Dream of The Beginning

Afternoon.

Ryan was lying on the dojo's floor, he was gasping for breath, drenched in his own sweat. 

Taiga looked at the completely exhausted Ryan with appreciation. The boy who couldn't even properly hold shinai (wooden sword) a year ago, now he could finally touch the hem of her clothes. Although it sounded his improvement was minuscule, but knowing her own skill... it was an incredible feat for a mere ten years old kid.

If she were to train him properly... Hue he he~ he would probably able to snatch the regional championship, or even national championship if he tried hard. 

Taiga was grinning mischievously as she looked at Ryan again. 

Ryan seemed to get goosebumps when he saw Taiga was staring at him with a weird look. 'She doesn't happen to like little kid, right? I have never read she's into kids when I saw her information on wiki back then, but this is my reality now, are things different…?' 

Ryan was trembling slightly at the thought. 

"Today's training ends here. Come at me again when you've became stronger, kid.

"And, don't you dare saying anything strange to Uncle Kiritsugu, alright?!" 

"Aye...~~" Ryan replied rather half-heartedly, he was feeling sore on all parts of his body so he had no mood to bicker with Taiga this time.

Taiga left Ryan with some more threatening words before she went back home, greeting Kiritsugu and patting Shirou's head on her way back. 

At the gate, Kiritsugu was seeing off Taiga along with little Shirou. He glanced at direction of the dojo before turning back, going inside their house. 

After Taiga left, Ryan immediately sat straight up. 

He could feel his spiritual energy had been pretty agitated this time. From this momentum, he felt like he could finally break through the first level of Demon King Solomon's Arcane Art. 

Ryan sat cross-legged, he closed his eyes and tried to enter his usual meditation state. 

His thought was like small waves at the quiet lake – it rippled from time to time at the beginning, but its ripples gradually became weaker as seconds passed. Until, eventually, his mind had no more distracting thoughts, calm as a still water, and clear as a mirror lake... 

His consciousness was scattering, slowly dissipating like fine dust being blown by the wind. 

His breathing was following a certain rhythm, exuding a special charm of profound Truth. 

At certain point, his scattered consciousness would slowly gather back again, returning to his soul. 

The entire routine would begin anew through the scattering and gathering, repeating it countless times. It was as if Ryan was emulating the continuous cycle of dying and rebirth – of the Samsara of Life and Death. 

Submerged within the gleams of profound Truth, Ryan continued to meditate, refining his soul calmly and steadily. 

. . . 

Kiritsugu and little Shirou were gathering at the dojo that night. They looked at Ryan who was still meditating until this late at night. 

"Father, is there something wrong with brother? He's missed dinner already..." Shirou was looking at the glittering lights gathering on Ryan's body with amazement. 

"I guess he's fine. This seems like a good thing for him, he can just get dinner later." 

Under influence of his young curiousity, Shirou tried to touch the glittering lights around Ryan. When he did so, Shirou could feel a refreshing energy washed over his finger for a moment. 

"Ohh! This is fun!" Shirou tried to touch them again and again as he was feeling fun with this. 

But, after he touched around ten or so lights, Shirou suddenly wobbled, his eyes felt heavy, and he almost fell asleep standing like that. 

"…!" Kiritsugu quickly took Shirou away from those small ball of lights. His expression turned serious as he hurriedly checked Shirou's body. 

'There's nothing wrong with Shirou? It may even look like his body is at better condition than ever. 

'Just what kind of practice this little kid Ryan is practicing...?' 

Kiritsugu marveled silently at Ryan. He also tried to touch the small balls of light and felt the same refreshing sensation like what little Shirou had felt. 

Kiritsugu could notice the effect of such thing on larger scale, based on his inference according to preliminary deduction, these small balls of light which were absorbed into Ryan's body seemed to be agglomeration of pure spiritual energy. 

Even little part of it could make Shirou's body improved by much and his own injuries were alleviated a bit. While here Ryan was still absorbing these balls of light continuously like a bottomless pit even now. 

'I heard there's an Eastern practice which could convert the user's entire body into natural magic circuit. I really can't believe I actually got to see such thing in my life.' 

Turning one's entire body into harmonious magic circuit was considered a High-Thaumaturgy already. Even an experienced magus would not be able to do it with such ease and as thorough like how Ryan did; it was as if the conversion of his body into magic circuit was merely a simple matter like walking on the park. 

Those who knew about magi understood that magic circuit was a talent one was born with. It was a hard and tedious process if one wanted to improve their magic circuit even by little, not to mentioning changing the entire body like what happened to Ryan now. 

'Just what kind of lineage can cause such Mystery... [Heaven's Gaze], I think it's the name of his Mystic Eyes he told me. Hmm, it doesn't ring a bell, honestly.' 

Kiritsugu slowly backed off while thinking to himself, taking the sleeping Shirou away with him. He closed the dojo's door quietly to prevent disturbing Ryan's practice. 

. . .  

Unbeknownst to Ryan, a change had already occurred on his status panel as he was meditating, immersing himself in cultivation. 

[…Demon King of Domination Arcane Art (level 1 – Soul Refining) (100%)] 

[…Demon King of Domination Arcane Art (level 2 – Altar Formation) (1%)] 

[Spirit (D -> D+)]

A vague image of white half-sphere with flat top Altar was slowly formed under Ryan's soul as spiritual energy from his surrounding was flowing madly into Ryan. Complex and strange runes were gradually formed on the flat surface of the altar, creating embryonic form of a mysterious spell diagram with Ryan's soul at the center. 

The so-called evil contamination, the black triangular shard, which was barely suppressed by Ryan's Mystic Eyes began to riot. It felt certain kind of danger from the newly-formed spiritual altar, and wanted to destroy it before it was fully formed 

The black shard frantically struggled inside the suppression light prison, releasing grotesque-looking black tentacles in attempt to smash the altar. However, when those tentacles reached the spiritual altar, they were strangely glued to the altar, and were forcefully detained. They couldn't even move by tiny bit. 

Using the connection formed through the tentacles, the altar quickly drained spiritual energy inside the black shard with extreme delight, as if the black shard's spiritual energy was his favorite food. 

The previously vague altar was turning more compact, more solid, as it kept draining the spiritual energy inside the black shard. Embryonic form of mysterious spell on its top became increasingly complex, slowly filling the area. 

Ryan could seemingly hear the black shard's roars of fury and indignation as its spiritual energy was robbed like that. 

At the same time, the progress of his Arcane Art cultivation was rapidly increasing as well. 

[…Demon King of Domination Arcane Art (level 2 – Altar Formation) (4%)] 

[…Demon King of Domination Arcane Art (level 2 – Altar Formation) (7%)] 

[…Demon King of Domination Arcane Art (level 2 – Altar Formation) (10%)] 

[…Demon King of Domination Arcane Art (level 2 – Altar Formation) (15%)] 

[…Demon King of Domination Arcane Art (level 2 – Altar Formation) (20%)] 

[…Demon King of Domination Arcane Art (level 2 – Altar Formation) (27%)] 

The black shard seemed to realize that if this situation continued, it would even cease to exist anymore. And so, it forcefully cut off its tentacles from the root, cutting its connection with that frightening altar. 

[…Demon King of Domination Arcane Art (level 2 – Altar Formation) (30%)] 

The progress of Demon King of Domination Arcane Art (level 2) stopped at 30%, almost a third of an entire level after the connection between the altar and black shard was cut off forcefully. 

At same time, Ryan also opened his eyes with slight frown on his face. He felt that the progress from this session of cultivation to be exceeding his expectation by much. It was just... 

"What a pity." 

Ryan felt rather regretful he couldn't finish off the black shard at that one chance. 

But on the bright side, now he wouldn't need to worry about the black shard causing trouble after he knew how his altar could 'devour' the black shard. He might have failed now, but there were still many chances in the future anyway. 

"What a truly damned pity, asshole! Damn, I really almost perish this time. What a f*cking great day." A loud voice suddenly sounded directly inside Ryan's mind. 

"...?!" Ryan looked around, but he saw and detected nothing strange on his surrounding. He, however, felt a strange feeling from within his body; from the supposedly source of contamination inside him - the triangular black shard. 

"You guessed right. I am here, inside your body, kid. Say, how about we make a good deal benefitting both of us?" 

Ryan deftly hid his surprise. He felt that this being could somewhat understand or listen to his thought if he was not careful. 

"Nah, you don't need to be that tense. I only want you to let me stay here, and please refrain from destroying me, kid. 

In exchange, 'I' can grant you your wish. Anything you want; 

be it riches, power, authority, or women if you prefer. 

You only need to think, and 'I' will grant them." 

The mysterious voice spoke softly with an enchanting allure, tickling the deepest desire within one's heart, like devil's whispers trying to sway a poor soul. 

Ryan:... 

Honestly, does this guy think I would fall for his trick?? Even promising to get women for a 10-years-old kid?! 

Well, can't say it's not tempting though, especially if the women are thicc enough, with busty knockers and nice booty... 

*cough* *cough* No horny! No horny's allowed in my thought. Calm down, lil' Ryan! 

"How about all of them?" Ryan smiled brightly as he spoke. 

The black shard: '...what a greedy bastard!'