When Luka opened his eyes and bowed in appreciation, Alectos said, "Out of the spells I taught you, you must take extra caution when using Command because the caster could abuse it for evil purposes."
"What do you mean?" Luka inquired with arched brows.
"This spell takes control of the target's mind and forces him to obey your will. The spell duration varies depending on the target's mental defense, the caster's proficiency in light magic, and whether the order is contrary to your target's alignment and personal beliefs. If your order is an act that the target performs typically, he would likely comply as a helpful suggestion. But if your order is contrary to his beliefs, then the target will resist and may even break free of your control," Alectos explained.
Luka nodded in understanding. "In the extreme scenario, casting Command would result in the target's enslavement," he observed.
"Exactly. While slavery exists on Zaleron, the Divine Church of Light banned this practice. If they catch you using Command to enslave people, then your reputation will suffer tremendously to the extent that you will lose your status as the 'Godson of Altima,'" the teacher warned.
"Okay, I will avoid using the Command spell unless I have no choice," the student promised.
"Excellent. For the next part of your training, you will practice Divine Summoning," Alectos revealed.
Bel's ears perked up. [Isn't it dangerous for you to use this ability?] The familiar became worried for Luka's well-being because Bel recalled the child entering a coma after he used this ability.
The God of Magic held up his hand. "Luka, you fell into a coma after invoking your divine summoning because you lacked sufficient mana to perform a proper ritual. At that time, you possessed roughly 4,000 mana, while the summoning required 5,000 points. Consequently, your lifeforce made up the deficit via a dark ritual to complete this process. Afterward, your body forcibly shut down to heal," he explained.
Luka recalled his participation in the Ceremony of Blessings when he reached five years of age. At the time, his status report indicated he possessed 4,000 mana. The facts fit what Alectos told Luka. "What are these divine summons? Why are they so mighty?" the student asked.
Alecto smiled faintly. "Do you believe in reincarnation?"
"Yes, I do," Luka replied. After all, he was living proof of it!
"You are a reincarnated soul who came from Earth," the teacher stated.
"How did you know?"
"Since I am a god, I could view a human's past if I care enough to check," Alectos replied with a smile. "Now, you're probably wondering how your reincarnation relates to your divine summon. Your soul has a unique resonance compatible with ALL divine spirits. Consequently, you can partner with them and borrow their powers."
"Unfortunately, Zaleron's natives lack this resonance, and their souls cannot host divine spirits. That's why EVERY member of the Heavensfell lineage reincarnated from another realm."
Luka's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Divine spirits are powerful souls who reached godhood in their homeworlds. But the gods also have finite lifespans measured in eons rather than years. When they die, their souls enter a place between the living and dead, which we call 'Primordial Chaos.' Divine summoning allows you to call your chosen partner and borrow his power," the teacher explained.
Seeing that the boy remained silent, Bel spoke up. [There's no point in overthinking. Your main objective is to master this ability and use it to protect yourself.] The rabbit gave Luka a light kick in the rear.
"You're right, Bel." The child looked at his teacher. "How should I practice divine summoning?" he asked.
Alectos smiled at his pupil's enthusiasm. "Frankly, it's difficult to practice because each summoning costs 5,000 mana, and you'll automatically invoke a dark ritual to supplement the missing amount with your life. But in fairness, divine summoning is the most powerful magic which a mortal could utilize."
"For you, there are several considerations. First, you need to unlock as many spirits as possible. You already gained one partner, and there are two more empty slots, which we will fill up shortly. Second, I will help reduce the cost of invoking your summoning ability. I will also provide a way for you to regenerate your magic faster," Alectos said.
"Thank you, teacher."
"Now, kneel and repeat after me: 'I, Luka Heavensfell, acknowledge Alectos as my master,'" the god commanded.
The boy obeyed and performed the ritual.
Alectos placed his hand on his pupil's forehead. "I, Alectos, acknowledge Luka Heavensfell as my official disciple," he stated.
Golden light enveloped the mortal and entered the child's forehead.
<br /><br /> Alectos grabbed the boy's left hand and gently pulled Luka to his feet. "You just gained a title as my official disciple. This achievement gives you a 10% reduction in using all types of magic," he explained.<br /><br /> Luka tilted his head. "Does Divine Summoning count as magic?" he asked.<br /><br /> "Yes, it does because it uses mana to invoke," the God of Magic confirmed. "But its divine nature cannot be suppressed by antimagic barriers. You must remember it because I expect you to encounter antimagic obstruction in the future, whether existing inside a zone or invoked by a caster. Now, let me pass you something beneficial." A golden ray of light shot between Luka's eyes.<br /><br /> <Trait acquired: One with Magic><br /><br /> "You just received a special talent which increases your mana regeneration by 25%," Alectos noted.<br /><br /> [Dang! You already have a huge mana pool. With your accelerated regeneration, you could easily outlast any caster in a magical battle!] Bel remarked with envy.<br /><br /> Luka ignored the comment. The child was confused because he didn't feel anything different afterward.<br /><br /> The astute teacher noticed the quizzical expression. "What is it, Luka?" Alectos asked in an encouraging tone of voice.<br /><br /> "Is my new ability active? I don't feel different than before," the pupil admitted.<br /><br /> The God of Magic laughed. "I'll be concerned if you sensed a difference right now!" he agreed and then spread his arms wide open. "Where are we?" the teacher asked mysteriously.<br /><br /> "We're inside the magic realm," Luka answered.<br /><br /> "Correct," the instructor nodded. "In this world, your mana regenerates at an accelerated rate of 50%. The 'One with Magic' trait offers a 1/4 increase. Since both provide similar benefits, just one of them will apply and affect you. Your new talent will automatically kick in whenever you return to Zaleron," Alectos explained patiently.<br /><br /> "Oh, there's no stacking then," the child remarked with slight disappointment.<br /><br /> The instructor shook his head. "Stacking IS allowed, but only for additive effects rather than multiplicative versions," he corrected Luka. "Here's what I mean. Let's take your Enragement skill as an example. You receive a 10% benefit to your overall attributes aside from Intelligence and Wisdom. If you use a magic weapon that offers another 10% bonus to Strength, you won't receive dual benefits simultaneously. But suppose your equipment offers a 10-point increase in Strength, then Enragement will push that up to 11 points," he clarified. "Since Enragement does not offer any bonus to your mana regeneration, this skill won't interfere with your 'One with Magic' trait. Do you understand?"<br /><br /> "Yes, teacher," the boy nodded in appreciation. Frankly, this rule was somewhat confusing, but the instructor explained these special effects in a very satisfactory manner.<br /><br /> Alectos clapped his hands. "Right now, you could summon three divine spirits in total. Your first partner is Glacius, the ice god. I'm going to infuse my divine essence into your body and help you fill those two open slots. By having more choices, your divine summoning ability will become more powerful and useful."<br /><br /> The God of Magic's forehead creased as he concentrated. A golden ray connected between Alectos and Luka.<br /><br /> Indecipherable spirits hovered above Luka's head.<br /><br /> "Pick two!" Alectos urged while gritting his teeth. He couldn't believe how fast Luka was withdrawing the deity's divine e<br/>ssence!<br /><br /> Luka saw his teacher's distressed condition and reacted instantly. The boy reached out with both hands, and he blindly grabbed two spirits. <Divine summons unlocked: Stowne (Stone God), Tes (Lightning God)><br /><br /> The remaining spirits quickly returned to the void.<br /><br /> Alectos immediately severed his connection with the boy. He panted for a few seconds until the entity regained his breath. Alectos nodded politely to the two fellow gods. Stowne dressed like a barbarian; he wore dark brown bearskin shorts and dark green leather boots made from a giant lizard's skin. His skin was bronze, and the god proudly displayed his massive torso. Stowne held an ivory club as thick as his thighs. This god appeared to be short-tempered and hostile.<br /><br /> Tes, on the other hand, wore light gray robes and black shoes. He possessed the calm, refined demeanor of a scholar. He wore a conical, bamboo hat that covered his eyes. However, crackles of lightning danced around his body and made this deity equally unapproachable.<br /><br /> "Greetings, my fellow gods. I am Alectos, the God of Magic on Zaleron," Alectos introduced himself.<br /><br /> "We revived in the Infinite Realms?" the scholarly deity asked for confirmation.<br /><br /> "Yes," the host god answered.<br /><br /> "I suppose the war with the Netherverse is still ongoing?" Tes asked ruefully.<br /><br /> "Periodically," Alectos verified.<br /><br /> "Thank you for supplying your precious divine essence to free us from the Primordial Chaos," Tes replied. He didn't wish to dwell further on the never-ending war between the forces of Life and Death.<br /><br /> Stowne simply grunted his acknowledgment of the deed. This god, in contrast to Tes, relished the opportunity to battle the Netherese armies again!<br /><br /> "There's no need for thanks. I acted selfishly on behalf of my pupil, Luka Heavensfell."<br /><br /> "It'll be a miracle if this little pipsqueak lives to become a man," the Stone God muttered in dissatisfaction. Stowne wasn't happy to discover that his spirit had latched onto a little kid. He would feel different if Luka was a part of the barbarian race, emphasizing physical prowess over magical power. Stowne had a bad omen that he may bail out his summoner frequently.<br /><br /> "The Heavens do enjoy playing tricks," Tes chuckled. "Be that as it may, our lives are bound together, and I must trouble you to protect this boy with your full might."<br /><br /> Slam! Stowne angrily smashed his club on the ground and made a crater. "If anyone tries to hurt the little fella, I will smash him into itty-bitty pieces!" he roared.<br /><br /> Alectos and Tes exchanged smiles.<br /><br /> "Since you're so enthusiastic, you can spend time practicing with the kid first," Tes proposed.<br /><br /> However, Stowne swung his weapon toward the lightning god's face but stopped just short of hitting the other deity. "You go first. I'll train with the boy when he adds some meat to his bones," he scoffed. The Stone God transformed into a mist and entered Luka's body.<br /><br /> The host became visibly relieved since his burden suddenly halved. The teacher looked at Luka, who stood quietly while the gods convened amongst themselves. "Are you surprised, Luka?" Alectos asked.<br /><br /> "Definitely," the child nodded. "I already realized that I have two souls within me. But now, I'm hosting two more inside my body. It's hard for me to accept this," Luka admitted.<br /><br /> [What's there to accept? These high-and-mighty divine spirits are using your body as a host vessel, and they are taking advantage of you.] Bel pointed out. He was pissed off because his friend, Mephisto, wasn't picked; Bel wasn't familiar with Stowne and Tes. The rabbit sat comfortably on Luka's head but glared at the Lightning God.<br /><br /> Tes quickly saw through the animal's mortal disguise and understood that Bel was a powerful demon king! "It's not every day that I see a fearsome demon obediently serve as a familiar," Tes said with a chuckle.<br /><br /> [You got a problem with it?]<br /><br /> Tes quickly shook his head. "Not at all, my trapped friend. We're all on the same team, right? Our collective goal is to help Luka survive and live a long and healthy life!"<br /><br /> Bel snorted but declined to refute the deity.<br /><br /> "Let's start practicing, shall we?" Alectos asked politely. He was unhappy to see the two waste precious time while the host god maintained Tes' manifestation.<br /><br /> "You're right, Alectos," Tes agreed. He approached Luka with a gentle smile and began to discuss his background. "Despite my outer appearance as a scholar, I was born and raised in a village on the mountainside. As a child, I helped hunt wild animals for food and pelt."<br /><br /> "Since I lived high up in the mountains, my village often received thunderstorms. One day, lightning struck me, and this event changed my life. I somehow gained strong lightning affinity, and this opened my pathway to godhood," he recalled. "My basic ability is to use lightning to create Thunderbeasts."<br /><br /> The Lightning God raised his hand. "Call Lightning!" Soon, dark clouds gathered above his head, and flashes of lightning rumbled within. "Thunderbeasts, come forth!" he commanded. A parade of lightning in the shape of animals exited the clouds as if leaving a forest.<br /><br /> Luka saw snakes, monkeys, wolves, birds, and other animals following a humongous lion. Soon, they stood attentively in front of Tes.<br /><br /> The Lightning God nodded his approval at their discipline. "Excellent!" The deity turned and placed a hand on Luka's shoulder. "This boy hosts my spirit, and our souls conjoined as one. Therefore, his commands are my orders, and you shall obey him. Understood?"<br /><br /> The thunder lion roared, and the other animals followed.<br /><br /> Tes turned toward Luka with a proud face. "When your spiritual affinity with me reaches the maximum level, you can call up an army of thunderbeasts. But even at lower tiers, you could still summon a couple of them to protect you. Isn't that awesome?" he smiled.<br /><br /> "Yes!" the child agreed while his eyes remained on these fearsome-looking creatures. Luka turned toward the Lightning God. "How do I increase our affinity?" he asked.<br /><br /> "That's easy. Summon me more frequently," Tes answered with a laugh. "I know this sounds silly, but it's true. The more interactions we have, the faster our affinity will rise."<br /><br /> "But it costs 5,000 mana to summon you! And even if I manage it, I'll need to spend magic to summon these thunderbeasts, right?" the boy asked.<br /><br /> "That's correct," Tes nodded. "But the exact number you can summon and the duration will depend on your affinity with lightning," he emphasized.<br /><br /> Luka shook his head. "I'm afraid that I don't have such an affinity. My subclass is High Mage, which means that I lack access to elemental magic. Therefore, I can't practice lightning magic to increase my affinity," he lamented with disappointment.<br /><br /> "Well, there is another way to increase it," Tes said with some hesitation.<br /><br /> "How?" the boy asked with hope rising in his heart.<br /><br /> "Make and maintain physical contact with a thunderbeast," the Lightning God replied.<br /><br /> "But that's the same as being hit by lightning!" Luka exclaimed with fear.<br /><br /> [Oh, come on! It's just a little lightning! Activate Enragement before you start petting a thunderbeast.] Bel advised with a snort.<br /><br /> "I'll ask a smaller beast to play with you," Tes proposed with a reassuring smile. He called a small thundercat to step forward.<br /><br /> Luka stared at the animal for a moment. "Fine, I'll do it!" he agreed with clenched fists.<br /><br /> The cat strolled across the ground and butted its head against the child's left calf.<br /><br /> Sizzle! Luka felt a small electrical charge pass through his leg before it entered the ground. He gritted his teeth and took a deep breath. "Continue."<br /><br /> The animal received a small nod from Tes and touched the boy again. After a few seconds of contact, it stepped back.<br /><br /> Luka endured a bout of dizziness, and he quickly sat down. The mage gathered light essence and cast healing magic on his burned leg. The child also experienced some numbness in his limb, but the sensation soon faded.<br /><br /> Alectos watched the entire process. He remained because the host supplied his divine essence to maintain Tes's manifestation in the magic realm. Luka lacked sufficient mana to keep the Lig<br/>htning God here for long. Hence, the teacher fed Tes until Alectos ran low on divine energy a few hours later. The host gave a signal asking the guest to leave.<br /><br /> Tes waved his hand at Luka in a friendly manner and said, "See you soon, Luka!" The deity then turned into a mist and entered the boy's body through his nostrils.<br /><br /> Bel watched the boy pant on the ground helplessly. The demon didn't expect this divine summoning practice to last several hours. However, Bel was proud that Luka had withstood contact from TWO thunderbeasts toward the end of the practice session.<br /><br /> Alectos tussled the boy's hair. "You did extremely well today. Your pain tolerance is a lot higher than I expected," the teacher praised.<br /><br /> [Thank me, praise me, adore me!] Bel puffed his chest and stamped his foot on the ground impatiently.<br /><br /> Luka laughed. "Bel helped me a lot with the physical training, which toughened up my body. He deserves a lot of credit."<br /><br /> The God of Magic smiled faintly and politely declined to point out that the demon bullied and harrassed the boy during their practice sessions. Instead, Alectos nodded. "Get some rest, child. I'll return tomorrow to resume your special training." He teleported out of the magic realm.<br /><br /> [Would it kill you to admit that I'm very helpful in training Luka?] Bel snorted. The rabbit leaned his head on the boy's thigh, and the animal soon fell asleep.<br /><br /> In the meantime, Luka recalled the old conversations between gossipy maids at the Heavensfell Manor regarding his father's fate. Tsunka Heavensfell sacrificed his life to fuel Altima's unique magic and repel the Netherese invaders. Luka wondered how long he would live before suffering a similar fate.<br /><br /> Chapter 15<br /><br /> Training with Stowne & Glacius<br /><br /> The next day, Alectos appeared again in the magic realm and woke Luka, who was still asleep.<br /><br /> Bel used the boy's thigh as a pillow, and the demon became disgruntled at Alectos for disturbing Bel's rest. 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