Bowing to a ninety-degree angle, I introduced myself. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Helstea. I am Arthur Leywin. I’m not sure what my family has told you about me, but they didn’t know I had survived the incident back then. Thank you for taking care of them all this time.” This man had sheltered my family during their toughest time. As far as I was concerned, I owed him and his family dearly.

  “It’s really no problem,” he said with a slight stutter. “I’m just glad that you’re alive and safe.” He adjusted his glasses as if to make sure he was really speaking to an eight-year-old. “Meet my wife, Tabitha, and my daughter, Lilia,” he continued, pushing them forward.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am, Lilia.” I bowed again, and Sylvie introduced herself, too, with a “Kyu!”

  Tabitha gave a kind smile in response. “It’s lovely to have you in our home, Arthur. Say hi, Lilia! Arthur is your age so don’t be shy.”

  The little girl, Lilia, spoke up, pointing hesitantly at the creature on my head. “What’s that? It’s so cute.”

  “This is an infant mana beast that I’m bonded with. Her name is Sylvie. Sylvie, get down and say hello.”

  Sylvie leaped off my head and mewed at Lilia.

  “Oh my gosh!” Lilia squealed.

  “Rey, what did you mean by ‘wrecking my house’?” Vincent asked, finally tearing his eyes away from Sylvie.

  “We were just on our way out to the backyard. Arthur and I are going to do a little sparring. Want to come?” He chuckled.

  Vincent sputtered incredulously. “What? Are you serious? Your son just returned from the dead and you want to fight him? Besides, Arthur can’t be older than eight. Why would you want to spar with him?”

  “Don’t let my son’s age fool you. He’s already a light-red-stage augmenter,” my father harrumphed proudly, puffing his chest.

  Vincent just shook his head. “Don’t be ridiculous, Rey. Your eight-year-old has already awakened and gotten past three stages? Even the snobby genius brats who get admitted into Xyrus Academy are barely at the dark-red stage, and that’s when they’re eleven or twelve.”

  My father laughed louder in response. With an arm around Vincent’s shoulder, he ushered us all to the backyard, saying only, “You’ll see. Besides, I have a little surprise as well.”

  On the large grass lot outside, I set Sylvie down off to one side of the audience, which consisted of my mother and sister and the Helstea family. Then my father and I put proper distance between ourselves.

  “Ready when you are.”

  “Be careful, Art. You may be light red, but your old man is still at a higher stage than you.” My father pounded his fists together, giving me a confident smirk.

  I glanced at Vincent, who was still shaking his head in disbelief.

  “Come on,” my father taunted, assuming an offensive stance.

  It was time to see how all my training with Grandpa Virion would pay off.

  One of the mysteries about mana formed inside the core during the earliest stages was that it differed depending on how augmenters and conjurers used it.

  Although it was expensive, many parents chose to have their newly-awakened child tested with a special device to see what element they were most adept with. A conjurer’s attribute became evident based on what type of elements they had an easier time casting.

  For augmenters, however, it was much less obvious, because most of their attacks focused on using mana to enhance their bodies. However, even augmenters displayed differences in how adept they were with certain types of elements. One quick example was gathering mana into a single point and releasing it in an explosive attack. Although no actual flames were involved, an augmenter who easily utilized mana in that manner would typically be considered a fire-attribute mage.

  But that only applied in the beginning.

  It varied from person to person, but after meeting a certain threshold in one’s mana core and comprehension of the element, the user could utilize mana in a way that actually pertained to their attribute. For conjurers, this meant they could start slowly progressing away from the training wheels of chanting and start shortening their verses—or even completely forgoing it for the element they were most adept at.

  For augmenters, it would become much more noticeable because they could begin actually manifesting their elemental attribute instead of simply manipulating mana in a manner corresponding to their elemental attribute.

  For example, before breaking through, a fire-attribute augmenter’s attack would simply carry a more powerful explosive burst, while wind-attribute augmenters would find it easier to manipulate mana into faster and sharper attacks.

  However, with sufficient comprehension, the augmenter’s element attribute would actually influence their attacks physically. Earth-attribute augmenters could learn to produce a gauntlet of earth or even create small seismic shocks by stomping their foot, while wind-attribute augmenters could be taught to release small blades of wind or create a vacuum effect in their punches, and so on. These were all techniques a mage could utilize upon sufficient comprehension of his or her respective element.

  Of course, conjurers still had a major advantage, being able to influence more of their surroundings. Their range was also greater, but their weakness was still their vulnerability in the process of chanting, as well as the fact that their bodies weren’t naturally protected by mana.

  Because of these differences, mages who could break the threshold were much stronger than mages who couldn’t, and this ultimately determined their talent and what accomplishments they could achieve.

  While conjurers could innately control elements because of their proficiency at absorbing nature’s mana with their mana veins, augmenters were different.

  For every single-attribute augmenter, there were ten who weren’t. There were cases of attribute augmenters who never broke the threshold to become full-fledged elemental-attribute augmenters. This was where proper schooling came into play; with enough guidance from an early age, a mage would be more able to gain comprehension of their elemental attribute.

  My body, already strengthened through assimilation, now responded to mana much more readily than it had before. Before my father had time to prepare, I was within punching range of his body.

  Even my hearing was more sensitive now, and I could hear Vincent murmur, “What in the…” as well as gasps from the others.

  My father responded immediately, and I could sense mana spreading throughout his body.

  Feigning a punch, I twisted my torso and went for a high kick, but was promptly blocked by my father’s left arm.

  He clearly hadn’t expected my kick to be as powerful as it was. His arm was flung back by the blow, opening his guard. But before I was able to make use of that opening, he used the momentum to chop at my body with his right hand.

  It was obvious that I was now in a disadvantaged position, but my full previous lifetime of fighting had already prepared me for countering him.

  I took his chop with my left forearm and right palm to soften the blow—and also to create enough space for me to slip inside.

  I didn’t have enough leverage to shoulder-toss him, so instead, I grabbed his right arm and kicked at the back of his right knee.

  Losing his balance, he fell forward as I used my mana-imbued body to throw him. Unfortunately, he regained his balance more quickly than I had expected, and I had no choice but to put some distance between us before he got a hold of me.

  “I’d have to say you’re better than all the mages I’ve trained. Your old man’s going to get serious now, though! Be careful,” Father grunted, his face a mask of intense concentration. It was obvious to both of us that we had each been holding back.

  My father’s fists ignited, bursting into fiery scarlet gloves. His control over the fire element was at the novice level, as evidenced by the steam coming from his shoulders and head. This meant that there was unnecessary mana spreading throughout his body.

  I had learned early on that my father was a fire-attribute mage, but after reaching a bottleneck for years while he raised a family, he was able to reach the orange stage and, more impressively, was able to break through in his comprehension in fire. He could now be considered an official elemental augmenter, or “elemental” for short.

  I shot him a proud grin, then readied myself as well.

  “Impressive, Dad… but now it’s my turn.”

  Chapter 18

  Peaceful

  In the world I had come from, elemental augmenters were practitioners of different sects. The Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind Sects each had their own techniques, which utilized their element.

  I had become king in my old world by knowing how to fight in all four practices. If that ability were to translate to this world, I’d be a sort of quadra-elemental mage, if such a thing existed. I did have my preferences, of course; my weakest elements were earth and wind, and my strongest were fire and water. I barely used wind, and used earth only for slight support. No, I had been feared in battle because of my mastery of the two opposing elements of water and fire.

  When I had been training with Gramps, I’d tested out numerous theories within my mind. One thing I had learned very quickly was that I had absolutely no talent for conjuring. Grandpa had brought over an elven conjurer one day after I’d asked him to get someone to teach me the basics, and I’d ended up nearly killing myself.

  Augmenting and conjuring were very different in one sense, and very similar in another. An augmenter could potentially have the same ability as a conjurer, and vice versa. However, this only came with advanced breakthroughs in the top mana core stages as well as a much higher form of comprehension in the respective element. I’d thought maybe I could bypass that fundamental rule and become both a conjurer and an augmenter, but I’d had to learn the hard way that it wasn’t possible.

  Another theory I had tested regarded my potential ability as a deviant. Grandpa Virion and Tess had both been shocked speechless to learn that I could manipulate all four elements, but after four months of trying to control any of the higher elements, I’d had only mixed results.

  Before even taking the first step, a mage must understand the link between the basic elements and their higher forms. The mage’s body must naturally understand this link and harmonize the structure of the mana. For wind and earth, even if I had been able to grasp the link between the basic and higher forms, my body wouldn’t have been able to change the mana particles’ structure. So, with regard to sound and gravity, I had yet to produce any favorable results.

  Though I had finally broken through into the world of deviants with lightning and ice, I was still a beginner. My lightning-attribute magic needed a lot of work, since it was completely new to me. As for ice-attribute magic, that was even harder. Using either of them required an extraordinary amount of mana, most of which was wasted on inept utilization.

  I was also bound by the strict limits on the duration of use of each type: lightning magic for about three minutes, and for ice, even less. For now, my use of lightning-attribute magic was more of a liability than an asset, as the mana I depleted using lightning would only drain resources better used with a stronger element. With enough practice, though, I knew I could control these deviant attributes.

  Very few mages were able to transcend their basic element and master its higher form, because the higher form was completely different and incomparably more difficult. Of course, my being able to learn both lightning and ice within four months might seem to give the lie to this, but it’s important to remember that I had knowledge and understanding from my old world to help my transcendence along. I was still a complete beginner in these higher forms of elements, though—those old-world experiences hadn’t prepared me to actually utilize these deviant attributes.

  Despite my relatively weak control over lightning, however, I still managed to surprise my father when I imbued my body with a protective layer of electrical energy, which arced away from my skin and shocked him when he attempted to grab me.

  My father had always been the type to readily accept facts; he had already known I was some sort of genius, so realizing that I was also a deviant hadn’t surprised him all that much. However, this was not the case for those in the audience. My sister seemed fascinated, but that was simply because she didn’t really understand what had happened. She was probably used to seeing Father fight, so nothing about the fighting would have registered with her as being odd. Vincent and Tabitha’s faces, however, were pale, wide-eyed mirrors of each other. My mother’s hands were covering her mouth in shock, and even Lilia knew that what I had done wasn’t normal.

  Their reactions were more along the lines of what I had expected than my father’s excited yet unquestioning acceptance.

  With a weak laugh, I threw out my arms. “Surprise!”

  “Kyu!” Sylvie scampered toward me, giving me a concerned gaze as if to ask, “are you okay, Papa?”

  Vincent was the first to regain his voice. “D-deviant!” he managed to stammer.

  Tabitha just sighed in astonishment. “My stars…”

  “So, Art, when did you learn that trick?” my father asked, his tone more curious than shocked or bewildered. He shook his head as he ruffled my hair.

  “Not too long ago, Dad. I can barely control it, though,” I replied sheepishly.

  We made our way back inside and situated ourselves around the dining table.

  “Rey… your son,” Vincent said. “Do you realize the kind of future he has? He’s only eight, but he’s already stronger than a veteran B-class adventurer!” He was barely able to contain his excitement.

  My father scratched his head. “This is crazy. I thought him awakening at the age of three was terrifying enough, but who could have thought he would become a deviant as well?”

  “What?” Tabitha cried, bolting up from her seat. “He awakened at the age of three?”

  My mother just nodded at this. “And he managed to blow up most of our house in the process.”

  My father and Vincent both leaned back into their chairs, sighing in unison.

  “Papa? Are you okay?” Eleanor poked Father in the cheek.

  With a laugh, Father scooped her up. “Yes, I’m okay, princess.”

  Vincent rose from his chair and looked at us seriously, bracing his arms against the table.

  “Rey, have you thought about enrolling your son in Xyrus Academy?”

  “What? You can’t be serious. He’s only eight,” my father said, sitting up in his chair.

  Tabitha chimed in. “Rey, Alice, I think your son is more than capable of excelling at Xyrus.”

  “I thought only noble geniuses were allowed to attend Xyrus Academy,” Mother responded, concern etched on her face.

  Excited, Vincent said, “I can handle that! I do a lot of business with the director of the academy, and I’m sure she’ll be lenient in the enrollment process.”

  “But the school fees are far too extravagant for us,” Mother argued, still dubious.

  “Alice, that should be the least of your worries. We will be glad to pay for the fees. Arthur’s talent is immeasurable. Who knows what he can accomplish? Even if we couldn’t pay, I’m sure he can find nobles who would beg to sponsor him.” Tabitha held Mother’s hands in her own for reassurance.

  “May I have a say in this?” They seemed to have forgotten that the person whose future they were trying to decide was right there with them. “I’ve just arrived back home today. Can I spend a bit of time with my family before I decide whether to go to school or not?” I gave Vincent a meaningful gaze.

  “Of course. I apologize. I guess I got a bit excited there for a moment.” He laughed weakly and sat back down.

  “Thank you,” I said, giving the Helstea family a smile. I was a little surprised at how readily the adults all accepted the fact that, although I was only eight years old, I spoke, thought, and behaved like an adult. The years spent away from my family had probably contributed to that. They were getting reacquainted with me almost as if I were a new person. My maturity was still remarkable, but it was probably easier for them to write that off as being a result of the experiences they hadn’t been present for. That’s going to be very convenient, I thought.

  I turned to look at my mother. “Mom, where do I sleep?”

  “Oh, yes! You’ll have your room next to Eleanor’s, in the left wing. Come on, let’s all go up now. It’s getting late.”

  Sylvie had already fallen asleep on my head, and my baby sister had been nodding in and out of her dream world while we had been discussing my future.

  Mother and Father led me to the room that was to be mine. It was much larger than my room in Ashber, but still decorated in a homey fashion. The sparse furnishings meant there was a lot of open space, but that was perfect since I needed space to train.

  As I settled Sylvie down on the bed, Mother and Father sat down next to me.

  “We’ll go shopping tomorrow. We need to get you some clothes.” My mother ran her fingers through my hair.

  My father squatted down in front of me, grabbing my arm. “Arthur, whether you’re a genius or not, you’re still my son. I’ll always be proud of you and love you—regardless of any other circumstances.” His face was unusually serious. It was comforting to know they would always treat me as their son instead of their “little genius.”

  I quietly nodded in return. I thought about revealing the full extent of my abilities, but decided it might be safer to do it in baby steps.

  Before he stood up, my father pinched my cheek and gave me a sly smile. “Besides, I know you held back on me with your lightning magic today. Don’t think you fooled me! We’ll do a rematch soon.”

  My mother just chuckled at this. “I swear, all you ever think about is fighting.” She looked at me with a comforting smile in her eyes. “Your father is right, though. No matter what kind of genius you are, you’ll always be my baby boy.”