However, despite all the disadvantages, having something to confuse his enemies was going to be useful.
"After all… why not?"
Sebastian left his room in a hurry and quickly descended the stairs. "Mom?"
"Mom, where are you?"
"Seb? I'm watching TV!"
Sebastian made his way to the living room, where he spotted his mother seated on the worn-out couch.
Mary's warm smile greeted him, a familiar sight that belied the weariness etched in the lines of her face.
Her soft, expressive brown eyes, reflecting her kind and compassionate nature, met his gaze with a mixture of love and affection.
Auburn hair, streaked with strands of gray earned from enduring life's hardships, framed her face in gentle waves.
Despite the calluses that marked her hands from years of labor, her touch remained tender and comforting, a silent reassurance in their humble home.
That smile, those eyes, were enough to renew Sebastian's determination.
"Mom, I wanted to ask you something," Mary's son said.
"What? I'm watching TV right now. I'm tired."
"I know, I don't really want to ask you that, but…" Mary saw the hesitation in Sebastian's eyes.
"What?" she asked.
"Can you show me your 0 tiered skill, Manifest illusion?"
Sebastian's question left Mary dubious and slightly confused, her brow furrowing as she processed his request.
To use a skill, manifest illusions, seemed an odd request from her son, sparking a flicker of suspicion in her warm, brown eyes as she pondered his intentions.
"Why?"
"Just so," Sebastian said. "I'd appreciate it if you showed me dad."
Sebastian was smart. It took little time for him to realize that was the quickest and surest way for his mother to agree to the request.
Sebastian vaguely remembered his dad, Argus Wells, despite him having been a huge presence.
His father, the founder and mighty leader of the now destroyed Tide Breaker Clan.
The clan who held dominion over the Four Sacred Clans, previously comprising five clans, took charge of Somnium's study expeditions and played a pivotal role in leading the charge against the Fangeds.
Yet, for Sebastian, memories of his father remained elusive, shrouded in the haze of time. Very few were the memories he had about him.
He was able to remember his face only thanks to the photos Sebastian's mother hung all over the house, and the videos she and Argus took of themselves.
However, even with that, Argus' face remained that of an unknown person.
The time Sebastian spent with his father had been too short for him to remember him well.
Besides, Sebastian had the body of a 17 years old, but was in truth 47.
It was normal for him to having forgotten his face.
Even though there were few memories, Sebastian deeply respected his father's lasting legacy.
Mary's response was not immediate. Instead, her gaze bore a myriad of emotions.
Did Sebastian yearn for his father's presence, longing to uncover more about his legacy?
Was there an event that triggered his thoughts about Argus? Or was he simply interested in getting to know him better?
Mary couldn't help but wonder about the reasons behind his request. Reasons that her son kept hidden despite his contemplative gaze showed the myriad of thoughts in his mind.
"All right," she said.
With that, Mary concentrated. She didn't use skills for a long time, and was a little rusted.
However, Sebastian looked at her with keen interest. He was feeling the way the system moved her mana, how it twisted it to achieve the desired effect. Sebastian took mental notes.
It was then that a man materialized in front of Sebastian. It was a tall, black-haired, blue eyed handsome man.
He was very toned and had massive shoulders that would make any auditor athlete cry in envy.
Every line of his body exuded strength and vitality, from his broad shoulders to his chiseled physique.
Sebastian didn't know why, but his mother conjured an illusion from the depths of her memories, summoning forth a vivid depiction of his father during what seemed to have been his prime period.
Clad in gleaming armor, he appeared every inch the formidable warrior, a sight that stirred a mixture of admiration and uncertainty within Sebastian.
As the illusion lingered before him, Sebastian couldn't help but wonder what secrets lay hidden behind his father's stoic facade. What was he thinking at that time? What did he know?
Sebastian regained his senses. Mary didn't talk, and that helped Sebastian concentrate.
He not only observed his father, but he observed the mana, or better, the mana that had just taken the shape of his father.
Because that illusion was exactly that. A lump of mana, gathered and condensed to a spot, taking human shape, coloring the skin, the armor, the sword on his belt.
However, he also noticed that the mana moved, not only when his father's image did, but even when he didn't move an inch.
That was the key. While drawing forth the mana from Mary's body had been relatively straightforward, with subtle differences compared to when he used the Cinder Blast spell, most of it was the same.
What changed was how mana behaved after that. Mana looked like water, or better, as if it was the very current of the ocean that shifted beneath the surface, swirling and undulating in new and unpredictable ways.
Mana resembled the ever-shifting tides of the sea, twisting and turning unpredictably.
Similar to the unpredictable nature of ocean currents, the mana also fluctuated, guided by unseen forces and enigmatic energies.
But there was something behind, something that resembled a weird order, a weird… system.
Sebastian felt like a sailor in uncharted waters, unsure of what lay beneath or what dangers awaited. But he also felt like an explorer looking at the sky and using the stars to navigate. Something was there, something was present.
After some more time studying, he understood the principle behind the skill, the way to reproduce it.
There were many questions Sebastian wanted answers for, but for now, he had to focus on making a new spell.
It would not be hard, but that was only true for 0-tiered skills. He needed to figure out what that underlying order really was.