Overwhelming Firepower

Rachel’s breath caught in her throat. The sky itself seemed to darken under the countless floating rocks, blotting out the fading sun. Dust lifted from the ground, swirling into faint spirals that shimmered with energy.

The light of the setting sun fractured into a thousand broken shadows, each shard of rock glowing faintly with residual mana. The sheer quantity was far greater than the normal Obsidian Rain spell that it mimicked.

She had gained information that said Eisen Terre was a first-circle mage, but seeing the scene before her made her doubt that information.

There was also the match between Elyra and Mireya before, and then there’s this unbelievable sight before her.

’Are there so many monsters in Norvaegard? Is this what it means to be a kingdom of warriors?’

Even the guard beside Rachel, who was around the fourth aura mantle, had his eyes wide open, finding it hard to believe the sight before him.

It was not just them; most of the people in the audience seats could not help but look up in awe.

A few mages strengthened the barrier protecting the audience, especially the area were the royals were watching.

Harlik and Milos looked at the stage, getting a little worried about their little leader. Even though they believe the little leader will once again emerge victorious, they were worried about how much he would get hurt.

Sir Thalos looked at Lucen, and when he saw the smile on his face, as if what was before him would not impede his victory, this made Thalos smile as well.

Since Vardon wasn’t here to witness this scene, Thalos will bear witness to how Lucen would grasp victory against overwhelming odds.

Thrall was also getting excited; he was thinking about what he himself would do if he fought Eisen.

Robert looked at the scene before him, and a manic smile appeared on his face. ”This guy is something else! To be able to combine two first-circle spells and create something like this! I wonder what goes on in his head.”

It was only Daniel among them who wasn’t really that interested in the fight. He was hoping instead for the fight to be over with so he could go back to his room and sleep.

***

”Hahahaha!!! That kid is quite something! He’s getting me so excited! He’s making me want to jump into the ring myself!” Kaelvar had unconsciously grabbed his heavy sword, and his aura mantle flared outward. His battle spirit had been stirred, and by a child not even half his age.

”Calm yourself, you foolish oaf.” Elandor grabbed Kaelvar’s hand. He was using quite a bit of strength just to hold back the excited Kaelvar.

Seraphina’s eyes were practically shining when she saw the combination of two basic spells create something similar to a fourth-circle spell.

Of course, she knew of Eisen Terre beforehand. He was a person with a very unique constitution.

She was actually the person who noticed him in that small village. Watching this fight, she could not help but remember that day she met him.

***

She was just passing by, but she sensed an incredible amount of mana. The first thing that came to mind was that an adult dragon was attacking the village.

She told her men to gather any capable person and evacuate the village while she stopped whatever enemy had come.

As one of the four Dukes of Norvaegard, Seraphina was ready to lay down her life for Norvaegard and its people. Still, she remembered her only daughter and hesitated for a second.

’No, as a person of Norvaegard, as the heir of the Aeromont name, she will eventually understand my choice.’

With her resolve strengthened, she used a flight spell and headed to the village as quickly as possible, but to her surprise, there was nothing.

The village looked peaceful, too peaceful. The smell of bread baking, the sound of children laughing, all clashed with the suffocating mana still pressing on her senses.

It was just a normal-looking village, and the villagers were surprised to see her floating above them. She landed on the ground, and the village elder, who had recognized her, approached.

”Lady Aeromont, to what do we owe the pleasure?”

”Have you had any monster problems recently?” Seraphina asked, scanning the horizon. ”Or perhaps you’ve seen a large flying creature in the skies?”

The elder blinked, shaking his head. ”Neither my lady, for several years now, for some reason, no monster comes close to our village. As for a large flying creature, I haven’t seen any.”

When Seraphina heard the village elder’s answer, she grew even more confused. That was when she once again sensed that vast amount of mana.

She turned around, ready for battle, her mana forming a defensive spell, but before she could unleash it, what she saw stunned her.

The vast amount of mana she was feeling was coming from a child sitting under a tree who was watching other children play.

For a moment, Seraphina thought her senses were deceiving her. That much mana, coming from a child who looked to be only a year or two older than her own daughter.

She approached cautiously, her boots crunching against the dirt path. The village elder was confused as to why Seraphina was suddenly walking away from him, but still, he did not say anything and simply followed behind her.

The children noticed her presence and looked at her. Seeing the unknown adult coming their way, they stopped playing as they ran off in fright, leaving the boy sitting alone under the tree.

The boy under the tree looked up at Seraphina with calm, unblinking eyes... Those eyes were far too still for someone his age.

Those deep, dark eyes looking directly at her made Seraphina feel a little uncomfortable. It was like the young boy was trying to look directly into her soul.

”You,” Seraphina said softly, lowering herself slightly to meet his gaze. ”What’s your name, child?”

”Eisen,” he replied. His tone was quiet but steady; there was a lack of emotion in those black eyes of his, which was rather eerie. ”Eisen Terre.”

Now that she was so close to the child, he felt that mana again uncontrollably leaking out of him.

The mana of the young boy was like a tidal wave trying to drown her, so she stopped trying to see how deep his mana pool was.

”Child, where are your parents?” Seraphina tried to speak as gently as possible.

”They’re gone,” he said simply. ”But the villagers help me, so I can manage.”

Seraphina then looked at the village elder. ”Mr. and Mrs. Terre died from a monster attack, and the only one who survived was their one-year-old child. Many were indebted to the kind couple, so we all have been helping raise Eisen.”

Seraphina glanced back at the boy. Despite the tragic story, there wasn’t even a flicker of sadness in his expression.

Children who lost their parents that young usually carried some kind of shadow, fear, confusion, or anger. But this boy’s gaze was clear and still, like a pond untouched by the wind.

Yet she understood that this child, who seemed to see the world through a different lens, was simply hiding so deeply that even she was having difficulty perceiving it.

”Hmmm, child, why weren’t you playing with the other children?”

Eisen tilted his head slightly at her question, as if he didn’t understand it at first. ”I don’t see the point in playing?”

Seraphina blinked. ”The point?”

”They run, fall, laugh, and get tired. It doesn’t change anything. I do not understand what playing achieves. If it doesn’t achieve anything, why do it? We eat because we hunger, we sleep because we tire, so what does play do for us? I do not understand, so I simply watch so that I can understand.”

The second Seraphina heard Eisen’s reply, she was truly stunned. Not only the fact that such a young boy has such thoughts, but the very idea that this child was rather articulate for his age. There was also the fact, he had that immense amount of mana. This boy was truly special.

For a while, Seraphina simply stared at him. This child wasn’t just intelligent. His way of thinking... It was rather.... Detached, logical, without warmth, and yet, there was no malice in it.

”You watch to understand?” Seraphina repeated softly.

Eisen nodded once. ”Yes. Someday, I’ll understand why people laugh when nothing is funny, and why they cry when they already know it won’t help with anything.”

His words struck her deeper than she cared to admit. A child shouldn’t sound like that. No child should look at the world as if he were apart from it.

’This child could either become a great gift to Norvaegard or something that would harm it...’ Seraphina looked at those clear, deep, dark eyes. ’I’d better tilt it a little to Norvaegard’s favor.’

”Child, do you wish to learn more?”

Eisen blinked, tilting his head again. ”Learn more?”

”Yes,” Seraphina said, her tone soft but deliberate. ”About the world. About mana. About why people laugh and cry.”

For the first time, something flickered in Eisen’s eyes, faint curiosity. ”Would that help me understand?”

”It might,” she said with a small smile. ”But it will not be easy. You will have to train. To study as much as you can. You will then fail at times, and of course, succeed in others. You’ll see many things that will confuse you... And even some that will hurt you.”

”That’s fine,” he said plainly. ”If it means I’ll understand.”

”Who knows, maybe you can find a friend who will make you understand.”

”Is that so?... Even when most people think I’m strange, you still believe someone will be my friend? That someone would make me understand?”

”Heh, no one can be sure of anything in this world, but if you don’t try, then nothing will ever happen. So come with me, and I will show you a bigger world.”

***

Years had gone by, yet Eisen still did not understand why people laughed or cried. To him, such things were meaningless, wastes of time, hollow gestures that changed nothing.

As Seraphina watched from the judges’ table, lost in the memory of that strange boy beneath the tree, she suddenly heard Lucen’s voice echo across the arena, his answer to Eisen’s question about why he smiled and refused to yield.

That confident, burning answer. That defiant grin as if victory was always within his grasp.

When Seraphina heard Lucen’s answer, a gentle smile appeared on her face.

”Vardon’s son is truly an interesting child.” Her eyes shifted back to the stage where Eisen stood beneath his sky of rock, facing Lucen’s unwavering smile. ”I wonder if he will be the one to make you understand Eisen...” Seraphina whispered to herself.