"Ah!"
Without any notion of time, Raymond opened his eyes forced by an unbearable pain.
He was lying on the ground beside a fire in the darkness. His right arm was it tightly tied to his chest with various skins. His left hand was it tightly wrapped in more pieces of skin.
"You've finally awakened boy."
Guided by the sound of that voice, Raymond noticed the presence of an old man on the other side of the fire in front of him.
Feeling an intense pain that ran all over his body, Raymond tried to get to his feet; however, all he managed was to lift his back while sitting on the ground.
"I am still alive?"
Unsure of his situation, Raymond asked the old man.
"You are miraculously alive, your shoulder is severely burned and your right arm is broken, as well as several fingers in your left hand. I found you a few hours ago on the banks of the river, just when I was preparing to go to sleep. "
After those words of the old man, Raymond inquired into his mind.
"Damn! Damn! "
After clearly remembering what happened, the unbearable pain of his body was it completely overcome by hatred and rage.
"It seems you've been through a difficult time boy."
Strangely, the old man was not surprised at the sudden explosion of Raymond's anger.
"I will kill them! I will kill each one of them with my own hands! "
The intense hatred had made Raymond completely forget the pain.
"I do not know your circumstances boy, but I'm sure if you had the power to do what you say, you would not have finished like this."
The old man's words made Raymond remain silent for a few seconds.
"Hahaha! It is true; I am useless, that is why even my own mother discarded me. I do not serve for magic and my body is so weak that I did not even manage to escape from an old one-eyed man. Hahaha!"
The hatred, the rancor, his current state and the inability to take revenge, seemed to take Raymond to the edge of madness.
"The magical ability is based entirely on the body's ability to generate mana, this is basic knowledge. Generally is believed that this ability is acquired without changes from birth, but that is as absurd as saying that the hair always maintains its same size."
Ignoring the almost madness of Raymond, the old man began to speak, with which, the little sanity that still had Raymond, managed to oppose the madness.
"Does he say that I can be able to use magic?"
Magic, hearing that word, Raymond forgot his circumstances for a moment. Of everything he could not do, magic was what Raymond wanted most strongly.
"When a new disease arises, it usually causes many deaths, but over time it becomes harmless. This is not because the disease weakens; it is because our body learns to deal with it in a better way. "
Although he did not know where the old man wanted to go, Raymond, he listened diligently to his words. Anything was better than letting madness take hold of him.
"Magic is usually seen as a divine gift; however, the reality is that it is simply a consequence born of the need of our bodies to defend themselves by generating mana."
The old man did not seem to show a hint of doubt in his words.
"Defend from what?"
For someone like Raymond, who was supposedly born incapacitated for magic, those words were too intriguing.
"Miasma."
Even though he was it incapacitated for magic, Raymond had read multiple books about it in the hope of finding a way to be able to use it.
The miasma was a kind of malignant mana that attracted monsters. It was be theorized that it was a residue of powerful spells made during the golden age of the high elves.
"What it says is that if I expose myself to the miasma, my body will generate mana, how can I be so sure?"
Without much effort, Raymond understood the elder's complex explanation. Even so, this did not mean he believed completely in his words.
"Because I myself was a complete denial of magic, and now I am able to use basic magic."
The old man's face did not seem to show any doubts in his words, nor did it seem to lie.
"Years ago, driven by fear, I escaped from my home and took refuge in this forest, and although it is a dangerous place, not far from here, I found a safe place where monsters do not dare to approach."
The old man continued his story while Raymond listened diligently.
"The place in question is a cursed cave, plagued by a miasma so thick and evil, that keeps even the monsters away. Even though it was for a short period, I entered that cave and when I left, I realized that I was able to use spells that I knew and that until now, I was not able to use. "
The old man still showed no trace of doubt in his words.
"If I enter that place ..."
Captivated by the story of the old man, Raymond let those words escape.
"No doubt your body will be forced to generate mana to survive, however, I must be sincere boy, and to enter that place is like giving up your life. Maybe it sounds crazy to you, but it is as if the cave itself were alive and trying to devour you. "
Those did not seem to be mere words, for while he talked about the cave, the old man's hands trembled slightly.
"I'm already dead, my own family has taken care of it, and so, I have nothing more to lose."
At the words of doubt and full of regret Raymond, the old man was completely silent.