The commotion that had occurred seemed to have gone unnoticed by the rest of the house’s inhabitants, as none had come to check what had happened. Perhaps it was because the chaos Aric had witnessed didn’t reach the physical plane.
Serina now sat on the bed, sipping from a cup of water the prince had gotten for her, along with the blanket he had wrapped around her, as she had been shivering slightly.
"I’m fine now, and I know you’re itching to ask, so go ahead, Your Highness," Serina looked up at Aric.
Aric sighed. "Was I that obvious? Well, curiosity is eating me alive... Where were we? Who was that?"
As he fired off his questions, Serina let out a small laugh.
"I guess I’ll have to start from the beginning—there are eight classes of mages, and each class represents two circles. So, a first-class mage would be a one or two-circle mage, a second-class mage would be a three or four-circle mage, and so on."
Aric raised his hand, interrupting her. "You don’t have to go that far back. I know that much."
"Well, I’m sure you don’t know this, because not many do, but when a mage reaches the fourth class, something happens—they stand a very slight chance of being tied to things... entities known as the Weavers."
"That is what was speaking with me?" Aric muttered.
"Yes," Serina confirmed.
"What are they?"
"No one can be entirely sure, but think of them as ancient, powerful beings that exist outside the mortal plane. They control the threads of fate, weaving destinies and the flow of magic without direct intervention. Those chosen by a Weaver gain access to the Arcane Weave."
Serina went on to explain all she knew to Aric.
The Arcane Weave was a fundamental force of magic that connects life, death, chaos, and order. There were seven primary Weavers who governed it, each representing a different aspect of existence: Balance, Chaos, Order, Death, Life, Fate, and Time.
"The Weavers choose people to become their instruments, and I was chosen by the Weaver of Balance when I reached the 8th circle. The subspace we were in represents this balance."
"The raging storm was chaos, and the perfect quiet was order—that was the balance," Aric quickly caught on.
"Yes, exactly. While for you, it seems you were chosen by the Weaver of Fate," Serina paused, looking away. "You are no mage, it doesn’t make sense for that to happen, and Balance doesn’t seem to permit it either—you are an abnormality, Aric."
"For me, being connected to the Arcane Weave of Balance has made breaking through to the next circle difficult. For true balance to exist, there must be a give and take... a sacrifice and a reward. The moment you stepped into the circle, you became that sacrifice. In exchange for your life, I would have gained the power I needed... this is not what I wanted, but I couldn’t stop it. Only she could."
Martial Mage Level: 1
Health (HP): [73/73]
Stamina: [73/73]
Ki: [25/100 (Restricted)]
Mana (MP): [10/10]
Attributes:
- Strength: [34]
- Agility: [27]
- Endurance: [45]
- Intelligence: [6]
-—————-
There were clear differences in his status window. First, the mage ranking system was added to his level, along with a mana stat. But the most important change was the "Martial Mage" level, because, according to the guide, that is what he had become.
This was a critical development—not just because Aric was now the first cultivator and mage, but because by being both, he had created something entirely new, a different kind of power altogether.
The guide explained that Aric had now merged ki and mana, creating something unheard of... but unimaginably formidable.
And even given this chance, something still irked Aric. Without the Martial God foundation, specifically designed to balance the chaos of such a fusion of ki and mana, this would not have been possible.
From the words of the guide on the day of their meeting about Aric having "magical abilities" to the system granting him the Martial God technique as a reward for his very first quest, it seemed as though, despite his ignorance, everything had been meticulously planned.
Though he hadn’t noticed it before, it felt as though his life, from the moment he regressed to the time he stepped into the magic circle hours ago, had been orchestrated by someone... something.
"The Weaver of Fate..." the prince whispered.