The First Spark

From the depths of the hazy, abyssal darkness emerged the most fearsome monster of all - the legendary Green-Eyes Plant Dragon.

This legendary dragon was a well-known powerful engine of destruction. Virtually invincible, so much so that very few had seen this awesome creature and lived to tell the tale.

After a relentless, gruelling war of attrition, where every step was bought with blood and great sacrifice, the battle reached its explosive climax!

Surrounded by the bodies of his fallen comrades, the Paladin Hero emerged, his spirit unyielding. With a single, unrelenting slash, he struck down the mighty Green-Eyes Plant Dragon, cutting through the darkness.

There, surrounded by the soft glow of the Evernight Flower and the blood-soaked mist of the battlefield, stood a man – the lone figure who had sheltered the storm.

He returned to the empire with a few of his brothers-in-arms, literally, and the Evernight Flower.  Impressed by his valour and great chivalry, the king offered his daughter's hand in marriage to the knight captain and endowed him with the title of the Paladin Hero.

And they both lived happily ever after.

Well, that was a short summary of it. Trust me, if Glyffe was reading The Heroic Tales of The Paladin Hero out to you then you wouldn't hear the end until about a few chapters from now.

According to Glyffe this was a true story and there are exchanges held between scouts to this day to commemorate it. Sometimes, scouts even held joint race tournaments, as the story is supposed to represent how races can accomplish great things when they work together. Glyffe even mentioned the elves and dwarves had their own versions of this story where the Hero was instead a member of their race.

As much as I'd like to believe Glyffe, the descriptions had gotten so outlandish and fanciful that I could only think of it as just a fairy tale. I'll change my mind when I see a real Evernight Flower or real crystal caverns and abyssal forests.

While I wasn't sure about the authenticity of this story, the fact that each race had a different hero didn't exactly help its credibility. Glyffe however, fervently believed it was a true story. And of course, he believed the human hero was the true Paladin Hero.

The Paladin Hero was his childhood idol – similar to how kids idolise sports celebrities in my old world. That would also explain his obsession with training his swordsmanship.

These stories told me two crucial things - the first being that this had to be a fantasy world. There's no other way the Paladin Hero could've been a real-life person and met elves, dwarves and a plant dragon.

While I knew the story likely had some truth to it – the reason I still thought of it as a fairy tale was how exaggerated some parts were. I was almost positive they added certain feats like escaping volcanoes and braving waterfalls as an embellishment.

The second thing these stories told me was that this world had no 'monsters'.  At least not in the conventional sense.

Real dragons, goblins, slimes, ogres - you wouldn't find any here. All the monsters in this world were flora - or plant - derivatives. There were slimes - green plant slimes. There were goblins - green plant goblins. Even dragons like you heard earlier - but plant dragons. Though dragons were elusive and probably extinct.

Plant monsters were the most dangerous creatures on the continent - specifically for adventurers or anyone who dared to venture into forbidden lands. Adventures made a living off finding rare plants, precious gems or obtaining plant cores.

I couldn't imagine it from all the typical fantasy novels I'd read about normal monsters, but I imagined seeing it in person would clear that up. Glyffe's descriptions of them were too detailed to be faked - I was convinced he had even seen a large portion of them himself.

Apart from the library, I'd also explored other areas of the house, namely: the kitchen, living room and the bathroom. Admittedly, there wasn't really anything notable about those. I did have to say it was nice that this world had working water supplies and pipe ways though.

I also realised the house had a basement hidden behind the stairs, but I didn't quite manage to explore that yet - not that I really wanted to very much. Continuing to learn to read was my focus for the foreseeable future.

After years of listening to the same bedtime stories and countless reading lessons from Silvia, I managed to learn to read at five years old. I know that might not seem very impressive compared to people who are transported to another world and instantly become Overlords, but it felt much more rewarding than any cheat ability.

My legs had gotten quite a bit stronger so I could jump now - albeit not very high. With the help of a few well-placed piles of clothes I could now turn door handles fairly reliably. 

With my reading skills finally improved it was finally time to read the grimoire. In a strange twist of fate, the book actually was called A Beginner's Guide to Magic. 

I guess the author - Asim Clevio - wasn't very creative with his titles. I did my usual routine and escaped into the book room, this time reaching for the grimoire. Opening it slowly, I glanced over the first few pages. 

The book had no glossary or preface and dove straight into the content.

"Hello, future magician! This book was made for super beginners, like you, to understand the awesome and wonderfully important principles of magic!

In this world everyone has an initially fixed mana pool from which they can draw mana from to cast magic. Mana pools can only be enlarged by using rare magical treasures."

It was nice to know even in the worst case scenario I would still be able to improve my mana pool by using magical treasures.

"Everyone, without exception, can learn up to intermediate magic. Meaning that with the correct training and opportunities - anyone can become an intermediate magician.

I should probably explain the different classes of magic which can be cast. As a beginner the magic classes you should worry about are the beginner and intermediate class spells. Anything beyond intermediate magic would be impractical to learn about at this stage. But if you're really dying to know then...

Lucky for you, you can find out what's beyond intermediate magic in my follow up book An Intermediate Guide to Magic, so make sure to buy the next book in this series!" 

So shameless plugs exist even in another world huh.

"I know, I know - you're getting impatient and just want to cast your first spell. I get it, I really do. I was a beginner once too. But listen up, dumb newbie. Learning spells takes a lot of practice, and you can't rush it."

Dumb?

"Magic requires a variety of concepts like visualisation, chanting, affinity, theory, practice and concentration just to name a few. You mustn't rush it!"

I'd waited five years to be able to use magic so I would be lying if I said I wasn't getting impatient.

"Magic is complex and there's so many factors to consider. So for now, we'll do the bare minimum. Just keep in mind, good visualisation, concentration and understanding the theory can improve a spell's output."

Could he get to the point already? I really hope this author isn't the type to add extra phrases just to fill a word count...

"Okay, okay. Now that I've skimmed over some of the basic principles of magic, I can teach you your first spell. It's called Fireball and it's a beginner tier three spell."

The classic fireball spell. Any long-time fantasy fan had heard of the iconic fireball spell before and I was no exception. I wasn't quite sure what he meant by tier three though.

"With about a week's worth of practice you should be able to cast an especially weak version of this spell. First, extend out your palm and shout 'Fireball'. That should do the trick. Even on your first try you should feel your hand heat up slightly and see a small wisp of fire. Go ahead - try it." 

Hmmm. It sounded simple enough but that makes sense. It is beginner tier magic after all – and tier 3 to boot.

I extended my palm and, with a firm voice, recited the chant.

"Fireball!"

Nothing.

"Fireball! Fireball! Fireball! Fireball! Fireball!" 

Nothing.

Well that was slightly disappointing.

Who am I kidding - very disappointing. 

"Pffft! I'm sure you're thinking something like 'that was disappointing'. Hahaha, I don't blame you. Magic isn't that simple. A super idiot like you couldn't possibly cast it so easily."

This guy was beginning to get on my nerves – wouldn't it be more useful if he said why it didn't work?

"That was just to teach you a valuable lesson. If you're annoyed or disappointed - then good. When learning magic you will be annoyed. There will be spells you struggle to learn. You will be disappointed. There will be times you feel like giving up.

What's important is you keep going. That's the mindset of a magician – keep struggling forwards. Oh, and by the way, I didn't tell you the trick to actually casting magic, so of course you wouldn't get it right."

Ah so that's why. Low blow. As much as it left a bitter taste, I got the message. Magic is hard and there's no shortcut.

"The thing I'm about to tell you next is the key to using magic, so listen up newbie. Any time you use magic, you need to connect to your mana pool. Mana pools are generally located around your chest area. Once you feel it - and only then - you can cast your first spell."

My... mana pool?

Just then, I focused on my lower chest area opposite my heart and could feel a strange hole there. Within the hole was a flowy sensation like something was slowly travelling into it. A sensation I could only feel when I actively tried to look for it.

I guess that was my mana pool and the flowy feeling was from mana entering my mana pool. Now that I knew I had to focus on my mana pool when casting, I was ready to attempt the Fireball spell again. And this time for sure - I'd get it.

Focusing on my mana pool and the flow of mana within, I readied myself. Extending both my palms out this time, I channelled my mana. Slowly I could feel a weird energy flowing into my palms. This was it - I could feel it would work this time. I shouted the chant once more.

Fireball!

With my shout being so loud I could hear the sound of sudden footsteps but that didn't matter right now. A nice, warm sensation flooded my palms and a fluffy ember shot straight out of my palm. I watched as the little ember flew happily across the room. 

Uh-oh. I forgot I was in a library.

Boom!

The soft sizzling of burning pages echoed crisply and what I had just done quickly set in. The blaze of smoke which erupted soon after and the roar of flames drowned out any hope I had of salvaging the situation.

Suddenly, the door to my right flung open, bringing a fierce gale with it from the sheer velocity the door opened with.

Water ball!

A perfectly round ball of water flew out towards the bookshelf and Silvia's familiar figure followed. My saviour had a shocked expression but a quick and helpful reaction nonetheless. She'd reacted before she had even fully digested the situation.

"Reno are you okay?" Silvia asked warmly. I found myself in her embrace - even more shocked than her at what had just happened. "Reno what happened?"

"Oh I'm okay mama...I uhm...I used magic..."

"Magic!?"

It was only then that she looked down at the magic textbook besides us and realised what that really meant. She began to scrutinize and observe me closely. My posture as she walked in, the lingering warmth of my right hand - in that moment it all clicked for her.

I could feel her heartbeat accelerate slightly and her eyes light up. A smile naturally blossomed and anyone with eyes could tell what she was thinking. She just had to be thinking something like 'my son is a—

"Genius! Reno you're a genius!" Yep - something like that. Silvia was practically jumping for joy. I guess she was just going to ignore the fact I literally just set the house on fire. I guess every cloud has a silver lining.

"Uhm mama, shouldn't you double check to make sure the fire doesn't spread?"

"Oh yes the books I almost forgot," she replied earnestly, removing me from her embrace and getting a closer look at the books from afar. Now I could clearly see the area my fireball effected.

The book most affected had lost the latter half of its title. It now read, 'The Heroic Ta-'. I could feel my body tense up slightly. I knew exactly why I had that reaction. That book was supposed to be The Heroic Tales of The Paladin Hero. And it was also—

"Glyffe's favourite!" we both exclaimed at the same time, only to look at each other somewhat awkwardly after.

Well, that wasn't good. At this point in time Glyffe was still out working, so I guess we had some time to analyse the situation. Surely the damage wasn't too bad...

"Reno it's completely burnt. Completely. Just how strong of a fireball did you use!" Silvia exclaimed half joyfully half exasperatedly. She almost seemed... happy?

"Normal? I think?" I replied, uncertain. I mean it wasn't like I had anything to compare it with but if I was to guess I'd think it was a below average fireball. Its outward appearance was quite tame and fluffy. It wasn't a ball at all. The impact damage surprised me considering how weak it looked.

"No five year olds can even use magic - so how is this normal, Reno?" Silvia said in disbelief. I was speechless. She was right it definitely wasn't normal for a five year old to use magic - even in another world.

"Reno from now on - no more magic in the house!" Silvia said assertively. That was something we could both agree on after that fiery mess. "I'll think of something to explain the situation to Glyffe. He should only be here much later so it'll be fine." Silvia said reassuringly.

"Silvia, Reno - I'm home!" Glyffe greeted us from the downstairs floor. I flinched and instinctively looked up at Silvia whose countenance had similarly stiffened.  She spoke too soon.

Clearly, even Silvia didn't expect Glyffe to have such comedic timing. Everything had happened so fast that I had to say I was still in shock too. I can only imagine how shocked she was to see her kid sat before a wall of flames.

"Honey we're upstairs in the study. Reno's had a little accident here so it'd be nice if you could come upstairs soon." Silvia shouted down the stairs.

"An accident?" Glyffe asked surprised.

"Yes - an accident." She looked straight down at me. Guilty as charged. 

"Alright honey I'll come up in a minute." Glyffe responded apprehensively. His ascent up the flight of stairs seemed particularly slow today. Each and every step was crisp and notably clear. The noise of his footsteps grew louder and louder, until they were just outside the door. 

"Alright what's the fuss about?" A deep but smooth voice came from outside the room and Glyffe's familiar muscular figure with it. Instantly his expression turned to one of shock. Anyone could tell what the fuss was about.

He looked around - probably looking for an answer - but I turned away as soon as I met his gaze. I instead chose to look at Silvia for some sort of protection. Silvia smiled down at me then proceeded to explain everything in an almost professional manner.

"So, I was sweeping the floor downstairs when I could hear Reno shout 'Fireball! Fireball! Fireball!' From upstairs. I thought he was just messing around - after all it wouldn't make sense for a five-year old to use magic, right?." Reaching the end of her sentence, she puffed up her chest and looked at Glyffe smugly.

"Magic?" Glyffe raised an eyebrow at her. 

"Yes magic! Fire magic! Our boy is a genius!" Silvia exclaimed excitedly. 

"You think Reno is a... genius?" This time it was Glyffe's turn to scrutinize me. He looked at me like he could see through me and actually determine whether I was a genius or not. His discerning eye was eventually blocked out by Silvia's figure coming between us.

"Glyffe he's only five years old! Do any five year olds you know use magic?" Silvia asked quite assuredly.

"Most bright kids learn magic at around seven to eight years old." Glyffe responded quite fairly.

"Right? That's what I'm saying he's a genius Glyffe - a genius!"

"Silvia if Reno really was a genius then why would he use fire magic indoors? In a library no less? Everyone knows the number one rule of fire magic is to never use it indoors."

I hated to admit it but, he did have a point. In hindsight, just why did I do that?

Silvia paused for a moment as if she really was questioning if I was a genius or not, but her reply came quickly. "Isn't it our fault he doesn't know the dangers? It's not like Reno has really seen fire before or its effects so how could he have known! In fact, Reno hasn't seen any magic before!" Silvia said quite logically.

Well, it was true Reno had never seen fire before but Akio certainly had. But it wasn't like Silvia would know that her little boy had actually lived a short life in another world prior to this.

Hearing this Glyffe also paused slightly. "You're right, it is our fault as parents that this happened. We haven't shown him any sort of magic yet or told him the dangers. It's amazing he even managed to read the textbook by himself." Thinking up to here, Glyffe had a strange expression when he looked at me past Silvia. He was being converted.

"Right? I told you the reading lessons were working Glyffe—Reno has always been a quick learner. Which is why," Silvia smiled at Glyffe and turned around to face me extending both her arms out extravagantly. "From now on me and Glyffe will teach you how to use magic Reno!"

My eyes widened in surprise. Huh?

"This way an accident like this won't ever happen again!" She added as Glyffe approvingly nodded along.

"You really didn't teach him any magic at all Silvia?" Glyffe asked pensively, it seems this is what was holding him back from admitting my genius.

"Nope. All him. From a magic textbook no less." Silvia bragged, almost as if it was her that had done it. 

"You're right Silvia. Reno is a genius. A true genius. Most kids don't even learn to read until about five never mind cast a spell.  Well, he is our son so of course he would be this talented!" Glyffe bellowed heartily. His grand gesture earning himself an eye roll from Silvia and a giggle from me.

That switch up was crazy. He was quite sceptical initially, but a little bit of convincing was all it took.

"Hmm?" 

Glyffe looked closer at the surrounding damage, noticing a certain book - a very important book - was slightly different today.

A wet and mangled mess of burnt pages and flowy ink. Blurred pictures and missing pages. The only thing which could be made out was half the title. 'The Heroic Ta-'. Glyffe's expression instantly turned solemn. 

"Sorry dad!" I took the initiative to apologise - striking while the iron was still hot. Glyffe's expression portrayed his mixed emotions but he came to a solid conclusion rather quickly. He took a deep breath in.

"It's okay, Reno. Accidents like these happen. Just make sure not to use fire magic indoors – because accidents like these happen and it can be very dangerous." He paused. "In fact, it's better to not use any magic in the house." Glyffe suggested quite maturely - his reaction much tamer then what me or clearly Silvia was expecting. 

It was rare to see dad's serious side, but it was a welcomed. Evidently, his joy from me being talented was greater than his disappointment from his favourite book being destroyed.

"How about this - why don't we head into Butter Town as a family tomorrow and look for a new book for Glyffe?" Silvia suggested reasonably. 

"Butter town?" I asked inquisitively. Who would give a place such a ridiculous name?

"Yes Butter Town—wait. Have you taken Reno outside yet Glyffe?" At first Silvia was looking at me, but by the end her gaze was directed straight at Glyffe.

"Oh. Right, yeah. I think I forgot." Glyffe said nonchalantly.

Great. So the reason I haven't seen the outside world for the past five years is that Glyffe forgot.

"GLY-FFE. I asked you to take Reno out with you at least once and you're telling me you forgot? You're telling me Reno hasn't seen the outside world at all!? Not even the garden?" Silvia was starting to heat up. She was going to crash out if she dwelt on this any further.

"Yeah, not even the garden..." Glyffe said while scratching the back of his head and coughing not so subtly."...sorry, honey?"

All that response earned was a disappointed sigh.

"Hmph I'll deal with you later Glyffe. You'll be sleeping on the couch tonight!" She harrumphed angrily returning back downstairs to finish sweeping the floor before she got any angrier, leaving me and a stunned Glyffe in the study. 

When she had gone, Glyffe crouched down and analysed my condition. He was making sure I was okay and didn't get hurt earlier.

"Oh, the things I do for your mother Reno. Oh the things I do..." Glyffe lamented to me slightly too loudly.

I'd love to take your side Glyffe but it was your fault I'd never seen the light of day. And something told me Silvia asked you to take me out more than once. Oh, the thing you didn't do for me Glyffe. Oh the thing you didn't do...

"Glyffe!"

An angry shout rang out from downstairs, and Glyffe flashed me a smirk. With a thumbs up, he replied "Sorry Silvia, I'll make it up to you..." in an apologetic tone which clearly betrayed his actual expression.

These two are really something else.

"I'll start teaching you magic tomorrow so something like this won't happen again." Glyffe said reassuringly.

Wind Breeze.

Glyffe outstretched his palm and the couple of books left out flew back to their rightful position. Those that were destroyed lined up before him in an orderly manner. He proceeded to lift them up - probably to bin them. His face cringed seeing "The Heroic Ta-" on top of them all.

"Didn't you say no magic in the house?" I saw my chance and ran with it.

"Not you too Reno, give me a break!" Glyffe lamented again, but this time in a quieter tone so no one downstairs could possibly hear it.

"I heard that." She heard it.

Later that day when I was reading the rest of the magic textbook.

"By the way, there's something I forgot to mention. Only because I thought it was common sense until my own kid Syndra did this. Whatever you do, obviously do not use fire magic indoors. Only a complete idiot would use fire magic indoors. Like only a total dumbass. The number one rule of fire magic is as follows: do not use it indoors."