Path of Power

After Leus got up the next day, he wanted to talk to Blaze about a couple of things ...

He went to the lobby and found Blaze talking with Amethyst, so he joined their conversation

"Hey, Dad"

"Good Morning, Leus, how are your studies going?"

"I finished The Archivist's Atlas! It was an amazing book"

Blaze became a bit surprised when he heard that; the Atlas seemed big, he thought it would take Leus at least a couple of days to finish it

"All of it already? Are you sure?"

Leus nodded

"Yes, the book is actually very small. If it's closed then it looks like it has many pages but if you open it and flip the pages it's really only just a few"

Blaze chuckled

"Magicians and their fancy tricks ... "

He continued

"Is that so? Well then, did you find out what you were looking for?"

"Actually ... I have some questions I'd like to ask you"

When Blaze heard that he asked Amethyst to go and play with Merlin for some time so he could give all his attention to Leus

'This kid asks tough questions'

After Amethyst went, he focused on Leus

"I'm listening"

Leus started

"So according to the book, we're in the west of the Eastern Continent, and this is the most dangerous area in the entire continent ... is that correct?"

Blaze nodded

"Yes, that's right, because we are the closest to the Strife Zone"

"How dangerous is it exactly?"

Blaze looked at Leus for a couple of seconds but didn't answer

"Hmm"

Leus wondered

'Did I ask a hard question?'

Blaze scratched his chin for a couple of moments then spoke

"It really comes down to how strong you are and how you choose to live" he said, pausing for a moment.

"If you're relatively powerful or have a good job, you'll be safe within the city. But if not, things can get tricky.

You might end up in the Slums, and that's a dangerous place"

He took a deep breath before continuing

"Outside the city, it’s even more complicated.

For Mortals and Soldiers, it's almost suicidal to venture beyond the walls.

Even Mages and Knights face serious risks, though they can handle themselves a bit better.

Outside, you'll encounter all sorts of threats—Bandits, Beasts, and more, one might even get lost in the desert.

And even within the city, life in the Slums is perilous. You might find yourself in deadly situations there, too."

Blaze finished by saying

"Long story short, if you are in the wrong place at the wrong time and you aren't powerful enough, you might get killed on a whim"

Leus asked

"I see ... so things should be somewhat safe inside the city, apart from what you call (The Slums), right?"

Blaze nodded

"Yes. Battles only happen in the Strife Zone to the northwest of the city"

Leus remembered a specific line he read, so he asked

"Do you think it'll be like this always? It's written in the Atlas that the Vice Kingdom's King wants to invade this Kingdom ..."

Blaze shrugged

"Well, it's been safe for more than 200 years, and only skirmishes happen in the Strife Zone. I don't think anything bigger than that will happen, not soon at least. I believe I'd know if something serious is about to happen beforehand"

"Hmm ....."

Silence persisted for a couple of seconds, but Blaze suddenly broke it by calling Leus' name, interrupting his train of thought

"Leus"

"Huh? Yes Dad"

"If you choose to walk on the path of power then you must resolve yourself"

Blaze's tone turned solemn

"I've seen many people chasing power without realizing the risks.

Always remember, Leus, if you live by the sword, you may die by it. You must resolve yourself."

During Blaze's life, he has seen so many young guys evolve to be Soldiers or Knights then quickly volunteer to work in the military, hoping to get money and power, only to die in their very first battle ...

'I don't want my son to end up like that'

'Those who never consider death as a possibility end up either dead or hollow from the inside when they see others die'

Leus was taken aback by the sudden seriousness of Blaze

'He's never been so serious with me before'

But he replied in a serious tone as well

"I understand, Dad"

Blaze nodded

"Good"

Leus took Blaze's words to heart and then went back to his room to think about what to do next

'I think I should start training on Magic now'

'If I am powerful, I'll probably become rich too' he thought with a chuckle

'And being able to defend myself is nice as well'

Leus remembered when Blaze almost paralyzed him with his killing intent ...

Instantly, Leus felt chills down his spine

'Yeah ... I think power is very important in this world'

"Whew"

He took a deep breath then went and opened Arno's book.

'I'll read only the highlights first'

The book contained various spells which Leus skimmed through ...

(Water Magic:

Blob: A simple water bubble that can be used to intercept fireballs, or to choke someone to death.

Hydraulic: An extremely pressurized bullet of water that may penetrate your opponent.

Fluid-Smoother: An advanced level of water magic, allowing you to use small amounts of water to make your moves more fluid or make your opponent trip.)

'Choke someone to death with a blob?!!!'

'That's ... a strange concept for sure'

He flipped the page

(Fire Magic:

Flame: A flame used for utility purposes.

Fire Ball: A ball of fire.

Earth Magic:

Spear: A versatile weapon that can be thrust at enemies from a distance or used to parry and defend against swords.

Shield: A wall of rocks that can be used as a shield to block incoming attacks or for utility purposes.

Ice Magic:

Icicle: An icicle that can be launched at enemies.

Ice Wall: A wall of ice that can be used as a shield to block incoming attacks or for utility purposes.

Wind Magic:

Boost: A strong gust of wind that can be used to increase your speed or jump height.

Light Magic:

Mana Vision: A way to use your mana to see in the dark.)

Leus noticed something

'The book has no darkness or Life Force spells'

' ... Interesting'

'I guess it makes sense that there are more Water spells because Arno is an Elite Water Mage'

'And I already know of that Light spell'

Leus scratched his chin in thought

'I think it will be easy to master this book in less than two years'

A smile appeared on his face ...

He spent the next few minutes thinking about the best way to train, and quickly, he came to a conclusion

'As far as I know, the more I spend Mana, the bigger my Mana Pool becomes'

'This means that all I have to do is keep using the spells'

To do that, Leus decided to keep Mana Vision active all the time while he was training ...

Leus also noticed something

'The spell consumes less mana than when I first used it'

Leus didn't know if that was because he used the spell a lot so he became familiar with it or it was because he evolved

'Well, ultimately, it doesn't really matter anyway'

'Let's just focus on what's important ...'

'I'll start with Wind Magic.'

'It should be the easiest to handle if something goes wrong'

Leus opened the Wind Magic chapter and began reading the details ...