Chapter 4 - The World.

It's been 2 weeks.

Since then, I've been burying myself in the house library. 

Much to my surprise, my parents live in a more miniature mansion, with several staff on standby 24/7.

From groundskeepers to maids and butlers, we have multiple of each at our beck and call. My parents seem close to each and every one of the supporting staff, often engaging in small talk as they pass by.

Because of this, every person on site seemed utterly loyal to the Tojo family. There were even guards hand-picked by my father, surrounding the residence and patrolling the grounds to ensure our safety. 

My father is one of the highest-ranking generals in the Valaria Kingdom. That's the kingdom we are in right now. To our left, is a vast sea, and across that sea is the Samina continent. It's filled with similar kingdoms, and the Valarian Kingdom often engages in sea trade with those on Samina.

North East of us is the Belonji Kingdom. Our biggest competitors. They are of equal size, with similar firepower. With several S-ranked mages, they are a force to be reckoned with. The Valaria should know, as they have had a long history of enmity with the Belonji. 

The same goes for the Felojis Kingdom, which is located below the Beloni. 

The three kingdoms of this continent are stuck in a power struggle, and smaller fights tend to break out over the borders of the three kingdoms. 

This isn't the only threat, as there seem to be beasts that mutate due to the mana in the atmosphere. They're called mana beasts and, like mages, have mana cores. They're referred to as beast cores. The stronger a beast, the stronger its core. Mages tend to fight these beasts in an effort to get their cores and use their bodies as materials for better weapons and armor, among other things (ie potions and elixirs). 

Mana beasts follow the same ranking as regular mages, thank god. One thing to note is that mana beasts are usually much stronger than their ranked mage counterparts. So for instance, a D-rank mana beast can only be killed solo by a D+ or C- ranked mage. If you wanted to go up against a beast of your level, you'd need to party up with other mages. To kill a D-ranked mana beast, you'd need a party of about 10-15 mages. Anything less than that, and you're better off hanging yourself so your loved ones can at least recover your body. Usually, when a mana beast kills, the body is so mangled, and more so is destroyed beyond repair. Some mana beasts even eat the bodies of fallen mages. It isn't known if that helps strengthen their beast cores, but it's still sickening nonetheless. 

Oh, you thought I meant mages dying? No, I meant how pathetic it is to die to a fucking beast. Disgusting. 

Also, you might be wondering, what ranks are my parents?

My father is an A+ rank, and my mother is an A+ ranked mage as well. 

In terms of destructive power, my mother excels since she has much more complex spells than my father, as he had to split his focus on both spell casting and swordplay.

Currently, it is summer in the Valarian calendar. There are four seasons: spring, summer, fall, and winter. Each season spans three months, with twelve months in each calendar year. That means I have five and a half years before the entrance tests to Grislotts Academy of Magic. 

As I got used to my body and started moving around, I felt my telekinetic powers grow stronger. Now, my reach is about 10 meters away, and I can better control my power. I can use my telekinesis to guide mana around me. Naturally, I should be able to bring it into my body to be filtered. I should be able to create a new mana core where my dantian should be. 

Usually, your mana core slowly forms over the course of your first 5-10 years. It slowly condenses into a ball, where the outer edges condense into a solid to hold the rest of your mana. Once destroyed, it is possible to try and reform it, but the only ones who have done such a thing turned out to be those with black talent. My parents must not be expecting me to be able to reform my core since I only awakened a white talent. I look forward to surpassing their expectations. 

Numerous mages have tried making a second core, but it's still unknown you're supposed to condense a hard outer shell that'd hold your mana. The mages that have tried ended up going into mana reflux and some even became crippled. Being reduced to nothing but an ordinary person. 

Luckily for me, as soon as my control over telekinesis increases to an appropriate level I should be able to hold my mana in place indefinitely as I try to condense an outer shell. 

In my past life, as the heavenly demon, I could subconsciously use my telekinesis with no mental strain on myself, depending on what I'm holding or restraining. 

With the growth of my telekinesis, I should be able to attempt reforming my core in the next 6 months, right before next year. 

Until then, I plan on experimenting with the mana around me to control it using my telekinesis properly.

I should be on track as long as I can hold it in place.