It had been 5 months since Arthur first sensed mana, even though his parents remained unaware. From that day on, whenever Arthur tried to form his mana core, the strange phenomenon and sensation followed. It did strangely improve his progress in forming the mana core, but the side effects were disastrous. Because of this, the room was always followed by a mess often the the bookshelf falling down or the furniture's upside down. His parents were worried about him getting injured, so during the day they started keeping an eye on him and started spending more and more time with him to ensure their only child was safe and sound.
The only time Arthur could progress in forming his mana core was when his parents were busy, went to sleep or went out, even for a brief moment. Arthur always had a habit of sneaking out of his room, whenever his parents were asleep to know more about this new world in order to adapt to it. Being in a magical world is every child's childhood dream and he was living that dream right now. He couldn't help but be excited everyday to learn and experience something new.
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On a bright sunny day, Arthur was looking out of the window as he noticed his father training. His expression was curious, as it was his first time seeing his father actually training or using magic. Even in a world where people used magic in their daily life for even a small thing, Raymond barely ever used magic in his daily life.
Arthur began to wonder as Raymond took a deep breath and pulled all the air around him into his lungs.
Raymond started chanting a spell. His concentration so hard that the atmosphere around him became a vortex of fire.
As soon as Raymond stopped the chant, he raised both his arms as if he wanted to conjure a giant fireball, but in the end, he couldn't even move a small rock.
"Isn't your daddy just awesome?!" Raymond squealed as he caught Arthur watching him from the window. Raymond is a very cheerful and a family man who always loved to spend his time with his beautiful wife Kiara and his precious son, Arthur.
"You see, your father is a fire affinity Augmenter. He's been trying to conjure some low level spells for his mid-range fighting style but I don't think it's working." Kiara came up to Arthur who looked curious and told him why his father was trying to do something Augmenters aren't capable of.
Raymond uses his 'Gauntlets' as a primary weapon. Although, they were very useful in close range combat, it's almost impossible to fight in mid range or long range combat. This was the sole reason why Raymond tried to conjure some spells despite being an Augmenter.
During Arthur's progress to form his mana core, that strange phenomenon made his mana more flexible and easy to flow. That's why even as an infant, Arthur could sense mana around him despite him not having a core yet. He could tell that his father was at peak of 'Light Red' core stage and soon he would break through the 'Dark Orange' stage.
"Ray! It's time for a break now!" Kiara called out, almost shouting to Raymond to come for snacks and a short break.
Arthur's admiration for his father grew even more. Reaching 'Light Red' stage was an achievement itself, that even most seasoned warriors would struggle with and Raymond would soon breakthrough the 'Dark Orange' stage at just the age of 25. This made Arthur even more motivated to form his mana core as soon as possible in order to use magic and be strong enough to protect his family.
As he turned, he noticed that he was standing on a table while being amazed by his father's skills. Even though, he had countless experiences of climbing up and down, his small, fragile and immature body made it difficult for him to climb down. To Arthur, it felt like someone told him to jump from the 25th floor as a prank.
As Arthur got up from his fall and ignored the pain he got, he went into a deep thought. Apart from his ability to walk and control his habit of peeing his pants, he was quite proud of his progress in forming the mana core.
He spent the last 5 months working on forming his mana core whenever he was left alone. He could feel that he was almost there. The strange phenomenon that always occurred during his meditation was a huge reason for his rapid progress.
The strange phenomenon always caused mana to flow more freely within him, accelerating the progress of forming his mana core. Normally, the tiny fragments of mana gravitate towards the center of the body which is slower than the speed of a turtle in land and this process of forming mana core often took more than 5 years. Yet, here was Arthur, barely 2 years old and on the verge of completing it. It was a remarkable achievement for sure but Arthur couldn't afford to let his guard down just yet.
Sitting cross legged and letting the sun rays inside his room, Arthur began forming his core once again. As he concentrated more, his breathing became more steady and the fragments moved towards the center, as if guided by an otherworldly power.
BOOM!!
A violent shockwave was produced as soon as Arthur's mana core fully formed. The blast shook the entire house and the surrounding area causing a fire breakout.
Outside, Raymond and Kiara were enjoying each other company, sharing laugh over Raymond's goofiness, when they suddenly sensed the mana fluctuation like a tidal wave turning their joyful face to serious expressions.
Raymond turned back and his expressions got more tense. "Kiara, get back!" he shouted, positioning himself infront of her. The flames from the explosion surged towards them, but thankfully, Raymond being an experienced adventurer, his instincts kicked in managing to counter the flames from the explosion by augmenting his own body and gauntlet with his Fire affinity. Even so, he wasn't able to counter all the flames while protecting Kiara at the same time. A part of the explosion hit his chest leaving a painful burn and it started to bleed from the burned chest.
"Arthur!" Kiara cried, her voice trembling with fear. Tears filled her eyes as she tried to rush towards the burning house. After all, a mother is the most worried when their child is in danger.
"No!" Raymond grabbed her hand, stopping her to enter the house. "Wait! It's too dangerous-"
Before he could finish, Raymond felt something strange and powerful. A presence he never sensed before. A new 'Mana Signature' which was so strong and immense that it made Raymond tremble. He narrowed his eyes as he turned toward the source.
In the midst of the burning wildfire, Arthur stood at the center of the wreckage. Flames raged around, but Arthur hands glowed with a blue aura as he controlled the 'Water magic'. Controlling such tremendous mana when you have just formed the core and so young was unheard of. Streams of water burst forth, extinguishing the fire and pushing back the destruction.
After the flames calmed down, Arthur was barely conscious. His body trembling from exhaustion. The mere act of forming his mana core and using magic for the first time had drained every ounce of his energy. Yet, despite his fragile state, a weak smile graced his lips as he looked up and saw his parents standing in distance.
Before he could collapse, Raymond augmented his legs and dashed forward, catching Arthur just in time. "Arthur!" Raymond called, his voice thick with both relief and worry.
"I-I'm sorry, Father...It's all...my fault..." Arthur stammered weakly, tears spilling from his eyes as he noticed the burn scar on his father's chest from before.
Raymond looked down at his son with pride and concern. "Don't apologize, Art. You are safe and sound, that's all that matters."
Arthur fainted in his father's arms, completely drained from the ordeal.
Raymond gently lifted his son and turned towards Kiara, whose eyes were still wet with tears. "He's alright, just exhausted." Raymond reassured her as he handed Arthur to her.
"Kiara.." Raymond called out her name in a serious tone and she met his gaze,"...looks like Art has formed his mana core already." he confessed with a small smile forming his lips.
Kiara's tearful expression shifted to disbelief, "That's...impossible.."
Raymond gave a shaky laugh. "And yet..here he is. Our little Prodigy."
Despite the destruction of their home, both parents were overwhelmed with relief and pride. Their son was safe, that's all mattered to them.