01.01 - IT’s a Kind of Magic

“‘IT is eternal. IT surrounds us.’”

“‘From IT originate all domains: The boundless expanse of Space, the relentless march of Time, the solidity of Matter, the vibrant pulse of Energy, the intricate vessel of the Body, and the infinite potential of the Mind.’”

“‘Creation and Destruction, Augmentation and Manipulation, Transmutation and Deviation, all these paths have their source in IT.’”

“‘Yet, IT which can be formalized is not eternal IT.’”

So went the words of Lucius Artorius Castus. Envoy of heaven. Paragon of humanity.

Echoing through the ages. Imitated by many. Realized by a few.

Lucian Limner, as of now, was one of many.

He had just finished his last round around the training ground and slowly came to a halt as he cut the Aura flow from his own inner Core to the external Core whose spell effects he had used to increase his momentum.

The external Core had the size of a marble, shimmered in an indigo hue that slowly dissipated, and had six swirling orbs within that slowly came to a halt.

Lucian had yet to master this external Royal Indigo Core he had received from his mother on his eleventh birthday.

Beads of sweat ran down his forehead, stinging his eyes as he stumbled to a halt. His legs gave way, sending him to his knees. His long, white hair hung around his face, plastered to his skin, and he fought hard to catch his breath.

Slowly, feeling returned to his limbs, and he pushed himself upright again, ignoring the dull ache that throbbed in every muscle.

His gaze drifted toward the distant valley below to Arcana Maiora, the capital city of the Arcane Empire.

He scanned the static lights of the city and followed the red threads of brake lights snaking through congested highways towards the suburbs, and then past the cityscape, as the sun gradually dipped below the mountains near the faraway spaceport.

From it emerged a small fleet of departing starships that sliced through the darkening sky and over the nearby mountains, their bellies catching the last rays of the sun.

There were a few battleships, with long, slightly rounded, rectangular main bodies and extendable weapon platforms on the sides. Ascending beside them were several destroyers, similar in shape but with two extended wing-like structures with a main cannon attached to each one. They were accompanied by three Throne carriers that featured many small pods on each side of the ship.

The fleet was far too small for an expedition. With such a puny force, one couldn’t even hope to survive more than a couple of days near the chaos beyond, let alone attempt to slay a dragon.

So what was it then? Just part of the standard troop movement?

Maybe they were out to intercept some asteroids on a collision trajectory, protecting the people from the monsters spawned by them upon impact?

Whatever they were up to was still a pipe dream for soon-to-be thirteen-year-old Lucian. Maybe six years from now he’d take the hunter exam, or, if all else failed, join the military and rise up in the ranks.

Surely one day he’d pilot a Throne customized to his every desire, and his name would echo through the vast expanse of space.

His musings were interrupted by his father, Aurelius Ambrosius Limner, ruffling Lucian’s hair.

Aurelius had tracked Lucian’s initial gaze back to the ascending fleet, and a smile formed on his face.

In the dusk’s glow, Aurelius appeared old enough to be Lucian’s grandfather, with his shoulder-length white hair and well-groomed beard. He was dressed in white training robes, not unlike Lucian’s.

“I admire your ambitions, Luc. But how about using your time for training instead of daydreaming? You finished your laps. Clay pigeon target practice up next?”

“Sure, just give me another minute or two to recover.”

Aurelius leisurely left the track course and strolled towards the shooting station, passing an obstacle course and an urban training ground with several obstacles and crates placed all over. He finally reached the shooting station's control panel and turned on the artificial lighting while Luc slowly caught his breath.

“Ready?”

Luc just nodded.

“Then here we go.”

Luc’s narrowed gaze tracked the first two clay pigeons.

They had emerged on opposite sides of the course and now flew towards each other.

Luc traced their path and readied himself.

His Aura surged once more into the Core with the Energy Manipulation program, activating the spell to change the kinetic energy of its target.

His left hand instinctively snapped onto the dispenser button of a small gadget on his stretched-out right arm that aimed at the disk-shaped clay target. The launched iron ball with its increased kinetic Energy shattered the two clay pigeons in quick succession.

All following targets met a similar fate.

Aurelius, who now stood behind Luc, patted him on the back.

“Good job, Luc! Not a single miss today. Your precision improved yet again.”

“Do you think Mom will allow me to join the next hunt?”

“You’ll have your first hunt soon enough. Be patient and wait for the right time.”

“Time?” Luc asked. “I don’t have time. My own Core is still stuck at the Rare Blue stage, meanwhile Hannah…”

“But you do,” his father cut him short. ”Your sister only recently reached the Exotic Green stage, and she wasn’t much younger than you when she joined her first hunt. What you lack isn’t power, but precision. Your techniques are too dangerous to be used lightly in group combat. Keep working on your aim; the rest will come to you naturally.”

“Do you really mean that, or are you just trying to cheer me up?”

Aurelius put his hands on Luc’s shoulders and met his gaze.

“I really mean it. Keep following the right path, and one day you’ll have reached goals beyond your wildest dreams. Power of your own, and the courage, knowledge, and restraint to know how and when to wield it. Then one day, you’ll have a precocious child, with more ambition than sense, asking you the same questions you are asking me now.”

He ruffled Luc’s hair once again.

“But enough of that. It is getting late. There will be plenty of time to train tomorrow, and the day after that.”

Just as they were about to head home, six lights, five near and one distant, appeared far above them, slowly drawing closer. They streaked through the twilight sky, their fiery trails painting arcs of flame against the deepening blue.

The first impact shattered the stillness, a resounding boom that reverberated through the mountainside. The ground trembled beneath their feet.

Then came the second impact, then the third, fourth, and fifth, each one shaking the earth with increasing intensity. The nearby forest groaned under the shockwaves. Lucian’s eyes darted to Aurelius, who stood tall and unmoving, calmly typing away at a chat terminal, seemingly unbothered by the chaos unfolding around them.

“The fleet that departed earlier must have been on an interception mission after all,” Lucian said, almost to himself. “An unsuccessful one at that.”

“There are five minor impact sites close by,” said Aurelius. ”The nearest might be about twenty minutes on foot. The local garrison will send a cleanup squad, but if the meteor spawn swarms us, we might have to handle it ourselves before they arrive.”

Lucian’s stomach tightened.

“Luc, follow me!”

“What?”

“I thought you wanted a hunt?”

“Yes. No. I mean… shouldn’t Mom take care of this?”

“We already have Mary’s okay. She’ll defend our home base. She told me that Lily is still resting in her basket and might give birth today. Besides, if anyone could handle a hunt with you in tow, it’s me.”