Chapter 1: Magic in a Beautiful World
What is that which is known as a GOD?
The only concept that comes closest to the term is that of an absolutely and completely supreme being, of infinite intelligence and wisdom, supreme power over everything that ever existed, exists, and will exist. The creator of everything and nothing, the one who surpasses infinity.
The purest being or entity that ever existed.
The most powerful being in existence itself.
And also the one responsible for the creation of other Gods.
The ten Warrior Gods.
According to the most ancient legends, in a very distant past, so ancient that the very concept of time was not yet implemented, in that ancient era, Ten Gods were born with almost absolute power over existence.
It is believed that evil was born from living beings, but what if that was not the origin? What if evil was truly born from a God? With the birth of the Ten Gods for the first time in existence came the first and tiniest hint of negativity.
If there is a positive, by universal law there must be a negative so that the balance is achieved.
The first hint of negativity was growing in the one who was considered the most powerful of the Ten Warrior Gods.
That small hint of negativity grew until it threatened to contaminate the strongest and at the same time the purest and kindest of the Ten Warrior Gods.
He had no choice but to throw it away, sealing it forever in a seal.
But, the negative thought did not let itself end without a fight and after eternal years of being locked up, it became aware of itself, and from there was born the one proclaimed as THE ENEMY OF THE GODS.
Existence followed its normal course, expanding and evolving into infinity, thus giving rise, with the passing of the ages, to the first glimpses of life that the entire universe began to emerge and evolve; intelligent life forms were the pride of the Gods who proudly watched life progress.
But THE ENEMY OF THE GODS managed to be free once again, he began to torment the universe and fill all existence with evil, causing life to go towards extinction, evil was winning and as a consequence the universe was perishing.
The Ten Warrior Gods would never let this dark and blasphemous being dare to disrupt the plans of the powerful creator father.
They entered into combat and faced the absolute evil that had been created because of them. The clash of the eleven divine beings created a small world within another world.
This world was named Kosmos, the place where what is known as the FIRST GREAT BATTLE OF EXISTENCE occurred.
The ENEMY OF THE GODS was locked in the depths of Cosmos, within a very powerful seal called THE SEAL OF ETERNITY.
One day that evil existence will be free again and will not only be a threat to Kosmos, but also to all the worlds within creation itself.
…
-Mommy! Mommy! I have a question-.
A small child of the human race energetically raised his right hand, swinging it from side to side almost desperately. An innocent smile was drawn on his lips, bright green eyes looked at his mother in wonder, listening in wonder and attentively to every word that had come out of the beautiful woman's lips.
The boy was five years old, with medium-length hair with some strands adorning his forehead, dark blond, and a height appropriate for someone his age. Clothing consisting of long beige pants with pockets on both sides. A black long-sleeved shirt and shoes without laces.
-Tell me, Christopher-.
The mother had spoken, revealing that she had a beautiful voice.
She had long, beautiful and well-kept hair with a very peculiar feature. On the right half the hair was jet black like the night, the other half acquired a rather striking whitish tone, the described peculiarity only enhanced the beauty of the woman.
Porcelain-white skin helped to strongly highlight one side of her eyes, an orb of the bright color of the sky. The other eye was the black tones of the night, both of which were her windows to the world. In short, the already beautiful woman had heterochromia.
Long pointed ears with two clays hanging from the lobes and several small earrings along the cartilage, this is where it was discovered that this beautiful Lady named Valentina was an Elf woman. Only the Dark Elves have dark-colored hair and, therefore, only the Forest Elves have light shades, Valentina is a strange case.
She cannot be called a Wood Elf or Dark Elf because of her physiological characteristics, in this case hair and eyes with two different colors, each color belonging to two different races of Elves. All this added to her white skin.
Even so, she proudly claimed to be an Elf thanks to a certain person, and that those strange characteristics did not make her an abomination as she was called in the past.
She was wearing Victorian-style clothing, a black skirt with ruffles that reached mid-thigh. Going up, a kind of white shirt with what seemed to be a bow in the middle of her large and generous bust, a sash that marked her immensely enviable silhouette. On the neck there was a kind of necklace-shaped ornament that was attached directly to the garment, leaving her back exposed, although it was covered by her hair.
Finally, white knee-high stockings and black calf-high boots as footwear.
Both the mother (three hundred years old with the physical appearance of 25) and the son (five years old) were inside a library located inside their home. It was a small room but perfect for a few people to have a good time reading. Two shelves full of all kinds of books, most of them about history, medicine and magic. The rest were fantasy stories.
-Who are the Gods? Do they have names? Do you know them?
Valentina had a tic when she heard the last question asked so innocently by her son. She looked at the ceiling and decided to focus on giving the best explanation.
-I don't know any of them... And there are no records where they are mentioned about whether they have a name, but everyone knows them like this:…-.
*Warrior God of Life: While the world was being created, this God was responsible for the creation of all life forms in KOSMOS, filling it with intelligent and thinking beings, capable of feeling and evolving, forming bonds, reproducing and spreading to all realms.
-It is made clear that the Warrior God of life was the creator of all living beings. From the smallest and most insignificant of creatures to the largest and most fearsome of all beasts, to all those powerful beings and beasts-
*Warrior God of Death: In order to maintain balance, this God was responsible for introducing death and the concept of it to KOSMOS. In this way, the cycle of life and death could be realized. For life to exist, there must be death, and for death to exist, there must first be life.
*Warrior God of Magic: He blessed all KOSMOS with the so-called magical energy, granting each living being the ability to use it to a greater or lesser extent. There is no being that cannot use magic, but simply does not know how to use it. For example: Animals.
If we take a dog, it is more than obvious that it will not be able to use it due to the reasoning ability it possesses, the exceptions are magical beasts, beings that are born with the ability.
There are many kinds of magic that a living being can use:
-Elemental Magic: It includes the ability to use and mold fire, water, earth and air. A skilled magician knows that it is possible to combine different types of magic and thus use secondary elements such as lava, ice, electricity, among others. For example, using earth magic and combining it with fire magic, melting rocks with fire at extreme temperatures, thus obtaining the secondary element lava, a magical fusion.
It is not simply about casting magical attacks or spells, if one does not understand the process to access the secondary elements they risk harming themselves or causing their own death.
-Tree Magic: Ability to control and create plants magically. To ''create the plant'' in the area there must at least be some seeds or plants that are nearby or underground. This type of magic is not used in battles unless the person using it knows how to use it when fighting.
Tree Magic is very useful for fields or also to transform a lifeless area into a beautiful forest which over time will house animals, beasts and magical creatures.
-Magic of Light: Allows the user to manipulate light, it is very strong against enemies that use the antithesis of this magical energy, darkness magic. Like other types of magic, Light magic is also malleable, it can be shaped into either a weapon in the form of Light such as a sword or create a barrier of Light, the latter being very effective in protecting against attacks based on darkness magic.
The greatest thing about magic is that it doesn't necessarily have to be used for combat. With Light Magic you can do many other things besides just fighting against an adversary, such as: lighting up dark places like a cave or lighting the way on dark nights.
-Dark Magic: The antithesis of Light Magic is a bit weak against it. Although that only depends on the skills of whoever is using it, for example: If a user of Dark Magic with enough experience faces another with less experience and this one uses Light Magic. The winner will end up being the one with more experience in battle. Dark magic has many uses, being notable to cause fear and panic in the opponent.
This type of magic can be used for other somewhat stupid but useful functions, such as at bedtime. If you are in a place with lots of light, you could simply cover the area where you are for better sleep.
-Sacred Magic:Usually it is the high priests or the most staunch believers of the Religions who can use it, although those called "Loved by Magic" also have the ability to use it to very high degrees.
This type of magic is mostly used in the fight against the fearsome DAIMONAS, the most hated beings in the world. This is one of the "three" types of magic that can destroy them with a single attack, while with the other types it takes a lot to defeat them. With sacred magic comes healing abilities which are highly sought after.
Sacred Magic is not only used to defeat DAIMONAS or heal in battles, it is also used to heal the sick, grant blessings and appease the suffering of other living beings.
Healing is considered one of the kindest spells in existence, not only is one able to heal oneself or one's allies/friends, but also animals, magical creatures and even enemies. It is very rarely used to heal enemies.
-Heavenly Magic:The most popular belief regarding celestial magic is that, due to its divine essence, only Celestial beings such as Angels or other entities of Cosmos would be capable of using them.
On rare occasions, adventurers can be heard talking about rumors that this type of magic only belongs to the Gods and that no one but themselves would be able to use it. Sometimes, you will even hear an adventurer mention that they saw a being from the heavens descend and fight against a DAIMONAS.
It is unknown what can be done with Celestial Magic, what offensive or defensive spells it possesses. There are no books or knowledge that can guide someone in an attempt to learn it.
-Sound Magic:This type of magic is mostly used for distraction, in order to confuse or locate opponents through sound waves. It can even control them to a certain extent.
In a battle, mastery of this type of magic would put one at a greater advantage since it can be used to hide the noise one makes when moving or perform surprise attacks, making one almost invisible. It is usually quite efficient if used as an offensive mode, attacking the opponent's eardrum with sound waves, causing dizziness and imbalance. Even deafness.
This type of magic is not malleable, you cannot form a sword of sound, but you can defend yourself from some attacks by using the sound waves as a shield.
Musicians who are able to use it often use it to make beautiful melodies out of their music.
-Reinforcement Magic:Magic used to enhance the abilities of oneself, a third party, or a specific group. It grants strength, resistance, increased agility, and durability in battle.
It should be noted that it is not only useful for fighting, but can also be used in many areas. For example: It can be used to increase the capacity and visual range of the eyes. These can be used to observe enemies at considerably long distances, and win some arm wrestling contests.
Have a greater advantage in martial arts tournaments as long as the tournament rules allow its use, there are even those who use it to perform sexual acts for more pleasure.
-Sealing Magic:With Sealing Magic, one is able to suppress the movements of enemies or seal powerful magical creatures or DAIMONAS into magical items, as long as the user is powerful enough and possesses large reserves of magical energy.
With Seal Magic one would be able to use what would be Magic Runes. They are often used to release the power of their caster so that all hidden potential can be increased or released or sealed.
It can also be used to summon certain beings with whom one shares a bond or is bound, using summoning spells.
With intelligence one is able to use runes as traps.
-Race Magic:It is the type of magic that only members of a race, if awakened, are capable of using.
As an example, there would be Dragons, fierce, intelligent and almost invincible magical beasts, they are the only beings capable of using Draconic Magic. The Beastmen of the different clans with their Beast Form, the dwarves with their Mineral Magic, etc. A race can have various Race Magic spells, not being limited to just one.
-Unique Magic:Extremely rare type of magic that very few living beings in all of Cosmos are capable of using, regardless of the race they belong to or their age. More than magic, it is considered an ability with which a living being is born. For example: the ability to see the future to a certain extent, mental control, illusions, among others.
A handful of individuals may have the same type of Unique Magic. A single city may house more than one individual capable of reading minds.
Unique Magic cannot be copied or learned as it is bound to the soul of the individual, there is a possibility that it can be passed down to descendants. Even an individual with Unique Magic cannot learn another Unique Magic.
Space Magic:It is considered one of the most useful types of magic that there is, as well as the one that is the most difficult to learn. With Spatial Magic, one is able to store any type of object that one wishes. It would be like a kind of inventory, regardless of the size of the objects. Although the quantity and size depends greatly on the capacity and magical energy that the caster possesses.
Beings who manage to learn this type of magic often tend to hide all their belongings within a space created in such a way that they can travel without taking anything valuable with them, in this way they avoid being robbed of their belongings by thieves or some mercenary who is wandering the roads.
The people who can use this type of magic are not very well known, but regardless of their rank, they are highly sought after by merchants to transport their belongings on long journeys.
For battle it is quite useful only if the person using it has trained it for the offensive, for example: Even if the enemy is far away, the user could damage him by manipulating the space between them.
There is a certain type of magic that is simply believed to be fictitious, that is only used by THE ENEMY OF THE GODS, that is all the information that is available, that is why it is taken for the side that this last type of magic is totally fictitious. There is not a single record anywhere in the world where it is mentioned, therefore, no one knows what the essence of this type of magic is.
In essence, no type of magic is weaker or stronger than another, as in the end it all depends on the user's skills. And, above all, magic itself is not only useful for fights, battles and killings. Magic can be extremely useful when applied in everyday life.
Regarding the affinities of the different types of magic. Excluding Holy Magic, Celestial Magic, Unique Magic and Race Magic. The other types of Magic can be learned by any living being with enough intelligence and reasoning ability to learn it, it does not necessarily have to be compatible or have an affinity.
Someone who uses Light magic without a problem can also use Dark magic. Elemental Magic: water with fire and earth with air.
It is simply a matter of having the willingness and perseverance to learn it. What is a reality is that one type of Magic can be more difficult than another. This means that a single individual, excluding those special classes, can carry different types of magic in their arsenal. One may consume more energy than others or they may be more difficult to learn.
Most importantly, to perform magic, whether attacking or offensive, these must always be recited in the magical language.
...
Christopher raised his hand again vigorously, causing his mother to smile with satisfaction, at least her son was actually paying close attention to the whole story and was willing to learn.
-So, I can learn any kind of magic I want?- he asked with shining eyes.
Her mother, Valentina, nodded - likewise, obviously except for the special magic.
Her son again put his hand to his chin, thinking about something. Something that somewhat amused his mother, who had her elbows resting on the table and her palms on her chin.
-Why are summons Sealing Magic?-
The mother observed her son, very good question on the part of the little one, good observation.
-You see, for the invocations you make a kind of pact or contract with the creatures. It is sealed in something capable of containing it or transported from somewhere to where you are. Like a crystal, a scroll, a ring or something you wish. Even in a sword- Valentina thought again -What you invoke will depend on which magical beast you make a contract with, the more intelligent the creature, the more powerful the invocation-.
Valentina let out a drop of sweat -although in the case of beings with little intelligence you can take advantage and simply capture them-.
Valentina had revealed a ring on the index finger of her right hand. It was whitish in color with black spiderweb patterns. It had a small purple diamond embedded in it which had emitted a slight glow. Suddenly a small spider had appeared, now walking across the table in front of her, heading towards the little boy.
-Depending on the amount of magic you add to the object, you can make the summons it contains stronger-.
Christopher was now even more amazed than he already was, wanting to touch the little spider, he reached out his fingers towards it and -poof- it vanished with a thud. He looked back at his mother with a smile on his face.
-I would also like to have my own magic object, don't be mean-.
Valentina smiled as she patted his head, telling him that if he was a good boy in magic classes, she would give him one. Causing Christopher to be even more motivated to learn and pay attention, he wanted that gift.
-But... you will have to strive and be the best in magic with me and martial arts with your dad-.
Christopher nodded.
-How easy!-.
Valentina seemed to have lost herself in the gaze of her beloved son without realizing that the little boy was calling her to the point of almost screaming.
-Mom? Aren't you listening to me? I asked you to tell me about all the Gods, you're not finished yet-.
Valentina blinked a couple of times, shaking aside all her thoughts and giving her full attention to her current goal, checking on her son's magical capabilities.
-Ah, yes, I just got lost in those beautiful eyes of yours-.
A slight blush spread across the little boy's face.
*Warrior God of Wisdom and Knowledge:It is thanks to this God that all living beings in our world have been blessed with the ability to think, reason and analyze. He has given us a desire to want to learn and acquire information. As time goes by, one acquires a great amount of knowledge which makes them beings with great wisdom.
One can acquire wisdom through experience, training, practice, and also through reading books, whether they are about magic or history.
Valentina asked Christopher to pay close attention to what she was about to say.
-You must know that, to do Magic, it is not just about training and training, you must acquire knowledge. Look for information in books and understand the explanations they offer, from there put them into practice or if necessary ask for help from someone who knows about it and write down everything you have learned so you never forget it-.
With that, Christopher smiled, feeling proud of himself. There were many things that the little boy was proud of, such as knowing how to read and write at such a young age without the need for anyone to teach him, although he still keeps the way he learned it as a secret. Then there were his parents, who were a powerful Warrior and a strong Magician.
Valentina decided to continue, she was wasting too much time so she again asked her son to pay attention to her.
*Warrior God of Battles:This God offered the world knowledge about the Art of Battle. Overcoming obstacles and oneself are part of the blessings granted by this Divine Being. The ability to turn a battle already lost into victory.
His blessings don't only apply to fights, even the silliest game can be a great battle, an argument with your partner or with children.
*Warrior God of Courage:He gave the world Courage and Bravery. Thanks to this, many living beings can overcome terrible storms, embark on the most dangerous adventures and return victorious. Although it is not only about fighting and adventures, it also takes courage to have a family, to say NO to what you dislike and even to confess to the person you like.
*Warrior God of Creativity:Creativity was the blessing that this God granted to the Cosmos, which is used at all times. From preparing a new food recipe to creating battle strategies.
Creativity also applies to magic and martial arts, the greatest merchants and blacksmiths often say that to create the best product or make the biggest sales one must have knowledge, the right wisdom and be creative to combine it all.
It is not just about creating a product, to carry out the combat strategies that lead you to victory one must create that moment which you will use to win.
*Warrior God of Light:He blessed the world with the warmth of the day, and was responsible for the creation of the king star, the Sun, so that all living beings could carry out their missions and daily chores. They could play and have fun under the sun's rays that illuminate the world.
*Warrior God of Darkness:He was in charge of creating the night, but he did not do it so that the DAIMONAS would be stronger, but so that all living beings could rest their bodies so that when daylight came again they would have recovered their energies.
This God is often accused of being responsible for the creation of the enemies of all creation of the Gods, the DAIMONAS. The truth is that no one knows how they were created, but it is made clear that they were not the creation of the Warrior God of Darkness.
In the past, writings have been found in which it is mentioned that the Warrior God of Darkness intercedes for all those who in the domain of the nights must carry out missions, stand guard or protect their towns so that they are given the necessary Courage to carry it out.
As a final note, the moon was created by the Warrior God of Light at the request of the Warrior God of Darkness. All this so that darkness does not completely cover the world, and the nights can have a slight glow.
*Warrior God of Hope:This God was the one who brought hope to the world, the desire to live, the desire to get ahead, the belief that in the end everything will turn out well. Hope is a tremendous force that can turn the weakest of men into the greatest hero in history.
It is said that in the future when the last great war takes place, hope will be the key to victory.
-Wow, the Gods are really amazing beings. Mom, do you think they are real?-.
Valentina just looked at her son with sweetness, but at the same time a lot of doubt and even some guilt was reflected in her gaze, she extended her arm and with her fingers she gently squeezed the child's nose.
-Who knows, maybe yes, but in any case, I thank all the Gods that you have come into my life- caressing his head and giving him a kiss on the forehead, she had stood up inviting her son to go outside -come on my love, it's time for us to practice some magic-.
Christopher smiled with remarkable happiness, jotting down what he had learned during the day in a notebook right in front of him, standing up and heading outside with his mother, extremely happy and overly excited. It was obvious that he was barely containing his energy.
...
Mother and son walked out into the front yard of their home. To one side was one of Valentina's treasures. A beautiful garden about three meters long with many kinds of beautiful flowers and a well-kept lawn. The house was not a mansion, but it was still the largest house in the village and one of the few that had two floors and a terrace. They both crossed the cobblestone path in front of the house heading to the town's central square.
This is the place of recreation for everyone, where outdoor lunches were held, and games for children. On many occasions, singing and dancing contests were held.
There were many trees here that were quite pleasing to the eye, some with green leaves, others red, yellow. All these features provide a very pleasant view of the square.
Located in the middle of the entire square and at the same time the town, there was a huge, rather large tree with a thick trunk, about forty metres high and eight metres in diameter. From a distance, the sight of the large tree gave a magical and special feeling.
Crossing the middle of the square, behind the giant tree, there was a crystal-clear little stream which only enhanced the beauty of the place. In the crystal-clear stream it was easy to see a great variety of fish of all colors swimming through the waters. In fact, many children had fun catching them, although they had to release them again.
Located around the square were at least ten signs welcoming the town to Gignit and a pile of leaves of various colors scattered throughout the town gave it an almost magical touch, even more so because of how clean it was.
The houses made of wood and rocks are worthy of a true fantasy world, taken from fairy tales themselves.
On their way to the indicated place to train magic, Christopher and Valentina had come across many of the town's inhabitants, greeting them in the best possible way and with a huge smile on their faces.
-Good morning Lady Valentina, and to you too, little Lord-. An older woman greeted with a slight bow, in her hands a basket containing what appeared to be some fruit and even sandwiches.
-Good morning-.
They both waved back, but in a much more informal way; this scene occurred many times during the walk. Christopher didn't know many people in the village yet, other than the children, so he memorized everyone's faces in order to ask their names correctly.
The inhabitants were very colorful, because many races lived in the town.
Many humans can be seen coexisting without any problem and in complete peace and harmony with the race of beastmen (werewolves, cats, tigers and others). Beastmen, as the name implies, are completely humanoid beasts. For example, an armored werewolf walking on its hind legs and upright.
In Gignit also live the so-called Semi-Humans, these beings gave the impression of being a cross between beastmen and humans having traits of both races, although they were not. They were a different race, the Semi-Humans are well known for their very characteristic and striking features such as having animal tails and ears as well as the fangs typical of the race, Example: A cute girl with the ears, tail and fangs of a cat.
A rabbit girl with long ears on her head, a pompous tail and large front teeth, just like a rabbit, located in front of the jaw and visible when they talk or smile. This feature of teeth is what makes these Demi-Humans quite attractive, whether male or female. An interesting fact is that from time to time a rabbit Demi-Human can be seen to give a slight jump, it is like a kind of instinct.
Also a man with features of a wolf, the tail, the color of eyes, fangs and ears. The Demihumans are the race that have more diversity within their own race, this is due to the different clans that make it up.
It is extremely normal, in this village, to see a human woman talking warmly with her best friend, a Demi Human cat without a master and servant/slave relationship.
Or a fierce and calm Werewolf leading a group of three individuals made up of a Human and a Demihuman going to hunt some beast that is threatening the integrity of the town. In fact, one of the three leaders in charge of the town's defenses is a very strong Werewolf, with a lot of experience and loved by everyone.
Suddenly Christopher heard someone calling them both, he turned to his right side and saw a group of Forest Elves with porcelain white skin, pointed ears and light colored hair, some blond, others with whitish hair and others greenish. With them were some Dark Elves with dark skin and dark hair like black, brown or chestnut.
Men and women among them, the ladies wearing beautiful light dresses, on their heads tiaras very characteristic of the Elves, in the center of the tiaras gems according to the color of their hair. Some of them with braided hair that would steal the heart and mind of more than one. The dress left a glimpse of their beautiful, well-shaped legs. Wearing sandals which only consisted of the soles, passing between the big toe and the second toe a ribbon which was tied to the ankle and went up winding along the leg.
The men wore typical elven pants, light boots, and what appeared to be loose-fitting long-sleeved garments, giving the impression of being cool.
Something that stood out a lot among the elves was the extraordinary beauty that both men and women of this race possess.
Christopher knew this physiological characteristic perfectly, his mother is an Elf, he was already accustomed to the incomparable beauty that the aforementioned could afford to boast with pride. That is why he is no longer overly impressed when he had the opportunity to talk to the other Elves who inhabited the village.
All the Elves greeted the two energetically and pleasantly as they passed, especially Valentina, who seemed to be loved by all of them. Noticing this, seeing how his mother sighed, the little boy gave her some words of encouragement.
-It must be quite difficult for you and Dad to hold the title of ruler of the village, isn't it?-.
Valentina couldn't help but let her red lips turn into a friendly little smile. Although her son seemed innocent, he was actually very intelligent and quite observant of his surroundings, especially of the reactions of others. "Tell me, son, do you like our town?"
-YES!- she answered with joy in her voice -I love living here, I have many friends and I am very happy!-. Her mother already knew the answer without even needing to ask.
...
-Okay, this is a good place- Valentina stood next to her son, both in the middle of a clearing located in the square. Looking around a couple of times she snapped her fingers.
- Huh? - Christopher felt something strange the moment his mother snapped her fingers. As if a small wave had passed through his body, directing his gaze immediately towards her. He knew she had done something and was just waiting for her answer.
-I definitely notice it- Satisfied and with a sigh of approval she gave a brief explanation of what happened -I used Sound Magic: Localization- she winked at him hoping that Christopher could understand her actions.
-You were trying to use sound waves to check if there were people nearby, right?-.
Valentina pinched her son's cheeks as a reward for his good judgment and reasoning. "That's my little one!" She looked to the side. "It seems that some individuals are heading this way quickly. I wonder who they are?"
Christopher put a hand to his chin in a clear sign of thought - dad? -
-I doubt it, he's out of town- Valentina answered -besides, he's more than one person-.
When the individuals finally revealed themselves, a heavy drop of sweat slowly slid down Christopher's forehead -ah... but what are they doing here?-.
With their faces furrowed, their arms crossed and their unfriendly looks, five little children glared at Christopher. Their gazes were so intense that they seemed to be judging the sins hidden deep in his soul. Valentina couldn't help but look to the side and again let out another giggle.
-What are we doing here?- said the first of the boys. Hair as black as the night itself, eyebrows and eyes of the same dark shade. White skin, height comparable to Christopher's as well as age. Five years old.
Wearing a green polo shirt, a black belt and something resembling shorts that only reached his knees. Shoes also without laces with dark tones. -IT'S NOT FAIR THAT YOU GET AHEAD OF US!- he pointed at him accusingly with his finger, the other little ones seconded him with a ''TRUE'', in pure sign of agreeing with the words of the little boy whose name is Sebastian Leon, Christopher's best friend. -Lady Valentina WE ALSO WANT TO LEARN MAGIC!-.
-Please Lady Valentina- this time spoke one of the three girls who were part of the group. Like Valentina, the little girl is also an Elf, in this case a Forest Elf. Beautiful and radiant hair the color of the sun, giving the impression of shining with its own life. Skin white as snow and eyes of a greenish hue. Currently all the children of the town were in a fierce competition to win the heart of such a beautiful Elf girl.
-Teach us too, we want to learn from you who are the best magician there is- she said this last thing with obvious feelings of admiration.
The name of the cute little Elf girl is Selestia Salesian, daughter of one of Valentina's best friends. Due to the closeness between Selestia's mother and the ruler Valentina, the girl grew up to her current age listening to the stories of the past about Valentina's achievements, the little Elf girl gained feelings of admiration towards the other.
-APPROVED!- Valentina exclaimed happily, raising her arm to the middle of her abdomen, showing him her thumb. Christopher patted his head, sighing in embarrassment. For a few seconds he had forgotten that his mother loves flattery and was weak in the face of it. Even he habitually used it to get something he wanted from his mother or to escape a scolding.
-Poke sholo her?- reproached the smallest and tenderest of the group.
It was a little girl, wearing what is known as a completely black dress, perfectly matching her white skin, waist-length hair and black eyes. It was Sebastian's younger sister, little Diana Leon, only three years old.
-Okay- he sighed in defeat but with an air of being amused- you don't have a problem with me teaching everyone with you, right?
Christopher immediately shook his head in acceptance. How could he have any problems? These boys were his friends and companions in small adventures within the village, who filled his life with fun, obviously he would love to study and learn magic with them, although what he wanted was to surprise his friends.
-Then Lady Valentina, LET'S START AT ONCE!- the second to last of the children had spoken, now laughing with a gritted smile revealing his upper and lower fangs. The lower ones are quite small compared to the upper ones. At the same time he was bumping his fists against each other.
Lightly tanned skin, same age as his friends. Orange hair with some black lines. Yellowish V-neck tops. Black pants. A chain that seemed to be handmade moved around the neck with a pendant that looked a lot like the fangs of some animal.
Although the most striking features of this boy, Mathias Taigiur, were the traits of a certain feline animal that stood out in its entirety.
Yellowish-brown eyes with an oval iris in a vertical direction. Two feline ears sticking out from the scalp. Behind and due to the excitement, a tail with black, orange and white tones was wagging from one side to the other, the colors being distributed in the form of stripes along it.
Due to these characteristics, it was concluded that it indeed belonged to the Feline Clan, a Tiger Demi-Human.
The last of the little ones had approached Valentina while the others, including Christopher, tried to fight. "Thank you very much... Lady Valentina."
She was the calmest of the group of friends and the one in charge of preventing Christopher, Sebastián, Mathias and Selestia from fighting because they were very competitive.
She is also a girl who has started working at such a young age. - Anita, I am very glad that you have time to study. Although, wouldn't you have a problem if you also had to work? -
It was a very sincere question, Valentina really wanted the little girl to be there. She brought her closer to her and gently pinched her cheeks, the action had a meaning. She usually used that method when her son was hesitant to answer a question, it made him feel more comfortable. The little girl's situation was a little sad. Valentina decided to be direct.
- Are you talking about my dad's bakery? - Ana Valencia alias Anita said it with some melancholy in her voice. There was a certain air around her which denoted that she had already been through a lot. - Since my mother died when I was born, my father has taken care of us and the business, but... since Lucia - Anita's older sister - decided to leave the town and follow her dreams of being an adventurer, he and I are left alone, so now I help him in the bakery.
I look at the floor, remembering some moments in which I found my father sleeping on the floor because he was extremely tired and other times when even when he was sick he had to stand up and keep going -I noticed that he was already very tired, that's why I made the decision to help him, since I'm only five years old I'm the one in charge of serving the customers while he prepares the orders-.
It wouldn't be wrong to say that Anita is the most mature of the group, all due to her situation, although she doesn't let that take away the sparkle in her eyes.
Valentina ruffled Anita's hair. The girl is incredible. She has lost her mother and what's more, she never knew her, yet she smiles for her father. "And your dad knows that you..."
-Ah that, don't worry Lady Valentina- that sweet smile once again adorned little Anita's face -my dad said that he really appreciates that I'm helping him, but he also wants me to have fun with my friends... and something that I really want- she shyly looked at her friends who were discussing some topics like who will be the strongest and the like -... is to learn magic with them-.
It was decided. Valentina hugged her young student once more, calling out to the others - very well, we've already wasted too much time. It's time for the magic class to begin -. Raising her right leg and then letting it fall with force. Stomping the ground heavily, a slight pulse of magical energy could be felt in the place.
-Earth Elemental Magic: Rock Control-.
In total, six rocks appeared, one next to the other. Valentina then took the floor, asking everyone to use them as seats, which the children did.
-Does anyone know what kind of magic I used? - Valentina asked, now fully immersed in the role of teacher.
Christopher was the one who answered because unlike his friends, he was the most familiar with magic topics -It would be Earth Elemental Magic-.
-Correct! -Valentina exclaimed, happy with her son's correct answer -this is the most basic way to learn the mastery of Earth Elemental Magic, Rock Control-.
-And how does learning how to create rock seats help us?- From a very general point of view, this was a very good question from Mathias. -In case an enemy attacks us, I think this "Rock Control" would be of no use to us if we use it to make seats-
The other children, except for Christopher, nodded. Valentina couldn't help but smile, not because the boy had made a mistake, but because they really showed a total interest in learning. Part of learning has always been and always will be doubting, making mistakes and making mistakes.
-As the name suggests-. Valentina stood up as she once again used the same magic she had used -The Earth Elemental Magic: Rock Control, is based precisely on the control of rocks coming from the ground, also, did you know that no type of magic is useless?-.
The children were surprised, despite their age they turned out to be very intelligent. Much more than any other child of their age in any city, this is because in this town the rulers had encouraged learning and studies from a very early age. With this, when the children grew up they could have a more advanced level of education, knowledge and reasoning. Obviously it was the parents themselves or some tutors of the town who were in charge of basic education such as reading and writing.
-So- added Christopher's best friend, breaking the silence- could you give us an example of how a magical attack that is thought to be useless can be useful?
-Of course- Valentina looking grimly at her son who already knew what was coming -Does anyone dare to confront me?-.
Each of them wanted to fight against the ruler, but looking at the children she hesitated slightly. She didn't know how advanced the other children were when it came to magic and martial arts, at least Mathias and Anita were a bit behind, Selestia must have known about magic, but she doubted she went beyond that.
So her son was the best option, and when she was ready to ask for his help, Mathias, the Tiger Demi-Human, stood in front of her -Please allow me to participate, I learn more with practice-.
At first he hesitated, but Mathias, being a demihuman, has a resistance and strength far superior to his friends.
-Alright, I want you all to see how the magic you thought was useless can be used in ways that can put your opponents in a bind -
The boys nodded without taking their eyes off each other for a second, not even wanting to blink. Mathias prepared himself for the attack. Adopting his own fighting stance, it seemed the boy had been practicing a bit of martial arts in secret.
Valentina was sure that her son had something to do with it, most likely he had been training with him and Sebastian. But just by looking at the boy's guard she could deduce that he had only recently started practicing.
-Here I go...- The moment he took the first step forward to begin his advance towards the magician, a rock rose beneath his foot. Causing Mathias to lose his balance for a few moments.
Unfortunately for the Tiger Demi-Human, Valentina's attack was not over as another rock appeared now on his other leg. Although this time the rock had acted as a pincer, thus imprisoning the leg. Now the other rock that appeared did the same, imprisoning his last free leg. Leaving him without the possibility of moving.
With this Mathias had to use his head and find a way to free himself. But Valentina wouldn't let him, using the magic of rock control again, she caused the rock that imprisoned his right leg to move to one side, stretching it. In this way Mathias had to bring both arms to the ground as a support and to avoid crashing head-on into the ground. Valentina acted again.
Two new rocks, like pincers, imprisoned both of Mathias' limbs, who could now do nothing, lying completely on the ground, face down, with all his limbs stretched out in an X shape.
-That was amazing-.
The children were amazed, including Mathias, even though he had been used as a guinea pig.
-Do you understand now?- I ask the children. -All types of magic, depending on how you use it, are useful. Whether it is for offense or defense, as well as for chores or taking care of yourself-.
The boys' reaction? Absolute admiration, each and every one of them knew of their ruler's great abilities, but what they saw was on another level.
Simply using what they considered to be useless.
Meanwhile, Christopher was analyzing what had happened and was mentally searching for a way to get rid of this innocent but well-played trick.
-Very well- he said to himself, standing up and going to his mother -I think it's my turn now-.
Valentina nodded, she was also excited about the idea of teaching her beloved son a few things. Although there was also the remote possibility that the little one would be the one to teach his mother something.
-I'll wait for you here, my life-.
Sebastian: -Come on Christopher, you can do it-.
Diana: -Don't get upset-.
Mathias: -You better not lose-.
Selestia: -Lady Valentina, teach him a lesson for being rude-.
While Anita smiling in wonder decided not to comment.
And so his precious friends cheered.
-Let's see what you're capable of, son- Valentina threw a smile that exuded absolute self-confidence.
On the other hand, Christopher did not miss even the slightest movement of his opponent. He gave a slight sigh.
-Earth Elemental Magic: Stone Sword-.
As the name indicates in the magical language, what is a sword made purely of stone emerged from the ground, rising within Christopher's reach, and he grabbed it, holding it with both hands.
-Perfect- he thought to himself- I was able to perfect earth magic to this point-.
From one moment to the next, Valentina's attitude changed from happy and smiling to a slightly more serious one - I always knew that he has tremendous magical potential.
For a brief moment he focused his gaze on the stone sword in his son's hands, he concentrated and indeed magical energy with the essence of the earth emanated from it -... but as far as I remember I have not taught him anything about magic other than mere concepts and explanations. How and when did he learn it? I highly doubt that Alexander taught him since we agreed that I would be in charge of magic - the aforementioned was Christopher's father.
Valentina was surprised and at the same time proud, although she hid it very well with a smiling face because as she had said internally, she had never taught her anything about magic. She had only talked about it and occasionally gave her a demonstration, without mentioning anything about how to channel energy or anything like that.
-Mom, in this practice I want you to use magic that is not just earth magic, attack me with any type of magic you know, please-.
Christopher showed a confident smile which was the first time Valentina saw on the little boy's face, it was as if he intended to test the results of some secret training he himself had had.
Valentina could hear slight murmurs coming from Mathias and something about ''even though we have trained in secret, do you think he can beat Lady Valentina?'' With this her previous theory about Mathias having been training in secret and that her son had something to do with it was confirmed.
And it began, with the stone sword in hand Christopher headed at high speed towards Valentina who obviously already tried to stop her little adversary.
-Fire Elemental Magic: Fire Arrows-. Valentina held back as much as she could, that's why she only used four fire arrows which headed towards her son.
Using his quick thinking ability, Christopher had already drawn up a plan on how to avoid the arrows and a new mode of attack:
-Earth Elemental Magic: Earth wall-.
A wall of earth and rocks had acted as a shield, rising up and obstructing the trajectory of the arrows, causing them to crash against the defensive magic erected by the young man.
-Earth Elemental Magic: Rock Control- now using the most basic earth magic, but in a different way Christopher caused a row of rocks to rise in front of him using it as a ladder until he reached over the wall he had formed.
The children were amazed watching the battle between their friend and the powerful Valentina.
-At such a young age, she knows how to cast spells one after another? - It was no wonder, because she, as the powerful magician that she was, knew that in order to use magic with such ease, she not only had to have a good reserve of magical energy, but also the knowledge of spells and, above all, how to use them.
This was not the time to think, she tried to push all her thoughts away the moment Christopher appeared over the earth wall and with his sword raised, falling towards her.
Valentina smiled with happiness -my love, I want to know what else you are capable of-.
Bringing his right arm forward, a blue glow appeared in his palm.
-Water Elemental Magic: Waterjet-.
This attack was only used to unbalance the opponent and to always keep him moving since it hardly consumed any magical energy. But in case of attacking someone who is falling, things became more serious, because due to the pressure with which the jet of water is fired, it can unbalance him in mid-air making him unable to land on his feet, which would make the opponent have the advantage for a few moments.
Christopher could see how the powerful jet of water was rapidly approaching him, once again he made use of his quick thinking ability and changed tactics again.
-Air Elemental Magic: Air Stream -.
A huge toothy grin said present! on Valentina's lips -even more difficult magic- The Air Stream was used to control the air around one, making one float and move freely through the skies. The stronger and more controlled the magical energy one had, one could reach the point of flying freely and attacking, that without using the flight magic itself.
Christopher then stepped aside, making a few turns, and in one of those turns he forcefully threw the stone sword towards Valentina. Who obviously noticed this, suddenly seemed to have sensed the danger -b-but what? She really did it!-.
Since the sword was made using magic, it had a certain percentage of magic trace on it, if one focused on it they would be able to sense magic energy coming from it. The thing was, Valentina didn't sense just one magic trace, but five.
Exalted and excited, she jumped back a few times, seeing how instantly five rocks like sharp blades embedded themselves in the place where she had recently been standing - ingenious - she muttered in a low voice looking again at the son now stabilized floating in the air - and you were quickly able to regain your balance -.
He looked back at the stone daggers embedded in the ground - the moment he threw the sword he used magic on it, dividing it into five small blades. If I hadn't sensed the magical energies in time, you would have had me.
And what was the children's reaction like now? The little ones were bursting with excitement, their little hearts were beating well over a million times a second. Their eyes were shining like lanterns, and it was only just approaching midday.
-Christopher is great!- Mathias exclaimed loudly.
-That way of analyzing the situation and making the best decisions about the action to follow... is even above mine-. In this case, Selestia said it to herself with an almost inaudible murmur. Only being heard by Diana who was at her side, due to the latter's age she had not been able to understand the meaning of the sentence, a little envious.
Sebastian and Anita looked excited for their friend. Sebastian considered Christopher his best friend and rival while for Anita he was someone she could trust blindly.
While all this was happening, Christopher looked defiantly at his mother - as expected from the strongest mage in the village, it was obvious that such an innocent attack had no chance of connecting. He slowly descended to the ground, still with a lot of energy and wanting to continue.
-You are very strong, darling- winking at her, Valentina added -despite being only five years old, you know how to use your head, but let's see how you manage with Elven Magic- she gave one last smile which denoted that the battle was already over.
-Hey?- Immediately Christopher noticed a slight increase in the magical energy surrounding his mother. -What does she plan to do?- he muttered to himself, trying to decipher the possible magical attacks his mother was planning to use.
-Race Magic: Elf Magic: Persecution -.
Valentina's body was enveloped by a very thin greenish glow that fit her silhouette exactly, Christopher still wasn't able to decipher his mother's intentions. He had no choice but to adopt defensive mode, searching his memories for any option of defensive magic he could use.
Selestia, eyes wide as two small saucers. She instantly recognized the magic used by the target of her admiration - THAT IS THE MAGIC OF MY RACE! - she exclaimed in total astonishment and admiration.
The other children looked at their ruler from head to toe, they were quite expectant. It was the first time they would see Elven Magic, they did not know what this spell was capable of.
-Fire Elemental Magic: Fire Spear-.
Right arm raised high with palms facing the sky Valentina used a high-grade offensive style. The fire took the form of a long spear. It looked as if the fire was swirling out of control.
Christopher seemed to have lost his composure for a moment. "Elven Magic! That's the magic of Mom's race, but I don't know what it does." Thinking a little deeper, Christopher had come to a certain conclusion. "In fact, I don't even know if I can protect myself from that fire lance, which has very powerful destructive capabilities."
Although he quickly had to exit his flashback state as the magic was released.
He realized that the magic attack was traveling at high speeds towards him, he calculated that he would still be able to dodge it and counterattack.
-Tree Magic: Tree Birth-.
From the ground, directly beneath his feet, emerged what appeared to be a young tree rising at least ten meters above ground level, with Christopher standing on one of the many branches.
That way Christopher was able to dodge the powerful fire lance, or at least that would have been the plan if everything had gone well.
Meanwhile, a smile appeared on the lips of the powerful Valentina knowing that in the end she would be the winner - you still have a long way to go to beat your mother.
Christopher saw something that surprised him and left him speechless. The fire lance had just reached the point where he had previously been standing. The moment it reached that point, the lance had turned into a small sphere of fire for a brief moment, and after a moment it was launched back towards Christopher, who only had a little time left to jump to the side.
He saw the same thing happen again, and once again the spear came towards him. He fell to the ground on his feet, and hurriedly jumped back towards his mother, who was not even bothered by the nearby presence of his adversary, unlike his opponent, he knew that his own attack would never touch her.
When he was just a few measly centimeters away from colliding with his mother, he used Air Stream, making a tremendous leap upwards, placing himself far above everyone.
-So that didn't work either- he said to himself out loud in a humorous manner, without taking his eyes off the fire lance which was once again chasing him.
-It's as if Lady Valentina's attack had a life of its own- Sebastian exclaimed out loud, said opinion was heard and accepted by all his friends.
-Selestia, since you are an Elf- called Anita hoping that her friend could answer a question - do you know what Elven Magic does?-.
-Actually, no- she sighed heavily and somewhat sadly- I still haven't been able to use Elven Magic and unfortunately in the books my parents have I can't find any information about my native magic, that's why it's costing me so much and my parents say that I still have to wait a little longer to teach them-.
Returning to Christopher, while his friends were trying to figure out about Elven magic, he had cast another magic spell.
-Water Elemental Magic: Water Arrows-.
A bunch of arrows made entirely of water were thrown out from Christopher's open palm. Each and every one of them headed towards the fire spear.
The idea itself is not bad, fighting fire with water, water magic is the antithesis of fire magic. It would have worked if her opponent was another individual without experience in battle, Valentina was totally the opposite of someone without experience.
Although it had no effect whatsoever. The spear continued to advance, meandering through the water projectiles launched by Christopher. This last provided the necessary information for Christopher to understand what Elven Magic: Pursuit was all about.
-I see- he said out loud- Pursuit allows anything or any magic attack thrown at the opponent to chase it until it is hit. From what I see, it can also dodge your opponent's counterattacks from a distance. In short, it won't stop until it touches me-.
A very effective magic attack, over time and if the caster does not deactivate it, the attack would follow the enemy until it touched him. If the battle were to drag on, it would cause the opponent to be unable to continue due to fatigue from constantly dodging it. Which would undoubtedly cause the attack to hit him sooner or later.
-I have no other option- Christopher sighed with some weariness.
-Let's see if this works, it's my last attempt- I waited for the fire spear to be close enough, when it went within the expected range I used the antithesis type of magic to fire.
-Water Elemental Magic: Double Water Dome- in this way a dome of water had completely surrounded Christopher just before being hit by the spear.
That was the moment when the spear made contact with the outer edge of the magical defense. Once again, another dome of water had formed, this one much larger and taking up a larger space as the spear was trapped within the second dome. Due to being completely enclosed within the water, the spear had finally exploded.
BOOOOOM
The explosion threw out a large amount of water, which spread throughout the surrounding area and fell as rain.
-Great...- Mathias complained, getting completely soaked by the 'rain' just like his friends. Although almost all the water had turned into steam due to the high temperatures caused by the explosion of the spear.
In the distance, Christopher could be seen falling backwards towards an unpleasant encounter with the hard ground. He was slightly hurt, but quite exhausted since he had strengthened the internal water dome to the maximum and thus tried to minimize the damage as much as possible.
-!HONEY!- Luckily for the little boy, his mother noticed his total lack of energy and didn't think about anything other than saving him.
In a thousandth of a second she cast a magic spell to save her child and prevent him from really getting hurt.
-Arborean Magic: Root Whip-.
A few roots emerged from the ground right in front of the Elf woman. They had quickly stretched out and completely surrounded the little boy's torso, who was still without the slightest bit of energy. They helped him to get down carefully, saving him from hitting the ground hard.
After a few moments of descending, his feet were able to touch the ground. Christopher looked at him with a grimace on his lips which conveyed nothing but pure disgust, his cheeks inflated, resembling a somewhat spoiled child. Now, he was in keeping with someone his age.
Valentina gulped, looking away with extreme nervousness and somewhat teary eyes. "Ummmm... I-I think I went a little bit overboard." She timidly brought together the index finger and thumb of her right hand, revealing the typical "a little bit" sign. Causing a thick vein to appear comically across her son's forehead.
-A LITTLE BIT, YOU SAY?- the son was spitting fire from his mouth. Mathias and Sebastian did everything possible to stop him and prevent him from trying to attack his embarrassed mother again. Selestia reproached him for things like not attacking the Lady of the town and Anita sighed with a little shame for her friends' actions.
-That attack could have turned me into puree, don't you think M-O-M?- he said it in such a way that Valentina could swear as if all her sins were being judged.
-I-I knew y-you'd have some plan to get out unharmed... or at least how to get rid of the attack- perhaps she said it stuttering a little and somewhat embarrassed because she had gone too far, but she meant it.
This was the first time she saw her son handling magic, perhaps he went too far with his Elven Magic. But she knew about his intelligence and reasoning which he had already demonstrated at a very young age, it was as if he were someone with a somewhat older age in the body of a small five-year-old child.
In addition, a few days ago her husband Alexander commented that Christopher was very good at fighting. He had mentioned that in the first few days he seemed to be just another child throwing punches and swinging a sword, but as the days went by the little boy had become much more skilled in both swordplay and martial arts.
I mention that Christopher knows how to fight against someone with superior skills. Although Alexander held back in practice, it was a fact that he was still much stronger and faster than his son. That is why the little boy, in order to fight his invincible father (since he was still a child), devised plans and strategies to defeat him.
Since Alexander was by far more experienced, he was able to see through all of Christopher's plans of attack and tricks. While that didn't take away from the fact that his son's actions were done with good analysis and judgment, he couldn't fathom how someone as young as five could come up with such good plans and strategies in an attempt to defeat him.
And here she was now, proving her husband completely right about her son's abilities. Compared to all the children in the village and not just those present, Christopher was the best. Maybe beast boys like Mathias and others in the village are physically stronger than her son. But Christopher with his plans and attack strategies could defeat them all.
Valentina stroked her son's head -I'm really proud of you- without anyone seeing her and for a brief moment she almost shed tears remembering the day when, plucking up her courage, she asked her mother to teach her magic because she wanted to be like her.
Christopher, who had now gotten rid of all his anger, was congratulated by his friends. For them he was the best and he put up an excellent fight.
-Christopher, you must tell me where you learned to use magic- Sebastian put his arm around his friend's neck, smiling at him through his teeth -it's not fair that only you can fight like that, if you tell me, I'll tell you how I train alone with the Katana-.
-Lady Valentina, I want a rematch!- request made by Mathias while clenching his fist tightly in an attempt to look fierce.
-Lady Valentina is very strong- Selestia said out loud with an air of admiration. Now looking at her friend -although you are not far behind either, but do not think that you will always be number one, I will learn from the best and I will make you into a puree-.
Anita chose to remain silent, although she mentally applauded her friend with her eyes. The only one missing, Diana, had asked her to carry her.
Once again, a group of rocks lined up next to each other emerged in front of the boys so that they could use them as seats again. Valentina positioned herself exactly in front of them and gave a short speech in a friendly but firm tone so that they could better grasp the information to be transmitted.
-You're probably thinking about the easiest way to learn magic, aren't you?-. Each and every one of them, except for Christopher, nodded in agreement. -Well, there's no easy way, guys. If you really want to learn, you have to study and practice a lot on your own... sounds silly, doesn't it?- the children looked at each other.
A timid hand was raised asking permission to ask a question, which was very well received by Valentina, she loved that the boys showed so much interest in learning magic -excuse me for asking you this Lady Valentina, but does that mean that you will not teach us and that we must learn on our own?-.
Except for Diana, who was too young to understand, and Christopher, for obvious reasons. The others had understood that Valentina would not train them in magic. In truth, that idea crossed the children's minds, but apart from Anita, the others did not want to object or ask anything about her apparent decision.
-Ah! Don't worry about that, of course I will teach you everything you need to know about magic- she had winked at them.
Christopher already knew exactly what his mother was referring to - What happens is that I wanted to make you understand that you should not stay with my teachings alone, you should also learn on your own. Try to get ahead of what I am teaching you! - The boys were very smart and were able to understand what Valentina was referring to.
-You know what they say. He who continues training and studying on his own will achieve his goals more quickly-
-And then there's the most important thing, when you have a battle, be it magic, purely martial arts or a combination of both. Never underestimate your opponent- the atmosphere became completely serious -no matter how weak he seems to be, unless you know him well enough and are aware of his abilities. Even so, do not underestimate him for anything in the world. If it's the case of someone unknown and you know very little about his abilities or know nothing, never go against him without analyzing the situation-.
Valentina looked very serious, she wanted to bring up this topic. Maybe they are still little, but she was very sure that just like Christopher, they would also understand her explanation.
-You must keep in mind that many of your fights will be against magical beasts that will try to eat you. That is why you must be well informed about them, read the information we have in our town about the beasts of this world. Know their weaknesses to know how to face them, because as you know magical beasts also tend to be very intelligent, although they may not seem so, the magic of many beasts is quite overwhelming-.
Now the focus of the enemies had changed - the worst enemies are those like you, people capable of thinking, speaking and feeling. You must keep in mind that everyone, when fighting, uses their head, and it is more than obvious that they will not hesitate to seek and exploit your weaknesses and will use that to hurt you.
-There are many Adventurers who choose a life of crime: thieves, murderers, kidnappers, rapists, slave hunters and so on. Renegade Knights who have abandoned their creed and cause, traitors to their homelands. All of them are the worst enemies, each one has the ability to think, analyze the situation and make the best decisions to achieve their goals, do you understand?-.
All the boys nodded, Valentina continued - Boys, you must be smart, do not fight just for the sake of fighting, never rush into a battle without first analyzing the situation and having some plan of attack and/or defense. You must fight with your head - Valentina brought her index finger to the side of her head, pressing it a couple of times.
The children were serious and scared, but despite their tender age, they knew that every word Valentina had just spoken was an indisputable truth. If they simply rushed into combat against someone with experience and who really knew how to fight, their lives would end right there.
They now also understood why the phrase "don't underestimate your opponent" was said several times, no matter how they look. They all thought that "an opponent who seems weak, may just be pretending to be" it's like a trap to lure fools who aren't cautious and kill them or do something else to them.
Valentina continued -I'm not telling you to distrust everyone, but you must learn how to identify suspicious people- with this last said she could notice that Anita, Sebastian, Mathias and Selestia swallowed saliva in pure sign of nervousness. Internally each of them asked themselves if they would be able to identify these enemies. Valentina did not want them to worry about these issues for the moment so she had to calm them down -don't worry about that, guys, because I will teach you everything you need to know-.
The children nodded in happiness, giving a short sigh of relief.
-Alright, let's put aside the fighting for a while and focus on controlling magic energy- with this, she went on to give a bunch of explanations about magic control. Controlling magic energy seemed to be very easy by reading and listening to how to do it, now putting it into practice was a very different story.
The children really did try hard to learn. Christopher was already able to use it and now he consulted his mother wanting to know about more advanced magic.
Selestia, being an Elf, has a greater mastery of magical energy. Currently Valentina was trying to explain to her about the magic of the Elven race, but she could not teach her because her parents want that privilege.
The ones who did have problems were Sebastian, Mathias, Anita and obviously Diana. The latter still didn't understand anything, but it was fun to watch her copy the gestures of the others.
Regarding the other three, Mathias is much more focused when it comes to hand-to-hand combat. The only type of magic he is currently able to use is that of his race. In this case, Beast Mode. But Valentina had explained to him that it was extremely important that he at least knows defensive spells. Most likely, his enemies can use magic and since he is a Demihuman with greater physical strength, they would choose to attack him from a distance.
It is useless to have superior strength if the enemy is not within range of your blows, here the ranged magical attacks shine for their effectiveness.
Sebastian can use Reinforcement magic so he could at least understand the concepts, his problem was that he was very used to the way Reinforcement Magic was used. He understood that to use other types of magic the way to channel energy was different.
Valentina told him to follow the explanation she had given, also giving him some examples.
Little Anita was doing much better than Mathias, she perfectly understood how to use each type of magic. That was a giant step, but she still needed to put it into practice.
Valentina felt very happy, first of all, because she had such adorable students and the sight of them following her explanations filled her with joy. Secondly, because the children had truly shown a desire and interest in learning.
I look fondly at the children as I take out of my pocket a strange cubic-shaped device. It opened in the middle, it looked like a mirror, but it was actually a clock. "I'm late," realizing that it was already a few minutes past noon, it was lunchtime and most likely the kids were ravenously hungry.
-Okay kids, today's class is over, but we'll continue tomorrow. I hope to see you all here after breakfast.
I look at Anita who was a bit nervous, it was impossible for her to do so early in the day. She had to help her father - in your case Anita, I know what your situation is so don't worry about it, you can come later, there's no problem with that, but I want you to come to class. You have good potential and I won't let you waste it. Do I make myself clear? - Anita smiled as she nodded in affirmation, moving her head up and down. In the purest sign of gratitude, she was really so happy that Valentina was so understanding.
-I'll see you all tomorrow- the children were doing some final stretches, they were tired, some more than others, they were very hungry.
-Christopher- Sebastian shouted from afar -I'll see you later for Martial Arts classes-.
-You better not miss it because today is my first day training with you- wagging his tail, Mathias was also quite excited.
...
Once again, mother and son walked together, both heading in the direction of their respective homes. The sound of a stomach demanding food was quite audible.
Neither of them was talking about anything in particular, just about everyday things. But Valentina wanted to clear up some of her doubts.
-Christopher, tell me the truth- the voice alone denoted seriousness. The little boy immediately turned his head, paying full attention to his mother. Although he already knew (more or less) what his mother wanted to know. Christopher nodded, indicating that he was willing to answer any question.
-In all this time I haven't taught you almost anything about magic other than the concepts and how to apply them, and today was the first day we had a practice. And yet, you do it so naturally. I always knew you had talent. Your father told me that too. Tell me son, how did you learn it? Who taught you? -.
Christopher gave a slight sigh, a little tired thinking about what he was about to say, which in his opinion would sound very crazy - he surely won't believe me.
-I read about magic in the books we have in our home library-.
-Have you read it?- Valentina brought a hand to her chin, caressing it, as if she were deep in thought. -Now that you mention it, I've seen you reading in the library and jotting down notes in your notebook many times, whether about magic or tactics. All this time, that's caught my attention, but I've seen it in a very good light and I found it quite impressive-.
- Besides, I didn't want you to stop doing it, but... - Valentina felt a little annoyed - even though I enjoyed having a reading time with you, I don't remember him teaching you how to read or write... and I don't think your father has either - she looked very seriously at her son. Something wasn't right and according to her thoughts, someone other than them had been instructing her son. Which wasn't bad, but Valentina wanted to be the one to teach him, above all. She felt as if that someone had taken away her right as a mother.
-I highly doubt you'll believe me if I tell you-.
Valentina finally realized the tense atmosphere she had created. Was she attacking her own son? She pushed all thoughts out of her head and focused simply on him. “Christopher, I'm your mother. What makes you think I wouldn't believe you? Trust me, darling. It's just that I really wanted to be the one to instruct you and not someone else.”
Christopher then let out a final sigh, though this time it was one accompanied by some understanding. His mother was extremely sweet and endlessly loving. He is not oblivious to her desire to teach him things like reading, math, magic, and so on.
-Mom- the little one called -the truth is that no one has taught me anything, but I really don't know how to explain to you how I learned to read, but a few months ago when I went into the library looking for my sword, I saw some books lying on the floor. I simply picked them up and opened them to a random page. I don't understand how, I can't even find a way to explain. But the moment I looked at the writings I was able to read them-.
-I understood every word written, I knew what it meant- then remembering the moment when due to the impression I had decided to look for other books -I couldn't help but feel excited, so the next thing I did was look for all the magic books and read them completely, I had no problem at all. When I realized I already knew how to do magic but I had to practice-.
Christopher looked very excited. The fact that he could talk to someone about this topic seemed to relieve him of some of the burden - I'm still practicing many kinds of magic. I didn't tell Dad this, but for some reason I was able to adapt to martial arts very quickly. I also read a couple of books, but what helped me was putting it into practice.
-In short- To put the subject aside, Valentina rubbed her beloved son's head hard, making him smile happily -You're a genius, son. You make me feel so proud- Christopher couldn't help but show a somewhat embarrassed smile at such a wonderful compliment.
Unable to bear it any longer, Valentina picked up her son and hugged him tightly while rubbing her entire beautiful face against the little boy's head - she has gone into clingy mode again.
Both could now see the house where they live, seeing that in front of it was Alexander saying goodbye to his companions with whom he had gone to patrol the surroundings of the town.
They were in charge of not allowing any magical beasts or unwanted individuals to wreak havoc on their beloved village. According to what Alexander had told them, they often faced bandits and slavers.
In the Gignit Village live a great variety of races which was known by many inhabitants of the cities and the Human Empire, many times expeditions of kidnappers came to the surroundings of the territory, looking for an opportunity to take some inhabitant of the town that is of high value to sell them. The Feline Demi-Humans (cat, tigers, etc.), rabbits, wolves among others as well as the Elves possess incomparable beauties who can be sold as sexual slaves, totally inherent to their gender, to a good amount of gold.
Beastmen races are mostly sold as combat slaves, making them cannon fodder or shield meat without caring in the slightest about sex or even age. Children are still unaware of the hatred and discrimination suffered by all non-human races within the territory of the Human Empire.
All of this was due to the war that had taken place many years ago throughout Cosmos. The war was between all the races that inhabited the world.
Within the human empire, anyone who is outside of a non-human race usually loses (not in all cases) their freedom and is forced to work for humans, by their own will or against them.
Whether in shops, as bodyguards for important merchants, working as cleaners or being mere servants. Many of them were not treated very well and were constantly hurt. Although it was half and half, many humans treated members of other races horribly while the other half treated them very well.
There are also cases where men and women of non-human races (Elves, beastmen, Demi-Humans, etc.) chose to sell their bodies in order to be "independent" since for a Non-Human to get a job without becoming a slave is almost impossible.
If they wanted to be adventurers, they could be, but it was very difficult for them to be accepted if they did not have a human master who would allow them to do so. This is why in these cases the guild takes on the role of being the master of these races. Something well known is that the guild does not discriminate against them or reject them, because from the point of view of the guilds it is too stupid to deny membership to very capable and strong beings just because they are from other races. Something truly absurd.
The guild workers are not idiots, they are aware of the potential that beings of other races possess. They do not give their "slaves" a place to live or anything like that, since they, like the other adventurers, are responsible for obtaining housing. But they are treated the same way as human adventurers would be treated, and they do not even commit injustices such as taking away all the gold they earn, the guild only takes what is due to them as commission, just like with human adventurers. They have the same rights and privileges depending on their rank.
It is no secret that many humans, especially the Nobility, hate and detest other races, even feeling disgust and repulsion for them. But there are also humans who do not discriminate against them, who have slaves/servants of other races, but treat them well and with dignity.
There are even love affairs between humans and beings of other races, but within the big cities the aforementioned love affair must be hidden from others, especially from the nobles, because these, having a lot of power due to their "nobility" status, could harass and ruin the lives of those people. Simply because they are disgusted by the relationship that those humans have with their "pets."
There are cases in which human couples who unfortunately cannot have children for some physiological reason, decide to adopt street children, whether Human or Semi-Human, caring for them and loving them as if they were their real child. With this noble and beautiful action they change the lives of these children.
These children end up worshipping their parents, who saved them, fed them, raised them and clothed them, whether they were human or semi-human. Unfortunately, cases where they adopted a semi-human must also be hidden, due to the same type of thinking about "pets."
There are also cases of evil people, who love to mock the suffering of poor souls who have had the misfortune of being born as a Non-Human within the territories of the Human Empire. The greatest examples were people with high purchasing power and nobility themselves.
These individuals have a hobby of humiliating other races, they buy them simply to torment and abuse them. The slaves cannot do anything against their masters because of the slave collar, if they tried, the collar would cause them unbearable pain, so terrible that they would be left unconscious. They would later be executed in front of everyone as an example of what would happen to them in case of disobedience.
Those who sell their bodies are treated with a little more respect as their clients defend them. Mostly women are dedicated to the oldest profession in existence, although there are also men who sell themselves to women who want to try a Beautiful Elf, although it is very difficult to find an Elf within the Human Empire who is not already enslaved. Also to some strong Demihuman who is attractive and full of vitality.
The last case are those who ultimately choose the path of crime, joining organizations of bandits and thieves. Whether for better or worse, they desperately seek to survive within the territories where they are discriminated against and hated, the Human Empire.