Chapter 2: Rising Of A New Start

My eyes beckoned open as my sister carried out her daily routine of launching herself onto my belly to wake me up in what she saw as the most efficient way through countless trials and errors.

"Brother! Wake up you're gonna be late for your first day of school."

"I know, I know." I replied hazily as my eyes fell on the blonde little girl with pearly blue eyes that reflected the warm light that radiated from the lantern above.

"Mom is going to be really mad at you if you don't go get ready and meet her downstairs in the next 5 minutes." She sighed after noticing I was making no effort to relieve myself of the warm blankets.

"Has my beloved 7-year-old sister turned into an alarm clock now?" I asked, flaunting a smile as Liss's face blossomed with red.

"You're only 5 years older than me, it's not that big of a deal." She muttered as her tongue flicked out of her mouth and fingers pulled down on one of her eyes. Following that humble goodbye, she quickly bolted out of the room, carrying on with her flamboyant personality.

Lifting myself out of my bed, I quickly took a glance at my shining and toned body that I had been developing soon after I was told I needed a powerful body in proportion to a powerful mana heart in order to maximise my potential.

However, much to my disappointment, my legs still weren't as developed as I hoped they would be, and could only ponder whether they would harden with the coming challenges that awaited me.

Taking another glance at myself, my short red hair fuzzed up a bit but I didn't care as long as it didn't obscure my vision. Apart from the fact that I looked like I had crawled out of a dumpster, the Gods so humbly graced me with charming purple eyes that expressed sagaciousness and gave me a sense of intelligence, like I was not already a prodigy when it came to academics I mumbled to myself as a painful memory of me flunking a test clouded my consciousness.

My ears and nose were of good proportions and I had a sharp jawline that had been moulded by my physical efforts to get stronger.

Quickly dressing in the sleek red and black uniform of the Ashburn Academy, I rushed downstairs to be greeted by a figure that was waiting just by the stairs, the rhythmic tapping of her fingers on her arm grew rampant as her stern gaze flickered to me before her eyes trailed down my newly acquainted uniform.

Her mouth opened slowly as I braced myself for the lecturing I had dearly expected, however, what came out next surprised both me and my brother that was peeking from behind the door with an almost lecherous smile burned across his face.

"You look better than I expected, almost as if you actually belong in this family for once."

"Thanks?" I replied. I had grown accustomed to looking like a real state as my laziness always got the better of me.

Her eyes still lingered on my uniform so I also looked down at my tailor-made clothes. Although I hadn't really taken a look at it because I simply didn't really care, the appearance made me reconsider what I did for the past few years.

The actual uniform was mainly composed of a thin black velvet that enveloped my body perfectly, almost as if it had been a second skin. Red streaks trailed down both sides of my blazer and the embroidered crest of the Ashburn Academy was illustrated as a fierce dragon with both wings stretched outwards and fire spewing out of its ferocious mouth. The outline of the uniform was laced in a thick and strong gold that demonstrated wealth and power to those who weren't so fortunate to attend the most prestigious school in the whole continent, being the training grounds of people that made up the upper echelons of power.

"That's enough gawking at yourself." My mother said, snapping me back to the harsh reality of what I was doing. "Follow me."

Without even a second to question what she said, I obediently followed behind like some dog on a leash. We quickly exited our mansion, once again thanking the Gods that I was lucky enough to be born into a prominent family of humans that had a massive influence on the education of the next generation as the Cynrad family placed large importance on the future of this continent.

Outside waiting was a carriage lead by 2 fine, white steads, both powerhouses capable of pulling something as heavy as my moth- no I'm of noble heritage it is unfitting of me to be stating such obvious things. I tried hiding the sneer across my face but my mother had already caught on.

"What a peculiar child you are Valen, thank the lords that you are as gifted as you are otherwise I might have just turned you into a stable boy." A giggle escaped her mouth as she laughed at her own joke.

"Says the person who also humours themselves."

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

As soon as we got onto the carriage, we immediately set off for the academy located on the East side of Hywell. The capital city itself was massive and rested upon the highest mountain on the continent that was located in the very centre of Ephrais. Everywhere was glistened with fine architecture and valuable materials, the result of the prosperity we had accomplished by unifying the races. The Cynrad estate was based on the outskirts of Hywell and was surrounded by luxurious gardens and ponds. Since Hywell was based on a mountain, the views were stunning as we woke up to a welcoming sunrise that lit up the overwhelming city, relishing it in a brilliant, vibrant light that elevated the city as a whole.

The journey to the academy was tedious because the city was so big; however, I entertained myself by studying the features of my ever so loving mother, keen to gain insight into whatever change might have occurred.

With the rising sun, dripping rays of light bathed my stern mother, revealing her stunning features. Much like my younger sister Liss, her eyes were a vibrant blue and shone like a star in a midnight sky, however, her hair was more of a whitey cream, rather than the bright blonde yellow that my sister had. More of her appearance was revealed as the light crawled up from the window revealing more of one of the most respected figures in Hywell. Her skin was pale white, not of sickness, but of delicacy and refinement. Frey Cynrad's figure was thin but defined, and looked as if it had been nurtured and maintained for the past decades as her posture was faultless and immaculate.

The shudder of the carriage dissolved my observation as I found a better topic to immerse myself in.

The mana heart that I had been focussing on for the last few years of my life.

Mana was a common thing and flowed around everywhere, it was colourless but by utilising the mana heart under your solar plexus, you were capable of claiming the surrounding mana, attracting it inside the desired body and infusing it with your own signature element. By the end, you would have complete control of the mana that you had subdued.

Of course, the stronger the mage, the more control they would have over the mana and more that they would be able to "claim" and utilise.

People naturally had an affinity for magic and it would be divided further into which specific aspect of magic you had. There were 4 possible elements: fire, water, wind, and earth.

In each of these affinities, you could also have primary aspects such as ice which directly links to water. Primary aspects must correlate with your natural affinity so your path is limited to what affinity you have. Most people only have one affinity, but there are some occasions of two affinities and maybe even three in a rare case.

Four was unheard of.

Some of the top mages in Ephrais have either dual or triple affinities and primary aspects for them as well. Affinities themselves are nothing special however primary aspects can differ from person to person so while one water mage can have ice, the other could have the power of plants.

I myself have already tested for my affinity and was overjoyed to find it being fire.

The sense of destruction and power it brought made it suitable for dangerous voyagers and overwhelming powerful foes.

"Valen, straighten up, we're here."

My eyes flickered open to see the lavish inside of the carriage come to a slow halt as the noise of a busy school surrounded us.

Yawning and stretching my arms I opened the door and stepped out, gaining a dismissive look from my mother.

"Wow." For the second time in my life, my jaw dropped at the luminous white castle that dawned over me with a powerful, but soothing gaze.

It gave a feeling of protection and omniscience as it carefully watched over the thousands of students that strolled into the entrance of the yard and made their way to the registration room near the start of the campus.

"Well, I've dropped you off here but I'm afraid I've got more important matters to attend to. Enjoy your day and please don't get into any trouble." My mother cut me a sharp gaze before wavering it off with a genuine smile.

"I'll enjoy my day but I can't guarantee that that trouble will avoid me." I teased as she walked towards the main building, her feet in perfect sync and catching the eyes of some dumbstruck students.

"It's definitely better than I expected, it can't be too bad right?" I murmured to myself.

Almost as if answering my question, a boy stepped to the side of me and looked at the mighty castle that had originally caught my eyes.

"Ashburn academy, one of, if not the most prestigious school in the whole of Ephrais and valued greatly by the reigning council." The boy stated, admiringly.

"Interesting," I replied, half sarcastically. "Do you know where the registration office is? The faster I get to class the quicker this day can end."

"That should be on the right when we've passed the gate control. Security is tight and it may seem like a hassle, but the artifacts that this school possesses are well sought after by many groups."

"Thanks for the knowledge, I'm Valen by the way. Valen Cynrad."

"Cynrad?!" He looked at me daunted, his eyes widened as he muttered the words.

"Yes, Cynrad, although I don't like people fawning over me just because of the family I was born to." I huffed.

I had already dealt with my fair share of pushovers and some of them even hindered my progress as they were too afraid to tell me what I did wrong.

Even after that issue was solved and I continued to grow under the guidance of a better teacher, the annoyance still remained and carved into me.

After giving me an apologetic look, the boy looked down.

"Sorry, Valen." He mumbled. Still looking down.

It was only now that I was able to get a good look at the boy. He was dressed in the same uniform as me, except his hung more loosely. He had light brown hair that tinted in the sun and deep hazel eyes that shone more brightly under the overwhelming sun.

Realising that I moved closer to him to study his features, I quickly moved back and gave him a reassuring smile.

"It's alright," I said, knowing that I had lashed out. "What's your name?"

"How rude of me for not telling you until now, it's Cedric from house Yate"

House Yate I pondered in my mind. To my knowledge, it seemed to be a middle to high-ranking house and though not that well known, it seemed strong.

'Well Cedric, how about we stick together for the first day?" I suggested before encouraging him to walk with me. "You seem knowledgeable and I'm eager to learn."

"Really?" His expression lit up with surprise and then a slight tinge of guilt.

"Yes, and how about you explain the system of this school and how classes work while we go to registration?"

"Glady." He quickly replied, his face filled with joy and left no traces of his sadness before.

I felt bad using him as some sort of guidebook, one that I might inevitably throw away after I've finished with its use, but my yearning for enough power to reach my goal took priority over everything else.

The real start of my journey was within my grasp and I didn't intend to let that slip away.