Chapter 2 : Initiation

Facing his mother's reaction, he could only show a proud look. Although Julius was a very serious mage when working, he tended to be particularly mischievous with those around him.

His mother's reaction was something that made Julius happy for two reasons. The first, how could he not be pleased to make his mother proud? She was just as he remembered, always ready to congratulate her son when he made progress as a mage, which he greatly appreciated.

And especially the second reason was that thanks to this, he would be eligible for grants. Every three years, the different branches of the Faust family gathered in an assembly where they decided the budget for each family branch based on discoveries and progress in magic. However, during this assembly, it was possible to request a special grant for talent. If a young Magus showed exceptional talent, they could obtain this assistance aimed at helping them develop their skills. They could receive materials, money, etc. This would help him as he didn't yet have access to the family treasury, not being the family head.

He could ask his mother for certain materials for his training, but she couldn't provide him with invaluable items, unlike this grant that provided many objects he would have taken years to obtain. Even though his mother was the head of one of the most important branches, she couldn't divert family funds, otherwise, there could be sanctions from the Mage Tower and the family itself.

If he wanted to develop his talent to the maximum, something he hadn't had the chance to do in his previous life, he had to start now. Julius valued three things in life more than anything else: resources, women, and finally, power.

As Felicia embraced her son again, she said, "Since you have a grasp of the basics, we can proceed with your initiation ritual tonight." 

After saying this, she took her son back to his room and left immediately. She needed to prepare the ritual for the evening as she hadn't planned to do it so soon.

The day raced by for Julius, following his usual routine of delving into history books to broaden his knowledge of the world. He also had a habit of teasing his future dedicated bodyguard, Olivia, in the servants' quarters.

She was only a year older than him and in a few years, she would have to follow him wherever he went. Unlike Julius, Olivia was not a mage; she didn't have the capabilities for it. However, she came from a family skilled in martial arts. She didn't possess a magic circuit and therefore couldn't accomplish the same feats as a mage, although martial artists were by no means weak and had their advantages and disadvantages just like mages. However, that was an entirely different story.

The evening had finally arrived, and Julius was busy preparing. He was dressed in a simple white garment, and as he finished dressing, one of the servants came to fetch him and began guiding him towards his mother's workshop.

He was eager at the thought of the initiation ritual that awaited him. He would finally regain the use of his magic circuits after years. He mssed being able to use them; if he were a normal child, he might have been nervous, but having experienced this once before, a second time wouldn't be too difficult.

Arriving at his mother's workshop, he could sense a different energy, an atmosphere filled with mystery and magical power. Felicia was already waiting, ready to begin the ritual. Her eyes sparkled with a particular gleam, reflecting her excitement at teaching her son the ancestral secrets of Faustian magic.

The workshop was spacious, covering over 30 square meters, adorned with numerous bookshelves attached to the walls. An altar stood in the center of the room, surrounded by shelves filled with various objects. The atmosphere exuded both freshness and humidity, imbued with a magical aura.

"Julius, my dear, are you ready?" she asked in a solemn voice.

Julius nodded without hesitation, no trace of nervousness showing on his face.

Felicia then began explaining the steps of the ritual. "First, we will determine your element. This will define your general alignment and indicate which type of magic you'll be gifted in. Then, we'll open your magic circuit to evaluate its quality. Do you have any questions?" she inquired.

Julius simply shook his head.

"Good! We can begin," exclaimed Felicia, visibly pleased with her son's understanding.

First, Felicia took hold of a sheet of black paper, a sacrificial dagger, and a vial containing a strange bluish liquid, handing them to Julius. "Drink this,' she instructed, 'it's an elixir that will reveal the nature of your magical energy through your blood. Once you've drunk it, I'll make a cut on your finger. Then, you'll place a drop on the paper, and the name of your element or elements will appear."

"It's straightforward, isn't it," Felicia reassured her son.

Julius obeyed, drinking the mixture without hesitation. A sour taste filled his mouth, particularly repulsive. After a few seconds, he felt its effects—a rush of heat and dizziness. This potion, made from various plants, had narcotic effects. With some difficulty, without hesitation, his mother made a slight cut on his finger, and Julius placed it on the paper.

After a few minutes, the main effects of the potion began to dissipate. Felicia, who had been by her son's side until he felt better, finally took the sheet to examine the results, which surprised her greatly. 'FIRE, WIND, ETHER.'

"What are the results?" asked Julius impatiently.

Although he hoped that he hadn't changed from his previous life, there was a small chance he might not have the same elements. It wasn't desirable— the elements he possessed were perfectly suited to the type of magic he used, so a change wasn't what he wanted.

This mixture didn't just reveal a person's element; it also greatly aided in opening the magic circuit, preventing possible injuries. However, it couldn't be stored for a long time, needing preparation a few hours before the ritual at most, or else it lost its effect.

Seeing the results on the paper, he immediately seemed reassured as nothing had apparently changed. However, the next moment, he remembered that he wasn't supposed to know what the elements corresponded to—a detail not mentioned in the grimoire, which only covered the theoretical part, while elements were practical. Fortunately, his mother was too amazed by the results to notice.

"Mother, may I ask you a question?" Julius asked in a calm yet concerned voice.

Felicia snapped out of her state of fascination and turned to her son with her characteristic maternal air. "What do you want to know, my dear?"

"I didn't ask you earlier, but what do the elements correspond to?" Julius asked, looking inquisitive.

Felicia smiled at her son's question, finding it rare for him to ask. "Simply put, as I mentioned earlier, the elements determine in which type of magic you'll excel. Most people have one element, rarely two, and some geniuses have three. There are even very rare cases where someone possesses all five major elements, called 'Average Ones. The elemental affinity only indicates in which type of magic a mage is talented, but it doesn't mean you can't use other elements at all. However, your magic circuit will be more precise in using spells in accordance with your affinity, and you'll learn them more quickly. Moreover, these spells will be more powerful."

There are also elements that aren't part of the five main ones, but they make it difficult to use spells using the five major elements due to a lack of alignment, although this is compensated by their extreme specialization talent."

Felicia continued, "I'll detail the five major elements, explaining for each one in which domain they specialize and their respective specificities."

"Fire: Fire is a rather common element, appreciated for the diversity of its spells and their ease of learning. Mages who use it specialize mostly in destruction.

Earth: Also common, albeit a bit rarer than fire. This element, unlike fire, is mainly used in creation-related spells.

Water: It's a rare element. Mages using it specialize in healing and liquid manipulation.

Wind: It's a very rare element, considered noble and with very few users due to its rarity. Those who possess it specialize in environmental manipulation, amplification, and the creation of delimited fields.

Ether: The rarest element of all. It's the primary component of all forms of energy. Users specialize in energy manipulation and can be linked to any other element to amplify its effect. In the hands of the best mages, it even has the ability to influence other mages' magic, dismantling it. Those who possess it are capable of far more than normal geniuses."

If you need any further assistance or more specific details on any particular element, feel free to ask!

"Do you have any more questions?" Felicia asked, a slight joy on her face.

Julius seemed pensive for a moment and decided to ask another question, wanting to ensure there were no more gaps in his understanding of the basics, so he wouldn't have to worry about concealing his own knowledge.

"The magic circuits," he inquired.

For magic circuits, it can be likened to a pseudo-nervous system within your soul. It's this organ that makes a mage a mage; without it, one cannot connect to the world. It's through the circuit that mages generate and store their Prana. The quality of the circuit is ranked with letters from E- to A+, defining a mage's talent in casting spells. Although mages with a long lineage can compensate for a lack of talent with their magical insignia.

There's also the EX grade, assigned to circuits too unusual to be classified on a normal scale. Generally, those with this grade excel exceptionally in a single highly specialized area, but they lack talent in everything else. Those possessing this grade either have a unique element or a particular talent that places them outside the standard ranking scale.

The quality of the circuit is defined by four parameters: their Resistance, determining the level of spells they can handle easily; Endurance, indicating how many times they can perform a spell before overheating; Efficiency, how effectively the circuit can generate Prana; and Precision, measuring how quickly a mage learns a spell. A grade is assigned to each parameter, and the average determines the final grade. As inheritors, older mage families tend to have better magic circuits than shallower ones.

"That's all," Felicia finally concluded her explanations, while Julius seemed unsurprised, already knowledgeable about this information. "If you have no more questions, we'll proceed to open your circuits," continued Julius's mother, solemnly.

As she said this, she directed her son to lie down on the altar and immediately began the process. The first step had already been done previously since Julius had already drunk an elixir, filling his body with magical energy. Now, the aim was to guide this energy to the right place—the energetic center of a mage, the heart—from where the circuits would spread throughout the body.

The altar was not just an ordinary one; it was a magical object with various functions, one of which was analyzing the magical circuit of the person opening it.

Felicia placed her hands on her son's heart and began guiding all the energy to a single point. She had to be extremely meticulous to avoid injuring him, but Julius couldn't avoid the pain of their first opening.

As she reached the end of the process, gathering everything into Julius's heart, he suddenly felt unbearable pain. "ARGH!!!!!!!!!". Perhaps because he was in a child's body, he couldn't control his emotions at all. Tears streamed down his face, and he sweated profusely as he curled up on himself. The sensation was like feeling his body burn from the inside out, as if he were aflame. It caused no actual damage since it was his soul experiencing this, but the pain was very real. Once his mother finished, he tried to find a position where he wouldn't feel the pain.

A blue pattern appeared on Julius's body, spreading across it in a labyrinthine shape.

Felicia, though worried, didn't approach her son as she knew it was necessary. Every mage had to go through this at least once. The process couldn't be interrupted, and Julius shouldn't be approached during it. This was a crucial moment where he learned to open his circuits at will. Afterward, he would create a mental trigger based on what he experienced. The earlier a mage opened their circuit, the better, as it allowed for training once it was open. Shortly after, he couldn't help but faint due to the intense pain.

Felicia approached the altar and examined the letters engraved on it, finding nothing surprising given what her son had shown her until now:

Resistance: A+

Endurance: A+

Efficiency: A+

Precision: A+

Rank: A+