I was left unscathed by the disaster, my manapool growing 3 times its size. The immense power-up happened because my soul expanded my container for mana in some way. For the first 24 hours, I could barely use magic, as my mana veins were sore. The mana veins are a theoretical net of passageways connecting your body with your mana.
The elder was thankfully alive—and after 2 days—conscious. I felt relieved, but still held guilt towards what happened.
I dropped down beside him, apologizing for what happened.
"Do not fret over it, young one. No one could've expected what happened. Now that I witnessed it, many things became self-explanatory," the elder muses.
"What do you mean?" Relia asks.
The elder is straining himself by talking, so he ushers us to come closer. "His soul holds power like no other. It is normal to feel a surge of mana, but it stops after a few seconds and isn't anything dangerous. Once you touch your soul, you shouldn't be able to cause any damage, but it seems this one possesses an exceptional soul."
He coughs, with Relia holding him. As he tries to sit up, she forces him back down. "You can't move yet, your body isn't anywhere close to recovering!" she scolds.
"Young one, what did you see when you accessed your soul?" the old man asks me weakly.
"I saw a wall. It was an orange surface that stretched beyond sight," I answer.
The elder's eyes open wide, as his face contorts into an undeniable look of horror.
For a few moments, he tried to regain his wits, processing what I've told him. As his composure returns, he takes a deep breath, as deep as his lungs currently allow him.
"Normally, a soul is supposed to look and feel the size of a ping-pong ball."
Relia raises her eyebrows and looks at me with widened eyes. The elder continues.
"Not just that, but in most cases the color of it is either blue or purplish, like that of the
"N-no. I'm positive that I had a human mother and father," I state, puzzled by this revelation.
"Well, you don't have horns or a halo, so I could've guessed. You should look into your heritage," the elder recommends.
I muse about it, trying to remember any crucial information that my mother gave me about my biological parents. It was so long ago that my memory is foggy at best, but I clearly remember my parents being humans, or at least mostly so. Their genetics could've been mixed with elf blood or another worldly race, but that would still make my soul have normal properties.
"Don't worry about it now," the elder assures me, "When the time comes, everything falls into place. As for me, I'll be alright. My body will heal itself properly once I get to use my magic effectively. Relia told me you want to leave as soon as possible, since you had to learn the
"No, I'll stay here until I see you getting better," I decide.
"Thank you, Adam," Relia bows in the elder's name.
[He's a good kid] she thinks.
-
After an uneventful week passed, the elder got better as he promised. He could use his magic, but it was still noticeably weaker than before.
During this week, he would watch me train in the
"Your force induction couldn't be better," he sarcastically adds.
"You're not helpful, old man!" I retort.
He stood up, taking his bandages off to reveal a bruised body with weird scars that are neither from sharp objects nor burn marks. I withdrew my gaze and sunk it into the ground, ashamed of what I've done.
If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.
"I see that you lack progress once you lose a sparring partner stronger than you," he pokes fun at me, but he was right.
He cracks his knuckles and circles mana through his body. The blue-purplish glow of the
"Old geezer, you can't fight me in your state," I reject his attempt at making me feel better.
"You're seriously underestimating what hundreds of years do to a man," he says as the setting sun casts a shadow over his face.
He dashes forward, making me block his punch. I was bewildered by the amount of power he had after only a week of recovery. We both let out a flurry of punches, letting our fists do the talking.
I could see every single one of his moves, adapting to his speed.
I could draw the fight for a longer period of time in order to beat him with my stamina, but that would be a low blow. I decided to show the old geezer what I can now manage with his martial arts and my magic.
"Rain Swords"
As my spell activated, the elder swiftly evaded the beams of light which became swords. I rushed at him, trying to strike him while he's encased in the light prison.
He reacted quickly, knowing what was happening. He jumped upwards, almost levitating in the air.
He extended both of his hands, creating a triangle with his fingers. His casting speed was amazing, as a force akin to gravity struck me a millisecond after he escaped my trap. The force was quite powerful, eroding the ground and making it crumble into itself. I was left unfazed, my aura pushing against the attack at both my spirit and physical body.
"Your martial arts are bothersome, but I've overcome them," I state, summoning a whip of light which I wrap around the elder while he's still floating in the air.
The rope of light tightly restrains him, with my magic power augmenting it. I pull on the shining rope, smashing him into the ground. As he tries to break out, the Sunsword flies into my hand.
I point it at the elder just as he's about to tear through, declaring my victory.
"You've bested me, I must say..." he admits.
"This would go differently if you were at your full strength," I remark, strapping the Sunsword to my hip.
After seeing that the geezer is getting better, I decided to take my leave and return to the cities of Emperia, still far away from the Dreamer. I still wasn't ready to face it, but I've certainly gotten closer to my goal.
"Leaving already?" Relia sulks, making a dejected face.
"I have to, there are things I must do," I state, waving her goodbye along with the rest of the monks.
She rejects my wave and goes in for a hug, beginning to cry. "I'll miss you Adam!"
"We've only known each other for a month or so," I chuckle, patting her head while embracing her hug.
Yasu approaches me, clearing his throat.
"Adam... Take care of yourself."
"Will do. The same goes for you," I wink, offering a hand.
He accepts it, pulling me closer and slapping my back.
"You're an exceptional kid. You'll definitely go places, so make your life worth it," he says with a genuine smile.
"You're not half-bad yourself," I smirk, taking my leave.
"Thank you for everything guys, especially you Relia. The time I've spent here meant a lot to me, and I'll always remember you," I wave my final goodbye, exiting the dome.
I walk past the elder who's sitting in his chair, back to his meditative state in the desert shrine. I nod as he telepathically wishes me luck on my journey.
[I can see your maturity evolved from experiences that you don't want to talk about. Whatever you're going through, believe in yourself, as I know you'll make it] the elder sends his thoughts into my head.
I nod, exiting the shrine and heading for the closest town from here. The journey will take me only a day or two, during which I'll be left in my own thoughts.
This past month was good for my psyche, as I've taken my mind off of my situation with the Dreamer. I don't know if I can face it alone, maybe it would be good to get someone's help.
Lucidel is out of the question, since he doesn't even know who I am in this reincarnation. The elder could be of help, but I can't ask him to leave his temple to help me in a whole other region of Eviansis, to defeat some dream magic entity. My story would sound absurd, even in this world, which is operated by magic and filled with many mysteries.
-
After traveling for almost 2 days, I arrived in a small town, located about 50 kilometers away from one of the biggest cities in Emperia. This small town is the closest one to the desert shrine, its infrastructure fairly primitive and village-like. I can guess that no more than a thousand people live here.
The houses themselves are made out of a mixture of clay, sand and straw. Wearing white cloth all over them, the inhabitants mostly don't go into the blazing daylight.
A small food booth selling meat wrapped in a tortilla made my saliva drool, finally being able to eat normal food after a month. I'll stay here for a few days while I plan out where I go next.
I take out a pouch containing money and give the man some small change that the food would cost in a big city. The man's eyes widened, and he told me that what I gave him could buy 7 of these.
I wave my hand, telling him to keep the change. I carried a small cube-like artifact in which I held my belongings. The cube had a spatial property which could hold a whole fridge of food, but I mostly just carried money and my weapon.
I'm hit with an ecstasy of pleasure as I take the first bite. "Nothing beats this," I mumble through my stuffed mouth, happily walking towards a rental house that I would sleep in.
One night in the rental was also extraordinarily cheap, which was normal for a house in the middle of nowhere.
I left the lessor a big tip, since she was kind enough to show me around the house.
She was a good old granny, kind enough to leave me bean soup and cookies for tomorrow.
"Thank you very much, that's so kind of you," I thank her as she leaves me alone in the house.
It was a small one room apartment with a bathroom, something I've gotten used to in my current life. I've traveled from one apartment to the next, living the life of a nomad. Hotel rooms were even more often, so I would just spend my time in those while I searched for ways to get stronger and battle against dream magic.
After washing up and walking back to my bed, my heart skipped a beat. A carving was made above my bed, on the previously speckless wall.
"Do not fall asleep tonight"