Abyss
That is the only word that could describe an endless darkness that spans where the naked eye can see.
No air, no sound, no source of light. It is a place where no life could take place or start. It would be unreasonable for someone or something to be living in the abyss. Even more unreasonable if something is dying here.
However, there is one unreasonable thing that is inside this endless darkness. Not living, yet not dying. Understanding such thing is impossible to describe.
Not living yet has life. Not dying yet is dead.
The thing has eyes, yet it cannot see anything.
It has ears, yet it cannot hear anything.
It has a nose, yet doesn't breathe.
It has a mouth, yet cannot open.
It has limbs, but fails to show any signs of moving.
Even without air, her long violet hair moves in waves.
No matter how you describe it, it looks like a corpse of a woman. Even so, she is alive.
“Fooled and betrayed. What did I do to receive such treatment?” the woman said without using her mouth. Rather than a voice, it was her thoughts that echoed through the darkness of the abyss.
But even though she was alone, it was like she is talking with someone.
“Curious, are you not?” she asked. Yet still, no one answered her question. Even so, she continues to talk like there is really someone there.
“Mortal or immortal, not one of them can equal the greed and envy of gods. Gods are unreasonable beings that does not interest aside from power. Even I am not an exception.”
“Other gods are envious of me, because of my infinite power, and of my ability to walk on mortal realm.”
The woman suddenly shakes her head like denying something. After that, she continues and said, “Impossible.”
“Even with my infinite powers, it is not possible for me to release myself from this prison.”
After that, she stretches out both arms in front of her and said, “Impossible for me, but possible for you.”
“It will be the second time you will do this, but there would not be a third one. Your soul cannot be reconstructed if it breaks again, so I want you to be more discreet in using the Seed of Infinity once again. There is no one suited for this power other than you.”
After saying those words, the darkness suddenly became white and the woman disappeared.
“What in the hell!” a young man suddenly cried out while sitting on his bed. He thought that he was falling that it made him jump on his bed with a palpitating heart. After noticing that it wasn't real, he puts his hand on his chest while calming his heart down.
He then looks at himself through a mirror in the corner of his room. After realizing something, he lets out a big sigh while face-palming.
“So it was just a dream.” He muttered.
He looks at his alarm clock and sees it's already 8:00 in the morning. Since he knew the day today is Sunday, he didn't care and goes back to bed again.
He wanted to sleep again. However, there was someone who didn't.
“Wake up, you lazy bum! It's already way past breakfast.”
Like a hurricane entered his room, a girl with brownish tied hair kicks his door open. Because it was all too sudden, it made him jump in surprise again.
“Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!” he yelled at the girl.
“Well, if you tried to be a role model big brother for once Key, I won’t.” the girl scowled back.
Though they have different faces, they're actually siblings. Their relationship is normal, but they also are repulsive of each other's personalities.
Even so, the girl suddenly starts picking up some random things lying on the floor. While doing that, she also tells her brother to get dressed.
“Why are you cleaning up my room? Are you trying to ask me a favor again?” he asked with suspicion. “That's so you, Louise.” He added.
Louise looks at her big brother while gritting her teeth.
“I'm only doing this because mom said so.” She replies with a reluctant tone, and then she adds “She was in a bad mood since last night.”
Hearing those words, Key’s face slightly becomes pale. He knows that his mother is scary when she's in a bad mood. After waking up late to avoid chores, he knows that he shouldn't do anything to anger his mom.
“Even though it was dad’s fault…” He said while leaning on his closet gloomily.
After changing his clothes, he goes down to the kitchen where his mom is said to be waiting for him. Though along the way, he hesitated.
When he saw his mother sitting in front of the dining table, he knew that there is something not right. Instead of making an angry expression, his mother is smiling from ear to ear while looking at it. No matter how you look at it, it was really unusual.
While walking towards the table, Key asks “What's the problem?”
“Well… I'm just feeling excited that's all.” She answered then giggled.
His mother's giggle made him pause for a moment before sitting. That is because his feeling about ‘something is not right' is taking over his mind. Still, he sits down on the chair in front of his mum.
“Louise said that you have something important to tell me. Is it about last night?” he asks wearily.
His mom shakes her head in denial. After that, she says “That's not it.”
Before they start talking, his mother puts a book on the table which was sitting on her lap. As he did not recognize the characters on the cover of the book, it made Key become puzzled. It's not English, but also not Chinese. Even with his memory, he did not recognize those characters anywhere.
“What's that?” he asked again.
Before his mom answers, she rotates the book and pushes it towards him. When he tried to open it, his mom slams her hand on the book which made Key retract his hand.
“Key, before I we go here, I want you to forget common sense and listen to me carefully.”
Since his mom told him with a serious tone, he couldn't say anything and gulped down his own saliva. He knows that this expression of hers is something he can't ignore and forget. Fully aware of that, he puts his hands on the table and listens to what his mother is about to say.
Seeing him becoming obedient, his mom lets out a sigh and then smiled at him.
“From what you know, what is a thing that a person sees yet another person can't?” she asks.
Key didn't understand the question so he inadvertently tilted his head. Even so, he answers, “A hallucination?”
His mother nodded in agreement, but at the same time, she opens her right hand beside her. Then suddenly, he started seeing random glittering lights gathering on her palm.
He thought he was imagining it, but even after he rubbed his eyes, the flickering lights wouldn’t disappear. Not only that, it became brighter like a cluster of small stars.
“Am I hallucinating?” he asked.
After she heard his question, her eyes became teary and she covers her mouth to stop herself from crying.
Because of this, Key got more confused and more questions are filling his mind.
“No, Key, you are not hallucinating.” She answered while calming herself down.
“What you are seeing now is something that is normal for us. Though it has no form, what you are seeing now is mana.”
Short but definite, Key understood what his mom is trying to say, but at the same time, he did not. To him, the word ‘mana' is something he only hear from computer games. Hearing it from his mother made his common sense react.
“What are you trying to say, mom?”
Key stood and slammed the table. He couldn't believe something that's supposed to be a mere fantasy to be real. Even more, he refuses to believe it due to his common sense.
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But his mother anticipated it and remained calm. “Well, in this reality, one would require to believe it.” She said while waving her hand to remove the glittering lights.
Hearing that, Key becomes even more confused. “What do you mean?” he asked worriedly.
“You might or might not believe it, but I am not from this world, to be exact, not from this dimension.”
“Not from this dimension?”
“Your father is fully aware of this, but we decided to hide it from you until you've reached 20.” Before continuing, she lets out an annoyed sigh while holding her head and then says “But he decided to drunk you out cold.”
“I know you have lots of questions right now, but I will only answer it after your sister finishes packing both of your clothes.” She said while listening to Louise's complains from the second floor.
Everything was too fast for Key's mind to process that he had his mouth open since a while ago. When his mother closed it by lifting his jaw, he came back to his senses.
“Wait, wait, wait! So Louise is already aware of this?” he asks for a clarification.
His mother lets out a forced laugh while raising her shoulders. Clearly, she's saying that it was an accident.
“Well, she saw me using magic one time, so instead of erasing her memories, I just told her half of the truth.” While scratching her head, she says, “Conveniently enough, she believed it immediately.”
“Wait a minute, if you and dad are hiding this from me, and Louise knows about this, I'm the only one that doesn't know? It doesn't make any sense!”
Key became confused to the point where he hugs his head on the table. His mind couldn't process everything clearly and he thinks that he's in a middle of a dream.
“That's it!” he said. “This is all just a dream! There's no way mom would say something crazy!”
After that, he picks up the book in front of him. The next moment, he makes a stance that makes him ready to hit his head with the book.
“I hope this will wake me up! This dream's not a good one at all!”
Just when he was about to hit himself, he heard his mom saying something. After that, his hand freezes midway and stops his attempt of hitting his head.
“What the!” he couldn't believe it. For his hand to refuse moving even though he wanted it to, it was something beyond his expectation.
While he tries to swing his arms around, he didn't notice that his mother has walked to his side. When his mother stopped him by holding the book, he then receives a strong slap on the cheek. Because of that, he calmed himself down then looked at his mother.
“If you hit yourself with that book, you would get knocked out and it would be really troublesome to explain again everything I've told you so far.” While saying so, she takes the book away and then wraps her arms around him. After that, she gently says, “Please, listen to me.”
After Key was convinced that this was not a dream, he sits down in front of the table once again. This time, he is eating his breakfast with little sister, Louise sitting by his side.
“You might have an idea of what I did to you earlier, but in my world, it is called ‘She-sa' which directly translates ‘Magic' in English. Like Earth, we also have many languages, cultures, but slightly different in morals and ethics. However, our world is like the Victorian era with monsters and magic.”
“So, like the common trope in RPG games.” Louise commented, interrupting her mother.
“Yes, like your games.” Their mom affirmed with an annoyed expression.
“Yes, just like the games, there are also many races that are living there, us humans, the inventive dwarves, the secretive elves, the feral beastfolk, and above all, the Gods of Marzenthura.”
While saying so, she opens the book's last page. There, instead of pictures, drawings on a brown thick paper were seen. These drawings were not simple drawings, but instead, a very detailed yet abstract illustration of six beings.
“The one on the top is Helius, the Holy God, and the one opposite of him is Darkus, the God of Dreams. Both of them are revered to as Heavenly Gods which governs the flow of life itself. The four below them are called Elemental Gods, Pyrash the God of Flames, Resq the God of Land, Xelzi the God of Skies, and Alq the God of Rain. Unlike Earth, the gods of Marzenthura responds to the people's prayer the way they see fit.”
Both Louise and Key listened to their mother's explanation carefully, and because of that, Key became curious and raises his hand.
“Then if there are gods in your world, does that mean religion there is a lot worse than here?” he asked.
His mother crosses her arms and thinks about it deeply. “If I have to compare the two, it's very different.” She answered.
“In Marzenthura, we humans can pray to any gods. However, serving them is different as one can only serve one Heavenly God. It's quite complicated to explain the real reason behind it, but to make it a lot shorter… those who serves one Heavenly God can receive authority to use their power. If they serve Helius, they can use Holy magic which also has the ability to heal faster than other elements. If they serve Darkus, they will be able to use Shadow and Darkness Magic which is very dangerous during the night. Both are called Blessing Magic.”
“I see, but what about the Elemental Gods? They don't sound as powerful as the Heavenly Gods at all.” He asked again.
“Although they are revered to as Gods, anyone can use their power as magic. But when they pray to them using magic, the magic that will be casted will be stronger and more powerful. That's why it's called Elemental Magic. But some asks the spirits’ too.”
“Okay, but about the Heavenly Gods, is Darkus an evil god? He sounds bad news.” He said.
“That's a common misconception of him, but in reality he's not. However, there is one that is evil, Gladius, the Demon God.” She said it in a scary tone, but then she waves her hand while saying “He's not a problem.”
“But aside from Blessing and Elemental magic, there is also another category of Magic, Arcanum Magic. Like the magic I used on you, it was Force Magic's
While saying those, both Key and Louise tilted their heads. For them something was missing from her explanation.
“Is there no God using Arcanum Magic?” Louise asks in his stead.
Their mom crosses her arms and thinks about the question deeply. “It's not yet clear to be honest. No one knows that, but since we could use Arcanum without any drawbacks or limits, I think there's none.” She said while shrugging her shoulders.
Hearing that answer, Louise and Key becomes quite again.
And so, their mother continues her explanation, “Then about you two, you are both half earthling and half marzenthurian. But since Key can now see mana, his marzenthurian blood has become dominant and he is now qualified to be a magician.” She said while pointing Key.
“What about me?” Louise asks in frustration. “Didn’t you say I'm also half marzenthurian? So why am I not qualified to be a magician?”
Their mother holds Louise's hand and caresses it. After that, she gently says, “Be patient.”
“Lou, yes, even if you both have the same blood, it doesn’t mean that both of you can use magic. And also because of that, there is a chance that you will remain a normal human. Earthling human blood don't have the aptitude to use magic, but if mixed with Marzenthurian human blood, there's a 40% chance.” And then while holding her cheek, she adds, “But don't lose hope, you're my daughter after all.”
Louise's gloomy expression says that even with the absurdity of their situation, she is actually enthusiastic about being able to use magic. Hearing that her chances are below half, he became even gloomier.
But even though their mother sees her like that, her smile didn't disappear.
“However, the odds will increase if you live in Marzenthura. The atmosphere there contains a lot of Ether. It will stimulate your body and increase your mana capacity drastically.”
Louise's eyes became bright after hearing that, but Key on the other hand, is feeling the opposite.
Slowly, he opens his mouth and asks hesitantly, “Wait, so you mean we're moving?”
Before she speaks, she gives a light nod. “It's the regulations set for half Marzenthurian. Being able to use magic in a world where magic doesn’t exist will get you killed by Wardens like me. There are also other wardens nearby, but the ones from other places don't know and might kill you.”
After saying so, their mother stands up while holding the book.
She starts flipping through the pages of the book as if looking for something. Next, she goes to the nearby wall and suddenly, she cuts the tip of her finger with her teeth that's deep enough to let blood flow out.
“Mom!” both Key and Louise were shocked by what their mother did to herself, but when she said “Don't worry.” They managed to calm themselves.
She then starts to draw a circle on the wall, then characters similar on the book around the circle, and repeated it 3 times more forming a human-sized magic circle. After that, she heals her hand with magic.
The size of the magic circle was too big so she lost quite a lot of blood. Because of that, she had to use magic once again to replace the missing amounts of blood.
“Are you okay mom?” Key asked while giving her water.
After taking a sip, she then looks at her son with a smile full of confidence. “I've done worse.” She said proudly.
She then lifts her left hand and flicks her fingers. Immediately after that, two envelopes appear with golden wax seals.
“These are enrollment letters to a magic academy in the place where I'm going to send you both.” She says while handing the letter to Key. “They also serve as your gate pass in Dalseriev Duchy Capital so don't lose them no matter what.”
After that, she holds Key's cheek and kisses his forehead when he came close.
“Also, your name is not Key Tanner there. It will be Keltis Godfre Chardelier. And your sister is Luvienne Dué Chardelier, not Louise Tanner. Both of you are of Chardelier Household.”
Though Key was already barraged with many absurdities to the point of not getting shocked, he still got surprised when he heard his real name. However, there is still more.
“Key, since you are the only grandson of Ralq Godfre Chardelier, you will inherit all of our wealth in Marzenthura. However, that will also mean that you will be the head of Chardelier Household. Sadly, our household’s rank has dropped to Chevalier due to the absence of any male member of our bloodline. I was the only child and female after all.”
Their mother looked a little gloomy while saying so. In order to cheer her up, Louise suddenly hugs her from behind and said, “Well, at least you have a son and a very beautiful and charming daughter now!”
Key wanted to retort to what her mother said, but since he saw her looking down, he wasn’t able to speak up and swallowed his words instead.
So instead of making useless complaints, he reluctantly switches his mindset to cheer his mother up.
“T-then I'll do what I can to raise that peerage thing or what ever that is!” he announced.
When her mother heard that, she couldn’t help but giggle at him. This made Key confused.
“You make it sound like its easy, but in reality it's really hard and impossible for someone your age. You may be a genius like your father, but this thing is beyond for the current you. Conferring of Peerage involves politics, and you hate politics. It's going to be hard for you if you want to do it. For me, you and your sister being able to live normally there is already enough for me.”
She then stands up from her seat and held Key's head. While gently leaning their foreheads to each other, she warns Key with, “This will sting a bit.”
She then closes here eyes and starts speaking in a language he doesn't recognize. A few seconds later, she opens her eyes with a sharp glare into Key's eyes. Immediately after that, Key pulls away himself while holding his head.
Key feels like his head is being ripped apart from inside out. It's so painful that he had to be supported by Louise just to sit on a chair.
“I know it's painful, but it's something I need to do.” She said while patting his head.
Even while writhing in pain, Key looks at his mother with a vision that's recovering and asks, “What dis you do to me?”
His mother smiles and ruffles his hair before answering, “I just granted one of your wishes. You now can understand any language after I shared my vocabulary knowledge to you.”
“What kind of logic is that?” he exclaimed.
However, his mother didn't understand what his question meant. Instead she gives a detailed reply.
“Well, the logic of this magic is quite simple. By using my mana and yours, I replicated my vocabulary knowledge directly from my brain. After replicating and recreating it with mana, I then augment the mana inside you and let you take my magic's replica by force. Normally it wouldn't hurt, but since your brain took in too much information in one go which it usual do, it cannot immediately adjust and made recoil. The pain will disappear in a few minutes so just endure it for the mean time.”
“I didn't mean the magic though.” Key retorted.
After a few minutes, Key's headache has slightly subsided, but due to the amounts of information his brain has received, he won't be recovering anytime soon.
“What about Louise?” he said while pointing her. “Doesn’t she also need it?” he added.
[I already got it.]
Then, out of a sudden, Louise answers Key's question. However, in a language unknown to Key, even more surprising, he was able to understand it.
“W-what language was that?”
“Mom said it's Laime, the human language in Marzenthura.”
-will be continued