Parasites, Magic And Revenge

Raven paused, took a deep breath, and began walking to his room. Miles followed him, "Answer me, why and how did you do something like that?" Raven, as if he hadn’t heard, went up to his room, and it was Raven who finally broke the silence: "We're late for school, let's go," he said. Miles decided not to speak any further, and they dressed together. Both of them looked quite handsome in their school uniforms. The black and yellow details of the uniform matched perfectly with Raven's wavy black hair and the dark circles under his eyes. Similarly, the black and yellow details also matched Miles' straight blonde hair, as if the uniform had been designed just for them.

They went downstairs; Miles hugged his mother while Raven waited on the side. Then Miles joined him, and they headed toward school. Miles was curious but kept his silence; after all, harming the body this much wouldn’t help develop it. Training for an hour a day for ten days is always more effective than training for ten hours in one day. The silence, made up only of their footsteps and the sound of the grass beneath them, was unexpectedly broken by Raven: "Aren't you very rich? Why aren't we going by carriage or something?" Miles knew he was right and, after a brief pause, replied: "Normally, they’d be ready around 8:30, but since you were asleep at that time, they had to skip it. My father, as a sort of punishment for not watching over you, told me to walk, and I think he's right." Raven spoke again: "Then why are we going through the forest?" Miles replied immediately: "Normally, we could’ve taken the road, but walking through the city would look odd with our uniforms, and since I'm recognized, it would seem strange. Even if you don’t care about that, this way is quicker." Raven liked shortcuts, so he didn’t complain, but he still had questions on his mind: "Where's my sword?" Miles smiled and pulled the sword upright from his bag: "I knew you’d ask that." Raven was about to be surprised that he hadn’t forgotten his sword, but the bigger question was how the sword fit in the bag: "How did you fit it in there?" Miles laughed out loud and answered: "It’s a storage bag made with dimensional magic by the wizards of this mansion. Dimensional magic can even be used in battle, but every type of magic has its specific use. For example, fire magic can be used to kill someone or to light wood."

Raven was clearly mesmerized. He had to learn magic; maybe if he learned magic, he could get revenge on the country, maybe even the world. His once terrifyingly expressionless face suddenly turned into that of a child asking for candy. Of course, with dark intentions once again: "Will you teach me how to use magic?" he asked eagerly. Without hesitation, Miles replied: "Of course, but every person, even creatures, has a natural affinity for certain types of magic. For example, the blood bat you’ve heard of before has an affinity for blood magic, but because it lacks consciousness, it doesn’t even know about magics it has no affinity for. As for me, I'm a bit of an exception; not to brag, but I have an affinity for all the magics I've learned so far. That’s why my father is thinking of making me his heir. When new students arrive at school, an affinity test is done. We can learn yours today." Raven grew even more excited, but Miles' brilliance in magic made him a bit jealous; Miles was completely blessed.

As the two boys continued walking, they arrived at school. Despite recognizing Miles, the guards stopped Raven: "Who are you, kid?" Miles was furious and said, "He's with me." The guards returned to their standing positions and, in unison, said: "We apologize, sir." As they entered the classroom, all eyes were on Raven. Everyone was suspicious of how trustworthy someone from the slums, or even prison, could be; some had already picked a new target to bully. Finally, they arrived at the classroom, and once again, all eyes were on Raven. One of the girls whispered, "Isn’t he actually handsome?" only to be interrupted by a friend slapping her on the back, saying, "He's a criminal." Finally, the teacher arrived and started speaking: "Silence. We have a new classmate, and we’ve all been warned beforehand; the slightest bullying of Raven will be considered an insult to Emperor Edward." The murmurs in the class grew louder. The teacher continued: "I said silence. Since it's your first day, you'll be taking the affinity test. Miles, accompany him." Both of them stood up and left the classroom. They were both very excited; for the first time, they were sharing the same emotion.

For the first time in his life, Raven felt a sense of closeness. Miles couldn’t stay quiet: "I think you might have an affinity for fire. Based on your personality, if you're lucky, maybe even wind or gravity." Raven responded without hesitation: "How is the rarity determined?" Miles replied: "There are 12 levels, but it’s a bit complicated. To give an example, someone with an affinity for gravity might apply 10 units of power and reach level 3 or 4, whereas someone using water or fire might apply the same 10 units of power and at most reach level 1, or rarely level 2. A level 4 fire spell is possible, but it would take at least ten times the mana to produce an effect as powerful as gravity. Because what matters is the destructive power and function. To create a fireball big enough to bring down a building, you’d need to use a fireball that large and spend a significant amount of mana. But with gravity, it's different; you can handle it with a slight tremor." Raven understood well but still had one question: "If level 4 is for buildings, what’s level 12?" Miles suddenly became serious: "Forget about it, it’s impossible for either of us to reach that." Raven thought he had asked something wrong and wanted to change the subject: "What’s your level?" Miles thought for a moment and answered: "My level can vary. I possess a magical power that happens in only one in a million. If I really pushed myself, I think I could reach level 5." Raven was angry at himself for not knowing so much about the world: "If you don’t have magical power, at least how is strength measured?" he asked, and Miles replied: "That’s impossible, but if such a thing existed, it would still be determined by destructive power and function." Finally, they had arrived at the door.