The Rise

Eray stood before Gon, beneath the light, on the verge of a new beginning. After a profound and jarring experience, his weary body lay sprawled on the ground, trying to recover from the shock.

Gon watched this moment of transformation with the satisfaction a teacher feels in the success of their student.

Suddenly coming to his senses, Eray's astonished question, "What was that all about?" was met with Gon's laughter, which echoed through the ancient walls of the room. "You've done well, child, very well, you've already changed,"

Eray thought these words were about his acquisition of magical power, but Gon was actually referring to Eray's physical appearance.

Gon extended his hand and demonstrated a water spell. Water began to pour from his hands. Eray didn't understand what was happening and stepped back to avoid getting wet.

Once some water had accumulated on the ground, Gon called Eray over and told him to look into the water. Eray didn't understand but didn't question and approached the puddle of water.

The reflection of light and water acted as a mirror. When Eray saw his reflection, he screamed in astonishment. "Master, what happened to me? My hair and my eye colors have changed...?" Gon explained, "Though rare, it sometimes happens that spellcasters undergo some physical changes when they awaken. There's nothing to worry about."

Eray focused on his new appearance for a moment. "Master, everyone used to say I looked like my father. Now, my hair and eye color are the same as that woman's." Eray, with a look of disgust on his face, "Silver hair and red eyes." "I'm disgusted to resemble my mother."

Gon did not respond to those words immediately. After a moment of silence, Eray asked again, "Also, what exactly were those visions of darkness and the sea?"

The shadow moved a few steps and sat down at the base of a sarcophagus, gesturing for Eray to sit beside him. Still dazed, Eray staggered a bit before sitting next to his master. The shadow took a deep breath and began to explain.

"Child, the darkness you saw is your true power, your affinity,"

"That sea of darkness you mentioned likely represents your mana capacity. It manifests differently in everyone. For some, it's a sky; for others, an endless forest..."

"I expected your mana capacity to be quite high thanks to our lord's gift, but your rapid awakening has surprised me as well."

Eray knew that by 'our lord,' Gon was referring to the mysterious voice that had put Eray through the trial that led to his death.

Gon continued, "The power bestowed upon you is a part of his own power, Shadow."

Eray asked, "So, master, what exactly is this shadow? I don't know much about magic, but the books I read at the palace had very little information on shadow."

Gon replied, "Shadow magic is our lord's own power. Some of us who serve him use shadow powers, like me."

Eray had noticed that Gon used a different style of magic. Unlike most mages, he didn't give silly names to his spells and didn't use hand gestures.

Gon added, "However, you're a bit more special."

"Am I special, in what way?"

"You, Eray, were chosen by our lord. You'll be trained to carry out his tasks. The powers given to you are part of his own."

"So, I have some of our lord's powers?"

Gon clarified, "He only gave you a part of them. But even that part has great potential."

"So, our lord just handed me a portion of his magical powers?"

"Yes, that's right. You were specially chosen, and you should feel proud."

Eray tried not to show it, but he was uneasy about this. He was concerned that the powers might be taken back by this so-called lord after they were no longer needed.

"I won't ask Gon and let on that I've noticed something," he thought to himself.

Eray was a bit confused but believed he'd understand what to do in time.

Gon continued, "You need to grow stronger for the trial. Our lord has tasked us with caring for you and being your companions,"

Surprised, Eray asked, "Us?"

"Is there someone else, Master?"

"Yes."

-----

After sharing some basic information about Eray's affinity, Gon told him he needed to rest and that he would provide more details later.

Eray nodded in agreement to Gon's words. He pushed open a sarcophagus with effort and gently, carefully removed the bone fragments inside.

"Ah, please forgive me, but your grave looks too comfortable for me to sleep in."

Then, Eray's gaze fell upon the books he had examined a few hours earlier. When he picked them up again, he realized he could now read the strange letters he hadn't understood before.

"Wow.. I couldn't read this a moment ago, now suddenly I can understand the letters and the language. Guess it would be a waste to sell these without reading." Eray examined the books one by one. "A. Pitler – The Struggle"

"M.Feynes – Economy and Politics"

"R.Greede – The Rules of Power"

"G.Alexandra – Army and Warfare"

Eray was nearly ecstatic with excitement as he read the titles of the books.

"Such books were definitely banned in Avalon. Especially reading them as a prince could even be considered treason," he murmured. With a mischievous grin on his face, he took A.Pitler's "The Struggle" to read in the sarcophagus for the night.

He felt no fear or discomfort; just a few months ago, the idea of lying in a grave would have disturbed him, but now he was happy to find a comfortable place for his reading.

As Eray delved into the book, a sly smile settled on his face.

Eray was deeply engrossed in the book, amazed by the story of its author, who had transitioned from a painter to the ruler of his country, transforming a defeated nation into the world's mightiest kingdom within a decade. However, ambition and mistakes eventually led to his downfall.

As Eray flipped through the pages with keen interest, he discovered that the book candidly shared insights on addressing and deceiving the masses, the art of politics for a king, relationship management, creating enemies and allies, and the author's personal experiences. "This man was truly a mad genius," Eray thought.

"I'm sure the knowledge in these books will help fill the gaps in my understanding and experience. After all, when the time comes to return home and vie for the throne against my siblings and family, I'll need it."

Eray was determined not to sleep until he had finished the book.

----

Eray couldn't gauge how much time had passed while he was engrossed in reading; it could have been a few hours or days. But when he opened his eyes, he felt refreshed and full of energy.

After getting up from the sarcophagus, Gon suddenly appeared beside him.

"Are you ready?" Gon asked.

With renewed confidence, Eray replied, "I'm ready, Master!"

While Gon seemed lost in thought, Eray looked around, curious where his master might have rested; the only sarcophagus that was open was his own.

Wondering where Gon could have slept, Gon began to speak. "Now that you know your affinity, it's time to get stronger. Most people start their training at five or six years old, but you're nearly 11 years old and know very little about magic,"

Eray couldn't tell how long time had passed; it could have been a few hours or days. But when he opened his eyes, he felt refreshed and full of energy.

After getting up from the sarcophagus, Gon suddenly appeared beside him. "Are you ready?" Gon asked. Confidently, Eray responded, "I'm ready, Master!"

While Gon seemed lost in thought, Eray's gaze wandered around, wondering where his master might have rested since the only open sarcophagus was his own.

Pondering where Gon could have slept, Gon started speaking, "Now that you know your affinity, it's time to get stronger. Most start their training at five or six years old, but you're nearly 11 and know very little about magic,"

Ignoring Eray's sullen expression, Gon continued, "You will do as I say, I will only repeat my commands once. If you try to escape from the training, death will be your end. If you fail, others will hunt you down," he stated.

"Master, aren't you being unfair? Have I ever disobeyed you all this time?"

Gon replied, "Back then, I was merely observing and you were following instructions, but now is the time for training, and we'll see the real you."

Eray committed, "Whatever you say, just make me stronger, Master."

Gon instructed, "Boy, go under the light,"

Eray promptly did as told, stepping into the light. He had a rough idea why he was there.

Gon said, "Boy, focus on your shadow, feel that you are one with it,"

Eray looked up at the light above, then at his shadow. Heeding Gon's words, he closed his eyes and focused on his shadow. Taking a deep breath, he tried to block out surrounding sounds. After a while, he felt a sense of unity with his shadow. His shadow was no longer just a silhouette; he felt it was part of him, giving him a new strength.

He liked this new sensation. A smile formed on his face as he realized this.

Gon watched Eray's first steps closely, "Now try moving your shadow," he said.

Eray took a deep breath as instructed and slowly opened his eyes to look at his shadow. In his first attempt, he tried to command his shadow, hoping to see just small parts of it, maybe a corner or an edge, slightly twitch in response.

Initially, his shadow remained still, but Eray didn't give up. With intense concentration, he focused his will on his shadow. After a few seconds, a slight tremble began at the edges of the shadow.

Parts of the shadow, in a formless and vague manner, started to twitch as if responding to Eray's thoughts.

This minor but definitely noticeable movement brought a look of triumph to Eray's face. Being able to move specific parts of his shadow was quite an achievement for a first lesson.

Successfully moving his shadow marked the end of Eray's first magic exercise. He turned to Gon with eyes filled with excitement and dozens of questions brewing in his mind. "Master, what exactly is this shadow magic? How does it work?"

Gon explained, "Shadow magic is a type of magic that utilizes the dark energies around us." "These energies are everywhere; but only a very few can feel and direct this energy. Like you and us." Eray listened to every word carefully. "But why only shadows?" he continued with his questions. Gon paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "Shadows are the point of convergence between darkness and light. Shadow magic is about understanding the balance between these two forces.

You naturally sense this balance with a natural talent. You can think of shadows as a physical representation of dark energy. It can be said you deserve our lord's favor." "Master, how many people can use these shadow spells?"

Gon replied, "No more than a dozen."

Eray felt relieved after hearing this. At least he possessed a rather rare magical power.

Eray asked, "How can I control this power better? What do I need to do to perform stronger spells?" He knew the answer but hoped to hear something different.

Seeing the young prince's determination and eagerness to learn, Gon smiled slyly, "More experience, more combat." "And of course, obedience. The path of wizardry requires patience and continuous learning. Step by step, we will teach you how to use and control your powers."