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My eyes were fixed on the campfire in front of me, sitting cross-legged as I leaned toward the fire.
The great heat received by my skin sent alerts to my brain, but these fell on deaf ears, as I did not move away in the slightest.
I slightly extended my index finger, and, after a few seconds of concentration, some sparkles came out of it and began to enter the fire.
At first, nothing seemed to change, however, after continuing to expel my mana into the flame, little by little, it began to increase in size and intensity.
I withdrew my hand and gave a slight sigh...
These were my current limits; there were no mountains of fire or oceans of water.
Hum... At the moment, I'm just a magic apprentice; I don't even have the title of magus.
Being a magic apprentice is just like being a blank canvas; it's the first step, whether to result in a masterpiece, a great disaster, or mediocrity, but, in any of the cases, the road to reach it is still long.
With my current level, all I can do is expel my mana and affect already existing phenomena. After all, mana is just another type of energy, and this energy is capable of transforming into any other energy with ease.
In my eyes, mana is the foundation of this world, a versatile foundation that can fuel, support, and influence every process.
To become a full-fledged magus, the first requirement is to be able to convert my mana into any other energy at will and without losing control of it, or, in other words, to cast a spell.
In this world, people are magically divided into different ranks.
First there are the normal people; they are those with an Ōmega aptitude or under 14 years old who have not yet matured their magic circuit and, therefore, it is unstable. These still have a magic circuit, but it is unable to manifest.
Then come the beginner magic apprentice; they are those who have started their path and, consequently, can only expel the mana accumulated in their magical reserves. This mana will be absorbed by the nearest or larger energy source, as it will have a greater force of attraction. In addition to this, they have a facility for noticing large accumulations or fluctuations of energy in the environment.
The next step, from here, is to be able to manipulate the elemental energy with your mana. For example, if you were an intermediate magic apprentice in this situation, you could modify the intensity or size of the fire by being able to redistribute the elemental energy of the fire. Or even, by dispersing the energy, you could extinguish the fire. Of course, when the mana that has absorbed the fire is expended, you will lose control over it.
From this point on, to reach the level of an advanced magic apprentice, you must draw elemental energy from the environment into your mana, just the opposite of what the lower ranks do. This act has a great advantage, since it allows you to choose the element to control. Although, the disadvantage is that the power of this quasi-spell will depend entirely on how much energy is in the environment and how much of it you can control.
Although this is a great advance, it is still a quasi-spell; its power is limited, and the effect is always the same. If you use the energy of a flame, the resulting quasi-spell cannot be different from this flame; only mastered magic apprentices, who are at the top of this rank, can make it vary slightly.
After that, the next step is to stop being an apprentice and become an official magus. As I mentioned, the requirement is to be able to cast a spell.
It sounds simple, but the reality often exceeds expectations, since casting a spell means creating something with your mana that does not require the use of external energy, thus your own power and abilities will solely depend on yourself.
In more specific words, you have to manage to decipher the patterns of natural occurrences and have enough control over your mana to adapt it to these, converting the base energy, mana, into an elemental energy.
As for later levels, I don't have any information about that. My parents won't allow me to access that information, as it might cause me to stop concentrating on the present to study things that I'm not going to be able to fully understand.
I plopped down on the grass and looked up at the starry night sky without thinking about anything, just feeling the breeze and the warmth of the campfire.
Ah... It really felt good...
After the time I spent as a fetus, I valued life much more. It was something quite interesting; just feeling something on your skin and being able to see the sky, which for me was something very simple before, is a pleasure in itself...
But... Really, why do I like to look at the sky? Why am I always looking up?
Hum... Since I was reborn in this world, I have been ambitious. I have wanted to go as far as possible, but why? Is this life bad?
Heh... I'm just being ignorant; I already know the answer to those questions... There is something that will never change; no matter in which city, country, world, universe, or dimension, people will create conflicts for benefits or feelings.
If a war broke out in the next few years, what could I do besides die? What would happen to my family? What about all the ordinary people in this kingdom?
In my previous world, those risks also existed, but the difference is that this one allows me to do something to stop them.
Surely other kingdoms are aware of my aptitude, and even if they don't know the exact details, when my sister reaches 14, everyone will know what our two Mortalities are.
It is only natural that other countries would end up attacking us to prevent my sister and me from developing; after all, this is a world where individuals can influence wars, and, in this case, there are two of them.
Therefore, to thank and take care of my family, I will follow this path... Until then, I must continue practicing my mana control...
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"... Are you sure this is the right path?", I questioned with my indifferent tone.
Brother, who was leading the way, replied with a smile, "I never said it was the right one, only that it would lead us to the cave!"
I couldn't help but sigh at the response... Brother has always loved to tease me, and this is another one of those situations.
I didn't answer him and kept walking behind him. The path was full of ups and downs, plus the rocks were quite annoying when walking.
This was the mountain where the capital of the kingdom was located and where we lived.
Brother, who was now officially a knight, had accepted a mission to wipe out a pack of wolves that had settled on this mountain. At the moment, they did not represent any danger, but if left alone, they could reproduce and affect the passage of some merchant caravans after a little time.
After accepting the mission, Brother asked me to go with him, as it would help me gain experience.
The mission was simple and didn't have much real danger, not to mention that we had guards that would act if something strange happened, so I accepted his proposal.
Although, to tell you the truth... It feels like hell! So much walking is making me too tired, and that's not to mention how much my feet hurt!
Still, I played tough and kept walking after my brother. It was just the two of us, as the guards were hiding. We had asked them to let us do it by ourselves, they would only show up in extreme cases.
Brother was the guide; the map was in his hands; after all, he was the one with the most experience.
"Hum... Hey, Brother, which way should we go now?" he questioned while extending the map towards me.
Every so often, Brother would stop and do things like this. Every time he did, I couldn't help but mentally smile. After all, it was obvious he knew which way it was, he just wanted me to learn how to guide myself by map.
After grabbing the map, I looked at it for a few seconds before pointing to the right and handing the map back to Brother.
He just nodded before continuing to walk along with me.
Minutes passed before we finally reached the entrance to a cave. This one, according to reports, was small and, even at its end, could still be seen with the natural light.
Brother stopped and, turning to me, said, "Finally, we arrived! Now the good stuff starts, Brother, I hope you're ready, because I don't plan to do all the work!"
I nodded as I unsheathed the sword at my waist. Initially, my idea was to learn to use the spear, but, seeing that I wasn't able to use one properly due to my weakness, I chose to use the sword, a more complex weapon to learn, but very versatile.
Brother also unsheathed his sword. "So, how do we go on from here, Brother? You're in charge!" he said as a slight smile formed on his face.
"Hum... Surely luring a small group of the pack isn't going to work, since the cave is small, so the rest won't be long in coming, which would take away any value from this tactic..." I said nothing more for a few seconds, thinking of a strategy that might work.
I frowned slightly. I couldn't think of any way to make this job easier. I could spend some time gathering dry wood and other plants, place them at the entrance of the cave, and set them on fire; the smoke would end up intoxicating them. However, this would not work; I doubt the smoke would be enough to fill the entire cave, plus it would ascend to the ceiling, while the beasts would be safe, since they are closer to the ground.
Using bait to flush out the wolves didn't seem like a good idea either; this environment would give them more freedom of movement, in which case they could use their numerical advantage and superior speed more easily.
I guess... There is no choice but to do it the classic way.
The number of wolves, according to the report, was around 4, not including the leader of the pack. This low number is probably due to them being driven out of their previous territory in a battle against another group of beasts. If this is true, then these wolves will have injuries, and their strength will be lower than normal.
"Let's go into the cave; go ahead and watch for any sneak attacks; there don't seem to be any shortcuts," I said simply.
"Heh, heh, so Brother you're not afraid to go head-on in the face of danger; your courage lives up to your name!", Brother said with his characteristic beaming smile.
It was obvious that he was referring to the etymology of my name, Társalo, since it came from «Thársos», which means courage and audacity, and «Kalós», which means physical beauty, nobility, and excellence in general. According to what I was told, Mother named me this way because I did not cry at birth. As for the second part of the name, it is obvious, since I am a member of royalty.
Without waiting for an answer, Brother walked towards the cave. I stepped inside as I walked behind his back.
My grip tightened around the handle of my sword, and I mentally prepared myself for whatever happened in the cave.
The interior of the cave was filled with stalagmites, stalactites, and columns. These formations had a specific name, but I couldn't remember what it was, let alone plan to expend energy on it.
The light was slowly fading. I focused on my feet, watching where I stepped, so I wouldn't fall, but I kept alert of my surroundings. I could see into the cave, but the clarity was definitely not as desired due to the lack of light.
Our footsteps echoed even though we were trying to be stealthy. Our armor was not a problem in this sense; as it was made of leather, it did not produce much noise when walking. Even so, it had become somewhat uncomfortable, as it was soaked with sweat due to the previous long walk.
I couldn't help but frown. We had been walking for almost a minute, but there was still no sign of the wolves. I could notice claw marks on some rocks, but nothing else... At this point, they should have appeared. What's going on?
As we continued to walk deeper into the cave, Brother suddenly turned around; his expression was very strange.
His face was scowling, his eyes showed anger, and his jaw seemed to be clenched tightly shut.
Time seemed to slow down for me.
By the time I wanted to realize it, a reflex came to my eyes; the tip of his sword was coming towards me, and then...
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"Ah!" I exclaimed as my body had jumped off the ground and was now seated.
What happened?!
My body hurt like hell, my senses were numb, and the smell of blood filled my mind. I got up as best I could and almost fell to the ground like a drunk with no stability.
I looked around and found several beast corpses, including one next to me; all of them had long cuts on them.
Then I heard the sound of metal clanking. I looked in that direction and found Brother, who had retreated a few steps before a blow.
In front of him, a wolf that was about twice the size of the others was growling.
"I won't let you touch Brother, you filthy beast!" shouted Brother as his left arm held his sword in guard position.
Looking at the wolf closely, I could tell how it was full of fresh cuts from which blood was flowing, as well as old scars. That's no normal wolf!
Looking at Brother standing with great courage, I thought he was in perfect condition; however, I finally saw many claw and bite marks on his armor; some of them were bleeding, but I couldn't guess if the blood belonged to the wolves or to him.
Brother... He had been defending me all this time! I had been unconscious while he was fighting, left in this state for me...
At this instant, I felt a great deal of guilt. I wanted the earth to swallow me up and never be heard from again, but... that would do no good.
A great glow illuminated the cave, and a flame shot out from Brother's right hand and headed towards the wolf, but the wolf quickly dodged it as it lunged towards him.
The flame landed on a stalagmite, creating an explosion that shattered it into pieces.
This is the power of a magus!
I wanted to exclaim in admiration, but I couldn't utter a sound as I saw Brother in danger.
However, Brother did not stand still in the face of the wolf's attack, taking advantage of the fact that the wolf had no directional control as he had jumped towards him. He dodged to the right while his sword made a large slash towards the wolf's chest.
Blood was beginning to cover the floor of the cave, including Brother's arm, but as the sword deepened the cut, it bounced back with a great sound as if it had hit a rock.
The wolf fell to the ground, rolling miserably for a few seconds before getting back to his feet, now having a large gaping wound under his neck.
"Agh! My hand is going numb... I can tell your ribs are as hard as your head, beast!", Brother said as he walked backwards, trying to create more distance between the wolf and him. In turn, the wolf stayed in position, crouched, and ready for any movement from Brother.
I shook my head at such a sight; I couldn't just stand here and do nothing!
I can't use spells as Brother, and using my sword is out of the question, since I would only end up being a hindrance...
Then I looked up at the ceiling, and my answer came, it was full of those oversized stalactites.
The wolf's large body made it within reach of many of these.
Without wasting time, I extended my hand while light blue glows began to come out of it, reaching the ceiling and advancing among the stalactites until I reached the ones above the wolf.
Concentrating on these, I began to move the energy from the beginning of the stalactites to the tip; this caused the rock that joined them to the ceiling to weaken until it could no longer support its own weight.
I made it in time!
The wolf's eyes were fixed on Brother, and as he heard the sound of breaking rock, he seemed to look around a bit. But, before he could notice what was wrong, large rocks fell on his body with a thunderous noise.
A large curtain of dust rose in the cave. I couldn't help but cough, but still, I grabbed my sword from the ground and ran towards it.
I couldn't see anything inside the curtain of dust, but I didn't care. I jumped up with my sword held high, grabbing the handle with both hands, and stabbed again and again.
Sometimes you could hear flesh being cut, and sometimes you could just hear rock being hit. But either way, every stab I made numbed my hands and arms; the wolf's bones were almost as hard as the rock that had fallen on him!
Gradually, the dust settled, and when I saw the pathetic state of the wolf, I finally stopped.
The beast was buried in rocks; what little of its body that could be seen was full of wounds and coated with blood and dirt. Two of its visible legs were visibly broken; one of the wolf's eyes was clearly destroyed by my sword, while the other showed a faint sign of life.
My legs shook until I fell to my knees. I hadn't realized my breathing was so labored.
A strange sensation once again came to my stomach, and, before I could react, vomit came out of my mouth and fell to the ground, mixing with the surrounding blood.
I felt like I had no strength left in my body, but, then, something lifted me up, keeping me on my feet. I looked up, and it was exactly who I expected.
Brother flashed a big smile, which seemed to shine through the darkness of the cave: "You've done a great job, Brother. You're amazing! Taking down a pack leader while being just an advanced apprentice—that's something I could only dream of! Ha ha ha ha! The word genius falls far short of your word!". His voice was full of joy, though I could tell he was suppressing a whimper of pain from his injuries.
I dropped on Brother, and he held me without trouble.
After making sure of my condition, Brother sheathed his sword and brought his right arm close to the wolf's head.
With no resistance from the beast, a layer of stone formed over its muzzle, causing the wolf to flinch, but due to the rocks and the state of its body, it could do no more.
After that, Brother only nodded as he walked out of the cave, pulling me to his side.
"The bones of that beast were too hard; I couldn't kill it with a sword. I could have used fire, but it seemed like a bad way to finish off an enemy that can't attack back... However, it had to be finished off, as these kinds of beasts are very tenacious, so I decided to block its nose and mouth with rock, so it would die of suffocation... It's something better than being set on fire," Brother said, giving a slight smile.
I nodded at what he said; it made sense. It's hard to use spells in combat; many of them require preparation time, like this one, and they can't be used on moving targets because of their difficulty, plus the expenditure of mana reserves is something to consider.
In my case, despite being an advanced magic apprentice, I could not use a quasi-spell; in this situation, it was more efficient and easier to use what I learned being an intermediate. Although being advanced allowed me to do it faster, since I am much more used to it.
"... This was a funny thing... The wolves were not in the cave; they were out hunting. This was something we hadn't accounted for," Brother said, heaving a sigh.
I raised my head with difficulty to look at him: "... Hunting? So… how did they know we were here?"
Brother looked back at me and said, "Well... The leader of the pack is not just any wolf. Over time, the beasts will be nurtured by their mana; they will gradually grow bigger and stronger, until they reach a major change like the one in this case... Those beasts are usually the pack leaders. Besides that, they can come to use some abilities instinctively; many of them can leave their mana in their lair, which alerts them if there is any intruder...".
Brother gave another sigh. "Unfortunately, I only noticed it when it was too late; by that time, I had already heard their footsteps, and one of the wolves was leaping towards you. But I managed to push you out of the way with my arm and delivered a thrust with my sword, finishing the wolf off in midair. Impressive, don't you think?"
I looked down as he finished telling the story. So... I was knocked unconscious due to stress, fear, and falling against the ground... That's just embarrassing.
"... Hum... Brother, I think we left my sword in the cave," I said slowly.
Brother started laughing: "Ha ha ha! Your sword? I doubt you want it back! After using it like that against the rocks and the beast, it ended up crooked, like the branches of a tree!"
Sure... that makes a lot of sense...
As we walked out of the cave and the natural light illuminated our faces, two figures came down from two trees, kneeling on one leg.
"Princes, I hope you will allow us to stabilize your wounds and bring you to the capital, where you will receive proper medical treatment," said the figure to my left.
Both were clad in plate armor, the metal clearly reflecting the light.
Brother nodded, then the guard to my right stood up, walked towards me, and placed his hand on my shoulder.
A green glow emanated from the contact; my body seemed to be less numb, and the pain was fading as if it were a mere illusion. But, in return for this, a great tiredness flooded my mind.
Unable to resist, my eyes began to close, and I fell asleep...
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