How Can I Get Stronger?

A year had passed, and there was still no sign of the cloaked man. Life continued, but there was always a sense of danger looming over my family. For the first few months my father seemed to be on edge, and I don’t blame him. The thought of someone who had launched him across the room showing up again to threaten his child? Yeah, terrifying. Father would stay up countless nights monitoring the area.

Still, there was nothing he could do. Just imagine that my father did catch this man, then what? He isn’t strong enough to fight him, maybe stall long enough for me and my mother to get away. Either way, if he were to ever show up again then we’d be dead. But that still didn’t stop my father from staying up all night and monitoring the area.

My mother started worrying about him. I couldn’t understand what they were saying, but I could tell from her tone. My father would just try to brush her off, pretending he was fine. But we both knew he hadn’t slept in days. This went on for months until my mother finally stepped in. She confronted my father once again but this time her tone wasn’t one of concern. She was angry.

I could hear all of the screaming from the other side of the door. They went back and forth, probably arguing about how he should sleep instead of patrolling all night. But no matter how right mother was, father was stubborn. I could hear him argue back at her. They aren’t making any progress.

What can I do to help? I don't want my parents to end up like them. But it’s not like I can talk or understand what they’re saying so I can’t really add my input.

…

Oh wait, I’m a baby.

WAAAAAAH! WAAAAAAAH!

Suddenly, my parents burst into the room. Their faces were filled with terror, eyes wide and unblinking, mouths slightly open as if they had forgotten how to breathe. Maybe I went overboard with the crying; they probably thought the cloaked man had come back. At least it worked though. Both of them took a sigh of relief. The same kind of sigh I used to let out after realizing I wasn’t getting fired for punching someone. Then they coddled me before putting me back to bed.

After that, they talked to each other for a bit. No yelling. No silence. Just soft voices. They didn’t even bother to leave the room. And the look in their eyes wasn’t filled with hatred or resentment—just love and worry. Honestly… I could cry again. For a good reason this time. But I’ll let them have their moment.

Halfway through their conversation my father broke down. He fell to his knees, and my mother knelt beside him. She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his. I could tell that they truly did love each other. Weird. Parents who don’t hate each other. What a concept.

After that night, things changed. My father still didn’t say much, but something in him had softened. He no longer spent every night patrolling the dark. Instead, he focused on preparing for the future. He would repeatedly swing his sword around, practicing his form. Mother would sometimes bring me out to watch him practice. Sometimes she’d even join him, firing projectiles for him to deflect. Like blasts of water, fire, and earth.

They’d keep at it until she burned through all her energy. I guess in this world, magic burnout means you just pass out. Every time she passed out, my father caught her and brought us inside. After watching my father train, I could tell that he was strong. With every swing I felt the wind press up against my face. There was no doubt about it, he was a capable warrior. So, how did he get bested so easily by that man? Maybe that man was even more of a monster than I had realized. Days like this went on for the rest of the year.

Over time, I started to understand their words.I didn’t think I’d pick up the language so early. Maybe that God guy messed with my brain to make everything easier to understand. But I was finally happy to start speaking. Both my father and mother too.

I remember one time both of them were hovering over me, waiting for me to say something. I was trying to say mom or dad as my first word. Father had been training so hard to protect us, so I wanted to reward his efforts. I chose to go with “da-da” first.

As soon as I did, he sprang up from excitement. He even pointed at my mother and started to laugh like he’d just won some dumb competition. My mother looked down in anger then immediately smacked the back of his head. Knocking him onto the ground. They shared a laugh before focusing their attention back on me. I never got moments like this in my old life. Never had someone laugh that hard just because I said a word. It felt… strange. But good.

Watching them now, her smacking the back of his head, him laughing like a dumbass, I realized something. That little exchange pretty much summed them up. A loud idiot and a strict, caring woman. Somehow, it worked. And honestly? This was still a whole lot better than what I had in my last life.

By the time I was five, I could speak and understand the language. My name was Yakusei Shimizu and honestly, a pretty odd name. I later found out that this name was given to me by the government.

A government name, huh? That can’t be good—can it?

I tried asking her why but she told me that she would tell me once I’m older. Still, I couldn’t stop wondering why it was so different from my parents’ names. My mother’s name was Zera and my father’s name was Viel.

Soon after, I started learning how magic worked in this world. Mother told me that everyone has a reserve of mana which, can be released.

“Mana is the energy inside us,” my mother said as I struggled to shape a simple blast. "You can feel it, can't you? The power flowing throughout your body."

Yeah… I think I knew what she meant. It was like this pressure inside me, buzzing through every vein. Honestly, it made me feel stronger. Way stronger than I ever did back in my old world.

I nodded.

“Perfect,” she said, smiling. “Now imagine moving it through your body. Pull it to your hands, then push it out. Let it become a blast.”

I closed my eyes, lifted my hand, and focused. I pictured the mana traveling from my chest to my arms, down into my palms. Then...

BOOM

A blast erupted from my hand.

I did it!

“Wow!” My mother froze, eyes wide. At first I thought I messed something up. She was silent for a moment, then beamed. “That’s... that’s wonderful! You pulled it off on your first try after hearing my instructions! You might really have a gift for magic.”

“Oh—uh, thank you.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “But when you were sparring with Father, I saw you shooting out fireballs. How’d you do that?”

“Ah, that’s because I changed my mana into elemental mana.”

"Elemental?"

“You can release mana as a pure energy blast, or channel it into one of six elements.”

“Six elements?”

She listed them quickly: “Water, earth, fire, wind, nature, and lightning.”

“Pure energy blasts are the easiest,” she added. “But if you want to be strong, you need to master controlling those elements.”

“Oh.” All of this was a little overwhelming. Would I even be able to get strong with all of this complicated stuff?

“On top of that, each element has unique properties, or ‘attributes,’ that can be used to shape spells beyond basic blasts.”

“Attribute? What does that mean?”

“Well, an attribute is solely dependent on the element. Like lightning increases a spell’s speed, while fire increases its strength, while earth and water control its form. Wind and nature are a bit different though. For wind, rather than affecting the form or output of the spell, it affects its longevity. If you want a spell to last longer or travel farther, you add wind mana. And for nature mana, it is only used for healing and regrowth. So, it is impossible to infuse it into an attack. Unless you're using plants or something similar.”

My mother… IS A HUGE MAGIC NERD!

As she rambled on about all the types of attributes I stared at her with a blank face. Suddenly my mother stopped and turned her head back to me. “You’re confused aren’t you.”

“Y-yeah.”

“Sorry, I get excited talking about magic.” My mother placed a finger to her lips, thinking. “Let me just show you what I mean.”

My mother and I walked outside to a tree. “This will be our target.” She shot out a mana blast. “This is just a normal attack. Not infused with any elemental attribute. She then launched the same blast, but this time it was a lot stronger. “That time I imbued it with the fire attribute. See how much more powerful it is.”

“Oh yeah. That’s so cool.”

“I know, right!” my mother said, proudly puffing out her chest. “Isn’t magic amazing?” She then showed me how all of the other attributes affect a basic mana attack.

While she was showing me that my father stepped in. “While magic is amazing and powerful, those who aren’t skilled at spellcasting just infuse their bodies with mana instead. These are people who use mana as an enhancer to their bodies.” My mother shot him a glare, like he’d just interrupted the climax of a story she’d been dying to tell.

“What does that mean?”

One look from Mother and Father was already stammering. “M-mother has already taught you about the attributes of magic right?”

“Yeah.”

“So with each of those different attributes, a warrior could pick an attribute they need and enhance their bodies with said attribute. Most elements work the same on spells and people, but not all.” Father was just like Mother. I guess they're both nerds about what they like. As I zoned out, father continued to talk. “Earth, water, and wind have different effects on a person compared to the spell. Earth mana strengthens the body and boosts a warrior’s defense. Water does the opposite, it makes the body more flexible but fragile. And wind causes a person to fly.”

Suddenly I focused back onto what he was saying. “Fly? I can fly?”

Father’s expression of excitement dropped, “Was that the only thing you heard.”

“Uh…” I couldn't right say that I zoned out while he was talking. He looked so excited talking about it, I couldn’t break his heart and tell him that I wasn’t paying any attention.

“Dear,” my mother stepped in to save the day. “It’s probably better to show him rather than tell him. He did zone out when I rambled on too.”

“That’s a good idea.” My father drew his wooden sword and said “Watch carefully.” He swung it with great force. It let off a huge gust of wind. “That was just a normal swing, without enhancing myself with any mana. Now I’ll enhance myself with the lightning attribute.” He swung again but this time it was faster. So much faster in fact that I could barely see him swing the sword. “Could you tell the difference?”

“Yeah! That second swing was insane. I saw that the sword was stronger too.”

Father raised an eyebrow. “You sensed the mana too?”

Wait… am I not supposed to be able to tell that?

“Mana can also enhance weapons.” my father said. “If you pour mana into your weapon, it gets stronger. But screw it up and it’ll shatter. The same can happen to your body—use too much mana without control, and your limbs could explode.”

“Explode…”

“Yup, explode.”

Mother slapped him on the back of the head. “Stop scaring him.”

He turned to her, frightened. “It’s the truth though.” She raised her hand at him again, threatening him with another smack. “Okay, okay. You won’t explode but your limbs may get overwhelmed and it could tear up your muscles. The explosion thing was only a theory the warrior hypothesized would happen.”

“Oh, okay.”

While we talked, my father mentioned that most warriors enhance themselves with lightning mana, speed is easier to use in a fight. “There’s no point in hitting hard if you can’t land the hit,” he said. That’s why almost everyone sticks with lightning.

But it made me wonder… what if you could use lightning to close the distance, then switch to fire right at the moment of impact? He said that kind of tactic exists, but only among the truly skilled. If your timing’s off, it could cost you your life. That’s why most people play it safe.

But after seeing how strong that cloaked man was… I don’t think I can play it safe. I have to train. I have to get stronger.

After Father’s lesson, Mother resumed hers. “Mana in this world is connected to one’s life. You can even feel it coursing through your body, just like you did earlier when you blasted out that mana. Some say your mana is linked to your life, and in a way, that’s true.”

Out of nowhere my father screamed. "ZERA! Who shot and destroyed my mother's vase! That was a gift!"

"Oh sorry dear! We were practicing some magic!"

"Just please do it outside next time!"

"Okay! I promise!" my mother turned her attention back to me. "Now, where were we?"

"I wanted to ask how mana is linked to our life?"

"Because," my mother smirked. "Mana comes from your life force."

“Life force?”

“Mana comes from our life force,” she said simply.

Wait so does that mean that if we run out of mana we die?

“So what happens to our life force when we run out of mana?” I asked

“You just feel exhausted,” she said. “But that’s only if you stop there.”

I frowned. “But I’ve seen you pass out after training with Father.”

She gave a sheepish smile. “That’s because I didn’t stop there.”

“What do you mean?”

“That’s when I chose to tap into my life force.”

“Why would you do that?”

“To push myself. When you burn through all your mana, your life force works overtime to restore it. That builds a bigger reserve. More mana, more power.”

“That doesn’t sound like what you do though.”

“Because it’s not.” Her voice dropped slightly. “Most mages just flirt with the edge. I go past it. I convert my life force directly into mana.”

My eyes widened. “You can do that?”

She nodded. “Yes. Life energy, more commonly known as malif, is what forms when you convert your life force directly into mana. It’s like a supercharged version of mana, but far more dangerous to use.”

“Ohh so can I do this with you?”

Her tone flipped fast, from happy and excited to sharp and strict. “Did you not hear what I just said?”

“Is that dangerous?”

“Exactly.”

“But I know I can control it if I try.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Why not?” I clenched both my fists and leaned toward my mother. “I want to be strong like you!”

She must’ve seen how determined I was, because her tone softened. “I know… but not yet. This technique is only for experienced mages. If someone untrained tries it, they could die. Some push too far, turning too much life force into life energy, and their bodies just… give out.”

“Oh…”

“Life force isn’t just magic fuel, it’s what keeps you alive. That’s why it’s called life force.”

I looked at the floor. “Okay.”

“For now, just keep pushing your life force without tapping into it. Maybe in the future I’ll teach you how to tap into your life force.”

“Yes ma’am!”

I wonder though, could I do this on my own?

She knelt beside me, eyes serious. “To use magic well, you have to see it. You have to believe in it, believe in yourself.”

I blinked. “I don’t get it.”

She ruffled my hair. “You will. One day.”

I held onto her words, but before we could start training, we ran into a minor issue.

“He should be a mage!” my mother barked.

“No warrior!”

“No mage!”

They were arguing like children and weren't making much progress. I had to step in. “How about I do both?”

Both my mother and father turned to me in shock. “Are you sure?” they asked in unison.

Their stares made me a bit nervous. “U-uh, yeah. Why not both? That actually sounds kind of fun. Being a mage warrior.”

“Being a warrior isn’t about being fun. If you want to pursue it then you have to promise me you’ll give it your all and to never back down,” father said.

“Same with being a mage,” mother added. “It’ll be a lot of rigorous work so I need to know that you’ll give it everything you have.”

“I will!” In my last life, I didn’t do much of anything. This time, I want to grab every chance I get.

“Alright then,” Father said, reaching out his hand. “Promise me that you’ll give it your all no matter what.” I used both hands to give him a firm handshake. “Then we start tomorrow. Be ready.”

“I will!” I happily said.

Why did I agree to be both!!!

Training was intense and exhausting. I was too naive while I shook my father's hand. Our house was out in the countryside, so we had plenty of space to train. Father took full advantage of this. My father’s training routine was so draining. We would first run three laps around the land. We owned a lot so this was a huge pain. After that we would do practice swings to warm up the body. Mind you, I was only five—so what was a warm-up for him felt like a full-blown workout to me.

If you could even call it sparring. It was more like him whooping my ass while my mother stood by, ready to heal me. After the sparring sessions he would go over all the things I did wrong, like my form, stance, and a whole bunch of other junk.

“Get up. I know you’re stronger than that.”

All of my limbs are aching and I feel sore everywhere. And he still expects me to get up? “Can I get a quick break, father?”

My father charged up another attack and dashed at me. “In battle you can’t call time outs!” His wooden sword pressed onto my stomach and it sent me flying.

Yup, I’m going to die.

“Viel! That was too much! Look at him, he’s a mess!”

Go on, mother. Go give him a scolding.

Mother quickly headed over to me and started to heal all my wounds. The healing felt nice. It was a warm and tingly sensation. I could feel the pain slowly fade away. “I know you want him to be strong but you don’t have to hurt him this badly.”

“But he’ll need to be stronger once he leaves.” Father didn’t sound angry, he sounded nervous. No, scared. Like the place I was heading to might be the end of me.

“I know but he’s only a child. You don’t have to be so rough on him.”

Father looked away and froze, probably searching for what to say next. “But—”

“No buts!” my mother quickly interrupted.

“O-okay, fine. I’ll go easier on him.”

I appreciated my mother’s concern, but I didn’t want to be coddled. Even if it hurt, I couldn’t afford to be coddled. I needed to be stronger. “Th-thanks, Mom, but I’ll be fine. Father can keep going. I want to be stronger.”

My father walked up to me with his sword over his shoulder. “This is your only chance to make things easier. If you want it, take it.”

“I don’t want it to be easier. I want to be strong like you. And I promise that I’ll give it my all.”

Father dropped his wooden sword and walked toward me in complete silence—slow, like a zombie. It was eerie. When he got to me he looked down at me. His glare was intense.

Did I say the wrong thing?

Father immediately picked me up and lifted me into the air. “That’s my boy!”

“Oh dear,” Mother muttered.

Once Mother healed me up, it was straight into magic practice. Assuming Father hadn’t already beaten me half to death. I would normally just shoot projectiles at my father along with my mother until I completely use up all my mana. When I would feel like I ran out she would tell me to try my hardest to shoot out anything left, without tapping into my life force of course.

I’d barely manage a weak blast, but my mother always said it was enough. If I try and go past what my life force can handle then it would adapt therefore increasing my mana reserve. But she would always tell me to never tap into my life force. Of course I listened to her, but one day I got curious.

I had run out of mana so it was a perfect chance to try to use my life force. I closed my eyes and held out my hand.

Focus. Focus. Magic is visualization. Turning life force into life energy should be just like shaping mana into an element.

As I focused I felt an energy coming from my chest. It was odd, nothing like I was used to.

This must be it.

“Yakusei, what are you doing!” my mother shouted.

At the moment I was too focused on converting life force into life energy so I ignored her. But I could feel it, life energy coursing through my body. All the fatigue I felt from draining my mana disappeared. Matter of fact, I’ve never felt better. My body felt stronger, more stable, more powerful. Now it was time to release all this energy.

“Yakusei stop!”

I shot it at my father. As the malif surged out of me, the power that had been coursing through my body vanished in an instant. My limbs went limp. My senses scrambled: vision blurred, no smell, barely any sound. I couldn’t even tell I was falling. The only thing I could feel was the cold. Then, everything went black.