Chapter 1:
I felt nothing, heard nothing, saw nothing. I couldn't tell if my eyes were open or not. I tried to speak; but nothing. A plane of pure darkness. If this was the afterlife, It's nothing like how I imagined it. There was no need to breathe; I couldn't. I had no sense of time. Who knows how long I stayed limp there? Perhaps years? I felt no hunger or thirst, the only thing I had was my mind. I replayed everything that happened until that point. Strange. I vividly remember everything, even from the moment I was born. It's not possible to remember that far… was it? Maybe this was what the afterlife was like—An empty shell for reflection. I envisioned my family's life after I died.
I'm sure they will be fine.
How's my sister,
Is school going well for her?
Eventually, something happened. A light flashes through my eyes. My eyes were opened. Another flash. This time I felt my eyes averting from the bright lights. I could touch and feel again. I felt like I was about to suffocate. Breathe. I took deep breaths over and over. I could breathe again. The space I was inside lit up, from a dark abyss to a blindingly white space. My vocal cords hurt, and I tried to swallow. "A…ahhh, ourgh…" I made sounds like a newborn baby. I couldn't speak words. An outline of a human appeared before me. "So you've finally arrived…" Arrived? I was moving this whole time? I felt empowered, controlled, and horrified by each little word this entity emitted at me. "Ouoh.. Ah!" I still couldn't speak. As if noticing this, the entity created a snapping noise. "You may speak once more." I placed my hands on my throat. "W-where am I?" The entity moved around me before answering, "You are inside my domain... I am god here. You may call me Siev, mortal." Huh? This entity bantered on things I could barely grasp, although I heard some keywords such as "god of death", and something about a "Travelling point". Suddenly, its speech cleared again. "...your case however is a bit unique. You aren't in heaven or hell, because I've personally interfered. Gods usually are not allowed to interfere with the worlds they rule over... But one way to bypass this rule is to send in a representative." What… I just barely got my bearings, and I already don't like what is being insinuated here. "That representative… is it me? Why me?" What have I done to be assigned "public service" for the gods? Seiv's voice seemed to bounce off nonexistent walls, reverberating in my ears. "You were chosen by chance, merely by chance... I happen to owe an old friend a debt. You will help me pay it off whether you like it or not. I will send you to another world, and you will stop that world's destruction... do so, and I might grant you a wish. I am not an unfair god, after all. Take this." Siev extended his arm towards me. A strange purplish glow appeared where the back of my right hand was. "As you continue to strive, that will assist you..." Suddenly the murky figure became a lookalike of me. "Just know that if you fail... things won't end well for you." The purple glow on my hand increased in intensity until there was nothing left to see. Still, as I faded away I heard Siev say that "I will be watching you..." Wait, what destruction?
Chapter 2:
My head hurts. I felt like I reverted to an infantile form. Something was boiling inside of my body. The pain forced my eyes open. Heart thumping rapidly, I placed my hand on my chest to figure out what was happening. Everything around me was shrouded in a gray fog. My eyes kept playing tricks on me. I saw shadows dancing around the corner of my eyes. The pain soon doubled, almost instantly becoming unbearable. I could barely think. I could scarcely see. I even heard whispers in my head, Let it out. What?
Let it out
You are suffering…
Let it out
I felt like I was about to explode. I couldn't bear the pain. I just need to let go…
My mind went blank, I only saw pitch black and remembered nothing.
Something was moving me. I could hear footsteps crunching, and with each step, I shook slightly. The sounds changed from dirt, and mud, to rock, and wood. The sounds changed to a door opening and closing. My mind was lingering, I had no control over my body. I was suddenly laid down. Then the footsteps by me moved away. Wait, what was I doing here? I only recall the conversation with the god Seiv, and being sent away, but I felt like I was missing something. Suddenly I could feel my consciousness fade. With no other choice, I slowly dozed off.
I'm alive. What happened, I can't quite remember. Before moving, I checked if I could move my hands; I slightly twitched. My eyelids felt heavy, but I forced them open. A ray of light hit my face, making the weight heavier. Once my eyes adjusted, I took another look around. Everything felt outdated, decades… maybe centuries behind my time. Oh…I was in another world, possibly one with monsters and superficial creatures. With the wooden walls around me and the lanterns hanging from the ceiling, I knew I was inside a cabin. Suddenly, I heard a loud crash nearby, causing me to flinch lightly. The sound seemed to come from outside the cabin I was in. Before finding the culprit of the sound I took another look around. The placement of all the furniture seemed to exude a homely atmosphere. I moved past the table before me to a door on my left. I noticed a window residing to the right of the door. I carefully crept to the window and peeked through. Outside, I saw a man standing by a tree. His eyes were closed, and a sword held to his chest. I waited a little longer, before deciding to turn back to examine my surroundings more carefully. As I turned, I felt a huge tremor, just like before. I turned around and saw the man's sword hovering an inch above the ground. Was he the cause? It didn't seem possible. Nonsense, the common sense I had all along didn't matter anymore. I need to adapt and learn more about this world to eliminate its diseases. I might have stared at the man without realizing it because the man's eyes suddenly snapped open, before looking directly at me. I'll admit it; I froze. His stare seemed paralyzing as he walked towards the cabin with his commanding footsteps. The door silently screeched as he walked into the room, and opened his mouth.
"So, you're awake." He sat on a chair and signaled me to sit as well. "You and me; Let's talk for a bit." Somehow, I had sat down before I noticed. The man had blonde hair and blue eyes wearing a cotton tunic and pants. I looked down at his feet, noticing that he wore sandals. "What were you trying to do there? Rampaging like that will do you no good." I looked back at him. I wore a confused expression on my face. What exactly was he talking about? He was interrogating me, this I knew for sure. I needed to choose my words carefully. I don't know what Siev did to me, but I shouldn't risk trying to tell anybody the full story. "Well," I started, "I happened upon this forest, realizing the need for food, and to part myself of human interaction. But shamefully I cannot even control myself." Yeah, I'm not talking like that again. The reply was short: "I'm not buying that. But I'll believe the fact you lost control of your magic essence." He let out a large sigh, before continuing. "Either way, I suppose it can't be helped. I'm sure it wasn't your fault. To me it seems, you can't properly control your magic. Even now, it's still building inside you…" I let out a small grunt in acknowledgment. "Wait, doesn't that mean I'm basically a ticking time bomb?"
Chapter 3:
The man rose, walked beside me, and patted my shoulder. "That's only if you don't learn to control it." I gave him a weird look, causing him to chuckle. "Don't worry, It'd be better for me to help you than let you off on your own." Is he willing to help? This man doesn't even know me yet, would he do that? I'm not complaining though. The man clears his throat, bringing my attention back to him. "I've forgotten to introduce myself. My name is Arthur Mili-." He paused. He seemed to stumble on his words as if he didn't want to say anything… I see what's going on here. "I'll call you Arthur if that's okay with you?" He nods. I rise from the ground facing Arthur before saying, "My name is… Theo." The name suddenly came into mind. "Nice to meet you, Theo." We shook hands and sat back down. Arthur reached out for a book on the shelf next to him. "Surely you are familiar with how magic came to be no?." I stayed silent. Even though I didn't look at him directly I could tell he felt alarmed. "Here." He handed a thick leather book to me. "It'll make understanding the structure of magic easier if you read this." When I took it, I touched on the contents of the book.
At the beginning of the world. The Goddess of Life, Trinity. Was sent to watch all life residing in it to keep a balance between the many species. Humans were the weakest of the creatures with weak bodies unable to utilize the life force around them but they were full of ambition and rather clever. The goddess saw the human's position and decided to mingle amongst them, to understand why that was so. She went by a new name, 'Diana', and traveled the world she safely kept through the lens of a human. During her journey, she learned how each race lived and learned. The hardships of being human, and the emotions that came with them. Eventually, she found a young man. He was known to be the weakest man in the village he lived in. But despite this, he dreamed of being t-.
Arthur swiped the book from my hand, "I changed my mind, teaching you now would be best." He placed the book back on the shelf and turned back to me. "Meet me outside." With that remark, Arthur left abruptly. In a world filled with non-fiction, learning how to defend myself would be the best choice of action. Letting out a slight sigh I rose from my chair and proceeded to the front door. What exactly should I expect from a fantasy world? I open the door and walk out. A warm breeze blew through the air, and the greenery almost allured me. Somehow, I felt relaxed. "Over here." I titled my head, seeing Arthur leaning against a fence. He ushered me to come closer, by swaying his hand. As I approached, he tossed me a wooden sword. When I caught the sword, in the blink of an eye, Arthur stood mere inches from me pointing his wooden sword at my neck. Shocked, I fell to the ground. "As I thought." When I shook your hand I noticed that your hand was soft, meaning you've probably never trained with any weapon." I gripped the ground, frustrated. "One more time." Arthur looked at me. "Are you sure?" I looked him dead in the eye, causing him to grin. "Then let's continue." After a few minutes, we both repositioned ourselves. Arthur had put a handicap on himself. "I will only use one arm and I'll be aiming only for your head." Realizing how powerless I seemed to him, I felt miserable. I tightened my grip and remembered the battle against the serial killer. That's right, the serial killer killed my best friend. I'll kill him.
Chapter 4:
As I stared Arthur down he flinched, as if something turned inside him, he dashed toward me, looking at me as the killer did. This man could not be human, the speed this man calibered was faster than any f1 car I'd seen. but I knew where he was aiming for. I only had to make minimal movement, so no matter how fast he was, if I knew where it was going I could block it. I turned my sword and blocked the attack. The hit felt like a train bashing my sword, flinging me back. I tumbled onto the ground and stopped on a tree, my sword immediately fracturing in half the moment it hit the ground. I almost lost consciousness but managed to stay awake. I heard Arthur yelling out to me "Hey! Are you still alive?" I couldn't respond, I couldn't even move. Arthur hurried to my side and crouched down. "Forgive me, I don't know what came over me. Good news though; you survived and no worries, I can fix you right up." A yellowish glow shone from Arthur's hands as he hovered them above me. As he shined the light above me, I could feel more and more of my senses come back to me. The pain quickly disappeared and I could move again. "I believe I've fully healed you, make sure though." I sat up testing the flexibility of my arms and legs. How on Earth did he just heal me? After fully grasping the new world I resided in, I couldn't help but laugh. "I suppose life-threatening experiences open the mind a bit." Arthur scratched the back of his head, "I felt an overwhelming evil power shrouded around you. I wonder who you truly are." I chuckled but didn't respond. If everyone in this world is the strength of Arthur I won't live much longer. Arthur rose from the ground and helped me up. "Well, I suppose I'll start by teaching you mana control" A warm breeze flew past us, calming me again. "I'm all ears."
"Since it seems to be your first time witnessing magic, allow me to explain a few things. Every creature in the world possesses a magic core. It's typically within or next to your heart. How living things use magic is by using what's called Magic essence; a particle that is created when you filter Magos within your Magic core. It's similar to how humans breathe in air and filter it. In magic, it's called Maleficiation. The magic essence outside of magic cores; Magos. Is an extremely concentrated version of magic essence so it's almost impossible to use it in its raw form." Ok, so basically no magic core means no magic.
"First you must understand how to tap into your magic vessel. Close your eyes and envision a goblet or clear vase filled to the brim with water. Try and imagine yourself pouring the water onto your hand." I closed my eyes envisioning a glass cup filled with water. Then I poured the water into my hand. When I did this a small white glow emitted from my right palm. "This is a magic essence created from your core. Many things relating to magic rely on one's strength of mind. The ability to accurately image the magic and the talent needed to make it into a reality determines your capacity to use magic." Arthur paused for a moment.
"Everyone is born differently, people are divided into three sections, the Oxi; people who can't use magic. The Natura; people who can use magic, and the Meraki; people born with a gift in magic. Most people fall in between the Oxi and the Natura. The term 'proficiency' is important in this regard. Being able to use magic is a gift in itself. Even though everyone has a magic core, their proficiency is usually very low meaning they don't have enough power to use magic. There are five base elements; fire, water, air, earth, and nature. Proficiency can be split into percentages between these five elements. The range is usually 0 to 100%, where 0% means you don't possess any magic and 100% means you either have a high proficiency or your percentage is split between the 5 elements.
For example, let's say there's a person with 50% proficiency and two others with 100% proficiency. The 50% person could have a 50% proficiency in any of the elements or they could have a split, 25% in water, 15% in earth, and 10% in air for instance." Arthur stopped talking to see if I had any questions. From what I've understood, multiple people can have the same proficiency but how their percentages share is varyingly different. But he kept using the word 'usually' meaning people can go above what I think to be the 100% threshold. "What about me? What is my proficiency, what elements can I use, and what percentage?" Arthur put his hand in front of my face, "I'll answer that later." I nodded. "One of the two with 100% proficiency has a split of 20% in every element, which would be extremely rare even though they have minor percentages. The last one has a 100% proficiency in fire, let's say. This is extremely rare. And when you have 90% or above proficiency for a specific element you are known as a 'bonded person'. What I mean by that is, if someone had a 100% proficiency in fire they would be able to use one special trait spell or magic from fire. That trait would be unique only to that magic user, and nothing can change that."
Arthur opens his hand and a small tornado forms on it. I have a high proficiency for air, and because of that I can do this." He slowly sculpted a wyvern made of strong currents of wind. What the heck is wrong with this wind? When I got too close, the wind cut me slightly. Arthur stopped the spell, making the wyvern disappear. "Now to answer your question." I looked at him with anticipation. "I honestly don't know your proficiency. But from what I can tell you can use every single element." I heard him mumbling to himself but I couldn't catch what he said. "You don't need to worry, I can tell you have an extremely high percentage capacity. Oh right, the common 100% can be bypassed in a couple of ways. Only a handful are born with proficiency higher than 100%, besides that others have to rely on gaining a Magic drive which improves your magic core. Others are making a contract with a spirit, dragon, or demon/angel. Being chosen by a deity is also an option.
Lastly, eating people's magic cores," shaking his head he continued, "Well, ignore the last thing I said. Only a select few possess the power to devour magic cores and gain power from them, and even then it is taboo of the highest order. Anyways, does this answer your question?" If I can use every element of magic and possess a high amount of magic, to begin with, I guess that explains the sudden outburst when I came into this world. Though It's likely because of Seiv. "How do I avoid running amok again?" I know Arthur said to learn magic control, but I have a feeling that won't help with my magic. "Well, as I said, understanding basic control will help you, but that can take some time and you seem in a hurry. As you were unconscious I had the chance to examine your magic core, and there I found out you possess a corrupted magic core.
Whenever a magic core is broken or damaged in any way, it can interrupt the filtering of magos or magic control. I won't ask how or why you have it, but I do know of a simple solution. I'll seal the amount of mana you absorb and expel from your body. Essentially the seal will restrict how much mana you can use and what you can use. You'll only be able to use one element." One element? I'm assuming he'll have me choose or if not he'll suggest I pick air. This will help me hide my power allowing me to blend in better. "If I can't use more than one, I'll go with air." He seemed like he expected my answer, "Good choice. Air is seen as a weaker element but it's very versatile. Give me two years where I'll be teaching you everything I know regarding air magic, swordplay, and the necessities you need to survive."