The workshop buzzed with the soft and repetitive hum of carving tools, giving it a soothing ambiance. An old man sat behind the counter, carving something with meticulous care. His hands moved with a practiced grace, shaping the wood into something special. On a worn sofa in the corner lay a black-haired, long-eared boy, fast asleep. Paradoxically, next to the sleeping Charlie, a 10-year-old Huey eagerly waited, his eyes filled with anticipation for his grandpa to finish what he promised to make for him.
“Huey, come here for a moment,” the old man called, his voice gentle yet commanding.
Huey’s face lit up as he rushed to the counter. “Grandpa? Is it finished?”
The old man smiled, handing Huey a small wooden object. It was a replica of the mysterious "gun" his grandfather always carried around.
“Wow! Thank you, Grandpa!” Huey exclaimed, examining the wooden gun with awe.
Huey, full of excitement, began mimicking the way he saw his grandfather use his “gun,” pointing the wooden gun around the workshop. At the ground, at the ceiling, even at his elven sleeping friend.
“Why doesn't it shoot lightning, Grandpa?” he asked, puzzled.
The old man chuckled. “Because it's a wooden gun, silly. It doesn't shoot ‘lightning’ like mine. And from how you immediately tried to use it, it's a good thing that it doesn’t.”
“But I want mine to shoot lightning too!” Huey pouted.
“One, it might look the part, but it doesn't shoot lightning,” his grandfather corrected. “And two, you're too young for a real gun,” his grandfather explained patiently.
“But I'm not a child! I'm 10 years old! Mom says I'm a big boy now, and I'm stronger than everyone,” Huey insisted, puffing out his chest.
“Sure you are, but no gun for you, little man,” the old man said, shaking his head with a smile.
As the old man began carving another wooden gun for the sleeping Charlie, Huey’s excitement turned into frustration. He stomped his foot and clenched his fists.
“Grandpa, I want a real gun! I’m not a baby!” Huey’s voice rose, echoing through the workshop.
The old man sighed, setting his tools down. “Huey, calm down,” he said, his patience wearing thin. “Do you even know what you do with a real gun?”
“It shoots lightning!” Huey shouted, his face flushed with anger.
“No, Huey,” the old man said, his voice firm. He reached for his real gun, showing it to Huey but keeping it out of reach. “This is used to kill. Do you know what killing means?”
“Yes, it's when you make someone die,” Huey said confidently.
“Making someone die… Hahaha…. You’re right. This—a gun is used to make someone die. Do you know what dying means?” the old man asked, his tone serious.
“Yes, it's when you stop living. Then you go to hell,” Huey replied innocently.
Hearing his Grandson’s answer, the old man's expression changed dramatically. His eyes widened with shock, and his grip tightened on Huey's shoulders. “Huey, where did you hear that?!” he asked, his voice trembling slightly.
“Grandpa, you're hurting me!” Huey winced.
“Sorry, where did you hear about that place, where did you hear about ‘hell’?” the old man asked, releasing his grip.
“You said it to Dad and Mom the other day,” Huey explained.
“Me?” The old man mumbled, unable to recall ever doing that, however as seconds went by he began to remember. The old man recalled a drunken night when he mentioned that place to his son and daughter-in-law. “Say, Huey, what else did I say?”
“You said they would die and burn in hell,” Huey replied.
“Oh, crap… No wonder the two started acting so weird after that day… What have I done? They most likely see me as a lunatic now,” the old man muttered, lamenting his words. Looking at his Grandson who was looking at him completely confused, “Sorry Huey,” he apologized. “Grandpa was drunk back then. Forget everything I said.”
“It wasn’t true then that Mom and Dad are going to burn in hell?” Huey asked, his eyes wide with curiosity.
Sure, here's a revised version: “You’re…” He wanted to tell his grandson that he was right. He had lied, but a part of him—no, it wasn’t just a part of him but his whole self—protested against lying about what he knew to be the truth. “No, I didn’t lie. Do you want to hear your grandpa’s biggest secret?” the old man said, softening his tone.
“Yes!” Huey nodded eagerly.
The old man led Huey to the sofa where Charlie was still sleeping and began his tale. “As I've told you and Charlie, Grandpa isn't from this world. I came from a world of technology, with guns far more advanced than this one. We had robots and something called the internet.”
“What's a robot, Grandpa?” Huey asked, fascinated.
“A robot is a machine that can move and do things on its own, like a person but not alive. Imagine a metal man that can follow orders, build things, and even fight in wars,” the old man explained.
“Wow! Did you have one?” Huey asked, his eyes sparkling with wonder.
“Yes, we had many. They helped us with all sorts of tasks,” the old man said, reminiscing.
“What's the internet?” Huey asked, leaning in closer.
“It's like a giant library where you can find any information you want, but you don't need to go anywhere. You can see it all on a screen,” the old man explained.
“A screen?” Huey asked, puzzled.
“Like a window that shows pictures and words. You could talk to people far away, watch movies, and play games on it,” the old man said, trying to make it relatable. “Oh, right. Just like that thing you see here on the corner of the eyes,” he said, holding his hand against the corner of his eye. “Can you see it?”
“You mean my HP, MP, SP?”
“Yes, that corner holding those status information, that’s what a screen looks like. In my world, we discovered the existence of the soul and the afterlife. Some believed in heaven and hell. Do you know what a soul is?” the old man continued.
“No, what's a soul?” Huey asked.
“A soul is like the part of you that makes you who you are. It's not something you can see or touch, but it's there inside you,” the old man said, tapping Huey's chest gently. “And that something inside you is the true you. When I died in my world, my soul left my body and was taken to another place—that place is ‘hell’.”
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Seeing how his Grandfather usually warm expression turned grim, mentioning that place Huey felt a shiver run his back. But trying to keep a facade, “Am I going to hell too when I die, Grandpa?” Huey asked, his voice trembling.
“To tell the truth, I don't know, Huey. This world isn't my world, so perhaps people here won't go to hell like I did. But if they are... Are you afraid?” the old man asked softly.
“Yes, Grandpa,” Huey admitted, unable to hold onto the facade busting into tears.
“Hush, hush… You don't have to be afraid. You have time ahead of you. There might be hell or no hell at the end of the journey, but you and Charlie have a shot at saving yourselves. Do you want to know how?” the old man asked, his eyes serious.
“How, Grandpa?” Huey asked, leaning in and wiping his tears.
“By being strong and doing what my wiser fellow humans from Terra did—strive for immortality. Get strong, my boy. Be immortal, be eternal,” the old man said, his voice filled with conviction.
***
Huey and Charlie were standing in a meadow near the Grandram Forest. It was spotted a couple of hours' journey away from the town of Ashton, and the late afternoon sun was casting its last orangey ray of sunshines from the horizon. Charlie stood with both hands extended toward the ground. Before him, a magic circle and a rune were etched into the earth, separated by a small distance.
"You got this?" Huey asked, his voice calm but laced with anticipation.
Charlie nodded in response, his eyes focused and determined.
Charlie began to move the magic circle, carefully aligning it to overlap with the rune. At its center was the chunk of manacyte they had been experimenting with for weeks. As soon as the magic circle and rune overlapped, a swirling pillar of wind erupted, summoned by the magic circle Charlie summoned with [Air magic].
After exactly five seconds, the rune, in turn, began to activate. Lightning crackled chaotically within the swirling vortex of wind. But despite the chaos, the lightning strictly remained contained within the vortex, illuminating the darkening meadow with brief, intense flashes.
It was truly a display of contained chaos.
Then, as abruptly as it had started, the phenomenon ceased. The lightning and swirling tornado vanished, leaving the rune and magic circle scorched into the earth. Only the manacyte remained, seemingly untouched by the intense magical forces.
Charlie broke into a wide grin. "It worked, huh?"
Huey clapped him on the back, a triumphant smile on his face. "Of course it did. Five seconds exactly, baby!"
In their excitement, Huey and Charlie chest-bumped, causing the less athletic Charlie to stumble back, falling onto the grass. Both of them laughed, their exhilaration undamped by the fall, if anything it added to the exhilaration.
The experiment was the culmination of countless trials and errors. Huey and Charlie had spent weeks determining the level of control Huey's newfound power granted him. This successful attempt demonstrated that Huey could add unique conditions, ensuring the manacyte only fueled the magic circle and not the rune for exactly a set amount of time, that can be set by either Charlie or added by Huey himself.
A second condition was applied to the rune, ensuring its effects were contained by the air magic circle cast by Charlie. This magic circle included a parameter to reflect lightning within its bounds, a feature added by Charlie himself.
The experiment revealed two critical insights. Despite being manipulated by Huey, the rune still recognized Charlie as its true wielder. Furthermore, Huey's modifications to the runes—adding unique parameters—were almost equal to or superior to those of the original rune caster.
Their successful experiment demonstrated complete synchronization between Huey and Charlie, a harmony of magical prowess and precise control.
Huey walked up to the manacyte, picking it up and examining it with awe. "This is awesome."
Huey’s eyes gleamed with genuine amazement as he looked at the manacyte. His excitement stemmed mainly from that despite being a barbarian, which is known for their physical prowess rather than magical aptitude. Barbarians typically relied on fists, feet, and sheer brute force, not on the intricacies of magic circles and runes. Therefore, being able to interfere with magic was truly awesome for him, as this power granted him the possibility to do something that as a barbarian he gave up on ever doing.
“This makes me really want to see if I could mess with a tier 2 rune,” Huey said, his voice filled with wonder.
Charlie, still lying on the grass, shook his head. “You know I can't do that.”
Huey sighed. “I know.”
Charlie’s magic circles are cast [Ice magic], a skill that is a magic-type skill. When acquired, it, like all skills, starts at level 1. At that level it grants the wielder access to a tier 1 magic circle, which means that it grants one access to a one-layered magic. For a magic circle layers are what determine the parameters under which the magical effect will be manifested with. So needless to say that with such a use, ergonomically and performance-wise, the more layers there are the better the effect is. Upon leveling up to level 2, one gains the ability to conjure a two-layered magic circle. Charlie, as a level 3 Memory Keeper with lightning magic at level 2, could summon a two-layered magic circle. However, his level 1 [Imprint Magic] allowed him to inscribe only a tier 1 magic circle into a rune.
Huey often wished Charlie's level was a bit higher, closer to his own, to make things perfect. But it was what it was—a wish, not reality.
“How about I mess with a level 2 magic circle instead?” Huey proposed, a spark of mischief in his eyes.
Charlie’s expression turned serious. “Do you have a death wish?”
“No,” Huey replied confidently. “I'm just confident in not messing this up.”
A tier difference signified an increase in the potency of the spell. A two-layered magic circle was more powerful and complex than a one-layered one, suggesting potential incidents like those in the shop, but more potent.
“Besides, even if it goes south, I'm tougher than I look. I'm a barbarian, did you forget? I'm built to handle things.”
Charlie shook his head. “Well, I'm a Memory Keeper. I'm not built to handle that, and if we're going to use a magic circle, I'd be at point blank. So really it’ll be without me.”
Charlie's point was valid, prompting Huey to reconsider. “Alright, I give up that idea.”
Charlie stood up, brushing the grass off his clothes. “Besides, I don't have much MP left for something like that.”
Huey grinned at Charlie. “You’re already out of MP?”
Charlie shot him a glare. “What do you mean I’m already out of MP? I’ve been casting rune after rune, magic circle after magic circle all afternoon! I’m a level 3 Memory Keeper, not a manacyte you can bottomlessly draw MP from.”
“Alright, alright, I get it. Sorry for that.”
Charlie sighed, brushing off his frustration. “It’s getting dark. Let’s go back home.”
Huey, however, was still deep in thought about further experiments. “Yeah, but first, I want to try one last thing. How long did you say you can keep your rune active?”
“Seven minutes as of now. Why?”
“I’m curious if I can add a parameter to prolong that.”
Charlie looked hesitant. “That…”
“Don’t tell me you’re not curious to see if that’s possible,” Huey teased.
“I should’ve chosen my friends better,” Charlie muttered.
“You never chose. It was destined to be like this.”
Charlie sighed again but relented. “Alright, just any rune will do, right?”
“Yeah. If possible, add a parameter that makes the rune disappear faster than normal. It’ll help me figure out which set of nodes is responsible of that faster.”
“Alright, two minutes should be enough.”
“Make it six,” Huey bargained.
“Five.”
“Alright, five it is.”
Charlie inscribed the rune on the ground and stepped back to allow Huey to work. Huey began by giving the manacyte a parameter to delay its power to the rune for five minutes. Then he placed the manacyte at its designated spot and delved into the rune.
Through trial and error, Huey figured out that, despite not being a mage or a Memory Keeper or any class that are highly familiar with magic circle, he, if he know what he’s looking for, can have it be that the parameters he’s looking for are highlighted within the rune. He does so by giving the rune something akin to an order—a very precise one.
The agreed five minutes which was overwritten into 10 minutes passed faster than expected. A few dozen seconds before the established time, Huey withdrew, partly confident and partly unsure if his adjustments would work. As the countdown held by Charlie ended, a single lightning strand zapped out, making him think it failed. However, the lack of additional zaps renewed his hope until the rune’s light dimmed.
“What happened?” Charlie asked.
Huey approached to inspect the manacyte, now giving a whitish hue. “I think it ran out of juice.”
“I can see that. Did you bring another?”
Huey shook his head. “I didn’t expect this to happen.”
“I see... I guess we’re going back home then, right?”
Huey, instead of looking towards the town, gazed in the opposite direction towards the dark forest, remembering an old discussion with his grandpa.
“Charlie,” Huey said, his tone suddenly serious.
Charlie looked at him, worried. “What?”
“Let’s make you strong. Immortal. Eternal.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
Huey’s eyes shone with determination. “Let’s level you up.”