Rael felt an overwhelming pressure embracing his body, its weight bearing down on him. Soon, the pressure transformed into a piercing headache that seemed to consume his thoughts.
The boundaries between his own memories and this newfound reality blurred, interspersed with fragments of unfamiliar experiences.
Just as abruptly as the pain had emerged, it receded, leaving him awestruck and grappling to comprehend the situation he found himself in.
As the sensation of merging settled, Rael's bewilderment ebbed, allowing him to focus on his surroundings.
He recognized himself as a young boy named Rael, sharing an age of nine years in this world. Here, magic was woven into the fabric of reality, a force wielded by powerful magus capable of feats that defied the natural order, flying through the skies, reshaping mountains, summoning lightning and fire as if bending the elements to their will.
Yet, before he could fully assimilate the astonishing reality, the headache surged back, a reminder of his fragile grasp on this new existence.
And just as swiftly, it dissolved, yielding a shiver coursing down his spine. It was then that he understood, crystalline clarity revealing his role in this world the you master of a noble family from another continent.
In this world of upheaval, his father was marked by defiance, a rebellion thwarted in its pursuit to overthrow the ruling monarchy.
The retribution had been swift, his family meeting their end in the face of the royal power they sought to challenge.
Yet, amidst the chaos, his father, guided by a blend of caution and love, orchestrated Rael's escape to a distant continent, a sanctuary from the maelstrom that devoured their homeland.
However, destiny proved far from kind; the welcome awaiting him on the shores of this new land was far from hospitable.
The very guardians sworn to protect him were silenced by an enigmatic underworld organization, extinguishing their lives and leaving Rael vulnerable. A cruel twist of fate saw him ensnared, captured to be sold into slavery .
A man named Alex, bearing the weathered countenance of middle age.
It was he who rescued Rael from the precipice of chattel, though the price was steep a transaction of exorbitant value.
Rael's newfound "master" harbored ulterior motives, a sinister experiment entwined with dark intentions. An experiment that sought to intertwine Rael's Bloodline with that of a vampire an enemy of Alex's,
Rael became the canvas upon which Alex painted his scheme.
The transference of vampire blood, once the bane of his enemy, was to be Rael's crucible, his body a vessel for a curse meant to vanquish Alex's enemy.
Vampires, elves, dwarves, giants—the tapestry of this world was woven with myriad enigmatic species.
Humans were no longer the preeminent force; their dominion shared with an array of races, each vying for supremacy across the continents.
"Damn, what options do I have? This chance must not be wasted. Escaping Alex's grasp is a tall order; his possession of my prodigious talents implies an enormous wealth of power. In this world, riches equate to strength, not just intelligence. He is likely a high magus master or higher, peak master magus . Or even he passed all of that to condense elemental core ."
The power hierarchies of this world were well-delineated, their classification common knowledge. Magus stood as known figures, their levels of power defined and recognized.
As a scion of a noble family, Rael's existence was far from anonymous; his status as a young master set him apart, despite not being one .
In this realm, each individual possessed a "Spiritual Root," enabling communion with the elemental particles to become a magus .
The Spiritual root were ranked in five classes
as the fourth- tier as the lowest to the first- tier and after that peak-tier Spiritual root.
Yet, not all bore this gift; most lived with dormant Spiritual Roots, their potential untapped.
Activation was a rare feat, and each Spiritual Root one or many affinities with elements
Affinity levels with elements varied, ranked from the E tier—the most common—to the S tier—the rarest. Rael's affinity was a dual convergence, darkness at the S rank, fire at A rank—complemented by a peak-tier Spiritual Root.
The power system worked as follows:
First, the person draws elemental particles to their body and begins to soften and adapt their body to this energy.
This stage is called the "Apprentice Stage" and is divided into Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and peak levels.
Afterward, the person enters the "Master Magus Stage," where an elemental circle is inscribed in the person's heart to make it an elemental Heart.
From here, dealing with magic becomes much easier. This stage is divided into Beginner Master with one circle, Intermediate Master with two circles, Advanced Master with three circles, and Peak Master with four magical circles.
At this stage, one can earn noble titles like Baron, Viscount, Earl.
Beyond the Master Stage, the process of creating a magical core begins, to became a Great Magus , a mighty figure compared to master magus.
As the elemental core can store elemental enrgy and don't need the help of outer elemental particles .
And it's divided into seven ascending levels, from the weakest first level to the highest seventh level.
The Great Master Magus can become a Count or even a Duke only under the King.
However, Rael knew little about this. Even his father, the leader of a powerful noble family was only a great magus of the second rank
He had mentioned once that above the Great Magus, there existed the "Supreme Magus" who transformed their mortal body into an elemental body, surpassing both humans and magus alike.
As his father was already a great magus, he understood the extent of their terror. Therefore, in front of Alex, Rael felt despair, and no matter how much he thought, he couldn't find a way to escape his fate.
"Have you concluded your thoughts ?"
Alex's voice jolted Rael from his introspection.
With the demeanor of his adopted persona, Rael responded, mirroring his prior disposition.
"Apologies, Sir Alex. My thoughts wandered."
Alex's retort held an air of inevitability.
"Do not worry your destiny is already written . Consider this a reward for the melding of vampire blood. As you'll be granted the luxury of contemplation—briefly."
Real began to panic but without any warning, he felt a strong gravitational force coming from the table beneath him.
Alex began pulling out some strange items. Rael could not identify them, and suddenly, Alex came towards him with a scalpel without even blinking an eye.
He cut a one-foot-wide gash on Rael's chest and abdomen. The odd thing was that blood didn't leak out; instead, some mysterious force stopped it.
But Rael couldn't notice that; his mind was filled with intense pain, and if it weren't for his previous experiences with his illness, he might have lost consciousness.
Rael began to look around, searching for a solution, but the worst was yet to come. Alex placed some substances into his wound, causing him excruciating pain and making him lose consciousness.
However, just before he blacked out, Rael's vision was filled with a faint green light, and he felt his fading consciousness becoming clearer, bit by bit, until the pain and clarity returned.
"Now, you can't lose consciousness as soon as we start. You should enjoy this because you'll live here for six months before I use you to kill that bastard" Alex said coldly, causing fear and despair to fill Rael's heart.
As Rael tried to comprehend the situation, waves of even stronger pain surged through him, and his screams filled the room.
After a few hours, Rael collapsed, unconscious. Even with the help of magic, he couldn't endure this type of pain for long periods.
As soon as Rael lost consciousness, Alex activated a mechanism in the table where Rael lay, and he left without saying a word.