The Evernon Saga - The Journey Of Ascension, A Struggle For Godhood.

(Day 2 - afternoon)

William's increased Strength and Agility from his level ups caused him to overshoot and fly forwards, landing flat on his face. Aiden was dumbfounded, staring at William as he sat up, the latter rubbing his nose irritatedly.

Aiden remained frozen for a second more, before leaping into William's arms.

"You're okay!" exclaimed Aiden, "I'm so glad you're okay!"

William was on the verge of pushing Aiden off, before realizing that the latter was weeping. Warm tears streaked down Aiden's face, continuing down his own still-bare c.h.e.s.t, as he decided to let it be.

"Yes, I'm alive, somehow," replied William in little more than a whisper, his mind wandering back to the nightmare that he had just had, rather than the ordeal caused by Amelia.

He turned his head away, not from Aiden, but the memory of the nightmare. It was a mystery, one so bizarre that he felt even telling anyone about it would simply draw ridicule.

Too fantastical, too vivid, too unrealistic.

Pushing his worries to the back of his mind, William brought his attention back to himself, and his surroundings. He was in Amelia's study, with her and Aiden. Looking down at Aiden's display of emotion, William was moved.

Regardless of the troubles and shocks that he had had to suffer to get to this moment in time, he felt incredibly fortunate to have met Aiden. His horizons had been broadened drastically, in only one day.

"Ahem," harrumphed William, clearing his throat and getting Aiden's attention, "Aiden, could you get off of me? I'm still...not wearing anything."

Aiden's eyes widened in realization as he looked down, and gasped, before screaming and leaping backwards, doing a back handspring, and turning around. Unseen to William, Aiden's face was a red mess, as he robotically trekked his way over to the book he was reading before. Picking it up, he pretended to read, failing to realize that the book he held was upside down.

Amelia massaged her temples in exasperation.

"William, do get dressed before Aiden suffers a complete mental breakdown," suggested Amelia dryly, concealing her smile with a hand.

As William stood puzzled, Aiden glared at Amelia, pouting indignantly.

"Check your Status, William, and tell me if you see anything different," ordered Amelia.

Complying, William closed his eyes and checked.

Level 19?! When did that happen?!

Furthermore, there was something new that he had not seen in his Status before...

***

Name: William

Age: 15

Level: 19

Experience: 0%

Health: 1,400/1,400

Mana: 735/735

Tier: 0

- Attributes -

Strength: 27

Agility: 27

Intellect: 22

Luck: 1

Passives:

Cleansed Channels (1/10)

- Mana Reabsorption hastened by 5%

***

Passives?

Cleansed Channels?

These were foreign words to William, except for the word 'Passive' from 'Natural Passive'.

"I seem to have some kind of Passive now, it's called Cleansed Channels," said William with uncertainty.

Amelia's face was almost split in half by her grin.

"Ahhh, it feels so good to be right!" she shouted, leaning back in her chair whilst stretching.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Amelia slammed her table, causing it to creak, before holding up a finger.

"Mana can be spent and regained over time as our bodies absorb ambient Mana. Are you aware of that?"

William nodded.

"Cleansed Channels speeds up the rate at which your body absorbs ambient Mana to replenish your reserves. Now, why do you think Mages are known to be the most proficient when it comes to using Mana?"

"If this...torture you put me through caused this, then is it because of how they train?"

"Precisely. Only through the harsh tempering of one's body and mind can one wield Mana efficiently and in vast quantities. In any case, you've now taken one step on the path to owning a body worthy of a Mage, congratulations."

Amelia paused, before grinning maliciously.

"Would you like to take another step?" she asked, l.i.c.k.i.n.g her lips.

"N-no, thank you," stammered William with a grimace, his body tensed up with residual fear.

"A pity."

Amelia sighed, shaking her head dramatically as the weight of her immense sorrow and disappointment hung heavily on her frame.

"I would like to speak to Aiden in private, so I'll be sending you down first," she announced, a magic circle forming underneath William's feet.

"Uh, yes all ri-" agreed William, before being forcefully teleported from Amelia's study, mid-sentence.

***

William appeared mid-air, a meter off the ground, in the Grand Library. Landing lightly on his feet, he looked around, unsure of what he should or could do.

What now?

***

Shortly after...

Sitting opposite each other, Amelia and Aiden had been chatting whilst sipping tea serenely.

"Aiden," began Amelia, "Have you told William about 'that'?"

"No, I haven't," replied Aiden nonchalantly, placing down his cup of tea, "Not yet, at least."

"When do you plan to tell him? This matter is of more importance than you make it out to be!"

Amelia's mouth twitched with annoyance, as she scowled at Aiden.

"I don't need to tell him right away," said Aiden without a shred of worry, "He'll figure it out soon enough."

"And when exactly is, soon enough"?

Looking away, Aiden shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"Tomorrow."

Amelia facepalmed.

"Little A, choosing to deceive a friend could lead to you losing them. I hope you know that."

"I know that, and that's why I know it'll be fine when it comes to William."

Pausing for a moment, a radiant smile lit up Aiden's face and the dreary atmosphere around them.

"I can't explain why, but with him, I have a feeling that everything will turn out all right," mumbled Aiden.

"If that's your choice, then I will say nothing against it. Just refrain from showing up in tears when something untoward happens," warned Amelia sternly, akin to a mother.

Aiden nodded, before downing the last of his tea.

"I think we've kept William waiting long enough, shall we head down?" suggested Aiden.

Amelia shrugged.

"I have no prior engagements today, so I might as well babysit two brats, and fulfil my one good deed for the day."

Giggling, a magic circle formed around Aiden and Amelia's feet, as they vanished.

***

A moment later...

Aiden and Amelia appeared out of thin air, on the floor of the Grand Library, spotting William not too far away.

William sat cross-legged in front of a bookshelf, with books and tomes scattered messily about. He flipped furiously through the pages of a book that he was holding, scowling.

Suddenly, his facial expression turned blank, as his frown eased. He had flipped to a page in the book he was holding, that happened to completely ensnare his attention.

Aiden and Amelia approached him, as they glanced over the titles of the books that were laying on the floor around William.

***

Jacobi Mannstein: The Study of Mana, Volume II

Slug Sausages, Purée, and much more!

Underneath a Scarlet Moon, a Bloody Love flourishes.

Legend of the Unyielding Cactus!

The Geography of Evernon.

***

Aiden and Amelia, even with the latter's high Tier and superior intellect, failed to grasp the logic behind this strange and unique combination of books.

A Tome of Research, a Cookbook, a Romance novel, a Fantasy novel, and an atlas?!

Amelia waved a finger, causing the books on the floor to levitate, and float towards her, as she flipped through a hundred pages a second, from every book, at the same time. Scanning their contents, she found nothing that could represent any particular correlation between the five books.

By then, Aiden had crouched behind William, looking over his shoulder and peeping at the contents of the book the latter held. Of that book, whose pages covered with peculiar, foreign symbols and short descriptions written in the Common language, its title was most definitely eye-catching.

Martial Magic - Runes

Runes?

Aiden had never heard of that term before, despite Amelia having taught him about every school of magic known to Evernon. Glancing at William, Aiden found the former's face to be one of pinpoint focus, yet simultaneously that of someone in a trance.

"William?" whispered Aiden worriedly.

Amelia snapped her fingers, teleporting the book in William's hands, into hers.

William seemed to come back to reality, shaking his head and looking around frantically.

"That knowledge isn't for your eyes, neither do I appreciate you handling the knowledge of the Grand Library with such little care," reprimanded Amelia.

"Please wait a moment, I-I need to see that book again!" pleaded William, desperation in his trembling voice.

Amelia scoffed.

"What could an illiterate possibly want with an old, useless book like this?"

Aiden's eyebrows shot up in shock.

"Don't call it useless!" shouted William fearlessly, standing up in defiance.

Hearing those words, Amelia's eyes flickered with recognition, as they briefly became a window to a time long past, and to emotions not yet lost.

However...

William's sudden outburst of disrespectful anger, seemingly out of nowhere, pushed Amelia to her boiling point.

A vein bulged on the left side of her forehead, as her glare turned frosty, emotionless, and inhumane.

"No matter how tolerant I try to be...it seems that ants will always fail to realize where they stand!" growled Amelia softly, yet the sheer power imbued into her voice caused it to resound deafeningly throughout the Grand Library, forcing William and Aiden to cover their ears.

The full might of Amelia's Tier 4, Titan-level Aura crashed down onto William, immediately causing his legs to buckle, his eyes rolling back into his head as he fell to his knees.

Fighting futilely against it, he could only hold his head up for a mere instant, before collapsing to the floor under the immense pressure of Amelia's Aura. He g.r.o.a.n.e.d in agony as the weight of her Aura made his bones creak, his organs quiver, and his mind tumble into darkness.

William fell into unconsciousness in a matter of moments.

"Big Sis Amelia, please, stop this!" begged Aiden, grabbing hold of Amelia's left arm, tears streaming down his face.

The agonized emotion in Aiden's voice was audible. Amelia gazed long and hard at his pained expression, before sighing and suppressing her anger, drawing her Aura back into herself.

Her gaze still trained on Aiden's face, she stretched out her right hand, placing it on his left cheek, stroking it gently. Lovingly.

"He is rude, illiterate, and above all, clueless about so many things," explained Amelia, "Are you still keen on befriending him?"

Rubbing his tears away, Aiden looked Amelia dead in the eyes.

"Without a doubt in my mind."

"Even if there will be problems down the road because of him?"

"Yes. I can personally educate him if need be, and I won't let him be rude to you anymore," swore Aiden, "As for things down the road...those can wait."

Aiden uttered those last few words rather shyly, his volume considerably reduced.

Amelia smiled, patting his head.

"All right. For your sake, I'll tolerate him. Make sure to whip him into shape as soon as you can. If you can promise me that, I'll promise you that I will never be angry at him again."

"I promise! You're the best, Big Sis Amelia!" cheered Aiden, as he hugged Amelia merrily, who then blushed with glee.

As always, it has a wonderful ring to it!

Sending out a pulse of Mana through an outstretched arm, Amelia reawakened William's consciousness, as he stood up swiftly. A confused expression was smeared across his face, as he recalled the vague memory of a book that he had been holding. His subconscious had purposely forgotten the short, but terrifyingly hellish sensation of a Titan's Aura.

"Where is that book I was holding? Why did you take it from me?" asked William.

Amelia's gaze trailed off, away from William, into the air. Those eyes of hers seemed to be looking through many years that had gone by, before settling on a specific stretch, a small, wistful smile creeping its way onto her lips.

"This book...belonged to my Master. He taught me the fundamentals of magic when no one else would, and watched over me till I could stand on my own two feet in this world."

She spoke slowly, recounting the tale so carefully, it was as if she feared that possibility of making a mistake. As if even a single mistake would deform and falsify the memories she held so dear.

"He was a Mage, but not a traditional one. Put diplomatically, he was dedicated to his research. In harsh truth, he was a man who opposed the entire world and disdained the knowledge of magic it had amassed throughout history.

This book is one of his earliest creations, though to call it one would be false. It's more of a notebook, really. He scribbled down all the runes that are in this book, from an ancient temple that we discovered. It was armed to its proverbial teeth with deadly traps, yet all of them were deactivated, and we had found a room that seemed to be a main hall of sorts. Throughout this hall, Runes had been carved all over the walls, with each possessing their own function, which we discovered by...touching them."

Amelia flinched slightly upon mentioning that, unpleasant memories surfacing within her mind.

Amelia opened the notebook and flipped to the page that William had been staring at. On it, was one of the simplest Runes, 'Force'.

Fa'ru.

Runes had to be drawn using Mana, be it with one's fingers or through mental imaging, with the latter being almost instantaneous, taking under a second. The only requirement for achieving this is to know the Rune and its drawing mastered to absolute perfection, knowing it like the back of one's hand.

Amelia raised an outstretched finger, drawing with the ambient Mana in the air. Simultaneously, she waved her hands, materializing lenses of Mana in front of William and Aiden's eyes. This allowed them to temporarily see Mana, though they could not sense or feel it.

"This, is Fa'ru, the Rune of 'Force'. It's one of the most basic Runes to draw, and has the simplest 'design', I shall call it. Its function is likewise, very simple. It exerts a force, once per Rune, in a direction of your choosing. The potency of said force depends on the person who drew it, and the quality of the drawn Rune," explained Amelia.

A simple, yet clear-cut and bold blue symbol materialized in the wake of Amelia's finger, floating in the air. Just looking at it caused William and Aiden's eyes to feel an unpleasant pressure that threatened to push their eyeballs back into their sockets.

Like it wanted to 'force' them away.

Understanding dawned on Aiden's face as he stared, captivated by not just the rune, but the beauty that lied within its simplicity.

Meanwhile, William's eyes had glazed over once again, the same as when he was looking at the notebook. Under his breath, he mumbled silent, inaudible gibberish.

Amelia did not care too much for this, and continued.

"My Master taught me that Runes are more powerful when drawn correctly, and weaker when not. Through experimentation, we identified four stages of Rune Completion: Minimal, Incomplete, Complete, and Perfected.

Though the lines between the stages are blurry, there will be a noticeable increase in power when one bridges the gap from one to another. Alas, I am only capable of drawing Runes at the Completed Stage at most. My Master, however, was talented enough in it to form almost all Runes at the Perfe-"

"Fa'ru," whispered William, his glazed-over eyes resembling those of a dead fish.

Fiery, golden Mana began to writhe and twist inside William, as it travelled down his right arm, gathering in his right hand. A golden glow emanated from his upturned right palm, as his Personal Mana took the shape of tendrils, instead of flames. Radiant, golden tendrils of Mana stretched out and began writing swiftly, yet methodically, leaving lines and strokes that hung on the air itself.

Amelia's teachings died in her throat as she stared at William, in silent, utter shock. She could not bring herself to make even a single sound in reaction to what lay in front of her eyes.

The tendrils drew back into William's hand, as a golden Force Rune hovered in the air.

Amelia's Force Rune was slightly flawed, having small areas which were blurry, or drifted away like fire, bobbing up and down rhythmically as it floated in the air. It glowed brightly, in all directions, emitting unfocused azure light.

Although Amelia's Mana as a Tier 4 Archmage was extremely dense and powerful, the rune she had formed was nowhere near perfection.

William's Force Rune, however, was precisely drawn, condensed light and energy forming each and every line and stroke that composed it. It glowed intensely, yet not brightly, humming softly as it hovered in the air, perfectly unmoving.

"P-p-perfected Force Rune?" stammered Amelia, her eyes as wide as planets, her mouth threatening to swallow a world.

Her hands trembled, as her lips quivered.

She had nothing to say, she could not say anything.

Her normally strong, loud voice was now completely silent.

"William..." breathed Aiden in bewildered astonishment.

Tears welled up in Amelia's eyes, as she turned away, her gaze landing on a wooden staff that was leaning against the walls, in a corner of her study.

"Master..." murmured Amelia, as she remembered the last conversation that she had had with her Master, which had left a profound impact on her.

***

(Flashback)

In the Wescarian Empire, many decades ago...

In a private study amongst the shabbiest of Mage dormitories...

"I have been stuck at the beginning of Tier 2 for years now, not gaining even a single sliver of Experience. You, on the other hand, dear Amelia, are on the cusp of your ascension to Tier 3. What a good girl, you are. You still have a long path ahead of you, and your accomplishments are likely to completely surpass mine," praised Amelia's Master, as he sat on a chair in front of her.

A brown-haired, frail-bodied man with a kind, gentle smile beamed at a younger Amelia.

He was in his early 30s, and despite being only a few years older, was Amelia's Master.

Young Amelia, in tighter, slightly more revealing blue robes, sighed with melancholy.

Her Master, who was her entire world, and a genius at comprehension, was depressed over his lack of talent. She feared that even the love she had yet to confess would fail to help him. Furthermore, his eyes weren't even on her, but that other woman instead.

She rolled her eyes, grumbling internally whilst battling her inner strife.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her head.

Looking up, she saw the loving gaze of her Master. Although it was not the kind of love she d.e.s.i.r.ed, it was enough for her for the time being.

"Amelia, your lifespan will soon exceed what mine could have been, by a significant amount. I'm not that old now, but my end is near and I can feel it. It terrifies me, frankly."

He paused, looking briefly towards his packed bags, which had been plopped down next to the door.

"I need to return to her, and I plan to do so before my life has a chance to leave my body. Amelia, continue your studies here and make something wonderful out of yourself. Go as far as your talent allows, I believe in you," said Amelia's master, as the hand on her head, slid down, holding her right cheek tenderly, "Although my love lies with another woman, if I didn't have you, my world wouldn't be complete. I want you to know that my only regret in this life of mine, is not being able to give you what you d.e.s.i.r.e."

Amelia's eyes welled up, her expression crumpled like paper, as she pushed her face into her Master's delicate c.h.e.s.t, the trembling of her shoulders accompanying the sobs that racked her frame.

What the hell? He knew?

Amelia cried for an amount of time unknown to them, yet her Master stood there, embracing his precious disciple and likely the first woman who ever loved him.

"Amelia, listen to my last request, and words, to you. Even after I am gone, there will be others like us, lost souls who wander alone in this unforgiving world. You and I know what we've been through, and I'm sure you don't wish that upon other innocent children."

He stepped back, separating their bodies briefly before planting a tender kiss on Amelia's forehead. He looked deep into her bloodshot eyes, bearing witness to the vulnerable, wounded individual of his making.

It shattered a part of his heart, causing his voice to tremble as a torrent of emotion flooded his throat.

"Give them guidance, Amelia. That is my last request of you, I will ask nothing else. They may lack homes, families, and love in their wretched lives, just as we have. There may even be those who have not suffered thus far, but are destined to suffer misfortune.

I do not ask you to dedicate your life to searching for all of them, only to guide those whose paths cross with yours. Guide them as their Master, and in my place. If not for this body of mine, I would have accompanied you for as many steps of the way as my lifespan would allow."

Tears began to streak down his cheeks as well, as he hugged Amelia tightly.

A small, resolute smile appeared on his lips.

"People like us exist everywhere, Amelia. Perhaps...one day in the future, there may be another like me, who can help you carry our torch. Even I haven't truly perfected using those strange runes we discovered, and even if I had sufficient time, I feel like I never would. They have so much untapped potential, I can feel it.

The runes that I have achieved the Perfected stage with...still feel incomplete. I can't explain it, but there is something missing, something I do not have. Something, that I am not destined to reach. If you find another who is like me, gifted in these odd ways that they've never studied or thought possible, consider taking them as your disciple."

Amelia's Master finished his speech with a bittersweet, teary grin.

Amelia's heart quivered.

That was the last thing she had seen, and heard from her Master, until she was informed of his death a year later.

Even to this day, his last image had never left her mind, or her heart, his staff left as a memento for her.

Always in the back of her mind, almost materializing in front of her eyes...

That smile.

That damned smile.

***

"How did you...how do you know how to draw that?" asked Amelia, her once-mighty voice now drained of all energy and strength.

William's eyes refocused, as he looked at the Force Rune that he had unwittingly created.

A perfect, flawless symbol hovered in the air above his hand, moving with him as he moved. No more, no less.

William shrugged.

"I did it by...feeling, I guess? All of a sudden, I felt that I should draw it, and that it should be drawn that way," explained William with uncertainty.

Amelia gasped, now standing very close to William, to inspect the Rune.

"A Perfected Force Rune is able to unleash the same force as an attack with all your strength. That means, if you were to use it during an attack, you could potentially hit your target with double your Strength," wondered and theorized Amelia out loud.

She gulped.

Striking with a force of 54 Strength, as a Tier 0 Mortal?

A blow like that could very well be life-threatening...

Clearing her throat, Amelia spoke up.

"In any case, you seem to possess some talent, so, ahem," began Amelia, "It would tarnish my pride somewhat, but I might consider taking you as my disciple if you are likewise willing. A young sprout like you has much room for growth, after all!"

Aiden smiled sheepishly, embarrassed from Amelia's display of shamelessness and inability to be honest with herself.

William stroked his chin, considering the prospect of being the disciple of a Tier 4 Archmage.

"Your offer is flattery I am undeserving of. However, since you are being so gracious, I shall think about it," quipped William with a grin.

"You-!" shouted Amelia, incredulous, and speechless.

"I would like to leave now, so if you could teleport me down, that would be very kind of you!"

"I'll be accompanying him!" winked Aiden.

Stifling her anger, Amelia snapped her fingers as magic circles formed underneath William and Aiden's feet.

"I'll be back tomorrow!" added William, waving goodbye.

The two were teleported away, as Amelia walked over to her desk, placing her hands on it and using it to support her weight, sighing.

Dealing with those two was incredibly tiring.

"That fool..." mumbled Amelia, before glancing at her Master's staff.

***

William and Aiden appeared in Nett's bookstore, as they bade him farewell and left.

Aiden couldn't help but continuously look at William, nudging him with an elbow.

"Your talent truly is shocking, William, to learn something that Amelia couldn't, so quickly," commented Aiden.

"I wouldn't say that I learned it, it just...made sense to me, somehow," replied William.

"That's...peculiar. In any case, you might become a powerful figure at some point!"

"That would be nice, I think?"

William realized that he had never really given any thought to what he would do if he became powerful.

"And then...at some point down the line...we could..." mumbled Aiden shyly, fidgeting.

"We could?"

"N-nothing!"

Aiden cleared his throat.

"Why did you turn down Amelia's invitation to become her disciple? Those were words that most people would never have the privilege of hearing in their entire lives."

"I'm currently living with some very... 'generous' people who were willing to house me. I would prefer having some money of my own, instead of relying completely on them. Therefore, I want to find a job, and I don't think I could simultaneously fit a job and being Amelia's disciple into one day. I'm sure I could learn a lot from Amelia, and increasing my strength is important, but my parents taught me that an income is necessary," explained William.

Aiden stopped walking, before laughing out loud.

"Did I say something funny?" asked William, puzzled.

"William, since you didn't know this, I'll tell you that being a disciple is also a job, with quite an enviable income, I might add."

What?!

"So... you mean..."

A sense of dread and panic mounted in William's gut.

Aiden nodded, laughter assaulting him to the point where he was doubled over in laughter and the pain from it.

"I SHOULD HAVE ACCEPTED!!!"