《Magefall》 Chapter 1 Fire. It was everywhere, burning the trees, the houses, the ground¡­ the very air itself. My flesh melted off of my bones, and my skin shriveled and turned black. The world was burning, burning, burning, burning- ¡°Wake up soldier, wake up!¡± I jolted awake and sat up abruptly, nearly bumping my head into the commander¡¯s as he stared at me with a scowl. ¡°Quit dreaming of rainbows and unicorns, the general has an announcement to make! Get your ass to the courtyard in twenty minutes. Don¡¯t be late!¡± I wiped the spittle off of my face as he trudged off to awaken the next unfortunate soldier. ¡°Do you think what he said was true? Is the general himself truly giving an announcement, to us?¡± A soldier beside me asked. Judging by his tone, he was Avery. ¡°Yeah, I think it¡¯s true. Why would the commander have any reason to lie?¡± ¡°But this is the general we¡¯re talking about, the actual general!¡± ¡°Yeah, and what¡¯s so crazy about that?¡± ¡°Whaddya mean? The only reason the general would say something to low-born rabble like us is if the empire is going to war!¡± ¡°Quit your yapping back there! And someone turn on the light!¡± The commander screamed from the other side of the tent. ¡°Y-yes sir, immediately!¡± A soft voice responded. ¡®That must be Terence.¡¯ Suddenly, the tent was illuminated by a bright light, and I had to cover my eyes to adjust my vision. ¡°Oh, is that you Alric? I thought you were Balsan.¡± Avery said. ¡°Don¡¯t compare me to that huge brute. Our voices are on different sides of the spectrum.¡± ¡°Hahaha, you¡¯re right! Man, I must be so tired right now. When did we go to sleep last night?¡± ¡°Around¡­ one? I don¡¯t know. Hey Terence, what time is it?¡± ¡°Alric, is that you? I can¡¯t see well without my glasses.¡± Terence replied in his signature soft voice. ¡°Man, how terrible would it be if you were blind and weak? It must be a huge pain being you!¡± Avery yelled from beside me. ¡°Shut up Avery,¡± I said heatedly. ¡°Terence doesn¡¯t need your critique.¡± ¡°I-I-I-it¡¯s six o''clock right now!¡± ¡°Got it, thanks, Terence!¡± Avery turned to face me, an expression of annoyance etched on his features. ¡°Why do you care about that little shit? All he does is follow the commander around like his little pet.¡± ¡°At least he¡¯s not a hothead like you. You¡¯re the first to go down in the battle simulator. It¡¯s almost as if you¡¯re asking to get hit.¡± ¡°Oy, quiet down, won¡¯t you? You have fifteen minutes to be fully geared and in the courtyard, and you can¡¯t be late!¡± The commander yelled, before stomping out of the tent. ¡°That guy is such a huge pain in the ass.¡± Avery muttered. ¡°Agreed.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª I stood within a crowd of soldiers, all of us fully armored and armed, and sweating buckets from the heat of the morning sun. Before us was a large platform that the commander usually used for announcements and demonstrations. Standing on the platform was the largest man I had ever seen, fully decked out in black glossy armor and a glowing red sword strapped to his waist. He easily towered over the tallest soldiers in our battalion and was at least eight feet tall. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. We stood there in silence, not daring to make a sound under his piercing gaze as swept his eyes across the crowd. ¡°Soldiers of the empire! I have come here to inform you all that the empire is at war! The X Rank mage Teseret Von has declared war on the empire, claiming he will smite all of the people of the land! Men, women, children, everyone! This man is a threat to all life within the empire, and only you can stop him! Brave men of the fifth battalion, you are to march to the border and fight on the front lines! The emperor has great hopes for you! Salute!¡± ¡°Salute!¡± We replied. The man smiled, a large toothy smile, and then disappeared from the platform. ¡®So the rumors were true. The general is a space mage.¡¯ I thought. ¡°Hey.¡± I felt someone elbow me from the side. ¡°Do you think what he said was true? Are we really fighting on the front lines, against The Reaper?¡± ¡°Yes Avery, we are. Can you stop asking the same question over and over again?¡± ¡°But it¡¯s just so insane! How are we, mere F-rank mages, supposed to face off against one of the strongest mages in the world?¡± ¡°We¡¯re not. We¡¯re just fodder, sacrificial lambs being led to slaughter. No one stands a chance against The Reaper. The emperor is just using our deaths to stall for time.¡± ¡°Come on Alric, don¡¯t joke around. We¡¯re not just lambs being led to slaughter, were people, were human beings! There is obviously a purpose for all of this.¡± ¡®Easy for you to say. You have a family to go home to. I have nothing.¡¯ I thought to myself. The commander trudged onto the platform and waited for the soldiers to quiet down. ¡°Alright soldiers, you heard the man. Send letters to your families and loved ones, and prepare your equipment. Tomorrow, we march to battle!¡± The soldiers cheered, and then walked back to their tents to get ready. I began to follow them when the commander touched my shoulder. ¡°Not you Vayne. You come with me.¡± ¡°What? Commander, did I do something wrong?¡± ¡°No. Now follow me, and no more questions.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª The commander led me into a large red tent near the edge of the compound, and after fussing with my uniform for a few seconds, left me there alone. ¡®I wonder what this is about? Also, what tent is this? I don¡¯t remember seeing it before.¡¯ The inside of the tent walls were decorated with golden thread, and unlike the standard lamp lighting, a mana orb hanging from the center pole illuminated the entire room. ¡®It¡¯s like a tent fitted for royalty.¡¯ ¡°Admiring the decor?¡± A voice said from behind me. I spun around. In front of me, the general stood, his red eyes staring into mine. ¡°General Seran? What are you doing here?¡± I asked in surprise. ¡°Hah! What a bold question to ask. This is my tent, not yours.¡± ¡®This is the general¡¯s tent?!¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s an amusing expression you have there. Good, you should be surprised.¡± He placed his hand on my shoulder. ¡°You, Alric Vayne, are not going to participate in the war. You are hereby stripped of your uniform and will be brought to your home. Your time in the army is over.¡± ¡®Huh?¡¯ ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked. ¡°What I mean, Alric Vayne, is that you are so weak, and your potential is so low, that by participating in the war you would only hinder us. Thus, you are being kicked out of the army.¡± He gave me a smile. ¡°That¡¯s good for you, no? Your life will be spared, unlike your fellow soldiers.¡± ¡®I¡¯m being¡­ kicked out of the army?¡¯ ¡°Don''t make such an expression. By doing this I¡¯m saving your life! If you fought in the war you would be killed instantly! You have one spell in your repertoire, and it¡¯s the candle spell! You are so weak that even a child can beat you! The only reason you even got accepted into the army in the first place is because of your father¡¯s achievements. And now he¡¯s dead. So consider this the final favor that I owe him.¡± I stared at him and opened my mouth, but no words came out. I felt his grip on my shoulder tighten. ¡°Go back to your tent and gather your things. A horse is waiting for you at the entrance to the base. You leave in ten minutes.¡± He released his grip on my shoulder and looked into my eyes. His red eyes reminded me of the dream I had just before I woke up. The dream of the fire. Suddenly, he disappeared. I stood there, alone, in the general¡¯s tent, not knowing what to do. My entire life was in the army, ever since my father died fighting in the last war. I had no home to return to, since my uncle had inherited the family mansion after my father¡¯s death, and had then kicked me out. The only place I had was the army. And now, that is gone too. Where would I go from here? I had no money, and no relatives other than my uncle. Would I end up living on the streets as a beggar? I buried my face in my hands. ¡®Should I just give up and try to escape the empire? No, I would be instantly killed if I tried. Maybe I should become a bounty hunter or a vigilante? No, the general was right, I¡¯m simply too weak. Whatever I try I¡¯m simply bound to fail. I guess¡­ there is no use defying fate.¡¯ I raised my face from my hands and stood up straight. ¡®I should get my things.¡¯ ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª I stood next to my horse, staring at the army base for one last time. All it was was just a few tents haphazardly placed inside of a squared fence, but for me, it was home. ¡°Hey, are you going to ogle or are you going to leave?¡± The commander asked. I looked him over. He was a middle-aged man of average height, with slightly balding brown hair, and a bit of muscle on his arms. The only defining feature he held was the scowl that never escaped his face. This man had given me hell for the last year, but I would miss him. I would miss all of them. ¡°Hello? Stop daydreaming and leave! Go already!¡± ¡°Yes sir, and thank you for everything.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, get on your way.¡± After taking one last glance at the base, I mounted my horse and began the long ride towards Hesten city, where I would hopefully find a home and a job, and live a happy life. Chapter 2
The road to Hesten city was long and winding, and only after three days of travel on horseback did I finally spot the towering stone walls that surrounded the city. An hour later I arrived at the entrance to the city, and after showing the guards my army license, they let me pass through unmolested. After searching for two hours, I finally managed to find the stables that my horse was from, and I returned her to her owner, a kindly looking old man. Thereupon leaving the stables I asked around for the location of the cheapest inn in the city, and was told it was called ¡®The Harpies Bar¡¯ and was located in the center of the slums. Within the Trestian empire, there were many beggars and scoundrels, since the emperor coveted money and demanded high taxes. That was why so many chose to remain in the army, even with the high death rates, because they would be well-fed and have shelter. Most beggars were orphans who had done their time in the army and had no home to return to and thus were forced to live on the streets. Due to the high number of them, every city had a slum, and it was usually quite large, sometimes even taking up half of the city. Because of that, finding the slums wasn¡¯t very difficult, but trekking through them was. Every eye seemed to follow me as I walked, and the shadows seemed to move as if alive. Just as the sun was about to fall below the horizon, I managed to find the Inn. After entering I bought a meal and two nights to stay for only fifty kora. Unfortunately, even with the low-cost, already a quarter of my funds were lost to it, and now I only had one hundred and fifty kora left in my pocket. Most definitely not enough to survive. I had to find a job. After a good night''s sleep (something I had not had for a very long time because of the early mornings in the army) I left the slums and went around the city searching for a proper job. There was nothing. Most jobs wouldn¡¯t hire me, due to the fact that I had no home, and the ones that would were mostly sewer-related. Not wanting to give up, I returned to the inn and asked the barkeep if she knew of any jobs that would hire me. ¡°Heck, nobody would hire someone like you. Scrawny, just got kicked out of the army, you¡¯re useless. A job in the sewers would work, maybe. Though, I will say. There was this odd gentleman who passed by here a few nights ago asking if there was anyone he could hire. Maybe you could ask him. His name is Pallock Sterling, and he said he lives on Piper''s Lane.¡± I thanked the barkeep and went back to the main city in search of Pallock. After asking around some more, I found out that Piper¡¯s Lane was back in the slums, so I returned and the search continued. After another hour of searching, I finally found out his address and arrived at it. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. In front of me was a large building, towering over most of the others in the slums, with gothic spires jutting out of its roof. The entirety of its outer structure was painted black, and through the windows, I could see that the inside was painted red. ¡®Not very inviting.¡¯ I thought glumly. I knocked on the door, and after a few moments I heard shuffling sounds from within, and then a voice asked: ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± I hesitated, then said, ¡°Well, um¡­ the barkeep at the Harpies Bar told me that a man named Pallock Sterling lives here and that he would hire-¡° ¡°Yes, yes, come on in¡± The door suddenly swung open, and after hesitating for a second, I stepped inside. It was quite a sight to see. Everything inside was painted red, from the ceiling to the floor to the walls and even the other side of the door that I had just walked through. Beside the door stood a man, roughly my age, with tired-looking eyes and a small scar above his left eyebrow. He wore black pants, black shoes, and a black shirt, with a gray tie. Not the current fashion. ¡°Let me guess, you just retired from the army, and you''re an orphan so you have no home to return to, thus you decided to search for a job, found none, and somehow ended up here. Was I right?¡± ¡°You were¡­ pretty close.¡± ¡°Huh. Well, good enough. Come on, I¡¯ll take you to old man Pallock, just follow me.¡± I nodded in response and then followed the young man as he walked further into the house, eventually leading me to what I assumed was a kitchen, though because of the singular color scheme, I was unsure. Sitting at what I assumed to be the kitchen table was an old man, roughly seventy by appearance, with white hair a white beard, and gray eyes. He was wearing a similar outfit to what the younger man was wearing, though it was noticeably fancier, with more creases and curves. ¡°Come, sit, we have much to discuss.¡± The old man said and then gestured to the chair facing him at the table. With a nod, I sat down. We sat for a few seconds, simply staring into each other¡¯s eyes, yet time seemed to stretch, and it felt as though I was staring at him for hours. His gray eyes twinkled and reflected the red of the room, shining with a violet sheen. ¡°My name is Pallock Sterling, as you may already know, and that young man behind you is Cedrick Entesor. If I may be so blunt, what would your name be, and why exactly are you visiting my humble abode?¡± I sat silently for a moment, thinking of what to say. ¡°My name is Alric Vayne, and I am here to get hired for a job. I heard you were in search of someone who could work for you?¡± He smiled. ¡°Yes, I am indeed. The question is, are you ready to work for me? The job we have here is not pretty.¡± I pondered for a moment and then decided. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine with any job, as long as it is not unethical.¡± His smile grew wider. ¡°That¡¯s good. Should I show you what the work is, or would you rather I tell you?¡± ¡°Um¡­ telling me would work.¡± ¡°Alright. Here, in the Red House, an organization is being run. Within this organization, we try to make the empire a better place, by fixing its problems and giving answers to its questions. We are, what some may call, revolutionaries. Unfortunately, others find us to be less appealing, and call us the distasteful term of ¡°terrorist¡±. Yet truly, we are not mere terrorists at all, and a more accurate term would be rebels. We strive to clean this empire of its filth, starting with the emperor. And you, Alric Vayne, are perfect for our cause.¡± ¡°And how do you know I won¡¯t just leave this house and report you to the authorities?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t. What I do know is that if you do, you''ll bask in your momentary glory of ¡®saving the empire¡¯ and then end up in the streets. At worst, you¡¯ll find a quick death in a back alley and at best you¡¯ll last a few years on scraps and leftovers. It¡¯s the beggar''s life or the fight for freedom, which do you choose?¡± ¡°Hah¡±, I chuckled. ¡°you¡¯re not giving me much of a choice here, are you? I choose freedom.¡± ¡°Good.¡± He dropped his smile, ¡°Don¡¯t flinch.¡± I cocked my head to the side. ¡°What do you mean-¡° The world fell from underneath me. Chapter 3
¡®Man, I need some wine. I¡¯ve been sitting on this stupid throne all day, with nothing but water to fill my stomach. How stupid is that? Sure, I didn¡¯t ask for it, but my loyal subjects should know by now when I want my wine.¡¯ I looked at the red carpet on the floor below me, and I tried to feel anything special from it, any sort of resonance, anything. Nope, just a normal red carpet. ¡®I¡¯ll ask my adviser later to change it to blue. Maybe that will make a difference.¡¯ ¡°Your Majesty, the guest has arrived.¡± My advisor said. ¡°Bring him in.¡± The large iron gates to my throne room were slowly opened, and from beyond them, a man walked through. If there was any singular word that could describe this man, it would be ¡®elegant¡¯. Every hair on his head was positioned perfectly, his skin was immaculately unblemished and fair, and his every step was placed flawlessly upon the floor so as to achieve a balanced rhythm of movement. And his eyes, oh his eyes, how they shined. ¡®His eyes are blue, just like I want my carpet to be.¡¯ I thought. The man reached three-quarters of the distance towards the throne before bowing deeply, as was tradition. ¡°Your Majesty, my name is Silas Quintan, and I am honored to meet you for the first time. Your glamour is far greater than I could have possibly imagined, and your presence is so great I feel I may have to cry. Truly, you are the epitome of magnificence.¡± ¡®He sure knows his way with words, even though everything he just stated is completely true.¡¯ ¡°Do not fret, your Majesty, as I have not arrived here empty-handed. If you may observe, here, held within my hands, is the most elegant and aromatic wine in the world, sold at the price of twenty thousand kora. I would hope this small gift would perhaps ease your nerves after such a long day of work.¡± And indeed, within the man¡¯s hands was held a bottle of shining emerald and gold. ¡®Yes! Just what I needed! This man has great taste!¡¯ ¡°Thank you, Silas, for such a prestigious gift. Why don''t you come over here and pour me this fine wine?¡± ¡°Why, of course, your Majesty, with pleasure.¡± The adviser behind me handed me my golden goblet, and I waited as the man known as Silas carefully and meticulously walked up the steps to my throne. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. When he reached me, he smiled, and uncorked the bottle with his hands, before carefully pouring the wine into my goblet. ¡°Please, drink, and feel at ease your Majesty.¡± I grunted, and raised the goblet to my lips, giving the wine a slight taste using the tip of my tongue. ¡®Wonderful.¡¯ ¡°This wine tastes extraordinary and extravagant. I must thank you for this gift once more.¡± I said, before taking a small sip. ¡®Truly, this is the best wine I have ever tasted. It¡¯s heavenly.¡¯ ¡°I am glad you like it, your Majesty. Originally, I had felt nervous and believed perhaps you would have found my gift too strange or unforthcoming. I see now that I was wrong.¡± ¡°Indeed, this is a great gift. Now, state your business.¡± Silas smiled once more. ¡°Of course, your Majesty. You see, my organization is quite small and lacks funds. We were hoping you could lend us some aid.¡± ¡°And what will you give me in return?¡± I asked, taking another sip of the spectacular wine. ¡°We can aid you in many ways, your Majesty. We have high-ranking mages who can help in the war, intel on the rebels, and, most importantly, knowledge on attaining immortality.¡± I perked up at his words. ¡°Immortality?¡± ¡°Yes indeed, your Majesty, immortality. It is a well-kept secret that the greatest thing your heart desires is eternal life, but we have ears everywhere, and we heard some interesting things.¡± ¡®They know of my wish for longevity?¡¯ ¡°And what exactly do you know about immortality, my dear friend?¡± The man¡¯s smile widened, and he raised his hands toward my face. Held between his fingers was a pitch-black orb, that seemed to emanate a deep darkness that felt ghastly and sick. The orb was so dark that it seemed to draw in the light around it, and I felt my brain twist for a moment trying to understand it. ¡°Is that¡­ a celestial artifact?¡± I asked in wonder. ¡°It is indeed, your Majesty. It is also the secret to unlocking immortality. All we need is funds and the help of your greatest minds, so that we can unlock it.¡± ¡®This¡­ This is it! All I have been waiting for, sitting in this man¡¯s hands, waiting for me to devour. I want it! I want it to be mine!¡¯ I smiled and reached out my hand to touch the orb. The man yanked it away from reach. ¡°Ah, ah, ah, you cannot have it until we unlock it, your Majesty. An object of such power is extremely volatile and could explode if used incorrectly. You need to be patient, but if you give us funds, it won¡¯t be long until you have your greatest wish come true.¡± ¡®Ugh, damnit, I want it now. Wait, I don¡¯t get it, what does he gain from this?¡¯ ¡°What will you get from giving me this artifact? You can¡¯t merely want funds if you deal with such powerful things.¡± The man¡¯s smile grew even wider, almost unnaturally so. ¡°Why, you see your Majesty, I want to use the artifact as well. Of course, I will let you use it first, but as my project, it will be mine to use in the end. I¡¯m just lending it to you, to see if it works.¡± ¡®Hmm¡­ this is suspicious. Is that truly how celestial artifacts work? Can you truly use it many times over?¡¯ ¡°And to sweeten the deal further, I also have some information on the most recent plans of the rebels, and perhaps with your help we can squash them once and for all.¡± I pondered that for a moment, twirling my beard with my thumb. ¡°Fine, that works. You tell me the plans of the rebels, and after we destroy them completely, I give you funds, you finish working on the artifact and then let me use it first. Then I give it back to you, and you use it. Is that the full deal?¡± ¡°Yes, it is, your Majesty.¡± ¡®Hmph, good. This little prick doesn¡¯t know that I won¡¯t be returning the artifact once he fixes it. Once it¡¯s held within my grasp, it will never be taken.¡¯ The man¡¯s smile widened even further, and by now it looked like his face could rip apart from the strain. ¡°Now, tell me the plans of the rebels. Getting rid of them will make this war much easier.¡± Chapter 4 I opened my eyes. I was standing in a black room with rusty pipes lining the walls. The room was entirely walled off except for a large metal door on the wall in front of me. On my right Pallock and Cedrick stood, looking entirely unsurprised at what had just occurred. ¡°W-what just happened?¡± I asked. Pallock smirked. ¡°Welcome to the headquarters of the revolutionary movement. If you could step through that door, you would witness the full might of our revolution.¡± Carefully, I stepped up to the door and turned the handle. After holding it there for a second, I swung the door open to reveal what was on the other side. It was a truly magnificent sight. Hundreds of towers stretching up into the darkness, caverns of great width and girth going on for kilometers on end, and pipes, so many pipes, on the walls and even on the ground. ¡°Quite the sight, right? Our underground complex has been built and grown over the course of forty years. Using these towers, we connect our headquarters to the sewers, and thus to the city above. Most of our members were originally workers in the sewers, and many still work undercover there to gain information.¡± ¡®Wow. The only thing I knew about the rebels was that they were a new group that was relatively nonviolent, yet now that I see the full scale of their operations, I realize that this has been going on for much longer at much greater heights than I have previously imagined.¡¯ ¡°Impressive, isn¡¯t it?¡± Cedric said, ¡°As far as the public is concerned, the rebellion has only been going for ten years or so, but we have been active for over sixty years at this point. The only reason we are more known now is because our leader just became an S-rank mage, directly rivaling the power of the emperor. After his ascension we gained many more members, and the emperor finally noticed us to be a serious threat to his reign.¡± As we talked, Pallock led us through the maze of pipes and towers, and eventually we stopped at a particularly large-looking tower, that if observed closely, one could see that it was a shade darker than the other towers, even though they were nearly pitch black. Pallock turned to me and motioned towards the entrance to the tower. ¡°This is the main tower where we formulate our plans. It is also where our leader lives. Would you like to meet him?¡± I turned to Cedrick and then looked back at Pallock. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m willing to meet him, but first, I¡¯m curious. Why did you accept me joining this rebellion? Do you not realize my abysmal power and talent? After serving in the army for such a long time, the only spell I managed to learn was the candle spell, the weakest and most basic spell in existence. I was literally kicked out of the army for being too weak. What reason could you have to accept me into your group?¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Pallock smiled. ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask the leader himself? He can answer your question.¡± I frowned. ¡®What does that mean?¡¯ ¡°Go on, don¡¯t be shy.¡± He gestured to the door once more. ¡°Fine. But won¡¯t you be coming with me?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, we won¡¯t. You have to meet with the leader alone.¡± ¡®Odd.¡¯ I stepped through the open door to the tower and heard it close with a snap behind me. In front of me was a magic elevator, its doors open as if it had been waiting for me. I took a deep breath and then stepped into the magic elevator. On the walls of the magic elevator were mirrors, and as the doors closed behind me, I stared at my disheveled reflection in the mirror. My long brown hair was a mess, and my black eyes looked extremely tired even though I had slept well the night before. Indeed, it looks as if my exoneration from the army had left its mark on me. Abruptly, I heard a ding, and the doors to the magic elevator opened behind me. I turned around and walked through the doors, and into the room beyond. The room I stood in resembled the standard waiting room, with seating and a few miscellaneous bookshelves, except that everything was in black, giving it an eerie feeling. At the end of the room was a door, and unlike all of the other doors I¡¯d seen within the headquarters, this one was a deep red. ¡®Just based on the color scheme, these guys seem more like the bad guys than the good guys.¡¯ After looking around the room a bit more and finding nothing of interest, I cautiously walked up to the door and knocked on it. I waited a moment, but there was no reply, so I knocked again. Again, nothing. ¡®Is it expected that I just open it myself?¡¯ Suddenly, the door flew open, and I stumbled backward in surprise. Beyond the door was a quaint room, filled with only a desk and a chair. Sitting in the chair was an average-looking man, with brown hair, brown eyes, and wearing the same outfit that Pallock had been wearing. He raised his hand in greeting. ¡°Please come in, make yourself at home.¡± His voice had a hint of a Taignese accent in it, perhaps implying an Eastern descent. I stepped through the doorway and then realized something. ¡°Um¡­ where can I sit? There is only one chair, and you are currently occupying it.¡± ¡°Ah, yes, my apologies for the inconvenience. Here.¡± He waved his hand, and suddenly a chair made out of flowing water appeared in front of his desk. ¡°Go on, sit.¡± I stared at the chair with a dumbfounded expression. ¡®So they weren¡¯t lying when they said he was an S rank.¡¯ ¡°I see you are impressed with my skills. I am quite honored. Also, do not worry, the chair won¡¯t get you wet.¡± ¡°O-ok.¡± I cautiously sat down on the chair and felt relief when I realized he didn¡¯t lie. It was just like any old regular chair, just¡­ flowing in place. He smirked and kicked back on his chair, looking very relaxed. ¡°So¡­ are you enjoying your vacation here in the heart of the revolution?¡± I scrutinized him and made sure to choose my next words carefully. ¡°Yes, I am. Though I must say, the choice in color¡­ is quite extraordinary.¡± ¡°Hahaha! That¡¯s the spirit! Good, having your own opinion is what we¡¯re all about here.¡± I smiled. This man didn¡¯t seem to fit the bloodthirsty persona that the imperial propaganda put him out to be. ¡°I have a few questions to ask you, Darian Dusk.¡± He waved his hand merrily above his head. ¡°Ask away.¡± Chapter 5 Across from me sat Darian Dusk, the most wanted man in the Trestian empire, and the leader of the rebellion against the emperor. ¡°Why did you accept me into your cause?¡± I asked him. He chuckled and straightened his tie. ¡°Why, it¡¯s obvious, isn¡¯t it? You have some of the greatest magic potential I have ever seen. You have the potential to achieve the S rank, or even higher.¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean? My potential is terrible. I was kicked out of the army because of it.¡± ¡°No, no, you don¡¯t seem to understand. Your potential is insane. Way higher than mine.¡± ¡°But, then, why¡­¡± ¡°What rank was the officer who tested your potential?¡± ¡°What rank?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I pondered for a moment. It had been four years ago, and the officer had been wearing a white uniform¡­ ¡°He was C rank.¡± ¡°C rank, I see¡­¡± Darian slouched in his chair, and a small trickle of water materialized around his head and started circling him lazily. ¡°Um¡­-¡° ¡°Yes! Your officer was too low-level, that¡¯s it. He couldn¡¯t exactly see anything wrong about you, except for the fact that you had ¡®low potential¡¯, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ yes? But-¡° ¡°Exactly! He was blind! Your potential is hotter than lava! Just looking at you is almost burning my retinas!¡± ¡°O-ok, but then, why did he say that my potential was so terrible?¡± ¡°Well, obviously because your meridians are blocked.¡± ¡°Meridians? What¡¯s that?¡± His eyes widened almost comically. ¡°You don¡¯t know what meridians are!?¡± ¡°Uh, no?¡± ¡°Goodness gracious, did they teach you nothing at school?¡± ¡°I never went to school.¡± ¡°Huh. Makes sense. Anyways, a brief rundown goes like this: in your body, you have this thing called a mana core, which is a part of your soul that stores all of the mana that you suck up into yourself. Most people envision it as a ball of light. Now, connected to this ball of light are these little vein-looking things. These are your meridians. They are the pathway between your mana core and the world outside of your body. You use them to refill your mana core and eject mana out of it. Without meridians, you can¡¯t be a mage. Every 1 in one hundred people is born with meridians, which makes them automatically as a child suck in ambient mana from their surroundings, and create a mana core. That¡¯s how you become a mage.¡± Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡®That seemed like a bit of a crude explanation, but I understood most of it.¡¯ ¡°Ok, so if that¡¯s how it works, then what does it mean when your meridians are blocked?¡± ¡°Well, you just said it, didn¡¯t you? Something is blocking the mana from traveling through your meridians. You see, the way mages usually check your potential is by seeing how fast ambient mana naturally travels through your meridians. In your case, because you have such incredible potential, even with a complete blockage, some small sliver of mana trickles through the gaps, making you Barry qualified to be a mage. But if the blockage is removed, you can absorb mana at a pace equal to that of a B rank mage, even though you¡¯re F rank!¡± ¡°Wait, does that mean that you can increase your potential the more powerful of a mage you become?¡± He cocked his head to the side. ¡°No, of course not, don¡¯t be silly. No one can increase their own potential, it¡¯s decided at birth, it¡¯s genetic. Whenever someone goes up a rank, they automatically gain more mana faster, because their mana core is much larger. It¡¯s like planets; the larger they are, the more gravitational pull they have. For example, an X rank¡¯s mana core would be equivalent to a black hole!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure what a black hole is, but I get the gist. The more powerful you get, the more mana you need to get even more powerful. I was never told, but how do you get more powerful? How do you increase your rank?¡± ¡°Man, you really don¡¯t know anything do you? Don¡¯t they explain this kind of stuff to you in the army? I¡¯m sure there are plenty of army kids who never went to school.¡± I frowned. ¡°Maybe they taught the others, but not to me. They claimed that my talent was too trash for me to actually use any of that knowledge and that it was better if I just focused on following orders and not trying to get somewhere I can¡¯t reach.¡± ¡°Huh. What idiots. Glad you¡¯re not with them anymore. Anyways, the most basic way to make your mana core larger, and by doing that, increase your rank, is to just absorb more mana than is currently possible for you to absorb. Let¡¯s say, for instance, that your mana core can hold a cup-sized amount of mana, and you want it to be bigger, all you have to do is try to force more than a cup''s worth of mana into your mana core. If you succeed, the size of your mana core increases. If you fail, you¡¯re just gonna have to try again. Usually without the proper technique, it could take quite a while to increase the size of your mana core, but if you have a good technique and good talent, then you can increase it quite quickly. That¡¯s why the poor usually can¡¯t get past the D rank, and the rich usually get to the C or B rank within their lifetimes. Of course, if you have talent as mind-breaking as yours, you could just force a torrent of mana into your mana core at great speeds, and just force it to grow. With your talent, you can reach D rank in maybe a day!¡± ¡®Ok, I think I understand it now. But there are still two things that are bugging me.¡¯ ¡°I have two more questions. One, what exactly is blocking my meridians, and two, how did you know about my potential before even meeting me?¡± He crossed his fingers together, and the small ball of water that was floating around him disappeared into a puff of spray. ¡°Well, one is quite easy: I have absolutely no idea. Two is also easy. Pallock told me. He¡¯s an A rank you know.¡± ¡®Pallock is an A-rank mage! How many powerful mages are in this rebellion?¡¯ ¡°I-I see. But wait, what do you mean you don¡¯t know what¡¯s blocking my meridians? Do you not want to tell me?¡± ¡°No, I would be glad to. I seriously have no idea. But that¡¯s why I accepted you. If we can somehow figure out how to unclog your blockage, then we can sharpen you into a blade as sharp as me, if not sharper! With two S ranks, we can finally overturn the empire and kill the emperor for good!¡± ¡®This guy is a real liberalist.¡¯ ¡°Anyways, the point is, you¡¯re a diamond in the rough, and the empire did us a favor in letting you go. Now we just have to awaken your secret potential, and we¡¯ll be able to save the empire from the emperor''s tyranny!¡± ¡°That sounds great. So¡­ what do I do next?¡± He smiled, and I felt as if perhaps I shouldn¡¯t have asked that question. ¡°Training.¡± Chapter 6 ¡®Why do I have to be here? Can¡¯t they have another battalion complete this assignment?¡¯ I thought in annoyance. I was riding the back of a dirty horse, one of the beasts that the empire sent to the army to use as transportation, a foolish decision if you ask me. The beast kept on trudging like it meant to bore a hole in the ground with every step, and I felt my annoyance grow with every footfall. Why couldn¡¯t they give us nobler animals to use as transport, instead of these detestable things? It was almost as if the beast was trying to make me fall off of its back. ¡®Fucking dung-walker.¡¯ It smelled too. It smelled like shit and cows and dirt. And the flies. The little fuckers kept on noisily flittering around like the horse was some sort of bug magnet. It probably was. ¡°C-commander?¡± A soft voice asked from behind me. ¡°Yes, Terence?¡± ¡°Uh, w-we¡¯re about to reach the target, sir.¡± ¡°Thanks for telling me. Now, get back in line!¡± ¡°Y-yes sir!¡± I stared at him as he slowed down his horse until he fell in line with the others, and then I sighed. ¡®How annoying. Why do I have to babysit these kids all the time anyway?¡¯ I remember feeling proud and honored when I was accepted into the army as a commander until it turned out that I was in charge of taking care of a bunch of kids who never went to school. And they were commoners to boot. There was even one that was so untalented that he was discharged from the army two days ago on orders of the general. How ridiculous is that? A soldier discharged for being weak? That was unheard of in my father¡¯s army. Everyone there was at least C rank, noble, and highly trained in combat. Yet here I am, a top graduate at Celeste Academy and a B-rank mage, in charge of a bunch of useless orphans. ¡®And now we¡¯re going to fight against some ¡°X rank¡± mage. Hogwash if you ask me. He¡¯s probably some A-rank mage who was down on his luck and decided to fight an empire, thinking himself powerful enough to do it. Well, even an A rank can¡¯t beat an army. Besides, the X rank is just a legend, no one can get more powerful than S.¡¯ I shifted my body on the wretched beast, trying to get more comfortable. ¡®I swear, if they don¡¯t replace these things with proper transportation in the next two years, I will-¡® ¡°Commander! There¡¯s something in the sky!¡± I swiveled around to face the kid and glared as menacingly as I could. ¡°Stop jabbering nonsense at me! We¡¯re still a few kilometers out from the front lines, there is nothing here yet!¡± Terence flinched back, yet quickly regained his bearings. ¡°N-no, commander it¡¯s true, look!¡± I turned my head to look at the sky in front of us. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡®This stupid boy, he¡¯s always chattering away to me, this that this, can¡¯t you see I¡¯m busy? He probably just saw a big bird or something-¡® I gaped. There was a man, standing in the sky about a few hundred meters above us, looking down like some sort of god from the heavens. ¡®What the heck?! The boy was right!¡¯ I hastily turned back towards the soldiers behind me. ¡°Everyone dismount from your horses and get ready for battle! There is an enemy above us!¡± I yelled at them at the top of my lungs. ¡°Yes sir!¡± They yelled in unison, and then alighted from their horses and got into formation. The figure in the sky continued to stare at us, and I grew weary. ¡®How is he able to fly like that? He has to be at least a C-rank mage and a wind type too.¡¯ ¡°Prepare your best spells! Hold, hold¡­ fire!¡± From around me, hundreds of spells flew into the sky, lighting it up with a rainbow of colors. Most of them were small and weak, but there were a few larger ones in the fray. Those reached the man first. He didn¡¯t move, didn¡¯t even flinch at the display. Just as the first spell, a house-sized fireball, was about to hit him, it vanished. I rubbed my eyes. ¡®What?¡¯ Every spell that came his way disappeared right before it hit him. It was as if he was absorbing them into himself. ¡®What the fuck is happening? How is he doing that?¡¯ I turned towards the soldiers again. ¡°Cease fire! Create a grand formation and pool your mana for a large attack!¡± ¡°Yes sir!¡± They immediately stopped firing spells and began to pool their mana together into a grand formation. I turned back towards the man. He hadn¡¯t moved. He just stood there, in the air, staring down at us. ¡®Let¡¯s see how you like this, you flying prick.¡¯ ¡°Sir, the grand formation is complete!¡± Terence yelled. I smirked. ¡°Good. Fire!¡± I felt the world crackle with energy, and a large torrent of concentrated mana suddenly flew from behind me up into the sky, straight towards the flying man. I smiled, imagining his screams as he was being torn to shreds, and was surprised when he was perfectly fine. ¡®What? Where¡¯d the grand spell go?¡¯ Abruptly, I felt a tingle on my back, and instinctively raised my mana shield up around me. The world exploded in a fiery blaze. My shield shattered, and I felt my skin twist under the extreme pressure. The ground below me melted into a burning sludge, and I fell to my knees from the pain. ¡®What the fuck just happened?!¡¯ I turned my head to look behind me and saw hell. All one thousand soldiers in my battalion were dead, burnt to a crisp. Not even their flesh remained, only bones. ¡®What the fuck just happened!¡¯ ¡°That was your own spell, you know.¡± I swiveled my head to face the speaker. He was a man, roughly twenty years old in appearance, wearing a gray military uniform with no insignia. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ the man in the sky.¡± ¡°Yeah, and your ¡°grand formation¡± is a joke. Creating a spell using the culmination of the mana of a thousand mages is just gonna make a chaotic and uncontrollable hunk of mana. You need to properly coalesce the different types of mana together and make it a uniform spell. The way you guys did it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.¡± ¡°Wha- how did you do this? How did you destroy our spells!¡± He clicked his tongue as if chiding a child. ¡°It¡¯s simple, no? I just erased them from this physical plane. And that ¡°grand formation¡± of yours? I sent it back to you, so you guys would realize how badly made it was.¡± ¡°You sent it back to us? That¡¯s impossible! No one can redirect a spell!¡± He placed his hand on my head as if trying to comfort me. ¡°Of course, I didn¡¯t redirect the spell, that¡¯s impossible. I merely transported it back to you guys, a simple teleportation spell, nothing to gawk at.¡± I tried to pry his hand from my head, yet my body wouldn¡¯t move. I looked down with my eyes and saw that the ground beneath me had swallowed my lower body whole, due to rapid melting and cooling. ¡°You poor child. Let me put you out of your misery.¡± The man said in a soft voice. I heard a snap, and the world turned dark. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Hmm.¡± I looked down at the corpse below me as its headless body fell forward and landed on its chest. ¡°This man was probably the commander of this battalion. Though he was quite weak, B rank I would estimate.¡± I looked around at the carnage that was once a beautiful grassy meadow. ¡°Magic really ruins the world, huh? Well, you can only blame them I guess. After all, it was their spell that did this.¡± I raised my hand in front of me and increased the pressure of gravity in the area by a hundred times, liquifying the oxygen in the air and putting out the flames. ¡®Now at least the entire meadow won¡¯t burn.¡¯ With that done, I turned my head in the direction of the capital of the Trestian empire. ¡®Sending such a weak battalion just to stall me is a foolish move to make. You¡¯re going to regret that, and the people of your empire are going to feel that regret.¡¯ I gripped the waves of space that surrounded me and flew through the air. ¡®The Reaper is on his way.¡¯ Chapter 7
¡°Welcome to the training grounds! Isn¡¯t it magnificent?¡± ¡°Yeah, it is.¡± I was standing inside a huge black room, with large pipes lining the walls and black soil covering the ground. Beside me stood Pallock, a proud smile etched on his face as he looked around the big empty room we were in. ¡°This room is perfect for what I wanna do with you.¡± He said. ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Exercise, of course.¡± I stared at him, bewildered. ¡°Exercise?¡± ¡°Exercise.¡± ¡°What do you mean, exercise? I thought we were going to train?¡± He chuckled lightly and looked at me as if I was stupid. ¡°Exercise is training, Alric. How else would you get strong?¡± ¡°By training magic! I thought you guys were gonna help me unblock my meridians! Isn¡¯t that what Darian meant by training?¡± ¡°Haha! Of course we¡¯re gonna try to fix your meridians, we need your potential to shine. But how are you gonna be powerful without a good physical foundation? Look at you! You¡¯re sticks and bones!¡± I looked down at myself. I wouldn¡¯t call myself scrawny, but I was most definitely lacking much-needed muscle. I sighed. ¡°Ok, fine, I guess that makes sense.¡± ¡°Haha, I knew you would get it. Now, twenty laps around the room, start!¡± ¡°Huh? Start, now?¡± ¡°Yes, go, go, go!¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª I fell to the floor, gasping for air. After the laps, Pallock had me do push-ups, squats, and then more laps, without any breaks in between. My muscles felt like they were hot coals that would not cool down, and my vision swam, making the world look as if it were underwater. ¡°C''mon, c¡¯mon, get up. It wasn¡¯t that bad.¡± Pallock said from above me. ¡®It was that bad.¡¯ I struggled to get up to one knee. ¡°Haha, look at you! Now you realize how much you needed that, huh? But I¡¯m surprised, you were struggling far more than I thought you would. Weren¡¯t you in the army not too long ago?¡± I slowly got back up to my feet and faced Pallock. ¡°Yeah, I was. But they never made us go through any strenuous exercise, just some small runs once in a while to keep us in shape. What they really cared about was magic. After all, why would it matter how fast you could run if the enemy could just shoot a fireball at you at forty kilometers an hour?¡± ¡°Haha, I guess that makes a bit of sense. But still, you shouldn¡¯t neglect your physical prowess, it¡¯s more important than you might think.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°It¡¯s best to leave it to personal experience to teach you the hard lesson. Now, you were asking about magic training earlier, right? I¡¯ve got just the guy for you! Here, let me introduce you to our magic theory professor, Elias Holloway!¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Greetings.¡± A voice said from behind me. I spun around. Before me stood a man of average height, with a very not average-sized white beard, seeing as it reached the floor. His eyes were emerald green, and shined brightly, in an unnatural way. He wore red robes with black stripes, and he was frowning ever so slightly as if he had had a not-so-pleasant day. ¡®When and how did he get here? I didn¡¯t hear him coming at all!¡¯ ¡°I see you¡¯re surprised, and that is to be expected! Elias here is a wind mage, so he can manipulate the air in the area and make all sounds that he makes nullified. Pretty amazing huh?¡± Elias¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°Pallock, I would ask you to please refrain from your antics whilst being within my presence. It is quite disturbing. I would also hope that you have not already disillusioned the new recruit. You are a mentor, not a jumping monkey.¡± ¡°Haha, sure Ellie, will do! Now, I have to get going, so good luck you two, learn a lot!¡± With that, Pallock left the building, leaving the two of us alone. ¡®Pallock sure loves to laugh.¡¯ ¡°I hate it when that man calls me ¡°Ellie¡±. His mockery makes me feel ill.¡± I turned to look at Elias, noticing that his frown had deepened even further, and I began to feel a bit of regret for being left alone with this guy. ¡®I sure hope he isn¡¯t an extremely strict teacher.¡¯ ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª He was an extremely strict teacher. He first quizzed me to see what my level was in magic theory, and I guess my level was not very high based on his ever-deepening frown. He then decided to teach me a bit of ¡°the basics¡± as he called them, which mostly flew over my head. One thing did catch my attention though. ¡°-as is well known, it is impossible to have more than one type of magic, that is why-¡° ¡°Wait, I have a question.¡± He sighed. ¡°Yes? What is it that you don¡¯t understand?¡± ¡°You said each person can only have one type of magic. Why?¡± He sighed again. ¡°Such a foolish question. No one can have more than one type of magic, because only one type of magic can be absorbed into your body.¡± ¡°And why is that?¡± He fixed me with a glare. This guy really didn¡¯t like questions, it seems. ¡°Because you¡¯re born with it. Genetics. Your DNA decides at birth what type of magic it lets into your body, and it never lets in more than one. It¡¯s impossible. Think about it for a second. If you had ice mana and fire mana within your body, they wouldn¡¯t be able to mix, and you would explode. It¡¯s essentially a biological safety feature, do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes, I think I get it.¡± ¡°Good. Now, continuing onto what I was saying before¡­¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Did you learn a lot from your magic theory lesson?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°What? But you were so excited for it earlier, I was sure it was just your cup of tea.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t drink tea.¡± ¡°Huh, good to know.¡± I was walking with Pallock back to the main tower to meet up with Cedrick. The magic theory lesson had taken around two hours, and I had comprehended maybe two minutes¡¯ worth of it. ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t say I¡¯m not surprised. That guy sure is a tough nut. I mean, back in our younger days-¡° ¡°I have a question.¡± ¡°Ask away.¡± ¡°Where do you get the money to build and manage this place? I mean, it¡¯s huge. You have more towers than I can count, and tons of space. There is no way you guys just made all of this with manpower alone.¡± He chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re right on point. Let¡¯s just say that a few high ranking nobles of the empire don¡¯t exactly agree with everything the emperor does. We find them, this goes to that, and here we are! Though, I will remind you, this operation wasn¡¯t exactly a one night thing.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°Oh, and I¡¯ll tell you now so I won''t forget. We¡¯re not gonna pay you here unless you complete missions with us. In that way, were are sort of like a guild. Though we are also giving you a free house on the surface and free food down here. Far more generous than any guild. The only thing we demand of you in return is secrecy. If someone finds out about where our base is, it won¡¯t be pretty.¡± I nodded. ¡°I understand. I won¡¯t tell a soul.¡± We reached the main tower, and at its entrance stood Cedrick, an impassive expression on his face. ¡°Good. Now, Cedrick here is going to escort you back to the surface. Make sure to use this as an opportunity to get to know him better. Bye!¡± We watched as Pallock strode into the main tower and closed the doors behind him. A moment of silence passed. ¡°Follow me.¡± Cedrick said, and then began to walk away. I hurried to match his pace, and then we walked for a few minutes in silence, no one uttering a word. ¡®Well, this sure is awkward.¡¯ ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Cedrick said, pointing at a door in the wall. ¡°Just go through that door and click the up button. You¡¯ll manage from there.¡± I looked at the door, and recognized it as the same one that I had walked through to enter the base. ¡°Umm, thanks Cedrick. See you later?¡± ¡°Yes, see you.¡± He stayed in place, watching me as I walked to the door and turned the handle. ¡°Alric?¡± I turned to face him. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°A word of advice. Don¡¯t relax, and don¡¯t treat this as a joke. Be on your toes.¡± I nodded. ¡°Alright. Thanks for the advice. See you around.¡± I walked through the door and entered the room. In the center of the room stood a pedestal, and on the pedestal was a large red button with the word ¡°up¡± etched onto it. ¡®I see. So that¡¯s what he meant by ¡°up button¡±. This must be a magic elevator that leads up to the Red House. Alright, here goes nothing.¡¯ I pressed my hand onto the button, and the world flew up. Chapter 8 My eyes flew open. I was standing in the kitchen of the Red House again. After I had pressed the button, the world suddenly flew upwards (or at least it had felt that way) and I closed my eyes in surprise. Now, suddenly I was here. ¡®The same thing happened the last time I was here when Pallock brought me into the underground base. How did that happen? Was it some sort of magic elevator? But then how did the room I was in change? Perhaps¡­ was it teleportation?¡¯ I stood there, pondering for a moment, and then I noticed a note on the kitchen table. I had almost missed it since it was a deep red, and it blended well with the room''s color scheme. I walked up to the table to get a closer look. The note read: ¡°Dear Alric, I hope you found our headquarters to be endearing and fun, and I hope you learned something new about yourself. In the smallest drawer in the kitchen, you will find the keys to your new house. I hope you find it accommodating. Tomorrow, return to the Red House and enter the kitchen. Cedrick will be there to tell you what to do. Good luck and good night. Pallock.¡± ¡®Huh. They really gave me a house.¡¯ After rereading the note one more time to not miss any details, I searched for the smallest drawer in the kitchen. It wasn¡¯t hard to find. Opening it, I found a key, along with another note next to it that read: 34th, Paltrow Lane. I picked up the note and the key and then navigated around the glaringly red and surprisingly empty house until I found the front door. On the door was taped another note: ¡°Don''t worry, the door locks automatically.¡± I frowned slightly. ¡®That¡¯s good to know, but how many notes do you need to write? You could have just told me all of this before I left.¡¯ I sighed and resigned myself to the fact that Pallock¡¯s antics would never disappear. I then opened the door and stepped out into the city. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. It was nighttime, and the crescent moon was high in the sky. Because I was in the slums, there were no oil lamps to light up the road, and I had to find my way through the darkness. After stumbling around street corners for a few hours I finally arrived at my destination, 34th Paltrow Lane. It was a quaint, humble home. Wooden beams and a wooden roof kept it natural, and the slightly aged stones that built its walls looked like they didn¡¯t fit in the city. ¡®Much better than the original house that I lived in as a child. It may be smaller, but this house feels much more like home than that four-story gilded mansion. At this point, I¡¯m glad my uncle stole it from me.¡¯ I walked up to the front door and unlocked it, entering my new home. The inside was¡­ empty. Just stone walls and wooden floors, no decorations. I walked through the house, finding each room. There were five in total: a bathroom, a kitchen, two bedrooms, and a small storage room. I settled into one of the bedrooms, putting all of my belongings (which consisted of a small bag with money and some extra sets of clothes) onto the bed. ¡®Man, I can¡¯t believe I have my own house. The last time I was ever in a house was when I was enrolled into the army ten years ago and kicked out of the mansion that I had lived in throughout my childhood, though at the time I was still a child, being only seven years old.¡¯ I sat down on the floor and leaned my back against the bed, to get comfortable. ¡®This whole situation I¡¯m in right now is crazy. I got kicked out of the army for being weak, then joined a rebel group because I have a supposedly high potential, and I now have my own house. Honestly, I wonder, what would Father do in this situation? Would he stay with the rebels, or leave them? Would he try to unlock some ¡®potential¡¯ or be realistic and stay in the background? I don¡¯t know.¡¯ I barely knew my father. He was rarely home, and when he was, he was always working, or eating a meal, and he rarely had time to interact with me. Even so, I always looked up to him. He was a war hero after all. But then he died and left me with nothing. If only I could have met him, one more time, and asked him why he did it, why he fought in a war he knew he couldn¡¯t win, maybe then I would feel satisfied. Because then I would know if I should do the same. I closed my eyes. I needed some rest to ease my mind. The darkness swirled, and my thoughts softened, and the world turned black. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡®I sure am tired. I haven''t gotten a good night''s sleep since forever.¡¯ I was walking through the empty road that led to the main tower, a package held in my hands. ¡®I wonder why Cedrick told me to bring this to the leader? Perhaps it¡¯s something personal?¡¯ I looked down at the package. It was round and small and was light enough that I could hold it with one hand. Of course, I would never do that, as with my luck, it would probably slip and fall out of my hands with ease, and then shatter or something. I was always the unlucky one in the family. That is why I somehow ended up here, in the center of the revolution, as a member of a rebellion against the empire. Who knows what¡¯s gonna happen to me next? As I neared the main tower, I spotted something abnormal in my peripheral vision. A man, draped in a black robe, was standing in the shadow of the training grounds building, muttering to himself. I grimaced. ¡°Uh, who¡¯s there? What are you doing?¡± I called out to the figure. He suddenly stopped muttering and turned to face me. From under the hood, I saw two red dots staring at me, and I knew right then that something was wrong. I quickly dropped the package and raised my hands to cast a spell, but I was too late. Something pierced my chest, and I looked down to see a gaping hole where my heart was supposed to be. I gasped and then fell to the ground. The last thing I saw was the figure running away out of sight, and then the world turned black. Chapter 9
I awoke to the sounds of birds chirping merrily out my window. Groggily, I sat up and looked around the room. It took me a second to remember where I was. ¡®Right, I got a new house. Man, yesterday was so chaotic that I just fell asleep on the floor due to exhaustion. That never happened to me before, not even in the army.¡¯ I stood up, wobbling a little on my feet as I tried to catch my bearings. ¡®My legs feel like jelly. That workout yesterday was really tough.¡¯ I slowly worked through my morning routine, that being showering (this house had a shower, something the army did not) and changing clothes. After eating a small breakfast (consisting of some eggs and a strip of meat that I had found in the cold box) I went outside to enjoy the feeling of the morning sun against my skin. ¡®This feels good. Far better than the damp and cold feeling that I felt in the underground headquarters. Though, one thing that was good there was that the air wasn¡¯t stale. I wonder how they managed to freshen it while being so deep underground? Maybe Elias did it, he is a wind mage after all. Oh, that reminds me, Pallock told me to return to the Red House today and meet Cedrick there. I wonder if he¡¯s going to show me how to enter the base on my own?¡¯ With a destination in mind, I navigated my way through the slums and found the gothic-styled building once more. ¡®It¡¯s honestly pretty surprising how hard it was to find this thing again. Not only is it huge, towering over the small flat-roofed buildings around it, but it also has a very distinct look. And I¡¯ve been here before. Is it because of illusion magic? I wouldn¡¯t disregard the chance.¡¯ I walked up to the front door and tapped on it twice. After waiting for about a minute, I tapped again. ¡®Huh. No answer. Honestly, this is sort of giving me a bit of Deja Vu concerning the first time I came here.¡¯ After knocking one more time for good measure, I sat down at the doorstep and pondered my choices. ¡®I could return home. Maybe try again tomorrow. Pallock did say that Cedrick would be here today, and he doesn¡¯t strike me as a lying man. Perhaps Cedrick just forgot? Or is something else going on? I can¡¯t know, since I can¡¯t enter the house. Or maybe, I can?¡¯ I fished through the left pocket of my pants and retrieved my house key. ¡®Would this work? No way, right?¡¯ I stood up and faced the door, and then carefully inserted the key and turned it in the socket. I heard a light click. ¡®It worked. So that''s how everyone has a way to enter the Red House. We all have the same key.¡¯ After entering and closing the door behind me, I walked through the house until I found the kitchen. ¡®So, how do I get into the headquarters? From what I remember, Pallock was sitting at the kitchen table when he last brought me here, so maybe there is some sort of button on it somewhere?¡¯ I scoured the table, looking for any inconsistencies. After two minutes of searching, I finally found it. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. It was a little black button hiding on the underside of the table, right in reach of where Pallock had been sitting before. I smiled lightly. ¡®Found you.¡¯ I pressed the button, and the world fell from underneath me. Instinctively, I closed my eyes in surprise. I felt the rush of wind, and a gust of warmth, and then everything was still. I slowly opened my eyes and found myself in the room with the door that led to the headquarters. I walked up to the door and opened it, peeking at what lay beyond. The headquarters was exactly the way it was before, with one exception. There were tens of people wearing the black uniform of the rebellion running around and conversing, and I even spotted a few with weapons strapped to their waists. I stepped through the door and stopped one of them in their path. ¡°Uh, I just got here, and I¡¯m wondering what¡¯s going on. Did something happen?¡± He scrutinized me and sighed. ¡°You¡¯re the new recruit, right? There has been a change of plans, and we are committing to plan Arc early. Someone was murdered within the base.¡± ¡°What? Plan Arc? Someone was murdered? What does all that mean?¡± ¡°Go ask the leader, I have to get my gear ready.¡± I watched him as he ran off behind a tower and disappeared. ¡®What is going on?¡¯ ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Alric, I¡¯m sorry for the sudden commotion. Everyone is just uptight after the recent attack.¡± I was sitting in front of Darian Dusk, in his office in the main tower. ¡°You see, last night, tragedy struck. An unknown assailant murdered Bethan, one of our earliest members, in cold blood, right next to the training grounds.¡± I sat silently, not knowing what to say. ¡°Due to that, we are hastening our plans. Originally, we were going to execute plan Arc in two months, but due to this incident, we are going to do it today.¡± ¡°And, what exactly is plan Arc?¡± He smiled. ¡°We are going to destroy the central research institute of the empire, and steal all of their secrets for ourselves.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Why am I participating in this operation again?¡± Pallock gave me a winning smile. ¡°First hand experience of course! You can¡¯t miss out on your first chance of fighting the empire! For all we know, risking your life is what will unblock your meridians.¡± ¡®I don¡¯t think that¡¯s how meridians work.¡¯ We were inside the armory tower, one of the shorter towers within headquarters, and the place where all of the equipment of the rebels was held. ¡°And why couldn¡¯t I just stay back and defend the headquarters? I would rather not attack the empire with my full might being my candle spell.¡± ¡°Defend the headquarters? Don¡¯t kid me now, Vayne. There is no need to defend the headquarters, no one knows where it is other than us.¡± ¡°But wasn¡¯t there an attack just last night? Doesn¡¯t that mean there is an intruder here, or a spy?¡± ¡°Maybe. But that¡¯s why you aren¡¯t defending the main base, it¡¯s too dangerous! The leader is staying, so you do not need to worry.¡± ¡®I have a feeling that attacking the main research institute of the empire is far more dangerous than staying put in the headquarters of the rebellion.¡¯ I frowned slightly at the thought. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be so nervous, this operation will succeed,¡± Pallock said while patting my shoulder. I turned to look him in the eye. ¡°Where is Cedrick?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª I sat in my office and stared at the message that lay on my desk. ¡®I bet that Alric kid will not be happy that he is going on the attack. But he will survive, since everyone will be there with him, to protect him. Hopefully this will also help us with unleashing his true potential.¡¯ I leaned back in my chair and cast a small water spell, twirling it around my head. ¡®Honestly, this whole ¡°plan Arc¡± is just a diversion. It¡¯s the only way I¡¯m able to evacuate everyone from headquarters without complaint. After all, this is the largest operation we have done in twenty years. Even Elias is a little excited about it. Only I will remain here. Judging by the fact that there was an intruder last night, and he was found out, they are going to attack the base today in an attempt to get rid of us all before we can prepare. I¡¯m guessing that the empire found out about headquarters somehow, and were planning an attack, with that first intruder being a scout. But how did they find us? There are no spies among us, Pallock made sure of that with his magic. And another worrying thing is Cedrick. He disappeared from headquarters just last night, at the same time as the murder. He can¡¯t be a spy, but he probably knows something. Something way bigger than I could possibly imagine.¡¯ I looked down at the message that Bethan had been carrying last night, the message that Cedrick had written. It was a black disk, with red glowing letters etched into its surface. They said: ¡°All is not as it seems. The fire is coming.¡±