The creature pounced on Kai with great speed, creating a blast of air wherever it passed, blowing the guards back, and destroying the few stalls lined up on the street.
Its long and skinny arm reached for his throat with its bloody claws as it appeared in front of him in mere seconds. Kai shivered as he tried to step back but his body wouldn’t listen to his inner cries of despair.
The scythe of death brushed past his throat, images of his former death flashing in his mind. Death… once again?
It was then that a bright light descended from the sky, collapsing upon the creature which instantly turned into ashes, its silent death shocking the onlookers.
“Kai, are you alright?! Kai!” His mother picked up the unresponsive Kai and checked for any wounds. “Thankfully you aren’t harmed…” she said as she embraced her son, whose skin began to turn blue, his wide pupils staring into the void.
No way… am I dead again…
Ray quickly pulled out a small pouch from his spatial ring, taking out a few grams of a weird yellow powder. He fed it to Kai, who quickly fell asleep, his face slowly returning to a healthy rose.
The man dressed in a black military uniform arrived shortly after, his small and red eyes rapidly scanning the scene before he turned to Ray and Elena. He didn’t look unusual, he was tall, with short dark hair and a short balbo-style beard.
He wore a stern look on his face as he made his way to the couple, and he raised an eyebrow upon seeing Kai’s silver hair. Elena’s eyes burned with rage, and she handed Kai to her husband before her voice erupted in the man’s ears.
“WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!” her shaky voice resounded in the air, and everyone’s eyes were glued to the military official.
“Madame… Sir, I am terribly sorry for what has happened, I…” he tried to apologize, struggling to find the words suited to the couple who nearly lost their child. “This was my fault, we detected the Lytic too late. I hope you can accept my sincere apology.” He bowed deeply for a few seconds, then straightened himself, his stoic expression reappearing on his face.
Shortly after, the guards and military men who were chasing the beast joined the man, scratching their heads as they looked around. “Captain, where… Where is it?” one of them asked, bewildered by the sudden disparition of the enormous monster.
“You’re looking at it.” The captain pointed towards a pile of ashes by Elena’s feet, which was being slowly dispersed by the wind. “This… was it that light?”
“We will take our leave now if you don’t mind.” Ray interrupted them as he turned to leave with his wife, “But we are yet to forgive anyone.” He said angrily before disappearing behind a corner.
The guards and military men watched the departing couple silently, and they hurried to collect the creature’s ashes. “Captain,” one of the men dressed in a similar black uniform to his said, “don’t you think these two look familiar?”
The man seemed to be deep in thought, and he stroked his beard as he answered, “No, I don’t think they do…”
He turned his attention towards the ashes, the heat from the light still lingering on their surface. I and my soldiers barely wounded this beast, but a light magic spell turned it to dust in an instant… Could it be… them? I need to report this…
…
In the middle of the city stood an enormous castle, its outer walls were made of dark brick and the inner court was paved with beautiful white stones. A single, gigantic gate isolated it from the world, and guards marched atop the walls, patrolling the interior and exterior.
A huge throne, made out of beautiful dark wood and decorated by red cushions stood alone in the back of a huge room, a long, gorgeous yet dirty red carpet divided the chamber in two. Two statues depicting a golden dragon lay on each side of the carpet, showing the importance of this room.
On the throne sat a man dressed in a black robe, decorated by golden engravings in the shape of a dragon. He had long, black hair, and his face was shaven and clean of any beard. A long and deep scar ran diagonally across his face - from his right eyebrow to the base of his nose.
The sound of metal tapping on wood echoed rhythmically in the throne room as the man’s impatience grew, his cold, crimson eyes staring at the captain. “So you’re saying… there’s a chance they’re in the kingdom?”
The captain nodded, swallowing the saliva stuck in his throat, and his shivering lips parted as he said “Y-yes! Although They didn’t look anything like vampires, I sent a small squad of novice Shadow Soldiers, but the couple disappeared before they could even catch up.”
He quickly explained, his gaze fixated on the floor, not daring to lift it by an inch. “Not to mention their kid…”
“Yes?” The man on the throne stopped his impatient tapping, his fierce gaze locked onto the man.
“Their kid… had silver hair!” The man finished his sentence, and his eyes squinted as the long-haired man’s voice rang in his ears.
“Enough!” He ordered as he rose from the throne, slowly walking toward the man, “Dismissed.”
“Yes, your highness!” The captain quickly left, leaving the man by himself, whose expression turned sour, and a myriad of emotions could be seen on his face. A dense aura descended upon the room as the man gritted his teeth in anger, cracks slowly appearing on the walls and floor, as well as on the golden statues that began to crumble.
Blood dripped down the carpet from his clenched fists, which shook violently before the man let out a painful scream.
The room returned to normal as the scream faded away, his face returned to normal, and he touched the scar on his face as he gave out a simple order: “Find them, they must be using disguise magic.”
“Yes sir!” A dozen voices said in unison as twelve men appeared from the shadows, quickly dispersing into six groups before disappearing.
The long-haired man slowly walked toward a large portrait, half of which depicted a tall and blurry man, his large, red eyes complementing his short and dark hair, along with his thick and stuffy beard.
His head was adorned with a small, black crown. The long-haired man gazed at the ground right below the portrait, where that same crown lay on the ground, its beautiful ebony surface dirtied by streaks of dark blood.
“It has come to this at last…” the man voiced his thoughts as his gaze drifted toward the other half of the portrait, which looked to have been torn and burned, the only proof of its existence was a small, silver-colored piece.
“I will cherish the opportunity you gave me, Aestra.” He said to himself, a light chuckle escaping his lips as he made his way back to the throne.
….
Small explosions resounded in the backyard, dust, and debris flying everywhere, steam seething from the water-covered scorched ground. Unnatural-looking holes and weirdly shaped rocks covered the once beautifully decorated earth.
*Boom*
Another explosion rang in Kai’s ears, sweat dripped down his body as he panted heavily. The stone dummy in front of him was blown to bits, the bigger pieces emitting smoke from their scorched surface.
His gaze drifted toward the firestone he held in his hand, gripping it tightly as it crumbled to pieces. A frustrated sigh escaped his lips as he sat down on the ground, throwing away the fine dust covering his palm.
“Well done, Kai.” Ray said as he approached his son with a thumbs up, “Your basic spells are at an intermediate level now, but you’ve still got a long way to go.’
He pulled out a water pouch from his spatial ring and sat next to Kai as he handed it to him.
“Thanks,” Kai said, grabbing the water pouch, and taking a few big sips before exhaling in satisfaction, but a defeated expression rested on his face. Even after becoming a two-star mage, only my mana pool increased… my weakness… It's disgusting. If I weren’t saved by that light two months ago… He shook his head as he voiced his concerns.
“But it’s still not enough…”
Ray glanced at his son, patting him on the back before looking into the distance, seemingly at nothing, or perhaps at memories. “Don’t beat yourself up, you weren’t even a Two Star Magician before, and even if you were…”
He dragged on his sentence as he looked around, and his pupils widened once the realization hit him. He quickly stood up, dragging Kai up with him as he scrambled to clean the yard.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
“Shit!” He let out an involuntary curse as he pulled out his wand “I was too caught up in the training, I didn't realize how much of a mess we made!”
Kai inspected the backyard, and a shiver ran down his spine at the scene. It looks like someone fought a war here….
“Hurry, we need to clean up before-” Ray stopped mid-sentence as an angry voice rang in his ears from behind him “Before what?” he gulped and slowly turned around, the image of his angry wife slowly appearing in his vision. “Before grandpa calls us over, haha…” he let out a nervous laugh as he scratched the back of his head, and an awkward smile manifested on his face.
Elena rolled her eyes and a scoff escaped her lips. “He just sent us word that Kai’s wand is ready, we’ll go get it while you clean up this mess.” Ray’s smile froze, but he lowered his head in defeat and began leveling the ground.
…
The mother-son duo left for the store after Kai changed his clothes, opting for a black cloak with a hood that would help hide his long silver hair, as per Elena’s request. Why would she make me wear such an ugly thing… ever since two months ago…
The magic store quickly appeared in their vision, along with the image of the old shopkeeper waving toward them to hurry up. “Come on in, fast!” He pushed them through the door, creaking as it opened, accompanied by the small chime of its bell.
“Follow me.”
He led them into a small room behind the stall. It was filled with magic crystals and all kinds of wood, and on a table glued to the back wall lay a weird robotic hand that held a wand in its pincers.
The old man carefully retrieved the wand from its grasp, staring at it with glee before handing it to Kai, who took a closer, curious look at it.
His eyes widened in surprise as he held it in his hand - the texture of the dark red wood reminded him of an old branch he used to play with as a kid in his former world.
Its thick base was decorated with three fire crystals, a faint light emitting from their surface. Higher up were two black crystals, which, if it weren’t for the stark contrast in colors, would seem almost invisible. Finally, on the top, a smaller, heavier dark crystal was located.
“This wand is unique, a magnificent combination of magic and craftsmanship,” the old shopkeeper bragged as a wide smile manifested on his face. “The wand itself is made from a hundred-year Loc tree, one of the best materials for fire and dark magic conductivity.” He explained before pointing toward the crystals.
“Although we usually use a few magic crystals to cut costs, and mainly because they are more than enough for your average two-element magician, I decided to only use crystals for your wand, and even better - They are interchangeable!”
Elena raised her eyebrow slightly upon hearing the old man’s last sentence, and she curiously asked as she took a closer look at the wand. “Grandpa, what do you mean by that? How can a wand change crystals, aren’t they fused with the wood?”
“Hohoho,” the old man laughed while playing with his beard, “Normally that would be the case, but that’s only because changing them is impractical for your average magician.
But Kai over here isn’t your average magician, he’s someone with all six elements unlocked! I thought it would be a waste if he could only effectively use two or three, so I tried to make more crystal slots, but every time I did, the wand’s structure would break apart…”
He pulled out a small pouch, the contents within jingling as he placed it on the table, and beckoned the wand toward him, which flew straight into his hand.
“Then I thought ‘Why not just change the crystals as he sees fit?’ I used a combination of modern and ancient wand crafting techniques, and made the wood slightly magnetic toward the crystals, that way they would lock in place and form a connection once inserted in the slot.”
As he said that, he made another hand gesture, and the crystals within the wand flew out of their place, arranging themselves neatly on the table as six crystals of different colors floated from the pouch, clicking in place in the wand’s empty slots.
“And this is the result, a modular wand!” The old man showed off his creation with pride before handing it over to Kai once again, along with the pouch of crystals.
“I carved all of them to fit perfectly in the wand, if you lose any of them you will need to come back here or carve them yourself. Kid, I suggest you start practicing.” He explained with a slight grin plastered on his face.
“Grandpa, you have our gratitude, we will make sure to pay back this debt no matter what it takes.” Elena hugged the old man tightly, his bones popping under her force. “Ayyye, Elena, aye!” he winced in pain, hoping that she would let go.
“Sorry!” she released her hug and hastily apologized before attempting to heal him. “It’s fine, don’t worry about this, these old bones of mine are still strong.” He said with a light cough as he moved away from her, “I think that was enough payback though.” He chuckled before turning his attention to Kai.
“I wish I could see you perform your first spells with that beauty, take good care of it.”
“I will,” Kai replied, placing the pouch and wand in his pockets as he turned to leave with his mother. “Thanks a lot, Grandpa.” He sincerely thanked the man as the bell’s soft jingle marked their departure.
To think that I was able to create such a unique wand for them’ brat's child, he’s a dragon among men, just like his parents. He thought as a feeling of intense pride rose up within him. I wonder what great feats he will achieve…
…
Ray was in the midst of cleaning when he heard the front door open, and immediately dropped whatever he was doing, rushing to the living room. He saw Kai, who was holding the wand in his hand, and asked, feeling more excited than his son. “How is it? Do you like it?”
“I don't know Dad, I can’t use any kind of magic with it.” He played around with the wand, attempting to send his mana into it, but nothing ended up happening.
His father curiously approached and inspected the wand “Did you make a bond with it?” he asked as he glanced at Elena and Kai with a bewildered expression.
Elena’s face reddened and her cheeks flushed red “I… completely forgot about that…”
Kai, on the other hand, was staring at the two of them like an idiot, unable to follow the conversation. “What bond? Can’t I just use it?”
Ray scoffed at the statement before explaining “The first time a wand is created a bond must be made between it and the owner. As for why… I would say because the wand has yet to gain a spirit, so a connection must be created in order for it to be used.
In order for a bond to be created, the wand must be infused with the owner’s magic signature during its creation, then must be confirmed after, this way only you and you alone can use it until it gains sentience.”
Kai looked at the wand, seemingly lost in thought before his pupils widened at the realization “I need to give it blood?”
His parents stared at the boy in silence, their shoulders shaking slightly before they burst out in laughter “Of course not, where did that even come from?” Ray said through bursts of laughter and plucked out a hair from Kai’s head after he calmed down.
“Ouch, again?” he complained while rubbing his head.
Ray smirked and handed the hair to Kai. “Do you remember when we first ordered your wand? Grandpa needed a little bit of your hair, and this was why - One’s hair contains their magic signature. Now, wrap the hair around the wand.”
Kai did as instructed and coiled the hair around the wand, and it disappeared in a small, bright flash of light as the wand glowed strongly for a few seconds. He held it tightly in his hand as he looked at it with amazement. Almost immediately, he felt a deep connection with the wand, and also something else, something he could not put into words.
This aura…small, longing for love, it’s just like a child.
The aura slowly faded, and he tried to awaken it but it was useless, however, he could feel its existence, he knew it was there, somewhere inside the wand…
“Let’s go try it out.” His father prompted them and hurried into the backyard that was yet to be completely cleaned. Kai halted his footsteps after arriving in the yard, his vision fixated on nothing as he remembered something.
“Dad, look!”
He took out the crystal pouch from his pocket and showed his father the method to change the crystals, and chose to fill it with fire crystals under his father’s widened eyes.
Ray’s lips parted, but before he could even say anything he got cut off by Kai “I want to try the secondary spell: Dancing Phoenix.”
His parents didn’t say anything, but the silence was enough confirmation. It’s good to be ambitious, even if he fails he shouldn’t feel too bad about it.
Kai walked in front of his parents, keeping a good distance from them, and recalled the spell he had studied. He slowly injected magic into the wand, the Fire Crystals glowing gradually with a beautiful red light.
I see, so that’s how it works…
He closed his eyes and started dancing almost instinctively, following the movements in his mind, his steps were timed and spaced perfectly, his consciousness fusing with nature’s energy as the mana moved rhythmically in his veins.
The mana around him grew denser, and the area became hotter as he murmured in a low voice :
“Oh King of the Sky
Flame Lord above Allheaven
Cleanse my path with fire!”
At the end of the dance, a small, phoenix-like figure made out of flames floated in front of him.
“Amazing!” Elena happily exclaimed as she joined her hands together, her face beaming with excitement.
His parents watched with amazement as the phoenix grew in size, becoming larger and larger, in almost two seconds it became a mighty, fully-fledged almost photo-realistic phoenix.
“What the...” Ray was awestruck by the scene in front of him, his heart racing in his chest as he jumped up, pulled out his wand, and immediately cast a few dozen sound-isolating and concealing barriers.
Just as he was about to let out a sigh of relief, Kai’s eyes snapped open, flicking his wand toward the Fire-Red Phoenix, and an almost identical one, but made out of blue fire appeared next to it.
“B-blue flames? How can he use that?” Ray muttered proudly but anxiously. Kai stared at his creation with widened pupils, and as he pointed his wand upward, the two majestic phoenixes launched up into the night sky.
Seeing that, Ray flicked his wand toward the sky once again, creating another dozen barriers in an attempt to contain the wild magic creatures, who started moving in the same pattern that Kai was doing earlier.
At the end of their dance, they met in the middle, where their collision created a huge explosion, splitting the sky in two contrasting colors, a rain of fire falling down on the ground as the flames faded away.
Kai let out a satisfied, exhausted sigh, and fell asleep almost immediately, nearly hitting the ground.
“Got you,” Elena said as she caught her son, holding him tightly in her arms. “Are you alright dear? She turned to Ray, who had a few drops of sweat dripping down his forehead.
“Yeah, it wasn’t that hard to contain, although it was pretty unstable.” he replied as he heaved a sigh of relief “Our son… he’s a genius!”