The Beginning After The End (Early Years Book 1) (11 page)

“!!”

“You’re
going to leave already Art
?!
” Tessia bolts up from her
seat, face stricken with panic.

Both
her mother and father give a baffled look as they mouth “Art”.

The
elder just gives shoots snide grin at this and chuckles.

“I
don’t think it’s appropriate for a human such as me to be inside this Kingdom
for too long princess.  Besides, I wish to make sure that my family is
safe and tell them I’m okay as well.” I respond, giving a sheepish smile.

*Cough*

The
King responds back for Tessia, “It has been a couple hundred years since the
last human has stepped foot into the Kingdom of Elenoir and you, Arthur, are
the first human to be in the capital of this Kingdom, the City of Zestier.
 However, saving our daughter and taking the trouble to accompany her all
the way back to us entitles you with a proper reward…”

I
take a quick peek at Tessia and see her head down, her gunmetal silver hair
covering her face.

“…Unfortunately,
the teleportation gate linked with the Kingdom of Sapin opens only once every 7
years, for the Summit Conference between the three races.  Since the last
Summit was 2 years ago, it’ll be another 5 years until the gate will function.”
The King continues on.

So
much for an easy way back…

“However,
we are more than willing to send a group of guards to escort you back home.
 You are correct that it may not be wise to stay in this kingdom for too
long.  While some are tolerant, many hold enmities towards humans because
of the war long ago.” He flashes a brief, sorrowful smile at this.

I
nod in agreement.  At least I’ll be able to safely go back home.

“For
now, please make yourself at home here.  We will have your escorts
prepared by tomorrow morning.  I do advise you not to wander around
outside in the city though, for the reasons mentioned earlier.”

The
King snaps his finger and a pretty elf lady in a maid uniform rushes out and
leads me to my room.

There’s
a lot I don’t get about this city.  For one thing, the shower continues to
baffle me.  It was a simple waterfall that seemed to naturally flow from
the roof and drain back out in the floor.  However, the constant flow of
water that didn’t seem to ever turn off was a surprisingly pleasant
temperature, just warm enough to relax my body and pores.

As
I finished dressing into a very silky robe just for your top and short pants, I
placed the stone Sylvia left me inside the chest pocket inside my robe and once
again, tried to study my mana core.

About
thirty minutes in and not really getting anywhere, I was about to just call it
a night when I hear a knock on my door.

“Coming!”

Opening
the door, I’m greeted by a pouting Tessia who throws a light punch at my chest.

“You
dummy! Why did you act all unfriendly when you were with my family back there.”
 Going past me and sitting on my bed.

“Well
first of all, you didn’t mention to me that you happened to be the princess of
this entire Kingdom!” Shaking my head, I grip Tessia’s hand and drag her out of
my room.  Kids or not, I don’t think her parents are going to like her
being in a boy’s room.

“Come
on, show me around the castle! I won’t get the chance to visit this place ever
again.”

Ah
crap.  I shouldn’t have said that.

*Sniff*
*Sniff*

Tessia
breaks down into tears, trying to talk while sobbing.

“Art!
I don’t want you to *Sniff* leave…”

“…You’re
the first *Sniff* person I’ve gotten ever close to…”

“…”

I
just gently pat her head while she’s rubbing her eyes with the arm not holding
unto my hand.

We’re
outside now, in the courtyard at the back of the castle.  The floating
orbs are giving off a dim, luminescent glow, lighting up the well-kept garden
in a gentle atmosphere.

Man…
If we were at least 10 years older…

Before
I even got to finish my thought, I sense a blatantly clear killing intent.
 Milliseconds later a faint shine gives off the position of a projectile
aimed at Tessia.  I push the still crying princess out of the way and I
prepare to parry the projectile with a mana infused hand.

“Fwish!”

At
that instant, a figure in black is facing my back, in a stance to attack.
 Grabbing the projectile, I immediately spin myself to block the assassin
with whatever was thrown at me when…

*Ting*

I’m
face to face with the grandpa from earlier!

I
jump back out of range from before angrily shouting, “What the hell! Why are
you trying to kill us?”

*Chuckle*

“Kid.
 It may hurt a little but I doubt that toy you’re holding can kill
anyone.”

I
look down at my hand and see a pencil sized projectile with both ends blunted
and coated in a layer of something close to rubber.

I
was tricked!

“Haha!
Nice reaction, nice reaction! I didn’t think you’d catch my little present and
use it to block my next attack! Truly marvelous!  However, your usage of
mana is mediocre at best!”

He
then proceeds to throw me a wooden sword fit for my size and takes out a wooden
sword of his own, just a bit bigger.

“Here
I come!” Not even giving me the time to get in a stance, he dashes towards me.

This
crazy old bat!

“HAA!”
I thrust myself low and accelerate my speed, throwing off the timing of his
swing.  Aiming for the fingers gripping his sword, I swing up, reinforcing
my whole body.

Right
before my sword comes into contact with his hands, I’m met with only air as he
disappears from my sight.

Looking
back, I see him a couple meters apart from where I’m standing.

What
the fuck?

“You’re
a scary little brat aren’t you?  Looks like I’ll have to go a bit more
serious!”  The grandpa smirks.

His
speed increased even more.  With my previous life being a life of only
training and battles, I’m able to keep him in my sight, but being able to see
him and being able to respond to his attacks are two different things.

This
damn body!  I feel like a sandbag!

I’m
able to block one move of his out of every three he lands on my body.

Screw
technique, this old bat is messing with me using just pure speed.  The
only reason I’m able to somewhat keep up is by using sword techniques and
footwork to minimize my movement.

After
about 10 minutes of being treated like a wooden training post, I started
noticing some patterns in the grandpa’s attacks.

As
he flashed behind me about to do a horizontal sweep to my legs, I put all of my
strength into my legs and jump back with my sword tucked into my armpit
pointing at his head.

*Thump*

With
a solid sound coming from the connection, the old bat stumbles a little before
gaining balance.

“HAHAHAHA!
I guess I deserved that one!” rubbing his swollen forehead.

Tessia
was surprised at first but after realizing it was just a spar, she settled
down.  At this point though, she jumps up and walks towards the elder.

“Grandpa!
You hurt Art too much! You should’ve gone easier on him!” Pinching the elder’s
side.

“AHH!
That hurts little one.  Haha I’m afraid if I went easier on Arthur, he’d
be the one bullying me!” He says while picking up his granddaughter.

He
flashes in front of me and suddenly places his right palm into my sternum.

“Just
as I thought.  The usage of mana is terrible.  Your body is a mess!”

I
just stare blankly at him.  Whether it was ki or mana, I was utilizing it
to the fullest extent.  Although the limits of this premature body makes
it impossible utilize my full strength, I shouldn’t be hearing that my mana
usage is terrible.

The
grandpa, noticing my doubtful gaze, takes my hand and places it onto his own
sternum.  Closing my eyes, I focus on the mana in his body.

T-this…
how come I’ve never thought of using mana like this?

“Haha!
You humans have such a narrow perspective on mana manipulation.  Your
sword techniques and fighting experience is frightening though.  What kind
of life did you have to learn all of this?”

“I
just read a lot of books and learned a bit from my father.” I say while
scratching my cheek.

“Books
eh?  Mmm… I’ve decided.  Brat! Become my disciple!”

I
just stare at him, dumbfounded.

What
was this old bat saying?

“What?
 You can’t be serious right?”  I manage to blurt out.

He
just tilts his head, “Why not?”

“F-for
one thing! I’m a human!  Is it even allowed to have humans in this
kingdom?  Also, I need to make sure my family is okay and tell them I’m
still alive.” I refute.

At
this, the grandpa ponders a little bit before talking again.

“Living
here isn’t a problem as long as you’re under my name.  As for your
parents… Brat, is it an absolute necessity to meet them in person?”

It
was my turn to ponder this time.

“I
mean, I guess it isn’t strictly a necessity for me to meet my parents in person.
 Although I miss them, the most important thing is finding out how they’re
doing and letting them know that I’m fine if they are as well.” I answer.

“Then
come with me tomorrow morning.  I will be outside the manor by 6 A.M.”

Before
he turns to leave, I ask, “Wait!  I don’t get why you want me as your
disciple.  Also, you sound awfully hurried.  Isn’t it possible for me
to go back home and spend a bit of time with my parents before coming back here
to train under you?”

“I
want you to be my disciple because I want to see your potential.  Kid.
 An uncountable amount of people has asked me to take them in as their
disciple.  But do you know how many I’ve taken in so far?  None!
 These new generation brats bore me.  Just because some of the wealthy
nobles’ brats have a little potential, they think they’re qualified to ask me
as their teacher…”

I
just furrow my brows, not knowing where the grandpa is going with this.

“…
You’re different.  I know you have exceptional talent in mana manipulation
and only God knows how but you possess better technique than even I but that
isn’t the reason why I decided on teaching you.  Brat…I need to ask you.
 How are you a Beast Tamer?”  Any sort of amusement that was
previously on his face was all but gone and his sharp facial feature emitted a
deathly gaze.

“Beast
Tamer?  What are you talking about?”  I was really confused.
 Although it was getting well into the night and the elder already sent
Tessia in to sleep, it didn’t seem like this conversation was going to end
soon.

“Let’s
go back inside and talk.”  He says, leading me to a living room with
couches and a roaring fireplace.

Sitting
down on the couch, he continues on.  “Let’s start from the beginning.
 I assume you know that mana beasts possess mana cores just like humans,
elves and dwarves right?”

I
nod at this.

“Right.
Among the humans, elves and dwarves, each race possesses qualities in their
mana core that are distinct to their own race.”

He
picks up a piece of paper and begins drawing a chart.

·
     
Water
- Ice

-
      
Plant

·
     
Earth
- Gravity

-
      
Magma, Metal

·
     
Fire
- Lightning

·
     
Wind
- Sound

“These
are the 4 basic elements and their higher forms.  The higher forms (Ice,
Metal, Lightning, Sound) can only be controlled by mages especially adept at a
particular basic element, i.e. a deviant.  This is where the distinct
racial qualities lie…”

He
writes a couple of brief description under each race

Humans

Human
mages possess the ability to manipulate all 4 basic elements and are the only
race capable of having deviants that can control the higher form of their adept
element.  They also have deviants that can even transcend the 4 basic
elements like healers (emitters), making their mana cores the most diverse.

Elves

Elf
mages can only manipulate water, wind, and earth but with much higher affinity.
 We also have a special trait distinct to our race that allows very
pureblooded elf mages to control plants.  However, elves don’t have
deviants that can manipulate water, wind, and earth into their higher forms.

Dwarves

Dwarf
mages can only manipulate earth and fire but, like elves, they possess a much
higher affinity to those two elements.  Their distinct trait is that all
dwarves are able to manipulate a special form of earth, metal and also possess
the special ability to manipulate both earth and fire into magma, something
even human deviants are not able to do, much less elves.  However, they
can only manipulate those two basic elements and, like elves, do not possess
the ability to control the higher form of the basic elements.

“Wait
I’m not getting all of this.  Why can’t humans manipulate plants and
magma?” I ask after reading his handy info chart.

“Good
question. Only elves can manipulate plant, which is the only form of nature
that is alive, because of our lineage being highly affinitive to the nurturing
elements.  Only the Dwarf race can manipulate magma and metal because,
like us elves, their lineage makes them highly adept to the constructing
elements.”

I
start subconsciously rubbing the bridge of my nose while thinking harder than I
have ever before.

“Okay.
 I get the differences between the 3 three races, but what does that have
to do with me being a Beast Tamer? What does that even mean anyway?”

“I’m
getting to that brat!” He growls.

“Mana
beasts are different from the three humanoid races because each species have
their own special characteristics.  Listing all of them would be endless
so I’ll give you a simple example.  Mages, adventurers or not, are
classified: E, D, C, B, A, AA, S, SS class.  This classification is the
same for mana beasts as well.  Take the Sonic Hawk.  They are B Class
beasts that possess incredible speed while in flight.  They all have to
affinity for wind and sound.  These attributes are innate in their mana
cores.  If these mana cores are taken out and given to a human or elf mage
that specialize in the wind element, their training will go by much faster than
just cultivating mana from their surroundings but that’s it.”

I
impatiently wait as Elder Virion gulps down a glass of water.

“…However!
When a mana beast reaches
A
class or higher, they have
the ability to pass on their ‘will’, or ability to be more precise, to one
person.  I called you a Beast Tamer earlier because you have a mana
beast’s will in your mana core and from my estimation, not just any will but an
S class mana beast’s will if not an SS class will.  I’m only able to sense
this because I’m a Beast Tamer as well, although the beast’s will that I tamed
was the Shadow Panther, an AA class beast.”

So
that’s how he was able to be so fucking fast earlier.

Noticing
the look of revelation on my face, Elder Virion just chuckles.  “Yes brat,
I was able to bully you that badly by utilizing my Shadow Panther’s will.
 But I only used around 50% of my speed.”  He gives me wink.

He
can go even faster?

Everything
was beginning to make sense; the strange, faint markings that appeared on my
mana core after Sylvia gouged through it and how she said my future progress
would depend on understanding her power.

My
eyes welled up with tears and I couldn’t help but quietly cry.

“You
must have been through a lot child.  I’m not going to push you for an
answer, but the reason why it is urgent for me to guide you is because you
don’t have much time.” He says in a warm but stern voice.

“Sniff.”
 “What do you mean?” I look up at him.

“The
power from your mana core is too strong for your immature body to handle.
 It hasn’t been that long so you may not feel it, but if you don’t learn
to control your new mana core, it’ll destroy your body.” His eyes looking
straight at me, dissolving any doubt I may have once had.

“…”

“I
understand.  It seems I have no choice but to be under your guidance.
 However, I don’t think I can just train without making sure that my
family is all right and they know I’m safe too.  You mentioned something
about that earlier?”  I say, trying to put my emotions under control.

“Haha!
Just call me Grandpa from now on.  My first disciple should at least be
able to call me that.  And who knows, maybe I’ll become your grandpa-in-law.”
He throws me a wink.

UGH!
Bringing up Tessia into this isn’t right!

Continuing,
he says, “We’ll go see an old friend of mine tomorrow that’ll take care of your
worries.  What I need from you starting now is your upmost diligence.
 Even I’m not sure how long it’ll take for you to master the basics of
your beast’s will.  In my two hundred years of living, I’ve never seen
such a young mage, let alone a beast tamer at that.  You’re going to bring
big changes into this world brat.  I just know it.”

I
just scratch my cheek, a little red from embarrassment.

“Go
to sleep now brat! Tomorrow is going to be a long day.  You’ll need the
rest.”

I
get up and bow before wishing him goodnight.  “Goodnight…Grandpa.”

He
chuckles and waves me off and I plop into my bed, too tired to even get under
the covers.

____________________________________

I
rouse from my sleep, grunting, feeling a heavy sensation weighing down on my
body.

Is
it my worries?  My burdens?  The expectations placed on me?  Are
these weighing down on me even as I sleep?

“G’
morning Art! Wake up!”

I
open my eyes and see that my burdens have taken the form of a lovely young lady
very similar in appearance to my friend Tess.

“Come
on sleepyhead! You need to meet grandpa soon! H-hey! Don’t go back to sleep!”
She jumps up and down while still straddled on top of me.

Does
she know how indecent this may look to others?
Haa…the
innocence of youth.

“I
get it! I’m up Tess! Please get down from my stomach so I can get up.” I mumble
out, still half asleep.