Author's Note: Hey guys I'm back, and for round 2 sorry for the short first chapter, I want to find what length of chapters are best for me to write so that you guys get great chapters every now and then with only a few errors, after all my writing was considered impeded in school!
Chapter 1: Where One Begins
"His blood won't clot!"
"What, what's going on?"
"We need to heal him quickly or he will bleed out!"
'Ah' I thought to myself 'I die if I stay asleep'
Although I didn't mean to, I momentarily forgot about the consequences of my sickness.
'I need to wake up or I'll die'
He remembered what his mother had taught him about magic, about a spell anyone with enough experience can use that can apply first aid and revitalize the body.
'I need to use that or i'll die' I thought to myself
And with this thought ringing in his head the words 'Fight dammit, fight' rang in his head again all he could think in response was 'Shut up dammit, I'm getting up.'
As he began to stir, the others in the room treating him were shocked and surprised that he wake up.
The healing magic that they had tried to use on him had utterly failed, and instead had put him in critical condition. They were astonished when a green light started coming from his hand and treating his wounds, an unnamed spell that was simple yet effective for first aid.
Rather than making the body heal the wound what the spell did was use the mana, to revitalize and treat the body's imperfections slowly, it would take an hour in all to complete the effect but without this the boy certainly would have died right on the spot.
The people in the room looked at him with surprise, they had never expected the falnaless boy they found to have not one but two magics.
"What's wrong?"
I asked them
"O-oh nothing, we were just surprised when you used magic without a falna."
The one who responded was a high elf with emerald eyes and green hair. Even he knew who this was, Riviera Ljos Alf, Nine Hells.
"What do I owe the pleasure of meeting the Loki familia to?"
"We had just finished a little hike through the dungeon when we saw you, a falnaless boy kill some war shadows, an unexpected to say the least feet."
The one who responded this time was a blonde pallum, the only other in the room, but that distinctive aura made it obvious that this man was Finn Deimne, Braver.
A woman wearing men's clothing walked into the room.
"Oh so yer awake now child?"
"Goddess"
That was the only thing he could think to say in response.
"So you recognized me huh?"
"Yes I've lived my whole life in Orario, I've seen you in passing a few times."
The goddesses eyes filled with curiosity followed by concern when she realized what that meant.
"How does someone with a talent for hunting monsters like yours go unnoticed for all these years."
"..."
"I didn't."
"Oh can you tell me about it."
"...very well goddess…."
9 years earlier…
"HHHAAAHHH"
I screamed as I charged at the goblin in front of me.
"Patience, and you're too loud."
I put my knife into the goblin's neck with as much force as I could but it didn't go deep enough. The goblin prepared to scratch me, aiming at my neck.
"Now, jam the knife deeper"
I obeyed the command, and before the goblin could finish its slash it was dead and turned to ash.
I picked up the stone left behind, went over to the woman with me and held the stone in front of me with pride written all over my face and yelled.
"LOOK LOOK I KILLED A GOBLIN!"
The woman clearly annoyed by the volume chopped my head
"Owie…"
I whimpered
"Then maybe don't yell into my ear. Good job though."
Seeing his glowing smile the woman couldn't help but smile back at him. He was too adorable to resist.
"Come on, we have some books to read."
"Eeeeh, but we just got here."
I whined
"Don't complain, they are going to be books on magic and heroes."
"But we always read books on magic and heroes"
He pouted
"Well would you rather do physical training with your dad?"
He clenched up when hearing the passive aggressive threat towards his sanity. He realized exactly what she was insinuating and wanted no part of the alternative.
"Y-yay reading books lets go before you change your mind… ahahhhaa"
"That's what I thought… but you still have to do physical training with dad everyday."
"EEEEEEE-"
He started to scream before his mother angrily slammed her staff on his head.
You could see the bruises from where he was smacked on the head.
When they arrived home they saw a man with scars all over his face, grey eyes that were perceptive as always and dark brown hair.
I ran up to home glowing with the magic stone in my hand and an excited look on my face.
He said
"Oh what do you got there son?"
The man was of course his father although hardly any resemblance existed in their forms.
"Me and mom went to the dungeon and I killed a goblin!"
He happily stated
Before his father could react his mother quickly grabbed the boy and ran inside the house saying.
"Well we've got to get started reading don't we son?"
"Eeeh can't I talk to dad for a minute?"
"N-no your father is busy we shouldn't interrupt him!"
The woman with a weary smile said clearly trying to hide something from the unpleased man.
"Today were moving on to a new subject!"
The woman said as if that justified leaving.
The man just sighed and said "as long as he was with you he was safe so I suppose it's alright to take him to the dungeon"
When the boy and his mother went into the house he looked at her confused, she hadn't mentioned that they would be talking about something new today.
"So what are we reading about starting today?"
He questioned
The woman responded with a smile on her face and said
"Magic items"
Upon hearing the topic name he smiled up at the woman and glowed happily and excited to be researching such a cool topic.
He jumped through the hall happily and then he noticed another figure come out of their room and greet him.
"Welcome back grandson!"
"Grandpa!"
He yelled excitedly before getting smacked on the head.
"Make sure not to anger your mother."
"Ok…"
I was a bit upset at how dry the conversation had become between us. But more than that I was excited to learn about magic items.
"Can we go read about magic items now?"
"Ok, but where was this enthusiasm before?"
It was a truly loving home, his parents doted on him and his grandpa would read him stories of heroes before bed. But not everything was as it seemed.
It began with a cough.
And then there was blood around his mouth.
His mother was not oblivious to this, but all she could say was
"...I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."
The boy couldn't understand why she was sorry, he knew that she coughed a lot into a handkerchief and was getting weaker like dad, but just assumed that they were getting older, not that he would say that as it would certainly result in a beating.
He started to feel a little better after his mother made him start eating branches from a sacred elven tree. But even then…
"Cough cough"
It didn't stop plaguing him.
He started hearing mom and dad crying together as if it was a funeral. As if they had lost someone precious to them.
And then one day his grandfather left them without saying goodbye. I was of course devastated. The one who would read me books at night left without warning and left him alone with his mother and father.
He would train his body with his father and his mind with his mother but regardless, they seemed absent, as if something far off claimed everyone of their thoughts.
During this all his mother and father began to become pale and grew weaker everyday.
He overheard one of their conversations. But the only thing he could remember was his mother saying
"I don't have long… I'm going to die."
He was six when he heard this.
And seven when it happened.
She had already taught him everything that she knew at that time and he was able to concurrently chant Flare Burn at the time but he wouldn't use it for years after she died.
And not long after she died, his father fell to his own injuries.
And then he was alone.
Grandfather was gone.
Mom was gone.
And finally dad was gone.
He was truly alone.
And then the bills came due and he lost his home.
And then he had no one and nothing.
He went to familias just to survive but they all said no, even the lowest of the low denied the weak and sickly boy, so he trained and learned.
He spent his life hunting goblins on the first floors and collecting stones just to spend all the money that he earned on housing and branches of sacred trees just to survive. He adapted and learned to heal himself to the bare minimum with magic.
It was truly subsistence.
And by the time he was 13 his body was strong, he was still sick but could fight strong monsters to make his living.
Bringing us to today.
Present
"I think that I understand ya a little better now kid. Just a question, what were your parents' names?"
"Huh, oh I don't know, they never told me their names, and I never overheard them in conversation."
"Hmm"
The goddess and her children started to take in everything that they had been told by the boy just now. He reminded them of someone else that they know.
"Hahaha"
The goddess lightly laughed.
The boy looked up confused when he saw the goddess laughing lightly with a grin on her face.
"I kinda like ya kid, how about ya join my familia?"
"Eeeehhh"
The boy responded surprised
"Of course you don't have to respond now, take your time to think it over."
Her familia members smiled down on him with encouraging looks. He felt reassured that he would be accepted at least by them into their home. But…
"I-I need time to think about my options"
He responded with a low voice.
After he said that Loki said that she understood and told him to stay the night there with them and that she would arrange for his things to be brought to him. But he couldn't stop thinking about how he had reached his limit.
The boy sat there alone in his room thinking in bed about what he wanted to do now. The most prevalent thought in his mind was how weak he felt, and how much he hated that feeling of weakness. He hated that he was born this way. With an incurable disease, and yet a goddess of one of the strongest familia had wanted him to join her familia.
'Well what should I do'
The choice was obvious. To kill the weak self that he had become and that was a part of him, he needed to grow. This was the route to growth.
He needed to grow. He needed to find happiness again. He needed a home. He needed a family. He needed everything the goddess had offered.
And the words slipped from the boys lips the next morning as Finn entered the room
"I join you, I accept your gracious offer."
He humbled himself in front of Finn to show sincerity and gratitude to him and his familia for accepting him, and so in response he could only smile as the outcome that he had predicted came to pass.
"Well then let's get your falna already. Wouldn't want to keep the goddess waiting any longer after all."
"Wait, she was waiting this whole time?!"
And so the boy who had nothing, finally found his new home, his familia
Lvl 1
Bell Cranel
Loki Familia
Strength: 0
Endurance: 0
Dexterity: 0
Agility: 0
Magic: 0
Abnormal Resistance: I
Mystery: I
Magic:
Spiritus Lux:
Charge: No mind cost / Passive , Accumulates excess mind and turns a stockpile energy.
Ignition: Moderate mind cost / Active, empowers the body of the user to the degree of desires and revitalises stamina completely as long as it is active.
Skills
Sanguis Morbis:
Leaves the owner of this skill with a slow decay of stamina and vitality draining away at their life.
Also makes the user's blood unlikely to stop bleeding.
Author's Note:
I know it's a bit shorter than I was hoping for but bear with me until I get in the groove of writing this story. As always feedback is appreciated. I also wanted to do the magic and developmental abilities instead of firebolt because firebolt, in my opinion, is generic garbo magic, no offense to anyone who likes it though.