Grand-Pops and Granny entered the slightly messy living room, and sat on the coach.
They stared at me, then to each other, then back at me.
Granny spoke up first before Grand-pops could say anything.
"Kid, there's something we haven't been telling you about."
Raising an eyebrow, I showed a questioning face.
"What?"
Grand-pop used this chance to finally speak up.
"You are in danger... Because of your father."
... What?
Slightly flinching at the mention of my father that we barley speak about, I feel like something very important is happening.
"What do you mean?"
Granny spoke back up, inching closer to me.
"are you familiar to the hero party that closed the portal to true Heaven?"
Reacting to my favorite bed time story. I shouted out.
"of coarse!"
Granny kept the stoic face she had the entire time, and responded.
"The Tank of the Hero party, Is your father."
Thinking this is some kind of joke, I smiled and look at my Granny.
"Yeah, sure Granny!"
She kept stoic.
... This isn't a very funny joke! From what I remember, the story ended with the tank staying in heaven to give the rest of the party time to close the gates!
You forgot the part where the goddess of greed cursed the Tank and all of their descendants, And that would also explain your " Curse of the Hero" title, But I still have no idea about my {Curse of the Void}.
Shut up will! You are not helping my case!
Grand-Pop spoke up.
"That isn't the only thing, We aren't random old people that live on this farm. We were friends of the hero party. More specifically we were mentors for them during their earlier adventures "
So that's how they knew so much about the hero party despite apparently never meeting them!
... Wait check you status! something has changed!
Due to understanding the truth behind your title, it has changed! you may now see the effects of your title!
Curse of the {Tank} Hero
You, as a descendant of the hero strong of heart, and soul of steel, have been cursed by the world for denying the natural order of life.
You may no longer have luck, and all things that may go wrong, must go wrong.
Through pure tenacity the Tank Hero made it through the challenges Heaven. Who says you can't?
... Bullshit!
:}
Don't you fucking dare!
"Bullshit!"
Granny looked at me with surprise in her eyes.
"Was my last lesson not enough!"
Granny grabbed practically teleported behind he, and grabbed at my midsection, German duplexing me.
"AHHHH!"
CRASH!
Granny recovered before I could, and looked down at my not so pale skinned body on the floor.
" And this just proves that you are not ready for your future! Double training until you leave!"
looking at my granny, still on the floor, I quizzically looked at her.
"Leave? Leave where?!"
Grand-Pop calmly relied, seeing us do this every day.
"To Blue- Stone academy. You will need some kind of training to prepare you for the curse that affects you Just as it affected you father. "
Looking towards him, I ask him the things that's been looming on the back of my mind,
"Grand-Pop, what does {Curse of the {Tank} Hero} do?"
Grand-Pop looked at me sorrowfully.
"Its a curse that affects more than you might think. Due to the... "Active" nature of your father there were many... "Descendants" of his. People will look down on you as a... Excuse my langue, "Bastard" child of the Tank hero."
As I remember, most of the hero party did a lot of bad things while, or before their sacrifice to close Haven, and prevent the monsters from destroying the world.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
"So my dad really was a bastard..."
Granny looked at me then sighed.
"One that you mother was deeply in love with."
----------------------------------------
Barley an amount of time later...
"Alright kid, you should be good to go!"
looking at granny slightly heart broken I would have to leave, I spoke.
"Why am I even going to the academy if you guys were such good teachers?"
Granny, looking like she was about to smack my me answered my question with words this time.
"Because we are good at fighting, but you need more than just fighting to survive your luck, and the people at the school will more than likely have similar situations to you, maybe just of different hero's."
But why!
I don't want to go to school!
It sounds boring!
You need this Jon.
Nuh uh!
Face it Jon, Do you think we will be able to find any clues about what the original wants us to find out if we don't get stronger? Wasn't that the entire purpose of walking through the crack in the void?
...Fine, but don't expect me to do anything that requires mind! The only training I want so weapon training!
Barbarian...
What did you call me!
Before Will could say anything else Granny pushed me towards the door saying something similar to "goodbye" in a language she has been trying to teach me since I was 5.
Outside of the Farm House, stood Maximus putting full attention on a blue glowing and swirling portal that was 2 feet in the air.
Dam. I gotta learn that.
"Grand-Pop teach me that!"
Stated Will using my mouth.
Grand-Pop looked over to me and lightly chuckled.
"If you were to attempt this magic, you would rupture your soul, young one."
Looking at grand-Pop with a overbearing frown I relied.
"Could have just told me you didn't want to teach me..."
Grand-Pop looked at me confused, then shook his head in resegnation.
"I guess I could teach you the basic before you are teleported to your dorm inside Blue-Stone..."
----------------------------------------
Asking me to help him to the ground, Grand-Pop opened his mouth.
" All thing are made of mana. Including you, the air you breath, and the stones that sit on the ground."
Continuing to get comfortable, Grand-Pop gestured me to get on the ground in front of him, with my back facing towards him.
Placing his hand on my back I felt a cooling sensation enter into my body.
" This is pure mana, the only form of mana that can freely transform into anything. Your body naturally produces it, but its not very useful for blasting away your adversary's. Right now I an scanning you for any natural mana affinity and-"
Promptly cutting himself off, he looked at me with shocked eyes.
"Boy, how did you manage to capture a mana creature within your soul!"
I think he is talking about me.
Well no shit sherlock!
I replied back to Grand-Pop.
"Oh, you mean Will? He has been here the whole time."
Looking more perplexed, grand-Pop replied.
"Who is Will! Why have you never told us of this!?"
Looking back with my best puppy dog eyes, I responded.
'"I didn't think it was important?"
Grand-Pop rubbed his temples, and slowly looked back up.
"Are you a reincarnate?"
continuing to look back at him with my least shameful face.
"What's that?"
Sighing he returns to closing his eyes
"so not a reincarnate. Ok I am going to open your mind palace and introduce myself to Will, do you mind?"
... Do you mind Will?
Nah.
"Sure!"
----------------------------------------
Deep in Johnny's mindscape...
Maximus, or my grandfather, appeared within my void of mind.
"Are you Will?"
Yes
My voice resonated within my mid space, maybe a little too loud.
Ahem, excuse me. I am indeed Will.
Grandpa, as I like to call him, spoke again.
"What are you"
Thinking about my answer, I decide to tell him the truth.
I am the more intelligent piece of the Johnny's soul.
Looking confused grandpa responded again.
"What do you mean piece?
I am the part of Johnny's soul that became Will.
Grandpa looked serious.
"And what's is the other part of that soul"
The other piece is Jon.
I responded without a care in the world like it was the most well known information in the Void, even though he would have never known of I hadn't told him.
Looking to be in shock, he replied with a sharper tone.
"What Happened to My Grand Son?"
Feeling a little surprised he used his adult voice at me I responded.
Nothing happened, his soul was in pieces, and through some luck we had survived through the slitting of our souls.
Looking angry at thus point, yelled.
"That Is Impossible! If a soul is split, then it may not rejoin without insane amounts of Sacrifices or losses!"
of course there were consequences! Why do you think your Jon is so immature? He sacrificed his mind to keep us alive in the void. I was simply dealt the more intelligent part of the piece of the original's mind.
With a complex look Maximus slowly started going fish eyed, The void was starting to affect him.
I will speak to you once you recover.
Expelling him from the void, I went back to viewing Jon's surroundings with Mana Sight, hopping to learn something
----------------------------------------
Back in the real world...
Grand-Pop opened his eyes.
"This is... Good! I have to apologize young one, for I can't see any mana affinity for you, but maybe Will can!"
No fair!
Its entirely fair, your just an idiot.
Before I can say something that I regret, Grand-pop waves his skinny fingers in front of my face
" Do you see this Will?"
Speaking through my mouth Will responded.
"Yes"
"Ok. So, everything is made out of a sequence of mana of certain types, but do you know how water, and Ice mana are different?"
"... I am not sure."
Smiling Grand-pop spoke again.
"The difference is Intent, and the concentration of mana. So if you compress a bunch of Fire mana you would get some Plasma mana? No. it is more complicated than that, but to sum it up:
What type of mana you get from concentrating mana differs by you affinity, and the intent of your mana."
Looking up, Will ask one more question.
"Can you teach me a spell?"
Grand-pop, still excited from what ever happened inside of my "Mind Palace" or what ever he called it, calmed down.
"Sure"
taking his cane, Grand-Pop write a large circle on the ground.
"This is the basic spell "Enhance", which slightly enhances your muscles with small amounts of mana. As this spell only requiring Pure mana, it should not matter what type of affinity you have."
The circle had a smaller Triangle in the middle, and had three smaller circles on the inside of that triangle.
looking at it Will was a little discombobulated.
"How do I use mana?"
"Just feel the deeper parts of your soul, and pull out of your mind, towards the circle.
... Can I do this too?
Looking deep inside myself, I imagined some kind of energy inside of my self, and Pushed it out... But nothing was happening.
Hold on Jon. Let me try this out.
Looking back into myself, I see what I can only think to be Will, physically pulling on the mana inside of me, out of my body.
Opening my eyes I see the magical "Formula" in front of me growing a darkish blue, unlike Grand-Pops light blue, almost white mana.
Grand-Pop seeing my confusion, Grand-Pop said some reassuring look.
"When you do not understand how to make pure mana, all mana that you produce will be slightly tinted with your affinity. which seems to be Dark mana."
Most likely from the void.
Most likely, you are correct.
Grandpa handed me one of his grimoires from his the coat pockets of his turquoise Poncho.
"These are some basic spell formulas that you can practice with, until you can freely control your mana. Just channel mana into the page you want to use, and it will bring forth the spell."
Responding with a smile I grab the grimoire and start heading back to the portal to give granny a hug before I leave.
She looks' to me and opens her arms to hug me.
Pop.
The bones in my back pop as she gives me a hug that only chiropractors would envy.
"I'm gonna miss you kid! Don't you dare get lazy on your marital training just because you think your some kind of fancy mage."
Looking back after grabbing my small bad of stuff to bring with me I smile.
"Don't worry about it!"
Walking through I accept what has happened and what my future holds.
I know I'm going to be ready.
----------------------------------------
End of chapter 2.