Vol.2/Chapter 7: Unexpected

Luca's POV (13 years ago):

"It reeks of musk here, Theo. The smell is so strong", I said to Theo while holding my nose.

"Eh? Maybe my parents were doing it again. Don't mind about it.", Theo looks smug.

"Doing what?", I asked him and he just smile mischievously. "Damn it Theo, doing what?!"

"Shishishishi, it's better to not know.", Theo silences me up as we went to a room full of books. "This is my mom's library. There's a lot of books I like here. I might share some with you."

I didn't reply as I was too focused on the book floating in a small pillar. The cover is golden and is inscribed with letters I do not know. The book feels like it's calling me. It's like it is pulling me inside of it. I'm like a moth that's drawn to a flame.

"Luca, hmm, so you're fixated with that book huh. So am I when I first saw it. You can admire it all you want, just don't touch it.", Theo warns me. "Remember, all that is colorful is dangerous. Well, at least that's what my mother told me."

"It's so pretty, Theo. I want to read it.", I sound like an addicted man.

"Absolutely not. It is a forbidden book that's being kept as a family treasure. Even my mom cannot hold it. They said that if you touched it, you're gonna die.", Theo blocks me off as I noticed I'm walking towards it slowly. "Cut it off, Luca. Control yourself."

I can not control myself. My mind is being drawn towards the content of the book. It feels - surreal. It's like knowing the universe on the mind of an ant. It's beautiful.

"Ghh! Luca! Cut it off!", Theo tries to stop me as I unconsciously tries to grab the book.

And then it happened...

In a mere touch of a finger, the floating book suddenly rings. My senses came back as I saw Theo hugging me and trying to stop me.

"Oh shit, Oh no. We gotta hide on that table, fast!", Theo drags me beneath a desk while the ringing of the book becomes faster and faster and faster.

Ring, Ring, Ring, Ring...Boom!!

The whole house shaked as the magic barrier of the book exploded. The shockwave of the barrier left the library in shambles. Then it stopped. We feel lightheaded as Theo and I decided to peek outside. We are also in shambles on what we saw.

The barrier - it exploded - but the book is safe. The surroundings twinkle as thousands of shining unidentified letters float in the air. The whole library - it almost looks like it turned into a galaxy! We are amazed and fantasized about the scenery that we didn't noticed the half naked parents of Theo rushing through the door.

"Whoa! This is magnificent. What happened?", Almira, despite the litter of books on the floor, was amazed by how beautiful the room looks like. "Theo, and a random human, tell me exactly how this happened and what happened to the Grimoire."

Theo tells what happened and how the explosion of the barrier started. I'm just in the corner with Theo's father, Chief Rakthu, scared shitless. I noticed that the Chief looks at me sternly so that made me more nervous.

"I see. So this...human. He touched the book and an explosion happened. Fortunately enough, you sensed it so you hid under the desk. When you peeked, this is what looks like.", Theo nods as Almira recalls what happened. "I see. Very interesting."

"Kid, you've got some balls there to touch some private property. I hope you know this is punishable by me.", The chief's deep voice trembles inside me as Theo block off his father.

"Dad, this is not his fault, it's the book's fault. It was kind of speaking to us, to touch it. I managed to control myself but Luca here...He didn't."

"I see, you're Luca. You're my sister's adoptive human son. This is an awkward situation but it's nice to meet you.", Almira goes for a handshake.

"N-nice t-to meet y-you, A-Auntie.", My hands were shaking as Almira grabbed it.

Almira's mind: ("Hmm. I feel it. This is no ordinary human. He has potential for magic. This is very, very interesting")

"Next time, do not touch someone's belongings. Understood? I'll forgive you this time.", Almira scolded me.

"But honey! This kid just destroyed the whole library!", Chief's voice was surprisingly complemented by a certain softness.

"If you want to punish them, I think I see what would really befit for them.", She just smiled.

30 minutes later:

"Phew! Not a spot to be seen. Everything is arranged. Broken furnitures taken out. This looks nice, I'm not gonna lie.", Theo swipes of his sweat as we repaired the whole library. Theo's parents grabbed the Grimoire for now so we can focus with the cleaning.

"Sorry, Theo. It's all my fault. I didn't suppress the urge to touch it.", Theo pats me in the back.

"Meh, it's not a big deal. We're friends anyways and friends always got each other's back. Right?", I just smiled and nodded.

Upstairs:

Almira: "Honey, that kid. He is not a human. He is something else.

Chief: "So you've sensed it, do you? I guess this is also what Samira saw, that's why she adopted the kid. Don't worry about it. We'll keep an eye of him.

Almira: "Thanks, honey. So...would you like to continue where we left? ;)"

Chief: "Grr..."

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Luca's POV (present day, at the training with Almira):

"Gasp! Th-this is the Grimoire! What's doing it in here?!", I asked profoundly.

"This book, when you touched it 13 years ago, it became a part of you. That ability - the Bells of Death - is not actually an ability you got when you were born. You acquired it when you touched it. The true name of that ability is Overseer.", I was dumbfounded again with this information.

Overseer huh? I guess that's a better name than Bells of Death. But who knows that this book would give me this overpowered ability.

"Now that you're connected to this Grimoire, you are now officially the owner of it. Read it and you can acquire the knowledge of magic inside it.", Almira gave me the book.

"Oh. You're still as pretty as the day I lost you.", I hugged the book like a madman. Almira and Iresh just looks at each other awkwardly.

"Miss Almira, isn't there no side effects whatsoever when Luca starts to read it?", Iresh asked.

"Not that I know off. The barrier of that book is broken and some of the magic was acquired by Luca. All in all, it's destined to be his."

"I see. I'm just happy to see him this happy.", Iresh smiled.

"Now Luca. Read it, acquire the knowledge and we will train your body to handle your newfound power.", Almira proudly ordered me.

My heart is racing. This is the first time I - no, anyone- will open this book. What hidden magic could be inside it? I can't wait.

Flip...

The insides of the book shines vibrantly towards me. It illuminated the whole training ground. The amount of information, the usage, the effects, all is now entering my mind instantly. My mind is boggled. My eyes are glowing. When I said that it's like knowing the universe in the mind of an ant is an understatement. This is...the best feeling in the world.

The light slowly fades away as the knowledge finally stopped coming into my mind. When I opened my eyes, all of the pages of the book were empty. All white, not a speck of ink or markings in it. I was breathing heavily. Iresh and Almira is looking at me worried.

"Master Luca! Are you ok? Does anything hurt?", Iresh rushed to me.

"Nothing too serious. My brain is just like beating with itself. I'm fine, don't worry about it.", I smiled at her and she sighed in satisfaction.

"How about your mental state, Luca? Are you not crazy yet?", Almira also rushed to me.

"If that feeling is crazy enough, I would like to be a psychopath. No, I'm just kidding. Don't look at me like that hehe. I'm fine. My mental state is intact and I feel like I just learned some forbidden knowledge."

"I see. Now, let's test what you acquired. Stand up.", I stood up as I feel the energy in my veins.

My body feels lighter and my senses became keener. I could still see Ivory, Ibaka and Rent, hiding in the back of the tree. I can smell the freshness of the air, it's so delightful.

"Luca, focus. Your senses and knowledge may be improved but you're still a blockhead.", Almira sighed. "Anyways, I know every ability and skill in that Grimoire so I could teach you a few things."

"I'm all ears, Sensei.", I sounded more like a soldier than an apprentice.

"Sensei??? What is that?", Iresh and Almira also looks dumbfounded.

"I don't actually know but at the same time, I actually know. This is so confusing.", I shook my head.

"Yeah, I guess so. Well, anyways, back to the topic. There are basic magic to advanced magic hidden in that Grimoire. I'm gonna teach you some of them while you find out some of them on your own, yeah?", Almira explained.

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And speaking of explanation, here comes Magic 101 with Wolf Seer Almira

"Hello, Wolf Seer Almira here. For today's lesson, we're gonna tackle about the levels and kinds of magic in Espoir. There are 5 levels of magic and 7 kinds of magic that can be used with proper control."

"The first level is called basic magic. Well, the word speaks for itself. It's basic that even a toddler can do it. Spouting sparks, using weak water guns, throwing pebbles, that such of thing."

"Next level is called the beginner magic. Here, you need to use a bit of your head. It may increase the intensity or duration for a bit but the effectiveness improves a ton. Such magic is using fireballs, using lightning from palms and such."

"Next would be advanced magic. Now, we are talking. Advanced magic can be deadly when used with precision, strategy or more power. It also consumes twice the mana of beginner magic but it is worth it. Such magic would be rising rocks from the ground, calling out mini thunderstorms, and such."

"Second to the last level would be the master magic. These are one of the most powerful magics you can use that can even alter history or the land itself. Only who can master the effect of magic can wield its power. Such magic would include spouting lava from the ground, calling out meteors or tsunamis and such."

"The last and the most powerful level would be the world-ending magic. These are the absolute terror of magic itself. They said only gods can wield it as it not only consumes your mana but also your life. There is only one recorded world-ending magic and it's used by the God of the Sun Crozzo Ignis. It is called Azrael."

"There you have it. Levels of magic. Now we're gonna tackle about the 8 kinds of magic."

"The most commonly used kind of magic is elemental magic. You can harness different elements that can affect nature itself. Unfortunately, the mastery of this magic is utterly impossible as nature itself could be unpredictable."

"Next would be summoning magic. You expand your mana to make physical manifestations of your creature. They will obey you for eternity and will only dissipate after you ran out of mana."

"Next would be transformation magic. Don't like how you look? Change yourself! Literally. Just kidding. Transformation magic alters your whole body, changes its appearance and physical power while retaining your magic, mind and senses. It could be overpowered but there are certainly drawbacks from it..."

"Next is illusion. Illusions can be hard to deal with if you have no proper caution. Most illusion users rely on this just to distract opponents while they escape or flank their opponents. They are pretty tricky and could mess up your mind real good."

"Fourth would be preservation magic. In normal circumstances, anyone and anything could die. With preservation magic, you can extend your life force by forcing your mana to give nutrition to your whole body, preserving and sustaining it. The main problem with this is you need to have a lot of mana to pull this off."

"Fifth is holy magic. These are the magic given by the Gods itself. Those who wield it are considered sacred and have full authority just below the Gods. It's pretty strong too as you can alter anyone's memory, mind, feelings or faith to anyone or anything. It can also summon familiars that will protect its user. There's not a lot of drawbacks with this magic except that the Gods only give this kind of magic to the worthy."

"Opposite of that would be the Dark Magic. This magic could be wielded by anyone at the price of a curse or a body part or a sacrificing of a beloved thing. In exchange of power, you need to suffer. The effects are almost the same as holy magic but much much deadlier towards the user."

"Lastly, we have time and space magic. It is recorded but also not recorded. Only a few people - 1 in 5 billion - is born with this kind of magic. Once you have this, you are automatically a God. No matter what status of your family, you will become a God. This magic can alter everything in its path and is considered the strongest magic in the world."

"Phew, that's a lot of explaining but I do hope you get the gist. I'll be back with more lessons but for now, let's go back to the adventures of our beloved Luca!"

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Back to Luca:

"Let's use a beginner magic for now as obviously, you are way past beyond basic magic. Aim your hand to that dummy and recite the spell Fireball.", Almira guided me.

I aimed my right hand to the dummy. My left hand is holding it to support for possible whiplash. Because of the Grimoire, I perfectly know how to use this magic. I chanted inside my head.

Let the heat come into my hand

As it shoots upon my enemies

FIREBALL!

My right hand warmed up as I feel my energy flowing into my hand. Then the energy of it gather in one ball and shoots itself towards the dummy. Boom! It tears it down. Iresh and the children are clapping with amazement. Almira is there, looking more serious.

"Excellent job, Luca. It's way beyond more powerful than I thought. Feel that rhythm when you use it. Remember the flow.", Almira smiled at me.

I shoot more Fireballs as I slowly drain my stamina. The feeling of warmth and the rhythm in my hand is the one I need to remember. Slowly but surely, I practice my Fireball through the day. Almira said she's going somewhere for now so we decided that I'll practice with a little guidance from Iresh. We bid farewell to her temporarily.

2 hours later:

"Pant, pant. I guess that's it. I now mastered Fireball. I can now use it multiple times in one go, making a sort of barrage. Thank you for staying by, Iresh.", I sat down for a bit and chugged down some water.

"That was amazing, Master. You've got so much potential. I'm so proud of you. Hehe.", Iresh hugged me.

"Big Brother!!! Congratulations! That was so good and you persevered. I hope when I grow up, you can teach me too", Ivory leaped.

"Me too, me too.", Rent and Ibaka followed.

"There, there, it's almost night. We should all go home. We can tell Almira our progress tomorrow. For now, this is success.", Everyone celebrated as we went up the tribe and went to each other's house.

The kids also said goodbye as me and Iresh walked towards our home, smiling. This is just one small step of becoming stronger but I will rest assure, I will become unstoppable one day while I find out the truth about this world.

"Welcome home, you two. Go shower up. You reek.", Iresh smelled herself while I went straight up to the shower.

"Master, let's wash together. Tee-hee!", Iresh flirts again.

"Certainly not! Go help Mother prepare!", I started to strip down my upper clothing.

"Aww, alright."

As I dip my body in the tub, the water refreshes my aching body and cools me down. I am so engrossed with relaxing due to the fatigue that I unconsciously turned off my Overseer ability. I look at my hand and smiled. Thanks to everyone's help, I am getting stronger. Someday, somewhere, my real mother is waiting, I know it. But for now, let's focus on improving ourself.

After I finished bathing, I dressed myself up, feeling more relaxed and went outside the bathroom. That's when I noticed that the dining area is quiet. Too quiet. I immediately rushed to the area and saw Samira and Iresh unconscious. Suddenly, a figure emerged from the corner as it swiftly hit me with a bat. I dodged left and right successfully when suddenly, another figure held me from the back. I tried to break the restrain but the figure with the bat hit me with the hardest they can.

I heard a familiar voice before losing consciousness.

"Sleep for now, human..."