Summer, 625 CA
I spent the next few months learning new spells from Beltane and practicing them by myself. Learning the [Shield] spell was tough, but I managed it over the course of four tutoring sessions with Beltane. It was only after I was able to reliably cast [Shield] that Beltane told me students at the Academy usually only learned [Shield] in their third year of study.
After learning [Shield], I learned how to cast [Lift Object] and [Catapult]. All three of these spells involved spatial manipulation, and I suspected that Beltane taught me these spells to give me experience in non-elemental magic. Altering non-elemental facets of the world was more complicated than conjuring fire or turning water into ice.
Using [Shield], [Lift Object], and [Catapult] required you to interface with space itself. Usually, it was quite difficult for a denizen of Ferrum to comprehend this “fabric of reality” that overlaid the entire universe, but its existence wasn’t news to me. On Earth, this “fabric” was known as space-time, a four-dimensional manifold that could be bent by the presence of large three-dimensional objects, creating gravity.
By interacting with the space-time continuum in different ways, you could create different effects. By “grasping it tight,” you’d create a shield. By “pressing down on it,” you’d create an extremely localized gravitational field that could be used to lift objects. By “pulling on it,” you could build up some potential energy and fling an object at high speeds.
Though Beltane never told me exactly what kind of magic I was learning, I knew that it was called “Distortion Magic” on Ferrum. It was believed by the population of Ferrum that these spells interfaced with the “arcane fabric” that acted as the source of all magic, though they were incorrect. It would be more accurate to call it “Gravity Magic.”
The months before my birthday went by in a flash. For the first time in my second life, I had to use my brain. I never had the chance to utilize all my mental faculties when I was doing my Transmutation research due to the immensely slow speed of the required metallurgy. With Beltane as my mentor, I could move on to the next sticking point as soon as I reached a breakthrough in my training.
A few times during those months, I was struck with terrible headaches comparable to the migraines I suffered in my old life, and the headaches would not go away with healing spells. When I asked Beltane about them, he told me that the headaches were the result of esoteric strain.
Soon enough, it was my tenth birthday. Half of the town showed up to witness my Ritual of Observation. Everyone with any level of social standing was present at the ritual. It seemed that everyone wanted to learn the capabilities of the next Count of Northwind.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
The ritual had to be held outside due to the large number of people that showed up, and I spent much of my time sitting on a chair placed on a small stone foundation in the center of the garden. Standing for longer than thirty minutes straight was impossible for me, so the chair was necessary. Luckily for me, it was standard practice for the child to sit in a chair and speak to well-wishers for the duration of the Ritual of Observation.
Dressed in expensive tailor-made clothes that were far too warm for the weather, I sat in a chair as dozens of people milled about in our front garden. Solana and Miriam were sitting on chairs that they had brought from inside the house. It was a nice gesture. They didn’t want me to feel awkward that my frailty prevented me from socializing with the others. The gesture was unnecessary, however, as I had no desire to speak to most of the people living in Sableton.
“So, Thale,” Solana began to say, “are you excited to finally know your attributes?”
“Absolutely,” I lied. It would certainly be interesting to witness everyone’s reaction to my stats and mana reserve, but I had known my own abilities for more than half a decade by that point.
“Well, we already know that you’ve inherited [Hellfire],” Solana said, prompting a jealous look from Miriam, “but it’ll be really interesting to see your [Intelligence] and [Willpower], don’t you think?”
A moment after choking down a pastry, Miriam said, “I bet he’s got suuuper high Intelligence. Like… 14 or 15.”
“No way,” Solana said. “He’s smart, but he’s not that smart. Most adults only have 10 Intelligence.”
Thank you for the setup, sister.
“We’ll see,” I said. As I spoke, I tried to sound like a child that was anxious about the results of a test.
Two blonde figures emerged from the crowd and began walking toward me and my sisters. After a few seconds, they resolved into Lord Riomed and Nina Koravin. Before Beltane had arrived in Sableton, they were the only two blonde people in town. On the continent of Rubigo, blonde hair was incredibly rare outside of the Etron region.
Etron, one of the heroes of the Great Calamity, had bright blonde hair. The royal family of Etronia are the direct descendents of Etron, and they inherited his bright hair color. It was my understanding that House Koravin was an offshoot of House Polaris. I suspected that Riomed Koravin was technically in the line of succession for the Kingdom of Etronia, though he must have been behind more than a hundred others.
“Happy birthday, Lord Thale,” Riomed Koravin said with a wide smile as he approached. He held a wooden case in one of his hands.
Slowly, I began to lift myself from the chair. I was just about to reach for my cane when Solana helped me up with an outstretched hand. I quietly said, “Thank you.”
“There’s no need for you to stand,” Lord Riomed said. “We are of equal rank, officially.”
“It’s only natural to stand when your equal stands, Lord Riomed,” I said with a somewhat strained smile. Technically, I was the Lord of Gwynedd, a self-governing hamlet between Sableton and Northwind. The title was historically given to the Heir Apparent of Northwind, though it carried no real privilege or obligation. The people of Gwynedd probably didn’t even know who their lord was.
“I appreciate the courtesy,” Riomed smiled widely. He held the box he held toward me and said, “I’m here to deliver your gift from the people of Sableton. We think you’ll really like it.”