Aidan’s eyes fluttered open, the dim light of the healer’s room filtering through the thick wooden slats of the windows. His body felt like lead, every muscle protesting even the slightest movement. Blinking a few times to clear away the sleep, Aidan saw Kaelira sitting by his side, her eyes filled with worry and relief. The soft scent of herbs filled the room, mingling with the faint hint of smoke lingering on his clothes.
“You’re awake,” Kaelira said, her voice soft yet tinged with tension. She reached out, her hand warm as it clasped his. “How do you feel?”
“Drained,” Aidan admitted, trying to sit up but falling back against the rough fabric of the cot. “What happened? I remember trying to put out a fire, then nothing.”
Kaelira sighed, her grip tightening slightly. “That fire… It was your fire spell… it was more powerful than anything I’ve ever seen. You could have levelled the entire village if we hadn’t acted quickly. You need to understand the seriousness of this.”
“You saw it?” Aidan’s heart sank as the memories flooded – the rush of power and intense heat. “I didn’t mean to… I lost control.”
Kaelira looked at Aidan, her brows bunching, But before she could respond, the door to the room burst open with a bang as it smashed into the wall. Eryndor strode in, his face a mask of fury. “Reckless, irresponsible,” Eryndor spat, glaring at Aidan. “Do you have any idea what you could have done? You endangered everyone with your foolishness! I expected better from you.”
Aidan flinched the sting of Eryndor’s words cutting deep, the feeling of a lump forming in his throat. “I… I didn’t know it would be that powerful. I… I never meant to set the tree on fire. I was trying to stop it.”
Eryndor’s eyes narrowed. “Stupid! What did you expect, unleashing a force you can’t control? You’re lucky we were able to contain the damage. This isn’t some game, Aidan. Magic is dangerous, and you need to respect that. What would you have done if we told you that your stupidity killed someone? Hmm. Well?”
“I… No…“Started Aidan as his voice cracked. “Please tell me I didn’t kill someone.”
“No.”Huffed Eryndor as he shook his head. “You didn’t, but you must understand just how reckless you were.”
“I accessed new abilities,” Aidan said, desperation creeping into his voice. “There was this girl… and a menu. She called it the ‘Sub-Admin menu.’ She guided me through it.”
At the mention of the menu and girl, Eryndor and Kaelira exchanged a look of shock and recognition. Aidan could see the fear and confusion in their eyes, which only deepened his unease.
“We need to call the Elder,” Eryndor said, his voice heavy with gravity. “She needs to hear this. Hang on, I’ll send for her.”
Eryndor stepped out of the room; Aidan could hear him shouting at someone before he returned. He stared at Aidan before letting out a sigh.
A few awkward minutes later, after Aidan tried to get the two to speak to him, the Elder entered the healer’s room, her presence commanding and serene. Her wise, penetrating eyes settled on Aidan as he recounted his story again. She listened without interruption, her expression growing more severe with each word.
When he finished, the Elder sat silently for a moment, her gaze distant as if sifting through ancient memories. “What you describe is not something any mage can do, Aidan. Controlling the elements in such a manner… it’s unheard of. It is classed as forbidden magic and knowledge. I… I think I know who you were speaking to. And it isn’t good. If she is the one who claims you… The other goddess will have felt her and your magic.”
The Elder looked at Eryndor as she pinched her nose. “We need to evacuate the village. Get everyone who doesn’t want to fight out.”
Kaelira and Eryndor stared at the Elder in shock. They both looked at Aidan before Eryndor finally spoke. “You don’t mean…”
“Yes.” Replied the Elder softly. “The goddess will most likely send a saint. They will not take his magic use lying down. Not if she is involved.”
Aidan looked back and forth between the three of them as if he had made a massive mistake. “Can someone please tell me what’s going on?”
The Elder sighed before sitting on the chair beside Aidan’s bed. “In time. You need to understand the last goddess war. Some things that were forbidden happened in that war. History that only a few would even know about now. For now, Kaelira will work with you to explain how magic and your intent work.”
Aidan nodded. “Ok. What should I do in the meantime?”
The Elder’s eyes bore into his, filled with a stern kindness. “You must keep this to yourself. The implications of your actions could cause panic. We will handle this carefully. Understood?”
“Yes, Elder,” Aidan replied, feeling the weight of her words on his shoulders. As the Elder left, he couldn’t shake the feeling of impending doom. What had he unleashed? And what did it mean for the village and himself?
Kaelira smiled as she sat down and nodded at him. Her presence was a comforting anchor in the storm of his thoughts.
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The days following the Elder’s visit were a blur; Aidan fell back into an almost regular exercise routine. The only significant difference was that the village’s number of people still living in the village was slowly dwindling. The news of the evacuation had spread, and more people each day joined the groups of villages leaving.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Aidan tried not to think about it too much, but the near-constant blur of exhaustion and relentless training kept him busy. He barely had time to process the gravity of his newfound abilities the first day before Eryndor, and Kaelira thrust him into an intensified regimen designed to hone his physical skills, combat techniques, and, most importantly, his magical control and discipline.
Morning after gruelling morning, Aidan rose before dawn, his muscles protesting as he pushed through a series of rigorous exercises under Eryndor’s stern gaze. The training grounds echoed with the clashing of wooden swords and the grunts of exertion. Eryndor’s training was harsh but effective, each strike and counterstrike chiselling away at Aidan’s raw potential, forging him into a competent fighter.
But it was Kaelira’s lessons that truly tested him. In a secluded grove, away from the prying eyes of the remaining villagers, she guided him through the intricacies of magic, her patient instruction contrasting with Eryndor’s harsh methods.
Kaelira explained how the magic system was structured and how the magic caster’s emotions and intent would affect the spell being cast. Aidan was only more certain after each lesson that someone who liked role-playing games had designed the system used.
“The magic system used has five different orders of power; each new order has significantly more power than the previous order,” Kaelira explained. “Each different school of magic has five orders or levels to it. Each order has three levels. You need to level up each magic order before the system will let you advance to the next order level.”
Aidan nodded as he tried to wrap his head around her explanation. “So I need to level up my current magic three times before I can unlock the next lev… Order of magic.”
“Yes.”Replied Kaelira with a smile. “But simply maxing out the levels of the order is not enough to unlock the next order level. The person also needs to have the required experience level as well. First-order magic is available normally once a person selects their class. Second-order magic requires the person to reach level twenty. The third is at level 40. So gaining access to the next order can take quite a long time.”
Aidan’s lessons with Kaelira continued much the same as she had him practice how to summon fire without losing control. Kaelira’s patience seemed boundless as Aidan struggled with the seemingly endless list of requirements of casting magic.
One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the grove, Kaelira sat beside Aidan on a moss-covered log. She looked deep in thought, troubled almost, her eyes reflecting the dying light as she watched him work through casting firebolt again.
“There’s something you need to understand, Aidan,” she began, her voice quiet yet firm. “Magic is not just a tool; it’s a force of nature. It responds to your emotions and your will. But if you let it, it can consume you.”
Aidan nodded, sensing the gravity of her words. “I’m trying to control it, Kaelira. I really am.”
She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “I know. But it would be best if you heard this story. It’s about a mage named Thalon.”
Aidan listened intently as Kaelira told the tale of Thalon, a mage of extraordinary talent and power. Driven by rage and grief by the loss of his wife and child, he unleashed a fourth-order spell upon a city that had wronged him. Fueled by his unchecked emotions, the spell obliterated the city. Countless people died in the blast, not just in the city but in the surrounding farmlands as well. The area became nothing but a barren wasteland. The magical contamination rendered the land uninhabitable, a scar on the world that remains even to this day.
“Thalon’s anger led to the ruin of countless lives,” Kaelira said, her eyes locked on Aidan’s. “He lost himself to his magic. Promise me, Aidan, you’ll never let your emotions dictate your power.”
Aidan swallowed hard, the weight of her words pressing down on him. “I promise, Kaelira.”
As the training continued, the elder turned up one day during his morning training with a new trainee. Aidan noticed how she was not human. She had striking features – a mix of feline grace and human elegance. Her fur on her arms and legs was a deep auburn, her eyes a vivid green that sparkled as her ears on the top of her head twitched.
“Aidan.” Called the Elder as she approached. “This is Liora. She will be part of your training going forward. Everything you do, she will do with you. The temple recently destroyed her village, and we all agree that you and her will benefit from the arrangement.”
Aidan looked at Liora. Confusion and frustration bubbled within him. “Elder, why do I need someone to train with me? Eryndor is pushing me to grow enough.”
Before the Elder could respond, Liora cut in, her tone sharp and filled with disdain. “Because you’re dead weight, that’s why. I’d rather be dead than be stuck with someone who can’t even control his own magic without almost destroying the village.”
Aidan bristled at her words, the sting of her insult cutting deep. “I didn’t ask for this,” he retorted, his voice edged with defensiveness. “I’m doing the best I can.”
Liora scoffed, her green eyes narrowing. “Your best isn’t good enough. You’re a liability. I lost my village to the temple’s madness, and now I’m stuck with you? What a joke.”
The Elder stepped forward, her commanding presence filling the space between them. “Liora, enough. Both of you must understand that this is bigger than any personal grievances. We are all on the same side, and unity is our strength.”
Liora crossed her arms, her tail flicking in irritation. “Unity? With him? He’s more likely to get us all killed.”
The Elder’s gaze hardened. “Liora, you’ve experienced loss, and I understand your pain. But taking out your anger on Aidan will not help us prepare for what’s coming. You both have strengths and weaknesses. Together, you can balance each other out.”
Liora’s ears flattened against her head, a clear sign of her irritation. “Balance? He’ll drag me down. How do you expect me to train with someone like him? He can’t even use his magic. I am so far ahead of him in terms of power and skill. Even Master Ross told me I was a prodigy with magic.”
Aidan felt a surge of rage. How dare she think she is better than him. She had no idea how much he was pushing to get stronger. Eryndor had told him not to check his stats as he trained. He knew he was stronger and faster than when he first started training. He felt confident he could take Liora in a straight-up fight.
Aidan stepped forward, meeting Liora’s fierce gaze. “Then let’s settle this. If I beat you without using magic, will you agree to train with me?”
Liora’s eyes gleamed with the challenge, a smirk playing on her lips. “Fine. But don’t expect me to go easy on you. If you can’t handle a simple fight, there’s no way you’ll survive what’s coming.”
The Elder nodded a hint of approval in her eyes. “Very well. This will be a test of your physical skills and discipline. Aidan, remember what you’ve learned from Eryndor. Liora, fight with honour.”
Liora scoffed. As she stretched, swinging her arms around to loosen up. There was no honour in fighting this human. She knew that if she could use her magic, this fight would be over before it could even begin. A non-magical fight would end the same way.
They moved to the training grounds as Eryndor stood at the edge, his arms crossed, watching intently. Aidan and Liora faced each other, the tension between them palpable. Liora moved with a predatory grace, her stance low and balanced. Aidan mirrored her, his mind racing through the techniques Eryndor had drilled into him.
“Ready?” Liora taunted, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Aidan nodded, his focus sharpening. “Ready.”