A gathering of midget side stories. They need to be crushed~

I actually had to really think this through before I was satisfied with how it works. DNA isn’t really inserted into the body, but the body is made to think that it is. As long as the cells believe that that is the DNA structure, they will behave accordingly. Greek alchemy is then used to restructure the body. Normally, this would be a ridiculously difficult task to do consiously, but fengsui is a super convenient tool. With daoism directing the flow towards femininity, it takes care of the small intricate details. But, as consequence, more than what was intended changes and the body becomes an even more complete girl.

 

greek alchemy doesn't use any mana to change the body?
So there is a mysterious being X - the great dao.

 

Mana fuels alchemy. Alchemy in this case refers to restructuring the molecular bonds of atoms. As for the Dao, in here it’s more of a philosophy or set of supernatural laws (like laws of physics, but in this case for magic) than a mysterious being~

 

but... it said
(...)The second involves clasping anti-magic metal between her hands. The material will react by interrupting the magic circle and continue into the body where it will also release the magically bound foreign DNA. The second method doesn’t consume any mana either. I knew I should have brought a sheet with me…
Hopefully that metal wont disrupt the alchemy process... that could end in many ways.

i always wonder who made all the rules and laws.

 

Fufufu, this gets discussed in the main story. It falls under the difference between not existing and not being there~
As for the metal, it all comes down to the timing
Btw, this back and forth has actually help me a lot in how to develop this spell. Thanks for your help

 

Part 4~ (this might be the last one for a while)
Enjoy~

Spoiler: part 4

A white curtained bed within a white painted room is placed next to an open window. Aiden, having finished his match, was assigned to a room within Pounamu Academy’s hospital ward for a proper examination. He isn’t there because he was injured during his battle. At most, the familiar he faced cut him a few times with its quills, bruised his body with a head-butt, and burnt his arms by breathing fire over him. I didn’t take any direct hits from them.

While most students would be assigned to one of the many curtained beds within one of the long rooms, his circumstances warrant private room. Having survived an ascension ritual, various experts around the world are curious about his physiology. As such, in order for a more in-depth analysis, he was segregated away from everyone else.

Not that any visitors are being deterred.

Aiden bookmarks his page in his astrophysics book and closes it. He then places it on the bedside table next to some other astrophysics books and a few texts on numerology. He glances towards the brunette closing his room’s door behind herself. Her braids have been getting more and more intricate. He says, “Long time no see, Camillia.”

Camillia sits on the chair next to the bed with a sheepish smile on her face. “How’ve you been?”

“Pretty good, didn’t you see? I’m totally dominating this year.”

Camillia glances at the zweihander leaning against the wall. Its silver, seven inch wide, blade glows golden under the afternoon sunlight. She then leans closer to Aiden with a curious grin on her face. A sense of mischief glints within her eyes as she says, “A lot of people were shocked to see you pull that out. How did you summon it?”

Aiden grins back, and beckons her closer. He leans towards her and speaks into her ear. “With a summoning spell I’ve been working on.”

Camillia’s expression falls flat. Annoyance laces her voice as she pulls away. “That’s not what I’m asking about!”

Aiden chuckles but doesn’t reply.

“Aiden, what you did was impossible. The ascension ritual failed.”

He adopts an aloof tone and says, “What are you talking about?” He then pats a bicep emphasizes the following, “Your spell totally worked.”

“Come off it, Aiden! You know better than anyone that the whole point of the ritual was mana. It was your spell! You’re the one who-”

“Speak any louder and everyone will hear you.”

Camillia instantly shuts her mouth, but her scowl transforms into a glare. After a moment, she says, “Quit acting dumb. Your body shouldn’t be able to produce mana. People are going to want to analyze if the ascension ritual has a delayed effect if we don’t clear this up. Aren’t we friends?”

Aiden maintains his laid back tone. “Yeah, you’d definitely be expelled if it comes to that. But if you lose your place, then you lose your place.”

Horror and shock flashes across her face as she says, “Don’t you care!”

Aiden’s tone once more turns flat. “Camillia, just come out and say you’re here because I beat Norman, Eric’s baby brother.”

“That not tr-”

“You haven’t bothered to watch any of my matches. The only reason you came to this one was to cheer for Norman. You thought I’d lose here just like everyone else. But now that I won, you’re scared and wondering who I’ll beat next.”

Camillia grits her teeth and slams the bed with a palm. Scorn laces her tone as she gets up. “Why would I be scared of you?”

“Because I’m a first rate magician! I’m developing synthesis magic. I drafted an ascension ritual. I did all of this before turning 15. What’s going to happen now that I have mana to back me up? Your boyfriend is good. He has quick mana recovery and a fairly high mana output. Those are excellent traits for a combat magician like him. There’s just one problem. Now that I can use mana, I’m a complete dark horse. Your friends might not think too much of me, but you know better. Camillia, I’m going straight to the finals.”

“You’re not going to beat Eric.”

Aiden confronts Camillia’s glare with resolute eyes full of confidence. “Just wait and see.”

Camillia turns and storms out of the room. Aiden’s expression softens once the door slams shut and he drops back against his pillow. Less than two years ago, Camillia would have corrected him with “Cami” whenever he called her Camillia.

He recalls a conversation he overheard the other day. She still hates it when her friends call her anything but that.

“Well, you were a good friend while it lasted…”

 

And now that I’ve gone back to re-read this, I totally understand what you meant. My bad, I misunderstood you and that’s totally a valid point. The sword lets him cancel the “illusionary DNA” in “her” body free of mana, but the restructuring would take mana. I was too exciting to notice that~
Thanks for persistantly point that out!

 

Part 5

I wasn't planning on writing this, but I just had the image of Kairi shouting, "The dragon!" in my head and just had to get it out. Fufufu, she's a cute one~

Spoiler: A Dragon Visits

“You’ve kept the dragon waiting!”

Aiden freezes midway through the door of his dorm room. His younger sister Kairi points at him from the middle of the room while her other arm angles off her hip. From her tone and posture, he pictures something like a cape or cloak flowing behind her.

Kairi continues, “The dragon came all this way just for you! How dare you not be here to greet her magnificent arrival!”

Aiden recalls his mother mentioning in various emails that Kairi had been breaking free of her timid shell over past two years, but at the same time worried she was developing strange tendencies. In the end, she would always reassure herself by claiming it was just a phase and that he’d need to look after he once she enrolled at Pounamu the following year. He didn’t think much of it from the emails, but now that he’s seeing Kairi, he’s starting to have second doubts.

“The dragon should smite you into quarks and leptons, but rejoice for she is both merciful and magnanimous! Your transgression on the dragon will be overlooked on the account of you being her venerable bro-”

Aiden flicks her forehead.

“Hey! What are you doing to-”

Aiden flicks her forehead again.

“Quit bullying the dragon!”

“Kairi, what are you doing here?”

Kairi’s eyes pop open in shock. She takes an over dramatic step back and feigns hurt. “You forgot? This is an outrage! You made a request of the dragon and then carelessly for-”

Aiden flicks her forehead again. “Quit shouting!”

Kairi pouts and grumbles the word, “Meany,” under her breathe as she rubs her forehead. She then picks up a stack of four silver sheets up from Aiden’s bed. “The dragon came to deliver the anti-magic metal you requested.”

“You came in person?”

Kairi crosses her arms and nods as she says, “Oh course!” The assurance lacing her voice suggests that doing so is only natural. “Far too much has happened since our last encounter. Yes, I started harboring doubts during my shower when a hand absconded with my shampoo. Then, your zweihander vanished from your room and appeared during your battle against that hedgehog. Finally, after witnessing your battle with Eric, the dragon knew she had to meet you with her own eyes for a much long overdue conversation.”

“And our parents just let you come?” Kairi’s flinch prompts Aiden to sharpen his tone. “Kairi, do they know you’re here?”

She avoids eye contact.

Aiden groans. To reach Pounamu, Hawaiian island jumping is required. Travelers must first land on one of Hawaii’s main islands. From there, they need to go to a specific minor island that will then ferry them to Pounamu. Direct travel is practically impossible.

Kairi would have at best needed at least a day to reach him. Furthermore, that day would have required a lot of preparation in terms of logistics. Just acquiring the needed tickets for the plane and ferries should have been outside her budget. Yet, not only has he not heard from his parents that she’s gone missing, from her attitude, she just arbitrarily decided to visit him. He’s reminded of someone taking a walk down the street, not traveling halfway across the world. “How did you even get here?”

Kairi grins, “My foolish brother! Did you for-”

Aiden flicks her forehead. Then, as she yelps and rubs it, he flicks it again.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” She then clears her throat and once more adopts her high and mighty tone. “The dragon used the teleportation array down in the basement.”

Her proclamation catches Aiden’s interest. Whatever annoyances he had fades as curiosity laces his tone. “By yourself?”

“With my mastery of magic, a simple spell like that-”

“Requires way more mana than a single person can put out at a time.”

“The dragon is no fool. Your experimental lessons in mana containing and mana molding were most beneficial to this cause.”

“Even then, a normal person would have run out of mana just trying to set up the mana containers needed for teleportation spell. More than that, mana containers don’t have long shelf lives. They aren’t batteries you can store overnight.”

“As you say, which is why the dragon did everything then and there!” Kairi’s dark, almond shaped, eyes turn yellow and her pupils change into slits. Emerald highlights appear in her black hair as she growls and flicks down her green lined sunglass over her face. “Because I am the dragon! Hear my roar and tremble!”

Aiden is grateful for her sunglasses. The wide lenses cover her eyebrows and reach down to her cheeks, creating a mask of sorts. As long as she wears them, it will be much harder for people to recognize her as his sister. Still, with her enrollment assured next year, he’d like to make it even harder. “Do you want some help with that illusion spell of yours? How about something that stretches beyond just your eyes and hair?”

Kairi holds her head up high as she says, “The dragon shall tell you the same as she told our honorable mother and father. These colors are natural.”

Aiden lunges forward, lifts Kairi’s glasses from her face, and stares into her reptilian like eyes. “Wait, what? What do you mean, natural? Since when?”

Kairi’s overly proud attitude melts into joy. Mirth laces her tone as she says, “As expected from the dragon’s brother. While everyone else laughed at her claims, you believed without a moment’s doubt. Truly, only you are worthy of being fam-”

Aiden flicks her forehead. “Kairi, when did this start?”

“Cut that out!” Kairi tackles Aiden.

Aiden steps back, twists, and sweeps her feet from under her. He then forces her to land on top of his bed where, just like when they were in elementary school, he pins her arms behind her back and tickles her. “So, you feel like talking yet?”

Kairi squirms and clenches her teeth, but is soon wreathing with laughter. “Not fair, not fair! You always do this to me!” Aiden continues tickling until she’s gasping for air due to laughter. “Okay, okay, I’ll talk, I’ll talk!”

Aiden gets off of Kairi and sits beside her. “So, since when?”

A few chuckles escape Kairi as she adjusts herself on the bed and rolls over. She glares at him, but her fury comes off more cute than angry. “About two years ago. Maybe a month before you left for Pounamu.”

That was around the time Aiden underwent his ascension ritual. “Anything else?”

Kairi hesitates, but then says, “I’ve got more mana now too.”

Aiden tenses for a moment, but manages to calm down enough to say, “How much more?”

“Dragons don’t have limits. This one once cast spells for three hours straight, only to stop because she got bored.” Her tone weakens and she averts her gaze, “You don’t hate me for this, do you?”

The frustration that was welling up within Aiden fades at his sister’s fear. Everyone knows he risked his life undergoing an ascension ritual for the sake of acquiring mana. Instead, it gave him a body well beyond human limits. Ironically, those changes also included a ridiculously large mana storage capacity.

Kairi was nowhere close to the ritual site. The only other person there was Camillia who activated the ritual for him. Regardless, Kairi’s mana underwent a clear metamorphosis. Considering the timing, concluding she somehow usurped his ritual is only natural. She must have been terrified about how I’d react once I found out.

Aiden exhales and places a hand on her head. “Relax, it’s not like you went and sabotaged my ritual.” He then hoists her up and hugs her. “In the end, this outcome worked out pretty well for me, so don’t be so glum about it.”

 

Part 6

I'll be honest, these short stories can be really fun to write. They might get mentioned in the main story, but that would be that. This is so much better~

Spoiler: Hips Don't Lie

Aiden walks onto a clearing in the woods, but doesn’t see any of his classmates. Thinking he might be early, he heads for the creek where he finds Kalani and Liam listening to music. Neither of them are dressed for training. Kalani is even wearing a skirt. He says, “What gives? Didn’t you call us all here for extra training?”

Liam sighs and shakes his head. “Kalani calling for extra practice is code for, ‘let’s hang out.’”

Aiden’s face twists with annoyance. He then turns around while saying, “I have work to do.”

Kalani dashes past him to cut him off. “Wait, wait, wait, don’t be like that.” She gives him a brilliant smile as she says, “You’re already here, so let’s have some fun.”

Aiden grits his teeth as she readjust the bird of paradise in her silky brown hair. “I’m busy.”

“You’re always busy. Come on, make some time for your friends.”

Aiden’s taken aback. When he first came to Pounamu, he was excited and happy to be coming with a friend. Now that friend barely even notices him anymore. Mirth cracks his voice as he points at himself while saying, “We’re... friends?”

Kalani tilts her head while saying, “Well, yeah? I mean, you haven’t missed a single day of training since dad let you join us. Haven’t we’ve gotten to know each other pretty well since then?”

Aiden frowns as he thinks over Kalani’s words. “Yeah… I guess… that’s true.”

Kalani flashes him a grin and says, “So come on, let’s hang out for a bit.”

Aiden’s reluctance breaks with a sigh, “Fine…” A smile soon gives way as he adds, “What are you planning?”

Liam slaps Aiden’s back. “Remember how you mentioned that you can speak Spanish a few days back?” He laughs and adds, “Start regretting that.”

Kalani drags them both back to the creek before anything more is said. She hops down onto the bank and crouches before a smartphone that is connected to a speaker. After sliding though the songs, she gets up, rounds her arms above her head, and sways her hips while singing, “I never really knew that she could dance like this; She makes a man want to speak Spanish.”

Liam says, “Kalani loves singing and dancing on her free time.” He then pushes Aiden forward while adding, “Have fun.”

Aiden looks back and forth between the two and says, “I don’t know the first thing about any of this!” He then looks to Liam, “Maybe you should keep doing the dancing!”

Liam kicks back on the grass and says, “Dude, you’re just a bit taller than her while I’m a head taller. It’ll flow much smoother with you.”

“You’re just looking for someone to trade out with...”

Kalani stops dancing and says, “It’s fine, it’s fine. We’ll start with the song. You use your Latin voice to do the man’s part, and I’ll do Shakira’s.” She presses rewind on her smartphone and beams at Aiden. Her joy soon melts into disappointment.

Aiden looks away. His supposed part started, but he remained silent. As he starts to talk, his face turns redder with each word. “Sorry, I… don’t know the lyrics.”

Kalani’s jaw drops. “Seriously? Just what do you do on your free time?”

“I read…” Aiden stops himself from adding, “research, and develop spells.” That he’s an actual academy student is a secret from the class. While he could tell them, he’s afraid that if they find out, they won’t want him around anymore. “I read a lot of books.”

“What kind?”

“Things like astrophysics, chemistry, calculus, and quantum mechanics.”

Both Kalani and Liam look at him and say, “You’re weird.”

 

Part 7
Like I said when I stopped, once work starts, these will be coming out a lot more often~ This one has actually been in the back of my mind for a few weeks now. I just didn't have the time to type it out. Tell me it's flaws, please

Spoiler: Not Eating Alone

Aiden pulls out his phone and with a few swipes of his finger, opens a messenger app. He had invited Camillia to meet up for lunch earlier that week so they could catch up with each other. A lot happened over the summer that he wants to tell her, but according to the app, she never even bothered to open his text. He pockets his phone with a sigh. Figures…

That she wouldn’t accept, or even answer aren’t surprising. Camilla had been seeking him out less and less ever since last Christmas break. Regardless, he at least thought she’d read his message.

Aiden glances over at the special lunch platform reserved for the academy’s top students. It isn’t anything fancy, just an elevated deck with a nice view. A few spells keep it at a comfortable temperature year round just like the rest of the outdoor dining area. Maybe she’s already up there sharing stories with her new friends? He doesn’t know. Unlike last year, she hasn’t told him her schedule for the year.

Aiden clicks his tongue as he turns his back towards the deck. He gets a burger and fries from one of the stores, and after searching around, finds an empty table. Five minutes after sitting down, a girl with black, wavy, shoulder length hair sets a tray at the opposite corner.

She looks into Aiden’s eyes as she sits down and then, without a word, begins to eat. Okay, sure. Better than eating alone, I guess… Neither of them exchange a word. His only impression of her is about her dark eyes from when she sat down. They were radiating with uncertainty.

The next day, despite being a Saturday, is the same. Aiden sits at an empty table and she joins him, choosing the seat furthest away from his. The meal is again eaten in silence. Aiden looks around and sees that unlike the previous day, there are other open tables. Does she just want to eat with me or something?

On the third day, Aiden sits at the empty end of a half full table. The other students at the table recognize him as the scholarship student and stare at him as he eats. Since he chose to sit with them, he can only ignore their curious stares while waiting to see how the girl will respond. Maybe I should just go back to sitting at empty tables…

She, instead of sitting at the same table, claims the table behind him. She sits with her back to him. She isn’t watching him, but that makes him even more uncomfortable.

On the fourth day, she doesn’t appear. Does she have class?

Aiden sits at an empty table on the fifth day. The girl once more sits at the seat furthest away from him. He waits for her to sit down before saying, “So, are you eating with me because of a dare?”

She glances towards Aiden and shakes her head. “I just want to.”

“You just want to?”

She shrugs, “I don’t get it either. I’m all ears if you have any guesses.”

Aiden has no idea on how to respond. To be fair, her reason isn’t that strange. He stares at her for a few seconds before saying, “Are you a first year?”

“I’m a second year, just like you. I just had class during this time last year.”

 

Here’s the first post~

The evening’s first stars (first evening's stars*) peek (peak*) into the sky as the sun begins to set. (Btw use one space is preferred after a period, not two) Long shadows stretch across an open field that (which*) was gradually created and expanded upon through the testing of various spells. (gradually constructed through the testing of various spells) On the large rock in the center of the field sits Aiden. (*introduction* *introduction* e.g. A young boy sat on a boulder within the field. Aiden turned a page. Or you can put it another way)

Scattered on the grass around him are physics books, his note books (notebooks*), advanced spell books, and a doll he lost when he was five. (a doll e.e why would a doll he lost be with him? You shouldn't insert unnecessarily complex ideas so early)
He’s oblivious to the passage of time as he mulls over a new spell. (He muses over a new spell, oblivious to the passage of time.) Fengsui links quantum mechanics with relativity which should let me create a wormhole to my zweihander. (Quick tip, don't use stuff like science with magic or lore with magic unless you're well versed with them. Try to create an original magic system because it sounds really fake otherwise)
He glances at the items surrounding him. “Should let me, assuming that’s what I want most…”
Aiden lays back on the rock with a sigh and looks up at the few stars. “Letting fengsui direct the spell by reading my feelings makes the observer effect too much of a wildcard.”
Aiden traces a circle of fire in the air with a finger and reaches into it. His hand vanishes inside of it instead of appearing on the opposite end. He reaches straight into the circle and grasps what he wants most. “Dinner cooked by my mother…”
Well, it has been months since I last gone home… and I am getting hungry.
He starts to eat with a sigh and tries again. This time, when he reaches into the circle, he hears a shrill scream. He grabs his desired object and pulls it out. “A soapy shampoo bottle?”
He recalls that he is low on shampoo while looking at the label. “Isn’t this Kairi’s favorite brand…?” It then dawns on him that the scream sounded familiar.
Using fengsui to manipulate the observer effect when creating the wormhole is too unstable. But, it’s also the most flexible when it comes to locating something when it’s coordinates isn’t known.
“And it’s also the most economical when it comes to a mana to spell ratio.”
He places the empty plate with the other failed summoned objects as he stands up. “Hopefully, once I’m actually in combat (once I'm in combat*), my survival instincts will help me focus my desire and actually link me to my sword?” (Don't use the word actually when you don't need to, you used it twice0

Tell me what you think~[/QUOTE]

It's okay. Not too good, not too bad. Your english is fine. Just try to make your story more interesting with better ideas. Using stuff like quantum mechanics and pulling out things like that will put most readers off. You can get someone to proofread or edit if you plan on publishing it. Also I recommend past tense, even I cant write present tense without screwing up a bit

You shouldn't use italics for thoughts either. Thoughts should be minimum. If you do, use something like:

This was good, he mused.

OR

Using fengshui to manipulate the Observer's Effect when creating the wormhole was too unstable, Aiden frowned. However, it was..

 

One more thing, it's fengshui, not feng sui. Pronounced feng1shui3. Also, paragraphing. You should get these fixed, since it's harder to read and stuff

 

Thank you~

 

For the fifth line, I think wasn't or not would fit better than aren't?

 

Here we have number 8. It's a bit longer, but digs into the setting a bit. Beat this chapter with a bat and make it tell you its flaws~

Spoiler: The Heaven Sent Sword

Aiden takes his sister to a large tower in the exact center of the academy. Back when the academy was still a kingdom, the first Merekara established that tower as his seat of reign. Many of the surrounding buildings were built soon afterward. While those structures have been repurposed over the change of time, the central tower remains relatively untouched.


Kairi places her palms against the tower’s large wooden doors. Then, as she exhales, she leans forward to also rest her forehead against it. She adopts solemn tone, “The first Merekara established his throne, ruled the art of magic, and died. The world discovered his descendant a failure and revolted. He fled, but they found and executed him. No one wanted to risk him spawning a second Merekara to shackle them.”


Aiden makes a face that questions his sister’s sanity at her sudden monologue. Doubt laces his words, “That was over half a millennia ago.”


Kairi chuckles as she continues, “Yes, like you say my venerable brother, this world is a different place now. Kingdoms have given way to nations. Kings have been dethroned by chosen presidents.”


“Most places use prime ministers.”


Kairi ignores Aiden as she says, “This world wants a new Merekara, to see the miracles wrought by that sacred blade. This delay has gone on much too long…”


Aiden, starting to get uneasy from Kairi’s words, says, “If anything, Merekara would be an honorary title. Even if a second were to appear, no one would bow down and prostrate themselves.”


“Has not this place been kept unchanged since those days? Has not the Seven Star Sword been awaiting a new master? Has not this academy been established for the sake of finding the second Merekara? The bloodline of the first Merekara has not been extinguished. His descendant ran, but to say he never begot children of his own is the epitome of foolishness.”


“You don’t-”


Kairi steps back shout to sky for everyone to hear. “The Dragon has come to claim her seat as the new Merekara!”


Yep, she totally convinced…


She flings the two doors open with a push of her arms. She pauses and breathes deep to relish the moment. She exhales and sets her gaze forward. Before her lies a massive rocky protrusion. In the center of the protrusion is a cave entrance; carved out along the outside of the protrusion are stairs that lead into the entrance of the tower.


A minute passes, but Kairi remains rooted. Aiden leans forward to get a better look at his sister’s face. Her lips tremble as she tries to keep her expression flat. Long gone is the over flowing confidence she radiated on their walk there from his dorm room. A sly grin spreads across Aiden’s face. “What’s wrong? Aren’t ya going in? The Seven Star Sword is waiting for you.”


“Do not rush the Dragon! She comes and goes as she pleases, when she pleases!”


Your legs are shaking…


Kairi takes a breath and marches inside. “The time is now! Come!”


Aiden wishes she had instead turned around and said, “This place offers nothing of interest to the Dragon!” He can now only sigh, also take a breath, and step through the door. Without sparing anything else a glance, he follows Kairi into the cave.


She waits for him just around the bend, shifting in place with clear hesitation towards continuing. “How dare you keep the Dragon waiting? This is her most glorious moment. More than anything, you should be beside yourself with joy!”


Aiden gives her a blank stare, raises an arm, and gives a lethargic, “Yay.”


Kairi stomps her foot. “Don’t mock the Dragon!” She then grabs his arm and pulls him deeper into the cavern. Their path is illuminated from a faint glow given off by the stalactites. “Even the stones know their new Merekara has arrived.”


“Those things never turn off in the first place.”


Kairi goes, “hmph,” and pulls him along at a faster pace. Her briskness and bravado only lasts seven steps before she slows down. With each step slower and smaller than the previous one, she’s soon walking behind Aiden. A bit more and she will be hiding behind him.


Aiden stops walking and Kairi crashes into his back. She rubs her nose as she circles around him. “You dare anger the Dragon? Such insolence will not be tolerated!”


“Why am I in front? This is your self-imposed quest.”


Kairi places her hands upon her hips and laughs. “And you call yourself the Dragon’s true family? My venerable brother, you have been given the privilege of leading the way! No greater honor exists! Dragons are brave and majestic, rarely do they follow the trails blazed by others!”


I just can’t get used to this. She used to be so timid and reserved.


Kairi pouts at Aiden’s sigh. With a slightly teary face, she storms ahead of him. “Fine, then you can just cower behind me!”


Aiden wants to laugh at how hard Kairi is pushing herself, but also recognizes the mental fortitude needed to progress forward. He too is starting feel an odd discomfort. Back when he descended with his class to look at the sword last year, he was the only one who felt it. The way he descried it to Camillia after the tour was, “It’s like when your skin feels like it’s on the verge of being ripped off, only it’s your whole body.”


Is this another side effect of the ascension ritual?


According to the legends, the Seven Star Sword was forged through the power of seven stars. It grants its true wielder absolute domination over the magical world. That’s the true reason everyone revolted against the first Merekara’s descendent. The world wanted him gone before he could grow too powerful. Magical beings were at the forefront of that hunt. I’m technically a magical being now too. Could this feeling be why they were so eager to do away with him?


Kairi’s earlier comments about the world wanting a new king weren’t entirely wrong either. Pounamu was able to become such a powerful academy because the Seven Star Sword rests at the bottom of that cave. Many talented magicians gathered there in an attempt to pull it out only to fail. All of them refused to give up and therefore decided to habitat the island’s former empire. Families were started and a community built itself up. Their children needed an education and there was an abundance of powerful magicians.



Pounamu Academy developed over the past 200 years by drawing in those coveting the sword and those wanting to learn under them. Actually, what would everyone do if the sword was pulled? It being here made Pounamu a Mecca for the world’s magicians. Would they just bail once it’s gone? Or would they flock around whoever ends its crystal sleep?


Kairi’s piercing scream echoes throughout the cave. She dashes past him a few seconds later in a mad escape from the cave. All she wants is to put as much distance between herself and the Seven Star Sword as possible.


He watches until she’s out of sight. The sword clearly has a much stronger effect on her than him. “Did she try touching it?”


Aiden continues forward and after a few minutes, reaches the deepest cavern. Encased within a stalagmite in the center of the chamber is a Chinese Dao. According to the legends, the first Merekara established himself in the middle of the Pacific Ocean because of some prophecy. The contents are something he never disclosed to prevent anyone from acting against it.


Aiden continues towards the sword despite his body’s frantic warnings and only stops once the blade is in clear view. The last time he was there, he tried grabbing the hilt. His fingers had just brushed against the pommel when he yanked his hand back. I thought I was going to die…

Seven crystals of varying colors break the blade’s smooth surface. They weren’t embedded within the sword; the blade itself was forged around them. The current leading theory is that each one behaves as one of the body’s seven chakra points, the body’s source of mana. The Merekara is only so amazing because the Seven Star Sword offers an unlimited source of mana to its wielder.


Aiden himself leans towards a different theory. One that states each crystal governs a yet undiscovered law of magic. That really would make them like the stars of the night sky. A true gift from the heavens. His evidence for those thoughts is the way his body reacts to being around the sword. His sister potentially being traumatized by it only reinforces his thoughts.

 

Chapter 9

Some of you wondered why Aiden refused to bow to the king in the main story. Well, this should give you an idea~

Spoiler: Servitude

“I’ve been waiting for you, Aiden.”
Aiden spins around mid-step to find Wulf, the academy’s number two student, at the
edge of his practice field. The place is secluded within the forest, but anyone could find it with a simple search. Most people, however, would consider such effort too troublesome.
The young duke steps away from the tree he leans against and takes lofty strides
towards Aiden.
Aiden can guess Wulf’s business with him. With his background as a duke, he
approached Camillia various times the previous year with clear intentions of recruiting her into his faction in order to raise his prestige. Every attempt was followed with her
complaining to Aiden about the dullness of politics and the stupidity of power struggles.
And now that I’ve shown my worth at the previous competition, I his next target…
Aiden might have been born a failure of a magician, but he was also born an average
member of society and knows he wants nothing to do with what Wulf will offer him.
His sole goal is to research magic and develop himself as the world’s first synthesis
magician. “You want something from me?”
“Kneel.”
Aiden’s head snaps towards Wulf’s while saying, “Like hel…” His remark trails off as
his eyes turn lifeless upon crossing with Wulf’s. With a blank expression, he drops onto a knee and lowers his head. “As you wish, master.”
Satisfaction spreads across Wulf’s face as he says, “Good, good… You know, I was
afraid hypnotism wouldn’t work on you. I guess even if your body is ascended, your
mind is still that of a human’s.”
Aiden doesn’t twitch from his position. He speaks with his head still down. “It is as
you surmised. My body ascended, but my mind remained.”
“How much do you know about the Ascension Ritual?”
“Everything.”
“Seriously? Wow, Camillia is a bigger idiot than I thought. That’s the sort of thing you keep to yourself.”
Aiden doesn’t respond. While Wulf did ask a question, the intention behind it wasn’t one seeking an answer.
A vulgar grin spreads across Wulf’s face as he looks down at Aiden. “Bark.”
“Arf, arf, arf!”
Wulf laughs and stomps down on Aiden’s back. He forces his face into the dirt and
says, “Tell me everything I need to know for my Ascension Ritual.”

 

Chapter 10
First Match

Time for the academy spar competition~

Spoiler: First Match

Aiden stretches his arms over head as he steps onto the Academy arena. While there aren’t any expectations on him advancing very far in the academy’s Strongest Under Heaven Magic Battle competition, many magicians are curious as to how he’ll perform. It’s the perfect opportunity for him to showcase the changes the ascension ritual had on his body. As such, he was selected to appear in the opening match on the first of October.

A carefree smile floats across Aiden’s face as he recalls the previous night’s training. His fellow training classmates don’t watch the opening matches of the competition. Kalani even went so far as to say, “Those opening matches are a waste of time. Real magic doesn’t start appearing until after the elimination rounds so just save your time off for that.”

She’s right.

Aiden’s current opponent is a first year. Despite being a second year himself, his poor record the previous year coupled with the ability for magic he has exhibited so far seeded him into a position where he’ll start of against students not well versed in magic. Still, he is a second year and as such, the first year he’s up against is one of the better ones of the class.

More important than that, however, is that none of his training classmates will be in the audience. All of them are instead busy working to keep the island operational. If none of them are watching, then he doesn’t need to worry about his status as an academy student being exposed.

I spent all that time wondering how I’d face them afterwards for nothing. Well, maybe not nothing. I’ll still need to come clean in December…

Aiden looks around once he reaches the center of the arena. Seated within the amphitheater is practically the entire first year class, a fifth of the second-year class, and magical researches there only to observe him. Still, despite that showing, not even a fifth of the seats are occupied.

I can’t believe I didn’t even notice last year. With those thoughts in mind, Aiden continues to look around the audience. Only after his third sweep across does he give up searching for Camillia.

His opponent says, “Can we start already? I want to finish this today.”

Aiden sighs as he lowers himself into a martial arts stance. “Yeah, might as well get the over with.”

“Wait, you seriously think you’re going to beat me? Are you stupid? I’m the top of my grade and you’re just the special scholarship student. I actually deserve to be at this academy.”

Aiden ignores him and waits for the match to start. Although he can freely use magic now, he wants to keep that a secret for as long as he can.

His opponent continues to taunt him. He moved from self-entitlement to critiquing Aiden’s decision to use martial arts. “Seriously, what kind of 4th rate magician resorts to punching? Actually, I have the perfect spell for this. Get ready to punch yourself in the face! A big, fat, bloody nose-”

The match then starts while his opponent is in mid-sentence. Aiden dashes forward, covering the 30 meters between them in less than a second, and smashes his fist into his opponent’s face. He had originally been intending to sock him in the stomach, but this guy is too annoying.

The first-year flies back and kicks up dust as he tumbles across the ground. He comes to a stop flat on his face. Not a twitch comes from his body as blood spreads out beneath him.

Aiden looks at him and says, “Don’t underestimate you opponents,” before leaving the ring. No one cheers. His victory was too sudden and unexpected for the majority of the audience. Only the second years who saw him compete in the previous year’s competition anticipated such an outcome against such an opponent.

“I wonder if I’ll be able to get through the rest of today’s matches without having to use any of my real magic?”

 

Chapter 11
Time for Kairi the dragon to me Aiden's friends~

Spoiler: A First Rate Magician

Kairi takes an imposing step forward as she places an arm before her chest and flings the other behind herself. Her self-assured gestures give the illusion that a cape billows behind her. “I am the dragon! Bow down and worship my magnifi— ow!”

Aiden cuts off Kairi’s rant with a flick to the back of her head. She was still trembling from trying to touch the Seven Star Sword two minutes ago… How is she so energetic?

He looks at Kalani and (male). Reluctance laces his words as he says, “So, like I said in the messenger, this is my younger sister, Kairi. She came to visit.”

Kairi jumps up to restart her tirade, but Aiden preempts her with another flick. She turns to him with a crestfallen expression and says, “Why do you keep flicking me?”

Aiden stares at her for a moment and then shakes his head. He recalls the previous night’s conversation with the thoughts, This is my fault…

Kalani uses the pause to approach Kairi and tease her with a smile. “You’re a cute dragon.”

Kairi jumps at the remark. Shock and embarrassment twist into fury and frustration as she spins around. Her words are accented by crackling lightning as she says, “The dragon is not cute! The dragon is ferocious! Destruction incarnate! For that insolence, I shal- ow!”

As Kairi clutches the back of her head, Aiden says, “Tone down the lightning before you start a forest fire.”

(Boy) speaks with mild amusement lacing his words. “That was actually pretty amazing. I never knew magic could run wild like that.”

Aiden shrugs, but doesn’t comment. He needs that pause to keep from giving a deadpanned, “It doesn’t.” All he can manage to come up with during that moment is, “Kairi is pretty talented. She could totally get accept into this academy through her own skill.”

Kairi says, “Obviously! Only fools would turn away the drag-”

Boy cuts Kairi off before she can start her tirade. “Wait, what do you mean her own skill? Are you using your status to pull strings?”

Kairi complains, “Hey,” but is ignored. Aiden says, “Opposite, this is completely for their own conveniences. They said they’ll automatically accept her for my sake, but they just want to examine her.”

Kairi says, “They can try! The dragon is nobody’s lab ra-”

Kalani cuts her off and says, “Examine? You mean as a comparison between you and a normal magician who’s also related to you?”

While Kairi again pouts at being ignored, Aiden says, “Pretty much, or at least that’s my speculation. I mean, I would totally want to do the same. They’re bound to have already checked the differences between me and other magicians. Kairi will be a reference to what I was like before ascending.”

Kalani and (boy) stare at Aiden for a few moments before sighing. Kalani says, “I forget you have this side to yourself. All those questions you asked back when we were helping you learn meditative mana gathering left me floored.”

Boy says, “Yeah, like, ‘would anything change if I meditated submerged in water?’ Heck, you even convinced me to climb to the top of the mountain for the sake of comparing potential differences due to altitude.”

Aiden says, “But, we discovered that although there wasn’t much difference in the amount that could be gathered, the mana itself felt “strange.” This suggests that different “organisms” produce different types of mana. With more research, we might be able to discover if those different types of mana have any effect on magic being cast or if those different types have any compatibility differences among magicians.”

Kalani makes a face as she turns away. “Which you can do on your own. You’ve got meditative mana gathering down so have fun.”

Aiden says, “That’s no good. This sort of thing is better studied with a larger sample pool to compare against. Kairi could give you hundreds of stories where I had her try out new spells for me over and over again.”

He waits for Kairi to follow up with an example, but only silence follows. After looking around for a bit, he finds her skulking as she stares at some flowers off on the side. His bad habit of drifting off into his own thoughts and ignoring everything around him had always upset Kairi. Everyone doing that just now has got to be even worse.

Kalani acts faster than Aiden as she gives Kairi a hug from behind. “Sorry, sorry, we got a bit too caught up on ourselves. Come on, we’ll totally make this up to you.”

Kairi speaks after a few moments. Her tone is laced with stark annoyance and frustration. “I want ice cream.”

“Then you’re in luck cause Aiden can totally get us the best ice cream on the island.”

Kairi peaks her face towards Aiden. A bit of vigor seeps into it as she says, “Is Cami going to be there?”

Boy says, “Cami? You mean Camillia?”

Kalani squeezes Kairi towards herself out of surprise from the revelation. She then sweeps the younger girl off her feet as she spins around to ask, “You guys are friends with a celebrity like her!”

Kairi, dangling off balanced within Kalani’s arms, says, “Of course…” She then rights herself and adds, “Aiden would always drag her off to test whatever new spell he came up with when we were kids.”

Aiden chuckles as he recalls the trouble he’d get Kairi, Camillia, and himself into. His grin soon melts upon spotting bright anticipative expressions on Kalani and (boy). “Don’t get your hopes up. She’s been really busy lately. I doubt she’d even have time to meet with any of us.”

He then sends Camillia an invitation to get ice cream over his phone and adds, “Honestly, I doubt she’ll even see this message. Well, she might make time to see Kai-”

Kairi, as Aiden’s sister, notices the subtle displeasure hidden within his expression and gestures. From there she picks up on the implication of his words. She breaks from Kalani’s arms with a roar. “That bitch! She’s snubbing you? You! Everything she’s accomplished is your work! The dragon is gonna-!”

Aiden chops Kairi on the head. At Kairi’s wimper, he says, “Calm down. It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Venerable brother! How can you have the presence of mind to claim it doesn’t matter? The dragon must see to this injustice! She’ll reg- ow!”

“I said calm down.”

(Boy) speaks before Aiden can say anything else. Confusion laces his tone as he says, “Your work? Are you claiming everything she’s done is because of you?”

Annoyance flashes across Aiden’s face as he sends Kairi an accusative glance. Kalani says, “Wait, then what about the ascension ritual that made Camillia famous and got you both into the academy? That was all you?”

Aiden recognizes that the truth has been uncovered and sighs. Then, after a moment of thought, he realizes that he never intended to keep his capabilities secret in the first place. He only kept quiet among his training friends because he didn’t want them to know he was enrolled in the academy. That it somehow deviated to protecting the truth about Camillia stemmed from an unoknown moment of stupid rationality. Then, upon recalling the conversation he had with Camilia in the hospital room, he feels even more foolish. The shock is to the point that he shakes his head to try and drive it from his mind.

Kalani and (boy) turn to Kairi at Aiden’s strange behavior, but she signals for them to just give him a few more seconds. Not having any other recourse, they stare at him with open hesitation.

A confident grin soon flashes across Aiden’s face as says, “Don’t you guys remember my match? I’m a first rate magician. Everything Camillia knows is because of me.”

Kairi says, “Everything the dragon knows is also because of her venerable brother.”

(boy), although taken aback by Aiden’s sudden switch in attitude, says, “How are you so relaxed about this? You should be furious.”

Aiden paraphrases the words he spoke to Camillia. Melancholy laces his tone as he says, “She’ll probably be expelled sooner or later. The professors are already starting to realize that I’m much better than her. Some have even started inviting me to attend their more advanced lectures.”

Kalani smirks at the disconnect between Aiden’s usual behavior and the words he uses to describe himself. “They are?”

A sheepish smile makes its way across Aiden’s face as he says, “I may have pestered them with one too many questions during their office hours about one or two revolutionary techniques in spell crafting.”

Playfulness laces Kalani’s tone as she adds, “You’re not the slightest bit humble when you talk about yourself, huh?”

“Hey, I’m being objective! My descriptions are completely objective! You try crafting a new field of magic and talk about it with some one. You’d come off as impressive no matter what you say, okay!”

 

Chapter 12

Spoiler: Bitter Sweet

Aiden and Norman stare each other down as they wait for their match to start. The winner will move onto the main tournament starting in December. That competition will be televised around the world for all magicians to watch.

The stands over the past 2 months matches slowly filled in and are now less than a quarter empty. Many were shocked to see Aiden emerge victorious round after round, but have since come to consider him the tournament dark horse. Quite a few are even betting he’ll reach the finals despite the odds.

Aiden takes a quick glance towards where he spotted Camillia sitting earlier. She finally came to watch his match, but she and her friends solely give their support to Norman. Not a single word of encouragement from those rising stars of the academy is shared with him. That’s when Camillia says, “Don’t forget, Aiden’s weak to long range attacks. He doesn’t have the mana to defend against a barrage!”

Norman glances towards Camillia and then back towards Aiden. A sliver of sympathy laces his voice as he says, “Does it hurt?”

Aiden shrugs. He tries to act carefree, but his voice trembles. “Why would it?”

Norman smirks and says, “You’ve been doing pretty good this year. Didn’t some girl eliminate you in the third round last tournament?”

Aiden sighs as Norman’s obvious attempt to change the topic. “Don’t you research your opponents? You fought her in your last match.”

Norman shrugs as he says, “Why waste my time? She isn’t anything special.”

Aiden stares at Norman in dumbfoundment. Only after a few seconds does he realizing he’s being provoked. He then thrusts out a finger with a fearless laugh and says, “Don’t regret those words!”

“Right back at you.”

The match starts and Aiden dashes towards Norman. He claps his hands before Norman can respond and uses alchemy to manipulate the ground into bursting up a dust screen.

Norman, anticipating Aiden’s well established tactic, leaps upward. The runes tattooed across his chest glow and ethereal tendrils sprout from his back to hoist him above the cloud of dust. He then uses Aiden’s clover to his advantage by crashing those tendrils all over the arena.

The dust is blown away by the thrashing and Aiden is revealed both unharmed and wielding a seven inch wide zweihander. More than that, not a single tendril appears to have reached him. Norman looks at Aiden and then at his sword before spearing forth a tendril.

Aiden whips his zweihander around with an arm, and with a flick of the wrist, splits the incoming tendril down the middle. Not only does his weapon meet no resistance, the segment cut apart by his sword bursts and vanishes.

The damaged tendril is pulled back where it then regenerates. Aiden shifts his zweihander against his side as though it were a sheathed katana and smirks. “Were you expecting clones? Only an idiot uses the same trick over and over.”

“That’s what you’ve been doing for the past two months…”

Aiden dashes towards Norman while saying, “All for today!” Internally, however, his thoughts are more honest. It finally worked! I really did need actual combat to focus my desires.

Norman thrusts a pair of tendrils at Aiden, but he bisects them with an iai. Aiden continues the swing as he leaps and circles his sword around so he can hoist it overhead. Norman dodges the cut by propelling himself to the side with his tendrils. Then, as Aiden continues past beside him, he activates the runes on his other arm. He holds that arm forward while saying, “Idiot!” and fires quills from the palm.

Aiden kicks down on the air as the quills reach him and he soars upward. He flips around, squats upside down in midair, and bursts forward. Norman instinctively blocks with a pair of tendrils, but Aiden cuts through them with his zweihander.

Aiden once more kicks his foot off air and follows Norman as he tries escaping backwards. He slashes. Norman instinctively raises his arms to defend himself, but the attack slips through his guard. Blood splatters from Norman’s chest as the strike knocks him onto the ground. Aiden lands with a squat, but leaps onto his feet and spins around to face Norman. He holds his zweihander forward and ready to clash again.

Norman coughs blood and white from his ribcage flashes as he stands back up. That his bones resisted the attack surprises everyone. His glare is locked on Aiden’s zweihander while a set of runes on his other arm begin to glow.

Aiden, recognizing the pattern as a healing spell, dashes forward with his sword against his hip. Norman immediately claps his hands and buys himself time to heal by alchemizing a massive stone wall. Aiden judges it too thick for him to break through and darts towards its side. A torrent of flame swallows him upon rounding the edge.

He forces his way forward by shielding himself with the flat side of his zweihander. Its seven inch wide blade can’t completely block the fire, but it covers him enough. That which is exposed is quickly healed with a spell cast through his internal magic circle. The flames blocked by the sword, like with the tendrils before, burst and vanish upon crashing into it.

“Flames are his specialty!”

The flame cover dissipates at Camillia’s warning. Norman’s first instinct upon seeing Aiden so close is to leap back. Aiden clicks his tongue and jumps up after him.

The runes on Norman’s back glow, but he cancels the spell before the ethereal tendrils can appear. His wariness towards Aiden’s zweihander prompts him to instead drop back onto the ground and activate the runes on his leg.

A gale surrounds Aiden. He kicks off the air in an attempt to escape, but the wind encases him. Caught, he hurls his zweihander at Norman.

Norman’s eyes bulge at the attack. He never expected Aiden to toss aside what’s arguably his biggest advantage so easily. He jerks his body to the side and the large sword zips past his face.

Aiden is shocked by Norman looking away from him. Flinging his zweihander wasn’t a desperate effort to escape. Holding it was merely limiting his options. By throwing it, even if he missed, his hands would at least be free leaving him in a position to try something else. The current outcome is too outside his expectations.

Regardless, he latches onto the opening and claps his hands together. His alchemy is infused with the Daoist principles inherent to the left and right hands in order to link his internal magic circle with the outside world. Nine, pale blue, balls of fire appear as a halo around him before launching towards Norman.

Various students shout warnings to Norman. He turns in time to see the flames streaking towards him where, on instinct, he conjures his ethereal tendrils. The flames are blocked by the makeshift shield, yet he still screams out.

Those flames, unlike normal fire, directly attack the soul. The mind, body, and soul are all linked. Norman, by blocking them with something manipulated by thought, laid a direct link for the attack to reach his soul.

Shock and pain make Norman lose control of himself and his spells, giving Aiden the opportunity he needs to air leap forward. Aiden dashes towards Norman only to be slammed into the ground a flailing tendril.

Norman, despite his seething pain, feels through his tendrils that he struck something. He latches onto the feeling and forces his mind back into focus where he then spots Aiden pushing himself back up. Fear at what might happen if Aiden reorients himself motivates him into slamming down more tendrils against Aiden. He repeats the attack until Aiden stops struggling. Then, he then hoists him into the air, taking care to ensures he also binds his arms.

Norman waits for Aiden to finish coughing before saying, “That was spirit fire.”

Aiden grimaces as looks down at him. Despite his heavy breathing, his tone is laced with spite. “Weren’t you listening? I specialize in fire.”

Norman, instead of answer, walks towards the discarded zweihander. He tries lifting it with a tendril, but the moment the ethereal limb touches the silver blade, it bursts and fades. While sending a curious glance towards Aiden, he says, “And this blade is made of anti-magic metal…”

Another rune on Norman’s body glows, giving him the strength needed to lift the sword. “Who are you?”

Aiden smirks and says, “The scholarship student.”

Norman frowns and opens his mouth to retort, but gets punched in the face before he can say anything. As he stumbles, a tanned arm yanks the zweihander from his grip and flips it around. He flinches, but the blade stops right against his neck. Just breathing is enough for the edge to cut into his skin.

Aiden is still bound and suspended by his tendrils, but half of his left arm has vanished within a ring of fire. “A spatial linking spell, too…”

“Going to continue?”

Norman puts Aiden down while saying, “Even if I wanted to, it’d be declared my loss the second I try. They’re just giving me the opportunity to honorable recognize my defeat.”

Aiden, once free from his constraints, draws out his arm and zweihander from the ring of fire. He twirls the sword around with his wrist and rests it on his shoulder. “Good match.”

Norman marches straight up to Aiden, locks eyes with him, and says, “You are amazing. Teach me how to do that.”

Aiden stares at him for a few seconds before saying, “What?”

“Oh, come on! That sword, your magic, I want to learn all about this. Teach me!”

“You just lost to me.”

“Which is totally how I can tell that you’re amazing! Not even my— I mean, that was spirit fire. It has nothing to do with alchemy, but you made it work. That’s revolutionary. I’d be crazy to ignore this.”

Aiden glances to the side. His tone is heavy. “Ask Camellia…”

Norman makes a face, but bites down his retort.