18 Sensing Mana

"Well, I am back."

"How did the awakening go, Aur?" Adam said with a smile on his face. He could tell since Aur came last with many friends; he could already guess the awakening results. After all, he had experienced it himself.

"I took twenty-five steps."

A smile appeared on both Adam and Evelyn's faces when they heard this as they smiled gleefully.

"I am proud of you," Evelyn touched Aur's shoulder.

"However, don't push yourself too hard, got it?"

"Got it, Mom," Aur said with a defeated expression. "Well, living with this family has been a wonderful ride for now."

Ahhh!

Suddenly, he heard a scream which made Aur frown as he looked through the crowd.

Gertrude lay emotionless on the ground with his neck slit open, blood gushing out like a dam.

The crowd gathered around him, and most people had disdain on their faces as they saw the dead Gertrude, with murmurs but no one went to help him.

"Who do you think could have killed him?"

"Who knows, I don't care."

"But he is the grandson of the second elder…"

"Since he has not reacted yet, that means he doesn't care."

"In all possibility, he might have…"

"Shh, some things are better left unsaid."

Aur's ears twitched as he heard this; however, he looked at the lifeless corpse of Gertrude with an expressionless face.

"This world is more cruel than I thought," he thought as Aur suddenly felt that all the people in the crowd had black faces with a strange smile on them.

It wasn't entirely their fault that they were made like this, it was simply because of the environment one lived in that reflected one's manner.

Aur felt lonely in this world.

"Aur, wake up."

Suddenly, a gentle voice woke him up, and he looked up to see Evelyn with a concerned gaze at him.

"What happened to you?" She quickly embraced Aur with some tears in her eyes.

"Nothing, Mom, I was just thinking."

Evelyn looked at her son deeply before she sighed.

"Let's return back home."

"Alright," Aur nodded his head.

"Remember, if you have a problem, Aur, I will always be there for you."

Aur nodded his head with a smile on his face. "At least I have a family now." A smile graced his face as his mood had considerably improved.

He looked at Adam, Ava, and Evelyn.

….

In the medium-sized house, inside a tiny but neat and simple room, Aur was slowly meditating with his eyes closed. His breathing was rhythmic as he slowly exhaled and inhaled air, reaching a state of inner peace and harmony.

Before long, Aur felt a strange energy permeating the space around him, present everywhere in an endless amount. A smile graced Aur's lips as he slowly opened his eyes with a satisfied expression.

"I finally have sensed mana…" His eyes lit up with excitement.

Aur quickly took the book from the table and looked at it. On the very first cover of the book, there was a name: "Hundred Ways to Sense Mana."

As the name suggested, it was a technique to sense mana, and there were countless ways to do so. It didn't make a difference as long as you had a mental space, and it was relatively easy to sense mana. That wasn't the main problem. 

Aur needed his first vital spell to help him draw the mana to his mental space and fill it to actually use the power of the spell.

Only then could he be officially called a mage apprentice and truly achieve things that could defy nature and any common sense a mortal poses.

"I will have to wait for one more month before I can enter the academy," Aur had been continuously trying to sense mana for a month straight, and he finally achieved this in a month, which was considered relatively ordinary.

"Aur, you have a friend coming." Suddenly, his mother's voice came from outside, filled with excitement.

Aur frowned when he heard this; however, he still said, "Coming, Mom."

"I don't have many friends. Who could it be?" he muttered as he looked around and summoned his system with a thought.

A blue panel flickered in Aur's vision before materialising before him.

–––––

[Muscle System]

[Name: Aur Cromwell/ Auriel

Talent: Future Seer (use: 1)

-Muscle: 0.90 (+)

-Blood and Qi: 0.77 (+)

-Intelligence: 1

Stat Points: 35

Quest: Daily (completed)]

–––––

Seeing his status, a frown marred his face as his eyes narrowed.

The only thing that has changed after Aur sensed mana was that besides his future seer, there was a small icon with the (use: 1), except that nothing else has changed besides it.

Even in his attributes, there were no stats for mana, as if it didn't register in his system.

"Why did this happen?" Aur thought, but he shrugged himself, "I guess we will find out in the future."

He was never a genius at smart stuff; as such, all he had was twenty years of experience in his previous world. Combined with this world, it would be about twenty-eight years of life experience.

So all Aur knew was to train and get himself stronger while understanding the ways of the world and how it worked due to the hardship he faced in his previous world.

"I will be late; I should go now." Although Aur was tempted to use the future seer and see what it would bring, he would have to keep his friend waiting if he did that, so he could only go outside his room and see who it is.

As Aur came outside, he saw the sun, which had barely risen, giving a dim light to the world.

"It looks like it is morning now…" he looked at the clock.

"Seven o'clock."

"Aur, where are you?"

"Coming, Mom."

Aur hurriedly walked outside the house and saw a luxurious carriage parked at the side while a petite red haired girl around the age of Aur was chatting with his mother Evelyn happily.