"...Asura!

[Author's Note: I know you all saw it coming! From now on we will call him Asura instead of Cyrus, so you guys don't get confused.]

Ever since Asura was born into this world, he had learnt a lot of things. For instance, the people here seem to age a lot slower than from his world. Even a fifty year old woman would look as if she was in her early twenties. He had then deduced that Shane was far older than he appeared to be. Also, the more powerful you are, the slower you age. That meant that 9th level experts would be able to live for hundreds of years while 1st level experts would at most live to a hundred.

"Mother!" Asura bowed towards Kira. 12 years had already passed by in a flash. Kira and Shane had agreed to adopt Asura as Kira's son, and let him grow up without letting him know that he was adopted.

Little did they know that Asura already had a crystal clear idea of what was happening around him ever since that Three Legged Crow picked him up.

"You're working hard. Here, have a rest and eat some snacks" Kira gestured towards the basket in her hands. Ever since Asura was a baby, she had treated Asura like her own as her biological child was killed by a magical beast. Asura knew that Kira was a kind woman, and he treated her as he would treat his mother from the past world.

"Thanks!" Asura took a seat at the table, and discussed trivial matters with Kira before resuming his sword training. When Asura was 2 years old, his body was already strong enough to start running about. When he was 4, he started to 'learn' how to speak. He feared that it would be too suspicious for a 4 year old to have such profound knowledge, and would put his life at risk.

As a toddler, he often watched the disciples of White Serenity School training in the arts of the sword, as well as mana manipulation. According to the private lessons from his mother Kira, mana comes from an area in the body known as the 'Origin of Life' which is 3 cm in diameter and is located in the center of the chest, No matter how much you cultivate your mana, the 'Origin of Life' will never grow further than 3 cm, but will instead make the mana within it more dense.

Also, there are several ways to use mana. You can wield it in its raw form, which will come out as an invisible air. You can also convert mana into several elements. In this world, there are only four elements. Wind, Fire, Earth and Water. The average person can only wield one element. Dual element wielders are considered a rarity, and triple element wielders are sought after by powerful empires and corporations. As for Quad wielders, there was only one that was recorded in history.

Ever since he saw the disciples practicing, he had begged Kira to let him undergo warrior training, as well as mana manipulation. Naturally, Kira had relented and taught Asura privately, giving him a more dedicated training than most disciples will ever be able to receive.

"Warrior training is simple and effective, but it is also arduous and requires a will of steel." These were the words Kira told Asura right after he asked her to let him undergo warrior training. To practice the art of the sword, you must first go through Warrior Training. Without a solid foundation, it is impossible for one to be able to proficiently wield a heavy weapon for hours on end.

"97.... 98.... 99... 100!" Asura finally completed his fifth set of a hundred pushups. And this happened when Asura was only six years old, shocking everyone, including Kira. Based on Kira's experience, she knew that Asura was already as strong as most ten year old kids. In this world, strength is power. Even commoners have to undergo physical training from a very young age.

Since then, Asura had begun his extremely intensive regimen of physcial training. At night, he would absorb the mana essences in the air into his body, condensing them into his Origin of Life. This went on for another six years. Asura was now 12 years old, and his body had the strength of a level 4 warrior. He had once seen a level 6 warrior lift up a huge boulder with one hand, It was unthinkable what a level 9 warrior could do! Kira had mentioned that her teacher, Shane, was a level 8 warrior when he picked up Asura and the Three Legged Crow hatchling. Since then, Shane had been undergoing deep meditation behind locked doors to recover his strength after using the Devil Technique 'Blade of Grand Destruction'.

"Whoosh!" A fireball appeared in front of Asura. One can find out what his element is only when he is at least ten years old, when his Origin of Life has matured. When Kira performed the Affinity Test on Asura, she couldn't help but tremble at the sight of Asura's potential, for the result was... High affinity in all four elements! In the Kingdom of Blackfire's history, there was only one quad element wielder, and he rose to become the founder of the Kingdom of Blackfire! All the other Kingdoms were mostly founded by duo element and triple element wielders. Even now, duo element and triple element wielders are greatly respected and sought after by militant kingdoms.

"Even though I have four elements, it might not necessarily be a good thing." Asura thought to himself after the test. Although having high affinities with all four elements was so extremely rare, Asura remembered that Kira said that she took fifty years to reach the 7th level of mana manipulation, earning the title of Arch Magus. 1st level to 6th level mana manipulators are generally called 'Magus'. 7th level mana manipulators are called 'Arch Magus', 8th level mana manipulators are called 'Grand Magus' and those of the legendary 9th level will earn the title of 'Bishop'.

Another rule was that a 2nd level warrior was only as strong as a 1st level magus. Magi are able wield powerful mana techniques, such manipulating their mana through a series of complex techniques, which can easily overpower a level 1 warrior. Therefore, most people opt to go for warrior training instead of mana manipulation because training in the art of mana manipulation is too complex and difficult for ordinary people.

"Scrreeechh!" Asura clashed swords with another youth that looked just slightly older than Asura. His name is Yong, Asura's assigned sparring partner. Among the ordinary disciples, he was considered a genius, as he possessed high affinities in water and earth. Many disciples have often felt that if Asura wasn't here, Yong would have been in the spotlight.

"You've improved... *huff* again, that last... *huff* sword technique... *huff* really hurt!" Yong rubbed his sword hand. During their spar, Asura unleashed a torrent of heavy slashes, making Yong's arm go numb from the weight.

"Hehe..." Asura said nothing. Over the years, he had been training non-stop, trying to catch up to Yong, When Asura had only just begun his training, Yong had already been a 2nd level warrior. But in the past six years, Yong could only rise by two levels while Asura had already reached the fourth level. Not to mention that Asura is also a 3rd level Quad Magi!

In a fight between magi, the one with the better element and affinity would often win. For example, a 3rd level fire magi can win against a 4th level wind magi with some difficulty. Having more elements and high affnity, naturally the chances of winning will also increase.

"Bro, let's ...*huff* stop here... *huff* You better get... *huff* another sparring partner!" Yong complained, his handsome face was soaked with sweat. During Yong's first sparring session against the 2nd level Asura, he could easily overpower him. But now, even if he fought with dirty methods, it was almost impossible for him to win!"

"Aaawww... Yong lost..." some female disciples moaned. Blessed with his long sharp nose and his piercing blue eyes, he had already stolen a dozen female disciple's hearts. His short brown hair was wrapped in a bun over his head, giving off a scholarly feeling.

Asura didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Sometimes when he beat Yong by a huge margin, the female disciples would angrily glare at him and make things difficult for him, such as spiking his lunch with hot pepper and the likes.

Asura had continued to make smooth progress in his trainings, and thought that this peace would continue for decades. Of course, fate was not so kind to him....

[Author's Note: Hi guys, I hope that you all will would be so kind as to take a minute and give me some constructive criticism! I am aware that I am somewhat lacking in my writing skills, therefore I hope you guys can give me some tips in the comments section or write a review on my Fiction page! At the same time, I get motivation when I see your comments as they let me know that you guys are paying attention to my story!

P.S. Sorry for the rant XP ]

Chapter 6: Twist of Fate