Five years, that's how long I have been in this world, and let me tell you this. Being a baby again was the worst thing I have done in my entire life. I mean, being aware of what went on as I was growing up was terrifying. I mean, breastfeeding was the single most awkward thing I ever have to remember. 'Damn, I wish I could be ignorant for this situation' I thought to myself as I was walking around the house I was in.
The house was big and had about two floors plus a big attic space. It was made of sturdy wood and the floorboards and trim of the house was a silver color, distinct from the wood the house was made of. It was a quaint house and was mighty comfortable. Of course there was the obvious, the dwelling was somewhat victorian in nature. I remember looking outside once and saw that the buildings beside us was not very tall and we had a big space separating us. The house itself was indicative of my parents modest wealth, as was the spacious library on the second floor.
The space, while limited, was filled to the brim with books. The books had both leather covers and harder covers that was near reminiscent of cardstock. The books were written in a language I had recently grasped at age three. My ability, which I decided to name as [Innate Learning Soul], was my main catalyst in this. It allowed me to pick up things faster than usual, compared to my pass life it was about 100x the difference. Of course, the obvious passive enhancements were there, as well as my pseudo minds eye. I perused the books as I found the place and I came upon a few books of interest.
'A Manual of magic arts vol 1'
'a guide to change: basics of magic'
'A catalog of spells ranging from basic to advance vol 1'
'Huh, that's pretty convenient' I thought as I pulled the second book from the shelf, found the attic space and began to read. The irony wasn't lost on me either, how similar this situation was to a book I read, which made it funny to me. I cracked open the book, laid it flat on the floor and began to take notes, with the sources cited of course.
'Magic is the art of change, using the energy we call 'Mana', a mage can cause a change in the world. This change most often falls into four categories: Elementalism, Summoning, Support, and a more secretive branch of magic known as holy magic. Each branch of techniques has spells of varying ability, with some branches being tied together in some form'
'So, basically energy stimulation along with the casters will can cause change in the world' I thought as I jotted the notes down. It also went on to explain what mana was and its general characteristics.
'Mana itself can be categorized as an energy which has been around for a long time, it can even be traced back to first recorded history. It is a powerful energy which flows althrough out the world, infused in to the air and even the waters. Magic, and in term mana, exists everywhere in the world in varying amounts'
'Neat, but can we get to the spell part please!' I shouted indignantly in my head. I mean, it was like being in college again, reading through thick chapters just to gleam information you thought you already knew. Plus, I want to cast fireball please! So, I immediately went to the table of contents and flipped to the part that was about spell casting, not the basic what how present in most fantasy novels.
'Magic spells can be categorized into levels depending on their power. The most common level of spells are ranked 1 to 5, with spells of higher strength recieving the forbidden class qualification and titles. Spells usually consist of chants, ranging from a few seconds to a couple minutes to perform'
'As for an example, the spell for fireball was relatively short and magicians could often shorten or remove the incantation. The incantation being "' A flame of warmth, birthed for destruction, cast thy might on my enemy- Fireball!'"
'Finally!' I thought to myself as I found the spell I wanted to cast. The spell did not cost much mana and was a level one spell, a basic one. Standing up and holding the book to get the spell right, I began casting the spell before I had a thought. 'Lets move somewhere else where I wont burn down the library or house' I thought as I grabbed the book and went downstairs.
Down stairs in the kitchen was my mother, Rebbecca Abbot (nee Valia), and my father was out on business today. "Hey mom, is there a place around here with water around?" I asked my mother as she was needing dough for bread. "Of course honey, a watering hole can be found about a mile from here, why?" asked my mom. I could feel her eyes land on the book in my hands.
"I wanted to do something" I said to her. "Of course, but let me come with you as your too young to wonder off on your own" said my mother as she finished the dough and put it in an icebox, constructed with a mix of machinery and magical enchantment. She then took me by the hand and led me off. As we left, I eyed the dagger which was seemingly strapped to her legs which could be withdrawn quickly.
'Is it dangerous around here?' I thought to myself as we exited the edge of the city and began making way onto a plan. Nearing the water hole after a few minutes, I was admiring the nature that was all around me. 'Man, this is better than National Geographic' I thought as it seemed so beautiful, so pristine.
"Alright were here, now show me what you were trying to do" said my mother, her eyes seemingly closed in thought as I thought back to her gaze on the book in my arm not to long ago. 'She must know about me attempting magic. Why else would she accompany me, well besides being a concerned mom of course' I thought as I brought the book to my eyes and edge close to the water, yet far enough to not drop the book in.
I read over the incantation a few times to make sure I wouldn't stutter, and I began the chanting. "A flame of warmth, birthed for destruction, cast thy might on my enemies-Fireball!" I shouted as a ball of flame began to manifest in my hands, my mana being consumed. The flame was bright and the flame was hot, yet I was in hurt. "OH MY GOD! My baby is a mage!" I heard my mother shout, startling me and making the fireball fizzle out.
I was then consumed in a hug, my mothers arm not giving me a chance to escape. I was wiggling, hoping to slip through but I could here my mother say "Nope", and I was restricted even further. "We gotta find your father and tell him the news" she said as she dragged me out to another couple miles to a fort which wasn't that far away as it turned out. It looked like the ones you would find in medieval fantasy games, all castle and rook like. It was quite impressive.
As we approached the gates, a man with a bushy beard and thick muscles came barreling out the door. It was my father, Thomas Abbot. He was quite tall and his muscles were huge. His hair was dark and on his legs was a sword sheathed in a leather scabbard. "Darling guess what?" asked my mother, who seemed on the verge of hopping up and down with me in her arms. As this was happening, I notice some slack and escaped, rubbing my back as it withstood the strength of my mothers spirit.
"What is it dear?" asked my father. He was apparently on break, at least I thought so as the other guards did not come and grab him to berate him for slacking off duty. Then again, I don't think they would say that to my dad who was only a rank below the fort captain. "Our darling son casted a spell! He has a future as a mage I tell you!" she shouted. My fathers eyes widened in shock. 'Is magic that unusual?' I thought, as with the presence of those books I thought it would have been more common. "That's great dear, but why do you need to tell me this?" asked my father, sheepishly rubbing his head.
"Cause darling, if we can find a way to nurture his talent then this is beneficial to him and us" she said as my father seemingly considered the idea. "But dear, there is no tutor in these parts, so we might have to due self study until he is old enough for the academy" said my father who was a voice of reason it seemed. "I know, but come one dear!" she seemingly begged. "No honey, self study and we can buy materials that's all" my father said, leaving now room for debate. My mother seemed dejected but she perked up and said "Thats fine, we just need to nurture it" said my mother. 'What is going on?' was my thought as my parents seemingly entered into a phase of planning.
Also, my mother noticed I escaped and was beginning to barrel towards me as I ran.