It's been 3 years since I was born into this world, my name is now Sebastian. I've learned a majority of the language spoken here and here's what I've learned so far: my parents' names are Lila and Marcus Everest and they're villagers in a poverty stricken village close to the capital of the Empire of Burzum. Marcus, my father is a farmer for the village while my mother is a stay at home mom. This world is about as advanced as medieval times which isn't what I was hoping for but they'll evolve in due time.
A few months have passed and I've learned to read by watching my mother read. She's the only one in our village who knows how to read and everyday she reads aloud to herself on the dining table. If I play close enough attention I can tell what group of letters make out each word.
After reading some books my mom had in her bedroom I have a better understanding of this world I'm in. 500 years ago there was a great war known as the "Infinite War." It was a war between every nation. This war lasted for centuries seeming as though it would never end. It was a war to take control of the world and it wouldn't end until the entire world became one nation.
Each nation struggled to stay on top but in the end they were devoured by the Empire of Burzum. The Empire seized control of the world and brought an end to the horrific war. With the entire world united as one nation there hasn't been any major conflict in the past 500 years. Sure there are terrorist groups here and there along with people who want to break apart the unity but they're dealt with pretty quickly by the Indigo soldiers. An order of knights clad in dark blue tinted armor.
Because the entire world was united they needed to find out what to call separate regions. They settled on calling different areas of land states. We currently reside in the state of leondale far to the west. Each state is big enough to be its own country and is governed by a lord under the command of the emperor.
I was looking for something in all my mom books but I couldn't find it anywhere. I went to ask my mom about it and saw her in the dining room reading.
"Mom, do you know where the magic book is?" I asked.
"Now why would you need that when you can't even read?" she asked in a playful tone.
"I just want to look at some of the cool pictures that are in there." It's exhausting pretending to be incompetent.
She got up from her chair and handed me the book that she was reading. "That will have everything you're looking for sweetie, now go have fun." The book nearly dropped me when I held it. I thanked my mother and as I left I saw her smiling at me.
Her smile gave me the same sensation the room of stars did, like she was telling me that I'd always be safe with her. For a moment, my heart started to beat again.
According to the book magic's origins are unknown but it can do just about anything you want it to. The source of magic comes from mana and mana is everywhere.
Mana acts almost like a fuel seeing as it powers the soul of all living things. A soul can increase their capacity and strength for mana with training but each soul has a specific limit they will reach. It is rare for people to have enough control over their mana to become a mage.
If a soul were to be drained entirely of its mana it would be wiped from existence. So if that's true then I've always had mana I just couldn't use it.
In order to use magic the user must say an incantation to focus their mind on the mana in their soul, with the right incantation you can convert your mana into the elements of Earth, wind, fire, water, light, and dark.
There are neutral spells that don't apply to a specific element but they are rarely ever studied. With that done I think I'm ready to do a small practical test.
At night I snuck out of my room and went out to the backyard. I flipped through the pages of the book and found a beginner fire spell to try out.
I put my hand out and spoke the words, "Let the burning fire rage within me and take form, project forward and incinerate my enemy. Fireball!!" I felt energy rise from within the center of my body and it moved throughout my entire body. When I felt it reach my fingertips a small ball of fire formed. It shot from my hand quite pitifully and hit the floor.
That was it, that was my first ever magic spell.
"AWESOME!!!"
I can't believe I can use magic now, this is the most excitement I've felt since I was a child. Well I guess I am still a child now.
Now there's a theory I have to test. The book said that an incantation needed to be spoken in order to focus the mind on converting mana into another element. But what if the mind was strong enough to focus itself?
It was worth a shot.
I closed my eyes and put myself into a meditative state picturing nothing other than my soul. Before long I saw it. It was shining a gray light right in front of me. It was like I could go out and reach into my own body and mind.
I continued to stare at it, not sure what to do until the thought of fire crept into my mind. At that moment I saw my soul light on fire and I felt the same feeling as before. I opened my eyes and there it was, another pitiful flame shot out my hand but it wasn't a ball this time.
2 more years have passed by and I've recently turned 5. My mother gave birth to another child, another boy. He was named Emil Everest, he became the new center of attention to my parents seeing as he was a baby. It didn't bother me much though, it gave me more time to practice magic.
I've learned that every incantation describes what the spell will do to give the user a way to understand how the spell works. But it still doesn't explain why everyone uses incantations when it's possible to use magic without them. By using magic with thought alone I can do almost whatever I want with the elements.
Before, I had to put all my attention and focus into converting and shaping the mana within me but after practicing for a while all I have to do is picture what I want and add mana to my thoughts. Fire, wind, and water magic allows you to shape and control those specific elements however you want.
Earth magic on the other hand gives you a spectrum of different rocks, minerals, and metals to use however you like. Light magic lets you control light of course but it can also produce a healing light that can mend wounds and illnesses. Dark magic is a type of element that is similar to fire as it consumes everything that it touches.
I've spent time testing what exactly it is mana can do and from what I've seen it can be anything I imagine. If I can picture something in my head clear enough and add mana to what it is I'm thinking of, it will be created.
I also tried to see what exactly it is my demon eyes can do. The light said I can think at a speed beyond what humans do but what exactly does that mean?
The first thing I tried was to strain my eyes as hard as possible but nothing really changed. But what if I tried circulating mana into my eye? The moment I did the entire world seemed to slow down. Everything around me is almost completely still.
When I adjust the mana in my eye I can change how slow things appear to move. Even though I can see things moving slower my body can't exactly keep up with my mind just yet so even my movements are slow. It does give me more time to strategize so that's neat.
After finishing up a book on the history of magic I went to go check on whatever my mother was doing. I walked into the living room and saw my mother playing with Emil on the sofa. She was holding him up in the air making faces at him while making noises.
"Awww you're so adorable, I wish you could stay like this forever." my mother said in a childish voice. It's nice to see my mother will have a son who will love her back without having to lie about it.
"Lila, he's gonna grow up one day just like Sebastian. And they're both going to be amazing and strong men." my father said from behind me. He placed his hand on my shoulder and gave me a smile.
"Well I hope that day isn't anytime soon." mother said, pouting.
"Don't worry mom, we'll have a lot of time to spend together." I said with my best impression of a bashful smile. I don't know why I bothered to reassure her but it made me feel better to know she wasn't worried.
"Thank you sweetie, that means a lot to me. Now are you ready to have dinner?" I nodded and made my way to the dining table. I sat down and my mother put a bowl of soup in front of me.
"Thanks mom, it smells delicious." I put my spoon into the soup and took a bite of the soup. Delicious is the only word that can be used to describe the taste.
"Grow up strong son and remember that we're always here for you whenever you need us." my father told me from across the table. It aches me to know that these people love me, they are truly kind and empathic yet I know I could never love them in return. Looking at their smiling faces at the dinner table though, almost made me doubt myself.