Sam Roland, age 18, 1st year in Rosecrans Academy, 5 feet 10 inches tall, with navy-blue hair and gold eyes. Yeah, this about sums up my personal information in one sentence...
Looking into the mirror of my bedroom, I look at the man I have become in my second life. I am handsome enough to not embarrass myself, and my family is not too bad as well.
My past life memories are not complete, and I was not born with them, but instead, starting at the age of 7 every-time I would dream, I see more and more of my past life in a high-technology non-magic world called Earth, specifically a Kingdom called the United States of America. I lived in a Provence called Florida, a peninsula of the Kingdom.
Strangely, that non-magical world had things like movies and television, showing magical worlds like mine.
Honestly sometimes, I am not sure that the world even truly exists, but I still believe those images, because of my Magic Core in my heart.
Well, yesterday was my 18th birthday, and the minimum age for Humans to awaken their Magic Cores officially. If it is done any earlier, Magic Users risk burning all of the blood in their bodies, a very painful and cruel death.
While looking into my mirror, I looked down on my chest of drawers, to the envelope with the Rosecrans Academy wax-seal on it, and sigh.
"For the last 6 years, my friends and I have all trained in the Knight Martial prep-school to become fine Knights of the Realm, but who would have guessed, in a twist of fate, I would become the first male in history to be able to use magic?"
I then walked to the window in my second story bedroom, and looked out at the Northern Capital City...
And near the Lucas King's Castle... a floating island with the Magic Rosecrans Academy lies. Its shadow over the city shows the might of the women who are the Magic Backbone of the Kingdom.
Yes, in the long history of this Northern Kingdom, no males have been blessed with a Magic Core in their hearts, and could only pursue Martial Might of Aura.
I make a fist, and feel the Aura I had trained for 6 years flow in my body. A faint blue-water (unknown to him now, also yellow electric) glow briefly covered my knuckles then faded...
Aura comes from the Muscles (strength), Nervous System (reflexes), and Bones (resistance-durability) of men. It requires extensive daily training, diet, and meditation to be able to use it in battle, but...
I only have a small amount of Aura compared to my friends, due to my Magic Core absorbing most of my Aura, and turning it into Magical Power. Thus, I have not reached the 1st Circle of a Knight, unlike my best friend, who trained his Bones.
We found this out 3 months ago, when my best-friend's older-sister Rebeca, a Dark Healer, detected my crippled Aura veins, and thus, discovered why I had the Magic Core. Ever since his Sister discovered it, she had become even more clingy than in the past.
I am not happy about becoming a Mage, Summoner, or Healer due to my gender. I spent 5 and ¾ years in Martial practice, while all the females study magic since they were young, so it is like a 10 year old competing with a 20 year old in well, anything.
I know from my past life memories, I should be happy to be a Magic User, but... Aura can fight magic just fine, and I do not think women will like a man joining the ranks of Magic Users, sigh...
So if magic is so powerful, and only women can wield it, why do women not rule the world? Well, it is roughly like this...
Only 1 in 100 women can actually condense a Magic Core in their heart, and it tends to be more prevalent in noble families, who breed magic into their marriages. And in that 1% of all women who can use Magic Cores, only half of them actually become capable of combating a Knight (faster single path) or Fighter (slower mixed path) using Aura.
And for men, using Aura is in reverse to the problem facing women, and 7 out of 10 men can to some degree use Aura, and for the remaining 30% of men, they are usually handicapped, lazy, or weak in it, like me.
Out of the 3 Kingdoms of our Human Lands, one of them, the Southern Kingdom, has a Mage Queen in charge, and is traditionally ruled by the Mages instead of men. Heh, if I was a nobility of the South, I technically could be King there.
And while I was musing, looking out the window, I heard my mother call...
"Sam honey, your friend Nevin is here looking for you."
My best friend Nevin, who is one day older than me, and one of the best damn Knight trainees of our year. He is more like a mountain than a young man, but has been my childhood friend and neighbor for my whole life. He is also the only person I have ever confided my past life dreams to.
"Alright mom, give him some coffee while I finish getting ready."
I belt my trousers and button up my long-sleeve shirt, all of it dark grey color. Then I fastened the buckles on my black combat boots.
Reaching to the top of my bed, and taking my sheathed Rapier, and strap it to my hip. Then brush my short navy-blue hair into place, smile at my reflection, and turn to leave...
-
Coming down the squeaking steps of the staircase, I see into the combination dining kitchen area, and at the table are 3 people I know very well.
My best friend Nevin, my Dad, and Mom.
Dad looks to be in his late 20's but is actually almost 92 years old, with blue hair and blue eyes. He is a City Guard at the South Gate. His Aura talent is Water. And he pursued the path of a 3rd Circle Swift Knight, which was the reason I also tried to follow his path.
My Mother looks to be in her early 20's, with blonde hair and blue eyes. She is also a 3rd Circle Water Mage. She is um, she won't tell me her age, but Dad drunk one night told me she was way older than himself, and she is a stay at home mother.
Oh! Well in that last life, Humans only lived for like around 60-100 or so years on average, and so do the non-awakened in my world of Myst. But those who practice Aura and form a Magic Core, live for a very long time... Even thousands of years.
And the last huge guy, Nevin Glen, a 1st year in Royal Knight Academy. 18 years old, 6' feet 4'' inches, with black hair and brown eyes. 1st Circle, Earth Knight.
Nevin is currently wearing a suit of chain armor, with steel greaves and gauntlets, but he wears no helmet. I see by the door, his large Heavy Mace and Tower Shield (aka car-door) are propped up.
He looks like a young Professional Wrestler, from my previous life, a bit like the Rock with buzzed hair. And because of his looks, I had nicknamed him "Rock", well and because he is an Earth Vanguard.
Nevin looked at me and grins.
"Thought you would be wearing your Mage Robes, but I see you're still wearing your Swift Knight outfit?"
I put on my long leather gloves for sword-fighting and hand protection, and retort.
"We are going on a small-fry hunt with everyone, so why would I not wear what I am good at? You want me dead, bastard?"
My Mother sipped coffee, said in fake-anger.
"He has a Mother and Father, so if he is a bastard, then so are you... Now go play and be safe you two little bastards!"
My Dad only shook his head, while inserting a Magic Stone into a room-lamp. While laughing, Nevin and I grab our light backpacks for rations. I said to my parents...
"Mom Dad, we will be back before lunch tomorrow, love you guys..."
And with that, both Nevin and I left the small two story house.
-
Outside, the two of us walk on the grey-stone brick road, heading to the Magical Gate Station.
Nevin said to me.
"Actually Sam, I wanted to thank you. I found out that the recruiter for the Royal Knight Academy gave me one of the hundred openings, because I listed you as a character reference."
I rubbed my chin and asked in confusion.
"Because my Dad is a City Guard?"
"Haha, No... It is because I am your best-friend and neighbor. When they found out you and I are close, they wanted to make sure the first Male Mage of the Lucas Kingdom would not be sad, hehe?!"
I looked at him sideways, smelling bullshit in his story and challenged him.
"Neighbor? Best-friend? Did they really let you in with just that? Am I so awesome now?"
Nevin had a silly smile on his face and he looked away sideways, trying not to look guilty.
Thud Dang~! Using my [Northern Knight Kickboxing], I gave him a spinning hook-kick on his Tower Shield, and he said what I feared most.
"Cough, I told them you are my future Brother-in-law, hehe..."
I rolled my eyes, just thinking about his Older Sister... No, his sister is very pretty, but she was only nice to me before, but now she has become obsessed with chasing me... For my Mage status.
Rebeca Glen, now soon to be 3rd year in Rosecrans Academy. Just turned 20 years old, 5' feet 8'' inches, with black hair and green eyes. She is a 5th Circle, Dark Healer. And my adolescent woman I would fantasize about, while releasing life's built-up pressures, cough.
But the reason I avoid her, other than her Dark Healing feels creepy, is...
"Your Sister crushed on that Senior Knight from the Royal Knight Academy for 2 years, and now all of a sudden, she doesn't like him anymore? I feel like I am getting played here, Rock."
Nevin defends his Sister.
"She never even held hands with the guy, Sam. So I think she only admired him. She told me she has not talked to him all summer vacation, and has only been hanging with her girlfriends, and looking for you."
I know both Nevin and Rebeca always tell the truth, but I am shy around her, and I feel that she had just changed her two year crush for a new crush... I cannot be sure if our feelings are genuine, at least mine.
And while walking through the bustling store-fronts, I heard a couple of pairs of feet walking behind us, and a deep-sultry voice entered my ear from behind.
"I knew if I followed my Little Brother, I would run into my fellow Junior Student... Hello Sam~♪"
As Nevin and I turned, we saw two older girls, smiling at us. The orange-haired girl, I did not know, but the black-haired beauty, I had just been talking about... Rebeca Glen!