Chapter 14 - Anticipation

"So, you excited, little bro?" Grinned Argent, as I paced around restlessly.

Crap, am I that obvious?

"Huh? No, uh, not particularly," I shrugged indifferently, trying to play it cool.

"If you say so. It's just, you don't usually stay up this late, and I've never seen you staring at the clock so intently before," He smirked teasingly.

Yeah, hard to argue against that.

"Alright, fine. I'm really restless and impatient right now...but you exactly can't blame me for that, you know," I grumbled in response.

Today's the 5th of November, 2010, at around 11 PM. Usually, by around 10 PM or so, I'm fast asleep, and I am feeling pretty sleepy right now, but...in about an hour, I'll be ten years old!

In other words-...finally, finally, FINALLY...-my powers are gonna awaken! I can hardly contain my excitement and anticipation, and I want to be awake for the exact moment when it happens.

"I really hate to burst you bubble, buddy, but, uh...you were born sometime in the afternoon, if I remember right. So technically speaking, you won't be exactly ten years old at midnight," He informed me sheepishly.

Huh? What?

"You tell me that now?" I groaned in dismay...I mean, I should've figured it out, it seems like an obvious thing, but still!

I just assumed that my tenth birthday would be the trigger that awakens my powers...but yeah, now that I think about it, it makes a lot more sense if it's my body getting to exactly ten years in physical age that's the trigger.

"Go to sleep now, otherwise you might not be awake when it happens," He pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess you're right...hey, how come I've hardly ever seen you use Magic?" I asked him, as I stifled a yawn.

"Hm? Oh, well, I never really thought about that, but I guess you're right. I mean, I can't exactly use Magic when I spar and train with you. And since you haven't awakened your powers yet, showing you mine would probably have just made you more impatient," He replied, after mulling it over.

"Fair enough. By the way, how long does it take to increase Mana capacity?" I inquired curiously.

I know how to do so, but not how long it takes.

"It depends on each individual, and how much time they put into working on it. See, it's the same concept as working out your muscles. It won't happen overnight. When you train and work out, your muscles are pushed to their limits, and then get stronger overtime. With Magic Circuits, that process is actually a bit faster," He informed me.

"So I'll be all sore and stuff every time I push my Mana Circuits to the limit?" I sighed in response.

"Actually, no. When you run low on Mana, you just feel tired. Use enough Magic to tire yourself out every day and your Mana capacity will increase by leaps and bounds, until you reach the upper limit of what a human body can handle. That limit is approximately the same for everyone, but only a few people have ever reached that limit," He explained, as he stretched his arms up with a yawn.

"Yeah, I know. When a person's powers first awaken, their starting Mana capacity is about the same. And that maximum upper limit is about ten times the starting amount, right?" I recalled what I'd read in one of the instructional books.

"That's right. Mana capacity is measured and converted to a numerical value. The starting Mana capacity value is usually between 90 and 110. And the upper limit is approximately 1000, with the highest ever recorded being 1058, if I remember right.

Also, if you neglect your Magic for too long, your capacity can actually decrease, just like how muscles weaken and degrade if you suddenly stop working out for a long period of time. Skills and the use of Soul Weapons don't require Mana, but the latter consumes physical stamina."

"I've been wondering about that, when a Skill is used or a Soul Weapon is manifested, Magic Circles appear, right? Why is that, if they don't use any Mana?" I inquired curiously.

"Hm, good question. But I don't know the answer to that," He shrugged sheepishly.

"Guess it's unknown, I haven't seen any explanation on that in any of the Magic books we have. On another note, it's too bad there's no way to increase Mana capacity beyond the maximum upper limit, huh?" I sighed wistfully.

"Actually...there is a way, but it's extremely rare. Making a Contract with an intelligent Monster or Magical Beast. But that hasn't happened in over a century," He remarked in response.

"Is it frowned upon or something?" I asked him curiously.

"No, not at all. It's just, Monsters are aggressive against humans, they see us as food. Magical Beasts don't eat humans, but any species that have been hunted, either as food or as sport, tend to be aggressive when they see humans.

Not counting the ones that have been domesticated as pets," He explained, before adding, "And on top of that, convincing a Monster or Magical Beast to subject themselves to being trapped inside a human for the rest of their lives isn't exactly an offer they'd be interested in."

"Oh, I see. So, in other words, the reason why it's so rare is because finding a Monster or Magical Beast that's willing to form a Contract with a human is next to impossible," I surmised with a nod.

"That's half of it, yes. The other half is the fact that only intelligent Monsters and Magical Beasts are capable of doing so in the first place. But they're extremely rare, the most powerful of them stay at the bottom of the Labyrinths."

The Labyrinths, thirteen structures with about fifty floors that go deeper and deeper underground, each subsequent floor boasting stronger Monsters than the last. There's one in each country, and three in the area between the continents, the Dead Zone.

"Have you ever been in a Labyrinth, big brother?" I inquired in fascination.

"No, I haven't. Mom has been in several, though, when she was an Adventurer. And dad has been in a few. Most of the Monsters in the Labyrinths can't be found on the outside, and some of them have body parts that are valuable. Adventurers hunt them to complete quests by the Guilds and earn money. Knights also use the Labyrinths, but usually just for training, they're Nobles so they don't need more money," He sighed with a sour look on his face.

"You look really annoyed all of a sudden, what's up?"

"Well, I kinda have a distaste towards Nobility. See, a few years ago, I came across a Knight in town. I accidentally bumped my shoulder against him, and he made a huge fuss, even threatened to kill me. I was twelve at the time. I only survived before I managed to distract him and run away," He frowned in response.

Yikes. That really sucks.

"It's so unfair, Nobles are all given good educations, and they're born into wealth," I sighed wistfully.

"Well, there are schools for Commoners in a few towns, but they're very expensive, so each of those schools only has a handful of students. And Magic schools are only in the capital, and only Nobles can attend. So to use Magic, Commoners either have to be self-taught, or find someone who's willing to teach them.

But because Commoners who are highly adept at using Magic are so rare, finding one to teach you is difficult. I mean, do you think you could've learnt any of the stuff in dad's instructional books on your own?" He pointed out.

"Uh, yeah, that would've been super tough," I responded wryly.

"That's why dad tells you to keep those books a secret. See, only Nobles can actually buy those books, since they're only sold in the capital. Of course, there isn't a rule that says Commoners can't buy them, but first off, going into the capital if you're not a Noble is very dangerous. And secondly, the prices are extortionate, only Nobles can afford them," He explained with a frown.

Huh...I wonder how Rhyle got his hands on the books I've been studying then? And yeah, he did tell me to keep them a secret, which I have. Come to think of it, after he found me studying the books for the first time, he did seem kinda panicked.

But after he realized that I was able to comprehend and understand the books, he let me continue using them, which was a huge relief.

"Did you use those books too?" I asked him.

"A bit, but for the most part, dad taught me hands-on, after I awakened my powers. You're a lot better at reading and studying than I was back then, so getting by with just the books was tough for me," He admitted sheepishly.

"Oh, nice, so I'm better than you," I smirked teasingly.

"Hey, now, watch it, you smug brat," He grinned as he flicked my forehead, before adding seriously, "Listen up, since you understand Magic so well already, you should be able to use Spells pretty easily once you get used to the feel of it.

But take my advice, and keep your cards close to your chest, okay? On the off chance a Noble finds a Commoner kid who's highly proficient at Magic, they might try to kidnap them or frame them of a crime to give them an excuse to enslave them."

There's an unpleasant thought, Jesus fucking Christ, man.

"I'm, uh, I'm going to stay away from Nobles, everything I hear about them makes them sound like horrible people," I replied warily.

"They really are. There are many of us Commoners who have offended Nobles by accident, for the most minor of reasons, and ended up getting enslaved or tortured."

"What about the system that allows Commoners to rise up to Noble ranks?"

"Well, while it does exist, it's extremely rare for that system to ever be used. Most Nobles can't stand the idea of a Commoner rising to their level. Even though Commoners can only rise to either of the bottom two ranks of Nobility, Baron or Baroness, and Viscount or Viscountess, it hardly ever happens.

The requirements are to have an insane amount of money comparable to the wealth of the Nobles themselves, and to make a great contribution to the country. The latter requirement is vague for a reason...Nobles hate the idea of those they look down upon rising anywhere near their own ranks, so it would take something truly extraordinary," He grimaced as he clenched his fists.

Damn, his disgust and contempt towards Nobility is pretty intense.

"They do sound awful. But it's probably unfair to call all of them awful, there must be at least a few who are reasonable."

"Well...yeah, I suppose so. I mean, once upon a time, dad was-...uh, never mind, forget I said that," He caught himself as he averted his gaze.

Hm? Rhyle was...what? A servant who worked for a Noble who treated him well, or something? I probably shouldn't ask...most Commoners are, at the very least, wary of Nobles, so a Commoner broadcasting the fact that they were involved with Nobles in any capacity might lead to them being shunned.

And as far as my family is concerned, I'm still a kid and could end up blabbing without meaning to, so it makes sense that they wouldn't tell me. Though, if I'm being honest, I'm not particularly curious about it.

I mean, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't just a little interested to know, but I won't lose any sleep over not knowing either.

"Anyway, you should probably go to sleep now, buddy. I'm feeling pretty drowsy myself," He smiled, as he patted my head, "You've got a big day ahead of you, just a few more hours and you'll be able to use Magic."

"Yeah...I can hardly wait!"

_____________________________________________

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to vote, and feel free to leave a comment, I appreciate any and all feedback and criticism!

Also, check out my Instagram account @aimdaqs for posts relating to this book.

Join the Discord server, I plan to tease upcoming chapters and future story arcs here, and you can also discuss or ask me any questions about the story and characters. Use the invite link to join:

https://discord.gg/sRbx9VbTVP