Chereads / The Awakening Beyond The End / Chapter 2 - The First Step

Chapter 2 - The First Step

Arthur

Weeks slowly went by and I was convinced that I had been reincarnated into a much more archaic era, where people used magic and weapons like swords existed. I learned that my mothers name was Kiara Varen, a gentle and kind hearted person who gradually melted the walls I built around myself. She firmly rooted the family itself with her empathetic nature.

My father, Raymond Varen was a dependable and charismatic man if you ignore his often goofiness. His personality made him quite the opposite of the image I had in my mind for a father. But whenever I looked at them, I couldn't help but feel my new family was everything that my past family wasn't. They felt real. I swore to myself that I'll protect this family no matter what.

While I was grateful to have been born into a loving family, my life was still full of difficulties that even I wouldn't wish on my enemies. With very little control over my legs and unable to manage the basic function of the body, I often found myself embarrassed when I peed myself, only for my mother to clean it again and again. In my past life, when I slowly started to get treated as a slave, I learned to understand the harsh realities of life, even most adults might struggle with.

I had always been interested in fantasy novels and I buried myself in manga and anime. So, from a young age, I adapted the attitude of a king, which was the only thing that kept me sane during my time in home which was no less than a prison. I even tried to learn a bit of swordsmanship and martial arts, in order to back up my fantasy. Of course, all that came to a halt on that cursed day.

Months passed by and when I was 7 months old, I finally gained some control over my legs and my habit of peeing myself.

My mother, for the first time took me out of the house and i was thrilled for my first day out. While my mom was buying stuff, I learned quite a bit about this world from the citizens. First and foremost, the continent I was on is named 'Essos' and only 4 Kingdoms reside in Essos. Second, the people here have a power system known as 'Mana Core', which determined the strength and level of an individual. Third, warriors here are classified into 2 types- Conjurers and Augmenters. Only this much important information I could collect from my first day out, rest all were bullshit.

Upon returning home, I sneaked into my father's room, where he kept all his books. My family wasn't wealthy, but we earned enough to have 3 meals a day. We lived far from the capital of Essos due to circumstances. The reason I sneaked into my father's room was because I was curious about the information's I heard today.

During my research, I discovered that there are 5 basic affinities- Fire, Water, Lightning, Wind and Earth. Out of the 5, Lightning was considered the strongest due it massive destructive power. It also said that once one masters an affinity, they naturally progress to a higher level of that affinity. They are known as 'Deviants'. Their higher forms are: Fire-> Inferno, Water-> Ice, Lightning-> Thunder, Wind-> Storm, Earth-> Gravity. Those who can combine 2 or more elements to create a new form of magic are called 'Weavers'. 

In normal cases, one could rarely learn more than 2 affinity depending on their lineage. However, there are also those whose magic affinity are completely unique, different from any affinity known. These rare individuals are known as 'Ethereal' users and only 1 individual in existence can wield a power of that affinity magic. 

The next thing I read was about 'Mana core'. A mana core is essential for individuals to confirm whether one has awakened. It defied how much magicule energy one can hold in their core. The mana core is divided in 3 stages: Dark, Solid, Light. Everyone starts from dark stage and make their way to light stage. There are 6 different colours of mana core: Black, Red, Orange, Yellow, Silver, White. These mana core can evolve from Black to White depending on how much you cultivate. The lighter the core, the more easy it is to use advanced spells in short period of time for conjurers. A lighter mana core to augmenters meant better mana stabilization and control.

When a human is born, tiny fragments of magicule exists within their body. Once these fragments come together they form the mana core. Normally, a person begins to form their mana core around at age 5 and acquires the mana core by age of 10. However, there is a possibility that if one tries to cultivate it early on with proper technique, they may form the core early which gives them to improve early.

Next, I learned about Conjurers and Augmenters. Conjurers are mages who fought using spells and excelled in long range combat. However, they were vulnerable in close combat as preparing and casting spells took time. That being said, the longer the spell took to perform, the stronger its power will be.

Augmenters, on the other hand excelled in close combat. They used martial arts and weapons to fight and used their affinity to boost their power and increase the damage they could deal. They are often pretty useless in long range combat unless there is a augmenter who uses a bow or a spear which is rare to begin with. Using bow or a spear means not being able to handle close range combat and augmenters are known for their exceptional martial arts. 

The mana core worked differently for each. For conjurers, their mana core absorbs magicule energy from the surroundings through their mana veins to replenish their mana core. Augmenters exert that energy from their core through mana channel which is at the center of the body. This often forms a thin wall for augmenters called 'Mana Layer'. Although, even conjurers can make one mana layer but they prefer not to as it requires fine mana control and multi-tasking which can affect their battles.

Only this much information the book could provide me. As I was just about to close the book, my eyes fell on something interesting. A myth mentioned that there is a level beyond white core stage which is still unknown but only 3 existence had managed to reach this level. The mana core at that level was called --?

Before I could finish reading, my mother spawned and scooped me up. "Art, did you wet your pants again?" she asked letting out a sigh.  I asked in my mind slightly annoyed, as I still haven't gained the ability to speak yet but it looks i did pee myself. Again. I initially thought I hadn't peed myself yet, but it looks like I dived too deep inside the magical world that I didn't even realize when I peed myself. Embarrased, my mother gently took me away to clean me up. I love my mother.