by Aaron Oster
SUPERMAGE
RISE TO OMNISCIENSE
BOOK ONE
Aaron Oster
For my wonderful brother and his wonderful wife, without whom this book would have not have been as great.
Ribbit.
1
Morgan arose to sunlight streaming in through the many cracks of the dilapidated shed he called home. He blinked a few times, shielding his eyes from the bothersome rays and groaning in protest.
Why did the sun have to be so bright? Couldn’t it let him sleep for just a few more minutes?
Finally, admitting defeat, he threw off the threadbare blanket and rolled off of the lumpy pile of rags he used as a bed. He shivered, as his bare feet touched the stone floor. Quickly; he made his way to the other side of the small room, where a basin of cold water lay. Steeling himself, he plunged his entire head into the basin; clearing any lingering sleep from his mind.
He quickly dried his hair, then he slipped a tattered shirt over his head and slid his feet into a pair of shoes that had definitely seen better days.
He then moved to stand in front of the cracked mirror, rubbing his slightly bloodshot eyes as he examined his features. He stood at just over five and a half feet tall, which was a bit short for his age. Bright silver eyes peeked out from under a mop of brown hair that hung down to his shoulders. A small scar ran from his lip to his chin, where a city guard had smashed him with the haft of a spear. He had a light complexion and his cheeks were slightly sunken from years of malnourishment.
No one in City Four liked orphans. For some reason, they hated him most of all.
Morgan was only a few weeks away from his sixteenth birthday, but had yet to awaken an ability, which was almost unheard of at his age. By now he should already have joined the awoken, by developing either a super or mage ability. There were of course late bloomers, but those were rare, and none of them developed an ability past the age of sixteen.
He might just have to resign himself to being an even bigger freak than everyone already thought he was and stop dreaming of becoming something more.
Morgan snorted and walked away from the mirror.
He was meeting Sarah soon, which meant he would eat well today. Just the thought of eating fresh food, as opposed to the half-rotting garbage he was used to eating, made his sour mood evaporate instantly. He headed to the door, then turned to look around his hovel, making sure that he hadn’t forgotten anything. Then, peering through a crack in the door, he quickly let himself out into the muddy alley.
He closed the door behind him and hung a dirt covered cloth in front of it; effectively camouflaging the door. He double-checked to make sure that none of the door was visible.
He’d kept this place a secret for over a year and didn’t want to risk being found out by another beggar, or worse- the city guard.
Nodding to himself, he quickly made his way out of the alley and into the bustling crowd. He walked with slumped shoulders and made sure not to jostle anyone as he moved. Attracting any attention was the last thing he wanted.
Staying with the crowd, he moved through the wide streets of City Four and made his way toward the center of the city.
He took a chance and looked up at the sky so he could get a better idea of what time it was. It was nearly noon, and he was supposed to meet Sarah nearly twenty minutes ago.
He could feel a cold sweat break out on his back as he thought of how angry she likely already was. He’d better hurry.
Sarah was a mage, and a prodigy by all accounts. The last time he’d been late she’d encased his legs in ice and doused him with freezing water until he’d promised never to be late again. That thought alone was enough to make him speed up his pace. He accidentally jostled a few people, but luckily for him, no one seemed to take notice. He breathed a sigh of relief as the city lord’s manor came into view.
He was only a little late, and he hoped Sarah wouldn’t blame him too much.
Morgan quickly ducked into a side street and cautiously approached the open courtyard surrounding the manor walls.
Here goes nothing, he thought to himself. This was always the tricky part.
Sarah was the only daughter of Lord Simon, the lord in charge of City Four; and it was known that Simon despised him. In fact, he’d ordered his guards to kill Morgan if he was spotted near the manor.
Morgan wasn’t worried about dying; as the guards couldn’t legally kill him for just walking near the manor, no matter what Lord Simon said. But he wasn’t overly fond of beatings either, and he had gotten several of those when he’d been caught in the past.
He moved to the end of the alley and crouched in the shadows as he watched a group of patrolling guards pass, then began to count under his breath. When he reached twenty, another group of guards came into view. He waited for them to pass out of sight, then made a mad dash for the wall, counting down in his head.
Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen…
Morgan began panicking, because he knew that he was nearly out of time. The clump of bushes he was running toward were still a good twenty feet away. He chanced a quick peek over his shoulder and saw the tops of spears coming around the wall. Heart pounding, he made a wild dive and just made it into the bushes as the guards were coming around the bend.
He held his breath, despite his pounding heart, as the guards marched passed. He let out an explosive breath once they were out of sight, relieved to have not been caught. He turned to the wall and began trying to loosen one of the stone blocks there, pausing every time a guard patrol passed. After about a minute, he had the block free and quickly slipped through the hole, moving the block back into place as he did so.
He looked around the grounds, thankful that guard patrols were less frequent here and ran toward the small cluster of trees near the far side of the wall.
Sarah was already there when he arrived a few moments later. Her arms were folded over her chest and a scowl was planted on her face as Morgan slipped into the secret spot that they’d cleared out years ago.
“What took you so long? I’ve been waiting for almost an hour!” She exclaimed.
She glared at him as he bent over, wheezing, as he tried to catch his breath.
“Overslept… Increased patrols… Almost caught...” He panted, each word caught in between breaths as he worked to slow his heartrate.
Sarah’s expression softened slightly at this and she went over to the small stump to get him a glass of water.
He took it gratefully and downed it in one quick gulp. A minute or so later, he had his breathing down to a normal level and straightened up to look at her.
“Sorry I was late. I overslept and only noticed the time once I left,” he said sheepishly.
“You know that excuse is getting old, right?” She asked with a mock scowl. “I don’t think you’ve been on time once!”
“It’s not my fault that it’s so hard to get in here. If your father didn’t hate me so much, I wouldn’t have to sneak past so many guards just to visit,” he replied.
He walked past her and sat down on one of the tree stumps. He grabbed a loaf of bread and ate hungrily, cramming huge chunks into his mouth. He barely chewed before taking the next bite.
Sarah watched him eat with a mixture of disgust and fascination.
“You shouldn’t eat like that in front of a lady. It’s very rude.”
“I don’t see any lady here,” Morgan said.
His mouth was still full of food, so the words came out garbled and he accidentally sprayed her with breadcrumbs.
“Oh, you wound me, sir,” Sarah said, as she moved her hand up to cover her mouth.
“No, I’m just getting rid of your delusions. The sooner you accept it, the better off you’ll be.”
Sarah pretended to swoon, and then fe
ll dramatically to the ground. Morgan snorted a laugh, spraying the contents of his mouth everywhere.
“Fine, you win. I don’t want to waste any more good food,” Morgan said, as he wiped the mess away from his mouth.
He took a drink of water. He stood up, then gave her an exaggerated bow.
“Please do excuse my rudeness, Lady Sarah. You are the epitome of lady-ness. May I please kiss your feet?”
Sarah tried to keep a straight face, but her resolve lasted all of five seconds. She burst out laughing and began rolling on the ground, in a very un-ladylike manner. Morgan found himself smiling as well.
Let her laugh, he thought.
He knew it would give him more time to eat uninterrupted.
When she’d finally calmed down, Morgan held out a hand to help her to her feet. She brushed off her dress as Morgan continued stuffing his face.
“So, do you like the way I look today?” Sarah asked with a coy smile.
Morgan shrugged. She always asked him this question for some reason, though he couldn’t figure out why. He glanced up at her.
She had a pale slim face with light green eyes and high cheekbones. Her long red hair was bright and lustrous, falling in waves down her back. Her lips were painted a light pink color and she wore a dark green dress that showed off her figure, without revealing too much.
Yup, same as always, he thought to himself.
“I don’t know why I even bother asking!” She huffed, slumping down in her seat.
Normally, Morgan would ask her why she was mad and receive a vague answer; but today he was too distracted by his upcoming birthday and his seemingly lack of an ability.
She noticed this and the annoyed expression slipped from her face, replaced by one of concern.
“What’s wrong?” She asked, as he began picking at the plate of chicken in front of him.
“I’ll be sixteen in just three weeks,” he said sourly, taking a piece of chicken and popping it in his mouth. “My chances of developing an ability are shrinking by the day.”
Sarah leaned back in her seat and let out a long sigh. Morgan’s lack of an ability had become a sore subject over their last few visits, so she had to approach this carefully.
“You still have time,” she said, trying to force false cheer into her voice. “There are plenty of people who don’t awaken until well into their fifteenth year.”
“But no one has developed one this close to their birthday,” Morgan said forlornly.
Sarah sighed, unsure of what to say. She felt sorry for Morgan. After all, they’d been friends for years and it hurt her to see him so distraught.
“Tell me again how it felt,” Morgan said, breaking her out of her thoughts.
Sarah knew what he meant by that. Ever since she’d awoken her ability three years ago, Morgan had asked her about it every time they met. She’d started becoming annoyed after the fifth time he’d asked her to recount it, but eventually realized that it gave him hope. Once again, she recounted her tale.
“I was getting ready for bed on the night of my thirteenth birthday. The lights had already been turned down when I suddenly began to feel very nauseous. At first, I thought it was just a passing thing and it would wear off in a moment or two, but the nausea soon turned to pain. It wasn’t long after that when I lost consciousness. When I awoke, I felt better, sharper, as though I’d been living my life in a fog and suddenly, I could see clearly. It was the most amazing feeling and the feeling only intensified when I was able to open my status for the first time.”
Sarah finished her story with a wistful smile on her face and looked over to Morgan, who was pulling a chicken bone out of his mouth.
“Weren’t you listening?” Sarah shouted, “After all, you were the one who asked to hear the story!”
“Keep your skirt on princess, I was listening,” Morgan said, as he popped another piece of the chicken into his mouth and chewed slowly. “I can listen and eat at the same time.”
Morgan reached out for the pitcher of water, but he froze when the entire contents rose out of it and began floating towards him.
“Sarah?” he asked slowly, eyeing the floating orb of water nervously.
“Yes, Morgan?” She replied, in a sickly-sweet tone as the water floated over his head.
“What are you planning to do with that water?”
Sarah pretended to think for a moment, watching him squirm as the ball of water undulated over his head.
“You know, Morgan, you are a bit stinky. I thought you could use a bath.”
“Thank you for the kind offer, but I really don’t think…”
Morgan was cut off as the water fell over his head. He didn’t know how, but the contents of one pitcher somehow managed to soak him completely.
“Thank you for the bath,” he said between clenched teeth, as he glared at her.
“You’re quite welcome,” she answered.
Morgan opened his mouth to retort when they heard voices nearby calling out for Sarah.
“Shit! I wasn’t expecting them to come looking for me so soon,” Sarah said, standing up. She moved toward the wall of foliage to peek out. She then turned back to look at
Morgan, who was looking at her with a raised eyebrow.
“What? Just because I’m a Lady doesn’t mean I can’t curse.”
“Your words, not mine,” Morgan said, hiding a grin.
She made a rude gesture at him, then peeked out from between the trees once more.
“I have to go. Wait for a few minutes to sneak out. It was good to see you again, Morgan. I’ll send a messenger to schedule our next meeting.”
Morgan waved as Sarah pushed her way out of the clearing and disappeared. He sighed and sank back down on his tree stump.
He likely wouldn’t be able to see her for at least another month and even then it would be a risk to come.
He did as he was told and waited a few minutes, taking the time to finish his chicken and pack away the rest for later. He smiled to himself as he did this. Sarah always brought extra, because she knew how hard living on the streets was for him.
Slinging the small bundle of food over his shoulder, Morgan made his way out of the clearing and ran to the spot with the loose brick. Looking up the sky, he was astounded to see that at least three hours had passed since he’d made his way in.
Had it really been that long? he wondered to himself.
It certainly hadn’t felt that long.
He worked the brick out of the wall,. Then, slipping out into the bushes, he slid the block back into place. He waited for the first round of guards to pass, then started counting.
Once the second patrol passed, he made a quick dash across the open courtyard toward the safety of the alley ahead; but he’d misjudged how quickly he could run with a full stomach. He was only halfway to the alley when he began to cramp up and his speed began to flag.
Just then, a troop of guards came around the bend in the wall and immediately spotted him.
“Stop right there, Morgan!” One of them shouted.
Morgan groaned inwardly, knowing that he’d been recognized, but didn’t slow down.
He wasn’t stupid enough to do that.
He could hear the guards giving chase and pumped his legs even harder, shooting into the alley and taking a sharp turn.
He could hear the clanking of armor as the guards packed into the alley behind him, but he was pretty confident he could lose them. Taking a few turns, Morgan was soon back on the main road. He was having a hard time breathing again, and his head had begun pounding. He stopped running immediately, slowing to walking pace and losing himself in the crowd.
He heard the guards crash into the main road, shoving people out of the way as they looked frantically around for him. Morgan smiled to himself, despite a mounting headache, as he ducked out of the crowd and into another alley, heading towards his home.
He grimaced as a sharp pain lanced through his chest and he stumbled, nearly falling to the ground.<
br />
He must have eaten more than he thought.
He wobbled sloppily towards his home as the pain in his chest intensified. It wasn’t only his chest that hurt either; his entire body felt like it was on fire and he felt like he couldn’t breathe. He had to find somewhere to rest for a few minutes so he could catch his breath.
He entered the first deserted alleyway he could find and collapsed on the ground in a heap. He lay there writhing in agony as he tried to inhale, to get even a drop of air into his starving lungs. Then he blacked out.
2
Morgan came to in complete darkness. With a start, he sat bolt upright and he felt as his heart began pounding in his chest, in an unfamiliar rhythm. His head whipped from side to side as his mind tried to process what was going on. After a few panicked seconds, he slowly relaxed, leaning against the alley wall as he tried to piece together his last few hours.
He’d gone to visit Sarah… Then he’d been chased by the guards and escaped. There was that burning pain in his chest and then nothing. He didn’t feel any pain now though. In fact, he felt better than ever.
Something wasn’t quite right, however; he’d never felt this good before. His mind was clear, his body felt strong and he wasn’t even the slightest bit hungry.
Then Sarah’s recounting of her awakening flashed through his mind.
It couldn’t be! Could it? He was suddenly very much aware of his surroundings.
Concentrating inward, Morgan soon felt what he’d been hoping for. A small circular mass of red energy sitting on the left side of his chest, which he instinctively knew to be chi. He realized that wasn’t all he felt. There was something else; a blue sphere of energy in the same spot on his right side, which he knew to be mana.
But that was impossible- he couldn’t have both chi and mana. Could he?
Even that wasn’t the most shocking thing to him. The biggest surprise was that he no longer seemed to have a heart! Instead, the red sphere of chi seemed to be acting in it’s place.
No wonder the process of awakening his power had been so painful!