Chương 1: The Coming-Of-Age Quest

The first rays of sunlight bathed the worn-out book in soft orange light. The Pursuit of Mana is the most honorable art one can pursue. Kal read the first passage of the book for the umpteenth time, the words resonating within him. He continued to the next passage. Mana is present everywhere around us. It is the energy that makes life possible and gives the human race the tools to protect ourselves against the otherworldly rifts and the noble races.

To pursue mana is to become one with mana, and to wield it as a weapon outside our bodies—to become a mage.

"A mage," he muttered. Ever since he'd found the old book, he couldn't stop reading and imagining himself wielding mana. It was like he'd finally uncovered what he wanted to do with his life… to become a mage, the noblest pursuit, as the book called it. He tried reading the next passage, but the words escaped him. The distraction for tomorrow wasn't working.

Any other day, he wouldn't have had any problem losing himself in the yellow pages until he needed to tend to his duties, but today, he couldn't stop thinking about tomorrow. About the coming-of-age quest. A loud knock awoke him from his thoughts. Kal scrambled to his feet, closed the book, and hid it under the mattress as fast as he could. His chest thumped; it was the first time he'd taken out the book during the day.

"Kal," came his brother's voice, followed by another loud knock.

"It's time for your training."

"I'll be there in a moment," Kal said, his voice uneven.

"You got five minutes." He heard his brother's footsteps fade away from his door, and he exhaled loudly in relief. He almost got caught, all because of his stupidity. Sitting on the bed and focusing on his breathing, he tried to calm himself before he left his room; otherwise, Carcian—his eldest brother—would notice his abnormal behavior. Reading the book was supposed to help him pass the time before the Coming-of-Age, but instead, he almost got caught with something he shouldn't have.

After a couple more deep breaths, he stood up from the bed. He put on his training clothes—a white shirt and black pants—then strode out the door. His chest had calmed somewhat, but it was still beating faster than it should, so he started running as soon as he left his room, hoping his elevated heart rate would be justified. He sped through the hallway where his room was and took a left, climbing down the stairs. The butler stood by the main entrance of the mansion.

"Good morning!" Kal yelled as he ran past him without looking back, heading toward the back entrance, where the training field was. Leaving the mansion, he took the left along the stone path, then turned right, arriving at the training arena. He stopped by the entrance and took off his boots. Carcian stood in the center, his back straight, dressed in his usual clothes: the mandatory Lunvale uniform and a large white cloak. The training area was enclosed by tall walls of dense green foliage and filled with sand.

To his left stood a weapon rack. He took his training sword, feeling its familiar weight. As he stepped inside the arena, his feet dug into the sand, limiting his mobility, though it was much better than a few years ago, when he had first entered the arena. His brother smiled softly at him.

"Ready?" Kal swallowed and nodded.

"We won't have any time tomorrow, so pay attention." Before he could even answer, Carcian was already in the air, and a spear descended from above toward his position. Fuck, Kal cursed inwardly as he jumped to the side. The air whizzed around him as the wooden spear embedded itself in the sand next to him. Before he even realized what had happened, another spear was already hurtling toward him. This time, he sidestepped as fast as he could. Sand sprayed against his lower leg as he took another step to the side.

The same thing continued as Kal did his best to dodge the incoming spears. His brother was using a skill to launch the training spears from above. He found the new training strange. It had been going on for over a week, but he didn't question it. For whatever reason, Carcian had decided he needed to train in avoiding spears, and he would do it. A sharp pain exploded through his shoulder as he fell face-first into the sand. A pained groan escaped him.

"What did I tell you?"

"To keep," he coughed, spitting the sand from his mouth, "…my focus on the enemy at all times."

"And?"

"I got lost in my head," Kal said truthfully. Carcian stopped in front of him and offered him a hand. Gritting his teeth through the pain, Kal took it and stood up.

"Drink this," his brother said, handing him a glass vial filled with swirling green liquid—a healing potion. He took the vial, pulled the cork out with his teeth, and gulped the liquid down in one motion. The taste was bitter, and within moments, a warmth spread through his body, repairing the damage and reinvigorating him. The pain in his shoulder was gone by the time he took another breath.

"I only have two more potions, so let's make sure we don't waste them too soon." The training continued. Kal did his best to avoid the spears, which were flying toward him even faster. He became so focused on dodging them that he lost all sense of time until he collapsed onto the warm sand, his breathing ragged and every muscle in his body tense.

"That's enough for today. You need to be well rested before a battle." Kal only nodded. That was the most he could do in his battered state.

"Any hints for tomorrow?" Kal asked as soon as he managed to catch his breath. Carcian merely smiled and dropped a vial onto his chest. It was lighter green—a recovery potion.

"Drink it and go rest. We'll talk tomorrow, before you set out." Carcian left after that, while Kal remained lying on the warm sand. His clothes were covered in it. Some had even made it inside his boots. It took him a few minutes before he managed to stand and drag his tired body back to his room. As soon as he entered, he collapsed onto his bed and drank the recovery potion. Kal took out the tome and stared at it. Tomorrow was the day his quest would begin: to awaken his core and be able to wield mana.

Every fear he had seemed to intensify. He didn't want to bring shame to his family and become the first Lunvale to ever fail the quest; at the same time, he felt guilty about the source of his excitement for tomorrow—the book in front of him. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. He set the book down on the bed beside him and buried his face in the pillow. Tomorrow he would fight a creature alone, to the death, and extract its core to awaken his own.

His thoughts spiraled, trying to paint a picture of what awaited him. He'd heard his brother and the younger warriors talk about their Coming-of-Age Quests, and everyone had shared stories about the first creature they had ever faced. From mountain wolves to wyverns. But he knew most of them had exaggerated their tales to make themselves sound more heroic. Still, he always enjoyed listening to them. Every exaggeration had to contain at least a grain of truth.

So that meant he would have to face some kind of wolf, a lizard-like creature, possibly with wings, or just a normal red-tailed lizard. There were a few others, but those belonged in the realm of fantasy, so he ignored those stories. His brother had said he'd faced a creature with eight legs and that he hadn't fought a more difficult battle since. Kal wasn't sure what kind of creature it had been, and he'd tried asking him on multiple occasions, but Carcian never answered.

The only eight-legged creature Kal knew of was the moonweaver. He chuckled at the thought. There was no chance his brother had faced one. For one, moonweavers were among the strongest creatures in the region, ones that a sixteen-year-old boy had no chance of surviving against. They were also far too valuable to his clan. Even after studying every book about the monsters and creatures that resided within their territory, he had never found anything that matched what Carcian had described.

Whatever it was, he would find out in the next few days, since the quest also meant ascending the mountain alone. Kal kept turning around in his bed, restless, until he finally managed to settle, staring at the ceiling. It was still too early to make a choice, but… the time would arrive soon, and he would have to choose. The path of a warrior—the Lunvale way, or his dream. He spent the rest of the day preparing himself mentally for tomorrow.

As his brother had always said, a rested body and a sharp mind were the best preparation before a battle. …

"You'll be just fine." He felt his brother's hand squeeze his shoulder.

"You trained hard enough. Just trust it." Kal raised his head and looked at him. His brother had crouched beside him, his white cape pristine, without a speck of dirt on it. A sword hung from his waist, angled slightly so it wouldn't touch the ground. He wore the same confident, warm smile he always gave whenever Kal encountered any difficulties.

"You'll make Father proud," he said with a wink. Kal nodded and took a deep breath.

"Thanks," he said. His brother's smile widened.

"You'll do well." He rose to his feet and clapped Kal on the shoulder.

"Now go." His tone left little room for argument.

"Don't keep them waiting." Kal frowned and pushed himself to his feet. Taking another deep breath, he let the scent of fresh flowers steady his nerves. He looked toward the camp nestled among the trees just outside the valley. Men clad in his family's colors—silver and white—moved through the camp as they prepared for the Coming-of-Age Ceremony. Above them, two banners fluttered in the gentle breeze, each depicting a sword piercing a dark orb. He spotted his peers easily.

They were the only ones who looked nervous among the gathered crowd. It was almost time for the ceremony to begin, and the quest would follow not long afterward. His heart was still racing. It was an important moment for his family, and he had to give it his best. Every member of his family had completed the quest on their sixteenth birthday, and now it was his turn.

"No pressure," he muttered under his breath. The Coming-of-Age Quest was a hunt to slay a beast before consuming its core to awaken his own. The day boys became warriors, the day they gained access to mana and learned to wield it. The difference was that he didn't want to wield the mana within his body, as warriors did. He wanted to wield it outside, as mages did. It was a useless tradition his family had followed for generations. He didn't need to slay a beast to awaken his core, only consume one.

Even though he knew it was unnecessary, he still felt a sense of pride building inside his chest. He stepped into the camp and was met with a flurry of congratulations and praise. Everyone acted as if he had already passed the quest, not as if he was about to begin it. He kept a smile on his face and his back straight. It was something he had picked up from his brother. It made him feel more confident, even when he wasn't. At least, that's how his brother always looked.

Even with all the pressure weighing on him, the excitement was still there. After training since he could hold a blade, he was finally going to face a beast in combat, away from the safety his family and clan provided. A horn blared. The time had come. Kal stood just outside the camp. In front of him stood his father, a man in his late forties, tall and imposing, dressed in a white ceremonial robe with the family banner embroidered over his heart.

Beside Kal stood his peers, who would be undertaking the quest alongside him. Zeil and Nilan both looked incredibly nervous, even as they did their best to hide it. Kal suspected he looked much the same, but he had no way of knowing.

"Today is the day you take your most important step toward becoming a warrior," his father said. He looked at each of them, holding their gaze for a second before moving to the next.

"The Coming-of-Age Quest is simple. Magical beasts will be released at specific points on the mountain. Your job is to reach them, hunt them down, and harvest their cores." He glanced to the side before returning his gaze to them. Moments later, Kal heard footsteps approaching from behind. His brother came to a stop beside their father, carrying a large pillow in his hands, upon which rested three swords.

Each sword was unique, crafted specifically for its owner based on the weapon he had chosen to train with a year ago. His father stood.

"Nilan," he said. Nilan, who stood to Kal's left, stepped forward.

"Lord," he said with a bow. His father took a blade from the pillow. It was a slightly curved, one-handed sword. Nilan took a deep breath and extended his hand. His father made a small cut across his palm with the blade.

"Take care of it and it will serve you for a long time. The bond with your blade is best strengthened during your first battle," he said, handing the sword to Nilan. After another deep bow, Nilan stepped back and moved aside.

"Kal." It was his turn. He stepped forward as his father took another sword from the pillow. Kal took a deep breath and extended his hand, his palm facing upward. His father brought the blade toward his palm, Kal focused on not pulling it back. He kept his gaze slightly above, when a sharp, stinging pain shot through his hand, followed by a spreading warmth. He grimaced slightly but managed to compose himself... or at least he thought he did.

The cut kept burning, and it was becoming difficult to ignore with his hand still outstretched. His father wiped the blade clean with a white cloth before sliding it back into its scabbard. Kal kept his eyes fixed on it. The scabbard was made of black leather, covered in runes and symbols that made it look like a work of art. Just below the opening, it was wrapped tightly with white silk, ending in a metal fitting for attaching it to a belt.

His father extended both hands, his palms facing upward, the sword resting across them. Kal took the blade the same way his father had offered it.

"May it serve you well," his father said, a soft smile appearing on his otherwise serious face. Kal was too shocked to react, and after a slight bow, he moved to the side. Had his father smiled? Before he could dwell on what he had seen, he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was his brother's, so he turned.

"Let me see it," he said. Kal complied and extended his injured hand while keeping hold of the blade with the other. Carcian simply nodded and took a silk cloth from his pocket. Then he pulled out a small bottle and poured its contents over the cut. It stung, and Kal grimaced. His brother then wrapped the wound tightly, using only two layers so it wouldn't feel unnatural when he held his blade.

"All done," his brother said. After Kal nodded, he continued.

"Listen closely. Your target will be on the second peak. Father forbade me from saying more than that, but it should be nothing for any brother of mine," he said with a wink. Kal wasn't surprised by that. His father was a man of tradition and rules. He wouldn't break them even for his family, and he'd raised them the same way. Except for his middle brother, who... didn't feel the rules had to be followed. He cut that thought off. It wasn't the time to ruin his mood.

"Take it slowly, and recover your stamina before you begin the hunt. Hunting tired and with a clouded mind is a good way to get yourself killed," he said, his expression serious. The playfulness he usually wore was gone.

"If things don't go as planned, run."

"Run?" Kal asked, confused. It was the first time he'd heard anyone from his clan say something like that. Lunvales didn't run from battle.

"Living to fight another day is better than dying," he said. Kal just nodded. He knew his brother was worried about him, but he couldn't fail his quest and bring shame to his family. That was the one thing he couldn't do. No one since the founding of his family had ever failed. He didn't want to be the first. The Coming-of-Age ceremony continued, and Kal barely felt the passage of time. He'd spent most of it lost in his head before he was left alone to prepare.

His brother had brought him his bag and left him with a few more words of advice. He glanced at the mountain before him. It was one of the largest in the region, with three of the highest peaks in the barony, if not the whole county. At least, that was what the books said. He took a deep breath, slung the bag over his shoulder, and started walking toward it. It wasn't the first time he had climbed the mountain, but it was the first time he would be doing it alone.

Nilan and Zeil were starting their treks from different points. To reach the second peak, he would need three days, and if anything went wrong, even more. At least the weather wasn't bad. It was one less thing he had to worry about. With that thought, he began his ascent.