Chapter 12: Chapter 12 - Introduction to a new world

Everything in the world of rankers is based on mana. The mana core is the foundation of every ranker be that man, beast or any other living being. The mana core is where you will draw your mana from. You can fight with only mana where you don't even have to physically touch your opponent. You can enhance your body or your weapons with mana, basically what I am saying is that mana can be used for pretty much anything you can think of. The only things that limit the way to use your mana are your control, how much mana you have, your imagination and visualization. Those are the main components to how you utilize your mana. Control is just what it sounds like, mana is an energy that you need to bend to your will. It takes focus to control it and shape it into whatever you want." The man stopped and a black blob of mana formed in his hand. It then began to change shapes, from a dragon, to a building, a large sword and finally a very detailed version of Havok.

Havok was fascinated like a baby with a new toy. His mouth was wide open, shocked at what he had just seen. "Will I be able to do something like that?" Havok asked. The man smiled, "Yes, but not in the near future, what I just showed you was what the control of an expert looks like. In the beginning you will focus on basic shapes and letters to hone your control. As you get better you will gradually increase your ability to control mana." Havok's eyes glistened like stars, as he couldn't wait to be able to do something like that.

"Next, is the amount of mana your core has. Which is usually about the same for everyone although there are individuals like yourself, that have mana cores that are slightly larger and able to contain more mana than others of the same rank. You can have perfect visualization, control and imagination, but it will not matter if you don't have the mana needed to make it a reality. That would be like a poor man dreaming about spending money that he doesn't have. Now why certain individuals have bigger cores than others, no one is sure. However, even if you have more mana than others at the same rank. If you don't know how to use it, then it really doesn't matter how much mana you have. It's like giving someone who has never fought the most powerful weapon in the world. That person needs to train and learn how to use that weapon for them to be effective. Otherwise, that weapon just turns into a good-looking decoration. Right now, you are just a lump of iron, my training will mold you into a deadly weapon."

"There are four keys to using mana, imagination, control, visualization, and the amount of mana you have.

"Imagination is important because it can give you ideas on the different ways to use your mana. The only limit to how you can use mana is your imagination. Once you get stronger and become a high-level ranker the number of ways you see others use mana will astonish you. Visualization is the last factor because if you imagine a weapon you would like to make with your mana, but you are not able to visualize how each part of that weapon works then it is pointless. When creating a weapon out of mana you need to know how every piece of that weapon works or you will fail. For now, just keep it simple as you do not have enough mana to create some elaborate weapon. Remember this, mana is not complicated, it is just a tool that allows you to get stronger. The same as if I gave you a sword or bow. What you do with it is up to you, don't over complicate it."

"Now that we have covered how to use mana, let's move on to affinities. For humans' darkness is rare. That black blob that I was molding into different things was darkness, that is also what I used to guide you to me. I released several strands of darkness searching to see if there was anyone on this planet that had the darkness affinity and you absorbed one of those stands. I used more darkness to lead you here that was why it felt so familiar to you even though you didn't know what your affinity was. I could have talked to you directly and guided you here without you having to encounter any of the beasts in the forests, but I needed to see if you had the will to fight through pain and fear to reach your destination. Which you did, so congratulations for that. All of my training will be like that, you will be continuously risking your life to get stronger. If you have a problem with that then we can end our agreement right now."

"Once I start your training you will not be able to quit, you will either get stronger or die. Those are the only two outcomes."

Havok shook his head but didn't speak.

"Good. Back to the darkness affinity, humans with the darkness are hunted by damn near every living being when they are found, unless they have the power to make people fear them. Humans hunt them out of fear and the other races hunt them for their mana cores. That is why I asked you earlier if you were sure that you wanted to become a ranker. Your life will be filled with battles and bloodshed, the only way to survive is by becoming strong and you won't become strong overnight it will be a grueling process."

"The reason why humans with an affinity for darkness are hunted down and killed is because darkness is deemed to be an affinity that no human should have. The reason for that is because while there are only a few individuals that actually have this affinity they are all tremendously strong and as you can imagine the other major affinities refuse to let such dangerous people grow and become a threat to them."

"Now, what makes them so dangerous is their specialties, for example. There is a woman with the darkness affinity and her specialty is necromancy. She is called the "Enchantress of the Departed", but her real name is Lanira Crex. Stories told about her say that she is a beautiful woman. With long white hair that trails behind her as she walks with her generals walking in front of her defeating anyone that gets in her way. It's said that she has a face so gorgeous that both men and women are willing to die just to see it. Her power is devastating. She can use both corpses that are just bones and the corpses of the recently deceased. Meaning that she can make people have to fight and kill their friends or companions that they were just fighting alongside. Which can be hard for some, this leads to them being indecisive and hesitant. On the battlefield when that happens the only outcome is death. Which just adds to the number of her soldiers. This cycle continues every time she fights, really what I am saying is that she is a terrifying individual, and she is just one person with the darkness affinity. All of the others that have the darkness affinity are similarly terrifying."

"There are four main affinities: earth, wind, fire and water. Most of the people you meet will have one of these affinities. Although there are other affinities and some people that have one of the four main affinities have specialties, they are rare and not something that I will talk about now because this is just the basics. Fire is known for its power. Earth is known for its defense. Wind is known for its speed. Water is known for its adaptability, which may not seem strong, but being able to adapt while fighting is crucial. Every affinity has its strengths and weaknesses. If you are able to survive through my training when you are done, I will have helped you minimize those weaknesses and hone your strength."

"Despite what some dumbasses will say, there is no affinity that is stronger than the rest. That includes darkness. I have seen individuals that had one of the main four affinities with no specialty easily kill someone that had the darkness affinity. Remember although the darkness affinity makes you unique and the others who have it are strong, just having that affinity does not make you strong."

"Resources are another critical necessity to becoming stronger. Take this forest for example, it has a great deal of mana for a planet that has just gained mana. The strong will hoard the best resources and environments, it doesn't matter if it is a beast or human. Some idiots will try to say that this is unfair, but there is no such thing as fairness with rankers it's all about strength. Horrific things will be done by people, and they will be able to get away with it because they have the strength to make the people who think they are righteous back down in fear."

"Someone with immense talent will still be weaker than another person that has below average talent because they lack the resources or environment to become stronger."

"While I will be teaching you and telling you about the code and rules, I lived my life by, everyone must have their own beliefs and moral compass. Yours should not be like mine. Create your own and stick to them as they will keep you grounded and make sure that you never lose your way."

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