—Mater terra, domina rerum omnium sub caelo, amat quod vita sinit. Exaudi uocem meam et da uoluntatem meam.

When Daageo finished his spell, I could see that the water in the stream began to change direction. Slowly, the current that was obstructed by a rock seemed to have turned towards us when it suddenly swirled onto the shoreline where Daageo and I were standing.

Almost seizing the moment, Daageo began to perform a delicate dance with his hands, and without warning, the water began to rise each time his hands rose in those graceful movements.

When a two-meter wall of water had formed in front of the two of us, I could see the rays of light that cut through the crystal clear water and drew various shapes on my face and the surrounding grass.

—This is known as 'Waterbending', Darrow. Water is one of the four main elements, along with fire, earth and air —when I heard Daageo's voice, I raised my head to see him still talking to me with his eyes closed—. What you see right now is nothing more than a simple trick to satisfy the bored face you had when I asked your father to let me bring you.

It was true, I had been removed from my books by Daageo's request and during the whole way I had looked irritated. However, it was because I thought that he would bring me grief, not teach me magic.

—But we could consider that Waterbending has lethal "tricks" for those enthusiasts who see this element as their first pillar of learning magic. Does this mean that fire, wind or earth are less lethal? No. It means that Waterbending gives you access to lethal spells very early. That is why terrorist organizations are generally made up of Waterbending sorcerers.

I guess it made sense, because unlike air that you can't see when you handle it, fire that can burn you if you're not careful enough, and earth that is too rough and raw for a beginner, water was the perfect choice. It was material and visible, you only had to worry about not getting wet and catching a cold and you could manipulate it as freely as you wanted.

Without Daageo by my side to teach me these things, I was ashamed to admit that I wouldn't have thought of them on my own.

* * *

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Three years have passed since that night when I made my first attempt to awaken my vital energy and I was scared because I returned to the dark and sinister place from which I woke up.

After watching my father's training, I was surprised to find out that his class was not Bard, considering that the instrument was the family heirloom and the profession of our ancestors. Actually, his class was Fighter. A Fighter used his vital energy very differently than mages; for example, the life energy in a Fighter's core was used to strengthen the body, increase physical abilities, and gain overall dexterity. They could even imbue their weapons with their own vital energy.

Don't get me wrong, I like the idea of being a swordsman with outstanding physical abilities, but I'd really like to learn more about the other classes. This is why I was wondering if I would inevitably inherit Odard's Fighter class...

—To sleep, my precious baby.

Jane's voice echoed in my ears as if a demon was dragging me into the depths of an abyss.

—I want books!

—You've been in the woods with Mr. Daageo all day today, dear. There will be no more books for today...

—Mama.

—Huh?

I caused a nervous reaction in my retinas by leaving them open for some time, when necessary, I began to shed tears and the lighting helped to highlight my grief.

—I want to read. Mama.

—Grr... —Jane seemed to be fighting with herself as she gave me a struggling expression—. You can only play with one book and only for thirty minutes!

When Jane put me down, it wasn't necessary to fall to my knees like a king without his kingdom, instead, my body stood tall and proud on my fat legs.

That's right... Now I could walk!

Although I really did look more like a baby after three bottles of whiskey, but another year and I would surely have it.

When I went to my crib and uncovered my books as if it were a secret weapon, the carriage door received two knocks accompanied by a voice:

—Jane, is Pelith. I need help in the kitchen. Again...

My mother smiled at me with a sigh.

—My dear, if your thirty minutes have passed when I return and you continue reading, you will know what obedience is.

Her smile was terrifyingly convincing...

Ever since the night I regretted trying to form my core, I couldn't stop thinking about the Council of Masters and the Emperor. Our situations were similar in a certain way, they were afraid of the darkness of the wall, I was afraid of the darkness inside me, and because of her, I hadn't tried to go back.

But unlike them, today I was going to change the course of my destiny. I would try again today.

Clasping my hands above my crossed legs, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. As soon as I felt the vital energy particles around me, I knew it had started.

When I opened them, absolute darkness surrounded me.

Every corner of this space was the same as before, the only difference was that I did not see that abyss in the floor and ceiling.

When I looked down, I could see that the ground was too low, when my hands came into my field of vision, I realized that I no longer had the body of a baby, but that of an adult. It seemed that in this place the ties of reality did not restrict me, it was as if here they recognized the age of my soul before that of my physical body.

At that moment, I turned around only to find a crack the size of an adult's head floating in the air. It was shaped like a lightning bolt, with forks that made it look like the roots of a tree. The light from him was white, so radiant my eyes ached and I had to cover my face with my forearm. I involuntarily started walking towards that crack in space, and when my hand reached it, I went back to my crib.