It was a cold autumn day, the leaves dyed a bright shade of crimson signifying the soon arrival of winter. Albert rubbed his eyes as he sat up on his bed tiredly. Although he wanted to go back to sleep, he nevertheless stood up on the cold wooden floors.
Today was the third of Nebulon, in other words, his birthday.
With groggy steps, he left the comfort of his room into the kitchen pouring himself a cup of water.
'I wonder if they have coffee in this world.'
Then again he was still too young to drink that stuff. There were studies that stated coffee hindered the brain development of children, although he wasn't quite sure if they were true or not.
Cradling the cup of water in his hands, Albert made his way to the study, its door creaking softly as he entered.
Several books were already open from his previous study sessions as he then fully immersed himself back where he left off.
"...to awaken one's core is an individual's birth as a mage. A mana core is the heart of magic."
Ever since last year, at the age of three, Albert showcased his incredible learning capacity which revealed his remarkable talent to read, write, and hold conversations. Due to this, his mother Alise allowed him to begin reading several of the books stockpiled in the study.
Over the past year, he had absorbed a plethora of knowledge, from the intricate ecosystems of Eston to the nuanced politics of this world.
Currently Albert was attempting to read "The Introductory to Magic and Crests".
Mages were divided into tiers zero through ten. The higher tier a mage was, their mana core would be capable of storing a larger amount of mana as well as a purer form of mana. Different tiers were differentiated by the number of rings around the mana core. Similar to the rings on a planet.
Spells casted with purer mana were stronger and more efficient compared to lower tiered cores.
Mages are able to cast spells from any element, however their output is more determined by the presence of a crest.
Crests came in a limitless amount of forms. They granted their user abilities from enhanced elemental usage to even more abstract capabilities like healing. Even now there were new types of crests being discovered.
Scratching his head Albert continued to read.
"...crests could be obtained from two separate methods. Natural awakening and Relics."
Natural awakening meant during a mage's awakening, they are essentially born with a crest. Although rare, those from high birth often receive their first crest in this manner. Albert inferred that natural awakening most likely has something to do with genetics as well as talent.
The second more common method of awakening was through the assistance of a relic. Relics were found in dungeons and came in all different types of forms. They are then further classified into single and multi-use relics.
Single-use relics usually provided unique crests, while multi-use relics were often possessed by large organizations. Crestless mages were then able to buy out a single use, granting themselves a crest. It was quite a lucrative business.
With all that being said, it was also possible to possess multiple crests. Mages with multiple crests usually took up high ranking government or military positions. If possessing a single crest was difficult, possessing two or more was something only a few individuals out of tens of thousands of mages were capable of achieving.
"...when acquiring a second crest, it must be compatible with the already present crest. This was the main challenge with possessing multiple crests."
'If compatibility wasn't an issue, all the rich nobles would just go purchase the rights to use several multi-use relics.'
Albert continued to flip through the pages skimming past a lot of common knowledge until finally…
"...Ah ha! This was what I was looking for!"
Titled on the top of the page it read: "Theory of Mana Core Awakening".
He began to read, "Normally, mages awaken naturally as mana passes through the body throughout growth. The main difference between an unawakened core and an awakened one was the ability to absorb mana on its own."
During youth, the core was still in the process of developing, its surface possessing small fissures allowing for a miniscule amount of mana to pass. As an individual grows older, these fissures naturally seal up, no longer allowing atmospheric mana to pass through. This is what prevents a mage from awakening.
This meant that the more fissures a core had at a young age the better. More atmospheric mana would be able to pass through, to the point where the organ essentially jump started to absorb mana on its own.
"...in theory, it is possible to speed up this process through the assistance of external factors."
'Nice! So there really was a way to awaken earlier!'
Albert silently pumped his fist excitedly before continuing to read.
"...by fracturing one's core further, more atmospheric mana can be absorbed. There are two methods of practicing this method. Internal and external. The external method relies on brute force from physical shock. The mana core is located near the heart so this method is dangerous for young children."
'Yeah no kidding. No wonder there were no records of this method being practiced. No one wanted their kid to endure an excessive amount of physical pain.'
Albert shook his head at the notion. His parents definitely would not be too pleased to learn their son went through self-harm to become a mage.
"...the internal method relies on the assistance of a medicinal herb named Ravenroot."
He read about this herb in one of his encyclopedias about plantlife. Ravenroot was mainly used as an ingredient to produce magic suppression pills. When consumed, they temporarily seal the mana core of a mage.
"...when consumed raw, it has little to no effect on a developed core. However when consumed, by an undeveloped core, it fractures it further."
Albert felt like something was off. This in itself sounded too convenient. If just consuming a medicinal herb will greatly enhance the speed of an awakening, why wasn't this method more popularized? It would be way more common for mages to awaken at young ages if so.
"...both methods have been studied by the magic association of Arax extensively. Although in theory they are a surefire awakening path, neither were safe enough to use. Those who attempted the external method quickly realized that an excessive level of force was needed to even slightly increase the fissures on an unawakened core. This resulted in the death of several aspiring mages."
With a deep breath, Albert closed his eyes deep in thought.
'Let's read the second method first before I decide to try anything.'
"...tests regarding the raw consumption of Ravenroot were no more promising. Fracturing one's own core was an incredibly painful endeavor. Due to the excessive pain, those who attempted this method also bitterly met their end."
'They most likely went through cardiac arrest.' Albert thought with a frown growing on his face.
It truly takes a lot for someone to die from excessive pain, although the fact was that a child's pain tolerance was lower than that of an adult. Although still risky, Albert decided that this would be the method for him.
He was an adult in a child's body. This was perfect for him! Although it would be painful, Albert decided it would be worth it in the end. He wanted to experience magic, albeit even a moment faster.
'I've already died once, what's a little pain to me?'
With that lingering thought, he closed the book and stepped out of the study.
***
"Happy birthday Albert!" Alise beamed at her only son as the family sat around the table.
"Thanks mom."
It was quite nice to celebrate his birthday like a normal kid. In his previous life, Albert never knew who his real parents were, and of course which also meant no birthday celebrations. Maybe the thing he appreciated the most ever since reincarnation was the fact he had two loving parents.
With a wry smile, Albert blew out the candles atop his birthday cake.
"Did you make a wish?" His mother asked.
"Yes."
'I wish that a Ravenroot would appear before me immediately.'
Not that it was going to happen of course. Now that he turned four, his features were becoming slightly more defined. His jet black hair had grown longer, with bangs slightly covering his forehead. Although he still had a little baby fat, his face was a little more angular now compared to his toddler years as he finally stepped into the category of young child.
A moment later his father reached out his hand and placed it on his shoulder.
"Happy birthday champ," Lael paused before handing over a neatly wrapped package, "I thought you might like this."
Receiving the gift, Albert quickly tore it open in anticipation revealing a book.
"The Major Races of Ovocia."
There were several intelligent species outside of humans in this world. From elves to dwarves to even beastmen, humans weren't the only major race. Albert has seen a few beastmen passing by in his town, however they were quite rare.
This book was exactly what he needed!
"Thanks dad."
His father gave him a pat on the shoulder.
Around twenty minutes later, when the family began cleaning up after their small celebration Lael turned to his son, gesturing him to come closer.
"There's actually something your mother and I want to talk to you about," Lael said, his voice taking on a slightly more serious tone.
Albert didn't like the sound of this.
"Your mother and I have thought about moving to Everton. What do you think?" He asked, his gaze carefully waiting for his son's reaction.
Everton was the capital city of Eston, home to the country's largest trading hub and royal family. It was quite far from where they currently stayed, and currently Albert saw no reason to move. Although the town never had anything exciting going on, it was peaceful. Over the years he had come to enjoy it.
As someone who has seen the full consequences of war, having a little down time was nice.
At the same time the idea of exploring this world was exciting. He had finally grown old enough to walk on his two feet. It would be a shame not to experience everything this world had to offer.
Alise interjected, mistaking her son's silence for reluctance, "Don't you want to make friends your own age? You can also go to an academy when we move to a bigger city."
"Mom, dad, this can't be the only reason why you brought up moving. If you wanted me to go to school, you would have settled down in Everton from the beginning. Why now?"
His parents wore a surprised look as they looked at each other laughing softly.
"I guess we can't hide it from you forever," Lael smiled and said slowly, "You see, your mother is pregnant."
For a moment, Albert froze. Did he hear his father correctly?
His mother was pregnant…meaning he was about to have a younger sibling!
"Ah, being pregnant means your mother is about to have another baby," Lael explained.
'I know what being pregnant means father!'
So that's why they wanted to move all of a sudden, Albert came to a realization. His parents originally thought settling down in a small town would be a good start to their married life together, however through the years, they realized that there were no children of Albert's age in such a small town.
They were unintentionally depriving their son of a normal childhood by choosing to live in a remote area. It was already too late after he was born as he would be too young to travel long distances. Now that Albert was finally a bit older, and Alise was pregnant with another child, the couple decided the time was finally right to move into a larger city.
"We'll be moving in another week or so. I've already contacted members from my old party and notified my father; your grandfather of my decision a week prior."
And that was it. When Lael made a decision, he would almost always follow through. In addition the fact that he notified his old adventurer party meant this certainly was one of those times.
Albert let out a sigh internally.
On the bright side, the journey to Everton meant that they needed to cross the Lacie Mountains. Ravenroot grew within a limited radius of mountain bases meaning that Albert would hopefully have a small window of opportunity to obtain one for himself.
With a new goal in mind, the family began preparations to leave the comfort of their home.