I sat atop the mountain, away from the Guardian’s chamber, away from comfort.
I needed time to reflect.
The peak stood in line with the clouds. Looking down, my vision was blocked by fog. I could only see a few of the brighter lights, most likely the Watchtowers on the Wall and the sentries posted near the villages.
The battle for my soul had been intense and eye-opening. Whatever force governed this universe knew I came from another world, yet that didn’t seem to be its biggest concern. Defying the system and forming my own core, that it didn’t like.
As I sat there, pondering my situation, I came to a realization: I had stepped out from under some kind of umbrella, loosened a shackle of sorts. What exactly, I knew not.
The air up here was cold, untouched, pure.
I had spent so much time ignoring everything different around me that, at the first chance at something new, I jumped without knowing where I’d land. I mean, I had a plan, but this was a lot.
I had won my battle, earned the right to form my core, and been granted the title of The Tempest’s Heart as a boon. A fitting title for a future Prime, or so the Guardian believes.
All of this made me feel good. Strong. Powerful.
But I am not na?ve enough to think it comes without consequence or burden. I just need to live up to it.
Still, I made a quick decision.
A protector I could be, but I would not run myself ragged ensuring everything and everyone lived. There must be a natural order to things. I would protect my domain, the North, Knighthelm, my parents. Perhaps one day I could extend my shield beyond that, but where I stood now, I could barely stand against a Tier 2.
So I sat.
I sat and reflected on all that had happened. My quick death by the whole truck incident. My strange adaptation to this new, magical world. My growing skill with mana, my fighting abilities, and that weird-ass Santa figure.
My contemplation made me realize I had never truly adapted. I merely fit in with the situation at hand. After forming my core, I realized what I truly was: a man of calm, a focus of control and understanding, with the potential for terrible destruction if ever needed.
Well, I suppose I’m still a boy, but that’s beside the point.
I had wanted power, and I got it.
Now, I need to live up to it.
I will learn to control this newfound strength. I will use the system’s advantages. I will grow. I will make my name known. I will prosper in this second chance at life.
I have already been granted favor by many in my short time here, favors that deserve repayment, especially from the Guardian and his retainer, Miriam. While I may be an interesting find, a trophy to them, they will never know how grateful I am. I’m sure they expect me to grow strong so I can serve their will when I’m older, but I won’t complain, not with the debt I owe.
I later learned that little scuffle within my soulspace lasted a week. After my initial talk with the Guardian about my changes, he told me the news, something about the distortion of time within metaphysical spaces. I didn’t really understand, but he made it sound like it made sense.
With all the time I spent forming my core and the trek up here, I have a little over a week before my Ascension Ceremony, only a few days of training left with the Guardian before I’m sent back to my parents.
“You contemplate quite hard for a child, dear boy.”
I jolted out of my thoughts and turned to find the Guardian, in his human form, walking toward me.
“Much has happened in my short time here, Mr. Guardian. I’m thinking about my parents and all the things I might’ve set in motion,” I said, my voice quiet, much of it swept away by the wind.
“Yes, you surely have some old fogies stirring.” He chuckled.
“How do they know I for—”
“I told them, of course,” the Guardian interrupted. “We Guardians are neutral beings, keepers of this world’s balance. Obviously, I informed them of what was happening. It’s not like you were discreet. That little clash within your soulspace? The peak of this mountain was getting torched with lightning powerful enough that Guardians in other regions reached out, asking what the commotion was.”
He stood beside me, gazing into the distance.
“I cannot promise you safety, nor an easy life, simply because you are a Prime. But I can promise that your potential is now among the greatest on this planet. Do not let that precious gift stagnate.”
He looked down at me.
“Now come. We have only a few days left. You can sulk about your situation when you’re dead.”
As gentle as always.
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I sat within the Guardian’s chamber, sweat dripping down my forehead as lightning sparks scorched the stone around me.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“The most important aspect of using your abilities is control. Higher-tier spells will require a more precise level of focus, and if you have poor formation, you will spend much longer on your path to strength than others, even with your gifts.”
The Guardian walked around me in a slow circle, his gaze stern like some of my old college professors.
“Now, continue.”
It was the second of the six days I had left. I was training my newfound core, and most of that time was spent doing exactly what I was doing now: holding a ball of lightning and trying to make it as smooth and small as possible. Simple in theory, but in practice, it was hell.
My first insight was that lightning was not a docile element. Just trying to mold it nearly electrocuted me. It took almost eighteen hours of constant strain and sheer will to form my first circle. I had promptly celebrated, but the sudden movement and loss of focus caused the concentrated ball of lightning to blow up in my face. So, yes, currently no shoes.
I had learned a lot about my element, though, its nature and how it flowed through my mana pathways. The Guardian was not the best teacher. Being a force of nature himself, his use of mana was purely instinctual. A few hours spent skimming ancient books in his library had helped me more, teaching me to call upon my mana more efficiently, especially once I started focusing on my core.
The core itself acted as a massive, soul-infused battery capable of providing the power needed to use my elements. But it was more than that. It did not just store mana; it refined it, filtering the raw ambient energy that surrounded all living things into something uniquely my own. The moment it passed through me, the mana carried my elemental signature. For me, that was the storm: lightning, snow, and somewhere deep within, the faint whisper of Frostfire.
Lightning, however, was the dominant force within my core.
With my core attuned to two elements, one through natural affinity with Snow and one granted through divine touch, my soul was already large and would only grow with time. This gave me a considerable mana reservoir for my age and Tier.
A Tier, as I had learned, represented the strength and density of one’s core. The higher the Tier, the more refined the core became, allowing greater control, power, and stability. A Tier was not just a number. Your Tier represented your resilience to learning your own abilities, your level of Mana you could call upon, thus directly indicating your level of strength.
Now, this doesn't mean all Tier 6s can use Tier 6 spells. Like me and Guardian talked about, the increase of Spell Tier comes with increase of complexity. Diligence in your craft and consistence struggle all did well to temper the soul and give the user experience.
Learning to use that strength efficiently was my main focus.
The Guardian explained that this circle exercise was not only a common method of mana control but also necessary to form a protective barrier around my core within my soulspace. This would hide it from the System. So, back to ball handling it was. I really need another way to phrase that.
“This is your last day,” the Guardian said. “Based on the shell of your circle having no bumps, and the fact that you have not exploded yet, I would say you have successfully created your pocket for your core.”
“I hope so,” I replied, breathing heavily. “I have practiced placing the core within my soulspace, so the circle works. I can condense it enough to just cover my core, so I am not taking up too much space within my soul. Hopefully, as long as it is covered, we should not have any issues with the System.”
The constant strain was catching up to me. While I might have the mind of a young adult, my body was still that of a ten-year-old, albeit a much stronger one than most.
“Do you feel prepared, boy?” the Guardian asked without looking up from his book. A glass of wine rested in one hand. He sat what felt like twenty strides away, but his voice sounded as if he were right beside me.
“Yes, Guardian. I cannot thank you enough for your guidance,” I said sincerely.
“Do not thank me yet, young one. Show me what you can do.”
A gust of wind stirred the twin flames of nearby candles as he appeared beside me in an instant.
I stood, took a few steady breaths, and reached for my core. While I could still draw from the ambient mana around me, channeling through my core amplified everything: every spark, every pulse of energy.
I raised my palm and focused. Sparks formed, first scattered, then folding inward to shape a perfect circle. To an untrained eye, it would look like I had simply conjured a ball of lightning, but this was something more, a display of control.
I expanded the sphere, then shrank it down to the size of a marble without breaking the circle’s flow. With my middle finger beneath my thumb, I flicked the orb toward the Guardian. It struck his chest and exploded, lightning sprawling across his body before dispersing back into the air, merging again with the ambient mana.
“Cute, but commendable,” the Guardian said, brushing imaginary dust from his robe. “Your control is passable. For now, all we can do is ensure you are rested and focused for your Ascension Ceremony.”
He paused. “It is midday, with your ascension tomorrow. Would you like to spend time with your parents?”
The question caught me off guard. My parents. I had not thought about them in all this time. They must have been worried sick. I remembered my father’s nervous look before I left; it had already been nearly a month.
“I will have time to speak with them after the Ascension Ceremony,” I said. “When the time comes, can you just teleport me to the town square? And please, make it an actual teleportation this time. No thunderclaps or scorched earth theatrics.”
The Guardian chuckled. “You know, most ten-year-olds would call me a god and hang on every word I say. Yet here you are, telling me how to use my powers.”
“Yet, here I am,” I replied flatly.
“Yes, yes. I will make sure you are in the town square on time and that I make a scene.” He gave a mischievous grin. “Since you choose to stay here, I will leave you to rest and prepare. Just do not disturb me; I was enjoying my reading.”
Before I could respond, he vanished, already back in his chair with his wine.
With only one day left, I returned to the top of the mountain and sat once more. Everything now rested on my control. Tomorrow, I would hide my core from the System, masking my presence as a Prime. It would not last forever, but it would buy me the time I needed to grow. That was all I required.
As I sat on that peak, I made my first vow in this new world, my first vow ever.
I will grow strong enough to protect the things I love in this world, no matter what the System or others think.
_________________________________
“The Core is the flame within the vessel, the silent pulse between breath and thought. It does not simply hold power, it remembers the rhythm of the soul and refines the chaos of the world into harmony. When the wandering currents of the world’s mana are drawn through a living Core, they are cleansed of impurity, reborn as the bearer’s own essence.”
“Tiers are the measures of resonance between body, soul, and the world’s Weave. The higher one ascends, the closer one comes to the truth of creation, until their will alone may bend the elements. Yet beware, for each Tier not only grants strength but binds one tighter to the Law that governs all power. To climb is to defy the order of the stars.”