Capítulo 10: Chapter 9 - Remea
In the far south of the kingdom near the border between the Human and Demon continents lies the small town of Remea.
It is a place infamous for being filled with vagabonds. Only those who have nowhere else to go would decide to make this place their home.
Contrary to expectations, the cobblestone paved streets are seldom dotted with litter, and the order of the place is kept peaceful. Stone brick houses line the streets as the inhabitants open their windows to let in the first sunlight of the day.
Every morning, neighbours can be seen chatting about their lives with one another while their children hold hands and make their way to school, unafraid of danger.
The market square buzzes with activity as mothers and fathers of all races, Human, Beastman, Faerie and Demon busy themselves, doing their best to sell their wares or preparing dinner for when their sons and daughters return home for the day.
Though rare, even the elderly can be seen travelling to the parks where they meet and connect with old friends, reminiscing about the past while sitting beneath the shade.
At night, the town goes silent as people begin cultivation, a tradition passed down since long ago and one still promoted by the king.
However Remea was not always like this.
Before the discovery of runes and the start of the human calendar, Remea was a place of conflict.
Due to its proximity with their border, the Demon leaders would often choose Remea as a springboard to launch their attacks on the human continent, and for 200 years the back and forth between Humans and Demons continued.
Unfortunately for the residents, this was their only home. It was heartbreaking for them to be forced to watch as their homes were destroyed time and time again by the Demon armies, and gradually their hate for the Demons grew.
'Why must we go through this time after time?', the residents would think to themselves. 'If only we could wipe the demons out for good'
And eventually, that chance came.
On the 30th year of the human calendar, 30 years after the discovery of runes, humanity was ready to begin their revenge on the Demons who had tormented them.
Nearly all those who could within Remea signed up to join the army. Husbands said goodbye to their wives, sons said farewell to their mothers as humanity and their Beastman allies led their armies straight through the Demon continent.
Pillaging and looting their villages for supplies and burning down houses as revenge was common throughout the armies, and the Remea regiment was particularly notorious for this.
Though the leaders of the army tried as much as they could to reign it in, they knew better than to go against the sentiment that had been building up for centuries. Even many of them had grievances with the Demons, their friends or family having suffered at their hands, and as they continued their march and watched their allies fall, their rage only burned brighter.
Two years since the start of the war, humanity had finally reached the Demon's capital. It was there that the '500 Year Treaty' was signed, which stated the Demons would agree not to invade the human or beastman continents for the next half millenium, or else they would be wiped out.
The Demons, whose lands had been ravaged by the invaders, had no choice left but to agree.
Remea's heroes headed home, but many were now lost, never to find their way back.
Though they left in high spirits, when they returned, those who were absent were now even more noticeable. The realities of war had left these once strong willed youths exhausted.
They'd had their revenge, but upon sobering up and remembering the scenes they had witnessed, it left them with no joy, only sadness.
Remea, now at peace, could focus on rebuilding. The once shoddy town, built as if prepared to be destroyed was now rebuilt with permanence in mind. Wooden shacks were upgraded to the stone houses that still stand today, trodden dirt paths were straightened and turned into roads, and a cemetery was built to remember the fallen.
When the first refugees from the Demon Continent arrived at Remea's doorstep, they were met with discrimination. Those who had not experienced the war still hated them for what their kind had done. Fortunately for the refugees, the new leader of Remea was a veteran of the war.
He knew that his actions had been no better than the Demon's who had invaded his home and plead the townsfolk to let them in. As they respected him, they relented and so came the first Demon residents of Remea.
As the years passed and the town flourished, the barriers between Human and Demon lessened.
Other refugees, hearing that all people could find a home in Remea, migrated there in the hopes of a new start, and not long after it was no longer limited to just Demons. The influx of immigrants caused their economy to boom, and the once small town eventually grew to the size it is today.
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As I head to the Magic Association building being led by Clarissa, I recall the history of the town that I'd read about before.
She decided that we would be walking there today in order to give me a better understanding of this place. But I think what she really wanted to do was to show me off to the townspeople.
We can barely get anywhere before being greeted by an enthusiastic young woman who wants to catch up with Clarissa and get to know me better.
And by 'get to know me' I mean 'pinch my cheeks and tell me how cute I am'.
Speaking of which, I'm actually extremely cute if I do say so myself.
I must've spent all my luck from my past life to be born to two such beautiful parents, which in turn caused me to be just as beautiful.
But in any case, getting to freely ogle at these beauties from all different races is truly a feast for the eyes.
I was tempted to ask if I could touch their ears and tails, but unfortunately I think it might be too rude.
A lot of men are also looking this way, though not at me but at Clarissa, however once they realise her identity they quickly get on with their day.
Unfortunately for them it doesn't stop a few men from getting hit by their girlfriends and wives for staring too much.
That'll teach them for looking at my mother that way.
As we make our way through town, I see what looks to be the building we're looking for about 50 metres away.
It's a tall church-like building fitted with a bell tower. The wooden sign on the front says 'Magic Association' in large enough letters that I can read it from here.
When we enter, the heat from outside is immediately dispelled. Is this this world's version of aircon?
As I'm searching for the aircon unit, another young woman walks up to us and greets Clarissa with a hug.
Her thin, black framed glasses and long blue robe are the perfect garb for a stereotypical mage, while her black hair is tied in a high ponytail.
Releasing each other from their embrace, the mage lady speaks.
"I was starting to think you forgot about me Clarissa. Just because you're a tier 5 mage you're too good for me now?", she says with a pouting look.
"You know that's not true Jessica."
"I know, I'm just messing with you. Teacher always told us not to compare ourselves to you anyway. And? Who is this?"
Before Clarissa can answer, I swiftly do my best to bow and introduce myself.
"Hello Miss Jessica. My name is Cain, Clarissa's son."
It seems like my efforts paid off, as Jessica picks me up and hugs me too.
"How precious. I just want to take him for myself. Who knew a brute like Abraham could have a child this adorable."
Another victory for me.
Jealous of her hogging me to herself, Clarissa snatches me back.
"Stop that. We're here on serious business."
My mother can also be very cute sometimes.
"Let me guess, you want to measure his mana capacity?"
Seems like those glasses aren't just for show.
"That's right, and there's also one more thing. But I'll tell you about it once we're done", Clarissa responds.
"Sure thing, then, both of you, come with me."
Jessica leads us to a separate room. In the middle stands a pedestal and on top is what looks to be a black sphere.
Once we're all inside Jessica shuts the door and begins to explain how the orb works.
"All you have to do is place your hand on the ball and channel your mana into it. Then, depending on your attribute, the orb will glow a different colour. Red for fire, yellow for earth, green for wind, blue for water, white for light and purple for darkness. The brighter the light, the higher your mana capacity. Simple right?"
After checking that I understand, she continues.
I take a deep breath and place my hand on the orb.
Relax.
I channel my mana into it.
Suddenly, a burst of pure white light, brighter than any I've ever seen before. However there's something strange going on. Occasionally I can see a beam of purple light flashing momentarily before being drowned out.
"This... Could this be an S-tier capacity? And with dual light and dark attributes too?!", Jessica exclaims, shocked.
Not long after, the light dies down.
It seems I've shown them something serious, as Jessica grabs us close and whispers, as if afraid of letting anyone else hear.
"Do not let anyone else know about this. Otherwise your life might be in danger. I'll report this to teacher, so for now don't mention anything that happened here outside. Understood?"
Jessica looks at me and I nod to show my understanding.
On the way back home we don't stop to chat with anyone else.
As we enter through the front door, Clarissa reassures me that everything will be ok and then heads off to find Abraham, but my mind is still dwelling on what just happened.
Wait a minute.
I never got to ask how the aircon worked!
Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder