Rise of the Arcane Heir

Inheritance (3)

Cairo, Egypt:

A middle-aged man leaned against a wall and began crying as he touched the single blue bead hanging from a black string around his neck. The mana is agitated. He sighed as he looked up at the clear blue sky. The Major Arcana is complete once again. The world is in danger.

His shoulders dropped as he vanished into a dark alley.

Tokyo, Japan:

It's time. A smile appeared on the young woman's face as she pulled her long, silky black hair into a ponytail. The question is, which way will the winds blow?

Edinburgh, Scotland:

A young Nepali woman held her grandfather's arm as he trembled while they disembarked from the plane.

"Is everything alright?" She asked, her brow knotted in concern.

"Everything's fine. There's no need to worry. Hurry along and see if our taxi is here. I'll be along in a moment."

He smiled as he watched his granddaughter, who was also his only apprentice, hurry away. A grimace washed the smile from his face as his eyes fell on the floor. This shouldn't have happened yet. What kind of monster did you raise, old friend, for him to unlock The Magician so quickly?

Luckily, I got the warning as soon as he awakened. I can still reach him before anyone else. He clenched his fist before rushing after his granddaughter.

All around the world, other mages had their different reactions as they received the news through their methods. Some grinned, others showed hostility, a few showed no concern, and the rest became worried.

Callum's House, Scotland:

[The Magician: Elementary Mastery Unlocked.]

Callum shivered as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. Over an hour had passed in pain since he chose to unlock The Magician through the Archives. His body had gone through cycles of feeling cold, light, intense pain, overheating, heavy, and full of energy before starting over again.

[Opening new entry...]

[The Magician is one of twenty-two powerful legacies in the global magical community. Together, they make up the Major Arcana. Each legacy takes its name from the major arcana cards that make up a tarot deck and depends on what card it best represents.

You have unlocked the Circle Stage Legacy of The Magician, called Elemental Mastery. Your Mana Vessel has been attuned to all six elements. Normally, mages would have to expend a greater amount of mana to refine their vessel towards unattuned elements, which slows their growth. You will no longer face the same issue.

There are five remaining legacies to unlock, which will become available for purchase as you increase which Stage you are at. New Archive entries are now available.]

Callum felt drained while he read over the new entry. At least it seems like I'll be able to increase my stats more easily now. However, it remained to be seen if it would be worth the pain he had just been through. I need a nap and a shower before I think of doing anything else.

He became dizzy as he tried to stand up and fell back onto the couch. Callum yawned and shivered before lying down, shuffling around to get comfortable. A nap first. The shower can come after. Soon, the sound of light snoring filled the room as Callum tossed and turned in his sleep.

Suddenly, Callum bolted upright. His eyes wandered to the clock on the wall as a sudden sense of danger filled his mind. He'd slept for a few hours, and the dim light of the setting sun shone through the window.

However, there was a chill in the air, and his senses kept going off like an alarm. He held his breath, but all he could hear was his heartbeat and the ticking of the clock. 

That's weird. I should be able to hear cars passing by at this time. A deep frown appeared on Callum's face as he unsteadily made his way to the window. While peering between the blinds, he noticed he couldn't hear the chirping of birds either. But that wasn't all. The leaves on the trees across the road were deathly still as if there was no wind at all.

Something told him that everything seemed wrong. It was autumn, which meant plenty of wind. There should be cars, birds, and even people around at that time.

Callum swallowed as he felt the hair on his neck stand up. What the fuck is going on?

"Run. Hide. Now." An old voice whispered in his ear as Callum felt a breeze on his neck, even though the house was still.

Callum's head snapped around, but nobody was there. Fuck it!

He bolted into the hallway and ran for the backdoor in the kitchen. His hand gripped the handle and twisted it, but nothing happened. Shit! The keys!

At that moment, Callum heard footsteps behind him. He swivelled to take a look, but before he could demand to know who the intruder was Callum's voice caught in his throat.

Standing there in the hallway was a balding man with deep-set eyes. His beard was thin and patchy, while he looked too thin to be healthy. The man's long coat hung loosely from his tall frame. Callum guessed he had to be 6'3 ft in height, a whole six inches taller than himself.

The man chuckled as he raised his left hand, where a shard of ice hovered over his palm. Move! Callum's mind screamed at him as he saw the shard was pointed at him. 

He heard the sound of something breaking just as he threw himself to the side. Callum's eyes followed the sound to find the shard shattered into pieces on the kitchen floor while the door's glass had smashed as well.

Callum gulped as he thought of what would've happened if he hadn't moved. That was when he felt a stinging sensation near his right eye. The strange man smirked at Callum before tilting his head to the side. A thoughtful expression crossed the man's gaze before he snapped his fingers.

The air beside him seemed to rip open at its seams, showing a river near a forest on the other side. With a wave of his left hand, he stepped through the fracture before it vanished behind him, leaving a flabbergasted Callum staring dumbly at nothing.