“As promised, we will leave tomorrow,” Lytha had stated during breakfast.

The days had passed very quickly in the city of knowledge. The time had already arrived for Shaden’s ninth birthday. But he didn’t expect anything special. Lytha allowing him to stay this long was a present in itself, and she had never given him presents during their time in the wild.

“Besides the three, it holds no meaning,” she had told him. Which was why he was looking forward to his tenth and fifteenth birthday, but he would still have to wait. How long had it been since someone had celebrated?

He wondered if his family back home remembered it. Maybe they were celebrating right now, commemorating the day that their son was born. He missed them. The kindness of his parents, outsmarting his brother. The smell of the food that his mother created still lingered on his tongue.

Having everything he needed, there was no reason for him to visit the Library. He had already told them and had tested out everything he had been taught. The golden plate was in his front pocket next to his dagger, protected inside a small leather case that the scholars had given him.

Pleid had been a fascinating person. There was nothing he could not explain and he knew the Library like the back of his hand. Despite his young looks, he was much older than the two elves that had been there, which had blown Shaden’s mind.

A human that was older than elves. They had called themselves Elders. It was difficult to tell age in people who weaved mana like breathing. Shaden felt like he had met some individuals who held more significance than he could imagine. They had treated him with kindness, not acting prideful in any way, but Shaden knew. That each of them possessed power incomparable to anyone he had met.

Including his grandfather and the Headmistress. How his grandfather had infiltrated the Library became a greater mystery to him the longer he spent his time there. Was their stealth magic that potent?

“Hah…”

Eilae put her hands down, breaking the magic barrier she had cast in the process. Her forehead was riddled with sweat, and she leaned back, obviously tired from the exercise.

“Twenty-three minutes and forty seconds,” said Shaden, observing his glowing clock in the air. “A minute and thirty-two seconds more than yesterday.” With a swish of his hand, the light dissipated into nothingness.

Her shaky breath delicately filled the air of her room. Shaden quickly reached out and fetched a jar of water and a cup for her, pouring out the liquid for her to drink. She gratefully accepted it, carefully gulping it down until its contents were in her stomach. Then she wiped her mouth and face with a handkerchief.

“Thank you,” she said as usual. After weeks of practice, she had managed to extend her time more and more each day on her barrier. It was a basic spell that blocked physical attacks, like a shield of sorts. She hadn’t been able to master the barrier spell that protected the user within a sphere of magic. It took a heavy toll on her mana pool, causing her to nearly faint when she attempted it.

For Shaden, no matter what he cast, he felt perfectly fine.

“Tell me when you are ready,” said Shaden.

Along the way, Eilae had been able to purchase mana potions to meet her increasing practice time. While it was harmful to drink too much, a little was fine.

After taking a sip of the potion, Eilae sat still while controlling her breathing, allowing the mana to spread throughout her depleted body. Shaden had wanted to try one. But they were expensive, and he didn’t need them necessarily, so he never had asked.

They began their exercise again, Shaden keeping his eye on the clock while Eilae began to maintain the barrier. Being true to his word, Shaden watched over his pupil to make sure nothing went wrong, which never had happened, but still. He liked to be professional. It was pretty amusing, teaching someone.

Eilae was focused again, her eyes concentrating on her hands where the barrier was coming out from. It had a clear color, much like glass, but emitted light at the same time.

They repeated this for the whole morning. Their last day in the city was not a special one, identical to before. Eventually, Eilae became too tired to continue and went to take a bath while Shaden waited in her room to dry her hair.

Still, it was over now. He had only just begun to experiment in the waking world. Would his knowledge be enough? There were many talented students in the world. No doubt, some of them would even have abilities that would let them think like geniuses.

The more he experimented, the more he felt like his project was lacking. Even his small attempt at producing fire magic—while a success—felt insignificant compared to everything he had read. Not to mention that it had taken weeks of identifying, feeling, and comparing in addition to hours of trial and error every day, respective of the different worlds. Recreating magic was no easy task. He could see why magicians had struggled so much before elven magic had spread publicly.

Simply, he was nervous. He had never been this nervous in all his life. This was a competition he wanted to win, and also the first one he would attend. Demund had never been keen on winning prizes. The only prize he had won was the not-missing-school prize, which basically everyone received.

Competition was a stressful thing.

〄 〄 〄

Preparations had to be made.

After lunch, his tutor had tasked him with obtaining supplies for their upcoming journey, giving him a list of things to buy to fill their large bag with. Food and water, various lotions (Shaden didn’t know if they even existed within the city), and a new map were included.

So Shaden spent the afternoon trying his best to find these items. The ever-existing clouds protected him from the hot summer sun, and the wind soothed his skin during his labor. Overall, it wasn’t bad. He’d simply ask around for the items, go to the shop, and buy them.

There was just one problem. No matter who he asked, he couldn’t locate the shop that sold lotions. There were shops for oils, spices, and even soap, but none of them had the lotions that Lytha had told him to get. Carrying the other supplies with him in the large bag, he walked through the city for a good two hours, repeatedly casting magic on himself to keep his body cool.

When he returned to the hotel in failure, Lytha simply told him,

“That’s too bad. We’ll get it in another city.”

Which he wanted to reply with,

“I searched for two hours!”

But he knew better than to complain. If anything, she would criticize his lack of observation and decision making.

His books had been taken care of already; Pleid had been happy to store them in the Library until Shaden returned. It was spacious after all. As for Eilae’s book on poisons, she had wanted to bring it along with her, and Shaden had offered it to carry it for her in the bag.

For the rest of the afternoon, he played around with magic a little, creating fire, water, earth, wind, lava, electricity—anything he could imagine with his mind. It wasn’t supposed to be that easy, but he could do it. Magic was a complex thing, and the more he read about it, the more troubled he became.

He realized that he needed to be exposed to the common people, have friends who could show him just how abnormal he was. His talent, which he thought of as ‘above average,’ or even ‘very good’ was blowing out proportion.

History had labeled him as a force of change. He didn’t want that. He liked his normal life.

Sooner or later, they would all be involved…

He realized how heavy those words weighed on his existence. He couldn’t deny it. Him, at this age, becoming involved with the Great Library? Meeting three Elders of the Consortium?

But he would leave soon. The unease was still there, and the future his life held was unknown to him, yet he would move through life.

He had to think positively. Maybe he wasn’t that special, and he was simply good at magic since he knew science. Perhaps his pride had clouded his judgment when in reality he wasn’t that outstanding—he just had access to more information.

Would that explain magic unrelated to science? Like the barrier?

A repelling force, he had told himself. Everything could be explained through science; it was just that he didn’t know.

The doubts kept piling inside.

His thoughts fell into oblivion as the surface of his abode was knocked on with someone’s finger bones.

“Dinner is ready!” called Lytha. “Come to the dining hall.”

“We aren’t eating outside?” asked Shaden in confusion. They had always eaten outside during their days here.

“Not today. Get dressed, preferably in nice clothes.”

Her footsteps grew softer until the area turned silent again. He had thought he heard Eilae leave her room a few minutes before; she had never returned from her trip. Since there was no sound next door, he expected that she was downstairs, waiting for him to arrive.

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An unintended smile crept up his face. Could they not make things so obvious?

He chose the best summer clothing he had: A black garment with white leaves weaved into the front, accompanied by dark pants that fell below his knees. They had been gifted to him in Skotos when Eilae had joined their company. Upon closer inspection of the fabric, veins of black branches could be visible throughout its surface, entwined together like shadows on a moonlit night.

Taking a deep breath, he headed downstairs. This would be the first party he would have in ages!

A feast of three large dishes was prepared in the dining hall. There were a few people around, and Lytha had set up the food on a table at the corner of the room where they wouldn’t disturb anyone.

“You’re finally here,” she said as Shaden sat down next to Eilae. “Now then, let’s begin our ‘last day in Saiton’ party! I’m sick of this place.”

Shaden felt like he had been hit in the head with a mallet.

Oh right.

There was no reason why they would celebrate just for this year, especially knowing Lytha. Heck, when he had asked for hers, she hadn’t told him, saying it was all “useless stuff.” His enthusiasm suddenly expired, replaced with disappointment.

“What’s wrong?” asked Lytha with a look that said, ‘What did you expect?’ “Don’t you like the food?”

He couldn’t read her expression. She looked entirely honest with her statement—she had genuinely set up this feast as a celebration for finally leaving Boredom City.

Shaden gave her a weak smile. “They look delicious. I was a bit sad since it’s our last day here.”

“Ludicrous. And here I thought that all the books had made you sick.”

“It’s a wonderful city,” supported Eilae. “I can see why he enjoys his time here.”

“Do you feel the same?”

Eilae smiled. “Not entirely, but it has been a learning experience.”

Food was served by particularly no one as they took turns scooping out the meals with their own utensils, like a mini buffet. They continued to chat about small things, things they learned, their experiences in the city, what Lytha did during her free time (apparently, she was quite the reader too, spending her time in local libraries where she could sleep and read), and so on.

Shaden decided to keep quiet about his gold plate. Pleid hadn’t said anything against it, but he recommended that he kept things personal; you’d never know where information could leak. He’d let his party know once they were away from the city, away from any prying ears.

“You’ve progressed that much?” said Lytha in disbelief. “Up to advanced poisons. Your mother would be proud. She was like you, that girl.”

“I’ve only learned about five. My mother knew much more at my age.”

“Your mother was special. When I met her during my time there, she was your father’s fiancé, staying over to learn your family’s customs. A terrifying girl from a terrifying family.”

“I’m surprised. She said the same about you.”

Lytha chuckled. “Did she?”

And so, while the two were chatting about family matters, of who was doing well and who was doing what, Shaden chewed on his food, a little sad that his existence had been neglected. It was during these moments that he wished for a guy friend with whom he could converse more freely. An honest and good conversation was what he wanted, and it was impossible with these two.

He swallowed bite after bite, enjoying the food. It was surprisingly good, better than anything they had eaten in the city. Lots of meat with cheese, soft bread with a spicy sauce to the side, slices of ham and egg mixed with greens—they were all things he had liked.

When he detected the silence, two pairs of eyes were looking at him.

“What?” he said, his mouth full of food.

“Nothing,” said Eilae. “You look like you’re enjoying it.”

“It’s tasty.”

He thought he saw Lytha smile, and maybe even Eilae.

Soon, most of the food was gone with him consuming a major portion of it. That was when Eilae reached into her pocket and withdrew a small black box with silver engravings on the front. Shyly, she tugged on Shaden’s shirt.

“Hm?”

“Happy birthday, Shaden. This is something I want to give you.”

At a loss of words, Shaden carefully accepted the box from Eilae with an open mouth.

“Pff—”

Eilae burst into giggles, as did Lytha. Shaden dumbly watched as the two exchanged grins and tried their best to not burst out laughing.

“What?” he demanded.

“Oh, it’s nothing. You just looked so disappointed,” said his tutor, leaning against her hand.

“It was meant to be a secret. I’m sorry if you were upset,” added Eilae. “But it worked better than I thought. You made quite the face there. Please, open your gift.”

Shaden raised his eyebrows and rolled his eyes. But he couldn’t hide his smile. With excitement from finally receiving a present, he carefully pulled up the lid and looked inside.

Silver brighter than any pure silver he had seen shined like the moon into his awed eyes. The surface of the metal almost glowed instead of reflecting light. He reached in and held it between his fingers.

It was a silver bracelet of excellent craftsmanship, created through tiny interlocking chains on the outside surrounding a thicker chain of cylindrical locks. The accessory was very light on his hand, but also very solid. It didn’t feel soft at all.

“It’s beautiful,” Shaden breathed. He rolled the bracelet around his palm and inspected the item. “How do I put it on?”

“Let me help,” offered Eilae. Shaden passed the item to Eilae, who delicately undid a lock that Shaden only then recognized.

“There’s another function to this bracelet,” Eilae explained, placing it back on Shaden’s hand. “Do you see this lock here?”

“Yes,” said Shaden, noticing the small binding that held the end of the tiny wound chains.

“If you undo it, the smaller chains come off. Try it.”

He nodded and did as he was told. Just like she had said, the chains unwound around the thicker, cylindrical links. He was left with a thicker chain connected to a tinier, but much longer one.

“Push the top.”

When Shaden failed to find the area, Eilae helped him out by placing her finger on said area. With a small nudge and a click, the tip of the cylindrical chain transformed into a sharp, silver set of small blades pointing upwards to form a spike.

“It’s an emergency weapon,” said Eilae. “I have one too. See?”

She displayed her silver necklace underneath her clothes for Shaden to see.

“Is this silver?” asked Shaden.

“Of course not. It’s something much rarer—a high-grade magical metal.”

“It’s not mithril, is it?” asked Shaden.

Eilae frowned. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

Shaden looked at the item again. It looked like the mithril he saw in the games he used to play. But then again, many metals were silver.

“What is a magical metal?”

“It’s metal that has been under the influence of mana for a very, very long time. It cost quite a fortune, so make sure you cherish it. This is a gift not only from me but also from my family.”

“I will. I promise.”

Out of curiosity, he put his mana into. Immediately, he felt the metal as if it were his skin, with clarity and a sensation he never expected to feel. From shock, he almost dropped the bracelet but restrained himself. He had thought he grew an extra, longer finger for a moment.

Magical metal. It was something tremendous. He would regularly fiddle with it during their travels and test it out.

He wound the chains back again, retracted the spikes, and finally equipped it on his arm. It was icy on his skin, but not painful; it was refreshing to the touch and cool to the mind.

“I love it. Thanks, Eilae,” said Shaden in earnest.

She smiled meekly, turning aside to her food.

“Come to think of it, when is your birthday?” Shaden asked, putting the box away. “You never told me.”

“………the tenth day of the third month,” she said in a small voice.

“Really? I should have—”

“Don’t worry about it,” she stated, regaining her composure. “As a guest, it is only natural that I give you the gift first.”

“I’ll be sure to get you a present next year,” promised Shaden. “Lytha, while we’re at it, when is your birthday?”

His tutor smiled. “You don’t need to know.”

“But it’s not fair—”

“I don’t need anything like birthdays. It's meaningless to me.”

In the end, Shaden failed to get the information from his stubborn aunt.

〄 〄 〄

The first experiment.

Demund placed the bottle of algae in front of him and took in a deep breath. He had obtained the sample from a stream nearby, gathering the microscopic creatures en masse inside a large water bottle. Having purchased other smaller bottles, he had inserted each container with the same volume of algae, giving him a total of five samples to work with.

The law of the universe stated that mana was created by living beings and living beings only. It was the reason why crystals were harvested from monsters and beasts in Exarria, not through mining within deep tunnels underground. There were exceptions, such as the interference of dungeon cores or other mystical creatures on their environment, but this was the law.

Through discussing with Pleid, Shaden had been clarified on what made crystals and what did not. Why did magical beasts produce crystals upon dying but normal farm animals did not? What was the difference?

Putting it loosely, mana was a solute in the spirit. If a beast possessed enough mana, their mana would crystalize as their spirit faded away, condensing into a single point at the center of their body, much like a vacuum reaction. Contrary to popular thought, crystals were not formed until the monster died. It was why not every monster dropped crystals, and why the size varied among the same species.

Normal animals held too little mana to solidify into a crystal. Or rather, their concentration of mana was too low. Had Demund wanted to create an artificial magic beast, it would take a long and arduous process of inserting his mana into a rat little by little, as the animal could die due to mana overdose or the difference between human and rat mana.

Pleid had provided him with a simple solution. Instead of producing mana crystals from large, unstable beasts, why not use microscopic organisms that wouldn’t die as easily? Them being so small, Demund wouldn’t have to expend as much mana.

Such was the solution of algae. They could be harvested easily from a water source. The only problem was that the final product would be very messy, but he’d worry about that later.

He wrapped his hands around the first bottle and began to spread his mana into the solvent. The glow was barely visible, but Demund could feel his power slowly dripping away into the container. Pleid had warned him about not seeing immediate results. Tiny organisms rarely changed from the influence of mana since their capacity was limited, but if he continuously kept at it, a fuel source would finally be ready. The approximate time it would take for a normal man to create a sample of mana-fed algae was two weeks. That was more than enough time.

The key was consistency. He’d have to gradually increase the algae’s tolerance to his mana, else they lose it altogether. Once he created a good sample, he could simply reproduce that colony and prevent it from dying.

All living things were made mana, no matter how small. It was their capacities that differed, meaning he would have to increase them. If thousands died in the process, other thousands would take their place, stronger and modified.

He completed his mana transfer on the first bottle. After practicing every day as Shaden, he was quite adept at controlling his mana outside his body as Demund, through to a much smaller scale.

Shaden was undeniably a genius. Every day, he felt the vast boundary between his two selves.

Demund continued to the next bottle, slowly pouring in his mana. He repeated the process with the other three bottles that were left, carefully limiting his flow like he had been taught by Pleid. The trick was to swirl his mana within the solution, making it go through every nook and cranny.

Perhaps it was because of his constant practice with his leg that allowed Demund to be so adept at his task. Inserting mana into objects was something he was used to.

“Whew…”

Demund let out a sigh of satisfaction, looking over the five bottles he had created. Nothing appeared to have changed, but he was exhausted, confirming that his mana had traveled into the solutions.

Now came the real problem. He would have to repeat the process at least five times a day according to Pleid. Which meant he’d have to take the bottles with him to school.

They were small bottles. But five was still a lot to carry around.

Oh well.

He’d just have to ask the teacher.

〄 〄 〄

It was relatively quiet when he arrived at school on Monday. He had spent the weekend nurturing the algae samples and hadn’t checked the current news of Junior’s Advancement, but apparently, all of the names for the contenders of TISE High had been set. Only the teachers knew them, of course, so that they could help the contenders plan better.

The school wouldn’t supply funds and resources unless one made it into the three students that would represent the school. So, until late October when the victors’ names were to be announced, they were off on their own. That didn’t mean the teachers couldn’t help.

After receiving permission from his homeroom teacher, Demund placed the bottles of algae next to the window in the teacher’s lounge where it would be the safest. Every break time, he’d come to the room, quickly insert mana into the samples, and go back to class.

This would continue until the samples were finally ready.

As for magic...he'd keep it as a secret as a surprise.