Two More Years Have Passed
Today marks five years since I found myself in this body. Over the past two years, I've spent several hours each day practicing magic and have mastered all the basic spells from the book I discovered in my parents' room.
Just a few days ago, I managed to break through to the sub-level of the Green Core. It was much harder and took longer than I had imagined. The process of intense concentration would completely exhaust this frail body. Only thanks to Marika, who came to check on me daily, was I able to conceal what I was doing. Her help was invaluable in keeping my secret. After all, the method I used to develop my core could have been sold for an enormous sum—or worse, who knows what they would do to someone capable of such a thing? I couldn't find any example of this method mentioned in the book.
One day, while I was practicing magic as usual and casting simple spells, Marika walked into the room mid-cast. She became the first person to witness a five-year-old child casting magic—or at least, the first to let me know they had seen. Her reaction was surprisingly calm; she barely reacted at all.
At my request, she kept my secret. Seeing how drained I was after such efforts, she offered to help me if I needed it.
I also noticed that, somehow, I could cast certain spells without reciting them aloud. I'm not entirely sure how this works, but I've developed a small theory.
If I mentally visualize a spell while channeling mana into its imagined structure, I can cast it without speaking the incantation. I discovered this through numerous experiments with mana. This method is much quicker than reciting a spell and, with practice, could be performed almost instantaneously.
Although it consumes more mana, it doesn't affect the spell's quality. For example, the weakest earth spell creates a small stone. When using fire magic, the flame vanishes as soon as you stop supplying mana. But the stone remains, and by adjusting the amount of mana used, I can alter its size and shape—though that consumes a significant amount of energy. My current mana reserves are so low that I can only create a few small stones with slightly modified shapes, such as something resembling a dagger, or conjure a flame for about a minute.
For a five-year-old, I think these results are quite impressive. Despite my body's weakness and the exhaustion that follows prolonged concentration, I've started working on strengthening myself physically. I run around the estate every morning and evening. I believe the best I can do now is continue learning magic and training my body. When I grow older, I'll begin practicing swordsmanship. Then, I'll set out on a journey across this continent to search for Liana.
This afternoon, I decided to try more advanced magic: wind magic. This spell is supposed to create a small gust of wind, though its range is limited to a few meters. The incantation is quite lengthy, and its power isn't particularly impressive. Still, I thought my method could make the spell slightly stronger, even if I lacked the mana to sustain it.
I recited the spell and released a small gust of wind that reached a distance of about three meters. I tried two more times to better visualize its form. On my final attempt, I skipped the incantation, focusing instead on shaping the spell in my mind. I envisioned the wind not just as a gust but as a light blade.
I pictured it slicing through the armor knights in my former kingdom would wear. Slowly, I began channeling mana into this imagined form. Somehow, the mana flowed even faster than usual, and in an instant, the spell was ready.
A flying blade of wind shot out from my right hand toward the wall several meters away. It struck the estate's wall with incredible force, slicing cleanly through and leaving behind a mark resembling a sword cut.
"What?" Confused and drained, I fell to my knees as my vision began to fade. My mana was completely depleted. Lying powerless behind the estate, the last thing I saw before losing consciousness was my parents rushing toward me. It seemed I had been discovered…
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A Few Days Later
I opened my eyes and saw my mother asleep next to the bed I was lying on. As I shifted slightly, she woke up.
—«Sweetheart?»—she said in a sleepy voice.
—«Hi. How long was I asleep?»—I responded calmly.
—«Are you alright?!»—she jumped up and continued—«Does anything hurt?»—she started checking me over, grabbing my arm.
—«What are you doing?»—I asked, slightly annoyed.
—«Everything's fine,»—she said, letting go of my arm and continuing—«I was just checking the state of your mana.» She then picked up a glass filled with some kind of liquid.
—«What's that?»—I asked, wrinkling my nose at the strange smell. «It doesn't smell very pleasant.»
—«It's fine. You suffered from mana exhaustion, and that's dangerous, especially at your age. It could have cost you your mana core—or even your life,»—she scolded me.
—«I'm sorry,»—I replied, realizing how serious it was.
Placing the glass on the nightstand beside the bed, she added—«Never do that again!»—then hugged me tightly. «It was so dangerous; you could have been seriously hurt.» Her voice trembled, and she was on the verge of tears.
—«I'm sorry. I didn't know it would turn out like this. I'll make sure not to do it again.»
—«What exactly happened? I only remember you running over to me. How did you find me so quickly?»
—«When you cast that spell, Marika happened to be in the room. She realized immediately what was going on and told us about your magic training,»—explained Ellyn. «You really scared her. You'll need to apologize to her,»—she scolded me again.
—«But you surprised me!»—she pulled back slightly and continued—«You're simply incredible!» Her eyes filled with pride and happiness.
—«Awakening at three years old and forming a mana core in just two years! That's unheard of!»—Ellyn said with admiration.
—«From now on, I'll be teaching you magic. But first, you need to recover.»
—«You're a mage?»—I asked in surprise.
—«Of course! I'm a very powerful mage!»—she said proudly.
—«Alright, please teach me,»—I replied, though her confident tone didn't fully inspire trust. Still, I agreed.
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A Few Days Later
To start, we went to town to purchase some things for my training. It was my first time seeing the town in this world.
«I wonder what a city in another world looks like,» I thought.
The architecture was nothing special—simple houses and stone-paved roads. As we got closer to the town center, the buildings changed from simple wooden homes to stone houses and multi-story inns and taverns. The town was small and remote, with few inhabitants.
Walking through the streets, there weren't many people around. The locals would give us small bows of respect as we passed, a tribute to my father, Rey. He had helped them so often that he'd earned their admiration.
When we reached the market near the town center, stalls were lined up selling various goods—clothes, food, and fruits. Some of the fruits and vegetables were unfamiliar to me, while others reminded me of my past life. Strangely, there were no merchants selling weapons; in my previous life, there were often more weapons than food for sale.
—«Where are we going?»—I asked, confused, as the street filled with merchants came to an end without explanation.
—«We're going to a special place to buy magical items. They can't be sold out in the open,»—Ellyn said as we turned into an alley. «Things like grimoires or wands aren't allowed to be sold publicly.»
—«Wands?»—I asked.
—«That's right. The book you read didn't mention them, but for higher-level magic, you need a wand. The stronger the spell, the better the wand required. They're also used to amplify your magic and the spells themselves,»—Ellyn explained.
—«We're here,»—she said, pointing to a rundown building in the alley.
—«This is the place where we can buy everything we need?»—I asked, looking skeptically at the dilapidated structure.
As we opened the door, I worried the shop might collapse. The inside was as shabby as the outside—a small, old store filled with shelves covered in dusty books and cobwebs.
—«I'll pick out what we need. Feel free to look around,»—Ellyn said as she began browsing the items.
I wandered between the shelves, examining everything. It all looked the same—bookshelves full of dusty, cobweb-covered books. Nothing unusual caught my eye.
As I stepped out of another aisle, I accidentally bumped into someone.
—«Excuse me,»—I said, rubbing my forehead.
—«Ho-ho-ho, young man, don't worry. It's fine,»—an old man said, stroking his long beard.
The man wore a gray robe that reached the floor and had a large white beard. His face was wrinkled, and there was nothing particularly remarkable about him.
—«Young man, what brings you to such an unpleasant place?»—he asked, still stroking his beard.
—«I came to look at grimoires. I've heard this is a good place for them,»—I replied, deciding not to mention that I was studying magic to avoid any potential trouble.
—«Ho-ho, I see, young man,»—he said, still stroking his beard.
This old man seemed strange.
—«Hmm?»—he said, giving me a curious look that felt as if it was boring into me.
«Why is he staring at me like that?» I thought.
—«Interesting,»—he said with a strange smile. «Young man, take this. I believe it will come in handy someday,»—he said, pulling a simple white feather from under his robe.
I took the feather and examined it. «Nothing special,» I thought.
—«Excuse me, but what is this for…»—I looked up, but the old man was gone. «Huh? Old man?»—I said, bewildered, glancing around.
I walked back down the aisle the old man had come from, but he wasn't there. The section was lined with shelves full of magical items—books, wands, scrolls—but there was no way he could have disappeared so suddenly.
—«Who was that old man?»—I muttered to myself, still puzzled.
—«There you are,»—Ellyn said, appearing behind me.
She was carrying several scrolls, a wand, and a few books.
—«I was just looking around,»—I said, glancing back at the spot where the old man had been.
I looked at the feather again and decided to ask—«Can you sense mana in an object?»—I asked, continuing to inspect the feather.
—«Yes, it's not difficult. I'll teach you how to do it,»—she replied, looking slightly confused by my question.
—«Can you try it with this feather?»—I handed it to her.
—«What?»—she asked, confused.
—«This feather. Can you check it for mana?»
It seemed like she couldn't see it.
—«What feather are you talking about?»—she asked, baffled.
«Could she really not see it? What kind of old man was that? And what is this feather?»
—«It's nothing. Everything's fine,»—I said, putting the feather into my pocket. «Shall we go home?»
For now, I couldn't do anything with it, but it was better to keep it close. That old man was no ordinary person and wouldn't have given me something like this without a reason.
—«Are you sure you're okay?»—she asked, grabbing my hand and checking my mana. «Maybe you're still unwell from before?»
—«I'm really fine, don't worry,»—I said, still thinking about the old man.
—«Let's pay for everything,»—Ellyn said with some excitement. «Once you're fully recovered, we'll begin your training,»—she added, trying to cheer me up.
We paid for the purchases—which turned out to be quite expensive—and headed home, buying some apples along the way. No matter how often I ate them, they were still deliciously sweet.
And so, we returned home with everything we needed. Three days later, I began my magic training with Ellyn.
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End of Chapter 6