If there was one thing Kuroki could do right now with his magic, he wished he could turn back time.
Last night he passed out almost the moment after Amyris used a more forceful method to awaken his perception to mana, but he remembered how he had acted before. Basically exactly like an excited little kid. He had even been naked when he hugged his Sensei as well, adding to the humiliation. Thankfully he didn’t seem to mind so much, so they were able to move on fast.
But to act like a little kid like that, especially in front of someone he barely knew…
He was extremely mortified. He was now wearing the cloak. The cloak itself had changed to a length fitting his height automatically, and while it didn’t get close to his knees, it was enough to stop people from being able to see certain things at least. Provided he didn’t bend over too much or move too fast at least. Honestly though, after walking the whole way down this slope through the forest, Kuroki would even trade this cloak right now for a pair of good shoes.
They had put some bandages around his feet to help, but the benefit was minimal at best. And they had a few more days before they made it to town. Kuroki had walked several hours already, and he was fully content saying he would gladly walk naked with shoes then walk the whole thing barefoot. Modern sensibilities? Who cares about that. This was quite literally life threatening. If he slipped, he could hit his head and die. He could break a bone, or several. And it hurt like crazy. Sure, he was used to being active and barefoot in the dojo, but those were smooth and even floors. This was the opposite of that.
At some points they had to go down 45 degree angles. It was rocky, there were nuts everywhere, and it was impossible to avoid them all. He was someone who was used to wearing shoes and socks, so something like this was tough for him. Kuroki was still going too rather than quitting, so one should really admire and praise him you know? He would definitely feel better if people went “Go go Kuroki, you can do it!”
As for the Elven mage, he stayed in front as they moved forward.
“Hmm. The easy route is no good, so we will take the North Route”.
“Our target location is east by northeast right? Wouldn’t East be faster?”
“There is a threat to the east right now that has an 85% chance of killing you even with me there”.
“So, I hear the scenic northern route is lovely this time of year”.
“Good answer”.
In truth, Kuroki had nearly been eaten once today. He had to use the toilet after breakfast, but had foolishly insisted on privacy. This had nearly made him the prey of tunneling snakes, and as an added humiliation, he ended up having to go with his Sensei right there watching him. Which was good too because a giant bird type monster actually tried to pluck him off the ground in from of Sensei right in the middle of him doing his business. Emphasis on tried, because Sensei one shotted it with a spell that looked like lightning that came from his palm before it could get close.
So now, no matter what, he stays close to Sensei. If he has to go to the toilet, ask Sensei for help. If he gets hungry and sees a fruit tree, ask Sensei for help. If he needs to cry about his situation, ask Sensei for help. Basically, he couldn’t do a single thing without Sensei right there. Even sleeping, since it was hard to sleep without sensei’s body heat keeping him warm at night. It was essentially already the point where Sensei was master, but master Sensei had refused that. At least until Kuroki was dressed.
"I don't suppose you can just magic up some clothes?"
"Yeah no that is impossible. While it is true magic can do a lot, it can't do everything. On that note, never bathe in water created by magic, and don't drink it either".
"Hmm? Why?"
"You will likely suffer heavy mana intoxication and die if you try and do either".
"Eh?"
"Water created with magic is highly infused with mana, a concentration twenty times higher then normal water at least. If you try to drink it, you will experience a mana overdose and very likely die, especially without someone finding you and giving you aid in time. But even then there is still a chance you might die. And bathing in it, or trying to wash yourself in it, is just as bad...and also highly ineffective, since the mana in your own body will naturally try to repel it. But since it would be physically absorbed by your skin, it would still cause issues".
Kuroki twitched a bit.
"So I take it there is no super convenient magic that cleans everything for you then?"
"Ha. Not a chance. Like I explained to you earlier, even you Starfallen are not immune to the general rules and logic of this world".
"Right right. I wish we at least got boots though".
"I believe that is just this world's various gods rules being in effect. Or perhaps its a limitation of the Summoning Magic itself. Although, in truth I have never heard any accounts of any Starfallen mentioning the weather stopping or going in reverse, let alone creating a storm in the first place. That said, while never so wide ranging, their are reports of summonings done in our world causing strange gravity issues like you experienced, and blacking out with a white light is absolutely something that happens in every report. But that first bit, the reverse weather? I can't think of a single account I have ever read. Granted, Starfallen or Summoned Heroes are not supposed to be so damn common. We can go at least a decade or two without any Starfallen appearing, so the fact that so many appeared one night makes me think something went very wrong".
As he said that, his familiar, a black hawk, came down. A Black Hawk was much smaller than a normal Hawk Kuroki had seen, and was apparently actually a monster. Amyris was having it scout for them, as well as keep an eye out on things.
"Hmmm, according to Glemia, it appears there might be trouble up ahead".
"Trouble? Is it monsters?"
"Yes. Undead. Which is strange, because Undead don't usually appear here. Furthermore, there is a beast type on our tail that could easily kill you in seconds, but its still a few hours away...ah, but I did find something we were looking for".
"What was that?"
Amyris smiled at him.
"A waterfall. Now we can have you take a shower".
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"...that's rather strong for a shower".
Those were Kuroki's words upon seeing the waterfall. It was quite strong, gushing downward at a rate much faster and stronger than he anticipated. The waterfall came rushing down from the top of a cliff well overhead, and was a rather strong stream of water. There was a sort of natural rock bridge that was located right in front of it, however a portion of the waterfall came down upon it before spilling over the side, back down below into the pond and river heading down. A bit of a rainbow could be seen thanks to all the moisture.
Thanks to the bridge, it was possible to actually indeed take a shower there by standing under it. But the water was strong, absolutely pouring down. Even if Kuroki had a bathing suit, it would be pointless. The force of the water pouring down on them would knock it right off, and possibly make him trip and fall over it, which could have its own terrible results. That was how strong the waterfall was coming down. And of course, obviously, it was cool or cold water, not hot water. Kuroki preferred hot baths and hot showers. Especially after his father's special "Wintertime Training".
Still though, it was a majestic sight, this waterfall. Especially with how the sun was currently hitting it, it gave it a sort of warm feel as the rays of light brought out its color, the vibrancy of the rocks matching against the cool and collected tones of the water. Truth be told, Kuroki might not mind skinny dipping in a place like this. The natural feel about it made it feel like it was the proper thing to do, especially thanks to the natural partial enclosure it had from the cliffside.
However, apparently there was even more to this waterfall then Kuroki had initially realized.
"This will help you not only clean off, but given the purity and strength, will help you understand more about mana. Also, I put up a barrier so no one will accidentally approach and spot us, so I can help you progress further without any weird misunderstandings that will harm my reputation".
"Master..."
"Kuroki" Sensei interrupted sharply.
"Oh, sorry, Sensei. Did something happen in the past that made you extremely concerned about your reputation?"
Amyris did not respond at first. When Kuroki looked back at him, he was biting his own lip, a concerned look on his face.
"Sorry I said anything".
"No, it's a fair question to ask. I suppose its two fold, at least. One involves ancient history, involving a previous student...a previous Starfallen student, and the other is some of my more recent actions. In some ways, those two things are related...it's a story for another time though. At the very least, we should be back in the city before I recount it".
Kuroki nodded, not wanting to press further. Although he was interested to hear he was not his first Starfallen student.
After they both stripped naked, both of them went into the waterfall. The cold water rained down upon them, making Kuroki shiver. It wasn't just cold, but incredibly chilly. Almost freezing. However, the temperature right now seemed to be spring or maybe even early summer for this region. There was no reason the water should be this cold, even with wind chill. He wondered if this had something to do with the natural mana Amyris mentioned before.
"Now then, focus on the water. Try to sense each drop. I am going to forcefully awaken your magic a bit and your senses to it, but this will only be temporary unless you can take advantage and seize it for yourself. Taking control of water already there by injecting your mana into it is a lot easier then trying to create it from scratch".
"But isn't there water in the air itself then, mas...err, sensei? Cant I make use of that then to form water freely?"
Master had a wry smile on his face.
"So you do know of that then. As expected of the Starfallen. Yes. Water is everywhere, so mages who can use it are quite versatile. But not everyone is capable of really being able to perceive and use that water, since humidity is something that cant be observed as easily. Even if you do know it, its harder then trying to use water from this river".
Amyris then put his hand on Kuroki's back, and used his magic to awaken Kuroki's senses. All at once, Kuroki's senses expanded. He closed his eyes to limit the amount of information flowing into his brain at once. He was cold, wet, and standing in a forest. He could feel it. The water around him, flowing down upon him. The water below him, polling and flowing forward. The water above him, rushing off into the air.
He could even vaguely feel the water within the trees, but it was hard to make out and distinguish. He could tell it was there, but not how many or any real movements of them. It was too much for him, and he was starting to feel overwhelmed. He collapsed backwards into his master, who was looking at him with amazement.
"Are you trying to go for extra credit? I was simply having you awaken the ability to sense the mana in water and make use of it, but you ended up instinctively casting a spell on accident? However, considering where and how you fell backwards too from overwhelming yourself, sorry but no extra credit this time".
Kuroki quickly got back up and apologized.
"Sorry..."
"Well, no one was around at least, but please be more careful. Especially with your magic. As expected, your natural talent is strong".
"So your saying I will be able to cast a whole bunch of water, storm, time, ward, and divination magic?"
"Eh? No, I mean, you will be able to cast magic of any kind. Mages are not limited by their affinities. It just makes those spells a bit easier. But you could just as easily master fireball if you want".
"Nah, I am good".
Certainly, fire magic was a common protagonist magic, but he also felt like it was often attributed to hotheads and combat types. Kuroki had no desire to go down the path laid before him by his dad. Thankfully, it seemed his Master was in agreement there. In fact, his Master had already come to similar ideas and feelings as Kuroki did, perhaps even stronger. Kuroki had endured it over time, but his Master had learned of it all at once, increasing the shock on him.
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Not that Kuroki knew any of that yet, unaware that his magical examination had also been a physical one.
Either way, as for what happened next, his master sat down and had Kuroki sit on his lap, as used magic to bring soap and shampoo over and began to wash Kuroki's body and hair.
"Ah, wait! I can do this myself!"
"No reason for a little boy like yourself to be so modest or shy. Besides, as your sensei, I am basically the closest thing you have to a parent in this world. So let me take care of you like one should, okay?"
Such words left a bittersweet feeling within Kuroki, and while he resisted a bit still from embarrassment, he ended up going with the flow.
It was one thing for his friends, or the friends of his parents to do this. It happened all the time honestly.
But it was different. It wasn't a friend's parent, no, it almost felt like it was his parent doing this. There was no forceful violence of his father, who might twist his arm or make him do something painful before or afterwards.
It was a special sort of warmth, similar to the warmth he got from his friends and their parents, but different. And yet oh so sweet, even as it dragged up bitter and painful memories.
As tears began to roll down his face, he flinched as he remembered his father's words.
"Boy's don't cry! It seems we will have another session! Take off those tear-stained clothes too!"
"You are a boy, you don't cry! How about you learn something and try to toughen up for once?"
"Man up and stop crying, you failure!"
Those were just some of the things said, but it always boiled down to boys should never cry. It caused him to tense up and try to hold back on instinct, but his master wrapped his arms around him from behind and held him close.
"It's okay. Cry all you want. Let it out".
The opposite things his father would say. It felt like those words had scratched a long formed lock on his heart, eroding it. His master didn't stop there.
"I don't know what was told to you before, but don't be afraid to cry okay? Everyone cries, everyone feels pain and gets upset. It is nothing to be ashamed over, and in the long run its healthier. So let it out. Let it all out".
These words further tugged away at that lock, as if the tumblers themselves were clicking into place as the lock began to rust and age.
"It is okay to be yourself, Kuroki. You don't have to be afraid any more. So let your emotions run free. Thats not something that just little boys should do. It is something anyone should do. Only by expressing and releasing our emotions can we truly be healthy and move forward".
Hearing those words, Kuroki's body relaxed, and as the waterfall poured onto him, his own waterfalls erupted, as he began to cry and complain and vent, spilling out all the pain he had endured.
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Once they were done washing up and they had gotten dressed again (or as dressed as Kuroki could get given his current situation), the two of them proceeded to rush forward. Their speed was much faster now, since Kuroki had agreed to let Amyris hold him. It was a tad bit embarrassing, especially since there were angles that would let anyone they passed see up his cloak, but they were going so much faster as a result, and this was a forest infested by monsters.
At the moment, Kuroki was busy still anyways. Floating above his right index finger was a ball of water. It was a bit uneven and wavey, and occasionally destabilized itself, but Kuroki was able to form it back into its ball form.
Amyris was once again impressed.
The boy has natural talent. He tried multiple different methods and failed spectacularly, but then he got this one. Apparently he tried various different methods from this text he read called Manga, although given how it was described, I suspect I might be mistaking that as being a category of various different text. In any case, apparently they all failed, but he learned enough from the failures to figure out how to do it right in a single day. I know I accelerated things a bit on impulse, but to think that actually worked. Still, there is a lot more to magic then just making a waterball. While it is true that it normally takes people weeks to get a hold of that, its not unheard of either. I could probably think of a hundred people I met myself in my lifetime who did something similar. But, it does mean he has innate talent.
The Starfallen did not tend to possess any overpowered abilities or "cheats" as Amyris remembered Anna mention them. That said, they did receive enhanced abilities and unique abilities. From what he could gather, it largely depended on their desires and wishes. That said, while not godly powerful, sometimes they could be absurd or decently strong still depending on the wish and the emotions behind it.
Kuroki wished to become a powerful and reliable mage, and break free from his father. He also wished to be best friends forever with his three friends, and he wished to be capable of living on his own, despite his own physique and appearance.
Amyris had no idea what sort of other gifts or abilities might have been granted based on his wishes, but at the very least, Amyris suspected at least one involved his father, or those like him.
If I had to guess, perhaps related to those enhanced mental abilities I couldn't identify.
While thinking of such things, Amyris suddenly stopped. Kuroki was surprised, but then he saw Glemia being rather noisy and circling back towards them.
At the same time, a few bipedal ugly humanoid creatures appeared in front of them. They had twisted faces and flesh, but lots of muscles, and were kind of a sickly pale green. They all had clubs, and very much were difficult to even look at.
"Orcs, huh?"
"Orcs? Wait, you mean those fantasy creatures that like to capture women and such? Aren't they supposed to look like pigs?"
"What? She said the same thing once...no no, I don't know what Orcs you know, but these are aggressive monsters of destruction, Long ago, an Evil God created them to be his shock troops to invade the world. It is true though that they capture other species to forcibly use them for breeding, extracting the life essence of them as they do it, however...male adventurers are at far more risk".
"Eh?"
"A female can only produce them a single orc before dying, maybe two at most. But Orc females can carry multiple spawn at a time, so males are more useful for them. This was part of their design so they could continuously replenish their numbers during the war though, but most people avoid it by ending their own lives before any of that happens these days".
So Orcs in this world were different then in the media he knew. Apparently they didn't really so much as have a sex drive but a desire to keep increasing their own population, still bound to the orders, or perhaps programming would be a better word, that the Evil God left for them. However, they mainly were just murderous thugs who wanted to destroy and devour humans, elves, ect. They would never put themselves at risk to capture someone if they were dangerous, so usually adventurers just died to them rather then being captured.
One could say that they were closer to Orcs from Lord of the Rings then the sources he knew.
"What will we do master?"
"Like I said, please wait before you call me that. As for what we will do...honestly, its a problem if there is an entire orc settlement in our way, but that shouldn't be possible. There were no orcs here when I came this way last time after all, but so close to the city suddenly is concerning".
"But what about the ones in front of us?!"
"Oh those? Since it was just a few and they were clearly weaker varients, I already killed them".
Alarmed, Kuroki turned and looked at the Orcs. They were just standing there, not attacking or moving at all.
"...what did you do?"
"Just cut through them with my own personally designed wind blades" he mentioned, as he suddenly covered Kuroki's head as held them close. He heard something gross out there, the sounds of sliding and so on. Kuroki fussed, confused by that, and ended up peeking his head out. He got a glimpse of the Orc's bodies. At that moment, he paled a bit.
"...oh..." Kuroki said, as Amyris covered the boy's head again.
"Yeah. As expected, I do think your mind has been fortified when you came to this world, but even then...I doubted it was all powerful. Sorry, I should have killed them in a cleaner way. That was my mistake".
Amyris had wanted to show off to Kuroki a bit, but he had gone a bit too far.
"It's fine. It was just...really gross and disgusting".
"Yes. It is better if you get used to it, you will probably see more of that in the future. But the future can wait right now. Lets give you some time to process the present".
It was something his father would never have done. Give him the time to process, to experience the here and now and take in what he learned rather then brutal lesson after brutal lesson with no break.
Amyris was the polar opposite of his father, and Kuroki couldn't help but smile as he secretly enjoyed the snug warmth of being held like this. In his mind and subconscious, Amyris had already replaced his birth father as his father and father figure.
Despite everything, despite the hardship and embarrassment, so far everything that happened to him when coming to this world was ultimately making him far better off. His body, which he had always been made to feel ashamed of it deep down. His friends comforted and supported him, so he never developed any major complex, but...it was always difficult for him. Amyris however accepted him and his body, noting it was wonderful and full of magical talent. He made Kuroki feel good about it.
If it wasn't for his friends, who knows what might have happened to him.
And if it wasn't for Amyris, who knows how he might have otherwise developed.
And so, the wounds on Kuroki's heart healed, if only by a bit.
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That night, they had slept in the same posture as last night. Kuroki was a bit less defensive and embarrassed, and in his grogginess, even pulled Amyris closer over him for warmth. He would get flustered and embarrassed about that the next day of course, but not as much as what he said when he groggily woke up.
"...good morning, dad".
"...who are you calling dad exactly?"
Kuroki's face went rather red.
"Err, umm, I mean...I said nothing!"
"That was the worst recovery and most unconvincing lie I have seen in a long time" Amyris chuckled, not pressing into his actual family. Much to Kuroki's relief, it appeared Amyris was more focused on getting them back safely then probing into his background. Kuroki had yet to mention anything yet, although he thought maybe the Elven mage had some ideas. Still, it wasn't something he intended to speak of himself.
For now, he wanted to enjoy his new life.
"You seem to be getting more confident. To be honest, I am slightly concerned" Amyris muttered.
"Hmm, what do you mean? Why does that concern you?"
"Well, lets just say something similar happened to my last Starfallen student. We also took several days to get back and for me to get her clothes, but she got so comfortable and used to being naked, she often went around like that. I was just barely able to keep it to only inside the house, and even when she got awareness of it again, it was rather muted, especially around me".
"Ahh..." Kuroki said, averting his eyes. In truth, he was starting to feel as comfortable about it as he was around his friends and their parents. While it was still true he could get flustered and embarrassed, he had been like this for over a day now.
That said, he decided to change the subject.
"So, this Starfallen..."
"...sorry, but please not yet. At least not until we return to the city".
"Can you at least tell me her name? What she was like?"
"Her name was Anna. And although she was a rather strange girl, she was spirited and brave and confident. Perhaps that caused her habits too, but it felt like she really felt no shame. She was willing to help anyone who needed it, and she devoted herself to her studies. Had...things not turned for the worse, I am sure there would be entire history books dedicated just to her".
His tone got somber and sad, a deep darkness hovered around him that Kuroki had never seen before on his face, no matter what monsters they came across.
"Sorry".
"No no, its right to be curious. Just...let's leave it at that for now".
Kuroki decided to respect his master's wishes, and not pry further. He was curious of course, about the girl that was his sempai, his senior in magic.
"Do you have any other students?"
"Yes. A boy and a girl, both around your age...although they are only part time really, since they have their own circumstances".
"You know I am fifteen right?"
"Yeah, I am still not sure about that. But it's not like it makes much of a difference. I mean, I am 207. A few years really doesn't change much".
Kuroki supposed at least that was consistent with the Elves he knew of from everything he read and watched.
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Their journey continued forward, with it being about noon now. They were apparently just two days away now, having managed to save half a day to a day of traveling by having Amyris carry him for a bit. However, they eventually came across some strong monsters, which forced him to put Kuroki down and place him in a barrier as he fought. In those battles, Kuroki noticed that pure power wasn't what usually decided something, but creativity and flexibility in his magic instead. When Kuroki thought of magic, he remembered the more popular examples. Fireball, lightning bolt, ice lance.
However, Amyris' magic was far more advanced then that. He created butterflies which flew across the battlefield, causing enemies who were under them to temporarily be reverted backwards in time, leaving the other monsters exposed suddenly. Apparently the spell was called Butterfly Effect.
In other cases, he froze the entire ground he walked on, and the ground around him, before having ice spikes shoot out of them. He even used the ground himself to evade, moving like an ice skater.
At one point, he shifted the timelines of monsters, causing their attacks to run into each other and collide, hurting or even killing each other.
He even turned himself into lightning once, charging through the beasts and killing them with lethal zaps, moving so fast it was hard to keep track of for those few seconds before he turned back.
He noticed also that he often used incantations when he could.
"If you can use magic without incantations, why do you use incantations master?"
"Kuroki".
"Sensei, sorry. But why?"
"Because incantations make a spell more efficient, provide meaning to reality through the word. It helps the world understand how your mana is shaped and initiate the effect. However, keep in mind grammar and syntax are important for incantations. You cant just jam random words together. The cleaner and nicer it is, the better your spell will be. Furthermore, its more mana efficient, it increases its power, and unlike non-incantation activated spells, where you have to actively maintain it, an incantation can let you maintain a spell without needing to stay focused on it, allowing you to not have to worry about being distracted and letting you cast more spells far more easily".
In most things he read, usually there was some cheap thing where incantations were actually pointless and weaker even, but it appeared this world was the reverse. While magic could be done without incantations, incantations were actually incredibly useful and more powerful.
"How do you learn them all?"
"Well, a lot of optimized spell incantations can be learned in spellbooks and such, but many of those were actually my own. See, there is no actual limit to what incantations you can use. You can make up your own. However, making an incantation that is good and effective, and doesn't waste mana or have unnecessary parts, is very difficult. Don't be surprised if you won't be able to pull off making your own spell for awhile, although...given the education Starfallen seem to have, it might be easier for you then other mages of this world. But keep in mind, being able to create your own incantations wont immediately make you super powerful and capable of wielding super powerful spells. You have to refine your control, get used to optimizing your power, and...you really need to stop accidentally activating Sonar".
"Sorry..." Kuroki said, deactivating the spell. Perhaps due to his heightened feelings of worry and danger from seeing all the monsters, Kuroki had been instinctively activating his Sonar. At first it disoriented him, but now it just made him feel uneasy. He was getting used to it.
"I suppose the days when you can stand up straight while using Sonar are fast approaching at least. That will make you valuable to an adventurer's party".
"An adventurer's party?"
"Yeah. In addition to the Mage's Guild, there is also the Adventurer's Guild. I am signed up with both myself, and unlike the Mage's Guild which holds a grudge against me over a mishap, the Adventurer's Guild still is very friendly and welcomes me. Especially after that one thing".
"What one thing?"
"...let's save that for later".
Kuroki pouted a bit, while Amyris just awkwardly laughed it off. It was clear he had no intention of divulging things.
Still, it appeared their journey was making progress. Provided nothing interrupted them, at least.
Of course, little did they know of the darkness approaching them on the horizon.