Arcane Innovator

"Darian!" My mother heard the commotion and rushed outside to grab me and bring me inside the house.

She then interrogated me about what happened, but I managed to get through it by playing dumb. However, my mother knew I had done something, especially with the evidence of the ruined plot of her prized ertiber, skewered with wooden splinters.

As a result, I was forbidden to go out of the house and "play" alone in the garden, which put a quick end to my experiments.

'But I did it! I created a magic-powered gun!' I thought happily.

Although I may have gotten a little too excited there and overdone it, the important thing is that it works!

Now, I just need an opportunity to test it out in the woods, but that might take a while.

***

The next morning, I asked Konrad if I could go play with them and the other kids in the village. I guess I won't be able to train there, but it's better than sitting at home all day.

Konrad promised our mother that he would keep an eye on me and Helga, and we set out from our house and walked through the village.

It was now the beginning of summer, and the villagers were hard at work in the fields, preparing them for the harvest.

Despite its small size compared to a typical city back on Earth, the village was quite prosperous and home to around 300 villagers.

At the heart of the village stood the temple, which was revered as a place of worship. The villagers often came here to offer their prayers and seek guidance from the gods, and it was also the residence of the local priest.

The temple itself reminded me of ancient Greek temples. It had high columns carved from wood; they were aged and weathered, so the temple must be quite old. The walls were adorned with intricate carvings of mythical creatures and ancient gods.

I would have liked to go inside, but Konrad gestured for me to keep moving.

Beside it stood the biggest house of all, belonging to the Vogt. The Vogt acted as mayor, administering the land on behalf of the local lord.

There were no shops in the village, and the villagers lived a simple life, relying on bartering for goods and services rather than money, which was in short supply.

We also bought all our food from our neighbors in exchange for the tools my father made.

As the village was located on the outskirts of the kingdom, it was somewhat isolated from the rest of the world. Visitors were rare and mostly consisted only of hunters or the occasional traveling merchant.

As we walked down the dirt roads, we were greeted by the friendly faces of the villagers going about their business. I quite liked this rural setting, as it was something new that I hadn't seen before. I also couldn't wait to explore more of this world.

We met the other kids under a big old tree, which stands alone on a small hill in the middle of a pasture at the edge of the village.

They greeted me but then split into groups and started playing. I guess it's normal since I'm new and also the youngest, at least physically.

I sat down and stayed close to Helga, who is about two years older than me, and we were among the youngest children in this group. Konrad, who is around 8, was playing with the group of older children.

My oldest brother, Rolf, who recently turned 10, started his apprenticeship under our father to be a blacksmith, so he doesn't come to play with others anymore and spends most of his time in the smithy.

I asked Helga many questions about the village, and she answered with a smile, sharing all she knew.

She has a pretty, innocent face and long, fair hair tied in a ponytail. Her big blue eyes are sparkling with energy, and she seems to be very friendly to everyone, which makes it easy to talk to her.

My sister is quite clever despite her young age and has a great sense of humor. We talked about various things happening in the village, as we had a full view of it from the hill we sat on.

Helga then talked about a big market that takes place every autumn in a larger town nearby. The local lord resides there, and it is also a place where villagers from the surrounding area come to sell their excess produce.

I have never been there, but Helga said our father took her there last year for the market.

Her eyes would light up as she spoke of the vibrant atmosphere and the endless rows of stalls selling an array of different foods. "It was amazing!" she exclaimed. "There were so many people and so much tasty food!"

I hope to go there someday.

As we chatted, I practiced my magic in secret, as the older kids were not paying me any attention. Time flew by, and before we knew it, it was time to head home for dinner.

***

Throughout the summer, I continued to spend time with the others. Most of my time was spent talking with Helga and sometimes Konrad, although he usually played with his group of friends.

With summer quickly coming to an end, it was time for the harvest season to begin. The fields were abuzz with activity as the villagers worked tirelessly to bring in the crops.

They worked from sunrise to sunset, cutting the stalks of wheat-like crops with sickles and binding them into sheaves.

They also harvested dried-out ertiber plants and other vegetables. Women and children followed behind, collecting the sheaves and stacking them in neat piles to dry in the sun. Once the grain was harvested, it was threshed and winnowed to separate the grain from the chaff.

With the grain harvested and processed, the villagers prepared for a feast to mark the end of the harvest season. They cooked and baked with the fresh-harvested grain, creating a bountiful feast to share with their families and friends.

The village square was filled with the mouth-watering smells of roasting meat, baked bread, and simmering stews. Everyone gathered to share the meal, raising their cups in a toast to the abundance of the harvest.

While this was happening, my father set out for the neighboring town for the big market. I asked if I could go too, but he said I was still too young. However, I managed to get a promise out of him that he would take me there next year. Yay!

He loaded a cart with Rolf and Konrad, full of things to sell, and they headed out.

With my father and brothers being gone and everyone else busy, I seized the opportunity and sneaked out into the garden to conduct some more experiments. Luckily, my improvised gun was still there where I left it.

So I picked it up and moved away from the house, closer to the stream, where I spotted a withered old stump that I decided would be my new target.

I learned my lesson, so this time I used only a tiny fraction of my strength and released the spell while pointing it at the target.

It flew out without any problems and hit the target, leaving a big dent in the stump. However, I think I reduced the power too much.

I then spent the rest of the morning adjusting the strength until it was just right.

"This is it!" I exclaimed with a smile.

The result was a perfectly circular hole about 3 centimeters in diameter.

"I created my first spell!"

I decided to call it [Stone Bullet]. I know, I know, it's not a very original name, but it fits perfectly...

After that, I worked on improving the fire rate until I was tired and decided to call it a day.

The next day, I wanted to know just how much mana I had.

I spent all morning picking up pebbles and placing them in a pile next to me. I then fired my [Stone Bullet] over and over until I was ready to pass out.

"Hmm, not bad, not bad at all," I thought while fighting the urge to vomit my breakfast.

I also wanted to keep track of my progress, so I decided to invent the staple of any RPG: a "Status."

Although in my case, it wasn't any fancy holographic screen or some omnipotent system that could transfer information right inside my head.

No, these are just lines in the dirt that I drew with a stick.

I know it's a little basic, but I have to start somewhere, right?

In my head, it looked something like this:

STATUS:

-------------------------------

Name: [Darian]

Race: [Human]

Age: [2 years and 9 months old]

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Mana: 8

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Spells: [Stone Bullet]

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Well... that's it.

Since I don't have any more information, this will have to do for now.

As for how much mana I have, I've decided to base it on my [Stone Bullet] spell. One unit of mana is equal to one [Stone Bullet], so since I can currently cast around eight, that will be my current mana.

I'm curious about how much I can increase it with training.

The warm summer gave way to a colorful autumn, and the villagers began preparing for winter.

They stocked up on supplies and made sure they had enough food and firewood to last through the cold nights.

The grain and vegetables were stored safely. My father and Rolf worked tirelessly to repair tools and make new ones, while the women of the village spun wool into warm clothing and blankets.

The entire village came together to ensure everyone was prepared for the coming winter.

I also wondered if I could develop more spells on my own. My previous attempts were in vain, but now that I'm older, I must surely have more mana since I have spent all this time training.

The image of me blasting everything away with a fireball played in my head.

Hmm, that would be too much, I guess, but creating a simple fire spell couldn't be too hard, right? After a few hours of fruitless effort.

.

...

.....

I take it back!

It is pretty damn hard!

But my struggle wasn't totally in vain. As I rested and waited for my mana to recharge, I pondered why I could levitate things but not create fire.

I realized that in order to cast a spell, one must not only imagine the result in their mind but also have a complete understanding of the whole process.

So... what is fire?

It requires fuel, oxygen, and an ignition source.

I grabbed a stick and focused my mind on it and the air around it. I then tried to channel my mana into the stick, envisioning it catching fire. After a bit of effort, it started to smoke, and then a small flame flickered to life.

'I did it!'

I sustained the flow of mana, slowly removing the stick, and the flame continued to burn on its own while being suspended in the air.

I could create fire using just my mana!

But it was draining, and I had to stop the spell after a few seconds. I wondered if I could reduce the mana cost just by increasing pressure, which would cause friction and generate heat energy instead of directly burning my mana.

I picked up the slightly charred stick and got to work.

I channeled my mana into it, compressing it. It was challenging, but soon enough it started to smoke again, and then flames jumped out.

And the best part? It only required a fraction of my mana compared to my previous attempt. It was a great start, but I know it will be a long way before I have anything resembling a fireball, which I so desperately wanted to have.

As the autumn days grew shorter and the air grew colder, the villagers gathered around their hearths, sharing stories and songs. The warmth of the fire provided comfort during the long winter nights, and they looked forward to spring and the new beginnings that it would bring.