THREE (B)

Once he reached his room, Zenon sat down on the simple chair beside the bed and took out the letter he just received from the Rainbow Phoenix. Zenon examined the letter to see if there was a name of the sender but to no avail.

The only thing he saw was his name and a mana signature that he was very familiar with. After a while, he finally decided to open the letter hoping to read the contents. He was already in shock when he read the first sentence because it already told him who was the sender of the mysterious letter.

"Dear My Beloved Grandson.

If you received this letter, it means that I'm already gone and left you all on your own in this world. I'm sorry for not giving you a better opportunity and future. The only thing I can give you is my one and only property in Siradela, your hometown, and a few gold coins in the bank I put in your name. I don't know where you are right now or when you're going to receive this letter. I don't know if we managed to see each other again when you received this letter. But there's one thing I'm sure of, you're the most important thing in this world to me. I don't regret every sacrifice I made for you and I will never regret it. and if you received this letter without us meeting again, don't be heartbroken and blame yourself, I won't be able to rest if you do so. I live a very good life, I'm grateful and delighted that you are my grandson. The only regret I will have is that I didn't have a chance to see you achieve your dream, which I'm very sure you will. Although your Grandpa is gone, always remember that I love you, and I will always keep loving you even in my next life."

Zenon's tears were slowly dripping down on his cheek. At first, only a few tears dropped on the paper while he was reading the letter, but as he continued reading it, the number of tears dropping increased.

Finally, after reading the whole content of the letter, he slowly brought it closer to his chest and hugged it like the letter itself was his own grandfather. Soon, when he couldn't hold it anymore, he bawled his eyes out, "Wahhhhaaahaa!" crying so loud that people near his house probably could hear his cry of anguish.

He cried like a child and didn't care about what other people thought. All he wanted to do was cry, and that was what he did. He cried and cried and cried and cried. For nearly an hour, he wept unreservedly, his tears carrying the pain and sadness that had been nestled within his heart. He cried until there were no more tears to shed, until the wellspring of grief had been exhausted.

When the tears finally ceased, Zenon felt a sense of emptiness within him, but it was a cleansing emptiness, one that signaled the beginning of the healing process. He knew that his grandfather's memory would forever reside in his heart, and it was through the tears and the release of sorrow that he could begin to find solace and acceptance in the face of his loss.

With a newfound source of determination. "I will definitely reach the pinnacle of Magic and make you proud." He whispered promising to the memory of his grandfather, that he would reach his dream no matter what the cost, finally putting the nail on his decision.

After making a promise, he stood up, then moved to his bed, and sat in a lotus position. He slowly closed his eyes and entered his inner realm. There he was greeted by the floating circle above, but that's not why he was here. He wanted to check the Grimoire to see if there was anything new.

Zenon, eager to explore the Transmutation Grimoire, commanded it to turn to the second page, hoping it would allow him to see the next page. To his surprise, the grimoire obediently complied, but as the page flipped, an unexpected occurrence unfolded: the second page detached itself from the book and began to hover in the air before him. Zenon was left in awe and anticipation, wondering about the newfound mysteries this detached page might hold.

The detached page from the Transmutation Grimoire continued to hover in the air, maintaining a distance of about five meters from the book itself. Then, as if responding to an unseen force, it came to a halt. A soft glow enveloped the page, and a transformation began to unfold.

Gradually, the once-thin page grew thicker and more substantial, undergoing a profound alteration in its appearance. The radiant light that had initially obscured the paper's surface dissipated, revealing a new form and substance beneath.

In a mesmerizing transformation, the detached page underwent a complete metamorphosis, emerging as a duplicate of the Transmutation Grimoire. However, the distinguishing feature between the two was their color—the original grimoire was black, while this newly created counterpart was an enchanting shade of green. Zenon was left in astonishment, holding in his inner realm a unique and unexpected addition to his magical repertoire.

"This Grimoire is really mysterious." Zenon thought to himself. "I'm not even surprised anymore. That transformation, I wonder if that's a Transmutation Magic? How many secrets does this mysterious grimoire hold?"

Zenon wasted no time. He issued a command for the new grimoire to open itself, and just like its predecessor, it obediently followed his instruction. Eager to uncover its secrets, Zenon turned his attention to the first page of the green grimoire and began to read with a sense of anticipation and wonder.

As Zenon delved into the contents of the green Transmutation Grimoire, he encountered a wealth of knowledge about the hidden world that existed within all matter. The page he read revealed insights into the concept of molecules, proclaiming that every matter was composed of these fundamental building blocks.

"What kind of information is this?" Zenon thought a bit overwhelmed by what he learned. "A world within all matter? How is that even possible? I never heard of something like this before. If this booked content is even closer to being true, this will change everything about how the world works and how it was made. This contradicts everything I know about how the world was made. However, why do I need to learn about this information? Is this related to how to use the Transmutation Magic?"

After contemplating for a bit, he decided to instruct the green Grimoire to turn to the next page to see if it would let him. To his surprise, the grimoire changed the page to the next one but this time the content was very different.

Zenon's exploration of the green Transmutation Grimoire took an unexpected turn as he encountered a page filled not with text, but with a complex and intricate drawing. The illustration depicted a series of peculiar spheres scattered around, and above it, the word "Water" was inscribed. However, the visual representation below bore no resemblance to what he understood as water.

This incongruity left Zenon puzzled and intrigued. The drawing before him seemed to challenge his understanding of the elements and their representations in the magical world. It was a riddle, a visual puzzle waiting to be solved, and Zenon felt compelled to decipher its true meaning and the connection between these mysterious spheres and the element of water.

A small arrow within the illustration pointed toward one of the peculiar spheres, and at the end of the arrow was a single word: Molecule. Suddenly an image, exactly what was inside the drawing played into his mind.

He saw this weird sphere or more exactly molecules, scattered around without pattern within the confine of something that had no shape, precisely like water, playing like a memory.

"Wait, On the first page I learn that every matter is made of molecules. So, if water is a matter, does that mean this weird sphere is the molecule that made the water?" Zenon became even more baffled by this new knowledge.

This revelation both intrigued and perplexed him, leaving his thoughts in a whirlwind of curiosity. The influx of new knowledge was both exhilarating and challenging, and he found himself grappling with the complexities of magic and matter.

Wanting to know more. Zenon instructed the Green Grimoire and flipped to the next page, hoping to see more of this newfound knowledge.

The Grimoire Didn't disappoint him, as it turned its page revealing new information. With anticipation, Zenon examined the next page. He saw new information like the last page. However, the content of this page differed a bit as this page contained almost exactly the same as the last page, yet different.

The page title was Ice. The molecules had the same shape as the water, but the structure of the molecule leaned more on the uniform position where the molecules combined like holding their hands together, unlike water where its molecules scattered with no intricate pattern.

'Wait a second, ice and water are the same thing, different only in their state.' Zenon contemplated on what he learned. 'they had the same molecules but different structures. 'Does that mean that changing the structure of the molecules can change the state of matter? Well, there's no point in thinking this right now as I don't have enough information to analyze. Let's see if there's more page I can see.'

Zenon instructed the Grimoire to once again flip to the next page. The grimoire obediently complied, making Zenon pleased with it. Another state of matter, this time in the name of Steam.

'Hm… another form of water.' Zenon thought again. 'This time the molecules are floating away from each other, Interesting…'

Zenon tried to see if the Green Grimoire held more of this interesting knowledge. Yet, His luck finally ran out as the Grimoire didn't follow his instructions anymore, like the Original Grimoire when he was not worthy enough.

He closed the Green Grimoire, fully done with it. He was a bit overwhelmed by what he learned inside. Nonetheless, he was satisfied with learning new things he never knew existed.

Although he gained new profound knowledge, the reason for coming into his inner realm was still not solved. He wanted the Magic Circle of the Transmutation Magic so he could integrate it into the empty circle floating around in his inner realm.

He opened the Transmutation Grimoire once again hoping to see what he was searching for. After opening it he didn't hesitate to instruct the Grimoire to flip to the next page. His heart tightened, swallowing an imaginative saliva.

When the Grimoire moved its page, the heavy weight lifted in his heart, and he felt more relaxed. He was afraid that the Grimoire would deny his order and leave him hanging without the Magic Circle.

Reading the content of the third page or now the second page. It was a first-class spell called Imperium Materia. It was explained on the page that with this spell, the mage could manipulate the molecules inside any matter and change its shape and state as long the Mage had mana.

Excitement instantly forced its way to his heart, imagining different kinds of scenarios where he could use this spell. However, the content was not done yet. At the bottom of the page, could be seen an intricate drawing of a Magic Circle. The very thing Zenon was looking for.

The Magic Circle was a combination of lines well put together making an image of magical, yet artistic design. With this finding, Zenon finally obtained what he truly wanted.

Excited, he closed the Transmutation Grimoire. His goal was now to integrate the Magic Circle inside his empty circle. Without any further delay. He focused his mana on the empty circle above his inner realm. He slowly drew the Magic Circle of the Transmutation Magic inside the empty circle slowly filling it with intricate lines.

This slow process of integration took an unknown time to finish, but finally, when the Magic Circle of the Transmutation Magic fully integrated into his circle, It glowed for a few seconds basking his whole inner realm with warm light.

The influx of light into Zenon's inner realm seemed to have a transformative effect on him. His inner realm, once shrouded in darkness, now bore a subtle shade of grey, imparting an air of mystery.

Within himself, he felt a profound change—his mind had doubled in every aspect, from thought processes and calculations to its capacity for knowledge. Furthermore, he sensed a marked improvement in his mana control, as if the very essence of his being had been elevated by this newfound enlightenment.

Though his mana core's appearance remained unchanged, its behavior underwent a profound transformation. In his previous state as a circleless Mage, the mana core merely absorbed ambient mana for his use. However, now it possessed the ability to not only absorb but also refine the mana it took in. This refinement process left the mana entering his core purer than before, enhancing his magical abilities in the process.

'So, this is what it feels?' Zenon thought. 'How I longed to know this feeling of Apotheosis, it's indeed magical as I imagine it.'

With the subsiding feeling of Apotheosis, new knowledge found its way into Zenon's mind. It was a knowledge of the innate trait of integrating the Magic Circle of the Transmutation Magic. With a touch of his hand, he could now see and scan the Molecule of every matter he came across. This innate trait would help him use the spell of Transmutation Magic.

After all of that, everything finally calmed down. Zenon could now fully analyze his gain and every change that happened to him.

'Okay, let's start with my Mana Control.' Zenon manifested a ball of mana and controlled it. The feeling of shock was evident as his Mana Control improved drastically. Not only did it become steadier, but the movement speed of the ball of mana almost doubled to his previously pathetic show of control.

Regardless, even with this improvement, he still had a long way to go to move it fast enough to form a symbol of infinity. Finished with this, he opened his both eyes leaving his inner realm. He wanted to use the spell he learned.

Hurriedly, he went downstairs to get a cup of water to start his experiment. In just a few seconds he returned to his room looking forward to his experiment. He sat down on the chair and put down the wooden cup filled with water on the desk.

However, before doing all of his experiments. He lit up the lamp on the desk as it was already dark to give light to his room. Finally, when everything was in its place. He put his index finger inside the cup touching the water inside. His finger made a ripple on the water's surface, making it move like a small wave.

He concentrated on wanting to see the molecules within the water. Inside his mind, the exact molecule he saw from the Green Grimoire was indeed inside the water that he was touching.

The molecules move at the same time as the ripple of the water.

"So, it's true." Zenon softly whispered. touching his smooth-shaven chin as he thought deeply. "That there are indeed molecules inside the water. But, what about the wooden cup itself does it have to? It says in the book that every matter is made of molecules. So it should also have molecules. Let's try it then."

Zenon removed his finger from the water and touched the wooden cup. He used his innate trait to see the world within the cup. Surely enough the cup is indeed made of molecules.

"This is far more exhilarating than I ever imagined," Zenon admitted with a wide smile. The excitement swelling in his heart was so intense that he had to temper it, lest it consume him entirely. "Now I should probably use the Imperium Materia to see how magnificent it is. What should I do first, should I try changing the shape of the cup or should I try turning the water into ice? Doesn't matter what comes first as I will try them both."

Zenon put his index finger inside the water once again to try his new spell. When he saw the molecules of water on his head, he used the first-class spell of his Transmutation Magic.

"Imperium Materia." Zenon softly whispered activating the spell.

Using his Mana control, he slowly connected the molecules to each other one by one. His mana slowly drained while using this spell, even though it's slow, it's still faster than when he practiced his Mana Control.

The water turned into ice, although slowly due to his lackluster control of mana, the important thing was it worked. First, its surface, followed by the upper half, and finally, the very bottom.  It took him almost two minutes just to turn the cup of water into ice, calling it slow is an understatement. Mana Control was indeed the foundation of Transmutation Magic.

Now that he was done changing the state of liquid water into solid ice. He now wanted to change its shape. Manipulating the Molecules once again, he controlled them and slowly changed the shape of the ice using his mana control.

Slowly but steadily, the ice shape became apparent as it took its final form as a small dagger, but still an ice. This time Zenon took around a minute to change the shape of the ice.

'It seems like changing the shape of matter is easier than changing its state.' Zenon analyzed while touching his chin. 'It looks like I will be awake all night experimenting.'