《Freedom Jumper: An Unwanted Reincarnation - {LitRPG, Mystery, Progression}》


 1. Expect the Unexpected

    ¡°I love you, Lukas¡±


    The last words I hear are from my seven children. As someone who lived for almost 121 years, all I can say is that I am happy. Being a leading figure in making the world healthier again, building an isolated nutrient/supplement company that used technology to separate and sustain any kind of compound the body can ever need, and lastly, creating a family.


    The moment I hear those words as I am laying in the soft chair that resides on my hillside mansion, the light in my eyes flickers in and out, and eventually, I am gone.


    ¡­


    ¡°Save me! Save me!¡±


    Unknowingly to my dead self, I was in a pitch black void with a distorted voice calling for help. A conversation was occurring, and time seemed to flow slow and fast at the same time, and without even remembering anything, my blurry eyes saw a dim candle burning in the distance.


    ¡­


    The night was a tempest, a cacophony of thunderclaps echoing across the darkened sky. Rain lashed against the windows of the small candle lit room, drumming a frantic rhythm that matched the quickening pulse of the woman lying on the bed. Each flash of lightning illuminated her face, a blend of pain and determination, as she grasped the hand of the midwife beside her.


    With each contraction, the storm outside seemed to roar louder, as if nature were heralding the arrival of something extraordinary. And then, in a moment suspended between fury and calm, a sharp cry burst forth slicing through the din of the storm. The world welcomed its newest inhabitant, a fragile spark of life born amidst the chaos, destined to weave their own tale against the backdrop of the raging night.


    Yes, I am actually crying, but not intentionally. Only because my stomach has been twisted and turned in ways that would almost kill anyone. What felt like an intense scream brimming with pain and anger, came out as a joyful cry in the chaos of the night.


    To me, what makes life special is that it doesn¡¯t last forever. Any sane person would make the most of their lives because of this.


    What I guessed has happened to me, has filled me with anger and sadness. Imagine putting your all into life, and accepting true eternal peace as your life wanes away. And then waking up and realizing you have to do it again¡­


    The weird part about this is how I am retaining the memories of my past and remember everything as if it was yesterday. However, none of this seemed real. How was this possible?


    A large a-frame beam supported the dense wooden roof above me. Smooth wooden dressers were to the left and right of the soft cotton bedding.


    My mother has black hair and blue eyes and is wearing brown clothing made from fur, leather, and cotton. My father has dark brown hair and brown eyes. Shock and fear was within my soul, and the only thing I tried to do was forget.


    This isn¡¯t real.


    ¡°His name is¡­ Elijah¡±


    ¡­


    One year passes by extremely slowly. I felt every long second of a wise man inhabiting an infant. Excruciating is the first word that comes to mind.


    Contrary to how I feel, this world that I am in is beautiful. I won¡¯t say it''s on the level of the solarpunk style of architecture that was becoming ¡°the trend¡± back in my old life. However, I can¡¯t lie when I say medieval fantasy makes my heart beat faster. All the buildings are made of wildly smooth stone with small and intricate protruding details like indented columns, and wooden window shutters. And better yet, everyone living around me has health and contribution as their main priorities. The architecture is rather bare with no colors other than stone and wood, but the fine details make up for it.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    In my past life, I knew multiple languages because of my excessive traveling. However, the language that everyone spoke felt similar, which was normal, but came very easy for me to adapt to. The name of the language is what they call ¡°Kotun¡±.


    I don¡¯t know much about the layout of where I reside, but I do know my family owns farmland where they grow the run of the mill crops that were on earth. Corn, barley, rice, sugarcane, potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, and just about every vegetable you could imagine.


    However, something that I never expected was shown to me not by accident, but out of necessity.


    ¡°Quick baby, we need to stop the bleeding!¡± My father was carrying my older brother Julian inside after he accidentally fell into the river next to our nimble house.


    A dim but ethereal light came about from my mothers hand as water coated the back of the right shoulder where Julian was wounded.


    ¡°Ma-jik?¡± An almost inaudible sound came from my mouth as my parents looked at each other in confusion. I¡¯ve spoken my first words rather quickly almost a month back, but have been relatively silent ever since.


    If what I saw was true, then that means there must be more elements. Also, I did not hear any words being spoken. I¡¯ve read my share of fantasy books in the past, and realizing this is a very important detail.


    I need to find out the limits and understand what exactly is happening for magic to be used. Unfortunately for my feeble and immobile body, I assume it won¡¯t be possible right now.


    ¡­


    My third birthday started off with a bang. A wet involuntary bath in the river, completely naked. I have to say, I am not complaining, but I have been doing nothing for the past 2 years besides exploring and learning as much as I can about magic.


    Firstly, I reside in the Kingdom of Astraea, a kingdom surrounded by walls. A large river passes through the kingdom¡¯s center moving southwest. The specific area I live in is called the Outer West of the outer region. A commoner is what I am¡­ Although I am not complaining about anything besides being bored. What fueled me in my previous life was my physical goals, and business goals. Strength, accuracy, mobility, agility, balance, and helping people.


    Secondly, I was completely caught off guard when my parents spilled the beans on everything all in one go. It¡¯s as if they didn¡¯t expect me to remember or understand what they were saying. What this world calls magic, is the manipulation of the elements and only the elements. How powerful and useful you are is almost fully dependent on your imagination, which has piqued my interest. Anything is possible as long as it relates to the element you are manipulating.


    ¡­


    A barely exciting 2 years pass as I get more opportunities to meet the people around me, and travel into new territory.


    Alexia Sinclair, a girl who lives across the dirt path, and whose family are farmers just like mine. The only difference being that they specialize in small vegetables that are better to grow in gardens, rather than surplus crops that are meant to be grown in vast amounts of large fields.


    The sky was pouring rain, and the sound of the drops hitting the puddle behind the window of my brother and I¡¯s bedroom window made it hard to fall asleep.


    I focused on relaxing my body, while focusing on the center of my chest, which is a way I used to divert my focus in my past life. Unexpectedly, my whole body started tingling as I lost all control, and then suddenly¡­


    POP!


    My body squirmed violently and suddenly stopped. My eyes opened and saw the same dissipating ethereal energy moving away from my body. I felt new, refreshed, awakened.


    Where I previously had my focus, was now a deep black circle that didn¡¯t seem to physically be there, but rather, spiritually. All the signs in my head were pointing to the idea that I can use magic.


    However, no matter what I thought, nothing worked. Fire, water, earth, air, lightning, ice, metal, and poison.


    With one final try, a longshot, I was finally able to dull my boredom. My breath slowed, and seconds later, my body rose from my small twin-sized bed. Huh? What element is this?


    The amount of times I wished for the ability to fly in my past life was insurmountable.


    Quickly, things took a turn for the worst. My head started buzzing as I fell to my soft bed sheets. The last words I heard before I passed out frightened my soul.


    In the most indescribable and distorted voice, I heard¡­


    ¡°Save me! Save me!¡±

 2. Freedom or Imprisonment

    Freedom has had many meanings over the course of history. However, for me, freedom is more like a feeling. A feeling of not being bound to anything.


    ¡°Elijah, hello? Are you awake? Elijah!¡±


    Apparently I had trouble waking up in the morning to the point I wasn¡¯t even responding to sounds. The only solution was mother using water magic to spread through my body and heal anything that seems to be off. That is when it happened.


    ¡°Oh my! His core has awakened!¡±


    My mother was ecstatic after her words of astonishment. Not only was this rare, but nobody in the entire kingdom has awoken at the age of five. Thankfully my parents are both afraid of what would happen to their sweet child, so they keep it a secret.


    The day passed into dinner, and I was finally sitting down next to Alexia, my new friend. Over the last two years we have gotten pretty close and even started to help our families together by carrying crops to the storage center and picking up a pouch of coins.


    One action has been on my mind lately¡­


    I want to see outside the walls!


    Beforehand, I unfortunately need to test the limits of my flight ability. It has something to do with magic, so maybe I should ask my parents a question?


    ¡°How do I know what affinity I have?¡± Elijah¡¯s high-pitched voice stopped the harsh and slow chewing of the garlic flavored meat.


    ¡°Baby, you won¡¯t be able to use magic until you get an affinity crystal. Don¡¯t worry about magic for now, just focus on learning and having fun!¡± Mother took the lead on the conversation, and was followed up with a simple sign of encouragement by my father.


    This was a new piece of information, something that was a bit of a let down.


    After a delicious dinner of meat, potatoes, and fruit, I walk into the small forest behind the house filled with an assortment of ground cover ranging from flowers, ferns, weeds and specks of taller grass. Finding a nice and plump place to sit wasn¡¯t so hard as the grass was relatively tall. My breathing slowed and my body stilled. What may seem unnecessary, would help me understand this ability of mine better.


    Without even breaking a sweat my body lifted a couple of inches off the ground. One minute, five minutes, 15 minutes, and even 1 hour passed as I didn¡¯t feel exhausted at all. The only reason I stopped was to answer the call of my father.


    ¡°Elijah! It¡¯s time for bed! Where are you?¡±


    My legs uncrossed themselves and touched the floor. ¡°I¡¯m coming, father!¡± It seems I am getting used to this life¡­


    Dawn broke the end of the night. Dimly lit carriages were roughly driving through the soft dirt roads as an early morning of harvest began.


    Bang!


    The door slammed shut after a hard morning. He was late to his field, and will now have to work longer than usual.


    The month of harvest is the busiest month for anyone in the outer regions. Whether it be harvesting the crops or transporting the yield to the storage house, almost everyone is busy all day long. The outer region is responsible for 90% of all food. My job is to help my father transport the crops with my older brother Julian. Thankfully, our carriage that is pulled by two horses has a magical rune of weightlessness on it.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Magical runes are quite interesting because of the one fact I know about them. You do not need the corresponding magical affinity.


    ¡°Hey kid! Pull your carriage more to the side, we need to make room for everyone!¡±


    The last day of harvest and transportation ended, and in total, our family made 24 gold coins. For my family''s needs, that would last us 2 years.


    The time for me to explore had finally come. No one was working late into the night transporting crops before the last round of the Transport Guild, no one was cooking late dinners outside, and the animals were silently roaming the pastures.


    Peace was in the lands.


    Me and my brother Julian retire into bed, and when the moment arises, I quietly sneak out the slightly cracked window and make my way into the forest. I¡¯ve gotten rather comfortable with this ability besides the fact that I have no idea why I can do this, and it doesn¡¯t seem possible in a world where magic is only manipulating the elements.


    After quickly lifting off the ground, my body shoots forward with speed.


    WHOOSH


    Freedom is what I am feeling as I swerve through the tall trees.


    Unfortunately there is one obstacle on the way to the wall, a group of houses in a curved pattern. In order to keep myself hidden, I stay low to the ground as I am crossing the road, and quickly speed up once I am back in the trees.


    I wonder what¡¯s on the other side. I wonder what a sunrise or sunset looks like in this world. I wonder if there is more life outside the walls.


    Badum Badum


    Badum Badum


    My heart was racing from excitement, but also fear.


    That¡¯s when it happened. A vast landscape of a barren rocky grassland surrounded the kingdom, while enormous mountains that just barely touched the thin layer of clouds in the distance created a cage around this grassland. Thin and scattered groups of thick and tall trees close to the start of the mountains with drooping branches and leaves that even touched the floor stood completely still beyond what seemed like an impossible place to live.


    ¡°Beautiful¡±


    I felt high on life. An urge to explore more around the area hit me, and I did not protest. With the ability to fly, what could go wrong. According to my mental map, I am facing southwest which is where the river leads to. However, that also makes me think of another possibility.


    ¡°I am in the northern hemisphere if this world is anything like earth.¡±


    The wind splits as I continue flying north which takes me to the west side of the kingdom. The first thing I saw wasn¡¯t the mountains or extremely tall forest of what looks like redwood trees that smothered the ground with its drooping leaves. But instead, an upside down ribcage that seemed like it was just a little smaller than the snow capped mountains.


    The more I rounded the wall, the more potential dangers I saw. A horde of what looked like magical beasts were fighting each other with different magical attacks.


    Flame balls, earth spikes, water waves, and gusts of wind.


    What they were fighting over was the problem.


    ¡°Oh, my, fuck¡±


    I was frozen in mid air. The loose clothes attached to my body rustled in the wind while the feeling of the cold wind brushed right past me.


    All I could see was the aftermath of a magical battle. Holes were scattered across the ground, small spouts of smoke were flowing from burning grass, and human flesh and blood was splattered everywhere.


    This was a turning point in Elijah¡¯s mind.


    He was no longer enjoying the life he was living, but instead realized he might be serving his time in hell.


    A prison is something that keeps people inside and does not allow them to leave. However, when is a prison not a prison? Only when the prison is the reason for keeping whatever is outside, from coming in. A dystopia masquerading as a paradise was the first thought that came to Elijah¡¯s mind.


    Without a second thought, Elijah flew aggressively back to the southwest part of the wall, and didn¡¯t bother to look for anyone who could possibly see him.


    The only thought going through Elijah¡¯s mind was if this was hell, or had something to do with someone asking him to save whoever needs saving. So many questions that are being jumbled together, and even sometimes forgotten simply because he does not have enough information.


    What seemed like sunshine and rainbows, was instead a flashlight shining through stained glass.


    Fake.

 3. Gaining Intel

    ¡°I have to make a trip to the wall. Richter sent his assistant to the house before dawn this morning asking for as many recovery potions as possible.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Please tell him hello for me.¡±


    A conversation between parents woke Elijah up from his slumber. The softened voices passed through the cracked wooden door of his and Julian¡¯s bedroom.


    Going to the wall? Could it be related to last night?


    The moment Elijah stepped outside of his room, he was greeted by his birth parents. Without a second thought he expressed his desire.


    ¡°Can I go with you father?¡±


    This is a perfect chance to investigate more about what happened outside the wall last night. Was that a normal occurrence, or out of the ordinary.


    With a small shrug, father said, ¡°Ehhh, why not? Just make sure to get something to eat before we leave in 20 minutes. I have to pack a couple of things.¡±


    Elijah happily grinned at the potential to learn more about the kingdom.


    The carriage required a bit of a jump to get inside. Thankfully my father lifted me up by the arms and carried me like a doll. Every house on the west side has their own garden, although at the moment, not many vegetables and herbs are being grown. Only those capable of surviving the winter.


    Here in Astraea, the seasons are extreme. Freezing winters and sweaty summers with the current season flowing into the end of autumn. While the carriage is roughly riding through the soft dirt road to the north where the main West Road is that leads to the inner city, Elijah asks his father a perfect question.


    ¡°Can you teach me about the kingdom?¡±


    Don looked back at Elijah with a joyful expression. ¡°What do you want to know kiddo?¡±


    With a slightly nervous attitude to not seem abnormally smart, Elijah says, ¡°I want to know the names of every part of the kingdom, and what makes them different.¡±


    ¡°That was a great way to ask the question! So yes I will tell you as much as I can!¡± Don was happy that his youngest child was making strides in their development. Ever since the age of two, Elijah¡¯s parents have been teaching him reading and writing with the intention of setting both Julian and Elijah up for a prosperous life.


    ¡°To start, The Kingdom of Astraea has 10 zones. Four in the outer region, four in the inner region, 1 underneath the inner region, and lastly, Centerpool. We live in the Outer West. To reach the Inner city, you have to travel through one of the 4 tunnel gates. The Inner city has its own 4 zones that wrap around the center of the whirlpool that sits underneath Centerpool. The King¡¯s castle is in the very center of Centerpool. Just make sure to not jump in the whirlpool as there is no saving you. The Catacombs are the cave systems that we have partly inhabited due to not having enough space. However, The Catacombs are extremely dangerous in places without people that are the homes to an uncountable number of beasts. The reason why we have it under control is due to the hunters that protect the people. And to help you picture all of this in that smart little head of yours, there are two sets of walls that give us safety. The outerwall that we see everyday, and the inner wall that is made from the mountains behind us. Some people say something fell from the sky and created the hole that Centerpool sits on top of, and some people say it has always been this way.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    A whirlpool, dangerous catacombs, and potentially something that sounds like a crater from a meteor? The sound of that intrigued Elijah even more so than the layout of the kingdom.


    I need to see everything for myself!


    The carriage ride took a little over 20 minutes to the west wall. What looked like a large a-frame house was exactly where my father was heading after hopping out of the carriage. Elijah followed swiftly, and once the door opened, a warm feeling washed over his body.


    ¡°Richter! How are things going?¡± Don seemed like he was talking in a sarcastic tone to hide something.


    ¡°I think you know very well how things went last night considering you are here¡­¡± Richter was a black haired clean shaven man with bright blue eyes. Another set of eyes that did not seem possible.


    Elijah was thinking about how his eyes are still a grayish blue color, something relatively normal and possible. Could it have something to do with magic?


    ¡°Haha, I am aware, and today I brought a guest! My youngest, Elijah¡±


    Beforehand, Elijah was standing directly behind his father closely listening in on the conversation. And now, the black hair and blue-eyed five year old was standing next to his father.


    ¡°Haha, he looks just like you! My name is Richter, an old friend of your fathers.¡±


    ¡°Why are your eyes so blue?¡± The question Elijah asked stunned them.


    ¡°W-well uhh, because of magic of course! I have a water affinity and I am pretty strong. My eyes have been turning more blue ever since I began on the path of magic!¡± Richter¡¯s response only slightly shocked Elijah. This was what he expected, and to think there are magical affinities anyone can get that will cause your eyes to change color.


    Incredible!


    Elijah needed more information, so with the most child-like expression, words sent another shock to the adults. ¡°How do I get a magical affinity?!¡±


    ¡°Buy one or find one.¡± Don replied quickly in a somewhat annoyed tone. Maybe Don did not think it was safe?


    After Don handed a small wooden box to Richter, he received what definitely was a pouch of coins.


    ¡°As usual, I''ll let you know if I need anything else. Stay safe, Don.¡±


    ¡°You too old friend.¡±


    The final words between the two old friends sent shivers down Elijah¡¯s spine almost as if something dramatic happened between the two in the past.


    While silently sitting on the carriage and absorbing every bump and rock on the soft dirt path, Don suddenly said something exciting, even though the way he said it didn¡¯t make it exciting. ¡°We are going on a seven day trip to Centerpool in three days. Your mother doesn¡¯t know about it yet, but I will tell her when we get back. With nothing to do but place rye over the soil until it snows, we have a lot of time on our hands. Please tell Julian to pack a bag for seven days.¡±


    Elijah nodded while hiding his excitement. Something was very obviously off about the way his father was acting now. The only option was to play it cool, and wait it out.


    The wooden door swung open to an empty room of two twin-sized beds. Reaching underneath his bed, Elijah pulls out a large cotton sack and starts thinking about what he is going to prepare.


    Noon hasn¡¯t even come about, and with nothing to do, his first thought is Alexia. The two spent time at the river throwing rocks and splashing each other. Lunch was a delicious set of chicken thighs using all sorts of herbs and spices grown in the garden.


    With magic, anything was possible. Each house always had a large wooden chest lined with metal that froze all types of meat and dairy products. This was only possible due to a freezing magic rune.


    The question was how was each rune made.

 4. Sensational Journey

    Phloria, my mother was thoroughly checking my bag to make sure everything I needed was there.


    ¡°Okay! Go get in the carriage and lay out your blankets! It¡¯s going to be a long ride.¡±


    The sun was shining and the air was cool. The orange and brown leaves that used to smother the trees, were now almost gone. Elijah¡¯s chin was resting on his palm as he stared into the distant and finite lands. A strong desire to explore again hit him.


    ¡°Mother, Is it safe outside the walls?¡±


    ¡°No honey it¡¯s not. Everyone, and I mean everyone is in full agreement that they never want to leave these walls to simply explore. The only reason anyone leaves is to hunt beasts for their cores. Please, never leave the walls.¡± Phloria calmly explained before pointing to a group of hunters walking outside the inner gate a mile away from them.


    It seemed an expedition was about to take place. It¡¯s currently before noon, and if most of these expeditions take half a day, it would make sense to see what I saw a couple of hours past dinner.


    After 10 minutes of smoothly riding up the stone road that was obviously made from magic, the bunch finally made contact with the hunters. Elijah wanted to say something out of the ordinary. He wanted to express his bravery.


    ¡°I want to hunt beasts outside the walls!!!¡±


    The carriages carrying supplies came to a halt as many men and women looked at me with disgust. However, between these people, was a white hair blue-eyed young male that looks like his balls just dropped with a small white goatee growing on his chin.


    The man had a devious grin on his face as if he had just found his blood brother.


    ¡°I have no idea why you are saying that kid, we risk our lives every day for something that isn¡¯t even necessary . There is no merit in what we do¡­¡± A black haired woman with light gray eyes responded with dismay.


    ¡°My name is Amaris, and I respect you!¡± The icy man yelled at the top of his lungs as he passed by our carriage. Moments later, he received a slap to the back of the head.


    ¡°If you do that again, you will be locked in your room for a fortnight Elijah¡­¡± His father¡¯s tone sent a shiver down his spine even with the mind of a wise old man.


    ¡°Welcome to the Inner West, Can I see your family crest?¡± The guard started the conversation the moment we neared the tunnel gate.


    Elijah was confused at the sight of a pentagram shaped emblem being shown. Without being able to see the front of it, It definitely had something to do with magic.


    A faint glow radiated from the crest, and moments later the guard signaled for the gate to open. But before the carriage passed through, Don handed the guard 25 silver coins, which is equal to a quarter of a gold coin.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    The dark stone tunnel was dimly lit with torches hanging on the walls. The three gates that lined the tunnel receded into the ceiling as we passed through. The reason for three gates was simply more security, but also as a defense measure to trap beasts between two metal walls as hunters threw spells inside an enclosed space.


    Elijah¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief when he heard his fathers explanation. How insidious!


    White light covered the entrance to the inner city, and once the group exited the tunnel, a long and slowly descending road was in view that focused their attention on the castle.


    Floral stone and wood buildings were tightly packed together in a uniform manner. What people thought was their city, truly was a crater from a meteor as the entire city slowly descended to the center.


    As the Veran family rode down the wide stone road, they noticed that the streets to the left and right were bustling with people. Houses and paths were built all the way up on the side of the mountain that gave an amazing view of the entire inner city.


    ¡°So that is where the whirlpool is?¡± Elijah was pointing towards the castle with his small hands.


    ¡°Yes, although you can¡¯t see it right now, the whirlpool is beneath Centerpool.¡±


    Julian tapped his father on the back and asked a question. ¡°Where are we going father?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised none of you asked me that yet. We are visiting an old friend. I got a letter at my door requesting a visit. They are a noble family, so be on your best behavior.¡±


    A noble family huh? There must be a good reason for this trip then. I wonder if I can explore the area by flying. Maybe flying underneath Centerpool would be possible.


    After a two hour ride, the Veran family arrived at a large iron gate that slowly swung open. A burly man wearing a black flared suit and tie greeted the guests.


    ¡°Greetings, you must be the Veran family. Please come inside, the maids will take care of your bags.¡±


    The small amount of steps to the front door caught Elijah¡¯s gaze. Finely shaven, and precisely placed. Nothing like the stone paths in my neck of the woods.


    Moments after walking inside Elijah looked up and noticed a large chandelier hanging from the ceiling of the third floor. The golden ends curved up and held dimly lit candles that looked like they had been burning for ages. A double sided staircase met in the middle of the second floor and split to reach the third floor. This truly was a fantastical mansion!


    Suddenly, loud footsteps of a tough shoe made its way around the corner. A brown hair brown eyed man stepped forward and bowed to greet its guest. How come a simple looking man can look so good in a finely woven blue suit?


    ¡°It is good to see you again, Don and Phloria. And oh my, your children are to die for! I¡¯m absolutely sure your children won¡¯t be bored while staying here!¡±


    With a smile, Don replied, ¡°Thank you for your kind greeting George. I¡¯m sure they will have a good time. Now, where can we privately talk about business.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Follow me. Wilbur, do you mind showing the guests to their rooms?¡± With pep in his step George led Don to the third floor.


    ¡°Yes sir. If you would, please follow me to the second floor.¡±


    Elijah and his family got settled into their room. Both he and Julian had their private rooms and a shared washroom. While looking outside the window, Elijah noticed a brick wall with windows scattered about.


    ¡°Not much of a view huh?¡±


    Knock Knock


    Suddenly, while Elijah was laying on his fine bed, a knock was heard at his door. ¡°Who is it?¡±


    A high pitched voice similar to mine came from the other side of the door. ¡°My name is Novius, son of George Weltor. I wanted to say hello.¡±


    Elijah slowly opened the door with a calm expression on his face. ¡°Hello, my name is Elijah, how old are you?¡±


    ¡°Five and a half.¡±


    Elijah responded with the same answer, and almost immediately the two were drawn to each other like friends destined to meet. Julian walked out of his room and joined in the conversation, and after a couple of minutes, Novius led them on a tour of the estate.

 5. Illness or Poisonous

    Novius was living a life Elijah dreamt about as a child. Extremely large bedroom with full balcony looking out to the inner city, private washroom and closet, round top windows, pivot balcony door, and beautiful patterned drapes that would block out all of the moonlight.


    Elijah had a mesmerized look on his face while walking around the bedroom. ¡°Your bedroom is beautiful!¡± However, Elijah couldn¡¯t help but admire his looks for a child. Chiseled and formed jawline, dirty blonde hair and brown eyes just like his father. Although Elijah does assume George has an earth affinity.


    ¡°Thank you, would you like to see something cool?¡± Novius asked with a wide grin on his face like he was about to blow the mind of the people around him.


    ¡°Yes I would love to!¡±


    With a snap of his fingers, small shiny and thin metal plates started to levitate and instantly flew towards Novius¡¯ body.


    Clink Clank


    After just 20 seconds, Novius¡¯ upper body was covered in a thin metal that seemed a little heavy for him without even lifting a finger.


    Elijah was truly surprised. And by the looks of it, that was runic magic. However, he still asked the question. ¡°Wow! How did you do that?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you right now. Since you don¡¯t know yet, I''ll tell you about my family.¡±


    Novius explained to Elijah and Julian how the Weltor family are new nobles who rose to power and wealth through their contributions in magitech, which is what the people here call using runic magic to create new ways of doing things. However, it was George who was and still is the prodigy in the field. After studying runic magic all the way through the magic academy, he developed a way to reduce the weight on any object, which became immensely useful within the transport guild.


    Julian was both attentive and distant at the same time. ¡°I wish my father would have told me more about his past¡­¡±


    ¡°Your father and mine apparently used to be great friends. It¡¯s not my place to say anything, but my father holds a deep place in his heart for him.¡± Novius said as he walked up and shook the hands of both Julian and Elijah.


    What a distinguished gentle child.


    Knock Knock


    ¡°Lunch is ready gentlemen.¡± The butler gave a soft knock before telling them the good news. That butler must be very attentive to know we were with Novius¡­


    The dining hall had yet another extravagant chandelier hanging from the ceiling, paintings of the city and landscapes line the walls, and most importantly, the table was lined with all sorts of delicacies that sat on top of the patterned blue table cloth.


    ¡°This is beautiful!¡± Elijah accidentally let it loose and sent the whole room into laughter the moment he walked in.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    George laughed and introduced the family that had not made themselves known. ¡°Hahaha, I see you two have met Novius! These are my other sons and daughters. Beatrix is 7, and the twins Isla and Eaton are 9 years old. Unfortunately my wife is bedridden and won¡¯t be joining us this afternoon, however you might see her for dinner tonight.¡±


    As the table was chowing down on the food and making conversation, Elijah couldn¡¯t help but think about what was wrong with Novius¡¯ mother. I¡¯ve never heard of anyone being sick, or even his parents warning him that he will get sick if he does something specific.


    Since everyone was appearing full, George ended dinner. ¡°Well everyone, I have to leave the house for some work related matters. Feel free to go anywhere you want in the city. And family, please make conversation with our guests.¡±


    All of the children agreed on a walk around the surrounding area.


    A castle with four tall spires and ornate stone details stood at the very center of the city. The castle itself was disconnected from Centerpool with its own bridges that led to it. Surrounding it was a large park that circled the entire castle. Hundreds or maybe thousands of people were walking about and hanging out.


    ¡°Since you two have never been to the city before, can I explain something you should keep in mind?¡± Eaton asked.


    Elijah and Julian gave a firm nod after quickly glancing at each other.


    ¡°Centerpool is divided into bands that circle the castle. The bands are separated by roads that also circle the castle. The one important fact you need to remember is that bands three through five are strictly noble households. Anything beyond the fifth band is a place where you should walk if you plan on shopping or going out to eat. The first band is Grand Park if you haven¡¯t already noticed, while the second band are government and guild buildings.¡±


    Elijah had a smile on his face. The chances of him flying underneath Centerpool just rose due to the privacy and quietness that is in the bands close to the castle during the night.


    However, one item would surely help, a black cloak.


    ¡°Thank you for letting us know, that will be extremely helpful!¡±


    On the way back to the estate, Elijah paid close attention to where the Weltor estate was. The Weltor Estate had a direct view of the garden besides the government and guild buildings standing in front of it.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you she has no reason to be sick, there is some external reason for it, and I even suspect poison!¡± George was having a serious conversation with Don outside the estate doors. The only reason why the group heard it was because of the iron gate that they were cornering on the way to the front door.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you guys had to hear that.¡± Isla broke the silence.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way it¡¯s poison, no one would do that to my mother.¡± Novius bit his lip after expressing his opinion.


    Elijah walked up to his room to decompress, and to take a nap. What felt like a minute long nap, turned into a 3 hours long nap. A loud banging sound was heard on the door and shortly after guards dressed in gray royal attire walked inside the grand foyer.


    Elijah peeks his head out of his room where he was just barely able to see over the balcony¡¯s edge.


    George was the one who opened the door and said solemnly to the guards, ¡°This is the man. Please just get him out of here. I can handle the healing.¡±


    What Elijah did not know is that Novius was peeking over the third story balcony along with his brothers and sisters. Filled with anger and rage, Novius bashed the ground as hard as he could while his older siblings were dripping tears of joy and sorrow from their eyes.


    BAM!


    Elijah was spooked and immediately closed his door.


    This world is just like my old world. What seems like sunshine and rainbows always has its shadows and darkness. Even when the entire world is prosperous and healthy, true peace will not exist.


    Is peace possible? Would that make life boring? From what I know about goals, peace would be classified as the final goal. What would come after achieving that goal?


    Absolutely nothing¡­

 6. The Hoodlum?

    The night was inches away, and there I was, in the single bedroom laying on the floor. I hope Novius is okay after seeing the man who was most likely poisoning his mother be removed from his house.


    Knock Knock.


    ¡°Come in!¡±


    ¡°Hey honey, something has happened with the Weltor family, we are going to get a carriage ride to a nice restaurant George has picked for us. Your father is staying behind to help George and his family.¡±


    Phloria¡¯s words were heaven sent as Elijah was starving for some fine delicacies.


    As the three outsiders were walking down the grand staircase, a voice shouted from above them. ¡°Are you guys going to dinner?¡±


    Poor Novius¡­ Just from looking at him, Elijah could feel the distress in his body. ¡°Yes we are. Would you like to join us?¡±


    An immediate yes came from his voice as he ran down the stairs. Fully clothed and polished, the noble was ready!


    The closed circular carriage was already waiting outside in the court. The door was opened by a man with old white hair. Conversations were being sprung back and forth between Novius and Elijah until they arrived at the spot.


    ¡°Lavden¡±


    The restaurant was a rather similar take on a dark wood and dimly lit fine diner in Elijah¡¯s past life. The entrance was filled with symmetrical plants and people waiting in line. Unfortunately for them, the attendant that was addressing the line completely stopped what he was doing the moment he saw a blue carriage with golden ornate details all over it. That was the signature Weltor Carriage, and the owner of this restaurant serves them as special guests whenever the need arises.


    The distinguished gentlemen in a black suit and tie bowed before us as we stepped out of the carriage. ¡°Welcome to Lavden, the owner has already let me know of the situation. Please follow me to your table.¡±


    Thank goodness I wore the nice clothes that were in my dresser.


    As we were walking past the long line of people, people started to voice their thoughts. ¡°Hey! Why do they get to skip the line?!¡±


    The dimly lit candles on the large round table illuminated the faces of everyone sitting. The food came and went quickly as small portions arrived at our table. Novius explained to us that this restaurant does not take orders, but rather seven courses of different foods are taken to the table after the previous ones are finished. The only items able to be ordered are drinks.


    The caring Elijah broke the silence between the four. ¡°Hey Novius, are you okay?¡±


    After clearing his throat, Novius let out his opinions. ¡°I¡¯m just glad they found the reason why my mom was sick. That butler was not even new. Someone paid that man to kill my mom, and it must be that Damaris family¡­¡±


    Elijah had no idea who the Damaris family was, but they were obviously a noble family that had bad relations with the Weltor family.


    ¡°Ahhh, too much food.¡±


    By the sixth course, everyone at the table was at their limit. However, Novius still seemed to have a fire in his heart and asked to go for a walk.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    The night ended rather quickly and the time came for Elijah to explore. Just to be safe, he put on his lowest quality cotton and linen clothes that were dark brown and black. The window was cracked and the only action left to do was commit. This trip full of novel stimuli had given Elijah a desire to explore.


    Hardening his mind, Elijah jumped out the window and slowed his fall by flying. His rustling clothes quickly became tamed as the hard patterned stone touched the bottom of his shoes. Just with a glance around the corner, he noticed no one was around. However, flying in this situation would be simply stupid. Instead Elijah quickly ran to the Grand park.


    Something he never had a chance to do was to look over the ledge of the park that blocks anyone from falling into the whirlpool. However, something is odd about this whirlpool.


    Backwards?


    The biggest whirlpool Elijah had ever seen was flowing backwards which doesn¡¯t make even a little bit of sense. However, the water in the whirlpool flows outside into the river that passes just next to his house.


    It was time for the big moment. Elijah climbed over the ledge and sat down underneath the railing. A couple moments later, a five year old boy was falling extremely slowly.


    From what Elijah could see, the edges of where the whirlpool stood were lined with cave entrances. This hole that everyone talks about so much doesn¡¯t look like something a meteor would pierce simply because the walls looked as smooth as stone! This is either simply erosion, or something far more destructive than a meteor.


    Elijah Flew closer to the water, and the moment he touched it, a cold sensation washed over his body followed by him losing consciousness.


    ¡­


    ¡°I will give you part of what makes me, me.¡±


    ¡°Save me! Save me!¡±


    ¡­


    The sound of a fire crackling echoed through a cave along with the dropping sounds of a dripstone.


    Elijah¡¯s head was rolling back and forth as he was trying to make sense of what was happening to him. The last thing he remembers was touching the whirlpool, and these strange voices that seemed eerily familiar to him.


    Suddenly, a deep voice hit Elijah¡¯s ear drums that jolted him awake. ¡°Are you awake yet, kid?¡±


    ¡°Wh-, Who are you?!¡± Elijah was startled. What he thought to be comfortable turned into something he didn¡¯t know how to deal with in a body like this!


    My previous life was filled with peace and safety, besides all the different types of physical training I did with my body. Even with my daily routine of stretching and body weight exercises, I am a child with almost zero muscle. What should I do?!


    The man had a large black cloak over his body that made his face invisible to the eye. ¡°Hahaha, relax kid. I¡¯m not gonna kill you. I¡¯m the reason why you are still breathing. To tell you the truth, I am no one in this kingdom, and I saw you fall from the top of this cave. It seems like you have simply appeared from thin air¡­ I know you won¡¯t understand this now, but your life has now fundamentally changed. You are corrupted just like me, or at least should be.¡± The man said as he readjusted the hood over his head.


    After staring into the darkness of what didn¡¯t seem real, Elijah begans talking to himself. ¡°Please tell me this is just a dream. Haha, this is just a dream.¡±


    The hooded man stood up on his feet. He was a shoeless and homeless bastard! ¡°Kid, you have no reason to worry. I am not your enemy.¡±


    An invisible force of resistance was within Elijah¡¯s mind, and with his wise and old mind, he was able to calm himself down with the sensical words of the mystery man. ¡°Please, tell me what you mean by corrupted.¡±


    While slowly walking side to side to ease the mind of the boy in front of him, he rested his hand on his chin while crossing his left arm around his black cloak. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, It seems what I thought was the corruption of the, hem hem. I am almost certain you now have an affinity.¡±


    Elijah knew he was about to say something important, but he didn¡¯t budge. His main goal was to get out of here as quickly as possible. Suddenly obtaining an affinity intrigued him. However, his life was priority as this can be thought over in the future.


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡± Elijah stood up and walked towards the huge cave opening that sat right in front of the violent whirlpool. This time, he is staying as far away as possible out of pure fear.


    ¡°Hahaha, what do you think you are going to do, fly through the current?!¡± The man was flabbergasted at Elijah¡¯s attempt for escape even though the man was not holding him hostage whatsoever. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to learn more about your affinity?¡±


    The water droplets that made its way into the entrance of the cave dripped down Elijah¡¯s soiled clothes and face. His face scrunched at the idea of him actually appeasing this man.


    ¡°What can you teach me?¡±

 7. Unknown Affinity

    Standing still while looking outside into the whirlpool, Elijah slowly turned around and asked in a serious tone, ¡°what can you teach me?¡±


    ¡°A lot more than you think.¡±


    With the raise of the hand man¡¯s hand, a flat circle made of water appeared above the man¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Focus, and move the mana out of your body and focus your intent to make this shape. I have no idea what your affinity will be, but this much should show us without any destruction.¡±


    Elijah was calmly listening to what the man said. His wise mind wasn¡¯t the reason For the his change in attitude, but rather his ability to instantly escape even if the man used his magic.


    A deep breath in and out was heard through the cave. Elijah stuck his hand out and moved the energy in his core outside his body. The process came naturally to Elijah. However, he was still disappointed.


    ¡°I felt the mana leave my body, but nothing happened.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure nothing happened? Why don¡¯t you look closer.¡±


    The words of mystery shocked Elijah as he realized the air, or rather the space where he supposedly made a circle, was distorted.


    ¡°Wha-, what affinity is that?!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, I have no idea myself, but it must be rather special.¡±


    Elijah knew what he saw was not ordinary, and being the curious person that he was, he tried forming a long stick shape with his mana.


    ¡°How interesting, I can easily see it now. The air is distorted far more in the small area you conjured.¡±


    ¡°I never did anything to obtain whatever this affinity is. How do you think I got it?¡±


    ¡°Well the only way to get an affinity is by absorbing one that is found in a mana crystal. These mana crystals can be found anywhere, even places outside of these walls.¡±


    Elijah was completely confused. However, the only option was to learn more by self experimentation. Firstly by using this affinity in any way possible. And secondly, using that data to figure out what element is being manipulated.


    Elements are the only things that can be manipulated with mana, and now, that obviously does not include the basic physical elements like fire, earth, air, water.


    ¡°Well I feel like everything is on me to learn now, so I will leave now. But first, I have a simple question.¡±


    The hooded man became intrigued by a simple question because as of now, the impression this kid made was far different and abnormal to how any child would act. ¡°Ask away.¡±


    ¡°Why does the whirlpool flow the way it does?¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Are you thinking that whirlpools should not flow the way the one under Centerpool flows?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you.¡±


    The conversation turned into a ¡°but if¡± argument that was ended by a single sentence.


    ¡°The water is coming from what is beneath the whirlpool.¡±


    If the water was coming from somewhere magical, that would explain the way it flows. However, the river in the north would then have to flow upstream. Unless we are directly on the equator while also being at a higher elevation.


    ¡°Thank you for the information, help, and for not killing me. I will be leaving now.¡±


    ¡°You sure are odd for a kid, especially when you are thinking about swimming in that¡­¡±


    ¡°Just you watch mystery man. This child might just blow your mind.¡±


    Elijah walked toward the edge of the cave that had a perfect outlook of the torrential whirlpool before him. The wet water drops of the violent whirlpool splashed his face. After relishing his new knowledge, Elijah lifted off the ground.


    WHOOSH!


    A small splash of water fell onto the ground after a big breath was taken. The moment the hooded man saw a boy levitate, then fly into the whirlpool, he could help but stand up and yell.


    ¡°What the hell was that?!¡±


    ¡­


    The sky was dark, and after peeking over the ledge of the Grand Park, he noticed it was exactly as he had remembered before jumping. Quiet. Elijah acted completely normal in his soaked brown and black cotton and leather clothing that seemed to be rather wet.


    Walking through the silent streets was a peaceful sight, and reminded him of his early days of going for night walks in a tree filled environment. Only this time, fantastical buildings were everywhere. Romantic details that didn¡¯t just make the building pop, but the streets as well.


    Unfortunately the peace and quiet was broken by screams.


    ¡°Elijah! Elijah! Where have you been?!¡± Don was running towards Elijah with a horribly worried expression.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just wanted to see the city at night.¡±


    Don was flabbergasted by his response. ¡°So you decided to walk around the city for two whole days!?¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    Elijah felt that everything was completely normal. However, the events that occurred were nothing like it. Being forcibly pulled into a whirlpool with distorted and familiar voices that he couldn¡¯t quite remember, and waking up in a cave underneath the inner city that a mysterious hooded man inhabited.


    ¡°You were gone for two whole days!!¡± We even had the guards looking for you!¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m so sorry. I don¡¯t remember being gone for two days. Only a couple of hours¡­¡±


    Elijah played the confused child card as he looked down at the ground. Since everything was resolved he returned to the manor and was immediately told to eat food. Elijah did not complain once, because his stomach felt completely empty.


    Over the last two days of his visit to the Weltor Estate, Elijah mostly visited with Novius.


    Elijah can proudly say that he made a new friend, and after learning more about his aspiration, he felt an attachment to Novius.


    This world was full of powerful people, and being a solo player won¡¯t cut it. To truly be powerful, you need to have powerful friends. Not to mention, there is something about it having people you enjoy around you that makes life that much more interesting.


    Instead of building connections with people who are successful, Elijah is building meaningful relationships with people who are powerful, or will be powerful in the future.


    The ride back was many times more comfortable due to the carriage and driver George provided.


    The whirlpool shooting water into both rivers that flow northeast and southwest made sense now. However, it seemed almost impossible for the whirlpool to send water up an incline, even though that was the case.


    What if on the opposite side of the earth, there was a place just like this, except for the fact that the water was flowing into the center and appearing on the opposite side of the earth. That surely wouldn¡¯t be possible without magic.


    Elijah knew his objectives. Learn about his affinity, and work on his physical body. He spent all his time learning to keep up with himself, being intelligent, and dreaded starting from scratch.


    ¡®My life was too easy in the past. I guess this is a fresh start, and an opportunity to get ahead in life.¡¯

 8. First Kill

    Between my time hanging out with Alexia, helping my mother in the garden, and learning basic rules and skills the kingdom requires, I was spending time alone in the forest behind the house.


    A small circular ripple in the air appeared in front of Elijah. Next, a rock was thrown at the ripple and its momentum was completely stopped by the ripple. It has only been one week since returning home, and Elijah has made a significant amount of progress by testing all the different ways he could use his affinity.


    Elijah gently placed his hand on the trunk of a tree, channeled his mana through his arms, and the next thing he knew¡­


    The tree was split in half.


    ¡°Space¡­ I wonder if that will work.¡±


    With curiosity brimming in his mind, Elijah''s hand stayed close in front of his chest. A semi-transparent and pearlescent-rimmed circle was created, and after sticking his hand into a space that looked indescribable, his hand disappeared when shifting the angle of his view.


    With Elijah¡¯s broad and sophisticated imagination, Elijah created another portal behind his back, and felt his own hand that he had shoved through what he knew was a portal rubbing his spine.


    ¡°Welp, I can easily say that works. The biggest question I have is how long I can last.¡± This thought was an obvious one as he knew people had limits. Growing stronger was the only option at expanding these limits.


    Months pass by very quickly as the planting season ends in Astraea. At this moment, all of the possible spells Elijah came up with in his head that he could unleash at any time were as follows.


    Spatial barrier, portal, space slash, spatial split, and a unique spatial storage spell.


    These spells all had their uses, however only one was more functional than the rest. The spatial storage spell. Elijah was simply creating a portal to a tiny pocket in space that he could reach to at any time. It was as if it was ¡°his¡± pocket in space, or connected to ¡°him¡± by unknown ways.


    Elijah could throw whatever he wanted in there, and to grab what he previously put in the space, he has to remember almost everything about it to grab it again. This was of course if it fit. Everytime the spatial storage was opened, Elijah felt a significant portion of his mana disappear. The size was where this detail mattered, and for now, a small cubic one foot space was all he could handle.


    Elijah also realized he can manipulate the mana in the environment to make the same effects happen with the added benefit of using significantly less mana. Theories related to how the dense amounts of mana in the environment allowed him to make sense of this action.


    ¡°DINNER TIME!!!¡±


    Elijah¡¯s mother is forced to scream at the top of her lungs to reach him, because she knows he is in the forest doing what he does best. Staying mysterious.


    ¡­


    3 years pass as Elijah solidifies his routine.


    Trips to the wall to check for any abnormalities, hardening his body, and studying about not just required skills, but the kingdom itself.


    Kingdom Astraea was founded over 6,000 years ago. In the books they say the first settlers saw an oasis amidst the chaos of the beast lands, which inhabits every single place in the world.


    After the first 1000 years, the outside wall was built which allowed them to truly flourish with the lush farmlands that lay within. 2000 years and they built the structure known as Centerpool, and the castle that inhabits the king. The island of centerpool was made by countless numbers of earth and metal mages that made the structure amazingly strong with the strategically placed supports that reach into the exterior of the catacombs.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    The book Elijah read on different life paths described many different ways to build a life for oneself. Mining, farming, hunting, selling, clothing, government, magitech, teaching, and architecture.


    ¡°I want to be a hunter.¡±


    Elijah silenced the dinner table, and surprisingly, no one smiled.


    It¡¯s almost like hunters are seen as people who don¡¯t care for their lives. Which makes sense when Elijah thought about when he saw the large group of hunters filled with a different king of embarrassment. Although, he has heard about the hunters who roam The Catacombs for the sole reason of protecting the kingdom. Without them, the beasts would be able to invade the inner city while taking thousands of ill-prepared lives.


    Although they were contributing greatly to the kingdom, no one thought risking their life was a good choice when everyone¡¯s life was their top priority.


    The higher-ups knew of the dismay between the people, but they also knew that they were the reason why beasts were climbing into the city through the catacombs, which seemed to house an almost endless amount of caverns.


    ¡°If you want to be a hunter, then first join the Junior Hunters, they don¡¯t go too far into the catacombs, but still always get a taste of whether they want it or not.¡±


    The words from Don soured the mood of Elijah. However, he was not a child at heart, but someone with mountains of life experiences.


    ¡°How do I join the Junior Hunters?¡±


    ¡°There is an entrance exam every year. If you decide to do it, which I won¡¯t stop you, please be careful. Lots of nobles take those tests, and not all of them are as nice as the Weltor''s.¡± Don responded somberly.


    With Elijah already being at the light red stage of his core, he was rather confident in his abilities to pass whatever exam they had.


    The only problem Elijah had right now was that his affinity was rather unique. He had no idea if it was possible to have two affinities at once, however, if the opportunity arises, he won¡¯t miss his chance.


    Dinner was over and it was already time for bed. And just like usual, Elijah would be going to the wall tonight. However, tonight was the night where he would risk more than he has ever risked before.


    Over the past three years Elijah has seen a numerous number of beasts, and many groups of hunters. And during these times, he has never once left the safety and cold stone of the wall. Maybe he flew down to the side of the wall, but never anywhere near the rocky grasslands. Just like always, Elijah takes his usual route with his black cloak he hides in his spatial storage, and makes his way to the wall without worry.


    ¡°Freedom.¡±


    The wind blowing against his face was a feeling he cherished. It reminded him of climbing a tall mountain, jumping from a hot air balloon, wingsuit diving, and driving a flying car which were mass produced 20 years before he died.


    ¡°Ashley, if only you could see where I was now¡­¡±


    WHOOSH


    Elijah went flying through the air at a speed of roughly thirty miles per hour directly southwest of the wall. The north and south had a curved mountain range that created a half circle around what Elijah could tell was a crater. To the east and west were hilly and dense forests that led to places he cannot see. And surprisingly in the northwest, was a towering volcano close to eruption that was partially hidden behind the northern mountains. The bright red lava could be seen flowing down the top of the volcano.


    Elijah¡¯s focus was the large upside down rib cage that now seemed to have a large head pointed in the direction of the wall.


    There was a small group of beasts that seemed to be coming from that direction, and from what Elijah could see, they used fire magic. Their bright orange bodies with a flaming beard were obvious to point out with healthy eyes. Blazing lions is what the books said these were.


    While approaching the beasts with a height of over seventy five feet in the air, Elijah readied mana in his arms to unleash a powerful attack.


    3¡­


    2¡­


    1¡­


    SZHING!


    A thin streak of something indescribably hard to see shot towards the beasts at the speed of lightning. Blood splattered over the floor as the backs of two lions practically rubbing against each other slumped to the floor. Out of the 7 beasts in the pack, 5 were left standing.


    ¡°It seems like this power I have is truly something.¡±


    RAAWWRRR!


    The beasts noticed a flying black figure in the sky and immediately started throwing simple fire balls towards Elijah. However, this was just a diversion. One of the blazing lions was bigger than the others, and he condensed his mana into a beam of fire that shot towards Elijah instantaneously.


    ¡°SHIT!¡±


    A large ripple in space materialized in front of his body, but was completely shattered by the power of the blast. A bright reddish-orange light flew past his head while ringing the hairs of the left of his skull. Elijah expected this much since these beasts were recorded to be solid orange or bright orange core beasts. A whole level higher than him.


    The only reason why he was able to kill 2 in the beginning was because they had no idea an attack was coming.


    This world is cruel in the way that you become powerful. Just because you are the strongest mage in the world, does not mean a knife to the jugular won¡¯t kill you.

 9. Battle Prowess

    ZSHING!


    Instead of sending a space slash attack, Elijah opted to conserve his mana, get in close, and split the space where the blazing lions were. At the moment, only sixty percent of his mana remained. These fearsome beasts with blood and saliva dripping from their mouths did not have intelligence per say, but an animalistic instinct¡­


    Elijah¡¯s attack did nothing to the beasts as they expected another attack and were already readying their counter.


    A wide breath of fire made from the combined power of the beasts.


    A premonition of death came upon Elijah, but did not faze him. A trump card that he had up his sleeve to counter anything was being cooked up in the background.


    The wall of fire that made no time for Elijah to escape was heading toward him.


    A large human sized portal appeared directly in front of his body that absorbed the flames that tried to consume him.


    Within the midst of the massive area of effect flame attack, Elijah heard the screams and cries of lions. The exit portal he created 10 meters to the right of his body had redirected the flames that were supposed to hit his body at the blazing lions.


    Contrary to his successful counter, his body was screaming and in pain and on the brink of passing out to the heat the flames gave off before they dissipated. Elijah was just 8 years old.


    How could a kid deal with something of this magnitude?


    The only option was to step through the pearlescent portal in front of him. Elijah flew out the opposite side of the portal that sent the flame breath back at the beasts, and instantly sent what was almost the rest of his mana into a horizontal space slash that slew the rest of the beasts that were relishing in their own creation.


    They thought Elijah was dead so they lowered their guard. The mana was no longer coursing through their body, which was the only reason the mana of a solid red core 8 year old could slay its attackers.


    The flared black cloak Elijah was wearing was riddled with holes from the burning and heat from the flame breath. And underneath that cloak, were minor burns scattered across his arms and legs.


    ¡°How am I going to explain this one¡­¡±


    Elijah touched down on the grassy flatlands scattered with all sizes with rocks and layed comfortably on his back.


    The sky was full of stars.


    ¡°What the¡­ Isn¡¯t that the Big Dipper?¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°And the Small Dipper!! Am I on Earth?!¡±


    The beat of Elijah''s heart increased dramatically as he thought of the possibility.


    All the animals grazing the pastures were exactly the same. Cows, chickens, sheep, and goats. Although they look slightly different, where did these animals come from?


    Over the past three years Elijah saw a small amount of wild animals that were roaming extremely close to the forests on the west side of the wall. These animals could easily be coming from somewhere safe. Somewhere outside the walls.


    Maybe the world was different 6,000 years ago.


    ¡­


    -{3rd Band, Weltor Estate}-


    Within a tall split logged office filled with magical artifacts and books sits two men staring at a dead crystal.


    ¡°Congratulations Novius, you are now a dark red core mage Your siblings may not have followed in my footsteps, but you have, and now with this affinity, you will reach heights even greater than the best magitech in Astraea!¡±


    A small spark protruded out of Novius¡¯ index finger and slowly made its way to the candle sitting in the corner of the office.


    ¡°Why does this feel so natural, father? It has only been ten minutes and I can already use it.¡±


    With a small chuckle and smile on his face, George explained the reason why. ¡°When we absorb an affinity, we become connected to every part of that element. You were immediately able to use it because one, you knew what it was, and two, because it became part of your soul. The lightning¡­ is now within you.¡±


    George sat up from his sheepskin chair and walked out with a smile to attend to his oldest son.


    Novius on the other hand had thoughts racing through his head about what he could do. The question was, did he want power, riches from magitech inventions, or both¡­


    ¡­


    -{West Wall}-


    Elijah¡¯s body was burning on fumes. The only reason he hadn¡¯t run out of it sooner was due to manipulating the environmental mana which only required a small amount of his mana for every spell.


    However, it was time to return. Without being worried about falling out of the sky, Elijah flew slowly toward the wall of which he was over 100 meters away from.


    The window behind Elijah¡¯s bed easily opened just like he left it.


    ¡°Where were you brother?¡±


    Elijah kept wrapping himself in the sheets of his bed to cover his burned clothes and body.


    ¡°I like exploring at night¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay, I do too¡±


    No more words were minced, but Julian felt suspicion coming from Elijah.


    The thought of abandoning his family has passed through his mind many times. However due to the mystery of the outside, the only choice was to stay here until he was strong enough. Elijah had this burning desire to explore everywhere outside the walls. This desire grew even greater after every dull conversation with the people around him. He was known as a lunatic.


    A child asking for death.


    The morning started with Phloria opening the door to the bedroom, and bidding good morning. ¡°Good Morning ahhhHHH!! What happened to you Elijah?!¡±


    Elijah had a frown on his face. He truly was in pain, and needed his mothers healing magic.


    ¡°I-I went for a walk last night after everyone went to bed, and was bullied by older kids who used magic¡­¡±


    Fake tears were dripping from his eyes, and all that Phloria could see was a child in pain. A soothing lukewarm touch caressed his arms and legs. Phloria was using water magic to heal his wounds. Moaning sounds could be heard from Elijah¡¯s body. The feeling of wounds being healed was ecstasy!


    After explaining to his parents that these kids were wearing hoods, they dismissed their idea of investigation, and barred Elijah from leaving the house during the night.


    What a night! Not only did I test my battle prowess, but I saw a possibility of this world being earth. Even though nothing is for certain, the similarities are too plain to ignore.


    However, knowing wouldn¡¯t benefit me, but would only make me dread whether this is the future, or the past.

 10. Frozen Rain

    Elijah continued his normal routine of exploring the wall and hunting small groups of beasts. After his close encounter he learned his lesson to keep his distance as someone who is underpowered. Elijah¡¯s affinity is rather special, but it doesn¡¯t mean anything in the face of stronger mana.


    The volcano to the northwest of the wall has been active to the point of lava spewing out of its center. The light can be seen from anyone that can see over the walls, which would only be Elijah. And anyone who ventures outside the north and west gates. At the moment the eruption starts, and that''s an if, Elijah will use everything at his disposal to get his family to safety as quickly as possible. The only question running through his mind was, where is safety. Inside the crater? Outside the walls?


    The current time of year is harvest season. During the day Elijah and Julian are putting their efforts into hauling the yields to the storage house in exchange for coins, and during the night, are relaxing with family and friends.


    ¡°Good morning. I have wheat, corn, and sweet orange potatoes.¡±


    A lady with a floral bandana over her head, and suspenders holding up her leather pants replied in amusement. ¡°Haha, your father is bringing in quite the haul this year!¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am, we got quite lucky this year, everyone got lucky this year!¡± Julian replied with a wide smile.


    The whole kingdom of Astraea truly did get lucky this year. The fields of crops were packed tightly with yield that celebrations were taking place before her eating season even came about.


    Two grueling months passed by very quickly due to how busy Elijah was. However, something very abnormal was happening at the northwest side of the wall. All types of beasts were running full force and head hitting the wall over and over again till death.


    From Elijah¡¯s guess it was the volcano, and the beasts were sensing the terror to come and following their instincts.


    Running.


    Unfortunately for the hunters, this anomaly caused the hunter guild to increase the numbers sent outside the wall. The people at the top were terrifyingly smart and powerful. This much was required to run a kingdom that never ventured outside the walls looking for life and other settlements to trade with.


    -{Hunter Guild, Centerpool}-


    At the end of a long quartz table sat the Hunter Guild Leader, Monroe Riskwell. A clean cut noble man that grew his way to power, through power. A man adjourned with red armor plates, and gray and black leather and cloth clothing resonated well with his affinity.


    ¡°I called this quick meeting to explain why I am about to send more hunters outside the north and west gates. As you may know, beasts are running head first in large numbers towards the wall. Or, they may be running away from something¡­¡± Monroe¡¯s deep red eyes made the conversation gloom, as almost every captain at the table had looks of fear on their faces. Partly due to the beast situation, but also because of that jarring and ominous man.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    A blonde haired man with red eyes spoke. ¡°The reasons make sense, but you are forgetting that the people do not want to leave the walls. Why don¡¯t you send that icy lunatic instead?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, you make me laugh Ruby, but you do have a point. I will send him immediately. Actually, why don¡¯t you Gia? You are his captain after all.¡±


    A gorgeous and perfectly fit woman perked up in her seat. ¡°Yes sir! I will gladly send that lunatic to the walls!¡±


    Monroe Riskwell was the leader of the Hunter Guild, and underneath him stood an in countable number of captains in the green and cyan core stage. Unfortunately, with the population just under one million, no one has broken past the cyan core stage. Nor does anyone know what the next stage is. This seemingly unbreakable step was something people have tried to get past ever since the dawn of Astraea.


    ¡­


    -{Outer West}-


    ¡°Wow, there is truly a bad storm approaching¡­¡±


    A fit female figure dressed in brown and black leather garments was looking out the window while holding onto her lover''s hand around her stomach.


    ¡°We¡¯ve had storms like this before, and if it really is something bad, we will make a break for the inner city. The barrier will protect us¡­¡± Don replied somberly.


    Elijah was sitting at the dinner table slowly chewing his steak. When he heard the words, ¡°the barrier will protect us¡± his heart fluttered in excitement.


    ¡°So there is a way to safety!¡± Elijah muttered under his breath.


    Don instantly looked toward him. ¡°Did you say something Elijah?¡±


    ¡°Uhh, you said something about a barrier in the inner city. Can you explain more about that?¡±


    ¡°Not really. I don¡¯t know much about it, but if something ever happens, we will find safety in the city.¡±


    Not what Elijah was looking for, but it did ease the weight on his shoulders. No one in his family knew of his magical prowess. Let alone his physical combat prowess which is nothing to be scoffed at after decades of putting down the torch.


    In Elijah¡¯s previous life, he practiced all kinds of martial arts, but found that a mixed-martial-art style suited his desire for adaptability best. Although if he were to compete, he would be breaking rules left and right due to his techniques from other niche disciplines. He stopped combat training at 90 years old due to his wife who didn¡¯t want to see him with an injury that he couldn¡¯t recover from.


    Small raindrops soon turned into a downpour that caused water to leak through the front and side door of the house. Just minutes later a symphony of beating noises were heard on the roof.


    ¡®Was it hail? Or something to do with the volcano.¡¯


    ¡°Shit! I think the rain is damaging the roof! Do you hear that noise?! It¡¯s more than just rain!¡± Don was running around the house with cloth blankets cleaning up water leaking from the roof, and blocking water from coming in from under the door.


    All Elijah was thinking was how quick things escalated. One second they were having a conversation about the weather. And the next they were getting beaten by that weather. Just as he was about to tell them we need to get to the inner city with haste, his father saved him the trouble.


    ¡°I know this might sound crazy, but never in my life have I seen this before, we should get to the city as soon as possible.¡± Don quickly exclaimed as he handed his two sons and wife towels to cover their heads.


    ¡°What about the carriage? It doesn¡¯t have a cover?!¡± Julian quickly asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, wait here. I¡¯ll make a covering for the carriage, and add the weight rune that I have in safe keeping so I can push you guys myself at a fast speed. No horse will be able to bear the pain, and all I have to do is cover myself with a thin layer of stone.¡±


    ¡°Baby, please, be careful¡­¡± Phloria had tears in her eyes, but was quickly calmed down by her two loving sons.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, remember, I was rather powerful back in the day. Frozen rain can¡¯t stop me.¡± Don gave a warm kiss to his wife before patting the head of his children, and followed by walking into a storm of death while an intricate stone armor materialized around his body.


    The carriage was directly outside the side door, so the only task was creating a roof and walls to protect his family.

 11. Tremors

    Dark Nimbus clouds covered the entirety of the west and north side of Astraea. And in the background, was a volcano on the brink of eruption. Lightning blanketed the sky, and was directed towards the volcano that reacted with mini explosions every strike.


    Don hurriedly walked to the carriage, placed both his hands in the center, and created a thin layer of stone that rounded the edges of the carriage and created the shape of an egg. Their only way was this odd looking carriage, that was ridiculously light.


    The door was busted through with Don yelling at everyone to get inside the carriage. However, Elijah stopped everyone with a single sentence. ¡°We need to save the Sinclair¡¯s!¡±


    ¡°There is plenty of room for them, so that won¡¯t be a problem. Having another earth mage would only help us.¡± Don quickly replied.


    The family ran to the safety of the carriage while Don materialized a thin stone helmet and ran to the back of the carriage. With a single push the family knew they had a chance for safety. And that chance grew even greater when they were accompanied by the Sinclair¡¯s.


    ¡°Thank goodness you are okay Mitch, now help me push this carriage to safety, the only option is the west gate.¡± Don said.


    Mitch nodded with the same thin layer of stone around his body. Being an earth mage gives you access to not just dirt, but gravel, stone, mud, and so much more as long as you have understood the specific part of the earth element.


    Suddenly, the ground started shaking, which sent a shock and threw everyone vying for safety to the ground. Not even moments later, an ear splitting explosion was heard. The volcano had climaxed!


    BABOOM!


    The shockwave of the explosion itself took time to reach the two families. Don and Mitch struggled to keep the carriage straight, and were completely knocked off their feet with a shockwave that also damaged the carriage and themselves. The left rear wheel was completely blown off and was just slightly thrown to the side. Chaos was everywhere, while doubt entered the minds of the humans that had their lives within the hands of their loved ones.


    ¡°FUCK! WE CAN STILL MAKE IT!¡±


    Don steeled his resolve and picked up the wheel-less side of the carriage and continued moving forward in a zigzag line. The tremors never stopped, but only felt different. These tremors were not from some supernatural disaster, but from something that was alive!


    Inside the egg of safety, the two families were lying on top of each with bruises everywhere on their body as they had just been thrown around like ragdolls. Julian had a broken arm from his mother¡¯s shoulder falling on it, and Mike, the oldest of the Sinclair siblings, had both his ankles completely shattered from landing awkwardly.


    All Elijah was thinking was how the volcano had just erupted, and they did not have much time until a wave of hot ash disintegrated everything in the west side of Astraea.


    However, at least something good had happened. The hail had completely stopped with the explosion of the volcano, which dropped the temperature of the air dramatically. There was this small amount of time until the ash and rocks destroyed everything in its wake, which meant it was time for Elijah to put his all into saving his family, and with a new application of his space magic. A portal opened on the side of the egg that allowed him to move through the thin stone layer protecting everyone inside.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°Elijah! W-what are you doing?!¡± Everyone was crying because of their injuries, especially Phloria who had broken his own son''s arm.


    ¡°I will explain when everyone is safe. The frozen rain has stopped, so don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Elijah told everyone with a smile on his face.


    The moment Elijah exited the egg, he noticed small cracks all over the grass and dirt road. They were less than a minute away from West Road, and Elijah couldn¡¯t help but feel the pain wasn¡¯t over. Especially with the rhythmic tremors that were coming from the northwest.


    ¡°Elijah! What the hell are you doing?!¡± Don was furious and scared for his child. He gave no response and proceeded to help Don and Mitch push the carriage faster.


    However, when the carriage made it to West Road, Elijah took a glance towards the west gate and noticed it wide open with what seemed like hordes of beasts funneling through the small passageway.


    ¡°FATHER! WE HAVE TO HURRY! THE BEASTS ARE COMING!¡±


    The declaration made by Elijah put Don and Mitch into full gear as they feared what would come if they didn¡¯t make it to the wall.


    Within the midst of chaos, a bright tan light shot up into the sky from the center of the crater. The vibrations of the sound barrier being demolished resonated through the ears of everyone. The light stopped, and slowly spread out in a spherical formation while covering the entirety of the inner city.


    Don automatically knew that was the safety net of the kingdom. If something bad were to ever happen, the inner city would stay safe.


    Elijah took a moment to look behind him and noticed tons of carriages doing exactly what they were doing, except for the difference being that they were too late. The beasts entering through the gate were throwing all kinds of spells at anything moving and standing in their way.


    The strong stone and wooden buildings expertly crafted by the best magical architects were torn to pieces as they didn¡¯t have a shred of mana in them to protect them from the balls of fire and stone horns being thrown by the ravaging beasts. Screams of pain and death were echoing throughout the outer region.


    ¡°ALMOST THERE! KEEP PUSHING!¡± Don was yelling at the top of his lungs as a motivational force for Mitch and Elijah. However, the people inside the egg were starting to notice it was safe to come out, and noticed a small group of beasts coming from the north west. With a single point of a finger, Elijah disappeared from behind the carriage.


    From Elijah¡¯s memory, this group of six beasts were poison salamanders, a reptilian beast that were rare to see due to never leaving the towering jungle of the west. With a wave of his hand, Elijah split the space incapacitating three beasts at once due to the chaos that distracted them.


    The last three salamanders shot simple poison attacks in different shapes towards Elijah that he easily evaded by flying to the right. ¡°It¡¯s too bad poison is not meant for head on battles.


    Directly after the salamanders finished their attacks, a wave of Elijah¡¯s hand split them in half. Some people would describe it as the hand of god, and others, the hand of destruction.


    ¡°Elijah, what did you just do?!¡± Don was in shock after seeing Elijah return as if an angel sent from heaven. Although, the beasts that were just slayed were mere red core beasts with a rare affinity not suitable for direct confrontations.


    ¡°I have been able to use magic for some time now. I will explain everything when we are safe. Now focus!¡± The words that escaped from Elijah¡¯s mouth weren¡¯t words of a nine year old, but a seasoned veteran keeping his cool in tough situations.


    ¡°PUSH FASTER! THE BEASTS HAVE LOCKED ON TO US!¡± Words of discomfort came from Alexia¡¯s mouth as she was looking out the left side of the carriage. Besides the fact that she was in awe from what Elijah did, she saw a much bigger number of terrifying beasts coming their way. The moment of truth had only just started, and Elijah had no idea if he could hold all of them back himself.

 12. Never Giving Up

    High in the sky, was a tsunami of ash and rock falling at great speeds. And below, was a stone clad carriage with three wheels moving as fast as possible towards safety.  The carriage was just under 1000 feet from the start of the tunnel, however, it was packed with people coming from the houses lined up against the side of the mountains.


    ¡°Father, I need you guys to keep going, I will kill as many beasts as possible while staying safe.¡± Elijah turned to tell Don his plan while pushing the carriage.


    ¡°I can¡¯t allow that.¡± Don replied but it was too late, Elijah was already moving towards the beasts with his superior flight ability.


    Blazing lions, poison salamanders, earth rhino¡¯s, water toad¡¯s, and ice bears were all fighting each other while moving towards a large concentration of people. Suddenly, a large chunk of them were split completely in half by a tiny mage flying in the air.


    Instead of manipulating the environment, he opted for a horizontal space slash that slayed more than fifteen beasts running in the center of the road. Seconds later, different battle cries were heard as a symphony of elemental attacks shot in the direction of Elijah.


    Elijah¡¯s plan was to kill off as many beasts as possible who weren¡¯t paying attention to what was in front of them, and then to use their own attack against them to once again massacre another large group of beasts. A large oval pearlescent and translucent rimmed portal appeared in front of Elijah, the largest one he had ever conjured. The portal absorbed a large amount of the beast''s attacks and sent them flying toward their creators.


    In the background, Don saw a flash of all kinds of colors as he looked back. His son was giving them a fighting chance.


    After quickly changing positions by using the smoke and chaos as cover, Elijah once again swung his hand in a horizontal motion close to the ground. ¡°Eight more down, an uncountable number left to go¡­¡±


    The towering ice bears were the biggest worry of Elijah as the more beasts he killed, the more of these ice bears he saw. After taking a glance closely at his space slash attack that he could only use 2 more times, he noticed the bears were reacting to it every time. Instead of joining the chaos and killing their brethren, they continued walking as wounds from the beasts around them added up on their thick fur bodies.


    ¡°It seems these ice bears have half a brain.¡± Elijah retreated after saying those words. He needed to regain as much mana as possible and prepare for a final attack, or a final reflection. All they needed was more room and to solve the situation that is holding up the people from entering the walls.


    However, something changed Elijah¡¯s train of thought. In the midst of battle, he completely forgot about the aftermath of the eruption. The ash and rocks were nearing closer. How could he be so careless? How could he get lost in the bloodshed?


    ¡°We have to move faster, get inside the carriage and I will speed us up!¡± Based on Elijah¡¯s performance so far, Don and Mitch only slightly hesitated before following along. With his hands palace on the underside of the carriage, Elijah sped up while struggling to keep moving in a straight line. Too fast would spell death, and too slow would spell death.


    ¡°WHY IS EVERYONE STANDING HERE?! WE NEED TO GET INSIDE!¡± The moment the carriage reached the beginning of what seemed like a line of people begging for their lives, Don stood up in the carriage and saw a disgusting scene. The guards were still charging silver coins for entry into the city.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Elijah flew up 10 feet into the air to see them. However, he could not intervene, he is the only reason why anyone here would survive.


    ¡°GO DAD!¡± Elijah screamed at the top of his lungs. Don knew exactly what he meant, and got to work at solving the dilemma of the gate. The reason why the people did not gang up on the guards due to almost everyone having magic was that the guards on the inside were watching and could easily keep the gates shut if they wanted to.


    Solely based on his eyesight, Elijah knew there were hundreds of beasts scattered behind them. It was impossible to guarantee the safety of everyone by killing them himself, but if he used the environment, there was a chance.


    Elijah quickly pushed the carriage further towards the gate and in the process caused a lot of people pain by squishing them.


    WHOOSH!


    The instant Elijah flew into the sky, he started to feel tiny pieces of ash landing on his face. This was a necessary process required to time what he was about to do perfectly.


    15¡­


    9¡­


    3¡­


    2..


    1¡­


    ¡°NOW!¡± Elijah screamed to himself to give him a boost in confidence. He quickly flew down to the ground while erecting a massive curved and pearlescent spatial barrier in the shape of a quarter of a sphere, and fit it perfectly with the wall. The sight of people being torn apart while running for their lives burned his soul. However, he knew what he was currently doing would save more people¡­


    Elijah¡¯s core was burning due to the amount of mana he was using to manipulate the environment. If he had done it any sooner, his spell would have been destroyed by the beasts who detected magic being casted.


    ¡°Genius!¡± Mitch saw me struggling and joined in the process of creating a stone barrier underneath Elijah¡¯s space barrier, and within the nick of time as well.


    ¡°Ahhhh, I-I can¡¯t keep this up any longer, please tell me you are finished!¡± Elijah said while laying on his back with his right hand in the air. Deafining sounds of rocks blasting apart into smithereens were repeating over and over.


    Luckily, while Mitch was focusing on reinforcing the barrier, he yelled for other earth mages to help him, which successfully created a barrier the moment Elijah passed out.


    Being a mage doesn¡¯t mean you can use offensive magic. The imagination is the tool of your magical spells. For someone who has lived a comfortable life of using their affinity as a utility, they effectively trap themselves into a certain way of thinking. In other words, their mind is closed and unable to receive new information, which affects the spells they can imagine.


    How would you even conjure something you never saw, thought of, or experienced yourself?


    The moment every crack was filled with a thick stone barrier, the minimal amount of light had turned into complete darkness within the area of the barrier.


    ¡°Elijah! What happened to Elijah?!¡± Don returned to the carriage while stumbling over the people on the floor, as well as the carriage.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he just ran out of mana. H-he saved us!¡± Mitch was full of tears and relief after seeing Elijah¡¯s performance. Although, he assumed he saved them from the beasts. No one in this world has experienced a volcano before, albeit knew what a volcano was.


    ¡°The guards are letting everyone through the gates! Hurry and start running!¡± Don adamantly told everyone in the carriage and the surrounding area to start moving forward, but was interrupted by a loud explosion.


    BOOM!


    Loud footsteps of people running away, and shouts of people saying to run were drowned out by the chaos that ensued the stone barrier. The impact of the explosion threw Don into the side of the carriage with Elijah in his arms. Everyone besides Don and Elijah were trapped within the movement of the people trying to save themselves.


    ¡°Dammit! My back!¡± Don¡¯s back made direct contact with the carriage and sent a sharp pain down his spine and legs. ¡°ELIJAH! I NEED YOU! WAKE UP!!!¡±


    ¡°Argghhh¡­¡± Elijah slowly opened his eyes and realized the situation around him. A gaping hole in the sole reason why he is still alive, and outside that hole, was a barren wasteland of smoking black ash and rocks. Dozens of ice bears were slowly walking out of the ice coffins they made to protect themselves from the ash.


    ¡°Father¡­¡± Elijah stared at his father with a broken expression. He was alive but had blood pooling around his hips.


    The only option was to fight, this man, his second father, cared for him so much. With all his experience under his belt, how could he not try and save him. Elijah''s starry blue eyes became indifferent to his inevitability as he slowly stood up.


    At the top of his small lungs, he practically blew out his vocal cords as he said, ¡°YOU WILL NOT KILL ME!!!¡±

 13. Savior

    The heart of a boy was thumping wildly at the idea of dying.


    Small eight inch icicles were being thrown towards Elijah at a speed he could not understand. He used the little mana he could muster to create a small portal while ducking to the ground. Fear was washing over him, and especially when the only thing he was looking at was the wet dirt and rock floor.


    Unsurprisingly, his counter did nothing as the ice bears barely used any of the mana on a child teetering on the line of life and death.


    ¡°I WILL NOT GIVE UP¡± Throwing the torch of his life to the ground, Elijah flew directly outside the stone barrier and used the rest of his mana in his body to send one final slash directly after the ice bears launched a barrage of icicles.


    ¡°Hahahaha, why do I feel no pain¡­¡± Elijah slumped to the ground on his back along with the heads of three ice bears. Small icicles were scattered all over his body. Though they were shallow, the quantity made up for it. His mana had completely run dry and he no longer felt a shred of life. The hoarse screams of his father were dulled. The burning sensation of the hot ash and rocks felt non-existent. And most importantly, Elijah¡¯s drive to live was extinguished.


    ¡°What¡¯s the point in suffering again just to live in fake peace¡­¡± Elijah said while noticing the large amount of towering ice bears standing over his body.


    However, the moment he said those words, he felt everything in the area gradually slow to a feeble crawl. The ice bear¡¯s claws were headed towards Elijah¡¯s throat, yet were moving slower and slower the more time went on.


    A familiar voice murmured into his bloody ears¡­


    ¡°I respect you kid.¡± A man with white hair and icy blue eyes beautifully skated his ice path he created while carrying a light-gray haired woman with a long gray and white dress.


    Five human sized spears made of ice materialized above the icy man¡¯s head, and pierced through dozens upon dozens of ice bears, as well as any beasts that managed to survive the aftermath of the volcano.


    Seconds after the battlefield went quiet. A warm and bright light enveloped Elijah¡¯s body which brought him back to the land of the living. However, Elijah was no longer conscious during this part. He was swiftly carried by the ice man, while the light mage carried Don.


    Was it all worth it?


    ¡­


    -{Inner West Health Haven}-


    A group of seven worried and anxious people were surrounding the badly beaten warriors with dumb luck. Thanks to the healing of the water mages, almost all of their wounds were healed. However, water magic wasn¡¯t able to repair the badly beaten mind and soul of the patient, as well as the damaged nerves and spine of Don. At least not yet.


    Elijah had awoken after 3 days of on and off rest. During this time Elijah was traveling deep into his mind and remembering some important details of his reincarnation.


    Due to wanting to process his thoughts, his eyes stayed closed as he let his mind wander.


    ¡­


    ¡°I witnessed your successful, but boring life.¡±


    ¡°Every principle of any element can be shown with your imagination.¡±


    ¡°I will give you part of what makes me, me.¡±


    ¡°Save me! Save me!¡±


    ¡­


    It seems at unknown times while either sleeping or unconscious, Elijah remembers parts of after his death and before reincarnation. The only phrases  that caught his attention were how every principle of any element can be shown with your imagination, and Elijah obtaining a part of what this ¡°it¡±, ¡°it¡±.  However, it was a conversation between two people, or atleast a human or an ¡°it¡± that could understand english.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Elijah remembers the moments leading to seeing his savior, and feeling everything in the environment slowly come to a crawling speed. Could that be what this mystery person means?


    Principles of ice that come to mind are cold, freezing, and slow. To be able to instill those principles through magic would only be possible with a wealth of knowledge that would only be prevalent in an expanding and prosperous society. Everything in Astraea Kingdom is managed by magic. No one uses ice themselves, but instead uses ice runes to cool or freeze whatever they need. Farming processes are expedited due to lowering the weight of almost everything with a weight rune as they call it, which isn¡¯t lowering the weight, but lowering the gravity of an object. By taking shortcuts, you never understand what is happening in between.


    When is a tool considered a crutch?


    ¡­


    -{Astraea Castle, Council Tower}-


    Riveted stone columns act as supports for the windowless extravaganza that is a meeting room for The Council. The Council has a 360 degree view of the entirety of the Inner city. Chimneys are puffing out smoke, tiny specks are walking the streets. And from above, lays a semi-transparent magical barrier that is powered from a light that shoots into the sky. This magical barrier creates a half-sphere of protection that stops at the inner gates and lines the ring of mountains that creates the crater. However, due to the ash and rocks that came from the volcano, there is no longer any light passing into the city.


    At a large rectangular quartz table sits sixteen powerful men and women. The king with his right and left hand. And the twelve council members and leaders that keep the wagons moving throughout the kingdom.


    With a clear of his throat the mighty King Astraea says, ¡°There are many items we need to address in the coming weeks. Firstly, we need to fully understand the situation of what happened to the outer region. Secondly, recover as many bodies as possible and send them to the underworld. And lastly, recover as much farmland as possible. What is blocking the light and life of the sun, is most definitely covering the ground of the outer region.¡±


    A tall confident man with black hair and deep red eyes responded quickly. ¡°I understand your majesty. Shall I send the Judges or the Captains? There are certainly beasts roaming in the outer territory now.¡±


    ¡°How about this Balal, allow anyone who is willing to volunteer to go to the outer region to recover their fallen brethren. If the beasts are roaming the farmlands, either kill them all, or kill as many as you can.¡±


    ¡°I favor that idea.¡± Lucian Vespertine, the Council head, speaks his mind in agreement.


    Every council member has their own territory they oversee, with the ability to send judges and captains who reside in those areas on specific missions. Mostly in the catacombs, and rarely outside the walls. Council members are people of magical power who have proven their worth to the kingdom, and are the final line of defense against any calamity.


    ¡­


    -{Outer West, Health Haven}-


    Tears of joy were coming from the Veran and Sinclair families as they finally met the people responsible for their loved ones'' survival.


    ¡°My name is Amaris, the Ice Judge.¡±


    ¡°My name is Freya, the Light Judge.¡±


    Amaris had a smile on his face as he walked towards Elijah¡¯s bed. ¡°I can tell you are awake, kid.¡±


    Elijah was not shocked, but accepted his defeat. Slowly, his body leaned forward in his bed, and his deep blue eyes shocked the people in the room with the starry glint that was within. ¡°Thank you for saving me¡­ Is my father okay?¡±


    Phloria hugged him tightly knowing that his large number of wounds were healed. ¡°Your father is still asleep, but don¡¯t worry, he is alive and will wake up soon. I hope¡­¡±


    Amaris said, ¡°we will talk later,¡± before exiting the room.


    In actuality, the gracious water mages that were responsible for the four badly injured patients explained to them that no matter how much water magic they used, Don¡¯s nerves and spine still remained damaged without any sign of healing. This wasn¡¯t necessarily the limit of magic, or even that of water magic. Unfortunately, the level of mana that was needed for this type of action was something the kingdom was short on. Only a cyan water mage would be able to have any sort of effect.


    All hope was not lost, as Freya the Light Judge stepped forward.


    ¡°I can heal his body, however I have seen this before and even with my intervention, the mind will have to slowly adapt to the change in the body''s state.¡±


    Elijah nodded in embarrassment. Do the people in this kingdom not realize what has happened? Do they know what nerves are in the body? Do they even understand how the body works?


    It seems not only the magical tools that have been made are crutches that eliminate the need to know what is happening in between, but also the use of healing magic eliminates the need to take deep dives into understanding the body.  Everyone in the city is extremely healthy and fit, besides lazy people who drink alcohol on a daily basis. The only injuries occurring are wounds from sparring and hunter missions in the catacombs and outside the walls.

 14. A New Home

    During what everyone assumed was dawn, Don had woken up due to the magic Freya employed. With no feeling in the lower half of his body, Don was quite scared, but was given hope with his family explaining how the Light Judge healed him. A medic walked up to the family and asked a serious question. ¡°Due to the large number of injured citizens, we need the space to serve them. Do you all have a place to stay temporarily?¡±


    The Sinclairs and Veterans looked at each other, and seconds later, Don spoke. ¡°The Weltor¡¯s will house us all.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure honey?¡±


    ¡°Yes I am sure, that man owes me more favors than I can count on both of my hands¡­¡±


    ¡°I will gladly arrange a carriage for you, but you will still have to pay for the fee.¡± The medic kindly said.


    ¡°Absolutely. And don¡¯t worry about intruding, the Weltor¡¯s have plenty of space for you all.¡± Phloria said while smiling at the Sinclair¡¯s.


    Thanks to the experience the medic¡¯s have in the kingdom, Don was given a foldable chair with large wheels that was wildly similar to a wheelchair.


    Two covered brown and black carriages pulled by two horses each pulled in front of the tightly cramped Health Haven. The lot was currently near the edge of the inner west just before the immense amounts of mountain houses and shops. The height of their current position allowed them to see the entire city brightly lit up by lanterns, torches, and candles. The biggest light source being the beam of light coming from the very center of the castle that shot into the sky.


    The Veran and Sinclair family loaded onto the carriage slowly, and headed straight for the main road that led to Centerpool. Carriages were moving with goods filled to the brim, citizens were dressed nicely in their leather garments while walking to their jobs, and men and women dressed in dirty attire were headed to the catacombs for mining. Elijah was sure everyone had gone into a panic and returned to their homes, but already normal ways of life continued even with the loss of the sun. However, things were destined to change.


    As the two carriages arrived in front of the grand Weltor Estate, the large iron gate slowly swung open. The new butler was told to open the gate for anyone who stopped in front, as it could very likely be people George holds close to his heart.


    ¡°Welcome to the Weltor Estate, may I know your names?¡±


    ¡°The Veran family, and their wonderful friends.¡± Phloria was the first to speak as Don was paralyzed in the carriage.


    ¡°I see. you may come inside.¡± The butler bowed as he pointed to the tall blue door. However, when he saw the struggle of the man being dragged out of the carriage, he ran forward to help assist.


    ¡°Elijah!¡± The moment the two families walked through the door, Novius was leaning against the railing on the third floor as he stared down into the grand foyer with a starry blue carpet.


    ¡°Novius, it is a pleasure to see you again!¡± Elijah was beyond excited as this person was someone who Elijah considered his first male friend.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°Is Novius a friend of yours?¡± Alexia asked.


    ¡°Yes, he indeed is.¡±


    With a single glance the entire Sinclair family was astonished at the place they were witnessing. Coming from a family of farmers and gardeners, this made sense.


    ¡°What an incredible mansion, what exactly does this family do to live as a noble?¡±


    Elijah turned around and said with a smile. ¡°Magitech!¡±


    As Novius was walking down the sets of stairs, Phloria asked, ¡°Novius, where is the rest of your family?¡±


    ¡°They are all away. George is at the lab, my mother is with her friends, and my siblings are at the Hunter guild.¡±


    ¡°Your siblings are part of the Hunter guild?¡±


    ¡°Yes, although Beatrix is currently taking a test to become a junior Hunter, Isla and Eaton are already Junior hunters. Given the end of the year is approaching, all school, and Junior activities are soon to stop as the harsh weather comes through. Since I am nine, I am stuck here with the butler, maids, and tutor¡­¡± Novius was quite depressed, although he had something up his sleeve he wanted to show Novius, which gave him a sense of joy.


    Both families were quite impressed and congratulated Novius on his family''s accomplishments. To be a busy family is only a good thing.


    ¡°If I may ask, do you all have luggage you would like me to grab?¡± The butler kindly asked.


    ¡°Unfortunately we do not due to the calamity. We were hoping to seek refuge here.¡± Phloria calmly explained but was later interrupted.


    ¡°George owes me too many favors to decline this request, and with the amount of this in this estate, why even bother thinking about it! So I suggest you just let us be and accept us as your new roommates.¡± Don said everything that was on his mind as if he had no filter. He was in anguish and still could not fathom the idea of not being able to move his legs.


    The two families chose their rooms on the second floor that were meant for guests. With a total of 8 rooms, there were no arguments about who should get what.


    With a small knock of a door, Novius opened to see Elijah and Alexia. ¡°Ah, you must be Alexia, Elijah has told me a little bit about you.¡± Novius welcomed them inside his overly large room for a kid.


    ¡°Yes, that is me. If you don¡¯t mind me asking, what do you want to do when you grow up?¡± Alexia confidently asked as if she had a motive.


    Novius stood still before quickly smiling. ¡°I want to be a magitech engineer that creates tech suitable for hunters while also being a hunter myself!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. I only asked because Elijah is someone who is going to be very powerful, and he can¡¯t be held back by people without goals.¡±


    Elijah was very shocked at Alexia¡¯s behavior right now. They have spent so much time together, and now he is seeing a new side to her. Determination.


    ¡°Are you okay Alexia?¡± Elijah asked with a caring expression.


    ¡°Yes I am very good.¡±


    Novius was more curious about Elijah¡¯s affinity than his odd question. ¡°So Elijah, which affinity did you get?¡±


    Elijah scratched the back of his head and answered awkwardly. ¡°Uhhh, It¡¯s kinda hard to explain, but I will tell you later tonight.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it must be something rather special then.¡± Novius said as he watched Elijah walk to the balcony.


    Thoughts about flying around the kingdom were running through his head, however, the idea of nearing the whirlpool scared him greatly. He has no idea how he ended up where he did.


    ¡°Hey Novius, sometime tomorrow I want you to show me the suit you have finished. I¡¯m assuming it¡¯s done right?¡± Elijah asked Novius a question rather confidently.


    With a small chuckle Novius said. ¡°Oh it¡¯s done alright.¡±


    After their short conversation, the three heard a loud shout in the grand foyer. ¡°I AM HOME!!!¡±


    The three kids instantly ran down the stairs to see George soberly greeting the two guest families. Behind George were Beatrix, Isla, and Eaton.


    Pleasantries and condolences were exchanged for the injuries and mental trauma everyone experienced. Directly after, George announced  a special dinner where he would relay important news to everyone. The current state of the kingdom, which he only knows because of his privilege to one of the council members.

 15. Status

    At a long wooden and blue clothed table, laid an abundance of color and flavor. Steaks, chicken, potatoes, mixed veggies, fruits, wine, and milk.


    ¡°What an amazing spread George!!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, thank you for the kind words Elijah, but this is all thanks to the maids and their exceptional cooking and preparation skills.¡±


    With fifteen people graciously sitting at the dining table, conversations were being thrown around left and right. George was conversing with Don and Phloria about his situation,  and Novius and Elijah were having conversations with all the siblings about the Junior Hunter Program.


    As half the food was gone and the eating started to slow, George interrupted the dinner table. ¡°Ahem, pardon for my interruption, but it is time for the main dish.¡± A long gulp of his water made, and the sound of the glass cup against the table started the announcement. ¡°I truly do not want to scare any of you, but knowing this is important for you to think about your future, especially the kids. The outer west and north are littered with black ash and rocks that have practically destroyed the farmland. Beasts are roaming the lands and are slowly going to be killed by hunters and judges with the intent to repair the wall when the chance arises. There are multiple holes within the wall from what looks like rocks that fell from the sky. The daylight situation will hopefully be cleared within the next fortnight. However, from what I have heard, there are an extremely large number of beasts outside the walls. Do not tell anyone this as I expect the council is downplaying the situation. Nothing like this in the history of Astraea has ever happened before. And if it comes down to it, we will be forced to eat the meat of the beasts we kill.¡±


    Silence sat in the room as many people took huge gulps at the realization of the situation.


    The only thought going through Elijah¡¯s mind was how he could help. He was nearing ten years old, and from the sound of it, the Hunter Guild would need all the help they could get. However, going public as a hunter would mean people would find out his affinity. Just to be on the safe side, only the people close to him can know. Although, is it possible to have two affinities?


    Worried chatter started echoing through the room, but Julian asked a question that silenced their thoughts. ¡°What was even the cause of this calamity?¡±


    ¡°That is a question that I do not know, however, there is one last thing I wanted to tell you that might give you all some hope, the kingdom hope. 3 days from now, there will be a gathering in the Grand Park to explain the plan for the kingdom, and to address every issue that the people have.¡±


    Elijah desperately wants to know if any of the Junior Hunter¡¯s are going to be sent to the outer region to help, but part of him already knows the answer.


    Dinner finished with food still on the table due to the sour news that lowered the hearts of the people, and Elijah walked outside with Novius and Alexia. As the three were walking down the neat cobblestone sidewalk, Novius casually popped a question into the air. ¡°So Alexia, what are your goals in life?¡±


    Alexia tilted her chin up confidently and said, ¡°I want to be strong, and help people!¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°So you want to be a healer?¡±


    ¡°Yes I guess so, but I don¡¯t have an affinity yet. My family are simple farmers and have been saving up for this exact moment. But we lost everything in the calamity and have to start over. I don¡¯t even think we have started, considering we will be staying in your house thanks to your generous father¡­¡±


    Alexia was clearly holding back her emotions and suffering because of it. Elijah put his hands on her shoulders and gently massaged them, then moving up the back of the neck to release tension and stress. She felt no ill will or embarrassment due to this being something natural everyone does in this kingdom. Massages were a vital part of health due to its ability to lower stress dramatically. Stress can be held within muscles, and the rise of massages brought about massage clinics where the masseuse¡¯s go in depth into every part of the body. Some people would call it sexual, and some would call it healing.


    ¡°I know the three of us haven¡¯t known or seen each other for a very long time, but I believe this is the start of a beautiful friendship. If we are all eyeing to become stronger, then why don¡¯t we vow to explore outside the walls!¡± Elijah exclaimed as he threw his fist up into the air.


    Novius and Alexia both look at Elijah with worried eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but that is not something I can agree with.¡±


    Elijah was hoping his friends were different from the norm, and similar to Amaris. Instead of probing more about why, he calmly responded. ¡°Okay, I understand. This kingdom is pretty great anyway, who knows if there is life outside the walls.¡±


    ¡°There is not.¡± Novius responded without hesitation. A response that seemed automatic.


    ¡°How would you know that?¡±


    ¡°Simple, if there was life outside the walls, we would know by now. It has been six thousand years.¡±


    Elijah continued walking with a worried expression in his head. The time may come when he has to abandon his friends. Fortunately, it would be rather easy for him as he has already done it in his past life multiple times. He understands that not everything lasts, except for maybe his life cycles, which he still wonders if this is just a one time exception, or a never ending cycle where he just happened to be lucky and retain his memories. The person he is now may truly not be Lukas, but instead of memories that were somehow transferred between the death and life of two people. This explanation would follow with his idea of how life is cyclical and eternal, because if it was not, life would not exist in the first place.


    The three returned to the Weltor Estate, and greeted their families on the way to Novius¡¯ bedroom. Elijah raised his hand into the air and conjured a portal from which he pulled out a black cloak littered with holes.


    ¡°How did you do that?¡± Novius and Alexia both asked the same questions as they were dumbfounded from the performance.


    Elijah gave a quick smile and replied. ¡°Space magic¡±


    Both of his friends questioned him about his magical affinity and watched as Elijah demonstrated the possibilities. However, Elijah said that even with this powerful affinity, it was not possible to cut through the magic of other more powerful beasts. This was a fact Elijah unfortunately found out himself. It does not matter what affinity you have, if two attacks clash, the attack that came from the more powerful core would win one hundred percent of the time.


    Elijah knew there had to be some type of workaround to such a flaw of the way magic works. In fact, his portal of transference is the perfect example of this. Magic that transcends the limits of cores. However, there had to be more uses, and especially spells like his portals that originate from different elements.


    ¡°Novius, instead of asking me questions, why don¡¯t you show us your affinity?¡± Elijah said with an eyebrow lifted.


    ¡°I think you might be onto something Elijah, and if you will, please cut the candles.¡± Novius responded as he walked into the center of the room.


    Darkness and silence spread throughout the bedroom, and then it happened. A small and controlled string of white energy spread into smaller strings as it made its way to the cut candles. Novius was doing all of this with one hand, while holding his other hand as if he was about to snap his fingers.


    Snap*


    The candle¡¯s in the room instantly lit up again with the snap of Novius¡¯ fingers.


    Elijah was excited beyond belief. ¡°Lightning?¡±

 16. Expected Interruption

    Novius was surprised to hear Elijah¡¯s guess, although part of him knew it wasn¡¯t a guess. Lightning was an extraordinary affinity that had so many possibilities. Especially if Novius fully understood the idea of enacting the principles of lightning into his magic. Lightning is not just the color white, but can actually appear as any color in the UV spectrum.


    ¡°Hey Novius, this is an odd question, but do you think having two affinities at once is possible?¡± Elijah asked a question that piqued Alexia¡¯s interest.


    ¡°Two affinities at once? I have never heard of that before. It would make sense if it''s not possible, and honestly, I hope it is. Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want anyone knowing of my special affinity, so I want to use a basic affinity like water to hide my true power.¡± Elijah was very serious about this idea, and explained his reasoning with the same tone.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you want to hide your power, but you can do whatever you want to do.¡±


    ¡°Sorry to ruin the moment lady and gentlemen, but I need to speak to the man you call Elijah.¡± Words came from the balcony door as a man with white hair and black fur garments was seen.


    Novius stepped back in fear at the sound and sight of seeing an unknown man who was drowning in the shadows, appear on his balcony, especially in the dead of the night, or what everyone assumed was the night.


    Elijah was not scared one bit. In fact, he was expecting someone in particular to have a conversation that was supposed to happen after leaving the Health haven. Elijah was forced to quicken his steps towards the dominant figure while calming down Novius and Alexia with statements of safety. Once he reached the man with an exceptional taste of clothing, Elijah calmly asked a question. ¡°So Amaris, what would you like to talk about?¡±


    ¡°Everything.¡±


    The word not only confused the two passive children behind Elijah, but scared them.


    ¡°Is it okay if my two friends hear the conversation?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Amaris seemed heavily intrigued by Elijah as his manner of speaking was quick and efficient as if he wanted to skip to the main dish.


    ¡°What is your affinity?¡±


    ¡°Wow, you surely don¡¯t waste time do you? Are you in a rush?¡± Elijah was surprised.


    ¡°You always seem to impress me, kid. Even with a powerful figure coldly asking you questions you still have time to make jokes. I¡¯ll stop with the funny business then, let¡¯s have a casual conversation.¡±


    Elijah nodded with a smile while showing Amaris to the seating meant for five people. ¡°My affinity is space.¡±


    Amaris was not surprised by this answer, which made what he saw outside the gate make sense. The ripple Elijah threw towards the ice bears that cleanly chopped their heads off happened due to him literally splitting the space in between the neck. The power that Elijah could have by embodying what space is within his magic would easily allow him to reach the same heights as Amaris.


    ¡°That is a very unique affinity, how fortunate. But how does that allow you to fly?¡± Amaris asked as he stepped closer towards ElijahUnauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I actually learned how to fly before I received my affinity.¡±


    ¡°Learned how to fly?¡± Novius and Alexia questioned this idea but were dumbfounded when Elijah literally started to levitate.


    ¡°It would make sense if your affinity allowed you to fly, to traverse space without restriction, but your ability to fly is completely something else¡­Well, I came here to see the potential you have, and I was not disappointed. I really hope you join the Junior hunters, a special exam is now being held whenever there is demand. However, these exams are much more difficult now. The hunters can¡¯t be wasting their time on trash.¡±


    ¡°I understand, I turn ten years old in 1 month.¡±


    Amaris nodded and told me he expected a familiar face in the ranks of the Junior hunters along with Novius, who was a lightning mage. A chill spread throughout the bedroom as Amaris walked towards the balcony.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let anyone tell you to not explore the unknown. I can tell you right now, I fully believe there is life outside of these walls.¡±


    The final statement left a smile on Elijah¡¯s face, and was so strong that even Novius¡¯ and Alexia¡¯s words of discouragement had zero effect. This man was a believer in the unknown.


    However, one thing greatly puzzles Elijah¡¯s mind. Why was everyone he talked to so adamant about the idea of staying within the walls of the kingdom besides Amasris?


    Elijah''s current goals were to reach the bright red core stage, which he felt he was inches away from. A feeling of water overflowing a glass of water was the exact feeling he felt from his core when he became a solid red core mage. And now, this feeling had once again reached him. He had no idea what the normal speed of progression was, but it seemed that using magic was the best way to reach for this feeling.


    Novius broke the silence with a question. ¡°Would you both like to see my magitech suit?¡±


    ¡°Magitech suit? What do you mean?¡± Alexia asked.


    ¡°I would love to. Why don¡¯t we let the demonstration do the explaining,  Alexia.¡±


    Novius slowly walked to the left corner of his bedroom facing the balcony. A medium sized box adjourned with wavy indents was picked up, and slowly put on the center coffee table where Elijah and Alexia had sat down.


    ¡°If you guys will, please sit down on the couch.¡±


    Novius walked over to the chest in front of his bed and took out a large leather and cloth suit. After taking a couple of minutes to put on the different pieces of the suit, he walked in front of the couch and waved his hand to his side like a magician.


    Both Elijah and Alexia broke out in laughter after seeing what looked like a bandit in a slim fitting suit.


    After listening to Novius defend himself and his design, Elijah chimed in. ¡°What is the purpose of this suit?¡±


    Inside the suit, the muffled voice of Novius said something that piqued Elijah¡¯s interest. ¡°Watch me disappear!¡±


    Slowly, white colored runes began to glow on 9 different parts of the suit which gave the entire suit a slight glow. Not even seconds later, Novius turned completely invisible to the eye!


    ¡°Invisibility? How?¡±


    Novius silently moved to behind Elijah and Alexia, and whispered in between their eyes before becoming visible again. ¡°I received help from a special mage to create a rune that would remove the light from anything it commands. This is what gives it the invisible effect. This has never been done before in the kingdom simply because we have never had her affinity in the entire history of the kingdom. I only thought of it due to understanding the new light runes that are going to give light to the kingdom.¡±


    Elijah immediately had a guess at who it was. ¡°Was it Freya?¡±


    Novius immediately illuminated his suit again. ¡°How did you know that?¡±


    ¡°She used light magic to help my father heal¡­¡±


    ¡°Wow, what a small kingdom! You know she is friends with my father!¡±


    Elijah was once again amazed by the privilege of the Weltor¡¯s. ¡°Is there a time limit for the suit?¡±


    ¡°Yes and no, the suit uses your mana. So as long as you have mana within your body after activation, you will remain invisible.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m assuming I would be your test dummy right? Considering I can do something like this.¡± Elijah spoke as he lifted himself off the ground and stood on the ceiling.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to show off, you know. And yes, I want you to test the suit. For me, I was able to last for just under twenty minutes at the solid red core stage.¡±


    ¡°Well, tomorrow night sounds good to me. I want to walk the streets during the day tomorrow to learn about Centerpool and what it offers. Also, we need to start preparing for the Junior Hunters.¡±


    The trio said their goodnight as they left for their separate rooms. Elijah and Alexia walked downstairs, and Novius curled up in his bed filled with excitement.

 17. Weapons

    Adults and kids were roaming the downstairs dining hall, kitchen, and living room as they prepared for their day. Eaton, Isla, and Beatrix were readying themselves in their Junior Hunter uniforms, while the cooks were bringing in all types of food, buffet style. George was calmly sitting amongst the chaos and chatter helping Julian understand the process of absorbing an affinity from a mana crystal.


    A one foot spiked crystal with a brown and gray hue subtlety glowed on the coffee table of the living room filled with white fluffy couches.


    ¡°It seems people have a good sense of interior design.¡± Elijah muttered under his breath with the sight of all kinds of plants, paintings, and agreeing colors entering his eyesight. He had never been into the living room, but only the dining hall. Each room was partly separated with a large archway opening or a hallway. A romantic and closed concept of design. Organized clutter in this instance was better than open and unused space.


    ¡°How is the absorption going Julian?¡± Elijah had never seen a mana crystal with an affinity in it before, and chose to keep this charade up as he wasn¡¯t ready for everyone in the estate to know his special circumstances. Not just having an affinity, but also the way he obtained this affinity, which is something he still truly does not know the answer to. Was it after he fell into the whirlpool, or had he always had the affinity since his birth.


    ¡°Rather quick to be honest. But that is due to me already having an awakened core for quite some time. I¡¯d give it two days and I¡¯ll be a full fledged mage!¡± Julian explained to Elijah as he stood up from the couch.


    ¡°That¡¯s great to hear!¡± Elijah is worried for his brother. Originally, Julian was all in on farming, but was forcefully pushed into a new life, and subsequently was forced into joining the Junior Hunters because there is no other path for him. The least he can do is help the kingdom return to its peak, which would allow him to return to what he truly wants to do.


    ¡°Me, Elijah, and Alexia are going to walk around the market areas. If we are all going to be Junior Hunters, then we are going to need a weapon soon.¡± Novius told his father.


    George stood up from the couch and walked toward Novius. ¡°Yes that is very true, but don¡¯t forget about what you truly want to do Novius. If you want to buy something then grab a pouch of coins from my office. Also, Alexia, I should have a water affinity crystal within the next week for you to absorb. Don¡¯t worry you will be taken care of.¡±


    The three hoodlums grabbed the small pouch of coins, and walked out the door into the darkness of the day.


    Lanterns, torches, and new light magitech were seen giving life to the streets.


    Elijah noticed several people and families walking together that almost seemed scared, or on top of their feet. The loss of light was getting to everyone, and the only option was to accept the madness. Light is a crucial part of one¡¯s health, and while the people in this kingdom might not understand the reasons why, they unconsciously worship the sun. Not as a god, but as a source of life.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Finally, after walking for close to half an hour and passing by an enormous amount of shops, the trio made it to the famous blacksmith shop known for their quality, Benimascus. The moment Elijah stepped inside, he felt like he entered a new dimension. A long and grand room with stone arches lining the ceiling and furnaces on both sides gave the room a feeling of renaissance. The exact way Elijah would have imagined a blacksmith, was what he walked into.


    The trio walked up to the front counter where a muscular burly man with gray and white hair was standing. ¡°Welcome to Benimascus! What unique pieces of work are you looking for, young ones?¡±


    Novius was the first to speak. ¡°Hello, we are joining the Junior Hunters soon, and need something that is of quality for a beginner.¡±


    ¡°That is great to hear, we need all the help we can get right now¡­ my name is Abe, and I will bring out all of the beginner pieces. Please give me five minutes.¡±


    Novius nodded, then turned back to Elijah and Alexia. ¡°What kind of weapon do you both want?¡±


    Elijah quickly responded. ¡°Something small and sharp, like a knife.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I would want anything that is sharp, but rather something strong like a staff.¡±


    ¡°You two are rather interesting. A knife and a staff. Usually swords are picked over fifty percent of the time. I am even choosing a sword.¡± Said Novius with a smile.


    Abe walked over four carrying a large cloth bag that was clanking with every step. The bag unrolled across the counter and the sight of the different blades widened the smiles of the trio. ¡°We have swords, knives, spears, and axes. All of which have their different uses. Let me know which one you would like, and I¡¯ll tell you the price.¡±


    Novius chose a simple short sword due to his size. Eventually he would upgrade, but for now, he needed at least something. Elijah chose a single knife about the size of his forearm. And Alexia chose nothing.


    Novius handed the man 3 gold coins for the two weapons, and led his friends out. Novius was taking the lead while Elijah observed, considering he does not know how to act and where to go within Centerpool.


    ¡°Watch this guys!¡±


    Novius and Alexia turned around to see Elijah throwing his knife up in the air. A small transparent and pearlescent rimmed portal opened up that was barely visible to the eye, and made the knife disappear.


    ¡°Was that your magic?¡± Alexia asked.


    ¡°Yes, my spatial storage spell.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite convenient Elijah. Are you able to pull it out anytime you want?¡± Novius was curious as he may try to find a way to give this ability to the people through magical runes.


    ¡°Yes, the only downside is that I can only store a small amount of items, at least for now I hope.¡±


    ¡°Either way, that is an incredible use of your magic. I understand why you want to keep it a secret now. I¡¯m afraid you would be turned into an experiment for the betterment of the kingdom¡­¡±


    The trio walked off down the street full of people. It was currently peak time for the streets as people were eating lunch or shopping.


    Novius quickly stopped his steps and said, ¡°stop moving guys.¡±


    A well dressed mother and son were walking down the street in the direction towards them. ¡°Well well, if it isn¡¯t George¡¯s son. How do you do Novius?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good Mrs. Damaris, follow me guys, we have one more place to stop at.¡± Novius was not even looking at the women who had just started a conversation with him.


    ¡°Hahaha, let him be, mother. It appears he is too embarrassed to look us in the eyes.¡± A black hair, and burning red-eyed boy with red and black garments that were accentuated by silver ornaments was standing casually beside his mother.


    ¡°Ah, you are right Emery. Just make sure you show him your power as a Junior Hunter.¡± The mother responded with a depressed tone.


    The trio continued walking while Novius took a quick glance back at Emery who caught his eyes.


    ¡°What happened there, Novius?¡± Elijah was worried as it obviously seemed like something bad.

 18. Liar

    ¡°I wish I knew the full story myself, but something bad happened between my father and their family. They are a huge family with three different lines under the Damaris name, and one of the father¡¯s died¡­¡± Novius explained what he knew of the situation while walking through the crowds of people.


    Alexia was feeling uncomfortable about the situation and decided to suggest a change in atmosphere. ¡°Hey, why don¡¯t we eat somewhere cool instead of asking the cooks at home for help?¡±


    The trio agreed and went to fill their stomachs with delicious food. Chicken, fresh fruit, and creamy rice full of nutrients.


    The night came quickly with everyone returning to the estate . And the only thought inside the trio¡¯s mind was the first test of the invisible suit. Something that would grant an immense amount of freedom to Elijah.


    The moment the door closed to Novius¡¯ bedroom, he calmly made a statement. ¡°Before we do this, we need a time limit and goals.¡±


    Elijah nodded in agreement. ¡°I understand. I already have a goal in mind of going to the underside of Centerpool.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea, if anything went wrong with the suit you would still be hidden from people. For the time limit, let¡¯s say 30 minutes. And the time limit until we call for help is going to be 2 hours.¡±


    ¡°What?! We don¡¯t need that precaution. this is a test for your suit, but also a chance for me to explore.¡± Elijah had a feeling he was going to do something or go somewhere that would take him over the 30 minute mark. The question was, would he be able to find a safe place to not use the suit anymore?


    ¡°Explore?! We are not treating this as a chance for you to explore. If you get caught, who knows what would happen to you? You can literally fly.¡±


    ¡°I agree with the time limit, but we should still wait for another couple of hours, we just had dinner.¡± Alexia added to the conversation to stop the arguing.


    ¡°Okay. Elijah, do whatever you want to do, you seem very capable of handling yourself.¡±


    The trio walked out onto the balcony to hangout and observe the surroundings. Just like always, the radiant light of the mana barrier lit up the center of the kingdom. What surprised Elijah was the amount of people walking around. Novius¡¯ balcony overlooked the behind of the government and guild buildings in the 2nd band. However, he was just barely able to see people hanging out in the grand park.


    ¡°Tonight isn¡¯t the night for the announcement ceremony right?¡± Elijah asked with confusion.


    ¡°No, it shouldn¡¯t be.¡±


    Novius was cut off by a knock at the door. George calmly walked out towards the balcony and startled the trio with his words.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you guys can tell, but people are starting to go mad due to the loss of light. Gloria and I are also on our balcony right above you, and noticed people in the Grand Park. And I have to say, I am feeling the madness as well. I cannot sleep¡­¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Elijah sighed at this fact. Thankfully everyone in the kingdom had a basic understanding of how light affected the sleep cycle of every living being.


    ¡°I won¡¯t get on to you guys for not going to sleep for the time being. Just please stay together if you decide to go out. In times of stress, it is best we enjoy the moment, for the next, may not be livable.¡± George said words of peace before exiting the room.


    Elijah was thinking how this was going to make things just a little more complicated, until Novius stepped in. ¡°This doesn¡¯t change the plans at all. Trust me, my suit will work. The magical runes literally make you invisible, and when you combine that with your flying ability, you become a literal ghost. I say we get this going now.¡±


    ¡°I agree, but just please be careful and come back within the time limit.¡±


    Elijah nodded but can only think of one thing he wanted to do. Explore the area where he woke up within the catacombs. From what he saw with the world outside the rocky grasslands, it is extremely different compared to earth. My hypothesis of this world''s natural terrain being manipulated by the mana may be true, especially if the catacombs, or cave systems are changed to the same extremes.


    Novius pulled out the dark brown leather garments covered with white runic writing from the chest in front of his bed.


    ¡°Here is the masterpiece. It won¡¯t be heavy on your body, and with this new rune, you will literally be invisible.¡±


    ¡°This is perfect. I am nearing the bright red stage, so I should be able to last thirty minutes.¡±


    Elijah put on the tight fitting leather and cloth suit. Leather covered the immobile parts of the body like the chest, back, arms, and legs, while cloth covered the joints. The suit came with a leather mask that had another white rune embedded on the top.


    ¡°All you have to do to activate the invisibility is to channel your mana into the 9 runes on each part of your body, the rune will take care of everything, and remove the light from your suit, therefore making you invisible.¡±


    The breath of Elijah showed, and a unique and familiar energy coursed through his limbs and into the nine runes fixated on the suit. The visibility of the suit slowly dimmed until nothing was seen. However, Elijah felt no different, which worried him. What would happen if the suit deactivated and he didn¡¯t even notice? ¡°Above you!¡± Elijah quickly flew above Novius and Alexia who were sitting on the couch.


    ¡°Amazing! I can¡¯t even tell you are there. Nothing¡­ is speaking to me!¡± Alexia responded with astonishment.


    Novius looked at the ceiling. ¡°Well Elijah, I suggest you get going. You probably used close to a half of your mana just by activating the runes, unless you want to deactivate the runes, and reabsorb mana.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to leave right now. I will knock five times on the balcony door whenever I leave and enter. Wish me luck.¡±


    Novius and Alexia both wished good luck at the same time, and moments later five distinct knocks were heard against the glass of the balcony door.


    The moment Elijah flew away from the balcony, he felt the breeze of freedom, that would be cold if it weren¡¯t for the suit covering every part of his body. Even his eyes were covered by a thin piece of cloth that gave him bearable vision.


    Elijah muttered under his breath. ¡°I¡¯m sorry guys, but I won¡¯t be back for at least an hour¡­¡±


    The streets were not busy with people by any means. However, there were still people hanging out outside, especially in the Grand Park.


    Elijah flew swiftly towards the castle, and just as he was about to fly below the ledge in between the Grand Park and the castle, Elijah stood still in the air as he stared at the people of the kingdom. Not a single soul took a glance his way, and no one was having weird conversations about a weird looking man flying in front of their faces. The magnificent whirlpool that slowly pushed water out to both rivers came into Elijah¡¯s sight. Hmmmm, now that I am looking closer, it would make sense if the elevation of this place is way above sea level. At least three thousand feet. That would explain how everyone is extremely healthy. Carbon dioxide is something I pursued in my previous life, which helps the body with every process within. A true esoteric health concept that requires you to live high above sea level.


    This whirlpool has a steep concave shape to it. The true question was, where the hell was the water coming from?

 19. The Defender

    An uncountable number of cave openings lined the walls of where the whirlpool gathered, also known as the underside of the inner city. The Catacombs.


    These caves were somehow not overflowing with water. In Elijah¡¯s encounter with the hooded man, he had a direct view of the whirlpool flowing rapidly right outside the opening of the cave.


    As Elijah was floating overtop of the raging whirlpool, he thought about his options of getting into the catacombs.


    The only true option if I want to explore would be to go through the whirlpool, and enter the lower caves with the hope of finding an area where I am alone. Any other option would spell disaster once I run out of mana. Ironing his mind, Elijah dipped his hands into the cold water and felt nothing. No force pulled him in, causing him to lose consciousness. He was exactly where he was.


    ¡°Haha, time to go!¡±


    Elijah took a deep breath to hold as much air as his tiny lungs could hold, and slowly dove into the whirlpool. Instantly he noticed his invisibility being disrupted, so he stopped channeling his mana into the suit. After thirty seconds of loving through the whirlpool, Elijah met the wall with his palms. An unusually smooth wall for a crater. He was running out of breath, and needed to choose a cave to fly into. Every cave was pitch black, and he knew if he kept descending, he would raise his chances of being completely alone.


    WHOOSH


    While struggling to hold his breath any longer, his body forcibly pushed himself through a cave opening, and was met with a familiar sight of glowing plants and dripstones. After coughing and regaining his breath, a single word exited his mouth. ¡°Incredible!¡±


    This was not the same cave whatsoever, and was wildly different by one simple fact.


    The size.


    What seemed like the size of a football stadium was filled with glowing plants, mana crystals, random stone erections, and a pool of glowing teal water surrounding a giant red and white mushroom with glowing gills.


    Since Elijah¡¯s suit was no longer activated, he took off the head piece as he started walking forward on the moist stone.  ¡°This kingdom has been alive for six thousand years and they haven¡¯t discovered this?¡±


    Walking to the right he found a blue mana crystal sitting deep into the stone. However, it was not the only affinity crystal in sight. Many reddish-orangish, white, brown and more blue crystals were scattered around the humongous cavern that totaled around fifteen. Elijah carefully split the space around the crystal and stored it in his spatial storage. However, he wasn¡¯t done yet. A white mana crystal which he assumed was air was only roughly fifty feet away from him, just next to a tunnel opening.


    After harvesting the white mana crystal he shoved it into his spatial storage which was now completely full. Two mana crystals, and one knife. If he wanted to, he could expand the spatial storage, but it would require a lot more mana. I need to get to the bright core stage! Elijah continued observing his surroundings while walking closer and closer towards the giant mushroom. Now that he was closer, Elijah noticed small floating particles flying around the mushroom in indistinguishable directions. Visible mana?A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    The wet footsteps disappeared as he flew over the pool of water and stood right next to the trunk of the mushroom. The soft, squishy, yet firm trunk of the mushroom continued to appear mysterious as Elijah touched it.


    ¡°So it¡¯s just a big mushroom¡­¡±


    There were 3 cave openings in the massive cavern, and Elijah chose to go through the one closest to the entrance. However, the moment he stepped into the cavern, he froze.


    Two massive red dots appeared in the distance, and knowing earbuds were not a thing in this world, Elijah took flight as fast as possible, and flew toward the opening facing the whirlpool. With the mask back on, he activated his invisibility which left him with less than forty percent of his mana left.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see what this creature is¡­¡±


    Large shiny pincers in the numbers of eight came out from the large shadowed tunnel. Not too long after, the body of what looked like a heavily oversized spider with green dots on its black skin showed itself and began stretching?


    ¡®A mix between a crab and a spider . How interest¡ª¡¯


    SHING!


    The spider shot forward with the speed of a catapult, drew forward its pincer, and sliced through Elijah¡¯s spatial barrier that he conjured out of fear, with ease.


    ¡°SHIT, IT CAN SEE ME!!¡±


    Elijah fumbled to the floor after flying directly into the ceiling. From the pain, his right shoulder was completely broken. His only option was to escape, but the spider had other plans.


    The spider was unloading its pincers from the ceiling while rocks were falling right next to Elijah. And within seconds, the spider was falling directly on top of Elijah, with his pincer aimed at his chest. The slow fall gave Elijah a chance to create a translucent and pearlescent rimmed portal to redirect the attack, which used half the mana he had left.


    A green liquid oozed out of the spider''s face, and when the portal disappeared, the roach it was chasing had flown behind it, and somehow cut off one of its pincers at the level of its knuckle. A screeching sound bounced off the walls of the cavern and caused the mushroom, and the mana crystals, to fall out of their sockets.


    It seemed like the spider knew where Elijah¡¯s escape route was, as it positioned itself directly in front of the torrent of water. A Black and green liquid oozed out of its body and formed the shape of a scythe that extended from its pincers. A scythe of death, that would not grant its enemy an instant death, but a torturous death from the poison within. Combining this with its clicking and groaning noises, this beast was instilling fear into Elijah like nothing he has ever felt before.


    I have no way of escaping this! What mana core does this treacherous spider have?! And how the hell can it see me?!


    Elijah thought of many possibilities of escape, but only one crossed his mind that would allow him to avoid fighting. This spider has been playing with me by not using any of its magical abilities, and only the strength of its body. Now with this scythe made of what is most likely poison magic, almost every spell I cast will be completely useless. Not to mention the spider intentionally blocking off my escape route.


    Mana surged out of Elijah¡¯s body, and was sent behind the spider and in front of Elijah¡¯s body. Something he had not been able to do, due to the amount of mana it required, was finally possible with the help of the amount of mana in this cavern. With a single step, Elijah appeared behind the spider and flew into the raging whirlpool, but felt a slight pain on his leg that was dulled by the adrenaline.


    Within the torrent of the whirlpool Elijah tumbled while his body wreathed in pain. Instead of moving with the direction of the whirlpool, his body sank deeper, and eventually reached an unknown space.


    Nothing.


    The only thing Elijah saw before feeling the same feeling he felt when he was forcibly pulled under water in his first exploration. Absolutely nothing¡­. An infinite black void.

 20. A Deeper Understanding

    ¡°I witnessed your successful, but boring life.¡±


    ¡°Every principle of any element can be shown with your imagination.¡±


    ¡°I will give you part of what makes me, me.¡±


    ¡°You are the opposite of corrupted.¡±


    ¡°Save me! Save me!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Welcome back to the land of the living youngster¡±


    Elijah was slowly waking up as he heard a familiar voice ring through his ears. However, the first thing he thought to check was his shoulder and leg, which was pierced by the pincer at the last second before his escape. A groan and bones cracking from stretching his arms echoed through the dimly lit cavern. The familiar red and teal glowing flowers lined the walls as they were hanging to the vines. ¡°It-It¡¯s you again. The hooded man!¡±


    The hooded man stood up from his criss cross position, and slowly walked toward Elijah. ¡°Yes, it is me again. I was surprised to see your gravely injured and poisoned body this time. I thought you were smarter than that. What exactly happened to you?¡±


    After fully standing up, Elijah contemplates ignoring the man and escaping through the whirlpool to return to the Weltor¡¯s. Novius and Alexia were most definitely worried about him as it had been way past a couple of hours. However, with his back turning towards the hooded man, he spoke again.


    ¡°I just saved your life, and this is how you treat me?¡±


    Elijah turned back around and apologized. ¡°I am sorry, but I have to get back or else my friends will be worried about me. I mean no ill will, and thank you for healing me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it seems like you are just as bright as you were the first time I saw you. Your demeanor and calmness are evident. Where exactly were you that caused you to be poisoned and broken like you were?¡±


    Elijah contemplated his answer, and decided to tell the truth. This man not only saved his life, but never had any malice towards him in both confrontations. ¡°I entered a massive cave by going through the whirlpool. There were tons of mana crystals, and a huge green and black spider in a nearby cavern.¡±


    ¡°Haha, how incredible. Even with this Kingdom¡¯s age of over 6000 years, there are still many unexplored places with extremely dangerous beasts. I¡¯m surprised you weren¡¯t killed! Did you by chance collect any of those mana crystals?¡± The man asked.¡±


    Elijah smiled at his question as he opened his small spatial storage and took out two large blue and white mana crystals.


    ¡°Wow, you have come a long way! And I can tell you are on the brink of breaking through to the bright red stage.¡±


    ¡°How are you able to tell that? I can¡¯t feel anything coming from you.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    ¡°I am at the bright cyan core stage, and have a deeper understanding of mana compared to the basic understanding everyone seems to drool over¡­¡±


    Elijah thought for a second about his words. The only way he knew people used magic in this world was by excreting it from their own core. However, he is able to manipulate the environmental mana by sending a little mana out of his body, and embodying the principles of the specific affinity. Could this be the greater understanding?


    ¡°What deeper understanding of mana do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I know you know what I mean kid. You just manipulated the environment to create that fancy storage spell. Also, since you have that special affinity, do you want to try absorbing another affinity?¡±


    Elijah walked around in circles while thinking. ¡°I was already planning on doing that. But first, I want to know your name, and see your face¡­¡± The fact that this man has never revealed anything about himself to me. There has got to be some reason for it.


    The hooded man backed up from Elijah. ¡°Okay, understandable. Firstly, my name is Abel, and I have been corrupted by something in this kingdom. I say this because when you see my face, you need not be afraid¡­¡±


    Abel, grabbed his black hood with his long fingers, and pulled back to the hood. A distorted face was seen with its eyes, nose, mouth, and ears in seemingly awkward positions.Even his skull was misshapen. His mouth and nose were slightly twisted, and his eyes and ears were at different heights. While it was extremely minor, it was easy to notice. However, there was not a single hair on his head or face.


    ¡°What happened to you?¡±


    ¡°I unfortunately fell into ¡°It¡± underneath the whirlpool. I wish I could explain more, but for unknown reasons I cannot¡­¡±


    This man is referring to what Elijah saw just before he blacked out. Although, what puzzled Elijah, was that he remembers seeing literally nothing. Maybe the nothingness is the ¡°It¡± he is talking about. The corruption.


    ¡°I see. Well, why don¡¯t we move on to the absorption of this water affinity. Is it even possible to have two affinities?¡±


    ¡°Yes, in fact it is very possible. The only determining factor is if the affinity you want to absorb is compatible with your current affinity. Fire and ice cannot be together, as they would continuously destroy each other, resulting in the destruction of the mana core where they reside. However, it is much deeper than that. A special affinity like space, cannot be paired with fire, as the core principles are too far apart from each other.¡±


    Elijah was taking in this knowledge like a sponge. Just like he assumed, this world of magic is not so black and white, but also gray.


    ¡°Space and water would go well together, correct?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely, the same spatial spells you cast can be made with water spells. But with a different effect. Of course it will take some time to absorb the affinity, which you probably don¡¯t have enough time for today. But at least you know it''s possible.¡±


    Elijah slowly walked up to Abel with his hand out. After staring at the man for no more than ten seconds, Abel shook his hand. ¡°Thank you for the help, I hope I see you again.¡±


    ¡°Likewise. Maybe next time you can tell me a little bit about that ability of yours.¡±


    Elijah didn¡¯t fully understand what he said until he was about to fly into the whirlpool. ¡°Ah. Yes, I will tell you about it next time.¡±


    Like wind within water, Elijah flew through the whirlpool after taking a long and deep breath. The cold water was lessened with his mask and suit on, and the moment Elijah made it to the underside of Centerpool. He activated the invisibility.


    ¡°Well, it looks like I am invisible as I cannot see my entire body.¡±


    Elijah had no idea how long it had been since he had passed out. However, the only option was to act like everything was normal as he knocked on the balcony door. Just to be safe, he inched his way above the ledge of the grand park, and noticed a large amount of people gathering in the area, as well as the King standing on the South bridge with his family that connects to the castle.


    Well shit. It looks like it has almost been an entire day.


    Elijah quickly flew through the gap and headed straight towards the Weltor estate. And as he was looking back, he saw a cold looking man that was following him on an ice path.


    The invisibility deactivated the moment he touched the balcony of Novius¡¯ room. ¡°How could you see me, and why are you following me Amaris?!¡±