Novus Magus [Immortal Sun Mist Emperor 1]

"The wheel of fate has been set in motion."

The summer sun warmed the man's cold bones. His tired eyes peered at the sky as it became lit with hues of red, orange, yellow, and even purple.

"Enjoying the sunset?" a woman asked, stepping into the highest balcony in the imperial castle. She looked no older than twenty-one, but in reality she was thousands of years old.

The old man-despite looking as ageless as the new arrival-smiled at the violet-haired woman. "Yeah. Isn't it beautiful?"

She sat down in the lounge chair next to him, allowing her to overlook the festival and the various rivers below. Though the couple paid neither the young ones or the streams of rushing water any mind.

He interwove his fingers with hers and smiled. "I'm glad that I'm spending these last moments with you."

"As am I, " she said, tightening her grip on his hand. "Now that you aren't the Magus Maximus, you're free."

The man nodded. "It was a burden. Though-and this might be narcissistic of me-I don't think that anyone else could've taken my place. That is, until now."

The purple-haired woman nodded back. "We leave our son-in-law and daughter to carry this realm into the future."

"Yeah. Hopefully they'd learn to get along." His exhausted ruby eyes closed over time. "I do worry if I did enough to keep this realm safe. There was so much more that I could do, but didn't."

His wife caressed his frail hand. "You did all that you could. You brought peace and stability to this realm. That alone is an admirable thing. It is now up to the next generations of Magus Maximus' to make this world better."

A grin crossed his youthful face. "I hope so. I wonder what will become of us."

"What do you mean?"

The former Magus Maximus snickered. "You should know, you were the priestess of Xian."

She bit her lip. "You mean the afterlife? I would like to ascend to heaven with you... but you're not going there, are you?"

The man nodded. "I can't go, not yet. Perhaps at the end of my next lifetime. I'd like to see what lies beyond this life. To experience a chance at having a normal life."

The lady snickered, cuddling up to him. "You're anything but normal." Her deep turquoise eyes peered into his. "If that's your decision then I'll respect it." The light in her eyes slowly faded. "I pray to the goddess that we meet once more, my love."

Using all of his remaining strength to embrace her, he pressed her head against his chest. "As do I, even if our relationship is different. I'd like to meet you again."

"May the goddess grant it, " the two said in unison. With those words, the pair faded into the winds of time, ready to watch over a new era.

*Solar Note: Don't forget to vote if you enjoyed the chapter!*

-"Protect what is precious with all you've got, or else you might find yourself with nothing one day."

[Nine Days Left- Caelum Beach]

"Come on, Lei, Think!" The boy grumbled to himself as his hands tangled within his honey-brown hair. "I have to start with a plan...First, I'll...No, that won't work. Maybe I could--wait, that won't work either!" His voice raised to release his built up frustration. "Oh Goddess, what should I do? Nine days isn't enough time!"

He jumped out of his frustration to listen to the advice of his approaching look-alike sister--well, technically she was his triplet, even though most label them as twins. Her matching turquoise eyes met with his as she casually leaned against the desk Lei was hovering over. "Less planning, more training. It's as simple as that, " she said.

He sighed after accepting her idea, following up with his approval. "You're right, as usual. This is a waste of time, I need to stop worrying and train." He closed his green notebook and pushed it away from him while leaving his seat. "I need to get some fresh air."

"You realize this NOW? Seriously, Lei, you've been an anxious mess since you woke up." His sister groaned.

Lei broke a half-smile. "Yeah... If only I could be as calm as you." He turned his head to the notebook he'd just abandoned as familiar words echoed through his mind.

***

"You, Magus Maximus? Ha! Like you'll ever be." With the words came the actions of the navy-haired bully. The image was crisp and fresh, as if it were really occurring. The bully's shoe shoveled sand in the direction of Lei's face, to which he shielded himself from with a strong gust of wind.

"You're wrong. Four years from now, you'll take that back. I will be admitted into Nine Petal Academy and outdo you! Then at the end of the three years there, I will surely have the upperhand. You will have come face to face with my true strength!" He yelled.

"You're such a loser, Lei." The boy sighed, completely disregarding Lei's promise. He threw his thumb over his shoulder toward the park. There were kids running around but there was no sight of Lei's family. "See that? Even your older siblings don't think you're worth being saved."

Lei struggled to his feet, not noticing the white sand sticking to his tear-streaked face due to the excruciatingly painful bug bites that dotted his arms. "They'll come, they will! But that doesn't matter, I can handle this by myself!"

The bully dismissed his threat with a wave of his hand as he turned to leave. "Yeah, yeah. You know, picking on you has gotten boring. Your words never mean anything, and the result is always the same. Destroying someone so weak over and over is just too cruel, even for me."

Lei tensed as his hands crumpled into fists and his lips curled back to reveal his clenched teeth. "You'll pay for this..." The agony from the bugs forced him back into the cold sand, tears of frustration turning the grains into a damp shade of grey. "My words are not meaningless...I won't stop until you and the rest of the world can vouch for that."

The sting from the disgust in the bully's blue eyes was deeper than that of the bug bites. "Come on, loser. Give up. You're worthless! You don't stand a chance at becoming the next Magus Maximus, just look at your talented siblings. Destiny chose for you to be nothing more than a weakling. You don't even deserve to share the same face as them. Speaking of, tell them that their efforts are just as pitiful as yours. I will be the Magus Maximus, and there's nothing you, nor your siblings can do to stop me."

The shaking in Lei's knees subsided abruptly. "I told you before, I'm not giving up! This is MY dream! My fate is my choice! I will shape it to what I desire!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. The rage that boiled inside him made him forget all about the pain in his arms as the sand around him spun in a flurry of wrath.

The bully glanced over his shoulder and let out a slight gasp. Lei's eyes were growing green.

"I won't be made less. I... I... will be the king of all magicians one day..." With those words, everything whitened.

***

Lei shook his head, pushing aside the memory. He picked up the notebook and ran out of the house.

It's been almost four years since then, yet what do I have to show for it? I still haven't defeated Ayawamat. No matter, I still got three years until his promised defeat. He will rue the day he messed with Lei Lan!

Lei ran out of the small two-story house and stride toward the edge of a cliff overlooking a pristine beach. He jumped and landed several feet from the cliffside. He grinned and ran on ahead and opened up his notebook again.

Closing his eyes, he called upon the four winds. Sand spun around him like it had that day at the park four years ago. He was careful not to get a single grain on him.

"Let me see, the test will focus in part on prana control so first I should focus on that." He took a deep breath as he closed his eyes. He could feel the funnel of wind moving around him. It moved unevenly, that he had to fix. He moved the direction of the gales, straightening out their wavy movements. However, the waves quickly returned. Commending the wind to his complete will wasn't going to be easy, but it was the best task for practicing prana control.

"Focus. Don't lose focus Lei, " he said to himself over the roar of wind around him.

"I'm going to go call the others to come here, " Yen called out from the other side.

"Hey, don't distract me!" Lei said as the wind dispersed. He opened his eyes. Encircling him was a ring of finely ground sand.

Yen smiled shyly. "Ah, sorry about that. Well, I'm off to Hikaru's place to meet up with him and the others."

Lei smiled. "Hanging out with Hika again, eh?" He leaned forward.

His sister narrowed her eyes at him. "What's with that tone, mister?"

"Tone? What tone?" Lei asked, adverting his gaze. A smile dotted his face.

"Whatever. I'm out. I'll come back to check on you later. Good luck with whatever it is you're doing!"

Lei waved goodbye and returned to his prana practice. He kept at it for two hours straight.

"Alright, think that's good for now!" he exclaimed to himself as he wrote down what he had done on his notebook. "Next up, some physical practice."

He touched his chest.

Hopefully I won't be short of breath once I'm done with this.

Lei moved around and sliced the air with his hands as if practicing some kind of martial arts. Blades of wind were emitted from his hands with each slice-blowing away the salty water and fine white sand around him.

He stopped and stared at the various circles made up of two-foot dunes that he had formed around himself.

This is still not enough. I need to become stronger and faster. The Nine Petal Academy entrance exam is only nine days away. The other students are bound to be better than this. If I can't make myself stand out, they might not admit me.

"Lei!" he heard his sister call out.

Lei turned around and jumped out of his circle of dunes. Running toward him was Yen.

Lei wiped the sweat off of his forehead. "What's wrong, sis?" he asked, making his way over to her. "I thought that you were training with the others."

"I was and still am. Why don't you join us? You're all alone here, it'll be better if you practice your magic with someone else, " she said, tilting her head to the side. "Or is it that you're avoiding us?"

He shook his head. "No, no. Why would I even do that? I mean, none of you have rubbed me the wrong way. I just needed the extra space for practice. I didn't want to get sand on you."

She stared at the dunes and then back up at him.

Lei avoided her stern eyes.

"You shouldn't kick up too much into the air, or rather punch too much...eh you know what I mean. You know what'll happen to you if you accidentally breath too much of that stuff in."

Lei put on a hand on his hips and scoffed. "I push it away with a veil of wind. You know me. I've been doing this for years. I'll be fine."

Yen furrowed her brow and sighed. "Alright, just don't let your guard down. Also, can you come join us? Wanikiya could use a new sparring partner, since Hikaru is exhausted."

Lei snickered. "I'm surprised that you're barely asking. Hika must've lasted longer than usual."

"Haha, very funny, " said a scrawny brunette teen as he made his way toward them. He collapsed into one of the sand dunes several feet away from them. His arms hugged the dune as if it were a giant pillow.

Yen ran toward him. "You're right?" asked, still a good distance away. She was trying her best not to laugh.

"I am surprised that Wanikiya has so much stamina, " Hikaru said as he watched the pair of siblings come his way. Yen held her hand out to him. His face flushed deep crimson as he took her hand that he had to advert his gaze. "Thanks."

Lei crossed his arms. "You know the reason."

Hikaru let go of Yen and nodded. Their small group of friends knew the secret behind the prince of Wahkan having a multitude of prana at his disposal. But all of them had promised never to speak of it in public.

"Wanikiya has already prepared the field for your match, " a girl called out. They turned around and saw a crimson-haired girl make her way toward them-Zelde. Leather sleeves consisting of long strings danced in the wind with every step she took.

"Cool!" Lei yelled. "Uh, no pun intended." He ran off like a bolt of lightning and saw a part of the tropical beach-including parts of the sea itself- covered in ice. Standing in the middle of the ice was young man with short white hair and icy-blue eyes-prince Wanikiya.

Lei slowed himself down with the wind, but he danced on the ice. "Wah!" The wind mage spun around in circles, trying to regain his balance and sense of direction. "Wind!" A vortex of wind spun around him, preventing him from falling face first on the frozen sand.

"Watch your step, " Wanikiya said as they walked toward a two-foot tall pillar of ice. "I don't want to end this before casting a spell."

Lei grinned at his friend. "Oh? Did seeing me slip cause you to gain a burst of confidence? Not that it matters, I'll win anyways." Azure lightning covered Lei. "Ready?"

"Wait for us!" Yen yelled as she the other arrived. Hikaru, Zelde and she surrounded the two boys in a triangular formation.

"Prana Prism!" the trio shouted in unison. A light blue barrier covered the entire frozen area. Though Hikaru's side of the barrier moved like the walls of a bubble about to burst.

"Alright, you may start now!" Yen said.

Wanikiya's smile faded. The look in his eyes changed, as if he had aged several years. "Ice Diamond!" Wanikiya chanted as he clapped his hands together. Seven unevenly sized icicles in the form of swords formed from the ice around him. He flung one of the icicle swords at Lei without even lifting a finger.

Lei ran past the icicle with ease. What is Wanikiya planning? Or is he fighting erratically? He got closer to the circle of icicles, ready to dodge the next one when Wanikiya suddenly dropped the six remaining ones. The impact of the six icicles hitting the frozen ground, and shattering all that ice caused a chilly wave of ice magic to envelop Lei and the entire inside of the barrier.

Ice even spread across the prince's right arm and left leg. He had managed to get Lei, but couldn't keep all of the chilly air away from himself.

He turned around as a crackling sound echoed in the mist covered interior of the barrier. Lei wasn't there. He glanced around in every direction. Did my attack not freeze him? It was omni-directional, it should've gotten him. Not willing to wait for Lei to strike first, he formed another set of seven icicles, this time with their tips pointing outwards instead of toward the ground.

An icicle shattered as yellow and blue sparks caused the icy mist to sparkle. Lightning came at him from all directions, shattering each of his remaining icicles.

I knew it, he wasn't frozen. This time he won't escape. Wanikiya weaved the ice prana inward and circled it around him. "Gather around me and guard me, Ice Shield." A thin, but hardly transparent barrier formed from the mist covered him in a 360 degree bubble. Despite having gathered some of the icy mist, it was thicker than ever. Lan...of course Lei would be good at moving around in the mist. He closed his eyes and extended his hands outward. The mist gathered around his barrier.

"Léijī, " Lei's voice echoed. Chains struck the barrier with the force of lightning. Lightning bolts were emitted from the chains causing the ice to shatter instantly.

Wanikiya kneeled down onto the partially frozen floor. The ice was spreading up his leg and arm. "I won't give up so soon!" the prince yelled.

Lei emerged from the mist, holding a single butterfly sword. Blue lightning crackled across the silver blade, giving it an extended reach.

The ice mage waved his hand, sending swords of ice at him.

Lei redirected the swords by blocking with the side of his butterfly sword. The sword flew past Hikaru's part of the triangular barrier, causing an entire side to shatter. Though they didn't stop there. Lei watched with horror as the sword curved downward, straight toward a ocean-blue-haired girl. She was busy listening to music and texting away without a care in the world.

"Hey! Look out! Pay attention!" Lei shouted, moving as fast as he could. He jumped to the top of the seven foot sea-cliff and spun around as the ice sword came a few inches from the girl. Suddenly the ice sword dissolved into water.

"You should be more careful with these."

Lei spun around and watched with awe as the blue-haired girl moved the once frozen sword around. "So you were paying attention."

"Of course, I was, " she said, dropping the water and returning to her phone. "Thanks for trying to save me, though. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to find this Mahpiya high."

"I know where it is!" Lei said.

She glanced down at his friends. "I can find it myself. I did live in this part of town once. Also, you should finish your match with that ice mage." She put back on her blue earphones and walked away.

Lei watched as she walked away.

If she's looking for Mahpiya high, then that must mean that she plans to take the test to Nine Petal Academy too.

"Is she really alright?" Wanikiya said, jumping up the cliff.

Lei nodded and jumped back down. "Seems like it. Let's continue this match!"

-"The thunder rumbles as lightning flashes across the sky, shaking the heavens and earth."

"How was training? Who did you fight?" asked a blond haired five-year-old boy as Lei and Yen entered their house as the sun faded behind them.

"It was good, but I still got a lot more practice to do, " Lei said, wiping the sweat off of his forehead. "I had battles against Wanikiya, Yen, and Zelde. Sadly none against Hikaru, who was too tired by his matches against Wanikiya. Seriously, that guy need to work on his prana control."

Yen grinned. "I won, of course. As did Zelde in her match against him."

Lei narrowed his eyes at his sister. "I'll beat you one of these days. Anyway, I am going to shower and head out."

"Where to?" Yen asked, raising an eyebrow. "I don't recall the others inviting us to any events."

"I want to find this Nyima girl and return this to her, " he said, holding out the I.D. he had found.

"Why now? It's already late, " the five-year-old said, directing his blue eyes toward the sky seemed as if it were on fire.

Lei messed up the child's neatly combed hair. "I'll be fine, Shandian. Don't worry, I got my magic to light up the darkness of night."

Yen put her hands on her hips and shook her head. "I'll accompany you just to make sure. It won't hurt to have two of us searching for her."

"Sounds good, " her triplet said, putting his hands behind his head and grinning. "But don't wonder off far from me. You don't have lightning magic like me. Nor fire or light for that matter."

"I know. I plan to keep a close eye on you. Actually, doesn't that I.D. say where she lives?"

He glanced at the I.D. "Yeah, it says that she lives on the other side of town, the western section to be exact."

"The other side of town? That girl must be rich then. Hey, think that she'll repay us for returning it to her?"

"Look at you, thinking of money, " Lei said, matching over to the stairs. "I'm returning this because it's the right thing. If we get money as a reward then that would just be the icing on the cake, not the objective."

Yen scoffed. "Alright, I got it. I just hope that she'll be there or it'll be a waste of time."

He turned around and stared at her sweat covered face. "You won't be taking a shower? You worked up as much of a sweat as me. If we're going to a fancy part of town, you might scare off the locals."

Her face flushed and she ran past him. "Of course I am! You think that I'm a pig?"

He adverted his gaze from her. "Well, your habits kind of resemble one, " he said in a low voice.

Wind danced around Yen. "I heard that you brat. Honestly, you lack tack when it comes to speaking to girls."

Lei narrowed his eyes. "You aren't any better with guys. If you continue acting the way you do, you will scare off Hikaru."

"Hikaru?" she asked, this time it was her turn to advert her gaze. "He's just a friend. Plus he's not even my type."

He followed after her. "But you're trying to turn him into your type, or do you think that I haven't noticed?"

"You two, " Shandian said, laughing nervously. "Stop arguing, you sound like kids."

The two looked down in shame, being told off by their five-year-old brother like that when it should've been the other way around.

"Think that I can accompany you two? Mama and Papa won't be arriving for several hours and I'll be all alone. I mean, I was alone previously, but you two were outside so I could call upon you..."

"Sure thing!" Lei said. "It'll be like a family adventure. We should invite..." He gasped and looked away.

"Invite who?" Shandian asked, blinking.

"Never mind what I said, " the young mage said, rushing off to his room.

"I guess that I'll use my parent's bathroom, " Yen said, turning toward the left.

Shandian watched as the two walked away, an aura of melancholy swarming around the two. He turned his gaze toward his right. Hung on the turquoise wall was a portrait of his family from when he was an infant. He was held in the arms of a purple haired woman, his mother. While Yen, Lei, and a second boy were in the forefront, bearing wide-smiles.

"Did they mean him?" Shandian asked himself as he stared at the boy who looked identical to Lei except for his hair being parted toward the left instead of the right.

***

Lei's right hand crackled with azure lightning as the three siblings flew through the night sky. Well, more like Yen and Lei flew. Shandian had to be held by his two siblings.

"Are we almost there?" Shandian asked, looking down.

Yen looked through her phone with her free hand. "Almost there. It's only a few more miles toward the northwest. Ah, we're almost there!"

"You there, descend now and identify yourselves!" a voice roared from below.

Lei sighed. "Seems that security here is as tight as expected."

Yen shot him a look as if he were crazy. "If you figured that, why didn't you say so earlier?"

"You didn't?" he asked, amazed.

Shandian sighed. "Don't argue in mid-air while holding me you two. I am too young to die."

Lei nodded. "Of course we won't let you fall." He glanced at Yen who nodded and soon the three descended to the ground. Waiting for them was a blue-haired man holding a rather thick book.

Shandian and his other siblings looked at the guy's clothes. He wore a button up blue shirt and white pants.

"You aren't security, " Lei said, giving the man a funny look.

"And you are a bunch of kids, " he said, crossing his arms.

Lei grumbled. "I'm not a kid! I'm fifteen! I'll be turning sixteen in a few weeks."

"Is that so?" he said, turning his back to them. He snickered. "You two should be lucky that I discovered you instead of a real cop."

"Yeah, real lucky, " he said under his breath.

"Lei, " Yen said, yanking on the sleeves of his tai-chi shirt. "This is the location."

Lei glanced up at the navy blue building which glistened in the artificial light casted by the street lamps. He looked forward at the man as he entered the apartment complex.

"Wait up!" Lei yelled, chasing after him.

He stopped and turned around. "Something wrong?"

Lei nodded. "I found this I.D., " he said, showing him the silver card. "I thought of returning it back to its owner. Do you know where I can find a Nyima Taiyang?"

The man gasped and smiled. "Nyima, huh?" He extended his hand out toward him. "Here, I'll take it to her. I know exactly where her family lives."

"Really?"

He nodded.

Lei smiled and handed him the card. "Thanks a ton! I appreciate it. Please tell her that Lei, the future Magus Maximus, returned it."

Yen narrowed her eyes. "Oh, why do you wish for her to know your name? Fell for the girl? Here I thought that you only had eyes for Yuzuki. It appears that you're a player."

Lei's face reddened. "It's not like that." He turned toward the man. "Tell her that Yen and Shandian also brought it alongside him."

The man nodded and tucked the I.D. into the pockets of his pants. "Will do." His blue eyes drifted down toward Shandian. "You all seem familiar. Where are you three from?"

"We come from the eastern part of town, " Yen responded. She tilted her head. "But no idea as to why we would seem familiar."

He waved his hand. "Forget it. It's just that seeing that young one reminds me of a certain electric-blue-eyed guy with azure lightning."

Lei gasped. "Do you know my dad? His name is Feng."

The man snickered. "So you are the children of Harmonica and that guy. Those two were the neighbors of who is now my wife." He waved. "I better get going as I got a lot of work to do. Be careful on your way back!"

"Bye, " Lei said, waving.

"Wow, imagine us meeting an old acquaintance of our dad here, " Yen said, crossing her arms.

Shandian smiled. "The world is smaller than one thinks."

Lei ruffled the kid's hair. "True that. I wonder who else we'll meet in the next few days. I'm dying for the test to begin already! Gah, I should do more training!"

Yen shook her head. "You will train now by find us a way back home without us getting detained for flying at night, unsupervised by an adult."

Lei grumbled. "Well, the only option is to run there. Hey, I got an idea!" He glanced around the street which had several sports cars parked by the side of the road. As soon as there were no cars driving he signaled at the two. "Come, I'll tell you my idea on the way to the bridge!"

Yen sighed. "This better be a well thought out idea."

Shandian snickered. "Got any suggestions, sis?"

Lei smiled at their sister. "Yeah, got any?"

She rubbed the back of her neck. "Yes. I can run at the speed of sound by..." She gasped. "Wait, is that your idea too?"

Lei snickered and nodded. "Yup!"

***

[Dawn Tower-- Room 300]

"Welcome back home!" Nyima said as a navy-blue-haired man holding a thick book entered the apartment.

"Daddy!" yelled a blue-haired girl around Shandian's age.

The man smiled and squatted down to pat the young girl's head. "How have my favorite girls been?"

"We've been fine, " said a red haired woman as she came out of the kitchen holding a blue haired toddler. "Though it seems that Nyima here lost her identification."

Nyima scratched her head. "I can't find it anywhere. Have you seen it? Wait, that would impossible as I had it this morning after you went off to work." She sighed. "It appears that I lost it while I was out looking for Mahpiya's location!"

The father snickered and took out a silver I.D. "Actually, I did. A young man called Lei brought this back. Well, he was accompanied by his siblings Yen and Shandian too."

The young woman snatched the card. "Thank the Goddess. I wonder how it ended up in their hands."

He shrugged. "No idea, but you should be more careful with your stuff. You're lucky that a nice group of siblings found it instead of someone sinister."

Nyima glanced at the silver card and smiled.

I will need to thank this Lei kid and his siblings if I ever get the chance to meet him.

"Lei you say?" Nyima's mother said, putting a finger against her lips. "That name, where have I heard it before?"

"He is Feng's child. It appears that he dreams of being the next Magus Maximus." He glanced over at his daughter who smiled back. "He won't reach that title easily, though."

Nyima scoffed. "I am thankful to this guy, but if he thinks that he'll one day be the emperor of this realm then he is dearly mistaken."

Though he sounds like an interesting youth. I wish to meet him even more now, this 'Lei'. If he seeks to become Magus Maximus then I'll surely run into him at the exam for Nine Petal Academy or at some other event. Ha. Will his name one day ring throughout the realm like chorus of thunder ever echoing throughout the eons or will it be but a mere squeak swallowed by the passage of time?

**Character Section**

JaxCreation made the following image for me upon request (she has a request thread which is currently closed, but consider checking it out when she makes a new one for the new year ^^).

**Solar Note: What did you think of Nyima Taiyang? Think that she'll be one of the rivals that Lei desires to use as 'stepping stones' toward his dream?**