The Copy Mage

Heading to his array monitoring centre, the principal was merely there to bide time as he waited for his daughter to return after preparing the beast they would ride to the Aria Branch of Akegria Academy.

As a key part in the making of the staircases, he was sure that the tenth step was something that was impossible for anybody to get close to, let alone step onto, or so he thought.

Damian was someone that strove to accomplish and overcome anything and everything, always striving for the top and never giving up. He would even try his best to make what was made to be impossible, possible.

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On the ninth step having successfully completed it, Damian's mind and body were on the verge of collapsing, but he felt like the more he pushed himself, the more power he was drawing from his dantian.

It was a hidden power from within the Copy Book that he had only managed to briefly unlock when on the verge of death, but had never truly understood or managed to use at will.

The unusual power made him feel like a formless and weightless existence that was invincible, while it also heightened the urge to consume everything around him. Be it energy or abilities, it made him want to devour everything.

Despite it being said that the tenth step was impossible, which was how it was designed to be, Damian still wanted to continue onwards. His drive and will to be the greatest had taken over and his mind had collapsed, but his body and spirit were still active and brimming with determination.

Letting out a roar, he lifted his right foot to place on the tenth step and felt as though his body was on the verge of ripping apart, but pain was no longer something that bothered him.

The impossible tenth step that would crush any living creature and was there to merely display to them that there was always another step to aim for, was about to be overcome by Damian.

However, with one step on it, the hidden power within him that was sustaining his body and keeping him going, suddenly dissipated, leaving Damian's unconscious body to be flung off the giant staircase.

And when he stepped on the tenth step, his mind was suddenly overwhelmed with a stream of foreign memories that were too much for him to digest all at once, that jolted his mind back into control.

Once that happened, the hidden power went away, and he was caught by the academy helper, then taken quickly to the infirmary and given urgent medical attention.

Meanwhile, in the array monitoring centre in the central branch of Akegria Academy, the principal was going crazy when he saw that someone had managed to step onto the 10th step.

Even in his prime, reaching the seventh step was the best that he could do, and yet an unknown and random youth had been able to step onto the tenth step. 

And it wasn't just there. 

It was occurring all around the country and even the world.

Young talents that surpassed their peers, all in relatively similar age groups had appeared and when in the presence of other young talents, could instantly recognise each other.

The world was changing.

And these youths were at the centre of it all and what was occurring was much bigger than they could ever imagine.

Even the renowned principal and the hidden powerful figures within the Royal Family didn't know much about what was happening.

Seeing that Damian had managed to step onto the tenth step, the principal wanted to meet him even more and he was planning on gathering all the young talents within the academy and nurturing them personally.

There were only a handful, but they were the future and one of the Rising Stars of the New Generation.

Calling his daughter and hurrying her up, it was the first time in decades that he had felt that excited and happy about something.

Unconscious in the infirmary, Damian's mind seemed to be completely dormant and similar to how it would be when he was copying a Soul Spirit, he was in a dark and empty space within his mind.

There he was being flooded with memories of his past life that he had never been able to access.

All the pathetic and pitiful experiences and things that he endured, and all the things he had wanted to forget.

Everything apart from how he had managed to be transmigrated into another world, which he felt was missing, and he was happy that he had gotten his memories back.

He understood why he had previously wanted to get rid of them.

Who would want to remember such a horrible and miserable life?

But it made him happy and proud of how far he had come and how much he had developed, while it also helped him understand more about why he was so driven.

However, there was still the mystery of why and how he had been transmigrated, and what made him different.

There was so much he didn't know and so much that was happening around the new world he had been placed in that he didn't know about, but he was going to find out about it all and it was only a matter of time.

But in the meantime, he couldn't help but be happy with how far he had come as he subconsciously smiled slightly, despite being unconscious and supposedly in grave pain.

The elder of the academy who was a senior medic and had healed Damian and his friends personally quite a few times tended to all of them with her ability, despite how tiring and draining it was.

And after a few hours Damian had finally regained consciousness and had a bright smile on his face, and looking around the infirmary room that he was in, he saw his friends and was even happier.