Astras inner domain was quite unique
he knew this but never revealed it to anyone.
Naturally he never trusted anyone as he used to lived in the outskirts which were riddled with scum who would sell him out for a small piece of bread.
Astra stood at the threshold of his inner domain, where reality folded upon itself and time had no meaning. The celestial expanse above him began to stir, as though it too acknowledged his presence.
Stars shimmered and rippled, their brilliance bending like living things—twisting and undulating as if responding to an unseen force. The heavens trembled in his wake. Galaxies unfurled in slow, deliberate spirals, their vast arms reaching toward the edges of the abyss, their light bleeding into the void like ink poured into water, a dark stain of forgotten power.
In the distance, nebulae bloomed, delicate, ethereal clouds of violet, gold, and deep crimson. They wove through the endless expanse in a hypnotic dance, swirling in slow motion as if bound by some ancient rhythm, their colors bleeding into each other like the final remnants of dying stars.
The universe itself seemed to hold its breath in reverence, as if awaiting his next command. Every shimmer, every flicker of light in this boundless cosmos was an invitation to wield the dark, to embrace the unknown.
Below him, the ocean of infinity stretched out into the abyss, its surface untouched by time or wind, smooth as polished obsidian. A vast, impenetrable blackness, it stretched onward, its depths unfathomable.
The ripples on its surface were subtle, like the tremors of some great, unseen leviathan stirring far below. The ocean did not move by force—it moved with intent, with purpose, as though it were aware of his presence.
There were no shores, no end, just an infinite sea that called to him, its weight pressing against the edges of his mind, pulling him deeper into the abyss with a promise of power, of truths long buried beneath the surface.
Above it all, his core pulsed—a single, radiant star that burned brighter and larger than the galaxies around it. It was not just a source of light, but a presence unto itself—alive, vibrant with the energy of a thousand lifetimes. Its light pierced through the darkness, cutting across the ocean's glassy surface, casting long, dark shadows that flickered and twisted like unseen things in the corners of his vision.
The glow was otherworldly, a pure, blinding white-blue, so intense that it seemed to fracture the very fabric of reality around it, sending ripples through the cosmos. The star hummed with a power that resonated through his very bones, a heartbeat that mirrored his own—a rhythm he had no choice but to follow.
And there, nestled within the expanse of stars and the infinite ocean, hovered the sun, the manifestation of his mana core. It was not a sun of warmth or life, but one of stillness, of eternal calm. It bathed the expanse in a dim glow, casting an eerie, unnatural light across the endless void, its rays seeming to freeze the passage of time itself.
It held the stillness of the grave, of eternity, anchoring Astra in this vast, cosmic space. It was the heart of his power, and yet it felt distant, untouchable, as if even this connection was a mere whisper in the infinite dark.
The shadows, those elusive whispers of his thoughts, flickered at the edges of his consciousness—tendrils of forgotten memories, of lost fears, of paths never taken. They wove between light and darkness, like ghosts slipping between worlds.
Unseen, yet always present, they beckoned to him, promising secrets held just beyond reach, as if the very shadows knew the answers to the questions buried in the depths of his soul.
The air thickened with a palpable weight, as if the universe itself held its breath, waiting. His inner domain was a reflection of him, vast and beautiful in its grandeur, yet endlessly lonely, haunted by the whispers of things never spoken.
It was a place of both creation and destruction, a hollow cradle for his potential, ever-changing, ever-expanding, yet always reaching toward the unknown.
And then, as Astra grasped the mage coin, it pulsed—a deep, resonating hum, like the sound of a door opening to realms unseen. The universe seemed to hold its breath in that instant, as though everything awaited his next movement.
His fingers brushed against the coin's cool surface, and he spoke softly, his voice steady.
"Show me the path ahead."
The stars flickered once more, the shadows whispered louder, and the ocean trembled beneath him. There was a promise, a knowing that this was but the beginning, and the path forward was his to shape, to carve into the fabric of this infinite expanse.
The Pawn coin shimmered into existence, casting different information and paths to Astra what was strange however is that the mana reacts in weird ways and communicates in weird ways, it's a language that's weird and unique to everyone, someone can see mana as numbers, while someone else can see mana as shapes.
It was truly intriguing to astra how mana can give subtle hints or imbue certain knowledge into one. It depends on how one reacts to the world, and how they exist within the world. mana knows this, the coins harness magic in a standardized way and control the flow of calamity, now the entropy becomes harnessed, and mana becomes standardized, however if one truly wishes to advance through the ranks and form strong tiered mana cores, they need to understand mana at its raw nature.
Astras excitement arose, as usual, he can never contain himself when faced with the endless potential in front of him, the mana around hum pulsed.
The shadows danced wildly happy as they embraced him, the stars in his domains sky shimmered ever so brighter and twinkled, the silent ocean produced ripples that intensified, in the center of his domain the singular bright white star shone ever so brighter, it got ever so hotter, yet astra felt colder, the star now was the brightest object in his domain
This was Astras inner domains full strength. The strength of the stars, the strength of the shadows, the strength of the ocean, his talents and aptitudes fully revealed to him now due to [The Pawn]
Astra stood, gazing into the endless abyss of his inner domain, feeling the weight of his own potential, yet unable to grasp its full extent. The shadows around him seemed to whisper in excitement, almost as though they were alive, reacting to his very presence.
They swirled and pulsed, embracing him, drawing closer as if recognizing something deep within him—his natural S-Rank affinity to shadow magic. He could feel them calling to him, welcoming him, as if they had always known he belonged to them.
The water was no different. He could almost hear the deep, gentle hum of the ocean's waves in the distance, their rhythmic motion echoing the pulse of his own power. He had an A-Rank affinity to water magic as well, something that manifested in his domain's vast ocean, its surface as still and unyielding as the core of his soul, yet he was not a water mage per say.
Astra could feel it, the coolness and fluidity, the depth of connection he shared with it. The water responded to his thoughts, swirling in patterns that made sense only to him. The waves rose and fell in perfect harmony with his intentions, as if they were his own breath.
But the star—the radiant, blinding core of his existence—remained a mystery. It had always been there, but it never responded to his presence, not like the shadows or the water did. He could sense its vast power, its immense light that pierced through the darkness of his inner domain, but it seemed to exist in a realm untouched by his influence.
The star did nothing to him, and that puzzled Astra. It was as though the very essence of this S-Rank star affinity remained dormant within him, as if it were locked away, just out of reach.
His other affinities were less developed, but they were no less significant. C-Rank fire affinity pulsed faintly within him, like a flicker of flame beneath the surface, waiting to be kindled. He could feel the potential for fire magic, but it was not as familiar, not as intuitive as the other elements.
Light, on the other hand, felt almost natural to him—his A-Rank affinity to light magic seemed to complement his shadow affinity, a strange duality of opposites. He could manipulate the light around him, bending it, shaping it, and yet, much like his relationship with the stars, it didn't respond as strongly as the shadows and water did.
Despite his powerful affinities, Astra knew he was far from a genius. In a world where talents were as common as the stars in the sky, he felt insignificant. He was no one special—just another face in a sea of mages with greater training and battle experience.
His mana core was strong, his talents were great yes, but lacking in the finesse and skill that could make him a true threat. In a world full of geniuses and prodigies, Astra was just another novice, someone who could be easily crushed in a real fight.
The letter ranking system was a way to categorize innate talent and control over magic, but Astra understood that the true measure of strength went beyond those ranks.
A-Rank talent didn't guarantee victory; effort, training, and experience were what determined the true power of any mage. In fact many can raise their affinity by simply practicing, finding a treasure rich with mana or by raising ones rank, the closer they get to mana the easier it is.
People with lower-ranked affinities could still surpass those with higher-ranked aptitudes if they trained diligently, developed their skills, and honed their mana core.
Astra lacked that training. He had never had access to prominent instructors or combat experts. He had relied on books, theories, and the mana network, learning from scattered knowledge and piecing together what he could.
His combat experience was minimal, and in battle, he would be at a severe disadvantage against anyone who had truly mastered their craft.
He knew his weaknesses all too well. His battle style was rudimentary at best, and without experience, the spells he wielded felt unrefined, like tools in the hands of a novice who didn't yet understand their full potential.
Yet, despite all of this, Astra couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more to him. Something that couldn't be measured by ranks or training.
His potential, his connection to the very fabric of the world, was something beyond just his affinities. He knew, deep down, that if he could only unlock the hidden depths of his magic, especially the star affinity that eluded him, then he might stand a chance to rise above the rest.
The whispering shadows, the endless ocean, and the mystery of the star all seemed to call to him. They were his to command—if only he could unleash the true depth of his power.
Astra clenched his fists, the mage coin still pulsing gently in his palm. "There has to be a way," he muttered to himself. "A way to make the Stars heed my calls."
As for Astra's combat skills, he didn't have many.
His swordsmanship was novice at best, he was at a level where he can cross swords with most warriors of similar rank and bearing, but to beat and even survive was in question. his coin loved to remind him just how unapt he is with a sword...
For hand to hand combat however was above average as he did grow up in the outskirts of Duskfall, he has had many fights with various peoples of many skills, he was pretty decent in many forms of hand to hand combat as he has also picked up techniques from many travelers, be it by conversing with them at a tavern, or fighting them drunk and getting his ass beat.
What stumped Astra the most however was the star magic in his inner domain.
Astra recalled all his knowledge on Star magic as it was weird, there was no one in the world who had it to his current knowledge anyways and his coin , the only times he had seen it even mentioned was in the legends of battles of old over many centuries ago with exiled figures who's names weren't even mentioned, and the spells were not listed, but what they did was
The history books were every vague, from teleportation to bombardments of extreme destruction, the affects of such spells was also heavily shrouded and vague, as if the books were censoring the contents, it was....strange. Astra was not some naive child, he knew how dark and mysterious the realms were, how genocides happen under a days worth of time, censored and lost. Therefore he knew better than to flaunt his talents and rare magics, who knows what could happen.
I'll probably be dead and exterminated he thought inwardly as he pondered history.
What was described in the historical records was not in the least helpful regarding star magic allegedly it reacted to every user differently and he got that out of his coin, the coin didn't even give him much regarding to star magic.
It did give him him many outstanding quest objectives the normal ones everyone had such affinity based ones, mana training ones and more simple quests that would come and go, he was not a noble so he didn't receive the special hand crafted ones such as sword techniques battle techniques formations and the other complicated forums, no he got the base line, He could go buy more hand made quests but those were expensive and the quality differed. He had however the rare mana quest a major quest, these quests were issued by ones coin itself and were keys to unlocking ones true potential and might and he had one! but it literally gave him no hints whatsoever, it simply stated [Know the Night]
He had absolutely no idea what that meant. Star Magic was truly mysterious it made him go almost insane as the more he tried to learn the more paranoid he got, what if someone was watching him go through libraries searching for archives of such magics, obviously that person would assume he relates to it somehow.
"Maybe Im just paranoid?" he laughed self deprecatingly
It drove him insane, no matter how hard he tried to use or communicate with the star magic which was this rare and legendary magic that only shows up in legends has never once even been used by him.
he sighed as he looked around his domain one last time, prepping himself mentally for his little self made side quest of procuring funds.
As he exited his inner domain Astras eyes regained their intelligence.
He gazed around and saw the guards finally move, as he called upon the shadows around him, this was basic boosting, a rank one way to use the shadows called [shadows embrace] it made him decently faster and more hidden when he was in the shadows.
The violet twilight aurora made by the Tower of Dusk shimmered in the sky, the shadows danced from corner to corner, bright fireworks larger than the ones before continued to light up the sky and music hummed in the air, this made the bazaar which was littered with deep shadows his perfect hunting grounds.
Astra strolled through the gates leisurely and confidently as the shifting guards were busy and were not in some alert state.
He had finally entered the inner bazaar, normally nobles or rich individuals would show off their mage coins to enter in passing but this was hardly enforced.
Astra looked around for a second, He had only been here twice before.
At the heart of the bazaar, he saw towering banners of gold and crimson catch the fading light, their embroidered sigils shifting ever so slightly as though alive. The air is thick with the scent of exotic spices, enchanted incense, and mana. Sounds of soft laughter and lively conversation mingle with the chime of bells and the low hum of mana that pulses through the ground like a heartbeat.
There plenty of powerful Noblemen and women, draped in flowing robes of silk and velvet, strolling leisurely through the maze of stalls, their jewels glinting like stars, dressed in their festive Noble attires, some haggled with powerful sorcerers and adventurers, enchanted beasts, and magical artisans.
Their faces, though regal, are a mix of curiosity and wealth-fueled indulgence. They spoke clearly and tones that demanded respect, exchanging secrets of hidden relics and untold riches, their words barely louder than the rustle of cloth and the gentle clink of coins.
"Steady" Astra reminded himself, the last thing he needed was to stand out too much by not trying to stand out, getting arrested and beat would really ruin his year.
"It's really like a different world" he sighed as he saw the pure wealth accumulated here.
Stalls were overflowing with treasure, items beyond imagination. One merchant, a gnarled elf with eyes like liquid silver, offers crystalline vials that shimmer with strange, swirling mists, each containing a whisper of forgotten knowledge or a memory trapped in time.
Another vendor, a hulking half-orc clad in armor etched with runes, displays swords that hum with an ancient power—blades that seem to absorb the ambient light, their edges impossibly sharp. The swords pulse with a quiet menace, their hilts adorned with the bones of long-dead creatures and glinting with gemstones that glow faintly in the twilight. these items gave off the strong aura of rank two, some even coming very close to rank three. this showed just how powerful dusk full truly is, to have its bazaar littered with rank two artifacts.
Nearby, a curious vendor sells enchanted beasts—miniature rank two lower wyverns that coil around their owners' wrists like living bracelets, rank two and one feathered peacocks that stretch their wings as if remembering an ancient sky, and a rare rank three panther-like creatures with shifting fur that blends into their surroundings like shadows. The creatures seem both tame and wild, and their eyes flicker with an intelligence that unsettles some and delights others. contained by specialist rank two beast tamers and trapped in powerful mana cages.
"What if I just set them free here? would they run away or simply slaughter anyone weaker?" he lampooned
A pair of wizened, hooded figures sit beneath a golden canopy, their hands moving in intricate gestures as they weave illusions from nothing, crafting living scenes out of light and shadow—fey gardens, swirling storms, landscapes of distant lands. Their wares are not objects but experiences, memories, and dreams spun into tangible forms. many gathered to converse and share experiences, these figures gave off faint rank two auras, however their quality was that of the pinnacle of rank two, famed adventurers.
Astra steered clear of them.
Above the din, the faint sound of a haunting melody drifts through the air—a lone bard perched atop a stone balcony, playing a harp woven from ancient wood. The music lures passersby, offering them an escape from the market's endless bustle, wrapping them in a moment of quiet magic. Hoping to get some coin.
Astra was excited to see such a area, he had barely any access to such exclusive upper class centers and seeing the new marvels brought from all of the realms for the festival was really entertaining, yet he felt something off. It was really subtle. Almost as if its not all is as it seems. He had heard rumors the rumors.
Hidden in the deeper corners of the bazaar, shadowed by towering stalls, one can find darker things—enchanted items that carry a price greater than mere legacy coin, ancient tomes of forbidden knowledge, and cursed relics that whisper promises of untold power. Beneath the layers of opulence, there is a sense of danger, a knowledge that in such a place, even the nobility might not be what they seem. or so the rumors say, Astra however felt the subtle aura of malice and dark humor in the air, there was without a doubt darkness here.
Its natural for one to see some jesters here and there after all, it wasn't illegal to be one per say but it was definitely frowned upon and they were ridiculed, but alas what's mere rank ones and twos going to do to a full on rank three, most Jesters were adventures and mercenaries of dark organizations and groups. They hid themselves and desires when in city centers to not attract unnecessary attention.
He sighed hoping not to find himself under some powerful jesters gaze.
The sky above deepens as the twilight had become even more powerful for some reason.
Astra even felt a subtle premonition
The bazaar took on an even more ethereal glow now, as the magic in the air intensified. It was truly a place of wonder, wealth, and power, where bargains are struck between those with real power.
Astra was still glued to the shadows as he was without a doubt one of the weakest beings in the bazaar, he was a mere rank one with zero real training and no titles to claim. Meanwhile the average rank here was two and three and they all were wealthy.
He couldn't help but sigh
Astra reached a darker less populated part of the bazaar and hid from shadow-to-shadow, he went behind empty stalls and into empty houses looking through chests, most the people who inhabited such a place were out enjoying the festivities and he wasn't dumb enough to try pickpocketing literal rank twos,
"Not bad" he muttered as he counted five major legacy coins, they had the emblem of dusk and were grayish black he also managed to snag some valuable low rank mana stones.
Legacy coins were the form of currency in the realms as metals such as gold and silver were abundant infact some mages even wielded them, legacy coins carried a special mint from the ruling house of the land thus giving it value. The coins came in five forms or standards as they were called, the lowest standard being the copper standard, silver standard, gold standard, diamond standard and finally magic standard, the copper and silver were being classified as minor where the gold diamond and magic standards being classified as major coins, for simple transactions such as food and simple clothing minor coins were mostly used and for large transactions such as armor housing and other large and expensive items the major coins were used.
1 Magic standard coin was worth 100 diamond standards, 1 diamond was worth 100 gold and 1 gold was worth 100 silver, 1 silver was worth 100 coppers.
a loaf of bread was worth 5 coppers, meat 10, wine and alcohols depended but ranged around 3-5 for common types, average housing rent was 3-5 silvers in the worst areas, low quality armor of rank one was worth 50 silvers, a low quality sword of rank was around 25 silvers, anything rank two was in golds value. Astra himself had a sword but it broke long ago leaving him to knives and daggers which all were the lowest and cheapest possible quality.
Astra had 10 minor standard coins, he was broke to the point where he couldnt afford to buy food.
Gods im so broke he laughed
as his eyes eventually found a fat and old drunken noble who was on the verge of blacking out, the noble was quite literally in a dark corner sitting away from the festivities, Astra looked around and lowered himself as he simply took a bag of coins, from the unsuspecting Noble who was drunk out of his mind. the Noble gave off rank two aura, but he could not even function properly, if Astra really wanted to he could easily kill him and no one would even know.
"How is he a noble" Astra sighed as he shook his head slightly amused.
Perhaps he had a guard, astra looked around again now far away from the blacked out noblemen.
The old fat guy seemed to have one guard, and that said guard was busy flirting with an elvish servant.
Astra had to say that servant was extremely pretty even for elven standards. She looks uncomfortable, gods I really feel for her, He would know how annoying it is to gave someone in power try and take advantage of you. Astra secretly prayed to the gods that she ends up fine as he knew exactly how it felt to be pressured by those in power, as a certain Noble woman came up to mind again. he couldn't help but shudder.
Hmm house palm tree, a minor house in Shadows domain, they once were a medium tier house but they had fell from what Astra remembered, it was kind of sad to see.
Astra lowered his gaze as he walked away from the scene and hid in the shadows behind a building, He was elated at the 5 gold standards! The most he's had was one at 50 silvers ! And that was a result of him swindling an old Noble lady who wanted to use his body! He shivered at the thought. "I really don't wanna remember why do I keep remembering ugh..."
Nothing good comes from greed he repeated, this was a value instilled to him through countless harsh failures and lessons, he planned on leaving instantly.
As he made up his mind to leave the upper bazaar Astra suddenly felt a thick and heavy gaze lock onto him, this made the hairs on the back of his nick stand as his body started to shake, he felt like a deer that was being stalked by an apex predator! No this was worse, like an ant under the gaze of an incarnation of ruin and rebirth"What the?" Astra felt as if he had a second before he was done for.
Astra listened to his instincts and immediately used a combination of magic
He flooded the surrounding mana with water as he commanded water instantly was summoned around him in a dome shape.
This was a common rank one spell! [Water Dome] but he wasn't done yet as at the same time he also used
[light of the sun] creating this small blinding affect like orb of light and. he combined, he wasn't done yet however, he used the light of the sun and shot it through the water dome as it collapsed, the shadows retreated and many people now were looking into the now bright alleyway confused at who dared cast such a distracting spell in the upper bazaar, the Duskguards hurried over and even Dusk knights casted their gazes over the area, the tension rose, and Astra booked it as he retreated the gazed upon him flickering and faltering
Astras use of magic was truly innovative, the gaze seemed to waver and as Astra booked it into the through the dark alleyway into the side entrance that seemingly led to the lower city.
He went through a stairwell that descended all the way to the lower city where the shadows were even deeper. Astra called upon the shadows as they embraced him once more...
...….
Upper Bazaar
"What the fuck ugh, that hurt!" a blonde elven women yelled out as she rubbed her eyes, a frown on her face
"My Princess please watch your tongue" replied the man next to her,
The pair was sporting two regal dark green cloaks with the sigil of an ancient archaic bow on them,
In the crowded bazaar, the elven princess moved like a ghost, her dark green robe shimmering faintly with silver threads. Her curious eyes, one a Saphire blue with Flecks of Gold, the other a Midnight Purple with specks of red inside glanced through the chaos, distant and commanding, her hair skin pale, and her hair a beautiful blonde, her beauty drawing fleeting glances but her presence demanding respect.
Behind her, her mentor towered like a shadow. His green dark robe blended with the crowd, yet his stature and silent subtle power made people step aside, He was middle aged, tall, he had deep green eyes and long blonde hair. when people did look all they had to do was see the sigil of their house which said all that needed to be said. His watchful gaze never wavered, a calm protector amidst the noise. Together, they stood out—regal, quiet, and unyielding in the midst of the bustling market where Nobles, and magical items of all fashions were present.
"What an interesting kid" he mumbled.
"what's so interesting, he's merely a creative thief, The elven women rolled her eyes " What was that a rank one [flashbang] spell? Those don't even work that well on these eyes of mine!" the princess yelled seemingly pissed.
"No, it was a combination of light and water magic used ingeniously for two purpose's, the first was to defend as he seemed to have felt your eyes upon him which is why he erected a water barrier and one that's quite effective as well, looking at the density and how the water rotated he definitely has A rank affinity , the second reason was for it to refract on the light and become almost a magnifying glass," the man kept mumbling.
"[A-rank] Water magic? And A rank Light aptitude? As well as a high affinity to the shadows! On a simple street rat like him! What a joke... whatever let him go, he also has A rank shadow magic and when I first spotted him something deep inside of me told me to fully scan him, when I did, he freaked out! most people can't even feel my gaze, He really is not norma, I wonder if hes some long forgotten bastard, She wondered what kind of secrets that boy was hiding to seemingly find such a response fitting.
"What an interesting pawn" mumbled the tall elven man
The women pursed her lips as she turned around, "I was just bored and ended up almost blinded, what a joke, Gadriel, go tell that stupid palm noble that he got robbed"
"As you wish my princess"
"Also stop calling me that!"
"Yes princess"
…..