Ethan watched with curiosity as his mother's lips moved, forming the words of an incantation as a magic circle appeared in her palm.
With a swift and commanding voice, she shouted, "Zephyr Breeze!" In response, a gentle gust swirled to life, gracefully sweeping across the narrow path and clearing it before us.
With keen eyes, he observed his mother’s actions, trying to decipher the secret behind the spell casting. Each time before the magic took effect, she would recite a specific chant: "Breezes dance; heed my call; Wind bends to my will; enthrall."
“Mom, why do you use chants every time you cast a spell?” Ethan inquired, curiosity gleaming in his eyes. “Can’t you just use the spell directly?”
Elara smiled warmly at her son's inquisitive nature. "Chants hold a special significance in magic," she explained, her voice gentle yet knowledgeable. "They help in focusing our intent and channeling our magical energy effectively. Each spell has its own unique chant, and through these words, we establish a connection with the arcane forces, making our magic more potent and precise."
Curiously, he inquired about the ever-developing mysteries it held, wondering, 'What if you cast a spell without chanting and wasting time?
"Chants are essential, at least for me," Elara explained with a warm smile. "They help me focus my intent and channel my mana effectively, ensuring the spell's precision and power; without chants, the spell might still work, but it could be less controlled and unpredictable as I'm not as skilled in magic.”
As Elara finished her explanation, she immersed herself in the task at hand, aware that they needed to depart before evening. Ethan's eyes remained locked on the spell, intrigued by its unfolding.
With each graceful incantation, a transformation occurred: a small, vibrant, golden magic circle materialized before her palm, its intricate patterns swirling and dancing with a mesmerizing allure as if each line and curve held secrets of ancient wisdom.
"But there is something more to the circle than meets the eye," he thought, captivated by the spell.
The magic circle seemed simple enough at first glance, with its vibrant colors and the spell it generated after burning mana. However, his unique perspective allowed him insights that normal humans in this realm lacked—his past-life knowledge from Earth. It was as if his eyes were trying to decode the hidden lines of code and geometry they held within.
Although he hadn't learned about magic circles yet, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this one. He observed two additional circles within the main circle, each with a fixed radius.
The first circle appeared larger, with a slightly smaller second circle following it. Nestled within the second circle was an even smaller third one. The purpose of these concentric circles remained a mystery, and as he continued to gaze at the circle, he noticed a mesmerizing movement, with the inner circles rotating both clockwise and counterclockwise.
As the mana flowed through each intricate line, resembling the flow of electric current through a circuit and igniting a bulb, a whirlwind of energy spiraled into existence. The circles accelerated rapidly, generating a gust of wind that gave birth to the spell.
In this world, these circles served as a means to conjure the spell, but the true purpose behind their design remained a mystery. The original creators had long departed from this world, and there was no certain way of knowing their exact intentions. "Why magic circles? Why not use them directly?" Ethan wondered.
Ethan's eyes fixated on the mesmerizing magic circle as he trailed behind his mother, the two women following close behind.
"If only I’ had mana," he mused, a hint of desire in his eyes, "then perhaps I could unravel its secrets."
After clearing the path through thick bushes, they finally arrived at the resting place, which was a makeshift tent constructed from small trees that provided a spot to rest. Beside the resting spot, there was a small wooden contraption designed for crushing the cashew fruits, powered by mana. Nearby earthenware containers lined the area, each filled with fermenting pulp.
Ethan was now alone at his resting place after his mother asked him to stay, while the two village ladies, along with his mother, ventured in opposite directions, diligently collecting the fallen cashew fruits from the ground.
His mother opened a small storage space through the ring she was wearing on her finger, which was enchanted. After that, she carefully stored the cashew fruits inside the storage space, and the rest of the fruits she kept in the basket she had bought.
As his mother used the contraption powered by mana to crush the fruits, juice started pouring out of it, filling the pot that was placed below to collect it.
Ethan couldn’t shake his curiosity and asked, "Mom, what is this for? Are we going to drink this?."
His mother chuckled warmly, shaking her head. "No, honey, we use this pulp to make alcohol, which we sell at our bar."
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This revelation surprised Ethan; he had never witnessed the process of alcohol-making before, especially from cashew pulp.
Intrigued by such a process, he followed his mother as she led him to a setup with a substantial copper container resting atop a mud stove and a bed of firewood beneath it. A small pot was carefully placed on the container's opening, ensuring a tight seal.
From the copper container, there was a small hole that led to a spiral pipe, snaking its way through a large tank brimming with water. The pipe dipped into the water for the process that led to evaporation.
As the fermented pulp within the copper container heated and boiled, wisps of vapor escaped through the spiral pipe and mingled with the water. Soon, drops of crystal-clear liquid began to pour out from the pipe, the first stage of the alcohol-making process with an alcohol content of around 11 to 12 percent.
Once the first batch of alcohol was done, they needed to repeat the process, adding the same alcohol to the container to boil. This would then produce a second product, which would be the strongest version with a content of 40 to 50 percent.
"So this is what my mom does daily these days," Ethan murmured, intrigued by the process.
Soon his mother collected the brewed alcohol and called out to Ethan in a hurried voice. “Let’s leave,” she said, as they decided to leave the jungle. The evening was approaching, and it was not safe since monsters were more likely to appear at this time.
This time, while leaving, Elara decided to choose a different route since she had to drop off the alcohol at her bar.
While descending the mountain, he noticed a small abandoned tower. As he drew near the tower, he observed that the tower was burned and reduced to ruins, seemingly consumed by the fire's wrath.
Nature had taken over, with small vines and moss reclaiming the decaying walls. Broken tiles and charred windows bore witness to the devastation caused by the flames.
Curious about this charred tower, he looked at his mother and inquired, "Mom, what is this tower?"
Her mother’s face turned somber as she looked at the ruined tower and spoke in a hushed tone, “You know, this was a laboratory where your grandpa used to work.”
Ethan’s curiosity piqued, as he questioned, “My grandpa? Where is he now?”
Since it was never mentioned to him, he assumed that his grandpa had passed away long before he was born.
Her mother nodded as her eyes filled with sorrow. “Yes, your grandpa,” she replied, unable to control her emotions.
She hesitated before continuing. "Well, one day, the tower suddenly caught fire. Nobody knows why, and since that day, your grandpa has gone missing." Her eyes dripped with tears as she continued, “Whether he perished in the flames or something else happened, no one can say for sure. The fire was so intense that nothing remained to provide answers.”
Ethan’s eyes widened in shock as he listened to the revelation about his grandpa’s disappearance or possible demise within the walls of the tower.
Seeking to know more about his grandpa, he turned to his mother and asked, “What kind of tower was it, Mom? And how was my grandpa?”
Her eyes welled up as she continued, her emotions palpable. “He was a gentle soul and warm-hearted man, always wearing a smile on his aged face,” she continued. “He dedicated himself to studying some ancient spells he had discovered.”
Mulling over the possibilities, Ethan wondered aloud, "Could something have gone wrong while he was experimenting with those spells?”.
Sensing the discomfort, his mother swiftly changed the subject, wiping her eyes. "Now now, enough of that," she said, her tone slightly agitated. "It's getting late; we should head home."
“But Mom,” Ethan said, still wanting to listen to the stories of Grandpa.
“Not now,” She sternly replied.
As they made their way back, Ethan's thoughts remained fixated on the mysterious laboratory, with the image of the tower slowly fading from view as they descended.
After that day, his mother’s lips remained sealed about his grandpa; as if it were an unfinished chapter yearning for his closure
Whenever he would muster the courage to inquire, she would steer the conversation away, confessing that she did not wish to revisit the bitter memories. His father, too, avoided relinquishing any further information, insisting he only knew a fragment of the story, which Ethan already knew, leaving the rest to be shrouded in mystery.
As time passed, he gradually let go of the topic regarding Grandpa. He believed that someday the truth would reveal itself to him and he would uncover the answers he sought.
Instead, he now focused his energy on delving deeper into learning the fundamentals of advanced language and immersing himself in basic magic-related books. Although he yearned for advanced-level books, his father simply couldn’t bring those out of his office, so he had to settle for the books he already had.
As he delved deeper into Essential Elements: A Beginner's Guide to Magic, the fundamental theories behind spells and their geometrics started making sense, but some aspects continued to hold a mystery. And because he was still far from awakening, comprehending certain parts of the spells proved challenging without firsthand experience.
Every night, when his father returned from his duties, he would seize the opportunity to inquire and observe the spell that his father used to demonstrate. But merely watching the spell wasn’t enough for Ethan to grasp the intricate workings.
As time flew by, Ethan had already accepted his new reality, and now that he was past eleven, there were slow changes inside him. With each passing season, the world seemed to transform around him, while the few villagers recently saw sightings of orcs nearby the village, something unheard of before, but at least for him, his life was on track.
One early morning, Ethan woke up with a sense of unease. “Mom, I am sensing something strange here,” he panicked, gripping his chest tightly. “I don’t know what it is, but it’s a funny feeling.”
As he finished talking, unable to control himself due to the unease, he suddenly rolled on the floor, laughing uncontrollably while clenching his chest, unable to contain the sensation he was experiencing.
“Mom, what’s going on?” He exclaimed, still laughing in a low-pitched voice.
"It's really good news! Your body is going through changes because of mana," she exclaimed. "And soon, when you turn twelve and go through the awakening process, your Nexus will develop."
"Really?" Ethan asked, his excitement evident in his voice. "Finally, I will get my Nexus! I've waited twelve years for this," he thought.
As the days passed, his twelfth birthday drew closer. During this time, he would frequently feel a tingling sensation in his chest, sometimes leading to bursts of laughter. The anticipation of his imminent awakening filled him with both curiosity and excitement.