ACT I
The Failed Prodigy
Tonight was a rare sight of stars shining in the Ghost Isles, but instead of star gazing, Hans was silently cursing his fate. Suddenly, he heard loud noises downstairs; He didn't have to wonder who was in the house making these noises, regardless of the sleep of others. The situation was already annoying for him and the sound of clink-clanks was not making things easier, so he came down and wanted to lash out at the culprit, but Sierra’s worrisome gaze and arms calling for an embrace made him forget that.
He quietly asked Sierra.
What is Gramps doing?
Sierra spoke up.
I'm not sure, but he is losing it.
Rudolf looked for a while, they had accumulated a lot of items while spending their time in the Ghost Isles. He was unsure if the item he was looking for was here or in another place. Sierra's little joke amused him a bit and got him distracted from his dreary state. Sierra didn't want to offer any false hope to him, so she remained quiet. After throwing a lot of things here and there, Rudolf bursted out laughing and shouted.
I found it.
What? Sierra and Hans both asked at the same time.
Rudolf smirked and added,
"Limitless"
Hans glanced over and apathetically said.
So it's a book.
Hans was a child that used to jump in excitement by mere sight of a new book, but he was doing the opposite this time. It was a book covered in tough leather for preservation and locked with various spells. Rudolf handed it to Sierra and asked her to unlock the book. Hans was already feeling dejected because even if that book contained the world's most powerful spells, it's useless to him until he could make mana heart which seemed impossible now.
Seeing him down again, Rudolf stroked Hans’s head and said,
I'm not bragging, but the author of that book was on a level where calling him genius was an insult.
Hans understood who he was referring to, but this was not enough to make him feel good. He replied to his words in a sullen mood,
So what?
Rudolf replied to him,
Hans, you are not getting it. We don't know how or whatever ways you came to be, but you are possibly one of his experiments.
Hans sarcastically replied,
wow, how encouraging?
Just listen to me you brat, when he handed me the book he said, “I will need this so make sure you deliver this to me when I need it”. Maybe he was referring to you.
Mentioning those words perked up Hans’s ears, he got to know about the book named Mandate, which became a treasure of Parv and reading another book written by him looked like a way to distract him from sadness so unbeknownst, he was waiting for the locks to be lifted.
Rudolf kept stroking of his beard and added,
I know for a fact; the book is for someone having a Wood mana property.
Those words were music for Hans’ ears compared to the series of bad news he had heard since yesterday, and the title "limitless" suddenly became too enticing for him. Sierra was also hoping for this book to be some sort of help to their child, but she also knew how Sam used to pull their legs, so she said to her husband while trying to lift layered locks in the book.
Sam wrote that book when he was 16, and you know how he was in his teenage years. Don't count chickens before they hatch.
Rudolf answered by making a click sound with his tongue and saying
That brat kept torturing my ears whenever he got the chance with his weird theories, so I don't think he would pull a big one on me like this. Probably? He clearly told me to hand this book over to him.
Rudolf lost some confidence because of her words and turned to Hans saying, "It's better than crying all night, right squeaky?" Hans realised that his entire night's experience was no longer a secret to only him, so he simply asked Rudolf to tell him everything he knew about the book.
As far as Hans understood, Samson was a man of intellect, his actions were ambiguous, but this book would be worth reading at least once. He gathered his thoughts and looked at the troubled Sierra, struggling with the seals. Rudolf was bolstering his and Hans’ confidence by telling him about the time when he wrote this book,
He was a sixteen-year-old boy, dreaming of mapping these lands. The thing that fascinated him most was the unique mana methods of beasts here. He tried to replicate their style and received a backlash that caused him to be unconscious for a week.
Rudolf continued after taking a small breath
After waking up, he informed me about devising a way to have an infinite amount of mana, and Sierra beat him even harder when he reiterated his hypothesis. Because of his mad experiments, he suffered several life-threatening moments either from backlashes or from the beatings of your granma.
Hans asked with an amazement
Granny could beat someone?
Rudolf whispered in his ears
Oh, you do not know how short-tempered she was then.
Hans smiled after a long time, which lighted up the dreary mood. The old man got happy to see him cheering up, so he finally glanced at the struggles of her wife. She was an excellent mage, and lifting a few seals on something was like a child’s play to her, but her annoyed expression was clearly saying that those seals meant business.
Rudolf asked her in concern
Is there a seal which you cannot crack, dear?
Sierra sighed and replied
I could crack any, but that brat had to turn the unsealing process into mana equations. Now at this age, I have to revise the knowledge of mana equations for teens.
Rudolf added to the conversation
I shouldn’t have bugged him with the book. I remember him threatening me about sealing the book in a way which I can’t open it.
His reminiscence got interrupted by Sierra's declarations of lifting the seal. Rudolf and Hans urged her to open the book. The first page of the book greeted them with only one sentence.
Prove Your Worth
Hans ignored the contents and turned the page or tried doing it, but all the pages seemed to be stuck together. He turned anxiously at Sierra, who unsealed the book, suggesting that the seal was still there, but Sierra shook her head, saying that it was not the seal.Rudolf has been thinking about the time Sam wrote this and trying to jog his memory to see if he missed anything. He remembered something and said.
Sam was into blood magic then.
He grabbed Hans’ right hand and pricked his index finger. Hans shouted, but he paid no heed to his cry and placed the bloodied finger on the first page. The page absorbed the blood and after a moment; the page turned spotless, with the disappearing of written words along the bloodstain.
Rudolf got baffled and took the book from Hans’ hands. He placed it on the table and hastily turned the pages that were unsealed, but the entire book was just a collection of blank pages. Rudolf cursed and looked with apologetic eyes towards the child. Hans couldn't understand why his old man was acting this way, so he asked him.
What are you doing?
Rudolf scratched his back of the head and replied to him anxiously,
It looks like Sam played a prank on us, squeaky; the book is completely empty.
Hans asked them in surprise.
What are you talking about? Can't you see things written in it?
The words led Sierra’s eyes to him, and she also looked book with various spells and skills, but she also saw nothing just like Rudolf. She turned to Hans and asked him,
What is written in it?
Hans started reading the freshly appeared text that only he could see
To the reader, whoever you are, I don't care how you unlocked this book; you should definitely return it to me. The only way you could get anything from this book is to have wood mana, and this is impossible.
Hans felt like he had become the hero of the stories that he read some time with Sierra. The Wood mana and the blood seal were making things exclusive for him; he was feeling quite special now, so he happily continued his reading.
If I am right, as always, you couldn't make a mana heart or create an aura because of divine mana in you, and now you are wondering how do I know it.
Hans was reading it aloud and suddenly stopped after these words. He looked up at the elders, who were staring right back at him. The words were right. Hans was thinking how in the god's name Samson knew it. The elders urged him to read ahead.
If you can't relate to my words then, someone is going to come for your head. But if you can, then enough with the threats. I wrote this book for you, Hans…
Hans stopped one more time, and the book fell from his grasp. He hurriedly picked it again, dusting it off. The words made Rudolf burst into laughter and he said,
See, I told you; he wrote this for the brat,
Hans asked him, feeling surprised.
How…I mean, he even knew my name.
Sierra said,
The person who brought you to us said your name was Hans, so we left it at that way.
Rudolf added his words in a prideful voice,
The more you try to understand Sam, the more you will get confused.
Hans read the next sentence.
You must have been shocked and wondering about me, right? You were born not as an experiment, but a failsafe in case I die before my time. This is a guide I prepared for you in that situation. So sadly, if you are reading this, then I am out of this world. I am just wondering which bastard bested me.
ACT I
The Failed Prodigy
Tonight was a rare sight of stars shining in the Ghost Isles, but instead of star gazing, Hans was silently cursing his fate. Suddenly, he heard loud noises downstairs; He didn't have to wonder who was in the house making these noises, regardless of the sleep of others. The situation was already annoying for him and the sound of clink-clanks was not making things easier, so he came down and wanted to lash out at the culprit, but Sierra’s worrisome gaze and arms calling for an embrace made him forget that.
He quietly asked Sierra.
What is Gramps doing?
Sierra spoke up.
I'm not sure, but he is losing it.
Rudolf looked for a while, they had accumulated a lot of items while spending their time in the Ghost Isles. He was unsure if the item he was looking for was here or in another place. Sierra's little joke amused him a bit and got him distracted from his dreary state. Sierra didn't want to offer any false hope to him, so she remained quiet. After throwing a lot of things here and there, Rudolf bursted out laughing and shouted.
I found it.
What? Sierra and Hans both asked at the same time.
Rudolf smirked and added,
"Limitless"
Hans glanced over and apathetically said.
So it's a book.
Hans was a child that used to jump in excitement by mere sight of a new book, but he was doing the opposite this time. It was a book covered in tough leather for preservation and locked with various spells. Rudolf handed it to Sierra and asked her to unlock the book. Hans was already feeling dejected because even if that book contained the world's most powerful spells, it's useless to him until he could make mana heart which seemed impossible now.
Seeing him down again, Rudolf stroked Hans’s head and said,
I'm not bragging, but the author of that book was on a level where calling him genius was an insult.
Hans understood who he was referring to, but this was not enough to make him feel good. He replied to his words in a sullen mood,
So what?
Rudolf replied to him,
Hans, you are not getting it. We don't know how or whatever ways you came to be, but you are possibly one of his experiments.
Hans sarcastically replied,
wow, how encouraging?
Just listen to me you brat, when he handed me the book he said, “I will need this so make sure you deliver this to me when I need it”. Maybe he was referring to you.
Mentioning those words perked up Hans’s ears, he got to know about the book named Mandate, which became a treasure of Parv and reading another book written by him looked like a way to distract him from sadness so unbeknownst, he was waiting for the locks to be lifted.
Rudolf kept stroking of his beard and added,
I know for a fact; the book is for someone having a Wood mana property.
Those words were music for Hans’ ears compared to the series of bad news he had heard since yesterday, and the title "limitless" suddenly became too enticing for him. Sierra was also hoping for this book to be some sort of help to their child, but she also knew how Sam used to pull their legs, so she said to her husband while trying to lift layered locks in the book.
Sam wrote that book when he was 16, and you know how he was in his teenage years. Don't count chickens before they hatch.
Rudolf answered by making a click sound with his tongue and saying
That brat kept torturing my ears whenever he got the chance with his weird theories, so I don't think he would pull a big one on me like this. Probably? He clearly told me to hand this book over to him.
Rudolf lost some confidence because of her words and turned to Hans saying, "It's better than crying all night, right squeaky?" Hans realised that his entire night's experience was no longer a secret to only him, so he simply asked Rudolf to tell him everything he knew about the book.
As far as Hans understood, Samson was a man of intellect, his actions were ambiguous, but this book would be worth reading at least once. He gathered his thoughts and looked at the troubled Sierra, struggling with the seals. Rudolf was bolstering his and Hans’ confidence by telling him about the time when he wrote this book,
He was a sixteen-year-old boy, dreaming of mapping these lands. The thing that fascinated him most was the unique mana methods of beasts here. He tried to replicate their style and received a backlash that caused him to be unconscious for a week.
Rudolf continued after taking a small breath
After waking up, he informed me about devising a way to have an infinite amount of mana, and Sierra beat him even harder when he reiterated his hypothesis. Because of his mad experiments, he suffered several life-threatening moments either from backlashes or from the beatings of your granma.
Hans asked with an amazement
Granny could beat someone?
Rudolf whispered in his ears
Oh, you do not know how short-tempered she was then.
Hans smiled after a long time, which lighted up the dreary mood. The old man got happy to see him cheering up, so he finally glanced at the struggles of her wife. She was an excellent mage, and lifting a few seals on something was like a child’s play to her, but her annoyed expression was clearly saying that those seals meant business.
Rudolf asked her in concern
Is there a seal which you cannot crack, dear?
Sierra sighed and replied
I could crack any, but that brat had to turn the unsealing process into mana equations. Now at this age, I have to revise the knowledge of mana equations for teens.
Rudolf added to the conversation
I shouldn’t have bugged him with the book. I remember him threatening me about sealing the book in a way which I can’t open it.
His reminiscence got interrupted by Sierra's declarations of lifting the seal. Rudolf and Hans urged her to open the book. The first page of the book greeted them with only one sentence.
Prove Your Worth
Hans ignored the contents and turned the page or tried doing it, but all the pages seemed to be stuck together. He turned anxiously at Sierra, who unsealed the book, suggesting that the seal was still there, but Sierra shook her head, saying that it was not the seal.Rudolf has been thinking about the time Sam wrote this and trying to jog his memory to see if he missed anything. He remembered something and said.
Sam was into blood magic then.
He grabbed Hans’ right hand and pricked his index finger. Hans shouted, but he paid no heed to his cry and placed the bloodied finger on the first page. The page absorbed the blood and after a moment; the page turned spotless, with the disappearing of written words along the bloodstain.
Rudolf got baffled and took the book from Hans’ hands. He placed it on the table and hastily turned the pages that were unsealed, but the entire book was just a collection of blank pages. Rudolf cursed and looked with apologetic eyes towards the child. Hans couldn't understand why his old man was acting this way, so he asked him.
What are you doing?
Rudolf scratched his back of the head and replied to him anxiously,
It looks like Sam played a prank on us, squeaky; the book is completely empty.
Hans asked them in surprise.
What are you talking about? Can't you see things written in it?
The words led Sierra’s eyes to him, and she also looked book with various spells and skills, but she also saw nothing just like Rudolf. She turned to Hans and asked him,
What is written in it?
Hans started reading the freshly appeared text that only he could see
To the reader, whoever you are, I don't care how you unlocked this book; you should definitely return it to me. The only way you could get anything from this book is to have wood mana, and this is impossible.
Hans felt like he had become the hero of the stories that he read some time with Sierra. The Wood mana and the blood seal were making things exclusive for him; he was feeling quite special now, so he happily continued his reading.
If I am right, as always, you couldn't make a mana heart or create an aura because of divine mana in you, and now you are wondering how do I know it.
Hans was reading it aloud and suddenly stopped after these words. He looked up at the elders, who were staring right back at him. The words were right. Hans was thinking how in the god's name Samson knew it. The elders urged him to read ahead.
If you can't relate to my words then, someone is going to come for your head. But if you can, then enough with the threats. I wrote this book for you, Hans…
Hans stopped one more time, and the book fell from his grasp. He hurriedly picked it again, dusting it off. The words made Rudolf burst into laughter and he said,
See, I told you; he wrote this for the brat,
Hans asked him, feeling surprised.
How…I mean, he even knew my name.
Sierra said,
The person who brought you to us said your name was Hans, so we left it at that way.
Rudolf added his words in a prideful voice,
The more you try to understand Sam, the more you will get confused.
Hans read the next sentence.
You must have been shocked and wondering about me, right? You were born not as an experiment, but a failsafe in case I die before my time. This is a guide I prepared for you in that situation. So sadly, if you are reading this, then I am out of this world. I am just wondering which bastard bested me.
