Chapter 35 - The General Awakens a Powerful Ability

Chloe and I had awakened our magical abilities, and she was already able to use her Water element. It was a strange event that affected my entire body… and I’m not talking about puberty. It all started when I began hearing the sound of ice cracking, but it was very loud. I was eating when that noise started, and it seemed to be coming from inside my ear or body. Just like we can feel our heartbeat in other parts of the body, when I placed my hand on my ear, I could hear the sound of an egg cracking. My entire body felt like it was cracking, and then suddenly, there was a noise like a wall collapsing inside me, and a warmth spread throughout my body.

I felt as if my veins were dry and hot blood started circulating through them. I immediately knew what was happening to me because it was instinctive. At that moment, I knew my Gem had awakened, and mana began flowing inside me.

There was an explosion of energy throughout my body, and I felt dizzy as if I had stood up too quickly. I had to sit down to handle that power, and then my vision burned, allowing me to see the world in full color. It seemed like there were invisible shapes and colorful particles everywhere. My mother explained that it’s the effect of the eyes adapting to see mana.

When you awaken mana, you can momentarily see where it exists in the world and even see it circulating in people. This visual phenomenon only happens once during the Gem's awakening for magic.

When I awakened and felt the warmth of mana in my eyes… something strange happened. As I looked to the side in the direction of the Crazy Goddess of Strategy, I saw something that shouldn’t have been possible.

“Remembering me? I’m flattered you’re reliving that intimate moment of ours,” she said, laughing.

“Stop saying things with double meanings!”

As I saw the mana in the atmosphere and my surroundings, I looked at the apparition of Athena, and what I saw… left me confused. Athena's apparition was entirely covered in mana. This shouldn’t have been possible… I should only see mana in living things, but her apparition had it. When I tried to ask her, the Goddess burst into laughter and kept laughing for a long time before disappearing. I couldn’t see her mana anymore, and the visual effect of the Gem awakening passed.

“You’re taking too long!” an impatient Chloe burst into my room and dragged me out of bed.

“Stop, that hurts. Didn’t you say you’d stop dragging me?”

“I did, but I changed my mind when I realized how slow you are.”

I was being dragged down the mansion's corridor when my mother and Aunt Margie appeared.

“Kids…” my aunt said.

Chloe immediately let go of me.

“Who arrived? Why is Chloe like this?” I said, still a bit sleepy.

“Your magic teacher has arrived. We’re receiving her at the castle along with her assistant,” my mother said.

“Can we go now, Mommy!?” an eager Chloe asked.

My aunt sighed.

“Calm down, my love. Your teacher just arrived from a long trip. Let her rest a bit and get settled. You’ll understand her personality soon enough… you’ll want her in a good mood, she’s difficult to deal with… but she’s an excellent mage,” my aunt said.

“Have breakfast and get ready to look cute for your teacher,” my mother said.

I don’t want to look ‘cute'...

“Nate, aren’t you forgetting something?” Aunt Margie asked me.

“Taking a bath? I was going to, but I got dragged away…”

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My aunt laughed.

“No, my dear. We’re talking about your little roommate. Did you forget what we discussed?”

For a moment, I had forgotten about this detail.

“I’ll go wake her up…” I said.

This is going to be difficult; she’s very grumpy when she gets woken up. I understand her, I’d rather be sleeping too.

“Your teacher will stay in the castle area and won’t have access to the mansion, but we can’t risk Cylla being seen. Take her to the lake room and ask her to stay there,” my mother said.

I had already thought about this situation when I knew my teacher was coming and had warned Cylla that this would happen.

When it’s time to sleep, I’ll let her out…

“I have to inform you of something, kids. It’s about your teacher’s assistant. She’s also different from us and your teacher. So, don’t comment on her characteristics,” my aunt said.

Chloe frowned, confused by those words. We already knew our teacher was a High Elf, but from what I understood, the assistant was neither human nor elf.

“Is she from another race?” I asked.

“Yes, Nate. We didn’t know her assistant wasn’t an elf, and this will be very good for you to have contact with other cultures. The assistant is a Demi-human, so don’t be surprised by her characteristics. I’ve already taught you about the races on this continent, and she’s from a rare tribe.”

I found that curious.

“Which tribe is she from?”

“I’ll let you find out for yourselves. Now go get ready to meet your teacher,” my aunt said, and we started walking away.

I was walking down the corridor back to my room, with the little monster tagging along.

“You rushed me so much, and in the end, I could have kept sleeping…” I complained.

“We’ve been waiting a month since we awakened our Gems for the teacher to arrive. Of course, I’m in a hurry. We’re going to learn even more about real magic,” she said happily.

Chloe had awakened a few weeks before me. It seems that the children of mages have a higher chance of awakening from the age of eight, and if they don’t awaken by sixteen, they won’t ever. Since I was the child of two mages, it was certain that I would be a mage, so I wasn’t too worried.

Being born a mage is random, so a commoner’s child could awaken their Gem by the age of sixteen and become a mage.

When our Gems awakened, we quickly ran to a mirror to check our eyes. Even though it’s extremely rare for someone to awaken their Gem and also awaken with Special Eyes, it’s common for every mage to check the color of their pupils. Chloe’s and mine remained normal, my dark brown color stayed the same.

A mage has a rare chance of awakening something called Special Eyes by the age of sixteen. When the Gem awakens, the mana channel is created and rushes through the body, including the eyes. That’s why we see rainbow colors and perceive mana in living beings because mana accumulates in large quantities in the eyes. Sometimes, a portion of that mana remains stored in our eyes, and the mage gains what’s called ‘Special Eyes.’ These eyes have unique powers, and the pupil color changes. The mage can awaken these eyes when their Gem awakens or up until they turn sixteen.

Having Special Eyes is nearly impossible, but it’s still something mages are taught to check for, and the kingdom tries to catalog those who possess these Special Eyes.

“I’m going to have breakfast. Catch you later, Nate,” a bouncing Chloe said happily, leaving me at my room door.

She’s really excited to learn magic.

I close the door to my room and look at my hands.

Blue sparks appear and crackle softly.

“I have the Thunder element… that's pretty cool,” I say as I let the lightning dance along my arm.

Chloe and I were forbidden to use our magic until we received formal instruction. My aunt and mother only taught us the basics, so our teacher could guide us without our developing bad habits. Everyone has their own way of using magic, but nobles are usually introduced to it officially by a teacher before attending a Magic Academy. Until then, noble children could practice and learn spells, but the Magic Academy was where they would truly hone their talents.

Since I’m from an important noble family, I’m obligated to study in the city of Apsalon. If I were a commoner, I could attend the academy in our own territory. There’s a law that high-ranking nobles from the three kingdoms must study together at Apsalon Academy to promote unity and cooperation among the races.

I cancel the lightning in my hand and grab some clothes.

Thankfully, that restriction is over now.

Chloe and I were prohibited from using our elements to prevent accidents. Young mages often broke things or could even injure themselves if they set their surroundings on fire. My aunt and mother banned us from using our powers… mainly me, actually.

Chloe’s element is ‘Water,’ so she hasn’t learned any powerful spells yet, and the damage she can cause is minimal. The worst she can do is get herself or someone else wet.

That girl keeps waking me up by splashing water on me!

Water has many practical uses, not just in battle. In our territory, Water mages are invaluable for irrigating crops and creating artificial lakes during droughts.

The problem is my Thunder element. It has no utility beyond pure offense. I can't play with my element like Chloe can. Even minimal use results in shocking someone, and if I use more power, it could seriously hurt them. So, I’m strictly forbidden from playing with lightning.

Not that I’d want to, now that I’ve awakened my magic…

I practice in secret, trying to combine what I’ve learned about Aura with my element. The problem is, I can’t test my inventions because they cause damage or make noise, which would reveal that I’m using magic.

I look at the sleepy four-legged phoenix.

“Cylla, time to wake up.”