New World - A New Beginning

Chapter 2: Building Blocks

I was extremely lucky that I could understand the oral and written language in this world. Within my few months here, I had been able to absorb a vast amount of knowledge. It seemed that this world, named Auroria, was comprised of one continent split into three different kingdoms:

Nethnore, the elven kingdom in the East. Comprised mainly of rich forests and vegetation, their population was rather slim compared to the others, but they believed in quality over quantity, especially military-wise.

Schild, the dwarven kingdom in the West. They were the mechanics of Auroria, using heavy machinery that was considered 'advanced' for this age. Their kingdom was surrounded by mountainous terrain, which allowed them to become an unbreakable shield when it came to defending their homeland.

Imania, the human kingdom. It was the most versatile and populated kingdom of the three, but in terms of power, they were all relatively balanced. With towering cities and kingdoms, the human kingdom was considered a hub for adventurers from all across Auroria, especially considering it was located in between both other kingdoms.

There was one other force, a forgotten kingdom.

The Dragonkin.

In the stories, the dragonkin were the strongest of all the races by a long shot, one soldier being able to take on an entire battalion. Their weakness was their population. Living in unforgiving conditions, they had become so small that even their superior force wasn't enough to defend against the incoming attacks. The other races banded together and took out the dragonkin, fearing their power. Or was it jealousy?

Fear was the single greatest motivator. It pushed life to act and evolve, always trying to secure a better future for themselves. I had read about atrocities that the dragonkin had committed, but it all seemed kind of far-fetched. Were these manuals distorted in order to justify the murdering of an entire species?

Maybe I was just paranoid.

"Honey, it's time to sleep okay? You've been in here all day," whispered my mother as she entered the enclosed area of the house that had become my territory.

"Okay," I said, not trying to argue. There was no arguing against that woman, but it was a gentle strictness that she possessed, it made you not want to argue against her in the first place. She smiled and picked me up, carrying me towards my room.

I had developed the ability to speak extremely soon, but I still resorted to basic vocabulary to not surprise my parents. My mother had been teaching me how to read and write, and I played along. They must've thought I was just looking at the occasional images in the books, not being able to read a thing.

She propped me into bed and kissed my forehead.

"Goodnight honey, rest well. Tomorrow your father gets back from the city!" she exclaimed quietly as to not stir me back awake.

"Papa comes home?" I asked. It was all a game of communication to me, but there was no way I would do anything to potentially hurt my mother's feelings.

"Yea! Now, go to sleep so you can see him tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay. Bye, Mama."

"Bye, sweetie," she said as she closed the door, which then opened again ever so slightly, "Oh and baby if I catch you reading again..." she added, not finishing the sentence.

She's scary!!

"I sleep!" I exclaimed, panicking within. My mom was terrifying sometimes!

"Good," she said, finally closing the door and leaving.

What a woman, I thought as I sat up. I closed my eyes, performing the ritual that I had been repeating every night before sleeping. My core was now much stronger, and I was now able to easily pick up the bind around me.

So the more advanced your core was, the more intricate the magic you could draw on was. Then depending on how you manipulated it, you could produce different elements. There were four basic elements in this world, which were also the core elements of Earth.

Fire, water, earth, and wind.

I wasn't sure if you could choose which one you were able to produce, maybe it was genetic? Not everybody in this world was able to manipulate bind in the first place, with only one in one-hundred people being able to draw on the natural energy of the world.

I guess I still had some stuff to learn about this world.

JANE CADMIUM'S POV:

Ah, another day complete. Good job Jane!

That kid really is something else, but he couldn't be any more perfect. I mean, have you seen him? He's got a little shrub of light brown hair on his head, but what really stands out are his eyes. Who knew he would receive a blend of both eye colors from me and his father? Whenever I look into those bluish-green crystal eyes, I lose myself. Plus he's adorable!

"Maybe I should check on him?" I mumbled, looking back at the wooden door that separated me from my beautiful child. "No! Control yourself, Jane, you said you'd let him sleep!"

Still, even though he's my child, I feel like there's... more to him. Being with him every day for the last six months, I've noticed that he really loves certain activities. The first is looking at the pictures from the massive encyclopedias, which at first I was a little uncertain about, but now I just find it really cute! The other is going outside and just sitting in our small garden outdoors. Considering we live in a small house on the far outskirts of Eloria (The human capital of Auroria), I'm not worried about him being in danger, but... it reminds me of my binder training years ago.

I know he's probably going to become a binder like me and his father later on, but I still can't help but worry. Bruce and I have had multiple close calls during our prime, and the thought of little Jay being in those situations... argh I hate the thought of it!

I guess tomorrow we'll go do something outdoors as a little welcome back party for Bruce? I wonder if he'll be hungry when he gets here. I wonder what I should make?

I guess I'll think about that later, for now, I'll just sleep... or I'll probably end up checking on Jay and waking him up!