CHAPTER 3 -THE ASSEMBLY-

LUKE HODGES

Another year has gone by now, making me 2 years old physically while mentally, I don’t think I want to say it.

I am able to stand and walk now but still have to get breaks here and there, especially when I am not used to this little body. Most of my college strength and movement has been gone and now I am starting to realize it, and to be honest it still scares till’ this day.

It was like saying back on earth, “You don’t value what you have until you lose it.” Or something similar to that.

Enough Luke, don’t think about earth any more. It is useless to dwell on the past world where you can no longer go back. Those are words that I constantly tell myself every time I get reminded of earth or something I’ve done there.

Not pleasant memories if I do say so myself, but I must continue living here and make something out of myself to make my parents here proud.

So to the new topic, I finally found out about this world’s information.

For better or worse. I am now a citizen of Dicathen from the novel The Beginning After The End. The worst is that I still don’t know where I am. Most I know is that we are not too far from Sapin but neither too close.

My parents won’t tell me since I’ve taken this to myself to investigate. Mia–my mother–is still pretty suspicious about how I can use “difficult” words at my age. On the other hand, my father–James–thinks that I should now learn how to fight and defend myself before sending me to an academy nearby.

And to be honest, I’m not liking the options I have here.

Even with the names of the academys here, it was still impossible to know where we were located on the continent. It felt like it was a new city where the author didn’t describe or even make.

Sometimes, even my old self from earth would tell me that I was not in Dicathen and to discard those pathetic dreams of helping Arthur Leywin live a better life. One where he wouldn’t lose everything. One where he could’ve saved his father from that gruesome death caused by Agrona and his corrupted mana beasts. One where he wouldn’t have to solely rely on his old self to survive the upcoming war.

King Grey’s revival wasn’t really needed from the reader’s perspective, but now that I have this chance to witness the true reason why he was brought back. Arthur’s true happiness in this world doesn’t exist, the reason being that Fate is pulling him towards the best possible outcome that has the best probability to Agrona and Keezes ending reign.

And to help Arthur Leywin, I must do some things that are out of this world for him to continue being happy, whether it means that he gets to meet the Twin Horns, Sylvia, Sylvie, Regis, or even Tessia.

No. I spoke in a deep voice in my mind that made me dizzy for a few seconds.

Though I was thinking of the best ways to help Arthur Leywin live his happiest time here in Dicathen and at the same time winning the war with some sort of chance, my eyes and attention turned to my family, my parents in this world. Mia and James.

The atmosphere around them was that of how Arthur Leywin described when he finally started to think about his family more than battles. It was a nostalgic feeling, one that I hadn’t felt in so long, ever since I was brought to this world.

A substance or a type of phenomenon told me that I had other responsibilities in this new life given to me, to protect my family like any other person would.

I had agreed with this item of sensation. It was true that I had a sense of responsibility towards helping the main character of this novel achieve something he was never given in his past life, but there was also my own shield and sword to cover those dear to me, now and in future times.

No one in this continent knows that I am a separate reincarnation aside from the “Anchors” and the “Legacy”. Agrona, Keezes, Sylvia, and even the future seeing elf, Rinia Darcassan.

I could be wrong as well. Eliminating the deviant elf would cause some defections in my plans, war or not.

Dammit. I cursed, this reacted to my infant body moving in frustration as well but luckily no one caught a wind of it.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

The feeling of frustration at not being able to see a clear path to this “future” tainted my views even more.

Having from future seers to complete literal gods in the path, not to even mention the complete destruction of Dicathen if Arthur Leywin does go down the original path like in the novel.

I think I need a breather before taking another step into this plan of mine. I solely thought to myself.

Engrossing into the details of the future and trying to change them was like how Rinia Darcassan had explained in the novel when Arthur Leywin had asked for more details after meeting Windsom in that temporal realm.

One small crucial detail and the timeline gets destroyed and driven into something more gruesome.

Reaching the point where I had gone outside of the house–the backyard–of green scenery. I began the process that Arthur Leywin had when he was four.

The assembly of the mana core.

This was the true step I needed to take before making a decision on how to fight and continue this timeline. I felt anger, solace, and even more of seeking guidance from this foggy state that my mind was in.

In this place that I was–in the countryside If I were to guess–only a small town or city was a couple of minutes away. Where my house is, around seven houses are close to each other before reaching a different block where the other seven houses are.

I don’t specifically know who or what lives in those houses closest to us, not by me giving to craps but because of my tunnel visioned dream.

I know it’s greedy and cold for me to say that but I can say for sure that the “me” right now might not be the same as the future “me”.

While sitting down, crossing my legs for better concentration and isolating my mental visionary from the outside world, completely engulfing myself into this darkness where only bright lights would receive me awaiting their orders–from me–to regroup all of the single lights to form a mana core.

If I was correct, Arthur Leywin was the youngest in achieving a mana core at only age four. But let's just say that the record holder would have to hand it to me next?

He probably is barely learning how to read this continent’s words, much less understand the encyclopedia of a book inside of the room where he would regularly go.

Taking more than ten tries, hard time, intense focus in the inner part of my sternum. I finally…

My surroundings became more swollen, sensing mana now was more than before, it was pulsating into a rapid pace. My heart too was pacing fast, realizing that I now am a few moments away from achieving the most important and meaningful milestone ever for anyone in this continent: A mana core.

I was already eighty-eight percent done, the other twelve percent were close to the almost complete core. A little push and it’s done.

The imagery of the final shaped piece moved at a pace of about a snail on a rainy day, slow but surprisingly steady and strong.

If I were to stop concentrating right now, I doubt that it would affect my later progress to finish it. Yet the key word here was “right now”, I had to finish it.

I had to admit it, this assembly of the mana core became an obsession for it that I felt moments— watched and imagined times where I would be stronger than the lances all combined.

Stopping the retainers and scythes like they were nothing brought an instant reaction from, smiling with a widened expression, that is when it happened.

The last piece had already been connected to the whole core, creating a suction chamber and the source being my core as it starved for mana from the atmospheric pressure.

Alien and foreign, I began to fight back the first time effects that it came with. Continuing to absorb the atmospheric mana around me—which was rich with all four elements—like a vacuum bomb from earth.

Wait. That means… it’s going to…

I tried containing the blast from going rampant but it seemed to not be enough, the effects of the core being at full with toxic mana were already in mere seconds. The trees around me began to brighten in color, my house became more vibrant with light.

First came the shockwave of my own core, warning those around me to scatter and distance themselves away. Second was the heat and the fact that my sternum was boiling hot with mana coming from it, since my mana circuits didn’t fully develop or even open yet. Third, the explosion caused by the core released a large amount of toxic mana that was left under the filter.

Blowing away whatever object or other materials, causing a divot which I was the center of.

As the explosion occurred, a single thought crossed my mind. What would my parents think when they noticed that their two year old child had awakened as a mage?

Originally only one person was able to awaken early, and that person now only is a year away from doing so. Yet for me to help Arthur Leywin, waiting until I was fourteen years was absurd and I wouldn’t be helping him.

Being helpful after his time when he was taken to Epheotus as the training camp to make him endure this upcoming war wasn’t the best choice, having combat experiences was the best option like his decision to become an adventurer for two years before his enrollment in the Xyrus Academy.

“Lu!”

“Where are you, Lu!?”

Mia, James.

I— am here.