"It felt as if he drilled those words into my brain… how the hell did he even find 249 people to believe him. They must have some reason to join just like me." I thought as I sat in a flowery field filled with different flowers that I had never seen. "Before I start, I should try to go over the most important rules of the 1st game."
[According to the Wizard, 250 contestants and three games that we have to progress through to beat win the tournament.
Game 1 is a team base match:
Contestants are spreaded throughout all of AinVeil. Each contestant will have a mark pertaining to one of the five teams, this will also be the only identification of them being a part of the tournament.
The Wizard also included the fact that we (the contestants) are the only people in this world with these marks and it is impossible to replicate. It is etched into the contestant's body and soul.
A barrier will automatically prevent teammates harming each other with magic.
The barrier does not prevent one from hurting themselves.
The contestants have two objectives for game 1:
Objective 1 is to increase the strength of our magic and learn as many spells as we can before the end of game 1.
Objective 2 is to be one of the last 50 contestants alive at the end.
Additionally there is a 3 day grace period where contestants will take a break from fighting and hunting each other.
The 3 day period will happen anytime during the game without notice.
The moment it does happen every contestant will be transported to a different location.
If they were fighting someone or something and suffered any kind of injury, life threatening or not, they will be healed upon arrival.
Any spell casted will be canceled upon arrival.
Unless told to do so they are not allowed to fight failure to comply will result in a penalty.
The contestants are not above AinVeil government laws and regulations.
Level 3 crimes will result in a penalty.
Level 4 crimes will result in a severe penalty and
Level 5 crimes and higher may result in expulsion.]
As I got ready to begin, the thought of my brother ran through my head. Reminding me of the words the Wizards told me before he sent me here. "I will create an exact clone of you to replace your presence in your world until you return, take this tournament as seriously as you can. Let nothing distract you." It replayed in my head constantly.
However it just sharpened my resolve. I stood up in the field taking in the fresh air, and the beautiful view of the distant city that housed tall buildings. I held my hand out with my palm faced up.
"Concentration is the key to expanding and strengthening your mana. First I must sense it." I closed my eyes while keeping my hand out, breathing deeply while controlling and feeling the flow of air enter my lungs from my nostrils.
The sound of the grass being brushed over by wind and tiny animals traversing through the blades could only be heard as if I had blocked every other sound out. Although I kept my eyes close I began to see small sparkles of red light appearing as if they had already been there. It seemed to be millions of red sparks, they started forming into a book. Feeling as if something had fallen on my hands, I opened my eyes.
"This must be my grimoire." My grimoire had a red glow around the edges as if it was outlined by my mana itself, there was also a symbol on the cover. The symbol was a round ball with large flares surrounding it as if it was a sun.
According to the wizard, mana/magicules are the source of all magic and it's as abundant in the world as air. As I breathe in air, I also take in any mana I may have lost. However mana works more closely to energy as any spell could cost you a certain amount of mana just like any move could cost you a certain amount of energy. Oddly enough it flows through me, the same way my blood flows through my body. When I think of using my magic flowing, I imagine my mana as a current flowing with white magicules alongside my blood vessels.
As I began to feel the flow of mana flourish throughout my body, the mana current started to branch off to link itself to my grimoire and without even opening my eyes, I could see the one and only spell I have. As I open my eyes, I allow the magicules to build up in the middle of my palms.
"Embrace me in your light, wrap me in your flames and bring me the warmth of life you once granted, grant me the strength to burn those who dare extinguish your influence. I call onto you beholder of Great Flames, The Grand Sage Dehlyora." Just as I finished chanting those words, it felt as if my mouth unlocked a door as two flames bursted out of my palms, spiraling like tornadoes.
I could feel my mana depleting as if it was being sucked out, in just a few seconds I feel like I ran 3 miles but I haven't even moved an inch. It feels like it's being pulled out of my hands, I can't even stop the flames.
As if they were moving on their own, they start to combine with each other, it was as if they were shapeshifting as the combined blames began to form into a human-like body.
Then it was as if a door closed as the mana stopped pouring out of my hands.
"What the hell was that?" I said to myself as I dropped to my knees, "I feel exhausted, that was less than a minute."
"This must be the world he created. Are you the contestant who summoned me?" Sage Dehlyora said.
"I didn't realize that was a summoning spell, why is that the only spell I have?" I thought as I picked my head up.
"That was the activation spell to my Grimoire." Sage Dehlyora stood tall, with silky blonde and red hair that fell to feet, and pointy ears that protruded from the strands of hair covering her ears. She had a beautifully brownish skin tone that was complemented by her emerald eyes. If I was to guess, I would say she's probably an elf.
"So is it mine now that I activated it." I said as I sat down.
"Hmm. If you want the power of the grimoire then you must do me a favor." Sage Dehlyora glanced around the area before asking.
"I don't see why not if it's for the grimoire."
"Great, I'd like to see the monsters of this world. However I must stay near you as I am using your mana to keep my humanoid form. So I ask that you take me to one."
"A monster? What if it tries to attack me, I can't use any spells."
"I shall share with you a few low level spells to kill them. I'd like to see how you would use my grimoire in a fight." Sage Dehlyora said as the first page of the grimoire opened.
The grimoire activation spell was the only spell on the page. "I don't have much of a choice, I'll need the grimoire if I want to even compete in the tournament."
"Good, I sense a dense amount of mana coming from the east, it may be a village or city. Monsters tend to flock to places with so much density so I advise you to head that way." She said as she pointed to the right.
"East?" However all I see is a grassy plain, is there really a city in that direction?
"Do you doubt me?"
"You could read my mind?" I only realized it just now but you answered every question I thought of.
"Of course I can, our mana is linked to the same grimoire so our souls are now intermediately connected, you can read my thoughts as much as I can yours. I simply do not have thoughts."
"Your mana is connected to the grimoire, meaning that you are another living being. Since in order to use mana you must have a soul to channel it through. How can you not have any thoughts?"
"All I am is a soul. I lost my physical body long ago so I am using your mana to materialize my body. Reading your and hearing your voice is one in the same for me."
"You lost your body, did you die?"
"…I fear you do not have much time to waste, this spell will run out soon. Best we pick up the pace now." Sage Dehlyora said, switching the topic. Making it clear she doesn't want to speak on whatever happened to her.
"I see, the monsters are east. Then let's go." I don't really care much to probe any further. I assume the wizard will explain to whoever wins the tournament.
"I wonder, you look really weird for a dark elf. You don't have pointy ears or any blond hair, you look really more like a human but you're quite tall. Just as tall as the village elders."
"I'm not an elf, I'm a human."
"A human is that so? Well that may explain the puffy hair but I have never seen a human with skin as clear as yours."
"Well, you've never been to my planet."
"I see, so everyone on your planet has clear skin?"
"No, not everyone. Just a great number of people, our skin is sensitive compared to some animals." I said as I started heading east towards the mana density that she senses.
"That's interesting indeed." She didn't walk on the ground, instead she floated alongside me with no shadow below.
We headed eastward, walking across the grassy plain seeing, although there were multiple wild animals roaming around. As we approached and set of hills, the amount of wild animals in the area began to noticeably decrease, not only did I realize it but Sage Dehlyora did as well.
"It seems all of these hills have mana which could mean two things. 1: these hills are also monsters are a type of creature or 2: Aveli implemented a different rule of magic into this. Either you should be wise to watch your step."
"Will do." I said as I continued walking.
After a while of walking, we saw a forest in the distance just a few hills away. According to the Sage, this forest has a thick amount of mana but it isn't as dense as the amount further ahead. Since it may have monsters, we headed straight towards the forest instead of going around it.
Although once we made it to the forests it was hard to tell whether or not, if it was the creatures in the forest with the dense amount of mana or was it the forest itself.
"I advise you to prioritize caution, I can feel other monsters mana all around us. Have your grimoire ready."
"Right." I opened the grimoire with only thought. I can feel the path of mana I imagine flowing perfectly, I didn't realize how easy it would be after the first try.
"You've already formed the base for your mana and it's brilliant. Having this much fluidity is only a given."
"Did I?"
"You did. Whatever you did to absorb the mana- wait. We're surrounded."
"By what monsters?"
"Yes, there are 5 of them."
Just as she told me how many there were, they jumped out, no longer hiding in the bushes.
The monsters have wolf-like features but they look more like demons than any wolves I've seen. Drooling from their slightly open mouths, they have teeth as large as my forearms and short bluish red fur that covered their body, bloodshot red eyes that stood fixated on me. As if Sage Dehlyora wasn't even a meal to them. Or maybe they just can't sense her.
"They can't and I can't do anything to them either. So this fight is solely on you."
"Thanks for the tip." I said as I looked at the spells she gave me.
The incantation for these spells are shorter than the activation spell, I can try to get one off that can harm all of them at once.
Before they could try anything, I tried the third spell on the page which needed me to put my hand on the ground to start. "Great Flames hear me, return my enemies to dust. Sanction a death in urns. Fotovolída." Letting the mana pour out of my hands again, a circle with words from my spell written in a runic language appeared beneath my hands, on the ground I touched.
They seem to have realized I was using a spell to attack them and tried to get to me before I could finish.
They simultaneously pounced towards me but just as the monsters got within a feet away from me, a 7 meter tall wall of flames were erected around me and the Sage was pushed towards the wolf monsters.
Burning the grass and soil as the enveloped the monsters. Suddenly the ground started rumbling as if it was an earthquake, then soon after a large roar was heard, making me feel as if my ears were about to burst.
The rumbling was strong enough to toss me onto my ass as Sage Dehlyora inspected the hill.
"The hill is rising out of the ground."
"What?!" Surprised at her words I ran to the edge of the hill and sure enough.
"This hill is a monster and so were the other hills." The hills we previously crossed were all rising out of the grounds showing large pillars for legs, they stood as tall as skyscrapers but they all paled in comparison to the height of the one with the forest. The very one I'm standing on.
All I could think of at this moment was how much Felicie would love this view.