We stood facing each other about to engage in combat. This might be a good opportunity. If he attacks me with gravity magic i might be able to learn it for myself.

What i know about gravity is very limited. But even with the limited information i can work my way up, like i did with lightning.

If recall that one dude under the cherry tree, or was it an apple tree? No that won't work. it's been so long since i had to worry about my old history. I barely remember anything.

I should've paid more attention in school.

Heavy footsteps snapped me out of my thoughts as i saw Felix charging at me. He came in close and threw a punch. It was slow so i dodged and punched him twice in the stomach. that attack didn't affect him.

I charged my body with dark blue lightning again. He swung down with both hands. i moved out of the way and kicked him in the face. He got knocked back a little. That seemed to have damaged him.

He was unbalanced. I took advantage of that. I compacted a large amount of lightning to the palm of my hand and released it. It flew out faster than my eyes could see, and sent Felix flying.

He got up slowly and twitching. I Launched the same attack again, but he raised his hand. The stream of lightning stopped midair and flew back at me. I dodged it, but after that my body felt heavy and i fell to the ground.

Is this gravity magic?

His stone body looked different a bit darker and smoother. I dashed forward at full speed and hit him in the face, but it didn't damage him. He grabbed me so i couldn't move then tried punching me in the face, but i blocked it with my arms. It still hurt and i got flung back.

Once again my body felt heavy and i fell to the ground. I couldn't move. Felix levitated off the ground.

Is he planning to crush me? i won't let that happen.

I concentrated on keeping my mana tight to my skin in a steady flow, so i wouldn't be affected by his gravity.

I slowly got up.

I did the same with my lightning. i concentrated on making the flow as firm as possible. As a result it makes my lightning stronger.

Once i was on my feet. The lightning around me started to turn to a light purple color.

Feeling ready i started to move. Since i was concentrating on my distribution of mana i moved way faster than before along with having more strength.

Felix threw big chunks of rock at me. I dodged the ones i could and smashed through the ones i couldn't. I took out my sword and slashed at him with purple lightning. It destroyed the boulders that were in the way.

Once i had a clear path to him. I went straight for him. I jumped up and punched him which dropped him from the air. I didn't waste any time and kept going after him. After every punch loud cracking of stone could be heard.

It seemed to be doing damage to him because his movements where slower, his breathing was heavy, and he had a hard time catching up with me.

After a great deal of punches. He crashed at the center of the arena. Right when i was about to go in for more Leon and Julian pinned me down.

ohh i forgot they were here.

"I think that's enough." Leon said.

I relaxed my body and retracted my lightning so i wouldn't hurt them. then they let me go.

Julian went to Felix. Who had returned back to normal. He was a bit bloody with parts of his body swollen. As for me, my nose was bleeding and swollen.

I healed my nose and made my way to him. I used healing magic on him, and after a few seconds he pushed my hand out of the way.

"I don't need your healing." He said worn out.

"ugh. Just be quiet and stay still." I continued healing.

"tsk." He clicked his tongue. "I thought i told you not to- Ahhgg." I pinched a swollen part of his body.

"Just shut up." i told him.

"tsk." He clicked his tongue again, but stayed silent.

"My name is Arata. Ask nicer next time." I said as i finished healing. I started walking back to Leon and looked back at him. "You know, you're really strong. You pushed me beyond my limit. Thank you."

Apart from his rude behavior i really meant that. Thanks to him i was able to better control my mana and get a better understanding on gravity magic.

Then we all made our way back to the lobby as if nothing ever happened. Leon and his party started having a conversation, but i just sat down to rest and ignored them.

After a bout a minute of waiting in the lobby. The clerk called Me and Felix. While we were walking in the hallway she asked for our names. She then took us to a room where there was an artifact facing a wall we were told to to stand in front of it. I went first.

For a second there was a white dim light that flashed out of the artifact. Felix when through the same thing. Then the clerk told us to wait in the lobby.

After about another minute of waiting in the lobby we were called to the counter. There we were given our adventurer card.

Arata Arumani, Rank A. And a picture of me.

"Hey kids." Leon called me and Felix "We were planning to go to Canavar today, but we all decided to postpone it until tomorrow."

"That's fine but why?" I asked.

"Because tonight we are planning to celebrate the reunion of our party." He said excitedly.

"It's fine with me." i said.

"okay, now that it's settled. How about we go look for a place to sleep tonight." Julian said.

"yeah good idea." Leon responded.

We started making our way to an inn that was close to a tavern. We got two rooms one for the boys and the other for the girls. Now that i know where we are staying at i decided to go out.

"Hey father i'm going to look around the city. Is that okay?" I asked Leon.

"Go ahead, but don't go to far or you'll get lost." He said.

I nodded and made my way outside. Once there i saw a long carriage that looked like a cage. With people chained up all of them where a mixture of humans, elves, dwarfs, and beats folk.

'Slaves.' That was the only word that came to my mind.

Well, glad i'm not them.

I made my way to a place in the river where there was little people, so i could start my practice with gravity magic. If it is even possible for me to learn it.

Okay, now. What i know about gravity, is that it's a curvature that warps the fabric of space around objects with mass.

I know this because i remember doing a class experiment where we laid a thin stretchy cloth that resembles space, and put a heavy spherical object on top of it resembling a planet. the sphere weighed down on the cloth.

So all i need to do is alter that curvature, but instead of thinking about it in a planetary scale. I need to think way smaller to a human scale.

I need to feel the weight of an object or myself, and alter it by making it heavier or lighter with mana. Thanks to Felix i know how it feels to be weighed down with gravity.

Since my mana distribution at that time was at its peak. I feel it with more depth. The way the space my body took up was being tampered with by gravity.

I got into a comfortable position. feeling my body's weight against the cold ground, and now recreating the feeling of being weighed down.

Slowly my body started to feel heavier. And heavier. To test out if it was working i picked up my arm and let it dropped. It felt slightly heavier when i picked it up, and it dropped faster than normal. So it is definitely working.

I concentrated on making the gravity stronger. And stronger. And then i let go. That's when i knew it was really working. Because it felt like a huge weight was lifted off of me.

So to learn new magic you have to have understanding and compatibility. I'm guessing that i'm compatible with some other form of magic thats related to gravity. It's not earth since i don't have an affinity to earth magic, like Felix. So what could it be?

I continued using gravity magic. Making it stronger and stronger after each use. Now i want to do the opposite, and make objects float.

I walked closer to the water and raised both my hands. Now that i know how to weigh down an object. I can do the opposite.

I concentrated on making the gravity around me lighter. For a while nothing happened. Then small stones and water started to rise. I made that negative flow stronger. Until i started levitating. at that moment i released it, and everything went back to normal.

I can manipulate gravity of the area around me, but i want to do it on just one single object like Felix does. So i focused on one place of the river. Making the flow negative on the water i was focused on. After a few seconds it levitated. Then i let it drop.

I continued doing this until it felt easier to do so. Then i tried pulling something towards me. By curving space at will i can determine the path the object will follow. It takes a lot of concentration and control to do this.

Felix was born with the ability to do this naturally. So he doesn't need that much concentration like i do, and he's been doing it since he learned magic. So with more time and practice i'll be able to do this naturally as well.

I continued to practice gravity manipulation. By moving objects up, down, around me, crushing them, throwing them, and making myself levitate.

I must've spent hours practicing because i was almost out of mana. I have almost twice the times of mana as a normal person. Because i started at an early age. Since it was late afternoon i decided to stop there, and continue later.

As i was making my way back to the inn. I stumbled on a group of kids who wore chains. They looked exhausted as they were cleaning the streets. They were wearing dirty and ripped rags, and had several bruises on their bodies. There was a person keeping watch over them holding a thick wooden stick.

They also enslave children? Or they might be kids who are born from enslaved women. I looked the other way, so i wouldn't feel pity for them.

Once i was in the inn i laid down on the bed and quickly fell asleep.

When i woke up it was night time and there was letter with my name on it on a desk next to my bed. I opened it and it said.

We're going to the tavern next to the inn. It looked like you where tired so i didn't want to wake you. But if you do wake up and feel like coming, you know where we are. From Leon

hmm i guess i'll go.

I put on my shoes and made my way to the tavern. The city looked nice at night. There was lampposts lighting up the city. With very few people walking on the road.

I got to the tavern and found Leon and his party sitting at a round table eating and drinking. Felix was at a table close by eating by himself. Leon noticed me.

"Hey Arata. You made it. Come have a seat and order something." He said.

"Sure." I sat in front of Felix and ordered roast meat.

Felix didn't say anything to me. After a little while my food came. I ate it quickly because i was hungry, and it actually tasted good.

"Hey father is it okay if i go back now?" I asked Leon.

"Yeah it's okay they put what you ordered under my tab." He said.

I nodded and waved at him goodbye. I didn't go back to the inn. I started walking around the city. When someone called out to me. I turned back and it was Julian.

"Hey can i talk to you about Felix?" He said

"Sure." i said.

"Please don't hold anything against him. Ever since he discovered that he was born with special abilities. He became really cocky with other kids his age. Thinking he was always on top. He viewed other kids as lower than him so he was always rude to them. I was hoping someone else around his age would beat him in a fight. In hopes that he could get rid of that cockiness. And ever since you did, he's been pretty quiet. I hope this changes him. So thank you, and again please don't hold anything against him."

I suspected it was something like that.

"Don't worry i don't hate him. I'm thankful for him. He was able to bring out the best in me, and i learned something from him." I said.

"Ohh, and what was it that you learned?" He asked curiously.

"You'll see soon." I said.

He seemed curious, but didn't question me further. "Well i better get back to the others. See you later."

"Later." i said. Then he started walking away.

I went back to the river area and started practicing my gravity magic with what was remaining of my mana pool. Once i was out i went to the inn and fell asleep.