Chapter 2
Everyday Ninja
Mana. Essentially, it is the energy that exists in all living creatures. Those who are able to use mana are granted the power to use magic. Magic comes in three forms. There's elemental magic, consisting of wind, water, earth, fire, lightning, shadow and light magic, all ranked from first to seventh generation. The second is racial art, which is unique to each race. The kind of racial art a person can use is determined by their race.
Finally, there's the third type of magic which is known as the celestial arts. Unfortunately, not even I know what kind of magic that is. For now, I focused on what I did know, which is elemental magic water spells. About seven years ago, back when I was four, I ran an experiment with my sister to test out a certain condition of hers.
During that incident a four-pointed star tattoo made its home on the back of my left hand. Since the mark first appeared, my magic got restricted to only water-based spells. Anything other than that was either off the table or bit me in my butt, but I wasn't complaining.
As much as I was restrained to only using water magic, I was free to do whatever I wanted with water. That is to say while other people use mana to create water, I can pull it out from thin air, with little to no mana at that. Yup, in exchange for forfeiting other elements, albeit unwillingly, I was given full control over the element of water. I had become the Water God.
Of course, there were times when I wondered if there are others out there like me, people who were also granted full control of certain elements, but those were fleeting thoughts.
As I sat on my bed in my room, the midday sunlight permeated and illuminated the room revealing a slightly...messy atmosphere.
Hey I'm still a kid, don't judge me.
Satisfied with my self-serving excuse I continued to sit cross legged with my hands on either side of my knees. In short, I was meditating. It was midday and my mother had already gone off to work at the church, leaving me with my sister who was currently preparing lunch.
Since it was the weekend, it meant that she'd be coming back early and it also meant that I got a day off work which left me in my current situation. It resulted in me finally getting some free time.
"Hehe…." I snickered. "No focus. Focus."
Free time meant having time to do whatever I wanted and right now I was doing something that I've been wanting to do for a long time. Growing claws. Not literal growing off the nails type of claws but claws made of ice. Preferably ones that were sharp enough to carve through stone.
With my goal in mind I focused my breathing, letting my mana flow to my hands. When I opened my palms, liquid formed on my fingertips. I hardened and sharpened the water droplets on my fingers, the droplets slowly took shape, forming sharp blades of ice on my fingertips.
I had done it; I'd created ice claws. I decided to name them.
I hereby dub thee Ice Claws. Sometimes simple is best.
Now that my maniacal inventions had taken form, I needed a way to test them out. First was durability. I shuttered at the thought of biting them since I didn't feel any particular need to slice my tongue or gums. Though I suppose that checked sharpness of the list. Scratching at the wall or door would be another way to check but the idea of being yelled at by a nun quickly discouraged that idea.
I decided to test my invention outside, which of course meant opening the door in my current state. I then realised something….
I didn't think this through.
Though I classified it as my room it was technically me and my mom's room since Lucy took the only other room available. It would've made more sense to let females stay in their own room and let me take the other room but anytime I brought that up Mary would quickly dismiss me.
"Children shouldn't be left on their own." She'd say.
I finally gave up on the idea and resigned myself to sharing a room with my mom but of course that also meant that I'd be subjecting myself to proper behaviour whenever I entered this sacred space. Long story short, I was forbidden from touching anything whenever she wasn't around. Normally I'd touch everything just for the sake of disobedience and leave no evidence of it.
I was the perfect criminal. However, touching something now would leave it moist or torn up one way or another, that included the door. I was trapped in a cage of my own making.
"Lucy!"
Like a helpless child I called out to my big sister to magically make all my problems go away. Once I heard footsteps from beyond the door, I quickly hopped off the bed. Lucy rushed in the room, slamming the door away all the while.
"What is it? Where's the monster?" she asked with bated breath.
"Monster?"
"You called me like you were under attack."
"No, I called you to open the door for me."
Lucy's shoulders slacked. "Why?"
Since she asked, I decided to show her my latest invention, my Ice Claws. "Check it out."
She scrutinized her eyes before slapping her hand on her forehead. "I don't know why I even bother with you."
"Oh, come on just admit that they're cool."
"I swear Eddy, one of these days you're gonna do something impossibility stupid and have absolutely no way of getting yourself out."
True. Wait "Eddy"?
The hell? Since when did Lucy start calling me by a nickname? I decided to find out from the source herself and ask her outright.
"What did you call me?"
"Hmm? I called you Eddy. Cute, isn't it?"
No, not cute. It's cringe.
"Why?"
"Because it's an adorable name for my adorable little brother." She mushed my cheeks with her hands all the while.
I tried to voice my complaints but was stopped short when a floral scent pierced my nostrils. It prompted me to take a closer look at my older sister, who'd tied her purple hair to a side ponytail. Her natural golden hue eyes, her dark glistening skin which was covered by an apron that didn't even reach her thighs.
She's already fourteen and will be turning fifteen in a few weeks. In fact, the whole reason I got a job was so I could get enough money to buy her an expensive gift. Now that I thought about, I still had absolutely no clue about what to get her.
When I realised that the mushing had come to a halt I decided to drag my mind back to reality.
Come here you! It's time to get back to the real world!
But we still don't know what to get for your older sister!
That's future Eden's problem so leave it and let's go….
After a futile yet amusing attempt at tug of war my mind finally surrendered and let itself get dragged back to reality. When said mind and I returned, I found my face merely inches away from my sister's. She didn't do or say anything, just staring at me like she was completely zoned out.
"Sis?" I called out.
When she heard me call for her, her eyes blinked several times, signalling her return to reality. Once she realised just how awfully close she was her face coloured red and she backed away in a panic.
"I-I'm sorry!" she stammered.
I shrugged with my hands, which were still very ready to shred anything to pieces, to assure Lucy. "It's fine. Anyway, shouldn't you be cooking right now?"
Her long ears shot up after realising that she'd left the pots unattended. She sprang out of the room leaving me alone to my own devices. I decided to leave the room as well and headed outside to test out just how strong my claws were. Climbing my house would've been a great start but common sense dictated otherwise so I decided to target the next best thing.
The whole reason I invented these claws in the first place. To sneak into the royal castle. Was it stupid?
Yes
Idiotic.
Yes.
Completely impulsive and immature? Childish even.
Oh absolutely, but I don't care.
Or at least I shouldn't care. Reiya's words still stuck to me like glue. "You can be such a child sometimes." Every time I recalled those words I felt daggers stab at my heart and like clockwork I'd get depressed everytime.
But not this time, the reason I was sneaking into the royal castle wasn't so I could engage in a man-off with Kai, it was to investigate the investigation that they were holding. Nothing wrong with a concerned citizen prying into official police business in order to lend a helping hand.
I was justified in my course of action.
Everyday we stray further from maturity.
Quiet you. I said internally to my equally internal yet oddly rebellious inner voice.
Before I realised it, I was already face to face with the castle. The castle walls loomed before me, an imposing structure that seemed to stretch up to the sky. I stood there, my Ice Claws at the ready, feeling a mix of excitement and trepidation.
The castle's stone façade appeared rugged and unyielding, with high windows and tall spires that seemed to pierce the clouds. I could feel the weight of history and power emanating from within its walls.
As I gazed up at the castle, I noticed the intricate carvings and ornate details that adorned its surface. The stone seemed to absorb the sunlight, giving the castle a sombre and mysterious aura. I felt a shiver run down my spine as I contemplated the secrets and stories that lay hidden within its walls.
My goal was to sneak in and gather information about the investigation, but as I stood there, I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe and wonder at the castle's grandeur. It was a reminder that there was a whole world beyond my small town and my own problems. My mind drifted off to the letter I got from Eren Darksoken.
With a deep breath, I steeled myself and began to circle the castle, searching for a way in, or at the very least a way to climb up without being seen. My Ice Claws glinted in the sunlight, a symbol of my resolve. I stuck my hand into wall, my claws digging deep into the aged stone. My claws neither broke nor dulled.
They somehow managed to retain their sharpness and strength with no issues. Pride filled my heart as I started scaling up the wall slowly. When I reached the top the air around me grew much thinner than when I was on the ground. I felt my throat going dry and decided to quench my parched throat with water.
I sat on top of the wall and formed a Water Ball from my hand, I shrunk it into a manageable size and let it slide down my throat. With my thirst out of the way I turned my attention back to the castle. It was big, a fitting place for a king and his family, with décor to boot. Even the grass looked classy.
The hedges were trimmed pretty well. The grass looked lively and the trees looked healthy as can be. I felt jealous of the people living in it but quickly dismissed the thought. Our cottage was small but it was plenty homely. I honestly couldn't imagine living somewhere else.
I looked for a place to land when I noticed two guards standing right beneath me. My heart almost jumped out of my mouth without realising that the guards were talking to each other, they hadn't noticed me yet.
"Looks like we still got work to do buddies." I said to my claws.
It wasn't as though I expected a response but the blowing wind made me feel all the lonelier.
"I need friends…."
Nonsense. That was a passing thought, perhaps even a moment of weakness. It was not a serious consideration understand!
Though I made such daring proclamations I struggled to point out who I was trying to convince. I stomached my shame and slowly climbed down the wall so the guards couldn't hear me. When I encountered a nearby hedge, I decided to stash myself inside. Luckily, I was small enough to fit no problem but that put me within earshot of the guards.
"What? The whole village?"
"Possibly, they're not sure yet. For now, Captain Ginevra has been assigned to the village. Sir Kai is in charge of investigating the stores that are selling those potions."
"Here I thought I'd finally found a way to get stronger. So much for that."
"There's no shortcut to strength. If anything, this incident is just proof that there's no easy way to getting stronger."
I struggled to fathom what the topic of conversation was or what the conversation was about but I did feel like some wisdom was shared between the two of them. I ignored said wisdom and extracted what information I needed from the conversation; Kai's location. According to the guards he was in charge of investigating stores that sold potions.
That meant he'd be in the commercial district if he wasn't already there. It felt like a waste traveling all the way here just to find out that the guy wasn't here but at least now I knew where to look. I fixed my eyes on the wall again and prepared myself to climb....
"Huh?"
Only to realise that my claws had melted down. I knew this. I knew that if I lost focus on an object I formed using water turned ice I conjured up it would return to it's natural state, which is liquid water. Yet despite this knowledge I let my mind drift away from my claws to focus more on the conversation I was hearing.
Listen well kids. Eavesdropping is rude.
Whose side are you on here!?
The side of justice. Being your mind doesn't mean I want to be on your side. It just means I have terrible luck.
Your face is terrible luck!
Yours is stupid!
At least I have a face.
I'd rather be faceless then have a stupid one like yours!
Why you....
While I argued thoughtlessly with my brain I scrambled to find a way out of my predicament. Creating another set of claws would be simple but doing so would take time. Time I didn't have. I crawled myself into a ball and panicked, my head and body were sweating profusely all the while.
I'd honestly never thought I'd find myself in a situation such as this. But Lucy knew. "One day you're gonna do something impossibility stupid and have no way of getting yourself out." Illegal entry into the ROYAL CASTLE sounded impossibility stupid alright. And right now, I had little to no way of getting myself out.
Of course, I could just feign ignorance and pretend I was lost but if word somehow made it to Lucy, she'd know I snuck in without permission. I'd never be allowed to live it down, ever.
Lucy is the last person who should find out about this. Calm down Eden, you got yourself into this so it should be easy to get yourself out. That's right, stick to the shadows and no one will see you. Stay quiet so no one will hear you, and stay vigilant so no one will catch you. Be swift and true, like a ninja.
This will blow up in your face, you know that right?
And get some therapy to deal with that meddling brain of yours.
Escape was easy, I just needed to get to the front gate. Getting there was another matter entirely. I hopped from one hedge to the next, carefully hiding myself so I would not be seen. The first door I ran into was already wide open so I tiptoed my way in. The room was empty but it had stoves and cutlery lying everywhere.
"The kitchen…."
My stomach rumbled when it heard those words. It finally occurred to me that I haven't had lunch yet. Letting my instincts take over I let myself get led by my nose around the kitchen but found nothing edible. It was already lunch time so most likely everything that was cooked had already been served. I understood that but for there to be nothing left was staggering.
Flabbergasted, I was forced to continue my journey on an empty stomach. Less than ideal but it was a welcomed challenge. Or so I thought, the sound of footsteps rang across the hallway. I hurriedly hid myself behind the door. A maid passed right by me without noticing that I was there.
My excitement tricked me into thinking that I was into the clear and I snuck past the door. When I passed the threshold, I slapped into a steel wall and fell on my butt. My nose stung like nobody's business.
"Well, well...."
A female voice emerged from the iron wall. When I looked up, my heart sank in absolute terror. It was then that reality hit me like a maelstrom. I didn't hit a wall, I hit a knight. My cover was blown and I got caught.
"What's a child doing here?"
That line gets really annoying really fast.
Told you this would blow up in your face.
Shut up you!