《The World Before It All Began》


 Prologue

    W-Who did this? My body crumbled to the floor as I fought to conceal my cries. An overwhelming urge to vomit surged through me, and I retched violently. A feeling unlike anything I had experienced clawed at my chest attempting to escape as if it were alive, before a bloodcurdling cry tore from my throat.


    I burst into a hysterical run toward my wife and son, who lay lifeless in the living room. I cried out, but I couldn''t hear my own voice, no matter how loudly I screamed¡ªjust the deafening roar of blood rushing through my ears. My breathing came in ragged gasps, each one forcing air from my lungs, my chest and throat burning in an eternal pit of despair and fear¡ªfear that this was all my fault. Tears streamed down my cheeks, my only source of solace, until an ear-piercing ring resounded in my ears.


    As I held their bodies, a maelstrom of emotions swirled in my mind, my chest pounding like thunder. I was overwhelmed, disoriented.


    I started to hallucinate. I even began trying to convince myself that this was all a cruel prank. Staring into her lifeless eyes, the final remnants of my sanity began to shatter. I heard the door slam open, and everything seemed to happen in slow motion.


    ¡°Freeze! Put your hands in the air and slowly back away from the bodies."


    ¡°Be careful; he has a weapon close by!¡±


    Shouts came from behind me in muffled tones.


    I felt someone grab me before throwing me off to the side. I just stared down at my hands, trembling and now stained with blood, blood of my very own family. It took me a while to understand what was happening. They were under the impression that I had murdered my own family. I tried to speak, but nothing would come. ¡°You''re under arrest; you have the right to remain silent; anything you do and say will be used against you in court.¡± The cop spoke his voice cold as ice; I couldn''t think rashly, so my instincts took over; it would either be: fight, flight, or freeze.


    It was flight; my body bursting into a sprint; a cop was standing in the way, trying to block my path, but with the adrenaline I was experiencing, he was nothing.


    My body clashed with my mind, which wanted to stay composed, try to reason with them, and give them the truth about what was going on. I tried so hard to stop myself, but I was unable to.


    ¡°We have a runner!¡± Soon, everything around me became a blur. Running, running, and running¡ªmy body wouldn¡¯t stop. I was a block down the street when I heard gunfire, and the scent of gunpowder hit me. I''d been shot in the chest.


    My body still chooses to keep running; I could do nothing but plead.


    Multiple other shots flew through the air, some missing, but one went straight through my knee cap, which at the speed I was going caused me to tumble over, rolling on the ground.


    Is this it? Am I going to die? Will they be able to save my family? Please, please, ple¡­


    My body had finally come to peace with my mind, but now it was too late. Tears streamed down my face as I felt the warm blood escaping from my body, trying to cover the bullet wound in my chest, but the blood kept flowing. "Haha." I cried out in desperation.


    I started to gargle as my mouth began to fill with blood, leaking from the corners of my mouth. I could do nothing but stare into the magnificent starry night sky.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    I¡¯ve learnt so much in my short time of being on this earth, and accomplished so much, but I couldn¡¯t even protect my own family, I clenched my fists until the point my palm began to bleed.


    Throughout my youth, I studied martial arts and even became proficient in some of the techniques. Though I was never excellent at expressing my feelings as a child to a certain degree¡ªonly to those I cared for I could show sustainable passion for¡ªI did this in an effort to try to protect the people I cared about.


    My wife taught me that all emotions are necessary and should be accepted, despite the fact that some feelings can be a hindrance since, without them, a person would never fully understand himself.


    I would immerse myself in everything she tells me, no matter how little. I probably wouldn¡¯t have become who I am today. No, I wouldn''t be¡­ But now, does it all matter? I couldn¡¯t protect them¡­


    Was it my fate, our fate for this to happen to us? My family didn¡¯t deserve this, was it all a part of god''s plan for this to happen, would this somehow better me in some shape or form?


    HOW WOULD ANY OF THIS HELP ME? AT LEAST TELL ME HOW! SO I DON''T SIT HERE LIKE A FOOL BELIEVING IN WHAT IS NOT!


    My mind began trying to find something else to blame for all this, something, someone had to cause this, but under it all I truly knew that it was my fault, my incapability to protect the ones I hold dear.


    Everything had left me feeling bitter, and hollow. I just laid on the floor accepting this all. No one would save me.


    What felt like minutes of me laying on the floor contemplating everything that had happened, everything went white, and my initial reaction was that this was death.


    But there was something here with me¡ªa figure completely engulfed in light with wings that seemingly stretched endlessly. ¡°It¡¯s okay, everything will be alright,¡± the woman''s voice spoke in harmony. I could tell she was just trying to comfort me though; after all, there¡¯s no way to revert everything that has happened, yet from her words, I broke into a fit of tears.


    ¡°Please, please, please, save my family,¡± I plead with the woman. ¡°Boy, that would be something even beyond me.¡± She said as she stroked my hair, her very touch making me feel like all my problems would disappear, ¡°Then, could you do one thing for me, please?¡± I begged.


    ¡°And? What would that be?¡± She said as if she already knew what I would say: ¡°L-let me forget everything. I don¡¯t think I can bear the thought of living without my family.¡± As I plead like a child I could feel a knot forming in my throat; how pathetic am I?


    I could have sworn she had a smile on her face, but only with good intentions. ¡°Do you plan on forgiving the one who did this to your family?¡± I felt like I¡¯d been punched in the gut as she spoke.


    ¡°What do you mean? Forgive them? What they¡¯ve done is unforgivable.¡± She then placed her hand over my chest; it felt warm, as if she were healing all the pain from my very soul. ¡°Would you be able to forgive that person for me?¡± She asked curiously.


    "No, I don''t and wouldn''t." Unexpectedly, that seems to delight her.


    She mumbled something too incoherent for me to understand before speaking clearly. ¡°I¡¯ll grant you something even better; you¡¯ll be reborn, but not with the memories of this life, only the skills and knowledge you¡¯ve learned, and one more.¡±


    ¡°One more?¡± I asked intrigued, ¡°That is a secret.¡± ¡°Then how am I supposed to know?¡± ¡°Ah, ah, ah~ you¡¯ll know you¡¯ll feel it here.¡± I could only infer that she was referring to where she had her hand placed on my chest.


    ¡°I have grown a keen liking for you, boy, but with that said, our time together is now ending.¡± She said something before about me forgetting everything.


    I still had my doubts about everything. If I have to forget everything, that would even mean my family.


    What is right and wrong were no longer concepts that I understood. Is this just an attempt by me to run away from what has happened? I could only assume that my face was filled with sorrow.


    The woman sighed. "If a time comes when I see it fit, you''ll remember." The woman groaned, "You might even be able... I can''t get too ahead of myself.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Those were the only words that I could muster up.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t be sad. This is something to look forward to, but no. You won¡¯t remember us talking, at least for now, until we meet again. If that time does occur, it would truly be a blessing. Last but not least, protect those you hold dear; it would be a shame for you to end up in this state once again.¡± Those were her final words before she removed her hand, before everything gradually turned dark.

 My new life

    Beginning of volume one


    Eh¡­ what¡­ where am I? I can''t see anything; it''s pitch black¡­ Might this be the "afterlife" everyone so fervently believed in? If so, there''s nothing. The "afterlife" is just a place for your self-consciousness to lay dormant. The concept of heaven or hell doesn''t seem to exist, or maybe I just haven''t had the pleasure of experiencing it. I''m referring to heaven, of course. Was God not accepting of me? Did Satan find me to be too "pure" so I was abandoned, but what can I do about it now? Maybe heaven wasn''t a thing in the first place, a thing built of many lies passed down generations, but even so, I''ll still believe otherwise because there''s nothing else for me to hold on to, but then I saw it. The improbable theory known as the "light" and usually, from what I have seen, once someone has seen the light, they wake up all sweaty and hallucinating, not being able to differentiate between what is real and what is not.


    I didn''t get to wake up, so now I have either two decisions, one. I take off and run away from this so-called "light," or, two. I enter it.


    Usually a human''s instincts would drive them to explore the unknown¡­ right? Hm, I might as well be the first human to enter this light, I mean what else is here for me except this pit of everlasting darkness. Yeah, the light it is.


    Now entering the light, it''s way too bright. I try to block the light from attacking my eyes, but they do nothing for me since my body is like, what would be a good word to describe this, "transparent," "ghost-like," or even "non-existent." The light just goes right through me, with each step it becomes more luminate, is this the holy light? The light that even seeps into the depths of hell, what a bea-


    It all came to a halt, once again. I resigned in complete darkness, was this a lie? Was this whole "light," theory a lie?!


    A loud, buzzing noise assaulted my ears. I wouldn''t be surprised if that caused permanent damage to my eardrums... but then I actually could see something; instead of it being the "light," it was the whole place! I began to pry my eyes open. I made a valiant effort to do so, one that would have made me appear like a lunatic, but it worked.


    Once my eyes opened, I was met with the discomfort of a light and the raucous sound of people gossiping around me. I couldn''t picture what was going on in my surroundings; the light was too bright for me to visualize anything around me, so I started flailing my arms around though they barely moved. Yeah, I can''t just sit here defenseless, but it''s a good sign there are people here. My eyes are still struggling to adjust to the lighting, but once they adjusted to the light, I was able to make out my surroundings.


    I found a young, stunning onyx black-haired woman with beautiful pink lips gazing right down at me. I almost got lost in the glaze of her dark-green almond-like eyes. Next to her was a man who appeared to be in his early twenties and had somewhat of an arrogant face, with a sharp jawline that made the shape of a V. The man is pretty well built and has an appealing appearance; his messy hair is a nice shade of black.


    This is a pretty young couple; good for them to be able to have kids at that age. "Aww~ isn''t he just adorable?" The woman chuckled, "Yes, very much. He''s our little Igris after all."


    Our little? Igris? I see, so I''m a baby. Igris, So that''s the name I was given.


    "He has light blue eyes that gleam like the moonlight, with black hair exactly like yours," said the woman.


    The man gave her a little laugh in response. "He''s just so cute; with his little chubby cheeks, I just could eat him up." said the woman while she gave me a kiss on the cheek. "Mrs. Akemi and Mr. Kaiyo, may I come in?" Hearing a woman''s voice come from the door, "Yes, please just call us by our last name, "Biship," they replied.


    They''re both talking to a nurse that came into the room, and they discussed my health. It turns out I''m a healthy baby.


    I started to fully realize that I had just been born, something I should have picked up from the start with my mother, "Akemi," and father, "Kaiyo."


    I viewed my surroundings, and the room was made of wood, and the lights were just a few feet above me, though I couldn''t tell what was creating the light. There were also wooden bowls, steel buckets, furniture, utensils, and other items around. My parents both look beautiful and handsome, and they also look well-off. Father wore solid-colored black pants matched with a white button-up shirt, while Mother just wore a simple gray-tinted gown.


    "Come here; let me give you a big kiss before we go." Mother said while giving me a big kiss on the cheek. We''re leaving already?


    Okay, I want to view the world around me anyway and see if anything piques my interest.


    Father then picked me up, and we left. Once we arrived outside, I saw a vast green field and mountains in the distance. It was beautiful, with flowers covering every inch of the fields and the sun glaring down upon us. It was a pretty hot day, but the breeze from the wind made it somewhat cool. Father used his body to cover me from the rays of the sun.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    "Kaiyo, make sure to put Igris in the wagon carefully," My mother said, peeking around the wagon. Before I was laid down in the wagon, I noticed there was a bridge up ahead. Under the bridge was a very nice river that flowed as far as I could see.


    "Kaiyo, also make sure the horses are ready to go!" My father laid me in this little bed, covering my legs with a thin blue blanket.


    "Okay, honey, I''m on it." My father replied. There were two brown and white horses meant for pushing our wagon. "The horses are ready to go!"


    Once we rode off, I skimmed through the area we were traveling through. There were very big villages we traveled through where people were working, farming, and doing different things. I wasn''t able to get a really good look at the village since we were just passing by.


    A Month Later


    Once we arrived home, I was met with a huge two-story house. It was stunning. The house had a large yard with fences surrounding the perimeter and a few trees. There seemed to be wooden swords, training dummies, and other materials used for training. Is Father a swordsman? I thought to myself.


    My mother took me out of the wagon. "Welcome to your home, Igris." Where I was welcomed and greeted warmly.


    As I got carried to the house, I was briefly viewing the scenery before I was interrupted by some girl who slammed opened the door. "Welcome home, Igris!" yelled the girl. "Igris, this is our maid, Stella. Igris, treat her nicely; she will also take care of you," My mother said as Stella approached me, her eyes glimmering, "Master Igris, I will be in your hands now," she exclaimed.


    Stella had a young, petite appearance, silverish-white hair that is tied up in a half bun while she has hair resting on either side of her shoulders, and lightish-blue eyes.


    Eh¡­ "master," I don''t think I''d really like being called that.


    "Mrs.Akemi, where is Lady Asuna?" Stella asked with a puzzled expression. "She isn''t home yet, but she will be back home tomorrow morning," My mother replied.


    Who is Lady Asuna? I thought to myself, most likely, another member of my family.


    Stella then held me as she proceeded to carry me into the house.


    Entering, I noticed how gorgeous it was. The room was majestic; it couldn''t be any better. The floor looks perfectly polished, though that was probably due to the work of our maid. The furniture looked well made, with things like pillows cushioning it.


    This was the work of a fine carpenter, I admired.


    In the center of the room, there was a sofa, a table, and a rug; that is where my parents and Stella took me. They sat down and started to have a conversation. I don''t really know what they were talking about, but I''m sure it was about me. Afterwards, Mother, Father, and Stella played with me. After a while, I found it getting dark outside.


    Mother and Stella both stood up and went into the kitchen. "We''re going to prepare dinner," Mother explained.


    Father held me as he went off into the kitchen to talk to Mother. He sat me down in a high chair. He then walked towards my mother, hugging her from behind. "What will you be making for dinner?" Father asked, looking over her shoulder.


    "Don''t worry, Kaiyo, you''ll love it." replied Mother, as she gave him a kiss.


    Father came back and pulled up a chair, sitting next to me. "Hmm, you''re not a crybaby like your sister was," he murmured, poking my cheek. "Looks like I might have some competition."


    Father just played around with my tiny hands, and made little conversation with me, it''s not like I can talk so I just stared at him, and occasionally waved my arms around.


    "Kaiyo, the food is ready!" My mother exclaimed.


    "Kay little man, let''s go to your mommy."


    Father walked me over to my mother as Stella prepared the table, and the rest of the night consisted of my mother feeding me¡ªI won''t be going into detail¡ªas I drifted off to sleep in her arms.


    ----------------------------------------------------------


    "Good morwing, Igris!"


    I stirred awake from my sleep from an unfamiliar high pitched voice.


    Huh? My vision was a little fuzzy, but as my eyes gradually adjusted, I was able to make out a faint figure.


    Who is this girl?


    She has a short, cute appearance and appears to be a few years older than me. I would say that she resembles Mother in mini form because of her stunning almond-shaped eyes, which have a dark green tint, and her onyx black hair, which is braided into two braids that fall down both sides of her shoulder.


    "MOM! IGRIS! IS AWAKE!"


    "MOM! IGRIS! IS AWAKE!"


    "Mom," so this must be my sister; Stella was asking about "Asuna."


    "I''m coming!" I heard mothers voice beyond the room.


    "Asuna; let''s go get your brother." Mother continued, "You can hold him, but be careful; he is still very little."


    Asuna began to pick me up out of the crib, then planted a kiss on my cheek. "You''re so cwte!" She exclaimed, smothering me with her cheek.


    Hm, the way she pronounces the word "cute" is rather cute.


    Asuna carried me out of the room while our mother trailed closely behind.


    As we made our way down the stairs, they began to make small talk.


    "Asuna, how is your training going?" Mother asked, running her fingers through Asuna''s hair.


    "Good, my teacher says that I''ve got a lot of potewtial." Asuna beamed.


    "That''s great, Asuna. You''ll grow up to be big and strong like your dad." Mother chuckled.


    "Yes, I will be like dad." Asuna voiced, with a smile that shines as brightly as the sun.


    When Asuna noticed our father coming through the front door, she handed me back to our mother.


    "Daddy!"


    "My little girl is back. How was your training?" He asked, wiping the sweat dripping from his forehead.


    "Good."


    "Do you think I can get as strowg as you are? Mom said I will."


    "Of course you can. You can become stronger than Daddy even is. You will become the strongest person in the entire world. I know you have it in you. Now come give Daddy a hug." He held his arms open.


    "I don''t want to get sticky." Asuna replied, pointing to his sweaty arms.


    Father''s body began to deflate in a cartoonish manner, "S-So you don''t want to hug your dad?" He said pretending to be hurt by her remarks, but it was enough to get her to give in.


    "I missed you, Asuna." Father said with a wholesome smile as Asuna ran into his arms.

 The fundamentals

    I would say that I¡¯ve grown pretty keen to being a baby, my days just consist of, watching my family, I especially enjoy watching Father train outside, but with Asuna around the house does tend to get chaotic, she¡¯s young and has awakened so she messes up alot, but she¡¯s still very immature so it¡¯s expected.


    A little Ironic for me to say when I¡¯m still the one who¡¯s a baby¡­


    But!


    What really piqued my interest is when Father reads books to me about how ¡°mana¡± works, if it weren¡¯t for my excellent comprehending skills, I wouldn¡¯t understand a word he was saying. I wonder if he did this with Asuna¡­


    Anyways.


    The book that mostly peaks my interest is¡­


    ¡°The fundamentals of Dejecting,(Dejector) Projecting,(Projector)¡±


    Father would read me a page from the book almost everyday, saying, ¡°Iggy, you get that buddy?¡± I could almost conclude that Father was an idiot, but I¡¯ll give him the benefit of the doubt. He¡¯s trying his best to do his Fatherly duties, since Mother doesn¡¯t like when he takes me outside to watch him and Asuna train, but Mother doesn¡¯t like the idea since I¡¯ve gotten hit by debris from there sparring, and yeah Mother didn¡¯t like that at all¡­ let¡¯s just say she can become a pretty scary person, oh, and that nickname ¡°Iggy,¡± was given to me by my older sister great isn''t it?


    Now about the book, after a few weeks or so I¡¯ve come to understand a little about, Dejecting, and Projecting. I remember each page word for word, or rather I''m sitting in his lap right now being read to, but let me think back to the first chapter, my memory may be a little foggy but let me give this my best shot¡­ aha.


    Rundown about


    ¡°The fundamentals of Dejecting,(Dejector) and Projecting(Projector)¡±


    Page 1


    The basics about Dejecting, and Projecting.


    Upon one¡¯s awakening, they are born either a Dejector, or a Projector. A Dejector is a person who¡¯s core specializes in using their magical power¡ªalso known as mana¡ªin a way to exhort brute force, or rather further enhance their physical abilities. Dejectors use the mana that resigns in them, while on the other hand, people who are primary projectors use things like spells. [Hint: Dejectors can also use spells, while Projectors can also enhance their bodies, but one is just naturally more proficient than the other.] Projectors can cast more powerful spells than a Dejector. Since Projectors are using the help of mana that resigns in the atmosphere to enchant their power and speed, the difference in Dejecting and Projecting might be noticeable when they¡¯re in the earliest stage of their core, but once they start to get stronger on their own, it would become almost impossible to differentiate between them.


    Yeah, this is going to be a lot to remember¡­ haha.


    Page 2


    Dejecting


    Dejecting is a form of manipulating mana that enhances your physical abilities and is greatly amplified. People who are dejectors have more potent mana than those who are prejectors. Dejectors have a stronger connection to their core from birth. Dejectors will use the mana that their body and core will naturally absorb. Using it for a burst of power¡ªeither its strength or speed¡ªdejecting increases your overall capabilities. mana can be channeled throughout your entire body. If, for example, you wanted to quickly save someone, you could channel most-to-all of your mana into your legs, which would cause you to become staggeringly faster, but if you channeled it to the specific muscle that is controlling that action, an increase would be superb. Since running is used, we¡¯ll use a muscle that is heavily involved in the action of running. If you were to channel most-to-all of your mana into your quadriceps, it would truly be superb.


    Page 3


    Projecting


    While projectors can also channel magic throughout their bodies, they can also do much more when it comes to manipulating mana. Projectors are able to manipulate mana down to the very molecule. A projector would be able to manipulate parts of their body with the help of mana; for example, they could turn their hair into a weapon sharper than a blade. On top of that, projectors would use the mana that is flowing around them to aid their attacks and make them insanely powerful. A very powerful projector can bend mana to their own will; if a projector is just outright more powerful than another projector or dejector, they can disrupt the ability the other person has to manipulate mana. Though this task can be overridden by others using more willpower, it will leave a heavy strain on your body, especially your core.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Page 4


    The Core


    One''s mana rests dormant in the core until the day of its awakening. The core is the most important part of the body because it houses one''s mana; without a core, it would be impossible to manipulate mana. One''s core matures over time, just as we go through puberty, going through changes that alter its structure (number). Its form could be accurately described as a circle with the Roman numeral engraved deep inside. To be able to tell what someone''s core is, you must be at a higher stage¡ªa two-quarter difference¡ªbecause it puts a lot of strain on their body if they aren''t, but it is still possible. Roman numerals, which are I, II, III, IV, V, VI, and VII, are used to identify its stage; each step increases the amount of mana that your core can withstand.


    There are five quarters to each stage, and the number can only start to be identified once the user has hit their second quarter.


    Now this is a very important thing to remember: your core can be overused, which can cause it to experience "OD." ODing occurs when your core has reached its limit or when your core is about to surpass its prior cap without an increase in its stage. If you continue to overuse your core while it is in OD, the consequences could be pernicious.


    I''m sure that was a lot to take in, when Father was first teaching me these things he would sometimes read too fast or too slow and my brain would feel like mush¡ª¡°Daddy!¡± Asuna barged into the room, ¡°What is it?¡± Father asked, slightly confused.


    ¡°Come on, come on, let''s train!¡± Asuna squealed while pulling Fathers arm.


    ¡°Hold on, fine.¡± Father then stood up holding me slightly in front of him, ¡°Iggy do you want to watch dada, and sis train?¡± he said as if i had a say so in anything.


    I swung my little hand towards fathers cheek, landing, making a little sound, ¡°Okay, Iggy¡¯s pretty happy to watch us train today, good you''ll get to see how amazing your father is, AHAHAH.¡± Father stated while letting out an idiotic laugh.


    After we arrived outside, my father gave me a little high-five while sitting me down on the porch. I just watched as Father went out to Asuna as she summoned six spear-like objects¡ªthree on one side and three on the other. I noticed that she''s more on the projector''s side. While Father merely wielded a training sword, "Asuna, you should start learning close combat too. What are you gonna do if someone tries to run up on you?¡± Father lectured while tapping his sword overheadly on his shoulder, ¡°Me no want to; the spears will protect me!¡± With an innocuous reply, Asuna fired the two overhead spears that were aimed directly at Father.


    The spears had a razor-sharp tip and looked to be made of translucent soft-sage. The spears'' rod portion appeared to be grooved, almost as if it could pierce through a boulder, though it was difficult to see. Should they be able to, I wouldn''t be shocked. It appears somewhat dangerous... I''m wishing you luck, father!


    The spears fired rather quickly. The sheer force and speed were enough to pierce through the atmosphere, emanating the sound of a ¡°sonic boom.¡±


    Father was still standing there, urging her to engage in close-quarters combat. In an instant, the spear narrowed the distance between them. The spear was about an inch away from his face as he continued to stand, talking about close-quarters combat. Then he shifted to his left side, using his left hand to catch it. The spear dissolved into thin air after he caught it. He deflected the other with his sword without moving an inch, even though Asuna must have been controlling them since the other spear made a sharp left curve before reverting back into position while soaring through the air towards Father''s back.


    Focusing my attention back to Asuna, the spears were back on her body, where they originally resigned.


    Hm, interesting, so the spears must''ve reappeared in the time span in which they were destroyed.


    ¡°No fair! No fair!¡± Asuna pouted, releasing every one of all six spears, sending them hurtling toward Father as their fifteen-meter gap closed. Father abruptly stopped speaking when he saw that every single spear was aimed precisely at him, almost like a single weapon, and then dispersed to encircle his body. One by one, each spear that was aimed at vital body parts went down. Father had now moved from where he had been, stumbling as he avoided the spears.


    ¡°Woah, woah.¡± Father said, still stumbling and trying to regain his balance, "Well, haven''t you improved? You''re not trying to show off for Iggy, are you?¡± Asuna turned her head towards me, her pretty almond-green eyes watering. I guess I should give her some of my support, lifting my arms in an upward motion. I cheered for her; if I could talk, I would probably say something along the lines of "Asuna, you got this! Beat our idiot Father up!"


    ¡°Me must be strong for Iggy.¡± Asuna replied, wow... Asuna is a little different from what I originally thought. She''s so young; I never thought she would be concerned with strength or anything. With a small smile on his face, Father swept her off her legs, allowing her body to hang over half his shoulder. "Put me down! Iggy can''t see me like this! Asuna cried out and tried to claw her way out of his grasp before Father gently lowered her back to the ground. "Asuna," he spoke in a passionate manner. "It''s great that you want to get stronger, my lovely girl, but take your time. I think you''ll end up being one of the strongest people in history." Before kissing her on the forehead, Father said, "Don''t worry about Iggy either; I''ve got his back." He smiled down at Asuna.


    Nicely said, Father. I wouldn¡¯t want Asuna to worry about me either; I can protect myself! I try to make all the cute little baby noises I can to get Father¡¯s and Asuna''s attention. I even tried to say some gibberish, but I didn¡¯t catch Father¡¯s or Asuna¡¯s attention; it was Mother¡¯s who opened the door right behind me. "Oh my goodness, isn''t the baby adorable!?" Mother picked me up, twiddling with my tiny fingers, then smothering my face with kisses. It seems that Mother managed to get their attention pretty easily, but my baby talk lost with no prevail.

 The little things in life

    Some time has passed.


    Now the Hunt begins.


    The mission assigned to my father and I was to pilfer intel from the enemy''s base¡ªour kitchen. We entered with a plan. It was easy¡ª''in and out'' easy, right? Haha... if only things were that easy. We couldn''t even pass the base entrance due to a guard.


    As I crawl closer to the enemy base, I can feel my palms starting to get sweaty.


    Yes, during this time I have learned to crawl, or more accurately, I have improved my degree of body control. ¡°Iggy, we have to do this quickly, or else we won¡¯t get the intel we need."


    "And we don''t want to enrage Godmother¡ªmy mother¡ª" My father went on. The uneasiness in his voice told me that this wouldn''t be an easy task.


    We made our movements quickly but quietly, slipping out of our home base¡ªmy parents room¡ªinto the hallway.


    "Iggy, are you clear to go?¡± Since I¡¯m unable to say anything, I just continue onward, which should give him a signal that everything is clear.


    Reaching the edge of the hallway, we have met the gate to their base¡ªthe living room¡ªand we''re now entering enemy territory! Until we saw it...


    T-the GUARDIAN¡ªmy older sister, who''s been given the task to protect the intel¡ªWe took cover behind a barrier¡ªsofa.


    "Iggy, we need to be careful from here on out.¡± He glared into my eyes.


    When all-a-sudden we were bombarded by swords¡ªtoys¡ªsoaring through the air.


    ¡°I KNOW YOU''RE THERE!¡± The guardian roared, sending shivers down my spine. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    I know that Father shuddered too, but not from the beast, but rather from what would happen if intel wasn''t gathered in a timely manner.


    We had five minutes or so before the godmother''s wrath would explode, "Okay, Iggy, let''s g¡ª." The barrage of swords flew overhead, some striking both me and Father, stopping him in mid sentence,  but it was the guardian who really stopped him.


    The guardian stood over us, her teeth resembling dinosaur fangs and her evil demeanor. a dagger flying in my direction, but fortunately I was able to scoot out of the way.


    Crawling towards my father who was looking at me with a look of gratitude for some reason, but I was wondering, what was he going to do? "Thank you, Iggy," he said, reading his lips. What was this betrayal before he ran off like a child? Father, return now! I have to think fast to avoid being cornered by this creature.


    I glance around, realizing that going back is my only option and that going back which wasn¡¯t  an option either. She was getting closer, and I couldn''t help but think that my father was to blame for it. What an idiot! Farewell, world¡ªbefore me stood my savior, the person I nearly forgot I had a trump card for. There stood my hero, Stella! As she acrobatically sidestepped everything that came at her, Stella scooped me off the floor. She is just great! When things get out of control, the only person who can go back to home base is Stella, my savior!


    Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed someone, and it was, predictably, my idiotic father. Who just betrayed me, and now he''s tiptoeing around the outskirts of their base toward ours, I sighed mentally. As we made eye contact, he just covered his lips with his finger and gestured the "shhh" motion.


    Before he bolted down the hallway into the base, I would¡¯ve tried to get us to band against him, but Godmother wouldn¡¯t be too happy with him either way. Father had gotten the intel¡ªthe snacks that Godmother had been craving¡ªbut now it¡¯s too late. As my savior carried me back to the base, it seemed like Godmother had already become furious, so Stella took a full one-eighty.


    Now that the fun is over, as I heard the door close, even though my father may have betrayed me, I still have to wish him the best of luck; otherwise, he might just get fully consumed in her wrath.


    It had been about an hour until father and mother came from the room, but once they did, father gave me a huge smug smirk and a thumbs up... I wasn¡¯t sure of what happened, but if my father was in a good mood, then so was I.


    ¡°Iggy, come here!¡± Father started to come at me with his wet hair, I could only assume that he got out of the shower recently. I made a little effort to run away, but soon he swept me off the floor, then blew raspberries on my stomach, which caused me to uncontrollably laugh.

 A settle change

    years later


    "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, IGRIS!" Everyone shouted.


    I was sitting down in the middle of the table with my father, mother, and Stella.


    Asuna wasn¡¯t able to come home that much anymore after she started school, but she still makes sure to tell me happy birthday over Communication Crystal.


    These past years have flown by, but I did enjoy being a baby since it did have its very own perks while being a baby was nice having more control over my body, and being able to expand my knowledge.


    This world has something called ¡°ruins,¡± ruins are places scattered around the world there being said to be a innumerous amount of ruins, this mostly springs from that fact that some ruins contain beasts that are way too powerful to ponder with, ruins are known for their beasts filled corner to corner with beasts whose only meaning to life is to eat and consume others.


    They have no morals, if it came down to a point where the mother would starve to death the mother would eat their own children to survive and likewise for any other member of the family, but there have been cases where beasts have seemed, ¡°intelligent¡± but most were mindless creatures that relied on brute force, in a way¡ªeveryone singing happy birthday to me snapped me out of my string of thought.


    Mother came to me and gave me a kiss on my cheek. Then a warm-hearted hug, "I love you, Igris." her voice was sincere, "I love you too, Mom." returning the hug that she gave me, "Come here, Igris. Daddy has a present for you." ¡°Yes, Father.¡± In his hands were what looked like a blade wrapped up in paper.


    ¡°What is that?¡± I acted oblivious even though anyone could obviously make out what it was, "It¡¯s a sword that I crafted with my bare hands; it¡¯s meant for you when you have finished your training, but you haven¡¯t awakened yet."


    I sighed mentally, I''ve yet to awaken, it''s looking like I''m going to be a late bloomer¡­ I hope so. Since I haven''t awakened I decided to read about, ¡°awakenings,¡± a  phenomenon known as "awakenings" is when someone¡¯s power from within is drawn out at a random moment. No one knows what causes these awakenings to occur at random moments, but they know the normal ages. An awakening usually happens between ages four and six. Some awakenings cause only small casualties, while others can scale up to the size of a large mountain. Some even argue that the greater the casualty, the more power one can wield. But me¡­ Nope, I''m a rare case of when someone doesn''t awaken in the ages four-six, they either awaken late or don''t awaken at all. I''m REALLY hoping that isn''t the case for me.


    "Thank you for the gift, Father. No matter how late I awaken, I will strive to become the best and the strongest in this whole world." I wasn¡¯t like my sister, who awakened at an early age¡ªthe age of four¡ªand father and mother say her awakening was so powerful it could have blown the whole house away in an instant.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    He then proceeds to put his hand on my head and mess up my hair putting on a big grin on his face.  "That¡¯s my Igris. The most fearless man in this world is right behind me, of course, your dad is the toughest man that¡¯s out there."


    ¡°Father, when will I be able to start my training?¡±


    "Igris, as soon as you awaken, I will train you." I''ve heard this plenty of times from him, but it saddens me: ¡®Will I ever awaken?¡¯ I''ve probably asked myself this over a million times by now, and sadly, I''m not joking. Over these past years, I''ve trained my body a lot without the knowledge of my parents, though they would probably help. I insist on doing this alone because I want to be able to surprise my father with my skills and not be looked down upon, though Father would never do that. . . Would that barbarian of a man do that? Nope, he''s too caring; I love that about him.


    My mother then came over.


    "Come on, let¡¯s go eat!" Welp, It''s time to eat!


    "Master Igris, congratulations on your 7th birthday; it has been lovely watching you grow up. I love you. Make sure to become big and strong for me."


    "I will Stella, also you can drop the, ¡®master¡¯ part, just call me ¡®Iggy.¡¯¡±


    ¡°No, no¡ª¡± Stella said, waving her hands frantically as if she did something wrong, ¡°I insist we¡¯re all family here, no need to be so formal.¡± I then gave her a big hug, I can tell she was hesitant, not about hugging me, but dropping the so-called formals. After about a second she accepted the hug, squeezing me tight. Yeah, this should''ve been said a long time ago, it doesn''t feel right being called ¡°master¡± by someone, especially someone I think of as my family.


    We then sat down at the table and ate together, and looking back, I don¡¯t really get to see Asuna that often.


    But that¡¯s because she goes to school, so I don¡¯t really mind.


    ¡­..


    Several hours had passed, and it had started to get dark outside.


    So I chose to go take a bath and get ready for bed.


    I ran the bath water and sat down on the stool as the water slowly filled the tub.


    I wonder why I still haven¡¯t awakened. I mean, I am a year late; I don¡¯t really understand. Is there a certain criteria you must meet to be able to awaken?


    I let out a big sigh before I decided to leap into the tub splashing the water all over the floor, ¡°Oopsie,¡± I muttered underneath my breath.


    Laying in water really gives you a peace from the mind, it''s as if your mind, and body had entered a different realm. I''ve been studying lots of things over these past years as I''ve waited for my day of awakening, even coming to terms on learning the basic magic elements: fire, wind, water, and earth. Which they are overall cliche, until I began reading deeper into the books seeing that every element has a unique twist to it, i¡¯d say, yet still its basics.


    Fire


    Wind


    Water


    Earth


    These are just the basic forms of the four elements, though there are still many more. In order to learn other elements, you must learn at least one of the basic fundamentals of its respective counterpart. For example, someone who specializes in water would be able to use the ice element. I straightened my back up and noticed my body had begun to sink into the water. Each element houses its own unique counterparts, some even unique to a single individual.


    For my sister, it seems like she specializes in wind; at least from what I remember, those spears that protected her looked to be some sort of creation from wind, but that wouldn''t make sense for her to be able to do that at the mere age of four, or was she able to condense the mana around her into those spears? That''s the only plausible reason I can think of, even though it takes a lot of talent. One day, I might ask her how she did it.


    BOOM!

 My Little Iggy 1

    Akemi Pov


    My baby is growing up too fast!


    I watched him take his first steps, and it seemed like yesterday! His tiny legs were wobbling as he struggled to gain balance to avoid falling over. He was so cute. I almost just wanted to curl him up in my arms and tightly hold on to him and never let go.


    All the time, he''s tried to eat his food at the table, but instead he makes a big mess, and I couldn''t help but enjoy every second of watching him. His favorite thing to eat was mashed potatoes. Sometimes with the way he ate, I could only think of how he took that from his father; his father is a big messy eater, and I think my little Iggy is starting to adopt his bad habits, but I don''t mind.


    Only since he''s so adorable. I can''t say it enough!


    My little Iggy, my little Iggy, my little Iggy, my adorable little baby Iggy!


    I couldn''t help but recall all of the things we''ve done and things that are yet to come. I sit there, continuing to think about my little birthday boy! I mean, he''s already seven years old! I love him so much!


    My husband and Stella were in the center of the room, Kaiyo being slightly tipsy¡ªugh, I placed my palm across my face, shaking my head¡ªand only off, not even a bottle of wine, but he''s my husband, not so perfect, but perfect for me. He was dancing around, trying to persuade me to join him. I couldn''t help but be slightly embarrassed with Stella standing around, trying to keep him balanced. ¡°Come on, honey, come dance with me," he says as his body slowly sways to each side. I grasped his hand and just sighed. "Dar¡ª" a wave of unease passed over me as I extended my hand to grasp his. Kai was just looking silly, but in an instant, his expression changed, so I''m sure my face looked as if I¡¯d seen a ghost. "Honey, what''s wrong?" I wasn''t sure if that was just an oddity or if I was exaggerating too much.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Before I could say anything he felt it.


    He dashed off, rushing for Igris, and Stella and I followed in instinctive order. I could hear Kaiyo muttering something as we ran. I thought it would be an enchantment enhancement to protect his body from whatever to come, but no. It was a barrier that enclosed Stella, and I, ¡°Kaiyo, why?¡± I yelled in disbelief, asking him why he had done this, but he remained silent and unwavering in his resolve to make it to Igris, our son.


    My heart plummeted when the house burst into flames due to an explosion.


    So many different thoughts began racing through my head, but the most important one was Igris. I knew Kaiyo would''ve been able to survive this explosion, but for Igris, who hasn¡¯t awakened, no.


    He was on the second floor, and I''m sure nothing remained standing in this house despite the explosion producing a smoke screen.


    I had almost broken into a fit of tears knowing that I could have lost my dear baby, Iggy; there''s no might, I would have. I feel my knees begin to give out as I use the barrier to support myself, and Stella is devastated. I turn my head to see her gripping her lower garments so fiercely that I can hear the very fabric begin to tear as tears stream down her cheek.


    As each second passed, every second felt like an hour, I couldn''t do anything, but hope. After what felt like an eternity, I saw two shadows appear walking through the dying down smokescreen.

 My Little Iggy 2

    IGRIS POV


    Once again, my head went under the water, but this time, something was different. Despite the water''s coldness, I felt like my body was on fire. I felt as if a boulder had been placed across my chest. I tried to do anything, but my body wouldn''t listen to me, and then it just stopped. The sensation faded and then returned, stronger this time. It was peculiar. Particles of red light began to emanate from what I could only assume to be my core.


    BOOM!


    Particles that seemed to be erupting from my core suddenly burst, eviscerating the house. My body quickly fell to the first floor landing on my butt, there was an opaque layer of smoke. I looked at my body. Except for a few flame flares that I had to quickly pat off to stop the spread, I didn''t seem to be badly affected by the explosion.


    I then saw a figure approaching me at a rapid pace. As it got closer and closer, I noticed it was my father, his face embodied in worry. I could only think about how much trouble I was about to get into for all the commotion I''d just caused. ¡°Fa¡ª¡° father quickly embraced me, but he cuffed my head in his arm, with the biggest grin I¡¯ve ever seen on his face, while he began leading me out from the smoke.


    We emerged from the smoke, and I noticed the distress on Stella''s and Mother''s faces¡ªMother''s swollen, red cheeks and her stunning dark-green eyes full of tears. On the other hand, Stella had dried tears on her cheeks; her face was flushed, and her eyes were piercing right through me. Her hands were trembling and red as well.


    I gave them a remorseful smile, knowing that I had only made them anxious, but before I could even say anything, they came running to me. Stella merely smiled slightly at me while mother fell on her knees while embracing me.


    ¡°Igris, I¡­ I¡¯m so happy that you¡¯re okay.¡± Mother''s voice came out more high-pitched as tears streamed down her cheek. She then grabbed my face with both of her hands and gave me a firm look in my eyes before she gave me a kiss on my forehead, ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re okay.¡± She stifled as tears flew.


    ¡°I- I¡¯m fine, mom." Hearing her voice quivering caused me to get slightly emotional. I wrapped my arms around her before returning the hug.


    After a few minutes of my mother regaining her composure, my father cleared his throat before he made an announcement: "I don''t mean to interrupt your little reunion, but I''m proud to announce that our son has awakened!" Stella''s and Mother''s eyes were wide with disbelief. Mother covered her mouth with her hands, while Stella smiled warmly at me, as if to say, "You''ve done it at last."Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    I let out an awkward laugh. ¡°So, what are we going to do since the house is gone?¡± Everyone turned their heads, almost forgetting the situation we were in. "Umm..." Mother turned to my father, ¡°Hmm, I would say we could rent a place, but most of our money is gone, so I guess we¡¯ll have to crash at the landhearts place.¡±


    Mother then unexpectedly ran her hands underneath my shirt, placing her hands over my core¡ªa boy''s core is located in the chest, a girl''s is the belly button¡ªbefore emitting her mana into it. A light green color emitted from her hand as she emitted her mana. I could feel what was like a breeze flowing inside of me; it slightly made my body shiver, but it seemed like my core accepted what my mother was doing.


    "Darling, Igris has a natural affinity for wind," Mother exclaimed, beaming. Her eyes were bright and excited, and there was no sign that she was just crying. My father immediately ran over and put his hand where my mother was while exuding his mana. My body experienced a sudden and intense burning sensation. I felt as if my blood vessels would explode. The power that he was giving out radiated from my core. Bright red particles flew through the air, encircling us before enclosing us in a dome.


    The temperature began to rapidly increase, beads of sweat rolling down my face. My father''s face looked a little sad... did my core reject his flame element? The crackling of flames is the only thing to be heard. I could feel the flames intensifying, soaring wildly throughout the air. Before all the flames converged into a tiny ball, I felt a feeling I had never felt before. My senses became flooded with his flame element as his element began seeping into my core. I couldn''t feel anything, but it felt like scorching flames were attempting to escape my body. When I clenched my eyes, all I could see were red specks floating around.


    The specks were forming, then went dim. The pain stopped. Opening my eyes, I saw my father standing slack-jawed. ¡°Igris, h¡­ how did you manage to do that?¡± he mustered out. ¡°Do what?¡± I''m completely oblivious to what he meant. ¡°Your cor¡ªnevermind, my son is a natural!" my father exclaimed proudly while lifting me into the air.


    He swung me around a few times before stopping and taking a look around. "Okay, it''s getting late, so let''s get moving. If we leave now, we might reach the landhearts before the sunrise." My mom tilted her head, confused. "What is the plan for getting to Venotrox? Right now, we don''t even have a carriage." "Well, it looks like we may have to walk." My mother sighed, while my father laughed awkwardly. "But traveling at night is dangerous, and I don''t think you''ll be able to keep us safe if something were to happen." Mother remarked while chuckling mischievously.


    Father''s face shattered. ¡°H- honey, you don''t mean that, right?¡± He said it nervously, and mother didn''t reply; she turned her head while making the "Hmph" sound.


    After they talked about what to do for about five minutes, it was decided that we would travel on foot for me, a lucky soul. My father said that he would give me a piggyback, meaning no walking for now, and so we were off.

 Landhearts

    They began to channel their mana throughout their bodies before dashing into the forest. They could have decided to channel most of their mana into their legs, but my mother didn''t want to risk me falling off, and since I just awakened, she wanted me to take it easy for tonight. The air blowing on my face felt good as I rode on my father''s back. Even though my father was carrying me, we were actually moving pretty quickly, with everyone matching his pace.


    After about five minutes of traveling and looking around, I noticed wildlife on and about, seeing some animals with humongous antlers traveling nearby and the moon at its peak. The rays oozing through the trees overhead slightly tilted inwards in some areas of the path, like it was making a tunnel for us to move through, seeing a breathtaking view of a waterfall. I could only gasp in amazement as I saw more large antlered animals drinking from its must-be-pure water. Its water is flowing down into a pond with mossy stones, trees are leaning towards its beauty as if they wanted to become one with the water, and the moonlight is brilliantly illuminating its surrounding area.


    Then, in a moment''s notice, we passed its beauty, so I just enjoyed the sounds that nature had to offer until we made it to the landhearts. Now that I''m thinking about it, I dont think I''ve ever heard of them. Well,  my father will probably do introductions once I get there, so it''s not something I should be worried about.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    I startled awake, almost falling off my fathers back, ¡°Woah, woah, relax you''re gonna make me fall over.¡± My Father said startled while stumbling trying to regain his balance, as I rubbed my eyes looking around. I noticed what father said was true, we were standing in front of a giant house right around the crack of dawn.


    As Father walked through its beautiful rock path, bushes with berries and flowers made a four-way path, steps before we could get on top of the house, with a fountain spraying water up landing back in its multi-layer circular perimeter in the center of the bushes as the cycle repeated itself.


    The fact that it was sunrise just enhanced the appearance. The sun''s rays produced a variety of colors, including orange, pink, and red, which seemed to be trying to better represent the beauty of this house. As we continued to walk, the house came into view, with flower shrubs trimmed into the archway to further enhance it.


    The house was two floors high, built of brick, with windows running the length of the walls and a stone gray paint job on the balcony. All I could think about was how lovely the balcony view must be.


    Once we reached them, my father started pounding on the big two doors, ¡°Ryan! Open up these big doors you have; you don''t want to keep us outside!¡± My father yelled idiotically as he banged on the door, ¡°Darling, we are coming here unannounced; they''re probably sleeping; give them a little time to come to the door.¡± My mother''s face was slightly flushed, probably from all the commotion he caused, while Stella smiled at her once she noticed.


    ¡°WHO¡¯S THERE? Coming to my house this early, being all loud.¡± The man shouted, startled by the early morning noise, mumbling as he approached the door. As he opened the doors, I noticed his messy brown hair sticking up in all directions¡ªprobably his bed hair. His sharp hazelnut eyes were framed by dark bags, and he was about my mother¡¯s height, dressed in simple nightwear and rubbing his eyes groggily.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°Sir, what¡¯s your business here¡ª¡± My father suddenly set me down, lunging at the man and throwing him into a headlock. ¡°Sir! I¡¯ll have you know this behavior is unacceptable!¡± he declared, squinting as if trying to focus.


    ¡°W-Wait, is that you, Kai!?¡± the man exclaimed, rubbing his eyes in disbelief.


    ¡°Yes! Has your vision gone bad on me, Ryan?¡± My father laughed, giving him a big pat on the back.


    Ryan started to stare at us, and we all kind of gave an awkward wave before Ryan turned his eyes back to my father, giving him a look that would say, ¡°What''s going on here?" as his eyes became more scrunched. Ryan let out a sigh before welcoming us in, while my father explained the situation, ¡°So, what happened?¡± Ryan questioned, ¡°My dear friend Ryan, would you be so kind as to allow us to stay here for a while?¡± My father made an expression I had never seen him do before; it looked like, ¡°Puppy eyes." ¡°Please don''t do that again, but what happened? Did your house get attacked?¡± Ryan asked, confused, ¡°Nope! Something even more amazing, in fact!¡± ¡°¡®Amazing¡­¡¯ Okay, spill it; what happened?"


    My father gave him a haughty grin. ¡°My son awakened and took the whole house with him! I''m proud to be his father; you see that boy right there¡ª¡± My father then pointed to me. ¡°¡ªthat''s my son; remember his face and never forget that face!¡± My dad grinned broadly.


    Ryan''s face looked bewildered. ¡°Woah, Igris really is something.¡± Oh, so he knows my name, ¡°Akemi, Stella!¡± I heard a woman''s voice come from behind Ryan. She cleared her voice before speaking, ¡°My apologies.¡± She had long, lovely, long black loose hair that fell to her waistline, a set of monolid russet brown eyes, white sleepwear, and a pretty well-developed body, to say the least. She was an exquisite woman.


    ¡°There''s no need to apologize.¡± My father and Ryan spoke in unison, "Yeah, we''re all friends here, and my wife and Stella are really good friends with your wife.¡± My father said while looking around, ¡°Where''s Alice?¡± ¡°She''s still sleeping, though she¡¯ll be in for quite the surprise when she''s up.¡± The woman said, walking towards my mother and Stella, and as they started talking, I heard Stella say her name, ¡°Jasmine.¡±


    With everyone catching up and engulfed in the past, I decided to go sit on the couch in the room over. I let out a little sigh before I plumped down onto the couch, the couch almost sinking me into it. It feels nice. This house won''t fail to amaze you, will it? I sat on the last sofa on the farthest side; the four couches formed a rectangle, and in the center was a little glass table and a lovely rug that appeared to be made of fur or some other material. There are chandeliers suspended from the ceiling and a silver-fronted fireplace directly behind me.


    As I continued to lay on the couch I could feel my eyes becoming heavy, they wouldn''t mind if I slept here right? I mean I haven''t really gotten a chance to sleep too, I might as well get to sleep. My eyes got heavier and heavier, my vision blurry, but then I saw a figure of something out the corner of my eye. I couldn''t really make out who or what it was. By the time I noticed the only thing that my body cared about was getting some sleep.


    I could feel my eyes getting heavy as I lay there on the couch. They wouldn''t mind if I slept here, right? I might as well go to sleep since I haven''t really had a chance to. My eyesight became hazy, and my eyes became heavier and heavier, but then I caught a glimpse of a silhouette¡ªmaybe a girl¡¯s¡ªout of the corner of my eye. It was difficult for me to know who or what it was. My body was just interested in getting some sleep by the time I realized it.

 Through shifting eyes

    I was awakened by a girl I hadn''t seen before, she looked to be around my age¡ªa year or two older¡ªwith her long black hair that fell resting on her shoulders, stern sharp glaze with hazelnut eyes.


    ¡°Mom said get up!¡± I stirred awake just blankly staring at her, ¡°W-what? Is there something on my face?¡± the girl began pressing her cheeks, ¡°No, no it¡¯s nothing.¡± I reassured, followed by me getting up with a yawn, oh she said, ¡°mom¡± so she''s Alice, right? Let me just make sure, ¡°You''re Alice, right?¡± I asked with my head tilted, ¡°how did you kno¡ªnevermind come on we don''t want to keep my mom waiting.¡± I¡¯ll take that as a yes, ¡°Okay.¡± I answered succinctly before nearly losing my balance due to sleep deprivation. I trailed closely behind her as she tilted her head and laughed a little.


    After about twenty seconds of walking, we reached the kitchen, where I saw my mother and Jasmine sitting next to each other at the end side of the table¡ªat least from our vantage point¡ªMy mother then gestured for us to come sit down. I sat down across from Jasmine¡ªwho was right of my mother at the table''s end¡ªwhile Alice went to sit beside her mother. My mother, noticing I didn''t sit beside her, started to pout as if she were saying, ¡°Why didn''t you sit beside me?¡± so I sat beside her. That joyful look that always adorned her face had returned, although I could tell she was sleepy from the bags slightly forming underneath her eyes.


    My head whipped around as I felt a tap on my shoulder and saw Stella grinning gently. ¡°I heard Alice trying to wake you, so I came back in to give you breakfast. I''m sorry that it''s gotten cold, though.¡± Stella pinched my cheek before sitting down a plate with eggs, bacon, sausage, and some toast with jam on the table. ¡°Thank you, Stella.¡± I said before digging in. As I munched down on all the food, I imagined how life would be without someone as compassionate as Stella, which only made my spine quiver. ¡°Stella can stay with me forever!¡± I declared, With jam on the edges of my mouth, causing my mother and Stella to laugh at me, making me a little embarrassed.


    As I finished down gobbling the little that was left on my plate, Stella had already returned back outside to my father and Ryan who were apparently seeing who was still the strongest after all the years that would be something pretty interesting to watch, I then got cut out of my train of thought by the silence of seemed to be so loud, why did they stop talking?


    Looking at my mother, who was staring at me with a big smile, I soon realized that it wasn''t just her eyes staring at me; Jasmine and Alice''s eyes were also dead set on me. Was there something on my face? I''m confused, ¡°Igris, would you like to surprise your daddy?¡± My mother had an expression I had never seen before. What was the intent behind them? ¡°Haha¡­¡± I let out an awkward laugh in defeat at whatever my mother was about to say.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Kaiyo Biship POV


    ¡°Ahhh, this reminds me of the days we used to always fight, right, Ryan?¡± I said while channeling some of my mana into my arms as I blocked his fists, which were embodied in his earth element, ¡°Yeah, but focus on that fight. You don''t want me to knock the wind out of your lungs now, do you?¡± he replied in a cocky manner. ¡°Huh, you really think you could do that, but not even on your best day.¡± I countered his onslaught of attacks, swiping him off his feet and causing him to fall on his back. As he was quickly getting up, he forged a curved wall of earth, protecting his body from my fist embodied in my flame element, shattering the wall in the process.


    We had a few ground rules for our fight: first rule. You''re only allowed to use a basic element, nothing above; second. Don''t use too much mana; ¡°Don¡¯t mess up my landscape!¡± Ryan yelped when I was using too much power; third. Face is off limits; and lastly, ¡°Don''t cry when I beat you.¡± I couldn''t help but laugh when hearing him say this.


    Looks like his last rule didn''t age well since im now the one with the upperhand, I thought. As I launched myself into the air, ¡°¡®Don''t cry when I beat you.¡¯¡± I said mockingly as my fist inches closer and closer towards his stomach, he then swipes his hand diagonally inches away from my chest with an wall of earth trailing behind, I then punched the earth wall with my left hand causing the area to be filled with some dirt-like smoke, my right fist approaching him at an even faster speed, ¡°Aghh-¡± I groaned.


    Suddenly, I was shot through the air and landed headfirst into a tree that was only ten meters away. Only now, my body was slumped up against it. My eyes grew wide with surprise and amazement. The only thing that came out of my mouth was, "R-Ryan, how did you manage to do that?" but when I looked at him, his expression was more confused. It felt like a wind attack based on the whooshing sound it made as it hit my body, and all I could think about was what could have hit me. Did he manage to attack a blind spot? Ryan''s least adept element is wind, so he doesn''t use it very often. So what happened?


    I heard the sound of laughter coming from my left; I''m guessing Ryan must have heard it as well since we turned our heads almost in sync, ¡°I-IGRIS?!¡± I shouted out in astonishment, ¡°Hehe, sorry, father, mother made me do it." He replied scratching his cheek, while Akemi and Stella were just dying of laughter, but I was proud; my son managed to cast a spell on his first day of awakening!


    It usually takes weeks of continuous work for most people to be proficient in casting spells, let alone one that is effective. He really is my son! In such a short time, he learned, casted, and fired a spell! Even though I would have preferred for my element to be his first spell, what really got me excited was that if he was a dejector instead of a projector, learning and shooting a spell that quickly would be a great feat. This is not to say that a projector would not be as good, but as a Dejector the process of spell casting is a little more tedious than for a projector.


    Then I saw Ryan wearing a grave expression.

 The Weight of a Dream 1

    Ryan Landheart POV


    I sat there, pondering what was to come. I''m sure Kai¡ªa nickname, Kaiyo would be the more "formal" way to mention his name for those who don''t have the best relationship with him¡ªhas forgotten what is to come, but how could that slip his mind...? I pulled Kai aside, partially amused by how absentminded he was about this, his expression confused as to why, I''ve done this, ¡°Kai, have you forgotten what happens when one first releases a spell? Usually this wouldn''t be too alarming, but if what you said is true, what happens tonight could be dire¡ª¡± I exhaled, relaxing my tense shoulders. ¡°¡ªso how many elements does your little prodigy have a natural affinity for?¡± Kai began thinking before giving an unknowingly response: "Well, so far, according to what we know, the two elements are fire and wind. Though I''m not sure if there''s more.¡± he replied, his pride steadily seeping through his words. ¡°TWO¡­ ELEMENTS!?¡± I replied between tongues, bewildered, "Kai, your son may attract some unwanted attention, and who knows if it''s just those two elements alone.¡± Peeking at Igris, I couldn''t help but speculate whether there was something extraordinary hiding behind that innocent smile.


    ¡­


    It was around midnight, and the kids¡ªAlice and Igris¡ªare now sound asleep. ¡°Honey, don''t you think Alice should be awake to see this? When I asked Akame and Kayio if it was alright, they said that it was okay since opportunities like this don''t come along very often.¡± My wife¡¯s stunning russet brown eyes locked with mine, and finally I released a sigh of relief. ¡°Okay, one day Alice will have to do this herself, so, fine, go awaken her.¡± There was no point in not giving her the experience; if the day comes when she has her own children, it would be my fault if anything were to happen. Then Jasmine gave me a gentle squeeze on the hand and kissed my cheek before heading out.


    As Jasmine left, Kai approached the door soon after and said, "Ryan, don''t wimp out on me now; we¡¯ve been through a lot together, don''t you think?¡± Turning my gaze to the smirk on his face, ¡°Yeah, yeah, let''s get going, my good old pal.¡± I answered while patting out the wrinkles in my pants before exiting the room. ¡°That''s the spirit,¡± Kai said, cuffing me in his arms. ¡°Also, thank you, Ryan. I really appreciate everything you''re doing for my family." The sudden confession caused my face to get a little red. ¡°Okay, okay, hands off; we''ve got business to handle.¡± Kai doesn''t have to thank me; a price tag even if they stayed for a while¡ªwhich Jasmine seems to really enjoy¡ªlet alone what''s happening now, would never come close to everything we¡¯ve been through.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    We made our way through the magnificent halls, my gaze primarily fixed on the well-polished wooden flooring, until we arrived at Igris'' room. Entering Kai went over to his wife who was gently holding her sound asleep son''s hand.


    They conversed as I waited for Jasmine to come with Alice, and shortly after I saw my daughter, what two beautiful ladies, Alice and a cute little image of her mother, her rubbing her eyes confused as to why she¡¯s up so late, I knelt down on one knee to talk to her at eye level, ¡°Alice, make sure to stay close to me or mommy, whichever one is closer, okay?¡± I clutched her little hand as she nodded in response while rubbing her drowsy eyes.


    Maybe I was overreacting, but something just didn''t seem right. Though I couldn''t place my finger directly on it, I began to think about all the scenarios. What could possibly have me on my wit''s end, my train of thought had come to a halt when I heard my wifes concerned voice calling for me. I cleared my throat, ¡°We should start soon,¡± I motioned my wife to come in and sit on some chairs Kai, and Akemi had brought in. I couldn''t be fazed by such an usually occurrence especially in front of my wife, and daughter.


    After a little idle chatter with my wife, and some occasional silence Kai stood up, ¡°Let''s set a barrier just in case anything unexpected happens,¡± Kai declared, I nodded in agreement. We can never be too safe, Kai and I began humming a casual barrier over this particular room, so there''s less room for error, as I exhaled a deep breath Akame had spoken, ¡°It began.¡±

 The Weight of a Dream 2

    IGRIS POV


    I heaved forward, coughing profusely, my entire body aching. After what felt like an eternity of struggling to calm my breath, my gaze darted around, perplexed by the change in the environment. I could barely piece together my fading memories¡ªI had just fallen asleep, yet this felt too surreal to be a dream. But the only logical conclusion I could draw was that it indeed had to be a dream. When I attempted to rise, my knees buckled, sending me falling back to the ground.


    Why is my body aching? This couldn¡¯t be the result of just one simple spell. I thought.


    As I stared at the ash-black floor, I dug my fingers into the concrete-like sand, which felt weightless. Lifting a handful, I noticed the sand swirling restlessly, almost as if they were alive, desperately trying to escape my grasp. Following their chaotic movement, my gaze was drawn to the jet-black walls that loomed, stretching endlessly into a gray sky.


    Despite this place''s unappealing appearance, it felt nice¡ªa soft, gentle breeze that breezed right through, sending unexpected yet pleasant shivers down my spine. This environment was more monotonous, not an ounce of color being able to be spotted, but this ash-black sand that seemed to move against its will like they were each living organism''s attempting to retract its force.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    But nonetheless, there was something strange about this place. I felt a supernatural force pulling towards the imposing walls, almost like the entire area was being pulled right along with me. I struggled to stand up again after letting go of the relentless sand. While my legs were still aching, I managed to actually stand up. Though my legs began to slightly tremble, I took a step and set off towards the towering walls.


    After taking several steps, it seemed like I wasn''t getting any closer. Confused, I whipped my head around to see if there was an imprint where I dug my fingers, but there wasn''t. This left me with more questions than answers; why haven''t I gotten any closer? I thought, attempting to reach the walls again, I kicked some sand around and tinkered with the landscape a little before approaching the walls again, and sure enough, after walking for about five-ish minutes, no progress whatsoever was made.


    Agitated, I whipped my head around trying to look for the sand I had stacked up, and to my surprise, it wasn''t there. I rubbed my eyes in disbelief.


    Deciding to wake up from whatever this ¡°dream¡± is, I clenched my eyes as hard as I possibly could and then attempted to pry them open, but I remained in this place; that didn''t work. I thought to myself, usually that would have woken me up. Then I tried to pinch my arm, but... I felt pain, the fact that my body ached in a dream should¡¯ve told me enough.

 Jet black walls

    My mind spiraled into a whirlwind of ¡°what if¡± scenarios, but none felt right. There was no way I could have been kidnapped; my mother had been with me until the very moment I fell asleep. I plopped down onto the concrete-like sand, grimacing as I rubbed my butt.


    With no other options, I decided to continue my approach toward the overtowering walls. A magnetic force tugged at me, urging me to enter, but the path remained unclear. Time seemed to stretch endlessly; I must have been here for hours. ¡°Hello!¡± I shouted into the emptiness, ¡°Is anyone out there?¡± But my voice was met with only the gentle whisper of the breeze.


    Impatient, I sat there, hoping to wake up soon. Flicking the sand around, ¡°The sand seems to flow, but you just can¡¯t go.¡± A voice echoed from all around, ¡°It dispels you.¡±


    Confused, I glanced around, but saw nothing. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I called out. ¡°The walls, given how you are, may not consider you worthy,¡± the voice echoed.


    Already annoyed by the voice''s riddles, ¡°I don¡¯t have time for your games; either you help or leave me alone.¡± I snapped; moments passed with no response from it, so I thought whatever it was vanished.


    I felt a little bad for snapping at the voice after all; it was just lending me a hand, but causing me to stagger back into the hard sand was a taupe gray will-o-wisp appearing flying right from my chest. ¡°Is that my s¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, I am not your soul.¡± The wisp cut off.


    ¡°Then what are you¡ªnevermind that, what did you mean by ¡®it dispels you''?" I questioned, ¡°Well, this place¡ªeverything here¡ªis regulated based on your emotions,¡± the wisp continued. ¡°The more emotions you feel that are negative will affect this place in a way that seems almost not real; for example, frustration, which you seem to be really good at expressing, would cause everything here to resort to its original position, just like any other negative emotions.¡± The wisp kept circling around my body, going in and out, sending thrills throughout me the entire time.


    The wisp then stopped in front of my face, still seeing I¡¯m confused by what it¡¯s saying: ¡°Explaining simply time and space here will resort back to their origin form, so how about we try being happy or even better, clear-headed, since if you don''t, we¡¯ll just end up in the never-ending spiral of your hotheadedness.¡± Ignoring the wisps sly remarks, I began walking towards the imposing walls ahead with newfound determination.


    To my understanding, I can¡¯t think of anything negative while trying to approach the walls, but that leaves a lot of things to be answered: what exactly would he consider negative? I thought.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that will work, but lead the way, wise one.¡± The wisp said while flying in front of me, ¡°Didn¡¯t I just tell you to be clear-minded? And yet you¡¯re here overthinking.¡± The wisp chided, ¡°Overthinking? I don¡¯t think I was exactly doing that, more of things that are considered negative.¡± I argued.


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.Now that I¡¯m thinking about it, I feel exhausted and drained while my movements feel a little sluggish even though I¡¯m sleeping.


    which may be why I¡¯m so cranky, but that doesn¡¯t make sense. I''ve never felt sleepy in a dream before; was that even possible? I thought, Well, this isn¡¯t a normal dream, so I guess anything goes¡ª¡°Just don¡¯t think at all, these stunts of yours are really a hindrance.¡± The wisp voice shot out, breaking my train of thought, ¡°Fine, fine.¡± I conceded, reaching those walls was my top priority.


    Clearing my thoughts was rather hard.


    Speaking of the fact that I used my first spell today, random jitters of happiness would appear whenever I even thought about it, causing my face to break into an involuntary smile, shaking off the feeling creeping up my face. I have to focus, I thought.


    Taking a deep breath, I exhaled, trying to erase the turmoil within me. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I spoke solemnly.


    As we slowly approached the imposing walls, I heard a hum come into play.


    Turning my head with a confused expression, but keeping my train of thought clear. The wisp looked at me even more confused than I was, ¡°Whatever it is you''re thinking about keep it to yourself,¡± the wisp said, as if it was shrugging with its nonexistent shoulders.


    As the walls grew closer, the humming only intensified, enveloping me from all directions. Yet it didn''t seem threatening; rather, it felt oddly familiar, like I''ve heard this before, but I know I''ve never seen or heard the song, yet I couldn''t help but feel safe. My whole body relaxed to the point where my movements became sheepish while my mind dulled and my body swayed with the song.


    "Hey, what are you doing?¡± A muffled voice called out, ¡°I think you might''ve gone mad!¡± The wisps'' loud voice pierced my ears, breaking me from this trance-like state.


    ¡°You didn''t hear that?¡± I asked the wisp whose eyes¡ªif it had them¡ªstudied me.


    ¡°Hear what? Has your own influence on time driven you crazy or something, I''ll have you know that only about thirty minutes have passed.¡± The wisp continued, ¡°Anyways, you''ve been walking into the wall¡­ maybe you aren''t the brightest in the bunch.¡± The wisp snickered while his body bopped around the air.


    ¡°Wall?¡± I was confused until I looked to my right to see a jet-black wall towering over me. How could I not notice this? I thought as I placed my hand on its cold structure, ¡°So how do we get in?¡± I asked the wisp, ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ll go inside and form a gateway for you to enter.¡±


    The wisp vanished as its body went through the wall. ¡°I''m not sure what to expect since whatever is inside these walls has always been darkness; the key to whatever lies inside may be you.¡±


    Soon a portal of taupe gray about my height and width formed. ¡°I''m just supposed to walk into that?¡± I questioned, skepticism clouding my judgment.


    ¡°Isn''t it a little too late to be doubting me?¡± The wisps'' voice ranged disornately: ¡°Come on, walk just through me; I''m doing this all to the benefit of you.¡±


    I continued to stare at the portal lines¡ªor at least what I think they are¡ªbranching out from the center of the portal that flowed in an unruly motion.


    The portal seemed to have its own gravitational pull as the taupe gray particles emitting from it pulled everything in about a three-meter radius and particularly begged me to come in. I simply poked the portal, and it warped to my touch, somewhat reminding me of a bubble.


    ¡°Hey! Don''t touch me and hurry up.¡± The wisp ordered, ¡°In I go.¡± I replied, walking in.


    The entire portal warped as I stepped into its Taupe interior, reality around me swirled as my head began to spin. Colors¡ªof the traditional rainbow¡ªcame into play and quickly flew past me. A white flash followed by true black, it all happened in a blur before reality finished unraveling.

 A Line in the Snow

    ¡°Can¡¯t catch your own feet?¡± The wisp snickered seeing me come out of the portal almost falling. ¡°Will it always be like that?¡± I asked taking unsteady steps.


    ¡°Well, it will probably be way different if you went through a more stable portal, but I manifested myself into a portal so it might''ve been a little unsettling for you, so I really couldn''t say.¡± The wisp explained.


    ¡°Anyways, unleash everything, those emotions of yours something should happen then!¡± The wisp stated excitement leaking from its voice.


    Closing my eyes, I let the thoughts and emotions I had been suppressed surge forth. As they poured out, an unsettling sensation arose within me, as if something deeper was striving to escape. It felt as though a force, tightly coiled within my chest, was yearning to break free¡ªmy very soul struggling against its chains.


    Pushing through the unwavering feeling, my eyes shot open as everything in our vicinity began to shift.


    The darkness¡¯ home was then replaced with an arctic blue glow that became blinding.


    squinting and covering my eyes from the light that almost subsided instantly revealing a vast expansion of snow.


    ¡°So, this is your first trial¡­ intriguing,¡± the wisp mused, swirling around as it scanned the same seemingly endless expanse. ¡°Wait, trial? How do you know this?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure,¡± the wisp replied, stopping before me. ¡°Perhaps you could call me your guide.¡±


    All around us lay an everlasting sea of snow, the sun dipping ominously below the horizon. As I exhaled, clouds of mist formed, my breath visible in the chilling air.


    My body being to shiver from the sudden change in temperature.


    ¡°Your teeth are chattering already? Hm.¡± The wisp then darted into my chest¡ªwhere my core would be¡ªas a warm sensation filled my body, and I quickly welcomed its embrace.


    ¡®Testing, testing,¡¯ That familiar voice rang inside my head violently.


    ¡®I can hear you loud and clear.¡¯ I replied, rubbing my temples fighting against the ringing.


    ¡®Good, good. Now, I¡¯ll make this explanation brief.¡± The wisp then cleared its nonexistent throat. ¡°There are three trials ahead; this trial will awaken your first intimate ability. With each ability you unlock, you¡¯ll find a piece of a crown above your head. Well, all three pieces will form a crown.'' The wisp explained.


    ¡°That is if you actually manage to pass the trial before you wake up, I highly doubt you¡¯ll actually¡ª.¡¯


    ¡®So what am I supposed to do?¡¯ I cutoff.


    ¡®We¡¯ll discover that together. We make a formidable team, don¡¯t you think?¡¯ The wisp teased.


    Guess I¡¯ll have to figure this out myself since the wisp is no help. I thought before taking my first step in the snowy land.


    ¡®I definitely can¡¯t hear you.¡¯ The wisps¡¯ voice quipped.


    Suddenly, the sun vanished, swallowed by a looming full moon that climbed high in the night sky, a simple black line stretching about twenty meters ahead across the snow.


    ¡°What happened?¡± I asked aloud, confused.


    ¡®With each new occurrence, I gain knowledge,¡¯ the wisp stated, ignoring my question.


    ¡®You must cross that line before the full moon sinks; it doesn¡¯t seem too hard.¡¯


    Something so simple? I thought to myself, I have a hard time believing that I simply have to cross the black line before the full moon ends, but the only person I really have to help me here is this guy.


    As I took a stride through the deep snow, my feet almost stuck to the ground. Time sped by.


    The moon, which was at its peak , plummeted toward the horizon and the sky fractured, revealing a second moon. It emerged slowly, blackened and ominous, its limb aglow with a chilling blue light. This moon, unlike its counterpart, moved with unnatural speed.


    The second moon then fully revealed itself; it resembled a full moon but was pitch black with a blue tint around its limb. The moon rested slightly below the full moon; however, unlike the typical moon, this one appeared to move at an unusually fast rate for a moon.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t good; we¡¯ll have to find a way to end this trial before that other moon sets.¡¯ The wisps voice housed worry for the first time.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ¡¯As your guide, it will be my duty to explain this. We have to find a way to travel to that black line almost in an instant; we¡¯ll have to travel at a speed that is faster than that of the moon.¡¯ The wisp continued, ¡¯You¡¯ll have to use whatever mana you¡¯re capable of manipulating to try to propel yourself forward.¡¯


    Looking at that line, it now seemed so close, but yet so far. How was I supposed to travel twenty meters in an instant?


    The ground around us began to vibrate violently, causing me to stagger towards the black line.


    ¡®Don¡¯t take a step!¡¯ The wisps¡¯ voice rang.


    But it was too late, and by the time I¡¯d regained my footing, the full moon shifted over the horizon, and the second moved like a ticking clock through the sky.


    ¡®We don¡¯t have much time; give it your all!¡¯ The wisps¡¯ voice sounded throughout my head.


    ¡®Use the little mana that you¡¯re able to manifest from your core and atmosphere and focus them on your legs!¡¯ The wisp ordered.


    Listening to it without hesitation, I began attempting to draw mana from my core. My body was flooded with a gentle breeze as mana poured throughout my veins.


    My mother taught me how to cast my first spell. She emphasized to me that, while I have an affinity for both wind and fire, I should only use wind for the time being because I haven''t learned how to accurately sense the fire element that resigns within the environment and that I shouldn''t overwork myself in order to avoid OD.


    While I was able to form a small cyclone of wind, the way I formed it was still flawed. Though my mother still loved it.


    I begged my mother to teach me more, but she only taught me how to control the mana that my core naturally exorbed; the mana that naturally flowed through the atmosphere was more unruly and unwilling to aid you, so my mother said I''d learn how to control it over time, but to not strain my body to focus myself to wield it.


    As a result, my mana supply was extremely limited; casting more than a few spells risked endangering my core.


    It looks like everything I¡¯ve learned in the books isn''t as easy as it seems. I thought to myself, reciting everything I¡¯ve learned about how to manipulate mana.


    Looking at the second moon, which had reached halfway to the horizon, I closed my eyes to attempt to enter a state of clarity.


    The more I concentrated on sending mana to my legs, the greater the likelihood that I would actually succeed.


    Everything I¡¯ve learned so far has been from books, but this will be my actual first¡ªsecond¡ªexperience.


    As I felt the mana traveling to my legs, I could feel a gust of wind preparing to burst inside my calves, like if my legs were being cut from within.


    My wind element swirled violently within me, the pressure swirling to a point where it felt as if it would slice through my legs from the inside out. Gritting my teeth, I understood that I had to embrace the fire within, despite the danger it posed to my core. I knew instinctively that without its power, crossing that line would be impossible.


    I had to accept the consequences of using the fire element, but it was a choice I had to make if I wanted to cross that boundary.


    As I sensed the mana within my core, my senses were instantly flooded with a breeze, signaling that the wind was responding to my commands, but I wanted to try my luck with fire.


    My closed lids were overwhelmed with green particles as I probed deeper within my core for traces of a flame.


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to bother you, but the second moon is almost touching the horizon!¡¯ A muffled voice echoed quickly throughout my skull.


    I could feel the ground beneath me rumbling, but I couldn''t shift my focus.


    I searched for the sensation I had experienced when my father tested my affinity, and after what seemed like years, I found it.


    My senses were overwhelmed by the heat of a single flame. The flame was scorching, and I could feel my blood boiling. I attempted to make the flame follow my commands, but it barely budged.


    I put my all into trying to make the flame burst into particles so I would be able to use its power.


    ¡°Come on!¡± I roared, then finally it moved.


    The flame bursted into a swarm of bright, crimson particles.


    My eyes shot open as I willed the particles down to my fists.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing, but it looks like it¡¯s working!¡¯ The voice cried as my ears ranged.


    My veins burned as the particles slowly made their way down my arms until they made contact with my palms, where they lingered until further notice.


    I imagined the particles condensing into two squeezed balls of flame. As the flames intensified, my hands became firmer, my chest tightened, and my core felt to be at its limit, pleading with me to stop.


    I pushed down the unwavering feelings sprouting from my core as I commanded the wind in my calves to propel myself forward.


    As my feet rose into the air, time seemed to slow down.


    ¡°Now!¡± I screamed through the pain as I let the compressed balls erupt, propelling me through the air at alarming speeds.


    My ears crackle instantaneously due to the sudden change in air pressure.


    It was as if the full moon noticed me moving, its frightening eyes looking down at me. Before shooting across the sky, the moon quickly made its way to where the second moon was, then overlapping, creating the most magnificent thing I''ve ever seen that could only have come from nature.


    In an instant, I plummeted into the frigid snow, my body throbbing as I strained to see if I had passed the black line.


    Turning around, I saw the will-o-wisp emerge from my body and gazed at its floating body just above the line it could not cross.


    I made it.


    ¡°Nice try; maybe next time.¡± Those few words stabbed through my heart like a hot knife.


    Everything shattered as the ground crumbled beneath me, plunging me into a void of darkness. I sought out for the wisp.


    The moons shimmered beautifully, overlapping one another, yet I was compelled to believe they were mocking me.


    "Until the next time, if I am still here." The wisp delivered its final words with a tinge of melancholy.


    Plummeting through the darkness a heavy feeling overcame my eyelids, and I just gave in as I felt like I was entering an even deeper stage of my dreams.

 Broken Silence

    Asuna biship POV


    I launched myself through the forest, my body filled with worry.


    What happened? I thought as I recalled the image of my childhood home decimated burned into my eyes, sending even more mana into my legs.


    I had to remain calm or I wouldn¡¯t be able to keep the little faint trail I have on moms mana. It was already hard enough.


    I couldn¡¯t help but bite my lip as I soar throughout the tree branches.


    Why did mom have to use her mana, did something bad happen and I can¡¯t sense a hinge of dads. My chest tightened at the thought of something bad happening while I was so close.


    Crossing over the tunnel of trees¡ªthat almost seemed alive¡ªthat led to that magnificent waterfall.


    But I had no time to gleam at its beauty, I leaped over the trees as the moon caught my eyes as I glided through the sky like a butterfly.


    Focus. I thought as the trail of my moms mana picked up.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    A large house¡ªlike a mansion¡ªcame into view as I left that forest.


    Hope filled my body as I could almost sense moms mana clearly, and I could sense a fire element that I could only assume to be dad¡¯s.


    Ignoring the houses¡¯ landscape I dashed closer when I got hit with the feeling of running through solid air, a sensation that I knew all too well.


    I had passed through a barrier, but the force didn¡¯t resent me nor did I have troubles entering so whoever made this barrier didn¡¯t want whatever was going on inside to be let out.


    The scent of moms mana overflooded my mana sense as I felt it coming from the backend side of the building.


    I quickly formed two layers of mana around my body, as I whipped around the corner when a window came into view, ignoring the consequences I would have to face, I clutched my swords¡¯ hilt as I leaped through the window.


    As soon as I felt the glass break I created six spears encircling my body as the harsh winds from my aura let loose. I felt someone grab onto my body.


    With the force of a bear my body got thrown into a hug, ¡°Honey, she¡¯s crying don¡¯t be too hasty.¡± A voice I knew all too well made my heart skip a beat.


    I unconsciously began to cry from being wrapped within my dads arms.


    Soon I had bawled into his arms, I tried to stop the tears, but they just kept going, ¡°Asuna.¡± His voice full of remorse as he spoke, ¡°I¡¯m sorry we had to meet together as a family like this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you were worried¡ª¡± he said, placing his pointer and middle finger on my chest. ¡°¡ªI should¡¯ve at least taken the time to make something to let you know we were alright, I won¡¯t make any excuses for what I¡¯ve done, at least this time, but I was sure that you¡¯d find your way here; if you didn¡¯t come, I¡¯d tear down everything beyond here looking for you.¡±  He laughed, his voice wavering slightly.


    Mom wrapped her arms around my neck before she placed the same two fingers over dads, ¡°Asuna, you¡¯ve gotten prettier lately, haven¡¯t you?¡± Moms calm voice chuckled.


    What I thought was going to be a moment of empathy was short lived.


    A surge of unsteady and violent pulses of mana began pulsating throughout the room.


    My body began to tense up as I unconsciously drew my spears. I could feel my mother''s hands twitch as she stared into the center of the room.


    ¡°Jasmine, Kai, reinforce the barrier!¡± Ryan barked, holding his daughter slightly closer to his side.


    Surges of mana began to shake the entire room. I gazed over at my little brother, noticing he was the cause of this. Was he going through his first dream? Or rather, a nightmare?


    I withdrew my spears rushing to my brother''s side.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Your brother is pretty special, isn¡¯t he?¡± Ryan said it in a lighthearted and sarcastic tone. ¡°He managed to use a spell on his first day of awakening, and now he''s threatening to draw everyone in this vicinity here.¡± Ryan turned, giving me a wry smile.


    ¡°Kai, can you go scout the area? Make sure there aren¡¯t any rogue beasts being drawn to the boy.¡± Ryan spoke as if it were an order.


    ¡°Keep a watch on the family while I¡¯m gone, Asuna.¡± Then, in a moment''s notice, he vanished from the window I entered.


    My mom assisted Jasmine as I stood beside Igris, looking at his features, which seemed like I barely came to know.


    His untidy black hair trailed slightly over his ears, his face seeming like a little version of our dad, and his nose and ears drew attention to Mom''s soft features. Good, I thought with a small laugh, you haven''t grown up too much on me.


    However, every mana pulse emanating from him felt... different. It felt a little off from the typical intent that your mana may impose. It felt strange.


    I could feel the tiniest bit of mana quivering with every pulse, which shouldn''t be possible for him, but it might also be mana being pulled in the direction of the barrier.


    Slightly intrigued, I placed my hand on his chest, wanting to see what his core was like, though I''m not sure if I''ll be able to see anything. Closing my eyes and then inserting mana into his core, I was hoping I could do this properly, but sensing a core was rather difficult. I could feel my little brother''s core hungrily trying to absorb my mana, but I ignored the sensation as I tried focusing on his core.


    When I was able to completely sense his core, it felt like I ran into a wall. I was left with a dull sensation throughout my entire body as I saw his core. His core, which shouldn''t have been visible, was shining a light blue¡ªsimilar to that of his eyes¡ªshowing that he was in the waxing gibbous stage of his core. To find out where cores began and where the breakthrough relies, there have been many studies showing that a core''s ¡°refinement process¡± is similar to a moon. Though the stages of a new to full moon are the only ones we usually notice, the waning gibbous, etc., would essentially be the core adjusting to its new stage and would restart its journey to achieve even greater heights.


    But my little brother, who seemed to be in a deep sleep, had already reached the third quarter of his first stage.


    Attempting to withdraw my consciousness from within his body, I felt a feeling of tugging?


    My consciousness withered between my own body and my little brothers, and for a solid second I started fearing that I wouldn''t be able to enter my own body, but then it felt like my consciousness was jerked back into my body, sending me into a fit of pants and gasping. I caught my mom, who saw my face in distraught, but in that moment another surge of mana pulsed from him, this one more powerful than the last.


    Sending tremors up my spine, but that was the last to come.


    Mom came running over, asking if I was alright, but the only words that came stumbling were, ¡°He¡¯s almost on the breakthrough to his fourth quarter.¡±


    ¡°It looks like I''ve come back at the right time.¡± Dad spoke up, breaking the almost smothering silence.


    Dried dark blue blood stained his clothing. ¡°There were only a few straggling beasts,¡± he reassured Ryan, whose body almost seemed to deflate from the sudden announcement. ¡°Welp, good to know things have gone rather pleasantly.¡± Ryan shooed his daughter off while his wife walked her back to her room.


    ¡°Kai, what else is it?¡± Ryan asked with a serious look on his face, ¡°Hahaha... you caught me.¡± My dad''s voice trailed off into pure silence.


    I began to grow anxious from the anticipation. What was it that Ryan had picked up on? I thought, slightly biting down on my lip.


    ¡°Something¡ªsomeone else was out in that forest beyond the lake. I don''t know what it was, but I''m sure that it had to also sense that last surge of mana. I saw something create a portal or something before disappearing. I tried to reach them before the gleaming blue light completely faded, but then a few beasts randomly attacked me; I hadn¡¯t sensed them at all. It was like they never existed until that very moment, not to mention those beasts were stronger than normal.¡±


    ¡°And I couldn''t help but feel an ominous feeling protruding from whatever it was, Ryan. This could all just be some coincidence, but there''s something out there. I don''t think a strong mage that is capable of what looks like teleportation would be around these parts; unless we just got lucky enough for that to be the case, it looks like we may have some trouble on our hands, but hopefully it''s nothing.¡± Dad finished with a sigh.


    Surprisingly, Ryan jeered, ¡°And I thought I was the worried one. It''ll be fine if anything happens; you and I will just go get ''em, or I¡¯ll just call some higher-ups to investigate. Surely you haven''t forgotten who you''ve made friends with." Ryan was going to pat his back until he noticed the blood.


    ¡°If anything we should be looking into, it should be that boy who''s sleeping, but for now, I¡¯ll leave it to you guys to decide; I¡¯m going to also rest.¡± Ryan left the room, waving Dad off.


    The room was filled with silence. I''m sure everyone is shocked by what''s just occurred, my brother, and now something out of the ordinary has happened in the forest. Little Iggy might¡¯ve caused more trouble than intended.


    I sat on the edge of the bed, feeling even more tired, even though I hadn''t done anything but stood in this room.


    ¡°¡ªuna¡± Mom''s gentle voice snapped me out of my daze. ¡°Your father and I should let you rest. We''ll have to get up early tomorrow, so it¡¯ll be best.¡± I¡¯m sure there will be a lot to talk about tomorrow, but my mind kept trailing off until a thought that had been on the edge of my mind resurfaced, ¡°Where is Stella?¡±


    ¡°She was the one who was forming the barrier you probably felt when you first came; she''s probably a little tired. You¡¯ll get to see her in the morning.¡± Mom then walked over and kissed me on the forehead and did the same to Igris before walking off to the door with Dad. He shot me a smile and said, ¡°It''s good to have you back.¡± His few words made my heart flutter.


    The door slowly closed, and as I lay down at the end of the bed, I felt a blanket of tiredness try to overtake me, but I didn''t fight back. I just let sleep overtake me, letting all of my thoughts run wild.

 A voice beyond the wings

    Igris POV


    ¡°¡ªup!¡±


    ¡°¡ªon!¡±


    A voice seemed to echo throughout my head dully, but where am I?


    My body just floated in a pit of darkness.


    ¡°¡ªugh!¡± the voice muttered echoly.


    My eyes jolted open from a sudden feeling of something ramming against my stomach like a battering ram, and to my surprise, it was who had jumped on my stomach.


    Alice.


    ¡°That''s not a polite way to wake up a guest.¡± I said grimacing, rubbing my aching stomach.


    ¡°Well, maybe if It didn''t take more than hundreds of tries to wake you up, then it wouldn''t have happened.¡± The girl that seemed to be towering over me shot back.


    ¡°Well if you would be so kind as to get off of me!¡± I said before tackling her over as a surprised shriek escaped her, as she frantically tried to escape my grasp I heard the door creek open before a familiar voice spoke.


    ¡°You guys seem lively,¡± The voice chuckled.


    I turned around seeing long silverish-white hair that ran beautifully along her waist. I would have thought her blue eyes were staring daggers at me if I didn''t know her any better.


    Taking a good look at her face she had slight dark bags that formed underneath her eyes, had she not gotten any sleep last night? I thought to myself since this was the first time I''ve seen her look tired.


    During my gaze Alice had managed to escape and run to her side, ¡°Stella, are you alright?¡± I questioned, slightly concerned, ¡°Oh, yes. I''m fine, just a little tired that''s all, now come on. You and Alice will get even more time to bond like now.¡± Stella¡¯s remark caused Alice''s face to slightly flush as she ran off, ¡°There she goes now hurry and wash up.¡±


    I gave her a simple nod before finally getting up.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    After taking a shower¡ªIt was a little difficult to find the bathrooms¡ªI made my way down to the kitchen, or atleast I tried but ended up getting lost again.


    ¡°Ugh, not again.¡± I grumbled under my breath, which hall was it? Two left turns or right turns¡­ I don''t remember. I feel like I''ll end up in an endless circle.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    I''m not sure what it is, but something feels different. It''s like my body feels lighter than usual. Not in the sense of feeling weak.


    But that dream.


    My mind trailed off. What was it that happened to me in that pit? My memory seemed foggy about this particular part of that ¡°trial,¡± the only part being vivid enough for me to remember was after I fell. When I was falling through that endless pit of darkness, my surroundings soon after were shrouded with blinding light, and wings formed from nothingness as my body was surrounded by its warmth.


    ¡°Boy, soon alot will change and since this is my fault let me explain.¡± A voice beyond the wings shot out, ¡°It wasn''t my intention to have this happen, but the moiras have become aware of my¡ªthough they haven''t figured out yet¡ªpotential influence on this world. And since that is happening I¡¯m afraid I will have to stop you from having those dreams, at least for now. I know you have no clue what I''m saying, but you need to become strong enough so one day I can tell you. One day¡­ I can tell you the tru¡ª¡± I sound of static resounded from the wings, as the space inside it began to shiver as I could see the very space around me began to tear apart.


    ¡°I¡¯ve run out of time, next time I will speak may be the last. If there is a next time, once you''ve become strong enough you will have your first real dream. Some of your questions will be answered. You''ve had my blessing child. Become strong, the balance of this world may begin to shift in ways that people may deem impossible but you must guide them. Goodbye.¡± Were the voices¡¯ last words  before I was suddenly back in the pit of darkness, until I was awakened by Alice.


    That voice, she sounded familiar, I¡¯ve gotten hit by a lot from a lack of a better word ¡°d¨¦j¨¤ vu.¡± The singing that sounded like i''ve heard before and now that voice, this could all just be a false memory from a prior dream i''ve forgotten or is it something deeper.


    ¡°Come on! Where have you been?¡± I heard Alice as she cried out marching towards me while I was just idly standing in the middle of the hallway, ¡°Come on just follow me.¡±


    I didn''t say anything in response but followed since my mind was filled with thoughts about that voice, what did all of that mean, and what are the ¡°moiras¡± she spoke about? This is all confusing, but one thing she emphasized on was me becoming stronger because things are going to change.


    ¡°¡ªit¡± I heard a voice into play breaking my line of thought.


    ¡°Igris sit.¡± My father motioned to the balcony I had seen when first coming here, my gaze fell on Alice who was sitting a few feet from where my father had told me to sit. I walked out stretching my arms and legs.


    Then it caught my eye. The beautiful sunrise sky tinted with oranges, pinks, and reds beautifully splashed on the sky as if it were a painting; the chirps from the nearby forest filled the area; clouds drifted about the sky as birds swayed along with the wind¡¯s chill breeze, ¡°Nice morning, isn''t it?¡± My father asked while taking a big deep breath, ¡°Yeah, it is.¡± I replied in a half-utter, still gazing at the sky.


    I sat down on the floor criss-cross-applesauce, ¡°so what are we doing here?¡± I asked, leaning back on my arms, ¡°They¡¯re here.¡± My father spoke to no one in particular.


    Turning to see who he was talking about I saw the Landhearts, Mother, Stella, and a face that I hadn¡¯t seen in awhile. Our eyes met as she gave me a warm smile before her gaze shifted back to our father.

 The Spark Before Battle

    ¡°You guys turn back around and sit your back straight up.¡± My father ordered, I side eyed Alice but looking at her it seemed like she didn¡¯t know what was going on either, ¡°I need you both to close your eyes, and focus on the mana you see being drawn towards your core. We¡¯re going to help you guide your mana to develop your core, as you already know as your core naturally absorbs ambient mana, and we¡¯ll help accelerate that process.¡±


    ¡°Now close your eyes and focus on your core.¡± My father ordered calmly. I felt hands come under my shirt, sending shivers down my spine. It made sense that directly touching the skin would be more efficient. ¡°You couldn¡¯t even act surprised to see your sister, could you?¡± Asuna muttered quietly under her breath, giving me a slight nudge.


    ¡°What do you expect? I barely see you, my dear sister.¡± I teased, and as a result, she pinched my back. ¡°Fine, fine. I missed you too, but I understand why you weren¡¯t there. You had to go do your own thing, but that doesn¡¯t mean I forgive you.¡± I whispered jokingly.


    I began to see small particles begin to form as I focused deeper on my core. I saw the crystalline ball of light blue slowly forming. My core pulsed slowly, shimmering with life, but what surprised me in the structure of my core was that I had somehow made it to the third stage, as I focused deeper on the core and helped lead the ambient mana. Ethereal tendrils branched out as they hungrily ate the mana around them. As each branch made contact with the ambient mana, the mana danced along beautifully.


    With Asuna helping guide the mana I could feel the difference. The mana that wouldn¡¯t come willingly, was slowly drifting towards my core. With each branch enveloping the mana my core hummed and thumped with energy.


    My core was giving off palpable energy, and yet I felt so comforted. The power within my core swelled, and the light blue color only intensified.


    Like ripples in a pond, I could see the hold my core had on the ambient mana increase; more mana ran up, down, and alongside its branches, seeping into the depths of the core.


    The precision Asuna had developed with guiding mana worked like a beacon amidst the unruly ambient mana, sending more and more mana dancing along the branches. Mana coalesced around the tendrils of ethereal branches.


    Mana seemed to be the only truly perfect thing in nature; there was not a single flaw in its existence.


    My core thrummed in anticipation, then finally, like a beast awakening from its slumber, my core pulsed with unfound energy; it was truly at its breaking point. It was almost becoming impossible to see the mana flowing about amidst the blinding blue light emitting from my core. The ethereal tendrils danced wildly, being sucked in as if the core were a black hole.


    A brilliant light erupted like a volcano, casting its brilliant display only for me to see. Like a play coming to an end, my core lightened, and what took its place was a core that had completed its first stage. The ambient mana around seems to have bowed before the core''s ascension.


    Signifying its new stage as it transcended its prior limits, and can now reach even further heights.


    I felt my sister¡¯s guidance slowly lifting as mana gradually flowed into my core''s new profound stage.


    My eyes shot open with frightening intensity, my pupils jolted around being able to see the very changes in the environment, more mana particles seemed to float absentmindedly throughout the sky, and as color flooded my senses, I couldn¡¯t help but feel my face creeping into a little smile.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    "Beautiful, isn¡¯t it?¡± I turned to my sister, who was staring otherworldly at the sky. ¡°Look,¡± Asuna pointed her finger, my eyes quickly following, and what I saw was quite the show.


    She had precisely manipulated only the green particles of mana in the sky, creating a little play. It was like the creation of a new world; ambient mana took the form of insects, birds, and other species that swarmed around this little ecosystem my sister had created; birds hatched, grew, and consumed. A new life was completely born, and soon there was a person. A man who took the first step in that makeshift world.


    My mouth was slack-jawed in awe. I could only stare at its beauty.


    A man held his hand out as many butterflies began swarming him until he was completely covered. Then, in the next moment, they were gone, and what took their place was a girl. The play came to an end.


    ¡°Amazing,¡± I gave her a round of applause.


    To think mana would be controlled to that level seems almost too unreal. I felt completely engulfed within her play; it was as if I were there. Experiencing the creation of a new world.


    I wonder if there is anything not possible with mana. I thought to myself, lying on the ground


    My gaze unconsciously fell on Alice, who had her parents guiding her through, her face clear with determination.


    ¡°It¡¯s rude to stare, you know?¡± Stella¡¯s voice snapped me out of my daze: ¡°I wasn¡¯t staring, just looking at her progress!¡± I refuted feeling my face grow slightly warmer, ¡°Sure you were.¡± She exclaimed softly, getting a laugh from my father.


    ¡°Done!¡± I heard Ryan¡¯s voice breaking down the awkwardness building up for me: ¡°She¡¯s all ready. Let¡¯s get to the backyard. You¡¯ll eat breakfast later. For now, let¡¯s just see what yall can do.¡± Ryan stated this as his family followed him.


    Confused, I stood up, not knowing to follow him or stay here, but with the sudden nudge from my father and mother, Stella, and then a push from my sister Asuna, they sent me forward, then waved me off.


    I slowly trailed behind them not wanting to get lost again, but making sure not to be noticed or have them know I have no clue where to go. I''m sure I¡¯ll get used to it soon enough.


    Along the way Alice¡¯s parents had split from her and she moved the curtains aside then slid open a glass door. I followed her out the door to the place where I hit father with my first spell.


    By the time I made it Alice was doing some idle stretches, her long black hair swayed in sync with her movements, her fingers wiggled as her brows twitched in what I could only assume to be anticipation, her movements came to a rest as she stared at me, ¡°¡®it¡¯s rude to stare¡¯¡± she stifled a laugh quoting what Stella had said earlier, ¡°And I¡¯m sure kicking me wasn¡¯t rude either.¡± I said sarcastically.


    ¡°Y-you tackled me so it¡¯s fair,¡± she argued, I gave a nod in response, ¡°So what are we doing here?¡± I was more confused on what¡¯s going on.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to have a ¡®mock battle¡¯ at least, that¡¯s what dad told me, so you should at least stretch or something; once you hear a loud crackle, it¡¯ll signify the start, so don¡¯t try to hit me just yet; that¡¯s even if you can.¡± She teased.


    ¡°Stretching will help, and I won¡¯t just hit you. I think tackling you again will serve you right.¡± I laughed mocking the expression she made when I first tackled her.


    Alice pouted before continuing her stretches, and I followed suit. My body quickly fell into rhythmic movements that if I didn¡¯t know any better I would say they weren''t my own.


    My body bent, twisted, and swung in motions I didn¡¯t think I could do; it all just felt so natural. Like something that I would always do on a day-to-day basis, finally bouncing on the hilts of my feet, I flexed my arms and hands, wiggling the tension from my shoulders. Taking a few deep breaths, I got into a stance I found myself most confident in.


    I planted my feet firmly, letting my newfound stage of mana loose; my stance was slightly wide but balanced. My knees were slightly bent, my chin was slightly lowered, and my shoulders were squared, distributing mana evenly across my entire body. I raised my arms, my elbows bent, and placed my hands in a position where I could act defensively and offensively. My gaze sharpened as I could feel mana enhance my pupils. With each breath, I felt a rhythmic sensation that almost numbed my mind.


    Alice quickly caught on going into her own stance, my eyes scanning her body up and down preparing for the crackle.


    It felt like minutes flew by as our bodies began to twitch in anticipation; the only sound being heard were the gusts of wind passing. But then, in an instant, the air around us cracked.

 Power in the Air

    Alice''s form blurred, quickly appearing underneath me, fists cladded in shimmering brown gauntlets. I quickly reacted, parrying her attacks, then pivoting to the right, quickly cladding my arms in jagged flames, jabbing at her side. She threw her body to the side, successfully dodging my counterattack. Not giving her any time to recover, I launched forward, my flames weaving wildly.


    A wall of rock-hard dirt formed and was quickly demolished by my fist. A dirt screen sprouted, causing me to lose sight of her. I felt an overwhelming sensation of a wall bashing into my side as a pillar of rock and dirt crashed into me, sending me sliding across the ground. I quickly recovered, blowing all of the dirt aside with my wind element. My core thrummed with life as cyclones of winds were sent flying all around me. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Alice trying to escape my line of sight.


    Alice prepared a spell, and by the murky dark brown color, it was another earth spell, but in her other hand, it was sprouting blue. I quickly channeled more mana towards my legs, sending me at her with alarming speeds. The distance closed in almost an instant, but before I could reach her, a spell went off. Dirt fell to the ground as water quickly took its place. A mudslide. My legs jerked as I fought for control over them. I sent flames down to my feet, trying to turn it into a clay-like substance, before I slammed into her.


    I felt friction''s resistance start to play its role, but it was too late. I got ready to defend the incoming gauntlet aimed at my stomach. Using my wind element, I tried to create air pressure between us, but it was a complete failure. I was soon hit with a rock-hard gauntlet, which caused my body to jerk back violently. She grabbed my left arm, attempting to hold me in place.


    My core bursted with life as flames roared around my arms, threatening to melt her gauntlets. I could feel my core sucking in the ambient fire mana as the mana within me quickly listened to my commands.


    Alice''s grip only tightened, and in response, I sent an eruption of flames up my arms, reaching the palm of my hand, coalescing into an unstable ball of inferno. Her grip softened as her body pivoted to the side, sending an abundance of dirt walls in her wake. My hand exploded with power, tearing apart the walls in a matter of seconds. My body recoiled back from the pressure. Placing a hand behind me, I sent wind flying out, drastically decreasing my speed, pivoting my form blurred as I reached for Alice, her hazelnut eyes not losing sight of me for a second.


    Her gauntlet shot forward, inches away from my face. Using my right hand, I shot a sphere of wind upward, sending her arm off course and leaving her wide open. I threw my body into hers, tackling her to the floor, but in a last effort, she created a curving wall holding us at bay. My face crashed into the rock-hard dirt wall. Preparing a devastating kick, I channeled a lot of mana into my right leg, crashing into the wall and completely causing us to fall.


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "I''m the victor; I tackled you again!" I teased, expecting a grumpy response, but what I got in return was her laughing in utter joy, "Look at your forehead. I think I''m the real winner here." Alice''s laughter plastered emotions over my face: embarrassment and confusion. And lastly, her joyful laughter caused a weird feeling to flutter within my chest.


    Reaching for my forehead, I felt a lump, and then I could feel the throbbing pain start to play its role, and I could only assume it would get bigger with time. It didn''t hurt too bad though. I helped Alice to the floor, looking over her shoulder, not wanting to make eye contact. My eyes drifted about noticing how dirty we had gotten from this fall. "That was fun." Alice expressed with a smile, "Yeah, I didn''t expect such spells, especially the mud." I thought back, rubbing the side where I was hit, "You''re a good fighter. I''m surprised to know this was your first actual spare, and your stance was amazing!"


    "I was surprised myself." I admitted, my body just seemed to act from extensive training, but it was rusty; it felt like something I could always do but needed to get the hang of again; my movements were good, but they felt sluggish, like I was holding myself back; and the thing that surprises me the most was the control on the mana around me. With there being a little resistance, I seemed to be using mana quite well. With that said, I could also feel the delay in the mana being sent throughout my body, but without a doubt, my manipulation of mana had never been better.


    It''s like, over the span of the night, I learned how to use mana to such a degree, but I still have a long way to go. I can only do simple spells like wind cyclones and cladding my hands and arms in flames, which are the bare minimum a mage should be doing, but when I think about that dream, using mana had taken quite a toll on me, but I hadn''t even reached the first stage of my core yet. From this fight, I could still feel the drainage of mana from within my core. If I had kept fighting and using spells like those, I would have probably begun to strain my core in no time.


    My mother came running out of the glass door, and I could see she was proud. She only stopped for a moment to heal my wound before heading back inside, telling me she''s going to prepare breakfast soon and I should wash up before then.


    My father and Ryan came out shortly after, "Since when could you use flames?" My father asked, nudging his friend over to Alice, who was right beside me. Expectedly, she moved a little, putting a little distance between us. "I figured it out last night," I replied, simply flickering some of the dirt from my fingernails. "Well, that was an amazing fight. I didn''t expect you to have such battle prowess." His voice filled with excitement. "Yeah, a man has to have his own secrets, you know?" I ask jokingly, "So you''re a man now? I''ll keep that in mind. Igris, can you tell me about the dream you had last night?" Nearing the end of his sentence, his voice had changed tremendously, taking only a more serious demeanor.

 The Girl of the Night

    A couple hours had passed since the spare. I had taken a shower, put on fresh, clean clothes, and ate breakfast, and now I was seated with my father and Ryan, who had taken a seat in front of me, staring daggers into me. The rest of my¡ªand Ryan''s¡ªfamily stood behind me out of sight, ¡°Now please explain.¡± Ryan''s voice spoke in a calm tone that held authority.


    Then I explained everything to them, except for a few parts after I had failed the trial. Since I couldn''t tell them that wasn''t my real dream, at least from what that voice told me, I only told them the events that transpired within that false dream. ¡°Hmm, ash-gray, snow field, moons..." Ryan muttered to himself, ¡°I''ve only ever read about something like this once, and there are very few accounts, and since everyone is different, it''s harder to generalize, but if I had to, it would be the aspect of space.¡± Ryan took a deep breath before continuing. ¡°The aspect of space is similar to teleportation. If you were to complete the first trial successfully, you''d likely gain insight on how to warp space, allowing you to instantly appear wherever you desire. Without making things too complicated, you''ll be able to warp the space around you and the space you desire and travel there instantaneously. I¡¯m not exactly sure of the fundamentals of this aspect, but know that the first ability you learn will be otherworldly."


    I could hear the breaths of disbelief coming from those around me, but I knew that if anything, that ability wouldn''t be my own; that dream was faulty and didn¡¯t hold any significance for me. But what did that voice mean by "real dream" and the fact that I wouldn''t have those dreams until I was strong enough? Was that voice trying to misguide me? Was my true test to gain insight into the aspect of space not being tricked? Yet I feel like I should listen to its every word.


    Whatever that being had in store for me was something far beyond my comprehension, and I still don¡¯t understand why I heard it in the first place or why her voice sounded so familiar. From the singing to that voice, why does it all feel so familiar? I thought to myself.


    My brain felt like mush trying to think of a logical reason for any of this, but the only conclusions I was brought to were that they were things designed from my false dream and somehow interpreted into my mind playing like a song you only heard once when you were a young child, or the other conclusion could be that I¡¯ve just gone mad. Hopefully, that isn¡¯t the case.


    ¡°¡ªis?¡± Father''s voice snapped me from my thoughts: ¡°Are you alright?¡± He asked, studying me. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m just surprised. I didn¡¯t know I could do something so amazing.¡± I lied, leaving a distasteful taste in my mouth. ¡°To bad I failed my first trial; will there be another opportunity?¡± I was genuinely confused about whether I''d get another chance at any dream, let alone that false one.


    ¡°Of course you¡¯ll have your next one within a month tops since you failed. Your core is going through its brace period, but no worries. With you reaching your first stage in all, I¡¯m sure your dream will be completely different.¡± My father reassured, ¡°But don¡¯t be too sure that your aspect is space. It¡¯s hard enough to judge what aspects are, so if it isn¡¯t the aspect of space, don¡¯t be discouraged. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be something even more amazing; after all,  you¡¯re my son.¡± Father stood up, stretching his arms wide.


    Giving me a cheeky smile he then looked like he had forgotten something, ¡°Oh! Ryan, Akemi, Jasmine I almost forgot we were supposed to go out to get something.¡± My fathers statement seemed to confuse everyone in the room, ¡°Come on! Just go!¡± My father declared, pushing them out of the doorway.


    My sister, Stella, and Alice stood there confused, but it didn¡¯t take long for them to act. Stella walked over and pulled a chair to my side, Asuna took the seat where my father was, and Alice stood there awkwardly before scurrying away.


    Stella, who was sitting about a few feet away, motioned towards her lap and said, ¡°Lay down.¡± She said it solemnly. ¡°I¡¯m not a kid anymore, you know?¡± I stared at her, slightly embarrassed. ¡°You¡¯ll always be a kid to me. Who do you think helped change your diapers?¡± Stella chuckled, "Now lay down.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± I gave in, scooting my chair to a comfy place where I could lay without feeling like I would fall onto the floor. ¡°Good, Iggy.¡± Stella''s face wore a warm smile. She began gently stroking my hair in a rhythmic pattern. "Asuna, tell our little Iggy your favorite story. I¡¯m sure you know what I¡¯m talking about. During his ascension.¡± My sister''s demeanor, which usually carried confidence and intelligence, had changed to that of a little girl getting ready for her favorite bedtime story.


    ¡°O-okay,¡± my sister''s voice cracked, then she cleared her throat before speaking again, and with that look of excitement on her face, I couldn¡¯t help but just get ready to engulf in whatever she was about to say.


    ¡°The name of this story was ''Aurora, the girl of the night.¡¯¡± My sister said her voice was particularly booming.


    I closed my eyes, preparing to try to make vivid imagery of whatever she was about to say, but I felt a little risk in doing so, the rhythmic strokes threatening to make me fall asleep.


    ¡°Once upon a time, there was a little girl who would run away beyond the walls of her castle to escape from the pressure of being the next princess. Every night, she would creep along a path in the vast castle that was least guarded, weaving, dodging, and hiding from all the eyes until she was free from their influence. She would run, jump, and shout all the things people would mock her for; she would travel deeper and deeper throughout those walls, exploring the great forest.¡±


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    ¡°She was immersed in nature''s beauty; she found every last thing interesting, from the fireflies that stalked the night to the deer that flolicked freely. Every night, she would explore deeper and deeper, stumbling upon hidden paths and glades. Nature''s beauty held no limit in her eyes. One day, she traveled farther than she had ever gone, reaching an expanse of grassy fields. Where In dozens of yards, a cliff resigned. She rolled up and down through the tiny grasses that tickled her skin. She laid back on the soft grass, her eyes focused on the expansion of the night sky."


    ¡°Each star in the sky shimmered with brilliance, each star shining with its own purpose. A dance of celestial lights filled the night sky; stars shot across the horizon in beautiful pink, blue, red, and purple hues, and that was not even a scratch on its beauty. Breathtaking celestial bodies filled the sky¡¯s very existence, with luminous rivers of stars stretching completely across the vast sky. She could only dream of reaching the stars; like an ocean, tears began pouring from her eyes. She cried tears of joy. Joy that she got to see such a wonderful thing.¡±


    ¡°She reached her hand toward the sky and laughed at the irony. Her name was Aurora, and she was in love with the night''s beauty¡ªthe wonders of outer space¡ªfrom a single glance. ¡°If only I could reach them,¡± The girl muttered slightly, saddened by the realization that she wouldn¡¯t be able to get any closer to the stars. A shooting star shot across the sky, and in that moment, Aurora made her first wish: ¡°I wish to be closer to the stars, even if it¡¯s a little, just more than before, more than even the castle peak could do.¡±


    ¡°And with that, her wish was answered. iridescent particles began swarming around the air around her. She stumbled upon an otherworldly energy. An energy that had a mind of its own. Each particle shimmered with life of its own; just being in the presence of whatever she was seeing gave her power, a goal, and hope. That she could soar with the very stars she loved.¡±


    ¡°At that moment, she found the very essence of mana, pure mana. Her body thrummed as the pure mana listened to her desires, aiding her in wanting her to get a chance to do what she dreamt. As the pure mana forged her a newfound ability, an otherworldly power, she noticed minutes had bled into hours, and it was far past her own curfew. She made it a rule for herself not to spend more than three hours out since the guards would check in about every four-to-five hours.¡±


    ¡°She knew she should be worried, but yet she was so calm. Her body thrummered with energy; she felt like she could do anything, so she took the risk. Running like the little kid she couldn¡¯t be, she ran towards the cliff, throwing herself into it with pure joy and terror. An iridescent hue shimmered to life as she took flight. Like a firefly, she soared, screaming to the top of her lungs. She arrived home in a matter of minutes, but it was too late. She came soaring into the open window of her bedroom, and what awaited would change her life forever.¡±


    ¡°Her father and mother stood there bewildered by the fact their daughter had just flown, ¡°W-w-witch!¡± A scrawny guard whimpered, ¡°Witch? How dare you say such nonsense about my daughter?!¡± Her mother shot at the guard, giving him a complete look of disgust. Her broad-shouldered father bent down on his knee to talk to her at eye level, ¡°Aurora, you went beyond the walls, didn¡¯t you?¡± Her father questioned her, staring deeply into her eyes. She only nodded in response.¡±


    ¡°Guards, out, and that man right there should be seized of his position immediately.¡± Her mother pointed to the scrawny guard, who shrunk back in fear. ¡°T-the courts won¡¯t stand for this witchcraft, which is punishable by death!¡± The guard spat his scrawny body, posing no more threat than a bug. Her father huffed before waving the guards off. ¡°Aurora, I had set rules for you for this purpose. Those guards will likely tell the court, and I¡¯m afraid of what might happen to you.¡± Her father spoke through clenched teeth.¡±


    ¡°So, Aurora was told one thing, and that was what her power was truly capable of. Her father and mother shed tears, bawling like two babies who had lost their favorite toy. Aurora had a new goal: to create a world where people could live without judgment, have freedom, and not be held by the corruption of those like the courts. Aurora flew high into the night sky, passing far beyond the horizon, only going higher, until the point she reached outer space, where something she thought was impossible was happening."


    ¡°She stared at the ocean of stars and her very home planet. At that moment, she declared she would come back one day. One day, when she could make everything right. She flew through space''s beauty as well, with an unmatched beauty of her own, traveling faster than any bullet could. Minutes became hours, hours became days, days became weeks, and so on.¡±


    ¡°Aurora had reached the point where she could safely create a new universe, and with the flicker of otherworldly binding light, Aurora had taken her first step towards creating a world of her own. A world where, no matter the differences between one another, you would always be accepted; a world built on dreams; a life of fulfillment and purpose. It would be a world where acceptance, kindness, love, and dreams were born. Therefore creating a harmonious and inclusive society for all."


    ¡°The end.¡±


    A round of applause came from over my head Stella clapped joyfully, ¡°Great story isn¡¯t it?¡± Stella asked me, ¡°I know it may seem childish but this was my favorite thing to hear as a little girl, and if I didn¡¯t know any better I¡¯d say Aurora created the world we live in. She''s such an amazing character!¡± My sister beamed, ¡°I¡¯m glad I was the first person who got to tell you this story.¡± Her voice came out warm leaving me with a sense of warmth, a feeling of drinking something hot on a cold day.


    ¡°It was great.¡± I replied sheepishly as Stella¡¯s hands almost brought me to sleep, ¡°Well I guess we could get some sleep.¡± Asuna said while jumping on a cushioned sofa to our right, ¡°Get some sleep Iggy.¡± Stella¡¯s soft voice ordered.


    ¡°If you promise to get some sleep soon as well.¡± I said, suspicious of the amount of sleep she was getting, ¡°Promise.¡± She replied simply stroking my hair rhythmically and I quickly began to drift off to sleep, but just before I could fall asleep I had to thank my sister for her wonderful bedtime story, ¡°I really enjoyed the story, Asuna. I wouldn¡¯t mind hearing another one day.¡± I said in slurs finally completely giving up on fighting the sleepiness.

 Tomato on the Run

    Staring deadpan at this person who I would have least expected to wake me up this early in the morning¡ªthe sun isn''t even up yet¡ªI couldn''t help but question what they wanted, ¡°Good morning, Alice.¡± She seemed to be shaken up by my sound announcement. Alice had been slowly crawling onto the bed, getting ready to awaken me, but I had beaten her to it.


    ¡°Oh¡­ you''re up¡­¡± Alice replied, taken aback, her face flushing like a tomato.


    Alice had slowly scurried off the bed as I sat straight up, quickly but quietly not wanting to awaken Asuna who was sound asleep on the sofa. My eyes peered around the room looking for any sign of Stella but it looked like she went to her own room to get some rest, good. I thought to myself.


    Slowly getting off the bed, I motioned Alice over in a quick motion. She followed silently as we entered the hallway, but I couldn''t help but tease her, ¡°I don¡¯t think tomatoes are supposed to walk.¡± I bursted out a suppressed laugh, mostly laughing at how horrible my joke was rather than her actual expression. She gave me a slight nudge, her face returning to normal as only the tip of her ears remained slightly red.


    ¡°So, what is it you wanted?¡± I asked, my body finally starting to catch up, ¡°Would you like to go out and hunt a beast with me? Before I went to sleep I''m sure I saw something out there, and I think it''ll be a little fun.¡± She said, her response completely surprising me.


    I''ve actually never seen an actual beast let alone know if we could beat one, and if i''m getting the gist she only told me about this, ¡°So you think we could beat a beast? I''ve never seen one and from what I''ve read they are not so polite like a stuffed animal.¡± I pointed out, not sure if doing this would be worth it.


    But then it hit me. This was a chance to see how far my core really could go without experiencing ¡°OD¡± I had been able to test my core a little, but if I wanted to develop it further aside from ways like meditating the core, using it would also help me slowly dig my way to its next quarter let alone stage.


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    I couldn''t help, but feel like this would be wrong though. What if something were to happen to us? I thought to myself with overwhelming uncertainty.


    ¡°How about we at least tell my sister? If we don''t come back within the next few hours to come search for us, if anything happens I''m sure we''re going to be in a lot of trouble, and my sister could be able to prevent that.¡± I suggested hoping she would consider it.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be fine. I''ll make sure we come back within two hours, okay?¡± Alice urged.


    ¡°Alice I don''t thin¡ª¡±


    ¡°Come on please! I promise It¡¯ll only take two hours at most!¡± Alice pleaded before turning around and marching off, ¡°Where are you going!¡± I asked trailing behind her, ¡°To the forest.¡± she responded winey.


    I kept telling her to stop and to rethink her decision. I was going to just wake up Asuna and ask her to come along but I just gave in, letting out a deep sigh. I followed her. It would be wrong to just let her go on by herself, but what would the Landhearts think of me if something happened to her? What would happen between them and my parents?


    There were too many things to factor in to make a proper decision. I had to take her feelings into consideration, if I choose to tell her parents they would probably find what she did childish¡ªnot saying it is or isn''t¡ªand perilous.


    And it could possibly form a wall of distrust between them, and if anything that''s not what I wanted to happen, but If I choose my sister to come even if she was just behind trailing after us, she would probably feel¡­ sad.


    If I wanted to get any closer with her I had to first show faith in her, show her my trust in her words. Afterall what is a friendship without something as simple as trusting one another, even with how dangerous her decision could have turned out to be, it would be best to stick by her side.


    Pushing down the bubbling feelings within my chest I yawned and then caught a glance of Alice¡¯s gaze which was directed towards me, ¡°You didn''t have to come with me.¡± She said, looking down at the muddy terrain as we stepped foot into the forest, ¡°Nope, I''m glad I came,¡± I dismissed, ¡°Besides look how far we are now, no point in turning back, and if we go through the back door again we might wake someone.¡± I said looking just right over my shoulder making sure no one was following, and this got a chuckle out of Alice, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Her mood completely shifted as we walked through the mushy soil, she had a big smile plastered all over her face, ¡°Okay, let''s get moving. ¡®Two hours,¡¯ remember?¡± Alice said, reciting herself.


    With a simple nod we picked up the pace.