Ralth stared at the strange object called the Felsan Cube, deep in his soul. Something about its name made him feel awed. He stood behind the magus, his thin shoulders tense, carefully reaching out with his mind to touch the cube that had ignored him before.
'I need to figure out what this thing does'
Luckily, it wasn't hard. The moment Ralth's spirit touched the cube, knowledge about it flooded into his mind like water into a cup. The sensation was strange but not painful.
---
[FELSAN CUBE - ]
- Current Level: 1 (Locked Potential Detected)
- Energy Reserve: 0% (Absorb more magic to advance)
- Next Unlock:10% Energy Accumulation Required
Functions (Unlocked)
- 🔹 Energy Absorption (Passive)
- Converts ambient magical residue into gradual mind & body strengthening.
- 🔹 Knowledge Extraction (Active)
- Absorbs skills & information from magically infused objects.
- 🔹 Mana Absorption (Active)
- Converts tainted magical energy from artifacts into usable power.
Locked Functions
🔹 ??? (10% Energy Accumulation)
🔹 ??? (25% Energy Accumulation)
🔹 ??? (50% Energy Accumulation)
🔹 ??? (100% Energy Accumulation)
---
It seems the cube had woken up because of the magus's magic stimulating it. Only its first level was unlocked now - it could use leftover Mana from around him to make his mind and body stronger. If there was enough magic floating around, he could even learn skills that made the magic and information from or about the object. He could also absorb mana from objects tainted in magic to achieve the same result.
The testing went by quickly in the drafty stone hall of Baron Gessian's castle. More than a hundred children were tested in less than an hour, and only seven passed the test of their minds. Ralth watched as child after child approached the magus, most walking away with slumped shoulders and disappointed faces. Some even cried, their dreams of escaping their simple lives crushed in an instant.
"Alright, let these other children go home now," said the black-robed magus, waving his hand at the officer after testing the last child. His voice was neither kind nor cruel—just matter-of-fact, as if sorting children was an ordinary task like sorting apples.
"Yes, Master Magus," the officer said with a deep bow, his armor creaking slightly as he bent forward.
The seven children who remained watched the others leave, then looked at each other with curious eyes. Among them was a farmer's son, a baker's daughter , a blacksmith's son, and a merchant's child wearing clothes of better quality than the others. They came from all different walks of life in the territory, but now they stood together, waiting to hear what the black-robed magus would say.
The magus smiled at them, his eyes crinkling at the corners beneath bushy eyebrows. "Well done, children. You are much better than the others. You will become the 422nd group of magus students at the Great Tower Magus School, where you'll learn about the path of truth." His smile made his stern face suddenly seem almost kind.
The magus sounded happy, clearly pleased that the Gessian Territory had seven children who were good enough. He waved his hand, calling Baron Gessian to come closer. The baron hurried over, his colorful clothes a stark contrast to the magus's simple black robe.
"Dennis," the magus said, "take these kids to get cleaned up and change their clothes." His voice was commanding but not harsh.
He pointed at Ralth with a long, thin finger. "And this child - take care of his wounds. If he gets sick from his injuries during our journey..." The magus let his words trail off, but the meaning was clear. Ralth touched the cuts on his arms self-consciously, wincing at the pain.
Baron Gessian -first named Dennis- nodded quickly, a bead of sweat forming on his forehead. "I understand, my lord," he said firmly. "They will receive the best care we can offer."
After that, the baron had the castle's servants take all the children to the lower level of the castle. On the way, The baker's daughter reached out and touched Ralth's shoulder as they walked.She had chestnut-brown hair that was tied back in a loose braid, and smelled faintly of fresh bread. She wire a simple wool dress, patched at the elbows, and an apron that seemed to have a bit of flour on it.
"Hi, I'm Mina," she whispered. "Are you okay, your arms look really, really bad. Will you be fine?"
Ralth nodded, surprised. "I'll be fine. And my name is Ralth"
There was a large bathroom on the lower floor, where hot water from under the ground had been turned into a bath by Baron Gessian. The room was steamy and warm, with stone walls that glistened with moisture. When Ralth got into the bath, his wounds went from feeling numb to painful, making him wince and bite his lip to keep from crying out.
"A hot bath like this would be impossible for most people," thought Ralth, sinking deeper into the warm water. "The wood to heat water could cook many meals instead."
Natural hot springs were only for nobles. Ralth stayed in the water for a little while, scrubbing off the mud and dirt from his body before getting out. The soap smelled like flowers—another luxury he'd never known. He had less time than the others because he also needed to have his wounds taken care of.
After his bath, Ralth put on the new clothes that a maid had brought for him. They were made of cotton and felt a bit big on him, but they were warm against his skin. Standing in front of a mirror, he looked at himself carefully. His long black hair framed deep-set eyes, a high nose, and thin, pale lips. He looked more like a noble who had fallen on hard times than a common person.
"Sir, you must have noble blood in you," said the maid standing nearby, her voice filled with admiration. She was young, maybe sixteen, with a kind face.
Ralth raised his eyebrows. "Do you really think so?" he asked, touching his face as if seeing it for the first time. Then, following the maid, he went upstairs to the second floor of the castle.
The hallway was lined with paintings of people - all the Gessian barons from years past. Their stern faces stared down at Ralth as he passed, their eyes seeming to follow his movements. At the end of the hall, Ralth saw a painting of the first Baron Gessian. In it, the man wore armor and held a huge two-handed sword. His face was fierce but noble, with the same high cheekbones Ralth had seen in his own reflection.
Next to the painting hung a broken sword on the wall. It gleamed in the light from the nearby window, despite being centuries old.
"Hmm," Ralth murmured. Just as he noticed the broken sword, the Felsan Cube inside him started to pulse.
"Is this the sword of the first Baron Gessian?" asked Ralth, feeling excited. He couldn't explain why, but he felt drawn to the weapon.
The broken sword was an item that the cube recognized. The cube vibrated even more.
"Yes, sir," the maid replied with a nod. "It broke in the great battle against the Barbarian Tribes three hundred years ago. They say half the blade is still buried in the skull of the enemy general." She seemed proud to know this piece of history.
Ralth stepped forward and gently touched the broken sword with his fingertips. The metal was cool but seemed to warm at his touch.
[ Count Gessian's Broken Sword]
[Skills that can be learned: Tiger Forest Swordsmanship]
[Cost: 5 mental power]
[Learn?]
Tiger Forest Swordsmanship! Ralth couldn't believe it. This was the famous sword skill that made Count Gessian well-known on the battlefield. The skill was so famous that even Ralth, a poor farmer, had heard stories about it from traveling singers who stopped at the village tavern on festival days.
"Are you interested in old weapons?" asked the maid, watching him curiously.
"I've heard stories about this sword," Ralth said, not taking his eyes off it. "About how Count Gessian could cut through ten men with a single swing."
The maid laughed softly. "Well, the stories grow with each telling. But people said this sword skill had been lost three hundred years ago. That's why the Gessian family had become less powerful over time. Now they're just barons, not counts anymore."
Facing such a rare treasure, Ralth didn't hesitate. "Yes, I want to learn it," he thought firmly, directing his thoughts to the cube.
As Ralth chose to take the skill, he suddenly felt very sleepy. His head spun as if he'd been listening to difficult lessons all morning. But before he could fall asleep, something shocking happened that jolted him awake - the broken sword disappeared!
The maid gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "The sword! Where did it go?" Where did such a big sword go?
But in the blink of an eye, the maid saw the sword was back in place, hanging exactly as it had been.
"Am I seeing things?" she wondered aloud, rubbing her eyes to make sure the broken sword was still there. Meanwhile, the young magus beside her looked at her with confusion, fighting to keep his face neutral despite the wave of excitement within him.
"What's wrong?" asked Ralth, trying to sound innocent.
"It's nothing, sir," the maid said quickly, looking embarrassed. "My eyes must be playing tricks on me. Let's go see the doctor right away. Master Magus was very clear about taking care of your wounds properly."
Seeing that he had fooled the maid, Ralth secretly sighed with relief. He hadn't expected that the Felsan Cube would take both the form and the knowledge of the sword.
When he saw the broken sword disappear, Ralth's heart had skipped a beat. Luckily, the Felsan Cube finished learning in an instant, and the broken sword vanished for only a moment before coming back. It was like the cube had swallowed the sword's essence without removing the physical object.
Ralth turned his attention back to the cube nestled within his mind. Above it, a ball of white light moved up and down like a floating lantern. When Ralth touched the light with his mind, memories flashed through his head. He saw himself walking through dangerous battlefields, swinging his sword and defeating enemies one after another.
The movements felt both foreign and familiar, as if his body remembered skills his mind had never learned.
"Sir? Sir? The doctor is here," the maid's voice pulled Ralth out of his daydream. His mind was still too weak, and he had fallen into a trance just by receiving the battle memories from strong warriors of the past.
The visions had been so real he could almost smell the blood and sweat of the battlefield.
"Oh, okay," said Ralth, shaking his head to clear it. He followed the maid to the doctor's room, his steps slightly unsteady.
The doctor's room smelled of herbs and something sharp that made Ralth's nose tingle. An old man with kind eyes and a white beard waited there, his hands clean and tools laid out neatly on a table.
"So you're one of the chosen ones," the doctor said with a smile. "Let's get you fixed up for your journey."
Half an hour later, Ralth walked out of the room weakly, leaning against the wall for support. When fixing his wounds, the doctor didn't have any medicine to stop the pain and could only use strong alcohol to dull it.
The burning sensation had been almost worse than the injury itself.
"You did well," the doctor had told him. "Most boys your age would have cried out."
Thankfully, the doctor worked quickly. In less than half an hour, he had cut away the bad flesh, stitched the wound with neat, tiny stitches, and put on healing ointment that smelled like mint and something else Ralth couldn't name.
Just then, Baron Gessian came to the second floor. He looked at Ralth with a level of respect that made Ralth uncomfortable .
"Young magus," he said, "the magus is ready to leave. It's time for you to begin your journey to your new life." He gestured toward the stairs with a sweep of his arm.
"Thank you, Baron," Ralth said, remembering his manners. "And thank you for your hospitality." He wasn't sure what else to say to a noble.
The baron smiled. "Perhaps someday you'll return to our territory as a full magus and help out."
When Ralth came outside the castle, he wore a brand new cotton coat that was thicker and warmer than anything he'd owned before. Though his face looked thin from not eating well, there was something different about the way he carried himself now. The other six chosen children were already waiting, looking equally transformed by their new clothes and the excitement of what was to come.
"Well, you look much better," said the black-robed magus, nodding with satisfaction. "Clean and proper, as befits students of the Great Tower."
Then he waved his sleeves in a graceful motion, and a strange force wrapped around all seven children, lifting them into the air like bubbles floating next to the magus. Ralth's stomach lurched at the sudden sensation of weightlessness but excitement quickly replaced his fear.
"This is the magic of floating," explained the magus. "You'll learn how to do this too when you're at the school." His voice held a hint of pride.
The black-robed magus then shot a fireball into the sky from his fingertip. It streaked upward like a small sun.
BANG!
The fireball exploded with a flash of light and sound that made all the children jump. It was like the loudest thunderclap Ralth had ever heard, compressed into a single moment.
A beam of light broke through the heavy clouds, passing through the exploding fireball and shining down toward the ground like a pathway to heaven itself.
"What's that?" Ralth asked, looking up at the sky. Behind the thick clouds, a huge gray shape was slowly becoming clearer, pushing aside the white masses like a giant swimming through water.
"Oh my goodness... what is that thing?" Ralth's voice shook as he stared at the sky in disbelief. Beside him, he heard the other children gasping and murmuring in awe.
A floating airship, hundreds of yards long, pushed through the clouds like a giant blue whale, and the beam of light that cut through the clouds came from the eye of this enormous vessel. Its wooden sides gleamed with strange symbols that glowed with inner light. Massive sails that seemed to catch winds Ralth couldn't feel held it aloft, and great wheels turned slowly along its sides.
In that moment, Ralth remembered a story he'd heard when asking about magical things from an old man in his village.
The story said that every ten years, a giant beast from the clouds would travel from the Northern Castanian Mountains. Its body was as big as a mountain, and its eyes were as bright as lightning. It would come to take away the chosen ones to a land of wonders.
"The old man in the village wasn't lying," whispered the baker's daughter Mina beside him, her eyes wide. "My mother said they were just fairy tales"
Now, the legend had come to life before his eyes!
The black-robed magus opened his arms wide and led everyone to fly up toward the beam of light, like holy people rising to heaven. Ralth felt the air grow cooler as they ascended, but his excitement kept him warm.
Ralth saw the black-robed magus's lips moving, and a grand, joyful voice reached the ears of all the chosen children.
"Young students," the magus called out, "welcome aboard the Yueres Magic Airship. Your journey to becoming true magi begins now!"