The Lord of the Seas - An Isekai Progression Fantasy [ Currently on Volume 2 ]

The Magic Tower opened its gates that morning, as it did each and every day, to anyone bold enough to test their potential. It didn't matter if they were commoners or nobles, men or women, young or old—if they had the spark, the Tower would see it. And if they didn't, well, the Tower would see that too.

But just because you could see the Tower did not mean you were allowed to begin climbing it right away.

The test to begin one's climb was simple.

Place your hand on a crystal ball and will your magic to life. The brightness of the glow would determine where you started in the Tower, from the first floor to the rare and coveted fifth.

It was the first step to earning a place in the greatest magical institution across all the human realms.

Lukas stood among the crowd, watching dozens of hopeful applicants step forward. Some approached with eager grins, others with trembling hands. Many left disappointed, the crystal ball giving no more than a faint flicker before falling dark. He watched as a majority of the participants lining up turn away from the Tower, all that hope and wonder in their eyes vanishing in a second.

Lukas could see there was a reason why they could keep the doors of the Tower open to anyone every single day and not worry about taking in too many Mages. He crossed his arms and hummed a soft tune, waiting for his turn. And as he did, he watched as a girl who seemed to be of noble descent step up to the challenge, her hair done perfectly and her robes lined with gold.

She placed her hand on the crystal ball and smiled with a quiet triumph when it glowed just enough to place her on the second floor.

Her friends clapped and cheered as if she had already conquered the Tower.

Despite all that Lukas had been through, he couldn't help but feel a tinge of nervousness beginning to grow within him.

What if he flopped? What if the ball didn't even react to him? What if this test was only for humans? So much for the dragon's power that Magnus needed if Lukas couldn't even pass the entrance test to get in the Tower.

His foot tapped against the floor as the line inched forward.

Finally, it was his turn.

The boy overseeing the assessments didn't look much older than fourteen, thin and pale, with a messy stack of papers in his hands.

"Name?" the boy asked, scribbling.

"Klein."

"Just Klein?"

"Klein." He repeated. It wasn't too out of the ordinary especially for commoners not to have a family name. "And yours?"

The boy froze, blinking before giving his reply. "Oh. Um. My name is Thomas. Thomas Harrow."

"Alright then, Klein. Just place your hand on the crystal ball and will your magic forward. No rush. Try your best and I'm sure it will go well!" The kid seemed exhausted yet he still tried his best to put on a friendly smile, he could definitely appreciate the effort.

Lukas stepped up. He placed his palm on the crystal ball, feeling its cold surface hum beneath his skin. He took a breath and reached for the magic within him. Not carefully. Not cautiously. But all at once, sending it roaring to life.

Why not just give it his all?

The crystal ball burst into radiant light, so bright that everyone nearby recoiled, shielding their eyes as a sharp, high-pitched sound split the air. The crystal trembled violently, the veins of magic within it shuddering under the pressure.

Then it cracked. And with a sharp snap, it shattered completely, shards scattering across the stone.

That was why.

The boy had fallen onto his back, staring up at Lukas with wide, horrified eyes.

"You—" the boy swallowed, voice barely steady. "You pass! The f-fifth floor! You start on the fifth floor!"

Lukas blinked. "Thanks."

He stepped away, brushing crystal dust off his hand as the crowd parted for him in stunned silence.

The dragon could feel his face begin to flush red as the whispers turned into cheers, it had been a while since he had this many eyes on him. It reminded him of the times he walked out to the octagon and couldn't help but smile, nodding in thanks to the crowd's shouts of approval.

The boy took the hand that Lukas held out for him, still pale and still shaking. He cleared his throat and tried to compose himself as best he could, but his hands were trembling.

"May I have your attention?" Thomas managed to shout out, voice cracking slightly as he raised his voice to address the crowd. "I apologize but that will be all for the assessment tests today!"

The people groaned in disappointment, some people grumbling that they had been waiting for hours, but no one dared to argue after what they had just seen. One by one, they began to disperse.

Thomas turned back to Lukas, still wide-eyed. "I must personally guide you through the Tower. It's protocol for fifth-floor candidates."

Lukas laughed and shook his head. "No need for that. I can find my way around."

But before Thomas could protest, he pulled a folded letter from his coat and held it out. "Although, I could use some help with this. Seems important."

Thomas took the letter absentmindedly, still trying to settle his nerves, but the moment he saw the wax seal, his breath caught in his throat. His fingers trembled as he stared at the insignia—the seal of the Elarion Royal Family, unmistakable and impossible to forge.

"This…this is the Head Mage's seal," Thomas whispered, more to himself than to Lukas. He looked up, his face pale with disbelief. "The seal of Magnus Elarion."

Lukas shrugged. "Yeah. Old man said I should hand it to someone who knows what to do with it. You definitely look someone who fits the description, my friend."

Thomas looked like he might faint right there. He stepped back, shaking his head as if trying to wake himself from a dream. "I thought it was just a rumor. I heard the Tower's been talking, but I didn't think it was actually true."

He swallowed hard and stared at Lukas like he was seeing a legend come to life.

"It's true," Thomas muttered, stunned. "The Head Mage has finally chosen an apprentice."

Lukas sat across from Magnus in the old man's office, his arms crossed and his face twisted into a grimace as Magnus burst into another round of laughter.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

"You should have seen that boy's face when that crystal ball shattered," Magnus wheezed, wiping tears from his eyes. He had been watching, how? Lukas had no clue. These Mages and their mysterious ways.

"You really do now how to make a statement don't you, my boy? Dragons and their theatrics. Klein, the Head Mage's new apprentice. The boy who broke the assessment crystal. It's all the people of Easthaven are talking about."

Lukas groaned, leaning his head back against the chair. "Old man, could you cut it out already?"

Magnus finally settled down, his grin still sharp. He reached for his staff and tapped it lightly against the desk.

A soft hum filled the air, and with a flick of his fingers, several small glowing spheres hovered between them, lazily drifting around the room.

Lukas recognized the shift in Magnus' body, sitting up in his chair.

This would be his first lesson as Magnus' apprentice.

Lukas admittedly was never a model student considering he dropped out of high school but he knew this was something he should pay attention to.

"Let us begin," Magnus declared. "Magic, as we understand it, is drawn from a force of nature called Mana. Mana exists all around us, in the air, the sea, the earth. It is the source of all magic. The fuel that allows the mystic arts to exist."

Lukas nodded along, but his brow furrowed in thought.

Magnus continued. "But not all are blessed by Mana. Not all can wield magic. Most humans are born with no ability to touch it, no matter how hard they try."

That stopped Lukas cold. He stared at the old man, unsure if he'd heard him right.

Magnus laughed at the expression of confusion on Lukas' face like he was a child who just said the sky was green.

"One cannot just decide to learn magic, Lukas. No matter how intellectually gifted you are. You must be born with it. A Pool of Mana, deep within your soul. Without it, you will never cast a single spell. Not a spark. Not a breeze. Nothing."

Lukas blinked.

Magnus smiled knowingly, as if reading his mind and answering his unspoken question. "You see, Lukas. Your race is a race blessed by Mana. All those who are descended from the draconic kind will possess a Pool of Mana, no matter how small or vast. Dragons come magical origins, my friend. Us humans? Humans on the other hand? We aren't so lucky."

Magnus gestured toward the floating spheres as they slowly dissipated. "Divinity is what we call the different types of magic humans can wield. Each Divinity manifests differently in each user. It's a rare gift. That's why so few ever make it into the Tower. Most people? They never even feel the pull of Mana, let alone shape it."

Lukas leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

All this time in Hiraeth, he thought magic was simply something you learned. Something you practiced until you got better. He thought humans were just slow to grasp it, not that they were fundamentally incapable without being born for it.

No wonder they had been at such a disadvantage during the start of the Great War. No wonder they needed a Hero, one summoned through divine intervention.

He muttered, "I really didn't know a damn thing."

Magnus chuckled. "It's not your fault. Linemall is all that you have known. That's why human mages are so obsessed with research and relics. Without natural access to Mana, we claw at whatever we can find to bridge the gap."

Lukas rubbed the back of his neck. "So all the mages in this Tower…they're Divinity Users?"

"Every last one."

"And the people who can't feel Mana?"

Magnus simply shrugged. "They live their lives without magic. Like most of the world."

Lukas sat in silence for a long moment.

He remembered Anriette Vale, the Rear Admiral of Nozar's Navy. She had been able to wield a Divinity of Judgement, carrying a book of Nozari maritime law. She had not been the norm, she had been the exception. This was the first time she crossed his mind and Lukas wondered what became of her.

Then a thought struck Lukas as Magnus allowed his apprentice some time to process what he had learnt.

Lukas looked up from his thoughts, something pressing at the back of his mind. "What about Rosalia?" he asked. "What is she?"

Magnus leaned back in his chair, his smile fading. His gaze drifted to the window, as if the question weighed heavier than Lukas expected.

"That," Magnus whispered slowly, "is a very good question."

The old man let out a long sigh, his voice quieter now. "Truth be told, even I don't fully understand Rosalia. I've watched her grow up over the years and yet...I still do not know what she is truly capable of."

He paused, then turned his eyes back to Lukas. "But I do know this, Lukas. My granddaughter is a marvel. Rosalia is a gift to humanity."

Lukas frowned. "How so?"

Magnus laced his fingers together. "A Mana Pool. It is the source of our magic. There is one within us, all of us in this Tower."

Lukas nodded.

Magnus tapped his desk twice, almost absently. "Rosalia…she doesn't have one."

Lukas blinked. "Wait, what?"

"She was born without a Mana Pool. The crystal ball? It doesn't register a hint of light when Rosalia puts her hands over it," Magnus said. "By all logic, based on everything we know, she should be no different from any other human who can't even conjure a spark. And yet…" He trailed off, shaking his head with a faint smile, a mixture of pride and awe.

"Yet she can communicate with Mana. She can move it. Shape it. Ask it to take any form she pleases."

Lukas stared at him. "How?"

"That is a question that remains unanswered my boy." His eyes sharpened and for once Lukas could see worlds of imagination within those brown eyes of Magnus Elarion. "If we can understand how she does it—how she bridges the gap that no one else can—then it's possible that all humans have that same potential buried deep inside them. That maybe, just maybe, humanity isn't as limited as we've always believed."

Lukas sat back, digesting the weight of it all. Rosalia wasn't just gifted.

She might be the key to changing the very nature of magic for all mankind. And she didn't even seem to realize it.

Then he leaned forward, his curiosity still gnawing at him. "Then why don't you just ask her to show you more? Test her limits. See what else she's capable of."

The room went quiet. Magnus didn't answer right away.

The playful glint, the sharp humor that usually danced in his eyes, was gone.

What remained was something deeper. Older. Tired in a way Lukas hadn't seen before.

When the old man finally spoke, his voice was low. Steady. "I've made many sacrifices in my life, my boy. More than I care to remember. I've paid prices most men would have never been willing to pay. All for more knowledge. For the betterment of mankind. For the Tower."

His gaze drifted, not to the window, not to the crystals on his desk, but somewhere far away, locked in memories Lukas couldn't see. "But this—this is not one I plan to make."

The King looked at Lukas now, sharp, firm. "What you're suggesting is turning Rosalia into an experiment. Turning my granddaughter into a guinea pig for the Tower to dissect. Nothing more than a tool for a what if."

His hand curled into a fist, resting on the desk.

"I will never allow that."

The weight of his words settled heavy between them.

"I love that girl more than life itself. She is not the Tower's key. She is not a weapon for the Kingdom. She is my granddaughter. And if that makes me a selfish fucking bastard…" He shrugged, a bitter smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Then I'll be a selfish fucking bastard."

He met Lukas' eyes. "I have kept her ability hidden ever since I discovered it. And until she is of age to make her own decision of this gift of hers, it will remain that way. I will grant her the freedom to choose the life she wants to live. No matter what it costs me."

For the first time, Lukas didn't see the wise pragmatic King of Easthaven or the legendary Head Mage of the Magic Tower. He saw a grandfather. One who would burn the world before he ever handed his granddaughter over to it.

Then Magnus smiled.

"Have faith. For Rosalia has already given me more than enough. You see, Lukas, you asked me to teach you magic. But there is nothing more that I can teach you on how to wield your Divinity. You're a bloody dragon. What man can teach a dragon how to use his magic?"

A pause. One intentionally made for suspense by the author to fill the wordcount (I don't really have to) and make you read a little longer till the big reveal.

"But what I can do is teach how to use magic beyond the Divinity that you were born to wield."

Lukas saw the glint in the Head Mage's eyes, one akin to a mad scientist.

"Rosalia showed us that there is a way to some how communicate with Mana. Which is why I will be teaching you what I deem to be my life's greatest work. Humans have stumbled upon this idea before but those ancient runes have never been able to achieve the levels of complexity I have reached Lukas Drakos, I will be teaching you the ways of Runic Magic."