A Journey Unwanted

Mikoto heaved a heavy sigh as he stared at the ceiling of the room. He could not sleep; how could he? This whole situation was just absurd; there were no better words to describe it. He was placed in some fantasy world and blessed by some Goddess. Magic was real, and he was proficient in it. This might have been any number of people's fantasy. After all, who would not want to be in a fantasy world filled with magic and God's? In a world such as this, the opportunities are nearly endless. You could be so much more.

He would not lie; a small part of him was excited about the prospect. But that small part was vastly overshadowed by his desire to return home. It was true for him; he might have lived an unfulfilled life, but he did not care. He had people he loved and missed dearly, so the prospect of living in some fantasy world without those people did not seem the least appealing.

("But a world filled with magic and God's...") Mikoto raised his right palm, and in one instance, a burst of embers emitted from him, and a small flame hovered atop his hand. ("It's so simple and easy. With this blessing and this magic, finding a way back should be possible. It must be possible.") The flame extinguished itself in his palm.

But how long would that take? He did not know; all he knew was that it might be possible. He heaved another sigh as he reached for his pocket, pulling his smart phone out. Wincing slightly as the bright light assaulted his eyes in the darkness, he navigated his way to his gallery.

He could not help but smile as he glazed over the photos.

There, with a stupid smile on his face, he stood side by side with his little sister, Hinata. She was a year younger than him, but people always mistaken them for twins. The two of them did take more after their mother, thankfully. Hinata had long black hair with long bangs that covered her eyebrows, the same grey eyes as their mother, and a cute face.

She was annoying, like all little sisters are, but he loved her. He shook his head as he booted off his phone before slipping it back in his pocket. It was good to see her, even if it was just a mere photo.

"You can not sleep?" The sudden voice to his side almost made him jump as he turned to look. He saw a yawning Fiona with disheveled hair sitting upright in her bed, a bit of ways away from him.

"My bad. Did I wake you?" He questioned sheepishly.

"It's quite alright. I find it proactive to awaken earlier." She clarified as she wiped her eyes. "But why are you still awake? It is quite late."

"Just thinking about magic." He lied. Though not really, the aspect of magic did pollute his mind, but not to a staggering extent.

"Magic, huh. Well, I do find it strange that you did not have an inkling as to how magic functions. But I suppose that fact is attributed to your hailing from the East. But true magic is phenomenal. But I must ask, what are your plans from here on out?"

"My plan's?" She most likely meant what his goal was. That was obviously to return home, but how would he go about doing that exactly? Of course, the answer was obvious. "I guess I want to learn as much as I can about magic." His answer gained a smile of expectation from the girl.

"I thought you might say that. Then I would recommend attending the Luminare Academy of Arcane Arts." He recalled her mentioning how she attended the same academy. "Considering your age, you would be sorted into the first year. It is impeccable timing considering the new academy year is almost about to begin."

"Academy, huh?" If she recommended it, then he could maybe gain the needed knowledge there. But world travel magic—did something like that actually exist? If Gods and Goddesses did, then it should, right? "How would I go about enrolling in this academy?" He asked as another smile graced her features.

"A simple recommendation from me would do." She stated this as a pondering look flashed across her face. "Though I will be honest with you, with that blessing, mastering any spell with a single glance is not out of the realm of possibility."

"Really?" If that was the case, then this blessing was pretty busted; he had hax.

"Though I do plan to impart more knowledge to you, it would be in your best interest not to focus on magic as an end goal." Her words caused him to quirk up an eyebrow as she continued. "Familial Arts."

"What's that?" Mikoto questioned, and Fiona obliged with an answer.

"Essentially, those who are blessed by God's are in a way related to them. Though difficult to use or master, Familial Arts refer to abilities the Gods and Goddesses themselves used."

("Damn, that sounds awesome. So it's like a trump card, like a Bankai or Domain Expansion.")

"Of course, these abilities vary greatly. You see, the reason I recommend you attend Luminare Academy is because the other spawn of Octavia happens to attend there too; are you seeing where I'm going with this?" She asked, and Mikoto knew what she was getting at.

"So I'm guessing you want me to use this other spawn as a role model?" She nodded her head.

"Exactly, you catch on quick, Mikoto." She nodded with approval. "Later, we will venture to the capital and to my home. We have but a month to prepare you for the academy year."

"Wait, you're taking me to your home?" He was ever so slightly bemused.

"Why wouldn't I?" She asked as if the whole prospect should have been obvious. "I'm a very curious girl, you see. And I want to see how the spawn of Octavia develops with my own eyes. So I shall be personally tutoring you." She stated.

("Helping me just because you're curious?") Mikoto could not help but shake his head at that. But he was not about to turn down the free help. In a world such as this, he would take all the help he could get.

____________________

Galadriel is a prosperous kingdom of diverse races. It boasts the largest capital of all four great nations as well as the world's largest army. With such a large and vast military might, war is as good as won; hence, the kingdom is able to experience lasting peace. Of course, that did not mean that the kingdom possessed no enemies. No, it had many, and conflict continued to brew.

Even under the leadership of the great King Thordan the seventh, conflict could not be permanently expunged. Though seeing as the kingdom housed a number of spawns, of the Gods and Goddesses naturally most other kingdoms felt threatened. For instance, the Gods Aragorn, Legolas, and Almeric, and the Goddesses Lucinda, Magdalena, and Marcella were some of the deities who possessed spawns in the Kingdom of Galadriel. And, of course, the spawn of the Goddess Octavia, who was also a citizen of the Kingdom of Galadriel. Another noteworthy spawn would be the princess blessed by the God of avarice and destruction, Aragorn.

Seated at a table, Mikoto mulled over the information as he idly ate the beef stew before him with a wooden spoon. It was still early, so there was no one to gawk at him on the ground floor of the inn. Seeing as neither he nor Fiona could sleep, he had asked her for more information, more so so that he would not feel oblivious to everything constantly. He was always a diligent student, so absorbing information was his forte.

"Hey there, lad, how goes it?" Looking up, he took note of the grinning face of old man Emil.

"Emil-san, good morning." He greeted me with a small smile.

"So how was your night? I heard you had to share a room with the harpy. My condolences." He joked as he took a seat at the wooden table.

"It was fine; Fiona-san informed me about some things and suggested I come with her to the capital." Mikoto informed as he stuck his wooden spoon in the stew. He did not really have an appetite, but it would be rude to just waste the free food.

"With you being' a spawn, that's probably for the best." The old man murmured, and that reminded Mikoto of something.

"Oh, right, that reminds me. Only a few people in the village seemed to be surprised by my appearance; some didn't seem to point out that I was a spawn." Mikoto stated that as he was just curious as to why that was.

"Well, out here in the boonies, most ain't that privy to information on spawns and the Goddesses and Gods." He started. "It would be a different story if you were to go to the capital city. Most folks here were probably just admiring your beauty." He said it with a hearty laugh as Mikoto just gave him a dry look.

("Right, I still look like this...")

"Anyhow, where is that harpy Fiona?" The old man asked after taking a breather from his laugh.

"She-"

"Is right here." A voice interrupted as Fiona approached the duo.

"And just when I was having a nice conversation with the lad." Emil said with a sigh as Fiona merely silently fumed.

"Hmph! My business is not with you, old man." She said throwing him a small glare as she turned to Mikoto. "I have gathered the needed supplies; we are set to go." She stated

"Alright, I'll be finished in a sec'." Mikoto quickly finished the last of his stew as he stood up. "Well, this is goodbye, Emil-san. Thank you for everything." Emil merely waved him off.

"It's nothing, lad. Just glad an old man like me could have been of help; now you be careful out there."

"Will do, Emil-san." With that, the duo consisting of Mikoto and Fiona exited the inn and stepped onto the quiet cobblestone streets of the village. As it was quite early, not many villagers were out of their homes yet.

"So where are the supplies?" Mikoto asked.

"A simple application of magic, I placed them within a dimensional storage. A spell I'll teach you on the way." She informed Mikoto, who hummed in interest. "But let us not dilly-dally. Shall we be on our way?"

"Yeah, let's."

____________________

"Fīřə." Mikoto watched with interest as a small circular red glyph with intricate patterns came into existence in front of Fiona's outstretched right palm.

Energy and mana seemed to converge and cackle around her palm as suddenly, a bolt of bright orange fire erupted from the end of her conjured glyph, shooting towards the aimed tree at an alarming speed. The ground seemed to shake beneath their feet as the fireball exploded on impact, engulfing the tree in a bright inferno.

Flames licked at the bark, blackening it as the fire spread through the branches and leaves. Despite being able to do it himself with a little difficulty, Mikoto still watched in awe as the fire raged on, his eyes glued to the inferno before him. The heat was intense, making his skin feel as though it were on fire, but he easily stood his ground, watching patiently as the fire consumed the tree.

Eventually the flames died down, leaving nothing behind but a charred stump. He walked over to where the tree once stood, his eyes surveying the damage. The fire had been powerful, leaving nothing behind but a blackened, lifeless stump.

This was more training as on their journey to the capital they had taken a quick break in the field's.

"So, any questions?" Fiona asked as she lowered her hand.

"What was the glyph for? And what was with that word you spoke?" Fiona just smiled at his questions as if she had expected them specifically.

"Well, I'm glad you asked." She started as she cleared her throat. "You see, these glyphs were invented to better focus spells, as mana can be delicate and difficult to shape and use. Glyphs help us to better control our magic output, though this was just for a demonstration. I have no real need for glyphs." She said it rather haughtily. "And as for the word I spoke, that was the tongue of God's. Words hold power, and emphasizing certain words can have drastic effects. See as a mere firebolt was able to eviscerate a tree."

"I see. I think I get it." Mikoto murmured as Fiona smiled.

"Good, now you try; aim at that line of trees'." She said, gesturing to a small batch of forest trees.

"Right." Mikoto muttered as he turned to the target while stretching his right arm and opening his palm.

He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath and focusing his mind on the task at hand.

("Carbon dioxide, water vapor, oxygen, and nitrogen. Envision the creation of each element and then combustion!")

When he opened his eyes, he could see the trees in front of him, tall and imposing. They stood in a row, blocking his path. The air around him began to shimmer, the fabric of reality itself warping under the force of his magic. The temperature rose rapidly, with sweat beading on his forehead. And then it happened. From the tip of his palm sprang a flame, hot and fierce. It raced towards the trees, and he watched in fascination as it gained speed and power. The moment it touched the first tree, there was an explosion of sound. The force of the firebolt was so strong that it shook the ground beneath his feet. The flames spread, engulfing the tree in a raging inferno. The sound of wood splintering and cracking filled the air as the tree began to fall, the fire still raging around it.

But he wasn't done yet. He had built up so much energy that he had to release it all. He pivoted on his heel, aiming his palm at the next tree. Again, the air around him shimmered, and this time he could feel the magic building up within him, filling him with energy.

This time the firebolt was stronger than before, blasting into the tree with the force of a cannon. The trunk groaned and creaked under the onslaught; the bark was blasted into a fine mist, and within moments the tree was reduced to charred, blackened remains, mere wisps of smoke rising from the aftermath of the powerful spell. He continued, a wild, exhilarated feeling coursing through him. He moved on to the next tree, feeling as if he could take down anything.

The tree was engulfed almost immediately, the fire racing along the trunk and up into the branches. The sound was almost deafening, the flames licking almost to his feet, and the heat was so intense it would have scorched the hairs on his arms and face if he had any.

He repeated this with the next few trees, each firebolt growing ever stronger and each tree falling in spectacular fashion. By the time he had reached the last tree, he was almost drunk on his own power, his every thought consumed by the magic surging through him.

As he raised his hand for the final time, his heart raced in his chest. He knew that this would be the most powerful firebolt yet. The power was channeled, and the firebolt exploded from his palm in a burst of flame. The final tree stood in the path of the raging inferno; its branches and leaves were stripped away almost immediately. The trunk was the last to go, vast chunks of wood falling away into the fire, burning like kindling. The roar of the flames was almost too much to bear; the heat was so intense that it felt like he was standing in an oven.

He laughed as Fiona looked at him with an unreadable expression, but he did not care.

This feeling of power...

Was good.