From the moment Ray could walk, Eldric had been teaching him all the essential skills needed to survive in the wilderness. Despite his young age, Ray had a remarkable ability to learn quickly and apply his lessons with a sharpness that amazed Eldric. By the time Ray was five, he could track animals, set traps, and move stealthily through the dense forests surrounding their home. His instincts were far sharper than any other child Eldric had ever known.
Yet, Ray's curiosity didn't stop at mere survival. He was captivated by swordsmanship. Often, he would watch Eldric practice with unwavering attention, his eyes following every movement of the blade. The discipline and precision that came with swordplay fascinated him, and when he turned five, Ray finally asked Eldric to teach him.
At first, Eldric was hesitant. Swordsmanship was not something to be taken lightly. It required more than just strength and agility, it demanded focus and an understanding of the primal energy that flowed through the world and the sword itself. But Ray wasn't like most children. His sharp instincts and the way he already carried himself convinced Eldric that the boy was ready.
"Alright," Eldric said, handing Ray a small wooden sword. "Let's see what you can do."
Ray's training began in earnest. He practiced diligently every day, swinging the wooden sword with growing precision and determination. Over the course of a year, his progress was remarkable. Ray quickly grasped the basics of footwork, balance, and the art of resonance, the connection between a swordsman and his blade, where one could sense the primal energy that flowed within and around the sword. It was a skill that took most years to understand, but Ray was showing signs of talent far beyond his age.
As the days passed, Ray grew more in tune with the sword. His connection to the primal energy deepened, and he became increasingly aware of its presence in everything around him. Eldric watched with pride, seeing the boy's potential grow with each swing of his sword.
Then, the night before Ray's sixth birthday, something changed.
It was late in the evening, and Ray was practicing alone in a clearing under the moonlight. The forest was quiet, the air thick with an eerie stillness. Ray moved through his usual practice routine, his wooden sword cutting through the air in sharp arcs. His movements were fluid, almost instinctive, as if the sword had become an extension of his body.
As Ray struck down with the sword, he felt something, a sudden rush of energy coursing through his body. His entire being tingled as the primal energy he had been working so hard to connect with surged through him with an intensity he had never felt before. His vision blurred, and before he could make sense of it, everything around him faded into darkness.
Ray had entered a trance.
In this state, his body stood frozen, but inside, something far more profound was happening. Unbeknownst to Ray, the energy surrounding him, mana, began to swirl around him like a storm. The once calm flow of energy had turned into a vortex, pulling in everything from the forest around him. Leaves fluttered into the air, the ground trembled lightly, and the very essence of the world seemed to be drawn toward him.
The energy surged into Ray's small body, flowing through his veins like a river of power. His body absorbed it all without resistance, and deep within him, something began to form. As the vortex continued to pull in energy, two cores slowly started to materialize within Ray.
One core, familiar to the world, his "Mana Core", began to condense, gathering the vast amounts of mana swirling around him into a single, solid point of power. This was the essence of magic, a source that many spent years trying to form. But Ray was different. The mana core crystallized as if it had been waiting to be born.
At the same time, a second core began to take shape, a core of unknown origin, pulsing with deeper energy similar to Primal Energy. This second core was unlike anything tied to mana or primal energy. It was raw, ancient, and powerful. The force within it resonated with the pendant Ray always wore around his neck, causing it to pulse with a faint, mysterious glow.
The two cores, one of mana, the other of unknown power, formed together within Ray's body, intertwining yet distinct from one another. The energy in the air continued to be sucked into Ray like a whirlwind, and the surrounding forest seemed to grow quieter as if holding its breath.
But Ray wasn't aware of any of this. In his trance, he found himself standing in an endless void, darkness stretching out in all directions. There was no sky, no earth—only an empty, vast blackness. Ray's heart raced as he looked around, fear gripping his chest. He couldn't understand where he was or how he had gotten there.
Then, far in the distance, a small light appeared. It was faint at first, but slowly, it grew brighter, beckoning him to come closer. Ray, feeling drawn to it, began running. He didn't know where he was headed, but that light seemed to be the only thing that mattered.
As he ran through the darkness, a voice suddenly echoed around him, soft yet commanding.
"Origin System Initiating.."
Ray stopped in his tracks, looking around in confusion. The voice sent a chill down his spine, and for a moment, he stood frozen, unsure of what to do. Before he could process the words, his vision began to blur, and his body grew heavy. The light ahead flickered, and within moments, everything went black again.
---
Back at the hut, Eldric was jolted awake by a strange feeling, a deep sense that something was wrong. Without hesitation, he rushed outside, following his instincts to the clearing where Ray had been practicing. When he arrived, his heart sank.
Ray lay unconscious on the ground, surrounded by a faint, glowing light. The air around him was thick with energy, heavier than anything Eldric had ever felt before. And then, there was the pendant around Ray's neck, it pulsed with an ominous glow, reacting to the energy around the boy.
"Ray!" Eldric shouted, rushing to his side.
He knelt down, lifting Ray gently in his arms. The boy was breathing steadily, his face calm, but the air still hummed with an unsettling power. Eldric's eyes flicked to the pendant again, noticing how it seemed to pulse in rhythm with Ray's heartbeat.
Carrying Ray back to the hut, Eldric's mind raced. He had trained many swordsmen over the years, but never had he encountered something like this.
As Ray slept, Eldric watched over him, unable to shake the feeling that something profound had just awakened within the boy. Whatever it was, he knew that Ray's life, and their quiet existence in the forest, was about to change forever.