9 Core Creation and Friends

Lera soon guided me through the winding hallways and telling me how A lot of this is just us going around in circles and that it's to protect the students and teachers from invaders since it does happen from time to time. He then gave me a badge which can only belong to a student at the school, after telling me to let my blood drip on the badge I was able to see the other students and the correct ways to go.

"Is that a new student, why is he walking with the director?"

"Look at his hair! I wanna run my fingers through it!"

"Oh great another kid with a background letting him pass without taking the tests-'

I smiled seeing so many kids my age in one place; it made me feel a little overwhelmed,

"Come on guys it's just a new student, get to your classes!"

Lera shouted shooing them away.

After shooing away the students, Lera looked at me and asked, "Jem what stage in your magic rank are you at?"

I looked over at Lera with a questioning face,

"What's a magic rank?"

Lera gave a worried smile knowing the spells I can cast but not knowing anything about a magic rank, although it's not my fault. The only people I have gotten knowledge from was a poor man on the street; he did not know a magic rank or anything. Even Werin didn't have any experience of it since she was around for so long that by the time it was even thought of, she was already well ahead of it.

Thinking more about it, there was something close to it in Werins memories,

"You mean mortals orb?"

Just hearing this made Leras eyes bulge thinking that he wasn't talking to a kid, but one of those old freaks as only they call it that,

"Yes, a mortals orb; what grade are you at?"

I only smiled,

"I don't have one."

Lera sighed and looked like he lost a hundred years of his life from what I said,

"Jem, don't tell anyone about this okay?"

Lera felt like he had just died inside knowing that this young kid in front of him can cast better magic now than he did during most of his life.

.............................

Lera sighed again but was happy that this kid is in his school, giving him something to brag about to his peers.

"In the meantime take these books and pills and try to form your core as quickly as you can. Now follow me. I'll show you to your room that you will be staying at for your time in school. When you form one, press on the badge a bit and I'll be notified."

After saying all this while looking like an old man on the edge of life he escorted me to my room. Lera promptly opened the door and I was decently surprised, there was a bed, a chair with a table, and a little nightstand as well as a small lantern sitting on the table. Ready for me to use.

Thinking back on it what Werin had when she attended a school, compared to that, this is incredibly lavish. Werin only had a decrepit mat on the floor and nothing else.

"Thank you; I'll settle in and notify you when I create my core."

Lera only nodded and left, with him planning on talking to Flero to complain.

I walked into my room and shut the door. When it was closed, I used the dust that was all over my new furniture as magic circles and imprinting them on the walls to make sure I wouldn't be spied on. While creating it so if anyone decided to break into my room, they would have a mark on them with me being able to tell exactly where they're at.

Sitting on the bed I open one of the books,

'Core formation, hmm it looks simple enough I suppose.'

I turn to the first page, 'To form the core, one must imagine intangible threads spreading to each limb including the head, starting from the heart. Once this is has been accomplished loop the threads back to the heart, after a time stay still and focus on the beating of your heart. Soon you will feel those threads beating with your heart as well, depending on how strong the feeling is will depend on your potential. Once you have the strongest feeling possible, take the Core Formation pill as quickly as you can. Once this is accomplished, you will have stepped into the Core Formation stage, congratulations.'

'It looks to be handwritten with drawings of the body and how to direct the threads.'

I sat on the ground with the cold stone floor on my skin and started imagining the threads while spreading them throughout my body as the book depicted, I waited to feel my heart beating along with the threads. After an hour it felt as if my body was in the middle of a massive bell with it constantly ringing, shaking my body like a piece of wood lost in a violent sea storm.

Additionally, in my mind, there was a depiction of a blood red sky. Soon there was a massive storming cloud overhead with every streak of red lightning in the sky lighting up the clouds having them look like a dark, malevolent dragon, with thunder sending resounding vibrations throughout my body like a growling beast ready for the kill.

Quickly I take the pill having it encase the feeling with a shell with the threads I had made coming out of it, creating my core. Opening my eyes I can see magic particles with various colors swirling around me like a vortex with my body at the center, after spending some time absorbing the particles into my core, I can gradually feel my body grow stronger, and my overall affinity with the particles increase.

'Now that I have my core formed I'll notify Lera.'

I gave the badge a bit of pressure letting Lera know that I created my core. After looking through the other books that Lera gave me they seemed to be of high quality as they all seemed handwritten. The rest of the books were about how to increase in rank as well as explaining the ranking starting with the Core Formation stage next was the Core splitting stage, with this specific magic book that I am using to form my core after the core splitting stage, there is the thread webbing stage.

Each stage is split into low middle and high right now with the feeling I had before I created my core; it feels like I'm at the core formation high stage. From what I was reading, this is the only part of cultivation were one can skip steps depending on their potential.

'Well now that this is out of the way let's look around and explore.'

I walked out of my room while putting on a long black and red robe to cover my tattoos and closed my door with a magic seal so that only I can open it. After some time of walking, I was able to find a student roaming the halls,

"Oh wow I didn't expect another kid to be roaming the halls!"

The boy waved at me

"Hey, do you know where we can get some food in here I'm pretty hungry" I laughed

"You're a new student. Well, I'll show you but you owe me one, come on follow me."

I followed the student for a bit and past a few classrooms which we had to sneak past until we were finally in a large room with lots of tables and food.

"What are you doing here Nathan! I thought I told you if you skip class again I'll beat you!" A lady in the far corner yelled out to us while eating some of the food that was on the table.

She looked to be 18, and she had pure jet black hair as well as a good body and face. She was wearing the school uniform which was a robe with white and red, although students could wear whatever they wanted.

"Like you could Emily If you have such a problem with me skipping classes than why are you here with us?"

Nathan joked while putting a mocking expression on his face as he walked to Emily,

"Whos, the new kid?"

Emily quickly changed the subject while looking over at Nathan like he was tainting a pure little lamb since I'm only 5 and walking around with Nathan, of which was notorious for always skipping classes

.

"My name is Jem nice to meet you, Emily."

I smiled innocently replying to her,

"You're so cute.." Emily whispered under her breath,

"Come sit on big sisters lap and help me eat this food!"

Nathan had his mouth wide open and was choking on air before I ran over and sat on Emily's lap, helping her eat some of the food on her plate.

Seeing this Nathan could only cross his arms,

"Traitor"

"Nathan, you're jealous because you're not the one sitting on my lap hm?" Emily joked while playing with my white and silver hair as I ate.

After some time of eating while Emily and Nathan were complaining to each other, I went back to my room after getting their contact info.