"How come I am not dead?" Samuel asked first which made Alsian sit straight before replying "I was hoping you would tell me kid! No doubt about it your heart was completely pierced and destroyed but by the time I got there it had just about repaired itself. So unless someone else was there and healed you before I got there, then I do not know." Alsian shrugged, "Perhaps its connected to your bloodline gift!"
"My what?" Samuel quickly asked, "We will get to that soon enough. The point is, that you should have died and perhaps you did but then you came back to life... All I did with my magic was speed up the process, I could have potentially reverted the damage as long as you still had a spark of life in you, but I did not know what had healed you so I didn't risk anything." Alsian sighed, he knew this was going to be a long day that he owed to explain.
"Revert damage?"
"I am a chronomancer, time wizard." Alsian answered the question. "Isn't chronomancy like super duper ultra rare? Can I learn it too? How does it work?" Samuel bombarded him with questions making Alsian hold up a hand.
"It is indeed a very rare school of magic, that most can never ever grasp or understand. Most expert mages can utilize the basic transmutation spells of slowing or speeding up enemies and allies, the basics of chronomancy lie in there, but most can never grasp how to advance further."
"Which is good because one also needs to be born with a gift, a long birth that almost seems to stop in time, a ripple in time caused... there are many theories and I don't know which are true. But to answer your questions, you do have a spark of chronomancy, You will be able to use time magic if you train it, but I don't think you will ever become a master of the art... although only time will tell. As for how it works, It is extremely dangerous of a magic to push to the limit, indeed we can consume mana to cast it... but it taxes ten fold the regular mana for most basic schools."
"So chronomancers use a little thing called life force, we can pay using our lifespan to cast it continuously." Alsian smirked and raised his eyebrows and Samuel understood what it meant. They traded the time of their life to borrow time. It made him shudder.
"Now thankfully chronomancers are also gifted with an extended lifespan, so its not like we haveto be that afraid. We can live longer than most people normally so thats a plus, and because of our bloodline." He pointed with his thumb at himself and then Samuel. "I have an even further extended lifespan. I may not look it, but I am actually 62 years old." If Samuel would have had water in his mouth he would have spat it all out, because Alsian looked like he was in his early thirties.
"Extended lifespan, our bloodline?" Samuel tried wrapping his head around it while Alsian chuckled. "Do you want me to tell you about it?" Alsian asked and received many nods in return so he took a deep breath to recount the rumor and his tale.
"Well, according to some ancient legends in our lineage, our species used to be the native population of many continents here on Emternia, but we were invaded and lost and our people were almost pushed to the brink of extinction."
"We are called. Children of Mana, and our people varied in shape and form, some looked very human while others looked like monsters. We lived in peace, builders and creators is what we were, of course we had a few warriors. But considering how few of us are left I think you can tell how that went if our origins are true which many have told me they are."
"Many of our species learned that we are compatible with the other races, so our bloodlines survived by mingling with the other mortal races. Hence why we all would probably look human today, but there is a distinction that some of us have glowing eyes at times." Alsian shrugged while his icey blue eyes gave off an ice blue aura and Samuel felt like it was the cold gaze of a hawks eyes.
"Now us children of mana are all born with a unique distinct trait or ability, and no mine is not chronomancy, that is simply my magic while my ability to see and speak to the spirits of our ancestors is my speciality. You see, many of our people who died had their souls trapped inside artifacts, and my ability is that I can see and interact with those souls. In the language of our ancient people my name is Little Star."
"I am the guiding star that reunites our people. As for you! I have not the faintest of clue what your name in the old tounge is. It's something you need to discover for yourself, but you understand that you definitely have a unique trait that can be of great assistance to you!" Alsian sighed again.
"This is a lot to take in, but do know that I do not lie to you. So let it all sink in." Alsian took a few moments to let Samuel process all of it before he nodded for Alsian to continue. "Now about fifty years back, a great internal strife happened in my family."
"My oldest brother wanted to take control of the family name, wealth and land. So he killed our father and mother and got all of our younger siblings on his side, except for me and my twin sister. We ran, but got separated and were hunted by assassins, assassins that left me to die in a ditch with a wound that resembles yours, luckily they were just a tick off from piercing my heart and I was saved in time."
"I ended up being save by a new family, an exploration guild that made its profit exploring ancient ruins. Good times, all the while my brother had full control over the family for the coming years. I hid from my past and tried living without being burdened by it, but I was always afraid. Our large noble family that were almost akin to royals in wealth and power."
"My brother tried to do a forbidden ritual to find immortality, and he used all his power and wealth to do so. I tried to run from my past but it came catching up really fast until it was do or die. I fought together with my friends and won by burning our own family to the ground." Alsian leaned forward. "My sister and I reunited after so many years as well, we decided to go separate paths again, I do not think she ever forgave me for almost forgetting about her."
"Time went on, I went exploring to find the origins of our people all the while surrounded by friends." Alsian patted one of his vambraces and thats when Samuel could see that Alsian had a ton of random trinkets and weapons on him. "The great noble house of Shard burned down, but house Concor survived as they were mostly healers that were not really a part of the big family. Concor and Shard had united through political marriage, but at the end of it all the main family was gone. Alsian Concor Shard dead, while only Alsian Fayt remained, so I had all living relatives change name just to be safe."
"Even after that I warned them to be careful about using Fayt. I spent a lot of time travelling before I met the Archon, he and I quickly became good friends, and yes I did confirm a lot of theories about our people during my travels. My treacherous brother dead and with him all the crimes of the family... they did a lot of horrible shit with their power while he was in charge." Alsian rolled his eyes when thinking back on it.
"So I am a Concor Shard as well?" Samuel asked obviously confused and trying to wrap his head about it. But Alsian shook his head, "Legally yes, bloodwise you are a Concor, the Concor lineage are the ones that have children of mana blood. My older brother was not a Concor, he was jealous and wanted power, yada yada the story goes on. Only me and my twin sister were both Shard and Concor."
"My cousin... your mother, was a Concor. One who wanted to live the easy life in the middle of nowhere, she was tired of all the fighting she had helped me with... so I helped her set up a nice home in the middle of nowhere, and somewhere along the line she found love and got married and brought you into this world." Alsian looked down at the ground. "If I never would have helped her... she might not be dead, and for that I am truly sorry."
"I don't blame you at all!" Samuel was quick to interject. "I blame the ones who murdered her and dad and took away what we had." Samuel clenched his fists in anger. "The black cult of Devia... they are the ones you are looking for. But I will not let you go looking for them intentionally before you are done with your years studying." Alsian looked him in the eyes, he was glad the boy didn't blame him, but he also had a duty to make sure Samuel would not go walk into the jaws before he was ready.
"I thank you, I finally have a name... and don't worry, I want to avenge them and live to tell them the tale proudly, I don't intend to get myself killed and fail them again. Which brings me to my other questions." Samuel looked at Alsian with hope. "How exactly are you intending to train me?"
Alsian laughed for a good few seconds. "Lessons in magic, if you have talent for chronomancy I will help you find the basic line to follow and together we will spend time trying to figure out your gift. I will also have you meet with my friends.... our ancestors, although bloodwise I don't know if they are or not...." Alsian shrugged again, "There are many different bloodlines of our ancestors. But if you ever think to meet one that is a healer around Rejuan then they are probably a Concor." Alsian gave him a smile and stood up from the log while offering his hand to Samuel.
He pulled him up and smiled again. "Ready for your first lessons in magic?"