Lucas sat beneath the shade of a large tree, the soft rustling of leaves above providing a calming backdrop. Eldric stood in front of him, his expression composed yet firm, as though bracing himself for what was about to unfold.
"Alright," Eldric began, crossing his arms, "let's start. The first thing you need to do is discover your magic element."
Lucas tilted his head, blinking at Eldric in confusion. "But… how exactly do I do that?"
Eldric reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, gleaming orb. Its surface was polished to perfection, reflecting the light in mesmerizing ripples. Lucas could see his own face staring back at him in the orb's smooth surface.
"This," Eldric said, holding it up, "is a magic ball. It's used to identify a person's element. All you have to do is place it in the palm of your hand and wait for a color to appear."
Lucas took the orb gingerly, turning it over in his hands. It felt cool and smooth against his skin, almost unnaturally so. "So… I just hold it like this?" he asked, positioning it in the center of his palm.
"Exactly," Eldric said with a nod.
Lucas stared at the orb, waiting. A part of him felt disappointed. In his mind, he had imagined that magic would be different—something grand, something that let you wield every element under the sun. Instead, it seemed that magic in this world was bound by limitations, with each person confined to a single element.
At the same time, he felt a knot of anxiety tightening in his chest. What if no color appeared? What if he couldn't use magic at all?
The thought chilled him. If he couldn't use magic, traveling through this world to find answers would be far more dangerous—and maybe even impossible.
But another thought pushed forward. Even if he did possess an element, magic wouldn't come easily. It was bound to be challenging, but at least it would give him an edge, a chance to survive.
The minutes ticked by as Eldric and Lucas both watched the orb, waiting for the first sign of color.
"Does this usually take this long?" Lucas asked, his voice tight with nerves.
Eldric shrugged. "It varies. Sometimes it can take up to five minutes. Actually, the longer it takes, the rarer your element might be. Though," he added with a faint smirk, "it's usually just one of the common ones."
Lucas felt a glimmer of hope at Eldric's words. "So there's a chance I have a rare element?"
'Or no element at all,' Lucas thought grimly, the anxiety creeping back.
He tried to distract himself by thinking of the fantasy novels he'd read back in his world. In those stories, magic was tied to mana—something innate, something you cultivated over time. But how did it work here?
He glanced at Eldric. "Hey, I've been meaning to ask. How does magic work? Like, where does it come from? Is it mana, like in stories?"
Eldric raised an eyebrow, staring at Lucas like he'd just asked whether the sky was blue. "Do you live under a rock or something?"
"Just answer me!" Lucas snapped, flushing slightly.
Eldric sighed, relenting. "Fine. Everyone has a mana core inside them. It stores mana, which is basically the energy you use to perform magic. The size of your core determines how much mana you can store. Some people have large cores, some have small ones—it depends on the person. But if your mana core gets damaged or breaks completely…"
Eldric paused, his tone growing serious. "You won't be able to use magic at all."
Lucas's stomach dropped. 'Yeah, I'm definitely screwed,' he thought, trying not to let the fear show on his face.
Minutes stretched into what felt like an eternity. Beads of sweat formed on Lucas's forehead as he gripped the magic ball, willing it to react.
Eldric frowned, watching him closely. "That's strange," he muttered. "It's been three minutes already. You might have a really rare element. When I discovered mine, it only took a minute."
Lucas's nerves frayed further as he glanced at Eldric. 'Why is he looking at me like that?'
Eldric, on the other hand, was struggling to keep a straight face. Lucas's expression had contorted into something between intense focus and mild panic. It was almost comical.
By the time the clock in Eldric's pocket read five minutes, the tension had reached its peak. Eldric stared at the orb, baffled. "I've never seen anyone take this long," he murmured. "It could mean something extraordinary—or something completely ordinary."
Just as Lucas was about to give up hope, a flicker of darkness appeared in the orb. His breath hitched as the darkness deepened, swirling and shifting into a shade of deep purple.
Then, something strange happened.
The orb began to dissolve. Its surface shimmered, breaking apart as though it were melting, but instead of dripping away, it simply vanished—like it was being erased from existence.
Eldric's eyes widened in shock. "No way… Impossible!"
Lucas stared at his empty hand, his heart pounding. The orb was gone, leaving no trace behind.
He blinked in disbelief before a grin spread across his face. 'I did it! I really have a magic element!'
But his triumph was short-lived. He looked up to see Eldric's face, pale and stricken, as though he'd just seen a ghost.
"Uhm… Eldric? Are you alright?" Lucas asked cautiously.
Eldric's eyes locked onto Lucas, his expression deadly serious. After a long pause, he finally spoke.
"Lucas… tell me the truth. Who are you?"