I ended up slicing this chapter as well. I hope you enjoy it.
4.7K words!
Peace!
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"Yawn… tired…" He mumbled as his heavy eyes hung beneath his eyebrows
'I can't have a moment's rest... just the minimum hours of sleep seems like such a luxury now...'
From the day of the attack onward, Silver's training began in earnest, and his once free schedule became packed with activities.
Physical and mental training, endurance buildup, theoretical knowledge, dueling classes, swordsmanship and weapon handling, etiquette, language, history, geography, and much, much more!
Each of his grandparents took a role in his training, imparting him with their expertize. Saphos led him down the path of a smith, Ullia taught him what she knew of monsters and their biology. From his mother's side, Lington taught Silver how to hunt in nature, to track and vanish, while Misty taught him alchemy and herbology.
While it was unlikely Silver would ever dabble in so many fields at once, understanding the basics would go a long way in preparing him for once he went on his lone journey south.
Throughout the months, Silver knew little aside from waking up, eating, training, eating, studying, eating, showering, sleeping, and repeat, with little variation in-between.
His mother wasn't a fan of this strict schedule, but with her parents and in-laws pressuring her into it, and with the fact Silver seemed fine with it as well, she allowed him to continue training, even though that meant Silver was slowly being secluded from others his age.
While they thought this wasn't healthy, Silver was fine. Although explaining that would likely never fully be realized…
…
Time passed in their secluded village near the forest at the foot of the mountains…
While they rarely received news from the outside world, there was one important piece of news that reached their ears… the news of the battle against the black dragon… The fact that the greatest heroes of Orario had joined forces to march down to the ever-so-distant extreme north.
Not long after, however… Silver heard the tales of Zeus and Hera's expulsion from Orario. Which meant that the worst scenario had occurred…
It was the end of a 1,000-year tale and the beginning of another… or rather, the start of the interlude.
For as long as everyone knew, Zeus had been around as the strongest force in Orario, training wave after wave of Heroes to descend and unravel the secrets of the Dungeon… To see him exiled by the very people he once protected… but the world moved on.
Many Familias perished at his hands; he was not clean of guilt. A bloodthirsty god, Zeus had cast down all foes to achieve his goal… his weakening came as a chance to those he used to suppress. While for others, the void of the supreme had to be filled.
For all Familias he cut down, and with him himself gone, an endless emptiness had formed in Orario, and someone had to fill it… be they good… or bad.
But to the Gods, such concepts were… subjective. Why lock themselves to the fickle morals of beings that die and proliferate ten times over in what may as well be a nap? By the time they awoke, whatever rules they had once followed were now meaningless.
In their endless conflict of interests, war ignited in the city of legend, turning the once bright and prosperous city into a death trap. Its streets now as dangerous if not more perilous than the Dungeon's halls themselves.
This was the beginning of Orario's Dark Age and the rise of the Gods that would be known as the reflection of evil and malice… but also the tale of those that would rise to fight against them.
Their tale would be carved down in history, their names washed away but their efforts… timeless.
…
"… this should be it, right?"
'I can't remember much more.'
Silver sat before a small notebook, filled to the brim with information written in cyphers. It was everything he remembered about this world and more.
'Over the years many of my memories have returned and been refreshed, but still… memories tend to twist and turn, with the brain creating and distorting lies and truths to fit whatever narrative it desires.'
'I wonder how accurate this is?
/Flip…/
He flipped to the last page of the diary. It was a long timeline of events he either faintly recorded or knew for certain would happen… and probably the most concrete of them all…
'The protagonist of this story… or rather, the one I think it is… Bell, the boy who dreamed of becoming a Hero.'
'His father supposedly perished in the fight against the black dragon, leaving his pregnant mother, a sickly woman, alone… or so I think… I don't remember much. Lots of what I wrote here was my assumptions from putting things together, the most likely scenario made from generalized broad hypotheticals.'
'In any case, this child will be raised by Zeus in a distant village, coming back years later to realize his dream and reshape the future. His journey will shake Orario, but most of it comes not from his actions but from the things occurring around him.'
'Someone rushing alongside fate, that's kind of what he'll go through.'
He scratched his chin "I'm not interested in waiting, though."
'Will this world be saved by the boy of legend? The hero of a heroless age?… I can't say, and even if I knew the truth, I wouldn't just put my ass down and wait.'
'The point I'm making here is… even if he exists, whether he sets on his journey or not, will the events that occurred in his tale stop just because he isn't there?… Not at all.'
'The Black Dragon isn't the biggest threat to this world and by far… It is a target to be taken down, but what is preventing the dungeon from just making another? It managed to make three legendary beasts at once, why not another one thousand years later?'
'What about all the madmen attempting to bring forth the end of the world or a new era? The crazed deities and ambitions people with self-destructive tendencies?'
'I'm not very sentimental, but I wouldn't be able to sit still at the sight of one of the greatest bastions of civilization, and one of if not the most important of them all, being destroyed by their ploys.'
'Orario can't fall; that would mean the end of the modern world… the hero will rise to stop it, but is there any guarantee nothing will happen until then? Like in my first life, what is preventing this world from just being a parallel reality from the world I knew?… What if my memories are distorted?'
'Even if everything goes alright and we reach the promised time… war, famine, sickness, and worse could befall my family… I don't want to spend another 100 years alone, grieving the loss of the only ones I could call my kin.'
'I want to go there and see this Dungeon for myself. I want to have an adventure… There is no denying that.'
"I can only prepare as much as I can."
'Stronger and stronger so I can rip apart all that threatens the balance of this delicate world… only then will I be able to pursue the truths of my existence.'
'With that in mind… I suppose this would make me twenty to twenty-one years old by the time he goes on his journey? Maybe a bit more… I was already over halfway to seven years old by the time the news of Zeus' exile reached us. If we take down a few months of downtime for the information to reach us… then if I add his age… then that's about just right.'
'I could be misremembering things though… though even if I'm right… fate can be unpredictable.'
'By now, Orario should be an utter nightmare… I can only imagine how things are over there. My grandparents wouldn't tell me even if I begged them to, and it's not like I can eavesdrop on them anymore.'
'It took me too long to realize that all the times I ever eavesdropped on them were because they allowed me to. Every time they didn't want me to hear them was soon followed by me being kicked out of the room… gently and forcibly…'
'Even if they failed to realize I was there, it's not like I could tell either… and no matter how much I train with grandpa Lington, I don't think I'll ever be able to hide my presence from them. No matter how efficient an ordinary person can become, it'll never compare to the sheer magnitude of the blessings of the Gods.'
'Since there isn't much I can do about information, and with my freedom being limited… The best I can do now is continue training so I can become independent faster. In this world people are considered adults quite early, even more so if you're capable, and in Orario, its far too common to see children as early as 12 or even 13 going to the Dungeon to fight and kill to make a living.'
'Maybe not as much as today, but in the next ten to twenty years, with the many conflicts in the city, I can only imagine how many orphans will pop up… and these children will need to make a living.'
'From afar, the city that is said to be the closest to the heavens might seem bright, but once you're up there yourself… well… it's not my first time experiencing such a thing.'
Silver closed his diary and hid it within his collection of books. With his grandparents around, it was impossible to hide it anywhere else, so he went with the 'hiding in plain sight' approach.'
'So I guess the plan now is to train as hard as I can and leave in the next ten years? Sixteen should be a good age to get things started… albeit maybe its too late considering how long it can take to Level Up… my grandparents told me that even the fastest can at best make it within a year and only a few times at that.'
'Even if I were the most efficient, tying myself to a time of utmost efficiency… I would at best reach Level 4 or 5.'
'I wouldn't be able to do much then… maybe I could participate in the story, but if my actions changed it too much, there's a chance I'd be swallowed by its tides. If I want to manipulate it or do as I want without concern, I'll have to grow a little faster or start sooner.'
'But I don't see my grandparents letting me leave before that, and neither do I see myself breaking the innate rules of this world… yet… there is a possibility…'
'If I put my mind and soul into making the impossible possible… if I can make such a desire truly the inherent purpose of my journey… there is the chance that even the "rules" the gods believe in might come crashing down.'
'No God is truly omniscient, they are unbelievably wise, but perhaps aside from those whose power affects time and fate itself, most cannot envision what the future has to offer… this is something many mortals know, especially those who interacted with the deities.'
'In fact, to Level Up, one must accomplish a feat worthy of the attention of the divines. To transcend their vessel, mortals must display to the Gods a narration most fitting of applaud. If I were too to commit a feat like none other… if I were to live the next ten years with such ambitions desire…'
'Then there might just be the possibility of a seed reflecting said dreams to manifest within my soul… a Skill.'
Skills are inherent abilities that can be discovered by those who have received a Falna. They can correct and strengthen specific basic abilities, magic, and actions.
The chance of discovering a Skill is said to be rare, and skills with effects that very few or no one else has are considered being even rarer…
'If I put the way I lived in my second life, would such a possibility not be considerable? They say that the more you experience, the greater your chances of awakening things beyond the norm… so what about someone who lived three lifetimes?'
'Three very distinct lifetimes across three unique worlds? How could something not have sprouted within myself?'
Silver smiled, but being overconfident would lead him nowhere, 'It doesn't matter much, anyway. It's only something for the more distant future… until the time comes, I'll train so hard and refine my mind so I'll be ready to face the journey ahead.'
'I can't be sure I'll be ready, I can't be certain I won't face difficulties… no… I want to face hardships… that's the only way to truly grow. The only thing I can be certain of is that I'll try my best.'
'This time, once I'm at the end of the line, I want to face the world and have no regrets once I'm there… That seems fine, doesn't it?'
'It's fine to be ambitious… isn't it?'
Silver left his room. It was time to resume his training.
…
Time continued, and Silver performed his training with enormous intensity. So much so that people would often think his life was on the line… and truthly speaking, sometimes he did wish to die.
His grandparents held nothing back, and he did his best to comply, so much so that his progress often scared them… no matter how much they tried to deny it, Silver was just far too unusual.
Silver would often think and do things far beyond what someone his age should've been able to do, making them think he was older… those were his mistakes.
Silver didn't want to hold himself back, but he knew that for everyone's sake, he had to take a step back. Otherwise, his fall would be the most gruesome. As his growth as a warrior and a person continued, Silver reinforced his act as the child of Rubia and Marcus.
He might be a very extraordinary, unordinary child, but he still was one… and that was fine. Even if he 'grew' far faster than anyone they had ever seen… he was still growing, and one day, Silver would be able to act as he wanted.
That would be the day of his coming of age… There was one problem though... something that should've been simple for him to grasp given its foundation and form… Magic.
Once he began his training in earnest, Misty, Rubia's mother, revealed to him the truth she had kept hidden from him in the past. Ullia was a mage from a distant land!
Long ago, amidst her studies, Misty met with the man who would one day become her husband, Lington. They grew close together and one day departed from their homeland, leaving everything behind.
While Silver wanted to hear more about their story, he still had to receive the privilege to ask. And with everything occupying his mind, such thoughts washed away in the coming months and years.
Misty is what one would know as an "old-style" mage that practices traditional magic based on ancient principles written so long ago written history about such did not exist in the hands of man anymore.
Such mages were quite rare, especially in this age. Not because of the difficulty of becoming one, which was quite high, but because of the very nature of the Gods.
The blessings of the Gods provided mortals with ways to exceed their limited bodies, but they also provided them with means to tap into powers well beyond their understanding.
In the past and still to this day, magic is the means of manipulating the raw energy within the world to generate a desired effect. However, its use requires extreme training and rituals to prepare the body and mind and attune it with the means to use it.
Amidst the many forms, the most recognizable one is chanting. Chanting the formula systematized ever since the Ancient times to manipulate magic.
But with the advent of the Gods, "ordinary" adventurers were now given the chance to learn magic through their blessings, acquiring such through extreme hard work rather than studying the formulas, possessing the talent, and undergoing the rituals to be able to chant and much more.
Some would say this made magic more widespread; traditional mages would tell you it stained their noble art, for what is given without understanding cannot be viewed as true magic… a thought his grandmother agreed.
Those two were thus known as Congenital Magic, based on one's own ability and race, and Acquired Magic, based on the Falna given by the Gods and Goddesses.
An example of this would be the famed magic used by the Elves in Alf's Royal Forests, which has more than twelve verses… while acquired magic was rare to even have more than half such numbers. For such magic, the more verses it had, usually the more complex and powerful the spell was.
If an adventurer took that long to cast a spell, it was most advised to run away or take them down before they finished their spell…
Congenital magic is also weak compared to acquired magic, making it impractical against the latter, and is harder to control, so it has a higher chance of producing an Ignis Fatuus, which is just when the spell itself blows up with its chaotic energy in the face of the user, being potentially fatal.
As such, from an early age, she had Silver go through the rituals and training required to become a traditional mage, for even if he were to pursue another path, the ability to cast magic in itself would be a boon that could potential reshape his whole future into one far beyond her wildest expectations!
Because of this, of all four of his grandparents, she pushed him the most out of them all. He was meant to be the successor of her magic, the fated descendant to push magic one step further with his unbelievable talent!
And Silver learned… but even after training and training… pouring as much as a dozen times the effort of anyone his age, Silver still failed to cast even the most basic of spells. Falling into an immense "Mind Down", or more popularly known, "Mind Zero", which is the term used for when spent all of their 'Mind'.
What mind is in itself is up for interpretation. Some call it the power of focus, others call it the reflection of one's will… in either case, all beings have it, and this power allows one to grasp and shape the energy of the world.
Spells tend to spend it in vast droves, so proper rest and management of their reserves is key for a proper mage's activities. Could one even be called a mage if whenever they cast a spell they fell unconscious, unable to move?
Silver recalled his grandma's teachings...
…
"Pay attention Silver, these are the basics of the basics..." Misty said as she held Silver in her lap
Before them, a large blackboard with lots of text and images could be seen. With a large rod, she slowly went through its contents…
"There are two types of magic, one based on one's innate characterises and studies, called Congenital. And one acquired from the deities' Falna, called Acquired."
"Most magic as we know it today was developed by the Elves in ancient times. However, even after its dissemination and development, it has now been long abandoned by most of the world. Being only practiced by those who truly wish to delve into magic research like Altena."
She seemed to be reminded of something as she said that, for her expression twisted, "Albeit even those mages rely on the blessings of the Gods to study and develop their research."
"Why was it abandoned? Can't we just use both?"
"We can use them together, of course… but in essence, congenital magic is now seen as impractical for combat, for not only is it weaker, but harder to control and form than the ones that use Falna."
"In ancient times, mages remained within grand towers and castles. They had all the time in the world to cast their spells at whatever was coming after them… but inside the Dungeon, seconds are far too valuable."
"Traditional magic is not meant to be used offensively like that, and above all, inside the Dungeon, monsters are at the height of their power… or should I say, they are in their natural environment. What could once take them down aboveground may not do the same inside."
"How can we bet our lives on such an unreliable thing?"
She tapped his head, "But don't misunderstand, Silver. Acquired magic still takes chanting to be cast, but the power gained with each line is beyond that of the traditional. The mystery behind that is studied to this day in many institutions around the world, but even if someone was able to turn acquired magic into congenital magic, I'm afraid there is still none out there able to fully replicate the complexity and perfection of Falna magic as it is."
"The power granted to us by the Gods is still too much for us to understand. But one day, we might conquer the principles behind it and once again bring congenital magic to the realm of relevance."
"There are also some exceptions to the rule… Amidst acquired magic, some spells can be cast through keywords or single-line chants yet display incredible power. While incredibly rare, such spells show us the true depths of magic and come to show just how little we really know about the laws of magic and nature before that of the Gods."
"Be very mindful of those that display such spells, for those that possess them are often those who underwent the greatest trials."
"… I understand." He replied as his thoughts traced elsewhere…
'From what I understood about Acquired Magic, there is also a limit to how many spells someone can learn. So even though the magic is stronger, there is a clear limitation to how far a mage can go in their scholarly pursuits if they decide to take that as their path.'
'That said, not to say finding a God and awakening their magic through rigorous training and near-life experiences, there is another issue someone has to go through first before they can use magic... their innate slots.'
'People are born with either one or three slots for learning such magic. However most people tend to never have any magic appear… and that's without mentioning Grimoires…'
/BONK!/
Misty slammed her cane on his head, "Are you paying attention, Silver?"
"Y-Yes... ouch…" Silver replied as he massaged his head
…
"... Grandmother said my talent for magic was exceptional; I could easily learn the intricacies and perform the rituals, chanting them in a single go."
'The issue came as I went to do my very first spell… I just can't do it. Every time I try to cast a spell, my body goes haywire and I immediately fall into a state of Mind Zero. She has been trying to figure out why that is the case, but until we figure out what's causing that issue, I won't be able to cast traditional magic.'
'Perhaps only when I'm incredibly strong and able to shake off the weight of Mind Zero… or perhaps when I raise my level significantly will I be able to perform half-decently. In any case, I do think I know what might be the reason.'
'I could have been born with some trait that inhibits magic usage. There are many unique types of disorders and diseases in this world. I could only be one of the unlucky few to be born with them.'
'Overcoming such debilitations is part of life; it's what being an adventurer is all about! So it's fine if I can't cast magic like that. In a moment of desperation, I can perhaps cast once or twice, but I suppose if I do end up in such a situation, magic like that won't save me.'
'But magic is magic at the end of the day. It's not something I'm willing to give up on. I'll keep studying it until I figure out how to use it properly. It's not my first time having to work around innate issues within a system.'
"That's it for magic… I'll keep studying though. At this rate, it'll only take a few more years for me to go through all documents she has… though it might take a bit longer for me to reach a satisfying level of mastery from her perspective."
'Now, while magic has been an issue to train… training in their combat arts has been a completely different story. So far, I have found few issues training and performing anything they've thrown at me.'
'There is the issue of the difference in size… for them, teaching a child with different proportions is already hard enough, and for me, adapting what they teach into something that is fitting for me is even harder. Yet despite all that, I've been progressing well.'
'I wasn't unfamiliar with fighting with weapons, but in my past life, I was more of a brawler than anything else. There wasn't much of a need to use anything else aside from one's own body when I had complex Plasmids at my disposal. But with that foundation, learning other moves hasn't taken that high of a toll on me.'
'Or at least I think so… from the perspective of a true master, would I be considered talented? I guess I would, given I'm technically a child… but can I be taken as some sort of combat genius? I can't quite trust my grandparents' words for that…'
'That aside, what I've been having the most difficulty learning would actually be the mundane things… the "secondary" professions and skills each of them have mastered over the decades.'
'Things like Blacksmithing, Potioncraft, Item making… even Tailoring…'
"Haaa… if they were here they would've knocked on my head by now…"
'I'm not against learning such things. Some of them I'm particularly good at, specifically potioncraft… but tailoring… that was something I never bothered to learn.'
'Why bother learning how to sew when you can manipulate fibers into taking whatever shape you want?… I know the process since I had to envision it, but I lack practice with my hands. Everything I've done with them has been a new experience for me.'
'But out of all professions, even potioncraft and alchemy in general, I was particularly attracted to blacksmithing. Not because of the boons it can offer but because of the sensations it gives me… I just like doing it.'
'That said, there are certainly many boons to doing it. But without specializing in the field, no matter how skilled I am, I'll probably have to put in a lot of work to become competitive… I'm just doing it for the sake of it.'
'Why not learn one more craft, right? Not like I can't do it… maybe one day it'll pay off.'
"My only regret is not being able to do my experiments, but even if I could, I doubt I could even do anything with the tools I have at hand." He muttered as he reached for the window, looking at the world beyond
'There is so much to learn and uncover… but I'm trapped in this body learning medieval crafts… sigh… I'll just treat it all as I've always been. But above all…'
"This is some prime time to spend with my family."
With a smirk on his face, Silver walked out of the window and his room, resuming his training as he had been doing all this time.
The seasons passed — rain and heat, snow and flowers… soon enough… it had been twelve years since his birth.
Today, over eleven years since he awakened in this world… Silver would undergo his greatest challenge yet…
To face a monster for the first time!
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Notes
As we've seen so far, we're fleshing out the world and moving on with his life. Soon enough, Silver will be of age and take his first steps in the world!
From then on, he'll be on his own until he finds a group he can fit in. See you next chapter!