ADVENTURES OF THE CAUTIOUS MAGE

Chapter 1 Rust.... Dirt... The horrid taste of it wont leave my mouth I can't feel my right arm I can still move my left at least I can barely stand, the only thing holding me up is the fear of death. I can't die here. Not yet... 17 years ago..... "Legends says humans used to rule the world, we used to live in the surface, peace, serene landscapes, no monsters" Waldred suddenly stopped as he notice that his grandson is finally asleep, he gently brushes his dark shiny hair. "Good night Wilhelm" He quietly leaves the room, darkness slowly creeps inside the room as he slowly closed the metal door. "He's already asleep?" Asked Constance, Waldred's wife, as she finishes tidying up the kitchen. "You know he always love my stories" Waldred snicker "He's always been so fond of you and your stories" Constance smiled slightly followed by a twisted expression of sadness, sorrow suddenly wash over her. she whimpers "What's the matter?" Waldred tries to comfort her, as words struggling to come out of her, she asked. "I-isn't it to early? C-can he really start tomorrow? can he even take it?" Constance wept Waldred stayed silent, his embrace is the only thing he can offer. Riiiiiiing!... Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!... Riiiiiing!... Riii- click! Today is his 10th birthday, I'd be doing this normally on his 15th birthday so i can minimize the chances of his death. Maybe it is still to early for him. This is no time for doubts, no time to hesitation It is the best time for him to do this, now that im still here to teach and guide him, I've been preparing 2 years in advance and showed excellent results. My mind wonder as i walked into his room, there is still hesitation that's holding me back. Still I knock on his door Clang.. Clang... Clang... "Wilhelm it's time to wake up, today we start!" I called "Coming grandpa!" I can feel the excitement on his voice He opened the door enthusiastically "Im ready grandpa" He smirked "I've been preparing you for 2 years for this i know you're ready" "Yes grandpa, I can't wait to be a mage like you!" He replied happily "In due time, someday you might be able to even surpassed me. Remember that there are no shortcuts to this" "I understand grandpa" He replied "Now lets head to the training room" He is skipping in excitement, as we headed to the training room. We've arrived. The room wall is made of mixed metal (mixed metal is composed of Iron, copper and mythril making it highly durable on both physical and specially magic based attack) 8 inches thick, it can withstand spells up to the level of a 3rd grade magician, the inside is spacious enough you can run around. "Now i need you to go into the middle of the room and sit in a lotus position" "Yes grandpa" "Focus, use the breathing technique i thought you" Seeing his focus is incredible, he also already mastered the breathing technique I've thought him 7 months ago, he is excellent. ...an hour has passed The needles are ready, I've infused them with my energy. He's still keeping his focus, I can't wait to see how far he can go. "We are now going to start, I will be performing acupuncture technique to unblock your energy channels, you will experience pain like never before, this is what we've been training for for the past 2 years, endure the pain and focus, maintain your breathing technique." This acupuncture technique is use to release the potential of the human body, by opening the energy circuits inside the body allowing mana to enter the body. With this being able to perform feats beyond what humans can do. Unblocking your energy channels is like twisting all the fibers of your muscle and breaking every bone in your body. I'll be subjecting him to this torture for 2 years. 6 out of 10 children dies of this process, that is why i made sure to prepare him in advance to increase his chances of surviving. I will now start the process. First the back of the head. After inserting the first needle i can see the pain on his face, still he is keeping his focus and his breathing is stable. He can endure it. Following his energy flow, i inserted the needles one by one, everytime i hit those pressure points i can see the pain and suffering painted on his face, i can feel his pain. Focus one mistake can cost his life, not just him i need to be strong as well. The whole process took 3 hours, he kept his focus and breathing steady while enduring the pain for that long. He really is my grandson. One more hour and today's training will be over. Looking at him reminds me of my youth, even though he started earlier than normal he's taking it better than i expected. He might surpassed me one day and I'll do everything i can to support him. An hour has passed The energy has completely been absorbed, i took them out carefully, after taking out the needles, without saying any word, Wilhelm suddenly collapsed and was fast asleep, i smiled looking into his innocent face, then carry him off to his bedroom.