Astras inner domain was quite unique, astra knew this but never revealed it to anyone. Naturally he never trusted anyone as the outskirts were riddled with scum who would sell you out for a piece of bread.
As Astra stepped into the depths of his inner domain, the world he knew seemed to fade away. It was not a physical space he entered, but the vast, untouchable expanse of his very soul, where thoughts and memories twisted and merged with the fabric of the universe itself. The air was thick with the scent of infinite possibility. His senses stretched, and the very essence of his being merged with the place, as if he were no longer a man but something much larger, much older—something timeless.
Before him, the sky unfurled into an endless ocean of stars—an infinity of light scattered across the vastness, a tapestry woven from the shimmering threads of countless galaxies. Each star twinkled with its own story, its own fate, burning with the secrets of the cosmos. They stretched endlessly, beyond the reach of his vision, as far as the mind could fathom. Galaxies spiraled lazily, vast and awe-inspiring, their arms reaching out into the void like the delicate sweep of a hand across an infinite canvas. Nebulae bloomed in gentle clouds of color, soft and ethereal, swirling in shades of violet, gold, and blue.
Beneath this celestial tapestry stretched an ocean, dark and endless. Its surface was smooth as glass, an abyss of inky blackness, save for the soft, rippling reflections of the stars above. There was no shore, no end. It stretched out into infinity, timeless and unbroken. A cool, gentle breeze whispered across the water, a breath of forgotten winds, carrying the taste of something ancient and distant. The waves lapped softly at the edges of his mind, almost like a lullaby, pulling at the very edges of his consciousness, as though the ocean itself wished to draw him deeper.
Yet amidst the beauty of this world, something stirred in the shadows. Shadows, shifting and flickering, danced at the very edges of his vision. They were like tendrils of thought, wisps of forgotten memories or silent fears, slipping between the stars, their forms never fully revealed. They moved with a kind of purpose, but never in a way that could be understood—elusive, ephemeral, like the very passage of time.
And at the center of this infinite expanse, at the heart of the universe itself, hung a single, radiant star, larger and brighter than all the others. Its light was intense, almost overwhelming, a pure, brilliant white-gold that seemed to pulse with a life of its own. It shone with a warmth that reached deep into the soul, filling him with both reverence and awe. It was the star that gave light to this entire domain, its brilliance cutting through the darkness of the ocean, casting ripples of gold and light across the endless sea.
This star was not just a beacon of light; it was a presence, a force unto itself, both familiar and foreign. It radiated a power that spoke to the very core of Astra's being, as though it were the source of his own existence, the heart of his soul. Every pulse of its light seemed to beat in time with his own, as if it were bound to him, a reflection of his own truth—a truth he had yet to fully understand.
Above the radiant star hung a single eclipsed sun, this was his mana core the rank one mana core of a star mage
In this vast, ethereal expanse—where time had no meaning and reality bent with each breath—he stood alone, gazing at the star at the center of it all, feeling the quiet pull of the shadows, the gentle embrace of the ocean, and the infinite possibility stretching before him. It was a place both of creation and destruction, of peace and unrest, a domain of both perfect harmony and unsettling chaos. It was the very essence of his soul, vast and unfathomable—where all the answers and all the questions existed side by side.
It was majestic, astra loved the sight of his inner domain, it was just like him, unique, pretty, majestic but most of all lonely it was truly a reflection of himself.
Astra felt in his domain his strength as he gazed around
The magic reacts in weird ways and communicates in weird ways, it's a language that's weird and unique to everyone, someone can see magic as numbers, while someone else can see magic as shapes. It depends on how one reacts to the world, and how they exist within the world. Magic knows this, the coins harness magic in a standardized way and control the flow of calamity, now the entropy becomes harnessed, and magic becomes standardized, however if one truly wishes to advance through the ranks and form strong tiered magic cores, they need to understand magic at its raw nature.
The way magic around him and in his inner domain reveled as astra called onto it
The shadows danced wildly happy as they embraced him, the stars in his domains sky shimmered brighter and twinkled, the silent ocean produced ripples that intensified, in the center of his domain the singular bright white star shone ever so brighter, it got ever so hotter, yet astra felt colder, the star now was the brightest object in his domain
This was Astras inner domains full strength. The strength of the stars, the strength of the shadows, the strength of the ocean
He had a aptitude to shadows, A rank if he had to guess, by the way the shadows seemed to revel in his existence, to the water he had also an A rank affinity as he had a literal ocean in his domain, however what stumped him was the star and the stars, he can use shadow magic, he can use many water magics but never has the stars done anything to him.
astra had other affinity's like a B rank affinity to fire, and A rank to light these affinities made him quite favored by the world but he was a nobody and most talents would destroy him easily.
The letter rank was more of a classification on talent and control of magic, people can either have this innately or can developed this, it greatly impacted one's mana cores.
Astra recalled all his knowledge on Star magic as it was weird, there was no one in the world who had it, the only times he has seen it was in legends of battles of old over 300 years ago, and the spells were not listed, but what they did was,
Star Magic was truly mysterious, just like the infinite night sky
What was described however was not in the least helpful as star magic reacted to every user differently
Star Magic was truly mysterious, just like the infinite night sky
It drove him insane, no matter how hard he tried to use or communicate with the star magic which was this rare and legendary magic that only shows up in legends has never once has been used by him
Most magic reacts to people in different ways
For example, if astra was to call upon the shadows the shadows would immediately heed his call same with water mana, it was due to his affinity to these elements, however Astras affinity and aptitudes to the stars was above A rank, he knew this as his whole inner domain was stars! And he even had a huge star at the center, he sighed and decided to ignore the mysterious magic that he can't use.
As he exited his inner domain astra called upon the shadows around him, this was basic boosting, a rank one way to use the shadows called [shadows embrace] it made him 20 percent faster and hidden when he was in the shadows, the twilight made in duskfall made the bazaar which was littered with deep shadows his perfect hunting grounds,
At the heart of the bazaar, towering banners of gold and crimson catch the fading light, their embroidered sigils shifting ever so slightly as though alive. The air is thick with the scent of exotic spices, enchanted incense, and faint traces of ozone. Sounds of soft laughter and lively conversation mingle with the chime of bells and the low hum of magic that pulses through the ground like a heartbeat.
Noblemen and women, draped in flowing robes of silk and velvet, stroll leisurely through the maze, their jewels glinting like stars as they haggle with powerful sorcerers, enchanted beasts, and magical artisans. Their faces, though regal, are a mix of curiosity and wealth-fueled indulgence. They speak in hushed tones, exchanging secrets of hidden relics and untold riches, their words barely louder than the rustle of cloth and the gentle clink of coins.
Stalls overflow with a treasure trove of items beyond imagination. One merchant, a gnarled elf with eyes like liquid silver, offers crystalline vials that shimmer with strange, swirling mists, each containing a whisper of forgotten knowledge or a memory trapped in time. Another vendor, a hulking half-orc clad in armor etched with runes, displays swords that hum with an ancient power—blades that seem to absorb the ambient light, their edges impossibly sharp. The swords pulse with a quiet menace, their hilts adorned with the bones of long-dead creatures and glinting with gemstones that glow faintly in the twilight.
Nearby, a curious vendor sells enchanted beasts—miniature lower wyverns that coil lazily around their owners' wrists like living bracelets, feathered peacocks that stretch their wings as if remembering an ancient sky, and panther-like creatures with shifting fur that blends into their surroundings like shadows. The creatures seem both tame and wild, and their eyes flicker with an intelligence that unsettles some and delights others.
A pair of wizened, hooded figures sit beneath a golden canopy, their hands moving in intricate gestures as they weave illusions from nothing, crafting living scenes out of light and shadow—fey gardens, swirling storms, landscapes of distant lands. Their wares are not objects but experiences, memories, and dreams spun into tangible forms.
Above the din, the faint sound of a haunting melody drifts through the air—a lone bard perched atop a stone balcony, playing a harp woven from starlight. The music lures passersby, offering them an escape from the market's endless bustle, wrapping them in a moment of quiet magic. Hoping to get some coin.
But not all is as it seems. Hidden in the deeper corners of the bazaar, shadowed by towering stalls, one can find darker things—enchanted items that carry a price greater than mere gold, ancient tomes of forbidden knowledge, and cursed relics that whisper promises of untold power. Beneath the layers of opulence, there is a sense of danger, a knowledge that in such a place, even the nobility might not be what they seem.
The sky above deepens into a canvas of stars, and as the last remnants of sunlight fade, the bazaar takes on an even more ethereal glow, the magic in the air intensifying. It is a place of wonder, wealth, and power, where bargains are struck, dreams are made real, and the very fabric of reality seems to bend and shimmer.
Astra ran from shadow-to-shadow hiding looking through chests, he snagged about a bag of coins, from an unsuspecting Nobel who was drunk out of his mind.
The Nobel had one guard, and he was busy flirting with an elvish servant, the servant was extremely pretty even for elf, this made astra sigh
The Nobel by his wealth and aura seemed to be a lower member of house palm tree. A medium sized house located far away from here, he sighed as this was an ideal target,
he quickly retreated and hid in the shadows behind a building, he was elated at the 50 gold coins! The most he's had was 5 at once! And that was a result of him swindling an old Nobel lady who wanted to use his body! He shivered at the thought.
As he made up his mind to leave the upper bazhaar he suddenly felt a thick and heavy gaze lock onto him, this made the hairs on the back of his nick stand as his body started to shake, he felt like a deer that was being stalked by an apex predator! "what the?"
Astra listened to his instincts and immediately used a combination of magic he instantly case a small water barrier
A rank one spell! [Water Dome] but he wasn't done yet as at the same time he also used
[light of the sun] creating this blinding affect and this spectacle of light, the shadows retreated and many people stared into the now bright alleyway confused at who dared cast such a distracting spell in the upper bazaar,
Astras use of magic was truly innovative, the gaze seemed to waver and astra booked it into the through the dark alleyway into the entrance of the lower city.
He went through a stairwell that descended all the way to the lower city where the shadows were even deeper. Astra called upon the shadows as they embraced him once more
...….
"What the fuck ugh, that hurt!" a short blonde elven women yelled out as she rubbed her eyes,
"My Princess please watch your tongue" replied the man next to her,
The pair was sporting two regal green cloaks with the symbol of house Hunt on them, one of the 3 royal houses of the nearby continent of Alfheim they are the current royal overseers of the whole continent.
"What an interesting kid" mumbled the man who was about six feet tall and covered in the cloak, his eyes seemed to be looking through the very ground tracking something
"ugh he's a creative thief! what was that a rank one [flashbang] spell? Those don't even work that well on these eyes of mine!"
"No, it was a combination of light and water magic used ingeniously for two purpose's, the first was to defend as he seemed to have felt your hunter eyes land upon him which is why he erected a water barrier and one that's quite effective as well, looking at the density and how the water rotated he definitely has A rank aptitude, the second reason was for it to refract on the light and become almost a magnifying glass," the man kept mumbling,
"A rank Water magic? And a Light aptitude? As well as a high affinity to the shadows! On a thief like him! What a joke... whatever let him go, he also has A rank shadow magic and when I first spotted him something deep inside of me told me to fully scan him, when I did, he freaked out! most people can't even feel my gaze... he's not normal…."
"what an interesting apprentice"
"ugh I hate thieves the most Gadriel, go tell that stupid palm Nobel that he got robbed"
"As you wish princess"
"Also stop calling me that!"
"Yes princess"
…