Chapter Five: The One Who Returned from Death
The air in the training grounds was filled with the scent of ancient stones and cold dew. It was no ordinary morning; it was the beginning of something much deeper. Ren Edrich, the sole heir of the Edrich family that controls the magic of death, stood in the middle of the grounds, his eyes closed as if listening to a voice only he could hear.
Before him stood Kiran, the commander of the family's magical knights, watching silently.
In a calm voice, he said, "Mana is not something you impose your will upon, young sir. It is something you breathe… understand… live with."
His voice echoed through the grounds, but Ren did not answer, only breathing slowly.
Inside his body, the mana began to move — not light or warm like the mana of other elements, but cold, suffocating, as if shadows were slipping through his blood. Yet it did not frighten him… it was familiar.
"Death…" Ren muttered to himself, "I know it."
**
Suddenly, he remembered. The eternal silence. The heart stopping. The pain in the last moment… then the stillness.
He hadn't just read about death.
He had died.
He opened his eyes, a faint smile appearing on his lips. His face showed no fear, only a strange certainty. He raised his right hand, and the air around him thickened and darkened as if the light was fleeing from him.
Kiran stepped back unconsciously and said,
"Master Ren… you're doing this at an unnatural speed."
Ren did not reply. The mana continued to gather, swirling around him like a gray cyclone.
Then he muttered softly, madly:
"I will make death bow to me…"
The mana around him trembled. This was not energy, but the breath of something alive.
Despite his sternness, Kiran felt a chill run down his spine. This was not normal control. It was a connection… as if death responded to Ren, not as an enemy, but as a companion.
**
After minutes of tense silence, Kiran tried to regain his composure and said:
"It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say you possess an unprecedented understanding, Master Ren. Most trainees need months to reach where you are now."
In a cold voice, Ren said:
"No one understands death more than those who have passed through it… I swear."
**
Kiran fell silent. There was something in Ren's eyes that didn't resemble a child. Nor even a human.
After a moment, Kiran said:
"Very well. As the next step, I will begin explaining the basic types of magic recognized across the continent."
He extended his staff and began drawing circles in the air as he spoke:
"There are five basic schools of magic: Fire, Water, Earth, Air, and Light. There are also special schools like Blood, Life, and Death… which are limited to certain bloodlines."
He then added:
"The Imperial family controls Light magic. The house of Kraimora , Lady Cecilia's family, controls Blood magic. And the Lumiora family controls Life magic."
"But you, Master Ren… you are the heir of Death magic."
The last words echoed in Ren's ears as if they were a prophecy. He was not afraid. Rather… reassured.
**
At the end of the training, Kiran bowed slightly and said:
"We will continue tomorrow. But be cautious, young master… Absolute power does not mean full control."
Ren walked away with calm steps, but everyone who saw him felt he was not merely walking… but dragging a shadow larger than himself.
Inside his mind, the voice kept whispering:
"We are neither alive… nor dead. We are those who returned through death's backdoor."