Even though the foundations of evolution and existence where built on the concept of magic; God's, mystics and celestial beings still remained a cornerstone of beliefs and reverence in this world.
God of war and combat- Sundra, was one of those gods.
According to the history books, he was a beggar who ascended through the ranks of mage in a time when magic wasn't yet as dominant, after discovering his hidden talent for berserk warfare.
He kept on growing in valor till he defied all forms of logic, and achieved a special power called the "evil eye" on his forehead, which granted him enormous fortune and reverence.
How or why a mortal could attain such an odd transcendental gift, was a mystery shrouded in an even deeper mystery and I didn't bother to question the myth, since truthfully speaking, I couldn't.
Source material was limited....
However, the third eye is said to be passed down his direct lineage and was lost for a very long time, until Derick von Brithuels- the founding patriarch, activated the eye.
It made me ponder how without the eye, the lineage of the Brithuels would just have been useless or wouldn't have even existed.
'No wonder Derick was so infatuated with the eye' I thought to myself, lost in the moment and completely buried deep within my thoughts.
"Young Lord .... Is something wrong, young Lord?" A voice called out to me, dragging my pondering mind back into reality.
"Ah, no master Fil, please continue" I responded with a smile on my face, even though I hadn't listened to a word he had said before.
Fil was our household mage and he was mostly in charge of teaching the children of the patriarch, everything about magic.
He was close friends with Romelis and had moved here after strong persuasion from the patriarch himself.
Thanks to Milo's memories, i could recall a conversation with his mom, about the bond between Fil and Romelis.
According to her, they fought in the reformation war about twenty years before Milo was born, earning them both the title, "The duo of destruction".
An utterly cringe title that almost made me throw up the moment I was reminded of it.
Surprisingly, Milo's mother- Vicky, smiled proudly each time she mentioned the title and amazingly also, Milo was enthralled by it too.
Unlike what I had expected a mage to be dressed like, Fil simply had on a white sleeved shirt, neatly tailored to the edges and a black pair of trousers like a business man.
His golden brown hair was tied at the end, revealing a scar on his lower neck, which seemed to wrap his entire neck like a short scarf.
'Shame on you wizard!' I fumed, clawing in my mind from my dumbfoundedness.
It took winter, ten days to arrive even after the harsh, blazing sun a few days back.
I just happened to have transmigrated right before the start of a new season, feeling overjoyed by my luck.
Just like earth, this world also had multiple seasons; Orthon(summer)- a sunny season named after the sun god Orthox, winter, spring, and Redris- a season quite similar to autumn but capitalized entirely by the abundance of mana in the atmosphere.
During Redris, chunks of mana crystalized and formed precious gem and high level materials in some environments.
Children born in the season were even rumoured to be blessed by mana, and regarded as geniuses.
"Alright then let's begin" Fil stated, stretching his hand in front of him and chanting a spell completely off by heart.
A massive ball of flame was birthed from the results, swirling as the bright red flames hissed in rage.
Even though I was out of harm's way, I could still feel the intensity of the flare, almost like they could set my clothing on fire at any moment.
It was amazing, the thought of it, so much as the sight.
After a while the spell dispersed and he immediately urged me to follow suit using his instructions.
"Ohh... Alright" I replied shyly, walking towards his view from where I stood before, at the far end of the training hall.
My parched throat drying up even more as I took each step.
'I wasn't even listening to the old man, fuck!'
I pulled off the black gloves that I wore, letting out hazy breaths as I exhaled, shuddering from the cold.
Luckily for me I could remember the spell off the top of my head, as it was what I had spent the entirety of yesterday learning.
But that wasn't the problem though...
"Exclisor infamados bon"
"Let the flames be born" I whispered to myself, feeling a surge of energy creep through the entirety of my body, all gathering towards my outstretched hand as a flame ignited.
The brilliance of its valor was to be commended, clearly proving that a commoner and a nobleman would always be different.
But the scale however, left much to be desired.
"Still only the size of your palm huh?" Fil analyzed mockingly, rubbing his chin with a disappointed gaze on his face.
We had been on spellcasting for days now and somehow, I hadn't been able to reach the standard level of a flame ball.
It was obviously a cause for worry since my affinity for magic was being tested.
I possessed an unusually low affinity for magic, which in turn reduced the efficacy of the spells I casted, since I couldn't supply the right amount of mana needed to boost its power.
"You think it's the evil eye master?" My gaze was locked with his stare the moment I asked.
It wasn't the first time I had brought up the question but unbearably still, his reply was the same.
"According to the studies, yes. But you must never indulge in your curiosity, young master" He lectured yet again, walking towards the door of the training hall, where he tapped gently on it for a guard to open.
"I'll be back, I want us to try a different spell this time". He said, stepping out of the hall as the door shut behind him.
I slumped on the ground, feeling the stress from continual try and error get to me.
If we continued like this we wouldn't be able to progress any further than we already have.
The ceiling looked farther away from where I laid and even lifting my hand did very little in measuring up to the difference in distance.
"Change is inevitable. I have to try something new" I whispered, even though no one was in sight.
I promptly sat up, holding my left palm towards my right eye slowly, then enclosed it completely, till everything was partially dark.
According to the script I had read about the evil eye, the method of activation was by the wielder supplying a small amount of mana, directly to the pupil of the eye.
A very intricate process that if done callously, could lead to the loss of the entire eye. Luckily for me, I had practiced the process before on other lifeforms, and was successful on my sixth attempt.
'So many eyes lost..... '
"Here goes!"
The surge of mana reaching through my eyelid and the corner of my eye was not as painful as I had expected it to be, rather it was a bit discomforting like an itch.
The mana flowed till it reached the iris and from there, it surrounded the pupil in a spiral.
Then it activated, dyeing my entire pupil and eye red as I began to see fluctuations In the air.
It was amazing, almost like I could read mana with different colours patterns.
Fil walked in at the exact moment, staring at me as if he had noticed something was off.
I quickly got up and waved, chuckling and pointing towards my eyes.
"I did it master, it worked!!" I laughed at the look of shock on his face but immediately stopped when his expression turned sour.
"Young master what have you done, no!" He screamed before running towards me in haste, throwing aside the books he held.
I couldn't understand the cause of his actions, but as I was about to step back in order to avoid clashing with him, my entire body stopped on its tracks.
In a split second, an enormous force of energy made its way into my body, moving straight into my eye and causing the surrounding mana to explode in the process.
"Gahhhhhh!!!!!!" I shrieked in pain, pain that I had never felt before, tearing through my mind and paralysing me in the process.
I fell soon after and slowly lost consciousness, watching Fil get up quickly from where the explosion had flung him, and running towards me.
Everything in my right eye slowly went from bright red to instant darkness, then I finally passed out.