From Makoto's Perspective:
"Maybe I should just forget it and wait until I turn eight?"
Such thoughts spun in my head after yet another failed attempt.
I can't even count the amount of paper and ink I used up during these one and a half years of trial and fails.
"What's the point of dragging it out for two more years, I'm too lazy to wait that long when I'm already so close." I forced myself to overcome the desire to give up.
Approaching the table, I once again began to reread:
"Something like a muscle, between the fourth and fifth rib on the right side of the chest. Something gaseous, something between ether and plasma. Give it the first flow and then it goes on its own."
Letting out my exhaustion with a deep and loud sigh, I leaned back in my chair. So much time had passed, I felt I was close to the answer, it seemed I began to feel vis superficially, like a movement caught by peripheral vision. There, but not there, and it wasn't clear what was truth and what was false in the end.
Not finding a better option, I decided to go to Ayami and clarify.
Going down the stairs and entering the hall, I found my mother reading a book while nearby in the cradle my younger brother and sister slept. I spoke to her,
"Mom, I seem to be close, but I still don't understand. I seem to have found it, but haven't opened the aura node yet. How do I know that I succeeded?" I asked.
"Well, son, you almost understand what vis is. Once you understand and can begin to influence it, you will feel a strange sensation of a thread. How to say... You will clearly realize that you awakened vis. As I told you before, control over vis first of all comes from how much you feel and understand it. It's like a web, the stronger and deeper your connection with vis, the better you can control it. Similar to your muscles. I can't give you this understanding, because realization comes individually for everyone. Keep trying and you will manage. You've almost awakened it, I'm beginning to feel vis in you. Push harder and you'll succeed, after all, only the most persistent get what they want." my mother said, looking at me and rocking Kuro and Shiro in their cradle.
I was already six, my little brother and sister were born half a year ago. They were twins, my brother was born, as exact copy of dad, sky-colored eyes and black hair, while Shiro was an exact copy of mom, golden eyes and snow-white hair. I was very happy at their birth, I always wanted to have a younger brother or sister.
"Thank you very much, mom," I said and went back to my room, sitting down again to try to awaken vis.
Sitting comfortably, I began meditating, then moving the muscles in the right side of my chest, between the fourth and fifth rib. In the end, I felt a certain flow, some ether-like substance, as if ichor began flowing through my veins, a sudden shock, the sensation of a taut thread whose center came from my vis-node, what mom had been talking about.
Opening my eyes, I saw that my chest glowed with a faint crimson light. I felt warmth coming from my body and a burst of energy like adrenaline. I did it, I awakened vis, by myself, without the help of the world tree.
Joyfully, I rushed down the stairs to share the news with my mother that I had awakened vis.
"Mom, I did it!" I exclaimed happily.
"Well done, son, come to me," mom said with a warm smile at me.
Coming up to her, she hugged me and seated me on the seat in front of her, then handed me a small book and said,
"Makoto, here, you deserve this. I wrote it especially for you, it contains all the basic information that may be useful to you now. Study it, and if something is unclear, ask me. Start from the beginning, from the first to the last page. When you finish this book, I will prepare the next one for you." After that, she ruffled my hair and began rocking the awakened Shiro.
I took the book and heard that my father had returned. Greeting him and putting the book aside, I shared with him that I had awakened vis.
"I am proud of you, son, you did a great job. I think this is worth celebrating. Come out into the yard in an hour," he said.
"Alright," I replied, going up to my room. Sitting on a chair, I began to read,
"The Basics of Vis Magic, Part 1, the Vis Node. To control vis, you need to create vis-channels from the vis node, so that vis can circulate and leave your body. Start gradually leading vis through the node into different parts of the body. Take as much vis as you can and pull it out as if ripping it from yourself. Keep in mind it will be painful. You need to have at least one channel in each part of the body, arms, fingers, legs, eyes, ears, nose. This is necessary so that you can conduct vis into each part of your body and fill it with magic."
Stopping there, I placed a bookmark in the book and closed it. Sitting comfortably, I began to lead vis from the node and pull it through all my limbs when suddenly a sharp stabbing pain filled my body. I stopped to catch my breath, then continued. It took almost an hour of terrible pain, during which I screamed at the top of my lungs, but I managed to cut through my vis-channels.
Continuing to read the book, I reached the next page:
"Elemental Essence of Vis. Part 1. Basic Elements. There are 5 basic aspects of vis: air - aerus, fire - ignite, water - aquas, earth - terra, lightning - graios. Elemental vis is limited in capacity depending on how far you have advanced in your web of understanding. The higher your understanding of an element, the greater the capacity and your power over it. Elemental vis restores itself, your node absorbs the necessary particles from the space to replenish the reserves. You must weave a web consisting of the understanding of the elements of vis. To use elemental vis, try to imagine a certain element and attempt to separate and conduct it through your vis-channels."
I read and immediately got down to business. First, I began to mentally imagine the element of lightning, graios. Electricity, lightning imbued and hidden in my vis node. Feeling a response in my node, I immediately began to lead it through the channels in my hand. Success. Lightning began to spark on my fingers, but not ordinary, it was crimson. And I heard my father calling me.
We trained with my father, then celebrated my awakening, and after that, days flew by unnoticed. I studied by mom's book, developed my vis abilities, and trained in swordsmanship with my father.
A month passed. I had learned superficial control of vis and a couple of tricks. As usual, I was sitting in my room and training with vis control after training with my father, when suddenly a loud explosion and people's screams were heard outside.
My mother burst into my room with the babies in her arms and told me to go to the basement and lock myself there. I did so.
I sat in the basement holding the two crying infants in my arms, trying to calm them, while outside the sounds of fierce battle and destruction echoed.
Suddenly, the basement door burst open with a crash, and before me appeared some strange animal. No, it was a monster, still a cub. It stood on four legs, had four eyes and a single horn in the middle of its forehead, huge fangs,
and pointed furry ears, somewhat resembling bats.
"Oh Fuck. Quickly put down the children, grab the sword now, come on!" rushed through my head. I carefully and quickly laid Sora and Shiro on the floor, but the beast was already leaping at me.
Managing to draw my sword, I blocked the claw strike. I immediately attacked to keep it away from the infants, managing to push it out of the basement.
It swung its claws, I dodged to the right, managed to cut its arm, it howled. I ran at it, swung my sword, it blocked with its claws. It tried to slash at me with its left hand, but I shifted my strike to the left side. Success. I cut its arm and part of its neck, breathing heavily.
It was dead.
"Shit, what now?!" I thought as I saw my mother.
She was running toward me in battle gear,
"Are you alright?! Where are Kuro and Shiro?!" she immediately asked me,
"Mom, they're in the basement, it attacked us, I'm fine, I'll help!" I shouted to her,
"Stop, Makoto!" she said, but I didn't listen...
I don't know what drove me, maybe I wanted to test my strength, or maybe I wanted to help. Hard to say why I ignored my mother, giving way to my ego.
Running past house after house, there was ruin and fire everywhere, when suddenly a scene unfolded before me,
"Son, run, I'll hold it off!" said a blond middle-aged man, all wounded, holding a sword. It was clear he was no fighter. Before him stood the same kind of monster I had fought, only taller, much taller. An adult specimen, I realized.
A blond boy, looking about five years old, began running away, but the monster almost immediately killed his father.
The monster swung, but I managed to rush in and block the blow. I was thrown aside, almost falling, it was much stronger.
"Boy, run there and bring help!" I shouted to him, pointing to where I came from. I barely had time to glance where he ran before I almost missed another strike, dodging at the last moment.
It leaped at me, I dodged right, putting up my sword. It swung with its right hand, I tried to redirect the strike, partially succeeding, cutting its arm.
The monster lunged at me, I jumped back, trying to strike with my sword, but it blocked with its arm. The wound wasn't serious. I was too weak. Realizing it could become dangerous, I decided to take a desperate step. I pulled
out all the graios in my node, concentrating it in my hand, which didn't go well. I imbued my entire arm. In my hand was a full crimson lightning.
Realizing there was no turning back, I dashed forward, dodging both of the monster's swings and struck it with lightning straight in the chest. I was shocked by the electricity, but the monster had a gaping hole in its chest.
"I Won," I thought, but then felt a sharp stabbing pain in my side.
Two claws pierced my abdomen, it hurt, terribly.
I fell, the sensation as if I was being paralyzed, poison, I quickly realized. My breathing became faster and faster.
Here I was again, lying on the ground, bleeding out, feeling that same cold again.
"Why the fuck did I even come here, I should have called for help, what the hell am I doing, oh, why did I do this... I don't want to die... I only just found happiness..." I thought, lying on the ground.
Rain dripped on my face, my eyelids grew heavy, a familiar hum filled my ears, my vision darkened. I lost consciousness, but felt warmth and warm water drops on my face.