There is no 12th Circle Mage

"I knew that there were at least 3 ways to return from death. 

Resurrection – The soul is forcefully trapped within the body in torment while the dead body is healed using magic. The one that I use the most. Painful but better than dying.

Regression – The soul is sent back in time into its own body. The user will retain all the memories from the future. It's a tad bit too difficult to use, which is why the exact mechanics of this spell is not fully understood.

Reincarnation – The soul is sent into the body of an unborn child with no soul. This means that the original body and all the work spent on developing it is lost. I never used this one.

And now there was a 4th one. One that was forced upon me, and one which I did not like."

War. Or at least it seemed like it. But in reality, there were only two people fighting. Fire-Fire, Fire everywhere. Huge explosions in the surroundings. Mountains crumbling and falling down. At first glance you would be forgiven for thinking that there was an ongoing full-scale war beneath the night sky. Regardless, it was a fight that would determine the fate of the world. Or at least there was one person who believed it to be the case. The witch of calamity, Nyveri, intent on destroying the world.

There was only one person between her and the annihilation of the entire world. Prince Raymir Aurelius, 2nd Prince of The Aurelian Empire, also known as The Hero of Humanity. From a distance it might seem like a glorious battle. A display of great power and skill from both sides. Both equal sides. However, from up-close, the fight was utterly and completely one-sided. In Prince Raymir's favor.

The battle continued in mid air as the witch shot a barrage of different spells at the hero who dodged them swiftly and comfortably, deflecting and destroying the spells he cannot dodge with his Hero's sword, glowing and glittering with a sheen bright golden light. Stepping on a spell he dodged, Raymir jumps up high in the sky and with his silhouette appearing in front of the moon, he drops from the sky, with a flash of light behind him, extremely fast to perceive. He drops straight towards Nyveri, hitting her with a strong kick that sends her flying head first into the ground.

He then tears a scroll after which several spears of his own blood appear behind him. As he falls from the sky, he gestures the spears to attack. The spears land straight on the witch who barely had time to get up on her feet after dropping to the ground, impaling her at various spots on her body.

That was it. The fight was over. The Hero, Raymir landed down on the ground from the sky on his two feet. He had defeated the villain. It was the triumph of good against evil. In utter silence. There were no cheers, there were no applause. Fire-Fire, Fire everywhere. Pure simple chaos.

The sound of Raymir's heavy heels approaching Nyveri filled the surrounding as she tried to free herself from the spears. However, she was unable to do so. The pointed end of the spears buried underground made her unable to move from her place. Struggling to get them off, she tried to forcefully remove the spears using her magic.

"It's no use." said Raymir. "The spears didn't just impale you in random spots. Your mana channels are blocked. You cannot use magic anymore."

He was right, she couldn't. So, with blood dripping from her forehead, she waited. Waited for Ramir to arrive. Helpless, since there was nothing more she could do to resist. And when he did, she lifted her head and looked at him, square in the eyes.

"Congratulations… Sir Hero... You saved the world. Never mind if… if the world had ever bothered to save.. JUST One little girl… it wouldn't have needed much saving for itself... In the first place…" said Nyveri, gasping.

"You?" asked Raymir in a scornful tone.

Nyveri chuckled. "What would a prince like… like you know? Got everything served to you… on a silver platter. You won't understand… You never will…"

Raymir smiled. "I'm glad you asked." Raymir placed his hand on her forehead and started casting a spell.

"Are you going to kill me…? That won't stop me and you know it… I've used the 11th circle spell Recursive Resurrection on myself... The only way you could stop me… is by using another spell of 11th circle… or higher <chuckles > as if that even exists. But you can't do that, can you…? How could you…? Afterall, I am the only person in the world… who can use spells 9th circle and above. Mark my words Raymir... You can seal me or even kill me… but you cannot stop me. I WILL… destroy the world someday."

"You are right." Raymir replied with a wide grin. "I cannot stop you. But you won't destroy the world. You will save it."

"What… What do you mean…?" Nyveri asked confused. Suddenly, she recognised the spell that Raymir was about to cast. "Wait… This spell! I know this spell… This is my spell.. I invented it! But it was incomplete… How do you know this spell…?"

Raymir's smile widened.

"This is insane… It looks complete… even though I never finished it… How…?"

Raymir didn't respond, just smiled.

"But this is… You are not even a mage…! There is no way you have enough skills or experience… to use this spell… and even if you do… You don't have nearly… nearly enough mana to cast this at all!!…"

"You are right. I don't.

But you do."

Raymir grabbed one of the blood spears that had impaled her near the abdomen. Mana started flowing from her body into his.

The spell started to take effect. A magical circle made of golden light started appearing on the ground. The ground started shaking. The sky started to tear apart. The fire started circling around them like a tornado.

"This is… impossible… What are you doing to me…? Where are you sending me?"

Raymir gave a gentle smile as he announced the name of the spell that he was casting. "12th Circle Magic, Regressive Reincarnation - Forced."

A bright light engulfed both of them.

Nyveri opened her eyes in bright white light, drifting away in a void.

She heard Raymir's voice.

"Goodbye Nyveri. I will never get to see you again. Don't worry about the demonic cores sealed within you. I will take good care of them. I hope you enjoy your new life. <Nyveri: "Wha… wait…"> Well… I guess it is pointless to say that. Because I already know, how it's going to turn out…"

Nyveri's vision starts to blur. She slowly and steadily lost consciousness.

"I knew that there were at least 3 ways to return from death. And now there was a 4th one. One that was forced upon me, and one which I did not like."

Recursive Resurrection – The user will keep resurrecting over and over with no end. Essentially making them immune to murder. (They still age but only as long as they are alive.) The spell has a 24-hour cooldown. Meaning that if they are killed in less than 24 hours after their last resurrection, they will stay dead until 24-hours since the last resurrection is up. After which they will revive on their own and keep reviving in a never ending loop.

Regressive Reincarnation – The soul is sent back in time into the body of an unborn child with no soul.

Forced subtype – It means the subject of the spell is an unwilling participant and forced to comply. This results in greater consumption of mana and a significant increase in the complexity of the spell compared to its base version. The caster should be significantly more skilled in magic compared to the subject and must have the skills to bypass various protections and resistances of the subject. This is a must have for a forced spell to be successful.

Nyveri came to her senses after a little while. She felt herself in a tiny body, unable to move. She had little control over her body. But she felt rested, as if she'd woken up from a deep slumber. She couldn't move, but her senses were working just fine. However, she couldn't open her eyes.

"Congratulations, Emperor Aurelius, on becoming a father of a third child. Congratulations to you too, Empress Aveline. The boy is healthy and strong. I reckon he will grow up to be a fine young man."

Nyveri ignored the rest of the conversation. Some laughter in the background. She didn't care.

"Wait a minute… I'm a boy!? That damn monster turned me into frekin' dude!! UNACCEPTABLE!! This is exactly why I hated him. But you know what, it's fine, just this once. Because, I don't know how he managed to somehow not only find but also complete this spell but, he seems to have missed out on one crucial detail. That is: Why I made this spell.

The reason I tried to make this spell is simple. I wanted to see the look on that Raymir Aurelius' face as he watches his own blood murder the rest of his family. That is the least he deserves after having had such a happy life. And considering all of that, I think that this situation isn't half bad. Whoever that guy was, he said I was the third prince, making me Raymir's younger brother. This is perfect for my revenge."

Footsteps getting nearer. Then a voice came.

"Your Majesty, there is a huge crowd of people outside the castle who have been waiting for hours in the sun just to get a single glimpse of the new prince."

"Tell them that the prince will appear on the balcony of the visitor's tower in 15 minutes." A female voice replied.

"15 minutes? Why 15 minutes? The balcony is right above us, isn't it?" asked The Emperor.

"Because some people have already gone home, thinking that they will never get to see the prince. They need time to get back to the castle, don't they?" the same female voice replied.

"I see. So will you be coming too dear?" asked The Emperor.

"Of course, Why not?" replied the same female voice, most likely The Empress. "Many of them are here to see me too, you know."

"And the other children your Majesty?"

"Let them be, it's too dangerous for them."

"As you command your highness."

Nyveri sensed that she was being carried. The person carrying her seemed to have strong and rigid arms. Most likely, it was The Emperor himself. But all she could think about on her way to the balcony, was what more she could do to make Raymir's life more miserable, now that she was his younger brother.

"But wait, did Raymir ever even have a younger brother?" Suddenly a thought crossed her mind. "Blah… How am I supposed to know anyway? He probably did. I mean, I am in his younger brother's body right, so he must have had a younger brother." She dismissed it.

As they got closer and closer to the balcony, Nyveri was able to hear the sound of cheering from a loud and huge crowd. Even from this distance she could here the sincere hopes and dreams of the crowd. The kind and that makes you hope you do not disappoint them. It started making her feel nervous before she even saw them. It was a very large and very loud crowd. They were cheering on and on with no end. As if they weren't even worried about their own voice chocking. And all of that, for a prince who was simply born.

"Shall we?" asked The Emperor.

"Let's go." replied The Empress.

The sound of the door opening as the royal family made their way to the balcony. The announcer announced, "All Hail, His Majesty, Emperor Reginald Aurelius, Together With, Her Majesty, Empress Aveline Aurelius And Finally, Their 3rd Child, The Newly Born 2nd Prince of The Aurelian Empire, Prince Raymir Aurelius Has Arrived!"

The emperor presents the child to the crowd holding him with both hands up in the air and the crowd went wild. Although Nyveri can't see, she can hear it all. The slogans are going nuts.

"LONG LIVE PRINCE RAYMIR!!"

"GLORY TO AURELIAN EMPIRE!!"

"LONG LIVE EMPEROR REGINALD!!"

"LONG LIVE EMPRESS AVELINE!!"

"GLORY TO AURELIA!!!"

All sorts of slogans flying around. But the only thing Nyveri was thinking about, after noticing that the announcer refer to her as the 2nd Prince and not the 3rd was, "Eh…?"

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End of Chapter 1

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