Implantation and Execution

The concept for the Vernal Equinox was fairly simple.

A fusion of both Rail guns with a matching frame of a Desert Eagle but works like a stored-energy cannon that can obliterate anything in one shot. It may not be comprehensible for now but the idea should be obvious.

Also, since this is a deadly weapon, I have decided to store it away for now and developed a new one that has a low power rate so that we can test it in the training yard without risk. What's important is to know if the bullets that are infused with Astral Energy will work as a catalyst to increase its firepower.

This is the reason why I told Lynn that our session would be tiring for her.

Her job is to imbue Astral Energy into the bullets that I have created. This technically means that she will conjure Astral Magic and transfer the effect to the object numerous times without stopping. It requires concentration to maneuver energy to a new vessel so if she does that for an hour, she will definitely run out of Astral Energy quickly and will get tired.

However...

"What do you mean, Big Brother? I don't feel tired at all..." Lynn said.

"W-What? Are you sure you're not pushing yourself? You've been casting Astral Magic for two hours now..." I was worried that she would collapse but her body was still stable. I have her vitals monitored toward the second booth but I don't see any issues.

"You worry too much, you know that? I'm really fine. Let's just get this over with!" She pumped her fist and started generating more Astral Energy.

(How can she have so much Astral Energy?)

It was a question I've been asking myself for quite a while now. I turned back to the question that Papa asked when I was eight years old about the possibility of humans being able to adapt and increase their Astral Energy pool as they grow up. Although it was possible, I still don't know how to process or record any data since it has many loopholes.

Lynn is a possible test subject but I don't want my sister to get hurt so I didn't bother asking her. If the theory is that a person's Astral Energy grows proportionally to their age or evolution, then that means Lynn's magic will continue to grow and get stronger in the near future.

This is already evident as she doesn't even feel anything despite conjuring too much Astral Energy for the last two hours. I've heard from Papa that he can't even use Astral Magic for thirty minutes when he was in the same age as Lynn and he barely uses any magic.

(Perhaps my little sister is also special?) I thought.

If I'm a genius prodigy then my sister is probably the youngest Astral Mage that is powerful enough to obliterate enemies.

By the way, I now know what elemental properties Lynn has thanks to the everyday monitor.

Apparently, she specializes in Light Astral Magic. I thought she would have a different affinity but when I recorded her training, her energy always started at a high heat value, unlike any other elements. As for the elements, she can still use them but her main offensive attacks are mostly stored through her Light Magic.

When we confirmed this to Mama, she said that Light Astral Magic is rare and that she is proud to have such a daughter who can wield one of the rarest elemental properties.

It makes me think that there might be other rare elemental properties out there that we haven't recorded yet. Perhaps there's also Dark Astral Magic or Wood Astral Magic.

Still, it is incredible that my little sister possesses a rare one.

I smiled and sat down beside her. I observed how willing and determined she is to help me with this stuff. I still couldn't grasp how many people were there working their hardest to support me including Mama, Papa, and Lynn. It's honestly really fulfilling. I couldn't ask for more.

It just feels nice that your family is supporting you in your career and wants and you do the same for them. It feels nice that they value you based on your talent and not based on how much you can earn or how will you take responsibility once you're old enough.

It feels nice that, despite any problem we've had, there has never been a forceful and sudden demand from me.

I'm truly blessed and I'm really grateful.

That's why I'm going to treasure them.

This weapon shouldn't be only used for my self-defense, it should be used to protect my family as well. Mama, Papa, Lynn, Layla, Millie, Sara, and everyone else in this household. I will also vow to protect my loved ones and my upcoming friends that I will meet in the future. I will never let them get hurt. Never.

"I'm done, Big Brother!" With the last bullet done, Lynn heaved a sigh of relief and gently leaned on my left shoulder. I embraced her with my left arm and stroke her head.

"Good work, Lynn," I said with a smile.

"Mhmm, can I stick with you like this for a while, Big Brother?" She asked with a soft voice, feeling tired.

"Of course. Go take a nap, I won't leave until you wake up..."

"Mhmm..." I continued caressing Lynn's head until she fall asleep. I'm guessing that the after-effects of the constant imbuing finally kicked in.

Since I have everything I need, I'm gonna stop our session here and let Lynn rest until I need her help again. I can't lock my little sister here every day trying to help me with my stuff. She needs to focus on her education and training as well.

***

Today is execution day.

I've called both Papa and Mama outside the yard so that they can take a look and record the details that will occur in the next moment. I don't want to shock them with my invention so I called the trio as well to provide support for my testing.

"My beloved son, since when did you learn how to craft a handgun?" Papa seems to be confused and feeling dizzy as he placed his hand on his head. It looks like he's more shocked than the rest.

"This is our son we're talking about, how come you still get shocked at everything he does, my Love? Haha!" Mama chuckled as she asked.

In truth, Mama already knows what we were up to when Lynn and I consulted her for the Light Astral Magic question. She was shocked at first when she heard that I'm building a dangerous weapon but when I told her the purpose, she let it go and beg me to be careful not to wield it around or use it for stupid things to which I responded with a respectful yes.

It's not like I'm going to play with this thing. It's just for protecting me and my family so I don't really have that much opportunity to fire it unless it is an emergency.

"Sir Aiden, is this perhaps the reason why you asked us to buy a pellet gun for you?" Layla asked.

"That's correct, Miss Layla. The Desert Eagle pellet gun that you have bought for me is a reference so that I can replicate the exact size of the frame and other parts of the pistol. Since there are no complete details on the internet, I used the pellet gun as base or foundation then made my own from scratch." I answered.

"I helped him with that!" Lynn raised her hand and brag it to everyone. For some reason she's confident.

"E-Eh? You too, my dear?" Papa turned to Lynn. His expression screams nothing but worry.

"Yes, Papa! I helped Big Brother with everything." She confirmed it.

"As expected of Sir Aiden!"

"He really is incredible!"

"I wonder if he'll call for our help as well?" The trio made some remarks but I didn't hear them.

"Ehem! Anyway, I'm now going to conduct an experiment to know if the stored Astral Magic can be used as a temporary battery or catalyst to circumvent my inability to use conjure them. For this testing, I'm going to be using a low-rate prototype pistol and a charged rubber bullet." I showed them the pistol and the magazine.

Everyone's eyes widened when they saw the compartment. Mama wrote the process in the notebook and gave me the 'okay' signal to start the test.

The process for the experiment is simple:

First off, I'm going to be using the prototype pistol which I named EX-01, and a magazine full of rubber bullets to test the firepower. The rubber bullets are also imbued with Astral Energy thanks to Lynn, that's why it is called Charged rubber bullets.

It works the same as how we developed the rail-gun mechanic on Vernal Equinox. All I have to do is load the magazine inside the gun and fired it normally.

If in case you're wondering, I kinda do have an experience with shooting... kinda. I've played with the pellet gun for a few months and improved my accuracy. I also studied a few tricks from the internet and replicated how professional shooters do their work.

I practiced shooting cups from the yard so I can't really say that I'm new to the experience. I just have to do it again but this time the gun is different.

"Miss Layla, can you please bring the target dummy to the center?" I asked.

Layla nodded and with the help of Millie and Sara, they brought the wooden dummy to the middle of the field. The wooden dummy was actually crafted by Papa and he often uses it for martial arts practices but I'm going to be using it for a test. Hopefully, it doesn't break.

"Is this okay, Sir Aiden?" Layla asked.

"Yes, thank you so much, ladies." I nodded and gave them a thumbs-up. After setting the dummy, they immediately went out of the perimeter and joined Mama and Papa on the side.

"Are you sure this is safe, my Love?" Papa asked.

"It should be fine, you worry too much. Right, Lynn?" Mama holds Lynn's hand.

"Believe in Big Brother, Papa! He can do this" She replied.

I heaved a sigh and started loading EX-01. The magazine can only hold off seven bullets so I need to make sure I don't waste any shots, otherwise, it will just ruin the testing.

After that, I walked on the opposite side of the field just a few meters away from the dummy. I'm confident with my accuracy so it is not really a problem if I'm far away from the dummy at all. My only worry is that the recoil might send me back. I have a small body because I'm still a child so it's inevitable if I suddenly flew back.

I turned to Mama and Papa and they nodded at me. I smiled and then raised my arm gently.

In order to get a good shot, I must follow some basic tips that I learned back then.

First off, I need to keep my grip high and tight. They say that how you hold the handgun is key to controlling recoil and can even slightly make up for a sloppy trigger pull. Although the grip is important, it is also one of the things that shooters tend to get wrong.

When holding a handgun, the grip should be high and tight. This means that there should be no spaces between the flesh and the gun when we grip it. When we have these little spaces, it means that there is adequate room for the gun to move when it recoils.

The web of your hand should go as high as possible without interfering with the slide, and your non-dominant hand should come forward to fill the empty space on the grip panel.

Another step to follow is to get my stance right. A proper shooting stance will set me up for success in other areas such as sight alignment, trigger control, and recoil management.

Anyway, now that I've followed the important parts, it was finally time to see how powerful this thing is...

"Astral Energy weapon: Test number one!" As soon as I heard Mama's signal, I pulled the trigger and...

Boom!

The wooden dummy that was supposed to be standing in the middle of the field was... gone. No—it was obliterated.

"...What?"

"What just happened?"

Everyone was flabbergasted. They couldn't even say any words other than why.

When I looked at the ground, all parts of the wooden dummy were laying on it. Every bit was cracked and destroyed. It's like it was crushed by a mowing truck and you can't recognize the form.

"This is..." It was just a rubber bullet with charged Astral Energy. "There's no way that actually works right? I mean it's too powerful..."

To be honest, I was not expecting it to be so powerful. I didn't even feel any recoil from the shot and it wasn't loud at all. It's like a pure white light just shattered what's in front of me.

"Aiden..." Mama walked over to me and inspected the gun. "Were you expecting it to be so powerful?" She asked.

"No, not at all. EX-01 doesn't have the same mechanic as Vernal Equinox. And the rubber bullets shouldn't have that much firepower even with Lynn's Astral Energy... I'm not sure what just happened—"

Suddenly, when I turned to my hand, I saw it.

A culmination of energy. A plethora of dissected bits of white light, traveled through my nerves as if they are part of my body.

It was right on my dominant hand and it wasn't subtle at all. It was activated before I knew it.

My very own—Astral Art.