"I finally finished reading the whole book. It seems like it's morning," I said as I turned my gaze and watched the sunrise through the window.
All the information I read about the history of the Agrona continent reveals that, for more than a thousand years, the royal family has seen exceptional talents grow. Among these talents, one stood out as the strongest on the continent: Belgir Mengral, a ninth circle mage. He was the most powerful wizard in the history of Agrona.
The royal family is made up of two branches: that of legitimate children and that of illegitimate children. The illegitimate are despised by the legitimate, especially when the legitimate son destined to be king is named crown prince. There was a time when a prince tried to murder all the illegitimate children of the royal family. Since then, the heir to the throne is chosen with great care.
The book, with more than five thousand pages, is very thick and tells the history of the continent for a thousand years, an era known as "The Age of Dominance." However, I wonder what happened before this era. Were there any significant events that deserved to be recorded in the books? What happened before "The Age of Dominance"?
The continent of Agrona is made up of several kingdoms. Among them, there is a peculiar one called Arvantis, a kingdom inhabited by demi-humans. If I'm right, demi-humans are like humans, but with special animal features, like tails and ears. Their eyes also reflect these characteristics, although other than that, they are not very different from humans.
"There are five more kingdoms, but the kingdom where the royal family rules is the strongest of all."
There is also something called the "Tower of the Gods". This tower gets its name because only the most powerful wizards in the continent's history have commanded it. There are a total of six towers, and of course the royal family owns one of them, founded by the strongest mage of the royal family, Belgir Mengral.
There is much more to tell, but the story of the continent of Agrona does not end here. This continent is so vast that even compared to the continents of my past life, Agrona would make a fool of it for its size.
"Magi are strong, but they have their weaknesses. Knights are powerful, but their strength has a limit," I said.
There is a way to measure the power of magicians: circles. Each wizard has a certain number of circles on his arm, and the wizard with the most circles belonged to the royal family. The circles are numbered from one to nine, but not only that. Magicians who reached the ninth circle claim that there is a tenth circle, a power that goes beyond the ninth. Knights have something called war aura, a power they awaken when their lives are on the brink of death, something similar to what I experienced before I died and came to this world.
However, knights have a limit to how much aura they can withstand. If they didn't have that limit, they could rival mages up to the eighth or even the ninth circle. But, in the entire history of the continent, no knight has surpassed that aura limit; It is like an insurmountable barrier for all of them.
I closed the book and looked out the barred window. It seemed to be 6:00 AM. I took the history book and placed it on the shelf, but to prevent myself, I went and grabbed the magic book. I took the clipboard off the shelf and put the book all the way down, then put the clipboard back in its place. I sat on the bed and reflected.
"It is an event from a very long history: the royal family, the imperial city, the continent and many more things in a single continent," I thought. I still had a lot to learn about this world; The entire book was just a small part of the history of the continent.
Clack!!
Suddenly, a sound came from the door handle. I got out of bed and tried to open the door... and it opened. It must have been lunchtime at this place, but I highly doubted the food would be any different. This place is for slaves; They raise us like animals before selling us or, worse yet, murdering us.
"Sigh."
I sighed. At some point I must leave this place, although if I manage to escape, I have no idea where I am or where to go. I left the room and looked at the next room. Gloriana Mengral is the name of that girl with red eyes and silver hair. He didn't know why she was here or how she was kidnapped, but at some point the royal family will come for her. At that moment, I must act and escape from this place, but not before trying to save most of the slaves.
***
—Change of scene.
I walked over and sat at the same rectangular table with three seats on each side. Gloriana was there, but I ignored her. She had nothing to ask him, although she wanted to know if she really was from the royal family. There was also the possibility that she wasn't answering or that she was hiding it. It was very strange that a member of the royal family was in this place and that the slavers did not have her under surveillance or kept her elsewhere.
I decided not to ask, as it could cause a serious problem if anyone present overheard. I looked at my tray with a bread, a wooden glass full of water and the same black apple. Indeed, the food was the same every day.
I grabbed the bread and, just before I put it in my mouth, my gaze met Gloriana's. She looked at me, but seemed different. Her face was a little flushed and her gaze was no longer cold as before; she now she looked sorry.
"…"
I watched as she bit into the bread. She tried to look elsewhere, her eyes moved in various directions, as if trying to avoid my gaze.
"Hey… Are you okay?" I asked for. Athena looked strange. She looked at me, her lips parted and she said:
"I-it's nothing," she replied as she looked down at her tray.
She hid her eyes from her, but her face was half red. Was it some emotion or was it just my imagination? I must admit that it was the first time I felt my heart beating just a few pulses more than normal. I smiled at everything and prepared to finish eating.
***
—Change of scene.
I returned to my room when the same voice from the megaphone boomed again, repeating the same words like a machine programmed to say a phrase over and over again.
This time, my goal for the day would be to study the magic book. I didn't know how to start as a mage, so I would read all the content related to breathing and the method of absorbing mana. The problem was that it didn't specify how much mana was needed to reach the first circle. I needed that information more than anything. It had the form of mana absorption and also the form of creating magic, but all of that would be as time passed. Until he reached the first circle, he would try to use a spell.
I headed to the shelf. There were a total of three books; I hadn't read the third one, but I didn't think it had any important information, so I put it aside and took out the tablet...
"Deaf sound."
As expected, when removing the splint, there was a risk of making noise. A noise not so loud, but not very low either. That happened every time I took out the tablet; Somehow, it was very tight and that's why it made noise.
Finally, I took the book out of the small space where it was located. I took it out and put the slat back in its place. Then I headed to bed. The breathing method of absorbing mana involved meditation, so it was essential to be in a noise-free and comfortable place. I sat down and curled my legs, then opened the book and turned page by page until I came to a section that said…
[Fire Breathing Method]
It was a strange name, but understandable. The entire book contained fire spells and mainly talked about fire, so it was normal that the breathing method also talked about fire. He didn't know if this world of magic was made up of elements such as water, earth, wind and lightning, which would be the common elements along with fire.
I flipped through the book and turned to the next page. On this page there was a drawing. The pose in the drawing was identical to how it was at that moment: with legs curled, back straight, head at about 90 degrees upward, and with hands forming a "Yin and Yan" figure. Then I looked at what some letters said under the drawing.
[ Once settled into the breathing posture, with my back straight but relaxed, I closed my eyes as if I were in an ocean. I let my breath flow naturally, like the waves dancing on the seashore, and little by little I felt the waters of my mind become still. With each inhale, I imagined a calm and relaxed environment, and with each exhale, I released any built-up tension. With each breathing cycle, I allowed my body to relax and then began to imagine that I was drawing mana into my body. ]
The description of the breathing method of absorbing mana was very well explained. I followed every step indicated by the content of the book.
I took a deep breath and tried to imagine a quiet place, but something was different. I was in an unpleasant place, with a crimson red moon, identical to the moon that was on the day of my death in my previous life. I was in a desolate and dry field, with blood spilled all over the ground. The trees were leafless and completely dry, as if in a drought. I tried to breathe and focus my mind, imagining a clean, empty space.
"It works, but now there is nothing. It's dark and empty." I told myself.
Everything around me was dark and silent, but particles of purple mixed with black began to fill the place. It was manna, flowing like waves in a sea. Every particle of mana ran like a wave. I concentrated and imagined, and the particles began to come slowly, like very small drops of water, one by one, entering my body.
It felt very refreshing as the particles began to enter my body. Mana moved through every corner of my being, and the tingling sensation began to appear. It gave me a little tingle, but I tried to concentrate. The waves of mana that were rushing around me slowly began to move and headed towards my body.
More mana particles began to arrive. The mana was dark with purple tones. He didn't know if that was the color of mana or if it was possible that mana had no fixed color and only manifested in one color depending on the person. They were just ideas, but I wasn't sure if that was the case or not. I continued fighting not to lose focus. I shouldn't be distracted; Everything was fine, but the speed at which mana reached my body felt very slow. I didn't know if that was normal, but I kept at it.
"Drip!!"
Suddenly, waves of mana began to drip. Small drops of mana fell to the ground, creating a dark, purple puddle. The mana gathered even more as it got closer to me, covering me up to my waist. When I realized, everything was flooded with mana, it seemed like a real flood. The mana was quickly rising to my chest, but I wouldn't stop here.
I took a deeper breath and suddenly the flood of mana stopped. Everything was frozen, as if time had stopped. However, mana particles continued to enter my body. All the mana around me was absorbed into me, as if water penetrated every part of my being, but with a calm and painless sensation. I continued until I finally opened my eyes.
"Panting."
"Drip!!"
I was sweating a lot and my breathing was labored, as if I had run a marathon. Sweat soaked my entire body and even the bed was half wet. I quickly took off my shirt, a brown garment that all slaves wore. Its texture was rough to the touch. I took it off and looked at my body.
"W-what happened? I didn't know he had such a trained body… or is it because of the mana?" said. I looked at my well-defined abdomen, my forearms and arms, all with much more defined muscles.
"Panting."
I staggered. Suddenly, my vision began to fade. Just before falling into a deep sleep, I grabbed the book and put it under the mattress. I lay down on the bed and started to slowly close my eyes. My eyelids were heavy and I finally closed them.