[Third Person's PoV]
Stephen ran through the snow, keeping an eye on his flying companion. He spotted Shebird circling above the center of town.
When Stephen arrived, he found Asta covered in wounds and Yuno in tears. The man standing before them glanced at Asta with mild surprise, but Stephen's face twisted in anger when he saw the man holding Yuno's necklace.
Forming a hand sign, Stephen summoned a shield in front of his fist. He hurled the shield forward, leaped after it, then conjured another shield midair, using them as stepping stones. He dashed toward the man, ready for a fight.
The man looked at Stephen in surprise as he saw him slam his wrists together before cocking his fists back, shields forming at each hand. The man had no time to react before Stephen struck him across the face with one of the shields, knocking him backward.
However, Stephen misjudged his jump and tumbled onto the snowy ground, rolling as he fell from too great a height for someone his age.
The man, who had staggered back, held his bleeding lips, looking at them in shock.
"Alright, alright! I'll leave you kids alone! What's wrong with this village, man?" he exclaimed before turning to flee.
Stephen quickly got to his feet, clapping his hands together and pulling them apart to form an Eldritch whip. He lashed it out, wrapping it around the man's leg, and yanked hard, causing the man to fall face-first into the snow, breaking his nose.
"Ahhh!!!" the man screamed in pain.
"Forget something?" Stephen asked, walking toward him with his hands in his pockets.
"Here! Take it back! Just stay the hell away from me!" the man yelled, tossing the pendant to Stephen, who caught it effortlessly with one hand.
Stephen watched as the man scrambled to his feet and ran off. Then, he turned toward Yuno, who was kneeling beside Asta, who lay on his back, breathing heavily.
"Asta, are you okay?" Yuno asked worriedly.
"Magic is everything in this world, huh?" Asta said in a shaky voice. "Well then, I'll become someone. Even though I'm a poor orphan who can't use any magic yet," he continued, slowly getting to his feet. "I'll prove to everyone that even someone like us can be amazing!" Despite his battered face, Asta smiled brightly. "I'll become the Wizard King!"
Yuno looked at Asta in awe. "I'll do it too!" he declared. "I'll become the Wizard King as well!"
"Seriously?" Asta said, wiping his bloody nose. "Well then... that makes you my rival."
They both turned to Stephen, who raised an eyebrow.
"Well?" Asta asked.
"Well what?" Stephen responded.
"Aren't you going to declare that you're aiming to be the Wizard King too?" Yuno asked, tilting his head in confusion.
"Nah, there's already enough competition for that position. If I ran the race, it'd be unfair for both of you."
"HEY!" they both shouted in unison.
"I'm going to be something else entirely," Stephen said, placing the necklace back around Yuno's neck.
They both stared at Stephen in confusion, but he just smirked. "I'm going to be the Sorcerer Supreme."
"That's not a title," Yuno said with a straight face.
"Yeah, you just made that up," Asta said, shaking his head.
"It still sounds cool though, right?"
Asta and Yuno nodded in agreement—it did sound cool. They exchanged a look and smirked.
"I guess that means it'll be a race to see who gets their title first!" Asta said, thrusting out both his fists toward Stephen and Yuno.
Stephen scoffed in amusement, and Yuno smiled as they bumped their fists together. Above them, Shebird silently watched, flapping her wings.
Stephen then wrapped his arms around their shoulders. "Now, let's head home. Father Orsi was worried about you two. And Asta, you need to get those injuries checked by Sister Lily," he said, ruffling their hair as they walked back.
---
The Next Day...
Stephen noticed that Asta and Yuno were nowhere to be found. Eventually, he spotted Sister Lily cleaning around the church.
"Where's Asta and Yuno?" Stephen asked.
"They mentioned something about training to become the Wizard King," Sister Lily replied with a smile, ruffling his hair. "I take it you're going to do the same?"
"Training? Yes. Wizard King? No. I have other plans... Anyway, later, Sister Lily!" Stephen said as he headed to his usual training spot.
He found Shebird perched on a branch, waiting. "Ready for the most incredible spell you've ever seen? It'll help with my training."
Seeing Shebird's curiosity, Stephen smirked. "Watch this… let's see if I remember this correctly," he muttered.
He closed his eyes and made intricate hand signs, rotating his fists and pressing his index and middle fingers together. "By the image of Ikonn, I conjure thee. I conjure me," he whispered. Two more sets of hands appeared behind Stephen, each forming different gestures before two duplicates of Stephen manifested at his sides.
Stephen pumped his fist in excitement. "These are mostly illusions, but I can use them to train myself in combat… For example—"
His clones summoned Eldritch whips and attacked him. Stephen quickly conjured two shields, which shattered under the whip strikes but still protected him.
Puffing his chest with pride, Stephen grinned. "You don't have to say anything. I can see it in your eyes—you think I'm smart. I think so too. With this, I can train both my illusion spells and my fighting skills, making them stronger for battle."
He clapped his wrists together, summoning two shields in front of his fists.
With that, Stephen began training in both the mystical arts and martial arts, even if it was against himself.
…
And so the months passed, and Stephen's efficiency in Eldritch Manipulation increased as he continued his relentless training. As he practiced his "Image of Ikonn" spell, he gradually learned to increase the number of illusionary selves he could create. After ten months, Stephen was able to summon up to twelve copies. By the time he turned seven, he could summon them without any incantations at all.
With his mastery over this spell solidified, Stephen decided to move on to the next incantation he remembered from the ancient books of spells.
Sitting at the open mouth of a demonic skull, he had given up his usual training spot to Asta, who needed the space more than he did. Stephen didn't mind training closer to Shebird's home, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere.
Having familiarized himself with the "Images of Ikonn" spell, Stephen was ready to attempt his next challenge. He cupped his hands as if cradling a small bird, then released his fingers outward, mimicking the motion of a raven taking flight. With two fingers pointed forward, he closed his eyes and muttered in deep concentration, "Corvus excubitor, oculos tuos dona mihi!"
From his shadow, a raven shot out but quickly dissipated into black smoke. Stephen clicked his tongue in frustration.
Shebird, perched on a nearby nest, tilted her head in confusion. Stephen sighed and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.
"It's supposed to summon a spectral raven that can fly to distant locations and relay information back to me. It can even detect hidden enemies or magical traps. But as you can see, it's harder than it looks," Stephen explained with a wry smile.
'I remember reading about this spell and thinking how useful it would be. It's one of the reasons I committed it to memory,' Stephen thought, running a hand through his hair. His white strands stood out starkly, not because of age but simply because he had been born with them.
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