Time Skip

[James's POV]

*Whoosh*

The sound of the sea waves filled the air as I lay on the sandy beach of the island, lost in the view. An interesting fact I learned was that this was no ordinary island—it was a moving one. I discovered this during one of my meditations when I expanded my mana to envelop the island.

I often came here to relax after intensive magic studies or when I wasn't meditating.

Just watching the wind blow, the sea move calmly, and the creatures of the forest enjoying themselves under the wonderful sunlight created a truly relaxing atmosphere.

"You look so relaxed."

"Yes, there's something about watching nature that relaxes me after studying magic," I replied.

"Indeed, Mother Gaia is breathtaking," said a voice, drawing closer into view.

Soon, a small, winged faerie appeared, sitting on my chest, blocking my view of the sun while staring at me with her bright, inquisitive eyes.

I ran my hand through her delicate wings, reminiscing about how this mischievous friend of mine came to be.

**[Flashback]**

I had been researching the benefits of my trinity—body, mind, and soul—around my mana dimension and elemental magic.

The first obvious benefit I discovered was the nourishment of my trinity. It helped improve and keep me in peak condition as my mana sea cycled through the trinity.

This improvement would become a passive ability since my trinity was connected to the mana sea. However, I could enter active meditation to increase my sensitivity to mystical energies, boost recovery, and more.

The second benefit was a state I named Mana Lord. It was a state where my body, soul, and mind superimposed with my mana dimension.

An overall power boost was granted by my trinity temporarily merging with my mana sea in this state, but it burdened my trinity due to the immense power of my mana.

This would change as I grew stronger and became able to maintain this state longer. It would serve as a trump card in my magical journey.

This state also provided almost unparalleled mana control and efficiency since the trinity's superimposition on my mana sea granted me direct control over it.

The third benefit was that magic associated with the trinity became easier due to the interconnectedness of the trinity and the mana sea. This meant soul, mind, and body magic would be simpler to perform.

Truthfully, forming a bond between the trinity and my mana sea had many unknown benefits yet to be discovered. It was a gift that kept on giving.

I was grateful to the Being for the books. They would help set me on the path to becoming a magical powerhouse, one that might stand a chance against those overpowered beings in the future. I ended my meditation and levitated back to the ground. Exiting one of the caves I had converted into a meditation room, I entered the main chamber.

I sealed the room with earth magic, formed some hand signs, and reactivated the elemental seals.

Yes, elemental magic seals. They were one of my proudest creations over these twelve months. With the help of the book on elemental magic and the runes from the ring, I created the art of elemental sealing. It began when I noticed additional runic symbols beneath those etched on the artifacts, forming the base runic language.

Using my newly acquired knowledge of runes, I combined them with elemental magic to create the seals. Experimenting was hard work.

One might ask, what were the benefits of going through such hassle?

From my research over the past twelve months, runes are the magical language of the world. They resonate with the ambient mana in the air, each having its own meaning.

I could combine them with elements to form seals, which drew their energy from the ambient mana.

But nothing was conclusive about the runes. I had only scratched the surface of their usefulness. They could have a more integral function in the universe.

As I continued my thoughts, I exited the chamber through the tunnel to the entrance. I had replaced the opening mechanism of using my compass necklace with a simple magic recognition seal at the entrance stone. After exiting and reactivating the seal, I whispered to myself.

"I must develop a range and auto-recognition function synced to my magic print so I don't have to activate it manually every time."

*Sigh*

"Another thing to add to the to-do list."

Stopping my muttering, I took a deep breath, enjoying the flavor of the air, and began my descent toward the beach. I was soon stopped by local residents who looked like they were trying to communicate.

Seeing the problem, I cast a hand seal, which caused a magic seal of my height to manifest.

As I passed through it, their incomprehensible noises became clear.

"How are you doing, James?" asked a small centaur, barely reaching my waist.

"Do you want to hang out by the lake? We've got the delicious fruits you like," added a nymph, her voice like a gentle breeze as she perched on the centaur's back.

Soon, other creatures—like a tiny, curious pixie dragon and a mischievous faerie —urged me to agree.

Seeing this brought a smile to my face. I never imagined the first soul magic I would develop would be Soul Vision and Soulspeak.

I based these on the warning from the Being about frequency compatibility with dimensions. Mythical creatures' and humans' souls were different in nature and frequency.

So, using these techniques, I could visualize the souls of these creatures and, by using a function called Soul Balance in the Soulspeak technique, synchronize my soul's frequency to theirs for communication.

That was the summary of the art, but it was complicated since souls were involved.

All these complications arose because these creatures always interrupted my walks down the hill.

"I'm doing fine, Crissy, and no to you, Bastion. I've got a different place to go," I said, waving my hand for them to clear the path they were obstructing.

"You aren't fair. You gave almost everyone names except me," the faerie huffed, hopping onto my shoulder.

"See you guys later. I'll take this diva off your backs, so have some fun," I said to them while continuing my journey.

Turning my attention to the occupant on my shoulder and seeing her faux angry expression, I placated her by scratching her sweet spot—her chin.

"Yes! That's it. A bit lower."

She then released a relaxed sigh.

"Am I forgiven?" I asked teasingly.

"For now. But you better find a name befitting my stature soon," she huffed arrogantly.

Stifling my laughter at her cute act but failing, I burst out laughing. She soon tried to bite me, but her attempt failed due to the reinforcement magic spell I had placed on my body at the last moment.

So, our journey was soon filled with laughter, bickering, and beautiful vegetation as the background, with the birds' chirping as music.

**[Flashback Ends]**

Sitting upright on the beach with her perched on my head, I realized it had been a week since that event, and I had been lost in thought, judging by how the sun was about to set.

It painted the sky and ocean in autumn red with some orange undertones. Staring into the sunset, I said to my companion.

"I think I've got a name for you."

She soon shifted her position to my lap, eagerly looking into my eyes, and asked, "What is it?"

"The name is…"