…Falling, falling, darkness trapped in darkness unable to move my limbs I was shocked but without a voice, I could not scream, without eyes I could not see around me I could feel time flow but that was it, trapped with my thoughts. The darkness was without heat or cold, only loneliness and excruciating despair were my allies. Tortured, I dug deep into my mind, I reflected only to have vague images of life before, “seems I was a scientist before..” I thought, as flashes of days spent working endless formulas and theories floated in my thoughts.

Time flowed, and eventually, with a spark I could feel my tiny arms barely able to twitch, the darkness that was pitch black became blood red. I had already figured out that I was inside of a woman’s womb between the rhythmic thumping that never stops and the chord that keeps trying to wrap around my neck and all the congratulations I hear from the other side I could easily guess.

I was bored out of my mind with nothing to do but listen to random sounds and conversations. The language was luckily English, albeit an extremely archaic version. It took only the first three months to comprehend fully.

During my fourth month in the womb, I had overheard something interesting.

“Just breath… and focus, …..”

“focus on what?”

“the energy flowing, inside yo-…. It expands your…. It’s like feeling another bloodstream with your body refined it by sweeping away the impurities and…. it works your body to be more flexible”.

It was a pieced together assumption and conversation, but I have heard many references to magic and magical animals while being strapped in this womb. It was too much of a coincidence to not be true, with nothing better to do I tried the breathing technique.

At first, I felt nothing, apart from the insatiable sleepiness that tormented me it took over a week of trial and determination to finally be able to feel the flow of energy within my own body; it was as though my body had twice as many veins and arteries than I was originally led to believe.

The sensation of a light spark running through my body made a pale image of this secondary circulatory system in my head. The extra circulatory system flowed to a point beyond my chest resting lightly to a focal point behind my heart; it was a condensed mass of energy forming a disk that extended around the heart; it was a deep dark purple flow of energy that jumped from time to time.

After a few weeks of pushing and pulling with this unknown energy, I became able to focus it on my limbs and make them move more freely. The energy ran around my body as I played with it within the womb until it became a circle rotating close to the outer edges of my body.

After another month of playing and over listening to the outside world my faint circle split into two both rotating and running around my body, I now had twice the fun playing, sometimes I would let these energies play tag along my body while other times they would crash and other times they would run together.

The more I manipulate these energies to pass the time the sleeper I would get, however strangely enough they allowed me to see beyond the darkness. I could see the other bodies of circulatory energies around me, there was one, in particular, that was extremely bright surrounded by nine circles which violently rotated as he came closer.

After a few more months my two circles that at first only sparked had turned into three bright rings and constantly playing with them to pass the time had given me absolute control. The first circle filled me with more energy while the second allowed me to sense other persons nearby; however the third seemed to only amplify the first two and nothing particularly was gained from possessing it.

I was in a deep sleep when I felt my world crumbling and contractions forcing my body to turn where I had not let it. It was hours of endless screaming before I felt two giant hands grab my head and another before I was fully pulled, in my blurred vision I could see my mother her brown hair and ponytail was disheveled from the ordeal her face filled with adornment towards me despite the blood and embryonic fluid that covered me, then Slap! The hands that pulled me firmly slapped me on my buttocks; the pain was strong but I held in nonetheless then ‘slap!’ she struck again, it took my entire will, not to blurt into tears.

In revenge I emptied my bladder in her direction, a slight grin appeared on my face and she noticed.

“It appears he is healthy and a feisty one at that” she replied in a calm voice as a glow came from her finger and touched my forehead. I felt as though all my tiredness had lifted and my body was rejuvenated beyond its limit.

“oh... A thirsty one I see” she remarked as she casted healing magic while handing me over to my mother “his name is Alric… ‘Alric Dimachaerus” her faint voice was even more soothing than he had heard before while in the womb.

Before he could get comfortable the door of this large room was burst into by two grown men and a tiny girl.

“Let me see him!”

The oldest looking one said while he grabbed me and held me up

“Aah see he’s definitely a fighter, not a tear to be shed!” his voice reverberated and his beard split as his smile appeared on his face.

“‘There is no need for fighters anymore in these peaceful times I’m sure he’ll make an exceptional scholar” the voice of the slightly younger man beside him rhetoric in a slightly irritated voice, the young lady to the right tipped as she tried to reach the baby in her father’s hand…

“brother?” she barely seemed to be three years of age with her eyes still bright and beady.

A few more months had passed and I was still getting used to my body and this world although my vocal cords would not allow me to yet speak I still smiled at my parents when they spoke to show my understanding, over these few months I had learned quite a bit from my family about the outside world and the structure of this society.

From what I could grasp of my family the Dimachaeri family is a family of magicians and warriors who had just led the nation to war against another kingdom and won, therefore, they were rewarded and although their numbers were thinned they were feared as the most powerful family in terms of raw power. They were given the title of Archdukes for their immense aid during the great war two years prior and had only now begun to regain their numbers that were lost during the war.

With such a title as the son of an archduke, it was unquestionable that I was lying in a very lavishly built mansion and maids took care of my every need and the family dressed fancier each day it seemed as though our family had money and lands without end. My mother and father were both already elderly by the time I was born both being over forty-five years of age.

According to them at least, I suspect them to have been older however they never seemed to settle down on a number when asked by guests. At nights my father would tell me bedtime stories of great warriors within the family who had lived, they all had one thing in common, they could wield the magic of two elements the most fascinating one was called Atlas, he possessed lightning and fire magic and according to dad could destroy mountains with a thought, it was a tall and hard tale to believe but I listened nonetheless.

“Son always remember you are a part of the Dimachaerus family, our bloodline is the only one that spawns magicians of two completely different elements from birth albeit only every few generations, this is what gave us the edge to become so powerful.”

By the time I was three I had begun to spend most of the time in the family library unknown to them, I could already read and my sister who was now six had her private studies and a tutor teaching her while I appeared to just be playing around the books. Meanwhile, at nights I would try to practice what I read while the household was fast asleep.

At first, I tried casting an elementary gathering spell which should be a first circle spell however none of the elements worked. The next day I tried to understand what was missing only to learn that magic depended on the affinity of the user and his magic circles.

While trying to figure out my elemental affinity and failing miserably as a toddler, my sister sat down and meditated for ten minutes and discovered she had not one but two elemental affinities, shadow and lightning, she was one of the fabled dual elementary wielders that are supposed to come once every generations.

I was distraught but then I thought maybe in this generation two dual wielders might be born, so I still had a chance, that was until dad barged in

“Oh my God! I can’t believe it! Another dual holder?! This is a miracle that only happens once every thousand years!”

Another?... Once every thousand years? I was distraught, never did I imagine that there was already another dual wielder alive and well in the family.

I was about four years old at the time, barely able to match thought with speech fluently and had spent most of my toddler years playing with my circles and perfecting my motor skills.

One night while lying idling playing with my circles all three had clashed and a spark of violet light was born from their collision upon its formation within my mind a small star seemed to have been blown into existence upon reaching and grasping this star I felt warning deep within my being- Ding!

“Unique magic obtainable, do you wish to obtain? Or would you prefer a single element instead?”

‘Seems I am only destined to be among the rift rafts in this world with only one element, however, I could just roll the roulette and hope for a decent unique magic…. Can I see what exactly is available?’ and with just that thought another ring of the same voice popped up inside my mind

“Available elemental magic – Light, earth, fire, water, and wind total current wielders…. Over four hundred million. Available unique magic --- gravity, current users, zero.”

With just a thought this additional information appeared within my subconscious. I had been a scientist in my previous life and although I wasn’t sure exactly what it was, I felt a deep subconscious yearning to be reunited with my study of physics and how its laws applied to this world of magic.

So without hesitation, I took gravity by the nuts, and in an instant, my mental star collapsed forming a small gathering of dust that sparkled in a violet hue.