The cold morning air touched Damian's cheeks. Words won't come out of his mouth, and neither his muscles moved. The book. For its small size enough to fit inside his jacket's pocket, it had already given him a lot of magical knowledge for manipulating mana and casting basic spells. There is still so much more to discover within the remaining pages; the other half he had already read and applied. He had already awakened his magic and proved his potential for it afterall, giving it up to his father shouldn't be an issue for him. Damian could have bought a new magic book from official bookstores with better covers. And yet, his booklet was so special to him.
"Dont make me ask twice." Lanius said. His voice rang in his ears despite not being as loud as Lord Cedrick's roaring voice. It was deep and bone-chilling to put it simply.
Damian hesitantly pulled the booklet from his pocket. His father snatched it out from him.
"Where did you even get this?" Lanius said.
"...I bought it from one of the shops at Kolberg." Damian told his father, his voice almost a whisper. Lying is not an option in front of Lanius.
"I ordered Sir Robin to take charge of my coin…" Lanius said, his hand curled into a fist. "Did he–"
"Father– i–it's not his fault," Damian stammered and shook his head. "I…got it from the golden lyon Ivan had tossed at the fountain when he made a wish. Then, when it seemed like Sir Robin had left with the others, I swam in the fountain pool to get it and tried to find a store with a magic book I can use to study with. A mage pointed it out for me, then I made my way there, but Sir Robin caught up to me and chased me." He explained in full detail, as if it will save Sir Robin from his punishment. "I already bought the book when he caught up to me…inside the old merchant's tent. Please father, don't punish him."
Lanius inhaled deeply, his big, calloused hand gripped the booklet firm. "That is for me to decide, boy."
Damian looked down on the snowy ground again. He does not want to see his hard, cold face judging him. It felt like staring at an angry lion.
Lanius knelt on one knee, and touched Damian's shoulder. "Look at me," His voice got softer this time. "You've awakened at the age of six. That impressed me, I must admit. But…why, why do you want to pursue magic?"
"...To prove I am smart enough to study it, and unlock my great potential." Damian muttered, his head raised up to meet his father's gaze. "So I can become a mage just like mother."
"Your mother's magic is to heal and restore. But what you just did, those fireballs you fired with your hands, who do you mean to use it against?"
"Monsters, or our enemies…I wanted to know what it feels like being powerful enough to fight them."
"If that's your only reason, then I'd rather have you trained in swordsmanship with Ivan." Lanius gave his shoulder a firm squeeze. "Besides, the technique my knights and I are using, Mana Reinforcement, isn't so different from magic. And as you progress, you will even learn to unleash energy blasts with every swing of your sword."
Lanius paused. He can see it in Damian's eyes; the boy won't yield. Despite how dangerous it may seem to his father, he will keep on learning it until he reaches the point of becoming a master of his craft.
"You're of Arcaedian blood, Damian. Our bodies have just as much aptitude with this technique as with spellcasting. But magic is just too dangerous and volatile for your age."
As of now, Damian's spellcasting output is still fitting for his age. The fireball he had thrown earlier was no more than twice the size of his little hand, and yet he hit his target with relative precision. Something only those with stable mana control were able to do.
"I have other reasons." Damian replied. "I wanted to help others in need, just as you and mother always taught me. And for research too! Magic can be fun to learn and spend your life studying it for the sake of advancements and discoveries. I think this is my calling, father."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. I've already decided." Damian said, his voice unafraid. "I'm going to be the greatest Archmage of this era."
A goal not uncommon for those who have great magical talents such as Damian. There are currently seven Archmages in this world. But even they trained rigorously to attain this high position. It would take decades of mastery and dedication for Damian to be able to become even one of the top mages on the realm. Still, it is what the boy dreamed of achieving.
"Alright then." Lanius said. His hand raised to give him his booklet. "On one condition."
"Hm? What is it, father?"
"You will still train with Ivan in swordsmanship and Mana Reinforcement."
"I thought you'd wait at least a year, until I turn seven?"
Lanius leaned and curved his lip to what appears to be a smile?
"You've already awakened your Mana Radiance just days after learning from that book of yours, from what I can observe." He gave Damian light pats on his shoulder. "I'm certain you could learn this technique, perhaps even faster than Ivan. You're a genius, afterall."
A genius. Can learning two different styles make him even more of a genius? Two different usages of mana—one for spellcasting, and the other for physical combat—and one six year old boy to learn them both at the same time. To others, this would be pressure. But for Damian, this is another opportunity to prove himself that he truly is what others describe him as. A genius child who is like a gemstone ready to be refined.
"Yes, father." Damian nodded. His gold-yellow eyes gleaming with the morning sun.
Lanius handed the booklet to him. He ruffled his son's hair with surprising affection despite the usual look on his face—like a carved stone statue of a lion. He clutches the booklet with both hands, afraid that it might slip away from him even for a moment. He spent his day casting basic projectile spells of each element written on his booklet.
…
Damian slept like a rug after a long day of spellcasting. Mostly trying out each element that suits him the most; fire was the first spell he thought of and was able to cast immediately after awakening his Mana Radiance, and so was able to cast fireballs aimed at the intended target with steady control.
There was the basic earth magic spell he casted to form the shape of a training dummy. Though the dummy looked more like a massive anthill with a silly face than an actual practice dummy, it served the purpose of getting hit.
Then there was the waterball. It wasn't destructive enough to shatter a tree branch when casting it as a projectile, but it helped him water his mother's plants.
Damian also tried wind magic's basic wind blast. It was more of a knockback type of spell, a convenient spell if he somehow got pushed into a tight corner by anybody who tried to hurt him. The wind spell was strong enough to push the heavy rocks a few meters away from him when he's near the intended target.
He tried using ice magic last. Perhaps it was the cold environment or Damian's steady control of mana, that he managed to cast an ice shard almost twice his size. The ice shard was a solid rock that shattered upon impact.
The bed room was still dark when Damian opened his eyes. But he can tell it is early morning. If the sun hasn't risen yet, he would often sleep again for a few more minutes before he fixes himself for the day. A creak on the door groaned. His fault for not closing it last night. The bad habit of not fully closing your door will have terrible consequences, but Damian already knew that.
BAMMM!!!
The door burst into a loud boom. Followed by rattling steps. A loud thud came when the figure landed on his bed.
"Wake up! You little bean!" Ivan shook Damian by his shoulders. "First day of training, no slacking off–"
Damian shoved his older brother's loud mouth with his hand. "Keep it down and let me sleep for a few more minutes!" He hissed.
"Okay, I'll watch over you though." Ivan lay down beside him. "Just to make sure you won't sleep too long or you'll miss our first day of training."
Damian didn't mind. As long as Ivan keeps his voice down. His grating voice always bothered him. Ivan is only a year his senior, yet by the tone of his voice he spoke like the average northern warrior—loud, unabashed, and proud.
"I need you to be full of energy in this day." Ivan said.
Ivan tucked his little brother's thick furry blanket on his shoulder to feel more comfortable. How generous. Ivan rarely showed this gesture to his siblings. All he had in mind was to playfight with them—even their little sister Liana wasn't spared. Though Beatrice, the scary maid, would often carry their sister out of his reach or hide her inside Catherine's bedroom. Probably so she won't get influenced by Ivan—and she doesn't want her to become another northern warrior—but rather a proper noble lady.
"So you can be a little gentler afterall, brother?" Damian said. His lips curved into a half smirk.
"Shut up…just go get some rest." Ivan shushed Damian's lips with his finger.
The cold northern breeze howled smoothly in the training yard of the mansion. There were grunting noises, and a sound of snow getting scraped by a large and heavy object. The brothers head outside and into the yard, only to find Sir Robin pulling a massive boulder on his back. It had left a trail of circles around the training yard, and whether he had been doing this for the third or fourth loop is uncertain. But the look on his face can only tell he had been doing this before the light of dawn even kissed the cold earth of the north.
Sir Robin fell on his knees on the fifth loop. For a few heartbeats he stared at Damian. Still catching his breath before uttering his words.
"I…told you…" Sir Robin said, his face looked weary. Panting and grunting before finishing his words. "...he wouldn't listen…" He untied the ropes strapped on his body and the boulder. Drenched in sweat. The massive rock he pulled was twice his size. Something only a beast of burden like mammoths should be able to pull off.
Lanius handed Sir Robin a waterskin to cool off and told him to rest on a corner. On his back, Sir Elric pulled the boulder, but was stopped immediately.
"What are you doing?"
"Im… doing this morning exercise?"
"This is a punishment, Sir Elric. Not part of our training regimen."
"It feels like one. I reckon it could even strengthen my body if I do this everyday."
Lanius thought about it for a moment, but eventually he considered and added his usual punishment for disobedience to his knights to their training regimen. Of course, Sir Robin wasn't happy with this and shot Sir Elric a glare like he's about to pounce on him. And he did. He dashed on the younger knight and held his shoulders in a crushing grip.
"You fool, what have you done?!" Sir Robin hissed. Shaking Sir Elric to find any sense on what he just made their sworn lord do. "Do you even want to walk straight until you're fifty? Or are you a masochistic idiot?"
"Sir Robin, I came here and swore my sword to Lord Lanius in hopes of becoming a legendary swordsmaster like him. And if I want to be strong like our lord, I would try his methods of training until I reach my peak." Sir Elric replied.
"Did you hear what our lord said– it wasn't part of our training." Sir Robin pinched the bridge of his nose. "Do you really want pain so terribly?"
"No, I want to get stronger."
"You'll become limp before you could even—"
"Enough, you two." Lanius cutted off their bickering. "Sir Robin, you're done for the day. No need to worry and argue with Sir Elric. Let the young knight do as he pleases." He gestured for Sir Elric to begin his boulder pulling, and the other knight to go back in the corner to rest.
Lanius turned to his boys. The touch of his big, calloused hands was heavy on Damian and Ivan's tiny heads. Yet it felt surprisingly tender and reassuring.
"So we're really training today, huh?" Ivan said. "Cant wait to kick Damian's butt all over again on our sparring." He cackled and etched a stupid grin on his face.
Here we go again… Damian thought.
"Indeed, the two of you will spar often." Lanius said. "After our morning training routine is done. And as you progress and learn to naturally coat your bodies with mana, you may spar with our knights as well."
"Amazing!" Ivan's eyes lit up fiercely. "I can spar with Sir Elric too." Of course he's obsessed with the handsome Red Knight. It isn't an unusual thought that he might as well look like his older brother. Same attitude when it comes to battle, same fire in their eyes, and worst of all, the color of their hair looked identical—just with a slightly different tone.
For Damian, he had no one to look up to but his mother. Just like what his father said, the magic she learned at the monastic school was mainly to heal and restore. The magic he studied on the booklet leaned more on combat applications instead. Still, he will be forever grateful to his mother for lighting up the spark that made him pursue magic—and for the sole reason for learning to awaken his Mana Radiance.
Lanius led his sons towards a place, far from the grunting and heaving noises of their knights; Sir Robin practicing his swordplay, and Sir Elric still pulling that massive rock behind his back. It is unsure where it was his tenth or fifteenth loop now, but the matter of fact he too might have lost count.
The place was a section of their training yard surrounded by common spruce trees and one tree that stood out among the rest. The leaves were the color of fire burning in campfires and hearths. The emberwood. In the ancient era, the northerners used to gather and worship their gods around these trees. They would offer the Fenrirs—fierce and gigantic wolves who control ice and summon snowstorms—their most prized game in exchange for protection of the northern lands. Despite their family accepting the Faith centuries ago, his older brother—Julius—chose to build the mansion near the emberwood to feel connected to their ancestral land.
The wooden floors of the training hall felt warm. There were wood carvings near the entrance—it had various shapes such as falcons, bears, and wolves. It felt finely furnished and smooth in Damian's hand as he traced the contours of the wood carvings. He sat with legs crossed near Ivan in the main hall, facing Lanius.
"Listen carefully." Lanius said." In swordsmanship, it is important for us to learn how to use Mana Reinforcement. This form of mana manipulation is mainly used to enhance one's strength, as well as your speed and durability."
"Unlike Mana Radiance's outward flow of mana to assist in spellcasting, Mana Reinforcement compresses your mana inward. Shaping it into a radiant protective barrier."
Lanius demonstrated it—the mana emanating around him formed a radiant glow. Although his aura looked small, the compressed mana from his Reinforcement made it glow brighter. It turned him into a bright blue fire.
"While a larger mana pool naturally means you possess a larger radiant aura and potentially a denser barrier, higher Radiance does not mean a stronger Reinforcement. It all boils down to the level of mastery. Meaning, a mage with immense Radiance will still fail to use Reinforcement to enhance their bodies without proper training. Because Mana Reinforcement is the foundation that holds physical combat, spanning both swordsmanship and martial arts. It can only be cultivated through years of rigorous physical training."
"Our bloodline has ancient Arcaedian ancestry." Lanius said. "And because of that our bodies are more adaptable, making our physical growth in strength, speed and durability faster than a normal person. Now you two understand why I am training you as early as possible?"
"Yes, father."Damian and Ivan nodded. Ancient Arcaedians were known for faster adaptation. Making them almost godlike to many during their era once they fully master their power. The Arcaedian Empire had ruled and conquered the entirety of Terra for ages, and in some legends they even invented a way to travel between other worlds. But just like every great empire in history, Arcaedians fell from its grace and there are only few people who have full knowledge about them.
"Okay, we'll start with meditation." Lanius said.
Just like awakening Mana Radiance, Mana Reinforcement also relies on a person's willpower to manifest. Of course, meditation is also needed to strengthen one's own body and soul. So the brothers meditated first.
"Ease yourself Damian." Lanius said. He steadied his son's shoulder and pressed his legs so it wouldn't shake on its own. "You're trying too hard."
"Feel the mana coating itself in your skin. Like a barrier of flowing energy throughout your body."
Damian nodded, steadying his breathing and body. For a moment he was still. Only their rhythmic inhales and exhales can be heard inside the hall. The mana formed around his body. Damian felt it flowing in his skin. Even if the concentration of mana was still far less to protect his body from serious harm.
After spending two hours just rooted on a wooden floor, they head outside for their basic training. Fundamentals first. It consisted of upper body, core, and lower body exercises fitted for their age. Push-ups, sit-ups, squats—all must be done for two sets of ten repetitions. Every week it will be increased by five repetitions until they reach one hundred. At the end of their exercises, the next step is to run around the training yard for five loops. Building stamina is important to last longer during combat—as well as distant travels on foot. And once they recover, Lanius will teach them various sword drills.
In this world, there are many styles of swordsmanship from various regions. Imperial Swordsmanship Style is the most widely used among the soldiers of the Lynerian Empire. It utilizes coordinated attacks and often paired with a shield—with thrusts as its most striking feature.
In the southernmost part of the empire, the most practiced swordsmanship style is the Wind Dance and the Water Dance style. Originating in the eastern continents, these sword styles often use quick and lightning-fast strikes—for the Wind Dance—and unpredictable counters and parries—for the Water Dance.
The Northlands pride themselves with their Northernblade style. This style has its three main forms: the wolf, bear, and the falcon form. But before Lanius could teach his sons these three main forms, he taught them the basics first.
On their separate training dummies, the brothers have wooden training swords held tightly to their hands.
"Perform the basic sword strikes, now." Lanius instructed.
The basic sword strikes were slash, thrust, chop, and undercut. Damian looked at his brother who was swinging his wooden sword. He was so focused and surprisingly silent during their training. Unlike when they playfight with just sticks, Ivan was so boastful and loud—he constantly teased him every time he beat his little brother. It came to a point where Damian had to take him seriously and made his own strategy to beat him—even if swords(or sticks) weren't his favorite thing to focus with. Damian realized he liked it. Seeing his brother's humiliated expression when his face turned red after he beat him with the help of a snowball. He wanted to feel powerful than his older brother too, and not become his personal training dummy.
Ivan glanced at his little brother, who now had a smirk on his face. As they stared at each other, their hands kept swinging their wooden swords. I'll keep training swordsmanship just to beat him in his own game. Damian thought. He kept smirking as they stared down, clearly the older brother looked irritated. Their staredown intensified. A silent declaration and the start of their sibling rivalry.