Book 1: Chapter 11

“They are their grade of elemental body and the type of their element!” Baccaus announced as if this was common knowledge.

Cyil nodded at the first answer but was confused by the second answer. “Why does the element matter? I think all the elements are useful!”

“Yes, your element matters! The kingdom values each element differently and even among mages there is discrimination. Although each element has their own strong points, what matters is their usefulness to the country and hence a hierarchy was established:

Light > Earth > Fire > Wind > Water > Darkness.

Thus those who have the light element are revered and those who have the darkness element are shunned!”

“But those with the darkness element haven’t done anything wrong. They were just born with it! You’re not a bad person at all Grandpa, so why should you be shunned?” Cyil grew angry at the thought as he remembered what Baccaus said before.

“You’re correct Cyil. This ranking is simply the construction of the human kingdom and does not hold true in all of Nakrul. In the end we are all just human, trying to live our days in happiness and joy… unfortunately, the joy of some is to be above others and torment them. You must keep in mind that you are no better than anyone else or anything else. Everyone is equal and we should all live in harmony.”

“I’ll do that Grandpa!” Cyil declared.

“Do what?” Baccaus stared at the boy.

“I’ll make sure we are all equal, everyone and everything!” At this point Cyil had a smile on his face, picturing what it would be like.

“That’s a good dream to have m’boy. But remember that there are no absolutes. Now, we’re almost to Newham town. We’ll land a few miles away so we won’t attract any attention.”

Baccaus guided the air current to let them slowly drift down pass the tree tops, landing on the lush green ground.

“Grandpa, what are we going to do in town?” Cyil thought of food and a warm bath and sweets.

“We need to restock on food and other necessities. After that I’ll take you to a secluded area and your training will begin. This will be your last time seeing people other than your handsome grandpa so have fun.”

“Mhm” Cyil nodded and then the two began to make their way towards the Newham.

Along the way, Baccaus introduced many different plant and animal species to Cyil. Baccaus went over which plants were safe to eat, how best to cook it, how rare each plant was, what type of uses each plant may have. Baccaus also went over the habits of each animal they came across. Because of their constant stops and educational talks by the time they reached Newham the sun was already setting over the treetops.

Seeing the town alight with candles, Cyil couldn’t help but be reminded of his own little town. Newham was larger than his town and there were more people but a lot of things remained the same. There were people dressed in worn down clothing and there were children playing around in the dirt roads. The sound of laughter echoed all around and the smell of fresh loaves and sweetened milk wafted into all corners of the town.

Approaching the town, Cyil saw some kids playing a game he used to play with his friends.

“Betsy, Mundo, and Sigesar. How are you all doing.” Cyil thought back to his friends and then inadvertently thought of his mother which brought tears to his eyes.

“Mom, I am not dead! I will come back to you soon so please don’t be too sad. Even without dad, I will still be here. Please. Please wait for me.” Cyil steeled his heart and blinked away the tears.

Baccaus stood silently and watched Cyil’s actions. This boy with a saint body, am I ruining his childhood by putting him down this path? Baccaus softened, “Cyil you can go play with them if you would like.”

Contrary to Baccaus’ expectation, Cyil shook his head. “Grrandpa, I’m okay. I want to finish training soon so I can go visit mom soon.”

Not saying anything, Baccaus nodded at Cyil’s firm gaze and steady answer. Leading the way, Baccaus found the only inn and booked them a room.

When the innkeeper first saw the pair she was shocked. The old man was wearing dirty cotton pants with a large cloak draped around his hunched body. And as he was handing money to the innkeeper, she could see that the old man’s hand was blackened and dirty. This was a poor town but even the poorest didn’t have hands so unkempt.

What was even more shocking was the young man who stood tall next to the old man. His skin was pale and clean, there was not even a speck of dirt not to mention a blemish on his face. His hair was long and wild, but it matched his deep, big gray coloured eyes. The boy’s eyebrows was thick and seemed as sharp as swords. Aside from the messy hair and old clothes, the innkeeper believed this was some prince from one of the five kingdoms!

The innkeeper almost wanted to invite her daughter to talk to the young man but she held back because the old man just seemed too ominous…

As Cyil and Baccaus entered their room, Baccaus told Cyil to meditate. Sitting on the wooden floor, Cyil began to meditate as Baccaus monitored him.

As Cyil finished one cycle of meditation, Baccaus saw that it took him less than two minutes. Already having experienced the shocking speed, Baccaus still felt the phenomenon was a big cheat.

10 minutes later Baccaus told Cyil to stop.

“What’s wrong Grandpa?” Cyil asked, eager to continue.

“What’s wrong? Your speed is what’s wrong!” Baccaus was flustered. “You’ve already taken the first step to becoming a mage. You’re officially a rank 0 level 1 mage! Now, quick quick tell me your innate spells! You should have three!”

Baccaus hurried the stunned Cyil.

“How do I know my innate spells…” Cyil began speaking but then, like a dam bursting, a flood of information came to him all at once.

Innate Death spell: Death God’s Aura- releases an aura that indiscriminately decays all life and elemental particles within a one meter radius. Range of aura and rate of decaying will increase as host ranks up. Host unaffected when aura is active. Cost zero spiritual energy to maintain. Cannot be retracted until a soul has entered the Death god’s domain.

Innate Space spell: Spatial Prison- Locks the surrounding space from where the host conjured the spell so that nothing, except the host, can enter or exit a radius of 10 meters. Locked space last one minute, provided nothing damages the spatial prison. Range of spell and duration will both increase as host ranks up. Cost ½ of Host’s remaining spiritual energy.

Innate Time spell: Absolute Stop- stops time for one second. Duration of spell will increase as host ranks up. The host is unaffected by the spell. Cost one second of host’s lifespan.

Cyil blinked and tried to process all the information he just received. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, unsure of how to feel. “Grandpa, uhhhh my innate spells are Death God’s Aura, Spatial Prison, and Absolute Stop.”

“….” Baccaus did not know much about saint level spells so he could only gesture for Cyil to continue explaining. The names of the spells seemed very dominating but as Cyil listed out their effects and the costs to use them Baccaus’ face paled.