Part 1
This was quite an interesting read. It stated, "Mana flows in all living beings," a fact I now understood. But what else? I read further.
It claimed that mana existed in four coexisting types, and this depended on what your core was good at absorbing and how it absorbed mana was important for any mana user. The four mana types were named using colors perhaps for easy assimilation: Red Mana (the Fire type), Blue Mana (the Water type), Green Mana (the Earth type), and White Mana (the Air type).
Each human, especially their core, could absorb from all four of these types. But something caught both me and Astraya's attention: "though each being absorbed different mana types in unique proportions, this was where the difference began.."
An illustration in the book helped us conceptualize things by giving an example of a mana beast. It spoke of how mana beasts were especially skilled at absorbing various types of mana, and some went as far as to absorb only one type. The book mentioned a salamander as an example, noting that it was known for absorbing red mana and therefore had a strong affinity for fire attacks and defense.
"Ohh, I see," Astraya said, sounding like she had understood something much deeper. I reread the passage before asking her what she had discovered. After I finished, I openly asked, "Astraya, what do you see, hmm?" I did it with a playful tease.
She giggled and replied, "Don't you get it, Astraga? Listen brother, from what I see here, being able to absorb all those mana types would be good. But I believe if your core was able to focus on absorbing one type of mana, it would still provide you with the same capabilities and potential for attack and defense, you know?"
I thought to myself, "Come to think of it, Father did say each of the four kingdoms had a preference for a specific element due to pacts they had with mana beasts or something like that." Astraya always seemed to amaze me time and time again.
Now that we knew the types of mana, Astraya's deduction made me turn the pages in search of one thing: were there different types of cores? That was the only explanation I could think of for why some cores would absorb certain types of mana more than others. And where was the information on awakening?
"Finally, I found it!" I exclaimed, which made Astraya giggle a bit.
"Astraga, why does reading make you this happy?" she replied, clearly seeing the excitement in my eyes.
"Listen to this, Astraya," I said. I was happy with my decision to start with this book, as it struck a perfect balance. It was complex enough to make me want to know more, but still simple enough that I could comprehend the information without mental fatigue.
"Here it is, Astraya! This will confirm if you're right about focusing on one type of mana," I said.
There it was. I had found it under the heading "Types of Cores and Absorbing Behaviors." As I read, each type gave me a fresh understanding of what was happening within a mana user's core.
As my small hands gripped the edges of the book, I became more engrossed than anyone else in the room. My eyes glanced over every sentence as fast as they could, which made me unconsciously mumble to myself, repeatedly forgetting that Astraya was right in front of me and needed to be included.
"Hello? Astraga, read aloud," she pouted, feeling left out.
Snapping back to reality, I realized I had been silent for a few minutes, completely lost in the book. "Oh, sorry, Astraya," I said. "I got lost in my thoughts and carried away." I cleared my throat and then calmly reread from where we had left off.
"The first type of cores are referred to as Single-Affinity."
Astraya, now relieved that I was back to my senses, cuddled her pillow even tighter. She only did that at night when we were told bedtime stories, so I knew she was paying extra attention.
"Also known as 'Specialist cores.' The text stated this type of mana user possesses a core that absorbs only one type of mana.
I saw this and thought, "Does that mean they are also at a very, um, elite level of mana control and power?" In order to answer that question, I had to read more.
"allowing them to perform high-level mana manipulation and control with that element."
"I see " I kept reading.
The book stated that "Specialists were known to achieve heights most other types couldn't, as they possessed an advantage in both mana absorption and manipulation of one mana type."
Part 2
As my head and eyes gazed down at the book, Astraya gave me a look I disliked—the "I told you so" face. I then realized she was waiting for me to acknowledge that she had been correct.
"What, Astraya? What's with that smug look on your face?" I asked.
She replied, "I told you. I'm sure they're the ones who will achieve that 'Dragonhood' thingy Daddy was talking about."
I then replied, "Well, from what I'm seeing here, you were partially right." I then read a section of the book that backed up the possibility of reaching Dragonhood.
"Well, Astraya, you would also need what the book calls a mana pool or mana reserve." I added, "From what I see here, you will need a large mana reserve to reach it as well."
She stared at me and asked, "What's a mana reserve thingy?"
The book, as I had told Astraya, mentioned the term mana pool, or mana reserve, which represents how much mana a person can store within their body. Unfortunately, this mana reserve is fixed from the moment you are born and is unchangeable. Having a large pool in addition to being a specialist was a massive advantage. It actually clearly stated that…
My hands flipped between pages.
Flip.
"Individuals with massive mana reserves and a single affinity were known to achieve Dragonhood much faster than the rest of the core types."
This was due to the simple fact that an individual who could perform at the highest level in one element and had the mana reserves to back them up would naturally be ahead of their peers.