Consent of Arcana (Part 1)

Chapter 12

Consent of Arcana (Part 1)

Llyn Village (Day 17)

Llyn Village was just three miles away. The dirt road they travelled on was bumpy and over- grown with weeds. Llyn Village lay in the outskirts of The Mystical Forest. Fortunately, they were travelling in from the west and the forest was located east of the village

"Does mana fuel runic magic?", Ella asked in a serious tone

"No, stamina and willpower. The language spoken bends the laws of the world to change to its desire", with his back upright, AJ quickly answered

"What's the difference between a runic circle and a mana circle"

"Runic circle is a spiral of the runic letters spoken. A mana circle is drawn on a scroll with the use of orc blood, which is right in mana. A mana circle is made of geometric shapes"

"Do you always require a wand to perform runic magic?"

"No, skilled runemasters can perform runic magic without wands, but an individual needs to pass the Consent of Arcana and manifest his own wand to have the ability to perform it", AJ fiddled with his fingers

"Good", before Ella could ask any more questions, AJ interrupted

"Mom, I've been debating whether to tell you this for the past few days. At first, I thought maybe I don't have to, but last night I decided to inform you of it, before the consent of Arcana", AJ took in a deep breath, "mom, I know what will happen in the next six years. I know the future like I've read it as a novel, chapters on a page"

Ella took a few seconds to process the information

"Like we're characters in a novel?", she furrowed her brows

"We aren't in the book, mom. Well, you aren't. Do you remember the bandit attack during our way to my Divination Ceremony?"

"Yeah"

"Mom, in my vision of the future I lost you then. It's crazy. It devastated Dad, and..and.. I became this cruel boy, who lashed out on the maids and their families. I did meet my eventual death in the beginning of this book", AJ's hands trembled

"Wait. Slowdown. So, if it isn't your future who's is it?"

"A boy named Paul Storm. He is like the focus character of the events I know. He's a Child of Destiny, and with five other Children of Destiny, he leads the war against Demons", AJ explained

"Do they win?", Ella curiously asked

"The war hasn't ended in the six years that I know", AJ shook his head

Deafening silence descended. Every second felt like eternity

'You idiot, imagine if some told you that your life's a lie and you're just characters in a book', AJ regretted telling his mother. Sweating bullets, he stared at her to observe her emotions but couldn't get a read

After what felt like decades, Ella pulled AJ into her embrace, "AJ, what you are experiencing is unique. Knowing the future can be scary, because every disastrous event that will come forth is something you'll feel guilty about. Remember, you're just a boy, do what you have to do one step at a time. Alright?", she kissed his forehead, and lifted his chin, "what else you do wanna do with this knowledge?"

"I've written Aunt Corrie a letter informing her of a theft that's about to happen. I also told her the names of the Children of Destiny. I told her that I've prophetic dreams"

"Are you a Child of Destiny?", Ella's heart started beating faster

"No"

At AJ's answer, she let out a long, exaggerated, sigh. Placing her hands on her chest, he felt relieved. His mother's reaction bewildered the boy

"Mom, isn't being a Child of Destiny a good thing?"

"Far from it. Well, yes, they tread a path of fame, glory and power, but it's an extremely dangerous one"

"Oh, I see", he nodded, "mom, the novel is a small part my memories. I've an entire life worth of memories, and I don't know what it all means, how to deal---"

Ella held her son's hand, "It's alright. Pace yourself. You can try to find the truth behind what you're going through. You might not receive answers, but don't let this consume you. This life you remember is the work of something bigger than destiny and fate. It'll be a difficult situation to uncover, but I'll be by your side"

"Thanks, mom", he smiled

"I think sending that letter to Aunt Corrie was a good thing. If it proves to be helpful, maybe I can ask her to recommend you to Yamachi Teko. That's if you're still planning to not attend Titan Academy"

"I would love that, mom", titling his head, he asked, "who's Yamachi Teko?"

"Yamachi Teko which I believe is his alias, is an eccentric, old man. An S-ranked spy with his own team of operatives. They travel the world, completing missions given to them by The Order", placing a finger on her lips, she motioned, "hush! his identity is a secret. So, keep this little talk a secret"

"Yes", AJ laughed

"Well, your story isn't unbelievable, AJ", she reminisced, "there was a farmer's boy, who was too mature for his age. His name was Leon Thornfield"

"LEON THORNFIELD? The second most powerful human on the planet", AJ screamed, "you knew him?"

"Yes, he's a childhood friend", Ella giggled, "do you know what his divinity is?"

"Isn't that one of the greatest mysterious of The Rankings?"

"It's 'Time Manipulation'. Turns out he mastered it enough to turn back enough years to prevent the death of his parents. Crazy right?", Ella grinned

"Yeah, crazy"

After a few seconds of silence, at the huge revelation, Ella asked

"Speaking of crazy? When can I meet Amanda?"

"She's residing inside my body. She needs a month to adjust to the soul-bond"

"I've never heard of a soul-bond before. AJ, you always seem to caught in a storm. Promise to stay, okay", she pinched him

"I promise"

After fifteen minutes, the carriage came to a halt. Both the Maxwells stepped out to see a bunch of middle-aged men fight a muddy slime, blocking the wooden bridge. Most slimes were just slightly larger than the palm of a hand, and could easily be killed. They were considered harmless, but the slime in front was anything but. It was a large as an elephant, and due to its weight, the wooden bridge was starting to collapse. A crowd stood in front of the bridge spectating the fight. Ella walked up to an old, short man, with a thin long bread. The man wore a dull, green robe and a brown straw hat

"Uncle, what's happening?", she tapped his shoulders

He turned, only to drop his jaws to the floor. He tightly hugged Ella, elated, "how are you, sunflower? Where have you been? We all missed you"

Wiggling out of the hug, she pointed to her son, "I wanted to bring my child to the place I grew up in"

Staring at AJ, the man, four feet five inches tall, wrapped AJ in a bear hug and lifted him off the ground, "your daughter inherited your looks"

"I'm her son", AJ was already out of breath

"Uncle, what's that monster?", Ella pointed

"A mutated slime. Just a D-ranked monster, nothing the young men of our village can't handle", he stroked with white beard

As they laughed and conversed with the old man. It started to rain. In the shower, the slime grew larger, making it difficult for fight. The swordsmen retreated, and the archers stepped forward. Dipping their arrows in a black liquid, stored in a large drum, they lit them on fire and shot their arrows at the creature. The fight lasted an entire twenty minutes, before the monster core was finally exposed and pierced.

The village was surrounded in a hedge of tall, green bamboos. The paths were just worn-out tracks in the wet, green grass. The houses were built of bark and stones, and the titled roofs were made of clay. The children were mostly shirtless, and jumped in the muddy puddles, with immense joy. When were entered the village, all the men, women and children stared at Ella and AJ, mumbling to themselves. It was rare someone ever visited their place. AJ followed his mother to a small hut, with a sliding door as its entrance.

The door slid open and an old, yet beautiful, brown-skinned lady with braided white hair, and hazel eyes, invited them in, "chickpea, get in before you catch a cold"