I was a top assassin. With a snap of my fingers, legions of assassins would bow at my feet. They respected and adored me. I was second to none. But I have never felt as proud as this moment.
I can crawl!
Till now, I had to put up with those boring stories about Azelarion's legacy Mom told me when she put me to bed. Sometimes, Dad would sit beside me and tell me stories about his prime years. Anyway, his small stories and Mom's legends gave me vague hints about what kind of world this was.
My father, Renar Hoshino, was a former adventurer. I understand this concept, as my previous world also had quite a few guilds. Merchant, Adventure, Assassins Guild—we had them all. Plus, I have seen quite a few of the guilds in online games that my classmates used to play.
He usually kills astral beasts, some sort of monsters, which explains why he was so good at killing those Infernox. He was in a particular party called The Ashen Vanguard. They would often go on adventures in search of treasure or scout new places in the Briarwoods. Briarwoods is a huge forest filled with ferocious astral beasts. Apparently, not many places in the Briarwoods are mapped out.
He eventually settled down with Mom in Starhaven. According to Dad, they met at an adventure guild, where Mom was working. She was working as a receptionist then. Dad proudly told me that Mom was head over heels for him when he visited her adventure guild. I can tell why she was.
Mom bashfully flicked Dad's forehead.
"Stop telling Kawa exaggerated stories!!" She whined.
"Haha," A soft smile melted Dad's nonchalant face.
My name is Hoshikawa Hoshino, by the way. Kawa for short. This name sounds way too cute for a former top assassin. What a hassle. I'll just have to change my name when I turn eighteen then. I guess this world should allow name changing when you turn into an adult too. A new name…maybe my old name, Alistair, would do. It sounds firm.
Just the other day, I managed to crawl to the mirror with great effort. And to my surprise, I look adorable!!! I'm in love with myself. Aw, I'm so handsome and cute at the same time! My hair was slightly different from my dad's. It was white, but it had dark blue undertones, and a tiny dash of it on the ends of my hair too. My eyes were purple too, like my mom's, but darker. It was violet.
I guess I look a little different from my parents.
Today, as usual, I decided to crawl to the study room while Mom was doing the laundry and Dad was training.
Mom lamented the day I started to become mobile, sighing, "I swear, you're getting ahead of yourself, Kawa. Can't you stay in one place and wait for me?"
Nope, I couldn't.
I took my chance and sneaked into the study room and pulled out a book. This world seemed pretty underdeveloped. There were no cars, trains, buses, planes, ships, or anything. There were only small carriages driven by horses and small sailboats for rivers.
A similarity that both this world and Earth share is the system of monarchy. This continent of Aetherion consists of three Kingdoms, where each Kingdom consists of a King and a royal family that rules. The only catch is that the King is chosen by lineage, going from King to child, to child, to following descendants. Looks like I can't try to be King unless I marry a princess. What a dream.
After flipping a few pages of the encyclopedia, there doesn't seem to be much information on other continents besides the one we're living on. Looks like in this world, there's only one continent called Aetherion. Maybe when they invent actual ships that could sail across oceans, then we will find more continents.
One thing that was very hard for me to get used to was this whole magic system. If we're talking about 'I think about fire, fire appears in my hand' type of magic, then sure, I can get used to that. But no. There appears to be a whole process or ritual we would need to conduct before we can actually have magic.
There was something called astralis, and it exists in the atmosphere of this world. Mages, or whatever you call them, would draw them into their astral core, which I assume is some magical function in our bodies, during the ritual and fill their astral core with astralis. This ritual can only happen once. After this ritual, it gets harder and harder to draw astralis from your surroundings into your astral core unless you have very strong emotions. This is why most mages just pop astralis pills to replenish their astralis.
The next book I managed to pull out explained several questions for me.
It read: "The Perfect Beginner's Guide to Astralis: From Core to Celestblade/Celestian"
Oh, cool. What's Celestblade and what's Celestian?
Anyway, the first chapter was about what Astralis was. This would answer many questions.
"Astralis is the elemental essence of creation. An invisible current that flows through almost all living things, environments, and magical systems in Aetherion. To chant spells, one must first learn to wield astralis. Those who can wield astralis are known as either Celestblades or Celestians, depending on their affinity."
Flip.
Chapter two was about something far more interesting—sensing astralis. This would be much more useful in this life. After all, it seems, no astralis, no life.
"While the ability to wield astralis is partly genetic,"
Ok, parents who can wield astralis? Check.
"Not all children born can sense it."
Oh.
"In fact, a recent research done by Celestara Research Circle reports that only one in a thousand children are naturally attuned enough to perceive astralis without the support of training. This number has been decreasing in recent generations, raising concerns across The Order."
I see. So even Azelarion, that little devil, is concerned over this matter.
Flip.
The next chapter was about the astral core. This answered most of my questions.
"What is the astral core? The astral core is a dormant spiritual nucleus located deep within the soul. It cannot be seen, but when activated, it becomes a place where astralis is stored. Most children awaken their cores between early adolescence (age 10-13) and mid-teen years (age 14-16), which is considered quite late."
"Awakening your astral core is not about forcing it to awaken, nor is it about external rituals. It requires aligning your inner self with the essence of astralis. You must feel the astralis in your surroundings and draw them into yourself."
I do not understand, but maybe I will once I try it out.
"To stir the elements, one must first become quiet enough to hear them. First, sit in solitude and let your breath become rhythm. Focus on the centre of your chest, not your heart. Imagine a faint warmth, like something pressing from within."
"Secondly, astralis answers to longing and not command. Recall your desire. It is not something you want, but something your soul aches for. That emotion must be true. Whether it is grief, love, happiness, resolve, or even loneliness, it is all useable. As you hold onto those emotions, channel them into the warmth in your chest."
"Thirdly, you must remember that the first crack is not pain but remembrance. If successful, the layer surrounding your core will begin to crack slightly, revealing the core. Light will seep out, and a glimmer of your elemental affinity may flicker. For instance, a breeze for wind, a frost for ice, a flicker of fire for fire, and a shadow for shadow. You will feel pressure in your limbs, ringing in your ears as astralis in your core begins to circulate."
"Lastly, a core that awakens must learn to bleed to allow astralis to flow through your body. In time, some astralis would leak out of your core like a flowing stream within your body. This is when you truly awaken. Your astralis begins to respond to every emotion, thought, and even memory."
Wow.
That sounds…intense.
"Some effects of awakening you should take note of are fever, temporary memory echoes, glowing eyes, or faint elemental pulses such as frost forming on skin. If force from your awakening is exerted outwards, you are a Celestblade, but if force is within yourself, such as floating, you are a Celestian."
Flip.
The next chapter, chapter four, was about elemental affinities by race.
"There are six known elements in Aetherion," It read. "Fire, water, wind, earth, shadow and healing. The seventh element is known as Starlight, only written in ancient texts. It had been gradually lost throughout the centuries. Humans, as well as beastmen, have affinity with any element. They rarely produce any dual-element users or trio-element users, but it is still possible. Elves have a strong affinity for wind and water, occasionally producing some healers. Dwarves are naturally aligned with earth and shadow, but some possess a rare metal affinity, a supposed hybrid of earth. However, like starlight, it had long been lost in the centuries."
I finally understand something now. I guess I'm not that bored with this world after all.
Flip.
Chapter five was about our core colour tiers. I guess there were different stages for cores.
"The astral core evolves in colour stages, beginning from white and progressing to gold.
White is dormant but awakened, a solid, glowing seed of potential.
Red is the stage where the core begins to pulse with raw volatile power.
Orange is when control develops, and external channelling begins.
Yellow is mastery of adaptability in combat.
Silver is harmonised resonance, a rare level of internal balance.
And lastly comes Gold, the hardest stage to get to of all the others. It is legendary and pure, a spiritual fusion reserved only for the talented.
Each tier contains shades from light to deep that determine how far one has progressed within one tier. The deeper the shade, the stronger and more refined the resonance."
That is some extra information that I currently don't need. I haven't even awakened my astral core yet. That was a great waste of my precious attention span. Wonderful.
Flip.
Chapter six was about the two primary paths. Now that's what I'm interested in.
"There are two primary paths for sorcerers. One, Celestblades—warriors who channel astralis into their bodies or weapons. They can enhance their speed, power, and agility, often specialising in close combat and elemental weapon forging.
The second path is being a Celestian—mages who manipulate astralis externally. They control the environment using their element."
Man, I can't decide which one I want. I want both. They both sound cool.
Flip.
Chapter seven was on ascended aspects, or as we call them for short, compounds—the evolution of base elements.
"When the astral core matures, so too does the language of its element. Fire becomes lightning. Water becomes ice. Nothing remains in its simplest form—not even the self."
Whatever does that mean?
"Base elements are the foundation of astralis. But as the sorcerer refines their element to mastery, these elements evolve into more intricate forms called ascended aspects—compound expressions of the element's nature when shaped by emotion, intent, and experience.
Gradually, fire turns into lightning, water to ice, wind to sound, earth to gravity, shadow to light, and healing to restoration."
Flip.
Chapter eight was an introduction to Celestara Academy. It sounded prestigious and elegant. Maybe getting into that school in this life could be my goal. Something to motivate me, perhaps.
"Celestara Academy is the dream of many aspiring Celestians. The academy offers the best instructors, ancient relics, battle training, and archives of elemental research.
Entry to Celestara High is by a merit-based exam, elemental aptitude test, and astral core inspection. Only one in five hundred applicants is accepted each year."
Wow. That sounds hard. But I believe I, Alistair Sinclaire, no, Hoshikawa Hoshino, can definitely make it through.
The last chapter gave me some books recommended for reading. But out of the five books, one caught my eye. Echoes of the Sevenfold Dawn…it was restricted. Though I feel like I have seen it somewhere…
Ah, I get it know. So Dad is a competent Celestblade, whereas Mom was a talented Celestian. Great. I have chances of getting either Celestblade or Celestian.
My fingers rubbed the edge of the book. Something was…flickering. Right below my ribs.
I didn't understand; I didn't really know what I was supposed to do, but I wanted to try. I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply. Then out. The air felt thick, as though I was drinking the sky.
My belly tightened.
There was warmth blooming within me. It was small, but stubborn. Like it wanted to be something. Or rather, it was something. My core.
"Awakening your astral core is not about forcing it to awaken, nor is it about external rituals. It requires aligning your inner self with the essence of astralis. You must feel the astralis in your surroundings and draw them into yourself." The book said. And so I felt.
I felt the warmth of my parents when they held me in their arms.
I felt the soft hum of the book when I touched it.
I felt the way something inside me always felt…different. Special. Like I was missing a piece I never had.
Then—
Something shifted.
Ba-dum.
My chest fluttered. Something small, a tiny spark lit within me. I could feel it. Astral core. My astral core.
I tensed a little, trying to hold onto it—
"Kawa?"
Mom pushed open the door.
I opened one eye.
She saw me hunched over, panting, cheeks puffed out.
"Oh no." Her voice went soft and worried. "Kawa…are you trying to poo?"
No! Mom! You've got it all wrong!!!
She then carried me to go change my diaper.