“Man…why would I provoke this idiot?” Glenn groaned, wincing painfully.

Diamanes snorted, ‘I don’t know, you seem to do it naturally every time. A natural talent of some sort, haha!’

Glenn rubbed the sore spots on his body, which pretty much equaled a full body massage. It felt like he had been driven over by two or three trucks. Sahro had utterly demolished him after Glenn managed to knock him down. Once he understood that Glenn could actually pose some kind of threat, he stopped playing around and went seriously at him, full throttle.

After the fight, Glenn was forced to go back to his tent almost crawling, his face swollen, his bones aching and his ego shattered. Sleeping was a pain, so he Meditated instead, taking the moment to examine his battered body. That was what he was supposed to do anyway as part of Redan’s training.

It was different from when he was healthy. The hologram representation was glowing red, and the issues were identified and highlighted. Bruises, cuts, damaged bones, internal wounds… Perhaps it would be a wise thing to invest time into finding some sort of healing spell, or some other way to treat himself. Maybe potions existed in this world? They probably did.

Glenn allowed his body to rest, watching the red lights fade away gradually while thinking about the creation of a healing spell. Strangely, he was practically persuaded that such spells wouldn’t fit with his “Specialty”, the attributes his Mana Heart possessed. Even though he hadn’t clearly identified such an attribute, he was certain healing magic wasn’t part of it. Healing wouldn’t happen overnight, but he certainly recovered faster than normal individuals, to the point he wasn’t too worried about the cracks in his bones.

Glenn emerged from his Meditation and sighed deeply at the sight of his hands caked with dirt and blood. A bath would be a welcomed relief. Maybe inspiration for Redan’s homework would strike amid his shower thoughts.

He groaned while pushing himself up, before drawing a Water Shard from his dimensional pouch. He then retreated to a secluded area, grimacing painfully to take off his clothes. He eventually managed to do so, using the blue crystal to conjure a well-deserved cold shower. The embarrassment caused by the modesty of his modern sensibility was gradually fading, and he felt that he was beginning to get used to this kind of life.

After an appeal to God for soap and a thorough cleansing, Glenn struggled to clean his training clothes and put them back on, wincing at the bruises and scrapes that covered him. Sahro had unleashed all his fury in their fight. The next time, Glenn swore to himself, it would be Sahro on the ground, nursing his bruises. Hopefully.

Glenn exhaled deeply as he headed back to the training grounds, walking while using Projection at the same time. Maintaining the image while moving was much more challenging, honing his concentration further. By doing so, he was hoping he’d be able to find the enlightenment he needed to create his Second Circle. That was his ultimate goal at the moment after all.

Redan had made one thing very clear: Glenn would be stuck in the Black Heir camp until he unlocked the Second Circle. What's more, once he'd reached that stage, he'd finally be ready to learn more powerful and diverse spells from Redan. He already had his sights set on the Third Circle - Diamanes had already hinted at revelations reserved for this level. Moreover, the Third Circle itself seemed formidable enough to dissuade anyone from taking advantage of him, which was something he really desired.

A sudden robotic imitation interrupted Glenn's thoughts. 'Careful, careful, jerk incoming!' Diamanes playfully interjected, prompting Glenn to spin around while maintaining the Projection.

"Back to gloat after your victory, Sahro?" Glenn's teeth clenched, his irritation evident, as he stared at the one who pummeled him earlier.

Sahro raised his hands in mock surrender, a pronounced bruise marring his jaw.

"Shh... 'Sheems like you're healin' pretty fast. I washn't expecting you to be on your feet for a few daysh 'fter that beating' you took," remarked Sahro, his swollen cheek disturbing his pronunciation.

Glenn coughed with wide-opened eyes, struggling to suppress the rising laughter at Sahro’s comical appearance. Just the way he was speaking…! He hurriedly turned away while hiding his mouth with his hand. No, he didn’t need to get another beating, he shouldn’t laugh…!

'Come on, breathe in, breathe out...' He steeled himself, finally succeeding in recovering his seriousness. He turned back only to stare at the big bruise on Sahro's face, a big purple egg that seemed to grow larger every second.

"Whot? Do you 'hasve an isshue with me?" Sahro inquired, puzzled.

'Oh, I can't hold it!'

The laughter erupted, uncontrollably.

"HAHAHAHAHAAHAHA!!" exploded Glenn, crying tears of laughter.

Perplexed, Sahro's face turned a deeper shade of red."Whot? What'sh funny?"

"HAHAHAHHA, no, no, it's nothing... HAHAHAHA!!" Glenn tried to restrain himself, but he couldn't help it.

"Are 'you laughint at shme?" Sahro's irritation now tinged with anger, "I'm the one wfho won, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah, you won. Haha...Phew..." Glenn leaned on his knees, bent over, and drew one deep breath after the other. After a few seconds, he finally calmed himself. Sahro's sense of triumph dimmed oddly; Glenn was the one who had been knocked out. Even though the one hit he had managed to land was mighty, it was the exception to the rule. Sahro had won overwhelmingly; nobody could doubt that…

So why did it feel like he had lost the battle this time…?

'Man, I'm feeling reinvigorated.' thought Glenn, eyeing the sizable bruise on Sahro's chin. A wide grin hung on Glenn’s lips, who was moments away from bursting into laughter again.

'Count yourself lucky not to have any bruises on your face after you took so many hits,' Diamanes remarked in his mind, 'I don't even understand how your face isn't worse than his.'

'I don't know, perhaps the stars wanted me to be able to mock him once again,' Glenn quipped, amused. He glanced at the Projection that he had barely managed to maintain during his fit of laughter, suddenly pausing in wonder. The stars?

Thump, thump!

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

Glenn’s heart missed a beat as he stared at the Projection with wide eyes. The enlightenment he searched for…it was right here! Right in the damned Projection, in this stupid Mana Heart! Without wasting a second, Glenn manipulated the Projection, wishing to enlarge the colorful gaseous orb. It swelled up to two meters in height and width, revealing its true nature.

It was still a gaseous orb, only it now looked like a cloud, reminiscent of a celestial formation in the galaxy. That was no coincidence.

It was one.

Glenn gazed upon it, the name of the formation suddenly appearing in Glenn’s mind, a whisper from his consciousness, from the Mana. Appearing as twins in the skies of Earth’s Southern Hemisphere to the unaided eye, known since ancient times, Glenn’s Mana Heart bore the powerful moniker of the Magellanic Clouds, discovered by the adventurer possessing that same name.

Captivated by the sight of this Cloud, Glenn didn't notice Sahro's reaction, who was as impressed and captivated as he was. His jaw was on the floor, and words that he couldn't control escaped from his mouth, flowing naturally.

"Incredible..."

Glenn's concentration broke, too surprised by the truth about his Mana Heart. The Projection dissipated like a mirage. A silence installed itself between the two young men, both still taken aback. They stayed still for a few minutes, not saying a word.

Sahro's voice broke the silence. "Wash that...?"

Glenn replied, shaken, "Yes, that was my Mana Heart. I'm... I don't even have the words to describe it. So that’s what shocked Redan…"

Sahro's expression conveyed astonishment. He had never seen such a Mana Heart, and knowing that every Black Heirs showed their Projections to each other, it meant a lot. Never was a Mana Heart so... different. It felt like it...It radiated boundless potential.

Glenn could only share that feeling with the Black Heir. How he could have such a beautiful, powerful thing be his Mana Heart, he had no idea. He didn’t even come from this world, and yet… This was incredible. He would have honestly been satisfied with a simple fireball as Mana Heart, but no, instead he had the equivalent of an irregular dwarf galaxy.

He didn't even know it existed before, but all this knowledge about the Magellanic Clouds just popped into his head with his enlightenment.

'Beautiful, indeed. That's really... impressive and unique,' added Diamanes, reflecting the awe the two young men were sharing. Glenn stared absent-mindedly for another minute, before gasping and darting off for the training grounds. Sahro remained still, his initial purpose forgotten. Moments passed before Sahro moved towards Giselle's tent, his intentions unknown. Shock was still written all over his face.

Giselle looked at the young man who just entered her office, her eyes fixed on the bruise on the young man's jaw.

"Gishelle, Ish have a rheport to maske," Sahro said, standing straight in the tent. Giselle suddenly hit the desk in front of her, her whole body shaking with tremors. Sahro was shocked by such a sight but remained silent. Finally, Giselle managed to say through clenched teeth.

"Your...Your jaw?"

Sahro's eyes lit up, and he leaned forward.

"Yesh, that'sh this bashtard Glenn, we fought but I won, of courshe."

Giselle shook her head, her whole body trembling and shivering with uncontained power. Sahro was touched, seeing how much Giselle seemed to be angered by this news.

"You...Your report will wait. Give me some time." She muttered, her fists tightly clenched.

Sahro bowed and left the tent.

Giselle breathed in and out, clenching her hands together. A serious, concentrated look was on her face, her eyes resolute, amidst her body shaking uncontrollably.

'Do not laugh, Giselle, do not laugh...'

***

Glenn couldn't explain why, but he felt as if his whole world had been shaken, the sight of the Magellanic Clouds breaking and rebuilding his conception of reality.

After calming his racing heart and shaken mind, Glenn took a breath to finally take it all together. He then made a sudden realization. What if he infused the feelings of awe and admiration into a spell? Or, what would happen if he created a spell based on those feelings?

He needed to try and see.

Glenn stood in the center of the training grounds. He took a deep breath in and moved his Mana from his heart to his right hand. He imagined that feeling of awe, of freedom and liberty, of power and awe, and tried canalizing it into a single orb of pure power. A rotating sphere containing something similar to a cluster of stars gradually appeared above his palm, hovering and humming with mysterious power. Glenn felt his Mana and stamina draining away, sucking all the strength he could muster. His reserve of Mana he had been painfully building ever since he became able to Meditate bottomed out in a matter of seconds. Glenn gritted his teeth and kept on pushing, finally shooting the spell out toward a ruined cabin.

The ball moved slowly as if time itself had slowed down in front of the mighty spell. Glenn knew it was an illusion, and yet, he could hear his heart thumping madly. A single droplet of sweat slid down his chin, falling and touching the ground with an imperceptible plic. The second the ball made contact with the cabin’s wall, a white flash blinded Glenn’s vision. Without another sound, the light disappeared.

Glenn blinked in confusion, wondering if the spell had been a success.

Where there previously was a shabby, collapsed cabin, there was nothing. The cabin was gone. The ground was dug up slightly like a small crater. Glenn fell to his knees, feeling something expanding in his chest. His sight blurred, his consciousness fading away from the spells consuming his resources. With the last bit of strength that he could muster, Glenn conjured a Projection.

His Magellanic Clouds were now enveloped in two gray, mystical circles of runes. He was now a Second Circle Magi.

The ascent to King’s Rise had never been closer.

----------------------------------------

Redan was coming back from the Black Market situated in the Military Outpost. He had been looking for ancient books on celestial formations and astrological knowledge. Books were rare outside of King's Rise, and could only be obtained in this Black Market. And even rarer were the books on such specific knowledge. The best he managed to find was basic knowledge of the movement of the sun and moons, which wasn't useful at all.

It was held by the expeditionary forces, so it was to be trusted. He had also found a practice Shard, that was artificially created by a Forgemage. Its purpose was to help the Mages stuck in the Initiate stage, who couldn't converge a second Circle. He knew it wasn't really necessary for Glenn, but if he wanted that issue to be done as soon as possible, that was the best choice.

He had bought it after asking for a few favors, being not very rich himself. He sighed at the thought of the young man.

"What a waste..." he muttered, making his way back to the Black Heir's camp, navigating the labyrinthic streets of the Sewers. The lowlifes and tramps all walked out of his way without saying a word, avoiding his eyes like their lives depended on it.

Glenn probably wasn't aware of it, but the times he fell asleep he was always curled up in a ball, shaking a little. After seeing that, Redan had understood that although he didn't let on, Glenn had been considerably traumatized by his experience in the prison of the Thorns Church. And perhaps there even was more beyond that. It was already incredibly impressive to see the young man's mental resilience as he faced his arduous training. Most people would have already given up after the first day.

That's why he forced the kid to Meditate every night, hoping that his mind would get fixed eventually. He knew that this kid had immense potential, even more so after seeing the "thing" in his Mana Heart. But if he was held back by his trauma, he'd never get to the Second Circle. Hence the purchase of the Shard.

Giselle had mentioned that he got on well with that other kid, Sahro if he wasn't mistaken. Maybe making friends was what he needed.

On those thoughts, he went to the kid's tent, discovering that he wasn't there. He headed then to the training grounds, there was almost a certain chance that he was there. Redan arrived there, the Shard in his hand, just in time to discover the use of Glenn's new spell. The ball of light flew off with incredible power for an Initiate and destroyed a whole cabin, leaving nothing but ashes behind its wake.

The Shard slipped out of his hand, as shock took over his old body. Words escaped from his mouth: "Incredible. Simply...Incredible."

Redan snickered and laughed at himself before shaking his head.

'What was I even worried about?'