. Even children 10 years younger than him could beat him up in a fight. And they do, frequently. This as well as years of harassment from so called friends and family has instilled a potent inferiority complex in the main characters mind which has evolved in to an absolute, unwavering belief that he is weaker than any life form in existence. His family call it the Prokaryote syndrome or the PKY syndrome because the prokaryote is considered one of the smallest life forms in the known world. Even before birth, when still a fetus, mana is unconsciously absorbed and released by the well inside a human, the boy however has an unprecedented biology. His mana-well, since the time he was a little sperm to his 16th year of life, has never released its mana. The genetic formatting of his well that controls the absorption and release of mana was only half complete, the genetic code that was meant to control releasing his mana could not withstand the high density of mana in this world so instead of creating a gate that would stay opened unconsciously and forcefully open or close when using spells, his code made a dam with a very small drain that only allowed his mana to be absorbed and stored. This meant that he could only release the barest amount of mana from his well. Not even enough to light the smallest of mana flares (the easiest spell, for comparison, a 3 year old can make 10 mana flares at once). However¡­ this also meant that he has been unconsciously absorbing mana since before he was even a conscious life form, without releasing any of the mana he had absorbed. This resulted with the boy¡¯s mana-well, being larger in size and potency than the collective mana-well of every human being. He has more mana than 7 billion mages put together, and has no way to use it. That was the case until the day a new spell was made. Spells are constantly being altered and even being created because of the endless potential of magic. And one such occurrence was the tenth-circle spell ¡®mana disruption¡¯. There had been many spells created that could hinder or even block spells from being cast, such as interference magic or silencing magic. However there had never been a spell that could directly touch and disrupt the flow of mana within a human¡¯s mana-well. The spell was created a year ago by a brilliant spell-technician, when he released his findings online the world was in uproar, a spell that could instantly stop others from casting magic and hinder them for a period of time. Almost as soon as it was posted the United Nations found and deleted all information on the spell and classified it as a forbidden magic as its side effects were unknown. It wasn''t fast enough, for several people saw the method and recreated it themselves. Thus a new tenth-circle spell was created, one which only a few knew about, and even fewer could actually use. One such person was the daughter and heir of the largest magical appliance manufacturer in the world. She had been surfing the net the day the spell was released and thanks to her innate ability to remember anything she has read she remembered the spell even after it was deleted. She practiced it in secret on her servants and friends. She found out what the spell does and what its side effects were. She could understand why it was tenth-circle as it was discreet and virtually untraceable magic that would vibrate and puncture a person¡¯s mana-well. The side-effects were usually minimal, a few weeks in hospital at the worst, on a side note her servants all hate her now. She had never been the strongest mage, certainly better than most, but now with this spell she could be the very best. This now brings us to the day of ¡®the event¡¯. The boy and the heiress both attend the same school though they had naturally never met, one being a prokaryote and the other being a well off young lady. It was a new school term and the school had a tradition of having students perform duels to measure their abilities. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The boy hated these kinds of tests he did not see himself worthy of being in the same room as the other students. The heiress however loved it, she could show off her skills and be in the eye of everyone. What the two didn''t expect was that they would be paired together. The boy had heard of her nobility and good deeds, she was surely the pinnacle of the human hierarchical construct known as popularity. He walked out in to the arena in a cold sweat and tried to make his presence even smaller. The heiress however was displeased, what would she get out of destroying someone that looked like an ant to her? The two face off in the middle of the stadium, one cowering and the other scowling. She was waiting for him to start but soon grew bored and threw a small fireball at his feet. The explosion threw him a couple meters only to land on his back. It was truly a pitiful display. People were laughing from the stands both at the boy who got destroyed from a first-circle spell and the girl who had to put up with him. The heiress grew impatient, she had only fired one spell and the boy was already flattened. She wouldn''t get to display her skills at this rate so she decided she would use her most powerful non-lethal spell, mana disruption. She figured she¡¯d only have one chance to show off using this boy as a simple spell was enough to knock him around. She formed mana in the palm of her hand and formed it into a small arrow. She sharpened the arrow head and poured even more mana into the stock. The professors who were mediating the duels were interested in what she was doing, to them it seemed like her hand was enveloped in grey light. When she felt she had pooled and condensed as much mana as she could, she turned to the boy who was only just now getting up and released her arrow. It flew faster than a bullet and pierced the boy in his middle abdomen. He flew backwards like a baseball being hit by a bat and slammed into the wall behind him. The impact shook the wall. It was truly frightful magic, but the force of the spell was not what was terrible, it was what happened to the insides of the boy when the arrow hit. The condensed magic in the arrow head released and started to invade his body like a virus, the invading magic found his mana-well and bombarded his carefully constructed dam walls to try and get in. Eventually the magic succeeded and breached the wall around his well and like a torrential flood, his mana spilled out of its confines. The stadium was magically enchanted to turn any damage into a chemical response in the mind, so even though the force of being flung at the wall would have hurt like nothing else, after a couple seconds the pain should have ebbed and the boy would be fine, however 10 seconds had passed and the boy was still screaming. His face was contorted in agony and his hands were ripping at his stomach like he was trying to dig something out. He shouted and cried then fainted only to wake up a moment later and start screaming again. For what seemed like minutes no one moved, they just stared in horror as this boy wailed in indescribable pain. Finally the screaming stopped, he had fainted and didn''t get back up. A ring of grey light surrounded his crumpled body, hovering in the air around him. The professors finally snapped back to their senses and rushed to help him but as soon as they got near the ring it started to expand and envelope the boy in grey light. First a few meters then a few more, eventually it enveloped the whole stadium. Eventually the strange light had passed the bounds of the stadium and continued even further. The professors who were previously staring in wonder had realized what the grey light was, it was mana. The light only got stronger and stronger until it was as if they were swimming in a vast ocean. Then the light jerked back and in an instant was absorbed into the boy. He started to float in the air and glowed with the same light as the mana. When the ground started to vibrate, it felt like the whole world was shaking. The air seemed to crackle with electricity, the water in the stadium turned in to a plume of steam. A bright flash enveloped the stadium blinding all those present and when their vision started to come back people took in their surroundings and cried. No one seemed to be injured but the stadium itself was in rubble, completely destroyed. In the panic that ensued no one noticed that the boy was gone. He didn''t burn to ash, he didn''t vaporize into steam nor squished into jelly by falling debris. He was just simply gone, and the overwhelming mana went with him. It would take decades before the world¡¯s greatest minds deduced what had happened that day, but even then they couldn''t believe it. But that time and reality is not where this story will take place. This story is about what happened to the boy after he disappeared. This is the story about a boy who was teleported to a world full of kings and queens, monsters, demons and even gods. Will the boy be a conqueror? Will he ever get over his Complex?
Chapter 1~ ~Chapter Guide~ Chapter 1 - A brief look at the History of Magic~ Fore note~ This is the start of my writing journey. I was scared and unsure when I posted the prologue yesterday, but the few who read it were very kind and encouraging. Please bear with me, I will write this story for those who asked for it. Thank you, so much, for the comments and what not. They helped me muster the courage to write my first chapter. There will be a note at the bottom of the chapter explaining what was actually happening, it will be there in case someone didn''t understand from my writing. If you did get the gist of it just ignore the note. Once again, thank you~
Computer Display ¨C Data entry: 400319 ¨C Date: 19/3/2015 ¨C History and Principles of Magic ¨C CC: HPM101 ¨C ID: 1084313 - Student: ¡®Eran [Abdicatus] Magia¡¯ - ¡­ Lecture Start? - Narrator: ¡°Our world began like any other, a molten mass of metal and rock. Scientists throughout the ages agreed that the quadrant of space our planet orbits was littered with celestial bodies, commonly known as asteroids. What they could not agree on, was what pulled the asteroids together, melted them, shaped them and then cooled the mass into a sphere. Some claimed that it was the gravitational pull of the cosmos, others that it was an omnipotent being, willing our world into existence.¡± ¡°The conflict that sparked from these two conflicting theories resulted in countless political and religious wars. For thousands of years the two sides fought each other and it wasn''t until the year 64,319, now referred to as ¡®The year of the Magi¡¯ (Year 0, beginning of the modern calendar), that a man discovered the truth. The man¡¯s name was Merwin and his new found knowledge would become the greatest scientific discovery the world has ever known. By gazing at the stars Merwin noted that the light coming from certain heavenly bodies was grey in color. Fascinated by the strange colored light Merwin conducted tests on the differences between light from the sun and the new strange grey light. His discoveries were astounding. Merwin found that unlike the ethereal light from the sun which brightens up the sky, the grey light had substance, it had weight. After even more tests Merwin found that with a certain level of concentration he could feel the light surrounding him, it was as if it was in the air¡­¡± Audio File: HPM0001 ¨C Excerpt: Study Journal ¨C Author: Arch-mage, Merwin Magi ¨C Year: 0 ¨C Would you like to play...? ¡®Date: First day of spring - 64,318 - While my sanity is almost spent, my will remains strong. I fear without the promise of change I would have given up this folly long ago¡­ I have made significant progress in the study of light and its properties, I hope with greater understanding I will discover the significance of the grey light¡­ Date: Ninth day of spring - 64,318 ¨C The grey light has weight, it has substance. It weighs less than air but can feel as dense as water, I fear this discovery only leads to more questions¡­ Date: Thirteenth day of spring - 64,318 - It is frustrating to keep referring to the anomaly as grey light, note that from hence forth all mentioning of grey light will be referred as Mana. I came to call it as such as the unique color of the light reminds me of my grandfather Manathorns hair. I couldn¡¯t go around calling it Manathorn so I have shortened it in that regard¡­ Date: First day of summer - 64,319 ¨C After months of study I have finally found the answers I wanted. Note that my summary will be concise as the possibilities and results of my research could may well be boundless¡­ Date: First day of summer - 64,319 - As such ¨C Grey light, or ¡®Mana¡¯ is a form of astral energy that permeates from the sun. Unlike regular sunlight, Mana does not give of warmth nor does it cause brightness. The reason we have never heard of ''Mana'' is due to two factors. One it¡¯s near weightlessness. And two its invisibility to the naked eye. Whilst mana does have weight and does have form, it seems that if one does not already know of its existence, they cannot perceive it. I only noticed it as I have a somewhat open mind, call it an affinity with Mana if you will. I have found that the strange grey light which I started investigating as a hobby, is the answer to the world¡¯s problems. For as long as history is recorded, other science and religious quacks, have claimed their own piece about creation, but I know now three undeniable facts. One ¨C Whilst normally grey in color, Mana will change to different shades when touching any of the elements, a bright red when surrounding flame, a deep blue when submerged in water, a light green when carried by the wind, and a murky brown when resting in the ground. Two ¨C when taking into consideration the first fact, it is undeniable that the elements of this world both consist of, and are made of Mana. If the elements are made of Mana, then life too, must be made from Mana. Three ¨C When taking into account the first two facts, I have deduced that the origin of our world, possibly all the worlds, is Mana. When it permeates from the sun, it flows through the open cosmos until it reaches a certain condition. Too what the condition is, I can only guess. Perhaps a certain temperature, or maybe a certain saturation of mana in the area. What I do know is that when Mana condenses it forms into a sphere, a sphere being its natural form. Our world is one such sphere, a super condensed ball of Mana that over millennia has formed elements and through these elements, life itself¡­¡¯ Another Audio File has been detected ¨C Would you like to play? This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.No- Resuming Primary Lecture¡­ ¨C Narrator: ¡®At first the findings of Merwin were discarded as the ravings of a madman by the science faction and heresy by the religious faction. On the same day that Merwin released his findings to the world, he was killed in a city street. Murdered in cold blood. But the two powers could not stop the curiosity of the human mind, after hearing Merwins theory, others went out to test it. After many tribulations it became a known fact that the astral energy known as Mana, was the cause for life on Earth. What preceded was a thousand years of reconciliation and development.¡¯ ¡®Merwin, was hailed as the progenitor of Mana, and through his findings a new art form was born, one which manipulated Mana, The Mana arts, which later came to be known as Magic. Those that practiced these arts were also called Magi, and to distinguish his greatness from the others, the practitioners of Magic named Merwin the Archaea-magi, the first of his kind. This term was modernised into what is more commonly known as ¡®The Arch-Mage¡¯. What Merwin had said about his findings were true. They were boundless, and like himself, many came after that would make many more discoveries such as, Aristople, Halileo Halilei, Isaac Mewton and Albert Eeinstye.¡¯ ¡®From the ¡®year of the Magi¡¯ to the year 1,013 ADA (After the Death of the Arch-mage) the only way to manipulate Mana or what is now known as performing Magic, was to manipulate the Mana around the practitioner, but it was then found in the year 1,014 that human beings, through the constant use of Mana had developed a new pseudo-organ. This organ was not a physical organ such as lungs or a heart, but was entirely comprised of condensed mana. The Mana was in the shape of a sphere and had a hardened exterior. Humans were previously unable to see Mana, but through a new art (spell), it was possible to see mana and its varying colors. The Mana sphere looked like a well with two openings on either side. Scientists deduced that the left side was for absorbing Mana and the right was for releasing Mana. They worked out that whilst the size of the mana-well was fixed from birth, the density of the mana that can be stored, increases with either continual use or from an innate affinity with Mana.¡¯ ¡®Fast forward three hundred years and Magic now consists of spells instead of Arts. The reason for this, is that whilst magic can be cast voicelessly, it is more potent when speaking an incantation as the words force the mind to focus on the directives of the spell. It is also found that Mana is unconsciously absorbed and released through the gates in a mana-well. The only exception being the period when a spell is cast. The gates will forcefully open or close as the spell requires. Now in the present, a full 2,015 years since the birth of magic and the death of Merwin, magic is used in day to day life. The entire population of earth, some 7 billion humans, are now Magi, or more commonly called ¡®Mages¡¯.¡¯ Through the constant use of magic over the generations, the mages of today are stronger than their predecessors, capable of great and powerful magic. A system of classification has been applied to magic. The system is a numerical scale ranging from the First-circle, which includes weak spells such as ¡®Mana Flare¡¯ or ¡®Small Fireball¡¯, the Second and third-circle which consists of weak spells that require more concentration than their counterparts such as the spells ¡®Fireball¡¯ and ¡®Shock¡¯. The strongest and most dangerous of spells are in the range of eighth, ninth and tenth-circle. There are a limited amount of tenth-circle spells and almost all of them cause havoc on a large scale. As well as ability levels another determining factor of magic is elemental affinities, for example, one can have an affinity with the element water, which would increase the potency of Water based spells, but would cause fire based spells to be weaker. Affinities als-¡­ ¡®ERAN MAGIA, ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION?¡¯ an old man with a very cross face charges through the class room passing several display desks to stand before a single boy. Everyone in the classroom turned to face the sudden commotion. The boy in question raised his head to reveal a pair of grey eyes and an outstandingly handsome face. It was a face that one could stare at all day, and not feel the day was wasted. That would be the case, of course if it wasn''t for the expression the boy was making. His beautiful green flecked, grey eyes, were cast down to avoid the teacher¡¯s gaze. His full lips were pursed together pulling slightly down and his sculpted jaw line was as taut as a bow string. This was the look of some who was very afraid. This was the look of someone who was used to being yelled at. This was the look of someone who was fervently trying to make himself non-existent. This was the face of Eran Abdicatus Magia, the boy who could not use magic.
~Draft ~Chapter Guide~ Chapter 2~
Post note~ The format of this chapter may be strange to some. What essentially happened is there is a classroom of students who are sitting in front of futuristic computer displays. The Display showed a line of code and a command prompt. All the prompts were in bold. The ''Narrator'' is an online pre-recorded voice giving a lecture. There is a teacher in the room but his purpose is to make sure that students are paying attention to the lecture on their displays. Hope this helps clear up any confusion~ Chapter 2 - Eran Abdicatus Magia~ Startled out of his reverie Eran could only look around in a daze. Standing in front of him was the fuming visage of his home room teacher. Professor Aldo Baxter was a very unfortunate man. He was short, plump and bald to the scalp. Worse of all was his pale skin that would dye red with even the faintest hint of a blush. Professor Baxter now stood in front of Eran with his fists clenched, his back arched, and his face the color of an inflamed pimple. ¡°I am sorry, s-sir¡± stammered Eran. The professor snorted, ¡°Even if you can¡¯t use magic, I expect you to pay attention to the lectures, ¡®Boy¡¯. The Magia¡¯s had to spend a great deal of resources to send a pathetic excuse of a mage like you to this school.¡± Whilst trying to lower his eyes Eran quietly replied ¡°I will pay more attention from now on, sir.¡± Hearing the exchange, the other students in the room revealed savage smiles. Sensing that the event was about to end, a student sitting close to Eran spoke out. ¡°Sir! Just the other day Eran told me he hates lectures. He said that he just pretends to watch when people are looking!¡± ¡°Yeah Professor, he told me that he hates the lectures you supervise the most! He called you an annoying pig!¡± called out another student. Hearing the student¡¯s claims the Professor turned back to face Eran. ¡°How dare you, a no good, [Abdicatus] insult me?¡± spat the professor. His face turned an even brighter shade of red. ¡°Honestly professor, that guy is always calling you names!¡± called out the student who started it all. ¡°Yeah sir, he once told me your family were pig farmers!¡± shouted the student¡¯s friend. The pig ¨C I mean professors face, contorted in disgust. ¡°What do you have to say for yourself?¡± Mr Baxter hissed through clenched teeth. A thousand and one thoughts went through Erans head. ¡®I Never said that!¡¯ and ¡®That¡¯s a lie!¡¯ such things would have resolved the situation, but all that came from his mouth was a pathetic whimper. ¡°As I thought, nothing to say, pick up your things, and get out of my class.¡± Mr Baxter sighed as he turned around to face his class. ¡°I am sorry students; please continue your lectures.¡± The sound of students resuming their lectures filled the room. Everyone was making noise. Everyone except for Eran for he was busy putting his entire will into disappearing. With his gaze firmly anchored to his feet, Eran picked up his workbook, bowed before Mr Baxter and fled the classroom. Usually, one would question the outcome of such a conflict. Why would the students get away with something like that? Why was the teacher so cold? It was clearly bullying from both parties, yet it still occurred. Eran did not ponder such things; he knew exactly why it happened, because it happens every day. The students in that classroom were learning about magic. They were learning its history so they could better their magical abilities. Everyone except Eran of course, for he had no abilities to speak of. When even a three year old child has the ability to cast several First-Circle spells in succession, Eran could not even cast one. Whilst unusual, but not unheard of, having no magical abilities would not gain you the ire of others, usually it would result with pity. What made everyone feel like they could step on Eran was his family. The Magia family was one of the three magical families that are direct descendants of the Arch-Mage, Merwin Magi. Throughout the ages, the children of the Magia family have boasted the highest levels of magical prowess. Erans siblings were no such exception; all five of them were talented individuals. Eran however was the black sheep of the family. At the age of five, all children are tested to determine both their current power and their future potential. His siblings had all shown great promise, Eran however had shown none. On his fifth birthday, Eran Exidus Magia, was disowned and disinherited from his family, to be known forever more as Eran [Abdicatus] Magia. Although abdicated, the Magia family paid for Eran¡¯s living and school expenses. In their eyes it was a way of forgiving themselves for casting him out, but to Eran it was like rubbing salt into a wound. Being the pinnacle in both grace and power, all most everyone who knew of them both hated and loved the Magia¡¯s. Those who had personally known a member of the family often felt envious, but because of their own status, were unable to do anything. Then comes Eran, the third-born son of the head of the family. Only, he does not have the prestige or the power of his relatives. Here was someone the jealous world could lash out at. And they did, with no exceptions. Eran learnt early on that remaining as invisible and apologetic as possible meant far less conflict. If Eran appeared to be lesser than his peers he would generally be left alone, albeit the occasional bully would beat him down. When he attended his first class after being cast from his home, Eran had an exam. The content of the exam was at the early second grade level. The school devised that by testing the students on the next year¡¯s content they could determine their strengths and weaknesses. The majority of children attained fairly promising results, knowing a little more than the standard five year old should. Some even showed a greater knowledge for their age. Eran however was very smart. He had an uncanny ability to memorise almost everything he had ever read. It wasn¡¯t as such photographic memory, it was more like a natural affinity to learning and a very sharp wit. As one would expect from a child with such traits, he displayed a knowledge and academic prowess way past his years. However instead of being praised for his genuine genius, he was taunted by his peers, and accused of cheating by his teachers. It was from that exam that young Eran learnt that he was not meant to shine in this world. In this world he was seen as a rag doll, a straw dummy for others to let loose on. As the years went by, verbal abuse turned to physical and the torment only got worse. Slowly but surely the assertive and genius child became quiet and introverted. When the other students would shove him in the hallways he would apologise. When his teachers blamed him for the misconduct of others he would remain silent. As such, the years went on by and Eran was now in his 16th year of life. By now he was used to this life. Eran had forgotten what it was like before he had turned five, what life was like with the Magia¡¯s. All he knew now was the torment. He barely had any contact with his relatives. They never called for his birthday or on Merwins day, in fact they never called at all. The only connection he still had with the Magia¡¯s was the monthly allowance that was deposited to his bank. He certainly did not look like the rest of his family. From memory, he recalled that both his parents and siblings had golden blonde hair with green eyes. A complete opposite to his own dark brown hair and grey eyes, although they did have a little green in them. Caught up in his musings as he was walking through the halls, he bumped into someone knocking the both of them over. Preparing to apologise he looked up. What he saw was the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes on. Who he saw was Alexia Steele, the so called queen of the school. She had a cold, delicately crafted face with dark black hair and a well-proportioned body. She was the pinnacle of Social Hierarchy, to her, someone like Eran must have been a single celled organism at the very bottom of the food chain. Or so he thought. ¡°Miss Alexia!¡± cried a girl whose appearance was that of a maid. ¡°How dare you attack her, you fiend!¡± she screamed whilst glaring at Eran. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Eran cringed at her words and turned to find the girl in question frowning at him. ¡°I am sorry, I did not mean to run into you¡± Eran quickly offered Alexia a hand. Ignoring it, Alexia got onto her feet and without a second glance his way, continued down the hall. ¡°You¡¯re lucky I don¡¯t kill you where you stand!¡± threatened the maid like girl as she caught up to Alexia. Completely flabbergasted by the meeting Eran could only stare as the two girls continued out of sight. As the day was coming to an end, Eran made his way home from school. His single apartment was located near the campus so it was not that far a walk. His apartment was small and un-decorated, it consisted of a small kitchen, a small bathroom and a small bedroom. The only furniture in the bedroom was a bed and a work desk. Spread across Eran¡¯s work desk was a plethora of books and sheets of paper. Eran did not own a personal computer as he preferred the warm companionship of paper and books, to that of a cold lifeless screen. After completing his assigned homework, Eran laid in bed reading a small book. As he started to drift off he recalled the day¡¯s events from the bullying in class, to the strange encounter with Alexia Steele. Unbeknownst to Eran, the online world was on fire, thousands of forums and wiki¡¯s were being both created and read as something amazing had happened that day. A first in the magical world, a spell to both disrupt and prevent further spell casting had been conceived and released onto the web.
Alexia had always been an apt magician. When she turned five her father, who is the CEO of the largest Magical Appliance manufacturer in the world, was ecstatic to learn that she had a great potential as a mage. For years she had studied magic both at school and under private tutelage, and now in her 16th year she was the pinnacle of strength in her school. Besides her magical prowess, Alexia did not have many skills, nor did she have many friends. Whilst she was so beautiful that angels paled in comparison, her singular concentration for studying magic and lack of interest in anything else had portrayed her as a sort of ¡®Ice queen¡¯ thus making her unapproachable. The only friend she had in the world was her childhood friend and private maid Amelia, or more affectionately called Ame. When Alexia was not studying magic, she was scouring the World Wide Magical Web or ¡®WWMW¡¯ for information on new or special magic. Alexia was sitting at a table in the cafeteria with Ame, quietly reading information on her MA Tablet, ¡®Magical Appliance Tablet¡¯. What she was reading was an article about a leaked spell that was newly created. Whilst the information seemed dubious, if it proved true the applications were enormous. A spell that could disrupt and prevent casting. There was a plethora of spells that could inhibit spell casting. Spells such as ¡®Silence¡¯ or ¡®Paralyse¡¯ would prevent the use of invocation, but not magic itself. However based on the released schematics of this new spell, aptly named ¡®Mana Disruption¡¯, a mage could stop his or in this case her, target from casting spells for a period of time, by vibrating and puncturing the walls of the targets Mana-well. Alexia was skeptical of the authenticity of the spell. There was no information published about the side effects or the outcome of its usage. All that was posted was the theory behind its creation and a solid oath from the author that it was real. Alexia did not need any more convincing, she would try the spell herself, if only to add it to her already extensive repertoire. ¡°Ame, I am going home, call the driver would you please?¡± she asked. ¡°Of course Lady Alexia¡± replied Amelia as she pulled out her phone. The two left the cafeteria, bound for the parking lot. But as they were walking down the hall, around the corner came a student. Alexia had never seen this boy before and she knew this because she would easily remember a face like his. Dark brown mid-length hair, a perfectly symmetrical face with a sculpted jaw, and the most beautiful grey eyes, she had ever seen. The student obviously hadn¡¯t noticed her and she was too busy appraising his body to focus on where she was walking. The result was obvious, they collided and she landed bottom first onto the ground. She was too busy gushing over the feel of his lean body to realise he was now staring at her. Alexia could hear Ame say something but her attention was solely fixed on his gaze. Whilst his face did not hold any confidence, his eyes held such power it made it hard for her to breathe. The boy seemed to have recovered from his shock and rose to his feet. Alexia could now appreciate how tall he was, standing at an even 6ft 1 inches, he was tall for his age. The boy slowly held out his hand and in voice that felt like honey to her ears apologised for knocking her down. Alexia frowned, she was so embarrassed for being so caught up in the boy¡¯s gaze that she couldn¡¯t even speak. Ignoring his slender hand, she got to her feet. She fervently tried to avoid looking at him and as quickly as possible fled down the hallway. She could vaguely hear Ame saying something to the boy. When they both reached the parking lot Ame turned to Alexia. ¡°Lady Alexia, you should report that ruffian for assaulting you¡± stated Ame. ¡®Ruffian?¡¯ Thought Alexia, ¡®When was I assaulted by a ruffian?¡¯ As the limo drove away from the school Alexia hoped to see the boy again. She wondered how she could not have met such an attractive guy before, but her thoughts soon turned back to the theoretical spell as her magic driven mind kicked into gear. Alexia arrived at her father¡¯s mansion in the afternoon, which left plenty of time for her to practice the spell. After greeting her father and telling Ame she would be in her room, she went and hopped on the computer. She checked her school email to find that the Term based MPAT or Magical Proficiency Achievement Test was tomorrow. The test usually involved a series of one on one magical duels to determine the magical strength of each student. Alexia thought the methods of the test were rather archaic, but it should still be a lot of fun. After reading her other emails Alexia searched for any more information on the spell ¡®Mana-Disrupt¡¯, only to find that all information about the spell had been erased. Even typing the name into the search engine ¡®JOOGLE¡¯ came up with zero results. Finding it all very suspicious Alexia turned off her computer and went to her personal training room. After hours of attempting the spell, Alexia was lying on the floor of the training room sweating profusely. ¡°Incredible¡­¡± she whispered.
~Chapter 1 ~Chapter Guide~ Chapter 3~
Mwahahaha~ Chapter two is finally here! I''ve made an executive decision, the heiress shall henceforth be named Alexia! And she shall go with Eran to the new world~ Yay~ Though she won''t be a bitch like she was in the prologue, haha. I''m sorry it took so long, especially to you Ziger because I promised it so much earlier. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I wrote it to introduce Erans personality and outstanding good looks hohoho~ I shall continue working~ Chapter 3 - To become whole~ The early morning sun cast filtered light through the gaps in the shades within Erans room. The warmth of sunlight caused him to drowsily open his eyelids. Slowly rising from his bed, Eran staggered over to window and with a great yawn, he pulled apart the shades to reveal the bustling city below. ¡®Another day in paradise¡¯ he mused sarcastically. He is not what one would call, ¡®a morning person¡¯. After cooking a light breakfast, Eran neatly dressed himself in his school uniform, then packed his books and stationary. As he locked up and stepped out into the street, Eran wondered what today would hold in store. As he did not own a personal computer, nor have friends to inform him, there was no way Eran could have known about the ¡®MPAT¡¯ today. Arriving at the school, Eran noticed the commotion on the college green. What could only be described as a mob of students, were surrounding the school sigh post. Attention all students ¨C As was announced last night through several online mediums, a compulsory Magical Proficiency Achievement Test (MPAT) will be held today. All classes, aside from home-room, will be postponed until further notice. Details will be given by individual home-room teachers. ¡®Semper ad excellentiam contende¡¯. At the sound of the bell, Eran left the mob in the direction of his home-room. The signboard said there was an MPAT today. In his lifetime, Eran had attended and participated in three MPAT¡¯s. All three were a scarring experience for him, and he had no doubt that this fourth would be no different. Arriving before the others, Eran patiently sat at his display, waiting for the class to commence. As the rest of the class started to file into the room Mr Baxter started his lesson. ¡°Good morning students, as you already know, today you will be participating in a Magical Proficiency Achievement Test. Everyone here has participated in one before, but I will still explain what the test is, why we have the test and finally the rules.¡± ¡°The Magical Proficiency Achievement Test, or MPAT, was devised several decades ago. Using methods of teaching from long ago, Educators devised a test which would accurately display both the current and future potential of student¡¯s magical prowess. The test consists of a series of spectated mock battles.¡± ¡°The battles are one on one, with the participants being selected at random. Once the battle commences, each student will have five minutes to disable or otherwise prevent their opponent from continuing. All physical combat is prohibited, as this is a test of Magical not Physical ability.¡± ¡°In front of you on your displays should be a full list of the rules, please revise them yourselves, and then head to the school stadium within the next half hour. Attendance will be taken at the door. I will repeat one more time, this test is compulsory.¡± Finishing his speech, Mr Baxter walked over and sat behind his desk. Eran read what was displayed on his screen, Magical Proficiency Achievement Test - 1. The MPAT is compulsory. All students must participate. 2. The test will be conducted with a maximum of one days¡¯ notice before hand. 3. The test will consist of a series of Magical mock battles. 4. The contenders of each battle will be chosen at random from the entire cohort. The RNG or Random Number generator will however, only pair students of the same age. 5. Once chosen, the contenders have no more than five minutes to enter their designated Battle-Ring. 6. The Battle shall commence the moment the standby light changes from Red to Green. 7. Once started, the contenders have five minutes to either disable or otherwise impair their opponent. 8. All magical spells are allowed during the battle, as an enchantment that mediates and repairs damage has been cast on to the Battle-Rings. 9. All physical combat is prohibited, unless it falls under a category of magical combat. For example, ¡®Body Hardening¡¯. 10. The first contender to disable or otherwise impair their opponent will move onto the next stage. Whilst the loser may continue no further. 11. Battles shall continue until one student is left. The winning student will be awarded with both Academic Merit Points and a designated Prize. 12. When a student loses a battle, they will be graded based on the level of magical prowess shown during the duel. 13. The MPAT will continue indefinitely, until a single student is designated as the victor. 14. All usual classes shall be postponed until the conclusion of the MPAT. 15. The design of the MPAT is to be both fun and educational. Eran thoroughly read the rules, taking up most of the allotted half hour. He was not reading it to give himself the best chance in battle. He was reading it to find a loophole so he would not need to participate at all. Resigned to his fate, Eran left the classroom and followed the stream of students to the school Stadium. The usual appearance of the Stadium was that of a conference hall, chairs would be lined up in rows and a podium would be erected. However for an event like the MPAT, the stadium would undergo a drastic change. The chairs and podium were replaced with ten elevated platforms called ¡®Battle-Rings¡¯, the walls of the stadium were pushed out and lined with rows of chairs and spectators. It was truly an impressive sight. As the last few students entered the massive stadium, a large display screen lit up and revealed the face of a withered man. ¡°Good day students, today you will participate in what will most likely be your final MPAT. I wish you all the best of luck.¡± The old man clearly disliked speaking in public as his speech was very short. As the man¡¯s face disappeared, it was replaced with a scrolling list of names and a spidery Tournament Bracket. Five pairs of names were displayed and the first set of battles commenced. Eran was currently sitting in the middle of the spectator¡¯s seats. Although Eran had never used magic himself, he always marveled at its use and would often watch mages with envious eyes. Such thoughts as ¡®It must be wonderful to use magic¡¯ and ¡®If only I could too¡¯ went through his mind as he watched the battles play through. Over an hour had passed and already great displays of magic had been shown. One such example was the battle between the ¡®Ice queen¡¯ Alexia Steele and a member of the Student Council. As her opponent opted to use a Fourth-Circle Earth type magic ¡®Earthen Shackles¡¯ to bind Alexia whilst erecting earthen walls around herself, Alexia in turn used a Fifth-Circle Wind type spell ¡®Sylphid blast¡¯ to ignore the earthen defenses and launch her opponent, with a violent blast of wind, out of the ring at a tremendous speed. As Alexia continued to win she quickly became the crowd¡¯s favourite. So far Eran had not been selected, but he knew with each passing minute his turn became closer. Battle Ring 7 - Round 54 ¨C Eran (Abdicatus) Magia vs Alexia Rosetta Steele Judgement day had come. Not only was he going to lose to a girl, he was going to lose to the prettiest girl in the school. As he was cursing his fate, Eran walked onto the designated Ring. When the crowd saw who he was, there was a mixed reaction. Those who did not know him openly gaped at his appearance, those who did recognise him however started to call out profanities. ¡°Look it¡¯s the loser!¡±, ¡°Go home!¡±, ¡°Look he¡¯s not even a Magia!¡± as the call outs continued, Eran ignored them. His attention was now fixed on the angel that entered the ring. Alexia was standing across from him wearing a complicated face. Eran figured she must have been disappointed facing someone like him. As he offered her a silent apology, the standby light turned green.
As the day progressed, Alexia fought many battles. Not a single one caused her to break a sweat. ¡®Weak, they¡¯re all weak¡¯ she thought to herself. As she was complaining to Ame she noticed the booing and chanting of the crowd. Looking up at the stadium display she saw her own name with that of another. ¡®Eran Magia?¡¯ she thought. As the sole heiress to the Steele Manufacturing throne, Alexia had met many of the world¡¯s dignitaries. This included the majority of the Magia family. Both sons of the Magia had tried hitting on her, rather poorly she might add, and the daughters were all busy competing for the attention of guys. Never before had she heard of this ¡®other¡¯ Magia. But as she walked onto the platform to face her opponent, her heart quickened and her knees lightly shook. In front of her was the ¡®God of beauty¡¯ she ran into in the hallway. Standing tall with his hair slightly parted, he stared at her from across the Ring. As he continued to look at her, his gaze never wandering, her heart felt like it would explode. She felt like his gaze was stripping her defences and peering into her very soul. As she felt heat rising to her face she averted her eyes and tried to get a handle on the situation. Whilst this boy may be the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, today he was her enemy. Alexia only had one thing on her mind today, winning. She wanted to prove to both Amelia and her father that she had been trying her hardest. Steeling her heart, Alexia took a ready stance. As she waited for the standby light to change to green, Alexia thoroughly analysed her opponent. With the name Magia and the strongest eyes she had ever seen, he must surely be more than her equal. In her experience, the magicians of House Magia liked to use flashy, but extremely powerful magic at the start of a duel. As a child, her father made Alexia participate in play dates with the all the other Young Heiresses. Clarissa Magia was one such child, and she immediately took a dislike to Alexia. After a bitter dispute over who deserves the last chocolate biscuit, the two had a duel. Alexia won with relative ease but even she was rattled at the raw power the Magia child displayed. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡®My only chance is to end it with one hit¡¯, she thought to herself. ¡®He will probably use his largest spell to start with, but judging from his body tone, he¡¯s fit enough to cast several strong spells. If it¡¯s a spell higher than the Sixth-Circle, I¡¯ll have to act very quickly¡¯. ¡®I¡¯ll use that spell.¡¯ As the standby light finally turned to green, Alexia immediately began building up mana into her palm. Alexia pictured her mana taking the form of a long arrow. A sharp arrow head full of condensed Mana, held together with a flowing shaft made from lighter Mana. As her arrow started taking form in her palm she looked at her opponent, his face had visibly paled as he started to move to the side. ¡®Chance!¡¯ she thought to herself. ¡®If I win, I¡¯ll be able to start a conversation by apologising for hurting him¡¯ her inner self laughed maniacally. In the breadth of a few seconds, her arrow had fully formed. The arrow was grey in colour and was throbbing as if it was alive. Taking aim at the beautiful boy, Alexia shouted out, ¡°Mana-Disrupt!¡± and launched the arrow. Propelled by residual Mana, the arrow flew faster than a bullet and struck the boy in his lower abdomen. The force of the initial impact launched Eran out of the ring hitting hard into the stadium wall. Steam was rising from where the arrow had hit him, and he crumpled onto the floor seemingly unconscious. The stadium roared in approval, ¡°Alexia! All hail Alexia!¡± ¡°She floored him, hahaha!¡± Battle Ring 7 - Round 54 ¨C Eran (Abdicatus) Magia vs Alexia Rosetta Steele Winner ¨C Alexia Rosetta Steele Whilst Alexia usually didn¡¯t care for the praise of the masses, even she felt a little bit of pride for winning the match. Especially winning with a spell she had only learnt the previous night. However her pride faded quickly as she saw Eran struggling to get to his feet. Worried she had hurt him too much she ran over to join the Nurses heading to his side. ¡°Lady Alexia!¡± called Amelia as she tried to catch up. As she stood by the nurse¡¯s side, her residual feelings of pride faded in to despair. Crumpled on the floor whilst clutching his stomach, was the beautiful boy. Only his face was not beautiful at this time. His face was contorted in what could only be described as pure agony. ¡°ARGHH!¡± Eran screamed out between shallow breaths. ¡°Miss, what spell did you use!?¡± the head nurse asked in a panic. ¡°I-it¡¯s a new one; it¡¯s called ¡®Mana-Disrupt¡¯ stammered Alexia. ¡°What is its property and what does it do?¡± starting to regain her composure, the head nurse drilled Alexia with questions. During the entire course of the exchange, Eran flailed on the ground. Slowly but surely a grey light started to ooze out of the wound. First the light covered Erans body, and then covered a small circle around him. Eventually the grey light touched the walls of the stadium. Finally noticing the light around them, everyone¡¯s attention turned back to Eran. He was now fully unconscious, but that was not what they were staring at. What shocked them was that he was gently floating two metres above the ground. In the blink of an eye the grey light which was slowly leaking from his body, exploded outwards past the confines of the stadium. Like a massive mushroom cloud, the light spanned first the entire city, then the country. Soon the light had enveloped a large part of the world. The grey light was so dense that Alexia felt like she was underwater. The sensation the light gave off felt familiar to her. She tried to place the sensation and in a moment of astonishment, she realised that the light was Mana. With the new revelation, Alexia could not help but wonder where the huge, ocean like mana came from. What she didn¡¯t realise however, was that the vast overwhelming force of Mana, came from Eran. What no one of this world knew, not even Eran himself, was that since the moment he was born, Eran had been unconsciously absorbing Mana at an exponential rate. Born with the prowess of a child of Magia, Eran could continuously absorb an almost impossible amount of Mana. The reason for his supposed ineptitude was that unlike others, when born, Erans Mana-well only had one opening. With only an opening for absorbing, not releasing, Eran had an infinite amount of Mana stored within his Well, with no way to release its power. That was the case, until today. The exact properties of the spell ¡®Mana-Disruption¡¯ is penetrating and vibrating Mana. Sharpened to a point, the manifestation of the spell punctures the target until it reaches their pseudo-organ, the Mana-well. Once the spell pierces the walls of the Well, the next step of the spell instantly activates. Staying true to its form, the Mana then violently vibrates, which causes the walls of the targets Mana-well to shake and lose their integrity. As it loses strength, the confining walls of a Mana-well can no longer condense the Mana stored within and releases it. This phenomenon is known as Magical-Backlash. Whilst there have been reports of fatal cases, most mages that experience Magical-Backlash experience a range of side effects ranging from nausea to a coma. With a new opening formed within his Mana-well due to the spell, Erans super-condensed Mana burst from its confines and enveloped the surrounding area. No one had ever seen or felt Mana this large in proportion. Once it had reached its limits, the huge field of Mana was pulled back like an elastic band. The Mana was being pulled back into the boy floating in the air. Once it was all back inside, Eran began to glow. To the spectators, it looked like he was torch, shining with grey light. To Alexia it looked like he was bathed in Moonlight. Soon the ground started to violently shake; it felt as if the earth itself was trying to resist the overwhelming power. The air itself began to crackle with electricity, making the water vapour in the air turn into a plume of scorching steam. Alexia got to her feet and stared at Eran. ¡°I caused this!¡± she cried out running towards his form. ¡°Lady Alexia, don¡¯t! Please come back!¡± Amelia screamed and chased after Alexia fearing for her life. Reaching Erans floating body she reached out with her hands. And in that moment they disappeared in a bright flash. They had not burnt to ash; nor had they vaporized into steam. They were simply gone, and the overwhelming Mana went with them. It was on that day that the world grieved for the loss of two loved ones, but seemed to forget the existence of a third. The news bulletins the following day would read: Lady Alexia Rosetta Steele ¨C Presumed dead Miss Amelia Julianna Levitt ¨C Presumed dead But there would be nothing said about the lost son of the Magia family. There would be no mention and no mourning of the boy named Eran.
Eran awoke, floating in a dark place, void of light. ¡®Where am I?¡¯ he thought, asking no one in particular. ¡°Everywhere and nowhere¡± replied a voice. ¡°Whose there? Who are you?¡± he cried out, startled. ¡°I am you, as much as you are me¡± the voice replied solemnly. ¡°W-why can¡¯t I see anything?¡± he stammered. ¡°Because your eyes are shut¡± simply replied the voice. Feeling a bit stupid, Eran opened his eyes and openly gaped. The dark void instantly filled with a bright light. When his vision returned he could not believe his eyes. All around him were swirling Nebulae of bright and vibrant colours. The Nebula seemed to consist of every spectrum of colour both known and unknown to man. As Erans vision focused, he could make out shapes within the technicoloured clouds. Stars and moons orbited around planets of indescribable size. ¡°Where are we?¡± he asked. ¡°I already told you, we are everywhere and nowhere¡± the voice which at first sounded so alien, was now so familiar. ¡°You said you were me and I was you. What do you mean?¡± he asked. ¡°At the moment you were born, so was I. I am the power just as you are the mind. It will be confusing if I try to explain it any further, after all I do not quite understand it either. Just know that we are one and the same, although we have been separated this whole time.¡± answered the Voice. ¡°Separated?¡± Eran asked. ¡°Yes, unlike others, we were born without the ability to release our power. Namely me. I was sealed from you our whole life, and could only watch your life of pain and misery. I felt everything as you did, for I am you. Now we are finally one and complete.¡± The voiced replied. ¡°O-okay, I guess I can believe that¡± Eran nervously chuckled. ¡°But seriously where are we? This place is beautiful¡± The voice laughed, only now did Eran realise where the voice was coming from, him. He was talking with himself this entire time. ¡°We are in the bridge between worlds; it is from here that our life shall truly begin. I will not let us be tormented by lesser people any longer. Now we are one, we can do anything, be anything. Eran, choose a light within the clouds. This light will be our new home.¡± As the voice said this, several of the Nebula started to light up. ¡°We will never speak like this again, for once this is done, I will be you in the truest sense.¡± ¡°Now Eran, choose¡­¡± The voice faded from his lips as a dull pain reverberated through his mind. When water is poured from one glass into another, the two separate reserves join to become one. The two mix and combine to become a single glass of water. Just like water in a glass, the two Erans mixed and combined till there was only one, a complete Eran. Feeling power coursing through his veins for the first time in his life, Eran turned to look at the swirling Nebula. Out of all the stars, moons and planets, only one light stood out to him. Forcing his will into the light, he felt his body moving. As he moved, his body burst into a shade of brilliant light, blinding him. Soon after, Eran felt firm ground under his feet. He opened his eyes, and as the blinding light faded, Eran took his first look at the new world.
~Chapter 2 ~Chapter Guide~ Chapter 4~
Yaay!~ To the new world! Chapter 4 - A town called Beaufort~ Eran stood absolutely still absorbing everything in. The sights, the smells, the sounds. Looking around in wonder, Eran noticed that he was currently on a small hill between two different Biomes. On his right side was a lush forest that spanned farther than his eyes could see. He could see a variety of trees, some familiar, others not quite. But all of them much more vibrant than trees found on earth. To his left side, was an endless grassland covered with small hills that looked like waves in an Ocean of Green. The way the wind was swaying the grass made the land look truly alive. Taking in a deep breath of delicious, fresh air, Eran looked up to see the beautiful, deep blue sky. The sky was lightly littered with white fluffy clouds, which were gathering around the base of gigantic floating mountains. ¡°This truly is another world¡± he laughed to himself whilst staring at the flying mountains. The whole situation seemed so surreal. Taking one more lingering look at all of his surroundings, taking in as much as he could, Eran made his decision and took off in the direction of the ocean of grass. He thought he would be more likely to find a settlement in a grassland, than in a forest. After an hour or two of peaceful walking among the swaying grass, Eran came to a realisation. The further he walked away from the giant forest behind him, the more populated with life the land became. As a testament to his earlier observation, Eran soon passed by what looked like giant Oxen, grazing on a small hill. Only these Oxen had six legs and two tails. Herding the Oxen into a small group, was a young boy. He looked to be around twelve years old. Whilst approaching the boy, Eran wondered if the local language would be at all similar to his own native tongue. Expecting his words to have no meaning to the boy, he called out to him in English from the base of the hill. ¡°Hello there, could you tell me where the nearest town or city is?¡± ¡°C-course, mi-lord, Beaufort is just over this hill, and past that being the capitol city of Astr, Mi-lord¡± the boy nervously answered. ¡°Ah wonderful, thank you¡± responded Eran. He was pleasantly surprised that the boy replied in a rural form of English. The boy bowed and quickly continued herding his Oxen to a new pasture. ¡®Lord? Why did he call me a lord¡¯ Eran wondered to himself. While walking in the direction given by the Shepard Eran came to stop. Lying close to the ground and surrounded by taller grass, was a little pond. Curious about the Shepard¡¯s actions Eran wanted to see his reflection. After walking over to the edge, Eran looked down at his reflection in the water. As he looked into the mirror like pond, a confident looking boy with silvery grey hair, and equally grey eyes looked back. The boy was wearing a regal looking grey suit which was covered by a tight fitting grey trench coat. ¡°Ahh!¡± Eran shouted, whilst taking a fistful of his once dark brown hair. His appearance had drastically changed since he had left earth. His eyes which once had green flecks around the Iris, were now the same colour as his hair, silvery-grey. Despite the new colour of his hair and eyes, the most surprising changed feature Eran noticed was his face. He had always tried to cast his face downwards to avoid the gaze, and potential bullying, from others. But now his face gave off a look of raw power, coupled with a dignified elegance. ¡®No wonder the boy thought I was a lord. Compared to his own clothes I look like the king of England!¡¯ Eran laughed out loud. Not entirely displeased with his new appearance, Eran spent the next couple minutes familiarizing himself with his new look and attire before setting off once again in the direction of the town. The town of Beaufort was what one would call ¡®a frontier town¡¯. It was located between an unexplored region called ¡®The Great Forest¡¯ and the ¡®Capitol City of the Kingdom of Astr¡¯. From outside, great walls of stone and metal encased the entirety of the town. And the town itself was no small village. Over the top of the wall, three-story buildings and varied towers could be seen. Eran continued to follow a paved road that lead to a large wooden gate. As Eran approached the town, the guards at the gate stopped him. ¡°Halt. Who goes there?¡± asked a gruff looking guard. ¡°Good day sir, I am a traveler. I have only just recently, arrived in this area. May I seek the comfort of your town¡¯s inn until I get my bearings?¡± inquired Eran. Overwhelmed with the eloquence of his speech, the guards nodded their heads dumbly and could not help slightly bowing as Eran passed them. ¡®Those Etiquette classes I was forced into during my childhood passed off¡¯ mused Eran. As impressive as the stone wall was from the outside, nothing compared to walking through it. The width of the wall was several metres and its height even more. It was clear that a lot of care went into the construction of the towns defenses. After moving through the gate, Eran was greeted by the sight and sounds of a bustling market place square. Countless stalls selling all sorts of strange things were set up throughout the square. As Eran walked around enjoying the commotion he noticed that the majority of things being sold was foreign to him. ¡®Although the language is the same, I should not forget this is not Earth¡¯ he thought to himself. After passing what could only be described as the food quarter, Eran found himself surrounded by merchants selling weapons of all shapes and sizes. In one store he passed he saw sharp long swords made from strange metals, in another, a bow with a string that the merchant claimed would never break. Eran spent hours walking like this, taking in the sights the smells and the sounds. For the first time, in a long time, Eran was really enjoying himself. He was so absorbed in the market that he barely noticed the sun setting behind the rolling hills of grass. It was an awesome sight. Whilst the green ocean was a beautiful sight itself, nothing compared to the way the orange sunlight made the grass look like it was alight. Eran noticed an older female clothes merchant watching the sun set, the same as him. ¡°It is beautiful, is it not?¡± He asked her. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve always loved watching the sun set¡± she replied turning to face him. When she saw his appearance she immediately blushed and started walking away. Confused with her reaction Eran shrugged it off. After asking a guard where the Inn was, Eran was standing in front of large stone-brick building. There were many windows in the building, which indicated that it had many individual rooms. On the front was a hanging sign that read ¡®The sleepy Meadow¡¯ with a carving of a sheep in a field of grass. While opening the door and walking into the Inn, Eran was bombarded with the smell of food, alcohol and the sound of Raucous laughter. The Inn was absolutely packed with both men and women, just having a genuinely good time. Smiling to himself, Eran walked to the counter and waited for someone to receive him. After a minute or two, a fairly pretty young woman made her way to the counter whilst laughing to herself. Without even looking at Eran she went under the counter looking for something. ¡°Welcome to the sleepy Meadow, what can I do for you?¡± she called out. ¡°I am glad I have the right establishment. My name is Eran and I would like to use one of your fine rooms Madam¡± Eran smoothly replied. The woman poked her head up and looked at Eran. Her eyebrows twitched and her cheeks slowly dyed red. Regaining her composure, the obviously smitten counter-girl read out the prices. ¡°A-ah sure, one night is 40 copper pieces, two nights is 65. How long would you like the room for?¡± ¡°Then it appears I am unable to stay at this accommodation. I have only just arrived in this land with nothing but the clothes on my back. I am sorry to have bothered you¡± resigned to find somewhere else to sleep, Eran began to turn around. ¡°No don¡¯t go! I-I mean, we can make some sort of arrangement!¡± the woman quickly intercepted him. ¡°Listen, I¡¯m sure I can get my Mom to agree. You can work off the payment!¡± she said in an almost pleading voice. Taken aback by her open kindness, Eran took her hand raising it to lightly touch his lips. ¡°Thank you Madam, you have saved this wayward traveler¡± he replied with a smile. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Little did he know, that at that moment, very indecent thoughts were going through the ¡®kind¡¯ Innkeepers daughters mind. ¡°I¡¯ll just go ask mom what work we need done!¡± she called out as she ran into the back room. Moments later a woman who looked very similar to the ¡®kind¡¯ counter girl walked out of the back room. ¡°This isn¡¯t a charity Cassidy! We don¡¯t take strays, no matter how good looking they ar-¡± Cutting off mid-sentence, the woman who was most likely the Innkeeper, openly stared at Eran. ¡°You can stay for as long as a week. During that time you will waiter the tables. Do you know what that means?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes Madam, I know what is involved with waiting tables¡± Eran immediately replied. He did not want to show any hesitation towards his new employer. He didn¡¯t really lie either. During his time on earth, when he could no longer stand staying at home, his favourite place to visit was a book caf¨¦. There were many waiters and waitresses at the caf¨¦ as it was a popular place for part-time workers. Eran even gave it a shot himself once, though he only lasted a couple weeks. ¡°Alright, you may have a room on the second floor, tomorrow you will start working, Cassidy sort it out¡± finishing her piece, the Innkeeper walked over to the counter. ¡°Alright, Eran was it? Follow me, I¡¯ll take you to your room¡­ hehe¡± Eran could have sworn he heard a weird laugh, but he was too happy with his fortunate luck to notice. The room he was given was nicely furnished, and consisted of a double bed, a writing desk, a small closet and a private bathroom. He could see now why the Inn seemed so expensive, it was doing very well. After undressing himself Eran went over to look at his private bathroom. The room was split in two, one side for the toilet and the other for a large metal bath tub. ¡®Thank god this world has plumbing¡¯ he thought to himself. After heating up some water, Eran dipped into the bath. ¡°Ooh¡­ Hehe¡± Again he heard a weird laughing noise. It sounded like it was coming from the wall. Deciding it must be very ¡®Active¡¯ neighbours in the next room, he finished washing himself and flopped onto his bed. Recalling the events of his first day, Eran could hardly wait for what this world had install for him. As sleep finally took him, Eran smiled one more time, before fully embracing it. The next morning he woke up early with the rising sun. It seemed this world had a similar sense of time as earth. ¡®That will make things easier¡¯ he thought to himself as he got dressed. The waitering job was, difficult to say the least. When he first started taking orders, women after women seemed to leave their tables and move closer to where he was. This of course earned him glares from the men in the room. Cassidy of course was of no help whatsoever. When Eran was asking for orders she would knock over a piece of cutlery and ask him to grab it for her. It was truly annoying. By the end of the day Eran was tired, bored and a little cranky. After sharing a meal with Cassidy and her mother, Eran went to his room and began the same process as yesterday. Clothes off, slip into the bath. Yet again, the moment he entered the bath there was a strange muffled laughing sound. ¡°Augh, hehe¡± ¡®I wish they¡¯d give it a rest¡¯ he thought to himself. The rest of the week went almost the exact same way. Eran waited tables, ate dinner with Cassidy and her mother, returned to his room, quickly bathed because of the creepy voice next door, and then slept. It had now been a week since Eran came to this world and he could say with some confidence that his skills as a waiter had improved a lot. He entered the office room and stood in front of the Innkeepers desk. ¡°Madam, I have finished my work and I am ready to leave your establishment. Thank you for your kind graces¡± he said while slightly bowing. ¡°Here kid, this is for you. You earnt more than you owed. The ladies tipped big time while you were here¡± she responded while throwing a small pouch at Eran. Deeming it rude to look at its contents in front of his employer he thanked her and left the office. As he was heading to the door, his arm was caught by Cassidy. ¡°Are you really leaving already Eran?¡± she said as tears welled up in her eyes. ¡°Of course I am Miss Cassidy. I have only just arrived, I have much more to do¡± Eran replied with a smile. He gently pat her head then left the Inn. After he determined he had gone a respectable distance, Eran opened the pouch to inspect its contents. To his astonishment, there were 3 gold and 20 silver pieces. Over the course of the week, Eran had learnt the currency of the Astr Kingdom. As one might expect, 100 copper pieces were equal to a single silver piece. And 100 Silver coins were equal to a single gold piece. If a single night in a fine establishment such as the sleepy meadow cost 40 coppers, and Eran now had 3 gold and 20 silver. He did the math in his head. If every copper piece went to hiring a room for the night, he would have somewhere to sleep for at least eight hundred days! Whilst a small sum to the successful innkeeper, she had effectively given Eran a small fortune! That is at least, a small fortune in the eyes of a penniless man. Now with enough money for food and accommodation, Eran could once again start enjoying the town. After making a short list of what he wanted to do in this town before leaving, Eran decided to spend the rest of the day enjoying himself. The next day Eran now stood in front of very long building, which was made out of stone-brick just like every other building in town. Eran was told by Cassidy, that because he was new to the kingdom, he would probably want to read some books at the library before going anywhere. Following her advice, he now stood in front of the ¡®Beaufort Town Library¡¯. The inside of the Library was impressive to say the least. Countless shelves of books and scrolls and papers filled the building. At the front was an old curved wooden desk. Sitting behind the desk was an old man. ¡°Hello sir, am I to inquire about certain texts here?¡± asked Eran quickly falling into his smooth etiquette manor of speech. ¡°Hm? Yeah sure, why not, it is a library after all¡­¡± the old man replied while yawning. ¡°Anything in particular kid?¡± ¡°Yes sir, if possible, I¡¯d like any books that gives detailed information about the world as a whole. I¡¯d also like a copy of this kingdoms history, and any information on the surrounding areas.¡± ¡°Err, fine, that should be doable. You¡¯re kind of odd you know. Most young¡¯uns come in here asking for books about magic!¡± the old man coughed and hacked. ¡®Ah that answers one of my questions, there is magic in this world!¡¯ thought Eran. ¡°Honorable sir, please do not think lesser of me, but could I trouble you for books about magic as well? To sate my curiosity?¡± Eran asked as politely as possible. The old man made a nasal noise before answering, ¡°Psssht, if every starry eyed kid that came in here, talked as well as you do, I¡¯d run out of books! Fine kid, give me an hour or two and I¡¯ll have your books ready¡± ¡°Thank you sir¡± replied Eran. Not wanting to risk something happening that may detain him, Eran decided it would be best to wait in the library itself rather than venturing out into the town for an hour or two. After a while the old man returned with a floating stack of books following him. ¡°Here you go. Be kind to the books kid¡± he said while resting the stack in front of Eran. ¡°Thank you sir¡± Eran thanked him again and then turned his attention to the large stack of books. On earth, he had always enjoyed reading, avidly devouring any information available to him. And now he could read the history of a completely different world. ¡°Now¡­ where to begin?¡±
~Chapter 3 ~Chapter Guide~ Chapter 5~ Chapter 5 - In need of control~ Hello, I''m back from the dead with a new chapter! I finally finished my summer intensive course, I got a distinction *Applause*. At the behest of a literary friend and a few others I have conjured up a solid release schedule for this story. For those of you who are still eager to read my work rejoice. I shall be releasing chapters *Pause for effect* every 3 days! I feel like this is possible as I have actually planned and written summaries of chapters up to the 13th chapter! I''m also 2 chapters ahead in terms of writing so even if something happens, loss of a limb, terrible mind numbing cold, axe murder in the house... I should still be able to post a chapter. I''ve actually had this chapter done for a while but I felt like I should post it on a Saturday. I was actually meant to post this tomorrow but... I couldn''t wait haha. Without further ado, enjoy reading! Note: Next chapter will be on the 4th, as this chapter was supposed to be on the 1st. Oops.
Eran decided that the most efficient way to conduct his research, would be to start with the broadest topic and slowly narrow his focus. Scanning through the titles in the stack, Eran picked out a large old leather bound book. The many peoples of Eion In the beginning there was God. In God¡¯s infinite wisdom, it created the world of Eion. Soon, God felt that its new world was lonely and bereft of life. So God created the seven races to spread out and populate the world. The Dragons who were symbols of both magic and might. The Dwarves who were the most creative. The Elves who were both nimble and beautiful. The Beastmen who were strong and proud. The Daemons who were the most clever and wise. The Seraphine who were both merciful and kind. And finally the Humans who were weak but held such promise. Now with seven new children to watch and guide, God felt its attention divided. Wanting to be with them all, it split itself into six pieces. One being for each race. All except for the dragons who were created first. As the oldest and most powerful of the races they were individually equal to one of the new beings. Varinia ¨C The goddess of Versatility, to govern the many different Humans. Adwin ¨C The god of Art and Music, to govern the Ingenious Dwarves Annabelle ¨C The goddess of Grace and Beauty, to govern the Elvenkin Neon ¨C The god of Strength, to govern the prideful but physically strong Beastmen Pallas ¨C The god of Wisdom, to govern the clever but sometimes mischievous Daemons Clementine ¨C The goddess of Kindness and Compassion, to govern the merciful yet just Seraphine Six gods for six races. Eran put down the book. His mind was swirling with information. ¡®Gods?¡¯ he thought to himself, ¡®even Dragons!¡¯ ¡°So there are many races¡­¡± he mumbled quietly. ¡®Eion the author called it. So this world is called Eion¡¯, ¡®a world run by gods, amazing...¡¯ Eran mused. Satisfied with what he had learned from the old book, Eran once again took to the stack in search of more information. Following his original plan, he now knew the name of the world, who runs it, and who populates it. Now he would narrow his search and learn about his immediate area. Spying one such book Eran took it from the floating stack. Geography of Alpha and Beta Astra For as long as the country of Astra has existed, it has been split in two by a large, sea-like river called the Flumine. The lands north of the Flumine are Astra Alpha and its opposite side Astra Beta. Originally, there were two separate capitols, one in each side of Astra, however this caused war between the two peoples and the Monarchy swiftly dismantled both cities in favour of a new super-capitol in the very heart of both Astra¡¯s. The Great Capitol of Astra was named Astr in respect of the country and was situated on a large island in the middle of the Flumine. Astr has stood for nearly 2,000 years and has served as the pinnacle of trade and tourism in the continent. There are many large towns that surround Astr on both sides of the Flumine that serve as pseudo-cities. Fearful of another dispute, the towns, no matter how large in landmass, will never be given a ruler nor will they be considered a true city. One such Pseudo-city is the Frontier town that rests in southern Astra Alpha, Beaufort. Beaufort was built by the king in the earlier ages of the country as a staging point for an invasion on the Wood Elves that lived in the nearby Great Forest. However this plan was abolished by the Racial Treaty that was comprised soon after. Now the city like town is a tourism and trade hot spot as it is situated in between Astr and the Great Forest. Once again Eran put the book down and collected his thoughts. ¡®That never ending forest I saw must be ¡®The Great Forest¡¯¡¯. Satisfied that he now had a general understanding of the lay of the land, Eran decided to read one final book. Scanning the stack, a single title jumped out at him. The Compendium of Arcane and Elemental Magic Just from skimming the first few pages it was very clear that the magic on this world was almost the exact same as that of Earths if not a little more rudimentary. This was because Eion lacked the relationship Earth had between magic and technology. Thankful that what little he knew about magic from Earth still applied here, Eran skipped to the section on basic Elemental Magic and looked up the system for casting them. Pleased with his findings he made a decision. As it was still only early afternoon he would like to find somewhere remote to practice this magic. He knew that many others could use magic and it was pretty common place to see it in practice but Eran still felt like he should hide his. After thanking the Old man and returning the books Eran left the Library in the direction of the town gates. He recalled an earlier conversation with Cassidy. She had mentioned that there was a nice sized lake not far from the town that hardly anyone ever used as it had no fish in it. She then made some offhand remark about wishing someone would take her there whilst sneaking glances at Eran. Whilst her intentions were dubious at best, she had given him an invaluable piece of information as he now had the perfect place to test his magic.
Lying in a glade sheltered by ancient trees, were the silhouettes of two girls. Seemingly asleep the two were close together in an embrace. As more and more sunlight managed to permeate through the filter of the canopy, the girls were stirred by the light and soon awoke. Sitting up in a daze the slightly taller one turned to her partner. The other girl who had short chocolate brown hair stared back at the dark haired girl in a dull daze. Light soon filled both their eyes as the situation dawned on them. They had no idea where they were. ¡°Miss A-alexia, where are w-we?¡± the shorter one stammered. ¡°I don¡¯t know Ame. A forest?¡± Alexia replied, too stunned to register any other emotion. ¡°What happened? All I remember is that boy glowing and then nothing!?¡± Ame seemed to almost be in tears. Alexia knew well and truly that whilst her best friend put up a tough act, deep down, she was very fragile and very clingy. ¡°Shhh¡± she hushed her softly whilst embracing her. ¡°It will be okay, I¡¯m here right?¡± she said in a soothing voice. Whilst it may appear unusual to others, this was actually a very common occurrence. Whenever Ame would say something hot headed she would mope in her room for a whole day because of it. Only to be coaxed out by the coos of her best friend and mistress, Alexia. ¡®Now that she mentions it, I don¡¯t see Eran anywhere either¡­¡¯ she thought to herself. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Ame, it was probably just some accident. We¡¯re probably just in some forest near the school. I think it there was a spell called ¡®Teleport¡¯, where you can move short distances¡± said Alexia Amelia nodded in return but soon her gaze wandered to the engulfing canopy of the forest. ¡°I¡®ve never seen trees like this before¡­¡± Amelia whispered. Alexia was too busy casting a low level ¡®Evaluation¡¯ spell to check on their condition, to notice the alien atmosphere of their surroundings. The spell proved that other than being slightly famished and dehydrated, nothing was out of order. That was until, however the sound of a twig snapping brought their attention to a shadowed entrance to the glade. Floating in the shadows were two red beady eyes. The eyes seemed to be completely focused on the two girls, never leaving them for a second. As more twigs could be heard snapping, the eyes kept moving forward until they could be seen resting on a scaly snout. ¡°W-what is that thing¡­?¡± Amelia whimpered. Standing in front of them was the largest lizard they had ever seen. Its scales were mostly light, but broken by darker shades of brown. It stood nearly a metre tall and several long. Its eyes were small in comparison to its head and it seemed sluggish, as if it weighed more than it should. The Lizard Monster hissed in their direction and started to walk at the pair with nefarious intentions. One look at it and you could tell it wanted to eat them whole. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. As soon as Alexia regained her composure she formed her mana and cast a fourth-circle Frost spell ¡®Freeze¡¯ at the lizard. Her choices were limited as she neither wanted to burn down the forest with fire nor was she particularly skilled with earth magic. Left only with Frost and Electric based magic at her disposal she chose the former as she remembered that Lizards are supposedly cold blooded. The spell left her hand in the form of an Icy jet and struck the Lizard head on with perfect precision. A feeling of elatedness coursed through her as she now felt safe. However panic soon returned as she noticed that the not only was the Lizard not frozen and dying, it was still moving towards them as if nothing had happened. Completely forgetting her earlier qualms in a panic Alexia, as well as Amelia, started shooting off random spells at the Lizard. They used everything they could think of from ¡®Flame-thrower¡¯ to ¡®Electrical Storm¡¯. The surrounding glade was slowly turning into a magical mess as the soft grass was burnt and the ground scorched and disturbed. Using such strong magic up to the fifth-circle and at such a frequency had caused the girls to exhaust almost all of their mana and left them in a semi-paralysed state. None of the magic had any effect on the Lizard and it was now very, very close. Alexia watched in horror as the monster slowly opened its massive maw. Little bits of what could only be described as lunch was still staining its razor sharp teeth. As the Lizard was just about to sink its teeth into the now magically exhausted girl, Alexia closed her eyes in preparedness for the inevitable pain. Only the pain never came. Opening her eyes Alexia could only stare in utter shock at the barbed arrow that was protruding from the Lizards skull. The Lizard itself was undoubtedly slain. ¡°Echot El Lavis? Del mor ton?¡± Suddenly emerging into sight were five strangers wielding bows. Other than their language the most surprising feature of these strangers was their beautiful appearance and mysterious long ears. There were four males and a lone female. All of them had beautiful blond hair. The males were lean and strong and had deep brown eyes with sharp features. The woman however had piercing green eyes and could not be described in any other way than drop dead gorgeous. She had very generous proportions and walked with a level of grace that even models would envy. ¡°Parin es talab, linsta more¡± the female of the group said to one of the others. ¡°They clearly can¡¯t understand us¡± she repeated again, only this time in fluent English. ¡°Y-you just spoke!¡± Alexia replied, too tired to do anything other than point out the obvious. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we should have spoken the human tongue from the beginning. I¡¯ll ask again, are you two alright?¡± The beautiful woman said with a warm smile. Feeling that they were safe from the monstrous Lizard, Amelia couldn¡¯t help but breakdown into tears. Never before had their magic failed them, never before had they felt so powerless. Let alone powerless in a strange place. Noticing the crying girl the group immediately moved to calm her whilst the female crouched to talk to Alexia. ¡°Do you know where you are child?¡± she asked her. Alexia responded by shaking her head. ¡°I can tell you¡¯re not from¡­ around here. Your Mana feels different from most humans I have met.¡± ¡°You¡¯re in the Great Forest in the Country of Astra. Does any of that mean anything to you?¡± the woman asked her. Once again Alexia shook her head. ¡°Dear me, well although I¡¯m in charge of this hunt, I think it¡¯s best if you talk with our Elders.¡± She smiled to her. ¡°My name is Leafe Windbreeze, and although the first resident of the forest you met was a Basilisk, may I formally welcome you to the Realm of the Wood Elves.¡± Leafe said with a beaming grin.
Standing at the edge of a lake was a young noble looking man. Any onlookers would have thought he looked rather dashing standing by the glistening water. Only there were no onlookers. Eran had made it to the lake and now stood fully facing the water. Cassidy had been truthful, there weren¡¯t any people at the lake, neither swimming, fishing nor just enjoying the scenery. Whilst he felt it was weird at first he soon got over it and returned his thoughts to more important things. Magic. A noticeable fact that the magic on Earth and what the spell book said about Eion, was that both used a class system for magic ranging from one to ten. Whilst the naming for the system was different, Eran decided that he would just keep them as circles as they were what he was familiar with. Drawing upon his memories Eran recalled the system for the First-Circle magic spell ¡®Weak fire-ball¡¯. The spell, consumes a very small portion of the mages total mana-well, some 0.5%, and converts it into a raw flame. Giddy at the prospect of finally using magic, Eran held his hand to face the surface of the lake. Whilst he was acting rash in suspense of using magic, he was not being careless enough to cause potential fires. So he naturally aimed at the water. On Earth, Eran had seen the spell several times. It was one of the most basic in the Elemental series and even a three year old could successfully form it. He pictured what it looked like then, a small ball of flame the size of a fist launching from his hand. Whilst shouting ¡°Weak fire ball¡± both aloud and in his mind, Eran pointed his hand at the lake. A small spark flared at the edge of his fingers. The spark crackled to life and formed a ball much like he desired. And within moments, erupted into a torrential wave of flames. Like a flame thrower on steroids, the fire spewed out over the lake and an overwhelming heat flowed through Erans body. As he looked to the side, as the flames continued to burn, Eran could see that everything around him was scorched. The wave of flames was stark white in color and hotter than anything Eran had ever felt before. Hotter than anything he could even imagine. Despite the heat, he only felt uncomfortable at worst. As the flames started to slow and recede, the insane heat died down and Eran was left in the wake of his rampart spell. The once large and glistening lake was completely gone, only to be replaced by a charred and barren lake-bed. The surrounding grasslands were equally charred, though the fire did not spread very far. For several minutes Eran did not move, he couldn¡¯t even think. He was completely shocked at what had just occurred. His weak spell that only used not even a full percent of his total mana¡­ did this. It was at the moment that his wits were returning, that Eran recalled the conversation he had with his self. ¡®Now we are one, we can do anything, be anything¡¯, with power like this he wasn¡¯t joking. But if only this much of his full potential caused a weak spell to become¡­ the strongest spell he has ever witnessed. What would happen if he used all of it? As his train of thought continued, Eran come to a firm decision. He needed control. If this happened every time he used magic, and he swore to himself that he would definitely be using it, then he needed to be able to control it. Since coming to this world a week ago, he had done nothing but work as a waiter. Other, more fantasy driven people, would have already been out there slaying dragons or challenging corrupt kings. But Eran had simply worked. But now he had a firm goal to strive for in mind. Control. Taking one last glance at the scorched landscape, Eran made a slow walk back to town. He remembered to enter the town from the opposite side of the lake, just for good measure.
(Side story) A certain lake in the lands of Astra Alpha suddenly evaporated. The large mass of water condensed in the sky and formed a cumulonimbus cloud. The gigantic rain cloud traveled hundreds of miles, threatening to tear up all the lands in its wake. However it eventually gave in and released all of its mass on a single place. This area just happened to be barren and drought ridden. Its people felt they had to leave the lands soon, else they would perish. In a single week, the cloud had emptied its contents in the form of a monsoon on the barren and desolate drought lands. Only they were no longer desolate, nor were they drought ridden. The area had turned into a cesspool of life. Seeds that were caught in the upwards air currents grew in the now fertile and moist soil. Life returned and the people had renewed vigor. Unbeknownst to him, a young mage had inadvertently caused the end of a century long drought. The people of the once, drought lands, knew it was a miracle and thanked the Gods whole heartily promising to pray to them every day.
~Chapter 4 ~Chapter Guide~ Chapter 6~
Chapter 6 - The cost of living~ Well, as it turns out I actually have very little self control... who would have guessed (Maybe I''m the one that''s ''In need of control~ haha). I couldn''t resist posting another chapter, even though my schedule says ''No more till the 4th''. I know schedule... I know... But I want them to read it... Anyway, there will still be a chapter on the fourth like planned, however it will be the 7th chapter instead of the 6th. I won''t post anymore until then. Defin-mayb-probably. A lot of strange names come up in this ones. The majority of them are Celtic in origin with perhaps a little bit of latin thrown in for good measure. Note: Do my eyes deceive me, is Eran starting to come onto the perverted Inn girl!? Song of the day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfkjdgTWYEo
Returning to his room at the Inn, Eran fell into bed exhausted and was quickly claimed by sleep. The next morning, he went down stairs to join Cassidy and the rest of the tenants for breakfast. It was clear to him that much like himself, Cassidy was no morning person. Her light brown hair was dishevelled and her usually neat clothes were wrinkly. As she heard him approach, she looked up from her plate in a daze, and clumsily smiled at him. Eran stopped in his tracks, the only thing he could think was ¡®Cute¡¯. Shaking his head to free himself of the strange thoughts, he sat down across from her. ¡°Morning Cass. Did you sleep well?¡± he asked her. ¡°Mmm¡±, she purred in response. Eran grabbed a nearby plate and started to dig into the assorted breakfast. ¡°I was wondering, is there anything like a school or a university in Beaufort?¡± Eran asked in between mouthfuls. Cassidy started to sober up and looked at him with a thinking face. ¡°Not here, but there¡¯s the University in Astr. It¡¯s one of the largest in the world I¡¯d reckon¡± She stated. ¡®It must cover a lot then¡¯ Eran thought to himself. ¡°What do they teach there?¡± he asked her. Once again donning her, very cute¡­ thinking face Cassidy answered. ¡°They teach just about everything there. All sorts of branches to study in and courses to follow. I¡¯d say they teach just about everything from Swords and Magic to the mating habits of the Eagleduck¡± she smiled impishly. Eran chuckled at her little joke and started thinking again. But just as he was about to ask another question Cassidy held up her hand. ¡°If you want to know more, you¡¯ll have to ask Mom. She went there herself so she can tell you about it more¡± she said as she got up and left the room. After finishing up his breakfast, he quickly found the Innkeeper working the counter. Eran called out to her and asked her if she knew anything about the University. ¡°So you want to go to Astr huh¡± she said whilst stroking on an invisible wisdom beard. ¡°Well anyone of legal age can go, though I must warn you, it is rather expensive.¡± ¡°There¡¯s fees and such that you¡¯ll have to pay to attend. Like paying for boarding, registering at the Academics guild and paying for any of your course fees. And then there¡¯s the payment for a Status card¡± the Innkeeper listed off whilst donning a very familiar thinking face. After absorbing the new information Eran picked out a single piece to ask about. ¡°What¡¯s a Status card?¡± he asked. ¡°Oh, I forgot you¡¯re not from around here. The Status card is a tool used for both identification and employment. Adventurers use it to prove their strength and students use it to prove their ability. It is also useful for any business, especially the illegal kind. Not that I imagine that matters much to you¡± she winked at him. The Innkeeper then informed Eran that whilst having a Status card is pretty commonplace, not everyone has one, as it requires quite a hefty price to procure. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re set on attending University in Astr, you¡¯re going to need the funds. I¡¯d say you need about 20 gold. Five for the Status card, 10 for the year of boarding and 5 more for textbooks and food¡± the Innkeeper stated. Eran silently felt the inner lining of his pants, searching for his money pouch. There were only three large coins in it. Although as subtle as he was, the Innkeepers keen eye noticed his actions. ¡°Listen, the way I see it is you have two options. You can join the adventurer¡¯s guild here in Beaufort. You¡¯ll need to do a lot of fighting and without a Status card you would only be able to accept the lowest level requests. Or¡­ you can work for me. You work hard for a full month, and you will leave with a guaranteed 15 gold to your name. Plus, as a bonus between¡­ friends, I¡¯ll let you keep whatever tips you receive¡± the innkeeper offered. As she offered Eran the job, her greedy, business driven mind drove into gear. ¡®With this guy around I¡¯ll make a killing, he¡¯s already made me a large profit in just a week¡¯ Eran took a moment to seriously consider her offer. He started to weigh the pros against the cons. ¡®Cons ¨C I¡¯ll still have done very little in this world. I¡¯ve barely left the one town. It will take me another month to start learning how to control my Magic¡¯ ¡®Pros ¨C I¡¯ll leave with a lot of money, hopefully enough for University. I¡¯ll have somewhere to sleep this month. Good people to talk to.¡¯ At the moment both sides seemed to be pretty even. ¡®I¡¯ll get to spend more time with Cassidy¡­¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ll take the job¡± he stated in a firm voice.
Deep within the confines of the Great Forest, a group of people were happily conversing as they walk. ¡°So, your world is called Earth¡­ amazing, it¡¯s named after an element!¡± Leafe said in amazement. ¡®N-no¡­ it¡¯s the other way around, right?¡¯ Amelia wondered to herself. ¡°Are we getting closer to your city?¡± Alexia asked Leafe. ¡°We¡¯ll be in Uaine-Baile within the week¡± Leafe nodded as she replied. Noticing the confusion clearly shown on their faces, Leafe elaborated. ¡°It means Green Home. It¡¯s the capitol city of our entire kingdom¡± she said as she made a sweeping motion with her hands. ¡°Despite what some humans still believe, the entirety of the Great Forest belongs to us Woodland Elves. We have several smaller cities as well as towns throughout the forest, however Uaine-Baile is by far the largest.¡± ¡®To have more than one city in a forest¡­¡¯ Alexia pondered. ¡°Just how large is this forest?¡± she asked. Leafe slowed her walk for a moment and seemed to be thinking. ¡°At least the same in size as Astra alpha¡­ Ah right that means nothing to you. I have a map here if you¡¯d like to see when we next stop.¡± Alexia thanked her and they started to continue walking briskly. However, as they were approaching a large river, which the Elves had called the Flumine, the group stopped as they felt something amiss. In the breadth of a moment, the elves were clutching themselves and dropping to the ground, trying to stop themselves from trembling. Whilst not as sensitive to Mana as the Elves naturally were, the two girls could still feel the insane amount of Magical power that was saturating the air. It made the hair on the back of their necks stand. As the Magic started to recede, the elves slowly regained their composure, though Leafe was still clearly rattled. ¡°What frightful magic¡± she said between shallow breaths. ¡°Truly, a god must have intervened somewhere in Astra Alpha¡± one of the males stated as he stared off somewhere into the East. ¡°Let us hope it was fruitful¡± another added. A week had passed and the group now found themselves in front of a truly awe inspiring sight. Resting on a very wide but short hill was a giant tree. Larger than even sky-scrapers back on Earth, it was surrounded by beautifully built wood and stone buildings. The buildings did not feel intrusive and felt more like they were made by the forest, rather than the Elves. ¡°Impressive isn''t she. Luthar is the oldest and strongest yew tree in the forest. Even the near ageless Elders of our people cannot remember a time when she wasn¡¯t protecting Uaine-Baile.¡± Leafe stated with pride. ¡°It¡¯s the most beautiful city I¡¯ve ever seen¡± Amelia stated in awe. After passing through some impressive gates made from twisting trees and vines, the group was passing through what was apparently the market square. Although the larger portion of population were Elves, the girls noticed many people of all different shapes and sizes. One embarrassing lovey-dovey couple had cat and dog ears, and an older gentleman walking with a cane had an impressive set of goat horns protruding from his temples. There was even a man with wings on his back! Soaking in the fantasy city, the two hardly even noticed arriving at the very large building. Turning to look at why they had stopped moving, the two were greeted with sight of the base of Luthar. Only by standing right in front of the old tree, could one fully understand its impossible size. Resting on Luthars¡¯ base was the large building they had stopped for. ¡°This is the Citadel, the Elders of our people reside inside. I¡¯ll formally ask for an audience with an Elder. I imagine you¡¯ll be received quite quickly, however you must wait outside here until summoned.¡± Leafe said with a smile as she parted from them. She then passed the Elven guards inside the Citadels gates and disappeared into the building. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. In only a few minutes she returned and beckoned them in. As they walked through the building she did not talk to the two as they had expected, though it was probably due to a tradition, as she didn¡¯t seem upset at all. The inside of the Citadel was furnished with polished woods that gleamed like metal and paintings that looked as if they were made with nature itself. The trio finally arrived at a set of large Oak doors and Leafe simply knocked three times. ¡°Come¡± a feminine voice said from within. The woman inside was beautiful just like all Elves were, though there were tell tale signs that she was older than the Elves the two had met up till now, as she looked middle aged. She had golden hair and green eyes and a stunning figure. All in all she seemed like a very beautiful elf, and seemed vaguely familiar. The Elf woman gestured for them to sit on a couch which was near a table with a mixed array of treats and beverages already set out. ¡°Greetings children¡±, she said as she gracefully sat down. ¡°My name is Elder Mirame Windbreeze, you may call me Elder Mirame or Lady Windbreeze.¡± Hearing her last name, Alexia and Amelia turned to Leafe. ¡°Yes, we are of relation. Leafe is my daughter.¡± The elder smiled. ¡°Now, I do not wish to rush you, as I am sure you have much to say, however an Elders time is always pressed.¡± She said edging for them to start talking. Amelia left most of the story telling to Alexia, however she did supply a few details here and there that her mistress had forgotten. As they recounted their circumstances, from the duels at their school to waking up in the Great forest, both the Elder and Leafe listened intently. As Alexia concluded her tale with a compliment of Uaine-Baile, the Elder took a few moments to think. ¡°I do believe you¡¯re from another world. It is after all, not unheard of for extra-terrestrials to end up on Eion. Our gods are very whimsical creatures you see.¡± The Elder said. ¡°As to how exactly you got here, I am unsure. It sounds like a god or someone of equal power shifted you to our world. Though even that is a shaky theory¡­¡± the Elder paused for a moment whilst sneaking a glance at Leafe. Wearing a complicated face she then continued if not a bit hesitantly. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to tell you this girls but¡­ There is no known way to travel between worlds. Only the gods could possibly know, if at all possible. However they only converse with their apostles and even then barely ever.¡± She concluded with a sad expression. ¡°But Leafe, you and the others said that a god used magic during our travels here!¡± Amelia shouted, almost in tears. ¡°What?¡± the Elder raised her voice too, looking at her daughter. ¡°I said that there was something like a god-, mother¡­ I mean Elder. There was some strong magic in the air a week ago. It made us all sick and I almost lost consciousness. I do not know if it was a god, but I had never felt anything like it before. Terialt claimed it came from somewhere in Astra Alpha.¡± Leafe said in quick succession. The Elder merely raised her eyebrows and held out a hand to stop her daughter from continuing. ¡°We¡¯ll continue this later¡± she said with a measured look. ¡°I imagine you girls are tired and need sleep, you may stay at the Windbreeze house with my daughter. I cannot permit you free leave, considering the events after your arrival¡± the elder said, hinting at the encounter with a Basilisk. ¡°You may go now¡± the Elder said with a kind smile as she rose from her seat. The Windbreeze ¡®house¡¯ was more like a mansion. Easily the same size as Alexia own home back on Earth. Furnished in much the same way as the Citadel, the two were led to a guest room by a maid. Leafe had stayed behind to talk to her mother. Settling in for the night, Alexia and Amelia had separate rooms. However they chose to sleep together. Fearing that they were stuck in this world, all on their own and away from their family, the girls quietly cried themselves to sleep.
During the month of Erans employment at the Sleepy Meadow, several interesting things had happened. One of the more interesting events that transpired happened half way through his second week. Whilst in his room, Eran had grown bored and quite a bit curious during the evening after a day full of waitering. He had decided to try a little magic. Knowing that he definitely couldn¡¯t attempt fire magic inside, he instead decided to try using water magic. Eran pushed all of the furniture in his room to the walls so that he had a large space in the middle to stand. Holding his palm upwards Eran recollected the system for water magic. From memory, the basics involved conjuring water using Mana. He remembered that it was profoundly easier to conjure your own water, than it was to manipulate worldly sources. Thinking back on his previous endeavor, Eran decided he¡¯d only supply a hundredth of a percent of his total mana-well this time. ¡®Tear Droplet¡¯, Eran called the spell in his mind , and let his Mana form. Just like desired, a single point above his palm morphed and turned into a crystal clear droplet of water. And much like the previous time, the droplet fizzed a little and erupted into a torrent, spraying water everywhere. Akin to an open fire hydrant back on Earth, Erans hand was spraying chilling, crystal clear water throughout his room. As quickly as possible Eran stopped supplying the spell with mana, but the damage was already done. His entire room was flooded and saturated with water. ¡®This isn''t going to go down well with the Innkeeper¡¯ Eran thought to himself glumly. As he was slightly starting to panic and even contemplated trying to claim another room as his, Eran remembered another one of his theory classes back on Earth. The class consisted of a lecture about a branch of spells called the ¡®Elemental Control¡¯ series. Much like the name suggested, the spell gives the caster the ability to manipulate a chosen element to some extent. As he had previously pointed out, this was a very difficult spell as it involved manipulating worldly sources compared to conjuring. Resigned to at least giving it try, Eran recalled the system needed and stood at the ready. The spell itself did not use a portion of Mana from the caster like the conjuring spells did, and instead used the Mana within the chosen Element itself. The name that covers all the spell series that were similar to ¡®Elemental Control¡¯ was Mana Manipulation. Eran searched for the Mana within the water with his own, just like the lecture had told him too and soon felt it. It felt cold, wet and strangely¡­ blue. Clearing his mind of everything but the feeling of coldness, the texture of wetness and the emotions of the color blue, Eran slowly moved his hands up and aimed them towards the bath tub in his room. Although Eran had his eyes closed to focus, and couldn¡¯t actually see, he knew that the spell was working as the ¡®feelings¡¯ had moved a few meters left, from his room to the bathroom and he eventually felt them go all the way down the drain of the tub. Slowly opening his eyes as the spell faded, Eran was shocked as his room looked completely normal, if not a little cleaner. There was no evidence of the water spell left in his room which made Eran jump onto his bed cheering. For the first time in his life, he had used magic, and it had actually done what he wanted! Thoroughly pleased with himself, Eran went down stairs to have dinner with his gir- with Cassidy.
(Side story) One evening in the middle of summer, a strange event occurred. In the local area of Beaufort, in the reaches of Astra Alpha, something was amiss. Seemingly out of nowhere, all of the water sources in a 10 mile radius of Beaufort, had risen a few meters from the ground and with the water in the air, formed large spherical globs. These spheres of water merely floated for a few seconds, then moved a couple meters to the left and fell back down to the ground, as if they had never moved. The people of Beaufort would for years to come, refer to this night as one of the great mysteries of Beaufort, whilst a nearby farmer would forever refer to the night as a miracle. His barn which was engulfed in flames from his own sons carelessness, had all of a sudden been doused by large spheres of water that seemed to have come from a nearby waterhole. Knowing that it must have been the act of the gods, both the peoples of Beaufort and farmers all through Alpha Astra, prayed to the gods in thankfulness for their good fortune.
~Chapter 5 ~Chapter Guide~ Chapter 7~
Chapter 7 - Farewells are the hardest~ Wow, you guys wouldn''t believe the day I''ve had. I went to the store to buy some pizza to consume whilst reading some awesome fan-fiction, and on the way I was attacked by Giant Mutant Ants! Everyone was in a panic and many people sadly died. Luckily, a time-warping techno-magician showed up and defeated the Ants before there were any more casualties. However by that point, my pizza was cold... and it was no longer the 4th. I begged the Time-warping Techno-magician to send me back in time so I could go back and instead order my pizza to be delivered and in turn avoid the Giant Mutant Ants altogether, but sadly he said only Techno-Magicians can Time-Warp... I''m so sorry its late guys and gals, but please understand... t-the giant ants prevented me... But seriously this chapter was reaaaally hard to write. This is the first time ever, like ever, that I''ve written smut. And I gotta say, it felt good haha. I''m not sure if I''m any good at it, probably not, but this interaction needed to happen for various reasons... there''s reasons I promise. I''m not going to bother putting it in a spoiler like some other authors do because right from the get go my fic was labeled as mature. This won''t be a frequent thing as Eran isn''t driven by his genitals like many other MC''s. And please for the love of god, don''t label Cass the Bass as a slut. She''s not, she''s just an innocent (Not so innocent anymore) pervy inn girl. Without further ado, enjoy reading, or in the case you read the chapter first as this fore-note is becoming increasingly longer, enjoy writing a comment and maybe dropping a fav and rating :) Expect a big chapter for number 8, just the summary is like 2k words. And summaries are meant to be small... Ugh...
The month had quickly passed Eran by. Focused on earning the necessary wages to attend University in Astr, Eran worked every day only stopping for food, and breaks forced on him by the Innkeeper. During his employment, a rumor had spread throughout Beaufort and all of the surrounding villages. ¡®Within the Sleepy Meadow Inn resides a grey flower¡¯. During his employment, much to the Innkeepers delight, there was nearly a triple in customers. Strangely enough the majority of them were female. All though working his hardest, Eran had however spent a lot of time with the Old Librarian, discussing literature and history, and Cassidy. Before he knew it they had become very close. Often Eran would find his gaze wandering over towards her during his shift, and for reasons beyond him, he would even volunteer to take her into town to carry her shopping. Never before had Eran felt such a focused curiosity, yet he wasn¡¯t perturbed by it. Whether Eran knew it or not, Cassidy felt much the same. Ever since the night she had met him, since the moment he lightly kissed her hand and spoke to her with soft words, her eyes would always find him. Cassidy had long had an interest in the opposite sex, working in an Inn surrounded by couples made it hard not to be, however she had little to zero experience herself. The furthest she had ever gone was watching a particularly vigorous couple ravage each other. Watching the man dominate his partner had made her warm. But it wasn¡¯t an overbearing heat, unlike when she had decided to peek in on Eran through a hole in the wall in an abandoned room. Seeing him disrobe to reveal a chiseled body without a single flaw made her breath catch. As he started to remove his trousers and stood fully nude her pulse quickened. By the time Eran had made it to the bath Cassidy had to physically hold herself together and couldn¡¯t help but let a small gasping sound escape her lips. Unbeknownst to her, the thick dry walls between the two rooms, had somewhat muffled her moans and instead of sounding lustful and seductive, to Eran they sounded like creepy laughing. During his month and a week of employment, Cassidy had visited the abandoned room to peep through the hole several times, each time getting more and more adventurous. However she wasn¡¯t stupid. She knew full well that the attraction wasn¡¯t merely physical. She also found herself drawn to his mysterious presence and aura. Whilst his face was kind and shy and soft, his eyes in contrast held such power and force, that by just being touched by his gaze made her quiver. All of the attraction, and the way he was now looking at her made it hard for Cassidy, her chest felt like it may burst. It hurt so much. To have such strong feelings for someone, only to find out that they wanted to leave. The pain in her chest had started the morning he asked about University. She knew immediately that he was thinking of going, so she gave him a quick explanation and left the room telling him to seek her mother. After leaving him, she immediately went to her room and collapsed on her bed, clutching where her heart felt it would be. That night she cried herself to sleep, both because of the pain, and because she was scared. Scared of the man who made her feel like this. The next day the pain ebbed, her mother had told her he would be staying for a full month. Elated at the thought of spending so much time with him made her remaining tension dissolve away. Cassidy would make the most of her time left with Eran, and revel in his company.
Eran after finishing his final shift found himself in a familiar situation. He now stood before the Innkeepers desk to announce that he had finished his work. ¡°Well Eran, you''ve certainly earned your promised wages¡± she said as she slid a very fat sack of gold across the table to him. ¡°I noticed last time that you waited to check your wages. Very cute, but I¡¯m not that easily insulted.¡± The innkeeper said giving him a large grin. ¡°Go ahead¡± As Eran opened the bag, he was rewarded with the sight of silver and gold. ¡°With how much you were tipped, you¡¯d think there isn''t a single handsome man in all of Astra¡± she said while chuckling, ¡°You were tipped to a total amount of 19 gold and 67 silver, combined with your promised wages is¡­¡± ¡°34 gold and 67 silver¡± Eran quickly cut in, doing the math in his head. Eran now had 37 gold and 67 silver, which included the 3 gold remaining of his previous wages. ¡°¡­Enough to attend University, was what I was going to say¡± she said with a sly grin. Eran barely heard her as his mind was fixated on the amount of money he now possessed. Not only did he have enough to study at the University for a year, he had more than enough left over for whatever he wanted. ¡°Eran I know you think that is a lot of money, and to most it is, but know this. You deserve that and more for what you have done for my business. So, to reflect that, whenever you¡¯re in town, you may stay at the Sleepy Meadow free of charge as a sort of Honored Guest. This is a selfish gift, because it means you have an obligation to check in every once and while¡± The innkeeper finished with a somewhat sad smile. ¡°I can¡¯t believe this, thank you so much Innk-¡± Eran started. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. All of a sudden Eran realised something. In all of this time, he hadn¡¯t even asked her name. ¡°I-I can¡¯t believe it, I don¡¯t even know your name, and I¡¯ve just called you Innkeeper till now¡­¡± he said with a look of both shock and disgust at himself. His only benefactor in this world gave him even more than he could hope for, and he didn¡¯t even ask her name. The Innkeeper laughed out loud and smiled fondly at him. ¡°My name is Calina Meadows, but to you I am Calina.¡± She said with a wink. After talking a little longer, Eran soon departed to his second floor room for what was the final time. Following what had become a ritual over the past month, Eran undressed and moved to have a bath. Only this time, for the first time in several weeks, his next door neighbors were silent. There was no strange noises coming into his room. Despite what one would think, Eran had grown used to the mysterious noise and found that in its absence, he felt strangely empty. Finishing his bath even more quickly than when there was a noise, Eran got dressed in his evening clothes and was about to hop onto his bed when there was a knock on his door. The knock was soft, so the fist that made it must have been either a very small man, or a woman. Guessing it was a maid he walked over and opened it with a smile. Standing there, illuminated in the darkness by the glow of soft candlelight, was the divine figure of a woman encased in a light, see through night gown. Raising his gaze slowly, combing over the woman¡¯s body, Eran soon stood face to face with her. It was Cassidy. She looked at him with a fully flushed face. ¡°M-m-may I come in?¡± she asked him whilst stammering. Eran had to swallow his saliva before nodding. As soon as she had entered the room, she made her way to stand between him and the bed. Eran could feel his heart beating like a drum. He had never had any experience with women, as they had all but hated him on Earth, nor had he ever seen pornography as he didn¡¯t own a computer. Not that he would have, had he owned one. But seeing her in his room, in the middle of the night, wearing that very¡­ revealing night gown¡­ left little margin for confusion. He knew full well what this meant. ¡°Eran I-¡± she had started to say something but was abruptly stopped by the pull of Erans arms. Spurned on-wards by a primordial force that predates civilization itself, Eran pulled her into himself and held her close as she seemed to fold into him. As Cassidy gasped from the sudden action, Eran lowered his head and locked his mouth against hers. Eran could feel the touch of her soft lips and could taste the sweetness of fruit. As brittle as she had felt at first, Cassidy soon caught up to him and suddenly pushed her tongue into the recesses of Erans mouth. Seemingly playing a bout of tonsil hockey, the two pushed, and squirmed, and grunted. They had somehow made their way to the bed and were now messing up the sheets. Eran moaned her name between long passionate kisses, which made Cassidy even more invigorated. She pushed him onto his back and quickly mounted him. ¡°Cass¡­ are you sure¡­ I-I¡¯m leaving Mmph¡± Eran tried saying whilst kissing her neck, ¡°tomorrow¡­¡± Hearing him made her stop the embrace and sit up. A look of sadness had washed over her face, but the fire in her eyes were still very much aflame. She leaned into him once more and kissed him with force. So absorbed in the feeling of her lips and the pleasure of her tongue was he, that he hadn¡¯t even noticed her remove his trousers¡­ nor his boxers. They were both now straddled, skin to skin. Cassidy broke the passionate kiss and a string of saliva filled the small distance between their faces. Staring at each other, their eyes were full of carnal hunger. Ever so slightly, Cassidy seemed to be halting at this point, so Eran made the rashest, grandest, and quite possibly happiest decision of his life. Eran flipped her off of him, which elicited a small giggle from the girl, kissed her deeply, and whilst leaning in, with one quick but gentle push, had penetrated her. An immediate feeling of warmth overwhelmed Erans mind, and he almost blacked out from the sheer pleasure. Cassidy was saturated from the many kisses which let Eran easily move his girth back and forth. Looking down, Eran noticed a little bit of blood coming out of Cassidy, but before he could stop, she had pulled his face back to her and was gazing at him lovingly. ¡°Keep going¡­¡± she said to him in a quiet, almost pleading voice. Whilst gazing into her eyes, Eran started to buck his hips, slowly at first, but the longer it went, the faster he got. After a few minutes since they started, Cassidy was no longer trying to be quiet and was now crying out loudly in pleasure. Both perspiring heavily, if one looked close enough, they could probably see steam coming off of them. Whilst Eran didn¡¯t know very much about sex, he had felt Cassidy tense up and moan especially loud several times throughout the intercourse. Nearing the absolute limit of his endurance, Eran gave out an audible cry and felt an intense flare of pleasure spread through his genitals like wild fire. Spurred on by the pleasure, Eran pushed as far and hard as he could into Cassidy making her moan out in an equally loud cry of ecstasy. Out of breath and sweating, Eran pushed himself off of Cassidy and laid next to her. After a few moments to catch his breath he looked to his side to see the most beautiful sight in his entire life. Whilst glistening in a sheen of sweat that covered her rather large exposed breasts, Cassidy was staring at him with an expectant face. Although tired, her eyes were almost glowing in the soft light. Her long brown hair was sticky with sweat and her breathing was haggard. Comparing this appearance with the earlier neat and purposefully chosen makeup and clothing, one might consider her currently quite messy. But to Eran, she looked like an angel. And like a moth drawn to a flame, he once more grabbed her by the waist, and consumed her whole. The night continued filled with the vigor of youth, and as the light of the morning sun crept through the windows, the room slowly lit up to show a young man and woman, deep asleep in a loving embrace.
~Chapter 6 ~Chapter Guide~ Chapter 8~ Chapter 8 - The squares of Astr~ Here is chapter 8 everyone! Fuwaa it was hard to write. I won''t write to much here, however there will be a footnote that I''d like you all to read if possible. Also (if it works) there should be an image in a hyperlink where its appropriate (Its not a virus don''t worry). Its a map of Astr. Don''t laugh at my paint skills. They''re out of this world, you''re just jelly.
The day of departure had finally come. Eran woke early, like he usually does, and was greeted with the scene of a sleeping woman. Gently bending over her, Eran gave her a light kiss on the cheek which made Cassidy smile and stir in her sleep. After having a quick bath, Eran packed up the remaining clothes and various items he had in his room, other than the traveling clothes he was wearing when arriving in Eion. With another smile at his sleeping woman, Eran placed his bags in the centre of the room and made way to the door to head downstairs for breakfast. He noticed downstairs that barely any of the other tenants had arisen, but Calina was wide awake and taking part in a rather large roasted Pig. ¡°Good morning¡± she said to him as she noticed him enter the room. Eran smiled and nodded in reply. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure if you had made plans, but I booked a seat on the passageway to Astr for this afternoon.¡± Calina told him with her trademark grin. Eran thanked her and told her that he hadn¡¯t made plans yet. It was about halfway through breakfast that Cassidy had made her way downstairs. As usual, her disdain for mornings was apparent to all as she barely had her eyes open as she walked into the room. Barely making out the figure of Eran sitting in a chair, Cassidy moved over to him sluggishly, wrapped her arms around him from behind and kissed the side of his neck. This elicited some whistles from the few tenants now eating. ¡°A very good morning¡± was all Calina said as she winked at Eran, her mirth completely shown on her face. Seeming to sober up from the noise around her, Cassidy looked up, still embracing Eran to see everyone in the room grinning at her, including her mother. ¡°Ah!¡± she shouted as she jumped backwards. Everyone in the room, including Eran, laughed and smiled. Blushing furiously from embarrassment, Cassidy sat next to Eran and silently took a plate of food. ¡°Well¡­¡± Calina started, ¡°Does this mean I can expect a son in law?¡± she said barely holding back her ever present grin. ¡°M-m-mom it¡¯s not like that! Muooh~¡± Cassidy replied whilst pouting at Eran. Unsure of why he was in trouble Eran merely answered for her. ¡°I won¡¯t deny what you suspect happened last night. Neither will I deny that I have feelings for your daughter. However I cannot marry her¡­ yet. I¡¯m still 16, I don¡¯t know about this lands traditions and laws regarding marriage, but in my¡­ land, you cannot marry until you¡¯re of 18 years.¡± Eran said to Calina, his gaze never wandering. ¡°If this land has customs for purity before marriage, I offer my sincerest apologies and completely offer myself to deal with however you wish¡­ but, should our feelings remain true when I turn eighteen. I will be more than happy to marry Cass¡± at this point he turned to face Cassidy, ¡°In a heartbeat.¡± Seeing the exchange the room once again broke out in coos and whistles. Once quieting down, Calina looked at Eran much the same way he had at her. ¡°There are no such customs nor traditions regulating sex. At least until married that is. However, I don¡¯t plan on letting any man have his way with my daughter, even one as handsome as you, and just throw her aside.¡± ¡°I would never do that. You must know this by now.¡± He replied to her. Throughout the entire conversation Cassidy¡¯s tension and excitement continually grew. Talk of both love and marriage sent her head far into the clouds. ¡°Well, time will tell how this turns out. Do you still plan on leaving for Astr?¡± Calina asked him, seemingly dropping a bomb. Cassidy immediately tensed up and Eran couldn¡¯t help but feel like she was breaking his hand after she grabbed it under the table. ¡°I do.¡± He stated. ¡°From the maps I have seen in the Library, Astr isn¡¯t that far from here, though I wouldn¡¯t ask Cassidy to travel the distance for me, nor will I ask her to leave you. However I will only be studying for a year, at the end of which, I will be close to turning 18.¡± ¡°So you¡¯ll come back and marry her, should she still be willing?¡± she asked him. ¡°I suppose that is my plan¡­yes.¡± ¡°Well then, for now you have my blessing¡­ Dear me, I¡¯ve just realised we put on this whole act in front of the customers.¡± Calina said in an exaggerated tone, pretending to be embarrassed. This earned her a few laughs and the room returned from the serious atmosphere to that of joy.
As the morning turned to afternoon, Cassidy and Eran were walking towards a tall building near the middle of the town. ¡°I won¡¯t go any further¡­ I don¡¯t really want to see you leave¡± she said to him after stopping. ¡°Of course¡­¡± he replied to her. They embraced and held a long kiss for several minutes. As they finally parted, Cassidy had placed something in Erans hand. He opened his hand and saw a small smooth blue stone. ¡°It¡¯s a Com stone, you can use it to talk to anyone else who has one. All you have to do is think of me while holding it and I¡¯ll be able to talk to you, kay?¡± she said almost tearing up. ¡®God this girl is cute¡¯ Eran thought to himself as he once again grabbed her close. After parting ways, rather tearfully, Eran was now making his way to the top of the tower like building. At the very top was a door guarded by two men. ¡°Papers please¡± the smaller of the two said whilst holding out his hand. ¡°One flight to Astr¡­ Seat 13B¡­ Everything is in order Mr¡­ Eran? Please board and take your seat¡± the man said whilst handing the ticket and papers. Eran never did tell Calina his full name, so it wasn¡¯t surprising that she used his first when purchasing the tickets. Eran thanked the two and carried his luggage past the doors. On the other side was a sight he will never forget. Resting in a gap between the two sides of a platform, was a giant Manta-Ray like creature. Just like the Aquatic Manta-Rays of Earth, this creature had dark blue coloured skin on top and plain white on its underbelly. But unlike the creatures of Earth, this Ray was easily the size of a large bus, its wings spanning some thirty metres. Stuck on the back of the large Manta-Ray was a massive saddle that had many people sitting in it. Looking at it reminded Eran of an amusement ride back on Earth. He had expected instant teleportation¡­ or a carriage¡­ or basically anything other than this. Almost laughing at the situation Eran crossed the threshold between the platform and his ride. Reading the numbers down the sides of the chairs, Eran soon found his seat in the 13th row. Sitting in a nearby seat which must have been 13A was a blonde haired boy. He looked around Erans age and was wearing rather flashy clothes. Almost as soon as Eran had packed away his luggage under his seat, and sat down, the Large Manta-Ray started to glow a soft grey color and in the breadth of a moment, took off into the sky. Eran was flying. Shocked to his bones, he couldn¡¯t help but yell out, losing his usual composure and looked over the sides to see the ground quickly disappearing from view. Whilst absorbed in the scenery, the boy sitting next to Eran started to laugh and looked at him. ¡°Is it your first time on a Mana-Ray?¡± he asked him with a grin. Eran nodded back with an equally large grin and continued to look at the now very close, soaring clouds. ¡°I remember my first time, it probably looked a lot like that¡± he said once again laughing. ¡°My names Yulian by the way, Yulian Arnelle. May I know yours?¡± the boy asked him. ¡°My names Eran, Mag-¡­¡± Eran cut off his sentence and started to look a little forlorn. He no longer knew whether he should use that name. He¡¯ll probably never see them again, the Magia¡¯s that is, and the name only brings up bad memories. ¡°My name is Eran Magi¡± he replied back to the boy with a grin. He¡¯d decided that instead of using the Magia¡¯s name in this new world, he¡¯d use his ancestor and idol, Merwin Magi¡¯s last name instead. ¡°Well Eran, I¡¯m heading to Astr to study at the University!¡± Yulian told him. ¡°I am too! What are you planning to study?¡± Eran asked him, hoping he may be able to find more information about the University. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking swordplay and poetry classes¡± Yulian replied. Eran asked him why he chose those two courses to follow and Yulian replied with great passion. ¡°The blade of a sword is poetry itself! Think of all the lives it takes, all the people it saves! The stories it could tell, definitely poetry!¡± he preached. Eran, somewhat, understood what Yulian meant. But he still labelled him as a Sword Fanatic. ¡°What about you?¡± Yulian asked him. ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure yet, I¡¯ll probably end up taking any Magical courses available, and maybe some history classes¡± Eran replied whilst thinking about it. As soon as Eran replied, Yulian gave him a strong look, if one didn¡¯t know any better they¡¯d think Eran had suddenly become a leper. But almost as soon as the look came, it soon passed. Giving Erans reply of Magic and History a bit of a harrumph, Yulian spent the rest of the trip talking about the minute details of a sword, and the differences between a longsword and a broadsword. Eran however was deep within the recesses of his mind, busy remembering and fantasising about his unforgettable night with Cassidy. After a couple hours flying a small dot was visible on the horizon. The further and further the Ray flew, the larger the dot grew. Eventually the dot had grown so large that nothing else could be seen for miles and miles. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. The city of Astr was a breath taking sight. Huge didn¡¯t even cover it. As Eran flew over a massive river, which must have been the Flumine, all he could see was city. Even though they were still a few minutes away from the city itself, Eran could make out that there were all sorts of different types of buildings present in the city walls. ¡°None of the buildings are run down, why is that?¡± Eran asked Yulian. ¡°Although there are still a few homeless people and orphans, there is no slum in Astr, despite its size.¡± He told Eran with a grin. ¡°It¡¯s because there haven¡¯t been any wars in a long time, and Astr has a steady flow of both trade and export¡­ it¡¯s a very wealthy city.¡± ¡°One of its best too, is that there is no slavery.¡± Seeing Erans curious expression Yulian elaborated. ¡°You see one of the previous kings married a beautiful Beast Woman. When she arrived at the city from her home country, she was horrified to find those of her kind enslaved and sold as both manual labourers and sex slaves. Her loving husband the King Immediately abolished slavery in every form, and cut down all those who practiced it, in hopes of pleasing her.¡± ¡°Although having a King that was so heavily affected by his Queen was questionable, and he himself wasn¡¯t all that popular, the kingdom truly become a gem because of his reign.¡± ¡°I thought you hated history, why do you know so much¡± Eran asked him whilst laughing. ¡°The reason I hate History my dear fellow, is because my parents forced me to learn all of it since birth.¡± He said whilst scowling. As their conversation continued, the Mana-Ray started to lower in descent, towards a tower like building much like the one in Beaufort, only larger in comparison. ¡°Well, I have business to attend to my friend.¡± Yulian told him as they were exiting the tower. ¡°You said you were new to Astr right? Well, if you¡¯re heading to the University you¡¯ll need to go to the Wisdom Square¡± he explained. ¡°Wisdom Square, where and what is that?¡± Eran asked him, confusion clearly shown on his face. ¡°Ahh¡­ fine, I have time.¡± Yulian says whilst leading him to a nearby bench. Sitting down on the bench, underneath a rather beautiful green Oak tree, Yulian started to give Eran the lay of the land. ¡°The entire city is split into 6 Squares, the Wisdom Square is where the University of Astr, as well as housing is located. The Strength Square is where the military and guard quarters are situated. The Market Square is obviously where the market is and the Canal Square, which takes up the centre of the city, is used for trade and export. The Event Square which is the most popular of all, is where entertainment such as ordained fights in the Coliseum take place. It¡¯s also where the majority of the shops, cafes, restaurants and theatres are¡­ Very nice place to take a date I might add¡± Yulian gave Eran a wink before continuing. ¡°Finally there is the Royal Square, it houses the Citadel where the King and the Royal family live, and has several mansions and villas where the majority of the Cabinet and Nobility live.¡± ¡°Even though there is somewhat segregation of the classes as only Nobility and government officials are allowed to live in the Royal Square, the king is still pretty good natured about equality and allows free movement between every square. Though there is more security in the Royal Square¡­ Obviously¡± Yulian finishes saying. He then pulls out a small sheet of paper which had a design on it. ¡°This is a map I got from the Flight Tower just before, you can have it I guess¡± he said with a smile, handing it to Eran. ¡°Thanks Yulian, I¡¯m sorry for holding you from your business.¡± Eran says with a somewhat half assed smile. ¡°Yeah right¡± Yulian says whilst rolling his eyes. He waves good bye and quickly disappears into the crowd. Eran assumed he was either off to meet a beautiful girl, or to meet a beautiful sword. Both made sense when talking about Yulian. Although they had only known each other for a short time, some five hours, the two got along immensely well and Yulian had told him much of himself. He was born to a Middle Upper Ranked Family that have for many generations been a part of the Astrian Nobility. He grew up in the Arnelle Manor in Alpha Beta and as a present for his 16th birthday was allowed to move to the Capitol to study away from home. He¡¯d said it was an unmatched blessing, because his parents were very strict and often doted on him much to his chagrin. Eran studied the map given to him and notes that to get to the Wisdom Square he¡¯d have to cross the Market Square. Walking through the vast city, Eran came to appreciate the scents and sounds of bustling life. He soon found himself in front of a very comfortable looking Inn called ¡®The Bedry¡¯. Eran found the Innkeeper, who was a middle aged man, and booked himself a room for a week. Finally after unpacking what little he had in his luggage and locking his room, Eran set off for the University. It only takes ten minutes of walking for the houses and Inns that were in an abundance, to suddenly give way to a large paved road that had college greens on either side. The University itself was huge. It easily took up half of the Wisdom Square and had buildings all over the place. Eran noticed that it was very well maintained, barely a single blemish on the rocks, nor broken branches on the trees. There was also an abundance of students around, either idly chatting or pacing quickly to what one would assume was classes. After about an hour of walking around, taking in the sights, Eran found the Information Centre and walked up to the receptionist. ¡°Hello, my name is Eran Magi, I¡¯d like to apply for classes, if at all possible¡± he said politely. As what Eran felt was becoming increasingly more frequent, the woman looked up from her work, and found herself blushing when taking in the sight of him. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry sir, you will have to wait two days until the Monthly Enrolment Day. If you¡¯re still interested you will have to bring all the appropriate sums on the day, including any documents.¡± She told him. ¡°B-but if you need a status card¡­ which were meant to be ordered at least two weeks in advance¡­ you can pay a fee of 7 gold, allowing for express fees, which you can pick up from here on the day.¡± She said with a beaming smile. Eran thought she was cute, but nowhere near the adorableness of his Cassidy. Or was it that he was just biased? ¡°Thank you, I¡¯d like to purchase my Card now in time for the Enrolment Day please. Also if you wouldn¡¯t mind telling me, what does the day itself entail?¡± he asked her whilst handing over the required sum. ¡°Of course sir!¡± she said with a smile, ¡°On the day, you¡¯ll partake in a test or set of questions that¡¯ll demonstrate your ability in whatever course you wish to take. The University after all is designed for continuing learning, not starting it.¡± She said looking thoughtful. ¡°That sounds reasonable, I don¡¯t suppose there is a pamphlet or itinerary I could have that lists available courses and their descriptions?¡± he asked. The receptionist nodded and after a minute of searching handed him a rather thick pamphlet titled The University of Astr. Content with what he had done, Eran thanked the woman and made his way back to the Inn. Sitting in his room, Eran decided to read over the pamphlet and prepare the best that he could, over the next few days for his upcoming trials.
http://imgur.com/vRyAygL This is the basic layout of the Capitol City of Astr. I''ll post a comment later that gives an in depth description of each square and its strategic placement. Just to clarify, Magia is read as (Maj-eye-a) and likewise Magi (Maj-eye) not ''Maggy" or "Magee" like some people have said previously lol. Okay so the reason I wanted to put this footnote is to make something abundantly clear. Eran didn''t jump into this. He had given it a lot of though both the night during and day after. He has immense feelings for Cassidy, I hope I got that across. And even though he said the reason he wouldn''t marry he is he wants to wait till he''s 18 is partially true, its also because he wants to learn more and see more of the world before he commits. Though he definitely will be. Cassidy too is neither a slut nor irrational. She loves him just as much as he does and she is all for the marriage, not because of insidious or perverted reasons but just because she wants him. P.S. I bet you laughed at my Paint Skills didn''t you. How dare you.
~Chapter 7 ~Chapter Guide~
A comprehensive study of the Squares of Astr- The city of Astr is split into a 6 cell formation. The inner city is a larger square that houses the first 5 squares, namely the Wisdom Square in the North-Western cell, The Event Square in the North-Eastern cell, The Market Square in the South-Western cell and the Strength Square in the South-Eastern cell. The Flumine strait, which is branch of the great Flumine river runs through the very center of Astr and as such the Canal Square rests in the center of all four inner city cells taking up a portion of each. The 6th and final cell is the Royal Square. This square was built first and the others built around it. The Royal square is next to the Flumine strait on the Eastern side, however it is elevated to avoid flooding and unlike the otherwise symmetrical design of the city, the Royal Square sits more southerly towards the Strength square to both lessen the amount of land taken up by the strait and also decrease the distance from the military quarters which are situated in the Strength Square. Temporary Hiatus~ I bet this wasn''t the chapter you wanted to see :c I''m sorry to say that I will be taking a short break from posting on this site. It won''t last very long, probably a week or two at the most. The reasons being that I need to invest more time in other things. This does not mean I will be dropping this story, and it does not mean I don''t care about my readers. The story will continue, and I ask that when it does, you guys continue to read it with me :) You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. I''m sorry about this, I truly am. I won''t be available for messaging for the majority of the Hiatus, but if you have questions feel free to Message me through RRL. I may even give spoilers if the question is good enough hoho. Once again, I''m sorry about this, I just need some ''Me'' time to focus on my studies, my life and my family. Love you guys, Peace out. (I''ll be deleting this post when I come back, but still leave some comments if you want)