Advance to rank 1?That's quick, surely it has to be harder or is there maybe some trick

  Lyra sits downs crossing her legs as she does so, ''For all of you here this should be fairly quick, but I'll explain anyway, advancing to rank 1 requires the awakening of a spiritual organ, enabling the individual to sense ambient magic for the first time and allowing the formation of their first magic core. The spiritual organ is responsible for processing and filtering magic according to the user's innate affinity before it is drawn into the core.''

  Sofia asks, ''What happens if we use another magic than what we have an affinity towards?''

  ''To put it simply it depends, for example a fire magic cannot use water and fire magic at the same time as the different types of magicules get absorbed by the body cancelling each other out. However, you can learn more than one type of magic it's just normally not recommended''

  ''Huh why's that'', Lukas says in response.

  Lyra's gaze deepens, ''As I said before, magic techniques can separate mages at the same rank, but another key aspect that determines strength in this world is your understanding of your own magic. Mages with deeper understanding of their own magic can create more unique and adaptable spells and techniques and also cross-reference their knowledge to understand other types of magic.''

  ''So what is all boils down to in the end in is the individual. Normally people will cultivate the magic that they have an affinity towards, as they will naturally progress much faster in this field compared to a different type of magic. However it is not uncommon to see mages wielding various types of magic, but due to a lack of understanding and it will quite literally take too long to develop each magic pathway to a high enough level.''

  ''Ok enough talking now, all of you sit in a circle and close your eyes. At this stage begin to feel the presence of magic surrounding yourselves. This garden is special, it directly concentrates magicules in this closed space so it should be fairly easy for you all.''

  I've close my eyes but what exactly am I even suppose to do? Just sit here and wait for something to happen?

  Let me try again and focus hard. I breathe slowly taking a deeper breath. At first, there is nothing. Then, something shifts. The air feels thicker, heavier, brushing against my skin like invisible mist. The more I breathe the stronger the sensation becomes, I can feel it slipping through me, cold and warm at the same time, seeping into my veins like liquid light. It resists when I try to guide it, writhing under my control.

  ''Yes, yes all of you have sensed it, now guide it towards your navel this is the hardest part'', Lyra shouts.

  I force it downward toward my chest. The pressure builds steadily, tightening, compressing, as if an unseen hand is squeezing my heart from the inside. My pulse pounds in my ears. The mana spirals faster and faster, condensing into something dense, something real

  Arghh, I'm doing this correctly right? My god, it fucking HURTS!

  I continue to guide the incoming flood of mana towards my naval, until it starts to pool, becoming even denser until suddenly, with a sharp internal snap, the chaos folds inward.

  Ah I feel it.

  A small sphere forms at the bottom of my stomach, faintly glowing, spinning slowly. Fragile. Unstable. But mine.

  I open my eyes and see everyone already standing up testing their new found powers, until all their eyes direct themselves towards me

  Adrian runs over towards me ,''Hey you slowpoke you finally finished it, hey, hey look what I can do''. Saying this Adrian's face goes red and he begins to manipulate the landmass in front of me making a small hole.

  Similarly everyone with ecstatic voices all ask me to use my magic whilst showing me what they can do, ''Ok wait let me try''

  The moment I reach outward, it's like plunging my mind into open water. Emotions crash into me from every direction sharp, dull, tangled together in ways I can't immediately separate. Fear tastes metallic. Excitement burns like static under my skin. Doubt coils low in my stomach, heavy and suffocating. They aren't my feelings, yet they press against my thoughts as if they belong there, whispering in voices that aren't quite words. When I focus on one presence, I can feel its rhythm

  I look towards Sofia, ''Your scared, not right now but a deeper fear, you fear what's yet to come and you Oksar. you feel extreme joy at the idea of coming to this world don't you.''

  Our group looks at each other before Dorian steps up, ''Okay, maybe that's enough, Soren''

  ''Huh, What?, Oh shit sorry, I just got carried away.''

  Lyra clears her throat, ''Anyway congratulations to you all for successfully advancing to rank 1 I'll show you all towards you rooms and leave you to it''

  Whilst following her I think to myself, I got kinda disappointed when all of these guys got all these cool sounding magic, then I just got, what, Empathy Magic?, how shit does that sound. but now it does seem pretty cool now that I have used it.

  In the midst of my thoughts Lyra shows me to my room. I walk inside and glance about, the room carried the quiet elegance of another era. High ceilings framed with decorative moulding arched overhead, faint cracks tracing along the plaster like delicate veins. A chandelier of aged brass hung at the centre, its warm light reflecting softly off polished wooden floors that creaked faintly with every step. Tall windows draped in heavy burgundy curtains filtered the daylight into a muted glow, dust motes drifting lazily through the beams. Along the walls stood upholstered armchairs and small round tables, their fabric slightly faded.

  I sit down on the bed, Wow this all happened so fast hasn't it, a new world full of magic.....This, This is exciting, not like earth

  Maybe here, I can truly feel alive

  That night, I fell asleep believing everything had changed.

  I didn't realise it was only the beginning.

  Two years passed in what felt like a single breath.

  The first few weeks were chaos. Bruised ribs. Splintered practice weapons. Mana exhaustion so bad I could barely lift my head. Rank 1 wasn't glamorous. It was unstable, fragile, temperamental. More than once, someone lost control. Sofia nearly set half the training courtyard ablaze with lightning. Adrian cracked the stone floor trying to force too much mana into a single strike. Dorian blinded himself for three straight minutes after overloading his light.

  We learned

  Slowly

  Painfully

  Stolen story; please report.

  Dorian's light stopped flickering and began cutting clean through reinforced targets. Vera's shadows no longer lashed out unpredictably — they moved like extensions of her will. Oskar learned to increase gravity in pulses instead of crushing everything at once. Even Anya and Lukas, who once struggled to shape more than a thin stream of water, could now form controlled currents sharp enough to slice bark from trees

  And me?

  At first, Empathy Magic felt like drowning in a room full of people.

  Now… it felt like reading the air

  I could separate emotions without thinking. Fear no longer flooded me. Anger no longer tangled with my own thoughts. I could sense intent before movement, hesitation before action. Throughout these past two years I've learned swordsmanship from Lyra, after all how can one fight with just a support type of magic. As my magic evolved so did I, reading emotions was just the start now I can read something deeper, something more real, their intent. Like an unconscious bias towards a possible action, that what I have honed my craft towards predicting actions and speels before they occur to be one step ahead.

  Finally after two whole years its time to take another step forward

  Lyra welcomes me to the same garden, ''Well now Soren it's time for you to make a second core! How exciting is that??''

  ''Very''

  Lyra frowns a bit, 'You could put more effort into lying you know, so sarcastic, you've been like this for two whole years''

  ''What can I say its a gift''

  ''Can never have the last word can I, anyway Rank 2 is also called the refinement stage, at Rank 1 overall efficiency of converting mana into spells is extremely low. The conversion of magic into usable spells is highly inefficient, resulting in significant energy loss, weak spell output, and rapid exhaustion.''

  ''At rank 2 advancing requires the successful formation of a second magic core. At this stage, the processing of magic through the spiritual organ becomes noticeably more refined and efficient, resulting in reduced energy waste and improved spell stability. However to do this you must establish a circulation loop inside your body allowing the mana to condense at a secondary focal point, different from the position of your first core then condense it''

  ''That's a lot to take in at once''

  ''Don't worry Soren I'll be watching you don't worry while you may be a bit slower compared to the rest, but you should be fine, only you Dorian, Anya and Noah have not advanced to rank 2, you need to hurry up as tomorrow if your not rank 2 you won't be able to go slay your first monsters with the rest of your friends and Alaric.''

  ''Ah I remember my first time slaying a monster'' she says with a tear falling down her eye, ''It was Aaaaamazing, so hurry up and advance and get a head start on those three.''

  I focused on my first core, feeling the familiar warmth pulsing steadily in my chest, then reached for the secondary focal point as Lyra had explained. The mana resisted immediately, heavier and denser than anything I had felt before, twisting and pressing against my mind as if it had a will of its own. My hands trembled and my knees threatened to buckle under the pressure, but I forced myself to stay still, breathing deeply.

  Then it hit me the emotions of everyone else in the courtyard. Fear, excitement, determination, doubt… every heartbeat, every thought pressed against me like waves in a storm. At first it was overwhelming, chaotic, almost unbearable, and I felt the instinct to push it away. But instead, I let it flow through me, tracing the threads of emotion as they tangled with my mana. Slowly, deliberately, I guided the energy, forming a circulation loop that connected to my first core. The second core didn't glow like the others; it pulsed faintly, a lattice of energy intertwined with the feelings around me, alive and responsive

  My chest burned, my mind tingled, but I could feel the power stabilizing. Rank 2 didn't feel like a simple spark this time. It felt alive

  Connected

  Following the formation of the second core, the next day everybody except for Noah, Dorian and Anya set off in a carriage moved by horses led by Alaric

  Alaric turns back, ''Now that you seven have advanced to Rank 2, it's time for all of you to learn some more hands on experience. We will be heading to a mountain range to kill some flying monsters after passing this forest up ahead, we should arrive in around two hours.''

  Alaric the old servant to the king, he seems to be very close with the king as well, but I cant forget that look he gave me after I left that thrown room when I first arrived here. Creeps me out just thinking about it, but maybe I'm just imagining it since he hasn't bothered me at all.

  ''Alaric you said there are different types of monsters but what about people, like are their elves or dwarfs or stuff like that'' Oskar says licking his lips.

  Lukas gives me a side eye and we both start laughing. This Oskar guy still hasn't changed a bit.

  ''While there are an endless amount of different types of monsters, today only humans exist''

  ''Today?'' Vera asks in response

  Alaric replies, ''In the past in the Great Hero's era, there were humans but also the demon race, contrary to the name both races existed quite peacefully until that thing was born. As you may have heard the Demon King, the worldly threat was a member of the demon race, but the reason why the demon race no longer exists is because he slaughtered every single one of them, every man, women, child, young, old it didn't matter he hunted and killed his entire race until, only it remained.''

  ''But why?'' Elena asks

  ''Well I don't know the exact reason but just know this there is a reason why everybody who exists today hates that thing so there's no point in trying to understand that monster, just know that we should all be happy that it is dead thanks to the Great Hero''

  Sofia and Adrian converse amongst themselves, while the rest of us fall silent.

  All of a sudden, the carriage jolted violently as it raced along the uneven road, the wheels rattling and throwing dust into the air. Trees blurred past on either side, their shadows stretching like claws in the late afternoon sun. I clutched the edge of the bench, my heart hammering. Something was wrong. Too quiet at first, then… a guttural roar tore through the air, shaking the carriage with a force that made the horses rear

  Monsters. Too many to count, their shapes jagged and unnatural, emerging from the tree line as if the forest itself had birthed them. Lyra shouted, "Hold on! We need to move, now!" The carriage lurched again as the horses strained against the reins, their hooves pounding the earth. Branches whipped against our faces as the driver tried to keep control, but the creatures were closing fast

  "Everyone, listen to me!" ,Alaric barked, though his voice was calm, unnervingly so. "You must escape into the forest! I'll hold them off. Just get out of here, go!"

  No one hesitated. Without thinking, we scrambled from the carriage, diving into the undergrowth. The forest swallowed us immediately, thick roots snagging our feet and low-hanging branches scratching our faces. Behind us, the sound of tearing wood and monstrous roars followed, growing fainter only when the dense trees broke line of sight. My chest burned, adrenaline surging as I ran, weaving between the trunks, my mind screaming with every instinct to survive. Something about this felt wrong—why were there monsters here? None of this made sense.

  The deeper we ran into the forest, the more it seemed to close in around us. The sunlight filtering through the leaves dwindled to thin, flickering beams that barely touched the moss-covered ground. Every step became harder, thick roots snaked across the path like natural tripwires, and uneven terrain forced us to scramble over rocks and fallen logs.

  Branches clawed at our faces and arms, scratching and snagging clothes. The sounds of the world outside faded, replaced by the whispers of leaves, the occasional snap of a twig beneath our own feet, and the low hum of unseen insects. Paths that had seemed open moments before looped back unexpectedly, confusing our sense of direction.

  We stopped for a breath, only to realize we had no clear way forward. The forest stretched endlessly in every direction, trees growing close together, their gnarled trunks forming natural walls. Mist began to drift between them, thick enough to obscure the ground, hiding the roots that threatened to trip us with every step.

  "Which way do we go?" someone muttered, their voice shaky. No one had an answer. Every turn seemed familiar and yet different, as though the forest itself were shifting, reshaping around us. The air grew heavier, damp and musty, carrying the scent of earth and decay

  I felt my pulse quicken. It wasn't just the unfamiliar terrain , it was the isolation. We were trapped, alone in the heart of the forest, with no clear path out. Every instinct screamed to keep moving, but the forest resisted, forcing hesitation with every step. Every snap of a branch, every rustle of leaves seemed amplified, echoing off the twisted trunks and thick undergrowth

  ''Wait haven't we already passed that tree?'' Vera says

  I look at Vera. ''Quick use your magic to scout around and see if Alaric is alive''

  ''I can't...''

  ''What do you mean you can't!'' Adrian responds

  Vera snaps back, ''I mean I can't use my magic, wait all of you try.''

  ''I can't''

  ''I can't either''

  ''Oh fuck, OH SHIT WHAT'S GOING ON'' Sofia, screams

  None of us can use our magic, we can't escape, we don't even know if Alaric is alive or if those monsters are still there as well

  But it's weird isn't it with the amount of those monsters that were there, why hasn't any of them followed us here. Not even one. This forest something is not right about it, the moment we came here I haven't even seen any monster or not even an animal, it's to quiet here.

  Something's wrong.