"Long ago, in the far northern reaches of the God's Continent, beyond the boundary where few dared tread, there lived a people known as the demihumans. In their snowbound homeland, they lived quiet lives—peaceful, content, and devoted in their worship."
"But one day, everything changed."
"A great portal tore open in the sky, and from it spilled a tide of demons. They swept across the land like a flood, destroying all they touched: man, beast, even the trees and flowers. The very soil beneath their feet turned black and sour, poisoned by their presence."
"The demihumans stood bravely against them, but their strength faltered when the Demon Lord arrived—an overwhelming force unlike any other, one that threatened to swallow the entire continent in darkness."
"They scattered across the continent in a desperate bid to escape death, carrying with them warnings of the doom that drew ever closer."
"The gods, watching from afar, could bear it no longer. One by one, they sent their chosen heroes to save the world... but none could stand against the plague of corruption."
"That is, until the Goddess of Brilliance looked upon the world and sent her own hero."
"With the goddess's Saintess at his side, her Hero pushed back the darkness. Together, they sealed the Demon Lord within the Hero's Sword of Power, where it would lie imprisoned, weakening with each passing day—awaiting the time of its final defeat."
"With the battle won, the Hero returned home. There, alongside the Saintess, he began to build a kingdom—one founded not in fear, but in hope."
"To ensure the promise of peace would endure, they had four wondrous children, and to each, they gave a duty and a name to be remembered."
"The firstborn, a son who inherited the Hero's own power, became king and took the name of his father: Lionhart."
"The second, a son who discovered a rare diamond and was tasked with defending the eastern front against the great forest, became the first duke and took the name: Diamondhart."
"The third, a daughter who tamed a mighty phoenix and was charged with guarding the northwest volcanic range, became the second duke and took the name: Phoenixhart."
"The last, a son who forged his body to be as tough as steel and was tasked with defending the southwestern mountains, became the third duke and took the name: Steelhart."
"And so, the Kingdom of Brilliance was born."
'So, I'm supposed to beat this Demon Lord or whatever,' Bastion thought after reading the kingdom's history in a picture book.
It had been a year since his birth into this medieval world of swords and magic, and he had spent that time confined to a luxurious prison cell within the castle of his forefathers.
When the truth of his new life settled in, it hit hard. He would never see his children again. He had intended to keep his distance, yes—but not like this. Not forever. Grief followed, not just for the family he lost, but for the life of luxury he'd spent two decades building from the ground up.
His grief dulled somewhat within the confines of his Victorian-style nursery, a gilded cage lined with books. Surrounded by knowledge, he threw himself into understanding his strange new world.
It took only a few months to grasp the spoken language, and a little longer to read and write in the language they called Common.
He was a genius, as far as he was concerned, but his parents weren't overly shocked by the display of talent. If anything, they encouraged it by stocking his playpen with books that no child had any right reading.
There were picture books of famous children's stories, books on magic for beginners, and even books on mathematics, economics, trade, and territory management.
Bastion swore he was being groomed to take over the territory in the future.
Since he could never see his children again, he clung to the only dream he had left—the life of luxury he'd once promised himself.
The first step toward that goal was to make the most of his youth, and what better way than to devour every book within reach and practice magic?
'Enough about my impending doom. It's time to practice magic,' he thought with excitement.
Yes, magic existed in this world—and it was exhilarating.
He focused on the space in front of him, concentrating as he imagined the elements he wished to summon.
He pictured a warm campfire, the heat of a stove, and the blazing sun—and in response, a tiny ember sparked to life, no larger than a matchstick's flare, before flickering out almost immediately.
Next came a few drops of water, an invisible gust of wind, a faint distortion in the air, a solid stone the size of his fist, and finally, a burst of light not unlike a flashbang.
'I definitely have a talent for Earth and Light magic, but not much for the rest. It doesn't matter, though. Life will be easier if I work on the other elements while I'm still young,' he assessed, before falling into silent meditation to recover his spent mana.
The book on beginner magic described three kinds of spells.
The most powerful are Skills, granted by the gods. They are instant-cast, powerful, and efficient, but they lack flexibility. Skills require no innate talent and are considered the most powerful form of magic. Those who focus on only raising their Skills are considered Mages.
The most common are Spells, crafted through study of the world's natural laws. These are conjured using inscriptions, formations, shapes, constructs, words of power, and other magical media. They require time to cast, knowledge to design, resources to construct, and talent to even begin—but they are the standard means of wielding magic. Those who lust for knowledge to build their power are called Wizards.
Lastly, there is Free Cast Magic, which requires only will and mana to perform. It is the least efficient, the weakest, the slowest, and the most dependent on one's ancestry—but also the most flexible. Practitioners of this art are called Sorcerers, as they seek to uncover their personal talents rather than follow the structured path of magical study.
As far as practicality is concerned, there is no rule stating which form of magic is better than another. It all depends on the objective and the means used to achieve it.
A Mage might kill a bird with a Stone Bullet, while a Sorcerer could trap many by manipulating the trees. A Wizard might destroy a city with Meteor Shower, only for a single Flame Lance to interrupt the spell medium. A Sorcerer might create a pitfall trap, but a Wizard could bypass it entirely with Fly, Blink, or Levitate.
In Bastion's view, Skills are best suited for combat, while Free Cast is ideal for domestic and utility purposes. As long as he possesses the power of Skills and the flexibility of Free Cast, he believes he can achieve anything in life. For that reason, he ignored the study of Spells and focused solely on raising his affinity with the primary elements.
The primary elements are Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Light, and Dark. All others can be derived from these six. For example: Time is an aspect of Light, Space is an aspect of Dark, Gravity is an aspect of Earth, Storm is an aspect of Wind, Ice is an aspect of Water, and Lightning is an aspect of Fire.
All of them rely on the primary elements, which is why Bastion aims to distribute his time and effort equally across each one—to prepare for any problem that might arise.
He does plan to specialize in the future, but for now, being able to use Fire to light a campfire is more important than creating a larger stone.
"Young Master, it is time for your nap," Sibelle declared, the shadow wolfkin maid who served solely under Bastion's father.
She was a tall woman with long, straight black hair, icy blue eyes, wolf ears, a bushy tail, and reverse-jointed, lupine legs—all clad in a traditional maid's uniform. Graceful and beautiful, with a calm demeanor and a voluptuous figure, she was exactly the kind of woman Bishop had once dreamed of settling down with back on Earth.
So far, she was the only other person Bastion had seen besides his parents throughout the past year. It would have been traumatic for most children to grow up with so little human interaction, but Bastion didn't mind—as long as he had more books to read.
He doubted he would ever run out, given his family's seemingly immense wealth. After all, he lived in a castle—complete with high walls and towers built to withstand a siege.
"Can you get me more books on general knowledge?" Bastion responded.
"I will take your request to your father, Young Master."
Bastion nodded in response before lying down to sleep. Sleep, after all, was just as effective at regenerating mana as meditation.
Clearing the mind of all distractions invited the elements into one's body, increasing the rate of mana recovery—or so the book described as the most natural method of regeneration apart from sleep.
When he awoke a few hours later, he was served a bowl of flavorful porridge, which he assumed contained eggs, meat, milk, and oats—blended into a smooth, easy-to-swallow goop.
He wasn't sure if it was appropriate for a child his age, but surely his parents were educated enough to know better… right?
After his meal, he read a book on economics and found it lacking. His education on Earth had been better than what even nobles in Gaia seemed to receive.
Finally, he returned to practicing Free Cast Magic. While Free Cast didn't allow the permanent conjuration of elements—hence the absence of any growing pile of rocks in his room—it did allow the manipulation of existing ones. He could make a stone float or hurl it with force using magic.
After his practice, he returned to meditation, and so the cycle continued for the next four years.
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