Part 1
I woke up to the beautiful aroma of food. As expected, Astraya was already awake before me, and I wouldn't have been surprised to see her already munching away. Today was finally the day I would get a look at those books.
But I had a bad habit..it's quite embarrassing, to be honest. I had this compulsive behavior of overthinking my choices. It was something that happened, especially when I was left to decide on my own. From my experience, starting with the best possible path usually accelerates learning. For example, do I start with geography? I mean, understanding the landscape and all it has to offer would stimulate my brain. Or should I even touch politics? I wasn't particularly interested in it; I didn't even vote back in my previous life. But wait, would reading about politics and kingdoms answer my questions about twins and dragons? I highly doubted it; starting with that would probably over-exhaust my four-year-old brain, as my attention span wasn't there yet.
"Principia Sanguina" sounded more interesting. Mana types, huh? Starting with that would help stimulate my imagination. But that left Dad's work untouched. He sounded very knowledgeable, and I noticed he had the skill set to make things very understandable. He would be proud of me for reading his books. "Ah, my head hurts," I said, rubbing my temples. The overthinking was already straining me.
Then I heard a voice from downstairs. It was Mother, halfway up the stairs, yelling, "Astraga, your food is going to get really cold!"
Food? I don't have time for that, I thought to myself. There are far more important things than food, Mother, but I couldn't tell her in such a manner. I replied, "Coming, Mother, just need a bit more time!"
"Okay, sweetheart," she replied. "Oh, by the way, your sister has already started reading your father's book, so you're missing out."
"What? She better not; she lost the bet!" I raced downstairs, hoping to catch her and remind her. To my surprise, she hadn't even removed the books from the bag. She was eating, completely unaware of my presence. Mother patted my head, giggling. "I knew that would get you out of bed, haha! Now, eat."
I pulled out my chair, rubbing my eyes to clear the residue. The food was indeed delicious..a porridge rice with the rabbit meat my father had caught. As I ate, I realized from my constant staring that my father wasn't at the dining table, where he usually sat and sharpened his sword. I whispered to my sister, who was already asking if I would finish my food. I poured at least half of my porridge into her bowl and asked, "Astraya, where's Father?"
She also looked surprised, with rice pieces on her lips that I helped remove with my finger. "You're right, Astraga!"
Mother, noticing our chatter, said, "I'm sure you're wondering where he went. He decided to do his usual patrol, to see if anything is out of place, okay? He'll be back soon, don't worry about that, you two." She said this while preparing the next meal for the afternoon.
Part 2
Time had passed well into the afternoon.It was finally time to take the books up to our room, and Astraya and I were excited about what awaited us inside. The leather bag wasn't especially heavy but with fine craftsmanship that could stand out as someone's possession. I brought the books out and arranged them in a semi-circular manner, all positioned toward me. I crossed my legs like a monk, ready to sink my teeth in. I know books aren't food, but they were definitely increasing my appetite for knowledge.
Astraya, wanting to be comfortable as well, brought down her pillow and cuddled it, waiting for me to start.
"Hmm, where do we start?" I said.
Astraya's usual answer for anything involving books came immediately. "Hey, Astraga, pick something that has colors and pictures."
The only books that fit that description were the ones by our father. It was as if he had written them solely for us to find appealing. They had a glittering effect when you moved them and looked at them from different angles; it was very entertaining. I honestly got distracted just holding them.
I finally decided which book was best to start with. It was lightweight, and from what I could see, it had a maximum of 50 pages. "Mana Guide and Mana Manipulation by Vulgabread Fula," I said clearly, taking on the role of reader as Astraya paid close attention to my words.
I placed my hands on the hard front cover, feeling it before opening its contents.
Flip.
The first thing my eyes caught was on the first page. It was only a few words, and after clearing my throat, I read them aloud:
"For centuries, scholars argued whether magic (mana) was of divine, mental, or elemental origin. The answer, as proven through modern bloodcasting,is all of the above, but coursing through the living river of blood. Blood is not merely a vehicle of life, but the conduit of elemental will. Simply put, your blood is an insulation for capturing mana.
Astraya stared with extra focus. I had never seen her pay attention to anything like she was doing now.
As I kept reading, I could deduce one clear piece of information: mana existed outside the body. My initial thought was that a person would generate mana from within and then use it to influence the environment. Some of the knowledge was a bit hard to conceptualize, either because I had a solid, above-average knowledge of biology from my past life or because Father wasn't able to explain it better. The text read:
"The core, proven to have sensations housed near the heart and sometimes in the lower stomach region for advanced users, is a dense, self-generating organ formed at birth. It combines mana with your blood, determines your elemental affinities to absorb mana, and defines your place in the arcane world."
Part 3
I tried flexing my abdomen and conceptualizing what a core that would absorb mana would look and function like, but it was difficult. I continued by reading further to see if any more examples were made.
Flip.
The page stated, "According to the previous work of Thamipus, it was stated that the core itself shouldn't be thought to exist in the physical body. It existed in a realm within a person's being."
Flip.
"Every conscious creature had three forms of existence: body, spirit, and soul." The book noted that these were not completely proven theories but were generally accepted by most academics.
Astraya, who was paying close attention, finally responded, "Astraga, so most likely the core would be an intangible type of organ. I wouldn't be surprised if it existed as a spiritual space."
She wasn't wrong. Thamipus proposed that mana itself existed between two realms of being: the body and the spirit. The body and spirit function together, allowing a person to perceive both tangible and intangible matter. The spirit is the primary reason we, as beings, can perceive things like time, morality, and thoughts, as these are intangible things we cannot physically feel. It appeared, according to Thamipus, that the soul was more religious than anything to do with mana, and academics here strongly believed in the afterlife. Not much else was covered on this topic, which I found interesting.
I revised my current understanding with Astraya to ensure we were on the same page. I asked her what she had understood from what I had read so far.
She formed a fist with her right hand and used her left to count the key aspects she had grasped. You might wonder what she could possibly know, but if not for my past life experience and knowledge, she would have been the smarter twin. She thought carefully, staring at the ceiling and releasing a finger for each point.
"Well, Astraga, the best I can think of is that, first, mana sounds more like energy absorbed from nature. A person can't produce their own mana. Instead, they absorb as much as they can from the outside and build it in their core, which then becomes something they can use to manifest outwards." She held up a second finger. "Second, the core is more than just a storage unit. I'd say the core has the refinement and manifestation capabilities to create mana. I have a strong feeling that it exists more in a spiritual state than a physical one, which is why the core absorbs and transforms mana into a tangible energy that can be found in the blood."
She then held up a third finger. "And the final point is more of a question than anything, Astraga." She continued, "Can the core also have a physical manifestation?" This meant she was likely wondering if a person's core could be damaged.
This hadn't occurred to me, as I was more focused on other things, like how a core could be maximized for better mana absorption into the body.
All those answers weren't yet available. This book Father wrote seemed to answer most basic questions and fill in knowledge gaps.
Turning to the next page, a "Flip," I read aloud: "Mana Types and Awakening."