《Battlefield Restart (Old Version)》Chapter 5: Magical Talent
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Five years have past since my reincarnation into this world and in those years I experienced many things that seemed foreign to someone like me, who had come from different one. Enigma, thank you. I would have never gotten this chance to start my life from the beginning of it weren't for you.
"Hah... Good morning to you, my new life~!" I muttered to myself after opening my eyes. The world around me looked fresh and vivid, something that probably has to do with my young age.
This feels so great~ I feel like my heart and soul has been reborn as well~
Though I feel the greatest change in my body was the strange energy of Mana that was coursing through my veins. I might not understand how to utilise this power just yet but just knowing that I'll one day be able to use this alternate world's 'Magic' is enough to make me anticipate my future!
Isn't Sphera really wonderful? The clearness of the air around me makes me feel exhilarated even now. I focused my concentration and looked at the small bedroom I was in, then make my way to a towering wardrobe to get my clothes. My small body stature made it harder for me to reach the pegs, but through toiling effort, I was able to succeed in grabbing it's edge!
"Simon, the closet is too big so stop forcefully trying to grab them by yourself." The effort I put was into my independence was in vain as my mother walked into my room door and pulled the peg off the clothes rack. I pouted my lips and looked at her in dissatisfaction before turning my head away from her. I hate being treated like a kid! I'm definitely the older one here!
"Don't pout, big boys don't pout. Where has the usual 'mature' look you have on run off to~?" My mother comforted before handing me my clothes.
The weird thing about reincarnation is that the past life one had experienced is like a long dream, or in my case, a long nightmare. I accepted even in the deepest parts of my heart that this woman named Samantha was my new mother in order to truly become part of this world. This is my new start and beginning, so feeling melancholic about my failures in my past life would be meaningless. It's best to just allow my mindset to change and become similar to an ordinary to child my current age. Hmm... Why do I feel like I don't have a choice when it comes to that matter?
"Mother, stop teasing me and tell me why you're even here. Shouldn't Mark and Anna be the ones taking care of us?" I snatched the clothes out of her hands and asked. A smile was etched on her face as she giggled in response.
"On a normal day that would be the routine, but today's special." She said mysteriously before leaving me in my room with a puzzled expression.
"Special...?" I murmured to myself due to force of habit. In my past life, I spent too much time talking to myself as a retired soldier since an old man like me couldn't really find anyone to talk to after retirement. I had no friends or relatives to take care of me in my old age so most of my last moments was wasted musing about the past.
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I walked out my room door after changing my clothes and followed my mother who was waiting outside to the Training Grounds of the Swordwick Household. The Swordwick Household is kinda unique within the Drakeyol Kingdom. Even the King would be respectful to Swordwick Household due to the Duke's tradition in grooming countless Grandmaster Swordsman in every generation of his bloodline.
Duke Swordwick values strength to the point that every servant he recruits always turns out to have a background of a mercenary. I have always watched as the servants of the household train their martial arts everyday from a distance. This wasn't due to me being interested in swordsmanship nor was it because of my interest in battles themselves. It was only my curiosity to this world's style of combat kicking in.
"So you're finally here." The voice of my father could be heard from the unusually quiet Training Ground that seemed to have been cleared out.
It seems that the other butlers and maids who periodically trained here on a routined basis all left to complete their chores. How suspicious...!
"Pick up a wooden sword, today's your fifth birthday so you have to train your bodily coordination to create a foundation for future development in actual swordsmanship." As I heard these words, my eyes almost shot out of their sockets as my mouth fell agape.
What the hell is this idiot saying?!
"I refuse. I'm merely a five year old! A young and immature five year old! Not an adult! There's no way for me to train my undeveloped body!" I shouted towards my father. Fredrick, who was a strong bodied, average faced, brown-haired man, didn't retort immediately.
He looked at me closely with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes...
"No excuses. I'm not telling you to train your body. I already know that it's impossible at your age. However, make no mistake that I'll definitely train you to be familiarised with the sword in these five more years to come." I frowned at my fathers words and gave him a glare to show my stance in this.
What's the point in learning swordsmanship? It's not like I'm ever going to get into a fight in the future. A peace loving pacifist like me is unlikely to make enemies or cause himself to be harmed.
"Tell me the true reason for this." My eyes were stern as I gazed directly at the similarly stubborn look on his face. He glared back in order to scare me but failed after a few attempts. Well... it's not like a person like me who had stared death in the face multiple times in my past life would be scared by a mere glare...
Hahahaha! Others might find my father's current expression as extremely scary. I on the other hand can only see that face as hilarious!
My father sighed helplessly before lowering his sword and starting to explain the reason he wanted me to go through spartan training slowly.
"If you were a normal and ignorant child, there would have been no reason for me to force you into this. However, your high intelligence at a young age made things different.
I know the amount of Mana your body possesses thanks to the measurements that were done on the day you were born, and do you know what was the result?
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The result was that you were diagnosed with Rank F Magical Talent! A so-called 'Failure' that has no right to become someone with a combat-orientated profession. The amount of magical energy within you is so scarce that you can barely cover your physique using the basics of the Aura Manifestation technique." My father said grimly. His eyes seemed both determined and desperate. It at this moment that I understood just how important strength was to the world outside the Swordwick Household.
I already knew long ago that the amount of Mana within my body was negligible compared to others through my own secret experiments. I stealthily copied the other servants training their Aura Manifestation techniques and was amazed at how their movements were similar to the martial arts of Earth, but after copying and repeating their actions every day I was able to pinpoint the difference between me and them.
The martial arts on Earth mostly focused on the physical body, but this Aura Manifestation technique changed many aspects of martial arts as a whole.
How to use Aura Manifestation was simple: All I needed to do was release my Mana as an Aura that would increase its density with simple mastery garnered over time.
The amount of Aura a person could release depended on how much Mana they had within them after they were born. I spared no effort in trying to sense the 'magical energy' within me but was disappointed to find that the result was just as my father had predicted. I had a feeling like there was some kind of ethereal existence that was neither hot or cold within the centre of my body, yet whenever I tried to expand and release it, I always found myself coming short when trying to cover the entirety of my physique.
After feeling that Mana within my body, I released it as an Aura that focused to one part of my body after I'd experimented with cladding myself completely in Mana. However, the results found was that logic still applied to magic and I couldn't pick up heavy objects without covering all the places that needed to be enhanced by the manifested flame-like Aura.
The disproportionate balance of enhancement when using Aura could lead to F Ranked Magical Talent breaking themselves if they were to enhance the wrong parts.
At that time when I was training alone and looking at the servants who were training their Aura Manifestation with such vigour, I found that was no one who wasn't at least able to cover their entire physique with Aura. I wasn't depressed though as I tested many unusual applications of Aura myself.
From what I overheard, magical talent wasn't the only factor when training Aura Manifestation. The second factor of the technique was 'mastering' it.
Once the mastery of the technique increased, the power it would display would improve as well. This would allow even someone as untalented as me to take on opponents with higher Magical Talents. The reason for this was simple really, Aura Manifestation treated Mana like a weapon, and the density of Aura improves with mastery.
What was improving mastery? When using one's Mana to use techniques like Aura Manifestation, a person would normally use a lot of concentration as well as other parts of their mentality.
It was easy to create a dense Aura if one was to sit down and concentrate long enough. However, how is a person able to have the same concentration in the midst of battle? The distractions caused by uncontrollable variables in battle isn't something users who manipulate their Aura can ignore.
This is why mastery over Aura Manifestation means being able to subconsciously cover oneself in dense magical Aura rather than consciously controlling it.
Willpower and Visualisation are the most prominent factors when mastering to control not only one's Aura, but also over Mana itself!
A castor's intentions can even change whether a Fireball Spell would be lethal or not. In the end, discipline is needed to control and manipulate Mana, and it's a good thing I have a lot of that~
The servants of the Swordwick Household had the lowest magical talents of D Rank (who were considered as those with average aptitude for Magic) and were able to easily subconsciously focus their manifested Auras into their swords in order to create energy waves that could cut apart objects from afar.
I too tried sending a shockwave through my fist using my limited amount of Aura, but the feeling of exhaustion I felt straight after made me feel suspicious of why Enigmw had given me this Magical Talent...
Enigma, although I don't usually believe in Gods, let me make a prayer to ask one question: 'Where has my promised overflowing magical talent run off to?!'
Looks like I'm going to have to put my annoyance to the side for now. I have to focus on my current circumstances and talk my parents about this.
"So what if I can't use a strong Aura Manifestation?" I asked my father curiously as I didn't understand what not being able to use Aura Clad meant.
Although having the the most basic form of Aura Manifestation called Aura Clad was essential for warriors. I wasn't one who'd care about something like that. The reason I reincarnated into this magical world was to have a peaceful and interesting life! It had nothing to do with me trying to seek out battle and conflicts once again...!
Enigma, this is all your fault! If you could've reincarnated me as any child on Sphera, then why didn't you choose to reincarnate me as someone who didn't have the fate of getting into conflicts instead? I've already lived in this place long enough to know that although the Swordwick Household looks safe, the reality is that there should be a good reason for the Swordwick Duke to hire so many Mercenaries as his servants!
What exactly is he trying to defend against with all these strong warriors?
Forget it. It has nothing to do with me.
It's not like I have to fight anyway. Less dangerous jobs should still exist in this magical world. Perhaps I could become a normal farmer, or maybe I could just stay as a Butler in the Swordwick Household instead? There are a lot of benefits from such a position as safety is guaranteed to all who join.
Even if I have the worst rank of magical talent, there should be no reason for me to go through this sort of desperate training regimen. Looking at the sword in my father's hand, I can't help but feel there is a chance I'll become crippled by this training's intense difficulty.
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Old Riding Author Lunatic Asylum
Just off the A19, in the dark, incomprehensible lands known as Yorkshire, there lies a town. A town where shadow-silent alleys glint with the secret hunger of knives. Where blood soaks the chipboard window shutters of forsaken terraces stretching off into the night. Where the smog-choked air rattles with the depraved laughter echoing out from clubs that can only generously be described as post-apocalyptic. Well, that’s Middlesbrough. But down the A19 a bit (an impossibly long way down, actually) there lies another town: Raughnen, in the ancient, forgotten Old Riding. It is an equal match in muggery and thuggery alike. It also has magic spells and pointy wizard hats. And now, across the miles and across all sensibilities, a pretty nasty power (a magic one) calls out for its pretty nasty counterpart (a decidedly unmagic one): a proper sound Boro lad. Nothing good can come of it. This is a collection of one novella and four connected short stories: I. A Yorkshire Summoning II. Old Riding Day Trip (the novella) III. Heaven is a Parmo IV. Death on the 66 V. Death on the 257 In total, this comprises 34 chapters totalling around 35,000 words, so try not to worry. It will be over relatively quickly. There are three more short stories with more tenuous links to the core collection: Rush, Paper Round and Scenario 79: Sausage Fingers, all of which can be found in my collection Short Records of Misadventure. Reading these may allow you to make more sense of certain parts of the story, if any sense is to be made at all. NOTE: There are instances of prejudice and discrimination within these stories, including elements of sexism and ageism, which are purely the thoughts and actions of the characters involved and which certainly do not reflect my own views on these matters. ANOTHER NOTE; A WARNING, PERHAPS: This can get a bit weird. In less than 150 pages, we have four viewpoints, first and third person narratives, and a completely disjointed plot with lots of gaps, dead ends and no real resolution. Also ZERO lunatic asylums. It's all a bit odd. If that sort of thing isn't your cup of tea, which it most likely isn't, it might be best to move on now.
8 190Second Chances
Given a chance for reincarnation and tasked by the System, I picked the Sidhe for this second life. A world of Seelie, Unseelie, Kelpie, Redcaps, and Slaugh. The Gods of the Tuantha de Danann forced into sleep, the people forced to remain locked on their home planet. In this latest Book, Teigh Mac de Beleros y Cyronax has saved his people from stagnation and ruin. His denouncement of Olympus and Asgard before the Universal Senate has allowed the Sidhe to break the ties that constrained them, and the chains that kept them rooted to their home world. But the Sidhe and the Tuatha de Danann are unique across all multi-verses and all Pantheons. They have the unique ability to travel anywhere and anywhen. But this ability comes at a cost. The Tuatha de Danann do not have incarnations seeded across each Universe. There is only one Tuatha de Danann, and when Athena and Loki come to Teigh with the tales of a plot that will destroy not only the Tuatha de Danann but the multi-verse, he removes his crown to once more face off against Zeus and Odin and save his people. Second Chances has been taken down for editing and a major rewrite...
8 138The Choices We Make
The Moldy Donut is a derelict gateway through space that links two distance solar systems. It has been made obsolte by cheaper jump drive technology and is mostly abandoned. But a change in resource availability has made ring gates such as the Moldy Donut relevant again. A crew of technicians must battle the Donut's risks in order to bring just one of her segments back online.
8 80To Be Cursed
Scourcers wouldn't be scourcers without chi. The Zagrans wouldn't be Zagrans without scourcers. And Karma, well she wouldn't be Karma without without her father. After King Karmic proposes that he sends his youngest daughter, Karma's kid sister, off to assassinate the Zagran prince, Karma can't keep herself from stepping up. She uses this moment not only to save her sister from certain death, but to gain an understanding of the creatures that everyone keeps calling beasts. She has six weeks to kill the prince, six weeks to explore things unknown, six weeks to figure out why King Karmic really wants the Zagran lands.
8 223Flatlander
A sell-sword struggles to find meaning in a world filled with pain, violence, and loss. Noble Houses rule from Hoverstones that loom over the Flatlands and the Highlands; they act in their own interests, playing politics and more. Tribesmen roam free, a true terror to all they prey upon. Elves scour the lands for objects of great power. And there are rumors of dragons, reemerging at the beckon call of new masters.... Written in a style similar to Game of Thrones, though different and unique, Flatlander is a serial novel filled with uncertainty, peril, and, for the bold, fortune. Enjoy!
8 167Bloody Angel
A youth, who died to a heart disease gets reincarnated in a world of Immortals. However, his reincarnation dosen't end up being as good as he imagined. Being born with a special bodily constitution, gets him shunned from the clan. Living a tough life on his own, with no one to rely on, except for his Yeti, he climbs the lowest levels to the top. Follow him and his Yeti on his yourney on becoming an Immortal himself.*Contains cursing and complete prick attitudes later on.*If you find typos, let mek now so i can fix them.I may rewrite the previous chapters as the story goes along to make it more in line with the later chapters. Think of it like this, I just had a better idea how to progress the story.
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