Chapter 35 - The General Awakens a Powerful Ability

  Chloe and I had awakened ical abilities, and she was already able to use her Water element. It was a stra that affected my entire body… and I’m not talking about puberty. It all started when I began hearing the sound of ice crag, but it was very loud. I was eating when that arted, and it seemed to be ing from inside my ear or body. Just like we feel our heartbeat in other parts of the body, when I pced my hand on my ear, I could hear the sound of an egg crag. My entire body felt like it was crag, and then suddenly, there was a noise like a wall colpsing inside me, and a warmth spread throughout my body.

  I felt as if my veins were dry and hot blood started cirg through them. I immediately knew what was happening to me because it was instinctive. At that moment, I knew my Gem had awakened, and mana began flowing inside me.

  There was an explosion of energy throughout my body, and I felt dizzy as if I had stood up too quickly. I had to sit down to hahat power, and then my vision burned, allowio see the world in full color. It seemed like there were invisible shapes and colorful particles everywhere. My mother expihat it’s the effect of the eyes adapting to see mana.

  When you awaken mana, you momentarily see where it exists in the world and eve cirg in people. This visual phenomenon only happens once during the Gem's awakening fic.

  When I awakened ahe warmth of mana in my eyes… something strange happened. As I looked to the side in the dire of the Crazy Goddess of Strategy, I saw something that shouldn’t have been possible.

  “Remembering me? I’m fttered you’re reliving that intimate moment of ours,” she said, ughing.

  “Stop saying things with double meanings!”

  As I saw the mana imosphere and my surroundings, I looked at the apparition of Athena, and what I saw… left me fused. Athena's apparition was entirely covered in mana. This shouldn’t have been possible… I should only see mana in living things, but her apparition had it. When I tried to ask her, the Goddess burst into ughter a ughing for a long time before disappearing. I couldn’t see her mana anymore, and the visual effect of the Gem awakening passed.

  “You’re taking too long!” an impatient Chloe burst into my room and dragged me out of bed.

  “Stop, that hurts. Didn’t you say you’d sting me?”

  “I did, but I ged my mind when I realized how slow you are.”

  I was being dragged down the mansion's corridor when my mother and Aunt Margie appeared.

  “Kids…” my aunt said.

  mediately let go of me.

  “Who arrived? Why is Chloe like this?” I said, still a bit sleepy.

  “Yic teacher has arrived. We’re receivi the castle along with her assistant,” my mother said.

  “ we go now, Mommy!?” an eager Chloe asked.

  My aunt sighed.

  “Calm down, my love. Your teacher just arrived from a long trip. Let her rest a bit a settled. You’ll uand her personality soon enough… you’ll want her in a good mood, she’s difficult to deal with… but she’s an excellent mage,” my aunt said.

  “Have breakfast a ready to look cute for your teacher,” my mother said.

  I don’t want to look ‘cute...

  “Nate, aren’t you fetting something?” Aunt Margie asked me.

  “Taking a bath? I was going to, but I ged away…”

  My aunt ughed.

  “No, my dear. We’re talking about your little roommate. Did you fet what we discussed?”

  For a moment, I had fotten about this detail.

  “I’ll go wake her up…” I said.

  This is going to be difficult; she’s very grumpy whes woken up. I uand her, I’d rather be sleeping too.

  “Your teacher will stay in the castle area and won’t have access to the mansion, but we ’t risk Cyl being seen. Take her to the ke room and ask her to stay there,” my mother said.

  I had already thought about this situation when I knew my teacher was ing and had warned Cyl that this would happen.

  When it’s time to sleep, I’ll let her out…

  “I have to inform you of something, kids. It’s about your teacher’s assistant. She’s also different from us and your teacher. So, don’t ent on her characteristics,” my aunt said.

  Chloe frowned, fused by those words. We already knew our teacher was a High Elf, but from what I uood, the assistant was her human nor elf.

  “Is she from another race?” I asked.

  “Yes, Nate. We didn’t know her assistant wasn’t an elf, and this will be very good for you to have tact with other cultures. The assistant is a Demi-human, so don’t be surprised by her characteristics. I’ve already taught you about the races on this ti, and she’s from a rare tribe.”

  I found that curious.

  “Which tribe is she from?”

  “I’ll let you find out for yourselves. Now go get ready to meet your teacher,” my aunt said, aarted walking away.

  I was walking down the corridor bay room, with the little moagging along.

  “You rushed me so much, and in the end, I could have kept sleeping…” I pined.

  “We’ve been waiting a month since we awakened ems for the teacher to arrive. Of course, I’m in a hurry. We’re going to learn even more about real magic,” she said happily.

  Chloe had awakened a few weeks before me. It seems that the children of mages have a higher ce of awakening from the age of eight, and if they don’t awaken by sixteen, they won’t ever. Since I was the child of two mages, it was certain that I would be a mage, so I wasn’t too worried.

  Being born a mage is random, so a oner’s child could awaken their Gem by the age of sixteen and bee a mage.

  When ems awakened, we quickly ran to a mirror to check our eyes. Even though it’s extremely rare for someoo awaken their Gem and also awaken with Special Eyes, it’s on for every mage to check the color of their iris. Chloe’s and mine remained normal, my dark brown color stayed the same.

  A mage has a rare ce of awakening something called Special Eyes by the age of sixteen. When the Gem awakens, the mana el is created and rushes through the body, including the eyes. That’s why we see rainbow colors and perceive mana in living beings because mana accumutes in rge quantities in the eyes. Sometimes, a portion of that mana remains stored in our eyes, and the mage gains what’s called ‘Special Eyes.’ These eyes have unique powers, and the iris color ges. The mage awaken these eyes when their Gem awakens or up until they turn sixteen.

  Having Special Eyes is nearly impossible, but it’s still something mages are taught to check for, and the kingdom tries to catalog those who possess these Special Eyes.

  “I’m going to have breakfast. Catch you ter, Nate,” a boung Chloe said happily, leavi my room door.

  She’s really excited to learn magic.

  I close the door to my room and look at my hands.

  Blue sparks appear and crackle softly.

  “I have the Thunder element… that's pretty cool,” I say as I let the lightning dance along my arm.

  Chloe and I were forbidden to use itil we received formal instruy aunt and mother only taught us the basics, so our teacher could guide us without our developing bad habits. Everyone has their own way of using magic, but nobles are usually introduced to it officially by a teacher before attending a Magic Academy. Until then, noble children could practid learn spells, but the Magic Academy was where they would truly hoheir talents.

  Since I’m from an important noble family, I’m obligated to study iy of Apsalon. If I were a oner, I could attend the academy in our owory. There’s a w that high-ranking nobles from the three kingdoms must study together at Apsalon Academy to promote unity and cooperation among the races.

  I cel the lightning in my hand and grab some clothes.

  Thankfully, that restri is over now.

  Chloe and I were prohibited from using our elements to prevent acts. Young mages often broke things or could even ihemselves if they set their surroundings on fire. My aunt and mother banned us from using our powers… mainly me, actually.

  Chloe’s element is ‘Water,’ so she hasn’t learned any powerful spells yet, and the damage she cause is minimal. The worst she do is get herself or someone else wet.

  That girl keeps waking me up by spshing water on me!

  Water has many practical uses, not just in battle. In our territory, Water mages are invaluable fating crops and creating artificial kes during droughts.

  The problem is my Thunder element. It has no utility beyond pure offense. I 't py with my element like Chloe . Even minimal use results in shog someone, and if I use more power, it could seriously hurt them. So, I’m strictly forbidden from pying with lightning.

  Not that I’d want to, now that I’ve awakened my magic…

  I practi secret, trying to bine what I’ve learned about Aura with my element. The problem is, I ’t test my iions because they cause damage or make noise, which would reveal that I’m using magic.

  I look at the sleepy fged phoenix.

  “Cyl, time to wake up.”