… Throughout the entirety of the world, mana permeates all things, both living and not. And because it permeates all, all those who live can manipulate it to their own ends…

  I flipped the page over, opening up to the section titled Basic Knowledge.

  …From birth, all living things possess a mana core. A swirling vortex of a denser variant of mana in their bodies…

  I continued reading on, actually really interested.

  Apparently, the mana and the mana core was described, it felt like a metaphysical circulatory system.

  However, even if everyone had a mana core, actually using it for magic and stuff wasn't as easy. In fact, most people couldn't consciously control their mana until they'd Awakened.

  Interesting. Wonder how that all works?

  And, there was an illustrated diagram of this mana system as well. What was more interesting, however, was that this mana system was quite similar to some old anatomy diagrams I'd seen.

  Oddly similar.

  Hell, it even had the vortex of swirling energy above the navel as well.

  What a… funny coincidence.

  Flipping the page, I continued reading.

  Apparently even if it took this Awakening to begin using magic, it wasn't something limited by bloodline or inborn talent. Everyone, by the time they're fully matured, would have Awakened.

  It seems my initial assumption was right. Magic was extremely accessible.

  I continued reading, flipping page after page. Eventually, I came upon another paragraph on Awakening.

  …Even though everyone would Awaken at some point in life, it was rare for anyone to Awaken before ten…

  Oh. That's… not good.

  The book began to slip from my hands. I caught it before it could, but a chill nonetheless ran down my spine.

  Does… that mean I'll be stuck like this… for another eight years at least?

  No. No way.

  Something like magic being determined by such a specific age limit? That made no sense. It simply couldn't be. Surely there was something here that could help me.

  I gripped the cover of the book tighter, and began flipping through page after page. I read through all of them, frustratingly finding nothing useful.

  Damn, this guy really likes rambling!

  Until finally, I found something. Something promising.

  …If one wishes to see their own mana structure, one needs only focus their minds inwards. All should be capable of doing as such, even Unawakened children. Though, if they could is another matter.…

  That… might work.

  Maybe seeing these mana veins and this mana core would let me work something out. Sure, I was a child, but I had more than enough object permanence to look inward as he called it.

  I'd just force it. It'll work.

  Probably.

  Hopefully.

  I sat up and crossed my legs best as I could, and closed my eyes. I waited for a while, slowly but maturely shutting out the outside world, until, after a few minutes, I finally saw it.

  A swirling vortex, with countless ephemeral looking lines branching off of it in every direction.

  It was beautiful, ethereal. It was something I knew.

  …What the hell?!

  I'd seen this before. Hundreds of times before, actually.

  Why the hell does this look exactly like…

  Those damn flashes!?

  My breathing sped up, unable to keep calm, beads of sweat rolled down my head. And then, like it was nothing but fragile porcelain, my focus shattered. Shattered into a little million shards.

  Just like that, I was back in the study, only this time, it felt disgusting to be in. It felt claustrophobic, tightened like a vice, the cold air locking my limbs into place. I gently laid myself down back onto the floor, the cold from the floor seeping into my back.

  Heavy exhales tore out of me, as I felt my blood rushing in my ears. The sheer shock felt like a punch to the gut.

  I forced deep inhales, trying to collect my bearings, and finally, after what felt like hours, my breathing finally calmed to a reasonable pace. I took another deep breath, and sat up.

  Now that I was feeling a bit more collected, I could think properly about what I just saw.

  My mana system, the collection of mana veins and the core, had an appearance extremely familiar to me.

  It was back in my previous life, that I'd seen this thing. I'd been undergoing my basic training, and had been told to learn from these yellowed manuals they'd brought in. Ancient, old descriptions of exercises, techniques and much more.

  Most of my class had taken a long time to get any results, but I…

  I'd done it in one day. And when I had first pulled it off, these branches of light had flashed in my eyes.

  Repeatedly, painfully, and constantly.

  This vision, the instructions, the forms, stances and techniques, all of them were burned into the deepest recesses of my mind.

  So deep, that I still remembered it as clear as a bright summer sky. More than my family, my sibling’s face, the sounds of their voice.

  More than even my own name.

  Did Earth have magic?

  It was a real possibility. Someone as unimportant as me, obviously wouldn't have been told anything.

  There was also the Outlands. Nothing had ever felt right there, and the beasts of the Outlands hadn’t looked like any animals I'd ever seen. Not even close.

  Now, If the structure here was nearly identical, then it followed that, the process too could also be identical, or at least similar enough.

  I need to test this.

  I sat back up, steadied my heart, and took a comfortable position again. This time, I wouldn't get knocked out of my concentration.

  My mind descended again, and the same mess of lines emerged in front of my gaze once more. I began to focus on them.

  Specifically, the largest one, through which the mana of my core flowed into my head, and outwards into the rest of my upper body.

  This, if my memory could be trusted, was something called the Central Vessel, in the manuals I'd read. I extended my metaphorical hands towards it, attempting to grip it.

  The lines and instructions I'd read floated into my head, each just as vivid in my head as the day I'd read them.

  …To govern inner energy, one must first command their vessels. Among them, the Central Vessel stands foremost. It is the first gate and the greatest trial…

  Just as I managed to halt its flow for a few seconds, my grip slipped and was then, immediately, tossed aside by the rapids. My eyes snapped open, and a minor ache pulsated behind my eyes.

  …Tsk. What a pain.

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  Another tangle of text drifted in to explain, as if frustrated by my obstinate fumbling.

  …A river is not conquered by strength, nor halted by obstinacy…

  Right, patience. I had patience. Waiting around for things to happen was something I was very experienced with.

  Just gotta keep at it, slowly and steadily. And eventually, I'd get it.

  I took a breath. A deep, deep breath, filling my lungs with the cool winter air.

  I schooled my expression and started again.

  …

  However, my life didn't remain uneventful for long after that either, funnily enough.

  It was quite late at night, even beyond midnight. Though, for some reason, the night wasn't very dark at all. The moon was pretty bright tonight so I had no trouble seeing even without any proper lighting.

  Right now, I was currently pretending to be asleep, while repeatedly doing the same exercises on my central vessel. I spent nearly all my free time on this, which was mostly the entirety of the time I was awake.

  Also, just like I'd thought, the experience from my past life translated into this as well. Except for a few minor differences here and there, everything was going well enough.

  In fact, it'd been going so well, that I was up to a whole five minutes—

  Whirrr!

  A massive amount of air was being sucked away from here, to the point I began feeling a bit light-headed.

  Huh? What's going on?

  R-R-RIP!

  Right after, the window shutters were torn off their hinges, as an extremely loud noise rattled the entire house itself.

  Aaron and Elise, who'd already woken up from the lack of air, shot up from bed. Taking the lantern from the wall, they ran out, worried frowns on their faces.

  It was at times like these I could tell these two had a background in combat. Most people wouldn't be so quick to act.

  However, just as I’d stood up, ready to crawl out and put myself in a defensive position, the two of them came back, faces lit up like they'd won the gamble of their lives.

  Oh? Was it nothing? What was that loud noise then?

  As soon as they'd sat down, Aaron began practically vibrating in excitement. Elise too, was grinning from ear to ear.

  “So, uh, she's Awakened! At only eight too,” started Aaron, an awkwardly happy smile on his face, as if he didn’t know what to feel. “Elise, our daughter's a prodigy!”

  She's Awakened? Already? Heh, I knew that book was full of it.

  Good for you, Ariane.

  Though, I would've expected Aaron to be super excited. Not to say he's not right now, just… not as much I'd expected from him.

  I mean, he'd always talk about how he's so ready to teach his kids and argue with Elise about how they'd definitely follow in his footsteps and not hers.

  “I know Aaron,” said Elise, a smile still on her face, one that felt a bit too tiny for the situation. “I saw her too.”

  What's up with that? Shouldn't this be a happy occasion? Don't tell me early Awakeners are persecuted or something?

  No, that can’t be. They wouldn't have been excited at all if that were the case.

  Maybe it's expensive to train someone in magic? Is it something like Ariane's going to be put under surveillance, since she's a special case and all.

  …Very interesting.

  “We should start training her,” said Elise. “As soon as time allows.”

  “Yeah! You're right dear! I'll go to Cromer tomorrow and get some magic books from the guild. Oh, I’m so excited! I hope she'll be a warrior like me!”

  That felt a bit more in character. Wonder what all that was about then?

  “As if! Obviously, she'll be a caster like me!”

  And here they go again. Are all parents in this world like this?

  Principles of Magic was so definitely full of it. The author didn't know anything at all.

  Their back-and-forth continued for what felt like eons. I soon tuned them out entirely, until I heard Elise's snoring.

  Finally. Seriously, how do you two keep talking for that long?

  I tried to get back to training again. Unfortunately, I was way too tired to even focus on my own hands, let alone to train. Seeing as it was a lost cause, I decided to go to sleep early today.

  No need to ruin my health with a trash sleep schedule again. And really, I actually felt pretty happy and content with the day. Sure, it hadn't been my doing, but I still got to confirm that what I was doing wasn't utterly useless.

  That gave me a real spring in my step.

  …

  After that night, I threw myself into my training even harder than before. I spent all my free time meditating and trying my hardest to grasp the Central Vessel.

  I was making good progress, that I knew. Which was a real relief. It always felt nice to get an equivalent sum for effort put in.

  The five minutes I'd been capable of the night of Ariane's awakening became ten minutes, then thirty, then an hour. And right now, I was very unfortunately unable to keep at it, courtesy of being carried through the village.

  It was Elise who was carrying me, as she'd taken me out along with her. I tried my best to not squirm, though a bit did leak out. Hopefully, she'd just think it was nerves and not be suspicious.

  Grace was busy cleaning, and Aaron had left for Cromer, so Elise had decided to take me along. It was most likely to get me acquainted with the village.

  I didn't like the interruption, since it was taking away from my training time. Even if I had been planning on getting out of the house sometime, it wasn't now.

  Well, I guess it's better to get it over with soon. It wasn't like finding out more about the place I was going to live in for the foreseeable future would cause me any harm.

  Now, of course, I hadn't expected anything in particular. Other than a vague expectation of not being a complete backwater, I honestly didn't want nor care for much else.

  Taking all of that into consideration…

  Isn't this still a bit much?

  There were rows and rows of sturdy, well-built wooden houses. Even as they varied in design, nearly all of them looked polished. Most had solid roofs over their heads, which could definitely keep out rain. Some were wooden, some thatched, but all of them were still of good quality.

  The path Elise was on was just as high-quality, both wide and smooth. There were a lot of people around and all of them had enough space to be walking comfortably.

  Hell, there was even enough space for more than a couple carts as well. And those were interesting as well. They were being pulled by a mix of animals, though they mostly looked like cows and large goats. Many of them were carrying in bundles of crops, most grains from the look of it.

  Lots of them. Like, an unexpectedly large amount of crops were being harvested. It was the warmer months now, but this was still a lot, wasn't it?

  Guess that's why Avon's called the Grainmill Continent, huh.

  Of course, it wasn't limited to just the architecture and agriculture that was shocking. The people were too. Specifically, their appearances.

  They looked like humans, but I already knew that. No, what was surprising was that they looked… very healthy.

  Clear skin, solid frames, proper strides. No one here looked like they had to worry about food, or money.

  None of the starved and diseased peasants Earth's history books had painted an image of.

  Hell, most of them looked better than the average citizen in my past life.

  Now, I wasn't a historian by anyone's standards. But, this definitely wasn't the state of people then. No way the average villager on medieval earth lived like this.

  Of course, it could also be that this place was an outlier, but I had a hard time believing that one village could outpace the others this heavily.

  It's probably because of magic, right?

  According to that book, Principles of Magic, mana was what defined vitality. So, naturally, it follows that having it run around your body would make you healthier, right?

  That makes sense. I'll still keep an eye out to see if it’s true though.

  Just outright assuming something to be true and not confirming it isn't going to do me any favours.

  Speaking of keeping an eye out, I still was doing that. We'd made it into the central area of the village by now, which I could tell just from the houses. They'd gotten a lot more upscale. Some even had cobblestone bases, something even we didn't have.

  And of course, as if dictated by some universal clause, the biggest and fanciest house was the tail end of the village, up on a hill.

  Two stories tall, and about twice as wide. A large and hefty gate, with fencing to match. I could even see a few trees poking out above the said fence as well.

  Tall fencing, larger than most people. Made of large logs, could definitely take punishment.

  Though it didn't seem built to be a fort, it was far more defensible than most of the houses here, including ours.

  Must be someone important living there. Probably the village chief’s.

  I wonder what Aaron and Elise's positions are here? Could they be guards or something?

  Elise walked for a while, and I'd almost forgotten that I was being carried with how absorbed I'd been into the surroundings.

  I was then interrupted by voices.

  Lots of voices.

  All of whom were yelling and shouting out.

  “Horned-rabbit! Come and get it! Not a day old!”

  “Bread! Bread! A dozen loaves! Freshly baked! ”

  “Candied rupolos! Sweet as a spring breeze! From Cromer!”

  Well, looks like we’d finally reached the market. Lots of people here, huh? I'd counted at least a few dozen.

  Must be a busy week.

  Wonder what a rupolo is? Since a candied version of it's being sold, it should be some kind of fruit?

  Also, candied huh? Wow. Even if it's from wherever Cromer is, still impressive that sweets are that common.

  Must also be something caused by magic. Since everyone could use magic, maybe sugar could be refined more easily?

  Elise continued walking past, mostly ignoring most of these shops. Seems like she wasn't here for them.

  Eventually, after a bit longer, Elise finally stopped in front of a large shop. Like an actual store and not a stall, one with four walls and a roof.

  She walked in, being welcomed with the ringing of a bell above the door, and immediately called out for someone I assumed was the owner.

  “Ms. Farla! I've come back on your doorstep once more! I hope you have what I'd requested of you!”

  Ah, I see. Seems like Elise had something brought in. Wonder what it is?

  “Oh pipe down! This day's already been annoying enough! Don't torture my poor old ears any more!”

  A hoarse, aged voice rang back, and along with it, came out an equally aged woman from the back room. Hair fully greyed, tied back in a harsh knot, and with a pair of round silver-rim glasses perched on her nose. Alongside that, she wore a deep purple robe as well.

  Oh, it's her!

  I know this woman. She was the one I'd seen right on the day I'd been reincarnated. Seeing as she was one of the first people I'd seen, her appearance had stuck.

  “Haha. Still so irascible, Ms. Farla. Regardless of that, I’m here for what I’ve ordered from you.”

  “Yes, yes. That old thing. Come in and sit. I'll bring it out.”

  Elise hummed appreciatively, and dragged out a chair to sit on, placing me down on the counter.

  Seeing as there was nothing better to do, I decided to ask Elise some questions, first of which being what exactly it is she'd ordered in.

  “Mama, what going on?” I said, looking at her with a curious expression.

  “Oh, it's just something for your sister dear. She just Awakened, you know? So, me and your dad had some things brought in to help her.”

  Something to help her, huh? Interesting. Very interesting.

  “Reeeally? What?”

  “Well, it's a few things, really. Bluebreeze wood, a Galesteel dagger, a small chunk of crystallised mana, an Icegloam Rose. ”

  “Wooow!”

  Feels kinda embarrassing doing this. Hope I'm not coming off too hard with this.

  But still, those all sound like magical stuff. To think there's a dedicated shop for that in a village. Do all villages have something like this, or is it something unique to Brockley?

  Must be for Ariane's training, then? Does Ariane have a wind-affinity or something?

  “Mama, what those do?”

  “Well Cae, they're all magical conduits. So—”

  “Here, you damn brat! Now give me my payment and buzz off! I have my plants to get back to.”

  Ms. Farla had reappeared out of the backroom at some point, and placed a large crate on the table. Remarkably gently, probably because of the delicate and expensive materials inside.

  Elise clicked it open, and brought out several things. There was a small blade made of a greenish metal with streaks of wispy green throughout, a light blue log that emanated a subtle breeze and lastly, a chunk of a stark white crystal that looked oddly… watery.

  No rose though.

  “Hmm? Ms. Farla, where's the Icegloam Rose? I thought I had told you about it?”

  Ms. Farla scowled heavily, the lines on her face scrunching up intimidatingly. Old folk really did have a different presence to them everywhere, didn't they.

  “Bah! Couldn't get my hands on it. Trust me, I tried, but no one has any.”

  Elise frowned as well, a questioning look on her face.

  “Have exports completely shut down by now? Something like an Icegloam Rose shouldn't be too difficult?”

  Hmm? Exports? Shut down? What's she talking about?

  “Seems like it. There's been less and less Svyatozimen merchants coming out as well. Wasn't even one of them in Cromer.”

  Wow, exports have stopped. Wonder what brought this on. Last I had read, Svyatozima and Alfrein weren't at each other's throats. Guess that's not true anymore.

  Is this the start of some trade war or something?

  “Damn blizzard, ruining my business.” grumbled Ms, Farla, before shaking her head and looking back at us.

  Or maybe not. A blizzard's causing all this? There must be some extreme weather to be completely cutting off exports. Sure hope it’s only magical stuff and not important things like foodstuff.

  “So, I won't be charging you for that. Don't worry about it.”

  Elise nodded, and gently placed one coin on the counter. One of a light metal, most likely a silver coin. Though I didn't know exactly how much it was worth, it was probably a lot.

  “That's just fine by me, though I didn't expect you to do so. Hopefully, this blizzard calms down soon. It's already been one year, I do need that rose.”

  “I'll keep an eye out. Now shoo! I have things to do.”

  “Yes, yes. That's fine. I'll be eagerly waiting.”

  I wonder what the flower's for though.

  Elise then picked me and the crate up again, one in each hand, and nodded at Ms. Farla. With a muted goodbye, we left.

  It wasn't a whole lot of time, but I still did learn a lot from this little adventure.

  Like how apparently I should toss out anything I know about medieval era Earth.

  Sure hope that blizzard is just a blizzard though, and not some kind of abnormal magic weather thing. And if it is, I sure hope it's not happening anywhere near me.

  “Come on, Cae, we're going back home. It's time for your afternoon nap.”

  Yeah, sure. Just don't stay around me. I have training to do, and I don't want nor need you seeing it.

  “Okay!”

  …

  You know, I didn't quite have many expectations about what magic could be like here. How could I, when the only reference point I had was from novels and fictional stories.

  Even with that, wasn't this…

  WOOOSH!

  CRACK!

  Ariane's palm shot out, covered in whirling wind, and slammed into the target Aaron had set up. It blasted apart, pieces shooting out, though, thankfully, none of them flew far enough to hit me where I was sitting.

  A bit much!?

  Has it really only been… half a year since she began training? Is this normal for a trainee mage?

  A large, proud grin lit up Aaron's face.

  “That's my girl!” he said, rubbing her head vigorously.

  “Ah, papa! Stop that! You're messing up my hair!”

  Though she said as much, she was smiling just as widely. She briefly looked at me, a proud look in her eyes. I smiled back, the image of an impressed little brother in awe of his sister.

  As if realising that he'd let his stern father act drop, he quickly schooled his features.

  “Oh, sorry. Ahem, anyways. Now, let's continue.”

  As he said that, he brought out a small chunk of white crystal, the same that Elise had bought from Ms. Farla half a year ago.

  “So, Ari, I want you to keep pushing your mana into this crystal, until you can't anymore. Can you do that for me dear?”

  “Yeah! I can!”

  She then took the crystal into her hand and sat down with her eyes closed and legs crossed. Within a few seconds, the crystal started to glow a bright light-green. This continued for the next five or so minutes, after which Ariane dropped it from her hand and laid down, breathing heavily.

  Oh, wow. She lasted five minutes this time. That's a marked improvement.

  Though I didn't know what exactly this was for, I'm sure they wouldn't be doing it for no reason. That crystal couldn't have been cheap. Who knew, maybe it was what gave her so much firepower.

  And, I knew for a fact she was actually worse at hand-to-hand than casting spells. With Elise, I saw her tearing chunks off of trees with balls of winds.

  If an eight year old girl could do this much, then I shudder to think what an actual warrior could do in this world.

  Yeah, I definitely have to Awaken as soon as possible. I'm not going to stay a fragile child, just waiting around for something to come and wreck me.