Only now did Michael remember the very reason why he was attacked by the violet mage's mana to begin with. It was only after taking this storage ring that the remnant will had grabbed a hold of him.
Michael had learned a hard lesson. Despite eventually benefiting from the situation, he had gone through torturous pain and suffering because of it.
From now on, I should stay away from strong mages… Even if they're dead, He concluded bitterly.
But since he'd already experienced the consequences, he may as well see if taking the storage ring was worth it. Or at least that's how Michael rationalized it.
The problem was…
"I don't know how to use it…" he muttered in disappointment.
He knew that storage rings were expensive, and generally only owned by those who were wealthy, or prominent individuals. This was only further backed up by the fact his father, the Lord of Velmara City, could only afford one for himself.
As he stared at the resplendent ring, he tried to send his mana into it, only for the orange mana to bounce off. The scene caused the frown on his young face to deepen considerably.
Do I need to probe it with my soul? He thought briefly.
Yet he shook his head vigorously in the next moment. After just being pulled from the throes of death, Michael now knew that he couldn't treat his soul lightly.
I can always find out how to use it later, he concluded, his eyes moving around the vicinity.
Feeling a hunger settle in, Michael glanced down at his stomach and resisted the urge to curse out loud. While he could conjure water thanks to being a mage, he could not create food out of nothing.
And since he was in the mana scarred lands, there were no beasts, let alone animals he could hunt for food. Not to mention he was the son of a City Lord, he had never had to hunt for his own food in his life.
"Should I continue going through the mana scarred lands?" he asked, looking out over the bleak and seemingly endless arid lands before him.
But Michael didn't need to think long before shaking his head. With his slim body, there was no way he would be able to survive crossing these lands, especially since it was likely he hadn't even reached ten percent of the way through.
Then do I go back to Velmara City?
But thinking of returning to that place filled Michael with both sadness and rage. Stewart and those black robed mages had killed his mother, if they knew he was alive, they would probably do everything in their power to silence him.
Even if he wanted to tell his father what happened, there would be no way for him to get close enough to do so.
Michael didn't have a great relationship with his father. Throughout his life the man had been distant, cold even.
Though he wasn't outright abusive, he was able to tell that the man was deeply disappointed in his talents as a mage. In a world where one's strength was equally as important as their status, such an attitude was understandable.
But that didn't mean his rejection didn't hurt.
Michael made his decision.
He would pass by Velmara City and try and acquire some supplies. As long as he made a few minor changes to his appearance, he could hide away from the eyes of the City Lord and more importantly, Stewart.
After all, the three orange rings on his wrist was plenty enough reason to doubt his identity since Michael used to only have a single dim white ring earlier.
I'll need to wait for dusk before I start my journey back, he concluded, leaning back against the sandstone.
His stomach grumbled in protest, but the young boy's mind and body were far too exhausted. Michael quickly drifted off to sleep, his breathing becoming slow and even not long later.
A few hours later, he stirred.
Thanks to the dry air, his mouth and nose felt irritated. After producing another water spell using his chore magic, Michael drank to his hearts content before slowly standing up and scanning the surroundings.
The last vestiges of sun were visible on the horizon and the harsh temperature had already begun to drop.
Judging by the position of the sun, I should be able to follow it west, all the way to Velmara City
Michael set off, ignoring the hunger pains that wracked his stomach. He was still unsure of how much time had passed since he'd run away from his mother's assailants, but it had to have been at least three days.
This was in line with his current body state at least.
He glanced down at his left wrist, seeing the three glowing orange rings staring back at him.
It's a pity I only know chore magic, he lamented.
With his new mana capacity, Michael could have easily conjured protection spells to allow him to travel during the day, or even wind spells that would increase his speed. Though he knew these existed, he'd never had the chance to theorize them, let alone cast them.
His mother was a big proponent of sticking to one's means, a sentiment that he shared. After all, what would be the point in learning these spells when he couldn't use them?
So instead of grumbling, Michael continued trudging along. His eyes were constantly scanning the area in front of him, looking for any landmarks that he might have seen during his escape.
That's when he noticed something.
My vision… It's improved?
Dumbstruck, Michael froze in his tracks and rubbed his eyes. When they flashed open again, what he saw left him elated.
He hadn't noticed anything earlier since he was in the mana scarred lands, but as he continued towards Velmara City, things began to change.
Motes of light were floating in the distance, giving off a glowing light in the darkness. Michael had never seen anything like it, at least not in the physical world.
That's mana, I'm sure of it…
Michael knew this because even when he was a white ringed mage, he could see inside his body when purifying and refining mana that he'd absorbed from the mana spring.
Millions of these individual particles made up the mana that he and every other mage used. While it was possible to vaguely see these particles inside one's own body with their mind's eye, this was the first time he'd seen it in the physical realm with his actual eyes.
Which only filled him with more questions.
Do all mages with orange rings and above see the world like this? He pondered.