Enigma of Sin

Now that Kayn had fully healed himself and was ready to travel home, he needed to prepare some supplies and buy new protective gear. But now, it was finally time to do what he had been waiting for, Analyzing his new mask!

[Deceiver's Mask (Semi-Epic): Made from the hide of a Shadow Panther. Provides protection from attacks under C-class in power. Item has passive options:

Passive: Self-adheres to user's face without the need for an application device.

Passive: Reduces amount of mana required for activation of spells related to the darkness element and its deviations by 10%.

Passive: Distorted Presence – Mostly hides the user's presence while in darkness or shadows unless being looked at directly. If user is only glanced at while hidden, the individual will only remember the appearance of the mask. Passive is not active while unconcealed or under light.]

'This is…Amazing! Enchanter Rowen surely outdid himself! I wonder if he even knows about the mana requirement reduction? Not to mention mostly hiding my presence unless I'm looked at directly in the darkness? What more could I ask for?'

Kayn was amazed by all the passives and bonuses provided by the mask. Not to mention according to Analyze it was a semi-epic grade item. He wasn't sure if that's what came after uncommon, but he doubted it. The difference between uncommon items and this semi-epic item was just too great to be the next step.

Now it was time for him to prepare some new gear since his old gear was ruined. He had plenty of money now, so he decided to look around town for a decent set of equipment.

He also decided to switch to a single one-handed sword that was a little longer than his current blades for the return journey. His thought behind this was simple, he wanted to be able to practice casting accurate small projectile magic at the same as swinging his sword.

While it is possible to cast spells with your hands full, it is easier to direct a targeted ability through the hands, a staff, or a wand that would usually boost the power of a spell. This was especially true for learning better control.

Kayn wanted to practice casting magic bullets of every different element while controlling every aspect of the spell such as launch speed, rotation, the amount of mana condensed, and whatever else he could think of along the way.

He wanted to learn to fight with a sword in one hand while also consecutively firing off magic with his other. Once he felt he was proficient in casting while fighting with a sword, he would add his other sword back in and work on his casting while fighting with both hands full. At least that was his thought process.

Since he wanted to master each element that he had used or experienced so far, he was going to practice with the Magic Bullet spell. Magic Bullet was a basic tier 1 spell that all casting mages learned. The only difference was the element being used to cast it.

Kayn wanted to learn how to control every aspect of Magic Bullet no matter the element. So, starting with earth bullets, he was going to move through all of the elements before finally attempting it with the shadow element. This was his plan because each element would have their own intricacies, and that would help him with his most difficult element.

He assumed he would run into troubles with a few elements, such as light and shadow, but he had just under half a year to get home while practicing all of his skills and perfecting his basics to make it home within his mother's expectations.

Another thing Kayn wanted to try and do was to control every element the same as he naturally could fire. He was good at manipulating natural elements in the body, but he wasn't able to adjust spell trajectory or power after launching them, nor could he take over another person's spell unless it was of the fire element. Even then though there were restrictions, or more so his own limits.

Kayn believed that if he could use the fire element as a basis and try to understand how he was controlling the element, he felt that he would be able to apply that to his other elements. If he could essentially nullify any magic cast at him that was under his level, that would be an incredible boon! However, this was only a theory, it was doubtful if he would ever be able to do it.

He was positive that others with similar magical abilities probably tried to do the same, but Kayn had access to all elements. What wasn't possible for most, if anyone, may be possible for him. He was certainly willing to try. If it wasn't possible now, it might be when he grew stronger.

Mages and magic swordsman, or magic warriors as the general term, all used their cores to cast stronger spells. The mind is the biggest contributor that Kayn had noticed when it came to controlling the spell entirely though. This was where Kayn would excel since he has the advantage of his Analyze skill boosting every aspect of his mental capacities.

He had already realized it, but his personal spells didn't follow the general tiers of spells, and most likely other people wouldn't be able to use his spells the way he could. However, he could utilize his mind to personalize spells for others to play off of their strengths and how they cast if he really wanted to.

Therefore, he decided not to label his spells with tiers. If someone asked about a spell's tier, he would estimate it based off of the spells overall output power versus mana required. He wasn't positive if others had ways to understand what stage his core was at, but he could make people think it was stronger than it actually was with his personal spells.

After Kayn purchased all the supplies he would need for now, he used a map to draw out a route that he would follow home. Most of the travel would be through forests or less traveled areas which could hold hidden bases, or so he thought, while also being able to get to a town every so often. If his plans went as expected, he would arrive home around a week or two before his birthday.

He also kept in mind that if he did end up coming across a bandit camp, he would need to try and figure out their overall strength before he attacked so that he didn't go up against an unbeatable opponent and perish. Kayn vividly remembered being kicked in the chest and launched like a ragdoll by someone who barely lifted their leg at him.

With his plans and destinations set for his travel scheduled out, how he wanted move forward with his training solidified, and getting a good night's sleep, it was finally time to leave Myrem behind to head home. But first, he called his mother.

"Hey Mom! I just wanted to let you know that I will be leaving Myrem and beginning my trip home tomorrow. I have a route all planned and a schedule for the travel. I should make it back home a week before my birthday at minimum." Kayn excitedly spoke about his plans immediately after Zerana answered.

"Is your hand all better? Try not to do anything too dangerous okay? I want my son in one piece when he returns home after almost 2 years!"

"Yes, my hand is all healed and I'll do my best to stay safe, I promise! I love you!"

"Be safe Kayn, I love you too. See you soon!" Zerana said before hanging up the short call.

Kayn gathered up and equipped all of his new gear while still placing his old swords on his back with his new sword at his side. It was time to say goodbye to Elder Loren, give her some parting gifts, and thank her for everything she had done for him before beginning his return journey.

***

[Umbra Wolf Leather Armor (Uncommon): Made from an Umbra Wolf, this armor increases the defense of the wearer from physical attacks under C-class strength. Increases the wearers defense against magic of the dark element by a small amount.]

[Umbra Wolf Leather Pants (Uncommon): Made from an Umbra Wolf, this armor increases the defense of the wearer from physical attacks under C-class strength. Increases the wearers defense against magic of the dark element by a small amount.]

[Umbra Wolf Leather Gloves (Uncommon): Made from an Umbra Wolf, this armor increases the defense of the wearer from physical attacks under C-class strength. Increases the wearers defense against magic of the dark element by a small amount.]

[Umbra Wolf Leather Boots (Uncommon): Made from an Umbra Wolf, this armor increases the defense of the wearer from physical attacks under C-class strength. Increases the wearers defense against magic of the dark element by a small amount.]

[Steel Rhinoceros Sword of Sharpness (Rare): Made from the horn of a Steel Rhinoceros, this sword provides its user with a durable and damage resistant weapon. In addition, the sword is enchanted to increase and maintain its sharpness with low maintenance requirements. Can slice through regular, non-enchanted weapons made from materials of E-class materials and below with relative ease assuming the wielder has enough strength.]