《I Will Be Recognized》25. The Elements of Magic
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It is currently the second month of school. Today was an important event for all freshmen. Everyone was gathered at the open magic training field. They were all excited, not at the fact that this was the only class they had for the day, but that today, was the day they found out their elemental affinity.
Some of the extremely privileged aristocratic students had already known how to manifest their elements, not to mention affinity. They were able to skip this class while everyone else had to attend since the results would impact their future at the academy.
There were eight known elements to man as well as a couple exceptions. The four major elements were Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire. There were also the two sub elements; namely Lightning and Ice. The last two elements were Light and Darkness. These two elements were a bit special since they required an absolute affinity in order to cast Light or Dark spells.
There was also the mystic category, the fancy name for non-elements. This was the category for spells like Magic Missile and Barrier, both of which do not represent an element. The next known exception is Spacial and Time. These two types of magic weren't exactly categorized since they were extremely rare and also near impossible to master.
Everyone was gathered at the field waiting in line to be judged by the magic orb. The way the magic orb worked was really simple. When you input your mana, the orb would identify the numerous elements contained in the strand of mana and show percentages. A person with an affinity with all elements would show around a 12% for all eight elements; that signified that all the elements are equally balanced, so said person would be proficient at all eight elements equally.
Of course, such a case was hard to find since it was almost impossible for a person to have both Light and Dark affinity. Despite that, there were some people born with special body types that allowed them to harness those elements equally, albeit rare.
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If one was shown to not have the slightest potential in any element, they were pretty much screwed since the non-elemental spells paled in comparison to the might of elemental spells. Though if someone was able to use Spacial or Time spells, they were pretty much destined to become great existences. Unlike the elements, there was no way of knowing whether you had an affinity with Spacial or Time, so many who had the potential but never discovered it would stay in the dirt their whole lives. That was also the reason why Spacial and Time spell casters were so heavily valued and rare.
In other words, if you had no affinity to an element, it was likely that you were destined to be garbage your whole life with your only hope being Spacial or Time spells. Without the Elemental, Spacial, and Time spells, you couldn't even be considered a magician. That was the cold hard truth.
...
I was next in line after Sam so I waited patiently.
Me being the nosy guy I was, tried to listen in on his results.
After a couple seconds of having his hand on the orb, the professor in charge said the results.
"12% Earth affinity, 12% Wind affinity, 12% Water affinity, 12%...What in the world? Is this thing broken? Wait a moment here for me."
I knew it probably wasn't broken since heroes are supposed to be at least this overpowered. Of course, from what I knew, the information about Sam being the hero has yet to be released by the Holy Church so that reaction was anticipated.
He took the orb off the pedestal and went back into the academy building. After three minutes, he returned with a new orb.
"Excuse me for the inconvenience. Alright, try again."
Again, Sam placed his hand on the orb for a couple seconds until the orb had fully inspected it.
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"12% Earth affinity, 12% Wind affinity, 12% Water affinity." As the professor continued on, his previous serious and profound vibe turned into that of a man lost for words.
"12% Fire affinity, 12% Lightning affinity... 12% Ice affinity, 12% Light affinity, 12% Darkness affinity. Holy Mother load! You... You said your name was Sam? It's a pleasure to meet you! It looks like you have an affinity with all elements. Congratulations! The only people ever recorded to have an equal affinity could only be counted on two hands. I expect great things from you Sam. Come to me if you ever need any help. Remember me as Professor Theo." The professor's attitude had made a complete 360. His previous nonchalance had shifted to the attitude of confronting a superior.
"Next!"
I walked up to the orb and placed my hand on it. I felt the mana in my body getting sucked out gradually. It didn't hurt or anything—it was just a strange feeling, similar to goosebumps.
As I was in front of the orb, I could clearly see what was in it. It was mana, except it was blood red in color. A tinge of grey was added into the clear orb as well. The result was something that looked like a crimson moon. The orb was completely filled to the brim as if the mana was going to escape any moment.
The professor also had a rather befuddled expression on his face.
"This... I've heard of this phenomenon before and I can't believe I'm seeing it with my own pair of eyes! In the entire history of humans, this has only happened two—no, three times if you include the first hero."
"1000% Fire affinity, 100% Darkness affinity."
"What was your name again? Ahh yes, Daniel. This phenomena is called Overdrive. Normal spellcasters would not know about this, but as I have experience in this field, I happen to be very knowledgeable. This phenomena is supposed to only be found in the elves of Yggdrasil but there were a couple cases of it in humans as well. Almost all elves possess a state of Overdrive once in their lives but for humans... What happens is that the affinity for an element becomes so strong, that it becomes extremely hard to control. Other than the first hero and two others, no one else has been able to handle the harm Overdrive does on the body. What I find peculiar here though, is that you have an affinity with another element as well. Normally, Overdrive can only happen when there is a single elemental affinity."
"Additionally, most patients with this condition die at an early age. By early, I mean as a fetus. You will be able to master Fire spells at an extreme pace, but keep in mind to not overexert yourself. I don't know how you managed to survive, kid, but be careful."
'This guy is too much of a drama queen.'
Either way, I already knew that I did not have Overdrive since I knew my Fire affinity was a direct result of the skill, Heart of a Dragon.
I went over to Sam who was waiting for me and we went to find Robert and grab some lunch.
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A Universe of Bloody Evolution
The Void was never meant to be opened to the Multiverse. The horrors waiting inside it should have never seen the light. And yet, the biggest mistake in the history of creation led to the impossible. In an event later known as the Outbreak, gates appeared in the first Universe, and with them, the Void was free. For ages the Void destroyed universe after universe, spreading its power in every direction, leaving only death and pain behind. But before every Universe met its end, it still had a chance. A small part of the population that survived the initial Outbreak and was granted a mysterious System to help them fight against the dangers that came from the Void. They were the Multiverse's last hope even if they couldn't stop the collapse of their own world. And so the cycle continued until the 36th Outbreak came. Leo Hale, a young reporter from Wolford, was one of the lucky ones to survive when the majority of Earth's population turned into monsters straight out of nightmares. Thrust into a constant battle for his life, Leo was determined to push forward and find his remaining family. Even if it meant sacrificing what was left of his humanity. After all, you either adapt or die. Story of progression and evolution with my take at the post-apocalyptic genre. Unlike most monster evolution stories where the monster rushes to gain human form, here I plan to do something quite the opposite. After all, in a world where almost everything wants to kill you, being human can be hard. Warnings are here to give me the freedom to write whatever is necessary. This is my first original novel. Also English isn't my native language so any feedback is welcome. Remember that even if initially this story takes place on Earth, fictional places, streets, etc will appear. Release Schedule: Monday - Wednesday - Friday Average chapter length: 2000-2500 words (There might be exceptions as is the case with some of the first chapters - most of them are longer.)
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It is 1788 and King George III has succumbed to a deepening bout of madness. Doctor Francis Willis has been summoned from his asylum in Lincolnshire to treat the King only to find that it is no medical malady that tortures His Majesty, but rather twisted mythological Celtic magic. He leads the effort to lift the curse on the King and restore the realm to sane governance before the King is forever lost to madness and the realm descends into chaos.
8 100Maker Of Power
Reality turns Legend. Legend turns Myth. And Myth vanishes over time. But not these Myths. Not this Legends. Not this Reality. No. These are stories that everyone knows. Stories sang time and time again. Tales of magic powerful enough to rival whole kingdoms. And the people that wield that magic. Everyone knows them. The tale of Velacinir, the Great. The song of Alek, the Skilful. The Legend of Waner, the Lost Smith. The Myth of Kaveli, the Unifier. All people know these things. These Storys, Legends, Myths, Tales, Songs. And mostly everyone thinks they never happened. But they did. And I was part of them. All of them. I was there. I might not have been the one to kill the dragon. The one that found the skill of resurrection. The one that fought whole armies for their family. I might have not been those people but I was there. Because although I may have not done those things, the people that did it weren't created from night to day. They did not just appear. They were taught like everyone else. They were just better at the things that people taught them. That I taught them. Yes. I am not the one that songs are being written about. I may not be the one whose legends perdures even until today. But one thing I am. I am their teacher, their instructor. I am the one that made them what they became. I am... Who am I? I had many names through the ages, but there was one that stuck to me the most. I am the Maker of Power. But like the ones that I thought. I was also a normal person before everything that happened. And this is how it all happened. This is MY Story. MY Legend. MY Myth. MY Song and MY Tale. This is MY beginning. And YOU SHALL LEARN IT. ------------------- Release schedule: Nonexistent.
8 182The Whispering Light
As a child Redmun Briandry had an ancient evil forced into his heart, something far worse than the monsters that roam the desolate land his people have been stranded in. Now a young man, it has whispered in his ear ever since, promising that it only wants to help, despite the pain and suffering it has caused.At the behest of his abusive mother, he has been sent to track down his father's corpse and put an end to the legendary rampage the thing within it has unleashed. Yet the closer he gets, and the more he understands, the more terrified Redmun becomes that the Whispering Light inside of him is getting exactly what it wants.
8 169The Compendium Allegoriian
Wherein the Author acquires a cursed trunk of treasures, once owned by another (now happily dead), and attempts to rid themselves of the burden by giving it all away. But the seed of a story, as the Reader well knows, so often sows many more of those... [On temporary hold while I focus on my entry to the April Writathon. Eventually these two works will connect, I'm just not great at multi-tasking so this compendium is temporarily parked until I cross thew May 5 finish line]
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A hero is transported from the real world into a parallel world similar to the video game he's been obsessed with for the past few weeks. The problem is, this game is way too difficult, especially for a nerdy gamer boy to survive. He decides to leave the hero-duty to someone who is actually competent while he looks for a way home. He hopes his knowledge of the game will help him stay out of trouble. Unfortunately, as one would imagine, the normal events of a game would change drastically when the main character is nowhere to be found. Read as the unlikely hero gets into trouble with his new companions, while trying to survive life in this parallel world. This is an original story that takes inspiration from and pokes fun at many novels, video games, anime, and the stereotypes and tropes that appear in those media.
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