I stare up at the dark cloudy sky.
It's such a gloomy grey even during midday.
Rain hasn't started to fall, yet lightning and thunder flash across the sky.
I walk down a path as I continue along my journey.
I'm not sure where I'm headed, but something tells me I have to keep going.
There's a throbbing pain as I move through the woods, but I ignore it.
Walking about I finally reach my destination.
It's an open field with wispy like beings floating about.
Ghosts.
Wayward spirits.
They circled around a person dressed in a dark gray cloak.
Their face is hidden behind a mask with a crossed out 'X' on it.
I stand ready to fight, raising the staff I had in hand.
The opposing person raised up a hand as the spirits rush towards me.
I swung my own staff around, energy following behind as a large shadowy mass extended out where I swung.
It opened a fanged maw and began to devour the spirits I swung at.
One by one they were cleared away.
What came next was the masked person holding a large violet flame with their hand.
I point my staff towards the flame right as they launch it in my direction.
The shadows ran towards it and swallowed the flame.
It then glowed violet before bursting apart in a violet purple.
I stretch my staff out as shadows extend out from under my feet towards the masked person.
They stretch up and wrap around their body restraining them in shadowy tendrils.
I point my staff out to them and begin forming another shadowy mass at the being.
Its maw opened up before lunging at the masked‐‐
-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-
"Grack!"
I quickly jolt awake looking around.
Something had hit the top of my head.
Or more like someone.
Fluttering in front of me is the fluttering insect from before.
"Ugh...it's you." I groan out rubbing my head.
"Finally. You're awake." It chirped out. "I've been trying to wake you up for a good several minutes now."
"Well, I was asleep so..."
Geez, I know I fell asleep from Ennith's magic and all but I was still sleeping.
"I noticed, but you were twitching and squirming about." It replied back "What? Were you having a nightmare?"
"I--"
Condition met
「Hidden」skill effect activating.
Skills Gained
Felsaneo Korotik Crysprit acquired「Shadow Weaver」
Condition met
Acquisition of 「Shadow Weaver」unlocks「Spirit Sense」,「Curse Eater」, and「Shadow Control」
Gah! So suddenly!?
I just woke up and now I have four more skills.
Let's see.
「Appraisal」
[Shadow Weaver]
[The ability to weave shadows together into new shapes.]
[Spirit Sense]
[The user can sense spirits and spiritual energy.]
[Curse Eater]
[The user can devour curses with their fangs.]
[Shadow Control]
[The user can freely manipulate and control shadows.]
Well, this is an interesting collection of skills.
Also, my status screen changed to match my new name.
Did the rest of my status follow suit?
Status.
Felsaneo Korotik Crysprit
Male Magma Dragon Wyrmling (Variant)
HP: 108
MP: 62
SP: 135
ST: 100%
ATK: 62
DEF: 33
SPD: 36
INT : 52
Skill:
「Scratch Lv10」「Slash Lv1」「Kick Lv1」「Tail Sweep Lv6」「Tail Whip Lv3」「Small Bite Lv9」「Killing Bite Lv4」「Sneak Attack Lv1」「Wind Control Lv1」「Shadow Control Lv1」「Wind Magic」「Fire Cowl Lv1」「Dragon Breath Lv 5」「Mana Breath」「Fire Dragon Breath」「Water Dragon Breath」「Wind Dragon Breath」「Earth Dragon Breath」
「Fire Resistance Lv10」「Fire Nullification」「Wind Resistance Lv2」「Electricity Resistance Lv3」「Plasma Resistance Lv1」「Fear Resistance Lv5」「Sleep Resistance Lv1」「Pain Resistance Lv16」「Concentration Lv2」「Perseverance Lv2」「Accelerated Thinking Lv2」「Spirit Sense Lv1」「Danger Detection Lv3」「Weak Point Search Lv2」「Dismantling Lv3」「Cooking Lv1」「Tracking Lv3」「Stealth Lv2」「Teacher Lv6」「Climbing Lv3」「Dig Lv7」「Dragon Language」「Observation Lv12」「Appraisal Lv1」「Comforting Lv3」「Dragonize Lv1」「Curse Eater」「Skill Unlock Lv1」「Wind Blessing」「Hidden Lv???」「Fortune Trader」「Shadow Weaver」「Hyper Growth」
Oh!
Oooooh!
My status has my name as well.
Such a tiny addition but it makes me more proud of my status all the more.
I look around to spot my siblings still asleep around me.
They aren't piled on me this time, but everyone is still gathered around close together.
We must've been moved.
Actually, along with the rest of us, I haven't seen Mari.
I'm not sure where Mari would sleep, but I'm sure it would've been near us.
I can't see her ar-
"Hey! How long are you going to stare into space?"
Can't even have a moment to myself, can I?
"What is it you want?" I growl out to the self-proclaimed wind spirit.
"Well, if you must know." It says with crossed arms. "I'm supposed to be your guide so that you can use that blessing of yours to its fullest."
"So, you're, what? My teacher or something." I ask
"Calling me 'teacher' is alright but...how about 'master' instead?" It grinned. "Or even 'great and grand spirit master'?"
Give them an inch...
"Gah! Hey!"
...they'll take a mile.
"Get your claw off me! Gaaah! Not the fire! Not agaaaain!"
After humbling the insect, I took the opportunity to look around outside of the cave.
It was dark out still, but the first signs of morning light were still present.
"I can't believe you burned me again.~" the insect whined laying on my back.
I smirked as I looked out at the sky.
An odd mix of light and dark blues, as well as the faint visibility of stars and clouds.
It's a very surprising feeling to say the least.
Even this soft breeze felt nice.
Wait.
It's getting stronger?
No wait.
What is this!?
The wind just suddenly started picking up like crazy!
It feels like I'm caught in some kind of storm or something.
Heck I'm gripping the ground cause I'm afraid I'll fly away.
Skill Up!
「Wind Resistance」has reached Level 3
It went on for several seconds before suddenly dissipating.
I look around before looking up.
No enemies around, and no clouds in the sky.
What was that sudden storm?
I turn to spot a flicker of...I think wings?
I couldn't quite tell, cause they came from atop the mountain we lived on. And the peak seemed quite high from where I was.
"What a strong spell." The insect chirped
"That was magic?" I asked looking back.
"Well, if I had to guess." It says climbing up to the back of my neck. "But it wasn't a complete spell, just a gathering of mana."
"It wasn't complete? So, it is possible it can get big-gah!" I can't even finish before another strong gust comes blowing down from the mountain's top.
I quickly grip the ground beneath me and hang on as the strong gust comes to push me down again.
"I will say, this wind is quite strong." The insect trills. "A concentration of mana this thick is very rare. Not to mention it's being separated and distributed out back into the world."
"So it's an amazing windstorm!?" I yell as my claws hooked into the ground drag slightly.
"Pretty much." It took a couple flaps of its wings before flying around me and smirking. "It's strong enough to throw a little dragon like you up into the air if you lose your grip."
I growl watching it raise up its petal like hand and brushing my nose.
"What exactly are ya...ah...ah."
Oh no.
"RRACHOO!"
My sneezing makes my body tense and loosen its grip of the ground.
Yep.
I'm airborne now.
"Graaaaaaah!"
I feel wind rush around me as I'm tossed around the windstorm...
Or so I thought.
I look to find myself just barely hovering off the ground and glowing in a green light.
"Pfff."
The insect puffed out a small laugh as it covered its mouth with its petal-like hands.
"What's going on?" I ask it while looking at myself.
"I'm a wind spirit, a greater wind spirit mind you." It chirped out waving its free hand. "The wind and air are my domain and mine to control. So long as you're in it, you won't be harmed."
"And you couldn't have just told me?" I asked with a brow raised.
"Would you have listened?" It chirped back.
Touche.
"Well since we're here like this now, can you bring me to the top of the mountain so I can see what's going on up there?"
"Depends. How much mana do you have?"
I look at my stats.
Status
Felsaneo Korotik Crysprit
Male Magma Dragon Wyrmling (Variant)
HP: 108
MP: 60
SP: 135
ST: 87%
ATK: 62
DEF: 33
SPD: 36
INT : 52
Skill:
「Scratch Lv10」「Slash Lv1」「Kick Lv1」「Tail Sweep Lv6」「Tail Whip Lv3」「Small Bite Lv9」「Killing Bite Lv4」「Sneak Attack Lv1」「Wind Control Lv1」「Shadow Control Lv1」「Wind Magic」「Fire Cowl Lv1」「Dragon Breath Lv5」「Mana Breath」「Fire Dragon Breath」「Water Dragon Breath」「Wind Dragon Breath」「Earth Dragon Breath」
「Fire Resistance Lv10」「Fire Nullification」「Wind Resistance Lv3」「Electricity Resistance Lv3」「Plasma Resistance Lv1」「Fear Resistance Lv5」「Sleep Resistance Lv1」「Pain Resistance Lv16」「Concentration Lv2」「Perseverance Lv2」「Accelerated Thinking Lv2」「Spirit Sense Lv1」「Danger Detection Lv3」「Weak Point Search Lv2」「Dismantling Lv3」「Cooking Lv1」「Tracking Lv3」「Stealth Lv2」「Teacher Lv6」「Climbing Lv3」「Dig Lv7」「Dragon Language」「Observation Lv12」「Appraisal Lv1」「Comforting Lv3」「Dragonize Lv1」「Curse Eater」「Skill Unlock Lv1」「Wind Blessing」「Hidden Lv???」「Fortune Trader」「Shadow Weaver」「Hyper Growth」
"60 points of it from what I see."
The spirit looked at me shocked.
"You see it as--!" It sighs before shaking its head. "Oh, forget it. You dragons are always like this. Let's just say 3 of your mana."
3 of my mana?
So little.
"That sounds reasonable." I say with a nod "So how do I do this?"
"Just give me your mana and we'll call it a done deal." It chirped.
Give it my mana.
How?
Hmmm...
I guess I should use mana breath then.
I take a deep breath.
The insect lit up in a panic. "Wait wait, I didn't--"
I puff out a mana breath at it.
It shields itself as the white stream washed over it.
I keep an eye on my status until 3 points tick away from my MP stat.
Once it's enough, I stop my breath.
"That good enough?"
The insect coughs now glowing in a harsh green light.
"You crazy lizard! Warn someone next time." It chirps before shuddering. "Hrrnnnn! Ugh...Well, at least I received your mana, although forcefully."
Its wings buzzed quickly before a small swirling gale circled around the wind barrier.
"I won't waste any more time on this, so let's go."
It flew over to my neck, before easily lifting me up with the wind.
We then flew up the mountain.
It was a fairly quick ascent, at least faster than I could run and that was against the waves of wind pushing back against us as we climbed up.
As we got closer to the top the silhouette of the large dragon came into focus revealing it to be Ennith standing in front of a large swirling sphere of wind.
"Whoa! What the heck is that?" I ask looking at the sphere.
"What a concentration of wind magic." The insect chirps. "That sphere is comprised of nothing but basic wind magic. Its level is closer to that of storm magic than wind magic."
It then moved us down to the top of the mountain with Ennith and the sphere.
"I'm keeping the shield up little lizard." It chirps now letting go of my neck. "The wind outside is very intense. So don't go outside."
Is it?
I stick my claw ou-
"GRAOW!"
I pull my claw back seeing a couple bruises and cuts on the back of it.
It felt like I stuck my claw into a pile of knives.
"I just told you not to go outside!" The insect chirped, "Are you stupid or something?"
The throbbing pain made me feel like I was bleeding.
Surprisingly, despite the pain, my claws showed no signs of bleeding.
...It still hurts though.
Touching it or even putting weight on it hurts like hell.
I sigh as I look around to better see the peak we were at.
Along with the windstorm in the center and Ennith sitting nearby, the area around was covered in pale gray cliffs and black glassy stones.
Despite being shaped like the opening of a volcano, it looked like a carved-out plateau of a mountain's top.
Ennith seems to be growling something out, but the windstorm drowns out her voice.
"What exactly is that wind sphere?" I ask the insect.
"It's a simple wind spell being unleashed by something." It chirps back. "And no, I don't know what that something is."
Well that rules out Ennith.
Since well since we have some time.
"So..." I start digging into the ground. "What is magic and how do you use it?"
"Oh! I like this question!" The insect chirps "Magic is the forces of this world made manifest through the release of mana."
Oh.
I wasn't expecting such a straightforward answer from this fluttering thing.
"Magic can take on many forms, but the most common and influential form of magic is that of the world; Elemental magic or Common Magic as most other species call it."
It then pointed at me. "Quiz time!"
Seriously?
"Can you name the four types of magic that make up elemental magic? If you get it right, you'll earn a tiny bit of my respect."
Oh, this bug is asking for it.
I scoff before answering. "Fire, water, wind, and earth; right? "
"Correct!" The insect buzzes with a tingling noise ringing from it. "These four elements are the basic components that make up this world and support all effects observed in this world. Each one has its strengths and weaknesses as well."
Oh, there's type match ups as well.
"Wind is obviously the strongest element there is, so there's no point in using any other element after all." The fairy says puffing out its chest.
"The strongest huh?" I say raising up a claw. "What if I do something like this?"
「Fire Cowl」
"Ah! Not the fire again!" The insect chirps in a panic.
I chuckle before rolling on the ground to snuff the flames and patting the rest out with my claws.
"If you ask me, it seems fire is a bad match for wind."
Oh.
What a nice glare you have little bug.
Actually, come to think of it.
If every element has its strengths and weaknesses.
Normally I'd think water douses fire, but the same can be said about fire evaporating water.
"If wind feeds fire, then fire is trapped or even snuffed by earth."
"Earth then would sink in water. Finally, wind would direct water."
I draw simple images into the ground to show what I'm talking about before showing arrows pointing to each one.
"So, Fire beats Wind beats Water beats Earth beats Fire."
The insect looked at me slightly irritated.
Skill Up!
「Observation 」has reached Level 13
That's a sure of a sign I was right if I ever had one.
"If you already know that then there's nothing for me to teach you." The insect huffs back turned to me sulking.
Well, I wouldn't say nothing.
"You could teach me how to use it. That 'is' what I want to know most right now."
"Okay. At least that part is easy." The insect says fluttering around in front of me.
"First you pick an element, gather it together, then shoot it out like whoosh!"
"..."
"..."
...what?" I deadpan.
"Are you lost? Was my simplified explanation hard for your little mind to comprehend?"
I...I don't even know where to start with this one.
"Very well, I'll show you what I mean." The insect held out its hands in my direction.
"First you pick an element, like wind."
Its hands glow green before wind gathers into its palms.
"Then you gather it together and shoot it out."
It then pushed a small gust of wind into my face making me close my eyes as it hits.
"Do you get it now?" It asked again.
"No." I reply back. "Your explanation told me nothing about how to use magic. How do you gather it up? Where does it come from? How do you pick a direction? Is there anything special that's needed for it?"
"Uuugh! I already told you how to do it. You just gather it up and shoot." The insect chirps. "It's nothing more or less than."
"..." I place a claw to my head.
This was my mistake.
I put my trust in this self-entitled idiot when I obviously knew better.
I guess magic is on the back burner for now.
"Felsaneo."
I light up at the call of my name, quickly looking towards it.
It was Ennith with...glowing wings?
"Ennith, morning." I growl.
"I'm surprised to see you up so early. Normally you only wake up when your siblings lay on top of you." She says.
You see them climb on me and you just leave me like that?
Wait, 'only wake up?'
Am I that heavy a sleeper?
"So, what brings you up here little one?" Ennith asks.
Best to be honest with her if I don't want to be forced by her commands.
"There was a big gust of wind coming from above and saw your wings there. So I looked to see what was happening." I growl back.
"Oh did you?" She asked smiling "Climbed all the way up here just cause you saw me?"
It wasn't just for you, but yeah.
"Well aren't you a curious little wyrmling." She nuzzled my face with her snout. "That human girl showed me how she uses magic. I showed her a better way to use it."
As she says that the wind sphere vanishes, and Mari is shown to be inside.
She was clutching a large blue feather in hand.
She fell onto her knees trying to catch her breath.
"You were teaching her magic?" I ask.
"I was." Enniths head turns to her. "Curious?"
"Can you teach me?"
Ah.
No sooner than saying that did I suddenly remember who I was talking to.
"Sure sweetie. I don't mind a few more students." She says straightening herself out. "In fact,I was getting bor-- getting ready to teach you all eventually. There's no harm in a few of you learning early."
I'm going to pretend I didn't hear her stutter.
For my sake, not hers.
"Hey!" The insect flutter in front of my face. "Why are you asking her for lessons? You already have me teaching you."
"Your instructions are confusing." I growl softly to it.
"Come along Felsaneo." She says already over by Mari.
I hurry over to Ennith and Mari.
Mari still looks tired but seems to at least sit herself down comfortably.
"Now that Felsaneo is here, let's go over the basic mechanics of magic. And I'm not talking about that incomplete magical jargon that your schools call magic." She raised a claw up in front of us. "I'm talking about real magic."
Her claws emitted a faint white glow before suddenly bursting into a large flame.
It wasn't a normal flame either.
It was a deep crimson that's ends rounded and returned back to focused into a single point.
Almost like it was large gem shaped like a candle flame.
Even someone like me with little to know knowledge could feel this flame was intense.
"Mana is found all throughout our world and exists in all things, but magic is something everyone can use. Every species has their own unique magic as well as their own views on how magic should be used. The only real way to use magic is called core magic." She closes her claws, snuffing out the flame. "Relying not on sigils or tools, but your own natural abilities. The closest thing to it is what humans and beastmen call 'source', dragons call it primal magic."
Primal magic! Core magic!
Finally, it sounds like we're getting somewhere.
"So how do we do that?"
Ennith looks down at us and closes her eyes.
"First thing first, you have to become aware of mana not only inside of you, but also all around you. To that end..." she gently pushes my rear down. "Sit down, close your eyes, and focus."
Now sitting, I follow her advice.
Closing eyes and focusing.
Focus...
Focus...
I can't really tell what I'm looking for, but I can feel my heartbeat and control my breathing.
This is kinda like meditation in a lot of ways.
The sound of the wind.
The feel of the earth.
Inhale.
Exhale.
...Eh?
This warm feeling in my chest.
It feels kinda familiar.
Kind of like my breaths before being shot out.
Is that my mana?
If I focus on it, I can feel it stretching out throughout my body.
Small strands going all over, from the tips of my ears to the tip of my tail.
Just focusing on them, I can feel it moving all throughout my body in small bursts.
I wonder if I use mana breath, what would happen?
I take a small breath in, feeling it starting to grow and travel up to the back of my throat.
I then breathe out slowly, letting the breath slowly seep out as I do.
It feels like whatever I had was released with my breath.
No doubt, this is mana I'm feeling.
Skills Gained
Felsaneo Korotik Crysprit acquired「Mana Sense」
My eyes open wide as I light up.
"I can feel it." I say "The weird fluffy feeling inside of my body."
"That is your mana you're feeling. " Ennith says. "Judging by your reaction I can assume you got a skill from it. For now, focus on raising that skill. While it's not my favorite approach, for learning the basics it's best to use it as frequently as possible."
Ennith spins her claw in a circle creating one of each of the elements.
"Everything in this world is doused in mana so the first thing you need is to be able to sense its presence first. Being able to sense mana will make using magic a lot easier in the future."
I'm a bit upset by this.
"Can't I learn any magic stuff now?" I whine.
"You can but your growth in magic will be stunted if you do. Those who go straight into mana manipulation and spell work always end up regretting their limitations in the end. Isn't that right my little pet?" Ennith turns to Mari looking at her.
Mari silently looks down.
"Now now, be more vocal with your thoughts."
"...I've heard many mages give up or stop improving once they hit a limit. Those with higher magic abilities or more talent and break through and further but..." Mari looks down. "Not many mages can do that."
Whoa.
I guess even magic has limits like that.
Learning multiple dragon breaths is kind of like that.
What with me getting that skill 「Fortune Trader」and getting lucky.
"Hmhmhmhm."
Wait.
Is Ennith...laughing? Chuckling?
"Is that what you think? Yes, I admit that magic is not for everyone, and yes, some people may be better gifted in one magical talent than the other, but really..." Ennith turns her head with a wide smirk and piercing gaze. "Who ever said anything about 'limits'?"
Mari lit up.
"Didn't you just say that people 'regret their limitations' in the end?"
"I did. 'Those who go straight into mana manipulation and spell work regret their limitations.' I never said 'there were limitations.'" Ennith smirks. "Do you really think every person, every being, is made equally? Then what's the point in having magic affinities? You think that magic has limitations? Then why learn spells you can't use? Just like everything else it all boils down to two things in the end, talent and effort."
"Learn of your talents and break through with effort. Sounds easy enough, but there are something that just can't be done--"
"From the depths of chaos was order found." Ennith states sharply. "And from the heart of darkness did a lowly man become a god."
"The Journey of Nebus, God of Magic." Mari says.
"You're quite well read. All his tales, despite their many retellings, have one common point; Nebus has no talent for magic." Ennith answers. "Why would the creator of magic be talentless in the art? There're many thoughts on the topic, but here's the general consensus. Nebus never stops trying to improve thus magic never stops improving."
I think I get it.
If someone who has no talent is the very top of the magic world, then the pinnacle of magic is possible to be reached by anyone.
And if the ceiling and pinnacle of magic is always rising, then in theory anyone can form and create new magic.
"Magic has no limit." I mutter.
"Exactly." Ennith says with a smile. "Magic has no limit, and as a mage, neither do you."
Mari goes silent before giving a small chuckle.
"It's strange to hear a dragon call themselves a mage."
"I'm more of a dragon witch then a dragon mage, but we all start the same in the beginning." Ennith chuckles. "Now then, lets continue with mana sensing. Once you both reach the right level of it, we'll get into actual casting."