Masters of the weave a f.., p.1
Masters of the Weave: A Fantasy Harem, page 1
Alegon paced back and forth in the confined space of his room, his fingers drumming impatiently against his thigh. He had been cooped up for what felt like an eternity, with only Tinna for company. Not that he minded her presence, but the walls seemed to be closing in on him, and his progress in mana absorption was frustratingly slow.
"You're thinking too much," Tinna said, watching him from her seat by the window. Her voice was calm, a stark contrast to the storm brewing within Alegon. "Mana absorption is about feeling, not forcing."
Alegon sighed, running a hand through his blonde hair. "I know, I know. It's just... I feel like I'm wasting time."
Tinna smiled softly. "Time spent learning is never wasted, Alegon. You'll get it, eventually."
A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. A maid entered, announcing that lunch was ready. Alegon's stomach rumbled in response, reminding him that he hadn't eaten in hours.
"Finally," he muttered, eager for a distraction.
As they made their way to the dining room, the sound of lively chatter grew louder. Rounding the corner, Alegon saw that the entire Faeron family was already seated, along with his own parents and aunt. He groaned inwardly, realizing that this was not going to be a quick, quiet meal.
"It seems we're just in time," Tinna commented, a mischievous glint in her eye. "You wouldn't want me to force you to eat something, would you?"
Alegon shot her a look. "Please don't."
He surveyed the table, noting that the only empty seat was directly opposite his mother. And it wasn't exactly empty—one of his kittens had made itself comfortable on the cushion.
"That's a nice chair cushion you've found there," Alegon said, scooping up the kitten and depositing it in his lap as he sat down.
William, his older brother, leaned over and muttered, "I think I'd better not ask why you're talking to yourself."
Their father scoffed. "You shouldn't talk so soon, William. You and Lexina may not believe it now, but trust me, your little brother doesn't do much to avoid that either."
Alegon ignored their comments, focusing instead on the food before him. He could feel his mother's gaze, but he refused to meet her eyes. He knew she disapproved of his recent adventures, but he wasn't in the mood for a lecture.
Lexina sighed, shaking her head slightly before turning her attention to the rest of the table. "So, Alegon," she began, her voice measured. "I hear you have plans to create a new dungeon?"
Alegon braced himself, knowing that this was just the beginning of what was sure to be a lively discussion. But for now, he was content to focus on his meal, letting the chatter wash over him. After all, he had more pressing matters to attend to—like figuring out how to escape this room for good.
In the end, Alegon decided to continue to focus on his practice and wait for the next meeting to finally get out of that damned room. Not that he could do much more than talk to Tinna while locked up with her, but even having another person beside himself to talk to would be nice.
Unfortunately, Alegon didn't feel like the time was passing quickly enough to satisfy him, which ended up resulting in his failure to learn about mana absorption efficiently for hours. That frustrated him even more, forcing him to keep a tight lid on his emotions to not lash out at the woman. After all, he knew she was only doing what was best for him.
It was already very late when a knock sounded at the door and a maid entered, announcing that lunch was ready. Alegon sighed with relief, already knowing he could no longer postpone eating because Tinna would drag him downstairs whether he liked it or not.
As they arrived in the dining room, however, it became obvious that the maid hadn’t announced the lunch only because of Alegon and Tinna. All four Faeron siblings were already seated around the table.
"It seems we're just in time," Tinna smiled. "You wouldn't want me to force you to eat something, would you?"
"Please don't," Alegon said in an emotionless voice.
After spending a few nights together at his house, the blonde man had learned what Tinna was like when it came to food. For some reason, she seemed to think that if he didn't eat three full meals a day, his growth would be hindered. So, whenever she found out that he had skipped any of them, even for something like training or work, she forced him to eat everything on his plate until he almost fainted from the pain. Her insistence in that he couldn't learn anything unless he ate first had been what ended up prompting Alegon's parents to prepare his food instead of the maids. After all, he knew that neither Tinna nor Gwen could cook, as their palates seemed to be more refined than most humans' were.
Alegon just watched the Faeron siblings chatting animatedly with each other about something as he arrived at the dining room table. He also noticed that, apparently, this meal wasn't a formal affair and he was probably the last person to arrive. Even his dad was already there, with his mom and aunt sitting beside him. At least there seemed to be no servants present, as they would probably try to serve them if they saw Alegon eating at that table. Not that it mattered, as he wouldn't accept it even if he were served. He would probably get stabbed again for the second time, though, if that happened. And then Tinna would make him eat anyway.
As everyone settled into their seats, Alegon realized that there was only one vacant seat for him, the chair that sat directly opposite his mother. Well, it wasn't necessarily empty. No, it was being used by one of his kittens, who seemed content with taking over the whole place.
"That's a nice chair cushion you've found there," he told his pet in a playful tone before picking him up and placing him in his lap. "But I think you'll find this one even more comfortable."
"I think I'd better not ask why you're talking to yourself," he heard William mutter beside him, while his dad scoffed beside him.
"You shouldn't talk so soon, William. You and Lexina may not believe it now, but trust me, your little brother doesn't do much to avoid that either."
Alegon saw both of his parents looking at him accusingly, but he simply ignored their gazes. He had nothing to be ashamed of! It wasn't as if he really talked to himself, as both the kitten and Tinna were always listening to everything he said. And he didn't only use it with his pets. He had talked to Gwen when she was just an invisible voice in his mind. Not that he was going to admit this to his parents, though.
"Let's just eat and get over this quickly," he replied, rolling his eyes as he began to focus on the food before him. It would be a pity if he didn't properly enjoy this delicious dinner prepared by their servants. "You two will have plenty of time to judge me when this is over."
William snorted but chose to say nothing, choosing to begin eating his meal instead. Lexina, however, gave a resigned sigh as she shook her head slightly. It seemed like she still hadn't completely assimilated that her children were adults now and that they could make their own choices and decisions. Well, even William had made the choice to become the co-head of the family with her. And Alegon? His decision was to simply let his mom think what she wanted and enjoy his dinner.
In the end, Lexina eventually managed to get her thoughts in order and decided to simply start talking. The topic chosen, of course, was Alegon's recent adventures. Or better yet, his plans to create a new dungeon for him and Gwen to practice with.
Alegon knew that his mother wasn't very fond of dungeons, having gone through her fair share of them along the way, but that was a common occurrence among supernaturals like her who didn't rely on mana in their day to day life. Her only complaint would probably be that most supernaturals who spent their time in them were lazy bastards who wouldn't even survive five seconds outside one of these artificial lairs. A criticism, perhaps, that many supernaturals who enjoyed going through dungeons also shared, since that kind of person could really lower the reputation of those who actually spent an incredible amount of time and effort inside of one, working hard to achieve power. However, he still didn't quite understand how Lexina could be so against dungeons when she was the owner of one.
"Your mom likes to think too much," Tinna spoke with him mentally, answering his questions about his mother's opinion. "She likes to think about everything from different perspectives and angles, considering possible consequences of all the actions she can take and predicting outcomes before anyone else can even dream of it. It makes her a brilliant mind, but not exactly the type to do things impulsively, such as spending weeks alone in a dungeon that has become your home."
Alegon didn't want to argue with his mom over something like this, so he decided not to comment on the subject. Instead, he simply talked with her about his plans to create new dungeons as they ate. Lexina, for her part, also decided to be courteous and refrained from commenting negatively.
He had initially planned to have these two first dungeons as simple training places where he and Gwen could level up in peace and increase their powers, as well as the mana pools connected to their souls. Since they were Tier 0 beings, and especially due to their recent discovery, this would have been very necessary. However, the sudden revelation that had resulted from consuming a single piece of metal had greatly altered his initial plans, leading him to reconsider many other steps he would have to take.
This discovery not only required that he and Gwen improve their abilities to fight against enemies at a higher Tier than them, but also that they gain more mana, and consequently grow stronger in their own ways. Of course, that was the reason they needed to train together. He wanted to test di
The truth was that no matter how much knowledge Tinna possessed, she was far from being an expert in his specific kind of magic, as dungeons weren't as common as most people believed. In fact, Tinna admitted that she had forgotten many of the details she had studied regarding them, as it had been decades since she had last really thought about it. This caused Alegon to wonder if there were some records about it in the library of his family mansion that he might never have checked himself. Maybe even something hidden on the higher floors.
But before Alegon could get any further in this line of thought, the girl continued talking, interrupting it. "I suppose that for now, our first priority should be getting Gwen and you stronger," Tinna said. "She's already a Tier 2 being, which isn't surprising considering the amount of essence she absorbed before ascension, so at least she won't have to start from Tier 0."
"Yeah," Alegon nodded, realizing how lucky it was that Gwen had evolved before the ritual. In a way, what had happened could be seen as even fortunate, as it had led to him knowing what they really were.
"However, she also didn't evolve with a normal soul, so who knows how her Tier 2 body will end up being? But anyway, we're talking about you right now," the fairy commented. "Let me think..." Tinna crossed her arms over her chest and turned to stare at a tree in the distance for a few seconds. Alegon wasn't even going to bother asking how her mind worked anymore. After a while, Tinna let out a chuckle, turning back to look at the young man. "Alegon, would you like to learn how to make some magic?"
Before the night was over, Alegon managed to create a Tier 8 monster core from mana. Something that made him ecstatic at first, as he really enjoyed creating and shaping things. He loved feeling the mana around him flow into him, changing its properties until it became something new. The more complex and bigger he attempted to make, the harder it got, but it was still an incredibly pleasant process. However, once he realized that he could use those cores as fuel for his other abilities and no longer needed to rely on them in that sense, all that remained was his frustration and bitterness for having spent time and mana to create something worthless to him.
The most important thing Alegon learned that night was that ascension beyond Tier 2 would not be simple as long as he stayed on Earth. Not only did he have to gain enough mana to actually form another core, but he had to figure out a way to transfer it from his body to his core without losing any of that mana. This meant finding a way to connect the two places so mana could move freely between them, but it wouldn't be a simple task.
It wasn't impossible, however, as Tinna made sure to let him know several methods by which such a connection could be created. For example, some species simply ate mana-rich foods to feed their cores. Others connected their core to their veins using a very similar process to the one the mages of this world used to infuse their bodies with mana. Finally, some species had a second core outside the body that served as an anchor for mana, with the body itself acting like an amplifier for mana received from that external core. Unfortunately, none of these methods seemed to be well suited to someone with a system of mana veins like Alegon's, as it would require them to be torn apart and reformed with an entirely new purpose. And, of course, that would put too much stress on Alegon's body for him to survive even with Tinna's assistance.
And that was not even considering what it would take for his Tier 6 core to ascend to Tier 4, the bare minimum for him to be allowed to enter a dungeon. Even his current core was considered by many to be on the verge of being too powerful for him to enter a low-ranked dungeon, and even mid-rank ones might be difficult for him if it weren’t for his new abilities. But as far as they were aware, his current core didn’t break any rules. It was just too strong. Of course, in such a case, most dungeons wouldn’t react with a problem because there was nothing to stop them, so it wouldn't be an issue. Unless a higher being decided to cause problems for Alegon, that was.
Alegon was honestly surprised by how much he learned in so little time. The only real downside was that most of what he learned would remain theoretical since he simply couldn't create his own monsters when he needed more mana for ascension. Still, Alegon was satisfied with his progress. After all, it was a better result than what he would have been able to do alone.
"Thank you," Alegon said genuinely, smiling at the fairy.
"Oh, there's no need to thank me yet. I haven't given you a gift I've come to give you," Tinna replied, returning his smile.
Flying to Alegon, who was still sitting on the floor of the room, Tinna placed a kiss on his cheek. However, unlike previous times she had done so, this time there wasn't only a sensation of warmth on his skin. Instead, he could actually feel Tinna's mana flow into his veins, causing a pleasant prickling sensation.
'That's only a taste,' Tinna whispered in his ear. 'Come up with an interesting use for this and I'll consider myself to be properly thanked.'
As soon as those words were uttered, Tinna vanished from the room, leaving behind a slightly confused Alegon. That was not the gift he was expecting, but he didn't think the Tier 6 fairy was wrong. He would come up with an amazing idea with the new knowledge that had just been given to him.
The biggest problem for Alegon right now was that his instincts just told him he was powerful, but not exactly how. After all, while it could theoretically be said that Tier 0 was for those without any mana or essence at all, there were actually very few Tier 0 beings left in the multiverse. Most life forms had the ability to naturally absorb ambient mana, if only in small amounts. But as far as he was aware, he wasn't really absorbing much more than he normally did. Of course, considering that most people absorbed a single unit of mana for every thousand they expelled, he was absorbing two units for every thousand, which seemed like an extremely significant difference, but not when compared to other spells, potions, and items available out there to do the same job. Even something like a simple mana potion only used five units of mana.
Alegon wasn't too bothered by that, though. He knew he could take as much time as needed to think about the situation before deciding what to do. With all the preparations that needed to be made to put the plan into action, he would have a month to think and come up with some plans. A lot had changed in a short time, after all.
He was also quite distracted at the moment by the information he was reading. While he had been thinking about all that Tinna had told him, the girl had left his body and returned to her book form, allowing him to learn more about the magic he wanted to master: necromancy.
A couple of hours later, Tinna interrupted him while he was reading a chapter about zombies, explaining that she would like to take control of his body one last time before releasing him from his training. Confused, but with little to lose, Alegon agreed, although he was a bit apprehensive about what exactly she had in mind.
After taking over his body, Tinna looked into a few drawers in the room and then went to the bathroom. There, she removed her clothes before using his own hands to grab some bottles of gel that were there. Then, after sitting in the bathtub with the showerhead spraying warm water above her head, Tinna began to squeeze the gel onto his skin, starting at the head. It took a while for Alegon to realize that the gel was actually shampoo, and that he had only bought it a couple of weeks ago. That wasn't his main concern, though. No. His main problem was that Tinna was now rubbing her hands across his body and making sure to apply the shampoo thoroughly throughout it.
'Don't forget the lower back, too,' Tinna suggested with an innocent tone of voice as she finished washing the hair on the back of his head, the warm water raining on her from above.
Alegon knew full well that she wasn't being innocent at all. At the same time, however, there was little he could do against her. He could always make it seem like she had lost her control over his body, but that would be pretty stupid considering how she had helped him in the past day. She deserved some reward for her effort, and the most he could do was to put up with what she was doing while trying to enjoy it. The latter wasn't too hard since her actions certainly brought back certain memories, even if he felt a bit uncomfortable at the feeling of not being the one controlling his own body.
