This new life is a blessing, with my dark mana core I can reach heights I never imagined in my former life.'
'I can surpass the supreme magus then become the most feared mage in the whole of Dotham.'
His eyes gleamed with joy as he imagined the bright, or should I say dark future ahead of him.
He pushed himself upright and moved towards the table with leftovers.
A black ball swirling with dark energy formed on his fingertip. He raised his hand, aiming at one of the cups.
"Blast!" He exclaimed.
The energy was dispersed and shot out quickly like a laser beam, hitting and shattering the cup.
'Haaa, not bad.'
His vision dwindled, and sharp pain struck his chest, making him stagger slightly.
'I should have known, that spell was too heavy for a first rank mage who just crafted a mana core.'
'Worse, it's dark magic, its spells require a large amount of mana and I don't have that.'
That's one of the disadvantages he would have to endure starting from scratch.
Now that he possessed a dark attribute, he would need to strengthen it first by absorbing magical herbs, crystals, and other items.
It's possible for a mage to learn other attributes but it all depends on their core, determining which would be easier and harder.
For instance, Siyash would find it difficult to get stronger in the light attribute because of his dark mana core, it wasn't impossible, but it would be time draining.
Let's put it in a game system ranking, having a dark attribute meant gaining five dark attribute points to start.
These points could be increased by taking certain items and performing different actions that increase the dark attribute points.
Items related to the light attribute could still be consumed, but ten times more to get a single increase in the dark attribute.
Moreover, dark magic was forbidden, so its resources were limited compared to other attributes, which made them easier to enhance.
'I should learn another attribute quickly. Since I'm only a first rank mage my mana is limited.'
'I should practice wind attribute, I'm quite familiar with it and it's not as mana consuming as the dark attribute.'.
Learning another attribute won't change his dark mana core, it's the foundation of his body due to the ritual he performed.
Being a higher ranked mage didn't only mean having more mana, higher ranked mages could perform higher ranked spells.
And putting it to an advantage meant learning other attributes to a higher rank.
"I'm sure my castle must be destroyed by now, good thing I have some items that can help in my secret chamber." Siyash smiled, his joy was uncontainable, and it turned to a crazy laugh.
"Hahaha! This is perfect!"
"With everything down there, I'll be back at a grand magus in no time, and they will fall before my feet."
The mages were ranked from one to ten, and if a mage surpassed the tenth rank, they were known as a grand magus. Only a few mages ever accomplished this.
Suddenly, loud bangs sounded on the door, and it snapped him out of his thoughts.
"OPEN UP!" A male voice commanded from the other side.
'I've never heard any language like that, so why do I seem to understand it? Could it be because of this new body?' Siyash rubbed his head confused.
Then the knocking, more like banging on the door, continued.
"This is the flaming dragon clan. There's been a report, and we have come to assess the situation. Open up now!"
'Flaming dragon clan, I've never heard of them, they should be a smaller faction meant for emergencies.' Siyash wondered.
'If they find out I have been practicing dark magic, that'll ruin my whole plan, I can't let that happen.'
While Siyash was thinking of a way out, a deafening bang echoed.
He turned and saw the door flying out of its frame.
Five men in blue armor stepped through the opening.
Siyash raised his hand in surrender looking at the men.
'I hope they don't think I'm the killer, being the only one alive in this situation might be suspicious.'
But something peculiar caught his eye about them, they were putting on armor, unlike a mage's typical light clothing.
And most of them were armed with swords and daggers.
'Is the Flaming Dragon a magic weapon faction? If that's the case, then I'd better be on my best behavior.' Siyash worried.
The men spread across the room, as they observed the scene, looking at the lifeless bodies, they could only feel pity.
"What happened here?" One of the men said. "Could it be an assassination? But who would attack a nameless family?"
Siyash could hear their questions, but it wasn't making sense to him.
'What do they mean by no name? I remember this kid being called Siyash and… wait, he doesn't have a last name, could that be it?'
'But everyone has a family name and those people are my family.'
More men came in to assess the situation and one of them noticed the boy at the corner.
"Siyash! What happened to your hair? Are you okay?"
'My hair? Who would care about that?'
'But it looks like this person knows me, I'm not sure how much, I should act natural.'
Siyash placed both hands on his head and cried out.
"My family… they're all… dead!"
"Calm down Siyash, you're going to be fine." The man said in a soft voice approaching him.
"Claus, take the kid out of here. He's seen enough, more might make him unstable. Make sure he is well treated while we investigate this." A bulky man from the group ordered.
"Yes sir!" Claus responded, he grabbed Siyash by the arm, trying to support him.
"Don't worry I can walk by myself," Siyash said. He followed Claus out of the building.
The bright sun blinded him for a second, but after his eyes adjusted, he could grab the view ahead.
"Huh? What's all this? Have I been sent back in time?"
The ground before him was dirt, not the tiled pavement he was used to, houses were closely built next to each other, and the buildings looked crude, unlike the majestic skyscrapers and castles he was used to.
The people were all dressed strangely, the majority of them carried weapons, ordinary ones with no magical crystals
embedded in them, but one thing raised an alarm as he looked around.
No one was using magic.
'It can't be… is… is this?'