Cursed Explorer of the Arcana

“Report!” Marius, head of the fist welcomes Martha with a calm yet intrigued smile.

The planning room is no less busy than it was about an hour ago when they introduced the kids and neither is the number of ears listening in on the upcoming conversation.

“The girl, the one able to wield the arcane as it’s meant to be…” Martha has been trying to formulate her report on her way yet even so she finds it hard to describe her experience. “I’ve seen flames of many colors and effects throughout my years so what the girl showed me was nothing new, except she had no Skills to guide her…"

Her explanation goes into detail and ever so subtly the room quiets down as her story continues as even the lowest ranked clerk can’t help but listen in on the fresh gossip everyone talks about. An explosion in the Fort, a new cadet full of mystery, the attention of the higher-ups… It’s too juicy.

"…those blue embers,” Martha shakes her head as she remembers the courtyard awash by blue light. “siege tier. About the damage-”

“That’s not a concern, not after your report.” Martius leans forward, a flicker of curiosity playing in his single eye.

There are many tiers of magic depending on their area of effect and destructiveness. Simple spells thrown around in a duel are viewed as the standard and lowest of the low while circus tricks and magic of everyday use aren’t even worth mentioning.

Magic can put an end to a fight, a battle, or a war. The siege tier belongs somewhere on the border of the latter two, meaning spells powerful enough to crumble the magically reinforced walls of most cities. That is siege-tier magic.

Siege golems, earthquakes, or an infernal drill just to name a few.

The strength of the wielder is not an aspect. The most powerful mages can break down any barrier and barely break a sweat so it would hardly be a fair comparison. The girl’s magic is weak but its potential is nothing to scoff at. What’s even more special about the fire she conjured is that she cast the magic alone, without any catalyst, materials, or a whole detachment of mages. Just a Hadron crystal and herself.

“The repair costs are nothing in comparison to the potential she unveiled.” Marius continues. “Rather… I’d love to see more. Learn even if possible.”

“We can’t-” Martha tries to correct him.

“I am aware of the restrictions placed on her.” The interruption somehow doesn’t even feel rude when coming from this person. Almost as if things were always meant to be this way. “I know we can’t force what the Gods have forbidden but by allowing her to spread her wings we might be able to pick up a few crumbs, snippets of her knowledge.”

Not once did he ask about her health.

Martha knows how the organization operates, she knows things haven’t changed under their new leader, herself, however… She’s grown soft.

Without a report on someone’s death, there’s nothing more to know, the healers can take care of it but this is a child we’re talking about.

“I look forward to the results and don’t neglect the other three either, especially that elf girl. Dismissed!” Marius waves and returns to his duties as if this conversation never happened.

Now I’ll definitely find a suitable punishment for her…

I wake up in a bed, my bed in the… right, my new room. I feel like shit. Similar to a mix of mild fever, a good few rounds of vomiting my guts out, and a numbing headache while my whole body itches just a little bit to make things truly unbearable.

I’ve been sick before and this is probably not the worst one yet but damn it’s a really irritating combo. When did I even doze off?

With a mouth as dry as the Sarahal Desert and muscles as unresponsive as noodles I use my magic to search for water and find it pretty easily. On my nightstand.

“Nice.” I lean back, open my mouth, and let a snake of water slowly slither into it.

I’m still thirsty and I still feel like shit so nothing really changed and I don’t seem to have anyone nearby to explain to me how I got here. I remember being blasted out of my bed, then going to that dreadful planning room and then… courtyard. Yeah, we’re getting somewhere.

“In that case,” I shuffle around to find the perfect spot with just the right amount of blanket tucked under my leg. “Status.”

[The Class Skill [Mana Bolt] has reached lvl 9 ->16.]

[The Class Skill [Mana Spear] has reached lvl 9 -> 11.]

[The Class Skill [Mana Blade] has reached lvl 9 -> 11.]

[The general Skill [Inner Peace] has reached lvl 9 ->18.]

By the Gods just what the fuck happened? Nine levels in one go…

Elyssia

Age: 9

Celestial Elf

Mana: 480/480

Free Points: 0

+66/hour

Might: 7

Intelligence: 46

Mana: 48

Speed: 11

Focus: 66(+3)

Willpower: 66

Endurance: 8

Dexterity: 10

Fortitude: 8

General Skills:

Savant lvl 18

Identify lvl 18

Running lvl 15

Dodging lvl 18

Pain Tolerance lvl 4

Premonition lvl 18

Stamina lvl 10

Quick Witted lvl 18

Inner Peace lvl 18

I. Class: Inept Magus - Arcane lvl 18

Arcane Mastery lvl 18

Mana Bolt lvl 16

Mana Shield lvl 16

Investigate Anomaly lvl 8

Mana Spear lvl 11

Mana Blade lvl 11

II. Class: *Locked*

III. Class: *Locked*

“Okay… Something clearly happened. A welcome surprise for sure.” There are clearly some Skill level-ups here almost as numerous as after the outing into the forest last time.

So we can deduce that I did something dangerous, if my waking up in a bed with pretty bad aches wasn’t enough evidence. There are also two more interesting pop-ups.

[Congratulations, you’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Channeling lvl 1]. No empty slots available, would you like to replace another Skill with it?]

[Y/N ]

Sounds nice, it really does, except I’m kinda full and I’ve already committed to getting that mix or whatever it is Martha convinced me to do.

[The Skill [Inner Peace] has fulfilled all prerequisites to evolve. Evolve now?]

[Y/N]

“I should wait for Martha with this one...” I mumble to myself.

[Tranquility]

[Perpetual Peace]

[Serene Spellcraft]

“Oh to hell with waiting for Martha, give me that!” I mutter with a lot more vigor than my body appreciates.

[Congratulations, you’ve acquired the general Skill [Serene Spellcraft lvl 18].]

Serene Spellcraft: Once the mind is clear of all outside interferences it can focus on the only thing that matters, magic. Working in perfect peace is when the greatest minds hear the whisper of their soul, leading to the creation of true masterpieces, the greatest spells.

This is exactly what Martha talked about. Specializing Skills. Instead of just a basic stay calm description this new Skill focuses on doing my magic while staying calm. Would it stop working in any other situation? I don’t know and I don’t really care. It doesn’t matter after all, I’ll always be doing my magic.

“I’m almost there.” I rub my face only to notice something wrong with my hands. Something very wrong.

They’re deathly pale and the skin is so thin I can see my veins running all around my body. Yep, not just my hands, everywhere.

“Oh no, just what did I do?” I wasn’t too worried until now with healers around to fix any problems but now… I can’t help getting a cold sweat.

***

The next time I wake up it's to someone shuffling around in my room, placing a glass of water on my nightstand and touching my face. I remain motionless, eyes closed and pretending.

“You’d make a terrible assassin, little devil. One of the worst performances I’ve ever seen.” I remain still, maybe she’s bluffing. ”Uneven breaths, your eyes moving under their lids and you moved your toe.” Martha teases.

“I didn’t even move!” I snap my eyes open while complaining.

Martha just chuckles. “You really did not, until now that is.”

Damn, I got outwitted. Well played old hag, well played.

“So… what happened this time?” I ask, hoping for some answers. I chew on my lip, praying I haven’t messed up big time and it was just a small mishap. “Did I get hit by something or am I sick?”

Martha’s face morphs into the textbook flat look and a small sneer even before I can finish my question. “You’re telling me you have no idea why you’re in bed with skin like that and a numbing headache?” I give a small nod with an innocent face. Her tone is scary. “You’re a handful, I hope you know that.”

I’d love to quip back and run my mouth about responsibility and poor planning if only I had the energy and I wasn’t desperate for answers. I’m nine for fuck sake, I make mistakes and it’s the job of the adults to tell me how to avoid them. Even if the damage is a little self-inflicted and all that…

“First we need to get something out of the way.” Martha pulls over a chair I never even noticed around in my room and sits down comfortably right next to where I’m lying. “You received a Blessing, a gift, with immense potential and a simple requirement. It’s a boon but not without its drawbacks.” She pauses, maybe for a dramatic effect, maybe to gather her thoughts, or maybe to allow me some time to think. “It’s possible all you kids deal with is a series of bad luck or dumb coincidences making your lives hard, after all, all three of you have had a rough ride ever since you turned nine.”

I never heard about that. I mean, my life has been pretty miserable in the last few weeks, and though situations have become a norm recently… I never thought much about it. It helped even, something to push back against, to test myself to forget about what ifs and focus on the now.

Maybe talking a bit more with the others… nah, they’re too irritating.

“Luck is a fickle thing so this might all be temporary.” Martha continues after I huff and roll my eyes for a few seconds. She probably realized I was talking in my head, everybody does. “The other possibility is that the world doesn’t like it. Aelion hates the Blessing as it is given by the Comet, something not from our world.”

“The world is alive?” I ask while blowing my runny nose into her robe.

She flicks my forehead and yanks the clothing away. “I wouldn’t use the word ‘alive’. We call mana Aelion’s breath and all of us are her children and still… There’s certainly a will. The will that keeps the Gods away and a will that raises mana levels whenever the Comet arrives to weaken its influence. The world has its will and even though you are her child it treats you like a sickness, something mildly foreign, and thus turning the Comet’s gift into a sort of curse.”

“What do you mean a curse, my Skill is rad?” I huff, not totally oblivious to the danger she’s describing but not entirely convinced either.

“Let's say you're walking in the forest and there's a very hungry bear somewhere in that very same forest.” Okay, weirdly specific. “You're quite the distance from it so the thing would avoid you no problem. BUT suddenly the direction of the wind will change and carry your smell right to the creature as if someone deliberately meddled with the world around you.”

“Can't it be just a coincidence?” I raise an eyebrow.

“And what do you call it when unlucky coincidences happen a little too often?” She smiles gently.

Ah, I don't like that.

I freeze for a few seconds if not for a minute with thoughts like poor little me or how unfair everything is and I’ll just do my best and overcome this fighting for control in my head. In the end, something else comes out of my mouth.

“I’m not just some stupid cold or a sneeze!” I would sit up in outrage if I had the strength. “I didn’t ask for any of this so who the fuck does Aelion or her will or whoever the fuck decides these things think they are messing with people’s lives? Nah, this is stupid, just tell me what happened and when will I feel better?”

“This is not a joke Elyssia, your fate might be tainted.” Martha replies sternly. “It’s a difficult life where death will await you in every corner-”

“Don’t care, didn’t ask.” I’m slowly losing my temper here. I don’t need any hoodoo omen to tell me how to live my life. “I’ll do my best and if that’s not enough then I guess that’s it. Motivational speeches are for the sheep, Martha, so please spare me. What did I do?”

The old hag seems to be taken aback by my outburst but I don’t need no one's pity. I’ll deal with it. Let’s not forget, that voice in the church also talked about something like this huh? I should really look into that.

“So be it, have it your way.” Martha shrugs with a half-smile. “I’ll be watching with great interest and help when you’re down, that’s my job after all. To keep things short you did the single most dangerous thing a Mage could ever do while practicing alone. Mana poisoning. Simply put you pumped much more mana through your poor body than your reserves would ever allow. Your body didn’t like that and you almost died.”

That really does sound stupid and like something I’d do. It also explains very little and why has no one ever told me-

“We rarely warn kids about these dangers,” She cuts off my thoughts, like holy shit… “because most people pass out before they could push themselves too far and realize that something’s wrong way before even that. You’re different however and I take partial blame for not taking that into consideration. You are a celestial, at least partially, which caused your predicament and saved your life in the end. Elyssia,“ Martha stops and waits for me to look her in the eyes before moving on. “you should be dead after that spell you’ve created.”

I stay quiet for a few seconds digesting my mistakes. “Did it look cool?” The first thing that leaves my mouth.

My reward is a smack to the back of my head and a grumpy look. “You idiot, it could’ve killed you and that's the first thing you say?” She asks, outraged but after a deep breath mutters. “It did.”

“So… when will I get healed? I know I need to learn from my mistakes and all but it’s really uncomfortable and I don’t want to miss out on our next outing.” Some of my cheekiness is already coming back so my condition can’t be that bad.

“Mana poisoning can’t be simply healed like a scratch and say dumb things like that again after being out cold for a day and you won’t be touching any more Hadron crystals while I’m around. Suicidal, all of them.” Martha grumbles before turning serious. “While at the topic, no more experiments like that. It’s-”

“No way, I can be careful-”

“Let me finish!” We keep interrupting back to back but I let her win. This time. “No experiments without supervision because we know very little about what you can do and we don’t want any more accidents. In the meantime.” She dumps three books onto my bed. “Read these if you’re bored and look for me in my room if you plan to do something stupid.” She gets up with a professional elderly groan. “I’m busy and you need to heal so I’ll take my leave. Be good, little devil.” She winks and disappears like always.

“I don’t even know which one is your room…” I mutter. “I guess it's just me and the books now…”