Chapter 6: Book:1 | Arc:2 | Ch:2

The next 3 to 4 months were confusing. 'Grandpa' refused to say anything about how he knew my secret and Seyra was very, very doting when she was home. I had later learned she was actually 7 years old and being trained most of the day by Grandpa.

I had made immense progress in the past months, the most important being that I could now speak. It was broken and I had a lisp as well as a problem with pronouncing right but I was being taught by Grandpa.

'He never tells me to call him anything other than Grandpa, weird but I'd rather things like this than a fucking dimension hopping train. This is more of a vanilla kind of weird.'

Besides all that, today was to be the day I learned the staple of all fantasy! Magic. I was beyond excited, ecstatic, or any other word that could possibly describe even a part of what I felt.

This was something people like me dreamed of for our entire lives, it could not be described in simple words.

No, it was way beyond that. The very feeling was palpable. I sat there and waited for hours, keeping myself awake. I would learn magic today no matter what.

The door opened.

I assaulted Grandpa with the most intense gaze I could muster.

"Grandpa!"

A shout, urgency in it.

Heat. Insufferable heat.

In front of my eyes was a sword, covered in raging flames. The surroundings were starting to burn. I looked at grandpa whose eyes displayed shock. Why had he done that? Reflex? From what, my stare? No way... right?

Grandpa looked in thought as he stared at me, the flames continuing to burn around us. Seyra looked worried and was tugging on his sleeve, trying to pull him back into reality.

The next few moments were as quick as the previous few. I looked at the flames, felt hunger, then opened my mouth then drank in the flames. I then fell on my back with a slightly bloated belly.

'I feel full.'

I looked over at the two of them.

Silence.

Utter silence.

Seyra snapped out of it faster than Grandpa, somehow, and came over to pick me up. She started fussing and seeing if I had any injuries but I just yawned and fell asleep.

'Sorry future me, you'll be dealing with this bullshit.'

{{ PoV: Grandpa }}

'Did I just try to attack Igni?'

I was in disbelief.

The moment I had entered the room I felt an intense glare, much like that of a hungry predator. I responded to that reflexively by doing what I always have done. Attack and kill it. But Seyra's shout made me realize that it wasn't a monster that had snuck in, but Ignis who bore that glare.

Then, not a second after I had used my flames, they were gone!

'Aeternum had told me that Phoenixes were masters of fire, but for them to eat it? Even elements only eat the aspected mana, they don't eat the element itself.'

I sighed.

'I'll have to ask him more about Phoenixes if I'm going to watch over Igni.'

I looked at the kid cradled in Seyra's arms.

'At least I know which magic to teach her now. Well, there wasn't any doubt before but now it's a solid choice.'

My brows furrowed.

'I guess I'll get the books for that. On another note. Should I tell Igni she's become a girl? Or should I see her expression when she finds out?'

I smiled as I imagined how freaked out she'd be.

"Grandpa, stop that. You look super creepy."

My smile faltered and disappeared. I sighed and walked off.

'No-one told me watching kids would be this horrible.'

{{ PoV: Ignis --- }}

The moment I woke up, I saw Seyra smiling at me.

"Grandpa, Igni is awake!"

"Hmm, good. It's time to choose your weapons. I can't train you in just magic, that'd be stupid."

I was speechless, not by the fact that Grandpa's words made sense. Nor the fact that the just ignored the recent incident. No, it was the fact that he said he'd train me in magic.

"Hell Yeh!"

My hands were fully up. Fists clenched and excitement radiating off me. The laughter started a split-second late but I did not give two shits.

'I'M GOING TO LEARN MAGIC! YES!'

BOOM.

I jolted at the loud sound. Grandpa had dropped the book of weapons onto the table, resulting in the loudest sound I'd heard since my reincarnation.

He then bore the most evil grin I had ever witnessed. Cold sweat ran down my back.

"Let's begin."

I shivered.

'This isn't going to kill me is it?'

[3 Hours Later]

'250+ Weapons.'

The gears in my head screeched as they attempted to process the past few hours. It was fast paced and the biggest info-dump I'd ever gotten.

'I didn't even know a Labrys existed until today. Why call it a Labrys in the first place? It's just a double-bladed Axe. So many complicated names. And as if three section staves weren't enough, some staves in this world can be separated 16 times. SIXTEEN!'

I slammed my hands against the mattress.

'At least I finally picked weapons to use. Bloody hell. I never want to hear another lecture on usability of the seven different types of polearms and how I shouldn't use them ever again. I don't even know why I was given that lecture! I never even considered a polearm!'

I paused.

'Well, a Glaive. Those are fucking cool.'

I yawned and stretched as much as I could with this body.

"Well, what are your choices?"

Grandpa had no smile as usual but he seemed expectant, that, or curious.

"A macetee-"

I paused, frustrated by my mess-up. I decided to try again.

"A machete."

I puffed up, proud that it only took one try to say it right. Then I deflated, remembering all the times it took more than 20 tries. I sighed and continued.

"And a Gauntlet Sword."

"Pata."

"I refuse to call it by that ridiculous name. I shall name my weapon when I get it, so I'll say what it is at the base and use that as a decider for its name."

I put my hands and my hips and proudly smiled. I didn't have a good naming sense, but I could have good ideas at times.

"That's stupid."

I faltered.

"The fuck you mean, OLD MAN?"

His entire face flinched. He hated being called an Old Man. This would always happen when Seyra wasn't here, we'd argue forever. Anytime she was here, we'd act as if nothing was wrong.

"I mean both your naming sense and ideas are crude and disgusting to me."

"Then give me a name for a volcanic world, right now."

"Ignis."

"...other than the obvious?"

I tilted my head while asking, this dude was basic to the core with naming. Even our last name, Vatra, meant fire. I'd bet he would've named me Ignis if I was a boy too.

What, you thought I didn't know?

I knew and already accepted it. I'd rather be a girl or even die than stay in that fucking train. Worst part was that it'd probably show up again. It traveled space-time, there was a stupidly high chance I'd meet it again.

"Let's stop this idiotic conversation. How far have you gotten with the fire magic book?"

"I haven't read any of it."

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A vein bulged on his head as he said, quite angrily.

"Why might that be?"

"Because I can't read."

I deadpanned.

He stopped speaking and simply stared.

He coughed twice, red coloring his face.

"That is... an oversight, on my part. I'll read the book to you while you can't read. Before that though, how far have you gotten with a mana concept."

Info dump time. I donned my glasses and pointer stick. A mana concept is the visualisation you have of your mana. Those who just use the general visualisation of mana will fall behind these people with it. Not in progression though, no, they'll fall behind in understanding and efficiency. Having your own mana concept is akin to having the greatest guide in the world, no, the universe!

A mana concept not only helps you simplify mana cost and complex spells, but it makes it so you can do that with your own terms. It eliminates the need for complex terms and weird words completely! Still don't get it?

Those without can level it super fast, but have a level cap. Those with, level up slowly. But, they have no level cap.

The ranks in a type of magic are as follows from lowest to highest:

Beginner,

Apprentice,

Traveler,

Scholar,

Professor,

Master,

Grandmaster,

And Sage.

Sadly Great Sage is not a rank.

Anywho, the level cap for them is the end of Traveler. What, too low of a cap? They're just too stupid and far too young to think of a mana concept. What, they can't help it? Teachers exist for a reason! Now then, back to the conversation.

"I've already got an idea for most of the concept but I still need to finish up the rest. It would have been easier if I could write and read."

I stared pointedly at him after I said that, emphasizing my words.

He looked away.

'At least he still feels shame.'

He coughed and spoke.

"Well, I will ask Seyra to start teaching you, it'd be easier for her than me. It'll have to start next week though, this week she's staying with her family."

I nodded and laid down on my back, I'd be damned in all sorts of ways if I got in the way of her family time.

As soon as I laid back I was hit with massive amounts of weariness. The conversations with the old man took it out of me.

Minutes were not needed for me to drift off into sleep, only seconds.

Then, as I had before, I woke up.

'I want to grow quickly. Staying like this is a pain in the ass, I keep falling asleep.'

I stretched my arms up as much as I could before doing different stretches. Then I decided to work on my mana concept.

I yawned and checked around myself. One's mana concept is similar to their heart. Their body cannot function without it after making it. Of course, should someone develop a way to destroy it... well you'd be fucked three ways. You'd lose your mana, your ability to use magic and your mana concept would be unusable.

Forever.

Once I had confirmed the old man had gone, I began gathering mana into a small ball.

It took a few minutes since I didn't have much practice with it.

As soon as that was done, I began.

I started to compress and spin it.

My mana concept, was unique. I would make a single ball of mana, into a string. This 'string' could stretch, could grow, could envelop and could bind. The mana cost of a spell was proportionate to how much length is needed from the 'string'. Mana complexity is based off how many 'strings' are required to make it, if I need to connect or entangle these 'strings' into shapes or if there's a need to 'cut' the 'strings'.

The surroundings are a mist, a blurry rainbow of unrefined colors.

The occasional refined colors are masses of aspected mana.

The body is a multitude of 'strings', from mana to muscles.

The Heart is made of 'strings', as are the Brain and Mana Core.

Of course, I hadn't been able to replace the Heart and Brain yet but the Core I had to create from scratch.

The other Organs are simply wrapped in 'strings' until I can recreate them with the 'strings'.

This would be my ideal in the future.

This ideal, however, is fatally dangerous. It relies on two things.

The first, is that I had the blood of a Phoenix running through me.

Phoenixes are the pinnacle of avian creatures, which is commonly know. But, they are also at the pinnacle of Mana. They are made of fire themselves and use mana to keep themselves together, and to be reborn when they die. If a power like that is not the pinnacle then only three races could surpass that.

The first, Humans. If one were to figure it out, they'd probably live forever. The second, are Dragons. No surprise. They are blessed by mana, to the point where the difference between them and Elementals is but flesh and blood. As for elementals, they are the third. The reason is simple, how could a being made of Mana, not be able to do something others can do with mana.

The second thing this relies on, is my ability to live with the strings replacing my organs. If not, I will die. Of course, I could stop and redo everything. Make another mana concept. But that was impossible now.

I had already made half the needed strings for a core.

The core itself would look like a yarn ball outwardly.

As for the inside of the core, I would use fire. Not the aspected mana, but the element itself.

That is why I needed to rely on my phoenix blood. If I was incapable of living with a body made of fire, I would die.

I heard a door open. I glanced, it wasn't to this room. I checked the 'string' and found it was almost half a meter.

'Good enough.'

I slowly moved the 'string' into the center of my chest where I stored the others wrapped around my sternum. Until I made my core they would have to stay there as a substitute core.

The door to this room opened.

"Brat, I'm home."

He paused and looked at me. The flames in his eyes were duller, tamer than before.

"And you've got more mana now."

He sighed, seemingly more tired than before.

"Of course you do."

He set down a basket, much like the one he put in my crib, on the table.

"Wuzzat for."

I paused. Blood rushing to my face. However, I paused shortly after.

'He isn't laughing.'

I stared at Grandpa.

"You okay old man?"

He flinched and stared at me, his tone dripping with annoyance after that.

"I'm fine, just found out some irritating things."

I tilted my head.

"Like what."

"Seyra will have to leave sooner than I thought. And I'll have to train you more than I thought."

I paused. More training? Sure. I was all for that, I'd learn more.

But Seyra leaving soon?

I was not prepared for that.

So, influenced by my body, I cried.

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