Point of View: Luca
Profile
Name: Luca
Clan: Fari
Age: 8
Constellation: Elemental
Akasha : Grimoire
Stats:
Luck: 5.1 / 10
Agility: 10
Dexterity: 16
Strength: 11
Mana: 106 / ???
It has now been four days since I've been motionless, sitting like an old monk meditating at the top of a mountain.
Normally, an ordinary adult wouldn't even last three days without water. So an eight-year-old child, even less.
But this body… it's different. It has been marked by the power of the sanctuary.
In this world, every individual draws their strength from a star.
Not a shooting or imaginary star, no. A real one, hanging up there in the sky, among the constellations visible once night falls.
Each star contains a unique power, specific to the one who bears it. But the vast majority of people, like me, are linked to one of the most common constellations: the Elemental.
[Elemental Constellation: You are able to wield the five fundamental elements of nature – water, earth, fire, air, and lightning.]
Sure, I'm probably one of the few – maybe even the only one – who can fully control all five elements.
But in truth, this power remains within the norm. It is neither exceptionally strong, nor desperately weak. Just… average.
Sigh.
I feel like everything in my life revolves around that cursed word: luck.
And when you see that my luck stat peaks at 5.1 out of 10, it quickly becomes clear the universe didn't bet much on me.
"Anyway… it's time for me to cross over."
According to my calculations, and the experiences I've endured so far, my current mana reserve should be enough… just enough to allow me to cross the energy wall that separates this place from the rest of the area.
I reach out my hand. The air condenses against my palm, becomes heavy, sticky.
It resists. As if space itself rejects my presence. A silent barrier, made of pure density.
Every movement against it is pain. My skin burns, my arm trembles. Mana reacts, surges through my veins.
My whole body begins to vibrate. My muscles scream.
My nerves stretch to the breaking point. The ground cracks beneath my feet.
My heart pounds so hard I can hear it in my temples. But I move forward. One step. Then another.
The barrier wraps around me.
I feel every molecule pushing me back. It's like passing through a sea of molten glass. My body refuses. My instincts want to retreat. But my will… it holds.
"You're not allowed to fail… Not now."
I push through.
The world turns white.
No more sound. No more gravity.
My mind floats somewhere between dream and pain. I am disintegrating.
My being is reduced to fragments of energy. I suffer. And yet, somewhere deep inside, a voice whispers:
Keep going.
I move forward again.
A crack echoes in my skull. I let out a silent scream. My eyes open to nothing. Then… a light. Far ahead. A soft, wavering purple glow.
Is it… the end? Or the beginning?
One last step.
I collapse.
The ground welcomes me. Cold. Damp. Different.
I made it through.
I cough violently. Blood. My vision is blurry, clouded by exhaustion. But the air here… it's more stable. Charged, but manageable. I'm on the other side.
I look down at my interface.
A quarter.
Only a quarter of the mana I carefully gathered over the past few days remains.
Each point had been a victory, a mastered pain, a held breath. And now, almost nothing is left.
But that's okay.
"Now that the hardest part is over…"
I let out a sigh. My legs slowly give in, and I sit once more on the cold, damp ground. This time, not to meditate or to protect myself… but to experiment.
To feel.
To create.
I was finally going to test the powers I described in my novel.
The ones I imagined, refined, dreamed of… without ever believing I'd one day get to use them myself.
Just thinking about it made my heart beat faster.
Thankfully, the basics are still there. Etched in my memory like an old melody whose first notes are never forgotten.
"Let's start with lightning."
I slowly extend my hand in front of me, palm open, fingers slightly curled. I visualize the flow.
I guide it mentally, just as I had written. Mana flows, unstable, nervous. Then, a few seconds later… small sparks appear.
Thin. Timid.
But real.
They crackle at the tips of my fingers, dancing for a moment, light as will-o'-the-wisps. My heart leaps.
"It works! It really works!"
My smile widens, but it is short-lived.
Because the next instant, the energy spreads all at once, without warning, through my whole body.
And then…
A discharge.
"Aghh!!!"
A true electric shockwave courses through me from head to toe.
My muscles contract violently, my teeth clench, and a sharp pain slices through my insides.
Not a sensation of power. Not a rush of adrenaline. Nothing exhilarating. It's raw. Harsh. Physical.
Like I'd been plugged into a high-voltage line.
"Aghh!!!"
I scream as I fall backward, breathless. My back hits the ground with a crash. My vision blurs, my arms tremble uncontrollably, and my fingers lightly smoke.
"Why didn't it work?"
I lay there for a moment, panting, still dazed by the shock. My body trembles slightly.
A part of me wants to believe it was just an accident, a channeling mistake.
I try to rationalize, to understand. Searching a bit in my memory, a memory returns… a passage I wrote myself, a long time ago. A detail, a nearly forgotten concept. Just enough to spark doubt.
To be sure, I decide to test other elements.
I extend my arms, close my eyes, focus… and call the air.
A second later, a violent gust materializes and strikes me square in the abdomen.
"Orhxsg!"
Winded, I'm propelled several meters into the air before crashing heavily onto my back with a dull thud.
"Ghh… This is impossible…"
I grit my teeth and get up as best I can. My ribs ache, but I can't stop now.
Next, I try water.
I visualize a simple, controlled shape… but as soon as the mana is summoned, a liquid sphere envelops me completely, cutting off my air.
"Help me!!!"
I panic, flail my arms, nearly drown, until I burst the sphere with a surge of uncontrolled mana.
I collapse to the ground, coughing violently.
Then comes earth.
Again, I try a basic summon. But instead of forming neatly in front of me, the ground suddenly rises… and a column of rock shoots up and strikes me hard under the chin. My head jerks back with a sharp crack.
I fall on my butt, completely dazed.
"Shit…"
I stay frozen, hands trembling, muscles sore. But amid the chaos of failure, two truths become clear.
First: I can't control my powers at will. The element responds… but does what it wants, not what I want.
Second – and this is likely the most serious –: I do not master the aura.
The aura… that invisible field that serves as a barrier. The fundamental principle I myself established in my novel.
It protects the user from their own spells, acting as a filter, an interface between raw magic and the physical body.
Without aura, wielding an element is like stabbing yourself with your own blade.
I hold my head in my hands, both furious and ashamed.
"How could I forget something so fundamental…?"
I shoot a dark look at my trembling hand. The idea of trying fire crosses my mind… but I stop immediately.
No need to even think about it. I already know what awaits if I dare.
Unfortunately for me, I have no idea how to learn aura.
"I'd need a teacher…"
Suddenly, my stomach growls, reminding me I haven't eaten since my arrival.
"I hope I get some help."
Because I have no means to defend myself, and I'm still in the Cursed Lands.
With that goal in mind, I begin walking across the arid, dark, and sinister lands.
* * *
Deep within an underground complex, a dark-skinned child lies unconscious on a medical bed, where he has been for several days.
In another room, an old man watches him through a glass window while carefully sorting the files concerning him.
— Hey, old brick.
The elderly man startles slightly, but keeps his composure despite an expression of clear annoyance.
— Damn it… use a door like everyone else. And call me doctor if you can't remember my name.
— Yeah, yeah, whatever you say… replies the intruder with obvious indifference, glancing at the documents spread across the desk.
— So, what brings you here, Batcher?
— Nothing special. As you can see, I can use my ability again.
With those words, he suddenly leaps and sticks himself to the ceiling, hanging upside down.
— And so, you're leaving?
— Yes. But before that, I have a question for you.
— Go on.
— Why are you so interested in this boy? I've already brought you far more impressive specimens.
A rumor has been circulating within the complex: the doctor has locked himself away for days, obsessed with his research on this mysterious child. Out of sheer curiosity, Batcher came to see it with his own eyes. From his position, he can make out the boy's silhouette, but his face remains hidden.
The doctor lets out a deep sigh.
— In your opinion, what happens when a person is exposed to a high density of mana?
Batcher replies without hesitation, as if stating the obvious:
— Their mana will be continuously drained.
— And if that person has no mana reserves at all?
This time, Batcher pauses to think before answering:
— Their reservoir empties… and after that, their body disintegrates.
The doctor nods, satisfied, and turns his gaze back toward the boy on the other side of the glass.
— You mean this kid remained intact even though his reservoir disintegrated?
— That's almost it, the old man answers. He takes off his glasses, carefully wipes them, then puts them back on.
— Right now, the size of his reservoir is so insignificant that, if he had stayed outside one more minute, he wouldn't be here anymore.
Batcher furrows his brow.
— What are you getting at?
— Even if this boy were blessed by every star in the universe, he will never be able to use magic again.