Kael fell asleep as soon as the carriage began to move. When he opened his eyes, the moon had already risen in the sky. He had slept through the entire journey home.
It was late at night. He felt a bit groggy, but his body was well-rested. After having dinner with his family, Kael went straight to his room.He lay on his bed and began to absorb the mana around him, hoping he would develop the ability to continuously absorb mana even while unconscious.
The next day, Kael woke up at 5:00 a.m., as usual. He freshened up and went to his training spot for his morning workouts. He set his training seal at 70% throughout his regimen while reinforcing his entire body with the Ironhide Clan technique. After completing his early-morning workout, he ate breakfast with his family and headed out for his usual training.
After finishing his pre-afternoon training, he was on his way back home. While walking through a square, he noticed a group of kids bullying a red-haired boy. The entire group, including the boy, looked to be about his age.
Kael squinted his eyes at the red-haired boy for a few seconds, but ultimately decided to ignore them and continued on his way home. The rest of the day proceeded normally.
After dinner, Kael returned to his room, lay on his bed, and resumed absorbing mana from his surroundings. He continued until he eventually fell asleep a couple of hours later.
An hour later, while he was sleeping, someone knocked on his door. Kael opened it, surprised to see his sister outside.
"Emily? What's wrong?" he asked.
Emily fidgeted, avoiding eye contact. "Can I… Can I sleep here tonight?" she asked quietly. "I'm afraid to sleep alone."
Kael was taken aback. He knew that his sister had never been afraid of sleeping alone before. Seeing the unease in her expression, however, he understood. "Are you worried about your mana awakening?" he asked gently.
Emily nodded, her eyes wide with worry.
He sighed softly and opened the door wider, gesturing for her to enter.
"Come in," he said. "There's nothing to be afraid of. Everyone goes through this."
She nodded lightly and stepped inside. She scrambled onto the bed, still looking anxious. "But… does it hurt?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Is it… is it going to hurt a lot?"
Kael smiled reassuringly. "No, it doesn't hurt. The entire process happens while you're unconscious, so you won't feel anything."
She perked up slightly at that, but her curiosity wasn't satisfied yet. "Then... what actually happens during the awakening?"
Kael thought for a moment before answering. "I don't remember mine since I was also unconscious, but Mom told me what happened."
He then explained the awakening process to Emily. "You know that everyone is born with mana, right?" Emily nodded, listening intently.
"Even though everyone is born with mana, they can't use the mana in their bodies initially because their bodies can't release the mana outside. As a person grows, the mana inside their body also grows. Around the time we reach seven years old, our bodies can't hold the growing mana anymore. The mana then forcefully breaks out, opening special points in our body called Tanketsu."
Emily's eyes widened. "Tanketsu?"
Kael nodded. "These points allow us to release mana, enabling us to cast spells and enhance our bodies. Since all the mana inside us bursts out at once, we become completely drained and fall unconscious. Afterward, our bodies will begin regenerating mana naturally, and that's when we can finally start using it."
Emily tilted her head. "Really? I thought we just awakened mana and started using it normally."
Seeing her amazed expression, he added, "Not only that, but the tanketsu points also determine whether someone becomes a mage or an augmenter."
Her eyes sparkled with curiosity. "How?"
Kael chuckled at her eagerness before explaining.
"You see, if the Tanketsu points formed when mana escapes are very small, you can't release enough mana to perform spells. However, this gives you another advantage: you can reinforce your body more effectively. Since you don't lose much mana, you can concentrate it better, which enhances your durability and strength.
On the other hand, if your tanketsu points are very large, you can release vast amounts of mana, making spell casting easier. But because your points are so big, it becomes difficult to concentrate mana inside your body—it leaks out too easily."
Emily nodded slowly, processing the information.
"However, in some individuals," Kael continued, "the Tanketsu points formed are neither too big nor too small. These individuals can choose to become either a mage or an augmenter."
Emily gasped. "Really? Isn't that the best? You can choose what you want to be!"
Kael shook his head. "Not exactly. While they have two options, they can't reach the peak in either path. So, instead of an advantage, it's actually a disadvantage. But these disadvantages can be overcome through various methods, though I don't know them yet."
Emily frowned slightly, but seemed to accept his words. Then, with renewed excitement, she asked, "What do you think my elemental affinity will be? Will it be the same as yours?"
Kael sighed at his sister's endless curiosity, but answered nonetheless.
"That's hard to say. There's no definite way to predict someone's affinity. But usually there's a 60% chance that one will inherit the same affinity as one of their parents. If we are going by that logic, you might have Wind affinity like our mother or Fire affinity like our father."
Emily nodded, but then she suddenly paused. A serious look crossed her face, and her lips trembled slightly. "But... brother, you have lightning affinity. Neither of our parents have that..." Her eyes teared up. "Does that mean you're not really my brother? Did Mother and Father find you on the roadside?"
She declared, determination shining in her eyes. "Don't worry, Brother! No matter what, you'll always be my big bro—"
Kael's eyebrow twitched. Before she could continue, he lightly karate chopped her head.
"Ow!" Emily clutched her head with a pout. "That hurts!"
"Listen to the full explanation before jumping to conclusions," Kael sighed. "While there's a 60% chance of inheriting a parent's element, there's also a small chance—5%—of getting a compound element. My lightning affinity is a mix of wind and fire, which makes perfect sense given our parents' elements. Similarly, people with parents having water and wind affinities might awaken ice, while fire and earth can result in metal affinity. Also, water and earth can result in wood affinity. And there's a 1% chance that one may awaken an arcane element. And if one didn't awaken any of these, they may awaken one of other elements."
Emily's eyes lit up with understanding. "So you're really my brother!" Then she paused, her expression turning sheepish. "I would've been sad if that wasn't the case..."
Kael's forehead twitched, and he started pinching her cheeks. "It's already late. You should start sleeping, otherwise, I'm tossing you out the window."
She giggled, nestling closer. With that, they both settled into his bed.
Just as Kael began to drift into sleep—
"Brother."
His eyelid twitched. "What now?"
Emily looked at him innocently. "I can't sleep. Tell me a story."
Kael exhaled sharply, but resigned himself to his fate. He stared at the ceiling for a moment before beginning a story, his voice low and steady.
"Once upon a time, there lived an evil dragon that wreaked havoc on every village it passed through. Desperate to stop the destruction, the people prayed to the Goddess of Creation, Neith. Answering their prayers, the goddess bestowed upon them a sacred sword and proclaimed, 'Only one with a pure soul may wield this blade and harness its power to slay the dragon.'
"A hero eventually emerged, lifting the sword and defeating the dragon. From that day forward, the blade became known as the Dragon Slayer Sword and was passed down through generations… until it finally landed in our family linea—ack!"
Before Kael could finish, a sharp punch landed on his side. He winced and turned to see Emily staring at him like he was an idiot.
"Don't you know any other stories?" she huffed. "Do you think I'm still a little kid?"
"But you are one," Kael replied, his expression clearly saying, Aren't you?
"Hmph!" Emily snorted, saying, "Tell me a real story, or I won't let you sleep!"
Kael sighed in defeat, rubbing his side where Emily had just punched him. "Alright, alright. No fairy tales," he muttered.
Emily huffed in satisfaction, "Good. Now, tell me something interesting."
Kael thought for a moment, staring at the ceiling. "Fine. How about a real story from history?"
Emily's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Depends. What's it about?"
Kael smirked. "It's the story of three siblings who shaped our world."
Emily blinked. "That sounds... interesting."
"It is," Kael said, his tone shifting to something more serious. "Long ago, when the world of Astralis was still untamed—when only uncivilized humans and wild beasts roamed the land—the Goddess of Creation, Neith, was born into this world as a human. In time, she gave birth to three children—two sons and a daughter—who would go on to shape the very foundation of our civilization."
Emily sat up straight, her excitement evident. "Then what happened?"
Kael's lips curled into a small smile. "If you want to know… you'll have to listen till the end."
And so, under the quiet glow of the night, Kael began weaving a tale—one rooted in history, yet grand enough to capture even his sister's restless imagination.
As he reached the halfway point of his story, he noticed Emily's eyelids growing heavy. Before he could continue, the gentle rhythm of her breathing signaled that she had finally fallen asleep.
Kael smiled slightly, then allowed himself to drift off as well.