Chpt 1. The beginning of an end
Insufferable heat.
That was the first thing that came to the young boy's mind when his mother shook him by his shoulders.
Houses burning down, people being trampled on.
Then there were the screams.
One week after the eradication of the town of Magius…
Prairies that stretch to the end of the horizon, endless mountain ranges going as far as the eyes could see, above it all, the azure sky which expands to encompass everything.
In the great vastness a single carriage strolls along the trail, in the cart carries a young boy no older than 10.
This is the story of someone who has lost everything, or maybe it's the story of a new beginning.
The boy laid face up motionless on the cart, his trembling arms trying their best to cover up the overwhelming emotions.
Despite his best efforts, a streak of tear still managed to break through and splattered onto the coarse blanket of hay he was resting on.
"This path leads to Brentwood city, you sure you wanna be dropped off there?" Asked the man maneuvering the carriage, his voice showing no signs of noticing the boy's sadness.
"Yeah." The boy refused to answer any more than that. Maybe it was out of fear from exposing the shakiness in his voice, or maybe he really doesn't have anywhere to go.
3 years after the eradication of the town of Magius…
"Mana is something that was born with. Every living being, from the largest of dragons to the smallest of ants, all possess varying degrees of mana. And by converting mana through complex formulas, one can cast spells, commonly known as magic. Whether it'd be through vocal incantation, or runic writings, magic can be activated just- like- this."
Professor Dolokrav flicked his finger as he whispered a few syllables. Following suite, the chalk that he was just holding came alive as it homed in on a student sitting sloppily in the back.
"Ow…" The finger sized chalk landed squarely on the boy's forehead, with just enough force to knock him out of his slumber.
The boy wiped his forehead in pain as he looked around the room. People were sneaking looks and giggles.
"Mr. Murphius. If you find that my lecture is boring you, you're welcome to leave the class."
The boy said nothing as he packed up his stuff and headed for the doors.
"VAGUS MURPH-"
Vagus Murphius left the lecture hall before his professor could finish. It wasn't boredom that caused him to nap mid-lecture, it was from genuine exhaustion.
Vagus has had the same nightmare for weeks now. The sound of people screaming, the smell of blood mixed with corpses burning, and the suffocating heat.
He knows that it was something of the past, he knows that it concerns him somehow, he knows that it was painful. But besides that, he knows nothing more.
After all, he knew nothing from before that moment.
It's already been 3 years huh…
"Vagus Murphius" is but a name the townspeople gave him when they found him lying unconsciously by the streets of Brentwood.
The word 'Vagus' meaning wandering in the ancient tongue, and Murphius being the surname of the old couple that took him in.
Nobody knew where he came from, not even the boy himself.
Vagus strolled past the empty hallways, past the few hurrying students on their way to the lecture hall, past the miniature in-door garden that was overgrown with weed.
As he pushed open the last set of doors, he was blinded by the harsh summer sunlight. Although it was almost fall, the sun showed no signs of dimming itself. If anything, it threatened to bake the townsfolk alive.
Squinting his eyes, Vagus made his way towards the ample area of shade provided by the great elm tree.
"Eighteen minutes and fifty-three seconds, that's a new record!"
It seems someone else has found this spot before him.
"Yeah, yeah, move over, Tenisha." Vagus complained as he lied down on the luscious greenery near the tree trunk, crossing his hands behind his head.
"There's so much space yet you chose here, right beside me." The girl named Tenisha continued to tease, "could it be… you're into me?"
For a moment, it looked as if the boy's expressions softened, as if the pain and agony never existed.
"Don't kid yourself. We both know this is the only spot cool enough to not get a heatstroke." Vagus' replied in his usual unfeeling demeanor.
Maybe it was the girl's imagination after all.
"Awww, and here I am trying my best to cheer you up, since you always have that bleak expression on." Tenisha pouted, not minding the boy's cold response, "so what did you get kicked out for this time?"
Vagus turned his back towards Tenisha, after a brief moment of silence he answered.
"I was sleeping."
"Pffft. Well… not the first time you've done that… let's see, what else do we have…" the girl pressed a finger on her lips as she tilted her head,
"disrupting the class, flunking every test, going against the professor… oh yeah, when was the last time you handed in an assignment?"
Vagus remained motionless, making Tenisha's speech seem more like a monologue.
"But really it's because of that, isn't it?"
No response.
Mana is something that was born with. This is the one true rule that applies to everyone and everything. Of course this also includes the boy known as Vagus Murphius.
However, humans in particular, also have affinities that they were born with: Fire, Wind, Earth, Water, Light and Dark.
Each person's mana has a distinctive distribution of the 6 elements. The higher the affinity, the easier it is for the person to learn and control said element.
But that is only possible if you have an innate affinity for that element.
For example, someone with zero affinity towards the fire element could never conjure their mana to process fire magic, no matter how much training they did.
As for the general populace, most only have an affinity for one or two elements.
In Tenisha's case, she's a genius capable of the fire, wind and light element. Out of the three, light magic is extremely valuable as not only is it exceptionally rare, it also grants the user access to arsenals of healing magic that no other element could hope to compete with.
Vagus on the other hand, has no affinity towards any of the 6 elements.