《The Way We Live》 Chapter 1 - Why do we fight ¡°Captain¡¯s log - May 3rd, 5,103 ¡° the very old man who¡¯s laying back in a medical chair pauses for a moment as if to reminisces his life choices while staring at the floating camera above him ¡°ha.. At first, before landing here, I couldn¡¯t even possibly imagine that I¡¯d live for this long¡­ the earth died so long ago, I can only faintly remember moments of time when we were working towards getting to Alpha 9 to colonize¡­ We¡¯ve moved so far¡­ something must have intercepted the wormhole generator¡­ We tried contacting them, but we were so far away¡­ We had a job to do, we had to continue for the hope of the humanity to survive. My science officers on deck told me there was an unknown energy signature residing from within the planet¡¯s core. From what little information they could surmise from the readings, the whole planet was alive with this energy. All the other readings showed that this planet was capable of sustaining our lives, the only planet we could reach with our resources. We slowly began to study the planet and started to colonize. The unknown energy was perfectly harmless to us, and before we realized it, it began to harmonize with our bodies. One day, Luke¡­¡± the old man gave a chuckles¡± he was such a nerd. He was playing with a small amount of the energy that would hover over you as you willed it to. He blankly stared at the campfire, thinking about molecules that made fire. Suddenly fire burst out from above his hand, he stared at it then shouted Mana! As he ran about the campground. The longer we stayed on this planet, the more it began to change us. It allowed us to live longer, and control nature itself. The biggest change began when our children and their kids to their kids started showing genetic changes that weren¡¯t part of the human genome, our race began to mutate. The human race spread into a fantasy book. As time went on, hatred and cruelty began to grow between each of the new subspecies. As for me, I retained most of my human attributes, only about 15% of the original people did. We seem to be a ¡®superior¡¯ race as everyone says¡­ A darkness took over the world. Everyone is against each other, the world is at war. We became a disease to this world as we have our last. I have made a vow to set this world on fire, not out of cruelty or hate, but of hope that it will forge us together once again. Most of everyone will die, and I accept this sin, but for the future of this planet and my people. I must cleanse this world of the darkness we have brought upon it.¡± the old man brings his hand up holding a button trigger. ¡°I am sorry. But it must be done¡­ For all our sakes¡± the old man pushes the button then relaxes in the chair as he awaits death. History is repeating itself. But maybe, we can mend it before it comes to such destruction. I stare at the screen that was hidden away in the bunker. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Have the preparations been finalized for their arrival?¡± a middle-aged man asks from the glowing chair he sits on. ¡°Yes your majesty, everything is ready for the summons¡± one of the mages speaks up. ¡°Good. We shall begin at once¡± the King stands up from the throne, the glow begins to subside. He walks down the red carpet that runs straight down the middle of the room, connecting the throne to the large double doors. He walks to the center of the room and stops, he rotates to his left. Just in front of him stands a pedestal which connects to a machine they discovered a few centuries ago, from what the court scholars could come up with was this thing could transport people from other worlds if given enough mana. It looks strange but so does all the other magic technologies we¡¯ve found. At the moment it looks like a platform standing over a hole in the floor. ¡°Given to us by our long past ancestors, we call upon a hero who will deliver us to the top where we belong. We pray for the mightiest hero to take us out of this pit of darkness.¡± the King places his hand on top of the pedestal, streaks of blue light begin to weave their way through the pedestal down to in the bowl, letting out a hue of blue pulse out of the open spaces above it.¡±You are of time and space. You reach a distance we could never hope to achieve. You grant us the way, you bring us our dream. Expedio¡± A magic circle appears on the platform as if it were engraved into the metal. A low hum begins to permeate from the machine, a sphere of distorted space grows to six feet in diameter just above the platform. After a few seconds, the sphere begins to warp oddly. ¡°Mages! What¡¯s this about?! What¡¯s going on?¡± the King yells out worried and agitated. ¡°W-we don¡¯t know, this has never happened before¡± One of the mages hurries to his own defense afraid of punishment. ¡°Stay calm, give it time. It¡¯s probably just having to go a little further¡± a scholar who¡¯s been studying the machine the most answers. A minute passes, then the sphere starts destabilizing. Like a bubble, it pops and in its place, a young man stands. ¡°Come Eva¡± the King orders. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Stolen story; please report. ¡°Couple more months and you¡¯ll be ready to be harvested¡± I glide my hands over the tops of the wheat as the wave in the gentle breeze. ¡°And I¡¯ll be in my last year of high school¡± I look up to the sky and watch as some of the small clouds that dot the sky pass over my head. I have this last school year to decide on what I want my career to be. I can either stay here and help my parents on the farm or go to college. I come out to the field sometimes to think and clear my head, it¡¯s quiet and I am left alone with my thoughts. I¡¯m tempted just to stay here, this calm is where I belong. But I should give myself a chance to explore new depths of the world. I walk back to the dirt road, I look towards the house. So which should I do? To home, or to the world I look the other direction, which is going to the main road. Something barely catches my eye, a mirage in the middle of the road that looks to be expanding. As I walk up it begins to look like a bubble of space. Curious, I poke at it expecting to have some tension at the surface. Instead of hitting a wall of a membrane, my finger passes through and distorts like looking through water. ¡°This kinda looks like how we theorized a wormhole should look like,¡± I say to myself as I wiggle my finger around. I go to pull my finger out but instead the bubble starts pulling me in. I panic and try to pull harder as it pulls my entire arm in, ignoring the pain of my body being ripped apart. The harder I tried to pull, it responded in kind, bringing me faster inside. I stand there paralyzed as I watch the stars wiz by me in seconds. Suddenly I¡¯m in a huge room, a crowd of overly dressed people stands in the background. An older man that¡¯s dressed even more so than everyone else stands some meters in front. I look down to find myself standing on a material I¡¯ve never seen before, and it glows somehow. It¡¯s coming from a lightbulb, is it somehow bioluminescent? Though that only really glows when it¡¯s dark. I look around the room from left to right, tall double doors, banners with the same symbol, large windows to let light in, and a big chair on a raised platform made of the same material as what I¡¯m standing on (presumably). Hmm.. If I didn¡¯t know any better, I¡¯d say he¡¯s a King. A lot of people are talking and shouting, I can¡¯t understand what¡¯s being said so I just ignore it and continue to observe. A young lady approaches the ¡®King¡¯, he notions her to approach me. I watch her as she steps onto the bridge that connects the platform to the floor. At a quick glance, she¡¯s very pretty, light blue dress and a belt with some pouches strapped in, white fingerless gloves and some bracelets, a cape that was more the size of a scarf, and white hair with crystal-like blue eyes. Nothing stood out, everything blended into a pretty girl. She stops within arms reach of me. ¡°Potesne me audire?¡± she says with a questioned look at me. I can¡¯t understand, but something else does catch my attention. I reach my hand up to her head and bop the pointy end of her ear with my finger. I look around for a second time and notice that everyone has pointy ears. That¡¯s strange, it¡¯s a rare genetic trait for even a small bit of a point yet everyone has a decent size. She grabs my hand and I jerk it away, she looks at me sternly and grabs it again. She pulls out a black ring and slides it on my ring finger, though it¡¯s on my right hand. Hope this isn¡¯t their tradition for marriage. It¡¯s a bit big and would fall off if I were to tilt my hand down. So much for that. She then taps the ring and suddenly it shrinks down and grips onto my finger, I can feel a stinging sensation like it¡¯s stabbing needles into me. I go to pull it off but she stops me. ¡°potestis intel-stand me now?¡± she asks. ¡°What was that?!¡± I try to pull it off again, but it won¡¯t budge. ¡°It¡¯s a translation ring,¡± she says in a soft voice. ¡°Now that you can understand, we need to test your attributes¡± she pulls out a crystal ball from one of her pouches on the belt. ¡°Where am I? How did I get here?¡± I look around the room then into her eyes. ¡°You came through the summoning ring. Now please, we need to see your attributes.¡± she grabs my left hand and places it on top of the orb. It literally does nothing, I¡¯ve got a bunch of crazy people around me¡­ No.. I¡¯m the crazy one, I¡¯m dreaming or hallucinating it. ¡°Well? Is it good? Hello?!¡± the ¡®king¡¯ persists until he decided to come look for himself. She shifts to the side while still holding the orb in place, staring at the ground afraid. ¡°Nothing!! I Wasted 20 Years On NOTHING!!¡± he shouts at me. He turns around and storms to his throne, ¡°Guards! Take this good for nothing out of my sight!¡± he sits on the throne in a huff. Two guards come up to me, I take this cue to leave, I notice the girl following behind. I¡¯m walking out the door as I hear a bunch of clamoring. ¡°OUT! Everyone Out of My Sight!¡± I hear him shout out in rage. Well, that went well. ¡°What do we do? Take him to a room or throw him into the dungeon?¡± One guard asks the other. ¡°You saw it yourself, he¡¯s no use to the King. We¡¯re better off putting him on the streets so we don¡¯t have to waste anything on him¡± the other guard answers back with a laugh. ¡°And there we have it, get outta here¡± the guards pushed me out of the walled-off central castle. I look back at the guards, who gave me dirty looks, then to the bustling city before me. Mmm.. Okay¡­ I seriously don¡¯t know what just happened. Chapter 2 - Time to Stand ¡°Where you off to Eva?¡± the other guard that escorted me asked her. ¡°I have some errands to run. Have to pick up some things for master.¡± she answers back in a bland tone. ¡°Well have a safe trip then,¡± he says smiling. The arrogant guard notices me watching them, ¡°I said get out of here!¡± he shouts at me. Would love to, but I don¡¯t even know where I¡¯m at. Great now people are staring, guess I¡¯ll just go straight. Pairs of eyes glanced at me from the bustling street as the guard shouted, and now are continuing to stare because of my clothes. Everyone around me is wearing bright uncomfortable looking clothes, similar to the throne. I can only imagine the layout of the capital will be like that of the old kingdoms of Europe. The farther I get from the center, the dirtier and poorer people are going to be. People keep glancing as I walk down the road, I have black flex jeans and a red long sleeve shirt that has a hoodie attached. I continue weaving around the crowd for a couple minutes until I come upon a fountain in the middle of a square I presume. I sit down on the edge and take a better look at the surroundings around me. Most of the buildings seem to be made out of dried bricks or wood, as the rest is made out of stone bricks. I hear some clanging of metal to my right, and see a giant guy hammering away at a piece of metal on an anvil. There were pop-up shops and stands that littered the edges of the streets and square. If I didn¡¯t know any better, I¡¯d say this is probably the marketplace. As I continued to observe, every so often my perception would shift to a degree and I could see a faint hazy fog covering everywhere. I must be hallucinating this ordeal, I can tell I¡¯m not asleep so it¡¯s not a dream. I hear some kids squeal to my left as they get splashed with some water. That¡¯s when I begin to notice what¡¯s so fundamentally different here. The child that got splashed raises her hand to another child and begins saying something, too far away so I can¡¯t actually hear what they say. Strands of her hair begin to glow a light blue, a fine like sand that seems ethereal in nature appears in front of her palm, it vortexes into a cone and water softly jetsons out from the center. ¡°In our world, magic is its foundation. Those who have had the misfortune of not bearing the gift of wielding mana are shunned by their peers. Though the percentage is small in number, it still does happen¡± the young lady says with a sad tone as she sits down next to me. ¡°So I guess that test with the crystal ball went that bad huh,¡± I remark. ¡°Yes, though I find it strange that it didn¡¯t react whatsoever with a summoned person. It¡¯s happened a couple of times with my people, but never with a summoned¡±, she says in a troubled tone, I look over at her but she has her head down. ¡°So what¡¯s going to happen to me now?¡± I ask over to her. She looks up with determination, ¡°First we should get you some new clothes, you stand out too much right now. Then I¡¯m going to take you to the sacred tree¡­ there must be¡­ there has to be a way around this¡±. ¡°Shopping? I don¡¯t have money with me¡± I retort, nor would my currency work. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll be buying. At the least you need a shirt, that¡¯s what stands out so much. The pants look only slightly strange if you get a close look at it¡± she explains. ¡°Are you sure about paying?¡± I ask, ¡°Yes. Especially since I had a hand in bringing you here. And don¡¯t worry I have some money saved up so it¡¯s not that big of a deal¡± she responds. ¡°If you say so¡± I gesture my hand for her to lead the way. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose there¡¯s a way back to my home is there?¡± I ask as we walk towards a clothes store. ¡°No¡­ Not for some time. The device that transported you here takes years of mana to charge just for one person. And even if the King allowed you to use it when it is ready, which he wouldn¡¯t, we don¡¯t have any control over where it goes. I¡¯ve tried talking him out of pulling innocent people into his game of power and influence but he wouldn¡¯t listen. The lords won¡¯t do anything because of the prestige the King grants them and the money he gives. The good ones are too few in number that they don¡¯t act, in fear of what would happen if they did¡± she explains. ¡°Why don¡¯t the citizens speak up? Or is he oppressing them?¡± I ask. ¡°Fear is one factor, yes. But he is also good to them as long as they do what he commands. Some have been thrown into jail, other sold into slavery, worst comes to worst he executes and sometimes in public for demonstration. So everyone obeys and their families are kept safe. Here we are¡± she stops in front of a modest looking building. As we enter, it¡¯s as you would expect, full of clothes. The reception desk is to the left, clothes hung on racks in the middle and on the walls, a mirrored platform for fitting to the right, and changing room in the back. ¡°Oh Eva, right on time. I just got done patching up her robe, tell her to be careful next time¡­ Oh, wait do we have here, finally got yourself a boyfriend I see¡± the woman at the desk smiles. ¡°Anita, you know I find a lot of their behavior and personalities despicable. All they care about is their pride, which overruns their honor if they had any to begin with¡± Eva retorts her claim. ¡°I know I know, but if you don¡¯t hurry soon you might not find a good one. Though I¡¯m sure anyone would fall for you for quite some time, isn¡¯t that right young man¡± Anita looks at me. I just shrug my shoulders and stay out of it. ¡°Ooh, he¡¯s a smart one!¡± Anita gives a laugh. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. She turns back to Eva ¡°So is that all or you needing anything else?¡±. ¡°We came to get him some new clothes¡± Eva replies and begins to search around for something good. ¡°Boy, I haven¡¯t seen you around before, where you from and how do you know Eva? You not trying to sponge off her, are you?¡± she gives me a sharp look. I give a gentle smile, ¡°Never would¡¯ve thought about it. I¡¯m from away, our parents were old buddies and I decided to visit while I was in the area¡±. ¡°Hey! What about this one?¡± Eva calls out, I walk over to her. She looks at the shirt in her hands then at me, gives a cute tilt of the head ¡°You know what, we never gave introductions. My name¡¯s Eva Quetz and I¡¯m a Court Mage, I can use most elements but my strong suit is water¡± she smiles at me. ¡°Nice to meet you, Eva, my name¡¯s Eli¡± I return her smile, ¡°I think I¡¯ll go with this¡± I reach for a dark grey tunic behind her. After a couple of tries, I finally find one that fits properly, ¡°Here¡± Eva hands me a black piece of clothing. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± I ask curiously, ¡°It¡¯s a coat that can double as a cloak. It¡¯s made of a special fabric that can be reasonably enchanted¡± it looks close to silk but not quite as shiny or smooth. I put it on, it¡¯s only slightly bigger than me but it¡¯s still a good fit. ¡°Thanks, you have good taste. I like it¡± I give her a smile. She quickly turns and goes to the counter, but I can see a bit of a red tint on her ear. I walk over to the two of them, ¡°I¡¯ll put the cloak on your tab, as for the shirt. It might be a weird request, but if you don¡¯t mind, you could exchange your old shirt for the new one. As a clothes merchant, I like to study new clothes. I might even be getting the better deal here¡± Anita mischievous smiles. I hand her the long sleeve shirt ¡°I don¡¯t mind, hopefully, it works out for the better¡± I chuckle. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- It took us what felt like an hour, but I don¡¯t know how they tell time here. The Sacred Tree is located on the side adjacent to the market. It also acts as a cemetery for whoever is deemed important. The tree is in a fenced off area with grave markers surrounding it. Looking up at the sky, I¡¯d say it¡¯s probably 4 in the afternoon. We walk up to the tree. Eva grabs my hands and places them against the tree, keeps hers on top of mine. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t feel anything. There¡¯s no channel, there¡¯s no flow. I don¡¯t understand¡± she lets go and takes a few steps back. I stay with my hands still touching, ¡°There¡¯s nothi-¡± I look back to see why she stopped talking. She was frozen in place, everything stood still, even the leaves that were cascading down stopped in mid-air. I go to move but my body was paralyzed from the shoulders down. I look back at the tree as I feel a pull of something I¡¯ve never felt before, almost felt as if the thing was grabbing my being itself. Then I noticed my hands began to disintegrate into atoms, it slowly ate its way from my feet and hands all the way up to my head until I was gone. I was nothing, I became nothing. I was in darkness. *Hello there* a thought that wasn¡¯t my thought came to my mind. ¡®What¡¯ *Don¡¯t worry, your not dead* ¡®then what happened¡¯ *I¡¯m reforging you into something new* ¡®I¡¯m not going to be human?¡¯ *You will still retain your humanity, but. Will also be something higher* ¡®Who are you? God¡¯ *No no. I am not a god. Just. an entity* ¡®What type of entity?¡¯ *I am. The Will of the planet. The energy that resides. Here* ¡®Why, to me¡¯ *The darkness. The evil within hearts. I am of harmony, but harmony cannot coincide with. Darkness of man¡­ You have will. Power. Serenity and tranquility within you. You can be a hope to fight back the Evil that is spreading. Fight to mend what has already. Been damaged* ¡®How? I am not of this¡­ place. I have no knowledge or power¡­ and I am alone¡¯ *You. Are not alone. She has struggled. She has the will. Power as you do. She is like you in many ways. You can succeed with her by your side. Body. Mind. And Soul in harmony* ¡®Trying to marry her off to a stranger. Her father?¡¯ *Haaa. In ways¡­ All living things. Residing on this planet are. My children. But marriage is a big way for harmony. But it is for you to. Decide if that is the course you will. Take* ¡®I¡¯m not one to oppose my will onto other¡¯ *That is why I chose you. Don¡¯t worry. You two will work well. Together* ¡®Is it possible to return home?¡¯ *Yes and no. Given enough mana to machine, I could guide you. Back. But all living things. That live here requires mana. After this. If you were to go back. You would die, once the last remnants of mana where used. By your body. It could take some years. But you wouldn¡¯t be. Able to live a full life* ¡®Not really giving me a choice¡¯ *You. May think it is. Selfish, but there are things you don¡¯t know* ¡®And? What would that be?¡¯ *You are in. The future. The wormhole passed by. A star. Solar flare made it jump. The people¡¯s Ancestors. Are your people¡¯s future generations. You are of them. They are of you. Your genetic sequence is.. Was better than the originals that came here before you. I am making you. Before the mana decay sets in. Each atom is to be bonded with a grain of mana. You will only change little in appearance. You are to be. Not a leader, but a beacon. A Magi to show harmony to those who choose destruction. It will not be. Kind. but go in wisdom to seek peace and fight the Evil* ¡®Why would she come with me?¡¯ *You must help her. Find her peace. Only thing holding her back. Is parents. The so-called king threw them. Into slave labor. He is an evil that. Must come to justice. Find them. Free them and everyone else. She will follow suit* Chapter 3 - Who we are ----- Eva PoV --- Again, another innocent being summoned without their consent, this is one of the many reasons why I despise the King. He uses everyone like pawns, not caring what happens to them. But the people who want to fight back can¡¯t. He has influence and a decent amount of power from magic and swordsmanship. But the main reason he¡¯s the ruler is that of the ability to control the ancient technology left by our ancestors. Not much is known about why the technology only works for those of royal blood, most is that it lights up when integrated with. This is how the King was chosen, half a millennium ago as his father got too old to rule, he took to the throne. ¡°Have the preparations been finalized for their arrival?¡± the King asks out. ¡°Yes your majesty, everything is ready for the summons¡± I call out to him. ¡°Good. We shall begin at once¡± the King states. The only reason why I serve him is to pay off my parent''s debt and so-called crimes. It was 20 years ago that my parents borrowed from one of the lords to keep their business afloat. I was at school at the time and as their child, they didn¡¯t want me to worry about them, so they didn¡¯t tell me. As time went on, they were doing fine with the payments back to the lord. But then a few years ago, they hit another rough patch and couldn¡¯t make some of the payments. Seeing this, the lord rose the interest rates and made it impossible to pay. The lord made a deal with the King, the King pays the fine and the Lord gives my parents to him. This is how he takes ownership of a lot of people, making them contracted through large sums of money they ¡®owe¡¯. They contracted me into the court as a mage after seeing my affinity for the elements, in hopes to pay off the amount faster. I¡¯ve been working here for a year now. After the young man appears the King orders me to come. He has some good looks, not too handsome but not bad. Still has a lingering boyish charm to his face, not yet having reached full adulthood. The most noticeable thing is his shirt cloak, then his black pants that are of a weird material. He has an angled jaw, curious looking eyes the hue of silver, and brown hair that could cover his eyes. When I got up to him, he touched the tip of my ear, but I guess it¡¯s different compared to his round ears. First I put the ring on him, so he could understand what was going on. The material to make the ring was left by the ancestors but we learned how to inscribe them for certain things, like language. It connects to your nerves and sends the corrected translated words to your brain, it works okay for reading but it¡¯s mostly for word of mouth. What dumbfounded me the most was when the affinity orb didn¡¯t react act all to his touch. The only thing that I could do was follow him as he got kicked out of the inner walls for doing nothing wrong. I couldn¡¯t help but feel pity for him, brought here against his will then thrown away like he was trash. I had to help, either by showing he had worth that away he had a reason for being brought here or something. I¡¯m in my own predicament, but something was urging me to stay and help him out. Of course, there was a tinge of guilt because I helped charge the device over the last year. Just from the couple hours I spent with him, he was different from all those arrogant prideful jerks that tried to woe me. If anyone could change the world, just maybe, he could. I have to find a way for him to have an affinity for any of the elements, even if it''s just one of them. But when we got to the tree, there was no hope. The mana wouldn¡¯t channel through him, it was as though it didn¡¯t want to touch him. I stepped back in despair, what had we done to him, he had nothing. ¡°There¡¯s nothing at all¡± as I let those words slip out of my mouth I look up at him. But he was gone, the only thing left in his place was some dust floating into a hole in the tree. I stand looking at the same spot as time seemed to slow down, the only thing I could feel was shock. But just as fast as it went, a flurry of white mana came out of the same hole. It began to spin in a circle just above where his head used to be and slowly began to lower. This was unlike anything I¡¯ve witnessed in my entire life. A young man appeared as the whirlwind lowered, his body floating as if his body was there but transparent. Mostly looking like the man that was there a moment ago, this new body had black hair with streaks of white as to radiate the night and moon. He now faced me, opposite of how he was before, but with his eyes closed and arms down. He seemed to have gained a few years, losing the last of his boyish looks, and his body gave off a presence of powerful mana. Extruding what he felt at the moment, it was peaceful and calm. ¡°Let¡¯s go free your parents. But first, could you teach me some magic?¡± he asked as he opened his eyes with a smile, they shone gold like a lion¡¯s eye. ----- Eli¡¯s PoV ---- The world changed around me, where it was just a world around you, now I could see all the mana flowing and harmonizing with the living. I looked down at the graves and I could see pools of green just below the surface of the ground and they made trails to the tree. I looked up at the sky and could see jetstreams of yellow flowing through the air, everything became more vibrant. I faced forward to see Eva staring at me intently, in her veins flowed a white with a tint of blue. I raised my hand up to my eyes to see my own veins of mana, there was white and black. The colors never melded together, but were their own distinction. They interacted closely together, but never fully merged, they did not fight but worked together. It was beautiful to see the now vibrant life around me, but it was distracting and hard to focus on the things I needed to. I closed my eyes and focused on the newfound presence that emanated from within. It took me a moment to get a hold of it as it was new to me, but it was just like keeping your emotions in check. I will it down, and closed it within my being. I could feel the change within my body. Each cell fueled not only by oxygen and nutrition but now with mana as well. My tendons and muscles now seem to compress with mana, I felt like I was ready to run a marathon in which I never was before. Each brain cell now worked together with each grain of mana it was bonded with, my synapse fired even faster than ever before. With a bit of concentration, I could remember things that I thought I had forgotten. I could remember all the studying and tests that I had rushed through during school, all the information I had crammed into my brain getting ready for finals. My brain¡¯s capacity seemed to have grown further than what I thought possible. I now understood completely that it would be impossible to go back to my old world, my body would die from starvation without mana. My only concern was my parents, the time they would waste trying to find me. They would be fine in the long run, but I pitied them for the grieve they would face. But I now had a purpose, a reason for being. When I could I¡¯ll research how to at least send them a message to let them know I am fine. I was considered a smart kid in school, always picking things up fairly easily. But now I could see that my brain had sped up, I could see the things around with more clarity and the harder I concentrated the slower time seemed to go. I look at the pretty young woman standing in front of me, the Will talked about unity but I don¡¯t even know how old she really is, I chuckle at the thought. If I am to bring justice to what the evil has done and bring hope to the people, I¡¯m going to have to become two. One of hope, to be the beacon. And one of dark, to take down the arrogant and self-righteous. I look down at my clothes, I believe they went through the same process as me, but not as much. ¡°Hey Eva, Is the cloak dyed or is it naturally like this? And if it¡¯s dyed, how did they dye it?¡± I ask her. She stares blankly at me as in deep thought, ¡°hu¡­ what? Oh, um.. I think it¡¯s natural, but I could be wrong since I¡¯m not a merchant or tailor¡±. True, it would be hard to know exactly if you¡¯re not the one that made it. Let¡¯s see, if I focus the mana from within the cloak. There are genetic markers within the chromosomes that control the pigmentation. If I were to will it white, would it understand? I hold one of the flaps in the front up so I could see it. After a moment of imagining a DNA strand and one of the codes changing, imagining the color changing from black to white, the mana did the rest. From where I was holding it, it slowly changed from black into grey then into pure white. Then it began to spread like a gradient to all of it, after a minute the whole thing switched from black to white. ¡°Seems like it was natural, wonder what material it is?¡± I question out loud. ¡°W-w-what did you just do?!¡± Eva screams at me. ¡°Mmm? I just used the bonded mana to switch the genetic trait¡± I retort. The question is, how easy can I switch it back? I did the same process but thinking of black. As if understanding what I wanted this time, it took half as long to switch to black. Mmm, does it retain a residual memory? I will it back to white and it almost instantly switches. I guess the more I use it, the easier it¡¯ll become. ¡°What do you mean gen-etic trait?¡± she questions loudly. I raise my eyebrow ¡°Do you not know biology? Or even science?¡±. Rather, the Will did say I was in the future. So why is everything so far behind? And it said of my people, so why are things in the medieval times? And if times are this far behind, how do they have those glowing machines yet no modern looking buildings? ¡°What¡¯s this science thing? We know the biology of our people, like organs, we need them to live¡± so she says. ¡°Mmm¡­ Is that so? I¡¯ll explain it better later, but genetics is a smaller base to life. Part of its job is to hold the information of what you and I are to look like¡± I say, but she still looks puzzled. As for the surroundings, there wasn¡¯t really anyone around. For the few people that did pass by didn¡¯t pay us any mind, probably too concerned about their own things. Apparently, no one noticed my strange newfound ability or maybe were too scared to even ask, I was emitting quite the amount of mana a little bit ago. ¡°What happened to you? You weren¡¯t able to use magic when you got here. And what do you know of my parent?¡± Eva asks me sternly. ¡°All you need to know is that I can now. As for your parents, you¡¯ll have to explain more but let¡¯s just say someone is looking out for you¡± It didn¡¯t say I couldn¡¯t talk about the conversation but I¡¯d probably look like a crazy person if I were to try and explain it in detail to her. She closes her eyes to contemplate over what I just said. After a minute I clap my hands in front of my chest, ¡°Now, is there a place I could stay the night? After the ordeal I just went through, it seems my body is quite fatigued¡±. She tilts her head to think, ¡°The brother of my best friend recently went on a trip somewhere, I¡¯m good friends with their parents so they may let you stay in his room for a couple of nights but I¡¯ll have to ask. As for me, I have a room in the castle. I can¡¯t let a guy stay in the same room as me nor would it be good for you to go back to the inner wall right now¡±. ¡°Well, let¡¯s see shall we¡± I walk past her, even if I don¡¯t know where I¡¯m going. ------------------------------------------------- Eva knocked on the front door of her best friends house. It took us some time to get here, it was one the opposite side of the castle from the tree, and it was in the outer zone. The sun was beginning to set, but luckily we didn¡¯t have too much of an issue with security as she is somewhat well known and the royal crest on her cloak. There aren¡¯t many people around with black hair so Eva had me put up my hood, which I got curious and disdain looks for being near her. She had told me as we walked that her parents were well-known merchants, they weren¡¯t the richest or noble but they were popular with the poor or ¡®peasants¡¯ as the rich called them. Some of the noble boys tried to woe her because of her affinity with elements but gave them a cold shoulder because of their tactics. Plus it probably didn¡¯t help with how pretty she is. A woman in her late 30s opened the door to see us standing there. ¡°Oh hi Eva, how¡¯d the summoning go today?¡± she asked with a knowing look. News does travel fast with how things went, I heard a few murmurs on our way here. ¡°You heard huh, hasn¡¯t even been a full day,¡± Eva said back.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°With the disturbance it caused in court, of course, news got around. And it was such an important day for you too¡± the woman answered back, ¡°And who¡¯s this with you? Is that him?¡± she raised her brow,¡± He doesn¡¯t look like what people said, or is it that you¡¯ve got yourself a boyfriend finally¡± she smiles. ¡°You people! He isn¡¯t my boyfriend¡± Eva mutters with a blush. I look around to find anybody around our immediate fascinate but there isn¡¯t. I remove my hood and brush my hair behind my ears, my hair is long enough that it usually ends up over my ears. ¡°It is, it¡¯s nice to meet you, my name¡¯s Eli,¡± I say with golden eyes. The woman has a faint amount green flowing through her veins, I¡¯d imagine the amount determines how proficient they are at wielding mana. I notice another person walking towards the door with a deeper amount of green, also someone with a faint amount of green and red sitting somewhere within the house. I blink my eyes back to normal and cover back my ears, ¡°What¡¯s all the commotion about out here?¡± a girl about Eva¡¯s age comes up to the door. ¡°Oh.. What are you doing here so late Eva?¡± the girl questions. ¡°I actually came to ask a favor. After some things happened, he needs a place to stay for a few nights¡± Eva pointed at me and I just smiled. ¡°Well since it¡¯s you asking, he can use Ethan¡¯s room. But wouldn¡¯t it be better for him to be in the inner wall?¡± the woman asked. ¡°After what happened, it¡¯s best for him not to go back right now. Maybe never¡± she muttered the last part. ¡°Well.. If you say so¡­ Anyway, come in come in. It¡¯s getting dark¡± the woman commanded. ¡°Thanks.. I¡¯ll be on my way then¡± Eva went to turn around. ¡°Nonsense! First, you¡¯ll have dinner, then you can stay the night, too dark to travel by yourself. Plus I haven¡¯t seen you much since you start work¡± the woman ordered Eva to obey. Eva stood there for a moment before giving up under the woman¡¯s demanding eyes. The outside of the house looked made out of white plaster and support beams, reinforced with wood from the inside, I imagine there are stone bricks within the wall for better structure. ¡°I almost forgot, my name¡¯s Amber Smawk, this is my daughter Abigail, and the boy you¡¯ll see is Erik. Klein, my husband, should be getting here soon from guard duty. He¡¯s stationed on the outer wall¡± Amber explained as Eva and I took off our shoes, I did so after seeing Eva doing it. ¡°So how old are you boy? You look a little older than Eva and Abby, 100?¡± Amber asked curiously. ¡°What?!¡± I draw back in surprise and look at Eva. How old is she?! Back on earth, she¡¯d be maybe 16. Well, she does look half-elf so I guess I shouldn¡¯t be that surprised. Should I wing it and try multiplying my age by 5? I did confirm I¡¯m not from here. ¡°Um.. Well, I was considered 17. But I guess now I¡¯m like 90¡± I somewhat muttered the first part. Amber played like she didn¡¯t hear the beginning, ¡°90 huh, not too far from Eva¡¯s 82¡± she winked at me. What are you trying to set up woman? We walked into the dining room and that¡¯s where I found their son. The three of them had dirty blonde hair, though Amber¡¯s was a bit lighter. Amber and Abby had on a simple dress, while Erik had on a tunic and trousers on. ¡°Please sit, I haven¡¯t started cooking yet, so it¡¯ll be a little¡± Amber offers, ¡°Are potatoes and meat okay?¡± she asks. I set my cloak on the chair and walk over to her, ¡°Yes, would you like any help? My parents were farmers, so I know a thing or two about cooking¡±. ¡°Oh really now. You said you were the one summoned.¡± she whispers ¡°What dishes do you know?¡±. I smile at her, ¡°Do you have any milk and butter? Also what spices do you have?¡± I ask, can¡¯t say until you know what ingredients you have to work with. ¡°Mmm¡­ You know, the main ones. Salt, Pepper, garlic, sage, rosemary, etc etc. And we have milk and butter in the cooler.¡± she answers. ¡°Perfect! If you could get me a cup of milk and some butter that would be great¡± I motion the sizes with my hands. As she walks off I can hear her say, ¡°If Eva doesn¡¯t want him, I¡¯ll have Abby take him¡± I just shake my head. I hear a murmur and a smack behind me. While Amber is off fetching things, Eva comes up to me ¡°What was that about?¡±. ¡°We were just talking about what to make. Do you happen to know any cleansing spells?¡± I ask her. ¡°You¡¯re helping? Just use the bowl of water there¡± she points at the bowl on the counter that¡¯s filled halfway with slight murky water. ¡°Yes. Ha, for all I know that could give me cholera¡± I poke her forehead ¡°do you or not?¡±. ¡°What¡¯s calera? And cleansing spells take a lot. If you really need it, I can make a ball of water?¡± she confirms. ¡°Sheesh, you guys and your lack of knowledge. And it¡¯s better than that, especially when you¡¯re handling food¡± I retort. ¡°Fine then¡± she raises her hands, I put my hands behind me a bend for a closer look with my golden eyes ¡°You are of life, I call you forth. That of my will, become a sphere to use. Expedio¡± a wibbly ball of water appears above her raised hands. During the process, I could see the mana within her body channel out from her hands and spiral into a ball that converted into water. I blink and look up to her, ¡°Do you always have to chant?¡±. She scrunches her brows in confusion, ¡°Of course, you wouldn¡¯t be able to form the spell without it. What you did earlier was impossible¡±. I put my hands into the ball of water floating there, it was lukewarm. ¡°Are you able to raise or lower the temperature?¡± I ask her. ¡°What? You would just cast an ice spell if you wanted something cold. As for raising it, it would slowly disappear so why would you want to do that. Plus there¡¯s no way to alter it once the chant has been released¡± she scrunches her brow more. Steam? Maybe they¡¯re too reliant on Magic. I feel the mana within the water, I wonder if I can get the molecules to vibrate faster. I try connecting the mana within my body to the water, another person¡¯s spell was different from an inanimate object. ¡°Are you done yet?¡± she asks impatiently. ¡°Hold on. I¡¯m trying something¡± I mutter back. I feel my mana sparking and interacting with the water and its mana. I imagine the hydrogen and oxygen atoms, making them move faster. There¡¯s a slight change in temperature but very faint. ¡°If you wanted to wash your hands, you could¡¯ve used the bowl next to you¡± calls out Amber. ¡°That¡¯s what I said, but he complained something about calora¡± Eva responded. I imagine them going faster and faster, the temperature begins to rise. ¡°Ouch!¡± I pull my hands out fast. ¡°What did you do? It¡¯s only water¡± Eva pulls one of her hands closer to the bubble, her eyes bulge. ¡°First that! Now this! What did you do?!¡± she shouts in surprise. I smile at her surprise, ¡°Just a bit of chemistry. I imagine you could do the same thing if you understood its nature¡± I snicker. Amber and Abby come closer when seeing Eva¡¯s reaction. As for Erik, he¡¯s just minding his own business, I think he might just be timid. They both reached out at the bubble and jerked back in surprise. ¡°How?¡± Amber asked, ¡°Even if I tried to explain you probably wouldn¡¯t understand very easily,¡± I said. When she canceled the spell, the ball of water disappeared but the water on my hands stayed. I guess maybe the spell itself is contained as mana but the parts that are interacted with stays. Is it created? Or is it transported? Maybe the amount ¡®consumed¡¯ is converted into mana in a different place. Where is the balance with this system? The girls left so that we could cook, Amber kneaded some dough and threw it into the oven then went to grill the meat. As for me, I peeled the potatoes, chopped them up, boiled them, and mashed them with the salt and pepper and mixed in some milk and butter. I would have done some more, but I was pushed out by Amber saying that I was a guest. Course, before I ran off I threw some spices onto the meat and mixed some flour into the juices to make a quick gravy. I finally went after she insisted I rest. Abby went in after I left, so I was able to talk to Eva alone, Erik walked off somewhere. ¡°What happened to you? How can you use mana?¡± she whispered to me, her eyes insisted I answer properly. ¡°All I know is that the tree just unlocked the innate ability that was within me¡± she eyed me suspiciously as I answered. ¡°Then how¡¯d you know what happened to my parents?¡± she questioned. ¡°We are to unite and harmonize the world¡± I randomly said. ¡°What?¡± she scrunched her brows, ¡°nothing¡± I smiled. ¡°Anyway, I want to test your affinity again,¡± she said as she pulled out the crystal orb again. ¡°Okay¡± I placed my hand on it again, but this time a swirl of white and black came into existence just like I saw in my body. ¡°Could this be? Was that stupid prophecy true?¡± she said in wonder. ¡°Prophecy? There better not be a world-ending prophecy of my coming¡± I chuckle. ¡°What?¡± she tilts her head, ¡°No.. no. It¡¯s just a silly little thing I did with my friends when we were little. One of those, read the stars to find your true love kind of thing. Hardly anyone actually believes them, but it¡¯s something to do and get a laugh. But from what I remember, they said.The day and night are in harmony, the figure of light and dark arises hope, the white and black are as one, this is your future if you choose to accept it¡± she finishes. ¡°That sounds rather ambiguous. But that¡¯s the power of them, leave it open so it¡¯ll have more of a chance to be correct. I never put too much thought into them though¡± but it does sound a lot like what the Will said to me. ¡°By the way, did you notice that your hair changed color?¡± she asks me a random question. ¡°Mmm.. Ya, I saw it a little when it covered my eyes. What does it look like?¡± I ask for the details. ¡°It kinda looks cool, it¡¯s black with some streaks of white. Your eyes also change to a gold glow sometimes too¡± she says as I try to find the white parts, she ends up picking a group up for me. ¡°Mm. Interesting. Do they glow when I do this?¡± I activate my sense. ¡°Yeah!¡± she smiles, ¡°Do they not for others?¡± I ask. ¡°Only for those with the ability to track, usually those of earth and wind magic. But they only glow, they don¡¯t change colors. I should just not be surprised about you anymore¡± she gives me a coy look. ¡°So tell me about this ¡®kemistry¡¯ you speak of,¡± she asks for an explanation. ¡°Chemistry is a subject of study and research on my world¡± as I begin explaining Amber sits down at the table. "I can¡¯t be certain until you try it, but I think you¡¯ll be able to manipulate your mana without your chants. They seem to be more like mantras anyway. Like a physical science, which understands how energy and potentials work in the environment. Chemistry is an understanding what makes things what they are. The atoms that form molecules, and molecules that form certain compositions. Take this table and these chairs for example, at their very foundation, or base, they¡¯re made from many singular atoms connected to each other. And these molecules vibrate in place at a certain speed. If they were stopped, it would freeze, though if there weren¡¯t any water around I doubt it would look frozen, it could also possibly collapse in on itself. Now as I did with the water, I made the molecules vibrate faster. If I were to do it to this table, added with the oxygen and nitrogen in the air, it would combust or set on fire¡± I look at their stupid faces. ¡°I told you, you wouldn¡¯t understand that easily¡± I sigh. ¡°I think I understand that last part a little¡± I hear a young boy¡¯s voice behind me, the one with a faint amount of red mana within. ¡°Oh, you do?¡± I look behind me to the boy. ¡°Let¡¯s try something then¡± I get up and walk over to him. ¡°I won¡¯t end up burning down the house will I?¡± I look over to Amber. She eyes me, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t if you keep it a distance from the ceiling¡±. ¡°How good is your control over fire?¡± I ask Erik. ¡°It¡¯s decent. But how did you know I could use fire?¡± he asks in wonder. ¡°¡®Cause I can see!¡± I flare my eyes up with a laugh. ¡°Now hold your hands up like your going to use a spell.¡± he does so ¡°I haven¡¯t done this myself yet but I¡¯d think you¡¯d want to accumulate some of your mana above your hands like the spells do¡±. I watch with my golden eyes, seems to take a bit of effort without the mantras, but he manages to get some. ¡°Alright, now I want you to imagine a brown ball, this is the carbon atom, they are very very small. Now imagine a blue ball, this is oxygen. The carbon atom makes up a decent size of your body, but wood like the table is mostly made up of carbon. Oxygen is one of the components in which you breathe, it¡¯s in the air around you. Now connect those two balls together with some lightning, now it¡¯s not actually lightning but electrostatic which can look similar to lightning. Now make all that as one object, this is a molecule called carbon monoxide and is a gas. It¡¯s helpful but deadly if breathed in too much. What I want you to do now is vibrate it in place very fast, make it look almost like a blur¡± I finish my lecture. After a few moment, a small red flame combusts above his hands. ¡°And we have lift off!¡± I laugh. It dies out within a minute of not being fed enough mana. ¡°Let me try,¡± Eva says behind me. I look around to see her gathering mana the same way, not very proficient but a lot more than Erik did. After a few minutes, and eyebrow scrunching, a little larger flame combusts above her hands. Now to test something else, I walk up to face her and hold the bottom of her hands. She looks at me with a question, I stare at her mindlessly as I imagine bonding and adding more oxygen. After a few attempt I start feeling more heat emitting from the flame, I look down to see it turn from red to orange. I would try to take it further, but it was hot and burned out as it used up the mana. Eva just stares at me, her eyes look to be misting over. I just give her a gentle smile, I go to let go of her hand and the next thing I know she¡¯s wrapping her arms around me in a hug. ¡°Thank you¡­ Thank you so much for coming.. For being here¡± she says in a small soft voice next to my ear. The feeling was quite unexpected but nice and warm, an appreciation I would like to know more of. ¡°I don¡¯t get it, she denies it, yet this¡± Abby states while walking over. ¡°Leave it alone, they¡¯re having a moment¡± Amber scolds her with a laugh. Eva lets go of me and turns away. ¡°Erik, What have we told you about playing with fire in the house?¡± a man says from the walkway we entered from. ¡°I was just¡­ Sorry, it won¡¯t happen again¡± he lowers his head. ¡°Don¡¯t make a fuss. I allowed it this time¡± Amber spoke up. ¡°And why would you do that?¡± the man asks from the door, then noticing us ¡°What¡¯re you doing here Eva? Haven¡¯t seen you here for a while. Who¡¯s our unknown guest?¡±. Abby chimes in before anyone says anything ¡°Her new found boyfriend¡±. He raises a brow, ¡°Oh, here I thought her standards were the sky. Didn¡¯t think she¡¯d find anyone good enough. In that case, welcome to the family. Name¡¯s Klein and I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve met everyone else¡± he offers his hand. I take a hold as I hear grumbling behind me, ¡°Eli, and we¡¯re not together. Got into town today with no money to spare, we happened to meet and hit it off. She¡¯s been showing me around since¡±. ¡°Really now? Apparently not through the main road or else I would¡¯ve seen you¡± he states. ¡°Yep, but not the way you¡¯d think¡± I smirk. Chapter 4 - Learn of the world around Weeks had gone by in a flash, time passing was but a thought in the wind. The uproar of the failure of the summoning died down after about a week. It was as though the boy who came vanished from the fountain he sat upon. Only the family of currently 4 and a young girl new where the boy went. Within the first night staying at their house they all knew I was the one summoned. The next day I asked Klein if he could teach me some techniques with the sword, he agreed as long as he had time. And with that I continued to stay at their house, practicing with the sword and messing around with mana. The next morning, before had to go back to the court, she taught me rough on how to control the mana flow throughout my body. Circulating it through my veins and channeling it through my hands. It wasn¡¯t too hard to get a handle on it, and much easier when it learned what I wanted it to do. As a few days past I began to understand how mana interacted with everything. It was in everything that came from nature, if you built something from the natural resource it was in it. It was faint and hardly noticeable but it seemed to bond with every atom. You could use it if you matched its element. Eva explained that white, few people had it, was capable of using all colors. Her¡¯s is tinted blue because she has a better affinity for water and uses it more. As for me, I am the light and shadows, I can use the colors and the darkness. Over the days I refined my use of mana being able to spread it along my skin like a flowing sand. I am able to charge it with pure mana making it like a monopole magnet, the mana keeps me safe from temperatures and repels anything fueled by mana. It also covers in my hood, giving my a wispy mask of abyssal. Added with my golden eyes, white streaks of hair, and blackened cloak the family and Eva said I looked like a demon. It turns out Magic does not create matter, but simply uses the atoms floating in the air to form fire and water. With earth and air, it simply allows you to move the aspects around. It sounds dumb, but it¡¯s actually like telekinesis. As long as you have the supply of mana, you¡¯re capable of achieving lift off with wind spells. Though for me, I can actually pick myself up and fly around. It can be scary but it¡¯s quite efficient. If I can imagine the structure, I can create it.The world is at my fingertips. It only took a couple of days to get the footwork at a decent place, still needs improvement though. He then had me repeatedly strike at no one for some time, then parry, side steps, and dodging. It wasn¡¯t until a week had passed when we started clashing swords, albeit slow and soft. He also taught me some fencing moves and heavy swords bashes. With this and magic, my time flew by. They didn¡¯t seem to mind me staying longer anyway. Eva came around when she could, started out every few days. Then every other day to every day only to skip one day once in a while. Abby and Amber joked about it being she felt lonely and anxious without me by her. But of course that¡¯s just them teasing, though I could see she was getting closer to me. She would lean on my shoulder as I tried to explain some of the structure of magic that I found. She would also brush by me whenever we crossed paths. She elbowed me the other day for looking at a woman, I was just trying to observe the mana flow. And yesterday, she hugged me before leaving. ¡°You better take her on a date soon¡± Amber said behind me after Eva left. I was surveying some catacombs under the castle when I came across a futuristic door, this was like a week ago when I learned the shadow mask. There was a handprint scanner on the wall next to it, so I tried it. It lit up like the wormhole device and throne. I didn¡¯t go in though, thought it would be fun escapade with Eva or Erik. I had look at some books some days after I began staying just to see if I could make anything out. It wasn¡¯t the best translation at first but with the help of context and people, the reading became better and easier, the ring seemed capable of learning. Eva came over today saying she had the next couple of days off, seeing if see could spend the night again. The parents said yes, and Amber gave me a wink. She went off to spend some time with Abby and Erik, as I sat on the couch reading. It had just sundown when she walked into the living room and sat down beside me. I switched to my golden eyes which were capable of seeing in the dark. ¡°How do you do that?¡± Eva asked, she is capable if she learned how to. ¡°Mana over the eye? I¡¯m not sure really, it¡¯s just natural for me¡± I say. ¡°How was your day?¡± I ask, ¡°Tiring. The King is working on an army to replace what his image of you was. You need to hurry up and stop him¡± she said. I slowly explained what was discussed and what I was meant to do, with her, as more trust formed. I really only went over the purging of evil and how I knew about her parents, everything else might or might not be said in the future depending on how things turn out. ¡°We shall see soon enough¡­ Would you like me to read?¡± I asked. ¡°Mm¡­ maybe it¡¯ll take my mind off some things, so sure¡± she sighed. ¡°Life was exciting at the beginning. A new journey, a new start. We began by setting up base camp near the base of a mountain. We had streams near by and we could hear birds chirp in the air. The scent was sweet like pine and honey, and the wind gently blew through the trees. This was to be our new home, our race¡¯s new story¡± ¡°What is this? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard it before¡± asked as she wiggled her way under my arm that was propped up on top of the couch. ¡°From what I can tell, it¡¯s either a fiction of early settlers or a journal from someone that was pioneering¡± I rub my tired eyes. ¡°We could see storm clouds rolling in and within the hour I could smell the wet air. It didn¡¯t take long before we could here the pitter patter of the raindrops falling to the ground. Everything seemed at peace, not even the storm caused that much of a disturbance to the life around us. It was beautiful, nothing like what ever seen in some time. The vessel took years to travel the uncharted stars, going endlessly through the waves of blackness¡± Eva had her head leaning against my chest and I could hear her breathing deepen with a slow pace. I scratch her shoulder with my arm above her, ¡°How would you like to go on a date tomorrow? It doesn¡¯t have to be a romantic thing, just a hangout time¡±. ¡°Okay¡­ I wouldn¡¯t mind even if it was¡­ read, your disturbing my soothing time¡± she snuggle more into my arm. ¡°This new world is at peace with itself. Everything has a purpose, nothing is out of place. It seems to know we are here and greets us with open arms¡±. After a few more minutes of reading I can tell she¡¯s fast asleep. ¡°Foods made if your hu-¡± Amber cuts her words off with a smile seeing us like this. I just smile and shaking my head at her. I close the book and lean my head on top of Eva¡¯s, as nice as it would be, I best not sleep here. I slowly shift to get up and lower her down to the surface of the couch. I bring her legs up and lay a blanket over her. I kiss her on the hair, whisper ¡°good night¡± and leave for some food and bed. ¡°Mmm¡­ Don¡¯t leave me¡± she mutters softly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Poke* ¡°Hello¡± *Poke Poke* ¡°You going to wake up any time soon?¡± I¡¯m crouched by the couch in front of Eva. ¡°Mmm.... Five more minutes¡± she tries to swat my hand away from poking her shoulder. I move some strands of hair behind her pointed ear with my index finger, ¡°I know you¡¯re tired, but it¡¯s already a couple hours past sunrise. And I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll want time to get ready for the date today¡±. ¡°Date? What date?¡± she mumbles. ¡°The one you agreed to last night¡± I chuckle. After moments of recollection, she jerks up to a sitting position and looks at me. She burrows her brows, ¡°I said something weird when I was asleep, didn¡¯t I?¡±. I smile at her, ¡°Not that I can remember. It¡¯s just two friends enjoying each others company while sightseeing or something¡±. I pat her knee, ¡°Come on, breakfast is ready. And you¡¯ve got a bit of bed hair you might want to sort out¡± I stand up and walk to the dining room. I never had a girlfriend yet back on earth. Back there is was close to a endless cycle of girl meets bad boy, falls in love with the excitement, then ends up heartbroken when things fall apart. I was their friend who was always there to support them until the next cycle came through. They were young and dumb, and it was like candy. Sweet and the beginning but without proper maintenance, it¡¯ll make your teeth fall out in the end. One nice thing about this place is you¡¯re not really considered an adult until around 120-200 which gives you a long time to develop and understand life. Course you have those who are born into money, and half the time they turn out arrogant and don¡¯t understand the value on life. ¡°Is she getting up?¡± Amber asks as I walk through the doorway. ¡°Yeah, though it may take some time. I think we¡¯ll be going in a couple of hours. Would you like to come Erik?¡± I look at the boy sitting at the table. We¡¯ve gotten closer after the first night, I taught him a bit on the theory of thermodynamics. I read about it a couple times throughout school but never really picked up on it until coming here. Erik and Abby became like siblings to me throughout the weeks of staying here. He looked at me then his mom then back at me, ¡°No, it¡¯s best I didn¡¯t tag along. I shouldn¡¯t get in the way¡±. ¡°You sure? It¡¯s not like we¡¯re going to be kissing or anything. And I¡¯ve got a cool place we¡¯re going to be exploring¡± I raise my eyebrow. He looks back at his mom, who¡¯s giving him the eye, I think she said something about it ¡°Yeah I¡¯m fine. You two have fun¡± he sounded a little glum. The seasons were similar to that of earth, but suppose that¡¯s one reason humans would have chosen this planet. Though I think they¡¯re a month ahead of earth, when I got here it was turning to fall. I made some money by running errands and deliveries for stores around the city as I got used to the layout. I also helped some on the farms outside the walls, my parents were farmers. But it was a bit harder work compared to modern technology. I also found out that there was an adventurer''s guild, they help hunt for meat and collect herbs and spices outside the wall. I learned a bit more about the darkness that dwelt within me and the planet''s core. It¡¯s not evil itself but when mixed with malice it can have some unsavory effects. The darkness brews within the caves and dungeons around the world, releasing mutated and evolved animals. They aren¡¯t technically bad in nature, but it is instinct for them to attack and defend when someone enters their territory. And since they evolve through darkness, their material like fur can be useful for magical practices. Everything exists for a purpose, fundamental good or evil doesn¡¯t have a place here, if pure malice accumulates it is to be purged from existence. Life and death is a cycle, there is harmony and unity between the two for peace to continue. If death tries to overcome life, then life must take a step to equalize, this is my purpose. ¡°Where do you want to go first?¡± I ask Eva next to me as we enter the shopping district. ¡°I want to go get some new clothes, is there anything you need before that?¡± she tilts her head. ¡°I want to get a sword and dagger, so we can stop by there first. Might have to order for them¡± I respond. ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s go¡± she commands and grabs my hand to pull me. People glance up at us as we walk holding hands, but they dismiss it as it¡¯s becoming a regular scene when we come. We pass by the fountain that I came to when I first came here and went to the smith on the right. ¡°Welcome, good morning, what can I do for you?¡± a woman with big muscles welcomes us. ¡°Just looking for now, thanks¡± I answer back.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. I walk up to a wall filled with all sorts of weapons. Eva leans up close to me, ¡°What do you need a sword for anyway? You don¡¯t really need it with your magic¡± she whispers past my hood, I can feel her hot breath on my cheek. I smile at her, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t train with a sword if I wasn¡¯t going to get a sword. Plus, unless I could magnetize their weapon, they would cut right through my mana. I may be strong, but I¡¯m not invincible with magic¡±. I look over to see a black straight sword, with a foot long hole from its hilt. It looks sleek and shiny, with a bit of edge to it. I picked it up, it was light but had a nice weight to it. I walked up to the desk with Eva, ¡°Do you have any daggers that are serrated?¡± I ask. She crouches behind the desk and pulls out a knife that almost looks vicious, ¡°It¡¯s not exactly serrated, but it should do the job¡± she hands it to me. It¡¯s about half as heavy as the sword, if I were to throw it, it would stay on a straight path. I put both blades on the desk, ¡°How much would this be?¡±. She looks at the blades then at me, ¡°Mmm¡­ These blades are unique. But the person who brought them here said he wanted them gone. I¡¯ll take 3 big nickel coins for them, and he brought the shealthes with them¡±. The money system is a little strange, the have a big and small coin for each metal, copper, nickel, and gold. Ranging from 1, 10, 25, 100, 1000, and 5000. From all my work I earned up to a 4 big nickel coins. I handed her the 3 coins, she grabbed the sheaths and put the blades in their respective holder. She handed them to me, ¡°You be careful now, the way he was talking, there¡¯s power in them¡±. ¡°I will, thanks for the warning¡± I responded. As we walked back onto the street I unlooped half my leather belt and slid the dagger to my back and sword to my right. My cloak covered the dagger, as it reached in between my butt and knees. As for the sword you could see the blade pointing out from the bottom of the cloak. ¡°Would you like to get a snack?¡± I look at Eva. ¡°Mmm, sure. But you sure you have enough after that. Or am I going to have to pay?¡± she says with a devilish grin. ¡°Yeah I¡¯ve got enough, can¡¯t be going around letting the lady pay now can I¡± we both laugh. Now let¡¯s talk about some enchantments and inscriptions. For my clothes I was able to make a self-clean inscription. As for how it¡¯s done for me, I write a name on the item with mana, then I imagine how I want it to work with the natural structure. I then bind the idea into the fabric with mana. When mana in supplied to the self-cleaning attribute, it pushes everything that wasn¡¯t there when the inscription was made. Like reversing static electricity with dust. I also have a self-repair when supplied with mana, and fortification which hardens the fabric, making it similar to chainmail. It isn¡¯t the best, but it¡¯s better than having nothing. We walk up to a stall and each get a meat sheshkabab, only costing 2 small copper coins each. They were juicy and we giggled when some of it squirted out. We started towards the clothes shop. I ran my mana around my new weapons to check them out as we walked. The two blades had a sharpness enchant on them, but what surprised me was the dagger. It bonded with my dark mana, allowing me to teleport it from the sheath to my hand and back again. And it worked well with my telekinesis, It would materialize in my hand and I could shoot it and pull it back if it wasn¡¯t too far away. Course I didn¡¯t do this out in the open, I shot it at a box in an alleyway. Both blades surrounded by mana, I could easily set it on fire, but didn¡¯t deform the blades in anyway. As we walked into the store I noticed a group of older kid pushing two others into an alleyway up ahead. We entered, ¡°Hey Eva, Eli. Coming in to buy or just look around¡± Anita called out. ¡°Depends on who¡¯s paying for it¡± I smile at Eva. She grins back, ¡°We¡¯ll see¡± I stop at a bench meant for the people who¡¯d end up waiting, ¡°You''re not gonna help me find something?¡± she asks. ¡°You look around a little first, I¡¯ll be with you shortly¡± I gently smile. ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll hold you to that, so don¡¯t wait too long¡¯ she says as she turns around with a sway of the hips, no I must be imagining that. I sit down and close my eyes, a burst of black mana shoots into a near shadow from my body. Another little trick I¡¯ve learn, shadow clone. I can make a figure made of mana to travel around, its reach so far is a couple of blocks, I can even have it jump through the shadows using the mana in the air. It springs into the alleyway and opens it gold glowing eyes, looking like a demon sandman. I can use it with my white mana too, and I can have it walk around while I¡¯m doing other things but it¡¯s very trippy trying to control two bodies complexly at the same time. ¡°You told on us didn¡¯t you?¡± the oldest looking boy was pointing a small pocket knife at the small boy and girl, possibly siblings. I still can¡¯t get used to the age difference, they look 12, but are like in their 30s. I¡¯m not even sure how their brains develop and how long it takes to somewhat mature. ¡°We didn¡¯t¡± the boy cries out, ¡°Then how¡¯d they know we stole from their shop¡± the ¡®leader¡¯ demands for answers. There are six boys in their little group, two of them were standing guard at the entrance, this alley was a dead end. ¡°We didn¡¯t tell anyone!¡± the two children were being to cry in fear. ¡°You know, it¡¯s not good to make children cry¡± I say was a heavily distorted voice, articulating sound waves through mana was not an easy feat to accomplish. The four of the group that was left jumped in surprise, ¡°W-who there? What happened to you two?!¡± he yelled for the two that was supposed to be guarding the entrance. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them, they¡¯re just taking a nap¡± I say. ¡°Who are you? What did you do to them? Show yourself!¡± he waved the puny knife around in the air. Two balls of dark orange the size of a fist appear on either side over the shadow figure, everyone but the oldest boy shrink back in fear, ¡°I simply blocked the blood flow to their brain, they¡¯ll live but have a headache when they wake up¡± a black sandy humanoid with glowing eyes walks toward them. ¡°What is this, mind magic?! You two get him!¡± he shouts at the other two boy whom also have small knives. The two hesitate for a moment then rush me as I don¡¯t move. Their knives go straight through the figure, for something as complex as directing blood flow I need direct access to their body. Their hands get stuck within the sand and in moments they faint. With the mana in the air, I constrict the muscles in their appendages, keeping them from moving. ¡°Wh-what did you do to me?!¡± shouts the boy. ¡°How does it feel to be hopeless? Unable to do anything. With power comes the responsibility to lead, not threaten and oppress¡± I deepen my mana pressure around the alley. ¡°B-but the nobles and King do it all the time¡± the boy¡¯s eyes are beginning to mist, I think the other boy fainted. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean you follow suit. And they¡¯ll be taken care of soon. I am purging this city of its evil intent. Fix your ways before I have to take care of them myself¡± I place my sandy finger on the boy¡¯s forehead and he soon crumples to the ground. I look over to the two siblings, ¡°You are free to go¡±. The girl speaks up in a timid voice, ¡°Who are you?¡±. ¡°Name does not matter in this form, but know me by the light I shall bring,¡± I say as the figure disintegrates into the shadows. I open my eyes and walk over to Eva, ¡°There you are. Did you fall asleep over there?¡± she jokes with me. I grin ¡°Maybe, something like that¡±. ¡°Soo.. What do you think? This or this?¡± she holds up two dress, one red with some frills near the bottom, and the other is pure white with a wavy fanned out bottom. ¡°Anything that¡¯s a little more transparent?¡± I smirk, ¡°ouch¡± she hit me. ¡°They both would look good on you, but it depends on what you¡¯re going for. My world, white meant purity and innocence. While red was for passion and excitement, mainly trying to seduce¡± I explain. ¡°Nooo¡­ you''re not helping¡± she blushes. ¡°If you can keep it clean, I think white would suit you very well¡± I grab it from her and scan the fabric with mana. It¡¯s not the best fabric to be able to inscribe something on, but I think it can manage at least the one. I turn so no one can see what I¡¯m doing and I enchant it, even if we don¡¯t buy it it¡¯s not hard to do this. I feel the silky fabric and imagine the structure, ¡°And fwallaw, go try it on¡± I hand it back to her. She raises her brow, I shrug ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll mind¡±. She goes and comes back from the dressing room, I¡¯ve gotta say, I¡¯m going to be having a lot of jealous daggers shot at me. ¡°You ready to go?¡± I ask her, she nods her head and we head up to the desk. ¡°Don¡¯t you two just put on a show. That¡¯ll be 3 small nickles¡± Anita says staring at us. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± I pull out my pouch of coins before Eva could make a move, her old clothes probably went into her storage band. They were bands that were capable of storing items as mana or data, I have to research it more to understand it but it¡¯s one of those ancient magic technology things. There are a few around so they aren¡¯t all that expensive but I couldn¡¯t afford it right now. Eva got it from her parents as a graduation gift. I hand the coins to Anita and as I¡¯m putting the pouch away Eva grabs my arm and leans closer. I feel her lips on my cheek, ¡°Thanks¡±. I turn as she walks out the door, ¡°I don¡¯t know how you did it but you managed to capture her heart, so many tried and failed but you managed it¡± Anita spoke to me. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After the shopping, we headed to explore the catacombs under the castle. It was clean around the entrance but got dirtier the further in you went. After a few twist and turns, we came upon the old door that I found before. ¡°This? You say you wanted to explore the area, but we can¡¯t get past. It only works with the King¡± she looked at me with doubt. ¡°So it won¡¯t react at all with you?¡± I ask her. She goes up to the pad and places her palm on the surface but it does nothing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but there¡¯s nothing we can do. We should head back¡± she turns to me. I grin and walk up to the pad and unlock it. ¡°What?! How?! Only royalty has access to this!¡± she shouts at me. I shrug ¡°Maybe I am royal, after all,¡± I laugh. She just stares at me in shock, ¡°Well, shall we go? Ladies first¡± I notion for her to go. She stood there not moving an inch, so I proceeded myself. The place was actually quite underwhelming, few medium rooms with some bunk beds, a kitchen area that looked spotless and a big open room beside it. The only noteworthy thing was the lights and a door that was locked shut. The scanner was dead, seemed like someone broke it on purpose. I tried prying them open with telekinesis but It would only open an inch before even more pressure was required. I grabbed the center with my hands and tried pulling, even added strengthening with mana to my muscles. It was almost there, but I couldn¡¯t quite hit the threshold. ¡°Eva¡± I huffed ¡°Can you help? Pull or use a spell or something¡± I grunt out. ¡°I don¡¯t know any particular spells for this¡± she came up and grabbed one side. I fortified her arm muscles and we began to pull with my add telekinesis. After a small bit of sweating and huffing about it finally released and opened all the way. Inside looked like a medical room with a chair in the center, and in this chair was a skeleton. ¡°Man this place has been dead for some time, I bet we¡¯re breathing them in as we speak¡± I snicker towards Eva, she scrunches her nose. There wasn¡¯t much in the room, either wasn¡¯t filled to begin with or taken out before the door was jammed shut. I walk towards the counter to look at the band and tablet that laid on the surface, I kicked something hard on my way. It walked over to where it rolled to and picked it up, it was a ball with a lens. I could see the iris within the glass, ¡°Camera?¡± I showed Eva but she shrugged her shoulders. I placed it beside the tablet and picked up the storage band, similar to Eva¡¯s. I channeled some of my mana to see what it had inside or any enchantments. *Owner: Deceased, Unable to access information.* I pulsed my mana again at it, hoping for something. *Owner: Deceased, New Owner? Y/N* ¡®Yes¡¯ *New Owner Confirmed. Keep Inventory? Y/N* ¡®Yes¡¯ *Keep Inventory Confirmed. Direct Access, List, or Both?* ¡®mmm, both I guess¡¯ *Direct Access Confirmed. Secondary List Confirmed. Initializing¡­ Setup Complete. Access Available.* I pulse my mana again. *Owner: Eli Flein, Access Granted. Item Request. Or Show List?* ¡°Does your storage band use permissions?¡± I ask over to Eva. ¡°Permissions?¡± she tilts her head in confusion. ¡°Sorry, that¡¯s computer talk. Does it confirm you''re the owner for access?¡± I ask again. ¡°No. I just think what I need, and on rare occasions, it¡¯ll fill my head with a list of things I have¡± she ponders. ¡°Mmm¡­ Maybe the user was special¡± I say out loud. I¡¯ll look at the list later, for now let¡¯s see if the tablet is working, I grab it and look at the cord that¡¯s attached to it and runs through the wall. I pull it out, Mmm, I can only assume it was for power or data transfer. I look over to Eva, she¡¯s staring at the skeleton on the chair. ¡°I think this is everything we can get from here¡± I pick up the camera and put it in my pocket ¡°wanna get outta here?¡± I ask. ¡°With pleasure¡± she walks to the door. I follow close behind while observing the tablet, everything else is charged with mana, so maybe this too? I cover the whole thing with mana to find a point of entry or if the whole surface is able to. I find what looks to be a home button, the mana tunnels in through there. So I retract the mana back to my hand and channel it through my thumb into the hole. After a few minutes of charging the screen flicks on, as it starts up I sit down with Eva at the table in what¡¯s looks like a dining room. When it finishes powering on I search its content, the only thing is a video which I hit play. ¡°Captain¡¯s log - May 3rd, 5,103¡±.