The dark basement was very familiar. He remembered it well, having been imprisoned here before, but he couldn't understand why he was back here again. Not only that, he was once again tied up and lying before the magic circle, where the horrifying demon was once again drooling watching him. On the other side of the barrier entrapping the demon, the demon warlock was continuing his unholy chant slowly binding the monster to the warlock's soul. Val knew all this, having learned it from his new master, but he didn't understand what he was doing back in this place. He knew he had already killed the warlock and escaped the demon long ago.

  However, reality told him that he was back in that dreadful night, once again on the verge of being sacrificed. It would have been daunting, but he wasn't the same Val that he had been before. He was now a mage apprentice, and even if he wasn't more powerful than the demon warlock, he knew how to destroy the warlock's plans and kill the bastard. Centering himself, he summoned his Magic Core, preparing to reinforce his body with mana to disturb the barrier like he had before.

  He waited, but nothing happened. No warmth flooded his body, and no familiar dark sphere appeared in his mind. Val felt stunned for a moment, confusion and eventually fear filling his body. He willed himself to summon his Magic Core, eventually even begging behind his gag for it to show up. However, nothing helped. He was left breathing heavily as he struggled desperately on the blood stained floor even as the demon warlock finished successfully intoning the sacrificial spell.

  Val felt his heart beat heavily and sweat pour down his face, as he watched the demon slip out of the barrier, snarling but almost tame compared to before. The demon warlock's face lit up in a horrifying grin, as he pointed at Val saying, “The final one...” Almost as though let off its leash, the creature sprung at Val, its jaws wide open with its serrated teeth gleaming in the dark and its vile saliva splashing everywhere.

  Then, he awoke, flailing and choking on a harsh grunt. It took a bit for his hazy mind to clear, but as Val threw off his woolen blanket, he felt the sweat cooling on his back. Val remembered where he was, and the bed and the room he was in gave him some comfort, proving that he had just been dreaming. However, his trembling arms and rapid heart beat told him how vivid that dream had been, almost like it had happened.

  Slowly slipping out from the bed onto the cool stone floor, he walked past his desk and book shelf, filled with precious books and magic paraphernalia. He ignored the simple magic wand that rested in its holder, alongside his small wardrobe of clothes. Instead, he made his way to the window, its wooden shutters closed but still leaking some light. Opening them brought fresh air into the stale room, calming him and giving him a clear view of the familiar City of Albreit from the lord's central keep. He could clearly see the nobles' district with its fancy mansions and clear streets and even parts of the merchant's district with its many stores and businesses. Beyond them, he thought he could almost visualize the slums, the market, and all the other parts of the city.

  He took a deep breath, remembering those frantic few days in those places from almost a year go. Even now, he wondered how he had survived back then and in many ways come out better than most. In fact, it taken a full year for the city to fully recover from the purge that took place that day, and even now, Val only had some idea of all the back room dealings that had taken place when the presence of the dead demon warlock was revealed. However, Val knew the politics involved was beyond his current reach, and his main concern was his magic. Recalling his nightmare, he knew that only when he was strong enough, could he protect himself from what this world had to throw at him.

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  Turning to look back at his table with his personal spell book lying on it, he wondered what spells he should choose to memorize for the day. Being a first level wizard, he had a total of five, tier I spell slots and two, tier II spell slots. It was one, tier I spell slot more than most normal wizards had at his level, but it wasn't too uncommon as, according to his master, it was probably a gift form the world's Magic Source, which was the origin and controller of all magic that existed in the world.

  Of course, all that wasn't counting the soul spell he had obtained when he 'Awakened' a year ago. Thinking about the soul spell, he wondered for the hundredth time whether he should tell his master about it. His master had mentioned that only a handful of wizards would ever gain a soul spell in their long lives. It was a gifted spell, permanently etched in a 'Professional's' soul, which resided in their Magic Core. That had been the 'silver dot' that had appeared in his 'dark sphere,' when he 'Awakened.' However, recalling what he had learned of the spell and comparing it to what knowledge he had gained about magic in the last year, he knew that his soul spell was well beyond 'normal' in a world where magic was normal.

  Shaking off the uncertainty he felt, he summoned his Magic Core, letting the warmth of the mana spread through his body. In his 'mind's eye,' he saw the familiar dark sphere with the silver dot still swimming around in the sphere. However, it was no longer alone as colorful, geometric patterns covered the Mana Core, surrounding a total of seven filled and empty slots. From what he saw, the tier II magic slots were surrounded a little bit more densely than the tier I's.   

  Master Argentus had told Val that Magic Core appeared differently to different wizards, with some resembling things trees, webs, animals, and even people. Supposedly, the shape or appearance of the core also influenced to some degree what type of magic a wizard could eventually specialize in. Something like Val's Magic Core meant he probably was a good all-rounder.

  In any case, Val focused on most of the filled magic slots, wondering what to do, He had gone to bed with some spells already memorized, as it been drilled into his mind that a wizard was always prepared. Eventually, he decided to keep a few as they were, abandoning some, and then deciding to use one of the spells. All it took was a quick decision to select the spell, and he cast , a tier I spell to quickly clean himself. Almost immediately, he felt some of his mana drain and a slightly tingly sensation cover his body, before he saw a thin waft of white smoke scatter from his body.

  It might have looked simple to anyone watching, but only Val knew how long it taken him to study the various ancient languages to be able to understand the spell, to eventually memorize it, and then to successfully cast it without screwing it up and causing a mana backlash. Looking back at his spell book, he wondered why such a simple spell required an entire page of ancient High Elven text. Sighing and shrugging off his usual complaints, he sat down at his desk, getting ready to start what had become his daily morning routine over the last year.