Chapter 1: Luke

Magic is an art, one trained through the years and mastered through hundreds of trials and errors. Each completed spell brought a mage closer to the mastery of the art. But magic was infinite and a deep well, one that when you dive into, you discover there is no end.

You must thirst after the power. The more they gain it, the hungrier they become, driven by the desire to control the logic of reality and bend everything to your very will. For it, you make sacrifices. For it, you learn to turn off emotions and seek out only the truth of magic.

It was a drug that gave a constant high that every mage never wanted to leave. Magic, magic, that was magic.

THUMP

Luke closed the book shut as he read the final lines of the book. He held it between both palms, a book at least three to four inches wide and held between two thick covers.

His golden eyes drifted over the book for a few seconds, as if still trying to extract what knowledge might be there for the taking.

He leaned back into his gaming chair, the desk light illuminating his face against the room that was only lit up with some LED lights that were attached to the ceiling.

"I guess that’s the best ending that could be seen for a book based purely on magic," he muttered to himself, feeling somewhat hollow inside after seeing what the end of the book was.

He had been reading this novel for over a year now, volume after volume, "The Arch Mage’s Elite Classroom."

A story based on an Archmage in the world of Larek that decided to retire from the life of magic and hide his real identity, only to teach at an academy on magic and help them become the greatest mages the empire had ever seen and rise to the peak of humanity in order to defend them against Demons and the Ancients.

Two races that hated humans and wanted them gone. A war that was fought for over a century until humans reached the peak of magic and managed to end the war, sealing the Ancients and sending the demons into hiding.

"I wish that Arch Mage Cane had not had to sacrifice himself for the princess of the empire. She was a douchebag that did not respect him."

Luke pressed his palm against the table and rose to his feet. He looked at the table again with some regret in his eyes.

"Will I ever get a book as good as you? I hope that I do. You were one of a kind."

He turned around and left, pulling off his clothes and tossing them to the side. It was late at night, he needed to take a bath and sleep. He had school tomorrow as a sixteen-year-old college student. Being top of his class was a priority, and even while being a genius technically, he still needed to show up and work hard.

He walked into the bathroom, turned on the shower, and began taking his shower.

The book he left on the table suddenly opened with no wind or force. It opened all the way to the last page, the empty page, the blank one left behind after the story ended. Out of nowhere, a write-up began to show up on the page, words in a different language that was foreign to Earth.

Luke finished his shower and stepped out. He had a towel around his waist and one in his hand, cleaning his hair with it. He looked over to the table and saw the book open.

"Hmm, I’m sure I closed that."

He walked over there and leaned over the book, then he saw the writing.

"Hmm? Those were definitely not there before."

He tried to read it, picking up the book and bringing it closer to his eyes when suddenly a black liquid shot from the book and entered right into his eyes, nose, and ears.

"Arghhhhhhhh!" He screamed as loud as he could before collapsing to the ground, convulsing hard on the floor. He choked himself as if trying to stop something from moving, but even after doing that, he could not stop all the liquid from entering him. And when it was done, his body stayed on the ground, limp, no longer moving, no longer breathing. Luke was dead.

He fell into the darkness. The cold got to him. He was not even sure what killed him, but all he knew was that he was gone.

"What a shitty way to go, Tch, maybe I could reincarnate like one of my stories. That would be nice, if it was real."

[....]

"Hey, bring more towels now, rush!" a woman yelled.

"Yes, ma’am," another responded.

"My lady, take a deep breath, you can get through it. I can see his head already."

"My lady, deep breaths and push, push!"

Multiple voices came down, each one trying their best to have whoever was on the bed push.

"Arghhhhh urghhhh," a deep groan followed, and then sobs as a woman in pain tried to push harder and harder. She kept at it while everyone around her tried to make sure that she did it.

After minutes of tears and sobs, she gave one last groan, and then everywhere went silent.

.....

.....

.....

"Wahhhhhhhh"

The cry of a baby filled the room, loud and echoing.

’What the hell is happening here?’ Luke thought.