David POV
Calvin teleported us to the front of his house and he teleported the whole dwarven village into the volcano as well. He got a few gashes here and there, but he looked mostly fine. He then brought me along to help clean up the plasma at the fight scene, there wasn't a lot to begin with, so he mostly had me use my light magic on top of Leah's father's magic. Mr. Hill Wright's element is earth, when used with light, we can create some grass and if there are seeds, my magic can help them sprout and let us fix the forest faster. So it took us a while before we got to go back and rest, he plans on having us get the holy sword the next day.
The forest was unrecognizable, reduced to a wasteland of charred earth, shattered trees, and smoldering craters. So it took us a while to fix it before we got to go home.
"Sorry Calvin, I'm still a bit weak." I apologized after making sure we were alone.
"No worries, but you should get stronger quicker if we want this to be successful." he replied, "I'm not as strong as the Calvin you know."
"Yeah, sorry."
"No need to apologize, a person with your strength at your age is heavily sought after."
"I only got this strong with unfair knowledge."
"There is no such thing as fair, use it, however. That demon earlier was just a throwaway lackey. There's more about where they came from. I'm going to need you to handle them while I handle the big boss."
"Sure, I probably just need more fighting experience, it's how I used to develop."
"We can handle that, with Leah and Duke as our backup, we should be able to tackle harder and harder opponents."
"Future Leah has way more mana than today, much stronger too...the only way we can get her to reach that strength...well, I can't think of any unless it involves losing you."
"Don't worry, we'll train her along with you, her mana is indeed a bit of a problem...there's no news of Rose in the future, right? Any scared-face woman or dragon?"
"No, I would tell you if I did."
Even after going back to the past, I was mostly useless. I thought stepping into a supportive healer role and secondary damage dealer would make me valuable, but it only highlighted how far behind I was. Sure, I'm stronger now than I was before, but nowhere near strong enough to make a difference. To be useful in fights like these, I need to reach S-rank and fast. I had to hide behind Leah and Duke...
Worse, my interference seems to speed everything up, dragging out stronger enemies before we're ready.
Was this really the right choice? Or am I just making things harder for everyone else?
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"Why do you look so down?" Linda asked.
We just finished breakfast and Calvin left with Leah to help put the dwarfs back at their original spot since it is mostly repaired by now. The dwarves and phoenixes have nothing against each other, but the dwarves rather not live in a volcano, while the phoenixes wanted secrecy.
"It's nothing, I'm just...well...I'm journeying with Calvin as an apprentice of sorts, but I feel like I'm not doing enough, I was barely of use in the fight."
"Barely of use? You survived, didn't you?"
"Surviving isn't the same as contributing. Calvin took care of everything. Leah fought like a storm. Even Duke put his life on the line. I stood there, healed a bit, and got tossed around. I was basically useless...whether I was there or not...the result would have been the same..."
"You know, I hate that Calvin does this work. Why does he want to help people? The same people who betrayed him so many times and made him cry...why can't he just stop? He doesn't owe anyone anything anymore. It's foolish and it's going to get him killed one day. He's the strongest phoenix and yet he can't even turn into one. And still, he throws himself into these fights, dragging the rest of us along with him. I wish he'd choose peace over danger for once. I even made him promise to never risk his life for me."
"It's just who he is, I guess."
"Strength doesn't come overnight, David. You think Calvin was always like this? He worked for it, fought for it. And to be honest, he's a bit lucky. He was born a defect, and somehow, he turned it into a strength."
"...A defect? What do you mean?" I asked in surprise, "How is Calvin a defect?"
"Here, let me show you something."
She stood and walked over to a shelf, pulling out a small, weathered photograph and handed it to me. Cameras exist in this world after all, they are very old-fashioned compared to where I'm from, but they do the job, and they're very expensive in this world. I examined the photo and saw that the colors were slightly faded but still vivid enough to see the details.
I studied the photo. Linda was there with 2 other person. Beside her was a beautiful woman with long, white hair and striking facial features similar to both Linda and Calvin. I assume she was Calvin's mother.
But the third figure drew my attention. Standing slightly apart from the two women was a man or something resembling one. His horns curved back elegantly with super pale skin. His crimson eyes seemed to burn even through the faded photograph. He had giant bat like wings that was spread out behind the 2 ladies.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
I swallowed hard, realization dawning in.
"Calvin is...a half-demon."
"I assume Calvin kept it a secret." She replied as I then handed the picture back to her, she held it and looked at it fondly, "His father...it's a long story that I'm sure Calvin will tell you one day...but he was the only good one."
"Ma'am...may I ask how this explains him being a defect?"
"My husband was angel."
"I'm sorry, what?"
"An angel." she shrugged as if it explained everything, "My daughter is a half-angel and half-phoenix, very powerful, but with her falling for a demon...their blood clashed with each other, they tried having many children, but...well, the pregnancy never went through...until Calvin. Melissa and Xavier were warned that if Calvin were to be born, it will be at the cost of Melissa's life...Melissa made her choice...and we have Calvin."
"..."
"But his bloodline is a mess...phoenix, angel, and demon all tangled together. The result? His body can't process mana like the rest of us. It's a miracle he's alive at all. That's why he's what is considered a defect."
"But he uses magic, I've seen him. He's used magic before. How does he do it if he can't process mana?"
"Simple. Calvin doesn't use mana. He uses aether."
"Aether?" I repeated, unfamiliar with the term.
"It's what everything is made of, even mana. Aether is the purest, rawest form of energy, the very essence of existence. It's something only the highest-level exorcists can even begin to perceive. Even angels rarely use it; they mostly rely on mana. Angels can glimpse and wield aether minimally because of their creation, but it's not their primary tool. They use mana to fill the gaps where their aether falls short. Calvin can also see it like the angels, but unlike them, he can use it proficiently.
"But if angels can use mana to fill the gaps where aether falls short, and Calvin can't use mana at all, how...?"
"That's exactly why his path was so difficult. Without mana, Calvin couldn't lean on it as a crutch, couldn't use it to bridge the gaps in his understanding of aether. He started from the bottom, learning the most complex and raw force there is. His father, bless him, could barely glimpse at aether himelf, but he helped Calvin train, slow and steady. It wasn't easy.
"Most angels practice aether with mana as their foundation, a fallback. Calvin didn't have that luxury. All he had was aether, so he focused on it and practiced it until it became second nature to him. He didn't have 10 different tools in his arsenal. He had one. And he wielded it until it was sharp enough to cut through anything. He even gave me a saying, I fear not the man who has practiced ten thousand kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick ten thousand times."
I'm pretty sure he stole that from Bruce Lee.
"While others divided their attention between mana and aether, he had only aether and he honed it to perfection. That's why he's strong. That's why he's exceptional." she smiled proudly, "Aether is slow to master. It's raw, untamed, and relentless, but the thing about aether is, that once you grasp even a fraction of it, it starts to snowball. Each success builds on the last, growing faster and stronger until it becomes unstoppable."
"I see."
"The same could be said for you, David. Weakness isn't a curse; it's a starting point. Look at Calvin. He took what made him different, what everyone thought was his flaw, and turned it into unmatched strength. You can do the same. Find what holds you back and make it the very thing that pushes you forward."
"...Thank you."
"You're welcome, it's nice to see that I can sound wise from time to time. That smartass grandson of mine..."
"May I ask how he can sense mana?"
"Oh." she then pointed out the window at another house, "What do you see?"
"A wall, the neighboring house?"
"That's what most people see, do you see the ants?" she asked.
I then used mana to enhance my vision and zoomed in on the ants.
"To us, mana is like the house, it's very obvious...to him...well, it'll take a bit of focus, but he can do it. It took him a couple of years though."
"Last question, why do the phoenixes live in human forms?"
"We like having hands, it allows us to cook delicious food."
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Calvin POV
"Sorry about the forest, the demon was a bit strong and I wanted to see how strong he was."
"It's fine...most of us no longer hold bad blood for what you did those years ago." the dwarven chief replied, "Just join us for drinking once in a while and I hoped that it gave you good information for your book."
"I'll try to stay till the forest is fixed, I'm sure that there's a phoenix that can help turn the forest to look like how it was before."
"How's the 2 that helped us before you came?"
"Kane and Kiera are resting, they've suffered no serious injury."
"Good...good...I'll send them a gift later." the chief laughed, "May I asked why you didn't keep the demon alive for information?"
"He was mostly a lackey, he had no information to give, and I already know of their goal, they just send the holy sword around here, we got the same info at around the same time, so it was lucky that we came here."
They came here for David, Leah, and me...the sword was secondary, but it's something that we can keep to ourselves. A Severance being used as a spy, that's something I couldn't have ever thought of, but these ghosts are evolving at a terrifying rate...this Noctaron is trying to kill those who David said stood a chance against him...we're the threats.
"Hmmm...I see." the chief nodded, "Would you mind just showing us the sword for examination before you take it for yourselves? It's not everyday we can study such a blade."
"Sure, I'll let you guys have it for a couple of days, but I'll have a few more phoenix station here to guard the blade, the demon said he had hired a few human companions, I can't risk it falling into their hands."
"Of course, I'll arrange for guards as well."
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We walked in silence, the sound of our steps echoing softly through the narrow tunnel. I gave several mana stones Leah's dad to use and have him search the earth deeper and deeper for the chamber of the holy sword that was based on the demon's information. Eventually, we did, he then used his magic to help us dig our way in, it took about 6 hours until this point, and once we found it, we teleported him upward.
The air grew cooler as we descended deeper, with our only light sword being our mana-powered flashlight, and eventually, the light at the end of the tunnel. The tunnel opened into a massive underground chamber, the ceiling bright crystals to lit up the room. At the center of the cavern stood a solitary stone pedestal, and embedded within it was a sword that radiated an ethereal glow.
"That's it? Where are the enchantment and protective enchantments?"
"Maybe it's only for him?" Duke wrote in the air using mana.
"I'm a half-demon too."
"HALF." he emphasized in capital letters.
"Seriously, where did my dad find you? You're way too smart and strong, even at this age, a dog usually don't live this long, I've had you since I was 5, after Mr. Paws passed away."
"Don't need to compare me to an ordinary cat."
"I'm not?"
"Silence!" a voice boomed.
"That came from the sword." Leah commented.
"Of course, it came from the sword, you've never seen a talking sword before?!" the sword retorted.
"Uh, no."
"So, why have you come? I am Billy the blade."
Billy the blade...my life could not get any weirder.