The boy without magic

Chapter 15: Hage

Authors Note: Before I start this chapter, I decided to divide the story into acts. Right now we are currently in act 1, and I plan on making every act stay in one characters POV. I knew previous chapters had several different POVs, but I was still new to writing at the time so I'll let it pass. Now that I'm more familiar with writing a story, I'll try to make it as enjoyable as possible. For the rest of act 1 this Pov will remain as the Narrators Pov. Enjoy reading and I'll leave another note at the end of the chapter like always!
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Morning had risen, sunlight had bled through the torn curtains. A black haired boy had woken up due to the sunlight and started to get up. Once he got up, he looked to his side and saw that his other orphaned siblings remained asleep. "They really are heavy sleepers." Thought the boy. A familiar aroma made contact with his nose, and he heard his stomach grumbling. "I should eat what sister Lily's making. Probably tatoes again." Said Yuno getting up from the lumpy mattress. Yuno walked towards the kitchen and saw his caretaker boiling potatoes. "I see you woke up, come enjoy some breakfast." Said Sister Lily. "Okay, I've been starving." Said Yuno sitting down on a wobbly chair. "Looks like I need to fix the chair again." Thought Yuno. The sister put down a plate of freshly boiled potatoes, Yuno who was hungry ate the food with no complaints. After finishing his meal, he drank several glasses of water and went to the door. "If anyone needs me, I'll be training!" Shouted Yuno leaving the church. "That boy pushes himself too hard." Thought sister Lily. Outside the church, Yuno could be seen running towards his usual training spot. "Master said I need to work on my attacks." Thought Yuno getting into a offensive position. The boy slashed his arm generating a wind attack that left a cut on the tree he attacked. "Not good enough." Said Yuno throwing another slash. After what felt like hours which was really an hour, Yuno began to feel exhausted. "I can see your progress, you should take a break." Said a familiar voice. "Mas- Alexander?" Said Yuno surprised to see him. "Yep. I see you're training hard again." Said Alexander sitting on a log. "I've been trying to improve my offense. You said it needed work." Said Yuno. "It does need work, but you shouldn't overexert yourself. Remember, strength comes with time and work. Nothing is ever given to you on a silver platter. Even the most gifted have trouble. Struggle can lead you into two different paths; one being a path with no hope, and the other being a path of success. So, take a break." Said Alexander. Yuno nodded and sat down resting his back against a tree. "You really like this place don't you?" Asked Alexander. "Sometimes me and Asta would train here as kids. Apparently this is the same place where the first wizard king defeated a giant demon." Said Yuno. "That sounds interesting, looking at that big skeleton I can tell the story is true." Said Alexander with astonishment. "That human surely must have been an impressive mage to take down a demon that size." Said Astaroth in Alexanders mind. "I may not know much about this kingdom, but even I know a wizard king has to be an exceptional mage." Said Alexander in his thoughts. "You're right about that. I also assume the wizard king has to be selfless, do you think the boy you're training can be like that?" Asked Astaroth. "I do. I can deduce how someone is based in first impressions, this boy has shown nothing but purity and thoughtfulness." Answered Alexander. "I hope you're right on what you think of him, because if you're not you'll regret your actions." Said Astaroth. "I won't regret anything." Replied Alexander. After the talk in Alexanders mind, he asked Yuno "You can practice your offense later. Right now you should introduce me to your family, so I could have their permission to take you to a certain place" said Alexander. "Where are you gonna take me?" Asked Yuno curiously. "A place good for hunting. Attacking a tree won't help you at all. In a real life situation, you need to act and think quickly. The opponent never wastes time and makes their move in an instant, hunting can be your training wheels for such a situation. Over time you will go from hunting to facing other people." Answered Alexander. "I never hunted in my life, but I have to try." Said Yuno with confidence. "Good boy, now let's go to your church. I really don't expect them to agree right away, but it's worth a shot." Said Alexander. "They kinda already know about you." Said Yuno scratching the back of his head. "Let me guess, you told them I was already training you?" Guessed Alexander. "Yeah, the day you said you were gonna train me made me so excited. I accidentally told them about you when I was having dinner." Said Yuno. "Don't worry, if anything I'm glad you told them about me. It should make it easier." Said Alexander. Yuno smiled and nodded. The two walked towards the church and saw sister Lily hanging up clothes. "Sister Lily! I'm back!" Announced Yuno. "Welcome back Yuno, how was training?" Asked Lily with a smile. "It went well. Anyways, remember that Alexander I told you about?" Asked Yuno. Lily nodded and looked over at Alexander, who was just standing their waving. "It's nice to meet you. My name is Alexander, I apologize for not introducing myself earlier but I never had the chance to do so." Said Alexander. "You're forgiven. Yuno has told me you are quite the busy man, would you like a cup of tea?" Asked sister Lily. "A cup of tea sounds good." Answered Alexander. The three went inside to see several kids playing in the small church. "This place is awfully run down." Thought Alexander. "Kids you can all go play outside, it's really nice out." Said Lily trying to make the area look more presentable. "Okay sister!" Shouted a brown haired child. "Thank you Nash, and please be careful!" Said the sister. All the kids went outside to play, inside the church were Yuno, Lily, and Alexander. Lily went to make tea for the guest. To pass time, Alexander and Yuno were playing a game of tic tac toe on a piece of paper. "I win again." Said Alexander. "Aww come on! Why can't I win." Complained Yuno. "You need to plan out everything from the start. What you're doing is just blocking my path, when it's really a distraction for you to not notice my other shapes." Said Alexander. "I did not know that." Said Yuno a little embarrassed. "You can learn from everything, you just need to analyze the situation." Said Alexander. Yuno took note of what Alexander said, "Tea is ready." Said the sister. Sister Lily placed a cup of tea on the table. Alexander noticed that the cup was chipped, he didn't say anything because of the good hospitality he was provided. "So, I wanted to discuss if I could take Yuno hunting with me. I know it may sound abrupt and suspicious, but I promise that he'll be in good hands." Said Alexander taking a sip of his tea. The sister took a moment to think about it and asked "Why hunting? Isn't he too young to be doing things like that?" "I'm turning fourteen in six more months, also it'll necessary for my training." Said Yuno. "Yuno, don't speak when the adults are talking." Said Alexander. "Sorry Alexander." Apologized Yuno. "It's fine, but you're right. Sister, I believe Yuno will learn a lot if me and him go hunting. Also, don't worry for his safety. I am a capable mage myself, and protecting him should be an easy task." Said Alexander. "How long will it take?" Asked the sister. "It will only take a day, we can also bring back some meat for the church." Answered Alexander. "I can agree, just promise me that Yuno won't get hurt." Said Lily. "I promise." Said Alexander. "Although this isn't my decision alone, I need to ask father Orsi as well." Said the nun. "Where can we find the father?" Asked Alexander. "He should be tending the farm right now. Follow me, I can take you to him." Said sister Lily. The three left the church and went behind the church. Once they arrived they saw an older man plowing the fields, "Oh my back hurts." Complained Orsi. "Hello father Orsi, can we talk with you?" Asked sister Lily. "Why of course you can." Said Orsi with a smile. "Hello Father, my name is Alexander. I'm the one who's been training Yuno for these past six months, and I wanted to ask if I could take him hunting with me." Said Alexander offering his hand for a handshake. Orsi shook his hand, but was still processing what he heard. "Yuno. Hunting?" Asked the Father. "Is that safe?" Asked the Father. "I will make sure nothing bad happens to him, I also believe hunting will be good for his training." Answered Alexander. "I see. Have you agreed to this Lily?" Asked the Father. "I have. I trust Alexander, he's been training Yuno for quite a while now." Answered the nun. "Then I agree as well. Yuno is the hope of Hage after all." Said Orsi. Yuno got a little annoyed being called that, his annoyance was noticed by Alexander. "Very well, we'll be leaving in half an hour. Yuno, during that time I want you to grab some stuff needed for tonight. We'll be camping out during the night." Said Alexander. Yuno nodded and went back into the church to grab some of his things. "We'll be back tomorrow in the afternoon, I'll make sure to bring some of the meat here so you guys can eat well." Said Alexander. The two caretakers nodded in agreement. "Alexander, Yuno never mentioned what magic you use. What magic do you possess?" Asked the nun. "I possess time magic." Answered Alexander. "Time magic? That's very rare. I heard the current wizard king also has time magic." Said Lily in surprise. "He does. I met him while I visited the capital." Said Alexander. "You met the wizard king?!" Asked both Orsi and Lily surprised. "Yeah. It was a short meeting, but I could tell he's a good person." Answered Alexander. "When did you meet him?" Asked sister Lily. "Around half a year ago, before I moved here to be exact." Answered Alexander. "Why would you move here? This is just a poor village." Asked Orsi. "This place is quiet and beautiful. The capital was too crowded and full of snobby nobles." Said Alexander. "You're truly a humble person." Said the father. "I'm not humble. I just choose to live my life in a true reality." Said Alexander. "I'm back and ready." Said Yuno approaching the three. Alexander looked over at Yuno and saw him with a small bag over his shoulder. "Good, let's get going." Said Alexander waving goodbye to the adults. "Bye sister Lily!" Said Yuno walking along with Alexander. The two walked for half an hour and soon entered the forest. The trip was quiet until Alexander asked "I noticed you didn't say goodbye to the father. Is there anything up with that?" Yuno looked down at the ground for a moment and soon answered "it's just that.. He puts too much pressure on me. Compared to other kids my age I have more mana than them. Ever since they found out that I had more mana they started calling me the hope of Hage." "I have a feeling there's more to it." Said Alexander. "He also told my friend that he would be better off dead." Said Yuno in a shaky voice. Alexander was surprised to hear that, he never expected a father of a church to say something so cruel to a child. "Do you hate him?" Asked Alexander. "I don't know. Sometimes I blame him for Asta not showing up anymore, but I can't bring myself to hate him." Answered Yuno. "That's because you have a kind heart. Being kind is good, but it can also lead you to your demise. There are people that take advantage of your kindness, don't let that happen. And as for the father, it's best if you don't hate him. Instead you should only prove him wrong about your friend." Said Alexander. "But how can I prove him wrong if I can't find Asta? I don't know where he lives, and even if I do find out I can't come near because his mother has a curse." Said Yuno. "I'm sure you'll find him soon. I believe that just like you, he still aspires to be wizard king." Said Alexander. "How do you know that?" Asked Yuno. "He started the challenge on who will be wizard king didn't he?" Asked Alexander. Yuno nodded and kept on listening to Alexander. "If he was your friend, he wouldn't forget that challenge. Friendship can have a stronger bond than blood, never forget that." Said Alexander. Yuno thought about what Alexander said. Instead of just training, Alexander also gave his share of wisdom to the boy. "Tell me, did Asta ever talk about a cure for his mothers curse?" Asked Alexander. "He talked about how he'll find a cure for his mother once he becomes wizard king." Answered Yuno. "I see." Said Alexander thoughtfully. In Alexanders mind, Astaroth and him were having a conversation. "So the boy didn't know that his father was finding a cure." Said Astaroth. "I guess not. Why wouldn't his mother tell him?" Asked Alexander. "My guess is that she didn't want him to know that he had a family other than just herself. Sounds selfish when you think about it." Answered the devil. "A good mother would never be selfish. I'm sure she thought the situation was too much to handle for the boy." Said Alexander. "How are you so sure?" Asked Astaroth. "I read the letters and found her diary. I know I shouldn't have read the diary, but she left it there so it must have not been so important for her. In the diary she wrote down many things, I could show you what it said tomorrow." Said Alexander. "Reading through someones diary? That's just low. But why would she leave something so valuable behind?" Asked Astaroth. "I'm not sure. My guess is that they probably left in a hurry, they definitely found a cure for her. From what Yuno described the curse as, she couldn't come near anyone. And if the boy is living in the capital, then surely the curse must have been cured." Explained Alexander. "I know we shouldn't, but I'm really intrigued now. I think we should read the diary later when we get back." Said Astaroth. "Maybe we can find more answers. Man, this really is distracting me from my main goal." Said Alexander. "We have plenty of time. They aren't strong enough to accomplish their goal, and you still need time to recover. Even after several years and with the help of my magic, you're still not at your full strength." Said Astaroth. "You're right about that. If it weren't for that man, I would have been dead. I never thanked you for choosing me as your carrier, if it weren't for you I couldn't have brought that man back to his home." Said Alexander. "There's no need to thank me young one. I chose you because you and I have a similar goal. I keep the underworld in check, while you will keep this world in check. You understand that there has to be balance to maintain peace." Said Astaroth. "It took me a long time to figure that out. Anyways, it's time to start hunting. Looks like we arrived where I wanted to go." Said Alexander. "Good luck with hunting." Said Astaroth before Alexander left his thoughts. "Yuno, you ready?" Asked Alexander. "I guess I am" answered Yuno. "Alright then, first leave your stuff next to that tree over there." Said Alexander pointing at a tree. Yuno didn't even question him and did as he was told. Alexander made a blade covering his hand and let a mark on the tree. "I made this mark and left some of my mana in it so I can track this tree down once we're done. If we ever get lost, we can sense the mana and find our way." Said Alexander. "How did you do that?" Asked Yuno. "How did I make the blade or how I left my mana in the cut?" Asked Alexander. "Both." Said Yuno eagerly. "I condensed my mana and surrounded my hand with it. The blade didn't have my affinity, it was pure mana. This is a technique that takes several years to master. Leaving my mana however; I simply detached my mana onto the tree. I can teach you how to do that later. Now, let's start hunting." Said Alexander. Yuno only nodded, and followed his teacher. "Are you up for a challenge?" Asked Alexander. "Yes I am." Answered Yuno. "Good, because we'll be hunting boar. I will not help you, and if you get hurt it'll be your own responsibility." Said Alexander. "What?! But I thought you said you wouldn't let me get hurt?!" Asked Yuno surprised. "I did. I believe you're capable enough to kill a boar without getting hurt. Now, get ready. I sense an angry mother sniffing her baby's scent." Said Alexander. "What?!" Said Yuno. The boy noticed a weight he was holding which turned out to be a piglet. Yuno dropped the baby boar out of surprise, and the animal let out a painful squeal. "That drop seriously injured it. It would be best to end its suffering." Said Alexander who was watching. "What?! When? Ho-" "Focus!" Alexander interrupted. Yuno shook his head and saw a fairly large boar glaring at him with killing intent. Yunos mind was going through a lot. The boy felt guilt, fear, and adrenaline flow through his veins. Yuno took Alexanders advice and quickly stomped on the dying piglet to give it a faster death. The boy realized he didn't have time to cry because the angry mother was rushing towards him. Yuno quickly used his magic to lift himself in the air to dodge. The boar who grew annoyed, roared loudly. Yuno landed back on the ground and quickly threw a wind slash towards the boar, but the boar had a thick hide preventing a deep cut. "Damn!" Yelled Yuno frustrated. Alexander was watching attentively, he took note of every movement and emotion Yuno made and expressed. "This seems like a bit much." Commented Astaroth in Alexanders mind. "This is the best way for him to learn. He will realize that if an animal gives him trouble, another human could even give more trouble." Said Alexander. "What if he ends up getting hurt?" Asked Astaroth. "I can use your magic to prevent any wound or injury. And if he gets hurt, he'll know how to prevent that from happening for later situations." Answered Alexander. "And I'm guessing that you're watching him to see what he needs to improve." Said Astaroth. "You're exactly right. And from what I see, he has a lot to learn." Said Alexander watching Yuno throw a wind attack at the legs of the boar. The boar who was running lost balance and fell, Yuno quickly threw a wind attack at the animals stomach. The stomach of the boar cut open, all of the undigested food spilled out causing Yuno to throw up his breakfast. "Looks like he managed to use his brain during a stressful situation." Said Alexander with a smile. The teen jumped down the tree he was sitting on and landed next to Yuno. "Good job. You managed to kill the boar and only have some scratches." Said Alexander. Yuno was gasping for air at the moment. Everything that just happened replayed in his mind, for the first time in his life he had killed. Not just one living being, but two and the first being a baby. Tears started to well up from the boys eyes, this change was noticed by Alexander. "I understand I may have forced this event to happen, but the baby boar you killed was already diseased. It was suffering from complications due to malnourishment and parasites. The other boar you killed was trying to kill you, what you did was defend your life." Said Alexander. Yuno shook his head and wiped his tears. The boy got up from his spot and crouched next to the dead piglet. Yuno started to dig a hole with his hands, and then placed the piglet into the hole. "Rest in peace. I'm sorry I had to be the one to end your life." Yuno whispered covering the piglet. Alexander walked to Yuno and placed his hand on the boys shoulder. "That was the respectable thing to do. Now I'll teach you how to skin and gut an animal." Said Alexander. "Huh?" Said Yuno confused. "Your stomachs empty now, so you can't throw up anymore. Now's the perfect time to make use of the meat." Said Alexander. Yuno grew hesitant, but he trusted Alexander. Yuno knew that Alexander wanted to teach him everything important to survive, now he realized why hunting was going to be his training. "Okay, let's start then." Said Yuno getting up from the ground. Alexander took out a small bag and picked out rope. "Help me tie the boars hind legs." Said Alexander handing Yuno some rope. Yuno took the rope and walked towards the dead animal.  Yuno attempted to tie the boars legs, but his knot wasn't secure enough. Alexander kneeled down next to Yuno and said, "I'll teach you how to tie a secure and reliable knot." Alexander undid Yunos knot and slowly made a constrictor knot. "This knot is the most effective one I know. Watch carefully." Said Alexander. Yuno nodded and watched attentively, every loop and tie was noted by the boy. Alexander tightened the knot and said "Now it's time for you to use reinforcement magic. I want you to lift the boar, while I tie it to that tree." Said Alexander. "I'll try." Said Yuno. Yuno looked for a good grip on the boar, but the smell and fact of it being dead made Yuno uncomfortable. "Now's not the time to feel disgusted. If you were to be starving, you wouldn't care in the slightest about its smell. When a man is in a bad situation, they would commit the worst sins possible if they had to." Said Alexander. "What do you mean by that?" Asked Yuno. "It's just something you should remember. Now stop wasting time and lift the boar." Said Alexander. Yuno nodded and used his magic to reinforce his body for strength. The blood was dripping on Yuno as the boar was lifted. The smell wanted to make Yuno gag, but he couldn't because it would annoy his teacher. "You can let go of the boar now." Said Alexander. Yuno did as he was told. He walked away from the boar and tried to wipe the blood off of his clothes, but Alexander interrupted his cleaning. "Yuno, come here." Said Alexander. Yuno walked over to Alexander and saw him with the same mana blade as before. "First we'll skin the boar, so I want you to see this for future reference." Said Alexander. "Yes sir." Said Yuno watching Alexander skin the boar. Alexander took his mana bladed hand and carefully cut the skin, he glided his hand between the boars skin and meat; the teenager used his free hand to pull the skin apart. After several minutes the boar was completely skinned, "Now it's time to remove the bad organs. Take note of this Yuno." Said Alexander. Yuno nodded and watched with all his attention. "We don't need the stomach, it's already damaged enough by your attack. The intestines are useless too. The liver, heart, fat, and other muscles are what we need. Ribs are also good." Said Alexander. Alexander cut out all the desired pieces and put them in a container, he then cut the rope which the boar was hanging on and said "Any predator can eat whatever's left. We have all the tasty pieces. Ever had boar before?" Asked Alexander. "If I'm being honest, I never had any type of meat in my life before." Answered Yuno. Alexander wasn't surprised, he knew the church was poor and meat was awfully expensive for their standards. "Well now that you know how to hunt, you and your family at the church can eat meat." Said Alexander. "How does it taste?" Asked Yuno. "You'll find out soon. Now let's get back to where we dropped your stuff, you went pretty far while fighting the boar." Said Alexander. "I can sense your mana in that direction." Said Yuno pointing to his left side. "Good job Yuno. Now lead the way." Said Alexander. Yuno started walking towards where Alexanders mana was coming from, on the way Alexander picked up pieces of wood so he could make a fire. After a short walk, the two made it back to their starting place. Alexander sat down and dug a wide hole in the ground. "What's the hole for?" Asked Yuno. "I made it for the fire." Answered Alexander. "How are we gonna make a fire?" Asked Yuno. "Yuno, there are times where we can't always rely on magic tools. So I'll be teaching you how to make fire without any luxury." Said Alexander. Yuno had a confused look on his face. At the church; to make fires a small tool was used, a press of a button was enough to make a fire for warmth or cooking. "What are we gonna do?" Asked Yuno. "You see this stick?" Asked Alexander. Yuno nodded, "I'm gonna rub this stick with this sliced log." Said Alexander. "What's that gonna do?" Ask Yuno. "Rubbing this stick with the log can generate enough heat to make a fire. You should learn this." Answered Alexander. After a couple of long minutes, Alexander managed to start a fire and soon the fire grew large enough for their needs. "Let's start cooking!" Yelled Alexander uncharacteristically. Yuno grew a small smile seeing his teacher that way, "Yuno, since you did a good job. You can get the first piece." Said Alexander. "Thank you Master!" Said Yuno. "Again, don't call me master. Alexander is fine." Said Alexander. "Sorry about that, but calling you by your name just doesn't sit right." Said Yuno. "You can just call me teacher. Master doesn't sound good, but teacher sounds better." Said Alexander. "Okay then, from now on I'll call you teacher." Said Yuno. "Sounds good. Now let's eat, I'm getting hungry." Said Alexander. Both teacher and student ate their spoils of hard work. The two spent the rest of the night talking and eventually Yuno fell asleep near the fire. "You really got a good kid to train." Said Astaroth in Alexanders mind. "I did get lucky with this one. He's smart and more importantly has a good heart." Said Alexander. "That's good to know. You should probably get your sleep now, it's getting late." Said Astaroth. "You're right. Well, I'll talk to you tomorrow." Said Alexander. "Good night." Said Astaroth ending his connection with Alexander. Alexander laid on his sleeping bag and looked over at Yuno who was sleeping peacefully. "This kid has a ton of potential, it's my job to make sure he stays on the right path." Thought Alexander before going to sleep. The night passed and it was now morning. The chirping of birds woke up Alexander, "That was a good sleep." Said Alexander stretching his arms and legs. He looked over at Yuno who was still asleep, he knew Yuno was tired from yesterday so he decided to let him sleep. The fire had died which wasn't a problem, there was so need for one. Alexander got up and searched for edible berries to eat. After finding berries, Alexander took some for him and Yuno. On the way back Alexander found some herbs for wounds and health. "This could be useful." Thought Alexander picking them up. The devil host walked back to where he slept and found Yuno rubbing his eyes. "Good morning Yuno. How was your sleep?" Asked Alexander. "It was good, but my body feels a little weak." Answered Yuno. "You're just still exhausted from yesterday. It would be good if you have enough energy to get back to your home." Said Alexander. "I think I'll be fine." Said Yuno packing his stuff. After Yuno finished packing, the two walked back to the church. The walk was long, but eventually they arrived at Hage, "Yuno, you can take this meat and give it to the Sister. I'll be leaving from here." Said Alexander handing Yuno the container with meat. "Where are you going?" Asked Yuno. "I'm going back to my home. I'll see you tomorrow, today you should rest." Answered Alexander. "Where do you live?" Asked Yuno. "I live nearby. You should get going, I have some important work to do." Said Alexander teleporting away. "I wonder where he lives. He's always so secretive about it." Thought Yuno. Yuno decided to sense Alexanders mana and tried follow it. "Maybe I should leave the meat at the church first." Thought Yuno. Yuno quickly ran to the church and there he met sister Lily who was playing with the kids. "Hi sister Lily. Here's the meat and I'll be back soon!" Said Yuno running towards Alexanders mana. The nun was left confused and asked "Where are you going?!" "I just need to check something, I'll be back soon!" Answered Yuno running off. The sister sighed at Yunos action "That boy is really growing up." Thought Lily watching Yuno run off into the forest. Yuno was currently in the forest and trying to sense which direction his teachers mana was coming from. He knew that he probably lived nearby because he visited daily, Yuno thought if Alexander had lived somewhere else he wouldn't have visited daily. "I can sense teachers mana in that direction." Thought Yuno seeing a cabin with the door open.