《Misfits of the World》


 Prologue

    Another long day, foraging as my parent''s slave, comes to an end. The pathway was dimly lit by the sunset''s rays, as the surrounding forest vanished. I was greeted by the fences of our small town, vibrantly lit with not only lights, but the kind villagers who neighbour us.


    "Karine! How did your foraging go?"


    "Do you really need to ask?" I responded dully; I think I have the curse of anti-foraging bound to my soul itself.


    "Welcome home, Karine! I see you brought home a boar again." Cecil, my father, called to me. Sometimes I wish he would stop treating me like a kid!


    "I''m back, father¡­" I answered, as Jaclyn, my mother, opened the front door and lunged herself towards me like a pouncing jaguar¡­


    "Mother, I''m too tired for thi-"


    "I missed you so much, Karine!!" mother interrupted radiantly. She is so overprotective sometimes. Did she think I''d get killed by some wild bear?


    "I bet you''re excited for your 9th birthday tomorrow, aren''t you?" Father grinned, playful as usual.


    "Of course I am! What did you get me this time?"


    "You''ll have to wait and see, darling¡­" Mother smiled.


    "Will I finally learn something other than English?"


    "Don''t get too excited. I won''t go easy with my sword just because you''re a girl!" Father responded, as I recalled who he used to be.


    Mother chipped in, saying, "Spellcasting is a complex thing to learn, Karine. I''ll help you out with your education on magic. But are you sure you want to become a mage? It''s not all that special, you know. You should become a housewife like me!"


    "I''d rather not, mother. Magic is just so amazing! How does it even work?"


    "We can discuss that another time, darling." Mother responded.


    Well, I barely slept that night.


    The next day, I looked in the mirror and asked myself, ''Who did I get my orange hair from? My purple eyes are from my father, but he has black hair and my mother has blonde hair. Not even her eyes are purple, they''re black!'' Strange...


    Shortly after, my parents greeted me with a cup of tea and a delicious breakfast - pork sausages and rice, with my mother¡¯s homemade sauce.


    Is she some sort of genius at everything, or what? Hopefully I inherited those genes. More importantly, she explained how magic works to me on the way to the bookstore.


    Mana is the life energy that flows through all living beings. Everybody is born with mana, including monsters, beastkin and humans. Mana capacity is determined and increased through 4 main methods:


    - Everybody is born with a different amount of mana, depending on race and heritage.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    - Casting spells increases mana capacity over time. This happens mainly when mages practise their spells in training grounds.


    - Blessings from spirits or gods can be given to increase mana capacity, though it is highly rare.


    - And finally, mana meditation, which is the main method used by mages. It is used frequently by mages to increase mana capacity.


    Mana meditation involves channelling your mana into your surroundings, which would typically cause them to wear down (eventually breaking). However, manatite is a crystal that absorbs mana, dissipating it gently into the air. This allows for manatite sanctuaries to be built; they are made partially out of manatite, which does not wear down during meditation. They are made out of manatite alloy, that is a percentage of manatite crystal - higher percentages are used for more powerful mages when they meditate (to prevent giant sinkholes appearing, of course).


    That''s quite the headache to remember¡­ Mother told me to mainly remember mana meditation, though. Moving on to my father''s sword lessons:


    "Weak, Weak, Weak! Where''s the power behind your swings?" Father complained, strangely excited.


    "I''m not as strong as you, ok?" I exclaimed, already exhausted after a minute of swinging. After taking a breath, I continued, "I can''t just pick up a hunk of wood and break a stone!"


    "Well, I''m here to get you to that level, youngster! Let''s do a duel."


    Needless to say, that hurt.


    Finally, my mother taught me some more information about other races.


    "There are many races on our continent of Omora, split into three groups: Beastkin, Monsters and Humans." She went on, "The monsters you need to know are dragons, wyverns, orcs, goblins and demons. Dragons are majestic, flying creatures with immense power and mana. They tend to have a high level of intelligence, and won''t attack unless provoked - so don''t enter their territory."


    She went on to expand the other types of monsters, before moving on:


    "You will learn about beastkin and other human races as you travel, if you choose to be a mage or adventurer. Be warned though; many beastkin hold grudges against humans like you, despite your father being a demi-demon and my elven heritage. Demi-demons are humans with additional demonic abilities. Don''t be scared of them!" Sounds like some races hold some grudges - interesting. I wonder why demi-demons aren''t evil...


    One other thing to note is that there are 6 elements: Wind, Fire, Earth, Water, Holy and Dark. Holy and Dark elements are difficult for humans to learn as they lack these connections, though holy magic can be learnt through devoted worship of a god. Beastkin have various elements they may specialise in - for example, faeries, which are ostracised for their typically evil nature - can use dark magic for illusion and trickery. Most races can use Wind magic, and humans can use Fire, Earth and Water alongside that.


    ¨C 2 YEARS LATER ¨C


    ¡°Karine! Are you still this slow?¡± Father mocked, causing a swift retaliation from mother... That was a loud slap.


    We were out in the nearby hunting forest, training my movement using the wind element; it has many uses for movement, including flight and hastening. When we encounter any predators, we stay silent and practise stealth (That¡¯s an important skill, according to mother). On that note, father didn¡¯t want mother to come along - until she started screaming the Earth to the pits of hell. Anyways, I was struggling to even keep up at their slow speed¡­ Just how powerful are they?


    A mighty silverfang wolf materialised in front of us, and I quickly went into hiding in a nearby bush. I¡¯ve already seen a few of these, so I¡¯m not too scared anymore - it isn¡¯t that hard to just stay silent and wait, after all.


    ¡°Good luck, darling.¡±


    Mother¡¯s whisper wasn¡¯t enough preparation for the plunge into hell itself. The silverfang immediately brandished its razors, circling and analysing my every move. I wasn¡¯t ready for my first fight - this is nothing like duelling with my father! But there wasn¡¯t time to think, as - in a flash - the silverfang was lunging its resolve to kill into my paralyzed face. As my mother had drilled into me, I instinctively brought up a Versatile Ward spell, holding off the silverfang for the second required to dodge.


    As the furry beast slipped past the tip of my hair, I realised the sheer power of this monster -


    It was a shapeshifter.

 Rudimentary Preparation

    The silverfang''s eyes spiralled - a deadly amethyst - as the body disformed into a slurry of swirling dark-violet essence. How am I meant to fight something like this?! What are my parents even thinking¡­ Ok, I should focus on this fight. Mother taught me that concentration significantly bolsters accuracy, and stability, of spells.


    The swirling essence took form as an indigo Lesser Demon, which devilishly smirked a recognizable spell - Firebolt. Self explanatory, it is easy to cast and low-level, discharging a bolt of flame. I allotted a Magical Ward spell to the task, and started casting my own spell: Gust Slice. From my hand emitted an arc of wind magic, which I narrowly curved around the incoming Firebolt. Before its impact took place, the head of that devil spoiled the soil beneath.


    ¡°Well done, Karine!¡± Father cheered.


    ¡°I was so worried, darling!¡± Mother commented.


    What are they saying? They just thrusted me into the most frightening situation of my life, and are congratulating me?!


    Karine dropped to the ground, overflowing with a mixture of fear and relief. As her parents came to her aid, her first battle had come to an end.


    ¡°We¡¯re so sorry, Karine!¡± Mother and father kneeled, grave expressions smothering their faces.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine now, I simply wasn¡¯t prepared for something like that¡­ Please warn me next time, okay?¡± I didn¡¯t want to go overboard, even if that experience is going to give me nightmares of shapeshifters. After all, I still love my parents.


    ¡°You¡¯re so kind, Karine!¡± Father sobbed, and for once, mother agreed with father¡¯s comment on me.


    ¡°I¡¯m heading to bed, where shapeshifters won¡¯t reach me¡­¡±


    ¨C 3 YEARS LATER ¨C


    "You should enrol into an academy, Karine." Father said, sparking my mother at once.


    "NO! I can''t live without her, are you crazy Cecil?" However, enrolling into an academy? That might help me improve my magic faster!


    "I think that might be a good idea, fath-"


    "Don''t leave me!!" Mother cried desperately, tearing up.


    "Jaclyn, Karine needs to move on in her life. How else will she advance in her career as a mage?"


    "But Karine is my everything, Cecil!"


    I think you can tell how that conversation went.


    Later on that day, I spoke with my father in secret about academic studies.


    "Seal Coast Institute is really your only choice, out in this countryside. Unless your mother has taught you teleportation magic, haha."


    After discussing with him, he explained that Seal Coast Institute is an Academy of Magic and Adventuring in the closest city; the others nearby are all private academies for the rich. Apparently, it has an entrance exam consisting of English tests (to ensure students can read/write), and a practical exam, which both vary each year. The problem is... the entrance exam is in 1 week.


    Investigating the matter, we found that the Seal Coast practical exam is divided into 3 parts: ¡®Archery¡¯ for long-range physical combat, ¡®Melee¡¯ for short-range physical combat, and ¡®Magic¡¯ for elemental combat. Only one can be taken for each applicant, which can be any of the three.


    Father went to the magic store with me, as mother was busy. Why, you might ask? She really didn¡¯t like my plans to leave home¡­ Apparently, that¡¯s why the bed was stained in tears earlier. The local magic store was quite lacking, due to a lack of pretty much anyone needing to use much magic. There were some beastkin browsing the store, typically passerbys. I wish I could see a human for once - it¡¯s quite lonely in this beastkin country sometimes. Maybe I should take a trip outside of Losmeau at some point.


    Anyways, we bought a basic fire staff - fire is undoubtedly my favourite element of the four bases. Using a staff will reduce mana usage and increase the accuracy/stability of my spells; a fire staff will mainly affect fire spells, however.


    Moving on, we took a peek inside of the weapons shop, for self-defence situations. I don¡¯t want to die to bandits, after all. I finalised on a bronze rapier, due to its light and cheap properties - I shouldn¡¯t have to use it much, so iron or steel isn¡¯t really necessary. I mean, why wouldn¡¯t I use magic instead? Bringing up that argument, ¡°Expect the unexpected, Karine. There are many cases where magic is lacking!¡± Father retaliated.


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    Practice makes perfect. The fundamentals for success, according to my mother - so here I am. Let¡¯s see how this staff holds up!


    ¡°Gust Slice!¡± I chanted, and it was swifter than ever before¡­ Not to mention, it struck directly at the neck, where I aimed. If these dummies in the training grounds weren¡¯t enchanted, there would be straw everywhere. Hunting with this will be interesting.


    Moving on, I drew my bronze rapier - this looks so much fancier than the other swords for sale. I lunged towards a dummy, with a swift strike to the chest. The barrier protecting it cracked for an instant, before regenerating as I backed down. Wait a minute¡­ the barrier cracked?!


    ¡°That¡¯s the power of rapiers, Karine!¡± Father yelled from the backdoor.


    ¡°Rapiers can cut through magic better than most swords, allowing for swift counter attacks. This is called magic dissipation.¡± As I approached my father, he added, ¡°A lot of sword types have special properties, which you can discover as you test them out.¡±


    What could be better than magic dissipation, though?


    ¡°For example, Scythes, my favourite weapon, have higher attunement towards magical infusion; Perfect for a hybrid, like me.¡±


    ¡°You can use magic like my mother?¡±


    ¡°Sure can! Nowhere near her level, though. I was more of a warrior than a mage.¡±


    A few days of training later, and I began feeling a sense of confidence in my magic. This must be because of my staff - I¡¯m getting used to it, finally. Dual casting is still hard, though¡­


    ¡°Firebolt. Icicle.¡± I chanted, emitting both a flaming bolt and an ice shard towards a dummy. They scarcely missed the neck, choosing to collide either side of it - almost mocking me.


    ¡°Keep at it, darling!¡± Mother yelled from the bedroom window. Training is so embarrassing!


    Moving onto hybrid spells, my mother taught me one for wind and fire elements; ¡°Ignited Helix!¡± I yelled, emphasising every syllable as much as I could. A churning sphere of fire and wind magic formed, growing to a mighty scale. Explosively, a dual spiral of wind and fire gushed out of my staff¡¯s peak, the sun¡¯s counterpart in brightness! The sheer amazement, however, was the source of disaster; as my concentration faded, the flames grew exponentially brighter than before. My eyes were instantaneously blinded, as I realised my fragility¡­


    The next thing I knew, I was looking up at my bedroom ceiling. I felt sluggish, as something slumped off my forehead. I felt a stinging sensation pricking over my whole left body.


    ¡°Darling!¡±


    ¡°Karine! Are you ok?¡± My parents stood over me, showing a level of concern I¡¯ve never seen before.


    Father continued, ¡°That explosion was horrifying¡­ What happened?¡±


    Stuttering, I replied, ¡°I think I lost concentration attempting my first dual cast¡­ It was blinding. What happened to me?¡±


    Mother interrupted, ¡°You have a burn all the way down your left arm, darling! Not to mention, you were unconscious until just this morning. It¡¯s been over half a day!¡± That¡¯s surprising¡­ I didn¡¯t think putting in that much mana could be so disastrous.


    Wait. Half a day?


    My spine jolted upright immediately. ¡°Seal Coast! The exam!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it darling, you can always do it next year.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait that long, mother! I¡¯ve been preparing for this all week¡­¡±


    ¡°If I remember correctly, it¡¯s in around 25 hours? If Karine wants to go, we should let her, Jaclyn.¡±


    ¡°Just look at her injuries! How can we expect her to go there all by herself?¡±


    ¡°With your healing magic, of course. Elves are meant to be good at that, aren¡¯t they? I can¡¯t crush her hopes like this¡­¡±


    After some convincing, mother agreed to heal my wounds, which apparently extended further than they thought: There were burns all over my left arm, chest, and left leg. Just how destructive is that magic?


    ¡°Here I go, Karine. I haven¡¯t used this in a while, but I hope it lets you walk, at least.¡± After a deep breath, she chanted, ¡°Advanced Healing.¡±


    A golden silk veil circled my mother, as her hands gently shone a nostalgic, lively light. The stinging on the left side of my body faded significantly - holy magic really is amazing!


    ¡°Does it still hurt, darling?¡± Mother asked patiently.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine now, thanks mother. That was amazing!¡± There was still some pain as I leant over the side of the bed, but I can¡¯t worry my mother any more than I have.


    After an hour to have breakfast and prepare my gear, I stepped into the future, the sun¡¯s rays reflecting my tiger tinted hair.


    ¡°I¡¯ll miss you, darling! Make sure to send letters!¡± Mother sobbed, overprotective as usual.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get killed, Karine!¡± Father commented. The classic Jaclyn Cohen¡¯s connective slap.


    My adventure has finally begun! At least I thought so¡­