Chapter 49: Rise

Don't forget those power stones!

*

Once my Mana Core finished forming after hearing that thunderous boom inside my mind, another flurry of notifications sounded off. I took the time to read through them.

[Ding! Your Mana Core has successfully been formed!]

[Ding! Passive Skill, Endurance has risen in level. Lv1->Lv3]

[Ding! Due to Player Naoto possessing the Auslese Bloodline, Water Affinity has been granted. Player Naoto can now use Water Magic.]

[Ding! Due to Player Naoto possessing the Arnor Bloodline, Fire Affinity has been granted. Player Naoto can now use Fire Magic.]

[Ding! True Dhampir Job Class has been detected. Due to Player Naoto possessing Water Magic, subset Magic Blood Magic has been unlocked.]

[Ding! Due to Blood Magic's Level being insufficient, Player Naoto cannot use Blood Magic while Noble Job is equipped. It is currently locked to the True Dhampir Job. Further rise in level may allow Player Naoto to use it while having another Job equipped.]

[Ding! Auslese Bloodline has been detected. Due to Player Naoto possessing Water Magic, subset Magic Ice Magic has been unlocked.]

[Ding! Main Quest, Learn Magic quest log has been updated for Player Naoto completing their Mana Core.]

.

.

.

Holy shit. Those were the first two words that came to mind the moment I finished reading these notifications, after staying quiet for a moment. Having special bloodlines really does make a difference, doesn't it?

I guess the cat is out of the bag too, even though I was doubtful even after Roselia explaining the circumstances to me....

My Phoenix family was active during the War of the Lions around two hundred and fifty years ago, only to end up vanishing without a trace. And yet they didn't perish, only to find their bloodline continuing onto the Auslese royal family. But from these notifications, it was easy to conclude that the Phoenix family did have ties to the Arnor family, sharing the same blood with them...

Two conflicting bloodlines, and yet the Gamer System found a way to harmonize it. Either way, that in itself makes me a bastard among the bastard sons, doesn't it?

Water Magic, Fire Magic, and subsequently, Ice Magic...

Seeing these unlocked, excitement appeared in my eyes. Not only that, there was an additional piece of information I wasn't expecting at all, learning Blood Magic. It does make sense for it to come with the Dhampir Job I unlocked earlier, and for now, it seems restricted to only that job. Roselia is right up that alley too, for being the last vampire. No doubt she'll know how to train Blood Magic, so I should definitely consult her on that at a later time, which I can do during the next couple of years.

For right now, I decided to open my eyes again, and to my surprise, I saw a rather pretty mana aura swirling around me. Every few seconds, it would change from a crimson red to an azure blue, very similar to a neon light. And yet, it didn't feel oppressive, I felt rather calm seeing this.

"Looks like it was a success. Congratulations.", Aurelia responded happily seeing my new aura.

"Umu. My incantation is done and your back now has my two insignias on it. So do us a favor will you?", Roselia said, only to reach for the bed to quickly toss my robe at me. This caused to halt for a moment but I let out a laugh.

"Haha, of course.", I responded with a chuckle as my robe now covered me. As I did, I took this time to retract my mana back into my body. After that, I took a moment to put my clothes back on, ending this session. I then jumped out of the bed, walking toward Aurelia and Prince Olivert where they were seated at further away.

"Did you enjoy the view, Your Highness? Magic is something else, isn't it?", I decided to ask Prince Olivert.

"It truly is. Seeing the elements of nature behave this way is quite different from our orbment devices. It is truly lamentable I couldn't be a part of learning the way.", Prince Olivert responded back to me, letting out a chuckle of his own.

"Hehe, you like like you've obtained the luckier end of the stick as well, Naoto. Care for a little demonstration of your two elements like I showed mine?", Aurelia asked, intrigued.

"You expect me to cast my mana as instantly as you did just now?", I couldn't help but retort her.

"What, you dealt with the process. Are you saying your talent is less than mine?", Aurelia responded, retorting back at me.

'Does Aurelia not know how much of a monster she is yet?', I wondered to myself, 'Or is she just taking me for a spin here?', I continued to wonder.

I shook off that thought and responded to her.

"Heh, I don't see why I can't. Let's see if I can bring out this mana again.", I said, answering Aurelia. I calmed myself down, letting my breathing take over in the same pattern Roselia taught me. A sense of warmth started to spread around, letting my mana wander freely. I soon directed it to one of my hands, letting a palm go face up.

Before long, a ball of water formed in my hand, causing Aurelia and Prince Olivert to look at it.

"So it is the element of water.", Prince Olivert said, amused seeing this water ball float in my hand.

However, this only lasted for a brief moment. All of a sudden our thoughts were interrupted by a huge burst of mana that spewed forth from all around us, which seemed to resonate with mine. Or perhaps it was better to say this giant burst of mana came from beneath us?

At the same time, time seem to have come to a halt. My vision changed, becoming void of color. Flashes of white and black came forth, and it seemed to shatter like a mirror. Very similar to how Rean reacted when he reached the Old Schoolhouse for the first time.

After my vision returned to normal, I felt my mana start to spike inside me, causing out to let out a low groan.

"Urgh...", I said with a groan. As I did, the water ball over my palm quickly destabilized, and splashed onto the ground through my hand. My mana continued to roar, causing me to collapse onto one of my knees.

"Hey! I was only joking earlier. Are you alright?", Aurelia suddenly stood up, approaching my side.

"It is only natural. Naoto is a lot younger--?", Prince Olivert also tried to say, only to get distracted by the deep blue aura I began to release from my body. Prince Olivert also stood up, trying to approach my side. Once the two were nearby, they actually saw my eyes go dim, only to cause further distress.

Aurelia got mad, only to look at Roselia who was watching this happen from the side.

"Is this supposed to happen? Is Naoto experiencing a backlash or something?", Aurelia tried to ask. However the two were interrupted by the sound of the voice, but this voice didn't sound like mine. It sounded a lot more mechanical.

[Awakener's Mana Signature detected. Beginning synchronization.], I said mechanically, causing Aurelia and Prince Olivert to blink their eyes.

"This...", Prince Olivert said, surprised. However, they heard Roselia click her tongue seeing me respond by like this.

"Tch. I had a feeling this would happen. So troublesome.", Roselia said, letting out a complaint.

"How what would happen?", Aurelia tried to ask. But this time, the three were distracted by something else.

Ding...dong...ding...dong...

All of a sudden, the sounds of an ancient bell began to resound throughout the Palace. It wasn't just them who heard it either. The maids and the residents of Valflame Palace also became distracted by the sound of this ancient bell beginning to toll. It was as if it was resonating all around the Palace.

Meanwhile, within the main dining room, a couple figures could still be seen, mostly being the new 87th Emperor of Erebonia, Emperor Eugent, and my father Giliath Osborne. His new queen, Empress Priscilla could also be seen with them, chatting away, only to get distracted by this loud noise.

"A tolling of a bell? What in blazes is going on here?", Emperor Eugent asked.

"This toll sounds familiar, don't you think, Your Majesty?", Giliath said, revealing a smile.

"Is everything okay--?", Empress Priscilla tried to ask, only to yet out a yell shortly after. "Ahhhhh!", Empress Priscilla suddenly yelled, only to feel a large quake start shaking the Palace. She quickly was able to stabilize herself.

"Something must be happening to the Palace. But who...?", Emperor Eugent began to wonder, only to have Giliath answer him.

"So it was him after all. Your Majesty, why don't we go take a look outside of the Palace?", Giliath asked him.

"You know something, don't you, Giliath? This happenstance has a very familiar feeling to it...", Emperor Eugent continued to say, but stood up as the Palace continued to quake.

As the three began to wander toward one of the windows on the left, their eyes turned wide, only to see space start distorted before Emperor Dreichel's statue in Dreichel's Plaza.

Meanwhile, back in our room where the four of us were, we were distracted by the large quaking of the Palace. But that didn't stop the mechanical voice from escaping from my mouth.

[Synchronization complete. Initiating starting trial to unlock the proving grounds. Good luck, my future Awakener.], the familiar mechanical voice said. At the same time, my eyes regained clarity.

*

This chapter made the mc only gain the affinity for those Magic, he still has to learn and train in them to use spells in their respective element.