Einar was lying on his bed while staring at the ceiling of his room. He was listening to the sound outside: the sound of owls calling back and forth to their young, the gentle chirping of crickets, the sweet serenades of Katydids, and the rhythmic buzzing of Cicadas. It was a tune that soothed him rather than disrupting him. This was the first time he had heard these since his regression.

“I never imagined that I would hear these sounds again. Back in the dungeon, all I hear is my scream and the sinister laughs of those madmen!” He said to himself as he reached out his hand, like trying to reach the ceiling while lying on his bed.

He looked at the back of his hand and thought of something. ‘What is that thing that I saw at Chris right after our conversation? It looks like smoke is coming out from his body. Was it my imagination? Just like in the dungeon.’

It was already past midnight, but he couldn't fall asleep. It was not the sound of night that kept him awake, but rather the thing he saw on Chris. He got curious, got up from the bed, and walked right to the center of the room. He sat down with his legs crossed and closed his eyes.

‘Was that mana? According to what I remember, only those who have had their mana core awakened are able to sense the mana.’

Einar became aroused by the possibility as his heart began to race. When he attempted to learn magic in the past, he tried to remember the techniques for awakening the mana core, precisely as he had read in the books.

‘Our bodies have eight mana cores, and you must grow the first one in order to awaken the others. While some refer to these as mana circuits, others call them mana circles. The eighth core is located directly in the center of the circular formation made up of these seven cores joined by a thin line. Your mana cores are the source of your power when you use magic spells. It is comparable to a locomotive that requires fuel to accelerate gradually. The gasoline represents your mana, while the engine represents your core. Therefore, in order to use magic gradually, you must awaken your mana core.’

‘Close your eyes and focus your senses on your body. Try to calm your mind and breathe slowly, then feel the rushing flow of mana inside you. Now, gather this rushing flow of mana leisurely at the center of your body and visualize it as a ball of light. Once you succeed in putting this together, it will take the form of a sphere, and that sphere is your mana core. That will be your first step to awaken the other mana cores.’

‘For magic users, either Mage or Swordmage, mana core is the basis for their levels; these levels are classified as.’

‘Novice Mage for First Core.’

‘Intermediate Mage for Second Core.’

‘Advanced Mage for Third Core.’

‘The quickest core levels to reach are the first three. You can sense the mana flowing through your body at this level. Identify the mana in your environment and have the ability to control it. But not everyone advanced to the following stage.’

‘Next level is Apprentice Mage for Fourth Core.’

This is the level at which your mana manifests, based on your mana nature features. Any of the four elements—fire, wind, water, or earth—can be formed from mana at this level. While most people only have one nature characteristic and concentrate on learning magic based on it, some people are born with many nature traits, which is extremely rare.

‘Elite Mage for Fifth Core.’

At this point, you may utilize and absorb not only the mana on your body but also the mana in the atmosphere. A level for a complete "Mage" declared.

‘Master Mage for Sixth Core.’

You have the ability to enter into a contract with a magical beast at this level. It takes a lot of mana to have a contract with a magical beast. Therefore, you must first reach this level in order to have one. To have a contract with a magical beast is like doing a tug of war. You need to make a magical beast submit to you. In this phase, you need to overwhelm the magical beast by using mana.

‘Grand Mage for Seventh Core.’

‘This is the most difficult level to reach since it requires you to link all seven mana cores. Only one individual in the history of magic was able to reach this level following the lost century. It was the current master of the magic tower and the head of the union of mages.’

‘And for the eighth core (Arc Mage), no one was able to achieve this level.’ Then Einar opened his eyes and exclaimed.

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“Huff! I got excited for nothing. I really can’t feel the flow of mana, just like the old days.”

“Maybe I was just hallucinating.”

He stood up and gazed outside the window; he saw the village, the farmland, and the lake outside illuminated by the moon's light.

"Seeing this place again was like a dream."

Taking a heavy heart, he left his room and looked around the house. Bringing back some memories of the kitchen and dining area where his mother and Anna used to cook. His father enjoys telling him stories in the living room. He cranes his neck and goes to the next room where his parents used to be, but now it's empty. Einar opens the door cautiously and scans the room slowly. He used to run into this room when he was little, woke up scared, and there were his parents to calm him down from his nightmare. Einar crosses the room and goes to his parents' bed, grabbing something underneath it, a long box containing the family heirlooms.

Like a light that slowly illuminates the room, Einar's memories of his parents gradually surfaced in his thoughts as he lightly touched the box's surface. He intends to bring this box along; it will be a long journey, and there will be no guarantee if he can return to his home village alive, for revenge is like a parasite that slowly eats you from the inside, consuming you till there is nothing left.

He had already packed everything he would need to take with him before he left the village, but there are still a few things he wants taken care of before dawn.

Einar visits the farmland where he used to spend his time all day planting and cultivating crops. He planted a young sporophyte that he had taken from his home. He wants to plant some seeds before his farming hands, who once tended life, will later be marred with blood.

“I’ll be leaving soon, but someone from the village will take care of you guys.” He muttered while plating the young sporophyte. Einar got in the habit of talking with the plants.

Later, Einar left the farmland and went straight to the village.

Clop! Clop! Clop!

Einar strolls around the village like a watch guard at night, looking over the houses that turn to ashes right before his eyes until he travels back in time. He remembers the cries of the villagers during the genocide ordered by Prince Corbin. Not even a single soul was left alive that day except for him.

Standing in the middle of the village, he clenched his fist tightly like it was going to burst and spoke. “Not this time; I’ll make sure that never happens.” Then he gazed at the church that was at the end of the road he was at right now and walked towards it. Behind the church was the village graveyard. He wants to visit his parents grave before he leaves the town.

With his knees up while sitting down, he stared at his parent’s tomb with sadness in his eyes. He’s about to break the promise he had made right before his parent’s tomb. He kept the promise till the time he lost his head.

“Hey, Mom, Dad. I’ll be leaving the village. I don’t know how long I'll be gone. There are some things I need to do. I know, I did promise not to seek vengeance on your deaths and not be consumed by darkness. However, this time was different. I need to find some way to save Anna and this village. Just watch over me up there.”

Einar rose and placed flowers on his parent’s tomb. A daisy, Anna’s favorite flower. Then he left.

***

The morning arrived; it was time for them to leave the village. Chris and Mr. Silas brought the horses from the barn and mounted them on the wagon. As they fixed the neck yoke to the horses, Einar was standing next to the barn with furrowed eyes looking at them.

‘What the hell is wrong with my eyes? Not just Chris but also Mr. Silas now, but I just saw Mr. Silas yesterday during the harvest and I didn't see these things.’

Then a man walks out from the barn carrying out some jar with honey. Einar gazed at him but couldn't see the smoke that emitted from his body, unlike what Chris and his father have.

Chris saw Einar and noticed his spacing out again with a confused expression. With his words, he interrupted Einar, who faded away with his thoughts.

“Don’t just stand there; we need to set the other wagon.” Einar rushed to help them, ignoring what he just saw.

They prepared two wagons for trading in the city, and each of these wagons contained farm products. The first wagon was full of harvested crops with different varieties of vegetables and fruits. The persons in charge of this wagon were Mr. Silas and Bob. The second wagon was filled with cheese, jars of honey, and varieties of spices. This wagon is where Chris and Einar are in charge.

It will take a five-day trip for them to reach the city. But it would be faster if they used teleport gates. Using one of these gates will instantly take them to the city. These teleport gates are the fastest way of transportation in this world, but farmers like them would normally choose the traditional way of travel. These teleport gates are quite expensive; they need to save every penny they can. Only wealthy merchant guilds can use these machines. But thanks to Mr. Silas, he preserved the harvested crops with his magic. So even if the trip takes months, it won’t be a problem.

After the preparation, Mr. Silas gathers them around.

“Everyone, we will be departing shortly. Chris, Bob, you know the drill.” Both of them nod hearing Mr. Silas' words.

“Einar, our trip might have danger along the way, so whatever happens you just stick with us. Here take this.”

Mr. Silas gives Einar a dagger; “use this to protect yourselves only.”

Einar took the dagger from Mr. Silas' hands and thought of something.

‘Choosing this traditional method of transportation is cheaper than using teleport gates, but this method comes with great danger; you might get attacked by wild beasts, bandits, and other creatures of the night.’

‘But I remember every detail of these days, and from what I remember, we never encountered any problems during my first market trading with them. There’s nothing for me to worry about.’

‘Don’t worry, Mr. Silas, nothing wrong will happen during this trip.’

Except for Einar, Mr. Silas, Bob, and Chris begin to climb their assigned wagon. He continued to gaze at the village, the farmland, and the house at the top of the hill, which is his parent’s inheritance, as if it were his final view before he executed his plans. He has already made the decision to alter his destiny and save those around him.

“Einar, are you coming or not?” Chris spoke.

After that, he began to climb the wagon.

Einar’s journey to the City of Grandel starts.