The Rezenens Mage

Kairo rose to test Zeus's power. He wielded the weapon, which seemed to glide effortlessly in his hands; suspected the magic upgrade had somehow reduced its density. It felt so light that he could use it with ease.

"Now to apply magic."

Up until this point, his magic was reactive or limited to the two spells Genie and Jan had taught him.

Jan taught him Space Manipulation, reassuring him it was a basic spell. It leveraged air elements for an effect, and in its basic form, the spell froze an object. However, when he tried to use it became a time reversal impact. The spell exhausted his energy that he ended up in a three-day coma. Until he felt he had a better grasp of magic basics, he wouldn't use it again.

Genie taught him Instant Meditation. A breathing exercise to a timed rhythm: designed to draw in spirit energy with focus.

Then there was the ability to feed his spirit energy into a weapon to make it move to his will, like a form of telekinesis. Every magic user could do this on thought and will alone. He was pleasantly surprised when he discovered he could too.

"I am one with my grimoire." His Holy Ama Cross pendant felt like an extension of himself now.

He felt he could properly manifest magic with his grimoire, which would read his intentions. Spells could be cast instinctively. But, he had to test these to ensure three-day comas weren't a regular occurrence.

The flaming white barrier was still surrounding him and the stone ring.

"Guess I have to snuff this out." He rubbed his chin on how then looked at Zeus. "Right."

He swaggered up to a section of white flame with the silver scythe weapon in his hand. In his mind, he pictured a cross-white blade of white energy putting out the fires.

Zeus sparked and glowed. His grimoire swelled with magic that traced the pattern of his body's circulatory system. He lifted the weapon high and swung it over the flames in a dual arc movement. The attack made a break in the ring to see it die out.

Kaira rechecked his gear and started a run.

The forest eased into a wide clearing where the trees were taller and clumped densely to form walls. It felt like he was about to enter a maze.

His energies lifted when felt his mind-link to Genie was rekindled. "Genie, are you there?"

"I'm here."

Kairo recalled that he should've had their links cut.

"I've cut the link to others, but you and I can still be chummy."

"Oh, right."

He stopped in his tracks when he detected a hint of anger in the man's tones. "Um, is everything okay?"

"Hm? Oh, yes, sure. I never expected the Scryer to block my access to the ring." Genie eased the tension to his voice.

"Scryer?"

"That stone-throwing ugly snake-man, who's very lucky to be alive because you are."

Kairo gulped when a vivid flash of anger passed through his mind. Genie's link to him instantly calmed.

"You better pick up the pace, night is drawing fast. Oh, and if you can make it to the Rose Gardens, Lady Bluesteed could use a hand."

"She's here? Why?"

"For her challenge to be an official court lady. She can explain later if you get there."

"Where's this garden?"

"Directions on your navigator."

Kairo checked his pocket-watch-navigator. Nodded when he got a gist of the way: pocketed the item and ran in a north-west direction, weaving around tree clumps.

His body felt more energized and stronger.

As he turned a corner, he stepped back and skidded to one side when snakevines lashed at him with attacks.

"Zeus, you're up!" He unhooked his weapon and wielded it in a slash attack that had the plant monster reeling back with a high-pitched squeal.

He ducked, dived and did an evade roll to dodge a group of writhing green vines attacking him.

Zeus moved effortlessly about, as more of Kairo's spirit energy was laced into it to perform deadlier attacks on the plant monster.

You are the Rezenens Mage. The Power of Mundane shall enlighten the magnificent.

Memories of the deific voice saying these words flashed through his mind, further empowering his energies and making his Holy Ama Cross glow bright with gold light.

The snakevine continued to squeal and shriek with pain Kairo dished out on it with Zeus.

Kairo checked his direction between fights and nodded when he saw he was ten meters from the rose gardens. He resumed with a sprint, cutting down vines along his way.

But he took a wrong turn around a tree clump and entered a darkened cave where speckles of blue crystal shone on the stone. The stench of sulfur and offal was making his stomach churn. He swallowed a healing pill.

"Oh crap." His heart raced fearfully when he saw a gigantic gathering of snakevines growing tall before him. It was a wide mass that nearly covered the cave space, and it grew to a height of a single story house.

"A Mothervine! GET OUT OF THERE KAIRO!" Genie screamed in his head.

The mothervine dripped with sap and gluey bile that melted the stone where it landed.

Kairo felt his muscles temporarily locked up with fear. Then his mind recapped his choice at the stone ring. He gripped Zeus tightly in his hand with a renewed determination empowered by his fear.

"Genie, don't you know I'm the Palace House Wizard." He reaffirmed his hold on his weapon and forced himself to move into a rush for the shrieking plant monster.

"You're crazy is what I know! Get out of there, NOW. Your boss orders you!"

But Kairo laughed maniacally, feeling his competitive streak rekindle within him as he felt the Power of Mundane course through his body's circulatory system.

"No. I shall enlighten this magnificent foe." His words were a whisper, but his might was louder for the mothervine to hear.

A slimy fat vine lashed and made snapping attacks for him. He dodged it, but was caught off guard by a sneak attack from another. He yelped when he tumbled about the ground, and evade-rolled to miss a sequence of spike and stab attacks: scrambled to his feet and stood wide to stand steady with Zeus in both hands.

"MONSTER, YOU'LL SHALL BE ENLIGHTENED!" He shouted as he swung Zeus in a two-arc motion. 

A cross blade of pure-white magic rushed to strike the core of the mothervine, which was a bulb.

Seeing what was about to hit it, the snakevines recoiled their attacks with fear. The vines hastily wrapped around the bulb, shielding it from Kairo's relentless cross-blade slashes. 

The cave ignited into a white fire as his magic overwhelmed the compact space to set it to a blaze.

The mothervine recoiled, writhed and shrieked with pain and disbelief as it burned.

Kairo panted for breath as he turned and scrambled out of the cave to open ground.

An explosion inside the cave shook the ground to make it quake.

"You're kidding me!" Kairo huffed, feeling his body's aches. 

He scrambled into a mad run to avoid the ground collapse behind him, which was triggered by the cave explosion.

He managed to back-track a few meters when the ground tremors stopped and was more solid.

Sounds of crazed fighting drew his attention to the dense cluster of trees a meter ahead. His skin tingled as he felt static from magic discharges in the air. 

He rose and headed for the calamity, fearing Lady Bluesteed was being attacked.