..
..
..
..
Hmm…
I kept staring at the crystal in my hands.
No matter how I tilted it, turned it, squinted at it, or blinked— it was still a crystal.
The book I'd been reading earlier clearly stated there were only six elemental magics: Water, Earth, Wind, Fire, Light, and Dark.
Crystal wasn't mentioned anywhere.
I flipped through the pages again, scanning every line, every diagram. My eyes flicked back and forth. Finally, one detail caught my attention:
Ice was listed as the only next-level magic derived from Water.
Next-level… huh?
That must be it. Crystal must be the next-level form of Earth.
If anyone discovered this… trouble would follow. Better to keep it a secret for now.
A few minutes later, I decided to try something new.
"Water Ball!" I shouted, thrusting my palm forward.
…Nothing.
I tried again, imagining droplets coalescing into a sphere—but the air remained stubbornly empty.
Wait.
This time, I didn't just imagine water—I visualized its very structure. Oxygen, two atoms. Pull them together. Add hydrogen. Bond them. Guide them with mana. Feel their flow, their pull, their weight.
When I opened my eyes, I nearly gasped.
A trembling, transparent sphere hovered above my palm: a Water Ball.
My heart thumped so hard I could hear it in my ears. I tried to throw it—
Splash!
It collapsed midair, soaking the floor. Water ran over my fingers and pooled at my feet.
The mana drain hit me like a punch to the gut. My knees buckled, and I slumped to the floor, gasping.
So… this was the price of real magic.
and i went to sleep.
/******
"tell me my son what will you choose"
a woman with her face unidentified asked a child..
"magic or science"
the boy hesitated.
"i-i.."the boy said..."i choose both"
said the boy..surprising the woman...
"is that so..."
/*****
"Krish… Krish!"
"Ah! …Yeah, I'm awake."
Mira, our housekeeper, was knocking impatiently at my door.
"its that dream again..."i said..."but it felt more real"
"Come down fast! Breakfast is ready!" she called. A hint of annoyance laced her voice.
"ah!..give me a sec"
I hadn't slept a wink. My head still buzzed from yesterday's discovery.
Dragging myself to the shower, washing, dressing, and yawning, I went downstairs.
"Good morning, Krish," said a deep, steady voice.
It was Navir, my father. Broad-shouldered, middle-aged, still handsome despite faint wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. He sat at the table with my mother.
"Good morning, Father," I said calmly, taking my seat.
"Did you sleep well, Krish?" Mother asked, her smile soft but teasing.
…Did she really mean last night?
"Y-yeah," I muttered, my face flushing as certain… memories surfaced.
"Good. Let's leave it at that," Navir said, sipping his tea with a formal, measured tone.
"So, what are you planning today? If possible, why don't you—"
Thwack!
A dull sound echoed from beneath the table.
{You moron, he's still young.}
{I was joking!}
They thought they were whispering, but I caught every word.
Father's face twitched in pain, while Mother remained composed. A faint glow mended his injury: Heal.
Convenient… and terrifying.
"No, I'm going to study something in the rooftop room," I said, trying to sound casual.
They looked startled, exchanged worried glances, and finally nodded.
"We understand," they said softly.
{What do we do now?}
{At this rate, he isn't going to have any friends…}
{Don't worry, I'll handle it.}
I felt a chill but ignored it.
A few minutes later, I finished breakfast, watered the plants, and climbed to the rooftop room.
I grabbed three buckets and placed them at different distances.
"Aishap," I muttered, bracing myself.
I extended my hands, imagining water, and filled one bucket. I repeated this process for days, exhausting my mana each time. Gradually, the number of buckets I could fill increased.
Next, I experimented with velocity. At first, the water barely moved an inch. Slowly, I learned to push it, shaping mana to accelerate. Day by day, the water flew farther—until one day I accidentally soaked a passing merchant. His shriek echoed down the street. I ducked, laughing nervously.
After mastering that, I moved to the next step.
I gave Mira all but one bucket. Rolling up my sleeves, I placed my hands above the remaining one and closed my eyes.
Feel the water molecules. Imagine the hydrogen bonds. Tighten them. Apply mana.
Swish… creak…
I opened my eyes. The water had frozen along with the bucket.
"Crap! This bucket's ruined… Mira's going to kill me."
I hid it behind some crates and pressed on. Tightening the hydrogen bonds made the water freeze. I conjured a Water Ball and imagined heating it up. Slowly, it boiled. I loosened the bonds.
"It worked," I whispered.
The Water Ball became a Steam Ball, unstable and mana-intensive. Stability was sluggish, but the principle worked.
Later, I went to the kitchen to give Mira the frozen bucket. She was cooking wheat for dinner, the steam swirling around her like a soft fog.
It hit me.
I dropped the bucket, startling her.
"Wha—"
"That's it!" I shouted, running back to the rooftop, ignoring her scoldings.
I closed the door and focused, imagining the water molecules, heating them, loosening the bonds.
A ball of steam appeared in my palm.
Now came the crucial part: let the mana flow, enclose the steam, compress it, pressurize it…
There it was. A small bullet of swirling steam. I shaped the mana into a nozzle.
Swoom!
How had I forgotten?
The principle that caused quite a stir in early 15th-century Earth cooking — the pressure cooker. I was using the same idea.
The steam shot forward with a whistling roar, breaking a chunk of wood in the corner. My eyes glowed with excitement.
I named it the Pressure Bullet. My hands trembled — not with fear, but with joy.
But then…
"Krish!…"
A deep, shocked voice called out.
I turned slowly. My father stood there, sword lowered, sweat running down his face, worry etched into every line.
"Krish… what was that?"
I froze. I had been caught.
_____________________________________
End of Chapter 3
_________________________^__^____________
have a nice day ;}